- Location
- Versailles
inquisitor in french is inquisiteur
Star Wars: The Sith Zero - [Reverse Summon, Familiar of Zero/Star Wars]
- Thread starter Advena Phillips
- Start date
- Crossover
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
Frick
Chapter 2 -Act II-
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
Chapter 2 – Familiar Faces
Louise groaned as she pulled herself from her bed, into a sitting position. Looking around the room with tired eyes, she blinked slowly as she took in her surroundings. Once again, she was in her bedroom, a sight that was quickly becoming familiar to her, yet it felt different. It was quiet. Too quiet.
The familiar hum of the ship engine was gone, something that had been constant for the few days she had spent in the Fury. Shaking her head, Louise pulled off her blanket and sheet, hopping onto the cold metal floor. Absently, she noted that she needed a carpet as she quickly shuffled to her wardrobe.
Opening one of the lower draws, she pulled out a pair of thick woollen socks she had bought when she realised how cold the floors on Dromund Kaas were. Once she slipped them onto her feet, she quickly removed her negligée, letting it fall to the floor before she began picking out her outfit for the day. As she had a job to do, but felt it was still much too early to do so – at least to her – Louise forewent the armour and robes, choosing a much more casual outfit.
Once dressed, Louise shuffled quietly out of her room, off to find either Khem or Toovee to explain what she had missed. However, finding one of the two proved to be quite difficult as she could not sense her Dashade companion on the ship. The droid, on the other hand, was once again in the cargo hold, though this time not taking inventory but setting up the probes.
"Master, how was your rest?" the droid inquired.
"Fine," Louise replied dismissively, "Now, could you fill me in on what I missed?"
"Of course. When you went to sleep, I began to sort out the reconnaissance supplies and prepped the probes. Master Val took your instructions and began to patrol around the hanger, killing eight pests that had caused superficial damage to the ship-"
"Superficial damage?" Louise questioned sharply.
"Master, it has been repaired! I-it was only minor damage, master." said the droid hastily, "Once repaired, I finished setting up the probes, as you wished, and decided it was prudent to test them. With the probes help, we mapped out most of the compound, however, one of the probes was damaged by the native fauna. Only an hour ago, did Master Val leave to deal with the creature while I repair the droid."
"How far alo-" Louise paused, stifling a yawn that overtook her, causing the Pinkette to stretch involuntarily. Once she recovered, she repeated what she was going to say, "How far along are you with the repairs?"
"Darth Zash has been quite generous and has given us much in the way of parts. I estimate that it will be completed in approximately thirty minutes."
"Good, good. Where's Khem?"
"He has not returned, so I assume he is still in the process of eliminating it."
A trickle of worry began to spread out within Louise's gut as her mind went erratic with thoughts of what could have happened to Khem. Thanking Toovee, she swiftly returned to her bedroom and replaced her clothes with her Sith regalia and armed herself with weapons, including her new sniper rifle.
Once done, she left her room and quickly ran to the exit of the ship. The landing ramp seemed impossibly slow, causing Louise to tap her foot impatiently as she waited for the landing ramp to descend. Before it could fully extend, Louise stormed down it, taking her first step on the Demon Moon. Without thinking much on the significance of the act, she looked around the overgrown compound she found herself in.
It was wide and open, though the drab colours of the buildings would allow it to camouflage against the jungle backdrop. So far, however, she could only see the hanger her ship was nestled in, another identical, but collapsed hanger and a small building. Besides that, she could also see large and thick walls that surrounded the outpost. On the other side of the field she stood in, she could see the top of a large satellite dish, which meant that she was only in one part of the base.
With that in mind, she began walking to the other end of the outpost, her lightsaber in hand just in case she ran into trouble. However, she did not have to go far as from a path between the walls came a familiar dashade.
"Master, I have had a most glorious fight!" Khem called as he neared, his sword propped on his shoulder and a massive grin plastered on his face. Though, his cheerful demeanour was ruined by the fact that his clothes and weapons were caked in blood and the former was torn in various places.
Her woes gone, Louise breathed a sigh of relief and returned the smile, "I can see that," she said, "What did you fight?"
"The droid called it a Zakkeg, and it was a great one!" he cried, "My sword could only cut so deep into its thick scales, and was strong enough to throw me to the ground. Yet it still fell before my might."
"Get cleaned and then tell me about it over breakfast," Louise said, beckoning the Dashade to follow as she walked back to L'Inquisiteur. However, now that she was no longer worried for her companion's safety, she found herself drawn to the skyline, or more importantly, the massive sphere that took up much of the sky: Onderon.
Louise found herself stunned by the mesmerising sight of the massive planet that took up a good portion of the sky. It was simply beautiful in a surreal way.
Once the two entered the ship, they split off, Khem leaving to his room to get changed – later leaving to bathe – while Louise went and asked Toovee to prepare food for both Khem and her before she took a seat at the table.
When the Dashade returned, dressed only in a pair of pants, he was still smiling. Joining her at the table, he began to regale her about his battle with the great Zakkeg between spoonfuls of synthesized food. He told her how the creature had tried to lure him away from the ship, enough so that any backup would have to travel far to help. He spoke of how its unusual cunning was only matched by its power and strength. And soon, he finished his tale with a feral grin, "…when the creature leapt upon me to finish me off, I gutted it with my blade."
"I'm a little upset that you didn't take me along, I would love to have seen the fight," Louise pouted, though inside she felt pleased that her companion was much livelier today than the four days of nothing.
"Perhaps we may find another and we can see how you would defeat such a beast," Khem replied.
"Have you fought many other creatures like that?"
Khem leaned back, looking as nostalgic as ever, "During the Grand Hunt on Urkupp, me and my rival, Veshikk Urk, hunted and battled one of the native beasts. It was a test of our hunting skills and our battle prowess. And it was a glorious few days of hunting and tracking, ending in a magnificent battle between the beast and us."
Louise nodded along, about to ask for more detail as she felt a bit starved of conversation – especially when the only other being she could talk to was a timid droid who feared for his life. But stopped when her curiosity latched onto the name Veshikk Urk. And so, with that in mind, she asked Khem to elaborate.
"Veshikk was a fellow Shadow Killer and my greatest rival on Urkupp. But Tulak Hord's apprentice, Ortan Cela, bested him in an honour duel and reduced him to a slavering monster," Khem growled, his anger at this Ortan noticeable through the Force. He did not say a word for a moment, but when he continued, he was staring at Louise unfathomably, "I thought you and Cela were alike, but I was wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"His ambition outstripped his ability and he did not hesitate to take what he did not deserve," said Khem, "He was weak and Tulak Hord should have replaced him. You have little ambition other than survival and an insatiable lust for knowledge. You are more humble than he, hesitant to take on challenges you feel you are not ready for. Yet, you are a powerful little Sith, despite your training only stretching less than two years at the most. And whereas Cela treated Veshikk like a slave, you've shown me respect and freedom."
Louise looked to Khem, troubled, "Of course I would treat you like that, Khem. I'd never treat another like a slave."
The Shadow Killer merely grunted.
But before they could continue their conversation, Toovee entered the lounge from the port wing. "Master, the probe has been repaired. Do you wish for them to be sent out to begin scouting the Sith Temple?"
Turning to the droid, Louise nodded. "I also want to know if the Jedi or Republic have an outpost built anywhere near the Temple."
"Of course, master." It was about ten minutes later when Louise saw the two probes hover out from the cargo hold. The main body of the probe was domed-shaped with a few scanners, photoreceptors, and antenna. From the bottom of the dome was several appendages with different tools attached to the end. Through the lounge and down the ramp they flew, as Louise got up from the table and followed cautiously behind. Once clear of the ship and hanger, they quickly ascended into the sky, disappearing behind the tree line.
Now all she had to do was wait. Or… she thought, looking over the overgrown outpost with the critical eye. I could explore…
With that, she left back to her ship, calling for Khem and Toovee.
I need to get some knitting supplies. Louise thought as she lounged at her desk. One hand lay uselessly by her side, as the other scrolled through the knitting patterns she had found on the HoloNet. From the speakers, the musical stylings of Lord Cantus and the Ziost Symphony Orchestra played. While she could tolerate the modern music that some clubs on Dromund Kaas used, she preferred the more classical songs or even classical renditions of modern songs. They always sounded so much nicer to her ears and she found them relaxing.
It had been around eight hours since the probes left, and they had not reported back much. A few of the smaller avian creatures had tried to attack them, but they managed to fell the beasts before they could cause any debilitating damage – apparently, someone in the Sphere of Technology thought it was a good idea to attach a flame thrower to probes. They were right, but it was still an amusing prospect to the Sith who could only imagine how that proposal went down.
Only about two hours ago had the probes informed Toovee that they had arrived at the Temple and had split up – one to scout for the Republic base, and the other to examine the Sith Temple. Louise had not wanted to view the findings right away, wanting to wait for them to finish their work before she started working. So, with this in mind, she had returned to the boredom which had overtaken her since the probes had left.
After watching the probes fly off, Louise had decided to go out and explore the outpost to find anything of note. Unfortunately, it did not end well. Aside from the dilapidated shell of an outpost, which now could only serve as a weak defence against any creatures that tried to attack the trio, there was not much else. The place had been ransacked and everything that could prove useful was damaged beyond repair or required power. Even then, there was not much alive in there, just a small pack of Cannoks which were killed swiftly.
The only thing she could get from the Mandalorian outpost were faint echoes of battle and the presence of the Dark Side which swirled around the place like a cool breeze… whispering its sweet song into her ear. With a tired sigh, Louise had returned to her ship, disappointed in the lack of anything to continue the expedition.
During this time, Louise found herself creating a list of things she wished to invest in for her ship. First and foremost, she wanted some training dummies – or, if it was within her budget, training droids – as she found attacking things that looked vaguely humanoid therapeutic. Another thing she wished was a Pazaak deck as Khem expressed displeasure at playing Dijarik and Toovee had always let her win, despite her wishes otherwise. And finally, she wished for a bookshelf, one with actual books, as she found reading things on her personal terminal not as enthralling as the real thing; not only that, but she wanted to read things that were not just study material.
Once she grew tired from cataloguing the things she wanted to spruce up her ship, she decided that training would prudent but quickly found herself disinterested; though it was fun to push her limits despite her only targets being inanimate objects around the hanger and Mandalorian base.
The latter half of her time was spent surfing the HoloNet listening to music and catching up on the news or looking up a variety of things. So, she found herself quite pleased when her bedroom door hissed open as her personal servant entered the room.
"Master, one of the probes has completed its objective."
"Show me," Louise said, getting up from her chair in one swift movement.
The droid nodded, leaving the room as he beckoned Louise to come, "This way, master." Following Toovee, Louise was taken to the bridge, where the protocol droid gestured to one of the terminals, "You may access the probes data from this terminal."
Louise inclined her head, moving to the terminal and, after a short search, pulled up the data the probes had recovered. From what she could tell, they had created a map – incomplete, yet serviceable – and a few recordings. From the looks of it, probe one had found, and was currently, examining the area around the temple and the temple proper. Meanwhile, the second one had found the Jedi outpost and was awaiting orders.
It did not take much time to input new instructions into the Dumb AI of the probe, telling it to map the base, yet stay undetected.
Now finished with one probe, Louise felt drawn to the data the second one had acquired. Bringing up the map and recordings, Louise felt disappointed. The Jedi had managed to break into the entry room. Apparently, the damage was much more than they thought, and with a few other issues such as the native wildlife, their progress was slow going, especially if she used the Dark Temple as a template.
This is going to take forever! Louise whined. With the probe's use being diminished by the Jedi's lack of progress, she quickly ordered the probe to aid its counterpart with scouting the outpost, ending it with an order to return to the ship once done.
Now, all she could do was wait… some more. An expansive amount of free time, and nothing to do. Never a dull moment in the Sith Empire.
Sighing again, Louise returned to her bedroom, moving into the meditation position without a thought. She had read examples of people entering trances so deep that time passed swiftly – and she herself had experienced it when meditating on her runes. So, with that in mind, Louise delved into the Force, letting the ebbs and flows of the magnificent entity wash over her. But instead of spreading her senses outwards as she usually did as to bask in the Force, she sent it inwards.
Thoughts halted progress but were easily banished as she cleared her mind and focused on her objective. The outside world dulled and dimmed the deeper she went, and soon what scant thoughts managed to breach the void she tried to conjure became manifest. These thoughts proved more difficult to dispel, forming new thoughts as she focused on them, yet still, she managed to quieten her mind and empty her mind.
Yet her mind did not become like a white void as she had thought – faint visions of memories flickered in and out of existent, even ones from as a little babe unable to fully control her limbs – it was a surprise, one that caused the Pinkette to lose her grip on concentration, her mind soon flooding with thoughts once again.
Frustration bore, bringing anger and annoyance with it, but she forced herself to calm down. This type of meditation would not work well when one's unruly emotions reigned. With a few breathing exercises taught to her by Lyira, she bottled up and sealed the emotions away for later use.
Soon, she returned to the memories, quickly dismissing them to dig deeper and deeper. However, she was once again distracted when she found something odd. The best description she could give it was that they were strings, chains. There were many of them, each with varying intensities in which they existed with different textures. Where the strings led, Louise did not know other than outwards into the vastness of the Force.
It was strange, yet she felt that they were not dangerous in the slightest.
Her attention soon found itself placed upon a string, one that felt intense and emanating strange feelings of comfort for Louise. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Louise focused on it before she found herself assaulted by emotions that did not belong to her – Curiosity, wonder, joy, and so much more.
Recoiling, Louise lost her concentration once again, but quickly fought her way back, this time expecting a reaction as she tugged. Immediately, she felt eyes rest on her, not with malice or suspicion, but with a loving tenderness that spread warmth throughout her very being. Drawn to the strange yet familiar entity, Louise probed curiously only to hear a name resonate within her: Lyira.
It was then, that she realised what she had found. A Force Bond. One she had forged with Lyira. A connection to the one who loved her and who she loved in turn. Louise returned the feeling twice fold, excitement following along with it as she focused more and more upon the bond; part of her fearful that should she leave, that she would lose it forever.
Comfort and amusement returned and Louise knew that Lyira was trying to calm her worries. Despite her reservations, she knew she had to leave – the Pureblood had either entered a war zone or was going to soon. So, with one final comforting pulse, she lost focus on that bond, looking to the others she had forged.
There were a few and most she could not recognise, but one in particular drew her attention. It was a new one, but it had an underlining feeling of something old and dead. It was a curiosity and so she had to examine it. What she discovered was that it was a new bond, but near death, only kept alive by her presence. Despite knowing that she should have left it alone, the sheer knowledge that she had nothing else to do compelled her to tug upon the bond.
Suddenly, it felt like the room had dropped ten degrees – the warmth of Lyira's presence gone, replaced by death.
"Flesh of my Flesh. You have called me?"
Louise's eyes flashed open in an instant, immediately locking onto the ghostly presence sitting down in front of her. "Lord Kallig, you're here?"
"Did you not call me?" questioned the dead Sith Lord.
"…No, I was just experimenting," Louise said after a moment's hesitation, "I saw the bond but I did not know who it belonged to…"
"You create bonds, yet know not who they are attached?" he asked, sounding astonished by the fact. Louise frowned at the hinted accusation, but held her tongue, "Your education seems somewhat haphazard, especially when comparing your combat prowess to other abilities."
"I've only trained for a year and a half," Louise replied with a huff. Who is he to judge… "Some of that time was catching up in my basic studies as I wasn't afforded the Primary Schools of Ziost and Dromund Kaas. After all, who would want to waste such knowledge on a Slave Caste."
Kallig nodded in agreement, "I also assume it was your master's fault as well, keeping you as a tool to be used, instead of training you as a Sith. Yet, despite this setback, you've proven yourself to be quite intelligent, regardless of the gaps in your education. I'm proud of you."
"It was your fault in the first place," Louise shot back, crossing her arms.
"Yes, it was my blunder that caused your enslavement, yet even then I kept an eye on you. I did not want my mistake to end in your death."
"I was tortured," she hissed, her eyes flashing as she glared contemptuously at her ancestor.
"Yet you live," he replied simply, "Had you been in mortal peril, I would have summoned all my strength to protect you. Fortunately for us both, you are a highly capable Sith, despite your training faults." Lord Kallig sighed, looking at Louise with what she assumed was regret despite the emotionlessness of his mask, "If you should ask, I will teach you in the ways of the old Sith, give you knowledge that the Neo-Empire wishes it could grasp."
Louise considered the offer, still glaring at the ghost. On the one hand, he had been the root cause of everything that had happened to her since the summoning. On the other, he was a Sith Lord who was killed because the Dark Lord of the Sith at the time felt threatened by him. "Your daughter knew Sith Sorcery. Could you teach me?"
Aloysius paused, "How do you know that my daughter was blessed with Sorcery?"
Merde. Louise cursed, looking to the ghost suspiciously as she considered her words carefully, "I… have an ability to see far into the past," she began, knowing that there were similar powers to what she was describing, "Not anywhere or when, as I am stuck following one person. I know what happened to your Teralyn."
"How much have you seen?" he asked, sitting up straighter, all his attention on Louise with his unwavering blank stare.
"…Only a day or two," Louise replied hesitantly, "She was sent to my homeworld, around six thousand years before my birth. She's in good hands."
Lord Kallig paused, his features obscured by the mask he wore, but Louise could not help but think that he was feeling relief and interest in his daughter's well-being. But before he said anything, he shook his head, "I would ask you to tell me more, but that is the past and I do not have much time here – You may have given me your strength when you summoned me here, but I will soon need to return to my crypt to rejuvenate. For now, I shall teach you how to properly channel your anger, to control your emotions and to fix the poorly built foundations to make you a formidable Sith. Perhaps then, I may pass on my knowledge of more mundane, yet important things."
"Then let us begin."
Eight days passed without too much fuss, especially with the basic lesson plan that her ancestor had given her. Aside from that, Louise had been watching the progress of the Republic from the relative safety of her ship while another probe was off mapping a path to the Temple and ship. It was on this eighth day of this operation, that the probes reported back some important news. The Jedi had managed to breach into the main chamber of the Temple.
Of course, Louise found herself filled with energy at the news ("Finally, something else to do!") and almost at once, she got ready to leave with her Shadow Killer by her side. This marked the first time Louise had left the relative safety of the Mandalorian outpost, something she had not done earlier as to not put herself in senseless danger.
Using the maps the probes had crafted for her, Louise managed to make her way to the Temple faster than she had expected, especially considering it was a few kilometres away. So, instead of wasting twelve hours getting lost in the jungles of the Demon Moon, Louise arrived at a vantage point at the outskirts of the Temple ground in under half the time.
From all the way up there, Louise could only grimace as she took in the entire sight of the Temple
Even from all the way up on a cliff face, she could see the entrance of the derelict Temple – time having stripped all grandeur that it may have had. The entire thing had been built into a mountain, which she assumed was to keep the temple safe from an orbital bombardment or something of the sort. Yet, the mountain did little to defend against the old Republic ship that had fallen from the sky which caused most of the damage.
Using her sniper rifle as a makeshift macromonocular, Louise could make out the main entrance of the Temple where workers wearing Republic colours and bearing mining lasers to aid in excavating. She could see hints of what she assumed to be pillars that had been reclaimed by the unrelenting flora of Dxun, forsaken by the Republic who's only goal was to pillage Sith secrets and "cleanse" the Darkness. It was a disgusting sight for the Pinkette who took it as a slight against herself along with the Empire.
A twig snapped and Louise felt the Force call in warning. The snap-hiss of a lightsaber kicked her instincts into gear and she quickly rolled away from the source of the sound, just in time to see an aqua lightsaber impale the ground beside her. Discarding her sniper rifle, she pulled up her lightsaber to block a follow-up strike from her attacker.
Pushing back on the locked lightsaber, she jumped a few feet away to gain distance between her and her foe. With her eyes working quickly, she took in the figure; male, Zebrak, adolescent, large build, Jedi robes.
Louise flourished her lightsaber, glaring at the Jedi while cursing her lack of awareness.
The Jedi sneered, shouting, "Sith!" before it made a move to leave.
Not wanting the Zabrak to inform the other Jedi, Louise raced towards him, arching his blade to cut at his legs. His blade came down to defend, redirecting her attack away from her, before following up with an attack of his own. The Sith evaded the strike and used the Force to slam the Jedi into a tree. The Jedi grunted in pain, pulling himself up and into the ready stance of Form III Soresu.
Yet, as he did so, Louise heard the sound of heavy footfalls moving closer. A quick glance to her side saw that Khem Val had arrived with his own blade at the ready.
"Pink Sith, it seems stealth has failed you once again," he said, mirth at the situation obvious, "Shall I eat him?"
"I'd much rather his death be swift as I don't want the Jedi to know we're here," Louise said, tightening the grip on her lightsaber. But before she could execute the Jedi, a powerful voice shouted aloud, causing the three to snap their heads to the source, "What's going on-" then the sound of a slight sputter before the masculine voice practically screeched, "Louise!?"
Upon spotting the man, her body jolted as she instantly recognised the man. With wide eyes, she began to study his face to make sure what she was seeing was real. His face was just as she remembered, but he also looked so much more different, healthier.
His dark brown hair was still cut close to his head in stripes and his dark brown eyes, no longer glassy, but hardened. The only other difference was his dress; no longer did he wear the prison garb of the Empire, but the robes of a Jedi Knight, a Guardian of the Republic with his azure lightsaber held defensively towards her, humming serenely. "Sir Dorjis…? What are you doing here?" Louise asked, gobsmacked by the unexpected arrival.
"I could ask you the same question," said Quorian, regarding Louise with an icy expression that caused her pause, "Last I saw you, you were on Korriban as an Acolyte."
"Quorian, you know this Sith?" the Zebrak Jedi hissed, quickly moving to Dorjis' side.
The former prisoner nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off Louise, "I assumed so." And with those three words, Louise felt as if she had been slapped. "What are you doing here?" he continued, ignoring the hurt that briefly shone through her eyes.
"My job. Simple as that." Louise replied guardedly, her expression darkening as she realised that, unless this entire event could be handled diplomatically, she would have to kill Quorian.
"Yeah, and what job is that?" the other Jedi sneered, "Sabotage our base? Kill us? Steal some artefacts? You are unwelcome here, Sith."
"Actually, Jedi," Louise snapped back, "I was doing nothing of the sort. In fact, I was planning on leaving you Jedi alone, as long as you don't interfere. And it's not stealing if it already belongs to me. That" she said, jabbing her thumb at the Temple off in the distance, "is a Sith Temple, and most if not all artefacts inside are Sith. They belong to us!"
The nameless Jedi turned to Quorian, "I say we kill her and the monster. Nobody will have to know and the Treaty will still be intact."
Louise shifted into a more aggressive stance. "Do you wish to try your chances? Khem and I will not be executed just for existing, Jedi!" Behind her, Khem sneered.
"Urik, we are not killing her. It is not the Jedi way."
"They have killed countless Jedi over the millennia! Killing anyone who serves the light! She was about to kill me! I could see it in her eyes. And don't forget what happened to you on Korriban. You were barely lucid when we found you." Urik replied, looking quite shocked by the other Jedi's response.
Sir Dorjis sighed, "…She was the reason for that, Urik. Without her, I would have been a lot worse off. She saved me and several other Jedi. It's been some time, but I will at least give her the benefit of the doubt."
Urik rolled his shoulders, his displeasure by his ally's statement obvious, "You had a rifle aimed at the temple. Why?" he asked Louise.
"Because I find weapons easier to use than macrobinoculars," Louise replied truthfully, "There was no other reason than that."
He considered her words, obviously not believing her words to be true, but willing to act as if he did. "Fine. But you're coming with us. We'll let Master Korr deal with you."
"Fine," said Louise, "But I will not be a prisoner. We have the Treaty to uphold, and I'd much rather not have the war renew because the Jedi were not so trusting."
"Last time we trusted the Sith, they sacked Coruscant." Urik retorted with narrow eyes.
"And?" Louise scoffed, "It's not like the Jedi haven't done worse."
"Worse?" he laughed, "During the Sacking of Coruscant, your people killed countless civilians, murdered the Supreme Chancellor-"
Louise went to interrupt, to educate the poorly informed Jedi. But before she could, Dorjis growled, "Urik, Enough."
"We shouldn't trust her," argued Urik again.
Finally deciding to weigh in on the conversation, Khem, "These Jedi speak too much. Can we eat them?" contempt clear from his tone
The Jedi's heads snapped to the Dashade, Urik demanding, "What did it say?"
"He said you speak too much, then asked if he could eat you," replied Louise with a slight smirk.
"Not. Funny," Urik growled, stepping forwards in an attempt to intimidate her.
"I found it amusing," Khem replied, not that the others could understand, obviously not taking the threat of the Jedi too seriously.
Louise mealy raised an eyebrow, her body tensing slightly for a fight, "Do not threaten me, Jedi. You have no idea who you are dealing with and I can and will kill you if you give me a reason."
"Put it away, Urik," Dorjis ordered, eyeing Louise disapprovingly. "We'll take you back to the compound to see what shall be done about you."
"Fine. Let's get going," the Jedi grumbled, "But the second you make a move against us, I will kill you." With that, he turned around and began storming off into the jungle.
Bemused, Louise thought. Turning your back on a Sith. Either he's got balls of durasteel, or he doesn't think we're a threat. To her side, she could tell that Khem was thinking something similar if the hungry smirk was anything to go by.
"Do you think we should trust them?" Louise asked, seamlessly changing from galactic basic to the tongue of the ancient Sith.
"I would prefer to eat them, but it would be unwise," Khem replied.
Nodding, Louise said, "I agree. There are more Jedi around, and I'd much rather not have them hunting me down like some dog."
Turning her attention from her companion, Louise looked to Quorian who was giving the two weary looks before gesturing for them to follow. Without anything better to do and a shaky promise of peace, Louise summoned her sniper rifle to hand, slinging it to her back, and began her journey with the Jedi to their outpost.
It was only five minutes into the walk that she realised that she should have returned to her ship to inform Tooveee of what had happened. Though, she doubted the Jedi would be so curious as to let her return to her ship willingly. All she could do was wish that she had connected her holo-comm to the ship, or at least invest in a commlink.
Despite the uneasy peace they had agreed on, the Jedi always kept a pair of eyes on them, whether with Urik looking over his shoulder as if a knife were to appear in his back magically or Quorian who preferred to hang back with Louise. It was early in their walk when the Jedi Knight spoke up.
"Was that really necessary?" he whispered to Louise as they set down through the overgrowth.
"I've been under threat since the day I arrived in the wider galaxy," Louise replied with a wave of her hand, "I may have to hold my tongue with my superiors, but I will not take it from anyone else."
Quorian nodded slowly, a sort of understanding flashing through his eyes. Silence prevailed for a moment, the only sounds were the hum of Urik's still active lightsaber and the rustling of flora. After about ten minutes of walking, her old Jedi acquaintance asked, "…What did he really say?"
"I already told you," Said Louise with a shrug, "He literally said 'These Jedi speak too much. Can we eat them.'"
"You're joking, right?"
"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to." Said Louise with a shake of her head, proceeding to hum the Martial Theme of the Empire as she stalked closer to Khem's side.
AN: Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but this segment is more of a bridge between the actual chapters, and to add this to the next would probably be around ten + thousand words, which is a bit much for the second chapter. Also, my translator fucked up and apparently Inquisitor is spelt Inquisiteur, so the ship should be called L'Inquisiteur de Vide.
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Louise groaned as she pulled herself from her bed, into a sitting position. Looking around the room with tired eyes, she blinked slowly as she took in her surroundings. Once again, she was in her bedroom, a sight that was quickly becoming familiar to her, yet it felt different. It was quiet. Too quiet.
The familiar hum of the ship engine was gone, something that had been constant for the few days she had spent in the Fury. Shaking her head, Louise pulled off her blanket and sheet, hopping onto the cold metal floor. Absently, she noted that she needed a carpet as she quickly shuffled to her wardrobe.
Opening one of the lower draws, she pulled out a pair of thick woollen socks she had bought when she realised how cold the floors on Dromund Kaas were. Once she slipped them onto her feet, she quickly removed her negligée, letting it fall to the floor before she began picking out her outfit for the day. As she had a job to do, but felt it was still much too early to do so – at least to her – Louise forewent the armour and robes, choosing a much more casual outfit.
Once dressed, Louise shuffled quietly out of her room, off to find either Khem or Toovee to explain what she had missed. However, finding one of the two proved to be quite difficult as she could not sense her Dashade companion on the ship. The droid, on the other hand, was once again in the cargo hold, though this time not taking inventory but setting up the probes.
"Master, how was your rest?" the droid inquired.
"Fine," Louise replied dismissively, "Now, could you fill me in on what I missed?"
"Of course. When you went to sleep, I began to sort out the reconnaissance supplies and prepped the probes. Master Val took your instructions and began to patrol around the hanger, killing eight pests that had caused superficial damage to the ship-"
"Superficial damage?" Louise questioned sharply.
"Master, it has been repaired! I-it was only minor damage, master." said the droid hastily, "Once repaired, I finished setting up the probes, as you wished, and decided it was prudent to test them. With the probes help, we mapped out most of the compound, however, one of the probes was damaged by the native fauna. Only an hour ago, did Master Val leave to deal with the creature while I repair the droid."
"How far alo-" Louise paused, stifling a yawn that overtook her, causing the Pinkette to stretch involuntarily. Once she recovered, she repeated what she was going to say, "How far along are you with the repairs?"
"Darth Zash has been quite generous and has given us much in the way of parts. I estimate that it will be completed in approximately thirty minutes."
"Good, good. Where's Khem?"
"He has not returned, so I assume he is still in the process of eliminating it."
A trickle of worry began to spread out within Louise's gut as her mind went erratic with thoughts of what could have happened to Khem. Thanking Toovee, she swiftly returned to her bedroom and replaced her clothes with her Sith regalia and armed herself with weapons, including her new sniper rifle.
Once done, she left her room and quickly ran to the exit of the ship. The landing ramp seemed impossibly slow, causing Louise to tap her foot impatiently as she waited for the landing ramp to descend. Before it could fully extend, Louise stormed down it, taking her first step on the Demon Moon. Without thinking much on the significance of the act, she looked around the overgrown compound she found herself in.
It was wide and open, though the drab colours of the buildings would allow it to camouflage against the jungle backdrop. So far, however, she could only see the hanger her ship was nestled in, another identical, but collapsed hanger and a small building. Besides that, she could also see large and thick walls that surrounded the outpost. On the other side of the field she stood in, she could see the top of a large satellite dish, which meant that she was only in one part of the base.
With that in mind, she began walking to the other end of the outpost, her lightsaber in hand just in case she ran into trouble. However, she did not have to go far as from a path between the walls came a familiar dashade.
"Master, I have had a most glorious fight!" Khem called as he neared, his sword propped on his shoulder and a massive grin plastered on his face. Though, his cheerful demeanour was ruined by the fact that his clothes and weapons were caked in blood and the former was torn in various places.
Her woes gone, Louise breathed a sigh of relief and returned the smile, "I can see that," she said, "What did you fight?"
"The droid called it a Zakkeg, and it was a great one!" he cried, "My sword could only cut so deep into its thick scales, and was strong enough to throw me to the ground. Yet it still fell before my might."
"Get cleaned and then tell me about it over breakfast," Louise said, beckoning the Dashade to follow as she walked back to L'Inquisiteur. However, now that she was no longer worried for her companion's safety, she found herself drawn to the skyline, or more importantly, the massive sphere that took up much of the sky: Onderon.
Louise found herself stunned by the mesmerising sight of the massive planet that took up a good portion of the sky. It was simply beautiful in a surreal way.
Once the two entered the ship, they split off, Khem leaving to his room to get changed – later leaving to bathe – while Louise went and asked Toovee to prepare food for both Khem and her before she took a seat at the table.
When the Dashade returned, dressed only in a pair of pants, he was still smiling. Joining her at the table, he began to regale her about his battle with the great Zakkeg between spoonfuls of synthesized food. He told her how the creature had tried to lure him away from the ship, enough so that any backup would have to travel far to help. He spoke of how its unusual cunning was only matched by its power and strength. And soon, he finished his tale with a feral grin, "…when the creature leapt upon me to finish me off, I gutted it with my blade."
"I'm a little upset that you didn't take me along, I would love to have seen the fight," Louise pouted, though inside she felt pleased that her companion was much livelier today than the four days of nothing.
"Perhaps we may find another and we can see how you would defeat such a beast," Khem replied.
"Have you fought many other creatures like that?"
Khem leaned back, looking as nostalgic as ever, "During the Grand Hunt on Urkupp, me and my rival, Veshikk Urk, hunted and battled one of the native beasts. It was a test of our hunting skills and our battle prowess. And it was a glorious few days of hunting and tracking, ending in a magnificent battle between the beast and us."
Louise nodded along, about to ask for more detail as she felt a bit starved of conversation – especially when the only other being she could talk to was a timid droid who feared for his life. But stopped when her curiosity latched onto the name Veshikk Urk. And so, with that in mind, she asked Khem to elaborate.
"Veshikk was a fellow Shadow Killer and my greatest rival on Urkupp. But Tulak Hord's apprentice, Ortan Cela, bested him in an honour duel and reduced him to a slavering monster," Khem growled, his anger at this Ortan noticeable through the Force. He did not say a word for a moment, but when he continued, he was staring at Louise unfathomably, "I thought you and Cela were alike, but I was wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"His ambition outstripped his ability and he did not hesitate to take what he did not deserve," said Khem, "He was weak and Tulak Hord should have replaced him. You have little ambition other than survival and an insatiable lust for knowledge. You are more humble than he, hesitant to take on challenges you feel you are not ready for. Yet, you are a powerful little Sith, despite your training only stretching less than two years at the most. And whereas Cela treated Veshikk like a slave, you've shown me respect and freedom."
Louise looked to Khem, troubled, "Of course I would treat you like that, Khem. I'd never treat another like a slave."
The Shadow Killer merely grunted.
But before they could continue their conversation, Toovee entered the lounge from the port wing. "Master, the probe has been repaired. Do you wish for them to be sent out to begin scouting the Sith Temple?"
Turning to the droid, Louise nodded. "I also want to know if the Jedi or Republic have an outpost built anywhere near the Temple."
"Of course, master." It was about ten minutes later when Louise saw the two probes hover out from the cargo hold. The main body of the probe was domed-shaped with a few scanners, photoreceptors, and antenna. From the bottom of the dome was several appendages with different tools attached to the end. Through the lounge and down the ramp they flew, as Louise got up from the table and followed cautiously behind. Once clear of the ship and hanger, they quickly ascended into the sky, disappearing behind the tree line.
Now all she had to do was wait. Or… she thought, looking over the overgrown outpost with the critical eye. I could explore…
With that, she left back to her ship, calling for Khem and Toovee.
...
I need to get some knitting supplies. Louise thought as she lounged at her desk. One hand lay uselessly by her side, as the other scrolled through the knitting patterns she had found on the HoloNet. From the speakers, the musical stylings of Lord Cantus and the Ziost Symphony Orchestra played. While she could tolerate the modern music that some clubs on Dromund Kaas used, she preferred the more classical songs or even classical renditions of modern songs. They always sounded so much nicer to her ears and she found them relaxing.
It had been around eight hours since the probes left, and they had not reported back much. A few of the smaller avian creatures had tried to attack them, but they managed to fell the beasts before they could cause any debilitating damage – apparently, someone in the Sphere of Technology thought it was a good idea to attach a flame thrower to probes. They were right, but it was still an amusing prospect to the Sith who could only imagine how that proposal went down.
Only about two hours ago had the probes informed Toovee that they had arrived at the Temple and had split up – one to scout for the Republic base, and the other to examine the Sith Temple. Louise had not wanted to view the findings right away, wanting to wait for them to finish their work before she started working. So, with this in mind, she had returned to the boredom which had overtaken her since the probes had left.
After watching the probes fly off, Louise had decided to go out and explore the outpost to find anything of note. Unfortunately, it did not end well. Aside from the dilapidated shell of an outpost, which now could only serve as a weak defence against any creatures that tried to attack the trio, there was not much else. The place had been ransacked and everything that could prove useful was damaged beyond repair or required power. Even then, there was not much alive in there, just a small pack of Cannoks which were killed swiftly.
The only thing she could get from the Mandalorian outpost were faint echoes of battle and the presence of the Dark Side which swirled around the place like a cool breeze… whispering its sweet song into her ear. With a tired sigh, Louise had returned to her ship, disappointed in the lack of anything to continue the expedition.
During this time, Louise found herself creating a list of things she wished to invest in for her ship. First and foremost, she wanted some training dummies – or, if it was within her budget, training droids – as she found attacking things that looked vaguely humanoid therapeutic. Another thing she wished was a Pazaak deck as Khem expressed displeasure at playing Dijarik and Toovee had always let her win, despite her wishes otherwise. And finally, she wished for a bookshelf, one with actual books, as she found reading things on her personal terminal not as enthralling as the real thing; not only that, but she wanted to read things that were not just study material.
Once she grew tired from cataloguing the things she wanted to spruce up her ship, she decided that training would prudent but quickly found herself disinterested; though it was fun to push her limits despite her only targets being inanimate objects around the hanger and Mandalorian base.
The latter half of her time was spent surfing the HoloNet listening to music and catching up on the news or looking up a variety of things. So, she found herself quite pleased when her bedroom door hissed open as her personal servant entered the room.
"Master, one of the probes has completed its objective."
"Show me," Louise said, getting up from her chair in one swift movement.
The droid nodded, leaving the room as he beckoned Louise to come, "This way, master." Following Toovee, Louise was taken to the bridge, where the protocol droid gestured to one of the terminals, "You may access the probes data from this terminal."
Louise inclined her head, moving to the terminal and, after a short search, pulled up the data the probes had recovered. From what she could tell, they had created a map – incomplete, yet serviceable – and a few recordings. From the looks of it, probe one had found, and was currently, examining the area around the temple and the temple proper. Meanwhile, the second one had found the Jedi outpost and was awaiting orders.
It did not take much time to input new instructions into the Dumb AI of the probe, telling it to map the base, yet stay undetected.
Now finished with one probe, Louise felt drawn to the data the second one had acquired. Bringing up the map and recordings, Louise felt disappointed. The Jedi had managed to break into the entry room. Apparently, the damage was much more than they thought, and with a few other issues such as the native wildlife, their progress was slow going, especially if she used the Dark Temple as a template.
This is going to take forever! Louise whined. With the probe's use being diminished by the Jedi's lack of progress, she quickly ordered the probe to aid its counterpart with scouting the outpost, ending it with an order to return to the ship once done.
Now, all she could do was wait… some more. An expansive amount of free time, and nothing to do. Never a dull moment in the Sith Empire.
Sighing again, Louise returned to her bedroom, moving into the meditation position without a thought. She had read examples of people entering trances so deep that time passed swiftly – and she herself had experienced it when meditating on her runes. So, with that in mind, Louise delved into the Force, letting the ebbs and flows of the magnificent entity wash over her. But instead of spreading her senses outwards as she usually did as to bask in the Force, she sent it inwards.
Thoughts halted progress but were easily banished as she cleared her mind and focused on her objective. The outside world dulled and dimmed the deeper she went, and soon what scant thoughts managed to breach the void she tried to conjure became manifest. These thoughts proved more difficult to dispel, forming new thoughts as she focused on them, yet still, she managed to quieten her mind and empty her mind.
Yet her mind did not become like a white void as she had thought – faint visions of memories flickered in and out of existent, even ones from as a little babe unable to fully control her limbs – it was a surprise, one that caused the Pinkette to lose her grip on concentration, her mind soon flooding with thoughts once again.
Frustration bore, bringing anger and annoyance with it, but she forced herself to calm down. This type of meditation would not work well when one's unruly emotions reigned. With a few breathing exercises taught to her by Lyira, she bottled up and sealed the emotions away for later use.
Soon, she returned to the memories, quickly dismissing them to dig deeper and deeper. However, she was once again distracted when she found something odd. The best description she could give it was that they were strings, chains. There were many of them, each with varying intensities in which they existed with different textures. Where the strings led, Louise did not know other than outwards into the vastness of the Force.
It was strange, yet she felt that they were not dangerous in the slightest.
Her attention soon found itself placed upon a string, one that felt intense and emanating strange feelings of comfort for Louise. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Louise focused on it before she found herself assaulted by emotions that did not belong to her – Curiosity, wonder, joy, and so much more.
Recoiling, Louise lost her concentration once again, but quickly fought her way back, this time expecting a reaction as she tugged. Immediately, she felt eyes rest on her, not with malice or suspicion, but with a loving tenderness that spread warmth throughout her very being. Drawn to the strange yet familiar entity, Louise probed curiously only to hear a name resonate within her: Lyira.
It was then, that she realised what she had found. A Force Bond. One she had forged with Lyira. A connection to the one who loved her and who she loved in turn. Louise returned the feeling twice fold, excitement following along with it as she focused more and more upon the bond; part of her fearful that should she leave, that she would lose it forever.
Comfort and amusement returned and Louise knew that Lyira was trying to calm her worries. Despite her reservations, she knew she had to leave – the Pureblood had either entered a war zone or was going to soon. So, with one final comforting pulse, she lost focus on that bond, looking to the others she had forged.
There were a few and most she could not recognise, but one in particular drew her attention. It was a new one, but it had an underlining feeling of something old and dead. It was a curiosity and so she had to examine it. What she discovered was that it was a new bond, but near death, only kept alive by her presence. Despite knowing that she should have left it alone, the sheer knowledge that she had nothing else to do compelled her to tug upon the bond.
Suddenly, it felt like the room had dropped ten degrees – the warmth of Lyira's presence gone, replaced by death.
"Flesh of my Flesh. You have called me?"
Louise's eyes flashed open in an instant, immediately locking onto the ghostly presence sitting down in front of her. "Lord Kallig, you're here?"
"Did you not call me?" questioned the dead Sith Lord.
