Star Wars: The Darkness Within

[thelightfang]

"Well, that was interesting... I guess we are going to need some medical services for these three."

 

Light still held his other single-bladed saber, and walked over to the Sith. He looked to the others, shrugged, and picked him up by the elbow, forcing him to stand. "Do you need to be carried?"

 

 

Anticipating concerned looks from the others, especially the absent Corsail, he said to the others:

"We need to get Zarev and Per'dra out of here, and it's not like we can leave this guy behind, there's no telling what the 'ghouls will do next. Two of you should collect them."

 

Light looked around and didn't see Vlalkor, whom he had assumed would be taking the lead here and now. "So, where do we go now? Republic HQ, the ship, or somewhere I don't know about?"

[Warlord664]

"Blast it!" Corsail shouted as another rakghoul ripped from the piped ceiling he was under and leaped toward him. He and Vlalkor had lured the army of rakghouls away from the others, but had been pushed into to a very bad hold out spot. Hords of rakghouls were coming from every angle ripping their way through the small building. Vlalkor was at the right side of the building, Corsail was guarding the left.

 

Corsail turned with lightning reflexes and fired at the rakghoul from above, sending it flying to the floor. The amount of rakghoul bodies lying around, and inside the building was getting ridiculous. Another rakghould who had been hiding under a piece of debris near the building took this moment of distraction to attack. Corsail barely managed to jump out of the way of the attack. Hitting the hard floor of the building he rolled to the right and leaped up, firing toward the rakghoul as he did. As the rakghouls's body hit the floor Corsail looked back toward the entrance, seeing a dozen more rakghouls inches away from the entrance, he also heard more on the roof.

 

He fired a spray of blaster bolts towards the entrance and stepped back as the ceiling above him collapsed. Another five rakghouls jumped through from above and charged towards Corsail, forcing him to keep moving back. He kept firing but more and more rakghouls poured through, making it impossible to hold any ground. "Vlalkor, I've lost this side!" He shouted, trying to be heard over the screams of rakghouls.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"So...go team?"

 

Aveiala shook his head at Velox as Light forced him to stand. "Be careful with him. He may be Sith but he did help us out with Voleran. Don't hurt him."

 

"So, where do we go now? Republic HQ, the ship, or somewhere I don't know about?"

 

Avriela thought for a moment. "I think we should head back to the ship and plan our next move. We may have taken out Volean but someone or something was clearly taking control of him during the last part of that battle."

 

 

 

 

"Vlalkor, I've lost this side!"

 

Vlalkor fired a series of blaster shots at a small group of Rakghouls and dropped the group of them. "I'm about to lose this side!" He shouted as he threw a frag grenade at another group. He noticed something odd for a moment right before the Grenade had exploded. The Rakghoul at the center of the group had turned on the others.

 

"Corsail! Look at the Rakghouls!" He shouted as little by little, the Rakghouls started to stop and then quickly turned on the others.

 

"I don't know whats going on but keep blasting! Knowing our luck whatevers affecting them won't last long!"

 

Vlalkor continued blasting the various rakghouls as they fought amongst themselves.

[Warlord664]

"Corsail! Look at the Rakghouls!"

 

Corsail realized what was happening and shook his head with confusion.

 

"I don't know whats going on but keep blasting! Knowing our luck whatevers affecting them won't last long!"

 

He continued firing towards the rakghouls dropping as many as he could before they turned back on them. Let's not push our luck. Corsail quickly holstered his blasters and ran to the back wall. Igniting his lightsaber, he sliced through the wall carving a square like shape. Corsail kicked the sliced part of the wall trying to dislodge it. His third kick made it half fall out half crumble.

 

"Vlalkor, let's go while we can!" He shouted.

[thelightfang]

I wasn't planning on hurting him.

 

Light thought this but kept it to himself. "Okay, Avriela, you can take care of Per'dra. Get her up and moving, failing that, we might have to carry her back. I didn't see her get up at all in the fight, so I doubt she is in very good condition. Zarev has been inactive since hitting that wall, so, I'll go collect him."

 

"Varik, I need you to keep this guy moving, make sure he doesn't try anything funny. Once we are back to the ship, with the wounded, we can worry about finding Corsail and Vlalkor, if they don't happen to find us en route." Light left the Sith to Varik, and moved over to Zarev. He retrieved his own lightsaber, and placed both of them in his belt.

