Ask Dromund Kaas In the Cobra's Eye

[Vossari Khaldun]

Years had passed since the Sith had held Dromuund Kaas. In the days of the Sith Imperium, the world had hosted a mighty academy, the palaces of great lords, and massive cityscapes within its towering jungle. To return here was a proposition - a step towards the Sith reclaiming their heritage. Retaking great Dromuund Kaas would be a symbol, to the Order and the Galaxy at large, that the Sith were eternal. An Empire may come and go with the waves, but so long as Dromuund Kaas existed, so too would the Sith.

Vossari didn't grasp these complexities, though, as he arrived to the world. Without powerful Sith benefactors, the world devolved further and further into smaller fiefdoms and warlords, eventually falling into a state of paranoia and violence. The presence of the living Dark Side on the world certainly encouraged such base behavior. And it was under these conditions that an organic rise to power could be engineered for the Sith - the people could again turn to their true masters.

This was why Freyja and Vossari had been sent here. Scout out the planet, and report back to their betters the condition of it. Vossari wanted more. He was clad in his environmental suit as he strode through the spaceport, once formerly held by the Sith Empire, now privately held by a militia of mercenaries and off world traders who needed a wall of blaster fire to safely peddle their products. His helmet lay in his hands as he searched across the spaceport for his contact - the young woman who was Azar's apprentice. Her, Vossari was intimately interested in.

The port had failed to disrepair as the jungle reclaimed what once an empire had built. But still, it was likely the quietest place on Dromuund Kaas today. He nibbled on a fried meat-and-veg-on-a-stick as he waited, eyes darting around the spaceport.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Just like Korriban, Moraband, Ziost and many more, Dromund Kass was an ancient Sith planet and thus an important target. Historically, a prestigious Academy had once dwelled on the planet and it was said to be drenched in pure darkness...she didn't doubt it was palpable all around and thus she was thrilled to get started.

However for now, she was still stuck in a transport that got her over. She knew another acolyte, Vossari, to be more specific, was about to accompany her, which made this whole mission even more interesting. She remembered the scenes on Thule well and how the very acolyte had been the origin of the chaos that had followed the death of the treacherous, mad Cremek.

Now another Master was gone, Freyja had gained a totally different impression of his master, Karys, and the bold Wrean intrigued her even more. He seemed like an agent of chaos, but so was she every now and then, so she wasn't entirely sure how this would go, but as she alighted from the transport, there was subtle smirk planted on her lips.

Knowing Dromund Kass was wet and the climate often literally electric, she had put on an environmental suit - she hated it, if she was being honest, but it was probably her safest bet for now. The helmet she kept off until she'd actually need it, but he thick suit slightly dampened her otherwise positive mood.

She spotted the Wrean minutes after strolling through the port, snacking on something. She approached him right away, her lightsaber dangling from his belt and an energy bow on her back. Who knew what they'd find here...but the atmosphere on the surface, even in the spaceport, was enticing. "Looks tasty...do you have another one?", she threw him a smirk, wondering whether he was following her GalaxyGram channel and thus knew that she was someone rather direct.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari didn't have social media, so he didn't even think to think about that. Not since his last few accounts on GalaxyGram had gotten banned. It was getting tiring just making more HoloMail addresses just to get banned again. Sure, making death threats online was a problem, but was it a bannable one?

Vossari took another, long bite as she stared down his food. "No," he said, flatly, as he chewed gristle and vegetable loudly. He wasn't gonna share, either. Voss pointed to a kiosk with a thin, human worker. He had a long moustache and a rainbow-colored cap on his head. The kind with a little propellor on top. He offered strange foods of many kinds, delicacies from regions unknown. "You can get something from him, though."

