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Chapter 1
65 ABY
The roars of the Armadura beast shrieked l louder than any other beast in the galaxy. That is what pierced the night skies, the day too, on planet Spina. Located on the edges of the galaxy in the Unknown Regions, the planet was perfect for his plans. The large animal like beast yanked at his chains which had constricted its arms and legs. The Armadura’s skeletal-like armor did not work against these restraints so it remained tied. The Armadura’s mask-like face was similar to that of a Kath Hound with various stripes and curves making it appear frightening. Its sharp teeth all chomped at the air trying to obtain freedom. This beast measured 10 meters long and 8 meters high which would overshadow a human. Its measurement did not scare the man though.
The human man was tall, probably measuring two meters, with short brown hair and a gentle but frightening smile on his face. He was strong, showing his years of training had paid off. The man’s clothing were robes traditionally worn by Jedi Masters except his were completely red. His eyes were light brown with a tint of grey. His smile remained as the man placed his hand over the roaring Armadura. From his hand, visible grey ripples began to be emitted and were surrounding the Armadura. The roaring of the skeletal beast increased as a grey cocoon formed around it until finally the noises stopped. Liquefying sounds were suddenly heard and movement was seen from within the cocoon. For a second, everything suddenly stopped but then a large crack grew on the cocoon and light was brought from inside the cocoon. Suddenly, the cocoon exploded and created a “shield” of smoke around where the cocoon was.
Once the smoke cleared, a new being was standing outside the broken cocoon. His form was of a Near-Human now but there was still something quite alien about him. His skin color was red and his eyes glowed yellow with a very serious look within them. There seemed to be a bone-like mask fragment on the right side of his face with a large horn curving down. The mask fragment only covered the top of the right side of his head down until his forehead. His left hand had three large bone claws growing from it and on his back, grew two large spider-like legs that had the appearance of bone. At its end, was a hand on each “leg”, all of which appeared very bone-like. His hair was black and medium length. The alien male stared at the human who did this to him and did not smile.
“What is your name?” the human asked his “creation”.
“Gosuno Wiser” he replied in a serious baritone.
“Will you serve me?”
Gosuno dropped slowly to his knees and bowed before the human, “Of course, Lord Pein”.
90 ABY
In my research, I have found a way to further the evolutionary stages of multi-stage species using the force. It is a great breakthrough in the science world and will expand our knowledge of the capabilities of the force. The Council doesn’t approve of the methods I am working with but for the sake of understanding the mysteries of the galaxy I must continue with this research. I will travel to the Unknown Regions where I have read about a mysterious species of semi-sentient skeletal beings that can transform into powerful entities living there and I will perform my experiments on them. I believe this is for the good of the force and the galaxy. Please do not send anyone out to retrieve me. This shall be my last message to the Jedi Order. Good Bye. This is Petros Infron, out.
“Petros Infron? What a weird name. Master Orran, I don’t mean to question your methods but why are you making me read this? This sounds like a big pile of poodoo,” Tako’har, or better known by her core name Ta Kohar, told her master, Rash Orran.
They were both in the Jedi library within the Jedi Temple on the planet Pacis. The pink skinned Twi’lek female was holding a holobook containing the message she had just heard with a hologram of a human with long brown hair and a serious expression on his face. Her master, Rash Orran, was a tall human male with very short black hair, almost bald, and a black goatee.
“A big pile of poodoo? Ta, I hope that isn’t your way of telling me you doubt the force,” Rash stood behind Ta as he snatched the holobook from her hands.
“No, of course not. It just doesn’t seem very logical. I mean, is it really possible to forcefully speed up the evolution of a being using the force? That seems kind of, god-like to me.”
Rash stood up and walked around the chair so that he could face Ta. “Exactly, that is why the Council forbade Petros from proceeding with his experiments. We are not gods and as such do not have the right to forcefully change a species without their approval. Setting that aside, I truly am not sure how Petros found the way to execute that but the force still is filled with mystery so it probably is possible to do it. The Sith have used it in the past with their Sith Alchemy so it is completely possible.”
