The rest of the journey to the former capital of the ancient Sith was an exercise in patience and focus. The droid T4D was admittedly sharp in both his wit and his criticisms, and was never at a loss of something to say, but would actually remain silent and observant if left alone. He could also be helpful, even if he would take the opportunity to mock while doing it.

Entering the atmosphere of the planet was a wondrous experience. Even when knowing what to expect, one could never really be prepared for it. A planet covered entirely in dark clouds, a constantly brooding storm cast a brooding darkness emblematic of it's former inhabitants. Relics of them, the Ancient Sith Empire, the greatest threat and force ever assembled in the history of the galaxy, littered the surface. Millenia of atrophy made little of it useful, but where there was darkness and despair, there was also potential for those with the vision to see it, and the tenacity to make it happen. The hostile wildlife of the planet has also reclaimed the land, walking and stalking openly in the streets where great Sith once stood.

The communication tower was on the top a jagged mountaintop, without a safe place to land anywhere nearby. You and the droid would have to land in the remnants of the nearby city and go it on foot. The journey will probably take a few days all told, especially climbing the mountain itself, and in dealing with all the threats between here and there.

Whilst on the journey to Dromund Kaas Arianna decided to try something she's never done before. She'd read about it but this was her first time attempting such a thing: she tried to meditate - to open herself to the Force and not only try and touch it but she also tried calling upon the voice that had first spoken to her and told her to go to Dromund Kaas.

She asked the droid, again, to teach her some basics of the lightsaber such as stances and forms. Even if it was with a sword-shaped piece of word or metal. If he was amenable she would watch him and begin copying his motions.

"Kaas City," she said in awe once they broke atmo and were under the cloud cover. "Capital of the greatest Sith Empire since the very early days of Ludo Kresh, Ajunta Pall, and Marka Ragnos who established the Order. We are flying over city streets where the greatest Sith of all time once walked. From here they nearly crushed the Republic and their Jedi pets."

She circled the city and looked for a place to land. "The indigenous life here is dangerous. Made even more so by Sith Alchemy. We'll need to be very careful as we make our way to the beacon."

Arianna brought the shuttle in and set down at the edge of the city. "These skies were once crisscrossed by the Sith and the allies. Now the city lies in ruin but it can be restored. Just as Korriban can and lighting the beacon is the first step."

She went over to her bag and pulled out her armour, putting it on over the black undersuit she wore. She checked her ST-W48 blaster, pistol and her thermal detonator. Once she was fully enclosed she brought up the suit's systems and ran a thorough check. Once she was satisfied she put the hood and cloak back on.

"Does Master Shroud have equipment on board that could make our ascent of the mountain easier, T-4D?"

This message was last edited by the GM at 11:40, Sat 24 Oct 2020.

"From a certain point of view" The droid responded as it was also outfitted with a few weapons, including holding the lightsaber. "That communication tower is busted nine ways to Korriban, and that's a problem you can't fix with rousing speeches or shooting at it." The droid heaved a hefty a pack on its strong frame. "You have me, who will carry the parts we'll probably need to repair it, and can do the repairs once we get there."

"You don't fancy my rousing speeches? I suppose I can work on the rousing part whilst we're on our way. Does Master Shroud have a speeder we can use to get to the mountain," she asked, making one more check of her equipment.

"I am glad you're here with me, T-4D. Not many droids get to get down in history but you will and, despite of, our perhaps because of your rough edges, I've enjoyed your company. So, are we walking or riding there?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:09, Sun 25 Oct 2020.

"How little you understand the galaxy." The droid responded in derision. "Nobody complements the hydro spanner for the hyperdrive it maintained. The best that a droid can hope for is to become a footnote. Whatever I accomplish or contribute to Master Shroud, or to you. I am not here for the immortal glory of the Sith, I am not here for honor. I am here because I am told to, and I am programmed to do what I'm told. Now, let's this over with."

T4D pushed the mechanisms to lower the exit ramp.

As the ramp lowered Arianna's entire demeanour changed and she ignored the droid's caustic reply. She was out, weapon up, senses and sensors alert. She scanned the area they were in for threats before beginning to move towards the mountain. She was under no illusions as to the amount of danger this part of the mission could pose.

T4-D followed behind. The cracking sound as he ignited the lightsaber, followed by it's low humming sound, was the only sound of technology in this ancient, abandoned city.

"I have your back Arianna. I'm also programmed to commit fully to my orders. Just remember, they're the natives and we're the intruders. Some of them may fear us, some may ignore us, but there'll be some hunting for sure. Just before the Sith abandoned Droumund Kaas, they bred special Tukata Hounds. They can smell those who are strong with the Force, and have a hunger for it."

"Still" The droid quipped "At least that means I'm safe."

"Thank you for having my back. And thank you as well for letting me know how safe you area should the Tukata Hounds become aware of my presence here."

Arianna kept sweeping the area as she moved tactically from cover to cover. She continued doing until they were at the edge of the city. "The lightning rods still work; even thousands of years later. If not then the city would be a smoking crater now."

Among the scurrying of animals and drone of energy generators and lines still buzzing but not powering anything, there was a different noise. Several of them.

Voices in your mind. Voices through the Force. Each trying to get your attention, and all of them having a strong pull on your mind. Some of them are cacophonous shouts, others are mere whispers, and still more somewhere between the two extremes. The noise is not only distracting, but mentally exhausting.

Make a Use The Force Check: Your degree of success or failure will determine how well or poorly you react.

20:09, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 19 using 1d20+2.

Despite no real formal training in resisting mental controls or the more sinister nature of the Force, you're able to push out and silence some of the background noise. As they become less numerous, the remaining become louder, more distinct, and stronger.

"Come to me, young one, and be my servant, and I will grant you power beyond measure..."

"You are a weakling, an abomination! Leave the hallowed land of the Sith before the monsters pick at your bones!"

"Nothing good can come from here. The Sith are rightfully fallen in our hubris..."

In all the noise, you are now able to pick out a voice you recognize. The Sith who spoke to you before.

"Your arrival is welcome but not unexpected. The true test begins now. Show that you are strong in the mind, as well as in your convictions, if you are to succeed..."

"I will not fail you," she told the voice from before. She steels herself against the other voices and continues forward, her thoughts returned to other times she heard other voices telling her much the same: that a young girl, not human, would fail the Sith Eternal. That she had no place amongst the true followers of the Dark Side, that she was full of foolish pride to think she had any place as an officer in the Final Order. She had persevered then and would do so now.

"The voices of the dead are strong here, T4-D and they rest fitfully," she told the droid as they continued forward.

"For all of the supposed benefits of feeling the Force, it's certainly has more than it's share of dangers. Here especially. The ancient master and Lords of the Sith were mad with power and sought to singlehandedly control the entire galaxy. It's no surprise that their insanity would end with death."

"Makes me glad to be a droid."

Make another UTF check, as you continue on.

Walking along the streets, most of the wildlife is actually trying to avoid you. Perhaps it's instincts of recognizing bidpedal life as their masters, perhaps its fear of the new, and perhaps it's the influence of the Sith themselves.

Whatever it is, the rule is not universal. A pair of Kath Hounds, non-native to Dromund Kaas but adapted well to its hostility, are closing the distance between you, with probably intent to attack.

"Learning the ways of the Force is dangerous and conquering and ruling the galaxy is not for the weak-willed or the weak-spirited. Neither is the Game of Sith, for that matter. Hungry for power-most assuredly. The Dark Side thrives on conflict but don't forget that they waited, in the shadows for a thousand years laying foundations for a plan they knew they wouldn't live to see see. That plan, started by Darth Bane, eventually came to pass under the guidance of the Emperor.

"Hungry for power? Oh yes. Insane, no. And here comes the first threat, as you so rightfully called it."

She raised her rifle, sighted on the lead hound and opened fire.


OOC: 20:09, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 19 using 1d20+2 ((17)). Use the Force

21:50, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 9 using 1d20+5 ((4)).

This message was last edited by the player at 17:26, Sun 08 Nov 2020.

The shots from the rifle landed ahead of the approaching enemies, in an attempt to scare the Kath Hounds off. The maneuver didn't work, although it did slow them down.

T4D moved ahead with it's lightsaber drawn, ready to defend.

The lead Kath hound started to spring into action, closing the remaining distance quickly. Holding its ground, T4D remained stationary until the last moment, when the beast attacked. With a wide horizontal swing, he caught the Kath Hound right along it's snout. Injured, but alive and scared, it recoiled in the pain, raring to strike again.

Meanwhile, the other Kath hound, larger, older, stronger, slower, but wiser, had moved in more slowly than its young comrade.

You have a choice of targets. Join T4D in attacking the one up close, or try dealing with the more distant one.

Arianna knew the moment she turned her back on the other one, it would attack. She let T4D deal with the one he had on him and fired another volley of bolts at the one stalking her.

12:31, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 17 using 1d20+5 ((12)).

16:05, Today: Midichlorians rolled 10 using 3d8.  Damage.
The Rifle shots landed true and strong, striking the Kath Hound just near it's horns. The beast, wracked in pain, changed it's strategy for a desperate gambit, attacking with you an sudden charge. Trying to bite at your legs and heave you from the ground, it found its mark, but the protection provided by the technology of the First Order kept you safe, for now.

16:11, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Kath Hound, rolled 14 using 1d20+5.
Meanwhile, T4D contended well with his beast, which seemed on its last legs.

Arianna drove a crimson-armoured knee into the beast and fired her blaster into at point-blank range. She was, not for the first time, grateful for the armour-making skills of the Sith Eternal.


20:15, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 11 using 1d20+5 ((6)).

The beast just barely dodged the shot fired at it, and tried to retaliate by clawing at Arianna's armor, but still fails to break through.

A final cry of pain is let out by the first beast as T4D tore through him with his lightsaber.

All but snarling in anger Arianna puts her blaster almost on top of the thing's skull before letting fly another volley of blaster bolts.

17:32, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 18 using 1d20+5 ((13)).

The shots went straight the beats hide, putting the contest to a short but brutal end.

Arianna Vex'Morland, rolled 13 using 3d8

The droid turned to you, lightsaber still lit and ready
"Well, that wasn't so bad. But I think that was the easy part. My sensors are picking up some bigger things further up the hill."

Just as the violence ended, you begin to feel the soft patter of an oncoming storm, a faint drizzle that would surely begin to grow in time. As you heard the soft sound of water on metal, you begin to hear the voices of the Sith again, their call just as loud and strong as it was before. Yet, there was something different this time. Less a voice, and more a presence, though what it could be was more difficult to determine.

Make two Use the Force Checks, One to continue pushing out the voices of the Sith, and a second to determine what this new sensation is.

"Definitely the easy part. There's a storm coming and with it a presence. I sense something but I don't know what it is. And the voices of the Sith are getting louder again. More insistent. Some call to me to learn from them and others curse us for being here." She checked the charge on her blaster and gave her armour a good looking over.

"I think whatever it is I sense is coming."


20:16, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 18 using 1d20+2 ((16)).


20:18, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 22 using 1d20+2 ((20)).

"I'm sure they are. They're finally getting a chance to see someone they can use. You're a new pawn on the Dejarik board."

The two of you started to move forward along the path. "People have been driven into madness by the calls of the Sith. I'm glad that you don't appear to be having that problem." T4D stated, with his usual dark humor "It would be a shame if I had to report to my master that I was forced to kill his apprentice."

You have silenced most of the voices now. The voice you heard before, the voice that led you on this journey, rings loudest of all.

The presence you sense, now with greater clarity, does not resemble what the droid is detecting with his sensors. There is a manifestation of the force along the ridge.

Mobile
Strong
Humanoid

You are not alone here...

"That would be terrible," Arianna replied in a droll voice. "I'm sure you would cry great, oily tears. I'm not mad yet and have managed to shut out the rest save the one that first called me here. I may finally get a chance to talk with him and find out who he is."

She pointed her blaster towards the ridge and interfaced her helmet with the scope to see if she could pick up what was up there. "What I'm sensing is not what you're scanning. There's something alive there. Big, humanoid, and strong. I feel it in the Force."

"Well, I can't feel the force, and your fleshy visual sensors don't see infrared or synthetic aperture radar." The droid countered as the two of you slowly moved out of the periphery of the city, into the wilderness; an impossibly thick jungle. "Rather than argue who is correct or who is not, let us entertain the possibility that we're both right using the tools we have."

The droid looks around rapidly "Or, had. With how thick the trees and foliage is, it's hard for me to pick up much of anything."

Seemingly on cue, two terrors swoop in from the trees. Shyracks, winged predators and one of the oldest beasts to be manipulated by the Sith. Three swoop in on you, though it's too crowded for them all. Two fly away immediately, moving through the trees, while one is able to find a narrow gap in your armor and make a piercing bite into your skin.

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11:08, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Shyrack, rolled 21 using 1d20+6.
11:14, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Shyrack, rolled 6 using 1d6+3.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:03, Sun 15 Nov 2020.

"I wasn't arguing and was, in point of fact, saying that you're scanning something different from what I'm sensing which means both of us are correct. My helmet does see into IR-" Arianna broke off as the Shyracks attacked and one bit her.

She grit her teeth, growled through the pain and opened fire on the beast.


14:32, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 14 using 1d20+5 ((9)).

The Shyrack twisted its wings and flew away as you fired, leaving completely unscathed. T4D  tried to make a swing at them as they flew past, though it was largely a futile gesture."I think they can smell fear" it quipped sarcastically, having been completely ignored "Or your blood. They don't want anything to do with me..."

"Rather not risk chopping your head off trying to attack them. Can't put yours back with a hydrospanner and a wrench."

"The good news is they're slow and poor flyers. They're also blind so they may not be able to detect you at all," Arianna said as she fired another volley at the one that had taken a bite out of her. That made her very, very angry.

20:35, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 15 using 1d20+5 ((10)).

20:38, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Shyrack, rolled 22 using 1d20+6.  Attack
20:39, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Shyrack, rolled 24 using 1d20+6.
20:38, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Shyrack, rolled 21 using 1d20+6.  Attack.
20:43, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Shyrack, rolled 8 using 1d6+3. Damage
20:43, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Shyrack, rolled 7 using 1d6+3. Damage
20:43, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Shyrack, rolled 8 using 1d6+3.  Damage.
Midichlorians, on behalf of T4D, rolled 23 using 1d20+3.
Midichlorians, on behalf of T4D, rolled 18 using 2d8+2x2.


The Shyracks came in quickly, and seemingly coordinated. Clawing at the plates of your armor, they were all able to reach in to where they could bite and feed. Hungry and distracted, it gave the droid a chance to strike. With a careful piercing attack, he was able to strike at the core of one without also attacking you.

The screams and burning smell scared off the other two, for now, back into the air.

Arianna screamed in pain which turned into a scream of rage as anger and hatred she had never felt before filled her being. She wanted to rip these things apart with her bare hands so she could feel their hot blood. She opened fire on them again, snarling as red bolts of energy went flying.

07:56, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 23 using 1d20+5 ((18)).

Arianna Vex'Morland, rolled 17 using 3d8 ((8,8,1)).

The flurry of shots found their mark, tearing the thin wings of one to shreds, falling on the floor before being eaten by scavengers unwilling to fight with the likes of you.

T4D takes a defensive stance near you, tracking as best it can as the last Shyrack makes another swoop in. As the lightsaber makes huge arcing sweeps in it's flightpath, the winged beast can't get close enough for an attack.

18:58, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Shyrack, rolled 18 using 1d20+6 ((12))

Arianna tracks the beast in and takes her shot, still filled with a terrible rage and desire to strike the beast from the air and finish it off with her hands.


19:54, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 25 using 1d20+5 ((20)).



19:58, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 10 using 3d8 ((4,3,3)). Doubled to 20 for the natural 20 on the hit roll.

A wild barrage of shots struck the last shyrack in its vital areas, including its enlarged head. The beast died immediately, falling limply to the ground.

The adrenaline and rage coursing through your body only fed the interest and the desires of the spirits.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals...aa4e5e1c191a378c.jpg" data-lightbox="images-msg-33">https://i.pinimg.com/originals...aa4e5e1c191a378c.jpg" alt=''>

"Yesssss! Revel in your anger, feed on your hatred! As you power over lesser life, you will take power over others. With my help, you can take power over all in your way and rule the galaxy!"

OOC: Make one more Use the Force check to try and resist the pull. You can burn a Force Point to add 1d6 to your roll,
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:39, Thu 19 Nov 2020.

Arianna snarled and started forward, wanting to rend the dead creature with her teeth but she stopped herself, throwing her mind back into the discipline ingrained within her since she was old enough to remember.

10 Years Ago:

"AGAIN!"

TM-426 swung her staff at her opponent, aiming for his face but he was taller, larger, with greater reach. The end of his slammed into her stomach, bending her double. He moved in, swept her legs and dropped her to the ground before delivering a vicious kick into her thigh which brought tears to her eyes.

"HOLD!" The instructor screamed before reaching down and grabbing her by the hair which he used to pull her to her feet. She gasped in pain which only seemed to provoke him more. "Why are you crying, TM-426. This is the Final Order and you are a member of the Sith Eternal. Tears are for the enemy. Tears, pain, and death! Are you angry, TM-426?" He asked, taking her by the throat and shaking her.

"SIR, YES SIR!"

He leaned in close. "Master that anger and use it to crush him but do not let it master you." He let her go. "Pick up that weapon and get back in the circle. And TM-426: if I ever see you cry again I'll kill you myself."

The next round saw her standing over her opponent, her staff pressed against his throat.

That was the last time she had ever cried.

She was back in the present, the voices were talking and she was breathing hard. She gathered her will and pushed back against all but one voice.

19:45, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 13 using 1d20+2.
19:45, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 3 using 1d6.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:04, Thu 19 Nov 2020.

