Korriban

[Telperiën Ar-Pharazon]

Pain is a weakness

 

Telperien cocked her head to one side as her mother smiled. Her nice full lips making a smile that she had rarely seen on her homeworld. The best she had ever seen from the people who raised her had been stern frowns followed by a backhand. She smirked back at her mother, a smirk the woman had seen on Telperien’s biological father many times before. She gripped Qaela’s hand hard and hugged her. She didn’t cry, the tears had always been shed by her brothers, there had never been any in her for such a thing, and though they were gone, she knew that they would always be better at expressing sadness and despair. She would be brave for them, though they were not longer there to protect. She pulled away again and smirked

 

I am well mother

 

She shrugged and rubbed one of the stun burns on her chest and her face set in a stern expression. Her thin face bracketed by the miniature warrior braids of her now destroyed clan.

 

I didn’t embarrass you or father did I? Is Raia all right? We didn’t hurt her too much did we?

[AVATAR Kain]

((Permission to do this from Exodus))

 

As Delta began to turn and leave, Kain spoke up.

 

"Wait."

 

Information was relayed to him, important information. Exodus was busy, but Kain was an extension of his will, and thus privvy to certain communiques. The fleet would be needed. Kain stood, slowly morphing back to his droid appearance, shutting off his Force presence via the crystal lattice as he did so. He held out a datapad, populating it with information before Delta could even take it from him.

 

"It seems that these fleet resources will be needed sooner rather than later. You will command the Fleet, I will observe. Have the corvettes and the heavy starfighters rendezvous at the predetermined coordinates in empty space. They will meet with our starfighter squadrons where command will be officially handed over, and then we will jump to our final destination. Our mission is twofold: a rescue and extraction operation along with potentially fighting off enemy forces. Should be cut and dry."

 

Kain ended abruptly, now fully looking like his original self. Thinking the conversation over, Kain moved past him, quickly walking through the buildings to the landing pads, prepping his ship, and leaving the planet with all the speed he could afford. A quick encoded message to the seventy two starfighters and they followed behind his departing ship, linking up in formation before making their own jumps.

 

Execute

[Delta73]

Delta grinned as he placed his helmet on his head. The pop hiss of the seal completed and he grabbed the datapad, glancing over it with a flicker of his eye to the inbuilt mandalorian armour helmet he relayed the orders to his fleet commanders on board the St. Cathryne and the Marie.

Action Stations. All hands prepare for immediate departure.

 

As Delta saluted the Droid fleet commander the fleet overheat began to take shape. He walked briskly to where his daughter and girlfriend were, kissed them, informed them of where he was going, and left for the skies.

 

The 12 heavy fighters (Rebuilt ARC class) formed up alongside The 20 assault bombers and 30 remaining attack starfighters and began a departure vector alongside the Marie and the St Cathryne. The pale blue of the frigate’s hull paint contrasted against the black and red of the Marie, but in the end that was black sun’s style. A hodgepodge fleet, and one that would make the old Black Sun Armada commanders blush with shame, but it would do. The MC30 and CR-90 upon receiving their commander launched into hyperspace and the remaining 30 starfighters and Imperial Cruiser stayed in geosynchronous orbit over the Korriban Temple as a last ditch defense should the attack and rescue operation turn into a total route.

[Darth Nyrys]

When the hutt next spoke, his words were an intricate etymological tapestry that shifted languages and dialects to find the precise words to best say what he was saying, or more specifically, what Ailbasí would have thought would be the best words out of the assortment of languages she had collected over the years. It reminded her of vocabulary games with her parents, they had always said that words were part of how we remembered our lives, and therefore the more words you knew, the more nuance your life would have. A brief memory from childhood of sharing words from different languages like collections of polished stones flitted through her mind.

 

The interaction was certainly peculiar though, having been told by colleagues in the past to keep at least a planet’s distance between herself and the enigmatic Sith. These esoteric lords of darkness were notorious for their isolationist tendencies, especially regarding matters of their past. Perhaps this individual, who seemingly at random had taken such an interest in her plight, had been the one to approve the permits to begin with. Maybe he wanted an unbiased opinion on something, or thought that inviting some uninitiated academic to examine some piece of lore would be an entertaining novelty. Either way, it seemed like an honest answer was best, especially since this Sith was potentially able to read her thoughts.

 

“Everything the galaxy knows about the Sith comes from times after the first great war, which culturally redefined your people. Everyone knows where you are now, but where did you come from? What were the original beliefs of the Sith and what was the breaking point between the orders? In essence what I seek is…”

 

Ailbasí struggled to find a word that truly encapsulated what she was looking for. There was one word, part of a language her father had kept between the two of them as sort of a father daughter thing. If nothing else, it was the most honest answer she could give.

 

“Saarai.”

[Sheog the Mad]

A Lord of the Sith, a Krath by the name of Fash Backar approached the dais at the pace of a man with a mission. He was a Falleen, and by no terms an evil man, but he carried the Dark Side close to heart. He had worked with Sheog for several years, ever since the Hutt’s return from the Corellian escapades that had ended with the death of the entire Corsec active investigators, as well as a majority of the Jedi Council. He admired the Hutt, and he had a message for him from his friend Delta, as well as fleet reports.

 

The overlarge Hutt scrolled through the readouts and pressed a few buttons to prepare his own ship, The Demented Madness to be prepped for battle, fueled and fully armed. The Overlarge Hutt leaned forward on his dais, listening to the snowfurred cathar speak of the histories of the past. It was the language of more ancient factions of The Sith, and had not been uttered in the halls of the Sith Temple since time immemorial. With a rush of wriggling flesh, Sheog landed on the cobblestones beside the Cathar, his battlearmour clanging with ringing underweave.

 

<>

 

He motioned for her to follow with a wriggle of his armoured fingers. Alongside them came two squads of Sith Lords, fully armed. Two Krath Lords, Masters Vindalo and Karema, Human twins from Serreno wore their crimson cloaks and bore single-bladed lightsabers. Assassins Vae and Vosh followed at the rear in deep black cloaks concealing synthweave armour. The pair of Sith Warriors, both taken from the Greyjoy ranks before being trained as Warriors, wore heavy battlearmour and carried double-bladed lightsabers. Four Sith troopers in ebony armour marched alongside, with their heavy weapons and grenades. Four Tuk’ata with coats of deep crimson fur, rippling with musculature beneath snythweave armour. The Hutt motioned to them as he pushed himself along the flagstones

 

<>

 

The Demented Madness was loaded with the squads and its armaments, Ailbasi and Sheog would settle into the command sphere where there would be plenty of room for both of them. It would leave on a departure vector to jump into hyperspace.

[Raia Montar]

Raia bit her lip, embarrassment flooding her as she realized she had to admit to Draken that she’d ruined his gift to her. “I know that you made it from the ashes of my planet, my blood, and my...father’s.” The word still sounded foreign to her, but she pressed on. “Delta’s daughter was cursed by Nightsisters, so...I thought with my own magic, plus the blood of a former Dark Lord and Warrior King, it would be enough to trap the curse there for good so Telperien could actually get better.”

 

For a moment, it looked as if the girl might start crying, but she managed to maintain her composure. “I...didn’t foresee what the true darkness she carried in her was. I’ve ruined it. I’m sorry.”

 

Her heart sank at the admission, though Vex’aedr nudged her gently as though to assure her it would be alright.

[darth shadowlord]

“I know that you made it from the ashes of my planet, my blood, and my...father’s. Delta’s daughter was cursed by Nightsisters, so...I thought with my own magic, plus the blood of a former Dark Lord and Warrior King, it would be enough to trap the curse there for good so Telperien could actually get better. I...didn’t foresee what the true darkness she carried in her was. I’ve ruined it. I’m sorry.”

 

Draken nodded slowly taking in all that she said, arching his eyebrow and glancing at Quietus as she referred to him as her father then higher as she mentioned a true darkness. Something about the corruption within crystal was familiar to him, almost as if someone that he had met a long time ago had inhabited the crystal.

 

“Raia. Look at me.”

 

He reached out and gently lifted her chin so that she was looking directly at him. It took him a moment to speak but when he did, his voice had changed while still calm and deep, it had taken on a protective tone.

 

“You will never be able to always see the results of your actions even with the Force as Alora and your father can attest to. I have had many experiments and tests that have failed, but they are never the end result. The end result is whether you learn from your failures and become stronger from the stepping stone of the failure.”

 

He reached out and removed the necklace from around her neck, setting his staff aside to float beside him with the force as he untied the leather thong and removed the crystal tree from the necklace and kept it in the air as he replaced the necklace around her neck. He called the crystal tree to his hand and closed it over the crystal. His eyes closed as he sank a tendril of himself into the crystal, armoring that portion of his spirit much like he would before battle.

 

Almost immediately he felt the backlash from the corruption within the crystal, it rocked his physical body back a step and the staff beside him ignited with emerald flames. He grimaced and struck back, a wave of purging fire beating the corruption back before him enough for him to gain a foothold within the crystal. The corruption drew back from him for a moment, the darkness beginning to take shape. He watched it for a moment, curious as to what was happening. This wasn’t something he had expected especially when the darkness had assumed its form.

