Starting From Scratch (Baralai Lotus) (Complete)

[Tarsis]

Start From Scratch

Tatooine… what a god forsaken pile of sand and filth Tarsis thought to himself as he made his way down the sand filled streets of Mos Eisley. The same thought always managed to cross his mind each and every time he made his way outside for the past two months. He would always just reassure himself that it was only temporary and that sooner or later, later being as soon as he had the credits, he’s be leaving this place.

For the past several months, Tarsis had been planet hopping in hopes to stay out of the Empires sights. He started off in the Core area, on Coruscant and slowly but sure made his way out towards the Outter Rim. He would land, scout out the area, find a small time business, manipulate the owner into giving him a job with great pay, then stay a month or so and then move on. All the while, he would continue his training in the Sith arts in secrecy. He would take great care to make sure he was as far away form the prying eye of the public and on more than one occasion, he would have to dispatch a spectator or two no matter how much care he took to keep him business private. They always managed to find him…it was very annoying.

But Tarsis had to give Tatooine its due credit, this had been a great place to him so far. Putting aside the stifling heat, it had provided him with a public that didn’t give a frell about who you were or where you came from. They didn’t care if you lived or died. Everyone was out for themselves and this suited Tarsis just fine.

Today, instead of training, he was on the hunt for something he had overheard at the local cantina last night. Apparently, since before the locals cared to remember, there was a place with the title, “Valley of the Spirits”. The locals say it was once a camp that belonged to the Tusken Raiders and one night, a demon showed up and slaughtered the whole village and now spirits haunt the location, hence the title of the area. This perked Tarsis’ curiosity. The only thing he could think of was, if the story was true, imagine the amount of dark energies floating around that place. Energies just waiting to be harvested… Yes, today he would find this place and put to rest these rumors.

Entering a local swoop shop, he approached the counter where a young human was standing conversing with a protocol droid.

“Yes sir. I have gone over all the specs for the latest shipment and we should be….Oh, hello! Master, it would seem we have a customer.” The tarnished droid spun around and came around from behind the counter.

“I am TC-146...” but before the droid could finish, Tarsis had held up his hand and said, “I don’t deal with droids.” And walked past the somewhat startled protocol droid and up to the counter facing the young human. He couldn’t be more than twenty or so years old but you could tell by the way he carried himself he knew a lot about swoop bikes. A well tanned body, dirt and grim engraved into his skin or so it would seem, all sorts of parts tucked into a belt around his waste. This was obviously the boys whole world or the boy had no life. Either way, Tarsis didn’t care. The boy had something Tarsis needed.

“Oi there! Names Caleb. What yo’ be needin ‘elp with today?” He said as he held out his hand to shake Tarsis’.

Ignoring the hand in front of him, Tarsis waved his hand threw the air and said, “I’m in need of a swoop bike for the day, but I don’t have any credits. Can you help me?”

“Uh….yeah.” The boy said with a shake of his head. “We just got d’ese new swoops in today. Fresh of’ de assembly line. They be right up yer ally I’d say. Yer mor den welcome t’ ‘ave one if yo’d like.”

A smirk crossed over Tarsis’ face. He loved weak minded people. “That will do just fine. Have it ready for me and out front in the next thirty minutes. Thank you.” And with that said, Tarsis made his way towards the door.

At this point, the protocol droid went nuts. “Master! You just gave that man a free swoop bike. That will set us back for the next….”

“I did no such t’ing! He was a payin costumer jus like everyone else. Now do as de man said and get ‘is bike ready.” Caleb walked off towards the back to process the order shaking his head. “Stupid droids…’tink dey know every’ing…”

The whole time, Tarsis stood had been standing in the doorway, watching with a sick smile etching its way across the behemoths pale face. With a nod and a wave at the droid, Tarsis walked outside and waited for his new swoop bike.

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai pulled a cigarette from the pack and placed it to his lips, feeling the solid filter fill the gap in his mouth. He'd lowered his head and lit his smoke, taking a long drag and letting the smoke dwindle up into the atmosphere. He looked up, letting his hair fall to either side of his face. He placed the cigarette back in his mouth and felt the strange twinge of pain that had been coming from his scars recently.

He ran a gloved hand over his face, down along his jawline, feeling the horrid mountains of scars that used to be his mouth. His run in with the Inquisitoriate still haunted him. However, he'd been having nightmares and strange pain twinges from the scars that he'd never had before. He couldn't explain it. He had thought it had been force related, but even after he slowed his hunt for holocron's and Palpatine's papers, he was still haunted.

That was how he'd come to be on this backwater planet. While searching for anything related to Sith Alchemy, Baralai had started having nightmares, horrid visions of himself, of all the Sith, pushed out of their homelands and hunted until there were none left. At the head of the mutilation was the Inquisitoriate, with the Jedi following behind them like some kind of trained dogs. That's all they were though, dogs. And the Inquisitoriate was nothing more than a glorified walker.

So, Baralai settled on Tatooine. A planet known for it's underworld dealings, well secluded locations, and plenty of specimens. Baralai never ran out of people to work with here. Between the bounty hunters, the prostitutes, the tuscan's, and the other kinds of scum on this planet, Baralai always had someone to choose from. He hadn't found anything interesting, but he had found a fun little area the locals called, The Valley of Spirits.

When he'd gone there, he found an abandoned camp, nothing special. But, in the middle of the camp were the carcasses of many animals and people. They were scraps that the Tuscan's had found and sacrificed them to appease whatever spirits lived there. It was the best place to get materials.

Baralai smirked and watched the three suns in the sky, it was almost dusk. It was time for him to start heading toward the valley. Time to collect. He started toward his swoop bike that he had purchased, and when he did, something caused him to turn his head. A presence he hadn't felt in a very long while, something that pulled at him, called to him like nothing else ever could.

He smirked, and turned his head slowly to gaze down the street. There was a monster of a man, standing, stoic, outside a swoop bike shop. Baralai knew what it was about the man that called out to him, and he obviously had no idea how to go incognito as far as appearances were concerned. Baralai took his gloved hands off his bike, and took another drag from his cigarette.

He began to approach the man, running his other hand inside his jacket and touching the handle of his light whip. He hadn't used the weapon in a few months, but the cold metal of the handle reignited his memories and he knew that he hadn't forgotten how to wield it. He puffed on the cigarette and slowly walked toward the man, giving each step purpose as he felt the pull get stronger.

