Dark Tides

[Havoc Stryphe]

Yes, STAR WARS: Dark Tides lives on!

 

Come one, come all to read this newest addition to an epic tale of good vs. evil, The nature of the force, and redemption. Just read what the Critics have to say about Dark Tides:

 

"Once in a while, a story comes along that changes the course of Human History, Dark Tides is not one of those stories, but worth while, anyways!" - Kitty Carlyle, Easy Rider

 

"This could easily be one of the most forgettable stories ever told!" - Max Little, Clock & Pendulum

 

"Don't miss out on what so many others chose to!" - Cass Miles, Pastures Weekly

 

"Dark Tides, storytelling at it's mediocracy." - Cary Flack, Mexican Luxury

 

"It grabs hold of you and won't let go of you until the very last page... unfortunately." - Hugh Jirift, Pseudonyms Anonymous

 

"If you read only one story this year, than there is something terribly wrong with you!" - Orson Bean, Sky & Telescope

 

"It's loads of fun and great for the whole family" - Havoc Stryphe, Lucasforums.com

 

 

They all can't be wrong! What are you waiting for? Start reading STAR WARS: Dark Tides today!

[Darth Homer]

"It's the best thing since the last thing!!" --Darth Homer

 

"PANTS MELTING ACTION!!!" --Boba Rhett

 

"Why am I such a sniveling coward?" --Chase

 

"Let me go!! I'm a movie reviewer, not a book critic!! Somebody help me!! This guy's got me locked in his closet!!" -Gene Shalit

 

 

 

come on! More story!! :D:D:D

[Havoc Stryphe]

Originally posted by Darth Homer

come on! More story!! :D:D:D

 

 

Chapter 32 is currently under way. Unfortunately, since Tie Guy has dropped out to write his book, I am left with the Jedi portion of the story as well. I have already wrote a 1/4 of the next chapter, and have a pretty good idea where to take that particular story arc, but it will not be as masterfully written as it would have been if Tie had continued to write it.

 

Updates willl come slowly, but I will try my hardest to finish this story, because I started it, and I too would like to know how it finishes!

 

By week's end, the new chapter should be up. Also, try to get the forum more involved in this story, it would help motivate me if I knew more than one person was reading it, (No offense to You Homer!)

 

Anyways, folks. Dark Tides will be completed if I have anything to say about it. So check back periodically, I know I will. Also please give feedback on how I'm doing. I'd like to hear ideas, and critiques. After all, you guys are the ones I'm trying to please!

[Darth Homer]

Here's an idea for ya, Havoc...more of ME!! Yes, Darth Homer needs to kick some more ass

 

Come on, people, give feedback!

[CorranSec]

I'm reading it. From me, silence generally constitutes support. If you remember that, you'll always have one follower.

Here's some more exciting reviews:

 

"By the time you get to the last page, you've forgotten what's on the first page. Thus, it's a story you'll be sure to reread many times!" - Laura Sell, Generally Books

 

"I liked the bit with the explosions." - Tom Sayh, Explosions Daily

 

"Not enough dogs." - John Tarr, Dogs, Dogs and More Dogs

 

"Can I be in it?" - CorranSec, LucasForums

 

"As the popularity of Dark Tides falls, it seems clear that nobody will care about this review anyway. But I'll warn people away, just in case." - Bob Dao, I Like Stories

 

"Please?" - CorranSec, LucasForums

[Silenthunter]

"Two Thumbs...err, whatever Up!-Silenthunter

 

"Holy Crap! I should really try to make fun of this, but...I can't!"-Strong Bad

 

"Good jorb there!"-Coach Z

 

"Uhhh...I was raised my by a cup of coffee"-Homsar

 

"More girls!"-Eets

[Tie Guy]

Hey, good to see ya'll again. I've been kinda taken a break from all this lucasforms mess, but i'm glad i checked in now. It's great to see the stroy up and running again.

 

I can barely even remember what happened way back when. Heck, i can barely remember what's happening in the story i'm writing right now.

 

 

I don't know, though. This story has been so much fun, maybe i'll jump back into it if that's ok with ya'll. Shouldn't take up too much time, and i'd like to see it through. Plus, it'll take a little of the burden off Havoc's back. Be warned, though, i may not be able to finish every chapter as quickly as i used to, what with everything mounting at the end of the year.

 

With that said, Havoc, if your willing to let me back in, i'd be glad to write a few more chapters. If not, i'll certainly understand and have fun reading it again. Just let me know.

