Story of Shensen

Shensenn · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:13 pm Post subject: Story of Shensen

(Moving this over. Thought I moved this already, but better to be safe)

Shensen DeBloodletter, the real Shensen, was actually a Zabrak I grew up with as a kid in Bestine. Shensen was extremely pro-empire and we often got into heated debates about it which only sometimes led to blows. When he wasn't hanging out getting into trouble with Hammar and I, he was at the Cantina listening to the Imperial Officers talk up their position and make big promises. I knew someday he would join the Empire, but despite our political differences he was still my friend.

He did eventually join the Empire and built a small house just outside the Imperial Outpost. He had setup a small shop from his house and sold stimpacks and bioengineered pets for creature handlers to practice with. He was making a decent living there and given the location he had plenty of traffic. Don't misunderstand now, he wasn't stationed at an outpost in the middle of nowhere for nothing. There were a lot of skirmishes between rebel factions and imperial ones. Probably the most famous battles of this time were between a rebel guild known originally as MERCS and later became Red Dawn, and the imperial guild known as Obsidian Asylum (OA). OA was probably the top dog at the time as far as imperial guilds went in that sector, the name spoken on the lips of any rebel who knew what was what.

This was the guild Shensen decided he wanted to join "“ with his fervor and their battle experience they would teach him what he needed to know in order to make a difference in the war. One of the OA members, Jonman, happened by to place an order of stimpacks and the two got to talking. Shensen expressed his interest in joining and Jonman contacted the guild leadership to consider it. Shensen received word a few days later via coded transmission from Havok. All was set and he was approved for membership, they just needed to meet up to make it all official, sign the paperwork, etc. A couple days and nights passed and the two just could not get their schedules quite right so Shensen contacted Jonman and asked if there was an Officer that could finish it up. Some time passed and he asked what was going on and was told they were discussing it. He then started speaking with one of the officers named Asylumsghost and asked what the hold up was. He was told they were discussing whether or not to let him in. This infuriated Shensen since he already had assurances from Havok that he was approved. The two exchanged some words and ended the relationship. Shensen was crushed. His dream of joining the best Imperial guild was now a nightmare. What he had always thought of as a well-oiled machine, showed itself as unorganized illusion.

(*ooc: They had second thoughts because I was friends with people in RD in real life. I explained to them that it is a game and I can separate friendship from game. They said ok, then this all happened)

In a few hours he had sold his house and his shop and had transferred all credits to a bank account attached to his Will. In his last act of defiance, he single handedly assaulted a rebel base thought to have housed Princess Leia. He killed many, but numbers were against him and he was slain...
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:14 pm Post subject:

It seems I was Shensen's beneficiary, so I was contacted a few days later and given the news along with a hefty inheritance. I was very upset about the whole thing and was not fit to live with so even my brother Hammar avoided me. I took everything I owned and traveled to Talus, much against my brother's wishes.

The spaceport was bustling with people traveling out and few traveling in. Merchants lined the corridors selling their wares while others were trying to form hunting parties. As I reached the exit, I heard the sound of blaster fire. Then the ground shook with the concussion of a grenade thrown not so far off followed by the acrid smell of smoke mingled with burning flesh. The scene outside the spaceport was chaotic.

Two large forces were clashing near the rear of the local cantina. In the distance it was a haze of smoke backlit by flamethrowers & blasters, punctuated by grenade and rocket launcher blasts. Local flora was aflame and the structures that got in the way were piles of smoking rubble. So many bodies were strewn about the Doctors and medics in training were hard pressed to keep up. The Doctors now paused briefly over each figure long enough to decide if they could be helped.

I eased my FWG5 from its holster and carried it openly in one hand while I held the bag with my belongings over my shoulder with the other. I stepped out of the spaceport and cautiously made my way toward the parking garage to rent a swoop. The fighting still raged in the distance and I could hear the sounds of smaller skirmishes in other areas. It was spreading it seemed. I Zabrak approached me at a run, but after quick inspection his weapons were holstered. He slowed in front of me and paused to catch his breath.

"You Achelous?"