"Hello," Baralai said, reaching out directly to the mans mind. He couldn't speak anymore, since having his tongue ripped out, but he hadn't forgotten how to reach someones thoughts.

"I haven't seen someone like you. . .in a long, long time stranger. Tell me, what brings you to a rundown planet like this, when you obviously belong somewhere else?"

[Tarsis]

While waiting for his swoop bike, an all too familiar sensation crept over Tarsis. One he hadn’t felt since he left Korriban…it was almost as if someone was invading the sanctity of his mind and only one person came to mind from his past that carried this recognizable trait with them, Baralai Lotus. Turning on his heels, Tarsis immediately found himself staring into a black and silver eye patch and immediately recognized the self consuming snake. His previous thoughts were true, but by the look Baralai was giving him and the fact that he had his hand suspiciously tucked away into his coat, probably grasping his saber whip, Tarsis gathered the one time Sith ally had no clue who he was or at least had temporarily forgotten his old comrade. A proposal Tarsis couldn’t pass up.

For the moment, Tarsis was going to pretend he didn’t “hear” Baralai speaking to him and ignored the psychic assault on his mind as he watched the droid from the shop bring around his bike. Walking past Baralai, Tarsis kept one eye on the droid and one eye on the hand Baralai had tucked away in his coat. This Sith was know for his unpredictability, but even Tarsis doubted Baralai was that dumb or at least he hopped so anyways. Neither of them could afford to be exposed for what they were and if it came down to it, Tarsis would have no problem dispensing Baralai to protect his own skin.

“It’s about time. I’ve been waiting forever in this heat. What took so long?”

Stopping in front of Tarsis, the protocol droid parked the bike and looked up, eyes gleaming in the sun and said, “Well Sir, it’s a matter of your payment method. I never saw you hand over the credits to my Master.”

Sighing, Tarsis just shook his head. “Then that is something you must take up with your Master. I gave him more than enough credits for this bike. It is not my fault your Master doesn’t share these things with you. Now be gone your irritating trash can or I will make you leave…”

Between the heat and having to hear this annoying droid rant on, Tarsis was beginning to lose his patients. Closing his eyes, he began trying to hold back the anger that he would normally embrace in moments like this. Oh, how he wanted to just crumple this rusty voice box into nothing…it would be so easy…and the anger…it tasted so sweet and the power it brought with it was so intoxicating…NO!

Almost losing control, Tarsis pushed the droid to the side and mounted his bike. Eying Baralai, Tarsis just smiled. By the looks of it, Baralai had the same idea that Tarsis did. He too was about to mount a swoop bike. Tarsis could only wonder if they were both bound for the same place or if the dark rumors had anything to do with his old friend. He would have to find out, one way or another.

“Is there something you needed? If not, then I suggest you stop staring at me like a hunk of bantha meat! Say what you've got to say or be done with it!”

[Baralai Lotus]

"I said, I know what you are. Or at least, where you derive your power from." Baralai smirked and ran a hand through his hair, he felt the wave of anger flow out from Tarsis, and his eye gleamed with excitement. He wanted the Sith to reach out and destroy the droid, to toss it against the wall. Maybe then, Baralai would have the cause to fight again.

"You know, you really should indulge your anger, it's weak not to do such a thing. You'll turn into a Jedi if you're not careful."

Baralai took a last drag off his cigarette and tossed it over into the streets. He took his hand off the hilt of his whip and looked back to Tarsis as he mounted the swoop bike. He decided it would be best not to enter his mind and find out where he was going, that might be considered and act of aggression, and as much as Baralai wanted a fight, he had no desire to fight with Tarsis.

"Forgive my harsh words before," Baralai said, giving a slight bow, "But where is it you are headed?"

[Tarsis]

The anger was boiling inside Tarsis once again. He always hated hearing Baralai's raspy voice echoing inside head. Rolling his neck from side to side, attempting to quell a storm of dark side energy raging inside him, begging to be released, Tarsis took a deep breath and exhaled. If only I had this kind of control before... he thought for a second. What if he did have this control before? Would things have been different? Would it have possibly made him a better Sith? No...I would have never made it this far.

"There is no peace, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain victory. Through Victory, my chains are broken."

The Sith Code. Tarsis was a firm believer in its teachings. It had lead him down the right path so far and he wasn't about to think it was going to stop, but Baralai...he just had a way of getting under Tarsis' skin. Even though Tarsis would have liked nothing more than to show Baralai just how much stronger he was, now was not the time and patients was the best course of action.

"A Jedi? You had better be careful my friend when speaking of those traitors. You never know whose listening. You might be black bagged by the Empire or worse." Tarsis could only smile as he knew the pop shot at Baralai's past would surely strike a nerve. "And I didn't know my plans were any of your business stranger. I suggest you mind what you say while you're out here. You are likely to end up six feet below the sands."

Starting up his swoop bike, Tarsis gave Baralai one last look and sped off out of the city. Not wanting Baralai to know what direction he was going in, he grabbed a hold of the dark side and forced it to masked his presence. Once he was a safe distance away, Tarsis found a little grotto of rocks and boulders. Parking in their shadows, he waited for Baralai to make his move.

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai watched as Tarsis sped off into the sands, watching them cascade around the bike as it tore out of the city. He walked toward his own bike, letting the words of Tarsis roll around in his skull. Black bagged, it was no doubt now that this man was once part of The Sith Order. Only they knew about how Baralai had received his scars, about the journey he'd undergone while under the care of The Inquisitoriate.

Baralai mounted his bike and rode out of the city. He wondered about where Tarsis would go, but, he had no need for the man, it was just entertaining to run into someone from The Order. His bike turned and twisted around the rocks and moving sands of the desert. He had been to this spot so many times, it was like second nature to him.

As he rode through the sands, he couldn't help but think about Tarsis being there, about what he had come there for, and somewhere, in the back of his mind, he was thinking about what had happened to the other Sith.

However, as he twisted back and forth between the stones, his mind was quickly taken away from Tarsis and brought to the scene before him. He realized he was approaching the Valley when he saw the marker he'd passed by so many times. There, standing silent, like some kind of monolith, was a set of spikes, each with the head of a different race perched nicely on its tip. Baralai stopped the bike and placed it behind a stone, making sure it was out of sight. He took a deep breath for a moment and focused on the desire of what it was he was about to do.