 

First, he attempted to wake Zarev up, but he seemed pretty beat up. Should I just throw him over my shoulder and try to carry him all the way back?

[Cyborg Ninja]

Velox looked down at the ground. This moment of weakness was not something he enjoyed in the slightest. He was completely helpless, at the mercy of the jedi. Maybe he could fight? It was highly doubtful he could take any of them on at this state. Maybe Per'dra and the other jedi, but that was only due to them being in bad states as well. He felt a force get him to his feet, making him tilt his head as another jedi looked to him. He simply chuckled when the jedi asked if he needed to be carried. His ribs hurt, as well as his face but he wasn't about to let someone carry him. He was a powerful sith warrior, not a small child any longer...

 

Why help him? This was their chance to eliminate him as well, yet no one seemed to show signs of attacking. He could certainly sense some uncertainty, but no desire to make the first move. Even if he wanted to make the first move, he wouldn't last a minute. His gaze turned to Avriela, certainly not used to being defended either.

 

"How sweet," he replied, followed by a small chuckle as it caused him pain to laugh.

 

Not being accustomed to such odd treatment as this, the response itself was simply a defense mechanism. The thoughts of saying Thank You might have crossed his mind, but he honestly didn't know how to say them. Being so kind wasn't exactly something he was known for. He showed honor to jedi, but certainly not sheer kindness.

 

"I don't need an escort, I can walk just fine" Velox said.

 

He wasn't about to let anyone help him, even if Varik was a much preferred jedi here. He certainly seemed better, but he didn't know any of them very well. He'd rather just go back to his ship, but sadly his was quite far away. Maybe their ship was closer and he could get some sort of treatment. After that he wasn't sure what they'd do. Would they just let him walk away? Would they take him captive? For now it was best to play by their rules for now. He didn't want to do anything drastic. He started to walk towards Avriela, the mask hiding any pain he was physically showing. Once he got close enough to the former sith he held out both of his lightsabers to her.

 

"I'm sure one of you was going to ask me to remove them anyway," he said.

[MsFicwriter]

Per'dra let out another low, guttural moan. Seeing that Velox was still alive, she coughed so hard that her body began to quiver with the effort. "No! He'll...kill us...not fit..." She meant that she wasn't fit to fight, because Voleran and his relentlessly-painful Force lightning had nearly done her in. The Jedi tried to roll over onto her stomach, which she succeeded in doing, and then to stand on all fours, which she failed to accomplish. "Oof!" Her entire body felt like it was made out of protoplasm instead of flesh and bone. With that, the complete darkness of unconsciousness engulfed her. If Velox wanted to finish her off, now was the time. Otherwise, who knew what he'd do with her and the rest of the squad?

[Chevron 7 locke]

"How sweet,"

 

Avriala shook her head and took the offered lightsabers and clipped them to her belt. "I just don't want to see you hurt. There's been enough death around here for quite awhile." She said quietly as she turned towards Per'dra as she spoke.

 

"No! He'll...kill us...not fit..."

 

Avriela couldn't help but feel bad for Per'dra. She had taken the brunt of Voleran's attack and she had been hurt badly. She could only watch as she fell unconscious.

 

"Don't worry Per'dra." She said quietly even though she knew Per'dra couldn't hear her. "I'll keep an eye on him." She said as she turned towards Velox. "Once we get back to our ship...we're going to have a chat."

 

Zarev groaned in pain as his eyes finally opened. The first thing he saw was Voleran impailed on a piece of debris, finally dead.

 

The second thing he saw was Per'dra laying on the ground. Apparently unconscious. I'm...I'm going to get her back to the ship. He decided as he starggered to his feet and walked past the others as he clipped his own lightsaber to his belt.

 

"Voleran's force lightning...It must have hit her pretty hard." He gasped as he staggered over to her and gently picked her up in his arms. His whold body was sore but he knew that if had to be him who carried her back to the ship. He had to make sure that she was safe. He had to make sure that she wouldn't be bothered while she recovered.

 

"Come on..." He muttered. "We need to get back to the ship."

 

 

 

"Vlalkor, let's go while we can!"

 

Vlalkor took a last few shot at the Rakghouls before running after Corsail. "We need to get back to the ship and power it back up! The sooner we get the others the sooner we can get out of here!"

