a thin dulling blade [private, nightender]

[Neology]

((OOC: Apologies for this post being late and not my best. I'm rusty.))

Paxis had spent many years traveling the galaxy in search of the various force-sensitive sects, learning how they manipulated the Force, but also their beliefs. This knowledge he passed on to his students - useful techniques, but also the lore of the people behind them. From those lessons, Novus drudged up memories of a primitive people who associated the Force with some bland earth-mother figure, a small smile tightening her lips against her teeth. Korriban did not love or nurture those who dwelled upon it, regardless of what they were or might become. Yet the Sith kept coming back - an act Novus had not quite made up her mind about. Doing the same thing over and over, as if expecting different results, was the very definition of insanity - and yet, there was the temple. It was a beacon to those who felt the pull of the dark side, and to Novus, a stubborn testament to self-sufficiency that kindled a spark of pride. If the Order could thrive here, on a barren rock, who could guess to what heights they could achieve, fueled by the resources of those they conquered?

The cave's entrance had once been barely more then a crack in the cliff face, too narrow for most men to fit and thus slipping their notice, but just accommodating enough for an undernourished, desperate girl who didn't mind a few scrapes. At present, the opening had been widened by long, smooth gashes cut into the red stone. It was hard to ignore the associated memories - cowering in the dark while a madman hacked wildly at the mountain with a telling red saber, banishing any remaining hope that the Jedi would come for her, wayward and broken as she was. That old fear rose like bile in her throat, but instead of banishing the emotion she held it in her mind as she walked into the cave. Once, she had thought the fear and shame worse then death. Now ... There was a power in remembering, in the hatred she'd known at the feel of clumsy hands on her hips and the cheap, quiet death of Lidah Faine.

Darkness hid nothing from the Arkanian offshoot's eyes, doing credit to the skill of Arkania's geneticists, no matter that there was little to see in the small cavern. Near the far wall were the remains of a fire pit and a broken generator - the only visible evidence of the months spent in Korriban's unforgiving wilds. Tracing clawed fingertips along the cave wall, Novus crossed the small distance and took a seat on the generator, closing her pale eyes and casting her awareness wide, dropping the usual barriers that made even a dark overlord of the Sith seem something approaching normal to even Force-enhanced vision. The sensation was similar to stretching after a long speeder ride.

[Nightender]

Having felt sensitive and sweet and normal, part of Alindra Vordrinn felt sickened by herself. She couldn't keep her thoughts solely on her ambitions, as her feelings for Kvothe Algaterra still lingered, even after leaving Ruusan. There was some kind of magic in her emotions, a passion she should be master of, not be mastered by.

Wanting to do find a way through it, Alindra remembered the training that started her on her current path. The year she spent in the wild shaped her, eventually meeting the rogue Jedi Caiella Stormfist and being afflicted with the old woman's lessons. That time had given her a degree of solitude and focus, something she felt she would need again.

There was even a quiet notion present in Alindra's thoughts, little more than an echo. What if me feelings for Kvothe betray me?" She felt sick knowing that there were some Sith who could find such things and use them against her.

So she set out. Not to protect Kvothe, or even to see him again. This time, Alindra ventured with her own two feet, her clothes, and a few basic supplies, including her lightsabers. Worn from age, one of the weapons was a failing construct taken from Caiella Stormfist when she died. The other was the first lightsaber Alindra had ever built. With its long handle and crimson blade, it was a weapon that marked her allegiance to the Sith and her devotion to the Dark Side.

It will only be for a few days, she told herself. Hard rock and barren waste was all that waited away from the temple. It would be some time before she could hunt for anything and she had no experience with the food of this cruel habitat. On Almania, there were beasts to feed upon. On Korriban, while there was life, it was so sparse she would have to spend most of her energy searching for it. Unlike before, she would have to totally rely on her skill in the Force in order to survive.

Some time later, Alindra found a twisting ravine filled narrow ledges. Something began to beckon toward her, a rush of emptiness she hadn't felt from a single source before. It was close, this darkness. Alindra had to find it, she convinced herself of this. Perhaps it was an artifact from the time of the ancient Sith. Perhaps it was a holocron, filled with some hidden knowledge, something Alindra could use to get ahead of her competitors when the time came for her to assert herself.

