Private Can't Have Chit in Nar Shadda

[Darth Dekaltis]

Normally, Nar Shadda was a-

No, it was never quiet. The planet that never sleeps, and yet...

It was not usually this LOUD.

Screamed echoed through the streets, as once again an admittedly cute voice spoke out.

"Heeeeeey Darksiders! We're streaming tonight to talk about this Wonderful! piece of equipment I found today! And I'm supposed to have a special guest today too! I invited a new mentor for me! Some guy named Malum!" She hefted a Blaster Rifle up, showing it off to a probe droid she had following her around, before aiming it, and firing it at a set of guards that were trying to fire on her.

It wasn't really apparent who she was talking to, or even if she was talking to anyone...

But the invite had been sent. An invite that had been spammed to Malum's holo-device of choice.

Why?

Because she thought his name sounded cool.

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

He was not exactly certain why he had responded to the invitation, he had initially thought it spam in fact. After all, how else was he to take multiple invitations to go experiment with a blaster rifle on Nar Shadda, the bigger question was of course how someone had gotten access to his datapad's address, but that mystery was not exactly solved easily.

That might have been the end of things really, with the spammer escaping, having likely found his contact details by pure happenstance.

Until of course, he did some investigation on the spammer and realised it came from one Darth Dekaltis .

The name meant very little to him personally, but it was a familiar one, one of the Sith who had found fame on the Holonet of all things, it reminded him of the antics of ones such as Annika Starfire , though if he remembered correctly Darth Dekaltis had far more... realistic streams.

It still would have been enough for him to write it off, mostly, he would need to place some agent to watch over her, for it was somewhat worrying that she was able to get his details, but that would be the end of it.

Until of course, he dug further into the Tsis'Kaar files on Darth Dekaltis, and what he read, filled him with both disgust and fury. A young girl kidnapped by the Sith and experimented on with cybernetics, enough to break her mind, even if it turned her into a dangerous, effective warrior. Well, with a mind of his own, that could not entirely be called sane, it was enough for him to accept the invitation. If only to hear what she had to say, after what she had been through, she deserved at least that.

Of course, he was rapidly beginning to doubt the sense of that decision, as the cloak and concealment fell, hearing the voice that was so cutesy that it might melt hearts entirely, of course, the words that were said using that voice left much to be desired, as the figure whose voice it belonged, had no issue using a blaster rifle to fire upon the local law enforcement.

Oh, why did he keep getting himself into these situations?

"Darth Dekaltis, what exactly are you doing?" His voice rung out, where there was no man, suddenly there was one, of raven locks and crimson eyes, of a face framed with concern, as he kept away from the returning fire. She had called him mentor, was that what this was? He already had one apprentice, and that was its own bundle of troubles, did he want another one?

One that was somehow more insane than him as well?

He did enjoy challenges...

But no, this was a foolish idea, right?

Right?

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

The girl took pause as her mind slowly registered the new person.

Friend, or foe? It was difficult at times for her to decide. He was a new face, and potentionally a new NPC...

But he knew her name. Spoke of her title.

"I am not Darth Dekaltis!" She stamped the ground, dark side energy shockwaving out of her feet. "I am MoonRunner!"

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Malum blinked.

He blinked again.

Nope, no matter how many times he blinked, the explanation did not come to him.

His lightsabre ignited, deflecting blasterbolts when they got too close, as most of his attention was still upon the woman... Darth Dekaltis... or MoonRunner? As far as he remembered an alias of hers on the Holonet, what was particularly strange about it was that a form of it existed for far longer than her physical age would have suggested.

But after all, that was not too out of the ordinary, what files he did have of her suggested she was far, far, older than he. Nearly ten times older, even if she did not look the part.

And seemingly, her mind did not play the part either. The tantrum mid-battle, very much was a concerning personality quirk, one that he certainly did not wish to deal with from an apprentice. That may have been the end of it, Malum dispatching the guards and leaving her to her devices.

All apart from one thing.

He felt the Force with every stomp. The dark side radiated out as if it was the epicentre of a quake, there was power in the woman. Unrefined, raw, and underutilised.

But it was much easier to hone power than it was to make power.

So he played his part.

"Alright, 'MoonRunner', I am Darth Malum of House Marr, and I am here to test you." He flicked the lightsabre up, and one blasterbolt took out its sender, while raising his arm upwards, there was an ear-splitting crunch as the neck was broken. No doubt there were more on the way, but he wished to see her in action now.

