Bite of Cold

[Aela Talith]

Loro Babis System
Athiss-Northern Hemisphere

"Why is it that Sith never have normal graves?"

Aela turned her head as she wandered on the edge of the cliff, one of the padawans that she had brought with her speaking up as they came in sight of their destination. She stopped for a moment, peering down at the massive face that had been carved into the mountain. She frowned slightly, the odd blue illumination that came from the tomb seemingly casting on her face. Her eyes wandered away from the stone feature, tracing down the bridge and onto the cliffs below. There was a severe drop below that bridge, though the wind seemed to have completely stilled as they came closer and closer to the tomb. Perhaps it was a feature of the tomb itself, or perhaps simply a natural stop gap of the howling gales they had endured for the past two miles.

"Fear." She answered the padawan, signalling for the others to begin tying their tethers onto some of the rock outcroppings that sat atop the cliff. "They rule through intimidation and terror, even from beyond death. Athiss was a throne world a long time ago. When the Sith died here it was those within their lineage that built the tombs, a reminder that they still had enough power to be feared. Though most people have forgotten that."

Aela frowned slightly, then motioned for the padawan to scale down the cliff. The longer they spent out here the more they would be exposed to the elements. The Northern Hemisphere of Athiss, like on most planets, was nothing but ice and Tundra. A frozen wasteland that stretched out for miles and miles. Aela and her small Jedi Strike team had landed here about two hours ago and had then trekked to this canyon, unable to land closer due to electrical disturbances that were likely being caused by the tomb that they were now in full view of.

The others made their way down the cliff first, thick guide ropes pinned into the frozen rocks. They scaled down the side of the mountain, touching down against the canyon floor just as Aela began her own descent. She came to rest beside them a moment later, a heavy breath heaving her chest as her fingers unwound themselves from the rope. There was a slight howl, a wind perhaps that came from the canyon beneath.

The Jedi Marshall turned almost in sync with the others, her gaze falling on the open maw of the Sith's Tomb.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Aela Talith"]

"Don't forget ego, most Sith Lords always were trying one up the other when it came to who had the bigger tomb," Taeli said, sliding down to land next to Aela. "I have been spending way too much time in these sorts of tombs as of late. First Nadd's now whoever this is. You just had to ask for volunteers and my curiosity couldn't say no."

Not the most hospitable place, but then she hadn't expected a Sith tomb in the far north of a planet to be a nice relaxing spot. When the expedition had been put together, she couldn't pass up the chance to join in and go study a Sith tomb that she hadn't even known existed. She supposed her past might help when it came to investigating the place, being a former Sith... and her fascination with their history.

"Keep a stiff upper lip, but be cautious," she said to the strike team who weren't exactly experienced in this regard. "Sith love their traps, and they always hoard the best stuff at the burial chamber."

 

[Alkor Centaris]

He lowered the macrobinoculars with an unreadable expression. Alkor glanced down at the map, pock marked and ancient. The frayed edges interrupted a sizable portion of the image, but a great deal of the directions remained intact. With a flick of his wrist, the Jen'jidai dismissed the map back into a half fold, then tucked it safely away inside of a dilapidated book. "You would have saved me the trouble," he muttered, "if you had only told me what you found in there yourself. I have no real desire for Sith knowledge, but the things you found-"

With a long sigh, the Corellian dismissed the tome back into the folds of his cloak. "-the secrets in this tomb, in the wrong hands could create complications." His gaze fell back on the strange, ornate carving that formed the entryway. Alkor's eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed as he took in the frigid air. His tongue slipped across his upper lip thoughtfully. The storm raging overhead made any attempt to land in close proximity impossible, so to come this far had been an act of sheer endurance. Alkor traveled alone, and he traveled light.

The rocks beneath his feet slid slightly underfoot. "Granted, a Sith would have desired to keep his knowledge away from the rest of the galaxy." He skimmed the horizon slowly and his jaw set in a frown. "So someone else might be looking for it..." He lifted the macrobinoculars once more. "No," he muttered. "I don't sense anything like a Sith."

