A New Age

Julius awoke from his slumber in his luxurious palace on Corellia. A cold sweat ran down his back, his senses heightened and his breathing was quick and exhausted. Too many time before this had happened, this was no dream, this was a vision. He saw an ancient building, still magnificent despite its age and wear, crumble to the ground. He saw a valley of yellow sand, covering a great many ruins of ancient buildings and statues, which he could see were at one point filled with grandeur. The most compelling and disturbing part of the vision was of man of great power, with a great many students gathered around him. The vision seemed to last for an eternity but was only a few moments, with the temple's collapse, the vision was over and Julius woke.

He had never seen anything like that before. He, for all his years of study, did not have any idea where his vision had taken place. He also did not know whether or not it had taken place, was taking place, or would take place. The strangeness of the vision confused him, yet he could not get it out of his mind. Something was compelling him to investigate further - not something, the force. He had been given a powerful vision of an important event, he was to follow it through.

He dressed quickly in the darkness and walked over to a comlink on his wall, "Batu, wake up, I will need help. Pour me a glass of wine would you? I'll be in the library" he said in a friendly manner. Batu was accustomed to Julius' eccentricities and had no qualms waking up in the middle of the night. Batu began to do as he was told.

One of the Vornskrs Julius kept as a pet saw his master up and walked over to investigate, Julius petted the beast and continued down to his library. As he walked through the lavishly decorated corridors of his home he ignored the familiar decorations, even the ones he usually would stop to admire. The urgency of the matter was too great. The force was pushing him strongly. He had to find out what he saw and go there.

Inside the library he instructed several of his droids to begin searching the archives for anything that matched the description of his vision. He began meditating on the dark side, trying to draw insight into the matter. As he meditated, he was able to rekindle the vision in his mind. The vividness was truly amazing, almost as if he was there. He harsh sands past by him, the smells of the desert floor, the heat of the planet, and the strength of the darkside, he could feel them all. It was invigorating. The sheer power of the planet. After a great deal of time and intense concentration to get the vision, it left him after a few moments, again leaving him wanting more. The power there was tantalizing, he could feel the energies of the planet.

When he awoke, he found the wine placed before him and Batu searching the archives. Julius began to search as well. After twelve hours of continuous searching and rummaging through all the archives, investigating several desert planets, all he could find was an old reference to a planet called Korriban with a Valley of ancient ruins. Apparently Revan had been there. Able to isolate a possible area, the exhausted Julius drew new strength from the dark side, sustaining him while he began to make preparations for his journey. Batu knew better than to inquire about what his master was doing but he asked, "What shall I tell anyone who asks about your whereabouts?"

Julius smiled to his butler with a crooked smile, his eyes glowing a fiery yellow as they were filled with the dark side. "Tell them I am... on vacation in the Outer Rim and that I am not to be disturbed", he replied. Julius let out a laugh as he boarded the Sovereign and headed for Korriban. If you could say one thing about Julius, it is that he cannot long resist power. Since this power just seemed so open and ready for the taking, Julius could not resist at all. The strength of the force pushing him, plus his own ambition drove him to leave as soon as possible, and made him abandon much of his reserve.

On board was only one sentient being, the rest were droids. He was going alone, thus he was free to release his mind from concealing his force presence, something he did passively, and meditate. When he was not meditating on the power that he believed lied on this... Korriban, he was fencing with his lightsaber.



The Sovereign touched down on the sands of the desert world. Julius looked out anxiously at the valley, as he scanned the scene he saw a gathering of people near a large pile of rubble. After close examination, he recognized one from his vision. It was him. Julius was delighted. He put on his political smile fixed his appearance and readied his speeder. For the first time, Julius would not have to dress politically. Then it struck him, he knew none of these people, but they might know him. He searched the ship and found a light black helmet equipped with several scanners and sensors that covered his head and he wore a black environmental suit. To the belt, he attached his lightsaber and a comlink back to the ship. For all his excitement, he had no idea what was going on, and he was going to be cautious. If anything happened, he would summon his ship and have its turrets rain hell on the valley. He had opted not to land directly in it for fear of crushing some of the ruins.

The speeder ready and the hatch down, Julius felt as the speeder came to life underneath him, its engines roaring as he sped away from the ship. The valley passed him in a blur as he concentrated on the field ahead. For once in his life, Julius had little plan or strategy other than his escape plan. He would simply just show up and see what happened. The force was calling him here and he simply could not resist.

Finally within a few meters of the group, Julius dismounted the speeder and set his feet on the ground. Immediately he felt the planet's power. It was alive and the strength of the force here was immense. He felt it in him and he drank it in for a few moments before approaching the group. He stood to the back and simply watched, not sure how they would react to his presence.

With his conscious use of the Force, Iniquitous’ senses expanded beyond the confines of his physical body. He could feel the strong current of the Dark Side as it flowed below the planet’s surface like wild rivers. The Dark Lord could feel as he himself was almost dragged along with the torrent beneath his feet, but focus kept him from tumbling helplessly down that torturous chasm of inevitable self-destruction.

He stood on the bank of one river and observed as it jetted past. He got down onto his knees and let his cupped hands venture into that pure black substance, the sensation of it against his flesh made the hairs across his body prickle and stand rigid. It was almost as if the river passed directly through him, if only for a moment. Wasting little time, he withdrew his hands from the dark flow. He had capture one small drop of the ocean. Even brimmed to the surface, the dark energy he held within his hands was minute compared to the amount which sped continuously throughout the planet.

Raising his hands, the Sith Lord threw back his head and drank deep. He consumed every ounce, every drop. It was warm and burst through his body like electricity, exciting every muscle and tendon with pure unadulterated strength.

As Iniquitous felt the energy surge within him, he returned to the destruction of the ruins. Now he was focusing on tearing down the structure’s summit, pulling away chunks of rock and stone with his mind and blasting them apart. The planet was overflowing with an abundance of darkness and Iniquitous would drink from it time and time again, there was no end of the power which seeped from the planet’s core.

This display worked twofold for the Sith Lord. He was able to work on the destruction of the old temple whilst at the same time demonstrate to his future students just what kind of power they would learn to control.

When his senses had heightened, not only had Iniquitous been able to feel the planet, but it had also allowed him to feel those who walked it’s surface and stormed through its skies. He was almost able to taste the energy that flowed from them; those who were strong in the ways of the Force were much more distinctive to his senses. Many of them were converging on his location; no doubt they had either felt the ground shake or detected his presence in the aftermath of the events. As he stood above the Valley of the Dark Lords he could feel the presence of one person particularly well. They were standing not too far away from the students. He was strong with the Dark Side, had he had yet to taste the sweet nectar of the true darkness.

Over his lifetime Iniquitous had come to learn that things never happened by chance. It had not been chance that had brought his apprentices to the wastelands of Ossus, to the very place across the entire planet that he had been studying. It was not chance that brought him face to face with the only other Sith in the galaxy, a man who shared identical beliefs to his own. It would not be chance that brought this man before him now, nor any of those who would follow after him. It was by the will of the Force that they had been brought together. But the purpose of this meeting was something that he would have to find out for himself.

