Private Face Your Demons, Sever the Past

[Vaylin]

Prior to the NIO's Siege and Invasion of Mygeeto, the Sith Valkyries had been contacted by an individual who was interested in joining their ranks. Generally speaking their ranks were formed by former Jedi who had been captured, subjugated and brought to the Dark Side. But this person had sought them out, a decently rare happenstance, and Vaylin; the acting Elder at the time was curious.

So she had departed to meet the mysterious person, finding it to be a Echani, adorned in cybernetics. Known formerly as Alana Celestia, but now as Darth Malevolum.

Already a Sith Lord in her own right, Vaylin wanted to test Malevolum herself, test her potential worth to the Valkyries. The duel hadn't been anything intense, poking at the Echani's defences, test her offensive and probing for information that could slip out in the heat of battle. All were essential for a prospective Valkyrie, would mean their success or failure when it came to their Trials.

Vaylin was content with what she found, and had welcomed her into the ranks of the Sith Valkyries, and made it clear while she wouldn't start as a Noviciate, she was not a Valkyrie yet.

Once on Mygeeto, Vaylin saw her settled into their Fortress. Only for days later, to get uprooted from the comfort and thrown out into the cold. Her Trial of Survival had begun. Nothing but a backpack of basic supplies, the Echani's mission was to venture out into the snowy, stormy plains of Mygeeto, collect an item and return to the Fortress. It was a test of endurance, whether the would-be Valkyrie could survive the severe weather, via physical defence and prowess in the Force. Not even the cybernetics would uphold forever, as their internals started freezing. There was no time limit, the test could take days, weeks, even a month. If you didn't return, then you had clearly failed and weren't ready to be a Valkyrie. But if you returned successful? You passed, and were ready for the second and final part.

After a period of recovery that is. The Valkyries weren't cruel, and allowed the prospective Valkyrie to mend their injuries before continuing. It would've been pointless to take them to the brink, only to let fatigue be the death of them. You have to be at your fullest strength when delving into the Netherworld.

Unfortunately, Malevolum's Netherworld Trial never happened at it's original date. The NIO had begun there siege plunging Mygeeto into turmoil, with the Valkyries kept on hold until they were needed. And with everything that had happened with the Valkyries since, and Vaylin's own personal matters, finding a new date and time for the Trial had slipped her mind.

Aboard the Serran
Location - Unknown​

Vaylin was in one of the training rooms, adorned in her usual garb whenever she was training. Hair tied up into a single ponytail. A tank top; her traditional bandage bindings beneath. A pair of shorts, hands taped up and nothing on her feet.

She had been fighting against a set of three faceless drones, each equipped with a quarterstaff, and standing at a different height to one another. Two of them were already beaten down, sparking on the ground. The third took a swing at Vaylin's head, but the Zabrak ducked beneath it, swinging around as she brought her leg up and slammed it against the back of the droid's head.

It went crashing into a heap along the floor, skidding along until it finally stopped just before the door, as it was opened from the other side...

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Mygeeto had been unpleasant to put it mildly. Mal couldn't deny that. The numbness of the cold was a welcome feeling if anything, though her own anger fueled her journey through the icy hell. As much as Mal would want to admit otherwise, her core was still mostly biological. Her eyes had malfunctioned due to water moisture destroying the circuitry that kept her optics going, then she lost hearing after frost build up ruined the receptors in her lobes. Her regrowth implants didn't do much good as food began to get low, meaning she had less calories to call upon to mend her body; but she would take this as a lesson to stop depending so much on her devices.

When she found herself growing weak, the cold chipping away at her body, all she had to do was think back to her times as a jedi, and remember all she lost in spite of them. It didn't stop the slowly freezing death that was trying to take her, but it kept it at bay. The spear shaft she had collected was slowly being frozen to her thigh, and time and time again she felt herself slipping into hypothermic shock, and at times her leg muscles would just refuse to respond, but she had managed to make it back, though her face and hair were practically the same color. Again, it was a mildly unpleasant experience.