He took a step forward and one leg hung over the edge. With a quick hop, Alkor sent himself skidding down the cliffside quickly. "But I do sense something. Someone else may be here." Alkor was no master of the Quey Tek, or masking his own essence through the Force. Plaga taught him the rudimentary methods of hiding the nature of his aura, if the need ever arose. It would never fool someone skilled in the Force if they probed deeply, but he could pass for untainted if none were the wiser.

As he ground to a halt at the base of the rock face, the Dark Jedi headed forward without breaking stride. He did have the look of a traveler, and his cloak was nothing like the robes of a Sith or a Jedi. Unless someone were to see his lightsaber, they might not even question it.

At current pace, he would reach his destination in several minutes.

Alkor lifted his head slightly. "I hear it," he muttered. "Chatter. Someone is close by."

Caution, Centaris.

[member="Aela Talith"]
[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Aran Finn]

This was a place of power.

Biting wind chilled Alen Na'Varro to the bone, its harshness blistering against his bare face. Frost nestled in his greying red-brown beard. His brow furrowed under the flurry, and a moment later his eyes snapped open. They saw nothing but mist and snow ... an empty mountaintop with no view to accompany it. The old Master cursed the weather under his breath, his eyes roving around him. He sensed ... something. Was it familiar? Perhaps. From another time, maybe ... another place.

Why always the cold, Na'Varro?

It was true that he favoured winter, especially planets that had such an arc around their star that they were perpetually in such a state. If you wanted to find Alen Na'Varro, sub-zero temperatures were generally a good first place to look these days. Not that one would. Na'Varro was old and almost forgotten. Just the way he liked it.

Pushing himself to his feet, gingerly at first, he strode to the edge of the precipice that looked out over ... well, nothing, it seemed. Others were here. Such was his affinity with the Force that he could feel their presence. He couldn't locate it, but he could sense it.

Something to do with the tomb.

Yes, Na'Varro, something indeed.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alen Na'Varro"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Taeli Raaf"]​

​

The bridge that spanned across the canyon had been carved from natural stone, though it's soft and rounded edges seemed almost too unnatural to have been made without the touch of the force. Aela was the first to walk upon the hard rock, her boots tracing a thin path into stone dust that had collected upon the bridge. She frowned for a moment, her hand pulling the lightsaber from her hip. A tingling sensation crawled up her spine, half a shake pulling at her as she began to move towards the massive maw of the tomb.

The others quickly began to follow her, eager to see what was inside. Aela knew that a few of the Jedi that had come today were rather inexperienced, either just having attained the rank of Knight or still being called padawans. She didn't expect much in the way of trouble, at least not when it came to known enemies, so having them along wasn't too dangerous, especially with herself and Master Raaf here. Yet the crawling sensation at the back of her mind caused her to frown. She wasn't sure what the feeling was, why it was there, but it reminded her of the sensation she had felt before the sacking of Coruscant, a tell that something was about to shift. Not necessarily something bad...but just something.

Aela gently bit her lip, her head shaking.

There wasn't any reason to be concerned about it now, especially with what they were about to face. Worrying would just distract her, and they had no time for such things.

She made her way across the bridge quickly, still noting the lack of wind. There was an eerie silence as she approached the face on the other side of the canyon, and odd stillness that seemed to counter everything she knew about this planet. For a moment the Jedi Marshall lingered before the great maw, her eyes set upon it's own as she wandered forward. The sensation in her spine slowly withered away, replaced with that odd unease she felt whenever the darkside was present.

 

[Nia Siroc]

Nia Siroc followed closely behind the Masters across the bridge with the small collection of apprentices. This place is so cold, she though as she clutched her robes tightly around her. It wasn't just the frigid tundra that made her shiver. The massive face looming before them radiated with a malignant power.

It was so strong, threatening to engulf her like the wave of a tsunami. Her six months of training so far had told her to contain her fears, to control her anger. It was easy on Sullust when things were under control. Here was a different story with this Sith Lord's mausoleum waiting for them.