"…No, I was just experimenting," Louise said after a moment's hesitation, "I saw the bond but I did not know who it belonged to…"
"You create bonds, yet know not who they are attached?" he asked, sounding astonished by the fact. Louise frowned at the hinted accusation, but held her tongue, "Your education seems somewhat haphazard, especially when comparing your combat prowess to other abilities."
"I've only trained for a year and a half," Louise replied with a huff. Who is he to judge… "Some of that time was catching up in my basic studies as I wasn't afforded the Primary Schools of Ziost and Dromund Kaas. After all, who would want to waste such knowledge on a Slave Caste."
Kallig nodded in agreement, "I also assume it was your master's fault as well, keeping you as a tool to be used, instead of training you as a Sith. Yet, despite this setback, you've proven yourself to be quite intelligent, regardless of the gaps in your education. I'm proud of you."
"It was your fault in the first place," Louise shot back, crossing her arms.
"Yes, it was my blunder that caused your enslavement, yet even then I kept an eye on you. I did not want my mistake to end in your death."
"I was tortured," she hissed, her eyes flashing as she glared contemptuously at her ancestor.
"Yet you live," he replied simply, "Had you been in mortal peril, I would have summoned all my strength to protect you. Fortunately for us both, you are a highly capable Sith, despite your training faults." Lord Kallig sighed, looking at Louise with what she assumed was regret despite the emotionlessness of his mask, "If you should ask, I will teach you in the ways of the old Sith, give you knowledge that the Neo-Empire wishes it could grasp."
Louise considered the offer, still glaring at the ghost. On the one hand, he had been the root cause of everything that had happened to her since the summoning. On the other, he was a Sith Lord who was killed because the Dark Lord of the Sith at the time felt threatened by him. "Your daughter knew Sith Sorcery. Could you teach me?"
Aloysius paused, "How do you know that my daughter was blessed with Sorcery?"
Merde. Louise cursed, looking to the ghost suspiciously as she considered her words carefully, "I… have an ability to see far into the past," she began, knowing that there were similar powers to what she was describing, "Not anywhere or when, as I am stuck following one person. I know what happened to your Teralyn."
"How much have you seen?" he asked, sitting up straighter, all his attention on Louise with his unwavering blank stare.
"…Only a day or two," Louise replied hesitantly, "She was sent to my homeworld, around six thousand years before my birth. She's in good hands."
Lord Kallig paused, his features obscured by the mask he wore, but Louise could not help but think that he was feeling relief and interest in his daughter's well-being. But before he said anything, he shook his head, "I would ask you to tell me more, but that is the past and I do not have much time here – You may have given me your strength when you summoned me here, but I will soon need to return to my crypt to rejuvenate. For now, I shall teach you how to properly channel your anger, to control your emotions and to fix the poorly built foundations to make you a formidable Sith. Perhaps then, I may pass on my knowledge of more mundane, yet important things."
"Then let us begin."
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Eight days passed without too much fuss, especially with the basic lesson plan that her ancestor had given her. Aside from that, Louise had been watching the progress of the Republic from the relative safety of her ship while another probe was off mapping a path to the Temple and ship. It was on this eighth day of this operation, that the probes reported back some important news. The Jedi had managed to breach into the main chamber of the Temple.
Of course, Louise found herself filled with energy at the news ("Finally, something else to do!") and almost at once, she got ready to leave with her Shadow Killer by her side. This marked the first time Louise had left the relative safety of the Mandalorian outpost, something she had not done earlier as to not put herself in senseless danger.
Using the maps the probes had crafted for her, Louise managed to make her way to the Temple faster than she had expected, especially considering it was a few kilometres away. So, instead of wasting twelve hours getting lost in the jungles of the Demon Moon, Louise arrived at a vantage point at the outskirts of the Temple ground in under half the time.
From all the way up there, Louise could only grimace as she took in the entire sight of the Temple
Even from all the way up on a cliff face, she could see the entrance of the derelict Temple – time having stripped all grandeur that it may have had. The entire thing had been built into a mountain, which she assumed was to keep the temple safe from an orbital bombardment or something of the sort. Yet, the mountain did little to defend against the old Republic ship that had fallen from the sky which caused most of the damage.
Using her sniper rifle as a makeshift macromonocular, Louise could make out the main entrance of the Temple where workers wearing Republic colours and bearing mining lasers to aid in excavating. She could see hints of what she assumed to be pillars that had been reclaimed by the unrelenting flora of Dxun, forsaken by the Republic who's only goal was to pillage Sith secrets and "cleanse" the Darkness. It was a disgusting sight for the Pinkette who took it as a slight against herself along with the Empire.
A twig snapped and Louise felt the Force call in warning. The snap-hiss of a lightsaber kicked her instincts into gear and she quickly rolled away from the source of the sound, just in time to see an aqua lightsaber impale the ground beside her. Discarding her sniper rifle, she pulled up her lightsaber to block a follow-up strike from her attacker.
Pushing back on the locked lightsaber, she jumped a few feet away to gain distance between her and her foe. With her eyes working quickly, she took in the figure; male, Zebrak, adolescent, large build, Jedi robes.
Louise flourished her lightsaber, glaring at the Jedi while cursing her lack of awareness.
The Jedi sneered, shouting, "Sith!" before it made a move to leave.
Not wanting the Zabrak to inform the other Jedi, Louise raced towards him, arching his blade to cut at his legs. His blade came down to defend, redirecting her attack away from her, before following up with an attack of his own. The Sith evaded the strike and used the Force to slam the Jedi into a tree. The Jedi grunted in pain, pulling himself up and into the ready stance of Form III Soresu.
Yet, as he did so, Louise heard the sound of heavy footfalls moving closer. A quick glance to her side saw that Khem Val had arrived with his own blade at the ready.
"Pink Sith, it seems stealth has failed you once again," he said, mirth at the situation obvious, "Shall I eat him?"
"I'd much rather his death be swift as I don't want the Jedi to know we're here," Louise said, tightening the grip on her lightsaber. But before she could execute the Jedi, a powerful voice shouted aloud, causing the three to snap their heads to the source, "What's going on-" then the sound of a slight sputter before the masculine voice practically screeched, "Louise!?"
Upon spotting the man, her body jolted as she instantly recognised the man. With wide eyes, she began to study his face to make sure what she was seeing was real. His face was just as she remembered, but he also looked so much more different, healthier.
His dark brown hair was still cut close to his head in stripes and his dark brown eyes, no longer glassy, but hardened. The only other difference was his dress; no longer did he wear the prison garb of the Empire, but the robes of a Jedi Knight, a Guardian of the Republic with his azure lightsaber held defensively towards her, humming serenely. "Sir Dorjis…? What are you doing here?" Louise asked, gobsmacked by the unexpected arrival.
"I could ask you the same question," said Quorian, regarding Louise with an icy expression that caused her pause, "Last I saw you, you were on Korriban as an Acolyte."
"Quorian, you know this Sith?" the Zebrak Jedi hissed, quickly moving to Dorjis' side.
The former prisoner nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off Louise, "I assumed so." And with those three words, Louise felt as if she had been slapped. "What are you doing here?" he continued, ignoring the hurt that briefly shone through her eyes.
"My job. Simple as that." Louise replied guardedly, her expression darkening as she realised that, unless this entire event could be handled diplomatically, she would have to kill Quorian.
"Yeah, and what job is that?" the other Jedi sneered, "Sabotage our base? Kill us? Steal some artefacts? You are unwelcome here, Sith."
"Actually, Jedi," Louise snapped back, "I was doing nothing of the sort. In fact, I was planning on leaving you Jedi alone, as long as you don't interfere. And it's not stealing if it already belongs to me. That" she said, jabbing her thumb at the Temple off in the distance, "is a Sith Temple, and most if not all artefacts inside are Sith. They belong to us!"
The nameless Jedi turned to Quorian, "I say we kill her and the monster. Nobody will have to know and the Treaty will still be intact."
Louise shifted into a more aggressive stance. "Do you wish to try your chances? Khem and I will not be executed just for existing, Jedi!" Behind her, Khem sneered.
"Urik, we are not killing her. It is not the Jedi way."
"They have killed countless Jedi over the millennia! Killing anyone who serves the light! She was about to kill me! I could see it in her eyes. And don't forget what happened to you on Korriban. You were barely lucid when we found you." Urik replied, looking quite shocked by the other Jedi's response.
Sir Dorjis sighed, "…She was the reason for that, Urik. Without her, I would have been a lot worse off. She saved me and several other Jedi. It's been some time, but I will at least give her the benefit of the doubt."
Urik rolled his shoulders, his displeasure by his ally's statement obvious, "You had a rifle aimed at the temple. Why?" he asked Louise.
"Because I find weapons easier to use than macrobinoculars," Louise replied truthfully, "There was no other reason than that."
He considered her words, obviously not believing her words to be true, but willing to act as if he did. "Fine. But you're coming with us. We'll let Master Korr deal with you."
"Fine," said Louise, "But I will not be a prisoner. We have the Treaty to uphold, and I'd much rather not have the war renew because the Jedi were not so trusting."
"Last time we trusted the Sith, they sacked Coruscant." Urik retorted with narrow eyes.
"And?" Louise scoffed, "It's not like the Jedi haven't done worse."
"Worse?" he laughed, "During the Sacking of Coruscant, your people killed countless civilians, murdered the Supreme Chancellor-"
Louise went to interrupt, to educate the poorly informed Jedi. But before she could, Dorjis growled, "Urik, Enough."
"We shouldn't trust her," argued Urik again.
Finally deciding to weigh in on the conversation, Khem, "These Jedi speak too much. Can we eat them?" contempt clear from his tone
The Jedi's heads snapped to the Dashade, Urik demanding, "What did it say?"
"He said you speak too much, then asked if he could eat you," replied Louise with a slight smirk.
"Not. Funny," Urik growled, stepping forwards in an attempt to intimidate her.
"I found it amusing," Khem replied, not that the others could understand, obviously not taking the threat of the Jedi too seriously.
Louise mealy raised an eyebrow, her body tensing slightly for a fight, "Do not threaten me, Jedi. You have no idea who you are dealing with and I can and will kill you if you give me a reason."
"Put it away, Urik," Dorjis ordered, eyeing Louise disapprovingly. "We'll take you back to the compound to see what shall be done about you."
"Fine. Let's get going," the Jedi grumbled, "But the second you make a move against us, I will kill you." With that, he turned around and began storming off into the jungle.
Bemused, Louise thought. Turning your back on a Sith. Either he's got balls of durasteel, or he doesn't think we're a threat. To her side, she could tell that Khem was thinking something similar if the hungry smirk was anything to go by.
"Do you think we should trust them?" Louise asked, seamlessly changing from galactic basic to the tongue of the ancient Sith.
"I would prefer to eat them, but it would be unwise," Khem replied.
Nodding, Louise said, "I agree. There are more Jedi around, and I'd much rather not have them hunting me down like some dog."
Turning her attention from her companion, Louise looked to Quorian who was giving the two weary looks before gesturing for them to follow. Without anything better to do and a shaky promise of peace, Louise summoned her sniper rifle to hand, slinging it to her back, and began her journey with the Jedi to their outpost.
It was only five minutes into the walk that she realised that she should have returned to her ship to inform Tooveee of what had happened. Though, she doubted the Jedi would be so curious as to let her return to her ship willingly. All she could do was wish that she had connected her holo-comm to the ship, or at least invest in a commlink.
Despite the uneasy peace they had agreed on, the Jedi always kept a pair of eyes on them, whether with Urik looking over his shoulder as if a knife were to appear in his back magically or Quorian who preferred to hang back with Louise. It was early in their walk when the Jedi Knight spoke up.
"Was that really necessary?" he whispered to Louise as they set down through the overgrowth.
"I've been under threat since the day I arrived in the wider galaxy," Louise replied with a wave of her hand, "I may have to hold my tongue with my superiors, but I will not take it from anyone else."
Quorian nodded slowly, a sort of understanding flashing through his eyes. Silence prevailed for a moment, the only sounds were the hum of Urik's still active lightsaber and the rustling of flora. After about ten minutes of walking, her old Jedi acquaintance asked, "…What did he really say?"
"I already told you," Said Louise with a shrug, "He literally said 'These Jedi speak too much. Can we eat them.'"
"You're joking, right?"
"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to." Said Louise with a shake of her head, proceeding to hum the Martial Theme of the Empire as she stalked closer to Khem's side.
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AN: Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but this segment is more of a bridge between the actual chapters, and to add this to the next would probably be around ten + thousand words, which is a bit much for the second chapter. Also, my translator fucked up and apparently Inquisitor is spelt Inquisiteur, so the ship should be called L'Inquisiteur de Vide.
Mother Nyx
Mother of Elpis
- Location
- The Kei Klub
- Pronouns
- She/Her
As much as I love this iteration of Louise, and I love Lyria too, Khem is the MVP nine times out of ten.
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
He's just an adorable towering Force-eating Tsundere. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
BlackoutSampler
So Easily Forgotten
Ya know, I always hear the time displaced historical person always ends up liking classical music; also for some reason, they always get introduced to modern music via shitty club techno. Just once I kinda want to see one actually be fascinated by modern music, Bioshock Infinite did really well at that. Or maybe have them show some weird tastes by getting enamored by a non-pop genre like Rap or Country.
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
It's more what she's hearing at the club, I mean, she likes the Martial Theme of the Empire, or as it's also known, the Imperial March. Give her something that isn't loud booming techno, and you might get somewhere with her.
NOTE: I should also state that the Empire as a whole prefer Classical, if only because the people who add more to the Sith feel like classical music and those who like it are more evil. I mean Thrawn liked classical and he's one of the perfect examples of cold calculating evil who likes culture and such.
NOTE: I should also state that the Empire as a whole prefer Classical, if only because the people who add more to the Sith feel like classical music and those who like it are more evil. I mean Thrawn liked classical and he's one of the perfect examples of cold calculating evil who likes culture and such.
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Personally this is just flawed thinking at it's finest. The US doesn't like Classical as much because it does not have the same musical background and culture as Europe, not because Classical is objectively evil. If anything, if they wanted to reflect IRL, the Sith should have the non-classical, emo-ish, music as they were the branch that broke off and 'rebelled' from the Jen'sedaii.
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
I agree, and they do have other types of music (Just go to Imperial Bars and such), but the way I've always seen it portrayed is either the techno music in the cantina's or classical sort of atmospheric music. Though Sith Lords listening to evanescence would be a sight to see, especially considering the conditioning we have thanks to many different types of media that present the Sith (Empire) as some sort of devilish nation of evil. Unfortunately, we won't be able to see other forms of music that the Sith have created until we arrive on Nar Shaddaa.
I really wish that we got more information on the Sith culture and daily life than what we got...
I really wish that we got more information on the Sith culture and daily life than what we got...
Hence part of the reason Sith either disdain Fallen Jedi or take them under their wing quickly. As we see with Jaessa and Anakin in the films, they either become outright fanatics of the Dark Side or go Emo. While they can be rehabilitated and focused, their Force-awful taste in music still lingers.
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
Vader: *Signing along to song* "...By becoming this all I want to do / Is be more like me and be less like you...!"
Sidious: "Oh, by the Force! We get it, you're feeling emotional about murdering your wife and having Kenobi cut off your limbs! You can stop singing about it and start listening to Sith music of old."
Vader: "Sith music?"
Sidious: "What did you think we did? Sit in a dark room muttering Jedi under our breaths repeatedly while rubbing our hands together?"
Vader: "Master... that was awfully specific..."
Sidious: "ANYwho... listen to this and tell me what you think."
*Music starts playing* DUM DUM DUM DUM-Te-DUM DUM-Te-DUM! DUM DUM DUM DUM-Te-DA DUM-Te-DA!
Chapter 3 -Act II-
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
Chapter 3 – Anxieties
The Republic base was by no means large, at least from what she could see from beyond the fortress-like walls. Oddly enough, it reminded her of the walls that separated Kaas City from the dangerous Dromund jungles – high walls made from duracrete and topped by large auto-turrets. The main entrance was blocked by a massive door, guarded by a pair of Republic guards and Jedi Knights. Beyond the walls, she could make out the top of a large comms dish and what she knew to be the carrier that ferried supplies from Onderon.
Upon nearing the entry, she saw the guards tense, first looking to her with unveiled hate before turning a curious eye to her Jedi escorts. Lightsabers were active and blasters were raised, but before any more could be done, Urik stepped forwards, "Peace. We've come to an agreement. As long as we do not open hostilities, the Sith has promised not harm us." Despite the words, he sounded quite disgusted with himself.
The guards did not look pleased with the news and she could sense that some would rather open fire and kill the threat before daring to accept the white flag. And so, while they let her and her companion pass unabated, one of the Jedi ordered the other to keep watch while she activated her lightsaber and followed them in. It was unnerving to the Pinkette, who's hand itched to grasp her own lightsaber if only to feel it's comforting presence against her hand. This feeling only amplified as the two Dark Siders were lead down through the base as the glares of onlooking Republic and Jedi men bore into their backs.
Eventually, they arrived at the largest building, aside from the starship, in the outpost: the command centre. Here, Louise managed to gather another two Jedi who were older and far more imposing than the others following her inside. Now numbered at five Jedi guards, the petite Sith had no idea whether to feel flattered that they thought she saw so dangerous or terrified and angry that she might be walking to her death. Fortunately, she did not run into any more Jedi upon entry, though this still left her with a few Republic guards and five Jedi.
Overall, if she was forced to fight her way out, it did not look hopeful to her. Even for Khem, if the aggression she could sense said anything.
The command centre was built like a fortress. Much like the outer walls, it was ready to defend against a siege – from what, she did not know, though some of the animals on Dxun could act as living siege weapons. One could even mistake it for a Sith-made construction with how pragmatic it was, the only parts that would have said differently were the Jedi and Republic heraldry. A small group of Republic officers were discussing the data on a nearby terminal, but upon noticing the two Dark Siders, they turned to hush whispers, which she suspected was because of paranoia against the Sith. We wouldn't want the Sith to know about digging, would we? Louise thought sarcastically. On the other side of the room was a holotable projected a scale model of the Temple, including the tunnels they have so far discovered.
Two doors sat opposite the entry, and it was through these doors that Louise was escorted. Inside, she was immediately bombarded with sheer 'Jedi-ness' of everything. It was like the essence of the Jedi was squeezed into the very walls. The duracrete was a creamier in colour than the pragmatic grey of the rest of the base and she could see designs either painted or etched into stone. If she were to guess the purpose of the room, as her probes had never stepped foot inside, she would say it was the main base of operations for the Jedi. A wide table sat against the right wall of the room holding a terminal and twelve separate holoprojectors which she assumed to be dedicated projectors to communicate with the Jedi High Council. Though this was only second upon seeing the Jedi Master meditating on a mat.
The Jedi looked like any other Jedi – from the back, at least – but his presence in the Force was… potent. Like a bright white light that purged the innate Darkness of Dxun which tried in vain to creep into the room. Even her own Darkness felt threatened by the Light. It was a mesmerising sight if terrifying to behold.
"Master, we found this Sith snooping around the Temple," Urik spoke up, his snideness downplayed in place of a deep respect.
The Jedi, presumably Master Korr, sighed and rose from the mat before turning to face them. He was younger than she expected from a Jedi Master, his forest green eyes showing youth hidden behind his greying beard. If she were to guess, he would be in his late twenties and early thirties. As she took in his features, his own eyes racked across hers, scrutinizing her with a glare. "You have pink hair," he noted with a gruff huff.
At this point, Louise was feeling aggravation and anxiety with everything that was going on around her. And while she knew that she should not, she could not help but lash out with sarcasm. Her eyes widening as an exaggerated gasp left her lips, she grabbed a lock of hair, staring at it with mock surprise. "I do!?" she cried, "I never knew! It's not like I had this since I was born. Thank you, O Grand Master Obvious."
Luckily, the Jedi did not seem displeased with her reaction and instead seemed mildly amused, though the other Jedi were another story. "A Sith with a sense of humour. Is the galaxy ending?" he remarked dryly.
Taking this reply as a go-ahead, Louise said, "I'll have you know that we Sith have cultivated wonderful comedians."
Korr shook his head, a slight smirk tugging at his lips before looking to the Jedi whose lightsaber was still active. "You may put them away." After a tentative pause, the Jedi did so. With that done, he turned back to Louise, "What were you doing at the Temple?"
"Waiting, mostly."
"For?" Korr pressed.
"For you lot to finish digging up the Temple."
He sighed, "What is your goal here?"
Louise sighed in turn, "You know of the Spheres of Influence in the Empire?"
"What does this have does to with anything?" A Jedi snapped, one of the younger ones, a female Togruta. Her hand was on her lightsaber and she looked ready to strike should things go sour – something Louise though the alien looked quite eager for.
With only a look, Urik managed to turn the eager and aggressive Jedi into a toughly chastised one. Once done, he turned back to an expectant Louise. "The Spheres of Influences are the twelve domains of politics and power within the Empire," he answered, though she heard a hint of impatience within his voice.
Nodding, Louise continued, "Good. I am part of the Sphere of Ancient Secrets. It's my job to recover and protect Sith secrets and artefacts. This is a Sith Temple. My job here is requisition. Peaceful requisition."
"You'd really think we'd willingly let you take Sith artefacts?" Urik asked.
Louise turned to face the Jedi, smiling icily. "Of course not, you Jedi would much rather annihilate every single last hint of our culture," she hissed, causing most in the room to tense.
"Calm yourself, Sith," Korr said tiredly, "Urik, please take Nola to the bunks and meditate. Once we are done here, we will discuss your behaviour."
"But-!"
"No 'buts'. Now, if anyone else feels like they cannot control their tongue, please follow them."
"Yes, Master," both Urik and Nola sighed, turning to leave, but not before trying to kill Louise with a glare. Eventually, they were only two less overtly hostile Jedi in the room, which left only three, two of which still glared at Louise and the other two – Quorian and Korr – looked slightly ashamed of their fellow Jedi.
Turning back to Louise, Korr said, "Unfortunately, even if we allowed you to take the artefact from the Temple, it would be a difficult task considering that we haven't excavated much of it. By our estimations, we've only uncovered fifteen percent of the Temple."
The Sith considered his words. From what she had seen, the Jedi seemed to be bumbling around the Temple like children in a zoo; fearful of the Dark Side and ignorant of Sith architecture. Unless they wish to be finished by the end of the month, they would have someone who had experience and knowledge in dealing with Sith Temples with them. Briefly, an idea passed her mind, but it was so… unsavoury that she almost disposed of it entirely.
Sadly, it seemed that it was the only realistic way of both endearing them to her – therefore giving them a reason to give her what they want, aside from the kindness that was rumoured to hide within their hearts – and leading to a quicker end to this expedition. With a resigned sigh, she said, "I could help."
Their response was not… enthusiastic, to say the least. "I, uh… what?" Was Korr's none-too-tact reply.
Looking around, Louise saw that the sentiment was held by most everyone in the room, including Khem Val. Blinking, she thought. Is it that hard to think that I might want to help? "I said, I could help."
"Er, sorry. It's just not something I would expect," Korr said, looking somewhat apologetic.
Huffing, Louise explained, "Well, our goals are entwined, are they not? You get the needed assistance with the Temple and I get the artefacts. Then, we both leave happy and never speak of this again."
"I must apologise again, then," Korr replied after a short pause, "But I cannot accept, at least until I learn more of the situation. No matter how noble your goals sound, you are still here illegally. Even considering the Treaty's obvious bias." Obviously noticing Louise straighten up at the news, he amended, "You needn't worry about being imprisoned, as I sense you have no hostile intent… should no harm befall you."
Still not relaxing, Louise said, "If you have any questions, ask away."
Nodding, Korr quickly became serious, looking directly into Louise's eyes unflinchingly, "A Knight and his Padawan disappeared earlier. Do you know anything about this?"
Despite facing against creatures which have terrified weaker men and standing up to a Lord of the Sith in single combat, Louise still felt quite intimidated by the hardened look in the Jedi's eye. This was no mere Jedi, but a veteran of the Great Galactic War, one who had ended the lives of many Sith, "No," she replied truthfully, "I have only seen Jedi from afar, preferring to keep a low profile than anything else. Sir Dorjis and Urik are the only Jedi I met before being escorted here."
He considered her words for a time, measuring her up against what was said. But soon, his hardened stare became content, "I sense that you are truthful, but if you had no part in this and only came here for peaceful reasons, then why sneak here?"
For this, Louise could give a good reason, aside from 'my master told me so,' and so she did. "Simple. Out of all the Jedi, you excluded, I have only met one who did not think me a monster upon meeting them," she answered, inclining her head to Quorian, the one Jedi who had not glared at her once inside the building. A frosty reunion, but he seemed to have warmed after she proved herself not a monster created by the Sith education system.
"He was kind of drugged at the time," one of the nameless Knights mentioned, though whether it was to help or not, nobody would ever know.
"Orin… that does not help our case," sighed Korr, "And who are these other Jedi?"
"Well, Sir Dorjis was the first. He built up this big narrative of the Jedi, defending them whenever we talked, but that was entirely destroyed upon me meeting your Grand Master over holo who, while cordial, was quite condescending now that I think about it." It was amusing to the Pinkette, to see their scandalised reactions. "Then there was a green… or was she red? Anyway, there was a Twi'lek who thought me a monster who deserved death because I am a Sith. And now I have Urik, who I can at least understand attacking me upon sight. Then we have the Jedi here, who have attempted to kill me with their glares.
"Me sneaking here was me thinking it would be better to not get attacked whether verbally or physically by people who hate me on principle."
"Point."
"So, am I trustworthy enough to help?" Louise asked, hiding her hopeful tone, "Or do you want me to perform some menial task such as kill fifteen cannocks and collect their eyes stalks for proof."
"Ah… no, no, nothing so strenuous," the Jedi Master replied, "I will just need some time to meditate on this. For now, you will stay here – you'll be given a place to rest and access to the mess for food."
Louise perked up at once, causing the two unnamed Jedi to tense, "Food?"
"…Yes?"
"Oh, thank the Force!"
After being let out, Dorjis took Louise around the base, trying to show her around the base, but she had memorised the maps produced by her probes extensively and knew what was where. With this in mind, Dorjis was forced to follow her instead.
The mess hall, of course, was her first stop. It was quite a surprise to everyone who was eating – though not as much as she thought – as A sith was probably not something the Republic would expect to eagerly wait in line for food. The cook, who was too surprised to do or say much about her, handed her a plate of food mutely, eyeing her strangely.
She ignored him in favour of looking around the mess for a table, only to hold back a laugh upon turning back around when she saw the cook's eyes practically bulge out of his eyes as Khem waited patiently for his own food. They picked out a lightly occupied table before sitting down for dinner. Dorjis soon joined them, but Louise did not pay him any mind and dug into her meal with gusto. The pink haired Sith did not really know what she was currently devouring with holy reverence, but she cared not as the flavour practically exploded onto her taste buds. However, the pleasure of eating something that was not synthetic paste was apparently strange or something as nearly every single pair of eyes in the room was locked onto her.
"Are you quite alright, Louise?" Quorian asked, red-faced and worried.
Louise managed to pry herself from her nearly demolished meal and replied, "Food is good."
"Well, I wouldn't say that," he said, looking down at his food.
It was quite true that the meal did not look as appetizing as she had on Dromund Kaas or Tristain, but at the moment, taste was everything and she told him as much. "Well, you haven't been living off synthetic paste for the last… what week or two?" With that, she shoved another forkful of… whatever it was into her mouth.
Eyebrows jumping to his hairline, the Jedi Knight asked completely surprised and slightly disgusted, "Why would you do that to yourself?"
Louise shrugged, finishing off her mouthful before speaking. "My kind master forgot to stock my ship with foodstuffs upon buying. Apparently, weaponry and recon gear is more important than good food."
"Your master gave you a ship?"
"Well, yeah. Don't the Jedi do that for you?" Louise asked, slightly confused by his own confused question.
"Most masters would have a Republic ship that would ferry them and their padawans around," he replied.
Humming, Louise said, "Well, Sith are basically the nobility of the Empire, I guess we just get better pay rates than the Jedi."
"You get paid?"
"Well, not me, per se," Louise began to explain, "I can do one-off jobs for people, like blow up some drills or clear out tombs filled with critters. My master is the main holder for the Sith related credits."
"I suppose you would," Sir Dorjis said, his tone laced with the barest hint of childish jealousy, "Jedi don't really have material possession. We live, eat and sleep at the Temple and only own their clothes and lightsabers. We only get money for missions, but it always goes to the highest-ranking member."
"Magic. Sexless. Space. Monks," Louise remarked slowly.
"Compared to the Sith, pretty much." He shrugged, smiling lightly. "But what does that make you lot?"
After a moment's thought, Louise ventured, "Magic, passionate, space, aristocrats?"
"'Passionate' is not a word most would use."
Louise scoffed, "Obviously they have not heard our code. 'There is only Passion' is the second line of the entire thing, and the word is used twice."
"True." After that, they fell into a silence as they continued to eat their meal. However, this silence was only temporary as the Jedi Knight spoke up once more, "I got your message."
"My message?" Louise inquired.
"The one you gave to Grand Master Shan," he explained.
"Ah, yes. Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind since then."
"Oh, do tell."
"It's not that interesting," said Louise dismissively. I mean, what am I to say? I assassinated my masters rival and killed a slave?
"I would think otherwise," Quorian said, a melancholic passing over his face, "Especially because of what I heard after you told Master Shan about the message."
Louise, knowing what he was referring to, stilled, becoming defensive, "That was not my fault. The Jedi would not compromise."
"Why don't you tell me your version."
"Simple," Louise began, "I was unceremoniously told to take part in an operation, took command of a transport and left to go capture an Imperial defector."
"The General was an Imperial?"
"Yes, yes he was. He was planning on giving up Imperial secrets. Anyway…" Louise went on to describe the events of what happened on both the Black Talon and Brentaal Star. However, she kept several details out because, no matter how friendly their relationship was, he was still a Jedi and therefore any important details given would brand her a traitor.
Once finished, Quorian sat in silent thought. He was not looking at her, but down at his dinner, and for a second she grew worried. But eventually, the silence ended, "If you had been any other Sith, I would have had a hard time believing you. But, while our time has been short, I can tell that you speak the truth."
Louise considered what she was going to say, before deciding on asking, "What did your Grand Master say?"
"Not much, but a general overview of what happened. Though, your last-ditched attempt at diplomacy did not come up. But from what you say, they couldn't have known," Sir Dorjis answered with a grimace before becoming distracted. "Well, let's get away from this dreary topic. Tell me, who, exactly, is Khem?"
The aforementioned Dashade looked up from his dinner which he had been methodically eating. He considered Quorian for a moment before saying, "I am Khem Val, former servant of Tulak Hord, devourer of the rebels at Yn and Chabosh. Now I am the Shadow Killer to Louise, heir apparent of Aloysius, apprentice of Darth Zash and Slayer of Darth Skotia."
Of course, Quorian could not understand a word spoken. After a few seconds of quick blinking, he turned to Louise, "Okay, I only understood 'Khem,' 'Louise,' 'Darth Zash,' and 'Darth Skotia'. I mean, good job on being apprenticed to a Darth… I think, but I have no idea what he said."
"Would you like to hear a translation?"
"That would be best."
"He introduced himself," she explained, "'I am Khem Val, former servant of Tulak Hord, devourer of the rebels at Yn and Chabosh. Now I am the servant to Louise, heir apparent of House Kallig, apprentice of Darth Zash and Slayer of Darth Skotia.'"
After a few more seconds of blinking, he said, "Wait, wait, let me get this straight. First, I recognise the name Tulak Hord, but he's supposed to be long since dead. Second, 'heir apparent of House Kallig'? and finally, 'Slayer of Darth Skotia'?"
For some reason, his questioning caused Louise to feel suddenly bashful, so when she answered, she did so awkwardly. "I.. well, Khem was put in stasis for a few thousand years, and I may have recently found out that I am the descendant of a powerful Sith Lord, who happened to have lived around the same time as Tulak Hord. As for the entire slayer business… I may or may not have killed a Sith Lord a few weeks ago."
This time it was him that acted awkwardly. "Well… I am just going to ignore the first two, but congrats, I think, and instead focus on the Darth part."
"It was self-defence. I would have never wanted to kill him had he not wanted me and my master dead. I don't care for politics," She said dismissively.
"Okay then… so how did you meet Khem?"
Louise shrugged. "I met him during my final trial at the Academy. He tried to kill me but I bested him and now he serves me. Honour binds and all that."
"Ah… he tried to kill you!?"
"He was hungry," came Louise's nonchalant reply.
"And you're just okay with this?" Dorjis asked, sounding increasingly confounded by Louise's casual tone.
"Yes… well, no. I wasn't at the time, but now its… eh" It was hard to put into words and it was not like he had attempted to kill her once more. He had probably saved her life at that, with the entire fight with Skotia. He was her companion, if only grumpy, and she would not hold it against him.
"The Sith are weird," he replied with a shake of his head.
"Coming from a Jedi," Louise smirked, "So, what happened after Balek freed you?"
"Balek, Balek…" he repeated, trying to remember the name, "He was the Acolyte who broke me out, wasn't he?"
"Yep, It was a trial, unfortunately."
"At least the Sith didn't succeed with their plans. Again, thank you for that."
"It was quite the accident, I assure you," Louise replied, not really wanting to have the fact that she may have abetted in treason get ousted.
"Well, thank you anyway," he said earnestly, "So, what happened to this Balek?"
Louise grimaced, thinking back to Harkun and the smugness in his eyes as he told her of the Twins fate. "He and his brother died."
"…You two were close?" Dorjis asked.
"He was a friend," Louise replied, feeling a wave of melancholy wash over her, "I am just glad I wasn't the one who had to see them die, or kill them. So… uh… what happened?"
"Well, not much really," he explained, "I was taken back to Tython where the Mind Healers. They healed me up and sent me on my way. Really, the only reason I am here is because the Jedi are a bit strained, even ten years after the Sacking, and I had experience with the Dark Side."
"Understandable." Once again, they dissolved into silence, but it was one that did not disappear. They ate their food and soon it was time to turn in. They took their dishes to the cook, then left the mess before heading off to where she would be sleeping.
However, it seemed the universe wished for her day to last longer than it had already. As she was escorted to her bed they were stopped by someone she would much rather never speak to again: Urik, along with Nola who flanked him. "Quorian, we need to talk."
"About, Urik?" Quorian asked tiredly, already wary of the Zabrak's annoyed expression.
"About the Sith," the Knight said, flicking her head towards the Dark Siders.
Of course. She thought, huffing. "I'm right here!"
"Shut up," Nola growled before calming herself down and turning to Quorian, "You should keep away from her."
"She's dangerous," added Urik.
Sighing, Dorjis replied, "Stop, please."
"No, you're my friend!" he hissed, "I was worried sick when you were taken by the Sith, and now this one shows up and you're immediately best buds with her."
"She helped me, Urik," Quorian replied, crossing his arms, "She's the only reason why I'm here!"
"She's a Sith!" the Zabrak pressed, "DO you not remember what happened during the Sacking of Coruscant! They razed the Jedi Temple and destroyed everything! They killed everyone in the Temple, my master included!"
"I know."
"Really?" he asked, "Because it seems you're forgetting about everything the Sith have done to us. I mean, we were practically extinct three-hundred years ago, and now your best buddies with one."
"And?" Louise snapped, "Yes, we sacked Coruscant and razed your precious Temple. Yes, a splinter cell of the Sith nearly wiped out the Jedi. But I honestly don't see the issue." The reactions of the Jedi were varied, but shared various similarities: Urik and Nola both looked positively livid, only holding onto their tempers because of their training, whereas Dorjis just looked shocked, hurt and even angry.
"See, she's just like every other Sith! You can't trust her," Nola hissed.
"No, I mean, why bring it up?" Louise asked, trying really hard to keep herself calm, "You mention all the bad things we Sith have committed against you, but what you seem to forget is that your precious Republic and Order are not innocent victims."
"The Jedi are peacekeepers," Dorjis said, though she could see it in his eyes that he was unsure.
"Oh, yes, the Jedi are such peacekeepers," Louise growled, "I mean, annihilating the Legions of Lettow just because they wanted to learn more of the Force was such a peaceful move!"
"Don't bring the Legions into this, to this day, we still don't know who shot first," Nola spat.
"No, but does that mean they all had to die?" Louise asked, her voice rising dangerously, "You killed them all, followed them back to their planet and killed them all. Oh, but that isn't even the worst of the Jedi and Republic's crimes. I mean, who could forget the Sith Holocaust, where the Jedi and Republic committed genocide against the Sith. Men, women and children butchered by your soldiers and blasted off the planet by Republic cruisers. And after that? After your Order and the Republic 'pushed the Sith Empire into the dark of the galaxy?' You formed the Jedi Covenant and Shadows, and aren't they a can of worms to open!"
"You don't know what you're talking about," Urik snapped.
"Don't I?" she continued, "The Sith absolutely adore it when Jedi are caught out for their hypocrisy, and we tend to hoard this information like a dragon its gold."
"Louise, enough. Let's go," Quorian said in a tone that brooks no argument, not that she wanted to.
"Fine," she said, storming off in the general direction that they had been going before stopping and waiting for Dorjis to catch up.
During this time, Khem decided to voice his thoughts on their current predicament. "Why did you have to get caught, pink Sith? These Jedi give me a headache."
Louise sighed slipping seamlessly into the Sith tongue, "Believe me, Khem. Nobody regrets this more than I."
"We should just eat them."
Snorting at the dark humour, Louise asked, "If I ate a Zabrak, would it be considered cannibalism?"
"No."
"Interesting…"
Their banter, however, could not continue as Dorjis soon arrived, having reassured his friends that he was not being turned to the Dark Side and said his goodbyes. "What are you two discussing?"
"Cannibalism," Louise answered casually.
Misstepping and almost tripping over, Quorian gave Louise a questioning look, one she replied unflinchingly to. Blanching, he said awkwardly, "I don't want to know."
It's for the best. Louise thought with a shrug. With Quorian as her guide, she and Khem eventually arrived at their bed, though he had never let them leave his sights during the entire thing, amusingly enough. He left, without too much fuss, letting the Dark Siders get ready for rest, but Louise chose not to. Despite her little Joke with Khem, she still had Zabrak on the brain, and not in the way Lyira got on her mind.
He was a threat, that much was obvious. He could kill her and nobody would kick up much of a fuss, aside from Quorian, perhaps. She was in enemy territory and she would act like it. So, the Dark Siders decided to take turns keeping watch. Of course, her watch was first as it would allow her to get some rest before starting the next day. But had she realised how boring and uneventful it was, she would have taken the second watch. It was putting her time on her ship to the test.
With this in mind, she decided to do something about it. Reaching out with the Force, Louise tried to summon her ancestor. Unlike before, he did not come at once, but eventually, he did arrive with news and questions. But before she could answer him, she wanted to hear the news first. With a sigh, he told her. "Two Sith apprentices have been visiting the Dark Temple. They trespassed into my sanctum."
Louise rose an eyebrow. Was this it? Just telling me his home was violated? "Did you kill them?"
"I was planning on doing so, but they mentioned their master." Louise knew he was purposely not getting to the point because she would not answer his questions first.
She ignored this, of course, and asked, "Is this master of any importance?"
"Yes, her name is Darth Zash." Immediately, her interest increased tenfold. Darth Zash, her master, with two other apprentices. It was like ice cold water down her back. She could feel Kallig smirking under his mask. "I suspect their goal was to confirm whether or not I was gone. Fortunately, they believe that you have vanquished me in some form."
Quickly, shock turned to anger as her mind spun in speculation for these new apprentices. Great, just what I need. Rivals… Unfortunately, Aloysius did not have anything else of note; Zash had not made an appearance herself and he was unable to simply spy on her because she was not blood-related, nor did she own anything he had a deep connection with. Nevertheless, Louise decided to put that aside for now and told her ancestor of where she was and what happened.
Sufficed to say, he was disappointed but had wisdom to share. "I would tread carefully around the Jedi, blood of my blood. You're the only one I have left and I do not wish to lose my family because they pushed you too far. As for Knight Quorian… you seem to be dealing with them well enough, but I would try not to alienate them. Despite their allegiances, they could make great allies. Just do not put your trust in them."
Despite finding Aloysius' implications that she would lose her temper annoying, she knew he spoke the truth. Already, she had showcased a short fuse when dealing with Jedi hypocrisy, and she was sure that the Jedi who did not like her would attempt something just to prove their point. Accepting the wisdom in his words, she asked if he could teach her anything else, to which he asked if he could have one more question answered. "What became of our family after Teralyn?" He spoke tentatively as if worried about the answer.
Louise scoffed internally. Why should you learn about the family you ripped me from? And so she answered as such, "Nothing. What can you teach me?"
Kallig sighed, but still taught Louise what he could. She could not, for obvious reasons, learn anything flashy or large, and stuck with illusion work and performing small feats of Sorcery. The most interesting thing she learned was the creation of fiery draconic serpents which swam through the air according to her will, biting and snapping at each other.
It was a beautiful sight, but her joy quickly evaporated as she was interrupted – Kallig had left halfway through as he felt his form weakening. And so, Louise faced a small team of irate, tired and suspicious Jedi led by Korr. It was a tense conversation as she tried to explain to the Jedi that, no, she was not doing anything malign. Once they finally believed her, she was told to 'keep it down' before they went on their way. It was an odd conversation and one she would not want to share with anyone. Thank the Force Khem was asleep.
After that, she returned to the monotonous boredom of keeping watch. Luckily, her time was nearly over and so she did not have to wait long before she could wake Khem up and get some rest.
Soon day broke and the tired Sith was taken by two stoic Republic troops to the command centre. Here, she found Korr once again meditating. When he finished his meditation, he stood up, greeted Louise then instantly commented on her tiredness. "You didn't spend the entire night practising, did you?"
"First, I stopped that after you showed up," Louise replied, trying to rub the tiredness from her face, "Second, I only practised because I was keeping watch."
"Keeping watch?" Korr asked.
"I was worried I'd wake up with a lightsaber in my back."
