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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 1832355" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 28: Interesting TimesOver the course of the trip, Akan didn’t sleep. Voort didn’t either. The two of them never left each other’s sight. Jen hadn’t been happy about the arrangement, but hadn’t argued it much. Besides, what were they going to do now? Stop and kick him off? It wasn’t worth the trouble. So Akan took advantage of this time to learn about his enemy. Both of them. He learned about Voort through his questions about Sadrak, focusing on how the Imperial...no, ex-Imperial(Voort insisted on that, and Akan didn’t doubt him for some reason), answered the questions and the words he used.    Apparently, Sadrak had been one of the Emperor’s many Inquisitors. Force Sensitive maniacs who were experts in torture and interrogation. All of them were dangerous, but most were assumed dead. When the Emperor was killed, many of the Inquisitors and others that had the Emperor’s ear, simply fought amongst themselves for power and control over the Empire. Sadrak had not. He simply disappeared. Or at least, for a time. Not long after the New Republic’s taking of Coruscant, Sadrak resurfaced. He was in the Mid Rim this time, working with a large compliment of Imperial scientists and a fleet. He had spent his years in seclusion developing his power and control over the Dark Side. He had, according to Voort, uncovered many ancient artifacts that the Emperor had kept hidden on an out of the way planet. This planet was left unnamed, to the annoyance of many who had flocked to Sadrak to steal his secrets.        “I don’t know what exactly he had found or what he was doing,” Voort said, sitting across from Akan in the main cabin of the shuttle.    For a long moment, Akan watched the man to see if he could detect a hint of a lie. But he didn’t, “How did you get involved with Sadrak?”    At first, Voort looked like he wouldn’t answer. However, a strange trust was growing between the two of them, and he sat back almost casually, “I was the Emperor’s Hand. He trained me personally after I was pulled out of the normal ranks of the Army. After he died, I stuck myself back into the Army. Of all the Inquisitors, the Emperor distrusted Sadrak the most. I watched Sadrak for years before Endor...and after. I didn’t like that he’d disappeared, and tracked him down. Once he showed up again, I managed to work myself into his force.”    Interesting...Akan listened to how Voort spoke of the events, but found this last part, especially the way Voort’s voice had changed, the most interesting of it all. A question begged asking, and Akan wasn’t about to let it go, “Why were you a prisoner?”    Obviously, Voort had expected this, “The Emperor trained my well...but Sadrak was no fool. I underestimated him, and he used his...talents to break me,” a hand came up to his forehead, and he tapped it gently, “Your memories. Fears...he uses them to break you. So I was living two lives. One, I was just as my troops knew me...the best shot in the Empire, loyal to fault. But inside, I tried to stop myself. Sadrak used me...my body acted without my mind.”    “It had to be more complicated than that,” Akan said, trying to think things out and learn as much about this Sadrak as he could, “Breaking a man is one thing...but forcing his body to act without his mind is another.”    Nodding, Voort said, “The artifact he found that he prized so greatly. A poison. An ancient poison developed by the Sith. The Emperor kept a single vial of it, but even he feared using it. It twists the mind, changes it...changes the person.”    “I’m assuming he developed more than just that vial...” Akan said quietly, more to the side than anything.    “Much more,” Voort responded with another nod, “Usually, its effects are permanent. However, my body’s immune system was able to fight it off...so he had to keep me locked up and restrained most of the time”    Slowly, Akan took all of this in. Sith poison. This Dark Sider Sadrak was producing Sith poison, which twisted the subject to evil itself. Voort didn’t need to say it, the message was conveyed easily. But why so much? What did he plan to do? Spreading it would only do so much...there was more to this.    “Did he only research into producing more of this poison?” Akan asked after going through a thousand thoughts.     “No,” Voort’s answered confirmed Akan’s fear. But why was that bothering him? Voort continued on that thought, “The majority of the scientists were doing genetic research. Continuing a project started by Yssane Isard.”    Akan knew that name, “Director of Imperial Intelligence. They called her, Iceheart...”     “Among other things,” responded Voort, “He took this project of her’s, a cloning project, and took it to a new level. He discovered me and began torturing me before I could discover what advancements he made. Before that, I was the main security advisor for the project. I was there at every stage...”    Slowly, Akan’s mind caught onto ebbs in the Force. All coming from this Voort. Something...he latched onto one. Focused. Then, it hit him. Akan found his tail twitching slightly at the realization, “Alrax.”    “Despite everything we did to her...all the torture she endured, she tried to kill me,” Voort sounded nostalgic, obviously leaving out some important details, “I don’t know what happened to her. However, I never thought that I would see another of her kind.”    So he did recognize Akan’s species. Akan started to open his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Voort interpreted this differently than Akan would have expected, “You came looking for her? She...confided much in me. It was strange, but she became like a sister to me. I wanted to protect her from what we did. She told me about your people. I promise you, that Sadrak knows none of it. The details of your home,” he touched his forehead, “I have kept them safe.”    Still, Akan didn’t know what to say. So many questions...Voort didn’t know that Akan wasn’t actually Alraxian. Or rather, had only been one for a matter of days. Voort was still seeing this as something else, and his voice took on an almost comforting tone, “If I knew where your Empress-to-be was, I would take you to her. It is a debt I owe her...but...only Sadrak really knows.”    Empress-to-be?! They were doing genetic research on an Alraxian Princess? Akan didn’t even know where the Alraxian home planet was, and now he was told that he had an Empress-to-be out there. An Empire? Not THE Empire, but an Empire. Where though? Anything of size worth calling an Empire would be known. Wild Space, maybe? But that was small, and called Wild Space for a reason. Hyperspace routes were unreliable and impossibly dangerous. Alright then...the Unknown Regions. They’re huge. Easily could fit an Empire. Alright, calm...don’t show this Imperial you have no idea what he’s talking about. Akan kept a composed face, “I didn’t think you Imperials cared about debts.”    Voort shook his head, “I honor those who deserve it. Alrax...she became a friend in those strange days. I regret what we did to her. But please, tell me something. When she spoke with me of the Force, she told me that though they have the ancient weapons, they have their own traditions in the Force. No Jedi. How is it that you are trained as one?”    Another piece of information to take in. Alraxians didn’t have Jedi...what did they have, then? He mentally shrugged and tried a mostly honest answer, “I taught myself.”    Nodding, Voort found a smile growing on his face, “Interesting days these are. An ex-Imperial and an Alraxian Jedi.”    Akan couldn’t help but agree, “Yes, well we can settle which one is right after we get Sadrak. Should arrive in another hour.”</blockquote>

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