What is The Music of Life?

[Grace Darkson]

Dromund Kaas was a world that hurt the woman every time she set foot on its surface. The Sith had raised an empire here. This world had so much history, so much to learn and explore, and find, and so much of it destroyed by the Mandalorians in some daft attempt to wipe out the Sith. Frowning, she stared at the barren waste around her. The last time she'd been here, they were trying to find a terenterek for Cairyn. Why she had believed that a good idea, she would never know. Hopefully, it would die before growing old. But she didn't know if that would be true.

She had seen something in the tomb that made her need to come back. Her arm was set back in place, and she had forced it to heal. The process had not been enjoyable, but it had worked. Now she was ready to go back into the Rancor den and see what had been missed.

The site of the old tomb wasn't hard to find. The roof had collapsed in on the beast, and she managed to climb down the wreckage to enter the tunnel leading to her prize. Something she had never seen in a tomb before.

A stasis pod.

It wasn't hard to open. Old tech that still had power. She doubted she'd be able to do it in a rush, but she had time. Whoever was inside would wake to someone she had never seen before. The Vahla simply studied the figure. Who was so important they were sealed away in a tomb? Who was she?

[member="Lanna"]

 

[Lanna]

Her stasis pod was open. Her mind slowly addressed the simple fact. Her master had a task for her and had sent someone to fetch her. Knowing the area around her, she took a step, but her leg failed her. She fell to one knee with her hand pressed against the floor. Why did she stumble? Was her stasis longer than usual? She opened her yellow eyes to see the ground beneath her and blinked. Vision seemed to be functioning normally. She flexed and stretched her right hand in front of her face. That is functioning normally as well. Making sure that she did not show any more signs of weakness, she stood. Her eyes stayed on the ground, not daring to raise her eyes to her superiors. “What is my master’s order?”

[member="Lady Psyona"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

A Sith Pureblood? That was interesting. How well were they trained? Why had she been sealed away? "Who was your master?" The question came out before she could stop herself. Part of her thought she had an answer. They were in Ergast's tomb, after all. But she had to know for certain. This woman, if she was as old as Grace thought, could hold secrets that most in her time didn't know. Perhaps she had access to her master's secrets. Or perhaps she was a mere slave. Time alone would tell.

Still, the saber dropped into her hand. If the woman got violent, she would be ready. After all, tombs were never safe. That she knew from experience.

[member="Lanna"]

 

[Lanna]

This simple question confused her. “Are you not here to fetch me for master?” She paused to process the possibility that they were an enemy. Her eyes lifted from the ground to study the person who opened her pod. “Then you must be here to kill me, the assassin. Provoke me and I will not hesitate to end your existence.” She stood ready to fight.

[member="Lady Psyona"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

She was defiant. Loyal. Stubborn to a fault. This would be interesting. The assassin wasn't seeming to want to back down, and any threat to her or her master was to be met with violent force. "Based on the condition of your containment pod, and where I found you," Her eyes stared at the woman, studying her with yellow orbs. Lightning flashed across her hand as she continued. "Your master has been dead for almost six thousand years." She paused, letting it sink in. Ergast was long dead when the New Sith Empire had come to Kaas, and that was more than three thousand years ago. The seven thousand years ago was a guess, but she figured it was about right. Besides, if the woman could see the ruins of the tomb behind her, it would help sell her point.

This assassin was alone in the world.

[member="Lanna"]

 

[Lanna]

She watched the near human woman as she continued to talk. The changes in the room would not distract her from the woman. Her eyes widened just slightly when lightning formed in the woman’s hand. Grabbing the lightsaber on her hip and holding it in front of her, she automatically shifted her feet to a defensive stance. When the woman spoke of a master’s death she responded. “You speak of Master Ergast correct?” If her master was deceased, then what was the purpose of her release? Normally she would be taken out of stasis and brought to Master Ergast. He would then give her a mission or more often a target to kill. When done she would clean up and go back into stasis. That was her life for as long as she could remember. All of her actions were determined by her master’s commands. Without those commands what was she to do?

[member="Lady Psyona"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

"No, I'm talking about some other random Sith Lord." Her eyes rolled as if trying to view the inside of her skull. "Of course I'm talking about Ergast." Her hand activated the saber she held in response to the woman's own advances. Golden eyes studied her. She knew a low guard on sight. The woman was trained. That would make this interesting. The blade first twirled first to her left then her right, then down, and up, the four-leafed clover of a Makashi salute. "Now stand down before I make you, whelp."

For herself, the witch held the blade at arm's length, the point aimed slightly upwards, towards her opponent's heart. A single step, if unblocked, would let her pierce her opponent's heart. Her left hand, free of the saber's hilt, began to move her fingers through the air, carving words in the air in a language dead to time. If uninterrupted, she would get the spell off, and Lanna would certainly be in trouble.

[member="Lanna"]

 

[Lanna]

Yellow eyes followed the blade as it crisscrossed in the air, not minding when the woman called her whelp. She was long used to having derogatory names. Those names were a reminder to respect her superiors and follow directions. Under normal circumstances she would comply and stand down showing respect. This woman wanted combat and to perhaps kill her. Then again, this could be a test of loyalty. Master would be displeased if she harmed the person he sent, but the woman before her was not like the ones before. How would Master Ergast expect her to respond? Deciding to give the woman the battle she wanted, she watched her opponent’s free hand move with an unknown purpose. The assassin’s left hand thrust out, using the force to push her opponent back. She would not go down without a fight.

[member="Lady Psyona"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

She felt the force building up in her opponent, and almost instinctively releasing the energy of her own spell back into the Spirit World. She knew it was coming and yet was too slow to dodge it. The Force push caught her square in the chest, sending her stumbling backward, her guard dropping for a millisecond before righting herself. "Right." The words were curt. "To Chaos with you!"

Lightning shot from her fingertips, arching towards the Pureblood in deadly lines of power. No spell this time, she knew of no incantation for it. It was simple energy, power and dominion made manifest. And so she lashed out, her reply to Lanna's assault.

[member="Lanna"]

 

[Lanna]

Seeing an opening, the assassin moved forward to strike. She stopped, lightsaber raised protectively as lightning came towards her. She could not attack with the lightsaber while she was using it to block the lightning. Her free hand reached down to grab her gun. She leveled it with her target and pulled the trigger. A click was the only thing that came out of the gun.

[member="Lady Psyona"]

 

[Grace Darkson]

Lightning continued to pour from her hand as the Vahla stepped forward, a grin on her face. "You're old, weak, and patheti..." Words gave out as the woman stared down the barrel of a blaster. A hundred thoughts crossed her mind at once. She'd been too cocky. Her overconfidence had left an opening. Where had she kept the blaster? Did it still work? Would it fire one bolt, ore more than one? Was it designed for accuracy or rapid fire? Where would she aim? How good of a shot was she? The list went on as time seemed to slow. The lightning stopped as the Witch focused on her blade, raising it in defense of the incoming shot.

Click.

For a moment, the woman was surprised. If misfired? Wait, of course it misfired. The blaster had to be as old as the woman inside, and thus, too old to function. It was a miracle the saber worked at all. The Vahla raised her blade, chanting something under her breath as she eyed the other woman. Her left hand dropped free of the saber handle, once again drawing runes in the air. It was merely a question of if she could complete her spell before the woman interrupted it.

[member="Lanna"]