The Archaeologist

[Zanders Darkstrider]

On my flight to Korriban... The images..... There are just so many....... Of war destruction... Building and exploring whatever this place is on Korriban I must learn more about it. All I can see was a man with tusk on his head hold his hands with his palms facing him. So judging from that I am looking for either a temple or a tomb. Which also means I will have to go thru the dreaded valley of the dark lords. While Learning archaeology I was always told to avoid Korriban especially the valley of the dark lords. But I will not lets this stop my thirst for knowledge I must find this place.

Landing in the middle of the valley Zanders gets on top of the ship and begin scanning the valley for what he saw with a pair of enhanced binoculars. Nothing that looks like what I am looking for I scan around the mid section with the same results. As I look in the lower section I see something of similarity something that has been effected by the sands of time. There it is but it looks like it is been vandalized or is degrading.

As he makes his way thru the valley it is rather uneventful. Another lie he assure himself with waiting for a beast of great horror to come out and attempt to kill him. After finally making the trip down he stops in amazement. The statue carved in the rock had flights of stairs in front of him, leading up to the chest of the Sith lord on both sides were dog like creatures missing ears to the sides of the dogs were missing the palms of the hands. Leading up came the head with a beard with a chipped facial tentacle above his eyes was missing the horns that I saw.

This seems to be the place and there is just something calling me in he says to himself. Entering the tomb was over whelming it is massive and sprawling with many chambers It will take years to study everything here... Where should I start first he says to himself and a voice begins to echo in his mind to come to the burial chamber. Images begin to appear in my mind going further and further down the chambers. Let's hope this spirit doesn't hope to bury me as well he says to himself.

Making my way to burial ground there is a sarcophagus and troves of scrolls and broken rock everywhere. Waiting for the either the voice to come back he begins to study the scrolls hoping to find something about a holocron.

 

[Lief]

Korriban was not as she remembered.

The orbital station which sat as its defense was deserted when she descended on the vessel she had bought from the pilot, and no shuttles remained in the hangar. Thankfully the ship she now possessed was small enough to make the descent itself without issue, but all the same the lack of protocol had the Sith Lord frowning. She would have to speak to the Dark Lord about this, no doubt. It would not do to leave the future of the Empire exposed in such a way, nor its history.

Returning to her ship, Kairos descended down through the atmosphere of Korriban and to its surface, feeling the cool air against her skin the moment she lowered the ramp. For a planet of sand and bright skies it was considerably cold, owing to the Bogan aura which had settled on the world for millennia. She wondered if that would ever be changed? Of course she did not dislike it, the thought was merely a theoretical one; what sort of a difference would it make if the planet could be made to feel as warm as it appeared? No doubt it would cause the discomfort of many students. That would toughen them up, so the notion was one she approved of.

Trudging through the sand towards the old redstone valley Kairos narrowed her sensitive eyes and lifted a hand to shield them from the bright sun. It was as if she was staring at a ghost town; no noise could be heard, not the clash of lightsabers or the rustle of robes... Something felt wrong, very wrong. Continuing onward she made her way up to the front of the Academy, to where the doors were - left open as ever. No guards stood at attention on either side. No students rushed from the doors on a Lord's errand.

She rubbed the back of her neck a little. If only she had a comm-link on her person, perhaps then she could have gotten to the bottom of it...

[member="Zanders"]

 

[Zanders Darkstrider]

Sifting thru what he considered to be a treasure trove of data there was information from the first Sith empire here there practices there research. Marka Ragnos was apparently a very strong Sith that ruled the empire for over a hundred years. He had his ghost appear in front of Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh and had them duel for the control of the empire. Ragnos had such an extensive understanding of the force finding his holocron will be the true diamond in the ruff of this area.

All of a sudden a booming voice echos into Zanders mind. Find my scepter and open my sarcophagus release me from my binds and you shall be greatly rewarded.

Greatly disturbed Zanders stood up holding his head. I think it is time for me to leave I just hope I can find my way back. Taking longer then what it took to get down to the burial chamber finding his way back seem to be near impossible. A few hours later he found his way back to the top a red holocron had appeared on the ground. With the voice chanting in his mind bring me back and this will be your reward...

