Ask Naboo Chronicles of Naboo

[Veles]

Sith space, realspace
//// local time

The ship's engine rumbled as they detached from the rest of the standing fleet and headed their own way, the pilot typing in the hyperspace coordinates as Veles looked out the window. This had been an easy and safe place to meet up, and their destination was decently far, so it was nice to get some rest beforehand. What was not so nice was the fact that they'll be cutting through FWA space, even if they were going to be in hyperspace. Who knew what kind of technology fleets had nowadays? Pulling a shuttle out of hyperspace couldn't be that hard.

"Lord Veles, we are ready to engage hyperdrive." The pilot's cool, calm and collected voice buzzed in through their comms, his demeanor so intoxicatingly confident that it practically dripped out of the device. Veles had met him before they boarded, as he prefers to personally meet every single person that will be piloting him over such large distances. The guy had been snobbish and elitist about his craft, and the only reason Veles hadn't chucked him into space was because he was the only pilot available on that ship who had done this route before.

The road from Sith space on the Northern side to Sith space on the Southern side was not always easy, as was the case with such large distances. Plotting the hyperdrive course was a challenge as it was.

"Whenever you're ready, Captain." The stars out the window suddenly turned to streaks and the craft picked up speed. Once it was in hyperspace, Veles unbuckled his belt and rose from his seat to stretch.

"Caf?" he asked his new apprentice, pouring some for himself into a mug with a picture of him riding a rancor at a zoo. Underneath was the text "FUN TIMES AT CORUSCANT LEVEL 3245 ZOO" in sparkly green text. He realized only when he'd already taken a sip, and he silently shifted it so that the blank back faced Altair.

The ship rumbled slightly, sending a small splash off caf out of his cup and onto the floor, and Veles raised an eyebrow, cocking his head toward the cockpit. It rumbled again, this time hard enough to make him stumble a bit, and then suddenly the pilot's voice buzzed into the comms again.

"Sorry, hit a Mynock," he declared sheepishly.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

When he had been informed he was finally matched with a Master, Altair was ecstatic. That excitement turned to all out nervousness when he realized it was a Sith Lord. Acolytes like him that had a C average at the academy usually got paired with beginner Champions. However, every once in a while, they did random matchings which paired Sith Lords with academy acolytes. Would Veles be disappointed at being stuck with someone like him? Would he think Altair was some disgusting demon like most of the galaxy saw him through their prejudice?

To his surprise, virtually none of that turned out to be true. Veles took to his appearance with stride, and they set upon a journey to begin Altair’s training. He decided to be responsible for once, packing a backpack with supplies, along with his collapsible Wan-shen. He wouldn’t be using it soon, since he donned his matukai gauntlets. He switched from one to the other, but he never carried, nor did he ever construct, a saber.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when Veles offered caf, and he looked over and managed a smile that looked vaguely like he urgently had to go to the restroom, “Uh, yeah!” He said, his voice cracking a bit. He was way more nervous than he needed to be, and he knew it. The Sith Lord may have looked a bit spooky, but he had been relaxed thus far. The picture on the mug was testament enough of that.

Altair took another mug, glancing down at the writing on it which was VELES the acronym with Vehement Exceptional Lovely Eclectic Sith written down vertically. Altair also chose to spin that so his Master couldn’t see he could see the writing as he poured some caf. He took a sip and almost chipped his tooth as the ship lurched a bit. When the voice came in, Altair looked around and blinked.

“Uh…just…casually hit a mynock?” He said, alarmed. Normally that didn’t bode well.

As if on cue, the ship began to rock and shudder. Altair had been through this before and he spat out a long string of profanity as he heard familiar alarms. He set the mug aside - he didn’t want to get lightning’d if his master was super attached to it - and glanced up, “I think we’re going to crash!”

@vamp

 

[Veles]

"Hey, listen--if you think you can do my job better than me, then get over here and take a seat, kid." Veles set the cup down on a table and took a seat silently, buckling his belt without a word. "All you damn Sith are the same. Stuck-up, arrogant, good-for-n--"

The ship lurched and they tore out of hyperspace, spinning in a wild circle as it neared a terrestrial planet that Veles could not properly see as they zoomed through realspace like a drunk bird. Veles put on the vests they had just for situations like this and motioned for Altair to do so, too, the entire time moving calmly as though it was not his first rodeo.

"I believe so, too," he retorted, rolling his eyes as the pilot wrenched the controls, causing the ship to pull back hard and come to a complete stop on its right side. When they flipped back, the comms buzzed again and Veles damn near sent a fireball through the wall in front of him.

"Just some average turbulance!" he assured, his voice strained. "We'll be back in hyperspace in no ti--"

Disaster struck once more as a stray asteroid that had been sailing in that exact same direct for millennia hit them just right to bend the hull and send them zooming through space again. Unfortunately, the engine had been hit and the controls no longer worked, so the only thing the pilot could do was uselessly tap at buttons while hoping Veles would not break down the door.

The Sith Lord was in his seat, staring at the shards of the mugs that had both shattered, caf flowing up and down as the ship spun. His heart turned to ice when he realized the zoo that mug was from had been closed down on animal cruelty charges, so there was no feasible way for him to get another. Suddenly, he could not wait for them to finally crash because that meant he could unbuckle and head for the pilot.

