I Knew You Were Trouble...

[Jamie Pyne]

Dromund Kaas // Midday // Ancient Ruin​

​

Dromund Kaas. A world within the Outer Rim filled with ancient Sith heritage. A planet so shrouded in the Dark Side that upon landing the blonde felt an immediate sense of turmoil, despair, and anguish. She had reviewed the archived data that had been filed away and made public before venturing on this perilous excursion, and so she has a very basic idea of what to expect from a world so entrenched in Sith legend before she arrived on world. Even with the Silver Jedi maintaining dominion over the Sith homeworld, one could certainly never be too careful. She had remembered the conversation she had with her friend Connor Harrison; that the Silvers, while they maintained control over the planet, did not seek to destroy or eradicate the Sith history, but rather see to it that it remained exactly that, a historic site worthy of study and understanding. That was the primary reason for Jamie's excursion here as well.

She had received forewarning that a journey through the ancient Dark Temple, or the Academy might be too dangerous for someone as inexperienced as she, but heed the warnings she would not. A curious creature she was, and so deterring her from such a thing was a futile endeavor. All the same, she was sure to bring along her newly constructed armor and lightsaber, just in case. She also decided to bring along her camera, for research and documentary purposes. As the ship touched down in a clearing about a kilometer away, Jamie packed a small backpack full of necessities for a couple of days in the event that she decided to spend a bit more time examining this particular ruin. Not only that, but she was unsure of the weather patterns on Dromund Kaas, and thus if need be she could remain relatively safe during a storm. Due to the denseness of the jungle and lack of suitable landing zones, the clearing a distance away was about as close as she would be able to get. It would seem like a long, muggy trek through the swamp would be in the cards.

The ramp to the ship lowered, and Jamie strode out, the muggy heat immediately sticking to her face and hands as the moisture in the air clung to everything. Beneath her the soil gave way, leaving imprints of the soles of her boots as she made her way towards the ruin of ancient Sith. It certainly wouldn't take long for her golden hair to frizz into an untamed mess, nor for tiny beads of sweat to begin welling from beneath her pores at the peak of her forehead and back of her neck. About an hour and a half into her trek she would finally come across the remains of the entryway leading into the ruin. Time had been anything but kind to this place. That, coupled with the centuries of battle and constant obscurity gave way to the overgrowth reclaiming inch by inch of the once grand structure that paid homage to the Sith of old.

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Dromund Kaas a week earlier.

Vengeance had finally done the one thing he had yet to do. Make the trip to one of the most powerful and highly regarded Dark side centers of the Galaxy. The Great bastion of many a Sith Empires. The Capital world of Dromund Kaas. The feeling of the planet made him positively giddy. So much darkness, so much power. If he had known this he would have come here much sooner. Even though the world was held by Jedi he was confident he would not be interrupted. Very few Jedi dared to enter such places for fear of falling to the dark side themselves.

This particular ruin was out of the way. It was quite difficult to get too but Vengeance was not a man to be easily dissuaded from his goal. It had taken him a few days but Vengeance had finally made it to the goal. The deepest darkest most central part of the ruin. The sarcophagus of an ancient Sith Lord in front of him. There was nothing of value there............it had been raided and pillaged by many a Sith looking to claim it's secrets for themselves.

None of that mattered to Vengeance though. He just enjoyed being surrounded by so much history and so much power. He closed his eyes the energy pulsing around him. Little did he know a familiar face was about to crash the party and make the day so much sweeter. Someone he had unfinished business with only he did not yet know it.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The markings along the floor, engravings along the walls, even the intricate lacing of a multitude of materials used to construct the architecture were magnificent to behold. It seemed as though every few feet she was snapping another photo, the darkness of the ruin momentarily illuminating by the vibrant flash of the camera to render incredibly high definition photographs. Her excitement as she wandered through the halls was practically palpable, and she could even feel her heart beating rapidly the further into the ruin she got. Jamie paused but a moment, allowing the camera to hang from her neck against her chest as she took a long draw of water from the canteen, dabbing her face to wick away the sweat that had amassed onto the bottom of her shirt. It was a bit difficult to navigate through the corridors as many passageways had collapsed over time, while others seemed to have been deliberately destroyed. Whether that was by vandalism or through battle was difficult to tell given the state of affairs.

