Begeren. Once a prosperous Sith world, it has been the site of numerous battles throughout the millennia. Grand halls and monuments were torn down and re-purposed by looting Republic forces thousands of years ago, before they were driven from the planet. Isolated settlements still dot the planet's surface, but the inhospitable, craggy, and desert-like terrain, along with the beasts common to many desert and Sith worlds, have kept most humanoids from colonizing. Occasional skirmishes have left debris scattered throughout the desert, and battles were fought here as recently as the Galactic Civil War. The planet is now under the control of the One Sith and is rumored to be full of all manner of priceless, ancient Sith artifacts.

The Dark Council has pushed forth to Begeren and the Grand Master, on his quest for ever more powerful items, has decreed the Clans and Houses seize anything of value. The unity shown by the Brotherhood during the beginning of this Crusade is fracturing, with the Clans and Houses growing tired and frustrated with the seemingly endless succession of battles. Tempers are flaring between former allies, with outright aggression no longer uncommon. Despite this, you have responded to the Grand Master's call—though whether it's to actually seize the items for the Brotherhood, destroy them, or use them for your own purposes, only you know.

You have followed the call of the Force to a stretch of desert wasteland, seemingly unremarkable save for the various rock outcroppings that dot the landscape. These outcroppings, though, hide a subterranean cave network, known to be a den of wraids. Though the entrances to the caverns are typically narrow and dark, these tunnels quickly widen. Below the surface, bioluminescent plants and lichen provide limited light.

You know that, despite reaching this place first, you won’t be alone for long, as an ancient Sith tomb is located deep within the caves the wraids now call home. Exactly what you’ll find in that tomb, you’re not sure—but it is something of great power, that much you can sense. You know it is your duty to find it, whatever it is, before any others can locate it. What you do with it when you find it… that is up to you.

As you near one of the entrances to the caves, you think you hear the sounds of footsteps, or maybe skittering, down below—and above ground, you hear the distant crunch of rock underfoot as someone else has found a different rocky cave entrance as well.

Phantom fingernails skittered across her skin, down her spine, a physical manifestation of the secrets of the mind.

Something’s wrong, Atyiru thought with the sudden certainty of Force-tempered instinct. The wind lifted sand into her hair, gently abrading her cheeks with a touch older and wiser than stone or silence. She paused before the mouth of a narrow crevice, booted feet sinking into the granules, and focused on the ephemeral warning scouring at her bones.

It was a feeling discrete from the immense power, sinister and ancient, that pulsed under her feet. The desert’s necrotic heartbeat was akin to blood pounding in her ears and screams echoing in her veins. Someone was in danger within those caves.

The Miraluka hurried forward, squeezing into the entrance, rock biting into her back. Sightless, she was unafraid of the dim vaults. The darkness of the passageways welcomed her like an old friend.

At first, there was just her breathing, her footsteps, the cold crags of the walls; but quickly the tunnel widened and other sounds reached her ears to accompany the many presences she could discern in the Force. One was recognizably a sentient Force-user. The others were large creatures, abscesses of growing fear and agitation.

Atyiru ran faster, tapping into the Dark Side to boost her speed briefly. Shouting reverberated in the air, along with low snarls like grinding stones.

“You poodoos! Move, be gone, beasts! You will not stand in the way of Clan Plagueis!”

Breathless, the Priestess emerged into a misshapen, low-ceilinged cavern pungent with musk and excrement. Midway across the room, a man continued hollering enthusiastically, words tinged with an accent reminiscent of Cheuhn. Across from him at the exit to the chamber clustered a modest pack of four growling wraids, two adults and two younglings. The Chiss waved a pair of blasters threateningly in their direction. One of the large creatures poised to pounce.

“Pardon,” Atyiru called in the kindest tone she could muster, embracing the Force. “But I think you ought to refrain from bothering the wildlife, friend. Put the pistols down and come walk with me.” She did not think nor hesitate, lashing at his emotions with all the vigor of a tropical storm.

Surprisingly, his mind parted like water around a blade. She was accustomed to throwing the full force of her empathic manipulations against minds of iron and hearts of stone, beating at them until her strength failed her.

The Plagueian quieted suddenly, his mania dampened, his trust riled, her words sinking home like old lullabies. He stooped over and placed his blasters directly before him—directly into a pile of dung and cave moss—straightened, and turned away from the wraids that watched his every movement. Atyiru dared not breathe, pulse quick as the beasts growled and the Chiss approached her. When he was close enough, she grabbed his hand and retreated rapidly back the way she had come, even as he stiffened at her touch.

