Darkness.
Hate.
Passion.
Rage.
There is a misperception when it comes to the Sith. In actuality, they and their counterparts, the Jedi, are more alike than they may seem on the surface. They were two sides of the same coin.
One key example is the art of meditation. Whilst associated with the Jedi, the Sith did, in fact, perform this practice as well. However, that is where that particular similarity started and stopped.
Whereas a Jedi’s meditation was tranquil, peaceful, and sought balance, a Sith’s was chaotic, wrathful, and raw. They sought to stir the pot of their inner passions to allow it to boil to the surface.
There is no peace, there is only passion.
Anders commanded his innermost passions, desires, needs, wants, and fury to flow around him like a conductor for the Dark Side of the Force. He was well aware Aphotis was watching him, perhaps out of curiosity, perhaps just tasting his malevolence.
A hatred so deep in burned brighter than an exploding star. So long as Darth Lenora lived, he would not allow those flames to be extinguished.
When he opened his eyes, he was greeted first by the sound of a low hiss coming from the corner of his peripheral vision. Aphotis, sure enough, stood with her arms folded across her chest. When Anders looked at his reflection in the durasteel, he could see his eyes had taken the form of the Sith, a corrupted amber that marked his lineage.
Anderson had no place here. Aequitas did.
“Sir, ma'am. We will be landing shortly,” the pilot if the lamda announced over the intercom.
Aequitas rose to his feet and addressed his fellow Sith. “Shall we?”
Aphotis had seen Aequitas burn hot like Mustafar before, but this was a whole new level of intensity—akin to the plasma generated by a lightsaber. She could feel the rubber of her mask press against her cheek as she smiled.
“I glimpse the determination in your soul, Aequitas, today will not be an obstacle, merely a pebble to cross that river of strife.” Aphotis’s voice was filled with intrigue and curiosity—adding to the melody and warp of her pitch—this was her complex synonym for ‘yes.’
Anders was certain that the tall woman knew what his real focus was, and that this was his path, not hers, not the Envoy’s, so face it he would, there was no reason to hold back. He inclined his head at her as as the shuttle touched down.
With a whirring sound the bay opened, beaming light from it’s lone star replaced pulsating crimson. Aequitas’s malevolence accustomed him to the brightness, but Aphotis’s visor darkened as the rugged cliffs revealed themselves in the horizon.
The heavy metal clanging of the Mistress’s heavy platformed boots drowned out Anders’s much quieter steps as they descended the ramp. The screeching and squawking of rawkas was the first life that greeted the duo with strange masochistic curiosity.
A pack seemed to welcome them, howling, screeching, pressing forward then backing away when their feeble attempts at intimidation fell on deaf ears. Was this their territory? Perhaps. Not that it mattered.
The bigger predators had arrived. This land belonged to them now.
A buzzing could be heard overhead. When the two Sith glanced upwards, they saw the sight of drones moving back and forth across tbe sky on their position. No doubt they were projecting their image to their Masters.
“It would be rude, would it not, my dear Aphotis, to not greet them properly,” there was no hint of a question in Anders’ tone as he raised his hand.
Malevolence drove his power to his fingers. Dark, wretched, splintering lightning shot forth like a sudden storm towards the horde of rawkas, splintering into several others. The cries of anguish fueled his desire for blood, the list of the Dark Side.
“I believe you are correct, Aequitas,” Aphotis raised her own hand, and jettisoned lightning equally as powerful and equally as deadly unto the rest of the rawkas. Their cooked flesh could make lesser beings hungry.
Once the final beast collapsed, Aequitas sent his power into the closest drone. Aphotis followed suit, and their combined might created an explosion in the sky, the droid unable to handle the currents of electricity. The rest of the drones retreated towards the castle.
Aequitas wanted R’aoke Adebanyo to see what he was up against, to see how futile it was to face against two Sith Masters of the Dark Side.
.
Peering past their controlled anger, they could see a safe-house, or fortress of sorts in the distance. A mere glance at each other was needed for both of them to head onward.
The path ahead was a steady climb, met with high winds and snowfall. Aequitas utilized his tactical knowledge and dueling skill to ensure not a single foot was misplaced in his ascent. Aphotis’s weighted platforms sank through the snow and her heels were used as ice-picks. Each had their own tactics, aided by the dark side of the Force as the thrill of competition compelled them further.
This way was longer, more challenging, but that made it all the more rewarding. Patrol droids were caught unaware and were eliminated before they could call for reinforcements.
A blizzard was building up, helping obfuscate their presence. The cold bothered neither. The cold was nothing to a Chiss such as Aequitas. The Sith woman, however, had taken full control over her body’s functions to the point that heating it up was second nature—her mask protected her from the thin air at this altitude.
Anderson saw the first glimpse of the complex ahead, his crimson eyes trained on even the slightest detail.
Including the massive, thick layers of durasteel that closed in front of them, barring their entry into the fortress.
