Sojourn [Joon]

[Darth Ayra]

Sojourn​

​

| [member="Joon"] |

Sojourn, once known otherwise as the Hunter's Moon, was a place in the Galaxy that was relatively unknown. For a Sith Lord who played her hand in complete secrecy, it was the perfect place to orchestrate events or in this particular case, train her eventual successor.

A standard four days had passed since Darth Ayra had returned to the Fort. The burning sensation she had experienced, after flooding the JN project base on Duro, had been a severe skin irritation caused by the polluted water. As the medical droid explained it, the irritation would have led to a break down of the skin, much like a flesh eating virus, suggesting that there were things in the water that were hazardous. That made sense, considering what had been going on in the base. Thankfully, the sickness had been caught early and treated by Ayra's doctors.

The recovery had taken two days, during which Ayra had attended to the business side of things. She had kept JN-4 occupied, placing under the supervision of the Sun Guards who served her, whilst she recovered. Whether JN-4 decided to take the opportunity to explore the castle, surrounding grounds or the nearby woods did not occupy Ayra's mind. She just didn't care.

Feeling better and rested from the excursion on Duro, Ayra was stood in the highest tower of the Fort. The surrounding scenery of mountains, trees and the nearby river that flowed through the building, providing fresh water, could be seen. Up here, the wind was strong and cold, but the hut that was placed over the tower provided some protection from the natural assault, making it a relaxed setting. Ayra had often meditated on the dark side up here when she had been younger. She had even met Pandeima up here once, to talk about Subach Innes.

She waited for JN-4 to join her, after summoning one of the Sun Guards to retrieve her. A fresh Sith robe covered the Sith Lord, with the hood raised to conceal her head. Her hands were folded into either sleeve. The illusion made her look like a giant, overlooking the moon itself.

 

[Connor Harrison]

The Fort was one thing, but the planet and the terrain surrounding it blew JN-4’s mind. The colours, the smells, the natural feeling of being alive and having her senses attuned to everything was a wonderful feeling. Finding her place with her Master and protector, the Sith Lord Ayra, wasn’t hard – her medical state pushed JN-4 to the shadows, and with little introduction to her new home, she did what she did best; explore.

The various floors of the Fort were magical and grand in scale. The giant mountains dwarfing the building itself were awe inspiring and the biggest creation she had seen. But the green grass and running waterfall captivated the clone. Spending a day shadowing a guard escorting her at all times, she was eventually able to go outside and explore the close proximity of the Fort. There, she spent hours laid out on the soft grass, paddling in the small pools, basking in the clean breeze and generally feeling alive.

When the call came finally, JN-4 was in a small but more than generous room with a dresser and bunk to sleep on which was more than she had on Duro. She had cleaned her institute uniform, the faded grey and black, and slipped the vest and trousers back on and pulled her hair into the tight pony-tail, the dog-tags around her neck. That was JN-4’s look. That was her identity. Where she went, she was just JN-4.

Bare feet walked along the cool floor, the slap of her skin gently echoing around the hall as she walked to the highest tower where the creepy guard pointed her. Up and up until she turned into the tower, and the imposing form of a cloaked figure stood. JN-4 cocked her head slightly, but there was no immediate movement. She stepped forward two paces.

”I am relieved you are feeling better, Lord Ayra. Thank you for letting me in your home. It’s beyond anything I’ve ever known. It’s wonderful.”

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

Ayra turned her head, cocking it around to look at JN-4. She nodded and gestured with her hand to point at her side. "Join me." As JN-4 moved forward, Ayra turned to look back at the scenery, talking as she watched. "I have recovered from the burns I sustained on Duro. I required time to recover. I can only hope that the Fort kept you occupied."

The Sith Lord's eyes averted away from the skyline, to look at Joon from the corner of her eyes. "I have reviewed some of the files that I we recovered from Duro. I can never imagine the loss you must feel, at the thought of your sisters. I understand what it is like to lose loved ones. I lost my family at an early age too."

