[Insert Pretentious Title Here]

[Grace Darkson]

Grace walked slowly, just another figure wandering the darkened streets. Her eyes flicked from person to person, the seething looks she passed on to those who met her gaze more than enough to let her walk through the streets unscathed. The smaller woman had noticed many thugs much larger than her, but most seemed to avoid her. Maybe it was the way she held herself. Maybe it was the fact she was dressed like any other slummer here. Or maybe it was the Ripper blaster on her hip. Whatever it was, she got where she wanted.

The cantina was loud. Very loud. Her friend always liked loud cantinas. Less likely to be noticed or heard. Unfortunately, that meant he was always hard to pick out of the other ruffians. "Hmm..." She muttered, her eyes scanning the booths. He had to be here somewhere. Something pinged. looking at her comlink, she saw contact info and frowned. "Darkson. What's up."

"Out back. Muggers."

"Really? You're in trouble with some thugs and you're calling me?"

"One of them has a Lightsaber!" There was silence over the comms as she clipped it pack to her belt. "Darkson!"

As she stepped outside,she looked at the young woman standing over the Deveronian, an emerald saber casting a circle of illumination in the dim alley. Behind her, a Rodian and a Trandoshan stood, blasters at the ready. Silently, the Sith walked forward as the latter pair turned. "Boss?" One of them managed to ask as her blaster came up, the spray dropping the first guard before they knew what was going on. The second let out a scream and fired back, the first bolt slamming into the ground in front of her. He managed to get off a second one, and she flicked her wrist, the crimson blade there snapping to life, sending the bolt into a nearby wall. The guard's eyes widened in shock, and she smiled, before driving a mental spike through his skull.

"Took you long enough."

"Emilee. Figures." Without another word, Grace stopped moving, giving a saber salute before sitting absolutely still. Emilee charged, before falling to her knees in pain. A careful step brought her forward, watching her opponent writhe as her mind was torn at from Grace's assault. Smiling, she breathed it in. Pain, anger, wrath.This woman would have made a great Sith. Sadly, she had gotten in Grace's way, so she was nothing more than a roadblock. One she removed without flinching.

The Deveronian stood, shaking. "I suppose I owe you one, now. Here," he said, passing her a talisman. "Have this. It's the least I can do." She nodded, her hand closing around the item. She wasn't paying attention.

In the sky, there was a darkness gathering. Something powerful was here, something dark and mysterious. Something she thought she had seen before.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The speeder would only get her so far, but she needed to arrive with all haste. The voice clawed at her brain, louder and louder. He's here! The Dark Lord is here! Shaking her head, she forced herself onward. She had to reach him.

The steps to the old temple loomed before her, a monolith to a failed experiment. The Ession Reformation had fallen before the Darkness. She smiled as careful steps carried her to the foot of the stairs. He had to be here. He had to be. She could feel the darkness here. Who else but the Sith'ari could be hiding here?

Up the steps he went, the long stone path leading her to the temple. Her face twisted into a frown.

There was a third person here.

She let out a low growl, the grey of her eyes flashing yellow as she stepped deeper, her hand falling to her sides to grip her saber handle and her blaster. She needed to be ready.

After all, anything could be waiting in the dark.

[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Minn Tavers"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

"I have faith in you Kai. I always have. You're as much a son to me as you are a student."

"I'm above those kind of temptations Corvy. I'm a Jedi Knight now. My duty is to the Republic -- will you come with me?"​

"I love you mother, and forgive you for everything. Just...hold on, I can save you. You just have to let me try!"​

"I'm...so sorry. I failed. I can't fight it. They left me here to fight alone -- what choice did I have?!"​

​

"I am have many names: Grayson, Mephirium, Chirikyât, Rade, but you will call me lord."​

​

----------​

The words stirred Mephirium from his meditations. He was wrenched free of the Great Ocean, and forced back into the physical realm of Ession. Cursing, the Sith Lord rose to his feet. It was not like him to be so distracted by old memories. They were a weakness, and something he would need to expunge from his being if he were to continue living.

