The Soro-suub yacht landed gracefully on the Coruscant docking platform. At the rear of the craft, the back folds of the ship broke apart to form the landing ramp. From the darkness in the ship emerged a lone figure. With a black hooded robe cowled over his head his facial features remained a mystery. Like the Reaper of Grim he sauntered down, appearing to glide more than walk. His arms were infront of his chest, hands in the opposite sleeve. His flowing robe dragged slightly behind him.

Reaching the bottom of the silver ramp he removed his hands and pulled back his hood. Had anyone been there watching him they may have been shocked at the sight. It would have been clear to most, had they known him or not, that his face had gone through severe changes. Where once had been the youthful identity of a young man, now was replaced with a tatooed head. Brown and blonde hair was now black as the space this man had flown from. Youth it seemed, had been robbed of this poor being.

Many describe the universe as a question by it's own right. Those people would not be wrong to use the same description on this Jedi student. In his seemingly endless search for answers he had become the question. An endless mystery as great as the Force perhaps no-one would ever truly know what had happened to Cor-Si Dejourn.

Laughter, smiles, blessed looks. They were all something to be scarcely found on his face these days. When they were, they were more a sign of indepth madness than any real emotion. Evil had manipulated a student to beliving it was right. It had turned a happy child into a lose cannon. Sure enough he showed emotion, but not the type that should be seen in someone so young. Someone who should be innocent.

Moving across the dirty grey platform, the padawan (a man by his own right), let his eyes dart across every surface, every building, every sentient being and traffic lane that wound it's way into his vision. Engrossing winds flicked his robes back and forth while artificial rain lapped at the litle exposed skin to be found. As his black robes billowed out behind him a passing speeder illuminated his body. In his months of searching his body had filled out slightly. Muscles had grown larger, strained lines had covered much of his hands.

From his brown belt hung a black and red handle, severeal buttons stood in a row. The handle ended in a a shape simillar to that of the Chiss Clawcraft. A weapon of pure majest, his lightsaber was one of only two items he cherished. The other a holo-photo of his once happy family. He had found it clutched in his dead sisters hand, so long ago on the planet Cejansij.

Cejansij, now there was an interesting topic. It had been seventeen months since Cor-Si had stood on it's lushious green lands. Strange how it felt like it had been the day before. Memories rushed into Cor-Si's thoughts. Memories of arriving there with an alien Jedi Master, of finding his home turned to shreds, of feeling anger in the Force for the first time. Most of all, memories of killing for the first time.

It had happened so quickly and finished so abruptly. An idiotic thief had attempted to rob Cor-Si of his prized photo. In a display of Force power Cor-Si had reached into the man and sent tremors of pain to each of his nerves. Fulfilling his need to take anger out on someone Cor-Si had pushed harder and deeper. It had been such a relief for the man when the padawan had stopped. A relief that had been so short lived. Cor-Si had shoved outwards with the Force, pushing the man so hard he had flown into a wall with a sickening crunch. Bones broken and life ebbing out of him to return to the nether worlds of the Force.

Cor-Si shook his head slightly. Memories were a waste of time, they served no purpose save to remind the rememberer that times had gone by. Dejourn was here for a reason. It was one still unknown to him but a reason none-the-less.

On Cato Nemodia he had heard whisperings of a dark woman. On Corellia he had listened in on a conversation about a dangerous lady. From Ando to Argai, Ithor to Muunilist, from the depths of Abregado-rae to the patent Nal Hutta this woman had been spoken of. From each conversation one name had arisen. Taja.

Famed for her knowledge, her views, her selling of illegal contriband and her near cultist activities she was someone he needed to meet. Who but a powerful Sith Master could have sent him the feelings he had been recieving? Who but a tainted darksider could have beconed for him the way she must have been? Who but a drug barren would have dared try to summon him?

This woman was a sign of answers. Answers were something that a cold and distant padawan like Cor-Si craved.

Answers were what he would get.

Heading into a large apartment building, Cor-Si continued on the path the Force had chosen for him. It was time to meet this Sith.

The whispers resonating throughout Cor-Si's mind seemed to gain in fervor and escalated a few octaves the moment he stepped through the visitor's entrance and into the main lobby, the walls of which were adorned with all manners of regal ornaments and other oddities, many of which were obviously not traditionally from Coruscant. The security guard offered him no trouble when the Padawan asked to gain access to the upper, more exclusive suites of the establishment (it was only natural for a Sith Master to opt for the very best in housing, after all), and instead ushered him along down the hallway, almost as though Cor-Si was already running late to attend some mysterious appointment. The watchman's eyes appeared strangely glazed over, but Cor-Si thought nothing of this as he continued on his way down the foyer, firm only in his resolution to track down the woman he had traveled so far to interrogate.

