Ask Horrible First Impression

[Ana DAmico]

Unknown Jungle Planet, Outer Rim​

The Outer Rim, for all its vast city-planets and worlds dripping with galactic infamy, was largely an empty, uncharted void. For weeks, she had been pouring over old tomes and visiting seedy bars, searching for something that may or may not even exist. Her efforts weren’t in vain, though, and after some considerable sleuthing, she received a simple set of galactic coordinates pointing to a system in the Outer Rim. There was little information about the world to which she was directed, and she imagined it was scarcely populated, if at all. Nonetheless, rumors in cantinas and whispers in dark places hinted that there might be a Sith trove here, and, after enlisting the (possibly not wholly) willing aid of one of her peers, Ana set off immediately in search of it. There wasn’t much to go off of other than a general four-digit grid location, but it was better than nothing.

The Muse zipped through the void quickly towards the jungle planet before them. For most of the trip, Ana focused on getting to the uncharted world, though there was time set aside to ruminate on the growing corruption within her. She wasn’t sure what to make of her passenger since they’d never met before this little excursion. They knew nothing about each other, and the nature of their order made it difficult to make small talk to get to know one another. Truthfully, she was just glad someone else was willing to go along with her on this expedition; the last time she went to a jungle world, it ended up with two of the muscle-bound buffoons with her running away into the jungle while she and another buffoon fought a zakkeg. She hoped this wouldn’t be the case again.

Turbulence rocked the ship as they breached the planet’s atmosphere, and soon they would be looking for a landing to set the ship down in to begin their search. It seemed like there was a thunderstorm occurring, so the closer they got to the clouds, the stronger the turbulence became. A few times, the controls almost jerked free of her grasp because of the turbulence, but she held on tightly. Rain pelted the viewport and lightning streaked out in the distance, sailing across the sky in a spiderweb pattern. She’d flown in a storm before, but something about this one seemed more intense than usual. Just need to get to the ground soon, she thought to herself.

”I hope you brought a poncho,” she called out to her passenger, ”Looks like we’ve got a storm.” Her passenger undoubtedly could feel the intense shuddering of the ship as they flew towards their goal, but the announcement helped break the tension. This sure was going to be a good first impression.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry's lot had been cast, and whatever doubts she had needed to be put aside now. What she had done had written her path in stone, and that meant adjusting to her new... well, they weren't family. That was part of the problem.

What they were was a path to knowledge. Forbidden knowledge and knowledge that fed the darkness growing within her soul. The hesitations were put aside and she'd quickly leapt at the opportunity to get away from Sullust when it arose. She hated that world. Barren of any life whether plant or animal.

This world, however, was much better. She could feel that it teemed with life. Jungles that were unlike Dathomir but closer than Sullust's barren, toxic lava stretches.

She stood and made her way to look out the viewport, seeing the streaks of rain that tore across the... transparentiron? Was that what it was called? Something like that, but she couldn't remember.

She sensed something unsettling but also... almost familiar. It wasn't magick, but it had a familiar song. She frowned.

What... are we expecting to find here? she asked, obviously distracted by what she was sensing. She had half a mind that she'd receive no answer based on some of the Sith she had met. She was starting to wonder if it wasn't the will of the Spirits that brought her here.

The ship rumbled and dropped as soon as she finished speaking and her hand shot up to grasp the rail above and steady herself. Turbulence or wind of some sort? Or something worse.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Again, the ship shuddered violently. Each time it rocked, the ship felt more and more unstable, as if unseen waves crashed into the ship the closer they approached their goal. Ana jerked upwards on the controls to compensate for the sudden rocking of their vessel, and it seemed to stabilize it for the moment. While she kept the ship steady, she said little to her curious passenger. Once they had a moment of respite against the turbulent storm, Ana looked over at Renfy and offered a gentle smile.