“Welcome, friend, to the beginning” Iniquitous said allowed as he still held aloft a cluster of debris. Moments later it had burst into little more than dust and finally the Dark Overlord turned to face the person before him, a man clad in what Iniquitous could only assume was a disguise. Not often would one wear clothing such as the man before him on a world like Korriban. However, the Sith Lord was somewhat put-off by the man’s desire to conceal himself. “What drives you hide yourself before us? We welcome you with open arms, not at the point of a lightsaber or the nozzle of a blaster. The Force has led you here to learn something, and it has led me here to teach.” He stopped for a brief moment, remembering not to skimp on the introductions. “I am Darth Iniquitous of the Sith and these around me are students who were rescued from the Jedi. Won’t you reveal yourself to us?”

It was hot on the planet, but his environmental underlays were working wonders, keeping his body cool and his homeostasis in balance. The flow of the planet was powerful, Julius had never felt anything like it before. The pure power of the dark side flowed through it and thus by extension, through him. It was driving him, his mind having difficulty resisting the energies. The Dark Side drove him to near carnal instincts, taking him greatly out of character. Usually in a situation such as this he would have observed and calculated to determine the best outcome. Now he wanted only to unleash the power he felt in his body. He could feel the presence of those on the planet well, but one stood out in particular. This man from his vision. What a pompous fool, believing he could teach me! Julius thought to himself. He felt invincible and didn't believe this one could do anything for him. It was rare for Julius to encounter Dark Siders, and usually when he did, he could not act on it for Julius was usually masking his force presence. Though he knew, if these people were anything like him, they were ambitious and couldn't be trusted.

He laughed in response to this... Iniquitous. Quite a name he had taken for himself. If this man was anything like his name, why should Julius follow him? Driven by the Dark Side, Julius' already high ego and confidence soared. He was almost slightly crazed by it, and so said mockingly and arrogantly, "The one who is supposed to teach is at a loss for knowledge? Huh! I believed the answer to that would be obvious... I don't trust you. Any of you."

After that Julius unclipped his lightsaber from his side and walked confidently around the Sith, keeping a wide perimeter. "Who are you to teach me anything? What could you teach me? Perhaps it is I that has been sent here to teach you." he said to the Sith mockingly in a calm tone. Julius used to force to make his words more fearful. He was gaining control of himself now. Now he would try to manipulate the man, as he had others. Break him mentally, if only to given him an edge in combat - Dun Möch as his father had called it. Through the force he sent waves of doubt and fear to the man. This force manipulation had served him well through the years. Now would be no different. The droids he had programmed lightsaber sequences into would finally be worth the credits he spent on them.

He smiled under his mask, knowing he had a backup plan in his ship. He would not simply show up somewhere and submit himself to a master. This man had to prove he was worthy of following. If he was a true Dark Sider, he would understand this. While Julius' strength was not with his blade, he more than made up for it with his great mastery of the dark side of the force. He had an array of weapons to draw on. His favorite was lighting, pure dark side lighting. It was glorious.

If this man didn't prove himself in the next few moments, these students could be looking at a new master. Julius new little of the Sith, but he knew he could pass on what he knew of the Dark Side.

Within her quarters aboard the Sensorium as it flew through the dead of space amongst the Outer Rim territories, she sat on her knees. Her blood red eyes gently closed and she kept herself in a calm trance. The tips of her fingers together as she focused her senses through the Force stretching them outward reaching as far as her perceptions would allow. The Force flows through all, but the for all those aboard the Centurion-class ship with exception to herself, it was barely a whisper among all the thousands of vacant, faceless flocks of sheep going about their unwittingly sacrificial lives. However, for those like herself, she could hear the Force scream, they maybe deaf to it - but she could hear its screams, and they are delightful.

But her eyes quickly snapped open - an immense trembling echo shot through the Force, "A disturbance?", she mumbled quietly to herself, she gently closed her eyes again finding her centering calm once more as she reached out with her perceptions. Her eyes snapped open for a second time, there it was again - a trembling echo within the Force - a power. Her right brow arched with a slight smile, "It is dark...", this was intriguing, for all her years she has never felt such a thing - not like this at least - it was peculiar, "Something shifted.", she mumbled to herself aloud as she pondered on it for a moment.

She rose to her feet, and as she did the Admiral standing proudly at the bridge of the ship suddenly heard her voice within his skull louder than he could here is own, "Have a shuttle prepped and ready for me to depart on my own. I will be gone for a time, I will return soon.", Knowing better than to question anything from that vile woman, he immediately ordered the very orders she conveyed to him from within his mind.

She followed it - this darkness that causes such a stir for her to perceive. It lead her to an all too familiar place, Korriban, the barren canyon desert wasteland of the dead Sith of old. Though this time, it was different, she it was clear - another arrived here as well. She was not alone on this trip like in times past as a foolish teenage and twenty year old child scrounging for dregs of the past, or mediating amongst the long forgotten dead. What would someone want with a fruitless place of dead legends?

It was not something she truly pondered on as she continued to allow her curiosity to follow where the darkness lead her. Students, and two powerful masters of the dark side, or so it would appear, one seeming to have a difference of opinion with the other. She kept with the large chunks of eroded statues, canyon boulders and debris winding between them keeping to the shadows they cast as she neared the gathering.

Those pale grayish pallor lips curled into a grin. Nonchalantly though with quiet casual steps, she walked along to get a better view of the discussion at hand. From there she quietly observed from under the shadow of a massive hand that fell off the immense statue of one of the many ancient Sith buried there, not inclined to intrude in the least.

The dark vapours of the Force still rose from the parched surface of Korriban. He could still sense them, all of those powerful figures gathered on one world; they scuttled over it like ants, blind and unknowing. He wanted to be the one to guide them, to give them purpose beyond their own desires. Whilst each of them held power they lacked a credible way to use it, to shine. Ah, there’s another he thought to himself as he felt the another spectator due to the planet’s power.

“By the arrogant tone and blind belief of knowledge and power I take it you must be a Dark Jedi? I have met many who have thought the same things you do, who have done the same thing you have,” he said in reference to the man before him withdrawing a lightsaber. “My intentions are not to fight you, just as they are not to fight any of those who I met before you.” He sighed and lowered his hood. Iniquitous’ young face, dark green eyes and black hair were not a combination which struck fear into the hearts of any enemies. He knew that there was no way to avoid this test of strength. Dark Jedi had become so predictable, it almost made him weary. Perhaps they did not see how blind the power had made them, how primitive it had made them. Ironic that it was the blind man who was able to see. Of course, that was a fact Iniquitous did not plan on having his adversary know until they were fighting. His eyes were focused on the man masked in black, he had spent a lot of time learning to perfect the guise of vision, it simply came down to focusing muscle and directing his gaze at what he actually saw.

He could only smile to the man’s comment. What could he teach? There were a list of powers, abilities and concepts that might very well be beyond the minds of many. But he was a thinker before he was a fighter and his answer, whilst it would hold no sway on the man’s actions, would be important to him and to the students gathered around him.