The hushed murmurs guided the fallen Jedi through the many levels and corridors of the high-class residential building, and his feet seemed to move across the carpeted floors of their own accord, directing his path until finally, many minutes later, they came to a halt in front of a wide, ornately carved wooden door. Cor-Si's instincts further lead him into the apartment, maneuvering him across the unlit living room and towards what he could only assume was the Sith Master's private chambers. A thin sliver of light illuminated the ground before his feet as he approached this second door, and, inhaling deeply, he pushed it open -- then stopped dead in his tracks.

No matter what bizarre rumours Cor-Si may have overheard during his travels, no matter what curious tales he was privy to regarding the Sith Master's appearance and eccentric methods of conduct … nothing could have prepared him for the image which greeted him now.

"You dirty, dirty little mongrel !" Taja exclaimed, her brows furrowing into a scowl as she surveyed the intruder with a look of utter indignation. Another door was pushed ajar next to where she stood, thin wisps of water vapor filtering through into the lavishly bedroom; she had just showered, apparently. The woman's skin, still beaded with moisture, was draped loosely in a pale green bathrobe, and her jet-black hair was tousled and in a state of absolute disarray as she quickly towel-dried it in what could only be described as a bout of hysteria. "I hope you realize I'm going to have to kill you for seeing me like this," she muttered darkly; it was impossible to determine whether or not the brunette was actually serious, however, as she flashed him a sinister glare before redirecting her attention entirely to the full-length mirror in front of her, the fact that a complete stranger had just invaded her personal space far from being present on her list of concerns.

Taja shook her head slightly, allowing the (now somewhat less disheveled) long, ebony strands to spill and settle across her shoulders. "Be a good mutt and fetch me that brush over there, will you ?" she demanded, in a tone that was far from cordial. Nodding towards the large dresser on the other side of the room to indicate the object's whereabouts, she turned her back to Cor-Si and shrugged the robe off her shoulders, then disappeared somewhere inside the unreasonably oversized walk-in closet which occupied the whole length of one of the bedroom's walls.

Dejourn's eyes followed Taja until she had disappeared from sight. Turning to the dresser he extended one scarred hand and summoned the black handled, flower designed hair brush into his open palm. From among the torrent of clothes Taja's voice sailed out to him. Scolding almost.

"You're far to like the other Force-users of the galaxy. You use the Force for every day chores. I imagine you can't survive without it. Do you not think I could have called to it myself had I wanted it that way? Now then apprentice, why don't we try again? Put it back where you found it and try actually using your body to get it this time."

Cor-Si almost snorted at the way this woman treated him like such a youngling. If he choose to do something than it was his choice to make. Still though, if he was going to get the information he needed he supposed he would have to play her little games. For now.

Floating the brush till it once again rested among the other items on the dressers surface he strode forwards and picked it up in his hand. Beside where it had laid were three other objects. Two hair combs of an exotic design, strange symbols coiling around the cold, winding hilt. In between the two was an elderly hand mirror. It's reflective glass bared one long, shriveled crack that spun downward. On it's silver frame was a beautiful carving of Kath hounds basking in the warm sunlight. This relic of sorts was an interesting find to say the least. This once revered family possession had belonged to Cor-Si's mother. How had it wound up in Taja Loraan's home?

"Tell me Jedi, are you incapable of completing such a small task? Perhaps I have chosen the wrong person, such a waste of all the time I have put into you," Taja's voice echoed from behind the man. Did she even know where this mirror had once resided? Dejourn turned to look her in the eyes. Instead he found himself looking her up and down. Taja stood there, the light from the closet shining out behind her, in a skimpy pair of golden knickers and bra. In her hands she held two items of clothing, "Which do you think? Red or black?"

She held up each of the flowing garments in turn. Cor-Si inclined his head slightly to the crimson colored accoutrement before turning back to once again survey the mirror.

"Are you sure ?" Taja pursed her lips, raising each hanger one at a time as thin lines creased across her forehead -- she was obviously very deeply lost in concentration, her every mental faculty focused on the (seemingly gargantuan) task at hand. Following his suggestion, she again lifted the red apparel and held it suspended underneath her chin for a fraction of a second longer than the other garment before shrugging in submission and uttering a long, overly drawn-out sigh. She once more turned to face away from Cor-Si and was about to ease the straps of her bra over her shoulder when, as a quick afterthought, she pivoted on her heels, hugging the dress close to her chest with a newfound sense of embarrassment.