Turning her eyes back to the forest, Ayra thought about her own family. For the minutes silence that passed, the Sith Lord was caught in a silent trance. She relived the night her family had died and thought of the woman that had made it go all away. Pandeima, the Sith Lord that had changed her life forever, with her powers of the dark side; and here Ayra stood, ready and able to continue the work.

"All of this is yours, Joon. Our relationship far exceeds the ones we shared with our loved ones. It transcends the normality that you no doubt associated with the Imperials that bred you or the sisters that you once knew. Everything that we do from this point on wards is a seismic shift. Far stronger, more powerful and destructive than the flood we escaped together, for we are set to shake the Galaxy itself. Such will be our powers in the dark side of the Force."

"But there are things you must understand before we delve deeper into the enigma. I have no doubts that you have questions and I will hear them. I will give you everything you need."

Ayra could feel it now. She had thought about it, her mind finally torn away from her other life. She had become obsessed by it. Little by little, as the days drew closer to this moment on the tower, Ayra had been drawn to the sense of purpose, lost in the years serving Pandeima. In this moment, she felt a seismic shift in the Force, threatening to shake the very core of it, centered in the two of them.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Standing beside Ayra, JN-4 was smaller and overshadowed by her. She both instilled comfort and fear in the clone in equal measure; comfort for being saved, fear for her shouting and reprisal. She listened carefully, eyes gently bobbing over the planet before them from the tower, everything so small and perfect from up where they stood.

”I am confused, Lord Ayra.” She paused, a small frown forming. ”I am finding it hard to understand what I am going to bring to you, why you refer to the greater galaxy. I don't even know what's out there. I feel naked. I don't feel like I can be what I was made for.”

Her hand snaked to the dog-tags.

”I know that the Republic are evil in what they have done and Jedi warriors are enforcing them. I know the JN programme was made to protect the Imperial Remnant from these threats, and I am part of that. Lord Ayra, I simply can't comprehend how I fit into this Dark Side Sith enigma you want me for now the Remnant is gone.”

She closed her eyes tight.

”I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I want to be the best I can be. I just...I just need to know what I am now."

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

Ayra listened carefully to JN-4's predicament and understood it perfectly. She had been made to serve the Imperial Remnant as a weapon. The experiment that had created her had gone right. The Sith Lord assumed that it must have taken years, through a series of trials and experiments. She found herself wondering how many women, before the cloning process was completed, died in order to carry forward the program.

But the people responsible for JN-4's creation were gone. There were rumors that a band of Imperials still lived, banded together at Carida and she planned to ascertain whether or not the Imperial Remnant did still live, seeing as JN-4 represented the clue that not all of them had died at Crina. Even if the IR was still alive, the clones cause was now determined by the Sith Lord that stood next to her, and so, Ayra begun her explanation.

"Your confusion is understandable, Joon. For you to understand your powers, the role you play in our affairs, the very definition of your existence will take time for you to comprehend and eventually, when you do, you will understand that you are an incredibly gifted, special individual."

"My Master and I practiced that we would always be honest with one another. To lie and deceive each other would invite disharmony. As I told you on Duro, the Sith do not tolerate weakness. We strive to rid ourselves of the things that hold us down. For example, the confusion and fear that you are afflicted with are weaknesses that, in time, will be removed, as you are trained in the ways of the dark side. So I will start with why I came to Duro."

"It begins at another world, called Crina. I met with a representative of the Imperial Remnant and together we came up with a project of our own. Imperial Arms Incorporated was going to be a corporation that would manufacture weapons, vehicles, star ships and more for the Imperials. But before the project could be initiated, the Imperials were attacked by an organization known as the One Sith."

Ayra turned her gaze to JN-4. She predicted that the clone would be confused by the definition. That a Sith Lord stood beside her, telling her that the Imperial Remnant was attacked by the Sith, would be extremely confusing. It set the precedent for a long night, full of revelations, as Ayra set her clear on what was what.

