Private A Handful of Deals

[Malsifera]

Gromas.​

A relatively lawless place, a place where black-market dealers - phrik miners and the like could come together and kill one another without worry. The mines were held by the strong and rich, the rest slaved away their days for their benefit. Balance at its finest. Whatever shady deals occurred were handled by those who had business there. Others simply continued about theirs as if they knew nothing. Were it not for the Sith Empire to have set their eyes upon this planet, Malsifera would have had little reasons to be there. Well, other than the business she had to conclude with a certain Pranda Thorn. He and his Kage mercenary crew had some vengeance to conclude. Something about their kids being taken away from them and the need to get them back. An eye for an eye, that sort of thing. Malsifera cared little for the trivialities of others, but she could understand the brutal rule Pranda wanted to uphold. Unfortunately for him, and luckily for her, perhaps, he didn't have the means to do so.​

The Sith Inquisitor and the Kage leader went back. A couple of favours. A couple of understandings. Practically little bloodshed or losses. A 'healthy' understanding if one could call it as such. Perhaps knowing the Sith were powerful allies to hold close, Pranda had reached out to her. Hoping to pique her interest. Or at least find some support. As if the Force had guided her, the Sith Inquisitor was already on Gromas and a meeting had quickly been set up. Weapons delivered, coin paid. And a single promise to be fulfilled. For the aide of the Inquisition, Malsifera expected one of these so called slaves to be given to her. Not that she cared for slaves, but she did burn rather fast through her personal servants. And though she didn't truly need anything for a faction as low-standing as the Kage, she could not simply let them off the hook so easily. A price simply had to be set. And so one had been placed. A price reluctantly, begrudgingly, accepted. ​

It was thus that Malsifera landed her Tuk'ata-class Interceptor on a rigid landing platform closest to the current turf where the Kage had build their temporary lair. When she stepped out of her star fighter, very little about her would reveal that she was an Inquisitor. The woman looked strong in her posture, but nothing the sort that would give her away as some high and mighty sorceress. In fact, the black dress accentuating her feminine figure and the shaft of the double-bladed lightsaber disappeared wholly under the long silken cloak with silver trim she bore on top. The hood pulled over her face hid most of her face, but not sufficient to express the sinister mystery that often came with those Force users of the Dark Side. And if all of this didn't suffice to hide her true nature, she had pulled the Force closer to herself to hide her true nature. Force Clouding, as it was called, the ability to hide her true nature from other Force Sensitive users. One could never be sure about whom ventured around here; the last thing the Inquisitor wanting was to be discovered. By all means, Allysari looked more like a noble than a sith at this point. Not exactly an ideal camouflage in the rugged backwaters of this planet, but the woman wasn't keen on wearing vests and pants like your average peasant.​

"Lady Welcrux."​

She was soon enough greeted by one of the Kage. The man standing in the shadows. Hardly noticeable. Turning her gaze to the origins of the words, he furtively gestured her to follow him. Leading her through the streets and into a separate building. She had once chosen one of the freed slave-boys as her payment. Now she had come to collect what she was owed.​

 

[Kin]

A single drop of blood echoed throughout the lifeless room that served as the kage warrior’s prison. His arms had been raised high above his head, tied together in chains that he hung from. Nine long years. It had been that long since Kin had found himself shackled. Not since that fateful day when his life had changed for better or worse. Nine years and still he couldn’t decide whether or not it was fortune or bad luck that he had been freed from his now distant life as a slave. However, seeing as he was being sold off once more, it seemed as if he would finally be able to answer the question that had long lingered within his mind.

