[Mission] Plato's Cave

[HunterOrdo]

The great black void sprawled slowly before him, the small specks of light twinkling a stark contrast to the unyielding darkness around them. Sindri let out a long sigh as he let his eyes roam over the great windows of the shuttle. The freighter 'Melissa' had dropped him and shuttle off just a few moments ago having left hyperspace. They were spice runners, smuggling was not a new thing to them.

His simple dirty clothing clung to his body, he assumed due in no small part to the massive amount of filth on it. No one paid attention to a beggar, he had found that out in his wanderings although his destination was a small planet in the Mid-Rim, so perhaps he was merely being paranoid.

The small view of darkness was interrupted by a great white mass that eclipsed all else. The white-blue orb hung in space as if a thin unnoticed thread connected it to something greater and even more wondrous then space itself. Did that even make sense? Sindri was unsure, but that in itself was not a surprise. The huge white orb drew slowly closer. Ando Prime.

The shuttle would be docking at Elesa, the capital city of Ando Prime, although he used the term city loosely. It was a frozen waste of a planet, generally not the hotspot for sentient life. He thought back to the mission briefing. He was to search the abandoned ruins of the Ancient Bogan. Few pieces of history managed to last so long, but he knew that the Bogans were Dark Jedi, comparable to the Sith of now.

There have been stories among the locals of nightmares and disappearances near the runs, and so the Imperial Knights jumped. Disappearances around ruins once held by foul servants of the dark side? Yes, this needed looking into.

His job was simple. Find and destroy any dark side objects.. The only true question was where to start?

---

The landing sequence was initiated as the small shuttle docked and lowered its landing ramp. Sindri slowly descended the ramp into the biting cold and swirling snow. The loud clangs of rubber sole on steel adding a rhythmic beat. Still donned in the filthy, patched clothing he felt even colder then normal, but some things must be endured in the name of the Greater Good.

On his back was a worn backpack containing his two lightsabers and his Knight Armor. He would put them on before venturing into the ruins, perhaps another sign of his constantly growing paranoia.

This was it then? Stepping off the ramp, the sound of snow crunching under his boots was his answer. He had a job to do. He would not fail the Knights again. He would not fail the Knight-Commander. He could not fail Her.

 

[HunterOrdo]

Sindri closed his eyes as he sat in the snow outside the local Cantina. He was no fool asking drunkards for information was never quite as clever as it sounded, nor was walking around and asking any and everyone for information. He was never told that this mission was meant to be kept secret, but he was reasonably sure the Knights would frown on him if he got careless and simply gave away his task, so instead he sat in the cold snow as the wind tore at his exposed flesh.
He could feel the force in every snowflake.. letting it flow through him instead of fighting. Let the cold in. Understand the cold. Embrace the Cold. Feel no Cold. Tapas. He was gently pushing the cold out of his system creating a shell of force around his body to consolidate his force into a cocoon of warmth. His teeth stopped chattering and for the first time in days. He was at peace.

The sounds from the Cantina were not hard to make out.. the horrid music that people seemed to be fond of trickled out and with his force attuned hearing it was not so hard to make out peoples conversation. One man telling the serving-girl, a young Twi'lek, that his wife would be coming home late. A man telling his friend that he had been fired. A small group arguing over who could slam the most away. It was common for a Cantina and none of it surprised Sindri.

However, what sounded like in the back he could barely make out mutters. "Steve went there.." A soft voice. One of someone who did not wish to be heard. It sounded male, he gently pushed his head against the wall of the Cantina trying to hear more. "Those blasted ruins again. What was the fool looking for?" This time the voice was raspy.. an older male most likely. "Says there may be ancient artif.. you know old stuff in there." The younger man continued.

He heard a gruff cough, perhaps meant to scoff at the idea? "Pah! Only things in those ruins are shadows and snow." Sindri raised an eyebrow. He wanted details. Location. Not shadow and snow, he felt his teeth chattering. It seemed he was lowering his concentration on Tapas in order to hear them speak. It was frustrating, but it had to be done. "Ah he should be back any time now.." The younger voice broke in. "The ruins arent too far off." Well, that was much more helpfull, but it told him nothing of the direction! "Ha. Reckon we be seeing him with the raising sun tomorrow." East. So the ruins lay off to the east. It would be dangerous and suicidal to simply travel east in the Tundra without a destination.

Slowly pushing himself up from the hard, cold snow he set off towards the general store. He needed a map. From there he was reasonably sure he could guess where the ruins lay.

--- Several Hours later ---​

If the ancient bogan had any sense they would have placed the temple on a plateau, but thousands of years could have changed the geography. Sindri mused all the possibilities to himself as he circled different points on the map deciding those locations would be the best to check. If he was wrong, he would walk back here and start over again.. pray that he wasn't. He did not like making people wait longer then he had to.

