The Tomb of Darth Zannah

[Vindictive]

EDIT: (Just thought about it, here's the wiki info about Darth Zannah for those who aren't familiar with her; Link. That's where a good bit of the info for this thread comes from.)

It had been years since she'd visited the tombs of Darth Bane and Darth Nihilus on a quest for power and wisdom. She had achieved both under their careful instruction. This journey and this tomb were different. For Slypher, the curiosity had been hammering her long enough; what was her lineage? Who were her ancestors? To what name did she have claim on the inheritance of? Wasn't there something greater for someone else? Who was to say that someone else wasn't her? She had a yearning desire to find out more.

Her ship, a typical Sith freighter that was issued to her after gaining the council's approval for such a journey, floated in space over the horizon of Somov Rit, the homeworld of the one who brought down Darth Bane with her powerful sorcery; Darth Zannah. She had heard of the tales of the Sith Lady, how she had slain Darth Bane when the Sith were still the Rule of Two, and how Darth Bane still managed to instill a piece of his essence into Darth Zannah in his final moments. She had dreamed many nights of the day she'd get to visit this tomb, and when she heard that it had been discovered, she couldn't resist but to go to the location.

Her ship arrived in a clearing on the jungle-world, landing and shutting off all major functions for flight. She made her way to the back, where her training chamber was, and sat with her legs crossed. The droid that accompanied the ship, T4-G4, made sure the loading ramp stayed closed and that there was no way for anyone to enter the ship and interrupt her meditation. Satisfied, she closed her eyes and lowered the mental barriers around her mind.

Tendrils branched out and encompassed the area, scanning and observing every living being within a ten mile radius of her ship. While all she felt that was living were animals and human hunters trying to find food for the next month, she also felt the ghosts of those who passed. There were many Jedi and Sith that still wandered the forests, even after life. Their presences were restless, unsatisfied that they never got a proper funeral. She opened her eyes, knowing how well she needed to guard herself when she left the ship, and made her way to where she kept her equipment.

She slipped out of her lounge clothes and slipped into her Sith attire, clipping her lightsaber at her hip. She made her way to the loading ramp and had the droid open it up. The scent of fresh vegitation and forest filled her nose, making a pleasing aroma that relaxed her muscles and calmed her mind. Was this normal for this world? Perhaps it was. She could see why the natives had no need of major technology. This planet would provide them with everything they needed.

"Watch the ship for me. Nothing comes on without me, and nothing leaves without me. Keep it on total lock-down," Slypher instructed the droid. Exhaling and preparing herself for what she might find, she exited the ship and made her way into the dense, thick forest surrounding the area...

 

[Fallah Shoma]

Fallah was not a happy woman. Of all the places to land this planet was not on the top ten list. In fact if she had put her mind to it, it would be off the list. But, it seemed like luck wasn't with her today, the engines had been doing funky things again. When they did that it took a little for them to be in working order. Most often they had to cool off and they would be in flying order soon enough, it was a waiting game and not one that Fallah was fond of. She had opened the hatch door and had ventured outside, a bit cautiously as tempting as it was to throw the door open and proclaim herself lord of all she saw.

Instead she leaned against the Night, the shortened name of her ship and removed a rock that had gotten in her boot some how. She had a feeling she should have taken that as a sign. She had a blaster with her, but, she was also aware that some times that was not enough. So she moved away from the ship a little wise, careful to still keep it with in her line of sight. She listened as best she could, hoping a large animal or person for that matter did not come upon her unawares. Her communication systems sketchy at the best of times had simply been picking up mundane chatter.

Fairly certain there was no one in the immediate area who wanted her dead, she began to relax a bit. She moved towards the tree line. If she were lucky she could track down something of worth. After all, places like this tended to be magnets for ruins and such. If there was one thing Fallah knew about ruins, it was the fact that they were often filled with things that could be sold for a handsome price if presented to the right people. Not that, that was always legal mind you. But, she had never heard of something like the law being anything that stood in the way of a rich collector. If there was none to be found she knew of a shadow port or two that had people willing to take anything she found off her hands.

