Faction Deep Dark Down Deep Down (Sith Order)

[Alina Tremiru]

An ocean is one of the most vast bodies of water a planet can have. Often full of life. Full of light. A dazzling display of coral and fish in their reefs is what Mon Cala had to offer to those who stuck near the surface. There was of course danger there, as anywhere wildlife existed would have. But that's not what brought Alina here. Deeper is where she needed to go. To the deepest point on the planet. An ocean was a dazzling display of life near the surface.

But deeper someone went, the more the very waters absorbed the light itself until only the Abyss remained.

Within the submersible her glowing gaze stared out at the vastness of nothing. Life was scarce deeper down. Most things needed the light to survive. But not them. Not the Sith. She pulled her gaze away, turning to glance over those that had come along. Tomb raiding was on the agenda for the day.

"Darth Xhess wasn't anyone of importance, but she did have a handy little lab deeper down. Before the fall of the Empire. Thus far the world has been too focused on rebuilding from the Bryn's occupation to even think about tombs or labs. So, we'll make sure her research doesn't just disappear." She reached out, clicking on the conference table in the center of the room with the Force. Ah, man. She loved using the Force where and when she could.

Even now it brought a grin. One she was quick to stamp down and focus on business.

"She was keen on aquatic life this far down. How it could survive without natural light. If, through study of the abyss, she could figure out how to stop those Jedi who use the Light as a weapon from affecting us. Or maybe it was a mood lighting for her. Who knows, all reports say she died in the fall. But she had a breakthrough, and one I'd like to get my hands on." A display of runes floated above the console. Some complex, some simple. All with a basic translated description beside them.

"We'll approach her base. You lot will go in, avoid what will surely be traps using these kinds of runes, and find the information in mind. I'll keep an eye on the local wildlife. There's a chance she might have a.. Pet, or two, to act as guardians. Be sure not to trigger anything, less you do wake whatever beast might be lurking below."

A fanged grin formed as Alina simply grasped her hands behind her back.

"And don't die."

Kyrilu Storm-wracked | Quintessa | Rhynne Urdreth | John Q

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

It was a novel sensation being this far underwater, not one Kyrilu had ever experienced before. He liked to describe what he "saw" through the force as ripples, or subtle vibrations, that helped form a picture in his mind of his surroundings. Sitting in the submersible surrounded by leagues of water felt...stifling. He couldn't quite relax, despite knowing the submersible would be of sound construction. Setting foot in this deep ocean lab didn't excite him either. He listened to his Master's instructions, smiling as she flicked a button on the console with a little nudge of Force, then wider as he caught the grin on her face. Clearly she was enjoying making full use of her newfound power, a feeling he could very well empathise with, but a flicker of annoyance caught his smile as he flashed back to her cutting him off from the force. That familiar fear wedged in his throat as his Master continued speaking.

Kyrilu squashed his fears deep, where his Master wouldn't sense them especially now she had the capacity to potentially feel his thoughts. He didn't know the control she had over her abilities, but the power radiating off her to his force sight terrified him.

"I assume the defences of the information you require will be of an electronic nature? Or something more...ethereal?" Ky asked, once his Master had provided them such sage advice as not dying. "If it's the former, I have it covered, but I admit the latter is something I am still unfamiliar with."

Alina Tremiru / Quintessa / Rhynne Urdreth / John Q

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Submersible - Mon Cala
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tags: Alina Tremiru Kyrilu Storm-wracked

These Sith were unfamiliar to her.

It was a motley group and as far as Quintessa could sense, she was the only Kainate Sith there. The tiny Asa’nyx had been warned that she might be alone, but recognizing that for herself made her much more aware of the fact. As such, it went without saying that the Asa’nyx was more wary, but she wasn’t entirely closed off. While Kainate Sith were trained to work together, Quintessa wasn’t unfamiliar with competitive environments. However, competition was only permitted under strict parameters in the Kainate Order, so as to prevent toxic ambition from taking hold, weakening the group and fermenting heretics in the process.

By contrast, these Sith likely had no such restrictions. While she believed that it made them weaker as a group, individually they were quite dangerous.

Fortunately, Quintessa wasn’t too uncomfortable underwater. She had prepared herself for this mission by training in one of Malsheem’s deep pools. She was fast on land, but water was a different medium, which worked different muscles. Nevertheless, channeling Surge underwater had come naturally to her, but building endurance had proven to be a challenge. She could only hope that her training had rectified that, even if only partially.

