The Old Sith Trials

IC Corvar, Reaper, Feros, D-3PO
Nar Shaddaa

D-3PO nodded to Reaper. "Mighty Kubjo will be forewarned of your request, Mister Reaper. I am contacting him now." He proceeded to open a comm channel, and a holoimage of the Hutt appeared in the cockpit.

"Ah! Bo shuda, mah bukees!" Kubjo greeted them warmly, before switching to a tone of displeasure. "Coona tee-tocky malia? Uba sanuba charra mon. Karking darjeedai teesaw."

"Erm," D-3PO stumbled to translate, "Mighty Kubjo wishes to know why a Sith Star Destroyer has shown up at his space station. He was certain that his dealings with them would be of a less personal nature. Mister Feros, perhaps you would be the best person to answer that."

"The Sith have taken an interest in your employees, Hutt," Feros answered simply. "Be thankful they are being allowed to deliver your sword."

Corvar cast a wary glance at Feros, slowly shaking his head at his fellow's bold words. The last time he saw someone speak so rashly to Kubjo the Hutt, they were eaten alive. He did not want to see Feros share a similar fate.

"Ahh. Well Kubjo I guess there's your answer. He has other plans than you it seems. Though I'd suggest you take matters of import up with the Sith. We do have the sword and I got your message. Which is what I wish to discuss as soon as possible. I want information." Reaper glanced to look at Feros. The man was saying rash things to a very powerful man. But he likely had reason. One being he seemed to have immunity due to the large ship in view behind Kubjo's holo image.

"Darjeedai sleemo.." The Hutt scoffed at Feros. He turned his attention to Reaper. "Waajo koosoro?" Kubjo inquired. "Ting cooing koo soo ah. Hay lapa no ya; koose cheekta nei."

"The Almighty Kubjo has authorized us to dock so we may process the transaction," D-3PO remarked. "I shall begin the landing procedure at once. Mr. Reaper, shall I send Kubjo's signal to your personal comm?"

"Yes you shall. If any have need of me I will be busy. D-3P0 please make sure none enter the room taken by me unless it is of the highest of needs for my conversation is for my ears and mine alone. Now companions please enjoy yourselves. I shall be back as soon as possible. And do await me if you would at the landing ramp for I'd rather we depart as one party rather than two." At this he turned and left the room, glancing at the two.

He walked to his room and awaited for the connection so he may speak with the hutt. A man wanted his head. His head he would keep at the cost of another man's life. A man he knew not yet but would soon learn the identity of.

Feros had no idea what the slug had just said, but the tone was more than enough to take offense. At least the crime boss had enough sense to say it in Huttese; Feros was already itching to see how Hutts reacted to being bathed in salt, and that would have been Kubjo's future had he the boldness to say it in Basic.

"I have the sword in my possession," said Corvar to the holographic Kubjo. "I will deliver it to you as soon as we land."

A grunt of acknowledgement left Kubjo's mouth before D-3PO cut the feed. "It should only take us a few minutes to land," the droid explained. "Hopefully this gives Mr. Reaper adequate time to discuss his private business with Mighty Kubjo. I have engaged the magnetic lockable within his quarters to ensure he remains undisturbed." He cocked his head at Feros and Corvar. "Should I bother unlocking them when we land?"

"He'd probably just cut his way out and end up in even deeper debt with Kubjo," Corvar replied to the amused droid. "We can simply get down to business without him if he takes his sweet time."

In Reaper's quarters, he would hear the loud -shunk- of the mag-lock in his door activating. A few seconds later, his comm chimed and a much smaller hologram of the Hutt appeared in the air. "Dah chuda, mah bukee. Boska, boska."

Reaper had heard the mag locks and was glad he had listened. "I need information. Who wants my mask?" He needed to know. This was quite an important topic. If someone wanted his head he'd take theirs first.

Kubjo laughed loudly at the request. "Kava doompa stoopa." He shook his head and wiped an amused tear from his eye. "Make-cheesay. Yanee dah poo noo. Beeska mu-moolee bu Halapu. Cheespa bo coopa."

"I see. Well then I guess I'll just have to make a few calls to some friends in the Black Sun and see if they can find anything. Next order of business. I remember you having a collection of armor in your treasure room. Want to trade? I have this dented armor from the champion of Nar Shaddaa's Gladiator pits." He tried bluffing the hutt with the Black Sun and watched for any reaction. If he didn't have one then oh well. But the trade for some armor he thought might work. It was unlikely but possible.

The Hutt raised a brow at Reaper's threat but maintained his position, confirming that he could say no more about the identity of who had placed the bounty. "Cha skrunee da pat," he lamented. "Peetch goola." A wicked grin split his face as he made a different proposition to Reaper. "Koose bu maskee nei. Ji makacheesa murishani, bargon u noa-a-uyat. Hi chunkee fa goota?"

Reaper grinned under his mask. "So my mask and I get the reward. Alright. I am in need of a new set of armor. Hell if you want the whole thing I'll let you have it for a price. I'll need a new set of armor and information. Beskar I've heard is rare. Even rarer after the Great Purge of the Mandalorians. I want information on a cache of beskar and a blacksmith. Or if you have any armor. I'll take it. Pay for it with the reward on my head." He grinned under his mask. He hoped the slug would take the deal but he didn't know for sure. He did like the mandalorian culture as well as their resourcefulness but he prized their armor and beskar above all else.

Kubjo scratched his chin in thought. "La pim nallya so bata de wompa," he said after some pondering. "Kuba, kayaba dee anko. Me chaade su goodie."

Reaper then nodded and simply hung up the call. He sighed and looked on the holonet searching for the bounty that had been placed on his mask. Who would deign to do such a thing. He would discover their origins and then destroy them. Though his allies would surely be waiting for him at the ramp. He needed a gift. But what he thought. Such a curious question. What? What could he bring? He'd find something on the way perhaps.

D-3PO pulled the ship into its dock smoothly and the pneumatic hiss of the airlock echoed through the ship. He released the magnetic lock on Reaper's door and stood from his seat. "Come come," he gestured to Corvar and Feros. "We mustn't keep Mighty Kubjo waiting!"

Reaper's perusing pulled up multiple images of his mask taken from their incident on Nar Shaddaa. It didn't take long for the bystanders to record the chaos, and a select few of these images were used for his bounty profile. Someone had put twenty thousand credits down to have him killed. The bounty only specified that evidence of his demise had to be brought to Kubjo the Hutt for payment.

Corvar nodded to the excited droid, answering, "Of course, of course." He followed the droid as the boarding ramp descended, the soft clanging of boots on durasteel doing little to distract him from his thoughts. He had certainly not forgotten the peculiar feeling he had experienced in the Force, giving substance to the whispers of Corbos.
Was it simply a manifestation of the dark side, calling him to his true destiny as a member of the Sith? No, no it couldn't have been. He had no such feelings when he first met the Sith, and the sensations he received felt far different than the oppressive aura that loomed from the orbiting Star Destroyer. This presence felt older, wrong. And yet it was far more comforting, reminding him of happier times, and promising happiness in the future. He had long since abandoned such optimistic dreams, for he believed them to be distractions, keeping him from his future success. But were these feelings his future? Was there hope after all?

Feros, though their battlemeld had worn away over the hours, could still sense the conflict within Corvar's heart. It was troubling.
As they stepped onto the duracrete of the landing pad, he quietly inquired, "Are you alright?"

Corvar shook his head. "I'm fine. Just ready to begin the next chapter."

Feros nodded. "I understand. It's a big step, but you are ready to join us. You will make a fine Sith."

Corvar nodded in turn, looking at their surroundings and finding the port to be just as busy as when they'd left. Though it was only slightly less chaotic than when a smuggler's ship was crashing here; the Empire seemed to have a negative effect on the scoundrels of Nar Shaddaa.
"We'll follow you, 3PO," said Corvar. "Reaper can catch up if he wants. I doubt he's so eager to receive another choke from your master."