He did not have many credits to his name, and would never ask the Knights for funds, so he did not have money to rent a speeder.. he would have to steal one. While it was a lowly act, in the name of the greater good it had to be done.

--- Half an Hour later ---​

He spotted his mark. A young man in rather nice looking clothing. Guessing by his house the young man was the son of the local ruling legislator. Stealing from him would be the most reasonable act. He could easily replace the speeder.. He closed his eyes letting out a sigh. It has to be done he told himself once again. It had become a mantra. It has to be done.

In silence he walked behind the young man crouching low trying to make as little sound as possible. The soft crunching sound would have given him away if it was not for the howling wind that still tore at his exposed flesh. Ever so closely he followed the man feeling like a predator stalking a helpless animal. It had to be done. He could see the back of the mans head clearly now his teased brown hair sticking out at strange angles, perhaps a new fashion trend?

With a word Sindri ran the last few feet before locking his arms around the young man and began to squeeze his windpipe with his forearm. The young man fought viciously making gurgles to attract attention and even trying to hit him, but soon the lack of air got to the young man. Slowly the fighting slowed.. slowed.. and finally stopped. The man was unconscious.

Sindri could not simply leave the man in the streets for he would die from frostbite. Wrapping his arms around the mans chest, he dragged him through the alleys before dumping him in a trash heap. The trash would help consolidate his heat.. it was the best he could offer. It had to be done.

As he walked away he could not help but feel.. dirty. Unclean.

 

[HunterOrdo]

Frustration. That was the word of the moment as Sindri tried once more to stop his chattering teeth. His Tapas had done well in keeping his body warmth to an acceptable level, but over the hours the chill had steeped steadily in. Out of the seven places he had outlined five of them had been complete bust. He would arrive to see only endless fields of snow. Each time he failed meant hours of cold. The speeder had been outfitted to help fight the conditions of the cold with a closed compartment and heating, but few things besides setting himself on fire would completely erase the icy hand of frost that gripped his heart.

As he approached the sixth destination, he began wondering if he should simply return to Elesa and gather more information.. but he would check this spot before calling it a day. The only thing the cold aided him in was he could not smell the dirty clothes on his back due to his nose being close to frozen. You have to be thankful for small blessing, sometimes they are all the keep you going.

As the speeder pulled over the next ridge, his heart leap to see the sight of the old ruins. Time had not been gentle. The temple had long ago fallen apart from what he could see it appeared more like jagged pieces of metal was sprung out from the ground then what was once a temple. Parking the speeder nearby, he hoped out of the vehicle pulling out his backpack soon after. It was time to continue the mission.

As he approached what he assumed was the entrance, he heard muttering.. but how was the possible? Moments passed before his mind clicked. Steve. He gently and cautiously approached the source of the sound which was emanating from the ruins. Gingerly Sindri stepped within and let his gaze roam around before spotting a small ball of cloth with hair on top. Steve. He was in the futile position.. rocking back and forth.. his hair looked matted with blood. His lips were blue from the cold as snot and tears were frozen to his face.

Gently as to not spoke the man, Sindri reached out and spoke tenderly "Steve?" The mans body convulsed, and the once thought frozen man, he fixed Sindri with distrustful eyes "You!" He pointed a blue finger at Sindri accusing "You think to trice me!? I see through you!!! First you come as my brother. Saying I killed him. I did! I did! But you no tricks me no more!" Sindri took a step back. What was going on?

The once docile man sprung to his feet a sharp wicked looking piece of metal clutched in his hand, so hard was he gripping it that blood dripped down the metal and his hand. Sindri extended his hand trying to calm the man once more. "Steve. I do not know what you are talking about.. drop the knife.. drop it." He commanded with a firm tone.

"HA!" Steve said as if discovering some great secret. "You know my name! That proves it! You.. you.. you aren't real.. that's right.. You just wont leave me alone will you!?" His voice raised once more. "Oh, I know what to do.. Yes.. Yes. I do." He said almost as if whispering to himself. Without another word Steve lunged at Sindri blade ready to strike. To sink into Sindris throat and spill his life blood, to stain the white snow red.

Moving in reflex Sindri caught Steves wrist and delivered a powerful knee to the crazed mans stomach. The man barely seemed to notice he got hit, and then Sindri noticed how strong this near death man was! What was going on? Sindri continued to struggle trying to keep the knife as far away from himself as possible, but this man was inhumanly strong.

