Mens Sana In Corpore Truncus

[Xevek Nekonis]

Mens Sana In Corpore Truncus - A Sound Mind In A Broken Body​

The only sound within the large freighter was that of the slight, almost inaudible, hum of the engines that accompanied the slight vibrations that ran throughout the interior of the ship as it slowly drifted through space. No one sat within the cockpit nor was any sort of auto pilot engaged, leaving the freighter to drift, stranded and without direction, as the sole and lone occupier of the ship sat atop a simple and makeshift seat formed out of an empty crate dragged into the center of an otherwise empty cargo hard. If it weren't for the slight movement of his chest then any outside observer that laid eyes upon the cloaked, silent and stilled form of the male could be forgiven for assuming that the figure had passed on from the mortal coil to drift into his afterlife for no muscle twitched nor shifted as he sat, head bowed in meditation, simply waiting.

With his head bowed, the man's dark grey hair, of which was pulled into multiple and tightly woven dreadlocks, fell not only down past his shoulders to reach halfway down his back but also in front of his face, effectively obscuring it from the view of any that may have managed to join the man inside the cargo hold inside the otherwise abandoned bulk freighter. However, while the face could not be seen, the man's species could be easily identified as, raising out through the mass of hair, were numerous jagged horns, each one carefully sharpened to the point that the edges and tip were remarkably defined and each one covered in some sort of blood stain - whether it be large or small, that were synonymous with the Zabrak species. With his hands folded in his lap, the shade of his skin could be seen as one pitch black and obviously cybernetic hand lay underneath the grip of a much paler, tanned and sand torn hand, allowing those with keen observation to conclude that the Zabrak was of Iridonian origins. However, the ragged black robes that the Zabrak wore served to obscure any other detail, hiding the male's build along with his height.

The Iridonian was named Xavka Duquo or, as he was more often referred to in common times, Darth Lykos, the man who, unknowingly to a very large majority of the galaxy, headed up the guild of Sith specialising in stealth and assassination known, quite simply, as the Sith Assassins. It was, in fact, that same duty as leader that had lead to his presence aboard a bulk freighter which he had liberated from an unsuspecting patron of a spaceport on Vullain. Not that they would be ever able to retrieve there ship. with a slight huff of amusement at the thought, Xavka cast his mind towards the thermal detonators attached to the engines currently humming with energy beneath his feet, detonators set to activate upon a signal that Xavka would translate while leaving the area aboard his own personal ship.

Xavka had ultimately 'borrowed without permission' the ship for the simple fact that he required a place to conduct a meeting, one that was expendable in his eyes and could be destroyed once the meeting was concluded, removing as much trace of his location as possible. The meeting, asked for by Darth Abyss - a brother student to Xavka as they had both been trained by Darth Ophidia, was one that had been requested of the Sith Assassins as a whole and, since Xavka had been near by to the origin of the transmission preparing for a strike against a Rogue Sith Officer so as to begin his attempt to weaken their flank by striking out at leading Officers, Darth Lykos himself had chosen to be Darth Abyss' point of contact.

And so, the Iridonian Sith sat in silence, waiting for Darth Abyss' ship to dock within the bay above him so that the meeting could begin. A faint stirring within the Force around him, the whispered, silky voice of Darkness that slid through his mind, was the only clue that the Zabrak had that something would come of this meet. What that very something was, or what it could mean for him, he could not say, the current rush of action from the numerous Factions that warred for dominance within the galaxy upon reports of a superweapon becoming known was throwing wave of turbulent wave throughout the mystical field and obscuring any attempts of divination that the Assassin attempted, leaving him to only resolve to keep his guard up and be prepared for as many outcomes as his surging mind could conceive of.


