LOTF: Ganner Slarwalker/Chapters 5-8

Ganner Slarwalker

20 BBY

Our mission was a relatively simple one. The Republic was preparing to mount an assault on an airfield of tactical importance on Umbara. We were to infiltrate this base and take out its anti-air weaponry so the attack could begin. Frankly, we could've taken the whole base ourselves, but we were under strict orders not to do so. After we were done, we were to find somewhere to hide until the airfield was secured and then meet up with friendly forces.

Of course, no plan ever survives contact with the enemy.

Contact With the Enemy
Bail cut a hole in the ventilation shaft, and it plummeted to the ground. Somewhere down the corridor below, a battle droid's voice rang out. "What was that?"

The four of us exchanged glances. Something was off, but none of us could figure out what. We leapt in, trampling the droid under us. Almost immediately, more droids and Umbarans began to rush in and attack us from all sides. Bail and I joined together briefly to go on a rampage, destroying droids and Umbarans like there was no tomorrow. Finally, he cut down the last droid, and we stood for a second before moving onward. So far, so good.

We proceeded through most of the base in a similar fashion, nearly unstoppable. The only time we were ever halted was when a squad of Droidekas attacked, but Tyrral made short work of their shields with some sort of mini-ion blaster he had crafted. Then we reached the hangar, and the real fun began.

We each got into Umbaran heavy tanks. The hangar doors opened, revealing the base scrambling on full alert. There were four anti-air turrets, and we split up to take each one down. Amid the chaos, only a few Umbarans were even smart enough to realize we weren't on their side, but their blasters were useless against the armor.

We ditched our tanks on the outskirts of the airfield and sabotaged them as we ran off into the Umbaran underbrush. After making sure we weren't followed, we stopped in a clearing to rest and wait. Yula was the first one to notice.

"Guys, what is this?"

She pulled some small metal scrap out of the ground, and almost immediately I could feel darkness emanating from it. At her touch, it began to hover on its own, pulling other metal scraps out of the ground all around it, the darkness building the entire time. Finally, it formed a small pyramid. A Sith Holocron. We were all speechless as it began to fly off into the distance.

After another exchange of glances, we followed it.

The Dark Side was definitely calling it; I could feel it all around us. We sprinted after it, and as it turned a corner I felt yet another massive surge of dark energy. This was something that was never meant to be found. As we also turned the corner we stopped in awe.

The Holocron went ahead of us, and flew perfectly into a crevice on a door with the logo of the ancient order of the Sith. The door was part of a bigger structure, with two statues on either side of it, and stairs leading to the entrance. Suddenly, I heard a voice call out to me.

"Ganner, it's me."

It was Jason. He was on the other side of the door. Without thinking, I sprinted to it at full speed, before the others could react. I pressed my body against the door.

"Listen, we'll get you out, okay?"

"Ganner, don't! It's a trap!" Yula's voice rang out. But it was already too late.

Before my eyes, the door of the Sith Temple opened to reveal a group of silhouettes.

In the center of them all stood a group of four where the Dark Side was strongest. The smallest hint of moonlight allowed me to discern their faces. From left to right, the first was a young adult human male, who looked to be in his early to mid-twenties. He was a brunette, about my height and weight. I could sense (and see) uncontrolled anger in him.

The next to my surprise, was the Nightsister from my vision. She didn't seen to recognize me, instead sharing the same surprised expression as the others.

Even in the moonlight, I couldn't make out the face of the third. However I could see his raging yellow eyes, and the outline of his tall, bulky body.

The fourth was another human, about twice as old, with long black hair and a goatee to match. He seemed much more controlled than the other.

Behind me I heard the sound of lightsabers activating, and saw the same in front of me. Before I could react, however, the fourth leapt towards me, and suddenly my world was black.

The Binding
When I came to (an action that surprised me; I was expecting to be dead), I found myself bound to what seemed like some ancient stone tablet, by my hands and feet. I think I was drugged in some way, because though I tried to use the Force, I couldn't.

