Grehiko

> *"I am often asked 'what is a man without emotion?'. A machine, they keep saying. It is good to be mistaken as one.* Machines *hold no grudges..."*
>
>

## Grehiko Mavryn

### Relatives

Aldravern Mavryn [brother, deceased]Aldravern Mavryn [half-brother, deceased]

Adror Mavryn [father, deceased]

Ferala Nor [mother]

## Physical description

### Eye color

Dark Orange, formerly yellow

Grehiko is a force user who used to serve - and rule at one point - the Imperial powerbase as a Sith Darth. He deserted and joined the Republic powerbase 'The Triumph Conclave'.

## Biography

### **Birth & Childhood**

Grehiko Mavryn was born as the firstborn son of Adror Mavryn [deceased], a male military Officer, and Ferala Nor [went missing, presumed dead], a female untrained force-sensitive, in the capital city of Dromund Kaas.

His early childhood was spent as any child would spend it. It was a mix of playing, learning about the world and exploring the small world that was accessible to him. Two years after Grehiko was born, his brother, Aldravern Mavyrn, was also born.

Grehiko's middle childhood was once more as every normal child's. Living in a moderately wealthy family, he knew few dangers and threats. His family was mostly ignored and spared from most problems.

One day, when Grehiko was playing outside, a man with dark clothing was watching him. He wore a mask and had strange dark robes. Grehiko would have gone back home, yet the man cut off his path and asked him to come along. He was too frightened to resist, and was soon brought to be trained. He was to be a Sith in the future, yet that would take a long time. He would not see any part of his family again for many years...

The years after that was spent in accustoming to new standards and training. In time, he learned to ignore his past, even forgot parts of it. He focused on his future, on his new upbringing. His mind was filled with sadness at certain moments, but that only forced him to hate himself to ignore it. As puberty reached him, he already forgot about the years before he was taken in.

### **Adolescence**

After years of training under the Sith that had taken him in, he was sent to the Academy on Korriban. There, Grehiko trained even more under the constraints of the Overseers, chafing under the missions they gave him and other Acolytes, yet he never complained or gave up. He fueled himself with an anger and hatred at himself and anything around himself. He continuously sought to prove himself, deeming the missions he was given to be too standard, too simple and the Acolytes to be treated unfairly, considering they were meant to be ever-improving Sith in the future.

Deeming himself as powerful, thinking of himself very highly, he sought every single chance he could get to improve himself, impress the Overseers and defeat any rival he might gain, which were a fair number, in order to gain the strength he needed to become an approved Sith. It was clear that he would continue his ambitious rampage for some time...

#### ***Force-Bound***

Some time afterwards, Grehiko heard of a set of ruins that few had dared to venture in yet. A ruined temple rumored to be the nest of many creatures and source of strong powers. Knowing that there were few chances to truly prove himself, he set out for these ruins, aiming to best it's challenges. Little did he know, he was not the only one with that idea in mind.

Upon arrival at the ruins, he was surprised to find another Acolyte at the entrance. An obviously weak Acolyte who was likely too insecure to enter the ruins, preferring to assault those that try to for an unknown reason. Grehiko didn't care who he was or what he wanted, instead, he quickly slew him without a thought and marched onwards.

Despite his occasional martial prowess, he had to accept that the beasts inside the ruins were no small bugs to be squashed. They were difficult, savage monsters who knew their own tricks and had no intention of uselessly dying. They knew what they were doing. Grehiko chose to join a smaller group of Acolytes who fought their way through the ruins together. Of course, he knew this could not go too well for too long, and so, after he sowed a few seeds of mistrust, he retreated only to watch the group tear itself to shreds and follow the strongest remainder of them. The survivor made his way through the remaining beasts, opening the passage to the last chamber.

It was an empty hall, with a strangely paved road in it that went onto an altar in the middle of the room. On that altar was something that he couldn't clearly see yet, though he knew it was a lightsaber. He did not wish to waste time and quickly jumped down onto the survivor, who was weakened from the troubled of the caves and unable to resist another worthy opponent. He slowly bled to death, while Grehiko enjoyed his suffering. Before his enemy fully died, he already moved on into the chamber, moving quickly towards the lightsaber in the centre. He did not notice the strange fading weaves all around the room. His only focus was the weapon that should soon be his!

As he reached the centre and touched the lightsaber, he felt a disruption. The weaves around the room began to move all around, and the ground was shaking. The weaves were shining in some different colours, moving around vividly, occasionally grabbing Grehiko and moving inside him, paralyzing him and... changing him. He felt pain, but aside from it he felt a strange surge... all his anger and hatred was washed away first, and soon the world around him began to blacken...

...he suddenly opened his eyes, but they didn't seem to be his own, neither was the world around him the same as the one he used to be in. He saw people, dressed in strange clothes, and felt a strange humility and calm seeing those figures. They spoke words he did not understand, and everything was blurry, yet it became clearer by the minute. Soon, he understood single words:

"Your training is going well." "Soon you will be a full Jedi."