"Yeah that's me. I was told you'd be arriving today. Well actually I was told an ugly purple Trandoshan would be arriving today and since you're all pretty ugly I guess it's a good thing you're purple." He said, followed by a fit of laughter that brought tears to his eyes.

He was wiping the tears away when my FWG5 came up so point at his head. "Hey it was only a joke!" He started.

"Duck." He did and the blaster shot fired as soon as it could clear his head to slam into the chest of an Imperial Stormtrooper.

"Nice." He brushed off dust on already dirty clothes undoubtedly from earlier skirmishes. "Follow me."

We went about six blocks, but it took us almost an hour. We hid a lot and fought when we could not hide. The suns were setting by the time we got out of Daeric and reached the makeshift camp outside of town. I was introduced to the wookiee Silky along with some of the other officers.

"What's your name?" Silky asked.

I thought about it a moment. "OA'Sukks" I answered. They all smiled and nodded their heads. We skipped formality since Achelous now vouched for me and I was inducted into Red Dawn.

Over the next year we battled with our foes across the galaxy. Talus, Naboo, Rori, Corellia "“ you name it we probably fought there. I also went through the long channels to gain the trust of the Rebellion by doing odd jobs, rescue missions, and some covery operations. I eventually got to meet the Princess herself along with a few others of questionable repute, least of which being a smuggler and a farmboy. Well this was the rebellion and I too was once a boy without a care. The difference was that these two wanted to make a difference and believed in the cause. I fought only for the battle and for revenge. I had mastered brawling and the techniques of the Teras Kasi Masters. I used to speak to Shensen during battle - pretending to keep count of how many I had killed.

By the end of the second year I had had enough of the war. I had enough nightmares and felt no need to relive new ones. I felt broken and empty and lost. I bid farewell to Achelous, Krystyana, Arifo, Cormyr, and others I had fought beside. I bid farewell to Red Dawn and gave up the name I had given as that name represented someone I no longer was. Instead I took the name of my fallen friend, the name that had started it all. It seemed a good name and fitting that now we both would be retiring once and for all. I went into exile to relax, think about my life, what I had done and what I wanted to do next. Hoping to remember three boys who grew up in Bestine.

To be continued....
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Shensenn · Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:15 pm Post subject:

I moved to Naboo, a short speeder ride from Moenia and joined up with the Council of Phoenix. It was a rebel faction made up of artisans and former Red Dawn war veterans. Our small town was growing quickly and we found we didn't have the room needed for expansion. We all packed up and reestablished our city on Dantooine. I put away my Vibro knucklers and studied long enough to Master Weaponsmithing and Droid creation. I started and ran a successful shop and rented space to other vendors. The life of a merchant was peaceful and profitable, but I felt a longing. I couldn't explain what it was, but I felt like I should be doing something else "“ like a greater power calling me, but the voice was too low to make it out.

It was several months of this feeling that a long time customer returned to my store and as usual we chatted about business and the goings on of the galaxy. This particular customer was a Jedi. Once of the few remaining as far as I knew. Everyone knew their secrets were safe with me so neither of us ever mentioned it and it never interfered with our business dealings. This particular time wasn't much different with the exception of his parting comment which was:

"Take care my friend. These are dark times for our kind and we must be ever vigilant in hiding our presence."

I took his meaning right away, but I didn't want to believe it. "I don't know what you are referring to, but I am always careful."

"The force is strong in you Shensen - wild and untrained, but strong nonetheless. You must take care for there are those that would exploit you for it or destroy you for refusal." He noticed the denial on my face. "Search your feelings. You know I speak the truth." He paused once at the doorway, but did not look back. "May the force be with you."

I thought about that exchange for several days before putting it out of my mind as I became more and more engrossed in managing the day to day affairs of my blossoming business. That feeling was still there, but I pretended to ignore it and went about my business for the next few weeks until I was visited by an old man. He wandered about my shop a few minutes pretending interest in some item or other before he approached me and got to the chase. He named me as force sensitive and asked if I was interested in pursuing the development of it. Remembering my other visitor's parting words I was hesitant, but my instincts told me this old man was trustworthy. I agreed and he left me with a crystal to guard. A menial task seemingly unrelated to the ways of the force, but I assumed it was a test of some kind. I was not far off.