She had waited long enough to be appointed a member of the Valkyries though, and she desired that this final trial be carried at as soon as possible; perhaps it was the Echani in her, but she wasn't a patient woman. This ship, the Serran was a tad large of Mal's liking, but to be more frank she questioned the investment put into this dreadnaught, not that it wasn't an efficient fighting vessel, but rather how these resources could have been put to better use in the empire. On the flip side, they were at war, and one would be rather idiotic to advise for revamping the social structures while fighting an insurrection. She supposed her main gripe was trying to navigate the damn thing.

She had enough trouble on her own destroyer, but it felt at times that she would need to play out a journey hours ahead of schedule to ensure she made it on time, though even when she was Alana she was horrid at directions. But that had nothing to do with why she was seeking out Vaylin. She had her eye implants removed, as were her hearing implants, though her jaw-plate was still fixed to her ears. She wore her crimson robes, adored with a veil that covered up her empty sockets, still clad in her sensory dampening combat suit underneath.

It had been a hell of a journey to find the actual training room that housed Darth Moirai, but after many an hour of searching, she had finally found it, just in time to interrupt her destruction of several combat droids. The skidding chassis of the droid stopped right at Mal's feet, as she gave it a moment of notice, before looking to the Zabrak with a level of disinterest. "Apologies for interrupting your practice, Darth Moirai, but I can no longer sit idle." Mal's voice carrying her iconic metallic sheen to it, her arms folded across her chest as she looked in the direction of the woman, her senses only guided what she felt in the force. "If this trial is something I can attend to alone, then I seek permission to go forth and carry it out." Mal finished, knowing that as annoyed as she was about this whole thing, Moirai was still her superior in this matter.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin paused on the spot, eyes just blinking over at the Echani who had entered the room. She said nothing initially, but did not give off a sense of annoyance from being interrupted. It took until the adrenaline finally started to wear off, for the Zabrak to speak.

"Chit."

To those that knew Vaylin decently well, knew the Zabrak wasn't shy from cursing like a sailor at times. But when it came to the Valkyries; and her students specifically, that only ever slipped out when she was pissed. To them she gave off a sense of being stern and strict, or a hardass as her students had come to try and call her secretly.

So the sudden candid outburst might've come as a surprise to Mal, although Vaylin didn't give her time to react as she strode towards the woman.

"My apologies, Darth Malevolum. With everything that has happened recently, it completely slipped my mind. So yes, we should absolutely remedy that." Vaylin paused in her stride, gazing down at herself and realizing she was not dressed for travel right now. "Go and pack a few days worth of supplies." With the loss of Mygeeto, the Valkyries now had to rely on different planets' portals to access the Netherworld, at least when it required more than one person. "We'll be using my ship, so I'll meet you at my personal hangar."

First, Vaylin needed to shower and get changed into something more appropriate for travel.

"Do not leave anything of yourself behind, Malevolum. You'll need to be in top form, else the Nether will consume you." WIth that said, the Zabrak departed the training room in order to make her own preparations. And more than likely leaving Mal with having to not just prepare, but also navigate her way through the Serran again.

Darth Malevolum​

 

[Darth Malevolum]

The swearing caused Mal to raise an eyebrow underneath her veil, a tad perplexed as to how she might have provoked the woman, but stood prepared to weather a possible onslaught as Vaylin strode towards her, least her implants wouldn't be damaged. To her surprise, that wasn't what happened. Vaylin stopped mid stride and perhaps seemed to recognize why the Darth had bothered her, and sought to remedy it. Though as the woman finished giving her instructions, she winced at having to leave and come back. It seemed they both were unprepared for the trial that awaited.

It seemed she had made a mistake in not getting her implants reinstalled, but it was no matter, it wouldn't take her long for that; but if she had to replace her implants again, she was going to be fething livid. Least that what she got from Vaylin's words, she would need to be prepared. "Understood, I'll prepare at once." Mal stated, not addressing her dread at having to circumnavigate the massive ship once more; seriously, why didn't they have a map laid out? And where even was the private hanger that Vaylin was referring to? She'd have to interrogate it out of one of the officers she occasionally ran into.