He felt that he should be surprised at these words, but instead he just felt a humility that he was not used to. It was all wrong... not him. It wasn't his thoughts, his feelings, his words! He tried his best to wake up from this nightmare, to forget it all, to leave this place and never return, but he couldn't! He fought and fought but... his vision turned black once again, leaving him passed out.

He woke up. Was he lying on the ground? He stood up slowly, the lightsaber in his hand. He looked around himself and saw no more weaves. He was not surprised, not curious, not angry nor... nor anything. He did not feel a single thing. He knelt there for a while, thinking, until he thought he should stand up again. He felt his fingers again, his entire body. It all felt numb before, he noticed now...

...he looked back at the Acolyte he had killed earlier. His face was focused on the altar, his arm held up in the air as if he was still alive. His entire face was filled with a surrounding darkness and utter pain, his eyes deep chasms of terror. A gruesome image if there ever was one, yet Grehiko simply moves towards him to examine him further. Despite all the signs, this Acolyte was clearly dead. Whatever happened to him left him in this state.

A feeling of curiosity filled him. He felt that he had to change things. That he had to clear his mind of any confusion. He needed order. And he would find out where to achieve his goal...

### **The Empire's Triumph**

#### ***Initiation***

Grehiko's Initiation to the Powerbase known as 'The Empire's Triumph' was quick and cruel. A woman was brought before him, prevented from seeing what happened around her by use of a bag. It was not said who she was or what she did, only that she betrayed the Empire and it's people.

Grehiko was merely given a knife and asked to decide her fate. Before he acted, though, he asked:

"What did she do?"

This earned a cynical remark from his his future Master, to which he responded:

"What she did matters to me. If her crime was great, I might not punish her enough..."

Upon saying this, he was revealed that her crime was one of no great importance, but still enough to give her punishment. After it was revealed to him what she did, he quickly used the knife to cut her throat without looking at her again, turning back to his future Master, offering him the knife back. With this, his time as an Acolyte in the Powerbase had begun.

#### ***Dromund Kaas***

Grehiko's time as an Acolyte on Dromund Kaas was filled with new impressions. He was not allowed to keep the lightsaber he acquired earlier in his life, instead wielding a Vibroblade. Furthermore, he was not used to the amount of Imperials that were moving around the base, the occasional commotion in the in-built cantina and the cruelty of the higher-ranking Sith. Having had no intention of dealing with the many changes in a rushed way, preferring to get used to them in a slow and steady way, he spent his most time on an oustide platform, meditating despite the common rain. It was only there that he was alone.

Despite his attempts to stay in the background, learning from what he saw afar, he was plunged in the midst of smaller plots within the Powerbase himself. As he was only an Acolyte, he had not much choice in who he would aid or who he would work against, for the smallest mistake could mean his death, quick or gruesome alike.

It was at his time on Dromund Kaas that he was allowed to venture with his future Master Elídyr to the Wanderer - at this time the personal Flagship of the Powerbase's leader - to partake in a meeting with Darth Tartorian. It was clear to Grehiko that Tartorian disliked the way his Apprentice, Lord Elídyr, was behaving most of the time, and of Darth Tartorian's power, which was strong enough to draw out the little emotion Grehiko showed at the time, which was in this moment only nervousness and fear.

After a long time of getting used to the changes, Grehiko eventually found himself understanding the Powerbase more and more, learning to know the people, not personally but formally. His main focus was on Vessik Klassa, the Grand Moff, who was in a seemingly constant quarrel with Lord Elídyr.

Eventually, Lord Elídyr named Grehiko his Apprentice, which not only gave him more power but also more responsibility, as his Master would certainly not deny the help an Apprentice would provide in his work.

During a time that Grehiko was situated on Dromund Kaas, an unknown Enemy attacked the Powerbase's headquarters, causing death and injury to many. Grehiko fell unconscious due to an explosion and was transported away...

#### ***After the Bombardment***

Grehiko awoke with a surprise. Firstly, he had a mask on. Secondly, he was on a ship that seemed familiar to him. He did not know where he was on it, yet he knew with certainty that it was the Wanderer, Darth Tartorian's personal flagship. With confusion clouding his mind, he awoke and explored, soon meeting his Master, who explained the situation to him.

The Powerbase on Dromund Kaas had been bombarded, and Darth Tartorian had set out to find a new base of operations. In the meanwhile, the Wanderer would be the provided headquarters for the Powerbase, an ever-moving Stronghold. With a focus on maintaining internal order and healing wounds, both physically and otherwise, there were not many orders for the still-recovering Grehiko, even though he was still one of the lucky ones.

Being on his feet and alive, Grehiko soon chose to use his time to create ties with Vessik. He knew that Vessik was a powerful person inside the Powerbase, even though he was an Imperial, and that close ties to him could not only prove useful in his own ploys, but could also provide him with a means to aid those he sought to impress, for example his Master. It only worked to his favour that his Master ordered him to guard Vessik, for a reason that was yet unknown to Grehiko.

