VC Deception - Devastation

INTRODUCTION

   The images raced through Val’s mind there he was spread out along the floor in his friend Corrie’s arms. A truly vulnerable position, but she knew that for the sake of his sanity and his status within this own company, weakness…vulnerability was not for public knowledge as she peered down to his glazed over expression.

Inside Val’s mind, he was elsewhere, he couldn’t feel her arms surrounding him, supporting him…all that reoccurred in his mental playground was the possibility…the slim chance that as the Dark Side of him revealed to his cone of vision in his last nightmare… all was not as he had perceived.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the Dark Side of him, the sinister doppelganger was right! He had allowed his eyes, his pride to convince him that Admiral Krevlin was dead…the plan was flawless, Val had researched every single possibility of survival! Everything but one little detail that never dawned on him, never mattered to him…

The desk…

Something so minor, so insignificant in the office of a Imperial Officer, and yet so crucial to flaw Val’s perfectly planned out measure of revenge, from the dagger to the explosive…he thought everything was set in stone, that he allowed himself to perceive that for years and years after, he had fulfilled his mission to avenge his lover, his family…and in the end the possibility never dawned upon him that his mission was indeed NOT complete…the mission unfinished by his dark side…

It was the Dark Side that reminded him, that revealed to him, the possible identity of his attacker. Was Quillion really Admiral Krevlin extracting his revenge? To finish the deed he never completed? Was this all a ploy about unfinished works on both sides of the table?

Val couldn’t believe it, he couldn’t conceive the possibility, but it was now there…mocking him, taunting him…challenging him, tempting him. He could hear the voice of his other echo into his ears, of his failure to save Isis from the poison in the first place, his failure to save Gen, and now added to all of his botched tasks…his failure to avenge…

Closure now evaded him, and the hate and anger that had long sense been settled erupted into a volcano of anger as his eyes flared open, watching Corrie. Val sprang to his feet, looked towards the wall before him and without his knowledge, without his consent, a smaller, but powerful burst of crimson red energy bore into the lavish wall, leaving a smoldering blemish…his fist had launched his aggression forth and the result was the damage before him….

The sound was thunderous, it could have woke up the entire building, had his office not been soundproofed and Corrie stood next to Val in utter shock…not a word escaping her lips…just…silence.

For now it was apparent as Val stood there in his office not aware of the damage or his actions…transfixed on his incomplete task, Krevlin could be alive…he could be the one named Quillion, it made perfect sense…The Killain were structured like the Imperials, they were almost as efficient but they were better, stronger…though one thing eluded his conclusion…his connection.

Krevlin was not a force user…

As Val’s thoughts parted before him, he saw the devastation laid out before him, the blemish smoldering and deep within the steel frame of his walled structure, the metal bent inwards in four places…an invisible fist had been surrounded in the energy burst and an extension of his own body had slammed into the metallic structure…Val looked down slowly to see the red, damaged skin from his own fist, the blood having rushed to the injury, as the Force healed the pain…there was no pain for him, but there was plenty of revelation, Val knew that his world he had built, his world where all his business was complete was caving in on him and as the Dark Side had told him, everything he thought he knew was starting to become a lie…

He needed serious help…

Val whispered to Corrie for her to trust him and to follow him to a secret alcove where he had a mini workshop created as his “study” room, away from business away from pressure…just a place where he could gather his thoughts in peace. There he told Corrie he would tell her everything…everything that was troubling him, everything about Krevlin…his fears his concerns his torturous nightmares, he would tell her all he knew…curse or no curse

This was battle he knew he couldn’t win…alone.

But as Val suffers his mental war within himself, others are plotting strategies of their own, within the dark, obscured, ominous structure of The Killain Citadel, another figure…Quillion sits upon his throne, night after night waiting…waiting for something far more menacing to his opponent that any weapon known to the universe…a weapon of such immense power it had the power to bring Val to his knees…and in time Quillion would have it in his grasp, to unleash upon his worthy adversary.

As Quillion breathed in the air, his fires flaring about his raised dais, he could see Val’s pain and he loved it, he loved toying with the legend like a rag doll, pressing his buttons, setting his world spinning in a new axis as his doubt engulfed him…Quillion was waging a mental war and it was clear

He was winning it…

Gazing from his dais, to the outside of it, and from the dark planetary surface of the Killain Citadel home world, a fleet of ships as dark as midnight but as shiny as a billion stars disappear into the folds of hyperspace…

Prototypes you see, had to be properly tested before put into service…

Quillion had only one thing on his mind now, he had put the pieces in the proper place and he had the information that he was for years, gathering and researching and finally after months, years of planning he set into motion a new order The Killain that served him…

To release upon Versai…

Complete…

Devastation…
 

VC Deception – Chapter VII - Devastation
 

INTERIOR – VERSAI TECH – VAL’S SECRET WORKSHOP

Corerilla’s eyes trained upon the figure standing before her. Her ears were finely tuned to every word Val was speaking to her, every concern, every fear…every syllable forged a image within her mentality as she listened to her friend, her protector, her savior…and well quite frankly currently, the man who took her breath away with his earth shattering kiss…

Val fiddled with various tools, speaking as if she was one of the guys while he worked on whatever it was he was tinkering with. His attention focused upon the last task he laid before him. You see Val was easier to approach, easier to carry on a fluent conversation with beyond his business practices when he was in a focused state of concentration, where he didn’t feel backed up against a wall, where he just spoke even if you were not there because it was obvious by his lack of eye contract Val was “blindly” detecting her presence, pausing occasionally to hear a remark from his audience as he told of his family’s past, his battles with Cire, his third rate student…to Gen his lover and his exploits with her which raised Corrie’s interest at the peak sexual references he placed upon their “first time”, Val was like a kid again, free of worry free of pain in this moment, just working away on his project, while he talked to her, time meaning nothing to him, nor pride.

Corrie listened to every detail, as her own mind painted the grisly landscapes, the morbid pictures of blood and death, then the more peaceful aspects of the Forest Moon of Endor and Val’s time at his Dark Jedi Academy, where she learned how it is he came to be so well at saber combat, whom Gen was exactly in relation to his training and just why Val felt so damned stubborn to love her above all else.

The woman was dead? Couldn’t Val just move on? Corrie knew better then to speak, she didn’t want to upset the mood that Val was in, followed by occasional shouts of profanity when he burned himself with the soldering iron, she was curious to see what he was tinkering with, but she waited until he was ready for her to approach, letting him speak as if she was his counselor, and her words gave as much humor as they did comfort to him.

CORRIE – Wow Val you know what? That sounds really screwed up…

Val turns his eyes towards Corrie, burning his finger again, sucking on it to sooth the sharp pain before remarking to her comment.

VAL – What does?

CORRIE – You’re past exploits dearest, and your involvement with this “Admiral Krevlin” guy. If I saw him, I’d draw my DL-44 and shoot the bastard square in the nuts.

Val’s lips curled into a grin as he heard Corrie speak, but as humorous as they were treating this, Val knew Krevlin, if he was in fact alive could pose a devastating threat to his very existence. His new project would help. The tools laid upon his table were aligned by size and necessity.

Corrie didn’t yet approach, but Val could sense her curiosity beginning to reach a breaking point, slowly gesturing her to come over to him, making sure not to burn his hand a third time. His eyes glanced over his equipment…the following items were spread along his work table…and they will seem familiar to you because all are necessary for a apprentice to become a master of their trade…

This is what we see laid out on the tabletop:

1. Metallic Cylinder with altered, elegant designs consisting of a black grip material at the hilt of the twin halves, with metallic curved structures forced through slits in the rubbery material, leading to a more bare, strong tempered set of lines etched into plating the cylinder itself.

2. Focal lens, cut to size

3. Superconductor unit

4. Diatium power cell

5. Concave disk, the wires not yet having been attached to the inner matrix

6. Various exterior control buttons and an ignition plate

7. Energy modulation circuits and field energizers

8. Last but not least, contained within a special ornamented box, crystals.

Corrie’s eyes widen as she recognizes some of the materials in a all to familiar recipe, and yet she had never really seen such a ritual in person, she wasn’t a full fledged Jedi or Dark Jedi, she was a mediocre Force User she had seen these components before but never in the same place, in this order…Corrie’s response was jaded though, by her sense of humor.

CORRIE – So what you cooking good looking?

Val’s eyes roam towards Corrie, then down to the equipment spread out before him. The solder lines around the emitter matrix were now cooled, and he slide a piece of grit paper along the metallic bits, to smooth out the imperfections as he answered her question, but didn’t move his eyes to hers, keeping focused purely on his task alone, taking one halve of the twin cylinders in his hand, smoothing his fingers over the freshly etched grooves in the silky smooth, cold, metallic durasteel surface.

VAL – What’s it look like…A television remote?

CORRIE – Hah Hah Val, seriously…what is it?

VAL – Something I’ve needed for a long time, something I’ve needed to complete for a long time, especially now that Gen’s is no longer in my possession…

CORRIE – (nods her head) Oh, I see…a lightsaber?