 

[Vindictive]

Mid-trek, Slypher paused and scoured the surrounding area. Her senses tingled, letting her know a foreign presence had just touched down. Curious and on alert, she carefully followed the direction her senses pointed her in, her lightsaber in hand and ready. She didn't feel a threatening presence, and if it was, she was more than equipped to handle it. She wanted to make sure there wasn't any disturbances when she communed with the fallen Sith Lady. This journey of her was too important to fail. If she could discover her family line, perhaps there would be more purpose for her in this life.

When she was close enough to see who the intruder was, she leaped into the trees and, using the force, made every movement silent so she couldn't be heard. She was hidden, and only a force adept could pick her up. Her prying eyes darted around until they landed on a ship that had just recently made its home in the clearing. It wasn't too far from her own ship. By the looks of it, the engines were overheating. It was probably the result of a leak in the anti-depression chamber on the hyperspace engine. An easy fix for an engineer or mechanical droid. Her own droid could fix it up, being an older model Astromech.

She then noticed a human that appeared to be in her late-twenties, mid-thirties. Reaching out through the force, but also masking her presence in the force, she grazed the edge of the womans' mind, making an attempt to detect if this new face was a perceived thread. Instead of finding such information, she only found bits that referenced multiple tombs, not just her own. And only being there because her engines were frakked. Confident that she would not attack on sight, she figured she'd dive a little deeper and find out more to why this person was there. Perhaps there would be benefit to having aid, if the person was willing.

Silently, she jumped down and walked out into the open. She kept her hand near her lightsaber just in case something happened. "Who are you?" She asked, careful not to sound rude or demanding, but also gave her voice a firm and inquisitive feel. She was a Sith, so there was no point in trying to sound like something she wasn't. Sith weren't known for small talk, so that was something of a plus for the other person.

Her eyes returned to the ship, noting even more problems it was having just to the naked eye. The ship, quite frankly, was falling apart. Perhaps it wasn't as easy of a fixx as she thought.

 

[Fallah Shoma]

Fallah had finished her exploration of the immediate area, satisfied nothing in her immediate area was going to eat her, at least not right way. She decided to head back towards the ship, at least it was some form of shelter. Quite frankly she was not going to trust a strange cave, if there were even any caves around in a jungle there might not be. In any case she was sure there was nothing strange living on her ship. Well, nothing stranger than normal she had her doubts about some of things on board that tried to pass as food.

Her path had brought her back in around about way. However, this path her brought her in contact with another person. Which, in and of it's self wasn't necessarily a bad thing. But, this one seemed to be a card holding member of the dark grab club. And whilst Fallah wasn't a jedi, she had a pretty good idea who or what this woman was rather. Which put her in an interesting position. There was a fine line between not making some one annoyed enough to kill you and looking like you wished to be ran over. So she regarded the other person for a moment, buying herself some time.

"Fallah, I know my fame proceeds me and all, but, a jungle is a strange place to have a chat." She folded her arms and arched her eyebrow, not sure what to make of the situation. "I'll assume you're just here for the lovely view." That was a lie. But, it was a good way to feel out another person. Their reaction would give her some idea of just what she was dealing with. Fallah was ready for a bad reaction and ready to move if they decided to find her less than amusing. Some people did not, fancy that. "Personally I just have fondness for jungles ..what with the ..trees." Yeah, that was convincing.

 

[Saul Perth]

Sabek took his first steps on the planet slowly. The Trandoshan savored every sensation, his clawed feet tearing at the lush soil, the taste of the air as it rolled over his forked tongue. He had been stuck in the Temple for far too long, it was nothing but a prison of stone for a hunter such as himself. Perhaps he should stay for awhile, yes, surely there were exotic creatures on this planet to hunt. But that was his purpose for being on this planet anyway, to hunt. His Sith Overseer had dispatched him to this jungle planet and revealed the location of the tomb of Darth Zannah. Sabek was to stalk the tomb in search of creatures that had drank in the darkside aura of the temple and became strong, then bring back a worth trophy to attest to his prowess as a hunter.

The Trandoshan allowed himself one more deep breath of jungle air before setting out on his path to the tomb. He didn't bother checking his course on a map, he could smell the power of the tomb, it called to him like a beacon. He slipped through the foliage with speed and stealth worthy of the title Soh'Krik, Shadow Scale. Before he reached the tomb however, he picked up another smell, much fainted than the aura of Zannah. Another Sith here? Sabek decided this was worthy of investigating, if only as an excuse to spend a few minutes more in the thick jungle air.