Vossari gestured for her to lead the way towards the food cart guy. Vossari knew what he would do - scam the food cart guy out of his hard-earned snacks. Maybe take his money, too. But it was almost becoming too predictable to cause a massive ruckus at first meeting sometime. For once, he would let someone else lead the way.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

"Rude", she immediately threw back, the delivery of the remark devoid of any actual emotions and the smirk still on her lips. It wasn't a very satisfying answer, but it was fair enough, so with a shrug, she added, "but fair" before she eyed the vendor. Was she hungry? Perhaps not...but she was in the mood for a snack.

"You coming along?". He was in fact coming along, so she led him over to the food cart, her gaze browsing the different options he offered before she couldn't look away from his hat. Frowning, she watched the little propeller spin as a sl8ght breeze ruffled through the food cart.

"What he had, please", she told the vendor with a nod to Voss' stick as a few mischievous ideas crossed her mind. Perhaps there was much more to get here...but then again, she remembered they were on a mission and they better got going as the sooner they'd have their reports ready, the sooner she'd be back.

'To say you've caused quite a stir on Thule is perhaps an understatement...are you always such an agent of chaos? Consider me intrigued?'. Her gaze flicked over to him, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she casually leaned against the cart. It wasn't offensive at all, and even if she chose telepathy, the playful tone of her voice inside his head would tell him just as much. It had been wild to watch - she had still been with them as he and Cyutadakyr had exchanged their words before the fight between Karys and her had started. One way or another, her fellow acolyte sure piqued her interest.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Voss continued to nibble on his treat as he eyed Azar's apprentice. It was a funny position they were in - while their respective masters were away on Korriban, the acolytes were left to play. Vossari had wanted to introduce himself back on Thule, but then there was all that commotion. In a certain way, he felt sorry for the way it played out. But, he would never apologize for saying what he felt when he felt. Even when it was inconvenient for those around him, even if he didn't have a salient point to make, Vossari would not be silenced.

"That's a fun one. 'Agent of Chaos.' It sounds so dramatic." They wouldn't be Sith if they couldn't add a little bit of controlled chaos, now could they? He jangled his vambraces again at the thought of the day, a reminder that it was him who was favored in Darth Tempest's eyes. Such displays had gotten him this far - maybe he could continue to build his power around pettily annoying every Sith he met. Vossari wasn't great at small talk, so he just walked towards the edge of the spaceport as they thought through next steps.

"I'm afraid I'm pretty plain, though. People in the Order just get pissy when someone does what they want." The Sith were more about Power than actual freedom - all of them were bound to their incredibly complex social conventions where violence was the answer to most questions.

The spaceport ending in a plain strip, where armed guards paved the way to the jungle. "Scout out the planet, right? No Sith has set foot on here since the Empire left." He had so many questions about what the world had degenerated to in their absence, but the most pressing thing to him was finding whatever Sith remnants remained and swiftly absorbing them. Vossari had long wanted to visit the bustling towers of Kaas City. He had heard legendary things about their markets.

"Want to go shopping?"
@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

"Is dramatic bad?", she asked him, curious and somewhat amused by his reaction as she threw him a smirk. She was soon handed her stick and paid, before she began nibbling on it. It was seasoned well and perfectly warm, so it was quite a pleasant snack, so for the inspiration he had offered, she was at least grateful.

"Well...but isn't that what we do?". Sith strived go free themselves from their shackles - her old master had been quite obsessive with preaching that part of the code, and yet he had a point. There was hierarchy they had to respect, yet sometimes all the rules they were confronted with at the Academy, for example, annoyed her as he had a point.

Her question was thus of rhetorical nature, but while she often considered herself a troublemaker, he seemed even worse. "Yes...scouting and gathering some information about possible opportunities". This much she knew, even if she didn't know a lot about this planet apart from what they had learned at the Academy.

"Absolutely". What a question! She was delighted by the idea, not because she loved shopping, but also because they'd learn something there for sure and perhaps they'd even find something that would be of use. She kept checking on who was around them, but as there wasn't jucb traffic, it seemed like they could talk freely.

