Ask Last Stop on the Galactic Edge

[Vex]

Rakata Prime || Unknown Regions

Vex perched on a spire of rusting metal sticking out of the moist sand of the beach. A cool breeze blew off the seemingly endless sea behind her, causing her armorweave cape and skirt to billow around her like a flock of angry bats. Somehow, she could feel it seeping beneath the black armor covering every inch of her body. But it was not that sensation she fixated on. It was the sensation of being home in her skin again. She had worn the mask of Nahri Nalju for several months straight now. A necessity, unfortunately. But here, she didn't have to be Nahri.

Here, she could just be herself. Just be Vex.

And yet she couldn't even enjoy that. Rakata Prime was quiet. Entirely too quiet. The intel she had received suggested the planet had been uninhabited for centuries. But in the distance rose a tall, ancient temple. And atop it, she knew from orbital scans, was a beacon that would inevitable pull any large ship in orbit to its doom on the surface. And it was active, which suggested they couldn't be alone on this world. Someone was here. And they didn't want company.

She leaped down from her perch and back onto the beach, casting him a sideways glance. He was young. Or at least he looked young to her. Some species aged differently, after all. And he was well-built, too, so he had clearly seen more than just the inside of a training room. But she wondered how far this experience went. Would he be an aid to her venture? A liability?

"The beacon atop the temple is our objective," she said plainly. "We'll never get anything larger than a starfighter into orbit until it's down." She averted her gaze to where a steep path had been weathered into a cliff several yards ahead of them. She could already sense movement somewhere beyond it. "I hope you're not squeamish."

Just as she said it, a rancor's roar ripped through the narrow cleft. Getting to the temple, it seemed, was not going to be as simple as a stroll on the beach. @Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair glanced over as his mission partner hopped down next to him like some superhero out of Holomovie, cape billowing and everything. He had to hand it to her - the armor was slick. In contrast, he was given some shoddy acolyte armor and a helmet that barely fit. For now he opted not to wear it, betraying his clear surprise when he spotted her. Altair put the helmet over his head, barely jamming his horns through. It was obvious he had carved the holes for the extra horns himself, the helmet otherwise designed for twi’leks.

He followed her gaze towards the beacon atop the temple, “Of course,” He stated matter of factly, “Why wouldn’t it be the highest point of the highest tower. Anythin’ else would be too convenient,” He muttered to himself, though he had a feeling she likely heard. Altair cleared his throat, “No, m’am, no squeamish here,” That sounded like bullshit. There were plenty of things that made him uneasy - mainly things of the spooky variety.

The tiefling began to walk towards the path leading to the temple, his tail swishing back and forth almost eagerly. He came to an abrupt halt when he heard the roar, and he recognized it at once as a Rancor call. He recalled his time on Dathomir and meeting that Ren woman. Altair looked over at Vex.

“Wait, I know you wanna hack it up,” He said, “But…what if we manage to tame it?” It sounded batshit even as he vocalized it, “We won’t get anyone messin’ with us if we roll up on a Rancor!”

Another roar erupted, this one much closer. Altair suddenly felt a lot more nervous than he did five seconds ago.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

There was a childishness to his suggestion, but Vex respected the request. He was right. Most Sith would have wanted to hack the rancor limb from limb. Taming one would not only eliminate the problem, but provide a means of transportation. Her gaze flicked up the path and she quickly scanned the cliff walls for possible locations to ambush the beast, but there weren't any obvious footholds or gaps they could exploit. Which meant one of them was going to have to be the bait.

She was just about to open her mouth to relay this information to Altair when the roar from before was joined by another, deeper one. Because, of course, the first one had to be roaring at something. And that meant they had either stumbled on a fight or a mating ritual. Neither particularly sounded appealing. But there was nothing they could do. The obstacle needed to be removed.

"How confident are you that you can tame one of the beasts?" she asked him. "If I distracted them, could you get one of them?"

He wouldn't get a chance to answer. A bull rancor rounded a bend in the ravine. The beast was easily three times their size, with tusks as long as its body curving out from its rancid maw. The female it was courting trailed behind it, carrying what looked to be bones for a nest in her massive arms. Vex somehow forgot how sentient rancor could be.

There was no time for quibbling. They needed to act—now.