"Show me what you can do." Red eyes glimmered with curiosity.

Darth Dekaltis

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

Show me what you got?

That caused a wicked grin to stretch across the petite face of hers.

She reached out with both hands, dark energy stretching across the street, before suddenly, an eruption of power. Every piece of technology, anything and everything, began to rattle. Even Malum felt it in his saber, the sith being forced to hold his own saber together through the Force, to counter the girl's show of power.

Anything that wasn't pushed back on through the force, was violently dismantled. Blasters, weapons, holo-sets, even sides of buildings. The metal pieces swirled, people fleeing in fear, before reconfiguring into...a mess. Some formed into new weapons that Dekaltis then pointed at the fleeing civilians, others formed what could only be considered art pieces, while some formed into formless masses of metal.

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It began as a ripple at first, as her Darkside energies spread out across from her, even through and past him, then suddenly where one moment it seemed nothing of matter or note would occur at all.

Then it happened.

It was like thunder after lightning struck, he felt it in his lightsabre as it suddenly began to vibrate, as if the components of its design were being forced apart by the will of another, and well, it was not hard to find out who that other was. Still, it was enough for his eyes to take focus away from her, as he clamped down his hand hard around the hilt, forcing it to stay in place, deactivating it with a hiss, worried that the kyber crystal within would grow unstable, even bending the Force around his lightsabre, to make certain, it stayed together and resisted the other forces acting against it.

Gazing back up, he would be privy to quite the sight.

The sounds had been concerning enough, but what his red eyes witnessed, was something else entirely, the blasters from the guards killed, the blasters and weapons of all those that were continued to charge down the street, holo-sets, components of vehicles, even the metal sides of buildings were formulating around her, as if she was a magnetic pole of such power to well... accomplish such a feat.

And to see the formless mess, begun on the fly to be created to various items of import and spectre, it was... it was beautiful in a way which he could not fully appreciate, especially as passing by the artwork and formless masses, he found legs moving as his arms hands reached out, to grab the short woman's shoulder, gazing carefully at the weapons which were about to fire upon the civilians.

"Very impressive," It was honest, such a display of power was certainly enough to capture his interest, but... "Yet, I will not be impressed by the senseless, wanton slaughter of civilians," He smirked, a smirk filled with grim malice "Annihilate the guards, and you will have my attention." His crimson eyes came to regard them, those who would have fired upon them, those who were now confused as their weapons of war were stolen away from them.

They had chosen this.

And now Darth Dekaltis would deliver.

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

Dekaltis stared out to the guards. Floating blasters reformed into new shapes opened fire on them, riddling the bodies of the guards with holes, before finally...a twin saber ignited, floating from her hand first to twirl in a colorful display of green and red, before lashing out like a boomerang to slice up the remaining guards.

The girl began to giggle, before it devolved into a cackle. She had found her master. And Chat...

Chat was cheering.

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Being able to kill a platoon of non-force sensitive soldiers was nothing exactly to write home about, but for an acolyte to do so in such a... unique manner, with such common disregard, with cackles as they did so.

Indeed, it would seem this acolyte was quite mad.

Yet he could not find himself looking away, watching the scene apparently mesmerised, as he watched all the metal and technology reform itself into blasters of sorts that could even be misconstrued as turrets, as they gunned down those who were once so confident, who marched in formation with blaster in hand.

Yet what were they without their weapons? Without those tools which were their shields?

As defenceless as the civilians who ran about next to them, his intervention had saved them, yet it would not save those who dared raise themselves against the Sith.

As he watched still a glimmer in his eye, her lightsabre revealed itself, double-bladed, plasma hissing out as red and green as rather than wielding it in a traditional sense, she floated around her as if a projectile rather than a sword, and she used it as so. Using the Force or some other means to guide it in an attack, was not too dissimilar to how Quintessa had used her chakrams, yet somehow, even more in control.

What he could not claim though, was that she was in control herself, the cackles, the madness. Could it be honed, or would she be as much danger to him, as all her foes?

He could not quite say, not here anyway.

Thus as the blade arced through the air, like indeed a boomerang, returning to her hand, he willed the Force about him, and with his hand still on Darth Dekaltis ' shoulder, he bent time and space around them, and within a moment's notice they were gone. This massacre, no doubt would be remembered in Nar Shadda for some time yet.

