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a dead and cold wind blew on the surface of korriban, kicking up grey dust. storm clouds loomed on the horizon, billiowing out angrily.
Thnk!
A lone hand thrust up over the rim of a dark canyon, a silver Lightsaber in it's grip. For a moment, the fingers scratched at the dust, struggling for a grip. Then came a second hand, and the sound of ragged breath. Dusty hair surfaced, and two green, semi-luminous eyes glared up at the lifeless plains.
Straining, the lithe figure yanked themselves up over the edge of the fissure with a final effort. Dragging themselves to the safety of the flat ground of the plains, the Figure rested for a moment, glancing back down the dark well of shadows they'd just climbed out off. Their bandaged body sported several new gashes and cobwebs caught on bone armor, a dust-smeared silver chest plate glinted dully in the fading light. the Figure slowly stood upright, glaring back down at the black abyss. He had no dark cloak as many Sith favored, just a few stray bandage ends to trail upon the breeze.
He ran a hand through his hair as the wind dragged at it, a tired but cocky smirk on his face. His free hand was clenched tight around his prize, something many would die for....and one likely would soon.
Turning, The young Sith held his catch up to the horizon, laughing.
"...Old fools! The power of change rots away even the mightest warlord in his tomb, it is true power to master the power of nothing; the ultimate in-absolute! ..."
the dark stone in The Sith's hand glowed red at it's core, pulsing breifly. The Sith stared at it, pleased.
"Oh? You like that notion, do you? Your approval means much....it means the beginning of my tme, and the end of that old fool...for good!"
With a flick of his wrist, the object was safely shoved up his bandaged "sleeve", under a fossilized skull of a long dead alien creature which served as his bracers.

Calliga licked his lips, tasting the sweet power that was blowing upon the air. the firey aches of his gashes only spurred him on, assuring him that he was becoming stronger.
cackling, The Sith walked off slowly.
------------------------------------

The Sith infiltrator parked on the split plateau had seen better days, and had been obviously modified and repaired haphazardly; large cables bolted onto it's hull hung like metallic vines, extra rockets and thrusters bulged between it's bent solar panel wings. Red lights blinked on and off in the dark, the humm of thrusters evident. A tall, dark shadow waited by the ramp, debating on wether or not waiting was worth it. white, bony horns projected from the black hole that held the face of Older sith, one who had almost held the title of lord. But that had been taken from him seconds before he could reach it, and soon he'd have it back, and all he had to do was remove one simple, naive puppet from existance....and power would be his.

