Reflection/Chapter 1

The pirates had vast connections all throughout Coronet. It didn't take Covak very long to find the location of the pirates' establishment after some conversations with a few shady individuals at the local cantina. Covak ambushed a lone Binayre outside of the compound and armed himself with the victim's pistol. Covak blasted open their door with a looted thermal detonator and demanded answers at gunpoint. Ironically, Covak himself was ambushed, disarmed, and pinned to the floor. The enraged pirate subduing Covak stated that he didn't care if he was Xaro's son and that he was going to waste him. With a blaster planted on the back of his head, Covak reached for a pole-arm which was resting at the far edge of the room. The pirates cackled at his futile stupidity. Covak could feel the pirate's finger on the trigger like it was his own. Distress saturated Covak's expressions and it fueled the pirates' maniacal laughter. He clenched his teeth in a final act of futile desperation. Suddenly he felt the vibro-ax's in his grip. Though he was undoubtedly confused, he didn't have time to reflect on it. Covak cleaning hacked his subduer by spinning the vibro-ax as easily as one could raise an arm. The pirate bellowed a roar of agony as his severed arm fell to the floor. Covak tripped the stumbling alien with a swift kick and scrambled to his feet. The remaining pirates aimed their sidearms and unleashed a hail of gun-fire at Covak.

A foreign tranquility seized Covak and he felt himself being guided. He ducked under the lethal blaster bolts and rolled forward to meet them toe-to-toe. The vibro-ax again placed itself where it need to at the precise moment. Covak had formed an inexplicable symbiotic relationship with his newly armed pole-ax. He needed the pirates dead as the pole-arm desired to be fed carnage, a mutual benefit from both parties. Covak lost himself as he slaughtered the pirates in as cruel a manor that he could muster at that brief moment, save for one however. The alien whose arm had been severed by Covak was huddled into a corner displaying his sheer terror. He held his fore-arm stub in obvious anguish and shrieked in horror as Covak approached him. Despite the hideous interrogation and death the pirate had been victim to, Covak departed from that building knowing nothing more than he did upon entry. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Covak had experienced in that short portion of an afternoon what few had experienced through their decades. He couldn't explain what trance he was in or how he managed to survive that brawl, but it was invigorating. He had now chosen his companion in combat and from that day forth he never entered a fight without that vibro-ax.

Though the odds were against him, Covak never gave up on Obymes. He couldn't explain it to those that doubted him, but his brother was certainly not dead. He still was not able to 'sense' his brother as he did when he was younger, but nonetheless there was still something there. The connection may not be in use, but it was not severed and Covak could understand this.

He didn't kid himself, Covak had barely escaped his scrap with the small-time Binayre's. The time would come where Covak would have to face a much greater foe to save his brother. He may be a romantic dreamer, but nonetheless Covak was convinced that this time would come and that he would need to adequately prepare for it. Those who escape a fight are either lucky or cunning; however, those who are lucky cannot expect the same results twice. With that notion in mind Covak felt that he would need the best training regiment he could enroll in. Before he even finished his thought Covak already knew that there was only one place for him to seek out. Having just turned sixteen, the starting age for enrollment, he proceeded to the Imperial Recruiter in Coronet and enlisted in the Imperial Academy of Corellia.

*                                   *                                     *

The pirates had vast connections all throughout Coronet. It didn't take Covak very long to find the location of the pirates' establishment after some conversations with a few shady individuals at the local cantina. Covak ambushed a lone Binayre outside of the compound and armed himself with the victim's pistol. Covak blasted open their door with a looted thermal detonator and demanded answers at gunpoint. Ironically, Covak himself was ambushed, disarmed, and pinned to the floor. The enraged pirate subduing Covak stated that he didn't care if he was Xaro's son and that he was going to waste him. With a blaster planted on the back of his head, Covak reached for a pole-arm which was resting at the far edge of the room. The pirates cackled at his futile stupidity. Covak could feel the pirate's finger on the trigger like it was his own. Distress saturated Covak's expressions and it fueled the pirates' maniacal laughter. He clenched his teeth in a final act of futile desperation. Suddenly he felt the vibro-ax's in his grip. Though he was undoubtedly confused, he didn't have time to reflect on it. Covak cleaning hacked his subduer by spinning the vibro-ax as easily as one could raise an arm. The pirate bellowed a roar of agony as his severed arm fell to the floor. Covak tripped the stumbling alien with a swift kick and scrambled to his feet. The remaining pirates aimed their sidearms and unleashed a hail of gun-fire at Covak.