In front of me were the Nightsister and the man I couldn't make out earlier. He was a red Zabrak (a Nightbrother perhaps?), and I won't go into detail, but his body seemed to be literally decaying. At this point I noticed the stench- definitely decaying.

He was talking to the Nightsister as my senses came back.

"Massikus, are you sure?" she asked. "We can hold on to him for a while longer, your current host isn't in the worst shape."

A very raspy voice (I don't think his throat was in the best condition at this point) replied. "I need him now. You saw what happened out there. I'll need that kind of power to hunt down the other three."

During the conversation, Massikus' Force presence touched mine, and then attacked it furiously. He invaded my mind relentlessly searching for information on the Jedi who had escaped, and I was powerless to stop him.

"We can send the Assassins after them-"

"Who? Saris? He'll be caught or worse for sure, and we'll be exposed. We are not yet ready."

"There are some who would think otherwise."

"It's final." He walked onto a slab adjacent to mine with the same bindings, and activated them using the Force. With a sly grin on her face and her hands glowing a vibrant green she moved towards him and place her hands on his temple. He fell asleep quickly, and she turned to me, her hands now red.

"You, unfortunately, don't get to sleep. But don't worry; in time you will play your part." I tried to escape, but I was too weak. While I was squirming, she put her hands to my head. Immediately an onslaught of pain was all I knew. In my body, in the Force, in my mind, in my very soul, I knew suffering for what it really was. She was wrong, though. The pain knocked me out pretty quickly.

When I awoke, I found myself once again bound to the tablet. I saw the three from before looking at me, expectantly. Talzin, the Nightsister, Arek Saris, the young apprentice, and Varad Zagg, his master. How did I know their names? For an answer, I reached into the Force, but I found only one thing. A massive, incredibly powerful presence in the Dark Side blocking me off from anything else. I tried to reach into it, but I couldn't. Shifting back to my previous goal, I strained to get off the slab, but it didn't even seem like my muscles were moving. Suddenly all the shackles were lifted, and I fell to the ground, straining to move a muscle but failing. Still, I landed on my feet, as though someone else had directed my body. Hold on... As if in response to that thought, my body stood up, but I wasn't in control. Someone else was.

"That's right, Ganner. You belong to me now."

In my mind his voice was a thousand times more insidious.

"Really, your consciousness wasn't even supposed to survive, but it is of no consequence. You are just another victim of Darth Massikus."

In my mind I tried to lash out, however I could. Nothing worked. Inside the head we shared, he let out a long cackle.

"Let the darkness consume you. I promise I will give you the least painful death I can." He was lying.

With my voice, he spoke. "This is a strong one, I can feel it. His mind still lingers by a thread."

"Does he pose a threat?" Varad questioned him. Of course Varad would want to know, the conniving little... Hold on. I could read Massikus' thoughts. Of course.

"No. He is but a small pond against the ocean of the Dark Side's power." Just as Varad was.

Just in the nick of time, Massikus reached out into the Force, and I could feel it within myself as well. Together though guided by him, we searched for Yula, Tyrral, and Bail. The three were together, escaping Umbara. Utilizing both of our respective levels of power in the Force, Massikus was able to locate them just outside orbit. During the events that followed, we were constantly tracking them.

"Yula, Tyrral, Bail. All vermin who will deserve the slow deaths they will be given."

"I know where the Jedi are," he said through me.

"You made your decision clear," Varad responded. "Go get them."

Without another word, Massikus left. He went to his quarters and found new robes to fit my body, and choose a doublesaber out of a large collection, mostly trophies from dead Force users, Jedi and Sith alike. As he walked through the Academy to the private hangar, each Sith we passed bowed down to him hesitantly. Weaklings.

Stunned by my thoughts, I tried to push him out to no avail. He laughed some more.

"Might as well get used to it, Slarwalker. Welcome to the rest of this body's pathetic life."

As he walked, I decided I might as well learn who my new enemy was, and I dove into his memories.