With Vaylin gone, Mal stood awkwardly in the hall for a moment, trying to recall how she had gotten here initially, but in time she worked it out. Reaching her quarters, she shed her robes, and took about the annoying process of reinstalling her implants. It was a process she had gotten used to, though she would be lying if she said she wasn't troubled by it; it was a rather disconcerting feeling to be able to pull your eyes out after all. She reequipped her armor, stocked her duffel bag with her repair kit and several days worth of rations, but stopped short of her mirror before leaving.

It still felt alien to see herself in the mirror at times, as though she was still herself, she felt that her transformation hadn't gone far enough. She wore Alana's face, spoke with Alana's voice, and shared Alana's pain. But she wasn't that woman anymore. She dropped her bag, taking her finger and tracing the scars etched onto her face she could only wonder; were these her scars, or Alana's? She paused in her musing, her eyes narrowing on the visage in the mirror. It felt like an insult at times, that her past was still mocking her for her failings, for her pain. As she collected her bag, moving to leave the room behind, the sound of shattered glass rung, but Mal put the thought of mind; she needed to figure out where she was going.

After an hour and a half, she had managed to not only find a route to the hanger, but it had only taken her twelve tries to find it, though by the time she had arrived she was a tad annoyed at the effort. As she went to open the door of the hanger, a thought crossed her mind; where were they going?

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

When Mal finally arrived, Vaylin was leaning against her ship. She had known full well that the Echani was having difficulties finding her way around the Serran. And honestly, she couldn't blame her. Some years back and Vaylin would've been in the exact same spot, getting lost going down hallways that looked practically the same.

Over time she got used to it, found a means to not get lost too frequently, until she was able to navigate the winding hallways of any ship, or building.

"Not bad, I was expecting it to take you longer." Vaylin pushed off from her ship, nodding towards the ramp. "You'll get the directions down in time." Would have to, given it looked as though the Valkyries would be remaining in the Super Star Destroyer for the foreseeable future. She couldn't fault Mal though, it couldn't be easy to have started getting use to the Fortress, only to suddenly have to get used to a whole new kind of surroundings.

The Zabrak led the way up onto her ship. "Given Mygeeto is lost to us for now, we have no convenient portal to access the Netherworld. Therefore, we'll be travelling to Dathomir." Vaylin continued to lead the way through the relatively small ship, letting Mal put her duffel bag down before heading to the cockpit.

"How familiar are you with the planet?"

Darth Malevolum​

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Entering the hanger, Mal let out a sigh of relief to find her ride had been waiting for her. Though the fact Vaylin that she had gotten lost caused a bit of red to show around her cheeks. "Where I'm from, the largest building we had was the town hall, it was three stories tall. I feel like half the time we build things on scale with the designers ego." She remarked, wondering who she was going to irk with her comment. Not that she cared, too many of her 'superiors' had thinner skin than a Zeltron.

Her eyes fell upon the woman's personal vessel, wondering what company produced it, before looking back to the Darth. "I doubt that. I still get lost on my own Destroyer." She commented, following the Darth into her ship, setting the duffel bag off to the side. She wasn't sure what sort of hyperdrive Vaylin had installed on board, but she had to assume it was a fast vessel.

It seemed their destination was the Netherworld, a place that Mal had heard of, but never actually set foot in it; nor did she understand what it was. She did know what Dathomir was however, but only loosely. It was a world ripe with spiritual magicks and held a strange aura to it. "Only vaguely, I've never been planet side, but I know of it. The Nightsisters claim it holds special power in the force, and it houses strange force wraiths as well. Anything I need to know?" Mal crossed her arms as she entered the cockpit, taking a look around the confines of the space, before sitting down in the co-pilot chair. "Interesting vessel you have here, what model is it?" She had always been a ship enthusiast, it was something Alana and Ines had in common.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

"Indeed, Dathomir has been through it's fair share of turmoil as it's changed hands between Sith, Mandalorian and the like. But the ever constant has been the Force flowing beneath its earth. Dragged up by Witches and Nightsisters over the eons." Vaylin's main concern was over whether the established archway had been tampered with too much. She had no doubt one had gotten destroyed in a past, only for a new one to be erected in the wake of the Sith Empire's reoccupation of the planet.