Their shuttle, as it spun through air, hit various floating rocks, debris, and even a few corpses, losing a chunk of the hull every time it did. By the time they entered the planet's atmosphere, they were missing a wing and a half, the engine, the entire cargo area, and half of one of the personal chambers. There was a small fire raging in the engine room, and their hull slowly began to heat up as they entered an uncontrolled freefall into the atmosphere.

After what felt like forever, they slammed down onto an empty field, their ship carving through several hundred meters of the lush plains, destroying whoever had toiled all year on the crop. They came to a shuddering stop just as they rammed through the barn, shattering the wall and roof so that wood collapsed in on their ship as well. Veles could still hear the circuits and engine sizzling, and could smell the smoke in the air.

He didn't even unbuckle his belt. He tore out of his seat with enough strength to shred the belt and practically leaped into the cockpit. The pilot was there, knocked out, his head on the board in front of him, and Veles ripped him out of the seat by the scruff of his neck, throwing him into the nothingness that had used to be the wall. The pilot sailed out of the ship and landed somewhere outside.

He poked his head out and was pleased to see that the pilot had landed in a massive pile of bantha dung.

"They let just anyone graduate from the Academy," he sighed, shaking his head.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

“Maybe I fuckin-” Altair began to quip back to the pilot, cast a glance at how his Master appeared calm and almost blazed, and he shut up. Instead, he glared ahead of himself as the ship began to lurch and rock again. He grabbed the proffered vest and gingerly lowered it around his obnoxious horns and onto his torso, fastening it.

As the motions got horribly jerky and they collided with other debris and obstructions, Altair began to panic, “Should we head to the escape pods?!” He looked over at Veles, who still looked cool as a cucumber. He could have been at the god damned spa getting his toes manicured. Altair followed his gaze, noting the shattered mugs. Internally he was glad he set it down so he couldn’t be blamed for the disaster. He looked down at the shard that said ‘Lovely’ on it, staring up at both him and Veles.

Based on glancing out the window, it was too late for the pods. He squeezed his eyes shut, enhancing his body with the Force like he was taught as a Matukai. He braced for impact and all the subsequent pains that could follow. He winced at the thunderous crash, almost vomiting from the way the belts dug into his torso. That was gonna leave a park…

There was a moment of silence after the crash and Altair coughed a few times, wondering what ancient Sith god he pissed off to now be involved in a ship crash for the second time. The tiefling looked over as his Master abruptly tore himself off his seat in a flying rage. Altair awkward fiddled with and unbuckled his seatbelts as Veles bodily tossed the pilot. He rose to his feet and took off the ridiculous vest, grabbing his bag as he followed the Sith Lord out.

He cautiously stepped past the poop, though the stench was unbelievable. Altair could see nothing but rolling hills and fields for miles. The sun began to set over the horizon, and they would be stuck in the dark soon. After a moment, his eyes widened and he looked at his Master. Of course! This explained why his master was so calm during the landing!

“Was the crash landing a test?” He asked eagerly, “Did I pass since I didn’t totally lose it?” He was smiling now, “What a sick trial, boss! What do we do next?!” He asked hopefully, looking around at the their surroundings that he was completely sure was all part of Veles’ grand plan.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

The Captain was out cold, and he shifted around as though he were trying to get more comfortable in his bed, except he was simply writhing around in bantha dung. Veles stepped down and surveyed their surroundings, reaching into his pocket for his personav. The screen flickered and glitched as the tiny computer tried to triangulate their location, only to find the signal jammed. He sighed in frustration and switched to the compass so they at least had some sense of direction. He leaned his body against the only escape pod of the ship, which had taken the brunt of the hit and was cracked like an egg, the inside a charred, smoldering mess of melted metal and plastoid.

"The escape pods are usually good if you're not whirling around in circles," he noted. Realization dawned on his apprentice's face, and Veles looked at him as though Altair had just quacked like a duck. "Yes. Now we go to the other ship that will pick us up and take us to our destination."

For a few seconds, the two looked at each other stupidly. Then, Veles broke the silence.

"No. We're stranded. And it seems any GPS signal is jamm--"

He was cut short as someone pulled a bag made of rough straw over his head and he was lifted by what felt like three pairs of arms. Altair would get the same treatment, except they used a much larger bag for him, and the Tiefling would find himself slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

They were both roughly carried around, and Veles writhed around defiantly, kicking his legs and fists out. He managed to get a good hit in someone's jaw, and the man cried out then wrapped something around his arms.

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Green mist began to gather around his wrists, tumbling through his fingers and back, the rope around his arms beginning to slowly get singed away.

And then someone hit him over the head with a shovel and he was out cold.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair’s grin rapidly melted away as Veles looked at him dumbly and confirmed they were just plain ol’ crashlanded and lost. His sense of confidence evaporated and slight panic began to set in. The last time he crash landed he was stuck on Zakuul and experienced some weird, creepy shit that he never wanted to revisit again. Oh well, at least he was with an actual adult this time.

He watched as right on cue as his master got a bag over his head. He couldn’t react as the same thing happened to him and he was unceremoniously hoisted over someone’s shoulder, “Hey hey hey watch the horns!!” His muffled voice called out angrily as he struggled. One of his horns poked through the bag as he struggled and he got a healthy conk to the forehead to knock him out.

“Chu ki bong bing koo koo!” One of the unseen locals blurted out before someone used the shovel on Veles.