“What can I teach you, you ask? Well, I believe you already handed me that answer. I can teach you trust, friend.” The Order was not something to be built on a drive for power, but instead it was a drive for ideals and if they were all to become brothers and sisters then they must all learn to trust.

But now Iniquitous can to realise he was faced with a small problem, he was unarmed. Well, truthfully he had his own lightsaber tucked away behind the cloak which surrounded him. But his beliefs and principles once again stopped him from taking that in his hands and igniting it. He would not do so for this man just as he had not for the man before him. But this time Renata was not around, none of the other apprentices were around for him to borrow their weapon. But there were the students he had with him, those who had once been Jedi. Ah yes, he thought to himself as he sensed those in the group who had weapons on them. Raising his hand to them Iniquitous spoke to the nearest one. “Excuse me, I must borrow something from you for a little while” he said slightly apologetically as the hilt strapped to the student’s waist burst into Iniquitous’ hand.

It was a training saber. Of course, as those who had not become full Jedi they would not have advanced far enough to build their own fully functional weapon. This would serve a greater purpose for Iniquitous; this was a test for him, not a match to the death. His opponent’s intentions were pretty clear by what had been said and now if Iniquitous landed a blow it would not kill, but they would both know who the victor was. This allowed the Sith Lord some sense of leisure, now he wouldn’t have to worry about cutting off a valuable arm, the weak blade would only burn, but it would hold its own.

As he held the weapon loosely at his side he called out once more, “won’t you consider another option; this does not have to come down to a test of power.” He was doubtful his plea would alter the man’s course of action but he would still raise the question.

As Julius stood and examined the man, he felt the presence of another in the valley. It was yet again another strong presence, another dark presence. It seemed the events here were serving as a beacon to this kind of people. The pure energy and happening in the force were calling them. Perhaps the Jedi would come too, if events here grew to great the Jedi would, they must be able to sense the great disturbance in the force. Julius cared little though. He had his mind focused on the task at hand.

This man was truly odd for one whose presence in the force was dark. It, though, was not as corrupt as Julius had previously been taught. The man spoke of friends, trust, and took a training saber against Julius. He could tell because he had been a Jedi and knew the weapons children so young would have. If he was truly dark the man would have had no qualms with killing Julius here to assert his dominance. He spoke of trust. Julius's father, the Dark Jedi who taught him everything, had one lesson - trust no one and always look out for yourself. Now that claim to being the true path to the dark side was challenged. This man was compassionate in what he believed. Strange.

As Julius studied the man before him, he began to revert to his analytical, calculating, and manipulative state. He regained his composure, his elegance, and suave. He stood up straight, still holding his lightsaber, and replied coolly "Trust you say? I have always been bad with that. Perhaps you are right. But I am afraid it must come down to this. While I would much prefer an alternative, I cannot allow myself to follow a man weaker than I."

He was a charismatic man, and now he was using that. He sounded as though he sympathized with the man and regretted what he had to do, as if he had been forced into the only way, and this was some unfortunate test he had to pass. Which was true, however his sympathy and regret were partially feigned, partially true. If the man beat him, Julius knew he would be foolish not to hear him out, but also if he made it seem as though he didn't wish to do this, it might make the man hold back a little. Dun Moch, as the maneuver was called. He recalled it from his Jedi days and his father had taught him how to perfect it.

Again with his tone of regret and sympathy he said, "This is the only way. You best me here and I shall listen to what you have to say. I defeat you, well... I suppose this little escapade is over."

Julius took up the graceful stance of Makashi, his favorite form. The elegance and grace of the form fit him perfectly and here it would suit brilliantly. It was the best form for saber to saber combat. The curved hilt of Julius' lightsaber fitted his style and Makashi perfectly, adding an advantage not only in the form, but in a weapon tailored to it. Its unconventional design shifts the angle of attacks slightly, but enough to catch an experienced duelist off guard if he doesn't constantly keep that in mind.

Now ready Julius looked over to his opponent, "I shall not hold back. I trust you shall not either."

With that, he would begin, he had told his opponent his intentions and showed he was ready for battle. That was enough of gentlemanly custom to begin battling and still keep the guise of regret, however he was not foolish. He was first a dark sider, then a gentleman. He would take the advantage despite being the challenger. Channeling the great source of Dark Side energy around him and in himself he let loose a powerful storm of unrelenting bolts of pure Dark Side energy. The torrent of lightning emanating from his left hand, directed at his opponent. Few could survive this and Julius knew that the pitiful training saber would likely be shorted out from the sheer volume of power he just loosed upon his enemy. Leaving his opponent weaponless or forcing him to take the blast full on. Either way, Julius figured he had taken a step in the right direction.

[...from Bakura Agricorps Invasion]


((Unless Vreem states otherwise, I'll bring Caleb along with Looma, since they're always together anyway...))



The trip over from Bakura to Korriban had been pretty uneventful, the dark Jedi who had gathered up the recruits preferring to stay in the fore of the ship and away from the former agricorps workers. There weren't many of them inside the ship, not many compared to all of those marched into the meeting hall after being summoned from the fields on that hot day, just a day or two prior. Despite the beautiful words spoken to them by who they now knew as Gabriella, some of the workers still regrettably held faithful to the ways of the Jedi.

Among the dozens of recruits resting inside of the ship,the Twi'lek Looma Isana had been thinking of how disgusted she was with the weak ones who had decided not to come with them to Korriban and join this Brotherhood. The Jedi had rejected them all. Why would they not want to change their fate and become powerful, learning things the Jedi could only imagine? Why stay working in the hot sun of Bakura for eternity? The yellow-skinned Twi'lek had shaken her head at the craziness of it all.

But those failures, she no longer needed to think about them. Her focus was entirely on what was to come when they finally made it to their destination, her and the other recruits. And Caleb. Yes, Caleb, her closest friend. She had sat there beside him, asleep with his head resting against the wall. Looma smiled at him as he rested peacefully. They were in this new adventure together. Their relationship was one of the reasons she had jumped at the chance to leave Bakura behind. The Jedi were against attachments, and her and Cal's relationship would have been completely forbidden. But in this new Brotherhood, she hoped that the two of them would be accepted for what they were and how they felt for each other. If not, at least they would have learned new skills and could leave everyone else behind, just traveling the stars, the two of them. They would help each other; she would help Cal increase his telekinetic powers, her own personal gift within the Force. And he would continue to help her through her feelings of disillusionment and abandonment by her family and then by the Jedi.

After the ship landed and the recruits finally debarked, they were immediately shuttled into an area strewn with rubble, ruins of something long past. Looma had not seen the dark Jedi since they first entered the ship and never saw them after they exited it. Both excited and a little bit scared of what was to come, she sat crosslegged with the others in front of this man they were sent to, Caleb right next to her at the back of the group. It was hard to read the man in the Force, but Looma could tell that he was strong in the Force the way the energies radiated off of him. Definitely not someone to be trifled with was her first thought. Someone with as much power as some of her teachers at the Temple, as some of the Masters there.

