Pilgrimage to Lehon [Ask] [Black Tie Syndicate]

[Miss Blonde]

"One moment Nerf, I'm thinking." Patricia said to Seanna as she looked down from the observation port.

Watching the shuttle leave the woman's mind raced with a few possibilities on what to do. The woman was clearly a Sith Lord, no doubt about that. But they hadn't positioned themselves in a place of power which was odd and now that they were revealed they knew they would be monitored day and night. So why go down there knowing this? Why continue with whatever it was they were doing?

"Firing solutions are ready, Ma'am." One of the Red Dress' techs said in a stern voice.

"Likelihood of destruction?" Blonde answered back.

"Ninety six percent ma'am. Do I open fire?" Blonde thought about that for a moment.

To be honest she didn't care if the men or women on that ship died with the Sith Lord. They were criminals, criminals died. But what was keeping her from pulling the trigger was the curiosity of it all, and how she could use this to gather more Intel on the sith. Plus having a Sith Lord nearby could prove to be slightly useful.

"No, hold fire. For now. I want to see what they drag up." Blonde said with an almost hesitant voice.

She would then turn her head Seanna and look up at her with a slight smile.

"Can I ask for advice?"

[member="Darth Ayra"][member="Seanna Vel"] [member="Darth Ayra"] [member="Azalyn Falconer"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Miss Blonde"] | [member="Seanna Vel"] | [member="Azalyn Falconer"] |

A smile crept over Darth Ayra's face, as her transport broke through the stratosphere of Lehon and out into an alien sky. Of course you could not destroy me, thought the Sith Lord, as her transport descended through the skies and out across a yellow, sand filled beach. Content that she had not been destroyed by the Red Dress, as she had foreseen when she had boarded the vessel, Darth Ayra lifted her gaze upwards, turning her focus onto the task at hand.

The transport touched down upon the beach. There were no other available landing zones. With the landing gears placed, the landing ramp was lowered and the shuttle bay doors opened, as Miss Blonde's criminal contingent filtered out into the sand. Darth Ayra followed, lifting her gaze to an alien star. The Force is strong here, she thought quietly.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Miss Blonde"] | [member="Azalyn Falconer"] | [member="Seanna Vel"] | [member="The Black Hat"] |

A soft breeze washed over Darth Ayra and the band of mercenaries that had accompanied her to the planet's surface. Her eyes wondered over the plain, admiring the texture of bright yellow sand and the contrasting dark green, blending with brown and an assortment of other colours from the forest that loomed ahead of the group. Turning, Darth Ayra was met with something unexpected. Buried deep in the sand, a meter from where they had landed, was a gigantic piece of metal that loomed like a giant specter, casting a shadow over the beach. Stepping into the shadow, the alien star was blotted out, allowing Darth Ayra to admire the designs that were painted on it, from a culture long since dead.

Averting her gaze, Darth Ayra turned to the forest. She overheard the mercenaries commenting on the metal she had just been watching and the strangeness of the beach. Behind them, waves assaulted the beach softly, mixing with the varying sounds of the wind; the creaking of the nearby structure; and the wildlife within the alien forest. As they spoke, Darth Ayra could feel the animals and insects inside the forest, knowing that the forest was a death trap for the contingent of criminals that Miss Blonde had assigned, not to help her, but to watch her.

She contemplated on the decision. Should she warn these mercenaries about what she knew? It would save their lives, she summarized. Darth Ayra assumed that if even one of these men were to die, then the blame would lay at her feet and subsequently, Miss Blonde would have all the proof she needed to throw the book at her. On the other hand, if she was to warn these men, then it would garner questions, such as 'How do you know that?' and so forth. It would be a confirmation of her Force-sensitivity, that Miss Blonde had already begun deducing, based on simple logic and reasoning.

Folding her arms across her chest, Darth Ayra contemplated further on her decision for the next few minutes. It was inevitable that Blonde and the other members of the Black Tie Syndicate, who had accompanied them to this alien world, would check in soon. Perhaps the answers would be revealed to her when they did.

 

[NightSister]

As she looked at the planet Azalyn couldn't help but feel overwhelmed, which led her to wonder whether she was actually as seperate from the Force as she'd always thought she was. She'd never needed the Force to get a job done, which was why she'd never tested to see if she could've actually used it, but the planet gave of such a strong sense of...something... that it was hard not to consider the possibility.

In her mind, she slapped herself. There were bigger things to worry about now, such as the holocron they were retrieving or the most definitely Force-sensitive woman who kept denying her ties to the Sith. As someone who read people well, Azalyn could see that she was constantly switching between honesty and lies, which confused her, and made her distrust of the woman that much stronger. She'd dealt with Force-wielders before, but never Sith and she was desperately hoping that she wouldn't have to.