"I saw some shops earlier", she nodded towards their left, where she had spotted them before. As they started strolling over there, she had a few questions on her mind already and was hoping he was in the mood for some chatting. "How long have you been training under Karys? Is he chill?", she asked curiously, glancing up at him. Azar was a great Master so far and she knew Karys and him were quite close...

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Was Karys 'chill'? Vossari thought back to their first real interaction on Nar Shadda - when Karys had punched him in the face. Not very chill. Nor was their second encounter, when Karys choked him in the halls of Umbara. Nor was Panatha, when Karys had choked him again. Their relationship was tense, to say the least. But it had some serious highs to accompany the lows. Being trained by Karys felt difficult yet rewarding. He still had the freedom to pursue his own interests, but Karys had direction and vision. And, more than anything, Karys had defended him at Thule. He threw aside his strongest friendship, with another pureblood, to defend Vossari. He risked his life for the Wrean. Even if that was solely to protect his powerbase, Vossari knew that their relationship was forged in fire. It would have to withstand the test of time.

"He can be a hard-ass, but he's pretty cool." Vossari shrugged. But Vossari was more curious about Freyja's experience training with Azar. He was jealous of the time with that handsome specimen of a man that her role as acolyte ensured, but he imagined that Azar was exactly as demanding as a master as he was in everything else in life. "What about Azar? How's he as a teacher?" Does he ever mention me?

Unfortunately, shopping on Dromuund Kaas was horrible. There were few crafts, few arts, few boutiques, and no major intergalactic chains on the planet since the Empire lost hold of the world. Instead, hunters exchanged old MREs and the massive stockpiles of mass-produced blaster rifles. Looters pawned off bloody, scavenged goods from the dead in the jungle. Thieves wove in-and-out of rusting buildings. There was an abject sense of misery, heightened by the natural pull of the world towards the Dark Side. Without a Sith presence, the world had crumbled into a planet of crises.

As they wandered, Vossari took note of the cityscape here. Depleted. Retreating. Slowly being consumed by the darkness of the storming jungles. Eventually, they made their way to something of a pawn shop. Jungle beasts in cages growled with leering eyes, following them as they browsed the store "This place sucks, dude." This was a far cry from the luxuries of Thule.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Freyja saw the acolyte ponder on her question for quite a moment which told her quite a lot. Upon receiving the same question, she would have reacted differently. It was more complicated in his case, she knew that whatever happened on Thule, was much more intense, convoluted and enmeshed than what the crowd had gathered from the surface.

She knew about Azar and Karys, so what his acolyte thought about him was just as interesting. Azar had also trained Karys as his apprentice, so this added another spicy layer to this whole construct and network that simply intrigued her. She didn't doubt Vossari had met Azar as well.

He finally did reply after quite some time and a smirk crossed her lips. "He seems cool", she agreed, even if she didn't knew him well. His skills had impressed her after all, just like his passionate ruthlessness against the other master he had banged in a refresher a few weeks ago.

"Azar is a great teacher", she replied instantly, a genuine smile on her lips as she answered. While she didn't mind given that away so openly, Freyja was one to gather intel, not give it away as freely. If he wanted more information, he'd pay with intel first. "Do you know him well?", she curiously asked as she kept trailing along him.

They started passing a few shops, but none really piqued her interest. She saw once cute outfit, but that was in a rough looking designer boutique and she didn't feel like stealing yet. They had work to do...or at least information to gather. As they passed the caged up animals, Freyja's mind was crossed with more possible shenanigans.

"Word", she briefly met his gaze, a mischievous glint glistening in her eyes before she studied the locking mechanisms. Some were really rusty and absolutely ancient, barely more than a little latch, so a loth cat sized hissing reptilian caught her attention quickly. "Want to make this a little more fun?", she asked telepathically, almost rhetorically as her fingers already moved. The Force was coiled around them and slowly, the latch opened just as she was walking over in a different direction.

