God Given

[Salem Ave]

Dxun.

It was late evening when they arrived, in the gloaming hours of twilight. Like so much of the galaxy, it was at this time when Dxun truly came alive. Predators moved through the dense jungles, in search of unsuspecting prey. Yet, their population was dwindling. The once plentiful wild-life was growing sparse, as beasts turned on one another, driven mad by the strange darkness that infected the so-called Demon Moon.

His eyes never leaving the nigh-impenetrable Mandalorian iron structure that stood before him, Darth Callidus smiled.

“What do you feel, Malleus?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Satisfaction, Lilaena thought, looking up at the structure before her. That probably wasn't what Callidus had in mind, however, when he'd asked the question.

Taking a moment, she drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I feel... darkness. Power." She smiled.

[Salem Ave]

The corners of his lips curving ever so slightly upwards, Salem glanced sidelong at Lilaena. Her answer was... vague, but in the end it wasn't always necessary for the truth to be spoken for Salem to know it. Without a word, he strode forwards, along the walkway that would lead them to the tomb's entrance. Along each side of the path their stood huge statues of men holding swords, with their blades pointed down to the ground as if at any moment they would thrust the weapons into the earth below. The further they walked, the more the statues and the tomb-monument itself eclipsed the night sky.

It was not the first time he had stood in the presence of Freedon Nadd's tomb, but the presence of it still had a palpable effect on Callidus. It was a place of great power, and one which had yet to yield all of its secrets to him. Like all potent manifestations of the Dark Side, it had a seductive appeal which promised so much yet would see the seeker of power begging on their hands and knees before giving in.

The tomb had been forged from Mandalorian-iron. The doors which kept the world out – or perhaps locked the contents within – looked unblemished, shining smooth in the darkness. Stepping close to them, Callidus ran his fingertips across the cold surface, almost tenderly. The doors were locked, of course, but if the right visitors came knocking...

Callidus glanced back towards his apprentice.

“Magnificent, isn't it?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"It is... it is unlike anything I've ever seen." Lilaena dared to touch the cold iron. Now that she was actually faced with the object of her long obsession, after being rebuffed once before, the Dark Jedi felt like a girl trying to get the nerve up to ask a crush to dinner.

Cheeks flushed with excitement, she knew that she could not for one second lose her focus. The Tomb was deadly. Freedon Nadd's spirit might linger inside, just as the taint of his horrible power had stained the moon they stood on. Even after death Nadd's legacy lived on.

Here was the power she had craved and fought to receive; power she would use to fulfill her dead master's wishes. No, power she would use to fulfill her living master's desires. Lilaena looked at Callidus, wondering if her lust was concealed from him. No, it was not likely. He knew how she thirsted after what this Tomb might offer her.

He knew. And he used it to cement his hold on her.

She did not fool herself, but for the moment such thoughts were nearly sacrilege. Lilaena looked up at the nearest statue, the sculpture untouched by the ravages of the jungle and the creatures that inhabited it. The presence kept Dxun at bay. "I feel the Force here..." She paused. "It is different. Twisted, perhaps."

[Salem Ave]

“It is darkness unbound, and it will consume you if you allow it.”

The cautionary words were as much for Callidus's own benefit as for his apprentice. He had a history with the tomb that was unknown to Lilaena, like so much of his past.

Eyes returning to the monumental doors, he slid his palm across the cool metal, so that it lay alongside Lilaena's. Something faint stirred within the tomb.. a murmur in the Force, as if the building itself had somehow became aware of them. Salem felt it pulling at his core, as if an icy hand had passed into his chest and was closing its vice-grip around his heart. His eyes shifted to Lilaena's hand, beside his; there was a look of tension, almost desperation, about the way their fingertips curled – clawed - against the door.

“...Command it open.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She looked sideways at him, her heart thumping. But she did not question his direction, her hand flattening against the cold Mandalorian iron.

Staring at the door, her eyes felt hot, and for a moment Lilaena was sure her vocal cords would make no sound. She cleared her throat. "Open!"

Nothing happened for the space of a few breaths. Then the seamless iron began to tremble under their hands, and Salem stood back, his arm dropping to his side. After a moment Lilaena joined him, a crease appearing in front of them. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until her lungs began screaming for air.

Lilaena drew in a raggedy breath as the huge double doors slowly swung inward, revealing a dark black interior that seemed to suck at the light and obliterate it.

[Salem Ave]

There was a low groan as the doors opened, a sound like a breath that had been held in for centuries was finally being exhaled. Fittingly, the smell that struck them from within was thick and stale. As he strode daunted into the shadows within, vanishing from sight, Salem felt the air clogging his senses, just as the presence of the Dark Side threatened to shackle his self-control. In spite of the absence of light, he moved onwards with soundless footsteps, through what he knew to be a narrow, high-roofed hallway, flanked by miniatures of the statues which had stood guard outside. Callidus didn't pause to see if his apprentice was following into the unknown; she wanted what the tomb contained so much, that he had no doubt she would come, in time...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena hesitated for a moment as Salem disappeared into the blackness, then she stepped inside the tomb behind him. She felt an exciting tingle of fear as she crossed the threshold, and was surprised to find that her master was nowhere to be seen in front of her.

She appeared to be alone. Lilaena lifted her hand and a ball of light expanded into existence above her palm. Instead of illuminating the interior of the tomb the light seemed to soak into the darkness like a sponge. Holding her hand to one side and then the other, the Dark Jedi was able to see that she was in a narrow hallways, and there were statues flanking each side.

She took a few more steps, listening carefully for Salem's footsteps, but heard nothing. Her light did not show him.

The darkness choked her light, and with irritation she let it fade away. The Force... the Dark side was thick in the hallway. Lilaena found herself smiling as she walked forward.

