The Prodigal Returns (OPEN)

[Tel'Mah]

Laziness. That was the only excuse. He couldn't be bothered looking for a ship small enough, so he just decided to steal another cruiser. There was less tediousness involved as the ship was in for repairs and nobody was onboard at the time. But the repairs were for the autopilotting, helm control and the docking and landing clamps. Pretty much all the things needed to safely move the ship. And what a ship. He was making a habit of stealing Mon Calamari Cruisers. Coruscant Control would soon suspect some kind of underground campaign if he didn't pack it in. But he was too stupid - no...too transcended to think like the drones on Coruscant. Or the drones anywhere else for that matter. Straight after he left Coruscant, he'd forgotten why he was even en route to Corellia. He only realised when the 1,300 metre star cruiser splashed down in the sea south of the immense forest that separated the Sith Order's grounds from the southern coast of the continent. And it was quite a swim from the shore. Luckily it was the middle of the day, and most of the sea-dwelling nasties wouldn't be waking up for another eighteen or so hours.

The hatch literally blew off and landed on the surface of the water with a wet crack. The lone figure, dressed in purple and green, jumped down into the clear water and hoisted himself onto the hatch. He then produced a large stick or peculiar visage and began to paddle to shore. He laughed to himself, still in disbelief that he was back here. Back to collect a few things, and say hello to some dear friends...

[Lady Vader]

*It wasn't every day a Mon Calamari Cruiser crashed into the Corellian sea, just off the shore from the Sith Order's palace. So when the news arrived to her, she made her way down to the sensor grid control room. There she watched the screens as the technician positioned the varies cameras and satilites to zero in on the now sinking cruiser.*

"That'll make a helluva sucken ghost ship."

*She smiled at the technicians comment. The report showed only one life sign, and it was paddling to shore on what appeared to be the blown out hatch.*

*Having seen enough, she made her way to the garage where the speeders and swoops were kept. Picking a swoop, she boarded it and turned it on, zooming out of the garage and down the steep path towards the small beach at the bottom of the cliff.*

*(She reached the sandy shore moments before the hatch and it's paddler were visible over the breaking waves. Dismounting the vehicle, she stood there, waiting to see who it was that had come to Corellia the unconventional way.*

[Tel'Mah]

"Ahoy! An other nautical expressions! A land ho by jove!"

He was delighted to see someone come to welcome him. He assumed they were from the order of Sith who now inhabited the area. But not always. Many years before, the area was owned by an ancient kingdom, who's central palace was now less than a foundation below the new residence and facilities constructed by The Sith Order. Tel'Mah had come home to reclaim some of his family's heritage that was lost beneath the Order, in the catacombs and caverns and vaults and deeps.

"I say, who are you my dear? I am in a familiar place but surrounded by unfamiliar sights. This land is not what it once was and I am in need of assistance. Perhaps you would care enough to help a forgotten nomadic native of this planet?"

Though entirely understandable, his dialect was extremely old-fashioned for the present times. Obviously, his nomadic nature which he claimed to be of had certainly affected his speech. All speech, by the very nature of conversation, is affected by the voices we hear and the species that own them. Tel'Mah's voice, like all others, had been influenced by many other voices. The only difference was that the great majority of them were ancient and now transcended beyond death.

[Lady Vader]

*LV raised an eyebrow at his greeting. Obviously he had no idea who she was... or what she was for that matter. She was contimplating whether his bubbliness was annoying her or not, but seeing as how he was being polite and respectful, she let the bubbliness pass. After all, he was quite lucky space control had lowered the planetary shields in time before his ship had smacked into it... otherwise he'd be nothing more than space dust.*

*She addressed the man, matter-a-factly, not having moved from her stance.*

Why don't you tell me who you are first, and then I will contimplate on gracing you with who I am.

[Tel'Mah]

The makeshift raft came to a stop with a bump on the shoreline. HGe jumped off and threw his staff in the sand, spike-first...

"I am Tel'Mah, Prince of Corellia. My father was king of this planet over two thousand years ago. My species is a mutation of the human genome, and as a result I do not age nearly as fast as homo-sapiens. A rather bizarre story - but the truth. It saves time and surprise later on, and frankly I find a dramatic, gradual revelation to be rather bland and pointless. Might I now ask your name?"

He breathed in deeply. Though it was different, it felt good to be back on his home planet. He just hoped the new residents would aid him in his quest for heritage...

[Lady Vader]

*It was a mouthful to say the least, but she took it all in. In a sense, this man intrigued her, more out of morbid curiousity than anything else.*

I am known as Lady Vader, Sith Mistress and Elder to the Sith Order.

*She looked at his curious dress, definitely a blast from the past, and then pointed up the cliff to where the looming palace stood.*

And that is the Sith Palace.

*She looked back at him.*

So, you mentioned something about the catacombs of your once existant castle?

