Y'all Been Warned

[Kratacos]

Athiss

Lord Drakash, Vraukt's Master resided on Athiss. After the events of Vorzyd V that had forced the Pureblood and his kin to be forced to ground on the planet with Vitor Avendahl, the owner of Corondex Arms, Vraukt had carried himself with a sort of superiority that was atypical of the Pureblood species.

No longer was he the dog that his biological father had fashioned into a weapon, meant to be the extension of the will of his older siblings and for his House, but now he became his own warrior. His own weapon. The only will that he extended was his own.

But, that was a private matter, a part of his brain, his ambition that hadn't been opened yet.

Now that it was, he knew that to rise in the Resurgent Empire he would have to keep his ambitions close to heart.

His Master, Drakash and he had the unique relationship of having sworn themselves to each other. Vraukt would become his apprentice, complete the missions that he willed, and Drakash would teach him how to become the leader that his ancestors would expect him to be.

Today, he was back to performing the will of Lord Drakash.

Drakash had been transporting slaves, not personally, but they had been intercepted by what appeared to be pirates. His contacts within the Empire's Intelligence suggested that it was a Resistance group that remained outside of the influence of the Resurgent Empire, and ventured into their space to ruin their operations. In response, Lord Drakash had summoned multiple Sith, such as Vraukt, his Apprentice, and other acolytes and a squad of Massassi. Vraukt had learned about Drakash that he enjoyed seeing the success of lesser beings against insurmountable odds.

​

Lord Drakash​

​

"Acolytes and Warriors of the Resurgent Empire. I send you forth to reclaim what has been taken from our Empire. Slaves that are worth little," he said. He loved a crowd, there was a single ship for the group that was leaving. "Their worth matters not. The point is that it will not be tolerated." The Pureblood raised a hand to his high cheek bones, as if to touch something there, but long ago, those face tendrils of his had been shaved off. "Reclaim the slaves, and you will have the opportunity to claim those you want. Now go."

And that was when the group broke apart heading up into the ancient Katarn shuttle. The apparent rescue had only been a few hours ago as Vraukt understood it, they would be entering Silver Jedi Order Space. Maybe they'd encounter Jedi. Vraukt was ready.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The Slave brushed his hair from his face, listening closely before nodding. It wasn’t the first time he was tasked with reclaiming slaves, spending a short stint of his captivity as a hunter of other slaves, but in those situations he was mostly a support member for a free man. Still, he had experience at the very least in tracking and consolidating slaves.

He allowed the Massassi on first, simply watching them. He enjoyed studying other beings forms, especially one so large such as theirs… It gave him inspiration for his ‘art’. Something to strive for, if not outright copy in a better form. Afterall, no matter how perfected a being was they could always be improved.

He chuckled slightly as he finally boarded the ship, the engines already beginning their pre launch checks, the low hum of generators and more signalling their soon to be departure. Studying the group, he moved towards a single sith that leaned on the holoprojector in the main room of the ship.

His tone was soft, rolling from his tongue in waves;

“Think the Silver Jedi are involved?” he said, rather bluntly, a slight grin creeping onto his lips.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

The ship's repulsors activated, lifting off of the ground as Lord Drakash watched the ship lifted off into the clouds and soon into atmosphere. Meanwhile, within the ship itself, Vraukt leaned upon the holoprojector, staring upon the image of the ship that they were meant to be tracking.

Someone was approaching.

The Pureblood's gaze swept around to [member="The Slave"], almost instantly when the man spoke to him. Orange hued orbs regarding the being.

Vraukt may have been learning to speak the Basic Language still, but for all intents and purposes over the last year he had become proficient enough to be considered fluent in the language. Regardless of that, his tone and accent still remained guttural and rough, evidence of him having only spoken the tongue of the Sith for his entire life as he responded.

"Silver or not, Jidai are always a thorn in our side." Though it may not have been clear to the smaller man that he meant the Sith as a whole. The grin that spread onto the mans lips was odd as well, he reminded him of Vitor Avendahl in a way.

Curious.

Perhaps they knew each other.

"Who are you?"

