A Modicum of Grave Robbing and Tinkering

[Onrai]

[member="Farah"]

Tomb of Marka Ragnos

The Qel-Droma examination had been a bust. The only bones found inside the sarcophagus of the former Sith Lord turned exile had been those belonging to a random individual, likely an assistant or curator of the shrine. Vanessa had been incensed at the loss - thus turning to an alternative means of acquiring exactly what it was she now looked for. That was why she was on Korriban, why she now stood at the entrance to the Valley of the Dark Lords.

The plan was simple - at least, in theory. Enter the tomb, open up the sarcophagus, and take the desiccated corpse of Marka Ragnos out of it. Once the corpse was in her possession, she could do with it as she pleased - in this case, she would use flesh-eating beetles to devour the mortified flesh of the deceased Sith Lord, leaving only bones that she would rig up with micro-servos. The rigged skeleton would be put into a suit and given a weapon, a lightsaber of a sort, before becoming animate, possessed by the maddened spirit of a long-dead Sith Lord under the thrall of Vanessa herself.

But to do this, she had asked for help. Help from a Zambrano, of course - she did love Kaine's family and wanted to get to know them better. This particular Zambrano, though, was a bit different.

How different, she would soon find out.

 

[Farah]

Though a skilled physician and scientist in her own right, Farah knew very little about the Force. This was no one’s doing but her own—Kaine hadn’t pushed her to walk a specific path and had, in her mind, generously allowed her to pursue her own interests so long as she served the Zambrano family in doing do. Farah took no issue with that. So far they had given her everything she’d needed.

That and she’d be downright stupid to try and rebel against them, not when she owed her very existence to Carnifex. She could easily end up nothing more than a red stain on the floor of his estate.

Today she’d been requested to assist a Sith Lord in some alchemistic practice. Farah had a slowly growing interest in the Force, especially given that her template had apparently mastered it. In what way, she was not sure.

The young doctor arrived at the threshold of the Valley of the Dark Lords clad in a white lab coat and scrubs, hair pulled back tightly. The bag slung to her side appeared to be overstuff with Force knows what, mostly medical supplies given that she liked to be prepared.

The only other person around was a blonde woman. Given the heavy presence she exuded, Farah supposed that this was the alchemist she was here to assist.

“Lady Vantai?” She approached the other woman, her tone respectful given that she never knew what sort of Sith she was going to be dealing with. She’d witnessed Acolytes being punished in cruel ways for simple missteps, though she’d been fortunate thus far to interact with Knights and Lords who were rather calm. The few she’d met, anyhow.

What struck her most was the woman’s apparent youth and overall…normal appearance. Some of the Sith she’d seen were ashen, looking as if someone had sucked the life out of them.

“I’m Farah Zambrano. I’m here to help you with your research.”

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa perked up at the sound of a woman's voice. Calm, soothing - everything Vanessa would expect from a medical professional. She smiled as the woman came over to her and introduced herself. The name obviously indicated her as a member of the Zambrano family - though she figured given her past experience with how Azira was cloned from Vandra that this woman was also such. Either that, or Kaine's lusts had somehow been sated with a Zeltron - neither option was really out of the question, was it?

"Not the best outfit for adventuring, but it should be good." She sighed a bit, the simple black sleeveless tunic she wore was a reasonably form-fitting yet flexible garment that gave her significant mobility and a modest amount of cleavage. "That would be me. A pleasure to meet you, Farah - though no need to call me 'Lady Vantai.' Vanessa will do just fine." She smiled. "I've heard you're quite the interested medical student - that's good. I like that. There's a lot one can learn from studying the bodies of sentients - and you're going to get an opportunity to catalogue a lot here."