She wanted to be away from here but she told herself that she'd volunteered and that there was no way out now. It felt like going into the teeth of a gale back home, something she'd been part of once to help find a lost boy. Except they hadn't ever found him and she had to swallow the sadness as she remembered the mother's wails of inconsolable grief. The memory of that was still bitter, feeling responsible even though she'd been told it wasn't her fault and that she'd done a brave thing in trying to help.

Anything to be out of the oppressive feeling of being underground on Sullust. To somebody from the open skies and seas of Lamaredd, it felt like a prison. After a while, even the training exercises she applied herself to couldn't distract her sense of entrapment. That's why she'd volunteered when the Masters had asked.

On landing and existing the passenger shuttle, the open skies of Athiss felt wonderful though the winter landscape was the opposite of her home's tropical climes. Then the feeling of heavy darkness came over her after about a dozen steps. So awful, so cold and dead. How could anyone want that, even if it is powerful?

Nia's gloomy thoughts were broken as she noticed Aela Talith just ahead, feeling her apprehension which was quickly shaken off. The young woman frowned and her eyes shifted around as she too broke the threshold of the tomb. It wasn't a great comfort to see even one of the Masters show such feelings, even if for a few seconds. I have a bad feeling about this....

[member="Aela Talith"]
[member="Taeli Raaf"]
[member="Alkor Centaris"]
[member="Alen Na'Varro"]

 

[Zetha Vesh]

Zetha was intrigued to say the least. It had only been a year since she left the Jedi Temple and their ways, had gone on a journey to explore what lay in the empty space around her. Since the Light side of the Force lost all appeal to her, if there even was any to begin with, she let herself be guided by the Dark Side. It was so tantalizingly attractive. She wanted to know more, feel more, do more with it. She wasn't humble or modest, so she could freely think that she was powerful without fear. Her grip in the Force was strong....she could feel something was here. She had read in a tome in the library, back when she was a Padawan, that this planet contained a Sith Tomb. But something else....someone else. Was here.

Many Force sensitives, but one of them wasn't like the others. He felt similar to what everyone was after. He was Dark. He was a Sith. She had to find him.

Zetha followed his energy for a while, until it dropped off a snowy cliff. Readjusting her large hood, she sat down on the edge of the cliff and jumped. She landed, her purple eyes darting around to notice a figure disappearing into the horizon. That had to be him. With caution, but confidence, she followed. She wasn't dressed to impress. A thick tunic with a large hood for her montrals. The sleeve cuffs and the hood lined in wampa fur. Thick pants, boots. She carried no weapons except her mind and the Force. She didn't like carrying around a blue lightsaber anyway. She didn't think the colour represented her values anymore, and not to mention she wasn't that good at using it.

[member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

He rounded the bend with unexpected haste as the realization he was not alone came. If he could sense them, there was no question that they would have already tasted his own presence and the possibility that they might come calling loomed. Instead of hurrying on ahead, his eyes slipped shut and fluttered for several long seconds as he whispered a solemn incantation beneath his breath. It was not magic- not in the sense his Master once used. Alkor lacked the strong affinity for the ability to affect the outside world with the Force. Not just telekinesis, but any sort of strange alteration that required concentration and influence was lost to him. This was nothing of that kind. His own essence shrank and shriveled, contained within itself. He felt as though a million screams within his soul were silenced, and the cold that generally hung over him dissipated.

If he felt like anything in the Force now, it would seem insignificant.

Alkor heard footsteps from the opposite direction, the one he had come from. Instead of looking back, or stretching out with the Force, he decided to press on and wait for the pursuer to catch up. After all, to go to the trouble of suppressing one's own aura just to dismiss the effort moments later seemed wasteful. A Sith may have indulged the desire to find a potential enemy simply to bear down on them and unleash Hell. This Corellian was no such creature.