VAL – (smirks to Corrie, taking the other piece in his hand, checking for accurate fit)

Your powers of deduction are startling dear…

CORRIE – (rolls her eyes)

Val’s fingers expertly constantly fit and adjust each section of the infant machine within his grasp, not given the breath of life yet to reveal its shimmering glory and its service in protecting its wielder, it was like Val was now…in pieces, uncertain without a definite knowledge of its future. Val now had to question if his past was really what he believed it to be, or what he thought it was to be. He wondered if his parents were really dead, if Cire was alive, if Krevlin was alive…if anything was exactly as he believed it…for the first time in 35 years, he doubted his past…he used to dwell upon it, but now with assistance from his “Dark Side” double, he was given more then he wanted to know and the can of worms regarding his past was now exposed…the cat was out of the bag…and it would take every fiber of his being to control the uncertainty plaguing his body, his mind…his eyes, he couldn’t trust them, not any more.

Val slowly fastened his gaze upon Corrie, uncertain of how the “Curse” would deal with the fact that he defied its warnings and let Corrie know more then it wanted anyone to know, like Isis Val made a silent vow to watch over Corrie as much as her now…there were now two targets “The Curse” would come after now and this time…if his plans are successful, Val would have two sabers to shove up its behind, if it dared to challenge his determination or his loved ones ever again.

Corrie slide her fingers along the various components to Val’s saber, taking his momentary distraction as he was still halfway in la la land, and half way next to her, so touch the components, to feel the energy each lent when combined with the others. So too did Corrie draw a connection to Val.

Val was now the separate elements, in various ways he was neither completely here, nor there. His friends he had to learn to trust, to confide in was his first step, Lance was his second, Isis was his third and like the elements of a Force User’s weapon, each had to work in unison with each other to successfully ignite their fires against the uprisings of chaos.

Val closed his eyes, and he could feel Corrie’s thoughts, he looked at her for a moment, over her body and her eyes…the windows to her soul. Each reflecting within them sparked a memory from their past, in his greatest moment of need Corrie was there beside him, to watch over him and to aid him…to defend him against whatever war was going on inside his head. He trusted her from the moment after he kissed her, he really didn’t know what drove him more to kiss “Adna” to know that by doing so he would know the truth, or if he just needed that one release…that one tender embrace that he had denied over and over again since Gen’s passing…Corrie made one mistake though…she let on thought slip by that sent Val crashing from her mind, and the pieces in his hand fumbling to the floor with a clang.

VAL – Corrie, I respect you, I care for you but NEVER, NEVER EVER say anything about Gen…You hear me? EVER…

Corrie’s eyes flashed open as she thought hard to find what it was, what thought she had that set him off and with his next words it was clear to her…

VAL – Corrie, Gen was more then a “women” to me, you can never understand the depths of my love for her nor will you ever be able to experience what I felt at the moment we kissed one another, shared our passion with one another…

CORRIE – (shaky) Val I? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…to offend you, I just, it just slipped Val honest, you know that I care about you…perhaps I cannot understand why you miss her so much, but I will tell you one thing Mr. Versai, the love you show for this girl of yours…must be truly special and no follower of the Dark Side could ever understand the word “love” as you do.

VAL – (blinks) How did you?

Corrie smirks to Val, then picks up the pieces from the floor handing them to Val, placing the remaining pieces on the table with the others, now having been fitted into the cylinder tube, the emitter matrix was fixed into position, and the focus lens and super conductors were also locked into their rightful place, but one half of the saber cover, the cylinder of sheath of metal was still not covering the constructed saber handle just yet.

CORRIE – For that fraction of a second, the great and untouchable Valaryc Versai let down his mental guard…

VAL – (smiles slightly) Be careful dearest, my mind is a dangerous place to visit…what you see you may not be able to handle.

CORRIE – (winks)If I can handle saving your slender ass from a roaming band of circus freaks in gloves and masks, I sure as hell can handle what you got in that melon of yours.

VAL – Perhaps...(Val’s eyes shift back to the exposed section of his saber handle)

CORRIE – Val, listen to me…I’m your friend you can trust me can’t you?

VAL – Yes…I know I can…

CORRIE – Then listen to this cowlick swirling girl will you? You’re not evil, your not half as sinister as Cire or Krevlin or Draconis or Quillion or whomever he hell else you can image.

VAL – (stops what he’s doing and looks into Corrie’s eyes) I’m not?

CORRIE – No Val, no man could give so much, risk so much and be evil…the dark side is seductive and it’s a liar Val, you must listen to me, its telling you what it wants you to hear, what it needs to break you…you have to fight it with logic, not emotion Val.

VAL – (blinks) I have been trying too! I have been trying to fight it ever day I wake up, every time I fight, I have fought it! I have tried to escape it!

CORRIE – Yes but to this moment Val, you have also been trying to fight it alone, where it can get to you, where no one else can defend you, show you the truth to its fractured temptations.

VAL – (breaths softly, turning his gaze back to the incomplete saber)You’re right…All this time I’ve been watching from my point of view, from my past, my pain I never thought…I never thought that another person who was not involved would change the picture it paints in my dreams…

CORRIE – (slides a hand along Val’s shoulder) Hey, listen to me Val. I’m here for you, don’t shut me out anymore…don’t shut out your friends, if you’re worried about falling to the Dark Side, then let us…help you… let your friends forge your destiny, defy it…defy your destiny Val. Defy it with those who know you, who need you, who understand you…

VAL – But The Curse Corrie, you don’t understand…it comes and it kills, it takes those who I’ve allowed close to me away, it will kill you and it will kill Isis, I will kill anyone who tries to interfere with my destiny…You must understand this…there are things I cannot control…somehow, someway it takes that I hold dear from me…I couldn’t stand to lose again…

I couldn’t take the pain…the loneliness…the agonizing loneliness of it all…

Val sets down the half exposed lightsaber hilt and turns his gaze to Corrie. His brown eyes are somber and calm, but Corrie can see the sheen of water filling them, the sheen of tears wanting to burst but his stubbornness holds them at bay…he can’t hide it though, she knows that she’s reaching him finally after so many years she’s getting through to the tortured soul within him…

Corrie takes Val’s hand into her own and whispers to him, as he seems to just freeze in place before her. The half finished saber settled upon the surface of the table.

CORRIE – (comforting) Let it go Val…let your fear go. If you are truly unbeatable, then nothing this “Curse” can throw at you will make you lose those you love, not anymore…you saved Isis. Don’t you see? You broke the curse by reviving her…and look now, you saved Lance Jade from his jobless lifestyle, you revived your company, you breathed new life into a dangerously low moral filled place of business. You’ve changed lives Val, its time you changed your own…

VAL – I suppose you’re right Corrie, I suppose its time I stop trying to handle everything on my own and listen to my friends…listen to what fate is trying to show me, not what the Dark Side is trying to tell me…

Val takes a deep breath, gingerly squeezing Corrie’s hand within his own.

CORRIE – Then let’s start today shall we? Let’s forge a new path Val. Teach me, coach me, and show me your light, your talent, your trust I want to learn….

VAL – (breathes softly) You want to learn? You want to know how to do what I do? Fine, get your pretty butt a chair and plant it right there…

Val points to another section of his work bench, where he had identical tools laid out, standing to walk over to a bid marked “spare parts”, drawing the same components that are on his table, but unlike his halfway completed saber, the parts before Corrie are virgin, untouched, unplaced, unused…

This is how he wants her to learn…and how Val must learn himself, how to start over and listen, rather then forge ahead…like building a lightsaber, for Val he would have to learn to unlearn now what he had learned in the ways of his trust and his fear and start …with a new set of tools

To forge his destiny…

VAL – First thing is first Corrie, if you want to build a lightsaber, you need to have a design in mind. This can usually take years to conceive, but luckily in your case years back I wanted to thank you for your help during those sticky situations, so I planned a design customized just for you…

You can thank me later…

That is if…

CORRIE – If?

VAL- That is if you don’t blow yourself up…

CORRIE – (worried) Blow myself up????

VAL – (snickers) Don’t worry your pretty lil head darlin, if you follow my instructions you’ll do just fine.

As Val begins to explain the functions of a lightsaber, from the parts and how they fit together to constructing and cutting Adegen crystals, the scene shifts back to the ominous, fire filled corridors of the gothic flourished realms of The Killain Citadel, where a dark figure sits…with a dark purpose planned.
 

INTERIOR – KILLIAN CITADEL – THRONE ROOM

The Throne Room is quite, as the torches flicker shadows along the dusty, ashen clad walls of the massive area below the dais. Twin pits of greater mass, spew blazon tendrils of gaseous heat dance into the air, the light of their billowing hues of orange and red dissipating into the blackness of the smoke expelled from their extinction, reborn again and again in a swirling cycle. Along the dais there in the darkness, the flickering, ever changing darkness, there lays the mastermind of The Killian stronghold, seated upon his throne, it was truly good to be the king.

Before his slightly parted thighs was another figure, her rounded rear bobbing to and fro in a rhythmic, hypnotic rhythm of shimmering purple radiance, as the fires below reflected off her revealing attire. Her eyes were downcast to the figure looming above her, she knew he demanded as such…a man of power and distinction; even his own pleasure was driven by his control alone.

The woman, down on her knees before Quillion, was Arainian Goldenfire. She had sought out the powerful icon in terms of both business and pleasure. She knew darkness, she embraced it…the sounds of pain and suffering were a dazzling symphony to her ears. Blood trickling was her erogenous zone…oh the sweet trickle of blood pouring down a freshly lacerated back, or between protruding, spread thighs sent her into a chasm of pleasure all her own…this night, her eyes were set upon the one above her, who’s eyes could never be detected behind his adorned, silver etched, red lensed mask that he never removed in the presence of others.