Displeased, he turned from the office chambers. What was once noble and reserved was now an ugly ruin. The hardwood walls had rotted in the decade since the Ession Reformation had risen to prominence. The floors, once a warm dark tiling had faded to a decrepit gray, and were cracked in a multitude of areas. The window that Cyril Grayson had once looked down upon all of Ession from were tarnished in covered in soot, blocking the once impressive view.

Mephirium paid it all a moment's thought as he turned to leave. He had expected to feel sadness upon seeing the Great Temple, but he only set dissatisfaction. He would have to see it restored soon enough, preferably in his own image rather than that of his past self. He'd come to this forgotten place in search of knowledge long left behind, but it had since eluded him. Whomever had raided the temple was exceptionally thorough about it.

Scowling, Mephirium drew his cowl up over his features and stalked down the staircase toward the library. When he reached the bottom, he felt something shift. It was another presence, and Cyril knew that [member="Minn Tavers"] could not have returned from her perusal of the temple's lower levels by now. Someone else had come to pay the temple a visit, and the powers of the ethereal swirled about it like a quiet whirlpool in an otherwise clear stream.

Curious, Mephirium strode toward the doors. Framed like some terrible demon erupting from the bowels of an occult ruin, Darth Mephirium, the Chirikyât began a slow descent down the steps. His eyes fell to the intruder; a young woman who looked about as much of a threat as the bo-rats that wandered the temple's halls.

A low, rumbling laugh bubbled up from the back of his throat. "I did not expect visitors."

[member="Grace Darkson"]

 

[Minn Tavers]

Minn had been exploring the lower reaches of the temple for some time now. It was littered with random holocrons of various force users. Most of them were historically inconsequential, random masters nobody has ever heard of, or cared about outside their time. Despite the young age of the temple, it was littered with random passages and an extremely confusing architecture. Minn had found numerous secret passages which sprawled around, loaded with old dusty books and ancient datatapes. She learned quite a lot from this information, though very little of it was practical knowledge, mostly just force philosophy.

The master had been meditating for quite awhile, she did not know what he was meditating on, but it was probably extremely important, seeing as the force around the temple had become a raging whirlpool of energies. It took quite awhile for Minn to filter out the violent energies, but after while she was able to focus again. She had no idea what he was doing in the force, but it had a very strong impact on the force around him.

Minn currently found herself in one of those confusing secret passages. She found herself at an exitway, she could tell due to a special marking that seemed to mark exits in this web of passages. She reached out to the rock with the force, and the sigil lit up and receded into the wall. On the other side Minn saw the powerful force presence of Mephirium, her master. She also saw another presence, one she had never seen before.
Minn leaped down, the passage was high above the floor, about 15 feet above the ground, while this might have scared her in years past, she now leaped down thoughtlessly, using the force to slow her fall. She approached her master, walking with an air of confidence, arrogance even, that she did not have in years past. Minn looked to her master.

"Hello master." She said before turning to the newcomer. "Now: Who are you?"

[member="Cyril Grayson"]
[member="Grace Darkson"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

Yellow-grey eyes flicked between the pair, resentment and awe filling her eyes as she looked at the imposing figure that towered in the frame of the doorway. The hand that rested on the blaster handle relaxed. The other knew him. She didn't have to worry about that. Her features turned almost bestial as she cast her gaze to the younger woman. Every bone in her wanted to whip the woman into her place. But she had to wait. She couldn't make the whelp respect her until she was sure that it wouldn't get her killed. An odd calm washed over her face, and she turned her attention to the more Important figure.

It's him! The voice exclaimed, excited. It wanted to bow, to belong to this man. Grace only wanted him for knowledge. For power. Once she had the ability to take his place as the Sith'ari, she would.