She turned to the entrance of the tomb. "Here's the simple story of what we're doing. I need the bones of a long-dead Sith Lord in order to craft a Sithspawn - an alchemical creature formed through the processes of the Dark Side. Marka Ragnos has been dead for thousands of years. His desiccated body, armored up as it is, has been sitting in the sarcophagus, relatively undisturbed by looters and treasure hunters. It's a rare opportunity for you to get to look at the Sith mummification process up close, as well as perform a dissection of the cadaver - I'm sure you'll find examining the hybridized features of the ancient Sith Purebloods to be fascinating. And once we finish, we'll deflesh the skeleton and I'll show you how Sith Sorcery and Alchemy work. How does that sound to you?"

She was curious as to see exactly how Farah would respond - she wasn't really sure as to how interested the medically knowledgeable woman would be in the more scientific aspects of this expedition. That said, if she could strike up a good relationship, perhaps even a friendship with this woman, perhaps it would benefit her as Farah rose within the ranks of the Sith - or with regards to her relationship with the Emperor.

Either way, at least Farah didn't seem crazy.

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

“Likewise, Vanessa.” She returned, still finding it a bit odd to address a Sith Lady by her first name. There were some Masters among the Sith who preferred their titles, but some seemed to be a more casual breed. Farah’s interest in the Force was passive, her focus imprinted elsewhere within the walls of operating rooms and labs. Alchemy seemed like the most natural progression into Force abilities.

“Doctor.” She corrected lightly, aware enough to know that she shouldn’t be abrasive with a Sith Lord. “I’m a surgeon.” A shark in the operating room, there was nothing but neutral politeness in her tone.

The explanation that followed wasn’t what Farah had expected, but then again she wasn’t sure what to expect. This seemed to be something more than an exploratory surgery or a rare case. This was downright necromancy. “You’re reanimating a corpse?” There was a clear note of interest in her voice. The Zeltron had never been grave robbing before but she took no issue with it. Whereas most civilian doctors were sworn to an ethical code, Farah only followed her own interests, many of which could be classified as unethical. But she was good at what she did, took risks and got results.

This? This was a risk. Plundering tombs wasn’t covered during orientation but Farah wasn’t about to shy away. She only had one question.

“When do we start?”

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa considered the possibilities she had here with Farah. Here was someone steeped in an understanding of the scientific arts. Of the medical arts. She gave a gentle nod at the correction. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that your studies so quickly provided you with a doctorate. Kaine's children are usually quite exceptional when it comes to whatever they put their mind to." She continued to consider the possibilities - the woman had an interest in the Dark Side. She thought the concept of necromancy interested her. A union of both the understanding of the scientific and the alchemic.

"Right now." With a snap of her finger, the door leading to Marka Ragnos' tomb opened, alchemized doors slowly groaning like machinery as they unlinked from one another and exposed the internal workings of the tomb. "Reanimating, in a way. What we will be doing with the Sith Lord's body is a mixture of necromancy, of the ancient Sith art of mechu-deru, and of basic post-mortem surgical work." Light shone into the tomb as it seemed to be swallowed by the darkness - the tomb itself appeared to be a simple set of ramps that led further up into the mountain within which it was carved. The wreckage of droids of a uniform type seemed scattered across the room - the rust on their shattered parts indicated that the droids were easily hundreds if not thousands of years old.

"Someone's been here before we have. Let's hope they were not smart enough to realize the treasure lying at the heart of the tomb."

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

The doctor cocked her head to the side. She was young, yes, and a clone to boot. The beauty that was flash training had only taught her so much. Book knowledge took her to a certain point, thereafter Farah had to create her own experiences and learn through doing. Which she did quite well—it was easy to throw all of your dedication into something when you weren’t attached to anything or anyone and didn’t have a lifetime of memories distracting you.

Of course, her ultimate loyalty was to the Zambrano family and Kaine, her creator. It had to be that way.

Farah took a slow step back as the tomb opened, noting in the back of her mind how the heavy doors were moved by the Force alone. “You’ve quite a skillset.” She commented as they began to venture into the ancient tomb. Sith Masters always seemed to have such unique abilities. The Zeltron hadn’t quite figured out what fit right for her.

