You Think You Are Sith, Boy?

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Geonosis was quite out of the way for the Sith Lord. It was a factory world that offered droid armies large enough to topple the Republic. Not that such a prospect was difficult by any means as of late. Darth Mephirium's chief weapon against his misguided rivals was beginning to flounder. This could not be allowed to progress any further.

A rogue Dark Jedi by the name of Pathollex was said to be fighting in the gladiatorial pits. An accomplished fighter and war veteran, Pathollex would be quite useful in the coming months. Mephirium was about to insert himself directly into the war, he would need a creature that could act without the restrictions of politics. A blind beast that might be refined to take his place one day - if he could topple [member="Darth Metus"].

Shrouded in ebony robes and heavy leathers, the Sith Lord stood to the right of his Geonosian escort. The overgrown bug clicked his words in the archaic language of his people , and Mephirium dipped his head in alnowledgement

"The Sith. Tell your fighters I will offer a fifty-thousand credit reward for his head." The shrouded man rumbled. His escort blinked in unspoken surprise, and turned to pass on the information to his Pit Chiefs.

Mephirium settled back in his wooden chair, and allowed a cruel smile to slip past his stoic visage.

The gates opened. Geonosian warriors, Acklays, Reeks, a Rancor, and a number of other sentient species took to the bloodbath. It was time to test this so called Sith.




[member="Zius"]

 

[Zius Aurus]

Years. It had been years, and that is all the one named Pathollex could recall. His memory of the life he once lived was blurred yet clear, distant even. Drugs had taken part in the former Jedi Hunter's life, and so had corrupt politics. One could say that the two went hand-and-hand because of his involvement and uprising within the crime syndicate in Coruscant's underbelly. His alignment with the Force had also bought him a grandiose amount of respect among those who could not deny him; those who did met a quick fate.

Clad in his past and of new creation, his armor resembled that of a raiding warrior. Pieces taken and put together to form an appearance solely for the purpose of intimidation. Wearing trophies, as it were. An Imperial medallion hung from the Sith's neck, slightly rusted and stolen from the corpse of a Lord who had crossed him on a deal long ago. Never try to pull a sneaky one on your dealer.

Hearing the roaring blood-lust of the crowd outside, Zius decided it was time to make a grand debut. He could feel the presence of another who dabbled in the Dark Side of the Force; Sith. That moniker had lost its meaning for Zius some time ago, ever since the last Empire he was a part of crumbled under unfortunate circumstances. Such a shame.

It would seem that the fighting had already begun in the arena, however. The credits gained from this were grand, and it was time to once more demonstrate mercilessness.

Upon entering the pit, a blackened Shadow Trooper's helmet hid the Sith's features, his body clad in plating and cloths all of a rather detailed and decorative fashion yet torn by battle and twisted by deeds unruly and foul. But since Zius was a bit late, none were even paying attention to him. But it wouldn't matter.

With a slowly lifted gauntlet, Zius grabbed one of the Geonosian warriors through the Force and quite literally crushed him with grotesque results. Blood spattering all else around the victim; they all stopped and stared. Some of them knew their fate right then and there, but others would be bold enough to fight the Sith just as if he were a normal man. They were mistaken.

With a freakish burst of speed, the former Jedi Hunter zipped towards a group of warriors and swiped at their mid-riffs causing them to slump to the sand of the already bloodied arena without so much as a scream. Up next was one of the Acklays, a ferocious beast commendable for the deaths of many competitors on Geonosis. Zius admired the creature, but it too would be disposed of.

It howled and charged toward the man with clicks and shrieks, raising one of its pointed appendages in an attempt to impale him with such an admirable tenacity. But within those brief moments, the Sith was able to grab the beast through the Force as well and held it there, watching ti scream and squirm. With his sword arm, he arched it back and cast his lightsaber in a boomerang manner and decapitated the monstrosity. Its body still standing and convulsing haphazardly before collapsing into the dust.

For the moment, none were messing with the Sith. His presence spreading fear as he looked up to where [member="Darth Mephirium"] sat.

He wanted to know why he was here.

 

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A deep rumbling laughter silenced the jeering of the crowd. The combatants can to an abrupt halt, both shocked by the sheer brutality of Pathollex and the unnaturally loud laughter that almost shook the arena itself. The Jedi Hunter was brutal, as Mephirium had expected, but there was something else to the man. An animalistic quality that many Sith lacked in this age.

"A fine show." The chirikyat boomed. He stood up onto the railing, and dropped the eight meters to the ground with ease. He stood up to his full height of two meters, and cocked his head back. "Your knowledge of the force is raw. A blunt hammer to crush all that oppose you, but it is...unrefined."