Only Efface had seen his face…he was dead, like so many others who had gazed upon his true identity. He was everything that in his former self he was not. A man of power, prestige, and seduction, many women wanted him for various reasons…Arainian below him was no different, nor was Crymson. They all needed something he, and he alone possessed.

As Arainian’s eyes narrowed upon her task, sliding her lips up and down Quillion’s only vulnerability, her hair cascaded down the rises of her slender hourglass figure. It was bathed in the mock innocence of virgin white. Arainian was the furthest thing from a virgin, as Luke was from Palpatine. She was a woman of power herself, she knew how to apply just the right formula to balance both business and pleasure…

Her business between Quillion’s spread appendages was not merely pleasure but solely for a greater purpose. Quillion was after all the very pinnacle of power, of seduction, of mystery. Arainian was drawn to him like a moth to the fires below them…She thoroughly enjoyed pleasing this evil being above her, her head bobbing up and down in a hypnotic rhythm, similar to that of a snake swirling around a tree…

Her moist depths were doing just that to his tree…

Quillion gazed down to Arainian before him, his lips curling as he arched his head back along the stiff, rugged surface of his throne. There he was, the man with the power, with the pleasure, with the women at his feet…at his control. This is what Quillion wanted in his former life, he wanted to be feared, to be respected, and to be pleased. Arainian was doing quite well for his hunger this evening, and yet Quillion would not allow himself to at any moment be vulnerable to the threat of assassination from any who would dare try. His Killian Guardians stood to his left and right. They looked to the beauty lowered between their master’s legs, and they had thoughts of their own built inside their minds. Arainian, she could feel their lusts and Quillion, Quillion shot a gaze that could kill to both of them, curling his lip in anger…

It was HIS time, not theirs, not hers…she wanted something from him, and Quillion would make the terms clear…she would accept them or she would meet the end of his lightsaber and not the hilt. He knew that as he combed the recesses of her mind, she wanted those weapons so bad she could taste it…he had them, others had them but she also wanted the reputation of pleasuring the most fearsome and elusive of the scum of the galaxy…

THAT was his gift to her…

The very fact he let her live was the other. She had found a way to infiltrate The Killian stronghold…this surprised Quillion above all, because he had taken every measure he could to prevent such an occurrence but the whore before him, the dark temptress Arainian had her methods as well…and for her, because of his grace were quite successful.

Quillion’s lips quivered behind his mask, though none could dare see that he was taking great joy in her payment for his services to her. His body arches slightly into her advances, as his gloved hand settled upon the back of her flowing white hair, moving in sync with her actions.

As Quillion enjoys the perks of being “king”, Crymson Vachon dressed in her normal attire paces into the room, from a hidden door to the right of the dais. Her eyes gaze down to the sensual curves of Arainian’s backside, or the smooth inviting rises of her breasts and for a moment the slightly revealed crevasse between her thighs, Crymson is intrigued but then she spots exactly the reason why she’s in such a position…her arousal turns to anger, yet she keeps this at bay, not one tinge of her emotion upon her face as she shifts her eyes towards Quillion’s mask, forcefully blocking out the moving figure below him, or his rather…vulnerable position.

Quillion’s eyes shut behind his mask as he felt her liquid heat surround him, time and time again…and at times enrage him by her playful nips at his pleasure points. Pain wasn’t a problem for him though…along Arainian’s back, fresh wounds bled slightly. Oh you do not enter Quillion’s house and ask for a handout without punishment…

Hell no…

Quillion had her whipped, had her tortured and only after she climaxed from the experience did she arouse his attention. She was as evil as he was…to most that would be a threat but Quillion wasn’t looking for a mate, he was looking for pleasure…he wasn’t looking to seduce or corrupt. To hell with courtship all Quillion wanted this night was to indulge his instincts, and his eyes opened and roamed over her rounded globes rising and falling, his own mind filling with plans, later to be unleashed upon it as he looks down to her, and yanks her by the hair from himself.

QUILLION – You’re everything you said you were Arainian I am pleased by your…bargaining…skills.

ARAINIAN – (doesn’t move her eyes) I tend to find that mixing pleasure with business is often…rewarding.

QUILLION – I see…

Quillion pulls Arainian’s eyes up to fasten upon his mask. Arainian Quillion then slides her hands over his thighs, to the cleft of his black attire, motioning to her to slide her fingers over the material and return the silver Killian text adorned robes back to their previous position…It was clear to Quillion that his attention was now distracted upon other matters.

QUILLION – You please me…

ARAINAIN – Yes Milord…

QUILLION – I will have further use of your talents at a later hour…

Arainian smiles sadistically, licking her lips clean of his passion, before meeting her emerald orbs to his shiny metallic mask, into the ruby red quartz slits within where he could see her every attribute with aroused interest. Quillion glances to his guards, then back to Arainian and draws her closer so he can whisper into her ear, which his deeply seductive voice…

ARAINIAN – I see…

QUILLION – But right now Temptress…

ARAINAIN – Yes?

Quillion draws his mask along her ear, as if to whisper some sort of romantic words to enchant her, or ensnare her to his will…she expects this…but the reply is less then comforting.

QUILLION – Get out…

Crymson’s blood red eyes flash with a subtle hint of delight and satisfaction as she brazenly stands beside Quillion, her arms crossed about her waist as her familiar, older costume shimmers its blood red hues from the light of the fires casting deep shadows upon her skin, along her knee high dark boots and her black and crimson red fire designs woven into her outfit. Quillion knows what’s going on and he only glares up towards Crymson as Arainian obeys his commands like a whipped puppy…exiting the room, much to the Killian Guardian’s dismay.

The anger that was present faded away, as Crymson observed the sway of the seductress’s hips as she paced through the double doors of the throne room, and for that instant as much as she was protective of Quillion that lingering arousal spread through her own, skin tight thighs…that twitch returning, she looked beyond the “business” and found that perhaps Arainian shared another…proposition, when her bargain with Quillion was fulfilled…another, service she could provide if Quillion could not.

QUILLION – (glares behind his mask) Really Crymson, jealous of a whore? One might think she was out staging you in her profession.

Crymson’s eyes flash from the sarcastic insult, but she knows better then to speak. She even shields her thoughts because she knows that in Quillion’s presence, nothing was sacred…and she knows that means ANYHING that a woman possessed…was not free from his invasion.

Still for some reason he avoided contact with her on a sensual level. Still she really didn’t serve Quillion because of his power, or his seductive manners…she served him because he intrigued her. This man had balls of iron, defying the leader Ras Krueger of the Obsidian Order and purging an entire sect, to forge a new one in his own image…she admired the depths of villainy that rippled through Quillion’s veins, to be among him, let alone to a certain degree favored in his eyes was payment enough for her. But her instincts did twitch through her semi athletic build from time to time…but in the absence of a male, Crymson had other avenues she would pursue…she had an affinity for sampling the finer things in life…from both sides of sexuality.

She didn’t waltz into the room to quibble about with futile jealous antics but her thoughts, guarded from Quillion did note to speak to Miss Arainian before Quillion sends her packing. She was confident in her abilities in pleasing her master. She came to bring him the news that he had been waiting several months for. News that would bring a far greater service to him, then a momentary act placed upon him, enjoyed only in the moment…then forgotten.

QUILLION – (reads Crymson’s mind) I know exactly what you are thinking Crymson. Rest assured when the time comes…I will call upon you to address my other…needs.

Crymson nodded slowly, that one bit of assurance set her thoughts back on track to her news, which was Quillion’s intention you see. Quillion couldn’t care for a whore, but he could not deny his instincts either, Arainian wasn’t an attraction as much as a willing participant in his ever-evolving line of calculated moves. He would ravish her, he would give her the weapons she sought after then he would send her on her way to the next powerful figure no doubt, shown the same equal measures of seduction in return for favors and nothing more.

Quillion wasn’t under he spell, she wasn’t under his…they both knew the terms of their agreement, and the actions of the next day as well…their “partnership” was only temporary. Quillion’s eyes focused upon Crymson seeing in her, a much more reliable source he might tap…should he so desire to do so. This thought was placed in the back of his mind however as other complications interfered. Yet he wished to show no weakness, and with such thoughts he shut them in a door in his mind, and for the moment…simply walked away from them, eager to hear what other attributes Crymson has interrupted his business to address him about…he already knew, he just wanted to hear it…her to say it. It made things all the more enjoyable when they were out in the open.

Crymson’s thoughts began to recall the figure of Arainian, in her vulnerable position, practically on all fours before Quillion, but her visions didn’t include Quillion, it was only Crymson and a very nude, very feral Arainian in a dark chamber…where no eyes could see, but possibly ears could hear. Crymson’s lips parting as she licks them slowly, unaware that she does so in plain view. Quillion’s mask shining doesn’t phase her nor the fact he wants the news she originally came to tell him, perhaps Quillion wasn’t ensnared in Arainian’s web but strangely…with the consistent denial, Crymson might have been.

QUILLION – CRYMSON! ANSWER ME!

CRYMSON – (blinks) Oh…oh I’m deeply sorry Milord, my thoughts must have wandered…

QUILLION – Oh I’m sure they have…right through those doors.

Quillion points to the double doors where Arainian had passed through, insinuating that he knew exactly what was running through Crymson’s mind. It was sick! It was wrong! It was immoral! It was…highly stimulating to Quillion, who had to adjust his position in his seat, sliding his fingers along the stretched arms of his throne. Anything that was twisted and unconceivable…was music to Quillion’s ears and as dazzling as moving pictures to his eyes…Still both of them had to refocus upon the moment…and address these new possibilities in due time.

