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[Vrag]

And they trod on.

There was hardly anything else to do for Vrag than keep assessing her surroundings, over and over again, in that primal fear that existed in every living being; that the ocean of darkness threatening to swallow them held as of yet unknown terrors, lurking just beyond their senses. It was maddening.

It was also something she could only think about for so long before it broke her, so she simply stopped. As anybody who’d gone through what she had could attest to, emptying one's mind wasn't so much a skill as it was a necessity, for there were times when a single thought would be enough to drive you over the edge and into the pit of insanity. Since the firrerreo preferred clarity of mind, the only option remaining was to learn how to deal with the danger of darkness; which is to say, the fears of one’s own making. In the end, there was nothing greater than the terror begat by your inner demons.

Their short pause was just long enough for Vrag to get her thoughts in order, and from then on she remained almost frighteningly focused on the road ahead, led by the faint light at the front of their laughably small party. Her only reassurances in the middle of the unfathomable waste were the weight of her armor and the comforting feeling of the lightsaber in her hand, for relying on things of flesh and bone was a foolish and futile endeavor.

[member="Darth Vitium"] | [member="Darth Carach"] | [member="Darth Odium"] | [member="Darth Arcanix"] | [member="Maja Vern"] | [member="Bellona Vel"] | [member="Viktor Romanov"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Vitium"] [member="Vrag"] [member="Darth Odium"] [member="Darth Carach"] [member="Maja Vern"] [member="Bellona Vel"] [member="Viktor Romanov"]

Taeli was rather enjoying their hike towards the hidden fortress, even if it was nose-numbingly cold. It gave her time to think, to assess her place amongst the group. Warriors, sorcerers, acolytes, Lords, and scientists. It was a very eclectic group, but she had to admit to herself that right now she was considering herself more of a historian and archaeologist.

She was going to treat the trip like any number of sites her father had taken her on when she was in school on Lorrd, albeit one that was much more dangerous than anything he had done. The thrill of seeking knowledge was welling up inside of her, and while the endless darkness around them and the wind and snow could distract and drive people insane from how dull it could be, she found it more relaxing than anything else.

Still, something about everything felt . . . off somehow, like not just the dangers of the fortress lay ahead. Something more . . . profound might happen. Her body's response to it was to grip her lightsaber hilt a little harder and keep her presence open more. She wanted to know every bit of movement around them, just in case.

 

[Ellie Mors]

In the distance the snow shifted, and luckily the group was traveling far enough away to not be swept under by what appeared to be a miniature avalanche. For a moment Silara paused, examining the area as best she could, and when nothing came out of the shadows it appeared to be that the feelings of danger she had picked up on with her senses had simply been a loose patch of snow that, had they split up, would have likely crushed half of the group in the blink of an eye. Luckily it appeared that it had covered much of the tracks behind them, ensuring any nefarious sithspawn that may have gone unnoticed would not see their chosen path, and reflected the light off of her necklace to reveal a wide ravine some tens of meters off their path, hopefully giving insight to the others who followed of the importance of keeping with her rather than going of on their own - at least until they meandered their way inside of the fortress.

-

While their journey to the actual fortress was rather uneventful, other than the sense of foreboding and a momentary avalanche, arriving at the keep of Naga Sadow proved to be entirely different in nature. Leading to the large structure was a long and narrow stone bridge that loomed over a massive ravine that surrounded the entirety of the keep. There was no telling if it was structurally sound, or if there were any behemoth-like creatures residing below to act as guardians of the Sith palace. "We've nearly arrived, but here is perhaps the most dangerous portion of our trip." Silara explained, halting at the base of the bridge to turn and address those who followed her and hadn't turned away just yet. "Sith Lords are infamous for having massive creatures guard their palaces and crypts, and these creatures more often than not prove to be a danger not only to those inexperienced but also experienced Sith Lords - especially when having to babysit any unknowing or unready acolytes and knights." She continued, gesturing with her right arm in a sweeping motion towards the massive cliff behind her. She was aware [member="Darth Carach"] had wanted this simply to be a simple stroll with just him, her, and perhaps another capable of pulling their own weight, but she felt it prudent to use this opportunity to have the less experienced feel some sense of worth as well as assist in uncovering relics of the past. They proved to be excellent decoys, as well.