One thing was for sure though, this ruin was big. It would appear that this tomb was significant enough to warrant such ornate markings and magnitude of size. Silence encompassed everything, save for the soft patter of foot steps as Jamie meandered through corridor after corridor. The feel of damp moss that had grown over portions of the walls across her fingertips tickled her slightly, Though at the back of her head she could swear she heard the faint whispers of some unknown entity beckoning her, making it somewhat difficult to focus on much else. Perhaps this is the sway of the Dark Side? She wondered to herself, though the warnings of hallucinations or Force ghosts had not yet manifested; Something she'd been warned of to watch out for. Until she saw something resembling a person or creature she would feel at least moderately safe and sane.

As she made her way deeper and deeper inside she could tell that the tomb had been long since pillaged. Decades and likely hundreds if not thousands of Sith later would leave very little in the way of mementos or valuable assets behind. However the one thing that was left over was one of great importance to anyone conducting research or documenting the ruin -- The markings. Many were written in the ancient High Sith language, being complete jibberish to Jamie. While she was certainly unable to make out what was depicted, perhaps someone back on Naboo, a scholar or historian would be able to decipher the language enough to tell her what was being written here. She would have to try to find someone to translate what she'd found when she returned home.

"Incredible." She said aloud, stepping into a massive chamber that appeared to be one reserved for ritual. The massive cathedral ceilings, cracked and worn though they may be, extended thirty feet into the air and curved overhead to a massive dome that appeared to have perhaps been embroidered with crystals and gems at one time, likely pillaged by raiders. A large opening in the ceiling allowed for a steady stream of sun rays to pierce the would-be darkness, giving off a kind of glow in the room. Along the walls were even more ornate carvings, along with dozens of wall mounted torches that had long since been extinguished. Hundreds of years had likely passed since the last time one had been lit.

"Truly incredible." She repeated, taking the time to carefully capture photograph after photograph.

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance meditated in the center of the room letting the dark side flow through him. He was calm, he was quite, he was collected. And then he felt it.............another presence a much lighter presence. A familiar presence.............one he had not felt in a long time.

Just has he tried to latch on to it he heard the voice echoing through out the ruins. He smiled the voice sounding as familiar and the presence felt. He reached out into the Force attempting to latch onto it. If he managed to Vengeance would project images................a map of sorts. A map leading further into the ruins. Into the very room he was currently in........closer to a confrontation.

Would the presence give in and follow or try and force him out of her thoughts. To try and find her own path. With both the Force and Vengeance telepathically calling out to her how would she respond.

Vengeance did like these little games. They were so much fun. So much so that he turned his body facing the entrance.


[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde paused a moment in her trek. Images rapidly flashed through her mind. For several moments she felt as though she was hallucinating. Reality faded in and out as some kind of imaginary path laid itself before her. She could swear it was real. The world fell away, leaving only those images in her head before slowly returning to normal. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. To say she was put off by this would be an understatement. Strange effects of the Dark Side were something she had been warned of, though hardly expected something so real.

Shaking her head, focus returned once more and Jamie continued on through the narrow corridor. She couldn't help but feel like she was being led somewhere by the Force, and that the guiding light so to speak was anything but light sided in nature. This was after all, Dromund Kaas. Carefully tucking her camera into her backpack before continuing she crept slowly over a number of collapsed pillars, the rubble making navigating the tunnels that much more difficult. Feeling her way through was becoming rather difficult with the greatly diminished light now, coupled with the hazards on the ground. From her belt she retrieved her brilliant yellow lightsaber and ignited it, using it as a sort of torch to guide the way.

That was when she stepped through the rather large opening that perhaps was once a large double doorway. A terrible, smothering darkness enveloped this room. All around she could feel the presence of the Sith. In the center of the room a single sarcophagus sat, housing the body of an ancient Lord of the Sith. She was hardly alone though, for the minimal light provided by the weapon she held washed a yellow tint over [member="Vengeance"] as he sat facing the door from which she wandered in from. It was hard to make out the face at first, given the distance, but she was certain this man was among the living. There was a grin, a smile that pulled at the man's lips, one that immediately set the blonde on edge. She froze in place, squinting to try and get a better look, directing the blade towards him to adjust the lighting.

"Whose there?"

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance held on to the presence in the Force sort of monitoring her progress until she entered the room. When she did Vengeance actually began to chuckle as he realized who it was.

"Jamie....................how odd it is to find you in a Sith Tomb." "I didn't take you for the Sith type though I would be lying if I didn't say I am pleased to see you."

He paused slowly standing up and dropping the hood from his face. He slowly moved into view.