Still clothed in his usual mission attire, the same one worn by Pranda’s kage warriors, Kin wiped the blood dripping from his forehead on the black sleeves of his outfit. His kage mask had been cracked, scattered on the floor whilst he was beaten in captivity. It had been just over a day since that had happened; during an assassination contract along the outer rims, Kin had intercepted a transmission sent out from Pranda’s ship, one detailing Kin’s exchange as a slave. Through the years of running with Pranda’s crew, Kin had never trusted anyone but himself. Afterall, despite being freed he was still in service. A child soldier, until he had ceased to be a child. At the very least he had gone down fighting. As soon as he received the information, Kin attempted his escape. He had tried to kill them, all of them, beginning with Pranda himself. Twenty to one he was outnumbered, and though he had managed to bring down some of the mercenary kage warriors, it was not enough. And so here he was.

The door slid open, spilling light from outside into the pitch black prison room. It was time. The altered voice of the masked kage warrior before him had said so. The kage entered, reaching above to unshackle Kin from his bindings, though his hands would still be shackled together he would no longer be forced to hang from the ceiling. To him that would be enough. Immediately he mustered all his might, jumping the moment his hands were freed and lifting both of his legs to smash unto the masked kage’s chest with a dropkick. The warrior would be sent back, head colliding to the steel wall unconscious. Kin would land on his back, forcing himself to rise with a kick up. It wasn’t over, not just yet. He searched the unconscious body for the keys to his cuffs, freeing himself fully and taking both the man’s electro sword and mask. Now he had a fighting chance.

Cautiously, he moved to the outside of his former prison. Head first, his eyes would scan the perimeter, checking for any nearby guards before he would make his exit. It was clear. Immediately he hugged the wall with his body, moving from along the building and casing each corner he passed. Finally he reached a room with a window, though looking past the corner two guards were there casually talking. Donning the mask he had taken, he simply walked past the two, heading straight down the stairs. As much as he wanted to exit the windows then and there, fighting those two would have made too much noise. As he descended the stairs as quickly as he could, he heard a faint sound of alert from above. Someone had found the body he had left behind. There was no more time. Getting off of the next floor he rushed to a window and smashed it open, hurriedly exiting to the rooftops. Suddenly, he felt the sharp sting of a dagger enter the back of his shoulder, purposely missing any vital organs or major arteries. A jolt ran throughout his body, sending Kin’s face kissing the cold steel of the roof. Vision hazy and consciousness slowly fading, all he could perceive was a blurry figure that stood over him and a ringing voice. “Did you really think you could get away? I taught you everything you know. Everything.” And suddenly darkness.

Lady Welcrux, as the kage had respectfully called her, would be led to the building that served as Pranda’s temporary base of operations within the planet. Throughout the surrounding rooftops would be a pair of kage warriors, hidden among the shadows, silently watching. The building, itself, was nothing special. More chosen out of need rather than function. At the closed off entrance would be a standard TT-8l/Y7 gatekeeper droid. Once the escort had whispered the code, the reinforced door would slide open. Another pair of warriors would be stood guard, though they’d stand aside to make way for both the escort and the sith. Lady Welcrux, would be led to the center of the building, a large room that looked to be distinct from the rest of the building’s architecture separated by another reinforced sliding door. The room was of pure steel, more akin to the inside of a star destroyer than just any simple room. Inside were eight kage warriors stood about against the wall, each facing the other with military like discipline. Dead center in the room was a tall, bald, and grey skinned man with red eyes. At his foot the still unconscious former slave, unmasked and shackled once more.

“Welcome, Lady Welcrux. As requested, here he is. The force sensitive you had asked for.” As if on queue the boy would begin to move, slowly grumbling as he struggled to regain his consciousness. The minor stab wound had received just an hour ago had already been treated, though the same could not be said for his broken nose and bleeding forehead. The boy's golden eyes would open to the hazy sight of a figure stood before, towering him as he lay prone on the floor. His ears rang, blurring the words that would be exchanged as he came to his senses little by little. When he had come to, the first words he had heard was the discussion of the exchange. Immediately his emotions would overtake him. Fear of captivity, hatred towards Pranda, and above all anger directed at his lack of strength. Anger would fill every inch of his fiber, and for one brief moment he would use that anger to channel a power he hadn't felt since he had been a child. He refused to be a slave.