He lifted a gloved hand toward one of the remaining rancors. The beast roared at the Sith Lord, pieces of flesh and bone flying outward in its gory spittle. Its beast black eyes focused on the two warriors, and it charged. Fighters sidestepped or rolled out of its way, but Mephirium remained in its path.


His hand clenched. The monster's head tilted back as an agonizing scream tore past its blood caked lips. Its right hand convulsed. The bone split outward through the skin, and then exploded outward. The entire hand was torn to meaty ribbons, and all that was left was a short crimson stump.

The Rancor pitched forward and crushed a Weequay under its mass. Mephirium pulled his hand back, and a stream of red vapor drained from the beast's skin. Its hide changed color to a stark white, and the vapor was swallowed by a bright orange beam that sprouted from the Sith Lord's hand.

He had eaten the creature's essence, drained its life force and made it his own.

The remaining fighters have the two Sith a wide berth, and went back to their dueling. Mephirium rumbled with low, amused laughter, and dropped a hand down to his side.

"The force is no paltry hammer. It is a stairway to godhood." From within the bowels of his robe, a long lightsaber hilt flew into his hand. The lightsaber staff hissed as it came to life, casting a crimson light over the sand beneath their feet. "You lack focus and restraint. That is where you fail, boy."



[member="Zius Aurus"]

 

[Zius Aurus]

The one formerly known as Lord Pathollex stood in silence as he observed the draining of life from the ill-fated beast. It was quite impressive, but it did not phase him. Much had been seen in his travels across the galaxy, not to mention the time he raided a complex with thugs under his wing and found that the entirety of the place had been infected by Project I71A; a nasty little virus that had a tendency to reanimate corpses into vile things. But in the end, it was all a ruse. Said complex housed disobedient followers who planned to rat out the former Sith Lord for credits.

Those that survived this deliberate attack were forced to watch as Pathollex sold off their wives, daughters, and whatever else could be monetized for success.

Grotesque misfortunes aside, this man piqued interests far above the young man's criminal activities. It had been a while since he'd seen a legitimate Sith and not the false followers who were merely Dark Jedi. It became quite tiring to only find lies among a pile of corpses, and even promises that couldn't become tangible because of failure.

Listening to the creature speak, it was a mixture of compliment and mockery. He observed how he ruthlessly slaughtered, but criticized it for being unkempt; it wasn't the first time Zius had heard this.

The darkness of his Shadow Trooper helmet glistened with sunlight, and from beneath it a modulated exhale could be heard; was it irritation? Possibly, but he was honestly more interested in why this man was interacting with him directly.

It could mean one of two things; A.) The Sith called upon him once more. B.) A new target.

The comment of "boy" however was well passed him. Time worked wonders for maturity.

[member="Darth Mephirium"]

 

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"I'm afraid you've drawn attention to yourself. The activities you partake in are not suitable for a Sith Lord." Mephirium offered a twisted smile. His visage could just barely be seen beneath the shadow of his hood. Milky white teeth and a strong jawline were all that could identify the Sith Lord: dreadfully little to go on when trying to recall someone. Mephirium slowly stepped forward, each step methodical as he trailed through the blood caked sand toward his quarry. He was not here to kill Lord Pathollex, or as he was truly named, Zius Aurus. There were other uses for the rogue, but that did not mean Zius could go unpunished for his time spent with lessers.

All those that called themselves Sith were above the common folk. At times, it was acceptable to deal with the vermin. A man had needs, after all, and Mephirium had indulged in the sinful pleasures of a particularly pathetic woman in his bed more than once. It was only natural to indulge in these urges, and surely the vices of greed stirred Zius's heart as much as any other man. Those desires could be turned against any man just as a blade might pierce the heart. One only needed to know where to stab.

"You understand the position you've found yourself in?" The Dark Lord goaded on. He began to slowly circle Zius, his lips pulled back in a cruel smile. A predator stalking the weakest calf in the herd. The crimson blades of his lightsaber staff burned through the sand and kicked its tiny grains into the air. His fingers twitched at his sides, as if he was preparing to gouge out Zius's eyes simply to see what it felt like.

"The first and only reality of the Sith. There can only be two. The One Sith have broken this law, and your very existence spits upon it." Mephirium came to a halt a pace or so away from Zius, expression ever-hidden beneath that thick leather cowl. "So I ask you again, Zius Aurus, Lord Patholex, Lord of the New Order and so-called Dark Lord of the Sith, do you understand your position? Is it wealth you crave? Women? Reputation? Perhaps something more?"


[member="Zius Aurus"]

 

[Zius Aurus]

The New Order...

This man already knew too much.