QUILLION – (adjusts himself) The news Crymson…

CRYMSON – (takes a deep breath and lets it out) Yes, the news you have been anxiously awaiting has come at last Milord.

QUILLION – The weapon is ready?

CRYMSON – No, it still requires “testing” but it has reached beyond the infant stage of production. I have looked at the plans and I will confirm that the prototype is the splitting image of the original plan.

QUILLION – (raises an eyebrow behind his mask) Really? Then the construction was a success?

CRYMSON – (nods) That is correct Lord Quillion…your planning has not been in vain, nor your efforts.

QUILLION – EXCELLENT!

CRYMSON – I am personally heading up the secondary and final stages of its development.

QUILLION – Oh Crymson…you have pleased me well this evening. I am delighted to hear that, all is as I perceived, all I have planned for from the very beginning is falling into place. However there is another matter that must be addressed…alone.

CRYMSON – (nods slowly) I understand Milord. I’m delighted that you are pleased…

QUILLION – Now go…leave me.

Crymson turns to leave, swaying her skin tight red hips from side to side with her steps, about to pass through the entrance to the right of the raised dais throne, before Quillion motions with his hand for her to stop in her tracks and face him.

QUILLION – I know you Crymson, I know your thoughts…you are not as pleased as I am are you?

CRYMSON – I am what you wish me to be…

QUILLION – Don’t give me that rubbish…I want the truth.

CRYMSON – No, I rejoice in your plans, I however feel there is a personal matter that I need to address that you cannot fulfill.

QUILLION – (slides a finger along his chin) Ah, I see…

Crymson begins to walk again, but Quillion again stops her.

QUILLION – I have another order for you my dear…

CRYMSON – Your wish is my command Lord Quillion.

QUILLION – I will be occupied for the next few hours…I want you to check on our visitor, check her references well…make sure she is all she claims to be. You have the remainder of my absence to do so…and make sure it is a thorough investigation…I want a full report of your findings, prior to my meeting with her later this evening…is that clear?

Crymson curls her lips, then nods her head slowly, then continues on her way. Within her mind she knew what he was trying to do, and she liked it. She also gathered that this must have been her reward for the “news” and her tireless efforts to make sure the secret weapon was as finely tuned as the original plan, Quillion would accept no less then perfection from his prized possession, she knew this well and with her instincts quenched…she would able to direct her focus where it was most required…her orders.

As Crymson leaves to carry out his orders, Quillion glances to the twin pits of fire blow him, then along the wall directly to the north of him. His black-gloved finger sliding along a switch in the mainframe of his throne as two twin doors forged of solid rock slid apart with a hiss of hydraulic release.

The two slabs of the gritty surface of rock lock into place on both the left and the right. The unit was specially constructed into the rocky core of the Throne Room wall, for hidden behind, now emerged into view was a massive screen, flicking along the bottom from the center, out along a pathway of five lights on each side, were holo projectors and various scrambling equipment.

It was his method of communication…

His holonet…

As he types in a few strokes on a keypad that slides from a compartment, set within the right armrest of his throne room chair, the image of a figure comes into focus. The dazzling pixels of light burn brightly and shift intensity as the figure’s face fills the massive view screen.

The details of the figure are shrouded by darkness that spreads along its attire. Only slight purple hues are revealed in the dimmed light, though his facial features are surrounded by a void of darkness, only the outer regions of his face are visible, white and pale.

QUILLION – (clasps his hands in front of him) Report….

The figure projected upon the screen shifts its stance, glancing to the left and right from its location, which is unknown but the hint of white lights from the ceiling and floor are partially in view, seeming to stretch off into two directions, but the reflections evade his identity.

FIGURE – (mechanical voice) All is in order Lord Quillion…

QUILLION – Then you have completed your mission successfully?

FIGURE – NO, there were…complications.

QUILLION – (angered) WHAT KIND OF COMPLICATIONS! MY PLANS MUST BE FLAWLESS!

FIGURE – Security is tight Lord Quillion…your request was carried out but the odds of detection overlook the success rate and it had to be altered to avoid suspicion.

QUILLION – (growls) Do you now realize that you being there is risk enough? In spite of your botched attempt to successfully carry out my order…plans have changed, and your years of service to me have been noted. For the moment…I am in a more pleasant mood so you are without penalty.

FIGURE – (nods slowly) Thank you Lord Quillion…I am unworthy of your grace…I only wish to please you and serve you, as it is my duty to do so…

QUILLION – Your loyalty impresses me and I am a hard man to make an impression upon. It appears that my efforts to forge you as my former’s replacement have been successful.

FIGURE – Thank you Lord Quillion. If I may speak…

QUILLION – You may…

FIGURE – They suspect nothing, but it is my belief that in time they will come to realize what is happening here…Valaryc is sure to discover….

QUILLION – VAL IS OF NO CONCERN! I’ve been playing the man’s strings like a puppet, he is in no position to form a proper investigation…he has his own conclusion, I have seen his reasoning and for the moment he’s on the wrong scent. You’re actions are acceptable to them…they have no knowledge of your motives there.

FIGURE – (nods) I apologize for questioning your judgment Lord Quillion.

QUILLION – There are other matters that distress me. Still you do have substance to your concern. As I told you...plans have changed.

 FIGURE – (nods slowly) What is thy bidding Lord Quillion?

QUILLION – Soon, the Serpents of Darkness will arrive. They are my strategy now…and you my most loyal servant have another role to fulfill for me.

FIGURE – I’m not sure I understand…Serpents of what?

QUILLION – (growls) It is not your place to understand…I no longer wish you to remove those in power I have a more fitting solution…continue your primary mission as scheduled. I expect you to see to it that the planetary shields to Versai Tech’s home base are lowered when they arrive.

FIGURE – That will be difficult…

QUILLION – NOT FOR THE KILLAIN! I WILL ACCEPT NO EXCUSES All things happen in due time, you must make it your highest priority to see that the shields are offline when my instruments of vengeance arrive…DO NOT fail me.

FIGURE – I DO NOT FAIL!

QUILLION – Oh really? Funny, those are the same words that pathetic fool Efface told me before he was left in TWO SMOKING HALVES ON THE FLOOR OF TABANNOPOLIS!

FIGURE – (cringes) I didn’t realize…

QUILLION – Remember, I am your strength and I am your survival. You live because I have allowed it, you have power because I have granted it…you fail me again, and our arrangement is dissolved. Compromise your identity; if anyone discovers your connection to me, I will kill you where you stand.

FIGURE – There will be no need to find dissatisfaction with my service to you.

QUILLION – You have nothing to trifle about as I told you, I’m in a pleasant mood and in the later hours I am looking forward to a rather…beneficial night of release.

FIGURE – Huh?

QUILLION – Sex…Something you will experience if your mission is successful…that should be all the motivation you require.

FIGURE – (swallows hard) Understood…

QUILLION – Good. That is all I have to say to you for the moment. Heed my warning…and carry out my orders without flaw. They must suspect NOTHING.

FIGURE – As you wish Lord Quillion.

Quillion’s image recedes back into the darkness of the opposing holonet screen, the unknown figure steps from the consul within a lavish table in his quarters. As the scene fades away, our view shifts towards a symbolic purple and blue emblem, woven within the fabric of tapestry that hangs proudly over a smooth metallic wall unit with two words woven under the logo consisting of a central figure, with its feet leading to a single point and two twin angular shapes emitting from its outstretched hands…

“VERSAI TECH”
 

INTERIOR: VERSAI TECH – VAL’S SECRET WORKSHOP

As the scene shifts back into the confines of Val’s secret workshop, much progress has been made here. Gazing to Val’s workbench, his lightsaber handle is now nearly complete, the switches and controls were set into position and the emitter shroud was fastened and wielded into position, all the imperfections in the dura shell of the cylinder sheath were smoothed away…only one thing remained to breath life into the newly crafted weapon

Crystals….

Upon the other table, this is where Val was standing currently. One of his hands was on Corrie’s shoulder whom was now sitting at the workbench before her. Like Val’s progress previously, there was the same central layout and it was Corrie who was burning her fingers with the soldering iron. Val watched with admiration as she showed great eagerness and determination to do things “on her own”. He didn’t tell her that through the Force he had checked the accuracy of her work without her knowledge to make sure when she did come to the point of adding her own crystals into the saber hilt, she wouldn’t blow himself and her to kingdom come.

Eager she was, perfectionist she was not. Val had already years prior crafted the main design of Corrie’s lightsaber in the progress, he had seen her from the time they laid eyes on each other in the Mos Eisley Cantina that her weapon would have to be as feminine as it was functional. He wanted the design to be an extension of how he saw her, curved, elegant…golden, and enchanting to the eye.

This was the appearance of the cylinder saber hilt that laid in two halves upon the smooth surface of the worktable, from the hilt, there extended plated sections of durasteel for balance and each was placed next to each other in perfect formation, this area was the strongest for behind it would be stored the diatium power cell and main superconductor unit. Traveling from where the section ended, a band of steel capped off the division between the shielded section and the more painstakingly crafted details of the central portion of the handle.

