Welcome to my World

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Moridin stood upon the balcony of his mansion on Byss, this was not his palace located deep within the city, it was his home away from home. A place to be away from the populace and daily Struggle of Byss. The Mansion was located deep into the worlds more wild locations...if one could call it that. The massive house was surrounded by miles and miles of open plains, a lake sitting comfortably behind it. All around the Mansion, and indeed all around Byss a deep unsettling feeling roamed. The Darkside was massively powerful upon this world, and for some strange reason the Mansion amplified this power.

The Dreadlord smirked slightly as he thought on this, watching the cool waves lap against the beach before him. He of course knew the cause of this, why the Darkside was so full of life here. Miles underground, far below the mansion was an ancient structure. A massive laboratory filled with experiments, darkside artifacts, and perhaps even wild Sithspawn by now.

This lab had been built my a now Ancient Sith by the name of Palpatine. It had been him had forged the darkside upon this world and many of his creations still roamed here. The Laboratory was just another remnant, one that in all of his time here Moridin had never found the time to explore. Now that he was no longer Emperor, and that his dealings with the Hutt had been finished he would finally make his move, all he had needed before was a companion. Something which he now had.

Moridin smirked slightly again, and then turned around to the sound of footsteps coming his way.

 

[Quietus]

The patter of worn leather sandals made very little noise at all, but the quiet here in the mansion was so absolute Desdemona felt as though she would shatter it. This world was as strange as ever and she remembered all to well how little she cared for it on her first and last visits. She was not a woman deeply entrenched in the Darkside like her companion standing on the balcony, but certainly she was no stranger to it either. The feeling saturated her being in a discomforting manner, but she was far too stubborn to let it drive her away.

Lightweight, sheer black robes cloaked her tattooed, scarred and tanned flesh, wisping silently after her and shadowing her movements. Here and there were small remnants of her former Beast Rider garb: straps of worn leather, ornaments of bone and shell, a handwoven tunic, leather sheaths within which rested her preferred weapons, and the very few decorative trinkets she owned. Her expression worn was stoic and impassive as she traversed the halls and chambers of Moridin's home, though it grew with some curiosity when she approached.

Quietus had withheld the one firm reservation of her traveling here - that murderous desire he'd sparked alive after ages of slumber regarding the girl, the thing known as Sable. This had made her quite apprehensive at first but given only a few short days she discovered these things to be curiously unnecessary. There was no hint of the Force creation here, at least not so far to her own knowledge or senses, but that didn't erase the subject from her mind. Moridin had done well not to mention her, knowing the volatility the matter, but being aware of his history with Sable was enough to keep the thorn in her side, or at the very least at the back of her thoughts.

She suppressed the twinge of irritation as she stepped by the Dread Lord to the end of the balcony and placed her hands upon her railing. It had only been a week - an enjoyable week at that, but the Beastia had grown restless. Her vagrant wandering of the territory surrounding his home while he tended to his business was a dull affair for one so accustomed to living in places like Dxun, but she was trying to be patient. Desdemona's reckless nature was always just beneath the surface, barely contained by the civility tutored to her from her Elder years ago. She was terribly out of practice and finding it challenging to keep her temper in check; every day of stagnation wore her control thin.

I do not mean to rush you, the mute's telepathic voice lilted through Moridin's thoughts as she slowly turned her gaze away from the dreary scenery and back to him over her shoulder, but if you do not give me something to do to help you here soon, I'm liable to do whatever the hell I like. And that ... she winced, tapping her fingers along the railing, that doesn't usually end well for all parties involved.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Moridin looked at Quietus as she walked by him and held onto the railing, he couldn't help but smirk as she threatened him with doing whatever she wanted. She was a wild little creature, part of what the Dreadlord so enjoyed about her. He expected nothing less from her at all times, though mostly she managed to control herself. Slowly he walked up behind her, placing his hands on the railing and looking out over the lake.

“Most people find a week in a Mansion relaxing you know.” The Dreadlord told her teasingly as he watched the water move across the beach. He of course knew that the two of them were going to go into Sidious' former laboratory, but he liked irk her. It was fantastically amusing, even though it could end quite badly for him.

For Moridin the past three weeks had been rather difficult. Two of them had been spent on Onderon with Quietus. Each day there he had recovered an ounce of his power, gaining back what had been lost in a days long battle with Sith Masters and their assassins. It had been quite difficult gaining back all that strength, though eventually he had managed it.

