Out of the Maze

[Laira Darkhold]

"Darth Graxus." Orthus corrected, his voice stern as he spoke. "I am here for very little I'm afraid. My servants had desires for this planet, well for this one mountain, and I desired to accompany them. The Rishii here have endured for countless millennia without tyrants or governments. Just their own people, and I wished to view it personally." The mountain had some magnetic disturbance that made instruments go haywire in its vicinity, disrupted long range sensors. It made scanning the mountain from orbit nearly impossible and from the air difficult. But it didn't distort long range communications, which made it idea for a listening post.

He approached the totem he had been regarding once before, the object vaguely humanoid in appearance. It had been constructed to resemble a Rishii warrior in some manner, but it did not appear menacing or frightening. It did not invoke those emotions in him, at the very least. Feathers, paint, wood all cobbled together in a fashion that Orthus supposed was intended to display the Nest's ownership, or perhaps their presence, to those who looked upon it.

"Tell me, what do you think of this?" Maybe she could appreciate it in a manner he was unable to.

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

Umhmm she thought she didn't care about his title only her own. But who knows maybe she would find a reason to justify using his. Pacification. Might work.

"I would think resources." Slaves. Food. Minerals. "No one has held a presence here?" Interesting. Were they so powerful.

Or just nothing to offer.

She looked upon the design looking from all sides. "It could be an obelisk of sorts. It tells a story so that all may know the story of the nest." Right or wrong it was meant to invoke something for certain.

[member="Darth Orthus"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"The Rishii are primitive, they remain to their territory as best they can and rarely have anything anyone with technology wants, so trade is rare. The so called Galactic Empire once held sway on the planet, likely they enslaved some of the populace to mine exonium for them, but how does one claim to own a vast jungle they've never stepped foot in?" Orthus nodded quietly as he spoke, regarding their RIshi guide.

"Most of the planet's population is human, living in the metropolitan colonies that make up a tiny percentage of the surface area. Even now, most of the jungle is uninhabited and much of the oceans unexplored." He sighed, such a world was often regarded as beautiful but he had no knowledge of such aesthetics, but he could appreciate the simple lifestyle and desires of the Rishii elders. They merely wanted to live at peace, alone in the jungles. The RIshii made up such a small percentage of the population, yet their unclaimed territories made up the vast majority of the planet's surface.

"Would you call the totem, good?" he asked raising his eyebrows and speaking with a curious inflection. "Is it pleasant to the eye, pleasing to look at?"

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

She smiled, "one need only show up with enough support not much else is required." An invasion force would do well.

Human form. Hmm. She could walk among them. Unnoticed. Yes this she would do.

Now the question about beauty. "I can answer for myself. No others. So to me this is primative and simple but does hold elements that appeal to me. Do you think it beautiful?"

In her classes she had not been taught beauty. History. War. So she learned the definition and applied it to what she thought beautiful. She doubted anyone would look upon her in her true form and think beautiful.

[member="Darth Orthus"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"No, I don't find it anything." Orthus said, a hint of remorse in his voice, "After so many centuries, I am no longer able to appreciate such things. They say the greater the being, the less of their humanity exists. The less a being is able to understand the simple concepts of beauty. For me at least, it rings true." Alchemical alterations allowed the Sith to survive through several lifetimes longer than his species should have allowed, but being wrapped in the Dark Side for so long had its detriments. Only fools thought they could evade death and return from the Netherworld of the Force stronger, and he was wise enough to know that was not the case. His longevity had cost him many simple comforts, but it was necessary.

The Dark Master stepped past the totem, following the waiting Rishii into the jungle. "There is little need for support. The Rishii are kind, willing to live in harmony with outsiders. The people in the cities still pay token support to the former Moff, and the planet lies in the path of the Confederacy. Any conquering of this world would be swiftly undone by the Confederacy when they inevitably arrive." The robed Sith stepped along the path the avian creature was leading them along. His own goals for the planet were simple, he just needed access to the HoloNet and a listening post could provide that and more. The Rishii would provide his small facility with secrecy and protection, and it would be obscured by the magnetic disturbances the mountain it would be built within caused. No trace left when he was done.

"I've found the shadows can conceal one's goals better than any army can defend them." Though sometimes an army was necessary or he wouldn't have orchestrated a legion of followers to carry out his will.

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

It brought up would she think the same as she aged. Only time would provide such an answer. She wondered , "what exactly is humanity?" In all that she learned there were words that had been left out.

It would seem the Mau had a flaw they taught specific concepts specific needs. She was slowly beginning to think that in order to understand how to incorporate others into her order she needed another teacher.

She looked at him again. She would hate to admit such a thing to him. Perhaps she didn't. There was more than one way to accomplish this.

Rishi. Kind. So then they would help so maybe she needed to work with them. Then Graxus said something else.

