Beautiful Restraint

[Setzi Lunelle]

One month had passed since Setzi took up residence with Krux Mullarus on Ragoon VI after helping the Sith Knight defeat his grandfather. The goal of executing Lord Jekyll had brought them together, but an unexpected affair between the two had kept the brunette Sith Lord from leaving his side. She and Krux had a bond - that was undeniable. But the further her pregnancy progressed, the more anxious she had become over this sudden change in her circumstances.

The child inside her was not Krux's. It was her former lover [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]'s. One night after waking up in a cold sweat, Setzi became paralazyed with fear. Not just fear of reprisal for leaving her Togruta Master without a word of goodbye, but true agonizing indecision that what she was currently doing was wrong. Not necessarily the allegiance she felt with Krux, but keeping her child away from its real father and the Sith Lord's soulmate. Setzi was conflicted. It was easy early on in the pregnancy to pretend that it would be her and Krux against the galaxy. But in reality, it wasn't. She still had strong feelings for Tanek, her very first love and companion. And as she had suspected early on, it would be painstakingly difficult to leave him for good.

She rose from the bed they'd shared and went to the window to gaze out at the low moon as it hung over the planet. Frost somewhat obscured the view of the forest surrounding the mansion and the fertile land - land that she dreamed she would use for an orchard someday. She gazed fondly at Krux sleeping, but sadness blackened her heart.

Setzi knew she had to leave, and she planned to do so that night.

[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

Unknown to Mullarus was the flurry of sadness and regret within Setzi Lunelle's heart. To him, life had simply taken a turn for the better. The ball and chain that once burdened Krux that called itself his grandfather was taken away, his ascendancy in the Order of the Sith was inevitable. The path to Sith Lord was paved, and to his side stood what Krux saw as a beacon of light and joy in his life. Setzi Lunelle had brought more peace to Mullarus' mind than any enemy defeated out of vengeance. He had built himself around her, and devoted himself to her. He was willing to take on the entire galaxy to keep her and her child, knowing it was not even his, safe from harm.

The events that would be caused by her sudden betrayal would cause a quake in the Force strong enough to shake the entire galaxy. In time.

[member="Darth Azurea"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Setzi quietly crept over to the wardrobe they'd shared. It wasn't as if she had very many clothes and belongings at the mansion, but she would need to retrieve a suitcase of some sort. The Sith Lord located her luggage from when she had first arrived and began to gather up her robes and dresses. She didn't want to wake Krux, but there was only so much she could do without making a little noise. It wasn't as if she was going to slip out without speaking to him, but she felt guilty over rousing him just to confusedly watch her pack.

Halfway through the chore, she slipped outside of their room and found a wandering Amaran, of which there seemed to be many still moving about, keeping the estate running for the two of them.

"You there," she said in a hushed tone. "Please make sure that my ship is prepared for a departure. In fact, go tell my labor droids to do that. I need to leave tonight."

Setzi had brought the Pirate's Foe and it was now docked in the estate's private hangar. The Sith Lord padded back inside the room and finished gathering her things.

[member="Knight Mullarus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

With Setzi having spent such a prolonged time at Mullarus Manor, the Amarans had begun to fear the Lady less and less. However, this particular Amaran looked a bit confused, but he knew better than to ask why. He had a feeling he knew exactly what was going on.

After all, Sith always end up betraying one another.

The Amaran would scurry off, even planning to stow away on the Pirate's Foe after informing Lady Azurea's droids of the sudden departure. He felt he did trust the man who freed him and the survivors of the enslaving of his home town on Amar and showed them mercy unlike any other Sith, but over the course of the month spent observing his master and the lady, he knew how the Knight felt about her and what he would do if she were to stab him in the heart like this. He didn't want to be around for that. In fact, he didn't want any of his friends to be.

He made a mental note to tell the others before reaching the Pirate's Foe. He would try to convince them all to go with him. They feared the hatred that would inevitably be wreaked upon the Sith Lady by her old lover of whom she expressed her disloyalty toward than the built-up hatred that would explode out of their merciful Master Knight upon this sudden deception.

---

Meanwhile, as Setzi rose from the bed in the first place, Krux would already begin to stir. He wondered where she might have gone, but trusted she would return as she always did in the middle of the night when she may wander off for a drink or to use the restroom. Setzi would have a choice. As she stood over the man completely at her mercy and wrapped around her finger like a diamond ring, she would have the option to wake him and tell him what she was about to do to him and risk retaliation, or she could simply leave him with a message and escape the wrath thay would escape his gentle, benevolent heart, so vulnerable and ready to be totally consumed by the Dark Side of the Force.