Upon his return to Byss however The Dreadlord had almost lost it all again. He had returned to his world to find only Chaos. The leaders he had left in charge had been in full panic, the citizens had been enraged, and almost everything had fallen to pieces. Moridin over the past week had with a single hand restored Order to Byss. Now after only a few days everything was running smoothly again. The population was happy, his Prime Minister was working diligently and Byss itself was well protected by a conglomerate of allies.

The Dreadlord knew this, and thats why it was time to venture down into the laboratory....that and he Fear Quietus killing someone. He looked at her with a smirk, and then finally threw her a bone. “How would you like to see some never explored ruins?”

 

[Quietus]

The woman narrowed her eyes with no smirk to return to him. Moridin was a mischevious sort, conniving to a fault. She liked this about him because it meant that there was quite a bit going on beneath the surface, but she didn't like being taken for a fool. Not that she thought he was attempting that, but ...


You enjoy baiting me far too much, it was really so easy for him. His personal Empire grew while her own had long since died off. As much as she detested the game of politics, the challenges of responsibility were something she relished. Although on Onderon politics could vary greatly. Between the Beast Tribes it existed in battle, and it was in those battles that she had reigned supreme. Where Iziz was concerned it existed in the form of far more subtle manipulation. Quietus had deigned to hand most of that over to her Hand, Darth Volden - the man with the silver tongue, and enjoyed watching him tug the strings of power and policy ... and the heart of Iziz's Queen.

Quietus reached out and told hold of the man by his front, pulling at the handful of his robes until they were nose to ...well, chin, given her shorter stature. She peered up at him with vivid green eyes, silently accusing him of his bedevilment, and you're too good at it. I don't think I like it. Lips drawing thin, she took a deep breath and a moment to consider him. Right, she released the breath but not yet him, so, where are these ruins?

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

The Dreadlord chuckled slightly as she grabbed a hold of him and vaguely threatened him. Perhaps he did have a particular talent at this, though he was rarely playful with anyone but her. Ninety percent of the time Moridin found himself being the terrifying god of Byss, although just a month ago he had been Emperor of Trillions. Funny how that worked out. Still he found himself amused by teasing Quietus, and thus he had no intention of stopping.

Following suit with his current theme Moridin bent down slightly and with a tilt of his head planted a soft kiss on the tip of Quietu's nose. He then grinned at her and then simply raised a single hand. His index finger pointed towards the sky, and then he flipped it downward to point at the ground below.

“Two point three miles below where we stand.” The Dreadlord said cheerfully as he gazed into her beautiful green eyes. He was actually quite happy about this. He ad managed to keep the lab and absolute secret from everyone. There were only two entrances, one in the lake to their left, and the other in the sub basement of this mansion.

The laboratory had not been touched in over eight hundred years, despite himself Moridin was rather excited to see what it still contained.

 

[Quietus]

She blinked at the kiss to her nose, going cross eyed for a moment before redirecting her attention to his hand. Watching, she gave a deflated, muted sort of grunt, propping her posture dejectedly.

Nnf, of course that's where it is. She rolled her eyes and with a shake of her head playfully pushed him away, if it were anywhere else then you couldn't have that stupid smirk on your face. You're so smart, aren't you. There was her own grin, albeit a sharp one. All this time he'd been off doodling with the Byss dignitaries while she could have been down there exploring on her own. He probably thought it too dangerous to let her go alone - although dangerous for her or dangerous for the ruins was a better question, yet.

So, ok, I'll bite. Hook, line and sinker, goddamnit.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Moridin grinned even more, he knew she would want to go. Ancient ruins were a favorite of every Sith, ancient Sith ruins were even better, and Ancient Sith Laboratories were perhaps the best of them all. There could be untold creatures down there, droids, Sithspawn, a mix of both. Moridin honestly had no idea, for all he knew Palpatine himself was down there in skeletal form, ranting and raging about the glory of the Empire and the devastation that it would bring. He was excited.

“I am rather smart aren't I?” Moridin said choosing to ignore the sarcasm in her...thoughts. With a viper like quickness about him Moridin sweeped Quietus off of her feet, throwing the small-ish woman over his shoulder and trotting back into the house and down the stairs.