Turning around to face the bridge, hands moving down to retrieve her lightsabers, Silara stepped up to test the stability of the structure. Pleased with no sense of ill-fated falling or crumbling, also surprised by its stability over the last six or so thousand years - chalking it up to the absolute master of Alchemy that was Naga Sadow, Silara made her way onto the bridge and slowed her pace to a more enjoyable stroll. It was clear by how she seemed to take pleasure in the walk across the bridge that she was not daunted by the chance of an impending doom rising up to meet her. Perhaps it was because she was over-confident in her ability to control most, if not all, sithspawn with lesser sentience than her own, or perhaps she simply willed for a challenge to arrive. Regardless, the stretch of bridge was long and she certainly did not wish to rush across it.

Spoiler

• [member="Darth Carach"], [member="Darth Arcanix"], [member="Vrag"], [member="Maja Vern"], [member="Lira Dajenn"], [member="Sabena Shai"], [member="Darth Odium"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Silara"] [member="Darth Carach"] [member="Maja Vern"] [member="Vrag"] [member="Lira Dajenn"] [member="Sabena Shai"] [member="Darth Odium"]

Moving along behind Darth Vitium, Taeli took a bit of extra time examining the bridge they were walking across. Bending down a moment to observe it closely, she had to wager a guess that the stone had been altered in some way to last against the elements in this place. Fascinated by it, she also was taking note that, so far, they hadn't encountered a single Sithspawn or obstacle yet and it was itching away at her.

Getting up again, Taeli just allowed herself to enjoy the walk while being carefully guarded and ready for anything that might come their way. It would be a good test if an obstacle appeared, and she could study something else other than a six thousand year old bridge. Her scholarly ways were demanding something more to study.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Everyone else seemed interested in the snow and the stones. To Maja, snow was snow – it was cold fun for about five minutes but after that became even colder and annoying in the way it froze your extremities.

Her nose felt sore and her feet were going numb – but she chose not to complain. In fact she said nothing, not wishing to draw attention to herself. She saw the others glance this way and that – no doubt sensing the Force telling them all manner of things. But Maja was deaf to it still, having had no training to access the Force and the few times she had, were entirely subconsciously.

Then she heard her sister issue a warning – this one was a lot easier to fathom – massive creatures were bad. And massive was no doubt infused with ferocious and no doubt hungry. Suddenly the blaster in her pocket felt useless. And the reference to babysitting stung. She felt it was a personal reference and suddenly her freezing face was warm as the blood rushed to her cheeks. She stared at the ground in an attempt to hide her apparent feelings of humiliation.

She finally looked up and willed her sister to hurry across the bridge – all of them actually. She would take a position in the middle of the pack and now started to truly doubt the benefit in the wisdom of attending. But still her deepest-seated fear held itself in check – it was too soon to reveal itself, there was bound to be a better time.

[member="Darth Arcanix"] | [member="Silara"] | [member="Vrag"] | [member="Darth Odium"] | [member="Darth Carach"] | [member="Bellona Vel"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Silara"]

It was not a secret that Carach preferred his missions to run smoothly, with less proneness to backstabbing behavior and above all success. It was for this reason that his sister and him had had many discussion about the precise content of the people accompanying them on this expedition, but in the end he had relented. In his eyes one needed to give some for the sake of your family.

And whichever way Ovmar had felt at the end of days Carach felt a strange kinship with those that had all come together for the purpose of the Dark Lord. Perhaps that feeling would fade in the end, granulated and grinded away by the wheel of time, but that time had not come yet.

‘I wonder who will bite the dust first.’ the disembodied voice of Carach nestled itself into Silara’s mind. The assumption was made that the Sith was somewhere nearby, just being himself yet again. ‘Would you let them die, if they make a blunder?’ another question raised, Carach was satisfied and continued to travel with them for now.

 

[Darth Zilti]

There were many benefits in having a Force Bond. Maja knew of Masters and Acolytes that developed an ability to communicate feelings, thoughts and images across various distances. Of course the formation of Force Bonds between Master and Acolyte occurred slowly, requiring them to grow together and understand each other.