"I don't think you will be needing that."

Vengeance reached into his pocket pulling out a few sticks off light activating them and dropping them in a circle around them lighting up much of the room. Unlike their first encounter his skin was a bit paler and his eyes had gone from a soft yellow to a deep orange.

He smiled looking her up and down before he slowly reached up his right hand towards her hair with a chuckle.

"I love the new look but if you were going to come see me you could have done something with your hair."

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

That voice...

Her eyes began to narrow as the being moved closer into view, standing by the very tip of the blade of her vibrant yellow saber to speak.

"Marcus?" She said quietly, her voice only barely echoing throughout the chamber.

Blue eyes found his face as the light from the saber flared over him. There was a small tilt to her head, mild confusion perhaps. She waited as he provided a bit of additional light to the chamber, releasing the activator on her saber after he had finished, silencing the hum of the weapon, latching it back to her hip, though her eyes never left his.

He was notably different from the last time she'd seen him. There was still that awfully cryptic manner of speaking, but his face seemed less saturated while the irises of his eyes shifted to a far more unnatural hue. It was a bit unnerving to say the least, exasperated by the location of their encounter.

Am I hallucinating? Are you actually here right now? Is this some kind of trick of the Dark Side?

She honestly hadn't any real way to discern fact from fiction.

That was of course until he ran his hand through her hair. Hallucinations couldn't cause actual feeling, so this was most definitely real. She blinked, several times, though made no attempt to deter his touching of her shortened hair. Instead she reached up with her hand, feeling the rather tussled hair from the moisture in the hot marshy air.

"It's the humidity. Doesn't cooperate much with me I'm afraid." She said finally, dropping her hand back to her side. "Research." Her focus passed by the Sith, examining the room and sarcophagus behind him. "That's why I came to Dromund Kaas. But why are you here?" Her eyes shifted momentarily to the hand of his that still lingered, caressing her hair.

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance chuckled.

"Humidity yes...............you look good though." "I see you still haven't lost that strong inner courage."

He turned taking a few steps back towards the Sarcophagus when she asked why he was here. With his back to her he spoke.

"Why do you Jedi go to your Temples, your ruins, your historic locations?"

He paused to give her time to think about it before he turned back towards her answering the question.

"I am a Sith Jamie.............a practitioner of the dark side." "This place is like a home to me." "It is where I feel most at peace..............most connected to the Force."

He smiled.

"Though for you I imagine being here would be about like me being in a Jedi Temple." "A little lost, uneasy, and confused."

He paused.

"Am I correct?"

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A small tap of her boots clicked against the floor of the chamber as she followed slowly towards the center of the room, continuing to take in the scripture and engravings along the wall until finally coming to stop just a few feet away from the long dead Sith Lord resting within the stone casket. There was a small knot in her stomach, a sense of unease about this place and uncertainty of it all.

"I suppose that's right, but why here?" She'd ask curiously. "The Silvers hold dominion over this world now. That would have been like me traveling to Coruscant not long ago." The girl tried to word the follow up as carefully as possible. "Before your people lost their hold on the core, and unraveled into obscurity once more."

The same cycle had repeated itself over and over through countless millennia, and once again came full circle.

"Did you ever find the person you were searching for back on Lothal?"

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance chuckled.

"The Silvers as you called them CLAIM dominion over this world."

His voice was even but just a single world put forth with slightly more emphasis on it.

"Nobody holds dominion on the Force Jamie...........sure it works through us...................we can manipulate parts of it." "But pure control is not possible and those that have tried have historically met very unpleasant fates."

He paused.

"I got onto Lothal without being detected did I not?" "Had I not chosen to reveal myself to you I could have made it all the way to the Temple entrance before anyone even noticed I was not supposed to be there."

He smiled.

"Dromund Kaas is and will always be a Sith world Jamie." "There will always be places and paths Jedi are too afraid to venture down or go to." "For fear of falling.................it makes it very easy for someone like me to get around undetected."

"As far as why here there are the places of dark side power with a millennia of history and significance to it." "Dagobah which I have been to many times, Korriban which I have not, and here....................which every Sith Empire through out history as held their Capital or tried to reclaim as such."

He paused.

"I wanted to see what all the fuss was about." "And no I didn't find who I was looking for on Lothat." "Corvus and my fiancee are presumed dead." "And Taeli.....................well nobody wants to help a Sith no matter what the goal."