"Go on then, turn around !" she cried out, and the Padawan obeyed, apparently oblivious to the fact that the large mirror above the dressing table and immediately opposite him could reflect just about everything anyway. A few minutes passed before Taja whistled for him to again return his attention to her, and when he did so, he was presented with a blindingly scarlet vision of the Sith Master, now clad in what looked to be a painfully tight PVC dress, extending down to her mid-thigh (had it not been for the impossibly low neckline, she most likely would've been unable to breathe, even). Her height had also increased significantly, thanks to the similarly red stilettos which completed the ensemble -- the kind that were long and thin enough to potentially impale a man's skull.

She scrutinized her image in the mirror, observing the reflection from every angle. "Well ?" she asked, twirling. "You don't think it's a little loud, considering where we're going ?" As she spoke, Taja's voice slowly trailed off and she paused, tilting her head to the side when she caught sight of the intricately carved hand-held mirror Cor-Si had been so engrossed with.

"Oi, stick that in my purse, will you ? I've been meaning to get it repaired -- yeah, right over there," she pointed. "And hey, where are we going ?"

(OOC) My weird computer's playing up and yet again posted the reply twice.

"Oi, stick that in my purse, will you ? I've been meaning to get it repaired -- yeah, right over there. And hey, where are we going ?"

Cor-Si looked up at the Sith in a bewildered expression. He had searched the galaxy long and hard for a creature of pure darkness and and absolute menace and instead he had found a nympho wanna be, obsessed with how sexy she looked. He sighed to himself, this was not what he had expected.

Slipping his mothers mirror into one of many expensive purses that stood on a shelf he turned to the beautiful woman.

"What do you mean where are we going? I came here looking for answers not a day trip." Cor-Si reached out with his mind, pushing it against the psychic walls that Taja had implemented around herself. Her thoughts gave him no insight however. If this was a test than she was keeping it well concealed. Cor-Si decided to take a chance.

"I'm an understanding man. I know that in this galaxy nothing comes free. I want information, and I'm pretty sure that you have it. I'm willing to offer a swap. My services for your information."

Cor-Si turned around in a circle, his arms wide open to display the room they stood in.

"This room is luxury and lavishing. An expensive place, I've no doubt. But it is hardly the home you would expect to find a Sith Lord in now is it? If you are the powerful Sith that people claim you to be then you need a more befitting space to live in. You need a place that strikes fear into the heart of all, that terrorizes many and tortures even more.

Vjun. I came across the planet in my search for you funnily enough. It is a dark world, ravaged by acidic rain. What's more, it was once the homestead of the great Sith Lord Darth Vader. On this monstrous planet there sits a castle. It is well defended and hideously gruesome. A truly fitting place for a Sith to live. Even the Jedi would have trouble reaching you there, and believe me they will come one day. It is in their nature.

I will aid you in taking that planet as your own, but only in the trade that you give me the knowledge I so unrelentingly seek. The only thing further that I would ask of you is that you teach me what you know of the Force. I never finished my training with Mater Baas. I wish to grow more powerful so I might destroy the people who laid waste to my wonderful family. What say you, my voluptuous....Master?"

Cor-Si bowed down on one knee, his eyes looking both menacingly and callously into those of the bondage dressed Sith. The look on her face showed how unexpected Dejourn's behavior was.

"What do you mean where are we going? I came here looking for answers not a day trip."

Taja blinked, quite clearly startled by the man's sudden outburst, but in the next second her expression of bemusement changed to that of mild annoyance as she felt Cor-Si's mind nudging weakly at hers, in a vain attempt to scan and read her surface thoughts. It was an incredibly brash and foolhardy effort on the former Padawan's part, and he had obviously neglected to consider the possible consequences of such an action -- it was a difficult thing to try and conceal a mental probe from a Sith Master whose chief specialty involved her psychic prowess. Taja, however, was feeling rather merciful; she had after all been the one to indirectly summon him from so far away, and it would be a shame to end his life so early on in their relationship. Besides, she rather liked the reckless streak in him; at least he would be good for providing her with some slight amusement, if nothing else.

She breathed in deeply, only half-listening to Cor-Si as he continued his little tirade about her home on Coruscant. In truth, the makeshift residence was probably only occupied for a week or two throughout each standard year, since Taja herself seldom frequented the planet -- her protégé, Vasuki, was in charge of all related business transactions -- but even so, the Sith spared no expenses when it came to the apartment's upkeep and maintenance (a rather glaringly evident fact). Although Taja could not be bothered to correct him, she was about to open her mouth to command him to finally shut up when one name in particular caught her attention and caused her thoughts to freeze, while her face grew pale and sullen.

Vjun.

