First Piece of the Puzzle

[Darth Skuldren]

A little unsettled by Alena's embrace, Skuldren pulls himself away slightly. "Yes. It is time...to go." Darting a glance at the strange, clunking metal contraption on his arm, he suspiciously hides it behind his back. "I believe this is the way out." He motions toward a hidden hallway that appears in the stone glyphed wall of the temple. "It should take us outside." Skuldren enters the passageway and motions for the others to follow, still keeping quiet about what happened to him and thing on his arm.

[Camie Jedan]

Camie walks behind the two and can't wait to leave this horrible area.

[Aaryn Kane]

Aaryn put his arm around Camie as they walked out, being careful to make no mention of the scroll he found. Aaryn calmly reached into his pocket, only to discover that it was no longer there. Where the hell is it? Aaryn asked himself. It required all of his might to not break out into a mad search for the scroll. He would just have to hope that Camie didn't think he was crazy. But there was something else bothering him, something about this machine Skuldren was looking for....

[Darth Skuldren]

Skuldren led the way back to the ship, always staying ahead of the others. He was acting very aloof, saying almost nothing, and evading all attempts of conversation. His mind was consumed with one thought.

Ambria

It was the next destination, the next resting place of one of the pieces. The device on his arm somehow knew where all its brethren lay. They scattered throughout the galaxy and now he would be the one to unite them.

There was a small part of his brain that wonder if he was still himself. A part of him that realized he might not be in control.

The ramp to their ship lowered obediently as they approached. Skuldren hurried up the ramp and into the cockpit. Yet he did not leave without the others. He waited patiently for all of them to board, then began the pre-flight sequence, warming up the engines, configuring the nav coordinates for Ambria, etc.

[Camie Jedan]

Camie holds Aaryn and looks at Skuldren who seems determined. She wonders if he ever shows compassion or love to Alena.

[Darth Skuldren]

Skuldren didn't even notice Alena walking up behind him.

Otto.

The word came to him. No, not a word, a name. His name. He wasn't sure if Alena spoke it or whether he merely thought it.

He no longer exists.

Now he knew it wasn't Alena. Yet, it wasn't exactly him either.

You are me, now, and I am you, as it shall be forever more.

But it was a voice, a voice in his head, in his thoughts.

Together we will change this galaxy.

It was the thing on his hand. It was speaking to him, invading his thoughts and thinking into his mind. He tried to resist it, but the cold numbing sting of the entity's intrusion was too subtle for him to fight.

Slowly but surely it was winning, and he was becoming less and less of himself.

[Aaryn Kane]

Back on the ship, Aaryn had immediately locked himself into a room in order to begin meditating. He was sure Camie would understand and didn't care what Skuldren thought. Aaryn opened himself to the force, and he felt as though he had just taken a breath after being underwater for too long. He closed his eyes, and when they opened, he was no longer in Skuldren's ship. Aaryn was now on some planet with jaded rocks and a yellowish clouds dispersed throughout the dark sky.

From behind him, a voice said, "You have done well so far. Are you up to the challenge?" Aaryn turned to see it was Dovar who was walking up to him. "What the...?" Aaryn began to say before he felt a sharp pain in his back. Aaryn fell to the ground and turned to see Venceon, or...Aaryn couldn't even remember his real name.

"You think you can be a master. You, all of you, will always be mere apprentices to us, not even worth of the title 'padawan'." Venceon said.

"Be careful for what you seek on Ambria and other places. Things can take a dark turn for you all if you do. Are you willing to wreck all the lives you have touched by going along with the other apprentice's plan?" Dovar asked.

"Other apprentice? You mean, Skuldren?" asked Aaryn.

"SILENCE!" Demanded Venceon as he delivered a boot to Aaryn's face. Aaryn felt as if he would pass out any minute, but he fought to retain his conciousness. "If you go ahead with your foolish scheme of trying to become like us, then you and the rest of the galaxy will suffer. You will never be us."

"Be, like you? But..."

"SILENCE!" Venceon shouted again, followed by a kick to Aaryn's stomach.

"What....what are you?" Aaryn asked. He knew these two, whatever they are, were not Dovar and Venceon.

Dovar kneeled next to him and lifted Aaryn's chin up. "Something greater than you."

Aaryn suddenly snapped back. He was once again in Skuldren's ship. There was something serioiusly wrong here. Whatever Skuldren's true intentions were, it could possibly destroy the galaxy. Aaryn was unsure of what to do.

[Darth Skuldren]

The ship's preflight sequence and safety checks were all through and completed. Skuldren took the ship up through the planet's atmosphere and into the black envelope of space. The nav coordinates were set.

Skuldren pointed the ship off into the blackness and sent the ship into hyper. Destination: Ambria.

((OOC: Feel free to start the topic for Ambria.))