 

[Lief]

A tremor in the Force made itself known to the Sith Lord as she surveyed what remained of the once great Academy. It was here, on these very steps, that many Sith had been made, whether coming of their own free will or forcefully dragged up the steps. And it seemed that, as fate would have it, another would make such a journey soon enough.

Closing her eyes, she breathed in the atmosphere of the area; A great power had been awakened in the Valley, and Kairos was not one to ignore such a blatant calling from the Force. When she opened her eyes they were sulfuric with corruption and laced with purpose. Forever testing me... You relinquished your binds on my person years ago, yet still I come to do your bidding...

The Force was a burden as much as it was freeing. Especially the Darkside. It was a cruel mistress at times, it corrupted and its grasp tightened the further you strengthened yourself through it. That wasn't something they taught you at the Academy, no they wanted you to fall within its influence. Of course it gave you strength, and power, and freedom akin to no other.

But it brought with it, too, a certain binding of its own.

Making her way from the Academy on foot, the Sith Lord descended through the antechambers and into the Valley of the Dark Lords. Sand brushed her ankles as her floor-long robes were kicked back with the strange flow of air at her feet; Korriban was such a strange place. Oddly, Kairos was not wearing the black robes of her predecessors; instead she had chosen a gown lighter in every sense. It was white and pure, the fabric flowed with the changes in the wind. It left her appearing ethereal, which was somewhat ironic.

She did not have to use her senses to know where to go. It was as though the Force itself had taken control and her person was controlled by auto-pilot. She even seemed to glide, though it would be difficult to notice without purposely looking to her feet.

Descending into the tomb of Marka Ragnos, she could feel the pulsating heart of the crypt as it had been roused into life. The frail of mind would not last long here, she knew, any who woke an Ancient Spirit of the past would have a hard time keeping their sanity. After all, what Sith would pass up the opportunity to rise again through the body of another?

Yet what she found when she entered the adjacent chamber left her slightly perplexed. There was no Sith stood there, nor a pitiful student of the Academy, but instead what seemed to be an ordinary individual. He seemed pained from the whole experience too. However, the very fact that the Force resonated around him, as if Ragnos himself was in the room, suggested there was more to this one than met the eye.

And between she and the man was a holocron. Pyramidal in shape, glowing with corruption, it would have been enough to entice any who was not trained against its lures. But Kairos had gone through experiences of her own with the likes of this, and so she tended to err on the side of caution. "You do not want to touch that, tempting though it may be..." Her voice was, as ever, low - as though carried by what faint amount of breeze the chamber held.

She did not move any closer to him, after all was this not a test in and of itself to see whether he would make a mistake or not?

[member="Zanders"]

 

[Zanders Darkstrider]

Pondering his choice on attempting to take the holocron left him dumbfounded. Well this is a predicament alright, the holocron I found back on Korriz was severely damaged and did a number on my mind. For all I know this one could do more harm then enlightenment if I attempt to access it. But maybe if I could transport it back to someone could help me unlock its secrets. Suddenly a voice whispered to him in the room "You do not want to touch that, tempting though it may be..."

Zanders jumps back in amazement as a woman in white stood there before him.

Are you here for the holocron? He asked... I just wanted to study it...

 

[Lief]

The fact that this young man was as surprised as he seemed to be hinted to Kairos that he was not really attuned with the Force, despite the fact she could feel it emanating from his person even from across the antechamber. Taking a slight step forward, she made her way around the holocron's image and stared down at it for a moment. Her gaze was long and thoughtful, and for a moment she said nothing. Then she sighed.

"The secrets of this holocron have already been discovered; no doubt the relic itself sits as part of a collection in some archive or another."

With a wave of her hand, Kairos dismissed the apparition that had formed for both of them to see and shook her head. Without much more encouragement from the Sith Lord it disappeared from their sight, and finally she laid her gaze back upon the one she had been sent to find by the Force.

"Marka Ragnos' holocron never resided here, at any rate. The one you sought belonged to Tulak Hord."

