Welcome back, my beautiful freaks, to the Assassin's Den! It's time to move forward in Ragdat's Darkest Days!
Ragdat headed down into the command center of the Alliance base to meet his advisors, and was informed about a potential ally, Firebrand. Everyone had their own opinions on Firebrand; the Zakuulans, Koth in particular, didn't want her there due to her actions against Zakuul, and Ragdat's other allies said they couldn't turn away allies. Ragdat said they could keep Firebrand on a short leash, they could utilize her knowledge base.
Ragdat and Theron took a short trip to Zakuul, after SCORPIO set up a deal for explosives, and were met by someone Ragdat instantly recognized; his ex-girlfriend from Rattatak, Kaliyo Djannis. Kaliyo was both amused and angered at seeing Ragdat again, though anger won out when she spoke. And even though she wasn't romantically interested in him anymore, his disappearance was the catalyst for taking away "her good thing."
She aimed a blaster at Ragdat's head, and he immediately used the Force to rip it out of her hand, saying "You of all people know better than to point a gun at me." This upset Kaliyo even more, because he casually dismissed her capabilities with his own. And she was further angered by the fact that Ragdat and Theron hadn't brought the promised explosives.
Eventually, Theron and Ragdat calmed Kaliyo, and Ragdat promised to help Kaliyo's mission on Zakuul in exchange for the information she had about the Spire. Ragdat followed Kaliyo while Theron met with some contacts as Kaliyo set precision charges on some power junctions, talking as Kaliyo set up the charges; where Ragdat had been, what he was planning, and what Ragdat wanted out of this war he was planning. Ragdat answered truthfully; he'd been frozen in carbonite for the last 5 years, he was planning on taking down Arcann, Vaylin and their Father once they got him out of his head, (an aspect which Kaliyo didn't understand, but Ragdat chalked that up Kaliyo's lack of experience with the Force), and all he really wanted was to be reunited with Kira.
This last one interested Kaliyo the most, and that worried Ragdat; it meant that, in Kaliyo's mind, Ragdat was available to mess with. And did she ever start in on it, flirting with him the entire time, getting really close to him whenever she could while still doing her preparations, even offering to sleep with him after their mission was done, "just like the old days."
After a relatively quick stop at Kaliyo's apartment, they headed to the Overwatch, where they finally met the man Kaliyo had talked about; the administrator Tavor Slen. Ragdat could tell right away that Tavor was Kaliyo's latest victim of emotional manipulation, and called her out on it. Kaliyo smiled as she said that Ragdat knew her too well, and Ragdat shot back "I'm also the only one who escape that. I left Rattatak before you could discard me."
After an annoyingly protracted battle that Ragdat should have won quickly, and Ragdat theorized that it was because Vitiate wasn't letting him see Shatterpoints, something that worried him heavily. However, after the battle, Tavor and Kaliyo revealed Kaliyo's true plan; to not only take out the droids for a day, but also to ensure that people would suffer. Ragdat balked at this idea, but Kaliyo stressed that they should both take revenge on the Zakuulans. Ragdat drew his lightsaber, and said "Because of what we shared in the past, I'm giving you a choice; stand down, or be struck down. There are many other ways to get back at Zakuul, but I will NOT allow you to hurt innocent people."
Kaliyo glared at Ragdat, but knew that if he wanted, he could stop her. He was a far better fighter back on Rattatak, and now, he had the Force. She agreed that she wouldn't kill the people, but she was adamant about taking down the droids. Ragdat, though not happy, agreed to this compromise, and allowed Kaliyo to detonate the droid controls before retreating back to the shuttle that took them back to Odessen.
Once on Odessen, Ragdat was met by Theron and Koth, who all remarked on the mission; Theron on the data, Koth remarking on how he stopped Kaliyo from killing innocent people. Ragdat said that "We're on the same side, regardless of what our personal differences are." Theron then remarked on Kaliyo, and Ragdat put things bluntly; never underestimate her. Never trust her. Don't let her get into your head. But it was still better to keep her close than to let her hurt people on her own.
It was about that time when Kaliyo and SCORPIO came down the turbolift, and from their conversation, Ragdat could tell they worked together before, likely under Allisani. After a brief conversation, Kaliyo continued to flirt with Ragdat, leading him up to the cantina to talk. She stated that she needed to catch up with her contacts in the greater galaxy, and then seductively added "If you need me, I'll be there."
Later that night, she made good on that promise. She came into Ragdat's room wearing only her coat and nothing underneath, dropping it when she closed the door. This forced Ragdat's body to react, knowing full well what she was doing; all those years ago on Rattatak, whenever Kaliyo felt Ragdat's morals "got in the way", she'd seduce him physically, and that always got Ragdat to back down. Ragdat's instincts were to give in, though his higher self, his feelings, screamed "no". And in fact, he did say "no". Twice. But just as Kaliyo was about to get him out of his pants, Ragdat realized that words weren't enough for Kaliyo to stop, so hee used the Force to throw Kaliyo across the room and held her in place against the wall. He stated that "that" wouldn't work anymore, and so long as she was part of this Alliance, she would behave, or there would be consequences. Kaliyo, after being released, picked up her coat and said "If you think you can control me, big guy, you're welcome to try." before leaving Ragdat to his own devices.