“This Petros guy must have been very powerful to do that then, I mean without using the dark side”
“That, I’m not too sure of. Petros Infron was one of the order’s most powerful Jedi Masters. At one time, he was described as having greater force strength than Abba herself. Of course it was a joke made by Dakoth but I’m not too sure it really was a joke. Despite being a Jedi Master, he was never allowed to be on the Council. I think he was infuriated with this decision. The Council viewed him as too ambitious and perhaps having too much power for his own good. He probably would have put himself in danger and the order as well. Maybe things would have been different and Bakura wouldn’t have been devastated if he would have been let on the Council, who knows for sure? After he was rejected from the Council, he became a different person. He became calm, polite, and was even kind except there was something sinister about him. I remember his smile would send chills down my spine.”
“So did he go to the dark side?”
“I’m not sure. 25 years ago, he sent this message to the Council and then he just simply vanished. To tell you the truth, I don’t think this species of skeletal beings truly exists. He used to talk a lot of them calling them, Armadura. He used to say they had three different forms and that one of them granted great power in the force capable of doing unimaginable things. Now that seems like poodoo to me. Now I’m showing you this because I know you wish to become a Jedi researching yourself. You are a Jedi Knight meaning you can obtain that position very soon. I wanted to show you the ambitions you should stay away from.”
“Very well, master. I will take what you have taught me and apply it to my career. Thank you, master,” Ta bowed before the Jedi Master with a sense of honor and respect.
“You’re welcome Ta. Hahaha, I thought I told you not to call me Master anymore. You are no longer my apprentice, we are both brethren of the Jedi Order call me by my name”
“Yes mast-, I mean yes Rash”
“You still have much to learn, but let us go to the main hall and I’ll treat you to some breakfast”
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“The galactic situation is getting even more complicated. We are oblivious to what’s been occurring in the galaxy. If the attacks within the Unknown Regions reach the Republic, we will not be ready for war. We are still new and our soldiers do not have enough experience yet. We, the Jedi, will not be able to defend the people if war comes since we are still recovering from the Sith’s attack on Bakura. We need order,” Marq Yivar firmly told Kao’ona who was walking alongside him in the Jedi Temple Main Hallway on planet Pacis.
“You need to calm yourself, Marq. You are thinking ahead to a possibility that might not even happen. Who’s to say the attacks within the Unknown Regions are foreign and a threat to the Republic? The Chiss haven’t announced anything about these attacks so it’s obvious these are attacks made by rival planets outside the Ascendancy,” the green skinned Twi’lek Jedi Master calmly and softly told the human Marq.
Kao’ona stopped walking causing Marq to do the same. His grey eyes were ripened with wisdom and the white stripes in his brown hair showed his age. Kao’ona was young in comparison with stunning violet eyes. As Council Members, it was their duty to show a calm manner, unlike Marq was doing just now.
“Perhaps you are correct, and perhaps not. The force cannot supply us with enough information just yet. Oh how Master Xander is needed right now. Speaking of Vos, who else is accompanying Lysa Vos on the Bespin mission?”
“She requested Kisuk Kolar, Essi Vilaga, and Corra Kolar,” Kao’ona listed the names after remembering what Lysa had told her
“The two Kolar Zabrak? I understand Corra but why Kisuk? That Zabrak is nothing but trouble”
“Lysa’s son looks up to him and he’s been a Jedi Knight for some time, so what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that he is an ex-Sith Lord and now Jedi Knight. He’s stronger than most Knights and he knows it. He’s got a strong sense of what seems to me as arrogance and he’s too prideful,” Marq stated firmly.
“You just described his species’ personality. Listen, while I understand your concerns you must also notice how he has changed. Since learning of what we did to him and regaining his memories, he hasn’t truly accepted the Jedi path but he has vowed to not travel down the dark side again,” Kao’ona had watched Kisuk carefully since the death of his master Koras and knew what she was talking about.
“Those kinds of vows don’t mean anything”
“He vowed on the honor of the Kolar clan”
Bespin
Four Jedi walked down the streets of Cloud city. All of them skilled Jedi for the mission which were recognized by the Council. They were on level 150 of Cloud city, which was called Port Town. It was infamous for being the home of criminals, smugglers, and outlaws. A dangerous criminal associated with the Outer Rim Syndicate had caused trouble for the newly established Republic and it was necessary for the Jedi to find him and any associates and capture them. The four Jedi walked in civilian clothes but kept their lightsabers in a safe location where they could pull them out quickly. This was a dangerous part of Cloud city.