*She knew of what he spoke of, having spent many a time reading the history of Corellia, and it's various rulers. And she knew exactly what catacombs he spoke of, though she wanted to gain a bit more info from him by speaking to him.*

[Tel'Mah]

Direct and to the point. Just like his father was all those years ago.

"According to my family's records, the catacombs are a network of tunnels and vaults and underground chambers which contain my family's heritage and royal artifacts - some may call it treasure. I wish to reclaim these artifacts and once again bring honour to my family's name. I do hope it will not cause any interference with the Sith Order's daily business and life."

He shivered slightly. The winds were picking up and being on the coast meant it would get very cold very quickly. It looked as though a storm wa sheaded towards the Palace.

"Perhaps there is somewhere warm and more welcoming we may talk. And perhaps I could meet some of the other member sof the Order? Oh, and possibly something to quench my thirst? - I'm parched!"

[Lady Vader]

*She gestured toward the swoop she had brought, as it could easily seat two.*

Come.

*She sat herself at the controls to the swoop, giving Tel'Mah time to seat himself behind her. As soon as he had secured himself, she reved the swoop's engine, climbing back up the steep path towards the entrance to the palace.*

*At the entrance, she stopped the swoop, and disembarked, letting one of the mechanics waiting there take the swoop back to the garage.*

*She turned to Tel'Mah, gesturing to the vast obsidian Palace, made from a strong polished black stone, nearly resistant to any sort of cannon fire.*

Welcome to the Sith Order.

*She let him walk beside her and treated him as a guest, though she was still skeptical of his being here, keeping her senses on alert. She led him to one of the guest meeting rooms, pulling one of the server droids aside and asking it to bring food and wine. The droid complied and vanished.*

*She turned to her guest, taking a seat in one of the plush couches surrounding the lit fireplace.*

The food and drink should be here momentarily.

But for now, please, sit, and entertain me with the story on how you managed to pilot a Mon Calamari Cruiser by yourself and leave it as a momento in the Corellian sea.

[Tel'Mah]

He looked around with curiosity. It was rather a grand interior. Not that that was a bad thing! He turned his attention back to Lady Vader and her question.

"Well, that's quite a story. I'd be more than delighted to tell it to you, however an introduction would best precede any tales I tell to you in hopes of 'easing' you into the bulk of my most recent escapades back on Coruscant. Surely you've been to Coruscant. I only paid my first visit recently - it's ghastly chaotic place isn't it! Corellia, on the otherhand, is so much more laid-back and - thankfully, and as you have demonstrated today - welcoming, What say you?"

He didn't mean to go off on a tangent. It happenbed by accident. He would tell his tale. At least the first of many. And at least not before dinner. He was rather hungry, as the rumbling in his stomach declared.

[Lady Vader]

*She raised an eyebrow.*

Well, some of us are welcoming, and others are not. But we have learned that asking questions first before any other action tends to benefit us more.

*To answer the rumble his stomache let out, the server droid returned with two heeping platters of food, followed by another droid with a tray of drinks.*

*LV gestured towards both as they were set down on the wooden and glass table.*

Please, help yourself to whatever you wish.

[Tel'Mah]

"Oooh delightful!"

He took a medium-sized plate and began selecting various items from the large platters. Corellian Cod! Fantastic. It had been years since he'd partook of any native cuisine.

"I used to have this when I was just a child. Brings back memories. I can feel the nostalgia coming on now!"

He began to dig into the food. There were various other items such as potatoes and vegetables, a selection of fine meats and sauces to boot. Though he suspected they'd been speedily prepared with modern technology rather than cooked properly like in the dark ages. That was proper food.

ooc: Get some other people in here! :) Not that you're boring, but it's so much more fun and interesting with more people!

[Lady Vader]

*LV had to chuckle at the nostalgia remark.*

And once you've had your fill, we can go down into the catacombs... which, actually, aren't exactly below the Palace here.

*She began to explain.*

The old Palace you speak of was actually situated a few yards from the perimeter of the Palace you now sit in. Our old Palace, before IT was destroyed, was situated directly over where your home used to be. But because of small land slides and tremors, we had to rebuild the Sith Palace further up on the cliff where the rock was much sturdier.


(Ok. I'll try to wake the natives up. :))

[Makoto Neo]

“I said flame broiled, I wanted a cow on the grill!” Neo growled audibly, staring down at the flash cooked shrivels of meat sitting on the porcelain plate before him. He was disgusted with the way the new ages cooked, skimming a lightsaber over the food and calling THAT cooked.

“Blasted cooks! You there, bring me a chief salad,” Neo growled at a passing droid, who had just served a table before, and glanced up into the skyline. He heard conversations off to his right, causing him to glance over casually.

The old Palace you speak of was actually situated a few yards from the perimeter of the Palace you now sit in. Our old Palace, before IT was destroyed, was situated directly over where your home used to be. But because of small land slides and tremors, we had to rebuild the Sith Palace further up on the cliff where the rock was much sturdier.

