Ask Below the Surface

[Darth Tempest]

.

Right before her eyes, things were rapidly changing within the Empire. War raged between Imperials and the Consortium, while Vahliri’s mind lingered on her recent meeting with Darth Trelain and Altair. It carried its own significant implications going forward, and it left the half-Annfyn to sure up her own bases and assets in the coming days. Ensuring her support, most of all. The trip to Utapau was, admittedly, an escape from it all.

It had been weeks since she’d last seen her apprentice, but reports indicated that Celeste had been busy since Rattatak. Her former world had suffered heavy bombardment by the Empire before eventually capitulating, only days before the war erupted and resources were diverted away from that section of the Galaxy. Utapau would be the next stage of their training - as they delved deep into the subterranean planet, in search of anything that would link them to Darth Desolaus. Rumor of the ancient Sith Lord had passed across the half-Annfyn’s table during the course of her studies, and his knowledge in the Arcane was apparently of great interest to her apprentice.

Vahliri took atop one of the windswept mesas of the planet, overlooking one of the sinkhole cities several miles in the distance. It was.. Almost unnatural quiet, as the planet had effectively been lifeless since being devastated by AMS years ago. Only the infected remained, and they had progressively moved deeper into the earth and off the surface.

More so than anywhere else, Vahliri and Celeste were entirely alone.

She waited for her apprentice to arrived, closing her eyes into the breeze. It flowed and whipped at her black hair, while her mind traveled to places far away from that moment.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Utapau was surely a sight to behold as subterranean planets were rather rare and the wide sinkholes impressive. It was an entirely different view than the rocky deserts of Rattatak - even if this terrain existed here as well - but what was special about it was that most life was or now rather had been going on on the inside, deep under the surface and hidden from most views.

The AMS virus had shaken the whole planet and basically exterminated the life that had one existed. The remaining infected probably still nested under the surface, at least if rumors were to be trusted, and Celeste wondered whether they'd run in to the zombies by any chance. She had fought them again and while they were no big deal, their numbers couldn't be underestimated.

The blonde had changed, not just from the outside. The corruption showed in her expressions, in her eyes and even on her skin, all subtle, but recognizable for those who knew her well and there was not a single day on which she didn't use what remained of her time to meditate and study to expand her knowledge and her powers.

Ever since her continous training with Vahliri, the adventures with Arla and lastly the weeks spent with Raze, the impacts had gotten much stronger and inexorable, yet she was willingly paying the prices of this kind of commitment to the dark side and thus losing what remained for her humanity slowly but steadily.

Going after Darth Desolous was admittedly an interesting choice as he had made the mistake of getting carried away by arrogance and thus running right into a trap set by Jedi. He had been known as a fierce warrior, yet his bloodlust had made him blind, but this didn't mean he served no purpose. What had piqued her interest were his studies of the Arcane and ancient Sith teachings. From the information she had gathered, even before he had ascended into the position of the Dark Lord he had collected some interesting findings and they were following the trace the Pau'an.

As she descended the shuttle in her armor, her gaze was immediately fixed on her master, the dark hair majestically flowing in the wind and her posture indicating that her spirits were still on a little journey, but as she would sense her approach, she didn't slow down. "My lady. It's good to see you again". She offered a polite, respectful inclination of her head towards the master, momentarily lowering her gaze before she glanced back up. It had been a few weeks again since their paths had last crossed and Celeste had been busy rebuilding essential structures on Rattatak while ensuring everything went according to plan on the new Imperial planet.

@Altaris

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri decided to savor what little downtime she actually had - feeling as the breeze whipped through her dark locks. The half-Annfyn’s mind hadn’t stop racing since the meeting on Korriban, and she knew that the Empire would drastically change before too long. It meant putting several things into stone, and her apprentice was no exception to the rule. She had already decided on a course of actions - and it only remained to be seen where Celeste would land in all of it.

She wasn’t left waiting for very long before Celeste arrived - prompting the half-Annfyn to finally open her eyes to the world around. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed that her apprentice had changed drastically over the past few weeks - both through the Force and the physical manifestations of the Dark Side visible to the eye. A part of Vahliri was pleased with the development, seeing her apprentice delve deeper into the Darkness.

“And it is good to see you,” She said after a moment, tilting her head towards Celeste after a long moment. “How have you been, these past weeks?” The half-Annfyn asked, gesturing for her apprentice to follow. It was a short hike down to the sinkhole city, and whatever was waiting for them there. “You’ve changed.” She said, though there wasn’t anything to indicate whether that was a positive or negative comment.

The plains of Utapau were devoid of any sentient life - with only locals birds swirling in the skies above them. Their path was a broken and unmaintained road, clearly having once been used for transportation across the surface of the planet and between the Pau’an cities.

“It is rumored that Darth Desolous made his base of operations within some of the deepest caverns of the planet - closest to the oceans that run beneath our very feet.” She said as they walked, keeping her hands neatly folded against the small of her back. “You’ve developed an interest in Magick and Alchemy?”

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Vahliri looked...relaxed, which was actually hard to place for Celeste. The master was usually busy and her latest achievements were proof to her unrelentless ambitions. It was good that she was just as driven as herself and Celeste did not only respect, but admire her commitment, as she had repeatedly proven that her training was valuable. Thus, despite not often feeling joy anymore, she was looking forward to their quest beneath the surface.

There was no need to stop, as Vahliri immediately gestured for her to follow and so she did. Celeste had started to appreciate directness and avoid wasting any time, especially because it was more valuable than ever in those war-stricken times. "I've been doing well. There was plenty of work, but I never minded it. I've also progressed quickly, yet my hunger for more is seemingly as insatiable as ever...". The Dark Side left you hungry, because through every experience of sheer power, it allowed you to catch a glimpse of what it could truly feel like.

She was constantly yearning for her, in a way Darth Raze had even conditioned her to feel even more satisfaction through the power with his methods. She was constantly tempted to tap into the darkness and feed it to expand it. Every now and then she had to remind herself not to get too carried away even, as she still needed to stay in control. Vahliri had become an expert with the Dark Side, so there was no need to explain. She only offered an "I know. It feels great" as a reply, not referring to the pain that was caused by the dying self from the inside. She was obviously noticing the manifestation of the dark side, but it was hard to read what the master finally made out of it. It was definitely proof to her success when it came to her apprentice's training.

The Force flowed through her rather calmly as she was staying attentive. She realized that she was missing Asha, but she had lost the Wolf at home this time, as she wouldn't have been of much help. They descended deeper into the first sinkhole, her expressions rather cold, but the senses on alert. "That's excellent...If his presence was strong in this place, we might get to work with his spirit". Since she had recently participated in such a ritual, she knew how they could make him appear, yet maybe that wasn't even necessary.

"I do indeed. I've realized that once you've gain a deeper understanding, your powers are quickly expanding". The Force was obviously mysterious and even if you'd studied it for centuries, you would only scratch at the surface, but though Arla she had learnt that not many Sith were versed in actual Sith Magick and she intended to change that. "It is not difficult to call on the dark side as it responds to emotions connected to it, yet to truly delve in, I feel like we need to trace back our roots". That had also been an insight gained from her studies. Many Sith were also just scratching the surface, unleashing their anger through the Force, but there was so much more to it and many failed to see.

@Altaris