“Who are you?” the Chiss demanded.

"My name's Atyiru. And you, my friend?"

He replied with a cacophony of sounds that could only be a Chiss name. "...or Brimstone, of the great Clan Plagueis."

“Ah, I've heard of you! You’ve got quite the reputation around the Brotherhood. It’s...colorful, Admiral.” She sensed his pride swell.

“You seem an intelligent woman. I propose a mutual arrangement. We can work together to find the artifacts below.”

“I’d love to partner with one of Plagueis’ again. Your former Quaestor was a good man.”

“Oh? What House do you hail from? You sound Odan-Urr.”

“The Jedi? No! My family is—”

Just then, they emerged back onto the wasteland’s surface, the dry north wind stealing her voice for a heartbeat as her tongue tasted sand. Behind her, Brimstone muttered as his eyes adjusted to the light.

“You—” he began, then froze, recoiling from her as if burned. He let out an invidious hiss. “Arconan!”

Surprise gave her pause, but then she remembered her clothing. Atyiru imagined briefly how the Arconan symbols on her back and pendant must flash in the sun. She smiled reassuringly, dampening his emotions again. “Don't worry...I mean you no harm.”

“I won't hear it. Scum, you and your Consul. That tomb belongs to Plagueis!"

The Miraluka's brow darkened, smile straining. “I would appreciate it if you didn't speak ill of my dearest friends. Please be reasonable. We don't need to fight.”

“You’re trying to twist my mind, but I’ll never betray Plagueis, you poodoo!” He grasped for absent blasters and floundered momentarily, then hesitated over his saber before raising empty palms.The Force churned as he paced away, putting space between them.

“You certainly say that a lot. Ought to get it tattooed on your arm and be done with it.” Atyiru suggested brightly, face gone cold as arcing tongues of electricity coagulated in Brimstone’s right hand.

Kark, the Miraluka thought as she angled her body and drew her own blade, hearing its icy peal, though she knew it would be little use. She’d have to be quick like the desert wind.

Brimstone shouted as he thrust his hand forward, the single fulmination clawing its way through the air between them; but her nerves held lightning of their own, and they spurred her muscles into a narrow dodge as she jerked clumsily aside. She rolled into the fall, coming up and twisting around.

Atyiru lunged at him, spinning her saber ceaselessly, chasing him back into the rocky outcropping. His shoulders met stone, his hands upturned either in clement plea or unspoken threat. She aimed one scintillating strike high at his throat—

She had never attacked an unarmed man with a saber before.

Her limbs wavered, like they had in her novice days. Brimstone laughed vainly in the space of that heartbeat.

A telekinetic burst sent her flying back like a ragdoll. The world spun and blackened, her head greeting the ground more than once before she skidded to a halt, spitting sand.

Brimstone watched as the Arconan skidded along the desert sand and waited to see what she was going to do next. The bright sun engulfed the desert like a blanket of flame. While he didn't have his trusty charric blasters on his sides, he had to rely upon his lightsaber and martial arts expertise. Atyiru, even though mostly blind, lifted her DL-18 blaster to fire at her attacker, but Brimstone immediately pulled out his lightsaber and sapphire blade as shots rang towards him. He deflected the shots away, not intending to aim them back at the Krath.

"K'tah" was muttered under his breath as he couldn't believe someone could play on his emotions so easily, "Do you realize who I am, Atyiru? " exclaimed the Plagueian at the top of his voice.

Atyiru slowly got up to one knee and faced the Chiss, still aiming at him. Her head was throbbing as blood trickled down from a scrape on her scalp, dribbling down over her visor. "Glad you remember my name. I thought this might become so impersonal," she said with a smile that was meant to be an irritation to the former Admiral of the Predominant. She knew he was going to be ready to shield his feelings if she tried again.

The blue skinned, black attire Chiss started to calculate his next move, when both Atyiru and Brimstone felt a sudden, but powerful, hatred in the Force coming from the cavern's entrance. As the Sith started to spin around, his perception of what laid ahead, alerted him to the need to suddenly defend himself, so he leapt up to a cave ledge just as the two angry, adult wraids came barrelling through, going underneath him as he landed in a crouch, scraping his arm on the jagged rocks.

