BALION THORNE
THE BOGAN
Credits for the pic to Jedi Art Tricks on DeviantartTHE BOGAN
- Age: Forty (40)
- Race: Human
- Height: 1,81m
- Weight: 87 kilograms
- Eye color: Crimson
- Hair color: Black
- Skin color: Tan
- Force Sensitive: Yup
- Faction: The Bogan Empire
- Rank: The Bogan
- Race: Human
- Height: 1,81m
- Weight: 87 kilograms
- Eye color: Crimson
- Hair color: Black
- Skin color: Tan
- Force Sensitive: Yup
- Faction: The Bogan Empire
- Rank: The Bogan
- All core powers
- Lightning
- Choke
- Drain
- Rage
- Cloak
- Concealment
- Pyrokinesis
- Heal
- Precognition
- Horror
- Mindtrick
- Protection bubble
- Slow
- Absorb
- Lightning
- Choke
- Drain
- Rage
- Cloak
- Concealment
- Pyrokinesis
- Heal
- Precognition
- Horror
- Mindtrick
- Protection bubble
- Slow
- Absorb
- Juyo
- Soresu
- Shii-Cho
- Soresu
- Shii-Cho
The girl was crying. Her arms were tied up behind her back. Her legs were tied together. She was all alone, inside a dark cellar. She was living a true nightmare. She wanted to get out, but she had no chance to escape. She was a young Jedi Knight, a spy sent by the Order. She came to infiltrate the Empire. Poor girl.
She looked up anxiously when she heard footsteps on the small staircase right in front of her. Because it was so dark in there, she couldn’t see clearly, but she knew exactly who was coming. She cried out loud and desperately tried to break free from the ropes. But, there was no way in hell she’d succeed. And even if she did, then what could she do next?
‘P—please!’ she stammered. ‘Please don’t hurt me anymore! It’s too much!’
She tried to crawl away from the staircase. The footsteps became louder and louder. The steps of the stairs creaked. And then… the sound of footsteps was gone. The sounds of the creaking steps were gone. She knew exactly what that meant.
I stepped out of the shadows and looked down on her. My face was shrouded deep inside my black hood, so she couldn’t see my sly smile. I think that’s for the best; for if she’d seen it, she’d probably get an heart attack. She already was so terrified. Poor girl.
Very slowly I approached her. I wore a dark cloak to hide my entire appearance, but she knew full well what I look like. Yes, she did.
‘Don’t be afraid, love,’ I said with a deep, soothing voice. ‘I’m not here to hurt you.’
My attempts to calm her down were in vain, for she continued to crawl backwards. How she managed to do that, with her hands and her legs tied, I have no clue. But she managed to do it. She crawled backwards until finally she reached the wall behind her. I approached her, very slowly, step by step. She had nowhere to go, the poor thing.
‘I’m just here to ask a few questions,’ I told her. ‘Why are you so afraid of me? There’s no need to be afraid…’
‘Just… don’t…’ she cried. She said something, but I couldn’t hear what she said clearly, because she was sobbing all the time. I have to admit; it annoyed me. But well, I just tried to patient, you know. I always try.
‘Hush, my dear,’ I whispered. I knelt down before her and slowly pulled down my hood to reveal my features. I’m not sure what she thought of me, but it looked like she was afraid of me. I wonder if that was because of my crimson Dark Side eyes. ‘Hush. Dry your tears…’ My voice was a soft whisper. I sounded calm. I tried to comfort her.
‘N—no!’ she stuttered. ‘Don’t get close to me! Please…’ And she cried on. I could feel it inside me; the irritation. The frustration. I knew that if she wouldn’t quiet down, I’d soon reach that point where I’d explode. But damn it, she didn’t listen to me. If only she’d listened, then nothing would’ve happened to her.
‘Please,’ I said. ‘You don’t know what you’re doing to yourself. Just calm down and answer my questions. Why are you so afraid, dear?’
She bit her lip and closed her eyes. She winced; and that made her look so damn ugly. I thought she was an attractive woman, but when she winced like that…
‘Look,’ I began. I reached out my gloved, right hand and touched her cheek. Gently. I brushed away a tear with my thumb and I tried my best to uphold a certain expression. One that said: I’m worried about you.
‘I am just trying to be nice here,’ I said softly. ‘But you aren’t helping the situation. Dry your tears, my child, and look at me. Please. Look at me.’