As he drew ever closer, Sabek picked up yet another scent, even fainter than the Sith. Perhaps a slave? He had no idea what to expect when he encountered this Sith, and settled on the path of caution. Using his razor sharp claws on both his hands and feet, the Trandoshan rapidly climbed one of the towering jungle trees. He approached now from the treetops, keeping to the shadows and channeling the technique his instructors bestowed upon him for masking his force scent.

He could see them now, two females, they seemed to be confronting each other. Still, a hunter must be patient. Thus Sabek was content to observe for the moment, hidden by the shadowy treetops and the surprising camouflage of the black Wookie pelt draped around him as a cloak.

 

[Vindictive]

Slypher listened as Fallah spoke. "Personally I just have fondness for jungles ..what with the ..trees." Right. And that was supposed to sound convincing? Surely this lady wasn't trying to belittle Slypher with no one around to witness? Or did she feel embarrassed about something? Either or, Slypher remained calm. There was no ill intent behind the words, from what she could tell. This person needed help, and so did she.

"I know you're lying," she started. She wasn't harsh with her words. Her tone of voice was more mater-of-factly, simply pointing out facts. She looked back at the womans' ship once more, trying to see if she missed anything more. She was sure the rest of the problems lied more internally. "By mere observation, meaning I could be wrong, your ship is in bad shape. There are several problems with the initial dampener, your Heavy Calipers are just dangling below the cockpit, you have pieces falling off of your ship... I'm scared to look inside. Needless to say, if you want to make it home to wherever you're going, you'll need help," she explained. Once again, she wasn't trying to be rude. She just didn't know how to be polite.

"As I'm sure you've guessed what I am, you are well aware of what I am capable of. I can be a very good help to you... That is, if you would help me in return?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. She had no hidden intentions, no secret agendas. She needed to speak with this Sith lady, and she was sure with Darth Zannah being as powerful as she was, there were bound to be traps waiting for grave-robbers. Two sets of eyes were always better than one.

Then, in the next instant, she picked up a flicker of the dark side. Her senses rang in her head louder than an alarm. Instinctively, she ignited the violet blade of her lightsaber as it hummed through the air, resting it in reverse grip as she turned around, staring into the trees. Even if it was a flicker, she could sense the distrustful hostility from the presence. Who or whatever it was, she would have to be on her guard.

Without hesitation or any movement besides looking around, she opened her mind and brushed the tendrils of her consciousness over Fallahs' mind. Using the force, she cloaked the connection so that no outside force could listen in. Fallah, draw your blaster. Be on your guard. Don't attack until I do, but if I do, you better shoot like Atton Rand. She said mentally.

 

[Fallah Shoma]

Fallah wasn't one to sugar coat things, it was not at all shocking her new found associate did not either. Not that what she said was not true, and anything she found could translate into credits. She was to practical to think she would suddenly become rich although, she could hope. If she were lucky she would be able to afford a repair or two, and fly out of here in one piece. The last one was a far more realistic goal. She considered the offer. No doubt if the woman wanted her dead she would have attacked her by now. She certainly didn't have any thing of value, at least not on her. She was smart enough to leave anything she might have at home.

"Fine, although if you are planning to go ruin hopping, and I assume you are. Planets like these are magnets for ancient ruins, dead people could never think to die any where that is an easy hike." She was aware of course this was more a method to keep all their goodies from people who would pry into their places of eternal rest. Which of course was exactly the plan. "That and traps, they tend to frown on people wondering around their tombs with out knocking on the door first."

She was about to add something to that thought when the sith decided to go well sith. After a seconds debate she decided it was a good idea to pull the blaster when she was told to. She held it semi ready, semi as her finger was near the trigger but, she was not pointing at any one yet. She waited to see who or what had caused this. Although, she had a feeling they were not here to suddenly immerge from the jungle and hug every one.

 

[Saul Perth]

A hiss of frustration rolled over Sabek's forked tongue as the humans below him were alerted to his presence. They had not located him yet, but the Sith sensed him, that he knew for certain, she had been looking right at him when her saber flashed to life. Crouched in the shadows, the hunter considered his options.

