Duel Mourning in Moraband

[Ma'at Achlys]

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K O R R I B A N | M O R A B A N D

There was no lingering star overhead, nothing more than pinpricks in the black quilt that blanketed the night sky. From violet eyes all she saw was shameless decadence, the carcass of an impressive past reanimated for the egos of people who decided it was the guise they fit best in to make plays at power that they'd never hold onto for long enough to feel satisfied. It was so different from the parallel world she'd been pulled from while simultaneously being more of the same - she didn't understand the intricacies of politics here, the needs or wants of the people, nor did she care about the subtle nuances that people used to legitimize their reasoning behind the choices they made. The only thing she understood was strength, that an iron-clad grip on society prevented it from coming apart at the seams, and that the smaller people that squirmed under whoever roosted at the top were always trying to worm themselves into a position of advantage to topple the uneasy tower into the dirt so they could find themselves the control they so desperately craved.

It could have been anyone, and in fact it was supposed to have been Darth Prazutis - but a matter of circumstance and coincidence changed fate. Perhaps it was timing, or maybe just luck, but the whispers that reached her ears told her he'd decided against the trip to Korriban at the eleventh hour. There was no reason to suspect he knew she had been lying in wait, she doubted he even remembered she existed, but she had already arrived on the graveyard planet when the news reached her. Misfortune alone was reason for why she'd set her sights on Darth Malum of House Marr . The wrong place at the wrong time, maybe, but whatever the cause the result was the same. She didn't know where he was coming from or where he'd been going to, the witch's concerns weren't about the significance of her prey's life or of the participation he had within the Sith - only that he was Sith. There was a complete misunderstanding she had in terms of what the consequences of this choice might have, all of them in relation to how they'd impact her counterpart from this more chaotic reality.

"What is your name?" She asked as they passed each other on the street - he going one way while her the other. A lightsaber, one she'd looted from the corpse of someone inconsequential to her aside from serving as a source for a weapon, slid down from her sleeve into her hand and activated. A dull red column of light hissed into existence as her stroll slowed.

"I want to put a name to the face I'll be leaving in the ground."

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It seemed he could never visit Korriban without something of note occuring. His ears flicked to attention as the stranger's feminine voice passed his drums; it was not everyday that one stopped the masked Dark Councillor as he had walked the streets of the Sith temple world, most passed him by with only a glance, recognition providing them with the knowledge that it was best to walk in the opposite direction.

Others did stop to stare, but he passed them quickly enough, while others simply had far more important matters to undertake in their personal lives to spend any time upon the Dark Councillor. Indeed, if it was the Dark Councillor, the last time of his rumoured arrival, a whole warfleet had appeared over the planet's horizon.

More than likely, it was simply an agent of the Inquisitorious, a rare enough sight in Korriban, considering the near absolute control their King had achieved over the world, yet, even as autonomous as Darth Caedes was, a loyal servant of the Empire he still was, tithes passing the Hypergate of Florrum and reaching the imperial capital.

And eyes of the Imperial government, no matter how partisan, still watching with keen interest matters on this world.

Whatever their reasoning, Malum did not much mind, he had not come to make a splash, indeed, if he could avoid the governor of the world, then all the better, slipping in to pay his respects, to bask himself within the ancient home of their people, and leaving with none the wiser, that was the objective of the Lord of the Tsis'Kaar.

Alas, it seemed that was too optimistic, as immediately, his main hand found itself curling around the beskar hilt of the Sith Sword, as the hair stood upon his neck, his black plate and steel heavy on his form - suddenly - seeming entirely weightless, as through the replica mask of his great and most famous ancestor, red eyes peered through his peripherals, at the sudden appearance of the figure who had been so bold.

His grip tightening on the hilt, the Mo- Mandalorian metal icey to the touch, as the snap-hiss of a lightsabre almost immediately had the crowd around them scurrying away, even as some, some fools had instead frozen, turning to watch.

"Confident aren't you?" Malum mused, as he spun on the heel of his armoured feet, the swish of steel drawn from sheath echoing the ignition of the lightsabre, as he turned to face his foe, a snap-hiss joined the air, as the shortsword became a longsword, out from the tip of steel, a blade of red plasma extended out the weapon, as red eyes narrowed facing the back of this self-declared foe.

"As the old saying goes," The Force pulsed around him, pushing all those who stood close to safety, as he drew one leg forward - one back - leaning ever slightly forward - readying himself for a battle, "Ladies first."

Ma'at Achlys
Mentioned: Darth Caedes