”A holocron!” she exclaimed excitedly, swiveling her chair to face the woman, rather than talk over her shoulder, ”Or… well, I’m not actually sure. A treasure perhaps? There were more rumors hinting at a ‘tome of proscribed lore,’ so I’m willing to bet we’ll find a-“ Her sentence was brutally cut short as the ship rocked again, careening into a downward dive. Ana gasped and swung back over, quickly pulling up on the controls and trying to manage the throttle to correct their course. A crack of thunder echoed throughout the ship like the shout of an enraged god, and the storm picked up in intensity the farther they flew.

Whatever world this was, its storms were impossibly intense, and their ship was caught in the midst of it. Lightning strikes grew more and more frequent as the viewport lit up with blinding flashes of light. Ana fought the controls in her hand, furrowing her brows in concentration as their vessel protested her attempts. Behind her, Beegee beeped and buzzed in cadence with the rocking of the ship, struggling to correct its course alongside its master.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning slammed into the ship, overloading the poor astromech jacked into the ship’s systems. Without the aid of her droid copilot, Ana was left alone to weather the onslaught of nature. Casting a fearful glance behind her, she simply barked out a curt, ”Strap in!” to her partner before turning back to the front. The viewport slowly shifted from a terrible black-and-green view of the landscape into progressively greener as it tilted ever downward despite any attempts to prevent it. The torrential downpour made it difficult to fly by sight, so she was forced to rely on her instruments and whatever aid the Force could offer, but things weren’t looking too good.

Another jolt of electricity surged throughout the ship as lights flickered and instrument panels went dim. A reddish glow suffused the area, but backup power wouldn’t be enough to get them out of this. Ana let slip a stream of quiet curses and grunts, but nothing seemed to be working. The ship veered hard to the right as one side of the ship crashed into a massive tree, then corrected itself as it slammed into a tree on the other side.

Ana screamed and looked over at Renfry with panic in her eyes. ”We’re going down!” she exclaimed, ineffectually pulling up on the controls to try and stop the rapid descent and ping-ponging between foliage. The Muse became a rocket as it plummeted to the jungle below, and it wouldn’t take long before it crashed through several trees, slammed into the earth, and knocked Ana out cold against the metal dash.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was surprised to see just how excited Ana was when she explained what they were looking for on this planet. She was... so excited. Were all the Sith this excited about history? This seemed as if it was becoming a running theme among those she had met. Not that it was an unwelcome one. Renfry, herself, was quite interested in learning and expanding her mind. She was a quick study and always hungry for knowledge.

She wasn't entirely sure what a "tome of proscribed lore" was, but sure, why not? She was about to say something else when the ship shuddered again, this time more violently and threw her completely off her feet. She narrowly caught herself on her hands to avoid losing a few teeth and pushed herself unsteadily back up.

What's going on!? she shouted, scrambling back to her seat and fumbling with the straps. She didn't like the sound of "we're going down" one bit. Her hands were shaky and she barely managed to shove the restraints back into their sockets when she was thrown against them... hard.

Bruises began to form on the pale skin of her chest immediately from where the restraints had bit into it, but she knew that had she not managed to strap down in time she would have been dead from the impact.

She winced as she unbuckled and pushed herself up.

Ana! she said, coughing as she did. There was no response. She looked out of the ship's hull - partially torn open by the impact - and the jungle beyond. Was her partner even alive? What was their path of this rock now?

She hook her head, hair flopping wildly around as she moved toward the cockpit.

Ana looked to be in even worse shape than Renfry, completely unconscious or dead. No, not dead, she thought, sensing the power in the Shadow still. She slightly slapped her cheek a few times to try to wake her.

Ana! she shouted again.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana!

Ana felt like she was suspended in a sensory-deprivation chamber. Any sounds came from far, far away and sounded distorted, as if they traveled through water. There were no thoughts; her head was empty. She simply drifted through a dreamless sleep, nothing more than a mote of dust on a cosmic scale. It was almost peaceful, were it not for that grating noise whining in her ear.

Ana!