Finally Sindri stepped back and to the side letting the man tumble to the ground before springing onto of the man. Grabbing the mans right wrist he slammed his hand on the ground until Steves hand released the knife. Sindri had to end this fight before this man hurt himself. With one powerful blow Sindri slammed his palm down on the crazed mans windpipe. The man gasped for air.. clutching his throat he rolled on the ground as Sindri lifted a small rock in his hand and smashed it against the back of the mans head knocking him unconscious.. and perhaps giving him a concussion, but Sindri would worry about that later.

Given a moments rest, Sindri rolled away to sit in the snow staring at the ground.. but now he could sense it. There was a horrible darkness here.. before he could not sense it.. it was as if it was targeting and following Steve the Madman, but now.. it had turned its attention on him. How was that possible? The force here couldn't possibly be sentient no matter how dark.

Slowly he stood. He needed to be prepared.

--- 15 minutes later ---​

Sindri felt right again. He knew now he could not hide his power any longer. He would need every inch of his ability to complete his mission. His armor felt right, although a bit cold. His twin lightsabers on his hips.. Yes.

He glanced back at Steve who was strapped to one of the seats of the Speeder. He had to put the man somewhere, and the speeder was the only place warm enough, so he would not freeze to death, although he was willing to wager the man would lose a few fingers and toes from frost bite.

Turning back to the ruins, he closed his eyes to try and sense where the dark energy was coming from. Determining the general direction, he took a deep breath and stepped into the dark shadow of the Ruins. He would not fail.

 

[HunterOrdo]

His boots clapped against the cold metal floor sending echos into the ruins around him. Nothing had happened as of yet, but that only caused more suspicion and paranoia from Sindri. The darkside was getting stronger.. Most of the fallen debris blocked off passages, but he was not concerned with those. The darkside was not as strong in those locations.. and the man Steve could not have moved aside those debris, gone insane, and then put them back. Well, technically, he could as insanity is hard to understand. All he could do was follow the every darkening trail..

Coming to a large door.. that was what surprised him. It was a door. It was not debris or a hanging peice of metal, it was as if time had not touched this door, and the wall around it. Gently laying his hand on the door he applied pressure pushing the door open. He found the room empty.. He had braced himself for, well, anything.. but found nothing. He did not like this place.. It felt wrong.

Taking his first step into the room, it all changed. A buzzing sound filled his mind.. clouded his mind.. it was almost unbearable. Stopping he touched his helm trying to clear his mind. He channeled what force that wasnt tainted he could find. Trying to mold it around himself, to keep out whatever was happening to him. As sudden as it came it went, but something was different. The once plain empty room.. was no longer empty.

In the center stood a figure he knew all to well. Master Jurgen. The old man had the same long flowing gray hair that he remembered, and the great beard to match. His old scarred red armor was exactly as he remembered it. Cautiously Sindri approached. "Jurgen?" He asked the old knight, but he was far from knowing what was going on. Jurgen died long ago. He had sacrificed himself to hold of the Sith that had been hounding them. He gave his life to save his own.

Finally the old knight looked up, but his eyes.. One Jurgen had the clearest blue eyes that held only kindness for all, now there was no eyes. In place of eyes was two black orbs staring back at him.. Sindris breath caught in his throat forcing him to take a step back in surprise, but more then that he could feel.. oh, yes he could feel the dark side flowing through whatever thing this was before him.

"Sindriii" The thing said drawing out his name in that once kind raspy voice "I should not have stopped you." It continued "I should have let you die.. like you left me to die." Sindri took a step forward, although in his heart he was battling his panic with his dicipline. "I did not mean to leave you.. I" He tried to explain, but was caught off "Excuses! That's all you have." The old mans voice came out in a hiss "This time. You will be the one to die." At the end, his double-sided lightsaber erupted to life, but it to was not right. Jurgen carried a silver saber like all knights.. but his new one was a blood red.

Sindri closed his eyes, and slowly pulled out one of his lightsabers igniting it as well. His silver lightsaber cutting through the darkness. Without warning Jurgen flew at Sindri swinging his double-bladed lightsaber in a deadly arc, Sindri barely had time to lift his own blade to stop the arc before it finished it path which would have cleaved him in to. Sindri was not given a moments rest as Jurgen continued the assault, his double-bladed lightsaber seeming more like 8 separate blades then two.

Sindri did not think only reacted. He trusted his instincts, but he was barely holding in there as Jurgen let his handle spin on his hip creating a slash to Sindris left hip, then with a quick turn of his body a slash at his right. Sindri barely managed to block the slash at his left, but knew where the next one was coming so had no choice but to jump above it, his body skimming inches above the staff. He could feel the heat beneath his armor as he brought his saber down with him on his land already prepared to meet the returning stroke of Jurgen, but found nothing..

