Meeting the Witch

[Darth Veles]

“You look much better, Lady Banshee!” one of the Sith said cheerfully, referring to the other’s time in captivity. Glancing at [member="Darth Banshee"] with his right eye, the Mon Calamari Sith Master known as Darth Veles observed his female companion for a few seconds before his gaze returned to the magnificent sight in front of them, the vast galaxy that lied beyond the window of the cockpit, and most importantly, the planet of Korriban, easily recognizable thanks to its beautiful crimson color. It’s been very long since Veles had walked upon its sands and he honestly could not say he missed it. The sand that got everywhere and stuck to his moist skin, the sun that never let him rest when he explored the planet; the amphibious Sith Master could easily think of a dozen other planets that served the Sith as training grounds, yet the climate was much more enjoyable. As such, it came as a surprise when his former Master had taken refuge on the planet of the ancient Sith, since Veles remembered her telling him she too did not particularly like Korriban either. On the other hand, the Dark Side was very strong there, and not many Sith ventured to the place due to the Republic’s occupation, meaning not many people disturbed the Togruta Sith Master.

Veles did not go into much detail when explaining the purpose of this journey to Sabrina. He did tell her about [member="Darth Zarrah"], how the Togruta used to be his Master and also mentioned the woman’s great wisdom, but left out the details like his position as Grima’s Hand of Order. Truly, the Mon Cal’s loyalty was first to the Togruta Sith Lady, not to the Dark Lord. He also had not revealed any information concerning the Sith Master’s self-imposed exile, for he did not know much about that particular matter himself. All questions would be answered soon though, Veles was sure of it. With that in mind, he shot one last glance at his friend and firmly grasped the controls in his webbed hands, guiding the freighter towards the planet. There was no set location for him to land, as he did not dare to contact the Sith Lady, fearing the cursed Republic and their Jedi brutes would hear the transmission and launched a witch-hunting party to capture the Togruta. As such, the only thing that guided him would be the presence of his old Master in the Force. The strong bond between the Mon Calamari and his Togruta teacher made it easy for the two to feel each other.

Once the ship gently touched the red sands, Veles reached out through the Force, moving through the Dark Side that surrounded them and seeking the signature of his Master. No doubt the Togruta could feel him too, and the amphibious Sith wondered what she thought of his presence in the Force, as it no longer radiated the Dark Side and the Dark Side only. Indeed, after learning how to bend the Light Side to his will, the young Sith’s signature has moved to the other end of the spectrum, now being neutral with a slight tinge of Darkness that only true Masters could feel.

After finding the Sith Master’s presence, ever so dark and yet so familiar, the amphibian nodded towards Lady Banshee and stood up from the seat, taking his heavy cloak and putting the hood over his head as he swiftly moved through the ship’s corridor, bending sound waves so his footsteps produced no noise. “And please remember, no bowing,” mentioned the amphibious being kindly once he marched out of the inside of the ship, paying no attention to their surroundings and walking straight in the direction where his friend could be felt in quick, powerful strides. There were no wild animals around as he had discovered when searching for the Togruta through the Force, meaning the Sith due did not have to waste their energy by fighting. Veles also noted the excitement he felt; finally meeting the Sith Witch again and introducing Lady Banshee to her promised a very enjoyable day.

 

[Darth Banshee]

Korriban looked glorious from the view ports of [member="Darth Veles"] ship, she had never seen the planet before though. She had heard many great tails of it though, and has read about it old manuscripts. Then veles gave told her not to bow, she did not think she needed to. As know she was a lord, she felt she only needed to bow towards the dark lord himself. Though she does believe in nodding her head, as a sign of respect. She felt veles shift his focus in the force, he was a natural at it. She then waited for darth veles, to give all clear to head down to planet. She was looking forward to this meeting, he has told her a lot about [member="Darth Zarrah"]. She was apparently very wise in her knowledge of the sith code, this was something she wanted to hear to see if her version was true. Though if she was wrong, then she can adapt as all sith should.

