None know the true origins of the Circus Carnivora or even who named it. The circus emerges from the ether, spreading chaos and discord before dissipating into nothingness once more. Those with the misfortune to be nearby will ardently believe it has always been there until it finally departs once more, fading into the night.

The Carnivora itself consists of a vast multitude of stalls constructed of splintered timber surrounding a single vast tent of arterial red and puss-yellow tattered fabric. Occupying an area of just short of one hundred hundred metres about the tent, the stalls and attractions form a winding maze; each offering everything from seemingly innocuous apple bobbing stalls to instruments of torture. The air within the circus is dominated by a cloying humidity, and filled with the discordant music, the scrape of rusted blades, laughter, and the buzzing of unnumbered insects. A sickly scent of freshly turned earth and rotting fruit accompanies this cacophony, though its origin is unclear.

While absent of true life, the circus is far from abandoned. Shade-men prowl its surroundings - Golems of half formed strips of clothing, bone, and flesh animated by the Dark Side, move in a jerky mimicry of life. Such entities are passive at first, rarely approaching any newcomer directly. Yet those who wander deeper into the Carnivora will find the shade-men blocking paths, herding them toward the main tent.

The interior of the main tent is structured like a vast amphitheater, sixty metres in length and ninety metres high, with rows of raised benches surrounding a single central platform. Spotlights dart across the area, as if following an unseen act, while the laughter of a crowd and cheering emanates from within the empty tent. Yet these same lights bring to life flickering moments of unseen horrors. Hulking shapes of inhuman beings glowering from the stands, illuminating moments of slaughter from the circus’ past. What these entities might be no one can say, for few have remained long enough to ever uncover the truth.

Who's to say why the two individuals found themselves at the Circus Carnivora that night? Perhaps they'd stumbled in by complete accident. Perhaps they'd been drawn there by something. Whatever the reason was, no one could have anticipated what would be done that night. None would have predicted the two beings that found themselves there being quite so powerful. And few, if any, would ever even suspect that the powers that allowed the denizens of the Circus to exist, were also usable by the pair that had torn it apart that night.

How they had gotten there, and what they had been doing in the first place, Blackhawk didn't know. All he knew was that there was something… curious about this place. He felt something. Whatever it was, Tahiri felt it too. It was… familiar somehow. Blackhawk couldn't place how yet, but whatever it was, he felt good. Better than he had in a long time, in fact. He inhaled, deeply. Power flowed within him, as if coming from a well that had been inaccessible for years.

They explored for a while, wanting to learn more. The denizens of this place blocked their way. Repeatedly.

“I have little patience for obstruction.” the Clawdite growled.

“Agreed.” Tahiri replied.

The flesh golem blocking their path didn't move, nor did it speak, or make any other noise for that matter.

“Move. Or be moved.” the Clawdite threatened.

It continued to not react. Blackhawk grasped the creature by the throat with the Force. It didn't seem to react. Blackhawk's grip tightened. Still no reaction. Tighter. Even tighter. Then, with a sickening crunch, the creature's neck imploded. Blackhawk tossed it into a wall, the impact shattering it and the wall. Blackhawk paused for a moment, surprised at what he had just done. That's when it struck him. The half formed flesh golem, the power dominating through this place, it made sense. Necromancy had been an interest of Clan Tarentum, the clan in which both Blackhawk and Tahiri had received their training, and one which the Togruta had served in so well, she had become one of the last to earn the title of Tarentae. He smiled, evilly. He looked to Tahiri.

“Figure it out yet?” “I think so.” “I say, we have some fun with this.” Blackhawk suggested. “Yes. Let's.” Tahiri replied, returning her own devilish grin.

She had been wondering why she could feel the Force around her, as easily as if it was moisture in the air after a heavy rain storm. Seeing how Blackhawk easily crushed the flesh golem that had stood in their path, it sparked a memory from the Valley of the Jedi, with the Force nexus that they had investigated when they were still apprentices together.

“Just be sure to mind your surroundings, Blackhawk,” the Elder looked around the run down carnival. The tightness between the old wooden stalls, with the torn, ragged brightly colored fabric was not a good place to find themselves backed into a corner.

“I know, I know,” the Clawdite waved his hand dismissively. “You know, I think you've been cooped up in that stuffy office of yours too much, and taken on too much on those tiny shoulders since becoming Quaestor. You need to be out in the field more and have some action to let loose for a bit.”

Tahiri chuckled, before the her senses tingled and her muscles tightened, readying themselves for anything, as she felt that something was watching them. Out of her peripheral vision, a sleek black shadow slinked from stall to stall, sniffing the ground and then freezing in place.

“Hadzuska. What are you doing here?” she stood facing Blackhawk, relaxing slightly and crossed her arms. The petite Togruta’s voice conveyed the commanding tone needed, while the Clawdite looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I thought I told you to stay behind and guard the ships.”

Tahiri felt and saw the sleek dark form paused and then lower its head, before stepping back out of view. Then the Elder felt a nose bump her elbow and heard a small whine. The male Vornskr looked to Blackhawk before sitting down next to his alpha’s feet and awaiting her orders. Tahiri sighed and reached her hand down to pat her companion on the head, scratching behind his ear.

“What am I going to do with you?” looking down, Zuska met her eyes and huffed. “Alright, you can come with us, but be on your best behavior and stay out of our way when I tell you too. Ok?”

