Campaign Journey of the Sith - Spark of the Flame (Part 1)

[Okkeus Dainlei]

The heat could be felt radiating off of the Blue Lightning. He left his right hand of the ship, letting the heat warm his hand, just before the point of burning.

Lava fell down off of the steep cliff. It splashed wildly into the pool below before following downward. If there was one planet know for it’s heat and lava, it was Mustafar.

He force had called him here. A vision came to him, saying other would arrive, joining him. Recently he had stood before the Sith council, trying to prove his allegiance to them. But they thrashed out against him. They told him he must prove to them that he would not return to the Jedi. So he was going to.

Others had approached the council as well, but they were faced with the same reply. Now he stood by his old vessel, waiting for the other to arrive.

The call of the dark side could be felt. There was no escaping it. You could only embrace it.

Darlyn Excron | Mi'la Undari | Varloc | Be'iqaronn | Dixon/Akaan

 

[Mi'la Undari]

She had dreams of late, nightmares ever since she had lost her connection to the force. Every day when she laid down in her quaters to rest, Mi'la would find herself back in that Interrogation Room on Vjun, and would wake up from the night terrors time and time again. Each time she did though, the nightmares began to change, ever so slightly the scenery would distort. Sometimes she would be looking out at a vast volcanic world, lava forming a sea that stretched on beyond where she could see. Other times she was dragged through corridors that looked identical to holoscans she had seen of Castle Bast; the iconic fortress Lord Vader had built centuries ago. The visions were obvious about what it was trying to show her, but why Mustafar? Why her? Was this the force trying to call her back? Perhaps desperate plea for the padawan to find her connection once again? There would be only one way to find out.

It was her reason for coming here now. Seeking an awnser, hoping that maybe, just maybe what she sought would be found within the place. But as she set her starfighter down and looked upon the hellish landscape before, she had her doubts. No one know she was here. She had told no one, because why would they care? She was a failed jedi, and no one would care about someone as worthless as her within the Concord. She felt a cold squeezing at her gut, the same chill she had felt on Panatha within that tomb. The sensible part of her brain told her to turn back, to get as far as way from her as possible, to find a destiny elsewhere. But she was an explorer for a reason, and long ago learned to disregard the fear of the unknown. The strange shuttle that had caught her attention sat just a ways ahead, and the Twi'lek could only wonder what awaited her.

There would be no turning back. Not now. She wanted to be someone again, she wanted the force back. She wouldn't be leaving until she had it.

Okkeus Dainlei Varloc Be'iqaronn Dixon/Akaan Darlyn Excron

 

[Varloc]

Varloc sat meditating in his ship, he was in no particular place, he just wished to get some quiet. But he felt a faint feeling, it was growing. More force users falling to the Imbalance.

Varloc knows that there are multiple beings, and he also knows that they are in TSE territory. Varloc had complications with the sith. So he then started to head to the force imbalance, but he would stay hidden, he let the force guide him.

Okkeus Dainlei Varloc Be'iqaronn Dixon/Akaan Darlyn Excron

 

[Dixon/Akaan]

Be'iqaronn Varloc Mi'la Undari Darlyn Excron



Akaan was waiting. He'd been here since the first ship landed, revealing Okkeus Dainlei , just as the Mistress Pom Tivé said he would. Akaan had joined the sith just over a week ago, and already they had assigned him a task, and not an easy one at that. He was to hunt down, and turn the fallen jedi, Okkeus to the dark side for good. He wasn't a jedi, but the Sith Empire did not yet trust his allegiance. They told Akaan to do it in any way necessary.

What they didn't tell him was that there would be others. Several others.

Akaan didn't know who they were, why they were here, or if they were force users. He just knew that they were unexpected, and he needed them to be split up. He decided to wait longer, and watch the group. Perhaps he'd learn more about them, and perhaps then an opportunity would arise.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

The Force, Light or Dark, was a precious, living thing. It called to those who knew how to listen, guided them, showed them or nudged them in the right direction. If not to fulfill some sort of destiny, then at the least towards something meaningful, whether one chose to heed its call or not. It was an easy thing to ignore it, to let things play out, and observe the ways the Force, particularly the Dark, responded to such acts. However, for once Darlyn felt.. compelled to follow the call. He said nothing, not a word, to his faithful bodyguard and apprentice, donning his beloved, and underused, beskar'gam... the symbol of his connection to Clan Cadera and family... and by nightfall he made his way to the Palace's landing pad. He made his way into his MS-10 fighter, taking to the skies and beyond swiftly. He knew where the Force was leading him, and the Dark Jedi manually put in the coordinates, calculating the fastest possible hyperspace route.

Instinctive Astrogation was a lovely thing.

