Another Page in History

[Mr. Bones]

Something that Dopi always planned to do was travel to very important planets that are strong in the Force, just to explore and try to find any artifacts or other things that Dopi could add to his collection of random tidbits. Of course, he couldn't do it alone so he had brought some help. [member="Lakura Salim"] had come along and let Dopi use one of the SJO ships, due to him not having his own, and he also brought along [member="Gherron DragonsFlame"] and his "kid" as DragonsFlame put it when they met. The four of them were going to travel to 6 different planets that Dopi had planned out ahead of time; Three of the Dark side, Three of the Light.

Their First destination was actually Korriban, as Dopi planned to alternate between the two different sides. It took Dopi a few days to get everyone prepared, and by the time they left, Dopi just simply let the Ship fly them there instead of Dopi doing the flying. The Coordinates were in, the Droid who was piloting knew where to go, and off they went, traveling across the Galaxy...just to learn more about the Force, and find some Artifacts...Hopefully.

 

[Duma Shallotte]

It wasn't exactly by Lakura's hand they had gotten to use the ship from the Silvers. She wasn't a part of them and was actually more on the run than anything else. The young looking woman was odd. In touch with the Force, but had no real calling or power to speak of. Having gotten involved with a group of bad people, she was now on the move. What better way to accomplish this than to stay moving?

All she had was what she had on her. A change of clothes, no weapons or anything of value. Some items she could use to cast her spells with. A sign of what she had learned on Dathomir still clung to her after all her years away.

So here she was gathering with people she had never met and knew nothing about. She didn't even know what had brought them together. Time would tell in that aspect. All she knew was her longing to wander and learn. In the process, she would figure out her place in the grand scheme of things.

[member="Mr. Bones"] [member="Gherron DragonsFlame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Articus was reaching that point now where he was beginning to feel the force around him and actually somewhat understand what it was, at least through the eyes of a child. When word came to Gherron of a couple of fellows that were itching to explore some of the busiest planets in the force, he decided it would be a fine chance to broaden his son’s spectrum. Sure, there would be some unknown out there, and for a seven year-old boy, that can be frightening. But there was a reason for all of what they were about to do. Gherron wanted to protect his son from the horrors he’d had to deal with through his first run-ins with the dark side, when he had gone in without the proper knowledge.

Almost as soon as they’d entered Korriban’s orbit, Articus shuddered and looked a little unsettled. ”It’s okay son, nothing down there can hurt you while I’m here. Just trust in yourself, and in me.” It wasn’t long after that the ship touched down, and the two walked outside onto the red sands. Gherron himself had never been to Korriban, so this would be a first. As they walked to meet the other two, Articus hid behind his father and stared at them. Reaching back to ruffle his hair, Gherron spoke up. ”Alright, we all ready?”

[member="Lakura Salim"][member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

"Yes, I am indeed Ready. Remember, I am your guide around here, as my Father was once a profound Sith Lord, and knew his way around this world more than any other Sith of his time. We must be careful though, For the Sith Empire still remains in this system, and we would not want to bump into one of their patrols."

The ship they borrowed from the SJO landed on the red sands of Korriban just a mere 2 days after they lifted off and headed out on their Journey. [member="Gherron DragonsFlame"] had gone out first with his young son, and then Bones followed. He made sure to avoid the Active Sith Empire, so they had landed the ship in the long abandoned Valley of the Dark Lords, where some of the most powerful Sith lords from thousands of years ago had been buried in ancient Sith Tombs. He planned not to lead them through the Tombs, but through the long abandoned Sith Academy that rested nearby. He wanted to try and find a Sith Holocron in the Academy, but that seemed unlikely. No harm in looking though.

[member="Lakura Salim"]

 

[Duma Shallotte]

During the voyage, the white-haired woman had stayed to her quarters and had only come out once they arrived. Her eyes glowing pink, she quite often got very odd looks from people. Recoiling slightly when she noticed a child was present, Lakura didn't want to scare him.

Pulling her hood up to cover her hair, the glowing eyes shone out and blinked at her travelling companions.

"The Sith Empire..."

This was said with a quiet hiss. They were some of the people that had caused her to be on the run. A former acolyte of a different group of Sith. Her training was incomplete and she did not have any real calling to the Dark. This was probably a good thing considering she was travelling with Jedi.

"Are you sure this is wise?"

She was not a confident woman and it showed in her attitude and actions.