After what felt like hours, Altair groaned as he came to. He had a throbbing headache and realized he was hanging upside down with his feet tied from a rope. His hands were bound as well. A blindfold ensured he had no idea where he was. Both men had been stripped down to their undies and Altair was wearing bright colored anime boxers, because of course he was.

“I…don’t feel good..” He groaned, and he began to realize they had probably been drugged. He suddenly had a very difficult time focusing on using the Force. His mind was jumbled and he felt very loopy and out of it.

“Uhh anybody in here?” He groaned, “I'm going to...kill you..stupid fuckers...." Altair had to stop talking because he gagged a bit, fighting back the urge to vomit.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

Veles awoke as he heard Altair's voice, his hearing slowly fading in. He opened his eyes but saw nothing except geometric patterns shifting around over a black background. For a moment, he was struck by overwhelming confusion. Then, he swung his body around and found that he, too, was hanging upside down. The Sith Lord groaned.

"Altair? Are you there?" Veles called out into the darkness. He writhed in his restraints, struggling to channel the Force but finding that he was unable to. Indeed they'd drugged them, and the Sith Lord idly wondered what in the Galaxy this substance was. He'd tried spice, and deathsticks, and glyteryll, but nothing compared to this high. He'd have to search for their stash the moment he'd decapitated every single one of the assholes who'd hoisted him up like a small child.

Veles threw his entire body forward and then backwards, swinging like a pendulum over the ground. A crack cut through the room, like the sound of wood splintering. Some sort of dust rained down on him, but he barely even noticed. Desperate to free himself and completely discombobulated, he threw his very being into the swinging. And then a massive sound that sounded like wood exploding filled the room, and he found himself falling several feet until he hit the ground hard.

Pain shot up his side, and he could have sworn he'd heard a rib or two cracking. But that was irrelevant now. What was most important was regaining his vision. His hands probed his face, his fingers running over his features as though it was the first time he was using them. With much more effort than he'd care to admit, he tore the blindfold off and surveyed the room, a choked noise coming out from the back of his throat as he saw the most absurd scene he had ever observed in any corner of the Galaxy.

What in the Galaxy are those boxers??? If there had been room for any shame between him and Altair, after today's events there most certainly would never be. He looked down and found that he, too, was naked, and he scrambled up to his feet and dashed to a corner of the room where he saw a cloak laying there, crumpled. He put it on and only then he spoke, realizing that Altair probably thought he'd died.

"Altair, stay right there. I can get you down." He took a step forward and suddenly the world was shifting and swirling, patterns spinning around on the walls and the ceiling lowering and raising itself. For a moment, Veles simply stood there, admiring the hallucination. Then, he tried to move forward once again and found that whenever he stepped forth, the room would stretch back, giving it the appearance of stretching on for infinity. He scoffed and moved faster, only to fall down to his knees as he stumbled over something.

"Hey! What the fuck?"

Veles looked down in pure terror as he realized that the prone figure on the ground that he'd tripped over was a person. He blinked several times, because there was no possible way that the man's eyes would be growing in size and then shrinking, and his nose melting into his mouth.

"Are you our guard?" he asked, his tone accusatory.

"What? No! I'm literally in handcuffs with a ball of metal tied to my leg, are you fucking blind?"

The Sith Lord looked again. So he was. Then again, perhaps he was not, and the little black sphere attached to his leg that for some reason had eyes and a mouth stretched into a wide, toothy grin was also a hallucination. Veles simply did not possess the mental energy to deal with this right now.

"Wait--you guys speak Basic?"

He waved his hand in the man's face and then turned away, raising himself back up and heading for Altair. "Shut up. I'll deal with you later." The other prisoner released a torrent of shouting, ranging from rage-filled expletives to pleading for Veles to release him, but he had long ago tuned out from that station. Now, he had to free his apprentice.

As he reached Altair, he stopped directly under the man, a dilemma presented to the Sith Lord. How was he going to get him down? Veles looked around the room--ignoring what looked like a Jawa but upon closer inspection was a broom--and saw nothing of use. An idea dawned on him, and he swung into action.

Veles jumped, his arms extended. He grabbed the man by the hands and then fell back down on his ass. The wood beam that supported Altair splintered just as it had for Veles, and the two were showered in bits of wood--but Altair was free at last.

"Altair, why in the Force did you feel the need to strip down to your boxers?" he asked, hiding the wide grin on his face before the man could tear his blindfold off and see him.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair heard Veles and quickly looked in that direction even though he couldn’t see jack shit, “Master!” He called out, “I’m here! Can you get me down?” He heard a whole lot of creaking and then a thud.

“Yep, I ain’t going nowhere..” He remarked under his breath when Veles helpfully told him to stay put. However, he was confused when Veles began to have a lengthy conversation with someone. Altair’s head was already throbbing and this was not helping, “Who are you talking to?! Get me down!”

Altair finally felt Veles grab his arms and yank down. While it felt incredibly unpleasant, it ultimately got the job done. He had no idea that his horns just barely missed impaling his own master as they landed in a heap on the ground. Altair brought up his hands to quickly take his blindfold off, squinting his violet eyes as he looked back at Veles. Before he could say anything, Veles remarked about his state of attire, earning a glare.

“Oh, you know, thought I’d catch a tan since we’re enjoying this wonderful beach vacation,” He shot back icily while still lying on the ground with his head tilted back to look at Veles. He slowly moved to sit up, “Why are you dressed like a Holomovie wizard?”

