Skylines, Horizon [Open]

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Ferox"] |

Sat at the edge of Avalonia's horizon, Darth Vupua meditated on the dark side of the Force. Her fiery gaze was met with the skyline of the cities limits, adjoined with the hard cold surface of the mound of Earth that the Sith Lord sat upon in the riposte pose, an ancient meditative technique taught to Jedi at an early age. The Sith Lords mind was occupied with questions of which she had no answers for. She contemplated on the complexity of her life goals. Her mind turned to her seminal life as a Jedi Knight, which granted her a unique perspective and understanding of her enemies. She had been a Jedi once, so she understood how the Jedi Order worked. As a Jedi, Vupua had followed the narrow minded dogmas that hindered the Jedi. She also understood why they continued to follow and teach them.

She knew that this understanding gave her an advantage of the Jedi, but the trouble was knowing how to use that knowledge against them. Understanding of the dark side had allowed her to harness and control the power of the Force, such was the power of a Sith Lord. But she knew that sometimes you had to listen to the Force in order to gain answers. Maintaining her meditative pose, eyes set on the city ahead, Darth Vupua continued her meditation until she found the answers she needed.

 

[Darth Ferus]

The Capital of the First Order. Once again, Darth Ferox found himself heading to planets that once belonged to the ancient Iridonian Empire. It was here he hoped to find another of the tombs of his ancestors. He arrived in a diplomatic ship from Iridonia, marking himself an official of his home here on a somewhat diplomatic mission with the First Order. Perhaps making an alliance with them was on the table, but he did not expect to be greeted any time soon.

Out into the capital city of Avalonia the Sith Lord walked, dressed in his leathers and bright colors. All made to represent his position on his homeworld. He had no idea where he was going first, but he wandered about the glorious city, enjoying the sights. Soon he would return on his hunt, but for now, vacation was in order.

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Ferox"] |

As Darth Vupua shifted her mind through the murky, convoluted logic of the dark side, piecing together ideas and formulating what she should do next, she felt him. A presence she had not felt since the Ayrix. The vivid, fresh memories of the small altercation between herself, Vaulkhar and his revealed Sith Master- Darth Ferox- bore themselves forward, pushing aside the elongated, complex tapestry of the Grand Plan and instead replacing them with a seething rage that was likened to a brewing storm.

Resting on the lap of the Sith Lord was the Saberstaff she had constructed after entering the apprenticeship of Darth Ayra. Vupua longed to claim the pommel of the weapon into her hand, find Ferox and discover why he was in Avalonia before severing his head from his body, or better yet, slowly dissecting him with the twin-blades of her weapon until there was nothing left of him. But what made Vupua remained perfectly still was her calculative mind. As the snout of the beast inside her raised itself at the promise of blood, the Sith Lord shifted her thoughts and came to a logical conclusion: that murdering Ferox served no purpose, and that her reasons for wanting to kill him were, simply put, barbaric.

Running her fingers along the pommel of her weapon, feeling the metal purr beneath her touch, Vupua decided to spare him. She did not like the fact that Ferox had sent Vaulkhar to spy on her, nor did she take solace in the knowledge that he was aware of the Sith Holocrons and other dark side artifacts that are in her possession. On the other hand, Ferox had shown himself to be a capable and cunning opponent, who had also revealed his strengths in not only stopping her from killing Vaulkhar for his betrayal, but subsequently saving his apprentice from herself and Veles.

"Through strength, I gain power," Vupua murmured, rising up to her feet for the first time in hours. If Ferox could be brought on side and made to understand her actions on the Ayrix, than Darth Vupua might end the day with a strong and powerful Sith Lord that she could easily misdirect and manipulate in the tapestry woven by her late Sith Master. Clipping her Saberstaff onto her hip, Darth Vupua begun to climb down from the mound of Earth she had selected for her daily meditations and begun her descent, using her attuned senses in the Force to lead her to where Darth Ferox was.

 

[Vosh Mozh]

Vosh was a lot smaller than her master. Almost a foot, actually, so she felt like a child following a parent. Darth Ferox's attire was strikingly bright, and though she didn't say anything about it, it hurt her eyes. She didn't know exactly why they had come here, but she recognized immediately when they dropped out of hyperspace that this was the capital of the First Order. She didn't have a standing opinion on the First Order, save for the basic opinion that she had of all structured organizations: she'd never join them unless she was at the top. She didn't like the idea of being told what to do. When Ferox took her in as his apprentice, it was uncharacteristic of her to say yes. She herself didn't quite know why she agreed to it, perhaps she felt she needed the guidance and training somewhere in her head.