Where could he have gone? Then it clicked as Sindri looked up just in time to see Jurgen spinning in the air as he brought his staff spinning on his hip looking more like a deadly top then a man. Not quite sure how to counter such a move, Sindri opted with rolling away, and just barely made it as Jurgens own blade sliced deep into the metal flooring.

Sindri had to have a plan. He stood no chance against Jurgen.. that he knew. Jurgen was a few months away from becoming a Marshall before the fall.. Sindri was still a Prospect. He had but one choice.

Sindri rushed at Jurgen, jumping into the air once more he did a front flip bringing his blade down verticaly with him to give him far more force behind the blow as expected Jurgen easily knocked the blade aside, and with a quick rolling of his body brought the opposite end of his saberstaff up catching Sindri in the ribs. Sindri could smell burning metal, his armor would not last long, but it did not need to.

From the other side of Jurgen, a silver beam stood. There was no smell of burning flesh, or signs of blood. Only the surprised look on Jurgens face, those black eyes staring in astonishment. It was simple. Sindri had made an opening on purpose. With his right hand lightsaber deflected, he had used the force to pull his second lightsaber to his free left hand and in a smooth thrust embedded the blade deep into the exposed chest of Jurgen... at a price.

He could feel the burn on his ribs. His armor had gave way. Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate.. to push the pain aside. Opening his eyes, he was met with the shocking sight of Jurgen.. melting. His body was bubbling and slowly pouring out onto the floor in a strange black liquid.

In seconds it was all over.. Sindri slowly deactivated his lightsabers, and took this chance to examine the room spotting a door he had not seen before, with more dark energy on the other side. He closed his eyes and cursed his luck.. Moving towards the door, he gently touched the wound on his left rib.. it was a grazing wound and once again in his life he was thankful that lasers were rather hot. At least with his flesh being cauterized he would not bleed out.. He had to last. He had to.

Shuffling to the other door, he laid his hand on it.. and closed his eyes. He was not sure what he was to face on the other side, and for the first time. He didnt want to continue on, but he would not fail her. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped further into the darkness.

 

[HunterOrdo]

Just like the last room.. it was plain, but just like the last room someone stood at the center. The Shop Keepers daughter. Sindri closed his eyes in pain. Out of all the experiences.. The girl turned to face him, the wet trail of old tears still clung to her face, but her eyes held only accusation. "You." She hissed out. Yes. Him.

"You. You watched." She continued each word as hard and slow as the last. "Did you like it?" She said with a wicked smile as she put a hand on her hip "Did you think it was fun?" She continued putting extra emphasis on fun.

Sindri lowed his head "No. I failed you." He said simply. He had no excuses.. he had nothing that he could validate what he had done. He had left her to her fate.. The darkness continued to crowd into the room almost as if being pumped into it from an unseen force. Sindri felt his voice go hoarse as he said the words that he knew would change nothing. "I'm so sorry.."

"Sorry?" The girl said. She leaned in as if to hear better "Your sorry?" She stopped as if she was considering it. "You think an apology makes up for it?" She questioned, before breaking out in a laugh. "Oh hes sorry. That makes up for what those men did to me!" As if in testament to her words, bruises appeared on her body as a line of blood slowly crept along her neck.. The last soldier had drawn his blade across her throat and let her bleed out.. after all they had done to her.

"I.." Sindri began but he had no words. He had failed. He had never denied his failure. "Oh I know." The young girl said her face littered with bruises "I know how you can repay me." She said slowly moving closer to the knight. Slowly she brought her hands to each said of his helm as she slowly leaned forward. Even behind his helm Sindri could feel her breath.. cold breath on his skin. "You can die." She whispered.

In a sudden rush of energy Sindri pushed the crazed woman away from him taking a few steps back himself to put some distance between them. Her eyes.. they were no longer blue. Her eyes were now black just as Jurgens was. "You can die.. die.. DIE!" as she screamed she changed. She was no longer the beaten and broken girl, she was now the sith. The sith who lead the platoon to her house. From the shadows emerged sith troopers all armed with their blaster rifles.

Unlike with Jurgen, Sindri would not hesitate. With a quick force propelled burst, he flew through the air at a squad of troopers deciding they were the most dangerous. Pulling his sabers to his hands he ignited them as he came down upon the soldiers swinging his blades in a deadly arc around them. His left saber carving through the blaster, and the trooper behind it. His right saber deflecting a stray blaster shot. The trooper he sliced through simply dissolved just as Jurgen did.. Sindri did not like this place.. not at all.

Using a separate trooper as a spring board, Sindri planted his left foot against the troopers helm knocking him off his feet as he contiuned his blades arc. He purposely jumped between the troopers in order to force the others to stop shooting for fear of hitting their own men.. but it did not seem to phase them. He saw one troopers face implode as a blaster shot took off the left part of his face.