[member="Mr. Bones"] [member="Gherron DragonsFlame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron focused on keeping Articus close as the other two talked about the Sith still being in the area, if if this whole trip was even a good idea or not. His mind went to the lightsaber at his side, and the special crystals it contained. One was a Kasha crystal, which kept the bearer calm and collected. The other was a solari, making the weapon itself a beacon of lightside energy should he activate it. It would be a good offense against any spirits or sithspawn they were likely to find, but if any Sith worth their salt was nearby as well, it would be akin to yelling ”Hey, we’re over here!”. So unless the group was in serious danger, it was probably best he didn’t draw his lightsaber. Thankfully he still had his old slugthrower pistol at his side, which he patted affectionately. Directing his attention to the other Silver Jedi, he motioned for him to start moving, albeit with a somewhat playful grin. ”Lead on, tour guide. Let’s see what we can find.”

Despite his father’s assurance, Articus still seemed to grow more and more uneasy as they got further into the valley, so Gherron took his lightsaber and handed it to him. The boy clutched the weapon for dear life, and within moments his face looked more steady as he calmed himself. Articus wasn’t the only person in the group with uneasy feelings, however. The woman with the snow-like hair radiated tenseness in the force, especially so when she spoke her feelings. Gherron didn’t need to see her eyes to tell that she’d had some bad run-ins with those who misused the force. He’d been there himself a few too many times, and had the scars to show for it, both physical and emotional.

[member="Lakura Salim"][member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

"Very Well. Follow me! And yes, this is wise. As long as you do not wander off, you'll be fine." Dopi spoke in a rather enthusiastic tone, as he like teaching people about the Force, Especially the History of the two different sides. What better way to teach about the History of the Sith, than by going to the Sith Home world? It was a almost perfect lesson plan, but it did have its flaws.

Dopi led them down and away from the ship, which they had landed on the other side of the Valley of the Dark Lords, away from the abandoned Sith Academy, and as he walked with them behind him, he could sense their tension about the situation. The Young boy was, understandably, afraid. He must of never face true Sith before, and to be right on their home turf was most likely frightening for a young boy, so his feelings were understandable. [member="Lakura Salim"] seemed to have a tense feeling around her, as if she was worried about being corrupted by the Dark Side in this place. As for [member="Gherron DragonsFlame"] He was beginning to sense the same feeling of dread as the boy, but again, this was understandable.

At some point, they were only half way across this Valley, when Dopi pointed to a tomb entrance to his left. It consisted of a large pyramid like structure carved into the natural rock, with the appearance of a man wearing a horned helmet above the entrance, all be it the horns were mostly gone due to wear and tear by the elements. "This is the Tomb of Marka Ragnos, one of the many Dark Lords of the Sith during the Old Republic Era. It was constructed by Tulak Hord, who was another, very powerful Sith Lord." He lowered his arm and continued forward, soon pointing at another Tomb, this time to his right, and this tomb entrance looked standard, when picturing a tomb. "And this Tomb belongs to Ajunta Pall, the first Dark Lord of the Sith that was buried out in this Valley."

 

[Duma Shallotte]

It didn't appear the little boy had noticed the odd look of Lakura and she stopped being so guarded around him. Her hood remained in place, but she did not attempt to hide her features quite as much.

The glow of her eyes was not caused by any sort of Force corruption, instead, it was because of genetics. She had a rare condition among the Zorren race that caused her eyes to glow pink rather than yellow. When she went through some sort of trial, her hair had turned the silver-white it was and her eyes had taken on the pink glow. These changes had caused her mother to banish and disown her and Lakura had been on her own since.

She was sometimes too trusting and that had gotten her wrapped up with the wrong crowd. Hoping to make a change, she now moved with different people. Not knowing anything about them, this would have to change.

"I am Lakura Salim."

Her voice was soft as if she didn't want the ghosts of the past to hear her. She listened to the small lesson given by the Jedi Master and nodded.

"My old Empire followed that of the Old Republic. They went against the current Sith Empire. That is why I am afraid of being here. Who are these people you speak of?"

[member="Mr. Bones"] [member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

"These people our before any of us. They were the First of many Dark Lords of the Sith. Marka Ragnos, for example, was alive from 5100 BBY to 5000 BBY, living for 100 years, and even Ajunta Pall had also lived 100 years from some time before 7000 BBY to 6900 BBY. They are not any of the Sith that fought against the Last Form of the Republic before the Rise of the Empire... That...Is our last tomb to point out, before we arrive at the Academy."

