Private The Truth in the Grave

[Nouqai Veil]

Falentra was supposed to be within Alvaria, by her master Darth Malum of House Marr 's side, but while he was busy with his affairs outside the planet, the sith apprentice had chose to venture out. It was risky, specially since she had recently only gotten back home after turbulent months with the NJO, the Lightsworn and then a short period with her friend Balun in the Tingel Arm Coalition. However, being confined on a planet felt like Atrisia all again with the lightsworn, certainly the circumstances were different now after all that transpired, but Falentra was not one to stay put. It would only be a few hours.

The sith apprentice had sent a holomessage to her bestfriend to met. What they were about to seek - what she was asking him to do with her - might lead them into a precarious situation, but it would be far from the first time. Slicing into data across the span of the holonet with the device in her head gave her a trace of her origins. A lab existing years ago within the previous kainite territory of Bastion, where she might have been made. She had told herself she wasn't interesting in discovering her origins, that past was inconsequential, but yet her she was in a shipyard waiting for Balun Dashiell 's arrival, for them to seek just that.

When his ship arrived, she approached and entering when the hangar doors open. Falentra would greet her bestfriend with a tight hug. Then she pulled the black haversack of her shoulders. "Got something for you. You can't be going around here dressed like that. " She gestured generally to his form and his tan robes clearly of a jedi. What she had in the bag was a an armor suit, matching with her own.

 

[Balun Dashiell]

Location: Bastion Shipyard, Kainite Territory.
Co-Conspirator: Nouqai Veil .
Wearing: Sith Apparel.

Balun reluctantly made his way back to "The Nomad" to change, slipping into the black robes Nouqai had given him. The fabric was simple, no elaborate details or heavy modifications, yet as he pulled it on, an unsettling feeling crept over him. It wasn't the cut or comfort of the attire that bothered him; it was what it symbolized. Dressed in the garb of the Sith, he couldn't shake the discomfort of wearing something that so clearly represented a path he had not chosen.

"I didn't think I'd have to look like this when I suggested coming here," Balun muttered, glancing down at himself with a faint trace of unease. Self-consciousness clung to his words. Back at The Nest, they had discussed the need to seek answers about Nouqai's origins. At the time, the plan had seemed like a sound idea—one that could help her confront her past and perhaps guide her toward a clearer sense of identity, much as Balun had done when he left the New Jedi Order.

Bastion, the planet they now stood on, was once the capital of the long-fallen Sith Empire. Its very soil seemed soaked in the lingering power of the Dark Side, and its architecture and atmosphere echoed with the remnants of Sith Imperialism. This world was still a haven for Sith idealism, making Balun's decision to blend in with the local aesthetic a necessary evil. The robes weren't just a disguise; they were a shield—one that might keep their presence unnoticed, at least until Nouqai found the answers she was seeking. He cared too much for her to take any risks, even if it meant adorning the attire of those he had spent so long resisting.

"How do I look?".

 

[Nouqai Veil]

Falentra waited as Balun went to put on the suit. Throughout the years, had only ever seen her best friend in Jedi robes or those similar, so this would be a change. And sure it was, a surprise to see him when he came out dressed in stark contrast to his usual paler colours. She could not help but let out a chuckle, "You look good... dark - I could get used to it, honestly." She remarked with a smirk dancing at the corner of her lips.

Then she took out another item, a mask. "Think its best to hide our identities around here." She would lift the metal mask up to her friend's face, fixing it in place. "It also has a night and heat vision mode. " she added before putting on her own and the hood over her head that concealed her distinguishable tentacles.

"Look, if anything goes south, which I hope it wouldn't, and we get separated, meet back at the ship alright?"

 

[Balun Dashiell]

"You look good... dark - I could get used to it, honestly."

"Don't," Balun replied with a wary smirk, his tone cautionary as he eyed Nouqai Veil . The black garments clung to him uncomfortably, his hands smoothing them down over his torso as if it might ease the unfamiliar weight. "The Sith may be your kind of people, and that's fine by me, but I'm happier keeping my distance. I haven't met one yet that didn't want to kill me," he added with a casual shrug, as though their deadly encounters were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

He stood still while Nouqai adjusted the mask on his face, stifling a laugh and resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He could have easily done it himself, but he allowed the moment to pass. As his eyes aligned with the mask's lenses, the world around him shifted. The murky shadows of the night dissolved, replaced by clarity, the darkness now revealed in sharp, bright detail. Nothing could hide from his gaze now.