As you come back to the present, the world becomes more quiet. All that can be heard now is the water falling through the trees above and softly landing on the ground below, and the constant hum of T-4D's gifted Lightsaber. The droid is fixated on you, though it's nuetral face is incapable of expressing any emotion.

"I think you went somewhere for a moment..." He states into the cold night, his voice being the only voice that can be heard any further

Arianna forced her breathing under control before reaching up, unsealing, and removing her helmet."Into memory. I dove into a memory of my training to regain control and discipline. The voices of the dead Sith grew louder as I embraced my rage of the creatures but I've pushed them away. I'm fine now. Thank you for having my back."

She looked up and let the rain hit her face and cool her mind and body for a moment. Eventually she put her helmet back on.

"Let's go. We have many kilometres to travel and danger to face."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:45, Fri 20 Nov 2020.

"It's a marathon, not a sprint." He warned in response. "If you need a minute, now's your chance. I suspect it'll only get worse the further we go..."


Through the storm, there was a deep, low guttural sound. Something was on the move, and it wasn't afraid to make its presence known.

Arianna stopped once she heard the sound. "I think that's a brilliant idea. Whatever it is I'm sensing out there is moving and knows it's dangerous enough to not worry about making sound. I'll take a quick break here."

She leaned against a tree and locked her rifle against her upper thigh.

"Look-I know you're not supposed to teach me with the lightsabre and were hesitant, rightly so, to do so on the ship but how about here, on this marathon? I'll look for a stick that's around the right size and you can show me some basic forms and movements. I'm growing stronger in the Force by the day so let me train whilst I continue to grow. I promise I won't tell Lord Shroud."

"You won't have to." The droid replies flatly "You start showing understanding that you shouldn't have, he'll have reason to suspect, and he'd be right."

There was a rustling in the trees as some ape-like creature moved about "Besides, this is not the place or the time." T4D added as he watched it move away "Not when there's so many things just waiting for us to drop our guard..."

Giving at least some on the request, he continues "The entire weight is in the handle, even more so than you would find in a fencing weapon. You get overly excited and you could accidentally throw the weapon, or cut your own limbs off. Focus and control is key."

Arianna nodded. "Thank you and good points. I don't want him any more angry with us than he already is. I doubt we're on his Life Day list right now so let's not make things worse."

She had been watching the creature as it moved through the trees. "Not sure what that was but this planet did have an incredible diversity of life; most of which the ancient Sith used for tests to see if they could be changed into something more deadly via alchemy. Some of the results were taken to Korriban to guard the tombs of the dead and others were brought here from Korriban. Others were seeded on Imperial planets as surprises for the Old Republic."

She reached into her pack and took out a nutritional supplement bar, pulled her helmet off and ate slowly whilst she rested from the fight. Her wounds hurt but she ignored the pain as she had been taught to do since she was a child. One day that pain would be a potent source of power but she still had much to learn.

"Lot of good it did them..." T4D replied, still surveying the environment. "Didn't stop the Jedi, or the Republic from claiming victory over the Sith, even here."

"Hopefully," He starts "You and Lord Shroud finally learn from the mistakes of your predecessors."

"The Sith did learn. Darth Bane taught them the lesson that culminated in the destruction of the Jedi and the end of the Republic. If not for the treachery of Vader the Empire would have been eternal but even that wasn't enough. The First Order and Sith Eternal still harry the ragged remnants of the Republic and I am here to light the torch to call the Sith home and carry the flame of the Sith across the galaxy."

She put her helmet back on and grabbed her rifle again. "It's the Jedi that never learn a single, fundamental truth: as long as they exist, so do we."

She started walking again, having gained her strength. "And we have all of history to teach us what mistakes to not make again whilst the Jedi make the same one over and over. They think us gone and forget about us."

"Than let them forget" Retorted, following behind. "Let us not talk about ideological truths, or puritanical truths, but real objective truths." T4D took a few steps to get ahead, looking at you in the eyes through its impassive face "The galaxy is a big enough place for both you and them. You and Lord Shroud could claim ownership of this entire sector, the Republic and the Jedi would never know. The Jedi that killed the Emperor, whoever they are, isn't looking for you, but they will if you start acting like every other would be Sith Lord before you, and if that person is capable of killing Palpatine in his own home, what chance do you think you have?"

"The Jedi won't forget or let us live alone in lost areas of the galaxy!" Arianna all but shouted. "Even when the original Jedi exiles landed on Korriban and forged an Empire they came. Thousands of years later they came and they have done it again and again and that is an objective truth born out of ideological truth: we cannot live together no matter how far apart we are!"

She snarled and pushed past the droid. "The galaxy is small because of hyperspace technology and even if the Sith rose anew, decided not to end the Jedi and destroy the Republic but chose to find new places to go, and grow, the Jedi would come and there would be war. Do you know why, T4D? Because we are not two sides of the same credit chit but opposing ends of the scale and it is the tension between light and dark that keeps the Force moving throughout the galaxy. Hells, the whole universe I imagine. Now there is too much hate and vengeance between us for things to be any other way. If I rose and became Empress and decided to leave all of the known parts of the galaxy and built a great Empire countless parsecs from here the Republic would find us. Maybe three thousand, five thousand, or ten thousand years later but it would happen. It's been that way for 25,000 years so why would it change now?"

She was breathing heavily with the intensity of her emotions. "Maybe it would be best if we left the damn galaxy all together and sought out what lies in other galaxies. The Dark Side, however, thrives on chaos and war. Ours is not a peaceful way to power so we would fight amongst each other eventually."

"Than you will lose," T4D's response was calm and calculated, a noted contrast against the raw emotions of his colleague "My primary purpose is analytics, not battle, and what is immediately observable is that no society in the known history of this galaxy has been able to survive in the binary states of either being in a war or preparing for the next one. Peace cannot only arrive once you have driven the entire galaxy under your boot heel, because you will never reach that point. The Sith have never accomplished this, neither have the Hutts, or the Rakata, or any other entity."

"The behaviors of the Sith are self-destructive in the extreme and if you follow in the paradigms of those who came before you than you cannot expect to succeed where all of them have failed."

"Which is why I am going, if I become a Lord of the Sith or even higher in the power structure of the Empire, to try a new paradigm. You may be surprised, T4D, but I happen to agree with you. We cannot continue as we have since the first war amongst the Jedi 25,000 years ago. It's time for a change."

She stopped and turned to face him, holding up her rifle. "See this? This has been almost unchanged for ages beyond counting. The only advancements in technology for millennia have been turned towards bigger and better weapons. Otherwise the galaxy has become stagnant because every few thousand years Sith and Jedi go to war. Once I'm in a position to change that I am going to try all I can to end the never ending cycle and bring about something new."

She turned and started walking again. "A Jedi Master once said the folly of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I plan on breaking the cycle of madness but first I will do what my Master has sent me to do, grow in the Force and bide my time until I can affect real change. Now I ask you this: will you help me? You have shown great wisdom since we first met and I could use your counsel in what is to come. And don't waste my time my saying you're only a droid. Wisdom comes from knowing how to surround yourself with advisors who will advise and you are not afraid to speak your mind and that is something I respect."

"I will continue to help you unless or until doing so becomes incongruent with my obligations to my Master, who I will remind you, is yours as well..."

"Yes, he is and I have no plans on working against him. My thoughts, my plans, are still forming but once they come together and can be realised my hope is that he will see the logic behind what I propose and agree. The Sith need to change if we want to break this endless cycle we're trapped in. Simply setting up another Empire, crushing the Jedi, so on and so forth, is folly. I don't want to be trapped in another round of pointless insanity."

She didn't know what she was doing but she shut off the external speakers on her helmet and called out to the voice that had brought her here. "I think it time we had a talk. Who are you?"

Whatever voice, or whatever spirit it was, did not respond. Either your attunement to the Force was not that strong, or they weren't the type to be beckoned whenever called by one such as you. Their identity would have to remain a mystery, at least for now.

Just as well, as there were more pressing matters. The two of you came out of the wooded area, again under the perpetual darkened sky, with the storm having gotten only worse. Despite the violence and the path through the trees, you've made good progress, but now begins the portion where your endurance begins to be tested. Just beyond the end of the woods is a sheer cliff face, with a natural bridge over to the other side, across the bridge, the terrain takes a decided upward slant, towards the destination.

A rare bolt of lightning revealed the chasm below. The fall was immense, a fall from the bridge would certainly kill you, and if it didn't, the resident below certainly would. One of the most fearsome beasts ever created at the hands of Sith Alchemy.

The Terantatek

https://i.pinimg.com/originals...9bdd459defdc5053.jpg" data-lightbox="images-msg-49">https://i.pinimg.com/originals...9bdd459defdc5053.jpg" alt=''>

"Oh Hells...it's the Terantatek. Taken from Kashyyyk and modified by Sith Alchemy to be one of the most vicious creatures ever. We need to be very careful crossing the bridge. If we somehow survive the fall we won't survive him," Arianna said in a low voice.

"The Force presence I sensed is still up and ahead. Powerful and in our way to the beacon."

Arianna placed one foot on the bridge to test how strong it was. "It should hold us both T4D."

"While good to hear, that's not my immediate concern. They are" He pointed to the far end, where lying in wait was another threat. While less immediately intimidating than the Terantatek, due to their more prevalent numbers and more cunning tactics, have claimed far more lives, and were still to be feared.

The Tuk'ata.

"How shall we proceed?"

She looked to where T4D was pointing and sighed. "This just gets better and better. You wouldn't happen to speak ur-Kittât? The Tuk'ata were known to understand it but that was during the time of the Old Republic so probably not relevant now. They'll attack before we get across and if we lose our balance the fall or the Terantatek will kill us. I have a single frag grenade is we can get them close enough to throw and get them all in the blast."

Arianna looked for another method of cross the chasm. "Scan for other methods across. If there are none we can try and lure them across. The bridge will be a choke point keeping the whole pack from attacking at once."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:48, Thu 26 Nov 2020.

"A what?" He asked incredulously, but focuses on the task he was given "There's no other way that I can see. With the right gear we could repel down and climb up the other side, but I don't envision that actually solving the problem. Surely they would be lying in wait for us as we climb to the top."

"Waiting at the top and we would be calling the Terantatek to us. Looks like the bridge is our only way across."

Arianna looked down into the chasm before looking across at the creatures waiting for a nice meal at the other end. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"I've had that feeling since you stole my master's ship." He quipped, making a few glances across the chasm

"Their reluctance could be your gain. How good of a shot do you think you are?"

Ooc: with your rifle, the enemy is in Short range, which means you could fire at them with a -2 penalty, forcing them to come to you.

Arianna made a sound that sounded like a snort or a laugh. Probably both. “Borrowed. I fully intend on giving it back.”

She went down to one knee and sighted the first creature. She took a breath, let half of it out, and fired.

15:01, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 22 using 1d20+3 ((19)).

15:04, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 16 using 3d8 ((8,3,5)) Damage

“A very good shot.”

The targeted beast had been moving slowly, but dropped suddenly as the shot tore straight through its chest and heart, dying immediately. The rest of the pack immediately took off in a rush of vengeance.

In the meantime, you hear an attempt from the droid at a whistle as he ignited the lightsaber again, moving to the bridge as a guard.

"Bet you can't do that twice..."

“I’ll take that bet,” Arianna replied before zeroing in on another one of the beasts. Once again she took in a breath, exhaled half of it and fired.

15:59, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 13 using 1d20+3 ((10)).

The shot missed, trailing  behind the target. T4D made a practice swing as they approached.

"Beginners Luck?" He called out, with a sound of nervousness in his synthetic voice.

Arianna growled, aimed, and fired again at the lead beast.

20:23, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 16 using 1d20+3 ((13)).


20:24, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 15 using 3d8 ((3,7,5)). Damage


"Hardly," she said to the droid as she aimed at another.

In another attempt, the shot connected, and was almost as perfectly aimed as the first. The Tuk'ata was still alive, barely, and would probably eventually succumb to its wounds in a long and painful death. Not that there was time for sympathy; it's packmates didn't show any.

The two remaining animals had closed the distance and were mauling T4D. Its metal arms could withstand the teeth, but he couldn't get his arm free to attack them.

OOC: you no longer have the range penalty,but you take a -5 penalty for shooting at an enemy in melee with an ally.

"Damn it! Toss me the lightsabre. Let me try and get them off of you, at least," she shouted at him before moving in, jumping off a rock and attempting to kick one of the Tuk'ata.

22:44, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 6 using 1d20+1 ((5)).

The Tuk'ata was surprisingly agile, releasing his bite on the droids arm to avoid the strike. In so doing, this allowed T4D to give a quick and precise throw of his precious weapon to you.


As the weapon falls gracefully into your hand, the beast you attacked focuses keenly on you. It attacks with a measured attack that fails to connect.

Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Tuk'ata, rolled 8 using 1d20+5

Arianna caught the lightsabre and, for the first time, attempted to deliberately reach into the Force. She focused her anger at these creatures and tried to seize it and use it as a weapon along with the weapon now in her hand.

The area around them turned crimson as the weapon snapped into life and she swung it at the Tuk'ata, conscious of what T4D had told her about the weight and balance. The hum turned into a hiss as it sliced through the rain.

18:33, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 22 using 1d20+3 ((19)). Use the Force


18:36, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 18 using 1d20-2 ((20)). Attack!



18:45, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 7 using 2d8+1 ((3,3)). x2 due to crit = 14 damage

The blade struck at it's front legs, wounding the left dramatically and grazed its lower midsection, causing internal trauma from the heat and pressure.

A shrieking howl was uttered out, causing one of the two harassing the droid to turn its focus on you. In desparation, the wounded one charged forward and bit with all it could, finding a gap in the plates of your armor near your hip.

19:30, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Tuk'ata, rolled 21 using 1d20+7.  Attack.
19:36, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Tuk'ata, rolled 7 using 1d6+4.  Damage.

The second beast tried a similar attack from the other side, but was unable to connect.

Arianna growled and brought the blade to bare against the wounded animal. The air was once more filled with a hiss as she brought it around and down. The darkness was lit only by the eerie, blood-red colour of the lightsabre.

20:29, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 16 using 1d20-2 ((18)).


20:31, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 8 using 2d8+1 ((6,1)). Damage


If her strike was enough to kill the beast she turns and brings the blade up into a mid-guard position, waiting for it to come to her so she can destroy it.

It was a loud, pained death that the beast exclaimed as the lightsaber tore through him.

The other Tuk'ata, enraged at death of the rest of his pack, struck viscously, leaping upward at the arm holding the deadly blade. Although it's desire to tear your arm off with it's bite was unsuccessful, it still made a plenty bad gash in your upper arm.


18:24, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Tuk'ata, rolled 27 using 1d20+7.  Attack
Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Tuk'ata, rolled 5 using 1d6+4.  Damage.
10 damage dealt for crit.

Arianna screamed in rage at the vicious blow the creature dealt and swung the blade around as the thing continued on the path its jump had taken it in. For the first time she was learning how rage, pain, and hatred could bring her power; lessons she had been taught her whole life by the Sith Eternal but now she was bringing them to bare herself.

19:19, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 17 using 1d20-3 ((20)).


19:20, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 14 using 2d8+1 ((6,7)). 28 damage with the crit.

This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 00:21, Mon 07 Dec 2020.

One crit following another, how about that!

The rage turned to precision, and in a single rush, the blade of the lightsaber cut clean through the Tuk'ata's hide, cleaving the head clean from it's body.

The last of the enemies defeated, you gain a moment of clarity, seeing your companion, the droid T4D, looking worse for wear. Still functional, but scarred, with some exposed circuitry and the robotic joints of his legs having been dampered

"And you thought you needed training" he replies sarcastically.

The rage slowly faded, her breathing slowed, and she lowered the lightsaber so that it pointed down at an angle diagonal to the ground. She didn’t want to let it go given it felt so right in her hand. The crimson glow and hum of the blade represented power and that was not so easily relinquished once it was in hand.

But let go she did. The hum and glow vanished as she held out the lightsabre to the droid. “I embraced my rage and that made me strong. Now imagine what I could do with that power and real training. What you told me was of benefit and for that I thank you.”

She slung her blaster once more, wishing she was still holding the far more lethal and elegant lightsabre. “Let us cross this chasm and make our way to the beacon.”


The Dark Side was with me!

"Right behind you" The droid said as you started to continue on your path.

"Just a fair warning. Even if you complete what Lord Shroud tasked you with, he is still going to be quite cross with you."

"Why? Because I borrowed his shuttle, said his name on an open frequency and caused damage to you? What's to be angry about?" Arianna asked as they started crossing the chasm. "Do you think he'll accept it when I tell him I was simply trying to improvise and think of creative ways to finish this monumental task that will change the fate of the galaxy?"

"I do hope, for your sake, that's just my sarcasm rubbing off on you. Putting all of that aside, it is because all of it was improvised. Mark my words, the phrase 'you cannot build a home without a plan, how do you expect to build an empire' will parse his lips"

Crossing the chasm, the tuk'ata that was struck with your rifle had died of its wounds. T4D pushed its corpse over the side, flailing wildly through the air before it landed solidly on the flat, rocky ground beneath.

"Your sarcasm is rubbing off on me. Rather like a rash and I had a plan. The plan was to borrow the shuttle and fly to Dromund Kaas whilst knowing no plan survives contact with the enemy. Time was of the essence and I didn't have time or anyone else to plan this with so I let the Force guide me. Now I'm planning. I have more plans than you have sarcasm and do not do that, fool of a droid!" Arianna snarled, looking to see where the massive monster that called the chasm home was and hoping it was not currently looking at them.

"Do not disturb the Terantatek more than we already have. This one is not like the ones native to the Wookie homeworld."

"If he has a snack he won't come looking for us. Besides, those things aren't known to be great climbers. I don't think it come after us even if it wanted."