She bounced form ledge to ledge, using only the Force to throw herself. Sometimes the Force would prove too strong and she would overshoot her mark, only for her dancer's instincts to hold her balanced a finger's width from death.

The hunt had begun, Alindra knew that. Her eyes fixed one one of the caves before her. There was a presence inside, living and ready to fight if the situation called for it. It had great strength and would not easily fall. Holding her lightsaber at her side, Alindra flashed out the crimson beam to light her way through the darkness. Her newer lightsaber would stay lit much longer than a single minute.

[Neology]

Novus smiled bitterly to herself, taking pleasure in the rush and mild disorientation that came with opening herself up to the Force – a rare treat with the current state of the Order, everyone practicing art of the small to seem less then they were. She leaned back, resting her shoulders against the cave wall as she felt out the surrounding area with greater clarity and a defter touch then she'd possessed those few years ago. First, the minor lifeforms in the area, mostly indigenous creepy crawlies, came into focus and then something rather...larger. And Force sensitive, not to mention headed straight toward the cave.

'Did someone follow me?' Standing, the woman muttered an obscenity and flexed her wrist, allowing her one of her saber hilts to slide free from its wrist holster. Of course, the tight quarters rendered the weapon next to useless, but there was something akin to peace of mind in being armed. With her other hand, she pulled a sonic detonator off her belt, studying the weapon briefly before glancing around at the sides and ceiling of the cave. 'Hell, who even knows I'm planet side?' Mentally keeping track of the assassin's approach, she considered the situation. 'Only two names on the short list, and either of them are probably smart enough to send a team. This one's probably to get me out in the open. A sniper maybe, up on the cliffs. That's what I would do.' Reflexively she tried to take a step backwards at the thought and found her back pressed against the red stone at that thought.

”Almost here. Now, I wonder...Did Charlill Sylvorr finally grow some balls? Or is Iniquitous so fond of his new apprentice that I'm to be replaced entirely?” The Dark Lady muttered to herself, staring toward the cave entrance as if her colorless eyes might see through the next few moments as easily as darkness. 'Alright, that's about right.' The faint sound of boots on gravel and the distinct sound of an igniting light saber funneled through the cavern. Casually, Novus pulled the pin free on the sonic detonator, simultaneously calling on the Force to fortify her body against the blast. 'Five, four, three...' Tossing the grenade up and behind her, Novus leaped forward with a grunt of exertion, going prone and covering her ears.

Fortunately for the Dark Lady's continued ability to hear, the blast behaved as predicted and was directed towards the front of the cave by its shape. Even so, it knocked her about half a foot in the dust and she could feel something wet trickling down her neck. Scrambling to her feet, she made her way to the front of the cave, hoping to drag a stunned assailant back inside for questioning.

[Nightender]

There were sounds leading her onward. Alindra wasn't sure what she was hearing in the depths of the cave, but she felt she had to keep going. It was quiet except for her steps, which she tried to keep soft, a simple form of training to keep her reflexes sharp.

A rolling clank called out of the darkness and something fell close to Alindra's feet. She stopped to glance at it, but the Force started screaming at her, making her feel the danger of staying put. Motivated by a need to move, she started running forward into the dark, knowing it was the source of the sphere. Before it erupted, Alindra moved a short distance, hearing the rumbling pulse ring in her ears, then rub and grate at them, ripping them into her head.

It didn't seem possible, but it was still happening. Within her skull, the fluid in Alindra's ears rumbled and shook, turning into an active slurry of motion. Normally, she had poise and balance. With her inner ears in chaos, she had nothing except a will to go on and feet stumbling underneath her.

She fell down, unsure which way was up. Her body fought to stay awake, but the weight of all of Korriban bore down on her. Her lungs struggled to keep up, but she couldn't manage. A warmth flowed from her ears, a warmth, that, if she could see it, would have told her just how hurt she was.