 

[Grima Volitu]

The Jedi Knight's hands held fast to the invisible claws clutching his throat, feeling his life force slip away and the eerie clouds of death's darkness begin to surround him. His dangling boots scraped the corpse of his companion, the one foolish enough to first confront the Sith Witch, and barely recalled the speed in which he watched her die only to find he too was slow to react to the threat. His eyes, caked with tears, sought out the Sith Lady but to no avail; death was here to claim another weak individual and his eyes, just as his Jedi training, now betrayed him. Feeling his life begin to lapse into the Force energy, he heard a cold and venomous voice speak to him. "Foolish Jedi....foolish Jedi indeed! You sought to claim glory and fame upon my cold corpse but in the end fool....it is you that will feel the cold embrace of death's love!" With a flick of her left wrist the Jedi's neck snapped and his lifeless corpse fell upon the sands of Korriban to feed the local fauna.

Without taking a second glance at the two dead Jedi, Darth Zarrah wrapped her dust covered robes around her frame, returning the hood to its proper place upon her montails. She felt the familiar presence of her former Apprentice in the Force and to her surprise; he was coming to Korriban. But he was not alone. She felt another presence as well; alien and unfamiliar to her. Her sinister grin emerged across her sand flecked lips as she began to trek back to the Temple ruins where she had spent countless lost days and months in her self imposed exile. She had grown wary of the infighting among the Sith Order. They had lost the war and rather than turning their anger and attention toward their enemies, they sought to rebuild. They sought to juggle and dance through a pecking order of sorts until one Sith, a True Sith, would emerge and lead them back to glory. She believed in the One Sith philosophy but she did not believe fighting among themselves would make them stronger. In fact, it had sent them in a tail spin of weakness. Her beloved Order was again on the brinks of destruction. But she was no savior to anyone. If her Order was to be doomed, then so be it. Exile seemed the plausible course of action.

However, the events she had foreseen through the ancient art of scrying during her exile began to take shape, changing the galaxy once again. The Sith were on the hunt and were now playing the role of conquerors rather than engineers and builders. This pleased her greatly. However, she was "trapped" on a Jedi occupied Korriban but it did not mean she could not do her part. Through secrecy, treachery, and manipulation she begin to tear through the paper Jedi puppets and their Republic puppeteers. She used them to gather information and intelligence; and when she was done with them, she discarded them without pause. Once again it seemed it was time for the galaxy to be haunted by Darth Zarrah.

The Sith Lady stopped at the entrance of her ruins taking up a position on a cracked boulder waiting for her two guests. Much needed to be discussed. Much needed to be decided. Much needed to be celebrated.

[member="Darth Banshee"], [member="Darth Veles"]

 

[Darth Veles]

With [member="Darth Banshee"] following on his heels, the amphibious Sith Master strode through the unforgiving desert, soon knowing his exact destination as his gaze shifted towards the building in the distance; the Sith Temple, one of many remnants of the Sith glory on Korriban. The structure was nowhere near as important as the dear Togruta who awaited them. Using the zoom function included in his cybernetic eye, Darth Veles’ sight flew across the red plains and arrived to the steps of the Temple, the visuals confirming the lone figure to truly be [member="Darth Zarrah"]. Smiling slightly, the Mon Calamari zoomed out, noting the lifeless corpses lying in the sand for animals to eat and dust to bury. Possibly two Jedi how thought Korriban to be a safe planet and were unlucky enough to disturb the Togruta Sith Lady? Or Jedi Assassins, also called Jedi Shadows by those who thought giving an assassin a different name would make them nobler than ordinary killers. Whatever the case, those Jedi certainly deserved even worse than what they had gotten.

As he closed the distance, finally arriving at the scene where the “battle” took place, a brief look at the corpses confirmed his suspicions. The typical mix of beige and brown robes left little room for speculation; upon crouching and brushing away the sand from a glittery object Veles had noticed when watching the bodies, the Mon Calamari discovered a lightsaber hilt. Shaking his head at the foolishness of the Jedi, their incredible arrogance and belief to be able to defeat and kill anyone they want, Veles let out an amused chuckle as he got up. By killing the two Jedi, Lady Zarrah ironically brought more peace to the galaxy by eliminating two enemies of the Sith. Casually stepping over one of the bodies that lied in his way to the Togruta, the amphibian’s gaze fixed at the Sith Lady’s figure on a cracked boulder by the entrance to whatever remained from the Sith Temple. It was both happy and sad sight; the ruin reminded Veles of the Sith failure to protect their cultural heritage, while the Togruta brought back memories of his training.