The Sith lord was distracted by footsteps, and crimson glow lit up the darkness as a famillar figure crested the horizon. In the depths of his black shroud, the Sith lord Darth Phayir smiled wickedly, reaching silently for his lightsaber.
the youthfull and uncloaked being approached midway across the section of plateau, and stopped, holding it's lightsaber, crackling. This was the source of the crimson beacon that illuminated them, and threw shadows about the stone platform. The cloaked Sith by the ship stretched out his hand.
"Well done, my apprentice. You have returned....meaning that you suceeded. You know I accept nothing else....You do have it, then."
Calliga eyed the withered Zabrak who dared to call himself a Master. Both green orbs glittered with cold hate.
"yes."
the reply lacked all emotion.
The sith lord Phayir beckoned, his other hand lost in his black robes....and holding his Lightsaber.
"excellent. Come to your master, and let us behold what secrets you have recovered."
Calliga's hand flicked, and the black pyramid appeared in his gloved hand.
Deftly he examined it, ignoring the shocked sith lord.
"It's only a piece-!? w-what blasphemy is this, you little-"
Calliga's gaze snapped to his master's, eyes, cold and hard.
"Aye. Only a peice....but it still makes me more powerful than you"
the Sith lord Phayrir masked his panic, stepping fowards, still plotting to cut down his apprentice the moment he could reach.
"Give it to me, you brat! You Master commands you!"
Calliga was smiling, cold and deadly in his confidence. his knowledge of the force had grown much, perhaps more than Phayir realized-much more so, actually. that old relic was about to have rude awakening. Another flick of the wrist banished the small triangle of stone back out of sight. His master was Afraid, to see that calliga had somehow managed to learn just what it was he was holding: little did that silly Zabrac realize just how much Calliga knew.
"No."
The Zabrac scowled, his face hidden from view: only two glowering eyes and the white crown of bony horns showed where his face and head even were.
"So...It has come to this."
In a swirling, flowing motion, He lunged forwards at his apprentice, his lightsaber jutting out of his robes and erupting into a crimson blade.
Calliga moved faster that Phayir thought possible, bolting aside and slashing his master across the back with his own, firery blade.
The sith screamed as a burning line cut itself into his robes.
Twisting, he found his apprentice now standing near the ship, waiting. Mockingly, Calliga waved his hand.
"Come."
It was a dire insult: to have changed possitions, to have not killed on the first slash-Calliga was toying with him, the ultimate mockery.
With a feral snarl, The Zabrak's free hand came up and at blasted blue lightning at the hated Boy, bent on watching him scream and beg for a end.
It didn't come.
The lightning tore at the rocks and sparked off the ship's hull, But Calliga had once agian moved at very swift speeds that Phayir had never realized Calliga possesed.
Zsssh!!
With a vengeful grin, Calliga darted forwards and sliced off the lighting spewing hand. His master recoiled, cradling the smoldering stump of his hand.
calliga used a simplistic burst of the force and kicked up the dust on the ground, masking his Presence.
Enraged and in pain, Phayir cast about wildly, waving his lightsaber at the slightest force echo or ripple.
"Where are you!"
"Here."
Calliga stepped out of the haze right behind Phayir, and it it was only a wild backhanded block that saved the Sith lord from instant death right then and there. fear oozed off the Zabrac like sweet nectar from a overfilled beehive. Calliga licked his lips agian, tasting the air.
"Delicious.."
He commented, Locking his saber blade with his Master;s for what was soon to be the last time. The pair exchanged a brief few blows and then stepped back.
calliga grinned visciously.
"This...is the end, old man. I've no more use for you."
Phayir was panting searching for a opening in his suddenly invincible acolyte.
"How, How! How could you have become so Powerfull?!"
Calliga mentally ignored the attempt to provoke arrogance; he'd learned that trick long ago.
"It's simple. You are old and weak, about to be replaced by the strong. You are useless to me now-Your teachings fail me, and I must move on. Thus, you are only a sad, withered obstacle on my path."
"Y-you wrenched Ingrate! I saved you-!!"
"What does a Sith care about that? Your reliance on such bonds is proof of your failure."
And suddenly, calliga flashed fowards, his saber arcing wildly forwards. Phayir's counter proved to be ineffective, and Calliga's blade instead danced around it and found it's mark. With a crackling "Shkkk!", Calliga cut Phayir's torso in half, and the former Sith lord crumbled to the ground, gasping.
"was....that...Makashi...?"
The Sith lord croaked bitterly, his vision clouding.
Calliga stood over him, tossing his Master's lightsaber up and down lightly in on hand.
"Why, yes. Didn't I tell you? I've been practicing it when you've been doing your makeup-That was one of three moves I can do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Thule."
"Thule...?! W..Why..."
Calliga looked down at his fallen "master" with contempt.
"Becuase I hear a Sith Mistress by the name of Siren has taken up residence there, and she'll be good for getting info from. Perhaps she can even help me read this".
Now, Calliga had placed his master's lightsaber on his belt, and was tossing the dice-side black pyramid in his palm.
Phayir managed a wheezing laugh.
"Hah...you're going to that witch? She'll steal you soul and that object."
Calliga leaned down, smiling wickedly.
"Oh, I doubt that. FYI, I knew you where going to kill me when came back with this. That is why you..."
Calliga raised his still lit saber and brought it down hard.
"-lost."
Turning, he entered the ship and activated the controls, sending it up into the dark sky. After entering his destination and all the needed data, he let the nav-computer take over. Holding his master's white-handled Saber, calliga giggled to himself. Phayir was a useless relic to the end, he hadn't even put a lock on the ship's systems. While some sith would consider themselves a "knight" after slaying their master, he hadn't received any such blessing and nor did he want it. No, he wanted real power before he continued on his path of fate...and, from the stories, This Darth Siren could likely teach him more skills with the force: his saber hand was fast, but his talents for the force had been left sadly undertapped. And, with a part of the saber teachings of one who was once possibly the best Sith swordsman ever known, he had something to bargin with.

