Legendary Jedi: Aardvark

"A man is no more then the sum of his memories. How will you be remembered? The difference between the Jedi and the Sith is that the Jedi care about how they are remembered, the Sith do not." 

Biography

Chapter 1, The Beginning:

Aardvark was born on Csilla, the Chiss homeworld, shortly before the destruction of the first Death Star. He the years of the alliance learning in the Defense Force Academy on Csilla, and as such never knew of the Empire. He eventually learned of the Galaxy outside the Chiss Ascendancy and sought it out, stealing a ship from the Defense Force.

Aardvark soon learned the importance of money in the Galaxy, but lacked the skills necessary to earn money in any dignified profession. He was forced to use his combat training to earn a living as a mercenary, specifically a Marksman. He wandered from battle to battle aiding whoever was willing to pay the most. During one particular battle he caught first site of a Jedi, he had heard about Jedi, anyone who had left Chiss space would have to, but he had yet to see any. He knew Jedi were supposed to be the "good guys," but this Jedi was fighting for the other side so Aardvark shot him without a second thought. After the battle ended he went to grab the Jedi's lightsaber, mainly as a trophy, Jedi are not easy to kill after all. He didn't think on the incident again until nearly a year later.

Aardvark had gotten into a particularly violent battle, where both sides were evenly matched. It was a very cold day that day on Alzoc III, it was snowing of course and that made it particularly hard to see through a scope. Aardvark was at an abandoned Ion Cannon Control room and sniping at other mercenary forces periodically, they were invading under the cover of snowfall. It took all Aardvark's focus to get a clean shot at someone, so much focus that he didn't realize a Dark Jedi was coming up behind him, that or the Dark Jedi was very good at cloaking his presence. He was taking a shot when he thought he heard a footstep behind him, and that's when his training kicked in. He abandoned his rifle and rolled left just in time to avoid getting bisected by the Dark Jedi's red lightsaber. Aardvark already knew running from a Force Sensitive was useless, he'd heard of professional athletes who could not out run Jedi, so he did the only thing he could, he ignited the lightsaber from the fallen Jedi. The Dark Jedi came at him almost immediately, with such quick and powerful blows, that even with his military training he could barely keep up. He was starting to loose any hope and was preparing himself, mentally, for death, he calmed himself and found a serene place inside of himself... and that's when he saw. He saw a web-like structure all over the Dark Jedi's body, and saw the two points from which they emanated, on his blade and his right side. On the Dark Jedi's next attack he instinctively reversed the angle of his block so that the Dark Jedi would overbalance, then brought his blade up and through his foe's body, his top right side from his top left.

Aardvark finished the battle without comment, and as soon as he had the chance, took off for the nearest Enclave. It was then he learned what he had seen was a technique called Shatterpoint, the ability to see the weaknesses of opponents and exploit them. Aardvark was reluctant to believe this at first, and decided to observe the Jedi for a month and practice the technique himself, but he was destined to join. Aardvark joined as an initiate and gradually climbed though the ranks, learning as he went by watching, learning, imitating, and finally personalizing the moves he saw. When he attained the rank of Jedi Knight he went out into the Galaxy to visit with other enclaves and academies, to learn from their ways, and to teach them if they so desired. He met the Dark Angels in his journeys, learned of their trouble with a Sith Academy nearby, and worked on an alliance between the two Jedi settlements.

After returning from his travels Aardvark had grown in both his Lightsaber and Force abilities, and was recognized as a Jedi Master, a month later he was offered a position on the Jedi Council and took it. He did his best to render decisions to help his Enclave, but missed the traveling of his previous days so resigned a few months later and left the Order altogether, claiming he wanted to travel the galaxy as any sentient would, without the reputation attached by the Jedi Order. In this way he became a Rurouni, a wandering swordsman, and explored the Galaxy helping where he could.

Aardvark was gone for many months, but eventually returned, however he was different. During his travels he had become corrupted and now used the Dark Side freely, he had nearly destroyed several Jedi and Sith academies and his bloodlust now ruled him. He came back to find that his old enclave had been divided by a Great Schism, and now was split between the Jedi, and the Sith. Aardvark attempted to gain control of the Sith faction, but learned of two obstacles obstructing his path, a Guardian called Deraj, and an Overlord from the old imperial Inquisitors. Aardvark challenged both, confident in his new found power.

Chapter 2, Sith Marauder:

Since the Jedi posed more of a political problem, and Aardvark was confident in his words, he first challenged Deraj. They met in an old Imperial Outpost to do battle, the blue of the Guardian's blade cast a glow on his face, a face that showed determination and confidence. Aardvark lunged in mad fury at the Guardian using powerful swings to force him into retreat, or so he thought, before he could grasp the depth of his error the Guardian batted away Aardvark's lightsaber with ease, stepped in and slammed Aardvark in the face with his hilt. Aardvark stumbled back, confused, and loosed a flurry of Lightning at the Jedi, which the Guardian caught on his blade and deflected into the ground, "You should run," he said tauntingly. Aardvark, becoming even more enraged by the taunt, used his rage to fuel a Force dash at Deraj, scoring a scratch on the Guardian's left shoulder, "Dirty Sith!," he snarled at Aardvark.