“Well,” Aequitas clasped his hands behind his back. “What a horrid approach they have to hospitality.”
A gatekeeper security droid shot out of the wall, scanning the two Sith before mumbling something almost incoherent in a language that, usually, only droids understood.
Both Sith understood it perfectly.
“We are here to see R'aoke Adebanyo,” Anders never took his eyes off of the droid.
The gatekeeper mumbled something else which caused Aequitas to scoff and Aphotis to release a light hiss from her mask. The Combat Master’s lightsaber flew into his hand, the crimson darkness of his blade severing the droid’s head which thumped softly into the snow.
“Unfortunately, he does not have a choice,” Anders’ tone dropped, reeking of malevolence.
Aphotis stepped forward, igniting the dual phase mode of her lightsaber. Through the Force, she detected the presence of others behind that wall, others to feed her Garden of Trepidation.
She plunged her lightsaber into the durasteel, red plasma sparking and melting the wall.
“Aequitas, would you mind offering me assistance?”
“But of course,” Anders activated the dual phase mode of his lightsaber and plunged it into the wall beside Aphotis.
The wall began to turn to mush as they cut through it.
.
Aequitas stepped through the gap with the grace only a seasoned duellist could have had. The room ahead of him dark and vast, barely lit by the black core of his blade.
The tall, black-clad woman followed, her heavy platforms kicking away enough of the molten metal to enter without having to bend too much. The crimson of her blade illuminated much more of the room.
Both Elders could hear mechanical whirring and a faint hissing much more gentle than the pressurised breathing from Aphotis’s mask.
The tingling sensation at the base of their necks was proof enough that this was a trap laid out for them.
The Mistress peered towards the Master—electric blue behind the visor, smirking mischievously— pointing at her mask with a clawed finger. Aequitas inclined his head as he took a deep breath and concentrated on the dark side of the Force to delay his breathing, until the end of the upcoming fight.
They could both spot turrets aligned on the ceilings and floors, popping out of crevices with maleficent intent.
“I will take the right side,” Anderson grunted as he made a sprint towards the first emplacement.
“Mhm,” Aphotis’s mask popped before it hissed sharply.
Cascades of blasterfire criss-crossed around the room. The two Sith aggressively defended themselves against the deafening barrage. The laser turrets on the floor were slashed apart. Anderson accurately deflected bolts with his obsidian blade, whereas Aphotis batted them away with raw strength.
.
Between the shrieking blaster bolts they could hear the stomping of boots. Many doors clanged open as the room filled up with green gas and dozens of armed thugs marched in.
Before the troops could even raise their rifles, they were met by a storm of lightning from the Sith duo. The screams filled the facility.
Whoever was in charge soon smashed whatever emergency button they could find. The place around them rumbled as a trio of massive blast doors shut in front of the cerulean electricity spectacle.
There was only controlled anger radiating from the Mistress and the Master as they ended the lives of straggling survivors with their plasma blades.
“Another obstacle, I tire of these games,” Aphotis answered wearily as she siphoned away the life of the last living being.
A gentle tap upon the thick layers of durasteel told Arquitas everything he needed to know; there was no way their lightsabers were piercing through.
“What now?” a confident, reptilian voice echoed over the intercom before laughing at them. “You can’t get through!”
“Nor can you escape,” Aphotis pointed out.
“It appears we are at an impasse,” Anders straightened his robes and dusted himself down.
“Come, Aphotis. Let us leave this low dredge of society to stew in his squalor for the moment. Rest assured, we will be doing something about this,” Anders made a grand gesture with his arm.
“Go ahead! I’ll be right here! I ain’t leaving this bunker!”
“Oh, I am sure you will not,” Anders smirked as he turned on his heels, Aphotis following shortly after.
On their way back down the frozen hill, Anders relayed the plan telepathically to his fellow Sith. Once he was done, they had reached the shuttle they had both arrived on.
“I agree that it is not ideal. I would have preferred to have severed his head from his body myself, but I refuse to stand there and let him taunt us,” Anders gestured for Aphotis to go up the ramp. “Ladies first.”
“I have been waiting for some target practice for my Raider’s arsenal—enjoy the fireworks, Aequitas.” A chilling laughter emitted from Aphotis’s mask as they stepped aboard the shuttle.
“This will be good—I almost feel pity for R'aoke, almost.” Anderson replied.
The pilot requested directions, and as Aequitas indicated, it was “Ladies first.” The next visit would be Osasdii’s Scythe. Once it would appear on the scanners…
“Zag, come in, unveil the Scythe,” the Mistress’s voice was assertive and tinged with a hint of enthusiasm.
“Copy that, Mistress Aphotis, the welcome committee stands at the ready for your return.” There was a bit of static on the comms, but it wasn’t clear if it was the transmitter or a bag of snacks being ruffled on the other side.
A 150-meter-long corvette, painted in shiny black with a blood-colored streak appeared through the viewport as the vessel decloaked.