"Interesting choice," he remarked with a soft chuckle, glancing at his friend. "Planning on hiding in the dark?" He threw a confident smile over his shoulder, his tone steady and reassuring. "Don't worry. We won't get separated. I've got your back, all the way through this."

 

[Nouqai Veil]

Falentra respected her friend's decision with keeping away from the sith, as she would have when she was still a padawan. The Sith did not have a good reputation, which she knew. There were those sith groups she'd rather keep her distance away from too. Yet she could not deny that the darker garb could suit him as well as his jedi apparel did.

"We might have to. Anyway, my eyes are perfectly capable at navagating through the dark." She stated as they left the ship and began making their way to the streets. "And I've got yours." She reassured him. They were in Sith space, between the two, she knew about its kind of people more than he did. His presence was of the light that those force sensitive would be able to sense. It was a magnet for danger in the realm of the dark.

"I think the old sith temple would be a good place to start searching, the labs are underground."

 

[Phaelissia]

Location: Shipyard - Bastion
Objective: Investigate
Tag: Nouqai Veil Balun Dashiell

While the Kainate had yet to fully return to Bastion, various hidden outposts and concealed temples were maintained and staffed with Sith loyalists since the collapse of the New Imperial Order. However, as Phaelissia had never visited the world before now, much of it had been was lost on her. Still, if only through extensive hypno-conditioning and flash learning, she was familiar with the world’s history as the former capital of the Tenth Sith Empire. It was why her features twitched to see lingering remnants of the old Imperial regime—stormtroopers marching down the streets in worn-down betaplast armor, tattered Imperial flags hanging from buildings, and public holoboards displaying the Imperial crest in full clarity.

Nevertheless, even clad in her bodysuit, Phaelissia leveraged the cover of the night to make her way past the Imperials as she made her way towards the shipyard. As part of her mission, the Cipher had been tasked with scouting and analyzing various on-world locations. Although she expected it to be an easy assignment, she had no intention of taking any chances when it came to remnant Imperial patrols, pirates, or worse. Thus, Phaelissia had all of her weapons on her person, while her probe droid flew overhead to warn her of any oncoming threats or unidentified actors.

She had not been told to expect any Sith—Kainate Sith or those of heretical sects.

And so, when she spotted two black-clad figures making their way towards the street, the Cipher pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as she studied their movements from her concealed and elevated vantage point. She had seen a freighter landing in the yards on her approach some minutes before, but she had not anticipated that those aboard would be Sith.

For the moment, Phaelissia could not ascertain any reason behind their presence. Regardless, as her form faded into invisibility, the Cipher quickly decided that she would tail them, wherever they decided to go.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Frostfire Azalea
  
  • Arms
    
    • Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
  • Utility
    
    • Neahtid Earpiece
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates
• ASBF-X86p "Njósnari" Probe Droid

 

[Balun Dashiell]

"We might have to. Anyway, my eyes are perfectly capable at navagating through the dark. And I've got yours. I think the old sith temple would be a good place to start searching, the labs are underground."

"If we're forced to engage the Sith in any form of combat, we'll likely have the remnants of the Kainate or Sith-Imperials raining down on us," Balun remarked, casting a quick glance at Nouqai Veil , whose expression echoed his thoughts. Secrecy and stealth would be their strongest weapons if they couldn't manage to blend in with the local population.

Before they ventured too far from the spaceport, Balun paused. Closing his eyes, he reached out to the Force, focusing inward. Drawing on his knowledge of Altus Sopor, he gathered the Force within him, compressing it, folding it in on itself until his presence was all but erased. His connection to the light side, usually so strong, dimmed until it vanished, rendering him indistinguishable from any other being.