"I know it's him" she muttered under her breath, her knees bending as she knelt. She placed the saber handle, shorter than most, on the floor before her.

"I sensed the presence of someone powerful enough to rule the Galaxy." The response drew excitement from the voice, as a chorus of YES! threatened to split her skull in twain. "I came to see who that was," Her eyes, which had been cast down to the floor up until now, rose to meet his as she removed her hand from over her Saber. "My Lord."


[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Minn Tavers"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

Supplication was not expected, but not unwanted. Mephirium regarded the girl with obvious amusement, his face splitting with a content grin. His gaze swept over the girl to the weapon she had placed at her feet. With a simple gesture of his right hand, he called for the blade. The weapon spun up into his grasp, and he held it up to the fading light to examine it.

"Interesting make," he mused, "Shorter than most, but then you've a thin frame. Perhaps it suits you." He blew out a puff of air that might have been the beginnings of a laugh, and offered the girl her blade. Just as he did so, one of his erstwhile followers, [member="Minn Tavers"], came bumbling out of the temple. The girl had a pwoerful connection to the ethereal, yet she had much to understand, and the her recent growth had made her...arrogant.

Mephirium regarded the Miraluka with a tilt of his head. "Ah, Minn," he said, sounding pleased. "It is good that you've come. We have a visitor." Another quiet laugh fell from his lips.

"Stand up my dear, and take your weapon." He spoke, sweeping a few paces away. He moved as if his feet never touched the ground, and when he came to a stop, he was grinning.

"Minn." He gestured toward the human woman. "Kill her."


[member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Minn Tavers"]

 

[Dr. Xris]

Jed'aii or were they? Embers of hatred burned from within. " They shall make excellent Hounds for the new Empire." N'Goo stepped out into the open from the edge of Temple Limits. Towering in size the Rakata flashed a massive grin, rows of sharp teeth could be seen from afar. Resting a Old Relic Rakatan guardsmen spear on his shoulder the large Rakata loomed closer to the Temple steps.

"Slaves..." he muttered and Readied his Weapon. Lightning surged through the Spear. " Where is your Predor slaves!." N'Goo exclaimed glaring at the three people nearby. He gave them no chance to respond back. " Rudimentary lesser species. SPEAK!" he commanded. His eyes flashed with a cannibalistic blood lust.


[member="Grace Darkson"]
[member="Minn Tavers"]
[member="Cyril Grayson"]

 

[Minn Tavers]

Minn heard the command from her master, she was ordered to kill the newcomer. Minn drew her blade, a holdover from her short stint as a jedi. She ignited it, getting into the starting position of her favoured Form IV. It was agressive, and fast paced, she felt it suited her.

Before Minn was able to act the creature arrived, she had no clue what it was, or where it came from, but it called her a slave. This was intolerable, but she could sense it had a strong dark side presense, this was not her fight, but her masters. She was arrogant, but not stupid, she knew if she went up against that thing she would almost certainly loose. She was not ordered to kill it, so she would go after the one she was told to, the human woman.

Minn quickly charged forward with supernatural speed, before making an extremely quick and expedient strike towards the chest from the left, due to her left-handedness. Minn then prepared to draw back by starting to position her feet to quickly shift back, her body was already at an angle with her left side facing forward, so she started to shift her weight to the right. She was not an experienced duelist, but she hoped that this other person was equally inexperienced, in all likelihood she was not, but Minn could hope.

[member="Grace Darkson"]
[member="Cyril Grayson"]
@N'Goo the Ancient

 

[Grace Darkson]

As Minn stepped forward, the Saber snapped to her hand, and she rose, the crimson blade springing to life in her hand as the whelp's strike came in. Her footwork was off, her right leg bent forward in a lunge, the limb almost lined up with the brat's own, and her left hand flashing out with the force of a cut into the attack. That should buy her the time she needed. "So you think I'm some bug to be crushed, little girl?" Her voice came out as a growl. Narrow eyes glared at the pawn's mask. "I've fought beasts that would eat you for lunch!"