“Greetings, Lady Zarrah!” the amphibian waved his webbed hand as he greeted the woman from a distance of several meters, continuing his pace forward until he finally stood in front of the woman. The sound of his booted feet walking in the sand was now audible, as he no longer manipulated sound waves. His large eyes studied her from head to toe for a minute, and he could not help but smile. It felt good to be with her again, his Master, his mentor, his friend. A true Sith!

“And let me say; you look beautiful, my Master! The dark hood very much accentuates the complexion of your skin and lets your beauty shine.” Veles stated as a matter-of-fact before turning one of his eyes towards the other woman, Sabrina. “Lady Zarrah, allow me to introduce you to Lady Banshee. She is a good friend of mine, also one of my former students.” His hand moved towards Banshee, as if inviting her to come closer to them.

“Lady Banshee, meet Lady Zarrah, my former Master and one of the wisest and most powerful Sith I have ever met.” The Mon Cal introduced them both before turning his full attention to the Togruta again.

“It is great to see you again, Grima. And before you say anything, let me ask you one simple question. How does it feel when your old apprentice becomes a Master?” he asked with a soft chuckle, removing the hood from his large domed head as the entrance to the Temple provided enough shadow for him to feel relatively comfortable.

 

[Darth Banshee]

She looked at [member="Darth Zarrah"], and gave her a nod of head as sign of respect. She did not bow to her, as [member="Darth Veles"] said not to. Though she would not done anyway, as she had finally been recognised as lord as well. Though she new her place here, she was still the more junior of them. She decide to say something, not quite sure what to say though as she did not the woman. She knew only few things about her, that what Darth Veles had told her. Darth Zarrah I have been told quite a bit about over the years, I do believe you have unique philosophy. One that I wish more of our brethren shared, if truth was told. She could feel the strength of the woman in front her, no wonder veles talked about when he could.

 

[Grima Volitu]

Darth Zarrah could feel her former pupil drawing nearer to the ruined structure. It had been a long time since the two stood in each other's shadows. And yet she felt the unfamiliar presence of her former pupil's guest as well and wondered where she stood in the political struggle of the Order. Was she blinded by the false teachings that all Sith should be equal or did she believe that equality was nothing more than a lie that weaker Sith clung to in hopes of becoming powerful one day. Usually it was these Sith that found their tragic lives cut short. Or cut down by her twin blades. Equality was not the Sith way. Sith, a True Sith, believed in only one true mantra; self-preservation. But she would soon have time to speak to this newcomer as the pair finally arrived at her Temple.

Allowing her gaze to fall on the female, locking her sight onto her not because she found her to be interesting but she did not trust her motives yet. She was Sith and if she had been trained by her former Apprentice then he would have taught her that the greatest threat to any Sith was another Sith. Darth Zarrah was cunning and manipulative, two traits she had bestowed on to her former student. Traits she wondered if this girl now who stood before her possessed. Without removing her eyes from the female Sith, she spoke to Lord Veles, "A Master? Unless you have an current Apprentice old friend, you are not Master of anything or anyone. A Sith Lord....yes. But a Master you are not. You should know the difference between the two Lord Veles. Tell me you have not been poisoned by those dissimulating teachings in the wake of my absence? But it seems to me the war or the Council has not robbed you of your charms." Darth Zarrah motioned for the two take up residence on a couple of rocks so that they could speak with the world in front of them. Another lesson she wondered if her former student passed down to this female. "Never....never allow yourself to be in a position where you have to defend your front and backside. Only fools and misguided swordsmen think they are invincible. So always place any potential danger in front of you while allowing your back to be guarded by walls....machines....or anything that can not thrust a blade between your shoulder blades or blaster bolt in the small of your back," she recalled from her memory on one of the days she began his lessons. She felt the twinges of pain trying to resurface from being away from him. She didn't not think of him as a lover but more as a mother figure to him. She had took him as her Apprentice when he was young; watching him grow in wisdom and power. He was by far her greatest accomplishment.

Once they have taken their seats, she turns her verbal focus toward this Lady Banshee. "Has he now? Has he been filling your mind up with stories of my life yet failing to fill mine up with yours? Let me pose a few simple questions to you. I do not seek to offend you but you must grant me this spot of wisdom since you have me at a slight disadvantage. Who are you? Allow me to elaborate further on that question....what makes you think that being a Sith is more than a four letter word....a title bestowed onto those that ARE suppose to be worthy of it. For anyone can call themselves Sith and far to many do these days....but to be Sith....it means what? You seem to be the bearer of the title Sith Lady....did you earn it.....or did you kill for it....or better yet....did you seduce my former student into helping you achieve such a title? Did you manipulate him into teaching all he knows....or did you appeal to a baser need?"