His desire flowed freely through his veins, the desire for power, and slowly his body attuned itself with the Force. He loved this feeling, this feeling of power that coursed through him. It was what he always wanted, to be God. It was here in his body, all he had to do was reach out and grab it, strangle it and bend it to his will. Fortunately for him, it never tried to fight back. The Will of God was an easy kill.

Baralai took hold of the Force and began his trek into the valley.

The sands had blown away most of the debris of whatever used to be here, but there were still countless skeletons of creatures from all over the galaxy. Baralai had to wonder if the creatures who came to this planet in search of a new life knew that they were going to meet thier end after being slaughtered by a tuscan who was afraid of ghosts. Baralai strolled into the Valley, rolling his fingers over his whip. Every time he'd been here before there wasn't anything but a dead body that he took with him, but he was picking something up this time, the force was ebbing out toward him and there was definetly something living here.

It was a fun little trick that Baralai had picked up through Sith Alchemy, the ability to detect living beings, and even see into thier molecular structure. He was working on the ability to discern what each creature was by it's molecular construction. It was quite the daunting task, but it was something he was working on, and when he developed it, there was no telling how much of a use it would have.

He walked forward and saw the clothes, weapons, and bodies of the beings that used to belong to the material plane. It was interesting to see how some of them had died, most by decapitation. But, the Tuscan's had gotten curious and tried other methods as well. Breaking open the rib cage and ripping out the heart, tearing off limbs, and even in some cases, pulling out the tongue. It was something that Baralai was all too familiar with.

He saw in the distance, two Tuscan's, believed to be male, and a woman, a Twi'lek woman. Baralai had seen her before in the cantina's dancing, she was a slippery woman from what he had heard. Baralai called out, pushing through the force into the minds of the three inhabitants.

"Leave the girl for me, the Ghost of your People has come to collect on her soul." Baralai reached his hand onto the handle of his whip, gripping it tightly.

The Tuscans turned, and when they saw Baralai striding toward them, they lifted thier sticks and walked toward Baralai, preparing themselves for combat.

"Do not be rash. I'll rip you limb from limb like I did your ancestors."

They continued, and Baralai threw out his whip. The chain flew forward gracefully, smacking the ground and throwing dust into the area. Baralai hadn't used his whip in a long time, and this, it felt right.

"You will burn for trying my patience."

His finger found the switch, and flicked it on.

Hum.

The blade coursed to life, streaming effortlessly down the chain and giving it a deep red glow. The blade itself was channeled between the crystals the nestled tightly and easily between the links of the chain. The hum continued, oscillating noises up and down as it went from tip to handle. Baralai smirked, as he saw the whip on the ground, charring the dirt.

Fear rushed out from the Tuscan's, and they started to back away.

"It's much too late for that. You'll die here."

With a quick motion, a flick of his wrist, the whip reached out and sliced the staves in half. Another quick turn of the blade and the bodies of the creatures fell lifeless, and headless, to the ground. Baralai smirked and deactivated the blade. He pulled it, using the force to roll the chain back up as it came to him. He walked forward to the girl, placing the blade in his coat.

"Hello madam, it's interesting seeing someone like you out here. Tell me, what brings you here?"

She didn't say anything, she wouldn't even look Baralai in the face. He smiled, his scars pulling up in awkward positions around his face.

"Well, if you won't look at me, then maybe I should get on your level."

Baralai got down on his knees, face to face with the woman.

"Still not going to look at me? Well, can't say I'd blame you. It's hard to look into the eyes of God they say. Oh well, just be glad you met your end at his hands."

Baralai reached out and grabbed her head with both hands, one placed on her chin and another on her forehead. He turned his wrists quickly, using a little bit of the Force, and heard the familiar crack of bones as she fell lifeless to the ground.

Baralai stood and pulled a cigarette from his pack, lighting it up and taking a quick drag. The cigarette dangled from his lips as he picked up her body and slung it across his shoulder.

"Another day, another dollar. Better get this one someplace more private."

Baralai strode out of the Valley, heading back toward his bike. Behind the stone, he would lay her down, and he would do exactly what he wanted with her. He was looking for a good liver today, and hopefully, she wouldn't dissapoint.

[Tarsis]

Not soon after Tarsis had parked his swoop had Baralai come whizzing by. Giving the one eyed Sith time enough to put a little distance between the two of them, Tarsis then pulled out and gave chase. He didn't want Baralai to know just yet that he was following him. Tarsis wanted to know what the Alchemist was up to but in order for that to happen, Tarsis had to make sure Baralai never saw him coming and without using the Force to conceal his signature, that was proving rather difficult.

Speeding up, feeling the wind whip his black hair around his face as the hood on his cloak fell backwards, Tarsis slowly but surely began seeing a small rocky opening. The Valley Of Spirits. At first glance it didn’t seem all that scary or imposing as people made it out to be. Frell, Tarsis had seen more intimidating things in his dreams then this place. Even still, people found this place to be almost unbearable to be around. We shall see… He found himself thinking as he stopped the bike. Baralai had stopped now and was making his way into the Valley. Taking the opportunity to do the same, Tarsis went ahead and left his bike out in the open some fifty meters away from the entrance. He would walk the rest of the way.

The walk to the entrance wasn’t too terrible. Besides, Tarsis’ mind was reeling with thoughts on what he’d say to his old comrade in arms. Where did he go after the attacks on Korriban? Did he continue his training in Sith Alchemy? Who taught him? Did he teach himself? Had his power grown? What all could he do? The list went on and on but Tarsis was stopped dead in his tracks when a surge of fear rushed through his body so intense and so close, Tarsis could only lavish the moment as that sickening sensation crept all over his body. Eyes rolling backwards, body shivering from the intoxicating effects of the drug like emotion, Tarsis regained composure and almost choking the Force, grabbed hold of it and pushed it down through his legs increasing his speed.

Within moments Tarsis was close enough to see Baralai walking out of the Valley though a veil of dust carrying what looked like a young Twi’lek female. From the look on the girls face and the twist of skin on her neck, he had obviously snapped her neck. What a waste.

By this time, Tarsis was sure Baralai had already figured out he was here so Tarsis wasted no time.

“So, after all this, you’re the big bad ghost huh?”

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai watched Tarsis come up the way and he stopped, smirking and shrugging his shoulders, adjusting the girls weight.