[thelightfang]

"Alright, you heard the man. Time to move." Light walked beside Zarev, carefully watching him, to make sure he didn't trip or fall. He was also watching the surroundings looking for 'ghouls, but he was almost positive that Zarev was going to pass out. People usually weren't just okay when they get slammed around like he had been.

[Cyborg Ninja]

As if all these little adjustments weren't strange enough to Velox, Avriela added more confusion to the pile. Now she didn't want to see him hurt? Hadn't they just had a small duel a short while ago? Hadn't he told her he had to kill her? Now he had said it wasn't anything personal, and wouldn't have enjoyed fighting her unless the fight would have turned out to be good. Still to speak that way about a would have been attacker was...very strange. The next comment directed at him was both practical, yet also strange.

 

Velox turned his head towards Per'dra, watching the jedi look to him. He would have rolled his eyes...err eye, but he didn't really see the point in doing so. Hadn't she thanked him a little bit ago? Perhaps it had been directed at someone else. As far as he recalled the fight though, he had been the next one in combat after recovering and stopped Voleran from hitting her with lightning. At least she was taking a bit more of an expected approach, especially after he had attacked her too. Besides, he had already been hurt enough in his life time. This pain, while not pleasant wasn't too fatal.

 

"A chat?" Velox asked, snapping out of some minor daydreams. "What about exactly?" he added as he started to walk...well tried.

[Chevron 7 locke]

Enroute to the Shan

 

Vlalkor was trying his best to avoid the Rakghouls but for some reason, a few of them seemed to be immune to whatever had affected their minds.

 

"Corsail!" He shouted over his shoulder at the other man who was hopefully right behind him. "Look sharp. Small group of Rakghouls coming in from the left!" He shouted as he grabbed his rifle and began blasting at the rakghouls as they ran at the two of them.

 

"We're close to the Shan now. If we can get past this last group we should be able to reach the ship!" He called as the Shan came into view. It looks as if the Rakghouls had left the ship alone for the most part which had surprised him.

 

Looks like our luck is finally turning around. he thought.

 

 

 

"What about exactly?"

 

"You'll find out when we reach the ship." She replied as she kept an eye out for Rakghouls. It was a long shot...but was it possible she could turn her attacker away from the darkside? Was it possible that she could find out who he had once been? She knew he hadn't always been sith. Maybe there was still something of who he had once been underneath all that armor.

[Warlord664]

"Corsail! Look sharp. Small group of Rakghouls coming in from the left!"

 

Corsail saw them and started shooting their way as he continued running towards the ship.

 

"We're close to the Shan now. If we can get past this last group we should be able to reach the ship!"

 

"Then let's take them down!" Corsail rolled into cover and took aim. As Vlalkor ran ahead, the rakghouls charged towards him. One by one, he dropped the rakghouls before they could reach the trooper. Maybe these one's weren't under Voleran's influence? They don't appear to be as smart as the ones we fought earlier. He thought to himself.

 

"All clear! At least for the moment anyway." He said, as he got up from the small crate he was crouched behind. When he reached the ship, Vlalkor was bringing down the boarding ramp. Corsail took a moment to finally catch his breath. When the ramp was open, Vlalkor and Corsail entered the Shan. "Let's hope others managed to take down Voleran."

[thelightfang]

Light noticed some movement to the rear of the group. Looked like a couple of Rakghouls. They hadn't seen many so far, which had been surprising. They looked to be charging at the group, so Light moved to the rear to protect the others.

 

They didn't make it close enough to hurt anyone else, as Light fluidly sliced the arm and leg off of one with his left hand's saber, and decapitated the other with his right's. He impaled the skull of his leftward attacker, and moved to catch up with the group.

 

As he caught up, the group reached the top of a hill, which revealed groups of Rakghouls fighting each other. Their bodies littered the ground, and there were still a large number of ongoing conflicts between 'ghouls. "What in the hell...?"

[Chevron 7 locke]

Shan

 

"Let's hope others managed to take down Voleran."

 

Vlalkor sat down in the pilot's chair and began to hit controls and the Shan slowly rose off the ground.It looked as if the Rakghouls hadn't managed to do any serious damage to the ship and the hull was still intact.