The Mansion was completely empty. There were no servants here, no droids or humans to watch them be silly. Moridin honestly felt as though he could be himself here and around her. It was an interesting feeling, not having to be a cold hard Monster all the time. Slowly he made his way down to the sub-level, eventually depositing Quietus back on her feet just as they reached the entrance to a massive set of blast doors.

The Dreadlord looked up at the door and then to his beautiful companion. He swept out an arm, offering her the chance to open the doors that had been sealed for nearly eight hundred years. “Ladies first.”

 

[Quietus]

This is not dignified.

Though, with some humor, she did nothing to argue. Because, really, who was she kidding? Dignity was not one of her more robust qualities. Once the utter shock wore off she heaved a sigh at the absurdity and made herself comfortable by propping an arm against his back and holding her chin in the adjoining hand. She flicked his ear for good measure.

When they arrived and he set her down, Quietus calmly straightened her robes, sniffed indignantly, grabbed his chin with a mostly-feigned scowl, You're not funny, and then planted a kiss on his lips. When she withdrew she was smirking, slightly, though there was a challenging edge to her eyes. She didn't linger long or feel a need to make a point and so turned to gander at the massive blast doors before them. They were rusted and most certainly older than she. A quick survey and test of the panels nearby affirmed her thoughts that it likely would not operate on its own. The days of easy entry for anyone were long since passed.

Quietus approached the doors and placed a hand against the cold metal, feeling the first tangible evidence of the absolute presence of Darkness contained within. There seemed to be a heartbeat of sorts - an ebb and flow of the Darkside that permeated the steel. Closing her eyes, the Beastia gave pause only to consider how difficult it might be to open and that perhaps it was best not to, given what might be caged within. Past experiences had taught her many things, especially about the difficulty of getting doors like these closed again. But hell, what's the worst that could happen?

A sudden mechanical groan rumbled through the corridor as she issued her will upon the doors. Searching for the internal locking mechanisms, Quietus slowly but surely unhinged them to a painful chorus of rusted, grating metal. They resisted greatly, but eventually that deep bellowing sound grew into a high-pitched screech as one side began to slide open. A blast of cold air greeted them, heavy with dust and decay.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

The Dreadlord grinned as she kissed him, then looked stupefied as she opened the door. She seemed to have momentarily stunned him with her lips, though as soon as he heard the groan of metal Moridin seemed to snap back into reality. His hand hovered over the hilt of his Sith Sword on his back, he had no idea if something would...pop up so to speak from the deep. Of course this was just an elevator shaft, though he doubted that anything would make it up the two and a half mile journey.

When the door slowly opened and nothing but chilled air and decay greeted them Moridin relaxed slightly. The Dreadlord walked up to Quietus and the gap that now stood in the massive blast doors. He peered down the shaft, then let out a sharp echoing whistle. The pit was massive, clearly this had once been a freight elevator to deliver massive machines of war.

The lift itself was not present, indicating that it was sitting at the bottom. He doubted that it would work if called, so instead he looked at Quietus with a slight smirk. “So Des....Ever use a jetpack?”

He had to ask, mostly because he assumed Quietus never had. She had been ruler of Onderon, he imagined she was used to riding great beasts of war, flying through the sky on a set of wings, not a set of rockets. Wings however would be quite useless here, and Moridin wasn't keen on using two miles of rope to reach the bottom.

 

[Quietus]

Quietus hung back, allowing Moridin all the room he needed to view the pit. She wasn't necessarily worried about falling in - hell, she'd jumped distances further and more daunting than that, but the woman wasn't keen on finding out just what was left down there without some form of control. Even she knew better than to leap before she looked ... or at the very least had some idea of what sort of trouble she was getting into. She was pondering just what method he thought he was going to use to get down there and thinking she should have brought a beast with her when-

"So Des...ever use a jetpack?"

Stormy blue eyes rounded on him, wide for a moment. She had to think about that one. Had she? ....maybe when...no. Or that one time she....no. Counting different occasions that might've warranted the use of such a thing on her hand, she quickly ran out of fingers. Hundreds of years of misadventures simply couldn't be collectively noted on fingers and toes.

No... no? inquisitive, reflective, and then finally decisive, Quietus nodded in affirmation. No, I have never. The Beastia then looked from him to the pit and then back again, her eyebrows slowly rising, you don't really mean ...

