Introduction:

Seeing as I'm often bored, and not in the mood for Specs, I'm starting a bundle of short stories or episodes that are connected (Not sure which one yet) on the history of Talstorin Yalmic.  I felt this could give a better understanding of the tragic character and also a better inlook into his past, as it was quite vague in the biography(though I didn't want to amend to it, since it served it's purpose well). 

I'll start the first one by editing this post, but while I do, if i shouldn't be doing this, please tell me.  As I get the occasional paranoid feeling, I'm doing something terribly wrong.


Installment I: A Lost Rose

    Talstoran hummed as he reached for his oven mitts.  Putting them on, he opened the huge oven and took out a batch of freshly made pastry.  He handed them to another person and took off his oven mitt.  After wiping his floury hands on his apron, he took it off and hung it on the wall. 

    "Alright, I'm done for the day," he called out into the back where many other bakers were working.  One of the bakers gave him thumbs up and smiled.  Smiling back, he nodded and excitedly jogged out from the back room into the main room of the small bakery.  He opened the door and closed it gently, though it still rang the bells above. 

    Talstorin took a deep breath.  It was bright and sunny outside, perfect for an afternoon.  He began to leave the small town; his home was a far place.  This was mainly the reason he took off for home so early, by the time he would get home, it would have been dark.  Still, this was the best job he had ever had.  He loved the friendly people there, the smell of delicious bread, pastry and cookies and the lovely bakery he worked at. 

    He eventually came across the bazaar.  The Tatooine bazaar was always busy save late night.  It was always crowded with merchants and buyers, making it hard to go across.  Talstorin was quite comfortable with it however, as he had grew up in this bazaar.  The sounds of chatter were everywhere, with the occasional child laughing.  As he reached near the end of the bazaar his ears caught part of a conversation.

"Did ya hear?"

"Hear what?"

"They say there was a dark Jedi that ran off and disappeared.  He was Correlian, and some people said they've seen him here, on Tatooine!  Do ya believe that?"

"Boy, that would be awesome, but no way he would end up here."

"Well, they say he grabbed his family's old riches and just went into hiding.  White Knight used to be his title, or something of the sort.  He was a skilled one too."

    Talstorin laughed to himself.  Dark Jedi?  Here? the bazaar had always been filled with rumors and gossip.  Some of them were really amusing.  Talstorin thought to himself again.  What kind of stupid name was the White Knight anyway?  Still, he admired the Dark Jedi, though he had already dismissed them as myth.  People always talked about them, some said a faction of the empire had them under their control.  Talstorin didn't believe a word.  It was all myth to him.  The Force?  Incredible Powers?  Swords that can cut through steel?  It was just too unbelievable to him.


************

    Talstorin stepped off the shuttle.  He looked up at the setting sun.  He wasn't too far away now.  He found his key card in his pocket and walked faster among the busy streets.  He didn't have enough money to have his own house, so he rented.  A small humble apartment that didn't cost too much, though city apartments, as everyone knew, was always ridiculously overpriced.  He lived more on the outskirts, a small establishment.  It was peaceful, the only drawback were the women.  Prostitutes were always hanging around the building, looking for potential clients.  Though some men would consider this a good thing, Talstorin didn't.  It wasn't like he wanted prostitutes anyway.  To him, they were just nuisances.

    Talstorin opened the front door and nodded to the lady behind the desk.  He continued walking and stopped at an elevator.  Ug& 19th floor?  Stupid long waits& He smiled a bit as he remembered past events.  There was always one hooker who had purposely badgered him for days.  She seemed to find it fun to throw herself all over him, attempting to seduce him.  Talstorin shook his head as he finally stepped into the elevator.  He found that manner in disgust.  He wasn't exactly an angel, but he didn't support women abusing their bodies.

    The elevator opened with a ding.  Talstorin stepped out, finding a woman standing in front of his door.  No, a girl, she didn't seem mature enough to be called a woman.  She was wrapped in a thick tan down jacket, shivering.  He approached her, smiling to her warmly. 

"Erm, hey, I live here.  May I help you?" he asked her.

She shuffled her feet nervously and looked down.  "Um&Looking for a& Um, no& Are you."?