Her eyes remained closed, as if she was terrified of me. And of course she was, I could feel her fear. It felt great.
‘Look at me,’ I said. It wasn’t a question.
Her eyes remained closed, still. She refused. And that was when I slipped. I didn’t mean to; it was a mistake. Of course that slip up didn’t help the situation either; it only made it worse. But, like I just said, it was a mistake.
‘LOOK AT ME!!’ I growled straight into her face. I had simply touched her cheek, but now I buried the tips of my fingers in her skin. She was lucky I was still wearing my glove, otherwise I would’ve cut her skin with my nails.
She just sobbed after my outburst. And that annoyed me even more. I removed my hand and rose to a stand. I looked down on the pathetic doll she was. And then, as if she realized that if she didn’t look up to me I’d kill her; she looked up. Her eyes wide open, she still winced. And that just made her look so DAMN UGLY.
‘W—why are y—you doing this to meee?’ she sobbed.
‘Why are you doing this me?’ I repeated with a high pitched voice, just to make clear that she was really annoying me. ‘Just stop wincing like that, love. You look terrible.’
‘I can’t…’ she cried.
‘No, of course not!’ I threw my arms up into the air and sighed exaggeratedly. When I threw up my arms, she raised her own arms in front of her face. She was apparently afraid I’d strike her with some kind of Force power, or whatever. Stupid girl.
‘Ok,’ I said, lowering my arms. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have screamed. Let’s start over.’ I knelt down again and looked at her. She hid her face behind her hands. I carefully grabbed her wrists, right under her hands, and for some reason I was afraid I’d crack her wrists if I clenched them too hard. I pulled them down, very slowly, so I could look at her face again.
‘My dear,’ I said, ‘I don’t want to hurt you. I just want some answers. Why did you come here? Did the Jedi Grandmaster send you here? Did she think you were up for the task of infiltrating this Empire? Hm?’
Very slowly, she nodded.
‘O, well,’ I said a little nonchalantly, ‘apparently she was wrong. Did you reveal any information to her?’
She pressed her lips. It was obvious she refused to talk, and that annoyed me again.
‘O, you are so difficult!’ I exclaimed. I let go of her arms and stood up. ‘You are SO DIFFICULT!!’ After that I was silent for a few moments, hoping she’d answer the question anyway. I looked down on her—or rather glared down on her—and crossed my arms in front of my chest. If she wouldn’t answer real quick, I’d lose it. I knew I would lose it. It always happened.
‘Ok,’ I said when it became obvious that she’d remain silent. ‘That’s it. I won’t put up with this any longer. I will extract the info I need from you by force, if necessary. You understand!?’
I bet she could feel the anger that boiled up inside me, and the Dark Side that began to swirl around me. She watched me taking off my gloves. I tucked the gloves in the pockets of my dark cloak. Then a mysterious blue lightning began to crack around my fists and my Dark Side Aura became so intense.
‘No!’ she cried. ‘I’ll tell you everything! Please don’t!’
‘TOO LATE, HONEY!’ I shouted and I lunged out my hands to her. A wave of lightning erupted from my fingertips and she screamed of agony when the lightning hit her. It was all around her, all over her. It went through her legs, her arms, her chest, her head. She screamed and cried. The room was lit up by the lightning. I watched her bleed and it all felt so great. It felt so great to be powerful.
Then I stopped. I didn’t want to kill her. Not yet.
‘Answer. Now,’ I demanded.
‘I told them nothing! I didn’t have—’
‘—LIES!!’ I interrupted and I unleashed a second wave of lightning. It was such a painful sight. Such a horrific sight. But not to me; I thought it was beautiful. The symphony that consisted of the sound of searing lightning; her cries and agonized screams; and my laughter. It sounded like music to my ears. And the display of blue lightning that cracked around her, the blood that seeped out of her body. It was amazing.
‘Stop!’ she managed to bring out. At first I didn’t hear her, but when she tried louder, I did stop. I lowered my arms and looked at her curiously.
‘Well?’ I said.
‘I was about the send the transmission when one of your men intercepted me! The message never reached the Jedi! Please! I’m speaking the truth! Let it stop!’
I was silent for a while. I just looked at her, watched her bleed and cry. Then I burst out into laughter, my laughter resounded throughout the dark cellar. I patted my thigh and almost couldn’t stop laughing.