The Shuttle latched on with a loud clang, and the tall Sith woman’s tail waved farewell to the Chiss. He would be ferried to his own capital ship soon enough. .
Aboard *Osasdii’s Scythe*
The Zygerrian pilot relinquished command to the black-clad Sith, Aphotis, who merely gave Zag an eerie glance as she ran to the weapon’s controls.
“Listen, crew, I want every power circuit diverted to the Kyber Crystal-powered weapon systems! We are going to shatter this little crime lord’s bunker. Write this moment in your resume’s! Should you fail me now, your life will be forfeit. Should you succeed, you will be permanently stationed on the Scythe!” Aphotis raised her modulated voice and radiated doom and gloom with every word spoken.
A low hum built up and warped to a high-pitched wallow. The whole hull vibrated as turbolasers, quad lasers, missile launchers and more than a dozen additional laser cannons came online and faced the planet Koboh. The ion engines shut off, the shields came down, and the stealth systems lay dormant.
“FIRE!”
R’aoke Adebanyo had built his criminal enterprise from the dust of Koboh. Smugglers, lackeys and unhinged bounty hunters called his bunker home, their loyalty kept in check with countless credits and great promises. Yet he stood to lose it all…
. A thunderous emerald blast rocked the well-fortified hideout. Orbital shields blinked on within an instant but immediately began to flicker. The walls shook, and electricity sparked from the clinical and soulless lighting. Adebanyo staggered and only barely caught himself against a flimsy-plast table, his four long- digit hands grasping on tightly.
“Status report!” R'aoke yelled at his underboss.
A Nikto answered with a stammer, his face with an alarmed expression painted on it. “There’s, as y-you can see, a Raider-II Corvette in low orbit. They fired a single turbolaser salvo, and it nearly crippled our shields, without even a single ion cannon blast to accompany it. This shouldn’t be possible!”
Adebanyo pushed the Nikto aside, slamming the durasteel and transparisteel-laced galaxy map. Fear radiated off of the underboss as he swallowed hard.
“Who’s responsible? Who is it from? The Brotherhood?!” The Nohgri’s voice was still as fearless as ever, but his rational mind was unable to respond with a counter.
“It’s the Osasdii’s Scythe. A ship owned by the Sith who goes by Aphotis, sir, the Mistress of Terrors, they call her. Isn’t that who was at our front door earlier, sir?” The Nikto responded, desperate to crawl away.
. He didn’t want to believe it, but he knew it to be true. Two Sith—that meant this was only one of them. Equipped with weaponry he had never even dreamed of. Even the most hopeful memory could not wash away his melancholy.
‘Aphotis’, what a schutta!‘ He thought to himself as he cursed her name. He knew he made the wrong choices then and there. They were never there to negotiate or give him a chance. They were going to disintegrate him, make him a speck of stardust never to be heard from again. This was it.
The entire complex shook again. Cracks began to form in the duracrete, and pipes blew steam. The holo-map flickered to life.
It was her, a shimmering mask with a domed visor. It hissed mockingly. Claws rose in front of her mask, steepling her hands with menace.
“Ahh, Adebanyo. Any last words? The exits are destroyed, there is no escape.”
A spewing fountain of flames sprayed from the main entrance, lighting the bunker’s room in bright crimson.
“Missiles took out any countermeasures, sir. Precision targeting systems and rapid-fire quad lasers eliminated our fighters with ease. I d-don’t know what to say—we must surrender!” His second in command shouted.
“Never! Go away, Sith witch—I will never give up!” R'aoke barked back at the image and his underboss. A heavy feeling welled up from inside him—he wanted to cry.
“Enjoy your last moments, fool.” The image blinked away as more impacts rattled the hideout.
From the Astral Drake
If Anders was completely honest, the Osadii’s Scythe was more than enough to destroy Adebanyo.
Still, where was the fun in that?
“Zoom'aski,” Anders spoke on the intercom of his personal Consigna-Class Corvette.
“Yes, boss man?” The Zygerrian pilot responded back to him in an expectant tone.
“Are you locked on to the bunker?” Anders asked as casually as if he were asking her what she’d had for dinner that afternoon.
“Yep! All locked and loaded!” Came her eager response.
“Excellent. You may fire when ready. Use everything we have. Show no mercy and unleash Hell,” Anders deactivated his part of the intercom.
“Yipee! Finally, some action!” Zoom'aski practically revelled in the order.
What happened next could only be described as hellfire in rocket form. Missiles launched, ion cannons struck hard and true along with several sets of turbolazers and heavy blaster cannons. The smoke and dirt that covered the land stretched across a continent. The combined might of the two ships were mightier than a erupting volcano, scorching the land, decimating everything in their path.
By the time it was all over, R'aoke and his cronies were little more than ash scattered in the wind.
Anders took a deep sigh of satisfaction and formed a telepathic link with his fellow Sith.
‘A pleasure as always, my dear Aphotis. I look forward to our next venture.’