Sith Empire (IC, OPEN)

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The Sith are fractured. Divided. The war with the Republic has depleted their forces, and the death of the Dark Lord Naga Sadow has fractured the Order into several splinter groups, each rallying behind a claimant to Sadow's legacy.

One such hopeful is the young Sith Lord Try Mon'tan, leading a sizable group of the Sith. Mon'tan knows that the Lord with the most artifacts will be seen as the most powerful, and the most legitimate. Lord Mon'tan is currently spear-heading a campaign to find as many powerful Force Relics as possible, pillaging tombs, temples and archives in pursuit of his goal.

But there is still a war, and Mon'tan must balance his energy between keeping the Sith strong and unified through his own leadership, and crushing the Jedi and the Republic.

The Jedi Order is in danger. The war has depleted their numbers just as significantly, leaving them desperate for initiates and weapons against the Dark Side. The Council is engaged in acquiring Force artifacts as well, desperate for any advantage. The hopes of the Order are rested within its Knights, it officers of diplomacy, in their new capacity of treasure hunters.

Into the midst of this conflict enters Anto Varyse, the leader of an order of Force users called the Order of the Ah Zhirr. This order is currently one of the most feared mercenarial forces in the galaxy, currently aligned wit the Sith out of old sympathies.

But Anto's loyalty is fickle, going to the highest bidder, and no one wants to be the one that Anto is paid to destroy.

The Sith Council under Try Mon'tan enlisted Anto in their search for relics, and currently, Anto, a small squad of his students, and the Dark Lord of the Sith are in search of a particular item...

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Anto inched along the corridor. His well-practiced feet made barely any noise on the ancient stone floor. Unfortunately, his students did not have 500 years of experience under their belts, and one of them tripped over his own foot, not only falling, and making quite a racket, he also lost concentration, and dropped his Force Cloak.

Anto was an adept of the Force Cloak technique, a method of redirecting light that, in effect, rendered the user invisible, among other things. He taught it to all of his recruits. Anto was the leader of a team known as the Order of the Ah Zhirr, comprised mostly of Fallen Jedi and Ex-Sith. The team was little more than a glorified mercenarial squad, which didn't bother Anto one bit.

These days, if you were a mercenary, you were most likely employed by the Sith Empire, which was indeed true in Anto's case. The Order worked for the Empire on a job by job basis, but it was generally accepted that if there was a tough job the Sith needed done, especially one requiring stealthy infiltration, that the Order was their first call.

Anyway, back to the situation at hand. One of Anto's newer recruits, tripped and dropped his Cloak. This might not be so bad, except for the fact that they were in the tomb of an ancient Sith Lord, and a particularly nasty one. This tomb happened to be equipped with impenetrable webs of laser sensors, which, given their skill with redirecting light, wasn't a problem.

WASN'T a problem. Unfortunately, the impenetrable web of laser sensors extended for the entire main corridor, which still had about twenty feet until they hit the Sarcophagus Chamber. Swarms of droids, armed to the proverbial teeth with deadly ancient blasters came from every direction. Anto decided to improvise.

"Drop your Cloaks, these droids rely on infrared sensors, you can't waste your energy. Sabers, now!!!" A collective "zzzzz" sound resonated throughout the entire tomb, and a field of indigo lightsabers flickered to life. "Spread out!!" Anto barked.

The highly trained team fanned out, lightsabers whirring, cutting down droid after droid. "Stay clear of me!!!" Anto commanded, and he activated his dual curved sabers, twisted them together, and began to chop down droids. Anto became a whirlwind of indigo light. Any droid within 10 feet was hacked into dozens of pieces, quickly followed by those at 20 feet.

Anto was caught off guard by a burst of electricity from one of the droids, equipped with a shocker arm. Anto fell to the ground immediately, siezing violently as his neuropathways fried. His students took out the few remaining droids, and rushed to his aid.

One pupil, a Nautolan named Un Toso, was particularly skilled in healing, and pushed his way up. He laid his hands on Anto. "Most of his nerves are fried, and he suffered a fractured wrist and a broken ulna while seizing."

"Can you fix it?" A particularly impatient student stammered.

"I think so." Un rasied his hands a few inches above Anto's body, and closed his eyes. Light began to stream from Toso's hands to Anto's body, Un ran his hands over most of his body. Upon reaching his head, Anto siezed back to life.