How did Maja know? Because from the moment she’d had her Force-sensitivity identified she’d shared a Bond with her sister. That first evening they’d shared a dream - but it was more than just a dream. They’d talked and shared memories, even though they were on different planets and had never met.

So as soon as she could, Maja had researched the subject. It seemed more powerful bonds were known to occur between relatives, exerting great influence. It seemed that at moments of great emotion or conflict they were able to glimpse the other. Maja had seen her sister fighting the Jedi on Prakith for example. So she was both excited and wary of the possibilities the Bond afforded. Sometimes you didn’t like what you saw.

For that second and more powerful insecurity latched on to thoughts shared and amplified them. Now was the perfect time. She wasn’t wanted here, that much was clear. Her death was always part of the natural order and would come at a time and place where she had reached a point where she had demonstrated she was no longer worthy. The concept of being kept alive was alien to her and simply reinforced her previous insecurity of being the liability here. If she were to become a Sith, it would not be through holding the coat-tails of her older sister, it would be because she had demonstrated she was worthy. So she decided in the snowy wastes that live or die today, she needed to find her own way to master the Dark-side of the Force. From tomorrow, she was on her own.

 

[Ellie Mors]

It seemed as though she wasn't the only one feeling frustrated recently, although her frustration was less of an issue with her own prowess and more with those around her. As had been done before from Coruscant to Alderaan, the bond between two sisters was as strong as ever and every ounce of heightened emotion was played off to the elder sister and generally vice-versa, she had long since ensured she didn't expose herself as vulnerable through force bonds after Mierin passed, but it appeared the [member="Maja Vern"] did not have the same luxury. For several seconds she slowed her pace, hesitating between deciding to turn around and take her with her, protect her like some abhorrent weak-minded elder sister, or to simply ignore it and make the girl face her own fears. It appeared that sort of hesitation had more or less saved her life, as several meters ahead of her - where she would have been if her brisk walk would have continued, a ridiculously large and scale-covered head, neck, and presumably the upper limits of a body, tore through the ancient bridge - which miraculously did not crumble away as she suddenly felt worry for - and turned to face the approaching group. 'Well this certainly made things significantly more difficult.' Came the Sith Lord's internal musings, not quite pleased with the appearance of what appeared to be an impressive Sith wyrm.

​

She, of course, would have been more than capable of handling the massive serpent either with the aid of [member="Darth Carach"], or simply through her own methods of controlling sithspawn, but for once she didn't wish to confront the problem herself - rather she left it up to the group while she, herself, utilized a well-timed force jump while simultaneously utilizing a technique known as force speed, a skill which she was known to have mastered as a knight, to bypass the titan of a beast and leaving her companions on the other side of the gap as it set its attention wholly on them. 'Well? What are you all waiting for? Kill it or be killed. Unless you need my help to put it down.' Silara hissed telepathically, more than succeeding at finding her sister an ample threat to contest, or at least a challenge worth mentioning in the future regardless of succeeding or failing in defeating it. Perhaps [member="Darth Arcanix"] would be of use for the rest of the group, she honestly did not care - she doubted the thing would kill the lot of them by the time she returned, and merely kept on walking like the karking schutta she was, a hint of a smile even apparent on her face. Who knows, perhaps the currently unimpressive [member="Vrag"] could succeed in making a mark by assisting in putting the thing down - though part of her wondered if Carach would linger and observe or continue along with her. Certainly her actions more than answered his question.

If they were incapable of surviving in a hostile environment, they were unfit to live.

 

[Sabena Shai]

Eventually, Sabena flew over the site of the beacon that [member="Lira Dajenn"] picked up. The cold, bitter night hid the form of a fortress to the visible eye. Yet, Sabena’s vision could still pierce though the darkness and catch a glimpse of Naga Sadow’s legacy. The howling wind silenced her approach.

“I wonder how old it is,” asked Sabena to Lira and [member="Sopher"] through the comms.

As Sabena flew over, she noticed a small ship near the fortress. Immediately, Sabena informed Lira and Sopher of this. She then noticed a short outcrop near the fortress. Shielded by the snowstorm and darkness, Sabena made her way toward it, alone, and landed her J-1 Star Interceptor.

