Private Ghosts Of The Past

[Aliris Tremiru]

"I won't be evicted."

Was she sure about that? Absolutely not. But she was determined. She wouldn't let some old spirit take her over, especially if she finally could get all kinds of information on what happened to her family. Or at least more information on who her family was. She frowned as she sat, mulling it over in her head. Sheer determination, that was enough, right?

No, no doubt. It had to be.

"I've got this."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"If you say so." If nothing else then perhaps the First would find Aliris too stubborn to take control of, simply not worth the effort of it. He wasn't sure if he could bring himself to cut down the young Tremiru if she failed to resist the First, so he hoped that she did indeed manage to fight off the influence of the ancient Sith.

Soon enough the ship gave the familiar jolt of exiting hyperspace and Alisteri began maneuvering it towards the world of Formos. "We'll be landing shortly so be prepared. Just stick by me and don't pay attention to any stares from the locals. I don't usually bring guests here these days." As if he ever did bring them by before. The only real traffic through Formos these days were the ships bringing in freed slaves or transporting the military forces loyal to himself.

The shuttle entered into the atmosphere and began the approach to the Dresuoti, flying high above the surface of the planet and idly banking around clouds lining the sky on what appeared to be a fairly sunny day.

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

She didn't respond, mostly because if she did she'd probably say she wasn't sure at all. Aliris was just a child, and the confidence she had was hardly anything worth keeping up. Her eyes lingered on the world once it was revealed. A Sith world. His world, probably. Ashlan's were adamant that Sith loved taking over their worlds and demanding unending loyalty. Would she see that kind of servitude here?

Part of her was regretting just following him along as she was. But.. No, for her family, this was nothing.

".. Why would they stare?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"I can count the amount of Force Sensitives on this planet that I know of on my fingers, even if they can't sense you they know a Sith when they see one." He doubted that any of his cult would recognize her, or more accurately her face, but him personally bringing her along would get their attention. Alisteri wasn't one for having a bunch of friends after all. "They're friendly though, don't worry."

Finally the walls of the Dresuoti came into view and the ship dipped down to move in for landing. A handful of landing pads were arrayed near the eastern side of the settlement and that was where the ship came in and settled, a slight jolt rocking it as the landing gear connected with the pad. "Here we are, my home."

Alisteri strode past Aliris as the boarding ramp lowered, a group of three robed individuals waiting at the base of the ramp as the masked man walked down it. They all bowed their heads as he approached. "Welcome home High Priest, I trust your mission went well?" The Knight nodded to the young Tremiru as the three parted and allowed him to step past them. "It was an...interesting affair Brother Rayant. I have business to attend to in the Cathedral, do please inform Lady Salneva that I must postpone our meeting."

The priest glanced between his master and the newcomer but nodded and bowed his head once more as he and his two compatriots stepped back. "I shall do so immediately High Priest, as you command."

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

Oh. That made sense. She nodded a little, frowning ever still as she followed along after him. She kept her gaze forward, narrowed, hard. She was small, but she wasn't going to let herself be seen as weak. Especially not by a Sith's followers. There was no telling what they might do if they thought she was weak or something. Crap, now she was more paranoid than before. Though a brow raised right up as he was addressed High Priest.

A brow, and a coy grin. Once they were gone, she couldn't hide her amusement.

"High Priest, huh? Didn't realize you were such a big shot."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri glanced back at the young Tremiru with a slight glare at her amused expression. "I'm not. Now come along." They did have an artifact to deal with after all. The masked man led the way through the settlement, down streets and paths that had clearly been made by the residents themselves. Said residents often gave the Knight a bow or even a salute as he passed them by, him responding in kind with a wave of his hand or a nod.

It didn't take long until the pair of Sith had reached the center of the settlement, the houses giving way to a small clearing where the Cathedral towered over the rest of the buildings within the walls of the Dresuoti. The two Legionnaires guarding the great doors stood at attention and saluted as Alisteri strode up to the entrance and pushed the doors open to reveal the inside of the grand structure.

"Come inside, I keep the relic safely stored in the undercroft."

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

"I know, I'd of heard of you otherwise." There was a boost in her confidence, or just a deflection from the nervousness she felt in facing the unknown of an artifact housing a consciousness that wanted to take over her body. Grant it, as they walked, she couldn't help but think maybe he was actually a big shot. And that she shouldn't be teasing him. Crap. Okay, don't sweat it. Don't panic. Just focus on the fact he said he wasn't big game.