He could see the entrance to the cavern now, on display and seeming to howl as the frostbitten gale bit into his face. He refrained from speech, his lips pursed in a contemplative expression. It would not do for him to play anything other than the part of a forceless wanderer, so that was what he did. For lack of a proper weapon, the Jen'jidai clutched his cloak fast and hobbled forward. A normal man would struggle with this kind of environment without the aid of the Force skill Tapas, so Alkor decided to let that fact mask his intentions. "Hrrrrgh..." his guttural protest carried on the wind as he drew closer to the imposing cave. "Need... shelter..."

Both his eyes rolled backward in his head as he ground to a halt just before his destination.

"This..." he rasped, "does not look so good."

[member="Aela Talith"]
[member="Nia Siroc"]

[member="Zetha Vesh"]

 

[Aela Talith]

(Too many people to tag!)​

​

"There is nothing to fear." Aela said confidently as they passed through the maw of the entrance, her fingers tightening slightly at her side. "The Sith are long gone from this place, thrown out millenia ago."

That was the truth of the matter. "What remains now are only ghosts. Specters of the past who would deceive you."

She couldn't pretend that those ghosts were completely harmless, but they also weren't a threat to anyone who trusted in the strength of the lightside of the Force. Those that were with her would carry on at her side, and if need be she would protect them without a moments hesitation. She did not care for the past, the distant and forgotten Sith that had once ruled here. Her father had taught her the methods of the Sith, how they operated and sought to deceive and manipulate.

Aela would not fall for it.

Her steps quickly took them into the tomb itself, the massive cavernous maw having been deceiving on what the inside of the tomb would look like. She had expected caves, carved stone that looked broken and cracked. Instead they found smoothed rock, as though it were built from bricks. The hall before them seemed to stretch forward and extend into a massive open chamber at the center of which stood a single massive statue.

 

[Zetha Vesh]

Zetha couldn't believe it. The man she had been following was gone. His energy from the Force, his signature, was gone. But she wouldn't give up. Not until she found the answers she was looking for. She pushed on, walking until she came across a lone figure. The figure was clad in a simple cloak, with their back to her so it was impossible to make out any features. Her gaze shifting from the figure to the cliff in front of them, noticing a cave. Was that the Sith tomb? Her gaze shifted back to the figure. She wasn't sure if she should speak to them, but she didn't want to stay behind them. That was kind of awkward. But this was strange. The figure was stopped right in front of the cave and weren't entering, despite standing in the freezing blizzard.

"Excuse me," she tried to speak above the howling wind to get their attention. "Is everything alright?"

[member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Nia Siroc]

Inside of the tomb and sheltered from the biting wind, Nia could finally pull down her hood. She found it strange that the cold feeling now seemed to come from within her as opposed to without. Master Talith spoke up and told the gaggle of apprentices that there wasn't anything to be afraid of. That was easy for her to say, she could defend herself with the powers of a Jedi Knight where as Nia could barely handle her training saber.

Turning her head over her shoulder, Nia frowned. Beyond the insidious feeling all around here, she could sense...something. It felt like a smaller reflection of the dark power all around here. She frowned and shook her head before turning her attention back to the carved stone around here.

Ghosts could have power, they seemed to howl in the gales that racked her home world. They would claim the lives of beings in their vengeance for their own awful ends at sea. Maybe it was just stupid fisherman's superstition; the fisher folk believed in a lot of things which some of the other apprentices laughed at. Nia couldn't help feeling that no matter how they told her it wasn't real.

[member="Taeli Raaf"] [member="Zetha Vesh"] [member="Aela Talith"] [member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Alen Na'Varro"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"C-cold," he chattered softly. "Just a few more steps."

He carried a look of both determination and futility, the way that a man truly defeated by the elements would. One step, then another toward the cave mouth steeled his resolve. "The wind is so cold," he hissed. Alkor barely seemed to register the girl who queried about his well-being, though he was entirely and acutely aware of her. There was something different about her than the people ahead. She seemed driven toward something, rather than simply seeking. If he had to guess, she probably wanted the knowledge laid to rest with the Sith Lord in this place.