A experimental tap to the ignition stud on Phayir's saber proved ineffective: it had evidently been broken when Phayir dropped it upon being split.
Maybe someday he's fix it..or maybe not.
The Ship entered the linear stream of Hyperspace with blue plasma flare, and Calliga spent the short time involved searching the ship-the edge-for Bacta patches, and used a few to attend to his gashed arm and side.
The ship travelled swiftly: even with a weak hyperdrive, Thule was the closest planet to Korriban, and the distance was short.
Erupting back into real space, the battered craft entered the atmosphere and began approach to the capital: Calliga knew she'd only very recently gained control of parts of the planet, and the Capital was logical: Sith went for the throat.
when no towers hailed and no Lasers tried to cut the ship apart, calliga directed it down near the capital's outskirts, fully allowing it to be seen. That would hopefully get Siren's attentions quicker, and he was interested to meet this Sith who supposedly could fell a strong man with a single force command....
The Edge set down on pillars of steam, the boarding ramp cranking down with a creak. Calliga winced as several rivets fell off the craft as it landed. Phayir was not only a fool, and useless, he also couldn't keep a spacecraft working right. He'd need to alter it and upgrade it a bit before being able to go any farther that a few planets away.
Steppings confidently down the gangplank, Calliga tossed his Lightsaber in his hand agian, that mock-playful gesture that revealed him as a Sith.
"Ohhhh, Siii-rennnn...."
Calliga whispered, gazing about as a few people appeared from the surrounding area.

Cene tensed her wrist, a Vibroblade ejecting from her gauntlet in response to the lightsaber.
"You're not Revan. The gaps in your knowledge are proof enough of what you are. Revan made the Mando'ade immortal, made us impossible to destroy. He forged us in the fires of battle, hardened and tempered us like a blade. Thanks to Revan, nothing can ever destroy the Mando'ade. We Undrstand Revan. Understand him far better than the Sith, the Jedi, and-" She tapped her finger on the shield. "Even better than the toys he left behind. Your stupidity makes you obsolete, machine. You have been dormant for too long. Now silence yourself. Or I will do what time has proven reluctant to."

Within moments the newly arrived ship was surrounded by several armed guards, a few of them with lightsabers opposed to blasters, Siren's small, but growing, force of potential Sith soldiers. Having landed so close to the capital building, Siren herself was aware, and further intrigued, by the rather bold unannounced arrival of what the guards assumed to be a threat.

Not long after one of them yelled, " HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! " did a woman come from behind the guards, simply saying, " Stand down, boys. " After a brief pause, the guards lowered their weapons. It was rather odd that they would take orders from a woman who looked as though she belonged on stage in a cantina. However, anyone who would recognize the name would see why.

" Welcome to Thule, stranger. I am Siren, ruler of this planet. What brings you out here? "

" I can sense you're putting up a guard despite your courtesy. " Siren said, her tone being rather pleasant opposed to expressing distrust. " Good, at least you're no fool. You probably have only heard half-truths about me, as I've only recently come here from Roon. I was always surrounded by foolish people who were so easily manipulated by the empty promises of power... But I digress. " She stopped, turned to the guards, and motioned for them to leave. The guards turned around and went back to their posts.

Turning back to the new arrival, she continued. " I will be very busy today and unable to help, however you seem a little exhausted yourself, so might I offer you stay and rest for the day? The capital building is being redone to have a more luxurious feel to it with spare rooms and services for those that help me keep things going here. "

" You could stay in one of the spare rooms, and I'll have a few attendants ready to cater to your every need, be they medical... " She looked over at his ship and noted its rather 'used' state. " ... Mechanical, or... " She came very close to him, putting an arm around his shoulder and against his back, whispering the rest very quietly. " ... Sensual. Hmhmhm. " As if to tease, she began to seemingly caress him very slightly. " I have a number of women of varies species that could help ease any troubles you may have, however... I'm not that bad company myself. Mmmhmhm. "

She backed off of him. " Of course, if the latter is what you wish, I may be able to only spare a few minutes or perhaps an hour at most. It's not easy taking charge on the 1st day afterall. " She paused for a moment. " However, if things go well, I can get a few hours or more free and can help you with your artifact, and maybe we can get to know each other a little better on the side. So, what do you say... I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. "

Calliga's mind briefly began to sink, whisps of desire rising as Siren's touch reached him. Her words carried weight....wait, no. NO. calliga wrestled with a unexpected attack from within himself: Siren's touch and invitations had suddenly brought him into contact with a previously unknown feeling. Having spent his childhood hating a Devaronian from a position of slavery, and then becoming a Sith, he'd never once encountered this strange passion: It wasn't nessicarilly the Force responsible: Calliga was suddenly grappling with his own feelings: so part of him wanted to go with siren and take her up on that offer, even though the rest of him screamed against it.
Holding his mask of control over his face, calliga cuased before replying, as Siren teased.
Sith take strength from their passions. ...should he indulge these? But...those words from that old Freak...
'She'll take your soul and that object from you with ease.'
Words from a dying fool. But....