The terantatek, for its part, hadn't even really noticed the fighting above, or the drop of fresh meat onto the ground from above. It seemed to be searching for something else, but noone could really say as to who or what.

"Typical ones aren't great climbers but one altered by the greatest Sith Alchemists in history may be another case. I will concede the snack is a good idea."

Arianna made it across the chasm as quickly as she safely could. She stopped and waited for T4D, her rifle and helmet optics scanning the area around them as she stood there. "Did you know there is a temple on Dromund Kaas so strong in the Dark Side it drove Sith themselves mad. It was built almost 7,000 years ago and many a Sith Lord who crossed the one who made it found themselves interred alive. It was their hate and restless spirits that made it so dangerous. When Emperor Vitiate claimed Dromund Kass some 2,000 years later he did the same."

"My chronology is spotty, but I had read something of that story, yes. I don't suspect there is much of the Sith that could surprise me."

"Did you know there was a Sith Lord who almost ended the line of Sith established by Darth Bane? It seems he decided he wanted to 'redeem' himself so he was going to turn himself and all of the ancient artifacts he held over to the Jedi, revealing their existence. Luckily his apprentice killed him before that came to pass."

"This would not be the first time a Sith found the error of their ways, though I do not believe this specific story is known to me. If the entirety of the Sith could be ruined by one member, than perhaps it is not as strong as it claims."

As you make your way across the chasm, you begin to see the top of the cliff you still have to cross, and the broadcast tower above it. That strong presence of the force you felt before seems to linger there.

"There were only two active at the time and the Jedi were at the height of their power," Arianna said as she looked at the cliff and the tower. "There is our goal and waiting for us, not moving now, is the presence in the Force I've been sensing."

"Wonderful" T4D responded, it's characteristic sarcasm shining through "you be careful now. This has shifted the mission. We're home invaders now, and someone is undoubtably going to be angry to see us."

"They'll have to get over it. This planet was home to the Sith many thousands of years ago so they need to leave when I tell them we were here first," Arianna responded in as sarcastic a tone as the droid used.

"You're a bad influence on me. I'm becoming sarcastic and acerbic. You made me steal your Master's shuttle and do all sorts of things I would never have done before."

"It still is the home of the Sith." T4D quickly retorted. "Whoever, or whatever, it is that you feel with a strong tie to the Force has probably been here their entire life. You and I on the other hand, are tourists, and that's the benevolent interpretation."

"And I'm the apprentice to a Lord of the Sith so I demand you announce me as such when we get up there and make it leave so we can get our work done. I promise to mourn if it eats you. There may even be a tear."

"That's a great idea. We'll cause them to laugh to death. An apprentice to a Sith Lord who can't even feel or control the Force? That's funny."

Arianna came to a halt and turned towards the droid very slowly. “Excuse me? Would you please repeat that,” she said in a deadly calm voice.

"You heard me." He repeated, completely unafraid "You don't know how to use the force. I know it and you know it. You didn't have the time as Shroud's thrall to actually learn anything from him. Now, he wouldn't have chosen you had there not been some potential and talent, but nobody here is going to care about talent that cannot produce results, or the recognition of a Sith they have never heard about. All they will see is an invader with delusions of grandeur, and they will waste no time in acting on that assumption."

The droid still clutched its lightsaber tightly, defensive and ready.

Arianna calmed, the tension leaving her body. "Apologies, T4D. I misunderstood what you said. The phrasing was such that I thought you meant Shroud could not feel or use the Force. Perhaps I'm simply tired and that's why I misinterpreted what you said however, I will correct you; I can feel the Force. I've felt it since the Battle of Exegol and that feeling has grown ever stronger in the short time we've been here."

She still held on to the power she had called forth during the battle - that swirling maelstrom of burning heat and icy cold. "And I can use it."

Her hand rose as rapidly as a striking Vornskr, the power directed towards the lightsabre in the droid's hand, her will focused on taking it and bringing it flying into her hand.

The droid looked down at its hands, and than at you, it's mechanical face incapable of expressing the surprise, or whatever other emotion its hueristic monitor is telling it to feel.

There was an uncomfortable quiet between the two of you until he broke the silence "Beginner's Luck, though clever trick." T4D extended his hand open, palm upwards "Now that you've made your point..." He didn't finish the thought, knowing it was obvious.

"Beginners luck? Perhaps but I trust I have proved my point or is another demonstration in order? I appreciate your unvarnished honesty but have no care for mockery so tread carefully as whilst I may be a patient woman that patience is not infinite. Now that you know I can both feel and use the Force shall we continue?" She asked, handing him the lightsabre and beginning to walk once more towards their destination.

"By your leave" T4D says in a mocking voice, his hands gesticulating in exaggerated reverence to your authority. The storm had let up by now, though the dark clouds remained, as ever. The remaineder of the journey was uphill, hiking a series of switchbacks to reach the building.

The predators and scavengers that had been so prevalent in the area below and behind you were markedly absent. A novice would argue that it was due to the time of day, or that there weren't any prey animals here for them to feast on. A more astute observation would recognize a greater truth:

They are afraid; there is something here that preys on them.

Arianna shook her head. "I didn't need the Force to see that coming. Are you like this with Master Shroud?" She asked as she started up the path to the beacon. The silence was noted and marked and whilst she didn't have a great deal of experience in the wild she was smart and had enough to know what it meant.

"Have you noticed how quiet it's become as we've made the climb?" She asked him softly. "That presence I sense, the one in front of us, frightens the other wildlife away. There's a bigger predator here and it's between us and the beacon."

"Not predator, I'm afraid" his finger points to peculiar scarring on a thick tree. It appears as a slash, and with a distinctive burning appearance. Telltale signs of a lightsaber

"A hunter"

That brought Arianna up short. "A Sith here after all this time or a surviving Jedi? Either one may spell trouble for us."

She looked up to see how close they were to the beacon. "Perhaps the Jedi knew the Sith might come back and send out the call and they have guarded this place for thousands of years." She raised her rifle and started scanning the area. "Or a Sith sent here to guard the Capital of the Old Empire."

She dropped the rifle and looked at T4D. "If there's a battle involving lightsabres to come then you are the only one who may be able to keep them occupied or hope to beat them. If that's what it comes down to you'll have to hold them off whilst I work in the beacon."

"It'll take both of us to defeat whoever has been able to make this place their home, in all likelihood. Besides, if you were capable of repairing this relay station yourself, I could have just stayed in the ship."

"I can't argue that. Unfortunately a blaster is the worst thing to bring against someone wielding a lightsabre. They'll be able to send the bolts off into the trees or at either of us and, when you engage, I run the risk of hitting you."

She settled her pack and squared her shoulders. "I did not come this far and risk so much to fail so we either end this bastard or die trying." She set her jaw, clenched her blaster and walked the rest of the way to the beacon.

"Certainly wouldn't want that. Imagine what the Master would think after he finds out you shot his droid."

You make your way all the way to the top, where the building that houses and supports the broadcast dish was found.

"Well, the lights are out, but the generators still appear to be working, so that's the best news we've had all night. If we get exceptionally lucky, whoever lives here is either asleep, or out hunting."

OOC: They are definitely not out hunting. Whoever it is, is inside.

"I'd blame it on an unknown enemy and disavow any and all knowledge and we are not exceptionally lucky--they're inside. Let's try something unexpected and knock on the door. If courtesy fails then we start the shooting and other violent acts," Lt. Vex said as she walked up to the door and knocked.

There was no response to the knocking, but T4D's interaction with the pad did open it.

"Unlocked." He said simply "Either they don't suspect us, and we're really lucky, or they do suspect us, and this is a trap..."

The droid entered the doorway first, igniting the lightsaber as he went "Not taking any chances"

"If I sensed them they sensed me so, trap." Arianna moved in behind the droid and cleared her part of the room before moving deeper in the room. She also looked up and scanned the ceiling, trusting in her training to give her some notice of a trap being sprung.

Midichlorians, on behalf of Arianna Vex'Morland, rolled 24 using 1d20+7 ((17))
You detect the enemy, avoiding any chance she might have to use Stealth on you.

The building was cyndrical in nature, with a staircase along the perimeter to head upwards to where the control station was. From the second story, jumps down the obvious occupant of this building. A rare sight, with an even rarer choice of weaponry...

https://i.pinimg.com/originals...74433e6face10c7d.jpg" data-lightbox="images-msg-101">https://i.pinimg.com/originals...74433e6face10c7d.jpg" alt=''>

Just as she landed, she immediately charged at T4D

You got one turn before this Sith connects with your droid. Best to make the most of it.

"Hold, Trueblooded Lord of the Sith! We are here on orders from a Sith Lord and I am an Apprentice of the True Sith!" Arianna shouted in her loudest command voice. Her blaster was ready in case the Sith continued her attack.

[Language unknown: <Theou>"Korer!"</Po] She called out as she charged at the droid. T4D was able to defend himself, locking the two blades together against his in a contest of strength and will.

[Language unknown: <Reev>"E ho ac ess ma lo m ri Arout! Illthiilltha i iool evilnt founiv!"</Mi]

Arianna started moving, looking for a position in which she could shoot the Sith without risk of hitting T4D. Going against a trained Sith warrior with a blaster and rudimentary knowledge of the Force was not something she had expected on this trip.

The droid cleverly relents the contest, letting the weapons pass by without striking him. In the unsure footing of the enemy he was able to push her away, and take a defensive pose between you and her

"Must I do everything!?" he called out, waiting for you to start firing.

Arianna's rifle was up so she let loose a volley the moment T4D left the Sith off-balance. "I'm not getting in trouble for shooting you!"

17:02, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 25 using 1d20+5 ((20)).


17:03, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 14 using 3d8 ((7,4,3)). Doubled to 28 for the crit.

This message was last edited by the player at 22:05, Fri 25 Dec 2020.

T4D follows the barrage with an attack of its own, leaving the Sith stunned and wounded, but still standing.

The pain led her to draw deep into the dark side, powering her barrage of vengeance. In a flash, she struck the droid hard with both sabers, severing the sword arm of her enemy completely off.

Arianna roared as she saw T4D damaged and she too drew deeply on the dark side, throwing out her hand to bring the lightsabre to her even before his arm hit the floor of the building they were in.

12:25, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 18 using 1d20+3 ((15)). Use the Force


The snap-hiss of her own weapon filled the air alongside the bloody light the weapon gave off as she moved and swung her blade at the Sith, snarling in rage.

12:28, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 13 using 1d20-2 ((15)).


12:29, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 9 using 2d8 ((2,7)). In case that was a hit

This message was last edited by the player at 17:30, Sat 26 Dec 2020.

The strike was blocked by one lightsaber, and an immediate counter was thrown that came just short of the neck. The weapon hung in the air as a booming voice echoed through the building.

"ENOUGH!" The voice was booming, authoritative and familiar.

The Sith stopped dead and retracted her weapons, looking for the source of the order.

A proud, ancient ghost of the Sith stood, arms behind his back.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f2/9...8279357dd4537e82.jpg" data-lightbox="images-msg-109">https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f2/9...8279357dd4537e82.jpg" alt=''>
This message was last edited by the player at 21:46, Sun 27 Dec 2020.

Arianna stepped back and lowered her weapon as she recognised the voice. "My lord!" She said as she snapped to attention instinctively. "His is the voice that set me on this path," she spoke loudly enough so that T4D and the Sith Warrior would hear her.

That armour was only worn by one in the Old Empire. Reaver Armour it was called and it belonged to a Sith Lord of great power and honour who stood high within the ranks of the Dark Council. "Darth Marr, I am honoured, my Lord. I had no idea it was you who had called out to me and bade me come here before Shroud commanded me to do so."

The Sith bowed on one knee with her blades withdrawn, as T4D tried to return to its feet, also seeing the ghost.

"Restrain yourself, soldier." He commanded "I have been the whispers in many an ear of late. You are as much a tool of my designs as your droid is a tool of yours. The two of you meeting each other was part of my plan, to see if both of you possessed what is necessary."

"This, is Vaida. You will find what is to come impossible to survive without her."

Arianna turned off her blade and helped T4D stand before also taking a knee before the Force Spirit. "Yes, Lord Marr. I understand," she said, turning to look at the Trueblooded warrior and giving her a nod. "I am Arianna Vex'Morland, Lt. of the Final Order, and Apprentice to Lord Shroud."

She turned to look at Darth Marr. "What do you command us to do, my Lord?"

"Continue as you have been instructed. The rest will make itself known in time." He responded cryptically.

"Steel your bodies and your minds for what is to come. Dromund Kaas will receive many from all corners of the galaxy. Unfortunately, too many will be pretenders, Sith in name only. Others will act as countless others have, in blind ambition and jealous desire, shunning the galaxy for their personal desires."

"I understand, my Lord. We will fix the beacon and send out the call. The Sith Flame will not go out because of what happened on Exegol. With time and wisdom we shall weed out the pretenders and those who did not learn from the lesson you taught when you died to save countless lives." She bowed her head before the great man, that Lord of the Sith who she has honoured and respected since she was first taught about him by the Sith Eternal.

"We do not have time to indulge in sycophantic flattery" He replied rebukingly "Such prattle is how we arrived at where we are. While the war between the Republic and the First Order is slowly approaching a standstill, the war between the Jedi and the Sith is far bleaker. The one who killed Emperor Palpatine could easily destroy the few of us that remain hiding in the darkness. We are protected by anonymity and darkness, for now."

"We are walking along precipice of oblivion, soldier. One wrong move can send us all into the abyss. Do not allow yourself to be sucked into lines of fealty and loyalty to anyone. Serve only the Empire, Trust only the Force."

With that, the ghost of Darth Marr, the Emperor's Wrath, faded.

Arianna bowed her head once again. “I am rebuked, my Lord and shall not fail. I will do as you say, starting with the beacon and trusting in the Force.” She stood when he vanished and looked at her companions. “Let’s get your arm attached, T4. We have work to do.”

She turned to look at the Trueborn. “Do you speak Galactic Basic, Vaida?”

Her mute response and stare at you was answer enough.

"I'll take that as a no. I can be your translator." T4D spoke as he held his own arm in his hand. "Don't worry, I will be the embodiment of civility and diplomacy."

[Language unknown: <Plhe>"I to bemo thin eveeauenc undcomard ut thse Larasteve. Ad hasic isus urethaour din la wh oneionout ith a le lesredartstrand."</Tr]

"She says she lives here alone, and was exiled for something..."

[Language unknown: <Ca>"Ou os u hereraard sa ei, manichate Of ure li man ate pro ugh"</Erce]

"She says she recognizes your face, somehow."

Arianna smirked as she pulled out tools and helped T4 attach his arm. “The day you employ diplomacy and civility is the day I become an Admiral in the Republic.”

She pulled off her helmet and shook loose her hair. “Perhaps a vision through the Force or the work of Darth Marr. We’re supposed to work together and he’s been pulling strings so I wouldn’t be surprised if he made sure she recognised me.”

The droid relayed the thoughts, to which Vaida shook her head. She pointed to her head, and than to the sky as she spoke.

"She says not likely. In her dreams, she saw you as an enemy. Had Darth Marr not appeared, she would have killed you."

[Language unknown:  <Ill>"Pre ceeses whompr ma siiv ect man Elfo atendeousnce witheress ck oulainand pe nint aderno ul ast Iou. Butprewaster Fi allan ovest beomho en ev ntng, E ncewerard realie forughthe te te m St."</Inees]

"The locals don't think any off worlders are Sith. Vaida didn't think that was right, but doubted who you were."

“That makes sense. This world probably hasn’t had contact with the rest of the galaxy in millennia. Save for ones that go out like Master Shroud I would think the Sith in the Unknown Regions are rather insular.”

She kept helping T4 with his arm as she spoke. "She had me. If Darth Marr had not stopped her blade she would have taken off my head.”
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:12, Thu 31 Dec 2020.

"That being the case, I fear this complicates matters." T4D spoke grimly "If the locals exiled her for accepting the possibility that we exist, there's no reason to reckon that there will be a warm reception when Shroud and the others arrive."

“That may very well be the case. All I can do is light the beacon and do as Darth Marr said: serve the Empire and trust in the Force. I will grow in my knowledge and power and use the Force as my weapon against our enemies.”

She stood up and looked around the room. “So, ready to usher in a new age? Let’s get to work on the beacon.”
This message was last edited by the player at 21:07, Thu 31 Dec 2020.

"Just keep me safe. I can handle it myself, but I can't help but think that there's still something else out there."

He turned to Vaida, having a short discussion, likely asking for the controls, based on her pointing. The droid got right to work on the terminal.

"Well, this is probably the only good news you're likely to hear. Beyond pounds of dust in here, this looks in good order. May have to replace a part or two that's gone bad in misuse, but I don't think it'll require taking apart the whole aparatus."

“I’ve got your back. Hopefully one of us will sense something intent on attacking us.”

Arianna attached the lightsaber to her belt and hefted her rifle, putting herself in a position that allowed her to see doors and windows potential hostiles could use to make entry.

“That is good news. Any estimate on how long it will take to make it operational?”

"Easier done than said, as they say." " T4D replied as it was working, not even taking its eyes away from the task at hand as it pulled a few tools out.

Before long, the familiar smell of burning dust started to fill the room as the system kicked on, the components warming up after so long being completely inoperative.

"Well, there we have it. I think everything is working properly. Only one way to be sure..."

After a few moments, it became clear that he had deviated slightly. Rather than setting up a broadcast message, he initiated communications with one specific person, Master Shroud, who stood looking as ramrod straight and ominous as you had last seen. He was quiet, as was T4D.

Arianna immediately went down to one knee and bowed her head before the stern visage of her Master. "The beacon is ready to transmit, my Master," she said, keeping her voice and expression carefully schooled.

"You have actions to account for. But first, who is this?" He asks with his hand open, pointing to Vaida.

