What Is Freedom? (Vaulkhar)

[Darth Ferus]

It had been quite a long time since the Zabrak had seen his old apprentice [member="Vaulkhar"] in person. A son of the infamous Kaine, and a powerful swordsman in his own right. The time apart was at it's end though. On his homeworld of Iridonia the Sith sat in his chair, idly toying with a dagger in his hand. Until the boy arrived he would continue to lounge in his throne.

"Don't keep me waiting too long." He muttered to himself.

 

[Vaulkhar]

Vaulkhar lounged back comfortably on the deck of his ship, allowing his astromech to handle the landing process. To say it had been a longtime since he had seen his master would be an understatement. There was certainly a part of the half breed who missed his mentor. While he was as harsh as any Sith Lord, he still respected his student and offered him guidance when he had none. His first master, Vengeance, made him into a warrior. His father made him a killer. And Ferus, well, Ferus made him into what he is this day. An assassin of legend, a conqueror of planets, a warrior on the verge of attaining masterhood. However, while there was a part of him which missed his master, there was another part of him ready to go back into exile and return to his early retirement. When he was called upon by the Sith, it was to exterminate and conquer those who stood in there way. The dark jedi was good at it, though that did not mean he particularly enjoyed it. He was shaken from his revere by the sudden jolt and lurch of his ship as it set down in the Iridonian King's hangar. Vaulkhar stood at that and clipped his belt into place at his waist before wrapping his cloak around his neck, which soon fell into place around him. As the ramp slowly lowered, the blind man began his descent.

"Watch the ship, K, don't let anyone aboard without my express permission," Vaulkhar called back over his shoulder to his assassin droid and ship caretaker as the ramp ascended into place once more. Nodding to whichever attendant was sent to meet him, Vaulkhar motioned forward with a flick of his cybernetic wrist. "Just lead me to Ferus," his words were swift and devoid of emotion. He intended to sound stoic and relaxed, though he was not in the mood for idle conversation. He never really was. The half breed was led through the halls of the palace by the servant, the duo weaving through them with precision. Vaulkhar was certainly impressed by the architecture and the acquisition of Ferus, it reminded him much of his own home on Panatha with his father. It seemed to be a trademark of powerful Sith Lords, to sit idle in big, beautiful palaces until it was time to carve through the innocent masses who stood before them. The thought brought a smirk to the half breed's face.

As the two stepped up to the throne room's door, he allowed the smirk to slip away from his face. It was pushed open by the servant and he stepped in quickly, not wasting time. His blind gaze, guided by the force, settled on the Iridonian King. He strode towards him with purpose before kneeling several paces before the throne.

"Good day, Lord Ferus."

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"There you are. I was getting sooooo bored waiting for you that I started wondering how many knives I could juggle." Which was, ironically, only two. The Sith Lord in all his glory was sprawled out lazily on his throne as if he was just in a nap, dressed in the simple leathers of his title. He didn't bother looking to [member="Vaulkhar"] , instead focused on poorly tossing the pair of daggers above him. It was a slow and terrible show, often with him having to restart. "So! How's it been? It's been quite a while since we last spoke hu-ow!" The Lord caught a dagger just wrong enough to earn himself a cut on the finger, earning a hiss of pain.

Finally he did glance to his apprentice from the corner of his eye. The joking and foolish attitude he had faded for just a moment into a studious glare. Without warning both of the daggers were thrown right for the Epicanthix, one for his throat and the other for his heart. The Force clearly played a part in their speed and accuracy, but they were ultimately a test. Had his apprentice lost any of his edge in his time away.

Then, almost as if it didn't happen, the Zabrak took out a couple more daggers and went back to his crappy juggling. "So, what do you think of the Sith? You're not one yet, but don't you think you should be?"