A quick glance around would reveal that there were no windows and the other prisoner. Altair looked towards the door, saw doubles and almost vomited. He had to wait for his eyes to focus a bit. The tiefling rose to his feet, half stumbling over to the door to open it. Naturally, it was locked from the other side. He groaned to himself, looking back at Veles.

“I can ram this thing open with my horns and make a lot of noise, or we can try and figure out a quiet way…you wanna try asking that guy?”

At this point, Altair was quite drugged and delusional as well, though not as bad as Veles. His tail was swishing around and he suddenly got an idea. He grabbed a hold of his own tail, looking at the pointed end of it and blinked a few times, "Duuude, do you think I can pick the lock with this?"

@vamp

 

[Veles]

"What, you thought just because Dathomir's sun is red a trip to the beach was completely ruled out?" he retorted, indignant.

He rose to his feet as Altair sat up and struggled to get his bearings, and although the Tiefling was equally disoriented, it seemed he still had his wits about him. "Oh, I felt a gentle breeze and decided to bundle up lest I catch a cold," he hissed. "We'll see who gets the last laugh when you're bedridden and I remain spry as a foal."

He walked into a corner of the room as Altair headed for the door and stuck his fingers up his throat, retched, then promptly vomited a brackish orange liquid onto a hay bale. Turning, Veles could sense the Force returning to him slowly, though the hallucinations persisted. Doing his best to ignore the rancor hanging from the remaining wooden beams, he made his way over to Altair.

"If there is a lesson to be learned today, it's that nothing is impossi--"

"Hey! If you cut me loose I can show you where the armory is!" the man called out, and Veles suddenly remembered they weren't alone. He shifted to look at Altair.

"Do you not see or hear him?" he asked, pointing toward the stranger. Veles strode to the prisoner and bent down to his knees, staring at the chain connecting his leg to the ball of what looked like steel. He wrapped his palms around it and closed his eyes. Staring into the void of darkness, he let the Force flow through him, searching for the thread of Dathomir in the sea of nothingness. At last sensing it, green mist gathered around his hands and the metal slowly began to melt. The connection to the ball broken, the man was now free, and Veles helped him rise.

"You're gonna have to find a way out of this room on your own, but I know where they keep their weapons. Hey, what the hell was that green mi--"

But Veles had already turned and was making his way back to Altair. "You can try to pick the lock, but if it doesn't work just ram through the door. We've already caused a ruckus by collapsing two of the beams, and I don't want to stick around for the roof to collapse in on us."

He looked his apprentice up and down for a brief moment. "Hey--what are those creatures on your underwear?" he asked, referring to the cheery anime characters.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

“Spry as a foal?” He repeated, raising a brow, “You even talk like a wizard,” He muttered before he focused back on the door. He could hear Veles suddenly retching and looked over to see it was self induced. At first he found the act ridiculous, but he realized it was a brilliant plan. Altair grimaced as he looked down at his clawed fingers. He gingerly tried the same, avoiding nicking anything as he walked to an opposite corner to do the same. After a few attempts, he finally managed to successfully vomit in an attempt to clear out some of the drugs.

It was subtle, but moments later he began to feel less woozy. He blinked a few times before he returned to the door, “Of course I see him,” Altair responded, “But he was a dumbass like us to end up in here as well,” He attempted to fiddle with the lock with his tail, but it was to no avail. In fact, as his head cleared up, he couldn’t help but wonder why he was trying this at all. Since when did his tail ever serve as a lockpick???

Altair took several steps back, attempting to channel the Force to himself. That was when Veles remarked on his underwear. The tiefling actually paused what he was doing to look at his Master, “It’s swanime. Never heard of Taruno? Shell in the Ghost? Space Cowboy?” He rolled his eyes before looking forward again, “Maybe I’ll get new boxers printed with Amazing Lovely Tantalizing Awesome Irresistible Rockstar instead,” He snickered to himself, deciding that was actually quite apt since he was a musician.

Without wasting more time, he called the Force to himself as best as he could. Even without it, he was powerful and his horns had never let him down. Without warning, he charged forth at the door full speed, slamming it with his full body weight and the force of four horns. The attempt proved to be a success, the door flying right off its hinges and falling back. Unfortunately, this certainly caused a bit of noise.

Altair looked back at Veles, “Come on, grab your boyfriend and let’s go!” He called out urgently. Unfortunately there was no additional clothing for him and he was left in just his swanime undies. There was nothing but an empty hallway directly outside the door, the path to the right leading to a wall. The path to the left led deeper into whatever building they were in. For some reason, it didn’t actually look like a building. It felt as if they were beneath the earth with archaic bricks and masonry. They were in a literal dungeon. Altair's first goal was to find their weapons.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

"I talk like a wizard?" he asked incredulously. Lifting his hand, sparks of green erupted from it. "Is this not wizardry? You talk like a petulant teenager, so what conclusion should one draw from that?"

And it was true. It was hard for Veles to feel irritated due to the drugs and the trauma of the crash, but had an Acolyte treated him like this anywhere else, he likely would not have been so patient. If Altair was to accept him as a Master and begin formal training, some things would have to change. Then again, Veles was completely aware that respect--and trust--were earned, and perhaps it would take some time for the two to develop a certain bond. This was just their first meeting, after all. He could not be too hard on the Tiefling--there would be an eternity of time for that later.

