Thoughts After Death

.: Lord Walker :. · The Dark Lord of the Sith

The environment on Korriban was desolate, covered almost entirely in rust hued rocks and a fine, powder like sand of the same color. Wind blew constantly, stirring up the dust. Being outside during the near constant windstorms was uncomfortable, to say the least.

Nestled in a cliff behind the academy was a small grotto. Decorated with large stones laid out at various angles and in several arrangements, the grotto had become known as the Stones of Hunger. Recrus was unsure when the name took root, but he made use of them as often as possible.

Despite the unrelenting heat, the stones made a perfect place for meditating. The Dark Lord currently sat atop one precariously perched stone. To the casual observer, it looked like the stone and its occupant would fall any second. However, the stone was firmly rooted, and Recrus wouldn't fall anytime soon.

Eyes closed, the Dark Lord thought over the events of the last couple weeks. He'd almost died, Graush's stunt in the Valley of Golg had collapsed a tomb on the unsuspecting Dark Lord. However, Recrus had survived, and now he was more powerful than ever.

The weeks had been fruitful. The Dark Lord had spent his time studying Graush's holocron, unlocking all of its secrets. More than anything, he focused on the secrets of sith alchemy. Before, he'd been pathetically ignorant in the subject. Now, he was quickly gaining potency. In time, he would master this branch of the force as well.

Exhaling slowly, Recrus reflected over each of his lessons, cementing them in his mind. Soon, he'd be able to enact another part of his plan.

.: Lord Walker :. · The Dark Lord of the Sith

As Recrus sat there, meditating, his mind turned to one particular success he'd had. After almost a week of constant study, he'd uncovered the secrets to creating a sith sword. He'd even demonstrated his mastery by alchemically altering a piece of durasteel. Sure enough, it had resisted his saber when he struck it.

Not that he carried sabers anymore. He'd recently sent a drone ship to Geonosis. The ship's programming was simple enough. It was to land exactly fifty meters east of the Grey Enclave. Once the engines cut off, the ship's memory would be wiped, making it untraceable.

Not that it mattered. The Grey who found it would know who it came from. Stored inside the small cargo hold was a single canister. Inside the storage unit, was a stack of flimsy, detailing the making of sith swords. On top of the stack, functioning as paperweights, were the lightsabers of Grey Lord Walker.

The drone would be delivered to Zorrix, Walker's former padawan. That particular grey had a passion for studying the sith, and such a find would wear at his mind. Even if Zorrix didn't make the swords, Recrus's purpose would be accomplished.

Surrendering those sabers had cast away the last part of Walker, leaving Recrus whole and untainted. Besides, it wasn't like he was weaponless now. He had the powers of the dark-side at his disposal. Alchemy, sorcery, even armed melee combat was possible, thanks to Dathka Graush's sword.

Recrus smiled as he thought of the sword, which was currently hanging from a belt at his waist. The weapon had absorbed dark-side power over the millenia, becoming powerful in the force. That weapon was now his to control.

However, there was a certain psychological advantage to a lightsaber. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt the Dark Lord to construct new weapons for himself.

.: Lord Walker :. · The Dark Lord of the Sith

If he was to make a crystal using alchemy, he'd want it to be worthy of the Dark Lord. It would have to be powerful, and filled with the dark-side. It would contain more than just his hate, or his rage, it would literally contain minerals so contaminated with the dark-side of the force that they would be useless to anybody but a sith.

Recrus meditated for a long time on this question. The blistering sun of Korriban rose high in the sky, then sank. As it disappeared, darkness and winds whipped up, driving a bone biting chill before it.

Still, Recrus didn't move. The force sustained him, kept him strong. Until he had his answers, he wouldn't move. He commanded the force, and it would grant him the wisdom he desired.

After countless hours, Recrus received his vision. He saw himself standing beside a lake. He bent to the water and collected some in a vial. Even in his vision, he could feel the power radiating from the water.

There was a flash of light, and he was on a different planet. The place was devoid of plant life, and raining almost constantly. Wherever the drops hit him, his skin smoldered and smoked. Still, the pain didn't phase him. In his vision, he knelt under a rock ledge, and collected a mineral deposit.