She reached out and grasped Cal's hand, squeezing it as they all waited there with the rest of the recruits. The dark powerful man stood with his back to them, above them on a rock. They all waited quietly for whatever it was they were summoned for. Looma could not tell much else about this mysterious man either. She wasn't even positive on the being's gender, not 100% at least. The Force gathered around them was so hard to read at the moment. She trained vainly to discover more, dipping into her own grasp of the Force but to no avail. So the yellow Twi'lek waited.

The man turned to face them all, this man who had obvious control of the Force, of the dark side of it... the side that Looma had only begun to learn the existence of. She had known that some of the things she had dabbled in were not in the repertoire of the Jedi, but she hadn't thought of those skills as dark. Just... different. But this man in front of them almost seemed bathed in the dark energy.

Some of the recruits opened their mouths in awe of him as he began to speak. Looma and Cal, though, remained motionless. They knew they were risking a lot to come here and would keep their guard open. Before he had even introduced himself, Looma knew that this man was the leader of the Brotherhood. The energy surrounding him was more than enough to be his calling card.

Anger surged within her as this Darth Iniquitous spoke again of how the Jedi abandoned them all to a life of farmwork. She hated what the Jedi had done to her and Cal and to the rest of them. After being told she was special most of her life, it had enraged her to think that she was no longer special, could no longer be so. All her purpose in life had been shattered only because some Jedi thought her grasp of the Force too light. Because she wanted to use the Force for her own ideas and wouldn't conform to the Temple's standards. This anger overflowing within her, she now knew it must be of the dark side. The side of the Force she had come to this planet to explore further.

Her rage was replaced with a warmth at the Dark Lord's words of encouragement. His words of what held in store for them once they began their real training here on Korriban. Looma could not wait for that to happen. She wanted to find out her real potential in the Force and use it for whatever she wanted to use it for. She didn't want to be told what to do with it. It was her gift, and she should decide what to do with it. No Jedi could force her to do anything. To follow silly odes and rules. Looma was not afraid of what loomed ahead of her. She was willing to do whatever it took to unlock her full power and potential. Hard work was nothing she would shy away from, not any more. She squeezed Cal's hand once again, looking at him and smiling. They were here, finally.

Looma's earlier appraisal of the dark energy surrounding this place paled in comparison to what started to happen after the Dark Lord turned around. He had smashed stones with his mere thought! Looma was astounded at his power. The power she wanted to have some day. She would get there, no matter what. She held on tightly to Caleb as the ground shook beneath them from the impact of the stones. This was indeed the start of something new. And Looma could not wait to get started. The fear was no longer there, only a sense of anticipation. Though, she could feel fear in some of the other recruits, but Looma ignore those feelings, concentrating on other emotions, her excitement.

Her concentration of watching the further destruction of the temple ruins was broken when Darth Iniquitous stopped what he was doing to turn to another figure standing on the outskirts of their little meeting. Looma had felt a disturbance but had attributed its power to the actions of the Dark Lord. But now she could tell it was surrounding another being. Another Dark Lord? Someone to challenge the leader of the Brotherhood. She and the other recruits watched with interest as their new leader addressed this stranger.

This meeting of two strong within the dark side of the Force was growing in interest with every coming second. Looma looked on, wondering what would happen. Surprise briefly flickered over her features as she saw the newcomer pull out a lightsaber and begin taunting the Dark Lord. She knew he would be dead if he could not back up his words with actions. That much she had felt emanating from the mysterious dark figure of Darth Iniquitous.

This battle between the Dark Lord and this masked newcomer would be an intriguing one, indeed. Looma was anxious to see more displays of the Lord's power. Lifting stones and disintegrating them was awesome in its own right, but she was curious as to what his skills with a lightsaber would be. Especially when reduced to using a training saber, a poor cousin to a Jedi's weapon.

So focused was she on the ensuing fight that Looma did not sense the new presence lurking new the temple ruins. These two mysterious men were all that invaded her consciousness for the moment. She was living for the moment and waiting for the results.

That corpse-ish pallor grin of hers remained plastered on her face as she watched the interaction between this Darth Iniquitous and Dark Jedi Master ensue. The large hand that eroded off the great statue it once belonged to through time, it's cast shadow still shrouded her visage, but whether or not her presence was felt by either of them she did not know. But she would consider them both pathetic fools if they had not by this time, and whichever one died deserved their end all the more for such a level of ineptitude.

Continuing to observe the back and forth, she sat down on the curled pinky finger of the giant hand she stood beside, as though it were little more than bar stool. With an almost lady-like refined posture she crossed her legs at the knee, and crossed her arms over her chest. It appeared more like she was a spectator at a swoop track, rather than a Dark Jedi Master about to observe another master attempt to kill a self-proclaimed Sith Lord.

Though her brow furrowed a bit out of being impressed that this... Darth Iniquitous... opted to use a training saber against another master. She could not help but chuckle to herself a little. He had best be exceedingly talented or his memory will merely be dying as a fool. Both men standing before one another with their lightsabers drawn, the challenger preparing a technique within the dark side she often enjoyed employing as well. Well, here would be the test apparently, either this Darth Iniquitous is a measure of astounding ability or will die in a moment. She had mixed feelings about this, the former would be interesting, the latter - well, geez, how anti-climatic would that be? A slight frown formed on her face after that last thought.

Hmm he thought to himself, regarding this Dark Jedi. Perhaps there was an insight to wisdom in this man, but it still seemed to take a back seat to the guise of power and strength. Were he a simple Force-sensitive it would have been more than likely that Iniquitous would have fallen several times over now, whether to the humming blade of a lightsaber or to the crackling darkness of the Force. Adversaries and obstacles littered the path to his goal, but he did not walk it alone. The Force had chosen him and granted him knowledge and power that would allow him to see his ambitions and dreams come to fruition. The gift of sight and the strong connection to the Force had all been granted to him because he was special.

It was the only reason Iniquitous stood where he did. People with a past like his knew little of power but because of all the things that had happened to him the Force had seen fit to make him the one who would bring about peace. Standing on the barren world of Korriban and Sith sacred land there was a blind beggar from the streets of Nar Shaddaa, a man who would have gone unnoticed to all. Yet the pain of his past, the overbearing masters, the product of childhood years amassed with training and cruelty, the loss of the only thing he had ever held sacred, this all allowed Iniquitous to see the flaws in the galaxy, to see beyond himself and to those around him.

It was this reason, this purpose, that he would not fall at this hurdle. This was not the first Dark Jedi to try and best him and he doubted it would be the last, but with the Force pushing forever onward he felt somewhat confident, even with the apparent strength of his opponent.

With his power, his gift, Iniquitous drank once again from the murky pool of the Force and it swept around him. The Dark Jedi’s words, the desire to lull him into making a mistake, the fear he projected with his words, they were good skills, but meaningless against him. Whilst on others they might very well provide victory there was nothing this man could say that would make Iniquitous’ steps falter. There was no ounce of information about him that existed, to history he was dead. There was no one besides the Force or himself that knew about his past, and neither were willing to tell a word.

