EXTERIOR: VERSAI MANSION – FOREST

As the bleak hint of death of an icon and the searing heat of the basement fades out, the scene is replaced by the vibrancy of the Versai Mansion’s grounds, specifically the portion of it where Lon failed his trial under Foe Raker’s guidance but still distanced far enough from it, as Val has another agenda on his mind but wishes to keep the swaying metal panel in visual reach. His hands brush his lightsaber occasionally as he jerks them away, still plagued by the newer image…his friends lined up, blackened to voids, then one of them…any one of them turning to ash then fading away. Who was it that the vision was trying to warn Val about? What was the significance of this vision? Was it yet another warning that Val mustn’t cross his blade with another or was it something newer and unexplored?

Val blinked away his questions as he turned his eyes towards Lon, whom sat silently gazing off in the distance while a gentle breeze caught his slightly curled hair, flowing gently in the wind as Val’s own, now more neatly trimmed but still shoulder length locks did the same. Val didn’t have a beard during his coma, medical droids had come in and made sure that the overgrowth of Val’s facial hair was always maintained and properly removed, keeping his youthful visage in tact although even with the face of a forty-five year old, Val only showed minimal signs of ageing where his laugh lines began to show on his facial regions, with some lines also under his eyes.

His orbs closed slowly, then reopening to clean his mind of any more visionary distractions. Now as he had gathered his strength, a feat that seemed to take more time then it used to, he was ready to erect a new sense of self worth inside Lon’s psyche.

Val looks down a second, then grabs a long stick to his left, kneeing down into the sand, starting to draw circular patterns into the fresh, smooth earth, rendering what you now see posted below…
 
 

Lon glances down with a perked brow in curiosity, his green eyes filled with wonder to the strange markings, seeing nothing but a grouping of circles, placed in random distances from a central one. It is then that Val begins to fill in the words inside these rings that began to delve into Lon’s thoughts.

Hate, rage, anger, fear, revenge, greed, pride, jealousy, distrust then…”you” in the center.

VAL – (looking to the pattern) Come here Lon, get your butt down in this dirt where you can read this because what I am about to tell you is what I believe are the foundations of the dark side from the Dark Jedi point of view.

Lon settles down to one knee and gets closer, trying to avoid getting too much dirt on his prized silver and black tunic, doing his best to avoid it, shortly before Val grabs him by the neck and slams him to the floor, grinning a bit as Lon realizes Val was well aware of his intentions, no longer having to find the issue a nuisance forced to accept the decision made for him.

LON – Alright, alright I’m listening now. I see a bunch of rings and words.

VAL – Yes a “bunch of rings and words” but I doubt you understand what they represent so sit down, shut up and open your ears.

Lon does as he’s told, opening up his attention to learn, taking careful note of what Val was about to tell him. Val never gave up his secrets to many people, so Lon knew whatever it was Val was going to tell him was incredibly important by the focused stare in his eyes.

VAL – Now pay attention. You’ve asked me many times what makes a Dark Jedi different from a Sith or a Jedi besides the obvious conflict in codes and bloodlust. Although there have been many Dark Jedi who were wicked and evil in the past, I believe that when Gen was killed and the Dark Jedi Academy was ended, I inherited the role of restoring the “Dark Jedi” belief, therefore what I believe is the genesis of my teachings to you and they will pass on from you to another and another, just as Luke Skywalker rebuilt the Jedi in his own way.

LON – (nods) You’re the founder, got it.

VAL – (gestures with stick) These are the cornerstones of the dark side, they are the deepest and most difficult pits to escape. Rage, Hate, Anger, Fear. All are extensions of each other. These other rings that are not double banded, these are traits that extend from these four dark side foundations and all of these when the paths are complete, lead you into the dark side itself.

LON – Oh I see, alright so these jagged lines are paths eh? Why are some shorter then others?

VAL – (smiles) What you need to understand Lon is people like myself, Foe, and Gen understand the limitations between using the dark side as an aid and falling into it as a slave. Each of these paths anyone has the potential to venture down, and it doesn’t have to be a single road it can be in several directions. Don’t think of it as a villager walking down a forest road, think of it as a bloodline. Each vein, in this case the “paths” flow to a single destination but some can reach this point sooner then others.

LON – (shivers) Wait let me figure this out a minute, then those four rings could be like the chambers of a heart? Perhaps the heart of the dark side itself?