To sindri it was a matter of reflex. He was purpose avoiding the sith as to fight him now would be a death sentence. Sindri felt his feet leave the ground as he spun in the air to land in the midst of a trooper squad and with his right saber he sliced through three of them before they realized he was among them, using his left to deflect what blaster fire he could. He could feel impacts against his armor as more and more blasters struck home. Even with two blades he could not keep them off, but his armor was doing well in soaking up the incoming fire.. well, so he thought. He felt a new searing pain between his shoulder blades as a close blaster bolt burned through the armor and melted the flesh underneath.

It took every once of discipline in his body to keep from crying out in pain, he could not afford a moments distraction as the blaster fire continued.. Sindri turned on his heel, and waved his hand towards a large group of troopers releasing what force he could find at them sending them to collide into the rather hard steel walls dispersing into black liquid as they met wall.

He wished he could do another such act, but he knew he could not. The darkside was simply too strong to draw in any force without risk of corruption. Luckily enough the majority of the soldiers had killed each other trying to kill him and what was left over had died by his own hand.. He managed to get in a small breath, but not before he remembered on thing.

The Sith! He turned just in time to see a red flash. Blinded Sindri jumped back only to collide with the wall as he slide to the ground. The sith had sliced through the front of his helm, and Sindri could not see. Desperatly he dropped his lightsabers and struggled to remove the now sliced helm that had saved his life... which could now cost him his.
What felt like an eternity later, Sindri managed to pull the helm off his face ready to face his attacker.. but there was no one. Madness.. that was what these ruins were.

Slowly Sindri struggled back up to his feet tossing the helm to the side. Leaning back down he lifted his lightsabers and prayed that he would not have to endure more... he wasnt sure he could.

Every moment of his arms sent pain throughout his body as the melted skin tried to comply with his mental commands. Slowly he made his way to the new door and laid his hand upon it.. he could feel the darkside gathering.. He could feel.. that whatever he wanted was beyond this door.

 

[HunterOrdo]

The second the door opened his mind was filled with the buzzing once again. Just as strong as the last, and Sindri was forced to hold his head as the sound pounded on his mind drowning out all else. Try as he may he oculd not master himself and block out the buzzing. It was everywhere even inside his mind.

Just as before it disappeared as quickly as it came, but to Sindris shock he found himself laying face first on a floor.. a strange floor. It was not metal, but cool rock. Gently he lifted his head to examine the room around him and found he was in a cave.

Slowly Sindri pushed himself from the floor to get a closer look at his new location. It was strange.. how did he get here? The throbbing pain still festered on his shin and back from the burns of combat, but it was manageable thanks to the disciplined training of the Imperial Knights.
Perhaps the strangest feature of the cave was how perfectly preserved it was. Time had left it untouched... Thousands of years and no signs of damage that the rest of the ruins showed.. it was far to strange for him, but nothing about the ruins made sense.

His eyes passed himself and continued on.. before running back to his own image that he had seen. It had to be a trick.. slowly Sindri approached his reflection, and realized it was no reflection. As he moved it did not. Before he had time to fully grasp the situation his clones lightsabers ignited, but instead of silver two beams of red erupted.

Sindri barely had time to get his own lightsabers in his hands in time to block the downward slash of his clone. Silver met red as the lightsabers crackled against one another. Sindri tried to push his opponent off but couldnt. They were evenly matched whichh made sense.. Sindri stepped back letting the lightsabers fall to their right as he took his chance to spin to the left and swung one of his lightsabers at the exposed left thigh of his opponent, only to have it battered away.

Sindri blocked the counter strick aimed at his right hip and made a low slash at the clones knees only to receive a flying kick to his exposed face in return. Sindri whirled trying to disrupt the force to take as little damage as possible. Returning to face his opponent, Sindri made a horizontal slash at the clones eyes followed by a quick vertical slash with the opposite blade. The horizontal slash was easily smacked aside, and the clone leaned back allowing the vertical slash to pass harmlessly.

Narrowing his eyes in frustration, he gestured with his hands at the leaning back clone blasting him with a wave of telekinetic force to send him flying back. The blast smashed into the clone and threw him into the air, but the clone used his, or technically Sindris, agility to flip in the air and land on his feet unharmed.

This fight would last to long, Sindri decided, and he was not sure he could win. He was fighting himself, and unlike himself the clone was not hampered by small wounds as he was. He had no choice but to purposely wound himself for victory.

The Clone charged swinging his blades in a path of death aiming to split Sindri in half. Understanding that this would hurt and preparing himself for the pain, Sindri stood his ground blocking the blow to his left, but allow the clones lightsaber to bite deep into his hip. The saber slowed as it met resistance in the form of his armor, but it was not long before the saber burnt past metal and began slicing through flesh, but the fight was over.

