Legacies

[Vrak Nashar]

Kaas City
[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak stood quietly, his gaze dropping on the scene before him.

Hundreds of thousands of workers labored throughout the city, an uncountable number of droids worked through dozens of different work zones. Each of them seemed focused upon their set task, each of them moved through the thunder and the rain, ignoring the lightning that struck down towards the cities massive lightning rods. The Pureblood watched them all in silence, standing upon the small closed balcony as the rain scattered across the windows in front of him.

There were slashes of deeper red all across his crimson skin, gashes, cuts, and scrapes that had been acquired during the invasion.

A bandage was wrapped around his hand, fingers able to move but only through a harsh sort of pain. The searing lightsaber that had stabbed through his palm had done enough damage that a few cybernetics had been implanted under his skin. His hand was not robotic, not entirely anyway, but augmented in such a way that it still functioned normally.

Within his other palm sat a small black sphere. It's surface seemed to be entirely smooth save for small, almost unnoticeable lines carved in an intricate pattern around it. His lips were thin, his eyes set upon the city before him. The storm raged, and yet that was common. That was how it was supposed to be. A small smile touched his features, his thumb rushing over the small black sphere as he observed his new kingdom.

Footsteps echoed out behind him.

The apartments that he had taken within the Citadel were of course situated centrally, and their location meant he was well guarded. Only a few were allowed into the Citadel as of yet, and from the sound of the echoes he could already tell who it was. "You missed all the fighting."

Vrak commented without looking away from the windows, his fingers gently rolling over the black Sphere.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Tired. Exhausted. Drained. All were words that had accurately described the Twi'lek as of late. During the invasion she'd remained aboard one of the many star destroyers that had entered the system. Not to give orders, not to relay commands, or information, or tactics. The woman was as she aimed to be on a daily basis, a ghost. Confined to her quarters for days on end, a powerful nausea overtaking her, this was the first time she'd felt brazen enough to step foot on the surface of the newly reclaimed Sith world. There was no spring to her step as she approached Vrak, no weapons by her side, not even the typical attire designed to obscure herself from the eyes of others.

Lightly she tread towards the Sith Lord, his words carrying through the air as she paused just beside him. Hands were placed on the balcony rails as she bent one knee, leaning forward as the sea sick feeling in her gut returned once more. Sera struggled with herself for a moment, before composing herself and turning to meet green eyes to amber.

"I could not have contributed had I not missed it." Eyes fell to his hand. "I see you were rewarded for your conquest."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak frowned slightly as she wandered up beside him.

He was not so foolish as to have missed the odd sickness that had come over her as of late. At first he had presumed it was simply a common ailment that had come to her during her one of her trips. Sera traveled to many worlds for him, and it was not out of the question that she would pick up one rare disease or another. He had simply assumed she would recover, though it had now been quite a bit of time since she'd first fallen ill.

The Pureblood frowned for a moment, lifting his crippled hand to rest it upon the balcony.

”A small price to pay.” He told her truthfully. The wound hurt, but it was what had allowed him to defeat the Jedi in the end, it was what had brought him, and eventually the Empire victory here on Kaas. ”I've reclaimed the home of my Fathers.”

There was a hint of pride in his tone, and for good reason.

The Nashar line had originated not on Korriban or Athiss, but upon Dromund Kaas. It was here where his family came from, where he truly belonged. A thin smiled pulled on his lips as he glanced towards the woman. Finally he decided to show a bit of...compassion. His hand raised and settled gently on her lower back. ”Victory here was all that ever mattered.”

More than most would ever know.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Slow calculated breaths in and out were taken, eyes closing several times to focus on steadying the contents of her abdomen. The sudden touch of Vrak's hand sent a small shiver up her back, snapping her eyes back open as she lifted her head once more. The air on Kaas felt stale, even with the rain as it fell to the surface of the red planet before them. Something about it felt dead. It wasn't lively like other places in the galaxy. It felt as it looked, even as it was being rebuilt by those now in power.

"No price too high?" She asked, though it was more a statement than question, simply curious for his response.

Turning, she allowed the weight of her body to rest against the rail, hands behind her on either side as her head tilted towards Vrak. "What's that?" nodding towards the sphere held in the Sith's good hand. Something she hadn't seen before, perhaps something uncovered during the invasion she thought. Despite her place, wherever that technically was, Sera had little to do with the Empire's agenda, paying little attention, thus she was largely out of the loop from her quarters until the message was relayed that they had taken the planet from the Silver Jedi. If Vrak had fallen during the invasion, she likely would not have known until after the battle was decided.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"None." His voice was stern, a hidden truth to it.

