STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Teachings of the Shaman

Azarl will tell his history.

"I am Azarl of the Kaal clan, who reside at the Rock of Kaal, [directon] of here. I was born there [Azarl's age] years ago and raised by Salcazar, the Shaman of the Kaal clan. He uses the Will as I do and teaches me how to use my own Will to affect the world around me, as you have seen. I want to see the Kaal clan grow strong but we are simple farmers and live off the land. My Will brought me a vision of this place, though I don't normally Will the future to show itself to me. I came here and have killed some who stood in my way. I am tired, I am hurt, and I am unarmed. What more do you want to know?!"

Azarl gets angrier as he speaks, realizing how tenuous his situation is and how much of a beating he has taken just to come face-to-face with a deadly torturing robot who probably sees him as entertainment.

"Your turn, robot. Talk to me. I told you my story, what's yours? How long have you been here? What happened to this Darth Dajjal? Did he use his Will... the Force... WHATEVER... the way that I do?"

While you speak, J7 cocks his robotic head to one side, listening intently. You wonder if it is what you say or the language in which you say it that interests him more. The moment you finish, he lingers to be certain, then raises his head.

"Darth Dajjal commissioned my design to act as his liaison and interact with the numerous alien species he subjugated. He did not trust his lieutenants. I could not compare the way you and he used the Force, as this metaphysical ability is beyond my programming to comprehend. But he probably did use it better, based on how quickly you surrendered to me."

He pauses, and there is a whir from inside his body.

"You stated that a vision brought you here."

"It did," Azarl says, simply.

"My computations do not permit me to predict outcomes beyond where my target will move," J7 says. "The brains of sentient beings rarely prove superior to my own processors, and only select organisms who evolved this connection to a cosmic energy field."

The droid considers something for a moment... then lowers its weapon. The cylindrical tube that emits the burning light retracts into a compartment in J7's arm, concealing it.

"You meet the requirements dictated by Darth Dajjal."

"What are you talking about? What requirements?" Azarl asks. "You really don't mean to tell me you've been hiding in here this entire time. It sounds as if Darth Dajjal died a long time ago!"

"I received instruction to remain here until retrieved by members of Darth Dajjal's retinue, or personnel of the Sith war machine. You will suffice as an extension of Darth Dajjal's will. I can leave this ruinous, decayed wreck."

"Extension of his Will?" Azarl asks. He initially gets the term confused with his own understanding of what this droid calls the Force. "Oh. I mean I guess I can be. What does that mean for you? You've been here a long time. I don't think the Sith have come back to this world in thousands of years."

J7 considers this.

"I will follow another directive of Darth Dajjal."

"And what would that be?" Azarl asks, crossing his arms.

J7 fixes you with a glare, and forms his intricate robotic hands into fists. His voice takes on a rough edge.

"Conquer this world. Kill all who oppose."

Azarl believes that he and the Kaals deserve a higher place of power on Vudes. But he doesn't like the idea of this droid waging a war against the entire planet.

"To what end?" Azarl asks. "What would be the point? You would have to kill a huge number of Vudans. And you're just one robot."

"The Dark Lord of the Sith instructed Darth Dajjal to subjugate Vudes. Darth Dajjal failed this mission. I will continue that directive, in preparation for the return of the Sith armada. We will make contact once this directive is fulfilled."

J7 turns to leave, then stops, and returns his inexpressive gaze to you.

"You stand to learn much from the Sith."

"Why do you think that?" Azarl asks. "The stories my people tell describe the Sith as invaders and enemies of the Vudan people. They enslaved us and took millions away from the planet, never to return. Why should I help you get in touch with them?"

"Those stories are not incorrect," J7 says. "The Sith did invade Vudes, and they did enslave the Vudans. Your people are highly durable in harsh environments. The Sith experimented on them to duplicate this genetic durability with little success, and utilized their talents in battle against the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order. I have no reason to conceal this from you because you will find this out eventually.

"But should you choose to complete your training with the Sith Lords, you stand to give the Vudan people higher standing within the Sith armada. You also would become more powerful than any being on this planet. You would become their leader. They would worship you.

"Or you can die in anonymity, here and now, if you oppose the directives of Darth Dajjal and their agent. I will conduct my own experiments on your corpse."

(Their agent? I'm assuming it means itself)

Azarl will peer out the closest window or viewport from the bridge of the wrecked Sith starship, out to the land. He thinks of all the clans spread across the planet, clans he could place under his protection, like the Nurks, or clans he could abolish for their threat to the others, like the Vran.

He thinks of the Kaals and how he could bring them to greatness... or how J7 could kill them all with his fiery laser gun.

"My shaman may not support this. He trained me to use my Will to affect the world around me, bend it to my desires. But he doesn't want us to use our Will to take over Vudes."

J7 states the oft-used ultimatum in response to that:

"He will join us or die."

Azarl isn't comfortable with J7 speaking about his master that way, the man who raised him and taught him to exert his Will. But at the same time, Azarl isn't sure why Salcazar wouldn't want to take advantage of this opportunity...

"I'll talk to him. I should return to my village. Would you come with me?"

"Who wounded you?" J7 asks.

Azarl is surprised by the question, mainly since it seems irrelevant.

"Warriors from another clan," Azarl says. "I trespassed into their territory in order to come here."

"We should passive them," J7 says.