A deafening roar filled the room and with it a shockwave of energy that sent the surrounding kage to their crashing backs. Pranda, had managed to remain standing, balancing himself with an electro sword pierced through the steel floor. As quickly as the power had entered him, just as quickly did it disappear. Nothing more than an uncontrollable burst. However still on the ground, the boy had risen from his prone to rest on both of his knees, now presented to the one before him. Still seething with the look of anger, he took deep breathes, struggling to regain himself.

 

[Malsifera]

Time trickled away as she waited for her 'payment' to be delivered. Eyes drifting to look around the building. A Spartan construct. Sufficient to do its job but nothing more than that. Big enough to easily hold a dozen people. Seemingly reinforced, but steel was only that: steel. No match for a lightsaber if there was need for that. Eight of the kage warriors, at the center one more. Her eyes looked at the crumbled heap of person before him. He was Force Sensitive alright. Wounded, too. A pang of anger shot through her at seeing this, the woman disliking how poorly they had treated 'her gift' before offering it to her. Like wrapping a precious and fragile present in nothing but dirty newspaper. But the Sith was not the sort to unleash fury so easily. Such was not the way of the assassins. Even when the Sith code dictated passion was the only road, an assassin could never lose their temper uncontrolled.​

"A broken nose. Bleeding forehead. Are you trying to offend my mistress by presenting her a mistreated gift?"​

"I assure you, Lady Welcrux, that it is only his own doing."​

She shot him a questionable look, wordlessly asking him if she was to believe the boy was that sort of a sadist. A flicker of anger visible in her eyes. She'd close in on the boy and crouch, grabbing his chin with a surprisingly firm hand. Her natural scowl mildened only briefly into a motherly sight of concern before she whispered to herself. "So much anger..." Fleeting words which unlocked a smile ever so faintly before she let go off him.​

"I'll be taking him with me, as agreed. You may consider your debt paid to Darth Malsifera as soon as he enters my ship in one piece."​

"Tell her it was our... pleasure to do business with her."​

"I'm sure it was.", she said with a wry smile. Looking down towards the boy, she offered her hand to him in invitation. "Come, Kin. A new world awaits you. A world where the strong get to learn about their true potential."​

The man rolled his eyes at the typical Sith theatrics. In his worlds, the strong were those who survived. Those who liberated their own kind. Not those who believed in some superficial power, or were backed by the resources of others. But he kept those words for himself. Some things were better left unsaid when the Sith were around. After all, they made for powerful if not expensive allies. What was the loss of one warrior when he had gained so much more for it? Ultimate power came with sacrifice. As the leader crossed his arms in conclusion of this day, the white-haired woman left the building, direction her Interceptor.​

The whole road she had remained silent, leaving it to the boy to take in today's situation. What it meant. The end of his life as a Kage, the start of something unknown heralded only by her mysterious promise. As she left him to ponder and wonder, the entrance into the Interceptor opened remotely the moment they neared the craft. She then halted, removed the hood of her cloak and turned around to look at Kin.​

"You must have a lot of questions but all will be answered in due time. All you need to know for now is that the moment you step into this craft, your life as you know it is no longer of any concern. As a Force sensitive person, you have potential to be more than you have ever been. The potential to carve your future into the form you so desire. All you have to do, Kin, is kneel before me... and become my Apprentice in the dark side of the Force. Do so and I will teach you to be the assassin you were destined to be."​

 

[Kin]

Wrought with the effects of his outburst, the anger within the kage boy had yet to subside. Something within him had awakened. Golden eyes filled with nothing but untargeted fury stared blankly at his front, pupils opened wide yet seeing nothing. The dark side of the force was a limitless well of power that consumed those that failed to control it, and Kin— who knew next to nothing of the mystery that was the force— was one easily consumed by its promise. His mind began to race with sinister whispers spoken to his ears by a being that did not exist. Dark temptations told by only his innermost desires urged him to take revenge on those that had wronged him, and who was he to refuse? Before his lack of action had been the result of his powerlessness, but now he felt a surge of unlimited power coursing throughout his body as natural as the blood in his veins. It felt good. He was ready to give in.