Talstoran tilted his head, confused at what the girl was trying to say.  "Excuse me, what?"

She tried to say it again.  "Looking for.um&a fun &uh&night?"

Talstorin couldn't believe it.  Another prostitute, though this one was peculiar.  What was with the meekness?  He stared her up and down.  And she obviously wasn't in uniform. She frowned and backed away.  "Erm, never mind, Sorry to bother you sir."  She started to walk away.

"No wait," he said, grabbing her by the jacket hood.  "You're obviously cold, why don't you come in for a minute."

"That'll&erm.be & seventy six-"

He cut her off.  "Yea yea, I'll pay up, whatever."  He unlocked the door and let her in.  "Get comfortable," he said as he headed for the kitchen to prepare for dinner.  He walked back out moments later, and found the girl on the couch, in a funny position (he assumed it was supposed to be sexual), in only a tank top and shorts.  He smacked his head.  Talstorin sighed, shaking his head.

"When I said get comfortable, I didn't mean it was going to lead to something.  I assure you, I'm not interested.  You seemed cold so I let you heat up here for a bit."

She looked at him confused.  Blushing heavily, she slinked back to the bathroom with her clothes in hand.  Talstorin rolled his eyes.  Why was he so nice?  He headed back to kitchen and came out a few seconds later with a bowl of soup in hand.  The girl had come back already, clad back in her heavy jacket.  He set the bowl on the table in front of her.  "Enjoy."
   
The girl eyed Talstorin, as if suspecting him of some underhanded deed.  Soon, though, her hunger overcame her and she quickly drank the hot soup.  Talstorin stared at her, thinking hard.  Most likely, she's new to the trade, I still don't like how she dealt with whatever problem she had but I still feel bad for her.  She looks almost homeless. the girl finally finished, wiping her mouth with her wrist.  Talstorin got up.

"So whom do I pay?" he asked.

"Huh?" The girl looked confused.

"YOUR money, who do I give it to?"

"Oh, me."

"Erm, okay.  Don't belong to anyone?"

"What do you mean?" she stared at him, even more confused.

"Never mind." He forked out his wallet and paid her.  She was defiantly new to this.  "Look, I'm a bit curious.  Are you new to this?"

"To what&?"

"To& how do I say it& the business?"

"Oh, yea.  I just got here in fact.  I need the money to pay for rent.  By the way, do you know how much an apartment here would cost?"

Talstorin laughed.  "If you're making this little a night, not enough.  Why are you doing this anyway?  Why not some other job?"

She frowned suddenly.  "I plan to stop soon.  I'm going to school during the day." 

It was only then did he realize how old she was.  He hadn't thought about it much till then.  She was very young, and already, being a prostitute for a living.  It was sad, and he himself frowned.  She was about the age of his little sister, though he hadn't seen her in years.  Feeling pity for her, he got up from his seat again.

"What it help you if I let you live with me while you're getting life sorted out?  It would be better if you didn't carry out what you were going to do to get money."

She smiled a bit, though she seemed to be forcing herself not to be too hopeful.  "Really?"

He nodded.  "Everyone needs a little help sometime in their life right?"

She got up and hugged him, smiling from ear to ear.  It wasn't as strange as Talstorin thought it would be.  Though he didn't even know her name, he felt like they were family.

********

    Having company felt nice.  It was funny, even when they had only met; Talstorin felt they had been through a lot together.  It was because of this bond and quick friendship that they lived together comfortably.  Every afternoon Talstoran would leave the bakery, arriving home at night, finding dinner already cooked.  They ate and shared stories about their day, often with laughs.  Sometimes, Talstorin would bring something from his bakery for dessert.  The girl, who eventually told Talstorin her name was Garniet, always loved the goods that were brought home from the bakery.  She would always comment after dessert, "That was the most delicious pie I've ever tasted," or "God, those cookies were so good, I'm stuffed," or something of the sort.

    Garniet was a good student as well, always bringing home good grades.  Though it didn't really matter much to Talstorin, he was still proud.  Sometimes, the two would stay up, helping Garniet cram studying in, last minute.  He learned that she wanted to grow up to be teacher.  It would let me help others, and give back to the community, she explained.  Talstorin supported her all the way.  He was glad she was determined to better her life.  After all, he was anxious to see her succeed.  She had grown to be a part of him.