Looking over at Darth Veles she says, "And I know you would not allow yourself to be seduced so quickly unless....unless she is more than a friend to you." Darth Zarrah begins to laugh then waves her hands at their attempts to speak. "Forgive me, both of you. It has been far to long since I've talked to anyone that I didn't have to kill afterwards. But please Lady Banshee, fill my mind up with stories of your life."

[member="Darth Banshee"] [member="Avreet Zatarus"]

 

[Darth Veles]

Chuckling softly, the amphibious Sith shook his head, still smiling after the Sith Lady's words concerning his title and his charms. He was not entirely wrong by claiming to be a Master though; the Mon Cal currently trained another apprentice, hoping this one would finally turn to be good, unlike the previous two. His mind immediately brought him back to the Togruta though, not allowing the amphibious Sith’s thoughts to wander off in the presence of such a great Sith! It was good to see Master Volitu’s sense of wit has not been dulled by the time in exile. After she made a motion and invited them to the rocks, the amphibious Sith accepted and stepped on the nearest stone, kneeling down and staring at the Togruta that was in front of him with his typical Mon Calamari gaze before shifting himself a bit closer to the older woman. Her presence was still vastly strong and Veles enjoyed basking in it, feeling his old Master so close. In her absence, the Mon Cal had to enjoy the small shard of her glory radiating from the lightsaber crystal she had constructed and given to him as a present many years ago. He would never get rid of it, and even now, he touched the hilt of the lightsaber that contained Grima’s crystal, gently stroking the cylinder with his webbed hand. Darth Zarrah was always with him by that way.

Remaining silent, Veles chose to listen to the conversation between the two Sith Ladies, one older and experienced, the other younger and still with much to learn. Turning his head towards Lady Banshee, expecting her to answer to Grima, the Mon Cal was caught off guard when the Togruta implied seduction. His surprised gaze turned back to [member="Darth Zarrah"], only to for his eyes to meet her own. The words that suggested Veles and Banshee being more than friends certainly amused the amphibious Sith, but just as he was about to open his mouth and clear the matter to the Togruta Sith Lady, Darth Zarrah laughed, which caused the amphibious Sith Lord to smile. It was rare to see and hear the powerful Sith Lady laugh, and he found himself happy the older woman showed she knew how to laugh and smile.

Without interrupting the two, Veles glanced at [member="Darth Banshee"], awaiting her answer as well and giving her an encouraging smile. He was curious about what she had to say, hear about things they had done together from her point of view. That, and she should tell the Togruta about her relationship with Veles. In a way, Lady Banshee was much like Ghenna to the amphibian, a very good friend he enjoyed spending time with.

 

[Darth Banshee]

She listened as [member="Darth Zarrah"] laughed and mocked Darth Veles over his title, though it seemed friendly as they were friends where they not. She then gave her some advice, about keeping her back to the wall. It made her smile a bit, as she been learning to kill people who did this. Though learning how to phase, did come with some embarrassing moments.

She then remarked on the fact she mentioned Darth Veles, had told her stories about her. She was not sure how to take her remarks, she did not know her that after all. She began to wonder had she gone mad in her exile, she would not be the first who did. Then she asked what right had she to call herself sith, she was about to speak up and say. I slaughtered Jedi and mandalorians help conquer worlds for the sith. I survived whatever they could throw at me, and I am still standing. The woman moved on before she could get a word in, and then shifted it between her and Darth Veles. She never thought of him that way, she saw a father a mentor a guide in life. Was this meeting all about insulting them, or was something else involved. Then out of no where she apologise, to them both and asked to hear about her.

Well Darth Veles use to be my master, I still consider him a father and a mentor though nothing more. She then answer the question about herself. I have not got much to talk about, I got brought into the one sith, and Darth Veles spent lot time looking after me. He also trained me, which was good thing at teta. Though I also took lessons from the mandalorians, though they were a let down in the end.