Calliga stiffened. Part of him also had a instinctive guess about what she was hinting at, though being leacherous wasn't exactly his top subject of study, despite some Sith. Fighting back the pleasant sensations her touch left, Calliga focused his mind and pulled away from the constricting emotions: Desires made him strong, true....but they were his power, not the other way around.

"....perhaps later. I'll deal with my body's needs and wants after I deal with my mind's."
Calliga motioned to the hastily cured gashes, indicating where he put his priorities. Yet, despite his attempts to hide it, he was in fact, a male who had only recently left adolescence behind: Siren's teasing made him blush for a second.
"To answer your inquiry, Darth Siren, I answer to the title "Calliga". Your statement regarding your new dominion over this word brings to mind a offer.
May I hasten your day by lending my 'saber hand to this? If I help with the "chores", then the time for trifles comes faster." Calliga offered, pushing the blush away and trying to act unfazed and retain his calm and cold composure.
But even still, curiousity remained...and it would no doubt follow him for some time, but he'd deal with it later.
"So, Darth Siren, if it pleases you, May I then asist in some fashion, so that "later" can be brought on sooner? I would really like to show you just what this is, but as I said before, it is unwise to disscuss Sith matters in front of Peons."
He gestured at the guards and a few civilians, the cold smile returning to menace the guards again, cautioning them wordlessly against anything "funny". He'd felled one sith lord now, albiet a old one. blasters were losing their threat to him more and more as time passed.

"....." Calliga hesitated; analyzing the situation from multiple angles in rapid sequence. Siren was mysterious: perhaps this was good-all true Sith were nearly incalculable. And she did have a great amount of force power....but there was almost a strange tug on him when he looked at her, and he could for the life of him figure out what it was: he sensed no use of the force on him, so what tactic....?
Moreover, this meeting had gone acceptable: while he hadn't gained what he desired, there was hope, and nothing causing damage or harm to his person had occured. And inconvenience could become opportunity: these "luxuries" Siren spoke of where also unknown, but he should learn, even though he'd heard some sith call such things as "comforts of the weak-minded", siren was certainly not, and it seemed to be her preferences that had arranged the way things were currently. Thus, perhaps those sith where weak-minded themselves, and needless conforts could be enjoyed and used as trap for the unwary.
The moment he thought of this, he become almost certain: that was Siren's trap, her home field. A quicksand of the mind to slow any intruders, then her force-based attacks would no doubt be nearly effortless. Calliga also observed that this was by no means the full scope; Darth Siren's strange powers baffled even him.
Thus, the best use for his time was to change further and adapt quickly to that which he did not understand.
Using a small remote, he commanded the Edge to seal itself untill further commands, which it did with a few bouts of static and creaking.
Calliga frowned at it.
Turning, he faced the lady Siren had instructed to guide him.
There was a touch of huaghtiness in his voice, his standard sith manner surfacing when dealing when someone of lesser or equal power.
"Fine. Lead, then."
The pale sith pronounced with a small nod, pushing some hair out of his eyes, and following.

"hm. Sith rarely need such things. It can indicate a problem arise towards which we are helpless....that is never the case. Not me, anyway."
Calliga commented flatly, displaying the trademark attitude of a Sith.
Stepping inside, he closed the door by tapping the controls and inspected the small by "soft" set of chambers avialible. favorably; the walls were grey-silver metal and the floor was mostly a red material, a color scheme that calliga liked.
Holobooks sat on a decorative shelf for some quiet, scholarly moments: agian, to evolve, knowledge was the needed food. So these could work to a practical use for the aspiring sith.
Sitting down on a sleeping platform(consisting of a rounded retangular tray of metal filled with soft cushions and blankets in no particular order), Calliga took a moment to be a relavitively normal being, and not a galaxy-conquering sith.
Sighing, he reach down and brushed the buckles of his boots; a touch from the force opened all of them on both feet at once. removing them, he let his feet rest on the soft surface of the floor: they were one of the few parts of his body not covered in bandages, and he'd had them on for over 48 hour straight.
Come to think of it, he'd be awake for most of that time, infused with a charge of nervous energy and the dark side.
He could spare a few moments for a rest.
Dropping back onto the cushioned mass, Calliga removed his gloves and set them next to his boots, before closing his eyes.
Even so, his hand was on his lightsaber.