"Undercroft? What are you, some kind of vampire?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri chuckled at the question, waving it off with a dismissive gesture. "Don't be so superstitious Aliris. Vampires don't exist." It wasn't technically a lie. He stepped inside the Cathedral and took an immediate left to where a staircase lay, one that led down into the depths of the building and dimly lit by a few candles lining some alcoves along the walls. "Do close the doors behind us if you would." He called over his shoulder, the Legionnaires moving to shut the doors closed behind the pair.

The stairs led down to what appeared to be a fairly large storage room, cargo crates and shelves littered the area but left plenty of room to walk around and through. Alisteri didn't glance at any of them though and instead marched to the far back of the room, idly pushing a crate aside with his foot, and pressed his hand against one of the stones that made up the wall.

It sank in and the section of wall in front of him shifted to the side to reveal a narrow hall lined with empty cells. "Almost there, I keep all of the more...sensitive relics in the most secure chamber."

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

Uh huh.

Aliris just squinted at him as the doors behind them were closed. This screamed vampire vibes, at least according to the holos she'd been able to sneak a peak at in the Ashlan boot camp. Horror movies were fun, the thrill they gaze and such as they scared and frightened her. She wasn't as scared now as she was then. Maybe it was just dread? The further down they went, the more nervous she got.

What if she couldn't keep herself from the First? What if this Sith actually was a Vampire and she was about to loose all of her blood?

That would be terrible.

".. Secret lairs? Is this just, is this normal for Sith..?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"It tends to be yes. We are a very secretive bunch, take your family for instance." Alisteri strode by the holding cells without giving them a second glance, they were all empty at the moment anyway. He hadn't had the time to gather any potential sacrifices for any sort of ritual after all. Not that he had any planned.

Yet.

At the far end of the holding cell hallway was a door with a control panel just waiting for an input, one that the masked man quickly typed in to make the door slide open. A circular room lay beyond the doorway, most of the floor taken up by grooves and ritual markings that formed a large circular pattern all leading to an Oubliette in the center.

Lining the walls were various pieces of equipment and workstations, some ancient looking and some more modern. Alisteri made his way over to one area that seemed to be just a pile of crates and pulled one up into his grasp. "Alright, prepare yourself young Tremiru." He reluctantly typed another code into the keypad that adorned the crate's top.

It clicked open with a pressurized hiss as he turned to face her, laying inside was the First's Blade. Carefully held in place by two locks that slid away a moment after the top had fully opened. "Here it is, the First."

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

Oh, yeah. She frowned, glancing to the pack where the holocron was within. So this was just normal Sith behavior. Of course it was. The Ashlan's weren't wrong about that, at least. She followed along in silence, trying not to audibly gulp at everything she saw. He might not be a Vampire, but he certainly was some kind of cultist. But all this distraction didn't matter for much on helping her nerves. The case opened, and there it was.

Her brows knitted together as she prepared for.. Something. Only for there to be nothing that happened.

".. Am I supposed to pick it up?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri hadn't really been sure what to expect when the crate opened, he had secured the artifact the moment that it had been given to him and hadn't bothered to open it since. Body snatching relics weren't exactly his area of expertise. When it failed to really react or do much of anything he wasn't sure whether to be surprised, disappointed, or relieved.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure."

He admitted with a small shrug, idly peering down into the crate as he spoke. "It was never clear to me exactly how it operates. Surely simple physical contact isn't the answer..." Then again he supposed that it had never touched a Force Sensitive Tremiru, that he knew of at least, so it could very well be as simple as that.

"Hm. Perhaps you could try forcing your will upon it like you did with the holocron? Even less...sentient relics and artifacts that are blessed with the Force tend to have some ability to interact if dealt with properly."

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

"Oh."

The fact Alisteri didn't know what to expect at least made Aliris feel better. Or worse. Honestly, she wasn't sure in the slightest on how she should feel with that bit of information. But the holocron idea? That made sense. She reached out, taking up the saber. And immediately it activated. Not the blade, but the deep red runes along it flashed bright before the girl fell silent. Frozen where she stood.

To think she gloated she killed any potential vessel, and now that she's dead one comes by. Amazing. Your body will have to do for now, even if you are young. I will not be sealed again.

