Ask Pursuit for Redemption

[Veles]

Taris system, realspace
17 hours after Ain't No Party Like a Sith Party

Golden orbs peered out through the transparisteel window, cigarette in his hands held between two clenched fingers, his hand trembling and his foot tapping on the padded floor frantically. There was a swirling of emotions in his chest, coupled with the fucking migraines and the—

He retched and expelled more purple bile, the liquid splashing down onto the floor, the one he’d just installed new carpets on last week. Veles doubted that would come out at the next wash. Of course, that was the last thing on his mind right now. The only things on his mind were wildfire and whatever had just happened in the past 24 hours. His mind reeled, but it was so goddamn hard to think with the pain that wracked his entire body. He’d refused to redose, decided it was better to brave the effects. He didn’t have many vials, either, so once he ran out he would be out permanently.

His eyes flicked to the vial on the table, and he clenched his teeth, exhaling through his nose. Cramps erupting in three locations on his body sent him back down onto the mattress, his arms draped desperately around his body in a steel grip that did nothing to alleviate it, the pain etched on the contracted muscles of his face, a croak just barely hissing out from his throat. Nothing helped. He’d tried three different kinds of spice, every type of alcohol he’d found, and even a few alchemical potions, but absolutely nothing changed.

Veles stood shakily and stumbled a few steps, his hand hitting the wall hard, the burns erupting with white-hot pain once again. He groaned, shifting his body so that his weight was supported by the wall, and then half-walked half-crawled toward the table. He put his chin on it, the vial mere centimeters away from his face. His heart skipped a beat, his pupils dilated, and then he roared and flipped the table, the sick excitement he felt from the drug sending a wave of rage through his body.

The vial flew, as well as the papers and various pens and trinkets on it, scattering around the common room, one of the table’s legs snapped and splintered. He just sat there, panting, alone in the silence of the shuttle. He turned, dragged his body a meter back toward the bed, grabbing his datapad off the mattress. Veles knew what he had to do, knew the steps to take, but he wouldn’t be able to do it alone, or in this state.

⮜

____MALOU ​

☎___ⓘ​

—1654 primeday—​

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
( I know you probably hate me and completely understand. )

( I need your help. )

He grabbed the vial, popped it open, then poured it into a cup of soda. Veles looked down at the purple liquid in it for a moment, his face setting into a scowl. Then, he threw it back, pleasure surging through him, and raised himself to his feet. His mind cleared, his muscles no longer spasming and pained. "Engage hyperdrive," he sighed, and the pilot droid hit the switch, sending them into hyperspace.

---

Jwilo, Gyuel system
2 days after Ain't No Party Like a Sith Party

He tugged his cloak closer to his body, eyes narrow and looking out from under the brim of his hood. Veles had sent Malou the coordinates, had filled her in, and admitted that she had no obligation to help him. Because she didn't. It was up to her whether she came, and she'd left him with no information or indication of whether she would, instead just reading the message and not replying. He'd shown up regardless, weakened as he was, because if she wasn't going to help him, he would venture into the caves himself and either get what he came for or perish, and end the tragic story of a scorned Sith Lord who'd be remembered for nothing more than his failures.

Veles had mentioned a date and time, and as the clock ticked, he could feel the hope drain out of him. Of course she wouldn't travel across half the Galaxy to come risk her life to help him. It had been stupid of him to think so. The Sith L—no, the Champion—pulled out a cigarette and lit it, his eyes scanning the landscape. One of the 55 moons of Qoribu, Jwilo had the potential of being the final piece in the puzzle. With an artifact that he’d tracked down to (hopefully) be within the cave, he’d be able to unlock the secrets that he needed to perfect the formula. Malou already knew most of the history of the Sith Lords involved, but the location of this holocron had eluded the two. It was, at this point, the only thing that kept him going, and he’d rather give his final breath in an effort to solve his mistake.

As the cigarette neared its end, he flicked the ash, took another drag, then put it out under his boot, giving the corridor carved in stone one more look. There was no one there, so Veles turned on his heel and began to make toward the entrance.

Then, he heard the sound of footsteps.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Seventeen hours after the party on Taris and Malou was still feeling the after-effects of it all. Between the alcohol, the drugs, and the dancing, her body was exhausted. She’d woken up in some hotel room with someone in her bed, fell back asleep, then woke up again, alone and with a crushing headache.

It wasn’t until later that day that she checked her datapad. She was sitting at a café, enjoying a coffee in the mid-afternoon when she finally noticed the plethora of notifications from Veles. Confusion furrowed her brows as she read through them, wondering primarily what he would’ve done to make her hate him. They barely interacted during the party, and by the time Malou was free from dancing with Vahliri he was nowhere to be found. He does a lot of drugs. Maybe he hallucinated an argument or something. She figured that was entirely possible, but she was curious as to why he thought that. I’ll have to ask him about that.

> I’ll be there
> Why would I hate you tho??

Unfortunately, due to her lack of ability to see color, Malou did not notice the red hue indicating that her messages did not send.

~~~~~​

Two days later, Malou arrived on Jwlio, the moon of some far-off gas giant Qoribu located in the Unknown Regions. She was excited despite her uncertainty of the situation because they were apparently going after Darth Myslec’s lost holocrons. Malou wouldn’t really call herself a nerd, but anything to do with the Consiluil de Sapte brought back that excitement she used to feel as a kid. But when she landed, and as she made her way closer to the coordinates, a growing feeling of anxiety began to grow in her chest.

~~~~~​

Tap. Tap. Tap. Malou’s boots struck the stone of the cave with consistent intervals, stopping only when she got within sight of Veles. She would see him before he would see her—taking a drag of his cigarette then squashing it underfooth. That was the first thing she noticed. The second thing she noticed was the tremble in his hands, the wide eyes and sunken face, and the almost sickly way he stood. Her lips frowned to the side, though by the time she was within his view, her expression defaulted back to the same neutral one she always held.

”You didn’t answer my message,” she called out as she approached. There was no trace of animosity in her voice, just conversational curiosity. ”What are we looking for an antidote for? And—” Malou stopped a few meters away from Veles. ”—why do you think I hate you?” Her voice betrayed the confusion in her voice, breaking past her composition. ”And what happened to you?”