[Havoc Stryphe]

By all means, Tie, go ahead and jump back in. I was really having a hard time trying to continue the Jedi storyline. So it actually pleases me greatly to see you come back to the project. After all, this story is as much yours as it is mine, if not more.

 

So take the nect chapter, and I will work on where to take the dark eyes next...

[Tie Guy]

Ok, great. thanks. Now if we can just get YD to come back we'd have the whole crew...

 

I should have it up in a day or so. First of all i gotta catch up to where we left off.

[Tie Guy]

Alright, here we go.

 

 

Chapter Thirty-Three: Loose Ends

 

 

“Tie!” came Kvan’s voice as Tie Guy walked quickly down the corridors of the Jedi Temple.

 

Tie Guy didn’t look back. “Not even you can stop me this time, Kvan. Don’t get in my way.”

 

“I’m not here to stop you,” Kvan said, catching up to his brother.

 

Tie stopped in mid walk, then turned sharply to face his brother, looking him right in the eyes. “Oh really? Why are you here, then, huh? You gonna give me another lecture on revenge and power? Don’t waste your breath.”

 

“No, that’s not it, either,” Kvan responded. “I came here…to go with you.”

 

“Whatever,” Tie snorted. He pushed his former Master away with the palm of his hand, and then turned and walked away.

 

“You can’t do it alone. You need me, Tie.”

 

Tie didn’t miss a step; he just kept on walking. “I don’t need a conscience,” he said over his shoulder, and then left his brother behind.

 

 

 

 

Tie Guy flipped the ignition switches on his new fighter craft the Jedi had spared him for his departure. With a low rumbled and whine the lights came on and the power started. He began running through the pre-flight checks to get to leave. He had never flown that particular type of ship before, but it was similar enough to the other fighters at which he was so adept. He’d be prepared for any trouble. And where he was going, there would be more than enough to spare.

 

Just as he was about to fire up the repulsorlifts, Tie saw Kvan approaching his ship. “Oh great,” he mumbled. Shaking his head slightly, he popped the canopy open. “What do you want?” he demanded petulantly.

 

“Where are you going?” Kvan asked.

 

“That’s none of your business anymore. Leave me alone; I know what I’m doing.”

 

“Do you? Then what exactly are you going to do.”

 

A menacing smile crept across his face. “I’m just going to visit some old friends.”

 

“But—“ Kvan started to say, but Tie closed the canopy, cutting his brother off, and sealed it. Then he dialed up the repulsorlifts and glided out of the hangar.

 

He angled toward space and blasted off as soon as he cleared the walls of the temple. Within minutes he had clearance to exit the atmosphere and his ship cruised into space, away from Coruscant forever.

 

He was glad the latest episode in his life was over. The Jedi had helped him, true, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. He never was and never would be a Jedi. He didn’t belong in the Temple or following some code. That wasn’t who he was. He was a mercenary, and it was about time he got back to business.

 

His first score was with the Sith, but he didn’t know where he could hit them. His second priority was finding the rest of the Dark Eyes, but he had no way of knowing where they were. There was one thing he could do immediately, however, and it would bring him much pleasure.

 

He punched in the Orkassus system and the navicomputer spat out a few lines of coordinates. They checked out, so he pulled back a lever and catapulted the ship into hyperspace. He checked the computer once more and smiled. It would all begin in five hours.

 

 

 

 

Tie Guy’s starfighter burst into realspace just outside the forth planet in the Orkassus system. The green and brown speckled world flooded the viewport. It looked so peaceful from space, but Tie knew of the snares it kept beneath its wings. Mihentia was no ordinary planet; it was a fortress. Nestled in the twisting canyons and valleys were the people who had started everything.

 

“This has gone on long enough. It ends now,” Tie said under his breath as the planet grew in his scopes. It would only be a few seconds before they pick him up on their scanners, but he didn’t care. They weren’t going to stop him now.

 

“Unidentified starfighter, identify yourself immediately!” a voice crackled over the comm.

 

Tie just smiled. “What’s the matter control, forget how to read and IFF transponder?”

 

“Unidentified starfighter, identify yourself or you will be fired upon!”

 

“Bring it on, I could use a good fight.”

 

“Last chance,” the traffic control officer said, half yelling, half pleading. They must have known who he was, or at least where he came from. Neither boded well for them. “I’m sending out the fighters. Stand down or die!”

 

“Alright control. This is Tie Guy of the Dark Eyes. Tell your master I’ll be with him shortly. Tie Guy, out.” Tie cut the comm, denying the officer any chance to reply. He shifted in his chair, preparing to fight, and lined up with the approaching fighters. Five of them. Wouldn’t be easy, but he didn’t need to kill them all. All he had to do was get to the surface.