The pressure on her mind was overwhelming. There wasn't even a chance to struggle as she could feel herself slipping away. Panic and fear rippled out as she desperately tried something, anything. She couldn't let herself be taken, not like this. She refused. This wasn't going to be where she died, but what could she do? It turned out she could do nothing. But the dagger she carried seemed to have it's own alternative. A jewel on it's hilt flashed a deep green, and at once the pressure faded, and the saber in her grasp fell inert.

Aliris collapsed back, breathing heavy.

"C.. Crap."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Before Alisteri knew what was happening the lightsaber had seemingly come to life but not in any manner that he was familiar with. Rather than the blade igniting the runes had lit up instead, casting a minor yet eerie red glow. His gaze flickered up to the young Tremiru and he idly muttered a curse at her blank look. "Hello? Are you alright?" He waved his hand in front of her face and received no response or reaction.

"Oh. Chit."

Suddenly Aliris had collapsed and the lightsaber's runes faded into their dormant state once more, Alisteri not hesitating to snatch the weapon from her grasp and quickly secure it back in the crate once more. He knelt down beside her and idly wondered if he should move to draw one of his blades or not. "Aliris? Are you still here?" It had happened rather quickly but a cursory probe with his senses detected nothing out of the ordinary.

She at least felt the same as she had before from what he could tell, so perhaps that was a good sign. "What happened? I assume she tried to take control?" It was admittedly a rather simple and obvious question but he needed some information before he could act accordingly. Perhaps a short stay in his forge would destroy the First.

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

She nodded a bit dumbly, her hands almost shaking. That crushing weight. It wasn't a sensation she'd ever forget. But what happened to stop it? That she didn't get. She frowned, staring at the case where the saber had been hidden once more.

"Yeah. She.. Yeah. .. I'm not sure what happened."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Well it didn't work clearly, so something must have gotten in the way." Alisteri idly glanced her over to check for any visible damage, despite not seeing any, as he thought on what she said. Then it hit him. "Aliris. That dagger of yours, its one from your family right? A relic of theirs?" If Alina had known of the First then undoubtedly her mother and other members of her family must have as well.

They would have undoubtedly taken steps against such bodysnatching attempts given their sorcerous nature. "Perhaps it helped ward her off, some sort of defense mechanism or magic that prevented her from taking control." Communing with an ancient Sith did have its benefits after all, even with so many possible drawbacks.

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

She nodded slowly, glancing to her dagger briefly before back to him. Was it the dagger then? She found it buried under the rubble of her families estate, all by itself. There were no other relics with it, and given what she'd learned it was weird to find it by it's lonesome.

Whatever it was, though, it'd spared her from being consumed thankfully.

".. I'm glad it did."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"As am I." He wasn't ready to fight against another Tremiru, even if this one was far less skilled and experienced than he was. Alisteri picked up the crate from the ground and set it back where he had retrieved it from, eager to put it away and have it out of mind for the time being. "Well I suppose the First isn't as infallible as I had suspected then. If your dagger can ward her off then perhaps other relics of your family could do so as well."

It wasn't impossible, although it did beg the question of the exact nature of the dagger itself. Was it uniquely made to fight against the First or was it some standard quality of the Tremiru relics? Further investigation was needed. "I do have Alina's equipment, I can promise that they're not nearly as a parasitic and sentient as the First."

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

".. Okay. Yeah. Equipment." That was the better subject of the two, and the one Aliris pretty quickly latched onto. Equipment. That was far better than dealing with the emotions she felt after nearly loosing herself to an artifact. Sheer force of will wasn't enough. She needed to be stronger. If not for the dagger.. No, she shook her head and grimaced in determination.

"Yeah. Show me."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"It's upstairs so that should ease your worries as well. We'll be far away from the First there." He didn't exactly want to keep a body-snatching artifact next to where he occasionally slept after all. Besides, he already had a sarcastic holocron to keep him occupied whenever he was in his chambers anyway. "It's far less...vampiric I suppose you could say."

Alisteri idly wondered if Alina would have laughed at a relative of hers being unsettled by his aesthetics, but he quickly pushed that thought aside in favor of leading the way back out of the undercroft. "I'm not sure if her armor and weapon will fit you, but they are yours to take if you desire them. They may have very well been among the last Tremiru relics made."

Aliris Tremiru