Private Brand New Day: Homecoming

[Diarch Rellik]

The Trident moved like a shadow across the void, its hull drinking in the starlight. Rellik stood at the forward viewport, cloak drawn close, golden eyes set on the distant swirl of ochre and crimson below. Korriban. Beside him, Wrathian Kell, the Pureblood. Rellik broke the silence only once, his voice low. "Minimal presence. We are shadows here, nothing more. Should make for a nice stroll on old grounds." The words were spoken softly but with a smile. The Diarch looked forward to this trip and was happy to take it with his new friend. For a long time now he had been yearning for a chance to go on a personal journey and had arranged this trip for just that reason.

The Trident's automated systems hummed, cloaked and veiled against Sith patrols. The ship had been designed for comfort and spectacle, yet tonight it was pressed into the quiet role of courier, ferrying two figures whose very existence risked unsettling the Order. The King of Korriban Darth Caedes had always been welcoming of the Brothers Diarch but Rellik did not want to cause any trouble. He simply wanted to be a tourist.

He let his hand rest on the spear across his back. Even here, in the cradle of Sith history, the weapon pulsed with its own quiet weight. He wondered if the tombs below would stir at Wrathian's tread, if the ancient lords buried in stone would recognize the son who had once claimed their world.

Rellik inclined his head toward his companion. "You sure you are okay with being my tour guide friend?"

The Trident angled downward, its descent masked by jammers and pink vapor dispersers.

Wrathian Kell

 

[Wrathian Kell]

Diarch Rellik

His golden eyes burned through the transparisteel towards the planet. His planet, no, not anymore, only his home. There was a part of Wrathian that had been preparing to glance upon the same devastation he'd seen when passing by Malachor V, a once grand planet reduced to glass. It was a rare comfort to be proven inaccurate for once. He could almost smell the brimstone in the air, feel the sand in his boots. It was enthralling, the call of the wind reached through the void, until it was broken by the Diarch's voice.

Wrathian's head turned, but his eyes did not immediately follow, instead, lingering for a moment upon Korriban. When they finally drifted, he simply nodded. "This is as much as indulgence for I, as it is for you, Lord." He motioned to the viewport as he spoke, and the words were nothing but truth. He assumed for Rellik it may have been curiosity. But for him it was sheer, unfiltered nostalgia, congealed with a plan to search for something personal.

He was willing to play guide. But much as how Wrathian would act as the Diarch's compass, on the off chance the two would be discovered, the Diarch would be the Purebloods shield, or maybe... excuse, was a better comparison in his mind.

"Though, I must ask. Aside from the overtly obvious." He paced past the Diarch as their ship continued it's drop through orbit. "Why ask to bring me along? I doubt you did it on a whim, you're aware of my... ambitions, and judgments." He rubbed his wrist considering the possibilities. "It strikes me as a little... odd."

 

[Diarch Rellik]

SHIP: NZ Trident SY-760

Rellik's head turned as Wrathian paced, following him with a calm, steady gaze. When he finished his questions, Rellik replied calmly and sincerely. "The Diarchy is one family, Wrathian, I know this world carries weight for you, and I did wonder if returning might burden you more than it heals. But I thought it worth the risk, a chance to do something good for you. As a friend."

He let the words settle, turning his gaze back to the planet swelling in the viewport. "At worst, I can offer the King my apology and explain I meant no harm, giving you an opportunity you might not have had. At best, I gain the privilege of learning history not from records or ruins, but from the one who lived it. That seemed reason enough to me."

A faint smile touched his mouth, brief but genuine. "A chance to walk old ground with a man who knew it when it was still new. It is a hard idea to remove from someone as inquisitive as myself. I might be seen as some great warrior but I truly love history and science the most. I am very excited."

The landing would come shortly. The crew would stay in low power, only enough to send a communication out to Rellik if there was danger.

Wrathian Kell

 

[Wrathian Kell]

Diarch Rellik

"Again, one of our ranks frames politicking and warmongering as a family activity." His tone was light, though it had a slight air of critique, he knew of course, every step they took was the correct one. To achieve the goals of the Diarchy itself, and those he'd set his own mind upon. "Fret not. While I'm aware it's been ages, in my own mind, I've barely been gone a month. This trip shall not be grime that causes my wounded soul to fester. No. This is a salve. When everything simply vanishes in the blink of an eye. The best remedy is often tactile. I need to see it, hear it, and breath it in."

As the ship landed, there was an urgency to be birthed from the metal container that had brought them here. He was practically chomping at the bit, internally at least. Externally he simply stood at the threshold of the vessel. Nothing but wiring and durasteel between him and his home. And as that gateway opened Wrathian took the first step. It was glorious, maybe not in it's aesthetic, but without a doubt in it's resonance with the force.

The darkside held it's hand out. A fool would grab for it, a coward would flee. A Wise man? He would simply follow as if it were an invitation instead of a demand. His boots sifted the sand, each footfall left the crunchy sound of the desert colliding on a microscopic scale.