‘You can’t be serious,’ I said with a raised eyebrow. ‘You can’t be kriffing serious!’
She just looked at me. She was in great pain, that much was obvious.
‘In that case,’ I said, ‘I suppose I can let you go…’ I saw the hope lighting up in her beautiful green eyes. ‘But you won’t go back to the Jedi.’
‘N—no, sir! No I w—won’t!’
‘It wasn’t a question, dear.’ I knelt down beside her again. I reached inside my cloak, for the concealed vibrodagger I carried with me, and unsheathed it. I cut her loose. Then I sheathed the dagger again and I rose to a stand. I reached out my hand, to help her stand up. At first she looked at my hand, a little suspicious (after the lightning that erupted from my hands, I guess that’s logical), but then she took my hand. She was still terrified, there was no grateful smile on her face. Just that kriffing grimace that made her look so ugly.
‘Th—thank you…’ she stammered. I could hear that she didn’t really mean it.
I smiled faintly, but that was a mask. On the inside I didn’t smile. This stupid girl had wasted my precious time. She caused me stress, because I thought she’d revealed important info to the Jedi, about the Bogan Empire. The stupid, stupid girl. O yes, she made so ANGRY.
And so I burst out into anger once again. This time, I didn’t laugh like a maniac, but I growled out loud. The lightning erupted from the hand I held her with, and went up her arm and through the rest of her body. She convulsed and screamed, but the screaming stopped rather quickly. It took me only a few moments to realizing I was electrocuting a dead body, and that too, made me angry.
I grabbed her shoulder with my left hand, and then her other shoulder with my right hand. Her arm fell to her side as if she was some kind of moppet. I violently threw her dead body to the ground and I could’ve sworn I heard a crack when her head butted against the cold, stone wall behind her.
‘You’re KRIFFING welcome!’ I shouted. I clenched my hands to fists and bit my lip. I had to leave there, or else I’d utterly devastate her entire body, and that just wasn’t necessary. O, I’m such an angry man.
I turned around and walked back up the stairs. What a waste of time…
I
Once upon a time, there was this nice little world called Metellos. There were these stratablocks above the ground and floating (yes, floating) cities for the rich, in the upper atmosphere. That’s where I lived, yes I did. I’m not from those stupid stratablocks… that’s for the poor. And the filthy. Yes, in a way, I’m filthy myself—filthy rich. Now, I don’t live on Metellos anymore, but I lived there throughout my childhood. Fortunately I left, for the planet began to make me sick.
Listen.
My dad was a businessman. A successful one at that; hence I’m so rich. Hence he’s so rich. Hence we lived in those floating cities. My mother was the daughter of a senior businessman my father used to work with. My parents met at some kind of party or something like that, I’m not quite sure. I haven’t seen them in a while, so I can’t ask them either. Sorry.
So, I grew up there, had a nice childhood. Well, I suppose I had a nice childhood. My father was never around, though. He was always working; always on business trips. My mother was there to take care of me, and she did. She did that quite well, actually. I loved her. She gave me the feeling she was really there for me.
My father wanted me to become a businessman too. And if that failed, he wanted me to be a lawyer. (Can you imagine that? Me being a lawyer? Hm, you’re right. You don’t know me yet, so it’s impossible to answer that question now.) I wanted that too, at first, but that was when I didn’t know the truth yet. “What truth?” I hear you asking. The truth about my grandpa, my mother’s father; and the truth about this galaxy; and the truth about myself. I was destined to be more than just a mere businessman. I was destined to be … powerful.
I discovered that my grandfather was a Jedi at age sixteen, and before you ask: No. My mother was not a Jedi. She might have been sensitive to the Force, yes, because her father was a powerful Force User, but if she was sensitive too, then she never got trained in the ways of the Force. Why? I do not know. It doesn’t matter. This story isn’t about her.
It was a rather sunny day on Metellos. I sat in my room (which was a really huge room) in my comfortable chair, in front of the big window. I overlooked the city below. I was just daydreaming. I wondered what it’d be like when I’d become a businessman, and travel the galaxy just like my father did. I wondered if it’d be … cool … A term I used as a kid. Of course, I don’t use those terms anymore.
Anyhow; I sat there on my chair. I held a book in my hands (I can’t remember what book and what it was about). I’d wanted to read it, but when I began to gaze out the window, I soon forgot all about the book. I was a dreamy kid.