"I'm no ghost, but I do come here fairly often. What brings you here?"

[Tarsis]

With recognition flashing in Baralai's eyes, Tarsis raised his head slightly letting the the setting sun light up his pale face.

"I go where I please, but if you need an answer, I'm here because I had heard rumors that some sort of dark rituals were being held here. Sacrifices to old superstitions. Demons and such. You know, nonsense, but I never figured I'd run into you here."

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai smirked, "I feel the same way comrade. As for dark rituals, just superstitious Tuscan's, too scared to think logically. No real darkness here except for the fear they have."

Baralai took a drag off his cigarette, "So, where have you been traveling? You seem a little more experienced, seen the different sides of the galaxy have you?"

[Tarsis]

"I've been here and I've been there. I started in the core worlds and slowly made my way out here. I'd find myself a respectable business, acquire myself a job, earn myself a pretty credit or two, and then move on. Needless to say I've made a nice little fortune with my little game, but trust me, it all has a purpose."

Tarsis stopped himself there. He didn't want to give everything away without first finding out more of what Baralai had been up to. What was an advantage if you gave away all your secretes? To be honest, this chance happening of the two meeting, worked in Tarsis' favor. He would have to play his cards right, but if he did and if he knew Baralai like he thought he did, Tarsis would have him hook, line, and sinker.

"Experienced you say?"

Tarsis said with a chuckle. Looking to Baralai's left, Tarsis focused on a boulder next to him and watched as it exploded. A petty trick but at one time, this feat use to be a difficult task for Tarsis. Telekinesis was never his forte.

"With every new planet I visited, I explored it for any hint of the Sith. New or old, but I never found anything, until now that is. My training has continued and I have become much stronger than the last we met. And yourself? Have you continued your art or have you been robbing graves for a living now?"

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai chuckled, "Grave robbing? I'm gathering materials. I've been training in my alchemy, although it has been a while since I've had to use it in combat. And you can't exactly create things and let them run free here."

Baralai placed the girl on the ground, "So, you claim to have gotten stronger? Have you been keeping your rage in control? Or does it still get the best of you? I can't imagine how good at combat you would be if you blacked out halfway through it."

Baralai looked at the rock pieces laying on the ground and reached out his hand, lifting them into the air and causing them to spin, forming a crude DNA matrix. He smirked and pulled them over in front of him, pointing toward Tarsis.

"So then, you've looked for the Sith, and you claim you found nothing. You know, it's not uncommon for Sith to cloak themselves around those they don't deem worthy. The chance you found me is lucky."

Baralai reached out through the Force, rearranging the rocks into a spike and shooting it toward Tarsis. In the same motion, he reached for his whip, unraveling it and igniting it. The sand crystallized, sending up shards of glass into the air as Baralai's whip lay on the ground. He stood, waiting for Tarsis to make a move.

"Show me your worthy of my presence. It's been quite some time since I've had a good fight."

[Tarsis]

Tarsis had a grin stretching across his face from ear to ear. He knew it would was only a matter of time before Baralai would lose his patients and Tarsis couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. The thrill of combat, the shear rush of adrenalin that accompanied it, the intoxicating taste of power…all topped off with the opportunity to put Baralai in his place…it was too much to ask for.

Grabbing hold of the Force, Tarsis used it to propel himself to the side, dodging the array of rocky shards. Watching the Alchemist ignite his whip, Tarsis drew out his light saber, and all in what seemed like one motion, ignited it and twisted the small emitter on the silver handles side, increasing the length of blade from 5 feet long to 7. Its deep crimson glow added to Baralai’s whip lit up the area creating their own blood red sun set.

Advancing slowly towards Baralai, Tarsis stopped just short of the whip’s tip to contemplate his next move. He had never faced off against someone wielding such a weapon, so Tarsis had to tread carefully. Studying his opponent, searching for a weakness, Tarsis spoke out.

“My rage?” He said with a chuckle. “Why would I ever keep my rage under control? They only thing I’ve done…” Stopping mid-sentence, Tarsis wrenched up some of the anger he had been suppressing and focusing, used the Force to send a wave of energy towards Baralai.

Running in behind his force wave and bringing his saber up to strike, Tarsis yelled out to finish his sentence, “is MASTER IT!”

[Rayna Eclipse]

The light from the darkside energy manifest itself above the two combatants. Leave it to two estranged Sith to fight so dramatically. She huddled closely to the canyon wall, the shadows cast from lightsabers hid her well. She'd been keeping tabs on Baralai and Tarsis for some time now. While she knew well who they were, they knew little about her.

She recalled what Jorshal had written about them, his files she had taken when she destroyed him.

Baralai, a Sith Alchemist with unlimited potential. Jorshal suspected the man might be capable of growing massive armies from nothing. However, the man had an unfortunate run in with the Inq., which retarded his development in the realm of alchemy. She supposed personal trauma might do that. Seemingly, he'd made his way past all that.

Quite a flare for the dramatic. She thought, shielded, to herself as she noticed the whip and the eyepatch.

And of course Tarsis. The big guy who'd grown quite a bit since she'd last encountered him. Jorshal had taken quite the liking to the man, or at least some semblance of respect. They shared a common event, the Mountain outside of the Korriban headquarters, where Jorshal had trained Tarsis to become Sith. She'd personally encountered the behemoth in the Sith palace, and dreaded combat with him.

They both seemed to have been taken down a notch, and turned out better because of it. She recalled how the Sith Order seemed to have a way of making things feel safer than they were. Couped up on Korriban, the Sith felt unassailable; she remembered the feeling well. But that soon changed, Alexia Sturkov, one of their own, ran rampant through those hallowed halls. Like a hammer through glass whatever organization the Sith had was shattered. She was part of that hammer.

Baralai looked as if he was through taunting Tarsis and eager to show the man what he could do. Fools. They'd sooner beat each other up than do anything productive. How far the Sith have fallen, at the moment she needed them most. She needed what remained of The Sith Order and what was left was fighting between the stone walls of the valley of the spirits. It was time to break it up.

She cast a force wind to echo the canyon, to give life to the spirits that supposedly haunted this place. They'd notice the darkforce wind howling, she knew it. They'd break it up and seek her out. It was a much better resolution than simply walking over to break up the fight where she'd more likely end up dead. Maybe she could take Baralai in a fight, definitely not Tarsis, and certainly not the both of them at once. This whole plan was dangerous, but for what she needed now, nothing but dangerous would do.