"Are you saying that it is better to not reveal the intent till later?" This concept appealed to her. Could he teach that?

[member="Darth Orthus"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Ah, Humanity. I suppose in that context it means what it is to be, to understand and feel like a normal, living sentient being. What gives someone purpose, or happiness. What makes a person feel, drives them to understand." Orthus furrowed his brow, there were other interpretations, but he felt that was what he had lost some of. It wasn't the drive for understanding on the purpose, but those aspects had cost him everything else. He didn't know sorrow, or happiness. He didn't feel heat or cold, he couldn't find comfort. But purpose, he knew his, and others spent their whole lives searching for it.

The pureblood looked back at the woman following him. Behind the mask he smiled comfortingly once more, his tone relaying the emotions he was emulating. "Sometimes, little one. Ask yourself, does everyone need to know about what you are doing?"

The rishi guiding them squawked, pointing with feathered fingers at something at the base of the mountain. "I believe our Rishii has found something."

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

Humanity. What was hers? She had been taught a great deal at home but perhaps what they taught was old. Inaccurate for this part of the galaxy.

Her happiness. Depended upon....the Mau and their service. Her brow furrowed in thought.

Graxus presented ideas for thought.

"No one need know my intentions. It is for me to know. " and no one else. The trills and shrieks from the rishi sounded exciting it had found something.

"Yes. It has. But what" she had been studying the rishi she believed she could change to their form. She wanted to try.

She looked at Graxus she wished she could focus on his thoughts. His intentions. Did he seek something from her and all this time getting her confused.

She needed to take a risk.

"I need to understand different worlds. " it was hard to say. Harder to admit to a strange man.

[member="Darth Orthus"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Orthus strode up alongside the Rishi, its thoughts already telling him it was warning them of a cave at the base of the mountain. The Sith patted the feathers of the Rishii, "That is alright, young one. You don't have to come with us." He said, his voice calm and soothing. A gentle touch of the Force and the Rishii seemed relaxed and at ease. "He found a cave. I think we should take a look inside." He already knew the smell that had set the Rishii off, the markings on the ground. They could only mean one thing for certain.

Predator.

"So, to cloak your intentions you must conceal them. In order to do that you must be quiet, patient, and ruthless. Sometimes the cost of concealment is an ally, and sometimes one must be willing to make that sacrifice." Such was the burden of power and responsibility. It called upon those that shouldered it to make the darkest of decisions in the worst of circumstances, and then the galaxy judged them on the worst examples of what they had done. People were short sighted by nature, but how Enok-ka hoped that one day, after centuries of life people could understand the greater good was worth every evil inflicted upon them short term.

"Mereet, what do you think it is to be powerful?" He asked as he stepped through the jungle and towards the mouth of the cavern. The faint smell of far off rotted meat and bones, excrement, and beast wafted in the still air within the underground chamber.

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

[member="Darth Orthus"]​

​

She looked at the Rishi again wanting to ensure that her mind had seen all the details that nothing would be missed. She looked at Graxus as he spoke instructing her about concealment of true intentions. "At home I would not have to conceal my intent. I" She once again realized she was speaking about things that others did not know of but then this was one of her first encounters, she would play the hand, and revise later if it blew up.

"was raised isolated and taught the history of my people, as well as what their goals were. Nothing was hidden. Out here I am....uncertain of what to expose and what not to." It was truthful and telling it seemed to help her feel less twisted inside.

"In my world to be powerful is to be master of all I see" She only made those suffer who offended her, she put no thought into ending the life of someone who spoke ill of her, she...was omnipotent and her word law. But the Lotus Oasis was not all of Ankhypt or was it the galaxy. If the Mau were to be trusted she was to be over both.

They stepped towards the cave, there were caves on Ankhypt in the mountains upon rare occasion she was allowed to travel there. Here she had no one to stop her. "A cave." She wanted to explore.

"Have you seen many caves?"

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Orthus walked up to the mouth of the cavern while his companion spoke, reaching out with the Force to sense whether or not the creature was within. He stepped into the darkness, his eyes adjusting slowly from the brightness of the jungle world's star. "To be powerful. It isn't as simple as master of all you see. There are so many things you do not see, thoughts, conspiracies, alliances, and it will be those that are your undoing. The king rarely sees the knife that kills them." The smell of rotted meat grew stronger as he stood into the darkness.

"Power can be given or taken. But it is strongest when given freely. The trick is, convincing others to give it to you." The Sith knelt, inspecting a bone on the ground and the markings of claws. The Rishii who had lead them here was right to be afraid. Their feathered friend would not have done well in such confines against such a predator.