    Talstorin felt as if their meeting was fate.  She was like a little sister to him now.  He was glad they had met, as it cheered him up too.  She always seemed to invigorate him after a long day of work, and her smile made each day unique and different. 

    Much to his disappointment though, she eventually went into depression.  She slowly began to stay silent for long periods of time.  Her grades dropped, her mood and confidence dropping with it.  He never found out the reason, though he was completely aware of it.  Sometimes, when he went to bed, he could hear her crying in the other room.  When he would ask her about it the next day, she denied ever crying or refused to talk about it. 
*******

Talstorin stepped out of shuttle, holding a bagged dress.  He had bought it to cheer Garniet up.  She had been in depression for quite a while now, and Talstoran became worried about it.  This was sure to cheer her up, he had thought.  It was later than usual, as he had took a detour to buy the dress.  It was nighttime already meaning Garniet was already home, perhaps doing homework or studying.

He hummed as he approached his street but stopped when he noticed a crowd swarming around the door of his building.  "What the&" he said to himself, running through the crowd.  He opened the main door to the lobby and looked around.  Nothing.  There was another crowd near the escalators.  He caught several words, most of them along the lines of "murder," "Rope," and "Poor thing."  He thought to himself, unable to put the thoughts together.  What had happened?

Talstorin pushed through the crowd and suddenly stopped, looking up in horror.  Garniet hung from a noose, tied to the ceiling, a pool of blood below her.  Her mouth was bloody though her eyes were closed.  She obviously hadn't been murdered.  Staring at her lifeless body for while, his mind raced with thoughts.  Somewhere behind him, he heard a man speak to his friend.

"Poor girl, she hung herself and bit her tongue too.  Something really must have driven her over the edge.  Ugh, it was a horrible sight. You should see, her tongue was missing a piece."

Talstorin simply stared.  Finally, he took one last look.  He noticed she was holding something in her hand.  Quickly walking up to her, he took the folded piece of paper from her hand.  It read: "For Talstoran, Room D13."  He slowly slipped it into his pocket, closed his eyes and prayed for her.  He then slipped out of the crowd and up to his room, leaving behind the dress he had bought, in her hands.


******


Talstorin sat in his room and opened the piece of paper.  He read it silently and looked up moments later.  How he had not noticed from her appearance?  He silently looked around his room, a little pale.  He then got up, going to bed.  He placed the slip of paper on his nightstand.  He was going to keep it for a little longer. 

******





   

Dear Talstoran,

    Sorry I had to go.  I couldn't tell you to your face, cause I knew you would have stopped me.  Sorry, really.  I had planned to do it before I met you, and really I couldn't just abandon the idea.  This world isn't for me, it's cruel, and it's horrible.  It's full of sadness and rage.  Perhaps I'm just weak but I can't take it anymore.

    Thanks for everything you've done for me, I really appreciated it. 
   
    Mother and Father would've been proud too.  Thanks again.  Oh and by the way.  Mother and Father died shortly after you ran away.  Some sickness or something.  It took little Goshieo too.  We had his funeral separately, though it wasn't complete without you there.  Our older brother Takig was slain by some man that went by the name of HellKite, I heard.  I know not of the rest of our siblings.  Thanks once more, may life show you more mercy than it showed me.

Love,
Your baby sister, Histoapir "Garnet" Yalmic


-----------------------
In the brightest light,
We find darkness...



TRP/PFC Tnepres/4SQD/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE[LoR]

Here follows the past and memories of Durandal Va'aas, as became stranded planetside on the hostile world of Tatooine. The tragedy of losing the rest of his family, and being left alone on a strange world.
 
-----------------------
In this life we are nothing without our brothers and our rifles.

Memoirs Of

A

Withered Soul


Chapter One

"Nothing Brings People More Togethor Than Mutual Hatred"
-- Henry Rollins

Talstorin let out a breath of air.  The breath turned a translucent white as it met the cold air.  He jumped off the seat and looked up at the stars.  They alligned nicely and Talstorin brought his hand up to air and traced a pattern.  Hyrioj the hunter.  It symbolized bravery and strength in his religion, though he had left all of that behind years ago.  He sighed and picked up his blaster.  It was time to do his job. 