That was when my grandpa entered my room without warning.
He startled me, because I had not expected him to enter. I quickly stood up. The book fell off my lap, onto the ground. I was about to pick it up when my grandfather spoke to me. He said: ‘Good day, son. I didn’t startle you, did I?’
I looked up to him and said: ‘Yes, you did actually. But don’t worry.’ I smiled to him. I loved him, because he was my grandpa and he too was always there for me.
‘Apologies, son,’ gramps said. ‘I didn’t mean to. Were you reading that book?’ He pointed at the book, that still lied on the floor.
‘Yes,’ I told him. ‘Well, I was about to read it, but…’ I trailed off as I bent down to pick up the book.
‘Wait,’ gramps said. ‘Don’t pick it up just yet. There’s something I want to show you.’
‘O?’ I asked. ‘What might that be?’ I was curious. Curious as a kid of my age can be.
‘Stand back, please,’ gramps said. ‘Then I’ll show you.’
I did as he said. I took a few steps away from the book and looked back to him. Wondering what it was that he wanted to show me. I wondered what he’d do with the book.
‘Now, watch the book carefully,’ my grandpa said.
I fixed my pale-blue eyes on the book. The sunlight fell through the big window upon it. It was as if its cover lit up with some kind of mysterious energy. At first, I thought my eyes deceived me, but after a while I realized that it was very real. Now, I don’t mean that glow caused by the golden sunlight, but I mean that my grandfather let the book float. Yes, float. He let it float, just like the cities of Metellos floated.
With eyes wide open I looked from the book to my grandfather. ‘How…?’ I brought out.
Gramps let the book float towards himself, and when it floated right in front of him he grabbed it with both hands. He walked over to me and handed out the book to me. ‘The Force,’ he said with a smile. ‘You are sixteen now, son. Old enough to know the truth about… certain things. One of those things is my ability to use the Force as I please. Another of those things is…’
He paused as I took the book in my hands. He reached into his black, expensive suit and produced an odd silver cylinder. It took me a few moments to realize what it was he was holding in his hand. Of course, you already got it, don’t you?
Indeed.
My grandpa had a lightsaber.
I was shocked, amazed and excited, all at the same time. But I got it all wrong. My grandpa was not a Jedi Knight, as I first thought he was. He was something more. Something greater. Something better.
‘I built this one myself, so many years ago,’ gramps said. ‘You see, son, I am not just your old man. I’m not cripple, as so many seem to believe. It’s the Power of the Force that gives me strength. I might be old, but I feel young, and thanks to Force I have yet so many years to live. It’s a power, a gift.’
He looked at me. The look in his piercing blue eyes almost killed me. He was so serious. So bloody serious. I felt the shivers run up my spine and I shuddered. I stared at my grandfather, as if I’d seen a ghost.
‘Son,’ he went on, ‘there’s so much you could learn. So much you could do. But are you willing to take the risk?’
I didn’t know what to say. Of course I didn’t know what to say; I was only sixteen at the time. I had never, ever, expected my grandfather to be a powerful Force User.
‘I realize,’ my grandfather said, ‘that this all might come as a shock to you. Let us sit down, and I will be happy to answer all of your questions. And then, I will give you the time to think about all of this. When you are ready, you can seek me out to give me your answer. Just know that if you decide not to come with me to learn to control the Force, that it’s no shame. I will understand.’
II
At first I believed that he was a Jedi. Soon, I discovered the real truth. He was no Jedi, he was a Rogue Jedi. He belonged to this faction, known as the Ospion Guardians. But, I didn’t discover that immediately. He led me to believe he was a Jedi for a long time. He fooled me, he deceived me. But, I now understand, that was a lesson. He showed me an example of how deceiving is done.
While my dad was on business trips and my mother was in town, my grandfather taught me the basics of telekinesis. He told me a lot about the Force and according to him I was a good student. I was eager to learn. He told me I’d make a good Jedi.
‘Grandpa?’ I asked him one day. We sat in the garden, the hot sun beat down on us, we both had a glass of ice-water to cool down. ‘When will you take me to the Jedi?’
He glanced at me. He didn’t answer immediately. He took a small sip of his ice-water and sat back in his chair.
‘Son,’ he said, ‘the Jedi have run into some internal problems right now.’
‘What do you mean?’ I asked him, curiously.