I was attacked a couple of days later by some thugs as I finished closing up my shop for the night. I had been heading to the Mining Outpost cantina for a drink when blaster shots whizzed past my speeder as I was leaving town. Quick reflexes from my war days saved me as I rolled and came up on my feet. I made quick work of the thugs and wondered who they were and why they were after me. I checked the corpses and found a data pad which led me to an encampment several clicks west of my current location. Jumping on my speeder I headed out there to get some answers. These guys were no more talkative than the ones that jumped me. They were surprised to see me, which was probably why they all died so quickly upon my arrival. A search of the camp revealed little except some coded coordinates on Dathomir. Other than a couple outposts there wasn't much on Dathomir...well, nothing good unless you count Rancors and a couple hundred other creatures that want nothing more than to make a meal of you. The Nightsisters didn't take kindly to anyone either.

Curiosity and that feeling that had been gnawing at me had me coming out of hyperspace in the Dathomir system several days later. A friend was looking after my shop while I took a short leave for what he thought was a vacation to the casinos of Deeja Peak. I landed at one of the small outposts and had to go the remainder of the way via speeder. The swoop was faster, but the terrain was less forgiving at the higher speed of the swoop. A few hours later I was surprised to find a small village out at the coordinates I had picked up from the Thugs. The people there varied in species, but all spoke galactic basic. They were not surprised to see me and in fact seemed to be awaiting my arrival.

I spoke with the Village Elder for quite some time as the people of the village went about their tasks in trying to fortify their little city. Captain Sarguillo was in charge of the village defense and spent every day barking orders and sending scouting parties to deal with any Sith encampments. I learned that the village was made up of force sensitives to some degree and they were in hiding not only from the Empire, but also from the survivors of the Sith. It turned out it was the Sith who attacked me and also attacked the village from time to time as well, led by Mellichae. Mellichae was trained in the ways of the force and sought greater power until he was cast down and almost killed by Darth Vader.

I spent the next year at the village among its people and learned of the force from different people there. The tasks they set upon me seemed unrelated, but in retrospect each one was preparing me for the trials ahead as well as making me more aware of the powers manifesting inside me. The time finally came that I left the village and returned home to my shop.

Much had changed in my absence. My friend had sold the shop thinking I would not return, and the city I had lived in was no more. I cleaned my house and contemplated my future. I knew of the force now, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do now? Secrecy goes without saying, but what was the point in this connection if it served no greater purpose? Was I to scour the galaxy for a hidden Jedi Master and get more training? Was I to make it my mission to stop the remnants of the Sith? Too many questions and not enough answers. Noldan had always suggested meditation in times of uncertainty. I was about to do just that when I sensed a familiar presence followed shortly by a knock on my door.

I answered the door to find the same old man that had given me a crystal and set me upon my path over a year ago. We talked for a time and he told me I had to defeat Mellichae as the last step in my training with him. I looked up some people from the old city and some of them had formed a new guild with a new city. I rejoined my friends in this new guild and setup a small home in their city on Tattooine. We gathered our allies and went out and found Mellichae's encampment. After a long battle, he was finally defeated and I again felt that pull.

This time the pull led me to an old shrine. While in deep meditation there, the voices of Jedi Masters long gone set me on tasks "“ trials they called them. The trials took me all over the galaxy and had me dealing mainly with mediation of disputes. Peace brokering and mediation was apparently one of the Jedi strong suits from the days of the Old Republic when the Jedi were strong. I constructed my lightsaber "“ also a test. Upon completion of the trials I was then sent to a small home in the middle of the tattooine desert that had long been abandoned. I could sense a strong presence there although it was clear no one had lived there for decades. The inside was surprisingly clean even though it was dark. I walked straight to a chest as if a line had been drawn. Inside I found robes that once belonged to the Jedi that inhabited this home. A small part of me felt disrespectful rummaging around in someone's house, but the rest of me said it was right.

"They are yours now young one." A mysterious voice sounded in my mind.

I took the robes and bowed to the unseen watcher before leaving to return to my home on Dantooine. So my journey begins yet again, but that will be another story...
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