She didn’t need eyes to note the difference between him now and two days ago.

tag: @vamp

 

[Veles]

His eyes settled on Malou as she approached, and surprisingly, he did not sense the telltale pit in the Force, the aura that surrounded everyone he saw nowadays--hatred. The Miralukan strode up to him, carefree, her expression neutral, until she reached him, stopping a few meters. He didn't say anything as she neared him, because he knew she would probably have a lot to say to him.

"How could you?" He could already hear her. "I'm only doing this for Cairo. I hope you drop dead once you finish the antidote." He could hear the venom in her voice, the disgust on her face. And yet, when she opened her mouth, Veles was rattled to the core with surprise.

His eyes widened, and he stared at her with the face of a womprat staring at the headlights of a speeder about to turn it to red mist. Realizing he was staring, his eyes darted away and onto a withering tree growing out of a rock. He narrowed his gaze and then looked back to her.

"Y...ou never answered my texts." She really didn't know. No one told her. The fight had been what? 30 meters away from her? And she had no idea it happened? "Uh..."

This was even worse than if she already knew. To speak the words, he felt like he'd be smited down by the Force itself. There was no way he would be able to keep it together long enough to tell her.

"I--I'll show you." So he showed her.

Just as how many Sith Lords instilled illusions and thoughts into minds, he showed her everything that happened. It wasn't invasive because he did not make it invasive; she was free to accept or decline the intrusion into her mind, and he'd access none of it. One's mind and thoughts are perhaps the most intimate things in their life, and he would not desecrate her consciousness and poke around like the Empress did to him two times already.

It all began on Mataou,with Cairo--the very first time Veles met the Acolyte. He'd traveled there because he'd had to, as the others could not fulfill their duty, which left Cairo alone. Malou would see the negotiation with Xendor the Hutt, then the conversations with Cairo where they planned their rise once they reverse-engineered wildfire and distributed it, completely unaware of anything besides the fact that it heightened one's connection to the Force and allegedly had a killer high.

Then he was on Taris, getting ready for the party in his ship, an idea flickering through his mind. Veles dipped a joint in a vial of wildfire and put it back in the pack, stepping out and heading for the banquet hall with Altair. She'd watch as they entered, and would see herself, would feel how his heart skipped a beat when she blurted something out and he did too. Veles was doing his best to suppress the emotions within the memories because they could severely hurt her emotionally, but things seeped through the cracks for some memories.

He lit the joint and then passed it to Altair, who passed it to Cairo. No one thought anything of it.

Then they were in the bathroom, Tiamat standing in front of him, pure disgust etched on her face. Fire engulfed his arms and burned his hands, and then he simply stood there, helpless and alone, as she tore his world apart, taking his apprentice.

She saw him at last speak to someone at his meeting with the Empress, and how he took responsibility for what he did, how he didn't argue or contradict, how he didn't even flinch when her hand shifted toward her lightsaber. She stripped him of Lordship, and then Malou would feel the guilt, shame, and despair that kept him in a vice grip, but only for a brief moment until he reeled it back in, visible strain on his face in the physical realm.

Most tragically, she saw his meeting with Altair. And then she'd see all the little moments in between, reading frantically through shelves upon shelves of books, mixing different concoctions, all while trying to fight back against the withdrawal symptoms.

It ended as abruptly as it had begun, and it had only been seconds. Veles coughed into a cloth he carried in his pocket, stuffing it back in, ignoring the purple. He had only recently redosed. Why was he starting to feel tired?

"If you want to leave, I understand," he said at last, breaking the silence.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Malou watched him as she spoke, finding his wide eyes and averted gaze concerning.

What does he mean? I answered them? She'd written them out and pressed send, and she knew she'd done that because she'd read them afterward in case she'd made a mistake. Malou winced as she wondered if she'd just straight up forgotten to press send. She dropped her hand to her pocket to grab the datapad and check, but before she could, she heard him speak again.

He said he was going to show her. "Show me wha—" Before she could finish, she felt him touch her mind. "Shock" was not the right word to describe how she reacted to that. Her heart nearly skipped a beat as it sped up in a panic, and she instinctively took a step back. Even from Veles, someone she trusted, the feeling of anyone trying to get into her mind was terrifying. After her initial reaction though, Malou slowly pushed open the door to her mind. It was Veles. She would trust him.

What she saw was far beyond what she expected. For once nothing was trying to crush her or take something from her, but instead, something was being shown to her. Events, people, places. Malou felt things too, like whispers of a reaction or a dulled emotion. She watched Cairo and Veles talking to a Hutt, and then she saw him prepare for the party. Through his eyes, she saw their awkward exchange. It felt familiar, the memory, but it was like the calm before the storm.

By the time it was done, Malou was so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information her brain had just received that she couldn't quite collect her thoughts. A million words ran through her head, followed by a million emotions. Confusion. Anger. Concern. Shock. She felt his guilt, shame, and despair on top of all of that. Once her thoughts settled down enough for her to process what he'd shown her, her emotions settled. She felt numb, and Veles would watch her face snap to an emotionless mask.

"I—" Emotions began to bubble back to her surface. Would he have— What if I— He did— Her body was fighting her, trying to keep her face from betraying her thoughts. Her mind would slam shut, cutting her aura off from him in the Force. He would see her jaw tighten and her hands curl into fists, but she would not speak for several more moments. In fact, the first sound was not a word at all.

Malou laughed, her hand coming up to meet her face as her torso bent over forwards. "You idiot." Her laugh died off, leaving the cave quiet again. It was a stressed kind of laugh, like the kind someone hears when someone finds themselves overwhelmed with bad news. Her words were not angry, but far from friendly. "Idiot" was laced with something just short of venom. Other than this small snippet of her reaction he could pick out, her face and posture were perfectly stoic. Her mind was completely shut off from him.

"I'm not going to leave," she stated at last. Her expression did not change, but underneath she was fighting herself. Malou knew how to keep her own emotions in check, tucked away in her mind, but someone else's? She'd been so unprepared for this. It felt like she was about to burst. Malou thought that if she turned and punched the wall, the cave might collapse under the built-up pressure inside her.

tag: @vamp

 

[Veles]

He initially hesitated when showing her the memories, trying not to intrude uncomfortably. Malou seemed to not mind letting him in, though he could sense her reactions as she watched it all, not seeing how she was feeling but just simply the way her demeanor changed. When it was done, and he was once again staring at her, Malou's face lost all emotion, and he felt his heart drop through his chest. It was one thing to torment yourself with thoughts of your closest ones turning their back on you, but it was an entirely different thing to experience it in real life. He held a bit of hope as she stuttered, thinking that maybe she won't completely shut off from him.