She wrinkled her nose at the skeletal droid remains. Did this mean that there would be fighting involved? Were these beasts lurking in the stone labyrinth? Does Farah watch too many late night holodramas?

“What do you think happened here?” She prompted Vanessa, gesturing to the rusted debris.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

She was skilled, yes - but she had to have some kind of aberrancy. Something that could be cured, or otherwise dealt with. Elani ate flesh - at least one of her did. Kaine himself was sadistic, a soulless monster by any means. And Vandra was... well, she was suffering the stages of late term dementia extremely early. Azira had been cured of the latter problem. "It's been carefully honed over the years. I have sacrificed the martial for that which is sorcerous. Besides, you look a lot less like a threat when the only weapon you have is the Dark Side. Actually... if it's not too much to inquire, how far along are you with regards to your training?"

As they entered, looking over the wreckage of the droids, she immediately recognized their uniform features. "Kellenech Technologies sentinel droids... these are thousands of years old. Probably the only reason they haven't rusted away is because of the desiccating atmosphere of the tomb. I'll need to send someone down here to examine these." She looked up the ramp - there were a great many more broken droids - all bearing the scars of blaster fire, along with the distinctive marks of a lightsaber, gashes in their body melted upon the edges. "My best guess? A Sith. Possibly a Jedi. The markings from the lightsabers are... quite obvious."

"Let's keep going. What we seek can only be further within the tomb."

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

The question didn’t come as much of a surprise. “Not very.” She admitted with a light shrug. “I’ve been more focused on surgery and research.” While she didn’t feel like Kaine was breathing down her neck, she figured he was alright with what she was doing. Farah had displayed a rapt interest in biology since her creation, and her creator himself had said that she was free to walk whatever path she chose. With restrictions, of course.

Her eyes swept back down to the droids, husks and pieces of their former selves. Their bodies were mangled with burns and scorch marks left by blaster fire and lightsaber blades. Though she did not wield one herself, Farah was fond of using plasma based scalpels while operating. When something cauterized as it cut, bleeding was drastically reduced and it made separating tissues easier. “What do you think they came here for?” Whatever had happened, it looked violent. Farah hoped that this journey wouldn’t be in vain, but she had to trust in the Sith Lord’s judgement.

Still, she moved along as Vanessa did.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa nodded in response to the acolyte’s answer as they continued to ascend the slope, passing all of the carcasses of the droids. “I only inquire because as someone who appreciates medical and surgical knowledge as well, I would be more than happy to teach you what I know. An understanding of alchemy, of magic and sorcery, is a good way to decipher medical miracles not otherwise understandable.” She replied. “For example, have you ever heard of Darth Sion?”

They came to the doors leading to the main tomb chamber. “Truthfully, I would say this was some kind of trial. The Kellenech sentinel droid was commonly used during the Mandalorian Wars and the Old Sith Wars, which means the tomb has already likely been explored and looted of most of its contents already.” She continued. “That said... I have doubts that the tomb’s greatest prize - the body of Ragnos himself - has been taken. Most would deep it a worthless lump of dried flesh and bone.”

The two would enter the main chamber as Vanessa did what she long needed to. The main chamber doors opened to reveal several odd things. First, the immense chamber had a statue of Marka Ragnos at the back. Several meters from it was a corpse, mummified in place by the tomb’s atmosphere as it reached towards what appeared to be shards and fragmented piece of a sword and some kind of scepter. Two droids, four legged with talon-like piercing prongs, stood disabled, rusted so badly that they were practically the color of the floor. Behind the statue of Ragnos stood a door, two more of which were to Vanessa and Farah’s left and right. Slowly the Sith Lord approached the sarcophagus, beckoning for Farah to follow.

Before Vanessa had reached the sarcophagus in the middle of the room, the three doors opened to reveal a trio of only slightly rusted yet fully functional Sentinel droids that raised their blaster rifles at the duo. “Intruders detected. Excessive audio input must be kept from the master. Initiate attack sequence.”

