The Empire
Swing. Parry. Thrust. The sound of the dismembered droid echoed throughout the room. Its power core had overloaded after absorbing two direct strikes from its opponent. Just like you taught me, eh Zan? He grinned, relishing the thought of upcoming battle and enjoying his training. Two more droids, with Vibroswords leapt out to meet the man clad in the black armour. Excellent, more scrap parts for the engineers. He spun his blade, arcing it towards the head of the first unlucky droid, striking it down with efficient speed and ruthless vigor. The droid's companion took the chance to strike the dark man. Anticipating the downward slash on his right, the man spun around, coming face to face with the droid and deflecting the strike away from him, while making sure the droid could not retract it back towards him. Droids, only they could be so stupid, the man thought. He grinned once more, though of course, no one could see it.
His helmet covered every trace of emotion, making sure not to allow even the fiercest of opponents to look the man in the eyes. His helmet was entirely black, shaped similar to a pre-Republic Fencer's helmet, though in place of a would-be mesh screen was a black visor. Without his cape, he still made a fearsome opponent, his entire jet-black suit, was in fact armour which rivaled even Darth Bandon's-- Lord Malak's new apprentice-- armour. Comprised of fiber-mesh, along with a slightly lighter alloy than durasteel plating, his armour held no trace of colour except for the shade of jet-black.
Bringing his blade to bear on the droid's sword arm, the ground clanged with the sound of the forearm and the sword. He looked up and noticed the droid staring at the stump. It had only realized moments after that it had lost its arm. Typical, he thought in disgust at how primitive the droid's functions were. As relentless as these droids were on the battlefield against mere Republic soldiers, it was certainly no match for a Jedi, let alone a Sith Lord. Feeling himself in tune with the ever-raging river that was the Force, he felt the swirl of the power core of the droid and lifted the pathetic piece of technology off the floor. Once more, the droid had only realized its predicament moments after it had already begun. Sighing, the Sith slowly began spinning the droid for mere entertainment.
Hearing the door open, the Sith Lord deactivated his blade and turned around to face a man who appeared to be no more than 21 and seemed a tad bit too aristocratic for the Sith's own tastes. The young man had his dark brown hair slicked back; light skin, a rich dark red tunic, made of the finest silks and other materials which could hint at it as some sort of minor armour. With a cape shouldered on his left shoulder, the young man was evidently proud and had his family not been a major financer of the Sith Empire's war against the Republic, he would have found himself dead a lot quicker than waiting for it. Even though he was merely a Dark Jedi adept. Ignoring the floating droid, he cleared his throat and spoke clearly to much more powerful and fearsome Sith in front of him.
"Excuse me, milord, but we have received a classified message from Lord Malak himself."
Ah, so he's from Vjun, thought the tall and annoyed Sith. "Route it to my meditation chamber then, adept," the distorted voice replied to the Vjunian.
Hmph, this pathetic excuse for a Revanite should choose his words more carefully around a man who has the ear of the Dark Lord himself, thought the younger man. Everyone knew that many of the Dark Jedi who were loyal under Revan chose clothing which shrouded them in mystery like the former Dark Lord of the Sith. Some of their counterparts, on the other hand, found this a pathetic attempt to curry the favour of a Dark Lord, though there was no doubt that some of the followers required environmental suits to keep them alive. Aside from that, the followers quickly earned the disreputable nickname 'Revanite,' something which many Commanders kept their mouths silent about or like their predecessors, suffer the fury of a Sith. "Yes, milord," the young man answered. As he turned and begun to leave, he paused for a moment and turned back to face the Sith Lord. "My Lord," he quickly spoke, to gain the attention of the Sith who was turning to leave. "I believe we have a new passenger who is eager to see you. Her name is Lotus Xa."
Her? She should be dead. No matter, I'll see to that, if she angers me, the dark-armoured man thought. The Sith, betraying no emotion replied, "Very well. After I have finished with Lord Malak, send her in."
"As you wish, milord." With that, both men went their separate ways. Behind the Sith Lord, parts of the floating droid clanged to the floor of the training room.
