Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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To Conquer Fear

OOC:
A bit of relic-hunting, wide open. I only have a very rough plan for this - though I do have an idea about the potential treasure. Feel free to make up stuff if you want to join. There's ample possibilities of other people getting interested about the ruins - forcers, treasure hunters, mercenaries. Delana might even hire some hunters.

IC:
The sky was cloudless and littered with stars. Visibility was perfect - the deserts of Darvannis were sparsely populated. Oasis City was the only settlement nearby to cast its light into the night - and even that was diminished, given that half the city lay in lightless ruins.

A blessing, truly, and Delana allowed herself a sigh of contentment as she stepped off the tramp freighter. Deserts during the day meant light, bright light - not a particular fancy of hers, and even though she'd still face the stinging sun in the morning, she was satisfied to prolong that nuisance a little bit longer.

She shook hands with the ship's mechanic as she passed, exchanging some pleasantries before heading through the spaceport terminal itself, casually mingling with the dozens of other sentients there. She didn't stand out, her six feet height excluded, maybe. Light brown, wide clothes suited for desert climates, a large duffel bag, good shoes, an entirely common, worn-looking utility belt and a small, cheap and reliable blaster pistol at her side. Just another treasure hunter to most, or maybe a spacer or mercenary prefering to blend in with them or the locals. Oasis City saw a lot of those, lately.

As she got out of the spaceport, she saw signs of just-repaired battle damage everywhere, and that was in the lively central part of the city; with its market still overflowing with people even now. According to Chardas message, entire blocks had been blown apart in other districts - a brief touch with the droids of the entity calling itself Omni. Only a skirmish, really, in the grander matter of things.

She slowed down as she spotted blue skin underneath a similar desert robe to her own. Obviously, Charda had been practicing her disguise - she'd barely felt her before the unusually bulky hood of her chagrian apprentice came into view. Raising her hand in greeting, they approached each other, finally shaking hands and exchanging meaningless words with nothing to indicate their Sith nature. It had become a habit, in public. There were reasons why they had managed to disappear as completely as they had, after all. After a few moments, Charda gestured down the winding street, and began to lead on.


*** *** ***


"The place I was staying practically collapsed on top of it. Pure luck, really - I don't think many other people saw it; certainly noone who can read it."

Delana nodded at Chardas words, blue eyes - contacts to cover their darkside-influenced amber colour - scanning over the writings the chagrian had copied from the ancient stonework beneath Oasis City. "Intriguing, indeed."

And it was. Most of the writing was simply insufferable praise and adoration to the writer's all powerful masters. The fact that it was written in ancient sith made it marginally interesting. The fact that the name of one of these all powerful masters was 'Styrak' changed the matter entirely.

"I knew Styrak was killed on Darvannis. I wasn't aware he kept a stronghold and a cult here, though. I wonder..."

"So do I. And given the fact that people already managed to find remainders of scroll cases and datapads in his catacombs, it seems that the Republic, the Hutts and the Sith weren't aware either. They've been untouched for millenia."

Charda moved next to her taller master, gesturing over the writings. "Here... here, and here. It speaks of a private sanctum. Some hints about Styraks seat of power or control, depending on context. I've compared a few other pieces, gathered what hand-drawn maps I could from treasure hunters. The sanctum's probably down deep - I have a rough idea of where we could start looking for a way down." She paused. "It'll probably take some digging, though."

"So droids or hired help."

Charda nodded. A smile crept onto Delana's lips.

"To step through history, then. It's late - does the city die down over night?"

"Not really. It's quiet midday, too much heat. Night is brimming with activity."

"No time to loose, then."
 

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
@[member="Delana Saan"]

Seven and a half feet of Whiphid hiked up his gray robes in a back alley, and vented the contents of the nephrostomy bag strapped to his thigh. Whiphid urine splashed the walls of Oasis City, Darvannis -- a nice place for the sort of being who lived for the sake of curiosity.

Especially now that knowledge was all that was left to him. Because he'd been wrong. He'd believed that acquiring every technique, every power, would complete his understanding of the Force and the universe. That had been Vulta Daanat's philosophy, and Velok was the last Blackguard. But only once Ashin Varanin had stripped his bound spirits from him and cast him down to the ranks of mere mortals, down to the status of 'average', had Velok begun to understand the truth.

Every Master faced a tradeoff between making waves and reading the ripples. Insight came with less flagrant use of power, not with more.

That insight blossomed now, leading him from place to role to task. In the Sith Empire, he amused himself by turning his apprentices into specialists. To the soldier Rhace Tarrin, he had taught Gray Paladin gunwielding, visual enhancement, improved speed and the Nightsister Blood Trail. To John Harrison, the man who would take other names, he had taught short-term memory enhancement, flow-walking, and Knowledge by Instinct, giving him unprecedented access to information.