The shop owning scum would have to deal with the chaotic consequences while Freyja's curiosity was piqued by a very shady store that seemed to offer various substances and old trinkets..."wanna check this here out?", she asked, jutting her chin towards the store across the street again.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari felt Freyja whisper into his mind as they continued to meander about and cause a ruckus. He amplified her power, spilling out wild and exotic animals out of the stall and towards the streets. The shopkeeper ran out, angrily, and tried to bring them back in. Vossari scurried to the next store, as he looked at walls lined with old Sith baubles and trinkets, likely stolen from the walls of the former Sith temples. His mind wandered.

"You know, I'm kinda blanking on where to start with this whole...'gather intelligence' thing." Vossari put a thumb to his chin as he thought through the situation carefully. He wanted to impress Azar with this - a mission on his own. He needed Freyja to report back how cool and charming and smart Vossari was back to Azar. So, he thought about their location.

"Hey. Idea." Fingers snapped as it came to him. He gestured to the makeshift city around them, borne out of the spaceport. The spaceport was a local hub for information, for power, and for strength. Who controlled here could control the fate of the planet, turn the whole city into a beachhead for a larger operation. Perhaps that was the play. "Let's just find out who owns the spaceport and, uh..." He shrugged.

"Take it from 'em. Then we'll have a source of information." It would take some leverage to pull it off and some creativity to even figure out how, but how complicated could this be? It's just one spaceport.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Freyja was quite amused by how Vossari just added to the chaos and soon the whole shop was in complete disarray. The wild creatures were now roaming the streets and while it caused quite some commotion, regardless of what they'd do, they were probably better off now that the authorities even had something to focus on.

Inside the next shop, Freyja's attention was immediately caught by a oddly shaped glass vial filled with blueish shimmering powder before Voss outlined some ideas. She slowly turned, her head tilted to the side as she slightly raised a brow. "Wut", she blinked at him in confusion for a moment, before some ideas started to develop in her mind.

"Actually...", they were supposed to work from the shadows, keep a low profile and yet gather important insights - targeting the center of travel, transport and shipping wasn't such a bad idea. "Security will be high, but you're onto something here. If we can find a way to pull that off stealthily, what we'll gather might exceed our own expectations", her voice was lowered and thus barely above a whisper while she was standing in front of him, glancing up.

Reports of who had landed on the ancient Sith world and who had recently left, information about what was currently traded and who pulled the strings in the background. "What if-" she was sharply cut off by an old, scrawny crone who seemingly popped out of nowhere, appearing right next to Vossari.

"Have you two little Loth Kittens gotten lost?", her croaked hoarsely, her wrinkled, hooded face softening. Somehow Freyja froze for a moment, finding something off about her. "Or may I help you look for anything in particular?", she offered, her lips suddenly curling into an absurd smirk.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari nearly screamed when that old lady popped up in their face. "Yeah. Looking for old Sith Empire trinkets, lady. If you've got any good ones, hurry up and hand them over." Vossari didn't feel like dealing with some strange old lady shenanigans - now, all he wanted was to be the proud owner of a shiny spaceport on Dromuund Kaas. He failed to realize the inherent danger that the old hang possessed.

Her eyes lifted at the word Sith. The smirk spread far too wide, before curling down to a neutral expression. "Oh, of course, dearies! My rarest trinkets are in the basement. Perhaps you strong, young people could help me carry some upstairs?" An obvious bait, but Vossari didn't even notice. His eyes poured over the shelves nonchalantly.

"Not our problem, lady. You need extra help, you hire it. I'm not your errand boy." The old hag's face twisted, briefly, into one of anger. Vossari felt it - even without use of the Force. He had a gift for getting on others' nerves. He swiveled his head towards her, cocking it in one direction. Now, he started to realize there was something strange going on. "You know what, you're right. We should help." Vossari placed a hand on Freyja shoulder and shoved her forward. "Here, look. My acquaintance will go down and help you carry whatever you need. I'll just keep browsing up here."