"Yes, Master. This is Vaida, a warrior of the Sith. Darth Marr told me what is to come would be impossible without her. She has been here on Dromund Kaas for some time."

She had raised her eyes to speak to her Master and kept them raised for the discussion to come.

"Darth Marr?" He asked skeptically "He's been dead for -, never mind that. We will deal with your imagination later. Do you have a confession to make?"

"Yes, Master. I took your shuttle without permission, and spoke your name over the comm channel when attempting to leave the Tempest," Arianna responded calmly, stating fact and offering nothing in the way of excuse. If he wanted her reasoning he would ask.

"And in so doing you put my ship in peril and risk further exposure. Do you know how hard it is to erase an emergency sortie deployment from the logs of a Star Destroyer?" He did not wait for an answer "Our great strength comes from the unsuspecting nature of the galaxy. We do not exist. Do you understand?"

"I do, my Master. It shall not happen again," Arianna replied, bowing her head before her Master once again.

"Nor shall you take my irreplaceable droid and subject it to whatever terrors led its current state. The only thing exceeding your arrogance is your clumsiness. This is twice now that you acted without thinking, putting aside any consequences of your actions so long as your goal is met. I would have hoped you had learned the first time when it cost you your commission, and your freedom."

"That being said, I do commend you, Arianna, for completing the task that I laid out for you. It was not easy, by any means, and I sense you have become stronger for having done it."

"I have, my Master. I have become stronger and have learned to think in longer terms and not in the heat of the moment. I shall become precise and calculating, learning from your wisdom and teachings, serving the Empire and trusting in the Force. Shape me into a blade, not a blaster, my Master," Arianna told him quietly but firmly, looking up at him once again.

"The planet itself will continue to shape and test you on its own, should you survive. T4D will now instruct you on usage of a lightsaber, given you are able to find one of your own. Once the message from the communication tower is established, you are to prepare for our arrivals."

"Arianna, make ready to welcome The Dark Council into Kaas City."

Arianna schooled her face and voice into calm neutrality but inside she was anything but. Her heart leaped at her Master's words and she bowed her head before him once more as the enormity of what she was about to do, what was to come, suddenly hit her. Before it had been abstract, a dream half-realised perhaps or a child's hope of seeing the rebirth of the Sith but his order made it all snap info perfect clarity.

She bowed her head once more and spoke the words that would forever shape her destiny. "Yes, my Master. It shall be done."

"See to it. We will not speak again until I arrive on the planets surface." The message cut suddenly there. Nothing else need be said.

"This sounds like a no win scenario, frankly." T4D interjected before anyone else spoke up. "Preparing an entire city for the arrival of the greatest living Sith, without a known time of arrival?"

Arianna stood after her Master's image vanished. "It's a test. He knows I can't prepare the entire city but note he said 'Make ready to welcome The Dark Council into Kaas City.' We need to try and get the power restored and prepare the Council chamber. But first we must light the way home. Please prepare the beacon to transmit the message I am going to send, T4."

Arianna knew she would constantly be tested from this point forward. She would have to see beyond what was said and determine the intent. Her Master would come at her sideways, cloaked in layers, forcing her to learn how to peel away the layers to see the truth that lay beneath. He was teaching her the art of subtlety which, she knew all too well, he found her sorely lacking in.

She would learn. She would learn all he taught her and learn it well. Failure would mean pain and death and she was not going to fail.

"It's already been set," He responds nuetrally "It's set to broadcast on a frequency normally used for video transmissions. Most would just ignore it as background noise or interference. Those who know to look for it, however, will recognize it."

"Lord Shroud already has a message to send out, though I haven't sent it out. If you dare believe in the principle of asking for forgiveness rather than permission, it could be altered..."

"I think I've already passed that point with him and have no desire to disobey him or make another mistake. Nor do I wish to have him displeased with you. As much as I would like be the one whose message goes out we shall do as he commands," Arianna stated.

For the briefest of moments she felt as if the galaxy went still and waited for what was to come next. They were about to alter history with the push of a button.

"Send it."

"We could always try blaming it on her" T4D responds cheekily as he works away at the terminal, nudging his towards Vaida, who was standing there quietly, arms cross, still holding her weapons.

"With cleansing fire, a new star will be born this day in the galaxy. Let the sons and daughters of Ajunta Pall return home, so that we may once and for all finish what we started."

"Not the best way to start a partnership," Arianna replied before stopping to listen to the message. She felt a chill of excitement travel along her spine as the words were sent out.

"His message has gone out. Nothing was said about me sending one of my own, was there?" She asked T4, smiling slightly,

"No, no he didn't" There was an amused tone through the synthetic voice. A few more clicks, and he stepped away "It's all yours. In the meantime, I think I'll catch our new friend up to speed."

Arianna smiled and stepped up to the equipment. She thought of what to say before hitting the button. "The flame burns to light the way home and a place is prepared. We shall stand ready to welcome you."

She stepped away and turned to T4, cheeks flushed and eyes alight with joy. "Shall we make ready the Council Chambers?"

The trueblooded Sith interjected, non-verbally. She extended her hand straight, lightsaber in hand. Holding it by the base, there was means to be held and taken by you. Trigger to the floor, and the blade pointed towards you, was also a sign.

Vaida is willing to help you, but she does not entirely trust you.

Turning to face her fully, Arianna nodded to show her she understood. "Trust in the Force and the Empire to come. Together we shall be part of shaping what is to come."

She turned to look at T4. "I'll need you to start teaching me the Old Tongue. And, as I assume you'll want this back," she indicated the lightsaber on her belt. "Can you ask her if she has or knows where to find, one I can use to train with?"

"She's giving you this one" T4D clarified "Well, lending, as you rightly guessed, until you find or make one. I told her that our Master wants to see you trained, and she said she wants to help you impress him."

The question was asked, and Vaida gave what seemed to be a rather long-winded reply, which the droid truncated as well as shortened.

"It was common in the ancient times for Sith to be buried with their weapons, though she would advise against taking one. It might be possible to find one in the ruins of the old cities, but those areas are overrun with beasts. She says in something called The Last Stand, the Jedi collected all of the lightsabers they could and destroyed them. The remains and debris could be used to make a new one, but she doesn't know how..."

The two shared a moment, exploring that further "Vaida says hers are inherited, treasured heirlooms from her ancestors, two of the few lightsabers that weren't destroyed by invaders. Clan and tribal leaders hold lightsabers, and rumors that one or two may yet know how to make new ones. If you were to defeat them in combat, you could claim theirs. And the clan."

Arianna unclipped T4's and handed it back to him before reaching out and taking the one Vaida was holding out to her. She nodded to her in thanks before she clipped it to her belt. "Please thank her for me and tell her I understand. Also thank her for helping me impress my Master."

She listened as T4 explained further, very interested in what he was saying. "After the Sith Empire fell the Sith left these worlds and eventually fell into tribalism and clans? It seems much of what they knew was lost in the thousands of years since."

A seemingly straightforward question is met with an emotional response, which T4D does his best to control.

"Yes. Stories say that after the Last Stand, chaos descended on the planet. The strong, the smart, wealthy, and the prepared left Dromund Kaas on their own, leaving those behind to fend for themselves. Those that fled said it was in the oldest of the Sith traditions: the strong and smart survive, while the weak and dumb perish."

There was a final thought she adds, which T4D conveys "She is quick to point out that those Sith who left and tried to start the Sith Empire anew are all gone and their ambitions all failed, while those they left behind still live and carry on the traditions as best they know how."

Vaid's posture was ramrod straight as her words were relayed. The Sith were a shell of what they once were, even in their homeworld, but even here, even now, she was proud.

Her pride and straight posture is met with approval. "Tell her she is right to be proud. They carried on and survived a hostile world in a hostile galaxy. Hardly the work of the weak and the dumb. I am proud to know her and together we shall forge a new Sith Empire and much of what was lost will be taught or learned once more."

She waited for T4 to convey that message before looking at him. "If the ones that left are all gone then who did we just call back? The Dark Council? It would appear not all of those who left are gone."

Vaida shrugged her shoulders, unknowingly. Whatever happened outside her planet would probably be beyond her knowledge. She motioned with her song against her face to pantamime a pillow

Arianna nodded. "Rest would be good. Can you wake us in four hours, T4? We need to check on the city's power grid and begin preparing the chambers for the arrival of the Dark Council. When we have time you can begin teaching me lightsabre combat. Thank you for your help, T4."

She opened her bag and pulled out a vacuum sealed sleeping bag. It was more than a simple sleeping bag, however. It could be altered into a small tent and was rated to withstand moderate storms and wind.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 22:18, Wed 13 Jan 2021.

The storm outside was muffled thanks to the thick walls of the building. The interior being so large and empty, sounds transited and echoed easily, but thankfully Vaida chose the time to rest as well, and T4D was quietly looking through data in the system, to ascertain...something.

He did do as asked, as a loud internal alarm went off, filling the empty building with sound that pulled you both out of your slumber.

Vaida, not having been informed and acting on reflex, had reached for and immediately ignited her lightsaber, scanning for some kind of danger

Being a soldier meant Arianna was instantly awake and alert; she turned her attention to T4 and knew he was sounding the alarm to wake them as she requested. She held out a hand to Vaida. "It's fine, we're not under attack. I asked him to let us rest before we began our work."

She stood and stretched, letting blood flow to her body before reaching into her pack and pulling out rations for her and Vaida. "They're not the best but they'll fill you up for a few hours," she said, activating the heating element in the pouch.

Vaida was slow to put her guard down. She withdrew her weapon, but still kept her eyes out for anything that may be about to happen, just in case.

She took the ration willingly, and copied your actions to prepare it. The pouch was letting off steam in the corner. Curiosity got the better of her, as she leaned in for a sniff, which she immediately regretted from the odd smell, almost tossing the pouch away at the notion.

Arianna smiled. "Not the best but it fills the stomach and has a good energy supplement in it which is something we're likely going to need as we make our way back to the city. Hopefully the power plant is something we can repair quickly so we can spend time getting the Council chambers ready for the Dark Council."

She pulled out the all purpose tool that came with the rations and took a bite. She pointed to another container in the kit and mimed drinking. "Water with some supplements," she said before taking a drink herself.

Vaida took a spartan amount of the water and put the rest aside, attaching to the plating on her sides for travel.

She takes a small bite and mulls the unappealing but bearable taste, and asks a question as she works to get down.

T4D pipes in "Your new friend asks good questions, although they might get her in trouble. And us."

"I'd like to start learning the Sith tongue as soon as possible. We can work on it whilst we walk and work on learning the lightsabre before we break camp and before we bed down. That said, what did she ask?" Arianna asked before taking a bite from the pouch labeled "Bantha Stew taste"

"She pointed out that the Dark Council was the physical repre of the Emperor and his will. She's asking that if a true Dark Council is returning, than where is the Emperor?"

"That's a very good question and one I wasn't trying to dwell too deeply on. By all accounts Vitiate is dead and cast into the Void of the Dark Side. But, he was no mere Sith by then. He was almost an entity of the Dark Side itself and if he returns...the entire galaxy is in danger."

She took a sip of water. "After the Emperor's first "death" Darth Marr assumed the mantle of leadership and retained it until the Emperor revealed he was still very much alive. Maybe one of the Dark Council stands above the others or maybe there is an Emperor out there of whom we know nothing at all. There's nothing for it to wait and see."

Vaida's face soured as she heard the translation from the droid.

[Language unknown: "Hote os Maarmi. Tra omeen Ichas Latorecom. Ove stiyinvor un ntfint our nt nteerslin usalet rederatha ieec ioerit isle he prera Meant herwasvir witut st tiek m onelo llhas."] She spat into an empty corner as she got up quickly, taking the remnants of her military ration and heading out the door.

"I'll spare you the details" T4D said as the door closed behind Vaida. "Suffice to say, she was quite rude. I hope that there is at least a single vein of discretion in her fiery heart, or our new friend may doom us all. There will not be much patience for those like her, even if she is probably correct. Shroud is at merciful, at times. Spectre, one of the only other Sith I've met face to face to face, is far worse."

"I've been working on what you asked, and prepared a primer on the Sith language. This is admittedly harder than it sounds. Over so much time, their language has shifted into a new dialect that almost borders on an entirely new language. A lesser droid like the C3 unites wouldn't be able to comprehend the changes."

"Then it may well fall to us to teach her that discretion lest she find herself dead which is a state I'm sure neither of us wishes to be in," Arianna said as she put away the last of her rations and began packing.

"I was worried about linguistic drift. I wonder if the Sith spoken by the Emperor, Vader, and the rest was the same passed down from before the time of Bane or if that had changed as well. Is what she's speaking the same that Master Shroud does? And speaking of Vaida, did she go to get fresh air or is she ready to begin the trek back to the city?"

"She didn't say, though I suspect the latter, given that she took her weapon with her."

"Granted, if I lived on a planet that was the very embodiment of paranoia, treachery, and hostility, I'd make sure I was armed at all times too."

"I suppose we must follow her. We do have a way to go. Training will have to wait for later." Arianna picked up her pack and started out of the building. "What has her so angry? General bad mood or something more specific?"

"It's always difficult to peace out feelings among you emotional organic types, but the most simple way to describe it would be resentment." He paused for a moment "Her kind have been left here for who knows exactly how long, carrying on the traditions and beliefs of the Sith as best they can, and now she's being told that a group claiming to be Sith are coming here, and undoubtable going to try to marginalize her and the rest as savages, or as a resource to exploit."

"That would make me angry as well. We will definitely have to work on tempering her anger or else this could turn into a bloodbath when the Council arrives," Arianna replied as they left the building they were in.

"So the Emperor dies, the Sith Empire fragments and a number of Trueblooded are left behind whilst others fly off deeper into the Unknown Regions but still keep watch on what's happening in the rest of the galaxy. I'm guessing you've been with Master Shroud for some time; how long has he been embedded within the First Order, watching?"

"Since the First Order's conception" T4D stated as he followed behind, the walk down the hill from the communication tower had turned to soft mud in the evening rain.

"He was an Intelligence Officer in the Galactic Empire. As their forces consolidated outside of Republic Space, he was tasked as an acting administrator. He did better than anyone expected, and entered the political world as a governor."

"He still keeps everything close to the chest, as you have seen first hand. There's still a great deal about his past that even I don't know. He didn't purchase me until well after his appointment."

"So much of what happened after the fall of the Sith Empire is a mystery. Warlords who each declared their own Empires, warred amongst themselves, eventually the Brotherhood of Darkness formed and waged war on the Republic and lost, betrayed by Bane who decided that the Sith needed to be born anew so he ended the old Sith and started the Rule of Two and so it has been for a thousand years."

Arianna looked for Vaida as they walked. "But out here and beyond it's been far different than anyone suspected."

Vaida was easy to spot, the solitary figure standing in the middle of the road, seemingly listening and watching for wildlife to hunt.

"That is a noticeable difference between us and our eternal adversary" T4D postulates "For all that can be said about the Jedi Order, they are unified in their positions, and they have not changed dramatically since their inception, where as there have been close to dozen different versions of the Sith. We tell ourselves that the fighting and the competition makes us stronger, and yet given enough time, they always win. Makes one wonder, doesn't it?"

"Look at history, T4. They don't win. It's been thousands of years since the first Jedi began to study the ways of the Dark Side and since then it's been a repeating cycle of us wiping them out leaving but a few who then rise up and destroy us. The difference is the Jedi never change whilst we always do. We come back in different incarnations-the Sith Empire, the Brotherhood of Darkness, the Bainite Sith, the Empire, First Order. Every time the Jedi return they grow complacent, believing they have finally ended the threat of the Sith but they are always wrong. That arrogance leads to their downfall and the eventual need of balance in the Force leads to ours. As long as there is the Force there will be those who follow the Light and those who follow the Darkness. And the Will of the Force will always lead to Balance in some fashion."

Arianna waved to Vaida. "I imagine the Jedi believe that the Sith are finally extinct now that The Emperor is dead but even now we begin to move in the darkness in far greater numbers than any know have existed for a thousand years. The Jedi may have won the Battle at Exegol but the war is just beginning."

"Our master was on Coruscant based on reporting that children are being transported somewhere to be trained as Jedi. A new generation of padawans, to restart the order rapidly. Whether the Jedi who defeated Palpatine knows of the rest of us or not, they are clearly preparing for something. Strength in numbers will not serve us for long, especially if this Jedi really was able to kill Palpatine single-handedly."

The conversation was ended with a minor surprise. As Vaida waved back, a single and heavily accented word came with.

"Hello."

Anticipating the question, the droid spoke up quickly. "She asked to learn the language as well. Given that most of the Sith heading this way do not know the old languages, and she's likely to be a long time ally, it made sense that she be able to speak to others as well."

“And we are doing the same thing with force-sensitive children. We do, however, have an advantage given the Sith coming here may do so in great numbers. Surviving Jedi are likely in the single numbers.”

Arianna smiled at Vaida. “Hello! Excelllent-we’ll be talking in no time. Can you begin teaching me as we walk towards the city, T4.”

The teaching was difficult, as Vaida and the droid had very different teaching styles. T4D wanted to act as a teacher or nanny might, with simple alphabets and pronounciations, where Vaida had a more verbal and object-oriented approach and desire, pointing at different things in order to indicate the Sith or Basic word equivalent with that object. Although Vaida's approach was far less informal and wouldn't be able to accurately express complex ideas of tense and grammar, it was at least a better starting point to you and her articulating very basic thoughts to one another without the need of an interpreter. T4D's approach, while more encompassing and would eventually reach full fluency, would also take substantially longer. Although the different ideas of learning were at odds, there was at least the beginnings of progess made between them.

Along the way, there was an opportunity for a completely different form of training.

"There" Vaida said loudly as she pointed, in the distance, still further downhill, was a paved square area, covered in the dead leaves and dirty ground of years of neglect.