Aardvark returned the snarl, "Honor is a fool's prize Jedi, and it'll be of no use to you when you're lying in two on the ground!"

He smiled back at Aardvark, "Remember, you're the one who forced me to do this," and before Aardvark could make a reply the Guardian was on the offensive, swinging so quickly and powerfully that Aardvark could only defend himself while he looked for an opening. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized it was Vaapad, and that he had only one Form he could counter it with. He quickly switched to Shien and batted Deraj's blade back to give him a moment to increase the distance between the two. He waited for Deraj to attack and focused all his attention on seeing a shatter point, while using the aggressive defense of Shien to keep himself relatively safe. He finally saw one, and on the next swing attempted to make the Jedi over-balance, but the Shatter Point shifted suddenly and instead Aardvark over-balanced, falling to the ground and finding the Guardian's blade a mere centimeter from his face.

"Finish it!" Aardvark screamed at him.

The Guardian just shook his head shut off his lightsaber. "You have skill with a blade and the ability to use Shatterpoint, and yet you waste it on the Sith. Why? What happened to turn a Jedi Master into such a state?"

Aardvark stood and looked at the Guardian, "When I was out there, helping people, I came across many challenges, several of those really were too much for me to handle with my Jedi training, so I gave into my anger and you know what I found? I found powerful, it's intoxicating, and it's at every Force Sensative's disposal, so why shouldn't I use it? Now end this Jedi, or I promise you I will keep coming after you!"

Deraj thought for a minute, then clipped his lightsaber at his belt and turned to leave, "Feel free to do so," he said over his shoulder, "maybe in those battles, you'll finally realize how much of a mistake using your anger is." Then he left.

Aardvark was unsettled by his inability to kill the Jedi, but thought the Jedi must have been exceptional, and that the Overlord could pose no more of a threat then Jared had, so he went out to fight the Inquisitor after he had recovered. He met the Overlord in a tomb on Korriban, the red shed from the blade casting a disturbing glow over the Inquisitor's face, making the smile he had seem all the more twisted. Aardvark took no chance, he let loose with a blast of Lightning, but the Overlord was already in motion dashing around behind Aardvark, grasping him in a Force Grip, and throwing him against the wall. Aardvark was dazed by this but instinctively used a Telekinetic blast to push the Overlord away from dealing him a lethal blow, he knew was coming. He leveraged himself out and unhitched his lightsaber just in time to parry an overhead swing from the Inquisitor, the Overlord retaliated by redirecting his attack for a low sweep, which Aardvark barely dodged in time to avoid loosing both legs. Aardvark backflipped until he felt safely out of range then, without lokking, loosed a Force Scream that caused the room to shake.

When the dust had settled he saw the Overlord was no where to be seen, and was worried by it, the Scream hadn't been powerful enough to obliterate a body, or really even kill, which was when he heard the laugh. Normal people associate laughs with something good, but this laugh chilled Aardvark to the core, "That was quite an impressive blast, but you really don't have a chance of winning if that's all you can muster," said a voice from behind him.

Aardvark turned and saw the Inquisitor standing not a meter behind him, unscathed and with his lightsaber poised in front of Aardvark's torso. "Normally I kill people who try to harm me, but you've got potential I would like to see you exploit." Aardvark heard everything the Overlord was saying, but was still shocked at yet another loss. "I will give you the title of Darth Sacul, and the rank of Marauder, you will be my apprentice, until you have either defeated me, or are no longer of us to me. That or I can plunge my blade through your head and be done with it."

Aardvark looked up into the Inquisitor's eyes and knew the man would not hesitate to make good on the promise, so he did the only thing he could. He swore allegiance to the Dark Lord. Being granted the rank and his life, Aardvark set out to kill Jedi, and train the next generation of Sith.

Aardvark came across a promising young Disciple by the name of Cire, and trained him in the use of Djem-So, and the Shatterpoint technique. Cire quickly rose through the ranks until he achieved the title of Sith Lord, then, as tradition dictated, they faced off.

Cire charged in using everything he was taught, and techniques he had learned in secret so as to surprise Aardvark. They battled back and forth for a long while, gaining ground only to loose it soon after, the battle turned into a test of endurance rather then a test of pure skill. About an hour into the battle both showed fatigue and were forced to abandon their strategy and try more direct means of combat.

Aardvark changed his Form to Juyo and used his pent up rage to strike harder and faster, Cire in retaliation, loosed a powerful telekinetic blast that threw Aardvark through the air. Aardvark spun in air to land on his feet and erected a barrier to ward off a second blast, then channeled the energy into a net of Force Lightning and flung it back at Cire. The young Sith Lord caught the energy in an invisible Force Grip and tried to turn it back on Aardvark, who was doing the same. It became a contest of who could bring more anger and passion, and thus more power, to bear, with both combatants dedicating themselves fully to the venture. But Aardvark could feel his strength waning and knew he was going to be overpowered if he continued, so he did the last thing anyone expected him to do, he released the Grip he had that was controlling the net of Lightning, and the power exploded, throwing both Cire and Aardvark across the room, and into unconsciousness.