Holding up a hand to calm JN-4, Ayra said, "I am not One Sith. They are a different organization of Sith Lords, that I do not serve. I will explain who they are later on, as they are our enemies. To give you a brief summary now, I will tell you that the One Sith destroyed the Imperial Remnant at Crina, but to clarify, I am not one of them. If I were, we would not be having this conversation."

The Sith Lord moved on. "So, because of the One Sith, my ties to the Imperial Remnant were broken, with Imperial Arms Incorporated and it's project unable to continue. Crina was taken over. In an effort to consolidate the losses I had suffered because of this, I investigated and found the JN project. I went to Duro to find out what the JN project was. It wasn't until I met you that I fully understood what it was. And that is how we are here."

"Discovering that the IR had successfully created a clone capable of using the Force, is an astonishing achievement. To explain the Science behind it would take me far too long. For you to better understand it yourself, you may review the project, now that you and I are the only ones who have it."

"The Imperials wanted you to be a weapon, Joon. Force-sensitivity is incredibly rare. To have a soldier capable of using the Force would be a significant asset for the Imperial Remnant to use. That was why the JN project was initiated, so that you and your sisters could become a legion of Force-sensitive soldiers working for the Imperials. But you are so much more than a weapon, Joon. The scientists that created you could never understand the significance, nor the power of the Force. People gifted with Force-sensitivity were not made to be simple, mere tools to forward the goals of those who do not have it, but instead, someone like you was meant to rule the Imperial Remnant and I will teach you how too as my Sith Apprentice."

Ayra lifted a hand, gesturing to the sky. The planet that Sojourn orbited was on the horizon, above the forest that surrounded them. The Sith Lord made the motion to indicate the wider Galaxy. "You were destined to be a soldier, a weapon, for the Imperial Remnant because you did not understand the significance of the Force, and how could you, when the Imperials themselves did not understand it? But your destiny has been changed, intervened by the attack initiated by the Jedi and the Republic. When the Imperial Remnant destroyed the JN project, you were, in a way, set free to pursue the truth and here you have found it."

"The truth is that the Galaxy is broken and only those gifted with the Force have the ability to repair it. The Sith are the ones to do it. We have a greater understanding of the Force, better than the Jedi. As Sith Lords, we are meant to rule the Galaxy with an ironed fist. Only through sheer domination of the Galaxy, can it be saved from itself. Do you think that the JN project would have been destroyed by the Jedi, if you ruled it all? Of course not. You would have stopped them, if you understood the significance of your powers. Through me, you can develop your powers and achieve a greater understanding of the Force, as my Sith Apprentice."

Ayra lowered her hand, summarizing her points. "You were born a weapon for the Imperial Remnant, but that is no longer the case. Your destiny has been changed. I will shape your future instead. What you are now is a Sith in training. Someone that will understand that they were meant to be better than what was planned for them. As a Sith Lord, we carry forward a plan, a goal, to rule the Galaxy because that is our destiny as Master and Apprentice."

"Your old life as the designation J.N four or as you were called Joon, was over the moment the Imperial Remnant died. Embrace the new life and opportunity that you have been given to become a Sith. All of this is yours now. Do not fear it. Confront it. Embrace it. Make it your own."

 

[Connor Harrison]

So much to take in at once, and new names and beings - One Sith. Apprentice. Crina.

Like a sponge, her attuned brain absorbed everything Ayra said, her bright eyes watching the planet before them, her fingers only faltering slightly at the moment she was told her past was dead, which effectively it was, but she was carrying a torch for the JN project.

”So the Jedi use the Force for their own gains and goals, perversion and corrupt actions. They took the Imperial Remnant and JN project because it was going to stand up to them. I see.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. ”This Sith beings like you are the name of those with the Force who fight back against the Jedi warriors and the Republic army and their allies. I understand.”

JN-4 let go of her dog-tags and folded her arms, mind still processing information.

"You working with the Remnant brings them and the Sith together, and without the creators guiding me, you are that new guidance. I would be a Sith Apprentice as you say, carrying the ideals of the JN project forward but with your help and support to fulfill what I was to become.”

