Ask Umbara Insomniacs Unite

[Corra]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled. Open to Sith.​

Corra was getting restless. She wanted to get out and see the rest of the galaxy and particularly, she wanted to return to old Sith space. She wanted to see the ancient tombs of the long dead Sith Lords and breathe in the Dark Side air.

Instead she found herself restlessly creeping around the Umbara Academy in the middle of the night. She always liked the night time because there were fewer people around, and at the wee hours of 0300, the world had an aura of tranquility to it. She silently reminded herself that the idea of Peace was a lie apparently, although just because inner peace was a self deception didn't mean the galaxy couldn't be at rest, right?

Whatever the answer, this was the time when Corra found herself most at home with the world, poking through the halls after quiet hours for no particular reason other than the fact that sleep eluded her. It often did because with sleep came the dreams. Cursed dreams she couldn't rid herself of.

She sighed quietly and rolled her eyes as she continued to roam like the insomniac she was.

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor was up, he’d been planning a job out in the Core worlds for a hot minute now. Since Raze got a Sun dropped on him, the rich of the sector had gotten fat and ripe for the pickings again. He intended on robbing as many as he could for as much as he could.

However, as the night dragged on, he heard faint footsteps falling outside his door. Someone else was walking around out there. Connor grabbed the yellow jacket on the back of his chair, threw it on, and zipped it up. He was already wearing a pair of pajama pants and didn’t feel like changing out of them. So instead he his feet into a pair of boots and snatched a flashlight off the desk. He clicked it on before leaving the dorm room and beginning to walk the halls, looking for the foot falls he’d heard earlier.

Connor’s ears twitched in anticipation as he got closer to whoever was out there. “Hey, if you can do that lightning thing…don’t.” He called out before rounding a corner.

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Corra's head flicked sharply to the side at the sound of another person's voice, not expecting anybody to be out and about at this time of night. She definitely wasn't snooping around or trying to peek in any instructor's offices or anything.

I didn't expect anyone else to be up, she said. She'd always been something of a night owl, and it probably shouldn't have surprised her that there were other Sith who were as well.

Do you need something? she asked, not entirely sure what else to say. She had a relatively learned distrust of other students in the academy because all too many of them would stab you as soon as look at you. Being an arcanist, in particular, could be dangerous in such a place where brutal strength could show results quickly and people got high off of being bullies.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor heard a voice that sounded roughly his age and relief washes over him. At least it was Dalon, that dude would likely ring his neck. Connor clicked his flashlight to a lower setting before rounding the corner to see who was there.

Connor looked at her for a moment, she seemed cautious. Fair enough, this was Umbara. Connor turned the flashlight upward so it would illuminate his face. His fluted ears flicked slightly but his face was nearly unreadable.

“I didn’t expect anyone to be up either.” Connor replied. “Got bored…studying. Decided to check out someone walking around at night.” In hindsight, it was a stupid idea but he was here now. “Name’s Connor, you new?”

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

The other guy flicked a light up on his face, and Corra somehow felt less at ease than she was supposed to. He looked like a punk or someone who enjoyed fighting just for the sake of it. Was that a fair assessment? Maybe not, but she didn't really care about being fair. In the sanctity of her own mind she could think whatever she wanted.

He readily supplied his name, but Corra was still suspicious. Still, there wasn't much to be gained by being difficult or confrontational for no reason.

Corra, she said. No, I'm not new here, she said with a scowl. Even if she had been, she wasn't sure she'd have admitted it. Easy prey and all that, although... was anyone really out to get her right now? Was it all just uncalled for paranoia?

So you just came out poking around in the middle of the night to see who was up? she asked, deciding the story sounded a little weird. Was he here to try to chop her up into pieces?

Studying what? she asked, the nerd in her not able to help asking.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor saw the scowl on the chick’s face. Also fair. There weren’t many people on Umbara that weren’t looking to fuck you over. It was usually the safest bet to just assume they were and keep a healthy distance. But Connor had met a few good people here, there was Nash for starters. So taking a risk every once in a while might be worth it.

Corra. Neat name.