The scandalised expression on the two Jedi's face would have made Louise laugh if she felt like it would have made her laugh had she not felt like death. "We would never!" Korr cried.
"Would have fooled me. I felt safer walking around Dromund Kaas with Darth Skotia looming over me than here," Louise replied.
"You do not trust us to keep our word?" The Jedi Master actually sounded hurt by this, though it also sounded as if he expected something.
"As I said yesterday," Louise continued, "You and Quorian are the only ones who have not instantly thought me a monster. Plus, would anyone get some sleep with people like Urik and Nola hanging around?"
"While some Jedi may have reservations about working with a Sith, I respect Guest Rights, no matter how archaic the tradition is," said Korr as if he were educating a particularly troublesome student.
Louise's eyebrow rose. Guest Rights was not something she thought she would have heard of again. It was a pleasant surprise, but not something that made her feel safer. "We have Guest Rights on my homeworld, but that did not stop many from killing their enemies."
"And yet, we did not come and execute you last night," Master Korr replied, "We may have gone to restrain you, had you been doing anything malicious, but that was really your fault."
Point. Louise thought, schooling her features away from an embarrassed pout and into a glare. "Just because you didn't do it on the first night doesn't mean you won't do it later."
Korr sighed, "Let us move away from this and back to business." Despite her annoyance growing with the change of subject, Louise acquiesced and let the Jedi Master continue, "Last night, I sent word to the Jedi Council to discuss what we shall do with you. And after a long discussion with many thinking that it would be best to imprison you or just execute you silently." The atmosphere quickly became tense and serious. Louise could feel her hands grasp nothingness, wishing dearly that she would not have to use it. "But we finally came to a decision. You will be allowed to help us as long as you show your worth and cooperate."
Letting go of a breath she did not know she was holding, Louise bowed her head respectfully, "Thank you, Master Jedi."' For not killing me,' went unsaid. "I will, however, not let myself be insulted or threatened by anyone here."
If Korr was surprised by the respect, he hid it well and focused on the more important part of what she said. "I have spoken with the other Jedi about this. As long as you do not cause issue, you will be treated as a guest. But I digress, aside from manpower, what could you bring to this expedition?"
"Firsthand experience," Louise answered, "I've stepped foot inside the Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas and have learned of what to expect from Sith buildings. And, from what I've observed, the Jedi are fearful of the Temple. Even from here, I can feel its influence, spreading its tendrils deep into the jungle."
"What you speak of is true, though some of us may be too prideful to admit," he said wearily, "A good portion of our men here have not dared to step foot inside, preferring other jobs and those that do enter have reported strange happenings."
"Your mistake was to dig here." Louise said, all tiredness and anxiety giving way to seriousness, "Sith Temples are dangerous to everyone, including the Sith who build them. They are usually built upon a nexus of Dark Side energies which can have unnatural effects on anything near it. The Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas, for example, has the spirits of long-dead Sith Lords who haunt the halls.
"But the biggest issue with this Temple that I can see, is that it has been buried for centuries. Any number of traps could be sitting and waiting for us to trip them. We could be attacked by any number of this. From possession to insanity-inducing visions, to massive creatures that wish to eat us. I have experience in these matters, especially as they are pretty much the norm for Acolytes. This is what I offer."
Master Korr nodded thoughtfully, "Your expertise in these matters would be beneficial. However, you will stay by my side at all times while we navigate the Temple."
"So, you're my babysitter?" Louise asked.
"If you choose to act like one, then that is exactly how I will act," Korr said with a smirk.
Great…
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AN: Apologies for the month-long hiatus. Uni and Dragon Age Origins and II happened. Nevertheless, as a gift, I shall give you this little Gem
The Republic base was by no means large, at least from what she could see from beyond the fortress-like walls. Oddly enough, it reminded her of the walls that separated Kaas City from the dangerous Dromund jungles – high walls made from duracrete and topped by large auto-turrets. The main entrance was blocked by a massive door, guarded by a pair of Republic guards and Jedi Knights. Beyond the walls, she could make out the top of a large comms dish and what she knew to be the carrier that ferried supplies from Onderon.
Upon nearing the entry, she saw the guards tense, first looking to her with unveiled hate before turning a curious eye to her Jedi escorts. Lightsabers were active and blasters were raised, but before any more could be done, Urik stepped forwards, "Peace. We've come to an agreement. As long as we do not open hostilities, the Sith has promised not harm us." Despite the words, he sounded quite disgusted with himself.
The guards did not look pleased with the news and she could sense that some would rather open fire and kill the threat before daring to accept the white flag. And so, while they let her and her companion pass unabated, one of the Jedi ordered the other to keep watch while she activated her lightsaber and followed them in. It was unnerving to the Pinkette, who's hand itched to grasp her own lightsaber if only to feel it's comforting presence against her hand. This feeling only amplified as the two Dark Siders were lead down through the base as the glares of onlooking Republic and Jedi men bore into their backs.
Eventually, they arrived at the largest building, aside from the starship, in the outpost: the command centre. Here, Louise managed to gather another two Jedi who were older and far more imposing than the others following her inside. Now numbered at five Jedi guards, the petite Sith had no idea whether to feel flattered that they thought she saw so dangerous or terrified and angry that she might be walking to her death. Fortunately, she did not run into any more Jedi upon entry, though this still left her with a few Republic guards and five Jedi.
Overall, if she was forced to fight her way out, it did not look hopeful to her. Even for Khem, if the aggression she could sense said anything.
The command centre was built like a fortress. Much like the outer walls, it was ready to defend against a siege – from what, she did not know, though some of the animals on Dxun could act as living siege weapons. One could even mistake it for a Sith-made construction with how pragmatic it was, the only parts that would have said differently were the Jedi and Republic heraldry. A small group of Republic officers were discussing the data on a nearby terminal, but upon noticing the two Dark Siders, they turned to hush whispers, which she suspected was because of paranoia against the Sith. We wouldn't want the Sith to know about digging, would we? Louise thought sarcastically. On the other side of the room was a holotable projected a scale model of the Temple, including the tunnels they have so far discovered.
Two doors sat opposite the entry, and it was through these doors that Louise was escorted. Inside, she was immediately bombarded with sheer 'Jedi-ness' of everything. It was like the essence of the Jedi was squeezed into the very walls. The duracrete was a creamier in colour than the pragmatic grey of the rest of the base and she could see designs either painted or etched into stone. If she were to guess the purpose of the room, as her probes had never stepped foot inside, she would say it was the main base of operations for the Jedi. A wide table sat against the right wall of the room holding a terminal and twelve separate holoprojectors which she assumed to be dedicated projectors to communicate with the Jedi High Council. Though this was only second upon seeing the Jedi Master meditating on a mat.
The Jedi looked like any other Jedi – from the back, at least – but his presence in the Force was… potent. Like a bright white light that purged the innate Darkness of Dxun which tried in vain to creep into the room. Even her own Darkness felt threatened by the Light. It was a mesmerising sight if terrifying to behold.
"Master, we found this Sith snooping around the Temple," Urik spoke up, his snideness downplayed in place of a deep respect.
The Jedi, presumably Master Korr, sighed and rose from the mat before turning to face them. He was younger than she expected from a Jedi Master, his forest green eyes showing youth hidden behind his greying beard. If she were to guess, he would be in his late twenties and early thirties. As she took in his features, his own eyes racked across hers, scrutinizing her with a glare. "You have pink hair," he noted with a gruff huff.
At this point, Louise was feeling aggravation and anxiety with everything that was going on around her. And while she knew that she should not, she could not help but lash out with sarcasm. Her eyes widening as an exaggerated gasp left her lips, she grabbed a lock of hair, staring at it with mock surprise. "I do!?" she cried, "I never knew! It's not like I had this since I was born. Thank you, O Grand Master Obvious."
Luckily, the Jedi did not seem displeased with her reaction and instead seemed mildly amused, though the other Jedi were another story. "A Sith with a sense of humour. Is the galaxy ending?" he remarked dryly.
Taking this reply as a go-ahead, Louise said, "I'll have you know that we Sith have cultivated wonderful comedians."
Korr shook his head, a slight smirk tugging at his lips before looking to the Jedi whose lightsaber was still active. "You may put them away." After a tentative pause, the Jedi did so. With that done, he turned back to Louise, "What were you doing at the Temple?"
"Waiting, mostly."
"For?" Korr pressed.
"For you lot to finish digging up the Temple."
He sighed, "What is your goal here?"
Louise sighed in turn, "You know of the Spheres of Influence in the Empire?"
"What does this have does to with anything?" A Jedi snapped, one of the younger ones, a female Togruta. Her hand was on her lightsaber and she looked ready to strike should things go sour – something Louise though the alien looked quite eager for.
With only a look, Urik managed to turn the eager and aggressive Jedi into a toughly chastised one. Once done, he turned back to an expectant Louise. "The Spheres of Influences are the twelve domains of politics and power within the Empire," he answered, though she heard a hint of impatience within his voice.
Nodding, Louise continued, "Good. I am part of the Sphere of Ancient Secrets. It's my job to recover and protect Sith secrets and artefacts. This is a Sith Temple. My job here is requisition. Peaceful requisition."
"You'd really think we'd willingly let you take Sith artefacts?" Urik asked.
Louise turned to face the Jedi, smiling icily. "Of course not, you Jedi would much rather annihilate every single last hint of our culture," she hissed, causing most in the room to tense.
"Calm yourself, Sith," Korr said tiredly, "Urik, please take Nola to the bunks and meditate. Once we are done here, we will discuss your behaviour."
"But-!"
"No 'buts'. Now, if anyone else feels like they cannot control their tongue, please follow them."
"Yes, Master," both Urik and Nola sighed, turning to leave, but not before trying to kill Louise with a glare. Eventually, they were only two less overtly hostile Jedi in the room, which left only three, two of which still glared at Louise and the other two – Quorian and Korr – looked slightly ashamed of their fellow Jedi.
Turning back to Louise, Korr said, "Unfortunately, even if we allowed you to take the artefact from the Temple, it would be a difficult task considering that we haven't excavated much of it. By our estimations, we've only uncovered fifteen percent of the Temple."
The Sith considered his words. From what she had seen, the Jedi seemed to be bumbling around the Temple like children in a zoo; fearful of the Dark Side and ignorant of Sith architecture. Unless they wish to be finished by the end of the month, they would have someone who had experience and knowledge in dealing with Sith Temples with them. Briefly, an idea passed her mind, but it was so… unsavoury that she almost disposed of it entirely.
Sadly, it seemed that it was the only realistic way of both endearing them to her – therefore giving them a reason to give her what they want, aside from the kindness that was rumoured to hide within their hearts – and leading to a quicker end to this expedition. With a resigned sigh, she said, "I could help."
Their response was not… enthusiastic, to say the least. "I, uh… what?" Was Korr's none-too-tact reply.
Looking around, Louise saw that the sentiment was held by most everyone in the room, including Khem Val. Blinking, she thought. Is it that hard to think that I might want to help? "I said, I could help."
"Er, sorry. It's just not something I would expect," Korr said, looking somewhat apologetic.
Huffing, Louise explained, "Well, our goals are entwined, are they not? You get the needed assistance with the Temple and I get the artefacts. Then, we both leave happy and never speak of this again."
"I must apologise again, then," Korr replied after a short pause, "But I cannot accept, at least until I learn more of the situation. No matter how noble your goals sound, you are still here illegally. Even considering the Treaty's obvious bias." Obviously noticing Louise straighten up at the news, he amended, "You needn't worry about being imprisoned, as I sense you have no hostile intent… should no harm befall you."
Still not relaxing, Louise said, "If you have any questions, ask away."
Nodding, Korr quickly became serious, looking directly into Louise's eyes unflinchingly, "A Knight and his Padawan disappeared earlier. Do you know anything about this?"
Despite facing against creatures which have terrified weaker men and standing up to a Lord of the Sith in single combat, Louise still felt quite intimidated by the hardened look in the Jedi's eye. This was no mere Jedi, but a veteran of the Great Galactic War, one who had ended the lives of many Sith, "No," she replied truthfully, "I have only seen Jedi from afar, preferring to keep a low profile than anything else. Sir Dorjis and Urik are the only Jedi I met before being escorted here."
He considered her words for a time, measuring her up against what was said. But soon, his hardened stare became content, "I sense that you are truthful, but if you had no part in this and only came here for peaceful reasons, then why sneak here?"
For this, Louise could give a good reason, aside from 'my master told me so,' and so she did. "Simple. Out of all the Jedi, you excluded, I have only met one who did not think me a monster upon meeting them," she answered, inclining her head to Quorian, the one Jedi who had not glared at her once inside the building. A frosty reunion, but he seemed to have warmed after she proved herself not a monster created by the Sith education system.
"He was kind of drugged at the time," one of the nameless Knights mentioned, though whether it was to help or not, nobody would ever know.
"Orin… that does not help our case," sighed Korr, "And who are these other Jedi?"
"Well, Sir Dorjis was the first. He built up this big narrative of the Jedi, defending them whenever we talked, but that was entirely destroyed upon me meeting your Grand Master over holo who, while cordial, was quite condescending now that I think about it." It was amusing to the Pinkette, to see their scandalised reactions. "Then there was a green… or was she red? Anyway, there was a Twi'lek who thought me a monster who deserved death because I am a Sith. And now I have Urik, who I can at least understand attacking me upon sight. Then we have the Jedi here, who have attempted to kill me with their glares.
"Me sneaking here was me thinking it would be better to not get attacked whether verbally or physically by people who hate me on principle."
"Point."
"So, am I trustworthy enough to help?" Louise asked, hiding her hopeful tone, "Or do you want me to perform some menial task such as kill fifteen cannocks and collect their eyes stalks for proof."
"Ah… no, no, nothing so strenuous," the Jedi Master replied, "I will just need some time to meditate on this. For now, you will stay here – you'll be given a place to rest and access to the mess for food."
Louise perked up at once, causing the two unnamed Jedi to tense, "Food?"
"…Yes?"
"Oh, thank the Force!"
After being let out, Dorjis took Louise around the base, trying to show her around the base, but she had memorised the maps produced by her probes extensively and knew what was where. With this in mind, Dorjis was forced to follow her instead.
The mess hall, of course, was her first stop. It was quite a surprise to everyone who was eating – though not as much as she thought – as A sith was probably not something the Republic would expect to eagerly wait in line for food. The cook, who was too surprised to do or say much about her, handed her a plate of food mutely, eyeing her strangely.
She ignored him in favour of looking around the mess for a table, only to hold back a laugh upon turning back around when she saw the cook's eyes practically bulge out of his eyes as Khem waited patiently for his own food. They picked out a lightly occupied table before sitting down for dinner. Dorjis soon joined them, but Louise did not pay him any mind and dug into her meal with gusto. The pink haired Sith did not really know what she was currently devouring with holy reverence, but she cared not as the flavour practically exploded onto her taste buds. However, the pleasure of eating something that was not synthetic paste was apparently strange or something as nearly every single pair of eyes in the room was locked onto her.
"Are you quite alright, Louise?" Quorian asked, red-faced and worried.
Louise managed to pry herself from her nearly demolished meal and replied, "Food is good."
"Well, I wouldn't say that," he said, looking down at his food.
It was quite true that the meal did not look as appetizing as she had on Dromund Kaas or Tristain, but at the moment, taste was everything and she told him as much. "Well, you haven't been living off synthetic paste for the last… what week or two?" With that, she shoved another forkful of… whatever it was into her mouth.
Eyebrows jumping to his hairline, the Jedi Knight asked completely surprised and slightly disgusted, "Why would you do that to yourself?"
Louise shrugged, finishing off her mouthful before speaking. "My kind master forgot to stock my ship with foodstuffs upon buying. Apparently, weaponry and recon gear is more important than good food."
"Your master gave you a ship?"
"Well, yeah. Don't the Jedi do that for you?" Louise asked, slightly confused by his own confused question.
"Most masters would have a Republic ship that would ferry them and their padawans around," he replied.
Humming, Louise said, "Well, Sith are basically the nobility of the Empire, I guess we just get better pay rates than the Jedi."
"You get paid?"
"Well, not me, per se," Louise began to explain, "I can do one-off jobs for people, like blow up some drills or clear out tombs filled with critters. My master is the main holder for the Sith related credits."
"I suppose you would," Sir Dorjis said, his tone laced with the barest hint of childish jealousy, "Jedi don't really have material possession. We live, eat and sleep at the Temple and only own their clothes and lightsabers. We only get money for missions, but it always goes to the highest-ranking member."
"Magic. Sexless. Space. Monks," Louise remarked slowly.
"Compared to the Sith, pretty much." He shrugged, smiling lightly. "But what does that make you lot?"
After a moment's thought, Louise ventured, "Magic, passionate, space, aristocrats?"
"'Passionate' is not a word most would use."
Louise scoffed, "Obviously they have not heard our code. 'There is only Passion' is the second line of the entire thing, and the word is used twice."
"True." After that, they fell into a silence as they continued to eat their meal. However, this silence was only temporary as the Jedi Knight spoke up once more, "I got your message."
"My message?" Louise inquired.
"The one you gave to Grand Master Shan," he explained.
"Ah, yes. Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind since then."
"Oh, do tell."
"It's not that interesting," said Louise dismissively. I mean, what am I to say? I assassinated my masters rival and killed a slave?
"I would think otherwise," Quorian said, a melancholic passing over his face, "Especially because of what I heard after you told Master Shan about the message."
Louise, knowing what he was referring to, stilled, becoming defensive, "That was not my fault. The Jedi would not compromise."
"Why don't you tell me your version."
"Simple," Louise began, "I was unceremoniously told to take part in an operation, took command of a transport and left to go capture an Imperial defector."
"The General was an Imperial?"
"Yes, yes he was. He was planning on giving up Imperial secrets. Anyway…" Louise went on to describe the events of what happened on both the Black Talon and Brentaal Star. However, she kept several details out because, no matter how friendly their relationship was, he was still a Jedi and therefore any important details given would brand her a traitor.
Once finished, Quorian sat in silent thought. He was not looking at her, but down at his dinner, and for a second she grew worried. But eventually, the silence ended, "If you had been any other Sith, I would have had a hard time believing you. But, while our time has been short, I can tell that you speak the truth."
Louise considered what she was going to say, before deciding on asking, "What did your Grand Master say?"
"Not much, but a general overview of what happened. Though, your last-ditched attempt at diplomacy did not come up. But from what you say, they couldn't have known," Sir Dorjis answered with a grimace before becoming distracted. "Well, let's get away from this dreary topic. Tell me, who, exactly, is Khem?"
The aforementioned Dashade looked up from his dinner which he had been methodically eating. He considered Quorian for a moment before saying, "I am Khem Val, former servant of Tulak Hord, devourer of the rebels at Yn and Chabosh. Now I am the Shadow Killer to Louise, heir apparent of Aloysius, apprentice of Darth Zash and Slayer of Darth Skotia."
Of course, Quorian could not understand a word spoken. After a few seconds of quick blinking, he turned to Louise, "Okay, I only understood 'Khem,' 'Louise,' 'Darth Zash,' and 'Darth Skotia'. I mean, good job on being apprenticed to a Darth… I think, but I have no idea what he said."
"Would you like to hear a translation?"
"That would be best."
"He introduced himself," she explained, "'I am Khem Val, former servant of Tulak Hord, devourer of the rebels at Yn and Chabosh. Now I am the servant to Louise, heir apparent of House Kallig, apprentice of Darth Zash and Slayer of Darth Skotia.'"
After a few more seconds of blinking, he said, "Wait, wait, let me get this straight. First, I recognise the name Tulak Hord, but he's supposed to be long since dead. Second, 'heir apparent of House Kallig'? and finally, 'Slayer of Darth Skotia'?"
For some reason, his questioning caused Louise to feel suddenly bashful, so when she answered, she did so awkwardly. "I.. well, Khem was put in stasis for a few thousand years, and I may have recently found out that I am the descendant of a powerful Sith Lord, who happened to have lived around the same time as Tulak Hord. As for the entire slayer business… I may or may not have killed a Sith Lord a few weeks ago."
This time it was him that acted awkwardly. "Well… I am just going to ignore the first two, but congrats, I think, and instead focus on the Darth part."
"It was self-defence. I would have never wanted to kill him had he not wanted me and my master dead. I don't care for politics," She said dismissively.
"Okay then… so how did you meet Khem?"
Louise shrugged. "I met him during my final trial at the Academy. He tried to kill me but I bested him and now he serves me. Honour binds and all that."
"Ah… he tried to kill you!?"
"He was hungry," came Louise's nonchalant reply.
"And you're just okay with this?" Dorjis asked, sounding increasingly confounded by Louise's casual tone.
"Yes… well, no. I wasn't at the time, but now its… eh" It was hard to put into words and it was not like he had attempted to kill her once more. He had probably saved her life at that, with the entire fight with Skotia. He was her companion, if only grumpy, and she would not hold it against him.
"The Sith are weird," he replied with a shake of his head.
"Coming from a Jedi," Louise smirked, "So, what happened after Balek freed you?"
"Balek, Balek…" he repeated, trying to remember the name, "He was the Acolyte who broke me out, wasn't he?"
"Yep, It was a trial, unfortunately."
"At least the Sith didn't succeed with their plans. Again, thank you for that."
"It was quite the accident, I assure you," Louise replied, not really wanting to have the fact that she may have abetted in treason get ousted.
"Well, thank you anyway," he said earnestly, "So, what happened to this Balek?"
Louise grimaced, thinking back to Harkun and the smugness in his eyes as he told her of the Twins fate. "He and his brother died."
"…You two were close?" Dorjis asked.
"He was a friend," Louise replied, feeling a wave of melancholy wash over her, "I am just glad I wasn't the one who had to see them die, or kill them. So… uh… what happened?"
"Well, not much really," he explained, "I was taken back to Tython where the Mind Healers. They healed me up and sent me on my way. Really, the only reason I am here is because the Jedi are a bit strained, even ten years after the Sacking, and I had experience with the Dark Side."
"Understandable." Once again, they dissolved into silence, but it was one that did not disappear. They ate their food and soon it was time to turn in. They took their dishes to the cook, then left the mess before heading off to where she would be sleeping.
However, it seemed the universe wished for her day to last longer than it had already. As she was escorted to her bed they were stopped by someone she would much rather never speak to again: Urik, along with Nola who flanked him. "Quorian, we need to talk."
"About, Urik?" Quorian asked tiredly, already wary of the Zabrak's annoyed expression.
"About the Sith," the Knight said, flicking her head towards the Dark Siders.
Of course. She thought, huffing. "I'm right here!"
"Shut up," Nola growled before calming herself down and turning to Quorian, "You should keep away from her."
"She's dangerous," added Urik.
Sighing, Dorjis replied, "Stop, please."
"No, you're my friend!" he hissed, "I was worried sick when you were taken by the Sith, and now this one shows up and you're immediately best buds with her."
"She helped me, Urik," Quorian replied, crossing his arms, "She's the only reason why I'm here!"
"She's a Sith!" the Zabrak pressed, "DO you not remember what happened during the Sacking of Coruscant! They razed the Jedi Temple and destroyed everything! They killed everyone in the Temple, my master included!"
"I know."
"Really?" he asked, "Because it seems you're forgetting about everything the Sith have done to us. I mean, we were practically extinct three-hundred years ago, and now your best buddies with one."
"And?" Louise snapped, "Yes, we sacked Coruscant and razed your precious Temple. Yes, a splinter cell of the Sith nearly wiped out the Jedi. But I honestly don't see the issue." The reactions of the Jedi were varied, but shared various similarities: Urik and Nola both looked positively livid, only holding onto their tempers because of their training, whereas Dorjis just looked shocked, hurt and even angry.
"See, she's just like every other Sith! You can't trust her," Nola hissed.
"No, I mean, why bring it up?" Louise asked, trying really hard to keep herself calm, "You mention all the bad things we Sith have committed against you, but what you seem to forget is that your precious Republic and Order are not innocent victims."
"The Jedi are peacekeepers," Dorjis said, though she could see it in his eyes that he was unsure.
"Oh, yes, the Jedi are such peacekeepers," Louise growled, "I mean, annihilating the Legions of Lettow just because they wanted to learn more of the Force was such a peaceful move!"
"Don't bring the Legions into this, to this day, we still don't know who shot first," Nola spat.
"No, but does that mean they all had to die?" Louise asked, her voice rising dangerously, "You killed them all, followed them back to their planet and killed them all. Oh, but that isn't even the worst of the Jedi and Republic's crimes. I mean, who could forget the Sith Holocaust, where the Jedi and Republic committed genocide against the Sith. Men, women and children butchered by your soldiers and blasted off the planet by Republic cruisers. And after that? After your Order and the Republic 'pushed the Sith Empire into the dark of the galaxy?' You formed the Jedi Covenant and Shadows, and aren't they a can of worms to open!"
"You don't know what you're talking about," Urik snapped.
"Don't I?" she continued, "The Sith absolutely adore it when Jedi are caught out for their hypocrisy, and we tend to hoard this information like a dragon its gold."
"Louise, enough. Let's go," Quorian said in a tone that brooks no argument, not that she wanted to.
"Fine," she said, storming off in the general direction that they had been going before stopping and waiting for Dorjis to catch up.
During this time, Khem decided to voice his thoughts on their current predicament. "Why did you have to get caught, pink Sith? These Jedi give me a headache."
Louise sighed slipping seamlessly into the Sith tongue, "Believe me, Khem. Nobody regrets this more than I."
"We should just eat them."
Snorting at the dark humour, Louise asked, "If I ate a Zabrak, would it be considered cannibalism?"
"No."
"Interesting…"
Their banter, however, could not continue as Dorjis soon arrived, having reassured his friends that he was not being turned to the Dark Side and said his goodbyes. "What are you two discussing?"
"Cannibalism," Louise answered casually.
Misstepping and almost tripping over, Quorian gave Louise a questioning look, one she replied unflinchingly to. Blanching, he said awkwardly, "I don't want to know."
It's for the best. Louise thought with a shrug. With Quorian as her guide, she and Khem eventually arrived at their bed, though he had never let them leave his sights during the entire thing, amusingly enough. He left, without too much fuss, letting the Dark Siders get ready for rest, but Louise chose not to. Despite her little Joke with Khem, she still had Zabrak on the brain, and not in the way Lyira got on her mind.
He was a threat, that much was obvious. He could kill her and nobody would kick up much of a fuss, aside from Quorian, perhaps. She was in enemy territory and she would act like it. So, the Dark Siders decided to take turns keeping watch. Of course, her watch was first as it would allow her to get some rest before starting the next day. But had she realised how boring and uneventful it was, she would have taken the second watch. It was putting her time on her ship to the test.
With this in mind, she decided to do something about it. Reaching out with the Force, Louise tried to summon her ancestor. Unlike before, he did not come at once, but eventually, he did arrive with news and questions. But before she could answer him, she wanted to hear the news first. With a sigh, he told her. "Two Sith apprentices have been visiting the Dark Temple. They trespassed into my sanctum."
Louise rose an eyebrow. Was this it? Just telling me his home was violated? "Did you kill them?"
"I was planning on doing so, but they mentioned their master." Louise knew he was purposely not getting to the point because she would not answer his questions first.
She ignored this, of course, and asked, "Is this master of any importance?"
"Yes, her name is Darth Zash." Immediately, her interest increased tenfold. Darth Zash, her master, with two other apprentices. It was like ice cold water down her back. She could feel Kallig smirking under his mask. "I suspect their goal was to confirm whether or not I was gone. Fortunately, they believe that you have vanquished me in some form."
Quickly, shock turned to anger as her mind spun in speculation for these new apprentices. Great, just what I need. Rivals… Unfortunately, Aloysius did not have anything else of note; Zash had not made an appearance herself and he was unable to simply spy on her because she was not blood-related, nor did she own anything he had a deep connection with. Nevertheless, Louise decided to put that aside for now and told her ancestor of where she was and what happened.
Sufficed to say, he was disappointed but had wisdom to share. "I would tread carefully around the Jedi, blood of my blood. You're the only one I have left and I do not wish to lose my family because they pushed you too far. As for Knight Quorian… you seem to be dealing with them well enough, but I would try not to alienate them. Despite their allegiances, they could make great allies. Just do not put your trust in them."
Despite finding Aloysius' implications that she would lose her temper annoying, she knew he spoke the truth. Already, she had showcased a short fuse when dealing with Jedi hypocrisy, and she was sure that the Jedi who did not like her would attempt something just to prove their point. Accepting the wisdom in his words, she asked if he could teach her anything else, to which he asked if he could have one more question answered. "What became of our family after Teralyn?" He spoke tentatively as if worried about the answer.
Louise scoffed internally. Why should you learn about the family you ripped me from? And so she answered as such, "Nothing. What can you teach me?"
Kallig sighed, but still taught Louise what he could. She could not, for obvious reasons, learn anything flashy or large, and stuck with illusion work and performing small feats of Sorcery. The most interesting thing she learned was the creation of fiery draconic serpents which swam through the air according to her will, biting and snapping at each other.
It was a beautiful sight, but her joy quickly evaporated as she was interrupted – Kallig had left halfway through as he felt his form weakening. And so, Louise faced a small team of irate, tired and suspicious Jedi led by Korr. It was a tense conversation as she tried to explain to the Jedi that, no, she was not doing anything malign. Once they finally believed her, she was told to 'keep it down' before they went on their way. It was an odd conversation and one she would not want to share with anyone. Thank the Force Khem was asleep.
After that, she returned to the monotonous boredom of keeping watch. Luckily, her time was nearly over and so she did not have to wait long before she could wake Khem up and get some rest.
Soon day broke and the tired Sith was taken by two stoic Republic troops to the command centre. Here, she found Korr once again meditating. When he finished his meditation, he stood up, greeted Louise then instantly commented on her tiredness. "You didn't spend the entire night practising, did you?"
"First, I stopped that after you showed up," Louise replied, trying to rub the tiredness from her face, "Second, I only practised because I was keeping watch."
"Keeping watch?" Korr asked.
"I was worried I'd wake up with a lightsaber in my back."
The scandalised expression on the two Jedi's face would have made Louise laugh if she felt like it would have made her laugh had she not felt like death. "We would never!" Korr cried.
"Would have fooled me. I felt safer walking around Dromund Kaas with Darth Skotia looming over me than here," Louise replied.
"You do not trust us to keep our word?" The Jedi Master actually sounded hurt by this, though it also sounded as if he expected something.
"As I said yesterday," Louise continued, "You and Quorian are the only ones who have not instantly thought me a monster. Plus, would anyone get some sleep with people like Urik and Nola hanging around?"
"While some Jedi may have reservations about working with a Sith, I respect Guest Rights, no matter how archaic the tradition is," said Korr as if he were educating a particularly troublesome student.
Louise's eyebrow rose. Guest Rights was not something she thought she would have heard of again. It was a pleasant surprise, but not something that made her feel safer. "We have Guest Rights on my homeworld, but that did not stop many from killing their enemies."
"And yet, we did not come and execute you last night," Master Korr replied, "We may have gone to restrain you, had you been doing anything malicious, but that was really your fault."
Point. Louise thought, schooling her features away from an embarrassed pout and into a glare. "Just because you didn't do it on the first night doesn't mean you won't do it later."
Korr sighed, "Let us move away from this and back to business." Despite her annoyance growing with the change of subject, Louise acquiesced and let the Jedi Master continue, "Last night, I sent word to the Jedi Council to discuss what we shall do with you. And after a long discussion with many thinking that it would be best to imprison you or just execute you silently." The atmosphere quickly became tense and serious. Louise could feel her hands grasp nothingness, wishing dearly that she would not have to use it. "But we finally came to a decision. You will be allowed to help us as long as you show your worth and cooperate."
Letting go of a breath she did not know she was holding, Louise bowed her head respectfully, "Thank you, Master Jedi."' For not killing me,' went unsaid. "I will, however, not let myself be insulted or threatened by anyone here."
If Korr was surprised by the respect, he hid it well and focused on the more important part of what she said. "I have spoken with the other Jedi about this. As long as you do not cause issue, you will be treated as a guest. But I digress, aside from manpower, what could you bring to this expedition?"
"Firsthand experience," Louise answered, "I've stepped foot inside the Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas and have learned of what to expect from Sith buildings. And, from what I've observed, the Jedi are fearful of the Temple. Even from here, I can feel its influence, spreading its tendrils deep into the jungle."
"What you speak of is true, though some of us may be too prideful to admit," he said wearily, "A good portion of our men here have not dared to step foot inside, preferring other jobs and those that do enter have reported strange happenings."
"Your mistake was to dig here." Louise said, all tiredness and anxiety giving way to seriousness, "Sith Temples are dangerous to everyone, including the Sith who build them. They are usually built upon a nexus of Dark Side energies which can have unnatural effects on anything near it. The Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas, for example, has the spirits of long-dead Sith Lords who haunt the halls.
"But the biggest issue with this Temple that I can see, is that it has been buried for centuries. Any number of traps could be sitting and waiting for us to trip them. We could be attacked by any number of this. From possession to insanity-inducing visions, to massive creatures that wish to eat us. I have experience in these matters, especially as they are pretty much the norm for Acolytes. This is what I offer."
Master Korr nodded thoughtfully, "Your expertise in these matters would be beneficial. However, you will stay by my side at all times while we navigate the Temple."
"So, you're my babysitter?" Louise asked.
"If you choose to act like one, then that is exactly how I will act," Korr said with a smirk.
Great…
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AN: Apologies for the month-long hiatus. Uni and Dragon Age Origins and II happened. Nevertheless, as a gift, I shall give you this little Gem
- Location
- Versailles
Love the chapter and love the fanart
Louise and Lyira by Renu
Dr Totentanz
Shut up, I’ll throw vodka at you!
- Location
- A roadside picnic.
Chapter 4 -Act II-
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
Chapter 4 – Beasts, Insects and Fungus, Oh My!
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Deep in the jungles of Dxun, there would always be danger. Beasts as small as casts to those as large as starships, all dangerous. Even if they were not carnivorous they could still tear someone limb from limb and were always willing to attack anything that looked like a threat.
Louise knew this just as anyone else who had spent any amount of time on Dxun; the few times she left the safety of the Mandalorian outpost always resulted in seeing some form of beast eating or hunting another. So, it was no surprise when Louise, Khem, Korr, Quorian, Urik and a male Quarren – a race of orange skinned humanoids with what looked like a squid for a head – Jedi found themselves confronted by a pack of bomas; large green lizard-like creatures with small stubby mouths and small stubby tusks near the side of their mouths. The Sith Apprentice had seen them wandering and hunting the jungles, and only confronted them when they got too close to her little outpost. However, from all of her observations, they were mostly solitary beasts, occasionally forming small family groups. The fact that there was a large group was quite worrying.
Then, from behind them, a smaller animal made itself known, gnashing its teeth aggressively. It was known as a cannok; smaller, yet similar in build to the boma, with one of the few differences being its lack of tusk, large maw and its eye stalks. They were pests which would eat whatever they could fit in their mouths and quite a few times she had seen cannoks eat tree debris when it thought nobody was looking. They were odd, easy to kill but bred like rabbits. The odd gathering of fauna snarled and hissed, slowly closing in on the party. Louise readied herself for a fight, as did Khem, but the Jedi only seemed slightly worried. "Fear not, Sith," said the Quarren Jedi – Forn Cha, if she remembered correctly. "The Force shall protect us."
Louise quirked an eyebrow. She did not doubt the power of the Force, but the unnatural chill that crawled up her spine gave her second thoughts about their chances. She knew that the monsters of Dxun were predators that hunted each other relentlessly, so why were they cooperating? But it was not the odd act of teamwork that was the strangest part, but the hate and anger that wafted from the creatures directed directly at the Jedi. It was as if they took the presence of the Jedi as a personal insult. But when they looked to Louise and Khem, all she felt was confusion from them, as if they were simply stumped as to why she was there at all. It rubbed her wrong and brought many questions to mind, but she did not voice them.
Master Korr turned and nodded to Urik. The Zabrak nodded in return, taking a few steps forwards before sitting down in the familiar seiza position. It was a confusing move, but at this moment, Louise was less worried about the Jedi getting mauled then about surviving the beasts when they did choose to attack.
Then something flickered inside her. A strange and uneasy feeling of courage and relief flooded through her and suddenly, she felt like the Jedi were right, that there was nothing to fear. The creatures seemed agitated by this, their snarling and hissing becoming more aggressive. But whatever happened, she felt as if nothing could stand in their way.
"Go in peace," Urik intoned and all of a sudden, the Light she could feel within Urik bloomed like a newborn star, flooding the area around them. It felt like fire burned within her, trying to purge the Dark from her, yet the courage it brought still held tightly in her mind. The beasts seemed pained by this, growling, shaking their heads as if struck by a painful headache. Then, like a slap in the face, the Light recoiled, the Darkness coming back with a vengeance. The Lights courage left her, leaving Louise feeling cold and unwell until the Darkness found her again.
One of the boma screeched, howling hellishly, and charged at Urik who could barely get to his feet. It leapt, ready to tear the Jedi apart, only to collapse short, a dagger buried deep in its skull.
Lightsabers sprung to life; blue, green and orange blades of plasma lit up the jungle magnificently. The creatures howled back at the challenge and charged, trying to overwhelm them with pure numbers. Blades spun and flourished, fending off the attacks from the beasts while dealing substantial damage. Some were flung off their feet before their lives were cut short by a well-placed stab or slash. The larger ones were the more dangerous, so the Dark Siders tried to take these out before they could cause more damage.
Fire and lightning soon joined the glowing plasma blades, adding yellows, reds and purple to the jungle. Khem focused on dual wielding the Force and his massive sword to deal the most damage, cutting down and electrocuting anything that was stupid enough to get close to him.
Louise, on the other hand, was focusing fully on manifesting the Dark Side in the physical world. Using the innate connection to the Dark Side Dxun held, Louise sparked a barrier like circle of Dark Flames around her and her allies. The Jedi, showing remarkable restraint, continued to fight the beasts instead of the Dark Siders. The flames flickered and burned any creature who drew too close, hungry for flesh to devour, however, it also seemed to snap some sense into some of the animals who turned tail and fled. Those that stayed, fought and died.
Once the flames were dispelled, silence resided over the jungle, the corpse of several bomas, cannoks and, surprisingly, the strange cat-like maalraas littered the floor around them. Korr looked around the group, looking around for any sign of injury. "Is everyone alright?" he asked, a slight unmistakable tinge of worry staining his voice.
Nobody answered right away, but Louise could see that the one injuries anyone got were scratches or a slight singe from standing too close to the flames.
"What is wrong with these things," Urik breathed, confusion and frustration evident. Around him, the other Jedi seemed to share the same sentiment.
Louise looked at him strangely, honestly baffled by his proclamation. 'what is wrong with these beasts?'. She echoed disbelievingly in her mind. "What did you expect?" she asked, kicking a nearby charred cannok with her boot. "These creatures were obviously touched by the Dark Side on a planet brimming with it!"
"This wasn't meant to happen, Sith," Forn said, his tentacles moving oddly. "It's worked on every other Force-damned beast on this planet… and did you see them working together? The intelligence in their eyes…"
Louise considered his words. The emotions of anger, hate and confusion form the beasts coming back to the forefront of her mind. Looking at the varied creatures that lay dead at her feet, she did find it strange, and if it was not a quirk of Dxun's fauna, then it would be something to look into. "Point… they were not acting normal."
"We can discuss this strangeness elsewhere. Let's get a move on," Master Korr ordered, looking similarly unnerved.
Nodding along, she followed the group through the jungle, her mind fluttering to around to try and understand what happened during their encounter. More than once, she had to stop herself from staring at Urik, the ritual he performed playing over and over in her mind. And all she could get was that he was dangerous.
Looking up at the Sith Temple, Louise could not help but whistle at its impressiveness. While the bulk of the temple was theorised to run deep into the mountain face it was built into, the architecture she could see on the outside was beautiful and intimidating in spite of its obvious dilapidation. She could only imagine what it looked back in its prime when the durasteel plates were polished and the slate smoothed. If she concentrated hard enough, she could just hear the workers toil away at the mountain.
Yet, despite this, she felt her mood sour.
Why? She would never know as it was most definitely the fault of the Jedi who would occasionally glare at the temple with barely veiled contempt. Nor could it be the pile of discarded Sith artefacts and culture wasting away. No, it was most definitely not any of that…
Of course, there were some artefacts that were treated with some respect, if fear and disgust – it just so happened that these artefacts were dangerous, imbued with the Dark Side. Louise was even allowed to look at them, all two of them: a sacrificial knife which would compel the blood to never clot, and an amulet which did… something.
Suffice it to say, Louise felt the urge to electrocute these so-called 'archaeologists'.
Casting her eyes around the miniature outpost, a something caught her eye. One of the archaeologists, a female Mirialan – a race of green-skinned aliens with black facial markings – was handling a small idol of red and gold with a greedy glint in her eyes. Louise's feet moved quickly, clearing the distance between her and the archaeologist within seconds, snatching the artefact from the archaeologist just in time to stop her from doing anything disrespectful.
"Our culture was not made to line your pockets with credits" Louise hissed, snatching the small idol from their hands, cradling it like a babe. "Someone took time and effort to create this."
The archaeologist glared wordlessly, seemingly biting back a scathing retort, and left the Sith to coddle the piece of rock. Stalking back to Khem's side, Louise began to examine the idol. It was a masterfully made piece of work made with base of red marble-like stone and gold decals. Carved in the shape of a feline-like beast with long pointed ears and jowl tentacles. Gold was used sparsely in its make, used to make the stripe decals around its legs and feet. The entire thing was irritatingly familiar, but Louise could not put a finger on its identity.
Fortunately for her, she was not the only repertoire of Sith lore and knowledge.
"What are you looking at, pink Sith?" Khem asked curiously. He moved around Louise, trying to get a better look at the idol.
"It looks familiar, but I just can't remember where I've seen it," she replied, handing it over to the giant to look at.
Khem turned it over in his hands, appraising it carefully, humming questioningly. Suddenly, he stood straighter, an amused if excited look in his eyes. "It's a mowhef," he grumbled, but it was obvious he was pleased with the find. He handed it back to Louise.