There it was again. It grew louder, closer, and suddenly the serenity of total unconsciousness gave way to a cacophony of complete and total chaos. A droning whine screamed in her ear and she faintly heard Renfry calling her name repeatedly. The inky blackness that was her vision slowly gave way to a hazy blur as her eyelids fluttered open, though it took her several seconds to realize where she was and what was going on. Her body ached, her head pounded, and a warmth flowed down from a gash in her head, leaving a thin trail of blood across her face.

”Wh-“ was all she managed to mutter before she groaned in pain. A spark from the destroyed console she rested on singed part of her face, alerting her to the condition of the ship. A dim, flickering light was all they had to see with in the cockpit, which seemed to have taken the brunt of the crash landing. The viewport was shattered and allowed the monsoon to form a curtain of water across it as a replacement, though the canted angle of the ship meant that most of the water at least stayed outside. Beegee was trashed, Ana was bloodied, battered, and very probably concussed, and Renfry looked terrified.

Her trembling hands fumbled for the quick release of her harness, smearing blood across it until she eventually managed to free herself. ”Aux- Aux power,” she groaned, fumbling across the cockpit’s instruments. Nothing lit up, and it was clear that power across the ship was dead. Another crack of thunder and lightning roused her from the landing-induced stupor, and she became acutely aware of the very, very bad situation they were in. As a result of the storm, the ship crash-landed hard. It carved a massive scar into the earth, bulldozing trees aside like they were nothing before coming to a halt against a cluster of thick trunks. Massive dirt embankments bordered it now, and the only ways out for them would either be out of the hole in the cockpit, through an emergency hatch in the ceiling, or through the cargo hold.

Ana rested bloodshot eyes on Renfry, blinking a few times to force away the dizziness. ”Are you okay?” she asked, wincing at another crack of thunder.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry could see the woman was slowly rousing, but it was clear she had been concussed. She could barely sleep and still might die of some internal brain injuries.

She began looking around for the best ways out of the ship when Ana asked if she was okay. Renfry just about managed to laugh at the question. The other woman had been unconscious, possibly had a lethal head injury, and was asking if Renfry was okay?

Am I okay? Yes, I'm fine, Can you walk? she said.

Her eyes flicked up to the hatch above the cockpit in case of emergencies. That would likely be their best and perhaps only way out.

She climbed up, grabbing the hatch and yanking on the handle hard enough that she could hear a hiss, pop and immediately a downpour of water on her head and coat.

I think this area might flood. We need to go! she said. She'd have liked to stay in shelter and wait out the rain, but the way the ground curved in this region had her "nature" senses tingling.

Come on, she said, reaching out a hand to help Ana up as the water began to trickle by at ever increasing rate.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana groaned as she rose to her feet, the pounding in her head making it difficult to move quickly. With Renfry opening the emergency hatch, the storm had full access to the cockpit. She was right; they had to move. Anywhere was better than in here, after all. ”Yeah, I can walk… I think,” she replied late, taking a few steps towards the emergency hatch. Water had already begun to pool on the deck, and, as much as she would have also preferred to stay in shelter to wait out the storm, drowning was less of an ideal outcome here.

Together, the two would make their way out of the ship and into the jungle proper. From their vantage on top of the ship, they could see the extent of the damage the Muse had taken – the hull was torn in multiple places where the impact and trees had ripped right through the plating, the cockpit was rapidly filling with water, and the two wings were all but torn clean off. A massive gouge of earth trailed behind it that had since become a mud pit, and the fallen trees formed an obvious beacon to where they had landed.

Ana hadn’t the chance to put on any wet-weather gear, so within seconds she was completely drenched, though that was the least of her problems. She brushed aside her hair and held her head, staring blankly into the jungle for a few moments before looking at Renfry.

”We gotta… we gotta find shelter from this,” she said, ”Nngh- then we can… figure out a plan.” She approached the edge of the ship and lowered herself down onto her butt, sliding off the edge. With a wet thmak she hit the ground and stumbled, then looked around for her partner. ”Jungle’s… it might have something,” she groaned, brushing mud from her hands.