As she spoke, the holstered blaster at her side fired off a stream of bolts, the trigger depressed by the Force. With luck, the weapon would shoot out her opponent's knees, leaving her helpless before the Vahla. She would ignore the creature for now. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew it posed a threat.

[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Minn Tavers"] [member="N'Goo the Ancient"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

Mephirium watched the ongoing activities with veiled interest. His arms were folded over his chest, his lips pressed into a thin line. He would intervene in the contest should he see fit, but there was no point in ruining a perfectly natural test. If the newcomer bested Minn, then she would take her place. If Minn killed the stranger, then nothing would have changed.

With casual curiosity, he turned his attentions to the screaming creature. A brow was lofted as he took in the being's appearance. He felt that he knew what race those oblong features belonged to, but he could not say exactly what it was.

"Continue," he muttered to the two women, turning so that he might walk down toward the large alien. With a flexing of his metaphysical muscles, Mephirium approached what he now assumed to be some sort of ancient crossbreed of some sort.

"I am the Predor," he began, "And I wonder why you shout at my acolytes. You will draw unwanted eyes, my friend." The words were friendly, but the tone was malevolent. Mephirium glared out from the rim of his cowl, his lips pulled back in a predatory smile. "You should not scream so loudly."

[member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Minn Tavers"], [member="N'Goo the Ancient"]

 

[Minn Tavers]

The woman's taunts were horrible, if not childish, they did little to her mental state, the failed attempt at Dun Moch was brushed off, for now, her skills in it were not the best, it was not her specialty.

Minn was ready to continue her attack, when she sensed something was amiss, then her precog revealed the trick, the other woman was attempting to use the blaster in her holster to hit her in the kneecap. Minn did the simplest thing she could do. Spinning would be suicidal, she learned that the hard way in sparring, so she attempted to lift the leg out of the way of the bolts, then attempted to kick the woman in the stomach. She did this with force-enhanced strength and speed, if it hit it would be one hell of a kick.

[member="Cyril Grayson"]
[member="Grace Darkson"]
[member="N'Goo the Ancient"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

A smile flashed across her face as the brat raised her foot out of the way. The move would off balance the woman, leaving her open to a simple attack. She would be able to simply push her over. She began gathering the Force to her to blast the girl to the ground.

And then the kick hit.

The wind flew out of her as she reeled, gasping for breath. He concentration shattered, the saber moving downwards from her parry to meet where the woman's foot had been, aiming to slice the whelp's thigh from her body. Kark it. She had missed the kick. How had she not seen that?

She was rusty. Out of practice. It had been to long since she had fought anyone near this level of skill. As she straightened herself, the woman drew her right foot back, leaving a little less than a meter's gap between her feet, and moved her blade in front of her, her hands overlapping on the hilt. The crimson blade matched her posture, rising from the handle at the hilt to reach a little above her head. She spat, ignoring the blood mixed into the saliva there.

[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Minn Tavers"] [member="N'Goo the Ancient"]

 

[Dr. Xris]

N'Goo paused watching the action unfold before him. Watching two slaves fight amused him greatly. " Hmm. Your the Predor? A lesser?" The Rakata smirked with arrogance and disbelief as he replayed the response through his mind. Almost instantaneously the dots began to connect into a picture he could make sense of. Acolytes? He raised a non existent brow at the hooded man in front of him.

" You fancy yourself a Rakatan Predor of old?! Id laugh if I thought your remark was funny. " he paused flexing in response and looking down at the human with deluded crimson eyes. His physical reaction proving his prowess as a Rakatan Warrior. He spat to the side. " If you are their Predor and you reign over them as a .... human. Impressive. Like wise you will recognize your superior or your corpse shall be defiled and cannibalized, With great satisfaction I might add."