All of a sudden he was forced back into reality, eyes focusing to the mysterious figure before him who had grabbed him by the chin and forced him to perceive her presence through his blind rage. She was different from anyone else, in a completely separate league from the band of kage warriors that encircled him. He felt it. How? He did not know, but he knew it for a fact. Whatever action he would attempt to free himself, whatever power it was he suddenly felt belonged to him would be nothing more than child’s play to the one who stood before him. He felt her intense gaze study him, seeing through his every intent, his emotions. And finally after a brief moment she would speak, sending a shiver down his spine. Once again he was powerless. All the rage within him had subsided and all that remained was fear. There was no escape.

Once more she would speak, this time directed towards the now cautious Pranda who had nearly been sent flying by the boy’s anger. The exchange had been made, the deal set. A slave he had been, and now a slave he was again. What occurred had taken him by complete surprise, another in the long list that had come on that day alone. A hand outstretched to him and he felt the mechanical shackles behind him come undone by the press of the command switch. Instead of an order what he received was that instead of an invitation to a new world. “I don’t understand?” He said in an instinctive question that he felt would not be answered so immediately. His golden eyes looked first and foremost to his freed wrists and then back to the hand that had reached out for him. In reality he had no choice in the matter, but he felt something guide him and without a second thought he grabbed the invitation with his right hand, standing himself up with her help.

A duffel bag stuffed with supplies would be given to him by Pranda’s men as he stood, a final gift that Kin could only guess as part of the agreement made between the mysterious woman and the group of mercenary kage warriors. Slinging the pack around his shoulder, with that suddenly they were off. The road to their destination was one travelled without so much as a word. Kin, would simply follow the mysterious woman, still waiting for an explanation of what she had meant or why he had been chosen among all the other kage warriors. There was great mystery in it all, but something within him knew it had to do with the power he had unknowingly mustered earlier, for he had felt a greater power within her. Upon arrival on what looked to be the woman’s personal starship she turned to face him, lowering her hood to better reveal her face.

Finally more of her mysterious offer was made known to him. He had been correct in his assumption, though this time, for the first time in his life he would know what that power was. The force. Immediately he was harkened back to the tales his mother would tell him so long ago as a child, tales of his jedi father that he had chosen to forget upon the latter’s broken promise. The force was the instrument of a jedi, or so he had been told, never actually being educated on what it was. “You’re a jedi.” He stated and asked both at once, completely sure he had been correct. That alone had been enough to sway the young kage, but the promise of the power to forge his own destiny made the offer one that needed no thought.

The young man’s body would lower, his left knee making contact with the dirt as he knelt before her. “I will do whatever you desire, please teach me.”

 

[Malsifera]

"A Jedi? Oh, my child. You do not realise how far you are from the truth. No, I am no fool blinded by decorum and supposed higher-than-thou state of mental arts. The Jedi may be bright, but it is exactly that brightness which blinds then for their own shortcomings.", she mused as she dropped the Force Clouding she had upheld. Unravelling the absence; Shadows surrounded her like a fog. "I am a Sith. We dabble in real power. And like all good things, those do not come for free. The power of the Dark Side can give you freedom... but act a fool and it will shackle you to its own corruption."​

She turned to enter her starship and beckoned him to follow her. It was a small vessel, intended for dogfight combat. But hers was mostly fitted to easily slip through scans and blockades alike. Fitted for stealth reconnaissance and infiltration. The droid that had kept guard raised its blaster upon the boy in an act of guardianship, and was commanded to let him be.​

"The Force has many sides, young Apprentice. The Jedi, as you assumed, use the Light Side of it. They believe it is a side befitting benevolence and pacifism. A philosophy that withholds violence in favour of peace. They do not cultivate power; they give it away. Squander it for the good of others. How foolish is the Shepherd whom believes his sheep know which direction to walk."​