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Moridin stared at Quietus for a few seconds, and then he simply wiggled his eyebrows around for a few seconds making strange faces at her. To him this was a no brainer, I mean they could either jump and then be stuck at the bottom or they could take these handy jetpacks get to the bottom and then have them their incase something goes bad. Really it was the only option they had without doing something truly insane. Slowly he walked over to the other end of the room and picked up two of the small packs, he then stepped over to her showing one of them to her.

“I do mean.” Moridin said with a slight smile and wink. He would instruct her on how to do this, or she would have to cling to him...actually he rather liked that idea. Slowly he dropped the back he was holding out to her and then got a slight smirk on his face. “You could always hang on tight to me”

The Dreadlord smirked at her, somewhat pleased with himself.

 

[Quietus]

Ohh... her mental voice responded with a look of disgust on her face, you skeevy bastard. Smirk. Hurry up then, I'm not getting any younger you know.

She stood back and waited, watching without any visible scruples on this plan of his. Quietus was never one to put much faith in technology. She'd seen things go awry because of it (and caused things to go awry because of it) far too many times. But, and regrettably, given the current circumstances she would just have to trust in his sound judgement.

She didn't, so this was certainly going to be interesting.

The Beastia stepped forward again when he finished harnessing himself up and moved into position, eyeballing the contraption with marked suspicion. A single hand snaked up to the collar of his robes, giving a tug for the taller Sith to lean down for her ease of reach. Quietus looped her arms up over her shoulders and around his neck, bringing the two of them intimately close. Unabashed as ever, she cozied in to him with a broad, wry smirk and gave him a squeeze with her arms.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Moridin looked at her with a smirk still on his face, as she looped her arms around his neck he could help but grin. He pulled his own arm around her waist and seemed to pick her up slightly. He walked over to the edge of the pit and then stood there for a few seconds. He peered down the shaft and his smirk turned into a slight frown. This would be a very interesting trip, he had to time this just right as to not waste any fuel or else they couldn't get back up.

He paused for just a few more seconds, and then looked down at Quietus. He leaned down and kissed her nose. “And here we go.”

The Dreadlord tipped them both over the edge of the pit. Almost immediately they began to fall at top speed. He gripped Quietus a little tighter as they free fell in the massive pit. They tumbled end over end a few times until Moridin used the force to stabilize themselves. They plummeted, falling at massive speeds all the while Moridin called out numbers in his head.

One. Two. Three, and so on until finally The Dreadlord tapped something on his arm. He pressed a small key and suddenly the Jetpack's massive thrusters enabled themselves. The pair received a heavy hit of g-forces as the jetpack slowed them almost entirely. After only a few seconds they were brought to a halt, hovering only a few feet above the massive freight elevator.

Moridin had timed it perfectly, and that thought sent a massive smirk across his face. He deactivated the Jet pack, and the two of them fell onto the durasteel plates. Moridin landed with a thud, holding onto Quietus and cushioning her fall. “That wasn't so bad.”

He spoke as he slowly let go of Quietus. It was pitch black down in the elevator shaft and it was difficult to see her face even at this distance.

 

[Quietus]

Eyes closed, Quietus imagined their fall to be simply part of her own familiar acrobatics in the skies of Onderon. Though the elements here were foreign enough that it reminded her more of her very first experiences of free fall rather than the latter ones done in full confidence. Hundreds of years ago when things were right in the galaxy and she had been but a young girl learning to ride the Onderonian beasts, her first steed had dumped her at the peak of a SkyClimb. She remembered tumbling through the clouds with the mists clinging to her skin and the winds grabbing at her hair and robes. She remembered the roar in her ears and the view of the ground so quickly growing closer. And finally she remembered regaining her composure and the flash of orange beneath her.

Feeling the sudden pull as the jets blasted into life, Qui's eyes snapped open. They were surrounded by darkness, though this only hindered her for a moment. By the time Moridin set her down the Beastia's sight had adjusted and her eyes glowed; Moridin found himself faced by two pale, glowing orbs of blue-green in the darkness.

Well sure, but that was the easy part.