The last Tomb that he referred to belonged to the most Recent Dark Lord that was buried here. The entrance to the Tomb was much like Ajunta Pall's; It was basic and didn't have much, but above the door was a decapitated statue of someone in a suit of Armor. Dopi pointed to the Temple, actually having to stop dead in his tracks to talk. "And this...Is the Tomb of Darth Vader. It was technically never used for its intended purpose, due to Vader Embracing the Light before he killed Darth Sidious, and became one with the Force. It was the last tomb built here, during the Days of the First Galactic Empire."

He then sensed the child's fear again, turning around with a smile on his face and a reassuring tone in his voice as he spoke these next words. "There is nothing to worry about these tombs. No Sith that worship these Dark Lords have come around to this valley in..oh I'd say at least 200 years or more. We are completely safe from Sith." He was planning to mention not to touch the bodies, as he did not know if the species known as Hssiss were still in this area or not, but he didn't want to scare the group even more than some of them were. Instead, he just continued forward, leading them up to a canyon that would lead right to the only accessible entrance to the Academy.

[member="Lakura Salim"]
[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

As Dopi rattled off names of those Sith past, Gherron simply looked around in silence. He was sure he'd heard some of the names in passing, but other than that he was for all intents and purposes, clueless in this area. In fact, it was Articus who spoke up first. "Why are the Sith so bad? Why can't they all be like Darth Vader?" The directness of the boy surprised Gherron; he was usually more soft-spoken and used simpler ideas. He was very young, after all. Perhaps the crystal he held so tightly to his chest was also giving him the will to better speak his mind. Unfortunately, Gherron wasn't quite as well versed in philosophy of the force, so he looked to Dopi for some assistance. As he looked over, he caught a glimpse of the woman's rose-colored eyes. He tried and failed to hide the shock on his face; those eyes... he'd never seen anything like them. Once he broke himself out of the trance, he made a mental note to ask her about them later.

[member="Mr. Bones"][member="Lakura Salim"]

 

[Duma Shallotte]

The people he mentioned might be so long dead, but their beliefs carried on. He just might not know of the Empire in the west of the galaxy that was falling into ruin as they stood here speaking. Out of those ashes, she had fled after the Sith Empire and Confederacy had crushed it. They still clung to the followings of these Sith Lords of old.

Except for the last person he mentioned. Darth Vader was not among those names she had known.

"People still come here, Master Bones."

Tipping her head in the direction they were going. This planet was still active and people lived here.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Looking at the boy and moving to stand next to him, she held a clawed hand out to him, if he wanted to hold one. His question was interesting but the woman felt he deserved an answer.

"I don't think all Sith are bad, little one. They have a code that talks about being free and many of them feel that gives them the ability to do whatever they want. Not all take it such extremes though."

She spoke loud enough for Gherron and Articus to hear, but soft enough to not carry beyond the small party. Bones might have heard her reply, but Lakura did not think he did.

[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"] [member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

Bones did indeed hear the response [member="Lakura Salim"] gave to the young boy, and she thus decided to answer both concerns at the same time, using the woman's point to jump start it.

"She is correct. Some Sith did keep themselves to a code of ethics. Some acted respectful to the Jedi, others treated them like trash. Some respected the basic, unspoken rules of engagement, while others would find every opportunity they could to break the rules and cut corners. Most Sith were like that; The power-hungry Sith would constantly kill one another just to climb to the ranks of their Order, and only with the creation of the Rule of Two by Darth Bane, did the power driven bloodshed somewhat end."

Bones then just turned around, leading Salim, [member="Gherron Dragonsflame"], and his son closer and closer to the Academy, soon arriving at a narrow canyon that echoed as he continued to speak while leading the way. "Before you all ask, the Rule of two was a simple concept created by Darth Bane, one of the last survivors of the Jedi Massacre on Korriban. He deemed that there should only be two true sith in the Galaxy all together; A Master, and an Apprentice. This allowed the Sith to still technically exist while feigning the concept of their beliefs being extinct. The teachings of the Master would pass onto the Apprentice, who would then kill said Master once they were strong enough, and then he would find himself an Apprentice to teach as the Master, starting the cycle all over again. It was a weak philosophy in my Father's Eyes, as it never allowed the Sith to truly rebuild their strength, but it did allow the Sith to overthrow the Old Republic, in the Clone Wars Era of History."

As Bones rambled on and on about the Sith's rise to power in the form of the Galactic Empire, the group passed a dark cave entrance, just a couple dozen feet away from the Academy's only surviving entrance. This Cave felt cold, and it was like it was trying to pull them in, with the lure of the Dark Side. Whatever was in that cave, was causing it to be a very strong concentrated location of the Dark Side. Something that it was quite frankly unsure if Bones planned to have the group go into this cave, due to the fact he was unphased by it.