She took place in the cockpit, motioned Kin to take the empty seat next to her, and started the engines of her starship. The entrance closed, the droid taking a stance in the back. Then the vessel took off to leave the immediate vicinity of the Kage's current whereabouts. Off towards the mothership of the Empire that had stationed itself in orbit, for the Empire had plans on Gromas.​

"The Sith, such as myself, know better. We are the Shepherds of the future. We are not fooled by the bleating of the mindless sheep. They wish for equality, food, shelter. They can have that. But it is not them who will provide, for sheep do not know how to take care of themselves. It is us, the Sith, who will hold the power. It is us, the Sith, who will guide the sheep. And unfortunately for them, that means some must end up at the slaughterhouse to feed the others."​

The vessel turned to allow Kin a last glimpse of his old home. Just a mere few seconds for him to truly understand what he was now leaving behind.​

"When I sensed you were sensitive, I decided to save you from the sheep. As my Apprentice, you will learn to wield the Force the way the Sith do. You will become powerful. A Shepherd who knows what's good for the people; one who does not squander his power in silly belief sheep can save themselves. No. In fact, you may well be forced to show those Jedi what power truly means, for they would gladly take away what is rightfully yours to keep you meek and frail like the rest of them. And that is not what you desire, hm?"​

Then the planet's colours disappeared and the dark, cold void embraced them as the starship entered space.​

 

[Kin]

Kin had been incorrect in his assumptions that his new master was a Jedi and she had made it a point to so clearly separate the line between her and the order of light side warriors, she had even expressed what seemed to be outright disgust for the Jedi that the young kage had known very little of. The boy would rise from his lowered position, standing as she lowered her force cloak and revealed her true power. Suddenly he was blasted by an intense feeling that chilled him to the core of his body. He had known that she was powerful, even sensed it to some degree upon meeting her eyes back in Pranda’s hideout, but this had been an entirely different level. Only having risen he had almost been forced down by her sheer presence alone.

This was the power of a Sith.

He looked to his hands, the words of his master reminding him of both the times he had used the power within him accidentally, through emotion, just at the edge of corruption. He was reminded of how he had felt both of those times. Filled with rage, yet far too lacking in knowledge of the mysterious force to accept its promise of power and thus be corrupted. But now that would change, from her he would learn to harness the power within him. Like her, he would become a Sith. One who knew how to tap into the dark power and not be overtaken by its nature. One who would be able to forge their own destiny.

She beckoned and he followed.

Inside of the small ship he would be led where a droid would be stood guard. The machine raised its blaster high, aimed directly at the tall kage’s head. By instinct he would immediately crouch out of its line of fire, ready to pounce at the droid and close the distance, but the simple command from the white haired Sith caused it to lower its weapon. They would continue into the ship, passing the droid which Kin would be watchful of in distrust, meeting its eyes… or rather the photoreceptors hardwired where an organic’s eyes would be, until they would enter an area separate from its presence. Droids were not something he had laid his trust so easily in.

Arriving into the cockpit of the interceptor class ship, his new master would begin the lesson she had earlier started. The difference between that of the Sith and the Jedi. A lesson sorely needed by the new apprentice. First she would go into the flawed philosophy of the jedi unknowingly revealing to the boy what the power had been called. The force. The white haired woman sat within the pilot’s chair and offered the boy a seat beside her. He accepted, taking the seat absently as his mind focused, listening to her words. She would pause for a moment, sending the starship into orbit and exiting the planet’s atmosphere. And then the lesson would continue. From her words the Jedi were naive pacifists whilst the Sith would have been those who had chosen to take action, yet still he did not understand her disdain for the Jedi.

One final time he was allowed to look at Gromas, but he had no need for a farewell. Gromas was not his home, merely the prison he had arrived in after he had been taken from Quarzite. The only emotion he had for the planet was one of anger and hatred.