Reaper having found the bounty on his head laughed. Well. They didn't know what he looked like. They simply had a name and a persona. He would need to find new clothes. Something to hide his identity. Or... He shouldn't care. He liked a challenge.

He exited the room and headed towards the ramp meeting up with Feros, Corvar, and D-3P0. He wore his mask and armor proudly and made sure it was loud (not as in noise but as in shone brightly or stuck out.) He wore his saber at his side and stayed alert now more than ever.

"I do not believe it wise to leave Mister Reaper on his own here," D-3PO blustered. "Mighty Kubjo will be expecti- ah! Mister Reaper!" The droid had noticed him walking down the ramp. "Right on schedule! Let us be off then."

D-3PO toddled down the concourse of docking bays, keeping a wary eye out for any that would accost his valuable party. There didn't seem to be a lot of stray glances coming their direction. Feros and Reaper would clearly notice more people interested in the Star Destroyer looming outside the viewports. Corvar had his own distractions to worry about though. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a woman staring at him, almost through him, with a wide grin on her face. Trying to focus his sight on her seemed impossible, no matter where he looked, she always loomed in his periphery, grinning maliciously.

Reaper responded to D-3P0 as he walked down the ramp and looked at all the people standing and walking about. "Indeed I am. The discussion had ended though I'm terribly afraid only moderately good news and that's never good." All the people standing about stared at the star destroyer which likely helped him as any bounty hunters lying in wait for him wouldn't be looking up at it. He took a mental note of those who took notice of the four people exiting the ship and tried to watch for any sudden movements such as reaching for a weapon of some sort.

It was quite the common phenomena to witness for one such as Feros. Beings all across the galaxy were absolutely terrified of the Sith, and with good reason. Oftentimes a Star Destroyer in orbit meant that the planet below would be suffering a heavy dosage of orbital bombardment.

These people were lucky, however, compared to most. The Sith were not nearly as opposed to the Hutts as they were to the Federation, though Feros saw little need to differentiate. Those that did not submit to the Empire were enemies of the Empire. Shady business deals and groveling would only save Kubjo the Hutt for so long.

Corvar gave absolutely no karks about these people, or even the Empire in this moment. His peripheral vision continued to provide a much more interesting story to follow. One of a woman, with indiscernible details save for a wide smile, seemingly stalking him as they made their way to Kubjo's palace. Any time he tried to focus on her, to tell who she was, she disappeared. It reminded Corvar of an eye floater, only far more ominous.

D-3PO led them past the throngs of beings, and into an empty turbolift chamber. As he turned to press the panel and ascend to Kubjo's penthouse, he looked at Corvar quizzically. "I do hope the Miraluka girl will be alright, Mr. Corvar," he murmured. "She seemed distressed. I am surprised you left her behind."

As the doors to the lift closed, a woman approached trying to flag the droid to hold the door. To Reaper and Feros she looked unremarkable; her features were plain but pretty, and she wore a basic dress and shoes. If anything, she almost blended in too well with the crowd behind her. Corvar would be able to notice a few details that looked... off. Her arms were somehow too short but hung low beyond her knees. Her face was small, yet her eyes and mouth extended past the edges of her head. It was the same woman who had been following him, as well as every other woman he had seen in his life all mashed into one. Her voice reverberated in his head in fifty separate languages, all saying the same thing. "Don't go."

And then she was gone.

The doors of the lift were sealed and they were rocketing up to Kubjo's chambers. D-3PO seemed to have taken no notice to the approach and was solely focused on watching the lights of the control panel. The woman's face was burned into Corvar's vision, still staring through him. Her voice continued to echo about the lift and through his head. It felt familiar. He had definitely heard it before, many times over his life, and most recently aboard the freighter while they were on their way here.

Corvar had to resist the urge to slap himself in the face for his idiocy. In his determination to rediscover the presence he'd felt, he had completely forgotten Brooke even existed. He did hope she would be fine on her own, if only momentarily.Regardless, the others could not know about his blunder. "Her being distressed is exactly why I left her behind," Corvar lied. "I doubt Kubjo would be happy to deal with her, especially when she is in that state."

Then his eyes fell on the woman darting for the turbolift. The others seemed to not react to her, but Corvar certainly did. Her face, her voice, everything was… wrong. It was the woman he had seen, he was sure of it. Corvar moved to the door to stop it from closing, prepared to use the Force to do so. But his entrancement left him far too slow in his reactions, leaving him to simply watch as the doors closed, cleaving off her entry into the lift.
His heart was racing, and his head was aching with the two simple words she spoke.

Feros turned to Corvar, sensing his distress. "What is wrong? Do you sense something?"

"I don't feel so hot," Corvar murmured, placing a hand against his head.

Reaper had entered into the lift with them and while Corvar seemed to be acting strange it didn't look like he had attracted anymore attention for Reaper didn't see any strange people in the crowd or anyone who was out for him. He had made it safely to the lift. He still awaited an attack even in the lift and was ready for whatever might be waiting in Kubjo's office. Corvar on the other hand didn't appear to look so good as of this moment. He was acting quite strange indeed.

Reaper glanced at Corvar before speaking. "Well whatever it might be I suggest you get it under control. We're about to meet Kubjo and I have a feeling if he knew you were acting strange he'd try to manipulate you some way to capitalize on your momentary weakness." He said returning his gaze to the turbolift doors. He was ready to get all this taken care of quickly. This had been stressful but now he was back in his element. The urban with a bounty on his head. Perfect and just how he liked it.

D-3PO could not bring himself to console Corvar, as his pity algorithms had been overridden many cycles prior by Kubjo in an attempt to make the droids personality less insufferable. He could only offer a small reassurance in response to Corvar’s stress. “I can tell by your body language that the idea of her alone on that ship surrounded by cutthroat mercenaries that would not hesitate to do unspeakable things to a defenseless girl on a space station that is currently being watched by an emissary of the Sith Empire that would no doubt abduct her if they discovered her Force potential is worrisome to you.” The droid stiffly patted Corvar on the head. “She will be safe. Nobody knows she is there. Unless somebody does. But I don't know how they would.”



The lift reached the end of its ascent and slowed to a smooth halt. The doors opened and a blast of hot air that reeked of sweat and musk replaced the cool conditioned environment of the lift. A new jizz band had taken the stage, fronted by a Devaronian singing in an upbeat tenor. It was crowded, more so than the last time they were in Kubjo’s chambers. The group could see him on his pedestal talking cordially to another individual Corvar and Reaper would recognize as the ringmaster of his Arena. He had not taken notice of the new entrants, and seemed to be heavily engrossed in his conversation. “Come,” D-3PO urged, “let us deliver this sword quickly. I hate to keep Mighty Kubjo waiting.” He began hobbling towards the Hutt, pushing through the crowd. A familiar face flashed in the corner of Corvar’s eye but was gone again before he could focus on it. A beautiful face with twinkling eyes, and a grotesquely large smile.

Corvar recoiled at the touch of the protocol droid, the cold metal and the presumptuous words snapping him back into reality. His discomfort became simmering rage, truly annoyed by 3PO and his assumptions. But rather than lash out at the defenseless droid, Corvar simply straightened his posture, displaying a disdained snarl as the lift came to a stop.

The doors had opened, allowing the rank smells and even more offensive music to set upon the darksiders.

Feros nodded at the droid's notion of getting the sword to Kubjo as quickly as possible. The faster this was done, the sooner these two would be off at the academy, and the sooner he would rise to a more deserved station. A station that could, perhaps, be out of the reach of the devilish Devaronian.

Corvar followed the waddling protocol droid, noticing the smiling woman in his peripherals once again. He could not focus on her right now, certainly not when Kubjo was in sight. There would be time for her after business was done.
He cared not to interrupt Kubjo's conversation, allowing either Reaper or D-3PO to throw themselves in harm's way.

