A Long Way Out

[Edwin Setyl]

Edwin leaned in his chair. He had set his shuttle to autopilot, he couldn't stop staring at the frozen maalraas. A creature capable of naturally withstanding lightsaber attacks. He wondered why was it no one tried research them. Surely something that could provide protection from lightsabers would cause high demand in the market. Non-force sensitives had indeed been using lightsabers quite a lot more often, despite the drawbacks it has versus vibroswords for plenty of people. So why do people like that bounty hunter use them? Surely vibroweapons would be something better for them, right? These people don't have the mobility to block blaster fire, or the acrobatic skill to use lightsabers. At least not naturally, even so... Against that maalraas pack and that zakkeg, that bounty hunter surely looked like they knew how to use the blade. Edwin hoped he could see them again, perhaps learn a thing or two in combat. It almost caused the acolyte to chuckle. Seeking skill from a bounty hunter? They were known for their rather 'relentless' behavior though.

As Edwin approached the planet, he avoided the patrol crafts and docking station as before. Sure, it was dangerous to simply enter orbit of a planet. And even more to enter a restricted planet, but he had to risk it. This Sith Lord was his ticket to understanding the best way for a Sith to use the force, and more particularly, the lightside. It was a dreary shame Edwin couldn't find someone or something more perfect stuck in such a place as Dromund Kaas. He planned to venture the other parts of the system before, but took this Sith Lord's requests without protest. He didn't want to risk angering the Darth. Edwin decided to land in the more remote places he found the Vine Cats, it was a less than likely place anyone would visit. Much less of a risk unlike the mountain he previously stationed his craft. Setting up his shield generator, he looked towards the frozen maalraas. There was still that he needed to figure out to deal with.

 

[Edwin Setyl]

Edwin sat for a while, pondering. Attempting to scare off any hostile wildlife with little to no choice but to kill them. Aggressive till the end, huh? It reminded the acolyte of the majority of Sith. Always following their passions, perhaps a bit too much for Edwin's liking. There were many exceptions though, It didn't seem to be Lord Vengeance certainly seemed a man who's own ambitions don't exactly mix well with passion at first glance. And Darth Kuul'Ket, someone who converted themselves entirely towards the lightside. Both of them either didn't make their passions apparent or rule their lives, or gave up entirely on passions themselves. Which could be said more for the Darth than anyone else Edwin had ever met.

After a bit of standing and planning. Edwin decided it would be best to meet up with the Sith Lord back at his tomb. Only then, could Edwin lead the Sith towards the frozen maalraas. Considering the location he dropped off on was a familiar one. The route to found the dark temple was equally familiar. Taking no time Edwin found his way back to the Temple's Ground. Archaeologists and Jedi had returned towards the area. It had been a couple of days, it surely would meant their return no matter what.

"Trying to figure a way in, Acolyte?" Edwin heard a voice behind him. He quickly turned, trying to get out his lightsaber, thumbing wildly around his waist. Relief flooded his face as he looked a the vine cat, whose horrid breath was in Edwin's face. He tried to ignore it but it was certainly a revolting smell of dead carcass. He hoped the maalraas wouldn't have the same smell, but doubted it.

 

[Edwin Setyl]

"I thought you would still be in there, my lord," Wouldn't it have made sense to wait in an area Edwin knew as their rendezvous point? Edwin didn't have time to question the horrible planning. The Sith Lord promised to tell Edwin everything he wanted to know about any question he had regarding the force. He stared into the pebbles that was this Sith Lord's eyes. His soon to be old 'host'. It sounded quite parasitic in nature, but Edwin didn't know how else to put it.

"Nonsense, the place smells horribly for my liking. I'm no longer a force ghost, remember? I have this nose now. And a good one out of all things... You can smell the carcasses right from the ground!" Kuul'Ket sounded unusually cheery, unlike the cold, calculated aura he felt from the Sith Lord when he first encountered them. The Acolyte was always told by imperials and sith alike how looks can be deceiving. Quite a common term in the military it seemed. It was strange to Edwin how he never realized that.