As he asked the question, the ship leapt into hyperspace. It'd be a few minutes until the advanced ship dropped out of hyperspace. They had enough time to talk.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Me?”

He pondered it for a moment. He’d been asked so many times… to define a personality, an image of who he was and for the first time in his own history he had the oppurtunity to do so. An infinite amount of choices, and with it a single answer…

“No one. I don’t have a name.”

Perhaps The Slave didn’t notice, but the anonymity forced his grin wider. He enjoyed being an enigma, no matter who it was to. He was childish despite his appearance, obviously. Instead, he simply shrugged and offered him a question in return;

“And you? It’s not often I get to network amongst my colleagues. Sith aren’t notably social, or charismatic for that matter.”, he chuckled as his hand lightly brushed across the edge of the table they both leaned against.


[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt blinked.

The man had no name?

Interesting.

The Pureblood's outward appearance hadn't shifted at all at his statement of being no one at all. It was funny, for the Sith had thought of himself as the same way for a time, a long time actually, and only Lord Drakash had changed that mindset for him. Still, he kept it up for appearances sake, this man, [member="The Slave"] seemed to absorb it.

To relish being no one.

"Pick a name." Vraukt cared not what he called himself, but he didn't think he'd get an answer in that regard.

"You think I'm charismatic?" He inquired, the tell tale inflection in his voice suggesting he was surprised at the statement. Unfortunately for Vraukt, his companion likely didn't think so, but the Pureblood from time to time, had trouble following Basic. Oh, how Sith was much more civilized.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"Pick a name."

"No."

The Slave simply grinned, the bluntness of his words betrayed by a carelessly soft tone.

"And I don't think you're charismatic persay; afterall we only just met. Only that Sith in general are all so... brooding. Where is the joy? The pleasure? Its almost too pugnacious for me."

With that, he moved an idle hand to touch the hologram's control panel. With only his right hand, he seemed to quickly begin to search through a number of records and historical documents about the area of space they were going to, and the general knowledge known about the Silver Jedi. The faint glow of the display illuminating him from beneath, creating a dark cloak that shrouded his features in a subtle light.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

The answer was a negative.

Expected.

Vraukt didn't bat an eye.

The planet they were heading for was Almania.

Ironic almost, considering it was a planet that historically, was usbject to many pirate raids where its inhabitants were picked up by offworlders and became slaves. Undoubtedly, that sort of thing had come to an end under the Silver Jedi. Amusingly enough, this was where these thieves thought to rehabilitate the slaves of House Drakash.

A mistake.

These slaves learned to love their chains.

"Have you fought others?" The Pureblood wouldn't call them Sith. He was Sith. The rest were merely pretenders. Few of them had been bred in the Dark Side like his people.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"I suppose so. My master forced me to fight another for the position of her apprentice."

He shrugged before speaking again.

"Lost, but it was my first fight since I've been freed from my prison."

Pulling from his pocket a small holodisk, he connected it to the computer and downloaded what content he could on the subject before pulling it free and setting back where it was. He obviously had a scholarly interest in the subject, but for what purpose was unknown.

"Have you?", he said as he turned to meet his gaze.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

That was a weird question to be on the receiving end of.

Had he fought other Sith?

"Yes, it was the only way to live." He did think it was curious that [member="The Slave"] was still alive however. In Vraukt's own household the failures would be killed and cast aside, forgotten as if their names were struck from history. The Pureblood raised a thick eyebrow stalk as he appraised the being.

His Master likely uses him for... Other things.

"Do you have a weapon?"

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The ship's intercom called out, telling them of their soon to be arrival in the Almania System. Many of the others, the Massassi included, began preparing for their exit from the hyperlane. It was a short journey, but considering how close they were it was entirely reasonable it wouldn't have lasted long.

The Slave offered little more than a passive glance towards the speaker above them, then back to @Vraukt. His tone was idle, obviously a shift as he awaited the mission to begin. Almost anxious in nature, but it wasn't that... more like he was excited.

Still, he spoke with the same speed as before.

"I do. Not a lightsaber, but a cortosis coated vibroblade I stole from some random market.", he chuckled. "Never got around to creating one."