 

He tilted his head examining it for a moment then realizing exactly what the curse had been unleashed several more blast of power at the figure in front of him knocking it back several paces and allowing him the space to leave the crystal and return to his corporeal body. He inhaled and opened his eyes then flung his hand out, casting the crystal before him. Concentrating for a moment, he caught the crystal within an orb of crimson lightning and contained it. The lightning arched around the crystal, striking it several times per second and causing the corruption within the crystal to fluctuate and seemed to be attempting to get away from the lightning.

 

Draken reached out and took his staff from the air beside him and unleashed a second gout of lighting into the orb strengthening the those bolts that were arching into the crystal. The crystal began to turn in the air with a slowly building screeching emitting from the crystal. He watched the crystal for several moment, his sensitive eyes picking out stress marks and fractures within the structure of the crystal.

 

“Quietus, smash it. Now!”

 

He released the lightning surrounding the crystal, letting it fall to the stone. The screeching continued as the crystal bounced across the stone and came to a rest two feet from where Quietus stood. Within the crystal, the residue lightning was still arcing but the corruption was quickly rolling over the last few bolts.

[Raynuk Montar]

Raynuk remained where he was as Draken turned back to Raia as the girl answered his inquiry regarding the necklace that now contained the curse and tainted presence of Ar-Pharazon. He was likewise interested in Raia's outlook on the necklace, and the situation with Telperien. The sideways glances from Draken along the way didn't go unnoticed this time either, but Raynuk showed no reaction other than meeting Draken's eyes both times before his gaze returned to Raia. A flash of instinctual urge to lash out at Draken as the Sith touched Raia, a reaction he had set for himself when they had first arrived not knowing how Raia's connection to Raynuk would be received, was quickly cooled and tempered by Raynuk's judgement. But the reaction still showed as most of Raynuk's muscles tightened beneath his skin.

 

The necklace was fully in Draken's wheelhouse, and Raynuk knew the man was equally invested in its current state as Raynuk was. So for now, there was little the Warrior King could do besides watch as Draken took the crystal to investigate it. The next moments passed in mostly silence as Draken extended himself into the crystal, probing it. The subtle rocking back of his body as he did so didnt go unnoticed; not that his staff igniting beside him could be ignored even if Raynuk had not been watching. It was a tell that confirmed to Raynuk the dangers and power that Raia had managed to wrangle into the crystal. A few moments Draken's prognosis became clear as he lashed out at the crystal, catching it in a prison of crimson lightning before joining it with another arc of lightning directly from his staff. The screeching sound that seemed to be emitting from the crystal itself was a surprise however. But Raynuk didnt have long to consider the implications of it as Draken released the crystal, which came bouncing to him as though it were nothing at all. But Draken's hasted words showed enough alarm and concern that Raynuk reacted almost before thinking.

 

 

 

 

 

With one swift motion, Raynuk unhinged the warhammer from it's spot on his back, and swung it upwards over his head, intending to bring the hammer face down to smash the tainted crystal with all his might and more. But as the hammer reached its apex, Raynuk began speaking, uttering words in the ancient Sith tongue.

 

"Haoss un bojāeja... esi ar mani... lūdziet savu vietu... iznīciniet šo negantību!!"

 

It was an ancient incantation, worthy of a Krath no doubt, but one that Raynuk had learned solely for moments as this; when he was bringing the warhammer, crafted by Kakuto Ryu and doused in alchemical magics and power, to bear on anything that stood in his way. As the hammer began its downward swing towards impact, the runes that lay hidden along the shaft and hammer head began glowing with red, magma-like fire. and suddenly the hammer seemed to feel larger; began to feel faster, and feel heavier to not just Raynuk, but everyone else around him. The others would swear a shadow filled the air behind Raynuk, a shadow that dwarfed even Raynuk's massive form, encompassing him and mirroring his posture and envelop his hands as they brought the hammer to bear.

 

And with the impact of a corvette smashing into a planetary shield at full thrust, the warhammer smashed into the now stressed crystal. And quite simply, the crystal exploded in fire, lightning, and screams. Much as Draken's body was rocked backwards upon his inspection of the crystal, Raynuk found himself thrown off balance by the impact and concussive blast that signaled the crystal's destruction. He barely maintained his grip on the warhammer, but in doing so was forced to acquiesce to taking a step backwards as the hammer seemed to mirror it's path, flying over Raynuk's head once more and slamming into the floor behind him as well. It was only the force of the hammer pulling him back and twisting away that kept Raynuk from being completely blinded by the fire of the explosion itself. But with the crystal's destruction came the terrible scream that was a mixture of anger, pain, frustration, and anguish. It chillingly reminded Raynuk of the screams of the undead on Dathomir in the moments before the army of the dead crashed against him and the very same hammer.

 

When Raynuk did finally recover and turn back to look at where the crystal once lay, he saw only a blackened crater, the size of a large banquet serving dish, that had now been pounded into the duracrete floor, with a spiderweb of cracks splintering outwards from the center in all directions. The cracks themselves seemed to momentarily glow with the same magma-fire and crimson lightning from the warhammer and Draken's efforts before both died away. For a moment, Raynuk stared at the crater, grasping at the image he saw burn into his eyes at the moment of impact. That of the shadow that had grown to dwarf him, reaching out towards a smaller humanoid shaped shadow, and summarily using it as a plaything, whipping it around and slamming it into the ground.

 

It brought just a bit of a smirk to Raynuk's face, as he knew the smaller shadow was the lingering presence of Ar-Pharazon. Finally, his head snapped up to look at Draken and Raia, who were both recovering from the implications of the hammer smash themselves. He offered Draken a modest nod, knowing the Krath was equally responsible for ending its threat.

 

"Looks like that's one less thing to worry about..." He offered, silently wondering if the rest of the temple had either felt the impact of the hammer upon the temple, or if they had been subjected to the scream of the crystal's destruction.

 

 

 

LAP played by Loki

Warhammer magic played by the Hulk

 

[Raia Montar]

As it dawned on her what was about to happen Raia surged forward, crying out in protest only to be intercepted by Alora as the crystal exploded in a great release of energy.

 

The tears she'd been fighting down throughout the whole interaction finally fell as she crumpled to her knees and swept at the ashes that now remained. The crystal that had first bonded her and Raynuk together was gone and she had no one to blame but herself. In her mind, it felt as though something had been severed. Something had been lost.

 

As the others were recovering, she somehow managed to find her feet, feeling the Force rushing to meet her in her anguish as she ran out of the temple and toward the starlit valley of the dead propelled at inhuman speeds.

[Alora]

Alora remained silent and watchful as Raynuk and Draken discussed the corruption of the crystal then acted. Instead she watched the young girl, to see how she would deal with this turn of events. A protective instinct had her wanting to comfort Raia as Draken took the corrupted crystal from her necklace and began to test it then attack the corruption within it. As the Krath weakened the screeching corruption and told the Warrior King to smash it she knew Raia would move to intervene. She grabbed the young Dathomiri as she began to move and pulled her into a comforting embrace, the Assassin’s back towards the exploding, screeching crystal. The resulting release of energy had her struggling to remain upright and to hold onto the teenage girl.

 

Alora sensed the loss Raia felt at the destruction of the crystal Draken had created which had bonded the girl to Raynuk. She also understood what the men would not as Raia fell to her knees with tears of anguish running down her face. It didn’t surprise her at all when the young girl picked herself up and ran off. Knowing what was coming next she turned back to face Raynuk, holding up her hand in a gesture to keep him quiet. “Do not scold Raia for her outburst. You forget that she is only fifteen years old and a young girl going through puberty. She was also in isolation on Spite Station for two years, living in fear until Emily found her. Running and hiding is what kept her alive. It kept her safe. She knows no alternative. When has she had a chance to learn in the last two months? To actually be a teenage girl and not an apprentice or someone that is just being dragged around the galaxy willy-nilly.” Alora paused, her gaze shifting between the two men.

 

“She has also just lost everything on Dathomir and now she’s also lost the crystal that was made for her from the ashes of her home planet. She called you ‘father’. Start acting like a Father and not a Master - go take a class in teenage girls before you go off at her. Speaking of which, of all the young girls you have taken on, you still do not understand how to treat us. I was only eighteen when I became your apprentice… how old was Emily? My age wasn’t she? And Jaina? How old was she?” The Sith Mistress hoped that the men would at least have some perspective now.

[Exodus]

Unidentified creatures covered in thin black cloth from head to toe exited the spacious study, one after the other. The nature of the scene was ceremonious and shrewdly sinister, with candlelight and broken languages colored in red, opulently scattered and painted across onyx stone. Strange vapor blanketed the room, and the shadows of naked flame danced fiercely upon the walls. An untold story was being unraveled within the Halls of the Spider, but an expected call had run the chapter short. Lord Exodus remained in the study, his mind detached while he pushed the edge of a small blade into the flesh of rich meat, and scarfed down his portions. He appeared different now, his body harnessed in particular battle garments, and his demeanor glassed with resolve. The communication from the henchmen of Faust, and the tone in which he spoke it, took Exodus a bit by surprise. The Dark Lord endorsed the plea for reinforcements nevertheless, and spread the message to Gamma and his own counsel Kain immediately. The Forces moved heedlessly, a small measure of their excellent efficiency, while Exodus combed through important detail. The data-mongering AI that served better than anyone under the Order this far, ensured that a constant feed of actions were sent his way, which proved useful throughout his timely research. Now it was time to move.

