Darth Ruin Epilogue

Jedi Master Phanius rooted himself calmly into the currents of the Force; felt it strengthen his body and sharpen his mind as he prepared for combat. At his side were three other Jedi. Sero Karm and Ryk Karm were Twi'lek twins that were raised to Jedi Knighthood together, and towering over them was the Gamorian Jedi Master Sarp Keelo who just so happened to be one of the greatest lightsaber master's that the Jedi Order had seen in centuries.

Charging toward the group of Jedi was group of Frik; alien sentients native to the planet Frikka. The Frik as a people were not technologically advanced in any sense of the word. For example, instead of speeders for transportation they rode pack animals, and instead of blasters and vibroblades they used wooden spears as weaponry. The Frik were also never religious and always seemed to be peaceful, which raised many questions when reports of multiple attacks on colonists reached Corruscant as well as rumors of the Frik worshipping a strange stone monument. That is when the Jedi High Council sent Phanius, Sero, Ryk, and Sarp to investigate these strange and unusual reports.

"Do not injure them." Said Master Keelo, "I sense a darkness in them that is not natural. It is of the dark side."

Phanius assumed the Form Six ready pose as the first Frik grew near to him. He was not privy to lightsaber combat, instead devoting his time to exploring the mysteries of the Force, but he still retained enough skill with the weapon to warrant being called a master of the art. In this respect he viewed Master Keelo as his polar opposite, as the Gamorian Jedi devoted his life to refining his skills with the blade, and used the Force almost solely to bolster his martial prowess. Phanius viewed this as a narrow minded and foolish way of viewing the Force. Its power was too infinite too focus simply into enhancing a tool that, simply put, paled in comparison the vast majesty that was the Force.

The first Frik reached striking distance of Phanius and thrust a wooden spear towards the Masters eye. Phanius barely moved. He moved his head sideways barely five centimeters as he flicked his wrist upwards, and the spear split in two. Two more Frik were shortly behind the first but Phanius simply followed through the momentum that he had already started in dispatching the first, and brought his lightsaber down in a smooth, almost liquid motion that cut off the sharp stone tips of the alien spears. Following that he stuck his foot out to trip up a Frik that was charging past him in order to attack Sero's flank, and at the same time jammed the blunt end of his lightsaber into the back of the alien's skull; not hard enough to deal any serious damage but just hard enough to knock it unconscious. Even as he did this the Force fluttered with warning, and Master Phanius stuck his free hand out behind himself without looking. A thrown spear collided with an invisible energy field a centimeter from him open palm, and the spear shattered into nothing more than splinters one would find lodged beneath their skin. Master Phanius whirled back around to where he sensed the last of the hostile Frik, only to see Master Keelo disarm the remaining aliens with astounding speed, even by Jedi Master standards. The confrontation had lasted only five seconds yet not a single Frik weapon remained in tact, and not a single Jedi had even a scratch on them.

The Jedi sheathed their weapons and began making their way through the Frik village where the strange monument was supposed to be. As they strode through the Frik village several of the Frik stuck their heads out of their cloth huts; most of them hissing or making other ungainly noises. However, having just beaten the tribes best warriors in a casual manner, not a single one make a move against the unwanted intruders.

"I don't think they like us very much." Ryk said.

"Well we are invading their village and their home." Master Keelo replied.

"It's not like there was any other choice. They have become dangerous and would not see reason." Phanius paused as they strode through the Frik village before adding. "The dark side is powerful here."

As the strode up into the middle of the village the dark side became continually stronger. At the center of the village was a large space where all of the villages huts were pushed back in order to make a magnificently symmetrical circle, and at the center of that circle was brown stone monolith. The darkside seethed from the monolith in overwhelming waves. The monolith was broken, having more than a third of it's top missing. It was also old and worn and made of a bright orange stone that was not natural to the planet Frikka. As such the most obvious question raised in the mind of Phanius was how the monolith got here. And not just here at the center of the village, but here on this planet. But this question was soon dwarfed by the realization of something that overshadowed the monoliths questionable origins.

As the Jedi drew closer Phanius could make out worn writing carved into the stone. He recognized the writing immediately as being of the ancient Sith. But then something even more bizarre happened; he heard a voice.

Ruin! It said.

"Do you hear that voice?" Phanius asked.

"What voice?" Master Keelo wondered.

Ruin! The voice screeched again.

"There! You didn't hear that?" Phanius asked beginning to develop a cold sweat.

"There is no voice, Master." Ryk said with a worried look in his face.

That is when Phanius understood, the Sith monolith was speaking to him, calling out to him through the Force. Phanius inched closer to the monolith, his heart pounding hard within his chest.

Ruin! The voice screeched louder the closer he got.

With an effort of pure will Phanius reached the monolith and placed his hand on its surface. Immediately the Dark Side flooded his body, bringing the Jedi Master to his knees as pain erupted in every inch of his body, as though every single one of his cells had simultaneously combusted. The world around him faded into blackness except for a single glowing yellow eye that peered clean through his character, everything he thought he was, everything he pretended to be, and pierce a whole through him revealing a terrible, awful, and yet glorious truth. It boiled away all the lies and left the very essence of his character naked for Phanius to finally see, comprehend, and accept.

Ruin! The voice billowed once more, and this time Phanius understood. He was Ruin.