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

The answer Lakura gave seemed to put the boy at ease a little, and he accepted her hand, his curious eyes poring over it like one would a strange new creature. This nice lady was very captivating for young Articus.

As the guide continued to ramble on about Sith history, a few things sent off lightbulbs in his head, from back when he would spend his days in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant reading. He remembered something about the rule of two, though Darth Bane was a new name to him. In fact, he’d spent some time reading about the Clone Wars, what with Master Obi-Wan Kenobi being a sort of idol for him in his younger days. ”I agree. Staying in hiding like they did allowed then Darth Sidious to take the Jedi by storm. They never saw it coming.”

As he said this, the group had come upon a small cave entrance lodged in one side of the valley. To the unsuspecting eye it was just that, a simple cave, however the presence of something quite dark made itself known from its depths. Articus was probably in the best position, with his hand still clutching his father’s lightsaber. Gherron just clenched his fist in a momentary lapse of will before taking a breath and loosening his hand again. He’d had his run-ins in the past, and his biggest hope was that his son would never have to see that side of him.

[member="Mr. Bones"][member="Lakura Salim"]

 

[Duma Shallotte]

Not knowing she had spoken loud enough to be heard, that unsure nature of hers came up again and she winced slightly. It was good Bones agreed with her and she resumed her normal stance. Holding onto the hand of Articus also brought her some sense of comfort.

It was much like how she had been when she was little. Hanging onto the hand of her mother or another adult around her. She listened to the lesson again and nodded before speaking her own opinion.

"Would that not actually weaken the Sith? Just because one can kill a person that does not mean they are stronger or know more. To me, it just means they did better at fighting."

Maybe he had already answered the question but not in words Lakura understood.

As they walked, she was drawn to a cave. The desire to go in and find out what was in there was quite strong and for a moment, her feet started to travel closer. The slight tug of the hand of Articus was a reminder of who she was with and that pull from the cave released her.

"Much like the Empire before them. The one my former Empire followed. Took the Republic by storm and almost destroyed it. That poor temple on Coruscant has been razed for millennia now."

Some of her words were key to what Lakura was breaking away from and maybe where she wanted to go. Even she did not know what was in store for her any more. A visionary she might be, but her own future was currently clouded from her.

Since she had stayed in her cabin almost the entirety of the journey here, the names of her companions were unknown to her.

[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"] [member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

Dopi now walked completely past the cave with the rest of the group, now arriving at the entrance to the Adacemy. This door looked it could only be opened with some form of Sith power, which Dopi had no issue with. "Interesting. I thought this would be open. One moment, everyone." He then held his hand out and a bright purple bolt of lightning shot from his fingertips right at the door. Once he hit the door with the bolt, it slowly began to rise up on its own, taking about a minute to open up completely.

This was the first time he had shown his abilities with the Force to the group of people, walking over to the door and beginning to lead them inside. "Come along, everyone. Our journey has only begun into the Academy."

[member="Lakura Salim"]
[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

As the zabrak walked past the cave and towards the academy, Gherron felt the need to speak up. "Sorry... Did I misunderstand something here? I thought the idea was not to head into the academy on account of the still thriving Sith presence?" Cautiously, he reached out into the force, slowly poking and prodding with his presence to detect any others nearby. Nothing. Very well, maybe the man knew what he was doing. However, Gherron could never be too careful while he had Articus with him. As their female companion said her piece, perhaps Articus felt whatever conflict was inside her, or perhaps it was coincidence, but he squeezed her hand gently. Meanwhile, Gherron watched Dopi raising his hand to the locked door, and as soon as he curled his fingers, knew what he was going to do. Gherron had seen it more times than he could count over the years, and had even had it used against him quite a few times, though only by darksiders. However, he knew nowadays more than before that one could in fact use abilities from all spectrums of the force and still not be corrupted. It just required a stronger will than usual. The first pop and crackle made Articus jump, but once the steady stream of lightning began flowing from the master's fingers, the boy's eyes were glued to the spot in fascination. Noticing the look, Gherron simply smiled and patted his son's shoulder. He understood completely, as he was once just as enthralled with all aspects of the force himself. In some ways, he still was.

[member="Mr. Bones"][member="Lakura Salim"]

 

[Duma Shallotte]

They all walked past the cave and the small squeeze from Articus helped to steady her nerves just a little. Soon enough they were at a locked door and Bones used the Force to get it open. It was not something she would have been able to do, because her time with the Sith was so very limited.