[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Rather strange times they both lived in. In one place of the galaxy the One Sith had crumbled and broken into almost nothing more than dust, while in the depths of wild space the One Sith rose to unseen power by the might of a devastating superweapon. Or at least something that once was the One Sith, now a group detached from the original empire, both in loyalty and in might. Darth Abyss steps made no sound as both his organic and cybernetic feet stepped over the cold metal of the seemingly abandoned freighter. It was uncommon for him to request aid, and even more to request it from the sith assassins instead from someone of the handful of people the sith called his allies. Yet the path that waited in front of him was not one for the brutes and soldiers that swore him loyalty, and he needed someone more advanced than his apprentice that while growing stronger very day was still raw diamond without the skilled needed to succeed over what he had witnessed. As he stepped inside the cargo area a short sentence left his mouth, without any introductions.

"Death is a lie, brother."

12 hours earlier. Vullain.


A manic laugh left Abyss lungs as his blade plunged deep into his opponents heart. It was the third time today he watched the man die, and as it seemed it wound not be the last time. The crimson red of the zabraks skin showed no sign of the orbital strike that rained down on him 2 hours ago. No signs of the million blaster bolts that pierced his body an hour ago. Not even a scar, a cut or any mark for his death. At first he had been sure that it was just another sith, looking oddly similar to the man he pushed back into the temple, only so he and his friends would be in place for the bombardment. This time he was sure, there was no way it that this was just a simple coincidence. Every time he saw the same face, the same way to fight, only wilder and less focus after any death, Every time he felt the same strange and corrupted presence in the force. Darth Sion, The Lord of Pain saw it, and now Abyss could see to: Death was a Lie.


He was walking up and down in front of the other sith, after he struggled to find the right words for what he had seen. To overcome death was something most sith desired, as it meant victory even over death. Abyss himself had no wish to live forever, history told him to much about those who tried to, and he had no interest to become like them. Yet whatever power the sith on Vullain had drawn on, it had to be of great potential. A art that allowed a feat like this was something he had to discover, even if it just was to fill his mind with more knowledge to stop his never ending hunger.

Recovered Intel about the battle told him much. The sith he had fought were part of a group calling themselves the su'us iv mirtis, or sons of death. Before the battle he would have laughed about the name, but now he knew what it meant. Further he learned that there were more of them, and a small outpost was even located on castamere, the planet the omega was currently residing. It would be a good place to start.

[member="Darth Lykos"]

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

When the form of Abyss had entered into the hold, Xavka's face had snapped upwards in a seemingly immediate move as his single eye, the pupil a burnt orange colour - a corruption of his original eagle like yellow eyes, locked onto the approaching Sith, immediately scanning him for any signs of weapons. However, Xavka had time to do no more before Abyss spoke, his voice echoing slightly within the empty space that the pair of Dark practitioners occupied. For a brief moment, Xavka could appreciate the distinctiveness that his fellow Sith displayed before the understanding of what exactly had been spoken sank into his mind and a wave of raged washed over him, seeking to turn his vision read. However, as Abyss began to weave his tale, passing over a datapad full of videos and reports that confirmed his near unbelievable story, Xavka's rage was not shown or demonstrated in any fashion, not through body language and not through the Force as Xavka, as he always did, had obscured and buried his Presence, hiding it from the senses of those but the most keen.

As the voice of Abyss echoed its final echo and silence once more fell within the cargo hold, broken only by the barely there sound of breathing and the humming of engines, Xavka continued to stare at Abyss for a few seconds before a slight pressure would form around the human's neck, not enough to choke or harm but enough to serve as a warning. However, while action had been initiated by Xavka, no movement had been made of his body beyond a smirk stretching itself across his lips.

