Private A Monument To All Your Sins

[Amani Serys]

Etti IV
Mondder outskirts
Nightfall

No rest for the weary.

That’s what Amani kept telling herself, anyway. Accepting that mantra as a fact of life makes the endless workload she burdens herself with easier to reconcile. Kept her from fighting with the “why” of it all.

For the last few weeks she’d been building up the courage to head further into the Galactic Northeast; To old Sith Imperial territory. The corporate hub of Etti IV sat along more than a few major trade routes, making it a key market in the Outer Rim. What better place to get everything she needed? Until now though, she had yet to make the journey. The old Empire was home to nothing but bad memories.

But supplies were limited. And when most of one’s equally limited income was devoted to buying those supplies, personal preference often had to be thrown to the wayside in favor of convenience and efficiency. On the same note,

Another night in the ship, then. Amani sighed, counting her credits. As if she didn’t already know the answer; She was already walking to the city outskirts when she checked. Even the fee to dock in the city proper was too luxurious right now, and so it was back to the flat stretch of land beyond civilization where she had chosen to park. There were worse places to sleep, she supposed. But at this point she’d take a crummy hotel room if just for a change of scenery.

Amani stopped under a street light just in front of her ship, dropping the load of supplies she’d hauled all this way on her back. Amani was confident that if she tried to march up that ramp right now, cargo in tow, she’d fold over on herself about halfway up. So instead she leaned against the pole and observed the silence. At this time of night few sources of light still shone; her lonely lamppost, the ever-present glow of the city and now, faint crackles of blue that rolled off a looming storm. Dark clouds crawled towards the skyline, far from her now and for some time, but at least it gave the expanse some character.

“No rest for the weary.” She told herself, arching back and popping more than a few cricks in her spine as she did. Maybe the weary could earn just a few moments of rest.

This was the norm now.

This was life.

And life had a funny way of pulling the rug out from under you when you least expect it.

Skorne​

 

[Tarish Galland]

Etti IV
Mondder outskirts
Nightfall

H

The old sith stomping grounds were harder to peruse with the fall of the empire and shift into what it was now. Few truly felt the need to cower beneath the mere presence of someone that channeled the ill side of the force with the near constant barrage of attacks from the groups that proclaimed themselves saviors and enforcers of peace and justice.

Lofty ideals that did not hold long when what everyone proclaimed as evil fell to the wayside.

The light and the dark were merely two sides of the same coin. One held in the palm of the galaxy. One could simply not exist without the other, and those that thought as much were beguiled fools with poor understanding of just how the systems fed off one another to survive.

One could have peace without the existence of some kind of nefarious evil to compare themselves to. And evil could not dwell in complete solitude of itself. A precarious balance that could never truly be achieved.

Just as the shore felt the push and pull of the tides beneath its moon, so to did the galaxy with its definition of good and evil.

His footsteps were loud, bearing him closer to the outskirts where he had left his ship for the time being. It had been a small trip to finish up personal business. A few credits to pull back, a few heads needing sorting out, and an understanding that while they were pushed out of the system for the time being; They would ultimately return.

Skorne had little else to do for the day, rubbing his jaw from a solid hit that a local owner had landed in the midst of a scuffle before he spied a lone body beneath a pole light.

Frowning, his aim was to avoid the being for the moment. It would do him little favor to be noticed leaving, save for someone reporting his presence on the outskirts before taking off for safer skies. There was an annoying sensation of familiarity about that presence though.

Something that demanded he pay attention as he passed, still rubbing his jaw and covering the glowering mark across his cheek as his discolored eyes scanned her for the sake of his own curiosity. The confident stance shifted to uncertainty as he gazed, mouth closing as he stopped barely in the light and turned to face the being completely.

His face was cast in shadows. Sharp against his features as his eyes held her. A long gone face of someone that should have been long gone appearing in front of her briefly. The eyes were different, but his expression softened to something she had seen before in that breath he held gazing at her.

It couldn't be. Not in a million light-years.

"Ama-no, can't be." His gruff voice nearly choked on the name. The familiarity bit at him now. A burning across his body at a memory that had brought him to this end. The brief stop turned into quickened steps away.

There was little that Skorne was truly afraid of. He had already died once. What was another death in the grand scope of things? He was already on borrowed time. Already had sand lodged on the bottleneck of his hourglass.

This was not fear he was attempting to run from. Fear had a place near and dear to the chambers that made up his hearts. Fear was a thing he instilled by his presence.

