The Third Sith

[Trenton Vinh]

Lightyears away from any civilized system, orbiting a gas giant and its distant star, was a rusted, rancid prison ship.
The ship had once been a Deadnaught class heavy cruiser, but it had been modified heavily to suit its new purpose.
Which, it appeared, was to make life as miserable and hopeless as possible for its fifty-three inmates.
These fifty-three inmates, were amongst the most deadly and dangerous in the Galaxy. Most were captured Bounty Hunters, and terrorists, four of them had been tried for crimes against civilization; the worst crime one could be tried for in the Galactic Republic.

One of its inmates was being held merely for lack of a better prison, as many prisons did not contain the resources to keep this particular inmate in custody.
It took the vacuum of deep space, a stasis-field chamber, a sensory-deprivation device, and a team of trained guards' constant monitoring to keep this particular man imprisoned.
They scrutinized his brain-waves, heartbeat, body temperature, whatever they could to ensure he could not do anything.

It was in this prison they held Drake Paladin, a Dark Jedi of immense power.

The self-proclaimed Sith Lord was floating face-up, his eyes eerily staring through the transparisteel panel at the guards monitoring him. His eyes were open, but he did not see, nor could he speak, or smell, or hear, or taste.
The experience Drake Paladin was in was similar to a trance or hibernation, but to those trained properly, as a Jedi or Sith would be, would understand that Paladin was in a deep -- albeit a very deep Meditation.

One of the three men assigned to watch over him at all times, a young ensign referred to as 'Ewok' by his fellow guards, sat timidly on the edge of his seat, monitoring the spiking heartbeat of his prisoner, with the tension of a wire pulled to its absolute tautness.
Ewok was nicknamed such, because he was as nervous as an Ewok in a cave of boar-wolves. The other guards, had been lulled into a false sense of security by their still and silent prisoners. Most did little but nap during their shifts.
Ewok, however, did not. Nor did he enjoy being nicknamed after the short, fat, furry natives of Endor.

Ewok shook himself sharply, causing a pain in his neck as he twisted his head too hard. As he tenderly rubbed the sore spot, he reflected that he ought to lose the tension a bit, maybe not worry so much about a prisoner that couldn't do much apart from breathe.

He put his feet up on the desk that housed the delicate health-monitoring instruments, and closed his eyes.


Perhaps, had he not been teased so much by the other guards, and had he not been driven to force himself to be as lazy as they were, could he have saved himself and the others aboard the prison Dreadnaught...


*****

The cold is all I have felt...for far too long. It permeates and penetrates. Clings to my body, like sweat-slicked clothing. Clings to my internal organs like a disease.

There was nothing for Drake Paladin -- nothing but the cold and the dark. He had been trapped inside himself for so long...so long. He had tasted power, but now he had been deprived of its flavor for so long that he couldn't remember what taste even was.

He was immersed in The Force, but not in the way a Force-user normally would be. To experience The Force, one had to have more than mere sensory organs. More than mental discipline.
Drake had those things, but he did not have that which gave him his power; He did not have emotion. To have emotion, one must be able to feel. And he could not feel when he had no body, no physical form to experience life.
He was little more than a Force ghost where he was, in fact, where he was, a Force ghost itself would wither and die. He felt the touch of The Force the way one feels the stare of another, a piercing feeling that is beyond all senses, which bears no weight but can be perceived in a way that is hardly perceptible. It was almost possible for him to believe The Force a mere figment of his imagination.

They used to claim that it was impossible to keep a Force-User imprisoned forever. With recent technologies, that is nearly possible. Most believe it is possible. I believe it is time I prove that false belief wrong.

Drake had had nothing but time. In this void, all he had were his thoughts, his internal dialogue, and the distant understanding that The Force was near him, all around him, but not quite touching him. He believed that if all he could do was reach out, he would be able to touch The Force as if the bondings and chains imposed upon his soul were broken.

Through victory, my chains are broken...

These chains need not be physical ones. They need not be steel or stone. They can be the chains of oppression, the chains of technology, such as the ones that bind me.

In this darkness, Drake realized, he was all that existed. This darkness would not exist were Drake not in the very heart of it. From this realization, he took something akin to comfort. He took knowledge.

I am the heart of the Darkness. I know no fear, for I am what instills fear into my enemies. I am a destroyer of worlds, I am the darkness that swallows planets and stars, drawing them beyond the event horizon, to the black precipice and beyond.
I pledge myself to the darkness, for I have found true life, in the death of the light.

In another room, a universe away, a heartbeat monitor showed an increase in beats per minute. A sensory deprivation device showed a flux in its display. A brainwave scanner, previously showing a gray brain scan, exploded with a rainbow of activity.

All I had to do was reach out, and touch the darkness. Touch the blackness that stains my soul. The black which pierces the heart of every being in the Galaxy. My universe may be one of black, but I will return to a Universe where there is light, only so that I may extinguish it.

Drake's body, held still in an anti-gravity stasis field, seemed to shimmer for a moment with motion. His eyes, open but sightless, filled with a deep crimson. Suddenly, they saw more than most who walk the surface of the galaxy, whose eyes are often glossed in wonder. He saw...and he understood.

The Force Shall Set Me Free.

A blast of energy erupted around Drake, shattering a transparisteel window and vaporizing the devices attached to his body, keeping him deprived of his sight, deprived of the ability to hear, taste, smell, and touch. Devices meant to keep him aloft in a stasis disappeared, and he dropped to the floor, landing in a huddled crouch on one knee. One palm on the cold steel floor.

Unclothed save for a dark pair of pants, Drake Paladin took a slow breath, savoring the taste of the stale, recycled air. He had not taken a conscious breath for far too long.

The energy blast had not only vaporized glass and metal, it had vaporized flesh and bone, leaving behind only a hint of terror and death in The Force, which now flooded Drake Paladin as it had so many times in the past.
All he had to do, was reach out and touch it.
The energy field that was so unexplainable to most, and so misunderstood to all.

"The Force Shall Set Me Free." Drake repeated, and this time, his mouth moved, his tongue flickered in his mouth, and his vocal chords
fluttered as they pushed air past them to make sound.

As an alarm began to wail, Drake raised himself to his feet. His pale skin had not felt the heat of the sun for years. It would soon.

As a pair of voices grew louder as they neared, Drake opened his eyes, allowing light to touch his retinas as they had not in years.
The crimson glow of the room was a sight to behold for the Dark Jedi, who took pleasure from the terror of others. The vibrations in The Force that came of primal emotions were like music to the ears of a composer.