The Zabrak began kicking the ship into gear, swivelling in the pilot seat as she flicked some switches, pushed more buttons and let the ship hum to life. She moved with practiced precision, of someone who had been familiar with the vessel for a very long time.

Mal's question brought a slight flush to Vaylin's cheeks, as she honestly didn't have an answer. "Force knows at this point, I've had this ship since my apprentice days. Back then it was just a means to get from point A to point B. I had never really given it much attention aside from it functioning well."

It was a decently old model, even by the time Vaylin had owned it years back. Remarkable in that it still flew as well as it did, showing no signs of anything failing. Nothing sputtering and clanking about as the Zabrak took the controls and steadily lifted it up and out of the hangar.

"Once upon a time I couldn't even fly this thing. Had to learn quickly though, especially when you're flying from one warfront to another."

Darth Malevolum​

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Vaylin's small insight into the world they were visiting did little to change Mal's thoughts on the world; it was a chaotic swamp world that was otherwise not worth the fuel to get there. "I can't think of one planet in the galaxy that hasn't changed hands in the last few years." Mal commented, taking a gander of the layout of the ship, before looking back to the pilot as Vaylin began to get the ship into working order.

Mal watched Vaylin's movements, seeing that they moved in a calm collected motion; she was very familiar with this craft, which put her mind off several things. "That's unfortunate. But I understand." She replied to the Darths explanation on her relationship with the craft. "I once owned a YT-2000, completely remodeled. I loved that ship." It was a good ship. It almost killed her when it was destroyed; it definitely killed Ines. She felt her mood sour, as her gaze shifted away from the controls, and was directed out the window, watching as they left the confines of the hanger behind. "I know something about that, believe it or not." Mal muttered to herself, those words for her past life still whispered at the back of her mind.

She could still remember the scene, still hear Ines' words: 'I hope you like it. Now we don't need to steal my parents ship to go places.' Mal closed her eyes, letting a small sigh escape her lips. She didn't need this right now. "When I left the jedi order, I thought my only war would be against them. That was before the damn apostates sprung up however. Life never turns out the way you expect it" It was just a distraction from what was really bothering her. She had left to try and get closure for what had happened to her, and all these years later she had nothing to show for it. She could only hope Vaylin wouldn't inquire about it. The fewer people who knew her past the better.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak agreed with Mal's comment on the galaxy. She couldn't remember a time, at least a lengthy period, where the galaxy wasn't enrolled in one war or another. Oftentimes more than one was ongoing at once, leading to many planets changing hands at the same rate as the wind would change. It was an icy reminder of their own recent losses, of Mygeeto and Muunilinst. Both of which would one day change hands back to the Sith Empire.

"Sounds like it served you well for a good while."

It was a passive comment, but even Vaylin could feel the mood sour as the Echani's thoughts seemed to slip towards a more negative space. Beyond just simple dark thoughts, and into something personal. The muttered words led credence to Vaylin's suspicions, knowing oh too well how haunting past memories could be.

She piloted the ship away from the Serran giving a good look at the planet they were currently stationed above. Vaylin leaned over to the right, punching in the coordinates for Dathomir. A few seconds later, the ship jumped into hyperspace.

"Indeed it does not, I've learned that lesson a couple of times." She turned in her chair to look at Mal. "I was once a Jedi myself, believed I had been abandoned and left to rot. But the Netherworld had other plans, ones I wasn't aware of all those years ago." Vaylin knew there was more meaning beneath the Echani's words, and equally knew it was something the woman didn't want others knowing. The Zabrak had been the exact same once upon a time, and she wouldn't pry.

But before long, those memories were going to be dredged up from the depths, and put on display.

Darth Malevolum​

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Her mind embarked back on the twisted road of memories, another fond one of Ines whispered to her: 'Your face is your best feature, make sure you don't lose it.' She never understood what Ines meant by that. Whenever she inquired the woman just snickered and avoided the question. Maybe she was onto something. "It did, at times." She replied, her gaze lingering past the view port before her, her mind stewing over things that she needed not trouble herself with. A small part of her longed for the plains of Dantooine, back when she could lose herself in the world for days on end, and know that she could return to a home that had missed her. She could never go back to that life. That was Alana's life not hers; never hers.