It felt like no time at all before Darlyn was in orbit over Mustafar. Sith space, of all places. He could only hope he hadn't tripped any security systems as he descended to the planet below, following the sweet siren's call of the Dark, until at last he could feel and see why the Force had brought him there. Presences, one of which was familiar yet different to the Master, gathering steadily. It didn't take a genius intellect, least of all from Darlyn, to determine what was going on. Okkeus Dainlei had gone dark, a choice Darlyn faulted him none for. But, like his friend had long ago, he risked becoming something that he wasn't meant to be, something wholly vile, a twisted vision of himself. Darlyn had to try, at the least, to ensure the surge of Darkness in the Knight didn't do to him what it had to one of Darlyn's few friends.

His fighter came down, somewhere near both Okkeus and the girl Mi'la Undari, with the canopy opening as Darlyn fitted his Buy'ce (helmet) firmly in place. Here, as he stepped out of the fighter and onto the ground, he felt at peace, coming closer to the familiar Knight and strange twi'lek. Perhaps the violent nature of this world was just a rare, Dark comfort to him, a place where his presence was more closely aligned with nature. Perhaps it was just the fact he was following the Force again, something he so rarely did due to the nature of his job. An almost... spur of the moment decision he hadn't been able to make in what felt like years.

"Strange to see you embrace darkness, friend, but still you remain a welcome enough sight." Even through the somewhat modulated voice, Darlyn couldn't help but put a jovial tone to his words. He may not be a genuine friend to Okkeus, he knew not how the man himself felt, but he'd spent more than a little while nursing the electrical burns from their little spar, quite a good spar at that. "And I'm certainly not one to judge, if anything it'll be nice to see another good person like me."

Unless, of course, this went wrong.

Dixon/Akaan :|: Varloc :|: Be'iqaronn

 

[Be'iqaronn]

Renn sat on a hill quietly with his R82 over his back, he was looking at a clock, if the information he was told was correct he would have to start moving soon. Standing he reread his job's description, Force user, bring back the lightsaber if dead, if alive bring back in whatever condition is needed. The plan was to bring him in unharmed, except maybe a bullet in the leg.

Renn knew that there would be others for such a job, while he was paid for a solo job. With such a reward, he would expect there to be more than one person after this man. The target was Okkeus Dainlei , and his description said he used a lightsaber and may be a problem. Renn had his Cortosis Gloves for disabling his lightsaber, they were build to disrupt the beam.

Renn quietly stood there rotating the barrel putting a stun round in the chamber. If needed he had the rest filled with Sniper rounds that could go through concrete walls at close range. The lava made the area hot and with that his infrared would be a bit useless. His advantage was his suit was the same color as the ground and would be hard to spot at a distance.

Dixon/Akaan Varloc Mi'la Undari Darlyn Excron

 

[Okkeus Dainlei]

Two new ships slowly began their descent toward his own. The heat could be seen radiating off of the Durasteel bodies. As the first ship got closer he noticed the SJC emblems on it. No, it can't be. They had come after him. So be it then. He would kill the, all. Nothing would get him to return. Turning he saw the second ship lowering, yet it bared no markings. Yet something seemed familiar about it.

Both of the ships landed near his won, forming a odd-shaped triangle. Looking at the SJC ship he watch as the hatch opened, revealing a pink-skinned Twi'lek. She step out with no weapons in hand. Something about her made her seem...lost. Disconnected. Forgotten. Before he could converse with her the second ship's hatch opened. Slowly the ever-to-familiar red hair began to appear. Though the man put on a helmet, he already knew who it was.

"Strange to see you embrace darkness, friend, but still you remain a welcome enough sight. And I'm certainly not one to judge, if anything it'll be nice to see another good person like me."

Nodding towards the man, he could sense that he was not a threat. Darlyn wasn't sent here by anyone. He came out of his own free will, or something else.

"Yes, the darkness has become more...comforting than the light. It has always been my true path. That is why I am here, with you two. And may I ask who you are?"

Turning to the pink Twi'lek he noted that she seemed very quiet. Almsot as if she was unsure if she should be here or not. As if she was trying to decided the right path.

For some reason though, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. By multiple people. Some very familiar people.

Darlyn Excron | Mi'la Undari | Dixon/Akaan | Varloc | Be'iqaronn

 

[Mi'la Undari]

There were more people showing up, and Mi'la immediately felt that all so familiar sensation of dread crawling up her spine. She couldn't sense who these other men were, though they could without a doubt read her like an open book; non force sensitive, decorated with cybernetics, and filled with insecurities which she hide behind a plucky attitude and a can do mindset. She would exit her craft, seeing that she wasn't the only one here after all. The two men seemed to know one another, which made Mi'la feel exceptionally awkward. For a moment, she considered the possibility that the force had given her the wrong dreams. Was someone else supposed to be here? The impression she got from the other men here gave her that feeling, but at the same time, what did she have to lose?