Walking around the capital, she looked disdainfully upon the military personnel that fell in line and complied with orders like such weaklings. Her master, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself. ​"What is it you like about vacationing to a world like this?" ​There was a hint of cynicism in her tone, though one didn't have to listen for it as the look on her face screamed BORED.​ She sincerely hoped they would accomplish something of import while they were here. She hated to waste time.

[member="Darth Ferox"] - [member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Asides from the people, the city is quite beautiful." The red man chuckled as he looked back to [member="Vosh Mozh"]. The Sith were always the impatient kind, needing to be doing something and never stopping to observe where they walked. This was a lesson for the girl, to stop and enjoy the world around her. Constantly diving into the Dark is a quick way to loose ones mind and become easily controlled.

"Enjoy yourself. Not everything is doom and gloom. And of course, there is another reason I'm here. Which you'll see soon enough." He also had no idea [member="Avedia Lacroix"] had noticed he was on the planet. He had never truly met the woman, though he certainly knew her master, Ayra. It would be a surprise to find her, when she did.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Vosh Mozh"] | [member="Darth Ferox"] |

Gliding into the city, Darth Vupua arrived at the Avalonia spaceport and placed the speeder she had used to return to the city back inside the Initium. Before she left, she checked if her parking meter was up to date. It didn't pay well to gain a ticket from the local customs, and furthermore, she didn't want her ship to be listed in the database for impounded ships. If the Initium were to be impounded, then the ship would be searched, and whilst she was certain that her holocrons, weapons and artifacts were properly concealed from such an event, she could not be certain for the ships log, detailing where she had refueled in between hyperspace jumps; the worlds she had visited; and the locations of the Home and the Skyhook that was found there.

Leaving the spaceport, Vupua continued to follow her senses. It was difficult to tell the difference between the Sith Lord that she had felt and the various dark side users that were the Knights of Ren. But there was a difference between the two. The Ren were diluted in power, placed to serve the cause of a Supreme Leader that she had yet to meet or learn about. Ferox, on the other hand, was an individual who had cemented his power over the years, undoubtedly uncovering secrets on the dark side that the Ren could only dream of. As the saying went, the Dark Jedi were limited in their vision, but the scope of a Sith never had such limitations.

After an hour of walking the streets of Avalonia, Vupua finally spotted the pair. The distinct presence of Vosh Mozh had been missed in the presence of her Master. But now that Vupua could see them both with her fiery gaze, she realized that the two were together. Walking confidently forwards towards the two, Vupua said: "You two are a long way away from the Core."

 

[Vosh Mozh]

Vosh heeded his words, looking around the scenery as they walked. She found it difficult to see beauty in the architecture of the urban area they were in, but at the same time, the scale of accommodation for billions of people in such a small amount of space was impressive. She hadn't noticed it before, but the ingenious of fitting so much residential space into such a small area made her want to laugh.

Following closely still behind [member="Darth Ferox"] , she began to notice that she was attracting some amount of attention. She was a female Twi'Lek, following behind an ornately dressed Zabrak. If she wasn't thought to be a slave worth ransoming then she was catching the eye of those who would want to make her one. She returned some glares, but it didn't improve the situation. Ferox might have noticed it too, but it worked quickly to make her uncomfortable. She pulled her cowl over her head, hiding her lekku, and stepped closer to Ferox in the hopes that his tall stature would hide her presence.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. She didn't recognize it, and the woman had said something characteristic of friends. Assuming she had meant to speak to someone else, Vosh kept walking, only to find that Ferox had stopped. She, too, then stopped and faced the woman. She let her hand drop to her saber fully now, prepared to fight...

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

'Ornate' was a bit much for how the Zabrak was dressed. It was clear he was a noble, but nothing about it would suggest he was the typical monarch. His own glare would stare back at those who would judge [member="Vosh Mozh"] . It was his apprentice, something he would protect in these sort of situations. She was his to mold into a proper Sith, and if anyone tried to take her he would kill them. Or make her kill them, as it should be.

He was half tempted to kill one of the would be slavers as he winked their way, but on this world that wouldn't be acceptable. No, the last thing he needed was to get arrested when all he wanted to do was make himself an ally or two. So he turned his gaze away, mumbling back to the girl behind him. "One day you'll be able to kill all who would stare at you as they are now. Hold your head high with pride, for one day they will grovel."