He stepped through the now shattered transparisteel windowsill, his steps a graceful slide, almost as if he was suspended mere millimeters above the deck. He didn't need to raise a hand to tear the flesh from the guards who rushed into the room just as Drake left it. They vanished with a mere flash of blood, before the sanguine fluid dissipated into nothingness as well.

The alarms, a high-pitched whine that echoed through the hallowed halls of the ship, was cut off by Drake's mere thought. He walked slowly towards where The Force took him, which he knew to be the hangar bay. All that opposed him, be it droids, defense turrets, and guards, were vaporized by Force waves, or burnt to blackness by Force Lightning, which seemed to appear from nowhere and yet consumed all around him.

Drake's pale face was darkened by the tattoos covering it, but something darker now resided behind his eyes. The darkness of one who has been to places that only exist in the deepest corners of the mind, in the darkest depths of the human heart.

His mission was to smother the light at its source, and he began by eradicating all life aboard the prison ship. The fear of the dying, and the shattering silence that only existed when dozens of hearts stopped beating all at once gave him power. Gave him the strength to move closer to freedom, towards the freedom his power had earned him.

Towards the freedom that allowed him to take another step closer to accomplishing his mission.
Another step towards the candle that lit the Universe.

The light he planned to soon suffocate.
His destiny lay in the death of the light.

[Trenton Vinh]

Deep within the black hole cluster known as The Maw, a large asteroid tumbled end over end, forever trapped between the black holes that relentlessly pulled at it, wishing to drag it into oblivion.

The stolen shuttle, with Drake Paladin aboard, exited Hyperspace, and the Sith Lord carefully navigated his ship through the narrow safe zones between the black holes.

How fitting that my temple sits between black holes. Surrounded by that which I resemble most. And yet...I sense my abode is invaded by....Ah.
With a knowing smile, Drake hid his Force Presence, and accelerated towards his asteroid home.

Once a prison and research facility, the abandoned innards of the asteroid now housed two men.

Drake landed in the hangar, exited his ship, and started making his way through the hallowed halls. He knew the layout, it was ingrained in his mind. He knew his unwanted 'guests' were in the Meditation Chamber in the innermost sanctum of the asteroid.

Drake's old chambers were at the uppermost area of the facility, his personal quarters had its own Meditation Chamber with curved transparisteel walls and ceiling, allowing an incredible view of the Maw Cluster in all its foreboding glory.

"I am the heart of the darkness. Finally, I am ready to take the name I was destined for. Finally, I am prepared to begin my reign, as a Dark Lord of The Sith. No more foolishness, no more games. My training is complete." He said aloud to himself.


*****

Deep in the Meditation Chamber, unaware that the owner of the asteroid base had returned, the two men sat in the middle of the circular room. The entrance door was to their left, a stone staircase ascending to the arched steel doorway.
To their left, a lightsaber sat in a tempered transparisteel casing, a blade that was nearly twice as long as the average lightsaber.

Of the two men, neither was the owner of the weapon.

Of the two men, one was the Master, the other was the Apprentice.
Raeph Sunder, the Master, sat with his legs folded beneath him, eyes shut, palms on his thighs. His Apprentice sat across from him in an identical posture.
"As Sith, we must remain concealed until the time is right. The Jedi are weak, this much we know, and until it is time to take power of what is rightfully ours, we must remain in the darkness, as puppet masters."

"I understand, master. But there are many Jedi, and only two Sith. Won't they defeat us by sheer numbers alone?", replied the protege, his eyes open, regarding his Master carefully.

"No. We are not so foolish as to put ourselves into a position where we would be facing off against all the Jedi at once, not without the odds in our favor. The weaknesses of the Jedi will prove surprisingly easy to exploit, despite their numbers. We just need to know how to effectively cripple them. Our war will not be won by attacking the Jedi Temple head-on with our lightsabers drawn."

Tryiim Rikk, the Apprentice, asked, "Why are there only two Sith, master? Were there not hundreds, thousands, centuries ago?"

Eyes still closed, Raeph nodded slowly, and stated, "There was once an Empire of the Sith. Over the centuries, there have been many reincarnations of the Sith, many Sith Organizations. I was in one once, myself. It was called the Brotherhood of Darkness. The name was taken from a Sith Empire that warred the Jedi a millennium ago, during the great Jedi-Sith war."

"Was the Brotherhood wiped out by the Jedi?" Tryiim asked.

Raeph nodded once more, "The Sith Empire I was in, was indeed destroyed by the Jedi. But for good reason, the Brotherhood was weak, filled with conflict, misdirection, and foolishness. The ancient Brotherhood, was destroyed by the greatest Sith Lord ever. The Sith'ari."

Tryiim had read of the Sith'ari in his studies, "The Sith'ari was a prophetic being, one that was proclaimed to be the greatest Sith ever. It was said he would make the Sith more powerful than ever, and yet that he would destroy them as well.", he paraphrased what he had read aloud.

"Indeed. He realized that the Sith were weak while in great numbers. The strong and powerful were kept at bay, dragged down by the weak, held back by their fearful Masters." Raeph responded, "The Sith'ari, Darth Bane, realized this flaw, and manipulated the Brotherhood into destroying itself with an ancient Sith technique known as a Thought Bomb. Their souls were trapped within the Thought bomb's remnants forever. They took hundreds of Jedi with them." He spoke the last sentence with a smirk.

"What of Darth Bane?" Tryiim urged his master to continue.

"Bane, being the last of The Sith, took an Apprentice, and the title of Dark Lord of The Sith. He proclaimed, 'Two there should be. No more, no less. One to embody the power, the other to crave it.'"
Raeph paused, his eyes opening, and coming to rest on his Apprentice,
"Bane knew that the Sith would never defeat the Jedi straight on, because the Sith were too ambitious. We lust power, ultimate power, and we can never have it while there are hundreds of other Sith. Infighting would lead to our extinction. So there would only be two. The Master would train his protege until the Apprentice was prepared to take the title of Dark Lord for themselves. When that time came, the Master and Apprentice would engage in combat, the winner deserving the title of Dark Lord. The weaker, would be slain. The Dark Lord would take on a new Apprentice, and the cycle would continue."
Raeph felt a touch in The Force, a strange feeling, one that felt familiar, yet strange...he could not place it. He continued on despite the strange feeling, "The strength of the Jedi is in their unity. In one on one combat, a Sith will win, unless the Jedi is very talented, and if the Sith is weak. If he is defeated by a Jedi, he wasn't deserving the title of Dark Lord anyway."