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai felt his body pushed back by the Force Wave and shook it off quick, flicking his wrist and parrying Tarsis' blade. The clash of the sabers was grand, striking a new chord in Baralai, playing to his lust for combat. Baralai pushed the Force through his legs and leapt back.

As he did, he felt the sudden wind echo through the canyon. It was not like anything he'd felt in this place before. Without so much as a second thought, Baralai threw his whip out and wrapped it around Tarsis' blade, holding it steady, using the Force to amplify his strength and hold the blade without being jerked around by the large man.

"Hold. . .we're not alone. There's someone else here, someone like us."

Baralai used his Alchemic abilities, reaching out through the force and seeking a life form, something reminiscent of a human. Like a bat with sonar, the Force wave shot out and bounced back to him. There was a signal, coming from the canyon wall, and Baralai turned to Tarsis.

"My friend, we've a mouse to seek out."

[Tarsis]

Tarsis watched as Baralai tossed his force wave to the side like a child's play thing. It wasn't meant to be a full on attack. More of a distraction if anything, but as Baralai's whip met Tarsis' saber, the big man realized that he hadn't given the Alchemist enough credit. With a crimson flash and serpents hiss, the Sith locked arms, each trying to out power the other. Tarsis could feel Baralai pulling for the Force, but before the big man could make his counter, a fel wind began to blow through out the Valley.

Distracted for only a moment by the dark disturbance, Tarsis quickly realized that his inability to keep focused on the battle had cost him. Baralai had locked his whip around Tarsis’ saber and was using the Force’s crushing abilities to keep his hold on it.

"Hold. . .we're not alone. There's someone else here, someone like us."

Tarsis, having sensed it as well, let out a bestial roar and strangling the Force into submission, ripped his saber free from Baralai's grip.

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know..."

His anger was growing with each passing second, the adrenalin was still flowing, and the fight was still far from over. Two options laid before Tarsis: One, he continued fighting and flay Baralai open or option two, put off the fight, for a little while anyways, and find this ‘other’ like them. Option one seemed very tempting but the more calm he became, the more he realized that the fight was probably a bad idea and would put his over all plan in jeopardy. Deactivating his saber, Tarsis continued.

"Bit of a dramatic entrance. Must be a friend of yours."

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai deactivated his whip and rolled it up with the Force, pulling the chain and whip into his coat. His gloved hands reached into his pocket for a cigarette, and he lit it up, taking a drag and slowly pushing the smoke out of his lungs.

"Not a friend of mine. However, I know how to call someone out. . ."

Baralai reached his hand out and pushed the force out toward the canyon, making the canyon walls shake off small rocks, giving them the illusion of collapsing. The walls of the canyon shook and quaked for a moment, settling quickly.

"Come out! Otherwise I'll have that whole canyon fall around you!"

Baralai shot a thought into Tarsis' mind, keeping it from others who might be trying to overhear.

"Be ready for anything. Keep your blade out, I've got my own plans."

Baralai looked at the ground, and saw a lizard crossing over a rock. He picked the small creature up and placed it between his hands. The residual heat of the Force coursed through his body, and the creature began to twist and contort in his palms. It was changing, it's DNA bending.

"All I need is time to prepare. If the person strikes, keep them distracted, they won't live long after that."

[Tarsis]

"Are you serious? For all that intelligence, you lack any real common sense don't you? Think about it Baralai! If they really wanted us dead would they have given us the time to prepare a counter-attack or allow us to work together? They, whoever they is, male or female, Sith or Jedi, would have taken out the stronger of us, probably me, first and then dealt with you last."

Tarsis said as he scoped out the canyon looking for anything that might stand out. Combat was his area of expertise. His father, an ex bounty hunter, had taught him all about tracking, hunting, picking your targets wisely, and above all us, how to take on a force user.

“Whoever it is I seriously doubt they want us dead and I’m willing to bet that you’re little trick won’t scare them. But for the sake of argument, I’ll play along that way I can say I told you so later.”

And with that said, Tarsis stepped in front of the Alchemist and prepared himself for anything.

[Rayna Eclipse]

The earth seemed to quake about her, the canyon walls cracking as the sandstone boulders lurched from their aged stations. Instinct told her to panic, Jedi training told her to react and she did, calling upon the Force to shield her. But the call turned violent as the shield became sword, thrusting to destroy the rocks that fall about her.

Nothing.

Years of dealing with the Force told her it was an illusion, one of Baralai's tricks. If she were anyone else she might have been intimidated. But she'd long since realized illusions served few purposes other than to hide or strike out of fear.

Do you fear me, Baralai? She wondered. Not likely. The Sith were indoctrinated not to fear anyone; their own folly.

"Come out! Otherwise I'll have that whole canyon fall around you!" His mental voice rang out.

The two Sith argued between themselves, each trying to force their own opinion as to what would draw her out on each other. She couldn't hear Tarsis voice nor Baralai's mental command but she could feel them glowing in the vast desert. Tarsis resonated with confidence, like an overflowing cup. However, Baralai felt more like a drain was at the bottom of his glass; always channeling the dark within to change something.

"You both can relax." She said, her voice like gravel. "I have no fight to pick with either of you, today."

The woman stepped into the light of Tatooine's three moons, its pale cast falling on her gray cloak and reflecting from her mask. Her hand swept back the cloak as she approached, revealing the hilt of her lightsaber. She wanted to deter both of them from any hasty moves.

"I come in peace, so to speak."

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai saw the dark, raven-haired figure come away from the canyon walls, and watched as she moved her cloak in the moonlight.

There was a slight glint of metal as the hilt of a lightsaber shown from under her cloak.

"You come in peace and you brandish a weapon? A foolish move. I'll listen though, however, make one swift move and we'll have your head."

Baralai watched her intently, watching her movements and what she was going to do. He waited for her to make any movement for the blade, and he would release the creature between his palms upon her. He was keeping it sedated for the moment, but one quick move, and it would be on her before she knew what to do.

"How is it you've found us? And more importantly, what is it that you want little girl? A pretty little girl, none the less. Tell me, you do know a woman can get hurt in these parts?" Baralai said, motioning to the body of the Twi'lek behind him.