 

[Vaulkhar]

A smirk returned to Vaulkhar's face as Ferus spoke at first. He remembered the Sith Lord for many things. A competent killer, a staunch ally, a fair and respectable master. However, he did not remember him for any humor. He slowly rose, watching him fail to juggle the daggers while his smile remained. As the king's flesh was cleanly sliced by the dagger, Vaulkhar's smile faltered momentarily, a hint of concern flashing across his blind gaze before it quickly vanished. Showing any semblance of concern was pointless in the face of the Sith; it always was and forever will be. His hands hung comfortably at his sides as he studied Ferus studying him. The half breed was reminded of a hawk, a creature perched comfortably awaiting it's moment to strike it's unsuspecting prey. As it turned out, Vaulkhar had not been unsuspecting from the first moment he met Ferus and his current master attacked him mid conversation.

Some things just never change, which was always a welcome sight to the blind man. As the daggers flashed forward, a series of thoughts flashed through Vaulkhar's mind. He could push them away with the force, a simple and easy enough maneuver. It was possible for him to dodge aside as well, though with each option the daggers would be firmly out of reach. Throwing away weapons was never an ideal way of going into a fight. Vaulkhar was lucky, since his return he had already seen live combat, the cobwebs cleaned away and his form already remastered post-retirement. With a deep breath, the force propelled one hand forward. His hand snatched the first dagger out of the air as he seemingly danced to his left. The dark jedi's hand gripping the dagger sliced downwards, knocking the other clean from the air and away from him. It was apparent the force propelled his speed and strength alike. His attention shifted to Darth Ferus at that, his brow perked.

"Er- I am, er... What?" Vaulkhar appeared somewhat confused by the question. No one ever asked him his view on the Sith, not that he had a good one. "Well, I've never considered myself a candidate to become a Sith. I am unlike my father and many other powerful Sith. I lack the ambition and drive to rule this galaxy. I suppose I walk my own path, my lord."

[member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"That explains why you're not one, but you haven't explained what you think of the Sith." Krest was on his feet and standing beside [member="Vaulkhar"] in the blink of an eye, a light breeze the only inclination that the Sith had even moved. A subtle showing of the Lord's strength, though not without purpose. Without looking at the Epicanthix the Zabrak spoke in a whisper, his jovial tone gone.

"I have spent my life in the Sith, wasting away in darkness. Killing myself with every innocent life I take. Burning my soul with every rage filled act. It took too long for me to realize how truly evil the Sith are. To remember who I was before I fell. You are not your father, that much I have seen, and if you want freedom from the life you have been tasked with."

 

[Vaulkhar]

Vaulkhar managed to follow the movement briefly. From the moment the legs within Krest's muscles and arms flexed, his eyes managed to pick up on his speed. Though as soon as he began to rise, the half breed lost sight of his master. Vaulkhar was competent and well trained, though his master's grip and knowledge of the force was unfortunately beyond him at the moment. To his credit, he did not flinch or falter, he remained straight and stared forward. His gaze flickered and settled on Krest as he appeared beside him, stoic and devoid of it's prior mirth or confusion. The dark jedi considered his master's words for a brief period of time following them. Freedom from this life was something he sought. When he looked to the Silver Sanctum, they failed him. When he looked to the Gray Jedi, they failed him. To escape the Sith and find something else in the universe, a means to define himself outside of his name; that was something Vaulkhar wanted. The closing words of Krest were surprising, to say the least. Vaulkhar's eyes widened in shock before returning to normal only a half a second later.

"If you are offering me an escape from this life, I would like to hear more about it."

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest sighed as if he had been holding his breath for [member="Vaulkhar"] 's response. All at once the tension in the Lord's mannerisms faded as he leaned back, smiling wide at the Knight before him. "All I can do is give you a place to go to escape the Sith's reach and find who you without their teachings or influence. We will be betraying the Empire, and your father's wrath will drop on us. If you're prepared for such a result I can bring you with me to a place of true peace."