She reached for her lightsaber and ignited it with a snap-hiss. The sudden noise drew the beasts' attention squarely to her. Altair would have a moment to get a vantage point and try his plan. But she had no idea how much time she could buy him before limbs would have to start flying off.

"Go!" she hissed.

And then she crouched, twirling her saber into a defensive posture, and braced for impact. @Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

“What do you mean one of?!??!” Altair asked in a panic. He barely felt confident enough to handle one, and now there were two. He had no time to complain as Vex casually disappeared out of sight, leaving him standing like a dumbass to execute on his brilliant plan. Once again, he was reminded to keep his damn mouth shut before blurting out half baked ideas.

The tiefling jumped up to higher ground to get a good line of sight on the rancor. The bull came charging around, and Altair closed his eyes. He pushed his panic aside, recalling how Ren had described it to him when they had met. He called on some of that knowledge, trusting himself as he reached out to connect with the bull’s mind. Altair felt resistance at first, but it slowly turned to curiosity. After a while, the bull slowed down and calmed down. The female was confused and began to stomp around, not having expected this chapter in their courting ritual.

The bull completely calmed down and stood there in silence. The female seemingly huffed, losing interest as she began to stomp the other direction. Altair used that opportunity to jump down from where he was, slowly inching towards the bull. He gazed up into its eyes, allowing the beast to take a good look at him. To say that the tiefling was terrified was an understatement. If Vex watched, she would see him practically trembling and he fully expected to be eaten whole.

Altair reached a hand out and finally placed it on the snout, the rancor simply sniffing in response. The tiefling gasped in surprise and smiled, turning to give Vex a thumbs up. He didn’t hesitate to start climbing on the rancor’s back, still in disbelief of his success.

“Get on!” He called out to her, “This is so sick!!”

Taming attempt roll: 16/20

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex stood below him, lightsaber humming uselessly in one hand. She was admittedly dumbstruck. That he had actually succeeded. That the female had simply stomped off in the other direction when it was clear that her mate was more interested in a Tiefling boy than her. Not for the first time in her short Sith career, she was thankful her mask was disguising her reaction. But she quickly composed herself again. They were far from out of danger yet, if even half the reports about this place she'd read were true.

With a flick of a switch, her lightsaber winked out and she returned it to her hip. With a bit of assistance from the Force, she leaped onto the creature's back, behind Altair. While the young Sith reveled in his success, she watched him quietly for a moment, not saying anything until she was sure of what exactly it was she wanted to say. "I'm not certain whether what you just did was dumb luck," she admitted, "or genuine skill. Either way, that was a very advanced technique. Who is your Master, Acolyte?"

Vex doubted she would actually know his Master. She had been a bit of a recluse during her training to avoid having her identity exposed. But should she ever need instruction in such things, it would be good to know who to approach. She had admittedly focused on the more martial aspects of the Force during her own training. Altair had shown her there were other applications, if she was willing to learn.

The rancor lurched forward, clearly uncomfortable with the weight of the two of them on his back, but still firmly under Altair's spell. It lumbered up the path its mate had taken to where the canyon opened up into a wide field and gently sloping hill that went ever upward towards the alabaster steps of the ruins. Some other rancor lurked in the distance. One, the female, who eyed them irritably, and two others who appeared to be lounging, completely uninterested in them for the moment.

Vex instead fixated her gaze on a spot of blackened grass a few strides ahead of them. She leaped down off the rancor's head to investigate. It was the remnants of a campfire. Cooled, but only recently so. Three metal mugs lay discarded around it. She put them up to the rebreather in her mask and inhaled. Caf, perhaps? Or a substance like it. As she suspected, they were not alone. "There are three other people here," she said. "And they're not supposed to be. We should search for an alternative way into the temple. They've likely booby-trapped the main entrance." @Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair glanced over his shoulder to scowl at the woman, his celebratory smile oozing off his face like an egg cracked over his head, “Excuse me,” He said moodily, “That was all skill, thank you. I knew exactly what I was doing the entire time,” Altair even puffed out his chest to suddenly appear larger. He deflated at once when his master was mentioned. He sighed, “Was Darth Veles… I ain’t seen him around for a long time,” Altair said gloomily. He shook his head to drop the topic, “You better hold onto me real tight, ‘cause this will be a bumpy ride,” He said as he gazed ahead and commanded the rancor to move. The giant beast roared at once, immediately getting up on its hind legs before stomping the ground and charging.