Her training was focused on more ritual and from her childhood on Dathomir. The hand not holding onto the boy's reached into a pouch at her side and withdrew some dust. Whispering a few words, she blew it over the four of them.

"If we are going in there, I feel it prudent to stay out of sight. For a while, we will be invisible."

What she did not know was when she cast her spells, she touched the Force and that was what allowed her to weave them. Even though she had been with the Sith, she had not yet become corrupted by them. Then she had left them and now here she was. What strange paths her life had taken her on and there was so much more in front of her.

Even though Lakura generally lacked self-confidence, when it came to her spell, that went away.

"We will be safe."

[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"] [member="Mr. Bones"]

 

[Mr. Bones]

Dopi didn't really care about [member="Lakura Salim"] using the dust to become "invisible" for a while. He just kept on marching into the Academy's halls, taking only a few minutes to reach the center of the Academy. The halls were decrepit, with some skeletons still in the same place where they died long ago, and the walls having cracks on them that went all the way up to the ceiling. When they got to a large empty room with four doors around them, the one they entered this room in being on of them, Dopi turned around without the smile he had been carrying through out this journey. The Dark Side was starting to call to him here, and he wasn't ignoring it this time.

"Now, I hope you all have enjoyed this history lesson so far. If you do not have any questions then please, explore the Academy as you see fit. Just be sure to stay safe, and if you find any artifacts, bring them back to me, so then I can see what you have found."

Dopi then sat down on the floor in the middle of the room, and began to meditate. Dopi had come here not just to teach these people a lesson or two about the Sith, but also to do something he hadn't done before. He had been hearing voices since they arrived on Korriban. Voices he recognized, as if he knew them from the past. As he remained on the floor meditating, he did say something, before seeming to have a one sided conversation.

"Hello Krayt...Zavros...Father...I'm glad to see you all made it. Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss."

[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Once the woman had sprinkled some strange dust over the group leaving them invisible, Gherron relaxed slightly. Regardless, this seemed to be an older academy, no longer in continued use. As they walked in, Articus and Gherron both looked around in curiosity, Gherron more so since he had the experience to better appreciate the area. ”Say what you want about the Sith... They do have some sense of style.” He continued to look around, admiring the architecture as well as hoping to spot out anything interesting when he noticed Mr. Bones going off by himself, traces of the dark side trailing along his path. Something wasn’t all that it seemed here... looking to his son, he ruffled his hair gently. ”Arty, daddy is going to check out one of the rooms over there. You’ll be safe with this nice lady, okay? Don’t go getting off into trouble.” He wasn’t worried about the safety of his son. He was generally a good judge of character, and something told him that if the woman wanted to do something to betray them, she would have already. Besides, Articus was a smart kid, even at his age.

Gherron followed Dopi at a distance, slightly molding his own presence so that he would seem still a further distance away from the man than he really was. He watched as he sat down and entered a meditative state. A minute passed, and he rattled off some names, ending with apparently addressing his father. Gherron’s thoughts went back to earlier, when Dopi had mentioned he had some Sith lineage. Perhaps this was the best place to reach them? He shuddered. Be it Sith or Jedi spirits, the thought of communing with the dead had always creeped Gherron out. Still, he chose to stay and listen.

Back with Lakura, Articus continued to hold her hand, smiling softly as he looked around and pointed at another room. ”Let’s go over there!” He began walking toward the entrance, leading the woman behind him. ”So, what’s your name?”

[member="Mr. Bones"] [member="Lakura Salim"]

 

[Duma Shallotte]

The normally less than confident woman walked hand in hand with a child slightly behind Bones and on the other side of Articus was his father. Bones spoke and told them to go explore, but to remain safe. How that was going to be possible, Lakura didn't know. Thankfully, she was confident her spell would mask them from being detected. Shaking her head when he asked if they had any questions, she looked up at Gherron as he spoke to his son and gave him into her care.

Gherron must not know where she came from. The fact he entrusted the care of his son to a near stranger, felt odd to her. However, he was entirely accurate in his assessment of her character. Lakura would not do anything to harm any of them. Half of her heritage was Zorren and protection was key. She would lay down her life for somebody and would do that for Articus if a situation ever came up where it was needed.

Whatever Bones did or planned on was beyond what she was interested in at this time. What spirits called him, did not call to her and she looked down at Articus as he spoke. He pointed into a different room and they walked at his pace in its direction. He asked for her name and he was the first person of the group to express any interest in her.

"I am Lakura Salim. What about you?"

[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"] [member="Mr. Bones"]