And then, just as fast as a small broke on her lips for the first time in days, it vanished. JN-4 was fighting the urge to explore the emotions inside her. She turned her head in slightly towards the figure of Ayra.

”Help me embrace this life, help me confront it and in turn confront everyone who has made me scared like this. Liars, killers, criminals. All of them. I won't fail myself again.”

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

A thin smile appeared on the Sith Lord's lips. Gusts continued to bellow the tower, assaulting the two women. Strands of dark, blonde hair kicked up in the wind. But Ayra could not feel it. The dark side filled her, giving her an odd sense of warmth; and it encompassed the tower, fill it with it's power.

"Death is the ally of the Sith. What you think of is revenge, and through your powers, you will sentence those that would do you harm to death's door. But for you to understand your power, in order to achieve your revenge, you must understand the way of the Sith."

"The Sith Code is a pathway to perfection. It is what binds a Sith Lord, allowing us to have a greater understanding of the Force. To be Sith is to be free of limitations, and what better way to be free, then to become a perfect being? As you develop your powers, consider the Sith Code as a ladder, which serves as a pathway to your ascension."

"Listen to me carefully, for I will not repeat myself again..."

Speaking softly, almost cooing to the power of her words, Ayra began to recite,

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion,​

Through passion, I gain strength,​

Through strength, I gain power,​

Through power, I gain victory,​

Through victory, my chains are broken,​

The Force shall set me free."​

 

[Connor Harrison]

Looking up at Ayra, JN-4 could just make out the profile of the Sith under her hood, starting at the lower tip of those nose and down to the chin, and there she watched the lips recite a code that sounded millennia old; a practice and set of rules to follow and to live by.

She thrived on command; on purpose. With Ayra, she was being given a purpose. No doubt she would be able to read more about the Sith way, the JN project and the code itself to drum it into her head. While her memory was good, it was too full at present to remember such things. She nodded and looked back out.

"I understand - the Dark Side of the Force empowers those who use it for good, and they are the Sith. You are a Sith Lord, and I am the Apprentice. So does this mean if the JN project had carried on until it's natural end, my sisters and I would all have been Sith Lords?”

JN-4 never really knew what a lie was when she was told it, and there was only one person she believed right now; Sith Lord Ayra. The question was there and the answer that was the lie would seal her fate until her very end. The clone turned her head again to look at the woman she was wanting to be like more and more each second. It didn't take long for clones, especially those ripped from their habitat, to take to others quickly.

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

Good and evil. Perspectives that had to be undone, if JN-4 was to become a Sith Lord. They were saturated constructs, made up by the unknowing, blind and weak. Ayra took a deep breath, before continuing her lesson.

"The dark side of the Force is neither limited to the perspective of good or evil. There are only actions that are necessary for us to achieve our goals. To consider our objectives as good is to invite weakness into the scheme, for we will be blinded by the belief that what we are doing is justified and subsequently, should not be stopped."

"To perceive our scheme as evil is to invite stagnation, for we may come to the blind understanding that what we are doing is wrong, and consequentially, stop the scheme before it reaches completion. Learn to undo the biased, wrongful views put to you by your time as Joon and instead come to see that everything you ever thought, believed and knew was a lie."

Ayra turned her body around, lifting a hand to JN-4's shoulder. Her fingers curled themselves around it, not digging in, not tight but a reassuring grip. Almost like the truth was grabbing hold of the clone physically. Through the connection, Ayra continued to envelop her in the dark side of the Force, bringing her ever slowly to her side. A slow, taxing but ultimately fruitful process, to gain the allegiance of the one to eventually succeed her.

"Your sisters would not have been anything, Joon. They would have been mere weapons and nothing more. Your sisters were not better than this." Ayra brought out her lightsaber and placed it in JN-4's hand. "This instrument- this tool- was no better than your sisters. This is what you would have become if the Imperial Remnant had their way. But as my Sith Apprentice, you can become so much more. You have taken your first steps into a larger life."