His eyes would move from the dreaded planet to his new master as she had spoken once more. In her words would instill within him a sense of determination and gratitude. He had been offered a path that most were not fortunate to have, and he would not forsake it. He was to become a Sith just as she had said and now— for the first time— he had felt the reality set in, she was to become his master. At last finally she would reveal the reason for what he perceived to be hatred for the Jedi and then he would understand their true nature.

“No... it isn’t, master.”

His eyes would look into the horizon, the empty space that the viewport within the starship now provided, his mind back home on Quarzite. Everything had begun to make sense. The slavery on Quarzite, his father’s false promise, the death of his mother.

“I understand the Jedi now. They seek to keep power for themselves, wishing for a better world, yet refusing to take action to better it.”

He felt anger grasping at him once more, yet this time his mind was clear.

“I will not let the Jedi stop me.”

 

[Malsifera]

"No Jedi will be able to stop you. Not even Death... will be able to stop you once you have mastered the Dark Side"​

Or so she had been told by her Master. Even now, though a Sith worthy of the name, Malsifera still felt like she was miles away from achieving that potential. There was so much more to learn. To understand. Every time she thought to have reached the top of the mountain, another Sith revealed greater challenges still were hidden within the mists of the unknown. So vast were the mysteries of the Force that she often wondered if her kin would ever have the possibility to harness it all. The Human race, passionate and full of potential, did not live as long as the others. Limited was their time within the galaxy. Unless she would find a way to claim the power of immortality somehow. Much like the Sith of old had once done. Or so the legends went.​

As she wandered in her own thoughts, the Sith's flagship doomed up after a brief moment of lightspeed travelling. The construct was enormous, every other Interceptor practically looking like an ant in comparison to the giant bulk. Dozens of starships were entering and leaving at the same time. All of them relating to some business with the planet Gromas. Malsifera's business was done, for now, but she'd soon be send out on another mission. The goals of the Empire stopped at nothing once they were set, and unfortunately for her, being seated in Nar Shadaa was not sufficient to be exempted of inclusion within the schemes of the Triumvir. ​

"Once we have arrived, you will make your way towards the barracks. As my apprentice, you may request your personal quarters and I should find you dressed in an appropriate attire for a Sith Acolyte by next time we meet. It is unfortunate that we can't start your Force training right away during these times, but that will not exempt you from fulfilling my expectations. Once the Triumvirate considers the Empire's business concluded on Gromas, we will make route for Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa where your training will officially start. In the meantime, make yourself acquainted with your new home."​

The starship aligned in preparation to enter the hangar of the flagship as she spoke. Credentials were given, entrance permitted. Not long after, the Interceptor found its room among the countless other crafts. Once the craft had fully landed, a team of troopers and droids arrived to inspect the starship. One of them spoke up.​

"Lady Malsifera, your presence has been requested at the Intelligence Administration.​

"Tell them I'll be on my way. Meanwhile, provide my apprentice with an escort of his own. Make him familiar with the Empire's flagship."​

"Acknowledged."​

"Apprentice, be sure to learn as much as you can. You will, after all, being joining the Saaraishash in time."​

 

[Kin]

His bold statement had been encouraged, though the words of his master were ones he took on a literal sense. He would grow so powerful that not even death itself could stop him had it become his adversary. The concept of avoiding death— using the force to achieve immortality— was something completely absent from the mind of the young assassin. Death did not frighten him. He believed that those who walked the path that led to the demise of others would one day meet the same fate, no, what he feared most was not fulfilling his purpose before meeting his demise. Now he had the means to fill that purpose. He would become one with the dark side of the force and gain power, no matter what it took.

Dropping out of hyperspace, the interceptor was immediately dwarfed by the enormous Sith starship. From then Kin would be instructed on his next actions. There was much still he needed to do, but he would become a member of the empire, a Sith acolyte.

The interceptor would join amongst the flock of starships entering the massive sith flagship, by the time they landed a team of troopers and droids would greet them. With his master still needed in other areas, a droid would be assigned to serve as his escort and show him around.

-Exit-​