Unlikely Allies

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Trayus Academy, Malachor V, Chorlian Sector, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member='Vereshin']​

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Arriving on Malachor had been the hardest part of Aryn's trip thus far. Since the planet had fallen under Sith control, the world and its system was patrolled heavily by Sith ships. Luckily, the majority of the Sith fleet had been re-organizing and re-grouping following the assault on Muunilist, and Malachor itself had been left with only a light defence, more than enough for Aryn to sneak past in his lone X-wing. He'd come without Dewbacca, he figured his Wookiee companion would have only complicated things in such a dark place, and he figured that Dew could have used a break anyway.

As he touched down on the cracked, blackened surface of the world, Aryn could see the worn down and ruined entrance to the old Trayus academy. He'd needed to fly through deep caverns to get here, and manoeuvring would have been impossible if he had taken a ship any larger. Luckily, there had been a flat clearing large enough for him to land as he climbed up out of the cockpit, hearing the woeful beeping of his astromech up in its slot. "You should probably stay with the ship, BB - their scanners might have spotted us anyway." With a few acknowledging beeps from his droid, Aryn nodded and turned towards the distant entrance.

The walk towards the ruined bridge which led into the ancient academy was slow and silent. Almost no sound echoed across the canyon as he walked through it, the light tap of his boots on hard stone echoing as the dark atmosphere surrounded him. The force on Malachor was twisted, wounded and suffering. Just as the world itself was scarred by a thousand battles more than a thousand years ago, the force was almost silent here, a great, hollow, echoing quiet made by what was lacking. And yet as he drew nearer to the academy, he still drew upon it, feeling its ebbs and flows and all of its cracks as he used it to bolster himself, adding a small, sullen silence to the larger, hollow one. It created an alloy of sorts, a counterpoint.

As he stepped over the broken bridge, Aryn made his way into the academy, the encroaching darkness surrounding him as he stepped deeper within. His eyes took a few moments to adjust, and though it remained dark he could see well enough to continue on, progressively making his way into the first major hall of the academy, focusing on the echo through the force which had brought him here, on the call.

 

[Vereshin]

MUSIC​

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The halls of the Truyus Academy flickered with the discrete trace of life. Footsteps echoed through a derelict corridor and caught Vereshin's attention on the opposite side of the wall. He sat perched against the stone and scribbled in a leather bound notebook splayed against his thigh. On this world, when Vereshin had been a destructive teenager, [member="Darth Abyss"] apprehended him after he drained the energy of a citizen and adopted the young sorcerer as his apprentice. He had matured since and grown into a fully fledged Sith, now chasing greater things than hapless innocents to prey on. The present rustle of movement distracted his ears occasionally, causing him to gaze away from the paper.

A cigarette rested against a stone, which he plucked with two fingers and brought to his lips, inhaling and blowing smoke into the damp air. He set it down and returned his hand to his pen, continuing the verbose equation against his grip in attempt to compact the numbers into a more concise set of symbols. He siphoned the Force energy seething within academy left over from rituals of eons ago. An eyebrow raised at the incessant movements behind the wall and a second presence emerged, one of light. Vi swallowed a gulp and bit down on his cigarette, immediately pulling it from his lips and discarding it in the dust.

Folding his notebook closed, he slid his pen into his pocket and rose to his feet, somewhat glad that he sensed the presence of a light side user and not another Sith. He brushed the dust off his clothes and straightened his black jacket. He wore a fraying scarf of black and grey checks over a black jacket and plus fours tucked into grey socks and lace-up shoes. Oval, rimless glasses sat on his ears. The pale hue of his skin aside, Vereshin looked veritably different to the typical Sith. He served the Empire with an unhinged loyalty and represented them loosely with the choice of black attire, albeit that of a civilian. Breathing in deeply, Vereshin stepped backwards and planted his back and hands against the wall, dissipating the mass and breaching directly through to the other side.

"Oh no!" Vi muttered as he nearly backed into the individual on the other side. His pen, caught on the side of his pocket, fell out and onto the ground. He fell to his knees to frantically search among the stones. He could not function without his notebook and pen and would be in dire straights should he lose one or the other. He shoved a mound of stones aside with a nonchalant push of the Force and found his pen, collected it and recoiled before the lone pilot facing him. Vi backed against the wall and held the pen against his chest, his gaze glaring through the glasses which he had forgotten to remove.