And then she called him an idiot, and normally that would not have particularly bothered him. What was, however, among the most heart-wrenching of experiences he'd lived until now was the way she said the word, the way she seemed to spit it out. He'd never seen her like this and for it to be toward him left him in shock for a few seconds. Her laugh confused him, her posture returning to robotic right after. Veles had seen her face neutral, sure, but this was not hers. This was a Malou that wanted to let nothing out, not a single emotion or expression. And she was incredible at it.

Veles wanted to vomit, but he managed a listless grin, and it was probably the most anyone could get out of him these days. He seemed to simply be drained of emotion. Though he didn't know exactly what her thoughts were (and would never try to read her mind), he could sense the aura she gave off in the Force, dark, heavy, complex. That meant that his guess meant nothing because it was likely not even Malou knew what she felt or thought of things.

Her first reaction, however, was the awful sneer that it seemed everyone resorted to--in varying degrees of tone, formality, or disgust--that always felt the same. It was painful to watch as every single person you know grows to resent you. He knew that even those who hadn't--like Altair--still had mixed feelings and didn't completely trust him. It made Veles feel like a completely different person, as if he was living in a stranger's body. To be living this situation was nothing short of a fever dream, and to be feeling it physically was exhausting. He'd had both hands burned and had suffered with the burns for a day before finally resorting to healing them so that he can go out and research the antidote. Without a working body, he would not be able to do this, so it was better to be active and not ignore his needs, however much he may believe he didn't deserve them.

"Thank you." It was all he said, because he knew it was better to let the silence play its course until it was fated to stop. The Shadow had guided him so far, had set him on his path, and if he was meant to be going through this, he may as well try to weather some of it on his feet. He'd let Malou think and process, because he knew she needed it. "Come with me."

He didn't try to get close to her because he knew she would probably be uncomfortable, but wouldn't move away if she approached him--but otherwise, they'd be essentially single file with him a few meters ahead, scouting out the area and possibly making himself the first target should something happen. It was interesting to see the thoughts he had about protecting some people nowadays. All who he had betrayed.

The Dathomirian walked into the cave, Malou with him. Initially, there was darkness, and they walked in pitch-black darkness and in complete silence for a few minutes that felt more like hours. He idly wondered if he'd died and this was actually just the afterlife, an eternity of dealing with your worst mistakes, suffering the harshest consequences. If it was, it would be ironic. His parents had always told him he'll be buried on Moraband, but then again they couldn't have possibly predicted their child would grow up and start a drug crisis among the Imperial ranks.

And as the darkness receded, Malou would realize because of the torches that lined the walls, the flames flickering along the silhouettes of the rocks, their heat gently blowing at their skin as they passed by through what was now becoming a cramped corridor.

---

Blasphemous Ruins of Jwilo, Gyuel system
First Chamber

Suddenly, they were in a cavernous chamber, a sort of underground ravine filled with all sorts of mechanisms and devices. They all had an old—no, ancient—look, which meant they were in the right place. He’d said nothing to Malou the entire time, and it had been a good fifteen minutes since they started walking, but Veles felt like he had to say something to break the silence because eventually they would have to speak.

This would probably be the last moment they get to speak, to actually discuss things, unless they were successful. It was a great risk, and today could very well end in failure—for Veles, for Cairo, and for Altair. The fate of three people rested on him today. On him specifically, because he had not brought Malou along to be cannon fodder. He’d brought her along because he knew she was a valuable person to have around for a quest like this, an intelligent mind and gifted in fighting. The only issue, really, was that she probably despised him.

”I…uh, I think this is where it begins.” It being the end, but she'd probably think he was referring to the dungeon which was just as well. ”Thank you for coming. I will do everything in my power to protect you.” Hopefully he wasn’t too weak for that as well, but a nagging doubt tugged at the back of his mind.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Malou didn't really want to be angry with Veles. He'd shown her his grief, shame, guilt, and the series of events which led up to this situation. She found it funny too, in a sick sort of way, that this had all started on Mataou for a mission she'd put out. He didn't meant for any of this to happen. It was all just a snowball of mistakes, right? He wouldn't do any of this on purpose. But why did he let it happen?

None of this should've happened in the first place. How did he—how could anyone—miss such drastic side effects? He just took it from the Hutt and went on his merry way? Did he not question anything? Now he was suffering the consequences of his own actions, but more importantly, Cairo was suffering the effects of Veles' actions as well. It hurt her deeply, in what way she didn't know, to know he was hurting both himself and someone she cares about.

Why? Malou so desperately wanted to stop and scream at him, but she didn't. She kept her composure, walking quietly without a word, but boiling with heat underneath like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

The "what if's" came next. What if that joint had been passed to her? Would she too be drooling over purple vials like a starved animal, clawing at her skin in agony as she tried to resist the addiction? Would her connection to the Force—all her years of training—slowly disappear until she couldn't feel it at all? She couldn't afford to lose that. The Force was how she lived; it was how she saw the world around her.

What if they couldn't find an antidote? What would happen to him? To Cairo? Is that why he left so suddenly? The memory of their dance was still so fresh in her mind. When he'd left, she'd been confused, but too drunk and too high to try and go after him. Foolishly, she'd thought that maybe she'd done something wrong. I should've gone after him. I shouldn't have lost him. Where was he now? Was he okay? Did Veles even know, or even care?

"Don't thank me," she said tersely. "I'm not doing this for you."

She was quiet for the rest of the way there, still grasping at straws as she tried to process her feelings. It was only once they arrived and he spoke again that she found the words to speak. "I'm sure you'll try," she retorted in response to his promise. Malou knew her words were mean, but she was hurt, and she wanted to hurt him back. She couldn't help it, even if she knew it was helping no one.