---

They reappeared outside the Lochris, his starfighter, having landed some distance away, they might have an hour, perhaps less, before others found them, more than enough time to drill into the head of this mad woman.

"So you wish to be my apprentice, do you, Darth Dekaltis, why is that?" He folded his arms, this was the question wasn't it, and with it answered, all else would follow.

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

The girl took a moment to register they had moved. The mess of metal and reconstitued blasters had fallen aside, having been left back where they were before.

And yet, she had been asked a question. Her mind swirled, her focus temporarily distracted by the chat rushing by, only visible to her own visual perception. Why?

The truth was easier. Because it was fun. But that wasn't the whole truth.

She had heard about him in the paper. A sith warrior skilled in the Force. She had seen him on holonet streams, been told of the great House of Marr.

And yet, none of that truly mattered to her. She saw no value in namely prestige, only in her own brand. Moonrunner was her name, after all. The greatest holotuber in all the galaxy. The name that mattered to her. But to forward her career, she needed...

"Focus. You can teach me that, yeah? I heard you're pretty good at that!" She gave the man the sweetest smile the girl could muster, as if she hadn't just slaughtered hundreds. It didn't matter to her. What mattered was impressing her new Sensei. Her new...manager...

Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Focus.

It was not the answer he had expected, yet strangely, it was an answer he felt he could appreciate far more than any other answer she could have given him. Focus, it was an answer as short as it was strangely, very self-reflective and apt.

His thoughts drifted away from the answer, as she smiled up at him. It was then, only truly then, that he could appreciate their height difference, she barely was able to reach his shoulders, yet despite their height difference, he could not help the slightest tremor that travelled up and down his spine, almost the unconscious shiver one had when facing cold winds.

Yet in this case, it was the disconcertion of well... look into the Sith eyes of a.... well objectively adorable young woman.

And knowing she had just killed hundreds without remorse or mercy.

That indeed, she had enjoyed every single moment of it.

Yes, indeed, with focus, she could be a dangerous one.

And with focus, she could be a great asset to him.

A glimmer of orange began shining through his red eyes, as clearly the gears were turning in his mind, as he opened his stance, his arms dropping limply to his side, the best show of trust and detente, considering the circumstances.

"A most curious answer, and certainly a good one, to be an assassin, and to tap into the powers of Sith sorcery, takes one much focus, much calm, much patience," It was like a switch was turned on at the back of his mind, as the lecture began, "I will admit however, I am impressed, you were rather bold to contact me directly, boldness is a virtue, a strength to be honed."

His features morphed, as his eyes were seemingly glowing, his lips tilting into a grievous smirk, "Do you believe you can be honed to be powerful, a killer, a Sith?"

Darth Dekaltis

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr

​

"Of course!" She said, sweet as sugar. "I'm gonna be the best fighter in all the galaxy!" Her proclamation was empty, but she meant every word of it. She believed every bit of her own bravado, and she trusted Malum as she threw her arms around him in a...hug. "Will you teach me how Master?"

She was too cute for her own good. Too sweet to be a sith. And yet, those eyes. There was no empathy behind them. For all her sweetness, she was still a merciless killer.

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Malum blinked.

Then he blinked again.

And for good measure, he blinked once again.

It was bold, it was brave, but it was so entirely stupid. Indeed, he might have had to revise his assessment, there was no doubt in his mind that the woman before him was indeed quite mad. Yet, as she wrapped her arms around him, he did nothing, but stare down at her, even as he found himself unconsciously enjoying the warmth.

He was but a man.

Still, considering her words, as his arms laid limply by his side, he found himself reflecting again if this was truly a good idea.

He only needed to be reminded of the massacre from minutes ago to think better of that.

If such power could be honed by him, he could stand her eccentricities.

"I... I can teach you much, but..." How to exactly word how improper this was, without denying the fact that if she trusted him this much... it was likely to be a boon.

And after all, it was not as if he was exactly the gold standard of orthodox master-apprentice relationship, one he considered some strange mix between a daughter and younger sister, while the other he was... far more intimate with.

Whatever this ballooned into, he supposed he would wrought himself.

"Such displays are acceptable in private if you so wish, but you must understand the improperness in public," His hands pressed up to those wrapped around him, gently prying them off him, gazing into her Sith eyes and pausing. For words that were as sweet as candy, for a smile that would melt hearts, her eyes.

Her eyes were dead.

