Private A Rude Awakening

[Darth Strosius]

Epiphany Station sat along the edge of the Mid-Rim, mainly considered to still be in the Outer Rim but with just enough proximity to gain the attention of Mid-Rim locals as their closest source of black market and smuggled goods. It was a haven for criminals that frequented the Outer Rim, the perfect place to peddle their goods to those slightly more civilized and organized counterparts that lie in the Mid-Rim. it had once been a mining station but now served as a auction house and smuggler den that was largely free of influence from Hutts or other cartels which typically dominated such markets, making it the prime destination for many.

And a prime target to be destroyed.

Darth Strosius and his Order of Wonosa had set their sights on Epiphany for quite some time, monitoring its traffic and the flow of goods coming in. Usually they would only be keeping an eye on such things in order to raid slaver operations but such trades didn't seem to occur on Epiphany, at least not too often. Instead they were monitoring for the sale of Sith relics and artifacts. Given its position it was the prime area for black market dealers and thieves to sell Sith objects to rich patrons that wanted to expand their personal museums.

A disgusting practice, but one that he intended to take advantage of. When he had heard of a new auction taking place for a Sith Oubliette, and an occupied one at that, as well as a few other Sith relics that had been plundered from an ancient Sith tomb he finally put his plans into motion. With their typical zealous fury, the Legion of Kerstas and their Starfighter counterparts assaulted the station with a surprise attack right as the auction began. The defenders and guests were caught off-guard by both the attack itself and the sheer brutality as the cultists and their masked leader executed every inhabitant that they came across, sparing not a guard nor an auctioneer.

Soon enough Darth Strosius stood in the center of the auction house, tossing aside the body of the Toydarian host who had been begging for mercy just seconds before. His hidden gaze wandered over the urns and other minor artifacts on display before it landed on the main center of attention. The Oubliette. As his Legionnaires patrolled the auction house and put down the last of the sniveling black marketeers, the Sith Lord raised his hand and willed the Oubliette to open. "Awaken, ancient one. The Sith call upon you once more."

Raxus Thul

 

[Raxus Thul]

The last thing Raxus remembers is his master's family sealing him in an Oubliette, to be awoken if they found themselves in need of his services again. He hadn't put much thought into it at the time, as slaves weren't allowed to think, only do the will of their master. Little did Raxus know, being sealed in that Oubliette would be a new future for him. Not one that was chosen for him as his past was, but one he would forge himself, to begin anew.

As Raxus awoke from his 4000-year slumber, he felt the cool air of the Oubliette around him. He dreaded to hear what his new life would be, would he be made to be a blacksmith under the same family that sealed him away, or was he pawned off as another able body to the Empire's war effort? Either way, he decided that this was a new opportunity for him, he decided that he would make himself a free man. He went over the situation in his head, whether a noble or an officer of the Empire opens this tomb, he would be a wanted man, as he would surely be put to death for the murder of either one. Raxus decided a life of crime was better than being forced into labor, barely scraping by as your masters sat up on their balconies enjoying their hedonistic lifestyle. Starting now Raxus would be a new man, he would choose his destiny instead of it being chosen for him, "A man chooses, a slave obeys." He muttered to himself.

As the door began to open, Raxus tightened the grip around his dagger, prepared to slit the throat of the person on the other side. A masked man stood on the other side of the glass, he began checking for a place to put the dagger as soon as he was able. He saw a small opening at the bottom of the mask, just large enough for the blade. Perfect.

As the door opened, before anyone had the chance to mutter a word. Raxus lunged, aimed at the throat with the intent to kill, with a desire to be free. A desire to choose...

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius cocked his head to the side as the glass began to defrost and reveal, of all things, a Sith Pureblood. He mainly knew of the original bearers of the Sith name through texts and records, although if he recalled correctly there had been a handful back during the days of the Sith Empire in his youth. To see one up close and in the flesh was another matter entirely.

The masked man stepped back as the Oubliette started to open, giving the Sith plenty of room to breathe and adjust so that he didn't immediately panic. And he was subsequently rewarded for his thoughtfulness by the Oubliette's occupant lunging out with a knife aimed at his neck. With a flick of his wrist his still ignited lightsaber moved up and cleaved the hand that held the knife from its owner in one fell stroke, his other hand shooting up to catch the Sith by the throat in mid-air.

"Ah, you're a feisty one." He dropped the Pureblood and idly took a step back, his lightsaber held at his side despite the clear threat that the newly awakened man posed. Even with one hand he could still attempt to stab him after all. "I like that, but you'll have to do better than that to kill me." His Legionnaires, startled by the commotion and eager to defend their High Priest, turned to aim at the Pureblood but he raised a hand to stop them as he stared down at the wounded Sith. "Now, why don't we start with talking instead of stabbing hm?"

Raxus Thul

 

[Raxus Thul]

With a flash of red light, Raxus watched as his hand flew through the air, no longer attached to his body. As he struggled to escape from the man's iron grip, he hadn't yet felt the sting of his newly severed hand. Raxus felt his blood start to boil, he knew this was the end for him, his hand was only the beginning. The masked man let go of Raxus, he hit the floor, and began crawling to the dagger. It was at that moment he had a realization, his hand was not bleeding. Looking down at his hand, there was a charred nub, cut off right below his elbow. Raxus looked up at the man, as he had only ever seen lightsabers on rare occasions, and in the hands of very powerful individuals. This was no ordinary man he had made his attempt on, this was a Sith Lord.