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Trayus Academy, Malachor V, Chorlian Sector, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member='Vereshin']​

The dark side blanketed the academy as Aryn wandered in through the halls, indeed it blanketed much of Malachor V. This world was corrupted and darkened to its very core, and had he been more dogged in his allegiance to the light, it would likely have been overwhelming to Aryn. Yet as he wandered along he continued to feel that blanketed energy, feeding and drawing upon it as he wandered along. Before too long there was a shift in the blanket however, another presence which he was lucky not to miss. It blended in with the surroundings, and Aryn figured it would have been far too ambitious to expect no dark-siders to be present, considering the ancient significance of the academy he walked through.

Aryn idly allowed his hand to drift to his belt, fingers slipping around the metal of his lightsaber as he unhooked it from his belt. He felt the heft of it in his palm, and kept the weapon deactivated as he walked, focused on this new presence in the force, reaching out and drawing upon it as he moved. There was something different about this particular presence. Many of the Sith and Dark-siders that Aryn had encountered carried their anger and aggression with them, radiating it outward almost as a warning, this one did not seem to, there was almost a strange innocence to it as he drew nearer and nearer.

He saw as the wall between himself and the presence he'd sensed dissipated, the body falling back as he saw the man fall down onto his knees. There was no aggression coming from the man, and Aryn just watched in vague confusion for a moment as he frantically began searching for his pen and notebook. As he met the gaze of the Sith, he watched as the man suddenly staggered back up against the wall, stifling a chuckle at the veritable ridiculousness of the situation. Taking a step forward, he held his free hand out towards the man. "Should be more careful." He said pointedly, waiting for the man to take his hand so Aryn could help him to his feet, The Sith seemed to have no aggressive intentions, but it would have been foolish to say Aryn trusted him fully, the Jedi keeping his grip on his lightsaber as he watched the Sith, he did not want to be deceived, after all.

 

[Vereshin]

With his back against the wall, Vereshin eyed the other man up and down cautiously while failing to completely make contact with his gaze. He stroked his thumb up and down the pen and lowered his wrist to slide it into his pocket. His chest heaved up and down while he held his breath for as long as he could before releasing. Watching the extended hand warily, he reached forward and wrapped skeletal fingers around the strong hand of the pilot who lifted him effortlessly to his feet. Vi released his hand and brushed down his clothes while he stood upright.

Vereshin said nothing in response to the man's comment. The line of his mouth merely curved downward in a pout while he delivered a bashful glare in admittance of his poor motor skills. His gaze diverted to the man's hand stroking his lightsaber and Vi swallowed a frightened gulp. He carried no weapons and barely used his powers for combat unless necessary. Vereshin utilized the Dark Side for experimental purposes, rarely ever to harm another. A pause held between the two of them as the latent Sith apprehended the Light Side user for any possible threats.

"Who are you?" Vi finally asked. They looked rather odd together, a darkly intellectual and a rogue starfighter pilot, who appeared only slightly older than Vereshin. While he could sense a Light Side presence, he could not guess the man's allegiance, if any. "Do you fly a ship?" The question arose out of pure curiosity. Vereshin interacted with very few pilots and rogues throughout his life, his primary source of social contact being Sith and most of them he cared little for. Mouth slightly parted in contemplation, he continued to glance over the man with innocent inspection to decide whether or not he could be trusted. Every time Aryn looked Vi in eye, he turned away.

"My name is Vi. I am doing research here." Vereshin decided against revealing his full name while only half explaining the truth behind his intentions. He smiled slightly upon mentioning his work and wondered quietly to himself just exactly what somebody like Aryn might be doing on a world so steeped in the Dark Side as Malachor. "What about you?" As the final word left his speech, a muted rumble surged within the bowels of the academy and Vereshin turned his head in the direction of the noise. He had not encountered dangers since his arrival, having not yet explored the deeper levels of the site. The thought of a dark anomaly to siphon heightened his interest further.