Quickly, the young woman donned her arctic garb. The temperature indicators in her starship revealed that the temperature would kill her in mere minutes without the proper protection. Once ready, Sabena opened the hatch to the cockpit and leaped out onto the snowy ground.

An audible crunch could be heard as Sabena landed on the ground. She turned to the fortress. Her vision could clearly see the massive shape of it and the bridge that lead to its entrance.

Pulling out a pair of macrobinoculars, Sabena looked toward Naga Sadow’s citadel. She enabled the night vision of her binoculars in order to get a clearer picture. While the snow obscured much of her field-of-view via the binoculars, she was able to notice a group walking toward the fortress.

“Hey,” she immediately began on the comms to Lira and Sopher, “I think someone beat us to this.”

Seconds passed as Sabena kept her eyes on the group - seeing [member="Silara"], an unknown person to her, at the lead. Sabena jumped back at the sight of a giant Sith wyrm bursting forth from the ravine and shattering part of the bridge.

“I got a bad feeling about this place,” muttered Sabena to herself, just a bit too late.

Still, Sabena continued to observe the Sith group from a distance - far enough away so that the darkness and snow hid her from normal eyes.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Silara"] [member="Maja Vern"] [member="Sabena Shai"] [member="Darth Carach"] [member="Lira Dajenn"] [member="Vrag"]

Well that was just . . . infuriating, Taeli thought as the Sith wyrm burst froth from the ravine and destroyed part of the bridge in front of her and the rest of their group. Vitium had been lucky and gotten on the other side before the Sithspawn burst forth, although she didn't seem concerned that the others were now facing the mutated exogorth.

"Well this is annoying," she said, igniting both blades of her lightsaber, twisting the handle to engage the spinning feature of it. This thing would be particularly hard to kill, and it would certainly be the largest thing she had ever fought. Luckily, it's skin was not toughened against a lightsaber, it could just kill you from its sheer size and gnashing jaws.

Lightning crackled around her free hand as she charged forward, unleashing the storm in her hand at the creature. Roaring, the wyrm attacked, forcing Taeli to jump away from its lunging head. The head smashed apart another section of the bridge and it was a testament to the alchemy gone into creating it that left it still standing for the group of Sith. Bringing her lightsaber around, she carved through one of the creatures head spikes as she leapt away from its sweeping attack and tail.

Hissing in pain from the shards of stone that cut into her arms, she landed on top of the exogorth as it attacked the rest of the group while she steadied herself again.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja stood and watched..and thought. Her options were limited. She was surrounded by Sith who had actually had some training in using the Force and only one of them was doing anything against the creature - so her confidence levels were waning. And as the lone Sith fought the wyrm and parts of the bridge disappeared in front of her eyes, Maja considered her options.

On the plus side…well she was still alive. And she had a blaster. And she’d been told she was Force Sensitive. And the positives definitely dried up then and there.

On the debit side, well…the list was endless. She had zero training with the Force - in fact she didn’t even know how to connect to it. There was a giant serpent thing determined to eat everyone in front of it and half of the bridge was missing. She had no way of combating the creature and even if this woman defeated it, she could not cross the bridge as the gaps in it were way too wide to jump over.

And then the Sith woman added to the negatives as she clearly annoyed it enough to attack the group. If this was some sort of a test, it sucked. How someone with no ability to use the Force was supposed to cross what was left of the bridge, let alone stay alive against this creature was beyond Maja.

And then it dawned on her. Her sister clearly didn’t want her here. Despite love and hate being on either ends of a continuum, sometimes they were a hair’s breadth apart. And at this moment, the feelings of betrayal, rejection and abandonment were too much to bear - and way too much to allow her to love.

She would have gladly died here and now, such was the feeling of despair and humiliation. But perhaps she was too cowardly to walk up to the wyrm. Regardless of the reason, she knew when she wasn't wanted and so turned tail and walked back to the ship. Perhaps she could help with the repairs and talk them into taking her somewhere she could pick up a ship before they returned to pick up whoever survived this trip.

It was a long walk. It was a lonely walk. It was a humiliating walk. But it was above all a walk filled with hatred and a realisation of how stupid she had been - to fall for the lies.