 

Exodus sheathed the face of the small blade into the front of his vest and marched from the room, just as the others had before him. He allowed his powerful emanation, which was naturally hidden, to loosen and supersede all others on this side of Korriban. Those that had visited and had paid him no mind, had forfeited their chance to leash incredible opportunity, a chance that was rare to recover. From here on out, the Spider callously carve into anything that stood in the way of the Order, and anything that had hope to divide them. The Lightbreaker hovered low at the nearest exit, and the Dark Lord fastened himself in, to make way for Onderon.

 

 

 

• [Left for Space]

[Dahar Raikanda]

Allison scurried back to her room completely oblivious of what was going on around her. Many of the heavier presences had left Korriban. The Dark Side still hung over the planet but the oppressive signatures of the Sith Masters had shrunken. She tried to remember her breathing exercises as she rushed back to the slave quarters. Her friends were happy to see her. After all, when a Jedi child was summoned by the Sith they often did not return. But Allison had returned and brought a surprising tale to her fellow padawans of how the Jedi Grandmaster had come to save them. There were more than a few dozen of them, 44 to be specific, and they listened with eager hope to news of their potential rescue.

 

---

 

It was a few days before the heroic Master Dahar finally came for them. He was led in by two armed guards who departed after his arrival. It was now only Jedi in the room, although he didn't look much like a Jedi anymore. His face had taken the tint that Sith so often develop, and his cloak wasn't one of the Jedi, but jet black with crimson red trimmings. After he knew the guards were out of ear-shot he crouched down and beckoned the children around him.

 

"My dear, dear children. I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to get to you. I had to make them think I had come to switch sides. But I promise you, I will get you out of here." Allison stood by his side, attempting to press herself into an apprentice-type role. Even in these circumstances she knew what happened to padawans who were never picked up by a master. "As I explained to Allison, your captors have fitted you all with explosive devices set to detonate if you leave. Normally this would make escape impossible. However, I have discovered an old friend working here for the Sith, a scientist who owes me a life-debt. His loyalty is without question, and he is going to help us. I will be bringing you one by one to see him and remove the explosives."

 

The children gazed at him with reverence. He had become their savior from certain death. Over the course of that day he did as he said he would, bringing each one personally to visit the scientist Lord Ishmeicitty. One at a time the children were anesthetized under the guise of surgical explosive removal. Each child left the science wing with some minor stomach pain and the confidence that they'd be able to escape. Each child also left the science wing with an abdomen full of remote explosives.

 

The last child to go with him was Allison. As he accompanied her to surgery they talked, "Allison, you've been so brave through all of this. You will make a strong Jedi Knight someday. When we return to Tython I am going to take you as my own apprentice." Those carefully crafted words solidified her unyielding loyalty to him. Not only had he saved her from the Sith Hutt but now he would give her a life as a Jedi.

 

In the operation room Atlas stood over her as Ishmeicitty prepared the young girl's surgery. "Is this the last one, Master Atlas?

 

"Yes. But the explosives won't be necessary with her. A simple tracking device will do. And..." Atlas moved a finger to her face, pushing up her lip to expose a few teeth. Such a pretty little mouth he thought to himself. "A thorough teeth cleaning..."

 

---

 

It was the day after their collective surgeries that Atlas returned for the final time. The temple was beginning to clear out as Sith forces, Lords, and Masters were being called away for something of no concern to him. He entered again with two armed guards, this time they remained. They stood for a moment behind the Force Master but then with a clench of his fists they both grabbed at their necks. It took only moments for them to pass out from lack of oxygen.

 

"Come children! This is our only chance. Follow me, and quietly!"

 

The group journeyed surprisingly undisturbed from their holding place to a hangar. A transport ship waited in the seemingly abandoned bay. Atlas ushered the children into the cargo hold. He informed them that they'd need to hide there for the short journey back to Tython in order for him to be able to successfully steal the ship.

 

He shut the door with force and quietly walked over to the hangar's entrance. The two guards he had seemingly incapacitated appeared from around the corner. "I am aware that your master, Lord Sheog, has been called away on business. Inform him that I have left with my tools. The ship will be making a series of carefully calculated hyper-jumps. Be sure to trace me with the utmost detail and upload the path into your database as soon as I reach my destination. You can tell Sheog it's a token of my gratitude for his... hospitality."

 

The guards bowed as Atlas walked back to the ship. He entered through the main door and soon found himself at the helm. The ship exited the hangar, the atmosphere, and then blasted into hyperspace.

[Raynuk Montar]

There was no stopping Raia as the teenager rose and ran off away from them, and Raynuk was still fighting off the effects of the crystal’s destruction even if he had attempted to stop her. Raia’s reaction unfortunately, left Raynuk nothing short of annoyed and frustrated. Perhaps it was merely the after-effects of the returned exposure of Ar-Pharazon upon his very soul, but Raynuk was beginning to feel and be reminded of how Raia’s seemingly constant reaction of fleeing would have ticked him off if the girl had come to be under the eyes of Darth Quietus. The rational part of the Sith could not ignore the subject Raia had broached earlier of Cloud City; the floating city and its denizens had met a terrible end at the hands of Quietus, under the influence of Ar-Pharazon as they campaigned destruction across the galaxy to raise Quietus to the throne. A throne that he had not given the attention it demanded. A throne that Draken himself had relieved Raynuk of in the months following.

 

Raynuk was attempting to wrangle the frustrations silently aimed at Raia, contemplating how he would express to the girl that she could not simply run every time something went wrong, when Alora made a mistake. His former apprentice wheeled on him like a possessed harpy, and without provocation laid into Raynuk regarding Raia. For the first few seconds Raynuk was simply stunned at Alora’s visceral reaction, but the more the woman spoke, the more nerves she hit, and the more the fire that the presence of Ar-Pharazon had attempted to spark was fanned.

 

Raynuk had always taken a modicum of pride in his ability to keep his anger and rage simmering until it was needed, but in the moment, he heard nothing after “Start acting like a Father and not a Master”. His mind gave him a heartbeat of pause, before all hell broke loose within. Alora had barely finished throwing accusatory questions at him before Raynuk set upon her, a low growl grinding from his throat. He physically shoved Alora backwards and pursued until she found herself pressed against the wall.

 

For Alora, it may as well have been a flashback to the handful of times she had truly disappointed him or angered him during her own apprenticeship. There was fire in his eyes, venom in his words, and power in his presence. For the briefest of moments, Darth Quietus had returned, bursting out from within Raynuk like a horror movie.

“Do not start.” He practically snarled at her, “You know nothing of what has happened to us between Dathomir and now; you have no ground to stand on and accuse me of such things!”

 

“Start acting like a Father and not a Master”, He repeated her words mockingly, “Are you serious? That is all I have been acting like; a FATHER. But you wouldn’t know that would you? No, because while you were off chasing those who turned their back on us for your own selfish reasons, I was guiding her, reminding her that her world is not lost, and attempting to rebuild that shattered world for her! Remind me again how your search went? Regal me with the news that your chase to rescue your maid of honor actually accomplished anything! Oh, that's right... Meanwhile, I have bled for Raia. I have hidden myself from Jedi for her. I have faced the accusations and insults of my fellow Sith for her, and I will die for her if it means ensuring she never feels unloved, unwanted, and alone without a family ever again!”

 

As his words continued, the rage and the anger that had been soaked into his words at the beginning, continued to drain out, replaced by the sense of passion and devotion that only in hindsight would Raynuk even realize was there. He reeled away from Alora, locking his gaze on Draken behind him, a move made to not only ensure Draken wasn’t about to lob his head off again, but to give him a warning ‘Stay out of this. look. But breaking the flow of angry words to look at Draken, was enough for Darth Quietus to be hastily shoved back into the cage within. He unconsciously took a step back from Alora, letting out a long exhale that started as a growl, and ended as a sigh before he turned back to look his former apprentice in the eyes. The anger and hatred was gone, replaced by steely determination and intensity.

 

“I… am not the same person I used to be Alora… You should know this already.” He began, a bit quieter than before, yet still with an edge. “Raia lost her entire family, her entire clan. I know that pain and that anguish; of feeling like there is no one in the galaxy anymore who gives a damn that you’re even alive. Since Dathomir, I have tried to show her that she will not fall through the cracks and be left alone again; to be the reminder of everything she has gained, and will gain. Everything I have done, has been to try and be a Father she deserves. I haven’t trained her, I haven’t scolded her as you seemed so quick to accuse me of. I have cared for her, and will continue to do so.”

 

There was an edge of pity as he finished and turned from Alora for the final time, crossing to leave in the same direction Raia had run. But he stopped, his eyes cast downward as he thought for a moment.

 

“It is you who doesn’t understand Alora. When I look at Raia, I don't just see a wayward teenager from Dathomir. I see the life I denied myself; a life in which I was a better man, where I didn’t foolishly twist the affection and love I have for Jaina into a dangerous obsession that pushed her away in fear of me. If that had been my path, I know...” He looked up again, meeting Alora’s eyes, and then Draken’s in turn before continuing, making sure they understood the emphasis he was placing on his words, “I know Raia would have been our daughter; I see so much of her that reminds her of myself, or of Jaina. The good, and the bad, the beauty and the stubborn streak, the fire and the wit. That is why...”