Anto gasped for air, and saw his pupils standing around him. He stood up. All of his students watched him intently.

"Shall we continue?" He strode toward the Sarcophagus Chamber. Anto heard footsteps from an adjoining corridor.

That had better be him, he thought. If that Sith Lord is dead, I'm not getting paid, and that won't be a good day for anyone.

Yusanis, former Echani General, and once Jedi Weapons Master paced in front the students sparring with each other to hone their skills. As a Blademaster within this faction of the Sith he had been of late forced to spend more time training students on the Sith Temple at Korriban. Newly rebuilt the temple stood amongst the tombs of some of the most powerful Sith Lords of Old. Their still sealed tombs filled with artifacts of power and malice. The dark side was indeed strong here. Everyday was a struggle to draw upon this Places power without falling to it's dark call for this Echani Sith Lord. For he knew to fall to far would mean he would lose control of who he was.

And yet here he was, Blademaster training the students that would refill the ranks of the depleted Sith. As harshly as any Bladesmaster before him would have.

" No you bloody fool, Form 1 greatest strength is it's balanced nature but when your opponent switches to a defensive stance it only serves to prolong the battle if you play defense as well. When he strikes you block, when he blocks you Strike harder." Yusanis said hitting the student that had the bad luck to draw his eye hard enough to floor the child and sending it skidding along the floor from the sheer force of the blow. Staring up at Yusanis his nose bleeding and broken and a shattered cheek bone Yusanis answered as he knew he should.

" Report to the Disciplinary Committee for Level 7 punishment fool. And tell them why your there as well." The Echani spoke with a clear and commanding tone as the child shuffled off his sparring partner going through a series of solo exercises for he had not been told to stop training and in the Sith one obeyed orders unless they knew they where stronger. The other students kept on sparring as well not even blinking an eye at the beaten child. It didn't take long to teach the new students the code of the Sith. Beatings, Killing random students and pitting them against each other turned them into the soulless and merciless recruits that would make any Sith Overlord proud.

" That is enough for today. You to report to Lord Huyo for training at 1300 hours. The first student late will lose his right hand, any other students late will be killed. Now tomorrow bring the materials we have been gathering, for we will be going over Lightsaber Construction theory. I will provide you with lightsaber crystals for now, anyone that shows up without their crystal tomorrow will also be killed." Yusanis said using the force to grab a number of crystals of a blood red hue from a nearby table and then floating over them to each student. " Mediate on the crystal and in the morning tell me what you have discovered." He further ordered before leaving the room and his student wondering where Lord Huyo was. For the Sith valued self-reliance any that could not look after themselves was weak and deserved only death. And despite not being a True Sith the Echani made sure he outwardly followed that code in order to maintain his image. But his thoughts where his own.

For it seemed many of the Sith Lords he met could not read him like they could everyone else. Perhaps it was his Echani heritage that valued action over thoughts and words or maybe it was the same reason his mind was clouded to the Jedi Council's view. But he found refugee from the darkness around him in his thoughts. Though they had of late become troubling and introspective, perhaps a sign of the stress of keeping his mind pure from the corruption around him. Although he told his students to bathe themselves in the dark side power, to let it fill them and flow through them he didn't. His power was his own, drawn from a source no Jedi or Sith would understand. Whenever he faced Impossible odds he remembered his wife. He let the anger of losing her fuel him, but he turned the darkness into light by turning it against a greater darkness. He fought fire with fire as it where.


Walking forward lost in thought Yusanis was suddenly aware of the ancient darkness flowing through Korriban. Looking up from is mediation walk he saw the tombs . Designed as final resting places they where sealed and held great treasure. But sooner or later a student seeking the shortcut to power spoil the tomb although the student would be killed by the traps within. Even in death Sith still refused to let their power fall into unworthy hands.

" But not even the most intricate traps can keep out the worthy, the fools, and the lucky." He said to himself just as much as he said to the tombs.

With the war still on his faction had decided he was best kept busy training new students. The secrets and skills he possessed to be passed on to worthy students so that the Sith might have soldiers to fill their armies ranks. Yusanis had taken up the mantle of Blademaster of Korriban in order to show his outward faith in the Sith. But he cursed his ill luck. As a teacher his ability to assassinate Sith was severely lowered. Sometimes he suspected that the Sith had finally realized their had a assassin in their ranks but not who it was. For powerful Sith where being pulled from the front lines and reassigned to positions where those in charge could keep a close eye on their activities.