A foreign tranquility seized Covak and he felt himself being guided. He ducked under the lethal blaster bolts and rolled forward to meet them toe-to-toe. The vibro-ax again placed itself where it need to at the precise moment. Covak had formed an inexplicable symbiotic relationship with his newly armed pole-ax. He needed the pirates dead as the pole-arm desired to be fed carnage, a mutual benefit from both parties. Covak lost himself as he slaughtered the pirates in as cruel a manor that he could muster at that brief moment, save for one however. The alien whose arm had been severed by Covak was huddled into a corner displaying his sheer terror. He held his fore-arm stub in obvious anguish and shrieked in horror as Covak approached him. Despite the hideous interrogation and death the pirate had been victim to, Covak departed from that building knowing nothing more than he did upon entry. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Covak had experienced in that short portion of an afternoon what few had experienced through their decades. He couldn't explain what trance he was in or how he managed to survive that brawl, but it was invigorating. He had now chosen his companion in combat and from that day forth he never entered a fight without that vibro-ax.

Though the odds were against him, Covak never gave up on Obymes. He couldn't explain it to those that doubted him, but his brother was certainly not dead. He still was not able to 'sense' his brother as he did when he was younger, but nonetheless there was still something there. The connection may not be in use, but it was not severed and Covak could understand this.

He didn't kid himself, Covak had barely escaped his scrap with the small-time Binayre's. The time would come where Covak would have to face a much greater foe to save his brother. He may be a romantic dreamer, but nonetheless Covak was convinced that this time would come and that he would need to adequately prepare for it. Those who escape a fight are either lucky or cunning; however, those who are lucky cannot expect the same results twice. With that notion in mind Covak felt that he would need the best training regiment he could enroll in. Before he even finished his thought Covak already knew that there was only one place for him to seek out. Having just turned sixteen, the starting age for enrollment, he proceeded to the Imperial Recruiter in Coronet and enlisted in the Imperial Academy of Corellia.

*                                   *                                     *

Five years of dedication is more then a generous bargain to save my brother was all the motivation Covak needed to enroll in the most extensive training regiment the Corellian Academy had to offer. The endurance and conditioning exercises the recruits were subjected to were no harder then what Covak had induced upon himself. He quickly excelled above all others in the endurance field and as such he would often find himself victim to frustration from his commanding officer, Sergeant Thalak Saris. The standard five mile jog for the normal recruits evolved into a five mile jog in full equipment for Covak. He was years ahead of his peers in conditioning but top physical condition means little in combat.

If Covak didn't have his stubborn mindset so deep-rooted, it would have been beaten out of him. His time spent in combat training and dueling was humiliating and degrading to say the least. Time after time he'd rush towards his opponent and time after time he'd find himself staring at the high ceilings of the gymnasium. Covak spent as much time in the academy hospital as he did in actual training. What was he doing wrong? The fight he had against the Binayre's was far more dangerous and difficult yet he was being subdued faster than anyone else in his class. He sought help from Sgt. Saris but instead got a strange proposition. Sgt. Saris told him that he would grant him a six month pardon under a single stipulation. Covak was to spend those six months with a close friend of Thalak and at the end of his six months his trainer would report whether or not Covak was allowed to return to the academy. If he said 'no' then Covak would be banned from any Imperial Academy for the rest of his days.

