Private Lightning Splits the Sky

[Aerik Lechner]

TAG: Skadi Lightbane​

The storm had no mercy on Dromund Kaas. It swallowed every street in rain and shadow, washing the capital in sheets of water that ran along stone and durasteel alike. Lightning forked above the towers, striking so bright it turned the night into momentary day. Thunder shook through the foundations of the city, rattling glass panes and setting the ground in subtle tremor.

Aerik walked without destination. His instructors had given him a rare reprieve from drills, yet still his muscles ached for movement. He took to the streets instead of staying locked in his quarters. The city itself was another lesson. To walk among its people was to taste the iron weight of the Sith Empire in daily rhythm.

He moved past markets where smoke and steam rose from food stalls that fought against the storm. Vendors barked prices while clutching cloaks close to their bodies. Their voices carried only a short distance before the storm swallowed them again. Children darted between the legs of strangers, laughing as they splashed through puddles before a watchful parent pulled them back.

Patrols passed often. Sith troopers in crimson armor marched in pairs, each pair watched by a black-cloaked figure who carried the aura of the Order. Aerik kept his hood raised, his cloak pressed against his frame by the rain. The wolf-shaped clasp at his chest glinted when lightning cracked overhead, drawing an occasional stare. None challenged him. They knew the look of a young Sith.

He slowed when he reached one of the bridges that crossed a swollen river of traffic. The storm-worn towers rose around him, their windows glowing with pale light. Beyond them, massive and unyielding, stood Prazutis' palace. Its silhouette cut through the storm with sharp defiance. Aerik let his gaze linger there. It was a monument to the strength of another, but also a reminder of what waited for those who proved themselves.

Pulling his cloak tighter, he continued down into another district where the streets narrowed and the lights dimmed. The smell of wet stone mixed with the sharp tang of fuel and the faint copper of blood. Somewhere in the alleys a fight had broken out. Voices shouted and steel clashed, but Aerik did not turn. Such things happened every night. To intervene without purpose would only waste his strength.

He turned instead toward the starport. It was not his destination when he set out, but his wandering steps drew him closer. The storm thickened there, rain hammering against the wide expanse of landing pads and docking towers. Shuttles lifted and descended in constant rhythm, their engines cutting through the roar of thunder.

Then he saw it.

A ship pierced the clouds above, fighting the weight of the storm as it descended. Its engines blazed bright against the dark, driving through wind and rain with stubborn resolve. Aerik's eyes narrowed. The shape was wrong for Sith, wrong for Imperial. The hull bore strong lines and carved patterns that stirred something deep in memory. It was the work of the Valkyri.

He stopped at the edge of a platform to watch it descend. His cloak snapped in the wind, water streaming down its fur-trimmed collar. For a long breath he stood still, the world narrowing until there was only the sight of the vessel cutting through the storm.

When its landing struts struck the platform, steam rose in thick clouds. The gathered crowd murmured in surprise. Some stepped back, uncertain. Valkyri ships were rare this far south in the galaxy, and rarer still here, where the shadow of the Order was strongest.

Aerik moved forward, his boots striking wet stone as he crossed the open space. He had not come here seeking anything, yet now the storm seemed to have guided his wandering steps. The people around him parted as he passed. Some whispered. Others only watched, unwilling to stand in the way of a young Sith whose stride carried the weight of purpose.

The ship hissed as its ramp lowered. Pale light spilled onto the platform, cutting through the storm for a fleeting moment. Aerik's breath steadied. He reached with his senses, searching the air for intent. What came to him was more than the scent of metal or oil. It was older, heavier, something that spoke to blood and memory.

The storm paused for the briefest instant, thunder holding back as if waiting to hear what would follow.

Aerik stood at the foot of the landing pad, his cloak heavy with rain, his gaze fixed on the glow within the Valkyri vessel. His day of wandering had led him here, to this moment. Whatever emerged from that ship would not be chance. It would be challenge, or test, or perhaps fate itself.

 

[Skadi Lightbane]

DROMUND KAAS

Aerik Lechner
​

Skadi of House Lightbane, made it a personal goal of hers to defy the will of her Father, and venture into the wider galaxy to better understand those outside of her clan, her kinsmen. Her recent trip to Korriban to celebrate a Sith victory over their enemies, had opened her eyes to something that made her burn with curiosity. She’d met someone, others, that lived as she and her clan did…who were Sith too, but they were not a part of her family, her clansmen.

Now she wanted to see how other Sith lived their lives, what they believed. To see if what her Father had told her about the other “false Sith”, was true. She decided to start on one of the other Holy Worlds, having already seen and heard a taste of what Korriban had to offer.