 

He found himself lacking the words, and simply raised his hands in a sweeping gesture. “All of this… That is why. I know I won’t be the best fit for her Master; likely you will take over in that role Draken, as you already have taught her and shown her things she will need to know as a Krath. But that time hasn’t come yet. Until then, I will teach her what I can. As a Father, and as a Sith.”

He locked eyes with Alora then. The Sith Master hoped she would at least have some perspective now.

[Raia Montar]

The desert scape flew past her as dizzying speeds and she found herself far into the valley of tombs before her reserves ran out and she tumbled to a halt at the foot of a stone door.

 

It was only then she noticed her guardians had not come with her or had not been able to keep up.

 

Her whole body ached and her throat was dry from the desert air and wind. Her fingers unconsciously went for the knot where the crystal had been, but its absence offered her no comfort as she managed to drag her protesting body into a sitting position as she looked back out the way she came.

 

She looked up at the stars, upset with herself for running again. She’d managed to stand up to Master Sheog. Why hadn’t she been able to find the will to stand before Sith she trusted?

 

He hurt you, part of her responded. When he broke that crystal, he broke your bond…

Her inner voice was right. Intentional or not, Raynuk’s actions had struck her deeply. It hadn’t mattered to her that the crystal was ruined. She’d thought that their blood together had been enough to keep the spirit of Telperien’s father sealed up in the crystal forever. Everything had seemed fine once the former Dark Lord’s power had been contained. After everything, she just felt lost and confused, but now she was just lost.

 

How did I get so far so fast? Where am I?

 

Movement in the dimness caught her eye.

 

“Vex? Roe?” she called cautiously, hauling herself into a standing position. “Is that you?”

 

The encroaching darkness of night, plus the silence of the desert planet offered no answer to Raia’s question beyond the distant sound of wind spinning through the sand. Raia’s eyes scanned the horizon but found nothing that would account for the movement she swore she saw. But just as Raia was beginning to consider that her mind and the darkness were playing tricks on her, a growl broke the silence; a growl that seemed to be all around her.

 

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she closed her eyes and tried to feel things out the way Emily had taught her. All that came back to her was a sense of wildness and hunger.

 

This was not Dathomir, and she had little familiarity with this planet or its local fauna. Running had been a mistake, she saw that now. She was completely alone and had no clue what the darkness of the night held for her.

 

Backing toward the richly carved doors of the tomb, she nervously felt for the lightsaber Raynuk had gifted her when she’d first visited this world, held it carefully away from her, activated both crimson blades, and offered what she hoped was a warning growl of her own.

 

In the light of the twin blades, the immediate area around Raia lit up, the sands and the tomb doors behind her bathed in crimson light, casting shadows from every rock, sandpile, and carving around her. But she didn’t notice any of that, for when the blades had ignited, it revealed the four tuk’atas that had been slowly creeping forward towards her from multiple directions. She noticed instantly that all of them were smaller than Vex’aedr and Roe’gall, barely half their size and leaner in terms of muscle. But like Roe’gall, they were all pitch black in color, likely what made them so hard to spot against the evening darkness.They all paused momentarily, either from the sudden light source, or the growl Raia had offered she didn’t know, but as her heart pounded in her chest twice, they lowered their heads and began moving again.

 

They were now beginning to circle her, moving more sideways than towards her, but their red eyes, seeming to reflect the light of her lightsaber, never left her as they moved around her. They emitted a series of growls in varying tones but intermixed with soft almost clicking sounds.

 

It sounded eerily similar to the way she’d seen the rancors on Dathomir communicate during a hunt and the realization did little to settle her mind. Risking taking her eyes off of her guardian’s Korribani counterparts, she quickly glanced around looking for anything that might give her an advantage.

 

Looking up, she noticed an odd shadow that ran vertically up the door’s carvings in an almost perfectly straight line. The tomb’s not sealed! she realized, part of her mind wondering why that might be and if slipping inside would prove more dangerous, than beneficial.

 

There was a sudden howl, above and behind her, above even the massive stone doors. It was an almost bone-chilling howl, but Raia barely had time to glance upward, trying to find the source, before the sudden sound of four sets of padded feet trampling across the sand ripped her attention back forward. That was one sound that Raia did know; the sound of tuk’atas in full sprint, all four carving a path through the sands directly towards her. Though they were smaller than Roe’gall and Vex’aedr, the sight of four of them charging at her with that same hunger in their eyes as they all began to vocalize in growls and barks was enough to knock Raia over in a moment of fear. But her instincts practically demanded that she move, to not be the late night snack of these tuk’atas. Scrambling backward, she didn’t ever fully get to her feet as she practically dove into the open temple.

 

A massive shadow blotted out the stars as Raia dove, and as she hit the harder ground within the temple’s entrance, she looked back to see another tuk’ata land with a thundering impact at the very spot Raia had been half a second before, it’s red eyes staring right at her as it recovered from the impact.

 

This tuk’ata however, was visibly different. Though still not as large as Raynuk’s pets, this one was a full head taller than the other four that had chased Raia thus far. But the most distinctive feature to her eyes was the color. The other four, which in that moment dashed up to stop beside this apparent pack leader, were black as night. But this larger one was visibly lighter as far as she could see, even bathed in the blanket of crimson light. In the light of day, this tuk’ata was likely a brindle color of a ruddy brown and tan, not unlike it's desert surroundings.

 

And while the others continued to bark and growl in her direction, the brindle tuk’ata merely stared into the darkened doorway at her.

 

Cautiously, she bent down to retrieve the lightsaber from where it had fallen, the crimson blades deactivating almost the moment it had left her hand during her dive to relative safety. As the blades sprung back to life, she deactivated one and aimed the remaining tip toward the narrow opening in a challenge. Raynuk had given her a lesson in how to wield a lightsaber. She hoped it was enough since her life likely now depended on how much she remembered from that one lesson.

 

Oh, Tētis. Where are you?

[darth shadowlord]

“She has also just lost everything on Dathomir and now she’s also lost the crystal that was made for her from the ashes of her home planet. She called you ‘father’. Start acting like a Father and not a Master - go take a class in teenage girls before you go off at her. Speaking of which, of all the young girls you have taken on, you still do not understand how to treat us. I was only eighteen when I became your apprentice… how old was Emily? My age wasn’t she? And Jaina? How old was she?”

 

Draken sighed, this outburst was about cause a significant amount of chaos. He didn’t see that Raynuk had done all that badly considering the situation. It hadn’t been his fault that the crystal had been corrupted, nor had it been his fault that they had needed to destroy the crystal. The fault that the crystal had contained both of their blood had undoubtedly been the reason for Raia’s reaction.

 

In and of itself the reaction should have been realized in hindsight he realized as he considered it then frowned for a moment as he thought about it.

 

“Do not start. I… am not the same person I used to be Alora… You should know this already.Raia lost her entire family, her entire clan. I know that pain and that anguish; of feeling like there is no one in the galaxy anymore who gives a damn that you’re even alive. Since Dathomir, I have tried to show her that she will not fall through the cracks and be left alone again; to be the reminder of everything she has gained, and will gain. Everything I have done, has been to try and be a Father she deserves. I haven’t trained her, I haven’t scolded her as you seemed so quick to accuse me of. I have cared for her, and will continue to do so.”

 

He stood there watching Raynuk react in kind to Alora, he had expected as much. The glance behind that Raynuk had tossed him seemed to indicate that he had expected that Draken to be ready to kill him when in fact the situation was such that Draken rather agreed with him. He nodded slowly half listening to the continuing tirade as an idea came to mind for him then was caught slightly off guard at the last thing that Raynuk mentioned.

 

“All of this… That is why. I know I won’t be the best fit for her Master; likely you will take over in that role Draken, as you already have taught her and shown her things she will need to know as a Krath. But that time hasn’t come yet. Until then, I will teach her what I can. As a Father, and as a Sith.”

 

Draken stroked his beard for a moment looking at his staff as he thought about it before speaking. “Brother, I agree with you and I fear that I may have underestimated what the crystal meant to her. However given the fact that the crystal contained part of Ar-Pharazon there was no other choice for us to make.” He paused for a moment, then posed a solution.

 

“I need a few drops of your blood and hers as well then leave the rest to me. She will have a better crystal, one born in the fires of this world.”

[Alora]

Alora knew the second she had struck the biggest nerve as Raynuk shoved her backwards until she was against the wall. As his words cut the air between them, his former apprentice stood there listening with a spark in her violet eyes as he continued with his tirade. The more he snarled at her the harder it was to keep the neutral expression upon her face. When he finally broke the eye lock with her to glance at Draken she allowed herself to breathe, to control the emotion that threatened to escape. This was easier to do once he had taken a step back from her.

 

When he stated that he was not the same person he used to be she nodded her head slightly, agreeing with him though didn’t think he saw her as he had turned his attention to Draken for the moment. When he started to leave in the direction Raia had taken she was a little relieved that he didn’t storm off before she had a chance to speak once more.

 

“It is you who doesn’t understand Alora. When I look at Raia, I don't just see a wayward teenager from Dathomir. I see the life I denied myself; a life in which I was a better man, where I didn’t foolishly twist the affection and love I have for Jaina into a dangerous obsession that pushed her away in fear of me. If that had been my path, I know...” He looked up again, meeting Alora’s eyes, and then Draken’s in turn before continuing, making sure they understood the emphasis he was placing on his words, “I know Raia would have been our daughter; I see so much of her that reminds her of myself, or of Jaina. The good, and the bad, the beauty and the stubborn streak, the fire and the wit. That is why...”

