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[Aadya Rasheer]

Aadya sat in the cockpit of the ship she'd commandeered, the lazy haze of hyperspeed the only thing visible from the viewport. The ship itself was nothing special, just a Pathfinder scout ship, one she'd "borrowed" from another Order member with the promise not to blow it up and otherwise bring it back in one piece. Of course, Aadya had neglected to say just exactly where she was going, and the fact that that place was quite famous for its intense storms and otherwise relatively inhospitable weather.

Along with Aadya was a man named Ender, someone who she didn't really know that well outside of his reputation within the Order. When the young Acolyte had first put out feelers for a mission in one of the Sith strongholds, she figured she'd get another eager acolyte to come along with her - not a well established and notable Marauder.

Aadya hadn't exactly been super forthcoming about what they would be doing, but Ender also hadn't asked a lot of questions so really the blame was on him if he signed up for something he wasn't prepared for. Truth be told, Aadya wasn't even really sure what they would find on the world of Malheion. The texts she'd read weren't super particular outside of some key points of interest. Their destination was the abandoned capital of Ortus. Aadya figured if there was any place that'd house something interesting, it was there.

The ship would drop out of hyperspace suddenly, the view of Malheion both beautiful and terrifying. Even before piercing the atmosphere, Aadya could see roiling storms screeching across its surface. It was about to be a bumpy ride. Flipping on the ships intercom, Aadya figured it might be worth giving Ender a heads up about what they were about to experience.

So, you should probably strap yourself in, Aadya said with a nervous chuckle before prepping a few of the ship's system for the inevitably turbulent landing. I wasn't exactly honest about what we were doing. Truth be told, we're about to descend through some serious shit and when we land, we might encounter even worse shit than that.

If Ender had any questions, now would be the time to ask. As the ship broke through Malheion's upper atmosphere, the inky blackness of space was replaced with something far more sinister, its darkness only broken by the frequent streaks of dark orange lighting that cracked the sky.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender sat in a seat outside of the cockpit, his legs stretched out with his arms crossed as he thought to himself. When he agreed to come he expected someone... older but he wanted to explore Malheion himself and he wasn't picky. He hadn't exactly been talkative the entire time as he thought about what he was gonna do once he arrived on the planet but that's when Aadya's voice echoed through the ship to warn him to secure himself for the bumpy ride. He rose his gaze to stare at the intercom and then at the door that led to the cockpit.

Aadya would hear the door open behind her before he walked in, his eyes locked outside of the cockpit window as he stared at the storm they were about to fly through. "What an apt description you gave." Ender made his way to the seat that was nestled in the corner of the cockpit and sat down. He strapped himself and used one of his hands to grab onto a handheld to stabilize himself in case things went awry.

"We're going to have a conversation if we land." This wasn't part of the plan and he wasn't too happy about that because he didn't expect much deviation. The lightning struck the air with vengeance, appearing displeased at the presence of the two breaking through the atmosphere. The lightning continued to pick up and Ender unbuckled himself and instead went to the co-pilot seat as he helped Aaddya navigate through the torrential storm. "Do you have an LZ or are we freeballing it?"

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

Aadya almost chuckled when Ender mentioned having a conversation once they made it to solid ground. It seemed like something someone's dad would say when they "weren't mad, just disappointed." When Ender asked his next question, Aadya just sort of shrugged. I have sort of a... vague approximation of where we want to land. If you see the giant salt lakes or a towering pale faced demon monster, you'll know we've gone too far.

As they continued to descend through the atmosphere, the ship would rattle violently as it was bombarded by the strong winds kicked up by the storm. Activating the various stabilizers Aadya was doing her best to keep the ship in once piece, but if they had to traverse much more of this violence she was pretty sure the whole thing was going to get shredded to ribbons.

Eventually, and just in time based the increasingly concerning groans of stress from the ship, they finally busted through the storms and started skimming just above the solid ground of Malheion. Far in the distance both of them would be able to see a massive towering spire looming as lighting streaked behind it.

The city around the spire was dilapidated, its buildings crumbling and vacant. Outside of the city walls Aadya found a clearing large enough to set the ship down. Once they came to a full stop, Aadya would give Ender a sheepish look, wondering exactly what he wanted to talk about.

You can't tell me this place doesn't look awesome. I mean, outside the huge death storms and the bands of roving mutants that are claimed to roam the surface.

Standing up from her seat, Aadya grabbed her backpack and fastened her lightsaber to her hip. If you're gonna yell at me, at least do it on the move. We made it through the storm, might as well give the place a look.

Heading for the ship's off ramp, Aadya was head oustside, ready to listen and still probably ignore whatever Ender happened to be upset about.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

The only thing he could respond with was a shake of his head. This trip was becoming way more than he expected and he didn't know if he was liking it. He couldn't think on it too long as the ship rattled him back to the present. His hands tightened around the controls and he did his best with Aadya to keep it steady. It only lasted a few more minutes which seemed to be their last before they eventually broke through the turbulence and the storm.