"Shall we get towards my ship then? I'm going to need some help with the maalraas," Edwin awaited Kuul'Ket to answer.

The Vine Cat bowed his head. "Lead the way,"

 

[Edwin Setyl]

Edwin was a bit more relaxed as the two Sith strolled through the forest back towards his ship. He felt comfort with the Lord's presence. Thus far, they didn't threatened to kill him. Or attack out of no where. And the force energy Edwin could feel from him. It was certainly that of the light side.

"My Lord," Edwin asked. "You said before you weren't originally of the lightside." Edwin was curious about what his views might've been at the time and why he changed it. Edwin was never one of the darkside before. He had perferred to void passion. But Kuul'Ket had used passion before. Edwin wondered why his views would change after such a long time in the darkside.

The Sith Lord gazed on ahead, not affording to stare at Edwin. "Indeed." The Sith Lord began. "I take it you know the Sith Code? Bah, what am I saying, every Sith does." The Vine Cat paused, as if trying to figure out how best to put their statement to words. "Well, those very passions is what got my master and nearly I killed. Not in some valiant battle as you and many others might think. We were on quite the poisonous planet. Can't remember it's name though. Death's Gate or something like that? Any who, we came to the planet under the impression of finding an easy source of phrik to mine. We were wrong. The gases back then used to be so much more potent, so much more dangerous. We had the impression that we could survive the place by using the darkside to keep us alive. The atmosphere was too taxing. We were forced to go back and my master died after the pain faded since he had no more fuel in the darkside. I was more powerful than him in regards to the force, so I... I lived. But from that day on... I doubted that the darkside was the way to keep the Sith alive."

Edwin took in the information, it was an interesting way to view negatives within the darkside. "You had a master, were you still an apprentice during that time?"

"I was a Knight at the time, it was always up to my master if I was ready, people assumed I killed him and made me a Lord of the Sith." Kuul'ket replied. "You can see acolyte, how blind the Sith can be, how many of them don't try to sit down and ponder things. But it was mainly the council's fault. They were in their own mini wars for power as the galaxy changed around them. Most of them were belligerent fools blinded by greed," Kuul'ket cursed. Kuul'ket seemed much more open about how he put himself in front of Edwin, it must've been due to the fact that he was previously of the darkside, although it was something Edwin doubted for a reason. He didn't feel like asking him yet, that his such simple question had wounded the old Lord enough. The two of them continued in silence through the forest.

 

[Edwin Setyl]

There was an eerily silence as the two traversed the swamps. Edwin couldn't stop thinking about how bad it was when Darth Kuul'ket doubted the darkside. Edwin's reasoning was so much more subtle. It seemed like such a harsh way for someone to have to learn something. But were they even that close? It kind of sounded like it from what Darth Kuul'Ket had said.

The two pushed through the marsh, Edwin's footsteps swamped themselves through the ground. The Sith Lord wasn't having as much trouble, considering he was inside an animal species born for this kind of climate. When they got to the ship, there was a pack of vine cats prowling around it. It was their territory after all. Kuul'ket moved off a bit farther ahead to have a look at it. Edwin didn't know what the Sith Lord was planning on doing, but decided not to question it himself. He watched the Sith Lord stand in the middle of the Vine Cats. They didn't growl, so it was obvious they assumed it was one of their own. Kuul'ket stood there, Edwin could feel the concentration and power of the force within the Darth. Suddenly, the Vine Cats started to disperse, heading back into the trees and foliage around.

Edwin waited a while, with the Sith finally giving it the all clear. Edwin came out, amazed at the power the Sith showed. "Just what did you do?"

"Beast trick," Kuul'ket responded. "A seperate force ability from mind trick that can manipulate the mind of creatures." The Darth then prowled towards the shuttle. "Shall we get out the maalraas then?"