Another quick lesson, but no sooner than he said it did another presence form behind him. The words whispered in his ears, and with a slight chuckle he turned to face the speaker. Blue eyes fell upon [member="Avedia Lacroix"] with a rather amused shine to them. Nothing would betray the darkness deep in his soul, asides from the easily felt presence he had. "Ah, I was wondering if I would go unnoticed. Do I know you?" Casually a hand would raise, a simple motion to tell the Twi'lek not to attack.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Ferox"] |

Did Vupua's own senses betray her? She had been certain that the Zabrak that stood before her was the same Sith Lord she had attacked on board the Ayrix months ago. Yet the individual that stood before her was different. They were not the same person. Lifting her hands to the cowl of her robe, Avedia lowered her hood and replied: "I believe we encountered one another a few months ago. How is Vaulkhar?"

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Vaulkhar?"

The Zabrak blinked. The name was familiar. Who would.. Oh, yes. "Ah, Ferus's apprentice. Then you must know Ferus." That would explain it. Blue eyes studied [member="Avedia Lacroix"] for a moment, as if calculating the risk and reward of open conflict. At the moment, the risk was great and there didn't seem to be any reward. The woman hadn't even tried to attack, despite having ample time to get the jump on both Ferox and [member="Vosh Mozh"] . Patience it was.

"I assume he interfered with you at one point or another as well, correct?"

 

[Vosh Mozh]

Vosh removed her hand from her saber. She looked on the two, completely lost in their conversation. She had no knowledge of whom Darth Ferus was, or Vaulkhar. She contemplated finding a chair to bring over and sit on; she could feel the tension but knew that neither of the two would do anything in an area like this. Vosh instead decided to turn around and observe the latent commotion throughout the plaza. Here and there a visible argument or an old-time-friend meetup could be seen to occur, but with soldiers patroling everywhere, there was nothing interesting going on.

Looking back to Ferox, she saw he was all too focused on this new face. So, she made a face at him and wandered off a few meters to a nearby merchant strip. Lined up were about a dozen different merchants at respective stands, pitching their wares to passers by. Occasionally glancing back to Ferox so that he didn't disappear without her noticing, she looked around, occupying her time.

[member="Darth Ferox"] - [member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Ferox"] | [member="Vosh Mozh"] |

"Your assumptions serve you well, this time. Ferus boarded my ship to save a man who he had sent there to spy on me." Vupua clicked her teeth with her tongue in thought, thinking about Vaulkhar and what he had done. "But I have a question for you. Two, actually. Who are you? And why would I mistake you as the same individual who broke into my ship?"

As she asked her questions, Vupua considered the possibility that the man who stood before her was the same individual that had broken into her ship, and had somehow changed his appearance in order to deceive her and others. But there were mysteries in the Force that she had contemplated as a Jedi and still thought about now as a Sith Lord. Just because she hadn't yet encountered a way for someone to be almost identical to another in the Force did not mean that it was impossible for it to happen. Always eager to learn, Vupua would listen to the Zabrak intently for the next few minutes.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Krest. Formerly Darth Ferus, before the one you met shattered my mind and took the name for himself. His obsession with owning what I had caused some interesting results. Alchemy, Art of the small. Both involve changing atoms. So, through modifying his own body, he changed his own signature to take mine." Ferox was casually admitting some rather personal weaknesses, all with a smile to this stranger. "I killed his connection to the Force though. If you'd like to, I can give you his co-ordinates. I assume you'd like to.. Speak with him." 'Speak'. He was fairly certain that [member="Avedia Lacroix"] would do anything but, yet he didn't know who she was. Perhaps she would talk with him, or just ignore the mans presence entirely.

He chuckled again, turning his gaze over to his bored apprentice. With a simple wave he would motion for her to come back over. "This is my apprentice [member="Vosh Mozh"] , and my name to Sith is Darth Ferox. What is your name my dear?"