"They shouldn't be able to sense me now," he said quietly, opening his eyes and meeting Nouqai's gaze. "If anything, I'll come across as just another civilian to them. It's enough to pass for a loyalist—or at least someone they won't immediately suspect." He knew Nouqai would sense the difference—or, more accurately, fail to sense his presence in the Force at all.

"Alright then, lead on to the Temple. You know the way, right?".

Phaelissia

 

[Nouqai Veil]

Indeed, the cloaking was skilful, she would think him simply as a non force sensitive. His presence in the force had been much so a reassurance, especially in such a precarious place, and with them so familiar with the other, it was odd not being able to sense his usual aura when he was right next to her. Regardless, Falentra merely nodded.

There was the map in her mind space directing her, powered by the little computer in her head. "Yes, its also a large, and hard to miss, really." She pointed out as she led them both. It was nearly half an hour's walk, navigating through the dark streets. Until the reached the gates of the old sith temple, a large obelisk building.

"Do you know how to force cloak?" She asked, while utilising the force around her to turn invisible herself - a skill her master Darth Malum of House Marr had taught her once on the streets of Jutrand.

 

[Balun Dashiell]

"Nah, never had to," he said, his voice light but carrying a trace of irony. "The Jedi taught us transparency, as you know. But, turns out, I'm a pretty good liar," he added with a low chuckle, his quiet laughter betraying the truth he had learned outside the Jedi's teachings. Lying wasn't something the Order had instilled in him; it was a skill he'd sharpened while surviving on the streets after leaving the New Jedi Order. In the lawless Outer Rim, where he spent most of his time, smooth-talking and deceit had become second nature, vital for dealing with the less savoury figures he often crossed paths with.

"Don't worry, I won't stand out," he said, lifting his hood to cloak his face in shadow. His hands slid into the deep pockets of his dark robe, drawing it snug around his frame, making him melt into his surroundings like a shadow. Balun had long since strayed from the purity of the Jedi. A rogue by nature, with a rebellious streak that set him apart from the innocence expected of a Jedi, he had dipped his toes into a criminal past—never convicted, but more than familiar with the underworld. He'd brushed shoulders with all kinds, of people who would make his former Jedi comrades shudder. Yet, this darker side of himself, the one that could blend into any environment and navigate dangerous paths, would serve him well as he walked the halls of the Sith Temple, drawing on that experience when needed.

"You know...-I know you won't like to hear this, but one of these days I'd like to meet your Master. Understand what it is about him that convinced you to feel you belong with the Sith Order" he remarked casually as he followed the presence of Nouqai Veil , their Force Bond creating an innate bridge between them, that he could sense and follow her with little effort despite her cloak.

 

[Nouqai Veil]

With Balun in clothes fitting a sith, he seemed to blend right into the dark and shadows even without the force cloak she used. Falentra had experienced both worlds, while she agreed that he looked better dark than in his lighter jedi wear, she would never push her ideals on him. Knowing her own struggle and conflict with discovering what felt true to her.

They navigated through the halls, with Falentra utilising a map she found of the temple, visualised in her digital mind space. They had to find a way underground. However, when Balun mentioned Darth Malum of House Marr , her Master, it was enough to stop her in her tracks. He was right, it was not something she liked to hear.

Balun was much her best friend as he was her anchor to the light and her past. The Sith lord, served the righteous hand leading her through the dark, and it was her future. Falentra could only foresee disaster if they were to meet... and if she was made to choose. "That - will not be wise. It won't happen." She said, leaving little room for argument.

"When I failed my trial of spirit for the last time, he led me to him in Alvaria. It was incredibly foolish, but I was so upset and angry about everything that I decided... that death was better than going down the path of darkness. I drove a lightsaber right through my chest. He saved me, gifted me a heart anew and a new life. " She explained. It was a story incredibly personal to her, but she trusted Balun to understand.

"Frankly, most times I do not feel I belong with the sith order." She admitted. The truth was that she felt she belonged with him. And it just so happened to be in Sith Order.

"Anyway, speaking about which, I'd love to meet your new family. Do you still go by Vale?" She asked, changing the topic of conversation.