'Never, ever again.'

 

[Ellie Mors]

Perhaps she heard it, perhaps the wind carried it to her, but for a split second she heard the sharp exhale of bated breath, and she turned, observing not only the foolishness of the Sith who sought close combat with a creature many times her size, but also the hurt in her sister's eyes. She didn't quite care about the pain and anger she was feeling - it was when she turned around that she immediately began walking back to the group, This was ridiculous, how did she expect to learn without being set up against odds that clearly were not in her favor? Did she expect to be babied, to grow weak and fat like the younglings of the Jedi order, did she think her nice, to be a fool and a dotard? Hands reached up for the rearing head of the ridiculously large creature and a thunderous roar echoed along the sky, lightning arcing from the tips of her fingers in the most strange of ways. Force lightning gave off light, but the light of a black bolt of lightning illuminating the darkness was the most curious of displays she'd seen yet, though the Sith wyrm seemed to care little about the light and moreso of its thick hide immediately becoming scorched and blistering at the power of the Sith Lord.

Within her she could feel the tearing of something in her gut, as if every step [member="Maja Vern"] took ripped and tore at the bond they had shared, and she did not want her to simply walk away from her troubles, she did not want her to abandon her challenges, to accept she was weak. She had brought her not as a liability - if she truly saw no purpose in bringing her, beyond being a hindrance, she would have left her at home - no, she had brought her to learn, to grow. It was survival of the fittest in their world, in this galaxy, and she was better of learning sooner rather than later, no matter how harsh the reality. While Silara most certainly would not baby her beyond material gifts and such, she would certainly not watch her give up and feel nothing. 'And where do you think you are going?' Came the disappointed rasp of a whisper in Maja's ear. 'Do you believe yourself to be above this all?' She hissed, it was clear that the elder of the two was not at all happy with the transpiring events.

Of course the beast immediately recognized its most superior threat and turned to strike at her only for their eyes to meet as it dove its gaping maw down to rip her in two. Within the mere moments that divided the time between its head rearing back in pain and its nasal slits presented evenly with her chest she had clearly done something to halt it in its track - though those whom had been familiar with her physiology and abilities not only as a Sith Lord, in which the conquering of minds was quite literally an ability taught by her former master and drilled into her head, but also as a literal walking, talking, sentient sithspawn. She was more closely related to the Terentatek horde that roamed the galaxy in search of Jedi and Sith for sustenance than she was with her next-of-kin. Modified through Sith alchemy following the invasion of Alderaan and Empress Teta, she had become the secret spear of control for the One Sith, the Sith Battlelord that could defeat the minds of lesser sithspawn and communicate and control them. Such was this single-minded beast that simply lowered down into the abyss as she waited for an answer from the younger of the two. Would she return, or would she simply refuse her? It was her own decision to make, but she'd much prefer it to be based upon the truth and not an assumption or shame.

 

[Sabena Shai]

Almost in awe, Sabena watched as [member="Silara Kuhn"] and [member="Darth Arcanix"] faced off against the gigantic Sith wyrm. As soon as she saw crimson lightsabers in the distance, Sabena tensed up.

“What?” exclaimed a surprised Sabena as she saw the wyrm disappear into the ravine after the short fight.

Then, Sabena watched [member="Maja Vern"] walk away from the bridge and toward the Sith’s ship.

Remaining on the outcropping, Sabena continued to observe the Sith - collecting her thoughts and forming a plan of action.

 

[Darth Zilti]

Location: Khar Shian, walking away from Naga Sadow's Secret Fortress
Objective: Who the kark knows?
Theme: She’s lost control…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVc29bYIvCM

‘Confusion in her eyes that says it all.
She's lost control.
And she's clinging to the nearest passer by,
She's lost control.'

'And she gave away the secrets of her past,
And said I've lost control again,
And of a voice that told her when and where to act,
She said I've lost control again.'

'I could live a little better with the myths and the lies,
When the darkness broke in, I just broke down and cried.
I could live a little in a wider line,
When the change is gone, when the urge is gone,
To lose control. When here we come.’

Maja heard the thunderous roar of the creature but paid it no heed. It could have been vanquished or perhaps eaten the entire group – it mattered little. No, less than little, it mattered not at all.