Reaper being the one to get things done decided to interrupt them. "Kubjo we have the sword you asked for. And I have the mask." He said removing his mask. He had the wrappings underneath still on. He motioned for Corvar to step forward as he held the sword. He looked at the ringmaster. He knew the man though not intimately. Personally Reaper couldn't wait to leave this place. But first he needed to conclude his business.

Kubjo held up a hand to silence the Arena Master as Reaper approached him. "Chowbaso, Reapurah, Corvarah," the Hutt bellowed as he smiled at them. He looked Feros up and down and chuckled to himself. "Sty-uka! Kuba nobata darjeedai." He held his hand out to Corvar and beckoned him closer. "Cha wana do bota."

Feros was more than curious as to what the overgrown slug had just said to him. Some of the words were similar to what Kubjo had said before, "Darjeedai," being among them. Sounded quite similar to "Dark Jedi," now that Feros thought on it. The Huttese word for Sith, perhaps?
Either way, Feros decided not to interrogate the Hutt. Far too many onlookers, and he couldn't risk harm coming to either of his compatriots in the scuffle. It was already bad enough that Corvar was acting strange; a few blaster wounds would not do any favors for any of them.

Shaking his mind free of the enticing eyes of the strange woman in the corner of his own eye, Corvar did as he was asked. Though his knowledge of Huttese was weaker than that of his Basic or Shyriiwook, the years as a slave and a mercenary allowed him at least a general knowledge. More than enough to know when Kubjo was telling Corvar to give him the sword.
Stepping forward, Corvar unsheathed the blade from his back, its unnatural glow illuminating the faces of those within the room, including that of the stranger. He could not focus on her, not now. Not on that smile, not on those needle-like teeth.
"The sword of Jen-Sin Caal," Corvar spoke, presenting the sword before him. "Recovered from the mines of Corbos, and used to slay one of the last known Leviathans, by yours truly." His voice began to quiver ever so slightly as he felt holes being bored into his flesh, no doubt by the woman's stare.

After having heard Kubjo speak he was slightly lost. Though Corvar understood immediately holding the sword out to Kubjo as an offering. The sword was quite beautiful in its own way and oh how he wished to take the sword and stab it straight through the hutts ugly mug but he wouldn't. Not yet at least. He still had business not yet concluded with the space slug.

"As you can see we have the sword. It was used to kill a beast of horrific beauty like Corvar said and we now present it to you to pay off our debts." He said echoing the same thing Corvar had said though with slight additions and differently.

He tried his best to get through all the formalities quickly as he really needed to get rid of the bounty on him and perhaps get some new armor and what not for himself. Though that might be able to be dealt with at a later time. It was clear Feros' Master had other plans for him and Corvar.

Kubjo directed the Game Master to grab the sword from Corvar's hands and bring it closer to the Hutt's face. His eyes widened, reflecting the gleam of the golden blade. "Inkabunga…" The men would notice his hesitancy to touch the sword himself, though only Corvar and Reaper would truly understand why. Kubjo broke his gaze from the sword and nodded once to D-3PO, who in turn excitedly gesticulated before addressing Corvar and Reaper.

"Oh bless the maker!" he cheered. "Mighty Kubjo is indeed pleased with this prize. Consider your debt to him stricken from record, and the gifts he has provided you for this adventure a tip for services rendered." D-3PO turned back to the Hutt to await further instruction.

Kubjo was now staring intently at Reaper, who had offered his mask up. His expression had transitioned from wonder to annoyance. He looked down at the mask, then locked eyes with the man. "Nobata Beskar, peedunkee," Kubjo stated bluntly, before going on a long tirade in Huttese.

D-3PO waited patiently until Kubjo had finished speaking to begin translating. "Mighty Kubjo has declined your requested payment of Beskar armor for the price on your head. He has reasoned that if you are foolish enough to acquire a bounty in the first place, that he is being merciful by letting you walk away with your life. You are presented with the option of giving him your mask and walking away a free man, or declining Kubjo's offer and leaving here dodging the blaster fire of a legion of hunters." The droid did a quick double-take before addressing Reaper of his own volition. "Were I in your position, Mister Reaper, I would accept this most generous offer. Mighty Kubjo likes you enough to not subject you to a life of evading those who would collect on your bounty. It is not an offer he extends to many."

Behind the trio, many heads started to turn. A few of the patrons had lowered their hands to their blasters, and the air of the room was vibrating with tension. The Force was crackling with danger from all angles, though it resonated differently between each of the men before Kubjo. Reaper would keenly sense most of the eyes of the room on him, like a pack of hungry predators surrounding a lone prey.

Feros would feel the danger far more broadly, as the Dark Side swelled from outside the station. Maladi was getting restless, and there was a building excitement among the crew of the Star Destroyer. A few of the patrons among the crowd radiated the familiar Dark Side energy that he recognized from the Academy. Agents of the Sith had infiltrated Kubjo's court and were likely feeding information to Maladi. Their time was short before she would enact one of her trademark machinations and things would get messy.

Their perceptions would pale in contrast to what Corvar would feel tingling in his mind. While the Dark Side washed over the room, he would feel a distinct source, a wellspring of chaos bubbling and immersing all that surrounded it. It cradled him in a bubble, deflecting the animosity and making him feel almost invisible among the rage that was flaring around him. It felt protective, loving, and caring in all the wrong ways. It was coming from the woman who had been watching him from afar, whose gaze he'd felt since before they had stepped aboard the station.

It felt Motherly.

The sensation of darkness permeated all of Feros' senses, elevating his heartbeat and forcing his mind to prepare the adrenaline necessary to survive whatever would occur when the boiling point was reached. His master was growing impatient, as she should. This deal was taking far too long, and it was time they left this viper's den before they succumbed to the venom of these hunters' stares.

"Give the Hutt your mask, Reaper," Feros spoke, his voice firm and his eyes scanning the room. "Otherwise the only parts of you that my master will meet will be the ones that these hounds leave untouched. "His hand drifted ever so slowly toward his lightsaber as the tensions rose. He would survive regardless of Reaper's fate. He would have to.

This was no place to die.

Corvar, meanwhile, was somewhere else entirely. He had noticed the darkness that enveloped this room, but he seemed to be the only one who knew its source. It spewed from the woman like a geyser of tar, blanketing everyone in the room. All save for him. He was clean, and he could feel her protecting him from it. Strange. He had not felt such love since…

"Corvar," a voice spoke, awaking the young boy from his slumber. Groggy and confused, the youngling rubbed his eyes, allowing them to slowly open to the face of his father.

"What?" his prepubescent voice squeaked.

"We're here," Hassan replied, a warm smile on his face. "Did you remember to pack everything this time?"

"I think so."

"Corvar…"

"I'm sorry. I was sleepy." While the passenger seat of a rented speeder was not the most comfortable spot to rest, Corvar had slept in worse places.

Hassan shook his head."I know you're excited about the book I found you, boy, but you knew you had class today."

Corvar snorted, "I learn more from the books you bring me than whatever these people here teach."

"Those books don't teach you how to multiply and divide," Hassan pointed out.

"I know all that already."

"Oh, really? What's… one-hundred divided by fourteen?"

Corvar paused, his little brow furrowed. "Um…"

Cutting him off, the Twi'lek went on, "The point is that there's always more to learn, and in order to learn, you need to get some sleep."

"But it's boring," Corvar argued.

"Yes, yes it is. But do you want to be a grown-up one day and be the only one that doesn't know how to do a simple math problem?"

The boy paused, pouting. "No, I guess not."

Hassan put a hand on his shoulder. "Everything you learn, from the most boring thing to the most exciting thing, is going to make you into a stronger, better man. You don't want to be like me, having to settle for this life in order to make a living."

"What other jobs are there?" Corvar inquired.

"Plenty. You could be a scientist, an engineer, a security officer; you could use your abilities to help a lot of people, Corvar."

Corvar nodded. "Okay, dad."

Hassan smiled. Every time he heard the boy call him that, it had been hard to believe it as true. But family was more than blood. He knew that now.
He took the boy in his arms, giving him a tight squeeze. "I love you, son. Now go on, take this galaxy. It's yours."