Finding somewhere safe was probably a longshot, but it was better than standing outside in the rain waiting for some predator to stumble across two dazed and confused snacks.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was glad to hear that the woman could still walk, but it looked more like a limp than anything else. They might easily succumb to the dangers of the jungle if she couldn't keep up. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

The rain was coming and the water continued to flow into the downed ship which looked as though it had been ripped up beyond repair. Renfry glanced over to see the blank stare on the face of her partner. Was she brain dead? Phasing out? Something else?

Uh... you there? she asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

That seemed to prompt her to speak up about finding shelter and then stumble down into the mud. She looked like she was about to topple and start rolling down hill indefinitely and Renfry shook her head.

Definitely a head injury, she muttered, dropping down and landing ankle-deep in the mud. Good thing she was wearing boots.

Uck... she grunted, shaking her head and moving forward. She put a hand on Ana's back, somewhere between a guiding hand and a push forward as they headed for some sort of cover.

I think there were mountains that way, she said, pointing ahead and to their right. Directions were one of her better skills and she guided them toward an area that was filled with caves. And none of those caves could possibly be filled with predators either. Nope, no way.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana followed Renfry’s finger towards the mountains, then looked back at the woman. At least one of them wasn’t completely dazed. They might actually have a chance of… well, escape wasn’t really an option, given the state of the ship, but they at least had a chance of surviving the night.

It was a matter of stumbling through the muck and mire in the jungle until they came upon the area with intermittent caves, because that was always a safe place to go. Ana hesitated outside the gaping maw of where they were headed, having a moment of clarity that halted her. The last time she was in a cave, she and Talak were being hunted as sport by slavers. The time before that, she was in the Shadowlands on Kashyyyk hunting down an apex predator. She didn’t have the best track record with caves, but standing outside and freezing wasn’t much of a plan either.

A crack of lightning roused her from her stupor, and she shook her head, gesturing towards the cave. ”As good a place as any, I guess,” she remarked, entering the totally-safe-and-not-full-of-monsters cave. They made it several meters in before total darkness engulfed them. Ana drew and ignited her lightsaber, suffusing the area in a dim red light. She cast a glance at Renfry, then further down the cave.

”I don’t suppose you… can make some kind of magical fire, can you?” she asked, realizing that any timber outside would be totally soaked, and caves weren’t known for their abundance of firewood. Deeper in the cave, far beyond their sight, something shrieked, followed by the sound of scratching rocks.

Yup. Totally safe.

 

[Renfry]

They limped through the mud in the rain for quite some time before coming upon the caves. The dark caves. The dark caves that screamed "predator" to Renfry's jungle-adept mind.

Yeah... she muttered noncommittally to Ana's statement that this was a good place. It was as good a place as any, but that wasn't saying much.

She shook her head and made her way inside the cave, preparing to cast some runic spells that would block the entrance to the cave... but first she wanted to make sure she wouldn't be locking both of them in here with something.

Uh... not that will burn without wood, she said, watching the woman pull out her lightsaber to light he darkness. Renfry could go out and gather wood, but before she managed to say as much, the shriek from the end of the cave drew her attention and she stiffened, her assumptions proving true.

We need to deal with that, she said, looking over at the woman and realizing she was as likely to pass out on the way as to actually be helpful.

Or maybe I should do it... she said.

Whether their voices or the glow of the lightsaber, they didn't have time to make a decision about who would go. The shriek was closer, and out of the shadows emerged a... hideous creature. Or set of creatures, rather.

With grey, chitinous exteriors they looked like massive insects more than animals. Six legs, the size of a large dog with angry, pincer-like jaws, and apparently a nasty shrieking sound, they lunged at both women, jaws snapping furiously at the pair.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana frowned at Renfry’s inability to get a fire going. Guess it was going to be a cold, wet night in the cave. Assuming they even got that far, that is; the shrieking from deep in the caves was never a good sign, and, if she were a gambler, she’d be willing to put her entire collection of books on the fact that they were about to get some unwelcome company.

