Private Conflicting Loyalties

[Darth Kharnaz]

Kharnaz took off from the rust colored planet of Korriban, a different being to who we was when he first touched down. Now he had a master, Serina Calis. She had told him to follow her. But there surely could be no harm in looking around first. After all there was another planet nearby of interest. Krayiss 2. Yet another world with a great dark side presence. And according to his databanks on his ship it has a great Sith library. Perfect to get the upper hand in his training. He input the coordinates and began his detour.

He dropped out of hyperspace near the planet and observed. For such an ancient planet there were some fairly modern additions. The capital city could be seen from orbit, and there were some ships and a dockyard in the surrounding space. But something deeper and greater called to him. Or someone. He recieved a transmission, the light of his communications system flashing green.

"This is Krayiss City Air Control. State your clearance code and security ID."

Kharnaz snarled. He would not submit to these weaklings. He was a Sith now. He would go where he wanted, when he pleased. He shut off his communications device without answering. Despite the regulations security did not look too intense. He pushed his ships thrusters to the limit, and dived down to the planet before any ships could respond to his invasion. They would need to be faster than that if they wanted to catch him.

The ship dived down through the atmosphere before Kharnaz pulled up, barely avoiding crashing into a rocky outcrop. He had landed not too far from the main city, but he could not say where the library was. No matter, he would find it one way or another. He was sure that whoever was in charge here would know. Perhaps he could find out peacefully but truth be told, he was hoping they would put up some resistance.

Tag: Darth Morta

 

[Darth Morta]

Darth Morta had been relaxing in her Palace, sitting and observing her city from the heights of her private lounge, an ancient treatise of the Reconstituted Sith Empire on alchemizing weapons and armour in one hand and a glass of wine expensive enough to bankrupt anyone else on this planet in the other. As she watched a streak of light cross the sky, there was a tingle, a premonition of problems to come, that passed through the force.

As Morta put down her reading material and wine glass, exactly what she anticipated happened, one of her elite Crimson Oath guards entered the room and spoke up. "Ma'am, there's been an alert from the spaceport. A ship entered the atmosphere and ignored all communications. FleetCom is tracking its landing zone, projections have it outside of the city, within range of the Library-Temple. Militia are preparing to deploy troops."

"Belay that order, I'll deal with this myself." Morta said as she gathered up a couple of objects, her lightsabers and Oathcarver, before descending to the private speeder hanger in one of the basement levels of her palace, the one with the tunnel that would let her escape the city if she ever needed.

Boarding her speeder Morta rocketed off under the city and emerged into the open air, touching the force she could feel it, the sence of another darkside user, a weaker one then her. This annoyed Morta, a weaker Sith should have come to do homage to her before doing whatever task they had on her world, and even another Lord should have landed at the spaceport or transmitted some sort of authorization before begging off to land elsewhere. The fact that they didn't do any of that had Morta thinking that their arrival here was some sort of challenge to her authority.

When she finally spotted the ship landing in the distance, Morta took up Oathkeeper in one hand and used the other to accelerate the bike, aiming to be at the ship before the ramp hit the surface of her planet.

Tag: Darth Kharnaz

 

[Darth Kharnaz]

Kharnaz could feel it, like a small fish knows when a shark is approaching. The dark side was concentrated in this being, a being who was approaching his position rapidly. He opened the boarding ramp, which opened slowly with lots of smoke. Kharnaz cursed, if it was faster he could have met this figure on the ground, rather than crawling out of his ship like a stowaway.

The Ramp finally came to a juddering stop and there she stood before him, power emanating around her and her malice palpable. A stunning red and black twi'lek, was waiting for him, her dark armor highlighting her figure. Kharnaz did not have to ask her anything, she could only be another Sith Master. No one else has that much power. He knelt before her.

"I am Kharnaz, apprentice of the Sith. Who do I have the honor of addressing?"

Kharnaz spoke out of fear just as much as out of reverence. He could tell this Dark Lord was furious by the aura she sent out into the force, and he had learned that few things survive the wrath of a Sith Master.

Tag: Darth Morta

 

[Darth Morta]

Morta stepped off her speeder bike holding Oathcarver like a staff rather than a weapon, letting its threat be implied rather than crudely holding the bardiche at the ready position as she watched the wolfman descend his ship's ramp.

"You have the honour of addressing the Sith Lady Darth Morta, Assembly Member of the Sith Order, and Queen of Krayiss II." She stated in a cool, matter-of-fact tone, even though that last title was self-styled rather than one she had through bloodright.

It seemed he had caught her on a good day; had it been otherwise, the axe in her hand would have been an executioner's weapon, and the malevolent energies that flowed out from it in the force implied that the weapon was far more than what met the eye.