It was not long after Grehiko had fully recovered that Darth Tartorian announced the existence of a new Stronghold for the Powerbase. A headquarters on Yavin 4, likely hidden from the unknown enemy that bombarded them before and vast enough to run a small inofficial Academy. Soon enough, the base of operations would be changed to Yavin 4, while the Wanderer would still be provided as a second base of operations, with the occasionally changing coordinates being updated for all that were authorized.

#### ***On Thin Ice***

A certain time after the introduction of the Yavin 4 Stronghold, Darth Tartorian himself called Grehiko, Lord Elídyr and another Sith Lord to send them on a mission to Hoth. There, they would follow a set of coordinates he would give them to meet him. No details of the mission were given, and it was a hostile surrounding that they were sent to, yet they still managed to arrive there. Tartorian had awaited them, speaking in an unfamiliarly warm tone, urging them to follow him before he jumped down through the midst of a snowstorm. They followed suit, and landed near him, following him into an ice cave that tunneled a way onto a cliff, with a frozen artifact laying in it's middle.

It was Darth Tartorian who answered their unspoken question. It was a Datacron, an artifact of great knowledge. Most knew of it, yet it was new to Grehiko, who at this moment began to form a fascination with these kinds of artifacts. Darth Tartorian spoke that it was different than other Datacrons, that it could not be moved and that it's knowledge was much more difficult to obtain. He said that he barely survived the last time he visited this place, implying that the three Sith were here to help him. He ordered them to guard him against any and all who would attack him, for disrupting him would mean losing the progress he would make. With these words, he sat down to meditate in front of the Datacron, aiming to unravel it's mysteries and leaving the defense to his three companions.

It was not soon after Darth Tartorian began to meditate that something happened. Grehiko was focused on the tunnel itself, with the other two Sith - both Sith Lords - focusing on the cliffside. A strange noise could be heard, and soon a beast emerged in the tunnel, aiming for Grehiko. The ice could be heard moving all around, and beasts also arose from the walls near the other two Sith, aiming to attack them. Whatever those beasts were, it was certain that either the Sith or the beasts would survive this day, and Grehiko had no intention of dying anytime soon.

It was the Sith Lord whose name shan't be spoken that destroyed the first beast, but Grehiko did not notice that. He had waited for the beast that was aiming for him to come closer, and as it did, he charged, aiming for it's likely weak points, striking deep with his Vibroblade. He did not expect it to relent very soon, yet instead it cracked into pieces as if he ripped it asunder. The others quickly dealt with their foes, too, as a great sound came from underneath the cliff. A great ice-beast, towering far above them, more tall and broad as the tunnel entrance - which was rather enormous - and as seemingly angry as it could be appeared, climbing right in front of Darth Tartorian. In addition, two smaller beasts came out of the walls behind the Sith Lords, attacking them from behind.

Grehiko was unable to do anything, being paralyzed by the towering stance of the ice-titan. It was the Sith Lord whose name shan't be spoken that acted first. Having dealt with the smaller foe rather quickly, a blast of force-energy was sent to the ice-titan, causing it to be distracted for a moment, yet not enough to make it relent. Grehiko came back to his senses and saw the ice-titan, along with his Master being assaulted closely by a smaller ice-beast. Knowing that his Master would be able to take care of himself, Grehiko ran forward and thres his Vibroblade at the ice-titan. The beast was once more distracted, yet it caused no real harm, and the Vibroblade got stuck inside it's body.

Soon after, Lord Elídyr managed to get free of the ice-beast holding him captured, too, destroying it with a slash of his lightsaber. Afterwards, he assaulted the ice-giant with an attack on the right arm, causing it not to blast into pieces, but to finally fall down into the storm. Grehiko tried to claim his Vibroblade back with the force, yet failed and lost it in the end. Darth Tartorian awoke and was content with the work of his companions, yet mentioned that he did not manage to get all the knowledge he wanted and would have to return at a later date, his work ultimately unfinished. With the arrival of a transport shuttle, the group was transported away from the ice-cold storm...

#### ***The calm before the Storm***

After the events on Hoth, Grehiko deemed himself to be able to rest for a bit. Damning himself for that foolish thought later, he was soon cut off from what he planned to do by his Master, Lord Elídyr, who informed him that it was time for him to finally forge his own lightsaber, sending him off on the respective mission. With that in mind, Grehiko followed his Master's order and travelled on, not knowing where exactly he should go, yet knowing that ultimately his feelings would show him the way.

After the time he spent travelling and having forged his own lightsaber, he returned, only to see problems. Failed missions have caused a common depression within the Imperial part of the Powerbase. Grehiko took this short opportunity to further influence Vessik to trust him, yet soon after that he was sent on another mission, this time a personal one. He was being sent to kill his own brother. With the force-bond between Grehiko and his brother, it was easy to know where he was heading...

#### ***Voss***

After arriving on Voss, Grehiko knew where he had to go. He knew his brother was already waiting for him. West of the city he arrived at, ruins poked out of the landscape. Old ruins, unfamiliar ruins, yet the familiarity resided in them. He entered them and meditated in the antechamber, waiting for his brother to confront him.