[Rayna Eclipse]

She wanted dearly to vocally spar against the one with the insults. Glancing back to the Twi'lek woman, she felt a surge of righteousness for wanting to strike Baralai down. But now was not the time, she needed them at the moment. But one day Baralai, She thought silently and shielded, we will fight.

"Jorshal Vuntana is dead." She said starkly and let it set in. While the former Sith Master had lorded over them both of them during their time at The Sith Order, they'd long since proved themselves independent since the fall of the Order. She wasn't sure how they'd take it, while they may have had loyalties, their interests and Jorshal's were no longer tied.

"His lightsaber." She said and pulled back the left side of her cloak and unclipped it, handing it hilt first between them.

She wasn't entirely telling the truth. Jorshal Vuntana wasn't dead, completely. However, he was defeated at her hands. She'd done the same to him as had been done to her. Complete and utter mental destruction, the brain functioning at a sub-animal level. Such was the admission price to the Doll House, a sealed cave on Corellia meant for training Sith in the mental command arts. It's founder, Southstar, Jorshal's master, had cleansed her mind and left her there after she had infiltrated the Sith years ago. Between the lightside of the Force and Dr. Zanon's manipulations, she'd recovered. However, she was confident that the cleansing she left Jorshal, that which brought her into the fold of the darkside yet again, would yield no recovery.

"It was a matter of revenge, and its done now." She said as she searched them for their feelings. "I'm here about the future."

[Tarsis]

Tarsis stood with his arms crossed, the hilt of his saber clutched in his right hand, just in case. The fact that the woman didn't react the way Baralai thought she would to his trick surprised Tarsis. She obviously had some sort of training in the Force, Sith or Jedi. Either way, Tarsis was impressed. And when she brandished her lightsaber, his previous assumptions were confirmed.

"Baralai, stop with the idle threats. No person would be foolish enough to display a weapon they have no clue how to use. Especially against people like us."

Tarsis glanced over at Baralai, making sure his point had got through and then brought his attention back to the woman before him. The after effects of the fight were fading; the adrenalin was ceasing to pump, muscles were beginning to relax, and the overwhelmingly intoxicating rush of pure anger that normally accompanied him during any fight was lapsing away. It was time to talk.

"So you come claiming Jorshal is dead? What other proof do you have besides 'his' saber?"

Tarsis wasn't willing to believe that someone as gifted in the Dark Side as Jorshal had fallen to someone like her, not yet anyways.

"Mind what you say as well because although he reigned over us, I had a great deal of respect for that man. If what you say is true, then so be it. Jorshal was weak, but if you fail to produce any real evidence to such a claim, well then, I guess Baralai will get a new pet to play with."

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai smiled grimly as Tarsis spoke. A new toy? What an interesting prospect, she would make a pretty little toy.

This girl spoke of Jorshal being dead, and held his saber. Baralai knew there was nothing that would've taken Jorshal's saber from him, what she said must've been true.

"Tarsis, think. Jorshal would not surrender his saber over easily. Either he is dead, or he trusts this girl a great deal. While this does not deem her worthy of our trust, it does allow her to gain some patience from the both of us. Let's listen to what the little girl has to say."

Baralai nodded gently at her, "I assume you know our names, and most likely more, if you knew Jorshal. But you say that you've come to talk about the future? Tell me little girl, what is your name? And before we are to continue any negotiations, I'm afraid that you're going to have to agree to answer any questions we may have."

Baralai smirked at her, showing a canine over his bottom lip, "You're not going to outsmart me, little girl. You agree to answer our questions, we'll agree to listen to everything you say. Oh, and like Tarsis said, if there's a fault within your story, I'm afraid we'll be taking you back in pieces."

Baralai took another drag off his cigarette, knocking the long ash to the ground. It was swept up into the wind and the embers carried off into the darkness before they ever touched the dirt.

He reached out with his free hand toward the lightsaber, "May I examine it? To make sure it is in fact Jorshal's saber?"

[Rayna Eclipse]

"Fair enough." She said as she unclipped the hilt from her belt. With the blade turned down she handed it to Baralai and with the Force she held a lock on activation switch, releasing it once it was far enough away from her.

"I can answer some questions, Baralai. Not all." No, only a fool would reveal themselves so soon.

[Tarsis]

Tarsis couldn't quiet figure this woman out. She had an aura of the Dark Side, but she didn't really scream Sith. Maybe she was a Dark Jedi? Either way, she stood here now claiming to have destroyed Tarsis' former Master. The ways of the Sith taught him that if Jorshal had truly fallen at her hands then he was weak, and deserved his death, but on the other hand, Tarsis couldn't help but feel a little animosity towards Jorshal and this woman for that matter. If anyone had the right to surpass Jorshal it was Tarsis.

Treachery is the way of the Sith... he found himself thinking.

Fighting back the urge to end this game and just kill her, Tarsis looked into Rayna’s eyes said, “When I last saw Jorshal, it was on Coruscant. We had just escaped from the hands of some space pirates who thought they could use to us further their pity deeds. My former Master and I took the ship by force, jettisoned their still living corpses into space, and landed some three days later on Coruscant. On that ship there were eight pirates against myself and Jorshal and Jorshal took down five of them while under the effects of some unknown drug. The details go on and on from there but my reason for sharing this story was so that you could kind of see how resourceful Jorshal was. Now I’m sure you can understand how suspicious you might look right now. With that said, we’ll start simple. Who are you and where are you from?”

[Rayna Eclipse]

Another wind howled through the canyon and picked up their cloaks, however, this was not her doing.

She anticipated she would need to prove her legitimacy. But how much she would need to give away and how much she could retain was never certain.

"I killed Jorshal's master, Southstar, his apprentice was just as easy. We were trained together, by Southstar, within the Sith Order. I know his strengths and his weaknesses, I know what he has been taught as well as he did. More importantly, I knew how to outmaneuver his training. He was a full blooded Sith, I am what I need to be at a given moment."

Tarsis wasn't buying it and Baralai was overly suspicious as well. She subdued her fear as she knew the dogs would sense it. It wasn't battle she wanted right now, therefore, she needed for them to believe she was capable of defeating them both.

"You mentioned an unknown drug, Tarsis. Could you doubt that I killed him when it was I poisoned him. I, who engaged you both in battle within the halls of the Korriban Palace. Was I not resourceful?"

Treachery was the way of the Sith. She betrayed her master and betrayed Jorshal, did that make these two men her brethren? She wondered. She would eventually betray these two, assuming things got past negotiations. Assuming they didn't betray her first.

