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.

The fading light of the sun just dipping below the horizon framed Selika Roh's silhouette. She stood in the mouth of the cave providing entry to the network of caverns below. The information that had brought her here was not provided by the Brotherhood, but instead originated from the One Sith in the form of a location and rudimentary map of the cave system. Even though her allegiance had shifted, there were still those who owed her favors on the other side of this conflict.

Sith. They're so predictably treacherous, she mused.

Retrieving an artifact the Brotherhood had yet to discover would likely improve Selika's standing. She had hoped that making planetfall several hundred kilometers away from her final destination and hiring transport at a settlement would serve to hide her goal. That hope, however, had not been realized. Selika had first sensed the other's presence several hours before, following her from where she had left her hired landspeeder to continue on foot.

The person following her was definitely a Force user, one whose power rivaled her own. Whoever it was, they had doggedly followed her progress in the intervening hours. The flavor of their presence reminded her of Teylas Ramar, but was different enough that she was sure it wasn't him.

Not any of the other Plagueians, she thought to herself. Either the One Sith or another of the Brotherhood, with either as likely to be enemy as ally.

Selika's eyes adjusted quickly as she moved from twilight into the dimly lit cave. Following the map she had memorized, she made her way deeper into the caverns. The presence she felt became more diffuse as it became distorted by the vibrant life energy of the Wraids that occupied the caves, but Selika assumed that her pursuer would be keeping pace.

It was only the slight breeze on her face and flash of danger as she passed by a side tunnel that saved her. Selika dropped to her knees as a bright red blaster bolt erupted from the shadows, passing through the space her head had occupied a heartbeat before. The side tunnel must have lead to another entry to the cave system, and her follower had used it to set up an ambush. With a point to focus on and her foe near, she finally could sense who it was. The tall, gray-skinned humanoid stepped into the light.

"How fitting," Legorii, Proconsul of Arcona, sneered. "A Plagueian on her knees before an Arconan. Before her better."

Selika rose back to her feet, freeing her saber from her belt as she did so. The glow of the lichen covering the stone walls was quickly overpowered by the amethyst glow of her saber blade as it snapped into being above the hilt.

The tall Arconan smiled as he returned his blaster rifle to it's place at his hip. "I would have been disappointed if my blaster had killed you," he said, "I would much rather have Soulflayer taste your flesh."

Legorii readied his own saber, its emerald glow joining Selika's to cast the scene in an unearthly pallor.

"Aww, how cute," Selika mocked. "You give your weapons a self aggrandizing little name." Striking a pose that served as an exaggerated mirror of Legorii's stance, Selika adopted a mockingly serious tone. "My saber's glory outshines yours," she said. "It is my very favorite saber. I call it Vera."

Selika's innate skill at reading others, coupled with her slight mental prodding, elicited the emotional response she had wanted. Legorii charged forward with Force-augmented speed as he unleashed a powerful blast of telekinetic energy at her. Selika raised her left hand to deflect the Force blast harmlessly into the rock face beside her and parried his headlong strike with her blade.

Legorii did not move back to a guard stance as his blade was thrown aside, instead using the follow through with the weapon to spin his body. Pivoting on his plant foot, Legorii allowed his momentum to fuel a kick that caught Selika in the midsection. The force of the blow drove the breath from her chest as it knocked her backwards. She fell backward into the stone that formed the wall of the passage behind her, barely remaining on her feet.

"Perhaps you shouldn't use taunts when you cannot weather the blows they illicit," Legorii said with a cold smile.

"Perhaps," Selika said, then lashed out violently with her own telekinetic ability.

Twin blows landed on each side of Legorii's face, first left then right, as if a strike and a backhand had been delivered with a closed fist. Unable to deflect or block the blows, Legorii was momentarily disoriented. Staggering backwards, he shook his head as if to clear it. The first blow had broken the skin below his right eye, and Legorii's fingers came away bloody after probing the wound.

Another grim smile came to Legorii's face, but he said nothing. The two combatants came together again as their saber's flashed, each equal to one another in their chosen form. Blades cut quickly as each sought the advantage, but found nothing other than momentary success. Legorii's additional skill with martial combat left Selika to dodge out of the way of several punches and kicks, though some at least did find their marks with glancing blows.

