Secrets In The Dark

[Vrak Nashar]

Prakith
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Andeddu's Keep had once been the primary home of the One Sith. The Citadel had been occupied by the group for nearly four centuries as their only home. They had sat and festered, their Dark Lord had waited and watched for the right time, then they had struck. The One Sith had launched their assault on the galaxy from this world, washing over the Galaxy like a red tide beginning at Coruscant. It had been a horror then, the damage that they had inflicted, the death they had wrought.

Now?

Now their fortress sat occupied by the Galactic Alliance.

Vrak could see them from the cliff that he had perched himself on. One of their shuttles sat within the courtyard of the Citadel, around it were half a dozen Alliance Soldiers, or what he could only guess were Alliance soldiers. They wore armor he didn't recognize, though all of them appeared to have more than a little bit of training. By his guess there were probably about fifty of them in total, most now inside of the tomb, though why they were here he had no idea. He frowned slightly as he brought the macro-binoculars up to his face.

The soldiers by the shuttles were likely just outside guards, standing watch in case any one or anything came looking.

Vrak had no doubt that the Citadel was abandoned, the One Sith having collapsed and those who had sworn to their Dark Lord long gone. His lips thinned. This must have been a mission to find any remnants of their forces, dig out the last pockets of resistance. It made sense in a way. The One Sith had sat for hundreds of years in secret, why wouldn't the Alliance be weary of them doing the same once again.

The Acolyte let out a sigh and shook his head, slowly creeping back over the cliff.

He would have to find another way into the Citadel, he couldn't risk alerting the guards.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Prakith was new. At least to her. She'd agreed to come on the rather drab mission simply to explore the abandoned citadel that had long been occupied by various degrees of Sith. Jamie wanted to have a look around, to study the architecture and perhaps any clues that might grant some bit of insight as to their order. Reviewing what little they had accumulated in terms of information on the keep took little more than a few minutes. An ancient Sith had constructed and resided here, along with his many cultists. Like any other Sith, however, others had come looking for his knowledge. Anything physical that could have been considered valuable would have long since been stripped, but there were always things left behind that were worth studying.

Glyphs, scribes, architectural designs. Subtle things that most would never pay mind to.

The woman stepped off the shuttle, having situated her belongings and collected what she'd need for the day. With a small escort she headed for the gates. The citadel towered overhead, a menacing looking structure that loomed high, stretching upwards towards the darkened clouds above. There was an eerie, abysmal feeling that surrounded this place. Prakith itself had long been tainted by the darkness, and despite its' abandonment by the Sith, that feeling lingered on.

"This way." One of the guards directed her as they ascended the steps.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He frowned slightly as he watched a new figure step out of the shuttle. This one, unlike the others was not armored, but instead wore a more simple form of clothing.

She was also young.

The Sith let his knuckles slowly roll against his leg as he considered. She was either a scientist of some sort, an officer, or perhaps a Jedi. He knew that the Alliance had a close relationship with the New Jedi Order, it was where the Miralin had come from he. If she was a Jedi it could pose some problems, though the very nature of the citadel as well as Prakith itself would at the very least cloak his presence well enough. He frowned slightly and then shifted.

There was no time to waste.

Perhaps if he made it deeper into the structure before the girl he wouldn't have to worry too much.

Though this tomb had long since been plundered by both Sith and normal grave robbers there were still secrets to be found. Secrets that Vrak would need if he were to continue with his plans. Quickly the Sith pulled himself up the rocks, heading towards the spire via the cliffside.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"We've secured the first and second floors. We're in the process of assessing the remaining structural integrity of the citadel. This building is old, and long since been neglected." The man said as they reached the entrance of the building, stepping through to the massive parlor at the base of a double wide staircase. Beneath it a single corridor would lead further inside the main floor, while the staircase took to the second level. "Thank you, Lieutenant." The girl said with a nod as she brushed her hand against the ancient, dust covered railing. Gently her fingers trailed the smooth wood as she meandered upwards towards the second level. "We're on channel three two three if you need us." The man broke away from the Jedi, heading towards the inner sanctum of the main floor, leaving her to her musings.

Adjusting her comm to the appropriate channel Jamie headed for the fifth floor. According to the layout they had acquired, there was an old oratory that was devoted to the Sith Lords of old. Something she wanted to see for herself. Hopefully there was still something left to see. There was likely to be lingering statues that had not been removed due to the inconvenience of the prospect, fountains or other large structures with history attached to them. She'd brought along her camera, tucked away in her bag to document her findings. Hopefully this time she went off exploring Sith architecture she wouldn't find a sleeping Terentatek.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The climb was, admittedly harrowing. The cliffs were hardly a stable platform, and more than once Vrak found himself questioning whether or not a foothold would actually be able to keep him safe. He frowned slightly, fingers slowly looping around a rock as he approached the section of the Citadel that had been built into the cliffs himself.