 

He checked his sensors. Thirty standard seconds till they were in range. He adjusted his course slightly so that he lined up directly with the lead fighter. Normally head-to-head fighting was a good way to get both sides killed, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He watched carefully as the range indicator ticked down. Five kilometers. Four kilometers. Three. Two.

 

The Jedi Starfighter sprang to life, energy lances spraying from both sides. The lead pilot took the bolts dead on. The first few blasts bounced off the shields, but a few penetrated, causing huge scorch marks along the left side of the fuselage. The ship began to wobble, one of its engines dead, and fall behind the others. Then it veered sharply to the left and exploded, showering its allies with debris.

 

Return fire from the remaining four foes streaked past him, but none of it was on the mark. Tie flung his fighter into an upward corkscrew and watched as his opponents passed underneath him. They turned for another pass on him, so he quickly inverted and looped, bringing him once more face to face with his attackers. He snapped off a few shots as he came out of the loop, but none landed, so he rolled in behind the group of fighters.

 

The squad quickly broke formation, but Tie stayed on his man, following him through a relative climb. When the fighter level back out, Tie fired, raking his enemy’s ship with energy. It broke apart, then exploded violently, peppering Tie’s shields with harmless pieces of wreckage.

 

If I can just get one more I should be able to make a run for it, Tie thought to himself. Warning lights suddenly flickered, however, and he realized one of the fighters had managed to get on his tail. Tie juked his craft in all directions, but he couldn’t loose the attacker so easily.

 

The fighter fired several shots at him, but Tie saw them coming through the Force before they even materialized. He easily evaded, then snap-rolled off to the right before doing an inverted loop. His opponent tried to match the maneuver, but blew right past Tie instead.

 

Tie seized the opportunity, falling in behind the doomed starfighter. He waited patiently for the solid tone of a laser lock, and then fired several shots into the backside of his prey. The ship’s engines took the brunt of the attack, flicking before dying out completely. The powerless ship drifted lazily off into space on a long, endless arc. That left only two fighters.

 

“Time to make my run for it,” Tie breathed from the inside of his cockpit. He angled his ship on a straight line for the base and hit the thrusters. A quick check of his sensors revealed that the two living fighters pilots were dropping in on his six, but he didn’t care. They wouldn’t even catch him in time much less hit him. Once he was on surface it would all be over. He hoped.

 

As he closed on the main complex huddled in the base of a valley and intersecting a perpendicular canyon, the trailing ships fired desperately. A few shots deflected off his shields, but none did any real damage.

 

At one klick out the ground weapons opened up from the corners of the base and began lighting up the sky with enormous laser blasts. They were turbolasers, intended to take out capital ships, not starfighters, and thus their targeting computers were no match for a fighter’s speed and agility. A single lucky shot, however, could ruin the day.

 

Tie carefully weaved in and out of the energy web being sown by the turbolasers, not giving them anything to shoot at. Then, one by one, he targeted and fired on the towers that housed the immense lasers actuators and power generators. His first shot took out the one on the far left corner of the base, creating a massive plume of fire and smoke that stretched to the sky. His next shot targeted the far right tower, but the bolt fell short of their target. It didn’t matter, though; Tie was almost inside their defense perimeter.

 

The fighters behind him continued to fire on his tail, but their accuracy had not improved by much. One of their bolts did manage to hit squarely on his rear shields. He turned reflexively around to check it.

 

Suddenly he caught an warning in the Force and jerked the stick to the left, spinning out of the way just in time to see a lucky turbolaser blast tear through the space he had just occupied. The fighter behind him, however, was not so fortunate. The bolt incinerated his ship instantly, shattering it into a million, burning pieces.

 

The sole remaining enemy, seeing the grisly fate of his wingman at the hands of own defenses, peeled off his pursuit and circled back up into the atmosphere, leaving Tie alone. Moments later he broke through the defense screen and the turbolasers fell silent, futile.

 

Tie landed gently, unopposed, on the duracrete flat in front of what he thought to be a hangar. With a hiss the canopy opened to the Mihentia air. Tie didn’t waste any time. He checked his blaster and grabbed lightsaber, igniting the blade as he leapt down from the fighter. He didn’t see any ground defenses, but that didn’t necessarily mean there weren’t any.

 

Tie, lightsaber in hand, quickly searched for the control panel to the huge bay doors standing in his way. He found a small rectangular box just to the right of the doors. It appeared to require either a keycard or a password, neither of which he had.