With a nod, Edwin hurriedly got towards his ship, entering it as to open the backdrop. Pressing a few buttons in his cockpit, he heard it creak open. Watching it as went down.

 

[Edwin Setyl]

As the hatch finally finished lowering itself. Edwin stared back from his cockpit, having to turn his body to see what Kuul'Ket was going to do about the frozen Maalraas. Edwin was sure the force could be used to dethaw it, he just didn't want it to dethaw on his ship. The Darth seemed to acknowledge this, using the force to gently bring the Maalraas out on the open marsh. Although they were no where near murky water now, the chirping of insects could still be heard, resonating all around them.

Kuul'Ket was doing something to maalraas. Edwin saw how it was glowing red now, hearing the cooling and the growling of the maalraas all out once. The creature seemed to be in an exhausted state. It's eyes were squinted, no doubt it was from the carbonite sickness. Kuul'Ket slowly approached the Maalraas, the Dxun beast seemed to have noticed, growling and pounching on Kuul'Ket. Edwin simply stared at the fight raging on until the vine cat lay dead, before the maalraas's feet. It's head swiveled towards Edwin. It caused him to take a step back, feeling for his lightsaber.

"Relax," The Maalraas had said. "I have control of it."

Edwin gave a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he were furious. "My Lord, why must the transfer have to go through such an odd way?"

Kuul'Ket prowled towards Edwin. "I had wished to get rid of the Vine Cat once I was through with it, it would've contained 'traces' of me, and I didn't wish for that."

Edwin looked on in confusion. "Traces? What do you mean by that, my lord?"

Kuul'Ket now had boarded the ship's ramp, into the storage compartment. "Part of my essence, part of my control, I didn't wish for that," Kuul'Ket had leaped onto one of the seats in Edwin's shuttle. "And please, if among others, please address me a more animalistic name... something like, Hragnis?"

Edwin nodded, "Okay... Hragnis." The Maalraas chuckled in a disturbing way, Edwin responded in an awkward tone.

"Now, set your coordinates toward Dromund Fels, I have some things there I'd like to investigate."

Edwin nodded, twisted back his body, feeling the painful sores of keeping it in one awkward place for too long. He punched in a series of coordinates, activating the ships engine as the two of them flew into space, finally off Dromund Kaas.

 

[Edwin Setyl]

The flight should've been tolerable. Of course it wasn't tolerable. There was a hulking maalraas sniffing everything it could get it's hands on after all. Why would anyone, especially a humanoid, at least that's what Edwin expected, actually use their noise to smell unfamiliar surroundings. The acolyte frowned, he hoped it wasn't because they stuck in a maalraas body and somehow are picking up it's instincts. Maalraas were certainly more intelligent compared to Vine Cats by a long shot. So could it be Kuul'Ket's willpower just wasn't strong enough to take control? The maalraas noticed Edwin staring at him bowing his head, seemed the Sith Lord did have power of him after.

"Pardon me acolyte, I just haven't seen such technology before, it no doubt dwarfs even the most advance starfighters in technology," It was nice that Kuul'Ket was complimenting his ship, but...

"Why were you sniffing my ship?" He couldn't stop thinking about such an inxeno thing to do. He just had to ask what would cross someone's mind to sniff something?

Kuul'Ket seemed to take it to offense. "Seemed you still don't truly understand, huh acolyte?" The Sith Lord's beady eyes shifted to stare out into the empty space beyond them. "When you have capabilities so further enhanced that you never used before, wouldn't you use them?"

Edwin couldn't really disagree with that logic, he would certainly use powers that could guarantee better comfort, but not towards the extent he wouldn't appear a sephi anymore. "Well, I would use capabilities like that, but not towards the own extent where I'm no longer myself," Edwin looked towards Kuul'Ket, expecting a remark. Instead, he received an understanding bow. Which perplexed the acolyte. Why would the SIth Lord who's seen more, who knows more, and who experiments more with all aspects of life any even unlife simply 'agree' with Edwin? The answer wouldn't come until Dromund Fels came to view.