VAL – Not exactly no, you’re reading too deep into the analogies. Think of the four central points as “pits” then imagine what happens when you fall into a pit. You can pull yourself out of some of them; others are deeper and deeper in the darkness where the only escape is to have someone give you a robe to climb out.

Lon’s eyes flash with a sudden revelation as he thinks over the details of Val and his first encounter. Val had defeated everything Lon could dish out against him, but then it came into focus, when Val extended his hand out to draw back Lon from his feral rage, he was extending that rope to help Lon climb out of the pits of the dark side, even though the first attempt Lon refused the gesture on the second venture he grabbed that rope and slowly over time he pulled himself out of the pit.

LON – You tossed me the rope didn’t you? That day when you and Xola found me, uncontrollable and wild…filled with torment and anger, hatred for those who killed my family, vengeance and blood spilt after Overseer was vanquished…the emptiness consumed me but you threw in the rope didn’t you?

VAL – (nods) Yes, but one must also remember that the rope is only effective as much as the person willing to utilize it. That still isn’t the point of this graphic though. As a Dark Jedi you must over the course of EXPERIENCE, not just instruction learn that each of these paths you can walk down and not fully succumb to the dark side’s evil intentions. However, as these are roads conclude you must understand when to turn back and return to your sense of balance. That is the circle of you in the middle. You are human, an individual who must maintain a balance of mind, body, and soul.

LON – So like, you’re saying that people like Sith for instance, they’re stuck in these pits and umm lemme see here uh, people seduced by the dark side keep walking the path until they reach the end and fall into slavery right?

VAL – Yes, that is the point of it. I have traveled along all these paths at one point. When I ceased to be human and embraced the dark side as the Jedi Slayer…fear of losing Gen when she was being burned led to anger that anger led to rage and that rage led to hate…Hate Lon is the most direct route to the dark side’s grip. It is the shortest path along with rage. These two alone can condemn you.

LON – But you escaped it, who tossed you the rope?

VAL – (sighs) No one tossed me the rope Lon. I didn’t have control until Gen was safe and I had eliminated the cause for my journey into that darkness. I escaped those pits in pools of blood paid by the Jedi I slaughtered. I wasn’t strong enough to pull myself out of the abyss on my own. Then again you must also understand at that moment in time I didn’t possess the knowledge of what was morally right or wrong. I was trained for survival at all cost, human life was only as worth as much as I perceived it.

Lon shivers a moment, looking towards the pattern then slowly lifts his eyes back up to his mentor.

LON – But you changed, I’m never seen you as this “Jedi Slayer”. Sure I’ve seen you get close, red eyes and all but you managed to pull yourself back.

VAL – (takes a deep breath) Only through experience Lon. I want you to understand right now, you already are treading these paths. This is why I have to be stern with you when you grow too close to that pit. Once you sink into any of these you still have to pull yourself out and the more pieces of yourself you lose to the dark side, the harder it is to bring them back together into one stable balance again. Your mind, your soul, and your body can call into any of these, without the trinity your character is lost.

LON – (looks down) I couldn’t do it though Val, I couldn’t break the damn steel! I tried, I really did but it just didn’t happen then Foe had to go and insult me, calling me a “kid” and all and I just…gave up.

Val shifts his leg a moment looking down into the pattern on the ground, pointing out various rings.

VAL – Let me show you where your path is right now Lon. You are treading very close to the pit of “fear” at the moment, added to that you are venturing to the path to “insecurity”, if that isn’t enough you are almost knee deep in the pit of “distrust” and bordering on the pit to anger.

LON – No way! I’m not that simple to figure out!

VAL – Then there’s pride (smirks). What you need to pay attention to Lon is I am here to help you escape these paths, I cannot stop you from choosing which of these roads you want to travel. Every man is responsible for his own balance and his own destiny. I can only be the guide; you must decide how much you take away from this information.

Val cracks his neck a moment, then stands to his feet, gesturing for Lon to follow him as he leaves the pattern in the dirt, pacing towards that ominous swaying panel of steel while Lon reluctantly approaches the trial area. Thoughts try to run through Lon’s mind of running away and avoid risking letting Val down as well, Val even hears these subliminal voices in Lon’s mind as he grabs him by the scruff of the neck and plants him in front of the steel plate.

VAL – That’s the dark side and your own fear telling you those things Lon. I know you much better then this, you’re much stronger then a little boy who drops his ball and runs home to mommy, or in this case your Zeltron vixen Xola I gather. Would she let you walk away from a challenge? Of course not, you have a responsibility to be strong in the presence of women, don’t ask me why it’s just a…male courtship thing.