As they clashed, Selika kept up her telekinetic strikes. With her focus on the duel, even her skill with Dun Moch's application of the Force was tested. She was only able to land blows of painful annoyance as opposed to real power. These blows, however, were having their desired effect. Selika could see that the rage was building in her foe's eyes, a smoldering burn that threatened to burst into an unrestrained blaze.

Leaping backwards to break the duel, Selika filled the confines of the cave with blinding light. With Legorii momentarily dazed, Selika ran with Force-enhanced muscle deeper into the cave system.

Good, she thought, Now he's angry enough to disregard caution and follow.

The momentary brilliance dissipated in an instant, engulfed once more by darkness. Legorii’s eyes snapped open and blinked once, his gaze temporarily obstructed by ephemeral shapes. There was no question as to the direction in which the Plagueian woman had fled, however, as the distinct echo of booted heels on stone rang out from the nearest passage. Furious, the Arconan knew he had no choice but to follow.

Let her lead you to it, and then kill her.

The passage was narrow, with shadows reaching out from rough-hewn walls to claw at the Anzat’s flapping robes. In the dim, sickly light cast by the nearby lichen, Legorii could just make out Selika’s silhouette. The Force enveloped him, urging him onward. In seconds, he had overtaken her.

She had stopped at the mouth of a wider chamber, and had her back to him. “It’s here,” she hissed, her words slithering out into the stale air of the cave. Legorii opened his mouth to respond, but before he could do so, the woman turned. Once more adopting an air of condescension, she smiled suggestively. “I thank you for your help.”

“What hel--” Legorii began, before noticing the trio of wraids lumbering toward him. As they converged upon him, Selika ducked into the broader chamber. Hastily, Legorii followed, determined not to be left alone with them. The beasts were not far behind. Gripping his lightsaber with both hands, the Proconsul swung mightily, cleaving a front limb from one of the wraids. It let out a guttural cry as it sputtered forward, raking at the front of his robes with its remaining claw. Twirling the blade about, he brought it down on that single arm, severing it at the midpoint.

Selika let out a sigh of ecstasy as she gave herself more fully to the Force, wielding her telekinesis like a bludgeon. Unseen, her potent hammer slammed the second wraid to the cavern floor, where it remained. Legorii paid her no heed, turning his attention to the final wraid. The creature leapt with startling alacrity toward him, but he managed to spin away, one claw tearing through the shoulder of his robes. Staggering, the Anzat swung his lightsaber through empty air in a tight arc. The wraid leapt once more, pinning the Arconan against the cave wall with its forelimbs.

Fetid breath and spittle covered Legorii’s face. Razor-sharp teeth gnashed just beyond his bulbous nose. Powerful jaws snapped in feral aggression. Grunting with exertion, the Epis managed to free one of his vibroblades from his boot with his empty hand. Maneuvering the blade into position, he plunged it into the wraid’s exposed underbelly. Blood geysered across the front of his robes, mixing with his own.

The wraid fell away, crying out in pain, and Legorii thrust Soulflayer through its skull. It fell silent. Selika, watching with amusement from across the chamber, clapped mockingly. “Good show, Arconan. For a moment there I could not tell which of you was the dumb beast.”

Legorii’s lip curled in contempt. “Find me my artifact, Plagueian, so that I can kill you and be done with this fool’s errand.”

Selika’s eyes narrowed. She kept her gaze locked on the Arconan, examining him. The feeling was unsettling, sending a shiver up the Anzat’s spine. Finally, she raised an arm, pointing. “It’s there.”

The Proconsul’s eyes followed her gesture to a flat surface of rock in the center of the room. Above it, suspended as if by invisible strings, was a small obsidian dagger. It sparkled in the air. Its tangible Force power enshrouded it in darkness. As if bound to obey its will, Legorii stepped forward. His vibroblade clattered to the floor, and with fingers outstretched he reached for the artifact.