Corvar's eyes snapped open, awakening him from his memory as he felt a similar embrace shielding him from the chaos surrounding him. Ever calm in his bubble of serenity, Corvar spoke to his business partner. "I bid you farewell, Kubjo. Bargon yanah coto da eetha." He prayed that he remembered the language well enough to speak it properly. The last thing he needed was to have accidentally insulted the Hutt during this commotion.

Reaper held out his mask in disgust. He would get his revenge one day but for now he would live. He tossed the mask to the ground looking around at everyone in the room. Kubjo had brought insurance. He wasn't stupid per say but he was making many enemies. One was Reaper. He would not be this weak forever. And when he grew stronger he would return to kill Kubjo with the force. "Take it. Mark this day and in ten years time death shall come." He turned with this promise and nodded at Feros. His hand went to his saber just to be sure no one made any movements. It was a hot zone right now and anything could set it off.

Kubjo didn't bother to move from his throne, calling the discarded mask to his hand with the Force. He laughed heartily as he examined the mask. "Sie batha ne beechee? Klop Maladi poo pah," the Hutt said as he continued laughing. "Smeeleeya whao toupee upee. Mi harl tish ding. Tah-koh tee tuk’ata e'nachu."

He turned his gaze to Corvar, acknowledging his farewell. "Mee jewz ku, mah bukee," the Hutt said much more warmly. Corvar would hear an echo in his voice. It sounded like a woman, speaking at the same time as Kubjo. Then Kubjo's voice cut out entirely. Everyone in the area would hear the smooth feminine voice come from Kubjo's mouth.

"Uma ji muna, Corvar."

Corvar recoiled at the sudden change in the Hutt's voice. Despite the pleasant - and oddly familiar - tone, it seemed an abomination to come from such a disgusting creature. What was this? Who was she?

And why did she love him?

Feros heard the slug mention his master moments before, drawing both the curiosity and the ire of the Sith. But the unnatural change in voice had made him wary instead. What matter of foul sorcery was this?

"What is happening here?" Feros demanded, expecting an answer from either the Hutt or whatever entity had taken hold of him.

Reaper had turned his back though perhaps far too quickly as he seemed to hear things quite differently just then. He had heard Maladi and what he thought might've been an insult thrown at her by the slug but nothing new there. What he had heard though was a woman's voice come from the slug.

Caught by surprise Reaper turned around and stared at the hutt pulling his saber from his belt he didn't activate it yet but he was ready to at a moments notice. He looked at Corvar as it's who the hutt was looking at when speaking in that way. "Anyone else hear that? Or was that just me?" He looked around to see if anyone else heard that transition from man to woman.

It was unmistakable. The voice that came from Kubjo’s throat was not his own. Confusion sparked through the air, cutting the animosity like a knife and replacing it. Kubjo climbed down from his throne, advancing towards the three with his hand outstretched. Time felt like it was slowing to a crawl. The Hutt’s movement halted, as did everyone else in the room. The three men felt as if they were suspended in Bacta, unable to move, only capable of watching what happened next.

From the center of Kubjo’s mass, a writhing void of starry tentacles emerged, birthing itself from his flesh and leaving no trace of its exit. It crawled along the floor towards Corvar, pulling itself into an upright position. A pair of bare and pale feet emerged from the mass, possibly always there, to support the mass. Multiple extremities retracted, merging into smooth flesh and taking the form of a lithe woman’s torso covered in a sheer dress. More tentacles twisted and braided themselves into arms, though at the elbow, they seemed to fray like a rope and the tentacles continued to wriggle. More convalesced atop the torso, contorting into a knotted sphere, which then turned grotesquely to reveal a pair of gleaming eyes. The globe split laterally, revealing a toothy maw that stretched across the face. Atop the head, the final tendrils were settling and taking on the facsimile of hair. She hadn’t spoken yet but a name would implant itself into the mind of the men who watched her. She was the Force. She was the Mother.

She was Abeloth.

In the eternal minutes it took for her to manifest, they could do nothing but watch. Everything else around them looked like a hologram, and she was the only real entity. Their own identities felt like pages of a book, and she was the writer. She stepped forward gracefully, her feet barely touching the floor, and raised a pair of tentacles to Corvar’s cheek. Feros, through their latent Force Bond, would feel an electrifying chill run down his face. To Corvar, the caress was soft, warm, soothing. “It is so good to see you again, Corvar,” Abeloth’s voice echoed as she spoke, seeming to bury its meaning in the minds of those who heard it a half-second before the words were actually spoken. “And you brought your friends to play too.” Her gaze swept over Reaper and Feros, piercing them to the very core of their beings. “It’s ok, I will take care of them as well. We can all go home now. It’s all going to be OK.”

Reaper though he was both disgusted and happy by the being known as Abeloth coming out of the Hutt was also taken aback. She was a being to be feared according to all he had ever heard of her and that was much. Here he felt her power first hand. His voice was lost to him for but a second and his movement was slowed to the point even wiggling or blinking seemed a daunting task.

As Abeloth turned her gaze to him her words flowed to him. *"It's ok, I will take care of them as well. We can all go home now. It's all going to be OK."* Though it sounded sweetly he felt her unnatural gaze and unlike with the Leviathan this was not beauty. There was a sickening feeling he felt from her gaze. He knew what she said was wrong and it felt wrong in all its aspects except for what images popped in his head. A nice cozy living. He could live a normal life without fighting perhaps with a wife one day and kids growing old with his newfound companions as his neighbors with Abeloth, The Mother, watching over them and taking care of them. Yet as the images washed into his head they were cleared with images of his sweet sweet victory. He had left over thoughts from Corbos and its oh so sweet sounds of war. How beauteous the beast they had slain had been and how it had both felt like a crime and the greatest achievement to have ever been accomplished. It washed his thoughts clean and now they turned into a focused rage with a single goal in mind. to somehow protect his companions, his friends and perhaps the little resemblance of family from this unholy and unnatural beast.

He, Reaper, stepped forward seemingly drugged but it was a cause of Abeloth. He ignited his saber and put it between Abeloth and Corvar while reaching out with his other hand, reaching with the force for the blade they had just gained. Hoping it would aid him in what may erupt into a fight "Snap out of whatever pleasures this beast may show you friends and fight. Fight for your own glories and for your own victories. Fight for another day or simply fight for your pleasure but give not into this she-beast who speaks with that honeyed words and a forked tongue. Stand with me. Fight and give not into this beast for we have done much together and together we will do more this very day. Wake from your enchantments and fight!" He dared not strike at Abeloth yet but he held his ground prepared to at least slice upwards at the strange tentacle caressing his friends face.

The confusion of what was transpiring had clouded Corvar's mind. Reality seemed a nightmare, with no escape no matter how badly Corvar wished to wake up.
Feros felt similarly, though he was an outsider in every sense of the word. What he saw produced feelings of dismay, fear, and rage.
The closest to Kubjo, Corvar, stepped backward only for a moment before time itself seemed to slow to a standstill. Though he had been on good terms with the Hutt, he was certainly not eager to be touched by him in any manner, especially with the strange voice inhabiting him. But even still, Corvar had been unable to resist the power that blanketed the room, freezing him in place as if he had been dipped in a barrel of Has'kin honey.
He watched, in absolute horror, as Kubjo split open like some abominus melon of flesh and guts. From within, a mass of tentacles were born, dragging itself across the floor and inching ever nearer towards Corvar. The tentacles had taken form, becoming a woman that filled Corvar's mind with information that he could not process. Images flashing that he could not imagine, colors that did not exist, words that no man had ever spoken before.
He had studied Abeloth briefly during his schooling years, as it had become part of the curriculum for History of the Jedi Order. But he began recalling details that no one had ever taught him, details that only those present could have ever remembered.
Her hand, a frayed conglomeration of tentacles, caressed his cheek. He could only reply with a wide-eyed stare, even as the touch brought comfort that he had not felt in over a decade.