Talstorin never liked the killing, but he had to do what he had to do.  The bakery had closed down for weeks now, and the rent took quite a bite out of his budget.  He needed a well paying job, so he took up what he meant to be a temporary job, assassinations. 

What exacerbated the problem was his target.  A 17 year old boy.  It was not much younger than he was, and probably stronger too.  Still, it was either that or starve.  He stood up, his long black coat blew in the wind, the wind carrying some sand with it.  He stretched, readied his gun and with that, he left.

__________

Durandal wiped the table and put the wet towel onto his tray along with the empty ale glasses.  He set down the plate and looked around.  He saw people of all races, and all of them were boisterous and loud.  He called out, his voice was barely hearable on top of the loud talking and the music.  No answer came.  Durandal shook his head and walked to the back room.  A middle aged man sat on a couch, smoking. 

"Whaddya want," the man grumbled, his words slurred, making him sound uneducated. 

"I need my paycheck.  Really, no more stalling.  I'm already late on rent."

"What am I?  The bank?  You work for me, I pay you when I want."  The man threw the death stick out as he answered.  "Now get out!"  He raised his grimy right arm.

Durandal stood there, unfazed.  "No.  I can't go on like this, this isn't fair."

"Deal with it life isn't fair, kid."

Durandal snarled.  "I need my money, NOW."

The man stopped his movement and turned to face Durandal.  His eyes fell onto the boy with a hard stare, glaring almost.  There was a burning anger in his eyes.  "Did you just yell at me?  GET OUT! YOU'RE FIRED!"

"But- I need my pay."

"DID YOU NOT HERE ME?"  The man grabbed a blaster pistol from his pocket and aimed it at Durandal.  "You're lucky I'm letting you run, want me to change my mind?"

Durandal shook his head and ran out of the room and then out of the bar.  He finally stopped at his speeder, almost out of breath.  He ran his hand over the metal shell.  She was so beautiful, too bad he was going to sell her now.  He desperately needed to pay the rent.  Durandal sighed and got on his speeder, starting the engine.  Behind him, Talstorin found his target, creeping up the cliffs above him.  Talstorin drew his blaster, aiming straight at the boy's back.


-----------------------
In the brightest light,
We find darkness...
-=Wraith Squad=--=TRP=-
TRP/PFC Tnepres/4SQD/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE[LoR]
Memoirs of a Withered Soul- Compendium of Short Stories on Talstorin's Background( out now- read it on army story board)

   
(ooc:  Impressive.  Just one problem and it's about a detail.  When i said shell, i meant the shell of the speeder.  Just change the souvenir you sold to something else and you're fine.  Dark Dragoons, you've got a fine trooper here.)

Talstorin braked, his speeder stopping quickly.  Durandal did the same.  They got off, finding themselves in front of a large apartment building.  Talstorin nodded to Durandal.

    "I have to return this speeder, meet me back in front of my apartment room, it's D13.  I won't be long." 

    Durandal nodded and opened the main door, walking in hesitantly.  He felt strange trusting his life to a bounty hunter who had tried to kill him moments ago.  He heard the speeder starting outside and leaving the area.  Durandal walked in, bringing in his speeder as well.  People in the lobby stared at the strange new boy, chattering among themselves about him.  Durandal found the elevator and got in, pressing a button that sent the elevator to the D floor. 

    The elevator arrived with a Ding and Durandal stepped out.  He brought his speeder in front of the room labeled D13 and slumped against the door.  At least it was warm now.  The cozy warm air heated his skin, causing it to itch a little.  Durandal looked around, this place must have been expensive. 

A woman spotted him and smirked, walking over to him.  She had sandy blonde hair, a bit too skinny, clad in a skimpy outfit.  Her high heels made a loud tap which echoed through the halls as she walked.  Durandal turned to see the woman, not realizing what she was as he wasn't familiar with neighborhood he was in. 

"Hey cutey," she said with a grin as she stood in front of him.  "Any plans tonight?"

Durandal stuttered, unsure of what to say.  "Erm, I think?"

She pouted and pressed against him, causing him to back up.  "Any time for me?"

Durandal opened his mouth but no words came out.  He didn't know what to say, he never had to deal with this problem before. 