Vrak frowned for a moment as she turned. His hand slid along her hip and eventually to her belly where it rested. For a moment he stood still, frowning for just a brief moment before removing his hand.

”This?” He removed the hand from her stomach and slowly lifted the sphere.

The Pureblood brought it up so that it was eye level with the Twilek. She would be able to see the intricate carved lines, the familiar symbol etched into the black sphere. He let it rest within his palm for a moment more, then slowly raised it onto his fingertips.

”It is my families holocron.” Perhaps she would find the answer surprising. ”Passed down through generations since the time of Vitiate.”

He paused for a moment. ”There is a chamber beneath the Citadel. Hidden away by my forefathers. It will open there”

Or so he had been told.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"How quaint." The words were uttered in a low mumble. "Family history preserved through generations in a tiny keepsake." A breath pushed through flared nostrils. "And it doubles as a key to, something beneath this citadel?" For a second she wondered just what was kept beneath the surface. Perhaps nothing of intrinsic value, but perhaps not. She knew very little of the Sith, and even less so of Vrak's personal history. "And what do you surmise might be within?" If the woman sounded disinterested in the conversation, it was hardly due to the lack of personal curiosity, but more so of the damned sickness she'd picked up somewhere along the way, one that was slowly becoming a bit of a nuisance to cope with.

"Ancient scripts? The secret to immortality? A way to reverse death in its' entirety?"

While she was mostly joking, she wouldn't be surprised if that was what he was hoping to find.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He frowned for a moment.

"Nothing so grand I imagine." Vrak stated simply, his lips thinning for a moment as he glanced at her. "My family were historians. Within this I will find histories of the Empire, small slivers of Vitiate and his power. It will lead to secrets, like a puzzle, not the secrets themselves."

The Pureblood glanced at Sera. "That's what I'm after."

Perhaps that would hold some type of immortality, but in truth its not what Vrak was after. They had spoken of it before, weeks ago before they conquered Kaas. Legacy. It was important to Vrak, what he left behind, what would return to him.

"We spoke of legacy before." He told her. "That's what this is. A way to tie my legacy, to grasp at power and seize it for myself permanently."

"Everything I have built so far is fleeting. This? This will be different." His fingers wrapped a bit tighter around the sphere.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Riddles. Puzzles. Rhymes." The Twi'lek shook her head as she wandered towards the edge of the room, taking up a seat and leaning her head against the cool surface of the wall, head tails draped forward over her chest. One leg lifted, crossing over the other. A small breath in and out followed. "Sith never just say what it is that needs to be said. Instead, there's all this mystery and--" She waived her hands around like a magician. "obscurity to everything." Sera didn't understand the need for all these pieces of the puzzle.

"It's as if you don't actually want your descendants to learn what you learned so you hide near all but a trace, to make them retrace your own work, for what?"

Sith culture was something the woman would never understand, no matter how many different ways Vrak sought to teach her or explain. It just made no sense. Everything involved more work than it should have. Her people passed down their traditions to one another, helped grow and cultivate their civilization. This way of life seemed wrong to anyone with common sense and instincts.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Slowly Vrak followed after her.

She had a point of course, but then again Sera didn't really understand. She wasn't a part of Sith culture, she had neither been raised in it nor really conducted herself in it. The way of his people was...backwards at times, the Kaggath proved that much, but there was a point to all of it. "It is to prove ones worth."

That was the cut of it. Sith did not pass down their knowledge to just anyone, they didn't want what they had learned, what they had created falling into the hands of the weak. Among the Sith only the strong would rule, only the strong would have power. That was how it was supposed to be, how it had been for thousands of years. His family was no different from the others. Only the strongest rose. That was why none of his siblings survived today.

"The puzzles, the riddles, they are a test." He told her as he slowly wandered in front of her. "To see if you can solve them."

Slowly the Pureblood inspected her, his eyes wandering up and down her slender form.

"You're pale." The back of his fingers slowly traced over her cheek, almost as if testing her temperature.

It was an unusually caring touch.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Seems more to me like you're forcing your own civilization to repeat itself in circles for eternity, rather than advancing it."