Though their bond had slowly begun to fade, Feros felt the touch of Abeloth with nearly the same intensity as Corvar. But it did not bring him comfort. Like everything about this entity, from her spawning out of the slug's body, to approaching them and taking form, the touch brought nothing but fear. Feros had learned much about Abeloth, how the Jedi and Sith had to unite to even acquire a momentary victory over her. She was a goddess, and he was helpless. His lightsaber, his abilities… they meant nothing.

She had begun to speak, and Corvar did not understand. "I have… met you?" he asked.
He then heard the ignition of a lightsaber, and watched as Reaper came between him and the being known as Abeloth. Then Reaper spoke as well, perhaps speaking the most meaningful words of his entire life. To fight, to survive.
But they were for naught.
Corvar knew this was destiny, and he knew that there was no escaping it. Not this day.
Perhaps to learn the truth, perhaps to save Reaper's life, Corvar slowly lifted a hand, allowing the Force to try and push the man away from Abeloth.

But Feros had been, surprisingly enough, inspired by Reaper's speech. His fear became rage, and his rage became power. He would not give in to this creature, just as Reaper would not.
His lightsaber had found its way into his grasp, also igniting in unison with his comrade's. "We won't be going anywhere. These two are going to become members of the Sith Empire, and they will serve our Emperor."

Silence.

Dead silence.

The low hum of the crimson lightsabers in front of Corvar seemed to fade into a high pitched whine, which encompassed everything. The world around them was frozen, the sword in Kubjo's hand remained like an item in a painting. Abeloth stared at Corvar. She stared at Reaper. She stared at Feros. Three faces locked onto hers and making eye contact on all sides. A white hot fury was building around her, crackling like lightning in the air. Two tentacled hands reached in front of her, grabbing the lightsaber blades and pushing against them. Slowly, the streams of crimson plasma grew shorter, as she forced each blade into its respective hilt. She turned her attention inward, content to ignore the other two darksiders. "Corvar, my precious," her soft voice broke the piercing silence in a whimper, "is this true?" Her visage warbled like a hologram fading in and out of view, contorting her features into a face of rage, sadness, terror, and contempt in flashes that could not have possibly been from muscle twitches. The silence grew heavier, daring any to shatter it. The surrounding scenery blurred and faded, until it was only Reaper, Corvar, and Feros in a field if blinding white standing in front of Abeloth. Her question echoed into each of the minds of the men as she continued to stare down Corvar.

"Is it true?"

Corvar stammered, "Wh-- who am I, to you?" His fear had slowly begun to melt away, despite watching this insanely powerful creature extinguish two lightsabers like they were little more than candles. "You speak to me as if you know me, but I do not know you." His strength slowly returned to his body, the furnace within his heart growing in intensity. "Why have you been following me? Speaking to me?"

Feros watched in utter belief as his proud stand was rendered for naught, like a mother chiding her child without even saying a word. And now Corvar spoke to her, his voice rising in intensity with each passing moment. What was happening here?

Reaper having seen his saber be shoved off seemingly by this being was confounded. Though he was glad to have inspired Feros to rise with him he still seemed so weak and inferior to this thing, Abeloth. He continued to try pulling at the sword and stared at Abeloth as Corvar looked at Abeloth and asked her why she'd been following him. Though his fight seemed ineffective he would not stop and so he continued trying to pull the sword towards him or even to attack Abeloth. His arms and limbs seemed like gelatin still.

He smiled as Corvar also seemed to have been inspired or at least his enchantment broken. He was glad to have contributed something, anything to thwart this beast, this being, this godly creature.

There was something deeply troubling in the look that Abeloth gave Corvar. The godlike entity, supreme power of the Force and warper of reality looked... crushed. Her eyes were wide with sadness, and her all-too-toothy mouth hung open with a slack-jawed expression. Confusion and hurt played across her features simultaneously. Her arms dropped to her sides as she stood, processing.

The Darksiders could feel the energy welling up around her though. The air began to crackle and spark, even as the blinding whiteness faded back into the familiar surroundings of Kubjo's lounge. Abeloth lifted her head in a skyward shriek of anguish. The energy building around her reached a peak, and a wave of lightning-infused force radiated from her center, with enough power to send the men flying towards the lift they came in on.

The blast seemed to end the stasis of the rest of the lounge, as it knocked Kubjo backwards into his seat, still grasping the Jedi sword, and many of the patrons fell onto the floor in surprise. D-3PO, unable to suitably handle the influx of power combined with the immense force, was blown to pieces, his head sailing through the air while stuttering for help. "M-mist- Corva- -ter Reap- I-I..." The droid's eyes were dark before they hit the floor.

Kubjo righted himself on his cushioned seat, inexplicably whole, and indignantly confused by the explosion of Force power. Abeloth was nowhere to be seen. He only saw Reaper, Corvar and Feros. He extended a meaty hand and pointed at the trio. Dopa maskey kung!" He bellowed at his guests. "Keepuna!" People were bust righting themselves all across the lounge, but blasters were already out, and a few stray shots were headed their way.

As Corvar watched Abeloth process his words, grief filling every fiber of her existence, he felt an odd sense of… regret. As if he should not have said what he said, especially not so harshly. But why? Why was he to care what she felt? He did not remember her beyond the stories he'd heard, and all he knew of her was death and chaos.

So of course, he should have expected her sadness to swell into rage, exploding in violent energy and sending the darksiders flying towards the lift. When Corvar found his feet and opened his eyes, groggy after the sheer force that had collided with him, the room was entirely different. Kubjo was not split open, his flesh spewed across the floor. He was alive and well, but undoubtedly flustered. The other patrons were also confused and distraught, as if no one had seen or heard the creature that was Abeloth. But worst of all, Corvar saw the dishambled remains of the protocol droid. 3PO's severed head tried to speak, fighting against its own deactivation. Deep down, Corvar knew the droid could be reassembled, but there was a certain sadness that creeped into his heart all the same. "3PO!" he shouted.

And Kubjo shouted in turn. Corvar was fuzzy on the first phrase, but he certainly knew the second. It was something that his old slave masters, particularly the vile Kain, would say to their subordinates when ordering the execution of an unruly servant.

Feros was the first to activate his lightsaber at the start of the chaos, sensing the tension peaking after the explosion of Force energy. Blasters raised all around, firing at the trio of darksiders. His blade danced back and forth, deflecting any shots that came his way.

His mind did not have time to process the events that had led up to this moment, from the cry of Abeloth to the destruction of D-3PO. All he could focus on was his survival, and the survival of his charges. "On to the lift!" he shouted to Corvar and Reaper, moments before knocking a blaster bolt back towards one of the attackers.

Corvar complied, igniting his own lightsaber and blocking the few bolts that strayed past Feros in his direction. He stepped into the lift, his brain a jumbled mess of thoughts and feelings he did not understand. Part of him wanted to lash out at this betrayal, to set the room ablaze and slaughter all of these lowlifes.

But he did not.

Why, he could not discern. Perhaps it was logic, perhaps it was not. But he hesitated, instead defending himself and activating the lift once the others got onboard.

After everything had returned to normal speed everything seemed to happen in an instant. The jello feeling, Abeloth leaving and even Kubjo being thrown back. Then Kubjo yelled and everyone reached for their blasters and seemingly just as quickly Reaper activated his saber once more. He saw D-3P0's head come off with the blast and so kept it in mind.

As the blaster bolts begin to fire Reaper assumed the stance of a Soresu user and begin deflecting any he deemed a risk to him and his friends while backing up to the elevator. He quickly made a motion with his hand force pulling D-3P0's head to the elevator now behind him while he continued deflecting bolts back at the shooters.

"Lets go now." He yelled as he got on the elevator as well just as he saw D-3P0's head roll by him. He kept deflecting the bolts while this happened and strangely despite the danger he smiled. Kubjo thought he would die here but he was wrong. They'd escape and they would live. Reaper would be back one day for Kubjo's head but today he would escape.