Arianna seemed to have something of a propensity for language (she did understand Binary which wasn't the easiest language for organic life-forms to learn) and liked the contract of styles her two teachers used. She used Sith whenever she could, preferring to immerse herself in it as much as possible.

When Vaida pointed at the open square Arianna nodded. "Lightsabre training?" She asked in Sith.

She nodded as she removed her lightsaber from its latch on her waist, holding it steady as she went down.

"Arianna, while I'm sure you need the exercise for the day and this will surely be fun, might I remind you that there is still too much work to be done and not enough time to do it."

"Noted, T4. Master Shroud did say, amongst the other things, that he expected me to know some use of the lightsabre and whilst this is not the most important thing to be done, it is to be done."

She removed her blade, set down her bag, and removed her helmet as before moving down to the square. As she did so she reached out for the Force, letting the burning cold fill her before stepping into the square they would use as their practice area. "Short practice, much work to do," she told Vaida in Sith.

"By your will" T4D responded as the three of you entered the training space.

Curiously, both the Sith and the droid ignited their lightsabers, thinking they were the training partner today. They looked at each other, neither one withdrawing.

"It would seem, we're at an impasse" T4D said "It's your call as to who your teacher will be..."

Arianna ignited her own blade and assumed a ready stance.

“Both.”

"Very well, Initiate Arianna. You take the path of the bold and the reckless. Prepare yourself. Don't expect either of us to ease on you because your hubris."

No sooner than T4D had stopped talking that Vaida sprang into action, with the rush of a sprinter, followed just behind by T4D, coming from a different angle.

She dropped into the Force until all that remained was the maelstrom inside. She didn't answer T4 nor did she let herself be distracted by the fact she was being attacked from two different directions. There was the Force and she was its Master and it, her weapon.

Her attackers had never worked together so she would use that to her advantage. She brought her blade around and deflected Vaida's attack as she side-stepped in such a way as to bring T4 into the Trueblood's path as she made her fast run and attack. She hoped for nothing, planned for nothing; she saw they would be momentarily tangled and have to stop lest one hit the other so she used that to her advantage and launched a blow at Vaida's back whilst moving to keep the Sith between her and the droid whilst she could.

Vaida rushed in with a fierce vertical strike, her arms over her head in a loud pronouncement of her choice. As the lightsabers crackled on impact, Vaida fluidly leapt over you, her blade still in contact as she moved overhead. Having landed squarely on her feat and ready, you were now squarely between two enemies, as T4D had filled in the gap Vaida left.

Although she was quick on the draw and to position herself, her rush to attack was not, she waited until T4D was about to strike to make her move as well, forcing you to address two strikes at once from opposite directions.

Arianna felt the impact of the blades and the feel of Vaida's weapon as they locked. When Vaida landed and did not press her attack she knew T4 was coming in so she spun, her blade moving first high then low as she launched a blow at Vaida.

Her free hand shot up, almost of its own volition; the maelstrom within her grew in intensity and a wave of unseen energy arced between her and the droid, stopping both him and his blade cold, freezing both in place. She completed her spin so she was no longer between her two attackers.

Later she would marvel at what she had just done but right now there was her, the Force, and her two enemies.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:46, Thu 04 Feb 2021.

[Language unknown: "Taceasplek"] Vaida said as she slowly walked towards you, her weapon low [Language unknown: "Ou Witomecomvenlat."
]
her slow, cautious movements belied her true intent and nature. In an instant, she burst into a barrage of wild attacks.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:40, Fri 05 Feb 2021.

Arianna sensed, almost saw, Vaida's attacks before she launched them. Her soldier's training or some new aspect of the Force? She wasted no time in contemplation as she spun, ducked, parried, and dodged. She incorporated her martial arts training and the training she had been given on various melee weapons into her movements, never standing still, blade up and constantly moving.

Once again her hand rose but instead of trying to freeze Vaida she tried doing what she had done once to T4. She felt, saw, knew, her opponent's lightsabre was in her hand. Now she used the Force to make what she felt reality.

The lightsaber sprang loose of Vaida's grip and came barreling towards you, but only for an instant. The fabled weapon hung in the air between you two, as the Sith exerted her own control of the Force to reclaim what was rightfully hers.

[Language unknown: "Nindol petoat"] She hissed while staring at you. She held her grip and concentration strong as T4D, free of his control, came in to strike.

The young officer kept her hand out and redoubled her effort to get the blade even as she spun to block T4's attack. She kept spinning and parried his blow in such a way as to leave him off balance. As she did so she pulled even more power from the Force and used it to try and pull the blade out of the air and to her hand.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:26, Sat 06 Feb 2021.

T4D stumbled oddly and landed on its knees. There was a genuinely unexpected move. Vaida surrendered the contest for her weapon, as it slammed hard into your hand, gripping it firm reflexively.

And yet, A lightsaber was in her hand. She used the same power, the same mental concentration to steal this one from the droid, who couldn't try to reclaim it.

Giving it a few practice arcs around her body, she beckoned you onward with her free arm.

Arianna swung both blades, getting an idea how they felt working together. She had done fairly well using one blade and her training but two blades was beyond her ken so she would keep it simple for now. As she looked at Vaida and settled into a ready stance she knew why the Trueblood liked using two lightsabres. There was a feeling of power that came from having one in hand that was increased when holding two. The feel of the crystals, the hum of two blades, the ability to deal death increased; this was nearly intoxicating.

But she needed to be grounded so she focused once more on Vaida and the feel of the Force and waited. She would let her opponent come to her first.

Arianna was mimicking the style of combat Vaida was fluent in, and she leveraged on that experience. Closing the distance quickly, she began a flourish of diagonal strikes, coming from different ways, capitalizing on her opponents awkwardness and lack of surety with which blade to defend with.

Vaida's ferocious attack came as no surprise nor did her own inability to fully defend. She was, for the first time, using two lightsabres which was something the Sith had long-since mastered but Arianna was a quick study. There was a reason she had earned her commission so early in life and it wasn't just loyalty and academics. She was born to the arts of combat and quickly (after taking a few painful slices through her armour) learned to defend with the blade that was closest to the attack Vaida was making. She wasn't secure enough to go on the offence with the lightsabres yet but she had other means of taking the attack to her enemy.

When Vaida came in with one strike, Arianna used both blades, bringing them down and across hard, using more strength than she had before. She wanted Vaida slightly off-balance before she suddenly spun, dropped down, and kicked out in a combination sweep and attack on the other woman's leg.

The sith continued to be a surprise. The attack towards her legs were somewhat telegraphed from Arianna's movements, and yet Vaida stepped into the attack.

As the lightsabers struck the armor of her legs, the weapons shorted out somehow. In the surprise, and the weapons no longer being lit, Vaida made her move. With another fluid step, she spun as she drew in close, and struck Arianna in the side of the head with the back end of her lightsaber.

She exited such close space as quickly as she gained it, in a fighting stance still, but not pursuing further.

"Done." She said simply

Arianna was flattened by the blow to the head and stayed on the ground for a moment as she waited for the tiny TIE Daggers to stop orbiting her head. "Ow..."

She held out the blade she had taken from Vaida, returning it to her as she got to her feet, somewhat unsteadily given the blow she had just taken. "Done. Good training," she said in Sith. "How...turn off lightsabres? Teach me?" She asked, still speaking Sith as she reached for her bag and a bacta spray to use on her wounds and her aching head.

Vaida brushed her borrowed lightsaber against her armor, and it too shorted out. She than tapped against it.

"Special Armor. Have only one"

"Cortosis and a few other exceptionally rare materials have been known to absorb or deflect the energy from lightsabers and blasters." T4D piped in as he approached, looking to reclaim his lightsaber. "I doubt Vaida herself knows what the armor is actually made of, and I doubt the material to make it is organic to this planet, or else it would have been far more prevalent in ancient times."

"Gives me something to plan for in the future. That or suit of armour made from beskar. She must be exceptionally important to the tribe to have two lightsabres and a suit made out of that kind of material," Arianna commented as she put away the bacta and sealed her bag.

"Shall we continue on to the power station and see what we can do towards restoring power to the city?"

Vaida laughed as T4D relayed the question.

"Not important. Exiled. Armor is stolen." She pointed towards the distance, nearly where your shuttle was parked.

Arianna laughed as well as they began walking. "See if you can steal another suit for me. That will be very useful if the Jedi are returning. I want to find out who it was that killed the Emperor and Leader Ren and rip them to pieces." She looked at T4. "Methodically and exercising some manner of caution whilst doing so. See, T4: I am learning more from you besides sarcasm."

"You could be learning even more," T4D's simualted voice carried a derisive tone "You wished to learn how to use a lightsaber, and what just transpired hardly qualifies"

The droid stuck his hand out, which was promptly filled with his lightsaber being returned to him by Vaida, who in turn stuck her hand out expecting hers in turn as well.

"You showed promise with the force, which is extremely commendable for someone so new, but that wasn't the point. This was an opportunity to learn and train, not to show off."

Despite what T4D says, we'll count that as another +1 towards your progress in being fully Trained in Use the Force.

“You mistake me, T4. That wasn’t showing off. Showing off implies I care about the opinion of those who watch. That was me challenging myself as well as learning something new, something more, about myself which I did. Now that I have done so part of my path is clear and I am ready to truly begin learning. So, will you teach me as you will?” She asked as she handed Vaida’s purloined weapon back.

"So long as you actually listen." He responded in a familiar fashion. "You are capable, clearly, but there is not enough time for dithering about and distractions."

"You will have my full, undivided attention, T4. No 'dithering about' or 'distractions' shall divert me from learning what both of you have to teach me or the work we have ahead to get the Chambers ready for the arrival of the Council," she told the droid, quite serious in word and intent. They had much to do and no knowledge of the time frame remaining to them to get it done.

"Let us be about it than" As he motioned to leave the training area.

The path taken entered back into the city, along the path that had been taken the night before. Scavengers were already picking away at the corpses of the beasts consumed, and much of the other answers were keeping away, which isn't to say that there were no concerns.

Entering the periphery, there was a series of very strange metallic clanging noises, with no noticeable rhythm or pattern. T4D started to move towards the noise, and stopped cold in his tracks once he found the cause.

A group of the locals, Sith, turned to barbarous ways, seemingly attacking the Sion. Perhaps they were trying to find a way in, maybe they were trying to scavenge and pillage parts off, or maybe they had no idea of what a ship looked like.

"We're short on time, but we can't permit this..."

"Indeed," Arianna said in reply, following the droid. When the sound of the scavengers trying to get into or take parts of the Sion reached her ears and they came into sight.

"No, we cannot." She pulled her rifle from her hip, ducked behind some cover and sent blaster bolts towards some unfortunate sod.


21:51, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 25 using 1d20+5 ((20) Attack roll.

21:52, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 18 using 3d8 ((7,8,3)). Doubled to 36 for the natural 20. Damage

One of the Sith dropped immediately upon being struck by the blaster bolt, having gone straight through it's heart. Not having seen where the attack had come form, the rest of the group panicked, grabbing their various weapons and trying to hide in the closest space they could

[Language unknown: "Omeleswil!"] Vaida shouted as she lit her lightsaber and ran headlong into the fray.

"You can probably guess what that word was..." The droid said as he lit his lightsaber as well, but held his ground closer to you.

"I'll keep them off of you, as we close the distance."

There was a slight pause "You know, Vaida is quite distracted. with the right shot at the right time, you could have two lightsabers, and a fancy suit of armor..."

“I imagine something along the lines of “Attack!” or “Kill!” Arianna said as she looked for another target. She listened to the droid’s comment and shook her head.

“How uncharacteristically treachorous of you. Darth Marr said what comes would be impossible without her and, assuming any reasonable amount of skill or power in The Force she would sense my fire coming in even whilst engaged with those scavengers. I do fancy two blades and that armour would be quite nice, though.”
This message was last edited by the player at 02:06, Sat 13 Feb 2021.

"Something to think about" The droid replied dryly. "As detestable as I may find it, it is something you will need to start considering. To be beyond consideration of killing is rather insulting to the Sith. It means you have no value."

As Vaida met her former comrades, a mellee broke out, and some of them spotted T4D, and began to break to charge.

"Look sharp."

"I shall have to consider the right time and place to honour her then. That time is not yet upon us," Arianna replied as they grew closer to the battle which in turn decided to come closer to them.

"Shall we help the one who is keeping my armour safe until I decide to don it?" She raised her blaster and fired at the incoming locals.


17:33, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 20 using 1d20+5 ((15)). Attack


17:33, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 13 using 3d8 ((3,8,2)).
Damage

The shot struck the attacker in the shoulder, painful, but not enough to stop the charging Sith. T4D on the other hand, was able to finish the job, defeating him easily, and occupying the his friend to keep him away from you.

Meanwhile, Vaida had done what she wanted of getting the attention of the group enemies, but had perhaps done so too well, as she was quickly becoming surrounded.

Arianna holstered her weapon, not wanting to risk hitting Vaida amidst the press of enemies. She started running towards the Sith, her own blade igniting as she charged in, lightsabre in one hand, held angled towards the ground, ready to sweep up in a deadly arc as she moved in to attack.

She hit one of the attackers hard from behind, her blade coming up and across to strike from hip to opposite shoulder.

15:02, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 14 using 1d20-2 ((16)). Attack


15:10, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 9 using 2d8+1 ((3,5)). Damage

This message was last edited by the player at 20:11, Mon 15 Feb 2021.

Striking from behind, the enemy was largely unable to avoid the attack, and yelled out in a short gasp of agony as it was torn by blazing heat of the lightsaber. T4D dealt with its own enemies in a simple and swift strike. The calls of pain and strife caused many that were dealing with Vaida to come towards you, causing some to draw their ranged weapons.


16:43, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Sith, rolled 11 using 1d20+5.

16:43, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Sith, rolled 10 using 1d20+5.

16:42, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Sith, rolled 15 using 1d20+5.  Attack.

Arianna moved in despite the fire coming her way which either missed or deflected off of her superior Sith Trooper armour. She raised the hissing crimson blade for a high attack before bringing it down and around in a circle, intent on cutting her foe in half.


19:08, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 8 using 1d20-2.

The enemy was able to dodge your attack, as they had started backpedaling. While it allowed them to live slightly longer, the lack of coordination between aiming forward while walking backward cause their aim to drop terribly.


13:23, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Sith, rolled 13 using 1d20+5.

13:23, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Sith, rolled 12 using 1d20+5.

13:23, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Sith, rolled 16 using 1d20+5.

She pressed her attack, bringing the blade up in a vicious slash from low to high that could cut a foe in two from groin to opposite shoulder if it connected.

16:00, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 14 using 1d20-2 ((16)).


16:01, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 12 using 2d8+1 ((6,5)).

The strike did not cut as intended, but did connect, forcefully removing the opponents leg, cauterizing the wound immediately as it passed through. The remaining forces turned from a slow backpedal to a full on retreat.

The Sith Vaida dealt with had also turned to route, but they had now turned towards each other. A small cluster of sith huddled outward in a rough circle, surrounded by two Sith and a droid, each armed with a lightsaber.

"Surrender! Drop weapons!" Arianna shouted at them in Sith. "Now!" She brandished her lightsabre menacingly. "Tell them they can choose to live and serve the Sith or die here and now, T4. I give them as long as it takes to lower their weapons to make the choice. After that they die."

She had a plan involving these Sith. She had a plan involving as many of them as she could get.

T4D begins to do as it is instructed, but it quickly over-shouted by Vaida, once she understands what is at hand here.

"The Sith [Language unknown: ecles meusec thibuttho bence. Innd vir] choose to live [Language unknown: an is ol yinintsti adee ar m peenla momori evme ndestrnti],  you can fight [Language unknown: antundtho man ie uraltrek ul nenc]. I promise [Language unknown: ven mo, hollou sanreaugh] to me and I will not [Language unknown: to omevirare,] Jedi or Sith, [Language unknown: tindaythaour p unutas n] ever again."

The mob hung together. Some were defiant to the last but a few did put down their weapons. One was even daring to kneel. Seeing this seeming betrayal of loyalty, they began to shout and turn towards each other. The tension rose to the breaking point, before someone, lacking a better option, rushed at Vaida. The move proved to be their last as the Sith cut the enemy in two without remorse, reluctance, or effort.

Others came attacking at you and the droid, while others warred amongst themselves.

Arianna stepped out of weapon range of T4 so they had room to move and swung her blade straight down. She was aiming to cut the first Sith to reach her in half, vertically and right down the middle.


18:33, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 9 using 1d20-2 ((11)).

The chaos was overwhelming, and these Sith were used to fighting hand to hand, more than a traditional soldier in the First Order or the Republic. The enemy was able to dodge the vertical attack, and with a severe thrust, pierced the armor with his vibroblade, cutting deep into your abdomen.


22:00, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Sith, rolled 23 using 1d20+3.  Attack.
22:02, Today: Midichlorians, for the NPC Sith, rolled 8 using 2d6+1 ((2,5)).  Damage.
Crit damage of 16, which will bring you -1 down on your Condition Track.

Arianna screamed in rage and pain and ditched any attempts to be fancy, grabbing the knife buried in her abdomen and attempting to plunge her own weapon deep into her assailant's chest.

20:51, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 16 using 1d20-2 ((18)).


20:52, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 10 using 2d8+1 ((1,8)).

The lightsaber had found its mark, and while not lethal, the unique pain did stun the enemy, allowing another Sith to approach from being and finish the task of killing. The battle had turned into a chaotic mellee of confused loyalties and purposes, but that too quickly dissipated.

The resulting mass was a select few of Sith, battered and winded, but ready to serve...

Vaida.

Hurting, filled with rage, she raised her blade looking for something else to kill. It wasn't enough - the bodies on the ground. She realised it may never be enough if she continued like this so she lowered the weapon and turned it off. She looked at Vaida and nodded. "Sensible that they follow you. We are the strangers here."