So whilst he might try, the Dark Jedi would simply waste his own energy and effort. But when things became more physical, that was when Iniquitous would see just how strong he was. From his opponent’s hand surged a raging torrent of electrical energy and it headed for the Sith Lord. Casting a glance to the training saber in his hand, which he felt was a very clever and convincing thing to do, he recognised the fact that the training saber he had might not be able to hold off the lightning surging towards him. The result was unknown and untested and Iniquitous did not feel terribly compelled to be a guinea pig for such an experiment. And so he focused on the darkness which whirled around him, the flow of it as it moved around him like a cocoon. He focused on that flow, neatened the edges with his mind until it formed a perfect sphere. Sharpening his mind further he made the energy wrap and bind itself together, to form something solid. No longer was the bubble an apparition, it was real and firm. In just a few moments he had exerted his mind to form a protective shell.

Fortunately it proved sturdy enough to outlast the lightning as it hit. After a few grinding moment of contesting power the lightning broke apart, unable to break the protective bubble. Instead it left two smoking scorch marks upon the ground either side of the Sith Lord. Truthfully protection skills were not Iniquitous’ greatest of skills and it had been a rushed job, there had been moments when uncertainty in regards to the stability of the bubble had crept upon him. But in the end he had saw it through.

Now he ignited the training saber and was unimpressed by the near-dead hum it emitted, it was nothing like the skin-biting noise of his own blade. As the shell around him seemed to dissolve the Dark Overlord swung the blade about in the air a few times, getting a feel for it. It was a blue blade, a colour he was not used to wielding but, he supposed, it was not as if this blade was truly his, a fact he might feel more fiercely in the bouts to come.

He walked forward calmly and casually, failing to take a stance. As he walked he flicked his left hand, bringing forth a bellowing Force push. However, he failed to use this as an opportunity to rush forward and strike out at his opponent. The stance of Makashi could simply be a lull; he had used a similar trick in a duel before. No, the push would allow him to simply close the range between them so that they could engage in lightsaber combat. He slipped into the stance of Shii-Cho and awaited the challenger to begin.

Julius poured his power into the torrent of dark side electricity until he could see that it was to no avail. He raised an eyebrow at this, no one had ever been able to resist an attack like that for long. To Julius' benefit, he was wearing a mask, thus concealing his surprise. He was not sure of his opponents skill with a lightsaber, but his stance of the simplistic Shii-Cho hinted either at a deficiency in training, or a mockery of Julius. Either way, Julius became infuriated. How dare believe Julius to be so weak. No matter, Julius would not underestimate him. Julius' strength was not with his saber, no, he used the force, that was his true ally. Now he would use his greatest strength, his telepathic abilities with the force. He could be considered as perhaps one of the greatest practitioners of this ability in the known galaxy, at least that is how it appeared to him. He had never encountered anyone with a similar mastery of these abilities. This would be to his advantage.

Julius threw up a weak protection bubble of force around him to resist the oncoming force push. He did this almost reflexively, as he allowed the force to control his movements and heighten his senses. His opponent was now within saber reach. Now Julius would begin his battle plan. He concentrated on his opponent, he drew from the vast energies flowing through him, and invisible to all, he created an illusion. He was clever with his illusion however, for he created a vision of a second self, transposed on himself. The illusion would not become apparent until Julius had intended it to, at the moment where it would serve him best.

Julius lunged forward, slipping into the aggressive Juyo style at the last second and began an unrelenting wave of blows aimed at making his opponent lose his balance. Now the illusion became apparent, for as he struck, the transposed illusion struck also, giving the illusion that Julius was striking several times faster than he really was, and distorting the true location of his lightsaber. He had used this technique to finally best his father in combat. The illusions, even if discovered, still threw the opponent off, if not only by milliseconds, just enough time to land a fatal blow.

This illusion was not just one of the eyes however, Julius had nearly reached perfection in his ability. The illusions were projected directly into his opponent's, and those of the people directly around the battle's brains. Their senses would deceive them. Julius counted on this.

This however, was just the beginning. Julius still had a wide arsenal of abilities to choose from and he sought to deceive his opponent into believing that Julius had begun the battle at his full strength. Deception was key in combat, and Julius was a master of deception.

Edit: For grammar and word flow.

Acalya's head tilted slightly in reaction to the sight of the this peculiar orb that surrounded Iniquitous. She had never seen someone use the protection arts of the Force in such a way before. It bewildered her further to see it withstand the strength of the Force Lightning this masked fellow released upon Iniquitous. It was certainly unexpected, her right eyebrow arched - Spock'd it even. If he can manage to conjure something such as that, perhaps he is not quite as much of the fool that this Dark Jedi Master and herself presumed him to be.

She smirked in reaction to seeing him take on a classic Shii-Cho stance. Being able to resist Force Lightning without a lightsaber is no simple feat. Clearly he has been well trained, she recognized the taking up a Shii-Cho stance as something her former master would do as well when facing other masters, despite his having been a master Marauder. She supposed this Iniquitous maybe doing the same. Shii-Cho being the most basic of forms, but it is nothing more than medium to change into another style to catch the opponent off-guard. It conceals the lightsaber forms one already knows, while being able to conceal what forms they may lack. But it is as if her mind refuses to keep a single constant, and then immediately dismisses all of those suppositions and merely thinks he could just be an idiot, too.

As if her mind's only constant is inconsistency itself, she could not help but think to herself. What is the point? The old ways are dead, they have been dead for centuries, since the old wars. The legacy of the Sith is the ruins they stand amongst now. Eroding and decaying ruined tomes of ancient corpses within a barren wasteland. This is the legacy of the Sith, had the mantles meant something she would have strove for them herself. But they are dead now, why resurrect a failed past of a dismissed era? That was the lesson she learned in days past as a teenage child when meditating amongst these old ruins - no older than many of the young ones gathered here now, maybe before this Iniquitous was even born.

There are no more teachings to be found here. There is nothing of value here any more, pathetic wretches have suckled at the dregs of the past here until it is just as dry as the barren wasteland the planet itself has long been. The only lesson here is all things of the dark side end in death. To walk the path of the dark side is to walk on a path of death. What is the purpose of such a gathering any more? A garden planted in dried up dirt will never grow.

Her eyes narrowed as her mind continued to ruminate upon these thoughts, it was aggravating her more than she herself may have realized. Blurting out aloud in her normal tone of voice she uttered, "What is the point of taking up dead mantles of withered power from eras that drowned in their own failure?", It was not a question directed at anyone, nor even herself. Just a rumination that escaped her thoughts expressed aloud. Whether it was loud enough for anyone of those gathered to hear with their perceptions either through the Force or just simple sharp hearing - it was clearly immaterial to her. While it was even more clear by her posture she had no intention of intruding upon the ensuing battle, and even more curious to see its end.

((Edit: Corrected a couple typos.))

(OOC: Sorry, considering the simplicity of the counter I seem to have written a wee bit too much.)

Iniquitous could sense the prickle of rage that his choice of stance had brought up in the Dark Jedi, like most it seemed he could be provoked with simple mockery. There were many motives for his choice of Shii-Cho, to entice his opponent into an emotional state was one reason, but it also allowed his diversity and the ability to react quickly. That and it was the only form he’d actually mastered. He thought that truthfully the form of Shii-Cho was highly unrelated, a true master of the form would be able to achieve a great deal with its use. After all, the basics were the key to any fight.