Tryiim thought for a moment, his eyes dropping to the stone floor they knelt upon. The room around them shimmered with Dark Power.
"Why have we not given ourselves the title of Darth yet, Master?"

To this, Raeph had no answer. He had not been granted the title by His Master, Drake Paladin, and therefore had not bestowed the title to his Apprentice, himself. He frowned, his scarred face displaying no confusion, though he felt it internally. He was spared having to answer, because someone answered for him, in a dark voice as black as the space between stars,
"The title of Darth has not been taken by your Master, because I did not deem him worthy of it. I never took it, because I was never worthy of it myself. Not until now."

Raeph bolted to his feet, his Padawan doing the same. Both turned to face the door the chamber, where at the top of the staircase, stood Drake Paladin. Raeph's former Master. Now Raeph understood where the strange feeling had come from.

"Who are you?", Tryiim yelled at the intruder, having never seen the man before.
Raeph silenced his Apprentice with a raised arm, and said in a soft voice, "Drake...I never..."

"Never thought I would return." Drake finished the sentence for him. "You are not Dark Lord purely because I was absent, Raeph. Your training was never completed. You were strong...but not strong enough."

Raeph felt his anger grow. Drake had left 6 years ago, never having given reason or explanation, abandoning Raeph, "I have learned much since you abandoned me, my old Master. I had no choice but to continue the legacy of the Sith. A legacy at risk of extinction because of your disappearance."

Drake took one step down the staircase, ten steps to the bottom. He said, "I knew I would not be slain. The Jedi would not dare, nor did they have the power to. I have grown stronger than ever." He took another slow step.

Tryiim looked confused. He regarded Drake with a mixture of scorn and confusion, and said, "Where were you?"

Drake let his eyes linger on the Apprentice for a moment, his piercing gaze probed the boy for a moment. The boy was a Kiffar, capable of reading the memories of inanimate objects. This power would be amplified by his Force Power.
Drake took another step, then another. Seven steps remained before he would be level with the two Sith in the center of the chamber.
"I was detained by the Jedi after a time, and for the past four years have been contained in a prison ship, in a sensory deprivation chamber, where I came to understand...the true nature of my existence."
He didn't elaborate beyond that. He took another step.

Raeph, his emotions mixed so thoroughly that he did not know exactly what he felt, asked, "And you were released?"

Drake smirked -- and took another step, "No, that would be foolish. I broke out. None survived. The secret of the Sith remains, the Jedi believe us to be gone forever. The ship will soon be lost in the belly of the gas giant it orbited." He took another step.

Four steps remained. Raeph's hand dropped to his lightsaber, a single bladed variant. When Drake took another step, he unclipped the weapon from his belt.

Drake acted as if he did not notice, his dark eyes meeting Raeph's directly. The rule of two stated that they were to destroy one another, for there could not be more than two.

"Why did you come back here?" Tryiim asked. He was unaware of the nonverbal standoff that the two Sith were having. The battle of wills was something he had yet to notice.

"I have returned to my home, to begin my preparations. And to retrieve my lightsaber." He took another two slow steps.

Tryiim looked to the lightsaber case that was behind him and his Master. He had never thought to ask whose blade was in the casing. He had always longed to touch the sleek metal, to look upon its mysteries and read its past from them.

The transparisteel had proven too strong to break, and his training lightsaber was far too weak to penetrate the protective casing.

"I cannot allow you to take that weapon, Drake." Raeph said slowly. He ignited the saber as Drake took one more step. His crimson blade burnt to life, illuminating the room with its harsh glow.

"You lack the power to stop me." Drake said. He had shown no malice at all, but his words oozed venom.

Drake stood poised on the last step, his left foot centimeters from taking the final step, the step that would bring him to the ground level, and when taken would no doubt cause Raeph to spring into action.

Drake smirked, his teeth bared. The transparisteel casing, that Tryiim was still staring at, exploded with a pulse from The Force. The fragments knifed towards Raeph's back -- and Tryiim's face.

Before Tryiim could turn away, the shards gashed into his cheeks, exposing the bone beneath. One of his ears was torn through, and his eyes both stabbed. He cried out in pain and dropped to the floor, blood pouring from his wounds.

Raeph was barely quick enough to get out of the way, and as he sidestepped, he hurled his blade across the ten-foot gap between him and Drake.
The blade carved through the air in an arc, with the intention of returning to Raeph's hand after impaling its target.
It never hit the target. Drake caught the hilt of the lightsaber with a lightning-fast twist. His hand snapped out from his body as he turned on the spot, the blade missing his neck by a fraction of an inch. Holding the blade in an underhand grip, Drake let the blade dissipate back into the hilt. The tossed the blade at Raeph as his own lightsaber, now free of its casing, lifted itself into the air and flew across the room, landing in Drake's open palm.

Raeph looked at his Apprentice, who lay bleeding and sobbing, his hands clutching his blond eyes.

"What have you done?" Raeph questioned.
Drake's smile grew only wider, "I have given him the chance to see. The physical impairment will enable him to grow stronger than you. You are too weak to live without the gift of normal vision."

Raeph knew that Drake was stronger than him, and asked, "Am I to be killed? Will you attempt to replace me, as the boy's master?"

Drake considered it for a moment. Raeph's training had never been completed, and killing the boy now...it almost seemed a waste. The Rule of Two would not allow it...but in his opinion, Raeph was not a Sith, merely a Dark Jedi. Worse, a fallen Jedi, too weak to stick to his own doctrines. Too foolish to understand the ways of the Sith properly. Too stubborn to admit that he lacked the knowledge. But Drake...Drake would make him learn. Make him learn, and then kill him.

Death is too easy, Merely killing him will teach him nothing, he will merely die believing himself a martyr. I will break him, shatter all he believes. Show him he is powerless, show him he is nothing, then I will dispose of him.

The Apprentice, would eventually grow strong. Raeph had been right to choose the boy, Drake knew this merely by sensing the boy's power.

Fighting the immense pain he must be feeling, Tryiim struggled to his knees, his bloodstained palms now pressed to the floor.
He choked out, "I can...see. Not the way I could before. My eyes are blind but I can see."

Drake nodded, watching Raeph, who was regarding his old teacher, still unsure of his own fate.