As the saber hit his hip, Sindri had brought his right saber down across the chest of the Clone burning through metal and flesh.. well, he assumed it was a fleshy substance as like before the clone slowly dissolved into the same black goo. Something was different inside the black he saw a sheen of blue.

Sindri slipped his lightsabers back into their holsters as he held his wounded hip reaching down with his left hand to left the object up and discovered that it was a Holocron. He could also sense that the majority of the darkside energies were channeling into the Holocron itself.. he was pretty sure that if he destroyed it.. he would cleanse the ruins, but.. what mysteries could be hiding within this object? He wondered.

Staring at the Holocron with intense star, he slowly reached out and activated it. He would discover what was at the core of this madness.

 

[Dmitri]

The holocron hissed and the seal unlocked. A hologram emitted from the device. It had the form of a teenager in a pure-white winter coat. Bandages covered his left eye.

"I must congratulate you, traveler," said the holographic teenager. "I hid this hologram after Jade Enterprises bombarded the planet, killing many allies and enemies. Not that we lost too many good people. Take Crusader Dezmonarierio Nnitrilyaje; he was an old man who probably would have died soon anyways.

"I digress. For you to come here, there are three reasons. The first, you are a Dark Jedi, seeking knowledge hidden away. The second, you could be a follower of the Light Side, either searching for answers about the Dark Side or hoping to join the Dark Side; if the latter, I bid you good luck. The last is that you have stumbled across this, which I find unlikely, considering the defenses I installed." The holographic teenager grinned. "This is the Holocron of Albedo Apeiron- Crusader, alchemist, and propagandist of the Bogan Empire." The grin widened. "Though I wonder, has it survived?" There was a brief static and the hologram was back to its initial stance, no longer grinning. "This holocron may be able to aid you, but it is also my record keeper. It has been made to be able to broadcast a frequency to explosives hidden throughout the area." The hologram laughed. "We shall now play a game. A game of give-and-take. Question-and-answer. I shall let you go first," he said, giving a mockingly polite bow.

 

[HunterOrdo]

Jade Enterprises? Crusader Dezmonarierio Nnitrilyaje? He had no idea who these people were, but it was not surprising given how much history had been lost over the thousands of years.. perhaps this holocron could unlock all those secrets? Help to reveal an entire age of history! Such a discovery would be astounding.

Although the explosives bit was a rather inconvenience. He increased the pressure on his wounded hip ensuring he stayed focused. He would not fail here. His question first..

"Very Well." Sindri began "Tell me your beliefs. Not those of the Bogan, but yours." He questioned. Hopefully this would give him insight as to what he was to expect.. and how to not go up in flames.

 

[Dmitri]

There was a pause as the holocron calculated Sindri's question. A moment later, the holographic Albedo Apeiron had its answer:

"Knowledge is power. The one who has the greater information and knowledge has the advantage over his or her opponent. It's why knowing as many techniques in the Force is very useful. However, many seem to think that the Dark Side of the Force is an easy way to gain power. That is simply not true. The Dark Side of the Force is in fact harder to control, unless you risk becoming enslaved to your emotions. It's why the Bogan eventually failed. They let envy and wrath fill themselves and turn on each other." He laughed. "Though ironically it was the Hutt Empire that betrayed us, and not the other way around. I wonder if Banik Kelrada foresaw this before he vanished; I still have my suspicions that he didn't perish in that explosion."

The hologram returned its attention to Sindri. "The Republic has a knack of getting itself in wars. By the internal calender of this holocron, it's been over fourteen thousand years. My question to you is this: What war wages now? And more importantly, who do you serve and why? Though I guess that is two questions. I wonder if you'll answer both."

 

[HunterOrdo]

Sindri quietly considered what the ancient bogan said. It was a shame.. he was hoping for a Bogan that was fueled by rage and blinded by emotion. It would have been far easier to escape the situation if he was as such, but now.. now it got harder. This Bogan would be more subtle. He was surprised that it was the Bogan who were betrayed instead of them doing the betrayal.. the Dark Side blinds indeed.

Now he had to decide which question to answer. The Bogan believed Knowledge was power.. so this could be a test. If he answered both then he was a fool who was willing to put himself at a disadvantage. If he did not answer he could be sure of what the second question by the Bogan would be.

"War.. The Empire ruled by the Sith.. or Bogan, if you prefer, with their allies the Chiss" He started through clinched teeth "will be fighting the Republic, the Jedi and the Mandalorians." Of course the 'alliance' between the Republic and Mandalorians appeared more like a truce. Stay out of our way and we stay out of yours type of thing, but he answered the question put forth.