He was creating new kinds of Sith, but that could only hold his interest for so long. And when he grew bored, the old haunts and tactics beckoned to him. Gamesmanship, archaeology, massacre.

The Dark Lord ambled out into the lively desert knight, uncaring of his Force presence. He made no apologies for his identity, not anymore.
 
As it turned out, droids were scarce to buy on Darvannis, and mercenaries were mostly unreliable or already hired on with other treasure hunters - or both. The droid part, in hindsight, was only a logical consequence - after the Clockwork attack, most droids that could theoretically be dangerous had been quickly sold off or destroyed; and even some harmless household droids had been subjected to the attention of angry survivors.

Thus, the droids of interest to the two unlikely Sith were those situated around the spaceport - in it's storehouses, maintenance facilities, and of course on the ships being present.

It was while Delana haggled with a ship's captain - funny enough, captain of the ship she arrived on - about acquiring his astromech droid that Charda felt... Something. Someone. A vague sense of familiarity. She shifted - then turned, eyes glancing aimlessly through the docking bay, trying to disguise her distraction by boredom. And... felt.

It was strong, for certain, and not attempting to hide. Not that she met many strong forcers that were still alive - Varanin had taken care of most. And it felt... dark.

"So you've noticed." Delana spoke softly as she stepped up next to her. The old brown and red astromech rolled up as well, with a small beep.

"It feels familiar. Not sure, though."

"It should. He's been here for a bit - not hiding, oddly enough."

"He? So you know who it is?"

"Mhm. Let's make ourselves more approachable."


*** *** ***


An hour and a bit of equipment shopping later, they were situated on a rooftop cafe, overlooking the markets of Darvannis, leisurely sipping caf while they studied maps, datafiles... And, of course, the passersbys. Delana didn't go quite as far as revealing her presence as openly as Velok had, but Charda - a brilliant blue Chagrian on a desert world, of all places - stood out easily without her nondescript hood.

And they waited.
 

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
Velok clambered up the stairs to the rooftop cafe, his knees afire with old battle damage and stiff as a Sith Lord's pride. Without ceremony, he threw himself down at the same table where Charda and Delana sat. He picked up a map and scrutinized it. "This time your signal was almost too subtle for your own good, Delana. My eyes don't pick out colour the way they used to." He grinned at Charda, all tusk. "You almost blended with the sky, child."

A waiter appeared -- this had to be the best spot in town, or close enough -- and Velok ordered non-recycled water. Pricey, but worth it. His doctor said caf was bad for his heart.

"It's been far too long. Honestly, I almost thought Varanin got you. You could always out-think her, but she got...far too strong when she threw me down. Far too reckless. I always dreamed of my Sith Purge, but I picked the wrong instrument. I'm sorry for that."

It was, perhaps, the first time he'd apologized for anything in half a century. His water arrived, and he sipped at his leisure.

"So. Styrak."
 
"Ah, but you still have an eye for oddities, old friend. Besides, I wasn't certain if you'd be alone, all things considered. No need to lead dear Ashin out of the woods just yet, after all." Offhand, she ordered two more cafs for Charda and herself while the chagrian smiled and exchanged brief pleasantries. Velok had always seemed likeable to her - though being apprenticed to Delana and sharing a talent for energy manipulation with the old whiphid never made that too difficult.

"Truth is", Delana continued as the waiter left, "Varanin surprised me as well. If Niari hadn't shattered half the citadel when she confronted her she might have caught up with me. Thankfully, I took precautions - so all in all, our great con paid off I suppose, even though it ended more drastic than we thought." She paused briefly. "Mostly, anyway - and what didn't isn't anymore your fault than mine. Varanin was just better for the job than we first assumed."

She stopped as the waiter arrived. "So yes - Styrak." She took a sip and nodded to her apprentice.

"I think he's been on Darvannis far longer than the old Empire assumed", Charda began, "Maybe as early as right after his freedom from Belsavis." She produced the papers containing the wall copies. "Long enough to have a cult established here - hidden somewhere in the lower ruins. Private sanctum, with all that entails. And if that sanctum truly contains the source of his power..."

"A phobis device, maybe." Delana interjected. "That'd be the jackpot, of course. Unlikely, but it's a better chance at it than anyone else had in the past three millenia."

Charda picked up her line again. "Even if not, someone like Styrak would have other secrets that might still be there. Considering he was revered by his very own cult here, the fact that he died here... His spirit could still be bound to this place, even."

"Worst case scenario, we find some dusty old scrolls with an ancient trick or two, maybe some more clues about the dread masters to follow. Best case scenario? We find a phobis device, find Styraks spirit, and bind him first so certain people, say, Varanin, don't try to use him. The Dread Masters could spread terror over entire planets. Not just local skirmishes - populated worlds, entire armies." Delanas voice was low, making certain even the species of better hearing had little chance at overhearing.
 