Going to lightspeed snapped Mal out of her pondering, as she found that Vaylin was now facing her. She listened to what the Darth had to say remarking about having been a jedi, and that the netherworld showed her otherwise. "Is that so?" Mal blinked several times, before turning her chair to face the woman; it was going to be too awkward talking like this. What was this netherworld, and how did it make plans that they were unaware of. Vaylin probably wasn't going to tell her, but Mal had to inquire; she was too curious to not pry. "This Netherworld, I've heard stories about it, but only that it is the last place one goes upon death. What you are saying suggests that it has it's own motives." Mal wasn't an idiot, despite coming off as a brute, she was good at putting the pieces together. "I...suppose the experience is never the same between visitors?"

She wasn't comfortable with Vaylin getting a sneak peak into her soul, but it seemed like there wouldn't be a choice in the matter. She scowled, crossing her arms across her chest once again. "I don't enjoy the idea of being a tool for some...entity, but it seems like there is no real choice in the matter." This trial might be a tad tougher than she thought.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin settled into her seat, an odd smile on her face. It wasn't too often that she got a chance to discuss the Netherworld with someone who knew less. Sure, she taught whole classes about the subject matter, but that was hardly ever a personal one-to-one thing.

"The Netherworld is very much that, it can be the final resting place for the dead." Vaylin had heard the same stories during her early Dark Jedi days. The Primeval had spoken of it, but it had never stuck with the Zabrak until she had started down the path of a Valkyrie. "And no, the experience always differs between each person. It's about confronting whatever remains to haunt you." Her's had been confronting the spirits of her mother and older siblings. Along with the Jedi she had once called friends. "From my experience spirits will become one of three things. Either they will get eternally trapped within the Nether. As a Force User, with the right teachings, able to project themselves back onto the physical plane as a ghost. And finally, they accept death and move on, becoming one with the Cosmic, and their energy gradually absorbing into the Living Force."

In reality, there was a fourth thing spirits could become, especially those steeped in the Dark Side of the Force. But Vaylin kept quiet on that for now, as it was something better experienced face to face.

"It's as much of an entity as the Force is to some. It has no motive other than simply being." Vaylin looked away slightly, chuckling. "That's not saying anything about what can reside within the Netherworld."

Okay, maybe a little teasing was in order. It had been quite some time since the Zabrak had overseen another's Valkyrie Trial.

Darth Malevolum​

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Vaylin was enjoying herself, or at least al got that impression. The way she described the process showed that she knew much more about this Netherworld than she indicated earlier; which wasn't a surprise, she was a veteran compared to Mal. She found it amusing given how relative in age they must have been; then again, she had wasted years of her life with Ines.

"Is that so?" She frowned ever so slightly at Vaylin's explanation. She had put the ghosts of her past to death, one at a time. Master Ordin no longer lectured her about being his monster, about forming her into his weapon. Her parents were no longer around to denounce her, and Ines was no longer here to witness what she had devolved into. She wouldn't falter so easily however, it had to be a trick of the mind, a mere illusion meant to test one's mettle. She wouldn't be deterred so easily. Her eyes dropped to the floor of the ship for a moment, as she took in a breath, then met her gaze with that of Vaylin's. "What if there is nothing left that remains?" She was certain of what the answer would be, but she had to ask anyways. She had to imagine her loved ones would have long sense moved on. Her last conversation with Ines seemed to suggest so, but what if they lingered on through Mal's connections...would this be her opportunity to finally do away with Alana? She could only wonder for the time being.