They appeared near the charred grass, but Altair’s focus was on the fact that there were three more rancors. What the hell?! The tiefling slipped off the rancor’s back, patting him and giving him permission to relax. He followed Vex to inspect the campgrounds. Truth be told, he wasn’t given much information on the mission and Vex was about as mysterious as they came, “Who else would be out here?” Altair asked her, mostly expecting her not to answer.

The tiefling looked around and couldn’t find anything, most of the entrances guarded. However, he eventually spotted some building structures to the side, “...Aqueducts..” He remarked, hearing the flow of water that led back into the temple. Altair looked over at Vex, “Feel like going for a swim?”

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Veles?

It was not a name she was familiar with. But the 'Darth' was impressive. This kid was the apprentice of a Sith Lord? Even she didn't have that honor. Her Master had been a Champion, same as most, she imagined. She knew that Sith Lords took apprentices, but it was rare. Most concerned themselves with leading the Empire's various campaigns. If there were any left, that was. Much of the old guard had vanished after Darth Raze became the Dark Lord of the Sith, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what might have happened.

An Acolyte who can tame a rancor with the Force, Vex found herself thinking, and he has caught the attention of a Lord... Someone to keep an eye on, for sure.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear his initial question. But she did hear the one about swimming. A distinctly unpleasant idea, but if it was their only way in...

She strolled up next to him and knelt down, peering below into the water. At first glance, there didn't appear to be any danger. She let the Force unfurl from her and stretch out to fill all the hollow spaces, and even penetrate the very water, until she could feel all of it. Beneath her mask, she closed her eyes, searching for anything that might harm them.

Nothing. The aqueduct, at least, was safe.

So, Vex answered his question by plunging down into the brackish water. The path ahead was dark, but the water only came to waist-high. They could wade through this. As long as the current didn't pick up further in, it their balance should be unaffected. She tore her lightsaber from her waist again and ignited it, using it as a light source to guide their path. The walls of the temple interior were marked with a strange language she didn't recognize. It wasn't Sith—it looked somehow more ancient. And yet, the further in she waded, the stronger the dark side became. Whoever made these structures were strong with it.

As they followed the winding path, a thought occurred to her. She might as well use this time to learn more about this kid. Figure out what was so special about him it made a Lord take notice. She might not get this opportunity again any time soon. "It's pretty rare for an Acolyte to be chosen by a Lord for training," she said flatly, deliberately hiding her jealousy. "This Lord Veles of yours—what was he like? I've never heard of him."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, a rusting ladder appeared along the left side of the duct, disappearing somewhere up above. She motioned to it with her lit saber. "You first, I'll follow after." @Sreeya

Note: Flipped a coin for danger and got tails—no danger down here!

 

[Altair Din]

Altair half expected her to complain - most of the Sith higher ups were far too snooty to get their hands actually dirty. However, he was surprised and impressed when she hopped right in, wading through the water. He shrugged and did the same, grimacing as he felt the cold water. He could handle heat just fine, but he definitely got cold easily. He shivered a bit as they walked, feeling slightly better when they were inside the tunnels that led into the temple. Altair blinked when Vex ignited her saber, hearing that familiar hum and the bright light against the darkness. He couldn’t immediately sense anyone nearby and guessed she concluded the same.

Her question threw him off, and he pondered for a moment, “Uhhh… I figured it was just randomly assigned,” Altair shrugged, revealing how clueless he was about the selection process, “I didn’t do anything exceptional or nothin’. I mean, I’m really good at Matukai combat and I am Captain of the combat team at Dromund Kaas academy,” He said rather proudly. Altair’s face fell again when she asked about Veles, “Well…he’s… eccentric, to say the least. He’s very much into alchemy and more arcane uses of the Force. He’s less about brute strength and more about chemistry and history. I don’t wanna do all of it, but he’s taught me how to think outside the box.”

Altair turned to glance at her, “What’s your master like?”