Balun Dashiell

 

[Balun Dashiell]

As Balun and Nouqai Veil made their way through the shadowed halls of the Sith-Imperial Temple, his eyes were constantly absorbing the details of the architecture, his gaze concealed beneath the folds of his black hooded robe, which swayed with every deliberate step. Walking beside Nouqai, Balun couldn't help but notice how comfortable she seemed, as if this place was second nature to her. Meanwhile, his own nerves hummed beneath his skin. He had suggested this visit half-jokingly, playing it off as a daring adventure, expecting her to be the voice of reason and talk him out of it. To his surprise, she had initially done just that—only to change her mind later. Now that they were here, surrounded by the tangible threat of encountering Sith who might recognize them, the weight of his lightsaber hilt brushing against his hip with every movement was a subtle but constant reminder that he was prepared to defend himself if it came to that.

"You think he'll try to kill me?" Balun asked, his mind still fixated on the looming prospect of meeting Darth Malum of House Marr. He waved off the mention of his family, focusing instead on the immediate concern. "I mean, it's not like I'm trying to discourage you from being with the Sith. I've told you before—it won't change our friendship. The only thing I'd have a problem with is if I saw you, or any of them, hurting innocent people. You know, actual evidence instead of assumptions like everyone else has," he added with a casual shrug. His voice carried an air of indifference, honed over years of bias ingrained in him as a Jedi student, but also softened by his personal beliefs.

Balun had made it his mission not to judge anyone without firsthand knowledge of their actions. The Sith, like so many other Force-sensitive groups, simply operated differently from the Jedi. That didn't make them enemies in his mind—not until they openly harmed others or broke galactic law. He had distanced himself from the New Jedi Order some time ago, seeking to live a life that was just and right, not one filled with needless conflict. For him, going out of his way to find excuses to fight or hurt others felt like a contradiction to the life he was trying to build.

 

[Phaelissia]

Location: Old Sith Temple - Bastion
Objective: Investigate
Tag: Nouqai Veil Balun Dashiell

Phaelissia skulked in the wake of the two figures as they moved through the city. In the process, it did not escape her notice that one had shifted his appearance to take the form of a civilian—an intelligent decision by her own reckoning due to the undue attention that a Sith’s black attire might attract. However, the other figure remained in her original form until she reached the gates of the old temple, at which point she disappeared before the Cipher’s synthetic gaze.

It was her first cue that their presence here could not have been authorized or permitted.

Nevertheless, Phaelissia remained concealed while taking an alternative entrance into the temple by simply climbing up and leaping over the gates before gracefully landing on the opposite side. From there, she moved to follow after the two figures as they entered the halls. Her ears twitched then as her ultrasensitive hearing picked out snippets of conversation, cluing her in to the fact that the invisible Sith was still there, likely right next to the one disguised as a civilian.

"You know...-I know you won't like to hear...meet your Master. Understand...convinced you to feel you belong with the Sith Order"

"I mean, it's not like I'm trying to discourage you from being with the Sith. I've told you before...change our friendship. The only...hurting innocent people. You know, actual...assumptions like everyone else has,"

While Phaelissia could not hear the voice of the other (possibly due to her cloak), it did not take long for the Cipher to decipher the conversation. The concealed female intruder was a Sith of an unknown school.

What then, was the male?

Spoiler: Loadout

• Frostfire Azalea
  
  • Arms
    
    • Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
  • Utility
    
    • Neahtid Earpiece
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates
• ASBF-X86p "Njósnari" Probe Droid

 

[Nouqai Veil]

Her lips pursed together into a thin line, clearly discontent that her friend was still stuck on the idea despite her attempt to divert it away and question about his own life. "I think he'd try to turn you. And if he can't, maybe he would." She said bluntly with an exasperated sigh. "You know Balun, you're part of the reason why I would never be able to fully embrace the Sith." The promise she made made sure she would not kill anyone unless in self-defense. Then there was the recent genocide on Tion by the Sith, she had been on the planet when it happened, she had never realised and it had shook her when she eventually found out.

Falentra walked along, the navigation directing them towards the doors of an old turbolift. "Let see if I can get this to work. " Her scaley fingers touched the destination control panel on the wall, sending a surge of electricity through the system to jumpstart. The device in her head began operating, using codes to slice through the digital walls and into the controls of the elevator. The turbolift was quickly summoned up to their level, the lift doors opening. "After you," Falentra dropped her force cloak, a smile flickered on her lips.