The came to a standstill, both men had taken a stance and stared across at one another. Iniquitous’ ability to act as though he were a man gifted with sight was perfect; he’d spent a lot of time making sure he was able to make even subtle movements with them. As he stood waiting for his opponent to make his move, he felt the Dark Jedi siphon the Force into his body. And then he felt something else, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

As the familiar feel arose within the Sith Lord, he was barely able to fight back a smile. Cunning, he thought to himself, quite a skilful move. As he clutched the training saber in both hands he was able to feel the gentle tingle of someone stepping over his brain. It was discrete, that was for sure, and it most likely would have been missed entirely by even some of the more powerful Jedi. But Iniquitous was not them and they were not he, he doubted that for almost half they lifetime they had been constantly connected to someone mentally, someone who could only talk with telepathy. The feel of someone in your mind soon became easily recognisable. And then when that feel was ripped from your brain and you were left with nothing, the familiarity of it became all too noticeable.

It was somewhat of a bitter feeling, the fact he knew what the man was up to. Part of him wanted to force the man out, but he’d play along with the little game, to see what he would try, to learn from the man’s movements. Perhaps if he were a different man he would have laughed and boasted at how these attempts merely led to nothing, the taunts, the exerted fear and subtle illusions. But no, he would wait and see how long it took this Dark Jedi to realise he was no longer forcing a normal opponent. A normal opponent wouldn’t have even have made it to where Iniquitous was before the duel, let alone last the first attack.

When the man attacked he moved slower than Iniquitous had expected. After all, his lightsaber was crafted to reflect the first stance he had originally taken, Makashi. And yet, when the attack came at him now, there seemed to be a lack of speed, a factor that was unpredicted and yet greatly appreciated. As the violent hurricane of strokes bashed down upon him, Iniquitous quickly slipped into Makashi, the only other of the seven forms he had any knowledge in. His stance was not perfect, but he knew the principles of the style since he had been young and was able to use his speed to make up for some of the rushed errors and mistake.

His defence was a simple one, as the Dark Jedi attacked Iniquitous would lead the blade onwards, shifting its trajectory only slight as he pivoted backwards, conceding ground to his opponent. He did this for a number of the blows, sifting through the shroud of the illusion so that he could pinpoint the intended direction of the blade. He was waiting for his opportunity to counter attack, one small slip up when the rhythm of the attacks faulted only a little and he would pounce. He saw it. Their bodies were not perfect, and keeping up the repetitive flow of attacks was not possible forever. Iniquitous exploited one small lapse in his opponent’s movements as they began to slow. When the Dark Jedi attacked this time Iniquitous moved forward instead of back.

So far he had been walking a tightrope as he retreated, pivoting back in a near perfect line. When the blade came sweeping in at his side the Dark Overlord took a step forward on that tight rope. With a shifting target Iniquitous was able to edge the attack along more to his liking. The attack cam horizontally, he blocked vertically. His own blade pushed across the attacking blade instead of focusing against it. This caused the two fighters to pass one another, as was intended. Now all Iniquitous had to do was quickly flick his wrist over to bring the lightsaber bearing down on the Dark Jedi’s covered neck.

Following the knowledge he gained from analysis of fights and simple bodily reactions, most people in his opponent’s situation would stop and turn in order to keep their eyes on their opponent, it was the most important thing to do in a fight, make sure you can see where your enemy is and what they are doing. But that was exactly what Iniquitous wanted, because then the Dark Jedi would simply be turning into the blade as he attacked, making it even easier for the strike to hit.

His desire to use any tricks through the Force had faded, most of those he knew were not applicable in this duel anyway, they wrought only death and destruction. His arsenal was limited in this kind of duel and so he would simply play with half the hand he was given, he would have to if he wanted to come out of the fight with another member and not a corpse. For now he would rely on his knowledge, speed and the lightsaber in his hand. Perhaps the opportunity to use the Force would arise but right now there was little need for it other than to quicken his movements. Although he did have a trick or two up his sleeve, but he didn’t intend to reveal them unless he had to. All he could do now was await to see how his opponent would react.

Julius watched as his blows came down upon his opponent, he filled his attacks with a controlled rage that enabled him to allow the greatest flow of the Dark Side while still retaining control over himself. The man's eyes didn't seem to follow his attacks as one would expect, that was curious, but Julius barely gave it a second thought as the battle was being processed several steps ahead of where he was. As he struck he soon realized two things, one - his opponent was using Makashi, but his style and stance hinted at a highly unrefined understanding of the form, much like Julius' use of Juyo. The second thing he noticed was that his attacks were not working and were only serving to tire him.

Julius noticed immediately as his attack was countered by the use of Makashi, he knew that he could not hope to continue at this pace. Their blades crackled as Julius found his opponent running his blade across his. He had to keep his blade all the way across his shoulder to ensure that his opponent did not cut it off while passing behind him. His position was compromised. With his blade across his left shoulder, he spun it around to his right and used the momentum of this to twirl his body away from his opponent in a tight spin. As he spun in the air away from Iniquitous, he swung his saber in a tight arc, seeking to force his opponent to retreat or it would block Iniquitous's blade as Julius moved to his new position. As it was coming upwards, it would meet any attacks coming down on Julius.

He looked back at the man, Julius had underestimated the man to an extent. He did not hold back at all though, he just didn't expect the man to have lasted this long. Julius flourished his lightsaber and almost took up a Shii-Cho stance but he knew that Shii-Cho's major flaw was that it was terrible to use against a single opponent. The greatest masters of this form were put in peril when faced in combat against a single opponent, especially one who had Mastered Makashi. So, he didn't. Instead he began in the opening stance of Makashi, holding his lightsaber forward.

He gathered strength from the force, he would increase the level of his attacks. Now he would simply use his superb mastery of Makashi to show this man how the form should truly look. If this failed, he would again move to a new tactic. But Julius doubted that it would completely fail like his previous attacks. He was too proficient, and to his knowledge, the man only knew two forms, although if he knew a third, it would not make a large difference. Makashi was the greatest lightsaber-to-lightsaber form and Julius had taken it to be his forte.

After the brief lull in combat, which was only a matter of moments, Julius channeled the force through him onto his lightsaber, which he then threw forward at his opponent's head. In this same moment he flipped forward at his opponent, grabbing his saber after it returned and began a series of elegant, precise, and deadly attacks against Iniquitous.

Edit: For clarity in my first movement.

Jakob observed the duel that had been instigated when a New Dark Jedi had arrived on the hot and dusty world. He had landed far off and driven his speeder to the valley where Inquisitous and the gathering of younglings stood. Although Jakob was too far away to understood what was said, he could obviously see the two say SOMETHING and then engage in fighting eachother.

He approached the group, stopping at about 12 meters behind the younglings and as he got closer, slowly began to realise that he was not using a real lightsaber.

If this 'Sith Lord' Is so big and bad, why does he never have a lightsaber of his own handy?