He quirked a brow as she told him to go first. Of course. Why wouldn’t she? Rolling his eyes under the helmet, he began to climb. If she started climbing after him, she would realize his tail had a mind of its own. Every now and then it would swish back and forth, sometimes almost hitting her in the face, other times barely grazing against her helmet. After a while, he hoisted himself up and over the edge, finding himself in a courtyard of some sort.

For now, he didn’t spot anyone, and that was almost suspicious. Altair’s eyes narrowed slightly, “I wonder if the people that were at the camp drew the attention away from the folks at the temple..” It was a hopeful thought, but there was no way of knowing how clear their path was. For now, he felt as if he were in the open and it left him uncomfortable.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex was right behind him after insuring they weren't being followed. Arriving next to him, she used her lightsaber to glance around the room. More hieroglyphs in a language she didn't understand. She wondered if the Empress would be able to translate all of this. Darth Andruil was an accomplished sorceress. That meant she read all sorts of old dead languages, right?

"There's not supposed to be anyone on this planet," she told him as she looked about the room absentmindedly. "Though, I suppose I can't fault you for not knowing more about this world. We're on Rakata Prime. Lehon, as some call it. The native inhabitants went extinct mysteriously millennia ago. All we know about them is that they used to rule our galaxy, and that their technology is fueled by the dark side of the Force."

She waved her lit saber across the eastern wall of the chamber like a baton, searching for a way out. The Temple of the Ancients was hardly mapped. There hadn't been an expedition to this world in centuries that she was aware of. She was as uncertain as to the path to the top of the temple as he was. But she knew one existed. It was in here. They just needed to find it. As she searched, she continued to speak absentmindedly.

"Some of their technology is still functioning, like that beacon we need to take out. It rips too large ships out of orbit. Makes occupying the planet impossible." She squinted at what looked like an exit, tip-toeing closer. "The three people who made that campsite are likely stranded here. As were the people who were transporting those rancor we saw. Though, I'm willing to bet those people are long dead." There were a lot of rancor around, from what she had seen. Some of them young, so whoever had been unfortunate to crash and free them here had likely been dead a generation or more.

Then, it registered he had asked about her Master too. She debated answering him. It was only fair, after he had answered her. But was she feeling fair in return? How much did she want him to know about her? "As for my Master, he—"

She stopped.

Her saber had indeed landed upon a gaping doorframe. But something about the room beyond was off. Wrong. She sensed a sickness there in the Force, old, angry, hungry. And not just one of them. Two, though no matter how much she moved her saber around to see, she couldn't make out whatever it was she was sensing. Not until she heard skittering past her on the dusty floor and pain exploded through her back.

Whatever had hit her left deep cuts in her back, tearing through even the armorweave of her cape. It's claws were easily as large as her head. And the sound it made... Hissing. Hississ... "Hssiss!" she barked, rolling away from whatever had hit her and positioning her lightsaber defensively. "Two of them. Don't let them bite you. Their bite is posisonous!"

The ache in her back was excruciating. It was joined by the warm sensation of the blood clotting there. She turned the pain into power. Hssiss were creatures of darkness. She could sense them, even if they could render themselves invisible. But fighting two of them in the dark... She didn't like those odds, even with Altair there to back her up.

Even then, they might be well and truly fucked. @Sreeya

Note: Rolled a 2 for finding a safe route out, so now we've got to deal with some of the worst dark side beasts I know of ._.

 

[Altair Din]

“Oh! I think I read about this planet in my Ancient Civ class,” Altair remarked, trying to think back to the chapters he slept through. He remembered asking Vahliri for help on one of his papers regarding Rakata Prime but the topic was dreadfully boring. Altair was unnerved at the thought of the entire planet being abandoned. If something went wrong, there was literally no way to actually get any help.

He was lost in his thoughts as they arrived at the doorframe. He felt it too, and especially so since he was Matukai and an active Force user for his entire life. Altair shifted his stance, noticing entirely too late the movement that was brushing by them, “Vex-” He tried to call out, but it was too late, she was thrown down with her back slashed. Altair didn’t know why she was suddenly hissing like a snake (maybe a stress tick?), but he sensed the overwhelming presence of the monsters in the dark.