Blaster fire from the droids would Force Vanessa back. “Apparently the tomb’s defenses haven’t been totally neutered...” She said, motioning for Farah to stay behind her as she raised a hand, using the skill of Tutaminis to deflect the blaster bolts hurtling towards her and her clone charge. “I assume you have a weapon as well?”

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

Farah was quiet but not unobservant, listening patiently and digesting the Sith Lord’s words before responding. “I have not.” The name Darth Sion did not ring a bell, nor would many Darth names. While some Acolytes studied combat and Sith history, Farah chose to spend her time practicing medicine. It was an oddity that she actually had the choice, but circumstances were never the same for each Sith.

“You’re right.” She agreed after some thought. “Alchemy is something of a natural extension from medicine.” Natural in the most poetic sense, given that there was nothing natural about tinkering with nature. Farah could understand the ethics behind it but personally saw no ills in it.

The pair made their way into the main chamber of the tomb, unfortunately triggering some sort of defense as they approached the coffin where their target would be housed. Farah cringed, fight or flight instinct kicking in to…flight. Well, hide really.

She crouched behind Vanessa a bit, instinctively trying to make herself as small as possible and had no qualms about staying behind the other woman. In the few times Farah had seen combat, she always found herself at least a little impressed with how stalwart and confident the Sith were. The Zeltron was still a little meek in that regard.

“Just a gun.” She mumbled, watching the bolts of plasma dissipate against the woman’s skin as if they were nothing. Patting herself, she tried to remember where she put the damn thing before drawing a standard hand blaster from the small of her back. “Did you expect this?” She grunted, firing off a shot at the nearest attack droid.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"Darth Sion was a man who should not have existed. A surviving Republic medical record details that his body was irreparably broken, his skin necrotic, cracked and corroded. Yet his hatred somehow kept him, above all odds, alive - alive and filled with such vengeance that he butchered almost all of the Jedi during the time of the Old Sith Wars." She said. "Such unnatural feats can only be accomplished through the power of the Dark Side, and in many cases, such can only come from nature, not from training."

"A natural extension indeed." She said. "The ancient Sith used it to meld together and reshape the flesh of creatures that were not supposed to be united. Sith Purebloods themselves exist due to the alchemical processes that allowed the ancient Dark Jedi to have offspring with their favored Sith slaves."

Vanessa watched when the droids activated as Farah raised her blaster and shot at one of the decrepit droids, damaging one of its legs, but it still stood up and fired at them. Vanessa continued to absorb the blaster bolts in her hand before sending out a wave of disabling lightning that fried the droid Farah had damaged and the one behind the sarcophagus. Only one was left - one whose blaster bolts she dodged as she disarmed the droid - these Kellenech creations were only for ranged combat - and reached for the circuits at the back of its neck, pulling them loose and causing the metallic construct to drop to the ground.

"And now a test." She said, walking paste the corpse and the ruins of a sword and scepter. She motioned for Farah to join her - and when she did, she would point to the sarcophagus. "Open it, please."

If Farah could show that she could use the Force in this way - perhaps she had more than just brains and beauty about her. Perhaps she had potential.

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

Farah listened to the tale of Darth Sion. It didn’t ring as true to her—not that she figured Vanessa to be a liar—but she’d studied comparatively less Sith history than her contemporaries. She knew the basics of the Force and how it could be applied, but certain extensions she had yet to wrap her mind around. All of this business over anger and hatred serving as a source of power seemed agonizing. Then again, Kaine had told her that they were not the only feelings that could be harnessed for power.

That was a while ago, when she was still new and her head was swimming while trying to comprehend this world.

“How unnatural.” She commented, though her tone was not negative. It was thoughtful. Like many Sith and nearly all alchemists, Farah did not shy away from the idea of twisting life and playing God. While she recognized adversity to it—and had seen it in many of her colleagues at CoreGen—she had not been taught to scorn the unnatural or her own talents.