Maja was not one to be emotional – it was a luxury those born into the underclass could ill afford. Unlike her sister, she’d been abandoned as a baby and was brought up a virtual slave, working freighters for just enough money not to starve. Those that had ruled – those that had not lived a life of servitude.

But she’d grown up pragmatic. Love was never going to be an option and she’d given up even hoping for it when she was maybe six or seven. Kindness was a weakness where she grew up, and so was permanently discarded before she was a teenager. Pity was never an option – nobody had less than her and as nobody ever took pity on her, she knew it was a pointless emotion. She had neither friends nor enemies – she wasn’t important enough for either. Oddly there was no fear either. When you have nothing, people can’t threaten you – and as her life was worthless, even the loss of that couldn’t bother her.

Envy was the closest she came. Sometimes, when she couldn’t sleep at night she wished for more than she had. Her own bed. Clean water to wash in. Clothes other than the ones she worked and slept in. Which was why the life of a petty criminal came to be – to do her best to earn a single credit to call her own. Of course it never worked out like that – as she would no sooner have one than she’d lose it trying to double it. But of all the emotions, this was the driver from the moment she could remember having memories until the day she discovered she was Force Sensitive.

Of course there are two other emotions of note to consider. The first was revisited when she met her sister – and that was love. From zero to one hundred percent in twenty-four hours, she’d been overwhelmed. And as it was only days since they’d first met, she was still intoxicated – albeit the nasty side-effects were already invading its space – like virulent weeds looking to usurp the beautiful bloom.

But the one to consider now was anger. She’d never been angry before. In part because it was pointless – those who served and showed anger didn’t last long. She had nobody to be angry with – except perhaps her circumstances – but as mentioned before, she was the practical type.

So twenty years of bottled up frustration, enmity, injustice, poor treatment and lack of respect decided this was the perfect time to show themselves. And of course, they weren’t going to trickle out – no, they erupted like molten lava from a long dormant volcano. And of course, there had to be fire!

'And where do you think you are going?'

Maja stopped momentarily. The voice was unmistakable and dripping with disappointment. For a split second she wanted to weaken, to turn tail and run to her sister. To beg forgiveness. To ask to be shown how to use the Force. So stop being such an abject failure for failing to deal with a Sithspawn when she had no means at her disposal to do so. To fall to the ground and kiss her sister’s feet for being such a pathetic lowlife that couldn't manage to learn Force Abilities just by sitting near someone that could to…well, the sarcasm was now dripping from every thought. So she shook her head and carried on walking.

'Do you believe yourself to be above this all?'

This time she stopped and turned to face the general direction she believed her sister to be in – the blizzard and darkness limiting her vision.

‘What the…crinking shab are you talking about?’ Maja never used swear words – for the same reason she had no emotions – because she could ill-afford them. They were the reserve of the ruling classes where she came from. Sure, some of her fellow servants used them quietly, when they thought nobody was listening, amongst themselves. But she never saw the point in that. But that didn’t mean she didn’t know what thy were.

‘Have I karking disappointed you have I? Has the poor baby Maja failed to face a crinking dragon armed with just a water pistol?’ She handled her small blaster as if this was evidence. ‘Has poor CRINKING, KARKING MAJA KRONGED THING’S UP? HAS KARKING SHE?’ Now she was getting warmed up…

‘LISTEN….YOU…KARKING…KARKING…SLULAG, WAS THIS SOME SORT OF KARKING TEST? WAS I SUPPOSED TO CRINKING KNOW THAT? WHO KARKING WALKED AWAY KARKING FIRST, EH? YOU KARKING DID, LEAVING ME TO FACE THAT CRINKING BEAST WITH WHAT? A SHAB BLASTER AND WHAT? I’LL TELL YOU KARKING WHAT. CRINKING NOTHING.’

