The Pale Death
Location: Mustafar
Time Frame: A Year After the Battle of Woostri
Objective: Reconnect with Someone From the Past
Veradun stared at the encrypted message on his datapiece, his mind slowly turning as he sat in the silence of his personal quarters, deep within the heart of his Master’s fortress on Anoat. The message stirred to life memories the young Nagai had buried deep within himself, and had seemingly forgotten until now. Memories of a day spent on Faldos, searching for his lost family with a Sith Knight he had come to regard as brother.
Someone whom he was so sure had abandoned him when he came under the authority of the Dark Lord,
Darth Nefaron
. Someone who was connected to a period of his life that had seemingly died when his High Priest had fallen. 
Kasir Dorran
. Last time he’d seen the man had been on the bloodied and war torn world of Woostri over a year prior, when the Sith had waged yet another battle against their ancient foe, the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance. How the man had managed to sneak him a message, he wasn’t entirely sure. But it was in his face now, and he needed to decide what he was going to do about it. He could ignore it, he should ignore it - if he wished to avoid the cruel wrath of his Master.
And yet…there was a small part of Veradun that simply couldn’t let the message go.
Kasir had sent him coordinates, along with a brief message, a reminder of the ties they shared…and a beckoning. The young Apprentice debated back and forth on what he should do…but eventually, the curiosity and stirrings of his old loyalty…won him over. He memorized the coordinates, then erased the message - deleting its presence in hopes that the Corpse Lord wouldn’t catch on to anything.
He then went about his business as usual, as he began to form a plan on how he would slip away from Anoat without the Dark Lord’s notice…or at least, in a way that would be above suspicion.
I could always go on a slave raid. That would please my Master enough, perhaps enough to keep him from discovering this…secret.
It was risky, but it could work. Veradun had left Anoat before to conduct slave raids on his own; this time would be no different. He collected a small squad of Legionnaires to use as a cover, then disembarked from the toxic planet on one of the transport ships. For all intents and purposes, the Apprentice of Darth Nefaron was simply on a self imposed mission to supply his Master with the bodies that he needed to continue his work - ever the dutiful and loyal servant of his twisted overlord.
It wasn’t until they were well out of the Anoat sector, that Veradun enacted the other part of his secret mission. First, he had to get rid of his entourage. Though fierce warriors, the Legionnaires were no match for the growing strength and might of the young Sith. He was too swift, too lethal and precise, for them to counter. He had truly become the perfect assassin for his dark Master - and he would become even more dangerous over time and with continued training.
The last body to drop was that of the pilot. Veradun spent time dragging the corpses to a nearby bay, before sealing it and opening it to the vacuum of space - dropping the bodies out into the frigid darkness. Finally alone, he sat down in the pilot seat and disengaged the tracking beacon, before he input the coordinates he had memorized and set the ship to autopilot before making the jump into hyperspace. The young Nagai then settled back to relax for his trip, though his nerves began to eat away at him - paranoia and nervousness making him alert and jumpy.
What if his Master discovered the true nature of his little outing? What then? If he learned that Veradun had gone to meet with someone from his past, someone connected to Wonosa…then he could see it as a betrayal, and kill Veradun.
Or worse…use that remaining connection to find and destroy the last ties the young man had to his past.
Was it worth the risk? He wasn’t sure yet.
Maybe this was all a mistake…and maybe Kasir had lured him out to kill him, and put a dent into Nefaron’s plans and schemes. Veradun didn’t believe he could fight Kasir off - but he would certainly give the man his best fight. Still, there was the faintest of hopes within the boy’s cold heart that maybe, just maybe, Kasir’s intentions were not to kill him - but to try and reconnect.
They were like brothers, afterall.
Kasir was all that Veradun had left from his old life.
The ship dropped out of hyperspace, just outside a planet the boy wasn’t familiar with, but one that simmered with dark energy and presence within the Force. Whatever this place was, was deeply rooted to the dark side. Taking manual control of the ship, Veradun guided it towards the planet’s surface, breaking through its atmosphere to get a view of the surface beyond. The landscape bore signs of geologic upheaval; old and fresh, black lava flows could be seen - and there was a toxic haze that drifted over the desolate landscape. The coordinates guided the youthful Nagai towards a rocky outcrop, and he set the ship to autoland and set it down nearby, before powering down. Wariness still clung to Veradun; he was nervous of his Master tracking him here, but he was sure that he had covered his tracks enough to slip through the Corpse Lord’s watch…if only for a short time.
He took several long moments to pull himself together and reduce some of his Force presence. He made sure his weapon, a simple katana in a sheath, was at his side - and checked his hidden dagger on his right arm one more time, before he disengaged the ramp and allowed the oppressive heat and choking air of the planet to drift over him. Silently, he emerged from the belly of the transport ship, and stepped foot upon the blackened ground - pale eyes searching everywhere around him, waiting…