"Swanime?" Veles was an avid fan of the holonet, with all its quirky entertainment and useful utilities, but never in his life had he heard of swanime. For a brief moment, he wondered if it was a sex thing, but quickly fled from those thoughts in fear of realizations that he did not want to have. He'd likely search it up later, but he would have to make sure to erase all traces. Only the Force knew what teenagers got up to these days.

"Maybe you should. Or maybe you should get a mug from Coruscant's Level 3245 Zoo--ah wait, it's permanently closed!" That mug had been a piece of history. It would take him some time to recover from its loss, and Veles would probably attend a few auctions to see if he could find any others still around. He was willing to pay good credits for it.

"Hey, space freaks--are you going to get us out or--" the stranger had risen and walked over to them, but his incessant complaining was cut short as Altair slammed his head into the wooden door, blowing it to smithereens. Finally we get something done.

Veles turned expectantly toward the man, and for a moment he stood there in stunned silence. This was likely more excitement in one day than he'd had in his entire life, and joining an entourage that consisted of two travelers who had literally crashed out of the sky and looked like demons was likely a first for him. Then, he snapped out of it before Veles could slap him out of it, and the man swung into action.

"Okay, follow me," he declared, stepping outside into the dimly lit hallway. Torches lined the antique stone walls, casting flickering light onto the dungeon's halls. They took a left and then kept going down the maze-like corridor, going right and then left again. Veles did not keep track; they would not be going back anyway, and anywhere was a better place to be than there. "Just around this corner."

He poked his head out for the briefest second and then yanked it back, turning to face the two. "There's a guard standing outside the armory," he whisper shouted. "You'll have to take him out if you want t--"

A thud not unlike the sound of bone hitting rock interrupted him, and Veles stared at the two innocently as the guard fell to his knees and then face-first onto the ground. Green mist dissipated from the air above him. "You'll have to tell me how the fuck you can do that."

Veles was the first around the corner, making a beeline for the guard and searching his prone body for anything that they could use to get inside. At last finding a chain of rusting keys, he yanked it out and motioned to the unconscious guard's body.

"Here, Altair, now you don't have to run around in your sandime boxers," he declared triumphantly. The man was wearing a set of woolen clothing that made him look like an absolute imbecile, and Veles could not wait to see what Altair would look like in that clothing. "Better to look like a little priest's helper than a wizard, I suppose," he muttered under his breath and fiddled with the keys until he found the correct one for the door. It swung open and they found themselves in a room lit, again, by several torches. Veles had expected some sort of vibroswords or--optimistically--blasters, but he stared in awe at the swords, axes, and spears that lined the walls.

"Altair, I think we crash-landed on a planet that's still stuck in its iron age."

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair winced when Veles, for the first time, sounded even remotely annoyed. He decided he should probably cut back on the snark a bit. In many ways it allowed him to get along better with Veles, but at the end of the day he was only the apprentice. He was silent as they exited out into the hallway, though he was surprised to see the other man leading the way. He finally proved to be useful, clearly having more background on this bizarre area of the planet than Altair or Veles did.

The tielfling didn’t bat an eye as Veles promptly took care of the guard. However, he couldn’t help but look suspiciously at the man. Didn’t most people know about Force users in the galaxy? He was distracted when Veles pointed out his new clothing choice. Altair gave Veles a dirty look at his snide commentary which was a bit louder than the Sith Lord intended.

He focused on undressing the guard, glaring the entire time as he took off the layers and put them on. Not only was it slightly smelly, but it was also itchy. It wasn’t until he began to take the pants off that he realized the mother fucker went full commando. Altair gritted his teeth, completely enraged at the sight. He debated the pros and cons of remaining in his swanime boxers instead. In the end, he turned the pants inside out and pulled them on. He was absolutely furious and he was bigger and taller than the guard. This meant that the pants looked like yoga tights on him and they also ended half up his calves.

He could hear the other prisoner coughing a few times to suppress an obvious chuckle. Altair looked at him, “Keep laughing and I’ll show you some real fucking wizardry,” He said with venom dripping from his tone. Altair whirled around, the dramatic spin almost tearing the seam right up along his ass, as he strode into the armory behind Veles.

Unlike Veles, Altair was actually excited to see the lineup of weapons, “Oh shit!” He exclaimed, “Some of this looks like my wan-shen!” He picked up a halberd and maneuvered it easily a few times. Altair looked at Veles, gazing up and down to size him up before he walked over to the arrangement of swords. The tiefling picked up a few of them, weighing them one by one till he came across an old cutlass. He rolled his wrist with it a few times before handing it to Veles, “That should work for you. You’ll get used to the weight.”

Altair looked back at the other prisoner who simply stared in awe, “You gonna pick a weapon or what?”

“M-Me?” He swallowed, “I’m a librarian. I don’t deal in barbaric practices,” He looked disgusted before he turned around to lead the way again. He paused, looked at them and then shuffled behind them, “On second thought, you two should go first…”

“So you can pull a fast one on us?” Altair hissed, “Been there done that. Move, enlightened one.”

The librarian scowled him and began to walk ahead. At some point, the prisoner stepped on a loose bit of flooring. All of a sudden, giant blades erupted from the sides of the hallway. It was on pure reflexive instinct that Altair was able to yank the librarian back out of harm’s way before he was bisected. The tiefling stared with wide eyes.

“Shit this place is booby trapped?!”

@vamp

 

[Veles]

Veles stifled a chuckle as well when he looked at Altair but managed to hide it perfectly. The Tiefling looked even goofier than he'd expected.