Taja was familiar with knowledge of the planet's bleak atmosphere and lifeless, barren environment, of course she was -- Bast Castle had been her home for many years, as well as a less-than-pleasant haven to which she had retreated on many occasions both before and since. Despite the stale, acidic climate, terminally incapable of sustaining any sort of viable organism, the Sith felt inexplicably drawn to the place. Perhaps it was due to the strange affinity she shared with the ghosts that haunted Bast's every chamber and hall, souls which had been cruelly slaughtered many years ago and who were thus condemned to roam for all eternity within the walls of the same fortress where they were slain. Their cries maddened her, but amidst their tortured screams she found a morbid kind of serenity, a kind of paradoxical solace and understanding she had been denied elsewhere. Bast was her home, her psychosis, her dark and senseless sanctuary.

It was where she had last seen him.

Xireon …

Vjun had served as a training arena during Taja's lessons under the mentorship of the revered, near legendary Sith, and, following the pair's destructive rampage on Korriban, it had also been the site where Xireon Jiren announced her ascension to the rank of Master, before disappearing shortly afterwards. Towards the beginning of her apprenticeship, the two had forged an irrevocable bond that would prevent the young empath from ever being able to sense her Master's thoughts and emotions, and as such it had been impossible for her to track down his whereabouts when he vanished wordlessly. Taja had waited weeks, even months, patiently awaiting an update, a message, news, anything … but it had been a wasted endeavor. All that time, she never once exited from the underground caverns and passages networking beneath the main Bast Keep. She didn't eat, nor speak, nor move, existing only in a comatose state with nothing save the spiritual denizens of the castle to accompany her, until finally, countless days later, she was discovered by her age-old friend and fellow Sith, Eve Siren.

The voices in Taja's mind now began whispering to her, loudly and harshly. He knows something, they murmured. He's trying to trick you. The low hum rapidly gained in fervor and pitch as they talked amongst themselves, deafening her with their excited shrieks and wails. The subject was universal -- Xireon Jiren, the notorious Sith Master, whose exploits were the stuff of legends and which parents used to concoct gruesome tales with which to scare their children, their descriptive powers never once exaggerating in their malicious depictions of the man. Xireon Jiren, the one who had accepted Taja as his disciple and guided her through and beyond her days at the now obsolete Dark Circle.

Xireon Jiren, who had abandoned her.

"What say you, my voluptuous....Master?"

At that moment, the cries which had up until now blocked out Cor-Si's entire speech swiftly and deliberately subsided, allowing for the Padawan's words to filter through her psyche, but not before embedding one last order inside her mind.

Kill him.

A sudden wave of energy slammed Cor-Si in the chest, throwing the fallen Jedi back violently against the mirror behind him and shattering the glass into infinite pieces. His limbs were immobilized, as though tied down by numerous invisible shackles, and these same tendrils seemed to be coiling around his throat, becoming increasingly tighter and tighter with every passing second and restricting his ability to breathe. At the same time, his vision seemed to darken unnaturally, making him utterly blind to his surroundings.

"What do you know of Xireon Jiren ?!"

Breath. It came in such small gulps to Cor-Si now. His mouth desperately opened and closed, trying in vain to gain what air he could. The darkness was beginning to seep into his eyes. Everything was turning to a distorted blur. This woman was going to kill him. He was utterly helpless. This simple fact disturbed him more than anything else.

"Pl...please... I don't...I don't know of...of whom you speak. I beg you....spare....spare me. I....I.. pledge that ....that...I will make it my.....mission to...to find this...this...person. PLEASE!!!" Cor-Si screamed out.

Dejourns hand raked enthusiastically at the collar around his throat, desperately hoping that would ease the closing pressure around his Adams apple. He thrashed about as he fell to the floor in a state of half unconsciousness. As he rolled about his robes spread along the floor, his lightsaber unclipping to roll underneath the bed. He turned his bloodshot eyes to the powerful Sith who toyed with his very life. In a final effort he launched himself up and flew into her, the distraction breaking her concentration on the Force.

Allowing the rush of air to fill his empty lungs he stumbled backward till he rested against the solid wall behind him. His hazy mind began to clear as his vision finally returned to normal. He noted the Sith Mistress rising of the floor, her expression a mix of anger and shock.

"What in the Empire was that for? I offered you my services and you try to kill me. And who in Vader's name is Xireon Jiren?"

Dejourn stared at the pissed off Sith, praying that she wouldn't release another outburst like that. Did he deserve any better though? All those people he had caused to suffer in the past few months as he searched desperately, had they deserved the havoc he had caused them? Of course they hadn't. Why should he deserve better? It was a crisis of belief for the young padawan. He had felt justified in his anger before, yet this demonstration he had received of pain just now, that had opened his mind. Whether it had been the Sith's intention or not.