”Yeah…” she said in agreement, turning to face the source of the shrieks. It was disgusting-looking; like a massive, six-legged beetle, except she was probably right in her assumption that it was a fair bit more dangerous than a common insect. Something like this thrived as an ambush predator in dark places like that, and if it survived on an inhospitable world like this one, it was bound to be a dangerous foe. With both women being targets, it’d be difficult for the pair to defend against the onslaught one at a time, so it was up to their individual prowess in battle to see them through the day.

Ana was dazed and confused, but not entirely worthless. Where her physical senses were dulled, her Force sensitivity tried to compensate to give her more of a fighting chance. The insect that lunged at her aimed high – as high as it reasonably could, given how small she was – and made itself an easier target to dodge. She ducked and sluggishly lurched to the side, swinging her lightsaber in an overhead slash to ward it off. Her blade struck true and carved through a section of its body, separating one of its left legs and leaving a nasty gash in the side.

It was fortunate that the blade cauterized the wound, since once it recovered and turned to face her once more, a few droplets of venom-green ichor fell to the ground from its menacing mandibles. It skittered along the cave floor quickly, moving up the side of the cave wall to readjust its position for another attack.

 

[Renfry]

Oh they were just like baneback spiders! Of course, Renfry hated baneback spiders, but it was familiar. She wondered if they died the same.

Renfry saw Ana use her lightsaber to hack through one of the insectoids and Renfry leapt into the air. The lunging jaws of one of the creatures met nothing but air where she had been only moments earlier.

Green glowed over the young Nightsister's hand and she brought them together in a clap. A clean, thin sheet of magickal energy shot out from between them and tore down toward the creature. It hit it in the back and pierced through the chitin, cutting the bug cleanly in two.

She landed gracefully, with the sounds of acid hissing against the ground just behind her. She flicked a gaze over to Ana to see that the Sith was handling herself well for how injured she was, and she turned back toward the rest of the fight.

She cursed quietly and brought her glowing fist down onto the ground. A crack ran through the floor of the cave and up the sides as the cave rumbled loudly. Rocks began to fall in as the deeper portion of the cave collapsed on itself, crushing several of the creatures and sealing the others away from the pair.

A glance back over revealed that Ana had dealt with her creature as well and Renfry let out a sigh and plopped back onto the floor of the cave.

Did you get bit? she asked, starting to check herself over for bites or injuries. She knew how these venomous creatures could be. Sometimes you didn't even know it was happening until it was far too late.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana focused on the skittering insectoid, darting her eyes around the cave as it moved up and down the walls, preparing to lunge. She braced herself, keeping her lightsaber vertical and ready to respond whenever it did attack. At the moment of Renfry’s magical execution, it leapt directly at her, mandibles opening for a deadly killing blow. Ana stepped forward, forcing it to overshoot her, and slashed her blade dead ahead. The creature couldn’t maneuver in the air quick enough to avoid her defense, and her lightsaber sliced clean through it, bisecting it lengthwise.

Acid sprayed out onto the ground behind her, but Renfry’s collapsing of the tunnel drowned out the sound of sizzling stone. She deactivated her weapon and slid down against the side of the cave, groaning from the exertion. Her eyes swung over to her comrade, but she said nothing for the time being, instead opting to look back at her body to check for any wounds. Luckily, nothing on her was melting, so she figured she was in the clear for now. The way deeper into the cave was sealed, leaving them alone and out of the storm, which seemed to be continuing its intense downpour outside.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke up. ”No,” she answered, ”I think I’m fine. Did you get bit?” Her eyes panned back over to Renfry, studying the girl. After she confirmed her status, Ana would nod along, relieved. ”Good...” she said, still staring at her. She hadn’t met many witches in her life, so the power they wielded was beyond impressive to her; it was like alchemy, in a way, or perhaps the Force. It intrigued her that most of her planet could wield such a power unlike any other.

