"So you've come." A voice that was cross between a whisper, and someone speaking normally said into Araxis' ears. The young Sith froze with his right foot barely on the top stone step of a tomb set deep within the Dark Temple. His bright silver eyes flicked around the room, looking for whatever it was who had spoken to him. He thought he saw something bright quickly move from the edge of his vision.
Then something appeared in front of him, no doubt the bright shape that he had seen moments ago. It was the spirit of a man as tall as Araxis was, wore an almost exactly identical set of robes and armor that Araxsis wore, and had his face hidden behind a full skull-like mask. There was no doubt this must have been the spirit Lord Zash had mentioned, the one who had ended the lives of so many others who had trespassed into this tomb.
The Force surged through Araxsis, as lightning shot from his fingers. It hit the spirit, and the young Sith's stomach dropped when the lightning passed right through it. Then fear shot through him, when the spirit threw him into the air. It wasn't possible he thought, it couldn't be possible that this spirit was using The Force. Yet that was exactly what had happened as Araxsis hit the stone floor of the tomb back first. Yet to the surprise of the Young Sith, the Force ghost did not attack him as he slowly rose to his feet.
"I felt your movements in The Force, and it stirred me from my nightmares." The spirit spoke in that odd half whispering tone. "I knew if i made myself enough of a nuisence, you would eventually come. The Sith throw flesh endlessly at what they do not understand. Yet here you are blood of my blood. Here you are."
"What are you talking about?" Araxsis asked, clearly confused.
"Ah, you don't know me." The spirit said. "Has our family fallen so far that the son of my sons does not know the name of Kallig? A name so long revered in the anils of the Sith." The Spirit rounded on Araxsis, and its half whisper tone seemed to fill the entire tomb. "You are my descendant. By how many generations I do not know. But know this: Your strength in The force has awakened me from my stupor."
"What do you mean I awakened you?" Araxsis asked, as his head began to swim.
"When the weaklings of this planet trespassed my tomb, I rose to resume my former life. This tomb became my kingdom. I awoke once more a Lord of the Sith. But when you first grasped the hilt of your lightsaber," Araxsis had taken the blade from his belt and activated it. "I knew my time had come and gone. Your strength not mine, would return our family to glory."
"How can that be possible? I'm a former slave."
"That is my shame." The spirit of Kallig said, shaking his head. "I was once one of the most revered lords of the Sith. If I had been wiser, I could have secured my families greatness. But I let down my guard. I was betrayed by a man called Tulak Hord whom I trusted as a friend."
At the last few words, Khem growled at Kallig's Spirit, who in turn turned to look at the Dashade. Araxsis had the feeling that if Kallig had not had that skull like mask on, his expression would have been cold enough to silence Khem. "Your master is dead beast. You serve the child of Kallig now. Flesh of my flesh, you should teach your servant to obey."
"I'll deal with him, how I see fit." The young Sith growled at the spirit.
"Fair enough. I only caution not to take obedience for granted." Kallig said passively. "In restoring our family to glory, you must not make the same mistake. Treachery is the Sith's endless game. You must win it."
"Beware your master. Beware your apprentice. Never be taken by surprise. Do these things, and you will be unstoppable. But you have not come to see me, no you have come for the artifact of Tulak Hord I managed to wrest from him before he died."
"I have indeed." Araxsis responded.
"It is yours flesh of my flesh, should you be able to master what I am about to teach you." Araxsis narrowed his eyes at the Force spirit as it spoke. "I am aware of another spark in The Force. Another descendant of the family of Kallig. The Jedi named Averos, your twin brother."
He knew it. Araxsis just knew that he and Averos were related. Yet the surprise of it all to Araxsis, was that they were twins. Turning his attention to Kallig's spirit, Araxsis spoke again. "You said something about my needing to master something in order to claim Tulak Hord's artifact."
"Indeed I did flesh of my flesh." Kallig's spirit replied. "The ritual I will teach you now, shall allow you to make contact with the other spark in The Force. Through this connection, the two of you will be able to sense those strong within The Force who are within close proximity."
"And why is this ritual of any importance?" Araxsis asked, feeling slightly irritated.
"You shall find out flesh of my flesh."
…
"Well done flesh of my flesh." Kallig's spirit said in a congratulatory manner. Araxsis had experienced something very familiar to what had happened during the few times the brothers had seen through one another's eyes. Only this time it was different. This time Araxis, and Averos were able to speak with one another, and Kallig's spirit had been correct. Araxsis was not only able to sense where anyone who was strong in The Force was in vicinity to Averos, but he had been able to direct his brother to exactly where the Sith Tarnis was. "Now take the artifact, but know that I know not what it does. Only that betrayal and death follow it."
With that, Kallig's spirit dissipated, and the young Sith took the stone artifact from his ancestors tomb, after having opened it with The Force. With the task his master had set him complete, Araxsis headed back to Kass City, and back to his master, his feeling of unease towards Zash growing ever still. He hadn't the time to go over the information he had been given by Skotia before is death, now with the revelation that the artifact of Tulak Hord he had retrieved was followed by betrayal and death, Araxsis was more than a little off put towards Zash. Yet the words Kallig had spoken to him within his tomb were still reverberating throughout his mind.
Zash had greeted her apprentice with that same overly sweet smile, that made him all the more uneasy of her upon his return to the chambers that had once been Darth Skotia's, that now belonged to her. "Welcome back apprentice. I've been going over everything in these chambers, and they are a treasure trove of knowledge. It almost makes me regret that we had to kill Skotia, but I digress. Do you have the artifact?"
"Right here." The young Sith responded, slowly handing over the recovered artifact that had been sealed within Lord Kallig's tomb.
"Wonderful apprentice. Absolutely wonderful, but I must ask how you were able to pacify the spirit within the tomb?"
"Well first I got a magnet, and then a chance cube." Araxsis said jokingly. There was no way he would tell her what had transpired within the tomb. Not when Skotia and Kallig had warned him to be cautious of her.
"Fair enough." Zash said laughing a bit. "Your secrets are your own. I however will not be so guarded. I've been studying Tulak Hord's artifacts for some time, and one glance at this artifact you've brought back, confirms everything I have suspected. These artifacts will change everything apprentice. You especially. They will make you more powerful than you could possibly imagine. That I have forseen."
"I don't know." Araxsis shrugged. "I can imagine quite a bit of power."
"Never such as this." Zash said shaking her head. "This artifact is one of five, that together describe a ritual used by the great Tulak Hord when he conquered the Dromund System. Until I have all the artifacts, I cannot understand the full nature of the ritual. But I have forseen that you alone will weild the ritual's power. The artifacts are scattered throughout the galaxy. Some hidden by Tulak Hord, others wrenched from his hands by betrayers. Documents from Skotia's research point to Balmora and Nar Shadaa, but I will have to do more research to uncover the other two."
"Seems like I'm always stuck serving others." Araxsis growled in irritation.
"Not this time apprentice." Zash countered. "This you do for yourself. I have forseen the power you will gain. But first, I have a small surprise for you."
"What sort of surprise?" Araxsis narrowed his eyes.
"If you're going after these artifacts, you won't be able to take Imperial shuttles. They are absolutely dreadful anyways. No, I've gone and ordered you a shp of your own. You'll be free to explore the galaxy in search of these artifacts at your will."