The droid's head heeded Reaper's call much more effortlessly than the sword had earlier. Perhaps it was Kubjo's own Force power that prevented him earlier, or it was Abeloth suppressing his abilities with the sheer magnitude of her presence. Either way things were back to normal now.

More or less.

The lift doors closed on Corvar's command and the three were soon dropping down to the docking bay. Suddenly, the elevator ground to a halt. An alarm began klaxoning and a deep mechanical voice began echoing in the elevator. "Attention, Kubjo Station. We are under attack. Please seek your nearest shelter while the automatic defenses take care of the threat." A muffled explosion pounded on the outer wall and rocked the lift again, but it was still dead in its tube.

"Sounds like your friends are having fun," Corvar mentioned to Feros, his eyes scanning the lift for any sort of emergency override for the lockdown. There were two possibilities as to why their descent had been stopped. Either Kubjo ordered the lift to be stopped to prevent their escape, or one of the explosions caused some sort of malfunction. Either way, Corvar did not want to attempt to move this thing with the Force. Fighting those mechanical locks would be strenuous, and they'd risk dislodging the lift and falling to their deaths. Neither were particularly good results.
"If only we had a helpful droid to unlock the elevator," Corvar motioned to the lifeless head of D-3PO, now in Reaper's grasp.

Feros shrugged at Corvar's remark. No doubt that Lady Maladi had run out of patience, or perhaps sensed that they were in danger. Either scenario was likely.
"Well, there's more than one way out of here," Feros spoke, igniting his lightsaber and digging its blade into the floor.

"We don't need to get out, we need to get moving," Corvar pointed out. "Help me find--"

Before Corvar could finish speaking, Feros had finished the job, the blade of plasma cutting a hole in the floor large enough to climb through. The Hapan leaped down like an absolute madman, his hands taking hold along the edge of the hole and allowing him to swing onto a ledge on the side of the elevator shaft.

Shaking his head, Corvar muttered, "Always on the move," before following Feros down below.

After his friends had carved a whole in the elevator he removed his silk wrappings from around his face and tied D-3P0's head to his waist securing it tightly before he followed after them. He hopped down grabbing hold of the edges of it and swung over to the ledge they'd gotten onto

"So. How are we going to get out of this place back to the Star Destroyer? Everyone will be after us." He turned his saber off and put it on his waist securing it opposite of D-3P0's head. He was ready to do some climbing and wasn't prepared to fall to his death on this day.

The station shook again from another series of turbolaser shots, but the lift was stuck fast for now. Corvar's head was filled with a voice. The voice of Abeloth again. "That's not the way a child should speak to their mother," her voice echoed in his mind. "I followed you here to protect you, to love you. If you're going to reject that love, you and your friends will DIE!"

The final word rang in his ears, and another blast hit the station. Sparks cascaded out of the hole Feros had cut in the floor of the lift and the lights flickered on and off. The lift wasn't going to be inactive for long, and the men needed to find a way out of the station before it was obliterated.

Mother.

The very utterance of the word caused a change. Corvar's eyes darted around the shaft, looking for some semblance of stability as the walls began to melt away like wax. He closed his eyes, attempting to force out the horrifying world that surrounded him. But he only found himself in an entirely different hell with each blink. Flashes of a night sky, four moons dancing among the stars. The smell of smoke and charred flesh. The chanting of a single word.

Ma'dri.

He had not realized until it was nearly a second too late that he had lost his balance on the ledge, nearly costing him his life before he grabbed hold of the wall with the aid of the Force. A thick layer of sweat coated his clammy skin, and his stomach felt like it had sunk into the center of his intestines. Did she just say what he heard her say?

It was impossible.

He was not her child. He was not some putrid, tentacled creature. He was as human as the day he was born.

But who knew of his birth?

He had been found on Kashyyyk by Wookiees of all beings. They never spoke of his parents, he remembered that much. Only talk of a ship, some burning wreckage in the Shadowlands. Corvar had always wondered who his biological parents were, but that had never really mattered. Hassan had been all that mattered. This couldn't be true. Couldn't be.

But why were his feelings proclaiming it as true?

Feros could sense that something had changed within Corvar, his entire body turning an unnatural pale. Perhaps the poor sod was afraid of being in elevator shafts just as much as he was afraid of caves.

But then he saw the flickering lights of the lift above, and he knew that at least this fear was far more warranted. "We need to go. Now!" he commanded. "Slow your fall with the Force. Come on!"

Before either man could protest or support the move, Feros was already falling, quickly heading to terminal velocity until he allowed the Force to press between himself and the ground. His incredible descent began to slow, and eventually came to a stop on the floor of the shaft.

Corvar arrived to the bottom shortly after, though he found the fall much more terrifying. He had worried the conflict within would dampen his abilities. But they had not.
He was feeling stronger than ever as he began to process the information. It was incomplete, like trying to recall his first memory. But every inch he made towards the truth had been a mile of growth.

What was happening here?

Feros began to work his skill with a lightsaber on the closed doors just beyond, plunging the plasma into the durasteel and slowly making his way through. "Reaper, give me a hand with this," Feros spoke.

Reaper held on tight to the walls of the elevator as the base shook from the rampant fire from the destroyer that held the advantage from above shooting down. He watched Corvar almost fall and grimaced. That would've been a long fall and Corvar looked strangely out of it so he doubted he'd be able to recover in time.

Though just as he thought that the elevator above them began sparking with electricity meaning it was about to start moving again. Such luck they were having today he thought sarcasm leaking from the voice in his head. He thought this and then saw Feros jump saying to slow their fall with the force. Then went Corvar. He smiled and looked down at the D-3P0 head. This was the best team he'd had in a long while. Though he hadn't had a team in a while. to be fair, He jumped and force pushed below him to slow the fall and rolled as he touched down making sure he had the head of D-3P0 and then as Feros yelled or him his saber crimson red ignited and he hurriedly helped Feros with the cutting starting on the opposite side of him and using his strength to try and push it through faster.

The tandem lightsabers melted through the durasteel doors without issue. Beyond the doors, there was mass panic across the docking bays. Pilots were scrambling to ships that were jockeying to leave this godforsaken station as fast as possible. What they were fleeing from was far worse than the men had thought.

Outside the pulsating blue barriers that kept each hangar protected from the cold vacuum outside, they would see darkness. Not the normal darkness of space, sparkling with starlight and celestial bodies, but inky blackness that sucked in approaching ships like a singularity. Out of the blackness eyes peered in every direction, and tendrils of nothingness lashed out at each passing freighter. The Star Destroyer that was here to pick up Feros had concentrated all batteries on the entity, which seemed to be bending space around it and sending the turbolaser fire ricocheting away like blaster fire from a lightsaber. The shots that were hitting the station seemed to he stray shots, but with the sheer amount of firepower that was coming from the Star Destroyer, it could easily have been mistaken for a siege. At the far end of the platform, the freighter they had arrived in was still parked and waiting for them.

Feros could hardly believe what he was seeing. The sheer power of the darkness, what he could only assume to be Abeloth, was far worse than he feared. If he and the others wished to survive, there was no doubt in his mind that they would have to take that hunk of a freighter, board the Star Destroyer, and get into hyperspace as quickly as they could. He certainly didn't want to be caught in the radius of one of those stray turbolasers, nor did he want to even get close to the inky blackness that seemed to slowly be swallowing up this cursed moon. "Reaper, Corvar, to the ship, now!" he ordered.

"No," Corvar replied, his eyes holding a certain gloominess that seemed unfitting for the situation.

"What!?" Feros demanded, beyond confused.

"You two get to the ship," Corvar replied. "It's obvious she wants me, and if we get on that ship, we won't even make it to the upper atmosphere before we're onboard another crashing ship."