The two beasts of pinkish-red hues saw Atyiru, who was barely on her one knee and charged after her. She tried to fire at them as they trampled the sands beneath their clawed hooves towards her, she rolled to the right, out of harms way, dropping hee firearm and grabbed at her lightsaber, igniting with a familiar snap-hiss. I could just let her die thought the Chiss to himself, but that wouldn't be an honorable death. He then leapt towards and somersaulted down next to Atyiru, grabbing his lightsaber also. "Need help?" he asked as she got up in a defensive stance.

"Only if your offer stands, from before, in the cave" she retorted.

"Agreed, let's end these beasts and find our treasured relics".

The two went forth in the attack and despite the massive girth of the two beasts, it didn't take them long to dispatch both animals. With precisely placed slashes and thrusting of their lightsabers, the pair ended the existence of the lizard-like quadrupeds on the planet. Both the Sith and Krath powered down their ancient weapons and clipped them simultaneously to their belts. Brimstone motioned to Atyiru to stoop over so he could tend to her scalp injury. He pulled out a fabric swatch and some antibiotics from his utility pouch and mended as best he could. "You will need to heal that properly once we leave here" he said as he swabbed her head.

"I can heal it myself once alone, but thank you for your concern" she replied while still hunched over.

"Wonder what other surprises we will find in the cave" she asked.

"Before I found those wraids, I noticed other human footsteps. Since you arrived after me, logic only suggests we might possibly have other forces that might be within the labyrinth."

"Oh goodie!" she exclaimed.

Brimstone smiled at the thought of killing more enemies. "I know Plagueis and Arconia don't see eye to eye, but maybe us working together can show our summits the err of their ways."

"I agree, there's been too much hatred between us, Admiral. "

Both of them headed back into the cave. "Ladies first" motioned Brimstone.

"You're sweet."

"For all that's holy, please don't tell anyone that" snorted the Sith.

Atyiru started laughing as she entered the entrance.

As both re-entered the cave, they made their way back to where they first met up. The bioluminescent plants lightly lit up the cave where the two young wraids from earlier, coward into a corner, snapping out and growling like lizards. Brimstone reached out with the Force and pulled both of his blasters out of the dung and caught them. He then tossed one to Atyiru. "Here ya go, clean it please."

The Krath then hiked up one of her hemlines and proceed to wipe off the fecal excrement. "These wraids smell just as bad on the inside" she said, wincing her nose. Afterwards, she tossed it back towards the Sith. "Here ya go, Admiral" she said jokingly.

Brimstone inspected both charrics, then aimed them at the young lizards and open fire upon them, killing them instantly with with precision blasts to their heads and torsos. "Works for me " he exclaimed.

"Why did you have to kill them, they were of no threat?"

Brimstone just looked at his handy work. "Because once we leave this chamber, they will have time to recompose their courage. And just in case we come upon any enemies, and we have to make our escape, we don't need another hinderance in our way of our escape."

Atyiru didn't like it, but the Plagueian actually made sense. Both members of the Brotherhood then continued their mission to get them some artifacts. "Then again, let's try to not find anymore surprises and hurry back to our clans" she retorted as she adjusted her visor.

Brimstone nodded in agreement through the Force, taking lead as he peered around the corner. "Let's move out."

…tck...m…

Atyiru’s head swiveled sharply at the sound, the quick motion exacerbating her pounding headache. She turned more carefully around, back towards Brimstone, who had not paused in his stride.

“Did you say something?”

“Hm? No, why?”

The Miraluka frowned. “I could’ve sworn I heard someone speaking…but I don’t sense anyone else.” Her brow furrowed. “Karking head injuries.”

“You should have known better than to fight someone like me,” admonished the Chiss with a shake of his head. Atyiru smiled patiently at him, unwilling to argue or quip. After some initial bantering, they had decided it better to explore in silence, trekking on while ignoring the fetid smell clinging to her.

That had been perhaps two hours ago. It was difficult to track time underground.

She began, “Yes, I know. Let’s keep going—”

A spike of agony seared under her temple. She clutched her head, clenching her jaw around the taste of a scream.

Ata…ck…hi…m… repeated the deleterious whisper.

“Atyiru?” The Plagueian called.

The Priestess hunched over, exhaling powerfully through bared teeth. She inhaled the Force, basking in its tangible presence like a candle clutched close in the dark. With that anchoring, great power in her grasp, she found footing enough to think. And she thought of warm things: friends, family, fighting for them fearlessly.

Atyiru straightened up, breath trembling from her lungs. “I’m well,” she muttered, and then louder: “I’m in control. Don’t worry.”

“What was that? Your injury?”