Right away, the tiefling relied more on Force sight, spotting one of them. Because Vex drew their attention, it gave him a shot at an attack. The tiefling leapt right over Vex’s fallen form, lowering his head and ramming right into the side of one of them. He felt contact, his horns piercing into the creature’s side with a sick squelch as he drove into it, causing the beast to cry out. Altair yanked his horns back violently, resulting in another agonized cry. The tielfing used the Force to coil the around the beast’s exposed innards, yanking part of it out. Altair was subsequently tossed aside when the lizard viciously swung its tail to fling him.

Altair flipped through the and landed in a low crouch, but he knew he had brutally damaged one of them, if not fatally. It was no longer invisible and it had its insides seeping out as it thrashed its tail around and bled on the ground. It was dreadfully injured, but it would fight to its last breath. The other beast, however, was fully ready to go and now especially incensed.

The beast launched itself at Altair this time.

Attack roll: 15/20

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex staggered to her feet more slowly than she would have liked. Hssiss claws were not venomous, but the cuts on her back were deep. She could have sworn one of the beast's claws had touched bone. She would need a long soak in a bacta tank after this mission. If they survived it. And that was a big if.

Altair had blessedly (and brutally) improved their odds by slaughtering his beast. Now, it was her turn. She inhaled, and drew every ounce of anger into the center of her being. Rather than shut the pain out, she let it fill her up, until it was the only thing she knew—the center of her universe. The dark side was strongest when she was in pain. She let it pulse out, like a bat's echolocation, and spotted the Hssiss immediately before it lunged. She ducked to perform an uppercut that met the lunging creature, but not before one of its claws nicked her helmet, carving a neat slice that revealed one of her crimson eyes.

It wasn't enough to stop her blade from biting into its side. The reptile yelped, a sound she didn't know they were capable of making, as it slammed into the ground next to her and rolled into a pouncing position. Vex couldn't see the wound she had created, but she could feel it through her Force sense. The gash had cut into one of the creature's vital organs. It wouldn't be able to jump like that again. It may not even survive very long. But right now, it was running on adrenaline. She doubted it felt the pain in its side anymore, and that made it dangerous.

"Stay alert," she said. "Its hurt but still dangerous. It will attack again."

Vex cursed internally. The creature had gotten the jump on her. She had been too busy looking around the temple, and, for her negligence, she nearly lost her disguise. The face of Nahri Nalju lay beneath her helmet. She couldn't risk exposing her mask to someone she didn't fully trust yet. So, she doubled her guard. She would not be snuck up on again. @Sreeya

Note: Rolled a nat 10 for attacking my Hssiss.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair turned to the other beast when his was fatally injured. He saw Vex launch an attack of her own and he followed up by unleashing a burst of lightning. It was one of the cool new moves he had been picking up and mastering lately, and it would work to roast the exposed side of the beast. Unfortunately, as he did so, the other one slammed into his legs with its tail before it collapsed and died. Altair toppled to the ground with a grunt, a gash up the side of his calf from the hit. The tiefling groaned and pushed himself off the ground, half limping over to Vex.

By now, both beasts would likely be dead granted that Vex got off one more attack without getting hurt, and they would be left alone for now. Altair looked over at Vex, spotting her single eye. He pretended not to notice, “Your back…you got hurt,” He said, his own leg bleeding, “You gotta let me look at it,” Altair stated. There was no one else on the planet, no other means of getting help. If they didn’t take care of one another, they’d be doomed. He had brought a backpack of supplies and he quickly took it off his back and began to rummage through it.

The distant sounds of rancors could be heard, but he ignored it for now. Either the rancors were fighting amongst themselves or whoever else was on the planet wasn’t actually dead…

Dice: 10/20 to attack/assist

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Altair's impressive burst of lightning did more than just fry the beast and stun it. The electrocution lit up its skeleton like a Life Day tree. Vex didn't hesitate. She put the Force into her legs and dashed forward, slashing her blade as she passed by the Hssiss. Her lightsaber peeled away flesh, blood, and bone, tearing its top half loose from its bottom. The dead beast's invisibility fell as it died, and only the remains of a bisected lizard splattered the floor in its wake.

Unfortunately, the moment it died, the adrenaline left Vex's body and she staggered to her knees. Altair was at her side in an instant, already pulling a pack of supplies out that no doubt contained the means to at least deaden the pain in her back. Vex eyed him warily under her mask, the only hint of her hesitation being the one exposed red eye left by the beasts' claw mark in her helmet. Trust among Sith was rare for a good reason. But she supposed they didn't have a choice. If they could not trust each other for the moment, then they were doomed.