It was not soon after Grehiko started his meditation that his brother appeared before him. He seemed sorrowful and displeased to be at this place, ready for a fight at any moment. But Grehiko did not wish to fight yet. Instead, he proposed to talk. Understandably, his brother persisted on the matters of the Sith. *"Are you happy with what you are?" "Why did you go down this path?" "You can still choose another way..."*, were some of the things he said. All of that angered Grehiko, yet he remained calm. Patient. Waiting for the best opportunity.

He knew that the conversation was not going anywhere, and instead of continuing, he told his brother to follow him as he went up the stairs to a strangely intact altar. It was convenient, and Grehiko told his brother to meditate at his side, *"so that you may better understand what I am"*. With this in mind, they both entered meditation. Soon, both minds channelled into one, but Grehiko's mind was stronger than that of his younger brother. The light in the combined mind grew darker, with only a flicker remaining in the centre. Memories appeared, the memories of the Initiation, those of conversations, meetings with important people... all those memories appeared, yet Grehiko made his best to add false information to them. Feelings where there were none, sympathy where there was apathy, compassion where there was none to be found.

Grehiko deemed himself to be in full control of what happened, yet somehow the image changed. Instead of a flicker of light in the middle, the whole image became blackened as the darkest night. Blurred images appeared, images of people he could barely remember, faces he had long lost forgotten, emotions he had laid past...

...with a shock, Grehiko woke up, shaking away these images he forgot. His brother had shown him what he did not wish to see, despite his best attempts to remain in control. As his brother awoke, Grehiko could only stare at the ground at what he remembered. As his brother touched him, he could only flinch, responding in short and hushed sentences. The time for talk was over...

He told him clearly. The fight would begin. Grehiko moved a few steps towards the stairs and drew his lightsaber, jumping to attack his brother, yet on a purposefully clumsy way, allowing his brother to parry the attack. He did not wish to kill his brother so quickly. His brother reacted, attacking back, yet equally clumsy, allowing Grehiko enough time to strike back.

This went on for some time, with Grehiko saying things with the purpose of driving his brother angry, hateful. He wanted his brother to succumb to the dark side. But his brother understood.

> *"You can't do this to me, brother!"*
>
>

He screamed in sadness, as Grehiko continued to assault him. Soon, his brother had simply given up, laid on the ground to die while still following his path. But Grehiko would not give up so soon...

> *"If you won't save yourself, then for better or for worse, I will..."*
>
>

With these words, he aimed his lightsaber at himself, moving it in a stab towards his chest. His brother screamed: "No!", and quickly jumped to stop him, but Grehiko simply moved his lightsaber in a quick motion back at his brother, grabbing him by his throat and positioning his weapon so that his brother could take it from him. That is, if he would only give in to his anger...

> *"Kill me, and you save countless others."*
>
>

Grehiko said, yet his brother remained calm even in the smothering grasp of his brother.

> *"I will... not... kill you... brother..."*
>
>

With these words, Grehiko's face turned towards an equal sorrow that his brother's showed. He had lost. His brother had won. With a quick motion, Grehiko focused his strength and snapped his brother's throat, dropping him on the ground.

Looking at his brother, sorrow etched in his face and being felt in every fibre of his mind, the strongest emotion he felt for a long time, he bowed down to take his brother's mask with him. Moving towards the antechamber, he chose to meditate on what happened.

After a full night had passed, Grehiko awoke, looking at his brother's mask. He decided to wear it from this point on, as a reminder of his failure and as a memory of what he lost so long ago. Thus, he left Voss, knowing that he had succeeded in what he was meant to do, but failed in what he wished to achieve.

#### ***Lord Grehiko***

Grehiko chose to return to the Wanderer before going to Yavin 4, which has not yet been made fully operational as a headquarters, it seems. There, he found out that problems had occured while he was gone. The Imperial employ was imprisoned, each and every one, for plotting against Darth Tartorian himself! An unbelievable thing, and Grehiko was even more so shocked to see that it was actually believed to be true!

Seeing Vessik imprisoned and weakened by circumstances Grehiko had not seen, he quickly moved towards him to better understand what was happening, as his fellow Sith were unwilling to give a clear answer. Grehiko tried his best to calm Vessik, to act compassionate, to make Vessik trust him and to make him hope, but despite his all everything he could get out of him were small sentences. It was enough, though, and Grehiko was quickly cut off by a holocomm message.

It was from Darth Tartorian. All those who were sent the message to should assemble in the Council 'Chamber' on Yavin 4 as soon as possible. Grehiko deemed it to be a mistake that it was sent to him, yet he accompanied his Master. It was quickly clear to Grehiko that his Master had been deeply mentally disturbed by something, as he continuously talked with himself and repeated the things people said to him. Grehiko tried to remind his master of as much decency as possible, so that he would not embarass himself before everyone, and commenced to urge him to go forward, 'leading' Grehiko to the Council Chamber.