A completely plain durasteel tube was left untouched, save for access ports for power adjusting switches and length adjusters. It was never really seen though because covering the plain surface, Val had found a pliable metal that was both bendable and resilient. Versai Tech had invented the flexible metal for replacements to standard wiring in spaceships and control consuls, but Val stripped it down to its dazzling golden hued luster. He curled the hose like bands of metal around the tube on both sides, starting from one end to the other, on each half. This created a layering effect similar to that of a conch shell, the same spiraling curved surface but unlike the shell, remained uniform not at a vertical angle, but a diagonal to add even more interest for the eye to follow.

The slack on the metal was tapered down to a thinner density, then molded into the inside curve of both sections of the handle, so that when the two halves were placed together, the spiraling “unicorn horn” like structure appeared seamless and whole when in fact I wasn’t a complete unit wrapping all around the base of the handle, the illusion was there…

Moving past the elegant and complex pattern, there was another ring of metal but of a dark onyx luster that jetted into the, for the moment separate emitter shroud.  Within the band, Val had taken careful consideration to mimic the handle to the attributes of its wielder. Corerilla had shiny black pearls in her hair, set within a tiara. Val had painstakingly searched to find the rare gem, and meticulously he placed each pearl, severed down the center into the rounded band forming the surface of the pearls to the curvature of the band below them. This created a continuous row of pearls that looked like a pearled “collar” around the upper portion of Corrie’s saber hilt.

The emitter shroud was nothing really spectacular. Knowing her imperial roots, Val decided to alter slightly, the same shroud that was on Lord Vader’s lightsaber design, accessed through historical records. Just below it was another band of gold. Resting behind the emitter shroud was the main emitter matrix, where the tunnel of light would emerge, linked to the choice of crystal that he had picked out for her blade.

Val’s eyes wandered over the curves of Corrie’s lightsaber, then down along the curves of her own body. The tight uniform that she wore, typical VT attire fit her form quite well but he wasn’t after sensual pleasures…he was still fiercely loyal to Gen and Gen alone though Isis seemed to occupy his thoughts more in his current state from time to time.

Her words that have exchanged earlier rippled through his mind, the need for friendship for assistance was most certainly there. Val knew it was a battle he couldn’t win and with her eagerly listening to his words of wisdom on lightsaber construction, limitations, abilities, etc…his fears, his worries, Quillion, The Killian, the assassination attempt all melted away…there was only silence.

Only Corrie…

He snickered as she burned her finger again, knowing too well she was getting her just desserts for her snickering earlier, no longer a watcher but a participant in know what it was like to in a small measure “walk in his shoes”.

VAL – (laughing) Watch it there hot foot! You’ll sever the power line.

Corrie snapped an aggravated gaze towards Val and moved the soldering iron away from the cycling field energizer wires that were inches from the searing heat of the tool, clasped between her fingers.

CORRIE – Shut up! I’m trying my best here!

VAL- (snickers) I’m just messing with you Corrie. I guess my gift turns out to be your lesson for the day hmm?

CORRIE – (takes a deep breath) This is harder then I thought…

VAL – Yes, maybe you’ll have more respect for those who build their own lightsabers.

CORRIE – (snaps the emitter matrix in place) There…I think that’s it.

VAL – Oh? Really?

Val takes the semi completed lightsaber hilt, and checks the wiring and placement of each and every overlooked component, the tension in the buttons, and the resistance in the dials before handing it back to her, nodding his head in approval.

CORRIE – See I told ya, piece of cake!

Val smirks, then steps back from her and clasps his arms across his chest, watching her smile beaming from her lips knowing she was cocky, but if she thought that was all there was “to it” she had another thing coming.

VAL – Well go on then, turn it on.

Corrie stands back and whips her hair off her shoulders as she holds out the handle like a torch, expecting to see a brilliant flash of radiance, and a vibrating shaft of light emerge from the shroud, she presses the activation switch and waits…

Nothing happens…

Val breaks down laughing, as he slides his fingers along his work bench to hold himself erect, glancing to Corrie then her saber hilt, bursting into another fit of laughter, snickering and clutching his ribs, going as far as to sink to his knees, losing all feeling in them.

CORRIE – (blinks)What in the HELL is so funny Val!

VAL – You…you…you…HAHAHAHAHAHAH

CORRIE – WHAT! WHAT IS IT!

VAL – YOU NEED…HEHEHEHEEH

CORRIE – WHAT? BATTERIES? A DAMN INSTRUCTION MANUAL!

VAL – No…hehehehe, you think it’s a piece of cake…but you’re the one with icing on your face!

Val snickers profusely before taking a deep breath, drawing his composure, looking back to the handle again and her puzzled expression…Corrie looked to the saber, then to Vals. She noticed that one element was missing. In all her “I am woman! Hear me roar!” glory she forgot the most crucial element to the weapon, the blood rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment.

She needed crystals…

Val slowly regains his full composure and walks over to his workbench sliding his fingers around a heavily ornamented wooden box, beckoning Corrie over to his side. As Val tips back the lid to the elegant storage unit, a yellow-green hue emits from within, eradiating from three shimmering, golden yellow crystals as well as three other crystals of an ocean blue brilliance. These were the soul of a lightsaber, for without them they were nothing more then paperweights. Val’s fingers scooped up the six gems and laid them out on his worktable.

Sliding each a part by size and color, Val slide Corrie’s saber hilt from her hand and laid it along side his own. He turned his eyes towards Corrie’s brown orbs that paralleled his own in density, and led her fingers along the blue crystals…letting her feel the delicate and crucial cuts placed in the angular surface of them. The first gem was wider then the other two, it was faceted into an almost round pattern but the bottom was flat. The crystal was as about the size of a marble and was the primary focusing crystal clearly different in structure then the other two beside it.

The other two crystals were more long then wide, also they were much thinner but they too had strategically placed facets in their surface, as the glowing yellow hues of the other crystals, clearly Val’s own amplified their splendor.

Val slowly lifted his eyes to Corrie’s then spoke to her.

VAL – Within every weapon there is beauty in its design, careful calculations and careful attention to detail. Even in the smallest of appearance, if these qualities did not exist, the equipment would fail to function properly. With lightsabers, everything must be PERFECT there is no margin of error.

CORRIE – (nods glancing to the blue crystals) Val…I…wow, the time you spent into making these…it must have been so tedious and you did this…for me?

VAL – (nods slowly) Friends are as precious to me as these crystals are to a lightsaber’s dazzling beam of light…only the purest, most trustworthy, most appropriate friends of mine, allow my light to shine. They allow my strength to build, my resistance to remain strong, and my focus clear.

Val turns to Corrie…

VAL – You must have keep your focus clear to function in unison with your other parts.

CORRIE – I think I understand…

 VAL – Corrie, you and Lance and Isis, you are my other parts…you’ve shown me that for me to function correctly I need to function in unison with you all. I know that now…and no “Curse” no nightmares will cloud my focus again.

CORRIE – (nods slowly) We will be there for you when you need us Val, please…please understand that. Let go of your doubt and trust us…Let us, help you.

VAL – I will…I swear this…by my own blood.

Val grabs a sharp metallic instrument on the table and slides the blade along his palm, as his blood streams forth; he grabs the yellow crystals and squeezes them tight.

CORRIE – Why did you?

Val cranes his eyes over towards Corrie then slides the blood bathed yellow crystals on the table, irradiating a more orange luster now the yellow mixing with the crimson hues along the gem’s surface.

VAL – Do you know where these crystals come from?

Vals eyes travel over to the yellowish orange crystals on the table, the cut on his palm now healed from the Force instantly sensing the injury and repairing the damaged tissue.

CORRIE – No and I don’t understand why….

Val puts his finger to Corrie’s lips.

VAL – Shhh…just listen.

CORRIE – Ok…

VAL – These crystals are known as “Luminex” crystals, I know this because I named them. They are practically unbreakable, but I know the material that will cut them. When in use they will amplify and strength the shaft of light they emit…the blade of the lightsaber.

They are stronger and much more efficient then the traditional Adegen crystals. Your crystals are Pontite crystals, the strongest and rarest of the Adegen crystal family. Like you, you’re strong Corrie and people like you are rare…so it is fitting that I implement those traits into your weapon.

Luminex Crystals are like me…they are the scarcest thing in the galaxy, they only grow on a planet in the deepest regions of Wild Space. I know this because it is where my Versai Mansion is located…where no one can find me, no one can trace me...no one can disturb me.

CORRIE – I know what the message is you’re telling me about my crystals, but I’m not sure about….

VAL – Shhh…

Val slides the blue crystals towards Corrie’s hand, before slicing her palm lightning fast, curling her fingers around the gems, sensing her shock he only whispers to her…”trust me.”

Corries eyes flicker with shock but she listens to Val and relaxes, closing her eyes as she feels her blood coat the blue crystals clutched in her palm.

Val takes Corrie’d hand and sets it on table, uncurling her fingers along with his own, so that the three gems trickle along the table surface. Val’s eyes roam from his yellowish-orange crystals to Corrie’s purple hued gems.

VAL – Watch…you will rarely ever see this occur again in the presence of another…then I will tell you the meaning of Luminex Crystals and how they apply to me.

As Corrie’s brown eyes trace the surface of the table, she stares in awe as the spotted regions of blood, her blood deckled along the gem’s surfaces seems to absorb into the crystals, sucking within them. Her eyes then roam over to Val’s Luminex crystals observing the same occurrence. Her mind buzzes with questions but she holds them steady…letting Val make good on his promise.

