"Æmeria's Research Log"

Research Log, Lord Æmeria

1333rd Year of the Empire

Month 2, Day 4

The Dark Council has cast me aside once again. Men like Mortis and Ravage sit among their ranks, men with little to no Sith blood left in their veins, yet I, one of the finest specimens of our race, and the order we have named after it, is denied a simple request for justice? It is not of vengeance I speak, but of the purity of the Sith and the safety of our Empire that we hunt down and make an example of this heretic. Surely Aruk and Marr can understand that, but no! they too side with Jadus; he is strong, but he has spent far too long with his spies and his data analysts, ordinary people without the gift of the Force. Of course, Aruk defends his academies, and Marr cites how useful the assassins have been in the days following the Treaty, but if we had more real Sith, we won't need a treaty!

Enough about politics. This is a research log, not the place to discuss the inadequacies of the Dark Council. My research onto the parasites that now feed on my body shows that the assassin's pathetic attempt to get me killed has only made me stronger. These creatures are called orbalisks and they inhabit the jungles of Dxun, surviving on dark side energies. That was why they attacked me and attached on to me. For those strong enough to survive the ordeal, though, orbalisks are not deadly predators but symbionts like the midi-chlorians in our blood. Their chemicals bolster my strength, both my physical prowess and my ability to call upon the dark side, and it seems they have a healing effect as well.

Like all things surrounding the dark side, they come at a cost. Their gorging causes constant pain, but pain is nothing new to a Dark Lord of the Sith. Should the orbalisks die, I am also told that they will release poisonous chemicals into me, enough to take me out as well. That is of little concern, seeing as the shells of the creatures are so durable that they can withstand direct impact from a lightsaber, yet another benefit of their presence. The orbalisks were discovered by Freedon Nadd to be usable as a form of armour, hence their presence in his tomb, I assume.

Fortunately, Freedon Nadd was not the only one who knew how to control the orbalisks. Talis Kohr, a Sith Master under Darth Nihilus, also used the creatures to enhance himself, and from his knowledge I can construct armour and devices that will prevent the orbalisks from spreading too far and suffocating me. I've already recruited several of the Erudite scientists for this, but I will be closely overseeing the project and creating the more crucial parts personally. I shall get on with this new project, and return to this log to report once there have been more developments.

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Research Log, Lord Æmeria

1333rd Year of the Empire

Month 3, Day 31

It is finally complete.

When this project first began, its sole objective was to create equipment that contained the orbalisks on my body, as no method of removal was known without killing both myself and the symbionts. However, if left unchecked, the orbalisks will overgrow, rendering me immobile before eventually causing death as well. The original plan was to keep the orbalisks solely on the torso- to gain the benefits of its protection on the most vulnerable parts of the body without having it spread to places where it would become an inconvenience.

This proved to be a failure. On my initial order to keep the devices as nonrestrictive as possible, Dr. Soma and his team attempted to minimize Talis Kohr's armour designs to provide thin bands that served the same purpose- emit low electrical charges to discourage the orbalisks from growing past them. While a side project was started to join orbalisks to other creatures for testing, the fastest method thus far was to put the prototypes to use, and so I was equipped with one such device across the waist, one around the neck and two over my shoulders. It did not work as expected; the orbalisks did not want to be directly on top of the bands, but newly formed ones had no trouble climbing over them to latch on to the other side and so they spread to my shoulders and upper arms.

Dr. Soma was put to work on the second prototype as soon as possible with the motivation that another failure would not be tolerated, and I personally oversaw his constructions. Following the old schematics almost entirely except with an addition of a belt and leg pieces, the end result was a set of plates insulated on the inside but emitting the same low charges on the outside. These plates, and a mask using the same technique, kept the orbalisks at bay but was required to be worn at almost all times in case the orbalisks decide to spread when they were off. The mask could be removed, but was a necessity while sleeping.

As if the pain of the orbalisks were not enough, the clothing required was starting to be a major nuisance. Since I am forced to wear what was essentially full body armour for the majority of my days, I assigned Dr. Bozman and his team to improve upon Dr. Soma's designs so that the equipment provided protection from weaponry. The variant they produced resembled standard lower-body armour, involving durasteel plating on the legs and knees that served the same function as Dr. Soma's thinner plates while also being able to defend against blasters. I ordered additional cortosis lining atop these to give even more resistance, as anyone who cannot cut through the orbalisks on my chest will likely go for the legs as a potential weak spot.

The gloves were my own design, cortosis lined as well of course, though it was far from their most remarkable feature. A combination of pneumatic pistons and energy systems enhance the strength of my fist, and combined with the power I gain from the Force, crushing bone and bending metal has become child's play. The current helmet iteration was my idea as well, a two-piece design that prevented the orbalisks from growing over my head. The top was detachable and only worn during sleep, but the bottom doubled as a breath mask and an inhaler. It may prove fruitful to wear into combat as it can deliver me not only oxygen, but other stimpacks to boost my performance. It has already been useful at nights, offering pain medication when rest would not come.

I will admit, there are drawbacks and annoyances that come with all this equipment, but I am more powerful than ever. My new impenetrable skin, my increased connection to the Force, my enhanced strength...all I need is time to make the Dark Council respect me.