She was not manipulating him, that much was certain.

Indeed it was simply that she was beyond... beyond this.

After fully pulling himself out of her grasp, he took a few steps back, reaching into his robes, pulling out, and with a great hiss igniting with a brilliant red, his lightsabre, "You have proven yourself a natural with what I imagine was Mechu-Deru," If it was not, he would certainly have a new research project on his hands, "And able to kill mere guards, but how well will you fare against a Sith Lord?"

He barely gave her time to respond, eyes suddenly guarded, as within a flash, he was back in her space, with a wide slash to her chest.

Would she prove herself, or would she flounder?

Darth Dekaltis

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr

Improper? That was silly. Maybe it was Chat's influence, but her own sense of public decency had eroded to the point of non-existence. She cared not for what other people thought, no matter who they were. After all, if they made fun of her, she could just farm them for XP!

...right?

In a flash, her new master was upon her. She just grinned, as her saber once more ignited and met his, without Dekaltis ever flinching, or even moving at all. She just stood there, her telekinetic grasp of her blade meeting his as the two red blades clashed dangerously close to her body. she couldn't feel pain anymore, so the heat didn't seem to bother her.

"A test? Oh!~ I'm good at those!"

She pushed back with a telekinetic pulse, pushing her master away from her, before raising a hand and launching out a blast of red lightning.​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Even in trying to surprise her at least with speed, her first instinct had been to use telekinesis to draw her own lightsabre and block his attack. Such was not too unexpected, for after all it had been with telekinesis she had made the attack on the street, but it spoke to... Well, he was not entirely sure what it meant per se, but at least physically, it implied such use of the Force, that it was more akin to a muscle... indeed more akin to the muscle in her arms.

And by the fact he was not able to press even deeper against the hold, meant her control over the Force, was certainly far beyond simply an acolyte.

However, he knew that much already.

Feeling himself pushed back, he was able to raise his lightsabre at the nick of time to block the incoming strum of red bolts, giving out a low hiss, as the heat pressed up against his face.

Red.

Most intriguing.

"I can certainly attest that you are exceeding expectations..." He raised his hand to the air, hands clawed in her direction, "However..." Lightning coiled around his fingers, before with the speed of a bullet, the white lightning of his Mistress shot out towards his new apprentice, aimed below where her lightsabre was currently levitating.

"...Lets see if you can keep it up."

Darth Dekaltis

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

Dekaltis watched with careful eyes as Malum moved.

Suddenly, her saber, green and red, began to spin rapidly, catching the lightning and the saber in one fell swoop. The girl herself didn't seem to move, simply vividly watching the lightshow, before a telekinetic pulse launched from her hand, sending her lightsaber careening at Malum with deadly intent, still spinning violently.

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr

​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Intriguing, she had been able to block hi- thei- her lightning, the lightning that had been raised to such temperatures far beyond the regular, she had caught in her own blade.

And seemingly had grown distracted by the sparks and light that strummed up between them, plasma hissing against each other, as they pushed in oppositional directions.

Malum smirked, pulling away from their deadlock.

Waves after waves of darkness soaked out of him, as if an earthquake with him as the epicentre, darkness pure and trite, darker than ash, darker than smog, billowed out of him, and filled the entire room with its blackened presence. Emotions made manifest through the Force, his emotions, his power, his strength, striking out in all directions.

Intending to reach her, compel her to feel.

As the sound of the whirling lightsabre, alerted him to the throw made right before the darkness became visible.

Pushing the blade was sent careening away.

All the while.

Malum felt the Force in the air.

Felt the darkness around him.

Through the swirling darkness, that was all but impossible to see through, a spear constructed through the essence of darkness, shot through, aiming for her chest.

"Most impressive..." Malum spoke, feeling himself fade from view, from both sight naked and unnaked, "My apprentice." The voice seemingly coming from all directions, as Malum flickered his ear, preparing for what would come next.

Darth Dekaltis

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

She certainly felt it as the waves of darkness washed over her, but...

It didn't seem to have any real effect on her. If anything, it only caused her gleeful smile to Grow as she burst forward, grabbing the darkspear with her bare hand out of the air, and rushing Malum with it like a madwoman. She didn't even seem to notice it had stabbed her right in the stomach as she grabbed it, pulling it out of her without a thought and starting to...

Giggle.