VAL – (takes a deep breath) Luminex crystals are from my home…they are apart of me, they represent me because they are practically unbreakable as I am…they service the needs of a cohesive unit and without them the unit would fail…if I were not here…now, making a difference then this unit, this corporation…wouldn’t function, Isis wouldn’t function…Lance wouldn’t function…You…wouldn’t function.

CORRIE – (nods) True…

VAL – Do you know why?

CORRIE – No…

VAL – Because you all complete me as much as I complete you…if I were gone I would be missed and if you were gone you would be missed…you and I and Isis and Lance we all complete each other…we’re all rare, one of a kind. We all function as a cohesive unit and it was I who was causing the failure in the assembly…that is no longer the case, I’m not going to be the troubled circuit that refuses to comply with the rest…I’m not fighting anymore…I’m letting go.

Corrie wraps her arms around Val’s waist and draws him close.

CORRIE (whispering) I understand now…I understand, what eludes me though is why you cut your hand…let alone mine.

VAL – Simple…by bathing the crystals in an extension of ourselves, a living, physical extension of whom we are…the weapon we wield becomes a part of us. Others can use it but no one can understand it…not as deep as its creator. My theory is that the crystals not only absorb the blood, they fuse with it…so that when we use the weapons, the elegant shafts of light to defend, to survive…long after we are gone a piece of ourselves is left behind so others will find it…to carry on the torch.

CORRIE – You’re saying that a Force user’s weapon is a part of them?

VAL – Exactly…and each crafted handle is symbolic of its creator. Every detail has a meaning, a purpose…

CORRIE – (nods slowly) I never thought of it that way.

VAL – Maybe now you understand why having Gen’s lightsaber back is so important to me…because even though she is dead, the weapon is an extension of herself…and when I wield it, she is a part of me again.

CORRIE – (blinks) I…I…never…realized…until now.

VAL – For the moment, she is in the hands of another more sinister force…I need her back as much as she needs me to embrace her, her being the symbolic meaning of the saber hilt itself. With this new lightsaber, I forge a new path and a new extension to rely on…

CORRIE – What’s that?

VAL – Because I’m not relying on Gen’s help to guide me at the moment, I can’t its impossible because it’s not her who is by my side. Its only my determination. The brilliant crystals of my home world, of my future, my destiny I wield in my hand…and I will use it Corrie, I will use it to carve my own destiny now. I’m not going to worry about the Dark Side winning, I’m only going to keep my focus on protecting my friends and making sure that we’re ALL a cohesive unit.

CORRIE – (nods) Then what did you swear?

VAL – I swore to never let myself doubt again…doubt myself, doubt my friends, and doubt my purpose in this galaxy to defend. Defend my family, defend my friends, defend my business, defend my fate…and defy my destiny…defy what is “to be” into what I make it “to be” from this moment forth.

CORRIE – (nods slowly) Then there is only one thing left for you to do isn’t there Val?

VAL – Umm?

CORRIE – Complete things…

VAL – (nods slowly) Indeed…

Val slides his fingers along the first, larger yellow crystal the primary one, then slides the gem into a special black unit that extends from the core of the diatium power cell, then does the same to Corrie’s unit. The faceted surfaces glisten and shimmer from their iron pedestals, held securely in place. Val’s fingers carefully sliding the units into place, as they snap into grooves fit within the complex maze of mechanics in both saber units.

Val’s then scoops up the remaining two yellow Luminex gems and he sets each one into separate, angular channels inside his saber, using another tool to tighten them into a fixed angle, both of the surfaces are completely identical and are placed at the exact same angle so that when the beam passed through the central focusing crystal, the light rays would refract on to the longer crystals, back into a energy channel and charged in a field of energizers, through the modulation circuits from which with the banding of energy, a intense unity of energy was achieved. This bundle of light, intense, would then upon activation emerge from the shroud of the saber head, and release a steady, unified shaft of light…the blade itself.

CORRIE – I see…wow I tell you so much you just overlook you know?

VAL – (raises an eyebrow) Yes things are not as we have perceived are th…

Val trails off, in his mind he hears the laughter of this double self, the blood curdling pitch because what Val realized at that very moment…was he had just confirmed the Dark Side’s prediction…he spoke in the same manner as his double had foresaw…Val’s eyes craned over along his saber and the crystals, desperately he blocked the thoughts from his view with images of his friends, his main focus became clear once more and the laughing ceased…

He had taken his first step…along a different path.

Val’s fingers slide along Corrie’s again as she he slide the primary crystal to her saber into position with one hand, while placing one of he two focusing crystals between her fingers, leading her to pinch her grasp upon it. Corrie’s eyes widen as she discerns what he’s trying to do and she tenses.

CORRIE – No! Val I can’t…you said it could explode!

VAL – Shh…trust me…trust your abilities Corrie, not your doubt.

CORRIE – Practice what you preach Val…

VAL – I am…

Val slides the first gem into the channel where all that is required is the proper angle, and the gem being tightened into position…He wanted her to trust him, as much as she wanted him to trust her now…to function together as a cohesive unit.

VAL – Trust your instincts Corrie, let The Force guide you…let The Force lead your motions, your discernment into the placement…the gems are a part of you, they will not want to be cut short of life so quickly before they can serve their master.

Corrie closes her eyes and tries to focus, seeing what is in her hands without looking with her eyes, feeling Val’s fingers along her own…A almost sensual experience as she trusted her instincts, moving her fingers up and down in the groove…waiting for that feeling to tell her when, where to hold it, where to place the angle and she parted lips when it came and whispered to Val who held the adjustment tool in place.

CORRIE – There…right there.

VAL – Are you sure that’s the spot?

CORRIE -  (nearly breathless) Yes…

Val tightens the gem and sets it into place as Corrie lets out a small moan. His eyebrow raise a bit as he almost detects she’s a bit too infatuated with the moment, adding to his belief were her next words.

CORRIE – (slides her fingers for the second gem) Oh Val…don’t stop…we’re not done yet.

VAL – Don’t worry, I won’t stop…you just tell me when

Corrie licks her lips slowly, for her she was both focusing on her instincts and her…desires having bubbled to the surface…a bond was being formed and the exhilaration she felt was deeper then a sexual experience it was magical, as she felt the second point and Val’s tension build and set the second stone in place. A louder moan escaping her lips…She opens her eyes to Val who looks completely surprised.

VAL – (leans to Corrie’s ear) Was it good for you too?

CORRIE – Not as much as the real th…HEY! WAIT A MINUTE!

Corrie slugs Val in the arm and blushes beat red before sliding the final component in place on her lightsaber, the second half of the containing shell to the overall structure, fastening the securing rods in place, till both sides are flush with one another…complete.

Val having done the same with his lightsaber, it was finally the moment they both had been waiting for, the final moment where they would breath life…or death into the two extensions of themselves, as Val slide his fingers along the emitter button to his saber, while Corrie did the same.

With a snap-hiss, both sabers extended to a meter long, shimmering in both the hues of their set crystals. Corrie’s fear had subsided when she gazed upon the vibrating hues of her new weapon, a weapon she breathed life into…the dazzling ocean blue blade humming as she swung it from side to side, checking the mobility and balance of her hilt compared to the blade which held no weight of its own.

Val’s blade too was extended, as radiant and luxurious as its creator… a dazzling golden yellow shaft of light humming and whizzing as he swung his blade around with expert skill, along side Corrie his skill was clearly more defined then her own.

Both Val and Corrie stop arms length apart, side by side facing forward as they swung their saber blades around and around, Val using his defensive techniques to see if his golden beauty was a proper replacement for Gen’s shimmering purple accuracy that he had been so fond of wielding. Purple after all was a girl’s color, and the golden yellow, mixed with the blue hue’s of Obi Wan’s second lightsaber was a dazzling combination and it exuded a masculine feel as well.

Val watched Corrie practicing with her lightsaber. She had skill that much was clear, she knew how to wield the weapon but she also had many points of weakness that Val made a note of addressing at another time for the moment he allowed her the thrill of victory, or completion and he bathed more in this freedom from his worry then his fear of falling to the Dark Side, for Val it was a new beginning…this family he had taken under his care…the family not forged of blood but of trust was his new beginning…his fresh start because for the first time the voices in his head…the images that plagued him…

Were silenced…
 

~ONE WEEK LATER~
 

EXTERIOR: VERSAI TECH - COURTYARD

A weeks time has passed since Val constructed his new destiny, that of which being his new addition to his arsenal, the Luminex crystal baring lightsaber hanging from his left hip, and Corrie his “student” it would appear brandishing her newly constructed elegance as well. Both can be seen sparring with one another, while Isis now having been diagnosed as full recovered lends her talents as well.

Unknown to Isis, Val had managed to attain something of great importance to her, and his retrieval of her prized, one of a kind possession made her bond with him all the more stronger, and her trust in him all the more strengthen.

After paying a sizable amount for the damages left within the lower levels of Tibannopolis, Val also signed a deal to allow the location to display the war zone as a new “Tourist Attraction” for loyal “Valaryc Versai” enthusiasts to flock to. The latest destination was now a piece of history where fans wanting to see Val’s handiwork in person, much like a President’s speech could gaze upon the scene where the “Valaryc Versai” the legend, made his triumphant return.

 One could now see up close for a nominal fee and through special monitors and viewing scopes freshly installed where Val’s saber had raced endlessly down the side of the same turbolift shaft that slowed his decent when Efface threw him off the catwalk. The other turbo shafts that Val and Efface had dueled within were also on display, baring the scoring marks of both Val and Efface’s lightsaber strikes, some completely sheared through points in the rounded surface.