"The story you spoke hold promises within and evidence provided confirms." Before Abyss would get the chance to speak up at the pressure around his neck, Xavka chose to speak first, his deep and gravelly voice coming out slowly and controlled, echoing gently within the empty space. "However, I warn you. Speak of Death as a non existent, speak of it as something that lies, as anything more than a delayed inevitability. And i will take you as speaking out against Divine Nath, who's domain is Unlife, and I will Tear You To Threads." The final four words were almost roared out into the quiet as Darth Lykos surged to his feet, the rage he had felt surging forwards as his Presence, no longer being obscured and hidden, surged forwards, filling the surrounding area with the feeling of murky shadows crawling up spines and piecing into minds, a heavy presence empowered by rage battering against mental shielding. At the same time, Lykos' face deformed into an inhumane mask of pure beastly feralty. His mouth twisted into a fierce snarl, lips rolled back to reveal pointed teeth stained in blood (albeit blood from raw and blue meat, not that Xavka ever saw the need to correct people's assumptions), his face deformed into a series of creases, causing the scars along his face to shift into deep, shaded crevices that seemed to sear into flesh and muscle while the shadows that filled his empty right eye socket seemed to deepen.

Then, in the next moment, the pressure faded from around Abyss' throat as the unnatural heaviness that had filled the room vanished as if it had never been there and the Zabrak's face relaxed into a calm and controlled mask of apathy. All that was left was the snarl before that too disappeared, shifting back into a small smirk as a single sentence was nearly whispered into the ringing silence left in the wake of the roar that had been torn from his throat. "Take heed and take care."

Lykos remained still for a moment before he began to advance towards Abyss. Unlike Abyss, his footsteps were not silenced, but such an action was done on purpose as the sharpened claws that adorned his bare feet meted themselves against the metal flooring and won, leaving behind scores of sparks and a sharp hiss of carved metal. This action was another part of the game that had been drawn into existence between the two Sith. Even if they were to become allies, they would most certainly not be friends and so an unspoken game of dominance and power had been called into being as no previous respect for the other nor devotion existed within one of the due, which would have been enough to prevent it conception. While Lykos' outburst might have seemed abnormal, it was just another way of demonstrating dominance and power, however it was not a method that he often cared to use in his demonstrated even if it was the quickest example.

Stopping a few paces in front of Abyss, Lykos leaned forwards slightly, locking his lone and slightly glowing eye with Abyss' own two eyes. "You sought audience with the Assassins, you were granted such. What plan do you foresee happening to seek Our assistance? What is it you plan to do with the knowledge you found? You would not come if you did not think you could offer up some request to Us."


[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss stood unfazed, the wooden mask hiding the mask of stoic, emotionless apathy that was his face. He had been attacked be the horrors of space that roamed the edges of the universe, he crossed blades with a powerful dark lord when he was nothing but an acolyte, he had the blood of millions on his hands since the day metellos burned. Fear was a emotion he had forgotten long ago, like he had forgotten the name he had before he became Abyss, The Ascended, last Knight of the One SIth. Whatever it was that happened in the seemingly broken mind of the assassins was none of his concern, he didn't came her to play games and figure out which of them was the more imposing sith. Sadly Ophidia had more pressing matters to attend to, so she couldn't assist him in finding the reason behind what he saw, and with the one sith gone the sith assassins where the only ones left that could help him. Under other circumstances Abyss would never had worked with this strange and mad creature.

The came his words about death, and against all his will he couldn't resists to show a hint of amusement. He had many sith with different views on death, but never before he meet someone who seemed to see it as a divine deity, something to be worshipped. Once more he realized why he couldn't allow himself to become consumed by the darkness, his sanity was worth far to much to him.

"I am not here to play games, Brother. There is power for us to take and time is running low, we should not waste it with ... This."

The last word sounded like he was spitting out something disgusting. A fitting description, as he was slowly losing his patience. He didn't care how many marks the man could leave on the ground with nothing else than his feet, and he was certainly not here to show a madman the way out of his psyche.

"We infiltrate the outpost and see what we can find. Silent and quick in, and the same on the way out. Do we have an agreement or do I have to find someone more mentally stable?"