“Very lively this city. I think this part of Cloud city alone has more inhabitants than Tatooine all together. My father always called it a wasteland,” her words saddened her and made her green eyes wet.
It had been four years since they were driven off of Bakura by the Sith and Lysa’s father, Xander Vos had died as well as the rest of the Council. Her heart still sometimes ached because of his death and what made it worst was the death of her mother Mia. She had died a few weeks ago and she was told that it was from natural causes, but Lysa knew it was a broken heart.
“That is what makes this part of the city so dangerous. I suggest we be careful, we don’t know who to trust or who to watch,” Essi Vilaga, a Mirialan Jedi, told the group.
“Just trust in the force, it will guide us to our destination,” Corra Kolar said as she watched countless citizens watching the group with suspicion.
“Yes, but don’t rely simply on the force, you need to also make use of your natural instincts and biological senses. If we want to capture this koochoo we have to make us of everything we have. Corra, hurry up,” Kisuk walked to the entrance of a cantina.
“I’m not as fast as you Kadrian. Wait, why are you looking in there?” Corra hurried where her brother was to see a large group of men standing in the center of the cantina.
Corra was the only one allowed to call Kisuk by his birth name of Kadrian. He was the famed Sith Lord Darth Matas but then the Jedi Order forced the Jedi life on him. He had forgotten his past due to a drug he was injected with and the Jedi retrieved him implanting the Jedi on him. Once he had recovered his memories, he resented the Council but preferred the Jedi than the Sith after viewing the wrongs he committed as a Sith. His sibling bond with Corra allowed her to call him as Kadrian.
“Kisuk, you find something?” asked Essi excitedly to the red skinned Zabrak.
“There, I believe we’ve found our target,” Kisuk said showing some pride in his accomplishment.
“Good work, now I see why Chak looks up to you,” despite being a non-force sensitive child, Chak Vos respected Kisuk Kolar for his skills and abilities sometimes wishing he could be a Jedi. “All right, Essi, I want you to confirm that its them before we make any move”
“Very well, Master Vos,” Essi responded.
The green skinned female placed a cloak over her to conceal her identity. She calmly walked inside the cantina and slowly walked towards the group of suspected criminal. Most of the patrons in the cantina were so busy conversing and consuming their alcoholic beverages to notice Essi walk by them. This made it easier to arrive to the large group. As Essi walked closer, she began to understand what they were talking about. She heard the mentions of the Outer Rim Syndicate and them speaking as if they had a mission on Bespin. She concluded that it was them so she looked towards the window of the cantina and sent a force message to Lysa.
“She’s confirmed it. Corra move in and paralyze them while you Kisuk take out any which resist the paralyzation. Essi knows what to do, now go!” Lysa also sprung into action in the plan.
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The surface level of Cloud city was quite busy at this time of day. Three Aqualish knocked over a group of small Ugnaught as they rushed to the Administration level. A few human families enjoyed the clouds that surrounded the city. A Rodian walked around trying to sell death sticks with much enthusiasm. It was peaceful and calm; this tone would soon be cast aside.
The burning of a ship breaking through Bespin’s atmosphere sparked the air with a strong heat sensation and changed the sky to red-orange. A burning ball of fire fell directly for Cloud city. The ship’s loud and painful roaring pierced the quiet air filling it with fear. Citizens scrambled for their lives as they tried the best they could to protect themselves from the monstrous ship. The sky was literally on fire. The main question now was, what made the gigantic ship come roaring down? The ship seemed to be the size of a small Star Destroyer but it wasn’t as big of a Star Destroyer especially how Kuat made them these days.
Finally, the ship crashed on the surface of Cloud city. The nose of the ship pierced the surface level and managed to dig itself into the lower levels. The explosions from the crash were contained by the Cloud city fire squadron. Screams pierced the air as many civilians were flattened by the crash or burned alive. A cruel fate to potential good people. The ship slid on the surface up to 2 kilometers taking whatever chunks of land it could with it. The skyscrapers, housing units, and businesses in the area where the ship had crash were now completely destroyed. The crash scene took over 5 minutes but it had destroyed 60% of Cloud city’s surface level. The terror had finally stopped and the fires were calming down. The survivors began to suddenly come out from their hiding locations and observed the wreckage. Sadness swooped over their faces as they witnessed the destruction. They were glad though that it was over, or so they thought.