The Agressor mainly utilized Makashi, suprisingly, his movements were not as quick as they should've been considering he was using Makashi. The duel seem to last forever and he seemed to not be able for it to end.

(( OOC:Sorry for the ridiculously short post))

From the moon scorched by centuries of brutal conflict came the all too familiar sound of lightsabers clashing feverously against one another. Iniquitous was quickly coming to appreciate the ability of the training sabers many of his students had brought with them from Bakura. They were quite proficient at holding their own against a fully powered lightsaber.

As his attack met the skilful block from the Dark Jedi the Sith Lord was forced to retreat a number of paces, so he might better observe and assess his situation. If he got caught up in a dogfight with this opponent it could very well cost him his head.

Now they were confronted with a brief pause in their battle. It lasted only a few moments but with his combat-heightened senses Iniquitous was confronted with a moment of exhilaration as he took a sharp breath in. From the dust and sand which scattered across the ground and air the Dark Lord could almost feel the lives of those who had stepped in this valley before both he and the man in front of him. As he gulped down the invisible accumulation of history he began to feel the hot sizzle of flesh as shining blades cut through soldiers of old, as enemies faced one another in battle with the sole purpose of overcoming and striking down their foe. In this valley everything was corrupted, when Jedi and Sith stood in their respective corners they did so with the same thoughts, the same intentions. Did that make the Sith Jedi or the Jedi Sith?

That brief moment was enough to infect Iniquitous’ skin with a gross plague of goose bumps. It was odd and unclear to him what he had experienced in that brief moment but it brought up an odd feeling of excitement. Was it simply adrenaline kicking in? Or was it perhaps the world steering his intentions down the same road as those who had fought, triumphed and fell in this valley before him, in centuries gone past? Would the world he sought out steal from him the noble cause which was implanted within his mind, body and soul and replace it with the dark and powerful drive for battle and conflict which had wrought the end for the Sith previously?

So many questions came in such a brief flutter of a moment that Iniquitous was almost too late to notice the lightsaber which spun towards his head. Had he been more alert this would have been the opportune moment to end the duel, when the blade was out of his opponent’s hands it should have become his. But he didn’t have time to focus now; he would have to evade it. He ducked and kicked off with his left leg, rolling away from the attack. Even then he was left with little time to act. Rushing to his feet he found that he was instantly forced to reignite his weapon and attempt to block and parry the onslaught of attacks which were launched at him.

They both moved with such speed and precision that the air around them seemed to crackle with static, although it was uncertain if the source was their rapid movements or the conflicting force energies which grinded into one another. Iniquitous had discovered that he was able to hold his own against his opponent, although at times he was forced to strain himself and exert much more energy than the Dark Jedi. He was utilizing his superior speed in order to make up for the mistakes he would frequently make in the heat of combat. In turn he found that he was only able to throw out a few counter attacks and he had often come close to losing a limb. But he was alive and still fighting.

It wasn’t long until they both came to rely upon the shells that they had built around them with the Force. Their own area within which they would exert their senses in order to detect the movement and intentions of their opponent by figuring out where the Force was stirring as they attacked, it would allow each combatant to block and strike at the speeds which were required of them. It was known as battle precognition, a skill which all lightsaber duellists relied upon. If you could not detect where your opponent would strike and act accordingly then you were done for. However, with just that ability alone it was impossible to win. In combat, feigns were often the deciding factors, the same was true in this case. They would each project intentions through the Force in order to try and trick their opponent, make them think they were attacking in several different areas. This would force their enemy to wade through the swamp of deception in order to sense which the true attack was and move as best they could.

Any outsider to this system would most likely not be able to comprehend the effort and intricacy that the duel demanded from both of them. And the stronger the opponent, the more they had to put into the fight in order to overcome the other. To avoid being crushed under an overwhelming torrent of powerful Force waves was truthfully a difficult feat. Those unable to hear the Force didn’t realise just how weak they really were in comparison.

But now came the moment. Duelling was not Iniquitous’ greatest skill, at least not in the traditional sense, and so in a skirmish where he did not intend to kill his opponent bringing about a sure-fire win would be an extremely difficult challenge. Yet one he had to face.

As the momentum ceased they both backed down for a brief respite. As the Dark Jedi raised his hand Iniquitous knew what attack was coming, another surge of lightning. And he was right; it erupted out of his hand at a furious rate. This time, instead of spreading out the effects of the blast, he had concentrated it into a narrow burst, much quicker, more powerful and far more deadly. Iniquitous’ response was the same, reinforcing the shell around him with the solid power of the Force. However, he could feel the strain as the blast hit it this time; it was much harder for him to defend such a powerful burst with his meagre protection skills. He would have to go on the offensive in order to avoid another attack like that, it time to play his hand.

With a flick of his wrist and a projection of intentions he sent his training saber spinning at the Dark Jedi who, not distracted by any feints, was able to quite easily block the attack, knocking the blade to the floor where it then deactivated. This wasn’t Iniquitous big bold move however, that was part of the diversionary tactic. As the Dark Jedi focused on blocking the blade the Sith Lord shifted his own thoughts to the group of students, he searched through the gathering until he found what he wanted, four training sabers. One he immediately called to himself and ignited so that he was not left defenceless. The other three however he unhooked from the belts of their owners and, after igniting them with his mind, also sent them spinning at the Dark Jedi.

It was a simple trick and he didn’t really delve into his abilities in telekinetic combat, which required more subtle movements. This was simply a skilful application of lightsaber throws. He would predict the required push to send them towards his desired target and then give them a strong nudge with the Force. That would allow him to focus on other things, in this case a follow up charge. He had forced the Dark Jedi into a position where he had to parry three rotating blades, no easy feat, especially at the speed they were moving. But just as Iniquitous had predicted, this masked Dark Jedi was able to think about the moves he would have to make in order to avoid all three and with some swift strikes he had sliced all three of the training sabers into fresh sizzling slices.

Worse yet for Iniquitous, his opponent was done in time to block the strike he had hoped would secure him victory. His attack was parried and his momentum shifted off balance. The Dark Jedi saw this opportunity; his prey was vulnerable and ripe for the taking. So as Iniquitous’ last attempt at a weak attack was pleasantly knocked away the master of Makashi made a swift and heavy blow with the intention of splitting the Sith’s head in twain.

Fortunately for his head and everything he held dear within it, he was just able to block the attack from above and the two quickly became engrossed in the match of strength. Iniquitous was stuck trying to push back the blow of gathered momentum from his loose and disadvantageous stance. Wrapped around his eyes were the embers of fear. Death and that grimly glowing blade were bearing down upon him, the emotion etched across his face was clear.

And then it died. The widening of his mouth closed and his eyes faded out of focus until there was nothing left in them, no fear, no joy, nothing, just empty and dead eyes. “My win” He said simply as the training saber gently tapped the helmet the Dark Jedi persistently wore. He had hoped that his plan would not have to advance this far, Iniquitous wanted the distractions and charge to be it, for that to give him an opening. To engage toe to toe was a risky feat against this man whilst also trying to edge in a subtle victory. He had managed it, and kept up his act so well. During their little deadlock he had moved the lightsaber slowly to his opponent’s head whilst keeping up the guise of being confronted with the strong possibility of death. It had been facing his helmet for a few moments, long enough for it to have ignited through his head, had it been a real lightsaber.