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
"And here I thought the old days were gone. This is better than the old days." His great three-clawed hands sought to clench in excitement. The water glass clinked against the tabletop as he put it down with exaggerated care.

"A phobis device...you know, that would come in handy. I daresay you or I could survive it without undue insanity, of course, but yes, I remember discussing those devices with my first Sith Master, the ghostling." The Whiphid slugged back the rest of his water, suddenly parched. "The Sith Empire today has a, well, a little Bastila Shan -- an empathic prodigy turned battle meditator. Ashin's little suborned Jedi, and quite possibly her lover. I know, I'm surprised too. But the signs are there. In any case, it would be fascinating to see a phobis device go up against a battle meditator...and if the device's influence touched the little empath, I'd imagine the girl would function as an amplifier, a transmitter. The same could be said for the bound spirit of Styrak.

"An experiment for another time, of course. Personally, scrolls would be more than enough for me. Galactic Import/Export got a controlling interest in Koensayr, so I'm, well..." He gestured at his ragged old robes. "...swimming in it, as they say. Enough to buy whatever workforce we require."
 
"Ashin? In love with a Jedi? Hmm."

Charda eyed her master. "You won't."

"No, but it makes for a useful contingency. That battle meditation bit is especially interesting. The power derived from a phobis device could wreak havoc on someone like that. From what little we know of them they drove anyone touching them insane, except the dread masters themselves. The danger to someone in actual mental connection to thousands under the device's influence, if not millions... Ah well. Purely speculative."

"But what if a meditator could actually control it? Assuming she'd survive the contact and not go insane."

"Doubtful for a Jedi, but of course. Or anyone else with a talent for mentalism and emotional control. Like the dread masters."

"Or like you."

"Speculative, as I said. But yes, thats what made the dread masters so dangerous, in the end. Now - Money. If we need to open up an actual digsite or hire half an army, that might become useful. Since Omni ran through the holonet my contacts are off and on; and getting access to bank accounts outside hutt space from here is a pain, right now."
 

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
"In that respect, and perhaps only in that respect, I came prepared. I have local scrip, Republic and Sith Empire money, everything. Money is my crutch as I grow lame." The Whiphid grimaced. "I came somewhat unprepared, of course, for an actual phobis device. As our escapades with Kren have proven most conclusively, I'm...disproportionately vulnerable to that sort of thing. To my frustration."

He sighed, watching the last droplets evaporate from his glass. "Should there be such a device, it would be...all yours. I'd love to know what you learn from it, but there is such a thing as digging too far. At my age, anyway."

Squinting, he looked out over the town. "I spied the sort of place we need. Reconditioned labor droids, that sort of thing. It's a couple of blocks that way, and I have an enclosed speeder truck, big enough for whatever we need. Big enough for the droids, anyway, and if we leave them we'll have plenty of room for anything we find."
 
Delana glanced at Charda, wordlessly. The chagrian merely shrugged. "There's some construction firms. For heavy lifting, they're a good call, if we can make them part with them. Lots of damage within the city they need them for. Figured the spaceport would be a cheaper start, but with additional funds..."

"Fair enough." Delana fell silent for a few moments, studying Velok quietly.

"I'll not argue you passing on our hypothetic relic, nor me sharing whatever I'd learn. Still - you focus more on your growing age than I've known you to. I'll not waste our time with disagreeing - you are certainly old, Velok. But there are ways around that. And even if you chose not to use those, you seem very keen to let that overshadow another factor of age - experience, and having less and less to lose."
She smiled - genuinely. "Unless you plan to live another two centuries - and if I can help with that, do tell - why not make the most of what remaining time you have? And I'm not talking about vacation on Zeltros."
 

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
Velok barked a laugh. "Honestly, I'm probably feeling my age because people keep reminding me of it. I've had all sorts of idiots try to use offers of help as leverage against me. It's at the point where if I hear one more ambitious Sith Knight talk about cloning resources, I'm going to vomit. Or, possibly, Purge."

He chuckled a little at his own subtle joke -- a privilege of old age. "And the Sith Empire really is due for a Sith Purge. The Masters are useless -- all of them. I find myself wondering, as I do, in fact, find myself with less and less to lose, if it's time to set up the endgame. Maybe just the endgame for this life -- I'm not averse to the idea of finding a new body, though I don't have the strength for that particular technique anymore. Too many options, and too much time to think.

"Endgame. Either bring the Sith Empire crashing down, arrange for a new Jedi Grandmaster to pass the time, or find a worthy successor for the Blackguard heritage. Maybe both. With Ori'vod gone, and my daughter long lost to me among the Rhandites...for me, what else is there?"
 