Looking around, Quietus noted that the only way forward from here... was downward. The maintenance hatch of the lift was terribly rusted and unused. Frowning, she made her way over to the handle, stooped, and tested it. It resisted mightily, but Quietus was absolutely positive she was more stubborn than a hunk of metal. Gritting against it, the woman put her inhuman strength to the test. With a long, drawn out metallic groan the handle gave way suddenly, toppling the Sith Master to her rear.

After you... she leered up at him while rubbing at the back of her head.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Moridin stood in the blackness, watching as Quietus' eyes moved around within the darkness. He had no idea what she was doing, nor did he have any idea what was going on. It was far too dark for him to see here, it didn't help that he was partly Hapan. The Dreadlord did not see well in the dark, he always had to rely on the force to guide him in such situation.

As her voice rang into his head telling him to go first Moridin frowned slightly, he couldn't see anything. Slowly using the force as a guide Moridin followed after where he assumed she was. His boot steps rung out in the empty elevator shaft until he reached the edge of maintenance shaft. Finally he squatted down next to her, his orange eyes being almost unsee-able in the darkness. For a few minutes he did nothing, and then finally his voice rang out again, breaking the silence. “I hate the dark.”

Suddenly something snapped and hissed in the darkness. A bright sheen flooded the elevator shaft as Moridins orange lightsaber blade sprang to life behind him. The blade illuminated the shaft entirely and Moridin could be immediately seen smirked at Quietus. For a few seconds The Dreadlord did nothing, then he slipped into the maintenance hatch.

He fell for a few seconds, and then struck the cold metal ground with a thud. Almost immediately the freight elevator was illuminated by the orange lightsaber blade. The massive doors were rusted, the walls were peeling off and there were useless metal boxes of junk everywhere. The only noise was the hum of the lightsaber.

“All clear mi'lady” Moridin said with a wink as he walked out from under the hatch and towards the door. Without a second of hesitation the Dreadlord plunged his lightsaber into the elevator door, slicing the massive doors apart and beginning to pushing the massive hunks of metal apart with the force.

 

[Quietus]

It probably doesn't like you very much either.

Pupils reducing to pinpricks in the light of the illuminated saber, Quietus smirked back at the man as he folded down into the lift chamber and out of sight. Strangely enough, the low hum of the weapon sounded as foreign to her as a language long forgotten but faintly remembered. How long had it been since her own had cut through the flesh of an enemy? The woman idly touched the hilt holster at her right thigh, lacing her fingertips over the cold metal. Years. Many, many years.

She decided that she wasn't quite ready to plunge back into a life of a Sith just yet - she had other weapons at her disposal. At his word she dropped down into the chamber after him and immediately pulled back, her senses overwhelmed by the aroma of decay and earth and flora. The air was so stagnant and humid it was palpable, causing her to gag just slightly.

That is foul... she spat, eyes watering against the rankness of the atmosphere. Watching as Moridin made their way in, she followed at his back, no plant that flourishes in a place like this can be good.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

As the door opened Moridin immediately noticed the stench of planet matter, even more so he noticed the massive vines lacing across the floor and doors. The Dreadlord frowned almost immediately and he couldn't stop himself from nodding when Quietus spoke of the evil of this place. His reaction of course was entirely different from her's. He got excited, whatever was down here was strong, he could feel it. Moridin knew that coming down here was a god decision, and part of him was glad that he had brought Quietus with him.

“Smells more like opportunity to me.” Moridin said as he stepped into the laboratory. His boots made a slight squishing noise as he stepped on the plants below him. He frowned and then stopped, slowly he looked about himself using his lightsaber as a torch to light his way.

These labs were resilient, he doubted that a large plant would shut off the entire place. The Dreadlord was looking for a light switch of some sort, and finally after about a minute and a half he found a small blinking panel. Slowly the Dreadlord walked over to it and pulled it open with the force. He flipped up a massive breaker switch, and suddenly a red light flooded the hall.

It was an emergency light clearly, but it was good enough that Moridin was able to shut off his lightsaber. “Clearly 800 years have not been kind to this place.”

The Dreadlord said quietly as he stared at the walls and halls around him. The planet matter had spread quite literally everywhere. The walls and floors were covered and their was a hot humid clingyness to the air. Slowly Moridin stripped out of his thick tribal robes and to an undershirt, it was far too hot for robes. He dropped the garment on the floor, and then motioned for Quietus to follow him.

They would head to the control room first, he had some idea where that was.