Let the fools come, I will take as many down with me as I can. My name shall be carved into Sith and Jedi history. And I will finally be rid of this tiresome life. The Echani Sith thought with a grim smile. For he had fought on, determine to wipe out the Sith as revenge. But of late realized how dark his path was now. Would she even know who I am. Would my stance and movements still speak of who I was. Or has the dark side deafened me to what I am.

”Send out the scavengers.” Try muttered into his comm as he dispatched a droid by pulling it violently through the tattered remains of a doorway. The stone crumbled as the ancient war machine crashed into the mossy entrance and filled the hallway with sparks and explosions. The ancient Sith did not wish for their secrets to be given away to weaker beings. He looked through a window and saw the scavenger ship arrive at the main entrance, ready to grab whatever technology and artifacts they could find. His part here was done, having cleared the corridors for droids and other enemies; the scavengers weren’t armed.

The Dark Side was strong here, Try thought to himself as he examined a carving with his hand. It tried to resemble a Massassi warrior, but the work was poorly done and unimaginative. Strong in the force, but at the same time, stranded on a distant planet… How The Sith Lord Matrakan had obtained this artifact was beyond his understanding but from what he had learned in the old Sith holocrons, it was sheer luck that had brought the artifact to the Sith Lord.

Matrakan, he reminded himself, was not one of the most relished Lords but rather thought off as an abomination to the Sith Code. Weaker than his subjects, it was a wonder he was able to remain Lord. The artifact was probably the reason for that, Try concluded as the scavengers droids arrived.

“Gather up as much of these ancient droids as you can,” he commanded them, not taking his gaze away from the carved wall. A disturbance in the force got his attention; the mercenary group was battling. Hadn’t he given them clear orders to not draw attention to themselves? The very reason why he had hired them was because of their way of dealing with the laser traps, to easier get into the actual tomb. Anger flared up in him. If they had triggered a trap that would destroy the tomb, he’d kill them all. Quickly backtracking, he found the corridor leading to the Sarcophagus Chamber and entered.

“I thought you said you’d handle this?” he said coldly as he reached them. “That I had to believe in your group?” The anger was somewhat dulled as he noted that the trap did not cause any hindrance to the goal. “Please, do explain yourself.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Their incompetence would reduce their payment.

"Please, do explain yourself."

Anto was still gasping for breath after his encounter with the droid's electrical attack. He kneaded his forehead with his palm, preparing to deal with the inexperienced Sith Lord.

"Believe me, my student will be lucky to be alive tomorrow. I've yet to decide his punishment." Anto shot a scathing look at his incompetent pupil, who took a step back, tripping over the remains of a dismembered droid.

Anto let out his rage through the Force, and it rippled through the tomb, knocking a few of his less talented students to their knees. He turned to his fallen pupil, and gripped him with the Force, ripping him off the ground and pulling him violently into Anto's grasp. Anto faced his student with great dismay, asphyxiating him.

"You have jeopardized this mission and the lives of your teammates, as well as mine." Anto tightened his grip on the young human, holding him nearly a foot off the floor at eye level.

"You jeopardized the reputation of MY Order. The reputation I've spent a century building." Painful choking sounds came from the man's throat.

"Most importantly, you jeopardized my payment. That I cannot forgive."

The human's eyes reflected Anto's rage as terror. Anto clawed into his mind with the Force, causing him excruciating pain.

"You will not leave this tomb."

Tendrils snaked out of the pouches in Anto's cheeks, slithering into the man's nostrils. He began to scream.

Anto's students stepped back, watching in horror, but knowing to say nothing. They all sensed the transferal of Force energy from student to master, and trembled with the thought that, should they displease their master, the same would be their fate.

The screaming ceased, and the tendrils quickly receded back into Anto's cheeks, and he dropped the corpse to the ground. He threw back the hood on his robe. The sweat on his shaven head caused his horrendous scars to glisten in the low light.

"Good as new," he said with relish. He drew his lightsabers from their places on the ground to his hands with the Force. He turned to the impetuous Sith Lord.

"I have been infiltrating tombs since long before you were born, Mon'tan. Every teacher has incompetent student, as your master knew all to well, no doubt."

Anto sneered and continued forward, entering the cavernous sarcophagus chamber.

"Are you coming, my Lord?"

" My Lord, I have a question I would like to have answered if I may. ." A voice spoke, it's tones marking it as male.