 

"If anyone could do it, they could." He said quietly as the Shan slowly turned around as Vlalkor scanned for humanoid life signs and quickly found them. "I've found them. They're not too far away, but I think they're fighting Rakghouls. There's a massive amount of them and the rakghouls lifesigns are constantly fading. There's only around twenty ghouls left and the lifesigns are still fading.

 

Vlalkor shook his head and the ship shot off towards the group.

 

 

 

"What in the hell...?"

 

Zarev was getting dizzy as he continued carrying Per'dra but his eyes widend as he looked down. "When Voleran died...he must have lost whatever hold he had over the Rakghouls. Whatever minds they had are probably gone."

 

He looked up as a massive shadow covered the group and the sound of an engine filled the air.

 

Zarev smiled again as the Shan's boarding ramp extended down to the group and Vlalkor appeared at the top of the ramp.

 

"Hurry up and get in!" He shouted down at the group. "Those ghouls are going to notice the ship any second now!"

 

Zarev ran up the ramp with Per'dra in his arms and Avriala looked at Velox. "You can either join us in fighting this threat or try and get back to your ship and leave. Just remember...your choice can affect the rest of the galaxy."

[thelightfang]

((I'm tired of looking at this every day and seeing no new responses. -.-))

 

Light ushered the others up the ramp, pushed the new Sith guy up it with a "You can decide later, we don't have time to wait.", and walked up the ramp last, closing the ramp once everyone was inside. He looked at the others surprised that so many had been injured, and yet not killed, in the conflict. He went over to Vlalkor, "We should probably take her to Republic HQ, if there's anything left of it. Those holes on the hull have started to expand slightly which could indicate a bigger problem."

[Warlord664]

Corsail watched as each of the of members of their group walked up the ramp of the Shan, he was about to congratulate them when he saw the sith's face appear. His muscels instantly tensed, and his hands moved close to his blasters. He was standing next to Vlalkor when Light walked over.

 

"We should probably take her to Republic HQ, if there's anything left of it. Those holes on the hull have started to expand slightly which could indicate a bigger problem."

 

Corsail didn't take his eyes off the sith lord, "The problem is, that he's onboard." He said in a low voice.

[LDR]

Varik walked with the others up the ramp.

 

"We should probably take her to Republic HQ, if there's anything left of it. Those holes on the hull have started to expand slightly which could indicate a bigger problem."

 

"As long as there aren't any hull breaches then it shouldn't be much of a problem. It wouldn't hurt to get them patched up though.", he said to Light.

 

"The problem is, that he's onboard.", Corsail said, obviously referring to the new Sith onboard the ship.

 

Varik responded with a loud, annoyed groan. "We are not going to have this discussion again.", he began, referencing the little commotion with Avirela a few days ago. "I could tell that everyone is getting uneasy with another Sith being here. People, stop being naïve. This thing that controlled Voleran is a threat to both Jedi and Sith alike. It's just common sense to try to work together. Can't you just set aside your mutual animosity for at least a couple hours?", Varik finished, crossing his arms, annoyed.

[Cyborg Ninja]

The sith rolled his head slightly and let out a minor groan. Whatever this talk was going to be about was probably something he wasn't going to look forward to. Its not like he could really do anything about it in his current condition, so he might as well sit back and try to enjoy the ride for now. They weren't showing any true hostility towards him, simply caution and uneasiness. Avriela suddenly spoke to him about getting on their ship and aiding them or walking to his ship which was quite far away. Basically the choice was face possible imprisonment or bleed out trying to get to his own ship...such wonderful choices.

 

He looked back, almost considering the second option. He had survived in the past with overwhelming odds, he should be able to do it again. He turned around ready to tell them to fight on their own...then the pain came. He clutched his chest once more and stumbled back once more. He wouldn't make it walking to his ship and he couldn't even attempt to run. He moved into their ship, looking around at the interior. He only got a small glance before the interior began to spin around in his head. The dizziness combined with the pain dropped him to his knees as he coughed. He felt some blood hit the inside of his mask, and he tired to spit it out the side of his mask. He simply looked up to Avriela.

 

"...I am at your mercy," came his reply. If she wanted to take him on the ship, it was their call now. Leave him? Also their call. Give him the necessary medical attention he needed? Also their call.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"We should probably take her to Republic HQ, if there's anything left of it. Those holes on the hull have started to expand slightly which could indicate a bigger problem."