Flashing sharp teeth at the cloaked man N'Goo pointed the tip of his spear at his Jugular. Oh how the Rakata relished the idea of watching this lesser being die. The Darkside began to stir around N'goo was he intending to deliver more then a threat?

[member="Cyril Grayson"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

Mephirium stared down at the blade held to his throat disinterestedly. With a simple twist of the weapon, the Rakata could tear his throat open and bring an end to Mephirium's fledgling movement. He considered this, for a moment, before gesturing back toward the two women.

"Cease." He said simply, "She has shown her mettle. She need not die here; I'm not one for wasting potential." With the orders given, he looked up to meet the eyes of what he was beginning to suspect was a Rakata. His cybernetic hand rose upward with speed that could only be owed to superior engineering, the metallic fingers lacing around the edge of the blade. The spear's lightning coursed through the hand, but some unseen field of a sort kept it from creeping up Mephirium's arm and into his flesh.

Mephirium delved into the make of the weapon. He drew past the metallic sheen to the first layer, his consciousness darting across it until it found a crack. It dug further, then repeated the process, sheathing away layers of carefully forged steel into the weapon's core make. Once at the very center of what made it a blade, he focused on the single imperfection upon its surface. It was a crack so small that even the most sensitive of machines would have trouble finding it. Mephirium pressed his power into it, at first a simple trickle that barley made the crack move, then a great ocean.

Just as stone might crack when ice expands within it, the blade too would suffer. If all went well, the head of the weapon would fall away like so much detritus. Whether the task failed or not, Mephirium stared up at the alien, unperturbed.

"I am no lesser creature, and I suspect you are not either. Whom are you, warrior?"

@N'Goo the Ancient, [member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Minn Tavers"]

 

[Dr. Xris]

" You are not Rakatan. You are...lesser." He sneered but then when his spear fell apart before his eyes he tilted his head and stopped. With a blink N'Goos curiosity peeked and the sight through the force was willed and what he saw fascinated his mind. " What is this? What trickery is this?" he asked looking around for answers but found none. He could see the energy being directed and poured into the spear head but where was the weakpoint, the shatterpoint? N'Goo could not see it and thus did not believe it and yet it happened.

" This spear was made on Rakata Prime. Its craftsmanship is... was the finest in the Galaxy."

[member="Cyril Grayson"]

 

[Minn Tavers]

Minn knew she had put her self in a bad position, but it was the only move that made sense, take 5 bolts to the knee, or risk a lower chance of loosing her leg. It was a risk worth taking in Minn's eyes. Luckily her kick seemed to have worked as well as it was going to, but it left her exposed. Minn had barely retracted her leg before the saber went for it. It hit, if only barely, cutting into her leg. The pain was extreme, but she used the force to minimize it and keep the leg working, this was not an ideal situation.

Minn heard her master's orders, but Minn had given into her rage, she would not stop now.

"NO." She said.



The Woman moved into a defensive position, Minn would have to counter it. Speed was out of the question now, her force abilities not enough to completely overcome the injury, now it was a strength game. She moved up, and quickly swung her blade in an underhand motion, swinging from her feet and towards The Woman's hands. The intention here was to disarm, that would make The Woman easy pickings. If it did not, it would still be in good position to parry if push came to shove.

[member="Grace Darkson"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

As she heard the Sith'ari's orders, her shoulders released their coiled up tension, and she moved to lower her guard. Almost as she did, she heard the enraged noise from her opponent. Yellowed eyes narrowed as the brat swung her weapon again, the rising cut aimed at where her hands sat. Brushing her extended left foot backward and guiding the limb out of the strike's path, her arms lowering the blade to a downward angle, so that the whelp's weapon collided with the inside of her own. As she did, she shifted her weight back onto her left foot. As the blades clashed, she lunged, deactivating her saber, hoping that the pressure from Minn's strike would continue to carry her forward, and dashed behind the child. Throwing a mental spike at the brat, she flicked the saber back on.