Suddenly, the loading ramp from the crashed ship lowered slowly. It was unbelievable that it had survived such damage and still operated. Once the ramp was completely down, many citizens peered within the ship to see nothing but darkness. Yells of terror began to echo within the ship when three Tof pilots were suddenly thrown out of the ship with extreme force. One Tof crashed face first on the torn wall of a building which had fallen from the crash and instantly died when his face crushed into itself. The other two looked severely beaten and looked within the ship’s darkness with extreme terror in their eyes.
“You damn chuff sucking idiot Tof pilots! Who told you to crash Lord Pein’s ship?!” a loud and angry voice emerged from a figure which was walking out from the ship.
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Essi sensed Corra slowly walking towards her through the force. The group had obviously sprung the plan. The green skinned woman suddenly sat at a nearby booth and hid from view of the criminals. Using the force, Essi suddenly began to project images in their minds forcing them to turn around and look the other way as Corra ran in towards them. A sudden force blast shot from her hand and the result was the criminals couldn’t move. Kisuk suddenly swooped in from behind and using an acrobatic kick, knocked out the one criminal who hadn’t been completely paralyzed. Everything was going well when suddenly Corra lost all her concentration and accidentally released the criminals from the stasis. Her hands were to her head as she fell to her knees. Kisuk was the first to notice this.
“Corra! Corra! Corra, what’s wrong?”
Corra’s yellow eyes looked at her sibling’s black eyes as her worried look transferred to him. “Kadrian, I feel something terrible is going to happen”
The entire place suddenly began to violently shake which caused all the patrons to lose balance and fall. The ceiling began to crack and many of the beverage glasses suddenly fell and broke. Kisuk grabbed quickly his sister tightly in his arms as an instinct and covered her in case something was to fall on them. Essi jumped to the ground and ducked under her booth while Lysa used the force to maintain her balance and walked outside the cantina to see what was happening. To her surprise, a large metallic objects suddenly broke through the ceiling of the level and ripped to the other side of Cloud city. It was a surprising event that rarely happened so Lysa was completely astonished. The rumbling suddenly stopped and everything was calm once more. Lysa ran back inside the cantina to check on her fellow comrades.
“Corra? Essi? Kisuk? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, I’m not sure about Corra though,” Essi climbed from beneath the booth and rose to her feet.
“I’m fine, that premonition caused me to lose concentration for a second. It’s nothing I couldn’t handle though. You can let go of me now, Kadrian,” she then turned to see where the criminal group was and noticed they were gone, “Oh frag! They’re gone! Kadrian, let go of me. The criminals are getting away. Kadrian?”
Kisuk’s black eyes were widened and it was like he did not hear her. His mind was somewhere else but his face showed great concern. He was feeling something through the force, something strange. It was malicious but not like the dark side of the force; it was like a natural malicious feeling. It was emitting from somewhere and he felt it. The Zabrak stood up and his face turned serious. The look in his eye reminded his sister of when he was a Sith Lord. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him down but Kisuk’s own strength was much greater than her’s. Lysa did not try and stop him as he walked passed her since she had felt the same thing. Lysa was a Jedi Master, Jedi Brute as well, and she had felt the strong tremor in the force.
“Corra, let him go. We need to follow him. Let’s go”
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There was much horror in their eyes as they saw what had happened. A gigantic ship had crashed and destroyed basically what was Cloud city. This type of destruction had only been seen in war. During the war with Darth Dude, Kisuk Kolar, then known as Darth Matas, fought on Reldar Prime and saw the destruction himself. Their Jedi instincts told them to rush out and help anybody they saw needed their assistance but it was stopped by another emotion. Fear. It wasn’t felt by them but the force sent the message through their minds. A green skinned humanoid was lying dead on the wall near them with blood oozing from his body and mostly his head.
The location of the fear was from two sentients which appeared to be of the Tof species. It was strange to see them this far into known space since they mostly remained in the Unknown Regions. They were obviously trembling with fear but the question was what they feared. From the ship’s ramp, a figure stood in plain sight.