 

[Darth Ayra]

No word had come from the Red Dress. Darth Ayra became tired of Miss Blonde and her stagnation. The dark side of the Force was strong on this alien world. It was the strongest she had ever felt in her lifetime and she knew of the significance of this, even if the Black Tie Syndicate did not. The Sith knew not to be stagnant or weak, for it was against the concepts required to follow the dark path, and so turning her gaze from the mercenaries on the beach, Darth Ayra begun her journey into the forest.

The bush was thick, with an assortment of colours blending in with each other. Alien fauna laid between green leaves and various different versions of brown, as tropical trees hung over the Dark Lord of the Sith as she walked. She still wasn't far from the beach, but she was far enough to have lost the mercenaries line of sight. Her path blocked by difficult terrain. Lightsaber igniting in her palm, the Dark Lord begun to cleave and slash her way through, her path guided by her senses as she followed what it was that pulled her closer to it.

Through her studies, Darth Ayra knew that the Sith important enough to have been buried left behind protection so as to hide their tombs and the treasures they left behind. Those who misunderstood these terrible traps and weapons as a means to stop others from taking their wears. In some cases this was true, but Darth Ayra understood it differently. It was more of a challenge. If their wears were claimed, then the claimer was truly worthy of becoming the inheritor of that Sith Lord's legacy.

This all came to mind as Darth Ayra swung her weapon, severing alien plant life and vines as she trudged forward, for the forest was a real test of her endurance and stamina. Yet, she felt that this was just the beginning of her trials and tribulations in her search for knowledge on this long lost ancient alien world. Sweating profusely now, Darth Ayra felt her arms beginning to tire. But she would not give up. Her pain only continued to fuel her passions.

 

[Darth Ayra]

Hours passed by Darth Ayra as she made her way through the forest. When a hanging vine got in her way or an obstacle barred her path, the Dark Lord reached out and cleared them with either her Lightsaber or her Force Powers. She came across strange, alien wildlife- some she recognized as predators- as she made her way deeper into the forest and towards her destination. Whether it was because they sensed the raw power within; the lightsaber in her hand; or the fact that she looked them square in the eye, as if to almost dare them to attack, could be any guess as to why they did not.

Stepping out of the foliage, Darth Ayra came across even- and more importantly- clear ground for the first time since she had stepped out the transport that had taken her and Miss Blonde's mercenaries down from the Red Dress and down to the mysterious planet they had discovered. The Dark Lord came across a ruin. Various statues littered the area, in states of disrepair. The pavement beneath her was also broken, but until the forest she had just departed, it was easier to walk upon, with only small crevices, grooves and cracks littering it's surface.

Walking forward, Darth Ayra lifted the cowl of her robe over her head, concealing her face and hair from view, so as to shield her eyes from the burning sun above. Perspiration hung from her body, making her feel clammy and hot, but the dark side of the Force flowed through the Dark Lord of the Sith, making the effects of her journey through the forest inconsequential. Ignoring the sun, she continued on wards and deeper into the ruins, past the strange, alien statues of an alien species she did not recognize.

 

[Darth Ayra]

Coming across a fork in the path, Darth Ayra was given the option of going left or right. Feeling out with the Force, the Dark Lord determined that she should go with the left, sensing that both ways ended up at the same place. Learning techniques so as to master Lightsaber combat, Darth Ayra was taught that the traditional hand used to hold such a weapon was the left, according to the Sith doctrine. It was for that reason that she decided to go with the left, rather than the right. Stepping onto the path, the Dark Lord begun to ascend the slope.

As she climbed upwards, ascending the hill from the bottom ruins to the top, Darth Ayra saw a building coming into view upon the horizon. So tall, that even at the bottom of the slope, she could still spot the tip of it in the skyline. It didn't take long for Darth Ayra to finish climbing up the slope, passing by a cliff that overlooked a beach and the sea. She assumed that she was now on the other side of what appeared to be an island. At the top of the hill, Darth Ayra approached the structure that loomed before her. Strange, alien symbols covered the walls of the building, which she recognized as an ancient dialect of a long forgotten language. She had come across similar markings during her studies, from a language she knew to be Sith'ise, the language of the original Sith species. But who or whatever was responsible for constructing this building, and the language they spoke, was entirely different. The only thing they shared with the Sith was the fact they were both long dead and whatever it was that was inside this building would now belong to her.