As Grehiko and Elídyr entered, they already saw Vessik and the Sith Lord who shan't be named. Darth Tartorian was already sitting at a table, waiting for everyone. As soon as everyone sat down, the discussion began. It was a short and strange discussion... Vessik Klassa, the Grand Moff, was asked if what he was charged with was true or not. He denied, giving good reasons for it. Elídyr was asked what he thought of it. He could only stammer. It went on for a moment, with other small discussions coming about, yet it soon ended.

As Grehiko deemed the meeting to be soon over, having been uneasy the whole time, he was called by Tartorian to follow him. It was a shock and surprise, but he followed suit. Soon after, he was kneeling in front of Tartorian. As Tartorian spoke, Grehiko became more and more surprised and paralyzed. Not only had he been made a Sith Lord by Darth Tartorian himself, but he was also given a direct seat on the Council as the Master of Knowledge!

It was a quick ceremony, and besides the few words Tartorian spoke, not much more happened. The Sith Lord whose name shan't be spoken and Grehiko were sent to accompany Vessik to a transport, from which he should be sent to an institution to recover, mentally and physically. Instead, on the way to the transport, the Sith Lord whose name shan't be spoken chose to act against Darth Tartorian's direct orders and threw Vessik against a wall, damaging one of his cybernetic implants and likely more. Grehiko ignored his welling anger and wish to fight. Instead, he moved towards Vessik to help him. Bringing him to the nearest medical bay, he said a few encouraging words in a friendly tone and quickly retreated from the scene.

His Master and Darth Tartorian had left the planet. To which place, Grehiko did not know, yet now he was a Lord. A Council Member. He had more power, and much more responsibility. He decided that it was time to forge his own little intrigues.

```
Pending. Need to remember what transpired.

```

### **To be a Darth**

> *"Fear is the only true enemy."*
>
>

Grehiko was in inner turmoil. He felt surprised, he felt angry and he felt... frightened. The news of his Master's supposed death were both a relief and a shock, as was the fact that a mere Imperial, Vessik Klassa, was rumored to have killed him. The worst things was that his emotions were slowly starting to overpower him.
Seeing the supposed demise of his Master as a bad sign - partially because Grehiko was not yet named a Darth nor killed his Master to attain that title - he nevertheless decided that he had to make the change in leadership public, or chaos would ensue, yet at first he was cautious, drifting in thoughts at the Wanderer's bridge... until a familiar voice disturbed him.

> *"You know he's not dead." - Azath*
>
>

It was Lord Azath, the more recent and second Apprentice to Lord Elidyr, to Grehiko's Master. A natural rival, and yet a strangely welcome sight. Azath not only raised Grehiko's determination to finally act, but he also shared an important insight with him. Elidyr was still alive. For some reason, this caused only more fear within Grehiko. His Master was still alive, yet someone would have to lead the Powerbase, and he was the most likely candidate. Before being able to respond properly, Lord Azath declared that he would set out to find his Master, but said not whether he would return or not...

After Lord Azath was gone, Grehiko decided to take action. Knowing very well that Vessik Klassa would probably wish to speak to him upon return, he moved towards the prison cell that Vessik was once imprisoned in and started to meditate. Soon enough, Vessik arrived...

Before Vessik could properly commence his own topic, Grehiko pressed him with the news about Eli's demise, and made sure to include the implication of Vessik's part in it. What started as a simple conversation soon turned sour as Grehiko could no longer contain his anger, his frustration, his... his *fear*. He lashed out at Vessik, he beat him and shouted at him. *"He was mine to kill!",* was only one of the things he mentioned...

After physically beating Vessik into submission, though without the use of the force, he turned to the crowd of Imperials and Sith watching him and started speaking. He spoke of Eli's demise and of his own choice to rise to the need of leadership. He proclaimed himself a Darth, to which a Sith complained, but he quickly crushed her into the ground with the force, causing her to practically kneel in front of him. An act of domination, a necessary act, needed to confirm his power, he said to himself, but he knew he was wrong. He enjoyed it.

After that quick interruption, he turned to the crowd once more, stating that *"every rebellion, every plot, everyone that rises against me will be quickly and brutally disposed of!",* then turned towards Vessik to demand an 'audience' with him in his office. He was now a self-proclaimed Darth, the leader of the Powerbase, and he would not relent to use his power against anyone that might oppose him.

And he feared what was still to come...

#### ***What hath I wrought?***

After ensuring Vessik Klassa's authority, Grehiko was soon faced with an utter catastrophe. Darth Elidyr, his Master and former leader of the Powerbase, turned out to be alive, and he wished to see Vessik personally. The transmission was widespread, and despite Grehiko's aims to prevent it, Vessik moved to meet Elidyr Kjari on Nar Shaddaa. And the Imperials relied on themselves to save him.

After being denied his authority by the Imperials of the Powerbase, he soon found out that the rescue mission was a failure. Practically everyone was wounded, and there were a few deaths. Among them Vessik Klassa...

The death of his highest-ranking Imperial division head not only had an unexpected personal effect on Grehiko, but it also weakened the Powerbase immensely. The strong and willful personality that held the Imperial division together was no more, and too many losses were suffered. The Powerbase was in shambles, and Grehiko was unable to prevent the worst.