He was running from the past.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

It’s surprising how easy it is to get caught up in nothing at all. Amani stared vacantly at distant storm clouds, her mind somewhere else entirely. She was only broken out of her trance by the sound of a voice.

"Ama-no, can't be."

In her immediate reaction, recognition was overshadowed by startlement. Amani whipped herself upright and faced the source of the sound head on; A shadowed figure, stood just at the edge of the pale yellow circle cast by the light. “Jeez, you scared me,” She chuckled nervously, trying to defuse any tension though still remaining on guard.

But the man was already taking his leave, and that would have been the end of it had she not caught a glimpse of his features. The subliminal hints of familiarity coalesced into recollection, and once the suddenness of the moment passed, she felt her stomach drop.

Amani didn’t dare give her wildest thoughts the validity of spoken words, but they compelled her to act all the same. “H-hey,” she stepped out of the light to catch the leaving figure, “Hey, wait! Excuse me-“ Reason was abandoned for anxious curiosity, and she tried to grab at the man’s arm and pull him around towards her.

She needed to see his face.

Skorne​

 

[Tarish Galland]

The past always found a way to come hurdling back he guessed. Past deeds. Past glories and shames alike. Even if your name was never spoken again, there was always someone that remembered in some small way.

The hand at his jaw dropped, intended to reach his pocket as he heard her voice behind him. His mind raced at the sound. Startled surprise in it doing nothing to alleviate the tension that rode him.

What was he to say? What was he to do? He didn't get to think on it as she snagged his arm and spun him round. Even in the dark, the glowing mark across his cheek shone dull in the night. Orange and crimson, the setting sun emblazoned across the left side of his face and stopping short of the amber and tangerine of his eyes.

The time to run had passed as he stood face to face with her, the typical grin he had once worn as Tarish appearing briefly as he looked at her.

Never had he thought to run in to Amani once more. Ura had been a surprise, but then again it shouldn't have been given the encounter the Levron and he had been a part of. He had retreated after their meeting, needing the time to retreat back to what he believed was the safety of anger and ill feelings.

He doubted he would have such luck in this encounter. Standing straight, his hands snaked into his pockets as he tilted his head sighed.

"Long time, Amani." There wasn't any use in running. Not when the past chased you down. "How have you been?"

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

“T-t-“

Intrusive thoughts. Nightmares. Even the occasional double take at a familiar-looking stranger in a crowd. She’d run the gauntlet by now. Her greatest failure haunted her like a shadow ever since that day. Complex hallucination, though, that was new. Maybe she really had gone off the deep end.

Amani’s heart quickened to a dangerous pace as shock took hold. She stumbled, tripping over the bag she had set down and falling back into the light.

“You’re dead.” She stated incredulously, looking up at a person she believed was long since gone. Her thought process was little more than a futile attempt to rationalize that which stood before her.

Deep down, she knew it wasn’t just a trick of the mind.

Skorne​

 

[Tarish Galland]

She stuttered on his name. His old name. Understandably so given the last time they had seen one another. That was something he could never forget, even in his second life. The power plant had likely been a sight to see when it exploded.

Given she was standing before him, and what side of the good versus evil line he stood on, it seemed that the Silvers hadn't taken their outrage for her foolhardy plan to heart. Or at least hadn't done more than kick her out anyway.

She stumbled, signs of anxiety and more plain upon her face as he stared, unblinking with sorrow and regret. Old habits kicked in. Memories and quirks long thought pushed away came back with alarming ease.

He knelt, not moving closer to her but keeping his mouth shut while he smirked and tilted his head side to side.

"Eh, got bored of it. Conversations weren't really that exciting. Everyone's a bit of downer on that side. Oh woe is me, oooooooooo I'm a dead person now. Not really my thing." His hands motioned as though he were a ghost, mimicking as he spoke in mocking of those past. His hands settled, eyes focusing on her once more.

"Even being eternal slumber and all, I still feel like I could use a nap, but-" He shrugged before continuing. "Thought I'd stretch the old legs, catch a few brains. See what's new...you?"

His dismissive and casual tone was likely to not help, but it felt right.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

To say that Amani was bewildered by the sudden experience would be an understatement. And his apparent nonchalance toward the situation had Amani half-convinced she was actually going insane. Her unwavering gaze remained affixed to Tarish as he knelt down, her trembling lips unable to form words as he spoke. A notable pause hung in the air between them following his question, until she finally rediscovered coherent thought.

“You’re dead.” Amani repeated, “You died. I SAW you die!” Grief and frustration, confusion and disbelief, all melted into one hysterical outburst. Then it died down as quickly as it came. There was another pause. Was she supposed to be angry? Sad? Happy? She couldn’t even tell the difference between them all anymore.