The daggers in the Lord's grip that were posed to strike slowly lowered. As much as he wanted to help the boy before him he also had to think of himself and his own. Had Vaulkhar denied this he would have struck the knight down without a moment of hesitation. Still, the boy hadn't truly accepted. "What do you say. Would you like to start over with me?"

 

[Vaulkhar]

The half breed took a step back and looked up at his master in silent consideration. At the moment, peering up at Krest, a smile slipped onto his face. It was not due to the circumstances or even the word's his master had shared with him. Rather, it was the blatant irony of his stature in comparison to his master's. His bloodline spoke of massive warriors far beyond that of normal breed, yet Vaulkhar was lithe, only 5'11 in height. He shook his head weakly, laughing at the thought that briefly flashed through his mind. A decision must be made on his future. If he were to leave the Sith Empire, he would certainly be targeted by those who became aware of it. A Zambrano leaving the dark side for the sake of something other than death was a no-go even before his father's meteoric rise to Emperor, now it be even less likely to be considered a good idea. Though, Vaulkhar has managed to disappear in the past without being hunted down, it was something he was rather good at. And worse case scenario, the half breed could very easily feign allegiance by appearing at various gatherings in the future if entirely necessary. The decision was made long before he even considered the implications, why he bothered at all was beyond him.

"More than anything I would like to start over. Make amends for the decisions I've made under the misguided pretenses of finding my father's love and respect, Lord Ferus."

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Krest." The Zabrak said at the end of [member="Vaulkhar"] 's acceptance. Taking another step back Krest held out a single hand, smiling. "My name is Krest." As if to signify the agreement he shared his true name with the Knight before him and offered his hand for a handshake as an equal. From this day forward their relationship would not be like that of a master and a slave, but of a teacher and a student. Each equal despite one giving knowledge to the other.

"We'll be leaving soon to the location I mentioned before. There's a couple things I plan to do before outright betraying the Empire, which you're free to join if you'd like."

 

[Vaulkhar]

"Very well, Krest. I will join you in whatever it is you desire."

Vaulkhar took his masters hand and shook it, as an equal. His smirk turned into a genuine smile as the door opened to a future not wrapped in the shadow of the Sith. And it was thankfully beside a man he had grown to respect. A man he would certainly die beside. He took a step back and dusted himself off a bit even though he was not dirty at all. Perhaps it was a nervous habit? His hands clasped together behind his back as his chin rose a bit.

"What must be done?"

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Commenor is an ally of Iridonia. In my foolishness I chose to remain out of the conflict between the Sith and they to avoid breaking any alliance I had with both sides in a hopes your father would be merciful. Obviously he wasn't. So, I have to make amends. Free the Queen and her people from the Sith in any way I can. First, I have to find the King and speak with him." The Zabrak idly scratched his chin, peering over [member="Vaulkhar"] for a moment. Still proper as ever.

"Find some allies. Those who would sympathize with Commenor and bring them to Alderaan. Once we have enough we'll turn the tide against your father."

 

[Vaulkhar]

"Unfortunately, I do not have many allies. I've kept a low profile since I've joined the Sith," Vaulkhar turned away and began to pace back and forth within the throne room, falling into thought. "I know a rather beautiful young woman I've met recently. She seemed to be more than she appeared, I think she may be able to help in this endeavor," at that he stopped and fell further into thought. The only two people had had known to brazenly challenge his father as they intended to do was a woman the young man once held close to his heart, Ella. As well as his half brother, Enoch. Ella was imprisoned and tortured for such, his half brother killed. The thought of the two of them suddenly brought rage to the forefront of Vaulkhar's mind. He absentmindedly channeled the dark side, his hand clenching into a tight fist. As his eyes flashed from gray to an angry, molten orange color, anything nearby him not tied or latched down would slowly float upwards, several inches from the ground. Upon realizing his actions, he took a deep breath and broke his grip on the force, slowly guiding the items back to the floor. "I apologize, master Krest."