[member="Darth Azurea"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Suitcase in hand, Darth Azurea peered down at Krux sleeping and kissed him lightly on the forehead, though not enough to wake him. She crept out of the room, noticing the Amarans she encountered appeared nervous and distraught, more so than usual around her. And even odder still, a couple of them seemed to be following her to The Pirate's Foe. Once she was out of earshot of the bedroom, Azurea made her wishes clear: "Shoo! Go away," she said, trying to scatter them. "I am not taking any of you with me. You hear me?"

Before she exited the mansion, she caught side of herself in a tall mirror. Her pregnancy was showing more now, the curve of her stomach more visible under the belt of austere, high-necked dress:

Spoiler

At least I will look dignified, she thought, coming home to Darth Pyrrhus. She was not sure what his reaction would be to her sudden return. And more inexplicably, she was not afraid to face him once more. She was nearly giddy at the thought of being able to hold his strong, familiar form and feel the warmth of his body. Laughing inside, she thought of how she missed the water of Glee, the familiar pace of training at the Academy and days off spent lazing around on nearby beaches and caves with crystal blue lagoons.

Whatever reprisal she faced would be deserved. The Lady of Pain would face hers dead on, unflinchingly and without remorse. But before she left for good, Darth Azurea plucked a rose from the gardens outside of the mansion, pricking her thumb in the process. She went back into Krux's bedroom and silently lay the rose on his chest, a couple drops of blood staining the coverlet from her puncture wound.

And not too long after, she'd made the hyperspace jump and journey in The Pirate's Foe back to Glee Anselm. The brunette Sith Lord knew that Darth Pyrrhus would be at the Academy that day, so she wasted no time allowing Nautolan guards to escort her there after she landed. "Lady Azurea," they said in greeting, slightly surprised to see her again since she had been gone for longer than usual. After making her way through the foreboding, dark entrance of the temple, she waited in one of the training rooms - their favorite to spar in - and said, "Please summon Darth Pyrrhus and let him know that I've come home."

Her back was needle straight, her head held high. She clasped her hands together in front of her, her piercing yellow eyes just watching the door for the Togruta. Setzi Lunelle was there no longer - Darth Azurea had replaced her in body and soul. She was the picture of a perfect Sith, exalted like the goddess she was on Kursid and radiating dark energy.

[member="Knight Mullarus"] [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

[youtube]https://youtu.be/UBPA5m4pVEE[/youtube]​

The sound of a starship starting up outside was enough to wake Mullarus. As his eyes quickly shot open, he gazed down at the rose sitting on his chest. Looking to his side, he noticed Setzi was gone.

"...no!"

He shot up out of bed and sprinted through the halls, making his way outside to see the Pirate's Foe soaring up through the Ragoon VI sky. He didn't have to hear her say it to know she was on it. His body almost seemed to give up on him as he fell to his knees.

"No...NO!"

Endless anger and sorrow built up inside him. Riding to his feet again, he paced around the courtyard of his estate in confusion, unsure of what to do with all of the passion. Dropping to his knees again by a concrete water fountain, Krux closed his eyes and winced as if he had just been stabbed through the heart.

"No...this isn't...happening!"

He stood back up one last time and unleashed his anger. Raising his head and clenching every muscle in his body, Mullarus screamed loud enough for every living being on Ragoon VI to feel. [member="Darth Azurea"] and her special bond with Mullarus would especially feel it.

The anger-fueled Force Scream was powerful enough to shake the manor and destroy most of the scenic decor in the courtyard. After he had finished, Mullarus fell once again to his knees and hands, lowering himself almost to the foor, surrounded by destruction.

After many of the manor's windows had been blown out mysteriously, the dozen Amarans who failed to sneak aboard the Pirate's Foe watched from inside. Only one was confident enough in their master to confront him. The steel-blue coated one with the single white stripe on his shoulder slowly approached Mullarus from behind, stepping over broken concrete and marble.

"Master...do you...need anything?"

Mullarus could feel nothing but cold, blind hatred now. The galaxy suddenly looked different. Worse. He stood up and faced Stripe. Mullarus' face was flushed and pale, as if he was going to be sick. Already, the Dark Side corruption he had somehow missed had plastered itself on his young face, making him appear ten years older already. Streaks of grey stained his long, black hair, which only made his eyes, bloodshot and glowing faintly the color red, pop more.