After letting the silence hang in the air between them for a moment, Morta continued, "You were smart to kneel when you saw me. Shame you weren't smart enough to listen to the orders of my aerospace traffic controllers."

Morta shifted so that the dying light would catch the edge of the blade, showing just how sharp it was.

"Now, rise and tell me the name of he who has the audacity to commit such an act and why you've come to my planet."

She decided that, despite the transgression he'd committed, Morta liked the boldness he'd shown by ignoring the lesser beings blind to the force that had been trying to order him around, a Sith, no matter how strong or weak, was still above most of those who were unable to command the force. She wouldn't say that, though, since it would most likely lead to him feeling emboldened to transgress against her again in the future.

Tag: Darth Kharnaz

 

[Darth Kharnaz]

"You have the honour of addressing the Sith Lady Darth Morta, Assembly Member of the Sith Order, and Queen of Krayiss II."

He looked up at her. Of course she was another Sith Lord. She had to be. But the title of queen was unexpected.

"You were smart to kneel when you saw me. Shame you weren't smart enough to listen to the orders of my aerospace traffic controllers."

Kharnaz nodded, satisfied that his insticnts were corredt. But he snarled at the correction.

"I do not take orders from those who are weak."

"Now, rise and tell me the name of he who has the audacity to commit such an act and why you've come to my planet."

Kharnaz rose to his full height, his muscles flexing as he arose.

"I am Kharnaz, as I said before. I came here to seek knowledge and power. Things which I believe you yourself have plenty of."
Tag: Darth Morta

 

[Darth Morta]

Darth Morta sneered slightly and, despite being shorter than him, somehow managed to give the impression of looking down on him and said, "Yes, you have told me your name. But who is the man behind that name? Who is Kharnaz? Or is being an apprentice the only thing you've managed to accomplish in your life?"

The words were a complete farce, but one that only someone intimately familiar Darth Morta, her moods, and how her force aura felt would be able to see. Underneath that calm, cold exterior and force aura was a slight spike of anger at herself for asking a question that she already knew the answer to.

"Orders that come from the mouths of my minions, you best treat as if they came directly from my mouth going forward." She continued, saying without directly telling Kharnaz that the danger, for now, had passed.

"You will find both of which you seek here. So what is you hunger for? Access to the Library-Temple? A master? Or something more specific?

Tag: Darth Kharnaz

 

[Darth Kharnaz]

Darth Morta sneered slightly and, despite being shorter than him, somehow managed to give the impression of looking down on him and said, "Yes, you have told me your name. But who is the man behind that name? Who is Kharnaz? Or is being an apprentice the only thing you've managed to accomplish in your life?"

Kharnaz growled, barely suppressing his rage. How dare she talk down to him like that? Kharnaz did not care if she was a sith lord or a queen, he would not be so easily disrespected.

"I am The Claw of the Sith! I am the Grand Champion of the Nar Shadaa arenas! I have killed all who stood against me, and their blood has stained my teeth! I am the monster in the night, the subject of nightmares! And you dare to insult me?"

Kharnaz composed himself with visible effort.

"Books do not concern me. And I already have a master. But I need to know how to undercut her. In the case that she turns on me I desire to defend myself. And for that I need your aid. I need you to teach me to refine my force lightning. In return I will be your spy, an inside source of information of your rival."

Tag: Darth Morta

 

[Darth Morta]

Darth Morta smirked as she felt the righteous anger build up in Kharnez. There was a deep power in there, and one day he'd make a fine Sith, she had no doubt.

But. Just as quickly as she was impressed with him, he dashed those feelings against the wall. Sith needed to be brutal and cunning in equal measure, a dagger in the back as just as likely a manner of death as a lightsaber in the gut. But that willingness to sell out his master so quickly was not the kind of agent she'd want on her side. In her experience, someone willing to flip so easily, he'd sell her out just as quickly, or was trying to catch her in some sort of trap and fan the flames of conflict between her and someone else.

"No. There's no need for that," She said, "But I will help you refine your control over force lightning in exchange for the name of the one you call Master. Someone with a bold apprentice is worth keeping an eye on, at arm's length."

Tag: Darth Kharnaz

 

[Darth Kharnaz]

Kharnaz winced internally at her dissapointment. He would know to be more subtle about his alliegances in the future. Still he was determined to put it behind him.

"That is acceptable. I will tell you my master, in exchange for your skills."

He paused. No going back now. But he would obtain power, and it did not matter to him where he got it.

"Serina Calis."

Tag: Darth Morta

 

[Darth Morta]

Darth Morta raised an eyebrow, one of Calis' gaggle of apprentices, that would certainly make things interesting, but she made a deal, so she was going to follow through with it.

"All right," Morta said and leaned Oathcarver up against her speederbike, "Show me what you've got."