The Miralukan stepped around him to enter the chamber, letting her Sight extend out into the room. Though ancient, there were numerous contraptions and what looked to be old, primitive robots strewn about across the chamber. They didn't appear to be placed in any particular fashion, but she did notice that some of them were left in positions of action. One in particular sat on a ball of sorts, it's arm extended out as if it had just swung at someone.

Her hand reached out and her fingers drug along the dusty metal, leaving a shiny trail where the dust was wiped off. Interesting. Did Myslec make these, or did someone else? The ancient Sith Lord was known for her experiments on biology, trying to determine what caused some individuals to be force sensitive while others weren't. She wasn't an engineer, though Malou wouldn't say it was beyond her. It was entirely possible that despite her secrecy around her work, she hadn't gone into hiding alone.

Malou removed her hand and turned to continue on. It was only thanks to the nature of her Sight that she was able to react in time, activating her lightsaber and swinging it around in her defense just as the machine's weaponized arm struck down at her. The mechanical limb fell to the floor with a loud clank! and echoed through the room.

Vvmmnn! Vvmmnn! Her lightsaber cut twice more into the creature, slicing off it's other arm and then cutting it horizontally in half. Her free arm swept to the side, using the Force to slam the pieces into the wall with way more force than necessary, which caused the ancient contraption to crumble to bits.

Once the echo of impact died out, the only sound left for a few moments was the quiet, angry hum of Malou's lightsaber. Then slowly, the machine's in the room began to creak and whine, their power cores roaring to life.

tag: @vamp

 

[Veles]

She wasn’t doing this for him. Of course she wasn’t. It had been downright idiotic of him to assume that she’d come to help him, to make sure he wouldn’t die alone in a cave on a moon in uncharted space, where no one would find him or know what happened. It was stupid to think that she’d stayed out of caring for his wellbeing. She was staying for Cairo, and although Veles could feel the tinge of jealousy in between the crushing depression and dulled numbness, he was just a bit happy that he’d given her this opportunity to help Cairo. ”I know,” was all he said, his voice plain and emotionless, yet his words tinged with the resigned sadness of a man who had lost everything and everyone, had had the Galaxy turned against him, and was slowly coming to terms with that.

The cave was so silent that Veles could hear the blood rushing past his eardrums, could sense the steady beats of his heart within his chest, could hear as his feet and Malou’s feet stepped softly over the stone. Gone was the carefree air that had characterized their relationship, or the friendly teasing, or the questions that he always had an answer to. As they walked, he spotted a few minerals poking out of the rocks, a few that he recognized and normally would have pointed out to her, but Veles simply said nothing, regarding them with a quick glance and then gaze ahead, his face hard in the darkness.

As he came to a stop at the mouth of the chamber and as he made his promise, Malou spoke up again, one of the few sentences that had come out of her mouth since she’d found out. The words stung, made his heart skip a beat and his chest drop. He swallowed dryly, inhaled sharply, and then choked, masking it as a cough at the last moment. Veles gazed at her, and opened his mouth to say something, only to close it and just stand there for a few seconds. As she began walking, he did, too, keeping a relative distance between them that he knew she wanted.

As Malou approached one of the statues, his eyes set on her, his body tensing up. ”No, don’t—” was all he got to say before it came to life and swung at her, but the Champion’s reflexes were on point, as always. He kept walking toward her as she sliced through its arms, but he wasn’t even able to make four steps before Malou slashed the robot and then slammed it into the wall, its metal denting and breaking and erupting into a shower of bolts and bits. There was silence, and Veles stopped. She could handle herself. He didn’t have to act like she was a child, but he couldn’t help but feel protective over her; he didn’t want to lose anyone else, and his mind still hadn’t come to terms that he had already lost her.

As he made to continue his stroll into the depths of the cavern, it all exploded into motion and sound, a chorus of bolts twisting and whirring, metal creaking as it began to move for the first time in so, so long. There were massive bolts right in the ground that lead to who-knows-where, and they, too began to spin endlessly. The robots were a bit into the distance, which gave them some time, so Veles turned toward Malou just as a mass dropped down from the darkness of the ceiling, landing with a clunk a few meters in front of him. His eyes settled on it and adjusted, and he realized it was a mechanical spider. It scurried toward him impossibly fast, leaping toward his face, and the Dathomirian waved his hand in front of himself, a small jet of flame erupting from his palm and swinging in an arc at the spider. As the green fire died out as soon as it had been lit, the hunk of metal that had been his assailant fell back down onto the ground.

Then, another dropped. And another. And another. Mechanical spiders dropped down from the depths of the cavernous ceiling in swarms, taking a few moments to gather their bearing before starting their dash toward whichever of the two Sith was closest. There was no way they would be able to wipe them all out, and if they stayed, they’d be quickly overwhelmed.

”Run!” he called out to the Miralukan in front of him, and he began to charge forward.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

The room shot to life with noise as machines roared alive and began to drop from the ceilings like flies. She dashed forward, saber dragging behind her before being swung around to slice through the metal arachnid creations, severing their legs from their bodies like wheat to the harvest. By the time Veles called out for them to run, Malou had gone through five or six of them, exerting just a bit too much force than was necessary. With a wave of her hand, she sent a pulse of the Force out, causing the machines to stumble and giving her and Veles a brief few seconds to make some headway.

She was sure where she was running, but it was forward. There were several doors in the room, but only one was not being overtaken by the numerous automations. Malou made a beeline for that one, leaving pieces of golden robot in her wake. Her heartbeat increased the closer she got to the door as she worried about whether or not it would open. To her relief, when her hand thrust out to push it open with the Force, it swung back. Her hands would hold it open just long enough for Veles to get through, then she would slam it shut.

Malou pushed her shoulder against the door, holding it firmly shut as the mechanical creatures slammed into it from the other side. The things weren't all that smart apparently, because after thirty of so seconds of commotion, they could be heard wandering off. Malou let out a sigh of relief, then instinctively turned her attention to Veles to check up on him. Once she noticed this, she turned it to the hallway in front of them.

The floor, starting several meters ahead, changed from smooth stone to a series of metal panels with holes drilled into them for twenty or so meters. The Miralukan approached curiously, leaving the door to check out the next obstacle. It was obviously a trap of sort, but she couldn't tell what sort of trap.