”What you did back there,” she said, her voice a whisper in comparison to the torrent outside, ”That magic. It’s… it’s interesting. Tell me about it. Is it a Dathomir thing?”

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was still breathing heavily as she looked back at stones that had caved in. There shouldn't be any more of the creatures crossing the threshold of the cave tonight, which Renfry counted as a blessing.

No, I didn't, she said, pushing herself up and heading over to the mouth of the cave. She didn't fancy anything coming in from the outside either and knelt down at the entrance. She began drawing in the dirt and then hovered her hand over the runes as she muttered a simple incantation.

The cave is sealed, nothing should get in, she said. They could rest somewhat easy now and tend to themselves.

It is, she answered as she took a seat across from Ana. She was surprised that the woman could identify and place the world it was from. She didn't like telling others details of her people. Not only did she like to protect her people despite... what she'd done, but she knew that Sith were not kind or helpful to one another. Information given away was a risk to you and a diminishment of one's own power and value.

You're familiar with Dathomir? she asked, not shutting down the conversation but being wary in how she proceeded. This woman seemed the academic type, after all. She was curious what outsiders made of her world.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana watched Renfry seal the cave entrance off, keeping whatever new apex predator that was outside from coming in and eating them. She breathed a sigh of relief now that they were, for the first time in a while, relatively safe. Her head pounded now that the adrenaline of finding shelter and fighting venomous acid-spitting bugs had worn off, but she tried her best to stay focused and alert for the time being.

She shook her head in response to Renfry’s question, frowning slightly. ”No, only stories,” she said, ”I’ve heard it’s a place saturated in raw, primal power.” She canted her head sidelong for a moment, studying Renfry in the relative darkness of the cave. She hadn’t met a witch yet – not a proper one, anyways – and she wondered if the stories were true. Necromantic rituals, curses cast from across the galaxy, a mastery over Dark Side energies that wasn’t common among ordinary Sith; it was all fascinating to her.

”I’ve always wanted to see it for myself,” she added at the end, turning her gaze outward into the jungle. Despite the horrors they suffered in the past… she didn’t even know how long, there was still something calming about the rain. Maybe that was her concussion speaking, though.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry listened to the woman's description of Dathomir. It was technically correct, but only scratched the surface of all that Dathomir encompassed. It was alive, the Veil was thin, and the spirits could be touched with the right rituals. Sometimes even to the detriment of the summoner...

The thought still made her shudder and she shoved it aside.

Now you have, she said, though if she knew Sith, she knew it wouldn't be enough to satisfy her. The Sith seemed to have a voracious appetite for knowledge, and she wondered if they all had the same reasoning.

What is it that drives you? she asked, wondering what precisely it was that made this Sith tick.

Why'd you want to come all the way out to... this planet? she asked curiously. Despite her seemingly softer outside, Renfry thought she still sensed a darkness inside her.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana pursed her lips for a moment and brought her knees up to her chest, thinking about Renfry’s questions. There were all kinds of reasons that drove her these days; reverence of the ancient Sith as near-gods, a desire to learn as much forbidden lore as she could, a longing to see the galaxy for what it is, the list went on and on and on as the reasons stacked on top of and merged with each other.

”Learning,” she said simply and with immense underemphasis, ”Those who came before left so much behind that hasn’t been discovered in millennia. It’s our duty to reclaim it.” Though many Sith sought knowledge, few actually pursued it with the voracious hunger that she did, and fewer still did anything beyond smashing their way to the goal while riding on the coattails of more learned Sith.

For Renfry’s second question, she returned to silent contemplation, deciding the best choice of words. ”I discovered a possible source of dangerous knowledge,” she explained, ”Hidden on this world. Something that could give me-“ she hesitated, looking at Renfry, ”- Us power over others. A piece of an unsolved puzzle.” Her words were vague and unhelpful, but truthfully, she wasn’t certain what to expect on this world. It was supposed to be a simple retrieval or archaeological dig, but now it became a fight for survival with rapidly diminishing chances of success.