‘There’s something with their Grandmaster, Banik Kelrada.’ He told me about the schism, and about the Rogue Jedi who went on to form the Ospion Guardians. I listened closely, and I believed every word he said. I believed that the Ospions were desperately trying to save the galaxy.
‘But the Jedi are the guardians of peace, aren’t they?’ I asked him. ‘The protectors of the innocent?’
‘They were,’ gramps said. ‘But they have changed now. The Ospions are the good guys now. They are the ones who fight for the greater good. We just aren’t as big as the Jedi Order yet. But soon we will be.’
I asked boldly: ‘Can you take me there once?’
Grandpa looked at me with raised eyebrows. ‘To Arcon-VII?’ he asked. ‘Is that where you want to go, son?’
I wasn’t quite sure, to be honest, but I did want to see the Ospion Guardians with my own eyes. The thought of paying a visit to their enclave excited me. Finally I answered: ‘Yes, is it possible?’
‘Of course that’s possible,’ gramps said. ‘You’ll just have to be patient for a little while longer. I have to make some preparations first.’
It was a nice, sunny day, and… it was probably the last time I saw my grandfather.
III
My father got home from one of his business trips the next day. He walked into the entrance hall, handed his coat to Reeves, our butler, and called: ‘I’m home!’
I came running down the winding staircase, into the huge hall, and straight into my dad’s arms. I had missed him. Of course I had. He was my father.
‘Balion,’ he said with a smile. ‘How are you, son?’
I looked up to him and I saw that smile on his face. However, I saw something in his eyes that made me feel uncomfortable. It was as if something was wrong with him. And after I’d seen that look in his eyes, I also saw that his smile was a forced smile. On the outside he looked happy, but on the inside… something was wrong. I didn’t ask about it, because I was too afraid to ask. I would, however, learn about what was going on that very evening.
My father and grandfather were inside my father’s study. They were discussing something. I walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the door of my dad’s study. I carried a plate with two cups and a can of tea on it. I was about to open the door when I heard my grandpa shouting.
‘YOU DID WHAT!?’
That startled me. I almost dropped the plate and the tea. Normally, I would’ve walked away quickly, but because of what my grandfather had told me before (that he’s an Ospion), I decided to stick around. I would listen in, yes, and that was bad, yes, but I couldn’t help it. I had to know what was going on.
I set the plate down on a small table that stood just to the right of the door to my dad’s study, and I listened. I was very tense, but I figured that if my father or grandfather would discover me, I’d just tell them I was about to bring them tea. If they’d ask me if I’d heard anything, I’d simply say no.
‘Sorry, Duke!’ I heard my father say. ‘I didn’t meant for this, either! But they blackmailed me!’
‘Yea, yea, they blackmailed you…’ gramps muttered. ‘You insolent boy. Can you imagine what repercussions this’ll have for your family, well? Can you, Arrick?’
‘Yes, Duke, I can. Please, don’t you see how kriffed up I feel right now? You don’t need to make it worse!’
‘Hm, you’re right,’ gramps said. ‘I’m sorry, Arrick. So… what happens now?’
‘It will only be a matter of time until they come to kidnap Balion. We have to make sure he’s safe.’
At this point, my heart pounded in my chest as if it was possessed. I was terrified. Who were going to kidnap me? What was going on? What happened on my father’s business trip?
I panicked. I turned and ran down the corridor, I forgot all about the tea. I think my dad and gramps found the tea, but they never breathed a word about it.
I went up to my room and hid under the blankets on my bed. I was but a boy then, and I didn’t have the power of the Dark Side yet. I didn’t know what to do. I was scared to death.
That night was probably the worst night I ever had as a child.
IV
The next morning—I had not slept at all—, I came downstairs and saw my father in the dining room. He was eating breakfast. My mother sat next to him at the table. My grandfather wasn’t there and I wondered where he was. I wanted him to be there for me, to protect me. I thought that he, because he was an Ospion, could protect me.
‘Good morning, Balion,’ my mother said.
‘Good morning,’ I said. I sat down across from my parents at the table and I filled a bowl with milk. I grabbed the pack of cornflakes and put the flakes in the bowl as well. I watched the flakes sink away in the milk and just stared at it, blankly. I was still shaken. Scared. Terrified!
‘Are you ok, son?’ my dad asked me.