Without a word, Mullarus extended his hand to the Amaran he trusted with his own manor and began to crush the little alien's throat. He didn't say a word as the amaran begged for mercy.

He closed his fist, the sound of the amaran's neck snapping seeming to echo as loudly as the Force Scream. Watching from the window, the other servants began to gasp and talk among themselves, starting to scurry away out the back door and escape Mullarus' wrath.

As for Mullarus, he wouldnt notice them all leaving. He would head inside and get fully dressed into his armor and hide his face in his new mask. Once dressed and his Dark Side corruption hidden for now, only one idea stood in Mullarus' mind, and he would need his army for it.

"Send a message to [member="Tormax Ategann"], [member="Abelain Narv'uk"], and [member="Fortuna"] ." he said, his voice already sounding far more primal and demonic, "The Paladin is en route to me. Gather the battlegroup in the port side hangar for briefing. Today, Glee Anselm and everything [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] has ever built there will face destruction and all who follow him will die.

 

[Tormax Ategann]

(Really screwed up posting, thought I was replying to message, ignore please x_x)

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Knight Mullarus"] | [member="Tormax Ategann"] | [member="Fortuna"] | [member="Darth Azurea"] | [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

The blue being sat alone in his room, his hand gently tracing an imaginary line in the wall. He imagined that between the wall and his finger was energy, that it was being compressed there and that it when he pulled away, it would release. The coldness seeping into his finger from the contact was counteracted by his other hand, centrally located on the flame of a candle. The wax was beginning to stick to the palm and; with a mental sigh, Abelain realized that he would need to scrape away the excess after the exercise was completed. Returning his thoughts to the wall, he continued the tracing. The act of touching the wall was simply a gentle transfer of kinetic energy, that energy would promptly flow through the wall until it reached other pieces of the vessel and dissipate gradually based on it's total distance.

The energy that Abelain imagined between his finger and the wall was none other than the Force. To the Arue'tii, it seemed as though this Force took on the color of orange, at least in this instance. Once more, the explorer attempted to forge the orange from the pieces around it, mentally grasping onto what he perceived to be blocks of orange, and then compacting them into a wall. For a brief moment, it felt as though there was something physically there, intercepting the contact. If it were true, it would finally be his first successful attempt at utilizing the lesson that he had been practicing since he had learned of it.

Suddenly, everything grew darker, and though the Arue'tii held his eyes shut, the difference in light was notable. The imaginary line he had been tracing burst open, creating a palpable breach. With the realization that he had done something wrong, Abelain opened his eyes, taking notice of the long and black line that stretched along the wall. It felt cold to the touch, and that same coldness was seeping gradually through him. Attempts at pulling away failed, the sudden panic of finding himself stuck to this line growing evident. This was incorrect, this had not been what he had been practicing, it was something else entirely. The natural blood scenting of the Arue'tii revealed another curiosity, the breach in the wall held the same iron scent that the teacher possessed. In fact, deep within himself, Abelain felt as though this was the teacher directly in front of him, that he was somehow touching him.

Were it not for his open eyes, it might have been believable. With the inclusion of that encompassing sense however, it simply became impossible. The anomaly that was being touched was only a neat crack in the wall. Abelain was connected to the wall on a deeper level than he had considered possible, and its' emotions began to flow through him via the contact that it held with his hand. The intoxicating sensation of hatred burrowed into his core. Glossy black shadows burst from the crack, spreading into tendrils which encompassed the room. The hate became suffocating, breathing suddenly becoming excessively difficult. The urge to shriek in terror seemed so welcoming, though when he attempted, a tendril wrapped around his throat, choking the air from his entrapped body.

There was no escaping it, this strange and powerful entity which felt similar enough to Mullarus to be his doppelganger.

With the realization, the tendrils retracted back into the crack in the wall. Breathing became possible, though the Arue'tii could feel his lungs heaving from their momentary asphyxiation. The crack vanished before his eyes, and everything around became lighter once more. Something was terribly, awfully wrong with the teacher. That assumption was solidified when a moment later, the voice played through his commlink ordering that the battle group be assembled. Slowly stepping from the room, Abelain wondered at what sort of event could have torn the teacher in such a horrific fashion.