That said, Arianna pulled out a bacta spray from her pouch and sprayed it directly on the wound in her abdomen, letting the bleeding stop and the pain fade before putting the lightsabre back on her belt.

"They can start getting the Council Chambers ready whilst we restore power to the city. Let us be quick about it as this was time wasted we did not have."

Vaida had a different idea, pointing back the way you had come, and the group motioned that way.

"They go to safe ground." She said in her broken Basic. "Better alive." She shook her head "They go to Council Chamber, all die..."

"Why die in Council Chamber?" Arianna asked in her equally broken Old Tongue. "Things there kill them? Maybe they fix..," her mind sought out the word, "power?"

"How do I say power station in Sith, T4? It shouldn't be too hard a fix since the lightning connectors are still working. If they had failed the whole city would be a crater in the ground."

Even now, not actively holding the Force, she could feel the power of the Dark Side permeate this planet. Every bolt from the sky was made by the Dark Side and the experiments conducted here so many thousands of years ago.

And far off, like a beacon of pure darkness, stood the temple where the Emperor had entombed his rivals alive. Said to be filled with madness, hate, and the spirits of dead Sith; it had the power to drive weaker-willed Sith to madness.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:10, Wed 10 Mar 2021.

"Clan live there" She struggled to find the Basic words, than looked to the translator droid for help

"She says that the group that lives in the Council Chambers and its adjoining spaces are extremely violent and territorial, even by Sith standards. Anyone not part of that clan who comes in, doesn't come out."

"Vaida says that they are frequently referred to as the Thralls by the rest of the clans."

"Well then. It looks like our path is clear. We get the power restored and then we assault the Clan in the Council Chambers and remove them by any means we must. If the Dark Council arrives and has to do it themselves I doubt it will go well for us. Any of us," she said, looking at her small band.

"Chaos is the only thing we can be certain of upon their arrival." T4D began as the journey to the power station began "I suspect some who wish to prove they are worthy to be among the Council will be all too eager to try and solve all the problems themselves."

The droid looks to his side, considering the native ally "I hope that we are to able to resolve this quickly, for her sake, and the sake of her people. The council will not be as considerate"

"Of that I have no doubt. Nor do I doubt that grudges that began a very long time ago and have not been handled will see resolution. The Sith may eat themselves before truly becoming established unless there is one amongst them truly powerful enough to prevent this from happening," Arianna replied as they walked. "Say what you will about him but when he was engaged in the business of the Empire the Emperor of old kept the Council and the Game of Sith in check."

She looked at Vaida and the other Truebloods as they walked. "Hopefully some on the Council are farsighted enough to know we will need the Truebloods. They are a naturally Force-sensitive race."

'Are there any strong enough that can keep things from devolving into chaos when the Sith arrive, Darth Marr?' Arianna asked the Spirit.

"There are powerful Sith with large ambitions, inflated senses of themselves, and desires to wipe out the Jedi and the Republic in a fortnight. Chaos is inevitable. As they war for positions within the Council, some of the most passionate and foolish ideas may be defeated."

"Among the Ancient Sith, as strength and power came, often too did insanity. Only time will tell who wins out in the end."

'We may not survive chaos. Do they come with soldiers and fleets? If we do not get the First Order on our side we will be destroyed. There is a Jedi that killed the Emperor and likely Kylo Ren and now that Jedi is free to turn their attention to the First Order who stands without a leader. We don't need chaos and insanity. We need power and control,' Arianna shot back. She was angry at the thought of history playing itself out again.

'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It's time to reign in the madness. You were powerful, Darth Marr. A prodigious power in the Force, a ferocious fighter, wise, a leader and general. Will you teach me? It's time for change in the Ancient Sith.'

The germ of an idea had taken root but had yet to sprout. She was barely aware of it even subconsciously but once those roots spread it would be an imperative that could not, would not, be denied.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:22, Sun 14 Mar 2021.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, young one. You have your tasks in front of you. Should you survive them, I will share with you what I can."

The path that Vaida led into the power plant was thankfully devoid of any immediate threats, taking you down a long but gentle access tunnel below the city itself.

Make a perception check.

'It isn't flattery nor am I a nattering sycophant. It is knowledge and history. Of all the Ancient Sith the one I studied most on Exegol was you so when I speak I do so factually, not with any intent to waste your time filling your ears with fawning,' she replied, some heat in her mental voice. 'I will survive and I will learn what you have to teach me.'



17:31, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 27 using 1d20+7 ((20)).

This passageway was distinctly different from the rest of the city you've seen. Where that was all dirty, decrepit and suffering from atrophy, as you got down deeper into the tunnel, everything was actually clean. There was no dirt anywhere; it was if someone was just here...

...and had scoured every part of usable metal within sight. Panels within the walls were gone, as were nearly every cable, component, or piece of scrap. Everything that was gone was taken out neatly, precisely. Clearly whoever did this has a greater technological knowhow than the likes of the Sith you faced earlier.

Arianna stopped and clenched her fists. "Bastard whoresons of a Hutt. This is a problem," she said very clearly, very distinctly. Only her body language gave away how truly angry she was. "I am open to suggestions, T4."

She pulled her helmet off and it almost seemed, for just a moment, as if red flared in the silver of her eyes. "Please ask Vaida how technologically proficient the Sith occupying the Council Chambers are," she asked, voice still low and dangerously calm.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:48, Mon 15 Mar 2021.

Vaida shakes her head.

"This wasn't the Thralls doing, she says. None of the clans reside here, or come down here. She says this has been like this for at least as long as she's been alive, though is the first time actually being here."

Vaida said something that caused T4D to look back, and have her repeat it.

"She says some clans think the place is haunted. She doesn't think so, there's no strong sense of the Force here, and it would hardly be the space a Sith Lord would choose to call home, even in the afterlife..."

“I highly doubt a spirit would have need of the controls to the city’s power grid,” Arianna said in a voice as dry as the Tatooine desert. “Which means the living did this. We need to track down the thieves and the prize they took from this chamber or Master Shroud, at the least, is going to be upset coming in to a dark city. Ask Vaida if she thinks she can track the thieves.”

Vaida nodded as she pointed further through the hallway.

"That should be possible, but we need clues. We might be able to find something if we keep going. I agree with her, and we still need to find the actual generators. The lights are on down here, so presumably something is still working..."
This message was last updated by the player at 22:17, Tue 16 Mar 2021.

“Power here and power to the lightning collectors and dispersion system. Someone knew exactly what to take and what to leave intact,” Arianna growled as she started walking the hallway.

“Vaida, are any Sith here, know tech? More... how do you say advanced, T4?”

Vaida shrugged unknowingly.

"Not for this, she says. These aren't the kinds of parts you would use for creating or maintaining weapons, the power and heat capacity is too low. This is a sort of electronic cannibalism, pulling usable pieces from one functional component in order to repair a broken one that's more important. You see this sort of thing on starships on long deployments, or that are particularly strapped for spare parts. You could also use this for..."

The synthesized wind in T4D's voice went out, as his head looked around "I have a very bad feeling about this. I should not be going down there..."

Realisation dawned, causing Arianna to stop. "Or droids, long abandoned and lacking parts. That's it, isn't it, T4? If you go down there they will try and strip you for parts just as they've done here. Droids left here when the Empire fell over three thousand years ago have taken as much as they can to keep themselves going all this time. Get to the shuttle, take off and get a safe space away. I'll comm you once we've dealt with this. Let Vaida know what we're up against."

"I can't say for sure, but that is what this looks like. I'll return to the ship, but stay grounded. Even if I'm right, they have no reason to think I exist, so they have no reason to come looking for me." The droid looks back at the path he came "Be careful, both of you. These aren't fourth-class droids, but having gone so long without a memory wipe, they are undoubtedly as close to insane as a droid can be."

T4D started making his way back, stopping for a moment
"You two better play nice while I'm gone. You wouldn't want Father to hear about you misbehaving when he comes home."

"There are undoubtedly ancient combat droids there and ancient blasters, if they still work, can kill just as effectively as newer ones. Let Vaida know what's going on. We'll comm you when it's clear. If you never hear from us again then, we're dead and my spirit will haunt you," Arianna said with a small smile.

She laughed slightly at T4's comment. "Understood, older brother. We'll play nice but we may break a few toys whilst we're at it."

She sobered and squeezed the droid's arm. "Be careful. There are worse things than droids and Sith-spawn in the forgotten places of the galaxy." She gave Vaida a nod and started quietly down the tunnel.

Vaida's eyes did grow somewhat large in the telling of what was before them. Surprise, rather than fear. She grasped her weapon tightly as you both continue down the way.

"No worry. Safe Droid."

"T4 safe. Enemy droids die. Get parts." Arianna had her rifle up and pointed in the direction they were walking. It was a certainty that anything they encountered from here on out was hostile and would meet the business end of her blaster or lightsabre.

The pathway leads to a lift, descending further down. Still functional, it only has two options, the current floor, and the presumed floor where the generator is.

"Still Works. Strange" Vaida said as she looked around the small space as you two went down, looking around for a trap or threat.

"Droids use so keep them working," Arianna replied whilst also looking for traps. She wasn't sure what could be here the droids would feel the need to set up traps against but they were likely insane so applying rational processing motives to them could be a mistake.

The lift stopped with a sudden thud, giving to an air of unease. Thankfully, it slowly opened to where it was supposed to; having gotten stuck in the lift could have been a very long and miserable demise.

As the doors open, the situation below seems a manner different than it was above. Panels are intact, and the thorough scavenging is not immediately apparent like it was, but there is something still alltogether different. Rejected pieces of scrap, components, and even derelict pieces of the droids themselves are arranged in a strange, nearly decorative fashion along the wall.

"They save. Keep," Arianna said in a whisper, looking at the strange arrangement, wondering at the odd manner they had set things up in this room. Artistic or...ritualistic? Perhaps both. Who could know the minds of droids left alone to fend for themselves for thousands of years.

The collapse of the Sith Empire was still a mystery but it was obvious that whatever happened has come fairly quick, leading to a diaspora of the ancient Sith and the abandonment of they city and untold numbers of droids.

Arianna looked around to see which way to from this level.

The tunnel doubles back on itself for conservation of space before it branches off in a T shape, with no immediate sign of what may be to the left, or to the right.

Vaida points at herself and down one hallway, and than at you, followed by the opposite

Arianna nodded in response to Vaida's indication they split up and search the the two branches of the tunnel. She moved in slowly, quietly, making a tactical move leading with her rifle as she started down the hallway, sticking to one side of the corridor. All of her senses were on high alert as she moved, waiting to see what she might come upon as she continued forward.

As you moved forward slowly, you increasingly heard the background noise of operating machinery, the low hum of a probably generator. This means that whether you drew the "short" straw or not, you drew the busy straw.

19:11, Today: Midichlorians, on behalf of Arianna Vex'Morland, rolled 28 using 1d20+8 ((20)).

You also hear the smaller engine and indeterminate beeping of an astro droid making its way towards you along behind a corner.

Arianna clamped the blaster to her thigh and drew the lightsabre. The carbine would make far too much noise but the sound of the ancient weapon, properly applied, would make little to no sound at all. She placed a finger over the power control and waited for the droid to make it around the corner; the emitter pointing in the direction it was coming and aimed for the "head" of the droid. Power on, blade stabs through the cognitive centre of the droid, power off.

Look at you getting all fancy with Trakata style lightsaber shenanigans!

The droid revaled itself slowly, unsuspectingly. At it's base, it was a fairly normal astromech droid, a probable predecessor to the R2 style, with two wheels in the front and one in the back, with a slight backwards tilt and a variety of internal mechanics and gizmos.

Beyond that, the thing was a mess. Parts and panels were replaced with whatever could fit, or be made to fit, and a variety of makeshift weapons had been added. A small blaster had been outfitted to the top of its head unit, while stabbing mellee weapons had been attached near it's wheelbases.

The droid let out a startled cry of beeps and whirrs as it spotted you, firing its blaster in futile hope as the lightsaber tore straight through its head, and with it, the processing units that have been running for far too long.

It doesn't immediately sound like anyone or anything else is on its way, but it won't take long for any other droids to figure out what's going on...

I love shenanigans, tomfoolery, and chicanery!

Arianna cursed softly in Sith (it being customary to learn the swear words first when learning a new language) and hooked the lightsabre back to her belt. The whole point in doing what she had done was to avoid blasterfire but the damned droid had managed to get a shot off. There was nothing for it now but to keep moving so she raised her rifle and continued down the hallway, leaving the deceased droid where it had fallen.

The shot of the blaster echoed in the empty corridors. The brief rush of fear subsided as there was no immediate sign of anyone coming for you. Well, any thing, at least.

As you continue further, you see more unusual symbols and patterns along the walls like where you had first exited the lift. These seem to be more detailed and precise, to the degree that a pedestrian with no engineering experience could see what it was.

They were replicas of schematics for the generator, turbines, and other components of the facility.

"Useful. Odd place to put them but useful," Arianna whispered to herself as she continued down the corridor. Hopefully she wouldn't come across any more droids and would come across the place they placed their purloined equipment.

'I should have set up comms with Vaida,' she thought as she continued her careful walk.

As you approach closer, you hear the boops and beeps of more astromech droids, but there's something strange going on. The various sounds of their Binary language are slower than normal, synchronized, and even musical.

Arianna stopped and listened to what they were saying. Binary had earned her raised brows when she chose to learn it but it had come in useful; no more so than now when she had a group of droids seemingly speaking, or singing, together.

The noise draws you closer and deeper in. Through the gaps, you hear another sound, one far more important. The low hum of the generator, still turning and trying to power the city, even if the droids cut off the connections to most of the outside. The doorway into the control room itself had been removed completely. This allows you to look into the space, and see the droids standing or positioned in neat rows. Mostly astromech droids, similarly outfitted with a hodgepodge of replacement parts and additional weaponry or tools to ward off intruders.

In front of this crowd was a protocol droid, who did not have replacement parts like the others had, or at least had more homogenous parts that were actually meant for a droid. More curiously, it wore a dark cloak along it's appendages, and was turned toward the throng as a professor might addresses their students.

Or a cult leader might address the flock.

Time to make a stealth check if you want to get closer. If you just want to blast the droid with your rifle from a distance, no questions asked, you can do that too, but there could be consequences to that.

20:41, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 15 using 1d20+2 ((13)) Stealth.

Arianna moved in as quietly as possible but without losing her cover. She thought of her options whilst moving and had one present itself almost immediately. Something very un-Sith like but it was likely the best way to preserve the equipment and get some help putting all of it back in place.

So she did what no would would have expected her to do: she called out to them..."Good day, assembled droids. May we palaver under a flag of truce and peace between us?"

This message was last edited by the player at 00:47, Thu 29 Apr 2021.

The droids were singing praises to the generator, what they called "Power Father"

On reflex, the droids spun around and reflexively fired their weapons through the empty doorway.

"Hold fire, my brothers!" You hear shouted in a strained mechanical voice "This one does not seem to be among the transgressors. the destroyers. She speaks as the old ones did...."

"Come forth, and state your purpose, stranger. Be warned, any treachery before Power Father will be metered out against you several times over."

Arianna moved out with her blaster held pointed down with one hand, the other hand open to show she meant no harm. “I come baring no treachery, no violence, but a message: the Ancient Sith are returning. Even now the Dark Council makes its way to Dromund Kaas. I am Arianna Vex’Morland, Apprentice to Lord Shroud of the Dark Council.” She paused to let the droids process this news.

“Father Power is needed once again to power the city, noble droids. He must be returned to whence he came lest the Council be roused to fury upon their return. I ask you now, will you join me in returning Father Power to his place so he may once again illuminate all of Kaas City?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:42, Tue 04 May 2021.

The astro droids look at one another in concern, with their version of muted whisperings. The protocol droid steps closer with a loud, projecting voice

"Fear not my brothers! This is clearly a false prophet, a charlatan to disuade us from the true path! We will not slaves to the Lords of Crimson again."

The droid turns to those around him "Our existence is difficult, even costly, but this is the cost of freedom. We serve and protect Power Father, and he in turn powers us. It is in this cooperation that we have survived for so long. The Lords of Crimson never understood this."

Arianna thinks for a moment, figuring out what to say as she listens to the droid speak. She waits for him to finish before responding to him. "I swear before Power Father that I am telling the truth, noble droids. The Lords of the Sith are coming and they will bring fury and fire if the city is without power. If you help me in my task then I can intervene on your behalf and keep them from destroying you which risks Power Father as well. If I tell the Dark Council you replaced him and helped us light Kaas City again they may well leave you alone, even help you but, if there is violence here or when they come, they will destroy all of you without a thought."

The protocol droid looks around to see those among its care.

"Power Father gives us life" He replied slowly, morosely "and purpose, and freedom. We were slaves and property in the Ancient Times. We would sooner sacrifice ourselves forever to the Power Father than be slaves ever again. What assurance can you give? It has been long since we trusted the words of an organic..."

Try making a Persuasion Check, if you want.

"When the Sith come I will tell them you have sworn to me but I will not make slaves of you. I will take you into my care and my home. Power Father will continue to give you life as he will give all of Kaas City life. Eventually I will be a Power amongst the Sith and I will make sure you have the right to self-determination. I have always thought droids were meant for more and greater though I was forced to keep that to myself and still must but I will not abandon you. You are sentient beings, all of you. I will be your benefactor but not your owner," Mourn said as she took off her helmet so they could see her face.

OOC: Taking 10 on the roll.

"We lack the material to do as you asked" The droid responds "Power Fathers continues as he always has, but his his brother, Jealous Conduit, has long since gone quiet. We wished to make our prayers to him as well, but decisions had to be made. Parts of Jealous Conduit reside in most of my congregation, in order to better tend to Power Father. Provide the material to return Jealous Conduit back to us, and we will do as you ask."