The name scratched the itch in her mind and suddenly she realised exactly what she was holding: a religious idol. And, if the golden stripes were anything to go by, it was not any normal mowhef statue, but of the Great Mother. It had been some time since she last picked up a book or holocron on Old Sith Mythology, but she could remember the story behind the Great Mother.
In the modern era, the Sith did not have a proper religion with gods and such, instead, they had the Force and the Sith philosophy. However, thousands of years ago, before the Jen'Jidai stepped foot on Korriban, the Immortal Gods of the Sith ruled supreme. One such legend in this mythology was the tale of Marserha Jaochor, the Great Mother, who became the first Sith to walk the land.
According to her memories, a mowhef and a tuk'ata were fighting over who the better hunter was, and so they decided to consult one of the Immortal Gods of the Sith, specifically the Supreme One, Ahmurn. Ahmurn decided upon a challenge for the two as the final decider on who was the better hunter: The tuk'ata and the mowhef were to be sent off to the caves of Korriban where they would stay, living off only a minuscule supply of food and the water dripping from the cave ceiling. The first to leave would lose.
The tuk'ata lost.
Impressed by the mowhef, Ahmurn bestowed on it the name Marserha and turned it into a woman. He called her Sith, meaning perfect, and said that she could rule over all life on Korriban if she proved herself just as deadly as she did before. And so she did, rising to every challenge the death world would throw her way and besting them all. However, she grew lonely and so, on one dark and cold day, Ahmurn became a man and joined her as an equal rather than a god. They fell in love and in a night of passion, she became pregnant.
Time passed, and more children were born from the first Sith and the god turned man. The Supreme One then took them on an exodus to what Louise assumed would later become the Valleys of the Dark Lords where they lived until she died. Her family mourned her loss, but it did not end there as, with Ahmurn's help, she became a goddess who would watch over and guide her children and their descendants.
There was more to this tale, but that was the general gist of Marserha's myth. The Great Mother who protected and guided her people. It was a wonderful tale of creation which brought forth a pang of annoyance towards the Jen'Jidai and their actions in destroying the Old Sith Mythology.
Nevertheless, Louise knew that she must have this artefact. It was no amount of greed or anything like that, but because it was an important part of Sith culture. All she needed to do was convince the Jedi to give it up. Luckily, she did not need to go out and search for one as the moment she turned around, she came face to face with Master Korr and Quorian. "What was all that about?" the Jedi Master asked curiously.
Louise huffed. "She was mishandling an important part of Sith history," Louise replied, wrapping her arms protectively around the artefact.
The Jedi Master raised his eyebrow at her action, but it was Quorian who asked, "And what is that?"
"It's an idol of the Great Mother." Louise's response only seemed to give Korr and Quorian more questions than answers as they stared at her in askance. It was then she realised something, something she desperately hope was wrong because she needed some faith in the Jedi, for Quorian at least. Unfortunately, she did not have time to explain to them the entire legend nor answer the questions they had at this point in time. "It's just a Sith legend," she said dismissively.
Korr scratched his beard. "Is this the artefact you were looking for?"
"Nope," Louise replied, popping the 'P'.
He nodded his head slowly. "But you want it."
"Well, it is an important piece of Sith history," she defended.
Korr continued to nod his head, looking sceptical. "I can sense the Dark Side from the artefact. It could be dangerous."
Louise looked over the artefact once again. She could indeed sense the subtle Dark Side energies that imbued the stone, caused by a small amount of alchemy. She could even recognise what alchemical ritual it was put through and knew that the artefact was quite benign. So, she told the Jedi just as much.
"So, you can tell us what it does?" Korr questioned.
Louise nodded. "It's just a simple bit of alchemy to preserve it; make it better able to withstand the elements and poor handling. It's nothing dangerous. The idol itself is meant to represent good luck and love," she explained. "It belongs in a museum." Or at the very least, my desk.
"Good luck and love?" Korr asked sceptically.
Louise sighed. "Oh, come on! What do you think it does? Shoot plasma from its eyes? Crap lava?" she asked, baffled by the Jedi line of thought when it came to the Sith. They'd call a pet rock a weapon of mass destruction if it were owned by a Sith.
Korr quickly backtracked, knowing he had made a mistake and tried to amend. "No, it's just… not something I would expect."
"You do know we have seven different words for love, right?" Louise asked, annoyed.
"No," he replied awkwardly. "I did not."
"You study the Sith, yet you cannot understand the difference between rehz and rhozut?" Louise asked, sounding the sceptical one this time.
"It is kind of difficult to learn a language from a people who would much rather kill me," Korr defended dryly. "Most of the words we've learned are found in the temples and tombs scattered around the galaxy. I will admit that our archives are quite incomplete."
"So… can I keep it?" Louise asked hopefully.
Korr gave her a queer look, scrutinizing her. "Are you telling the truth about its nature?" he asked calmly, obviously ready to catch Louise in any lie she might make.
Luckily for her, she did not need to lie. "Yes, the only threat this idol holds is as a bludging weapon."
The Jedi Master looked ready to make a joke, but seemed to second guess himself and instead delved into deep thought. After a few moments, he breathed deeply. "Fine. I will allow you this artefact."
Louise smiled brightly, hugging the statue close to her breast. "Thank you, Master Korr."
"I do my best," Korr replied softly. "Now, get ready, we'll be going into the tomb in a few." With a nod, he left to do something, leaving Quorian with Khem and Louise.
Louise rolled her shoulders and went back to admiring the idol. "It really is a beautiful piece," Quorian, admiring it himself.
She nodded mutely, smiling at the little bits of detail that went into the carving of the statue. Once she was finished, she turned to Khem Val. "Khem, could you please look after this?" she asked, knowing the giant would be better suited to protecting the important artefact than she herself.
"As you command, pink Sith," Khem said, taking the artefact in hand and placing it in one of his larger pouches. And with that, Louise left to go look around at the rest of the miniature outpost, the Dashade following dutifully behind.
After about five minutes of this, Korr soon found her once again with a few Jedi and archaeologists by his side. It was time to see the Republic's progress on the Temple and to see how disappointing it was. The mouth of the Temple was heavily damaged, looking more like the gaping maw of a cave than anything else. Rubble surrounded the area with a path cleared as a walkway. The familiar glow of the florescent archaeological lights shone brightly in the Temple, lighting stone walls clearly for Louise to admire.
The further she walked, the better condition the Temple appeared. She could still some Republic caused damages where the archaeologists and workers blasted their way into the Temple, but it was still in much better condition than the mouth. It was by no means pristine, but it was not just rubble and debris. Once she reached what looked to be the end of the long entry hall, she found herself in a large chamber. It was shaped similarly to a stout yet obese cross with three doorways, one on each side and one at the far end of the room which led to a grand staircase.
But before she could even begin exploring the room, Louise froze along with every Force Sensitive in the room. A wave of Dark Side energies came crashing down into the room, like a tsunami onto a hut. The Jedi around her staggered, some falling to the ground as the oppressive wave of energies assaulted them. Even the Force-Blind seemed affected by the veritable well of Darkness that flooded the room.
Louise's reaction, however, was much different. Like a breath of fresh air, she felt invigorated by its presence, the power she could feel tingling at her fingertips. Like a flower to the sun, she basked in, letting it fill her very being. Almost at once, she felt as if she could do anything, that limitless power was at her beck and call, she just needed to take it. And take it she did; like a leech, she latched on, feeding on the nexus of the Dark Side, feeling it burn deep within her chest.
And then, it was gone. Just like that, the Dark Side, wrenched free and fled deeper into the Temple like an injured animal. Louise frowned, her mind wondering about the strange phenomenon as the sensation of the Dark Side still writhing within her. Beside her, the Jedi struggled to get back on their feet, some helping each other up. They groaned about headaches, some feeling sick, but they were well and not insane, which was good.
"What was that?" asked Urik, looking pale and out of breath under the white glow of the lamps.
Korr was about to answer, but Louise beat him to the punch. "It felt like a nexus of the Dark Side. But it was… different," she explained to the unnerved group. None of them looked very well and did not seem pleased with her assessment, each of them looking at her with a mixture of disgust and fear.
"So… what is it?" Urik asked sounding as uneased as he had ever been.
For this, Louise had no answer. She had felt similar presences before, but what she felt today was… she had no idea how to explain it. It was simply alien yet familiar. Alive. Looking to Korr, she saw he was just as confused if unnerved and uncomfortable as the rest of the Jedi. Really, you're supposed to be a Jedi Master! She shook her head and looked to Khem, who gave her an approving grin in return. Odd.
Louise sighed. "I… I don't know."
"I thought you had experience with Temples?" one Jedi asked. "That's why you're still here, isn't it?"
"I do have experience!" Louise snapped back. "Give me a ghost trying to make someone insane or possessing Imperials and I can help. This is new, dangerous, and it seems I am the only one unaffected by this."
The Jedi eyed her strangely, muttering, "Yeah, unaffected…" under his breath.
Louise ignored it, partly because she did not know what he was talking about and because she'd much rather not start an argument.
Luckily Korr was ready with a different line of discussion. "I have a bad feeling about this…"
Louise snorted. "Says the Jedi in the Sith Temple," she replied dryly, though she had to agree nonetheless. Not only was it the strange Dark Side presence, but she felt like the shadows were watching her. But when she stretched out her sense, she found nothing, just the natural Dark Side of Dxun.
With nothing else to do, Louise began to explore the rest of the chamber. Sith carvings were etched into the walls, from figures who looked to be standing in flames to depictions of great battles of what she assumed were Jedi or Dark Jedi fighting off both creatures and man alike. Through the doorways on the sides of the chamber were halls running parallel with the chamber leading to several other chambers. These other rooms held nothing of interest, however, as they the Republic seemed to have already ransacked them all. This left the grand staircase and the wall of rubble that blocked their path. It was strange really, looking at the debris, as it did not seem to sit right.
"So, this is how far you've gotten?" Louise asked, brushing her hand against it.
"Yes, unfortunately. We've had a few issues getting up to this point and it's hampered our progress," Korr said, stealing several worried looks towards Louise. "Malfunctioning equipment, cannoks eating parts, even the plant life has been hard on us."
She nodded, considering his words. After a moments consideration, she began to hum, moving into the centre of the chamber. Sitting seiza on the floor, she tried to begin meditating. But before she could delve too deep, one of the hereto unknown Jedi spoke up. "What are you doing?"
Annoyance crept onto her features. "Having tea with the Emperor, what does it look like I'm doing!" she growled. Peeking through one eye to glare at the Jedi. She received a scowl in return before the Jedi stalked off leaving the Sith to her meditation. Now able to do so in peace, Louise stretched out her senses and tried to feel for her goal; Tulak Hord's artefact. While she had absolutely no idea what it would feel like, she knew it was a Dark Side artefact and as such, it would have its own signature. With this in mind, she gazed through the Force to find it.
What she found was promising, if unnerving. The Temple was like an abyss within the Force; the further one went down, the darker and darker it got within the Force. Louise was certain that the artefact – and the presence – was somewhere down there, waiting for her to retrieve it. All she had to do was break through the rubble and find her prise.
With this, Louise let herself smile. Flicking her eyes opened, she stood up and made her way back over to the blockade. Quorian made a move to question her, but with a raised hand she silenced him.
Looking around, she found what looked to be a mining laser, though the difference in model was noticeable. Obviously, the laser was more suited to delicate archaeology work than mining ore. Turning back to the wall, Louise sized it up, once again stretching out her senses to the stone and beyond. Confusion followed upon noticing something off about it.
With the Force, she summoned the archaeological laser to her hand and, after a bit of fumbling to get used to the change in weight and make, began blasting away at the rubble – memories of how to effectively use it flooding back bittersweetly.
With these skills and the Force as her guide, she made progress in clearing the rubble, but it was slow going. Back when she was a slave, there were many others who would join her, but here, everyone else was just looking at her strangely. Finally fed up with their stares, she powered down the laser and turned to the Jedi, workers and archaeologists. "What?"
"When did you learn to use that?" asked one of the archaeologists, beating most everyone else to the punch.
Louise quirked an eyebrow, turning to Quorian. He wore the same curious expression as most others, but after a moment, he paled, eyeing her pitiablely. The Sith narrowed her eyes. "Self-preservation." And with that, she went back to clearing the rubble.
To her side, she could see some of the other workers grabbing their own mining lasers, but they seemed uncomfortable with joining her. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on who asked – she did not need their help as with one final blast, the wall of rubble shook, crumbling. It crashed to the ground and nearly buried her had she not leapt out the way. Dust burst into the air, blocking the vision of everyone in the vicinity.
Coughing could be heard from all around her as unfortunates breathed in the unexpected dust storm. Even Louise was affected by it. But soon enough, the dust was cleared by a mighty burst of telekinetic energy, acting as a gust of wind that blew away the particles.
Still, coughing persisted and the strained voice of one of the Jedi could be heard. "Warn us next time!" she cried, leading to a few others shouting the same sentiment; from "You could have buried us alive!" to "Are you trying to get yourself killed!"
Louise tried to growl back in response but found it difficult as she too was coughing violently. Once she recovered, however, she finally got her chance to retaliate. "The rubble was unstable! You should thank me for getting you lot this far in such a short amount of time."
With that, she left the irate Republics and Jedi, instead focusing on the path she had cleared. Just as she suspected, the rubble wall was oddly thin for something naturally forming, not only that but it just did not look like the rubble could have come from anywhere. With a shake of her head, she put those thoughts away for later and walked down the staircase.
Using her lightsaber as a torch, Louise eventually found herself in a massive chamber, far larger than the one before, with many more doors. Three doorways on both side of the room and two descending staircases on either side of the entryway. At the very end of the room, was a massive durasteel door that stank of Dark Side energies. But Louise did not continue to explore, instead choosing to stay in the massive chamber as she waited for the rest of the party to join her, and join her they eventually did. With their fluorescent lamps, they began to find the details she could not find, placing down the lamps to finally light up the entire room.
Quickly, the Republic and Jedi got to work with Louise and Khem helping occasionally, they were setting up a small base of operations, making quick use of the space available to be filled up with a few terminals to record data and some generators to power the lights.
Once done, the Republic got around to ransacking the place, yet strangely enough, there was nothing to ransack. From what some people had said, it looked like someone had already gone through and taken everything not nailed down. Louise, for her part, was both angry and amused; angry because someone had stolen Sith artefacts and because the Republics were bemoaning the lack of anything to take; amused because they had nothing to take.
It was then when she realised what, exactly, the mission was for the Republic and Jedi: to find weapons. More specifically, to find Sith artefacts that they could use against the Sith. So, while she was sitting down, twiddling her thumbs and thinking murderous thoughts about the Jedi and Republic both – feeling quite unable to do anything about it aside from stew on the fact – Korr made his way over to her side.
"So, Louise," he said happily, pleased that they had finally made a breakthrough despite the odd simplicity of such a breakthrough, "do you want to go exploring?"
Louise looked up to Korr, looking thoroughly unimpressed by him and his jubilancy. "Not really, no, but if it will stop you from dying a horrible painful death, then I guess I must."
"Such optimism," he remarked dryly.
"I try." Louise smile was not one of kindness.
"The rest of you, stay here," Korr ordered. Unfortunately, both Urik and Quorian seemed dissatisfied with their superior's orders and asked to go with. The Jedi Master denied them. "While I would not mind more company, I wish to speak with Louise privately."
Louise felt unnerved by his statement but did not reject the Jedi his wish. Turning to her elderly companion, she said, "Khem, stay here, make sure they don't accidentally get themselves killed."
Khem nodded. "As you wish, pink Sith."
"Keep your comlinks and holocomms open and stay safe." And with that Korr began to walk down the right stairway. Louise followed after him, copying him as he turned on his lightsaber to light their paths. Soon, the light form their hastily built base vanished entirely, leaving their lightsabers the only source of light as they continued to descend. The staircase soon ended, and Louise found herself walking through a thin hall, yet even with the intense glow of her lightsaber, she felt like she was missing something. Nevertheless, they continued, eyes flicking around the hall to see if they could find something, anything important.
Unfortunately, it was just more of the same, so, when she felt they were far enough away, she prompted the Jedi Master. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Korr shrugged. "Originally, I was curious about you, an amicable Sith," he said. "What is this girl's story? Why the pink hair and eyes?" Louise pouted. "Now I am also starting to get curious about your relationship with Quorian. He knows something about you."
Louise frowned but found no issue with the Jedi's curiosities. "Okay… what do you want to know?"
Korr hummed. "Well, first I guess I should ask about your intentions with Quorian."
Louise scrunched up her face, her mind going straight to the memory of Rayne saying something similar about her and Lyira before they started dating. "We're not in a relationship if that's what you're thinking."
"I was thinking nothing of the sort. But if that is what's on your mind…" he trailed off.
Louise's response was silent horror supplemented by a loud denial. "No! You just reminded me of what my girlfriend's sister said."
Korr stopped in his tracks, looking at Louise as if she were one of the most peculiar things in the entire galaxy. "I feel like I should not have expected this, but at the same time I completely expected this answer…" he said, his strange expression never leaving his face.
"You're learning!" Louise said, smiling brightly.
"Remind me to assume every Sith Lord is in a relationship," he grumbled light-heartedly.
Louise nodded. "I have heard Sith marriages are quite spectacular."
"I would suppose so," He said, "I don't know why, but I feel like a Sith party would be one you would never forget."
Louise grimaced, a certain memory replaying in her mind. "…As long as you don't drink yourself into a stupor and wake up where you're not meant to be."
"What was the occasion?" Korr asked with a smile.
"My girlfriend's sister was given the title of Lord," she said. "Very spectacular."
Korr's smile deepened, turning mischievous. "Whose bed did you wind up in?"
"What!? How did you-?" Louise demanded, before stopping upon seeing Master Korr's narquois grin on his face. "My girlfriends…" she answered with an embarrassed groan.
"I don't know why you're getting so flustered," he said, raising an eyebrow at Louise's antics.
"She wasn't my girlfriend at the time."
"Ah… that makes a bit more sense," he amended understandingly.
"Yeah…" Louise said, "can we drop this subject?"
He frowned slightly. "If it is making you this uncomfortable, then I will. Though you mustn't worry, it's only natural."
"We didn't do anything! Just sleep, I swear!" Louise shouted, her cheeks reddening quite a bit.
"Alright, alright, if you ins-" Korr stilled, his joking demeanour dying in place of grim seriousness.
Louise looked to him, then to the dark chamber they found themselves at the threshold of. Turning back to Korr, she asked, "What are you-?"
He cut her off. "Listen," he said, pointing his lightsaber into the dark room.
Louise quieted down, trying to hear whatever he had heard over the hum of their lightsabers. The sounds of clicking and scuttling drew her attention. Had she any hairs on the back of her neck, she knew they would be standing on end. A small spark later, and a small orb of fire ignited in Louise's palm. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the ball hurtling towards the sound, willing the Force to enlarge and brighten the flame.
Small insect-like creatures scurried towards the two, chittering disgustingly. They looked like massive golden cockroaches in the light with their shield-like chitinous shell.
"Orbalisks!" hissed Korr, shifting into a defensive position.
Louise had never heard of the orbalisk before, so she really had no idea how to fight them nor how dangerous they were. All she knew was that Korr was worried. So, instead of trying to learn about them, she summoned lightning to her hands, blasting those who got too close with lethal voltage, frying them quickly. But the more she bolts she fired, the more came. It was almost as if they were attracted to her.
The Jedi was dealing with some on his own, crushing the few he could find with the little bits of rubble he could scrounge. They, conversely, were not attacking him on mass, which he used to his advantage. His emerald blade swung around, striking at them, but each strike yielded little results. "Louise, lightsabers won't work!"
Great. Louise hissed, sheathing her lightsaber to focus solely on using the Force to defend herself against the horde. Fortunately, it seemed the insect's numbers were waning, as she found less and less trying to latch onto her face. But before she could celebrate, an agonised scream echoed through the temple. Snapping to her minder, she found Korr trying in vain to defend against the orbalisks; a few had latched onto his right arm.
The numbers were not waning, but changing target.
A low growl tore from her throat as she unleashed a barrage of electricity at the creatures. The insects were blasted away, some stunned, some dead, as she neared Korr to help him. "They're breeding!" he cried, and she could see for herself, smaller orbalisks spawning from the larger ones, encasing his arm. Korr tried his best to remove them with the Force, but it was not working.
They grew at an alarming rate, soon covering his entire lower arm, elbow to fingertips. Panic flooded through Louise causing her to hesitate. She knew if she did nothing, he would die, one way or another. The orbalisks continued growing, spreading like a disease. His pained screaming continued to tear from his throat.
Without any ideas on how to act, she moved on impulse. Ripping her lightsaber from her hip, she sliced through the air with her saber, letting Korr's arm fall to the floor.
The orbalisks screeched as their bodies were ravished by Force lightning, charring both the insects and the amputated arm. Without a second thought, Louise used her augmented strength and hoisted Korr over her shoulder and raced back the way they came. The insects continued to chitter at her heels, but they soon gave up chase as she blasted them back with the Force.
Even then, Louise did not stop running until she arrived at the safe glow of the archaeological lamps. A few Republics looked confused if a bit frightened by the charging Sith until they noticed who she was carrying. "Is anybody here a medical officer!" Louise demanded, lowering Korr onto the ground. The Jedi Master lay unconscious, the pain too much for him.
His stump was only partially cauterised, her lightsaber had moved too quick to properly burn the wound. A small pool of blood already blooming where he lay.
Meanwhile, the workers had burst into action. Khem stood by, impassively watching a few workers rush out of the temple to find a doctor or someone. Few stayed, voicing their confusion. "What happened!?" one cried, glaring at Louise as if she were the cause.
"Orbalisks," Louise hissed in reply, picking up on the hostility in the worker's voice. "We were ambushed by those things! He was attacked, and I had to amputate."
This seemed the placate the worker and those around them.
Louise ignored this and focused on stopping the blood from flowing. Using her dagger, she cut a long length of cloth from the Jedi's dirtied robes and tried her best to stop the bleeding with it. But before she could do more, the familiar voices of Quorian and Urik reached her ears, their confused voices stressing Louise further. Great, now I got to deal with the overzealous Jedi…
Urik rushed over to Korr's prone form. Worry, fear and anger seeped from him as he looked over the Jedi Master. Once he was satisfied that the Jedi was not going to die before his eyes, he turned towards Louise. "What happened? What did you do!?" he demanded, his hand clinging to his lightsaber.
"I saved his life!" Louise snapped back, her eyes flickering to Khem who held his sword in his sheath. Looking back to Urik, she sneered. "Had I not amputated, he would be dead. The orbalisks were breeding like flies."
The Jedi Knight glared at her, scowling. For a second, Louise felt as if he was going to attack, but instead, he scowled, turning back to Korr.
Night was falling by the time they arrived back to the Republic base – Well, 'night' was more of a misnomer as it was more like an eclipse as the planet Onderon blocked out the sun, leaving the sky dark. Louise quickly distanced herself from the main group, letting the Republic deal with their injured Jedi. It was not like the Jedi wanted her near Korr. Some still doubted her innocence, or entire innocence at least – She could see the blame in their eyes.
For about thirty minutes, she wandered the base with Khem by her side. But soon she grew tired of the distrustful stares she was being given and retired to the mess hall to get some dinner. Their meal, once again, was quite nice, however, it was not even a few more bites before they were joined by one of the few allies they had. "So," Quorian said, sitting down with a meal of his own in hand, "today was something."
Louise nodded. "Yep. Helped the Jedi get past a wall of rubble, nearly get eaten by orbalisks only for Korr to lose his arm. Of course, I was the only one who saw this, so I get blamed for saving his life… How is Korr by the way?"
"He's going to be alright," Quorian replied. "Seemed pretty pleased about getting a robotic arm. It's a good thing you amputated, too, even if the others can't see it. Orbalisks are venomous. Oh, and…uh, Urik… he wanted to apologise… he thanks you for saving Master Korr."
Louise blinked. "Really?"
"Yes. He was quite awkward about it," he continued.
"Oh… well then," said Louise intelligently, not really knowing what to say.
"Yeah…" Quorian twirled his fork and began eating once again. The Dark Siders quickly joined him digging into their own meals. Aside from the general hum of those around them, quite prevailed, interrupted occasionally by the scratching of fork and plate to the clank of utensils.
Quorian paused, flicking his eyes to Louise. His chewing slowed, his features twisting into curiosity. After a few more moments of this, Louise found that she could not take the staring anymore. "Yes?" she asked, sounding the least bit annoyed.
Quorian quickly apologised, saying, "I, um, just wanted to know something."
"What about?" Louise asked, her interest piqued.
"Well… uh…" he hesitated, and Louise realised just how awkward whatever he was going to ask was for him. "I wanted to know about Dromund Kaas."
Whatever he was going to ask, Louise did not expect that. "The Sith Capital? Why do you ask?"
"I've heard a bit about Dromund Kaas," he said with a half-hearted shrug. "but I wanted to know what it's like from someone who's been there."
"Oh, well, it's quite like Dxun, actually. But better," she explained, thinking back to the heart of the Empire. "Beyond the walls of civilization, everything wants to eat you and your face, so it's usually safe to stay inside the walls, but there are quite a few settlements where people just deal with the beasts. Inside the city, it's almost like a completely different planet. I've only been to Kass City, but the sights are great, from the Spires of Victory to the Citadel. Even the Chiss Embassy is nice."
Quorian considered her words, then asked, "How do you get around in the dark?"
Louise tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't it always stormy there?" he asked. "I thought your Emperor wrecked the atmosphere…"
"Are you implying that, on Dromund Kaas, it's always dark and we're just stumbling around in the darkness?" Louise asked, eying the Jedi suspiciously.
"That was what I've heard…" he trailed off.
Louise sighed and palmed her face, massaging it. "That is stupid. It's perpetually stormy, but the clouds don't block out all of the sun all of the time. Sometimes there are days when the clouds are thick enough to block out all the sun, but we have lights you know!"
Quorian bobbed his head. "Oh… that sounds…"
"Normal?" Louise supplied.
"Yes, normal."
Louise sighed. "Where did you hear that?"
"I read it in the archives and the holonet."
"Have you never watched any Imperial holovids on the holonet?" she asked.
"No," Quorian replied with a shake of his head. "I've never really wanted to watch them."
"Well, you should probably do that someday," Louise said. "But as I was saying, Dromund Kaas is quite beautiful, despite the issues." A smile crept at her lips as her mind took her back to the beautiful sights on the planet. From the Monument to the Lost to the Spires of Victory; the vibrant nightlife and beautiful estates. There was something that just charmed her whenever she looked out her window to the megapolis below. Then there was the homelier beauty she had seen, from the subtle designs of the architecture to the history that could be seen through it.
It was where her new life as a Sith in the Empire had officially begun, where she got her first true home and where she found love.
She smiled softly of the reminder of that day, her mind thinking about the Pureblood and what she was doing now. Then worry set in, worry that Lyira could be hurt; the urge to contact her spawned, growing quickly and soon, Louise could not stop herself from asking, "Quorian, you have a communication centre, right?"
The Jedi furrowed his brow. "Yes… why?"
"There is someone I really want to talk to," she answered.
"And who is this?" he pressed.
Louise sighed, knowing it would not help to hide the identity of who she wished to contact. "You know that Pureblood I told you about back on Korriban?" she asked.
"Yes, yes," he replied with a nod of his head. "You brought her up quite a bit, from what I remember."
Louise smiled bashfully. "Well, I wanted to tell her that I was okay. That a few changes have happened."
"You've become quite the friends, haven't you?" he asked, smiling.
Louise had no idea what he meant by that, nor did she know if he actually knew about her and Lyira. So, she decided to agree with his word choice, at least for now. "Yes, friends."
Khem snorted.
"If it is only for that," Quorian sighed, getting up from his chair, "then I guess it will be alright. But I think it would best if I were there – keep the other Jedi off your back."
"That's okay," Louise said with a smile, a giddy feeling coursing through her body. It had been far too long since she had seen Lyira's face, heard her voice, and so, with gusto she finished her meal, handed her dishes back to the cook and waited impatiently for her two companions to join her.
When they finally did, Louise practically skipped as she followed an amused if confused Jedi to the comms centre. It was a short walk, but one she found entirely too long as she passed the threshold of the medium-sized building with the massive radar dish sticking out the top. Aside from one mechanic who seemed to be sleeping on a desk chair, snoring blissfully, the building was devoid of life, which was great for Louise's goal.
The main room was rectangular with a few doors leading to other rooms on the right while the rest of the room contained a few terminals and one large one with a massive screen. From what she could tell, they were on standby mode.
Quorian, who obviously knew more about the layout of the building then she did, led her to one of the few branching rooms which revealed itself to be a small conference like room with a large holoprojector in the centre. Aside from a small desk and a few chairs, the rest of the room was fairly plain.
"Make the call quick," Quorian said, gesturing to the holocommunicator.
Louise nodded, pulling free her datapad where she kept Lyira's contact frequency. Quickly finding it, she set about booting up the holocomm and calling the pureblood. After a few minutes, her call went through. The holoprojector activated and blue lights flickered until the three-dimensional image of Lyira's bust appeared. The first thing Louise noticed about her girlfriend was that she looked like she had just gotten out of bed, which was entirely possible.
"Lou?" Lyira asked, a hand briefly materialising to rub the sleep from her eyes, "is that you?"
Louise smiled uncertainly. "Did I wake you?" she replied.
"I was just resting my eyes, I swear," said Lyira, obviously lying through her teeth. "Uh, I didn't expect you to be calling? I assume you've finished your mission?"
"No… I'm still on Dxun," the Pinkette said with a shake of her head.
Lyira looked confused for a second, her sleep addled brain trying to process what she said and its meaning. "Really? Oh…" She sounded a bit disappointed at that.
Louise decided to change topic, moving onto Lyira's side of things. "How's Balmorra?"
"Horrible," A mix of a sneer and a grimace taking prominence on the pureblood's features. "The rebellion has been taking its toll and the Republic seems to be funding the resistance."
"…They are!?" Louise all but shouted, her eyes flicking to Quorian who seemed to be just as surprised as she was.
"Yep," Lyira continued. "Though we can't pin it on them, yet. The resistance is fighting tooth and nail to hold the planet, even giving murderers and rapists weapons to fight. Disgusting," she sneered. "I guess it doesn't matter if you haven't finished because my time on Balmorra seems to have extended indefinitely. Somehow, I got wrangled into cleaning this mess up. Anyway, let's get away from that. How's Dxun? I thought you were 'going dark'?"
"I was, but as it turns out, I don't need to anymore," Louise said with a roll of her shoulders. "As for the moon, well, it reminds me of Dromund Kaas, but… it's not the same. I'm pretty much camping in the jungle, but instead of having to worry about Darth Skotia, I have to worry about Jedi."
Lyira nodded slowly, looking grave. "Be careful, Lou, and make sure you don't get caught."
"I know, I promise," Louise said. "But you have to as well! Be careful and don't do anything stupid."
"I promise I won't."
"Good," she said with a resolute nod. "Now go back to bed, you look terrible."
"I was-"
"Lyira…" Louise said warningly.
The Pureblood pouted, saying, "Fine," before smiling. "Goodnight, Lou."
"Goodnight, I love you!" Louise said quickly.
"I love you, too," Lyira replied. "May the Force serve you well." The hologram vanished with a flicker of blue light. Louise then turned to Quorian who seemed confused as to what was going on.
"So… you and Lyira?" he trailed off.
"Yes," Louise asked pointedly.
"Nothing. It was kind of cute, actually."
Louise really had no idea how to respond to that. With a slight blush tainting her cheeks, Louise spun around saying, "let's go." And with that, she left the room. Behind her, she could tell Quorian was grinning at her.
However, all thoughts of embarrassment left her upon entering the main room. It was like the entire atmosphere had changed, dead, cold and quiet. Nerves automatically went on edge, the Force practically screaming that something was wrong. Her eyes scanned the area, finding nothing out of the ordinary; the terminals were still on standby while the Republic engineer slept.
She moved around the room quietly, looking around for whatever it was she was sensing. Quorian tried to speak, but Khem shushed him with a gesture. She neared the sleeping engineer, planning on waking him up to see if he noticed anything strange, but as she got within touching distance of the man, she noticed one thing. He wasn't snoring.
Movement stole her attention. Her eyes moved instinctively to the source. Hanging from the ceiling was a black bulbous stain. It was growing, uncurling from what she could see. Stretching, long and thin, before dropping to the floor with a thud. Slowly, it rose from the floor, revealing a humanoid figure clad in shadows that hid all its features but its silvery eyes that glinted in the dark like a cat.
On the other side of the room, Louise could see Quorian looking just as tense as she. "Identify yourself!" he demanded, his lightsaber in hand.
The mystery person tilted its head, blinking a few times as it clicked unnaturally in reply. It was an unsettling sound that grated on her nerves. It held its left arm out to its side, something small and thin in its hand. What it was, she did not know, the dimness of the room making it too difficult to discern.
But she did not need to wait long to figure out what it was. With the familiar snap-hiss of a lightsaber, the room was bathed in a crimson light. Unstable crackling and hisses emanated from the blade which looked fractured and dangerous.
The red blade glow of the lightsaber shone brightly but did little to identify the being aside from it being a Sith. It wore strange formfitting armour that looked similar to fungal growths that jutted outwards giving the Sith a grotesque appearance that was sickening to look at. The red glow only served to worsen its already menacing form.
Louise froze, her mind trying to understand what she was seeing. A Sith on Dxun. She was not informed of any such development and without the right amount of knowledge, questions naturally arose. Is it a Sith? Why would a Sith be here? Is it here for me? Does the Empire think me a traitor for working with the Jedi? How did they know? So many questions, yet no answers would come.
Yet, if it were a Sith, it's presence did not feel right in the Force. Darkness was there, but it was twisted and unnatural, a perversion of the Dark Side. Yet, it also felt familiar.
Louise gritted her teeth. "I am Louise, Apprentice to Darth Zash of the Sith Empire. I demand to know who you are!"
The Sith clicked some more, its head turning curiously. Then, strangely enough, it… turned off its lightsaber and walked out of the room.
Louise blinked at this, turning to Khem and Quorian, both of whom look just as confused. And then she remembered: There is a Dark Sider in the Republic base, possibly a Sith. With that thought, she rushed after the mysterious person, her companions hot on her heels.
Night had well and truly arrived, it appeared as Louise left the building, but she did not let that hamper her progress. Looking around, she quickly spotted the mysterious figure, standing a fair bit away from the building, just staring at Louise and her companions. His eyes glinting strangely.
Louise rushed after it. Once again, it turned on its lightsaber, throwing it at Louise in a tight arc forcing the Pinkette to leap out the way. The lightsaber deactivated on the return arc, disappearing into the dark. Looking back to where the figure once stood, she saw nothing. It had gotten away.
Her companions soon joined her, each of them with their weapons out and ready to use. "Did you see where it went?" she asked, her eyes darting around the base.
"No, I could only see it's lightsaber."
Louise cursed, her head swivelling as she frantically looked for the mysterious Dark Sider.
A screech was the only warning she had before Louise found herself getting tackled to the ground. Sliver eyes looked down at her with their incessant curiosity. In a flash its lightsaber was raised to kill, but before it could a flash of blue left it headless. Louise pushed the body off her with the Force, flinging it a good few meters before it crashed to the floor in a lump.
"That was surprisingly easy…" Quorian muttered absently, helping Louise to her feet. Despite being tackled by the thing, she knew it to be true. Had Quorian not killed it when she did, the Dark Sider would have found itself flung off Louise by tendrils of lightning; it made the mistake of leaving her hands free. But it was this simplicity that rubbed Louise wrong. For some reason, she felt like it held itself back – for what reason, she did not know.
Sighing, Louise went to reply to the Jedi, but before she could, the communications centre exploded. Fire and debris rained into the sky and down into the nearby area, destroying nearby buildings and shaking the ground. Louise, whose feet were not planted correctly on the ground, found herself promptly on her rear as a wave of heat washed over her. Quorian and Khem only found themselves staggered slightly, shielding their eyes from the fireball.
Louise blinked repeatedly, partly to remove the image of the fireball from her vision and partly because she suddenly found herself at a loss for words and was desperately trying to figure out what exactly happened.
Then things got worse as, around her, several Republic archaeologists and workers, as well as some Jedi started swarming the scene, each confused and as worried as the next. It was not long before the Urik and Nola arrived, both heading straight to Louise, Khem, and Quorian – who was currently examining the body.
"What's going on here!?" Urik demanded, his eyes flicking to Louise and Quorian both.
Louise decided to answer. "I think we were attacked by a Dark Jedi… It might have blown up the comms centre."
"A Dark Jedi? What does she mean, Quorian?" Urik asked, his eyes narrowing.
"She means this," said Quorian, gesturing to the corpse which was thankfully lit by the smouldering remains of the communications tower.
Nola and Urik investigated the body, the former finding the mysterious Dark Sider's lightsaber. Pressing the ignition switch, it's crimson blade sprung forth once again, cackling dangerously. Several gasps were heard around them, from Jedi and Republic both, some even wondering what this meant aloud.
Urik turned hard eyes to Louise. "You might not be responsible for this, but it would be best if you were taken into custody."
"I haven't done anything wrong?" Louise argued back.
"What were you doing here?" Nola demanded.
"I was talking to my girlfriend." Whatever answer the Jedi expected, it seemed this one was not one of them.
Nola made went to say something, but before she did, Quorian spoke up. "It's true. I saw the entire thing."
"No matter what happened, you allowed a Sith to contact the Empire! Do you know what risks-"
"Enough, Nola. Louise, you are not being held for long, it's just a precaution and for your safety. You're the only Sith that had been reported here, so it's likely they'll blame you."
"Will I be disarmed?"
"This is just a precaution. If you cooperate, you may keep your belongings, but if not, you'll be detained like a prisoner," he said. "So, no, I will not deprive you of them."
Louise considered Urik's words, sizing up the Jedi who was acting quite strangely. She doubted any other choice would go down nicely with everyone, and might even lead to a violent confrontation with those around her. With nothing else, she accepted. "I… thank you, Urik."
The Jedi nodded, smiling sadly.
Then, as if the universe was not done ruining her mood, both the carrier ship and a few other buildings promptly exploded.
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Deep in the jungles of Dxun, there would always be danger. Beasts as small as casts to those as large as starships, all dangerous. Even if they were not carnivorous they could still tear someone limb from limb and were always willing to attack anything that looked like a threat.
Louise knew this just as anyone else who had spent any amount of time on Dxun; the few times she left the safety of the Mandalorian outpost always resulted in seeing some form of beast eating or hunting another. So, it was no surprise when Louise, Khem, Korr, Quorian, Urik and a male Quarren – a race of orange skinned humanoids with what looked like a squid for a head – Jedi found themselves confronted by a pack of bomas; large green lizard-like creatures with small stubby mouths and small stubby tusks near the side of their mouths. The Sith Apprentice had seen them wandering and hunting the jungles, and only confronted them when they got too close to her little outpost. However, from all of her observations, they were mostly solitary beasts, occasionally forming small family groups. The fact that there was a large group was quite worrying.
Then, from behind them, a smaller animal made itself known, gnashing its teeth aggressively. It was known as a cannok; smaller, yet similar in build to the boma, with one of the few differences being its lack of tusk, large maw and its eye stalks. They were pests which would eat whatever they could fit in their mouths and quite a few times she had seen cannoks eat tree debris when it thought nobody was looking. They were odd, easy to kill but bred like rabbits. The odd gathering of fauna snarled and hissed, slowly closing in on the party. Louise readied herself for a fight, as did Khem, but the Jedi only seemed slightly worried. "Fear not, Sith," said the Quarren Jedi – Forn Cha, if she remembered correctly. "The Force shall protect us."
Louise quirked an eyebrow. She did not doubt the power of the Force, but the unnatural chill that crawled up her spine gave her second thoughts about their chances. She knew that the monsters of Dxun were predators that hunted each other relentlessly, so why were they cooperating? But it was not the odd act of teamwork that was the strangest part, but the hate and anger that wafted from the creatures directed directly at the Jedi. It was as if they took the presence of the Jedi as a personal insult. But when they looked to Louise and Khem, all she felt was confusion from them, as if they were simply stumped as to why she was there at all. It rubbed her wrong and brought many questions to mind, but she did not voice them.
Master Korr turned and nodded to Urik. The Zabrak nodded in return, taking a few steps forwards before sitting down in the familiar seiza position. It was a confusing move, but at this moment, Louise was less worried about the Jedi getting mauled then about surviving the beasts when they did choose to attack.
Then something flickered inside her. A strange and uneasy feeling of courage and relief flooded through her and suddenly, she felt like the Jedi were right, that there was nothing to fear. The creatures seemed agitated by this, their snarling and hissing becoming more aggressive. But whatever happened, she felt as if nothing could stand in their way.
"Go in peace," Urik intoned and all of a sudden, the Light she could feel within Urik bloomed like a newborn star, flooding the area around them. It felt like fire burned within her, trying to purge the Dark from her, yet the courage it brought still held tightly in her mind. The beasts seemed pained by this, growling, shaking their heads as if struck by a painful headache. Then, like a slap in the face, the Light recoiled, the Darkness coming back with a vengeance. The Lights courage left her, leaving Louise feeling cold and unwell until the Darkness found her again.
One of the boma screeched, howling hellishly, and charged at Urik who could barely get to his feet. It leapt, ready to tear the Jedi apart, only to collapse short, a dagger buried deep in its skull.
Lightsabers sprung to life; blue, green and orange blades of plasma lit up the jungle magnificently. The creatures howled back at the challenge and charged, trying to overwhelm them with pure numbers. Blades spun and flourished, fending off the attacks from the beasts while dealing substantial damage. Some were flung off their feet before their lives were cut short by a well-placed stab or slash. The larger ones were the more dangerous, so the Dark Siders tried to take these out before they could cause more damage.