His fingers passed through it, and the dagger vanished. Furrowing his brow, the Arconan turned to Selika. For a moment, she seemed not to see him. Her lips moved almost imperceptibly, echoing some unheard thought.

“Enough games! Do your job, treasure hunter.” The Proconsul’s voice jerked the woman from her reverie.

Selika raised her chin, noble features reflecting her haughtiness. Her violet eyes flashed, pursed lips belying her irritation. Her response came swiftly. With her blade at her side, the former One Sith launched a full-scale assault on her fellow Epis’ mind, bombarding him with images and suggestions that ran counter to his objectives. Failure. Defeat. Unbridled hatred bubbled up within him, infusing his powerfully-built frame with frightening strength. His anger cleared his mind, burning away the Plagueian’s attacks. In three paces, he was upon her.

Soulflayer swept down upon Selika like a waterfall on sediment, battering aside her raised defense. The woman backpedaled, bringing her violet blade around to parry the Proconsul’s follow-up thrust. Neither had much room to maneuver, and all thoughts of the artifact were forgotten. The mental and psychological onslaught had subsided, and Selika’s taunts died in her throat as she struggled to elude the tip of Legorii’s lightsaber. The concentration required for staying alive precluded any telekinetic strikes.

As the Anzat’s rage began to subside, he felt his limbs growing heavier. Twirling his wrist, he flicked his blade out toward Selika’s exposed torso, only to be turned away once more. The woman counterattacked with a low cut of her own, forcing the Proconsul to sidestep. Biting his lip, Legorii feinted to the left, while slamming his right elbow into...nothing. The Plagueian ducked beneath the blow, rolling away to safety.

A low chuckle rumbled from the woman’s blood-flecked lips as her chest heaved. “You’ve got nothing more? You’re the best Arcona could do?”

Legorii’s eyes flashed with virulence, but he knew that he needed the respite. His head was pounding, the wound beneath his eye still seeping blood. He watched as Selika edged around the room, her eyes darting from crack to crevice.

“If I’m a treasure hunter, then what does that make you?” As she finished the question, Selika’s eyes widened, and she smiled. Across the room there was a small, neatly-carved inset.

Selika recognized the crest carved into the inset at once. The symbol of Lord Tytonus, a Sith Lord of the old empire that had declared herself Sith Queen of Begeren. She had died bringing her rebellion to Drumond Kaas, but those followers still loyal to her had returned her body here.

Moving quickly, Selika threw a wild burst of telekinesis at Legorii and moved for the inset. The Anzat, still fatigued from his rage, was easily avoided. Reaching the inset, she placed her hand upon it and twisted. The stillness of the cavern was disturbed as a deep rumble shook the rock beneath their feet. Dust disturbed by the vibration rained down from the chamber's ceiling as a section of the floor slid aside. From Selika's vantage point, she could see the top of stone stairs leading down to a chamber below

The tomb… she realized.

Her final goal in sight, she momentarily ignored Legorii and dashed for the now-revealed stairs. Reaching them, the light of her blade penetrated the darkness below. She skidded to a halt, however, when she saw what that light revealed. The floor of the vast chamber below was covered with slumbering Wraids. Before she could conceive of a strategy to bypass this new obstacle, she was aware of Legorii behind her. His speed amplified, his fatigue banished, he had crossed the chamber in a heartbeat.

With Selika at his mercy, however, it was the pommel of his saber that struck her, not the blade. Stars burst before her eyes as his weapon slammed into her skull, the force of the blow only lessened fractionally as she tried to spin away. Selika's saber flew from her hands and clattered across the stone floor, with her body only a second behind.

As awareness returned, she sensed Legorii's breath on her face. Her vision blurred and head swimming, she smell the spicy tinge of the alien as he spoke.

"I see now that my hunt has left me… hungry," he said, putting special emphasis on the last. "Soulflayer will taste your flesh in the end, but I think I will taste your soup first."

She could feel his face directly before hers. His hands moved to either side of her head, holding her steady, almost a caressing. And then she felt something on her face, twin searching appendages that now connected his face to hers. Panic gripped Selika as the Anzat's proboscises found their way into her nose and probed deep within her.

