some people say my love cannot be true
please believe me, my love, and I’ll show you
I will give you those things you thought unreal
the sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal

follow me now and you will not regret
leaving the life you led before we met
you are the first to have this love of mine
forever with me till the end of time

your love for me has just got to be real
before you know the way I’m going to feel
I’m going to feel
I’m going to feel

now I have you with me, under my power
our love grows stronger now with every hour
look into my eyes, you will see who I am
my name is Lucifer, please take my hand


---


Thin slivers of ashen light ruptured against the velvety black texture of Vjun’s atmosphere, the stench of rancidity permeating through the land’s barren expanses to herald the approach of the new year’s first storm. The acidic rains were an annual messiah of death, sweeping across the red pastures and rendering them devoid of any and all lifeforms with a swiftness and efficacy that most disciples of malevolence could never fathom to equal. The ruination left behind in their wake, however, was evident nowhere as harshly as it was in the walls of Bast Castle. The large stones comprising the vast majority of the fortress’ foundations had become irreparably corroded over the course of countless years of ongoing abuse, reducing the edifice to a towering leviathan of wilted grandeur and decayed magnificence. Nevertheless, despite the overwhelming undertones of decadence, the Castle had not been completely overlooked or abandoned; in the uppermost chamber of one of its few remaining obelisks, a delicate blonde figure lay unmoving atop a carved wooden bed, the silken folds of her nightgown clinging to her slight frame as she slept. Even amidst slumber, Taja’s hand moved earnestly through the darkness, her fingers combing the mattress until they landed over the scales of a coiled reptile which rested comfortably alongside her body, as if it were a house-pet.

Breathing softly, she turned her back away from the pungent winds entering through the window on the far side of the room. Every once in a while, the Sith Master would embark on a solitary voyage towards this wretched, withering planet, offering no information relevant to her whereabouts to anyone save for her young protégé Yuki, who had been appointed as her surrogate to maintain and upkeep all issues pertinent to Severe during her prolonged absences. The man had never quite understood his employer’s desire to take up residence upon Vjun as Bast Castle’s sole sentient inhabitant – or at least, its only denizen comprised of corporeal flesh and blood – but he was sufficiently experienced in his dealings with Taja to not doubt nor question her resolve. Her methodology was one that never ceased to confound the beliefs of all those for whom logic and structured reasoning were the weapons of choice, and it was through a gradual acceptance of this truth and the strange convolutions it entailed that her close peers had grown habituated to her mannerisms. The girl was insane, perhaps – but she certainly pulled it off well.

All at once, a thunderous bolt shattered the serenity of the skies outside, and together with it a loud, mournful howl called out, resonating through the halls of Bast as though in mimicry of the darkened and tumultuous heavens. The voice, if it could be called such, seemed to possess an eerily dissonant, almost ethereal quality, and its echoes continued to wail shrilly against the walls of her bedroom without lessening in volume or pitch even remotely. Taja inhaled deeply, her forehead creasing as thin lines etched into furrows across her skin. Soon, a myriad of new voices would rise to the occasion and follow the example of their pioneering guide, screeching and screaming to a million different tones and timbres and harmonies until the earthen floors themselves began trembling. She sighed, reluctantly acknowledging the fact that there would be no sleep for her that evening; on nights like these, Bast was exceptionally teeming with all forms of unnatural life, and they would go to any lengths to ensure that their one-woman audience remained somber enough to witness their performance in its miserable entirety. But no – something was amiss. Tonight, their song was celebrating more than simply the onset of the seasonal rains. Tonight, they were commemorating something new, something … foreign.

The snake beside her stirred, as though it had been awoken rudely from its permanently wide-eyed reverie. Its tongue darted out for a fraction of a second to taste the madness that thickly pervaded the air. “Hush now, Vasukii,” Taja breathed, laying her head back against the lavishly embroidered pillows lining either side of the bed and allowing her eyelids to gently flutter to a close. “It appears we have company.”

The towering construct of Bast Castle loomed, its foundation on the brink of a sheer drop from the portion of surface mass that rose beneath. Acidic rain pelted down through the gloomed sky, hissing as it touched everything around, causing premature corrosion; it remained that such an affect was quite obvious on the hull of a starship, but an acceptable (if somewhat temporary) solution was to boost shields to full. The shielding, in turn, recognized the burning properties of the acid, and assumed it to be some finer form of laser weaponry, which in turn allowed the protective shield to perform its duty for a limited time...