Fire and lightning soon joined the glowing plasma blades, adding yellows, reds and purple to the jungle. Khem focused on dual wielding the Force and his massive sword to deal the most damage, cutting down and electrocuting anything that was stupid enough to get close to him.
Louise, on the other hand, was focusing fully on manifesting the Dark Side in the physical world. Using the innate connection to the Dark Side Dxun held, Louise sparked a barrier like circle of Dark Flames around her and her allies. The Jedi, showing remarkable restraint, continued to fight the beasts instead of the Dark Siders. The flames flickered and burned any creature who drew too close, hungry for flesh to devour, however, it also seemed to snap some sense into some of the animals who turned tail and fled. Those that stayed, fought and died.
Once the flames were dispelled, silence resided over the jungle, the corpse of several bomas, cannoks and, surprisingly, the strange cat-like maalraas littered the floor around them. Korr looked around the group, looking around for any sign of injury. "Is everyone alright?" he asked, a slight unmistakable tinge of worry staining his voice.
Nobody answered right away, but Louise could see that the one injuries anyone got were scratches or a slight singe from standing too close to the flames.
"What is wrong with these things," Urik breathed, confusion and frustration evident. Around him, the other Jedi seemed to share the same sentiment.
Louise looked at him strangely, honestly baffled by his proclamation. 'what is wrong with these beasts?'. She echoed disbelievingly in her mind. "What did you expect?" she asked, kicking a nearby charred cannok with her boot. "These creatures were obviously touched by the Dark Side on a planet brimming with it!"
"This wasn't meant to happen, Sith," Forn said, his tentacles moving oddly. "It's worked on every other Force-damned beast on this planet… and did you see them working together? The intelligence in their eyes…"
Louise considered his words. The emotions of anger, hate and confusion form the beasts coming back to the forefront of her mind. Looking at the varied creatures that lay dead at her feet, she did find it strange, and if it was not a quirk of Dxun's fauna, then it would be something to look into. "Point… they were not acting normal."
"We can discuss this strangeness elsewhere. Let's get a move on," Master Korr ordered, looking similarly unnerved.
Nodding along, she followed the group through the jungle, her mind fluttering to around to try and understand what happened during their encounter. More than once, she had to stop herself from staring at Urik, the ritual he performed playing over and over in her mind. And all she could get was that he was dangerous.
…
Looking up at the Sith Temple, Louise could not help but whistle at its impressiveness. While the bulk of the temple was theorised to run deep into the mountain face it was built into, the architecture she could see on the outside was beautiful and intimidating in spite of its obvious dilapidation. She could only imagine what it looked back in its prime when the durasteel plates were polished and the slate smoothed. If she concentrated hard enough, she could just hear the workers toil away at the mountain.
Yet, despite this, she felt her mood sour.
Why? She would never know as it was most definitely the fault of the Jedi who would occasionally glare at the temple with barely veiled contempt. Nor could it be the pile of discarded Sith artefacts and culture wasting away. No, it was most definitely not any of that…
Of course, there were some artefacts that were treated with some respect, if fear and disgust – it just so happened that these artefacts were dangerous, imbued with the Dark Side. Louise was even allowed to look at them, all two of them: a sacrificial knife which would compel the blood to never clot, and an amulet which did… something.
Suffice it to say, Louise felt the urge to electrocute these so-called 'archaeologists'.
Casting her eyes around the miniature outpost, a something caught her eye. One of the archaeologists, a female Mirialan – a race of green-skinned aliens with black facial markings – was handling a small idol of red and gold with a greedy glint in her eyes. Louise's feet moved quickly, clearing the distance between her and the archaeologist within seconds, snatching the artefact from the archaeologist just in time to stop her from doing anything disrespectful.
"Our culture was not made to line your pockets with credits" Louise hissed, snatching the small idol from their hands, cradling it like a babe. "Someone took time and effort to create this."
The archaeologist glared wordlessly, seemingly biting back a scathing retort, and left the Sith to coddle the piece of rock. Stalking back to Khem's side, Louise began to examine the idol. It was a masterfully made piece of work made with base of red marble-like stone and gold decals. Carved in the shape of a feline-like beast with long pointed ears and jowl tentacles. Gold was used sparsely in its make, used to make the stripe decals around its legs and feet. The entire thing was irritatingly familiar, but Louise could not put a finger on its identity.
Fortunately for her, she was not the only repertoire of Sith lore and knowledge.
"What are you looking at, pink Sith?" Khem asked curiously. He moved around Louise, trying to get a better look at the idol.
"It looks familiar, but I just can't remember where I've seen it," she replied, handing it over to the giant to look at.
Khem turned it over in his hands, appraising it carefully, humming questioningly. Suddenly, he stood straighter, an amused if excited look in his eyes. "It's a mowhef," he grumbled, but it was obvious he was pleased with the find. He handed it back to Louise.
The name scratched the itch in her mind and suddenly she realised exactly what she was holding: a religious idol. And, if the golden stripes were anything to go by, it was not any normal mowhef statue, but of the Great Mother. It had been some time since she last picked up a book or holocron on Old Sith Mythology, but she could remember the story behind the Great Mother.
In the modern era, the Sith did not have a proper religion with gods and such, instead, they had the Force and the Sith philosophy. However, thousands of years ago, before the Jen'Jidai stepped foot on Korriban, the Immortal Gods of the Sith ruled supreme. One such legend in this mythology was the tale of Marserha Jaochor, the Great Mother, who became the first Sith to walk the land.
According to her memories, a mowhef and a tuk'ata were fighting over who the better hunter was, and so they decided to consult one of the Immortal Gods of the Sith, specifically the Supreme One, Ahmurn. Ahmurn decided upon a challenge for the two as the final decider on who was the better hunter: The tuk'ata and the mowhef were to be sent off to the caves of Korriban where they would stay, living off only a minuscule supply of food and the water dripping from the cave ceiling. The first to leave would lose.
The tuk'ata lost.
Impressed by the mowhef, Ahmurn bestowed on it the name Marserha and turned it into a woman. He called her Sith, meaning perfect, and said that she could rule over all life on Korriban if she proved herself just as deadly as she did before. And so she did, rising to every challenge the death world would throw her way and besting them all. However, she grew lonely and so, on one dark and cold day, Ahmurn became a man and joined her as an equal rather than a god. They fell in love and in a night of passion, she became pregnant.
Time passed, and more children were born from the first Sith and the god turned man. The Supreme One then took them on an exodus to what Louise assumed would later become the Valleys of the Dark Lords where they lived until she died. Her family mourned her loss, but it did not end there as, with Ahmurn's help, she became a goddess who would watch over and guide her children and their descendants.
There was more to this tale, but that was the general gist of Marserha's myth. The Great Mother who protected and guided her people. It was a wonderful tale of creation which brought forth a pang of annoyance towards the Jen'Jidai and their actions in destroying the Old Sith Mythology.
Nevertheless, Louise knew that she must have this artefact. It was no amount of greed or anything like that, but because it was an important part of Sith culture. All she needed to do was convince the Jedi to give it up. Luckily, she did not need to go out and search for one as the moment she turned around, she came face to face with Master Korr and Quorian. "What was all that about?" the Jedi Master asked curiously.
Louise huffed. "She was mishandling an important part of Sith history," Louise replied, wrapping her arms protectively around the artefact.
The Jedi Master raised his eyebrow at her action, but it was Quorian who asked, "And what is that?"
"It's an idol of the Great Mother." Louise's response only seemed to give Korr and Quorian more questions than answers as they stared at her in askance. It was then she realised something, something she desperately hope was wrong because she needed some faith in the Jedi, for Quorian at least. Unfortunately, she did not have time to explain to them the entire legend nor answer the questions they had at this point in time. "It's just a Sith legend," she said dismissively.
Korr scratched his beard. "Is this the artefact you were looking for?"
"Nope," Louise replied, popping the 'P'.
He nodded his head slowly. "But you want it."
"Well, it is an important piece of Sith history," she defended.
Korr continued to nod his head, looking sceptical. "I can sense the Dark Side from the artefact. It could be dangerous."
Louise looked over the artefact once again. She could indeed sense the subtle Dark Side energies that imbued the stone, caused by a small amount of alchemy. She could even recognise what alchemical ritual it was put through and knew that the artefact was quite benign. So, she told the Jedi just as much.
"So, you can tell us what it does?" Korr questioned.
Louise nodded. "It's just a simple bit of alchemy to preserve it; make it better able to withstand the elements and poor handling. It's nothing dangerous. The idol itself is meant to represent good luck and love," she explained. "It belongs in a museum." Or at the very least, my desk.
"Good luck and love?" Korr asked sceptically.
Louise sighed. "Oh, come on! What do you think it does? Shoot plasma from its eyes? Crap lava?" she asked, baffled by the Jedi line of thought when it came to the Sith. They'd call a pet rock a weapon of mass destruction if it were owned by a Sith.
Korr quickly backtracked, knowing he had made a mistake and tried to amend. "No, it's just… not something I would expect."
"You do know we have seven different words for love, right?" Louise asked, annoyed.
"No," he replied awkwardly. "I did not."
"You study the Sith, yet you cannot understand the difference between rehz and rhozut?" Louise asked, sounding the sceptical one this time.
"It is kind of difficult to learn a language from a people who would much rather kill me," Korr defended dryly. "Most of the words we've learned are found in the temples and tombs scattered around the galaxy. I will admit that our archives are quite incomplete."
"So… can I keep it?" Louise asked hopefully.
Korr gave her a queer look, scrutinizing her. "Are you telling the truth about its nature?" he asked calmly, obviously ready to catch Louise in any lie she might make.
Luckily for her, she did not need to lie. "Yes, the only threat this idol holds is as a bludging weapon."
The Jedi Master looked ready to make a joke, but seemed to second guess himself and instead delved into deep thought. After a few moments, he breathed deeply. "Fine. I will allow you this artefact."
Louise smiled brightly, hugging the statue close to her breast. "Thank you, Master Korr."
"I do my best," Korr replied softly. "Now, get ready, we'll be going into the tomb in a few." With a nod, he left to do something, leaving Quorian with Khem and Louise.
Louise rolled her shoulders and went back to admiring the idol. "It really is a beautiful piece," Quorian, admiring it himself.
She nodded mutely, smiling at the little bits of detail that went into the carving of the statue. Once she was finished, she turned to Khem Val. "Khem, could you please look after this?" she asked, knowing the giant would be better suited to protecting the important artefact than she herself.
"As you command, pink Sith," Khem said, taking the artefact in hand and placing it in one of his larger pouches. And with that, Louise left to go look around at the rest of the miniature outpost, the Dashade following dutifully behind.
After about five minutes of this, Korr soon found her once again with a few Jedi and archaeologists by his side. It was time to see the Republic's progress on the Temple and to see how disappointing it was. The mouth of the Temple was heavily damaged, looking more like the gaping maw of a cave than anything else. Rubble surrounded the area with a path cleared as a walkway. The familiar glow of the florescent archaeological lights shone brightly in the Temple, lighting stone walls clearly for Louise to admire.
The further she walked, the better condition the Temple appeared. She could still some Republic caused damages where the archaeologists and workers blasted their way into the Temple, but it was still in much better condition than the mouth. It was by no means pristine, but it was not just rubble and debris. Once she reached what looked to be the end of the long entry hall, she found herself in a large chamber. It was shaped similarly to a stout yet obese cross with three doorways, one on each side and one at the far end of the room which led to a grand staircase.
But before she could even begin exploring the room, Louise froze along with every Force Sensitive in the room. A wave of Dark Side energies came crashing down into the room, like a tsunami onto a hut. The Jedi around her staggered, some falling to the ground as the oppressive wave of energies assaulted them. Even the Force-Blind seemed affected by the veritable well of Darkness that flooded the room.
Louise's reaction, however, was much different. Like a breath of fresh air, she felt invigorated by its presence, the power she could feel tingling at her fingertips. Like a flower to the sun, she basked in, letting it fill her very being. Almost at once, she felt as if she could do anything, that limitless power was at her beck and call, she just needed to take it. And take it she did; like a leech, she latched on, feeding on the nexus of the Dark Side, feeling it burn deep within her chest.
And then, it was gone. Just like that, the Dark Side, wrenched free and fled deeper into the Temple like an injured animal. Louise frowned, her mind wondering about the strange phenomenon as the sensation of the Dark Side still writhing within her. Beside her, the Jedi struggled to get back on their feet, some helping each other up. They groaned about headaches, some feeling sick, but they were well and not insane, which was good.
"What was that?" asked Urik, looking pale and out of breath under the white glow of the lamps.
Korr was about to answer, but Louise beat him to the punch. "It felt like a nexus of the Dark Side. But it was… different," she explained to the unnerved group. None of them looked very well and did not seem pleased with her assessment, each of them looking at her with a mixture of disgust and fear.
"So… what is it?" Urik asked sounding as uneased as he had ever been.
For this, Louise had no answer. She had felt similar presences before, but what she felt today was… she had no idea how to explain it. It was simply alien yet familiar. Alive. Looking to Korr, she saw he was just as confused if unnerved and uncomfortable as the rest of the Jedi. Really, you're supposed to be a Jedi Master! She shook her head and looked to Khem, who gave her an approving grin in return. Odd.
Louise sighed. "I… I don't know."
"I thought you had experience with Temples?" one Jedi asked. "That's why you're still here, isn't it?"
"I do have experience!" Louise snapped back. "Give me a ghost trying to make someone insane or possessing Imperials and I can help. This is new, dangerous, and it seems I am the only one unaffected by this."
The Jedi eyed her strangely, muttering, "Yeah, unaffected…" under his breath.
Louise ignored it, partly because she did not know what he was talking about and because she'd much rather not start an argument.
Luckily Korr was ready with a different line of discussion. "I have a bad feeling about this…"
Louise snorted. "Says the Jedi in the Sith Temple," she replied dryly, though she had to agree nonetheless. Not only was it the strange Dark Side presence, but she felt like the shadows were watching her. But when she stretched out her sense, she found nothing, just the natural Dark Side of Dxun.
With nothing else to do, Louise began to explore the rest of the chamber. Sith carvings were etched into the walls, from figures who looked to be standing in flames to depictions of great battles of what she assumed were Jedi or Dark Jedi fighting off both creatures and man alike. Through the doorways on the sides of the chamber were halls running parallel with the chamber leading to several other chambers. These other rooms held nothing of interest, however, as they the Republic seemed to have already ransacked them all. This left the grand staircase and the wall of rubble that blocked their path. It was strange really, looking at the debris, as it did not seem to sit right.
"So, this is how far you've gotten?" Louise asked, brushing her hand against it.
"Yes, unfortunately. We've had a few issues getting up to this point and it's hampered our progress," Korr said, stealing several worried looks towards Louise. "Malfunctioning equipment, cannoks eating parts, even the plant life has been hard on us."
She nodded, considering his words. After a moments consideration, she began to hum, moving into the centre of the chamber. Sitting seiza on the floor, she tried to begin meditating. But before she could delve too deep, one of the hereto unknown Jedi spoke up. "What are you doing?"
Annoyance crept onto her features. "Having tea with the Emperor, what does it look like I'm doing!" she growled. Peeking through one eye to glare at the Jedi. She received a scowl in return before the Jedi stalked off leaving the Sith to her meditation. Now able to do so in peace, Louise stretched out her senses and tried to feel for her goal; Tulak Hord's artefact. While she had absolutely no idea what it would feel like, she knew it was a Dark Side artefact and as such, it would have its own signature. With this in mind, she gazed through the Force to find it.
What she found was promising, if unnerving. The Temple was like an abyss within the Force; the further one went down, the darker and darker it got within the Force. Louise was certain that the artefact – and the presence – was somewhere down there, waiting for her to retrieve it. All she had to do was break through the rubble and find her prise.
With this, Louise let herself smile. Flicking her eyes opened, she stood up and made her way back over to the blockade. Quorian made a move to question her, but with a raised hand she silenced him.
Looking around, she found what looked to be a mining laser, though the difference in model was noticeable. Obviously, the laser was more suited to delicate archaeology work than mining ore. Turning back to the wall, Louise sized it up, once again stretching out her senses to the stone and beyond. Confusion followed upon noticing something off about it.
With the Force, she summoned the archaeological laser to her hand and, after a bit of fumbling to get used to the change in weight and make, began blasting away at the rubble – memories of how to effectively use it flooding back bittersweetly.
With these skills and the Force as her guide, she made progress in clearing the rubble, but it was slow going. Back when she was a slave, there were many others who would join her, but here, everyone else was just looking at her strangely. Finally fed up with their stares, she powered down the laser and turned to the Jedi, workers and archaeologists. "What?"
"When did you learn to use that?" asked one of the archaeologists, beating most everyone else to the punch.
Louise quirked an eyebrow, turning to Quorian. He wore the same curious expression as most others, but after a moment, he paled, eyeing her pitiablely. The Sith narrowed her eyes. "Self-preservation." And with that, she went back to clearing the rubble.
To her side, she could see some of the other workers grabbing their own mining lasers, but they seemed uncomfortable with joining her. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on who asked – she did not need their help as with one final blast, the wall of rubble shook, crumbling. It crashed to the ground and nearly buried her had she not leapt out the way. Dust burst into the air, blocking the vision of everyone in the vicinity.
Coughing could be heard from all around her as unfortunates breathed in the unexpected dust storm. Even Louise was affected by it. But soon enough, the dust was cleared by a mighty burst of telekinetic energy, acting as a gust of wind that blew away the particles.
Still, coughing persisted and the strained voice of one of the Jedi could be heard. "Warn us next time!" she cried, leading to a few others shouting the same sentiment; from "You could have buried us alive!" to "Are you trying to get yourself killed!"
Louise tried to growl back in response but found it difficult as she too was coughing violently. Once she recovered, however, she finally got her chance to retaliate. "The rubble was unstable! You should thank me for getting you lot this far in such a short amount of time."
With that, she left the irate Republics and Jedi, instead focusing on the path she had cleared. Just as she suspected, the rubble wall was oddly thin for something naturally forming, not only that but it just did not look like the rubble could have come from anywhere. With a shake of her head, she put those thoughts away for later and walked down the staircase.
Using her lightsaber as a torch, Louise eventually found herself in a massive chamber, far larger than the one before, with many more doors. Three doorways on both side of the room and two descending staircases on either side of the entryway. At the very end of the room, was a massive durasteel door that stank of Dark Side energies. But Louise did not continue to explore, instead choosing to stay in the massive chamber as she waited for the rest of the party to join her, and join her they eventually did. With their fluorescent lamps, they began to find the details she could not find, placing down the lamps to finally light up the entire room.
Quickly, the Republic and Jedi got to work with Louise and Khem helping occasionally, they were setting up a small base of operations, making quick use of the space available to be filled up with a few terminals to record data and some generators to power the lights.
Once done, the Republic got around to ransacking the place, yet strangely enough, there was nothing to ransack. From what some people had said, it looked like someone had already gone through and taken everything not nailed down. Louise, for her part, was both angry and amused; angry because someone had stolen Sith artefacts and because the Republics were bemoaning the lack of anything to take; amused because they had nothing to take.
It was then when she realised what, exactly, the mission was for the Republic and Jedi: to find weapons. More specifically, to find Sith artefacts that they could use against the Sith. So, while she was sitting down, twiddling her thumbs and thinking murderous thoughts about the Jedi and Republic both – feeling quite unable to do anything about it aside from stew on the fact – Korr made his way over to her side.
"So, Louise," he said happily, pleased that they had finally made a breakthrough despite the odd simplicity of such a breakthrough, "do you want to go exploring?"
Louise looked up to Korr, looking thoroughly unimpressed by him and his jubilancy. "Not really, no, but if it will stop you from dying a horrible painful death, then I guess I must."
"Such optimism," he remarked dryly.
"I try." Louise smile was not one of kindness.
"The rest of you, stay here," Korr ordered. Unfortunately, both Urik and Quorian seemed dissatisfied with their superior's orders and asked to go with. The Jedi Master denied them. "While I would not mind more company, I wish to speak with Louise privately."
Louise felt unnerved by his statement but did not reject the Jedi his wish. Turning to her elderly companion, she said, "Khem, stay here, make sure they don't accidentally get themselves killed."
Khem nodded. "As you wish, pink Sith."
"Keep your comlinks and holocomms open and stay safe." And with that Korr began to walk down the right stairway. Louise followed after him, copying him as he turned on his lightsaber to light their paths. Soon, the light form their hastily built base vanished entirely, leaving their lightsabers the only source of light as they continued to descend. The staircase soon ended, and Louise found herself walking through a thin hall, yet even with the intense glow of her lightsaber, she felt like she was missing something. Nevertheless, they continued, eyes flicking around the hall to see if they could find something, anything important.
Unfortunately, it was just more of the same, so, when she felt they were far enough away, she prompted the Jedi Master. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Korr shrugged. "Originally, I was curious about you, an amicable Sith," he said. "What is this girl's story? Why the pink hair and eyes?" Louise pouted. "Now I am also starting to get curious about your relationship with Quorian. He knows something about you."
Louise frowned but found no issue with the Jedi's curiosities. "Okay… what do you want to know?"
Korr hummed. "Well, first I guess I should ask about your intentions with Quorian."
Louise scrunched up her face, her mind going straight to the memory of Rayne saying something similar about her and Lyira before they started dating. "We're not in a relationship if that's what you're thinking."
"I was thinking nothing of the sort. But if that is what's on your mind…" he trailed off.
Louise's response was silent horror supplemented by a loud denial. "No! You just reminded me of what my girlfriend's sister said."
Korr stopped in his tracks, looking at Louise as if she were one of the most peculiar things in the entire galaxy. "I feel like I should not have expected this, but at the same time I completely expected this answer…" he said, his strange expression never leaving his face.
"You're learning!" Louise said, smiling brightly.
"Remind me to assume every Sith Lord is in a relationship," he grumbled light-heartedly.
Louise nodded. "I have heard Sith marriages are quite spectacular."
"I would suppose so," He said, "I don't know why, but I feel like a Sith party would be one you would never forget."
Louise grimaced, a certain memory replaying in her mind. "…As long as you don't drink yourself into a stupor and wake up where you're not meant to be."
"What was the occasion?" Korr asked with a smile.
"My girlfriend's sister was given the title of Lord," she said. "Very spectacular."
Korr's smile deepened, turning mischievous. "Whose bed did you wind up in?"
"What!? How did you-?" Louise demanded, before stopping upon seeing Master Korr's narquois grin on his face. "My girlfriends…" she answered with an embarrassed groan.
"I don't know why you're getting so flustered," he said, raising an eyebrow at Louise's antics.
"She wasn't my girlfriend at the time."
"Ah… that makes a bit more sense," he amended understandingly.
"Yeah…" Louise said, "can we drop this subject?"
He frowned slightly. "If it is making you this uncomfortable, then I will. Though you mustn't worry, it's only natural."
"We didn't do anything! Just sleep, I swear!" Louise shouted, her cheeks reddening quite a bit.
"Alright, alright, if you ins-" Korr stilled, his joking demeanour dying in place of grim seriousness.
Louise looked to him, then to the dark chamber they found themselves at the threshold of. Turning back to Korr, she asked, "What are you-?"
He cut her off. "Listen," he said, pointing his lightsaber into the dark room.
Louise quieted down, trying to hear whatever he had heard over the hum of their lightsabers. The sounds of clicking and scuttling drew her attention. Had she any hairs on the back of her neck, she knew they would be standing on end. A small spark later, and a small orb of fire ignited in Louise's palm. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the ball hurtling towards the sound, willing the Force to enlarge and brighten the flame.
Small insect-like creatures scurried towards the two, chittering disgustingly. They looked like massive golden cockroaches in the light with their shield-like chitinous shell.
"Orbalisks!" hissed Korr, shifting into a defensive position.
Louise had never heard of the orbalisk before, so she really had no idea how to fight them nor how dangerous they were. All she knew was that Korr was worried. So, instead of trying to learn about them, she summoned lightning to her hands, blasting those who got too close with lethal voltage, frying them quickly. But the more she bolts she fired, the more came. It was almost as if they were attracted to her.
The Jedi was dealing with some on his own, crushing the few he could find with the little bits of rubble he could scrounge. They, conversely, were not attacking him on mass, which he used to his advantage. His emerald blade swung around, striking at them, but each strike yielded little results. "Louise, lightsabers won't work!"
Great. Louise hissed, sheathing her lightsaber to focus solely on using the Force to defend herself against the horde. Fortunately, it seemed the insect's numbers were waning, as she found less and less trying to latch onto her face. But before she could celebrate, an agonised scream echoed through the temple. Snapping to her minder, she found Korr trying in vain to defend against the orbalisks; a few had latched onto his right arm.
The numbers were not waning, but changing target.
A low growl tore from her throat as she unleashed a barrage of electricity at the creatures. The insects were blasted away, some stunned, some dead, as she neared Korr to help him. "They're breeding!" he cried, and she could see for herself, smaller orbalisks spawning from the larger ones, encasing his arm. Korr tried his best to remove them with the Force, but it was not working.
They grew at an alarming rate, soon covering his entire lower arm, elbow to fingertips. Panic flooded through Louise causing her to hesitate. She knew if she did nothing, he would die, one way or another. The orbalisks continued growing, spreading like a disease. His pained screaming continued to tear from his throat.
Without any ideas on how to act, she moved on impulse. Ripping her lightsaber from her hip, she sliced through the air with her saber, letting Korr's arm fall to the floor.
The orbalisks screeched as their bodies were ravished by Force lightning, charring both the insects and the amputated arm. Without a second thought, Louise used her augmented strength and hoisted Korr over her shoulder and raced back the way they came. The insects continued to chitter at her heels, but they soon gave up chase as she blasted them back with the Force.
Even then, Louise did not stop running until she arrived at the safe glow of the archaeological lamps. A few Republics looked confused if a bit frightened by the charging Sith until they noticed who she was carrying. "Is anybody here a medical officer!" Louise demanded, lowering Korr onto the ground. The Jedi Master lay unconscious, the pain too much for him.
His stump was only partially cauterised, her lightsaber had moved too quick to properly burn the wound. A small pool of blood already blooming where he lay.
Meanwhile, the workers had burst into action. Khem stood by, impassively watching a few workers rush out of the temple to find a doctor or someone. Few stayed, voicing their confusion. "What happened!?" one cried, glaring at Louise as if she were the cause.
"Orbalisks," Louise hissed in reply, picking up on the hostility in the worker's voice. "We were ambushed by those things! He was attacked, and I had to amputate."
This seemed the placate the worker and those around them.
Louise ignored this and focused on stopping the blood from flowing. Using her dagger, she cut a long length of cloth from the Jedi's dirtied robes and tried her best to stop the bleeding with it. But before she could do more, the familiar voices of Quorian and Urik reached her ears, their confused voices stressing Louise further. Great, now I got to deal with the overzealous Jedi…
Urik rushed over to Korr's prone form. Worry, fear and anger seeped from him as he looked over the Jedi Master. Once he was satisfied that the Jedi was not going to die before his eyes, he turned towards Louise. "What happened? What did you do!?" he demanded, his hand clinging to his lightsaber.
"I saved his life!" Louise snapped back, her eyes flickering to Khem who held his sword in his sheath. Looking back to Urik, she sneered. "Had I not amputated, he would be dead. The orbalisks were breeding like flies."
The Jedi Knight glared at her, scowling. For a second, Louise felt as if he was going to attack, but instead, he scowled, turning back to Korr.
…
Night was falling by the time they arrived back to the Republic base – Well, 'night' was more of a misnomer as it was more like an eclipse as the planet Onderon blocked out the sun, leaving the sky dark. Louise quickly distanced herself from the main group, letting the Republic deal with their injured Jedi. It was not like the Jedi wanted her near Korr. Some still doubted her innocence, or entire innocence at least – She could see the blame in their eyes.
For about thirty minutes, she wandered the base with Khem by her side. But soon she grew tired of the distrustful stares she was being given and retired to the mess hall to get some dinner. Their meal, once again, was quite nice, however, it was not even a few more bites before they were joined by one of the few allies they had. "So," Quorian said, sitting down with a meal of his own in hand, "today was something."
Louise nodded. "Yep. Helped the Jedi get past a wall of rubble, nearly get eaten by orbalisks only for Korr to lose his arm. Of course, I was the only one who saw this, so I get blamed for saving his life… How is Korr by the way?"
"He's going to be alright," Quorian replied. "Seemed pretty pleased about getting a robotic arm. It's a good thing you amputated, too, even if the others can't see it. Orbalisks are venomous. Oh, and…uh, Urik… he wanted to apologise… he thanks you for saving Master Korr."
Louise blinked. "Really?"
"Yes. He was quite awkward about it," he continued.
"Oh… well then," said Louise intelligently, not really knowing what to say.
"Yeah…" Quorian twirled his fork and began eating once again. The Dark Siders quickly joined him digging into their own meals. Aside from the general hum of those around them, quite prevailed, interrupted occasionally by the scratching of fork and plate to the clank of utensils.
Quorian paused, flicking his eyes to Louise. His chewing slowed, his features twisting into curiosity. After a few more moments of this, Louise found that she could not take the staring anymore. "Yes?" she asked, sounding the least bit annoyed.
Quorian quickly apologised, saying, "I, um, just wanted to know something."
"What about?" Louise asked, her interest piqued.
"Well… uh…" he hesitated, and Louise realised just how awkward whatever he was going to ask was for him. "I wanted to know about Dromund Kaas."
Whatever he was going to ask, Louise did not expect that. "The Sith Capital? Why do you ask?"
"I've heard a bit about Dromund Kaas," he said with a half-hearted shrug. "but I wanted to know what it's like from someone who's been there."
"Oh, well, it's quite like Dxun, actually. But better," she explained, thinking back to the heart of the Empire. "Beyond the walls of civilization, everything wants to eat you and your face, so it's usually safe to stay inside the walls, but there are quite a few settlements where people just deal with the beasts. Inside the city, it's almost like a completely different planet. I've only been to Kass City, but the sights are great, from the Spires of Victory to the Citadel. Even the Chiss Embassy is nice."
Quorian considered her words, then asked, "How do you get around in the dark?"
Louise tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Isn't it always stormy there?" he asked. "I thought your Emperor wrecked the atmosphere…"
"Are you implying that, on Dromund Kaas, it's always dark and we're just stumbling around in the darkness?" Louise asked, eying the Jedi suspiciously.
"That was what I've heard…" he trailed off.
Louise sighed and palmed her face, massaging it. "That is stupid. It's perpetually stormy, but the clouds don't block out all of the sun all of the time. Sometimes there are days when the clouds are thick enough to block out all the sun, but we have lights you know!"
Quorian bobbed his head. "Oh… that sounds…"
"Normal?" Louise supplied.
"Yes, normal."
Louise sighed. "Where did you hear that?"
"I read it in the archives and the holonet."
"Have you never watched any Imperial holovids on the holonet?" she asked.
"No," Quorian replied with a shake of his head. "I've never really wanted to watch them."
"Well, you should probably do that someday," Louise said. "But as I was saying, Dromund Kaas is quite beautiful, despite the issues." A smile crept at her lips as her mind took her back to the beautiful sights on the planet. From the Monument to the Lost to the Spires of Victory; the vibrant nightlife and beautiful estates. There was something that just charmed her whenever she looked out her window to the megapolis below. Then there was the homelier beauty she had seen, from the subtle designs of the architecture to the history that could be seen through it.
It was where her new life as a Sith in the Empire had officially begun, where she got her first true home and where she found love.
She smiled softly of the reminder of that day, her mind thinking about the Pureblood and what she was doing now. Then worry set in, worry that Lyira could be hurt; the urge to contact her spawned, growing quickly and soon, Louise could not stop herself from asking, "Quorian, you have a communication centre, right?"
The Jedi furrowed his brow. "Yes… why?"
"There is someone I really want to talk to," she answered.
"And who is this?" he pressed.
Louise sighed, knowing it would not help to hide the identity of who she wished to contact. "You know that Pureblood I told you about back on Korriban?" she asked.
"Yes, yes," he replied with a nod of his head. "You brought her up quite a bit, from what I remember."
Louise smiled bashfully. "Well, I wanted to tell her that I was okay. That a few changes have happened."
"You've become quite the friends, haven't you?" he asked, smiling.
Louise had no idea what he meant by that, nor did she know if he actually knew about her and Lyira. So, she decided to agree with his word choice, at least for now. "Yes, friends."
Khem snorted.
"If it is only for that," Quorian sighed, getting up from his chair, "then I guess it will be alright. But I think it would best if I were there – keep the other Jedi off your back."
"That's okay," Louise said with a smile, a giddy feeling coursing through her body. It had been far too long since she had seen Lyira's face, heard her voice, and so, with gusto she finished her meal, handed her dishes back to the cook and waited impatiently for her two companions to join her.
When they finally did, Louise practically skipped as she followed an amused if confused Jedi to the comms centre. It was a short walk, but one she found entirely too long as she passed the threshold of the medium-sized building with the massive radar dish sticking out the top. Aside from one mechanic who seemed to be sleeping on a desk chair, snoring blissfully, the building was devoid of life, which was great for Louise's goal.
The main room was rectangular with a few doors leading to other rooms on the right while the rest of the room contained a few terminals and one large one with a massive screen. From what she could tell, they were on standby mode.
Quorian, who obviously knew more about the layout of the building then she did, led her to one of the few branching rooms which revealed itself to be a small conference like room with a large holoprojector in the centre. Aside from a small desk and a few chairs, the rest of the room was fairly plain.
"Make the call quick," Quorian said, gesturing to the holocommunicator.
Louise nodded, pulling free her datapad where she kept Lyira's contact frequency. Quickly finding it, she set about booting up the holocomm and calling the pureblood. After a few minutes, her call went through. The holoprojector activated and blue lights flickered until the three-dimensional image of Lyira's bust appeared. The first thing Louise noticed about her girlfriend was that she looked like she had just gotten out of bed, which was entirely possible.
"Lou?" Lyira asked, a hand briefly materialising to rub the sleep from her eyes, "is that you?"
Louise smiled uncertainly. "Did I wake you?" she replied.
"I was just resting my eyes, I swear," said Lyira, obviously lying through her teeth. "Uh, I didn't expect you to be calling? I assume you've finished your mission?"
"No… I'm still on Dxun," the Pinkette said with a shake of her head.
Lyira looked confused for a second, her sleep addled brain trying to process what she said and its meaning. "Really? Oh…" She sounded a bit disappointed at that.
Louise decided to change topic, moving onto Lyira's side of things. "How's Balmorra?"
"Horrible," A mix of a sneer and a grimace taking prominence on the pureblood's features. "The rebellion has been taking its toll and the Republic seems to be funding the resistance."
"…They are!?" Louise all but shouted, her eyes flicking to Quorian who seemed to be just as surprised as she was.
"Yep," Lyira continued. "Though we can't pin it on them, yet. The resistance is fighting tooth and nail to hold the planet, even giving murderers and rapists weapons to fight. Disgusting," she sneered. "I guess it doesn't matter if you haven't finished because my time on Balmorra seems to have extended indefinitely. Somehow, I got wrangled into cleaning this mess up. Anyway, let's get away from that. How's Dxun? I thought you were 'going dark'?"
"I was, but as it turns out, I don't need to anymore," Louise said with a roll of her shoulders. "As for the moon, well, it reminds me of Dromund Kaas, but… it's not the same. I'm pretty much camping in the jungle, but instead of having to worry about Darth Skotia, I have to worry about Jedi."
Lyira nodded slowly, looking grave. "Be careful, Lou, and make sure you don't get caught."
"I know, I promise," Louise said. "But you have to as well! Be careful and don't do anything stupid."
"I promise I won't."
"Good," she said with a resolute nod. "Now go back to bed, you look terrible."
"I was-"
"Lyira…" Louise said warningly.
The Pureblood pouted, saying, "Fine," before smiling. "Goodnight, Lou."
"Goodnight, I love you!" Louise said quickly.
"I love you, too," Lyira replied. "May the Force serve you well." The hologram vanished with a flicker of blue light. Louise then turned to Quorian who seemed confused as to what was going on.
"So… you and Lyira?" he trailed off.
"Yes," Louise asked pointedly.
"Nothing. It was kind of cute, actually."
Louise really had no idea how to respond to that. With a slight blush tainting her cheeks, Louise spun around saying, "let's go." And with that, she left the room. Behind her, she could tell Quorian was grinning at her.
However, all thoughts of embarrassment left her upon entering the main room. It was like the entire atmosphere had changed, dead, cold and quiet. Nerves automatically went on edge, the Force practically screaming that something was wrong. Her eyes scanned the area, finding nothing out of the ordinary; the terminals were still on standby while the Republic engineer slept.
She moved around the room quietly, looking around for whatever it was she was sensing. Quorian tried to speak, but Khem shushed him with a gesture. She neared the sleeping engineer, planning on waking him up to see if he noticed anything strange, but as she got within touching distance of the man, she noticed one thing. He wasn't snoring.
Movement stole her attention. Her eyes moved instinctively to the source. Hanging from the ceiling was a black bulbous stain. It was growing, uncurling from what she could see. Stretching, long and thin, before dropping to the floor with a thud. Slowly, it rose from the floor, revealing a humanoid figure clad in shadows that hid all its features but its silvery eyes that glinted in the dark like a cat.
On the other side of the room, Louise could see Quorian looking just as tense as she. "Identify yourself!" he demanded, his lightsaber in hand.
The mystery person tilted its head, blinking a few times as it clicked unnaturally in reply. It was an unsettling sound that grated on her nerves. It held its left arm out to its side, something small and thin in its hand. What it was, she did not know, the dimness of the room making it too difficult to discern.
But she did not need to wait long to figure out what it was. With the familiar snap-hiss of a lightsaber, the room was bathed in a crimson light. Unstable crackling and hisses emanated from the blade which looked fractured and dangerous.
The red blade glow of the lightsaber shone brightly but did little to identify the being aside from it being a Sith. It wore strange formfitting armour that looked similar to fungal growths that jutted outwards giving the Sith a grotesque appearance that was sickening to look at. The red glow only served to worsen its already menacing form.
Louise froze, her mind trying to understand what she was seeing. A Sith on Dxun. She was not informed of any such development and without the right amount of knowledge, questions naturally arose. Is it a Sith? Why would a Sith be here? Is it here for me? Does the Empire think me a traitor for working with the Jedi? How did they know? So many questions, yet no answers would come.
Yet, if it were a Sith, it's presence did not feel right in the Force. Darkness was there, but it was twisted and unnatural, a perversion of the Dark Side. Yet, it also felt familiar.
Louise gritted her teeth. "I am Louise, Apprentice to Darth Zash of the Sith Empire. I demand to know who you are!"
The Sith clicked some more, its head turning curiously. Then, strangely enough, it… turned off its lightsaber and walked out of the room.
Louise blinked at this, turning to Khem and Quorian, both of whom look just as confused. And then she remembered: There is a Dark Sider in the Republic base, possibly a Sith. With that thought, she rushed after the mysterious person, her companions hot on her heels.
Night had well and truly arrived, it appeared as Louise left the building, but she did not let that hamper her progress. Looking around, she quickly spotted the mysterious figure, standing a fair bit away from the building, just staring at Louise and her companions. His eyes glinting strangely.
Louise rushed after it. Once again, it turned on its lightsaber, throwing it at Louise in a tight arc forcing the Pinkette to leap out the way. The lightsaber deactivated on the return arc, disappearing into the dark. Looking back to where the figure once stood, she saw nothing. It had gotten away.
Her companions soon joined her, each of them with their weapons out and ready to use. "Did you see where it went?" she asked, her eyes darting around the base.
"No, I could only see it's lightsaber."
Louise cursed, her head swivelling as she frantically looked for the mysterious Dark Sider.
A screech was the only warning she had before Louise found herself getting tackled to the ground. Sliver eyes looked down at her with their incessant curiosity. In a flash its lightsaber was raised to kill, but before it could a flash of blue left it headless. Louise pushed the body off her with the Force, flinging it a good few meters before it crashed to the floor in a lump.
"That was surprisingly easy…" Quorian muttered absently, helping Louise to her feet. Despite being tackled by the thing, she knew it to be true. Had Quorian not killed it when she did, the Dark Sider would have found itself flung off Louise by tendrils of lightning; it made the mistake of leaving her hands free. But it was this simplicity that rubbed Louise wrong. For some reason, she felt like it held itself back – for what reason, she did not know.
Sighing, Louise went to reply to the Jedi, but before she could, the communications centre exploded. Fire and debris rained into the sky and down into the nearby area, destroying nearby buildings and shaking the ground. Louise, whose feet were not planted correctly on the ground, found herself promptly on her rear as a wave of heat washed over her. Quorian and Khem only found themselves staggered slightly, shielding their eyes from the fireball.
Louise blinked repeatedly, partly to remove the image of the fireball from her vision and partly because she suddenly found herself at a loss for words and was desperately trying to figure out what exactly happened.
Then things got worse as, around her, several Republic archaeologists and workers, as well as some Jedi started swarming the scene, each confused and as worried as the next. It was not long before the Urik and Nola arrived, both heading straight to Louise, Khem, and Quorian – who was currently examining the body.
"What's going on here!?" Urik demanded, his eyes flicking to Louise and Quorian both.
Louise decided to answer. "I think we were attacked by a Dark Jedi… It might have blown up the comms centre."
"A Dark Jedi? What does she mean, Quorian?" Urik asked, his eyes narrowing.
"She means this," said Quorian, gesturing to the corpse which was thankfully lit by the smouldering remains of the communications tower.
Nola and Urik investigated the body, the former finding the mysterious Dark Sider's lightsaber. Pressing the ignition switch, it's crimson blade sprung forth once again, cackling dangerously. Several gasps were heard around them, from Jedi and Republic both, some even wondering what this meant aloud.
Urik turned hard eyes to Louise. "You might not be responsible for this, but it would be best if you were taken into custody."
"I haven't done anything wrong?" Louise argued back.
"What were you doing here?" Nola demanded.
"I was talking to my girlfriend." Whatever answer the Jedi expected, it seemed this one was not one of them.
Nola made went to say something, but before she did, Quorian spoke up. "It's true. I saw the entire thing."