 

He found himself lacking the words, and simply raised his hands in a sweeping gesture. “All of this… That is why. I know I won’t be the best fit for her Master; likely you will take over in that role Draken, as you already have taught her and shown her things she will need to know as a Krath. But that time hasn’t come yet. Until then, I will teach her what I can. As a Father, and as a Sith.”

 

“I understand more than you know…” Alora murmured softly as a more gentle expression crossed her features. “You passed…” she stated calmly as she allowed the smile that had been threatening to break through her neutral expression all through his tirade. She didn’t know how he would feel about her testing him like this. Throughout the whole conversation with regards to the crystal and what had happened to corrupt it as well as the interactions between ‘Father and Daughter’ she had been very observant, the idea springing forth when she first heard Raia refer to him as Father. She knew that if she got him angry enough that she would see the true emotions hidden behind the facade… and she had. His love for Raia had shone through. When he locked his eyes with hers once more, she boldly stepped closer to him, violet eyes sparkling with mirth as she slipped her arms around him for a quick embrace, releasing him soon after. “Congratulations. Have you made the adoption formal yet?” Alora glanced back at Draken as he spoke about the crystal again then stating he’d need drops of blood from the pair of them before she brought her attention back to Raynuk.

[Raynuk Montar]

Raynuk was still simmering with anger below the surface when Draken spoke, breaking the tension filled silence that had fallen upon the trio. His eyes never left their lock on Alora, but Raynuk heard what Draken had to say regardless.

 

“Brother, I agree with you and I fear that I may have underestimated what the crystal meant to her. However given the fact that the crystal contained part of Ar-Pharazon there was no other choice for us to make,” He began before pausing a moment, “I need a few drops of your blood and hers as well then leave the rest to me. She will have a better crystal, one born in the fires of this world.”

 

Raynuk did not immediately respond, but finally blinked and turned to Draken with the same stone-faced look, minus the brewing anger that had risen from Alora’s scolding words. “So be it. I have bled for substantially less important things.”

 

He took the two long strides required to approach Draken, simultaneously pulling Navemiba from it’s sheath and pulled the small blade across the back of his hand just before the knuckles. If this had been some dramatic holovid, Raynuk would have made a show of slicing open his palm with a grimace, but in practicality a long cut across one’s palm was more limiting than any of the holovids ever seemed to let on; the skin was thicker, so it took longer to naturally heal up. Not to mention the fact that gripping anything ends up becoming a constant source of discomfort. No, Raynuk prefered the back of his hand, a location that was rarely used, easier to heal from, and capable of being efficiently covered when needed.

 

He held out his hand towards Draken, making a fist as the blood rushed out of the cut and dripped down the back of his hand, waiting for Draken to collect what he needed. Once that was done, and Raynuk produced a suitable temporary bandage, he turned back to Alora, fully prepared for another onslaught of accusatory words. But instead he found her face suddenly soften and grow more gentle.

 

“I understand more than you know… You passed” she said finally, her words so calm it actually threw Raynuk off for a moment.

 

The silence had returned as his brain attempted to wrap his head around what the kriff had just happened, his mouth making several attempts to begin to form words before ultimately failing.

 

“EXCUSE ME?” He managed to blurt out before returning to being dumbfounded by it. A momentary glance back at Draken offered no answers, but a heartbeat later his mind recovered.

 

It was a test… That little harpy was testing me… Payback for all the tests and exercises I put her through when she was my apprentice… Son of a--

 

His internal monologue was interrupted by the sound of a howl in the distance, one that he recognized as belonging to tuk’atas; given the time spent in the creation of Roe’gall and Vex’aedr, the sounds that the beasts made were nothing if not familiar to him. Initially he thought nothing of it; just a distant howl of a hunting pack.

 

But a single heartbeat saw both Vex and Roe, who had both perked up and looked in the direction of the howl, suddenly take off running full speed down the hallway back towards the balcony where he had first found Raia following the incident with Telperian. At the same moment, Raynuk remembered that Raia had run off in that direction. He didn’t even have time to experience the flash of concern and worry before he realized which direction the tuk’atas had run, and immediately took off after them, leaving Draken and Alora without a word. To them, it might have looked like he was chasing down his pets.

 

The tuk’atas were fast, just as Raynuk had bred and trained them to be. Even so, they were both displaying a sense of urgency that pushed them further and faster than normal. Raynuk was beginning to think that they had heard something in the howl that he himself did not grasp yet. That question was soon answered, as he watched both tuk’atas clear the doorway that lead to the balcony and show no signs of stopping or slowing. He watched in momentary panic as they crossed halfway to the edge of the balcony and then lept over the railing. Raynuk himself was not so quick to leap to an uncertain end, and came skidding to a slamming stop against the railing, casting his eyes downward.

 

If the moment had not been so tense and dramatic, Raynuk likely would have burst out laughing. There, below him, his two tuk’ata pets were skidding down the side of the pyramid shaped temple, claws dragging and scraping into the side of the architecture. They both seemed to be totally focused on their silent mission, which was enough for Raynuk to take a few steps back from the railing before dashing forward and making his own poetic dive off the top of the Sith Temple.

 

The tuk’atas skidded down until they both made short jumps to the sand and immediately began running full force into the night. Unlike his pets however, Raynuk managed to avoid skidding down the side of the temple, instead manipulating the Force to propel him further out, at which point he landed with a sizeable impact in a three point stance, a spitting image of a pose made famous by classical hero types in novels and holovids. His tactics closed the gap between the tuk’atas and him, who were now less than five meters in front of him as he sprang forward from his landing, following the massive white and black forms into the night.

 

--------------

 

Only a few minutes had passed since their prey, so tiny and dark haired, had managed to scamper into the tomb that the wild tuk’atas dare not enter. The pack leader, larger and brindle in color -- apparently the Alpha -- simply continued to watch the prey as it cowered just inside the tomb, while the rest paced anxiously, snarling and growling towards the tomb. It knew what lay within the tomb, and why no hunting packs dared to enter it. The others were agitated, but the pack leader was patient. Like so many before her, this prey would scamper deeper into the tomb and be torn asunder by its guardian; assuming the masters’ traps didn’t break her first. And once the guardian had had it’s fill, the pack leader would send the lowest among his pack into the tomb to drag out whatever remained.

 

It would have much preferred that it had gotten the drop on the prey; pinning it to the ground under its powerful clawed feet and ripping out its throat, but leftovers from the Guardian were preferable to risking it’s wrath and losing the pack. So for now, the alpha would watch, and wait. Perhaps if they were lucky, the prey would flee the tomb when the guardian made itself known, and deliver itself right back to the pack.

 

Still, this prey had a fire stick of the masters, and although the pack could taste her fear, it had shown a willingness to use it. Either way, the prey continued to simply linger just inside the massive doorway, attempting to equal the predator stare of the alpha, which would not lead any of them to a meal.

 

Slowly and deliberately, the large brindle tuk’ata began stepping forward towards the gap in the stones, it’s eyes never leaving the prey. The rest of the pack picked up on their leader’s actions, their growls and snarls increasing as they all began to move closer to the tomb. The alpha watched as the prey took a step backwards, deeper into the tomb, utterly ignorant to the peril it had turned its back to.

 

The alpha decided in that moment, that the guardian would not get this meal. It charged forward with sudden speed, attempting to slash at the prey and drag her back out of the tomb before the guardian could claim her.

 

And then everything changed. One of the tuk’atas, on the edge of the pack furthest from the giant stone doors suddenly yelped, a much larger black form crashing squarely into it’s side, sending it rolling across the sand towards the rest of the pack. The rest instantly snapped to face this new threat, including the brindle alpha tuk’ata. The closest among them nearly instantly backed away cowering, the growls gone from their throats.

 

There, standing where their pack mate had once been, was a huge, muscular monster of a tuk’ata that dwarfed even the large alpha. It was breathing heavily and hard, yet still emitted a growl that sent two of the cowering tuk’atas fleeing instantly, the rest growling as they prepared to face the new threat;

 

The massive black tuk’ata known as Roe’gall.

[Raia Montar]

Her eyes never left the beast as her mind quickly ran through her limited options. As much faith as she had in her father, there was no guarantee that Raynuk would arrive in time, and she was coming to realize that relying on him to constantly pull her out of messes she’d made wasn’t the best way to find her own way.

 

Still, she hoped.

 

The growls outside drew her attention back toward the gap in the stone door where it became abundantly clear that time was running out for her.

 

The door! Suddenly an idea she wished she’d thought of sooner sprang into her mind and she dashed forward at the same moment the alpha sprang, and attempted to make the gap narrow enough that the beasts could not get through.

 

Even with the surge of adrenaline, somewhat bolstered by what meager reserves she had left of her magic, the door only shifted slightly against her weight. She shoved against the door again as the snapping head and claws of the alpha tore at her managing to catch her hood and throw her off balance, sending her lightsaber rolling into the dimness as she fell.

 

She raised her arms instinctively in defense against the beast, knowing how futile it likely was. Pain shoot through her as the tuk’ata’s strong jaws clamped on her arm and began to drag her from the tomb.

 

Crying out in defiance, she fought against him, her free hand feeling in the darkness for a sharp rock or anything she could use against the beast. Her hands closed around a leathery stick that made a metallic sound against the stone floor when she brought it to bear. It felt odd and it wasn’t until she brought it closer that she realized it was the mummified forearm of some unfortunate soul who’d lost their lives in this tomb.