The others could be a handful of things: archaeologists, graverobbers, treasure hunters, or... his eyes flickered as he pressed onward and managed to get just inside the cave after a few more steps. Jedi. The most likely thing that these people might be, from what he could see immediately, was Jedi. If not for the visible lightsabers, the way they dressed and their gait were indicative of the warrior monks who served as defenders of the Galactic Alliance and her people. "uuugh..."

He loosed a weak grunt as he slumped to the dirty, dusty floor and clutched himself for warmth. It was a significant improvement on the outside, the innards of this cavern. Alkor pushed himself up and staggered further inward, toward the collected group of Jedi. "This place is..." his eyes skimmed the smoothed out hall and instantly he knew the ornate handiwork of ancient Sith. Of course, someone not versed in that sort of information would never know that from a quick glance. "...absolutely terrifying," he spat as his countenance screwed up in disappointment. "Some kind of shelter this is."

Alkor turned his glance toward the Togruta behind him and blinked. "Who are you?" he asked suddenly, then turned quickly round to gawk at the rest of them. "Nevermind that, I thought I'd never find anyone out in this wilderness. I'm saved!"

His eyes remained nearly shut, and his smile shined. Anyone who knew Alkor would have been sufficiently disturbed by the emotional spectrum he ran quickly through in the span of several seconds. One hand came to rest on his forehead. "Erm... wait... what is this place?"

(Okay, tagging is getting silly.)

 

[Aela Talith]

She half turned towards the others, seeing the boy standing there and freezing in the cold. For a moment she wanted to question, to interrogate. It was a natural instinct in a place like this, given what dangers they were surrounded by. Yet something stopped her. Perhaps the presence of the padawans, perhaps her own innate knowledge that hostility was not always the best course of action. She frowned slightly, shifting her step to look up at the Sith Statue then gazing towards the boy.

They were out of the wind for now, safe, at least somewhat. The darkside energy that raged from the tomb wasn't yet touching them, they would have to venture further into the cavern for that.

"Let's start a fire." She said calmly, turning away from the Sith statue and regarding the others. "I think we could all use a little warmth and it would be good to eat something before we head deeper into the cave. Having a place of comfort here would be helpful."

She smiled at the padawans, secure in her command. "You're welcome to join us."

Aela offered the newcomer a smile. There was plenty to make a fire with in their immediate area, bits of broken wood and odd structures that had likely been used for the construction of the Temples insides. They would be able to burn it for some time, and setting up a small camp would go quickly.

She hoped at least.

 

[Nia Siroc]

Glad to have a distraction, Nia busied herself with gathering the bits and pieces of wood for a fire. Certainly the Masters seemed comfortable enough with this newcomer and he was cold. Part of her wanted to help him but a small part of her felt like something was amiss. She ignored the niggling feeling and decided it was just the pervasive energies all around the mausoleum. If anything was wrong, several Jedi Masters would know.

Taking her armload of miscellaneous wood, she piled it neatly around the middle of the room. Her eyes shifted and landed on the statue representing the one entombed here. It was faceless, sexless and projected a menace as it seemed to loom over her though it was all the way across the chamber. Despite the fear that it made her feel, she forced herself to look at it.

If she was going to be a Jedi Knight someday she couldn't allow her fear to rule her. The corners of her mouth turned downward as she frowned at the representation. It was just stone, what was so fearful about it, she asked herself. The Masters were right and it was just in her mind.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"Ah," Alkor fumbled over his words as the realization hit him that he must have been talking too much. Or at least, that was the message his features conveyed. He hated that subversive tactics were necessary in this situation, but he had heard tell that Jedi these days were increasingly less interested in talking through things. Especially if you had any hint of the dark side of the force following you around. "Yes, I appreciate it."