As he entered the chamber, he moved towards the holoprojector that contained the very important message of the Dark Lord himself. The image came alive, revealing none other than Darth Malak. The blue-tinted display didn't reveal the blood red robes and the grey single-shouldered cape the Dark Lord wore. The image however, did make sure to reveal his pale skin, rectangular tattoos on his skull and the voice synthesizer which wrapped around his upper jaw and covered his neck-- or most of his head. The 'Revanite' remembered how the current Dark Lord had lost his jaw-- and for the most part, his ability to communicate orally for a time. It was on the Leviathan itself, Malak's current flagship, where the duel between Revan and Malak took place. It was to see who was to become the Master, and to see who would grudgingly accept the role of Apprentice. Revan had given himself into the dark teachings of the Sith and unlocked the power that was the Force Rage. He became a nearly unstoppable juggernaught, forcing Malak to block and to keep up the pace. The fight was over in 2 minutes. Revan spun his sapphire blade in his left hand, knocking Malak's emerald blade away from his body and in one fluid motion, Revan brought his sapphire blade back at Malak's jaw in a backhand stroke which severed the jaw of the hapless Sith. It was there, in that one moment, that Revan had proven he was more deserving of the title "Dark Lord of the Sith." It was a shame that Malak had decided to be bold in that Jedi raid and use the Leviathan to open fire on Revan's flagship, usurping the title from the true Master. The current Dark Lord looked at the lesser Sith and spoke in his mechanical and synthesized voice.
"Ah, greetings Darth Seth. It is a pity we have not had the pleasure of meeting face to face. However, there may come a time when that shall become possible. For now, we shall dispense with the pleasantries. There lay rumours of a holocron. An ancient artifact. It is believed to have been from the Ossus Academy itself, one of the original teachings that can allow us the ability to unlock and wield the true nature of the Force. This artifact could very well turn the tide of the war, where we can leave the Republic crushed and in ruins, while the Sith shall rule the galaxy once more. I had dispatched a small scouting group towards the Outer Rim. Unfortunately, the Jedi were there to meet the group. It would appear that only a handful of disciples were left, including the prodigal student herself, Lotus Xa." Darth Seth looked at the image of the Dark Lord as he paused, and began to realize what exactly Darth Malak had in store for him. "You are to seek out this artifact and recover it. Take only your ship and 4 others of your own choice. As for Lotus Xa, she shall become your apprentice, Lord Seth. Debrief her and see to it, Lord Seth, that you do not fail. I do not forgive failure as easily as Lord Revan once did." With that, the holoimage disappeared and Seth was contemplating the information he had received.
Hmm, it would appear that on one side, I have a mission where failure means excruciating death; however on the other side, I get to kill Jedi and am granted the chance to earn the favour of Darth Malak himself. Before the Sith could finish his thought, his chamber doors chimed. Lotus, he thought wryly. "Enter," came the distorted voice of the lesser Sith Lord.
The doors hissed open and the prodigal student herself entered the chambers of the much feared Darth Seth. Clad in a form-fitting black leather outfit, her left arm bare-- with the exception of daggered tattoos, gloved forearm, a kolto bandage patch around her tricep and on her right cheek--, she proved to be an attractive sight. Much more pleasant to the eyes than was the Vjun aristocrat. Her eyes flared the traditional colours of the Jedi, but her demeanor and the aura around her, spoke otherwise. She exudes the Dark Side, he thought to himself. He couldn't help but notice her uniquely designed lightsabers hanging from both sides of her perfectly shaped hips. As enticing as she might be, he certainly had no desire for her. Especially since the most attractive Sith is by far the deadliest of them all.
"It is good to finally meet you, Lotus Xa. I know all about your training and rise through the ranks in the Sith Academy. Especially since you had caught the attention of Uthar, himself. Tell me, young disciple, what do you know of the ancient artifact?" As she merely nodded to him to acknowledge his greeting, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.
Revanite, she thought to herself. It is hard to determine what he feels, but at least he is straight to the point. Clearing her throat, she replied to him in a formal tone, befitting of someone in her rank. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Seth. I am proud to be serving under you. The artifact is only referred to as the 'Unifier.' It apparently contains the lessons to unlock this unknown aspect of the Force and allow the wielder a greater immersion into the 'flow' of the Force with which to become more powerful than ever. It is also seen as the true nature of the Force." Unknown to the expression on his face, Lotus shoved down that creeping and tingling fear building in her spine, and waited for Seth to speak. After another moment passed by, Seth finally spoke, the uncomfortable feeling still rising in Lotus' spine to her stomach now.
"Ah, yes. The Unifier, the name of our much sought-after prize." The disciple looked at the Sith Lord quizzically.
"My Lord?" Seth merely looked at her direction, maybe at some distant and possible memory, but she was not sure if he was looking at her.
"Nothing, my… apprentice." There it was. Lotus now knew that Seth was to be her Master, and they were to embark on the journey to find the ancient Jedi holocron: the Unifier.