 

Or maybe they were entombed here when their master died, she thought feeling a slight chill as she adjusted her grip over what had been the person’s hand to leverage the dagger held within the death grip of the poor being.

 

Once again armed, she struck at his snout, causing the alpha to release her as a yelp was heard from outside the tomb.

 

The alpha staggered back a step, shaking its head, trying to erase the sudden pain in its snout.

 

Her own pain driving her forward, Raia somehow found an untapped Force reserve within herself and leveraged it to close the gap in the tomb’s door to a slit about the width of her hand before collapsing to the floor with the dagger still clutched in her hand, as she cradled her injured arm against her body.

 

What do I do now?

[Telperiën Ar-Pharazon]

Telperien hand her mother’s hand in a soft grip as she leaned against the grav couch that hovered silently a foot off the cold stone ground. Telperien traced some of the intricate lines that were engraved into the tiles with her spare hand as she meditated silently. The lines connected from tile to tile to form a huge relief of the battle of the Unholy Trinity against the New Republic base of Gala. Jedi were amassed in faded tiles Damon, The Darkfires, Starlisk, Brad Warren, Darla, Kyrell and a hundred unnamed figures fighting in cold stone against the forms of Domination, Desecration, and Ambition, the great forefathers of the modern Sith order. Kakuto Ryu, Oblivion, and Exodus. Telperien let her imagination take her far away, the decades peeling away like the husk of a crimson muja fruit. The force in the Sith Temple carried the echoes of those days, and she could almost see the battle in her mind's eye as she traced the tiles with her finger. Battle raging before the gates of the rebel base, Jedi falling in valiant battle, the warhammer of Ryu rose and fell and the blades of his brothers cut and diced through soft pure jedi robes.

 

Twilight is upon us

 

Telperien jerked awake from her daydream. Gripping her mother’s hand tightly as she pulled herself on the grav couch beside her mother. Telperien shook her head to clear the vision and reached out to the still mostly full dinner table. A plate of braised bantha and miralukan potatoes whipped to her hand, and she ate slowly as her mother recovered. Wiping her mouth on the hem of her tunic. Trying to ignore the sense of loneliness that was whisking at the edges of her consciousness.

[Qaela]

When she finally had the strength, Qaela got up and joined her daughter at eating. Despite this being the Sith, she doubted the food was tainted. The Sith preferred a more direct, brutal way to deal with their enemies, like blowing up shipfulls of them or shoving a lightsaber up various painful parts of their foe's body. Considering the tastes of the Hutt who presided here, she shouldn't have been surprised when the food was excellent. She began feeling better once her stomach was full and she had a good cup of rich sweet wine.

 

She noticed her daughter's fascination with the battle tiles with approval. Knowing history was always important, especially when this scene showed what an unified Sith could do instead of a fractured, split group all pursuing their own agendas. On that note, she noticed a lot of the Sith had left, including Ca'Aran, and wondered what they were up to. Right now, it wasn't of much concern: there were plenty of things she could do here in the meantime.

 

"You see how strong the Sith can be," she said at last, "never forget it. The one who sired you was the most powerful of all living Sith, and yet he was only normal compared to those of the past. His strength is both a blessing and a curse, but only you can decide which one. Now that you are free of the curse, you have a choice before you. I may be your mother, but I will not force you like my own mother did. You may follow my path and learn how to mold the Force to your will, or you may learn the technical and combat skills of your father. I do not expect you to decide now, but only when you are ready. Until then, sit with me and let me tell you the things I was never able to so that you may make an informed decision."

 

With the occasional cup of wine in between to keep her throat wet, Qaela spoke in great length about her past and life. She spoke of her harsh training as a girl on Dathomir and how it made her strong but hard and cold. She told of coming Coruscant, meeting the Sith, and how she became powerful in the Force but broken and beaten by her "allies." She spoke of meeting Ca'Aran and how she changed from viewing him as a simple tool for protection to a man she admired and loved. She spoke of her decisions: both good and bad, and how she suffered the consequences. She explained how she was unable to protect and care for her children and thus gave them to her Clan. She talked about how she was shot down on Coruscant battling Faust and how she survived in the Undercity until she was able to reunite with Ca'Aran. She described how much it broke her seeing her sons die and daughter suffer. She even told of how, while most Sith were not to be trusted, there were a few that weren't too bloodthirsty or prone to betrayal. She admitted her flaws and explained how she rectified some of them and accepted the pain of the repercussions of others.

 

In the end, after a long time, she leaned back and fell into silence, letting Telperiën soak it in and decide her own response, if any.

[Xae-Lin Ardel]

A highly encrypted and unexpected comm comes in for Master Quietus.

 

Master Quietus, this galaxy is such a strange place. Though battlelines would place us on opposite sides as Exorcist and Sith Warrior, I feel we have a mutual enemy that needs to be handled. Faust, or someone claiming to be him, has made an appearance. Emily told me of this cult you hunt, and showed me the journal containing the rituals they used. That they seek to complete Faust’s work at the memorial is a greater danger to us all, which is why I’m sharing this with you.

 

We have no reason to trust each other, but we have no reason to remain enemies as long as Faust or anything resembling him or this cult lives. Sometimes the best anti-venoms are the poisons of other vipers.

 

[Telperiën Ar-Pharazon]

Telperiën ate slowly and listened as her mother spoke about the past, while her mother was beguiling her about the time spent with her biological father, Telperiën reached out and grabbed a silver goblet of too sweet muja juice and drained it. She cocked her head to the side as she listened and when she was done eating she sat silently, absentmindedly playing with her braided hair. The force whispering in her ear of the powerful deeds of the Sith as they sat. When Qaela was done with her first opening sentences she looked up to her and grinned.

 

I will learn both traits of my fathers. Harness the power in both of them.

 

She stayed silent long after her mother had finished speaking about the distant past. Her mother had suffered greatly from the Sith, especially the more modern Sith, being used and broken. She touched the tile containing the carving of war against the alien invaders over Tatooine and sighed. There was no giant war to fight now, or purpose even for the Sith Lords. The voice in her ear whispered again. She could feel a dark presence at her shoulder, and when it spoke, the voice was deep and full of malice.

 

This Trinity lacks the ambition of its Unholy Fathers

 

Telperiën touched the tiles again and felt the voice clearer and more tangibly, the weight of the spirit pressed hard against her bowed shoulders. Its voice echoed through the silence in her mind.

 

They carry well their Vainglory, but leave behind their…

Lust for death

 

Passion for carnage

 

Desire for…

 

CHAOS

 

She winced against the rush of the voice and shook her head, the warrior braids covering her sparkling eyes as she looked back up to her corporeal mother. The voice departing as quickly as it had arrived.

 

Who was Faust? Why did you join with the Jedi to defeat one of our own Sith?

 

Telperiën reached out with her healed arm out and a golden chalice of sweet wine landed in her small hand. She drained the glass and grinned in a teasing devilish manner before setting the empty chalice on the tile. She would love to be taught more of the magic of her father, to touch that spirit again would be…

Euphoric

[Emily]

A comm message comes in for Raynuk Montar, on his personal comlink.

 

 

The image of a woman’s face, tired and lined, appears on-screen. Emily takes a deep breath. “Raynuk…I need to speak with you. In person. Something…something has happened, and you need to know. But I can’t risk any of this over comms. Meet me at the following coordinates. Passcode for hanger control is attached. Bring Jaina if you wish.” There is a pause. Emily’s bi-colored eyes seem to search for his face. “I know you probably don’t want to see me. I don’t blame you. I don’t want to talk about the things we’ve gone through, but this...you need to hear it. Please come. If only for the sake of what we used to have.” She looked as if she was going to say something else, but then the message cut off and fizzled out.

 

 

Attached are the coordinates to a small unheard-of moon in the Core.

[Raynuk Montar]

The Alpha had been so determined to get the prey that for a few moments it tuned out what was happening outside the tomb. But after the blow to the snout from its prey -- confirming that the little thing did have fight in her -- the yelp and accompanying change in the entire pack pulled the Alpha’s attention away from Raia momentarily. It glanced back at Raia just as the door to the tomb slid suddenly to little more than a slit. The Alpha seemed to study the door for a second, then peered back in through the crack in the door, still managing to find its prey within the darkness.

 

But there was no renewed attack or attempted intrusion. The prey had essentially sealed itself inside the tomb; the Alpha knew that the guardian would get its meal, and his pack would be denied this prey. In a move Raia had seen from Vex and Roe, the Alpha huffed in her direction before backing up and turning until it could turn and face Roe’gall. A moment later, the entire pack had regrouped with the Alpha, who had turned its full attention to the massive black threat.

 

Not one to show weakness, the Alpha simply lowered its head, and for the first time since it missed pouncing on the prey, issued its own growl. The rest of the pack didn’t hesitate; renewed by the Alpha’s leadership, they all answered the alpha with snarls of their own, and bolted into action, charging at the massive black tuk’ata known as Roe’gall.

