Prologue: Cold Desert

Author: Rochelle B/Acharya

In Game Classes: Fem!Sith Warrior (Juggernaut), Male!Sith Inquisitor (Sorcerer)

Pairings: Fem!Jugg/Malavai Quinn, Male!Sorc/Revel*

Unbetaed, so all mistakes are my own. If you see them let me know and I'll fix them asap

Warnings: Language, violence, blood, and all those other things that make dark side Sith dark side. *Also a healthy smidge of homosexuality, so if that is the sort of things that offends you I'd back out now, I shall think no less of you.

Notes: Takes place in the same 'world' as another story I'm crafting, centering on the republic side of the games storyline, which follows another set of siblings. Here, however, we follow the Bl'agi twins, Talaa and Alaian, as they attempt to navigate the infighting and danger that comes with climbing the Sith power ladder.

Summery: She was the strong one, powerful and burning hot. He was the smart one, wicked and cold as ice. Together they will change the face of the Empire, or die trying.

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Chapter One

I leave you with your misery

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Talaa brushed a strand of hair behind her ear then looked out of the window of the shuttle, watching the monotonous terrain race by beneath them. The shuttle was packed to capacity and smelled of unwashed skin and sweat and it was equal parts unpleasant and thrilling. Everyone here had fought to be on this shuttle, had scrapped and survived against sometimes overwhelming odds to earn the honor of being a part of the latest batch of acolytes sent to the Sith Academy.

Alaian snorted lowly and turned to look at her, eyes drooping as if he was fighting sleep. She could feel his energy radiating from him though she wasn't able to see it. Alaian claimed he could and she believed him, because he couldn't lie to her. He said her aura, as he called it, was a dark angry red and that his was a deep purple and that when they were close they mixed around the edges, melding and vanishing into each other. She could feel that she was stronger when he was near by to here, not only lending his power to her, but boosting both of them to be better than they were apart.

She touched his hand and for a moment she could sense the potential of everyone on the shuttle. They were a full group, destined to do what was needed until only one of them stood at the end, save her. She could sense the power in all of them, thrumming softly in their bodies, save the hooded figure sitting alone in the back of the shuttle.

Alaian murmured softly, just a few words, but to her it spoke volumes. He would keep his eye on that one if he was able and do his best to take him out of the trials early. And if he seemed to be a problem it was possible he'd have an unfortunate accident, preferably while Alaian was elsewhere.

She ended the contact, sensing they were about to land. He inclined his head at her then stood to move away. He was the first off and the moment he was gone one of the guards who'd sought her out to tell her she'd been called to the academy moved next to her. She was wearing an apologetic look and Talaa arched an eyebrow, wondering what was on the woman's mind.

"I'm sorry you had to sit next to that filth." The woman's voice was soft, as if sharing a secret with a friend. "I can't imagine why we're letting former slaves try to become Sith. The whole lot of them, slaves and trash. Disgusting."

"How appalling." Talaa said, frowning. She would find this woman and rip her heart out at a later date. She and Alaian had been hearing such things their entire life, having been born to a Pureblood family that had fallen into disgrace so long ago no one knew what the disgrace had been. They were servants, and had been for a long time, and their fellow Pureblood's looked at this with disgust. Barely above alien slaves, really.

Talaa suspected that was why she had so many siblings. Their parents, ever the social climbers, had hoped to have at least one child who could pull them out of their shame. They had an older sister who'd also come to the academy, but hadn't been heard from in over five years. Another sister had managed to marry a minor noble on some distant planet, but it hadn't done much for their standing. The other six were younger and only time would tell what became of them.

Her brother was still looked upon as a slave, had actually been called to undergo the final trials along with others of low birth, but Talaa seemed to have left her status behind when she stepped onto the shuttle. The guards seemed to know nothing of who she was and the other acolytes had gazed at her as if she was above them.

A very interesting development, to be sure.

The woman nodded, apparently appreciating Talaa's agreement. "Well. Good luck acolyte."

Talaa ran her fingers through her hair then stepped off the shuttle, saying over her shoulder. "Luck is for those who lack true power."

Alaian was off to the side, standing among a group of rough looking acolytes in front of a small angry looking human man.

"The rest of you gutter trash know your trials. Go, while I bring our latecomer up to speed." He was looking at her brother, who was staring back, clearly unimpressed. A slight redheaded girl said something to Alaian who smiled at her ferally. She blushed, holding up her hands as if in submission then hurried after the rest of the group.