With any visible authority besides the hated and failed Darth removed, the remaining Sith left for undisclosed places, with no information when - or if - they would come back. Along them was Jonnard Kjari, Grehiko's Apprentice. Grehiko's power over his underlings was shattered, and the few Imperials that were left were but the shadow of what was once the proud Powerbase.

Having utterly failed, Grehiko went into seclusion on the Wanderer, letting nobody talk to him and meditating at most times. Just when he thought that things were at it's worst, he received a transmission with an 'offer he could not refuse'. The sender was anonymous, it did not say much more, only a place - Alderaan - and a time. Seeing it as a possible last stroke of luck, he set out to meet the mysterious sender.

#### ***Unworthy***

Grehiko soon arrived on Alderaan, but what he found was not what he had expected. When he arrived at the coordinates, after some waiting, he faced a person in thick robes, hood and all, with a lightsaber at his side. He faced a Jedi, and not a Knight, but a Master!

Cursing himself inside for his foolishness, he soon caused a conversation with the Jedi, trying to avoid an unnecessary fight he might lose at his current state. However, the Jedi would not relent, so Grehiko started the fight, mercilessly striking one blow after another at the Jedi Master, who skillfully defended himself, only rarely suffering the slightest hit.

After a certain amount of fighting, Grehiko was slowly becoming more exhausted, yet the Jedi seemed to gain strength by some means! The sides soon switched, with the Jedi Master going into the offensive and Grehiko - pressed into a corner - defending himself. Soon, Grehiko was not only hit in his cybernetic limb, but also pushed multiple times hard against large rocks, harming him severely, and he ultimately gave in to the exhaustion. He was not angry or hateful, he had no rage, only regret.

He offered himself to the Jedi's lightsaber, taunting and practically asking him to finally use it, to kill Grehiko, the Sith he had sought out. However, the Jedi was unable to do so for an unknown reason. Grehiko took it for the foolish mercy he saw in his brother before, but he would not taunt the Jedi further. He knew he had lost, and he said it outright. The Jedi, unable to kill Grehiko, sheathed his lightsaber and let Grehiko go.

#### ***"The wheel turns..."***

Hurt and humiliated, shaken to his very bones, Grehiko limped back to an Imperial outpost, quickly arranging a transport and planning to return to the Wanderer. Though what would await him there was in no way what he expected.

After having his cybernetic limb repaired, he passed along the largely empty hallway on the Wanderer's bridge, ignoring small noises he heard, focusing only on the windows and soon standing before them. However, as soon as he arrived to look at the planet they were orbiting, he was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice...

...three people approached behind him, three unfamiliar faces. Grehiko was ready for a fight, yet he soon found out that these people were representatives of the Dark Council itself. Of the Empress! He held her in no regard, however, he knew that were he to anger her, he would be crushed. Thus, for better or for worse, he agreed to aid the Dark Council, and follow it's representatives' orders, whatever they may be.

He soon lost his position, his power over the Powerbase and his will to rule. He knew he had lost it all. He knew that it was his fault. And he knew that gaining it back would be futile, for he was not meant to lead. Instead, he came to accept the Dark Council. After all, it was there to 'rebuild' the Powerbase, in the interest of the Empire, and, after all, Grehiko was loyal to the Empire. Despite the arrogant behaviour of the Imperials representing the Dark Council, he came to terms with what he had caused.

As a surprise to him, his Apprentice returned. Grehiko was sitting in a relaxed way in the bar area, a metal cup with something to drink inside, when Jonnard approached. He accused Grehiko of manipulating him, of forcing him into his whole demise. With weary and paranoid eyes, he let out all his anger and hatred towards Grehiko.

And Grehiko merely laughed.

After a long time of explaining to his Apprentice how he did not manipulate him in any other way than to prevent his travel to the Republic, how Jonnard chose him as a Master, how he asked for orders and how eager he was to do whatever Grehiko ordered him, after practically putting Jonnard in his place - which did nothing to reduce his hatred towards Grehiko - Grehiko soon gave him a new order. To retrieve Elidyr's old lightsaber, which was lost on Nar Shaddaa. And he followed the order.

After a few more sentences explaining the genral situation - the dark council, the loss of power and the general decline - Grehiko finally sent him on the mission, providing him with all he needed for it. He emptied the water in his cup on the ground, relaxed in his chair and laughed into himself, seeing the humour in it all. Realizing the joke that was his downfall. He laughed with utter fear...

#### ***To be continued...***

```
Once more, this part of the current chapter [if this was a book, atleast] is unfinished. That is because I can barely remember it coherently at the moment. I'll likely remember it after a longer while like it was with every single other part of the story [except for that one next to the Yavin picture], so stay tuned for more. Or something like that. Heheh.

```

### **Breakdown**

> *"I deemed my plans ruined by fate. Instead, they were ruined from the start. Sith simply cannot avoid conflict..."*
>
>

After roughly being woken up by sand in his eyes and unfamiliar noises near him, Grehiko found himself lying on a sort of stone. He felt tired, exhausted, weakened... he felt worse than he had ever felt before, and he did not know why! Wishing to know where he was, he tried to stand up, but all he could do was toss and turn weakly, rolling on his back to look up and at the very least see the sky. A bright, yellow sky with no clouds whatsoever and seemingly two suns...