Just as Malou was about to tentatively place a hand on the panel, spikes shot up from the ground and about a meter out of it. She retreated her hand quickly, just before one of the pikes might've pierced it. How do we do this? They couldn't go back, and to go forward they had to figure out how to get past without activating the spike traps. Thinking back to Morellia, Malou clipped her lightsaber to her belt then extended both hands out. She could feel her grip on the spikes as they descended. If Veles was quick, she was sure she could hold a line of them long enough for him to get across.

"I'll hold them in place while you run across," she stated. Her head tilted slightly toward him, waiting.

tag: @vamp

 

[Veles]

As chaos overtook the chamber, the machines falling down like raindrops during a thunderstorm, Veles ignited his lightsaber to dual phase, the red beam stretching over a meter long. As spiders approached, he swung and slashed, the blade moving in wide arcs that decapitated the robotic arachnids as they leapt toward him. They weren’t sturdy and they weren’t particularly cunning, but they were numerous, and the longer they stayed in the chamber, the harder it would be to avoid getting overwhelmed.

He followed Malou in her charge toward the only door they could go through, running with renewed energy as the threat of death became very, very real. The Dathomirian was glad she had opened it, because he had no idea how using the Force would affect him, though he’d noticed that it only intensified the withdrawal symptoms and resulted in unpredictable results the farther away he grew from the last time he’d dosed on the ship.

As it swung shut with a loud clang, and he heard the creatures peppering its surface, he put his back up against it to help Malou, though it seemed it wasn’t necessary. No matter how many spiders pushed the door, it was far too heavy for anything other than a Forceful being to open. It was clear that they were, indeed, wandering through a dungeon meant for Sith. Veles looked toward Malou right in time to see her turn her gaze toward him, only to very quickly avert it.

”I—okay.” He was going to protest, to suggest she go first to make sure she got to the other side safely, but he knew that would only cause more contradiction. If that was how Malou wanted to do things, he’d oblige. Clipping his lightsaber back to his belt and taking a step forward, he scanned the panels ahead. He’d go straight ahead, since that would be the easiest.

Without another word, the Champion darted forth with unnatural speed, his feet barely slapping down on the ground before rising again, his body a flurry as he ran over the panels. Some Malou had not yet gotten to but activated only after he was off them, his movements far too fast for the archaic system to keep up with. There wasn’t much of a distance to cover, especially not at that pace, so after only a few seconds he found himself on the other side, staring at Malou.

There was a lever in the wall next to him, and it didn’t take a genius to deduce it was the shut-off for the traps. He’d thought he would have to hold the spikes as Malou had for him, but this was much easier and way safer, so he tugged the lever. Every spike erupted out of the ground at once and stayed there. He touched one with his hand, finding that it didn’t react in any way, and then put his foot on the panel in front of him. Nothing. ”It’s safe now,” he called out to her from across the chamber.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Malou moved carefully through the extended spikes, doing her best to touch them as little as possible. She got across quickly as very little of her wanted to spend too much time over the trap, even if it was deactivated. There was more hallway in front of them, but thankfully the metal panels seemed to be out of sight. It went straight and never curved off in one direction or another, but she could see the indents and beginnings of several other hallways branching out from it. Without another word to Veles, she continued forward.

Some of the hallways ended with rubble, others just ended, and many had their own hallways branching off. It was becoming abundantly clear how large this place was, and how much of a maze it was shaping up to be. The hallways that didn't end in a wall or rubble were nearly identical too. The same carvings covered nearly every wall in a language Malou did not read or even recognize. She wasn't really sure where to go, so she just kept walking and hoped something would catch her attention.

She'd blown off some steam, and it gave her clarity of mind to think more. Malou still didn't know why she felt so angry about all of this. She'd seen his perspective and everything he'd gone through. He hadn't hidden anything from her. It had been such an overwhelming, intimate experience that even now she couldn't quite filter through everything. Yet, she still felt angry. Why am I so angry? She hadn't even been this angry at Draugr for attempting to kill her master, or even Senin for betraying her. What about Veles made him different?

"What would've happened if you'd given it to me?" she asked in a monotonous voice, still looking ahead. Malou used the Force to see. If she lost it, she wouldn't be able to see any of the world around her. Her life as she knew it would be over. The woman would rather die than lose it. Did he know that? Did he really care?

"And what's going to happen to you if you can't figure this all out? What's going to happen to— What are you going to do?" Her tone grew harsher, spurred on by the emotion bubbling in her chest. She talked as she walked, her Sight flooding down every hallway they passed as she tried to find something different. So far, nothing, but her senses were clouded by anger. "What happens if it kills you?" Malou stopped suddenly, but she didn't turn around to face him. "Why did you do this to yourself?" There was an unmistakeable falter in her angry voice.

She was hurt. What if he died? What if Cairo died? Was she going to lose even more people she cared about because he didn't think before passing around laced joints?

// 400 posts! :)

tag: @vamp

 

[Veles]

The ruins were fascinating. If he'd been healthier, Veles would have stopped an infinite amount of times to study the carvings, to record the runes and research them later, perhaps unlocking a secret language. Now, he only gave them a brief glance while trudging through the dungeon. He did not have the mood or energy for any detour. The dead silence between him and Malou did not help, either.

The sound of massive waterfalls trickling down on rocks and the loud bangs of machinery in the background filled the cavern, until Malou broke the silence. Veles sighed.

”Then I would still be here, looking for the antidote by myself,” he answered softly. But that was impossible, because Malou had been assigned to Vahl by Ashla as though they were children being divided into pairs, and he was stuck with some Acolyte that was younger than Altair. In no situation would they have actually danced together, and he would have never had the opportunity to pass the cigarra to her.

”And I would fix it, just as I will now.” Even at the expense of his life.

What’s going to happen to him if he can’t figure it out? ”I would eventually die, but more importantly, Altair and Cairo would be in danger.” Veles finally addressed the elephant in the room, hard as it was. There was no beating around the subject, because they both knew exactly what the other was thinking. ”It’s entirely possible that I may die even after the antidote is found,” he quipped, sounding far more casual than he probably should. He had nothing to lose. Others did.