Past the storms, the planet was actually quite pretty to look at but it wasn't long before the massive spire demanded his attention instead. Decadent buildings canvased the ground around the spire and it was a beautiful but eerie sight. When the ship finally touched down with a little rough jolt, Ender slowly turned his head to find the girl staring back at him. It was clear from the look on his face he wasn't exactly appreciative of the plan so far. When she mentioned the deadly storms and roving mutants, Ender simply replied, "You are ill-prepared for this mission."

He unbuckled his straps before standing up along with her as he picked up his pack and threw it over his shoulder. Ender followed her out of the ship and onto solid ground, "I'm too tired to yell but don't hold the truth from now on. You lie again I'll just leave you on this planet to fend for yourself." When they both stepped outside, he stopped as the rays from the sun struck him and warmed every inch. There wasn't much around here and he thought that meant one location, the empty city. Ender started to walk with Aadya, his gaze trained forward until he eventually asked, "Do you know anything about this city?"

 

[Aadya Rasheer]

Aadya's first instinct at Ender's little quip about not being prepared for their trek was to get defensive and snarky. Her mind ran through a dozen different casual insults before she decided that perhaps it was best, this time, to hold her tongue and merely cast him an annoyed side-eyed glance instead.

Alright, dang, She said in response to Ender talking about stranding her ass here. You're right, I know. But you wouldn't have come if I told you the whole truth.. Aadya paused for a moment, the sharp pangs of ex-Jedi guilt hitting her in the chest, though she did her best to hide this from Ender. It was something she worked on a lot, trying to be a better Sith and all that. It goes both ways, then. If I can't lie then you can't either.

As they started walking through the city the absolute desolation of the place was extremely evident. It was eerie, all the emptiness and abandonment, but Aadya had no problem with eerie things. It was the near absolute silence of the place that unnerved her the most.

Yeah, I know a little bit from the scraps of info I've been able to find. At one point it was known as Ortus and it was this place's capital. From the sounds of it, during its heyday it used to be quite opulent." Though you wouldn't know it from how it looked now. It was almost hard to know which direction you were walking when all of the buildings were rundown and looked the same. Supposedly, there is a darkside nexus here.

Suddenly, Aadya heard a sound that pulled her attention towards the roof of a nearby building. It was a strange noise, almost wet somehow, and sounded like something slithering along the flood. Scanning the rooftops, Aadya was almost ready to write it off as her imagination when her eyes fell upon the visage of something she'd never seen before.

Pointing towards it, Aadya looked over to Ender with a concerned and confused look on her face. What the kriff is that?

She'd barely gotten the full question out before several more of the creatures appeared and took notice of the two Sith. They let out weird, abnormal screeching noises before leaping from their perch and charging on all fours towards them.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

When Aadya commented that if she had revealed the truth that he wouldn't be there, he simply scoffed in response. It was obviously true but that didn't mean he appreciated being lied to. She told him that it went both ways about the lying and Ender slowly brought his gaze over to her with a look in his eye. From every Sith he had encountered so far, she was the strangest in the fact that she seemed so... innocent. "Oh, of course." He lied right then and there.

As they entered the city, Ender couldn't help but let his eyes wander as he examined each building they passed. It had been clearly abandoned by people at least. Doors and windows were left ajar and through them, the pair could see the amount of dust that had formed over the years on top of broken furniture. He listened as Aadya filled him in on what the city used to be like and when she mentioned the nexus, he stopped and fully turned towards her.

Ender didn't feel anything at first but extended his reach of the force, attempting to find a thread or a connection to this supposed nexus. After a few moments of unsuccessful searching, he stopped altogether and commented, "If it's here, it's deep. I can't sense anything near us." He crouched and placed his hand on the ground while he spoke once more, "Again, If there is a nexus, we'll have to be careful. They can attract..." But before he could finish, both of them heard a slimy noise from above snd peered up to the roofs in response.

When she asked what it was, Ender just answered truthfully, "You think I have any idea what they are?" Immediately, he pulled out the hilt of his saber, keeping it deactivated at that moment. The first of the creatures lunged straight for Aadya, its leg propelling it into the air and intense speed. As it was about to reach her, however, the force immediately wrapped around it and yanked it back away before throwing it through the window of a nearby building. Both of them could hear the clatter as the creature found its landing among some debris.

The next charged like the previous, this time staying on all fours on the ground. Ender activated his lightsaber then, at least one of the blades as he covered himself in red light. He was ready for a collision but the moment the thing saw his lightsaber, it did everything it could to halt in its tracks. Dirt was kicked up as it finally came to a stop a few feet away from them as it let out another wet screech as its tentacles vibrated. Ender stared at it with an arched eyebrow, unsure what it was doing before eventually realizing its reaction, "They know what we are though."