[member="Aryn Teth"]

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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Trayus Academy, Malachor V, Chorlian Sector, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member='Vereshin']​

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Feeling as the man took his hand, it only then dawned on Aryn how small the man's figure had been. He was wirey and light, not the kind of person by appearances that would be wandering through ancient ruins and Sith Academies such as the one they now stood within. His gaze followed Vereshin's down toward his lightsaber, and as though to ensure the man understood he was not there to fight, Aryn gently pulled his robes back over to conceal the weapon again as he heard the man speak. The first question was simple enough and to be expected, the second was less-so, it wasn't odd or overtly out of place, just unexpected. "My name is Aryn Teth, I am a pilot, yes." He explained plainly, a politeness to his tone differing from his initial comment previously.

He raised a curious eyebrow as the man spoke up to his purpose, he was unsure how truthful it really was, Aryn knew well enough that Sith weren't exactly the most forthcoming with their goals, and he certainly still didn't trust the man simply because they had not yet traded blows. Still, he had no reason to be hostile towards the man yet, and so Aryn would remain civil and peaceful unless the necessity arose. As the man's next question came, Aryn opened his mouth to answer, only to be halted by the rumbling throughout the academy. His gaze shifted in the direction of the sound, and he paused for a few moments, as if expecting something to follow, when nothing did, he turned back towards the man.

"I'm looking for something." He explained simply, figuring it was enough for now, the man did not need to know what he had come for, and indeed if he did, he was unsure that the man he was with would take kindly to him having such a goal. He was a trespasser in Sith territory, however, the man could easily attempt to claim what Aryn searched for for himself. He had been about to speak again when the rumble came a second time, this time with the sounds of movement further down the dark hallways, still out of sight. Before long, Aryn pulled his saber back up and into his hand, deactivated but held at the ready as his gaze scanned down the long hallway. "I'm not usually the one to suggest this, but it might be worth sticking together if we're going to be here for much longer."

 

[Vereshin]

Vereshin's eyes widened in curiosity as Aryn stated that he flew a ship. Such practical skill with technological remained alien to the sorcerer who had studied nothing aside from magic for the entirety of his life. Sensing mistrust within Aryn, his meek demeanor shifted slightly as he removed his glasses and raised a menacing eyebrow. The pilot was wise to not to trust him. For now, Vereshin played coy lest the other Force user raise his weapon against him. That said, he had been honest with the explanation of his intention in travelling to the academy, seeking nothing other than siphoning the remaining Dark Side energy.

"May that something be a dark anomaly, I might be able to assist." He responded while concealing his notebook inside his jacket pocket. Aryn's statement aroused within Vereshin his typical insatiable curiosity. Whatever the lighter Force user searched for may have been of use to his research. Should he help him uncover what he sought, Vereshin proposed to himself the possibility of thieving Aryn's artifact. For now, he would wait and see what he revealed the prize to be and decide upon the discovery any potential use the objective held.

The rumble surged through the rocks again and Vereshin found himself in silent agreement with Aryn. He rolled backwards on his heals and gripped the edges of his jacket. With his touch, the light making up the unassuming clothing he wore transformed to reveal the true attire he wore beneath the illusion, a sinister black coat with a standing collar and a hem which flared at the ends. He followed the dark energy into the depths of the academy and pressed onward, waiting momentarily for Aryn to follow.

Curiosity drew Vereshin in like a child. His ears traced the feint whispers of lingering souls left behind from ritual sacrifices from years ago. "Do you hear that?" The voices grew louder as the ground trembled. Presences within the academy reacted to the unwanted intruders. "They are spirits from sacrifices of eons ago." Vereshin spoke to Aryn as they moved into the shadows. Darkness grew thicker, until the imagery became almost impossible to see. The Sith sorcerer stopped in his tracks and attempted to gather his bearings. He reached forward and flexed his fingers in the air. A ripple of violet energy disturbed the Force and shifted the shapes before them.

"Be wary of illusions and time rifts the ghosts have conjured. They will lure you from space itself." Vi said while stepping backwards into the slowly disappearing light, he reached out through the Force and levitated a reasonably sized rock. He brought the object to his hand and threw into the darkness before them. There was no sound of the rock landing, merely the sweep of wind as it soared through space and fell into eternity. "Say, can you cast light through the Force?" Vereshin inquired, only be able to destroy light and cast shadows himself. He wondered if Aryn could assist in revealing whether the endless cavern was truly endless or a mere illusion.

[member="Aryn Teth"]