 

[Kratacos]

The pilot's voice came in over the intercom, giving them a minute countdown until they'd drop out of Hyperspace.

Finally.

Vraukt didn't have a second lightsabre, but even if he did he doubted the grips would mold well to the hands of the human. Blinking, he said, "Shame." Before turning around. Vraukt was tall, large too, though he was smaller than many of the Warriors that came today. Purebloods bones and muscles were condensed, making for smaller, compact forms that weighed much more than their human counterparts.

Though to think they were slow was...

A mistake.

"When we board," the Red Sith said. "Stay close." Not that he wanted to protect him. He wanted to see how the man fought. After, he turned around to the front of the ship. "Show me how you kill."

And just then, they dropped out of Hyperspace, the boarding ship reverting to hyperspace right on top of a small frigate-class ship.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"It'd be my pleasure." He said with a quick grin.

He lifted himself from the holodesk and walked towards the front of the ship, where the airlock sat. He locked himself into one of the numerous shock absorbing seats, the others taking their own seats as they prepared for the initial ram. Judging by the force that was deployed, this wouldn't last long... But The Slave knew that they wouldn't be sent out just to kill a few random criminals.

No. They wanted a message sent. A deterrent for those who would even consider saving any others from this area of space.

His fingers played around the hilt of his vibroblade, anxiously waiting for his chance to kill. In a word, he was bloodthirsty; an social evolution of who he was to better handle the situation thrust upon him by Imperia, and the dark side of the force. Those around him could see it... See his off putting stare into nothing, the ways his fingers curled, relaxed, then recurled around his hilt. His shoulders and jaw would periodically tense, giving off a more and more uncomfortable sensation of force waves.

And then they smashed into the ship. Everyone in the area shook as the plasma torches went to work. He pressed the sealed helmet over his head and allowed it to pressurize as the intercom called out the boarding orders;

"In Three! Two! -"

And his hearing seemed to cease. Everything went quiet as the shock absorption harnesses released and the airlock opened; his feet lifting him from his seat and into the enemies vessel in a single step. His blade was already unsheathed, its tip finding its way towards the belly of the nearest crewman of the other ship. It didn't matter if they were combatants or not, he didn't intend to kill them yet...

Afterall, he had a message to deliver.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt's mission was solely to reacquire the slaves that had been stolen from House Drakash. Although he could sense them individually, he could sense the large concentration of beings that were the minorly force sensitive beings.

[member="The Slave"] was propelled before him, and he killed the first crewman before any of the other Massassi who were propelled forwards.

The Red Sith's lightsabre flared to life as the six foot two being body checked a much smaller being, garbed in spacer gear, and when they bounced off of the wall, he slashed horizontally across their midsection to open them up. Stepping past their collapsing body as he pointed to one of the other Massassi warriors, "Secure the bridge." Saying no prisoners, would've been redundant to the Massassi.

"Come." He said to his newfound compatriot before he headed in the opposite direction. He could feel the presence of the Light Side. It was time to kill.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The Slave took care to leave those he maimed alive, leaving them to bleed and cry in pain where they lay before stepping away. He wiped the blood splatter from his face before giving a wide grin and walking with Vraukt. Over the group comm, he gave a single order to those who went to secure the bridge;

“Send out an SOS signal. Let them find what we have wrought.”

Unlike Vraukt however, he couldn’t sense the light in the way he could. Although he was powerful in raw energy, his senses were dull like that of a child. He hadn’t honed the blade that was his force affinity, at least in the same sense that many others have. Though, it hardly mattered now, he was here for combat, not meditation. He’ll deal with that later.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt was never worried about a wounded opponent.

The companion he had brought with him however tended to solely wound them, maiming them and leaving them wailing.

Nuisance.

Their pain in the Force drowned his senses. There were more important things to take note of, he knew. So, he killed them soon after they were immobilized. They didn't need to leave them all alive anyway. Only a handful.

Once they cleared one of the intersections deeper in the ship, Vraukt stopped and said, "They've come," and at the end of the corridor they were meant to be heading, two beings garbed in brown robings, perhaps even light, mobile armour squared off with them Within moments, they both had their own lightsabres out and were heading down the hallway for the two Sith.