Wrathian knelt to the floor, his hand pressed fingers first into the earth. Then he pushed further, letting the digits splay. The hot surface relinquished it's tension, giving way to the colder granules below. However the moment was short lived, as if once he confirmed all was as it should be, focus found it's way back into his mindscape. Standing, Wrathian peered back towards Rellik. "Ser. I welcome you to the ancient birthplace of the Sith, my people and the ideology itself. Korriban."

His eyes peered back to the horizon, scanning it, almost waiting for a hoard of Massassi to come charging in defense of zealotry. Yet nothing happened. Silence, minus the whistle of the wind cutting through distant canyons. "Well, since you're so keen on the curiosity of the past. I might add the planet is much how I remember it. Perhaps lacking in the violent features, though... our day is young."

"Well Lord, what do you wish to study in particular? I know of a few places nearby. An arena, a graveyard, and I believe there was even once upon a time, a temple."

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik followed Wrathian down the ramp, his cloak brushing lightly against the sand as he stepped onto the world he had once visited in passing. The memory of a swoop race with the King flickered through his mind, a brief taste of Korriban's present, but not its past. Today was different. Today, he meant to walk its history.

"You've given me quite the dilemma, my friend," he said, golden eyes glinting as they swept across the horizon. "The temple calls to me first. I've seen the surface of this world before, but not the roots. To walk where your people studied, prayed, conspired… to see how they tried to give thought and shape to the raw force burning in them. That is where I would begin. The ideas of a people often leave a stronger mark than their blades."

His gaze drifted to the distant ridges. "But when we're finished there, the arena. A place where those lessons were tested in blood. To see the scars left on the stone, where I could see some ideals put into action through markings. that is history just as true as anything written and would be fascinating."

He turned back to Wrathian with a faint smile. "I would be remise to not ask you the same. If there is anywhere special you would like to visit, perhaps the graveyard... then I would be more than welcoming to that idea. I am hoping this journey is as fruitful for the both of us friend."

Wrathian Kell

 

[Wrathian Kell]

Diarch Rellik

Wrathian had already begun walking at the mention of the temple. He knew little of Rellik, yet his words revealed enough. Inquisitive, blunt, but without malice. There was honesty there, even kindness. Such an alien word to the Pureblood. Much like the Diarchs' use of friend, something Wrathian understood in theory, though never in practice. "We landed well. The temple lies only minutes from here, and the arena beyond the cliffs. As for myself, I've something other than the graveyard in mind. Not what was, but what has become. I would see what happened to my home."

He paused in thought. For Wrathian, every action was a transaction, though he knew not all souls measured value the same way.

"I remember playing here as a boy. In this sand, between these canyon walls. My sister would hide in the caves, and I would search for her through the Force. If I found her before the hour, I was spared chores." A turn in the canyon opened into a gully, where a temple had been carved into the sandstone. The wind passed through its hollow shape, pulling a low, guttural, whistle from the stone.

"I always thought it sounded like our priests chanting. It carried fear on the air. The true hymn of the Dark Side. I see nothing short of a miracle my people endured as long as they did."

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik slowed his pace as Wrathian spoke, listening with intent. There was weight in the Pureblood's words, a glimpse into boyhood. The Diarch let him revel in it instead of forcing his words upon the memory. When the canyon bent and the carved temple revealed itself, the Diarch's steps halted. He stood, letting the wind's whistle crawl over him, golden eyes narrowing as if to listen more deeply.

"Strange, isn't it?" he said quietly. "It is a hymn the galaxy has tried to silence for thousands of years… yet here it is, unchanged." The Diarch was simply fascinated to be walking around. Sitting in awe of it all as a good tourist.

Rellik stepped closer, his hand hovering just shy of the stone, careful not to disturb the grooves carved there. He let the silence linger a moment more before glancing toward Wrathian.

"Would you mind if I looked closer at some of these things?" His tone was soft, almost deferential. "The Diarchy keeps its own vaults of history relics, records, pieces we've recovered so they're not left to crumble. If you wished it, I could see some of these preserved in the same way. If you would rather they stay as they are undisturbed, then I will honor that. I only ask permission."

Wrathian Kell

 

[Wrathian Kell]

"Preserve and peruse to your hearts content. It matters little to me." Wrathian was not as reserved as his companion. Once he approached, he placed his hand upon the walls of the temple. Feeling the stone, with a swiping motion. He'd seen them just weeks ago draped in his banners, priests and the other castes of Sith coming and going, darkside rituals intended to strengthen the coming bond with the Republic, in light of a larger war looming.

"There's a disconnect with our perception..." He began forwards to the large opening, where the breeze picked up the tassels along his belt. "For you, this is history... the tale of a forgotten people. For I, it is like coming home to abandonment." As he entered the corridor, torches came to life, roaring with fire like they were prepared for his return. "It's not delusion, for I understand your point of view. Yet I find myself turning every corner expecting to see a familiar face, or to be welcomed back with reverence." He stopped as the hallways opened up into a large square chamber, the visage of a Pureblood carved into the wall, holding a bowl.