The ship, her ship, sliced through the storm ravaged atmosphere of the planet called Dromund Kaas. She’d never been there before, and thus she came to quench the thirst of her curiosity. She had sensed things watching her as she made her approach, pricklings through the Force that traced over skin and raised the hairs on the back of her neck. All around her Valkyri-made vessel, traced bolts and flickers of lightning. Such violent weather seemed perfectly at home on a so-called Sith Holy World.

Skadi set the ship down on one of the empty spaces in the starport, before powering down the engines. She left her seat in the cockpit and meandered her way into a sort of private chamber, complete with a washroom and refresher. She found one of her fur lined cloaks, one she made herself from a hunt she’d gone on some time before on her homeworld, and fastened it to her shoulders. Then she stepped through the cargo bay and towards the lowered ramp, her steps measured and confident, fearless even. There was a brief lull in the storm, enough for her to settle golden eyes upon a figure at the base of the ramp - a figure she recognized instantly.

Rain streamed down his own fur lined cloak, though Aerik seemed unbothered by it. Skadi caught his eyes with her own, and a faint smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She continued further down the ramp, approaching the young Sith man without an ounce of fear, her chin lifting in an air of self-confidence. For a brief moment, her gaze flickered to the gathered crowds, wondering why they had stopped to watch, before returning back to him.

“Aerik of…Second Legion.” She said as she brought her right fist up to thump her chest in a more traditional greeting. “It seems… fate wills we meet again, aye?”

 

[Aerik Lechner]

TAG: Skadi Lightbane​

Aerik stood at the foot of the ramp, unmoving as the storm rolled back over the city. The thunder shook the platform and rain fell harder once more, yet none of it broke his focus. His eyes locked with hers, orange and amber in color, resembling fire itself. On close inspection they might even have seemed to flicker like flame or ember. The name she spoke carried weight, and hearing it from her lips stirred something deep within him.

When she struck her chest in the Valkyri way, Aerik inclined his head in return. His hand did not rise to match hers, but his acknowledgment was clear in the way his stance shifted. The wolf clasp on his cloak caught a flash of lightning as he stepped forward, closing the space between them by a pace.

"Skadi of Lightbane," he said, his voice low but certain. "Dromund Kaas is far from your mountains. Few of your kin would dare stand where you do now."

The starport moved constantly around them. Shuttles rumbled overhead as they rose into the storm, and others descended through sheets of rain to land on distant platforms. Cargo crews shouted to one another as they loaded containers onto speeders. The shrill bark of a foreman cut through the storm, while droids trundled along with lights glowing against the wet ground. People moved with steady rhythm, most too intent on their own work to pay attention to a single vessel or the two figures at its ramp.

Aerik spared the bustle only a passing glance before returning his gaze to her. The storm and the starport together created a relentless noise, yet in the meeting of their eyes the noise seemed to dull, leaving only her presence to press against his thoughts.

"You speak of fate. I have never put much faith in such things, yet our paths cross again on this world. Perhaps there is something in that." His words lingered a moment before he continued. "If you wish to see how Sith live beyond your clan, Dromund Kaas will show you. The city itself is a lesson, and so are those who rule from it."

The wind caught his cloak, plastering the wet fabric against him as a transport lifted into the sky. He ignored the sting of rain against his skin. The storm was a constant companion, and its weight suited the moment. Her ship might have been another shadow in the endless traffic, but to him it had struck like a spark in the dark.

Lightning carved across the clouds, silver light catching the golden hue of her eyes as she came closer. Aerik held her gaze without wavering. She had chosen to leave her world, chosen to set foot on a place few Valkyri ever dared to see. That alone demanded respect, though what she hoped to find remained hidden. His mouth curved, faint with recognition rather than pride.

"But every lesson here demands something in return. What is it you hope to find, Skadi, that Korriban did not already give you?"

The words were steady, his tone even. Not a challenge, but an invitation for her to name her reason. Around them, the storm and the starport pressed on, uncaring. Yet in that space between them, the moment felt carved from something greater, as though the world itself had paused to listen.

 

[Skadi Lightbane]

DROMUND KAAS

Aerik Lechner
​

Aerik dipped his chin towards her in his own greeting, before stepping closer - closing the space between them just a little more. Lightning forked the sky above, bathing him and the landscape with its bright flash. Thunder cracked and rolled, the sound of it drawing her golden eyes skyward for a brief moment. Such storms were extremely rare on her homeworld; they were seen as a sign from the Allfather, as the skies belonged to him. She brought her gaze back to the rain drenched young warrior standing before her, and she truly looked at him as her name fell from his lips. She was not shy about the slow crawl of her eyes that took him in, head to foot, though her eyes lingered briefly on the silvered wolf’s clasp as it was illuminated by a flash of lightning. It was a measured look, weighty, as if she was judging him based on some sort of internal, unspoken code of hers. She had to admit, she liked how her name sounded when he spoke it.