"My name is Darth Ayra and I am the Dark Lord of the Sith. The person that you were- a mere designation- was a facade and a trick- created by the Imperial Remnant to deceive you. But that trick has been undone. By the end of my training, you will embrace your new name, as my Sith Apprentice and that will be who you should be."

"I too have come up with a facade, to trick the Galaxy. For our work is secretive and unknown to anyone but us. My associates know me as Alicia Drey. That was how the Imperial Remnant knew me as well. In the public eye, my associates believe me to be a business woman. But in reality I am a Sith Lord, working towards an agenda. I use my other life to further this one. Both are separate and yet connected at the same time."

"As a Sith Lord, you will be my Apprentice, helping me further the Sith imperative to destroy the enemies of our Sith Order. In order for us to complete this, you must learn how to deceive the many associates we will create to further our agenda, with an alias that hides your identity as a Sith. The people that we will befriend, in order to further our goals, must never discover our true identities as Sith. Otherwise, it will undo all that we have worked for."

"Do you understand?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

It was hard to look confident or self-assured around anyone, let alone a Sith Lord who looked down on her. When she gripped her shoulder, it was an interaction more than anything she’d had before and it was akin to the feeling of being secured in her pod; safe and secure. All JN-4 could do was nod, but her emotions were taking over.

As she watched the lightsaber, taken from Ayra’s grip and put into hers, the lowering of her head made three droplets of tears fall from her eyes down her face. Trying to be discreet, but surprised at the newly found emotion, she brought her hand up and quickly batted the steams away. How odd.

The weapon was heavy in her hand. Cold but empowering, more so than the E11 blaster. She didn’t curl her grip on it for fear of activating the bright crimson blade, so instead she simply held it and nodded, looking at the intricate details. It was so perfect in form, much like she envisaged herself – a perfect creation. A feeling of want swelled in her – the want to have such a weapon herself.

"Yes, Lord Ayra,” she said softly, ”I understand. It makes more sense, but I just need…help, to let go. I have so many instilled memories, I know nothing else. I see faces and hear voices, but I don’t want to anymore.”

She looked up at Ayra, the naïve face was cracked with something else – a determined, almost grown up face behind the tears.

"If Asemir lied to me, and the Imperial Remnant saw me as just a tool and lied to me, then thank you for finding me, that’s all I say. Thank you.” JN-4 kept her eyes on Ayra’s. "Justiciaria Noctare. The project name. We were to be dispensers of justice in the shadow of night. I was number four out of five sisters born for this, genetic hybrids from deceased Jedi DNA fused with a voluntary Sith cell, grown and nurtured artificially and instilled with knowledge, education and technique. The project is dead. So JN-4 must be.”

The clone pushed the hilt back into the Sith’s hand and reached up and hooked off her dog-tags and too placed them in Ayra’s palm, draping over the hilt.

"Joon is my name, I see that. I will make a name for myself. I will try to be what you want me to be, and be the best I can be for the Sith and the ones who believe in what I could be.”

JN-4 – Joon – rose her head more.

"The genetic build for clones is unstable. I beg of you to use caution and help me control it for I do not wish to lose what I am to become a monster for you.”

If there was a metaphorical nail in the coffin of her fate, Joon had just nailed it with that statement to the Sith Lord.

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

Justiciaria Noctare. To Ayra, it sounded like the perfect deception. Alicia Drey. The name that she had been given at birth, now lost to the Sith Lord known as Darth Ayra. In the light of day, they would traverse the Galaxy as these names, undoing governments; orchestrating corporate maneuvers; and bringing the Grand Plan to fruition. But she was not yet Sith. Her ties to the past would have to be broken, and through destruction, Ayra would breed creation through the rise of her Apprentice.

Relenting her grip, Ayra's arm fell back to her side. "I will synthesis a cure to your visions. The instability created via the cloning process will be stopped. The memories, thoughts and dreams will all be gone."

She will be on the medication for the rest of her life, thought Ayra. But it is worth the risk. The Force is strong with her. I can smooth over the rough edges left over by the Imperial Remnant.