 

[Vosh Mozh]

Vosh returned to the two and their conversation. In her hand, she carried a small metal case, apparently having purchased it from one of the merchants. She made an effort to conceal it under her cloak, it wasn't of much import anyway, but she didn't want to risk it. She hadn't heard any of their talk, so when she arrived she looked to [member="Darth Ferox"] as he introduced her, and then to [member="Avedia Lacroix"]. Knowing only that there was a tension one could cut with a butter knife in the air, Vosh was guarded toward the woman and elected against saying anything to her directly. So, staying true to this, she looked back to Ferox. ​"Tell her I don't like her face."​ Vosh made no effort to hide her words.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Ferox"] | [member="Vosh Mozh"] |

Avedia listened to Ferox explanation. She was both bemused and slightly disturbed by what she had been told. She did not know such things were possible through the Force. With this knowledge now in mind, Vupua accepted the possibility that Ferus and Ferox were not the same person. She longed to know where [member="Vaulkhar"] was, so that she could kill him and safe guard her secrets. If what Ferox was true than Ferus was vulnerable and held information as to where Vaulkhar was.

"My name is Avedia," replied Vupua. "If what you say is true, then I would like to know where Ferus is so that I may deal with him." Turning her gaze to the Twi'lek, Avedia thinned her eyes at the Sith Apprentice as she commented on her looks. She knew it was a lie, probably created out some form of jealously. "And you look like a Hutt slave," Vupua retorted with a sly, evil grin at Vosh.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"I can of course give you his location. Just, don't expect much. After I destroyed that coin of his he kinda broke in the head, y'know?" The Zabrak pulled free his datapad, already putting the exact co-ordinants of [member="Lucifer Morningstar"] 's location on a datachip. Once it was finished downloading, he passed the card to [member="Avedia Lacroix"] with a slight grin on his face. [member="Vosh Mozh"] and the Lady were already trading insults. Good, at least for training for Vosh.

"Forgive my apprentice. She has not learned that she should bite her tongue when she's in the presence of those stronger than her. You know what they say. Smile and nod to those better than you until the day you can end their lives." A joke, if to keep either of the woman from going at each others throats. This was not the place for it, and given the presence Ferox could feel from the woman before him, Vosh would most certainly loose.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Ferox"] | [member="Vosh Mozh"] |

"You have my thanks, Ferox." Taking the datachip into her hand, Vupua slide the chip in between her breasts for safe keeping. She folded her arms across her chest afterwards, aware that Ferox might have given her the co-ordinates so that she could deal with an unruly apprentice for him. In most circumstances, she would not enjoy doing the dirty work of another, but in this case she did not make it known, for Ferus had crossed her and so she would deal with him appropriately.

Turning her gaze to observe the Twi'lek a moment, Vupua said: "I sense that your apprentice has some understanding of the dark side. Such behaviour should be rewarded, but she must realize that she must learn to be calculative and cunning. Your Master is right. There are many Sith Lords that would have snapped your neck for such petty insults. Do mistake my mercy for weakness, however. I have only spared you because you might be of some use to me."

Turning her gaze back to Ferox, Vupua surveyed the Zabrak that stood before her. "Perhaps it is fortunate that your unruly apprentice attacked me, for we might have never met. It is not everyday you meet with another Sith Lord. Know that I will deal with Ferus in the way that I feel appropriate."

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Feel free. After destroying that coin of his he lost his connection to the Force. To me, there was no greater punishment than letting him rot knowing he no longer could access power. Take that into consideration before you choose to end his life." Truth be told he didn't care what happened to his old apprentice. That was the time of the past now, no longer worth his time or attention. Why focus on a past failure when a new future stood beside him? He cast a glance over to [member="Vosh Mozh"] , shrugging. "The Force acts in mysterious ways, even to the Sith. Perhaps we would have met anyway, just under hopefully better circumstances." His gaze once more returned to [member="Avedia Lacroix"] , offering a faint smile.

"But, we are here now. Would you like to join us for a drink, Avedia?"

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Ferox"] | [member="Vosh Mozh"] |

"I am needed elsewhere, Ferox. I'll exchange my contact information with you. If is some business that requires each others assistance, then we can contact one another." Taking out her own datapad, Vupua recorded her own contact details onto a datachip and passed it to the Zabrak. Nodding to them both, she turned and begun to make her way back to the Initium.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Are you quite sure? I have an excavation I was planning, and you seem familiar with this planet. If you could spare a moment, I am sure it will be worth your while." [member="Avedia Lacroix"] was perhaps the only person who had spoken to him since his arrival on the planet, and he didn't want to run around with [member="Vosh Mozh"] with no clue as to where they were going. "If that has your curiosity, it's an old tomb with the power of my ancestors. Not Sith per say, but there are artifacts of some power in there." Oh yes, Ferox was trying to tempt the woman into joining him. He needed her knowledge, so why wouldn't he?