For a moment he lingered there, watching as some of the Alliance Guard in the Courtyard below walked back towards their Shuttle.

The Sith took in slow, deep breaths, then slowly moved onto the blackened structure of the citadel itself. He climbed carefully, making sure not to disturb any pieces of the building that looked as though they might break or fall away. Slowly he wound himself around the the tower, eventually finding a patch of the building that was simply...missing. He frowned for a moment and then grasped the inner wall, dragging himself inside and falling to the heavy stone floor with a muted thud.

The sound, unfortunately, echoed through the halls.

He flinched slightly, shaking his head and putting a hand to his face.

Hopefully the Alliance troopers and their Jedi would think it was just the old structure crumbling apart. He let out a sigh, and then quickly headed down towards where he knew he would find the stairs.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

As her feet landed at the top of the staircase that arrived at the fifth floor an echoed bang rang out from somewhere nearby. It sounded almost as if something had fallen off the wall, or from the ceiling, onto the hard floor below. That was hardly a good sign for the integrity of the building! Undisturbed areas of the citadel were simply falling away. Perhaps maybe there was little in the way of history worth studying after all, if things were in this sort of condition. I sure hope this place doesn't come crashing down today of all days. Being buried beneath rock and debris once was enough. Repeating the process wasn't something she was looking forward to.

After having frozen in place for a moment, looking around for signs that things might come crashing down any second the girl relaxed a bit, then continued heading towards the large inner chamber. There were dozens of smaller rooms, some completely barren and exposed to the elements with moss and other flora beginning to grow and reclaim areas, others with empty shelves that had been ransacked by countless looters, their doors broken down by force. She paused every few seconds, having withdrawn her camera to take a number of photographs as evidence of her excursion. Though not much was quite of historical value yet, there was the intrigue value in documenting her time inside.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vrak moved quickly.

The knew that the longer he lingered within the fortress the longer he would be risking discovery by the Alliance. They weren't as foolish as some of the others that he had encountered on his travels, and if they found him skulking around this place they would be liable t-

The Sith froze.

As he turned the corner he found himself nearly face to face with the girl who had exited the shuttle a few moments ago. His lips thinned almost instantly, his fingers jumped to his lightsaber hilt. There wasn't really much time to think about anything, but oddly enough he found himself somewhat...surprised. She was lone, her expression told him she hadn't been looking for him, much less expecting him, and the camera that she held was evidence that she was some sort of scientist.

He hadn't sensed her coming, hadn't seen her wander towards him, yet here she was. His free hand immediately shot up, the force jumping up to latch around her and hopefully hold her in place before she could call for help.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Her head turned, footsteps? She blinked as a bright, crimson skinned man with amber eyes and facial tendrils turned the corner as she had just lowered her camera. He reached for something, though she stood motionless, utterly confused by what was going on. She blinked again. He raised his hand. Is that, a....Sith Sith? Aela had spoken of them in brief passing before, but to actually see one, despite their rarity in the galaxy, here and now was one in a trillion, if not more. She froze, though not by choice. The grip of the Force wrapped around her, lifting her slightly from the ground as her feet dangled two or three inches above the marble flooring.

"Wha--?"

She was still more confused by the sight of him than the fact that he might be about to kill her.

"Sith?"

Where did he come from?

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The question in her voice was more than obvious, but in truth Vrak didn't particularly care to answer it in that moment.

For all he knew there were Alliance troopers just around the corner, and she could call more of the at any moment. A curse ran through his head. He had her immobilized...for now, but he wasn't all that strong in the force so maintaining this hold wasn't going to be easy. Igniting his lightsaber would surely draw the guards, the weapon was too loud for the troopers not to hear in a place like this, and that really only left him with one other option.

A scowl painted on his face.

There was risk, but at this point he had to take it.

The hand that held her tightened just a little bit, and then her jerked it to the right. The objective was a simple one, send her crashing against the wall, knock her unconscious, and hope that those Troopers that heard the noise assumed it was simply another piece of the citadel falling apart. The solution was not an artful one, nor was it all that subtle, but at the very least he hoped it would allow him to gain a modicum of control back from the situation.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She felt the sudden jerk of energy from the Force pull and throw her body from where she levitated across the corridor and into the wall with a thud. Her back hit first, knocking the wind out of her lungs as her head followed, hitting the marble wall with slightly less force than her lower half, but still enough to make her see stars. Her vision blurred for a moment as she struggled to gain focus and her bearings. She was still entirely confused as to what he was doing there. How he was there.