The half breed turned back to Krest and studied him, peering through the force at his master. His very aura seemed free of a taint that once inhabited it. Where he once leaked of rage, evil, and pain, he could be described as the calm before the storm almost. It brought a smile to the young man's face once more. What Krest was now offered Vaulkhar hope to be something more. Something better.

"I will contact her as soon as possible so we can begin. When do you seek to launch this operation?"

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"The Sith promote using your rage and hate as a weapon blindly. Be sure to keep control of your feelings. Repress them or not doesn't matter, but you are the master, not they." It was all the Zabrak would say on the subject of [member="Vaulkhar"] 's brief moment of rage. What ever the memories were the boy had brought up wasn't his business, at least not if the half breed wasn't going to share.

"There's no time table yet. There's much prep to be done all over the place that can't truly be mapped on a timeline. For now, find allies, train yourself, and get to know the soldiers you'll be working with on Commenor." As he spoke Krest began to leave the room, briefly motioning for the blind man to follow. In the hallway the pair were met with the honor guard of the King. Dressed so their faces were covered each bowed their head to the King as they passed, but glared daggers into the Epicathix. Iridonians rarely trusted outsiders. "The honor guard here are the best of the best, perfect for gorilla tactics and small surgical strikes. I can't leave Iridonia undefended by the bulk of our army while we assist Comenor should the Sith seek retribution, but these men and women are perfect to join the fight. You'll be their commander on the ground."

Once they reached the end of the hallway Krest, who kept his back turned to the guard, grinned wide. Behind him the Guards all turned to Vaulkhar, their glares so powerful one might be able to simply feel them.

"Of course, you have to prove your worth to command them."

 

[Vaulkhar]

"Yes, Master," Vaulkhar moved to follow after Krest in silence, opting not to open up in regards to his emotional distress. He normally kept his emotion in check, it was something he ironically mastered due to the Sith and the games they played. Though the memories that flooded him momentarily were still too much for him to consider. Shaking his head weakly, he simply listened to Krest as they strode through the halls. His gaze studied the honor guards with a hint of interest, though he was not entirely fond of the glaring. Not so much that he could see it, though he could definitely feel it. At that he just turned his attention to Krest's back as he continued to share the information he had in regards to his plan. "Lead them, hm? I suppose I could do that," he added in before Krest mentioned the fact he would have to prove himself.

Wonderful.

Vaulkhar took a step back at that and gently flexed his fingers, both cybernetic and fleshy. He most definitely feel the intensity of their glares as his hand gently fell to a familiar Sith blade, the first given to him by Krest.

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Ah, and don't use any weapons. It's a simple matter of pride for Zabrak to use their fists when they're challenged with someone that drastically changes their lives. So, prove you're worthy of leading them the Zabrak way. Good luck." Krest left the room then, shutting the door behind him to lock [member="Vaulkhar"] and his guard in an enclosed room together. What could go wrong? No sooner then the King disappearing the guards all began to circle around the Epicathix, their glares now mixed with words and whispers. They trusted their king, but even a King could make a mistake.

A pair were the first to step forward. Twins, Keir and Van, sister and brother. "If you think you're really worthy of leading us you're gonna have a long, long day. Zabrak are plenty hardy, much more than you and your soft skinned brethren. I'll be the first." Keir stepped forward, casually flexing her fingers. "Prove your worth."

 

[Vaulkhar]

"Ah, of course it is."

Vaulkhar loosed his grip on the hilt of the blade before simply allowing the hand to fall to his side. That was unfortunate. His hand to hand training was nothing to laugh at, he spent a fair bit of time outside of just the lightsaber. Though he wasn't particularly worried; Krest didn't say anything about the force. As the King departed the room and the door closed behind him, his blind gaze shifted and turned, beginning to study the warriors encircling him. While he could not see them he could certainly feel them, which was concerning. There were several well trained warriors cutting off an escape route, ensuring he was in the ring for lack of better wording. A smirk spread across his lips. He certainly intended to prove himself.