The strong would advance past what their predecessors had, not achieve the same results. At least, that is how her people grew and prospered. Sure, back on Ryloth things weren't exactly a technological marvel. In fact, most were still farmers in some way, growing herb, spice, or vegetation, but that was beside the point. Twi'leks were rarely gifted in the Force, unlike the Sith, so they already had a biological advantage, but the comparison still worked in her eyes.

A hand raised, lightly swatting Vrak's away in retaliation.

"I'm fine." Green eyes lifted to meet his. "Why don't you go see what's buried down there?"

Not that she was too keen on getting up from that chair just yet, but if it stopped him from prying into why she wasn't up to his standards, all the better.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He eyed her for a moment more in consideration. A part of him wondered if she was worried. They'd spoken about her usefulness before. Though she had never quite openly admitted it, he knew that Sera harbored a fear of being tossed away from his side. The thought wasn't really a paranoid one, Vrak saw people as little more than tools. Yet Sera was more useful than anyone else close to him, and a small sickness would not see her killed.

Not after so short a time anyway. "Very well."

Slowly the Sith Lord rose from his squatting position. They were already within the citadel, and the Chamber had been located a few days ago. Getting there would not take long, though the winding corridors of the sub-basements were somewhat difficult to traverse if you didn't know where you were going. The Pureblood slipped the small black sphere into his pocket.

"We'll go see what my ancestors left me." He told her.

A part of him still wondered what was wrong with her, but he resigned it to the idea of disease.

Without another word he gently grasped the hand that she had used to smack his own palm away, pulling her to her feet so that they could begin their small journey.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Tagging along wasn't what she had in mind. Not at all. The thought was that Vrak would wander his way into the bowels of the citadel, have a look around, take whatever there was to take, and ponder the message for some time while she took some time to further rest. Instead what she got was exactly the opposite. A tug upwards and the clear indication of 'we'll go see'. And like that he lifted her up. The sudden shift unsettled her, and a hand quickly rose to her face, covering her mouth as she desperately forced back down the near involuntary expulsion of whatever was within her.

Every ounce of composure was mustered to repress the urge to vomit right there in front of Vrak. Thankfully her body obliged her demands and subsided the feeling, allowing her to drop her hand and give a silent nod. The sooner whatever this illness was passed the better. Even with the few articles of clothing the woman wore, the heat from her own body could be felt practically emanating from her pores. It was as if someone had twisted the temperature regulator dial to the very fringes of its' ability.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He eyed her for a moment.

It was plain that something was wrong with her, but she would deny it if he brought it up again. The Pureblood thinned his lips for just a moment, then turned away. His grip on her hand didn't loosen however, and slowly he lead her forward towards the turbo-lift.

Vrak studied her as they stepped into the lift, his gaze casting towards the flush in her face and the odd stance she took. her weight wasn't carried on her feet, rather pressed against whatever sturdy wall was nearby. It was obvious that she was sick, that she needed rest, yet nothing of the sort would be allowed until she at least admitted she was unwell.

"Beneath the Citadel." He told her again as he pressed the small key on the lift.

They began to move immediately, rocketing down the inside of the Citadel itself.

"The original building was constructed thousands of years ago." She wouldn't care, but that hardly mattered. "It was here to Vitiate traveled after the massacre of his homeworld."

As he spoke his eyes followed her, watching to see her reaction to the lift.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

If Vrak could peer into her mind, he could see for himself what she was thinking the moment they entered into the turbolift. The unique motion of the means of transportation was hardly about to help her situation. A similar ailment that others got from boats or aircraft, some even spacecraft, she felt now, though it came in the simplest forms: walking, sitting up or standing too suddenly, subtle movements such as the lift falling from floor to floor. It all turned her stomach inside out. The Twi'lek couldn't remember the last time she had felt this off key.

The words the Sith spoke during their descent were all but lost on her. Though she made effort to nod along with his story and explanation of what this all meant, she had more or less zoned out of the conversation, instead allowing her eyes to shut with her head leaned against the inner wall of the lift until finally the door slid open, a low chime indicating they had reached their destination.

As far down as they had gone the air became all but musty and thick, the smell of old duracrete from generations past filling the air, though much to her surprise the terrible odor hardly seemed bothersome, at least in comparison to the lift she had just stepped out of. Sera allowed Vrak the opportunity to continue talking, though she remained relatively quiet, instead opting for a small nod every few words to indicate she was hearing him, even if she was largely disengaged with the conversation.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Kaas presented opportunity." Vrak continued on as they stepped from the lift, though he was more than aware that Seraphina was hardly listening.