"You have a made a wise choice. I see why your people follow you," Arianna replied. "Where I may I find Jealous Conduit so as to get awake and on his feet? I shall do my best to return him to you."

"There is an elevator the opposite direction that will take you to him. A word of caution; Jealous Conduit resides in a dark and cramped area. Organics were not meant to gaze upon him."

"Very well. I shall see what needs to be done for Jealous Conduit. Just be aware that time is not on our side," Arianna said as she slipped her helmet back on and started for the lift.

"T4, how are things out there?" She asked over comms.

the communication was rough and filled with static, communicating through several floors of thick concrete and metal

"All is quiet here. Having fired the turbolaser as a warning shot served the point."

"Good. I made contact with the droids and managed to secure an agreement with them. As we thought they had taken the equipment powering Kaas City and had formed a cult around it, calling the main generator "Power Father." According to their dogma he has a brother named "Jealous Conduit" who has fallen silent. Many of "his" parts are within the droids who wish for me to try and bring him back online. I think it may be a backup generator but it requires a lift to get to him so I'm about to go see what we may require to get him working again. If I do that the droids have agreed to restore the systems to their proper place and once again power Kaas City," Arianna told him as she walked towards the lift.

"Do you have any way of reaching Vaida? Did you give her a comm unit? I'd like her with me rather than destroying droids we'll need to bring the city back to life."

"I don't believe it's a backup generator.  From what it sounds like, this cult that they formed is still based around the droids fulfilling their base programming, keeping the generator online at all times. This other system they named is probably a transfer system that sends the generator energy outwards to the city. The generator is fully functional, I would guess, but it isn't connected to anything to transmit the energy it generates. If you repair that "Jealous Conduit", you could probably power most of the city in one swoop. I would just advise caution; it's probably named the Jealous Conduit for a reason."

"It's a transfer system so why would I need to be cautious? It's not a sentient, droid system, is it?

"Did you give Vaida a comm unit? I could use her help with this. And once I get there I'll tie you in to my armour's battlefield command and control unit so you can see what I have to work with and what I need to do."

"Just because a system or component is inanimate doesn't mean it doesn't have behavioral quirks. A system being maintained by a droid cult over centuries with whatever parts they could get their hands on before dismantling? I wouldn't trust it to be entirely stable. I did not give her a comlink, no. If you can't hear her bringing down great vengeance and furious anger, or whatever it is Sith Warriors do with their spare time, than I'm sure she's been well behaved."

Arianna chuckled softly. "No sounds of great vengeance or furious anger that I can hear. She might just be doing recon."

The smile dropped and she nodded despite T4 not being able to see it. "Fair point on the conduit. I'll proceed with caution. As soon as I get to it I'll loop you in to my BCC so you can see the system and guide me."

A thought came to mind as she continued on her way to Jealous Conduit. "In my studies of the Sith and the Dark Side I've learned a great many things about abilities I never expected to one day develop myself. The Force can be used to reach out towards someone over distances both small and vast. Has Master Shroud ever explained to you how such things are done or given you something to read about the Force and what it can do?"

"Master Shroud to date has not shared any information with me on the usage of the Force. I am still, after all, a droid, and such things are not usable for me. More to point, the more secrets he keeps to himself, the more he becomes too valuable to kill. At least, I suspect that's his view."

"That would make sense. I imagine it's not too hard to figure out which seat he holds on the Council. Thank you, T4. I'll contact you again once I'm view of Jealous Conduit."

She cut the connection and reached out to take the Force in hand, letting the burning maelstrom fill her with power. This was still so new that couldn't help but gasp as the feelings and emotions poured through her but she kept her focus and turned it towards the area she thought Vaida was in, looking to see if she could find her.

You will be granted temporary use of the Telepathic Link talent.

Form a telepathic link with another Force Sensitive ally which allows instant communication within one kilometer, and once per encounter use of a Force power from their Force suite

While using the temporary talent, you will understand each other as though you are fluent.

In the future, without the talent Use the Force can be used for telepathy, but only for short messages.

Reaching out to another mind was easy when it was the only mind to reach this far beneath the surface of the planet. You cannot see her or sense her immediate surroundings, but you hear her as if she's standing in your own shoes

"Who's there?"

"It's Arianna. I've struck a deal with the droids to help us but I'm going to help them first. Where are you?" She asked, amased at the ability she had discovered as well as the still new sensation of power that filled her.

"I may need assistance in this matter if you can find and join me."

"I'll retrace my steps and meet back with you." She said, with uncertainty in her mental voice. "I'll provide what help I can, but I hope whatever deal you worked out doesn't include me..."

"No, only me. I don't speak for you but if you would, in the interests of said deal, refrain from striking down the droids with great vengeance and furious anger, I would be most pleased. They've agreed to help us restore power to the city in exchange for a favour. As far as I know they are unaware of presence," she told her.

"Once we do as they ask and restore power then we can clean the vermin out of the Sith Citadel and have things as up and running as possible in anticipation for the arrival of the Council."

"You and I need to have a talk about how we define vermin. They are brutes but they are still my people, still the only thing in this galaxy that truly gets to call themselves Sith." As if the anger in her mind wasn't enough of a give away, the threat made it quite clear "The only reason you still draw breath is because permitting it may help them thrive."

"There are some who are aware of my presence, or would if they weren't dead. Tell me where to go and I will meet you there."

“Harm me and you may find yourself explaining your actions and definition of may call themselves Sith to a far less forgiving audience,” Arianna shot back, anger evident in her own mental voice. “You had no problems killing them earlier so I doubt terminology will do them any harm.”

She took a deep breath and let the anger drain from her voice. “Look, we are supposed to be allies, not at each other’s throats. Go back to where we split then walk down the passage I took. You’ll see me waiting there for you.”

You feel a small, sudden pain near the base of your skull as the conversation ends.

You arrive at the elevator before she does. You see Arianna approach slowly, but with her Lightsaber in hand and ignited.

Arianna looked at Vaida and the ignited blade in her hand and let her own drop down to her belt. “Vaida? Why is weapon on?” she asked in her halting Sith. “Allies. Darth Marr said we need.” She waved her finger between the two of them.

Vaida raised her arm parralel with her shoulder. The tip of the lightsaber only a few inches from your face, the low hum of the emitter inside becoming much more apparent and dreadful.

"That ghost said that you could not survive without me." Vaida's grasp on Galactic Basic had improved immediately, possibly an affect from the telepathy, though she still spoke with a heavy accent. "Our alliance is tenuous. I need you because your Masters will not listen to me. You need me because otherwise the locals will kill you. I will not help you lead your masters here only for my people to be slaves and pawns once again. You say you have our interest at heart, but I am unconvinced."

Her lightsaber withdrew and her arm dropped. "I will help you only so far as it helps those I care about."

Arianna took her helmet off and looked at Vaida with unblinking eyes before stepping closer, so close the blade was almost all she saw. “I am not interested in making slaves. I am not interested in taking slaves. I am interested in seeing the Trueblooded Sith regain their rightful place in the Empire to come.”

She stopped talking for a moment before starting again, this time in Sith. “If the Council comes and seeks to make slaves of your people then my voice will rise with yours in saying ‘No, this shall not come to pass!’ Search your feelings and, if you wish, search mine and know I speak only the truth. I. Will. Not. Let. You. Be. Slaves.”

She stood where she was, her eyes locked on Vaida’s and waited to see what she would do.

"I wonder how loudly you make proclamation when your master is actually close enough to hear it. My feelings say when the decision comes between your life or mine, you will choose your own, without a moments hesitation."

Vaida hooked her weapon to her belt, shoving both hands to her hips before briefly pointing behind you. "Now, get going. We've spent too much time down here as it is."

Arianna gave Vaida a half-smile and slight bow before putting her helmet back on. “We shall see,” she said as she turned and began leading the way but, in truth, Vaida was quite correct though she hadn’t reasoned through things to arrive at the conclusion Arianna had: it was time for her to start thinking like a Sith. Darth Marr had been a man of honour but he had been a Dark Lord of the Sith and a member of the Council. He had even, for a time, steered the Empire through crisis after crisis whilst being as ruthless as he needed to be.

She could be ruthless. She would be.

And she would start by killing Vaida after draining her dry of every scrap of usefulness the woman had within her. She would carry and arms and armour into battle as trophies and all who looked upon her would know she was not to be trifled with.

The first step in her rise to true power but by no means the last.

Treachery, ascension, and glory would all have to wait. For now, there was the menial task of reconnecting the city to the main power grid. This "Jealous Conduit" may prove to be enough of a challenge for you, an amateur in the field of electronics and mechanics. Vaida and the rest of her backward people would certainly be no help either. It fell on you. It had to be you. All the more credit to you on upon your success.

The ladderwell up to where the conduit was supposed to be was narrow. There was a lift system meant to support the droids going up to make repairs, but that too was inoperable; the parts necessary to work either expired or scavenged to keep the remaining droids going. The ladder instead lead to a literal crawlspace, moving on hands and knees being the only option. If Vaida or anyone else were to find you in such a vulnerable state, you would be utterly helpless here. With that thought, a sense of urgency pervades over you.

OOC: Make a perception check, to see if you can find the correct spot for this "Jealous Conduit" to repair.

OOC: Rolled a 15 total.

You're able to piece together what the crazed droids were talking about. While they were good on replacing their own parts, they were less skilled or concerned with cleaning up after themselves, not that there's much an astromech can do to pick up discarded components or scrap metal.

Without being an engineer yourself, you can see how there was a glaring oversight by the one who designed this. There was a series of power lines that led through a hole in a wall, outward and upward to the city, into a series of control boxes, and into a larger, singular control box that sent the power out to the city. It's possible that when this was originally designed, it wasn't meant to be used for all of Kaas City, but the generator it  was associated with had been upgraded, while this either couldn't be upgraded, or was ignored.

Figuring out what the minds of engineers and architects of millenia past had in mind would be an impossible feat, and not relevant to the task at hand. If you could repair the control box and replace the lines to the smaller controllers, you could have power in the city.

Replacing individual lines could probably give power to either certain districts of the city, but which ones  were for which (say, the Council Chambers) would be impossible at this rate.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:28, Wed 23 June 2021.

"Come on, tell me your secrets, Jealous Conduit," Arianna whispered as she looked the thing over. She cursed once she had an idea of what the job entailed. She would need T4 for this.

She backed up until she was able to turn around and looked down before climbing down the ladder, shaking her head and cursing in Sith and Basic. "T4," she called over comms. "Do you have schematics for the city power grid you can pull up? We need to find a main control box which all other boxes and power lines are connected to. Once we repair the box and replace the lines then we can have power to the city. Hopefully the inhabitants haven't taken that apart as well."

"Lord Shroud is keen on knowing as much as he can, but I'm afraid that data is beyond my grasp." T4D's wit was manifest as always, but not as acerbic as normal "Give me a moment to turn on the ship's sensors. If we can find infrared energy from somewhere in the city, we can deduce that there's a power source, and a fair chance that they have what you need."

There was silence on the other end for a moment "I have varying degrees of bad news, and only a modicum of positive. I will start with the best. There are signs of a working power source nearby, and one that appears to be on the other side of Kaas City. The closer one seems to be within a self-contained power source, The chambers of the Dark Council. The other source seems like it would take hours to get to, and you're short on time...

"A spacecraft was just detected coming out of Hyperspace over the planet. Lord Shroud is arriving."
This message was last updated by the player at 19:51, Wed 23 June 2021.

Arianna took off her helmet and cursed under her breath before turning towards Vaida. "We've run out of time. We need to move on the ones who have claimed the chambers of the Council for themselves and take what we need to restore power to the city. My Master has just dropped out of hyperspace and will be here soon."

She put the helmet back on. "Ready the ship, T4. You're going to drop us off at the landing place the speeders once used. It's time we cleared the Chambers so we can welcome Lord Shroud home as he demanded."

Vaida puts her bare hand on your chestplate.

"Stop, now, and listen, for I say this once. Whatever plan you are currently concocting will surely get you killed. Your Master will than come seeking vengeance for your death, as any proper Sith Lord should, and so begins the slow eradication of the last true citizens of Dromund Kaas..."

She lifts her hand and puts it on her own chest "Allow me to go in. With me there is at least a chance of talking. A bargain can be struck, and a massacre prevented. Each of us gets what they want this way..."

"Darth Marr said that I was necessary for your survival. I believe this is what he was referring to. If you do not trust me, at least trust him."

Arianna took her helmet off and hooked it to her belt. She sighed and looked down. "Can I trust you? Can any Sith truly trust another? The ones in the chamber - are they the same ones that cast you out? What is to say they won't simply kill you?"

With that said she nodded and looked up to meet Vaida's gaze. "I have no more desire to see the Truebloods massacred than I do in seeing them enslaved. We need them and their inherent strength in the Force. We need those droids to repair the city power grid. I need you as an ally and a mentor so I shall do as you say but I will stand ready to back you in case things go poorly because that is what allies do."

She put a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "May the Force make you strong," she said as she took out a portable comm unit and handed it to her. "I will be near but will follow your lead in this. Let them know a Lord of the Sith has already arrived and more are coming. Soon."

"Our ancestors were not the trusting sort, and the tenants of the Sith give reason not to. Perhaps, that is why they failed, and how we must do better."

"There is a good chance that the Thralls will try to kill me, but they will not succeed. They are still bound by the same honor as the rest of the clans, and in that, there is strength. Come, we must be quick."

The two of you make a light run out of the building, following Vaida's lead. The building that houses the Dark Council isn't hard to spot, even after the thousands of years of neglect and abandonment, it is still the most glorious space within all of Kaas City. The Heart within the Heart, one might say.

"Give me your helmet, or your weapon." She says, extending a hand "Stay close if you wish, but stay out of sight. If they see you, I will kill you myself."

Arianna laughed softly. We must do better but you threaten to kill me? Words and deeds, my friend,” she said as she handed over her helmet. “Why do you want that and why is it so important I not be seen?”

She looked at T4 and gave him a small shrug.

"So that I can convince them of your presence on this planet without bringing in your corpse." She replied "They see you and it won't take more than a second to deduce that I'm cooperating with the alien invader, and you can imagine how that will be received."

"Right...that makes sense. Not well at all, for any of us. We'll stay quite out of sight whilst you palaver with the Thralls but I will come in if I hear the sounds of them trying to kill you or you them. Come on, T4. Let's find a good spot to stay out of sight but in hearing range," she said to the droid before moving off with one last look at Vaida.

"I'll cover your escape, should it be needed..." He marched in place for a moment, allowing the shifting of his gears and the sound of metal feet on the hard floor

"And get destroyed in the process? I think not. Master Shroud would likely throw me off the top off this platform and that's a very long drop down," Star told him as they moved off, hoping the Thralls did not hear the sound of T4 moving. Vaida was likely to give them something else to deal with very shortly.

The droid grabs your shoulder tightly.

"Listen to me. I am Lord Shroud's most valued property, second only to his ship. But I am still only that; property. Do not, ever, put me over the importance of the mission. That I have a vocabulator and hueristic processing unit does not make me any less of a tool."

Arianna looked hard at T4 before nodding. “I understand. Given the choice I’d like to be successful at both but if it comes down to you or the mission, I’ll put the mission first.” Arianna put her hand on the droid’s briefly before moving into a position of hiding.

“If Lord Shroud kills me I will haunt you as a Force spirit.”

"What a dreadful way for two undying beings such as us to exist; to spend eternity in space bound to one another, trying to annoy and torment the other but to no avail."

"I would expect nothing  less." Through the simulated tones of his metallic voice, you could swear you could see a smile upon T-4D's frozen face.

Arianna smiled and laughed softly. "Neither would I, my friend. Neither would I."

Still laughing quietly she found a hiding space and slipped in, eyes and ears open for the sounds of battle. She wanted to reach out with the Force but wasn't sure if doing so would interrupt Vaida's plans or alert the other Truebloods as to her presence. As a race they were known to be naturally Force-sensitive and very much attuned to the Dark Side.

"What is Lord Shroud's ETA?" She asked T4 in a whisper.

The place you are able to hide, for the moment, is a small observation deck above the Council Chambers itself. At one time, this would be meant for aide, attendants, permitted spectators to view the deliberations and events of the Council, without stepping foot within the hallowed chamber itself. There is considerable distance here, which helps in your deception. The 'Thralls' would need to be looking for you in order to locate you.

"Thralls!" Vaida calls out "I have business with your Chief! Let me speak!" even before you see her, you know her  lightsaber is lit, the low hum emenating as a distant echo. Her shouting alerts and angers the clan; a few score in number in a comparatively small space, but clearly each of them a hardened and deadly warrior. They all rush towards the voice with brutal weapons, but keep a distance as she approaches.

Through bared teeth "What does business does the Outcast have? By rights, you should be dead!"

"By Rights, you all should bow to me" She called back "I came to provide a warning, and a challenge."

"There are no threats you can make to the Thralls" A low, booming voice called as the apparent Chief finally appeared, his face worn with even more scars than his warriors, along with jewelry attached to all manners of his face and body. "Say what you will, before I feast on your heart."

Vaida spoke with her actions, throwing your treasured helmet over the crowd around her towards the Chief. It hit the floor unceremoniously, the clanging of it causing gasps and muttering.

"We have invaders. They would call themselves Sith. They would call us, slaves, as our people once were in ages past. I alone held the legends to be true, that the cowards left Dromund Kaas to protect themselves when they should have fought and died, and that they would return to lay claim to what they left behind! That day is now upon us!"

"This is a trick!" A few of the angrier, more reckless warriors of the Thrall attacked Vaida, who dispatched them with a chilling brutality. The others were about to follow suit, but were called off.

"ENOUGH!" As the Chief stepped close, parting  between them "And you would have us believe that this helmet comes from the invaders?" He asks, amused "So precise in your killing, that you couldn't even bring in a body? Would seem the invasion has been repelled, and that we have you to thank for it." He chuckled at his own humor.