"For now...there will be three. Three Sith. One to embody the power, one to serve it. The third, to learn it, to crave it, to understand it. Only one will hold the title of Dark Lord."

Raeph lowered his head, and realized he would be killed if he did not obey. He was not a fool, and as a Sith, he longed immortality, ultimate power. So he would serve, until the time was right. He would not abandon his Apprentice, not take the easy way out.
He dropped to one knee, resigned to his current fate, but desperately hopeful for the future.

"You said you are finally ready to embrace your true purpose...what name will you take, to signify this?" He asked, resignedly. Drake still had much that Raeph could learn. Destined to serve his old Master for now, he would embrace the role fully, but simultaneously prepare for his own rise to power.

Drake watched as the two Sith, his servant and his Apprentice, as they knelt before him, both fully aware of his power and wisdom.

He was not smiling now, however, due to the seriousness of the ancient ritual that he was taking on. He was embracing his Sith nature, and simultaneously destroying it as well, by breaking the Rule of Two. Temporarily or not.

"I hereby cast aside my existence as Drake Paladin. I am a different being entirely now. There is no going back, nor will I ever wish to do so. I am The Dark Lord of The Sith. I will honor the Great Masters before me, and prove myself worthy of the title. I will stand amongst the greatest of Sith, and strive to rise above them.

His words echoed through The Force, but it would not reach the Jedi, who were all but deaf to the echoes of The Force.

"I am the bringer of Darkness. The extinguisher of the Light, and the one who will grip the blade that pierces the heart of my enemies.
I am...Darth Erebus."

[Trenton Vinh]

For quite some time after the standoff in the Meditation Chamber, Darth Erebus confined himself to his quarters, surrounded by the distant stars as their light was drowned out by the nearby black hole clusters.
In his chambers, he accessed the Holonets and caught up on Galactic Affairs; learning of the issues between the Senate and the Jedi, of the recent assassination of the popular Senator Henrikson. More intriguing, was the lack of news from some outer rim colonies -- it seemed almost as if the Holonets were purposely ignoring the fact that the distant settlements were disappearing from contact one by one.
Judging by the reports he heard, the reports all mentioned faulty transmitters, poor signals and the like. It seemed much more ominous to the Dark Lord, and his curiosity was growing.
Something is going on out there...the reporters seem afraid to comment on it as of yet. he reflected.

Perhaps it warranted a trip out to one of the colonies? Not yet...but maybe soon.

Darth Erebus dropped into a chair, leaning back lazily into the comfortable material. He turned his thoughts to the more immediate issue; Raeph and his Padawan. While neither was a threat on their own just yet, the boy did have potential. Once his powers had grown more, Raeph would no doubt attempt to dethrone Erebus, take the title of Dark Lord for himself, and ensure his Padawan become heir to the throne.
Erebus would not allow Raeph to become Dark Lord, at least not without proving he was worthy of the title. Tryiim was strong...with more training, he could eventually hold the throne himself.

Perhaps I can work around Raeph, give the boy some training of his own, instill in him some abilities that will aid his training. Raeph will be grooming the boy to destroy me, he probably is right now. Preparing him for the eventual coup. But the Rule of Two means that Raeph must be slain by his Padawan, perhaps I can convince the boy to attempt to kill Raeph, then take the boy as my Padawan. Order will be restored to the Dark Side. This Sith mockery will be amended.

The Jedi were another problem, as always. However, Erebus had learned that his mortal enemy, Trenton Vinh, had been exiled from the Republic for almost as long as Drake had been imprisoned. Erebus doubted that Vinh was dead, more than likely biding his time out in the Unknown Regions, or in Wild Space.
He and I are polar opposites, yet nearly the same.
With the Jedi Order reeling from terrorist acts and Senate disapproval, the Sith would be in a good position to strike. But they must be patient, they would only fail if they exposed themselves too soon. They would know when when it was time.
Something in the back of the Dark Lord's mind, perhaps a mild precognition, told him that the time would come soon, and that he would be best served by waiting for the signs.



*****


Tryiim watched Raeph pace back and forth in The Force. He couldn't exactly see with The Force, everything was somewhat blurry. Instead, he saw the aura of power around his Master. The radiating energy of the Force entered his teacher, passing through him, picking up his passion and hatred and raw emotions and transforming them into Dark Power. This power was what Raeph tapped into moments before striking out.
The paradigm shift Tryiim had been granted, albeit violently, by Drake, allowed him to understand The Force differently than he ever had. He was more in touch with it at all times, because he needed it to merely get around. His vision was not entirely gone, everything was just...darker. Much darker. The Force gave him enhanced awareness, more than sight ever could.
It enabled him to further understand old teachings, "The eyes must not be trusted, they will only deceive you."

The energy around Raeph swirled, and Tryiim twisted in a tight circle, his lightsaber whirling through the air to parry the incoming attack.
their blades clashed, Tryiim heard the searing energy blades battling for dominance. All he saw was the red power in Raeph's eyes. One of the things his Force Sight gave him was the ability to see the power and aura other beings gave off. Force Sensitives gave off much more noticeable auras, ones that showed how the Force User could affect the Universe around them. Those without the ability to manipulate The Force appeared dim.
Tryiim reversed grip and spun away from his Master, his blade winding through the air and arcing sharply to stab at Raeph's waist. But Raeph was out of the way before the blade had even begun to lance at him. The blade connected with nothing but air.
Raeph had stepped sideways, and now he tapped his blade against his Padawan's neck, eliciting a cry of pain and surprise. Raeph pulled his blade back before he did more damage than a mild burn, and did the same to the back of his student's knee. Tryiim didn't cry out this time, but his leg gave out and he crumpled to a crouch, kneeling before his Master. Still the servant.
"You're getting better, Tryiim, but I fear that Drake took more than your eyesight...he took some of your confidence as well."
Tryiim flushed, his skin reddening beneath his crimson facial tattoos, "I am sorry, Master. I am still relearning how to see." He emphasized he final word.
Raeph deactivated his lightsaber and shrugged, "You will grow stronger for it, I agree with Drake on that one. You already are beginning to see the Universe in a new light, so to speak. It will take time before you understand what gifts this altered perception brings."