“I killed you.” she croaked, tears brimming in her eyes at the mention.

Skorne​

 

[Tarish Galland]

His eyes only wavered to blink from her gaze. His attention fixed solely on her as the pause seemed to stretch for an eternity. His words hadn't shook her from the stupor she found herself in. Might have even made it worse as she reiterated her words.

Then sharply added to them.

He sighed, scratching his head before standing and moving into the light. He was dressed casually, nothing flashy or denoting his sith alignment as he stood over her with a growing frown.

"I did die, yes." He nodded to those words, clearing his throat before moving on. "Alive now. And as for you killing me-"

He cut himself off, leaning down to give her a quick rap of his knuckles on the top of her head. Nothing more than a gesture to punctuate his words, but enough to maybe cause an ache.

"You didn't, and couldn't kill me on a good day. I consumed myself, for a purpose, to help you. To complete your goal." He snapped while leaning down, putting his hands on his knees and locking his eyes to hers. "An exchange that I didn't give you an option out of. You. Did. Not. Kill. Me."

He repeated his point, offering a hand to help her up. "Besides."

He tilted his head to present the glowing scar on the left side of his face. He was still attempting humor, even if it hadn't worked out the first few times. Emotions were still not one of his greatest strengths to work with. "Got a cool scar out of it."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani flinched at the knuckles against her head, the sensation enough to knock her out of her stupor, “It never would have happened if I didn’t go on that stupid mission.” She muttered, just audible enough to hear. At this point it was hard for her to see the bright side of the outcome, given everything that had happened. And no matter how much he said it, she still couldn’t fully clear herself of blame.

He reached out, and her eyes locked on to the proffered hand for a few long seconds, until at last she accepted it. Now stood closer, the light offered a clearer look at him, and the familiarity was unmistakable. She studied his face down to minute details, as if prying for the fluke that would give him away as a pretender. But other than the obvious scar, she could make no such revelation.

“I…” Amani swallowed, trying to find something else to say, but instead closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around him in a vice grip of a hug. Tears, now of relief, flowed freely as traumas past began to slough off. He was back.

Skorne​

 

[Tarish Galland]

The knuckles had done their job, though he had almost forgot just how stubborn that this particular person could be. There was a soft frown at the words, but not an admonishing one. Even being on the other side of the galactic line of good and evil, he couldn't stop from feeling happy at seeing her once more.

Even if he believed the moment couldn't last.

The offered hand was taken, her eyes scanning his face as he offered each side for her to examine with intent and care. A word formed before it fell away in their hug. One he reciprocated as he hugged her just as tightly and chuckled to himself.

There was a part that didn't want to let go, but another part that knew better. That knew this couldn't last. At least not as it was, as it had been. They'd have a lot to talk about, at least if what they were was to continue to be in whatever form it could take now.

"Of all the places to go, you kicked up dust here. What brings you to former sith space?" He finally asked, leaning back and examining her a bit better.

 

[Amani Serys]

Skorne​

Amani choked a laugh, “Me?! Who cares what I’m doing? You’re… alive!” She finally stepped back, drying the streaks of tears against her sleeve. Honestly, this man came back from death itself but was still more interested in talking about what she was up to. Still she relented, clearing her throat before she answered, “Same thing that brings me anywhere these days. Supply run. Mondder gets loads of shipments galaxy-wide, so, figured it was a good spot to get a bit of everything.” She hadn’t been wrong, her pack was practically stuffed to the brim.

As the elation of the moment began to pass, Amani relaxed into a softer tone, and returned the focus to him, “…What happened to you?” She lifted a palm toward the scar on his cheek, not quite touching it, but studying the mark as she asked. Coming back from the dead was not exactly a simple feat.

 

[Tarish Galland]

Amani Serys​

The choked laugh and her words brought a small, albeit hardy laugh to him. While she wiped her face he decided to interject.

"I mean....me?" He wasn't lying. He'd given everything in the hopes of her goal being achieved. Had believed in her when others failed to. All of which he would still gladly do, even now as he stood before her.

Which was a concerning thought given everything he was now.

"You switched careers?" He asked before her own question throttled further queries. The hand she extended was sharply watched, uncertainty more than anything ruling his sudden onset of nerves. His mind raced at explaining, at least without alarming her.

Then again, how did one explain returning from the dead without raising some alarm?