The Vornskr gave a confirmed little bark, standing and then going to Blackhawk, who in turn patted him on the head too. Zuska immediately went into protective mode, sniffing the air and then padded slowly ahead.

“You sure you want your pet here, Tahiri?”

“No, I don’t. But Zuska insists on being here to help,” sighing again. “I’m just glad I didn’t bring Solan, he wouldn’t have even waited till we entered before following. Let’s get going, this place is eerie, and we haven’t found much information here.”

Blackhawk chuckled, knowing the huge Akul was very protective of his tiny master. The Battlemaster nodded and moved forward with what almost looked like a spring in his step. Tahiri smirked, noticing the little skip, before moving forward herself. Passing by several long since abandoned stalls, the trio kept a good pace. There seemed to be no rhyme nor reason to how everything was laid, as some paths branched while others dead-ended suddenly. As they rounded a corner, Zuska barely got out a growl before he bowled over by a huge grotesque flesh golem. He let out a yelp as he was kicked into and against the back wall of what looked like an old carnival game. Tahiri didn't hesitate for one moment, driving into the ocean of Force energy, muscles propelling her form forward with immense speed. The Elder didn’t even feel her hands going for the blood red Vibrosword on her back and the Nightsister duskblade, as years of muscle memory honed in while her easily cut down the flesh golem who dared to hit her pet.

The denizens of the Circus Carnivora were not happy. Neither were the two Plagueians. Several golems suddenly materialized, probably having been waiting in the shadows before, but Blackhawk didn't care. His crimson red lightsabers spring to life, augmenting the anger in his facial expression. The golems were undeterred. The Clawdite cut the closest one down the instant it came within reach, it's decapitated and bisected from joining the one that had kicked Hadzuska.

The golems swarmed. Neither Tahiri nor Blackhawk found themselves particularly troubled dealing with them. Lightsabers seemed relatively effective, along with the occasional telekinetic blast to send them flying if too many got close. They were, however, being driven towards the central amphitheatre of the circus. Neither of them were paying particular attention to that, aside from dealing with the golems that tried to take them from behind, until they were in it. Even then, they didn't actually stop to look until the swarm of golems halted at the edge of the amphitheatre.

When they turned to look, the reason why became apparent. Standing in the center, roughly twenty meters from them, was a hulking, frankensteinian flesh golem. Based on appearance, Blackhawk assumed it was at least part rancor, many parts various sentient beings. It had eyes seemingly everywhere, and a seemingly proportional number of mouths.

“I think I've had just about enough of this place.” Tahiri growled.

“Agreed.” Blackhawk grunted in reply.

The massive frankengolem lumbered towards them, it's impossibly large arm reaching to grab Blackhawk first. The Clawdite leapt back, slashing it's hand with his saber as he did. The creature recoiled,let out a haunting, enraged roar. One that reflected what both former Tarenti felt.

Tahiri circled to the creature’s left, slowly. Blackhawk slowly enveloped himself in flames. The frankengolem focused on him, as expected. The Clawdite leapt over it, grazing the top of it’s head with a lightsaber as he did so.

The necromantic energy that animated these beings rugged at him. Blackhawk could feel it. And it gave him an idea. The flames went out, and Blackhawk smiled with sadistic glee as he leapt atop the creature.

Oh, beast master! He teased telepathically. I think we have a ticket out of here.

The petite Togruta had been a whirl wind of blades, having switched from her physical blades to her lightsabers. Her stamina, strength and senses were maxed above and beyond her limits before, Tahiri felt like she was glowing with the Force, similar to how the fire raged around Blackhawk's body.

Whatever this power nexus is, that was able to create and control this Circus Carnivora, is indeed powerful. But it can't last for long. Which means we need to get out before it reaches its climax and disappears.

Inside the huge tent that the trio had been driven into, the air was thicker and heavy, as if it were trying to sap their energy and weigh them down against the onslaught of foes. The smell of burnt rotting flesh and hair, to the overall musty, dank, putrid smells that already permeated the humid air assaulted Tahiri's nose, and she could tell it was bothering even Zuska.

Tahiri felt the ping and then heard the Clawdites’ telepathic message. Looking up at him atop the conglomerate of a monstrosity, she cocked her head in confusion, as her mind deciphered what he meant. Hadzuska was sprinting back and forth, snarling and lashing out with his tail and jaws, thinking he was keep all the other flesh golems back. The Elder looked between her Vornskr and the monstrosity Blackhawk was riding, it clicked into place. Extinguishing her blades, she took a deep breath in, and submerged herself within the ebbing flow of the Force. Reaching with her mind out the huge Rancor like flesh golem, she sent the command in ur-Kittât (Ancient Sith) to stop, hoping that the language itself would add to the effectiveness.

With the amount of Force that she poured into the command on the monster, it suddenly ceased it’s attempts to grab and throw it’s passenger off. Blackhawk looked at her and then the creature. Exhaling the breath she almost forgot that she taken, the Elder, speaking in the ancient tongue aloud now, told the monster to advance forward and attack the golems in front of them. The monster didn’t resist, and instantly charged at the horde.

“Zuska!” Tahiri called to her pet, who paused, looking at the monster, and then quickly got out of the way. She leapt up onto the back of the monster beside Blackhawk, and rode the creature out as it barreled right through the maze, Zuska hot on it’s heels