”I didn’t do it on purpose,” he retorted, a bit of edge to his voice. He’s been asked that question far too many times in the past few days, had to answer the same thing to every person as though it wasn’t irritating. As the days passed, he found himself slowly growing more and more bitter. Everyone had denounced him and spit on him for what he did initially. He’d been demoted, humiliated, and burned, was going through harsh withdrawal with no one to make sure he wouldn’t die, and then everyone had returned back to their business. No one else had risen to make an antidote or done anything to save the Acolytes. The responsibility had fallen only on his shoulders, and he was sure that he’d be hated even after the problem was far in the past. He’d damned himself, and Malou was just one of many people that distanced themselves from him even as he attempted to make amends.

It made Veles sad. Not angry, or hateful, but sad. It drained his heart to know that no matter what he did, no matter what he said, no matter what alchemical creation he invents that benefit the Galaxy, he would always be that Sith Lord who’d been demoted for giving drugs to Acolyte. He was a disgrace, and likely would be for the rest of his life. It weighed down heavily on his chest, pressed down on his lungs, cutting his breath short. He pushed on, acting like nothing was happening.

Although Malou had difficulty figuring out which way to go, Veles had no issue. He needed only to open himself to the Force, to feel every ripple and tug, to sense the holocron. It was like a black hole in a sea of light, a stain on the Galaxy. It was unarguably Sith.

He lead the way down the halls, turning left and right, never stopping to think because he knew exactly the way to go. At last, they reached a door, but it was more of a gate. He opened it by twisting the knob, surprised to find that it worked. Inside, they found an even more massive chamber, a sort of dirt along the ground, various tents strewn around. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could spot humanoid figures below. There was no way anyone was living down here, was there?

Something about it seemed very wrong. Trusting his gut feeling, Veles shifted to stealth, blending in with the things around him to be able to scout it out without being spotted.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Of course he didn't do it on purpose. Of course he had vague answers to all her questions. She wasn't sure what she wanted from him. Maybe she didn't want anything. Maybe she didn't really care and she was riling herself up just to feed off the feeling of being angry. But when he said he might die regardless of whether he succeeded or not, she felt a weight in her chest. Malou said nothing after that and just followed him quietly until they reached the next chamber.

Veles crouched down to the side, spotting what she saw as hunched over figures in the distance. She went to follow, but her foot caught a rock and kicked it down the sloped ground and towards the gathering of tents. The creatures turned their heads to where she stood and began to make their way quickly toward her. Malou, spooked, quickly slid to the side and used the Force to try and muffle her steps.

Shit, shit, shit. The creatures reached the spot she was at, then began to look around for the source of the sound. Malou moved quickly, and hopefully quietly, to follow Veles or move further down into the chamber. The creatures fanned out to try to find the source of the sound for only a minute or so, but even after they returned back down where they were, Malou was sure they were going to be on high alert.

They would be able to move for a little bit until they reached the center of the chamber, where a new creature would force them to pause. Some sort of creature prowled around in their way, clicking its many legs across the dirty floor of the cavern. It encircled a nest of bioluminescent eggs, letting out an almost inaudible hissing sound at indeterminate intervals. What the fuck is that. Malou couldn't help the look of disgust that crossed her features, and she immediately went to find a way around it. To her disappointment, the only way to continue through the cavern was to slip past the mound and down the path behind it.

Learning from her past mistake, Malou made sure there was no rock in her path as she darted out from the brush line, using the Force to try and muffle her steps. She made it past just as the insect creature suddenly whipped around to reverse its pathing. The woman checked to see where Veles was, hoping he would be able to make it across so they didn't tussle with a creature that had more arms than necessary.

tag: @vamp

 

[Veles]

They had the high ground momentarily, which made him slightly uncomfortable at the possibility of being spotted, especially because they were so easy to spot. Doing his best to blend in and step lightly, the sorcerer moved nimbly and swiftly down the hill and into the creature camp. He had no difficulty not making himself noticed, moving like a shadow among the tents. He heard some grunts and craned his head to look at the source of the commotion as he sneaked. Malou had alerted them, but it seemed she shook them off, so he took advantage of the situation and moved on.

Passing by a nest bearing some luminescent eggs, his attention was drawn to them. There was nothing guarding it, so he snatched one and stuffed it into his satchel, quickly shuffling away. As he grabbed it, he heard the scuttling of feet over rock, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as his imagination went crazy considering what the creature might look like. It had moved toward where Malou had been, giving the Dathomirian time to snatch the egg, but he had almost been spotted.

The two ran into each other at what seemed to be the end of this treacherous game of hide and seek, and he stood upright, stretching his back. There was silence between them as they walked, which had set in right after he finished speaking. Malou had no reply to his several statements, and he preferred the tension to full-blown berating from her. When none of them spoke, he could imagine that things were okay and they were just trying to be sneaky. He could imagine her talking to him at the end of the cavern as she used to, to treat him like she actually cared about him. He knew there was definitely something within her that prevented her from completely severing herself, but he also knew she was actively fighting it, confused by her feelings. The sorcerer was powerful enough to be able to sense conflict within an individual, especially when they weren’t trying to hide it. The Miralukan was practically stewing.

The massive ceiling slowly sloped down until they reached the mouth of a corridor that was just big enough for the two of them to walk side by side. Veles slowed his step just a little bit, perhaps a bit hopeful, wondering if there was any way she would actually fall into step at his side. Even if not, the Sith would continue, would trudge forth the first in line. If this dungeon had shown something so far, it was that they should expect anything, so Veles preferred taking the brunt of unpleasant surprises. He had absolutely no idea what he would do if he returned alone from the cave.

The corridor ended after a few minutes of walking, once again opening into a massive chamber, this one glowing with various bioluminescent mushrooms, trees, bushes, and a water that had a neon tinge to it.

---

Blasphemous Ruins of Jwilo, Gyuel system
Third Chamber

It was breath-taking. For a moment, he stopped in his tracks, eyes glancing over the entire scene, taking in the landscape. This was a very rare moment; wonders like these were not common in the Galaxy, and it was equally impressive regardless of whether it was natural or built. Veles found himself turning his head to look toward Malou, to see how she reacted, but quickly darted his gaze away. She would probably be as stoic as before. She couldn’t see colors anyway, so the glowing flora would be lost on her, and if he described it to her, he’d probably be met with silence.