"Countless options, certainly - but how many worth your while?" She sipped from her caf. "You could try to take over the body occupying the throne, you know. She may have grown strong, stronger than either of us anticipated - but she lacks experience. Mere speculation, of course."

A moment of silence.

"I'm not sure about the blackguards..." Charda spoke after a moment. "But if there's one thing Delana taught me it's knowledge for knowledge's sake." She glanced at her master, then to Velok. "I know little of them, but I don't believe either of us would let that knowledge be forgotten, if nothing else."

Delana nodded. "A bit early for doomsaying as it is... But yes. Even though I can't agree with their original philosophy, Velok - the knowledge wouldn't be lost, nor the gathering of more."
 

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
Velok sat back, pondering Delana's frankly insane, and brilliant, suggestion. In the meantime, he spoke with half-attention. "The search for balance...well, it's all well and good, but it's not the part of the Blackguard legacy I'd like to see preserved, either. Honestly, the only thing that Vulta Daanat did right was realizing that power was a means, not an end -- and that the end is understanding. Knowledge for its own sake, indeed.

"The Blackguard served as archivists for the duration of the Darkness. As the last of the Blackguard, it's my responsibility to decide when, and how, to bring back the lost knowledge of the galaxy. To decide who's worthy -- oh, I'll share with individuals, that's fine, but organizations? Cultures? When and how do I release the truth, if ever? Is it cowardice to do as my predecessors have done and pick one or two successors? Shift the burden to the next generation?"
 
"Cowardice? Hardly. You know I've been more in favour of changing the Centrality's mindset than merely gathering Sith just to wipe them out. Change those that can be changed, purge those that cannot."

She paused a moment to sip from her caf.

"The truth one has to remember when desiring such change, however, is that most forcers - Sith, Jedi, darkside and lightside alike - are too narrowminded, too set on an often extremist interpretation of their own code and philosophy. Sometimes, entrusting such people with secrets and responsibility merely ensures an even quicker demise for them; and who knows what collateral damage. Unthinkable treasures of knowledge and advancements in the force have been lost by petty power struggles and ruthless pursuit of power. Bane's line, maybe, had some merit, if on a ridiculously small scale - it ensured power and knowledge would be passed on. Apart from that episode with Gravid, of course - but that's where copies, failsafes and the like come into play. Or simply using a small group of people, and not merely two. Take it on the scale of an entity like the Sith Empire, the Centrality or the Jedi Order, and you are bound to have that knowledge be lost."

She set the caf down.

"So no, I do not believe you could call it cowardice. Carefullness, wariness rather - which is appropriate. Not everyone can handle knowledge or power correctly - even less so if everyone else is aware of it. Even Palpatine finally failed the moment he revealed himself to the galaxy."
 

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
"I hate this desire to...settle. Not that I would be settling if I began to entrust you and Charda with the knowledge I carry, naturally. I suppose the discontinuity arises because I always wanted, well, the right student of my own. Call it vanity. There was Consecrai, of course." Velok grimaced, his mood souring. Skavi al'Kon, Darth Consecrai, had been merely another casualty of the Rhandites.

Yes, Velok was well quit of the Unknown Regions.

"But it's time for me to acknowledge that there'll never be another Consecrai. Specifically, that means it's time for me to strongly consider getting off my furry posterior and doing something. And right now, that means...Styrek."
 
"Settle." She actually chuckled at that. "I doubt either of us will, ever. Curiosity alone will make certain of that, if nothing else. But yes - Styrak."

She waved a credstick in the waiter's general direction to get his attention.

"So, droids. We should pick those up. Another stop, assuming we don't hire actual mercenaries, at a gun shop - rumor has it Styrak had a faible for alchemical experiments, right up to mutating kell dragons and terentatek. If so, I don't want to run out of options if we encounter any leftover specimens or their descendants."

"I still have my old CCO kit and some. Slugthrower, disruptor pistol and a standard issue. And I know a place where to get slugthrowers and maybe some other things for you two." Charda interjected.

"Good. I don't suppose you have trustworthy mercenaries on call either, Velok?"
 

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
@[member="Delana Saan"]

"Mercenaries, droids and guns. That's rather a lot of mundanity." Velok exhaled slowly. "Or perhaps that's merely me being highbrow. Effete. Too long with my head in the books, Delana. Too many other concerns, too many distractions. It drives me back to my roots. Pride. Superiority."

He growled gently, alarming the waiter, who transacted the bill and moved on hastily.

"...violence. I rather hope that the descendants of Styrak's experiments are still around. Yes, I find myself hoping that quite a bit. It's been too long since I grilled myself a nice cut of terentatek. Charda, lead us to your gun shop if you'd be so kind." He stood, smoothing the robes around his legs and hips. His hand brushed the tube that trailed out from his kidney, and he winced.

"Perhaps with some haste. I find myself impatient, or at the very least, feeling short of time."
 

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