Opening his eyes from the mediation he had been in the Echani Sith Blademaster took in the speaker, of Zabrak descent he was perhaps one of the most advanced students at the Korriban academy. His grasp of combat rivaled the other Sith Lords , perhaps even surpassed some of them. But Yusanis thought this merely a result of his race's heritage for the Zabrak like the Echani where a warrior like culture that forced their Children to learn the morals and values of Martial training. Although it was said the Zabrak where far harsher in their methods then the Echani where, perhaps it was why this young Zabrak had little difficultly in adjusting to the Sith ways. Perhaps it is because of his harsh upbringing that he is Sith, for one gets what one reaps. He thought to himself.

" That depends on the nature of the question." A Jedi like answer it threw the young Zabrak off and Yusanis smiled a swift and secret smile as he strides to stand before the entrance of a tomb, the wind kicking up the red sands of Korriban and whistling it's dark side enhanced tone. 2000 years could still pass and the dark side would still rule this planet in it's foul yet strong grip.

" I want to know why they hold me Back. I've proved myself time and time again. There isn't a single student here who is my equal, There are even few Sith Lords who can match my power. What do I have to do to throw this shameful shackle of being a student off my back." The Zabrak asked his voice filled with the passion that fueled the Sith. Passion is the Sith's greatest power but even the Most powerful Sith Lords have been enslaved by it. They know nothing of control, but I suppose it is for the best. A Sith Lord that knew how to truly harness their Passion would be a formidable foe indeed. Yusanis mused, milling over the Zabrak's words and came to a very Sith like answer, one that one help him rid the academy of another Sith Lord. And at the same time remove the random question of exactly how powerful this student was. Although Yusanis knew this student was by no means a match for the Real Lords of the Sith stationed here the Echani Bladesmaster was curious to learn about a future foe. For he had read the Zabrak's mind, pitifully shielded against such things, his emotions while powerful where no shield. Despite telling his students that properly used emotions especially base ones such as Lust,Anger,and Hate could be used used to fortify their mental defenses by forming a shield around their thoughts. But since there where no Sith Assassins at this school Yusanis could not fully show the students the benefits of a mental shield as the lesson needed another person skilled in mental shields. Sith Assassins could use them to hide their presence, even from force users as many Jedi had discovered in their last moments of life.

" It is because you ask for it idiotic horn head. You show weakness in asking, and it is a wonder to you that they still consider you a student. Only ask for what you can take. And if your not willing or able to take don't ask tattooed horned freak." Yusanis spat out with that clear yet darkened voice he used in his disguise as a Sith Lord." If you truly desire the mantle of a Sith Lord, take it from the cold dead corpse of one. Carve your Rite of Ascension into his flesh with a lightsaber's blade and perhaps you will earn the respect you think you deserve." The Echani Sith Lord added, letting his hands fall to his side but the look in the Zabrak's eyes while that of rage was not directed at him. No even this young hot head knew he was no match for Yusanis. Every single Sith at Korriban knew of the Echani's skill with lightsabers and combat. And those that didn't and tried to challenge him for the title of BladesMaster learned quick. Although Yusanis knew he had yet to face a real challenge, someone who could match his speed and ability to read battle's flow.

The Young Zabrak heading off Yusanis knew by nightfall they Council of Sith Lords would be knighting one more into their ranks. For the Zabrak did indeed possess skill, and had been held back for far too long. But some lessons take time. And Despite hating having provided the Sith Army with another Strong Solider he could not help but feel a sense of pride in watching the Zabrak match off. While not the hot headed student's master he was responsible for all his combat training. How far have I fallen to take pride in training a prefect Sith...No matter he does my duty for me. Yusanis comforted himself as he too marched back into the temple. For the tombs dark energy gnawed at his will the closer he got to them.In the school they faded into the general darkness of the planet. But here in the Valley of the Dead it was an ominpotent force that drove all who stood too long in it's aura mad if they resisted it's dark call or Lead those who gave in further down the Path of Darkness.

"Believe me, my student will be lucky to be alive tomorrow. I've yet to decide his punishment."

Try awaited the situation, letting the mercenary handle his student. The dark side seemed to flow through the merc as he unleashed a force repulse around him. Try smiled as a few students kneeled from the blast, weak as it was. They had yet to grasp the power of the dark side. The merc, on the other hand seemed to have grasped it, and seemed to relish in the punishment of the frightened student, so much that Try wondered if this was not just a play.