Her saber also didn't seem phased, as Malum's attempt to toss it away were met with a forceful push back in control, the mind of the girl wanting nothing more than to keep it spinning faster and faster, faster and faster, faster and faster. The blade careened to the side, before digging into the ground with scars in the dirt, melting it to lava as it spun and spun, like a wheel doing a burnout, before flinging back at Malum once more.

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr

​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Malum's eyes widened, through the sight he gained through his own darkness, as the insipid inky invisible tendrils of his Consume Essence shot out and were able to latch onto the woman opposite him, he could see all.

And what he saw... was so utterly unexpected.

That he did not know what to think.

It had been an experiment to him to a degree, to see how she would react to the darkness within him, made manifest and thrown as attack against her, well, technically he had two of those experiments running at the same time at this moment. He had expected, some ability to resist, for after all she was no lightsider, specifically susceptible to the darkness.

Yet, what he had not expected.

Was she to simply shrug off the ashen smog.

For her to be impaled by the Spear of Midnight Black, and... giggle, of all things, taking hold of the darkshear, and advancing forth against him with it.

For the sound of lightsabre hissing, the sound of the plasma to be reaching back toward him.

For a weapon that should have been dispelled.

He was impressed.

But he was also far done with this fight.

Using the Force at the souls of his heels, he flung himself away from the attack vector of his newest apprentice, drawing forth his lightsabre to fling away the lightsabre careening his way, where his eyes failed him, his ear giving him concourse, grunting as plasma hissed against plasma, but his purpose accomplished.

As he gazed towards where he knew she to be.

As lightning coiled around his fingers, the white lightning that burned so hot that it could melt his flesh, the same lightning that was not his.

But now undeniably he wielded.

It shot out with the speed of a bullet.

Yet, he had already done this before.

He was not foolish.

Within the lightning, nothing more than the energy of darkness, held a very different time of energy.

Electronic Manipulation.

To bring down her cybernetics, to shoot out her lightsabre if she attempted to block.

To bring her to his knees.

Was his manifest purpose, to the woman that would make a prized apprentice, indeed.

Darth Dekaltis

 

[Darth Dekaltis]

She tried her best to push back against the lightning upon her so quickly, and yet...

Her lack of true experience was her folly.

Suddenly, her cybernetics went haywire, and...

She was out. She fell like dead weight into the soil, her saber deactivating as it fell harmlessly to the ground.

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr

​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

His breathing was heavy.

The darkness faded from the room, as red eyes gazed upon the fallen, thankfully still breathing body of Darth Dekaltis . That had been... far closer than it had any right to be. Perhaps to call it close would have been inaccurate, he did have many more tricks up his sleeve, and well, the aftermath of their duel was very visible before them, his breathing might have been heavy, but otherwise, he stood unblemished.

On the other hand, she was on the ground, smoking.

But indeed, compared to his first duel with his own Mistress, Darth Ophidia , all those years ago upon Fiviune.

Dekaltis had more control of the fight here, than he did with his Mistress.

It only confirmed to him, that despite the eccentricity.

The potential would be altogether difficult to ignore.

To have her on his side when all would come next, would certainly be a boon that he could not simply let out of his grasp.

Perhaps she would be the one to continue the Tsis'Kaar legacy...

...The stirring at the back of his mind, reminded him, perhaps that would be a step too far.

He chuckled to himself, as he stepped forward, leaning down, cradling the shorter woman in a princess carry.

It would not be a long trip to the Lochris, and as best he could tell, despite being hit with his lightning, she was stable enough not to require immediate medical attention, indeed, having her body undergo Travel, might worsen her condition, rather than make it better.

---

"Keep an eye on her, Motus." Malum spoke, having laid his new apprentice out in the rear of the Lochris, speaking to his protocol droid, as he prepared to leave this world back to Alvaria, Sibby having already taken its position by the socket made for it.

It did concern him slightly that she was not yet still awake, yet gazing upon her rising chest... she was at least still breathing steadily. He may still need to stop out at some other medical station first though.

Just in case.

"As you wish, Master Marr." The overly formal tone of his protocol droid answered, as was his won't, as was his fealty.

"Call me immediately when she awakes... she is rather... unique." Malum said, as he offered a backhanded wave, and began to walk away to the cockpit.

"Another stray then, Master Marr?"

Oh, it had no idea.

Malum did not dignify the droid with an answer, though a long withering look would have been pertinent, as Malum began the pre-flight checks.

And soon, the Lochris was on its way home.