“I don’t know…I swear on Ashla and Bogan I heard a voice saying att—”

“Attack,” murmured Brimstone.

Her brows arched in surprise. “Yes…it did sound like that. How did you…Brim?”

The Sith was insipid and still. He gave a low, enervated groan, sagging. Concern budding, the medic reached out, touching his shoulder. “Brimstone?”

Brimstone snapped upright, every tendon and ligature rigid. “Die honorably, Arconan scum,” he cried, drawing his blasters with a flourish.

Atyiru did not stop to question his shift in behavior. She heeded the urgings of her muscles and marrow and dodged a volley of alacritous spittle, diving and tucking into a roll that sent her brushing past Brimstone’s calves. She leapt up and sprinted down the tunnel, lightsaber unfurling in her hand.

Booted feet pounded after her, slower and heavier. Her vain hope to outrun Brimstone grew slightly, but then pain bit into her right shoulder. The smell of burnt flesh filled in her nostrils. She forced herself to keep running, transferring her weapon to her good hand.

His aim is better when he’s on the move! Atyiru thought incredulously. She debated stopping to deflect more bolts, but discarded the thought as she was spat out of the tunnel and into a enormous stone chamber.

Sand coated the floors and sprinkled down from the stalactites far overhead. Ancient, crystallized trees, some broken, some standing, made a glass forest. Stone pillars hedged around them, lining the rock walls. At the center of the space was a stone dais with a tomb atop that radiated the black Force.

The Miraluka absorbed all of this in a heartbeat. In the next, she was pirouetting around, bringing her saber up and spraying blaster bolts away from her like falling stars. Brimstone emerged into the cavern a foot away, pistols raised.

Atyiru darted forward, slicing cleanly through the guns’ short barrels. The metal smoked while the Chiss paused bemusedly; then he growled and drew his own saber.

“For Plagueis!” he yelled, lunging at her in a familiar stance. Atyiru deflected the strike, their blades wailing. Brimstone struck out again and again.

And she blocked, parried, or dodged his strikes, again and again.

The Priestess’s countenance furrowed with puzzlement. It seemed too easy. She danced around him, water and wind. He moved well, but weakly. His blade flagged, and she saw the truth then: Brimstone’s form was masterful, his proficiency greater than hers, but it was all show. He had skill but no effectiveness. She was stronger, quicker, keener.

Brimstone had learned the art of Soresu. Atyiru had learned the art of killing.

Atyiru stepped forward, spinning around the Admiral’s back. Lashing out, she jabbed the butt of her saber into a nerve cluster near his shoulder, stunning his arm and sending his blade tumbling from his grip. She kicked it away, leveling her weapon at him.

“What,” the Arconan panted, warm blood weeping from her wound. “Was all that for? What happened to camaraderie?”

“His weak mind,” a timeless voice echoed from across the cavern. “And your stronger one. Paramount, his crime.”

The Miraluka, shivering, turned her sightless gaze upon the dais and the ethereal figure that now stood there. “…are you this tomb’s master?”

“This tomb is mine,” the spirit replied coolly. “Mine and my children’s.”

Atyiru squirmed as Brimstone wobbled where he stood, dropping to the ground. Dread churned in her stomach. “Who…are your children?”

Heavy, lumbering footsteps and growls answered her, sounds of condemnation.

The wraids came from the tunnels, from the trees, from the sands. Their snarls were thunder reverberating in her ribcage. Their pungent breath replaced the stale air. There were too many to count…

They charged.

We’re going to die, Atyiru thought in mute acceptance. Ashla, Bogan…

They ran past her. Limbs of rock and stalagmite teeth brushed her, shoved her to the ground in a disorienting mess. But she was not harmed, even as she heard Brimstone’s short-lived, bloodcurdling screams, vengeful roars, and the sick, prolonged ripping of cartilage and cracking of limbs.

Wha…? she wondered blearily. One wraid paused to snuffle at her, its jaws half-opened, breath hot. After a heartbeat, it lumbered on past.

I…the feces…I smell like one of them… she realized, dazedly healing her wounds. She staggered to her feet.

“Go,” the tomb-master commanded, wraids milling about. Atyiru did not need to be told twice. Sorrowfully muttering a prayer for the Chiss, she forgot all thoughts of artifacts and hurried out of the cavern, leaving behind dark things best left alone.