On the subject of talents, as soon as the last droid had dropped, Vanessa beckoned her forward and instructed her to open the sarcophagus. Farah approached and stared at the ornate coffin for a few moments, eyes tracing the patterns and designs etched into it. Likely Sith runes and other symbols of importance. Placing two hands on the lip of the box, she attempted to lift the lid. After a few moments of struggling and no budging, she stopped. Talent denied.

“Is there a key or something?”

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." She said. "The Jedi would say that mere mortals should not have the power of a god - the power to twist and reshape life. Suffice to say that I disagree with their assessment." She looked at the sarcophagus. "There's no key. Just focus with the Force on the lid. Feel the mechanisms within it and force them to activate, exposing the casket within." She would do it if she had to, but she wanted to see Farah use the Force to succeed.

After all, students never learned anything if they did not experience it for themselves.

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

Somewhere in the recess of her mind, a passing quote about Gods and nonbelievers lurked. It was enough for her to give a thoughtful hum as she rested her hand on the sarcophagus. “It is our duty as scientists to push the limits of what we can already do.” Her gaze flickered over to Vanessa. “Do you agree?”

Her head would slowly turn back to the coffin after a moment or so, hand never once moving as she shifted into a deeper level of concentration. To someone more adept with the Force, it would be second nature. Farah still had her proverbial training wheels on.

Extending the Force from her fingertips, she spread her senses over and into the coffin. The Zeltron sought anything she could find, feeling the layout of the tomb and the corpse that had been laid to rest within it. Minutes passed as her brow creased with further concentration until a soft click was heard.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

“Of course.” She replied. “Our role as Force-wielders is to destroy such things, after all - to break boundaries and reach the infinite limits of our potential. But first, one must become strong. The code says “Theough strength, I gain power” - you are not yet as strong in the Dark Side as you can be, but you will become stronger as time goes by. In fact, you may even become the next Velok.” Vanessa didn’t expect Farah to know who that was, but it was high praise for her future self to be directly compared to the infamous Whipid Sith.

The click was all that was needed. The outer layer of the sarcophagus doors opened on their own, folding outwards as the inner sarcophagus door slid down, exposing the prize - Marka Ragnos. Or what was left of him - his body was still visibly that of a Sith Lord, armored in a horribly damaged warsuit, his blackened skin and fierce features long mortified and turned into a horrificly shriveled appearance. He was truly an example of a mummy now, and would serve as a fantastic specimen.

“Gaze upon a sight unseen by any since Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh laid this corpse to rest...”

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

“The next who?” Farah had been born a little too late for that reference. Her hand slid from the coffin’s lid as the click sounded, eyes opening and peering down into the tomb that held their prize.

She’d seen her fair share of corpses, usually fresh. Hell, she’d taken a course that involved looking at decaying bodies under various conditions to assess the decomposition process. But this was beyond what she’d seen clinically. A desiccated corpse, skin the color of soot.

The Zeltron lingered for a few moments, staring. No overwhelming feeling of discovery, mainly because she didn’t quite appreciate the Sith ways or the Masters of old. In any case, this likely meant more to Vanessa given her knowledge of Sith alchemy.

“He certainly does look dead.” She offered.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]

 

[Onrai]

"An old Sith medical professor I studied under. His knowledge of the medical arts combined with those of alchemy were legendary - at least until he was destroyed. By what, I was never told, but he is no longer among us." She said, looking at the corpse which she quickly focused the Force on, slowly lifting it out of the coffin. It was now more clear what the Sith had been laid to rest in - a fantastically ornate suit of armor, alchemized of course, which would need to be removed before they could do things with the corpse. Alternatively, they could expose its flesh to the piranha beetles now rather than later.

"He is not returning to the world of the living. Ragnos' spirit was driven from this place a long time ago, leaving his corpse. When Sith die, the powerful ones, at least, their spirits continue to longer on. They can harm people, manipulate them, drive them insane - even possess them." She said.

"It's terrifying."