Lifting her hand to the gates, Darth Ayra exerted her will over them with the Force. Both doors begun to budge at first, heavy and difficult for her to move. Pulling further on them, dragging her hand backwards at the same time, they slowly edged themselves open, revealing the entrance. The light of the alien sun above her begun to edge itself into the entrance, revealing a dark atrium. Debris covered the floor ahead, telling Ayra that building was in as much a state of ruin as the outside. Aware of the danger that was proposed to her by this, Darth Ayra entered the Temple of Ancients, acutely aware that at any moment, a brick or some other debris could fall upon her and cause great injury; or the entire structure itself could finally begin it's collapse, with her inside.

 

[Darth Ayra]

Coming to a stop inside the atrium, Darth Ayra looked over her shoulder briefly to peer outside. Beneath the cowl of her robe, the yellow eyes of the Dark Lord searched for any signs that the mercenaries that Miss Blonde had assigned to accompany her had managed to find the temple she now stood in. But she saw nothing. She also couldn't sense anything other than the dark side power that had drawn her here in the first place. The same power that had brought her all the way from Antecedent to the other side of the Galaxy, to this ancient ruin and the alien planet that it had been constructed upon.

Turning her gaze back to her surroundings, Darth Ayra saw that the pathway ahead was submerged in darkness. Bringing her Lightsaber into her hand, the cool sharp snap-hiss illuminated her immediate area in crimson light. Using her weapon as her light source, the Dark Lord turned into the adjoining pathway, still following the power of the discovery that she was set to make. As she walked down the hallway, she saw that the markings were still very much intact. Studying them, trying to decipher what they meant, would take a life time. They were strange hieroglyphs of a people with eyes that hung out from their skulls. To her eye, they seemed menacing, almost frightening to look at. Given the power of the dark side that she had felt the moment the Red Dress dropped out of hyperspace above their world, she could only assume they were once on the same standing as the ancient Sith. She wondered if the discovery she had come to make was made by their hand and not that of Darth Revan. Perhaps the Dark Lord had once appropriated it, as she was set to do now?

Darth Ayra couldn't tell how much time had elapsed since she had first arrived on the alien planet. It seemed such a long time ago now, particularly in the darkness of the temple she now traversed, save only for the red light that hung above her hooded head. She was deep within the complex now, only guided by the light of her Lightsaber and her Force Senses, that were triangulating the exact location of the supposed holocron that she had learned about from the rumors and superstitions of collectors who dealt in dark side artifacts. Coming to a stop, catching her breath and taking a break, Darth Ayra turned to look around. Was she lost?

 

[Darth Ayra]

Catching her breath, Darth Ayra lowered her gaze and closed her eyes. Submerging her consciousness into the fabric of the dark side, the Dark Lord reached out, embracing the ancient power left behind by the Builders responsible for the construction of the ruined building she now stood in. She summarized that she was deep underground now, considering the descent she had taken as she navigated the hallways of the temple.

Eyes still shut, Darth Ayra lifted her head upwards and begun to walk. Her thumb pressed upon the ignition of her Lightsaber and it's ruby light slid back into the pommel of her hilt. Lowering her aching arm, tired from holding the weapon aloft for the past few hours, the Dark Lord only walked under the guidance of the Force. She knew from her studies that the Jedi believed it impossible for a Sith Lord to understand the flow and direction of the Force, instead teaching their followers that the Sith only sought to create their own direction. But Darth Ayra was a scholar of the Force, as much as she was a warrior and was perfectly aware of the subtle differences between domination and understanding. That the Jedi believed that only they could understand the flow of the Force was apart of their arrogance, of which Darth Ayra knew would become their undoing one day.

Her boots echoed as she walked through the hallways. Although her eyes could see nothing, Darth Ayra saw everything around her with thanks to the Force. It was because of this that she knew when to turn and where to stop, so as to avoid the walls and fallen debris that coated the floors. She was close now, she could feel. Still keeping the hilt of her Lightsaber in her hand, more out of comfort than need at that moment, Darth Ayra came to a stop within a room.

Opening her eyes, Darth Ayra turned her Lightsaber back on so that she could see where she had ended up. The room was large, but not as big as the atrium or the other rooms that she had come across in her search. Where she had seen what appeared to be terminals and broken pieces of technology of a bygone era, here that was nothing except the remnants of several skeletons that littered the area. In between them stood a plinth, and from what Darth Ayra could see, she summarized that this must have been somewhere to pray, considering how the skeletons were positioned around the room.

