A Sith-hikers guide to the Galaxy

[DudeTheManatee]

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After escaping an astroid trading post Soran boarded a smuggling ship buying a trip towards Korriban with labor. The captain knew of his work and allowed him to board but only due to Soran's name dropping of a few other ship captains. The first two stops were easy just dropping off passengers, the third would be the challenge. Four large crates are unloaded by droids and a small unidentifiable box, the real cargo, sits in Soran's pocket. The crates are moved into a storage unit and Soran is met by a short man with a thick mustache, he gives the man some paperwork to examine and sits the small box on top of it. The short man smiles as he snatches the box, Soran leaves the storage unit quickly heading back to the ship.

Soran stands alone on an empty landing pad on the edge of Nar Shaddaa.

"Well I probably should have seen this coming, damn smugglers..."

Well at least he got paid for unloading the ship. Time to find another transport, only half the galaxy stands between him and all the knowledge he has ever wanted. Leaving the pad behind, Soran makes his way toward the city looking for the nearest canteen. Making his way down an alley Soran sees a what looks like a reasonably well lit establishment at the other end. Hair stands on his neck half way down the alley, two shadows make their move.

"This is as far as the road goes for you boy." Spat the larger of the two.
His spindly sidekick jabs, "Just hand over everything you have and we will make it quick."

Soran slowly turns seeing that the two are only armed with their fists and mouths. "You may have just made the worst mistake of your lives", he says with a slow and calm cadence. His eyes change as he speaks, becoming more of the cold tone they give off.
"Hear that, this guy must be a comedian. Man he has jokes for days." Laughing at his own ignorance. The thugs split around Soran, cutting off all escape routes as the larger of the two moves in.
It was over in a flash, "Noooo....." the voice trails off as the body falls into a heap. Soran turns with a smile, his face lit by a blood orange saber. "You had a chance, now you can't have another."
Shock crosses his face, then fear. "Please. Don't. Here is everything I have", holding out the contents of his pockets. Soran steps up to the shaking man, "Is this it? Some change, at least you will buy my drinks." Laughing with a quick flash, the second thug falls. Soran takes the credits that were offered to him from the body and makes his way toward the canteen.

A feeling arose inside of him. The same feeling he had the night his friend Tallon died, it was excitement. Soran remembered the moment he last felt this standing over the body of a trade shop owner, the same night he acquired the lightsaber now on his hip. The first time he took another beings life was hard, there were consequences. Tonight was easy, they were just thugs, faces in a crowd of filth. Would he have this feeling again? Only one way to find out, he had to keep going, had to make it to Korriban and unravel the secrets of the Force. "This should be fun." With an easy push the door opened and he walked into the bar.

 

[DudeTheManatee]

Soran walks through the door into a surprisingly well lit and nearly empty room. After a moment his eyes adjust to the contrast from outside, he steps to the bar as a disgruntled bartender steps up.

"What do you want?", the bartender leans on the counter.

Soran gives a disarming smile, "I would like a drink and some information if you have a moment." He places the payment for the drink on the bar along with a large tip.

Shocked, the bartender swipes up the money and puts together a top shelf drink. "Here you are, sir." His demeanor changing quickly, realizing the young man in front of him could possibly afford any information he wanted. "'Bout the information you needed. Not sure what I can do there, just a simple man sir."

Soran takes a drink and smiles again, "No simple man could put together a drink like this. I am looking for passage to Korriban." Soren spoke loud enough for the bar to hear but not so loud to seem obvious. "I am a scholar of sorts and I hear there is a wealth of knowledge hidden away there. I plan to uncover it and make it mine.", Soran calmly rattles off with a friendly tone casually glancing around. The statement only seemed to peak the interest of a few that were in their own private corners.

"Well sir, there are a few transports that head that way sometimes. But the only sure way to get there is to travel with a Sith.", his voice falls with the last three words. Fear crosses his face with the idea, he refuses to make eye contact with Soran.

"And how would I contact the Sith?", Soran finishes his drink but does not lower his voice. His volume does not change but the tone of the conversation quickly shifts. "They sound exactly like who I am looking for."

The bartender visibly nervous, "Well...If the Sith are interested in you they tend to find you." Soran's eyes widen as the bartender speaks, there is that feeling again excitement. Why now, there is no body lifeless in front of him? No that's not it, this feeling doesn't require a body, it requires danger.