I looked up from my cornflakes and nodded. ‘Yes, father,’ I said. ‘Yes, I am. Where is grandpa?’
‘Grandpa,’ my mother said, ‘has left early this morning. He said he had business elsewhere. He was rather vague about it.’
For a moment I wondered if he went to gather his Ospion comrades, to protect me and my parents. That was of course a child’s dream, because that’d never happen.
‘Okay,’ I said. I picked up a spoon and began to eat my cornflakes.
‘A colleague of mine will drop by today,’ my father said. ‘Just so you both know.’
‘That’s okay,’ my mother said. ‘When?’
‘Round noon.’
I looked up from my bowl of cornflakes again. A colleague? What did my father mean by that? None of his colleagues had ever visited our home before. Of course I was suspicious about this. I was scared. But I couldn’t tell either of my parents, for I didn’t know just how to tell them.
Around noon, we all heard the doorbell ring. Reeves, our butler, answered the door and let my dad’s ‘colleague’ in. The colleague was a tall man, slender. He appeared to be in his early forties. He had long, white hair that fell down to his shoulders. I didn’t trust the man. Not at all.
His name was Ronan Darris.
My father and Ronan went up to my father’s study to talk about things. As afraid as I was, I was also very curious. I had to know what this was all about. I sneaked down the corridor (just like the night before) and stopped in front of my dad’s door. I listened to their conversation.
They talked about business. At first it looked like everything was alright. But nothing was alright.
After some time I didn’t hear their voices anymore. There was just silence. A few moments later the door, right in front of me, was being opened and Ronan, with a bloodied knife in hand, appeared on the door step.
‘O, how convenient,’ the man said as he looked at me. ‘I thought I had to search high and low for you, but here you are. You’re coming with me, lad!’ In one quick motion, he grasped my throat. I clenched his wrist with both my hands and tried to kick him. I tried to free myself. But it was all in vain. Ronan dragged me down the corridor, towards the stairs. He threw me down the stairs.
I hit the steps with my head more than once and finally I lied at the bottom of the stairs. Stretched out and in great pain. I watched Ronan walking down the steps, very slowly and with knife in hand. That man, I realized, had killed my father.
Then, two other men entered into the entrance hall. They both carried a silenced blaster. I could only guess what they’d done. I am pretty sure they are the ones who murdered Reeves and my mother.
‘This isn’t personal, Balion,’ Ronan said. He towered over me like an angry giant. ‘It’s all about money. It’s always about money. Your dad, you see, owed us money, but he didn’t pay. Now, we all know that your dad just doesn’t have the money. Your grandfather does. That’s why we murdered your family and are kidnapping you. We’ll tell your gramps that if he won’t pay, we will kill you too.’
Ronan’s two henchmen grabbed my arms and dragged me to the front door. The dragged me down the driveway, towards a big speeder. I was kidnapped.
V
I woke up inside a dark room. A single beam of light fell into the room, through a crack in the wall. I didn’t know where I was or what those bastards had done to me, but I did know that I was afraid. I was anxious.
I knew that I had to get out of this room. I had to get away from Ronan Darris. Maybe my grandfather would never find me and never be able to rescue me. And did grandpa really have the money? I didn’t know. I didn’t know anything. I was just terrified.
Hours went by and nothing happened. Days… I’m not sure how long I was inside that dark room, it might have been a week. Might have been two weeks. I don’t know. Sometimes a hatch at the bottom of the door was being opened, and a hand shoved a plate with some food and a glass of water into the room. I ate, I drank. I tried to sleep.
I thought I’d die in there.
I didn’t have a weapon to defend myself. I had no chance to escape. Well, that’s what I thought in the beginning. Because, I did have a weapon. I did have a chance to escape. To get out alive. Yes, I did. I just didn’t realize it immediately.
Had grandfather not taught me how to use telekinesis? Had he not taught me the basics of the Force?
When I first realize that, I was too scared to try anything. But then I began to practice my telekinesis. I lifted the plate of food and the glass of water. I practiced the skill and finally, when I was confident I was strong enough, I took my chances.
I summoned the power of the Force—or at least, the little power I was able to summon—and I tried to blast open the door.
It didn’t work. Nothing happened.
I tried again, but still nothing.
I lost courage again and collapsed to the floor. I cried and I thought of my parents, who had been murdered by Ronan and his henchies. Slowly, but certainly, anger began to boil inside me. I kept on telling myself that Ronan was a murderer and I became even more angry. And finally, I snapped.