Truly the newest attraction...

“Valaryc Versai – The Experience”

Was a hit for the bustling city and many came from all regions of the galaxy to frequent the gift shops and restaurants that immediately boosted the intake of currency that Tibannopolis’s gambling facilities were starting to falter on delivering.

Another sign that Val’s presence made an impact…whether he knew it or not.

He only asked for one item from the wreckage…

Val acquired that one piece of memorabilia that would draw no value on the common collectors market, but to its creator, it was priceless. Val could see the subtle glare in Isis’s jaded eyes he could see that she felt incomplete…

During the week that had passed, Val had taken every precaution to make sure his gift, was perfect. He had placed the item in the same box that previously had contained the Luminex and Adegen crystals he and Corrie had used earlier. The adorned storage unit was surrounded by rings of gold that traveled along the front and sides of the wooden unit. Along the top, in the center, facing forward to the viewer was his Versai Crest, the twin “V”s set into to place upon each other, surrounded by a larger ring of stunning gold finish.

He wanted to wait for the right moment…the right occasion to present the gift to the one who gave his judgments on society a second thought, the one who dragged him from his stubborn ways and set him on the path he was meant for…the one who he cared for, yet he knew so little about.

He wanted to give Isis back…

Her lightsaber…

There Isis was, swinging her saber back and forth, feeling herself completed again. Her emerald gaze fastened upon Val with a twinkle in her eye each time she saw him, scolding Corrie. Corrie was trying to do things her own way in the “lesson” for today, and time and time again with their saber blades set on a lower setting, that burned but did not sever, Corrie scowled as Val landed hit after hit through her defensive positions.

Their blades traded blows time and time again, a golden yellow slash, sent careening back with a forward ocean-blue counter. The counter, re-countered and recalculated in a steadily increasing rhythm of dancing light, Corrie usually the one to fall first as Val should his expert saber handling skills well. Isis’s lips parted as she watched Val move with a fluidic motion, each time his yellow blade contacted Corrie’s ocean blue beauty, his body was in perfect harmony, spinning and twirling when the need arose, letting her think she drove him back, letting Corrie advance.

Letting her grow overconfident. That’s when Val steps aside, dressed in his purple pants and suit coat, the knee high black boots baring the Versai Crest shimmering in the distant sun, that warmed the surface of the planet, she had yet to discover the name of. As Val stepped aside, Corrie advanced…right into his blade, she didn’t think like she should have she went for the moment and that was her mistake…aggression.

VAL – (shakes his head) Corrie, Corrie, Corrie…will you never learn?

Corrie glared from the minor burns baring red marking along her arms, and felt through her VT uniform. Her saber was held down along her left side, facing towards the ground as she listened to Val. She knew that learning from him was not going to be easy, but she never imagined the amount of discipline it took to even come close to the level he was at in his training.

CORRIE – I’M TRYING DAMN IT!

VAL – (narrows his eyes) See! Right there…that’s what I’m talking about.

CORRIE – (blinks, frustrated) What?

VAL – You want things to easy way…your letting your anger control your actions, and your not a Sith, this gives you no advantage, only a clouded focus.

CORRIE – Anger? EXCUSE ME???? If I recall Mr. Versai, it was your ANGER that allowed you to slay your last opponent, not your skill.

VAL – (growls) Unfortunately you’re only half right on that account Corrie. You see it may have been anger that killed him, but it was skill that allowed me to reach the point to do so.

CORRIE – What’s the difference?

Val smiles to Isis who stands against a tree, as Val and Corrie face each other her on one side he on the other with their sabers humming turned down towards the floor, then looks back towards Corrie. Val assumes a more relaxed position and grins towards a more focused, yet still aggravated Corrie.

VAL – You want to know the difference between survival and victory?

CORRIE – (narrows her eyes) Yes…

VAL – (raises his saber) Fine, I will show you the difference Corrie. The easy way then the proper way…

Val’s eyes shimmer with a feral looks within them, as he watches Corrie before setting his “lesson” for the day into motion…waiting for her to try and figure out just what he wishes to show her…one on one.

VAL – I want you to attack me…attack me as if I were the very core of your anger, a person you hate, a person you want to destroy…that you hold nothing back against.

CORRIE – Now you’re talking…

Corrie glares towards Val, setting upon him the image of her Father, the Imperial Official who gave her training at the cost of consistent humiliation. She let the anger fuel her concentration and she felt the energy flowing through every fiber of her being. It was power and she loved it. Seeing her target, Corrie sprang forth with a angered, rage filled upwards strike towards Val, her saber coming down to cleave him in two.

Val’s eyes narrowed for only a moment, before he stepped towards the left, then as she approached he stretched out his arm and lined the saber horizontally, in a blink of an eye. The whirl of yellow met the approaching chest of Corrie and she quickly shrank back as the sting flowed along her midsection, determined not to give up, she spun a round in an attempt to slice Val’s back, but she was met with a vicious uppercut from Val’s saber across her own…unguarded back. Val’s moves were a blur as he slammed his saber into her own, under her own blade the crackling of energy sputtered. Her blade was forced up, Val quickly leaned forward sending another slice across her midsection, making the previously burned section even more painful then the first time, but added to the pain, as Val’s purple attire moved in a blur she felt the sting of his saber, once, twice, three time, over and over.

The pain spread across her arms, her thighs, her shoulder, her back, behind her legs, her ankles, and as she fell to her knees, she watched in horror with a widened gaze as Val’s saber swung towards her throat, then stopped a quarter of an inch from her.

He stood above her and looked into her glazed brown orbs with total concentration…he didn’t move, his eyes bore into her soul and she felt hopeless…she felt trapped and worst of all in the melee, the absolute moment of speed, the intensity of the battle she felt…defeated.

VAL – (glaring, saber held along Corrie’s neck) Anger…anger will defeat you, more then it will aid you.

CORRIE – (traumatized) I…I…I…

VAL - The difference between survival and victory is that "survival" is fighting to live, "victory" is living to win.

CORRIE - I still don't...understand.

VAL - You fight when you must to survive, whether you win a battle or not you LIVE with the consequences of your victory, if you achieve it in haste, taking the easy path...cheating, deception, anger, vengeance...you win the battle but do you survive it? Do you really survive the battle by baring the guilt? The only true victory is to both survive and to attain victory with a clear focus, and a sound mind when you walk away from it.

CORRIE - But still then they are the same aren't they? I still don't...

VAL - Corrie it is THEN and only then, will you understand the difference more clearly, and you will learn to adjust your skills, your morals, and your determination to maintain that understanding.

To keep both survival and victory in balance with one another.

Val smiles softly to Corrie, he could tell that his message was met with a clear understanding loud and clear from the fear rippling along her facial features. He didn’t want to scare her as much as shock her into dropping her stubborn attitude towards his knowledge he was trying to get across to her…he wanted her to understand that though he gave into his anger…he was lucky.

Val could have lost the fight, it was the fact that Efface was so distracted and forced into the corner that allowed Val to halve his opponent. As much as skill and anger it was control that led his fluidic movements, the truth of the matter was that it was not a sinister, evil anger that had granted him victory because in the midst of his rage…he found balance, he found control…focus.

What the Dark Side incarnation of himself did not tell him was that the anger he felt when he sliced Efface in two was justified…Val wasn’t a Jedi but the Dark Side was enraged that such guilt, such violence did not sway Val to the dark path as much as it had hoped. Val knew how to walk the thin line between the Light Side of himself and the Dark Side. As much as the manifestation tried it couldn’t pull him towards its clutches and with the aid of Corrie and his new found “mission” Val's mind was focused.

Clear...

The Dark Side doppelganger within his mind was now

Powerless.

VAL – You see Corrie, in order for you to understand you need to let go of your anger, your rage, your hate…the opponent you face could be ten times your skill and you can defeat them, but if you attack a unknown opponent without thinking, without a clear focused strategy, you must face the consequences of your actions and in most cases…they demand a high toll.

CORRIE – (stands up) I don’t get it though Val, I had the determination and the will to win the battle, and yet you breached my defenses over and over again. Don’t give me the “I’m that damn good” speech either.

VAL – (grins) You didn’t think Corrie, you just charged into battle. You had perceived that because you were the “good guy” that you would win, that fate would be on your side and The Force would grant you victory…contrary to belief, this is never the case…

Val presses the button to his saber, and the blade retracts as he watches her from a distance of two meters, her saber still primed and ready.

CORRIE – I see now…then rather then trying to win the battle, I want you to show me where my mistakes are and how to avoid them.

VAL – Now you are thinking more clearly…training is the life every Force User must endure, no matter how strong you are, how good, how skilled, how many people you kill or defeat in battle there is always someone stronger.

CORRIE – Funny, Whom is stronger then you then?

VAL – I don’t know…I suppose one day I’ll find out.

CORRIE – Val, you’re the strongest person I know, you’re a freaking legend. I doubt there is anyone who could defeat you in a fight…why do you bother training? You’re perfect!

VAL – No…if I were perfect, I wouldn’t have needed your help back at Tibannopolis.

CORRIE – I see you’re point…show me Val, show me my weakness so I can get stronger.

VAL – (nods) Very well…I want you to do the same thing you did before, but this time do not use anger, hate, rage, or aggression, do not picture me as myself and do not picture me as the enemy, picture me as your opponent…for better or worse.