Connor dropped his light from his face, he let it shine down on the floor. He walked over to the wall and leaned against it while he listened to her.

“At first, I thought you might be a friend of mine.” Connor told her. “But she would have blown up a sink in the bathroom or tried to scare me by now.” He continued, the smallest hints of a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. “So curiosity got the better of me.” Connor shrugged.

When she asked what he was studying, Connor could hear the genuine curiosity in her voice. He quirked an eyebrow at that. Was she a book worm? Did it really matter?

“Ever heard of Chandrila?” Connor asked her. “I’m planning out a job there.” He said with a shrug. Connor knew he wouldn’t actually get in trouble for theft, so long as the world wasn’t Sith controlled.

And so long as he didn’t get caught.

“Figured I could uh…redistribute their wealth.” He explained after a moment’s pause. “The real question is, what’re you doing up and out?” He asked. “You don’t seem the night prowler type if I’m honest.”

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

A job? she repeated, skeptically. That sounded a bit questionable particularly coming from someone of what she assumed was his rank. Sure, maybe he was a Champion, but most of the Champs didn't live in the academy. Plus, he didn't look like he was that much different in age than she was.

Yes, she affirmed as he asked about Chandrilla. A very wealthy Core World that was easy to gain a lot of trouble very quickly. Not particularly pro-Sith, and if she understood correctly, a world that the Sith had previously been banned from altogether. Now things were a little more... grey.

And what makes you say that? she asked with a frown as he mentioned that she didn't seem like the type to be up at night.

What type of person do you think I am? she asked.

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor quickly realized that Corra wasn’t the talkative type. That was fine. When she asked what made him say that, Connor shrugged. "I meant you didn't seem like the prowler type. Like a weirdo or something." He replied calmly.

When Corra asked what kind of person he thought she was, Connor clicked the flashlight back on, shined it on her, and glanced in her direction. He looked at her for a few seconds. "Well you haven't stabbed, shocked, or choked me yet. So you're none of those kinds of people." He replied. "Outside of that, don't know."

Connor had never been the type to judge a book by it's cover. On Nar Shadda assuming someone was one way or another was a good way to end up in a chop shop. So Connor tended to let people define themselves around him, it usually didn't take too long either.

"So why not just tell me?"

 

[Corra]

Oh... she said, not sure how to respond to that. Well, it was nice that she didn't seem like a creeper. She supposed she hadn't really expected that response.

Well, that's good, she said with a "confident" nod that wasn't quite the confidence she felt.

He also wasn't wrong about the lack of shocking, stabbing, and generally murder-assault. The type that finds being up at night fun, she said. Yep, there was a nice vague answer. The fact was that she liked the quiet and she liked the thought that there was no one else out. No one to bother her and no one she had to explain herself to. Okay, well normally. As it turned out, she was doing all of those things now, but that wasn't really the point...

What about you? An insomniac normally or just a coincidence that you were too excited about your heist to sleep? she asked. In a way it revealed the other truth about her: she was an insomniac. Her dreams kept her from getting peaceful nights of sleep so she had learned to function with very little of it.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor reached in his pajama pants to fish out his cigarras, he found nothing there. Shit. He listened to Corra quietly, his fluted ears listening out for someone or something that might be sneaking around the halls as well. When she asked about why he was up, Connor shrugged.

“Plan needed to be air tight.” He replied. “Plus it’s quieter at night. No one to bother me while I work.” It was a truthful response.

“So what kind of stuff happens in these halls at ni-“

Connor’s words were cut off by a familiar distant plodding. His ears went back and his green eyes widened. “Shit, Hall Monitor Dalon!” Connor warned Corra. “We gotta scram!” He pointed to a doorway down the hall behind them to rush through and get out of there. “Let’s go!”

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Exactly! Corra practically blurted out as Connor said that things were quieter and there was no one to bother her. It was such a rarity that people seemed to get that. In the wee hours of the morning, there was just you and the darkness.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

His question was cut off by the distant approach of Hall Monitor Dalon. Everyone knew Hall Monitor Dalon. He was the evil that all insomniacs secretly fought as they were expected to be totally quiet at best and in their rooms at worst. The penalties weren't all that bad if you were caught, but it was punishment she didn't need.