“What nature of pets do you expect we might encounter, Lady Knight?” The tiny Asa’nyx spoke up. “Should we anticipate Leviathans?”

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"I assume a mixture of the two. These runes, for example. Your eyes might be best to see them, now that I think about it." There were a number of unknowns. The secrets of the late Darth Xhess died with her, as most secrets did when it came to the Sith. But still, Alina flashed her apprentice a grin. Ethereal guardians of the tomb? Likely. She was ever curious how he might handle it. How they all might.

Reminded her of the good days when she and Iasha Rha entered the tomb on Korriban so long ago. Not good, but it did help her learn more of her own power.

Her grin didn't stay for long. Golden eyes shifted to the pink one. Narrowed in.. She wasn't sure how she felt about it. A Kainite. For the sake of the Triumative and her Inqusitorius, the Asa'nyx was safe here. As safe as her own apprentice anyway. No one was completely safe with the dangers this deep.

"The facility isn't large enough for a Leviathan to breach into, but there's no doubt there's some down this far. Some of these runes could create a beacon to attract them. Send them into a frenzy to destroy the lab. That's the only real danger you lot will have to face when it comes to those ones, anyway. As I said, I'll be keeping the wildlife away from you all, the ones outside the building.

Darth Xhess was a scientist, however. She could have her own creations within. Droids, alchemical creatures, the more ethereal. Keep on your guard. And make sure you keep a rebreather handy in case the facility is breached, yeah?"

Kyrilu Storm-wracked | Quintessa | Rhynne Urdreth | John Q

 

[John Q]

John geared up. Flippers. Goggles. Rebreather. Check, check, check. He was ready.

He took a few steps. The rubber flippers made him walk like a duck. He turned toward his master. His arms were folded reservedly on his waist.

“As you command, my master, it shall be done,” said John. He bowed deeply. Then he emptied his pockets and put his possessions away. He was wearing shorts and a black skin-tight shirt. His skin had a pale hue. A cold aura wafted off him.

John left the room with Alina and the others. The submersible treaded water. Many had likely drowned in pursuits just as foolhardy. A blue fish with hand-shaped fins floated by the window. It looked in at Alina. Its skeletal fisheyes imparted an alien greeting. More fish swam by. Schools of fish. Buses of fish. Big, bright, bulging, pouty-mouthed and chomping, staring like they had never seen bipeds before. Cartilaginous creatures– mouths tricked out with teeth, sad and shoulderless, dredged up from the abyss like knights of a fallen realm who have no kingdom.

John appeared outside the submersible’s window. He was swimming behind a prehistoric abomination. His rebreather bubbled. He waved. Then he realized the submersible may not see him in the dark. He turned on his flashlight. A yellow bulb on his waist lit up.

He kept swimming. It occurred to him that this base may not be nearby at all. Perhaps kilometers away. That was fine. He enjoyed swimming. It was another opportunity to interact with the local flora and fauna. A strong current rushed into him.

Head over limb he tumbled in the dark. A string of bubbles marking his descent. The submersible cruising over him. Down. Down. Down… It is difficult for humans to hear anything in the deep sea. John had ear plugs in. He couldn’t hear anything. But he could feel.

A ripple rushed past his left. Something surged past his right. A rumbling below him. He was being lifted up. On the back of some monster. It lit up. Round dice-sized orbs glowing green and yellow. Carrying him somewhere. Was this what had intrigued Darth Xhess?

Kyrilu Storm-wracked Quintessa Rhynne Urdreth Alina Tremiru

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Submersible - Mon Cala
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tags: Alina Tremiru Kyrilu Storm-wracked John Q

A rebreather? Check. Weapons? Check. A lightsaber capable of operating underwater? Unfortunately, she was still working on that, but her Whipblades would serve her just fine for the time being.

Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that Quintessa preferred her chakrams, at some point she would need to claim a lightsaber in order to call herself truly Sith. Perhaps she might finally claim one of her own down here, inside the laboratories of Darth Xhess. However, the speedster couldn’t imagine that she would find one just lying around.

Darth Xhess was a scientist, however. She could have her own creations within. Droids, alchemical creatures, the more ethereal. Keep on your guard. And make sure you keep a rebreather handy in case the facility is breached, yeah?"