"Well then I guess I need to make some noise so they know where I am at.", he replies with another glance around the room. "Any suggestions?"

 

[vamp]

.

The smuggler's moon was as despicable that night as always. The sprawling, polluted city was alive with movement, from speeders to criminals fleeing what poor law enforcement the planet had, and Calmax had decided to take a more peaceful route through a back alley on his way to the cantina. The fluorescent lighting from nearby buildings lit the way slightly, although he didn't need vision to get about. His armor was on underneath his black robes, and his hood was up. A simple black blindfold covered his eyes, and he carried his helmet in a messenger bag.

Calmax didn't enjoy trips to Nar Shaddaa, mostly because he didn't enjoy the criminal culture that centuries of smugglers and crime lords had built up. Although it slightly resembled some aspects of Sith culture-mostly the emphasis on independence-he still despised it, and avoided the criminal crowd. He'd traveled there to visit a cantina in search of intel about new armor types and the like, although his night took a strange turn on the way.

As he walked alone in the dim light, he felt a familiar feeling. This feeling, pushed to him by the Force, was something he was now used to. Something just died, he thought, and kept walking. As he felt another pang, he realized how close the two were. Turning a corner, he saw an orange lightsaber switch off, and a pale figure turning its back on two corpses. Ignoring the bodies, he trailed the suspicious figure, until they arrived at a cantina. Once the other man went inside, Calmax counted to ten, and then stepped inside.

He took a seat at the bar, right next to the interesting man, and listened in on his conversation.

"Well then I guess I need to make some noise so they know where I am at. Any suggestions?"

Sighing, Calmax craned his hooded head a few degrees toward the man. "Keep your pants on, I'm sitting right here," he murmured, keeping his voice low. "You may take the next flight back with me, if you can prove why I should take you along," he added. He didn't feel any Jedi energy on the guy, but it was never bad to be careful.

 

[DudeTheManatee]

Soren turns his head shocked by the man being beside him without his notice. Calming himself quickly, "Why the rush?", his cold eyes lock on the man. "How about you have a drink and relax for a minute? Or if you are indeed in a hurry, it sounds like you have a task in mind in payment for my passage.", Soren quickly scans the man, there is something different about him. Is this a Sith, do they carry themselves with this kind of power? Soren had to know, he would complete any task to continue his search for knowledge.

The nervous bartender sees the Sith, "Sorry sir, we are gonna be closing soon can't serve anymore drinks." The canteen owner obviously did not want his establishment involved in any Sith dealings or whatever this was about to become.

 

[vamp]

.

Turning to the bartender, Calmax nodded. "That's no problem; there's thousands of cantinas on this godforsaken moon either way," he replied, standing. He turned to Soran. "Walk with me. We have a few hours until the next flight. I just need to ensure you're...not blinded by the light, so to speak.

Once outside, the two men began walking along the poorly-built road. The night sounded of honks and people laughing far away. "I do not have a payment in mind, although if you were to clarify your motives, I may let you tag along," Calmax said once they were outside. "Why do you wish to travel to Korriban?"

They turned a corner, onto an open plaza. Despite the late hour, there were still numerous people carrying on with their business. Above them, speeders flew by at breakneck speeds.

 

[DudeTheManatee]

Soran begins to relax, "Ah, I see. My motives are simple, my entire life has been spent either working with no purpose or studying the Force." Soran walks along side Calmax, "Why are you open to bringing me along? I am just a stranger with a loud mouth.", probing at the intent of his new "friend" with a smile.
The sounds of the night closing in around them, Soran finally noticing how far from the city they truly are. There it is, excitement. Feeling his own heartbeat increase, Soran attempts to contain himself poorly. The man next to him was the chance that he needed.

 

[vamp]

.

"I used to be the same, in a way. Quick to talk back, violent, reckless. The Sith Order has shown me the path to a nearly perfect existence, and I simply want to spread it," he said. "Although some may consider my ways unorthodox, I believe we should try to spread our message non-violently as well. No reason to kill needlessly when there's billions of souls that can become devoted to the cause."

They kept strolling through the plaza. The people around seemed to be keeping their distance, wary of the hooded figure. Calmax realized this could cause trouble, and began taking them away from the area, closer to the back alleys.