Raeph was silent for a moment, thinking of Drake, who had locked himself in his quarters for almost a week. The passage of time was slightly altered on the asteroid base, with no sun to keep track of time. Out here there was only the blackness of space, and the darker anti-light of black holes.
Tryiim asked, "Will I have to kill Drake?"
Raeph raised his eyebrows, he had not expected his Padawan to ask this.
He regarded the student, looking down his nose at the boy, and replied, "In time...yes. He is very strong, very wise. You will be able to learn much from him. I will admit, you may learn more from him than from me. But as Sith, your teachers and those who are stronger than you will only remain that way for so long. You must take all you can from them, and once you have surpassed them, you must destroy them. Only then will you become the Master, and the next stepping stone in a long line of incredibly powerful beings."
Tryiim nodded slowly, and asked, "May I ask Drake about his motives behind my...lesson?"
Raeph had to smile a bit. His apprentice treated the grievous injury as a lesson. As something to learn from, adapt to, and overcome. Good.
"I suppose you can, if he allows it. You must understand that we are in a strange position here, my apprentice. You, Drake and I are breaking an ancient rule by merely existing together. One of us must die. And whoever survives must do battle as well, for the throne. With proper training and study, with cleverness and wit, you will stand above both Drake and I at the end of this. You will become greater than he or I, and you will be victorious. I have foreseen it, but that does not mean it will come to pass without hard work."
Tryiim rose to his feet and nodded, "I understand, Master. I will not fail you."
Raeph shook his head, regardless of whether or not his Padawan could see him do it, and replied, "It isn't me you will be failing, young one. You'll be failing yourself, and you will be failing the Sith. Prove you are worthy of the title."
Tryiim nodded again, more vigorously, and left quickly.
Raeph, now alone, dropped to his knees and sighed, placing his lightsaber at his feet. This was a strange situation...and it would be very difficult for him to survive.


*****


Tryiim rode the turbolift up the three floors towards Drake's quarters. The doors slid open and he stepped out; then waited for the doors to shut behind him. He knew there was a closed door ahead of him, and as he neared it to knock, a voice from within said, "Enter."
The doors slid open and Tryiim stood for a moment poised in the entrance way, one hand still raised, prepared to knock on the door that was no longer between him and Drake.
Although he could not discern the features of the room, Tryiim knew that this room featured a transparisteel ceiling and walls, allowing for an incredible view of the black hole cluster and the space beyond.
Tryiim could tell that Drake was Meditating in the far end of the room, away from the bed and table and few sparse belongings the Sith Lord kept.
Feeling a bit nervous, Tryiim strode towards the only thing he could see, which was the radiating aura of Drake's Force Power. The waves of dark raw energy were palpable, as if the atmosphere in the entire room was altered by the presence of the Force User.
When Tryiim dropped to his knees before Drake, matching his posture, he said, "My lord, I came to ask you some questions, if you will allow me the honor."
Drake nodded, and said, "You may. However, I have one thing to ask of you as well."
Tryiim's eyebrows rose, and his head tilted to look into the gaze of Drake Paladin. He could not see Drake exactly, but the Force showed the crimson eyes of Drake, radiating power and energy. Tryiim found he could not look away, and got the feeling Drake was reading his thoughts.
"I ask that when you return to your Master, that you and him refer to me by my title from now on, not from the name I cast aside several days ago. I am no longer the being I once was. I am Darth Erebus."
Tryiim blushed, embarrassed; by not speaking his proper title, Tryiim and Raeph had been disrespecting Erebus' position as Dark Lord all week, without a second thought to it.
"Yes, Lord Erebus. I apologize for our disrespect."
Darth Erebus shook his head, "It is not your doing. Your teacher is trying to groom you to dethrone me, it is only natural that he minimize my power and position."

Tryiim felt no hint of emotion from Erebus, and was not sure if the Sith Lord was at all offended. Or if he even cared. So Tryiim asked, "My Lord, why does my Master hate you? When he speaks of you, he almost spits your name."
Darth Erebus had known this question would come up sooner or later. He answered with a smirk, "Raeph hates me because I have given him ample reason to. But what he does not realize, and what he may never understand, is that he needs to hate me. When I disappeared, he believed himself the Dark Lord of the Sith by right. Because he was the only Sith left, he thought he must therefore be the Dark Lord. by believing this, he robbed himself of ambition, and lost some of his power. Upon my return, I knew that he was still weaker than I, despite him having several years to grow in power while I was locked in a stasis. By taking what he believes is rightfully his away from him, I rekindled the fire of passion in him, gave birth to the flame of power, which he will try to brew into an inferno. This will give him the chance to train you properly, fully, and perhaps give him hope that he can still, one day, become a true Sith Lord. I gave him hatred, and now it is up to him to use it for his own gain."

This made sense to Tryiim. He realized that Erebus truly was wise. Raeph had wisdom as well, but Darth Erebus was something else entirely, with great foresight and vision.
But he had to hear the answer to his next question,
He asked, "My lord, why did you blind me?"

Darth Erebus regarded Tryiim closely, and responded, "I took your sight, to rob you of your greatest weakness. We do not need to see the Universe to know it is there. We see through The Force, and this allows us to see the Universe for what it truly is. We see beings for what they really are. Never will you need to worry about simple deception with The Force giving you sight. Even the Jedi teach that the eyes deceive, that they cannot be trusted."

Tryiim struggled to understand, but Erebus continued speaking before he could ask another question, "Look up, young one. The stars are hidden behind these black holes. Have you ever wondered why I chose to dwell so close to these light-devouring phenomena?"
Tryiim shook his head, "I always thought we were here because of its remoteness...and because of how difficult it is to get here."
Erebus shook his head slowly, "The gravity beyond the event horizon of a black hole is so great that even light cannot escape. Nothing can get away, nothing can flee. Time itself is altered."

This made Tryiim furrow his brows. He hadn't looked up because he wouldn't be able to see the black holes anyway.
Erebus stated, "Think of normal eyesight as a star. A pair of stars, if it enables you to more easily grasp the metaphor. The eyes illuminate and reveal, but shadow is always cast on the far side of that which they regard. They see the front, the mask. A black hole could be considered the opposite of a star. It takes everything in, understands its feel, look, weight, balance, it perceives all there is to perceive of its subject, then drowns it, destroys it, crushes it into nothing. I have collapsed the stars you once used for sight, and created singularities in which all is drawn in and crushed. Singularities from which creates no shadow, and from which no trace or hint of light can ever escape. With The Force, you are able to overcome anything. And you still have not looked up, Tryiim."