"Ah...hah. Yeah. So. Hmm. When I was taken back to Atoa, apparently there were some...shady characters that convinced my mother to uh...bring me back." He danced around any direct words, not yet wanting to admit to what was likely plain to most. The illusion of his old life was something he would maintain as long as possible.

If only for her.

 

[Amani Serys]

Skorne
​

Amani zoned out of their other topics once her focus caught onto his scar, leaving Tarish’s inquiry unanswered for the moment.

“Your mom can just… do that?” She wanted to explore the concept further, and yet part of her didn’t want to push him, especially given his less than direct answer. What he was skirting around Amani wasn’t sure, and in a way she was afraid of finding out. Like if she learned everything, she’d wake up from the dream. So the question remained rhetorical, and Amani gave Tarish a breather from further interrogation, returning to his own question.

“‘Switched careers’ is one way to put it. I uhhh… got the job done,” Amani affirmed her statement with a nod and a flat, insincere smile. It was only just occurring to her how enthusiastic she was to talk about everything that happened since they last met, “But coming back was… hard. I lost my force connection, and after everything else that happened, I just... I couldn’t cope.”

The more she spoke, the more Amani seemed to close in on herself, her arms folded together and practically squeezing herself. Her gaze became more distant as she recalled the difficulties that plagued her final days with the Jedi, “I tried to rebuild. I really, really tried. But nothing seemed to work. I needed to get away from it all,” She sniffled, looking back at Tarish once again, “So I left.”

 

[Tarish Galland]

His tongue rolled over his teeth visibly, surprised that nothing had been mentioned of his family.

"She...was, a big deal on Atoa. Don't know now though. Likely not. Hard to say. Atoa is pretty...reserved." he remarked quietly, remembering that at one time his mother might have been able to stir all of Atoa in rebellion had she the opportunity, or willingness to do so. But that time had likely come and gone, just as the Disciples of Typhojem had done. The possibly former high priestess might have regretted her actions after the fact, but the damage had been done and the users had escaped.

Having secured of a valuable resource, they hadn't stuck around deep inside Silver territory to gloat.

His frown only grew at each revelation. Something he had been made to deal with in his own way upon returning to the world of the living. Old connections that were still fresh in his mind, severed for both parties sake. The light burned, and even the mere presence of it was enough to irritate him. The realization of her seclusion after everything had him mentally stumbling.

Regardless of success, she would have had to deal with the fallout of his death. And anything else she had done to secure herself for her ploy. She hugged herself, trying to cut everything off as she sniffled and looked to him. It was difficult to not cut and run from everything now to help her. To finish, or at least help with the unintended damage he had caused. Something that was immensely difficult to refrain from.

"Sometimes the best way to center yourself, is to start over." He murmured, offering her a hug without drawing her in. The want was there, the protectiveness was still there, but the bravado might have dwindled just a fraction in his return. A cold truth burned in his eyes at the words. He was almost thankful she couldn't feel his dark side presence, one rife with the tainted dark side energy that held a hint of death to it.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Skorne​

"Sometimes the best way to center yourself, is to start over."

That's more or less what she told herself. The decision was always going to be a double-edged sword, “It’s not all bad. I finally got to set out on my own, do something that I chose to do. But it hurt to leave everything behind. Even with how much things had changed when I came back, I still miss it.” Or more specifically, she missed what it had been. Friends and memories that seemed so distant now. It was in part why she was so obsessed with focusing on her work now. Too much time dwelling on what she didn’t have anymore only caused heartache.

Amani hugged him again, more limply this time. She was exhausted, and directionless. For every new thing that brought fulfillment there was another thing she wished had gone differently. There was that hope that it would all pay off in time, but the short term gratifications she had received thus far were just that: Short term. And then it was on to something else; Another problem to solve, another place to leave behind. She let the silence hang, taking in the peacefulness the moment had granted. Still her curiosity lingered on him, and eventually she built up the courage to pry again,

“…What do you mean by ‘shady characters’?”

 

[Tarish Galland]

Amani Serys​

"I can understand that." There was a sadness that lingered on the words. A forced smile that didn't reach his eyes as she took the offered hug.

The small smile he gave her at the words was fleeting. The hug hiding the growing frown at the knowledge he would have to come clean eventually in their meeting. Acknowledgement that in the end, this to would be something he would likely have to suffer the keen sharp cut of loss.

The question brought with it recognition of the end. The final straw to the manufactured peace of the moment. She was disconnected from the force, and it was plain that understanding had slipped by her briefly. She would feel him tense, pulling away from the hug and holding her at arms length before giving a heavy sigh.