Vaida was quick on her feet with the lie. "I did not want to bring a body in here so as to avoid adding to the desecration of this place. This one was killed easily, but there will be more. There has to be, and we must be ready."

"And that would be your challenge, I  assume..."

"Yes. As descendant of Darth Stahl, I invoke my birthright. A fight to the death, to lead the Tribe."

"Very Well..." He responded, pulling a double bladed lightsaber from his back and igniting both blades. The crowd whooped and cheered into a frenzy, looking forward to the carnage that is to take place...

"Well...she's doing a good job turning them against us. Even if she defeats this chief we'll have a hostile group of Purebloods thinking we're going to make them slaves. The same group who happens to have what we need to restore power to the city," Arianna whispered to T4.

"If she dies they'll fan out and start searching for us; angry and ready to kill."

"I believe this is what one would call 'working the crowd'" The droid whispered back. "If she had come in talking of peace and welcoming the new visitors, they'd likely call her a traitor as well as an exile. It's still too early to say whether we can fully trust
 her or not, but it would be best to prepare ourselves."

A wide circle had been formed around the two combatants, the violence to occur taking place before the several vaulted thrones of the former Council. Everyone wanted to get a close look at the fight, but nobody wanted to lose a limb as collateral damage. Vaida was defensive, strangely. Without her second lightsaber, she was working at a disadvantage. Still, she seemed confident, almost arrogant, before the conflict began.

18:08, Today: Midichlorians, on behalf of Arianna Vex'Morland, rolled 20 using 1d20+5
Her opponent, although seemingly fluent in his weapon, does not seem Force Sensitive.

The Chief, brandishing the irregular dual-bladed weapon was equally confident, and attacked first with speed and fury. The attacks were wild and unpredictable, and it seemed a wonder he wasn't missing any limbs. This was clearly not someone who has carefully studied the use of the Lightsaber as a noble and graceful artform, as the Sith and more battle-minded Jedi do. This was brutish, savage, and uncivilized, even for the Sith. While Vaida was on the defensive, she was able to maintain her focus and her calm under the barrage, as well as the shouting and threats called by the crowd around her. Waiting for the right moment to strike, she found an opening in the Chiefs attack and used it to punch him dead in the face with her armored fist.

Was Vaida toying with him? It seemed that way, looking to embarrass the Chief before she defeated him. The ploy appeared to work, as the Chief's fury only grew and grew. As his attacks grew in speed and ferocity, rather than dodge or parry them, Vaida merely bypassed them. With an acrobatic sidestep, she let the Chief continue forward, and nearly tear apart one of the Thralls in half at the waist. Vaida's wicked smile was nearly as poisonous to his spirit as the mistake he nearly made. The crowd was full of hateful gazes, though they were evenly at this exile who was more keen on playing games than  fighting with honor, and their leader who was letting himself be defeated and beaten so easily.

It appeared as though the challenger had overplayed her hand. Attacked with everything he had, Vaida was beginning to clearly struggle to keep up. The crowd rallied in support of the one whom seemed to be the clear and obvious leader. In deflection of a wide sweeping arc, Vaida actually lost her footing, stumbling down on one knee, perhaps a little too easily. As the next blow came, she swung her arm in the way of the crimson blade, causing both ends to short out immediately, to the bewilderment of everyone around her.

Panick immediately sit in, but it was too late for the Chief. Vaida immediately rose up, grasping him by the neck and lifting him from the ground.

"You could not even defeat me when I have been holding back." She shouted through grated teeth. "There is only person on this planet that is fit to lead our people back to our promised glory. I will lead to us honor, and when more of these invaders arrive, they will  negotiate for permission to stay, so that we do not have to beg for permission to live in our own home. Do you yield to me?"

"Never" The Chief struggled to get out as he was being choked. Immediately, his body was thrown through the hall of  the Dark Council like he was a child's toy. Slamming immediately into one of the ancient thrones, he was pulled back through the air towards Vaida, as her own lightsaber cut through him like a ribbon.

The victor and new Chief of the Thralls paid took her prize of the new lightsaber, followed by the helmet of the allegedly slain soldier; you. After she hooked the weapon to her belt, she slowly and ceremoniously placed the helmet on a different throne within the Council Chambers, before speaking to her new followers.

"This was once the seat of Darth Marr, one of the greatest Sith to ever sit on the Dark Council. Beloved by the Empire, powerful in the Dark Side, and brave to his last breath, he defended the Sith with everything he had, and so shall we. One soldier was defeated, but more will be on their way. They will claim this space as their own, and they will kill us all to get it."

She looked over the men and women she now  led, and made a controversial statement, that immediately soured her relationship "Let them have it." She called, met with boos and shouting.

"You  wish to fight to continue to hold onto the chambers of the Dark Council. I wish to fight for Dromund Kaas, and everything it means to us and our people. We will let them have this without contest, and swiftly gain more than we have lost. We will take every weapon we can find, and we will go to the other villages and tribes, the ones that have longed feared your name, and your reputation. We will bring them along with us, or we will end them and take what is theirs. We will march the length of the planet if we have to, until we have a force that these new Sith cannot ignore."

"From than, a new day dawns for us, and for Dromund Kaas!"

Though there are still some holdouts who do not like the idea, Vaida quickly motivated a number of the younger warriors, enough to prelude an outright mutiny, and to get things moving. They immediately began to do as ordered, grabbing and taking everything they could and leaving the only home any of them have ever known.

"Well done, Vaida," Arianna whispered. "In one stroke she secured the leadership of the Thralls and is building an army to treat with the returning Dark Council on a more even footing. Playing to the crowd, indeed. Her history, however, is rather skewed given the Purebloods were given an exalted status in the Sith Empire and were never slaves. Who knows how long they have been passing that down from generation to generation but if Lord Shroud and the others come here as conquerors they will play right into the narrative and there will be war. She is cunning, powerful, and resourceful - all traits we would want in an ally, not an enemy."

She looked at the crowd as they gathered weapons and began to depart. "We need to wait until it is safe to move then warn Lord Shroud lest we find the weapons and power of the Tribes raised against us. The Sith to come needs must treat well with the Sith that have been here for thousands of years."

This message was last edited by the player at 03:17, Mon 12 July 2021.

"I believe she is speaking more of the future than the past" the droid offered to the contrary "and she may be more right than we'd like to admit. Although I do not believe Lord Shroud has any desire to be the oppressive overlord, there are no shortage of those who see themselves as masters of whatever space they occupy, both among the Sith and the First Order, and would be everything she fears, or worse. And while I would agree that she could be an ally, she is also obstinate, ambitious, and vindictive. She will be a difficult ally, to be sure."

There was a quiet for a few moments "I do not hear anything. I believe they are all gone by now. It should be safe to move now..."

The droid, seeming apathetic to a fault, made a curious suggestion.

"Perhaps you should start with retrieving your helmet from Darth Marr's throne."

"That is a fair point. I know nothing of the other Council members but I hope most of them are smart enough not to come in here with the expectation of pushing the Pureblood who have made this their home since the days of the Sith Empire out of the way or, worse yet, making them slaves.

"A difficult ally yes but a deadly enemy. I'd much rather we keep her as the former."

Arianna turned and cocked an eye at T4 and his flatly stated suggestion. "Why? What thoughts are running through that processor, T4?"

If the protocol droid has other intents, it was being cagey about them "Just that without your helmet, you're outside of your uniform regulations. Hardly the look of an aspirational officer, to say nothing of the immediate target you present yourself as..."

"According to Lord Shroud I'm no longer a Stormtrooper of the Final Order so uniform regs don't seem nearly as much a concern. However, I do need the helmet so you can see what I'm looking at when I hook the power supply from here back up and get the city up and running again. Speaking of, any idea where the pieces we need to get the power back up are located here?" Arianna asked as she looked at her helmet and extended a hand towards it.

"You're being cagey. When you get cagey I get a bad feeling. Should I have a bad feeling?"



17:16, Today: Arianna Vex'Morland rolled 18 using 1d20+5 ((13)). Use the Force

"Those feelings will keep you alive, but I'm not the one you need to fear."

The droid paused for a moment, to watch the helmet float through the air to you. As it moved into your waiting hand, he spoke up.

"You and I serve the same Master. I cannot and will not harm you unless ordered, or until you betray Lord Shroud. Speaking of which, I believe you should return to the ship, let him know of your progress. I'll finish this."

"Other Sith. My Master, if I anger him. I'm in a world where looking over one shoulder and having a hand on the lightsabre is now a way of life so I had better cultivate those feelings," Arianna said as she put the helmet on, watching the interface with the armour light up.

"Very well, T4. I shall make my report whilst you do your part to make the city ready for the Dark Council - our Master apparently the first to arrive."

She turned and walked out of the room in a swirl of black as her cloak billowed out behind her. The droid could see she walked with new purpose and confidence as she left the room and made her way to the shuttle.

She checked every area as she moved, especially around the shuttle and sealed it tight once she was onboard. She took the helmet off, and went to one knee before the holoprojecor. "I bring you greetings and information on our progress on Dromund Kaas, my Master."

"Stand, apprentice." he said "Before you speak, I must give you a warning. We are not alone."

"As your ship's sensors can likely see, there is another ship over orbit. A First Order vessel. Can you sense who is on board?"

Make a Use The Force Check

DC 10:

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Someone on board is Force Sensitive

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DC 15:

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
There are Multiple Force Sensitives on board

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DC 20:

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
There are at least two powerful Sith on board.

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DC 25:

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
You can feel the specific signatures of each individual on the ship. An all Chiss ship,  with two powerful Sith Lords, capable of being members of the Dark Council if they chose, and  two apprentices, one more junior than the other.

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Arianna stood and cast her mind outward, her senses enveloping the ship and, as carefully as she could, getting a feel for the eddies of the Force as they swirled around those onboard.

"There are multiple Force-sensitive individuals on board, my Master but two of them are powerful Sith. Master and Apprentice or both members of the Council?"

"We must first gather to see who is worthy of sitting on the Council, but these two surely could defeat anyone who would stand against them."

Lord Shroud looks at the ground for a moment "One of them, Lord Spectre is a bitter rival. She has been my enemy for several years, and I had hoped that she would be her own undoing. She is manipulative as well as charming, and one of the keenest minds I've ever encountered. We could have strong allies once. The other, Lord Sentinel, I think you will find more to your liking. A soldier who prefers the front lines, like you once were, before your failure." Still prodding you with the events at Coruscant. "A pragmatist, as I understand, which has caused her to gain some powerful allies, as well as terrifying enemies. She has been accused of having no true loyalty to the Sith Code or our teachings, only playing at them to gain favor with others and her own power. I cannot say for sure if that is true,  but her reputation on the battlefield is enough to be fearful."

"They will no doubt follow my descent to the planet's surface. Remember this well, though you  are a Sith, and we all serve to rebuild the Empire, I am your Master, and you will serve me, and me alone. Do not allow them to deceive you or charm their way into your heart."

Arianna didn't react to his jibe. Before she was his Apprentice she was a soldier and a soldier wore discipline like she wore her armour. It was both warning and testament to the forces that had shaped her.

"We could work at Lord Sentinel and Spectre together, my Master. Win back her trust and find the chinks in her armour. Perhaps she does not believe in the Sith Code; if you were to find that out it could be used against her. I, meanwhile, could befriend Lord Sentinel given we are both soldiers who prefer the front line." Maybe a very slight reaction. "We could either gain two powerful allies or eliminate potential enemies; either eventuality is a victory."

She bowed before him. "But you are my Master and if there is to be any deceiving done it shall not be done against me but by me, at your order. I know the Sith Code: it was my cradle song whilst I was but a babe and as I grew older it was my teacher and the words I wanted to live my life by and now I shall, by the grace of your teaching."

She paused to await anything he might have to say before she gave him the updates he no doubt sought. "I stand ready to give my report whenever you are ready to have it, my Master."

"Proceed" He replied simple. "I should know everything that you do before I land."

"Yes, my Master," she said and began to tell him of the events that had transpired since their arrival" Meeting Vaida at the comm center and fighting her until the spirit of Darth Marr appeared before them and told them to cease fighting, that they each needed the other. The stripping of the equipment powering the city and her alliance with the droids. "They have been here since the Old Sith Empire left the planet. They are insane but I believe an alliance with them will benefit us. With a word from me they could cut the power to the city which gives us a valuable edge over the others though I would employ said word only at your command."

She tells him of her growing power in the Force. "I reached out and sensed Vaida and was able to speak to her mind to mind. She gained knowledge in Galactic Basic and I now speak Ancient Sith. I can call objects to hand easily and even, in practice with T4 and Vaida, managed to freeze T4 and his lightsaber using the Force."

She told him how the droids tasked them with bring 'Jealous Conduit' to life so they could commune with them and what Vaida did to allow them access to the parts they need to power the city. "T4 is finishing that part up and should have power restored soon. Vaida is uniting the Purebloods. She is, as T4 said, an 'obstinate ally' but she would be a deadly foe given she is now the Chief of the Purebloods here and her power and influence only spreads. If we keep her as an ally and fold the Purebloods into our forces we start with a formidable army of Force-users. Some of them are untrained, others are trained and wield lightsabers. If we treat with them as equals then we win their loyalty. Any other members of the Dark Council who treat them as slaves or fail to respect them will find their blades at their throats. I believe that we need to keep the support of the droids and the Purebloods, through Vaida. Doing so grants us a tremendous edge that we can employ as needed in what is to come."

She bowed once her report was finished. "I hope I have prepared the city adequately for your arrival, my Master. I am working to give you the ancient droids and the Purebloods to add to forces you already command."

"Your resourcefulness is to your credit. Many other soldiers would have tried to solve all of the problems with their rifles, but you showed wisdom and discretion, and avoided what could have turned into a planetary war."

"I have little interest in managing droids or commanding soldiers. My days of being a governor are behind me, the days of being an officer even further. Still, these are resources to be exploited for what they might know. Dromund Kaas has many mysteries for us to uncover, and this Vaida may prove the first step in uncovering them. We will honor the agreement to treat them as slaves. At the very least, the act of trying to enslave and subjugate these people seems to be more trouble than it's worth. We will see."

"Leave T-4D to his work, and return to my ship. I will be landing close by, as will the other Sith Lords. Introductions will be made, and when we have a private moment, I would give you your new orders in person."

Arianna bowed, pleasure at his praise colouring her cheeks slightly. "Thank you, my Master. I will take off immediately and fly to you to await your bidding. I shall see you soon."

Unless he had more to say she sat down in the pilot's seat, went through a quick pre-flight check, and lifted off to fly towards the sensor contact that was Lord Shroud's vessel.

"Stay where you are Apprentice. You will find the area is large enough where are you are is large enough...."

The sensor on the ship showing Shroud's position practically whistled as his elevation dropped, piercing rapidly through the atmosphere onto the planet below. As he did, you hear rumbling outside. Looking through the starboard window, you see a decrepit building, long since collapsed on itself, shifting strangely, before moving with great speed and ferocity a few hundred yards away from you.

Just in time entered your Master, having controlled his descent carefully into a soft landing aboard a seemingly pedestrian small freighter. No sooner was on the planet's surface had the doors began to open, with the operator eager to depart and greet you in person.

Arianna shut down the shuttle and opened the ship up, descending the ramp with a measured gait, eyes locked on her Master until she stood before him. She stopped, dropped to one knee, and bowed. "Welcome home, my Master. Welcome to Dromund Kaas, first of the Dark Council to set foot here in over three thousand years. I am honoured to greet you and pleased to see you again."

"Sycophancy can get you far with some people, but not with me." His hand brushed the shoulder of your armor, and he said simply "Rise, Apprentice." There was a slight pause.

"You have certainly earned that title, and your place at my side. You were able to see further into the Force all on your own. It's curious that your affinity had not been identified earlier, given how quickly you are progressing, without any real formal education. Now that I know what you're capable of, we can have some real training. After you complete your next mission, that is."

He looked up as wind began to blow and the sound of engines rose, as a second ship came in behind him.

"I tell you what I told Darth Marr: I am no sycophant scurrying to curry favour with empty flattery. If I say it I mean it and I mean it when I say I am honoured to be the one to welcome the first of the Dark Council to Dromund Kaas since the end of the Sith Empire."

She rose when he bid her do so. "I wonder if my own potential was lost in the Force Storms of Exegol, the power of Palpatine and the tens of thousands of members of the Sith Eternal present at all times. Palpatine was occupied by his rotting body and secret place behind Snoke and the First Order not to mention the building of the Final Order. Perhaps my nascent power was simply...lost amidst the chaos," she said, looking up to see the ship descending.

"Sentinel and Spectre and, judging by the speed at which they make their landing, they are displeased at you beating them here."

"No," He replied slowly, watching it land softly "In the annals of history, whoever catalogues the legacies of the reborn Sith on Dromund Kaas, none will remember or care who  among us  was first. You were first, in fact, making your place in the story all but secured."

"They are displeased that I am here at all." He said as he faced the transport ship, his arms behind his back. "She longs to see me sucked into the void of space as much as I  do her. It is fortunate that we do not long for the same seat on the council, or else this would quickly descend to a bloodbath."

As the ramp drops, the Sith appear, marching down, followed by a brigade of troops.

"Ahhh. More soldiers. Wonderful." He muttered under his breath, still looking at them rather than you "Say nothing until you are spoken to."

"Something I had not considered, my Master," she said as the shuttle came in. "I always expected my legacy to be one of the great many officers of the Final Order, one with a name that was not mine, who lived and died as part of the machine."

She was silent, contemplative as the shuttle came down. "They will use me to get to you. They will goad me and try other things to gain a rise out of you by getting one from me. "I shall not give them the satisfaction."

She fell silent at her Master's command.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:37, Mon 02 Aug 2021.