Tryiim was still sorting out what Erebus had said, but when he looked up and gasped, he understood. In his Force Sight, the black holes appeared as voids, spaces in the Force that drew nearby matter in, trapped it, and eventually suffocated it. Tryiim stared in awe at the black holes above him. To some, the sight may have incited nervousness and unease, perhaps fear. But all Tryiim felt was reverence.
He finally said, "I am starting to understand, My Lord."

Erebus nodded, and Tryiim got the feeling he should leave to reflect on this. He rose to his feet, turning away from Darth Erebus, and away from the sight of the black holes. He walked to the doors, where the turbolift was already awaiting him. Upon entering the lift, a thought struck Tryiim, and he asked, "My lord, how did you come to learn all this yourself? Did your Master teach you the same lesson?"

Tryiim was surprised that Darth Erebus laughed softly at this question. He turned to face Erebus once again, and from his Meditative position on the other end of the room, the Dark Lord replied, "No, young one. I know this because I have been blind for quite some time now."

The turbolift doors slid shut between Master and student, and Tryiim began his descent in a stunned silence.

[Trenton Vinh]

There were times in which Tryiim wished Darth Erebus was his teacher, but he always scolded himself for those thoughts; Raeph had taught him until now, and was a fine teacher.
But the doubt in his Master only grew the more he saw Raeph interact with the Dark Lord.
Tryiim understood the way of the Sith, but he did not understand Raeph's thought process. Why had his Master not challenged Lord Erebus to the throne once more? And why had Erebus not slain Raeph upon his arrival?

The whole situation was a puzzle, and Tryiim wondered if he would ever fit the pieces together.

Lord Erebus was wise, powerful, terrifying. He did not command respect, but it was to be given to him, and those who knew him dared not defy him. They treated him with such reverence not because of his power or position, but because of his knowledge, his skill, and his subtlety.
Tryiim had yet to see Erebus show any anger, or much emotion at all. Even when he had first returned to his base and encountered Raeph and Tryiim, he had not acted angrily, or rashly in any way.
Raeph on the other hand, was much more open with his emotions. He fumed when angry, and in The Force, he boiled with power.
Tryiim sometimes came to Lord Erebus with questions about the nature of the Dark Side, about passionate emotion, and about the subtlety of the Sith, and tried to leave Raeph's name when he asked them, but it seemed that Erebus always knew exactly what Tryiim was asking, regardless of how he said it.
"Those who cannot control their emotions, allow themselves to be ruled by them. That is one of the reasons that Raeph is not a true Sith Lord." Erebus had said.

Tryiim understood this; if one allowed themselves to be ruled by aggression and anger, they could be lured and manipulated more easily. Led into making brash actions. Raeph showed he was passionate, and where he lacked in control he certainly made up for in power, but he wielded it improperly.
Tryiim knew the Jedi believed their power to come to them when at peace with their emotions, when free and removed from them. The Sith got their power from accepting their emotion, from accepting and wielding them. But a Sith did not have to be angry to use their anger. They just had to use that inner store of emotion to unlock their potential. To unleash their hatred, directed by the object of their desire, and allow it to take them to their objective.

The biggest issue Tryiim had with his training, was that he lacked peers, training partners, or competitors. Part of him wanted something to measure himself to, someone he could compete against, a test of his own strength and skill.
He asked Raeph, "Master, I am not powerful enough to stand against you, and certainly not powerful enough to battle Lord Erebus. How can I learn my true strength, how can I get a taste of my own power, if I have no one to compete with? I need a test, or something."
Raeph had replied, "Your current test is to remain patient and continue your studies. Your other tests will come in time, young one, you must be patient."

Tryiim had studied for a long time, he had not even seen another person besides Raeph and Erebus in over a year. Perhaps he was going stir-crazy inside the asteroid. Perhaps he was just not fit to be a Sith.
But it seemed that once again, Darth Erebus had read his mind, for he came to Tryiim and Raeph with a mission for them.

"You will travel to the edges of Alliance space, near the Unknown Regions, to find some information on the impending invasion." Darth Erebus declared, standing before Raeph and Tryiim in their training chamber.

Raeph openly scoffed, and responded, "Impending invasion? What are you talking about?"

Erebus withdrew a map-sphere from his robes, a marble-sized data device. The tiny orb floated into the air and landed gently on the Map reader in the center of the room. The dim chamber was instantly illuminated by the light of the map, which was projected in three dimensions around the three Sith.
Erebus turned on his heel and pointed to the Unknown Regions, a vast area of space with very few known systems within its borders.
Erebus indicated to a small cluster of systems at the borders of the Unknown Regions, and drew a line with his finger across them, "These seven systems have all had contact with the known galaxy severed in the past months. The Holonets have been claiming it is due to transmitter failures, interstellar communications issues, and various other diversions in order to keep the masses from fearing invasion. But it is no coincidence that these systems are the beginning of a long line..."
His finger moved past several planets -- Yanibar, Shadowville, Acheron; Tryiim could not see the map, but in his minds-eye he read off his knowledge of galactic geography and said, "I understand what you mean! The planets that were cut off from contact make a direct line right onto the Rimma trade Route!"

Erebus nodded, with his back still turned from Raeph and Tryiim, he said, "And the Rimma Trade Route cuts across two major Hyperspace lanes, the Corellian Trade Spine and the Hydian Way -- both of which go through the Core, and connect with all the other Hyperspace lanes in the Galaxy."

Raeph seemed somewhat unconvinced still, but perhaps he was playing the Devil's advocate when he said, "This doesn't prove an invasion, in fact, it makes sense that those systems are out of contact if indeed it is transmitter failures or whatever the Holonets claimed it to be. The Interstellar transmitter uplinks travel along hyperspace routes."
Erebus turned around to face them. The map-sphere flew back into his hand, smacking into his palm. His fingers closed around it and it disappeared within his robes once more. The room was once more drowned of light.
"I sense an invasion, and have felt many sudden deaths in The Force, resonating from that area. Cloudiness shrouds the future, and it is more difficult to see into The Force now than it has been in years. I have not felt the foreboding that I do now since the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. If my suspicions are not enough to gain your confidence in this matter, than I suggest you find a way to prove me wrong. In fact, part of me hopes you prove me wrong."