"Ultimately, I'm from the same place as you two, The Sith Order. However, I was a class before yours. The class from the Corellian Palace, before Korriban and before Jezreal became Alexia Sturkov."

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai observed the girl. If what she said was true, then it would fall in line with the disappearance of Southstar. She obviously gave the right impression, and she was very powerful, Baralai could tell that much.

"You claim to have killed Southstar, one of the most powerful Sith I've ever met. And you also claim to have killed Jorshal, yet another powerful Sith. Tell me, how exactly did you murder them?"

Baralai watched her, sensed her, tried to feel her out. He wanted to see every emotion she showed, every last movement she made, Baralai watched. He watched patiently, waiting for her to make a mistake.

"Tell me, what is this fight you speak of? You claim to have fought both Tarsis and Jorshal? How you lived, I have no idea. But they could have killed you then, had they wanted too. You merely caught them off guard. However," Baralai rolled the saber she had given him in his hand, "Now, you're defenseless. You've let your guard down. You're completely at our mercy."

Baralai pushed into her mind, allowing the force to dig into her, and he was met with a strong opposition. There was a wall there, keeping him from passing into her mind.

"Let your guard down, I want in your head. I want to verify everything you're saying, little girl."

[Tarsis]

"Sarin." Tarsis said out loud with a laugh. "Are you serious? You?"

Tarsis wasn't sure if it was the shock of her revelation or if it was the shock of just how bold that move was that he was having trouble processing. The fall of the Sith Order was a long over due. Its infrastructure was falling apart and they were desperate. Tarsis didn’t mind that it was gone. The only thing he regretted about the whole thing was the fact that he never got to finish some of his training. He didn’t get to abuse the system just a little long before he moved on to find someone or something stronger.

“So not only have you killed Jorshal and Southstar, but you’re also responsible for the death of several of the students at the Sith Academy on Korriban as well? You know Sarin, you are either extremely brave or you are extremely dumb. I haven’t quiet figured it out yet.”

What Tarsis wasn’t telling her was that even though she was responsible for so much, Tarsis respected her, from one warrior to another at least. She had prowess and power. Tarsis liked that. Turning to his left, Tarsis was looking at Baralai now. He wasn’t sure if all the information had clicked or not, but it was time for Tarsis to fill in the blanks.

“I don’t know just how much of the invasion actually touched you, seeing as you were locked out in that lab of yours, but my friend, this woman is partly responsible for the fall of Korriban.” He said with a chuckle. “And what she says is true. I have fought her before along the side of Jorshal. We were evacuating the Temple and on our way out, we ran across her. I’ll attest for her skill thought. She defiantly gave me a run for my credits.” Tarsis said as he looked back over at Rayna. “The only reason nothing has clicked up until now is because she was wearing a suit of armor then and sporting a blue lightsaber if I remember right. Isn‘t that right Sarin?”

[Rayna Eclipse]

As Baralai spoke, she listened. They were skeptical at best. Baralai accurately sized her up, without poisoning Jorshal first she surely would have died at his and Tarsis' hands. As for Southstar, she had two moles. She baited him to her ground and then used overwhelming force to kill him. She'd played her cards well each time, no telling what life would deal next or even if she'd have cards to play. Taking chances was becoming her trademark.

"I'm hardly defenseless, Baralai. The Force is my ally and that's not my lightsaber." As she spoke, a thorny vine crept its way into her head. Baralai was looking around where he ought not to be. She struck at the vine with a machete; a warning that his thoughts were not welcome there.

Tarsis spoke, mockingly, as her anger built up inside. Was she responsible for the deaths of students? Those who'd been led astray by the Sith, who'd never felt the light. She targeted Jorshal, yes, but he deserved his fate. She was NOT responsible, she told herself over and over again, for anyone else's death. She wanted to say it was Sturkov, their OTHER traitor.

Don't falsely accuse me. She thought, but poured rain over her anger. Let Tarsis believe she was responsible. If she was a better demon in his eyes, so be it.

"Not Sarin." She said once he'd finished. "Darth Soleil."

"Your Order was crumbling and decadent. It met its end at the hands of two of its former disciples. Korriban has fallen, Corellia is in chaos. The Sith held an Empire under Palpatine, its last remnants fell on Korriban and now politicians rule this galaxy, which rightly belongs to the Sith."

"I wield power, you know this, I am offering it for the use of the Remnant."

[Tarsis]

Darth Soleil... Tarsis found himself thinking. What a joke! They're just giving the title away now.

“Listen, I know it wasn’t just you who took on the Academy. I wouldn’t dream of accrediting it all to you.” Tarsis said as he began to feel his patients slipping. “I will agree with you however; that the Order was falling apart. Becoming a shadow of its former self. Palpatine was a joke just like Vader, but I’m not here to talk about why they both failed. We could be on that subject forever…”

Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, he thought about what Rayna had said and then continued.

“You speak of Corellia being in chaos and using your power towards the remnants of our order; just what are you proposing?”

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai smiled when he heard the girl speak of using power to rebuild.

He motioned toward Tarsis, "Indeed, exactly what is it you wish to do? And why do you need us?"

[Rayna Eclipse]

"A triumvirate." She said. "A pact between us for the restoration of power."

She stared at the two men through veiled eyes. Baralai would bring the manpower, grown through the Darkside, a science that she would never understand. For Tarsis, it was his command. He would be the rallying point. And for her, she brought the connections. Her roots extended to the Jedi, Empire and cartel traders. While neither of the three had the sole power to dominate, together they would be unstoppable.

"We'll begin with Corellia, where legally the Sith are legit. The Empire will recognize that as they must. We maintain independence by balancing between them and the Alliance." As she spoke she felt the ambitions rise in each of them.

Think of what we can do...

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai smiled wide as he heard the girl speak. A triumvirate. Yes, it was perfect. Between his mind, Tarsis's power, and her connections, there would be nothing that could stop them. They would bring the Sith back to a point of power in this galaxy, and Baralai would sit high, viewing the Sith as they grew. An endless supply of test subjects and students. . .

He moved toward the girl, "You've got my help. But know this, try to cross me, or get me out of the plan, and I'll have you on one of my examination tables little girl. And Tarsis wouldn't mind a new punching bag, I'm sure."