Above all else, some facts stood boldly. He had become so deeply embedded in crime that he had lost sight of what it truly meant to be Sith. After all this time, he had not affiliated himself with the aforementioned after the fall of the Empire he served. It was a truth, however, Zius did demand a new seat of power after his Empire failed him. Or did he fail it? It depended upon just how much information this stranger knew. Another truth was the fact of mass species trafficking. The former Lord even impregnated one particular specimen, and she bore a son; a child who shall not yet be known to the man who sold off the boy's mother simply on a whim.

All these questions... they were digging deep under Zius' skin. He could feel the tension growing between him and the cloaked stranger as he was being assaulted with such queries that were causing a bit of a pain in the back of the former Jedi Hunter's head. He did not wish to address the answers simply out of being reclusive in a social stance. If he chose to answer, he would have to do so very specifically.

There had to be a deeper reasoning for this confrontation. This man had obviously been tracking Zius, and who knows for how long. But to first obtain answers, one must comply and speak aloud.

"I currently hold no position that begs the interest of foreigners. You ask of me personal subjects, all of which I see as trivial and unimportant. I will only tell you that my desires are that of domineering the lesser denizens of the crime underworld. To uphold such a thing requires much effort on my part.

As for your... disturbing amount of knowledge, I ask how did you come to find me? Or am I being hunted again? Either way, the affairs of the Sith have not been in my foresight for a very long time. I have not been pestered, and I've been enjoying it that way. You may wish to rephrase your question, stranger. For I seek a multitude of opportunities to grow stronger, I simply ask of which nature are you inferring?"

Zius shifted his shoulders, still holding his activated lightsaber in hand.


[member="Darth Mephirium"]

 

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"Such wasted potential." Mephirium chided. Zius had his aims set too low. A criminal empire was a means to an end, not a goal. Such petty desires were for those that did not possess the gift of the force; pawns to be used for the Sith's purpose. Such was the way of things since the galaxy's birth, and that way they would remain. "Power can only be gained with ambition! Ambition that you seem to be lacking in."

The Sith Lord's cruel smile faded into a stoic line. He shifted his lightsaber down to hang at his side, and allowed his shoulders to slacken. He looked entirely relaxed. "Is this all you wish to be child?" Mephirium allowed a hint of amusement to lace his words. It had been so very long since he took care of an issue with his own hands. It was rare that such problems required his own touch, but Zius was a special case.

"If so..." His right hand slowly raised. Lightning crackled at his fingertips in thin purple veins, stretching across his gloves and biting up his forearm. "Then I have no use for a petty rival." The air around Mephirium became distorted in the manner that heated concrete on a hot day looked warped. It encircled his body, and shrouded him in a crackling mist.

The remaining fighters in the arena surely saw the two Sith eyeing each other. They continued their massacre, carving their opponents into bloody ribbons and crushing those who stood in their way, but they would not interfere with two Sith Lords. No sentient being in their right mind would get between them.

The distortion split apart as a ball of telekinetic energy sprang forth from Mephirium's fingertips. It contained the many scattered rocks strewn throughout the arena, grains of sand, and the shattered bits of bone left behind from previous combatants. Rather than aim directly for Zius, it flew overhead the crime lord, and suddenly exploded outward as if someone had thrown a shrapnel grenade. The bone chips flew across the arena and impaled the torso of a Weequay. A rock drove through the right eye of a Kiffar swordsman. The rest flew toward Zius with full intent to kill.

[member="Zius Aurus"]

 

[Zius Aurus]

"Wasted potential? You belittle me too much..." Zius began to pace around the foreign Sith. He spoke like he knew exactly who the former Lord was, like he had been there the whole time. But he knew nothing. He knew not the reason for his turn to the Dark Side, he knew not the stress that was placed on his shoulders from the moment of his creation to his multiple demises with the loss of family he once held close. There were so many things Zius couldn't get back.

This spoken ambition was not present for that very reason; loss. For some Sith that would only empower them to go and carve their way through everyone and everything just to make a point, for the former Jedi Hunter, that was not the case. His sorrow caused him to hide away behind the flesh of the meek and feeble-minded.

What this Sith expected was a response with action, and it would be given.

Zius watched as the man further mocked him by demonstrating more power, creating a mass of energy. So it was true, the latter of this man's intentions was to kill. Shrapnel-like bits and chunks massacred the other arena competitors, their blood being spilled by not only the debris, but by the very blood-lust that made Sith so menacing.

As the remaining swarm of projectiles came for Zius, he braced himself by unleashing a Force Wave to deflect it back towards his new-found opponent. Such an interesting and new experience this was for those who came to watch bloodshed take place, they were certainly getting their credit's worth of thrills. Some probably died due to [member="Darth Mephirium"]'s stunt, but it mattered none.