Now it was his turn. "What is everything on the Holocron." He asked. The answer would help determine what he was to do with the ancient Bogan Holocron..

 

[Dmitri]

The holocron processed Sindri's answers. In the mean time, the hologram grinned. "Interesting. People tend to make the mistake of falling for people's traps when they're desperate. I offered up two questions, giving the choice for you to answer both. You could have answered both." He laughed. "You are indeed intriguing. I would have been disappointed if you answered both questions."

The hologram was serious once more. "I see many things have changed. Culture, it appears, has evolved, mutated, or changed all together since my time. So the Bogan are now referred to the Sith. Interesting. And these Chiss and Mandalorians... hmm...

"Ah, yes, your question: 'What is everything on the holocron?' I'll forgive your poor grammar due to your interesting reply of mentioning two groups I've never heard of before. Still, I'll answer. This holocron contains all of my secrets, and, as you've no doubt deduced, an imprint of myself into the AI of this holocron." He grinned. "I was a Bogan alchemist, so I made sure to perfect my impression onto this sigil." He motioned to the holocron. "This contains knowledge of my arts, my techniques, and my history.

"Now, let us continue our facilitation of communications. Answer my second question from early: Why do you serve the side which you do? I look forward to if it's a path of darkness, a path of light, or maybe a path that takes the middle road." His expression hardened. "I expect a good answer."

 

[HunterOrdo]

Sindri narrowed his eyes at the slight insult. Originally he had intended to say 'what is on the holocron?' but that would have left a loop whole. He could have merely told him one thing that was on, so he had to take a grammar hit in order to ensure that his question was fully answered. He was pleased that he had passed the small test.

At the knowledge of what was on the Holocron, the pain in his hip was forgotten.. techniques and knowledge from 13,000 years ago.. So much knowledge had been lost, if he could recover it, use it then perhaps the Siths defeat would no longer be a dream.

'Why do you serve the side you do?'.. it was a smart question. IF he had asked who do you serve then he would only need to answer that and not his own personal views, but by asking this way the Bogan got two answers. It would give an insight into who what side he was on, and Why.

"I chose the path that allowed for me to do what must be done." He began honestly, "I do not pretend emotions do not exist like the Jedi, nor do I allow them to control me as the Sith do. I am referred as a Gray Jedi, I believe." He stated easily.

"I want to bring Good to the Galaxy. The Greater Good. To stop the mass genocides of the Sith, to stop the pacifistic watching of the Jedi. Somethings must be sacrificed, some ideals must be bent, and some people may need to be broken, but for the sake of the people, I will do what must be done." He finished.

Now it was his turn to question the Ancient Bogan.. but what did he want to know? What did he need to know? He was no longer sure, so instead he would test the water "What was your favorite food?"

 

[Dmitri]

Albedo grinned as Sindri gave her reasons for why she served her group, apparently a "Grey Jedi" cult.

"Intriguing," said the hologram. "However, such pacifism is a route to self-destruction, just like the Dark Side. You see, if something remains peaceful for too long, it becomes weak, stagnant. Not all threats come in the shape of the Dark Side. And when they come, a weak galaxy will become a conquerable galaxy."

Albedo frowned by the comment. "You seem desperate. Such an idiotic answer. Just stating my favorite food holds little value. I could say something that you've never heard; it may no longer exist in your time. Such a waste of a question shows incompetency in the game of intelligence gathering. In fact, it shows a lack of intelligence in general. What prestige you gained through my two-flanked questions has been replaced to neutrality. I shall answer your question, but I suggest you be wise from here on out. My favorite food is simple soups. They are easy to prepare, and if one's skill is adequate, then the food will remain nutritious and delicious.

"It appears to be my turn again. Why do you stray from the Dark Side, when it can bring you power? If you had power, you could destroy your enemies and bring this 'peace' you so seek. As they saying goes, fight fire with fire."

 

[HunterOrdo]

Interesting. He had tested the waters simply to see how he would respond to a pointless question. It was not the answer that he wanted, but the manner in which he answered. This Bogan was impatient and dealt in absolutes, if he did not understand the question he dubbed it as unimportant. Perhaps he was not so different then the other Siths as Sindri had originally thought.

However, the Bogans question made Sindri smile, so it was a matter of conversion now? Or did he want to know more of his motives? "I never once said I wanted apathy and peace to enter the galaxy." He replied easily.

"If you destroy your enemies, only more will rise. Fire does not kill fire, merely adds more fire. In time, that fire will consume all and leave only carnage and burnt worlds in its wake. In truth, I care not about light and dark. I know lasting peace will never come to the galaxy, I am prepared to make sacrifices. I will sacrifice a thousand to save a million. I will sacrifice millions to save billions." He continued.

