I am overdue for an update here! As always feedback is much appreciated.
For reference, please feel free to catch up on the past chapters at the links below -- plus character profiles too:
The Enloe Trials Prologue: The Baron's CrusadeChapter 1: Seeds of InsurrectionChapter 2: AtrocityChapter 3: RevelationsChapter 4: Shadow of DeathChapter 5: Depths of DespairChapter 6: Seekers of the Dark RelicChapter 7: Veils of DeceitChapter 8: CatastropheChapter 9: The Fall of BanyssChapter 10: Shards of RebellionAnd the character profiles to help understand this chapter are as follows... most other main characters are not present in this chapter, so to see their profiles please reference a previous chapter in the links above.
Rykrof Enloe - Homeworld - Naboo. Former Republic Commander, who is now an enemy of the Empire. He has a history of entanglements with the Badoo Corba terrorist organization, dating back prior to the Clone Wars. He is a former close friend of Imperial Baron Tylin Gere and was been forced to embark on a desperate mission to acquire an ancient Sith artifact for Tylin - which ended in failure. Since then, he has inadvertently led Imperial forces to a secret Rebel base on Banyss, which was destroyed by Darth Vader's forces. Rykrof has now been taken captive by the Empire. His wife, son and closes friends believe he is now deceased.
Baron Tylin Gere - Homeworld - Naboo. Former close ally of Rykrof Enloe, the two served as Republic Peace Officers prior to the Clone Wars and later as officers in the Grand Army of the Republic. Tylin thirsts for power and has become obsessed with acquiring an ancient Sith artifact, which was recently acquired by Darth Vader, who he secretly sees as a rival. He has taken custody of Alyssa and Caldin Enloe, and ordered the death of Rykrof's father. He believes Rykrof Enloe is dead, once and for all.
Commander Vlarra Gere - Homeworld - Naboo. Nephew of Tylin Gere. Vlarra has always admired his uncle's ambition and strives to rise through the Imperial ranks quickly, regardless of the means.
Emperor Palpatine - Homeword - Naboo. Dark Lord of the Sith and the undisputed leader of the Galactic Empire. He attempted to mold Rykrof Enloe as the ideal Imperial officer but failed. He takes great interest in Baron Tylin Gere's personal quests for power and admires his ambition.
Darth Vader - Homeworld - Tatooine. Dark Lord of the Sith and follows the instructions of his master, Emperor Palpatine. During the Clone Wars, he was once friends with Rykrof Enloe. He considers Rykrof a traitor to the Empire but also is fully aware that Rykrof once helped protect Padme Amidala, and rather than killing him, he has spared Rykrof's life by sending him to a secret penal colony. However, his loyalties to Emperor Palpatine are secure.
Tartaaris...for centuries, the Outer Rim world prided itself as a haven for smugglers.
But the planet became a brutal battleground during the final stages of the Clone Wars.
Deemed a galactic disaster sector, it was abandoned before the Empire began utilizing the planet as a dumping ground...
...and established Tartaaris as an undisclosed penal colony for former Separatists and other undesirables.
Over time, a hierarchy of gangs has risen within the prisoner ranks...
...led by a former slave trader known as Atracion.
As the malefactors throughout the wasteland struggle to survive, they are constantly being watched by an enigmatic observer...
...and hunted by mysterious droids.
The planet is consumed by the stench of death.
It has been many years now since Rykrof Enloe was captured by the Empire...
...he now calls this festering hellhole his home.
The Imperial ration drops are the only reliable form of sustenance...
...but they have become infrequent at best...
...forcing Rykrof to explore new territory.
This extreme lifestyle has made Rykrof Enloe a changed man...
...he now lives for one sole purpose...
...
revenge.
Rummaging through the remains of a crashed Republic gunship, he spots something in the debris...
...he jumps down to grasp it...
...an E-5 blaster!
He looks back to ensure he has not been followed...
...then grasps the weapon!
But as expected, the power source has been exhausted.
Rykrof is just about to leave the wreck when he feels a strange sensation.
The hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he feels a subtle compulsion -
KEEP LOOKING!
Nudged by this sensation, he approaches a broken down astromech droid.
Almost without thinking, he feels compelled to remove the debris leaning on the dome of the droid...
Freed from the wreckage, a hatch on the droid ejects a cylindrical object!
Could it be...?
A lightsaber?
His heart pounding uncontrollably, Rykrof presses the igniter switch...
...and the weapon hisses to life!
Holding the weapon, a strange feeling spreads throughout his body...
...his mother was a Jedi of the Republic...
...her gift with the Force was not passed onto him; or so he has always been told.
But for all the tribulations he has survived, Rykrof has begun to have his doubts...
Most men, through his experiences, would have died dozens of times.
Did his father lie to him? Does part of his mother's gift run through his veins?
"YOU!" a raspy voice sneers.
Turning around, Rykrof sees a pair of penal colony prisoners approaching him; a brute Katrillian flanked by a human.
"You're not supposed to be here! You're trespassing!"
"What's that right there you're holding?"
"Looks fancy; whatever it is," the Katrillian's companion says.
"This?"
"I'm not really sure," Rykrof lies.
"Just more junk; I guess."
"Hand it over."
"It's not anything worth taking," Rykrof shrugs.
"Besides, it's
mine."
"
Kill him!"
"
Dammit!" Rykrof curses...
...before striking the reptilian alien dead!
The other assailant then swiftly strikes Rykrof down!
"Worthless slug," he spits...
...before a laser blast slams into his skull!
"What the...?"
"Settle down," an old man smiles.
"Don't be afraid."
"Whoever you are, thank you," Rykrof says.
"Don't thank me just yet," the old man insists.
"We've got to get far away from here."
"All this commotion won't go unnoticed."