Sliding down against the wall immediately after the impact her knees bent, leaving her in a sitting position, as she blinked several more times, looking at the red skinned man from her new place on the floor. Thankfully her incredibly expensive camera had been spared the assault, which she quickly moved to inspect, despite the immediate threat to her safety that the man clearly posed. One arm coddled it as she flashed a gaze up at him. The blonde raised her hand, the comm on her wrist illuminating as it activated. She needed to alert the other Alliance guards in case he fled.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

A curse left his lips as he saw that she was still awake. Luckily for some strange reason the woman inspected her Camera before actually calling for help, giving Vrak just enough time to close the distance between the two of them.

His footfalls were heavy, but again he hoped the noise would be concealed by the general tragedy of the structure around them.

Vrak had no idea whether or not this woman was a force user, who she was, or even what she was doing here, but none of that really mattered. If she was allowed to call the Alliance trooper then the game was up. He was strong, but not strong enough to take on more than a dozen Alliance troopers. They'd gun him down before he even had a chance to kill half of them. The only shot he had, the only chance he had at surviving was to knock this woman out.

Which is exactly what he attempted to do.

As she reached her arm up and tried to call for help Vrak reached her, his hand balling into a fist and aiming to strike right into her face.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

What a little ball of anger!

Jamie saw him rush forward. He was none to pleased with her existence it seemed. Maybe he had taken up refuge in this large citadel. Maybe he was after something specific? Or maybe he just hated visitors. Or Jedi. Or both. Probably both she assumed. Still, the very thought of seeing a Sith in the flesh was incredibly interesting to her. Though, not quite enough that she wanted to continue exposing her body to physical harm, much to his likely chagrin.

His fist came crashing down towards her face, somewhere she'd been hit several times by people larger than she. Jamie remembered quite well how that felt, and how she would much rather not feel it. Her camera wasn't ruined, so she wasn't yet too angry. Her back would be sore in the morning, if nothing else. Should probably get her head checked as well, just to be certain.

The blonde's hand rose, allowing the Force to rush through her as a river, expelling a great deal of energy outwards to throw the raging man backwards and away from her, if nothing else than to separate them once more and give her a minute to brush off and stand back up. Maybe take out her lightsaber as well, just in case. Oh, and definitely call for help this time.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vrak was thrown back into the hall, his body flung through the air.

A loud thud erupted through the hallway as he struck a large stone pillar in the center of the hall. A 'oof' escaped his teeth, lips thinning as he felt his spine nearly snap against the ornate stonework. A curse left him as he fell to the ground, his hand tightening around his lightsaber as he rose.

He didn't have another choice now.

The Lightsaber in his hand erupted with a loud snap-hiss. Crimson blade burning to life. There wasn't any other way. He would have to kill the girl and finish this before the troopers arrived. Prakith was a lost cause, at least for now, but perhaps he would be able to take her cameras and find what he needed in the pictures she had taken.

It was a slim hope, but a hope.

His off-hand raised once again, a bright spark of purple lightning flaring from it directly towards Jamie.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Definitely a Sith.

Red skin? Check. Face tendrils? Check. Red lightsaber? Check. Uncontrollable anger? Check. Definitely Sith!

Jamie reached for her hip and pulled free daylight, pressing down on the activator with urgency as the yellow plasma sword sprang outwards. "Stop!" She shouted, though it was largely without purpose. When did that ever work, anyway? The sudden flash of purple that danced between the red skinned man's fingers gave her the brief warning of what was about to come.

The Padawan threw up her free hand just as the arcs of lightning came snapping towards her. A small, nearly invisible barrier separated the two from one another, though this was still a largely unpracticed implementation of the Force for her. Before she'd managed to conjure up the protection one of the arcs managed to send a rippling charge through her body, thereby interrupting her focus. The barrier fell half a second too late and exposed her to the remaining arcs of energy, forcing a loud scream that undoubtedly the troopers would have heard from the floors beneath her.

She staggered back, maintaining her lightsaber in a semi-defensive position, thought it was clear she'd felt better.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Vrak didn't give the girl a minute of rest.

He couldn't.

The troopers had surely heard her screech, not to mention the lightsabers and continued crashing about were more than obvious. It would take them a few minutes to find them, not to mention get up all the stairs to the level of the spire they were on. Vrak needed to be gone by then, but he needed that Camera too. The Girl's lightsaber sprang to life, a bright yellow beam that told him all the story that he needed to know. She was a Jedi, not a scientist. He frowned a moment more and dashed forward.