Lon smiles softly, picturing Xola in his head, a well formed set of curves and flowing blue hair. Her smooth skin was of the most innocent pink, but her sexual prowess was far from the simple “good girl” her race was bred to be seductive and irresistible, but unlike Gen, Xola’s secrets were pheromones that attracted and heated the blood of men around her. Her finely toned body was always enchanting to the eye, even by Val’s standards although Val was far stronger to resist the scent as he had been in the presence of a seductress long before crossing paths with Xola. Currently Xola was in Lon’s Wol Estate on Pydyr while her cherished lover was training to reach his goals, which she always encouraged to become a full fledged Dark Jedi Master.

Before Lon could start to undress her mentally in his mind, a swift smack from Val’s stick cracked the back of his skull thrusting him back into reality.

VAL – (growls) Pay attention! Now, as I was saying. Foe Raker is a powerful man and yes he trained in the same academy as I but you need to also recognize that Foe’s methods are not the only way to incorporate the philosophies and the techniques of the Dark Jedi Arts.

LON – (nods) But he can punch through solid steel man!

VAL – Foe uses his anger and his rage to penetrate the steel, as well as years of experience, he had perfected his skill but you haven’t. Understand Lon that just because you’re bigger, stronger, and more muscular then your opponent or an element, it doesn’t make you better.

Within a split second of his comment, Val slams his bare fist into the metallic plate, punching a hole clean through the surface but this time, unlike Foe Raker’s approach the metal doesn’t buckle forward and bend, Val seems to have completely pulverized the steel, into glittering fragments on the floor, leaving a very clean hole in the rest of the plate.

LON – GREAT YODA’S GHOST!

Val smirks as he brings his hand back, looking down to see that at his feet are several punctures in another plate, the one that Foe Raker had vented his frustrations in, clearly distinct from Val’s approach as his brother’s plating yielded several triangular sections of twisted metal where the plate had buckled under pressure.

VAL – Foe Raker attacks with his muscles and his ambitions. He always treaded far closer to the dark side in his methods then I ever did, save for my little incident in the Jedi Camp. This is because while Foe learned at his own pace with Gen, our styles are different. I chose to study the composition of an element while he merely chose to knock it down.

LON – But look man, you freaking vaporized that thing! I couldn’t even dent it!

Val shakes his head a moment then plows his fist into the steel again and again until the metal looks like piece of shimmering silver swiss cheese. His eyes dart towards Lon, then to a rock just beyond him as he instructs Lon to follow him, while both approach an open field of several rock formations.

VAL – I’m going to share with you the secret of ten years of hard work and research Padawan. You must understand above anything else that you think you know is that every element has a weakness…but you can only find that weakness based upon the resistance you inflict, in certain degrees.

Val looks down to a stone rock as he curls his fingers down, revealing his first set of knuckles, then slams his arm forward where in a flash the second set of knuckles impacts a giant rock and it shattered into bits in a rising cloud of dust, while Lon’s jaw literally drops.

VAL – (flexing his hand) Wow I actually felt that.

LON  – Fo…Fo…Foe never showed me that.

Val winks and approaches Lon, picking up a rock in his other hand, setting it on top of another larger rock surface, isolating it from the others, sort of like a table formation.

VAL – Sure he did, but to a lesser degree. You punched through water, sand, and glass. The purpose of that exercise is to build up your endurance for pain, rapid healing BUT it is ALSO a lesson in friction, momentum, and most importantly RESISTANCE.

Val takes Lon’s hand and looks towards his knuckles, pointing to the first set midway from his fingers, then the primary set along his closed fist.

VAL – Foe didn’t show you how to use both sets of these to your advantage. While he can punch through things with his muscles and his fists, he must maintain a rapid healing to keep his bones from breaking but he also needs his muscular power to place all of his momentum into a single punch to break an element’s resistance in one blow.

LON – Well yeah isn’t that the point of throwing a punch?

VAL – No, that is the common misconception. You don’t need muscles and power; you need knowledge before you even attempt to contact an object. Every element possesses a point of resistance that is broken when you apply enough pressure to it. Like paper and wood the resistance is usually in the center of the panel and spreads along the surface, buckling the piece from the center out.