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

[member="Darth Azurea"]

"Lord Pyrrhus!" the door to his private quarters and meditation chambers opened abruptly. In the doorway stood a Nautolan guard in the familiar uniform of the Glee Academy guards. The guard found the Togruta Lord standing with his back facing the entryway. He did not turn. When no reaction came from the Sith Lord, the guard continued "I bring an urgent message! My Lord, y-" the blue creature would have continued had Pyrrhus not interrupted him. "Yes, you do" he spoke absently. The second his voice made its presence known the Nautolan instantly fell silent. The pecking order had been well established, and his authority indisputable. The guard paused, looking questioningly at the back of Pyrrhus. There was usually some purpose to his words, but now, he couldn't read it. "Uhm, my Lord. Your-" he continued, desperate to break the awkward silence. "Yes. I know." all the while Pyrrhus had been staring at the empty wall ahead. It was almost like he wasn't even present in the same room. Although his eyes reached no further, his mind carried him far beyond the reaches of this wall.

Finally, he turned. "Do you think she lands on Glee Anselm without my knowledge?" the way he said it made it sound like he was talking to himself, the guard reduced to mere background static. There was no fire, no hints of retribution - simply deep thoughts. At last he seemed to snap out of it, and his eyes met with those of the guard in front of him. "Dismissed" the order was given, sternly. It was as if Pyrrhus himself seemed to materialize with the words, the tone of his voice gaining power and his presence anchoring itself to the quarters they stood in.

He knew where to go. A moment later, he watched her. She was looking back at him. Azurea had returned. It was inevitable, he had known; though the capacity in which she returned he had not predicted. His eyes scanned her, as did his mind while his dark presence made itself known through the Force, flooding the training room much in the same way he always did when making an entrance.

"You have returned." he stated the obvious. His tone was strangely neutral. It was deprived of warmth and words such as 'welcome', though neither did it possess traces of anger or hatred. Instead he appeared both calm and calculating. Which emotion she triggered next was up to her. The empty sparring area echoed with the footsteps that carried him closer to her.

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Darth Azurea also detected his presence before she saw him. Like a looming thunderstorm, the closer he became, the more the atmosphere changed. The pressure in the room dropped, and another sensation began to fill it - the dark energy of Darth Pyrrhus rushing in like an inky, black wave, nearly suffocating her until she saw him, and her breath hitched in her throat. And to the imposing Togruta, Azurea would resemble the spirited and muddy Setzi Lunelle he captured on Selvaris, the dignified Lady of Pain that was by his side through trials and training, and an absolute stranger, changed by her sudden journey, all rolled into one.

But which one of them would answer him?

"My Lord," she said, finally in an emotionless voice, matching his neutrality. She also gave him a formal looking bow as his Acolytes would have. It was clear he was getting the Daughter of Agony - the elegant and dangerous Sith Lord in her own right and much by his own design - but with a small catch: she had never addressed him so properly and with such deference before.

"You have every reason to throw me out right now. To see me to the door. To make me swim to the surface until I'm bereft of oxygen," said the brunette Sith Lord in a soft voice. "But I hope that you will listen instead. If you are curious and have questions, I will answer them to the best of my ability. And if you don't...?" She shrugged. Perhaps Darth Pyrrhus didn't want to know where she'd been. It was his right to not know as much as it was his prerogative to hear why Azurea had also left without saying a word to him.

In her dark dress, her pregnancy more visible, Azurea was stoic and still, but the crack in the facade was there. Her passion for him still was an undeniable presence, and she ached for him to embrace her tightly the way he had on Shili. But she was not in a position to ask for any favors.

Surprisingly, Darth Azurea was not afraid of death by his hand - quite the opposite. Her entire countenance, aside from her intense feelings of devotion for him, was resigned. If he killed her, that was his choice. Pain she welcomed, but the finality of death would keep them apart even further.

And that was something that Darth Azurea feared most of all.

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The army assembled in the hangar. Thousands of imperial soldiers all stood in ranks at attention, staring up at a platform with a podium, where the Sith Knight Krux Mullarus would stand in just a few moments. [member="Tormax Ategann"] would stand among the soldiers, and [member="Abelain Narv'uk"] and [member="Fortuna"], if they decided to show like their master commanded, would stand near the front.

Finally, as the armored Sith with his face covered by a mask entered the hangar, a tremor could be felt in the force. Pure hatred seemed to radiate off of the young man's body, and bloodshot crimson eyes seeped out from the eyeholes of the mask he wore, staring out at his army of darkness. Every step he took was another quake shaking the foundation of the very Force in which he fed. His apprentices could feel it. Terrifyingly enough, it would feel exactly like the aura of the old Sith Lord Jekyll they had slain only one month prior.