Raeph seemed taken aback, "What do you mean? Wouldn't an invasion serve us well?"
Erebus replied, "War may be good to weaken, disorganize, and distract our enemies. But there is no purpose in us striving to control the Galaxy, if all its inhabitants are dead or enslaved to a superior foe."
Tryiim said, "You mean superior to us, or superior to the Galactic Alliance?"
Raeph raised a hand, and closed a fist as if crushing an invisible stone in his grip, "Nothing is superior to the power of the Sith."
Erebus said simply, "Superior in number."
Raeph said, "The Galactic alliance is superior to us in number, as are the Jedi."
Erebus responded dryly,
"But we have the luxury of understanding our enemy. If this invasion is from a force we do not understand, and do not have the privilege of studying from afar, we risk being bested by it as well. While the Jedi may be our opposites, we shared a common enemy in this invasion, like we shared a common enemy in the Yuuzhan Vong years ago. Enough questions, you will leave immediately. I await your return."

Raeph bowed his head, "As you wish, my lord."
Without a backward glance, Raeph left the room quickly, leaving Tryiim and Erebus alone. As Tryiim turned to leave, Erebus said, "Young Rikk. May I have a word?"
Tryiim froze, surprised that Erebus had wanted to speak with him privately, and also surprised that Erebus had asked permission to have it.
He turned and dropped to a knee, "What is thy bidding, Dark Lord?"
Erebus said, "You have been restless lately. I have felt it in The Force. You feel untested, and wish to flex your power. I believe that one cannot know his power without testing his limits, so I have an additional assignment for you."
Tryiim felt excitement ripple through him, and thought to stifle it best he could, but Erebus would have sensed it regardless. So he asked, "What is it you want me to do, my lord?"
Darth Erebus regarded Tryiim for a long moment, and the apprentice could almost feel the Dark Lord's eyes on him, sightless as they may be.
After a time, he said, "You must attack your Master. Where and when I leave up to you, but do everything in your power to destroy him. He understands the way of the Sith, and if he is angry enough, and he may very well be, he may kill you if you fail. But, if you succeed, you will have surpassed him."

Tryiim felt a tremor of confusion, "He and I have dueled many times, my Lord, and he always bests me."
Erebus smiled, "Training is different from true combat. A surprise attack will catch him off guard, and you will be ready. I do not suspect that you will destroy him, but I expect you to attempt it. If you do not succeed, you must accept whatever punishment Raeph chooses. In better circumstances, I would pit you against a Jedi, but we cannot dare expose ourselves to them yet. That day will come in time."

Tryiim asked, "I understand, My lord."
Erebus said, "There is more. I understand that you have wished to look upon my lightsaber for quite some time. I understand that your species has an innate ability to read inanimate objects. When you eventually return, you may read my Lightsaber. And in the future, when you defeat Raeph, or slay a Jedi, you will be granted my Holocron."
Tryiim's eyes widened, he had not known that Erebus had a Holocron.
"I am honored, my Lord. It will be done. I will attempt to slay Master Sunder, and I will not hold back. I will feel my full power, and he will face it."
Erebus nodded, "He will be as impressed as you will be, I suspect."
Tryiim stood up, and bowed deeply.
Erebus said, "The Force will set you free, young one. Allow it to shatter the chains that hold you back from your true power. You will become a Sith Lord in time."

Tryiim responded, "Thank you, Lord Erebus." and he retreated in haste.

As he walked towards the ship he and Raeph would be using, Tryiim pulled on his black hooded robes, his lightsaber clipped to his belt, and a blaster at his hip. Tryiim was not sure he would be able to defeat his Master, thus far, Raeph had shown he was superior time and again, and with little effort. But, Tryiim realized, they had never truly fought. They had sparred, but that was very different, as Erebus had said...

This would be a very interesting mission.

[Trenton Vinh]

Raeph Sunder gazed out at the distant stars, his eyes slightly glazed over as he lost himself in deep contemplation.
He was, once more, a servant to Drake Pal-
No. Not Drake anymore.
Darth Erebus.
There had been a few short years, wherein Raeph led the Sith himself, his old Master gone. He had learned some things in that time; he had learned his enemy.
Peace was the enemy, for a Sith must constantly be working to eradicate peace. Chaos is balance, and the Dark Side is fueled by chaos.
He let himself smirk as he turned his attention to the Holonet feed on the console beside him. Blue letters scrolled the headlines one by one, allowing more details to whichever ones caught his attention.
One in particular caught his eye, the keywords "exile Jedi" flashing on the screen made him pause.
He tapped the screen and the full story appeared before him, with photos and even a camera feed if one wanted to watch the entire Senate meeting.
He ignored the video and read a familiar name, "Trenton Vinh".
Raeph felt a smile grow across his face. Lord Erebus had once harbored quite a grudge against that man, and for good reason.
Trenton Vinh had managed to foil every plot and trap that the former Drake Paladin attempted. Raeph had himself fought Trenton, once.
In a starship hangar bay, as the gravity failed. The battle had been an intense one, and while Raeph didn't believe that he lost the fight, Trenton had achieved his goal and forced Raeph into retreat.
Something about Trenton's return to Galactic Alliance space made Raeph wonder...

"Master, the contact will be arriving shortly, I will microjump in at your order."
Tryiim said from beside Raeph and slightly behind him from the copilots seat broke the silence with his soft voice.
Raeph nodded slowly, "Take us in, then. Let's make this fast."
Tryiim lowered himself into the pilot's chair and hit a series of buttons.
The Master watched his Apprentice deftly entering commands, and nodded in appreciation.
As blind as the young man may now be, he had learned quickly to work without the need for his eyes. Raeph couldn't help but admit to himself, that perhaps Erebus was correct.

Is it so simple for that man to see the future? That he merely need look upon the child to know what will best strengthen him?
Self-doubt had never been a trait of Raeph's, but with the return of his former teacher, who insisted on reclaiming his throne, Raeph's was now lost. He still did not know why he had been spared; Erebus was breaking the Rule of Two by merely allowing Raeph to breathe.