‘A WEEK AGO I WAS WORKING ON FREIGHTERS. I MET A WOMAN AND SHE TOLD ME I COULD USE THE KARKING FORCE. I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT KARKING WAS. AND THEN WE…WE…WE…CONNECTED OR CRINKING SOMETHING. I THOUGHT MY BRAIN WAS KARKLED. AND THE NEXT DAY YOU COME AND GET ME. ALL MY KARKING LIFEDAYS ROLLED INTO ONE. AND YOU GIVE ME A PLACE TO LIVE AND KARKING LEAVE TO FIGHT SOME JEDI AT SOME KARKING OLD TOMB. AND YOU GIVE ME KRINKING GIFTS AND TELL ME YOU WANT ME TO KARKING WELL COME HERE WITH YOU.’

‘DID YOU KARKING WELL THINK TO TEACH ME ABOUT THE CRINKING FORCE? HOW TO USE IT, DRUK, I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FIND IT! SO I’M KARKING WELL FREEZING MY BUTT OFF AND YOU GET ALL ANGRY WITH ME BECAUSE I’M ACTING AS IF I’M ABOVE ALL THIS…’

Her breathing was ragged now, but oddly she was no longer cold. Or wet. She was both physically and metaphorically steaming. For the snow was no longer hitting her, it was evaporating with a quiet hiss before it reached her skin – and her sodden clothes were now dry, steam rising from them. Not that she was aware of any of this of course.

‘So no…I don’t think I’m above any of this. Quite the crinking opposite. Clearly Sith are supposed to use the Force without any training whatsoever. It seems your faith in me was misplaced. I karking well can’t do it without someone teaching me.E chu ta. Am I such a disappointment?’

[member="Silara Kuhn"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

​The screams of the runt were like the retching of some dying dog in the heat, absolutely disgusting. Weak, feeble, and yet related - a bond of blood and force, something that, at this moment, gave her shame. Here was she, Maja Vern, speaking to the Sith Lord - her sister - as though they walked on equal footing. She could hear the rage, feel it even, in her sister's words even as the warmth of her blood pumped it through her veins. This miserable whelp had completely misunderstood the reason the Sith Wyrm had been left for these acolytes to quell, Maja included, and presumed that she had simply miscalculated the knowledge and might of the untrained little cur that now barked insults like an insubordinate teenage brat. Perhaps it was who she was - ignorant and acting without foresight, unbelieving that perhaps this challenge had never been meant to test her or for her to succeed with her own might. It was this spark of anger, the beginnings of a swelling rage and pride, that the Sith Lord had been looking for. But now was the little test that would decide their relationship both now and in the years to come. Would she heed her words?

"I never held any illusions that you might be worth anything just yet, Maja. I did not believe you would succeed on your own, or with the aid of these vagrants." She said calmly, as though she was used to the tantrums of children - although her sister was most certainly not a child, although she may act like it now. "From Marka Ragnos to Vitiate, from Bane to Sidious, all of us - Sith Lords - 'awoke' in a fit. Our rage, our contempt, it bled from us from a mental stress into an expression in the world of the living, as through the medium of the force. Perhaps it was still too early to give you the push, but I could hardly care less - your discontent with me is working just as well." The Sith Lady continued, her words continuing to be aided with telepathy as they had been throughout their short conversation. "Perhaps I was excited that I had found a blood relative of mine, Maja, because it meant I could engineer the growth of a prodigy - but you are, for lack of a better choice of words, a failure. You did not revel in the same throes of agony as I did, you did not open yourself to the dark side." She explained, glancing to the ground at her right as she prepared the next select choice of words, designed explicitly to fuel the hate that she knew would build up quickly and without control - if her sister had the same natural inclination to the darker side of the force, the essence consumption, that she did. "You could never gather the strength to bathe in the blood of your pathetic parents like I did. You are no more a Sith than a Jedi, and until you have truly experienced the raw intensity of the dark side you will never be one." Silara whispered, bringing her gaze level with the fleeting figure of her sister in the distance. She smiled.

"But I am the gate to the terror that will make you greater than you could ever dream. Do you hate me? Are you enraged? Come with me if you hope to one day kill me as I did your beloved mother and father."

"When I was but a child."

Of course, the two were adopted by their respective 'parents', or at least Silara had been, but Maja needn't know that just yet.

[member="Darth Carach"] | [member="Vrag"] (Because you don't follow the thread)

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja heard the names but had no understanding. Were these the Sith she was with? Ragnos? Bane? She didn’t remember hearing them mentioned. But then secrecy was standard here. Perhaps she should have paid more attention. But her sister’s stinging words were too painful to focus on the names for too long.