Turning her gaze back to the forests ahead, the Sith Lord concluded the conversation. "You have done well, Joon. The first steps towards our revenge against the Jedi have been taken. Aware of the pivotal role you play in our scheme, you should reflect on what has been said tonight."

"My servants will give you new clothes, suitable for our next destination. Our stay on Sojourn is done, now that I am well and we have had time to clarify the truth. But remember this before you leave. My most vital and important lesson- far more important than anything else- is the secret. The people we will meet, the things we will do and the places we will travel must never know that we are Sith. Secrecy and patience are our tools for success."

"You and I will be master and apprentice for years. Perhaps decades. And still, nothing that happens between the time we first met on Duro, to the day that our apprenticeship ends, nothing is more important than carrying the Grand Plan to succession. No matter what happens in between then and now, never allow the imperative that we follow to ever by jeopardized."

"You are everything to me. You are like my Mother, Sister, lover, wife and more, all rolled into one. Words cannot describe the importance you play in our Rule of Two. Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it. This defines our relationship."

Ayra turned her gaze back to the tree tops, back turned to JN-4. Her training had just begun.

 

[Connor Harrison]

JN-4 knew what a Mother was, and a sister. But not a lover or wife. It was another form of relationship, that much was clear, but it sounded nice if everything else was to be compared to this. She looked out again and smiled softly to herself, feeling accomplished again – like she had come top of training.

"The sooner the Imperial Remnant programme is laid to rest for me, the better. I will carry it forward in a new vision with you, Lord Ayra, as it seems you are the rightful heir to that. I have no friends – nobody to talk to…”

Asemir…

"…and all that I learn and find will be kept to myself. You are my Mother and wife and lover and sister too.”

She was trying, that much was given. Flexing her fingers slowly, the thought of a new identity was scary, but also exhilarating. She could discover herself more, and craft an image unique to the other clones with pulled back pony-tails, greys and black training vests.

"I will go and change at once, Lord Ayra.”

Slowly, JN-4 turned and saluted the way Asemir had to her, giving a small wave in a sign of goodbye. It was time to return and change with the new clothing, and prepare for the new life and new identity – and new destiny – ahead.

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

A standard night had passed and it was the next day. In preparation for departing Sojourn, Darth Ayra had the Sun Guards- who guarded the Fort when she was away- fuel the Initium, stock fresh foodstuffs and clothes for the trip. One final check over her affairs on Chandrila and her contacts in the Outer Rim Territories was done, before moving down from her master bedroom and into the hallway.

She wore light, comfortable clothing, unlike the heavy, Sith robes she had worn the night before. Her stomach showed through a tank top and she wore flight trousers, with her hair tied into a ponytail. It was going to be a long trip from Sojourn to her planned destination. The Stygian Caldera was on the other side of the Galaxy, and the Horuset system was deep inside it's barriers. It would be a standard week until they reached Korriban.

Her choice of garments were selective due to the journey they were about to take. One week stuck inside the Initium was going to be uncomfortable in robes. She could change into them when they arrived on Korriban. The expedition itself would be a venture in the roots of the Order of the Sith Lords. The lesson would be the Rule of Two, the nature of the Grand Plan and why the Jedi Order had to be destroyed. It would further clarify the things Ayra had glossed over on Duro and on the tower the night before.

There, she waited for Joon to join her.

 

[Connor Harrison]

JN-4…Joon…didn’t know if she would be back here, but just in case she was, her grey vest and black trousers lay folded neatly on her small bed. The dog-tags that complimented the outfit were now with Ayra. Tuning after another short night’s sleep – still a hard routine to do alone – Joon hadn’t eaten but dressed in the clothes that had greeted her the other night.

It was basic, and probably belonged to another before her. Certainty they weren’t Ayra’s old clothes as she was taller. A black jacket, a white vest, black trousers and black and silver ankle boots. It took a while for Joon to appreciate the clothes, as they were very simple and devoid of any emblems or pockets and scuffs like her usual. But this was a basic start to forge a new identity, to fit it, and to look almost human.