The old lady gripped onto Freyja's with a shocking about of control, walking her towards the stairs. "Come along, dearie. Trinkets and baubles abound in the basement...." The stairs looked like they led to a dark, horrid cellar.

Vossari pocketed that vial of blue sand that Freyja had lifted.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

She was pure danger and Freyja had absolutely no intention to fuck and find out how dangerous she truly was. As Vossari demanded she handed over valuable trinkets, she shot him a warning glare - was he freaking serious? Even if there was something severely off about her, giving away intentions was never a good idea.

The crone suddenly asked whether they could carry something up for her and expecting a trap, Freyja cut in: "What my acquaintance meant is that we have to leave". Her voice was rather cold, devoid of any emotions before her gaze flicked from the Granny to Voss. As he started walking, her eyes slightly narrowed before he suddenly shoved her towards the creepy Granny.

Was he freaking serious now?! Immediate anger flared up inside her, but Freyja knew she had to stay in control and play this cool, so she didn't even allow her mind to race as she was led towards the stairs. However, as the old hag opened the door, the acolyte spun in a split second, the Force even enhancing her movement speed as she grabbed the wrinkled hand and half hurled her down the first steps.

She was counting on the moment of surprise which would surely leave her tumbling down at least a few steps while Freyja began to bolt towards the door. She paid Vossari no attention while she swiftly slid out and kept running. Whether Voss followed or not right away, Freyja was headed towards the direction of the spaceport, neither wanting to find out what that woman was capable of nor staying in this area any longer. Maybe she was just a normal creepy old lady with a weird presence within the force - in the end, it didn't even matter for now.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Voss watched as Freyja tossed the kind old lady down the stairs. Glorious. But she ran away afterwards, which was lame. Vossari decided to finish the job she started. He reached out with both hands, grabbing the old lady by the neck through the Force, and snapped it. Her body fell, lifeless, and changed into the form of a Clawdite shapeshifter. Not every mystery was magical, he supposed.

Ah, well. As he rifled through the clawdite's pockets for her keys to he basement, he telepathically locked in on Freyja. The voice in his mind wasn't enraged or exhilarated, his two major emotions. It bore a stern tone, bordering on commanding. Get back here, or we fail this mission. I'm not moving. He wasn't really pressed about it, but he wanted to succeed in this mission, if for no other reason than to offer it to Azar. Vossari imagined that would be enough motivation for her to return - interest in pleasing her master. At the very least, interest in avoiding a bolt of lighting to the chest.

Vossari dragged the Clawdite down the stairs, opening the entrance to the cellar as he dragged the heavy corpse. It...wasn't easy. It would certainly be easier if someone hadn't sprinted away. But Vossari was a loner at heart, so he was used to cleaning up messes alone. He wiped his hands cleans onto the suit as he examined the cellar around them. The Clawdite had not lied - this unassuming cellar held within it the makings of an old Sith laboratory. Massive terminals flared with information in between rows and rows of fetal specimens, some decaying into test tubes. The lab had fallen into disrepair.

But what was it? Why was it here? Why had a Clawdite tried to lure them to it? Vossari felt the answers to these questions would help them in their mission. He took the datajack from his environmental suit's sleeve and connected it to a terminal, desperate to begin study of the room. His mind again reached out to Freyja.

Seems like there's more to this trinket shop than we would have thought. A project file propped up, but it needed a login to access. Well, it would take some time to uncover the mysteries here. But the sooner Freyja returned, the sooner he could delegate.

@LadyRen

 

[Freyja]

Freyja slowed down as she rounded the corner, still catching a glimpse of the chaos that had ensued after the animals had been set loose. It was fun to witness, but Freyja wasn't here to revel on it, so a tourist information center she passed immediately caught her attention.

Vossari's voice echoed through her mind, but Freyja casually ignored him while she wondered whether there were even actual tourists around anymore. The planet's climate was rather hostile and apart from dark tourism, there was probably not a lot to do, but she still figured she could give it a try.

