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.

Sand and pebbles crunched underfoot as Valtiere moved through the tunnel, crouched, eyes darting about. The light had faded as he had descended into the cave, leaving him in a world of shadow and darkness. The wind's shrill howl had died down as well, allowing a hush to slowly settle in the depths. He held his pistol forward, the maw of its barrel leading him through the twists and turns of the caves. HIs right eye shone in the darkness, casting everything in a clinical blue light. The draw of the relic increased with every step, pulling him to the nexus of the warren-like tunnels like a homing beacon.

Preternatural senses suddenly flashed, the Battlemaster rolling forward, spinning as he rose. As he turned he came face to face with a nightmare creature that reminded him of an amalgam of gorilla and toad: A Wraid. It held for a moment, it's animal brain trying to process the unexpected situation brought about by Valtiere's pre-emptive dodge. He saw it hunker down on its grotesquely swollen forearms, obviously preparing itself for another attack.

Before it could leap again, Nikola squeezed the trigger, a round clipping the Wraid's thick skull. It let out a keening wail, staggering back due to the impact. Valtiere didn't let up, however, using the Force like a hammer, smashing the Wraid into the ground and reducing its head into an unrecognisable mess. Satisfied with his work he turned around...

To find another Wraid facing him, it's wide maw making it look like it was grinning. The Battlemaster gritted his teeth, berating himself for forgetting that Wraids very rarely hunted alone. He stood to his full height, holstering his pistol and drawing his lightsaber. The yellow blade snapped to life, throwing out bilious light, shadows becoming stretched parodies on the uneven walls. He didn't wait for the Wraid to move this time, rushing forward, inhumanly fast due to the grace of the Force. The yellow blade sliced the tough flesh, the smell of it burning filling his nostrils with the familiar scent of lightsaber battle. Valtiere rolled under a swipe, blade stabbing up through the mouth of the beast, spearing its simple brain. He moved the blade back and forth, killing the animal with a clinical ferocity. As it crashed to the ground, Nikola checked himself over, clamping a hand over a cut on his left shoulder. He had gotten careless it seems. Still, not a major wound. He could look at it after he had gotten the relic.

clap clap clap

Valtiere turned to find another in the cave with him. An unremarkable man, with dark hair and dark eyes. Another Dark Jedi...of course. Glory seekers would be drawn to the relic as well, all of them wanting to curry favour with the Grand Master. Still, even Valtiere knew who this man was: the Consul of the newly clanned Plagueis, Aabsdu Di Plagia Dupar. Even among Dark Jedi, members of Plagueis were self-serving and egotistical. Their rivalry with Arcona was well known, especially now that Plagueis had become a fellow Clan, eager to be seen on the same stage. Simply more politics Valtiere had no time for. Still, Dupar was a powerful Dark Jedi, in the upper echelons of the Brotherhood. Nikola held up his lightsaber in a guard stance, preparing himself for the inevitable fight to come.

"Impressive, you've done well in clearing the way of the beasts, Arconan. Now move, there doesn't need to be a fight here. Let the better man through." Aabsdu had an insincere grin on his face the entire time, while Valtiere's face remained fixed in a grim line.

"You're not passing, Plagueian." Valtiere responded, crouching slightly. "I'm not having vultures take what I worked for."

Aabsdu's smile vanished, the easygoing demeanour disappearing in a flash as a pair of white blades hissed to life, their thrum adding to the environment, underlining the aggression.

"So be it."

The Adept charged, twin blades becoming wheels of silver as he spun them. Valtiere shifted weight to his back leg, still crouched, blade angled at fifty degrees. The Battlemaster was taller than the Consul of Plagueis, but he knew size matters not when dealing in the abysses of the Force. Against his own imposing presence, against the balloon of energy around Aabsdu, something stronger and darker called to them from the recesses of the tunnels. Valtiere’s goal, his prize, his true desire.

Aabsdu struck hard and fast. The Krath locked both blades perpendicularly against the Sith’s, pushing him back an inch, boots sliding on the dusty floor from the sheer force of the onslaught. Aabsdu wasted no time as he brought his right blade around for an underhand swipe while twisting his left sideways. Valtiere shifted left face, dodging the swipe while swinging his blade right to slap away Aabsdu’s left jab. An opening appeared which Valtiere seized, bringing his blade down and forcing the Adept to sidestep, yellow plasma scolding the tip of the man’s nose.