As the two continued their search, it seemed to take forever. The labyrinth of the caves of Begeren would make any normal person question their sanity of why they were there. Tunnels turned all directions and expanded even to the narrowest fissures. The bioluminescent plants provided little escape from the darkness of the cavern. But that didn't hinder either of the two that had entered earlier. The Chiss and the Miraluka had little problem with the maze as they exerted the Force to guide them on their quest.

During their venturing, they found skeletal remains of prior treasure hunters. Echoes of past Sith were felt as tremors in the Force, taunting and teasing the two with untold glory and power. Both Plagueian and Arconan remained vigilant in their mission, refusing to deviate from what was at the end.

"Do you feel that?" whispered Atyiru behind Brimstone.

"I do. We are getting close. I can also feel the darkness getting stronger" he replied.

They turned another corner and found a crypt sealed by a massive black as onyx door. As they looked carefully, Brimstone pulled up a glowing, leafy plant from its roots and held it to study the inscriptions closer. Archaic symbols and words of the old Sith language adorned the seals that encased the possible treasury.

Brimstone tried as best as he could to translate the words. Atyiru pulled out a decoder from her side pouch and punched in the words and the Chiss spoke them. "Looks like it says - Beyond lies the Tomb of the Forgotten. His name is never to be mentioned. For to awake his spirit, will bring the destruction of the Sith" read Atyiru.

"Well, that is both a good thing and a bad omen" he replied back.

"I understand the bad part, but how is it a good thing?" the Krath asked quietly.

"It means there will be treasure within and telling from these seals, no one has made it inside in a millennium" Brimstone replied as he grabbed his lightsaber and ignited it, "It is time to open the Forgotten's tomb and have what we want."

Atyiru pulled out her lightsaber too and they started cutting away at the sides of the door, slicing through the seals. Stagnant gases and emissions escaped as each one was released. As soon as both saw they made enough way through, they re-clipped their weapons and stood back. Both then reached forward and with all their strength lifted the massive door with the Force and moved it off to the side. Dust and cobwebs entwined the entire room as they re-lit their lightsabers for illumination. Before them laid a sarcophagus that was longer than the Chiss was tall. They then walked over and cleared off the dust to reveal more Sith symbols. Brimstone recognized one from before as the Forgotten.

"Guess we weren't to ever know his name."

Again, both Sith and Krath relied upon the Force to lift the lid to the coffin, which wasn't as heavy as the door. Once done, they found the skeletal remains of what they could only decipher as an ancient Sith pureblood. They both did a quick search and found four different talismans Brimstone lifted a necklace and handed to Atyiru.

"This would look better on you than me, Priestess."

Just at that moment, both of them felt something wrong as they turned to find two more large wraids behind them, snarling and hissing. Without thinking, both charged with their lightsabers and went on the attack. One of the beasts swiped at the Sith Warrior and belted him to the side, slamming him against a wall, hitting it hard. The Krath Priestess kept her attack on the wraid, but realized it was going to be a two on one battle. The one that hit Brimstone turned his attention to the lone opponent and that was its mistake. Brimstone was hurting, but not incapacitated as he propelled himself onto its backside and drove his lightsaber true through the beast’s spine and back, dropping it in a dusty cloud on the cavern floor. He then hopped off and went to help his partner out. The other wraid bellowed out loud from its mate's demise and was enraged. It tried to use its fury and attacked ferociously.

Atyiru and Brimstone spun in opposite directions, letting the beast pass between them. Simultaneously, they both swiped at the beasts legs, lopping all four cleanly off. After it fell, Atyiru, with Brimstone standing behind her, went over to the suffering beast and impaled its skull with her blade.

As soon as she killed the beast, Brimstone, while her attention was distracted, sliced fast into Atyiru and cut off her arm at the shoulder, dropping both the severed limb and the lightsaber. Atyiru screamed in agony as Brimstone kinetically shoved her into a side wall, bouncing her head hard. He watched as she slumped to the ground. With blood pouring profusely out of her shoulder socket, she used what little awareness she had left and looked at the Chiss.

"Why?" was the only word she could push out of her mouth before Brimstone hurtled his lightsaber into her chest cavity. He then walked up to her and kneeled before her. As he pulled out his Sapphire Blade with his right hand, he grabbed her hair with his left and wrenched her head up. "I thought we had an agreement" she said gurgling blood. Brimstone then uppercutted the blade through the bottom of her jaw.

As he stood up, after retrieving the artifacts and weapons, he looked at her remorseless. "I agreed to look for the items with you. I never said I was going to share with you. I am Plagueis.” He pocketed the items and replaced his weapons. Looking around, he then headed back to the cave's entrance to leave.