"There is a hermit named Spindrall, living in the tomb of Ajunta Pall. He's a madman, but Lord Zash sees him as some kind of prophet. Once you find him he will test you." Alaian nodded, feral smile fading away. The Overseer sneered. "Go then slave, you know your trial."

"Acolyte Talaa." A dark skinned human was standing off to the side. "I am Overseer Tremel and I called upon you to undergo your trials early."

She came to stand in front of him and clasped her hands behind her back. "I see."

He took a moment to explain the trials to her, and her first trial in particular, ending with "These trials weed out the weak. Survive and become Sith, or die and be forgotten."

She nodded tightly, unconsciously mimicking her twin. Tremel stared down at her, eyes seeming to stare through her. "You have a question."

Talaa hesitated, not sure if sharing her inner thoughts was wise. But something about this man was soothing and almost fatherly. She could feel Alaian's touch, feather light, in the back of her mind. He was also curious and that helped make her choice.

"Why did you call me early?"

"Ah." He smiled thinly. "Because this is when you will be at the height of your power. I have been watching you and your twin closely, since you first came to my attention. When he was brought here I knew that both of you would fare better together, and potentially fail apart. For now you will keep your relation a secret, least your rivals see it as a weakness."

She nodded again. He stared at her, expression turning grim. "Work together for now, but learn to work apart. Only then will you both be able to grasp true power."

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Alaian was waiting for his sister just inside the tomb. He was leaning against a cargo box in close proximity to a solider, who kept sneaking nervous looks in his direction. Alaian was aware, though he gave no outwardly appearance of it. He glanced over his shoulder when she descended the stairs and the solider turned as well, starting visibly. Alaian smiled thinly, willing to concede that his sister had grown into a striking woman over time.

They were actually similar in appearance, sharing deep red skin, jet black hair, and faces that were ridged along the cheek and brow bones. They were both taller than most, though he stood above her, and were slight in build. She was more muscular than him, a body built for hand to hand combat, which was something she excelled at. Her hair was currently pulled into a tight tail, showing the jewelry that adorned her forehead and the golden cuffs on her ears. Her nose was pierced as well and held a gold ring; all of the items their mother claimed were passed down through her family and would bring good luck.

Alaian had similar ear cuffs, but in silver and without a supposed family history attached to them, and was pierced across the bridge of his nose. His hair was a touch on the long side, and worn pushed back from his face and behind his ears. He lacked the hard compact muscle of his sister, but instead had a lithe and more graceful build.

He pushed off the boxes, eager to hear how her encounter with her overseer had gone. He'd gotten impressions from here; a mix of doubt and skepticism. He'd sent back his own feelings, able to guess what she was wondering about, but beyond that he was in the dark. Their connection, though strong, was far from mind reading, though it did keep the exchange of words between them brief.

She fell into step with them and together they slunk into the shadows. The tomb, much like the desert outside of it, was crawling with K'lor'slugs, nasty creatures with a taste for flesh and venom in their bite. They clung to the darkness and could catch a person unaware or would swarm in large packs, killing and then eating their victims until not even bones were left. He'd heard stories of them making their ways onto ships and laying eggs in the dark recesses. The eggs would hatch and the young would crawl through the ship, seeking food where ever they could find it and leaving nothing of the crew behind.

Along with that were the looters, scrabbling about like insects as they tried to find things that they were hoping had been left behind during the occupation of the planet. There was little, if anything, to be found of course. The Republic had been very thorough in their destruction of Sith history and what they hadn't managed to crush to dust had already been found and archived when Korriban had been retaken.

Nonetheless the looters were there and they had to be on the lookout for them. Alaian's eyes adjusted for the gloom quickly, but he still opted to hug the wall. It certainly wouldn't do to get eaten or shot before he got to Spindrall after all. Some people may have called his cautiousness weakness or fear, but he preferred to think those people were the ones who died fastest. There was more to being Sith than brute strength and power and those who couldn't see that were doomed to become little more than sand.

Talaa heard something and he felt a spike of alarm in her. He stopped and squinted, trying to make out something other than pillars and crumbling walls. There was a pinprick of light in the distance, but it did little to illuminate his surroundings.

Talaa moved away from him, quickly being swallowed up by the blackness. He inhaled then exhaled slowly, pulling on the power inside of him. Purple sparks began to jump between his fingertips. He'd been honing his skills as best he could without training, learning to reach into himself and bring the power to the surface.