 

One of the pack never even made it to Roe’gall, as from the cliffside, Roe’gall’s white brother, Vex’aedr -- which the alpha instantly recognized as the guardian -- landed on the smaller tuk’ata with a sound that was half cracking, half splattering as the snow white tuk’ata crushed its target under its immense weight. A few other tuk’atas, nearby when Vex made his presence known, altered their course, jumping at Vex with teeth gnashing in an attempted attack. Vex managed to knock one from the air with a forceful sideways swing of its head, and caught the second with his oversized paws, reversing its momentum and slamming it back to the ground.

 

Roe’gall meanwhile, reared back as two of the pack reached him, freeing his front legs to claw deeply into their hides, spilling blood into the sand and sending them skittering away to regroup as another managed to jump onto Roe’gall’s back, latching his claws into his back. Roe snarled, immediately spinning to try and throw the pack tuk’ata off, which was sent flying into the sands, rolling a few times before it could recover.

 

The pack, now less than ten strong including the Alpha, continued to harry the larger tuk’atas, their pack numbers the only advantage they had over Raynuk’s altered companions. The Alpha waited however, not joining the frenzy. It simply watched, partially confused as it watched Vex’aedr -- the one it knew as the Guardian of the tomb Raia was now hiding in -- began tearing through his pack. As far as the Alpha knew, the Guardian never left the tomb, always staying within and obliterating anyone or anything that dared to enter. But now it was outside, in open ground where the Alpha and his pack might be able to stand against it and take it down. So now it waited, until its keen hunting senses -- stronger than the rest of his pack -- found an opening to exploit.

 

It came when one of his pack managed to lock its jaws around the front right leg of Roe’gall, the larger beast howling in pain and whipping his neck around trying to bite back at the pack tuk’ata. Roe’gall was distracted momentarily, which allowed another pack tuk’ata to pounce on his back. It was then that the Alpha chose to strike. It charged full bore at Roe’gall, throwing all its weight and speed into its attack as it smashed into the ribs of Roe’gall.

 

The larger tuk’ata was bowled over by the attack, sending it, the alpha, and the two pack tuk’atas all rolling into the sand; a storm of teeth, claws and dust. The Alpha was quick to recover, finding his feet again as it stood over the momentarily stunned and prone Roe’gall.

 

The next thing the Alpha knew though, it was flying through the air before it slammed hard into the ground, at least ten meters from Roe’gall. The Alpha rolled three times and came skidding to a stop, looking up to see a dark figure sprinting forward towards the chaos from the same direction the Guardian and the black one had come. The Alpha still didn't understand what had happened, and so it stood and attempted to charge back to Roe’gall to renew his attack.

 

Halfway there however, the Alpha skidded to another stop, this time of its own volition, as a lance of orange fire sprang from the hand of the approaching figure; a fire stick of the masters like the prey had. But this figure wielded it as a weapon, instead of an attempted warning as the prey had. The figure jumped, springing forward and into the air, its orange lance of fire swinging down towards the large black tuk’ata.

 

========

 

Raynuk had realized where Vex’aedr and Roe’gall were heading not long after they had all cleared the grounds of the SIth Temple, charging hard into the nighttime sands of Korriban. They were all heading back to Raynuk’s tomb in the Valley; and the closer they got, the more Raynuk knew that Raia was in trouble once again. Raynuk was used to preying on the fear of others to fuel his own powers and abilities through the Force, but having to use his own was not an experience he was used to, and his usual prowess was suffering for it. Vex and Roe however, seemed to become more energized and driven the closer they all got, to the point that both began to outrun Raynuk, slowly increasing the gap between them.

 

By the time Raynuk’s Force augmented speed carried him to the clearing just outside his tomb, Roe and Vex were already tangling with what appeared to be an entire pack of native tuk’atas. What was worse, was that it appeared the pack was beginning to win. Vex was being harried by at least three of the pack, and Raynuk watched almost helplessly as Roe was hit hard by the one tuk’ata that appeared to be bigger than the rest of the pack; the apparent Alpha. Watching Roe’gall get sent rolling through the sands gave Raynuk the kick of anger that he needed, pushing him harder and faster to close the gap. Mid-stride, Raynuk lashed out with the Force, blasting the Alpha sideways off it’s feet and sending it skidding and rolling across the ground just as it had done to Roe’gall. Four more long strides closer and Raynuk saw the Alpha recovering and beginning to charge back, just as two more of the pack began to circle Roe’gall, who apparently had been hit harder than Raynuk thought. Almost on instinct, Raynuk palmed his lightsaber, and a single stride later ignited it. The entire area was suddenly bathed in orange light, a beacon of what and who Raynuk was.

 

He lept forward, arcing through the air before landing beside Roe’gall, using the momentum to drive his lightsaber through one of the surprised, circling tuk’atas, which crumpled to the ground beside Roe’gall. The second one stopped and bristled at him with a growl, lowering itself as if it

were about to pounce. Raynuk stood his ground, a wicked grin crossing his face, practically daring it to attack him. The pack tuk’ata was apparently happy to oblige, as it sprang forward towards him.

 

It didn't even get close enough for Raynuk to hit. Halfway between where it started and where Raynuk stood, Roe’gall suddenly surged to his feet. Having been given a moment to shake off the cobwebs and recover, the large black tuk’ata bolted up and caught the smaller tuk’atas in its massive jaws, snatching it out of the air and proceeding to thrash it around as hard as it could. The pack tuk’ata was most likely killed after a few seconds considering the number of snaps, cracks, and pops that emitted from its broken form. But Roe’gall clearly was upset with this one, and continued to thrash it around and even smashed it into the dirt a few times for good measure.

 

Raynuk glanced at Vex’aedr, who while still being assaulted by three of the pack, seemed to have been holding up better than Roe’gall. Raynuk tore one of the pack from its feet with the Force, pulling it towards the Sith before Raynuk sliced it in half with his lightsaber. At the same time, Vex clawed one of the others in the face, raking across the pack tuk’atas eyes which instantly yelped and whimpered as it backed off.

 

A loud roar and bark stopped everyone, Raynuk’s attention snapping to the source; the Alpha. Who had not moved since it stopped halfway from running back to Roe’gall. The rest of the pack had reacted instantly, backing away from Raynuk, Roe and Vex in an apparent retreat. One attempted to dash past Vex’aedr back to the pack leader, but the white tuk’ata was having none of it, and forcefully raised a paw and slammed it down on the tuk’atas back, smashing it into the sand before Vex snapped at it, catching its skull in his jaws and crushing it.

 

Much as it had done to Raia, the Alpha locked eyes with Raynuk, and it was in that moment that Raynuk realized the coloring of the Alpha, as well as the fire and fearlessness that lurked behind its eyes. Once the rest of its pack had limped back to him, the Alpha broke the stare-down, and turned before the entire pack darted off into the darkness.

 

The moments following the skirmish passed in silence. Raynuk let out a deep breath before he realized that him comm was now showing two messages that had apparently come in during his sprinting spree. I’ll deal with those later… he decided, and turned to check on Roe’gall as Vex’aedr meandered over before Raynuk checked on him as well. Both tuk’atas were bleeding in spots, but Roe’gall seemed to have suffered slightly worse from the pack. Realization snapped to him as he stood back up, looking all around. The tuk’atas knew what thoughts crossed his mind, as both began moving towards the door of his tomb, both limping slightly. Raynuk followed them carefully, his lightsaber still ignited. It wasn't until he was close that he noticed the thin crack that still existed between the doors, while both tuk’atas clawed and pawed gently at the stonework.

 

“Raia?” Raynuk called out carefully, attempting to peer into the darkness of his own tomb’s entrance.

[Raia Montar]

At the sound of his voice calling her name, all the tension drained from Raia’s body as she fell out of her crouch and settled onto the stone floor, the dagger clattering from her hand as she managed to choke out a much relieved “Tētis” into the cavernous darkness around her. Through the tears that now fell down her face, she could just make out his face in the orange glow of his lightsaber. “You came for me. Tētis…”

 

Still cradling her injured arm, she tried to stand but had to brace herself against a nearby statue when her legs threatened to give out as the adrenaline processed through her system. A few more seconds to catch her breath and she began to walk slowly and shakily toward the opening. You are the Warrior King’s daughter, she reminded herself with each step. You have to be strong. Show him you are. Show him he wasn’t wrong for claiming you as his.

With her good hand, she tried to wipe away tears that just wouldn’t stop. Even with their bonding crystal smashed, he’d come for her.

[Raynuk Montar]

With the sound of her voice emitting from the darkness, little more than a squeak, Raynuk shoved hard against the door that had remained slightly ajar. The orange light poured into the opening, illuminating everything and casting shadows everywhere. His eyes scanned around, finally spotting Raia near the stern faced statue she had come to rest under. Vex’aedr and Roe’gall wasted no more time, pushing gently past Raynuk and into the tomb towards Raia. Roe’gall fell behind though, favoring the leg that had been bitten with small whimpers as he moved. Yet the black tuk’ata remained determined, and continued to close the gap to Raia.

 

Vex’aedr reached Raia first, nuzzling her for a moment before licking at her face where the tears had been, then turned and wandered a few feet deeper into the tomb, as though it had suddenly realized this was the place it had spent so many years. Roe’gall arrived a few moments later, likewise giving Raia a nuzzle and gently prodding at her arm with his nose, examining the wounded pup that was Raia.

 

With her good arm, Raia reached up and brought his snout to her forehead, wincing when he’d probed an especially tender spot. “Bralis,” she whispered, closing her eyes briefly before she looked up at Raynuk. “I’m sorry.”