"I'm glad to see you're learning acolyte, truly understanding why we, as Sith, stick to the lightside. We're not here do find power where it no longer makes us, as you put it 'ourselves any more'. Yes, people change, but most sane people don't go to the extent of monstrosity. Even the most simplistic of things can make you a monster even if you're power is puppeted. We as people view things as we want to. I want you to understand acolyte, to keep the views you want, but to be open to others and their thoughts. You strike me as a dismisser, don't be that. No matter how annoyed you might be with the Sith; I'm sure you'll find friends or allies within it."

Edwin stared at the Sith Lord in wonder. He was truly a wise Sith, then again, Edwin never really had dead talks with other Sith. The majority of them just kept reciting the Sith code whenever they tried teaching Edwin something. They tried shackling him. Kuul'Ket didn't do that. He tried helping Edwin learn a greater deal with his words and even with the words of others. The two Sith continued talking about views until the ship finally landed on the planet Dromund Fels. There wasn't as much security, which was to be expected. Despite being a habitable planet, it wouldn't be suitable for cities or even stations. It was left better off with minimum patrols than anything else. Edwin just hoped it was just simply space patrols and nothing more.

 

[Edwin Setyl]

As the doors to the shuttle opened, Edwin and Kuul'Ket stepped out into the arid region. The heat felt nice to the feet, better than Tatooine. Even so, the temperature wasn't exactly fruitful to a Sith Acolyte considering he was wearing pilot's clothing. It probably was equally annoying for the Sith Lord considering he was possessing a body designed for humid environments. Even so, as Edwin looked towards his direction, he saw in surprise how the maalraas didn't even appear to be remotely affected by the climate. "How come you're not sweating you're neck off, already?" Edwin said in annoyance, he couldn't understand how someone could tolerate the environment so much versus him. Especially when they were in a less adapted body.

"The force, acolyte." Kuul'Ket proclaimed.

Edwin grumbled, seemed his master enjoyed the force more than sabers after all. Edwin followed Kuul'Ket as he led the way, the two past numerous old digging sites and tombs. Edwin was unsure where Kuul'Ket was bringing them, but at the same time, he felt he would eventually get the answer. Not only that, but he felt the Sith Lord would probably refrain from answering the question to the fullest.

Edwin finally wasn't able to resist the heat, taking off his helmet to reveal a sweaty yellow eyed boy. He was wiping sweat off as it procured everywhere around his face. Particularly underneath his neck, making it irritably sticky. He continued to observe as they continued to trek along. He wasn't able to hold his curiousity any longer. "Where, are we exactly going?"

"To retrieve my belongings, acolyte. In case I was a force ghost, they didn't want me to awaken with the potential of killing them. The paranoid fools," The Sith Lord spouted irritably. Edwin couldn't imagine how life might've been back all those years ago, it was most likely different from the galaxy he had come to known. "Ah," The Sith Lord stopped at a rather small entrance underground. "Here was are,"

 

[Edwin Setyl]

Kuul'Ket had his equipment in there? It seemed rather... small for a Dark Council Member. Edwin thought Kuul'Ket would've been treated with more honor than this. Seemed even then the Sith only truly looked after themselves. Kuul'Ket noticed how Edwin just stood looking at the small ruins of his secondary tomb in comparison with the rest of the tombs here.

"Believe me when I say it. Sure the Dark Council feared me, sure many people hated me. It was customary for Dark Council members get satisfactory chairs in the Empire. But let me tell you this. We were under the control of the Eternal Empire, they were suspicious of our ways and didn't allow us to make proper burials." Kuul'Ket seemed to frown. "But you're not far from the truth, they hid me and my teachings, to make sure no one with an open mind would find me." "But you, you were already attuned to the lightside, It was quite simply then to be able to get you to find me,"

That kind of logic perplexed Edwin. Why could he only call upon those of the lightside? What did his fellow Sith do to him to stop him from calling anyone else? And why did none of the Jedi ever hear Kuul'Ket's call? He could restrain himself. "So why did none of the jedi come to your call?"