 

He opened the front panel and inspected it, then he jammed his lightsaber deep into the wall. Sparks flew and smoke flooded from the hole, and the doors slowly creaked open enough for him to enter.

 

A half-squad of guards waited for him inside, blasters drawn. Tie strode in confidently, but the guards held their fire. “Stop right there!” they commanded.

 

“Why don’t you make me? Those are real blasters, aren’t they?” Tie responded mockingly.

 

“You’re outnumbered. Surrender now and you won’t be hurt.”

 

Tie laughed out loud. “Six to one? I’ll take my chances.”

 

Some of the guards started shaking nervously. “This is your last chance!” the lead man yelled. “I’m warning you! We will shoot to kill!”

 

“By all means go ahead and try. But my score isn’t with you. Leave now and maybe I’ll let you live.”

 

The guards didn’t know what to do, they just stood, blasters poised, for several seconds. Suddenly one bolt pierced the silence, followed by five more mere nanoseconds later.

 

Tie saw the attack coming through the Force, but he didn’t even bother to deflect the bolts. Instead he rolled out of the way a few meters to his left, coming up on the balls of his feet and one hand on the floor, with his lightsaber ready in the other. In one fluid motion he came up, propelled himself towards the guards with the Force, decapitating the leftmost guard in mid leap, then landing ten meters behind the soldiers in a similar position.

 

The other guards ceased fire for a second, looking at their fallen comrade in disbelief. They quickly refocused, did an about face, and continued firing on the Jedi.

 

This time Tie brought his saber up in a defensive posture. He touched the Force for guidance, weaving an intricate pattern of deflection that stopped the deadly energy and returned it to its origin. One guard dropped under his own fire, then another, until there were only three left, frightened but persistent.

 

Taking advantage of momentary lapse in the fire, Tie jumped into the air and over the three guards, landing almost instantly, before they could react. Inverting his blade, he thrust it behind him, spearing the unlucky mercenary through the back. He then spun his body, extending his blade to sever the man standing to his right’s lower and upper half and sending them, smoking, to the floor.

 

The man to Tie’s left had just begun to counter his move, turning to his right and leveling his blaster. In a sweeping motion, cutting the blaster’s barrel off, rendering the weapon useless. He then reached out his hand, tapping the Force, and shoved the man backwards, sending him sliding across the floor into the wall, where he slumped down, unconscious.

 

Tie breathed heavily and sipped on the Force for more energy, then moved to the exit on the far side of the bay, leaving the smoldering bodies behind him with no regrets.

 

The bay opened up into a long, straight hallway that, if Tie had guessed correctly, led straight to the heart of the building, where the command center was located. Of course, even then it wouldn’t be that easy. There would no doubt be more guards along the way possibly some fixed defenses as well. And every intersection of hallways could be used for ambushes. Won’t be easy, Tie thought as he stared down the seemingly empty tunnel, but that just means more fun for me.

 

Breaking into an open run, his lightsaber poised, Tie advanced nearly forty meters before encountering any resistance. He stopped just short of the first intersection across the main hall. Just as he suspected, he sensed four beings, two humans, a Gran, and a Rodian, two on each side, nervous as ever, and probably holding a blaster or two each. No problem. He moved forward until he was almost in their line of fire, but remained out of their sights for the moment.

 

“Tell that coward you call a leader to come out and fight me face-to-face! The sooner he dies the longer you live! You can either help me find him, or die right now! Is your salary worth your life?” he yelled to the ambushers. They didn’t respond. Amateurs. So be it.

 

Tie searched out one of the attackers in the Force, then grabbed hold of his blaster, ripping it from his hands, and hurling it across the hallway to the opposite side, where it struck the unfortunate Rodian guard squarely in the face, knocking him unconscious. That left only two armed guards for him to deal with, both of who turned the corner firing wildly.

 

Tie reached up and deflected one blast that got too close, knocking it back at his attackers, hitting one in the shoulder and spinning him to the ground. Only one remained. Tie blocked a few more close range shots, but failed to reunite the man with any of them. Then, seeing his futility, the man turned and fled down the hall with his unarmed ally. Tie didn’t bother to give chase; he had more important people to deal with.

 

He started off down the hall, but found it strangely deserted. Did they really only have one ambush and four guards? thought to himself. Fe found his answer as he approached the blast doors sealing the entrance of the command center. The entire party, around twenty men, had retreated to a makeshift bunker they had constructed, complete with two heavy, repeating TR-SAL blaster cannons and matching power generators for extended usage.