This planet was determined to kill them.

Silently, she let her muscles relax and slid a finger along the clasps where her cape met her shoulder pads. She let the tattered cloth drop, exposing the deep cuts through her back armor. The pain was excruciating. Even more so now that she was thinking about it. But she bit her teeth without hissing. Pain could become power. So, she savored it as much as she could. She hoped it would at least make her look strong despite the way she was clenching her teeth under her mask.

"That first creature," Vex said. "The Hssiss. You detected it before even I could." She hadn't failed to notice. He had tried to warn her. In the heat of the moment, she hadn't reacted in time. But even when she knew what to look for, the best she could muster was a pulsation of the Force that helped her pinpoint the remaining creature's location. "How did you do that?" @Sreeya

Dice: 15/20 for dealing the killing blow.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair grimaced when he looked at the wounds on her back. He knew how to do first aid from his many survival outings with his brothers. Their father was a nut about going on outdoor adventures and teaching all his kids about surviving on nothing. The tiefling caught her tensing up and could tell she was purposely keeping quiet. Who was she trying to impress? He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he worked on her. He applied some bacta patches that would close the wound and start the healing. Of course, he only hoped the creatures weren't venomous.

“Gonna stim you,” He announced shortly before stabbing a needle into the back of her shoulder to curb the pain. He worked methodically and efficiently before gently putting her clothing back over the patch job, “Don’t strain yourself,” Altair warned before realizing he sounded like he was lecturing her. He was caught off guard by her question. It was also when he realized the creatures were called Hssiss and she didn’t just have a strange tick.

“Reflex, I guess,” He said with a shrug, “I grew up Matukai so I been usin’ the Force for as long as I could remember. We were taught the basics and we went outdoor camping a lot. Pa taught us all to use Sight whenever we couldn’t see nothin’ or felt in danger in the dark. I knew to use that and could spot the signatures,” It was more or less second nature to him.

Altair spoke while he sat down to patch up his own leg. After he was done, he zipped up his back and looked over, “You all right?” He gave her a half grin, “You don’t gotta act all tough, you know. This is a fucked situation, there ain’t no one else around here and you ain’t gotta impress a nobody like me of all people. We’re gonna have to work together to get the job done,” He looked out towards the courtyard, “‘Cause this place sure ain’t makin’ easy.”

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex rose slowly. The stim had stung, but then relief flooded her veins like a warm blanket. She rotated her arm to ensure she still had feeling everywhere, then turned to Altair and gave him a short, acknowledging nod. It was the most 'thanks' she could muster. She wasn't good at this—being grateful. Everyone who had ever found her in a vulnerable position had taken advantage of her, stabbed her in the back. The result was that she was slow to trust. She wasn't used to concern, especially from a fellow Sith.

"I'll be alright," she replied. "A little bacta soak after this and there shouldn't even be any scars." She nodded ahead. "Come on. You heard those rancor roars. Something's upset them, and I'm not sure we're ready to find out what yet."

She strolled ahead, her lightsaber again in front of her as a light source. The chamber that had held the Hssis was a wide one, and on the other side of it was a spiraling stone stairwell that seemed to rise infinitely into the back skies of the temple. A dead, musty odor invaded her helmet from the gash over her eye. She sent out a cautionary pulse of the Force to ensure no surprises were waiting for them, but, finding none, she pushed on towards the stairs.

As they walked, she considered his words. Matukai. She had never heard of them, but the way Altair made them sound, they had to be some sort of tribe. Perhaps a Force cult she had never been aware of. She cursed herself for her ignorance. A Champion, and still so much to learn, she thought. Perhaps getting to know him would have its advantages, even if she wasn't so sure their trust would be a lasting one. If her Master was anything to go by, it almost certainly wouldn't.

"You were right," she said as they approached the stairs. "We do need to work together. But you seem to have a..." She chose her words carefully, "...better relationship with other Sith."

A memory of her training flashed behind her eyes. She was suspended over a dark ravine, stalagmites rising from the floor somewhere miles below. Her Master, deep-hooded and infinitely darker than her, held her only with the iron clasp of the Force. «Do you trust me?» a voice from the hood asked.