"ATTENTION!" the Knight commanded, causing every soldier in the room to stand even straighter than before. Mullarus' voice was deeper, almost like an animal barking ferociously at something threatening it's life. "Tonight, I grow tired of being the one to take orders! Tonight, I take what is rightfully mine! In a few short ours, we will be jumping into hyperspace and descending upon the Sith world of Glee Anselm, home to [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]', that deceitful snake of a pathetic alien, Sith Academy! Every. Single. Living thing that has set a foot in that wretched academy is your ENEMY! I don't care if they're women, I don't care if they're children, I don't care if they're Sith! They DIE! ALL OF THEM!" Mullarus was practically screaming now. It wasn't as loud with his mask on, but he was clearly appealing to his soldiers' pathos.

"I want that Academy of Sin torn apart stone brick by stone brick! I want mountains of corpses to litter the ground, and seas of blood to flow between the cracks! I want the selfish schutta called [member="Darth Azurea"], who is responsible for the murder of Setzi Lunelle, to be placed before me so I can show her real suffering! I want the disgusting alien Darth Pyrrhus to stand before me with a lightsaber in his hand so I may destroy him! I want that selfish schutta to watch me tear his fething head off of his pathetic body!

Surprisingly, there were a few resounding cheers from the crowd of soldiers. Mullarus did not stop them. Only a wicked grin spread between his cheeks beneath his mask, revenge dripping from his teeth and the Dark Side controlling his every action.

"Suit up, soldiers. You are all required to report to the armory manifest and inject yourselves with a serum that will turn you into the galaxy's most formidable super soldiers. Without this assistance, you will stand no chance against the Snake's followers. Now go, single-file! Prepare for the battle of your life. I don't want to hear any complaints or thoughts of desertion, or I will make you an example of how I deal with traitors and backstabbers!"

 

[Darth Ferus]

Fortuna had been [member="Knight Mullarus"] as he spoke. After the call, she had simply joined him as she was suppose to. As his apprentice, that was her task after all. Silently she watched the speech, and the reactions from the crowd. She was.. Conflicted. [member="Darth Azurea"] , [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] , both suddenly enemies? Over a broken heart? Were Sith really so primal as to give in to something so.. Stupid? But it wasn't her place to question her master. Her duty was to follow her orders, no matter how stupid they were, right?

Red eyes just watched on, and as normal her spear hung close beside her. This wasn't a good day.

 

[Tormax Ategann]

Tormax stood among his comrades. He watched as [member="Knight Mullarus"] screamed their orders at them, and seemed to pick up on what was going on, and why they were going to Glee Anselm. While Tormax wasn't as close to the Sith Knight as his apprentices were, Tormax had encountered [member="Darth Azurea"] and the Colonels intimacy early on, probably the first to see it, and still remembered it despite Mullarus' attempt to mindtrick him. Tormax wasn't sure how the two Sith Lords angered the Colonel, but he could guess. As for the orders, Tormax wasn't going to defy them, and not just because of the threat, however, he was unsure if what they were doing was right. Though then again he wasn't really sure he knew what "right" was.

As for the rest of the soldiers, there was a mixed reaction. There were those cheering, but since Tormax was on the ground with his fellow troopers, he could also see some look around, or to the ground, but none spoke their complaints, nor did they leave. One by one, every soldier went towards the room where the serums were. Unbeknownst to them, some of them would never leave the room. Alive, anyway.

Inside the room were rows upon rows of tables, each with containers filled with syringes. Medical Officers patrolled the room, instructing the soldiers to take off their armor and to await further instruction. Everyone did so, and then the head medical officer said aloud, "Everyone take one of the syringes, and inject them into your left upper arm, like so," mimicking how they should inject the syringe whilst he spoke. He spoke again once mostly everyone had done so, some immediately due to the promise of strength, others hesitantly, but they all did as they were ordered withen a few seconds. "Watch out for... side effects." The Officer smiled cruelly as screams began to fill the room.

Soldiers began to drop like flies. Whether it was from the serums standard mortality rating, or the soldiers unrealized midichlorian count, they died. As for Tormax, he was definetly one of the ones that screamed. The pain was great, and his senses felt like they were being scrambled. He fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Lucky for him, he was not Force Sensitive, so he at least had a chance. To Tormax it felt like he was being reshaped, and molded, but was also being crushed by a planet. He wished for death just to stop the pain. When it did stop, he was sure that he was dead because it stopped as soon as it started. But then he realized he heard voices.