The next morning, Ragdat found reports of what Arcann was doing to the rest of the galaxy; he was attacking innocent planets so the rest of the galaxy would give him up. Ragdat simply stated that they'd begin relief efforts to these worlds, since it was both the right thing to do, and because it would be a positive response to Arcann's attacks; Arcann hurt worlds, the Alliance would help them.
A few days later, Theron came to Ragdat with another set of recruits; the newest incarnation of Havoc Squad. Theron said that Colonel Strannos wanted to come with them, since Havoc WAS her old unit, and Ragdat agreed. The three of them headed to the shuttle, the Colonel decked out in the AZKA armor and an assault cannon similar to the one he had seen her use on Rishi and Yavin.
After putting down the shuttle and walking through the swamp, the "new" Havoc Commander, Major Aric Jorgan started talking to Ragdat over his radio, and the Colonel joked "You're looking at your wife from the scope on your gun? I might consider that grounds for divorce, Aric." Upon hearing his wife's voice, Jorgan told his squad to stand down, and as Major Jorgan and Colonel Strannos had their reunion, all Ragdat could do was think about Kira, and hope she was alright.
After their reunion, Jorgan acknowledged Ragdat, calling him the Jedi who killed the Emperor twice. Ragdat added "Hopefully, the third time takes", and explained what he meant as Vitiate taunted him in his "helpful" way. But before they had too much time to talk, a group of Skytroopers attacked their position, forcing them all to defend themselves.
After the fighting ended, they were forced to scatter. Jorgan gave them the coordinates of their base, the Colonel took command of Havoc, and Jorgan went with Ragdat to get reacquainted with the Jedi Master. And upon getting to a strange village, Jorgan did just that, talking about the current state of the Republic and how his wife and him parted; Colonel Strannos told Jorgan that as long as the Republic had her stuck behind a desk and not allowing her to command either Havoc or the number of soldiers a Colonel was supposed to command, she couldn't continue to serve them. She was built to fight, she said, and the Alliance would let her do so. Though, near the end of the conversation, Jorgan stated that he was glad to see the AZKA she had come up with was out in the field.
It was at that point when a group of Skytroopers were moving on the village, and Ragdat headed into the village to help, with Jorgan providing covering fire. After destroying the Skytroopers and helping the people to evacuate the burning building, and helped the people to Jorgan's encampment, but only after a little bit of "It's your fault!" from the Zakuulans.
After getting to the Havoc encampment, Havoc and Theron started preparing for the night, and Jorgan glared at Ragdat and basically said "These are my people!" before Colonel Strannos jokingly said "Still the same grumpy-cat, I see." and Jorgan gave Strannos a look that basically said "Stop embarrassing me in front of the Alliance Commander!" while Ragdat shook his head and walked off to meditate.
In the morning, Jorgan explained the mission he had in mind; have a small Alliance force distract the Skytroopers while Havoc and Ragdat snuck in the back. Havoc covered their escape, and Jorgan, Ragdat and Strannos snuck in and installed a hack that would grant the Alliance access to Zakuulan communications. After accomplishing their goals, Ragdat, Jorgan, Strannos and Havoc were surrounded by Skytroopers. Ragdat was ready for battle, but Strannos said "Any last words?" As she readied her weapons. Jorgan angrily shot back "Can that garbage!" before sheepishly adding "...and...I love you." However, they were rescued not by the Alliance force like Jorgan thought they would be, but by the Zakuulan refugees with some left over weapons the Alliance had left at the base.
At the debriefing back at the camp, Jorgan expressed a desire to embed Havoc with the refugees to get them trained before committing his resources to the Alliance. And upon returning to the Alliance, they learned of the Gemini frequency, which is how Vitiate and Arcann controlled the Eternal Fleet. They could attack the Hyperwave relay station hidden deep in the Spire to remove control of the Fleet from Arcann, and Ragdat said that as soon as Havoc returned, they'd be able to begin the assault. After welcoming Jorgan and Havoc to the Alliance, Ragdat, as he began looking over the resources for the assault, took a moment to notice Jorgan and Strannos head off together to enjoy their reunion.
Two weeks later, the Alliance was ready for the assault, and the day of the assault was disastrous. On the one hand, Kaliyo wanted to take control over the Spire while Jorgan wanted to destroy it. Both ideas had merit, but Ragdat also knew that Kaliyo would cause a LOT of collateral damage if he let her have her way. In the end, he chose to let Jorgan destroy the Spire, and sent both off to begin their mission. Ragdat was just about to head to the Defender to lead the assault when Lana suggested he talk to Vitiate about the weakness of the Spire. Ragdat initially objected, saying nothing Vitiate would say was believable, but quickly realized that if Lana, the one person who understood the danger of Vitiate, was the one suggesting it, he really didn't have a choice; he needed Vitiate's information.