Tryiim initiated the microjump, with a soft bump, the stars flashed out of existence and back again. Peering out the forward viewport, Raeph watched a sleek solar sailor flying towards them.
The comm crackled to life, and Tryiim spoke into it, "Unidentified fighter, please respond."
A moment of silence was followed by a loud beep.
"He's opening a feed, Master." Tryiim announced as the viewscreen filled with the face of the yacht's pilot.
The voice of the Zabrak whose face Raeph now looked upon boomed over the speakers,
"Greetings, My Lord. I have accomplished your mission as ordered, and am awaiting my payment."
Raeph sat back in his chair, resting one elbow on the armrest and propping his chin on his fist. He nodded thoughtfully,
"You will receive your credits after you do one more thing for me, my servant."
The Zabrak was named Devan Knorr -- a Dark Jedi that Raeph used as a contact and associate, raised his eyebrows and responded, "I live to serve you, my Lord. I will do whatever you ask, however I was under the impression that I would be paid immediately following the assassination of Lance Henrikson."
Raeph replied sharply, "And I was under the impression that I pay you when I see fit to. You are not an employee, you are my servant. You will receive payment when I deem you worthy of it. There is more to be done, first."
The Zabrak looked frustrated, but nodded his head gracefully, regardless,
"Understood, my Lord. What is thy bidding?"
Raeph began swiftly, "I gave you the previous mission to aid in the chaos that will soon fill the Galaxy. I ordered you to kill Lance Henrikson because he was the best replacement to the Chief of State. Henrikson was a threat, his influence was a possible vaccine to the disease that we are spreading. With him gone, we must move on to the next target..."
Knorr perked up, the target he was tasked with killing would be the subject of his focus and attention for weeks.
"...Is a Senator you have worked with before, Griegorey Rikter, the head of the IAC."
Raeph paused for a moment, the look on the Zabrak's face was difficult to read. He seemed vaguely surprised, as Rikter had aided both Raeph and Knorr in the recent months before the assassination of Henrikson. Hell, Rikter had even supplied the "scientists" that had concocted a mind-altering drug to allow Knorr to bend the mind of a now-dead Jedi. Knorr had worked tirelessly for weeks, manipulating every thought in the Jedi's benumbed mind, molding him for one perfect event -- the magnum opus of Devan Knorr's Dark Side Magic was causing the downfall of that Jedi, spiraling his reality until the man murdered Lance Henrikson.
Rikter had helped Knorr several times, in fact, Rikter knew more about Lord Sunder than Devan Knorr did.
"It will be done, my Lord. I will message you when--"
Raeph cut him off, "I need it done by tomorrow. Can you accomplish this task?"
The Zabrak nodded, "Yes, Lord Sunder, but it may not be very subtle."
Raeph smiled his predator's grin, "It will greatly please me to see this done. Just don't get caught. Your rewards will be greater than you can imagine."

Raeph waved his hand and the transmission ended.
He turned in his chair, his eyes dropping from the viewscreen, which now showed the Yacht turning to make its way back to Coruscant. Devan would be landing within an hour, and Raeph would be as well.

"Take us to Coruscant as well, Tryiim." He said sharply. Tryiim's fingers began dancing across the console once more, but his blind eyes were turned towards Raeph. He asked, "Aren't we supposed to go to the Outer Rim, Master?
Raeph didn't like how his Apprentice had changed in the past few weeks. Since Drake's return, the boy was swiftly changing many of his beliefs, his attitude toward Raeph had changed as well.
Erebus has changed everything. He thought.
He spoke with a smirk. His apprentice needed to see that Raeph was not a fool to Erebus' wishes, and was still a powerful Sith Lord.
"We aren't doing what Erebus told us to. We are Sith, and we are not his servants. I will learn the information he wants while we are on Coruscant."
Tryiim nodded, his fingers tapped a final key, and the ship launched into Hyperspace.
Raeph said, "I have a task for you, my apprentice. You are to kill Devan Knorr."
Tryiim's surprise showed in the Force and on his face. "But- he's going to kill someone for you right now..."
Raeph's grin was illuminated by the blue light outside the viewport, "He is going to tie off a loose end. But he is another loose end. He may not know that I am a Sith, but I know he suspects it. He is a Dark Jedi of generous Force Power, and is not stupid. He must be killed after he accomplishes his mission. Before he can talk to anyone."
Tryiim was eager for a mission, in his age, he was craving action over study, and wanted to prove himself, "I will not fail, Master."

[Trenton Vinh]

The twin black holes that held Ergosphere station in their grasp continued their million-year old battle to drag the asteroid base into their maws. The station had been a lucky piece of space rock that got caught in the perfect spot -- the pull of the black holes on either side cancelled one another out almost perfectly. The station had been built in this stable area, over several careful years, excavating teams worked to build a station that fed off the rotational energy of the wormholes. This powered all of the Station's needs, and for years had run itself efficiently, before being abandoned and forgotten.

Then, a Sith Lord in need of a place where no one would dare look took it as his own. The Force had guided him through the Maw Cluster to the station, and after years of his Dark Side ruminations within the station, the area had become a Force Nexus.

The twin black holes were mirrored by the eyes of the Sith Lord who inhabited the Station. In the top of his asteroid base, Darth Erebus was able to see both wormholes in The Force.
They appeared to suck at the Galaxy around them, dragging and stretching matter to swallow it in its unquenchable belly.
Lord Erebus had always found black holes fascinating; they were an anomaly in The Force. The opposite of everything the Jedi represented, Black Holes were a source of fear and discomfort to many of them.
It was Erebus' mission to prove to the Jedi, and to the Galaxy, that there were lessons to be learned from these stellar voids.

Toppling Governments created temporary darkness in civilization. Wiping out the Jedi would certainly dim the light, but to extinguish a fire, one must kill the heart of the flame.
Lord Erebus would show the Jedi that Darkness is in the heart of everything, and that it has an incandescence that cannot be snuffed.
Erebus was wise enough to know that the Jedi would always exist; so long as the Sith existed, the Jedi would as well.
He knew that everything that lived would one day die.
His life would end, but he could leave something in his wake that would never die, that would forever exist as a message for others.
He could make a mark.
Erebus raised his head from his Meditations, opening his dark eyes. Sightless as he was, he was able to see the stars in his Force Senses.
Between the black holes, directly ahead of him, one hundred sixty-thousand lightyears away, one particular star twinkled at him.

If he was a painter, the Galaxy could be said to be his canvas. He would stain the heart of the Universe.

His mouth curved in a touch of a smile, like a painter, he raised a hand and flicked his wrist, as if giving a painting a final touch.
A symbol could live forever. And in creating that symbol, Lord Erebus would be immortalized as one of the greatest Sith to ever live.

He rose to his feet, his robes flowing around him, the air potent with Force Energy.
Upon his awakening, he'd had a great revelation. With meditation he'd escaped this plane of existence, and ascended. His mind elevated beyond the stratosphere of his understanding. The universe itself spoke to him now.

He could have remained in the black void that had claimed his mind while his body had been in stasis, but he chose to return to the Galaxy, and claim it.