Wrathian looked to Rellik now, the brow was turned inward. "That is the issue... and the answer. Unchanged." He echoed to Rellik. "I told you during our introduction. I was struck by a vision before I took the throne, it was one of the driving factors behind the action." He walked to the statue now, wondering if the Whills permitted his people longevity in the afterlife.

"I saw our people snuffed from the galaxy as they are. Genocide, yet never the cause. The death throes of my people, so blinded they could never understand what led to our extinction." His hand came from behind his back and landed upon the foot of the figure. "The method of demise matters little. I believe it was our own hedonistic lust for that power which drove us towards destruction. For what else could a people weaned on fear, hate, and subjugation find? Nothing but death... and empty temples."

In passing judgment, Wrathian realized perhaps it would be wise to preserve these temples, and trinkets. Not as a look back at the great Sith empires, but as a warning. "Follow not ye fools, for this breeds death, final... and everlasting." His head turned back to Rellik. "On second thought, please preserve as much as you can. Feel free to take anything loose, or that you might believe has relevance."

 

[Diarch Rellik]

Rellik trailed a step behind as Wrathian's hand brushed the stone, his own eyes lingering on the hollow chamber as the torches flared to life. The scars of time were everywhere, smooth carvings cut across by gashes, symbols half-erased and layered with the memory of different conquerors. To Rellik, that made them all the more precious.

"You are right, I am not a man out of time. I simply get to experience it from the things I can read or holocrons I find. I admire your strength, for myself... I wonder if I would have the ability to continue forward. I hope I can help you find some solace with this journey. Or whatever might be the thing you need to continue on." he said, running his fingers along the air just shy of the wall. "These halls have endured many invasions stemming from your time to the now. The Ashlan Crusaders and rebirth under the current King Caedes were fairly recent events. You know I do believe you two would get along in the meaning of "/For what else could a people weaned on fear, hate, and subjugation find"/ - he is a man a lot more like the two of us than most believe."

He drew his hand back, folding it beneath his cloak. "Of course, anything of true importance belongs first before the King. Seeing as his kindness is the only reason we can be here. Alas I am glad there are monuments to your old life still here on the outskirts. But if there are scrolls, fragments, records… small things that risk being lost in dust, I would hope to bring some home for study."

Rellik glanced at Wrathian then, the faintest smile playing at his mouth. "The Diarchy may be young, but we are not blind. We know legacy is as fragile as stone in the wind. Perhaps these ruins can serve as lessons, so we do not make the same mistakes. We are lucky to have you around. You had foresight far before your time and hopefully we may get a bit of that now."

Wrathian Kell Darth Caedes

 

[Wrathian Kell]

Diarch Rellik

"I fear solace would not drive me." That was his secret. The thing which kept the man out of time from being just another name forgotten. "I've been told by others in the Diarchy that I seemed composed.... Or that I am handling this trauma with grace." It flattered him of course, to hear despite his true feelings his core had not been eroded by the displacement. But Wrathian was anything but filled with grace. "I am filled with a fury I have no outlet for, with a sorrow that shreds my heartstrings." Yet deep down in spite of his feelings there was a truth that could not be Ignored.

"Yet I can do- Nothing. The past is gone. I only have the now, and the yet to come."

Wrathian's convictions had been... shifting. He wondered if there was a point to his crusade. A point to try and save the Sith by changing them. If there was even an ounce of logic in his goal of attempting to reclaim this tomb of a planet. Especially when it seemed there was already a king in control who apparently shared the views of the Diarchy.

But Wrathian was not weak of will. What he saw of the current Sith order was enough to, at the very least, attempt to set change in motion.

"To be frank Ser, I believe anything we may find would simply crumple to dust were it to feel a hand. Yet I agree, records and such should be preserved, if any are left that is." Lyssara Thrynn had mentioned they already had an ally in control of Korriban. To hear this individual had similar beliefs to Rellik, and by extension Wrathian himself was to hear they had a boon. "I would like to meet this King..." His eyes glanced back to Rellik. "Though, fear not Diarch, I reserve my judgment. As is true for all the Sith of this era. I have a feeling there are more who would agree that the current Sith Order is more a cancer, than force of honor or purpose."

As Rellik spoke of his Diarchy it gave Wrathian pause. "Introspection is good Diarch. But do not let your realization of youth cloud what you know." To compare what Wrathian had seen of the Diarchy, to his own people and past? No, if anything, they were already clear of avoiding the mistakes of the Sith. "Conviction and willpower, for a purpose. That is what will adhere you to your path, for that is what the both my people, and the Sith of today lack. It needs not be grand, nor large in scope. I could be a little of a thing as the words 'protect the innocent,' and it will be far more than what face in the coming dark nights."

His eyes glanced one last time upon the statue, then returned to his companion. "The area is through the back of the temple... If you have seen your fill, we should not linger here."