Ragdat headed out of the base and into a quiet location full of life to center himself. Talking to Vitiate willingly meant lowering his guard to him, and Ragdat wanted to be in a place where the ambient life around him could reinforce his defenses. Vitiate, of course, was confrontational and sarcastic, and spoke in a tone that said "Oh, now you want my help." Vitiate refused to give Ragdat any information because he had "made no progress on killing his son", forcing Ragdat to say "to hell with it" and started back toward toward the Alliance base when Vitiate manifested, still in his Valkorian guise, and reminded Ragdat that he still had power within the physical world and tossed Ragdat into a large rock. Vitiate then went on to tell Ragdat that he had two destinies; one, which he took the Eternal Throne, the other where he died alone and forgotten. Ragdat broke free of Vitiate's hold and drew his lightsaber, wrapping the weapon in the Force so he could actually hurt the phantom, saying "I'll take a third option." and lunged at the Force Ghost.
The battle was short, and while Ragdat did gain the upper hand, Vitiate showed he still had great power in the Force when he knocked Ragdat out.
A few hours later, Ragdat found himself in a Defender starship with a few Jedi artifacts that clued him in on who was the owner; former Grandmaster Satele Shan. And upon meeting her, Ragdat could tell the years had not been kind. While she still looked physically fit for a woman of her age, she had many more lines on her face and on her hands, and her hair, once peppered with gray before, had turned completely white. He spoke with her for a bit, only to find that the ghost of Darth Marr had bound himself to the former Grandmaster. Both spoke to Ragdat about the failures of both the Jedi and Sith and why they fell to the Eternal Empire, something that Ragdat had realized when he was made a Master himself; you must accept both sides of the Force even if you choose to one over the other. And that's what Ragdat had done for all these years; accept his own darkness while choosing the light inside him. And doing so had made him more powerful than he had been up to the point when Vitiate invaded his mind; drawing on his own darkness in battle to make him faster and stronger while still choosing the light to grant him mental clarity and focus. He only considered himself weaker now because he had to push away his darkness so Vitiate didn't have something to latch onto, though he realized now that this was the worst possible thing he could be doing to defeat him; he figured this was why Vitiate was able to block his ability to see Shatterpoints.
Satele and Marr led Ragdat into a cave where he was forced to duel an illusion of Vaylin, though Ragdat managed to see through the illusion easily and dispelled her with little trouble. Satele and Marr said this was a vision of things yet to come; that even after Arcann had been defeated, Vaylin was yet to come.
The pair then led Ragdat to a table, where Satele had laid out some components, save for a crystal, which she had Ragdat gather earlier, and she and Marr said that Ragdat needed to build a new lightsaber for the man he was now. Ragdat rejected this idea, saying that his current lightsaber was never a finished product; he was constantly attuning the crystal to the man he was now. It's why the crystal was a more silver today than the pure blue blade he started with on Tython all those years ago.
Marr and Satele looked at Ragdat and nodded, understanding that their lessons had taken root long before they began teaching him today, and led him out of the cave and to Ragdat's final test; a cave jurgoran whose children Ragdat had killed in self defense. The mother was angry at Ragdat, but Ragdat remained calm, and reached out to the Force and touched the mind of the mother, showing her that he had no malice toward her children, that he regretted killing them, despite having done so in self defense. The mother relented, and went off to mourn her children.
Satele and Marr walked up behind Ragdat and asked what he saw for the fate of the galaxy, and Ragdat said, more kindly since these were his allies, "one without Vitiate" and explained that he would continue to follow his modified Jedi Way into the future. Satisfied, Satele and Marr left, but not without Satele wishing Ragdat the best of luck in finding Kira.
Ragdat returned to the Alliance base to find the mission in full swing, having gone ahead without him, with Lana wanting to know what happened; Ragdat explained that after Vitiate knocked him out, he seemingly left Ragdat's mind and Ragdat spoke to Satele and the spirit of Darth Marr before returning. Theron was shocked that his mother had been on Odessen, but before they could discuss anything further, Jorgan and Havoc went dark. Kaliyo said that she'd continue the mission her way, but Ragdat rejected that, telling Kaliyo to get back to the Alliance base, with Kaliyo spitefully saying "Still can't control me" before shutting off the comm, forcing the Alliance to wait for their return.
And that's it for Chapters 10-13. I'll be doing 14-16 after I get a few more chapters of my book done, and then, I'll do KOTET the same way, stopping there to do the Rise of Mamine before going into the War for Iokath for both. And yes, I am going to make taking down the machine gods down as part of it, even though I don't bother in the game.
Oh, and I have one request; remind me that I intend to make a joke about the Overwatch in Rise of Mamine; I intended to do so here, but it didn't fit right with the story I was telling for Ragdat. But for now, stay beautiful freaks!
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