This was more his element. Rage incited through him, his fingers gripping the lightsaber tightly.

Within half a heartbeat he reached her, lightsaber slashing down in a wide arc.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A feisty one! Jamie breathed out in a deep exhale, trying to set herself straight after having been unexpectedly shocked. Her hair was a notable frizz now, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck raised. Still, the man didn't relent. Didn't stop. Didn't give an inch and didn't speak a word. What was this guy's problem!? With a two handed grip she shifted the hilt in her hand, catching the raging red blade at its' midpoint with a fair bit of balance. A sudden jolt of light flashed between the two at their meeting point, followed by snapping and crackling as the two plasma blades hissed against one another.

Her blue eyes cast a scorned look into his, as if trying to pierce his soul. Lips mouthed the word 'Why?'

Stepping back her weight shifted to her right leg, pivoting her body and stepping off to the side, allowing his weapon to slide about three quarters of the way down before she pulled back and away, raising her weapon back into more of a batters' stance. The woman stood still, withholding any advance. If she simply waited him out he would wind up trapped between her and the GADF forces. She just needed to run out the clock.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He hissed. This woman needed to die. There was no other way around it. He had neither the time nor the patience to play games with her, and as he half fell forward with the momentum of his pushed saber he couldn't help but feel frustration rise within him. The troopers would come soon, and he simply didn't have the skill or the power necessary to defeat all of them. He had to act fast, he had to win otherwise he'd just end up in an Alliance Prison cell.

Vrak fell forward, moving with the flow of the blade.

The flat of his palm came up as he twisted himself, turning so that his hand struck out towards her. The force would rush from his palm, pressing out and sending a powerful wave towards her that would hopefully send her crashing against the wall.

He ignored the word she mouthed, deciding it was best to speak when she was dead on the floor.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie felt the second wave of energy rush past her, lifting her up once again and sending her back towards the archway separating the hallway from the oratory. Now would have been a perfect time to have that armor on. She hadn't decided to wear it because the citadel was long abandoned and there hadn't been any reports of Sith activity, let alone actual Sith near the citadel. It seemed like a rather harmless exploration of an ancient ruin.

Except now it wasn't.

Her back again felt the agony of the unapologetic wall, this time catching it in a weakened spot, aged over time. It crumbled before it could stop her, sending her through it and into the next room. Another scream poured out of her air deprived lungs as she struggled to breathe once more. Now covered in dust, her saber had deactivated, laying idle on the floor just beside her. She watched it for a second, as if contemplating just laying there on the floor.

The very real fear of death hit her, snapping her out of the daze she had found herself in. With a cough she summoned her weapon back to her right hand, igniting it while she sat up, holding herself with her left hand. There was a commotion coming from downstairs as the sound of boots could be heard rushing upwards.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

His lightsaber went crashing against hers, but it was already too late.

The soldiers had closed the distance between the lower levels and where they had been fighting. Whoever the troopers were they had apparently been used to running up and down flights of stairs. Vrak let out a curse, slowly stepping back away from the Jedi as the Troopers immediately raised their weapons and opened fire.

There was no hesitation from any of them.

Four of the soldiers stepped forward, keeping up a rate of fire that had Vrak stumbling backwards in the hall, his lightsaber flicking back and forth as he deflected bolt after bolt. The task became more difficult as the soldiers moved forward, covering one another so that the Sith had no chance to ever even strike back. These men had been trained to fight force users. Another curse left his lips as he brought up his hand, another flash of lightning leaving his fingertips in a vain attempt to gain some ground back.

He half forgot about the Jedi girl.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She heard the blaster fire outside, the whirring and flashing of the Sith's lightsaber. For a long few seconds she simply stayed put, trying to catch her breath all the while watching the archway, needing to catch her breath and give her terribly sore back some small reprieve. She pulled off the camera from around her neck, tucking it back into her bag and setting it aside beneath the table she was sitting next to.

With a huff she pushed herself to her feet once more and walked her way back to the opening that separated the Sith from the Jedi.

Only after she'd made it there, where she could see the red skinned man desperately attempting to deflect and redirect bolt after bolt did she make any concerted effort to attack him. Until that point she had stood back, tried to reason with him, tried to ask him what he was doing. She hadn't even elicited a single grunt from the being, let alone a cohesive sentence.

She stepped forward, swinging her saber in a horizontal slash towards his back. Perhaps quite fortunately for him, if it struck, he wouldn't be simply cut in half, but rather be subjected to a very unpleasant, brief paralysis.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]