Val gestures to the rock and begins to line up his arm above it, making a odd looking display by curling his fingers into a partial fist where the first set of knuckles are presented. He slowly begins to thrust his hand down so Lon can watch him.

VAL – You see this point? This is where you strike the stone with the first blow, from these…your first set of knuckles. This sends the shockwave through the element and destabilizes its foundation, but you DO NOT focus your energy into just this one move. Divide the blow split seconds after the impact, and your second focused impact by your upper knuckles slams into the already unstable surface of the element, this second blow is the killing strike…it is what pulverizes the stone.

Val draws back his arm and slams his fist forward, striking the rock in the center, first with his first set of knuckles followed by the second as the rock literally explodes below his fist, which hovers slightly off the surface of the table rock.

Lon’s eyes flash wide as he feels his confidence begin to return, starting to see the pattern clearly now. Lon wasn’t a warrior or a die hard muscular bodybuilder, he was as agile and slim as Val was, so it made sense that Lon couldn’t defeat the test with brute strength because he didn’t possess enough of it! This was the secret he had always wondered about, how in the hell did Val manage to turn the tables on people stronger and bigger then him? Now he understood the method, but he still didn’t understand the actual process.

LON – I think I can do that! Lemme give it a try!

VAL – That eager eh? Alright go ahead and knock yourself out.

Lon smiles brightly, boldly grabbing a stone and setting it on the rock table, bringing his fist up, flexing his fingers a few times before prepping himself to unleash his blow. As he is about to impact the rock, Val grabs his hand in mid flight, stopping his punch dead in its tracks.

VAL – Do that and you’ll break the other one (gesturing to Lon’s bandaged hand)

LON – I want to try though I really do, I can do this Val let me prove it to you that I’m not a failure!

VAL – (smirks) It’s not a question of failure my friend, you have always made me proud as a student. You must also bear in mind why not just anyone can pull this off. The second key ingredient to this technique is force speed. You can’t do this without enough gathered propulsion to divide your blow into two equal strikes. I know you can do this, I know that today you’re going to rupture that steel too. You must stay off the path of insecurity and fear; it only holds you back from your true potential.

Lon draws in a deep breath, picturing Foe Raker laughing at him, as Val smacks Lon’s head and tells him to do this without anger or resentment. With his courage and his faith instilled, Lon slides his fist back, keeping only the first set of knuckles presented, then with the force used to enhance his movements, Lon slams his fist down, letting the force guide his decision when to set in the second set of knuckles as the rock buckles, then upon the second impact shatters into dust.

LON – I did it! I can’t believe I just punched into solid stone like that! There’s nothing freaking left!

Lon grins down towards the rock table and does the same technique, this time calling a faster fuel to his force speed as he lands his fist into the center of the rock table. The first impact hammers vibrations through the rocky surface, then with the second the table shattered and buckles into several pieces as gray dust spews into the air, this time though it cakes Lon’s face in dirt as he coughs and gags.

VAL – (smirks) We’ll cover blast radius later.

Val snaps his fingers as he draws Lon’s attention to follow him back to the steel plate. Using the force masterfully, Val removes and replaces the steel plating with a thicker panel then the one before; knowing full well that his invested confidence in Lon’s growing skill and eagerness to learn was strong enough to defeat double the density of his last obstacle.

VAL – (pointing) You know what to do…focus Lon, let nothing distract you, no doubts, no insecurity. Do not fear how I will react if you fail again, don’t think you can impress me Lon, know you can.

Lon clears his mind, closing his eyes then slowly opening them…a rather popular technique now passed on from Gen to Val and now to Lon, as he curls his fingers backward and gathers his desire, holding to his “happy thought” of impressing Val and proving he wasn’t going to take his ball and go home, he was going to hammer this bastard steel until he got it right.

VAL – Release your mind…

Lon nods and continues to stare into the plated steel, licking his lips then clenching them in concentration as he could feel his blood rushing through his body, letting the force both control and enhance his attributes, then with the point of no return crossed he set his fist into motion and trusted in the force to grant him victory, expecting to feel his knuckles shatter feeling his first attempt fail. He didn’t walk away this time as he struck the surface again but on this attempt only the clang of his first knuckle strike, followed by the second impact of his knuckles contact the reverberating steel. It was only then that he realized when the sensations stops moving and his body lurched forward that he had finally penetrated the steel.