A swirl of colors, and he was on a new planet entirely. The entire planet was made up of ice and a single, ancient fortress. The dark-side was powerful here, more powerful than on Korriban. Recrus took a piece of sparkling ice from the wall, and a small piece of stone.

The planet burst, revealing the Dark Lord on yet another planet. Where his last planet had been ice, this new one was fire. The planet consisted of nothing but volcanoes and lava rivers. Recrus entered a cave, and there, on a wall before him was a small cluster of red crystals.

The vision shattered, and Recrus was back on Korriban. Smiling, the Dark Lord left his seat on the rock, and moved to the archives. Once he found the names and locations of the planets he'd seen, he'd have his mission.

.: Lord Walker :. · The Dark Lord of the Sith

Recrus spent hours in his chambers, using his data terminal to quickly scan the archives. In his vision, he'd seen enough from each planet to conduct a search. Now, it was just a matter of time.

The terminal beeped, alerting him to the completion of its search. Inserting a blank datacard to copy the find, Recrus quickly scanned the report. His face twisted into a slight sneer as he read the planets listed. Ambria, Vjun, Ziost, and Mustafar; three of these worlds were powerful in the dark-side.

Mustafar was a surprise. It wasn't a dark-side world, but a jedi one. The only presence the sith had there was during an ancient battle long ago. That, and a rumor that the Dark Lord Vader had been cleansed there. Still, the volcanic planet was harsh, and purged all but the strongest in its fires. It seemed fitting that he get a crystal there. He would be purged in the fires of Mustafar, then the galaxy would be purged in his fire.

Grabbing the disk, Recrus turned to look at Stacy. "I will be gone for about a week. Take the usual precautions. Seal my chambers, but constantly patrol the academy. Anybody found breaking the rules will be sentenced to time in the torture chamber.

If anybody tries to penetrate the outer door to my academy, let them get entrance, then seal them in the hallway. After that, vent the cyanogen gas in on them. That should teach the rest of them."

Stacy nodded at his commands, then moved to obey them. Recrus smiled brutally, then left the chambers. He moved steadily toward his ship, the Sc'rath. Right now, he had a mission, and he wouldn't be distracted.

.: Lord Walker :. · The Dark Lord of the Sith

Ambria was similar to Coruscant. Desolate, harsh, and unforgiving; it was little surprise the ancient sith had chose to occupy it.

The cloaked figure of Recrus moved across a rocky plain, his steps directed in one direction. Normal people wouldn't have known where they were going in this maze of canyons and pillars. Recrus wasn't normal. He was the Dark Lord of the sith, and the force was his to command.

He could feel the dark-side presence of the lake. It was proclaiming a siren's song, ushering him onward. The dark-side energies of this planet may have been trapped, but Recrus could still feel them. By concentrating them in one place, it turned them into a beacon for any force sensitive.

As he walked, Recrus's mind wandered. Why Korriban? He silently inquired. The sith held hundreds of worlds, and had places of learning on many of them. Why is it that we always return to Korriban? Is there a cycle to it? Do we subconsciously return to our birth place just so we can die?

Or is it a mark of our hubris? Do we return there merely to be among the ghosts of the sith's greatest members? Do we wish to make ourselves seem greater than we really are?

A flicker in the force alerted Recrus, bringing him out of his thoughts. Shimmering like a diamond of mammoth proportions, he saw the water ahead of him. More importantly, he saw several massive reptilians.

Recrus smiled harshly. He'd never encountered a Hssiss before, though he had heard of them. "Dragons" that were aligned with the dark-side of the force is what the texts said. Yet these dragons attacked everybody. Still, if they could be trained or controlled, then perhaps he could use them.

An over eager, green scaled lizard charged forward, and Recrus reacted. Raising his hand, he muttered a few words. Without warning, the dark-side surged forward in a red beam, emanating from the Dark Lord's palm. The energy struck the offending beast, dropping it upon contact. Recrus lowered his hand, ending the spell. His nostrils flared slightly as the smell of scorched flesh reached them, yet he felt no pain.

He continued forward, walking right next to the injured animal. The other dragons backed awya from him, and Recrus smiled. As he neared the lake, he slipped a flask out of his robes. This had been easier than he'd thought.

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