His eyes and scar flared with the force. Both shining brightly in ugly crimson as he centered himself for the hurt that was already accumulating in his core.

"My mother wouldn't have agreed to what was done had she been in her right mind. She was influenced by outsiders. Manipulated in her grief, she allowed...." The words still cut at the memories of his mothers face upon realizing her error. When the influence broke and shame, laced with regret and pain had shaped her features staring at him.

"I was brought back through dark magic...by the sith magics." He answered honestly, looking to her with cold but steadfast truth.

"I'm no longer a Silver, Amani."

 

[Amani Serys]

Skorne
​

Even before Tarish spoke, the bubbling tension was tangible as he pulled away. Whatever she had to be concerned about still seemed uncertain, or at least, she refused to follow the train of thought that would lead her to it. Still, liminal fears made her stomach churn and hands clammy.

Each syllable felt like it passed in slow motion, lingering in suspense until the truth behind his return was made clear. Amani took a step back out of instinct. “W-what-” She shook her head as if it could be denied. Like maybe she just misheard. Like maybe it was just a joke in poor taste.

“B-but, you’re still you! It doesn’t matter what brought you back! You still are, aren’t you?!” Amani fought to rationalize it. She had come back from the brink, she had to believe this could be no different, “Tarish, we can just… leave. All of this…”

 

[Tarish Galland]

Amani Serys​

Her step back was expected. He'd played that out in his mind even before they had reached this moment. Had wondered just how Amani would react to meeting him after he had returned to the living without fail whenever his mind didn't have a distraction to remove the thought.

Had pondered what it meant to be alive again in his quiet moments alone with nothing but himself.

Her astonishment at the realization was not unfounded. Her denial of what made him now no different than what was expected. All had been rhetorical arguments with himself through the time between then and now. Plans upon plans of what to do and say worked through with exhaustive effort to make it right for her at least.

And all of those plans washed away from the simple act of seeing her again.

He stumbled at the thought of just leaving everything. He had little tying him to anyone. A singular bond that might have conflict to develop if done improperly. But the idea of simply leaving everything behind was tantalizing. Enough to make him consider it thoroughly anyway.

"I...don't know, Amani. I don't know the full extent of what was done to bring me back." His eyes fell to his hands, grim at the thought of what might be lurking within his own mind at everything. He did known what it had taken to bring him back, but that was not a topic of discussion he wanted to delve into.

"I remember everything, all of you. Everything I had accomplished and failed. I know they messed with my mind. Skewed old beliefs, as I see the Silvers as little better than the sith anymore." He admitted with a solemn weight of conviction.

"Their inaction prompted you to act on their behalf. And look at what has come of it. Did no one support you when you came back? Did they not welcome you back after singlehandedly bringing a master back from the sith?" His eyes blinked, moving from his hands to her with sharp interest.

"Or did they look at you as though you were a monster for what you did? As though they hadn't prepared you to do such a thing in their stead?"

 

[Amani Serys]

Skorne
​

“I-” The defense caught in Amani’s throat. Her return had been a rollercoaster of emotions. Centin and her had fallen out entirely. And while Farrina and Acaadi did their best to help, in the end she still couldn’t bring herself to stick around. Half of her felt like she had been abandoned after everything she had done, and the other half felt like she deserved it.

“This isn’t about them anymore.” Her voice warbled under increasing nervousness, “I don’t care if you’re a Silver or not. Just...” Amani refused to believe he could become something worse. She forced out the question she was afraid to ask, “...please tell me you’re not one of them.”

 

[Tarish Galland]

Amani Serys​

She tripped on the thought of the past, an obvious target that he felt guilty for using against her. It was cruel of him to strike at her like that, but anger simmered in quick succession pondering how they might have perceived and treated her after such an accomplishment. The sith did indeed do terrible things across the entirety of the galaxy.

But at least they were honest in their cruelty.

Her deflection led into a question. The final nail in the coffin for the matter as he subdued his presence on the force. His eyes and scar slowly dimming in the darkness of the shadow that reached across his features.

"The sith do not exist anymore." He hedged, trying to dodge the question. It wasn't a lie. The Sith Empire had broke beneath the constancy of incursions. And he was adrift in the tide of chaos that followed, questioning his singular dim star in the spread of the entire galaxy.

But what exactly was he?

Nothing had solidified his position in the Empire. He was leary of retreating to the final bastion of the Sith less they to were assailed by the powers that be. He was not a being capable of standing in the light any more. His resolve of the past shattered against the beliefs that clouded everything he saw now.