 

Vlalkor nodded in agreement. "From what I've been hearing over the comn channels Republic HQ is still in one piece. The solders were able to hold the rakghouls back and a very short time ago...well, the rakghouls turned on each other. Republic troops managed to finish them off."

 

"We should probably get the holes patched and head for wherever it is we need to go next. I have a feeling this isn't over. If Voleran was controlling the rakghouls...than what was controlling Voleran?"

 

As Vlalkor looked on, he watched as Zarev carried the still unconscious Per'dra to her quarters. Zarev looked like he was in very bad shape. His eyes were almost closed, he was limping and staggering but he still didn't stop. He gently laid Per'dra down in one of the bunks and then proceeded to collapse on the floor next to her bunk.

 

 

Avriela was doing her best to hold Velox up as they boarded the Shan and gave Corsail a look that could have punched a hole through durasteel as his hands went for his blasters. "We've all done things we regret Corsail." She said quietly as she sat him down on one of the benches near the ship's holoterminal. "Some of us more then others." She said as she looked down at Velox.

 

She grabbed a medkit from a bench and began to work on Velox's wounds as best she could. "This may hurt," She said as she worked on his wounds. "But rest assured, I'm not going to deliberately hurt you."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Velox felt Avriela move him towards a bench after his little slip up. People did indeed do things that they regretted later in life. Could Velox be considered one of those people? He was a sith, and quite a skilled one. He enjoyed fighting jedi, and the power he had. He had no problem with killing, and liked the presence he gave off. He certainly wasn't regretful of being a sith, that much he knew.

 

He began to feel the healing effects of the medkit as Avriela tended to his wounds. This was her chance to completely be rid of him if she really wanted to. For this thought, Velox had what little guard he could keep up ready. A small noise escaped his masked lips as she worked.

 

"You wanted to speak with me on something?" he asked a bit cautiously. "...and what makes you think I have something to regret?" he added.

[thelightfang]

"Varik, what if those holes expand further once we are in space? It could result in one of the rooms or more becoming depressurized, and I'd rather not deal with that kind of surprise."

 

Turning towards Corsail, he spoke again, "I'd stand down if I were you. We can talk about it more, if that's what you really want, once we get to the HQ. For now, he's someone who helped us and we will give him medical treatment, alright?"

 

Light waited for a moment, anticipating resistance.

[Warlord664]

"We are not going to have this discussion again. I could tell that everyone is getting uneasy with another Sith being here. People, stop being naïve. This thing that controlled Voleran is a threat to both Jedi and Sith alike. It's just common sense to try to work together. Can't you just set aside your mutual animosity for at least a couple hours?"

 

Corsail spat. "Common sense? If we start placing our trust into every sith we meet we'll be destroyed from the inside! And this one was just a wonderful choice wasn't he? He's obviously a sith of high rank, maybe even a dark council member, do you realize how many innocent lives he's probably taken? He's a murderer, and if you side forces with him whatever morals you jedi you pretend to have truly are worthless."

 

Corsail clutched his fists and glared at Varik in anger. "I just don't see it. You know what he is. How can you place your trust in him when you don't know what kind atrocities he's commited."

 

"We've all done things we regret Corsail. Some of us more then others."

 

Corsail looked down for a moment, then looked up at Avriela, "He doesn't regret anything. I saw the look he had in his eyes when he was fighting you, he would have killed and he would have relished in it, the thrill of victory and the look of defeat in your eyes." Corsail shook his his head.

 

"I'd stand down if I were you. We can talk about it more, if that's what you really want, once we get to the HQ. For now, he's someone who helped us and we will give him medical treatment, alright?"

 

He looked over to Light and slowly nodded, forcing his hands away from his blasters. He gave Light an apologetic look before he turned away. As he passed by Varik he mumbled, "You might want to check up on your twilek friend, haven't seen him in awhile."

[Chevron 7 locke]

"You wanted to speak with me on something?" he asked a bit cautiously. "...and what makes you think I have something to regret?"

 

Avriela continued to work on Velox's wounds. She didn't respond for a moment and then said, "Everyone has something that they regret. A path not taken, a choice not made...a life not lived. Everyone has regrets Velox. Even the jedi."