The elevator opened again.  Talstorin stepped out, turning to face his apartment door.

"Hey you!  Get away from the kid!" he yelled as he saw the prostitute attempting to seduce Durandal.  The woman turned to see Talstorin and stopped immediately, frowning.  She walked away quickly, shoving Talstorin into a nearby wall as she passed.  Durandal let out a breath of relief.

"Sorry about that, you're going to have to get used to them though."  Talstorin unlocked the door and kept it open to let Durandal get his speeder in.  Durandal looked around inside.  It wasn't too flashy, there was nothing expensive but it was defiantly not a bad place to live.  He put the speeder aside, wondering why he even brought it up.  Talstorin sat down and Durandal followed, sitting down next to him. 

"So, what's your story?" asked Talstorin.

Durandal looked up to think for a minute and then opened his mouth to begin.


__________

      The old man put down his drinking glass and gestured the servant for more liquor.  The twi'lek girl walked slowly to the man and poured another glass.  He nodded and drank from the glass, finishing it with one gulp.  He smiled and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.  He opened his eyes again.

    "DROID!  Over here!" he called out.  A droid walked to him.

    "Yes,sir?"

    "How fairs the bounty hunter?  Is the boy dead?"

    "No news,sir"

    The man frowned.  "He has one more week.  He better get the job done."  His expression turned murderous.  He expected the boy to be dead by tonight, though he did say the deadline was next week.  Blast  The man crushed the drinking glass in his hands, the shattered glass falling to the floor. 

 
-----------------------
In the brightest light,
We find darkness...
-=Wraith Squad=--=TRP=-
TRP/PFC Tnepres/4SQD/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE[LoR]
Memoirs of a Withered Soul- Compendium of Short Stories on Talstorin's Background( out now- read it on army story board)

   
((OOC: HSC IS OVER ^_^.  Back to posting.  Sorry this was a bit short, I couldn't think too well.))


Durandal shrugged.  "There's not much we can do, right?"  Talstorin nodded.  The young man spoke again.  "We could trick him into thinking I'm already dead."  Talstorin paused for a minute and thought.  Then he bursted into laughter. 

    "He's ugly, not stupid.  He'd know right away."  Durandal shrugged.  The two had a silent moment, pondering on ideas.  At last, the two gave up.  "Anything?" asked Talstorin.  Durandal shook his head.  "Bah, fine.  I think it would be just easier if we snuck in and killed him."  Durandal gave the man a funny look.

    "Wouldn't people notice right away?  The cops would come after us."  Talstorin shook his head.

    "The law has as much power as a tree.  Sides, he's a crime lord.  No one is going to report us for fear of being associated with the guy and arrested.  Now off to bed.  I have a spare room, wash up and go sleep."  Talstorin waited for Durandal to go into the bathroom before he headed for his spare room.  His late sister's former room was adorned with girly things.  Talstorin started to take some stuff down and store them away.  It looks like he was going to have some company for a while. 

    As Talstorin finished up, Durandal walked in.  "This is my new room?"  Talstorin nodded.

    "Complain and I'll kill you."  Talstorin grinned jokingly as he said it.  Durandal chuckled as he nodded and settled in.  "I'll leave you alone now."  Talstorin walked out the door and into his own room, closing the door.  Durandal looked around.  The room looked pretty comfy, it looked like his luck just changed.

________

    A rattle of lasers was heard.  The target was hit by several blasts simultaneously, falling down instantly.  The man from earlier put down his blaster.  Target training was over, and now it was bed time.  The man took off his cloak, revealing not a man but a Kaleesh.  The male trudged towards his room, servants cleaning up the mess he had left.  The Kaleesh's tusks curved up as it walked.  It reached the bedroom and crept into bed. 

    "A day gone, six left, little assassin.  Time's a'running out."

 
-----------------------
In the brightest light,
We find darkness...
-=Wraith Squad=--=TRP=-
TRP/PFC Tnepres/4SQD/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE[LoR]
Memoirs of a Withered Soul- Compendium of Short Stories on Talstorin's Background/Story of Talstorin and Durandal( out now- read it on army story board)
Happy Holidays! Cause Wraith is going to leave you others in the dust for the HSC