"I am no Jedi. I am not looking for a peaceful utopia that does not exist. I am looking for the Greater Good. The knowledge that terrible things must be done in order to bring light to as many as possible." He paused, and spoke softly "If I must walk between light and dark. If I must fall to the darkside or rise to the light as the Jedi know it then so be it. For only through sacrifice can the Greater Good come. I am prepared to be known as a villain." He finished.

Tilting his head, he examined the holocron. "Tell me. Do you question me about the Dark Side because you fear I shall destroy your lifes work?"

 

[Dmitri]

The hologram laughed. "Intriguing. A 'grey Jedi' who does not hold unrealistic optimism and pacifism. You are indeed more interesting than I first thought. I comend you for not being picky and stubbornly only sticking with one side."

Albedo grinned as Sindri provided a question. "Oh, I am not foolish to believe my holocron would survive many readers. The Bogan, or rather Sith, tend to be greedy. If they found this, they'd destroy it so only they would have my knowledge. If a Jedi found it, they'd destroy it since it's an artifact of the dark side. Luckily," the hologram grinned, "I have others hidden elsewhere. Still, your diversityintrigues me and leaves me without a precise answer. I personally don't care for absolutes unless its usage benefits me. I ask you this: what do you plan to ultimately do with this specific hologram's well-being and the knowledge it contains?"

 

[HunterOrdo]

Sindri bowed his head to the compliment. It seemed his views at least interested the Bogan... but it felt strange to acknowledge that fact that he was not as.. light-sided as his comrades, but someone had to do it. The luxury of ignorance and naivety could not be his.

What would he do with it.. "In truth. I was sent to remove the taint in this place. We did not know what was in here.. merely stories and rumors." He said. He would not lie now, and he had a feeling the Bogan would know.. he did not put it past these strange dark side infested cave. "But. My goal means more to me. If your holocron can teach me.. bring me even one step closer to my goal then I will take that." He finished. He.. admired the Knight-Commander, but he had his own goals that needed to be fulfilled, and he would let no foolish beliefs and ideals to stand in his way.

It was his turn.. but he had a thought. What if he could get what he needed, and appease the Knight-Commander. "If I was to be able to take the holocron.. would this place return to normal?" He said normal.. but perhaps that term was not quite right "Would dark side presence lessen?" he clarified.

 

[Dmitri]

"Interesting," said the holographic Albedo Apeiron. "You're looking for a path that appeases both tasks: helping yourself and completing your mission. However, who said that you're allowed to take this holocron." The hologram laughed. "It's fine. You make take this holocron with you.

"While you officially asked two questions, the latter was only a continuation, an attempt at explanation, of the former, so I shall not count it against you. Yes, the taint would lessen, but I'm afraid my holocron is not at the core of the problem. When the Republic attacked, when Jade Enterprises bombed the place, many Bogan died. Their deaths tainted this place. That's what is the main source of this darkness. However, when I first came here after the incident, the darkness was confined to this cave. No doubt this holocron's presence amplified it and led it to reach out into the nearby area, as I've deduced is the case considering your comments. If you remove this holocron from the equation, all you would need to do is to either destroy the cave, or at least the entrance, and the problem should be mended."

 

[HunterOrdo]

So.. not only was he allowed to take the holocron, but he was also given the solution to his problem. Although given the effort and wounds he received, he hoped the holocron would be worth the effort, but he would need to lie. The explanation the ancient bogan gave him was perfect.

He would tell that to the Knight-Commander if she asked him. The knights would destroy the holocron if they found it, of that, he had little doubt. They hated the sith, many hated anything related to them as well.. but he had use of it, so it would be his secret.

Destroying the cave would not be so difficult. The holocron said it had bombs all over it, so once he took the holocron and moved safely away, he would have the bombs activated. All in all.. it was a good deal.

"Thank you." Sindri said. He meant it.. this bogan helped more then he knew. Reaching forth he took the holocron off the pedestal and held it in his left hand.. he could almost feel the sensation of victory and the promise of the rewards to come.

He turned on his heel and did not look back at the cave as he left. He had no reason to look back.

--- 30 minutes later ---​

Sindri stepped back onto the nice sight of permafrost and snow as he left the ruins and reentered the world. The refreshing sounds of his boots crunching snow as he tapped a button on the holocron hearing the explosions rock the ruins, and the unmistakable rumbling of something caving in.

The taint of the dark side disappeared completely. What had once been an infestation of the dark side was now back to normal.. He had completed his mission, and left a stronger Knight.

Walking to his speeder, he looked at the huddled form of Steve.. the man he had restrained what seemed an age ago. "Lets go home."

((Mission finished. Thread Closed.))