 

She took another look at his arm and saw that she had done all that she could for it and then moved onto the other one. "I was actually going to ask you who you were before you joined the Sith. Were you a Jedi? A loner with force abilities? Or were you simply raised in the Sith Empire?"

 

 

Vlalkor headed towards Zarev who was still out cold on the floor next to Per'dra's bunk and he shook his head slightly as he gently lifted the wounded jedi and placed him in a bunk. He looked down at him and asked the question that he had beent thinking since he had seen him stagger onboard.

 

"So...can anyone tell me how Zarev can be here when he apparently killed himself on Balmorra? Any theories on how he survived? And how did he get here before we did?"

 

He looked over at Zarev again and began to pilot the ship towards Republic HQ for repairs. The Shan had been through quite a bit these last few days, she deserved a few repairs before the next adventure.

[thelightfang]

Light was relieved when Corsail stood down. Nodding to his apologetic look, he walked over to Vlalkor. "At first I though he might still be under the thing's control, but he took out Voleran, so it is hard to say. If I had to guess, I'd bet that he was thoroughly convinced he would die, and the mind controller left his mind so as to avoid feeling his death.. Then someone came and rescued him from the brink of death somehow. Beyond that, I have no idea."

 

"What's our ETA?"

[Cyborg Ninja]

As he waited, Velox was lost in the words of that man. What he said was both highly accurate yet also incorrect. He only chuckled at the eye comment and decided it was best not to mention the facemask that covered the entirety of his face. He would most likely be met with abuse that he could not defend himself against at the moment. He would have killed Avriela, Per'dra, and the others if he had been given the chance during the fight.

 

Every word about what he said about him fighting was correct. He would have loved every second of that fight. He had killed many before and would continue to do so. The innocent though? That was a different story, and was something he was punished for never actually doing. There was no sport in the lives of the innocent, no fun nor challenge either.

 

"Everyone has something that they regret. A path not taken, a choice not made...a life not lived. Everyone has regrets Velox. Even the jedi."

 

Velox tilted his head at this, almost believing the statement she spoke. He was certain that such a statement could be applied to most beings, but he was above such a thing. Regret? He was a skilled sith warrior, and basically got whatever he wanted. Why would he regret such a life? The life he had before failed in comparison. Only briefly did his mind flash back to the day he was discovered. Only briefly did he see the dense rainfall that wash away the blood on his flesh.

 

"I was actually going to ask you who you were before you joined the Sith. Were you a Jedi? A loner with force abilities? Or were you simply raised in the Sith Empire?"

 

Velox let out his signature chuckle at this request. So she wanted to get to know her enemy did she?

 

"I guess there's no harm in that answer. I suppose the last two questions are correct, my dear Avriela. It was a stormy night when some sith scouts discovered me. Before then I had been a loner. I barely knew what the force was or how it worked. Back then it was simply instinct to me. I had been in the deep woods for sometime...but I do not recall why. I came across one of the most incredible spectacles I had ever seen. It was a duel between two jedi and two sith. The way their sabers clashed was both terrifying yet spectacular at the same time. There was something about the red sabers that I didn't like and when one of them drew near that instinct kicked in...I attacked and killed the sith with a blade I had made on my own."

 

Velox shifted slightly as he took a break in his recollection of his time before being a sith. He gazed at Avriela, wondering what she thought of his little tale so far.

 

"The fight with the other three was highly difficult, but I did no go without injury. To be honest I still don't know how I survived that night. The scouts found me and took me back. I thought for sure I was done for, but my body had nothing left in me and I blacked out. When I awoke, I was put on some sort of trial by sith lords. While angered I had killed two warriors, they were just as impressed with the entire outcome. They decided I would make a powerful sith...and you know the rest."

 

One key thing about Velox's story was something he knew nothing about. How had he survived that encounter? Why was he in the woods in the first place? Why had he been surprised about Avriela's description of him when he attacked their group?

 

All of these questions have one thing in common that Velox could not see for he was simply unaware of what happened before all of this. His unique fighting style was not so much a style at all...but the desperation of a survivor. He tapped into a state of desperation and as a result became a brutal and vicious assailant. Whatever Avriela had seen of him was not a conscious version of himself, but that pure instinct taking over.

 

"You know that man is right about me...I would have tried to kill you all," he said to Avriela. His tone wasn't threatening though despite the words he spoke.