He spoke too much, Try concluded as the student's life was ripped away. If it was his student he'd just cut him down without hesitation. He wondered if he should take it as a sign of weakness, but smiled nevertheless as the limp body fell with a thud on the ground.

"I have been infiltrating tombs since long before you were born, Mon'tan. Every teacher has incompetent student, as your master knew all too well, no doubt."

"I've killed my master," Try replied with a frown. "He was... as you say, incompetent."

Anto sneered as he turned.

"Are you coming, My Lord?"

"After you," Try said and waited. He delayed until the whole group of mercenaries had entered the chamber. No need to take any unnecessary risks when you can have others do it for you, Try thought to himself as he entered. He closed his eyes as he felt the intense power flowing from the artifact; it was close, very close. The artifact, a golden glove with a powerful force crystal, were supposed to be the very source of Matrakan's powers. Without it, his Massassi warriors would surely have revolted.

"We are entering the tomb, engage code 29," Try spoke into the mouth piece to his ship's captain, then he looked around. Again the tomb showed signs of a poor Sith being buried here; there were no large statues which usually would have ornamented a Sith tomb, honoring the Lord. There were no pillars to support the roof either, and for some reason the room was square with no pitched roofs as also were the custom.

"Locate the amulet. It's here somewhere," Try commanded the mercenaries. "And don't fail me this time. If you trigger as much as a small trap, I will personally kill you!" He looked up at the ceiling and realized that the reason for the squared room was to hide the artifact better. Somehow the ceiling and walls emitted a reflection of all force used and would confuse anyone trying to sense the artifact.

"And don't fail me this time. If you trigger as much as a small trap, I will personally kill you!"

"I've killed more Sith Lords than you've ever met, my Lord."

Anto's voice dripped with disdain. He was beginning to regret working for this upstart, self-styled Dark Lord. The young Sith reminded him very much of himself in his early days. Anto himself had killed his own master nearly five hundred years previous, when he was enrolled at the very Sith academy Mon'tan currently headed.

The critical difference between them was that Anto's master was nothing reminiscent of incompetent. Anto's master, Rolan Antyse, was a 750 year-old Maelibus. His tenure as Dark Lord spanned longer than any previous to him, and not for lack of challengers. Anto had challenged his master many times for supremacy, and had failed many times.

His master's undoing proved to be his mercy for his pupil, that he did not kill him after besting him in combat. This allowed Anto to grow; to find Rolan's weaknesses and exploit them. Anto would never make the same mistake. Mercy is weakness.

Anto killed his master, inheriting the title of Dark Lord. He ruled over the Sith for fifty years, unable to be bested in battle, or deceived by treachery. It's hard to deceive a telepath, after all. But Anto grew weary of his position, and yielded it to Marka Ragnos, sensing that one day, Ragnos would best him in combat, and kill him.

Anto thus left the Sith Order, and needing new challenges, he studied with the Zeishon Sha and the Jal Shey, learning their secrets; becoming more powerful in more ways than any Sith.

Anto laughed silently to himself.

Mon'tan could try to kill me, yes. He could try.

Anto used the Force to probe the room, searching for the telltale signature of a powerful artifact. But strangely, his Force energy merely bounced off the walls, intermixing and scrambling. It was impossible to decipher.

Oh well. I suppose it's the hard way, then.

"You heard the Dark Lord. Find it."

Anto's team scattered, searching for any sign of valuables. Anto strode forward, examining the sarcophagus itself. It was covered in glyphs in the ancient Sith language.

That's a good sign.

During Matrakan's time, the ancient Sith runes were already archaic, and only used for VERY important things. Given the reported weakness of the Sith Lord himself, merely his remains wouldn't warrant such elaborate trappings. Anto examined the writing, and cogitated.

Anto sighed, steeling himself for the revolting task of asking Mon'tan for help. He turned to the Sith Lord.

"Mon'tan, how good is the fine control of your telekinesis? There seems to be a sort of internal locking mechanism that unlocks the sarcophagus, which I believe contains your artifact."

Anto kneaded his forehead once more.

"Telekinesis is not my specialty, and any mistake with this could set off a trap. I would NOT want to trigger a trap in the sarcophagus chamber. They tend to be the worst that the ancient Sith could slap together... And given the incompetence my students have exhibited today," He shot his students a scathing look, "I'd rather entrust it to you."