[member="Darth Lykos"]

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

For a moment, Lykos was still for a moment as the words Abyss had both spoken and left unspoken within what he spoke washed over his conscious mind before Xavka raised himself up to his full height once more, his wide shoulders, visible even through the loose form obscuring robes that he wore, giving him a rather brutish appearance that did not match with his specialisation in deceit, deception or assassination nor matching with the truly impressive and analytical mind that he kept hidden behind his apathetic, cold eye. Slowly, a rough, rolling growl of a sound began to emit from the back of his throat - his and his species version of a soft chuckle. Throughout the short time that Xavka spent chuckling, no more than a few seconds of levity that he allowed himself to momentarily luxuriate in before returning to the business at hand - feeling a longing to simply relax with his violin in hand well up inside him as the stress returned to his thoughts, the soft smirk on his lips never changed nor shifted even as his posture did, altering from combative posturing to putting of a sense of grace that came from years of practice in moving without a sound.

"Interesting. A Sith with no grandstanding. I see why Master Ophidia chose to train you." Letting his words hang in the air, Xavka clasp his arms behind his back as he strode over to the door to the cargo hold, stopping a few meters short and twisting at the hip so as to re-affix his sharp gaze to the Sith. This time, when he walked, no sound was made. No clicking or scrapping of claws over metal, no sound of bare feet impacting the flooring nor was there any sound from the movement of his robes; such as they were designed. "Co-ordinates. I assume that you possess them. That you were as thorough in locating the stronghold these Su'uv Iv Mirtis as you were in obtaining proof." The name was spat out with distaste plainly audible in his words, for Xavka saw the entire collection as sacrilege against one of his Deities. The only reason that Xavka did not make to hide his distaste as he normally would was because, in his risky and overt play in dominance that he had preformed under the assumption that the Sith he was to meet was as arrogant as many other Sith he had encountered, he had already revealed more emotion to Abyss than he normally would and, as such, saw any attempt to restrain and dark emotions, or, rather, emotions of hate and rage, would be a waste of effort and time, something that Xavka despised. "Please do see to meet me in the ship bay above posthaste if you do have the necessary information." His words spoken, Xavka turned and strode out of the hold, once more moving with near silence.

Reaching into a pocket within his robes as he stood next to his ship, a Phasma Class Interceptor, a small ship designed with one man crews in mind - though there was space for another provided they were not too large- along with stealth - an obvious fact when one considered the fact that the ship possessed a Styigum Crystal Stealth System - Xavka withdrew the primer for the explosives as he waited for Abyss to appear. Clicking the primer and pocketing it in one deft move, Xavka cast his mind away from the readied explosives and instead gave though to how Abyss would react to his then actions. Would he object to how Xavka had treated him before walking out dismissively? Would he stand silent and bite his tongue? Or would he choose another path? As was the case for most of his action, Xavka was once more testing others, twisting his masks personality as he did so. Although the effort of presenting himself in different manners constantly wore on his mind, leaving him only to become himself when either lost in the flow of a Ritual Dance or the sound of his violin echoing in his ears in privacy, the effort he put into maintaining a distance from the galaxy along with obtaining understanding and incite into those he may work with would always benefit him in the end, so it was a behaviour he was loath to do away with.

Turning his gaze towards the ship that Abyss had obviously arrived in, Xavka twisted his head in consideration even as his keen sense of smell revealed to him the approuchment of the very Sith he had been thinking about. "Do you have stealth systems? Is the ship yours?" Once more Xavka's voice would echo within silence, this time the silence of the hanger bay, as he snapped out the two questions in rapid succession, thoughts and plans battling with observations, predication and thoughts of events happening outside of his present - as was his duty and honour as Leader.


[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss had began to question why his master, darth Ophidia would have trained a creature like this, a being that seemed to be crippled by his own mental state, and felt the need to play games of dominance and pride. Sure the power of the sith came from the dark side, and therefore from raw emotions like anger and hate. Yet his master always valued control over these emotions more than the emotions themselves, seeing that they are nothing but tools to reach a goal, and not the the modus operandi that a sith should follow. The man was right, Abyss had no pride nor arrogance. To often he read about or witnessed sith that had, and that ultimately payed the price for it. Death. He wouldn't allow himself to repeat their mistakes.