So she was a failure? It was as Maja expected. That genuinely deadly aspect of self-doubt that had been waiting to manifest itself suddenly latched onto her sister’s words. She had until today rarely felt emotion - save for the recent love for her sister. She was clearly unworthy and a disappointment to her sister. Yes, the knife hadn’t just been placed between the shoulder blades, it was being twisted in a delicious dance of death.

Suddenly her emotions shut down again and the snow hit her face once more. No more a Sith than a Jedi? What was a Jedi again? She’d heard the term. Didn’t Alexandra mention them? So was that an insult? Did it even matter? She was an abject failure and did not deserve the love of a sister.

But wait…did Silara mention their parents? Bathe in their blood? They were dead? And Silara killed them? She knew her sister had avoided the topic but dead…and at her sibling’s hands? No, it felt…wrong. She would know if they were dead…surely? Somehow she just knew she’d feel it and her brain told her it was a lie. But she had no proof. And so she had to believe it, however unpalatable it may seem.

Slowly the emotions returned…well one at any rate. Hate. Pure unadulterated hatred like she’d never felt before. She wanted her sibling dead. No, not just dead. She wanted her to die a bloody death and this time it was Maja that would be doing the bathing.

For a short while she’d contemplated turning back to join her sister but these words had killed that thought as surely as their parents had died. But from the depths of her psyche a spark became a flame. She would not be a failure. She would not back down now. She was going to be a Sith and her sister would eat her words before she choked on her own blood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0hYN20a7Jc

‘You gotta sink to learn to swim
These are the rules that they teach and they want you to live
Apologies will never do and I know that way too well
Brought down by somebody else's lack of education
Shouldn't be you that it hurts
But I took all the advice that I could take
Before I thought to give up
I bet you thought I'd give up
And this is what they told me…
These are the lies you gotta believe
They'll give you everything to lose if you disagree
Apologies are over used and I'd be cutting the line way too thin
I'm aware of this bitter behaviour
I lost myself somewhere I never wanted to be
Now it's time to start all over - we were held to the light
But we never went blind

Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh
You can't back down kid, back down kid
Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh
You can't back out now, back out now
We are what you say
We are not what you think

Too lonely to survive the loss that was staring back with bloodshot eyes
I almost fell below the ground that I was standing on
Oh no, you said it yourself, you're disappointed
And I'm ashamed and embarrassed to say that
I was a failure, a failure
But not matter how low

Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh
You can't back down kid...back down kid
Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh

You can't back out now

Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh
You can't back down kid...back down kid
Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh Oh...Oh Oh
You can't back out now...back out now
We are what you say.’

‘Oh, I’m coming for you.’ Her eyes had morphed yellow now - not that she would be aware. ‘You have awakened something that you should be very afraid of.’

Of course they were just words, but her mind was no longer ruled by logic. She headed back to the bridge - only one emotion present but it was soon joined. Her anger was now rising to bolster that hatred.

“This creature will not endure,” Her eyes burned with a fierce intensity. “She killed my parents," she spat. "She deserves to die and no abomination will keep me from her!"

She felt the anger. She welcomed it. She embraced it. And she remembered the words that meant nothing to her but suddenly came to her mind.

"Through passion, I gain strength, through strength, I gain power."

She could feel the Dark-side building within her, growing in intensity until she could almost feel its heat.

"Only the strong survive, and the Force will make me strong." The fact that she didn’t know what to do was now irrelevant. If she was worthy, she'd figure it out.

She reached the bridge and felt a sudden surge of power within her and she concentrated on the creature’s eyes. She intrinsically knew she couldn’t try a broad assault and had to be more subtle. All she really had were intelligence and cunning. What happened next she could not explain or even describe. The creature let out a terrible cry of pain and threshed about, scratching at its own eyes.

To her credit, Maja didn’t wait to think about what she’d done or what the consequences might be. She simply ran over the now partially demolished bridge to where she knew her sister to be. There was no pride in what she’d done - or even full comprehension - she only had focus for her sibling - and heaven help anyone who came between them.

[member="Darth Atrophia"]