Private The Chaos of Aftermath

[Sakeeri B'Kura]

In the wake of the assembly, the Empire found itself in chaos. Those once loyal to the Emperor now turned a blind eye, calling him a weak fool incapable of leading the next generation. Among those who turned from his rule, Darth Avernus. In the days following the academy halted lessons, several of the overseers found guilty of such treason and put to death in the cover of darkness. Structure was in shambles, those across the empire questioned all they knew, even some of the acolytes. One of such acolytes was Sakeeri B'Kura, a far older apprentice than many that walked the halls and tombs of Korriban.

When word reached ear of a Lord looking for an apprentice in silence, her opportunity for escapism rose. Through word of mouth and that alone the meeting location was discussed between the less loyal followers of the Emperor, many forced into slavery or kidnapped and forced entry to the academy, and once night had fallen the group fled. Three traversed through the tombs of Korriban, the ancient halls that held the secrets of many in the order; only then coming to the open bowl of dust on the other side. A fine ship and the moon above the only light to be seen.

Much like the beginning of all good jokes, a human, a pure-blood and a Zaren walk into a cantina; only to stop dead in their tracks, a few larger figures looming in the distance.

Avernus

 

[Avernus]

Darth Avernus stood a few meters beyond the boarding ramp of his ship, and beneath the vessel's external foglight. He stood statuesquely still as the wind kicked up dust, and stirred his coat and the loose cloth of his outfit beneath it. He watched quietly as three figures approached his position. The moment he picked up on their presence in the force he could tell they were acolytes, which put him at ease knowing no real threat had caught on and approached him. He took a welcoming step forward to greet the group that approached him.

"I'm impressed that three of you managed to flee this far without getting caught. I expect one, maybe two."

He put his hands behind his back and clasped them together, taking another step forward. He surveyed each of the acolytes quickly, both in feeling their presence though the force with more focus than before alongside deliberate empathic probing. The results seemed adequate, at least for a group of acolytes. He had his doubts on how ready any of them truly were to be granted the rank of apprentice, but he'd come prepared for a situation similar to this. A sinister grin crawled across his lips as he began to speak again.

"I imagine one or more of you were enslaved, and those of you not enslaved were stripped from your homes and forced to be here. I've forseen that each of your times on Korriban will come to an end today, but..."

Avernus' left hand came out from behind his back, his index finger held up in front of him.

"Only one of you gets to come with me."

A far from subtle implication. Acolytes had yet to prove themselves, and Avernus was more than willing to give them the opportunity.

 

[Sakeeri B'Kura]

The Zaren girl stared down the ostentatious display before them, pulling down her own hood to reveal the tell tale fin and head tail of her species colored in a bright crimson. Adorning her was a collection of silver decorations, turquoise and sapphires; likely of some cultural meaning. The child couldn't have even been five feet tall, yet the presence in the force suggested something close to ancient in the ways of an acolyte; a piercing calm nature yet with enough hidden power yet aligned to any cause.

"My Lord, if I might be so bold. Perhaps you could take all of us? Decide later which is better suited as an apprentice. All of us have some role we could play outside of this dust bowl; it would be a waste to only take one and force the others to death for treachery against the Dark Lord. There is some use to any who survived this far with the academy on high alert, even if it may mean as something other than acolytes and apprentices."

The soft voice reached out across the space, the three keeping a slight distance between them and the Lord that seemed to suggest he would prefer them to die.

"It would save you time, as it's quite clear the Emperor is sending those against him to death. The more distance you could place between this rock and where you're going the better; it would ensure all of us live to serve some purpose, whatever that might be. I have lived long enough to see the mess this Empire has become, you'll need all help available to change the course of coming times."

Avernus