Val beamed proudly as he saw Lon’s fist emerge outside the other end of the plate, where there was a hole just about as clean as his own blows. It gave him a sense of pride and contentment that Lon’s abilities were getting more and more alike to his own, like a father passing on his knowledge to his son.

Val lifted his finger up and smiled but remained focused as the instructor.

VAL – Again…

Lon brought his fist back without hesitation and slams into the steel in another portion, centered within that quadrant as once again his fist shattered through the steel plate, pulverizing the steel into fragments that glittered to the floor. Val kept gesturing and repeating to Lon to do it over and over and over again knowing each time Lon practiced his craft he would get closer and closer to mastering it. Keeping his feelings buried deep Val felt warm inside and for the most part complete…he would very soon have Gen’s caress around his body buried deep inside silken sheets.

 He had his company in order and his best friends surrounding him and last but not least he had the dedication and loyalty of his young Padawan to give him focus, as Val too needed to catch up on his own methods, thinking about a solution around using his lightsabers as he watched Lon continue to penetrate the steel plate till there was nothing left to damage. Val reached into his pocket and pulled out an ingot given to him by Michael Angilis just before his decision to leave VT, prior to entering the room where Gen was constructing her lightsaber. He passed the metallic bar with “Lumatanium” and the secret configuration of elements needed to manufacture it stamped into the surface of one side, knowing what the distinct ability of the metal was as visions of possible weaponry flooded his thoughts with inspiration as he observed Lon practice.
 

INTERIOR:  KILLIAN STRONGHOLD– JENNER’S THRONE ROOM

Quite swiftly the scene shifts from the happier moment of the training, back into the morbid depths of Jenner’s throne room. He is once again sleeping lazily upon his throne as the side entrance to the left of his dais slides open.

Jenner is started by the creak as his eyes flash open and lock onto Skel slowly approaching his throne, while the door remains open. Skel’s eyes are beaming with pride as he glances to Jenner, boldly invading his personal space as he comes to stand face to face with Jenner.

JENNER – What do you think you are doing Skel? What is the meaning of this interruption! How many times have I told you NEVER approach me never come ne…(cut off)

SKEL – NO! MASSSTER WILL LISTEN TO SKEL’S FEELINGS! MASTER HURT SKEL, HE DID! LEADERSSSHIP YOU HAVE MUSST BE RELINQUISHED! FOLLOW YOU NO LONGER, I SURELY WILL NOT!

Jenner growls deeply then sends a swift kick to Skel’s chest, sending the reptilian creature skittering dangerously close to the edge of the steps leading from the lower deck. His reptilian eyes flare with anger as he snaps his jaws but gets back to his feet, while his nose “tongues” flick wildly like ravaged rattlesnakes.

JENNER – (angered) YOU WILL OBEY ME SKEL! WHAT YOU SPEAK IS TREASON AND I WILL NOT STAND FOR ANYONE CHALLENGING MY RULE! DO YOU NEED ANOTHER LESSON IN LOYALTY?

Skel settles upon his feet, coughing a bit, shrugging off the injury to his hunched over form, before looking eye to eye into Jenner’s metallic/flesh mingled face, something he has never done since Jenner assumed power, a pleasantry Skel took full advantage of having made his choice to unleash his mutiny along with crew upon the ship “Lord Jenner” believed was his own.

SKEL – You will learn the lesson now. Intended for you Quillion might have but no longer Leader will you remain, promissse thissss I will.

Jenner scowls and stands to his full height as his flickering light paneled chest plate illuminates the regions of his mechanized costume, flexing his artificial fist then reaching for Maul’s lightsaber along his hip, freeing the weapon from its slumber, extending the crimson blade.

JENNER – You ignorant fool…There was but one rule in The Killian Order that not even Quillion himself would ignore, a challenge must be accepted. Your lack of cooperation has sealed your fate.

SKEL – (grins) No Massster, missstaken you are. Your lack of leadership as sealed your own. Challenge you I do, but fight you I will not.

Jenner widens his eyes and slams his lightsaber down towards Skel, who quickly skitters his way free as fragments of the dais fly up in white spindles of light. Jenner kicks Skel in the stomach again and continues to pummel him when he is down, then swiftly spins his saber around in a stabbing motion, wrapping both hands around the hilt. As he begins to carry out his attack, he is suddenly tossed hard into the side wall as Maul’s saber clinks to the floor and extinguishes. Jenner stares in horror a moment knowing that Skel has no force abilities, locking his eyes on the figure standing in the doorway to the left entrance.