Whatever was wrong with her took most of her concentration. Standing seemed a difficulty, and walking apparently almost impossible. Slowly they began to head away from the exit of the turbo-lift, Vrak walking just slightly ahead of the Twi'lek as he lead the way through the expansive corridors. Down here there were no durasteel walls or great marbled statues. Instead everything seemed to have been carved from the rock itself. The architecture was ancient, almost reminiscent of Korriban.

"When Vitiate arrived the planet was bare and barren." He spoke, his gaze flicking towards Sera every now and again. "He twisted this planet to suit his needs."

That was the power Vrak sought. "My ancestors witnessed this."

It was that which Vrak was so interested in. The strength to bend entire worlds to his well, the power to survive, to drive his legacy home. It was what he wanted. His power and will to continue on beyond his own meager wink of an existence within this galaxy.

He continued to speak as they wandered down the Corridor, watching as Sera stumbled forward. Eventually they stopped, coming to a massive stone Mosaic within the halls. The carved artistry depicted a dozen different scenes. The Sacking of Coruscant, The Rise of Dromund Kaas, the destruction of Nathema, and of course the eventual fall of The Empire itself.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Following a few steps behind Vrak she was able to pace herself while taking in the architecture surrounding them beneath the surface, beneath the citadel itself. Had she been the historian type, she might be interested in seeing more. "Wonder if the Silvers ever discovered this place, ever made it a point to send an expedition here, or to attempt to retrieve whatever was left down here. Surely they sent scholars or something." It was odd to her that they occupied the world yet appeared to place little in the way of precautions against another Sith incursion. Perhaps the Jedi simply felt too secure in their own borders to expect such a bold attack.

Foolish, regardless.

A finger traced along some of the old stone as they walked, years worth of fine rock dust settling along the tip of her skin.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Perhaps." He said with a shrug.

Vrak found it unlikely that they had never ventured down here, though from what he understood most of them tended to stay away from the planet due to its...leanings. The Pureblood frown for a moment as they wandered down the rest of the hall.

"For many Jedi this world is like Korriban." He reminded her. "It's very presence corrupts."

He glanced her way. "Most Jedi can't stand to even be in our presence, why would they walk our worlds?"

It was a good point, and something to consider as they stepped up to the massive door.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The Twi'lek shrugged. "Curiosity, probably." Every person was curios to some degree. Whether or not that included venturing to a planet covered in darkness or beaming with light. People were curios creatures. "Didn't you find that human girl you despise so much on a similar world?" Sera didn't quite remember where it was Vrak had first encountered this girl, but she remembered the girl being where she would have been better to not.

Eyes the color of forest looked up, taking in the sight of the massive entrance, its' doors built of similar stone to last an eternity.

"Or maybe they wanted to make sure whatever is down here never fell back into your hands."

For just a moment the nausea seemed to fade. Perhaps her own curiosity of what awaited behind the doors managed to hide her own sickness for the time.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

He stopped for a moment. Even when she was sick Sera couldn't help but get her little digs in. His lips thinned.

"Prakith." Vrak told her. "It's not like Kaas or Korriban. The world has not been entirely corrupted."

Though it did hold a tomb. Perhaps she was right though. Jamie hadn't particularly cared and he doubted that all Silver Jedi were all that careful. Doubtlessly one or two of them had managed to eek their way into these corridors. What he knew however was that his families vault remained intact. The door could not be opened without the Holocron, and any other way would have disturbed the walls. He glanced across the massive doorway, his eyes slowly wandering as he began to search.

"They didn't know about me." Vrak reminded her.

Slowly he began to wander over to a more central part of the door, a depiction of a man holding something laying there.

"They thought us dead." From his pocket he pulled the small sphere, slowly reaching up and placing the device within the depiction. There was a pause, and then a rumble as a click sounded out. The floor began to rumble. "Their ignorance blinded them."

His words came as he slowly stepped back, allowing the massive stone doors to fall open before them.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Shoulders rolled as the doors began to part, revealing a massive inner chamber shrouded in darkness.

"Not entirely." She remarked.

Taking a step forward towards their destination, head falling slightly with a hand extended, ushering Vrak forward towards his prize, "After you." Sera wasn't sure what to expect inside, but she was lacking any sort of weapon, having left them behind before arriving at his room in the citadel. There would have been no sense in taking them along regardless, as her condition prevented her from being of any effective use, should they be needed anyway.

"Let's see what pieces of the puzzle these ancient dead Sith left behind in this pile of rubble."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]