Yes, she had replied.

«Let's fix that.»

She closed her eyes and shut the memory out. It had been a good lesson. She had summoned the Force at will, successfully for the first time, before splatting at the bottom of that ravine. But she never gave her trust willingly again after that. Her Master had found it amusing. "Not me," she continued. "My teacher is what you might consider... old school." @Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair followed Vex up the spiraling stairs, grimacing at the stench. He was distracted when she spoke, internally considering the words. The tiefling shrugged vaguely, “Even as a Sith you need allies,” He remarked, “Even Raze has friends and that dude seems about as anti social as possible,” Altair said with a hint of pride. It was no secret the tiefling found the Dark Lord fascinating and terrifying at once. With his exalted position, very few Sith had been in his presence in recent times.

“You can’t think every way your teacher did,” He said, “For example, mine is into alchemy and arcane shit. I ain’t into that, so I pick and choose what to learn from him. No one’s got it all figured out,” He shrugged vaguely as they arrived at the top of the stairs. Suddenly the stench made sense, as did the dark Force hunting Hssiss gathered below. There was a bridge in front of them before they could arrive towards the beacon. It was a shapeless creature, one made from grotesque and mangled fleshy parts. From the stench and sight of it, it reminded him vaguely of some of the sketches he had seen on Veles’ ship.

“I think…that’s an abomination..” Altair whispered quietly to Vex, “But… it doesn’t feel… powerful?” He was definitely thrown off a bit as Veles always told him the powerful ones had an almost oppressive energy in the Force. Either this one was weak to begin with or….something that done some damage to it already and was further up ahead.

The tiefling turned to look at Vex, “You sure you wanna keep going?” He asked quietly, his voice displaying genuine concern.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

As she listened to Altair describe his teacher, she wondered more at this Lord Veles. He didn't sound as cruel as some Sith - maybe. Every Sith had their catch. This one had to have his too. She was about to ask if there was really nothing Veles ever did to challenge his trust when he brought her attention to the abomination lying on the catwalk in front of them.

Even she was flabbergasted. This misamalgamation of limbs was... odd, imperfect. Almost like someone was practicing summoning Sithspawn... and failed, at least in this instance. "This thing feels... off," she observed. "Incomplete. Whoever made it was an amateur at Sith magic." The pain in her back was still there, and she could tell he was concerned about her. But she couldn't fail here. Failure wasn't in her vocabulary. "We'll press on. This thing is weak. Just keep your eyes out for—" She thought of the roaring rancors in the courtyard "—whoever made it."

Vex stepped in front of him, holding a hand out towards the creature. Her back spasmed and pain ripped through her. In all her lessons, she had been taught Sithspawn were not like other monsters. The injuries they left lingered. They hurt. She hadn't known how much until now. But she wasn't going to let herself be a burden. Altair had been her hero until now. It was time to pull her own weight. So, she ground her teeth together and funneled her pain into the Force.

She closed her fingers into an invisible grip in the air. Until she could feel the weight of the creature. It noticed the disturbance, wriggled under her grasp, but she refused to let it go. She took another step forward, and then another, lifting her hand as she went. The abomination followed her direction into the air and as she squeezed, she felt the air bleed out of it. Felt it panic, and struggle—and still she did not let it go. She thought of the Hssiss. The pain ripping through her back. Again, the vision of her master swam behind her eyes.

Even as a Sith, you need allies.

Let's fix that.

Do you trust me?​

She let out a guttural cry she didn't know she had in her as she closed her hand into a fist. The abomination, weak as it was, popped like a bloody bubble, showering bone fragments, fleshy bits, and all of its innards onto the catwalk and down into the dark abyss below. She staggered forward, barely managing to keep her knees from touching the stone floor. The effort had winded her, but the path, for the moment, appeared clear. @Sreeya

Dice: 16/20 for popping the weak abomination.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was about to open his mouth when she stepped in front of him. God damn, she was more stubborn than a bantha! He remained where he was, channeling the Force to himself to help her. However, he watched with wonder as she called the Force and unleashed a vicious attack on the abomination. It was a disgusting display as the thing burst like an oversized pimple, sending oozy goop everywhere along with shards of what used to be bone. Altair had to resist the urge to vomit, the stench unbearable.