"Shhhh," he intoned, trying to calm her with his mental touch.

Selika reached out with her hands, trying futilely to push him away. She struggled to regain focus, to lash out somehow. Time seemed to slow as her mind tried to claw it's way out of its dark stupor to full awareness.

"Relax," Legorii intoned, his voice tinged with a trance like quality. "Your struggle is at an end."

Legorii's words touched something within her. She saw the death that awaited clearly in her mind, and that image finally gave her something to grasp in her mind. Finally focused, the darkness clouding her senses was banished by light. Selika's vision cleared, revealing Legorii's face filling her vision. Her hands found strength enough to grasp on to either side of his head, covering his ears.

Drawing on all the power of her iron will, Selika channeled the Force. Force energy became electricity, arcing between her palms through the Anzat's skull. What little training she had undergone at Aabsdu's hands had not left her much strength behind her Force shock. If she had thrown it across the room, it likely wouldn't have done much harm. Delivered directly into his head, however, the electricity arced across neurons and disrupted his mind. Legorii shrieked in pain, his head snapping back as his body convulsed violently. The motion ripped his proboscises free from Selika's nose, their retreat accompanied by a spurt of blood.

The Arconan's mediocre endurance left him uniquely susceptible to the damaging affects of her attack. Legorii always relied on his ability to heal in order to overcome injury, but Selika would not let him have the chance. As he retreated within himself, calling the Force to heal his injury, Selika followed. The two injured minds warred, but Selika was able to weaken him. Legorii's skill with the curative arts eluded the Anzat.

Selika pushed Legorii from atop her. He rolled to her left and into the hole in the floor, clattering down the stairs to come to rest in the chamber below. Selika knew that once Legorii regained full consciousness, she was in no shape to beat him either physically or mentally. Influencing the mind of another sentient was beyond her, but the simple minds of the Wraids below might be another matter.

Drawing on what little Force energy that remained in her hands, she projected the call of a Krayt dragon into the chamber below. Her illusion did not touch every Wraid, but it reached enough of them. The beasts arose on Tatooine, and fear of their primary predator's hunting call was still within them. The Wraids awakened in a panic, seeking escape from the perceived danger.

Legorii tried valiantly, but his saber could not protect him from the panicked wall of fear-driven muscle as it had with the trio earlier. Untrained as he was in Force defenses, the surging weight of the Wraids overwhelmed him. Selika felt him fall before them, bones broken and flesh crushed under the assault. The fire in the Force that marked his presence was finally quenched.

Drained both mentally and physically, Selika knew she lacked the strength to continue. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, sighed with frustration, and pulled a comlink beacon from her belt. Triggering the beacon, she clicked open the accompanying voice channel. "Roh clearance aurek-five-nine. Inform the Dread Lord that I've located the tomb of Lord Tytonus. And dispatch a kriffing extraction team to my location."

“It makes me a big-game hunter, because I’m hunting you,” Legorii spat. “See those wraids, often killed for sport? Today, you’re my wraid.”

Selika seemed not to hear him, her gaze still locked on the wall. As if in a trance, she slunk across the chamber, her lithe form drawn toward the inset. “It’s here…” she whispered, her voice adopting an eerie lilt. Legorii realized what was happening, and knew that he needed to act fast. There was no telling what kind of powers that artifact could give the woman, but they were likely to tip the scales of the duel in her favor.

Leaping forward, the Proconsul’s lightsaber scythed out before him. Selika dove, avoiding the sweeping effort, and braced herself against the wall. Cut into the inset was a single symbol, a rune of sorts, that neither Dark Jedi had time to consider. The surface of the inset seemed to shimmer like starlight and ripple like the ocean. Without pause, the woman shoved her hand through the stone. Her fingers passed through it like water, disappearing into darkness.

Legorii hesitated as Selika shrieked in glee, pulling her arm back out of the stone. Her fingers were curled tightly around a small object. It was not a dagger, and resembled no holocron that the Arconan had ever seen. Instead, it seemed to be a roll of parchment. The Plagueian’s joy faded, replaced with curiosity and then confusion. Carefully, with the Anzat watching in rapt silence, she unfurled it.