"No matter what happened, you allowed a Sith to contact the Empire! Do you know what risks-"
"Enough, Nola. Louise, you are not being held for long, it's just a precaution and for your safety. You're the only Sith that had been reported here, so it's likely they'll blame you."
"Will I be disarmed?"
"This is just a precaution. If you cooperate, you may keep your belongings, but if not, you'll be detained like a prisoner," he said. "So, no, I will not deprive you of them."
Louise considered Urik's words, sizing up the Jedi who was acting quite strangely. She doubted any other choice would go down nicely with everyone, and might even lead to a violent confrontation with those around her. With nothing else, she accepted. "I… thank you, Urik."
The Jedi nodded, smiling sadly.
Then, as if the universe was not done ruining her mood, both the carrier ship and a few other buildings promptly exploded.
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AN: Happy Hallowe'en!
Thank you to my usual Beta Readers and Poliamida for helping with the chapter.
AN: Happy Hallowe'en!
Thank you to my usual Beta Readers and Poliamida for helping with the chapter.
Last edited:
BlackoutSampler
So Easily Forgotten
Man, I kinda feel for Louise here, The Jedi are making this entire expedition much slower than I want it to go. While I love the little interactions between Louise and the Jedi, I sorta internally groan when I hear one of them go 'stop' or 'halt' or 'we're detaining you'.
- Location
- Hug the Moebot; Save the world
If it makes you feel any better im sure Louise feels the same way you do.
Chapter 5 -Act II-
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
Chapter 5 – Anything that can go wrong…
Louise raised an eyebrow at the Quarren, halting the fiery serpent she had conjured above her hands. "Could you tell me what's going on?" she asked in reply.
He groaned, rolling his eyes. "I've told you before, I cannot and will not disclose any information until ordered."
"Too bad." Turning back to the illusionary construct, she resumed manipulating it, feeling like a cat as she batted at it, bending the Force to her will as it swam through the air as if we're in water. Eventually, like she had many times before, she willed the construct to split and morph into various different shapes, changing the colour and consistencies of the illusion. Sometimes it would not work leading to the illusion to unravel into nothingness and sometimes it worked, changing to her will. All Louise knew was that practice made perfect and she had plenty of time to practice.
Meanwhile, the Jedi closed his eyes with a long-suffering sigh, leaning on the doorframe of her holding cell, waiting for his shift to end. Louise would have felt sorry for him, but in her current predicament, she couldn't care less.
It had been four standard days since the bombing and four since she was detained by the Republic. Without much prompt, she was escorted to the detention cell while her captors investigated the attack. As it turned out, the room she slept in when she first arrived in the compound was the detention cell. Louise had no idea whether to feel insulted or amused. Nevertheless, she understood the reasoning well enough: Get the Sith out of view while emotions ran high and the civilians were more likely to point fingers and resort to mob justice.
Her issue came when, aside from the interrogation she got when she was first detained, no one else ever visited bringing news of the outside world. That and the only time she was allowed to leave and see the sun was when she needed to relieve herself of bathe. All she could do was sit, twiddle her thumbs and muse about the mysterious darksider to herself and Khem – Who was currently asleep on his bed. As time passed, however, the topic turned stale. She had thought, many a times, to contact her ship and get Toovee to pick her up, but dismissed it. It would have caused far more issues than it was worth.
So now, with nothing better to do other than have her sleep plagued by the Sith Temple and the darksider, she decided to practice Sith Sorcery, creating fiery serpents and other such illusionary constructs to push the limit of her abilities as per Aloysius' command – it also annoyed most of the Jedi who were chosen to guard her, which was a plus. Her guards were generally neutral towards her, but the underlying distrust in their eyes was quite annoying.
Though. She mused darkly. It could have been worse. An execution would have put quite the dampener on my mission.
The Force alerted her before the door hissed open. A Jedi had arrived, and she did not even have to look to know who it was. "Knight Cha," the Jedi greeted, sounding exhausted beyond belief.
"Knight Dorjis, what are you doing here, are you okay?" her Jedi guard questioned in reply.
Quorian groaned as if he heard the question many times already. "I'm fine, I'm just here to speak with Louise."
"Remembered that I exist, did you?" Louise butted in, not turning from her sorcery as she spoke, her annoyance plain as day.
"I'm sorry about that," he sighed. "It's been hectic the last few days."
"I wouldn't know," she continued, finally turning to face Quorian, her illusion dispersing with the loss of concentration. Exhaustion was certainly an understatement; he looked as if he were well on his way to being dead with the only thing keeping him alive being sheer will alone. "I've been stuck here in the dark"
Quorian was quiet, swaying where he stood. Forn opened his mouth to probably express the worry clear in his eyes, but before he could, the tired Jedi took a deep breath. He moved on to the wall, sliding down it until he was sitting on the floor. "Things have…" he paused as if trying to think of a way to properly phrase himself, "not been… well, these last few days." He took another deep breath. "Master Korr is missing."
"What?" Louise honestly had no idea what else to say. Master Korr was missing. The only other Jedi who treated her with any modicum of respect. Not only that, but he was the only Jedi Master on the Demon Moon. This is not going to end well. She noted.
"Not only that, but two other Jedi have gone missing," He shook his head, rubbing his nearly bald head. "eleven casualties have been confirmed from the bombing and a few injured. Worse still, our medical bay was destroyed along with our comms, our ship and our supplies. We're stuck here."
Louise stayed silent, contemplating, her mind a maelstrom of thoughts as she processed what had been revealed. Korr was missing and someone else was defiantly in charge – Who? she did not know, but she doubted it was someone sympathetic to her. Not only that, but people had died with three Jedi missing, bumping it to five in total. The compound was halfway destroyed leaving the place vulnerable to anything, really. It was worrisome, especially should the Republic blame her for it all.
Louise shook her head and focused on the present. There was one more thing she wanted to know about. "What of the darksider?" she asked.
"Yes… the darksider…" Quorian rubbed his eyes, struggling to stay awake. "Well, we have no idea. Aside from relocating the corpse, we've not the time to examine it."
Louise frowned. "Could I see it?"
"Since Master Korr's disappearance, Urik's taken charge," he explained. "I'll have to ask him."
Louise sighed as she went over the newest revelation in her head. It was as if the universe was actively conspiring against her. Yet, despite this, Louise would not be deterred from assisting the Jedi. If they all died, she would be all alone, forced to finish her mission with Khem by her side. Not only that, but it would help change their view on the Sith. So, with that in mind, she replied, "Well, I'll be here. Waiting."
Quorian groaned, pushing himself off the floor, steadying himself against the wall. "I'll be right back," he said, though it was little more than a mumble. With that, he left the room, leaving Louise alone with her sleeping monster and the worried Quarren who seemed just as concerned as she was about the tired Knight.
Roughly ten minutes later, according to the chrono on her datapad, the door opened once again, however, instead of Quorian's face appearing before her, it was Urik's.
He must have sent Quorian off, hopefully to bed. Louise thought to herself.
The last time she had seen the Jedi Knight, he had been calm and collected as he questioned her and Quorian about what transpired before the bombing. After that, he left, never to return until now. He looked horrible. He was not exhausted like their friend but lost. She could not only see it, but he felt much darker in the Force than he had before.
Upon entering, Urik got straight to the point, his voice as hollow as he appeared, "You've requested to see the darksider?"
While taken aback by how pathetic the Jedi looked, Louise did not let it show as she replied. "Yes, if you would allow me. I think I could assist in identifying the corpse."
Urik looked as if he were considering her words, his eyes unblinking as they were locked on hers. "I will allow this… however, I must first ask you two questions."
Unlike her previous conversations with the Jedi, the urge to bite back with sarcasm was nowhere to be found. He just looked so defeated that she felt compelled to humour him. After all, there was not much that could be asked that had not already. "Go ahead."
Taking a deep breath, he asked his first question. "Do you know anything about Master Korr's disappearance or any other of the missing Jedi?"
Louise could practically feel the weight of the words upon her, the pleading in Urik's eyes. "No, I only learned of the disappearance today."
It was like Urik had been punched in the gut, the pain that threatened to overtake him. "This is disheartening," he said.
"What of your second question?" Louise asked.
Urik was quiet, nodding his head absently as he seemed to try and rebuild his composure. After a few moments, he asked, bluntly, "Whose side are you on?"
This time Louise recoiled slightly at the question. "What do you mean?"
"There is a high chance that this darksider may be Sith," he explained, his expression hardening. "If that is so, whose side will you be on?"
Louise paused, understanding how dangerous this meeting would go if she answered in any way he deemed wrong. "If this is the work of a Sith, it might cause some issues." Urik did not look pleased by her response. "But, as the apprentice to a Darth, I might have more political sway should it be the apprentice of or a Lord or lesser Darth. They would be interfering, not I."
"Sith politics are strange," mused the Quarren in its native tongue.
Aside from a passing glance, they paid the Jedi guard no mind. Turning back to each other, Urik took a deep breath before replying, "I guess that's the best I'm going to get." He sounded disappointed yet unsurprised. Rolling his shoulders, his looked around the room, briefly pausing where she knew Khem lay, before returning to her. "I'll take you to the darksider."
Inclining her head, Louise replied, "In a moment, I'll have to inform Khem first."
Spinning on her heel, she moved to where Khem slept and tried to shake her monster awake. It took a few moments, but soon the Dashade roused, his sleepy eyes glaring up at her as he asked in his usual grumpy tone, "What is it?"
"I'm going to inspect the darksider," she said, ignoring his frown. "Stay here and I'll be back in a bit."
Shaking his head, Khem grumbled something about sleep and eating the next person to wake him before returning to his pillow. Shrugging off the oddity that was her Shadow Killer, Louise turned back to the Jedi Knight, who beckoned her to follow.
Aside from her toilet and bathing breaks, she had never really left the confines of the detention cell and as such, she was momentarily surprised by how bad everything looked the deeper they walked. Much had changed in the four days, from the new pile of scrap that was once the collective medical bay, ship and communications, to the buildings that were scarred and even damaged by the explosions. Few were out and about and those that were looked as if they were trying to repair or build something from the scrap. Under the light of the eclipsing planet, all seemed depressing and small.
The duo continued for a bit, walking along the dirt pathways until they arrived at what she assumed was a barrack repurposed as the new medical bay. The layout of the entire building was quite standard – large, long and rectangular with room for beds and other amenities – which allowed it to be easily converted into a makeshift medical bay with a scrap wall separating the morgue from everything else.
As Louise and the Jedi Knight walked through the building, she could see that, while there weren't many injured, those that were looked horrific. Sterilised gauzes covered the burn victims of the attack while others needed primitive stitches to seal cuts and gashes – the worst off were those that needed both. With limited supplies of the miracle liquid, kolto, Louise knew that most of these people would end up horribly scarred by the attack. It was disheartening to see. What was worse were those who noticed her entrance and the suspicious if not outright hostile glares levelled towards her.
Louise tried her best to ignore them.
Soon past the scrap wall, they found themselves at the morgue where the darksider's corpse lay. On the floor and on a few tables, the dead lay with dark sheets pulled over their forms, hiding whatever gory sight one might see under the white artificial lights. Aside from her and Urik, nobody else was in the room. She could smell the decomposition, but there was another smell lingering in the room she could not place.
"Do with it what you will," the Jedi said, gesturing to one of the cadavers that sat further away from the rest.
Louise nodded in reply, walking over to the covered body. She attempted to pull the sheet from its form but found that the sheet was stuck to it, it also seemed crusty in some places. Using the Force, she pinned the body down and with her other hand, she tore the sheet free, only to regret it moments later.
Under the bright lights of the barracks, the disgusting sight of the beheaded darksider was free for all to see. The fungal description she had given it all those days ago continued to fit quite well. The growths was not armour as she previously believed, but organic cancerous growths. What once were human features were twisted and disfigured with these strange growths jutting painfully from various points around its body. Its mouth was little more than a slit in the hard chitinous shelf that covered most of its head and then some, its eyes nothing but small holes. Not only that, but it seemed… bigger than it was four days before.
Aside from the strange bodily growths, she noticed signs of tattered clothes and bits of armour underneath, the strange growths growing over and melding to the materials. Unfortunately, the clothes were far too old and ragged for any identification, and from what she could see, the armour was little more than rusted plates of metal.
Louise could not help but breath a slight sigh of relief, however, that still left her with the enigma that was the strange darksider. From its armour to its appearance, she recognised nothing about it, aside, of course, its– wait…
Slowly, Louise moved closer to the corpse, stretching her feeling out in the Force, poking and prodding with her senses. There was something strange, something familiar about the cadaver. Pulling back, she snapped towards Urik who had been quietly watching, arms crossed, with indifference.
"Have you discovered its identity?" he asked, his fingers beginning to drum against his arm as we waited.
Louise shook her head. "I'm going to need some gloves and a saw of some kind."
Indifference was soon replaced with confusion as he asked, "Why would you need gloves, you have your own, and why a saw?"
"It could be infectious, and I'd much rather not burn my clothes. As for the rest, I have a theory about what this thing could be," she explained. "I hope I'm wrong, but I need to cut it open to check." She could practically see the questions on the Jedi's tongue as she spoke, but they were apparently unimportant as Urik turned and left the room with a murmur of 'one minute'.
When he returned, Louise had finished setting up the room for her needs, repositioning the table the creature rested on under one of the bright lights and acquiring a nearby wheeled table with a long shallow tray to hold all the messiness that was to come. Urik, for his part, managed to salvage a pair of navy polymer gloves and what looked to be an electric surgical saw.
With a thank you, Louise took the gloves, replacing her own with them, then took the saw and moved towards the corpse. Taking a second to roll up her sleeves, she turned on the saw and began cutting into the darksider's chest.
As she did this, she could feel the incredulous stare of the Jedi Knight burning into her back. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Urik asked while she worked.
Louise had absolutely no idea what she was doing.
Aside from spilling entrails and cutting open the skull of a mutated Tuk'ata, she was completely new to the idea of dissection. However, one thing she did know from her studies, though not proficiently, was biology. Anatomy, microbiology and cytology, from genetics to physiology, she tried reading up on everything relating to how living creatures worked and what they were made up of – Yet even then, she knew she had not even scratched the surface of her studies. Nevertheless, all she knew she needed were the illuminating journals written by the enthusiastic Sith scientist, Lord Renning.
"Un moment," she muttered, focusing on getting this right. If Renning was correct, and she desperately hoped he was, there were obvious signs to discern the origin of the darksider, if only one looked inside.
Cutting through the torso was a simple task made difficult at points. The growths needed to be shaved off before she could get to the body proper which took time and effort, but it all paid off. Soon, the skin was peeled back with liberal use of the Force, revealing the sicking sight of the ribcage and organs. Fortunately, it seemed the creature did not bleed, but blood would have been a welcome sight compared to what she was seeing. The growths were not simply limited to the outside of whoever this once was, but seemed to have originated from the creatures very core. Unlike the usual red or at least pink one would expect to see when opening up a corpse, the organs were an ashen grey with misshapen deformities aplenty. The heart was at least double the size of a normal human with strange spindly root-like tentacles sprouting from it, whereas the digestion track was nothing but shrivelled up tubes.
The sound of disgust filled the air, gaging from behind her. Louise could not blame him. Even she could feel bile rising to the back of her throat. She continued regardless, loathed as she was to do so.
Returning the saw to the body, she began cutting through the ribs one at a time. While bone was certainly tougher than flesh, it was far easier to deal with, and soon enough, she was able to remove the ribcage with only a bit of resistance. Once that was out of the way, she summoned her dagger to hand, and with the razor-sharp blade, she carved out the various organs for closer inspection.
Upon removing the heart, lungs, kidneys, and various other bits and placing them on a nearby table, she moved onto removing the final piece: the brain.
Unlike carving the chest, the chitinous shell was far harder and in far more abundance, requiring Louise to shave off chunk after chunk of the organic armour with the saw. However, this did not deter her. In roughly ten minutes, the brain was out, sitting with the other organs.
Looking over the selection, her grimace deepened. Most of the organs were in similar condition to the intestines, shrivelled husks, whereas the lungs, heart and brain seemed by far relatively 'healty' despite the deformations. The brain also had similar rootlike tendrils that seemed to grow from its centre, just like the heart, which caused further issues when she tried removing it. Arbitrarily, she decided to inspect the brain first to see if she could learn anything.
Levitating the clump of grey matter with the Force, she brought it close, once again stretching out her senses to investigate the brain and almost immediately she noticed. The creature was nothing natural. It was not born as such, it was not infected by some pathogen or mutagen transforming it into such – It was twisted by Alchemy. Examining the other organs, she found that they all shared a common trait. She could feel the Dark Side, not lingering like the snow in the early days of spring, but emanating from the very tissue, the cells that made it.
"Merde!" she swore, dropping the heart onto the table with the rest of the organs.
"What is it?" Urik asked, stepping closer to Louise. "Do you know who or what did this?"
Louise nodded her head, a frown creasing her lips. "Yes, I think so, but I'm not sure how it would help."
"What do you mean?" he pressed further.
Shaking her head and hoping it would not backfire, she told him what she knew. "This creature is sithspawn, a creature twisted by Alchemy."
"So, the Sith are at fault."
"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I doubt this was the act of the Sith Empire. This creature seems far too… sloppy compared to the sithspawn I've seen and fought." Louise paused, thinking over the history briefing she read en route to Dxun, trying to come up with a reason to back up her claim. "Freedon Nadd was trained by Naga Sadow and had acquired quite a few pieces of Dark Side lore, for all we know this could have been a creation of his, or one of his Naddists."
Urik hummed, musing, "Didn't Exar Kun also travel here during the Sith War?"
"Exar Kun is no Sith," she corrected, before confirming, "but you are correct."
"Could there be more of these?" he asked.
"Possibly," she said, beginning to remove the dirtied gloves from her hands, placing them on the table with the organs. "I doubt the creator of these things only had one test subject to work on. A few of them could have been working in tandem during the attack."
Sighing, Urik rubbed his face tiredly. "We need to get those comms repaired."
Louise nodded her head slowly in agreement. Without communications, the sithspawn could pick them off without the Republic or Jedi at large knowing until it was much too late. "I'll see what I-" she cut her sentence off, an epiphany striking like lightning in her head. "My ship. We could use my ship."
"Your ship?" Urik echoed, looking at Louise strangely for a moment before blowing up in outrage. "Why haven't you brought this up before!?"
Recoiling, Louise quickly defended herself. "I was stuck in a detention cell for four days!"
The Jedi looked to say something but hesitated. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. "It doesn't matter now," he said. "What matters is getting to your ship. Do you have anyone, a droid perhaps, you could hail?"
"Yes, just give me a second," she said, pulling free her holocommunicator from her belt before dialling her ship – The holocomm beeping methodically as they waited for Toovee to respond. Time passed and soon the beeping came to an abrupt end, intoned with a sound reminiscent of the alarm back on Elu. "What?" Louise stared at the holocommunicator confused. This had never happened before.
Dialling up her ship once more, she waited for Toovee to pick up, her eyes flickering over to Urik who's face was bereft of emotion. The dial tone once again played, each beep deepening a pit forming in her gut. Once again, the dial tone died with the grating alarm sound, sparking the lights of anger and irritation within her. "Come on, come on!" she growled, dialling the ship once again, only to get the same response. "Damn it to Chaos! They must have destroyed my ship," she shouted, the urge to try and crush her holocomm out of frustration passing through her before she managed to get control of her frustration.
"No." Urik shook his head. "Had you ship been destroyed; the call would have never gone through. Nobody's there to answer your calls."
Knowing the Jedi was probably right, she tried calling once more. "Come on, Toovee! Answer or I'll turn you to scrap!" but once again, it ended with the grating alarm sound.
But before Louise could start pulling her hair out of frustration, Urik butt in. "How far away is your ship?"
Sighing, Louise tried to calm herself, putting away her holocomm before she decided to throw it at a wall. "A few kilometres, in the old Mandalorian outpost from the Dark Wars. You want to send a party out?"
Urik nodded. "You'll be coming with, of course," he said, crossing his arms. "If we can get to your ship, we can get to Onderon and help."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Louise asked.
"It's far too late," he replied with a shake of his head. "The jungle is dangerous at night, so it'd be better if waited until tomorrow."
Louise could understand his concern. Dxun was dangerous enough as it was and adding on the darkness of night would just make it easier to end up in the maws of cannoks or drexls.
So, with this, Louise spent the last few hours of the day working around the compound. The day passed quickly as she helped, however, without much skill with the mechanical or medical arts, she found herself relegated to simple tasks, helping lift heavy loads with the Force or assisting actual trained medical personnel. It was interesting to see the medics work, and while she could not learn much from the short time and lack of many practical things to do aside from making sure that the injured wounds were clean, she enjoyed it.
Soon, night fell, and Louise returned to the detention cell with Khem – without a Jedi guard – ready to get a good night sleep so they could head out in the morning. But before sleep could find her, the familiar hiss of a door opening alerted her to a midnight visitor.
Her hand was only halfway to her dagger hidden under her pillow before she stopped, recognising who the visitor was.
"Quorian?" she called, pulling herself into a sitting position on her bed, her hand under her pillow just in case.
In the nigh-pitch black room, the Jedi looked nothing more than a shadowy figure, barely visible against the walls, his silhouette moving and oscillating slightly as her eyes struggled to see him. "Uh, sorry, did I disturb you?"
The desire to send the Jedi away so she could sleep was strong, but Quorian was her friend so she instead asked, "What's wrong? Having trouble sleeping?"
Quorian did not answer for a time, the only sounds in the room being Khem Val's snoring. Eventually, he seemed to gain the courage to speak. "I… Louise, I wanted to speak to you about something."
Pulling herself further out of bed, she snapped her fingers softly, bathing the room in a dim warm glow as a small flame danced centimetres above her palm. Both the Jedi and Sith found themselves briefly blinded by the sudden light, but quickly their eyes adjusted. Quorian, while looking much better than he was the day before, still seemed haggard and tired as he stared at the flame with a small amount of appreciation. Louise hoped his appearance was just because he probably awoke recently, but it still worried her.
"What did you want to talk about," she asked, drawing his attention away from the flame and on to her.
"Um... I'm not sure how to say this…" he said. "Uh, you won't tell Urik or anyone about this?"
Louise blinked at his caution, her sleepy mind jumping around trying to figure out what he wanted to talk about. But nothing could come to mind at this point, though this only served to bring suspicion to her mind. "No… I don't have any reason to tell them anything."
"Thank you," Quorian replied earnestly.
"So… what is this about?" she asked, trying to hide the suspiciousness from her voice.
"I… uh… I'm not sure if you'll understand," he mumbled. "I'm having problems sleeping."
"I can see that," Louise said patiently.
"I hear whispers." In an instant, a cold pit formed in her gut. "Ever since arriving on Dxun, I could hear it whispering in my ear."
"Whispers?" she asked tentatively.
"The Dark Side," he said gravely. "I… I can hear it whispering in my ear whenever I'm trying to sleep. It's… It's just like on Korriban."
Louise had no idea what to think of this. The Dark Side was just the Dark Side to her, nothing evil or vile, but she knew Quorian did not think that way. So, she pressed on asking. "What do you mean?"
"You know what happened to me on Korriban, how they drugged me," he explained, sitting himself down on the floor, "how I was barely lucid at times. When I went back to Tython for healing, I'd have these strange surreal dreams. The mind healers just thought it was the after effects of being on Korriban too long… as time passed, the dreams became less common, but now on Dxun?'
"The Jedi council were so close to not letting me go on this mission, said it was too dangerous for my health," he continued staring off into nothingness, "but I picked up quite a few things from Korriban, so I was qualified. When I arrived on Dxun, I could immediately feel the Dark Side; it wasn't like Korriban, but close. I'd still have the occasional dream, but when the attack came… every day I've tried to get some sleep but the whispers… the dreams. I can't."
"Do the other Jedi know of this?" she asked, thinking over what he had said.
"No, not at the moment," he replied.
"I'm not sure what to say," Louise said, and she honestly did not. "I've never heard anything like this."
Quorian became quiet for a time, and just when Louise began to think he was hearing whatever Dark Side whisperings he was plagued with, he spoke again, "How… how do you handle the Dark Side?" he asked, his brow creasing as if he were trying to figure it out as he spoke. "Like, how do you use it? How does it feel when you do?"
Louise opened her mouth, then closed it quickly. "I've never really thought about it before," she said. "The Dark Side has been the only 'side' for me. It's been with me since I was a slave and it's been in my blood for thousands of years. It's just… natural to me, I guess."
"The Jedi Council would disagree with you there," he muttered.
"I don't really care what they think of me as long as they're not actively trying to kill me," Louise said shaking her head. "I'm sorry I couldn't help." And she meant it. While she had no qualms about the Dark Side, she had heard the tales of Jedi who 'fell' to the Dark Side, and those Jedi who 'fell' usually fell hard.
"You might've," he sighed. "I've got to go, don't want anyone noticing the Jedi sneaking into the Sith's bedroom at night." At that, he quirked a slight smirk.
Louise smiled in return. "They'd probably think I was seducing you to the Dark Side," she joked.
"Would it be enough to wake the Emperor?"
Louise could not properly articulate her outrage at such a crass comment, one she never expected from a member of such a chaste Order as the Jedi, because she was currently choking on her own breath. Consequently, the fire she used to light up the room died. When she finally recovered from her choking fit and relit the flame, she could not help but gape at the Jedi before her. "I never thought I'd hear that from a Jedi," she said with pink-hued cheeks.
Quorian smiled at her outrage. "Well, if there's one thing I learned during my time on Korriban, it's vulgarity, swears and how oddly attractive some Sith are," he said, looking quite thoughtful as he spoke.
"Yeah.," Louise said breathlessly, thinking of one Sith in particular.
Sighing, Quorian said his goodbye's once more, leaving through the door he came. Once the door hissed closed, Louise dismissed the flame and went back to her bed, covering herself with her sheets. Just as she laid her head down to get some sleep, she heard the gruff voice of Khem speak to her. "You're very oblivious, aren't you, pink Sith?"
Surprised, Louise asked, "You were awake?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Oh. Sorry for waking you," She said apologetically, only to realise what Khem had actually said a moment later. "What do you mean, oblivious!?"
Her only response was what passed for a sigh from the Dashade. When no other reply came, Louise grumbled to herself about Khem and Jedi before trying to get to sleep. Like the nights before, her dreams were plagued by the Sith Temple, but instead of the dilapidated mess it was today, it looked freshly built, its walls unblemished and the carvings as clear as day.
The dream would always be the same, her walking down the halls of the Temple, following the sounds of someone calling for her, deeper and deeper into the dark abyss that was the bowls of the temple. And then, when she had reached the end of her journey, just before a great stone door, she would just wake up.
The first thing she noticed upon re-joining the land of the waking, was the sound of someone knocking on her door.
Khem was already halfway there to answering, so Louise allowed herself to enjoy the comforts of her bed for a few moments more. It was pleasant. And then, though surprised he may be at who opened the door, Urik entered looking far better than he did the day before. "Uh… Louise? Are you ready? We've got to go."
Louise could hear the anxiousness in his voice, the urge to get to her ship as quickly as possible. "Ugh, fine!" she said tiredly, pulling herself up from her pillow. "Just give me a few moments and we can go."
Urik nodded, spared a glance to Khem, then left.
Sighing, Louise pulled herself from her bed and began to get ready for the day. It was roughly twenty or so minutes before she deemed herself ready, including the brushing of her hair, cleaning of mouth and other such cleanliness activities in spite of the poor supplies.
Soon, Louise joined Urik who waited patiently near the makeshift medical bay, where three other beings; Nola the Togruta Jedi, and two Republic soldiers, donned in their white and red full-body armour wielding their blasters.
"So, the Sith finally decided to show up," Nola called upon noticing Louise.
"Nola," Urik said warningly.
"What?" she asked looking slightly confused by Urik's chastisement.
Louise ignored the girl and just focused on the two others in the group. "Who are these two?"
"I am Sargent Monsi," said one, a distinctive male voice coming from the one on the right, their armours making It difficult to tell the difference. "And this is Trooper Jensun of the Republic Military, Sith." he continued gesturing to his cohort, who only nodded in acknowledgment.
"A pleasure to meet you," Louise said diplomatically before briefly looking around the compound. "So… where's Quorian?" she asked.
"He said it would be better to stay," Urik explained. "Come on, enough stalling, let's go get your ship," As he said this, he began walking towards the only entrance into the compound there was, determined. Nola quickly joined Urik's side with the Republic soldiers behind her. This left Louise and Khem to lag behind somewhat. Fortunately, she was not the only one who knew where they were going, at least somewhat; Urik knew exactly where he met Louise and so, she deferred his leadership.
Louise followed with Khem by her side, but she did not stand as close to Urik as she would have liked, if only because any time she tried to move closer, Nola would glare at her.
Soon, they eventually entered the jungle proper, the undergrowth brushing against their legs as they pushed forwards. Thankfully, the sky was clear from clouds, allowing a good view of Prael, Onderon's sun.
It was roughly thirty or so minutes into their walk when Louise began to feel paranoia grip her gut. Every so often, her eyes would dart around, snapping to any sign of movement. If they were correct and there were more of the strange sithspawn, it would not end well. Deciding not to endanger the party by keeping this to herself, she called out to the group. "Does anyone feel like their being watched?"
"Yeah," muttered Urik, his eyes darting around. Nola, too, was looking around, following where he was looking almost instinctively. She knew what they were looking at, or at least trying to look at. She could sense it too; the jungle was brimming with life and she could sense it all, especially whatever it was lurking outside her vision.
"Predators," Khem said, his hands reaching up for his Sith sword, unsheathing it in one fluid motion. "They're hunting us."
"What did the monster say?" asked Nola, agitation rolling off her in waves.
The urge to snap back was strong, but she ignored it and instead translating, valuing her life over a petty grudge. "Khem Val said that we're being hunted by predators."
"Everyone, be on guard," Urik ordered, taking Khem's warning seriously, his hands hanging gripping the lightsaber that hung from his belt.
The Republic soldiers, as well as the two other Force-sensitives, followed suit, their hands resting on their weapons, ready to whip them out at a moment's notice. But nonetheless, they continued through the dense undergrowth, eyes ever watchful as their mind filled their heads with fear – Khem exempt.
The sound of flapping wings heralded something massive, and Louise only had a split second to react before a massive purple mass smashed into the path ahead of them. Everyone stopped, their weapons torn from their holsters and belts, lightsabers ignited, all aimed towards the massive mass before them.
Slowly, the creature unfurled, two massive leathery wings expanding out, revealing a head that looked like the unholy offspring of a bird and some form of spider. Spikes jutted out along its spine, down a long and powerful looking tail that reminded her of a manticores spike upon its tip that swayed like slightly as the creature looked down on them with four pitch-black eyes.
Louise had no idea what they were going to do. The creature was far bigger than a terentatek, its height nearly reaching the canopy of the tall jungle trees that surround them. She knew what the creature was, having read about them when researching about Dxun, but seeing one in person, it was like seeing an adult dragon for the first time.
"That's a big drexl," one of the Republic men muttered unhelpfully beside her.
However, the most interesting thing about this was that the creature had not attacked yet, it just stood, staring at them, at her, with is alien black eyes.
It reared its head back, and for a second, Louise was under the assumption that it somehow learned to breathe fire, but instead of fire burst from its strange maw, an ungodly screech tore from its mouth. All she and her companions could do was quickly throw their hands to their ears in a feeble attempt to stop the sound from defining them. Eventually the screech stopped, yet the ringing in their ears did not subside, nevertheless, they managed to recover enough to raise their weapons in defence once again. Already, Louise's mind was working to figure out how to dispose of the obstruction, only for planning to be cut short in shock.
Before her, standing side by side with the drexl, was a veritable army. She could not even count how many of Dxun's monsters she could see before her, seemingly materialising out of thin air. From cannoks to zakkegs, these monsters stood snapping and snarling at the small party.
It was almost like every creature from Dxun had arrived just to block their path. It was unreal… unnatural. It was just like the pack of cannoks five-six days ago. Stretching out her feelings, she found it was exactly like it was five-six days ago. All the creatures were touched by the Dark Side.
And suddenly, Louise knew that if they stayed here, they would die.
Quickly, Louise grabbed the shoulder of the closest person to her, drawing the attention of the Republic soldier, before shouting "Run!" at the top of her lungs.
Whether by reading her lips or for some other reason, the Republic soldier did not need telling twice and quickly grabbed his squad mate, pulling him back as he retreated. The Jedi and Khem looked at her, their eyes snapping between the fleeing Republic men and her. "Go!" she shouted, pointing towards the soldiers.
They understood and obeyed, no questions asked, not that she would be able to hear with the ringing in her ears. Using her fear and pain, she called upon the Dark Side of the Force, summoning what strength she had, and flung it forth, summoning a massive wall of fire. Some creatures recoiled in fear, the Dark Side losing its hold on them for a moment, but it was all she needed to quickly high-tail it out of there, following the path left behind by the rest of her group.
As she ran, she hurled her lightsaber at the nearby trees, using the Force to guide it, cutting through the wooden trunks and letting them fall behind her, acting as a distraction for any perusing beasts.
They continued running and running, and eventually, they could run no more, or at least Republic soldiers couldn't. Underneath their helmets, their breaths were haggard, as if they were struggling to gulp down as much air as they could. One even removed his helm, revealing the features of what looked to be a brown coated cathar – a race humanoids with strong cat-like features. "Is everyone okay?" she asked the gathered group.
"Karking… hell! What was that!?" cried Urik, his breathing a little less laboured than the Force-Blind.
Louise had no idea, but she certainly knew that whatever it was, it must tie into the strange sithspawn. Looking back, she stretched out her senses, trying to see if they were followed or not. When she noticed nothing but the presence of trees in their vicinity, Louise frowned in confusion. The last pack of Dark Side addled creatures attacked them relentlessly, but these ones seemed content to scare them off.
"Guys… is that smoke?" one of the Republic men asked, his voice clear in her ears despite the ringing, as he looked off above the tree-line.
"What are you-" Following his gaze, Louise could feel jaw drop at the sight of the smokestacks that wafted up into the air, twisted by wind as it rose. "Oh, merde!"
"Kark!" Urik shouted, his skin unhealthily pale. "The compound! They're in danger!"
"We can't run anymore!" one of the Republic men cried, his breathing still dangerously laborious.
Growling, Louise threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, for the love of the Emperor!" she shouted, tightening her grip on her lightsaber before pointing at her Shadow Killer. "Khem, pick him up." She gestured to the heavier looking Republic soldier. "I'll carry this one."
"What ar-" said Jensun, or was it Monsi? Louise did not care at this point in time and instead used her rune enhanced strength to lift the guy up, bridal style. "Oi, put me down!"
"We don't have time for this," she snarled at the man as Khem dealt with his own soldier. "Let's go!"
Calling upon all the speed the Force would allow, Louise, raced through the forest, followed closely behind by her companions. They sped over the jungle floor, trees passing like blurs as darted left and right, heading in the general direction of the smokestack.
Yet, despite the Force augmenting their speed, they were still too late.
The compound was practically ablaze. Buildings, already damaged from five nights before, now lay in ruin, a few corpses of the Republic workers lay strewn around, some killed by beasts, others murdered by way of lightsaber. Everyone looked around, trying to find any survivors, but all they found were butchered men and women, though the Jedi were conspicuously missing. Even Quorian, her friend, was gone without a trace.
No.
Her dream came to her, replaying in her head with crystal clarity as if she were living it for only a few moments. Walking through the temple she went, her hand brushing across the carvings upon the walls, of beasts tearing each other apart as caricatures fought with swords or lightsabers. She could hear the voice calling to her, but there was more to that now. She could feel the Darkness encroaching in on her, like the presence she felt when she first entered the tomb. So like the Dark Side it was, yet different.
Louise nearly collapsed from the weight of the vision, gasping for air.
The Temple was the key to all of this.
Whatever was going on, the Temple would have answers.
Hopefully the next one will be out sooner.
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"Could you please stop that?" asked the incensed Forn Cha, her Jedi guard, as he rubbed his temples to stave off a peculiarly painful headache.Louise raised an eyebrow at the Quarren, halting the fiery serpent she had conjured above her hands. "Could you tell me what's going on?" she asked in reply.
He groaned, rolling his eyes. "I've told you before, I cannot and will not disclose any information until ordered."
"Too bad." Turning back to the illusionary construct, she resumed manipulating it, feeling like a cat as she batted at it, bending the Force to her will as it swam through the air as if we're in water. Eventually, like she had many times before, she willed the construct to split and morph into various different shapes, changing the colour and consistencies of the illusion. Sometimes it would not work leading to the illusion to unravel into nothingness and sometimes it worked, changing to her will. All Louise knew was that practice made perfect and she had plenty of time to practice.
Meanwhile, the Jedi closed his eyes with a long-suffering sigh, leaning on the doorframe of her holding cell, waiting for his shift to end. Louise would have felt sorry for him, but in her current predicament, she couldn't care less.
It had been four standard days since the bombing and four since she was detained by the Republic. Without much prompt, she was escorted to the detention cell while her captors investigated the attack. As it turned out, the room she slept in when she first arrived in the compound was the detention cell. Louise had no idea whether to feel insulted or amused. Nevertheless, she understood the reasoning well enough: Get the Sith out of view while emotions ran high and the civilians were more likely to point fingers and resort to mob justice.
Her issue came when, aside from the interrogation she got when she was first detained, no one else ever visited bringing news of the outside world. That and the only time she was allowed to leave and see the sun was when she needed to relieve herself of bathe. All she could do was sit, twiddle her thumbs and muse about the mysterious darksider to herself and Khem – Who was currently asleep on his bed. As time passed, however, the topic turned stale. She had thought, many a times, to contact her ship and get Toovee to pick her up, but dismissed it. It would have caused far more issues than it was worth.
So now, with nothing better to do other than have her sleep plagued by the Sith Temple and the darksider, she decided to practice Sith Sorcery, creating fiery serpents and other such illusionary constructs to push the limit of her abilities as per Aloysius' command – it also annoyed most of the Jedi who were chosen to guard her, which was a plus. Her guards were generally neutral towards her, but the underlying distrust in their eyes was quite annoying.
Though. She mused darkly. It could have been worse. An execution would have put quite the dampener on my mission.
The Force alerted her before the door hissed open. A Jedi had arrived, and she did not even have to look to know who it was. "Knight Cha," the Jedi greeted, sounding exhausted beyond belief.
"Knight Dorjis, what are you doing here, are you okay?" her Jedi guard questioned in reply.
Quorian groaned as if he heard the question many times already. "I'm fine, I'm just here to speak with Louise."
"Remembered that I exist, did you?" Louise butted in, not turning from her sorcery as she spoke, her annoyance plain as day.
"I'm sorry about that," he sighed. "It's been hectic the last few days."
"I wouldn't know," she continued, finally turning to face Quorian, her illusion dispersing with the loss of concentration. Exhaustion was certainly an understatement; he looked as if he were well on his way to being dead with the only thing keeping him alive being sheer will alone. "I've been stuck here in the dark"
Quorian was quiet, swaying where he stood. Forn opened his mouth to probably express the worry clear in his eyes, but before he could, the tired Jedi took a deep breath. He moved on to the wall, sliding down it until he was sitting on the floor. "Things have…" he paused as if trying to think of a way to properly phrase himself, "not been… well, these last few days." He took another deep breath. "Master Korr is missing."
"What?" Louise honestly had no idea what else to say. Master Korr was missing. The only other Jedi who treated her with any modicum of respect. Not only that, but he was the only Jedi Master on the Demon Moon. This is not going to end well. She noted.
"Not only that, but two other Jedi have gone missing," He shook his head, rubbing his nearly bald head. "eleven casualties have been confirmed from the bombing and a few injured. Worse still, our medical bay was destroyed along with our comms, our ship and our supplies. We're stuck here."
Louise stayed silent, contemplating, her mind a maelstrom of thoughts as she processed what had been revealed. Korr was missing and someone else was defiantly in charge – Who? she did not know, but she doubted it was someone sympathetic to her. Not only that, but people had died with three Jedi missing, bumping it to five in total. The compound was halfway destroyed leaving the place vulnerable to anything, really. It was worrisome, especially should the Republic blame her for it all.
Louise shook her head and focused on the present. There was one more thing she wanted to know about. "What of the darksider?" she asked.
"Yes… the darksider…" Quorian rubbed his eyes, struggling to stay awake. "Well, we have no idea. Aside from relocating the corpse, we've not the time to examine it."
Louise frowned. "Could I see it?"
"Since Master Korr's disappearance, Urik's taken charge," he explained. "I'll have to ask him."
Louise sighed as she went over the newest revelation in her head. It was as if the universe was actively conspiring against her. Yet, despite this, Louise would not be deterred from assisting the Jedi. If they all died, she would be all alone, forced to finish her mission with Khem by her side. Not only that, but it would help change their view on the Sith. So, with that in mind, she replied, "Well, I'll be here. Waiting."
Quorian groaned, pushing himself off the floor, steadying himself against the wall. "I'll be right back," he said, though it was little more than a mumble. With that, he left the room, leaving Louise alone with her sleeping monster and the worried Quarren who seemed just as concerned as she was about the tired Knight.
Roughly ten minutes later, according to the chrono on her datapad, the door opened once again, however, instead of Quorian's face appearing before her, it was Urik's.
He must have sent Quorian off, hopefully to bed. Louise thought to herself.
The last time she had seen the Jedi Knight, he had been calm and collected as he questioned her and Quorian about what transpired before the bombing. After that, he left, never to return until now. He looked horrible. He was not exhausted like their friend but lost. She could not only see it, but he felt much darker in the Force than he had before.
Upon entering, Urik got straight to the point, his voice as hollow as he appeared, "You've requested to see the darksider?"
While taken aback by how pathetic the Jedi looked, Louise did not let it show as she replied. "Yes, if you would allow me. I think I could assist in identifying the corpse."
Urik looked as if he were considering her words, his eyes unblinking as they were locked on hers. "I will allow this… however, I must first ask you two questions."