To his comments about how few of her kin would dare to stand where she was now, Skadi felt a somewhat arrogant smile tug at her lips as she lifted her chin ever so slightly. “My kin who do not dare are no kin at all…just cowards.” She stated, her voice firm with her conviction on that matter.

Around the two of them, and her ship, the starport went about with its business; ships came and went, and rain drenched port workers and droids went back and forth on their tasks. Skadi didn’t pay a single ounce of attention to them, as if they were not worth her time in the moment. Truly, the only individual that mattered here was Aerik, as he was the one currently speaking to her.

The Valkyri woman listened as the young warrior before her confessed that he didn’t really believe in such things as fate, though he did admit that perhaps there was something to it since they had crossed paths yet again. He told her that if she wished to see how other Sith lived, those beyond the borders of her homeworld, then Dromund Kaas would show her.

She wasn’t so sure about that, but she would give him and this world and its leaders, its so-called Sith, a chance to show her who they really were.

A gust of wind caught his cloak, whipped it about him and exposed him to the biting rain - though he didn’t flinch or even react. He was disciplined, that much she could tell. It brought a small smile to her face.

Lightning carved a path across the skies once more, and Skadi watched a bolt fork and branch across the skyscape. She wondered if, perhaps, this was the Allfather’s way of telling her that he was the one behind her and Aerik’s fated meeting here.

When the young Sith warrior spoke again, she returned her eyes to his own - twin burning embers that almost seemed to swirl within as if a fire blazed beyond his eyes. His question of her gave her pause, made her think. She remained silent for some time, content to speak on her terms - when she was ready.

“Korriban ignited a…fire. I wish to learn, to understand…who the Sith are. Who they claim to be. My Father say Sith are not like us, they are not…true. I want to know why.” Her eyes turned from his to gaze upon the rain drenched city beyond him and around them. She felt the dark side here as surely as she felt it at home - did these so-called ‘Sith’ follow the Code, too?

Skadi returned her focus back to Aerik, a hungry and curious gleam in her eyes. “Show me.” She stated, not even bothering to ask. As her Father had taught her, Sith didn’t ask for anything. They made their demand, and they took what they wanted - those that defied or turned away, were crushed.

“What makes you and those here who rule, Sith?” she asked Aerik in turn, a bold question, but one she was curious to hear the answer to.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

TAG: Skadi Lightbane​

Aerik did not shift beneath her measured look. The storm lit her eyes in gold as she studied him, but he held her gaze with quiet certainty. Her words about her kin carried the weight of steel, sharp and absolute, and he found himself marking the conviction behind them. There was no hesitation in her tone, no care for how it might sound to one beyond her clan. It was a truth she carried, and Aerik respected truth spoken without fear.

When she fell silent after his question, Aerik did not press. He let the storm fill the space between them. Lightning cracked above and thunder rolled through the starport, the sound rising over the hum of engines and the shouts of workers. He was patient, watching the way her expression shifted as she gathered her answer. Patience was a weapon, one he had been forced to learn in a world that demanded it.

Her words, when they came, drew his focus tighter. A fire, she had said, and a need to understand what the Sith were. Not stories from her father’s mouth, not whispers passed through clan halls, but knowledge sought firsthand. Aerik recognized that hunger. It was one he knew well, one that had burned in him since the first time he had walked the halls of the Obsidian Spire and understood how small he was in the shadow of greater power.

“You will find no single answer,” he said at last, voice steady against the storm. “Every Sith carries a truth, and each truth is claimed through struggle. Your father may call them false. Others may call him blind. The Dark Side does not care for such words. It only reveals itself to those who are willing to reach into it without fear.”

He drew a breath, his eyes burning like embers as he stepped closer still.

“What makes me Sith is not my name, or the Legion I stand with. It is the fire that will not be put out, the will to bend every moment into something that sharpens me. That is what rules here. Not the title, not the bloodline, but the will that survives the storm when everything else is broken.”

His hand lifted slightly, palm opening to the rain between them.

“Dromund Kaas is a world that breaks the weak. The storm will grind you down until nothing is left unless you decide to endure it. Those who live here, who thrive here, prove themselves by enduring. By shaping the storm rather than being swept away by it.”

He let the hand fall back to his side, cloak shifting with the motion.

“If you would see what makes us Sith, then you will need to walk these streets and learn what strength looks like here. Not in the halls of your father’s house, not in the stories told to you, but in the lives carved out of a world that has no mercy.”

His gaze held hers with fire and weight.

“You came here demanding to be shown. Then walk with me, Skadi of Lightbane, and see for yourself what Dromund Kaas will reveal.”