Massikus was able to block me from getting the full story, but I was able to slowly begin to piece it together. Massikus was an ancient Sith from thousands of years ago, dating back to the Great War. He was primarily a warrior, but when he uncovered ancient texts speaking of a way to live forever, he took a more studious position. He began experimenting on lesser Force users, mainly victims from the battlefield. While true immortality eluded him, he made a new breakthrough when he discovered how to transfer the consciousness of a Force user into the body of another. As his aging body began to lose its usefulness, he decided it was time to try it on himself. It worked, and he discovered he gained not only the body of his victims, but their power in the Force as well. For a long time, he went about causing chaos in the Republic, constantly shifting identities and getting stronger every single time.

However, this power came with a price. Eventually Massikus' power became more than his bodies could handle, and he had to step down from the battlefield before he ran out, and resolved to work from the shadows until he could find a body capable of holding his might. Somewhere between then and now, he ended up at the Sith Academy, where he waited for an Assassin to be produced worthy of his power. Then I came along. I was able to glimpse, through his eyes, the turning point. It was me, running rampant against the Sith, telling the others to run. They hesitantly complied, and I held the Sith off long enough for them to escape. It took Massikus letting out a barrage of blows that sealed his current body's fate to finally put me down. I could sense that not even he knew why I didn't remember.

As he began to take off, I learned his plan: Divide and conquer. Leave each one of them stranded and cut off from the outside world, then pick them off one by one. He was quiet now; he was too focused on the others. Silently, we took off into the night sky to kill my three best friends.

The Hunt Begins
It must have lasted weeks. They didn't have a hyperdrive, so Massikus toyed with them for what felt like forever, slowly pointing them in the direction he wanted them to run. Eventually we found our destination: Mustafar. Once we were close enough, Massikus shot their engines out like it was nothing and just let them crash to the surface. Then, he found a nearby mining complex, landed there, and dined before he set out to eliminate them. As he ate, he mocked me.

"I must say, I find your choice of partners intriguing. I think I'll kill Tyrral first, and then Bail. We'll see how much agony the girl can take before she gives in."

I was silent.

Finally, we set out into the inferno. They had crashed in a valley a few kilometers out, by a tall volcano. Using a technique of the Sith Assassins, Massikus was able to hide his presence from them while he quickly scaled the volcano, and called to them, his voice amplified though the Force.

 &#8205;JEDI! 

Startled, they all turned quickly, struggling to make out the body the sound had came from. They must have recognized the voice, but in their minds it surely couldn't have been me.

"Watch this. It gets them every time."

He activated one red blade of his lightsaber and let it sink in for a moment. I could feel the menacing smile he was forming with my face. For just a second, he charged up energy in the Force, and then he leapt into the air, making my friends look like specks. Then, gravity regained control and we began to plummet towards them as he activated the second blade, and landed in a battle position, dust flying from the impact.

When it settled, in front of me were Bail, Tyrral, and Yula, lightsabers not even drawn, with looks of absolute horror on their faces.

"Told you."

Finally, Tyrral was the one to blurt out, "Ganner?"

Massikus laughed. "Ganner Slarwalker is dead. All that remains is Darth Massikus, the Destroyer."

Bail was the first to apparently come to his senses, activating his cerulean blue lightsaber. "Listen, Ganner. We can help you, but you need to fight back."

Almost incredulously, Massikus replied, "You really still think I'm him, don't you?"

I felt Yula's presence touch mine and Massikus' and then pull away almost instantly.

"Wh-W-.... What are you?"

"I am fear itself."

With these words, he leapt into combat. He opened with a lightning quick lunge at Tyrral he barely dodged, landed on his feet and turned around to face the group once more. Already, they were moving together to strike. Analyzing them in the Force, Massikus gathered that Tyrral was unknowingly using Battle Meditation, solidifying the choice to kill him first. Seeing Battle Meditation as too much of a wildcard factor, Massikus decided it was time to cut to the chase.