He opened his eyes, then immediately closed them, blinded by a searing, painful light that wasn't there before. Groaning, he tried again, but the pain was too much. He heard similar groans escape from his surviving comrades mouths. "Dim the lights!" Called the Officer, which Tormax heard clearly, like he was next to him, despite him being on the other side of the 40ft long room. The lights dimmed, and Tormax opened his eyes. Tormax stood, slowly, expecting pain that wasn't there, and looked down at himself. Woah...

His shirts seams were all ripped. A clear sixpack pressed against the shirt. Even though he was in shape before hand, now it was like he had spent a year or two breaking his body to be perfect. It would have been perfect, near perfect, if not for the sudden hair loss he suffered. It seemed almost everyone else had also lost their hair, save a lucky few. Bodies were being dragged from the room. Maybe to the incinerator, he thought grimly.

"Excellent, Excellent! This is fantastic! I didn't think this many would survive!" The Medical Officer shut up once he noticed the looks he was getting from the now super troopers. Tormax was going to try out his new body, which was weird to think about, but just then the ship intercom interrupted his plans.

[member="Fortuna"], [member="Abelain Narv'uk"], [member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

[member="Darth Azurea"]

When he saw her, he felt struck by nostalgia. His mind wandered back to Selvaris, and it was hard to resist the effects that had on him. Perhaps they ought to take another trip on that speeder bike. It had provided all the answers he had needed back then.

My Lord, she addressed him, much like an obedient acolyte would have. For someone obedient she was rather free-spirited. Yet she was no longer an acolyte, and the time for unquestionable obedience towards her master was over. To be a Sith meant to be free. As a Sith Lord, she had earned that freedom. If she offered loyalty now it would be on different terms.

The Dark Side was strong in her, and he felt it coursing through her. When he looked into her eyes he still saw Darth Azurea the Sith Lord, and not Setzi Lunelle. He was pleased to learn that she had not been corrupted by the perverted interpretations of the Sith Code and the Dark Side of the Force. There were many misguided beings in their order who called themselves Sith. They served a purpose and were tolerated, but he would not tolerate that from her.

He watched with examining eyes as she spoke. He made a mental note of the punishment she mentioned, of forcing someone do the futile task of swimming to the surface from the underwater Academy. No doubt they'd never reach it. He would have to remember that for later. When she was finished, he nodded slowly. Pyrrhus was curious by nature, as was he patient. He had felt rage, he had felt fury, but all of that he had held caged within him while he assessed the situation. "I will listen. And I will learn everything" he replied, as if stating his terms in a negotiation. Regardless what the situation was, he would learn all the details, or the questions would eat him up inside. Though they did not need to come all at once. They had time. Once more, they had time.

Pyrrhus' eyes dropped to her stomach. The growth was visible. The sight of her filled him with an emotion had was not familiar with, nor did he know exactly how to define it. But it was good, and he was glad it was there. She carried his child. Their child. Though it had yet to be born, a part of him wondered if he had unknowingly missed it. The child acted much like a gateway, a staged process where he slowly came to terms with how he felt about it, and through that, allowing thoughts to overlap to Azurea. He had missed its mother too.

"You're pregnant" he said, almost matter-of-factly. Before his voice had seemed depraved of all emotion, a true neutral with the exception of when he had expressed he wanted to learn everything about her time away from him. Now, his tone changed. There were cracks in his facade as well. "In your state, I've been told, you are prone to mood swings and even labour fears." he didn't sound accusing, but rather like he was making an effort to understand, speaking out loud as the thoughts came to his head, clinical as they were. It was one way, he thought, to explain reckless behaviour and sudden, impulsive decision. Was she truly herself? The child that she both cared for yet filled her with sorrow, fearing she would never learn to love it, did they even know if it would survive? Pyrrhus was not aware of whether the union between human and Togruta came with increased chance of complications or not.

"You have reached a state of enlightenment you could never have hoped to before." before all this, she had been descending further and further into darkness. Since the beginning, she had never held back but only plunged deeper. Perhaps she saw something that frightened her. Perhaps doubt beset her.