His appearance was something none of them had ever seen. He was a tall red skinned humanoid with black hair. His structure was very Near Human-like but at the same time very non-human. What appeared to be skeletal or bone-like spikes were located on his shoulders and on certain parts of his body. His right hand was completely bone-like and his left forearm appeared to be covered with a bone-like armor-like shell. Single spikes sprouted from his left bicep and on the right and left sides of his neck. He was very muscular and his large armor showed that muscularity. The word “Blade” was written on his chest armor in aurebesh plus the number five was tattooed on his chin. What that could mean, it was uncertain. His most distinguished feature was the skull-like helmet that was placed on the right side of his face. The skull shaped similarly to his head shape but also grew a large horn which curved down like a Horned Kath Hound’s. Where his right eye was, a large hole was in its place filled with darkness. His face was that of an angry and ruthless warlord.
“By the force, what is that?” Essi exclaimed.
“It can’t be a Zeltron, can it? That’s the only red skinned near-human species I can think of,” Lysa wondered.
“It is something different. Something I have never seen before. See his growths; they grew from his skeletal system. His mask or helmet, or whatever it is, is attached directly on his face almost as if it was stuck on there. Also, sense his force energy. It’s massive. Not even Darth Shadow or Master Jaden had force energy this large,” Kisuk added as he observed the strange man.
“No alignment either. I can’t tell if he’s of the dark side or not. It’s almost as if he was perfectly neutral,” Lysa Vos said.
The skeletal man suddenly walked closer to the two Tofs and lifted them both with extreme ease. His eyes were filled with darkness and cruelty. The way he moved and acted was similar to that of a Sith, Kisuk recognized that well. The Tof were scared beyond control but the terrifying man didn’t seemed moved by their screams and wails. The Tof being carried in his skeletal hand was suddenly dropped to the ground and the instant the hand was free, the skeletal hand pierced through the Tof’s body coming out his back. The green skinned man opened his mouth wide as the pain surged instantly to his brain. Blood splattered from his mouth onto the floor and the dead Tof fell on the second terrified Tof. The cruel beast’s non-skeletal hand suddenly pointed itself towards the last Tof. A black ball of force energy suddenly was conjured in the palm of his hand which was pointed towards the Tof. The ball was blasted and suddenly hit its target concealing him in a body large black cocoon. Once the cocoon disappeared a few seconds later, there was nothing left of the Tof’s body except for his bare skeleton.
“What cruelty is this?! No sane sentient would do this on their own free will. He must be stopped,” Lysa was astonished by what happened. She hadn’t felt such fear other than after her father died.
“Koochoo sleemo!” Kisuk spoke in Huttese in anger as he saw what happened.
“If we are to do that we need a plan. We don’t know anything about him. By the sensation you feel by sensing him, its obvious he has force capabilities and that technique he just used is unseen and unheard of, a mystery. I say we observe him more,” Essi commented.
“You know for once I agree with you, Essi,” Corra stated noting the fact that she had problems with her, “What do you think Kadrian? Kadrian?!”
As Corra looked around, the Zabrak was nowhere to be found. She had now begun to worry. She hoped that nothing had happened to him. Essi seemed irritated by Kisuk’s missing status. While he was Darth Matas, she and he were enemies but now she viewed him as an irresponsible annoying Jedi who always seems to get stuck with her. Lysa, on the other hand, didn’t seem worried for him. She had seen what he could do as Darth Matas when she was forced to view holocrons of him slaughtering hundreds of soldiers and Dark Jedi working for Darth Dude during the war. She did have some concern though, that he would not confront the man by himself.
“What the flark are you doing?! Does that mask fragment block the blood to your brain? Stop what you’re doing,” Kisuk appeared before the strange man taking his cloak off and pulling out one of his lightsabers.
“Who are you?” the man asked Kisuk in a very serious tone.
“Kisuk Kolar, Jedi Warmaster and former Brigadier General of the Sith Army”
Lysa’s concerns were awakened as she saw Kisuk preparing to fight. She cursed under her breath and turned to the two other women who were with her. They were both just as surprised by Kisuk’s stupidity as she was. Anger began to boil over within her as she kept on watching. As a Jedi Brute, Lysa tended to show her emotions more often than others would normally show. They would have to reveal themselves as well, they had no choice.