...Or at least until the shields were eventually exhausted from constant acidic downfall, hitting in thousands of thousands of portions over the shields surrounding one's craft.

Vance scowled, making directly for Bast. He flew his Sith Infiltrator, the crafts shields at full, as he attempted to reach the hangar at the base of the fortress, where he could get his ship out of the sudden rain that had begun mid-way through his arrival. Already he could feel the shield generator struggling to compensate for every raindrop that touched its projected shell, and the Sith Master began to wonder why he had come to the forsaken planet to begin with...

Taja Loraan.

A rogue Dark Sider.

The Sith Master's mission was one of potential recruitment, with an undercurrent of introduction. It was true that Vance knew little of the woman who often used Bast Castle as her private get away, and being that the rogue Force Sensitives in the galaxy were becoming increasingly more present, it remained that he felt the need to investigate; or, more accurately, seek out the ones who were more powerful, to determine how best to deal with them...

As the craft closed with Bast Castle, so did Vance guide the ship directly for the hangar bay at its base. There was an outcropping, which meant that any ships within were well back enough from the touch of the acid rain, and consequently wouldn't be damaged - assuming their shields survived the trip from orbit to hangar. Vance piloted the craft expertly, landing without so much as a bump, as he had been behind the yoke of his Infiltrator more times than he could count. Disengaging the flight systems, the Sith Master powered down the shield systems and allowed them the opportunity to cool; it wouldn't do well to find his presence met with hostility, necessitating for a departure with an overheated generator.

The ramp way lowered, and so too did Vance walk down, his boots scuffing lightly on the metallic grating underfoot. The wind was the first sense the Sith Master felt, that and the distinct sting from small, impossible-to-see droplets of acid that were pushed on the current. Vance turned his face away from the hangar entrance, his hand reaching up to secure his hood over his head, to ensure it didn't come down, thus giving himself a small semblance of protection against the elements.

Stalking toward the single door that led into the fortress, Vance's sense of danger began to peak, the Force changing to the flow of hostility aimed toward the Sith Master. More than likely some fortress defence coming online, as Vance assumed Vader had had some kind of access code he activated... and wasn't overly surprised as a pair of turrets descended from the roof, locking around on his position.

Drawing his lightsaber, the Sith Master narrowed his eyes as he watched the two weapon emplacements. For a moment they did nothing, simply tracking on his position; but then they started blasting, bright red beams lashing out to strike down the intruder in quick volleys. The azure blade sprang to life, batting away the first bolt, as Vance flipped out of the immediate line of fire, causing the turrets to follow his movement. Reaching out with the Force, the Sith Master grasped for the left-most turret, wrapping his invisible grip about the exposed barrels... and with a firm command crushed the durasteel lengths, causing the turret to backfire and consequently explode from internal pressure. A portion of the fortress roof exploded within, sending parts of building structure to rain down on the hangar bay ground, including the turret that had been previously firmly placed.

This left one remaining turret, and Vance angled his weapon around his side, catching one of the heavy bolts as the weapon emplacement began to adapt to his constant movement. The laser was sent back, impacting with the source, causing a small flash of bright heat as it tore away at some of the exterior plating, yet causing minimal damage. Landing, the Sith Master clenched his jaw, as the turret began to fire at double the rate, increasing its bolt output in an attempt to cease any more efforts for Vance to deflect laser blasts in return.

Obviously Vader had had the foresight to plan for those with lightsabers.

It wasn't a problem, as Vance would simply to what he had done previously. And once again, the tendrils of the Force took hold upon the weapon attached to the roof, and promptly crushed it, ending the immediate danger. For a moment the Sith Master waited, sending his senses out to determine whether or not another defence protocol had come into place, but it seemed as though everything was fine: for now.

Walking toward the turbolift, Vance stepped inside and pushed the button for the only accessible floor. He had felt the presence of Taja, had similarly felt her touching his, and it remained that he knew he needed to pass through the lower levels of the castle in order to reach her; as she was at the very top of the fortress. However, something within the corridors beyond the small confines of the lift caused Vance to grow perturbed...