"I have sensed the pain in you. Doubt, about who you are. Part of you thinks back to who you were when you were Setzi, and wonder if you were better then, if things would have been different." most of what he said was speculation. It was up for interpretation, and only she held the answer. He had only sensed the emotions on the surface, and now he tried to put meaning to them. Perhaps they had something to do with all of this; a look back into her past, to see if there still was something left of Setzi. "You have reached a heightened state of enlightenment you could never have hoped to reach before." he suspected she knew. Had it only been her, he believed she would have cast Setzi aside for Azurea in less than a heartbeat. But it wasn't only her. She carried a child now, and he suspected she had wondered whether Setzi was better for it than Azurea. "Don't hold yourself back. Don't be afraid to get to know yourself. Find out who you truly are. Accept it, live it." and all the other pieces would fall into place.

They still had a lot to talk about. Pyrrhus was still riddled with questions, and some he might not like the answer to. But the fact was that she was here. Whatever journey she had been on, she had returned from. She had seen both sides and made her choice. If he could understand her motivation, he could better understand her actions. He was prepared to understand. He had encouraged passion, freedom, the strength to follow one's desires regardless of others. Could he blame her for being Sith?

And there was one more thing... All would depend on what they decided, what he wanted, what she wanted. What came next he did not know, but there was one thought that had been occupying his mind while she had been gone, and he could not dismiss it. Pyrrhus was close enough now to reach out and touch her. His hand reached out, never lifting higher than her waist, and held her hand. He knew they had agreed to something else, but "We could keep it"

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

"I imagine you will," said Darth Azurea, her eyes downcast for a moment, but she raised her chin back up and looked Darth Pyrrhus squarely in his dark purple irises. She wasn't defiant like his Acolyte Belltrix, but she was determined, and her determination would take the form of protecting her life with the Togruta no matter the cost. She would not lie. Anything Pyrrhus wanted to know would be offered without embellisment or deciet. Both of them were older now. He was not the wild and young nemesis that she clung to on the speeder bike that day on Selvaris, her hands traveling his alien form as though exploring a wondrous new planet.

But that didn't mean she was not still enthralled by his presence. Quite the opposite in fact. Standing before him, she listened respectfully as he carefully and verbally assessed the situation to the best of his ability. Truthfully, Azurea could neither agree or disagree with his conclusions. Why she had done what she'd done was a mystery to her. But he was close in tying her rash decision to her pregnancy. The Sith Lord did not feel like herself recently, and she was plagued with doubt and fears over her unborn child.

She stayed very quiet until he approached and gently took her hand. She palmed his strong red knuckles, and then laced her fingers through his, pale skin against rust-colored flesh. Suddenly her eyes took on a faraway look, and a fascinated smile crept to her face. She took his hand and lay it gently on her stomach.

"Feel it kicking now," she said. "That is your heir, Darth Pyrrhus."

Darth Azurea closed her eyes and leaned into him, resting her forehead on his chest, just letting him detect the subtle movement in her womb which would make the entire prospect of being parents to a young Sith more of a reality.

"We will keep it," she said in a soft but resolute voice.

[member="Darth Pyrrhus"]

 

[Abelain Narv'uk]

[member="Knight Mullarus"] | [member="Darth Pyrrhus"] | [member="Darth Azurea"] | [member="Fortuna"] | [member="Tormax Ategann"]

The intense fury that seemed to seethe off of the teacher gave a witness to something having occurred. He had changed in a way that many had in the past. The teacher had held something close to his heart, and had found that it did not intend to lay benign there, instead the thing had wormed into that vital organ and malignantly torn it apart. What was left was a husk of a person, one fueled by their violent spite and filled with strife. It was not enough for the teacher any longer to simply defeat an enemy, or even to kill them as he had done with his grandfather. Now it had become something greater, a crusade against things that he had made his demons, his tyrants. The misguided righteousness was noticeable in his war speech, though it took a trained ear to listen for it.

It was acceptable, but only to a point. The line was crossed in the mind of the Arue'tii when it came to the mention of slaughtering the young ones that no doubt resided in the training ground. That was unacceptable. He would not strike down a being that held no chance of defending itself, nor one that had not yet experienced the intricacies of life. There would be no glory in that death, simply a meaningless butchery that accomplished nothing except for a misguided attempt at reconciliation with a broken heart. The reason behind all of the hate became evident in the speech, evident in it's targets. Those who would feel the wrath of an angered dragon, and who would become ash by it's withering fire. Abelain knew that he must try to convince the teacher off of his path, that he must attempt to lead him back onto the road they had since walked upon.