[member="Avreet Zatarus"]

 

[Grima Volitu]

At the mention of the Mandos she spit into the sand, scoffed, lowered her left index finger to the ground and said, "Let down....the only place fitting enough for a Mando is there! Honour....kinship....warriors...all words they clung to but in the end....they sold themselves out and for what? Credits? A little piece of the galaxy to call their own? Pfft!" Realizing once again she was displaying acts of a younger version of herself, letting her own hatred infect this homecoming of sorts, she waves her right hand out in front of her in a dismissive gesture, adding, "Forgive me....my mind is not what it once was. I feel...no....I felt a change overcome me since my time here. The Dark Side is powerful within me but I believe that my mind has been altered by it. I think...."

Falling silent for a moment, Darth Zarrah turns her head to the right as if she is listening to some sort of phantom. "Yes....but what can we do about that....huh?" Falling silent again, she turns her attention back to her former student and the female Sith. A haunted smile slowly spreads across her lips. "No...I am not crazy! I can sense what you two are feeling...I'm just haunted by a dead and long forgotten Sith Lady. I think...yes....I think it is time for the three of us to leave. A fresh view will give me a fresh perspective on the galaxy. What do you say...adventure?"

Darth Zarrah leaps to her feet and begins walking through the red sand toward no apparent direction. After walking a few yards she stops abruptly, whips around and asks, "Lord Veles...Lady Banshee....where would your ship be located at? I've had enough of Korriban for awhile...maybe enough for two lifetimes." She turns her head to the right and smiles at nothing but her invisible friend.

[member="Avreet Zatarus"] [member="Sabrina Kotass"]

 

[Darth Veles]

Father? Veles cast a surprised glance at Lady Banshee, still unsure of how could the young woman see him as a father. He was just a few years older, after all, and never cosidered himself to be [member="Sabrina Kotass"]' Master, as another Sith had the privilege of training the young Acolyte as an apprentice. True, the two have had their share of lessons, when Avreet taught her how to use some of the basic abilities better, plus that one practice of Force cloak and Force stealth, but the young woman never was his apprentice, just a student. A very good student, though, as evidenced on multiple occasions! What Veles could agree with was the matter with Mandalorians. Honor became nothing but an empty word for them, one they used frequently without knowing the meaning. Veles did have the "pleasure" of fighting the "honorable" warriors of Mandalore. Indestructible armor and weapons, superior numbers, Force-disabling equipment, cloaking devices... and picking the weakest or lone opponents to defeat. Truly, Mandalorians had absolutely nothing to do with honor, becoming nothing but uncultured barbaric hordes worthy of extermination.

[member="Darth Zarrah"] appeared to have the same opinion of them and Veles could not help but smile at the Togruta's little outburst of emotions, strong feelings radiating from her body. Once the Togruta revealed the Dark Side has been affecting her mind, Avreet's face grew serious, he did not want the wisest woman to become like the Dark Jedi filth; first succumbing to the Dark Side before suffering from retardation, something common among the weak-willed Dark Jedi. Lady Zarrah was by no means a Dark Jedi though, Veles considered her to be the greatest of all Sith, so her condition certainly took him by surprise. If a true Sith could fall into the endless pit of insanity and madness, what could one do to prevent it? The thought genuinely scared Veles, who believed to have conquered the danger of becoming a Dark Jedi. Cold shivers ran down his spine as his large bulbous eyes carefully watched the Togruta with worry and concern.

The Sith Lady's explanation of a ghost concerned him even more, so once the Togruta jumped on her feet, Darth Veles followed, getting off the stone he sat on. Walking towards Lady Zarrah, he speaks up, "Not far, my dear Lady Zarrah. Let me show you," he says in his thick Imperial accented voice and puts his arm on the Togruta's shoulders, "Allow me to support you, please." Pacing alongside the Togruta and guiding her, his hold firm enough to ensure she won't wander off, he enjoys being so close to his beloved Master, finally. "Now, what would you say to a cup of tea? Or maybe you'd like Lady Banshee's cookies?" the Sith Lord asks after leaning closer to her, almost whispering to her ear with a roguish smile on his face.

"Lady Banshee," one of his eyes looks in the brown haired woman's direction, "Please be so kind and go ahead to prepare the ship so we can take off as soon as possible."

 

[Darth Banshee]

She looked at Darth Veles and nodded her head, at his request that she prepped the ship for launch. She turn swiftly round and head out the caves, leaving the two alone. Then head to darth veles clocked ship, to get it up and running ready to take there new compaion of this world.

[member="Avreet Zatarus"] [member="Darth Zarrah"]