Ancient Truths

[Vrak Nashar]

Dromund Fel
[member="Athena Heron"]

Dromund Fel was the forgotten sister of Dromund Kaas. A planet that by all rights had just as many tombs and ancient relics as Kaas. Most people had forgotten it, most people had simply assumed it held nothing worthwhile.

Vrak knew different.

The records back on Athiss had not been total or complete, but they had told the story well enough. Tulak Horde had once walked this world, wandered it and even lost his lightsaber here. The weapon had been reclaimed by Darth Marr millenia earlier, but it was only one thing. There was no telling what else could be found here, no telling what one might stumble across when they properly searched. Of course Vrak this was just a side project, though he had brought some of his Massassi to search the tombs.

He sat quietly in the center of a Courtyard, three ruined structures sitting around him.

The Massassi he had brought had set up a small camp, though most of them were no searching the tombs with diligence.

It was no secret that he was here on Dromund Fel, at least not to those of his homeworld. They knew that he was searching for something, some artifact that would provide him with more power. They feared him now, ever since his execution of the Old Man. They knew that he was just steps away from sitting upon the Council. They were terrified that he would seek retribution on those that stood in his way, and thus they allowed him to do as no other.

It was a pleasant truth really, and a mark of just how far he'd come since his fathers death all those years ago.

Vrak smiled slightly, fingers spreading over his knees as he continued his meditation.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

"Are you sure that's where we'll find him?" Pink lips pressed into her comm as her fingers gently went through some of the sith scrolls they recently acquired.

"Yes Mistress. There are several sources that say this Vrak Nashar went to Dromund Fel. There also also recent reports of a very prominent sith master's death on Athiss that he could be...," Athena quickly interrupted.

"That's okay. I don't need to hear it all. Thank you Mina."

Purebloods and their drama.

"Yes mistress. Coordinates are set in the navcomputer and we should be arriving shortly."

"Very well." The half-Omwatti went back to her scrolls. She had a lot to think about. Perhaps a private message ahead to Vrak would be in order. She wouldn't want to surprise him. Like most sith, his emotions were wild.

Perfectly manicured fingers, minus the ink stains forever there from studying and research, pecked away at her comm once again.

Mister Nashar,
I hope you don't mind me contacting you with such short notice but I was hoping to drop by and talk with you more about your offer from our previous meeting. Please let me know when is convenient.

Yours,
Athena

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Athena Heron"]

Vrak had sent a simple return message, two terse words followed by a singular set of coordinates that would allow Athena to find him. The excavation of the tombs was a bit much for him to leave, and thus she would just have to come to him. He doubted that she minded all that much, especially given the fact that she had traveled all the way to Korriban for...well whatever she had taken from there. He wasn't entirely sure what she wanted of him, but he figured it would at least be interesting.

Or so he hoped anyway.

Athiss had becoming boring as of late. More than half of what he now dealt with were the usual assassinations. Everything was going...well, and that bored him a little too much. He hoped that what he sought here on Dromund Fel would allow at least a bit of entertainment, and if not, perhaps the girl would. "We will have guests soon."

He addressed one of the Massassi.

"Make sure to set up an extra tent." He gestured towards the small camp. "Hunt extra."

The great hulking creature smiled at that, Massassi loved their hunts.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

A wicked smile curved briefly on her lips at Vrak's response. She comm'd her servant and co-pilot. "We have the coordinates. Transmitting to you now."

After a few hours, they landed gently on the outskirts of the excavation site. The shuttle' door hissed open, an elegant ramp sliding down lightly on the arid earth. A navy dress hugged her tall, elongated form, the hem stopping above her knees. Lightsaber hilt remained clipped at a belt around her side.

It was intricately carved and seemed more like a fashion piece than a weapon. Long, midnight strands of hair remained free-flowing. Hawk-like eyes swept her surroundings, finally falling on the red sith pure blood.

"Well, well, well," she cooed on her approach. "Look who is searching for Sith relics, now. Pot calling the kettle black?"

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Athena Heron"]

He opened a single eye as the woman approached, still perched upon the same platform he had been for what seemed like days now. "This world, like Korriban, belongs to me."

That was a simple truth. Dromund Fel, like Korriban, like Kaas, like Athiss had all been built by his people. Purebloods who had wrought an entire Empire, who had spent centuries upon centuries fighting the Jedi and Their Republic before their culture had been washed away by thousands of years of interbreeding with humans and others. It was a simple truth that no one could take away from Vrak, a simple truth that no one would ever deny him.