Kuul'Ket looked out to the sky, as if he was trying to find Dromund Kaas. "They chose not to. They believed I was probably luring them towards the darkside, which is what many of the decease their tend to do." With a final look, the Sith went inside the tomb without further notice. Unsure to follow, Edwin simply stood there until the Sith Lord called to him. Acknowledging his access, Edwin shortly followed down into the bowls of Kuul'Ket's armory.

 

[Edwin Setyl]

The was hardly in tact in comparison with the rest of the ruins. Edwin felt that whatever he might touched would crumble away, here and now. Edwin was unsure if there might be traps hand or darkside made. Even so, he had to be careful. Even the Sith Lord seemed to be watching where he stepped. Edwin wondered what the Sith Lord might've wanted in his own crypt. It could likely be a lightsaber. The best friend of any force user, regardless. It was indeed rare to find people in the galaxy who didn't use lightsabers otherwise. Edwin didn't know how Kuul'Ket would use his lightsabers, though.

The place did seem beautiful for a crypt, though. There were faint blue lights of the force resonating around the sandy underground tomb. Small animals seemed to thrive here, every waking corning, there was some sort of action happening within the environment. Even for something bad kept, seemed it was turned into something quite stylistic. It was a very long journey to the tomb. One couldn't even really call it a journey. The blues lights seemed to have been coming off the strongest around the tomb, which was dead center across the entire underground area. Edwin felt pulled to it. The same pull he had felt went Kuul'Ket called to him. Edwin wanted to touch the tomb, feel it. His hands slowly began to reach for it. Suddenly, a maalraas blocked his way.

"Careful, Acolyte. The tomb has more traps then practically everything else in this tomb." And as if to show Edwin, Kuul'Ket lifted up a nearby rock, allowing it to fly into the tomb. Suddenly, black energies swirled around the rock, until is shattered into millions of pieces. Edwin had to shield his eyes. He had forgotten to put his helmet back on. As he opened them, he found cuts around his face and neck from the pulverized rock. Kuul'Ket himself was unharmed, a sort of force barrier protected him. The barrier disappeared as Kuul'Ket motioned towards the burial. He appeared to study it. "They used the darkside, no one will be able to open. Especially me it seems. Therefore, I'll be unable to open it." Kuul'Ket seemed to have given up, his eyes were stuck on the tomb. "Acolyte," He called. "I may have a solution to getting my belongings, but it requires a couple of errands. Are you willing to get your hands dirty with some alchemy?"

Edwin didn't really know, but if it will further his goal... "I will," He announced without much hesitation. The maalraas curled a smile.

"Glad to hear it, but it won't be the usual Sith alchemy." Kuul'Ket began to use the force, it was affecting Edwin's vision as he began to see images through the force. A red-black triangular shape object glowed with blue energies. What looked to be... kolto? And then there was what appeared to be a rather large tree from... Kashyyyk? "These materials is what we'll require. Once they're all gathered, we must return here. I will accompany you, Acolyte."

"What about the process with the ritual?" Edwin said axiously.

"Patience, Acolyte, I will guide you through the ritual once the we return," The Sith Lord was so calm about everything, so patient. He certainly took his teachings to heart even if remnants of emotion still remained in them. With the instructions given, the two began leaving the tomb, as they headed through the hot arid region back towards their ship. Edwin already at least knew two of the three objects locations. Why kolto would be needed though, Edwin didn't know. At least he still had a good idea for what he hoped would be the easiest. Kashyyyk. He hoped the locals there were friendly enough, but he had his doubts.