Connor didn't have to tell her to get moving twice. She scrambled down and burst through the same door at the end of the hall. It opened up into a large training room that they really weren't supposed to be in at this time of night, and Corra crossed it at nearly a full sprint before making it to the other side and sliding through the exit door. She could hear the plodding of Dalon was picking up in speed now, perhaps sensing "blood" in the air and Corra waved Connor on before waving him over to a small maintenance hatch. Normally supposed to be locked, Corra knew that it wasn't locked and would give them access to a side hall leading to another hatch that led outside. It was a neat trick that perhaps he would find some use for in the future.

Don't tell anyone about this, she whispered quietly as she swung through and waited for him to do the same before pulling the hatch quietly back into place. Of course it was good that he had a light because it was very dark in this place.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor hurried after Corra. There wasn’t really much time to comprehend where she was leading him but he made a mental note of the path anyways. Once they hit a maintenance hatch Connor’s ears drooped, they were fucked. Dalon was going to burst out here and give them late night detention in the wilds picking berries to make Azar his morning smoothies with. Connor wondered if Azar knew those breakfast shakes were made with swamp berries.

Then Corra lifted the hatch and climbed motioned for him to climb down with her. Connor grinned, okay this chick was kinda cool. He scrambled down into the shaft and clicked his flashlight on and handed it to her. He fished his EZphone out and turned on its flashlight as well. Now they had double the seeing power.

Connor glanced over at Corra when she asked him not to tell. “Don’t worry Cor, I’m no nark.” His ears twitched as he said it. “So which way do we go?” He asked, unfamiliar with where precisely they were on the grounds.

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Corra was glad to hear him confirm that he'd keep her secret for her because... well, she couldn't exactly reveal all of her secrets. As it turned out, this was what was happening in the middle of the night.

Good, she whispered, not wanting the noise of their talking to be overheard by the Hall Monitor. She led them down the tight maintenance corridor, dodging below the spiders that had made their webs above and glancing up at them as she passed.

This'll lead us out, she said, following down the path before finally emerging out of the building and popping out of a side hatch about ten feet up on the side of the building. She motioned for him to slide down the angled side of the building while she grabbed onto a handle to wait for him.

As soon as he was out, she held onto the handle with one hand and closed the hatch with the other before sliding down the side of the building and landing on the ground outside the academy.

It was late at night, but Umbara was always dark, so it didn't actually feel all that different out here in the perpetual darkness. Except, of course, for the fact that no one was outside in the drill yards.

Voila! she said quietly. The whole planet was their... oyster? Was that how that saying went?

Well we're out and we're together so we might as well do... I don't know, something fun with the night, she said with a shrug.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor followed Corra out of the corridor. He ducked beneath the low hanging webs and made a face at the fat furry spiders that scurried away. Connor followed her to a hatch that opened up to a downward slope, his ears perked slightly. This was really similar to some of the back alley paths he took when he was a kid. There was no hesitation when Connor slid down.

Once outside Connor would stretch his back and arms and look around. They were outside. Connor heard the distant screech of a Umbaran Noct-Hawk as it hunted in the perpetual gloom and darkness. When Corra came sliding out of the secret passage he’d turn to look at her with his lips slightly upturned.

“That’s really cool.” Connor told her glancing back at the path they’d taken. “How’d you find out about that?” He asked.

When Corra mentioned that they should have some fun now that they’d escaped the Academy and Dalon, Connor’s ears perked. He looked around and into the swamps around them. Nope. His green eyes turn back to Corra.

“You want to go explore that old arena? The one behind the school.” Connor asked. “I the Umbarans used to have ritual combat there.” He pointed out. “Maybe there’s something cool there.” He offered with a shrug. Or maybe it was haunted. Either way, could be fun.

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

He didn't miss a beat, and that was probably a good sign. He was as ready and open to adventure as anyone, and that was what was still to come.

Enough free time at night to just start playing around with things, she said. Enough time looking around and you could figure out what doors had been left accidentally unlocked and, really, who cared to come around and recheck it? Nobody.

