Returning

[Mars]

The sun sank just below the horizon on Korriban. It was a rather average night at the Sith Temple. Acolytes screaming, Marauders laughing, and the dark overlords of the temple berating yet another poor Force sensitive bastard ripped from his parents arms. Business as usual.

A Sith dropship came into the atmosphere bound for the temple. It was filled with some of the Emperors finest, the Stormtroopers, and a single Marauder that'd begun to make a name for himself. From...humble...beginings to where he was today had been quite the journey. Sold into slavery by his parents to pay for spice, then his lengthy stay at an older man's mansion, to being the favored acolyte of a powerful Sith Lord, to winning a tournament and killing his way to Marauder. However, none of this would've happened had Varek not met one oh-so-important girl.

Andraste.

The golden child of the Sith. The favored daughter. The one with potential so clear, even Judicar's apprentice could not deny her. She was destined for greatness and everybody knew it. Varek would be by her side when that day came, however, untill that day he'd be content to serve the Sith and butcher the Jedi. The monks should all burn in hell for their inability to save people like him from monsters like that man. Light side. Psh. That shit's rediculous in Varek's eyes.

Not that most would ever see those eyes. His violet orbs that held a smoldering hatred that ran deeper than any physical scar. The rage and anger threatened to consume him most of the time, but his training kept the beast caged, especially around Andraste whom battled with much more intense inner demons. At almost all times Varek's face was obscured by a Sith mask he'd come across during one of his first missions as an Acolyte. His master allowed him to keep it, the dark energy contained only adding to the corruption of his soul. He wore medium armor with robes over them and wore a pair of gauntlents altered through Sith Alchemy to withstand a lightsaber's contact and increase his strength in combat. Despite their weight, the gauntlents were one of Varek's most prized possesions, second only to his lightsaber. He stepped off the ship first, with the stormtroopers being dismissed by him shortly after. The mission wasn't anything special, just another search-and-destroy of a rebel outfit on a nearby world. He paused for a moment and took a breath, he'd wait for her to come to him.

She was close, and he missed her dearly.

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste had been rather busy in the Korriban temple. She had met many faces, though only a few lingered within her mind. As the days went by, she found herself greatly missing her childhood friend, who she considered to be family, though she had no real family left. Varek was older than her, and was made a marauder as a result. As soon as he gained the title, he had left the temple to go on his own missions. This absence was what made Andraste venture out and find others for company. Varek was the only connection she had to her lord, for better or worse. Without him, she felt utterly alone.

It was like a subtle tug in the Force at first. She had thought nothing of it at first. However, the presence nagged at the back of her mind. Suddenly, she sat up, her eyes wide. She knew that signature! It took her mere seconds to dash down the halls of the temple, much to the surprise of any that had been roaming around. She had no care for courtesies and proper conduct in the presence of Sith Lords. She had a singular thought on her mind: Varek was back!

It took her mere seconds before she practically skidded down the smooth floors of the temple. She came to a halt a few feet away from him. Her eyes were wide. He looked different, much more battle hardened. However, even through the mask she could make out the eyes she knew so well. Without a word, she closed the distance between them and embraced him tightly, suddenly pulled into the warm cocoon of his familiar Force energy. She said nothing for a while, glad that no Sith was around to see this. She pulled back at last and beamed at him. She pulled out a small glass flower that was made from Korriban desert sands and use of the Force. She sadly looked down at it.

"I've made one for each day you were gone. Don't leave me! What if..what if he.."

She was hit with an abrupt look of fear. She looked around suddenly, as if her lord could abruptly be standing there. Varek was the only other soul that knew about her lord. It had been a secret between the three of them, and she strongly hoped it stayed that way. She brushed the thought from her mind, offering him a smile.

"I can finally hold a training saber right side out.."

 

[Mars]

Ah, there she was!

His favorite little girl came running up the halls and impacted into him with a soft thud. Her happiness was key to his own. Varek embraced the girl with a tight hug, not caring if someone saw. A major philosophy of the Sith was to use your emotions to fuel you and his deep care for Andraste kept him focused at times. After a moment she handed him a small glass flower and he placed into into a secure compartment on his armor.

"Thank you. He will not harm you Andraste, he is going to make you invincible, and if he ever does I'll slay him myself. Never will you be subject to.....torment like I was."

His voice dropped a bit towards the end, remembering his horrid days in that man's possession. She spoke again though and the thought of it was gone.

"I'm glad you've finally mastered that much." He said with a grin. "Those tend to sting when ignited in the wrong direction. I don't know that I've showed you these gauntlets yet, I think you'll like them."

Varek held up his hands and showed her the dark side-imbued gauntlets he'd found deep in an old Sith tomb. They were black with strange markings in white covering them, relatively standard but held an odd beauty to them. He took a few steps back and showed them their most useful property, calling his lightsaber to his hand and igniting the red blade. Lifting one hand, he slowly wraped his hand around the plasma beam and held on for a few seconds before letting go. He then held up his palm, which held no mark from the saber.

"It's rather useful. But enough about my new toy, how goes your training?"

 

[Sreeya]

Andraste tilted her head, curiously watching his demonstration. She was going to warn him about the saber, but the exposure to the plasma hues seemingly had no effect on the gauntlet. Her eyes widened, her jaw dropping slightly. She grasped his wrist and brought it closer, leaning in to look.

"How did you..where did you..?!"

She also looked at his lightsaber, grinning.

"I still don't have one. You get to use that a lot?"

She followed the motion of the saber with her eyes like a cat, hypnotized by the crimson hue. She showed him her durasteel blade.

"This is all I have for now. Training has been going well except...the teachers appear to like hurting their students."

Andraste grimaced at the thought. More than the pain she endured, she hated the thought of her friends going through the same kinds of lessons. She began to walk down the hallway, expecting him to walk alongside her.

"I always worry that he will come back. I worry about it every day. He won't like this. I smile too much, I'm...happy, I think. Are we supposed to be happy? I think I'm doing something wrong.."

 

[Mars]

Varek laughed a little at her utter bewilderment. She'd clearly not seen too many lightsaber resistant armors prior to now and that could prove dangerous for his little sister down the line.

"They're filled to the brim with dark side energy. It lends them strength enough to stop even a lightsaber. While rare, there are other things that can do so as well, so be careful when you strike."

He noticed her eyes also shot to his lightsaber and the sly grin that followed.

"Yes, I do get to use it often, more so then I expected to be honest."


Varek shut it off and the blade shimmered away, letting Andraste actually focus on what she wanted to say. Varek looked at the training blade and laughed a little.

"Ah, I remember those weapons well. Fear not the Maruaders Andraste, many of them are either spoiled brats or foolish street rats that somehow survived the earlier stages. I'm sure before long you'll be there as well."

He'd turned to follow her once she started walking. His face still concealed by the hood and mask he wore almost all the time. It was rare to see the Zabrak's actual face and if absolutely necessary he made every effort to cover his brand. That was the old him. His strength ensured that would never happen again. He was no one's slave.

"He will come back one day dear. You will learn a great deal from him when he does. The pain is what makes us stronger and the happiness we feel later is certainly right. There would be no point in all of this without it. What is power without a way to enjoy it? You would be as Darth Nihlus was, little more than a black hole, consuming others without a purpose."