A moment slipped by. Another passed with the beating of the Arconan’s heart. Finally, Selika let the parchment slip from her hand. It fluttered to the floor, limp and rejected. Nothing needed to be said. Legorii knew that the Plagueian had been following a One Sith tip, and that was the precise reason why he’d been dispatched to tail her. Evidently, the deceiver had been deceived.

A grim smile spread across the Anzat’s features. “If I can’t bring Arcona an artifact, then I guess I should bring them a corpse.”

Selika looked up at him. Her eyes were empty. She let her lightsaber hilt roll away from her across the cold stone, its blade fizzling into nothing. Legorii watched her carefully, his eyes on her slumping shoulders and her defeated, dejected demeanor.

And then she leapt.

Her psychological cruelty preceded her rapid clawing, as Legorii’s mind was once more besieged. Horrible flashes blew through his mind like fleeting memories, his faculties of reason too preoccupied to identify them as false. He saw a Hapan’s broken corpse splayed out across the Serpentine Throne. He saw the Citadel in flames, innumerable forces waving the Plagueian banner at its gate. He saw a Zabrak and a blue-skinned Exarch wearing the mantle of the Arconae in shackles, their eyes gouged out.

The Arconan rallied, his mind regaining some control. “No! Lies!”

Selika showed no sign of letting up, tearing at his exposed flesh with her fingernails and buffeting him with telekinetic blows to the skull and torso. He swung wildly with his lightsaber, but could not see through stinging tears of pain and torment where the blows were landing. With his free hand he flung desperately, seeking some purchase where there was none to be found.

Finally, he connected. Selika stumbled back, folds of translucent flesh jammed beneath her fingernails, blood dripping down her knuckles. Legorii panted, fumbling with the Force to dull his pain. He shook his head, as if some physical act could allay his mental anguish. His sanguine stare met the Plagueian’s cool violet, and in that moment, the former Entar knew that she understood him. She knew him.

The chamber was silent, its still air interrupted only by the ragged breaths of its occupants. With a contemptuous smile, Selika launched one final mental invasion.

Legorii saw himself on the bridge, hanging in orbit above Selen. The ship was unfamiliar to him, the officers around him unknown. He heard his own voice, issuing a curt command. “Commence orbital bombardment. Destroy the Arconae and their grovelling brood.” The nearest officer, a Chiss admiral, nodded. “Yes, Lord Consul.”

Traitor.

The Anzat returned to the cave on Begeren, snapped back to the present by his own screams. He sank to his knees. His eyes were squeezed shut, his body shuddering, rejecting the vision like a virus. Selika stood above him, a torturer turned executioner. She seemed to derive joy from his agony, relishing his weakness.

“You are broken, Arconan, just like your Clan. Even now, elsewhere on this desolate rock, your leaders are being slaughtered,” she taunted, remaining just beyond his reach. She could have killed him, but hesitated. Her gaze shifted to the lightsaber still clutched in his hand, wary. Instead, she reached out through the Force once more, intending to take further advantage of his collapse.

But whether through her fatigue or the strength of his mind, the slumping Anzat successfully overcame her effort. Coughing, wiping away the streaks of blood on his face, Legorii leaned forward.

“I will drink your soup, Plagueian...I will devour your soul.”

The woman’s smile froze on her lips as the Arconan’s sinister proboscises uncoiled themselves, creeping toward her. Selika, unnerved, called Vera back into her hand with the Force as her aide, and thrust it toward the Proconsul’s chest. As she jerked forward, the Anzat dodged. The movement, so rapid as to be imperceptible and so fluid as to be unstoppable, carried Legorii beyond the scope of her assault and within a hand's breadth of her chest. His remaining vibroblade, smoothly drawn by his left hand, slashed her exposed throat in a shower of blood.

The blade opened her trachea, and her knees gave out. Selika flopped to the ground, her neck twisting unnaturally. Blood pooled quickly around her, and the light in her eyes began to fade. Quickly, before her last gasps of life could leave her, the Proconsul knelt above her.

As he began to feed, Legorii whispered, “I am Arcona, and Arcona never breaks.”