Wearing her dark long hair down, Joon already looked a different woman. With word to meet Ayra at her chambers, the clone didn’t wait for anything after she was dressed. Navigating the halls didn’t take too long and the unmistakable figure of her Master was walking down the hall as if to intercept her.

Joon smiled and held her hands behind her back, feeling out of place dressed like she was. However it crossed her mind that Ayra seemed to mirror her sister – the short top, trousers and pony tail – and it made her heart leap a second and a pang in the head like it was a vicious glimpse into the distorted past.

"Good day, my Lord.”

She joined in the walk beside Ayra and found that small smile that she had practised during the morning.

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

Ayra nodded her head. "Come. We will be leaving shortly."

Turning, Ayra left her chambers and made her way towards the Initium. As they made their way to the ship, the Sith Lord turned her gaze to JN-4 to explain. "We are heading to Korriban, the homeworld of the Sith. Since the time I was the Sith Apprentice to Darth Pandeima, my now deceased Sith Master, I have always wanted to go there and visit the tomb of Darth Bane, the Dark Lord of the Sith that founded the Rule of Two and our Sith Order."

The Initium was where she had last left it, inside the forest nearby the Fort. It began to rain as Ayra led JN-4 from her home and down into the pathway that led into the forest. As they walked, the Sith Lord could sense the animals that called the forest home. When she had initially scouted Sojourn, she found that the animals were related to several exotic species, from worlds far away from the Sojourn system. But they were different, as if they had been changed by some kind of event that had happened in Sojourn's past. Whatever it was that had mutated them hadn't been recorded, or if it had been, lost in the Four Hundred Year Darkness.

Wiping the water out of her face, Ayra lifted her hand forward into a clear that she came across. Nearby, the stream trickled by and she spotted a herd of animals drinking from the edge. They were unrecognizable to the Sith Lord, and if she had the time, she probably would have put some research into what they were and what had caused their mutation. But there was so much to do and not enough time to indulge herself, such was her focus now on bringing the Grand Plan closer to fruition, with the mere decades she had left.

Her hand weaved and bobbed through the air, as if to feel for something. JN-4 would sense the pull of the Force and at the center was Darth Ayra, feeling out with her powers for the Initium. Suddenly, the ship materialized out of thin air, as the cloak was deactivating by Ayra's Force Powers.

Making her way to the shuttle bay doors, Ayra gestured for JN-4 to come closer. Pointing to the key pad, she explain, "The code to the Initium is Mendacium. Remember this, in the event that you need to use it. Without the code, the ship will not allow you to board, and more importantly, will engage it's self destruct. In the wrong code is inputted, the ship was put itself in lock down and begin the timer for self destruction. There is no second, third or fourth chance if the Initium is put into lock down. This is to ensure that it is not stolen and it's technology and secrets do not end up in hands other than our own."

Typing Mendacium into the computer, Ayra stepped backwards. As she did, the landing ramp slid forward to her feet and the shuttle bay doors opened, revealing the innards of the ship. She entered first, making her way to the cockpit. Lowering herself into the pilot seat, Ayra pointed to the second one.

"Take your place. Close the shuttle bay doors, retract the landing ramp and check over our cargo. The Sun Guards should have refueled the ship, loaded enough supplies for the journey and be ready to clear us for launch. Remember, we must always be careful and diligent. Check everything, to ensure that there are no mistakes. Becoming meticulous is important for our success together."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Following Ayra, Joon was starting to feel more human and more in touch with the Fort and the planet itself. She knew the way out, knew the sights and sounds around them and was actually glad to be out of those plain boring Imperial clothes. This was a new JN-4. This was Joon. Sith Apprentice.

She mirrored the steps taken by her Master until the calling of the Force touched her mind, like a gentle tickling sensation across her temples. When the mighty ship was revealed, her eyes went wide at such a display of technology and security. Next came the keypad lock and the repercussions of failure.