Vaylin seemed amused at her explanation, but to Mal it only reminded her of nonsense her master had drilled into her head long ago. "It reminds me of jedi nonsense, about being a tool in the spinning wheel of the force." She shook her head, arms still locked across her chest. "I suppose in a way it would be true, talking into a nexus of the force such as this. It's reactive to those who come to it. I can only imagine the creatures that call that place home." Her brow furrowed in annoyance, thinking of how once again she would be put on display, potentially for the amusement of another Sith. Force how she hated the feeling. "I'm guessing if you come with me, you will see what I experience?" Mal inquired, dreading what Vaylin would say, but willing to proceed regardless of it. Vaylin was going to take some enjoyment in the torment that waited the Valkyrie to be.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak watched closely as her words seemed to sink into Mal. All this was overtly familiar to Vaylin, having been in the Echani's exact shoes years ago. She had felt there was nothing of her past left to haunt her too. Having directly killed her own mother and eldest siblings, as her final trial from Apprentice to Knight.

Before a time when she knew what it meant to be a Valkyrie.

That the very spirits of her murdered family would be stuck in the Netherworld due to their violent demise. Awaiting for the day when she'd trek into the Netherworld and face her past for the final time.

"Something always remains. If you're still asking yourself that, doubting if it's true or not. Then you have yet to confront its final act." Vaylin mused to herself, thinking back on her own experiences. "I had to permanently put down the spirits of my mother and elder siblings, of whom I had killed not a few years prior. And then confront the group of Jedi I had accused for years, of abandoning me." There wasn't a hint of emotion or hesitation in revealing such a thing. It had been years since Vaylin had cut those ties for good, leaving it as nothing more than a tool for teaching others.

"The Jedi are dogmatic and ignorant of the Force. It's source, of which they took and twisted into their own ideology, is where the truth resides. They are tools to the Force, whereas we make the Force into our tool. We grasp it, and mold it into what shape or form we want. But it doesn't matter either way. Light, Dark or something in between, everyone will one day return to the Netherworld of the Force."

Vaylin was pulled out of her little speech by a console beeping, indicating they would be shortly arriving in the Quelii Sector. The Zabrak turned to look at Mal once more. "Yes, whatever the Netherworld will lay bare for you, I will also see. Just as it had been with Matriarch Avacyn when she oversaw my Trial."

Darth Malevolum​

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Death. Yet the Force. She recalled the words that her mentor drove into her mind, pressing her to memorize it to heart, to sear it into her soul; how unfortunate that she recalled it all. It almost enraged her that perhaps the jedi might have gotten something right in that aspect, yet at the same time, Mal knew it was trivial to try and challenge the force in some aspects. "Then I relish the idea of cutting those ties." She responded to Vaylin's words, though she tried not to think of it. Despite all the hate she bore for Alana, Ines was so very dear to her, it was in her memory she had fallen to this step. Could she go to that extent? Cut the woman who had built her into this facade she carried?

It was a question Malevolum didn't want to ponder. She liked to think of herself as a cold monster, able to destroy her ties without remorse; but Ines had always been a weakness, even beneath all the armor feelings still festered. All for a woman who was nothing more than a charred husk. It was rather pathetic if she was being honest; feth, her own flagship bore the woman's name.

Vaylin's words were a pleasant distraction from that line of thinking, as she could focus on things other than the potential of failing in her task. "The escape is futile when we all reside within the same prison." Mal mused, upon reflecting on the woman's words for several moments. "Ironic. Despite our hate for one another, we all reside within the same tomb." Hopefully she could strangle Ordin one last time if that was the case. The bastard deserved so much worse than that.

The beeping of the terminal drew Mal's attention, as she locked eyes with the Zabrak once more. Vaylin's words only confirmed what she dreaded; the Zabrak would see everything Mal hated about herself. "Marvelous." She responded, the enthusiasm in her voice was nonexistent. She looked out the window, a knot forming in her stomach at having to face those ghosts once again.

If this was the price for freedom, then so be it. What could another dash of mental trauma do to her anyways?

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin had said nothing more after that, words could only do so much. They would either settle in Mal's mind, or just into one ear and out the other. The Enchani knew what she was going to be stepping into, but experiencing it was another thing entirely. She held doubts and apprehensions of what was to come, but so did ever hopeful Valkyrie about to venture into the Netherworld.

The Zabrak had been much the same, although with more bravado. Looking at the trial as simply another test of strength, one she'd easily overcome.