He could attempt to stalk them through the jungle and ambush them once they dropped their guard. Although he probably would be unable to get within striking distance without the Sith catching his scent, his masking techniques were still imperfect. Sabek decided on revealing himself. If it came down to it, the forest was his preferred arena. He was confident he could escape into the foliage, then strike back from the shadows.

Releasing his grip, the Trandoshan allowed himself to fall to a lower hanging branch. He allowed himself to be seen before he lept to the forest floor, with his Wookie pelt flowing behind. He spoke as he approached the pair.

"You," gesturing to the Sith, "I can sssmell what you are, but thisss one... why iss thiss one here?" He turned to face the other female, drawing his lightsaber and igniting a single red blade. "Why, if not to be prey for one ssuch as myssself?"

 

[Vindictive]

"You will not harm her, stranger," Slypher warned. Thr grip around her hilt tightened. She couldn't afford to waste energy on a duel before entering the tomb of a pupil of Darth Bane. "She is under my protection. Or would you chalenge a seasoned Sith on a world where some of the most powerful Sith Lords are buried?" She questioned.

She backed closer to Fallah, getting herself in a better position to defend. She ignited small sparks of lightning that danced on her free arm. "Stay your weapon, and we will stay ours," she offered. She wasn't looking for a fight, just acting out of protectiveness.

 

[Fallah Shoma]

Fallah kept her blaster at the ready. The statement hasn't exactly given her confidence when it came to some people's concern for her well being. As happy as she would be to shoot first and keep her skin in take, things seemed to be in hand, at least for now. She was sure to get a good look at the new comer, after all that information could be useful at a later date.

"The lady is right. While I'm sure a fight would be just lovely, I for one don't want to be bleeding all over this jungle I suggest you don't either. Unless you really want to attract something that won't mind making a meal out of every one here." Which was true. She wasn't sure what might be lurking in the jungle, but, she was sure she didn't want to meet it up close.

"Jungle? Ruins? You're looking at something that wouldn't mind making a quick meal out of you. Unless you really have a things for claws and fangs."

 

[Saul Perth]

"You will not harm her, stranger. She is under my protection. Or would you chalenge a seasoned Sith on a world where some of the most powerful Sith Lords are buried?"

"I know what you are." The Trandoshan hissed, "We are the sssame. Very well, your pet ssshall remain in the world of the living, for now."

"Jungle? Ruins? You're looking at something that wouldn't mind making a quick meal out of you. Unless you really have a things for claws and fangs."

"A meal of you perhapss. I come to this world in search of such a beast, to slay and collect my trophy. No matter how large, I will mount it'ss hide acrost the stars themssselves if I must."

 

[Vindictive]

Slypher listened as the Trandoshan spoke, revealing that he too was in-fact a Sith, and that he enjoyed a challenge. Yet again, this would be another perfect opportunity for her to gain some help overcoming the challenges set before her. "You may yet perhaps find what you're looking for where we're headed," Slypher enticed. "The tombs of the Dark Lords are rarely ever left without a few difficult surprises for greedy treasure-hunters or power-hungry Sith. The items, trinkets, and tools they often leave behind are rarely ever worthless, as well. If you want your challenge, our destination is to Darth Zannahs' tomb," she said.

As she spoke the name, ripples of dark side energy cascaded through the trees, giving off the feel of death and danger. Animals that were hiding, resting, or doing whatever they liked to do instantly fled as the waves hit them. It signaled Slypher the location of the tomb, as well as what they had to go through to get there. It wasn't going to be easy, but she was sure it would be worth it.

"I'm sure you felt the power even from the name..." She said, looking back at their guest. "Will you join us into the tomb?"

 

[Fallah Shoma]

Fallah was keeping an eye on the both of them. She was not exactly happy having to deal with some one who would eat or something equally unpleasant if given the chance. On the other hand, such was life and there was very little one could do about it. So species were simply more apt to eat you than others. All things considered, it could be worse. The fact no one had attacked was proof of that.

She bit her tongue to keep from saying what she really wished to. Now was the time for diplomacy, not that, that was were her talents lied. However, she was aware a fight right now was not something that she wanted. Not that she couldn't handle herself, she was sure she could. However, she had the feeling violence might please any dead people who might be lurking around the jungle.

"Or we could stand here, and let every thing with in walking distance know we're here. Because that will end well, I'm sure. Because rather you think you're just that good. I'm sure there is something here that knows it's better than you."