He saw them, a series of small red pinpricks peering out at the gloom. He thrust out his hand, forcing the energy out and aiming it towards the glowing red. An ear piercing shriek filled the tomb, followed by a dull thud. He was on to the next target before the thought that his first was dead sunk in, throwing out streams of purple energy. He could see the animal rear back and convulse, the lightening flowing from his fingertips illuminating the scene. He could see there were more of them, round mouths full of teeth that dripped with venom.

There was a roar, low and throaty and then his sister came arcing through the air, training saber drawn. She gripped it in two hands and swung, felling on slug and catching another on the upswing, gouging a hole and sending a spray of fluid over her face. She smiled, teeth gleaming, then went forward on one foot, swinging the saber in a punishing arch down onto one of the smaller K'lor'slugs, smashing it into pulp. Alaian turned from her and back to the matter at hand, rolling away as one of the beasts threw itself at him. He could smell the rancid murky smell of it's breath and had to hold down the urge to gag as he jabbed his saber forward. He whirled, launching another pulse of energy from his fingers.

Another slug fell and Alaian was dimly aware of a rank burning smell hovering in the air. Talaa seemed unconcerned, gleefully hacking her way through the beasts. He hung back, watching her with amusement. When she'd finished the group off she surged towards him, eyes wide and glittering in the darkness.

"Looters up ahead." And with that she was gone, running down the corridor. He could feel her battle lust, crashing into him hard enough to make his vision swim. They'd been side by side their whole life, fighting and even killing in each others company, and so he was used to her light touch in his mind. But there were rare moments, moments like this, where she could become an overwhelming presence, a force of nature demanding that he fell in line and follow her lead.

He could fight it, if he wanted, but why would he want to do that? Instead he sank into her feelings, letting them touch his own and feed them like fuel to a fire.

He ran after her, trusting himself to not trip over his own feet. The spot of light jumped in front of him, growing larger with each moment. He came skidding a halt next to Talaa, who was practically vibrating with excitement. They had stopped at the top of a flight of stairs which emptied down into a room that was milling with activity. Looters, all human by the looks of things, were moving under the bright lights of portable lamps.

Talaa tilted her head slightly and her hand brushed over his own. He stayed silent but she smiled at him again, a slash full of teeth, then launched herself forward, body a blur. He jogged after, taking a more normal route. He spotted a looter, a small dark-haired woman, with a vibrosword in hand. He grabbed at the force inside of him again then threw it out, smiling as the woman screamed.

He admired his sister and the way she used the force, which was in such stark contrast to his approach. He grabbed onto it, as best he could anyway, and tried to give it physical form and then wielded that form like a weapon. Talaa however kept the power inside, using it to change her body; it made her move faster, hit harder, and feel less pain. She swung and swayed, felling the looters with a large smile on her face. She glowed, a red light encircling her body, tendrils around the edge moving to and fro as if dancing.

A larger looter pushed his way into the fray and pulled back before slapping his sister, the sound of flesh on flesh echoing in his ears. She drooped, visibly dazed. Alaian was next to her before he realized it, hands making contact with the man's chest. He was angry now, rage a cold hard ball in his stomach, and he drew on it. His hands sparked brightly and the man's face twisted in pain. He screamed, the noise muffled by the pounding of blood in Alaian's ears. He pushed harder, wanting to hear the man's pain, and pained shrieks swelled, filling the room.

He let his hands drop to his side, seething. Talaa straightened up, shaking her head as if to force it to clear. Her eyes darted around as she wiped at her mouth, stained with her own blood. Alaian looked too, surprised to see that all of the looters were on the ground, more than a few with scorch marks on their bodies. There had been about a dozen in all and the ones Talaa had decimated laid in an almost neat pile at their feet, bodies ruined by her blunt weapon.

She bounced on the balls of her feet. "Hermit now?"

"I don't think we can kill the hermit." He stepped over the pile, pausing to snag a portable light from the top of a crate, turned down a hallway.

"Oh." Talaa fell back into step behind him, once again wiping at her mouth. "That guy got me good."

He grunted, feeling strangely empty as his rage drained away. "You'll have to be more careful. You can't fight the Republic or Jedi if you can't manage to keep a looter from knocking you senseless." Hell, she wouldn't survive against her fellow acolytes like that.

Then again neither would he if he lost awareness of his surroundings like he just had every time he was angry. He'd done some serious damage, he supposed, but he'd left himself open for attack to do so. They were both guilty of dropping their guard and in less 'playful' circumstances that could get them killed.

Talaa scoffed. "I don't need to be careful 'Lain. You're careful enough for both of us."

He rolled his eyes. Maybe he really was the smart one.

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Next Chapter: Spindrall, the armory, Vemrin, and Ffon.