And then she had gotten confronted by memories, both good and bad, of people in her past that still remained to haunt her.

The ship exited out of hyperspace finally, the large red mass of Dathomir appearing before them. Vaylin inputted the coordinates for their destination planetside, and steadily took the vessel towards and down into the planet's atmosphere. Once they had parted through the clouds, they got a good view of it from the cockpit window.

It was a desolate place, ruins and relics of former installations surrounding the gateway. Holding a history of different groups having control of the area, and of the planet. Whether it be Dark Jedi, Mandalorian or Sith. But what caught Vaylin's attention however, was activity around the gate as they flew overhead.

"Hmm, looks like someone has moved in. This could prove irksome, potentially."

Vaylin flew the ship a bit further aways, before finally landing it down onto Dathomir.

Darth Malevolum​

 

[Darth Malevolum]

The silence didn't do much to improve her mood, but then again hardly anything raised her spirits now a days. Seeing that Vaylin no longed wished to continue the talk, Mal directed her gaze out unto space, mind lingering on what horrors she might experience in the future.

If nothing else, it would just be another nightmare for her to wrestle with in her sleep. Not much changed in that area after all.

As the globe of Dathomir came into view, the Echani directed her attention towards the approaching planet. It looked every bit as desolate as she had expected it to be. In a way it reminded her of Korriban, but the surface seemed almost hazy. Probably helped to hide all of the monsters that called it home. As the clouds broke across the windows of the ship, Mal couldn't help but notice the strange structures that had been built down below. Initially she assumed they were meant to be there, but Vaylin's words indicated otherwise. Nothing was ever simple it seemed. "Perhaps we need to do some cleaning before we can start the trial." She commented, gripping the side of her chair with a touch of enthusiasm. She could never turn down the potential for a fight.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

The Zabrak swivelled in her chair, facing Mal. She saw the enthusiasm practically radiating from the Echani. It brought a a grin to Vaylin's face, discovering a mutual interest between them both.

Nothing like a little regular fighting to get things going before delving into the Netherworld.

"I've landed the ship some distance away, so unless these squatters are particularly aggressive, they won't attack the ship." The Zabrak stood up and began heading for the door. "Go and prepare yourself, I'll be waiting for you outside."

With that, Vaylin disappeared into the ship heading towards her room. She left Malevolum to her devices, leaving unspoken permission to use whatever room she needed in order to get better equipped.

By the time the Echani was ready, stepping down the ramp, Vaylin was there waiting and staring out across the expanse before them. She was adorned in her Valkyrie armour, lightsabers hanging at her waist.

"Did a little bit of scouting ahead, we've got a small chasm to jump over then it's a good mile or two from where the settlement is located." It would hopefully give them some time to find a vantage point to figure out any weaknesses before they were discovered. "You ready?"

Darth Malevolum​

 

[Darth Malevolum]

It seemed they had a shared interest in combat. Not surprising, but nice to see. As the ship was settled down, Mal looked to her superior as the woman advised she prepared herself. Not difficult to do, Mal had everything she needed, but to wear her combat attire would take a moment. "That's slightly disappointing, but perhaps for the best. I won't be long."

As the Zabrak left the Echani to her devices, Mal simple rose, moved to her bag, and began to equip herself. She was growing rather bored of the current armor set, it was plain and mundane, lacking the grace that her combat style demanded. Still, it was a tool, not something to be harped on, but it would need to be tinkered to her liking. Attaching her saber to her hip, and her vibro-blades into selected places along her wrist and ankles. That was another thing she would need to change, she was starting to miss her use of a force pike, perhaps she would acquire one once this trial as over. Without a word, Mal slide her helmet over her head, letting it pop and seal her suit in the meanwhile.

It wasn't until she met Vaylin that the Darth realized that the woman's armor was perhaps what she was looking for. Eyeing up the design for future reference. It seemed they had abit of a run before reaching their objective, which suited Mal just fine. A little cardio was the best way to start the day. "I've been ready, lead on." Moving behind the Zabrak, Mal trudged on, seemingly undaunted by the weight of her armor. She wasn't quite sure what they would be encountering, but she was more than ready to deal with it.