So he sighed and kept strolling.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

Again, Malou followed quietly behind Veles. Though still aware of her surroundings, she got lost in her own world mulling over her thoughts and fighting her conflicting emotions.

It was only once Veles stopped that she came back to reality. He had stopped dead in his tracks, so her Sight extended out so that she too could see the view. Though she could not appreciate the color, ambiance, or atmosphere, Malou still found the presence of the giant mushrooms incredible. She was so consumed by exploring the landscape through her Sigh that she almost missed Veles' darting glance.

Then he sighed, and the feeling of guilt welled up in her throat. Had she been too harsh with her words? She was angry and hurt, so she wanted him to be angry and hurt too, but instead, he just seemed...sad. Her mind flipped to the memories he'd shared with her. The loss. The pain. The anger others had toward him. Did she really need to be more of that? He'd done so much for her already. Maybe the least she could do was keep her anger to herself.

Malou stood still for a second to watch Veles walk away. What would happen after they both left here today? Would they speak again? Had she ruined things with too harsh of words? There were so many questions she could ask. She didn't want things to be ruined. There was a weight in her chest hoping and praying that things would go back to normal. They would find the holocron and he would make the antidote. He would be okay. She would make sure of it.

"Why me?" she would ask, breaking the tense silence between the two as she quickened her pace to catch up. "Why ask me for help?" Her tone was quiet and almost tentative as if she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to know the answer.

It was also quiet because she didn't know who or what else could be here with them.

tag: @vamp

 

[Veles]

HIs heart felt heavy in his chest as he walked, and Veles tried to distract himself by reaching out through the Force to scan for any lifeforms around. To his surprise, there were none, and he could sense the holocron inside a tower somewhere a bit deeper in the cavern. Malou hadn’t followed, it seemed, so he turned to look over his shoulder just as she spoke up and began pacing toward him. Why her? Because—

”I—you’re one of—you are my closest friend.” He stuttered for a moment as his thoughts shuffled around once his mouth opened, and he could sense a blush forming as he put it out and the words hung in the air. They had never assessed their relationship, had never put any labels or declared that they were anything more than acquaintances, so to lay the cards out on the table like that meant dispelling the veil completely. Yes, she was his friend. ”And I think you are the most capable person I know.”

He wouldn’t have wanted anyone else watching his back through the most dangerous dungeon that Veles had walked through. As he externalized it all, he couldn’t help but feel another pang of sadness and the dull, numb pain of regret weighing heavily on him. He shouldn’t be dumping this all out on her like this, even though she’d asked. He was only putting her in an uncomfortable situation, because after what he did at the party, he doubted she even cared about him anymore. And he understood completely.

Veles swallowed dryly as he let her fall into step next to him. The sorcerer was quietly leading the way at a quickened pace. There was no other creature in here with them, and it would be best if they didn’t waste any time on the way to the holocron. They had plenty of time to talk as they walked, because the tower was relatively far and definitely rather tall. His thoughts shifted to the cavern. Veles couldn’t help but be amazed at its size as well as the unique plants. He would have never guessed something like this could grow on some insignificant moon. It was bittersweet, wandering through one of the most beautiful places he’d seen during the ugliest time in his life alongside a person he was sure he’d lost.

He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it hesitantly. For a moment, he was silent. "I—” What? “I thought you cared about me”? That was not even what he wanted to say, but it was so hard to verbalize his jumbled thoughts and emotions. ”You mean a lot to me.”

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

He called her his closest friend, and Malou wasn't sure how to feel about that. She too might call him a close friend, but the idea of being someone's closest friend was worrisome. How could he be so sure? Friends in the Sith were few and far in between because no one could ever know for sure if someone they felt they could trust with their life might try to stab them in the back the moment they let their guard down. It was difficult to trust anyone. The Serennian knew she was projecting her own insecurities onto him, but it was still the foremost thought in her mind.

"Capable?" She supposed she was capable of things, like slicing through weird, ancient mechanical droids and being able to see things others couldn't. She could fly ships, lead invasions, and navigate the intricate courts of nobility, but Malou never felt like she was a capable person. There was still so much she could learn. It was a nice feeling to know that he trusted her to at least not be stupid, though she had her moments.

Malou fell in step with Veles, still feeling quiet. This all felt so complicated, and it was complicated more by the fact it wasn't just himself he'd hurt. He'd hurt Cairo too. He never responded to my messages. Where was he now? By the time Veles returned with the holocron and crafted the antidote, would it be too late for him?

Veles spoke again, this time to confess that she meant a lot to him. "What do you mean?" Malou would ask, her voice steady despite the way his words had surprised her. They could mean so many different things and she wasn't sure which thing she wanted it to mean. Things had changed the moment he'd shown her their reason for being here. She wouldn't deny that she still cared for him, but she couldn't say she didn't feel conflicted either.

Maybe she didn't want to know. "You know what, nevermind. I think we should— we need to focus on getting that holocron so you can get better." She quickened her pace and hoped he would quicken his as well, moving down the path and toward the tower. It was far off, which meant either there was going to be a lot of tense silence, or one of them would eventually pipe up and rekindle the awkward conversation.

The path was worn down like a trail, which meant at someone people might've lived here. It was too old and worn to be new, and too wide to be made just by the creatures she and Veles had discovered before. Above them, old, cylindrical buildings stood quiet and unassuming against the landscape. Sometimes bridges connected the spires of rock in which they sat, though many hung down the cliff faces, broken by time. Malou longed to remove her blindfold and see what this place looked like, but she knew she would only be disappointed.

Eventually, the path led to a land bridge which fell across a ravine dropping hundreds of meters down into the rock. Water fell from the side across from them into it, and the mist and distance obscured the view of the bottom. The bridge was wide though, so the Miralukan had no reservations crossing it. The houses above them were becoming more and more abundant the closer they got to the tower, though they seemed uninhabited.

I wonder who used to live here? Those creatures? The way those things had been living was so much more primitive than how the buildings above them looked. Perhaps they were the last descendants, slowly dying off to be forgotten by history.

tag: @vamp

 

[Veles]

The more they spoke, the more he just wanted to shut up, because Veles was not very good with words at the moment. Maybe it was the delirium of the withdrawal symptoms kicking in or he was just too tired to actually think, but he’d already dug himself into a huge hole and he had no idea how to crawl out. He’d wanted to remain silent but Malou began asking questions, and he had the feeling that she didn’t understand half of what he said.

