Vaxxtal on Kaas

[Jaron Lesan]

"Well, I would have never taken you to be a Jedi. Even as a Jedi I suppose I always felt out of place. My Uncle was never truly part of any Jedi faction, a true shadow through and through. Aside from his overwhelming committment to the light much of what I learned from him is still used today. Like the fact the shadows are the best place to hide. You should always keep an eye on the shadows, count them, you never know when I'll be in one of them."

Jaron smirked. Now he was just playing. Though in a sense he was also serious. Shadow was a great place to hide things, and his eye drew to the floorboards Melori had pointed out. They certainly looked disturbed. Anything could be there, a nest of some animal, all the way to some artifact someone had hidden away. There was only one way to find out.

Kneeling on the floor, Jaron looked for the edge, the perimeter of the boards which had been tampered with. It was not a large area, about the size of a four inch square. Pulling the boards from their place, Jaron reached into the hole to pull out a holocron. As he said whatever else they found belonged to Melori, so he tossed it to her. It was on her to catch it.

"Your lucky day!"

[member="Melori Raaf"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori gave him a scowl. “I was never truly a Jedi…I just happened to be at the same place at the same time. A Krayt Dragon in a Bantha pen is still a Dragon.” There was no animosity in her voice, but it was clear she did not take kindly to the concept of being a follower of the Light-side.

“And the problem with shadows? Everybody keeps checking them. Sometimes it’s easier to hide in plain sight. Blend in. Well…sometimes anyway.”

The role of an assassin was one she’d considered before but had turned down. She tended to prefer a more face to face threat.

Melori stared at it. Its force aura was weak. She’d heard her sister tell her that often such artefacts were hidden by Sith magic and only centuries later did the spell wear off, revealing its true presence. Or it could be that it wasn’t particularly powerful.

It was covered in Sith writing – something she’d yet to learn. She could recognise it from other items she’d seen – but its meanings were beyond her. The small pyramid nestled in the palm of her hand. She turned it around and finally called the Force to her. Her eyes morphed yellow and the dull four-sided shape suddenly revealed a purple glowing image.

She recognised it from her studies. It was the symbol of the Prophets of the Dark Side. She smiled and spoke softly.

“I am Melori Raaf. Of the One Sith and the Covenant of the Black Rose. Share with me your secrets.”

There was no reaction. She pulled more of the Force to her, and now her irises were ringed crimson. “Speak to me, I demand it.”

A hazy blue form appeared above the Holocron, no bigger than ten centimetres. “I am Darth Millennial and nobody dares demand anything of me, let alone a mere Acolyte. I will speak again when you have achieved a true rank in the Sith – only a Knight can truly declare themselves a representative of the Order.”

And with that he disappeared. If she was annoyed, it didn’t show. She merely pocketed the pyramid and looked at Jaron. “Well that was more than I expected. In time I’m sure I’ll be able to interrogate it. Maybe no training, but perhaps more information of the prophets.”

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

"Fine, but you associated with them just as I did. I'm not suggesting you were one of them."

Jaron just shook his his head. Her logic was sound, but she apparently missed entirely what he said about that. He knew better than to argue his point also. It was rare that man ever won an argument with a woman, and if he did, he still lost. He did smirk when the spirit of the holocron told her off. It was funny in a way, that the Sith could be ever controlling even in death. It had been the same with Ludo Kressh.

"Dead Sith tend to be that way. Korriban was an interesting experience when myself, and another managed to somehow entice Ludo Kressh to teach us Force Rage personally. Mmmmm Korriban, now that is a trip worth remembering. Not like this one where my master says go fetch a crystal. Everything about Korriban was for myself. This trip has not been."

Was Jaron complaining? Most certainly! His master used him as an errand boy, only giving him things, when it was training and power he wanted. The young Sith knew this would have to change. Perhaps the rule of two was not as glamorous as he once thought it to be. The rest of the Sith seemed to get a long just fine under this more organized method. They were feared as such, and Jaron saw the power they held in numbers.

"We had best get that thing out of here before we attract anymore unwanted beasts. Unless there is something more you want while we are here?"

[member="Melori Raaf"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

Melori shot him a glance. “No harm done – I’m just touchy I guess.”

She listened to his experience on Korriban. “Yes, I’ve met a few spirits in my time and they never seem particularly helpful. But I can’t grumble about my haul here. A crystal and a holocron, even if the latter may be worthless to me. If nothing else it’s a commodity and has value therefore.”

“And I think we got way more than we probably hoped for and any more would definitely be pushing our luck. And one rancor a day is enough for this girl.” For the first time she cracked a smile. “And I might just have to race you back to the ships.”

She sauntered past him, that wicked smile still playing on her lips. She knew she couldn’t beat him but could certainly goad him into going too fast and making a mistake. There was always more than one way to win a race. “Unless you’re frightened at being beaten by a girl?”

[member="Jaron Lesan"]

 

[Jaron Lesan]

"We can all be touchy sometimes... no worries."

Jaron smiled at the mention of a race. His mother and father had met that, when he made her crash. It led to a wild romance, and eventually Jaron Lesan. Not that this was going to be exactly like his parents, but racing was in his blood. He would push the speeder as fast as he could go.

"You're on, sweetheart," he said as she sauntered by.

His eyes dipped below her waist to take a quick peek at her swaying hips. He knew she was going to try and distract him, and as hard as he try to keep it from happening. She was pretty enough to succeed. Jaron was going to have to be careful with this one.

"I'm not scared to lose. Besides I've learned when women are involved even when I lose... I win."

Walking out of the temple, Jaron got onto the speeder bike, and stradled the seat. He looked to Melori, and winked.

[member="Melori Raaf"]

 

[Darth Timoris]

She was a quick learner and relatively fearless and even arrogant to the point of overconfidence – but she knew her limits.

She smiled at his banter. Maybe she could fool with him – but in her experience boys tended to do that all by themselves. They needed the merest hint of enticement and their minds made up the rest.

“To the victor the spoils eh?” she said, and gave him a wink. She straddled her bike slowly. “Maybe I should give you a head-start?”

[member="Jaron Lesan"]