Still hearing noises, he wished to say something, yet all he could do was groan and sigh weakly, a strange pain that did not feel real keeping him dazed, confused as to what happened. All he could remember was the bridge of the Wanderer, and then... darkness. Just when he thought he would close his eyes and never wake again, an unfamiliar figure creeped in sight...

...only to shy away again after he moved his head to look at the person.

Still wondering what was going on, he used what strength he could muster to at the very least sit. Not even managing to do that properly, he instead creeped closer to a stone slab that was big enough to lean on, managing to observe the strange people near him with a mild curiosity and mind-numbing weakness.

Before he could think about it further, the people came closer. Feeling threatened, he pushed himself upwards in a rush of adrenaline, grabbing his lightsaber and igniting it, swinging around weakly in the direction of the people, as far as he could even perceive them anymore. His world shaked before his eyes, his vision becoming more dazed, and as he turned towards the unfamiliar people, he saw a familiar face. The shock let his strength die down immediately, and the world around him turned black once more...

#### ***Prisoner of Sand and Stone***

As he opened his eyes again, he saw only a stone slab. He tried to stand up barely managing it and almost falling down again, and chose to lean against the familiar stone slab behind him, groaning in pain and weakness. Was it only imagination, or did he truly see...?

His unspoken question was quickly answered. Looking up, he saw two figures, of which one was holding an ignited lightsaber and keeping an unignited one at his belt. Grehiko's lightsaber...

The person with the lightsaber was familiar, but the Mirialan to his left was only too familiar. The Jedi Master that beat Grehiko on Alderaan, not able to kill him and instead letting him go. How luck keeps favouring the foolish, Grehiko thought.

The two apparent Jedi talked and discussed. Grehiko could only hear a cushioned sound, barely understanding one word, and instead kept observing the two of which one still aimed a lightsaber at him. Slowly he began to understand more words, and soon he knew what he saw in front of him. His defeat...

The Jedi kept talking, almost entirely ignoring Grehiko's remarks on how he was unarmed, unable and also unwilling to defend himself. Grehiko felt defeated. He was surrounded by Jedi, no weapon in reach and no focus to be had... and even if he could be free, he knew where he was. Tatooine. And in the middle of the desert at that. An unfamiliar place on an unfamiliar planet...

He knew he would die if he resisted the Jedi, one way or another, so he did not even think about it. He merely waited, replying as good as he could, explaining his situation to his best abilities, aiming to wait and see what the Jedi would do with him. To his surprise, the Jedi Master decided to keep Grehiko on Tatooine, as he awoke at the apparent headquarters of the enemy Powerbase, instead of brining him to Coruscant to face justice. Grehiko did not care...

All things decided, with only slight complaints from the other Jedi, Grehiko was now a prisoner of the very Powerbase he decided to fight against, imprisoned by fate and the very elements themselves. He had lost, and he knew that. Not only this battle. He had lost all... he could not return. Only Tartorian would await him...

#### ***What is past may ever return...***

```
Pending. Title spoils a lot, really...

```

## **Personality**

### **Before & during Adolescence**

Before the events that bound his mind to his brother's, Grehiko was of a rather brutish behaviour, being obviously angry at most people he had to endure talking with and impatient with those that were of a higher rank. The only authority he truly respected was his own.

### **Before & after the Initiation**

After the events occured at the ruins, Grehiko became more inward-focused, showing emotions in general very rarely and sparsely. He meditated rather often and showed a moderate amount of interest in many things, no matter their seeming unimportance.

After the Bombardment of the Powerbase on Dromund Kaas, he showed more signs of emotions for an unknown reason, meditating less regularly. He could also occasionally be encountered talking to himself, sometimes with a loud voice, but most of the time quietly, along with signs of a generally slight twitchy behaviour. The change in behaviour and the fewer meditation sessions likely have something to do with each other...

### **After Voss**

After killing his brother and presumably last living family member, Grehiko showed almost no more signs of the twitchy behaviour he had before going on his mission, only speaking to himself from time to time like one would commentate a story. His behaviour would be unpredictable at times, sometimes being grim and not saying much, at other times formally welcoming, passionately angry, emotionless and even seemingly caring at some points. He still meditated less than before the Bombardment, yet still more than before his Brother's Death.

### **Darth Grehiko**

Upon becoming a Darth - in fact, a relatively short time before that moment - he began to change. He no longer changed between emotions all of a sudden, neither did he show none at all. He did not think much about his emotions anymore, he did not try to control them, rather, he simply let them have a will of their own, at times causing fear in certain people, at other times comitting acts he would regret afterwards.

Instead of a controlled webweaver, he chose a constant feeling of inner rage, of hatred, of anger at anything and anyone, yet it filled him with before unthinkable determination. The will to do anything to make his goals come true, no matter the odds.