Balun Dashiell Phaelissia

 

[Balun Dashiell]

"I think he'd try to turn you. And if he can't, maybe he would.

You know Balun, you're part of the reason why I would never be able to fully embrace the Sith."

As Balun walked alongside Nouqai Veil through the corridor, he replied with a calm confidence, "I don't imagine he'd have much luck turning me. I'm quite content being a neutral Force user." His gaze shifted forward, his words thoughtful. "Leaving the Jedi was the best decision I ever made for myself, but that doesn't mean I have any special fondness for the Sith either. Like I said, I prefer to judge people by their actions, face-to-face." Though he had a deep sense of gratitude to the New Jedi Order for his upbringing, he had long accepted that their path wasn't his own. Still, he would never turn his back on them if they needed him. But the life he lived now? That felt right.

Pausing for a moment, he glanced at her with sincerity in his eyes. "I'm sorry if you regret the promise you made to me, but I'm glad you did." His tone softened. "I can accept that you're with the Sith, and even that you're apprenticed to Darth Malum of House Marr . But if I ever found out you had killed someone in cold blood..." His voice trailed off as his expression darkened, the weight of the thought settling between them. "Well... I would feel responsible. Let's put it that way."

They reached the turbolift, and Balun stopped, turning to face her fully, his expression growing serious. "You and I can never be on opposite sides." The bond they shared, forged through the Force and tempered by their many trials together, was too strong. They had survived countless near-death experiences, grown side by side, and to imagine one day standing on opposing sides—crossing blades with her—was unbearable to even consider.

Having spoken his truth, he turned and stepped into the turbolift, his heart heavy with unspoken emotions as he awaited her.

Phaelissia

 

[Phaelissia]

Location: Old Sith Temple - Bastion
Objective: Divide and Conquer
Tag: Nouqai Veil Balun Dashiell

Phaelissia moved closer, arriving within a few meters of the two intruders before coming to a halt. While the stealth systems in her bodysuit afforded her security and confidence, the Cipher was quite aware of the risks involved in approaching trained Force-sensitives. Thus, she took extra care to avoid moving in such a way that might disturb her surroundings. Still, with the benefit of close proximity, the intruders’ conversation now reached her ears in full, answering the question she had silently contemplated moments prior.

The male was a neutral Force wielder.

At that point, the other intruder—a female—emerged from her cloak, thus returning her form to visibility. Phaelissia cocked her head to the side then, but with the helmet and mask shrouding her features, there was no way to determine who she was. Nor could she do the same for the male.

They reached the turbolift, and Balun stopped, turning to face her fully, his expression growing serious. "You and I can never be on opposite sides."

Phaelissia narrowed her eyes, her shrouded expression manifesting all parts envy, jealousy, and hatred. Thus, as the male intruder stepped into the turbolift, the Cipher decided to offer him assistance in the endeavor. With insect-like quickness, she outstretched her left hand towards the male’s back to unleash a powerful kinetite-generated shockwave from her palm, five meters away. The ensuing blast of pressurized air carried enough force to possibly send her target flying forward into the wall of the turbolift cab, potentially stunning him upon impact. The power was dialed down so that she did not risk destroying the turbolift in the process, thus reducing the force that her target would feel in turn.

For the moment, it was not her goal to kill him. Instead, Phaelissia intended to separate the male from his partner. If all went according to plan, the turbolift would convey him swiftly upward (or downward) while his partner was left behind on the main floor.

Then, at nearly the same time, Phaelissia dropped her concealment and rushed towards the female Sith in a blur of movement, her vibroblade sliding out of its gauntlet with a searing metallic screech in the process. As soon as she was close enough, the Cipher kicked her legs out in an attempt to bring the Sith down to the ground in a leaping scissor sweep!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Frostfire Azalea
  
  • Arms
    
    • Energized Gauntlet Vibroblade - R
  • Utility
    
    • Neahtid Earpiece
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• Purifying Lash
• Freezing Fates
• ASBF-X86p "Njósnari" Probe Droid