Her eyes widened as Cor-Si's hefty frame collided suddenly against her much smaller one, sending her reeling back towards the closet doors with the full load of the Padawan bearing down heavily upon her before he rolled away to safely land a short distance away. Taja's spine arched painfully from the impact and she gasped loudly, sliding to the floor in a sprawled heap. Her hair fell to cover either side of her face and she lifted her hands to her chest in a feeble attempt to calm down her sorely heaving breaths as she inhaled rapidly through her open mouth; the Sith was of a thin, even fragile build, and her body was not reacting well to having had the man's entire weight, together with the added pressure from his fast lunge, press down forcefully over her chest and abdomen.

After a minute or two, Taja slowly rose to her feet, one hand still resting lightly at the base of her neck while the other clutched onto the edge of the door for support. Just as Cor-Si had predicted, the movement had successfully diverted away the unseen threads which had been binding him down only a few moments ago, and as the Sith Master raised her head now her face was contorted into a stunned grimace. The incessant wailing inside her mind, however, had begun to die down, and as they gradually became muted, her anger similarly dissipated. Taja closed her eyes, and when she finally spoke, her words were uttered in the form of a choking whisper.

"Master …"

She swallowed, her voice trailing off as she winced from the effort. "He was my Master," she breathed quietly, and there existed in her tone a kind of finality that suggested the subject was closed, at least for the time being. The Sith then directed her deadpan stare at Cor-Si, and as he watched her now, he could discern no recognizable expression behind her dark, vacant eyes -- they appeared to be blank and devoid of altogether any and all sentiment.

"You have transportation, right ? Take me to Vjun."

"You have transportation, right ? Take me to Vjun."

The stunning ways in which this woman seemed to operate cnsistently hit Cor-Si. First she tried to seduce him, then she tried to kill him and now she was giving him orders. He'd heard the Sith worked mysteriously but this was just weird. Still, if he was to get the answers he so fervently seeked then he would need to do as she asked.

He started to walk toward the door. His mind already thinking of how they were supposed to take over a castle full of Sith traps and the Emperor knows what else. A sudden thought struck him. Spinning on his heel he stared at Taja.

"Have you actually thought about how you're going to set up shop there? Do you have any men that can help us? Any vechiles or assult craft incase anyone else has taken the planet?" The Sith only stared back, inquistively. "Do you have anything at all?"

From the lack of an answer Cor-Si assumed the worse. This was undoubtedly the strangest person he had ever met.

"Consider yourself lucky that I have some contacts. Give me five minutes. I'll sort something out." Rushing over to a doorway, he departed from the room and found himself in a long, elegant hallway with streams of doors. Each one led to more luxcuirous rooms with expensive furniture and exotic design. It was in the third from last, however, that he found what he was looking for. Sat atop a wooden desk of exquisite patterns was a comm unit.

Seating himself, Cor-Si began punching in codes before opening a tight band comm wave to a secret location. As soon as the person on the other end was sure the line was secure they accepted the call. Cor-Si's mouth took on a twisted smile as he looked upon the grizzly face of Nas Creeda.

"The time has come mercenary. I helped you in taking your base, now it is time that you honoured your pledge to help me. You are to take your men to the planet Vjun. Await me there. Together we shall conqour the infamous castle of Lord Vader."

The mercenary sneered at Cor-Si's words, allowing a minutes silence to pass before he spoke again.

"We are men of our words. But know this, when we have done this task you are never to contact us again. We do not associate ourselves with the likes of you. After this, all favours are off." The mercenary reached forwards and flicked a switch. Abruptly, his image disapeared.

"We shall see about that." Cor-Si muttured to the empty room.

Standing up, he left the room and headed to where Taja still awaited him, ready to inform her of the good news.

* * * *

Once again, the soro-suub yacht sped away from a planet. As ever, it's destination wa a mystery to all but the two aboard. The two who had come together to form a rather unorthadox master and apprentice.

Cor-Si turned away from the blinking control's to where Taja sat admiring her red fingernails. The Sith Lord was stunning to say the least. A rose of beauty with thorns inside her that could cut deeper than any lightsaber.

"The course is set." Sitting down infront of her, Cor-Si tried to hide the fact that he was getting extremely impatient with her weird ways. "You do realise that my help does not come for free right?"

Though it was highly unlikely that she had not heard him, the woman made no attempt at a response.

"Blasters! Would you just answer me? If you want me to aid yu then you better start talking. I want to know of the powers of the darkside. At least teach me something I might be able to use one day."