[Salem Ave]

“To think that the Jedi sought to rid the Galaxy of Nadd, by hiding away his remains on this moon... what fools.”

There was a snap-hiss and then light spread into the darkness. The blue blade Callidus carried pooled a cold glow around his body, giving him an almost ghostly aura. The light the weapon emitted did not spread far, and so it appeared almost as if Salem was the only thing within that darkened room, whilst everything else was just beyond sight and reach.

“You must feel it... his spirit lives on here, even now.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

It was cold inside the tomb, and her exposed arms pimpled in the cool air as Callidus ignited his lightsaber. She took a step or two closer to him, but remained outside the ghostly pool of light the saber cast about him.

As he spoke, she reached out with the Force, enhancing her senses. His spirit. The dead spirit of Freedon Nadd. The idea that a dead spirit might still live in some fashion was fascinating. And at the same time, frightening. Lilaena shut down the memories of her torture in which A'na Eldhil had appeared to her, trying to focus on her surroundings.

"I do feel... a presence." She shook her head slightly, a frown creasing her brow. "It is faint. Fleeting though, not weak."

[Salem Ave]

A presence... that was precisely it. It seemed to hover at the edges of perception and whenever one quested out towards it, trying to shed some light upon it, it slithered away, the shadow ever-present.

“Tell me, Malleus... have you ever heard of a place known as the void?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Though it appeared that A'na Eldhil had not trained her as a Jedi should, but instead teaching her the dark side, she had not talked about the void. Lilaena shook her head, "No."

It sounded ominous. "What is it?"

[Salem Ave]

“It is not a place per say, but rather a state of existence... a realm where the spirits of the wicked are trapped, damned to a restless eternity. For those strong in the Force, the veil between this world and the next can become.. tangible, can be drawn aside...”

Salem walked onwards, further into the tomb. Even without light to illuminate the whole chamber, Salem sensed its size – the ceiling was a great distance above them, and on all sides (except behind) the walls lay far into the distance. Though they walked without bumping into anything, the vault was not empty, and Salem kept a careful eye on the space his lightsaber illuminated.

“The dead will grasp at any chance to return to land of the living,” he muttered, a hint of disdain in his voice. “Especially those full of misery and vengeance.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The dead could return... Lilaena pointedly did not think about her former master, A'na Eldhil. Not at all. Not even a little bit about Master Eldhil.

She shook her head a little, and focused on Salem as he walked forward. The dark surroundings had a little bit of an echo to them now, as if they had walked into a large open chamber.

There was not even a hint of a breeze, however, despite the apparent size of the room. "And Freedon Nadd was one of those filled with vengence?" Lilaena looked around, the darkness starting to give way and dim shapes began to strain out of their surroundings.

[Salem Ave]

“More so than most... after all, he sought immortality above all things.”




There was no satisfaction in Salem's voice, here. He had no illusions above his own mortality. In time, he would die – but he had plans to leave a legacy behind that would ensure, like Nadd, his name was not soon forgotten.




Pausing, he turned his head slightly, glancing back of his shoulder to where the outline of Malleus was stood.




“Have you ever spoken with the dead, Lilaena?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"No," she lied. Hallucinations didn't count.

Pausing, Lilaena looked around, her eyes drawing more details out of the dark chamber. "Have you?" She suddenly wanted to walk around, touch things. With effort she resisted.

[Salem Ave]

Though it was impossible Salem had not heard her question, it went unanswered. Instead, he began to turn around to face his apprentice, sensing the surface traces of the impulses that were stirring within her.




“You know, you needn't hold back...”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Hold back. Why would she hold back? Lilaena walked forward, almost dreamily, before pausing and sharpening her senses. Don't lose control. Don't let the spirits or whatever it is in here influence you.

She stepped forward, more cautiously this time, but feeling the tug of... of something. Against one of the walls she looked up at one of the large, imposing statues, and its sightless eyes glared down at her. With a slight effort she focused on the boxes at its feet, ornate things covered with scrollwork. Some were huge, others small, and she put her hands on one. It seemed warm.

[Salem Ave]

A short distance behind, Salem appeared content to simply watch as Lilaena allowed herself to be drawn towards the many curiosities within the tomb. It was... unexpectedly gratifying to see her running her palms across the lid of an old wooden chest, the darkness of it and everything around her slowly feeding into her, confirming what he already suspected: that she was an heir to all this, as much as Callidus himself, both of them Sith.

<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } --> </style> “Open it.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She slowly lifted the lid, old hinges creaking as the chest opened up. It gave way easier than she had imagined, and after a moment she dipped her hand inside the container.

A metallic scroll was laid in a few centimeters of dust, a decorative piece with etchings scratched into the outside of the casing. Lilaena lifted it out, light from Callidus' saber glinting off of it.

Malleus unscrewed the cap piece of the scroll casing, a tightly rolled piece of plasticized flimsy falling out into her hand.

[Salem Ave]

The writing on the flimsy had, somehow, remained crisp and clear with age. Salem eyed it - though was too far away to read its contents - for a moment before pacing on past Lilaena, the light of his blade receeding from the scrolls text:

<center>If what you seek and you desire are hand and hand as one
Abandon those with whom you travel and search these halls alone
In this dark tomb there lies a power unequalled throughout land
But hilt of it all can only be grasped a single, shrewd hand . . .</center>

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Abandon those with whom you travel...

Lilaena looked up slightly as Salem passed her, then rolled the flimsy up and placed it back in its container. She closed the chest with a bang that reverberated through the tomb, partly to show whatever was in here she wasn't feeling that reverent towards them.

She wanted that power that was here, more than she'd wanted anything in her life. If she had it, she could fix things. Or at least get rid of the Empire and let someone else fix what was left over. She walked perpendicular to Callidus, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light, or lack of it.