There were anomalies in the Force. Deep seeded within the castle, and they were... vengeful, filled with hatred, and clearly from another plane.

Force ghosts, Vance thought to himself, letting out a sigh. If it was one thing the Sith Master detested it was the spirits of those who had ceased living, and refused to simply pass on. Unless the Force Spirit was willing to imbue knowledge to another, more life-filled being, then it remained the Force apparition was useless and remained a simple, sad reminder of the being's downfall.

As the turbolift came to a smooth stop, Vance stepped from the opening doors into a large chamber. He passed his gaze over the dilapidated interior, noting the large, black rock statue of Darth Vader that lay, fallen, on the ground; at a certain point beneath the six meter carving, the Sith Master could see a skeletal hand, seemingly locked in eternal reach for freedom when the being it belonged to had been crushed...

Most interesting.

Stalking through the large area, Vance spotted the distant doorway that, he assumed, led to the next turbolift that would take him to the upper levels. There were a great number of passageways within the castle, to be certain, however the Sith Master had the feeling that he was supposed to go directly ahead... an inkling in the Force, perhaps, as it told him of the most direct route to reach the rogue, Taja.

Yet, before Vance could reach the lift, howling began to filter through the chamber. The noise, sounding so depressive and hollow, echoed from one wall to the next, filling the room with a crescendo of wailing that caused the Sith Master to sneer and prepare for a challenge he did not wholly wish to take part in...

From the very shadows of the area, dark shadow-like creatures floated into existence, flowing across the room to circle the lone being standing beyond the downed statue. From their haunting visages came the wail, each like a wraith moving like one could associate a cloak through the air.

"Sssskywalker... kill..." One intoned, it's voice like sand on metal.

"Korr..." Another rumbled, it's eyes locking onto Vance.

Each apparition that appeared, to the number of half a dozen, spoke in the same tone, each stating a name or desire; it seemed, at least to Vance, that the Force ghosts were referring to those who had defeated them, and the Sith Master began to wonder if, perhaps, he was seen as each Force Spirit's antagonist. If so, then Vance knew he had quite the obstacle in his path, and would be hard pressed to deal with so many of the mysterious entities surrounding him...

It seemed the Sith Master would have to proclaim himself, before the Force ghosts took drastic measures of revenge.

"Silence," Vance said, his voice raised as he stared at the Spirit that passed before him, his gaze shifting from one to the next as they circled. "You speak of beings I am not, nor know in any manner... cease your wails, for they fall on the deaf ears of your vengeful desires."

The wraiths reared, each letting out a scream, as they witnessed the act of defiance.

"You have no hold on me, foul creatures," Vance continued, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the largest of the Force ghosts. "And if you cross me, I will destroy you..."

The largest Force Spirit, where moments before it had simply stared, turned and fled, followed soon afterward by the rest of the ghosts. Each disappeared back into the shadows, returning to where they had come, as they fell silent. Vance had to admit, that despite the initial surprise of witnessing such an event, he had been more concerned with having to deal with a number of Force wraiths, as opposed to one - for even the strongest of the apparitions gave off little more than could be associated with a Sith Knight.

But a group of Knights, however, was still a group of Knights.

Seemingly the Force Spirits had limited control of their actual being, and were confined to existing as what appeared to be the Dark Side in a semi-physical form; at least this was what Vance assumed, as he could only guess that when the beings had died within the fortress, the amount of power had contained their very essence... but that was more Recon's understanding, and Vance didn't have the time to investigate further.

Perhaps later.

Stalking to the distant turbolift, Vance stepped inside once it opened the doors. Pushing the button for the top floor, the Sith Master let out a long breath, clipping his lightsaber back to his belt as he adjusted his cloak. He was now going from one potentially dangerous situation to another, only this time he didn't know what to expect from the being he sought...

As the doors opened, allowing exit, Vance stepped into what appeared to be a newly decorated chamber. On the far sleeping unit, there was a young woman in a nightdress, with a serpent of some description slithering beside her. The Sith Master stared at the humanoid, his blue eyes unblinking; however, despite his gaze, Vance's senses were spreading out, taking in the entire area.

"Taja Loraan," The Sith Master said finally, deciding to break the silence. "I am Sith Master Vance Jas..."