Then for the first moment today, he saw a glimpse of what his master might saw in the assassin that made him valuable as an apprentice. The way he silently walked over the ground, his hands clasped on his back showed Ophidias influence on the mans mind, it was a almost exact resemblance of the way she would have moved in this moment. A small, almost unnoticeable smirk wandered of his face for a second, as he followed the man the the docking area of the ship. He made no attempt to answer the mans question about coordinates, if the man hadn't figured yet that he wouldn't have come here without them than so be it. Time was running low, and any interactions between the two that could further provoke the mans mental illness would only cost them more. Only the pride had time to waste.

Abyss ship had no stealth system, it didn't need any. And it wasn't Abyss ship that was to be seen. Like always he came with a stolen, rundown freighter, as the best way to hide from curious eyes was in plain sight, at least for non military actions. No one ever had suspected that an old and barley functioning ship could do any harm, or be the vessel of a sith instead of just another poor smuggler trying to make his way in the universe.

"No, it has not. So yours it is."

He had seen the type of interceptor the assassin owned, and he knew about the stealth systems inside. Sure it wouldn't be a comfortable way to travel but he had no need for comfort.

[member="Darth Lykos"]

 

[Xevek Nekonis]

Grunting softly, and recognising that the time for any words to be spoken not in reference to their mission and not uttered while in motion were words wasted within the current situation, and feeling a great rush of satisfaction at such a fact, Xavka simply strode towards the boarding ramp of his Interecptor, expecting Abyss to follow as he had been doing so so far. As he approached, his footsteps as silent as ever as Xavka fell back onto instinct and no longer cared about ensuring that he made a sound when moving - some being were too sensitive to such scares he had found, the Zabrak slipped a hand into one of the interior pockets of his robes to, in one smooth action, thumb the activation of the transmitter he kept there, allowing the proper codes to be sent and received by his ship - which he had never seen a reason to name, before he deactivated the tiny device and leaving it to remain sitting in its position as he hands once more returned to being clasped behind his back.

Stepping up onto the ramp just as it fully descended to touch the bay flooring, Xavka didn't break his stride as he ascended into the snug interior of the small ship. As he passed the top of the doors, Xavka pressed the controls just off to the side and let the ramp begin to close behind him. If Darth Abyss could not manage to make it aboard with such a slow moving system that the ship had, not even through usage of the Force, then he did not deserve to bear his Darth title. Passing past the lone chair that lined the single room interior of the ship, Xavka glided into the cockpit to slide down into the pilot's seat, hands already moving through instinct as they prepared the craft for take off and automatically engaged the Styigum systems, causing the Interceptor to disappear from the sight of any being that may have been looking at the ship from the outside along with any sensors that may have been able to detect it.

Pausing for a moment as the bay door's for the docking bay began to slide open, cutesy of yet another transmitter that was quickly shattered beneath the sheer strength that he was able to generate using his cybernetic hand, Xavka twisted around in his seat to throw the detonator for the explosives that lined the bulk freighter. "If you have no possession on that ship, activate before Hyperspace jump. If you do, we'll return. I care not which so long as the explosions happen. During jump, transmit coordinates. We'll come out above Castameer." His peace spoken, Xavka immediately pushed the small ship out of the freight and, after waiting for close to half a minuet as the systems ran their final checks, finally pushed the ship into Hyperspace.