He caught the cutlass from Altair and swung it a couple of times.

"Reminds me of when I was a wee lad frolicking in the wastes of Dathomir slashing rancors and eating grunkleberries," he remarked, looking in the distance as though he was recalling a distant memory. Then he turned to Altair. "That was a joke." It was an attempt to diffuse the tension that threatened to grow, because the last thing Veles wanted was to burn bridges with his apprentice from day one. So far they had gotten along well, and he did note the Acolyte's silence as they had headed into the armory. There was certainly more to the Tiefling than meets the eye, and the Sith Lord could certainly see himself looking forward to learning more about the boy.

So the man was a librarian. Interesting. Maybe he would be able to provide the two with more information about the world they were on. Veles did not intend to spend the entire day with the stranger, but for the time being he was glad to have someone that could potentially lead them out of the dungeon.

"A librarian? What can you tell us about this world? Who leads it? Why does technology malfunction?" he shot the questions as they walked, and the librarian looked a bit confused at a few of the words.

"You have found yourselves prisoners in the Dungeons of Luk'sha in the Kingdom of Aryalis. It is ruled with an iron fist by King Hunlock and his group of criminals, and I do not know what this 'technology' you speak of is, but if you're referring to the delicate hunks of metal offworlders bring, that is because King Hunlock has used his God-given powers to cut the heresy short. He confiscates it all and rumor has it that they're burned in the bowels of his palace." The man shrugged. "I don't particularly care about his religious mumbo-jumbo and neither do the rest of us, but it was through that 'heresy' that he rose to power and he's used it time and time again to stay in pow--"

The librarian was yanked back by Altair as he stepped on a trap and nearly cut his life short. A look of pure horror was painted on his face, which had paled 8 shades in the blink of an eye.

"Ah, yes," he recalled. "Luk'sha is indeed full of traps and its bowels a maze, but lucky for you, I am a man of the book, and I've memorized its layout by heart. I have no idea where the traps are placed, though. The records of that were burned by the King."

Veles silently reached out through the Force to see whether he could feel out where the traps were, but it was impossible. They had no signature within the Force, so there was no way to prevent themselves from being decapitated except by being very, very careful.

"We're about 4 floors below the entrance, and I know a shortcut that I doubt is trapped. The problem is the dragon."

Veles turned to Altair, a look on his face that practically spelled out Get a load of this guy.

"Don't worry about the dragon. Take us there."

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair actually cracked a grin when Veles made his obnoxious old Basic commentary. It certainly worked to ease the tension again, reminding him that perhaps the Sith Lord wasn’t about to zap him first chance he got. The tiefling listened intently as the librarian regaled them with tales of the ‘kingdom’. The entire story sounded as if the two were transported to another galaxy.

“Wait, our weapons are melted? If they just wanted our weapons, why did they capture us?”

The librarian turned to regard him curiously, “Heavens no, your weapons will be in the King's castle,” He said nonchalantly, “They brought you because you are the devil incarnate and you bring with you your disciple,” He looked over at Veles, “But your sudden appearance out of a cell should terrify the King and his uncouth cretins,” The man said with a great deal of distaste, “You two are the heroes we need to liberate this kingdom. Funnily it was the God fearing men that told of a prophecy of the Son of Fire bringing his wrath upon the unworthy and removing the King from power. It is from there that this paranoia grew for generations and festered till it got out of control. It began with King Hunlock's ancestors and continues today. For years now we have lived this way and anyone who ventures to learn or seek out knowledge beyond our way of life is quickly put in a cell or killed.”

Altair’s jaw was hanging open at all this. He was still stuck all the way back where the guy implied he thought Veles was his disciple. The thought was highly entertaining, but he quickly tried to remember the rest of everything the librarian said.

The group worked through the hallway and Altair actually went ahead of the librarian to test out the floors and walls. They were making very slow progress, but it was progress. They rounded a corner and there were some stairs. Altair extended his halberd out and waved it around. Nothing happened, and he walked up the stairs to go up to the next level.

“We’re not really heroes,” Altair said grimly after a while, “People think I look like a freak.”

“Yes,” The librarian said casually, “But they also think you possess unnatural strength. And until today when I saw it for myself, I never believed it. In desperation even evil can begin to look like hope. And in this case, nothing is as horrible as King Hunlock, he who has a field full of impaled learned townspeople to make an example.”

Altair exhaled, wondering if he was still on the drugs. None of this sounded like anything he had encountered before. He kept glancing over at Veles, silently asking if he was processing any of this. The concern and anxiety would be clear on his face. And it was very much clear he was an acolyte looking for guidance from his Master.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

Veles felt a white hot poker of rage flicker through his heart for a moment as he, too, considered whether their lightsabers had been melted down. To think that the weapon he'd been wielding since he crafted it on Dathomir when he was Altair's age had been destroyed was enough to motivate the Sith Lord to burst out of the dungeon flying and shooting firebolts, but his worries were abated when the librarian denied the speculation.

"A prophecy?" he echoed thoughtfully. "The Force does indeed work in mysterious ways."

The assumption that he was Altair's disciple was laughable as well, and he observed to see if the Acolyte would deny it. He did not particularly care what a strange librarian on a medieval world thought their dynamic was, because his ego was not that massive. If anything, he found humor in the idea of just rolling with it, so he decided they might as well.