### **Unworthy**

> *"The world is ruled by cowards and cravens; brave men have put them there."*
>
>

Witnessing the powerbase's partial decline, caused by numerous cases of death and/or disappearance and his own rise to power, Grehiko felt helpless. He had won, that was true, but what he won was not what he expected, and he was unsure how he won. Was it his sheer power or merely luck? In his view, that was quickly answered.

After foolishly travelling alone to Alderaan to meet an anonymous person with an offer he 'couldn't refuse', he was soon forced into a fight he was unable to win. Losing to a Jedi Master due to his own ignorance and weakness, only escaping with his life because of the Jedi's mercy, he came to realize that he was unworthy of his position. He stayed well away from many intrigues that those in power could not avoid, leaving him to follow the steps of slowly declining numbers of enemies and fighting those that were weakened already, and only that brought him where he was.

He knew that he could not simply abandon this post, for leaving would doom the Powerbase entirely, and handing the power to someone else would likely mean his own demise. Seeing the position he was in, he decided to change his approach. If he could not rule his own Powerbase, then the least he could do was try to keep it intact and strenghen it if he could. Only his duty remained, for his control has finally proven to be a mere illusion...

### **Redemption**

During his imprisonment within the Republic Powerbase 'The Triumph Conclave', Grehiko realized that he was losing control of himself due to the influence of the Dark Side. While just so managing to keep his identity under control and resisting the already strong corruption within him, he grew a new goal; he had to abandon the Dark Side, or else he would be lost to it, the same way he deemed Tartorian to be lost to it.

Having realized that truth, he chose to abandon his bonds to the Empire and joined the very Jedi that kept him imprisoned in his open cage, aiming to rid himself of the corruption that had changed him so much, and to gain control of his life once more, yet this time in a different way.

## Relations

### Elídyr Kjari

Grehiko's relation to his former Master Elídyr was a seemingly constantly changing one. Grehiko fought with the choices to keep his Master alive as long as possible to use his power into furthering Grehiko's own goals without being suspected, or to kill his Master in order to take his place, power and, likely, title.

Deeply emotional bonds did not exist at large, yet Grehiko knew already of the inner pain, both physical and emotional, he would feel once his Master were to die, which ultimately became the case at Grehiko's own hands.

Grehiko despised Elídyr, both for his cruel and unpragmatic nature and for not having been enough in control of himself not to fall to madness from an event Grehiko deemed overvalued. Yet even with all this, Grehiko had a certain feeling of respect towards him, with Elidyr having been ultimately earnest in ways Grehiko did not believe possible. He, in the end, decided not to mock Elidyr more than Grehiko thought he deserved.

Grehiko could not accept Elídyr's return by Tartorian's hands, choosing to see him as something else... an abomination within the husk of his former Master.

### Vessik Klassa

Grehiko acknowledged Vessik Klassa as an experienced, able and determined Imperial, who served that which he believed in with utter devotion. He tried his best to make Vessik trust him, which ultimately succeeded, even though the victory was short-lived. He remembers Vessik as a strong Imperial, able to humble even powerful Sith with his guile, even though he'll likely never admit that.

Having witnessed Vessik's return, supposedly at the hands of Tartorian, Grehiko decided to outright ignore the reanimated being that he saw on Tatooine.

### Tharin Tartorian

Grehiko had no true relationship to Tharin, having seen him only on occasions, until he gained his position in the council, that is.. Grehiko venerated Tharin, seeing in his legacy a definite leader and powerful Sith. Having viewed Tharin with a mix of veneration and respect, Grehiko saw no reason to even try and kill him, having believed that he was the ideal ruler. Tharin's disappearance shook him greatly, fearing his successor, until his reign, too, ultimately ended.

Upon Darth Tharin Tartorian's return and revealment of what he had become, Grehiko had grown an intensive apathy towards him due to his use of the dreaded arts and Sith Alchemy. He was shocked and could not see the thing that returned as Tharin anymore. Instead, he chose to call it merely by the name of Tartorian, no title, no first name. The beast that would be his nemesis...

### Sal'anor

Grehiko's relationship with Sal'anor was a brief one. There was not much interaction with him at first. The factor that brought him to Grehiko's attention was a rival Sith Lord who would gather allies and cause minor chaos, specifically working against Grehiko and his Master. They persuaded Sal'anor to work as a double agent, feeding their rival false information while giving them real one.

After a moderate time of believing Sal'anor trustworthy, he quickly abandoned the belief after realizing that he merely joined the side he believed was to win, disregarding any possible feeling of duty and responsibility for anything but himself. The Problem he saw Sal'anor as quickly disappeared due to intrigues Grehiko, to his disappointment, never found enough details on to know everything.

## Sidenotes

* Grehiko's left arm was cut off, leaving him with a cybernetic replacement.
* He only seldom habours true unbound emotion, preferring to hide them even to himself.
* He thinks of himself as an incapable leader, trying to avoid it when he thinks he can.
* There are only few people he willingly talks to, usually only those in high enough positions.
* Despite often claiming to strongly control himself, he often changes opinions at random, having no real influence on it, yet always staying somewhat close to his base demeanour.