Vaylin

 

[Vaylin]

Vaylin looked amused as she caught Mal checking out her armour, recognizing the look as someone who was taking notes. The Zabrak was proud of her armour, as it had survived and endured every battle she had been in for years now. Numerous signs of said damage marking different parts of the whole ensemble.

With a brief nod, Vaylin interacted with her wrist computer before she began to lead the way. As they headed towards the chasm, the ship shifted into auto-pilot, lifting up the ramp before flying up itself.

The Zabrak used the Force to easily leap over the chasm, glancing back to watch as Mal followed suit. But a sudden commotion caused her attention to snap back ahead. She quickly but silently signalled her fellow Sith to follow, as they slipped to the right and around a large natural wall. And just in time too, as three individuals came rushing into the open. One was wielding a spear, while the other two had bows.

Primitive weapons, definitely locals then.

And as much as Vaylin hungered for a fight, she refrained from doing so. The longer they could remain out of conflict, the better. At least until they could get a better idea of what and whom they were dealing with. With a nudge of her head, Vaylin continued on further right, moving around and between red walls, and rocky crags. They eventually found a climbable wall, and after a short ascent were finally up high enough to get a good vantage point of the gateway and the surrounding area.

"Over here," she said walking a bit higher up the hill, then slid down into a prone position. "Yeah, we've definitely got some squatters using up the old facility buildings." Vaylin grabbed the pair of electrobinoculars from her belt, bringing them up to her eyes.

Darth Malevolum​

 

[Darth Malevolum]

Ignoring Vaylin's ship as it took off, Mal followed behind the Dark Lady, having grown rather used to this sort of ordeal to get where she wanted to go; true to Vaylin's word, it was about a mile or so of a journey. As the pair approached the chasm, Mal began to gather energy into her legs, as she knew well enough what was coming ahead. Releasing the energy as she followed in Vaylin's step, she flung herself across and landed on the other side. As she began to rise back to her feet, her audio sensory implants picked up the sound of organics, which Vaylin seemed to be in the midst of investigating the source of. Mal hoped it wouldn't be nightsisters, though as weak as they might have been in combat, their sorcery was something to take heed of. Her curiosity was quickly deflated by what came stumbling to meet them; or would have if not for Vaylin's hiding maneuver. Scowling as she witnessed a pack of primitives, she might have considered engaging them, but Vaylin seemed to have other ideas. Probably for the best, these savages weren't worth her time truth bet told.

Being waved forward, Mal walked with her superior closely, edging around a stone wall and climbing up to seek a better vantage point. The expenditure was little more than a warm up for the Darth, as she had to remind herself not to rush herself; this wasn't a contest after all. Finding the vantage point that Vaylin seemed to be content with, the Darth confirmed what Mal had suspected; there were primitives living on the site; sounded like a reason to flush them out if anything. Seeing that Vaylin had a pair of binoculars, Mal smiled slightly, as she focused her vision and enhanced it via her optical implants. She wouldn't say anything to Vaylin of course, merely focusing on pointing out possible obstacles they might face in their quest here. Kneeling with arms folded, Mal switched to thermal vision to get a count of the possible targets, and began to long struggle of telling one target from the next. After a pause, she muttered what she believed to be the correct count. Noting where all of the targets were was too much work for right now, so she took to identifying threat level, and looking for any target that might have stood out. The only ones that she found however, were a trio of men holding energy weapons of some kind if the heat levels were correct, though given the cover of the building, Mal could only determine they couldn't have anything more advanced than blaster rifles. "Twenty eight hostiles, lightly armed. Only exception being the three set in that stone structure to the right at your three o'clock. They have different weapons from the rest, can't make out what though." She advised, waiting for Vaylin to ask anything else, Mal would reset her sight and look to her superior. "How do you wish to proceed my lady?" Whatever Vaylin wished, Mal would see it done. They hadn't come here to massacre primitives, but if they were going to interfere with Mal's trial, then she saw little reason to spare them what they so rightly deserved.

Vaylin