He nodded as Altair mentioned that they were not really heroes, and found he related to the Acolyte's feeling of being an outsider. The Sith were scorned everywhere they went throughout the Galaxy, and Veles found that even other Sith seemed to discard their humanity and assume that others had done so, too. They were more than their appearances. They were all people, with feelings, thoughts, flaws, and doubts. They fostered relationships with others, created bonds and suffered when their loved ones suffered. They were capable of empathy, even if they razed worlds down on a whim. These were all just the reactions of a broken brain with immeasurable power seeking to alleviate its suffering, hoping to find consolation in catharsis. Indeed, they sometimes forgot that lives were more than just a statistic, and sometimes became absorbed by the bloodlust, but so did the military leaders of the Republic. No one ever blamed the politicians in the Galactic Senate when they stood by in complacency as entire worlds suffered and populations were driven to extinction.

"I suppose the only way to find our way back home is to defeat the King," he declared, catching Altair's look of anxiety. He took charge effortlessly. "The journey may not be easy and we may find ourselves beset by enemies on all sides, but--" he glanced at Altair with a knowing look, "--when has life been any different?" Such is the way of the Sith.

The librarian paused and turned to look at Veles, his face lighting up with hope. "You...you would do that? Oh, you don't know how much this means to us! Your victory will change the trajectory of our lives and the rest of our history! Damn the skeptics, you are heroes!"

A pang of emotion sparked in Veles' chest. Was that...validation?

---

It took a long time for them to manage to reach their destination when they had to move slowly and ensure they would not be blown up, decapitated, or fall into pits of lava, but at last they reached the entrance to the cavernous chamber ahead.

"The dragon lies within," the librarian declared grimly. Veles could sense his nerves, the man's aura of uncertainty sending tidal waves through the Force. Still, he knew they would overcome this challenge. He reached out and could clearly visualize the life form inside. Something big dwelled in the cave.

He looked at Altair and nodded, drawing his cutlass into his right hand. The librarian hung back but followed a few steps behind, trembling a little. Veles emerged into the massive chamber lit by a huge chasm above through which sunlight filtered in. The floor was dusty and littered with various bones--human and otherwise--and the Sith Lord was a bit surprised that the concept of a dragon guarding the exit had not been mere hyperbole.

He surveyed the area, eyes darting around in search of their foe. A rustling from deep within alerted him that they had been spotted, and the creature slowly came into view.

"A krayt dragon? How in the Galaxy did it get here?" he was incredulous as the reptile sized them up and reared its head back, a roar escaping from deep within its throat. It was, thankfully, not one of the mythical greater krayt dragons, and instead looked more like one of the canyon variant. Still, it was a formidable foe.

Veles gave Altair an encouraging nod and his feet shuffled apart, his cutlass poised defensively in front of his body. Here came the first trial.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair squared up as he looked at the Krayt Dragon. In truth, he had never seen one before, and they were every bit as terrifying as he had read. The librarian was whimpering in the background, attempting to make himself invisible. The tielfing stood next to his master, exhaling as he channeled the Force to himself. He had to impress Veles because everything up until then had been a shitshow. His greatest accomplishment so far was opening a cell door. If he wanted to make a good impression, he couldn’t let fear take over.

The tiefling winced a bit as the dragon roared and they could smell the horrid stench of its breath even from here. However, Altair kept his focus, calling upon his Matukai teachings and enhancing every part of his body with the Force. He watched as the dragon growled and began to charge towards both Altair and Veles. The acolyte positioned his halberd, his entire body pulsing with the Force.

Without warning, the tiefling began a blur of motions, darting directly towards the charging dragon. Altair shifted the slightest bit to his right, his head lowered and with his horns positioned towards the leg. His momentum carried him forward while the krayt bounded in the opposite direction. Altair leveled and cut with the pointed blade of his halberd, jamming it right where the forearm connected the body. Altair pushed forth with his Force enhanced trajectory, ripping and tearing through muscle, driving the blade and ax all the way up till it found purchase in carving into bone. The tiefling then slid underneath the krayt on the ground, sliding on his knees as he tilted backwards to violently yank the halberd out and roll out before the back legs could trample him.

As a result, the krayt’s rush forward abruptly stopped when it collapsed to its side, its left forearm entirely useless and barely attached at the joint. The beast growled as it landed in a thud and skidded to a halt a foot away from Veles’ feet. There was just a brief moment when it was still in shock from pain before it attempted to rise up on its other forearm, opening its jaws to spit venom. Altair had severed an artery and the beast was bleeding profusely and with enough time, it would pass out.

Altair was on the move again, already leaping across and landing on the krayt’s back to into position for another violent attack.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

Veles watched in surprised silence as the Acolyte esentially single-handedly took down the dragon. He took in Altair's agility, focus, strength, and ability to think in the heat of battle, analyzing every move and every step. His blade hung at his right side, his hand firmly clasped around the hilt, but he was paying attention to his Acolyte's fighting. So, of course he didn't foresee the dragon collapsing practically at his feet and struggling to rise back up.

Likely out of panic at being hurt and being unable to move properly, the creature seemed to spit venom out of reflex, and it flew toward the Sith Lord insanely fast. He threw himself out of the way, but not soon enough; drops of acid-like venom splashed onto his right side, causing him to land hard with a thud, his skin singed and practically melting. He hissed in pain as it made contact, the heat immediately spreading through his body and causing his nerves to go haywire.