“When was he authorized to become a Warmaster?!” Essi asked Lysa who had begun to stand up.
“A few weeks ago. As you know, Warmasters are skilled in three different areas: physical combat which includes both lightsaber and unarmed, force combat and military knowledge and experience. He carries all three traits but because he was a former Sith Lord, the Council decided to wait until he proved his loyalty to the Jedi Order. The Council created the rank two years ago when the Republic began to reform itself.”
“So, you must have military experience. How interesting. Now make it more interesting and have your Jedi friends come out from hiding,” the man said pointing to were the Jedi were hiding.
Lysa, Essi, and Corra instantly stood up and walked out next to Kisuk who seemed uninterested that the man knew the location of their hiding place. Lysa stood proud and calm despite being somewhat fearful inside. She pointed towards the man quickly and narrowed her eyes in all seriousness.
“So it is apparent you have force capabilities and know force sense. Just who are you?”
The placed both of his hands behind his back and took one step towards the group of Jedi. Behind him, one by one, hundreds of Tof, Nagai, and Chiss soldiers began to step from the crashed Star Destroyer. The Jedi seemed preoccupied with the man to notice this and the man seemed to be concealing their appearance.
“I am Gosuno Wiser, 5th Blade of Lord Pein’s army.”
“5th Blade? Lord Pein? What the chaos are you talking about?!” Corra demanded.
“It is pointless for me to simply tell you. The galaxy will know soon enough who we are and will be brought down to serve Lord Pein’s will. I hail from my homeworld of Spina and I am an Arma, which is all you need to know for now. Everything else will fall into place and you will understand,” Gosuno’s serious look remained as he spoke.
Kisuk suddenly ignited the lightsaber in his right hand and suddenly charged towards Gosuno. The blue blade glowed upon his red face and twirled in his hand as he prepared to attack. He seemed unconcerned of the situation but was completely dedicated to attacking him.
“I don’t really give a damn who or what you are but you will pay for what you have done to this city and its people!” Kisuk cried out with anger raging in his eyes.
The lightsaber swung out and directed itself for Gosuno’s face. Kisuk was known to be one of the best swordsmen in the Jedi Order due to his experience and training during his time as a Sith. The lightsaber swung quickly and could almost not be seen due to its speed. It was suddenly stopped by a thin silver sword held by Gosuno. He seemed to effortlessly block Kisuk’s lightsaber attack. It was strange to see a metal that could stop a lightsaber blade except for cortosis but this sword seemed to do it. Sparks emitted from the place of contact and Kisuk pushed onto Gosuno. He was furious and angry and transferred that onto his fight. Despite accepting to be a Jedi, he still continued to act like a Sith.
“Kolar! What are you doing?! Don’t use those emotions!” Essi yelled out towards him but Kisuk refused to listen.
Kisuk broke the contact and swung the lightsaber towards Gosuno’s feet. Gosuno responded by parring the blade and pushing Kisuk’s lightsaber blade out. Gosuno’s strength overwhelmed the supposed strong Zabrak causing him to temporarily lose his balance. Kisuk then enhanced his speed using a more powerful form of Force Speed. This Force Speed caused the user to gain even more speed than with Master Speed. He called it Legend Speed and due to his knowledge of both light and dark sided techniques, he could harness them and use Legend Speed. Kisuk suddenly vanished from sight and reappeared behind Gosuno as if he had teleported. He then swung his lightsaber with a powerful swing towards the Arma’s exposed back. Gosuno suddenly disappeared before Kisuk’s very eyes leaving only a ripping noise to be heard. Suddenly, Kisuk sensed someone behind him and turned around to see Gosuno.
“Echuta!” Kisuk muttered under his breath.
A sharp pain was suddenly felt across his back. Kisuk’s eyes widened as he dropped to the ground in pain. A dark liquid shot out from his back and splattered the ground. He could see Gosuno’s sword tip stained with his blood. He slashed me? How is that possible? I didn’t even see him. So fast. He was losing consciousness and could see Gosuno’s callous face as he drifted off.
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