”Why’d you agree to come out here with me?” she asked back, regarding Renfry with curiosity. They’d never met until this little quest, and now they found themselves huddled for safety in a cave after crashlanding. That was a pretty bad way to make first impressions.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry found Ana interesting because she didn't seem quite like the other Sith she had met. Almost nicer. Perhaps it was to lull others into a sense of safety and confidence or perhaps she was actually a team player unlike the others she had met. She decided she would watch the other woman more closely going forward.

Still, her answer to Renfry's question was one that she could relate to. Renfry had left her people and joined the Sith in search of knowledge. It was more powerful than many gave it credit for being, and she respected the woman for recognizing that. She spoke of those who came before and Renfry listened closely. The Sith seemed to have an incredible respect for their ancestors, and the more she learned of them the more she felt the Sith and Nightsisters were not so terribly different.

She noted the use of the word "us" after correction, and wondered to herself if the woman actually had any intention of sharing. Was this going to be one of those "betrayal" things. Perhaps.

I hate Sullust, she said in response with a shrug. The world was so... barren and dead. Even Dathomir's twisted jungles were alive with all sorts of creatures, but Sullust was nothing but rock, lava, and toxic fumes. She'd wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

Plus the woman had seemed to be after some sort of knowledge. Renfry was insatiable in that area as well.

The old Sith, why do you revere them so much? she asked. Ana wasn't the first Sith that seemed to hold them on a pedestal. From what she'd been told they were certainly powerful and impressive, but she was still uncertain if they deserved the praise they received.

 

[Ana DAmico]

Ana nodded in agreement. Sullust, like most planets frequented by the Sith, was inimical to life. Barren, hot, toxic, full of lava – the Sith always chose the worst places to establish dominance. Why couldn’t they conquer more pleasant worlds? The Jedi didn’t have a monopoly on worlds rife with life, so why did the Sith have to gravitate towards death worlds? This was always a recurring theme with the two orders, and, while she understood that planets rich with the stench of death were more naturally attuned to the Dark Side, it wouldn’t kill them to set up camp on Naboo.

Renfry’s second question was complex. Ana thought on it for a few moments, then lightly shrugged a shoulder. ”Because they knew more than us,” she said, ”To them, we’re… infants, in a sense. They had a mastery over the Force unlike any other. It’d be irresponsible to let that kind of knowledge on the Dark Side be forgotten.” It was a gross oversimplification of the matter, but it was true. The old Sith dominated the galaxy using techniques that hadn’t been replicated in millennia. If she were to have even a fraction of the control over the Force that they had, Ana might see about realizing her dreams of a more unified Sith.

Her head pounded again, forcing her to clench her eyes shut. With a groan, she shook off the aches and returned her focus to Renfry. ”Why’d you join the Sith?” she asked. No two members of the Eternal had the same reason for swearing allegiance to the Eternal, so she was curious what brought this witch off of her home and into the greater galaxy. It wasn’t exactly common for Nightsisters to be out and about.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry listened thoughtfully to what Ana said. She wondered how much of it was true and how much of it was just the hype built up by millennia of Sith. She supposed that would remain to be seen, but what she'd seen thus far didn't indicate that it was.

That's true, she said, fully in agreement that powerful information shouldn't be forgotten. She had joined the Sith precisely for that reason. She could only hope that they were everything they were chalked up to be.

She paused a moment as she asked why Renfry had joined the Sith. That was a complicated answer. There were a lot of layers to the issue, and she wasn't sure she could sum it up in a single sentence.

The Sith have knowledge that we didn't, she said. She wanted that information. She wanted the power that came with it. She'd made her decision and there was no going back anymore.

Call it curiosity or whatever you want. I suspect you understand, she said. Ana seemed the type to value knowledge. She could already see it and had practically been told as much. Each found their way here, and perhaps more of them were like Renfry than she thought.

The Sith way is the way of the galaxy, she said after a moment. Just look outside, she said, motioning to the jungle. Hunters and hunted. She wondered if Ana would understand precisely what she meant. @Painus