Veles rose shakily to his feet, and as the dragon approached, tried to swing his sword at its head but failed, as the dragon stumbled and collapsed, its leg not being able to bear its weight. It would be up to Altair to finish it off, it seemed, as Veles focused his concentration on getting himself once again focused.

"Slay the creature!" he called out.

"Y-yeah murder it!" a voice cried out from the shadows. The librarian looked on, visibly shaken. He had never seen this much action right in front of him in his entire life.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair had expected Veles to finish the job, but even from here he could hear the sizzling of flesh. He could smell the rancid stench of the venom eating through skin. The tiefling had no chance to process it, and he instead crawled up along the Krayt dragon’s back, hoisting himself up near the head. The dragon had been distracted in trying to attack Veles, spewing its venom and rearing up for another bite.

Grabbing one of its horns, Altair used it as leverage to jam the tip of spear into the back of its neck, curving and wedging it upwards into its head. There was a guttural noise as the beast hoarsely cried out before slumping down and dying at Veles’ feet. Altair sprang off the krayt, looking back at Veles. While most acolytes would have gloated or bragged about this great accomplishment, he only stared at the Sith Lord with wide eyes.

“Are you all right, Master?!”

“Wait… master?” The librarian squeaked from the back, “What do you mean? Is he not your disciple?”

“What?” Altair asked incredulously, “Of course not! I’m the disciple or whatever..”

The librarian opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking from Altair, to the dead dragon, to Veles and his blistering skin and then back to Altair. The tiefling paid this no heed, quickly moving to Veles to take the sword from his hand and walking back to the Krayt. He carved and sliced until he drew out something shiny. He had only read about this in some of his classes. However, he had no desire to construct a saber, and he instead walked back over to Veles to hand him both the pearl and the blade.

“With that pearl, you will have undeniable proof that you have slayed the dragon!” The librarian said excitedly, “Come this way!” He began to lead the way through the dark chamber and towards where there was a sliver of light, “I know the way out! Once you show that pearl to the townspeople, you will be able to lead a revolt!"

@vamp

 

[Veles]

Veles nodded, appreciating the worry his apprentice seemed to have for him. "Yes, Altair. Thank you. That was impressive."

He'd recovered as Altair had performed another acrobatic display of martial prowess, the burning turned to a dull sting. As Altair offered the sword and the pearl, he only took the pearl.

"You don't intend to build a lightsaber?" he asked, and if his apprentice would admit that he didn't, he'd take it but stash it somewhere until Altair was going to build one. He was kind like that, though he wouldn't tell the Acolyte.

The three strode into the next tunnel, the librarian pointing excitedly ahead. The claustrophobic cavern they entered was devoid of any torches or markings, bearing the features of a traditional cave. It was pitch dark, but Veles navigated using the Force to sense what he couldn't see. The librarian seemed to be having some trouble, so Veles rose his hand and a small ray of green light broke out, illuminating the cave with dim light. It was that way that they navigated for a good dozen meters, until they reached a small trapdoor.

The librarian stopped there, and looked at the two Sith. "Why are you looking at me like that? You first!"

Veles shrugged and climbed up, pushing gently on the trap door until it was open a crack and poking his eyes out. The door lead to an empty room that looked to be living room, decorated as one would expect that an apartment still in the iron ages was. He pulled himself up and onto the straw carpet. A small fireplace was ignited, a crackling flame dancing around the logs inside.

"It's clear, you're free to climb," he declared. As the two followed him, the librarian looked around and realization dawned on his face. "Ah, of course! I should have known all along! The cavern ends under an empty apartment. The street should be right in front of the door!"

Veles shrugged again and followed, the stranger having gained some confidence. The heavy wooden door swung open and they were now on the path of an aging medieval village, the sun bright high in the sky.

"Damn. They really haven't evolved since the iron age," he declared as they stepped outside.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

“I’m a Matukai practitioner,” Altair said with a smile, “We don’t use lightsabers,” His smile faltered slightly, “But..I will craft one if it is required,” He blinked a few times before the librarian rushed them along. He was in a decidedly better mood since the krayt dragon, especially since his Master noticed and praised him for it.

To his surprise, the rest of the path was quite clear. He followed his Master on the way out, walking out into the street when they stepped out of the apartment. Altair looked around, the entire place appearing as if they had been transported into a different galaxy. He took a step and immediately heard a shriek.

“DEMON!” A woman cried at the top of her lungs before fainting right there on the spot. A few others looked over and screamed as well. Soon there was a group of people that shouted at the top of their lungs, pointing to Altair and his horns.

“Wait wait it’s okay!” Altair barely got out before someone hurled a rock. Another person chucked a tomato. He had been on the receiving end of disgust and fear before, but it had never been so blatant. His eyes widened and he was so shocked he didn’t even move fast enough to dodge the rock that slammed into his chest. The tomato pierced one of his horns, and he could simply stand there in stunned silence.

“...I…I’m sorry..” He muttered quietly to Veles before he lowered his head and pushed his way back into the apartment they had come out of. How did he expect anything to be different? The tomato remained on his horn, the juices running down the side of his head and he had a new bruise on his chest. He was shaken and ashamed, having blown the entire operation just because of the way he looked.

The townspeople outside were still shouting and screaming. The guards began to gather their weapons, the civilians directing them towards the apartment. Meanwhile, Altair didn’t move, slumping down to sit on the floor in the corner. All his pride and confidence from slaying the Krayt and impressing his master was completely flushed away and meaningless now.

@vamp