He did not smile in return because his eyes dropped to the floor in feigned shame, the appearance that he was uncertain how to repay their kindness written in his posture. "Let me help with that," he offered as he stooped next to the Padawan and helped to collect wood to feed the fire. He was careful not to ask any questions- no doubt they would have a multitude for him in due time. Why was he here, who was he, all the normal sorts of things someone might ask one they were suspicious of. While he appeared apprehensive and uncertain, the Jen'jidai was quite collected internally.

For now, though, he was an unlucky spacer too far from civilization due to an unexpected crash landing.

"It's the least I can do," he said with a kind, closed-mouthed smile. He hurried over to where they were building the campfire and helped to array his own collection of mismatched lumber in the most useful way possible. He seemed blissfully unaware of any uneasy feeling that the place caused, though his eyes moved around the room from time to time thoughtfully. "I wonder what kind of place this is," he mumbled absently.

 

[Nia Siroc]

The young woman nodded appreciatively at the offer of assistance and the fire was ready that much more quickly. Perhaps this man wasn't so bad after all, she thought. Something seemed a little off when she thought about it, though. His thoughts and feelings were very collected for one not schooled in the Force. She knew that from her six months of training because even now she sometimes struggled to achieve the centered quality of a full Jedi.

It was possible, she conceded, that in a galaxy so big that some beings just had well-ordered minds. For example, the Bith she had met were remarkably tidy in their lines of thinking. She liked the crainiopods although they made her feel a bit stupid sometimes with their highly-evolved minds. Nia couldn't let her petty jealousy color her feelings towards other if she was going to be a Jedi herself.

Maybe he just couldn't sense the Dark side here within the structure. She'd have to ask one of the Masters about that, if those not touched by the Force could feel it. If that was the case, she envied him because it still was incredibly unpleasant. Nia looked over to him as he asked absently about the nature of this place.

"You don't know?," she asked with mild surprise "It's the tomb of a Sith Lord."

The apprentice saw no reason not to tell him what she knew. She pointed to the statue she'd been examining earlier. "That's him, supposedly. I don't really see anything but a humanoid shape under baggy robes."

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"Sith?" he repeated, visibly alarmed by the notion. "Like... the evil versions of the Jedi, Sith?" It was an oversimplification to say that the Sith were "evil" versions of the Jedi and Alkor knew better, but the absurdity of it would be enough to either spark a philosophical debate, or at least give the Jedi a laugh at his expense. Either way, it could easily be assumed at this point that the man was an ignoramus, or at the very least woefully uneducated on matters of force users or their religions. His eyes trailed over the figure and he frowned. "He doesn't look like much. And he dresses funny..."

With a sigh, he shrugged. He turned his attention to the fire and warmed his hands close to it, though not nearly close enough to burn him. Steam billowed from his still shivering lips as he closed his eyes in contemplation.

"So... what brings you folks out to a Sith tomb? Y... you're not Sith, are you?" he questioned, suddenly uneasy. "I always did imagine Sith to be less... err... pretty?" He watched the Jedi Master, Aela as he spoke for a moment, then quickly looked away. "Well, less kind, I think is the way I ought to phrase it."

If they were going to wait here for very long, it would mean that moving further into the tomb on his own simply would not happen. That was fine with Alkor. Whether into the hands of Jedi where it could never be drawn upon again, or destroyed, whatever knowledge had been laid to rest in this place would meet its fate regardless. Alkor did want to be certain, however, of the intentions of these Jedi if they were going to stake a claim.

Were they steadfast in their walk with the light? Would the knowledge within these walls corrupt them, tempt them, or break them? He had to know these things if he was going to align himself with their cause. Otherwise...

Well, Alkor hoped that it would not come to that.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Nia Siroc"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"]​

"The Sith horded more then the knowledge of their own culture." Aela began to explain as she wandered through the hall, though not too far away from the fire and the others. Her eyes searched over the chamber, as if she were trying to find some sort of hidden passage or tucked away room. She frowned slightly, then turned back to the rest of the group.

"Above all, Sith want power." She continued on. "Where that power came from never really mattered much to them, they would harness the strength of their own ways, of the way of the Jedi, ancient civilizations, anything they could. They would spend entire lifetimes gaining that knowledge, taking it, studying it, then eventually letting it waste away as they died."