Ooo, battle arena? Yeah, let's do it, she said with a nod before heading off in that direction. The jungle was dark and thick, but she managed to find a small area that looked like it had been walked several times. No doubt other Acolytes had come wandering off into the darkness to have a look at the old killing floor.

It was a quick jaunt through the jungles before they came out into a large arena area. It was made of a mixture of synthetic and modern materials, but even with that it still looked old. The jungle had overgrown much of it, but the central area was still open and cleared.

Wow, this is really kriffing cool, she muttered quietly. And it's still... you can still almost feel the fighting that took place here. It left a mark: the anger, fear, and hatred still hung here if you reached out to it, and the feeling of death still lingered as well.

I bet the Lords could summon up the spirits of the dead or something, she speculated.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor followed behind Corra as she gawked at the arena. She talked about sensing the lingering emotions of the place. Something Connor vaguely understood. Shadda had fighting pits too, bloodsport there was popular. Both betters and fighters could make tons of peggats…or lose everything.

“Are you saying Lords like Tempest could bring back the dead?” Connor asked aloud, not quite getting what she was saying. “That’s…kinda wild.” His ears perked a little. That was actually really cool.

He started exploring the arena, soaking in every sensation that touched his mind. Corra was right, there was a lot of history here. A lot of pain and death as well. He walked up a set of stairs to a balcony that way he could get a better vantage point.

Connor’s gaze fell down to the open arena. It was old and made of wood, rusted metals, and polymers. It clearly hadn’t seen use in nearly a decade. He leaned against an old bannister as he looked out from his perch.

“This is really cool though.”

But as Connor gazed out he saw the sands below shift as if feet still moved upon them. He leaned forward to look closer, thrown off by what he saw. He pointed out at the arena and glanced at Corra.

“Hey Cor, check that ou-“ Connor’s words were caught off by a yelp of surprise as something pushed him from the balcony into the arena.

Connor groaned on the sands below. He rolled over on his back and meant to curse out Corra but noticed a face gazing down at him. It was a man’s face that hovered in mid air. Sand had billowed up into the air and somehow settled on his face. Meaning Connor could see him and the grievous facial wound that had killed him.

Connor let out another yelp of surprise and crawled backwards and away. “Cor, what the fuck is going on?” He screamed.

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

Maybe not bring them back all the way, but conjure up their spirits... yeah, she said. Though she wasn't sure if Tempest had ever learned the techniques. Perhaps Darth Arcanos or certainly Darth Andruil.

Isn't it? she agreed as he said this place was cool. She was practically elated and wished her own powers in the Force weren't so limited.

She was looking at a pillar and a small room leading off from the main concourse when Connor not only fell to the arena floor but nearly landed on top of her, one of his arms flailing out and smacking her in the face as he fell.

Oww! she shouted, thinking she had just been... attacked or something as she stumbled backwards.

What gives!? she shouted back before her eyes focused - or attempted to focus - on the thing that had Connor looking pale as a ghost himself.

Her eyes squinted in an attempt to make out the details of whatever this thing was before her mouth dropped open and her eyes went a whole lot wider.

Oh kriff! she spat as she took another step back.

They're spirits! And they're hostile! RUN! she shouted. She'd have loved to pretend she was capable of casting complex spells and rituals to bind them, banish them, or somehow otherwise hold them in place, but she didn't. At least not this quickly. If she had time to sit around for a minute and cross reference her notes, yeah, she knew a ritual for this.

Not when she was being chased by ghosts.

Corra darted for the room she had just been looking at and waited for Connor to jump inside before slamming the door shut. The ghost... seemed to pause outside and her eyes darted around from place to place.

We need to find a way out of here. These spirits are probably bound to this place, right? she said out loud rhetorically. So if we can like... dodge around them, we can get out, she said. It wasn't exactly a masterpiece of a plan, but it was something.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Corra didn’t have to tell Connor twice. He pushed himself off the ground and was hot on her heels. He could feel the chill of the spirits. hear the sound of other worldly feet dragging too quickly across the sands. He could almost taste their pain and hate. All his senses were engaged with the horror that was chasing them.