Corrie nods slowly, taking her time to study Val’s position. His lightsaber wasn’t ignited, it gave her a clear advantage from the distance she was at to land a good shot in on him before he could ignite it again…or was that part of jumping to a conclusion too swiftly? Her mind buzzed with possible outcomes of such a move and she all knew that they would lead in another damn burn on her regardless. She didn’t care anymore though, she was focused this time and she needed to know more. Val was known to never reveal his secrets to anyone and yet here he was showing her the secrets to his combat training, to his consistent track record of victories…it was obvious Val was undefeated for a reason, save for his battle with Crymson Vachon he spoke to her about…in his younger days.

Val’s eyes looked over Corrie and he stayed clear of reading her mind. He didn’t treat her as the threats he encountered in his rivalry to survive among the rest but he couldn’t go soft on her either, if she was to learn she would have to suffer the pain it took to know that once something injured you, you thought twice about letting it happen again. Without pain in combat…without failure, there was no progress, no lesson.

He was ready now, he allowed his saber to be held along his side but not ignited for the most amateur of lessons…never underestimate an unarmed opponent.

After measuring Val’s position and the possibilities of his movements, Corrie forged her plan. She took off like the wind in a blur, using Force speed to enhance her strategy, feigning a swing towards Val’s neck, she knew he would duck and like clockwork Val did just that, knowing well his signature move but why he didn’t use his lightsaber eluded her. As Val ducked under the fake swing, he saw her blade coming in a horizontal arch towards him. Val quickly rolled his body, twirling to the right as the blade whizzed towards his last position. With his body spinning, his hand quickly grabbed Corrie’s saber wielding wrist and curled her wrist inward. With her momentum of approach, she felt a third strike land upon the same exact spot that the previous two marks had landed across her midsection.

She had managed to do the EXACT SAME mistake but Val had used her own saber against her!

Val released his grip from Corrie’s hand so that the saber blade didn’t rest along her burned midsection, letting her figure out her mistake as he stepped away. Corrie wasn’t as angry as she was shocked, but as Val had explained to her…a battle raged on, it wasn’t over until one person had lost…she wasn’t finished with her “master”. As Val’s hand released from her saber handle and for that fraction of a second that his back was turned, she sent a vicious swing across it, from the left hip, upwards to his right shoulder. Val detected the move and quickly dropped to the floor, as her ocean blue blade missed its target, causing her to turn into the direction of her swing and alter her balance.

Val from the grassy floor, sent a sharp kick to Corrie’s shin with his boots, causing her to topple like a house of cards, using her fall as his pivot point, he rolled away then back to his feet as she fell forward. Val swiftly ignited his golden yellow saber and the blade erupted from the emitter shroud. The point rested at the small of Corrie’s back as she braced herself from the impact of her fall. Her first impression was to throw herself back and away from him…that was her anger, wanting another crack at Val for eluding her perfect plan…but she didn’t listen to it this time, she instead stayed still, knowing in her position her only option was by time enough to move away from the blade that could impale her through the back at any moment had it been a real, life or death struggle.

VAL – You see Corrie, no plan is perfect…along with thinking clearly on your strategy, you also must learn to improvise.

CORRIE - (growls) NOW YOU TELL ME!

Val smiles to Corrie then taps her butt with the point of his saber, sending a jolt of electricity through her body and a sharp sting to her right cheek. Corrie shrinks back then curls her lips trying another strategy…men were vulnerable to their instincts…she decided to use “girl power”.

Corrie raised to her knees, and planted her hands flat on the dirt below her, her saber blade was burning the stems of rich green plant life as she held her hilt in place under her palm, looking over her shoulder with a seductive gaze, flicking her golden brown hair back…the cowlicks sliding along her focused feral gaze.

CORRIE – Well I appear to be on all fours before you “Master”…Where you plan on sticking that thing?

Val’s eyes roam momentarily along the rounded globes of Corrie’s presented backside, wanting to reply with some sort of sexual retort, he knew what she was up to on one hand and on the other her distraction was proving quite effective…her words only complicated matters for him. Females were always the worst opponent for him…Crymson was a bitch and built like a man…she was easy to humiliate but girls with features like Isis and Corrie proved to add a new level of difficulty to his task.

Suddenly another feeling overtook his focus, as he saw a figure pacing into a room. He couldn’t make out the face other then he wore a Versai Tech uniform, even the ranking plate was obscured but he exuded a dark energy…the next image was a computer screen with a image of a planet…then of the base…the next flashed scene, fingers tapped on a keyboard and a low hum emerged, echoing in Val’s ears. Val was so wrapped up on the vision he didn’t see that Corrie was already off her suggestive position and was sending a very powerful blow with her saber between his legs.

Val was like he was before, there in body but not in spirit. The impact of Corrie’s ocean blue saber should have sent him careening to his knees in pain, causing a rather humorous situation for the women to laugh at as a male clutches his crotch like a wounded puppy…but Corrie knew that look, that glazed expression and the fact that her saber was resting and BURNING between Val’s legs produced no reaction, something was clearly wrong…and she closed her eyes turning off her saber to feel the Force. Isis whom was practicing her own skills followed suit, extinguishing her forest green saber letting the Force speak to her and the Force told Isis and Corrie one thing…

Danger…

Val’s eyes were hazed as he heard the low moan of a generator powering down…electricity being siphoned from its core…the image of the planet and the base is what filled his concern, he played them side by side the ever flashing ever changing vision of the figure, then it came into focus as the Versai Tech traitor passed a sign…which read.

“VERSAI TECH PLANETARY SHIELD CONTROL”

Before Val could react or make much sense of the image, his vision blurred into the deep void of space as stars twinkled into focus. Within the blanket of darkness a burst of light emerged and several dark shapes emerged from within, traveling at a high velocity their shimmering black hulls slowed into focus, as more and more arrived into a armada, streaming into the same blanket of space, the scene panned down to the very home world Versai Tech was based on…Tuulab.

The Shadows of Darkness had arrived…

Val’s eyes flashed with urgency as he lowered his saber and extinguished it glancing up into the sky. Putting the two images together the picture became flawlessly obvious to him, a grouping of ships and a Versai Tech traitor in a shield control room.

A force-induced disturbance could only mean one thing…

Invasion…

His eyes wide and awake, he clearly had returned to his body shouting to Isis and Corrie.

VAL – WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO THE BASE NOW!

Before either of the women could respond, Val dashed off with Force enhanced speed towards the entrance to Versai Tech, a blur of purple growing out of focus in the distance, his hand gripping his wrist, flipping the audio receiver of his comlink, shouting his orders at the top of his lungs.

VAL – SECURITY! SECURE LEVEL 5! THE MOLE HAS MADE ITS MOVE! GET THE PLANETARY SHIELDS BACK ONLINE IMMEDIATELY!

A voice replies back to Val with a trembling reply. Mitch the head of Security for VT frantically switched on the frequencies to the Security squads in the building, passing the order along as swarms of Security personnel began to flood to Level Five and detain all people within it.
 

EXTERIOR: TUULAB – SPACE

Aboard the armada of sleek, shimmering, black armored vessels lined into crescent moon formation, each vessel shimmered with mysterious onyx plated armor. The vessels were as massive as a capitol ship, not as large as a Imperial Star Destroyer, they were larger then the massive structure of a Marauder Corvette…they resembled that of the Royal starship that Queen Amidala had been escorted by but these were not a shiny silver, and they were very much armed.

From the front view, the slender shaft of the nose extended out into a wider curved structure that resembled the flared hood of a cobra when threatened, with protruding sides along the front, where two turbolasers emerged from its “eyes”. Along the core of the vessel where the curved “slit” of the cockpit window resided, to the left and right, rising up over two massive engine baring chambers, thin extensions of metal formed the “fins” of the winged structure. Where the rounded hood came to curve around to a point in the back, set within the sides of the hood, along the rear of the craft, the ports of the two massive engines spewed a ion blue fire, holding the craft in place.

For the moment the only visible, active motion from the stationary vessels were several panels sliding back along the undersides of ten of the twenty vessels.

Quillion had warned his insider about them…each clothed figure in the Killian attire were clear in their assigned tasks, the combined presence was a startling sign that hey were stronger in number and in power, Versai Tech didn’t know their technology, and yet they would soon enough.

The powerful weapons lowering from the belly of the beasts were stolen prototypes from Versai Tech, able to hurl a beam of energy based on the principle of the Death Star superlaser but on a smaller scale. The concept for their design stemmed from a similar design Val used within his MARC known as “The Assailant” The cruel irony was now that what he thought would make a good weapon to DEFEND invasion…was now aiding it.

The energy within each lowered superlaser unit, ten in number was focused through thirteen strategically placed crystals. Twelve points of light began to glow with a vibrant green charge, as a line of coherent light streamed from each smaller energized crystal into the thirteenth crystal, which gathered the other twelve points of light into one central focus and one primary power source…

A balance was achieved and a single, devastating beam of energy was primed, targeted…

Then released…
 

CONCLUSION

In a fraction of a minute’s time ten ships launched the beams from their belly downward towards the surface of Tulaab, one after the other…

The beams slammed into the ground seconds later, connecting with their targets with stunning accuracy exploding the earth before the trio’s eyes, sending waves of debris thirty feet high into the air, the dust, rock, and flaming trees and shrubbery coming down towards them in a avalanche of earth tones as their eyes traveled upward in utter surprise …

All Val, Isis, and Corrie could do…

Was….

Run…