"We kill these ones."

Force forbid they needed Jidai screaming for help in the Force.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“My pleasure.”

His words were almost coquettish, flirting with danger as the Jedi rushed towards them. His eyes focused on the blue, letting them near before feigning a leftward slash to the one that came to him first. As the Jedi moved to intercept, The Slave craftily switched the weight of his feet, using his own cortosis coated vibroblade to meet the Jedi’s lightsaber, but also bring a heavy boot heel to his chin.

Although no formal training, The Slave was crafty as the very least. The heel landed, forcing him and his opponent to the rear of the one that charged the other Sith. These were the moments he relished in, the heat of combat, knowing what sort of spine a man has in the careless passage of time before he assumed death. What would he last thoughts? Would he even have time to consider something before his death?

Oh, how he wished to know. Blood slowly filled his mouth, his teeth piercing his lip as the flurry of blows was exchanged between the two, a copper flavor his only sensation besides unbridled ecstacy.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Vraukt moved.

His crimson blade spun in the area around him, before he dashed forwards to meet the emerald blade before him. Crimson on emerald. They came together, but they didn't saberlock, instead both of them lunged backwards, and then back at each other. Blades flying back and forth between the two.

A strike landed on the Pureblood, another on the Human Jedi.

A growl followed Vraukt's wound, though he took it in stride as he force pushed his opponent back half a step as he went on a back foot, further unbalancing him as the Pureblood stepped forwards and stabbed through his kneecap, the tip of the blade poking out the other side in a clean jab, and he pulled back, allowing his opponent to collapse.

"We near the planet," Vraukt said. "Kill the Jidai." And as if Vraukt himself were setting the example, his large form grasped his blade with a two handed grip, and then he slashed downwards, breaking through the final defense of the Jedi, blade melting bone and metal as it went through the hilt and split the Jedi in half.

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

[ Double Post ]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The Slave heard the words the Pureblood spoke, but he wasn’t done playing.

At least for a moment.

He let out a wild laughter as the lightsaber of his opponent broke the skin of his shoulder, stopped only barely by the cortosis coating given to his vibroblade. With the Jedi’s guard wide open, The Slave dropped his head downwards and forward, striking for the nose with a sickening crack as the cartilage beneath broke free from the bone surrounding it. Blood stained his otherwise silver hair, covering the Sith in an unruly mask of iron liquid.

He didn’t let it be the end however, pressing his advantage with a shoulder ram to the chest. With the Jedi at his mercy, The Slave held him against the wall with a lustful glance. He eyed his pained expression with satisfaction, a wide grin planted on his face before he fell to his sin.

With a slow movement, he brought his tongue along the Jedi’s neck, his careless cries for help turning to nothing but guttural fear as teeth sank deep into his skin. Blood from his neck, coating The Slave as he tore the flesh from his enemy’s form. When it was finally free, he spit it out, letting it fall to the floor with a sickening slap.

He couldn’t help but think it tasted delectable. For a second, he almost forgot where he was, losing the bloodlust he had just experienced and turned back to Vraukt with a somewhat innocent gaze as though he didn’t just rip the throat out of a man.

With an oddly light tone, he offered the Sith with little more than a, “Hmm?”, as though he was looking for his attention but simply hadn’t received it.

[member="Vraukt"]

 

[Kratacos]

Had [member="The Slave"] not ended the fight sooner, Vraukt would've killed them both. Thankfully his compatriot had pressed the Jedi against the wall, and the Pureblood deactivated the crimson blade and hooked it back onto his belt. Of course, he had only taken notice of what was happening when he went to walk past the two - they had better things to do than toying with Jedi.

And then a piece of wet flesh dropped to the floor in front of him and he stopped.

What kind of human is this?

Vraukt said nothing after shooting a look at the man. The look it held was one more of 'you're taking too long'

Not bothering to wait, he jogged down the hallway, and pressed his hand against a door. When he found that there was no actual locking mechanism outside, he paused as he realized what the issue was.

"Reach into the Force. The locking mechanism of the door is within."