Corra slammed the door behind him and somehow the ghosts didn’t just walk through the wall. He leaned against the door just to be safe and looked at Corra, eyes wide with fright and shock. His chest heaved as he spoke.

“Ghosts?! What’s next, zombies?!” He panted his eyes turning to the window.

The specters simply lingered outside the room, their blank eyes searching for something. Connor watched them for a while before turning to Corra. They both agreed on one thing, they had to get out of here. Connor opened him mouth to speak when a raspy voice spoke from
The other side of the door.

“Skin of crimson,
Eyes of gold,
The demon’s sword,
Reaped lives untold.”

Connor felt the hair on his neck rise as the stanzas were repeated in a disjointed choir. The ghosts, all of them, chanted the poem with a mournful and baleful purpose. His wide eyes focused solely on Corra.

“Fuck this, there has to be a hidden passage or something right?” He asked her. “Help me look around.”

Connor began to blindly stumble around the room, too nervous to really use the flashlight or EZphone light he had. He didn’t want to draw the attention of the ghosts and have them come crashing through the walls. His hands felt the walls, the floors, he even stood on piles of junk to check the ceiling.

Maybe Corra would have better luck.

@Phoenix

 

[Corra]

As he asked if zombies were next she held up a finger in his face and pointed at him in a "don't say that" kind of way.

Do not tempt the Fates, she reprimanded. The Fates were fickle and she feared they may well hear his mocking statement and choose to curse them for it.

While Connor looked in a scramble around the room for an exit, Corra did what Corra did: she thought. Bookworm strength was in the ability to know things and piece together what she didn't know.

Why didn't the spirits come through the door? What woke them up? What do they want from us? were her first set of thoughts before they were replaced by perseveration on the riddle.

Okay, crimson skin and golden eyes: a Pureblood Sith, right? His sword... what did his sword do? Killed a bunch of people? she muttered, as much to herself as to Connor which was helpfully answered moments later by the umpteenth repetition from the ghosts.

Reaped lives untold, she repeated. So what, then, they want revenge? she said. That seemed to be the trick. We need to find a way to put them to rest: get them their revenge or whatever, she said, though, of course, that meant they were going to have to try to find a way to take revenge on someone that might have been dead for... decades? Centuries? Millennia? Yeah, easy.

Will you stop that, she said, looking over and scowling at his half-mad scramble to find an exit. Look, if they could get in here, we'd be dead already right? she pointed out, extending a hand out to emphasize the "right" part of the sentence.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor’s head shot in Corra’s direction. His chest was heaving, his mind panicked. Corra’s words caught him off guard and snapped him back to the reality of the situation. For whatever reason, they were safe. For now.

Connor plucked his flashlight out and clicked it on. The reason for their safety was made perfectly clear. The room itself was some sort of arcane rune. The tri-ringed symbol was drawn in blood that faintly pulsed with energies that had imbued it. At its center was the robed desiccated remains of the being who’d made it. In rotten hands was gripped a leather bound tome.

Connor’s ears fell back at the sight.

“What the fuck did we wander into…” He muttered.

He tugged the journal from the dead thing’s hands and cracked open pages made of skin. Within was a script entirely unfamiliar to him. It made his eyes ache to stare at for too long. Corra would recognize it as Ur-kittat, what many considered the language of the dark side.

Connor handed it off to her with no hesitation. “Here. I really don’t want this.” He stated as he extended it away from himself.

Instead Connor looked at the room. The floor was comprised of approximately twelve five foot square blocks. With a four by three layout. The rune went to the very edges of the walls and seemed to even climb up it in some places.

His brow furrowed and ears drooped.

Then Connor’s attention turned to what the ghosts were saying. It could be Purebloods, sure but there were plenty of other species in the galaxy that held red skin and golden eyes.

“Kaleesh or Devaronians.” Connor stated. “Both have red skin and can have golden eyes.” He pointed out. “And Devaron is closer than Sith space or Kalee.” He continued. “Do you think?”

The voices of the damned picked up in tone as they chanted their funeral dirge. Their thirst for vengeance as unending as their trapped existence.

Time slowly ticked down.

@Phoenix