Unlike her previous conversations with the Jedi, the urge to bite back with sarcasm was nowhere to be found. He just looked so defeated that she felt compelled to humour him. After all, there was not much that could be asked that had not already. "Go ahead."
Taking a deep breath, he asked his first question. "Do you know anything about Master Korr's disappearance or any other of the missing Jedi?"
Louise could practically feel the weight of the words upon her, the pleading in Urik's eyes. "No, I only learned of the disappearance today."
It was like Urik had been punched in the gut, the pain that threatened to overtake him. "This is disheartening," he said.
"What of your second question?" Louise asked.
Urik was quiet, nodding his head absently as he seemed to try and rebuild his composure. After a few moments, he asked, bluntly, "Whose side are you on?"
This time Louise recoiled slightly at the question. "What do you mean?"
"There is a high chance that this darksider may be Sith," he explained, his expression hardening. "If that is so, whose side will you be on?"
Louise paused, understanding how dangerous this meeting would go if she answered in any way he deemed wrong. "If this is the work of a Sith, it might cause some issues." Urik did not look pleased by her response. "But, as the apprentice to a Darth, I might have more political sway should it be the apprentice of or a Lord or lesser Darth. They would be interfering, not I."
"Sith politics are strange," mused the Quarren in its native tongue.
Aside from a passing glance, they paid the Jedi guard no mind. Turning back to each other, Urik took a deep breath before replying, "I guess that's the best I'm going to get." He sounded disappointed yet unsurprised. Rolling his shoulders, his looked around the room, briefly pausing where she knew Khem lay, before returning to her. "I'll take you to the darksider."
Inclining her head, Louise replied, "In a moment, I'll have to inform Khem first."
Spinning on her heel, she moved to where Khem slept and tried to shake her monster awake. It took a few moments, but soon the Dashade roused, his sleepy eyes glaring up at her as he asked in his usual grumpy tone, "What is it?"
"I'm going to inspect the darksider," she said, ignoring his frown. "Stay here and I'll be back in a bit."
Shaking his head, Khem grumbled something about sleep and eating the next person to wake him before returning to his pillow. Shrugging off the oddity that was her Shadow Killer, Louise turned back to the Jedi Knight, who beckoned her to follow.
Aside from her toilet and bathing breaks, she had never really left the confines of the detention cell and as such, she was momentarily surprised by how bad everything looked the deeper they walked. Much had changed in the four days, from the new pile of scrap that was once the collective medical bay, ship and communications, to the buildings that were scarred and even damaged by the explosions. Few were out and about and those that were looked as if they were trying to repair or build something from the scrap. Under the light of the eclipsing planet, all seemed depressing and small.
The duo continued for a bit, walking along the dirt pathways until they arrived at what she assumed was a barrack repurposed as the new medical bay. The layout of the entire building was quite standard – large, long and rectangular with room for beds and other amenities – which allowed it to be easily converted into a makeshift medical bay with a scrap wall separating the morgue from everything else.
As Louise and the Jedi Knight walked through the building, she could see that, while there weren't many injured, those that were looked horrific. Sterilised gauzes covered the burn victims of the attack while others needed primitive stitches to seal cuts and gashes – the worst off were those that needed both. With limited supplies of the miracle liquid, kolto, Louise knew that most of these people would end up horribly scarred by the attack. It was disheartening to see. What was worse were those who noticed her entrance and the suspicious if not outright hostile glares levelled towards her.
Louise tried her best to ignore them.
Soon past the scrap wall, they found themselves at the morgue where the darksider's corpse lay. On the floor and on a few tables, the dead lay with dark sheets pulled over their forms, hiding whatever gory sight one might see under the white artificial lights. Aside from her and Urik, nobody else was in the room. She could smell the decomposition, but there was another smell lingering in the room she could not place.
"Do with it what you will," the Jedi said, gesturing to one of the cadavers that sat further away from the rest.
Louise nodded in reply, walking over to the covered body. She attempted to pull the sheet from its form but found that the sheet was stuck to it, it also seemed crusty in some places. Using the Force, she pinned the body down and with her other hand, she tore the sheet free, only to regret it moments later.
Under the bright lights of the barracks, the disgusting sight of the beheaded darksider was free for all to see. The fungal description she had given it all those days ago continued to fit quite well. The growths was not armour as she previously believed, but organic cancerous growths. What once were human features were twisted and disfigured with these strange growths jutting painfully from various points around its body. Its mouth was little more than a slit in the hard chitinous shelf that covered most of its head and then some, its eyes nothing but small holes. Not only that, but it seemed… bigger than it was four days before.
Aside from the strange bodily growths, she noticed signs of tattered clothes and bits of armour underneath, the strange growths growing over and melding to the materials. Unfortunately, the clothes were far too old and ragged for any identification, and from what she could see, the armour was little more than rusted plates of metal.
Louise could not help but breath a slight sigh of relief, however, that still left her with the enigma that was the strange darksider. From its armour to its appearance, she recognised nothing about it, aside, of course, its– wait…
Slowly, Louise moved closer to the corpse, stretching her feeling out in the Force, poking and prodding with her senses. There was something strange, something familiar about the cadaver. Pulling back, she snapped towards Urik who had been quietly watching, arms crossed, with indifference.
"Have you discovered its identity?" he asked, his fingers beginning to drum against his arm as we waited.
Louise shook her head. "I'm going to need some gloves and a saw of some kind."
Indifference was soon replaced with confusion as he asked, "Why would you need gloves, you have your own, and why a saw?"
"It could be infectious, and I'd much rather not burn my clothes. As for the rest, I have a theory about what this thing could be," she explained. "I hope I'm wrong, but I need to cut it open to check." She could practically see the questions on the Jedi's tongue as she spoke, but they were apparently unimportant as Urik turned and left the room with a murmur of 'one minute'.
When he returned, Louise had finished setting up the room for her needs, repositioning the table the creature rested on under one of the bright lights and acquiring a nearby wheeled table with a long shallow tray to hold all the messiness that was to come. Urik, for his part, managed to salvage a pair of navy polymer gloves and what looked to be an electric surgical saw.
With a thank you, Louise took the gloves, replacing her own with them, then took the saw and moved towards the corpse. Taking a second to roll up her sleeves, she turned on the saw and began cutting into the darksider's chest.
As she did this, she could feel the incredulous stare of the Jedi Knight burning into her back. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Urik asked while she worked.
Louise had absolutely no idea what she was doing.
Aside from spilling entrails and cutting open the skull of a mutated Tuk'ata, she was completely new to the idea of dissection. However, one thing she did know from her studies, though not proficiently, was biology. Anatomy, microbiology and cytology, from genetics to physiology, she tried reading up on everything relating to how living creatures worked and what they were made up of – Yet even then, she knew she had not even scratched the surface of her studies. Nevertheless, all she knew she needed were the illuminating journals written by the enthusiastic Sith scientist, Lord Renning.
"Un moment," she muttered, focusing on getting this right. If Renning was correct, and she desperately hoped he was, there were obvious signs to discern the origin of the darksider, if only one looked inside.
Cutting through the torso was a simple task made difficult at points. The growths needed to be shaved off before she could get to the body proper which took time and effort, but it all paid off. Soon, the skin was peeled back with liberal use of the Force, revealing the sicking sight of the ribcage and organs. Fortunately, it seemed the creature did not bleed, but blood would have been a welcome sight compared to what she was seeing. The growths were not simply limited to the outside of whoever this once was, but seemed to have originated from the creatures very core. Unlike the usual red or at least pink one would expect to see when opening up a corpse, the organs were an ashen grey with misshapen deformities aplenty. The heart was at least double the size of a normal human with strange spindly root-like tentacles sprouting from it, whereas the digestion track was nothing but shrivelled up tubes.
The sound of disgust filled the air, gaging from behind her. Louise could not blame him. Even she could feel bile rising to the back of her throat. She continued regardless, loathed as she was to do so.
Returning the saw to the body, she began cutting through the ribs one at a time. While bone was certainly tougher than flesh, it was far easier to deal with, and soon enough, she was able to remove the ribcage with only a bit of resistance. Once that was out of the way, she summoned her dagger to hand, and with the razor-sharp blade, she carved out the various organs for closer inspection.
Upon removing the heart, lungs, kidneys, and various other bits and placing them on a nearby table, she moved onto removing the final piece: the brain.
Unlike carving the chest, the chitinous shell was far harder and in far more abundance, requiring Louise to shave off chunk after chunk of the organic armour with the saw. However, this did not deter her. In roughly ten minutes, the brain was out, sitting with the other organs.
Looking over the selection, her grimace deepened. Most of the organs were in similar condition to the intestines, shrivelled husks, whereas the lungs, heart and brain seemed by far relatively 'healty' despite the deformations. The brain also had similar rootlike tendrils that seemed to grow from its centre, just like the heart, which caused further issues when she tried removing it. Arbitrarily, she decided to inspect the brain first to see if she could learn anything.
Levitating the clump of grey matter with the Force, she brought it close, once again stretching out her senses to investigate the brain and almost immediately she noticed. The creature was nothing natural. It was not born as such, it was not infected by some pathogen or mutagen transforming it into such – It was twisted by Alchemy. Examining the other organs, she found that they all shared a common trait. She could feel the Dark Side, not lingering like the snow in the early days of spring, but emanating from the very tissue, the cells that made it.
"Merde!" she swore, dropping the heart onto the table with the rest of the organs.
"What is it?" Urik asked, stepping closer to Louise. "Do you know who or what did this?"
Louise nodded her head, a frown creasing her lips. "Yes, I think so, but I'm not sure how it would help."
"What do you mean?" he pressed further.
Shaking her head and hoping it would not backfire, she told him what she knew. "This creature is sithspawn, a creature twisted by Alchemy."
"So, the Sith are at fault."
"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I doubt this was the act of the Sith Empire. This creature seems far too… sloppy compared to the sithspawn I've seen and fought." Louise paused, thinking over the history briefing she read en route to Dxun, trying to come up with a reason to back up her claim. "Freedon Nadd was trained by Naga Sadow and had acquired quite a few pieces of Dark Side lore, for all we know this could have been a creation of his, or one of his Naddists."
Urik hummed, musing, "Didn't Exar Kun also travel here during the Sith War?"
"Exar Kun is no Sith," she corrected, before confirming, "but you are correct."
"Could there be more of these?" he asked.
"Possibly," she said, beginning to remove the dirtied gloves from her hands, placing them on the table with the organs. "I doubt the creator of these things only had one test subject to work on. A few of them could have been working in tandem during the attack."
Sighing, Urik rubbed his face tiredly. "We need to get those comms repaired."
Louise nodded her head slowly in agreement. Without communications, the sithspawn could pick them off without the Republic or Jedi at large knowing until it was much too late. "I'll see what I-" she cut her sentence off, an epiphany striking like lightning in her head. "My ship. We could use my ship."
"Your ship?" Urik echoed, looking at Louise strangely for a moment before blowing up in outrage. "Why haven't you brought this up before!?"
Recoiling, Louise quickly defended herself. "I was stuck in a detention cell for four days!"
The Jedi looked to say something but hesitated. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. "It doesn't matter now," he said. "What matters is getting to your ship. Do you have anyone, a droid perhaps, you could hail?"
"Yes, just give me a second," she said, pulling free her holocommunicator from her belt before dialling her ship – The holocomm beeping methodically as they waited for Toovee to respond. Time passed and soon the beeping came to an abrupt end, intoned with a sound reminiscent of the alarm back on Elu. "What?" Louise stared at the holocommunicator confused. This had never happened before.
Dialling up her ship once more, she waited for Toovee to pick up, her eyes flickering over to Urik who's face was bereft of emotion. The dial tone once again played, each beep deepening a pit forming in her gut. Once again, the dial tone died with the grating alarm sound, sparking the lights of anger and irritation within her. "Come on, come on!" she growled, dialling the ship once again, only to get the same response. "Damn it to Chaos! They must have destroyed my ship," she shouted, the urge to try and crush her holocomm out of frustration passing through her before she managed to get control of her frustration.
"No." Urik shook his head. "Had you ship been destroyed; the call would have never gone through. Nobody's there to answer your calls."
Knowing the Jedi was probably right, she tried calling once more. "Come on, Toovee! Answer or I'll turn you to scrap!" but once again, it ended with the grating alarm sound.
But before Louise could start pulling her hair out of frustration, Urik butt in. "How far away is your ship?"
Sighing, Louise tried to calm herself, putting away her holocomm before she decided to throw it at a wall. "A few kilometres, in the old Mandalorian outpost from the Dark Wars. You want to send a party out?"
Urik nodded. "You'll be coming with, of course," he said, crossing his arms. "If we can get to your ship, we can get to Onderon and help."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Louise asked.
"It's far too late," he replied with a shake of his head. "The jungle is dangerous at night, so it'd be better if waited until tomorrow."
Louise could understand his concern. Dxun was dangerous enough as it was and adding on the darkness of night would just make it easier to end up in the maws of cannoks or drexls.
So, with this, Louise spent the last few hours of the day working around the compound. The day passed quickly as she helped, however, without much skill with the mechanical or medical arts, she found herself relegated to simple tasks, helping lift heavy loads with the Force or assisting actual trained medical personnel. It was interesting to see the medics work, and while she could not learn much from the short time and lack of many practical things to do aside from making sure that the injured wounds were clean, she enjoyed it.
Soon, night fell, and Louise returned to the detention cell with Khem – without a Jedi guard – ready to get a good night sleep so they could head out in the morning. But before sleep could find her, the familiar hiss of a door opening alerted her to a midnight visitor.
Her hand was only halfway to her dagger hidden under her pillow before she stopped, recognising who the visitor was.
"Quorian?" she called, pulling herself into a sitting position on her bed, her hand under her pillow just in case.
In the nigh-pitch black room, the Jedi looked nothing more than a shadowy figure, barely visible against the walls, his silhouette moving and oscillating slightly as her eyes struggled to see him. "Uh, sorry, did I disturb you?"
The desire to send the Jedi away so she could sleep was strong, but Quorian was her friend so she instead asked, "What's wrong? Having trouble sleeping?"
Quorian did not answer for a time, the only sounds in the room being Khem Val's snoring. Eventually, he seemed to gain the courage to speak. "I… Louise, I wanted to speak to you about something."
Pulling herself further out of bed, she snapped her fingers softly, bathing the room in a dim warm glow as a small flame danced centimetres above her palm. Both the Jedi and Sith found themselves briefly blinded by the sudden light, but quickly their eyes adjusted. Quorian, while looking much better than he was the day before, still seemed haggard and tired as he stared at the flame with a small amount of appreciation. Louise hoped his appearance was just because he probably awoke recently, but it still worried her.
"What did you want to talk about," she asked, drawing his attention away from the flame and on to her.
"Um... I'm not sure how to say this…" he said. "Uh, you won't tell Urik or anyone about this?"
Louise blinked at his caution, her sleepy mind jumping around trying to figure out what he wanted to talk about. But nothing could come to mind at this point, though this only served to bring suspicion to her mind. "No… I don't have any reason to tell them anything."
"Thank you," Quorian replied earnestly.
"So… what is this about?" she asked, trying to hide the suspiciousness from her voice.
"I… uh… I'm not sure if you'll understand," he mumbled. "I'm having problems sleeping."
"I can see that," Louise said patiently.
"I hear whispers." In an instant, a cold pit formed in her gut. "Ever since arriving on Dxun, I could hear it whispering in my ear."
"Whispers?" she asked tentatively.
"The Dark Side," he said gravely. "I… I can hear it whispering in my ear whenever I'm trying to sleep. It's… It's just like on Korriban."
Louise had no idea what to think of this. The Dark Side was just the Dark Side to her, nothing evil or vile, but she knew Quorian did not think that way. So, she pressed on asking. "What do you mean?"
"You know what happened to me on Korriban, how they drugged me," he explained, sitting himself down on the floor, "how I was barely lucid at times. When I went back to Tython for healing, I'd have these strange surreal dreams. The mind healers just thought it was the after effects of being on Korriban too long… as time passed, the dreams became less common, but now on Dxun?'
"The Jedi council were so close to not letting me go on this mission, said it was too dangerous for my health," he continued staring off into nothingness, "but I picked up quite a few things from Korriban, so I was qualified. When I arrived on Dxun, I could immediately feel the Dark Side; it wasn't like Korriban, but close. I'd still have the occasional dream, but when the attack came… every day I've tried to get some sleep but the whispers… the dreams. I can't."
"Do the other Jedi know of this?" she asked, thinking over what he had said.
"No, not at the moment," he replied.
"I'm not sure what to say," Louise said, and she honestly did not. "I've never heard anything like this."
Quorian became quiet for a time, and just when Louise began to think he was hearing whatever Dark Side whisperings he was plagued with, he spoke again, "How… how do you handle the Dark Side?" he asked, his brow creasing as if he were trying to figure it out as he spoke. "Like, how do you use it? How does it feel when you do?"
Louise opened her mouth, then closed it quickly. "I've never really thought about it before," she said. "The Dark Side has been the only 'side' for me. It's been with me since I was a slave and it's been in my blood for thousands of years. It's just… natural to me, I guess."
"The Jedi Council would disagree with you there," he muttered.
"I don't really care what they think of me as long as they're not actively trying to kill me," Louise said shaking her head. "I'm sorry I couldn't help." And she meant it. While she had no qualms about the Dark Side, she had heard the tales of Jedi who 'fell' to the Dark Side, and those Jedi who 'fell' usually fell hard.
"You might've," he sighed. "I've got to go, don't want anyone noticing the Jedi sneaking into the Sith's bedroom at night." At that, he quirked a slight smirk.
Louise smiled in return. "They'd probably think I was seducing you to the Dark Side," she joked.
"Would it be enough to wake the Emperor?"
Louise could not properly articulate her outrage at such a crass comment, one she never expected from a member of such a chaste Order as the Jedi, because she was currently choking on her own breath. Consequently, the fire she used to light up the room died. When she finally recovered from her choking fit and relit the flame, she could not help but gape at the Jedi before her. "I never thought I'd hear that from a Jedi," she said with pink-hued cheeks.
Quorian smiled at her outrage. "Well, if there's one thing I learned during my time on Korriban, it's vulgarity, swears and how oddly attractive some Sith are," he said, looking quite thoughtful as he spoke.
"Yeah.," Louise said breathlessly, thinking of one Sith in particular.
Sighing, Quorian said his goodbye's once more, leaving through the door he came. Once the door hissed closed, Louise dismissed the flame and went back to her bed, covering herself with her sheets. Just as she laid her head down to get some sleep, she heard the gruff voice of Khem speak to her. "You're very oblivious, aren't you, pink Sith?"
Surprised, Louise asked, "You were awake?"
"Yes," he replied.
"Oh. Sorry for waking you," She said apologetically, only to realise what Khem had actually said a moment later. "What do you mean, oblivious!?"
Her only response was what passed for a sigh from the Dashade. When no other reply came, Louise grumbled to herself about Khem and Jedi before trying to get to sleep. Like the nights before, her dreams were plagued by the Sith Temple, but instead of the dilapidated mess it was today, it looked freshly built, its walls unblemished and the carvings as clear as day.
The dream would always be the same, her walking down the halls of the Temple, following the sounds of someone calling for her, deeper and deeper into the dark abyss that was the bowls of the temple. And then, when she had reached the end of her journey, just before a great stone door, she would just wake up.
The first thing she noticed upon re-joining the land of the waking, was the sound of someone knocking on her door.
Khem was already halfway there to answering, so Louise allowed herself to enjoy the comforts of her bed for a few moments more. It was pleasant. And then, though surprised he may be at who opened the door, Urik entered looking far better than he did the day before. "Uh… Louise? Are you ready? We've got to go."
Louise could hear the anxiousness in his voice, the urge to get to her ship as quickly as possible. "Ugh, fine!" she said tiredly, pulling herself up from her pillow. "Just give me a few moments and we can go."
Urik nodded, spared a glance to Khem, then left.
Sighing, Louise pulled herself from her bed and began to get ready for the day. It was roughly twenty or so minutes before she deemed herself ready, including the brushing of her hair, cleaning of mouth and other such cleanliness activities in spite of the poor supplies.
Soon, Louise joined Urik who waited patiently near the makeshift medical bay, where three other beings; Nola the Togruta Jedi, and two Republic soldiers, donned in their white and red full-body armour wielding their blasters.
"So, the Sith finally decided to show up," Nola called upon noticing Louise.
"Nola," Urik said warningly.
"What?" she asked looking slightly confused by Urik's chastisement.
Louise ignored the girl and just focused on the two others in the group. "Who are these two?"
"I am Sargent Monsi," said one, a distinctive male voice coming from the one on the right, their armours making It difficult to tell the difference. "And this is Trooper Jensun of the Republic Military, Sith." he continued gesturing to his cohort, who only nodded in acknowledgment.
"A pleasure to meet you," Louise said diplomatically before briefly looking around the compound. "So… where's Quorian?" she asked.
"He said it would be better to stay," Urik explained. "Come on, enough stalling, let's go get your ship," As he said this, he began walking towards the only entrance into the compound there was, determined. Nola quickly joined Urik's side with the Republic soldiers behind her. This left Louise and Khem to lag behind somewhat. Fortunately, she was not the only one who knew where they were going, at least somewhat; Urik knew exactly where he met Louise and so, she deferred his leadership.
Louise followed with Khem by her side, but she did not stand as close to Urik as she would have liked, if only because any time she tried to move closer, Nola would glare at her.
Soon, they eventually entered the jungle proper, the undergrowth brushing against their legs as they pushed forwards. Thankfully, the sky was clear from clouds, allowing a good view of Prael, Onderon's sun.
It was roughly thirty or so minutes into their walk when Louise began to feel paranoia grip her gut. Every so often, her eyes would dart around, snapping to any sign of movement. If they were correct and there were more of the strange sithspawn, it would not end well. Deciding not to endanger the party by keeping this to herself, she called out to the group. "Does anyone feel like their being watched?"
"Yeah," muttered Urik, his eyes darting around. Nola, too, was looking around, following where he was looking almost instinctively. She knew what they were looking at, or at least trying to look at. She could sense it too; the jungle was brimming with life and she could sense it all, especially whatever it was lurking outside her vision.
"Predators," Khem said, his hands reaching up for his Sith sword, unsheathing it in one fluid motion. "They're hunting us."
"What did the monster say?" asked Nola, agitation rolling off her in waves.
The urge to snap back was strong, but she ignored it and instead translating, valuing her life over a petty grudge. "Khem Val said that we're being hunted by predators."
"Everyone, be on guard," Urik ordered, taking Khem's warning seriously, his hands hanging gripping the lightsaber that hung from his belt.
The Republic soldiers, as well as the two other Force-sensitives, followed suit, their hands resting on their weapons, ready to whip them out at a moment's notice. But nonetheless, they continued through the dense undergrowth, eyes ever watchful as their mind filled their heads with fear – Khem exempt.
The sound of flapping wings heralded something massive, and Louise only had a split second to react before a massive purple mass smashed into the path ahead of them. Everyone stopped, their weapons torn from their holsters and belts, lightsabers ignited, all aimed towards the massive mass before them.
Slowly, the creature unfurled, two massive leathery wings expanding out, revealing a head that looked like the unholy offspring of a bird and some form of spider. Spikes jutted out along its spine, down a long and powerful looking tail that reminded her of a manticores spike upon its tip that swayed like slightly as the creature looked down on them with four pitch-black eyes.
Louise had no idea what they were going to do. The creature was far bigger than a terentatek, its height nearly reaching the canopy of the tall jungle trees that surround them. She knew what the creature was, having read about them when researching about Dxun, but seeing one in person, it was like seeing an adult dragon for the first time.
"That's a big drexl," one of the Republic men muttered unhelpfully beside her.
However, the most interesting thing about this was that the creature had not attacked yet, it just stood, staring at them, at her, with is alien black eyes.
It reared its head back, and for a second, Louise was under the assumption that it somehow learned to breathe fire, but instead of fire burst from its strange maw, an ungodly screech tore from its mouth. All she and her companions could do was quickly throw their hands to their ears in a feeble attempt to stop the sound from defining them. Eventually the screech stopped, yet the ringing in their ears did not subside, nevertheless, they managed to recover enough to raise their weapons in defence once again. Already, Louise's mind was working to figure out how to dispose of the obstruction, only for planning to be cut short in shock.
Before her, standing side by side with the drexl, was a veritable army. She could not even count how many of Dxun's monsters she could see before her, seemingly materialising out of thin air. From cannoks to zakkegs, these monsters stood snapping and snarling at the small party.
It was almost like every creature from Dxun had arrived just to block their path. It was unreal… unnatural. It was just like the pack of cannoks five-six days ago. Stretching out her feelings, she found it was exactly like it was five-six days ago. All the creatures were touched by the Dark Side.
And suddenly, Louise knew that if they stayed here, they would die.
Quickly, Louise grabbed the shoulder of the closest person to her, drawing the attention of the Republic soldier, before shouting "Run!" at the top of her lungs.
Whether by reading her lips or for some other reason, the Republic soldier did not need telling twice and quickly grabbed his squad mate, pulling him back as he retreated. The Jedi and Khem looked at her, their eyes snapping between the fleeing Republic men and her. "Go!" she shouted, pointing towards the soldiers.
They understood and obeyed, no questions asked, not that she would be able to hear with the ringing in her ears. Using her fear and pain, she called upon the Dark Side of the Force, summoning what strength she had, and flung it forth, summoning a massive wall of fire. Some creatures recoiled in fear, the Dark Side losing its hold on them for a moment, but it was all she needed to quickly high-tail it out of there, following the path left behind by the rest of her group.
As she ran, she hurled her lightsaber at the nearby trees, using the Force to guide it, cutting through the wooden trunks and letting them fall behind her, acting as a distraction for any perusing beasts.
They continued running and running, and eventually, they could run no more, or at least Republic soldiers couldn't. Underneath their helmets, their breaths were haggard, as if they were struggling to gulp down as much air as they could. One even removed his helm, revealing the features of what looked to be a brown coated cathar – a race humanoids with strong cat-like features. "Is everyone okay?" she asked the gathered group.
"Karking… hell! What was that!?" cried Urik, his breathing a little less laboured than the Force-Blind.
Louise had no idea, but she certainly knew that whatever it was, it must tie into the strange sithspawn. Looking back, she stretched out her senses, trying to see if they were followed or not. When she noticed nothing but the presence of trees in their vicinity, Louise frowned in confusion. The last pack of Dark Side addled creatures attacked them relentlessly, but these ones seemed content to scare them off.
"Guys… is that smoke?" one of the Republic men asked, his voice clear in her ears despite the ringing, as he looked off above the tree-line.
"What are you-" Following his gaze, Louise could feel jaw drop at the sight of the smokestacks that wafted up into the air, twisted by wind as it rose. "Oh, merde!"
"Kark!" Urik shouted, his skin unhealthily pale. "The compound! They're in danger!"
"We can't run anymore!" one of the Republic men cried, his breathing still dangerously laborious.
Growling, Louise threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, for the love of the Emperor!" she shouted, tightening her grip on her lightsaber before pointing at her Shadow Killer. "Khem, pick him up." She gestured to the heavier looking Republic soldier. "I'll carry this one."
"What ar-" said Jensun, or was it Monsi? Louise did not care at this point in time and instead used her rune enhanced strength to lift the guy up, bridal style. "Oi, put me down!"
"We don't have time for this," she snarled at the man as Khem dealt with his own soldier. "Let's go!"
Calling upon all the speed the Force would allow, Louise, raced through the forest, followed closely behind by her companions. They sped over the jungle floor, trees passing like blurs as darted left and right, heading in the general direction of the smokestack.
Yet, despite the Force augmenting their speed, they were still too late.
The compound was practically ablaze. Buildings, already damaged from five nights before, now lay in ruin, a few corpses of the Republic workers lay strewn around, some killed by beasts, others murdered by way of lightsaber. Everyone looked around, trying to find any survivors, but all they found were butchered men and women, though the Jedi were conspicuously missing. Even Quorian, her friend, was gone without a trace.
No.
Her dream came to her, replaying in her head with crystal clarity as if she were living it for only a few moments. Walking through the temple she went, her hand brushing across the carvings upon the walls, of beasts tearing each other apart as caricatures fought with swords or lightsabers. She could hear the voice calling to her, but there was more to that now. She could feel the Darkness encroaching in on her, like the presence she felt when she first entered the tomb. So like the Dark Side it was, yet different.
Louise nearly collapsed from the weight of the vision, gasping for air.
The Temple was the key to all of this.
Whatever was going on, the Temple would have answers.
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AN: Happy Holidays? Yeah… 58+ days is far too much time. I am profusely sorry for the wait. This chapter was a bridge chapter and I wasn't sure if I could split it up or not. Instead I chose to just go 'Fuck it' and have everything go to hell quite quickly.Hopefully the next one will be out sooner.
Mother Nyx
Mother of Elpis
- Location
- The Kei Klub
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Well, fuck. On one hand, the Jedi can't blame her for this. And, if they live, they'll report in that Louise the Sith Apprentice is cool peoples.
On the other hand, they all have to live through this, and with seemingly every living creature on the planet after them, it won't be easy to do.
On the other hand, they all have to live through this, and with seemingly every living creature on the planet after them, it won't be easy to do.
Asterion
People think I'm Crazy 'cause I make no Sense
- Location
- The Island of Endless Stories
Unless it has something to do with the voices Quorian has been hearing. They'd definitely blame her then.
Chapter 6 -Act II- Blast from the Past, Part I
Advena Phillips
God-Emperor of all that is Void/Eldrich Horror
- Location
- The deep dark void that is my personal domain.
Chapter 6 – Blast from the Past, Part I
The Sith Temple.
It stood as a citadel among the wilds of Dxun, one of the few signs of civilization on the Force-forsaken moon, and one of the grandest. It was a beacon, a nexus of the Dark Side in and of itself – a shining light to all darksiders who walked the moon.
Its history was shrouded in mystery, even to this day. Whether it was built by the Ancient Sith or the likes of the Dark Jedi, Freedon Nadd when he conquered Onderon and established his dynasty, nobody really knew which was correct. Recovered artefacts pointed towards the Ancient Sith, but Freedon very well could have pillaged the artefacts from their resting places. Nevertheless, it was a mystery Louise had no intention of solving. Instead, she had a different goal in mind.
Their base was nothing but burning rubble, bodies lying haphazardly around, buildings torn to scraps. With the only other option being to wait for help, hoping not to die, Louise and her allies found themselves wading through the thick foliage of Dxun, their weapons held tight in fear of ambush – their goal, the Sith Temple. However, no monsters barred their path like they had during their failed attempt to reach the Inquisitor. No, instead, she could sense the beasts hiding amongst the trees and plants, seemingly content to watch passively and little else. Though, this did very little to ease her mind.
After much trekking, they soon reached the base of the Sith Temple. It was deserted, the Republic base desolate, equipment abandoned, tents and tarps in disarray. Already, she could sense the unease of the Jedi and soldiers behind her as the Dark Side grew stronger around them like a chamber filling with water. Part of her felt elated at that – not only would she grow strong in the nexus, but the unease would keep her allies on edge, ready for everything. Yet, at the same time, she knew the dangers that would befall their untrained minds.
"Be careful," she warned, stopping before the mouth of the Temple, her eyes drifting to each of the Jedi as well as the soldiers, "the Dark Side is strong here, and I do not wish to deal with any of you if you fall into it."
One of the soldiers snorted at her warning. "Never expected a Sith to say that." What the other soldier thought, Louise did not know, but judging from what she could sense, incredulity was a high possibility. Nola, whose face was not covered by a helmet, seemed amused by the statement. Urik was impartial.
Louise could not help but twitch in anger at the rejoinder. "I say this," she hissed, turning to glare at the soldier, "because Jedi have a remarkable talent for not simply turning to the Dark Side, but tripping and falling down several flights of stairs right into insanity. Take Exar Kun for example, the arrogant bastard that he was. He began his path down the Dark Side right on this very moon, and it ended with him dead on Yavin IV. I know how to handle the Dark Side, I've trained to handle it. You lot? None of you have."
"She as a point," Urik mumbled, just loud enough to hear. "I mean, she's Sith, she'd know better than any of us. If she warns us about the Dark Side, let her."
"Are you sure this couldn't be a trick?" the other soldier replied, sounding sceptical. "For all we know she could be leading us to our death. She is Sith, after all."
Louise turned on the soldier, her eyes alight with indignation. But before she could express exactly what she felt about that accusation, Urik beat her to the punch. "If she wanted to corrupt us or kill us, she'd have all the chance in the world. Right now, we have no other option."
And just like that, the argument was over, though Louise could sense that they were not pleased with Urik's decision. Though, she felt surprised by his comment, if annoyed that the others only listened when he told them to. Nevertheless, they delved into the temple – their lightsabers and torches springing to life, lighting the way as they bathed the Temple halls in their glow.
Unlike when she last walked through the Temple, everything seemed… worse… darker. It was quiet. Before, there were many people working on the excavation, all working, chatting, and generally making a buzz. But now? Now, the only sound was the hum of their lightsabers, the rock grinding under boot and their breathing that seemed amplified by the Temple, making the already eerie atmosphere all the more ominous.
The six walked through, eyes ever watchful for danger as they passed through the entry chamber, deeper down until they arrived in the large chamber they made base in all those days ago. "Where to now?" Louise mused quietly under her breath, drifting from passageway to passageway, contemplating which would lead to the door in her vision.
"I'm sorry," Nola spoke up, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "but did you just say that you have no idea where we're going?"
Shooting the Togruta an annoyed glare, Louise replied, "Oh I'm sorry, does it look like I have a kriffing map!?"
"No, but you could've at least told us you had no idea where we're going!" replied Nola defensively, throwing her hands in the air. "We could've planned ahead, but no! Instead, we're diving head-first into a Sith Temple! A Temple you warned that was incredibly dangerous!"
"Valid point," Louise said through gritted teeth. "My rebuttal? This entire planet wants us dead!"
One of the soldiers signed loudly. "Do you at least know what we're looking for?" he asked.
"Yes, we're looking for an ornately carved door," she answered tersely, her voice rising as she spoke, "a door that I could find if I wasn't constantly being questioned by spiteful Jedi who seems to absolutely hate my mere existence!"
"Jedi do not hate, Sith," Nola growled.
"Oh, well you could have fooled me!" replied Louise, gesturing wildly. "I guess all the vitriol spewing from your mouth is just how you express your love and compassion!"
"Enough, you two!" shouted Urik, trying his best to stand between Louise and the other Republic personnel. "Enough! The sooner she can figure this out, the sooner we can stop whatever is causing this. So, stop this pointless bickering."
Nola growled. "Fine," she spat "but if this is a trap and you get us all killed–" she pointed at Louise – "I'm going to come back to haunt your ass!"
"Join the club," Louise growled back. After waiting a moment to make sure no one else was going to object, she tried her best to calm her mind to hear the will of the Force. It gave her a vision of the Temple, and she hoped it would aid her once again by pointing her in the right direction. As her mind cleared, she stretched out her feelings through the Force, pushing her senses out to the different pathways.
This way.
Louise's head twitched, pulled by the whisper-like voice that spoke far at the edge of her hearing, yet sounding so close. Her eyes opened, and what she saw was the passageway she and Master Korr had descended down all those days ago. The sense foreboding grew as she stared down the pitch-black staircase, her eyes playing tricks on her as the darkness swirled around, forming into vague silhouettes of people before morphing once again. "Down here," she called out to her allies who were busy investigating the room.
Urik quirked an eyebrow, looking down the passageway with scepticism. "Aren't there orbalisks down there?"
"Last I checked, yes," Louise replied. "All I know is that the Force is calling me down there."
"The Force is calling you down the staircase of death?" one of the soldiers asked incredulously.
"Yes."
"And you are just going to trust is?" he continued.
"Well…" she began, putting her hands on her hips, "we could pick another pathway at random and get our faces eaten by some unknown monster… or, perhaps, we could go back outside?"
The soldier sighed. "Well, if we're going to die anyway, we could at least make an attempt."
"Yay… for the Republic," the other soldier replied, pretending to wave a small flag.
Shaking her head, Louise began walking towards the staircase, stopping just at the threshold. "Come on, then. Let's not waste any time."
While Khem followed dutiful behind, muttering under his breath, the rest stayed behind hesitantly. After a few seconds of deliberation, the others soon followed.
As they descended, Louise could not help but feel anxious, especially when the staircase ended, bleeding into the hallway. Not only was there a fear of being swarmed with hundreds of golden shelled orbalisks at any second, but she began doubting herself. What if she was wrong about this? What if she was just leading them to their deaths? What if this was some kind of trap? Louise shook her head. There was no point changing her mind now, she needed to push on if only to save Quorian and get to the bottom of this mess.
Her eyes darted around, keeping an eye out for any of those golden insects, however, as they did, her eyes caught something. Stopping in her tracks, she peered at the walls of the hall, examining it under the light of her saber. It was a large mural, depicting a brutal battle of beasts tearing each other apart as caricatures fought with swords and lightsabers, each etched carefully into stone.
It was one of the carving from her vision.
Louise brushed her hand against the stone mural and shuddered. This was her first experience with a vision and the déjà vu, if she were to use the term from her homeworld, she felt was uncanny. "This is the right way."
"The vision?" Khem asked, looking down at her.
She nodded. "Yes. We're getting closer."
"Great work, Sith," grumbled one of the Republic soldiers. "At least we know we're not lost."
The other simply snorted.
Louise could not help but grit her teeth at the soldiers and tried her best to ignore them. Instead, she renewed her pace, heading deeper and deeper into the Temple then she had ever gone before. And as she did, she could feel the Dark Side grow more potent in the air. There was something immensely powerful deep in the Temple and she needed to find it; not only did she feel that it would lead her to Quorian and the other Jedi, but it could possibly lead to her original mission.
Another flight of stairs stood in their path. They had not run into any of the skittering orbalisks yet, but that did not mean they would encounter them deeper down in the Temple. With bated breath, they began their decent further and further, deeper and deeper into the core of Dxun until her path was blocked.
A large stone door stood before them, illuminated only by their sabers and torches. It was bereft of detail; just two plain, if cracked and worn, slabs of stone that stood as an imposing obstacle in their path. She could feel the Dark Side oozing from the door, seemingly seeping through the cracks. She knew whatever it was that had caused all the pain and misery these last few days was right behind this door. Her mind conjured horrible images of whatever entity hid behind the door; from some powerful sithspawn created long ago by the ancient darksiders who walked the planet, or perhaps a Force entity bound in loose shackles and beyond their comprehension.
Steeling herself, she went to try and push the door open, but before her fingers could even brush against the stone surface, the door moved, opening itself. Stone ground upon stone, a grating sound that hurt their ears as each of them jumped to attention, their weapons ready to defend themselves.
Soon, the door was opened wide enough to make out the chamber beyond. It was large, lit by strange glowing organic growths like vines that wrapped up and around the walls, floors and ceiling. The lighting was uneven, large dark shadows skulking around some parts while others were brightly lit. However, that mattered little as it was bright enough to see that there was no entity her mind conjured, instead, a large humanoid sitting cross-legged with his back to the group.
For a moment, after the doors finished opening, the chamber was quiet. Nothing but the hums of lightsabers and the methodical sounds of breathing.
Then, a voice, a rattling gasp, grating as grinding stone and as harsh as the surface of Korriban, spoke. "I have been waiting." It did not originate from the being, but from all around the room, as if speakers had been hidden in every nook and cranny. The figure moved slowly from his place, standing up from the ground to face them.
Tall… tall was an understatement. He- It, the figure was at least eight-feet tall, possibly taller. It was one of the fungal creatures she had fought all those days ago, but not. It looked far more human, with discernible lips, eyes and fewer growths jutting from its skin. Not only that, but another difference was its eyes, which were not the silver of before, but fiery yellow orbs that bore into Louise's spirit, and Louise's specifically. It was also donned in robes, old and tattered black robes, but robe nonetheless, and around its neck hung a chain, clutching a dimly glowing green crystal pulsating like a heartbeat. "I am Darth Desolus, Dark Lord of the Sith. Might I ask your name?"
Louise froze, shocked, staring up at the figure. It was a Sith- no, a Dark Lord of the Sith? No… it couldn't be. It was not possible. The only true Dark Lords of the Sith were the Emperor and the Dark Council, and unless one of the Council members died recently, it could not be a Dark Lord. She would not believe it.
Behind her, Louise's companions were reacting to the news in their own way. Khem was amused; a wild card who proclaimed themselves a Dark Lord of the Sith. He knew this was going to end in one way, a fight, just as in the Old Empire. Yet, he feared that this meeting would end poorly for his little master, and for himself.
Nola, as well as the other two Republic soldiers, froze just as Louise, fear running down their spines. A Sith apprentice, they could deal with, but a fully-fledged Dark Lord of the Sith was not something they thought they were qualified for. At the same time, they felt a grim sense of satisfaction. It was all Louise's fault this happened, she had worked with the Sith to destroy their expedition and hinder the Republic's efforts.
However, it was Urik who was actively glaring, looking to Louise then back to Darth Desolus. "I am Jedi Kni–"
"I am not talking to you, Jedi," Desolus spat. "I was talking to her." The figure's arm moved, a single taloned finger pointing directly at Louise.
"…I am Louise," she replied after a moment's hesitation, a pit of fear forming in her gut as she tried to comprehend what was going on, "apprentice to Darth Zash, heir to Lord Aloysius Kallig. Who are you to call yourself the Dark Lord of the Sith?"
"I must admit," it said, suddenly looking at Louise warily, "I have been away for some time. Tell me, is this Darth Zash the current reigning Dark Lord of the Sith?"
Louise opened her mouth to answer but shut it when nothing came out. Her master, the Empress of the Sith Empire? She did not know why, but the visual was amusing, especially with Zash's disposition. She shook her head, focusing on the major point – the so-called Darth Desolus knew nothing about the Sith Emperor and possibly the Empire at large. How long has it been here? She mused.
"No," she said. "My master is not the current reigning Dark Lord of the Sith. The Emperor rules over the Sith."
