Private Interlude

[Darth Metus]

OUTER RIM
0830 Hours, Local Time

Each step was a peril.

It was not often that the Sith Lord departed from his Kingdom. However modest in the face of the modern Galaxy's borders, the Expanse was a welcome reprieve from it all. A place far removed from the perpetual squabbles of his extended kin and their Jedi counterparts. There, he could live out his ambitions and build something everlasting. Yet, the pursuit of eternity was not without its challenges. In fact, the quest for a perpetual tomorrow inspired a look back to the ancient past. The answers for the current dilemma were supposedly held deep within a slumbering fortress.

Upon a world long-forgotten by the pages of history.

Thus, at dawn, the stones were disrupted by a fissure. Lyrics of Dathomirian origin echoed into the morning air as power interrupted the quiet. Emerald light formed the passage - and in but an instant the the disturbance departed as quickly as it had came. In its place did He stand. Rising to his full height, Darth Metus paused to flex his fingertips. Voyage by such tactics had their risks - such as losing a finger on the way in. Fortunately enough, he had arrived whole.

His attention then fell upon the mighty walls before him. Spires, overgrown by centuries of nature, met his sight. Walls and shattered bridges spanned all about. Navigating the ruins would take some time. Time that he thought he had in ample supply. But there was another noise which rose above the sounds of morning: that of engines slowing to a halt. The Sith tsk'd impatiently and strode forth towards the frontmost gate.

If at all possible, his work here was to remain quiet. And so, he moved discreetly. He could only hope that his discretion paid off in the long run.​

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

For the first time in a long time, Amani found her attention split. The Outer Rim had been her personal project for years; A place where she could go that hid her away from the past, and busied her mind. There was always something that needed doing out here.

But reaccepting her role as a Jedi meant that her business now turned inward, to the Core. Still she found reason to make the trek back out every now and again. Like now, for example.

Her ship broke through the canopy of clouds, uncovering a labyrinthine ruin etched in stone. Whatever it had once been, now it was simply the keeper of a treasure Amani sought to possess. Already, the Jedi made peace with knowing it would be a bit more of a delve than she had hoped.

The engines whined as the vessel powered down, cutting off abruptly and leaving only an atmosphere of stillness as her feet hit the ground.

None the wiser, Amani followed the very same path another had taken very shortly before, to the beckoning, monolithic gate.

Darth Metus​

 

[Darth Metus]

It was often presumed that the elders were infallible.

At least, this was the persona that Sith of his age attempted to put forth. Having lived and survived so long in the Galaxy, most would presume their ilk were not capable of minute errors. Yet every mortal was fallible. Everyone was capable of fething it up. So it was that Darth Metus was passively rushing his advance. Under normal circumstances, he would have been more vigilant about checking, double-checking, and triple-checking his heading for any obstacles.

But given the proximity of strangers, most of that caution was thrown off a cliff.

If he had been even a shred more diligent, he would have noticed the threads of might flowing underneath the stones. Runes of yore which detected, not only his own intrusion, but that of the distant Jedi. The alarm was silent, with the only "tell" being the swift departure of perching birds as Darth Metus drew closert to the gate. He, of course, paid this no mind, thinking it was his proximity that caused them to bug out that fast.

He was dead wrong.

Forming the frontmost gate was a rather intricate arch formed by two statues. One appeared to be a heroic figure wielding a spear. The other, a monstrous serpent. The Sith did not even have the chance to set foot into its shadow before cracks began to form. Motion seized the "hero" - dust and stone fell away from its towering form as it unseated itself. Two thunderous steps were taken, before its spear plunged into the stones. And an otherworldly bellow escaped its mouth.

To this, the Sith huffed out his nostrils.

"Well, shit."

Amani Serys​