Approaching the plinth, the Dark Lord of the Sith saw that there was something on top of it. Reaching out, Darth Ayra's hand wrapped itself around a triangular pyramid like device, which appeared to be inactive. She instantly recognized it as a Holocron, due to owning one similar to it in the form of the Horde Holocron she had left on Sojourn. Studying the device in her hand, Darth Ayra learned that it was broken. Through the Force, she could detect no power source. Anxiety crept in. Had she come all this way for nothing? Was the Holocron that she had ventured from the known Galaxy for had been broken all this time?

 

[Darth Ayra]

Setting the broken Holocron down onto the plinth, Darth Ayra took a step back. She frowned, observing the device her brow creased. Inside her, the deep unadulterated rage- a disposition she had since before she could remember- threatened to bubble over the surface in the form of a guttural roar, the type of which had been heard on the eve of launching an attack. But she knew that she had nothing to attack in the vicinity, and if she did lash out with her powers, then she threatened to collapse the ruin. So she refrained and tried to focus her energy on finding a solution.

She reverted to her studies. She knew that her powers were more potent in the vicinity of dark side energy, such as the one she had come into contact with at the MZX32905 system. She felt something similar here- not as condensed and compact as the one she had at her disposal on board the Skyhook facility she had constructed on the Home- but no less powerful, despite it being spread across an entire planet. In fact, if she was to compare the two, then she would summarize that the dark side energies here in this alien ruin were much more powerful than that of the deposits found within the asteroid she was thinking of.

This was important, if she were to somehow reactivate the Holocron she had discovered. If there was anyway that she could somehow bring it back to life, then it would have to be done here, where she felt the most powerful. Indeed, Darth Ayra hadn't felt stronger anywhere else in her lifetime. There had been moments where she had felt a vergence in the Force, brought upon by a great event, such as the betrayal of Darth Junra at the One Sith spire on Coruscant and the death of Darth Pandeima, her Sith Master who had died by her hand on that same fateful night. Two Apprentices had turned on their Master that night, but only one had emerged from their confrontations as the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Darth Ayra was the most powerful Sith alive. Once again, she was faced with the challenge of ascertaining power, however. The ability to shape and control ones environment proved difficult. It was something akin to defeat when she couldn't achieve this ability over others. She had only ever encountered this once in the guise of Rave Merrill, the Nightsister who had defeated her at Gromas and then Tatooine, exposing her to a consortium that had yet to be revealed to her. The memories of Rave and the betrayal of Damien 'Northstar' Daemon forced Darth Ayra into action.

Lifting her hand to the Holocron, Darth Ayra gripped upon it through the exertion of her powers. It begun to lift up from the plinth, levitating inches above it's surface, engulfed in the dark side powers of the Dark Lord. Yet, it remained as docile as it had been the moment of it's discover, resting in the air empty and worthless. I will not let this defeat me, thought Darth Ayra. Through power, I gain victory. Concentrating, she began the process of thinking of a way to reactivate the Holocron. She knew from her study of the Horde Holocron that it contained a power source similar to that of the Lightsaber that Darth Ayra currently held in her left hand. Through her study of Sith Alchemy, Darth Ayra wondered if the synthetic crystal inside her weapon could be used on the Holocron that levitated before her?

Immediately, Darth Ayra went to pluck the crystal out of her weapon so as to go through with her train of thought. But then she hesitated. If she was to do this, then she risked not having a weapon for the duration of her time on this alien world. She was deep underground, inside the ruins of an alien temple, which was submerged in darkness. She would have no light source. How far was she willing to risk herself for the knowledge that this Holocron held? This is a challenge of the dark side itself. I shall rise to the occasion. Exerting her powers over the Lightsaber in her hand, Darth Ayra liftied it out out of her palm and towards the Holocron before her.

Together, they both hovered in the dark, with the hooded Dark Lord of the Sith stood in front of them. Under the machinations, the durasteel hilt of the weapon begun to detach itself. A minute later the components of Darth Ayra's Lightsaber hung in the air above the plinth, revealing the synthetic crystal that had acted as it's core. Dropping the other pieces, now useless to her, Darth Ayra's eyes were illuminated by the shine of her crystal. It had been with her for twenty years, from the day she had constructed it under Darth Pandeima's instructions and so it had the experience of slaughtering many in the name of it's Master. The dark side had been strong with Ayra's weapon and now that power would be used with the Holocron she sought to claim.

Through her powers, the Holocron was pried open. Levitating into it's center, the crystal was exchanged for the broken power crystal that had been there before. Using only the guidance of the Force, Darth Ayra closed the Holocron around the synth crystal, and as she did, there was a burst of red light, confirming that the Holocron was once again active. Immediately after it's activation, a hooded being appeared before Darth Ayra. "Who comes before me?" asked the hooded figure of Darth Revan, his tones barely above a whisper.