That was a voice he heard before… ah… Elder Lady Vader! Why not?

He stood from the table while drawing his hood up over his face, black robes folding down his body in a cascade of ebony, and strolled over to the table. The robes whispered around his feet as Neo halted, bowing slightly in respect to the elder of the Order.

“Greetings, Milady and M’Lord” Neo spoke, glancing back and forth between the two. They could not see his face, thankfully, and only aided to his ruse. “How is the weather?”

[Lady Vader]

*LV looked up and smiled.*

Hello, Makoto.

*She gestured from guest to Sith, and vice versa.*

Tel'Mah, I'd like you to meet one of the members of the Order, Makoto Neo.

Makoto, this is Tel'Mah, one of the decendants of the old Royal house here on Corellia.

[Tel'Mah]

Tel'Mah moved the tray to one side and stood up immediately. He grabbed the others hand and shook it with gusto.

"Pleasure to meet you Makoto! Tell me, what is the extent of your knowledge on this place?"

He released Neo's hand and took a napkin from the tray and wiped his mouth a little. Te gravy was just too nice.

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Maxim was in a rather foul mood this day. It wasn’t the weather. It wasn’t a lack of sleep. It wasn’t simply that he was feisty, though that didn’t work to help the situation, either.

No, what had him in such a funk was the fact that when down in the city of Coronet earlier that day, he’d needed to use his identification to withdraw money from his bank account. Earlier that month, when celebrating his 21st birthday with his twin brother, their IDs had been mixed up. He hadn’t quite corrected the situation yet, and when he pulled out the ID that belonged to his brother, they hadn’t permitted him to access his account.

He was rather adept at mind manipulation, but those at banks were specifically hired to be immune to those sorts of things, and he’d walked away rather frustrated. And rather annoyed when once again he’d come face to face with Officer O’Malley, the chief of the Coronet Police Force. He'd already come face to face with him once before, resulting in his rather embarrassing arrival at the order. This time the accusations had been for attempt to defraud and anything else they’d been able to tack on.

He’d gone peacefully, knowing that just as before, he’d be deposited on the steps of the Sith Order, and once again his master would see him as incapable of keeping order in his own life. This was what had him in such a foul mood.

He’d worked rather hard since his arrival at the Order to prove otherwise to her. But things just hadn’t been going his way. He’d noticed her as she entered the room this evening. It was hard not to, for her presence seemed to enter before she actual approached the room, a sense of power and mystique filling the very atmosphere that they breathed.

He’d avoided her most of the day, knowing that it was likely she’d heard of the ‘trouble’ he’d caused down in the city once again, but now he was finished with his dinner, and there was only so long that he could sit by himself staring out the window unnoticed. And he'd have to pass by her to leave the room.

CLUNK.

The droid who had been carrying trays stacked miles high with collected dishes whirled around, trying to avoid a banana peel that had fallen to the floor, and instead brought the tray smack into the back of Maxim’s head in the chair where he sat.

Dishes crashed to the floor, shattering into a million pieces and making quite a racket. Rubbing his head and turning around in confusion and annoyance, Maxim stared at the mess and gave a quick glance to the ceiling, as if begging someone, anyone, to give him a break. Most eyes in the room turned to catch the scene, and he knew that he would have to, at the very least, stop by his master on the way out. He couldn’t avoid her forever, and it would be best to get it over with as soon as possible.

After a few moments, sighing heavily, he stood and began to cross the room. On his way, he stopped before his master and the two she was speaking with. His gaze flickered over the two, both of them making him slightly curious, before his eyes settled upon Lady Vader.

He nodded in acknowledgment of her. The gesture was full of respect, and as his gaze flickered to the ground and back to hers, a sense of embarrassment over his earlier situation with the police.

“Good evening, Lady Vader.” He offered.

[Lady Vader]

*For once, Maxim's luck for the day seemed to be ok as she had not hasd time to check the reports at her computer station in her room. So she had, as of yet, to find out about Maxim's adventures for the day.*

*She looked up at her Apprentice, smiling.*

Good evening to you, Maxim.

*She made the proper introductions between her guest and her Apprentice, gesturing maxim to join them.*

[Makoto Neo]

Neo gave Tel a firm handshake before sitting down at one of the empty chairs. For the moment, he pondered the question. "I don't recall any knowledge of the basic area, but, what are you seeking around these parts?" About seconds after he silenced, Mako gave a nod of greeting to Maxim and noted the dark aura around him.

[Maxim Vasilijev]

It was almost a doubletake that he did when she'd smiled and seemed as if things were absolutely ok. It had him enough off guard that when she suggested he join them, he did.

The conversation was one of which he'd missed out on the beginnings of, so he was quiet for a few moments, listening to get the general gist of thigns before he opened his mouth to say anything.