 

Raynuk had stepped inside the tomb, and was currently kneeling beside what was left of a body; the remains of a cultist that Raia had relieved of its dagger. He didn’t immediately respond to Raia, instead pulling at the remains, separating the body from the clothing it once wore. Bundling it up, he finally stood and walked over to where Raia and Roe’gall were. Roe tenderly laid down, looking up at Raynuk as he approached.

 

“I need you to be better than this mana meita.” Raynuk finally said, kneeling down next to Roe’gall and examining the tuk’atas leg, using the lightsaber as a flashlight. “Running away every time times get rough, or something doesn’t go ‘right’... It can’t happen anymore.”

His tone was firm but gentle, his attention seemingly on wrapping the tattered robe around the center of Roe’gall’s leg wound as he keyed the lightsaber to stay on before setting it down.

 

“I’m sorry, Tetis,” she replied quietly. “I know and I promise it won’t.”

 

He looked up at Raia, meeting her eyes for a moment, and he saw the look she wore. The briefest glimpse of a smile passed over him, and then he reached up and placed his hand on her cheek. In that look, he saw her worry and fear that she had somehow disappointed him, or angered him, or vexed him. She had heard the stories of who he once was from the other Sith, and she had even asked about it before he dismissed the question. And now she looked at him like he might disown her just as quickly.

 

 

Her grey eyes met his for a moment before she surged forward and clung to him. He was only momentarily surprised by her sudden movement, but immediately wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, but pulled back slightly as she half hissed, half squeaked. Only then did he realize that she had been injured herself. He gingerly renewed the hug, avoiding putting pressure on her arm. The two sat there like that for a few moments in mostly silence, the only sounds that of the tuk’atas that accompanied them.

 

He finally pulled back and took a better look at her arm, assessing it as much as he could without touching it.

“What happened Raia?” he asked, glancing at her once more before he returned to dressing Roe’gall’s wound.

[Raia Montar]

“He bit me,” she said simply, gently touching the torn fabric where it had grown wet from her blood. “I tried to shut the door and he pulled me down by my hood. I managed to find...a dagger to fight back with.” As she’d spoken her gaze looked back toward the body that Raynuk had divested of its vestments in order to fashion a bandage for Roe’gall. Nervously her gaze took in the rest of the carnage that filled the cavernous outer room of the temple. At least five bodies in similar brown robes lay strewn about amongst the sand and debris that had blown in from the desert winds. “Where are we?”

 

He watched Raia look around, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at her sidelong. “You… don’t know.” He paused, “Raia, this is my tomb. You ran into my tomb.”

 

The girl gave a short gasp and turned to look up at the statue she’d been standing beneath, realizing its stern gaze was that of her intimidating adoptive father. He was watching over me even before he got here, she thought to herself. “I didn’t even know where I was running to. I just...ran. Kind of stupid since I didn’t know there were smaller and wilder versions of my brothers running around. My stupidity got you hurt. I’m sorry Roe.” She knelt down and stroked his snout, careful of the scratches she was seeing for the first time.

 

Roe’gall looked up at her and let out a whuff before licking at her injured arm.

 

“Then these are all cultists? Not former servants or acolytes you had entombed with you when you last died?” Her tone was cautious but curious. “There was never anything this elaborate on Dathomir for our dead. We just let the jungle take them back. Why do you do it? Do all Sith do this?”

[Raynuk Montar]

Raynuk stood up and looked around, taking account of all the dead cultists that were in the immediate area. He let out a small laugh at her questions as he walked to one of the other corpses and knelt down, repeating the move to collect the robes.

 

“All cultists. Every last one of them.” She seemed to relax a bit. “The tombs are meant to be shrines to the greatest of the Sith, a permanent reminder of their power and deeds. It dates back thousands of years, started by the first Sith… They were all full of themselves really. As the years went on, it kind of just became a tradition; prominent Sith dies, you carve out a hole in the sand and shove them in, then decorate the walls with all the notable things they did.”

 

He shrugged slightly and then pulled the robe free with a forceful tug. “Not like the fallen Sith had much say in it though… They were dead after all.”

 

“Is the floating city somewhere in here?” She asked, remembering that she hadn’t gotten her answer out of him before.

 

Raynuk was glad his back was to her, as he visibly winced at her question. For a few moments he didn’t answer, but then sighed as he stood up. “It’s… deeper into the tomb.”

 

“So I’ll learn about you through the eyes of the Sith you served with at the time of your death if I go through your tomb?” He could tell from her tone that her mind was working to piece together the puzzle of his life as a Sith and how that might fit with his role as her father.

 

He turned around and began walking back towards Raia as she asked her question, waiting until he got back to her and began fashioning a sling for her injured arm before he answered.

 

“I suppose so.” He said, tying the cloth around her neck. “I haven’t paid much attention to what the Sith carved as the story of my life and achievements honestly; I lived it, and there are some things I have chosen to forget.”

[darth shadowlord]

Draken tucked the vial of blood away in his cloak then watched with an arched eyebrow as Raynuk and the tuk’ata’s took off at a dead sprint. He turned and look at Alora for a moment with a chuckle.

 

“She got herself into trouble again.”

 

He looked around quickly taking his bearing and made a quick decision, where better to get the sand for the crystal then from Raynuk’s own tomb. He reached down and pressed a button on his comm unit to summon his ship to his location. When the ship landed, Draken offered Alora his arm and then strode back onto the ship where Krakis greeted him with a growl.

 

He chuckled as Shadow attempted to imitate Krakis’s irritation then nodded at Krakis. “Alright, you get to come next time.” The panther coughed and slammed his head into Draken’s hip then moved to his side as he went to the cockpit. He took over the controls and lifted the ship into the air for a short jaunt to the tomb.

 

When they landed, Draken glanced over at the remains of the cultists ship and contemplated destroying it outright but decided that it would serve little purpose at the present. He walked to the hatch of the ship with Krakis at his side, seemingly anxious to get outside. Opening the hatch, Krakis shot out of the ship like an arrow to a quickly cooling corpse then growled loudly.

 

Draken walked over and looked at the tuk’ata corpse, it had been savaged by another tuk’ata, one that had been much bigger then the dead one. He looked towards the tomb where there was several more corpses, at least one of which bore lightsabre wounds. Standing up after examining one of the dead tuk’atas, Draken looked at Alora and shook his head.

 

“He was here, which means that so is she.” He reached down and picked up some sand and placed it in a small container that he tucked away. “Should we follow them or wait here for them?”

[Qaela]

Qaela took a deep breath before responding to her daughter. "Faust was a blight, an aberration who sought only to feed his own limitless appetite for pointless death. He went against nature and tried to destroy everything, even the Force itself. It was necessary, and wise, for the Sith and Jedi to join to stop him. It was one of the few moments in which both sides showed a bit of sanity instead of each following their own aimless, petty goals. For so long, the Sith have gone against nature in trying to over cull their dominion. As in nature, the strong should rule, but there are limits to how they should rule. In a pack of rancors, the alpha female is the strongest, most powerful, and wisest. She rules the weaker members of the pack with tooth and claw as nature intended. But if that female grows sick or becomes too power hungry, she destroys and kills other animals for more than food and kills her own pack members when there is no threat or reason. In this case, nature is shattered and only destruction and death follow. There is no need for rancors to hunt everything all the time. They only need to kill some of what they need to survive and fight among themselves only enough to establish the natural dominance. Any more is overkill and leads to imbalance.

 

"Faust grew sick with power and unchecked, unwise, unsustainable lust. He tried to take too much and needed to be put down. We did that and saved us all, even if it had terrible costs."

 

She took another sip of wine and swallowed only after savoring its exquisite taste. "Too many Sith have overgrazed, turned on their own, and are unable to control their own foolish lusts for carnage. They fight among themselves, they kill without purpose, and have become monsters nobody with a sane mind or a choice would follow. There may have once been a time when the Sith were worth following because they were the natural power and leaders, but that time has passed. Now, most are little better than rabid dogs killing and destroying instead of building. We have the ultimate power at our fingertips, yet so many of us squander it with pointless slaughter that only turns the masses against us. The Sith force the Galaxy to oppose them with their own well deserved reputation for carnage.

 

"The Jedi, on the other hand, take the opposite extreme. They have the same power, but choose to become servants to those weaker than themselves. They choose to sit back and meditate or focus inwards instead of taking charge and keeping the weaker, directionless masses in line. They are the strong rancor alphas who sit back and do not care for their pack. Instead of hunting, they allow weaker, less qualified rancors to divide and fracture the pack or lead them to foolish endeavors. They don't cull the weak or push the pack to grow through adversity. They don't even hunt enough to feed themselves, so they grow thin and weak through hunger and lack of drive to improve.

 

"It may not be popular, but I don't hate the Jedi as many here do. I would work with any who would advance my goals just as I would any Sith who does the same. In truth, I pity both sides. The Sith are too fractured and drunk on blood and the Jedi are too lazy and devoted to slavery to those who are weaker. I am not sure how this new Dark Lord will take things, but I dearly hope he is more rational and realizes that the Sith don't have to be mindless monsters only seeking blood and backstabbing. If he is able to wrangle them and control their urges and redirect their energy and power to something constructive, I would be happy to join. If they don't, I will seek my own path using my own means. I don't seek conflict with anyone, but I will fight any who opposes me."