I rose to a stand and I summoned the power of the Force again, and this time…
This time I blasted open that kriffing door.
Immediately one of the two henchmen (he was probably the one guarding me and giving me food and water) emerged on the door step with a blaster in hand. I could see that he was shocked. He looked at me with eyes wide open.
‘What is this!?’ he exclaimed.
I didn’t listen. I was driven by anger. I wanted that man to pay for what he’d done. I wanted him to die. Then, the Force worked like an instinct. I didn’t exactly know how I was doing this, but I knew that this was what I wanted. I reached out with my hand and somehow, I managed to ‘wrap’ the Force around the henchman’s neck. I forced him onto his knees and he gasped for air. Then, I broke his neck like a twig.
Driven by anger, I walked to the door. I stepped over the dead body and I telekinetically pulled the blaster to my hand. There was a corridor and I followed that corridor until I reached another door. I opened the door and stepped into the sunlight.
Apparently they had taken me to an old hut, down in the stratablocks of Metellos. I looked around and saw lots of people walking about. Beggars; hookers; thieves; all kinds of people. I was about to walk away when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Ronan hissed.
I turned around and punched the man right into the face. I was still driven by anger. If I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t have dared to punch the man. I aimed the blaster at him and I shot him. He wasn’t dead yet, but mortally wounded. So I shot him again. And just because I could, I shot him for the third time.
And after that, I turned and ran into the stratablocks of Metellos, disappearing in the crowd. I had escaped, but I didn’t know where to go.
VI
Desperately I tried to survive in the underworld of Metellos. I wandered around aimlessly. At some point I lost the blaster, I can’t really remember what happened to it. Sometimes I practiced my telekinesis skills, because I believed that I would need the Force in order to survive. In a way, that was a bad thing. I came to rely on the Force. Of course, a few years later, I learned more combat skills so I don’t have to rely on the Force as much anymore, but I didn’t realize the danger back then. The danger of relying solely on the Force.
After some time, I decided I couldn’t just stay in the slums of Metellos. I had to get out and I had to try to find those Ospion Guardians. I had a location, or at least, the name of a location. Arcon-VII. I began to ask around, but nobody had ever heard of the place.
I figured I needed to get off Metellos, because maybe I’d be able to find Arcon-VII if I went to another planet. So I snuck onboard a passenger ship to Coruscant. I went down to the lower city and began to ask around there. It was a bold action for a sixteen years old, but I thought I didn’t have a choice.
It was only a matter of time until a man approached me and asked me why I wanted to know about Arcon-VII. As it turned out, that man was an Ospion Guardian himself. I mentioned my grandfather, Duke Bates, and after chatting over a while, that Ospion took me to Arcon-VII.
The Ospion Guardians trained me in the ways of the Force. I learned how to wield a lightsaber. I learned lots of things. And finally, I fell to the Dark Side.
VIII
‘Come on, Balion!’ Dragan, my Twi’lek master, shouted. ‘Focus! This isn’t just a game!’
‘How do you expect me to focus if you’re shouting at me all the time,’ I muttered under my breath. I’m not sure if he heard that, but if he did, he didn’t show it.
We were in a dark meditation room. I kneeled in front of an altar and on that altar lay a few saber parts. Among those parts lied a blood-red crystal. I was constructing my own lightsaber (I had been using training sabers up until this point). I was twenty-one years old.
Somehow, I managed to block out the shouts of Dragan, and I focused on the saber parts. I let them float up and I closed my eyes. The red crystal floated in the center of the parts, and one by one they connected. When I opened my eyes again, a new saber hilt floated in front of me. I smiled, I had done it. My own lightsaber.
I reached out for it and grabbed it out of the air. I rose to a stand and I heard my master clapping.
‘Well done,’ he said. ‘Very well done, Balion. Now, show me what you’ve got!’
I knew what that meant. A second later his own crimson lightsaber ignited and he attacked me without warning. I ignited my lightsaber as well and was just in time to block off his strike. He unleashed a flurry of blows and I, utilizing the Soresu form, managed to deflect all of them. I kept my calm, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Then, I saw an opening. He raised his lightsaber above his head to attack me with an overhand powerblow, a Shien move. I immediately took the opportunity to stab at his abdomen. I deactivated my lightsaber just in time, because I didn’t want to kill him, and I thrust the tip of my hilt against his belly.