Burning red eyes peer from the shadows, and the glint of gold shimmers off Quillion The Second’s mask shielding his true identity, while the black cloth remains wrapped around his verbal regions and Maul’s hood is drawn up over his head. (known as Q2 for reasons revealed later)

JENNER – WHO IN PALPATINE’S EMPIRE ARE YOU!

The figure steps boldly into view, letting Jenner get a closer look at this apparent “weaker” choice of uniform, being the same tattered clothing that he used against the clone Anakin in the basement. Jenner laughs robustly as he looks towards this would be challenger. Sure the stranger could throw a force push; even a Padawan could do that even if it was rather effective.

Jenner brushes himself off and walks towards the looming opponent, who doesn’t reach for the heatsaber hilt attached to his hip but rather stands there with its arms dropped to the side. Jenner seeking an advantage over such a meager looking person decides to incorporate the tricks his own Master passed on to him, a diversion of words followed by unpredicted action.

JENNER – So you are Skel’s little challenger are you? I don’t have the slightest inkling as to whom you are nor much do I care but if you both are set upon challenging my rule you shall share the same unmarked grave.

Jenner steps closer and closer, keeping his eyes transfixed on the hood of the shadowy challenger, watching the red eyes stare right back to him, no words spoken at the moment and deadly still. Jenner was getting rather irritated now, the very least this moron could do was answer him! Jenner and Cire shared the same trait of being at their best when they aroused their opponent’s emotional outbursts, but this figure shrouded in Maul’s cloak showed no signs of pride or emotion at all, he just stood there and watched! It was giving Jenner the creeps as fear started to set in, drawing him closer and closer into that pit as it soon began to fester to anger and rage.

JENNER – I WILL NOT STAND FOR THESE THEATRICS! I am the Master of this organization, I own it by birthright! YOU WILL OBEY ME!

Jenner channels his hatred into his hand and in a blink of an eye Maul’s lightsaber lands in his palm as the crimson blade erupts from the silver shroud. With utter anger and emotion, fear filling him…fear of the unknown Jenner swung boldly towards the intruder’s right arm.

Quillion II or Q2 as he was aptly addressed by Skel for reasons unknown snapped his fingers forward, holding something between the grip of his pads as Jenner’s vibrant saber clashed into Q2’s palms, but to his surprise Jenner’s saber bounced off the center of his opponent’s palms as a flash of sparks erupted from the center, originating from ingots…plates held by Q2.

JENNER – HOW DID YOU GET MY LUMATANIUM! SKEL…YOU LITTLE WORM.

Jenner realized what these plates were as he took another couple eager swings, but Q2 was flawless making sure that Jenner’s saber struck only the seemingly indestructible plates, again flashing with sparks upon impact until Jenner had carelessly and overconfidently sent a stabbing blow, seeking to plunge Maul’s saber clean between the eyes of his challenger. Q2 grabbed Jenner’s outstretched arm and in one jerk, with uncanny power tore Jenner’s arm from his body as metal, wires, and plates of steel buckles and twisted with a resounding POP of knurled machinery.

Q2 – (Bruce Payne verbalization) This organization as you call it, desires new blood. You are a machine and as a machine you have become obsolete.

Q2 tosses Jenner’s torn mechanical arm to the floor, still clutching Maul’s lightsaber in its grasp, though the blade has retreated back into the shroud before grabbing Jenner by neck hoisting him up in one hand. There is no emotion that can be read on Q2’s face because quite frankly there is no facial expression that he can see, only the glowing terror of Q2’s red eyes set within his golden face cover.

JENNER – No this isn’t possible! You can’t be this strong! I’m the leader, I am the best!

Q2 glares staring deep into Jenner’s eyes as he pulls him close then thrusts his body across the dais, clear into the opposite wall with an impact hard enough to place a large dent into the solid steel.

Skel grins in delight watching Jenner suffer without his arm, tossed around like a rag doll. It gave Skel an incredible rush of excitement seeing Jenner partake of every painful blow that he had given Skel and his people…all the needless display of egotism and bloodshed to quench his own insecurities. Now Jenner was learning the lesson in fear and very, very, soon in accordance with his plan, Skel would see that the mistakes of the past were corrected by another more worthy of the position of leadership. Skel also knew that his former acquaintance Skorne was not yet forgotten as news had come to him from The Sith that the male was both retrieved and accepted into their ranks.

Q2 – Where my predecessors have failed, I will be successful.