 

Tie swore and ducked into a hallway for cover as the enemy line opened up, scorching thick, black lines all over the walls and ceiling.

 

Blast it! Come on, Tie! Think! There didn’t seem to be any alternate entrances; he was stuck going straight through the front door, and twenty men guarding it. Arghh! He could be getting away. Come on. Think of something! Then it suddenly hit him, and he grinned.

 

Stepping out from his cover for mere seconds, he flung his lightsaber at the men. A stray shot singed his cloak before he could get back, but he didn’t notice; he was too busy concentrating.

 

The lightsaber screamed towards its intended target, right on course, like an elongated blaster bolt, only much more lethal. It hit the first guard, leaving a burn mark in his leg, then continuing on. The deadly weapon then sliced off one of the support struts for the repeating blaster cannon, then stuck its target dead center.

 

The explosion shook the entire hallway as the concussion from the devastated power generator rapidly expanded, toppling everything in its path. Taking advantage of the mayhem he caused, Tie jumped out into the main hallway with alarming speed.

 

A few of the men tried to stand and fight, but Tie was on them too quickly. Recalling his lightsaber while he ran, he charged at the first remaining guard and landed a crushing kick to the head, dropping him to the floor with the others. Then he slashed out, severing the arm and body of another unlucky foe. Two more powerful slashes dropped two more opponents, and a quick flick of his wrist incapacitated the other blaster cannon.

 

Tie surveyed the destruction, adequately pleased at his handiwork. The explosion had even managed to put a nicely sized dent in the blast doors. He didn’t bother looking for the controls; Tie immediately starting working on cutting straight through the last remaining barrier.

 

The doors finally breached, Tie stepped coolly into the command center, trying to look like he owned the place, which wasn’t all that far from the truth. There were about fifteen or so personnel stationed inside the heart of the base. None carried weapons; most cowered in fear. But his prey was not among them as he hoped. His expression changed to anger.

 

He rushed to one of the trembling officers at the central command station and spun him around in his chair. “Where is he?! Where is that bastard?! Where’s Hannibalscipio?!” Tie shouted, raging.

 

“P-p-p-please d-don’t kill me!” the man stammered, terrified.

 

Tie put his lightsaber directly in the man’s face. The officer recoiled even further, shaking even more violently as he struggled to form words. “H-he left for Y-y-young D-David’s a f-few d-day ago. I-I swear it! S-s-aid s-something a-about a t-t-trap, I-I think.”

 

“A trap! Why you—“ Tie pulled his lightsaber back, preparing to kill the man, but he held himself back at the last moment, leaving the man cringing in dread. Instead he threw the man out of the chair and sat down.

 

It only took him a few minutes to find what he was looking for. He laughed aloud. Only a mercenary or pirate would have a self-destruct mechanism on his own base. Gotta love the “you’ll never take us alive” attitude. He entered a time, initiated the sequence, and entered a password to protect it. Then he thrust his lit saber into the control panel, eliminating all possibility of deactivating it.

 

“You have five minutes! I suggest you leave!” Tie yelled and sprinted back out into the hallway.

 

Exactly three minutes later Tie was in his cockpit, starting up his engines and running through the pre-flight checks. Several other craft were now streaming at full speed out of the hangar in front of which Tie had landed, but they paid him no attention. He eased the repulsors, lifting his fighter into the sky. The, flipping on the ion thrusters, he rocketed into the sky, setting his course for Young David’s casino.

 

When he had broken the atmosphere, the base blew. Even from space the gigantic mushroom could of flame and debris was visible. Obviously the bomb was meant to take out any enemies around the base as well as those inside of it. Tie smiled. They got what they deserved, and he got what he wanted. A piece of it anyway. More people had to die before he could stop fighting. If Kvan knew what he had just done, Tie would be getting a long lecture, but he didn’t care. He was actually glad to be out from under his brother’s yoke so he could go about his own business. Sure, he wished he didn’t have to kill anyone, but others obviously didn’t share that desire. If people had to die, then that was a price he was willing to pay to let his brothers rest in peace.

[Silenthunter]

Oh man, great chapter Tie!

[Havoc Stryphe]

Great Chapter Tie! Man, I didn't see that coming, but shows the inner turmoil of Tie's character and the Dark Side slowly rising up within himself.

 

Well, hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon.

[Darth Homer]

[MrBurns]Excellent![/MrBurns]

[Niwid]

What has happened here? Nobody has posted for a month now, and this is one of the greatest stories I have ever read. Surely one of the authors can contribute a little more time to this book.

 

BTW, whatever happened to the downloadable Word file Havoc had?