Chapter 3, Gray Jedi:

 After healing from the ordeal Aardvark questioned his choice to join the Sith. If either he or Cire had been any weaker then they were, only one of them would have survived. Was it really right to kill someone simply for not being the strongest? He remembered something Deraj had said when the Guardian had spared his life, ...maybe in those battles, you'll finally realize how much of a mistake using your anger is... The words had just seemed like Jedi Propaganda at the time, but now Aardvark questioned that assumption.

Late the next night Aardvark snuck into the hanger and stole a Skipray blastboat. He lifted off and headed for reaches unknown. Aardvark went to many places, to meditate on the Force, he went to Ziost, Korriban, Dantooine, and Coruscant, to feel and learn from a variety of places strong in the Force.

One day, while meditating on the cold lifelessness of Hoth, Aardvark felt a strong presence in the Force approaching. A presence he had felt before, "You can come out now Deraj, I have no malice in my heart at the present moment."

The Guardian seemed to materialize through the veil of snow, "I don't hide, but I'm not foolish enough to just walk in on a Sith, former or otherwise. Although I do sense that the Darkness has faded in you."

Aardvark levitated himself up from his cross-legged posture and walked towards the Jedi. Aardvark stopped a few feet from the Jedi, probing to find out why the Guardian was here, and realized Deraj was probably doing the same. Hoth is an odd place for anyone to meet, even if the Force guided them here. "You were right you know."

Deraj looked at Aardvark confused, "About what?"

"I'm not cut out for the ways of the Sith, I thought using my anger would be enough to ensure I never lost, but it does not work as well as I had hoped. I do get better when I use my anger, but only for a time, if I get too angry my skills wane, and I can't afford to loose my skills if I hope to remain alove." Aardvark paced the snow, thinking about what he would choose to say or do next.

The Guardian seemed to sense this discomfort, "That's how it usually works, although some never see it. You mistake the source of the power you gain, it comes not through your anger, but through your determination. Resolve is a much more potent weapon then anger, and does not lead to suffering. When you are angry, you wish your opponent to, not only fail before your strength, but suffer before he dies, but when you resolve to finish something, you're using your knowledge and your conviction, and all you desire is for it to end."

Aardvark forze and turned to the Jedi, "Get to use that speech often?" Aardvark looked at Deraj in disgust, "Speak from your heart, not from your mind Jedi. You memorize a speech and it sounds memorized, it sounds like propaganda, and that's what that speech was, propaganda."

Deraj looked at Aardvark hard, searching his own feelings, or Aardvark's the former Sith couldn't tell. "Fine you want a truly heartfelt statement? The Sith fail because you don't think you do what your impulses tell you, and are surprised when a Jedi, who has practiced, and trained, and thought out his moves and motives, wins. Sith think that because they can use a Force power, it should always be used. They think that because they can destroy they should, and that proves their power. Well you know what? They're wrong! It takes little to destroy something, it takes extreme effort to defend it, or recreate it. Jedi don't destroy because rebuilding is difficult at best, and impossible at worst, and they have sworn themselves to the more noble cause, more challenging cause of guarding the peace, rather then destroying it!"

The Guardian heaved with emotion, with conviction. Aardvark knew the statement was more then just a personal opinion, it was the reason the Guardian, as powerful as he was, remained a Jedi. And in that moment he saw the strength the Guardian could bring to bear if he were to use his emotions.A though struck Aardvark at that moment

"You've been to the darkside before haven't you?"

The Guardian looked up at Aardvark, "That obvious huh? Yeah I made the mistake once, almost twice, but I came back. I made the same revelation that I just told you about, and I've never gone back since. Oh sure I've been tempted, any Jedi has, but I have valuable asset to keep me on the path of the Light. A conviction."

"I see," Aardvark stopped his pacing and thought. "I don't know if I'm ready to come back to the Jedi, but I am considering it. I would like to take more time to center myself, to truly sense what the Force is trying to tell me."

Deraj nodded, "Have you built yourself a new lightsaber yet?"

Aardvark shook his head, "No I can't find the materials out here, but I will when I come back."

"No need," Deraj tossed Aardvark a lightsaber with a long hilt, "take this it was the lightsaber of a friend of mine, he's dead now, but I think he would rather have his weapon used, then stored in some Archive for the rest of time."

Aardvark hit the ignition button and two cyan beams of light lanced out from either end, "It's double-bladed..."

"Yep," with that the Guardian disappeared into the blanket of snow and Aardvark lost all sight of him.

A Lightsaber staff huh? Aardvark thought, well I guess it's worth a shot.


With that Aardvark began his long months of meditation, during which he practiced his double-bladed lightsaber technique, gradually becoming more and more skilled with it.