One of the men asked who she was, and there was a second where the former padawan frankly didn't know how to respond.

"I'm Mi'la Undari. I..." She stopped, her eyes looking to Okkeus, before dropping to the ground. She felt ashamed for her failing, for the loss she had felt, for her stupidity that had lead to this. All to save some ungrateful padawans from a fate they deserved. She found her strength, though she knew not from where, as her eyes would meet Okkeus' again. "I've been having dreams telling me to come here. I'm...hoping it'll help me, somehow." Though she hadn't a clue how those nightmares would guide her into a new life, or at the very least bring the force back to her. Okkeus was right. She was lost.

Okkeus Dainlei Darlyn Excron Dixon/Akaan Varloc Be'iqaronn

 

[Varloc]

Varlocs ship came out of hyperspace, he piloted the ship into a hidden position and waited.

Varloc was not sure what was going on. All he knew is that something is going to happen. He scanned the surface and discovered that multiple ships had landed. He felt the presence of many powerful people. All he could do now was wait.

Okkeus Dainlei Darlyn Excron Be'iqaronn Mi'la Undari Dixon/Akaan

 

[Dixon/Akaan]

Akaan had waited for what felt like quite some time, yet it had been only an hour. He needed to work on his patience, truly. His choice to wait was a good one. One after another, men and women arrived.

There were four that he knew of...but he sensed that there were more to come, or perhaps they were already here, watching as Akaan did. He was uncertain, the force was new to him. Though he had learned extremely quickly, he still had much to learn. He knew that very well. He had a lightsaber, but he wasn't skilled with it yet. He could sense things, and the nightsister had shown him force sight, but still he had trouble recognizing just what it was that he felt.

In combat, he had learnt to push, pull, and move things with the force quickly. It was natural to him. If he focused on an item, and envisioned it moving, it did. It amazed him of how simple it was, yet how powerful it was. If only he had had that when his parents died...

He did have it..he just didn't know it. Guilt filled him as he teared up. No. Enough of the foolishness. There was nothing he could have done for them. He was weak, afraid, and ignorant. It was his weakness that killed them. Now, he would avenge their death by killing his own weakness.

His mission was the first step to unleashing his anger on his true enemy: Himself. He would turn the jedi dark forever. If he refused to turn, Akaan would kill Okkeus. If the others intervened, they too would die. He would prove himself to the Sith, and they would teach him to unlock his true power. Then there would be but one thing holding him back, as The Nightsister had said: Himself.



Okkeus Dainlei Varloc Be'iqaronn Darlyn Excron Mi'la Undari

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Okkeus Dainlei certainly seemed very confident of his words, and truthfully Darlyn didn't doubt it a bit. Though he had used the Force differently in their sparring match to produce lightning, there had been that hint of true sith lightning in it. Seeing another electrically charged warrior embracing darkness seemed perfectly natural, and the way he hadn't rebuked Darlyn calling him a 'good person' seemed to indicate this 'fall' was not yet what he himself would consider falling. After all, he hadn't committed enough acts of vile nature to make him an enemy to the peace. Perhaps he would be able to reach him then, and help guide him properly in his new path. He'd been concerned at first, seeing Okkeus without having the chance to say anything, but now there was hope indeed.

Then he brought the spotlight to Mi'la Undari, who seemed uncertain, worried. Reaching out with the Force he could feel her presence, broken, damaged, yet he could still feel the connection. Such a loss was something he, actually, understood. Though temporary, he'd had his connection cut, more than once. To be like her would be a nightmare, something he didn't even want to inflict on the Zambrano who broke his lightsaber. A bit on reaction, he stepped forward up to her, and wrapped his armored arms around her gently, giving the twi'lek a hug. "I know how you feel. We'll fix it. We have to." He whispered quietly, his modulated voice mixing with his natural voice from such a proximity. He held the moment for a second, before letting her go and stepping back.

"The Force is a strange thing, I wonder why it brings us here." Perhaps, oddly enough, it was somehow related to having lost one's way... though he'd never say it aloud. Okkeus seemed, new to the way fate was twisting and turning for him, now walking a valid, yet dangerous path just as Darlyn himself did. This woman Mi'la had lost her way in, quite tragic a path... and he himself only sat where he did for having been left behind by his Father on Arkania. Diverting paths, if that was why the Force chose them, it was a decent enough joke to Darlyn. If not well, he probably had more than enough time to think about it.

"Though I suppose you have an idea yourself, Okkeus?"

Dixon/Akaan :|: Varloc :|: Be'iqaronn