“Damn that was badass!” He said cheerfully, clapping a hand on her shoulder out of habit before he quickly withdrew it. He had literally just jabbed her there with a needle! Whoops. Altair cleared his throat, glancing down at her worn form, “You…shouldn’t keep pushin’ yourself. I’m gonna have to carry your ass outta here if you do,” He quickly added on, “Not that you seem heavy or nothin’,” He quickly realized he was having verbal diarrhea and shut himself up, promptly marching ahead. He gingerly walked around the goop, covering his nose as he did so.

The rest of the bridge was eerily empty. The rancors were quiet now. Yet, Altair couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling in his head. He could see the beacon up ahead, “Looks like we gotta climb up the tower,” He remarked as they approached a door at the end of the bridge. Altair carefully attempted to turn it, but it was locked of course. He stepped back, gathered the Force and rammed into it, sending it clear off its hinges.

The tiefling stared into nothing but darkness, applying Sight once more. However, he could sense nothing even then. Altair looked back at Vex, “Seems to be clear,” He said as he noticed the long spiraling stairs leading up, “I got an uneasy feelin’,” He said quietly, “Why’s this so easy now?”

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex winced but allowed him to help her to her feet. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She was exhausted. Had she not been wounded so badly, she would have had a lot more in her; but combined with the fighting and her extensive use of the Force just now, she was struggling to stay upright. After a moment, the feeling passed like a wave of nausea, but she knew she would have to be careful from here on out. Else, Altair really would have to carry her out of here.

"I don't suppose there are any Matukai healing or breathing exercises I could try to alleviate this?" she asked him. It wasn't a serious request. More a bad attempt at humor or solidarity. She didn't know. She wasn't used to this. Altair was genuine. He seemed to care. The people around her until now only cared about her in so far as it got them closer to her family fortune, or positioned themselves in such a way as to benefit should she raise to control her company once again.

As they toed past the gore of her last kill and stepped through the door Altair had just blown off its hinges, Vex examined their surroundings. The temple air felt stale, but there was something about the way the Force felt here that disturbed her. It felt sick somehow. And not in the usual way the dark side felt. "Yeah," she breathed. "That feeling you're getting—it's the Force. It's—"

A dark shape caught her eye. When she turned to see what it was, she saw that actually, there were several such shapes. Overturned sconces, burn marks charred into stone, some of it tarlike, as if stained by alien blood. "By the Empress," she cursed. "You said your Lord Veles was into alchemy and 'arcane shit,' right? Come look at this." Vex pointed out the artifacts to the Tiefling Sith. "This is the remnants of a ritual of some kind."

But what kind of ritual? There were all sorts. Was this what made the monsters? Or was it preparation for something worse? @Sreeya

Dice: 12/20 for clues to the upcoming confrontation, with higher number being the more useful the clue.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair turned to Vex with a quirked brow, “There are Matukai techniques for that, actually. The Force usage is entirely somatic, and so we have to learn to rejuvenate our muscles accordingly,” He explained surprisingly eloquently, “But uhh I ain’t got time to teach ya right now,” He admitted awkwardly. He already knew it was the Force giving him that uneasy feeling, but that didn’t mean it was useful in pinpointing why.

He followed her as she pointed to the artifacts, the sight making him grimace a bit, “Yeah it is,” He confirmed, “Usually this kinda ritual demands blood from the person doing it. This person seems like they’re experimenting and they ain’t really an expert. That explains the abomination - they used their own blood but they weren’t skilled enough to make anything actually powerful from it,” The tiefling studied the artifacts for a bit longer, “But um…this ritual usually calls for additional life sources.”

Altair slowly turned to look at Vex, “You and I both bled back in the chamber with the hasisisis or whatever the fuck,” He said with a sense of dread, “What if…what if the person doin’ this aint’ ahead of us but they set all this up to weaken us along the way and get samples from us?” It sounded horrific and far fetched, but the puzzle pieces began to fit together.

“It means we go back and check or we just book it up these stairs and hope to make it before some new creation gets on us and hope I'm wrong,” Altair stated as he drew back from the artifacts.

@Mockingjay