"But you'll be killed!" Feros pointed out, exasperated. "Come on--"

"Somehow, I don't think I will be," Corvar spoke, his eyes focused on the darkness that awaited him. "But if I don't see either of you again…" his eyes turned to his companions. They had become more than a means of survival over the course of these trials they faced. "Know that I consider the both of you friends, and I ask you keep Brooke safe. It may not be a tenet of the Sith but… have patience with her. Something tells me that you three are far more important than I initially believed." There was a smile, a genuine one that Corvar had not felt in quite some time.

But the smile disappeared once again as his eyes set back to the darkness. Not waiting for permission, and not waiting for anyone to stop him, he stepped towards her. He was not afraid anymore.

Reaper after cutting through smiled before his face fell into inquisition. A dark splurge of well darkness was attacking the base. Everyone was jumping ship and the destroyer was attacking the beast but doing absolutely no damage to it. At least their freighter was still their. They could flee though they'd have to be quick and not get caught by the entity that was attacking everything.

"Let's-" He was cut off by Feros saying what he was going to and then a whole conversation began and ended with Corvar going to commit suicide. The dream team was over. He sighed. "Fine let's get going quickly. Hope he can hold the beast off long enough for us to get the ship going then we can come back for him. I call dibs on flying." He grinned before racing off towards the ship.

The ship was empty when Reaper stepped onboard. It seemed that Brooke had stepped off when the three of them had left. She hadn't taken anything, and the ship itself was no worse for wear. The systems fired up readily at Reaper's command, and it seemed like it was ready to fly.

Corvar, going a different direction, knew nothing of this. His strides took him to the edge of a landing platform, with only a thin particle shield preventing him from being sucked into space. The many eyes of Abeloth saw him, and it seemed that she had ceased attacking the ships around her. It felt like time was beginning to slow around him again as her faceless features focused their attention his way.

"I don't know what this is," Corvar spoke to the anomaly before him. He paused, trying to gather his words while simultaneously suppressing his fear.
"My whole life I've been raised to believe that my birth parents never existed. Family was alien to me, even when I was raised by the Wookiees on Kashyyyk. It was only when a smuggler took me in as his own son did I understand what family was. Then I lost him and I…"
He stopped, trying to focus his energy on stopping the tears in his eyes from escaping. He failed.
"I have had no family for a long time. Even friends came and went but… here I am, being called 'son' by a woman I was taught to fear above all else. Is this some sort of trick? Are these visions I'm seeing just… I need the truth. What do you mean when you say you're my mother? How is that even possible? I'm human."

Reaper after having started up the freighter pulled out D-3P0's head and connected it to the ship before tapping on D-3P0's head "Time to wake up. We got some flying to do and I'll need your help with this." He didn't wait for the head to finish coming online if it did he took off and headed towards Feros while turning on the PA system shouting "Brooke time to go follow the ship and be prepared to go, please." He managed out though strained he had said it.

Feros leapt aboard behind Reaper and took the co-pilot seat. "Come on, he's committed to this path," he said dejectedly. The protocol droid was far from operational, and Reaper's words did nothing to encourage it. The ship lifted smoothly, and Reaper could take it where he pleased.

More eyes focused on Corvar. The voice of Abeloth echoed in his mind. "Of course you don't remember." It sounded calm, understanding. "You were so little. Little babe surrounded by the old worshippers. You were given to me by them. They did not know that I would accept."

"I watched them burn your fragile form in a pyre in my honor." As she spoke, the crackle of flames and the echo of chanting filled Corvar's mind. "That fire is now inside you, burning away, while I granted their wishes and took notice if their tribute. They were not necessary because they gave me you. It was I that guided you to Kashyyyk. I who watched you grow stronger. I who set you on this path."

"I who gave you this life."

And it was through her words, through her understanding, that Corvar had gained his own understanding. The visions became one, the flashes now a prolonged reel of horror and dismay.
The moons were high in the night sky above, moons that Corvar recognized from the stories of Dathomir and its nightsisters. He was crawling on all fours, his arms and legs little more than slimy, tentacled appendages. His wide eyes looked upon the madmen around them, and their madness became reality. They had hoped to bring life back to their fallen chief, but these tribal fools had only given life to the means of their destruction. The very sight drove them beyond any semblance of sanity.

Corvar watched as they murdered one another, scrambling away from the creeping creature before them and using any means to dispose of one another. Rocks, knives, spears, hands… death had taken this ritual for life. The baby's eyes, like stars in the center of black wells, stared at the hanging corpse of a woman, her belly split open and letting loose her blood. He felt a twinge of sadness, until he saw his Mother.

She guided him, happily, to the offworlder's ship, setting its autopilot on a course for another world. She spoke to him, her sad smile letting loose the secrets that would keep the young boy alive. The secret of hiding his true form, subconsciously taking the features of the two beings who supplied his physical form, and the key to maintaining the illusion even if forgotten. A single feature, one he would always remember. The scar on his nose.

Corvar's eyes opened to the dark, inky mass before him, its eyes staring back at him. He looked down at his chest, feeling awfully peculiar. Then he saw the truth.

His fair skin had turned grey, his hands now frayed tentacles that hung low at his sides. His veins were revealed through his thin, pale flesh, showing an intricate web of fiery red coursing through his terrifying form. It was true. All of it.

He was the son of Abeloth.

Reaper looked at Corvar through the glass and had a face that showed determination. But Feros spoke true. Corvar had seemed determined as well. Should he try he thought? Then he grinned and flew towards Corvar and Abeloth though out of range of her attacks. He pulled up the PA and began shouting at Corvar.

"Lets go! We got the ship ready. We can make it in this rust bucket and with my flying. This escape will be a piece of cake."

After saying that he attempted to connect to Maladi and her Destroyer. "This is Reaper with your apprentice Feros. Focus your fire on the giant mass to try and distract it we're going to try and save our ally and escape. On approach do not fire at the freighter with our numbers as it will be us."

He said quickly then looked back to see if Corvar would come. He prepped his hands to go as soon as he saw Corvar come or start to come.

Understanding. As Corvar looked down and realized his true self, the black mass descended upon the space station. One tentacle snaked its way onto the platform where Corvar was standing, splitting and taking the form of a pair of pale feet. The eyes folded in upon themselves, condensing the massive form, until Abeloth was standing in front of Corvar. Her starry eyes reflected his own, galaxies in a sea of nothingness. She raised a hand, writhing and wriggling as it continuously split and reformed in a series of tentacles, and stroked Corvar's cheek. The blistering cold contrasted Corvar's inner fire, leaving an odd sensation on his skin. "You see now," she spoke softly. "You remember."

Reaper's comm chattered back instantly. "This is Sith Star Destroyer Relentless of the Third Fleet. We read you loud and clear. Concentrating batteries. Bring our agent home." A fresh wave of turbolaser fire unleashed itself upon the station as Abeloth was reducing her physical form. The Dark Side entity, simply waved a tentacled hand behind her almost absently, and the plasma blasts splashed harmlessly against an invisible wall of Force energy.

"I do," said Corvar. "I remember it all."
His eyes turned towards the ship, the Force allowing him to see deep within its durasteel shell. Feros and Reaper were aboard, piloting the ship towards the Star Destroyer. Brooke was gone, however. Perhaps she had decided that the Sith was not her destiny. Perhaps she was right.
Part of him wanted to hunt her down, to bring her to safety. But he would not. If she wanted to be on her own, alone to face her demons, then that was the path she had chosen. There was always the chance that their paths would cross once again. He only hoped they would not meet as they had before.
Reaper's voice was distant, so far away from Corvar's reality that it did not even register. But it did raise the question: where would he go from here? The last few years of his life had been dedicated to joining the Sith Empire. Back when he first met Darth Maladi and was given an impossible task to complete: take over Kubjo the Hutt's criminal empire, and turn all of its resources over to the Sith. He had gotten rather close. He was Kubjo's business partner, he had retrieved the sword. But as the revelations of his existence came to pass, those opportunities were erased.
But it was no matter. Maladi wanted him even if this task was incomplete. He had proven himself to Feros. He had accomplished what many Sith Lords had failed to do. And now that he knew what he was, that he was far more powerful than he ever believed… he knew it was destiny.
His mission was never to take over a criminal empire.