As the Jedi all leapt to attack, he let forth an outburst in the Force, essentially a push in all directions, and they went flying back. Moving at full speed, Massikus grabbed Tyrral by the neck before he even hit the ground. He let forth a burst of lightning, and Tyrral screamed in pain. Moving in to save him, Bail lunged toward Massikus. Without missing a beat, Massikus dropped Tyrral, grabbed Bail, and threw him at Yula. He turned back to Tyrral just in time to dodge his orange lightsaber. In the Force, I felt Tyrral reach out to me one final time before he died. Massikus raised his blade, and in desperation I pushed against it. It plunged, but just before it hit his heart, it stopped for a second, and then Massikus regained control. Tyrral was dead.

"Did you really think you could save him? Pathetic."

Despite his words, I could sense the fear in his mind. Deciding this fight was enough and it was time for the games to continue, Massikus retreated.

Fall of the Guardian
Something I learned about Massikus was that he didn't sleep. Instead, he meditated. I couldn't break into his mind to tell what it was about, so I ended up just waiting for hours. Massikus was so distracted by his meditations he didn't sense anything in the Force until the alarms in the facility began going off. He quickly snapped out of his trance, and dove into the Force to sense the cause of the disturbance. It didn't take long to figure out what- Bail and Yula. Seeming more annoyed than anything, Massikus stirred. He grabbed his lightsaber and then headed off through the facility towards them.

I felt anger surge through his, wait, my body as he realized their destination: The landing pad. He broke into a sprint, but they were already too close for him to beat them to it. He zoomed through lava-lit corridors and hallways until he finally reached the pad. Yula and Bail were running, with only a small flight of stairs separating them from Massikus' shuttle. He activated his saber, and Bail stopped. Yula kept running up the stairs, and turned to yell at him. "Come on!"

"Get out of here," Bail replied. He turned to Massikus and activated his lightsaber. "Don't let this be in vain."

She stopped for a second, her eyes watering, and then continued up the stairs and into the vessel. In bemusement, Massikus watched this all play out. Now he moved towards Bail, preparing to fight,

"You know," Bail remarked, "I always wanted to know which one of us would win in a duel."

As one, they both leap towards each other, meeting halfway in a saber lock. I could feel the intense heat and strain of the struggle.

"He's better than I expected, I'll give him that."

Finally, Massikus managed to push him back for just a second, giving Massikus time to build power. Behind Bail, the shuttle's engines begin to activate, and Massikus had an idea. Not one to waste time, Bail leapt again. Massikus Force pushed him back, leapt towards him, grabbed him in the air, and threw him against the engines as they fired up. Bail screamed, and the sound of sizzling flesh will reverberate through my ears for the rest of my life. I can't imagine the effort it must have taken, but he managed to leap out of the way of danger just before Yula lifted off into the night sky. Blast.

Lying on the ground, beaten, lied Bail.

"You fought well," Massikus said. "Better than most."

Looking us right in the eyes, Bail replied. "I haven't even started fighting yet."

Massikus raised his saber, preparing to plunge it into him. As he struck, Bail rolled out of the way, jumped up, and activated his lightsaber once more. Still, the wounds had taken their toll, and what was meant to be a wide swing became little more than a stumble. Moving quickly, Massikus sliced off his right arm, the one holding the saber, followed by both his legs in one sweep. As he fell, Massikus removed his left arm for good measure. Bail fell to the ground one last time.

"Know that you die with honor, Jedi."

He raised his sword, ready to decapitate. He swung, and again I tried to stop it. The blade faltered just above his neck.

"Ganner?"

"B-Bail?"

Massikus struck back, applying all his power to finishing the blow. I did the opposite. For a minute, we struggled against each other. For the slightest moment I felt a shift in Massikus' emotions, and then he let go of the saber., and it plummeted. Unlike the events leading directly up to it, Bail's death was quick and painless. I gave up, and Massikus regained control again. He looked to the sky, and let out an angry sigh. Then, grabbing his lightsaber, he set off towards the crash site.