Mendacium

Next came the cockpit, and she took the seat beside Ayra. Having piloted the ship before off Duro, she was more familiar with the layout and what controls did what.

As she listened to Ayra, Joon gave her 100% attention before turning it to the ship and checking that everything was sealed, closed, retracted and air-tight. The fuel was good, the engines were at full power, shield ready. Things, on the surface, seemed good and decent.

"Everything looks good, Lord Ayra. This really is a masterful ship,” Joon said as she ran her hand across the holo-projector between them both.

Now it was another new place to visit – a home world of the Sith, who bore links to the Imperial Remnant. This was what Joon loved; the quest for knowledge and learning and purpose, and it seemed Ayra was going to give her purpose and see what mantle she would take up once there. The Rule intrigued her. The Rule of Two. This Darth Bane seemed a mighty powerful figure, and if Ayra was anything like him, she was ready to watch and learn.

[member="Darth Ayra"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Joon"] |

"Check again."

Repetitiveness was food for the mind, and in this case, it happened to be the mind of a child caught within the body of a woman, with the potential to create greatness in the Galaxy. As Ayra lifted the Initium from the ground, retracting it's landing gear and pointing the nose up to the sky, she found herself thinking of Darth Pandeima, the Sith Lord that stumbled across her all those years ago at the Hanna Carnival, setting off a chain of events that had brought her to this moment.

Although it had been Pandeima who had thought to begin the Rule of Two, Ayra did not consider her in the same pedigree of Darth Bane and the linage that had followed him. She had created the apprenticeship between herself and Ayra for pure profit and indulgence. Pandeima had been a pervert- a well known one- in the guise of Circe Savan, whose only goal seemed to drive forward her company, with no end goal in sight.

To this day, Ayra despised the twenty years she had existed under the thumb of that Sith Lord, thankful that it had been she who had ended it all, commemorating- no, heralding- the return of the true Rule of Two to the Galaxy. It would not take centuries for the Grand Plan to be brought to fruition this time around. Years spent bringing the Galaxy in turmoil and chaos, so that the Order of the Sith Lords could finally fulfill the promise of the Sith and take it all over had already been achieved in the form of the Four Hundred Year Darkness; and there stood Darth Ayra, ready and willing to do what was necessary to use it to her advantage.

What was supposed to have ended with Darth Caedus continued in the darkness, in the guise of a petite woman, among people unknowing of the true extent of her powers. For the dark side of the Force was with her, so powerful with Darth Ayra that, in time, she was ready to shake the Galaxy to it's core. Indeed, the heralding of the Galactic Empress was upon the horizon and this was only the beginning of her ascension.

Leaving the orbit of Sojourn, Ayra plotted her course to the Stygian Caldera, and minutes later, the Initium was sucked into lightspeed, it's destination Korriban. Reclining in her seat, the Sith rested for a moment, thinking of the preparations necessary to reclaim lost property. Her eyes turned to JN-4, observing her quietly as the ship moved in hyperspace.

 

[Connor Harrison]

At the command of Ayra, Joon subtly turned her head and nodded, mouthing a near in-audible acceptance of the order. While she stayed seated until the great ship tore into the darkness of space, and then streaked ahead into hyperspace, Joon was captivated by the swirling blue vortex that danced inside the cockpit with a bright dreamy light. Aware she was being watched, Joon gently raised from the seat.

"Excuse me,” she said quietly.

Moving past the relaxed looking Sith, Joon walked steadily thought the narrow passageway and into the bulbous hold of the ship, and walked around checking everything. Making sure that everything was closed that didn’t need to be open, everything tied down that didn’t need to be loose. Everything was fine. Her eyes danced up and down as she swept the hold, reaching the passageway back to the cockpit in under a minute.

She slinked back and into the co-pilot’s chair. "Everything is fine, Lord Ayra.”

Like the obedient clone, she kept her hands on the arms of the chair and faced front, looking into the swirling blue vortex before them.

[member="Darth Ayra"]