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

Farah cocked her head to the side a Vanessa spoke of a Sith medical professor. Strangely, that was where she figured she herself was headed—a Sith surgeon or perhaps a bioengineer who employed the Force to extend her medical ability beyond those of her peers. There were little cautions already from some of her attendings on Bastion, though. Lack of empathy, an affinity for the Force and the drive to play God where you very well could was a potential recipe for disaster.

They’d gotten at least one thing wrong in their whisperings of her, though. Farah was empathetic, whether it be her own nature or that of a Zeltron. Having spawned into adulthood, she didn’t quite understand the depth of personal relationships. As such, she hadn’t made very many friends or knew what it really was to care for someone.

She took a step back and watch as Vanessa levitated the corpse with ease as though it were little more than a feather.

“Spirits are real, then?” She lived in a world of empirical proof, but even so her stomach shifted at the thought of a Sith specter. “How was he expelled from this place?”

@Farah

 

[Onrai]

Vanessa continued to focus as she levitated the remains of Marka Ragnos. She smiled at Farah - the woman was someone she genuinely was growing to admire. Her physical response to such things as the attack of the droids was so... so natural. Vanessa had noticed that most ill-trained in the Force chose to run in boldly, to prove themselves to their masters. A sign of excessive arrogance... a flaw that Farah, if she possessed it, hid well.

"Oh... I assure you, spirits are very real." She said. "A skill I learned, and was forced to grow skilled in to my chagrin, was Essence Transfer. The very act of performing such an ancient Sith power involves the transfer of your spirit - who and what you truly are - to a new vessel, a new body. I have performed this, for myself and for others - including your father. I can assure you that all Sith exist as a spirit within a body - though whether they realize this or not during their lives determines the fate of their soul after death."

To the latter, she motioned to the other corpse on the ground with her spare hand, the one with some feathers in a band around its hair and markings on its mortified flesh. "The story of Marka Ragnos' defeat at the hands of a Jedi named Jaden Korr are ancient. Ragnos had no body, so he took that one." She pointed. "Tavion Axmis was her name. The foolish child believed her body would be able to contain the power of a Sith spirit. When Ragnos left her, she died, and he was expelled to Chaos, the place in the Netherworld of the Force where all Darksiders go when they die and are not bound to a location or will themselves to stay among the living." She recalled the Netherworld invasion, and the portals leading to that terrible place.

"Remind me to take you on a trip there sometime. Before you were born, rifts between the Netherworld and the physical world were created. One is still active on the ruins of Corellia. If you still have doubts after what I have told you, or if you merely want to experience it for yourself... I would be glad to take you."

She motioned to the exit. "Let's not keep the shuttle waiting. Oh, and do take her too. Along with... whatever those fragments are."

[member="Farah"]

 

[Farah]

Farah’s knowledge of medicine fueled her ambition as a doctor and scientist. When it came to the more ethereal arts associated with Sith teachings, that’s where the Zeltron lost her steam. While she certainly appreciated what some of them could do, she treated sorcery with a healthy mix of skepticism and reverence.

She almost bristled at the mention of Kaine being her father. If she thought about it, she supposed that he was—he’d directed her creation after all. And he’d done well by her, giving her the means to do as she pleased so long as she remained loyal to house Zambrano. Hell, she was even inducted into his ever growing family. He’d treated her alright.

Still, it just didn’t fit right with her.

Her eyes fell to the mummified corpse identified as female. This all sounded like some story, a cautionary tale against using the dark arts. Didn’t mean that it had to be a lie, though.

“No thank you.” Farah responded without missing a beat. “I prefer to stay among the world of the living.” There was still so much of the galaxy she had yet to explore. Maybe as she advanced in her sorcery training it would sound more appealing.

“Right.” Dutifully, she turned to the corpse and paused. It wasn’t the sight of a dead body that made her pause—she’d seen plenty of those and novice surgeons had to train on something—it was the fact that her telekinetic ability was not up to the task.

Instead she hooked her arms under those of the corpse and hauled Tavion’s body up, turning so that she could give the mummy the galaxy’s weirdest piggy back ride.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]