The whelp was nothing more than hatred and bile given form, not even worthy to be called a Sith.

[member="Cyril Grayson"] [member="Minn Tavers"] [member="N'Goo the Ancient"]

 

[Placeholder 04]

"An old talent. One I would not expect of your people," Mephirium explained, a brow lofting as the elder being explained the weapon's make. This creature believed itself to be Rakatan, then. it was, at the most, a lost descendant of the race, which was possible given how many had shown up in recent years. The Sith Lord decided to humor him. "Your spear will do you little good, my friend. You've need of a more modern weapon. Something that I cannot break with a simple show of force."

All at once, his smile faded. He heard the shout of his followers from up over his shoulder; the girl had denied him. Frowning, Mephirium turned about slowly, a hand outstretched toward the two combatants. He called upon the currents of the Great Ocean, gathered the ethereal energy within his extended digits, and pressed forward.

A wall of telekinetic energy that might have broken bone were it any more powerful sailed toward the two women. Once it had reached its destination, Mephirium stood a little straighter.

"I could show it to you," he added, glancing over his shoulder at the 'Rakata'. Then, his attentions fell to the girls. "I said to stop. I do not take well to disobedient children."

[member="Grace Darkson"], [member="Minn Tavers"], [member="N'Goo the Ancient"]

 

[Minn Tavers]

Minn felt the rush of adrenaline as the fight continued, she was able to strike her opponent, it was exhilarating. She would have continued, if not for the mental spike. She felt something was off, then she felt a horrible pain running though her head, like an extremely painful spike driven though her skull. It took tremendous amount of effort not to just pass out. She struggled horribly, she had stopped dead. Minn knew she would probably die at this moment. Then the wall came.

It was like being hit by a train, Minn flew backwards bouncing off of the wall, onto the ground. Her saber flew away from her, out of reach. At the very least the spike was gone, though her saliva mixed with blood. Minn slowly but surly stood up, and pulled her saber back to her, holstering it.

"Yes master." She said before coughing up a bit of blood.

[member="Darth Mephirium"]
[member="Grace Darkson"]
@N'Goo the Ancient

 

[Grace Darkson]

Grace smiled. The girl didn't seem to have any strong mental defenses. She'd have to remember that. Deactivating her lightsaber, she took another step away from the girl, Her focus now on holding the pressure on her opponent's psyche. If she could keep the kid disabled, she could survive this. As she looked to the Sith Lord's exchange with the animal, she saw his hand raise up, and one thought crossed her mind as the wave of kinetic force shot out from him.

Well, crap.

No longer having the focus to keep her opponent off balance, the Vahla felt her feet leave the ground, swept clean from the stone by the force of the blast. As she tumbled through the air, the woman began to curl herself up, but the attempt was unsuccessful in doing her any good as she slammed into the floor. Her left arm jutted out to stop her fall. With a loud snap, her wrist was twisted at an unnatural angle. Eyes closed, she held the damaged limb, muttering something under her breath and rolling onto her side.

[member="Darth Mephirium"] [member="Minn Tavers"] [member="N'Goo the Ancient"]

 

[Dr. Xris]

The Rakata raised a brow. Was this man mocking him and his kind? Was it a threat? So many thoughts ran through Ngoos mind and yet a odd curiousity arose within him. He desired to learn more from this man but not first without making a point. No this mere human, this slave was going to pay for insulting this Rakatan. " Very.. interesting." The tall aliens large eyes grew somewhat large when the human in front of him showed his back side.

Extending his right arm but still keeping it close to his body, Ngoo's three fingers loosed three red tendrils of energy to blast at [member="Darth Mephirium"]. A force drain. It was not a lethal blast but would be rather a test or a taste to see how this man was in the force. Assuming the Drain would be successful this would tell Ngoo if this cloaked man was strong in the force or just a weakling worth cannibalizing.

"Hmm?"

[member="Grace Darkson"]
[member="Minn Tavers"]