"From what I've heard, your mentors taught you only to trust them, confined you, only taught you what they wanted you to learn, and then told you your purpose. It sounds like they are the ones with the power, and you are their instrument, not the other way around. So, tell me," He paused to listen to the jungle. Outside the bugs and creatures, the birds had stopped once more. Within the cave his voice carried, echoing through the chambers and corridors nature had carved out. The low grumble of a beast echoed back from within.

"How do you plan on taking back your power?" The darkness around him grew, shadows stretching to join with his own and his frame darkened, blurring as he spoke.

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

Bastet really started to listen to what Graxus was saying. Her mind drifting over to the purpose of the Mau and the possibilities that after so many generations they saw a way to manipulate the Therians for their own purpose.

It was true she followed what they said, did what they said, performed as they instructed maybe all of that needed to change. Maybe their lives could be put to better use.

Her opalescent eyes watched him, "you don't think repurposing them to do something else and replacing them all with those of my choosing would help?" She really wanted to kill every single last one of them at this moment.

How did she plan on taking her power back. She growled deep in her throat the predator inside her awakening, the emotional outburst that she wanted to have at this moment she tamped down.

"I will keep one or two and remove the rest. They will learn that I am in charge, not them. I will have it recorded as well. Make it part of the history or practice that the teachers should all be removed at some point to prevent Therians from becoming instruments of the Mau."

[member="Darth Orthus"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Orthus's brow furrowed once more. She would learn, but it would take time and many lessons before she was ready he thought. She was stubborn and assured of her own superiority, a sense she had been given. It was not the first time he had seen beings convinced of their own great power only for their servants to spend their time plotting and filling their minds with falsehoods. It was a tendency he struggled to overcome and maintain control of himself. It was the nature of the manipulators to weave their craft. "Kill them? What will you gain from that?"

The shadows seeped around him, ensaring his form. Darkness pooled around the Sith's body and it began to fade, his voice sounded as though it was moving away, becoming distant. "Focus on what can be gained and do it. If killing them has the most benefit than do it, otherwise find a use for them that remain." The rumbling of the predator grew closer, its outline forming in the darkness of the cave as the Sith Lord dissipated into nothingness, his form gone as the light bent around him.

The maungur approached rumbling out a territorial warning. It could certainly still smell him, but without hearing or seeing him, his presence was relatively safe for the time being. The Dark Master just wanted to see how she would overcome adversity, how she would deal with a beast threatening her, and how she acted when her life was at risk.

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

She could hear it in the darkness the low grunts, the scraping of something on the floor of the cave. She couldn't forget the smell pungent making her nose wrinkle up and play with her stomach.

Graxus suddenly disappeared into the shadows. Bastet looked up at the creature as it emerged from its shadowy home.

Stepping back she shook her head slightly it seemed to help with what she was going to do. Suddenly her skin changed to match the creature before her, her hands and arms changed to look like it to. Everything about her shifted to appear like it, smaller but as strong at least for a bit.

She growled in the same tone as it did. At first it seemed confused why did it smell someone in his cave. It shook its own head confused by its own senses. It moved closer taking deep breathes to smell Bastet.

Could it tell she wasn't really one of his kind? She growled again low from her throat shuffling her feet forward waiting for it to strike out at her.

[member="Darth Orthus"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The beast arrived, and the Dark Master's companion defended herself in the most peculiar way. 'A shapeshifter?' he thought to himself, analyzing all he had seen and heard from her. That explained some of her mannerisms and her sheltered upbringing. Many shifter species were disliked and distrusted, and for good reason. Little Mereet had shown to be quite adept at her ability, changing to the form of a Maungur in short order.

Orthus stepped back to the edge of the cavern so as to stay out of the way of the two beasts. His curiosity wanted to see the shape shifter's true form, Shii'do? Clawdite? Or perhaps something else, she had called something related to herself Therian and another the Mau, both names he had not heard before. Further study would be necessary. "Very good little one." His metallic voice echoed, as though coming from the entirety of the chamber. There was little else he could do while remaining out of sight, the act of bending darkness and light around himself to be rendered invisible actually required a significant degree of concentration. "Your in her home. On this world, the name of this beast translates to, senseless violence without reason."

The creature, confused as to what it had seen was taken aback, not sure exactly how to proceed. The noises, the being that had shape-shifted were disorienting for its primitive predator brain, but its basic instincts were to fight for its territory. It assumed an aggressive posture, raising up as tall as the cavern would allow before swiping a long single clawed talon towards Mereet as though to drive her backwards.

"Will you fight, or will you ask for help?"

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

[member="Darth Orthus"]​

​

The form was alien and Bastet felt awkward within it. Her arms felt large and cumbersome she could hear Graxus telling her that she had invaded her territory, so now what would she do?