It was apparent now that Seth was looking at her, waiting to hear her own reply before he would send her off to commit to the task at hand. "It will be my honour to become your Apprentice, my Master," she replied, lowering herself on her right knee.
"Rise, Lotus Xa, you will serve the Sith Empire and in turn, you shall earn the right to become a true Sith, yet." The cold and distorted voice beckoned her to listen once more when she rose and handed her a datapad. "Go to the Bridge and inform Adept Vincent Baroque to pull the Inferno and our task force to head for the Outer Rim." She bowed, accepting her honour, title and the command of her Master.
"Yes, Master." Before she turned and left the room, she revealed a third lightsaber. The lightsaber had the generic contour shape of any lightsaber, however the pommel was bulbous so as to prevent the weapon from slipping out of its wielder's hand in the middle of combat. The handle was a non-reflective silver; it also had a rubber handgrip which ran around and towards the round activation plate itself. In contrast to the bulbous pommel, the handguard was a subtle rounded edge which ran around the top of the blade and branched into the emitter itself.
As Lotus handed the blade to Seth, she bowed and said, "a present, Master. This was from the Jedi Master who had led the incursion." Seth took the lightsaber and carefully inspected it. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt and ignited the blade. The blade was viridian. Seth looked at the blade more closely now.
I know this design, he thought to himself. Who was it that used a lightsaber such as this? It was certainly a Master, I am sure of that. Still puzzled as to who the blade's previous owner was, Seth looked back at Lotus and deactivated the blade. "A worthy opponent, no doubt. You are to be commended, for there have only been a few Jedi Masters to wield a blade with this type of handle. He must have been powerful indeed." Lotus bowed and took care not to mention the other two Dark Jedi who had helped her eliminate the Master.
"Yes, he was, Master. He slew two Dark Jedi before I had the chance to fight him." She also took care not to mention that she killed those same two Dark Jedi.
"Most impressive, Xa." She merely bowed once more. She left as soon as Seth dismissed her and left to his chambers.
Seth moved towards the center of his room, in order to meditate and to push aside the memories and injuries of the past. You were wrong Zan, the Dark Side is more powerful and it will only grow, he thought to himself. He immersed himself into the Force and allowed himself to meditate as the Inferno and the task force left the heavily protected Star Forge and made for light speed.
The planet was lush with the Dark Side. The planet was the Dark Side. "Why!" A tired, desperate voice yells. His eagerness to pull him from the lure of the Dark Side was great. was
"Master Zan, this is over. I am now the Master." The old blue skinned Twi'lek shook his head.
"This can't be! You are a Jedi Knight! Revan turned on us all! You and I have the chance to stop this! The planet is twisting your outlook on the Jedi! We're not enemies, remember your training!"
His light brown skin was drenched in sweat. His white robes were stained and covered in soot. The trees around them were burning intensely. His short cropped hair was soaked. Their fight had been long and arduous. Revan had made his allegiance with the Dark Side and so did the young Knight. "No, I am no longer a Jedi. They are weak and old. We are the new Order of the galaxy! The strong shall inherit the galaxy, the weak shall be purged and I will not betray Revan! You are my Master no longer, Zan. I don't wish to kill you, but I will if you interfere!" Zan shakes his head, his burgundy robes are tattered and torn. He is tired. He will fall, but not without a fight.
"I will not stand by and watch you fall to them. I will not watch the Jedi Order destroyed! I will stop you!"
The young man raises his voice in contempt and gives himself completely into his hatred. "Then you shall not live long enough to watch the Jedi fall!"
Their blades strike, sapphire on sapphire. The young man twists his arms to block and strike at the old Twi'lek. The Jedi Master strikes back, his attack is measured and well timed. Finesse won't hold over against raw power. The young man brings his blade to bear over the head of the old Master. Zan blocks and dodges the renewed fury of strikes his former comrade, the Jedi Knight turned Dark Jedi, has unleashed. Zan loses his right lekku and falls to the searing pain brought out from the Sapphire blade. He is on his knees and sees his headtail in front of him, twitching slightly.
"I win, Master Zan." Zan sees the bloodlust in the former Knight's eyes. His fear and horror only feeds the Dark Jedi's anger and bloodlust. The Dark Jedi's blade slices the Jedi Master's head right off and deactivates his blade. As he turns to leave the pyre, he sees a silhouette from the corner of his right eye. He confronts it.
"You're going nowhere. You will answer for your crimes," says the silhouette. The person comes closer to reveal an exact reflection of the Dark Jedi. Both Jedi ignite their sky-blue blades and leap from the ground to attack each other...
The Force shall set me free