Pulling one of her lightsabers and igniting it, Darth Morta held the blade in a defensive position, ready to catch any projection of force lightning that he managed to hurl at her. Since Kharnaz said that he needed help refining, Morta needed to see just what level of skill he had with the ability.

Tag: Darth Kharnaz

 

[Darth Kharnaz]

"Show me what you've got."

Kharnaz reached deep into his soul again. He felt the turbulence and chaos within him, agitated by his recent betrayal. He forced the currents of hate through him, and sparks flittered between his fingers. He concentrated for a moment, then unleashed.

Streaks of lightning flew from his fingers, but they were not organised. Chaotic and random, them made a large cone of electricity rather than targeting Darth Morta. The power was there, certainly, but he lacked direction or control.

Some of the bolts did indeed get caught on her blade, and Morta would feel the heat and power behind the lightning. But it was only a small portion of what he had unleashed. When he was done the grass in front of him was singed, and remnant sparks still flittered through his fingers.

Darth Morta

 

[Darth Morta]

"Gooooood," Morta said, drawing the word out into nearly three syllables.

Kharnaz's Force Lightning was raw and unfocused, but the power behind it was solid, and if properly utilized, that cone-like projection he'd managed could be a potent weapon. Though the fact that he was lacking focus and discipline in his use of the force implied that he was missing that in general, a problem she couldn't truly solve, but she could help with in the specific application of force lightning.

"You have potential, you just need focus." She said and pulled her lightsaber up in a defensive stance again. "Put all your anger and your hatred towards me this time. Forget the rest of the galaxy. Think of the insult I did to you earlier, let the anger that boiled up from that towards me guide the force as you bend it to your will."

Tag: Darth Kharnaz

 

[Darth Kharnaz]

Gooooood

Kharnaz smiled, a harsh thing that showed off his fangs. But he had to do better. Again he reached out, lashing his hatred.

This time he had a target. A goal. And that goal was to reduce her to dust. In that moment all future considerations left him. All he wanted was to kill this being in front of him. He pulled on the force, shackled it to his command. He no longer accessed the storm, he created it. And with his fingers stretched out cruelly he released his hatred.

Lightning once again shot out, but this time it had a target. The full force of it hit her weapon, crounding the energy into the ground. Still the lightning coursed through, not one bolt missing its target. he pushed her back a few steps before he halted the release of power. He caught his breath, panting briefly before he recovered.

The world around him returned to his senses and he was once again aware of his goals and his missions. He straightened his back and licked his lips.

"How was that, teacher?"

Darth Morta

 

[Darth Morta]

The smell of ozone hung thick in the air as the last of Kharnaz's Force Lightning dissipated. Darth Morta had to actually take a step back to shift into a more stable stance to deflect and absorb all the energy. It was quite impressive in the end.

"Most impressive, it will be quite a shock to your master that you've managed to harness your force lightning without her instruction." She said, deactivating her lightsaber. "Just remember, in the future, channelling your emotions isn't enough, you need to focus it, shape it, rule them. We Sith may embrace our emotions, but we don't let them control us."

There was no need for further instruction at this point; he had the fundamentals now, all that was left was regular practice, and one more reminder.

"I am not your teacher. This is an exchange of knowledge and information, nothing more. And Kharnaz, you best not advertise the fact you're going behind your Master's back. She has a fire in her that burns hot. Look at what she did to Sajio, over nothing more than to flex her muscles and prove her strength."

Tag: Darth Kharnaz

 

[Darth Kharnaz]

Kharnaz nodded.

Just remember, in the future, channelling your emotions isn't enough, you need to focus it, shape it, rule them. We Sith may embrace our emotions, but we don't let them control us.

"I see that now. Too easy to lose control that way."

"I am not your teacher. This is an exchange of knowledge and information, nothing more. And Kharnaz, you best not advertise the fact you're going behind your Master's back. She has a fire in her that burns hot. Look at what she did to Sajio, over nothing more than to flex her muscles and prove her strength."

I was unaware of Saijo's fate. I shall tread carefully.

With a hiss the doors to his ship opened again.

"I shall return before I am missed. But I do not believe this to be our last engagement."

Darth Morta

 

[Darth Morta]

"And next time you come to Krayiss 2, listen to the Aerospace controllers," Morta said as she gathered up Oathcarver.

She quickly climbed back onto her speeder bike to clear away from the ship to not get caught in the backdraft of it taking off.

 

[Darth Kharnaz]

"I shall think about it."

Kharnaz walked into his ship, and started the flight sequence. He was aware he had begun a dangerous game, but he put that thought behind him. He could not worry about that now. Only be careful as he moved on. No one said the sith path would be easy.

Darth Morta