--------

The blurred lines of hyperspace soon transitioned into the view of the icy planet that was Castameer as it suddenly filled the entire plasteel windows that lined the cockpit. Immediately Xavka threw the Interceptor into a steep dip towards the atmosphere of the planet, seeking to find shelter there for the ship had emerged into the middle of what looked to be the beginning of a naval battle as a couple of heavy hitting ships belonging to factions other than the Rogue Sith were present, filling the void of space with their exchange of fire as Xavka was forced to dip and weave among the bolts. For a moment, Xavka sparred a quick prayer to Amina for ensuring that they had arrived with the Stygium Systems operating at full capacity and that no full on fleet battle was occurring, leaving it possible for Xavka to guide the Interceptor towards the planet while dodging the fire from the ships. If the battle was any more than a skirmish, albeit one that would at some point soon evolve into full on conflict considering the growing tensions, then Xavka doubted that he and Abyss would be reaching the surface in any manner other than as a wreckage.

Eventually, the feeling of the flight changed as the Interceptor exited from the void of space and into the thin, upper atmosphere of the frozen planet. Sighing mentally in release, the slight amount of tension that had built up within his shoulder relaxed, muscles unwinding. While normally Xavka would have strove to keep his cool, he was by no means an extremely skilled pilot and, as such, had been pushed to the limits so as to arrive in one piece. That fact had weighed heavily on his thoughts and made him unable to release the stress and tension that he had felt building up. Following the coordinates that Abyss had transmitted, Xavka flew the ship over the outpost that he and Abyss were set to assault, their height and the Stygium allowing them to pass undetected, to land the small ship half a klick away, a good safe distance.

Powering down the ship with practiced ease, Xavka slid himself out of the pilot's seat with his natural grace before turning and striding towards the back right corner of the small area within which Abyss sat. Pulling his whip and small weapon pouches off of the hook they hung on, Xavka fastened them to the rather primitive leather armour he wore beneath his robes. Ensuring that they would emit no sound while he moved and that they would be obscured, Xavka gave a brief nod to Abyss before hitting the release for the ramp to lower, selecting the setting that would ensure the ramp would seal shut ten seconds after it had full opened.

A cold gust of wind surged into the ship, ruffling Xavka's robes, as he strode down the ramp, off of the metal and onto the freezing ice that covered the surface of Castameer, bared feet causing the snow to crunch softly. As another violent gust of wind rushed past an equally violent full body shiver visibly ran through the Iridonian as he heat loving body, having evolved to deal with the desert, rebelled against the frozen conditions. However, that shiver soon stopped as Xavka began to circulate the Force throughout his.

Turning and immediately setting off towards the location of the outpost, Xavka's long strides easily carried him over the snow as, almost absentmindedly, he began to obscured, alter the perception of and suppress his Presence within the Force. Years of stealth and work as an Assassin guiding his actions out of instinct.


[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Like the assassin, Abyss masked his presence in the force as soon as his feet touched the planets surface. His experience was limited, he was still young and only the circumstances allowed him to ascend through the ranks so far, but one of the few things had always been talented in was hiding himself from curious eyes, both physically and in the force. It was cold, and his tattered and ragged robe wasn't spending much warmth, so he had to fall back to the fire of passion that burned within to keep his body from breaking down.

In the far distance his eyes could see the outpost they were looking for, still at least 30 minutes away from their position. There was fighting going on, but a ship landing any closer would probably have raised suspicions, and they had neither the men nor the time to raise any suspicions if they wanted to survive. Both men were strong, smart and dangerous, but fighting against someone when outnumbered was already risky, doing it on a enemy world was suicide. The only advantage they had were stealth, manipulation and planning. The smart would always succeed over the strong.

The black of his robe was like a mark in the endless white that formed the planets surface, and would give away theor position the second the two would enter inside the enemy visual range. They would either need a distraction or even more stealth if they planned on reaching the outpost in one piece. Stopping in his walk, he turned his eyes on the other sith, to discuss the options they had before they would go in. A good plan was half the job done when it came to covert ops.

"We either need a distraction, or another layer of stealth. I assume you are in possession of a stealth field generator, or able to bend the light around you by using the force? If not, one of us shoukd draw them out, and give the other a option to get inside."

[member="Darth Lykos"]