Blocking Voss out for now, she focused on the clerk behind the little half-window whose grumpy eyes met her gaze as she walked in. It was fairly obvious he usually didn't get many visitors, but she knew she needed to do something about that scowl. "I'm looking for information on the spaceport", she stated the purpose of her visit rather directly, knowing she'd make him forget after anyway.

"Whaddaya possibly want with the spaceport, girl?", he shot back, straightening his back while she fiercely glared at him. "It's none of your concern, but you'll tell me what you know about who's running it", she bluntly stated, drawing from the internal rage Voss had triggered with his freaking trick, so that together with a subtle manipulation of the Force, the clerk just shrugged.

"Well...Lucieê Delagros, the spaceport's owner, was attacked a few days ago. She's recovering at St. Cravis' still. It's all gotten rough without the tourists", again, the man shrugged, seemingly unbothered by sharing the intel now. "Thank you", she added with an almost sweet little smile, before she cut right into his mind, messing around just enough to leave him utterly disoriented and confused. He'd forget she showed up, she had what she needed and in the near future, she'd learn how to do this right and with more precision, she figured.

She was about to walk up to check on Voss, wondering whether he was still breathing or whether that hag had fought back, but as the familiar voice spoke to her again, she reentered the shop with a smirk on her lips. Descending down the stairs, she immediately looked up at the Wrean as she said, "well well...seems like that creepy Granny just wanted to share her secrets with us".

Thanks to the Force use, her head hurt a little, but it seemed like she wasn't the only one with spicy updates. "Are you any good with hacking?", she asked him curiously, wondering whether they could gain access somehow.

@Fine Dining Set

Roll: 19/20 baby

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari counted the minutes and seconds as they ticked past. With the help of his environmental suit's datajack, he was able to learn quite a bit about this facility's history. It was a breeding ground of Sith experimentation on natural life, fusing embryonic animals with the Dark Side in strange, cruel scientific inquiry. Perhaps it was not the power base Azar had searched for on Dromuund Kaas, but these notes would certainly help his alchemical research. Control over life and death was the ultimate end goal of many Sith 'scientists,' and Vossari had little doubt that that

He took the information into a file drive that he stored within his robes. While he waited, his rage began to simmer. Who was this little fucking acolyte to defy Vossari? She was just like the rest of the flies that had bothered him throughout his rise to power - an ultimately irrelevant, fading leech. Deeper within, a tinge of jealousy formed. This was who Azar had chosen to be his acolyte? Would Vossari not have been a better fit, a better student, a better pupil for his ultimate goals? And when this feeling began to bubble, Vossari felt something living grab onto his hateful energy and suck on it, like a mosquito. His eyes shot across the room towards the experiments. One of the embryos, caked in dark, green fluid, wriggled. Vossari grabbed that, too, as he looked across the room.

The lab had been poorly kept since the Empire left - the roof practically caving in, pipes sticking out of walls. The piss-poor state of the lab, the murder, this all seemed like huge vulnerabilities. The less anyone knew about it, the better. After taking the information he needed, he decided to destroy any evidence of Sith presence. He felt the flowing water of the pipes - with outstretched hands, they burst open, into the lab, flooding the floor with ice-cold water.

And then Freyja deigned to return. "Yeah, seems like. Shame you made me kill her. Maybe you should stay here and chat with her." Vossari stepped into the hallway and stretched out his hand towards the roof. That sinking ceiling would crumble atop them as Vossari left, bursting and falling into rickety shelves and glass jars as the fluorescent lights flittered out into darkness.

Azar's dear apprentice would have to evade rubble and flooding to escape the laboratory, as Vossari, now a step ahead, leapt across the cracked floor to the door. He hurried from the lab back to the spaceport. As far as he was concerned, this small bit of information was all he needed, and he wasn't going to share.

/thread exit ATTEMPT

@LadyRen