She didn't have time to think just then as the creature reached out with a massive paw and struck her. She rolled over laying on her back for a moment staring at the top of the cave. It had hurt but it was not a kiliing blow. "Ow" Bastet was not use to getting struck her teachers often held back whether it was to boost confidence or fear that she'd strike them down. She did have a temper that had led to some dismemberment an arm, a leg but she always made sure they were able to be fitted with a replacement.

But this still was different it wasn't going to play or back down.

Bastet threw her weight to her feet and pulled herself up. She lashed out at the creature with her own paw being smaller she was able to duck under the next strike, "I'm not allowed to ask for help"

Never once in her training had they said it was allowed. She assumed it wasn't.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

'I'm not allowed to ask for help.' The words sat in the Dark Master's mind like a sore. There was so much he wanted to explain and teach about that comment, so much disdain for it. His own apprentices had learned the lesson he was teaching early. It was simple, he forced them to understand their strengths and weaknesses. To be able to self-analyze and recognize their short comings so that they wouldn't rush into situations they were incapable of handling and so that they would change their strategies and include others in circumstances that arose before them they would be forced to overcome.

On the other end, determination and self-reliance were lessons he also taught. Just normally only after he had shown them that the path to power is rarely walked alone. If it were, Palpatine would not have needed an empire or an apprentice. Vitiate would not have made a series of empires. None of the great Sith would have lasted long without someone to support them. It was important to remember that those at the top only remained for as long as they could hold on to it.

"Not allowed to ask for help?" His voice echoed quizzically, buzzing around the cavern as the two beasts clashed back and forth. "Then fight for your life, alone." He resolved to ensure she didn't exactly die, but he wouldn't step in unless the situation became dire for the shapeshifter.

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

She wasn't allowed to ask for help he repeated it as if in disbelief, what kind of heathens were these people from the Core Worlds. His next comment was as confusing as his last, Then fight for your life alone. As if she had ever thought of doing it any other way!!

Her body was sore from the single blast of the creatures paw. It was time to find that other connection. Ever since her arrival on this world she had searched for the living force that flowed over it. All things were to have it, she needed it.

The creature was coming towards her it looked like it was going to pounce on her! WHAT! NO!

She lifted her hand up as if telling it to stop would make it so. Her other hand lay on the ground digging into the wet damp pathway.

Oddly at this moment she had two feelings, one of great exhilaration the other of being afraid. She felt something tingle she turned her head to look up.

She felt it caress her body finally it was here, she pushed it away using both emotions. The creature slammed into the wall. Once it regained its footing it charged again. Why would it not stop? Clearly she was the more skilled of the two...right?

Bastet scrambled to her feet, "Why won't it stop?"

[member="Darth Orthus"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Its in its nature to fight to the bitter end, Little one." Orthus echoed, watching the two beasts struggle against one another. He could tell the little one had the upper hand, which was good to know that she could hold her own in a scrap. Better than he could have managed physically, as reliant on the Force as the mystic was.

"Just as it is in yours to be alone." Alone. It was an interesting concept to the Dark Master, who was never alone. In truth, he heard so many conversations, kept so many aliases and alter egos that he could truly remain in contact, despite his desire for solitude. Such was the price of vision. "Just as it is in mine to teach."

"Finish it or bare your own neck." The Dark Master disliked senseless killing or the inflicting of pain on others. If one needed to die, then let it be done swiftly and with purpose. If one needed to be taught a lesson that required pain, let it be done, but do not revel in the suffering of others. It is not their place to suffer, but the responsibility of the strong to ease it. One way or another.

[member="Bastet"]

 

[Bestat]

Till the very end she could respect this actually. It was protective of what it saw as its own and would not allow anyone else in. The only way to finish it was to kill since it would not go away wounded.

She was already starting to forget that he called her 'little one'. She nodded though a truth was not to be denied she was alone. A single creature of her own species expected to live 150 years if she wasn't killed. But this creature wasn't the last if its kind it would reproduced and it would live on.

She on the other hand would never have children, and when she died another would rise up to take her place.

She would not be offering her neck today nor would she go home on her shield. It was nothing to kill in her mind. She had long claws she would have to use them. Most creatures were vulnerable where this one was vulnerable.

To kill this one she would have to get close and personal. She ran at it allowing the force to help lift her from the ground to land on the creatures' chest. Its long arms reached for her its claw stabbing her arm, the growing and yelling mixed together. No sound could be distinguished between the two as Bastet stabbed over and over with the claws.

Her arm was growing tired, her body was not able to keep the strength of the organic create. She drilled for the open mouth until she heard a crunch. The creature shrank down to a pile while Bastet shifted back to her natural form.

Out of breath she stood there with her hands resting on her knees. She looked at the creature before her in the last throws of life then the light disappeared from its eyes. Done.
It fought well till the end it was a good fight.

[member="Darth Orthus"]