”Never mind,” he said far before her and picked up pace. Veles walked toward where he felt the pull the most, shutting himself off from the conversation and going back to business. Truth be told, he was so tired of talking, so tired of having to explain himself and to spend hours justifying the things he said or did for people who felt they deserved it because he’d fucked up. He was actively trying to remedy the situation, and yet he was still getting shit from every source. First Tiamat, then Andruil, then Altair, and now Malou. After this, he would probably be locking himself into his ship in the orbit of a nice planet and spend the next week alone doing what he had to. He was weary of all the back and forth.

He didn't want to think about it.

A blue tower came into view and he approached, the tug growing stronger and stronger the closer he got. Veles didn’t say anything to Malou, and just opened the door, finding himself in front of two staircases, one going up and one going down. He took the one going down, eyes darting around to react to any enemies that sprang out of the darkness. And yet, there was no one there. The holocron was completely unguarded.

---

Blasphemous Ruins of Jwilo
Gyuel system

Third chamber, Holocron room
They climbed down the staircase and into the chamber, finding no resistance whatsoever. It came into view, set on a pedestal surrounded by torches that were somehow burning. A thin bridge connected them to the podium, and he wondered if it was for dramatic effect or it was a trap.

Veles stopped right at the beginning of the bridge and held his hand out. Nothing happened, so he stepped forward. As he found himself safe, he slowly approached the holocron until he reached the end. There were no traps.

He approached the pedestal as he sensed Malou in the room and reached out his hand. It closed around the small but intricate red pyramid, and for a moment he thought something would blow up. Holding it like a newborn, he turned to face Malou.

”We ca—” The ground rumbled under them, rubble falling down from the ceiling. His eyes widened. ”Run!”

It was just like the beginning, except now the entire cavern was collapsing down on them. It was to be expected that something like this would happen, and Veles was growing a little worried about finding an exit. Surely there was one.

He dashed up the stairs with the holocron in his hands and ducked a huge brick that fell out from the ceiling and nearly slammed into his skull. Showered with dust and dirt, he ran out of the tower and choked most of it out, his mouth coated in it. Veles looked around.

The mushrooms looked to be withering, and there were massive chunks of the cavern falling down from the ceiling. The dungeon was, essentially, collapsing in on itself. His eyes landed on a huge chasm in front of them, a sort of cylinder that stretched up to the top. If there was any exit here, it was definitely that one.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

What is the holocron doing in a place like this? Malou didn't know much about Myslec—no one really did—but she didn't expect to find one of her holocrons in a place like this. The ornate decorations, the throne...it didn't seem like Myslec to her, but at least they'd found it.

I wonder where her lab is? Does she even have a lab here? It was possible that after going into hiding she didn't continue her research, but Malou highly doubted that. The woman was obsessed with her work, and obsession was such a grave understatement. She was considered the sin of lust, and her lust for knowledge was insatiable. If there wasn't a lab, Malou would be surprised.

Malou remained at the beginning of the bridge and watched as he traveled across and approached the holocron. The Champion expected something to happen and held her breath as he reached out to grab it. For a moment, nothing happened. He turned to speak to her as she began to relax, only for the ground around them to begin to shake. The ceiling began to crash down, sending chunks into the bridge that connected her to Veles.

Shit! She followed him quickly, dodging falling debris on her way over to what looked to be an elevator shaft. Her hand reached up to pull her blindfold down over her mouth and nose to keep the dust and debris out of her lungs. The Force aided her run, and within several seconds she was able to catch up to Veles.

They made it to the elevator shaft just as a giant piece of the roof landed behind them, locking them inside. The Miralukan all but ran into the opposite wall, put caught herself on her forearm, and took just a moment to catch her breath.

tag: @vamp

 

[Veles]

They were nearing the end game, it was obvious by now. The cave was collapsing and would be ruined, so there was no coming back. He didn’t know if the Sith Lord had had a lab but even if she did, it would be destroyed. The information on the holocron was the only data they received, because sometimes things were just impossible to research.

The shaking of the ground and collisions behind them kept him running as fast as his legs could carry him, stumbling at times. Veles practically threw himself into the elevator after Malou, the doors beginning to close behind him. He looked around at the ornate gold doors and walls, listened as the gears and pulleys shifted the elevator up. A very primitive system.

Veles watched between the bars as the cavern collapsed in, destroying the mushroom ravine and the intricate system of traps that would have been interesting to study. There would be no returning, no plundering of loot or artifacts. They had gotten what they came for, and they should be grateful they even lived.

The elevator came to a shuddering stop and the doors skidded open by themselves. Veles stepped outside onto the surface of the moon and found that they had emerged only about 200 meters away from the entrance. He knew how to get to the ship from here.

”I’m going to look through the holocron,” he declared as they finally stopped and rested. ”I can send the findings to your datapad if you don’t want to stay.”

He didn’t ask her to stay, didn’t have any expectations. Veles would have enjoyed if they studied it together just as they normally would, but things had changed since then.

@lizziie

 

[Malou D'Amaris]

They were quiet on the way up and somehow, Malou had grown tired of the silence. She wasn't a talkative person by any means, but around people she knew well enough she liked to talk. Not a lot, but some. So to stand in silence with Veles, especially such a tense, standoffish one, did not soothe her nerves to any degree. She could only partially intellectualize her feelings towards him, but Malou was pretty sure he was still feeling nothing but all the shame, guilt, and grief he'd shown her before. Neither of them seemed keen on chatting it up, but her mind kept running back to when he'd visited her on Serenno.

I'm no good at this. The Miralukan had began to try to come up with conversation starters, but gave up after "So...weird cave huh?" seemed just a good of small talk as "So, how's the weather?" Veles was the next to speak though, saving her from her musings. Though things were awkward, there was no way she was gonna dip.

"I'm staying," she stated as she pulled her blindfold up so it went back to only covering her eyes. The fresh air flooded her lungs and sent a wave of relief into her body.

Her Sight shifted over to the holocron in his hands. "Are you going to open it here?" she asked, curiosity lacing the otherwise nonchalant tons of her voice. It was possible it might require the both of them to open.

tag: @vamp