.
It took really no time at all for Vahliri to determine that she really wasn’t going to enjoy their current assignment. For all her time spent within the Empire and a multitude of military campaigns, the half-Annfyn had additionally been sent to her fair share of sketchy - often downright creepy - locations, and the upcoming destination was slated to be.. Well, nothing short of just that. For months now, rumors had filtered out of the Unknown Regions from a multitude of sources - whisperings of a planet supposedly steeped in the Darkness and isolated from the civilized galaxy. At seemingly every turn, there were tales of pilots who were driven to madness and suicide after only brief visits to the planet, or simply those who never returned at all.
None of it boded well for the two Champion’s sent to investigate - and for all of Vahliri’s curious, knowledge-seeking nature, it didn’t leave the half-Annfyn particularly thrilled.
She was, however, rather intrigued by the woman who had been assigned as the other half of her mission. Vahliri had only briefly met Arla during the Yacht-party and knew next to nothing about the woman, but their shared physiology and survival experience was enough to peak the half-Annfyn’s interest.
Hours of hyperspace travel came to their conclusion as The Pearl Empress dropped out of hyperspace. The blueish blur of stars began to still, and the horizon was instead dominated by the dark, shrouded globe that was their destination. At once, both of the Champion’s would be able to feel the energies that radiated out through the Force - an almost unnatural chill that filled their chests and brought with it a sense of dread. As time passed, the sensation waned and gradually became less palpable - but that initial wave would hit harsh all the same.
“No mistaking it - this is the place..” Vahliri muttered towards Arla, her fingers curling tightly around the controls of her ship. While the half-Annfyn was almost infamous at this point for her unorthodox and thrill-seeking method of flying, there was precisely zero arguing with her when it came to who was managing their landing. As far as she was concerned? Her ship, her rules.
Within only a few minutes, the Starblossom-Class dipped below the endless cloiud cover - allowing them both to get their first glimpse at the surface below. As far as the eye could see, the surface was dominated by grey, raging oceans - sending forth waves that crashed and battered against the small chain of islands scattered below. It was incredibly difficult to determine the time of day or how much time passed, as the sky was perpetually blanketed in storm-clouds - roaring their ferocity as streaks of azure lightning snaked across the sky.
All the rumors and whispers directed the pair of Sith to a small, fog-shrouded island isolated from the rest of the archipelago - a place that both of them would be able to feel the Darkness thrummed the strongest. It was a place shrouded in folklore, such that not a single one of the locals had stepped foot on the island in generations. Nature - and whatever else lurked there - had completely overtaken the half-sunken landmass, ever cloaked in a shadow and fog that never felt entirely natural.
Unfortunately, landing on the small island was neither easy nor advisable. The landmass itself was barely visible through the fog - and it meant finding a safe landing zone almost impossible. And really, did anyone want Vahliri trying to park in those odds? With no other alternative, Vahliri instead brought their vessel down on the closest - and largest - island in the chain, conveniently on the outskirts of one of the only settlements the entire planet hosted.
As could be expected, Vahliri arrived on the planet expecting the worst and armed accordingly. She wore her signature red-and-black robes, trimmed with Ur-Kittat runes along her cuffs and the hem of her hood. Her black hair was tied back into a single, long braid that draped down her right shoulder - while the air around her was sweetly scented with the half-Annfyn’s characteristic, floral perfume.
“Looks like we’re continuing on foot..” She muttered, glancing over to Arla before pushing herself from the pilot’s chair. The half-Annfyn glanced down to her waist briefly - ensuring that both her curved saberhilt and recently-crafted shoto were equip before making for the exit ramp.
@Phoenix