"The Emperor? When did the Sith become ruled by a Sith Emperor…?" it asked, staring at the girl curiously – the previous weariness diminished into a slight cautiousness.
Louise's lips quirked. The more it spoke, the more proof she had that it had no connection to the Neo-Sith Empire and therefore, no Dark Lord of the Sith. However, this did not mean that it did not believe its claims; it was possible it was the remains of the false Sith factions such as the Exar's Brotherhood, Revan's Empire or even the Triumvirate. "You call yourself Sith, yet you know nothing of the Sith Emperor?" Louise challenged, her eyes narrowed.
"Darth Sion? Darth Nihilus?" Desolus asked, it's already harsh voice turning into an irritated growl. "Are those the ones you speak of?"
So, you were a part of the Triumvirate… Louise thought, not whether to be pleased or annoyed. The Triumvirate was far better than Exar's disgraceful Brotherhood, but that meant little as it was only able to get as far as it did because it's leaders were powerful in the Dark Side. "Sion and Nihilus are dead. They died three-hundred years ago. Killed by the Jedi Exile, Meetra Surik."
"I felt as much…" it sighed. "It has been so long…"
Now that she knew where his allegiances lie… or at least where they did, Louise thought it prudent to ask, "Who are you, how did you get here?"
Desolus raised an eyebrow, or at least a chitinous plate in its case. "Do you wish to learn my life story? Is that really all on your mind upon meeting me?" it asked, before grasping its chin in thought. "I have questions of my own, so I will humour you.'
"I was once a Sith Warrior under Darth Revan's Empire," it began, "but when that fell away, I joined the Sith Triumvirate. There, I fought for my lord, Darth Sion, during the Dark Wars where I proved myself time and time again. However, this all fell apart when we were sent here to get what power we could from Dxun to help against the Republic and the remains of the Jedi. During the battle with the Mandalorians stationed here, a ship crashed into the Temple while we were excavating, barring our escape.'
"Since then, we tried our best to find a way out, uncovering many ancient artefacts, some even belonging to the Dark Lord of Old, such as Tulak Hord." Desolus absently grasped the crystal around his neck but ripped it away the next moment. It took all Louise's willpower to stop herself from reacting at the sight, her easily making the connection. "With these artefacts, I uncovered many secrets and learned about one of the most powerful expressions of the Dark Side: Sith Alchemy. You've already encountered one of my creations…"
"Those monsters… they're yours!" growled Urik, glaring up at the Sith, his grip tightening on his lightsaber just as his teeth gritted. Louise could sense him begin to move, just as the others were, and quickly stopped him with a hand across his chest, shaking her head. Urik turned his glare upon her, but listened nonetheless, even though she knew deep in his heart, he wanted to fight.
"Ah… so you do recognise them…" Desolus said with a much too wide smile, showing a maw of many, many jagged teeth. "Yes… after many attempted mutinies, I decided I needed loyal followers, ones who would serve me and not themselves, followers who would not drain our recourses like the leeches they were. Now, they have been twisted into my loyal servants, my eyes and ears in more ways than one. Yet, we were still trapped here because of that blasted ship. So, I stayed, practising this new power and learned more eventually learning to extend my life.'
"And then these Jedi appeared," it continued, gesturing to those around Louise, "ignorant of what dangers lay beyond the desolate ship, and began their excavation. And now, after so much time, we've tasted freedom.'
"Now, to return the question, I must ask: who are you and why have you come here, Sith?"
Louise opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, a voice behind her shouted, "Enough of this!" It was Nola, the togruta Jedi. Twisting her head around, Louise saw the girl stand, ready for a fight with her lightsaber raised threateningly. "Where are the other Jedi?!" she demanded.
Desolus sneered, glaring down at the Jedi Togruta. "The Jedi, you say? You needn't ask how to find them, you'll all join my horde soon enough…"
Nola's reaction was expected as it was brash and aggressive. One minute, she was standing just behind Louise, the next, she was charging the Sith-pretender, her lightsaber ready to attack. On her other side, Urik joined his fellow Jedi. But before they could even get close enough to strike at Desolus, they found themselves flung back by a powerful wave of invisible and potent energy, knocking them off their feet.
Snap-hiss!
The sounds of lightsabers igniting quickly filled the room, overwhelming the blue, green and yellow hues with a blood-like crimson. Roughly twenty of the fungal abominations seemed to have faded from nothingness to surround the sextet, their crackling ruby blades held threatening at all their necks. All, aside from Louise's.
Louise napped around, looking back to Desolus. "Let them go!"
"You would rather stand among the Jedi than with another Sith?" it hissed dangerously.
She glared at the giant, sneering. "You plan on turning my friends into your puppets!"
"Your friends?" it growled, advancing on Louise menacingly. "When I watched you partake in banter with the Jedi, I thought that it was simply to keep them from suspecting you – to make yourself seem friendly before stabbing them in the back. But now I see where your loyalties lie. You are no Sith! You are nothing more than a pretender walking side by side with our most hated enemy!"
"You dare insult me by comparing yourself to us?" Louise snarled back, her blood boiling as she spoke to the creature. "You're not Sith. The true Sith have lain in wait in the darkest regions of space, rebuilding our empire for a thousand years while you wallow in this pit, the leftovers of Revan's blasphemous Empire and the dying remains of the Triumvirate. Being a Sith is not about what you wear or how you fight, it is much more than that! It's a philosophy, a-"
"I know Sith philosophy, child," Desolus said, its voice dangerously low. "I can speak its code: Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Though power, I gain victory. I hav-"
"Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. Wonoksh Qyâsik nun," she hissed with the fervour of a pious priestess; the Dark Side twisting and curling at her harsh utterance of the Code's final lines, her eyes alight with malic.
Desolus hesitated, its eyes narrowing as it looked around the room. It went to retort, to reply with some scathing comment, or perhaps to cut her down, but Louise would not allow it the chance.
"You can speak Qotsisajak, but you do not live it!" she spat. "it's not you, just words you throw around to feel superior to everyone else. Already your mind has been marred by your time in this Temple. You were never Sith, you will never be Sith. The true Sith are more than just philosophy, they're a culture, a people! The Sith Empire would see better use for you as cannon fodder, a test subject! And that's all you deserve."
"You claim to be so-called true Sith," it replied, "but you're nothing but a pathetic slave to the Light Side loving quims!"
Louise already knew she was to fight it, even if it was just more powerful than her, yet every word it spoke drew the inevitable ever closer. It not only stole away her friend and planned to turn him into its little zombie, but it held the one thing she was after: The artefact of Tulak Hord. And so, it was with no surprise, but great trepidation, that Louise shifted stance, her lightsaber held low in the traditional Niman guard position, ready to fight.
Desolus chucked at the moment. "If you wish to play with lightsabers, girl, then I would be happy to oblige." It reached into the tattered remains of its robes, and pulled free its lightsaber, igniting it with a flourish. Much like the rest of its monstrosities, the blade was serrated, crackling unstably, but it was longer, far more fitting for its size.
Louise looked at the blade apprehensively. Most lightsabers she had seen and used were roughly three-feet long – give or take a few inches for personalisation – but Desolus' lightsaber looked to be an extra foot and a half long. She knew reach was an issue in a fight, the longer a weapon the further they could strike, yet there was no turning back now.
Summoning the Force and the power of her runes, she made a quick dash, keeping low to slash at its legs. The attack was blocked easily by Desolus, of course, but using its own lightsaber as a picot, she pushed herself around the pretender, aiming to give herself far more room to manoeuvre. However, it seemed it saw what she was doing, quickly moving her saber away, taking a step back out of the way of her blade before slashing down at her.
The move was telegraphed, easy to foresee and block, but there was much power behind its attack. Nevertheless, with her strength, she held steadfast, stopping the blade where it came. Desolus seemed to smile at her, bearing its jagged teeth.
They duelled, blades swinging, jabbing, blocking, and parrying around the room. Louise tried to use every advantage she could, from her speed and small size, to the augmentation of the runes and the Force to try and overpower her foe. But every attack was met by a quick defence and counter-attack before it moved on the offensive once again. Yet, even then, the attacks were sloppy, easy to defend against. It was like Desolus was toying with her- no, it was toying with her; it knew it was the better fighter, far more powerful than her, and it wanted to rub it in, taunting her like some form of non-verbal Don Möch. Yet Louise fought on, twisting her infuriation into rage as the battle progressed, parrying, attacking counter attacking whenever she could, trying to find a chink in its defence. And soon, she found it.
He overswung.
From what she saw, it was no conscious decision, his legs quickly trying to stop himself from losing balance as he tried to right himself. Moving quickly, before he could do much more, she used her speed and strength to latch onto his outstretched arm, pulling him closer to stab at his unguarded gut. Chition and flesh burned as her lightsaber cut into him, but before she could deal any lasting damage, it growled, kicking her with its powerful legs right into her chest – sacrificing balance for survival. The force of the kick sent her flying back, her lungs suddenly bereft of air as she crashed into the stone floor.
With the runes still active, any pain she felt was numbed, yet it did little to sooth Louise's mind. She growled in irritation and anger, pulling herself up from the ground. Why won't you just let me kill you!?
She flung her hands forwards, lances of purple-hued lightning bursting from her fingertips, racing towards the creature. But instead of dodging or deflecting with its lightsaber, it simply held his hand out, looking far too pleased.
Her lightning struck with the Force of a charging terentatek, but it withstood the brunt, seemingly blocking her lightning with the palm of its hand. She kept up her assault, trying to subdue it with sheer power, drawing upon all the hatred and anger she could conjure as well as the power of the Temple itself.
Yet, he still stood strong.
Louise ceased her attack, momentarily stunned by Desolus who simply brushed its hands off, as if it were cleaning off dirt. "So, you wish to play with the Force, now?" it asked as if it were speaking with a child. "Well, I am anything but courteous."
Before she could react, it flicked its hands, as if shooing a fly, and suddenly, Louise was ripped from her feet, sent flying through the air until she slammed into the wall behind her. Gravity pulled her down, and she prepared to land on her feet but before she could, she was sent flying through the air again, slamming into another wall, and then another, and another. The runes tried their best to numb the pain, but it did little to stop her from getting dazed and disorientated.
With a final flick of its hand, she slammed into a wall, a massive force pinning her, cracking stone and bone before vanishing. Like a stone thrown into a lake, she fell to the floor, her lightsaber falling from her limp grip.
Like a switch, her body suddenly screamed in agony, as if it were alight with the purest flame. Desolus took pleasure in her pain, smiling, taunting words on his lips as he began rowing into her failings as well as the supposed failings of the true Sith. Her companions hungered to help, to fight and destroy the abomination, but the sithspawn held their ground, their sabers unwavering from her allies' necks.
Louise writhed in pain, several fractures and broken bones making themselves known. Her arm floundered haplessly, trying to grasp the only other weapon she could use in this fight. Her agony made it hard, but soon, her fingers brushed against the hilt and suddenly her world became clearer once more, pain muting into a dull throbbing once again. She felt rejuvenated, strong again, allowing her to straighten herself. She could taste blood, the back of her head felt wet, her legs felt weak under her weight and she could feel an uncomfortable poking sensation in her chest. Louise doubted this fight was going to end with her standing victorious.
Desolus stopped its lambaste of insults, his eyes wide with shock. "You still stand?" he asked, quickly trying to turn his surprise into amusement at her defiance. "I will give credit where credit is due; while the so-called true Sith are nothing more than disgraceful curs who slander the Sith Order, they are tough. Let's see how much pressure you take before you break… hmm?"
A barrage of blue lightning slammed into Louise, pushing her to the ground once again. She did not scream, pain numbed by her runes, but she could feel her energy waning, stripped away by Force lightning.
When the onslaught ended, presumably because of her lack of reaction, Louise did not rise. She felt her limbs empty of energy, weak. It was just far too powerful – Three-hundred years over her single year of training, all spent entrapped within a Temple dedicated to the Dark Side. There was no way she could defeat it, be it with lightsaber or the Force. She had nothing. Nothing but her dagger–
No…
Louise latched on to that last thread of energy she had, the defiance within her. She could not let it win, would not let it win. If she gave up now, she would either die or be twisted into one of his Force-forsaken monsters. Yet, it was not only her she wanted, needed to defend, but Quorian and Khem, two of her closest friends – one, to be twisted into its puppet, the other, either to follow the rest or beaten into servitude. No, she could not allow that, she would rather die. She wanted it dead, needed it dead. No screaming, no pain, just dead.
With these ambers of defiant hatred, she drew herself to stand, but try as she might, her legs were weak beneath her. The best she could do was prop herself up against the closest wall, glaring boldly at the abomination before her.
"Even now, you will not stay down?" it asked, sounding far more astounded than before. "What does it take to keep you down? Should I break your legs in two? Sever them? Leave you nothing more than a head and a body?"
Louise ignored it, instead focusing on raising her dagger, its tip pointed directly at its chest.
Desolus looked on confused, but weary, staring at her dagger with curiosity. "Ah… now what are you to do with that?" it asked, its body ready to move at a moment's notice, whether to attack or defend.
Yet even then, she ignored it. Years of recitation and practice all came flooding back from the deepest depths of her mind. Words she never thought she would speak again coming to her lips, little more than a whisper as she struggled to get them out. But with each word spoke, her voice grew louder and louder, until, by the final word, it was a roar: "Fireball!"
Pain.
Pain unlike she had ever felt. Like a white-hot nail driven deep into her brain with a single powerful stroke, overriding the numbing effects of the runes. Agony filled screams filled her ears and she longed to join them, but the breath was ripped from her lungs by an explosion blasting into existence from nothingness. Her head knocked against the stone wall once again, black spots bursting to live in her vision.
Despite the pain, her runes continued working, keeping her awake throughout the entire agony.
The room became quiet.
The pain was a continued presence, but she pushed it away, focusing on pulling herself off the ground. Her eyes, as blurred as they were, looked around the room, trying to spot anyone, anything.
The dust began to settle and around her, she found everyone on the floor; from Khem Val, to the Jedi, to the Republic soldiers, to even the fungal monstrosities who twitched on the floor. Almost everyone she could see was unconscious, the only one aside from herself who lay awake, was one of the soldiers who struggled to even stand. Louise ignored them, instead focusing on Desolus who lay against a wall, same as her, unmoving yet very much still alive.
Despite how weak she felt, how broken her body was, Louise crawled forwards, summoning all the power she could from the Dark Side to hold her body together as she did. But by the time she was close enough to touch, the pain was too much, making concentration almost impossible.
She fell onto it, straddling it. Her blurred eyes could make out the soft glow around its neck; the artefact, surprisingly undamaged. Taking it in hand, she pulled but found herself too weak to snap the chain that wrapped around Desolus' neck. She cut the thread with her dagger, the sharp blade making short work with the chain, then, with her last few ounces of strength, she plunged her dagger deep into its skull.
And then her world became black.
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The Sith Temple.
It stood as a citadel among the wilds of Dxun, one of the few signs of civilization on the Force-forsaken moon, and one of the grandest. It was a beacon, a nexus of the Dark Side in and of itself – a shining light to all darksiders who walked the moon.
Its history was shrouded in mystery, even to this day. Whether it was built by the Ancient Sith or the likes of the Dark Jedi, Freedon Nadd when he conquered Onderon and established his dynasty, nobody really knew which was correct. Recovered artefacts pointed towards the Ancient Sith, but Freedon very well could have pillaged the artefacts from their resting places. Nevertheless, it was a mystery Louise had no intention of solving. Instead, she had a different goal in mind.
Their base was nothing but burning rubble, bodies lying haphazardly around, buildings torn to scraps. With the only other option being to wait for help, hoping not to die, Louise and her allies found themselves wading through the thick foliage of Dxun, their weapons held tight in fear of ambush – their goal, the Sith Temple. However, no monsters barred their path like they had during their failed attempt to reach the Inquisitor. No, instead, she could sense the beasts hiding amongst the trees and plants, seemingly content to watch passively and little else. Though, this did very little to ease her mind.
After much trekking, they soon reached the base of the Sith Temple. It was deserted, the Republic base desolate, equipment abandoned, tents and tarps in disarray. Already, she could sense the unease of the Jedi and soldiers behind her as the Dark Side grew stronger around them like a chamber filling with water. Part of her felt elated at that – not only would she grow strong in the nexus, but the unease would keep her allies on edge, ready for everything. Yet, at the same time, she knew the dangers that would befall their untrained minds.
"Be careful," she warned, stopping before the mouth of the Temple, her eyes drifting to each of the Jedi as well as the soldiers, "the Dark Side is strong here, and I do not wish to deal with any of you if you fall into it."
One of the soldiers snorted at her warning. "Never expected a Sith to say that." What the other soldier thought, Louise did not know, but judging from what she could sense, incredulity was a high possibility. Nola, whose face was not covered by a helmet, seemed amused by the statement. Urik was impartial.
Louise could not help but twitch in anger at the rejoinder. "I say this," she hissed, turning to glare at the soldier, "because Jedi have a remarkable talent for not simply turning to the Dark Side, but tripping and falling down several flights of stairs right into insanity. Take Exar Kun for example, the arrogant bastard that he was. He began his path down the Dark Side right on this very moon, and it ended with him dead on Yavin IV. I know how to handle the Dark Side, I've trained to handle it. You lot? None of you have."
"She as a point," Urik mumbled, just loud enough to hear. "I mean, she's Sith, she'd know better than any of us. If she warns us about the Dark Side, let her."
"Are you sure this couldn't be a trick?" the other soldier replied, sounding sceptical. "For all we know she could be leading us to our death. She is Sith, after all."
Louise turned on the soldier, her eyes alight with indignation. But before she could express exactly what she felt about that accusation, Urik beat her to the punch. "If she wanted to corrupt us or kill us, she'd have all the chance in the world. Right now, we have no other option."
And just like that, the argument was over, though Louise could sense that they were not pleased with Urik's decision. Though, she felt surprised by his comment, if annoyed that the others only listened when he told them to. Nevertheless, they delved into the temple – their lightsabers and torches springing to life, lighting the way as they bathed the Temple halls in their glow.
Unlike when she last walked through the Temple, everything seemed… worse… darker. It was quiet. Before, there were many people working on the excavation, all working, chatting, and generally making a buzz. But now? Now, the only sound was the hum of their lightsabers, the rock grinding under boot and their breathing that seemed amplified by the Temple, making the already eerie atmosphere all the more ominous.
The six walked through, eyes ever watchful for danger as they passed through the entry chamber, deeper down until they arrived in the large chamber they made base in all those days ago. "Where to now?" Louise mused quietly under her breath, drifting from passageway to passageway, contemplating which would lead to the door in her vision.
"I'm sorry," Nola spoke up, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "but did you just say that you have no idea where we're going?"
Shooting the Togruta an annoyed glare, Louise replied, "Oh I'm sorry, does it look like I have a kriffing map!?"
"No, but you could've at least told us you had no idea where we're going!" replied Nola defensively, throwing her hands in the air. "We could've planned ahead, but no! Instead, we're diving head-first into a Sith Temple! A Temple you warned that was incredibly dangerous!"
"Valid point," Louise said through gritted teeth. "My rebuttal? This entire planet wants us dead!"
One of the soldiers signed loudly. "Do you at least know what we're looking for?" he asked.
"Yes, we're looking for an ornately carved door," she answered tersely, her voice rising as she spoke, "a door that I could find if I wasn't constantly being questioned by spiteful Jedi who seems to absolutely hate my mere existence!"
"Jedi do not hate, Sith," Nola growled.
"Oh, well you could have fooled me!" replied Louise, gesturing wildly. "I guess all the vitriol spewing from your mouth is just how you express your love and compassion!"
"Enough, you two!" shouted Urik, trying his best to stand between Louise and the other Republic personnel. "Enough! The sooner she can figure this out, the sooner we can stop whatever is causing this. So, stop this pointless bickering."
Nola growled. "Fine," she spat "but if this is a trap and you get us all killed–" she pointed at Louise – "I'm going to come back to haunt your ass!"
"Join the club," Louise growled back. After waiting a moment to make sure no one else was going to object, she tried her best to calm her mind to hear the will of the Force. It gave her a vision of the Temple, and she hoped it would aid her once again by pointing her in the right direction. As her mind cleared, she stretched out her feelings through the Force, pushing her senses out to the different pathways.
This way.
Louise's head twitched, pulled by the whisper-like voice that spoke far at the edge of her hearing, yet sounding so close. Her eyes opened, and what she saw was the passageway she and Master Korr had descended down all those days ago. The sense foreboding grew as she stared down the pitch-black staircase, her eyes playing tricks on her as the darkness swirled around, forming into vague silhouettes of people before morphing once again. "Down here," she called out to her allies who were busy investigating the room.
Urik quirked an eyebrow, looking down the passageway with scepticism. "Aren't there orbalisks down there?"
"Last I checked, yes," Louise replied. "All I know is that the Force is calling me down there."
"The Force is calling you down the staircase of death?" one of the soldiers asked incredulously.
"Yes."
"And you are just going to trust is?" he continued.
"Well…" she began, putting her hands on her hips, "we could pick another pathway at random and get our faces eaten by some unknown monster… or, perhaps, we could go back outside?"
The soldier sighed. "Well, if we're going to die anyway, we could at least make an attempt."
"Yay… for the Republic," the other soldier replied, pretending to wave a small flag.
Shaking her head, Louise began walking towards the staircase, stopping just at the threshold. "Come on, then. Let's not waste any time."
While Khem followed dutiful behind, muttering under his breath, the rest stayed behind hesitantly. After a few seconds of deliberation, the others soon followed.
As they descended, Louise could not help but feel anxious, especially when the staircase ended, bleeding into the hallway. Not only was there a fear of being swarmed with hundreds of golden shelled orbalisks at any second, but she began doubting herself. What if she was wrong about this? What if she was just leading them to their deaths? What if this was some kind of trap? Louise shook her head. There was no point changing her mind now, she needed to push on if only to save Quorian and get to the bottom of this mess.
Her eyes darted around, keeping an eye out for any of those golden insects, however, as they did, her eyes caught something. Stopping in her tracks, she peered at the walls of the hall, examining it under the light of her saber. It was a large mural, depicting a brutal battle of beasts tearing each other apart as caricatures fought with swords and lightsabers, each etched carefully into stone.
It was one of the carving from her vision.
Louise brushed her hand against the stone mural and shuddered. This was her first experience with a vision and the déjà vu, if she were to use the term from her homeworld, she felt was uncanny. "This is the right way."
"The vision?" Khem asked, looking down at her.
She nodded. "Yes. We're getting closer."
"Great work, Sith," grumbled one of the Republic soldiers. "At least we know we're not lost."
The other simply snorted.
Louise could not help but grit her teeth at the soldiers and tried her best to ignore them. Instead, she renewed her pace, heading deeper and deeper into the Temple then she had ever gone before. And as she did, she could feel the Dark Side grow more potent in the air. There was something immensely powerful deep in the Temple and she needed to find it; not only did she feel that it would lead her to Quorian and the other Jedi, but it could possibly lead to her original mission.
Another flight of stairs stood in their path. They had not run into any of the skittering orbalisks yet, but that did not mean they would encounter them deeper down in the Temple. With bated breath, they began their decent further and further, deeper and deeper into the core of Dxun until her path was blocked.
A large stone door stood before them, illuminated only by their sabers and torches. It was bereft of detail; just two plain, if cracked and worn, slabs of stone that stood as an imposing obstacle in their path. She could feel the Dark Side oozing from the door, seemingly seeping through the cracks. She knew whatever it was that had caused all the pain and misery these last few days was right behind this door. Her mind conjured horrible images of whatever entity hid behind the door; from some powerful sithspawn created long ago by the ancient darksiders who walked the planet, or perhaps a Force entity bound in loose shackles and beyond their comprehension.
Steeling herself, she went to try and push the door open, but before her fingers could even brush against the stone surface, the door moved, opening itself. Stone ground upon stone, a grating sound that hurt their ears as each of them jumped to attention, their weapons ready to defend themselves.
Soon, the door was opened wide enough to make out the chamber beyond. It was large, lit by strange glowing organic growths like vines that wrapped up and around the walls, floors and ceiling. The lighting was uneven, large dark shadows skulking around some parts while others were brightly lit. However, that mattered little as it was bright enough to see that there was no entity her mind conjured, instead, a large humanoid sitting cross-legged with his back to the group.
For a moment, after the doors finished opening, the chamber was quiet. Nothing but the hums of lightsabers and the methodical sounds of breathing.
Then, a voice, a rattling gasp, grating as grinding stone and as harsh as the surface of Korriban, spoke. "I have been waiting." It did not originate from the being, but from all around the room, as if speakers had been hidden in every nook and cranny. The figure moved slowly from his place, standing up from the ground to face them.
Tall… tall was an understatement. He- It, the figure was at least eight-feet tall, possibly taller. It was one of the fungal creatures she had fought all those days ago, but not. It looked far more human, with discernible lips, eyes and fewer growths jutting from its skin. Not only that, but another difference was its eyes, which were not the silver of before, but fiery yellow orbs that bore into Louise's spirit, and Louise's specifically. It was also donned in robes, old and tattered black robes, but robe nonetheless, and around its neck hung a chain, clutching a dimly glowing green crystal pulsating like a heartbeat. "I am Darth Desolus, Dark Lord of the Sith. Might I ask your name?"
Louise froze, shocked, staring up at the figure. It was a Sith- no, a Dark Lord of the Sith? No… it couldn't be. It was not possible. The only true Dark Lords of the Sith were the Emperor and the Dark Council, and unless one of the Council members died recently, it could not be a Dark Lord. She would not believe it.
Behind her, Louise's companions were reacting to the news in their own way. Khem was amused; a wild card who proclaimed themselves a Dark Lord of the Sith. He knew this was going to end in one way, a fight, just as in the Old Empire. Yet, he feared that this meeting would end poorly for his little master, and for himself.
Nola, as well as the other two Republic soldiers, froze just as Louise, fear running down their spines. A Sith apprentice, they could deal with, but a fully-fledged Dark Lord of the Sith was not something they thought they were qualified for. At the same time, they felt a grim sense of satisfaction. It was all Louise's fault this happened, she had worked with the Sith to destroy their expedition and hinder the Republic's efforts.
However, it was Urik who was actively glaring, looking to Louise then back to Darth Desolus. "I am Jedi Kni–"
"I am not talking to you, Jedi," Desolus spat. "I was talking to her." The figure's arm moved, a single taloned finger pointing directly at Louise.
"…I am Louise," she replied after a moment's hesitation, a pit of fear forming in her gut as she tried to comprehend what was going on, "apprentice to Darth Zash, heir to Lord Aloysius Kallig. Who are you to call yourself the Dark Lord of the Sith?"
"I must admit," it said, suddenly looking at Louise warily, "I have been away for some time. Tell me, is this Darth Zash the current reigning Dark Lord of the Sith?"
Louise opened her mouth to answer but shut it when nothing came out. Her master, the Empress of the Sith Empire? She did not know why, but the visual was amusing, especially with Zash's disposition. She shook her head, focusing on the major point – the so-called Darth Desolus knew nothing about the Sith Emperor and possibly the Empire at large. How long has it been here? She mused.
"No," she said. "My master is not the current reigning Dark Lord of the Sith. The Emperor rules over the Sith."
"The Emperor? When did the Sith become ruled by a Sith Emperor…?" it asked, staring at the girl curiously – the previous weariness diminished into a slight cautiousness.
Louise's lips quirked. The more it spoke, the more proof she had that it had no connection to the Neo-Sith Empire and therefore, no Dark Lord of the Sith. However, this did not mean that it did not believe its claims; it was possible it was the remains of the false Sith factions such as the Exar's Brotherhood, Revan's Empire or even the Triumvirate. "You call yourself Sith, yet you know nothing of the Sith Emperor?" Louise challenged, her eyes narrowed.
"Darth Sion? Darth Nihilus?" Desolus asked, it's already harsh voice turning into an irritated growl. "Are those the ones you speak of?"
So, you were a part of the Triumvirate… Louise thought, not whether to be pleased or annoyed. The Triumvirate was far better than Exar's disgraceful Brotherhood, but that meant little as it was only able to get as far as it did because it's leaders were powerful in the Dark Side. "Sion and Nihilus are dead. They died three-hundred years ago. Killed by the Jedi Exile, Meetra Surik."
"I felt as much…" it sighed. "It has been so long…"
Now that she knew where his allegiances lie… or at least where they did, Louise thought it prudent to ask, "Who are you, how did you get here?"
Desolus raised an eyebrow, or at least a chitinous plate in its case. "Do you wish to learn my life story? Is that really all on your mind upon meeting me?" it asked, before grasping its chin in thought. "I have questions of my own, so I will humour you.'
"I was once a Sith Warrior under Darth Revan's Empire," it began, "but when that fell away, I joined the Sith Triumvirate. There, I fought for my lord, Darth Sion, during the Dark Wars where I proved myself time and time again. However, this all fell apart when we were sent here to get what power we could from Dxun to help against the Republic and the remains of the Jedi. During the battle with the Mandalorians stationed here, a ship crashed into the Temple while we were excavating, barring our escape.'
"Since then, we tried our best to find a way out, uncovering many ancient artefacts, some even belonging to the Dark Lord of Old, such as Tulak Hord." Desolus absently grasped the crystal around his neck but ripped it away the next moment. It took all Louise's willpower to stop herself from reacting at the sight, her easily making the connection. "With these artefacts, I uncovered many secrets and learned about one of the most powerful expressions of the Dark Side: Sith Alchemy. You've already encountered one of my creations…"
"Those monsters… they're yours!" growled Urik, glaring up at the Sith, his grip tightening on his lightsaber just as his teeth gritted. Louise could sense him begin to move, just as the others were, and quickly stopped him with a hand across his chest, shaking her head. Urik turned his glare upon her, but listened nonetheless, even though she knew deep in his heart, he wanted to fight.
"Ah… so you do recognise them…" Desolus said with a much too wide smile, showing a maw of many, many jagged teeth. "Yes… after many attempted mutinies, I decided I needed loyal followers, ones who would serve me and not themselves, followers who would not drain our recourses like the leeches they were. Now, they have been twisted into my loyal servants, my eyes and ears in more ways than one. Yet, we were still trapped here because of that blasted ship. So, I stayed, practising this new power and learned more eventually learning to extend my life.'
"And then these Jedi appeared," it continued, gesturing to those around Louise, "ignorant of what dangers lay beyond the desolate ship, and began their excavation. And now, after so much time, we've tasted freedom.'
"Now, to return the question, I must ask: who are you and why have you come here, Sith?"
Louise opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, a voice behind her shouted, "Enough of this!" It was Nola, the togruta Jedi. Twisting her head around, Louise saw the girl stand, ready for a fight with her lightsaber raised threateningly. "Where are the other Jedi?!" she demanded.
Desolus sneered, glaring down at the Jedi Togruta. "The Jedi, you say? You needn't ask how to find them, you'll all join my horde soon enough…"
Nola's reaction was expected as it was brash and aggressive. One minute, she was standing just behind Louise, the next, she was charging the Sith-pretender, her lightsaber ready to attack. On her other side, Urik joined his fellow Jedi. But before they could even get close enough to strike at Desolus, they found themselves flung back by a powerful wave of invisible and potent energy, knocking them off their feet.
Snap-hiss!
The sounds of lightsabers igniting quickly filled the room, overwhelming the blue, green and yellow hues with a blood-like crimson. Roughly twenty of the fungal abominations seemed to have faded from nothingness to surround the sextet, their crackling ruby blades held threatening at all their necks. All, aside from Louise's.
Louise napped around, looking back to Desolus. "Let them go!"
"You would rather stand among the Jedi than with another Sith?" it hissed dangerously.
She glared at the giant, sneering. "You plan on turning my friends into your puppets!"
"Your friends?" it growled, advancing on Louise menacingly. "When I watched you partake in banter with the Jedi, I thought that it was simply to keep them from suspecting you – to make yourself seem friendly before stabbing them in the back. But now I see where your loyalties lie. You are no Sith! You are nothing more than a pretender walking side by side with our most hated enemy!"
"You dare insult me by comparing yourself to us?" Louise snarled back, her blood boiling as she spoke to the creature. "You're not Sith. The true Sith have lain in wait in the darkest regions of space, rebuilding our empire for a thousand years while you wallow in this pit, the leftovers of Revan's blasphemous Empire and the dying remains of the Triumvirate. Being a Sith is not about what you wear or how you fight, it is much more than that! It's a philosophy, a-"
"I know Sith philosophy, child," Desolus said, its voice dangerously low. "I can speak its code: Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Though power, I gain victory. I hav-"
"Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. Wonoksh Qyâsik nun," she hissed with the fervour of a pious priestess; the Dark Side twisting and curling at her harsh utterance of the Code's final lines, her eyes alight with malic.
Desolus hesitated, its eyes narrowing as it looked around the room. It went to retort, to reply with some scathing comment, or perhaps to cut her down, but Louise would not allow it the chance.
"You can speak Qotsisajak, but you do not live it!" she spat. "it's not you, just words you throw around to feel superior to everyone else. Already your mind has been marred by your time in this Temple. You were never Sith, you will never be Sith. The true Sith are more than just philosophy, they're a culture, a people! The Sith Empire would see better use for you as cannon fodder, a test subject! And that's all you deserve."
"You claim to be so-called true Sith," it replied, "but you're nothing but a pathetic slave to the Light Side loving quims!"
Louise already knew she was to fight it, even if it was just more powerful than her, yet every word it spoke drew the inevitable ever closer. It not only stole away her friend and planned to turn him into its little zombie, but it held the one thing she was after: The artefact of Tulak Hord. And so, it was with no surprise, but great trepidation, that Louise shifted stance, her lightsaber held low in the traditional Niman guard position, ready to fight.
Desolus chucked at the moment. "If you wish to play with lightsabers, girl, then I would be happy to oblige." It reached into the tattered remains of its robes, and pulled free its lightsaber, igniting it with a flourish. Much like the rest of its monstrosities, the blade was serrated, crackling unstably, but it was longer, far more fitting for its size.
Louise looked at the blade apprehensively. Most lightsabers she had seen and used were roughly three-feet long – give or take a few inches for personalisation – but Desolus' lightsaber looked to be an extra foot and a half long. She knew reach was an issue in a fight, the longer a weapon the further they could strike, yet there was no turning back now.
Summoning the Force and the power of her runes, she made a quick dash, keeping low to slash at its legs. The attack was blocked easily by Desolus, of course, but using its own lightsaber as a picot, she pushed herself around the pretender, aiming to give herself far more room to manoeuvre. However, it seemed it saw what she was doing, quickly moving her saber away, taking a step back out of the way of her blade before slashing down at her.
The move was telegraphed, easy to foresee and block, but there was much power behind its attack. Nevertheless, with her strength, she held steadfast, stopping the blade where it came. Desolus seemed to smile at her, bearing its jagged teeth.
They duelled, blades swinging, jabbing, blocking, and parrying around the room. Louise tried to use every advantage she could, from her speed and small size, to the augmentation of the runes and the Force to try and overpower her foe. But every attack was met by a quick defence and counter-attack before it moved on the offensive once again. Yet, even then, the attacks were sloppy, easy to defend against. It was like Desolus was toying with her- no, it was toying with her; it knew it was the better fighter, far more powerful than her, and it wanted to rub it in, taunting her like some form of non-verbal Don Möch. Yet Louise fought on, twisting her infuriation into rage as the battle progressed, parrying, attacking counter attacking whenever she could, trying to find a chink in its defence. And soon, she found it.
He overswung.
From what she saw, it was no conscious decision, his legs quickly trying to stop himself from losing balance as he tried to right himself. Moving quickly, before he could do much more, she used her speed and strength to latch onto his outstretched arm, pulling him closer to stab at his unguarded gut. Chition and flesh burned as her lightsaber cut into him, but before she could deal any lasting damage, it growled, kicking her with its powerful legs right into her chest – sacrificing balance for survival. The force of the kick sent her flying back, her lungs suddenly bereft of air as she crashed into the stone floor.
With the runes still active, any pain she felt was numbed, yet it did little to sooth Louise's mind. She growled in irritation and anger, pulling herself up from the ground. Why won't you just let me kill you!?
She flung her hands forwards, lances of purple-hued lightning bursting from her fingertips, racing towards the creature. But instead of dodging or deflecting with its lightsaber, it simply held his hand out, looking far too pleased.
Her lightning struck with the Force of a charging terentatek, but it withstood the brunt, seemingly blocking her lightning with the palm of its hand. She kept up her assault, trying to subdue it with sheer power, drawing upon all the hatred and anger she could conjure as well as the power of the Temple itself.
Yet, he still stood strong.
Louise ceased her attack, momentarily stunned by Desolus who simply brushed its hands off, as if it were cleaning off dirt. "So, you wish to play with the Force, now?" it asked as if it were speaking with a child. "Well, I am anything but courteous."
Before she could react, it flicked its hands, as if shooing a fly, and suddenly, Louise was ripped from her feet, sent flying through the air until she slammed into the wall behind her. Gravity pulled her down, and she prepared to land on her feet but before she could, she was sent flying through the air again, slamming into another wall, and then another, and another. The runes tried their best to numb the pain, but it did little to stop her from getting dazed and disorientated.
With a final flick of its hand, she slammed into a wall, a massive force pinning her, cracking stone and bone before vanishing. Like a stone thrown into a lake, she fell to the floor, her lightsaber falling from her limp grip.
Like a switch, her body suddenly screamed in agony, as if it were alight with the purest flame. Desolus took pleasure in her pain, smiling, taunting words on his lips as he began rowing into her failings as well as the supposed failings of the true Sith. Her companions hungered to help, to fight and destroy the abomination, but the sithspawn held their ground, their sabers unwavering from her allies' necks.
Louise writhed in pain, several fractures and broken bones making themselves known. Her arm floundered haplessly, trying to grasp the only other weapon she could use in this fight. Her agony made it hard, but soon, her fingers brushed against the hilt and suddenly her world became clearer once more, pain muting into a dull throbbing once again. She felt rejuvenated, strong again, allowing her to straighten herself. She could taste blood, the back of her head felt wet, her legs felt weak under her weight and she could feel an uncomfortable poking sensation in her chest. Louise doubted this fight was going to end with her standing victorious.
Desolus stopped its lambaste of insults, his eyes wide with shock. "You still stand?" he asked, quickly trying to turn his surprise into amusement at her defiance. "I will give credit where credit is due; while the so-called true Sith are nothing more than disgraceful curs who slander the Sith Order, they are tough. Let's see how much pressure you take before you break… hmm?"
A barrage of blue lightning slammed into Louise, pushing her to the ground once again. She did not scream, pain numbed by her runes, but she could feel her energy waning, stripped away by Force lightning.
When the onslaught ended, presumably because of her lack of reaction, Louise did not rise. She felt her limbs empty of energy, weak. It was just far too powerful – Three-hundred years over her single year of training, all spent entrapped within a Temple dedicated to the Dark Side. There was no way she could defeat it, be it with lightsaber or the Force. She had nothing. Nothing but her dagger–
No…
Louise latched on to that last thread of energy she had, the defiance within her. She could not let it win, would not let it win. If she gave up now, she would either die or be twisted into one of his Force-forsaken monsters. Yet, it was not only her she wanted, needed to defend, but Quorian and Khem, two of her closest friends – one, to be twisted into its puppet, the other, either to follow the rest or beaten into servitude. No, she could not allow that, she would rather die. She wanted it dead, needed it dead. No screaming, no pain, just dead.
With these ambers of defiant hatred, she drew herself to stand, but try as she might, her legs were weak beneath her. The best she could do was prop herself up against the closest wall, glaring boldly at the abomination before her.
"Even now, you will not stay down?" it asked, sounding far more astounded than before. "What does it take to keep you down? Should I break your legs in two? Sever them? Leave you nothing more than a head and a body?"
Louise ignored it, instead focusing on raising her dagger, its tip pointed directly at its chest.
Desolus looked on confused, but weary, staring at her dagger with curiosity. "Ah… now what are you to do with that?" it asked, its body ready to move at a moment's notice, whether to attack or defend.
Yet even then, she ignored it. Years of recitation and practice all came flooding back from the deepest depths of her mind. Words she never thought she would speak again coming to her lips, little more than a whisper as she struggled to get them out. But with each word spoke, her voice grew louder and louder, until, by the final word, it was a roar: "Fireball!"
Pain.
Pain unlike she had ever felt. Like a white-hot nail driven deep into her brain with a single powerful stroke, overriding the numbing effects of the runes. Agony filled screams filled her ears and she longed to join them, but the breath was ripped from her lungs by an explosion blasting into existence from nothingness. Her head knocked against the stone wall once again, black spots bursting to live in her vision.
Despite the pain, her runes continued working, keeping her awake throughout the entire agony.
The room became quiet.
The pain was a continued presence, but she pushed it away, focusing on pulling herself off the ground. Her eyes, as blurred as they were, looked around the room, trying to spot anyone, anything.
The dust began to settle and around her, she found everyone on the floor; from Khem Val, to the Jedi, to the Republic soldiers, to even the fungal monstrosities who twitched on the floor. Almost everyone she could see was unconscious, the only one aside from herself who lay awake, was one of the soldiers who struggled to even stand. Louise ignored them, instead focusing on Desolus who lay against a wall, same as her, unmoving yet very much still alive.
Despite how weak she felt, how broken her body was, Louise crawled forwards, summoning all the power she could from the Dark Side to hold her body together as she did. But by the time she was close enough to touch, the pain was too much, making concentration almost impossible.
She fell onto it, straddling it. Her blurred eyes could make out the soft glow around its neck; the artefact, surprisingly undamaged. Taking it in hand, she pulled but found herself too weak to snap the chain that wrapped around Desolus' neck. She cut the thread with her dagger, the sharp blade making short work with the chain, then, with her last few ounces of strength, she plunged her dagger deep into its skull.
And then her world became black.
Mother Nyx
Mother of Elpis
- Location
- The Kei Klub
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The Jedi owe her now. Not just that, but if they paid attention to her speech... What they would bring back to the other Jedi...