He lifts Jenner by the throat with one hand, high into the air now as he locks his eyes on to him, looking into the terror there, the same kind of terror when Lance blasted Jenner into oblivion. This time it wasn’t against a weaker Jedi, this challenger was stronger then anyone Jenner had ever known or would ever know as he gasped for breath, electric bolts still surging from his severed mechanical arm.

Q2 curls his gloved hand forward, then he drops Jenner suddenly. Jenner’s eyes are filled with shock as he looks towards Q2, wondering what made him change his mind…perhaps Jenner’s words had gotten through to this person, maybe Jenner was right, maybe he was still the better man. Boldly reaching for his lightsaber with his good hand and flashing a smile, Jenner clutched Maul’s saber but before he could ignite the weapon, Q2’s hand suddenly wrapped around the rectangular shape of his blinking chest plate unit, applying more and more pressure as the steel and plastic buckled and began to crack.

Q2 – I know you do not possess a heart…

He grabs the chest plate of Jenner as the lights sputter out, as he yanks his closed fingers forward with a mighty thrust of his arm, shearing and literally ripping out Jenner’s mechanical insides as wires, metal, plastic, and some blood flies into the air, masked mostly by an eruption of explosive electronics and spewing sparks.

Q2 – So this will suffice.

Jenner’s body recoils in shock, shaking in convulsions as the shock to his stable android system is suddenly shut down, errors plaguing his internal mechanisms as his brain loses its electrical impulses, slowing his central nervous system in agonizing pain. Jenner’s eyes narrow as he glares into Q2’s face mask feeling his life force ebbing away.

Q2 pays no mercy to Jenner, and no ending words to for him to remember as Jenner buckles to his knees losing mobility within this lower regions. Q2 continues to wrench the last wire strands of Jenner’s chest plate free until every dangling cord is severed. Jenner looks up as his red eye dims but he is ruthless, kicking Jenner in the jaw with his boot, the shock snapping Jenner’s neck sending his fading corpse down the stairs rolling around erratically, spiraling further and further to the lower deck where it stops after skidding a few feet from the stairs then lays deathly still.

Even Skel shrinks back from the cold blooded approach to seizing his power. So vile and callous, to rip from a human being all the elements of life in such a ferocious manner, no changes, no words needlessly spoken…all action, pure dark side induced motivation.

From the power he possessed to his approach to conflict and his destiny taken, a kingdom claimed by his own hand without even drawing a sword, he was more threatening then Cire ever could be and more vile and effective then Jenner could ever wish have been. Q2 decimated Anakin Skywalker even if he was a clone and Q2 toppled a man Lance nearly perished facing in hours of combat. He vanquished Jenner in less then three minutes.

He was the perfect dictator…
 
 

CONCLUSION

Jenner wasn’t prepared for the raw skill of his challenger. Skel’s plans with the unknown secondary “Leader of Sith” was placed into motion as Q2 picked up Maul’s lightsaber and promptly handed it back into his possession knowing Skel’s fondness for the antique, bitter when Jenner stole it from him.

Q2 looked down to the breastplate in his hand, tossing it in disgust to the floor and then took his place on the throne, glaring down to Quillion’s Sith Sword affixed in the metallic holder, removing his left glove, draping his bare hand across the handle, a weapon that now belonged to he alone.

Able to be made out was the mysterious sliver of theKaiburr Crystal seen opposite to Anakin's arm in Skel's Alcove. The gem was what appeared to be surgically grafted into the upper wrist of Q2's left hand and it surged with power, having been obscured by the glove he wore previously.

Looking down towards the floor, with his other hand resting on the controls in the arm chair, he pushed a few buttons and moments later, a torrent of Killian warriors and what remained of The Killian regime flooded the lower level. Gasps were heard when they viewed Jenner dead on the floor, looking up to see some new person seating upon the throne. It wasn’t hard to decipher what had happened, it was The Killian way for a leader to accept all challenges and defend his right to govern. When one leader was replaced, loyalty and service was passed on to the next successor.

Q2 stares down to his new legion through his gold and red face mask. He smiled behind his covered mouth, for he was still very much human but to what degree would yet to be seen. This was the moment Skel had been waiting for and his Ssi Ruukk members had been planning for…

The moment…

The true leader of The Killian…

Had returned.

(Kairburr Crystal - Object used in Splinter of the Mind's Eye that enhances the user's ability to wield the force by 1000 fold.)