He shook his head.

"Speaking of Lothal..................... if it is not too forward of me it seems like Keira is still too busy putting blasters to people heads instead of finishing your training." "You got half way into the Ruins before I felt your presence." "You should be a Master by now Jamie....................or a Knight at least."


[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"That may be true." She started to say, shrugging her shoulders rather carelessly. "But if someone else found you lurking about, I don't think your reception would be quite as well taken by them."

Jamie was well aware of the exorbitant bounty on just about any and all Sith by both the Alliance and the Silver Jedi since the collapse of the One Sith. Not that she was a bounty hunter, nor looking to collect on Vengeance in any kind of way, but that didn't mean others weren't interested in the credits. Lord, Master, or not, there were plenty of Jedi that wouldn't hesitate to kill Sith, Keira included. Their last, initial meeting had been very stand-offish, to say the least. Jamie still had those memories fresh in her mind.

"I'm sorry about--" She paused for a moment to think of the girl's name that was to be his wife, but it was lost on her. Instead she opted for the title, rather than the name. "Your fiancee."

Jamie, while still quite young and having not been in that situation, could at the very least empathize with his loss. The idea of losing someone that close was painful enough. "Truly sorry."

"I..." She wasn't quite sure how to answer Marcus in regards to her training. "I've moved on. She's got her own business to sort out. Last I heard she was running with the Mandalorian factions."

The blonde gave another shrug. "I'm in no hurry, as you can tell." She gestured to the backpack and their surroundings. "Just learning what I can about the galaxy, wherever I can."

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance smiled.

"Melori..................her name was Melori." "While I have not forgotten her I have come to terms with it." "You remind me a lot of her...............you did that day on Lothal." "She was beautiful, and strong, and powerful.................and self less."

He looked at he tilting his head.

"It took me days to get to this room............how do you think you found it so quick." "I can lead them away just as easily as I lead you here."

Vengeance frowned shaking his head.

"Mandalorians.............. I am sure there is some history there i don't know about."

He paused taking a few steps forward.

"Abandoning an Apprentice, a student, and a friend however.....................is unforgivable."

Vengeance smiled a warm smile.

"Perhaps I can help?"

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I see, Melori." She said, repeating the name with a hint of sadness. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I am neither strong, nor powerful."

Strong willed perhaps, but not in terms of physicality. And as for powerful? She held no authority over others, by right or birth. "But she sounds like she was a special kind of person."

Jamie hadn't quite thought about the time it had taken her to reach this place. There was the assumption that she'd simply wandered her way into it, without quite a grasp of how large the ruin itself was. For a moment her head turned back towards the entryway, curious to know just how large this old place really was, and how many other paths there were that she hadn't discovered or taken. There were certainly plenty of dead ends, given the test of time that this particular place had suffered.

"I don't harbor any ill will towards her." She said, a small smile to her expression. "She had things to do, I had my own. Its' been a while now. But I make due."

His offer to help in his own way was met with a bit of discomforted looks and awkward shifting of her hands and feet. "I..." Her eyes fell towards the ground, "I don't think that would be wise."

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance smiled.

"Then you don't understand the meaning of strong nor powerful."

He held his hands up as if pointing out the entire room.

"You are standing here in a heart of darkness not feet from a Sith Lord and you are not only unafraid but with the wisdom to asses the situation without rushing it swinging."

He paused.

"That is strength Jamie............courage even." "And that my friend makes you powerful."

Vengeance watched her shift awkwardly saying it would be unwise. He smile softly stepping closer to her and reaching out a hand slowly towards her cheek.

"I am not trying to convert you Jamie." "Your path...............your destiny whether in the light or dark is your own." "You would not be the first Jedi I have taught."

If he had been allowed to touch her his touch would be soft.

"I am offering to teach you to defend yourself, to survive, to understand the battlefield just as much as you would understand the very ruins you stand in." "To read situations before a fight even begins...........and in doing so potentially avoid a fight all together."

He smiled.

"I could even teach you what Corvus taught me." "Jamie I am not going to lie...........I am not a nice person." "I have harmed people...................killed people..............and tortured................recently." "You however.....................that remind me so much of my beloved Melori." "You I have no desire to harm nor see harmed."

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I suppose I owe that to my parents then. They spend their lives treading through combat zones and dramatically unsafe territory as humanitarian aides and relief workers. Most of their time off world is spent bringing medical supplies to refugees and non-combatants on both sides of wars. Sometimes it's food, other times it's as simple as fresh water and temporary shelters." She smiled thinking about it. It made her rather proud that her parents, despite their nobility, sought to help people instead of exploit them.