Baralai motioned toward Tarsis and Rayna, "So, to Corellia, right? I have a great desire to watch the Order rise to power just as it was years ago."

[Tarsis]

Tarsis cast Baralai a sidelong glance, acknowledging him, and said, "A little eager aren't we?"

Tarsis was still skeptical of the entire situation. One would say this was a chance meeting but as everyone knows, there is no such thing as chance when it comes to the Force. Everything has a purpose and everything comes full circle in one way or another where the Force is concerned. Tarsis wasn't one to search the Force for answers, because, well, he never needed to. Always living by the moment, why bother worrying about the future when the present was staring you in the face right now? Besides, the Force was a tool, or so he was taught. Not a buddy one can sit around and chum around with. But he was curious to know what the Force had in store for him...

"A Triumvirate? For the restoration of Power? It all sounds well and good, but lets be honest, what happens to this 'Triumvirate' when we accomplish our goal? We're Sith. Treachery is our way." He said with a smile. "I won't sit here and toss idle threats your way like Baralai, but I do have a question for you: What guarantee is there that I won't wake up one morning because I've had a dagger shoved into my back?"

Tarsis started walking towards Rayna now. He wanted to see her eyes close up. The windows to the soul he had once heard. We shall see... "Death is a part of life, so fear of dying is not what concerns me. And if all you have to say is trust, then I'm afraid you must try harder my dear."

[Rayna Eclipse]

She glared right back into his eyes. Assurances were moot, she knew this was the case with Tarsis. Another option was for each to hold the other hostage somehow; information or possessions. But part of why the triumvirate would work was because they each had so little on each other and even less to take.

"It will work because of the rule of three. Should one become belligerent, there are two against him. Should one overcome the two, then to him the spoils." She said. "I'm willing to bet Baralai would no less like you as king than I as queen."

"And don't forget, revolutions rarely solve more problems than they create. Our attention will likely float elsewhere." As she spoke she knew by then she would have accomplished her own goals, and the concerns of the Sith would no longer be her own. "You forget, Sith ambition rarely is satisfied."

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai thought back on everything the Sith had accomplished, and what had been taken from him.

"The girl has a point. I would not let either of you rule, and believe me, you'd have a time trying to get past me. I have eyes everywhere."

He turned to Tarsis, "If the girl did kill Jorshal and Southstar, then she has power. Power that we can all use to get to the top. With my brains, your strength, and her resources, we can rebuild the Order. Imagine Tarsis, the Sith, brought back. And at the helm, the three of us. War Generals, wasting everything that stands in our path. We could even take down the Empire."

Baralai smiled and ran a gloved hand over Tarsis's shoulder. He was trying to entice him, trying to make Tarsis want this. It was going to be interesting to see how the three of them worked together, but. . .it would be something amazing, if it worked.

"You have my help. But one rule, you do not command me. I will take advice, but not orders, do you understand?"

[Tarsis]

Tarsis crossed his arms as he continued to stare at Rayna. The rule of three...he had to admit, he like the sound of it, but there was something about Rayna that didn't sit right with Tarsis. How did she know to find them out here? Had she been following one the Sith? What was it she was trying so hard to keep Baralai from finding in her head? And then there was Baralai… How long before he would go crazy and try to take down everything that they had created? Would his quest to become a 'god' hinder the Triumvirates goals? There were so many open-ended scenarios running through Tarsis' mind and not an answer to any of them.

For once, Tarsis was trying to think logically. What could he gain out of this that he didn’t already have? Power was the first thing that came to mind. Although he was already strong, he could become stronger; stronger than any Sith before him possibly…that was always appealing. What else? Resources maybe? Underlings? Pupils? An army? Or even apprentice perchance? Yes, an apprentice… Maybe not now but soon…

Looking at Baralai as he laid his hand on Tarsis’ shoulder, Tarsis could feel Baralai trying to entice him. Sighing, Tarsis said. “You need not try to force my hand Baralai. I’ve already made up my mind and I say yes. A Triumvirate as you put it, Darth Soleil, will undoubtedly be to our benefit. Let us rebuild that witch has fallen so far and lay the foundation for an Order like that which has never been seen. Our roots will grow deep and our strength shall run unchecked. Let all those that stand before us, tremble in awe and fear. For we shall strike with out mercy, we shall destroy without remorse, and we shall conquer without fear.”

As he finished his speech, he extended his right arm and with the snap hiss of his saber, pointed its crimson tip towards the ground. With his hooded face silhouetted by the sudden introduction of light against the dark night sky, Tarsis waited for the others to join him.

[Rayna Eclipse]

She would have smiled. The first stone was set into motion and an avalanche brewed. She ignited her own lightsaber, it's green blade glowing against the sand and her face. She pointed it down so the tip met Taris'. A rule of three, the Triumvirate, to bring Sith might back into the galaxy. She would have smiled.

[Baralai Lotus]

Baralai ignited his whip, laying it down below the two in a circle. He stood, staring off into the distance, letting his mind flow and fall into the possibilities this could bring.

His body shook, and he reached out through the Force, screaming into the nothingness that stood before the three.

"And with this, a forging of a new era comes. An era of the Sith. With our emotion and power, we shall guide the Universe into a new time. Let fall the old rules of the Order, let fall the rule of two. For we have found a balance, a tripod upon which the Galaxies will sit."

Baralai moved back and stood between the two, lighting up another cigarette and taking a long drag, "We are the rule of three. We are the new Sith Order."

[Tarsis]

The new Sith Order...

Yes, they would be but right now. There was still more than enough work to be done before anyone could say the Sith had returned. Secrecy would no doubt be in their best interest right now. The less people to know, the easier this Triumvirate could operate and get things on track.

Deactivating his saber and placing it back on his belt, Tarsis looked at both of his comrades and then back towards Mon Eisley. "I have a ship, its small, but it can get us to Corellia. I believe we all know what must be done and what can happen if we fail. Discretion will be key as well as stealth and cunning, but we can hammer out the details once we get the ship into hyperspace. My ship is in docking bay 66 back in Mos Eisley. Be there before noon today or I leave without you.”

Turning, Tarsis made his way over towards his swoop and once there, started it up and sped off into the night. He had to make sure any loose ends were taken care of here before he left. No one must remember he was here and there was only one way to achieve that…with a sick smile creeping across his face and the dark side churning throughout his whole body, Tarsis increased his speed.