 

[Skadi Lightbane]

DROMUND KAAS

Aerik Lechner
​

Skadi stood still beneath the pouring rain and storm as Aerik responded in his own way to her questions, her curious probings, her hunger to understand and know the truth about who and what the Sith were or claimed to be. She found his response to be stimulating and she mulled it over in the quiet and sharp recesses of her mind. But it was his comments about the dark side that truly made her think. She could see the truth behind his words, even in the limited exposure she’d had to others outside her clan.

Clearly, the dark side was available to anyone who had the courage and the stomach to reach for it. She had always been taught that the dark side favored those in her clan, those of her kin - her people. Those beyond it could access it, but not like they could. In the blink of an eye, that blinder was ripped away as the truth settled into her morrow.

Almost as if sensing her thoughts, the young Sith man echoed them in his next words as he took a step closer towards her, his eyes burning like hot coals that seared into her. He told her that title and name meant nothing in a place like this, where the dark side saturated every inch of ground beneath their feet, and the air that they breathed. All that mattered was the fire, the will, that drove one’s self to survive against all odds.

Her golden gaze flickered to his hand that lifted between them, listening as he spoke about Dromund Kaas being a world that broke the weak. Those that lived on the planet, in this dark place, had to prove themselves or be lost underneath the wrath of the storm. It was something she understood rather well; her homeworld was like Dromund Kaas; only the strong could survive there. Those that embraced their true selves and rejected timidity.

Her attention returned to his handsome and strong face, his burning eyes, when he revealed that if she wanted to see what made them Sith here, he would need to walk the streets and learn what strength looked like in a Sith world like this. He held her gaze as he challenged her to walk with him, and see for herself what Dromund Kaas had to reveal. A glimmer of satisfaction shone in her eyes hearing her name fall from his lips once more. For some reason, it just felt good hearing him say her name.

“Very well, Aerik. I will walk with you…and see what shapes those here. See what strength can be found. I will listen, and I will learn.” She finally responded, her accent thick and her words somewhat halting, but it wasn't as broken as it had been during their first interaction.

She was here to learn, afterall. Her Father might be displeased with her if he knew how willing she was to see things not through his words and his stories, but through the eyes of others who were non-kin. Already, she was beginning to see that the dark side didn’t just bless her Clan and its souls with its power, but all who tread its path and reached for it. What more truths would Skadi uncover here? What more could Aerik, Son of the Dread Wolf, teach her? She was keen to find out, and waited for him to lead the way deeper into Dromund Kaas, to show her his world.

 

[Aerik Lechner]

TAG: Skadi Lightbane​

Aerik's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, the storm cascading around them in relentless rhythm. Rain ran down his face, caught in the fur of his cloak, and dripped from the edge of his hood. She had not turned away from him, not once. Many would have faltered beneath the weight of this world's storm, but Skadi stood unmoved, her conviction clear in the steady line of her stance. He inclined his head slightly, the faintest mark of respect.

"Then listen," he said, his voice quiet but firm against the wind. "And learn, as you said. Dromund Kaas has a way of stripping away the illusions that comfort lesser minds. It does not lie, nor does it flatter. You will see its truth soon enough."

He turned from the landing pad and started down one of the main walkways that led into the heart of the city. The storm pressed around them as they walked, the air heavy with ozone and the metallic tang of rain hitting durasteel. Speeders roared overhead, their lights cutting brief arcs through the downpour before vanishing into the mist. Sith banners hung from the towers above, soaked but unyielding.

"This world teaches what the dark side demands," Aerik continued, his tone thoughtful now, his gaze forward. "The Force here does not whisper. It roars. It moves through every storm, every life that survives long enough to be changed by it. You felt it when you landed. It does not belong to anyone. Not your father's house. Not mine. It belongs only to those who have the strength to take it and keep it."

He slowed his stride, glancing at her as they passed a group of merchants sheltering beneath an awning. None looked their way for long. Sith were common here, yet few carried themselves with the weight that Aerik did.

"You will find that the Sith here are not one mind, not one code. We are bound by power, not agreement. The dark side does not shape us to be the same. It shapes us to survive each other."

Lightning flashed again, reflecting in the wet streets like veins of fire. Aerik's eyes mirrored that same light when he looked back at her.

"You said you wish to see what shapes us. Then you must walk among those who call this storm home. You must see the devotion, the hunger, the cruelty, and the purpose that thrive here. You cannot understand the Sith through words alone. You must feel what drives them, what drives me."

He stopped at the edge of a bridge that overlooked the city. Below, the lights of the capital burned through the mist like molten embers, the storm swirling above them in endless motion.

"Strength is not only power. It is endurance. It is will. It is the choice to keep walking when everything tries to break you. That is what Dromund Kaas demands, and what it gives in return."

He fell silent then, watching the storm stretch across the skyline. The sound of rain striking metal filled the space between them. For a time neither spoke. The storm would not cease, but neither of them seemed to mind.