His mission was to take over the Sith Empire.

"Our power rises," he spoke. "And I know that in this Sith Empire, I can spread our influence even further. There will be no Luke Skywalkers to stop us, mother. We will rule the galaxy. You as its Beloved Queen of the Stars… and me as its Prince."

Feros strapped in, watching in awe as the black mass took the monstrous form of Abeloth once again. She still managed to swipe away turbolaser fire like it was nothing, and… wait, where was Corvar? He only saw her and… was that another creature just like her? "I don't see Corvar anywhere," said Feros. "But there's another creature down there. We need to get on that Star Destroyer. Now."

Corvar glanced to the nearest ship available, one that was still in good repair; most of them had been destroyed by the stray turbolasers. That left an old HWK Light Freighter nearby, empty and still functional. More than enough to reach that Star Destroyer. "Will you be alright if I go, mother? There is much work to be done."

Reaper took off for the Destroyer that was named Relentless. He looked behind him as he closed the bay doors of the freighter and began to leave. Corvar would have to find his own way or perhaps Abeloth would save him but Feros was right. He had seen two strange creatures and Abeloth had deflected the turbolaser shot as if it was nothing to her. That wasn't something they could play with.

"So Feros. Tell me everything I need to know about the Relentless and your master, Darth Maladi," he said as he piloted the ship. He looked at the head of D-3P0 and then looked back to flying. As he approached the Relentless he slowed his approach slightly and was ready for them to fire on him if they did though unlikely they would couldn't be too careful.

Abeloth's face split in a macabre smile, exposing needle like teeth that ran from ear to ear. "Our power rises, my child. Go now. Fulfill your destiny. I will be watching, waiting." The image in front of Corvar distorted and shimmered like a hologram, as did the projection that was deflecting turbolaser fire. Abeloth faded away.

Turbolaser fire continued to barrage the station, now unimpeded by the Force. There was precious little time for Reaper and Feros aboard their freighter to escape, and Corvar was on his own.

"Like any master of the Dark Side, Lady Maladi will not accept anything less than absolute cooperation and loyalty," Feros began. "When she greets you, you kneel and treat her with the respect she demands. You follow every command to the letter. Failure will result in things far worse than your death. You can trust me on that."
Feros could not help but feel a sense of impending doom as they neared the Star Destroyer, knowing that his master would not be pleased that he only brought one of the two recruits he promised. But he would face his punishment with stoicism. Such was the only way to accept discipline from a Sith such as Darth Maladi.

Corvar had far more pressing matters on his mind. With his mother disappeared, there was nothing between him and the barrage of turbolaser fire that was being brought down upon the station. He had to act, and quickly.
He was moving with far more speed than ever before, the pace of his footsteps replaced with the slithering of his tentacled form. With the Force, he lowered the HWK's boarding ramp, gliding into the ship and closing the entrance behind him.
The ship was empty, no life signs aboard. If there were any, they'd be long gone by now. Knowing this, he quickly made his way to the cockpit, realizing that his form was not going to so easily fit into the pilot's chair.
"Kark!" he shouted, his voice a distorted imitation of the voice he was used to. He would have to resume his human form, but how?
Then he remembered the lessons he received from her. Focus on one feature, and the rest will take care of itself.
The scar on the bridge of his nose took form. His flesh became opaque once again, with his fair complexion following suit. His wide, needle-toothed mouth narrowed to its usual size, and his teeth dulled down to a perfect smile. The eyes became emerald green, replacing the stars that once sat there. His hair returned, the brown locks shortening a bit more than before; this was far cheaper than paying for a haircut. And finally, the tentacles disappeared, replaced with human hands and feet. His robes had also rematerialized, though he was not certain how that was possible. There were always more secrets to learn, it seemed.
Now displaying his human self once again, Corvar sat within the pilot's chair and hurriedly prepared the ship for takeoff. It was a process he had learned from his father many a time, when they were chased off planet after planet. This was no different. He only hoped that Star Destroyer wouldn't try blasting him out of the sky.

The freighter soon began lift-off, taking into the air and soaring towards the Star Destroyer. Noticing a working comlink, Corvar attempted to hail the Destroyer, speaking, "This is one of the acolytes that Feros has recruited. I humbly request you hold your fire. The… creature… is gone."

"Got it. She sounds like a wonderful lady. I'd love to take her out sometime to see the galaxy."

He spoke sarcastically but was actually ready to meet her and her crew. How he'd act towards her he didn't know yet but he might want to think fast. As they started their approach he commed them again.

"This is Reaper trying to contact the Relentless. Permission to land?"

He said before slowing down now waiting for permission. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. This was going to be a longggg day. First a slug then Abeloth now Maladi. Who's next? Darth Vader? Bane? Perhaps Sidious. Ohh or Darth Krayt. That one he would've liked but he thought might as well check it out. See if he likes it or not.

The Relentless continued its barrage of Kubjo's station, not heeding the words of Corvar as he flew towards it. Feros would know the real reason for this: Maladi had a vendetta against the Hutt that would easily be snuffed out with the excuse of trying to shoot down the anomaly. The Destroyer responded to Reaper's Hail quickly. "This is Relentless. You are clear to dock."

Noticing that his word had gone unheeded, Corvar did not truly care. Their fire was directed at the station, and though he did not know why, at least they weren't firing at him. "Very well, then," he spoke. "Requesting permission to dock."

Reaper having been giving the go ahead turned off the comms and headed to the nearest docking bay. The nearest one being T-3. More than likely for transport ships due to the T but he didn't care he was docking anywhere due to the fact they hadn't specified. Lazy Naval Officers. They should be more organized or they'd lose some stuff. Such as ships could go missing, supplies and so on. But whatever. Not his problem. As he began docking he set the landing gear down and then set his ship down lightly, though the definition of lightly did not exist with this freighter ship. He leaned back as he shut it down and smiled. "And we're here Feros."

Corvar’s comm chirped back this time. The Relentless was actually listening to him, regardless of their previous inaction. “Clearance granted. Proceed to docking bay T-3.” He would be able to see the freighter Reaper and Feros were headed in the same direction.

Once the ships had landed, the trio would be greeted by rows upon rows of Sith troopers, and a handful of acolytes in matching garb lining the landing bay. Waiting at the end of one of the rows was a hairless, red skinned Devaronian woman that Feros would know instantly from his years of tutelage beneath her. Darth Maladi. “Welcome,” she purred at the men as they disembarked. “Thank you Feros.” Her voice hardened as she spoke to the Apprentice. “Your efforts are no longer necessary. You are dismissed. We’ll be heading back to Korriban shortly, and I’ll have more for you to do once we get there.” As Feros trudged away, noticeable seething from Maladi’s presence, she turned to Reaper and Corvar, greeting them warmly again. “Now, you must be the two I’ve been hearing so much about.”

She reached out her hands, touching each of them on the foreheads. They would feel their memories being sifted through, from their dealings with Kubjo, to the Leviathan battle, all the way up to the point at which Abeloth made her cursed appearance in Kubjo’s throne room. “You two will make fine Sith indeed. Ruthless, intelligent, brave, powerful.” She removed her hands. “I am Darth Maladi, Intelligence Officer for his magnificence, The True Sith’ari Darth Dreadwar.” A rush of coldness fell over Reaper and Corvar at the very mention of the name. “You are being taken to Korriban to be trained in the ways of the Dark Side, as per an agreement made between myself and Kubjo. You impressed him enough that he felt it fit to contact us. Apparently Feros became sidetracked, because he was to bring you to Korriban himself, but no matter. You are here, and we can do things right.” The familiar lurch of an active hyperdrive launched the destroyer into hyperspace. “Reaper, Corvar,” Maladi announced.

“Welcome to the Sith Order.”

TAG: trentongordon, darthkain7, darthferos