She frowned for a moment, coming up to the small camp that they had made. "No, We're not Sith. We're Jedi."

It didn't matter what Order they were a part of, where they had come from, all that mattered was what they intended. For Aela of course that was the continuing quest that she had been on for a few months now, one that had begun within those archives and continued on Odik. Now she was here, slowly putting together all of the pieces. Of course for that to work they would have to go further into the tomb, but while she was eager to get on she knew that the others deserved a bit more rest at least.

"We want to secure that knowledge, bring it back to the galaxy." Aela said calmly, a small smile pulling at her lips.

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"Bring knowledge back to the galaxy," he repeated softly.

It was an admirable notion, and one that Alkor could respect. The thought of allowing people to see understanding and self-improvement was not lost on a Dark Jedi. "The knowledge you seek isn't Sith knowledge," he recited, "but knowledge that they weaponized?" Who was entombed here, and what had Plaga found in this place? There was so much left unsaid, such elusive knowledge that mocked him in his Master's voice. C'thulu had been a collector of all the darkest Sith tomes, all of the blackest magicks that could pervert and twist life itself and even rip souls back from the void. For his journal to include this tomb, there must have been something more that perhaps the Jedi was unaware of.

He almost reached into his cloak to read further, but stopped himself. His eyes hardened on the vain sculpture of the dead Sith. There was a mystery at work here, and Alkor disliked it. "Bury me," he cursed gruffly. "Alright. That's as good a reason as any. I'll help you look," he said with a smile. "I'd like knowing I helped people to learn a little more about the galaxy they're living in."

Alkor paused for a moment. "But... what if we do find Sith secrets?" he asked. "Shouldn't they be destroyed?"

His cerulean gaze turned to the Master, the woman he could tell permeated a presence of command. Her gentle demeanor did not change that she seemed determined to follow her course of action through to the end. Such tenacity only came with experience. The Corellian folded his arms and took a breath. His expression now became like a mask, his eyes trained on her pensively.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped away and he glanced toward the stone figurine again. He entertained the notion, albeit briefly, of opening his mind to the force and allowing his Quey Tek to drop. Then he could strain to find the subtleties of the room. He could seek the convergences in the frail fabric of reality, find where things came together, and where they fell apart.

That would put him in an awkward place, however. They would lose what little trust they may have had in him. Alkor needed to prove that he was not an enemy before he could risk that move. He took a few steps forward and placed a hand on the base of the monument. Colder than the world outside, even without the Force he could feel the darkness at work.

But did it linger, or was it simply a memory?

[member="Aela Talith"] | [member="Nia Siroc"]​

 

[Nia Siroc]

Nia decided to remain quiet and listen as Aela reentered the antechamber. There were many things implied about the Sith in her lessons so far but little was said outright. The teachers told her only some things and that made her even more curious. Warm brown eyes shifted from Jedi Master to this lost traveler as he asked his last question.

It was a good one, she thought, because everything she'd been told so far said the Sith were a blight upon the galaxy. With their naked lust for power, it reminded Nia of the big corporate managers in Bartyn's Landing. They practically held their workers in slavery, one of the reasons the Siroc family had long ago become free of such entanglements. Originally, they'd been indentured workers as a means of paying for their passage, room and board from whichever world they'd come from.

The young woman couldn't imagine what sort of place could have been worse than the virtual slavery they'd bonded themselves into. Some kind of desert world with seas of sand instead of water. That's what the name Siroc meant, or so her grandfather had told her when she was little. The Siroc was the dry desert wind from the south. For her, it was just her family.

Watching the man approach the statue, she saw him place his hand on it and peer up into the hood. What was it like to not feel the power coming from it, she wondered. There certainly was power there however cold and frightening it might have been. What a power it had to be to survive so long, for the stones themselves felt very old.

[member="Alkor Centaris"]
[member="Aela Talith"]