As Aabsdu dodged, Valtiere stepped forward, sliding around the Consul. The next attack came too soon - Valtiere arched his blade back just as Aabsdu spun with white swords spread wide. Only one was blocked; the other sliced through his outer armor but only singed his skin.

A silver and golden glow radiated faintly across the curved cave walls as Valtiere pushed off his attacker and spun just as Aabsdu stepped forward with another wave of slashes, strikes, and jabs. The Sith blocked, dodged, or redirected every blow as he gave way, maneuvering backwards further into the tunnels and always between Aabsdu and the strengthening source of power. Even the low haze of bioluminescent fungi faded as the only light became the erratic strobe of Valtiere’s blue gaze through the blur of pearl and yellow fury waging between the warriors. He landed a gracing blow across Aabsdu’s left shoulder, but the Plagueian ignored the burn as he continued his assault. Sweat dotted the Sith’s brow, his face clenched in determination. The whirring and sizzle of lightsabers clashing echoed through the tunnels, drawing the attention of distant beasts to unwanted guests in their halls.

"You are as foolish as your brothers," Aabsdu mocked, "Thinking yourself destined for power when the greater man stands before you."

Aabsdu brought his right blade down diagonally while jabbing beneath with his left, forcing Valtiere to duck left. The strike knocked Valtiere’s blade right, putting the Sith off-balance enough for the Krath to send a hard knee into the Battlemaster’s chin.

Aabsdu paused, lightsabers at his side, "This isn’t a dogfight, Arconan. Boots on stone."

Growls drew their attention as points of red sparked into existence around them. Valtiere’s cybernetic scanned the darkness, perceiving a handful of tunnels breaking from their own. The vortex of power he sought lay clearly down one while the others started to spawn wraids.

His Plagueian counter sent a torrent of electricity surging into the wraid nearest. The beast howled as its hide burned and its legs gave out. Looking up at Aabsdu for the first time, Valtiere’s mind spun as a plan formed, gaze darting between tunnels, wraids, and Krath. He knew he could continue outmaneuvering the Consul, but he needed to take the offensive to claim victory. Valtiere could not best the Consul at swords, strength, or power, but maintained one clear advantage. Sometimes, gravity could be such a bore.

The pack of wraids circled as Valtiere stood, lightsaber angled forward. The beasts were hungry but cautious against the show of power. The Sith skipped forward with a left hand swipe at Aabsdu’s neck, easily deflected, but Valtiere had another goal in mind. He shifted his body right to avoid a counter jab before stabbing straight at Aabsdu’s chest. This time, as the Krath blocked with his left, Valtiere angled his jab upward, forcing Aabsdu to bring down his right blade and lock them together.

The Force flowed through his limbs as Valtiere rotated his body wholly around, angling his arms and lightsaber to his side, back, then side again. The move twisted Aabsdu’s block further than intended and forced him to rotate around, but Valtiere was more flexible.

Facing each other again, blades still locked, Valtiere summoned the dark energies of Begeren to reinvigorate his plight and launch into the air, applying weight to their lock to propel himself up and over the Adept. As Aabsdu was pulled around, blades clung together, Valtiere kicked off the back wall and planted himself on the ground behind Aabsdu.

While Aabsdu’s attacks were fast and sharp, Valtiere knew his height was forcing the former Headmaster into a single direction of action: up.

This time, Valtiere went low.

Acting on instinct, Aabsdu immediately pulled his blades around in a helicopter pattern where he expected the Arconan’s head to appear standing upright.

Instead, Valtiere crouched low, blade poised to slice off the Adept’s feet. The move seemed to fail as Aabsdu vaulted himself into the air, adjusting his attack into a dodge before Valtiere had fully angled his weapon for the disabling blow, but the Sith also adapted. Aabsdu avoided the attack but left himself open hanging in the air for a split second. In that second, Valtiere raised his hand palm out and blasted the Adept backward several meters.

Aabsdu landed in a ball, rolling to his feet with one lightsaber reignited, but his second went spinning away. He frowned, gaze piercing the darkness, but Valtiere smiled as a large wraid threw itself at the Plagueian with a fierce, bloodthirsty growl. The Arconan watched the horde swarm toward Aabsdu, who was swinging his blade and sending out arcs of electricity.

The outcome was of no importance. Valtiere’s prize lay the other direction, close enough to taste the strength soon granted. Lit by surges of white and blue behind, Valtiere moved further into the darkness.