First Reply Ruusan Remembers {Sith or Jedi}

[Darth Imperius]

His cloak was wet from the heavy rain, the hundred meters from his dark hulled shuttle, up the ravine towards the mountain side soaked him. The dark crimson of his tabard looking even darker with the water gathered in it. Drops of water dropped from his hood to his helmet, running down the armoured cheek, almost tear-like. His armor shielded him from the elements though, he did not feel any heat or cold, the temperature was regulated perfectly in his closed system.

Since Darth Imperius arrival, he had felt the presence of the world, it's dead were all around, the souls sacrificed on the altars of dogma and hubris screaming in eternal pain. He relished the feeling. The horrors of war and annihilation inflicted on this planet empowered him, empowered him beyond the knowledge of what had happened, it was a foreshadowing of what was to happen again. A prophecy in the past, a vision of the future.

The armored figure of the Dark Lord stood at the entrance to the cave, the sword Anathema, sheathed on his back, the lightsaber at his hip. His powers resonated with the place, the clash of past and presence exhilarating. Little stones cracked under his sabatons as he started to enter the darkness of the cavern.

He walked into the shadow of another war, another conflict that fueled the perpetual fire that was the heart of the Force. It was here where Darth Bane founded the Order of Sith Lords, where he created the Rule of Two on the bones of lesser Sith. It was only fitting that he started his journey here as well.

On Ruusan.

 

[The Red]

"It's such a dark and desolate place, isn't it? Then again, that's how it is with Sith. Everyone still needs their brooding corners."

The hunched figure of the Zabrak chuckled, his red gleaming eyes staring up and over the waiting cave entrance. He waddled his way towards it, hands clasped calmly behind his back as he moved. A specter of a past long lost, long forgotten. His own place in this galaxy was nothing of importance, but he couldn't sit idle. Explore, remember, relearn.

This place seemed as good as any.

"Shall we go in, my lord? I'm sure there's much to be learned."

Darth Imperius

 

[Darth Imperius]

The Red

The two looked like the lord and his crippled servant, an image retold a hundred times in stories old and new. The evil noble who would beat the poor, serving creature but who was ever loyal, even benevolent because of fear, respect, opportunity, comfort, honour - you name it. It varied from story to story.

Darth Imperius was no mere noble and assumed neither was the Zabrak a simple serf. His ever vigilant mind probed the Zabrak, casually, it was to figure who or at least what he was. Not out of fear or wariness, it was a curiosity. He would not hesitate to enslave a useful one, to subdue what was possible or ignore the worthless.

"The ones who died here were not choosing it freely, nor were they true Sith. Pretenders. Just like so many who lull themselves in the mantle of Sithhood without realising it's foundations."

His voice was gravelly, deep and resonating with mild distortion through the helmets vizor. The Heir did not look towards the alien while speaking and started to step into the cave, following the silent screams of perished souls.

"The Force has marked this place. It was hidden for a thousand years, protected by the Jedi ilk. It's powers were explored and exploited long ago, but the Darkness has never left."

 

[The Red]

He felt of nothing.

And perhaps that was the most alarming fact. No thoughts, no intentions to read. No sense of his grasp or mastery over the Force. Just an empty, vacant feeling of where something should be. The Red followed, a calm as ever smile on his face as he looked about curiously. "So long as there's light, there will always be dark. The brighter the light, even, the darker the shadows it will cast. Is there something specific you seek here, my lord? As you said, this place has been picked clean, and yet, here you are. Is there a secret you know that no other does, perhaps? Or are you just letting the Force guide you?"

Darth Imperius

 

[Darth Imperius]

The Red

"The echoes of oblivion endure eternally. The so called Valley of the Jedi will be a stepping stone to their demise, an old tomb, empty of treasures and yet filled with memories."

He stepped further, the clanking and crushing of his heavy, engraved sabatons continued, marking his advance as unyielding and unrelenting as his voice. He did not slow down for if his companion would have struggles or not to keep up with the long strides he made.

"I could ask you the same question. What do you seek here?"

 

[The Red]

The Zabrak waddled along, if only barely keeping up as a dry, humorless chuckle escaped his lips. "That's the same old, yeah. Jedi will perish, something under their noses will be their undoing. Many, oh so many, have claimed that. What makes this different, I wonder?" He hummed the question for a moment longer before shrugging indifferently. A cane rested in his hands, clicking about as he tried to keep up with the steps taken by the much larger man.

"Mm. Understanding. Much has changed from last I remember, so, why not see what it is the Sith are doing now?"

Darth Imperius

 

[Darth Imperius]

The Red

Darth Imperius did not laugh. He was overall not amused or interested in amusement. It was not exactly his avenue, nor would it ever be. His gaze remained firmly ahead, the helmets functions piercing the darkness with no difficulties at all.

"I can see from your words that you are an observer, a complacent being with little use other than to offer short-sighted judgement and hiding behind comments without action."

"Instead of merely learning and remarking, why are you not focused on action? Is there a reason why you are not to be discarded or put in chains like a worthless slave?"

 

[The Red]

"That's a lot of assumptions of a stranger. Presumptuous Sith are the first to die, you know. You should learn to keep such thoughts to yourself and watch instead. Listen and learn. A Sith that claims to be powerful is among the weakest of his rank. Or something along those lines." Another dry chuckle escaped the aged man as he continued to keep his gaze ahead, his gaze around even as he glanced about ever curiously on their destination. On what these empty secrets were going to be.

"I wonder how close we are to the source."

Darth Imperius

 

[Darth Imperius]

The Red

"You talk so much and say nothing."

The Sith Lord had not changed his tone or voice, no annoyance or threat perceived from the unwanted companion. He regarded the Zabrak as an annoying nuisance, nothing else.

Darth Imperius came to a halt, his presence looked ahead, the feeling of ancient death intensified around them, but he did not go further. He simply stood still, the dim light of his vizor visible in the dark. It was as if he had turned into a statue.

 

[The Red]

The Zabrak just let out a sigh and left.

 

[Darth Imperius]

Unimpeded by further verbal obstructions, Darth Imperius headed on. Climbed into the darkness of the cave and into the past of one of the most destructive conflicts the Galaxy had seen. Here it had ended. Here it had begun anew. The endless cycle of moves and countermoves, where one who was close to be the Sith'ari launched his coup de grâce at the weak Brotherhood of Darkness.

The stone was wet, no light pierced so deep so it was tainted in the red of his crimson vizor. It had been the Force that guided him here, that brought him here. The vision of the past held the key for the future. His future.

One of the surviving Jedi had made this place a temple, statues and engravings, all the pompous signs of a victory that never was. Once it was lighted, he presumed, once it was shining and maybe even glorious, but now everything was tainted by the eternal blackness of the depth. It mattered not, had his armor not provided him vision, he would have done so himself. The Force was his servant.

As he set foot into the large cavern, his sabatons should have produced some echo, but it seemed swallowed by the darkness as well. His gaze wandered around while his mind expanded, he took it in, the site of the Thought Bomb. The instant death screams of hundreds lingered in the air, after all these centuries it tasted fresh. It always would. It was not only the death, but the betrayal and the subsequent torment which was empowering.

With a heavy clank of metal on rock, his knees touched the ground as he moved to seat himself in the dark, calmly placing his sword in front of him. Darth Imperius closed his eyes, his fists met each other in front of his chest and he let go of the mortal realm to pierce the veil. The Dark side pulsated, almost imploded as he went into his vision and looked onwards . . . .