As Raxus looked around, to try and find out where he was. He saw dead bodies, other Sith relics among illegal goods, and soldiers unlike he had ever seen watching him very intently, waiting for him to make his next move. The structure of the room they were in was unlike anything Raxus had ever seen, completely metallic with no stone structure at all. Could this be a Sith-occupied space station or a ship? Raxus had no idea, he decided to focus on the matter at hand, he could find out the specifics later.

"Well, go ahead and kill me." He said, "Or would you rather parade me through the streets? As the slave who tried to kill a Sith Lord?" As the rage began to fade away, pain erupted from the stump where Raxus' arm used to be. Through gritted teeth, he let out a few curses. "I am but a slave, my name is not important. I assume you are to be my new master. However, you'll have to kill me now, this hand won't be good for swinging hammers anymore." Keeping the stump close to him he struggled to get up, eventually getting his feet under him before picking up his lost hand and dagger. "Well, since you haven't killed me, I am very curious to see why, and who you are."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man watched the wounded Sith as he briefly moved to reach for the dagger with his remaining hand, idly moving up his lightsaber slightly in preparation to intercept if need be. Thankfully the second stab attempt never came. The Pureblood, either realizing how hopeless such an attack would be or in search for some means of escape, began looking around instead. Darth Strosius gestured for his Legionnaires to stand at ease, which they were reluctant to do but given that there was no apparent threat at the moment they slowly returned to their patrols of the auction house.

"I'm not one for parades nor the murder of slaves." He switched off his lightsaber and stowed it away on his belt once more as if to prove his point. Darth Strosius almost laughed at the notion that he'd be a slave master of any kind but settled for simply shaking his head as he watched the Sith struggle to his feet. "I believe that I'm quite the opposite of what you think actually. Any slave willing to try and take on a Sith Lord is one that I want by my side as an equal." It was something that he could certainly admire and sympathize with, even if he just so happened to be the Sith Lord in question. In time that shouldn't be a concern. Hopefully.

He gestured to himself as he continued. "I am Darth Strosius, Lord Inquisitor of the Sith Order. I don't know when you hail from but you seem to have been in the Oubliette for quite some time." Even if the Pureblood was one of the few that had been around back during the time of the Sith Empire of his youth, that was still a good few decades ago. And he seriously doubted that this Sith was that young. "Things have changed much I'm sure, and I will be more than happy to help you adjust to the modern times..." He nodded to the wounded and slightly smoking stump where the Sith's hand had once been. "As well as help you with that, given that I am responsible for robbing you of it."

Raxus Thul

 

[Raxus Thul]

Raxus looked at the masked man, his offer certainly sounded intriguing. If the Sith was true in his intentions, he could be a powerful ally and master. Raxus had never honed his connection to the Dark Side, but with proper training, he could become unstoppable. "I must admit, I haven't learned how to harness the Dark Side of the force, but I feel it in you. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Strosius. My name is Raxus Thul, I am a slave in the Sith Empire after the Great Galactic War"

As Raxus stowed his dagger, he couldn't help but wonder how long he had been in the Oubliette. "Seeing as how the Sith haven't been wiped out. We must have crushed the remnants of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi." Raxus chuckled to himself, no one could stop the Sith, he knew that eventually the republic would be wiped out entirely. "Glad to see that The Sith Emperor finally did something, all Emperor Vitiate did was sit on that throne and drool. I didn't think he had it in him to destroy the Jedi." As Raxus waited to hear the response from the man, half expecting to get cleaved in half for talking out against the Emperor, he clenched his dagger.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man's head inclined sharply after the introduction, as if surprised by something that the Pureblood had said. "The Great Galactic War eh?" He knew that Raxus would more than likely be fairly old, given how ancient the other relics up for auction alongside his Oubliette were, but to be from one of the ancient Sith Empires was another matter entirely. Only one or two of the holocrons in his possession were even close to being from that time period. How fascinating.

Darth Strosius clicked his tongue at the Pureblood's assumptions and idly wished that they were indeed true, but unfortunately they were not. At least they seemed to share an opinion regarding the Sith Emperor of that time. "I'm afraid that isn't quite how it happened. The Jedi and a new iteration of the Galactic Republic still exist and continue to wage their foolish wars against the Sith, with no signs of their destruction in sight as of yet."

Better to go ahead and rip off the bandage early he supposed. "You've been in that Oubliette for a long time Raxus Thul. A very long time." He hoped that his emphasizing would be enough to halt any initial questions regarding the past for the moment. "I will be more than happy to tell you what all has transpired during your slumber, and provide you with reading material to prove it, but such discussions are better done in more comfortable settings." With one hand he idly gestured to the bodies strewn about the auction hall. "One with far less corpses preferably, they aren't the best conversationalists and I sense that we have a long talk ahead of us."

Raxus Thul