Covak astonished Thalak by boldly accepting his terms without a single moment of consideration. This kid is either bold or naive and it would soon become clear to Sgt. Saris which of the two defined Covak. The shuttle ride to Bela Vistal was pleasantly short and upon exiting the starport, Covak found the atmosphere to be most enjoyable. He proceeded to a small villa on the outskirts of the city. Covak knocked several times before the door hissed open. No one was there to greet him and he hesitantly proceeded into the building. He was stricken with shock by the frightening sight before him. Obymes corpse lay face down with a vibro-blade sticking out of it. Overshadowing Obymes' corpse was cloaked figure with his back turned toward the entrance. Covak drew his sidearm and began spraying shot after shot toward Obymes' supposed killer. The towering figure contorted and twisted in very awkward positions, the searing bolts of plasma whizzing past him as he dodged them with almost a pre-cognitive sense. Further enraged by his futile efforts to slay this monster, he drew a concealed vibro-knife and charged headlong. Covak lunged the blade toward his foe but found it only penetrating the air around it. The cloaked assassin rose from his crouched posture and backhanded Covak's weapon from his grip. Following the momentum from his strike, he spun around to face Covak and drove his fist into Covak's cheek. Covak's anger quickly dispersed as he slipped into unconsciousness. After all this time, he had failed his brother and suffered the same fate as him. Would he have been able to recognize it, the unbearable guilt that infected him would've been maddening.

The late morning sunrise pierced the Bela Vistal skyline and penetrated Covak's slumber. He awoke with an unbearable throbbing in his cheek. Stumbling out of bed, a cloak of vague recollection circulated through Covak as he exited the bedroom in which he had just slumbered. A strange, but nonetheless tranquil, sight to behold was the immense Rock Garden that lay within the recesses of this villa. At the far end of the garden was a figure sitting on his knees. This figure seemed vaguely familiar. Covak then began to ponder why he was in this place. His memory was vivid, but in pieces. The figure arose and greeted Covak. Then it hit him. This was Obymes murderer! Covak rushed brazen forth, his footsteps echoed over the small wooden bridge as he planted himself firmly for a strike as powerful as he could muster. When he twisted his hips to draw back, a sharp pain shot through him. It started at the kidney and proceed up the ribs and into the base of his neck. An agonizing yelp escape him and Covak fell to ground clutching his torso. The shady figure turned around to reveal his identity. An older man stood before Covak, garbed in a humble, sage-colored robe. His hair was as silver as the hull of a space-cruiser and his eyes were as dark as the most remote void in the galaxy. The man let down his hair from the ponytail he had and it fell on his shoulders and vanished beyond the bottom of his neck to his back. He explained that he struck Covak with a rather powerful strike and that he was impressed with Covak's endurance to recover from it in less then a day. Covak was only able to muster a curse over his painful wails. The gentlemen squatted so he was face-to-face with Covak. He proceeded to introduce himself as 'Keicho Ji, Teras Kasi Master and Sensei to Covak Kor-Ban.'

Keicho explained he had generated a hologram, per information provided by Sgt. Saris, of Covak's brother to arouse his most irrational state-of-mind. Cruel as it was, it showed to Keicho, Covak's true potential which wasn't much to behold. He explained that Covak was going to unlearn everything he has learned and be built from the ground up with the proper fundamentals of fighting. Covak retorted that he was injured by his 'Sensei' and that he refused to cooperate with someone who had such utter disregard for his emotions. Keicho fell silent for a moment then pulled Covak's vibro-knife from his garb. Covak reached out to receive it but instead of giving back to Covak, Keicho plunged it into his abdomen. Covak shouted that he was insane, but Keicho calmly fell back into his previous sitting posture and closed his eyes. He whispered a silent chant and the large gash that was spurting blood immediately ceased bleeding. The wound instantly coagulated and Keicho was more or less healed. He rose from his knees and explained to Covak that he was going to teach Covak how to overcome his pain-limit. Keicho helped Covak to his feet and shouldered him back to his room. Keicho stated that Covak would be given three days to recover and in that time he wished for him to read over the tome on the bookshelf in the far corner of the room. During his recovery time he would be denied nourishment of any source. Once that three days was expired, he would be tested on his readings and should he prove inadequate, he would be forced to spend another three days without nourishment to learn the ancient text properly. Keicho eased Covak onto his bed and said he would be back in three days. Covak was too sore to complain and too stressed to object. Three days without food or water is utterly ridiculous! On the bright side, at least I have a bathroom. He sighed and drifted off to sleep.