"I simply seek to retake what is mine." His other eye opened. "Nothing more."

Besides, it wasn't like he was just randomly looting.

There was something specific that he sought here, something rare enough to make him bring a hundred Massassi.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

The big hiking creatures did not escape her notice. Vrak was obviously someone of a certain influence to have this many resources. Perhaps the rumors she'd heard were true.

Made things interesting. And a new challenge.

Long, graceful and light strides took her slowly around his platform. Circling him. She ignored the hulking creatures for now. But not enough to let her guard down.

"A possessive man. Interesting." Tongue lightly clucked against her teeth. "I'm surprised you responded to my request when it seems your schedule is so...full."

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Athena Heron"]

He let out a scoff.

"Do you think I do the digging myself?" That was a foolish notion. Vrak hardly ever got his hands dirty unless he absolutely had to. Now that he had killed the Old Man he practically controlled an entire army. There was almost never an opportunity for him to actually...well anything. "The Massassi do the job for me."

His eyes drifted to her as she circled in front of him. "Besides, better here than Athiss."

Vrak no longer hid where he came from.

There was no point. Things were developing quickly now. They had the ships that they needed, the stealth shuttles and soon the fighters that would allow them to move throughout the galaxy. There was no doubt in hid mind that very quickly Athiss would be...something more than it currently was. The rest of the Galaxy would not fear them yet, but soon.

"What is it you wish of me?" He asked. "Or have you come for a simple taste of true power?"

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

She laughed. Feathers fluttering in her hair. "Please. I'm very intimate with what true power tastes like." There was that wicked glint in her eyes. She paused in her leisurely stroll to face him.

Eyes roved him up and down. There was hesitation. "Whether you have true power is yet to be determined Vrak Nashar."

Blue, powdered-fingers fell to the curves of her hip. Index finger tapped along her side. "You said you had knowledge, once. I'd like to know what exactly you can offer me."

Nothing in the verse was free. Unless you stole it. Unfortunately, she couldn't just dive into his mind and take what she wanted, though the thought did make her limbs tingle in anticipation. She was curios as to his...price.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Athena Heron"]

"That depends entirely on what it is you want." Vrak said simply. He wasn't just about to go off listing books, scrolls, and everything else that he had access to.

Athiss had a great hoard of knowledge that most would find completely astonishing. Ancient secrets and things that had been hidden in the past from nearly everyone in the galaxy. It was all valuable, all sought by someone, and none of it was simply given away. Vrak hadn't read it all of course, nor did he comprehend even half of it. The Force was his ally, but it had never been his passion. His strengths lay elsewhere, a fact well known on Athiss.

Still, he kept secrets.

Unlike others of his kind he knew well what sharing those secrets could mean. "I find curiosity is often the best measure of a person."

He leaned forward slightly and grinned at her.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

She had to keep herself from blurting 'everything.' She was a seeker of knowledge junkie. She probably spent as much time in the Sith libraries and archives as [member="Hal Terrano"], though, they'd never met. Her shuttle and rooms were stocked to the brim with ancient scrolls. Of course she had back-up copies of everything. But there was something beautiful about the originals and those custom bookshelves.

"Do you?" Hip cocked as she studied the depths of his yellow eyes. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mister Nashar."

Coy, of course.

"Why don't we start with what you're searching for here?" She studied her nails as if bored. Definitely coy.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Athena Heron"]

Dromund Fel was home to many secrets, many tombs. Most of them had been left unexplored for centuries, ignore or forgotten. Vrak knew that because of the scrolls from the last Empire, though he suspected that a few other Sith might have similar notions. Eventually even this place would be ruined by those seeking power and fortune, those who wanted nothing more than to ruin what Vrak and his people had spent so many millenia building.

"A holocron." He said with a simple smile, leaving her to guess just whose Holocron he was searching for.

There were enough clues for her to figure that out all on her own, if she knew about this world anyway.

"Perhaps if you can guess whose it is." He went on with a smile. "I'll even share it."

Doubtful.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

And of course the girl did her research. Lips puffed into a semi-pout with mischievousness written all over her face. "Sharing? So un-Sith like," she chided. They both knew he wasn't going to. And he had to know she'd take what she wanted, anyway.

"Well," finger tapped against her lower lip. "We all know about Darth Marr. But I imagine you're after a bigger...nut." Feathers ruffled slightly within her hair.

"I'm guessing this is Tulak Hord's?"