It would be for naught. A gut instinct within the Arue'tii spoke to him as plainly as any elder's wisdom. There would be no reasoning still held up inside of the teacher, only the furnace that had become his soul. The entire meaning of the vision he had seen earlier now began to explain itself, Abelain understood now why the tendrils had wrapped so neatly around the room. They had encompassed everything that was around him, had begun to choke the life from them. It would be the same with the teacher, whether he understood his actions or was attempting to accomplish something he perceived as the greater good. They would all become trapped there in his darkness, lost in the shadow of his actions until inevitably they found themselves lying dead upon the floor, asphyxiated by the suffering that he had created.

Still, the explorer had to try. Waiting for several moments as soldiers began to file away for their inevitable rebirth into creatures of power, Abelain watched the teacher, attempting to determine how best to approach him and the subject he wished to pitch. Finally, as the last of the fateful men left the large chamber, Abelain made his move. Stepping solemnly upon the stage, his cape resting gently against his back, the Arue'tii arose to the platform upon which the Sith had incited his dark war. "Teacher. You know that I trust in your thoughts, but I believe it to be a waste to slay the young ones that inhabit this place. Would it not be better that they were spared so as to provide future soldiers for your reign. Even if you do not wish to keep them, it would be better even to allow them to live for the sake of spreading your deeds to any would-be rebels and foes."

With the words spoken, Abelain awaited for the hammer to fall.

 

[Krux Mullarus]

The Betrayer was only moments from exiting and heading for his starships before Acolyte Narv'uk approached and voiced his reason. Under normal circumstances, if he had not become a puppet of the Dark Side after his recent humiliation and heartbreak, no doubt he would have listened and acknowledged his first apprentice's words.

But Krux Mullarus was dying, metaphorically. His character was broken, his spirit was ravaged, and his heart had turned to stone. His mind was filled with nothing but a desire to see those the witch Azurea held close to suffer endlessly until finally, a swing of his blade or the crushing of their bones would mark the end of the pitiful existence. Even more than that, he wished Darth Azurea would join them, but only so he could tear the heart she once gave to him out of her chest and crush it before her face.

Even the child within her he once pledged to protect for her sake was no exception. It was the child of Pyrrhus, and Mullarus wished to see it die.

"You must not have heard me, Acolyte Narv'uk. I said...Every. Single. Living being in that academy. All of them. Die. Will you go soft on me?" He asked, reaching his hand out to clutch hard at the protected throat of the arue'tii. He made a motion to lift him into the air. "Do not even think of defying me, Acolyte, or you will join the mountain of bodies we will create today!" he yelled, then making a motion to hurl the alien into the wall.

Assuming everything had played out this way, Mullarus approached the alien on the ground. "Understand...inferior being?" he murmured, stabbing at the Acolyte's own view of the galaxy.

[member="Abelain Narv'uk"]

 

[Darth Pyrrhus]

The two locked eyes for a prolonged moments. She was not the one to hide from her actions, or turn to deathsticks numb the impact of the consequences. For a moment he considered simply invading her mind and stealing a look at all of her memories, discover every truth and detail. He might yet still. It would be quicker. But for now he was content with communication. There would be a lot of that to go around in the future.

Azurea had always gotten special treatment from him. She was the exception to most of his rules. He had not made her suffer as much as he had made his other apprentices suffer. Perhaps that was his weakness, and he did her a disservice by shielding her. In his mind, it made sense to him that she was safe from disciplinary action from him, because it was like she was him; an extension of himself. They were a unit. And so he was much more inclined to find answers, make sense of everything, and discover how the pieces could fall into the places he would want them to, rather than go on a rage filled frenzy. He was more sophisticated than that.

He let her guide his hand to her stomach. He felt their creation. The Togruta's smile in many ways mirrored her own. He felt that with the palm of his hand, that unbreakable bond that kept them tied together. When she leaned against him, his other arm wrapped around her, holding her. There were thoughts in the back of his mind, questions, that would prevent him from taking such action so soon. But he brushed them aside. He didn't want to answer to those voices now. Right now he only wanted this.

"We are strong enough. We shouldn't make sacrifices out of fear. What we want to do, we do. We will become stronger for it. It will become stronger too." he mused with her. The first time he had discovered she was with child, he had said that galaxy trembled. Now, more than ever, he felt sure of the fact. He hoped that within her rested a power so terrible it could consume them both. He would have nothing less from his heir.

[member="Darth Azurea"]