He stood there for a few moments, with his saber raised above his head. He looked down at the saber hilt I was holding in my hand, he was obviously surprised.
‘Great work,’ he whispered. He deactivated his own lightsaber and lowered his arms. ‘Very good. You’re a good student, Balion. One of the best. I am very proud of you.’
‘Thank you, master,’ I said. I clipped my new lightsaber to my belt—it felt so good to be wearing a real lightsaber of my own. I couldn’t help but smile.
‘The time has come,’ Dragan went on. ‘Kneel, Balion.’
I knew what was coming. I looked up to him, surprised, because I didn’t expect this to happen so soon. I knelt down before him and looked up to him as he ignited his lightsaber once again.
‘Recite the code of the Ospions,’ Dragan said.
After I recited the code, he knighted me. I became a true defender of peace. Or so I thought.
IX
We fell to the Dark Side. It was inevitable. We moved from Arcon-VII to Conscio , a place tainted by the Dark Side, to escape certain death. The galaxy was after us, even though we had done nothing. We were… misunderstood. We hid on Conscio, and we were safe for the time being.
Conscio changed us. It… corrupted us. You all know about this, and if you don’t, I refer you to our archives where you can find a detailed description.
What it comes down to, is that we found writings of the Dark Jedi Xendor, and we embraced the Dark Side. I embraced the Dark Side. I realized that my anger would make me stronger, and that if I wielded the Force as a weapon I’d be invincible. Of course, those were just the thoughts of a young, inexperienced man. No one is invincible, not even me.
We became the Dark Jedi of the Bogan. We found home on Ando Prime.
The Bogan was a great leader. He deceived the Republic and the Jedi Order, and finally led us—the Dark Jedi of the Bogan—to Coruscant. We attacked the Jedi Temple and we burned it to the ground. I was there. I fought there. I killed there. And I felt so powerful. The taste of the Dark Side was so wonderful!
Then Banik Kelrada emerged from the shadows. He killed the Bogan, and took over the lead. He made us into an Empire and he brought us glory. Then there was the Jedi and Republic attack on Ando Prime, a failed assault. Most of our Order fled to Conscio, where we lived on and continued to build an Empire.
Now, how Banik Kelrada told everyone that we were Gods, is something I don’t need to ramble on about. It’s all in the archives. It’s all written down. You can look it up yourself if you want to know about it. This is my story after all, and not Kelrada’s.
X
I met Nescius on Conscio. You might know him as Arathilion Icquilu, the count of Serenno. I was a Dark Master then. I had gained promotion after all I had done for the Bogan Empire. I met Nescius by chance, in one of the corridors. He just came out of a council meeting.
He was on his way to the hangar, because he was going off-world. I was on my way to the hangar as well, because I was about to embark on a new mission. We walk to the hangar together and talked along the way. We talked about the Bogan Empire and that was, I think, the start of a friendship.
We met sometime later again, on Conscio. Nescius had particular views of how he thought the governmental structure of the Empire should be. He thought the Council should be more involved in the ruling of the Empire and that it should be less of a dictatorship. I agreed with that.
Four years later, Kelrada disappeared. No one knew if he was dead, or captured, or just what happened to him. Of course, this had terrible repercussions for the Empire if no one would do something. It was Nescius who stood up and reorganized the Empire. Our Bogan, Dhar-Kor Jord had been captured by the Jedi Order some time ago, and so there was no Bogan. There was no Emperor either.
Nescius was the High Lord and he was looking for someone to replace Jord. He first came to me, because he knew that was a competent man, and I think that us being good friends also played a part in this. He asked me if I wanted to be the new Bogan, second only to the Emperor and the High Lord. Of course I immediately said yes, because this is what I wanted. I was a proud warrior of the Empire and I would give my life for the Empire.
And so I became the new Bogan and together with Nescius we reorganized the Empire.
I was forty at the time, and I had learned so much in all those many years I had served the Bogan. I had become a powerful warrior and I had become wiser. I now wield the Force easily and I am capable of doing great things. I can lift objects, no matter the size! Small boxes, spaceships, anything! I know the three lightsaber forms Soresu, Juyo and Shii-Cho! I know the Empire inside out! I have seen a great deal of the galaxy! I have the power of the Dark Side!
I AM THE BOGAN!!!
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