“As you will it, Lady Knight.” Quintessa answered. With that, she sealed her helmet and followed John Q inside the underwater airlock. The room slowly flooded and soon, the tiny Asa’nyx was outside the submersible and immersed in open water, schools of fish swimming by as she took in her surroundings. She watched as John waved at those still inside the submersible before he swam away. It went without saying that he was far more comfortable in the water than she was, but even knowing that, Quintessa didn’t let herself fall too far behind.

And so, she began to swim.

Quintessa initially swam without the aid of the Force, but she slowly ramped up the flow of the Dark Side into her muscles as she fell into a rhythm, trusting in her conditioning to see her through. Before long, the speedster was propelling herself through the water at the speed of a shark, slowly catching up with John Q , until…

Something emerged from the black, directly underneath the man in front of her, before carrying him away on its back.

 

[Kyrilu Storm-wracked]

Kyrilu watched in amazement from inside the safety of the submersible as the first apprentice to leave was carried away by... something. Cyclopean in stature, it was difficult to make out the true size of the beast this far below the surface where light could not reach. The thought of joining the other two apprentices outside was not an enjoyable one, and Kyrilu would endeavour to do as little swimming as possible. Given the locale... his chances seemed pretty slim.

What would he find inside this lab? It was an exciting prospect. One did not build a private laboratory this far into the sea's lightless depths if they had nothing of value to keep away from prying eyes. Ky prepared himself for anything, mentally, but made sure to slip a rebreather into the belt at his waist for emergencies. Would his lightsaber work underwater? Probably not, neither would his force lightning, but he would be far from unarmed.

"How far till the lab, Master? I don't fancy tangling with whatever that was" Ky said, pointing out into the dark.

Alina Tremiru // Quintessa // John Q

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Alina watched as the two before left, though couldn't help but notice Kyrilu had decided to stay. Curious. But, well. She never did say they needed to leave now. It wasn't long at all until the submersible docked with the lab in question, her gaze staying outside. Curiously watching the two who decided to swim off on their own. At least they weren't being eaten by anything. Yet.

"We're here. Now don't keep the others waiting. I expect high results from you most of all, little wolf."

Quintessa | John Q | Kyrilu Storm-wracked

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Mon Cala
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tags: Alina Tremiru Kyrilu Storm-wracked

She could only hope that whatever had carried John into the deep didn’t take her, as well.

Quintessa swallowed as a sense of disquiet emerged in the back of her mind. Nevertheless, the diminutive Asa’nyx continued ahead, swimming with a renewed intensity in the hopes of reaching the laboratory as fast as possible. If the Sangiress was right, she wouldn’t have to worry about any Leviathans once she got inside. The droids, alchemical creatures, and other hazards which she might encounter inside the facility seemed tame compared to the monsters that lurked in the black. At the very least, the Asa’nyx stood a chance at actually killing them. When it came to Leviathans however, her plan was to swim away, as fast as her Dark Side-enhanced muscles would allow.

After some time, Quintessa reached the laboratory, having taken a different route from the submersible, though she arrived not long after the vehicle docked with the facility. It immediately occurred to her that she hadn’t actually needed to swim, an embarrassing realization given the extreme risk inherent in traversing such dangerous waters. Cringing at her own stupidity, Quintessa shook her head in annoyance as she swam towards a separate airlock from the one the submersible had docked at. With the press of a button, the hatch opened, allowing Quintessa to swim inside before it slid shut. Then, the water began to slowly drain out, until the area was dry.

A few seconds later, the opposite hatch opened with a soft hiss, offering the tiny Asa’nyx entrance into the facility proper.

With a deep breath, Quintessa moved forward to accept it.

 

[John Q]

John was carried away. His cold, pale body was found washed up on the seashore with hundreds of jagged incisions needled into it.

Or that what his obituary might have read if this leviathan had teeth. Instead, John was plucked up by a huge, gelatinous, rubbery gentle giant. This beast of the unknown didn't seem have teeth. Actually, it didn't seem to notice John was even on board. It's back buzzed in different colored light, yellow, and green colors as it glided around.

John could do nothing except stay the course on this creature's spine, patting it like an old grouchy uncle. Through the force, John felt the others move away from him. He looked to his side, and dimly saw someone (Quintessa) get into the airlock. If the force willed it, he would follow.