In the adjoining chamber a ruckus sounded, like rocks crumbling down from the ceiling. The tomb itself seemed to shake and tremble, if only for a moment, before a darkness settled over the pair. Corruption leached onto them, yet it made nary an impact on the Sith Lord who battled against it without so much as a strained expression to accompany it. She stared at the man, gauging as best she could his reaction.

Yet with his clear lack of affinity towards the Force, she was not entirely certain how well this would go down.

"Strengthen your resolve" she muttered, her eyes darting around the room for any visible signs of disturbance to the chamber.

[member="Zanders"]

 

[Zanders Darkstrider]

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

Standing there in shock of the woman in white had made the holocron he was hunting disappear. Only saying, Marka Ragnos' holocron never resided here, at any rate. The one you sought belonged to Tulak Hord.... Strengthen your resolve......

Even more confused Zanders felt the tremors in the ground as if the temple was beginning to collapse. Rushing behind the lady in white was a wailing spirit and sent a shock wave of energy hurling towards Zanders knocking him with great force into the wall behind him.

"Who dares disturbs my plans to return to this world? I have never sensed your presence until today yet it seems familiar like of someone who has passed..." Then the spirit send's a maelstrom of electricity towards the lady in white.

With the pain of getting the air knocked out of his lungs all Zanders could do was cough and watch what would happen next.

 

[Lief]

She did not move. She did not speak. Instead the woman closed her eyes and listened, waiting for the signal that would set everything in motion. From behind she sensed it, the presence of one who had been far more powerful than she, one who left a legacy in his wake, who had shifted the Galaxy and all within it. But he was nothing now, little more than an apparition, a fragmented memory... A shade of his former self.

He spoke, and such was his undoing. Through it she could sense where the ghostly fiend had paused, and she was able to set the timing in her mind.

The man before her was tossed back, and in that very instance an object dropped from the inside of her long sleeve and her palm grasped around it. The sleek metallic hilt of her lightsaber felt cool and soothing against her flesh; there was no ignition switch to be found, her fingers and thumb settling naturally in place.

And when the arc of lightning came she was ready for it; turning into the electrical assault she pooled the Force through her person and into the blade, forcing it into ignition. A flash of red beset the room around them in that moment, redirecting the sulfuric jolt of lightning back at the intangible being. Her eyes darkened yet remained sickly yellow in color, and a resolve set upon her expression.

"Your position in this world was forfeited the moment your strength waned" she informed the being, her voice particularly lower than it had been prior to the engagement, "Let the dead die and the strong rise. Awaken his potential and be resigned in your knowledge that the darkness will live on." She did not look to the man she spoke of, who was now sprawled upon the ground breathlessly. She did not need to, for she knew who it was the spirit had come for. Yet she could not permit a possession, not when the Force had other plans in mind...

[member="Zanders Darkstrider"]

 

[Zanders Darkstrider]

[member="Kära Vi'dreya"]

Finally catching his breath moment after the woman in white had decimated the spirit. " Who are you? What do you mean awaken his potential? "

Standing there in dismay Zanders begin to feel a surge of energy within himself he began shouting " WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!! "

 

[Lief]

The spirit stared at Kära, and she felt a surge of disapproval in his gaze. The lightning ceased to continue, however, yet Kära kept her saber out all the same. It would not be worth testing the water by disigniting it, after all. "Unlock his potential, and return from whence you came. Your time is gone, the Galaxy is not as you left it."

Without any warning the spirit lunged at the boy, too fast for him to see, and disappeared. Kära felt the spark in the Force igniting from behind her, where the boy was, and then the presence of Marka Ragnos retreated in a sudden gust of air that blew sand through the antechamber. Keeping her head high, Kära waited for just a moment...

... and then she disignited the blade.

"Do not raise your voice, the dead may lie but they can still hear."

Finally she turned towards him, and made a swift gesture for him to rise. Without another word she began to stride towards the exit, appearing to glide more so than walk. She really hoped, for his sake, that he took the initiative to follow. Another needless fight would only waste time.

[member="Zanders Darkstrider"]

 

[Zanders Darkstrider]

Pondering his choice's he decided to leave and not upset the spirits that rest. Taking what notes and research he had gather he followed the lady in white out the temple and back in to the valley of the Sith....