The girl obviously read. And read a lot.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Athena Heron"]

He smiled. It was a slight smile, barely noticeable really. "Good."

She wasn't completely ignorant then.

Tulak Hord had been one of the most powerful Sith Lord's in the entire galaxy during his time. He had been a mix of Sith and Human, not pureblood, but not quite far away from what Vrak was either. He had been powerful, the greatest lightsaber duelist of all time supposedly. It was why Vrak was after it. He had never been a powerful force user, at least not as powerful as others, and Tulak Hord's skill and tutelage could take him far. So he hoped anyway.

"Perhaps you aren't as foolish as I thought." Most Sith sadly were.

They either cared only for their trinkets or their own power. It was a sad thing really, considering the history behind the Trinkets was usually worth so much more.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

"Is that so?" Dark-brows lofted in mild amusement. "Perhaps I should've let you think me so." It was an interesting point and one she had, initially considered.

"Well, if that's all," she looked around in mock boredom. "I'll retire to my ship until your minions bring back this holocron. Unless. You had something else in mind beyond sitting on your rear?"

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Athena Heron"]

"The Tomb will not open for the Massassi." Vrak said simply.

The Ancient Sith had always been a finicky folk. None of them could stand to lower themselves to others, and a certain few had the strength to ensure that policy remained even after death. That was the case here. Vrak smiled slightly and gestured to some of his monsters.

"They have unearthed the tomb. A Sith Lord by the name of Baelin Artulis." Notably not Tulak Hord. "It was he that claimed Tulak Hord's holocron centuries ago, and supposedly took it with him to his grave. He detested those that were below him."

He smirked at that. "There are safeguards to ensure that lower beings cannot enter the tomb."

It was clear that Vrak did not consider himself one of those beings.

"You may join me in the holocron retrieval if you wish it." Vrak said as she slowly stood from his place.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

Dark, eyes followed his movements, curiously. "Clever little Sith," she mused. Whether she was referring to the Sith's tomb or Vrak wasn't entirely clear. While she wore a dress, she did have walking boots on. The boots hugged up her slender legs to just below her knees.

Perfect for exploring.

A hand flicked dark-tendrils of hair across her shoulder. "You said you had things you can teach me, so teach away."

It was as close to an 'I'll follow you' as he was going to get.'

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Athena Heron"]

"This way." He slowly motioned for her to follow.

The tomb was tucked away at the very back of the ruin, nearly forgotten and actually built over. It showed that Lord Artulis had neither been respected, nor feared. The practice was not uncommon when it came to Sith, the lesser always falling to those who were stronger. Vrak wondered if the same would happen to him eventually, though he placed the thought out of mind and instead wandered through the rest of the ruins until they reached a darkened tunnel.

"Though here." He motioned her forward before taking one of the torches that had been lit by the Massassi. "The door sits just ahead."

He smiled, a knowing smile that told of a secret.

"Ladies first." Vrak said with another wave of his hand.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

Fingers flicked a bug off her blue shoulder, a look between disgust and intrigue flickering across her face. The area they entered was instantly a bit cooler, being in the rocks and out of the sun. Hawk-like eyes turned to Vrak and she abruptly stopped, just outside of the doorway.

She shot him a dull look as if to say 'I wasn't born yesterday' as her fingers rose and perched on the curves of her hips.

"I insist, you first Mister Nashar," she gave him a sugary-sweet smile. Too sweet, as her fingers motioned to the door of the tomb.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Athena Heron"]

He shrugged. "If you insist."

Again Vrak gave her that knowing smirk, though said nothing else. There was no hesitation was he crossed the threshold into the darkness of the cavern, though almost immediately Athena would sense a slight...bite tot he air, the very oxygen being enough to sting the nostril.

The darkside was powerful here.

"Tell me." He began as they moved forward. "What are you?"

She most certainly wasn't human.

 

[Athena Heron]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

She felt that tingle of darkside burst all the way to her toes. Hadn't taken much for her to be seduced by it when she was younger. The power was intoxicating. Not as intoxicating as knowledge but nevertheless.

Eyes transitioned to the low-light, his question making her ears perk up a bit. Voice seemed louder in the smaller, more intimate space. The corridors were narrowing - just slightly - as they went. It was a good thing there were few things that scared her.

She thought about being vague. But it would serve no purpose.

"Mostly Omwatti with some human," nose crinkled. She wondered if the pureblood had heard of her species before. They were fairly rare. Rarer still with the slavers. Just thinking about them made flecks of gold show up in her dark-orbs with a sudden radiance of anger.