After a few more minutes that seemed like an eternity, John felt the great creature begin to turn. It was slow and methodical, taking its time like a cruise ship. But eventually it did turn around. John took the opportunity to leave-- kicking off from the animal and launching himself towards the airlock he had seen. Looking back, he bade farewell to the creature, feeling they were practically brothers. The creature opened its canyon-like mouth and continued along, plowing into the deep, filtering the waters for any speck of sustenance.

John made it to the airlock, rebreathing, and hit the button to open it. Making it inside he floated around until the room had drained. Then he waited, shook his head, and caught his breath.

Kyrilu Storm-wracked Quintessa Alina Tremiru

 

[Atrayas Talith]

Atrayas Talith stood up. He had remained on the submersible. He had waited in silence as it descended towards the facility, rather than swimming the last of the distance.

This was, in his opinion, both a test of the acolyte's skill and a waste of their resources to trigger and traps hidden within the facility. A Sith Lord would not be so foolish as to rush into this danger first. They would see how many acolyte's survived. It was their way.

Atrayas straightened his tunic. He checked his lightsaber, rebreather and Sith knife. He looked forwards to this endeavour and for only one reason.

In an underwater maze of traps no questions would be asked if any of the acolytes did not return. No one would ask if the circumstances of their death seemed suspicious. No one would enquire to see if one of the novices might have murdered their own to climb the sith ladder of power by throwing their peers aside.

That was also their way.

Atrayas knew that he was meant for greatness. It had been repeated to him throughout his childhood, it was enshrined in the name Talith. His sister, Serya Talith was supposed to be a part of that prophecy, but for now the trail had gone cold.

Atrayas stepped past Kyrilu Storm-wracked and Alina Tremiru . The pressurised airlock revealed a long circular corridor. Metal creaked and groaned. Atrayas' torchlight did not reach the end of the corridor.

"I will search for runes," he said as he stepped into the darkness. "And there might be some emergency power left somewhere."

 

[Quintessa]

Location: Xhess’ Underwater Facility - Mon Cala
Dialogue Legend: <<Ghoul-Speak>> │ “Imperial Basic” │ <”ur-Kittât”>
Tags: Alina Tremiru Kyrilu Storm-wracked John Q Atrayas Talith

The walls gave an ominous creak.

Quintessa stalked through the facility with a slow, deliberate pace, casting her Sight with as much focus as she could manage in an effort to pick out the runes the Knight had warned her to search for. Those were the traps. However, they were also a guide, in that something very likely lay beyond them, perhaps the valuable information and artifacts the Sangniress was seeking out.

First though, the Asa’nyx would need to find a rune. Then, she had to work out the problem of bypassing it, without setting off the trap or at least doing so in a way that she was unlikely to come to harm.

One step at a time.

Before long, she began to sense the presence of the others entering the facility. They might be useful as allies, avoided as enemies, or become something else entirely, but at a fundamental level, Quintessa sensed that they were competition, especially since none of them belonged to the Kainate Order. However, Quintessa did not strive for personal glory or ambition, but rather, in the name of the Eternal Father and His Eclipsing Mission. As such, it was important that she demonstrated strength, competency, and fitness, rather than embarrassing her Order by projecting weakness or mediocrity.

If she could not do that, then someone more capable might take her place.

Fortunately or otherwise, it did not take long for the Asa’nyx to find a rune. It was a basic Stasis rune, matching the description of one of the runes shown in the briefing. Immediately, Quintessa began the process of analyzing it. It seemed intuitive enough that stepping on the rune would set it off, but other than that questions swirled in her mind.

How wide was the rune? Did it have a depth? Were there any additional hidden effects? How long would the Stasis last?

And last, but not least…

What was on the other side? Would it be worth the time and energy invested in bypassing the rune?

 

[John Q]

John exited the airlock and entered the hall that the others had walked through. He saw the faint outline of someone in a hall ahead of him, so started walking in that direction. This person was illuminated by a torch, but had a cold air about them. John didn’t like it. He tried to keep quiet as he followed, keeping about 15 meters back in the shadows, but he couldn’t stop the shivering. That ocean had been cold, and the droplets of water clinging to his skin made his teeth chatter. His damp clothes didn’t help.

Then John stepped on something. A part of the ground lit up. It was a floor tile. A weird letter had been carved into it. The tile beamed red and yellow light. John took a few steps back and stared at it, unsure of what to do.

@ Kyrilu Storm-wracked @ Quintessa @ Alina Tremiru Atrayas Talith