Perhaps to Jamie, the term Sith Lord was hardly as frightening as it might be to others, namely Jedi who had spent their lives training to fight and kill Sith from the moment of conception. Jamie was an adult already, one who had never really encountered much in the way of the Force until she had discovered her talents fairly recently. She had little reason to fear what most others did, as she was not predisposed to that type of response. While she was acutely aware of what the Sith were responsible for on a galactic scale, so too were ordinary citizens capable of heinous acts of violence.

The blonde wouldn't pull away as he placed his hand on her, though his touch did feel a bit cold against her face.

"What would you teach, exactly?" It seemed to Jamie that the honest reason why she was relatively safe in his presence was that she reminded him of the person he loved, and little else. Perhaps it was her face, or voice, personality, or some combination of the three. That being said however, was not entirely a guarantee that he had no other motive behind this offer to teach her. Still, while she had her reservations, she had no definitive reason to turn down an offer of knowledge. And if this Jedi grandmaster had saw fit to teach him something, perhaps passing it along would be beneficial to her.

[member="Vengeance"]

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance smiled pulling his hand away.

"The way of War."

He paused.

"To read your opponents." "Many thing to win you have to play to your strengths.......................that could not be further from the truth." "To win you play to your opponents weakness."

"It is possible to disarm or defeat your enemy simply by pressing on the correct nerve.............the correct trigger."

He smiled.

"For example a particular skirmish I fought against two Jedi." "Rather than attacking right out even though I had the element of surprise." "I watched, waited, and called out." "In doing so I saw the male kiss the female before charging me." "In doing so displayed an exploitable weakness."

He paused.

"I was out numbered and against a stronger foe in the male." "However by verbally capitalizing on a perceived relationship between the to I was able to implant the blood lust of the male as a greater threat to the female than I was." "In turn she turned against him." "And in doing so even the odds..............and all without a single bit of use in the Force."

He smiled.

"I can teach you how to fight a stronger opponent by using their on strength and center of gravity against them." "I can teach you to fight an opponent faster than you by lettign them tire themselves out while you stay fresh and in control."

He turned his back to her looking at the sarcophagus.

"What do you know about the Three Rings of Defense?"

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The left side of her lower lip fell beneath her teeth as she listened to [member="Vengeance"] speak. She wasn't interested in becoming a phenomenal fighter. Not too long ago all she had known of the Force was that it existed, let alone that she was capable of harnessing its' power in any meaningful way. Sure she wanted to learn more about it, to become more controlled and stronger, but not per say to fight with it. Her interest was in protecting her home, family, and people of Naboo above all else.

That being said however she couldn't exactly discount his points. They were valid and with merit, even if she believed he to be on the wrong side of things morally. She had seen what the Sith did to worlds. The monsters they created for whatever nefarious purposes. It was frightening. She didn't like it at all. And yet despite that point of view, she still didn't believe in the vendetta to kill them either. Jamie, for all of her naivety, did truly believe a lasting peace could be attained between Jedi and Sith, worlds, and races. It just needed work.

For some time she remained quiet after he had spoken, unsure of what to say in response, or if silence was the proper answer here.

"Nothing." She finally replied. "I don't know what that is."

Are those actual rings? She wondered to herself. Though to avoid appearing completely ignorant, kept that question to herself.

 

[Kenrath]

Vengeance nodded.

"I had never heard of it either until Corvus used it against me on Contruum." "The short version................it is a nearly impenetrable form of defense."

He paused with a chuckle.

"Then she gave me a crash course on it." "That was an unusual day."

Vengeance turned back to look at Jamie.

"Nothing is as it seems Jamie and knowledge is power..............more important knowing how to best apply knowledge is power."

Vengeance reached into his pocket and took out a small pad extending it to her.

"I will leave you to your exploration..............there is really nothing here but the Force itself so the risk is negligible." "If you decide to take me up on my offer you know how to reach me." "Nobody has to know unless you want them to be for obvious reasons I must insist you come alone." "Last thing either of us need is an opportunistic Jedi or Sith interrupting your training."

Vengeance smiled.

"It is good to see you Jamie.............I hope to be able to see you again."

With that Vengeance headed for the door to leave her to her thoughts and photography.

[member="Jamie Pyne"]