Iniquitous pushed off and stepped away, the training saber he held in his hand was quickly complimented by the one which had been floating by the Dark Jedi’s head moments earlier. He had played a very tricky hand and had come close to losing a number of times. But in the end this would have been his win. “It’s your call,” he said deactivating the blade, “but this weapon was by your helmet long enough for it to have taken you down if it was a true lightsaber. You fight exceptionally well, you have great strength with your blade and through the Force, but there is still much you can learn from the Sith Order. So do you concede defeat honourably or would you rather test me further?” Iniquitous finished. If it came to continuing this fight he would most likely be forced to kill the man in order to prevent his own death, but there did seem to be reason within his opponent. He hoped that it would shine through.

Julius' mind was completely focused throughout the battle, the planet, the temple, the students, all had drowned out individually and became a part of a single, hyper-sensed enhanced platform. He channeled his fury into the fight, seeking to gain the upper hand. His intent was to kill and he had no reservations. Nothing held him back. He had not felt this freedom of movement in a great deal of time. In the presence of these people, under this mask, he could do as he pleased. He didn't worry about being discovered, or making too much noise, or anything that might detract his abilities. And yet for all this freedom, he only came close. It frustrated him to no end that his power was not enough to surpass this foe and bring him to his knees. Julius was unleashing his full fury and for what? Only to come close. With the battle's end Julius was filled with rage at himself that he could not best this foe. He collected himself and knew what had to be done. He had lost, he knew it, worse yet he knew the man wasn't trying to kill him the entire time.

He breathed a deep, long breath of shame and kneeled low to the floor on one knee, his head looking down. He held his saber on the ground in front of him. He reverted back to his political nature. Now was not the time. He would have to learn and grow. It was clear he still had much to learn. He responded in an elegant, yet submissive tone saying,"My Lord Iniquitous. You have bested me and proven your strength. I will submit myself to your teachings so that I too may grow strong."

He had no problems swallowing his pride to get ahead. He recaluculated the situation and had determined it best to see what the man had to say. Perhaps the rumors of the Sith power were true. He had only read about it in the histories of their wars with the Republic but had assumed he had attained their level of power. Now he saw that there was much more. He wanted the power, he wanted to get ahead. There was little he wouldn't do when it came to the acquisition of power.

Now it came to his identity, the lord had bid him to remove his helmet and show himself, but still he could not. Even if these Sith became his allies, he thought it would be best if they didn't truly know who he was. People had loose tongues, and if threatened, he knew any Dark Sider worth his title would sell out another to stay alive. It had happened countless times. Loyalty and order were not characteristcs of the Dark Siders that Julius knew.

Still kneeling he said, "My lord, I believe it will be advantageous to your... our cause if my identity remains hidden to most. This allows me to operate in the shadows and manipulate situations."

He hoped that would be enough for now. These impressionable younglings might still be "saveable" to the light side. If they know too much, it could spell doom for Julius.

Watched the duel like a spectator at a shock-boxing match. She sat with her legs crossed at her knee, left arm crossed under her chest while the elbow of the right rest in left hand. The tips of her slender fingers of her right hand rest upon her chin, while her index finger idly tapped on her chin as she observed the ensuing battle. Observing battles between to warriors of the dark side was not anything alien to her. On the contrary she had grown up all her life watching them, and immersed herself since she was child in the darkness they radiated as they fought. It is a beautiful sight to those blood red iris eyes of hers, there was an elegance and defined order to the chaotic darkness they fueled themselves with as they fought. One seeking to kill, the other seeking to teach.

The telekinetic lightsabers animated under the Sith Lord's will made those red eyes widen in shock. She prized herself as one of the most powerful and skilled telekinetic masters in this galaxy, yet that is a technique to which she has never seen done or have been able to accomplish herself. Watching from her seat upon the broken statue hand within its cast shadow created by the blazing desert sun. Her brow furrowed once the match was concluded, not by a great unleashing of power, but a demonstration of skill and cunning. This is not something she expected from a Sith Lord, especially those she had read about from the great legends of old during decades of training and study.

Acalya rose from her seat and walked over to them, as if she knowing they were already aware of her. Naturally she expected to them to, if they had not felt her presence by now, that would be immensely surprising to her given the power and skill they have displayed. She walked right through the gathered students, they stepped out of her way she passed. The icy, cold presence of death was thick and oppressive to those sensitive to such things, merely unnerving to those who were not. However, she walked passed them as if they did not exist to her, her eyes were focused on the Dark Jedi Master and the Sith Lord before her as she approached.

Once she stood where they stood, no more than a couple meters from them, she pulled back her hood unveiling the shadow her hood cast over her face. The pale corpse-ish complexion, the dark creases splitting from the far corners of her eyes, and the dark circles around them making her red irises seem all the more vivid in the contrast. It was obvious just by looking upon her visage to anyone knowledgeable in such arenas, she is someone who has given utterly into the dark side and basked in its power far too much in the minds of some, or truly touched upon its glory in the minds of others.

Stating once again to Iniquitous once again when she stood before him, uttering her inquiry with more of a tone of confusion rather than a tone of dismissal, "What is the point of taking up dead mantles of withered power from eras that drowned in their own failure?", though also saying it as if she expected him to answer her question earlier while he was in the midst of fighting. But it was clear, the concept of reviving the Sith was foreign to her. She did not understand what the purpose of doing such a thing would be, it was conundrum that ruminated within her skull that her inconsistent mind refused to grasp, "There is no rebirth for those who walk the path of death. What balance are you attempting to achieve, Sith?"

As the duel ended, Jakob approached the two, as did the Dark Jedi on the opposite side of the the duelists. The blaring sun for only a few minutes, hid behind the weak shield of a cloud; although it was a thin and whispy cloud that yielded little protection from the unbearable rays of the hot sun.

He heard the woman ask Inquisitous ask the seemingly basic question. It reminded him of a young child, often so oblivious to the overbearing knowledge, that it often looks at the minute and trivial bits of knowledge that everyone else overlooks. He helb back a chuckle and before Inquisitous could answer said simply:

But see that is where YOU are wrong, all the Sith before us have been very differant if you take a differant approach to analyzing the situation. All other Sith before us have yearned for power in an attempt to come greater than any mortal being could, or should be for that matter. And its that exact greed for power that killed them off time and time again as they destroyed themselved.


The sun came out from the cover of the the thin, weak cloud and yet again began blaring down upon the group. Out of the corner of his eye he saw 1 of the young students sweating profusely and brething heavily. His breath was rhaspy and stilted as if he had a case of asthma.

The 'Sith' that Inquisitous here and all following him including myself, are trying to initiate a new type of Sith. Rather than forming a group of power-hungry Sith, He looks for more of an Idealist group where we can all come together in common interest to get what we ALL want. Isnt that correct Milord? he said