As the two broke away from the rest and approached him, Vaulkhar undid his vest, allowing it to slip to the floor before tugging his long sleeved undershirt off. It joined the vest on the floor as he cracked his neck. The half breed stretched for several seconds as he 'eyed' his opponent.

"Well come along then."

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

The female jumped forward clearly aided by the Force, a savage battle cry escaping her lungs as she had. She clearly wasn't as strong in the Force as [member="Vaulkhar"] , but her speed was still something to brag about. Blow after blow would be launched in quick succession, aiming for the chest and throat of the half breed in a savage attempt to overwhelm him.

"Humans are too weak to command us!"

 

[Vaulkhar]

Vaulkhar stepped back, sliding to the side as well as she launched her assault against him. He weaved from side to side, his body efficiently moving to counteract the savagery of her attacks. He avoided dipping too heavily into the force, though occasionally he'd channel it to his aid to narrowly dodge a blow. The Zabrak was skilled, that he could admit. Had he not been trained and seen live combat as much as he had, he'd likely be overwhelmed by her fury and savagery alone. Though Vaulkhar was no novice to the battlefield, especially when the stakes were high. At her words, a smirk tugged at his lips and grew. The irony of her words were lost on him.

Especially when he ducked low and slammed his fist, aided by the force, directly into the woman's mandible. A sickening crunch followed the impact before the half breed cupped his hands and clapped them against her ears. As the disorienting blow hit her and the ringing ensued, he gripped her arm, kicked out her front leg at the knee and quite literally tossed her over his shoulder in a classic hip throw. The woman flew across the room before slamming into the ground, rolling several feet. Without even breaking a sweat, Vaulkhar began to rotate, his same cocky smirk adorning his face.

"Who's next?"

[member="Krest"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

The brother would be next, a rage filling him as he watched his twin fall under [member="Vaulkhar"] 's blows. Once he fell, another would take his place. One at a time they would come, aiming to strike down the half breed while he was still recovering from his last bout, though never all at the same time. There was some honor in their battle. But they were all trained the same, and their fighting style while slightly different followed the same flow and pattern. The Knight would have no problem picking up on this.

Yet all the while in the corner of the room sat a girl mostly shrouded by the shadows of the mid afternoon sun. A single glowing purple eye gazed out and watched the fight, her signature easily felt by all in the room. A broken, dysfunctional presence. Awe and amazement flooded from her corner at every victory the Knight won over the guard until the last fell, where joy flooded from her corner, but she made no move to approach the surely tired knight.

 

[Vaulkhar]

Vaulkhar met the raged filled Zabrak with a cold, silent anger. As the palace guard charged forward, Vaulkhar moved quickly and lifted his foot, slamming it forward into the man's gut with no remorse. As the Zabrak doubled over in pain, the half breed joined his hands together before slamming them into the back of his foe's head. The guard grunted before slamming into the floor into a state of unconscious. And so it went... One at a time he dismantled the warriors with brutal efficiency. What little damage he sustained was for the sake of keeping himself healthy in the long run, taking blows to the bicep or the abdominal, rather than to the kidney or ribs. As the last of the Zabrak warriors met with a similar end to his allies, an inky blackness from a powerfully placed blow by Vaulkhar, the half breed turned away and moved towards his clothing on the ground. He lifted them up, his nose twitching in annoyance.

"Eh, there's blood on here... Unfortunate."

Without a care in the world the Epicanthix tossed the clothing onto a nearby bench and massaged his right shoulder with his left hand, releasing a grunt. Whether from pain or content it was not entirely noticeable. A thin layer of sweat caused his body to glisten within the torchlight. His chest rose and fell quickly, revealing some level of exhaustion from the grueling series of duels. His hair hung around his shoulders, damp and sticking to his flesh, though he seemed not to care about such. Eventually his head shifted to the woman in the corner, his brow perked slightly by the energies radiating from her.

"Er, you alright over there, miss?"

[member="Krest"]