Rats skittered away from them, sensing the foul energy. Calmax made an effort to cover his sensitivity, just in case. "I'll take you along, but we still have time to spare. Tell me more about your upbringing."

They were now walking through an alley. Calmax was taking them in the direction of the hangar, although it was a vague navigation, meant only to bring them in the area around it.

 

[DudeTheManatee]

He seems genuine, a bit arrogant but genuine. He knows, he knows what happened before the bar. Is this the test? Did Calmax think him so transparent? No, he was being genuine. "I could see how some that you associate with could see you as unorthodox, the more followers to the cause the better. On the same note we can not allow any to oppose our own improvement", Soran alluding to the thugs.

Amused by his own response he continued, "As for me, my story is a simple one. I know no father, my mother died on a transport shortly after my birth. The captain of the ship had some sympathy and raised me in a way." Soran now looking into the distance remembering his own past. recounting stories of learning how the smuggling trade works, how he increased his skill in negotiations with practice, and how he educated himself about the galaxy through any books or holocrons that he could get his hands on. He even mentioned his fascination with the force and the Sith, "...and that is where I met Tallon." Soran stopped his story quickly, his eyes blank for just a moment long enough for someone looking to notice. "He helped me acquire this.", showing off his saber, "and here we are."

"About time for the transport to arrive?", Soran asked with a friendly tone.

 

[vamp]

.

"Appears so," he said. They began a beeline toward the hangar. The ship was set to arrive in a few minutes.

As they boy spoke, Calmax had seen emotion flicker on his face. He'd also sensed the feelings, from grief, to nostalgia, back to grief. The boy was an open book, and yet Calmax was still intrigued. The blank looks, the flashes of sadness; he could tell this boy has suffered much.

""I can tell you've suffered much," he remarked. "I have, too. We all have. We Sith differ from the Jedi however, because we allow these experiences and these feelings to change us. We grow stronger, and are constantly changing."

They arrived to the hangar. The ship, a small freighter, was on a delivery mission, taking spice toward Korriban for the more voyeuristic of Sith, Calmax included. Since he was a regular customer, the deliveryman had let him hitchhike whenever needed. Calmax lead the way. He waved to the deliveryman on the way in, pointing to the boy next to him and saying,"He's with me," after which they both settled in for the relatively long flight.

Taking a look out the small window while the ship raised itself off the platform he spoke again. "You would indeed make a great Sith. Although I'm no Darth, I like to think I know some things. I would be open to taking you in as my apprentice, if you're willing."

 

[DudeTheManatee]

Soran followed onto the ship, happy with passing the "test" and even more pleased with using his new acquaintance's sympathy to gain passage. Still he should have not given up so much information so easily, if it gets him to the Sith it is worth it. "I am willing to learn from anyone that is willing to teach", a response that felt correct for the moment.
Soran sat quietly and happily for a long time reading from some of the text from his luggage, studying Calmax from the corner of his eye. Realizing his new companion thought him to be weak and feeble minded, Soran decided to use that to his advantage. "Calmax, what happens next? When we get to Korriban I mean.", he knew the answer. Soran would be taken to Sith leadership and they would judge him either worthy of the Sith or possibly he would be banished.

 

[vamp]

.

"I'll report you to the higher-ups in the Academy, and they'll judge you. As long as you speak about how bad the Jedi are or how great the Sith are, they will let you in. After that, we'll begin training," he replied. "Keep in mind that not all Sith are nice and peaceful like me. If you cannot carry yourself with power, don't carry yourself at all, and avoid others."

The ship went into hyperspace, and the stars around became white lines. Calmax looked out the window.

 

[DudeTheManatee]

Soren calmly smiles to himself about meeting the Sith, knowing that knowledge is power he would become the most powerful acolyte the galaxy had ever seen. He prepares for the jump and keeps reading the text in front of him. "I look forward to learning from all.", Soran calmly replies. Ready to begin his own journey to and knowing only time stands between him and his goal, Sith Sorcerer.

 

[vamp]

.

Nodding, Calmax watched as the stars slowly became dots again. The red planet of Korriban loomed ahead of them dreadfully. He could already feel the dark side energy radiating off it, and by the looks of it, so was the pilot, who had begun fidgeting a bit.

As they neared the planet, Calmax stood. Once the ship shuddered to a stop and the doors opened, he looked out onto the wastelands ahead, and stepped out.

THREAD END