[b]Azazel and Andrea -- The Korriban Tomb of Drachass Nurr, Part II[/b] Meanwhile back at the intersection where the others were waiting, their leaders with those they had taken with them gone for some time now. Then they heard something, something akin to a... bellow? And at the same time Cabur suddenly whined and retreated a little... the reason for that was the lumbering figure in the tunnel ahead. The Terentatek, blood dripping from it's jaws from it's meal, annoyed that it was interrupted glared at the people in front of it. It had heard the bellow of it's kindred and let out one of it's own as it made ready to charge. It slammed down it's claws, with a sickening sound its claws buried themselves deep in the floor creating massive grooves as it pulled them back... but Kitt... was somehow unharmed. Trizz let out a frightened scream and raised her blaster, firing off a shot more out of desperation than anything else. She critically fumbles and her blaster drops to the ground skidding a few meters behind her. Kitt, weaving between claws and hulk simply takes off running towards where she knew the people with the scary weapons would be, however, at least holding to Azazel's advice, yells back jeers and taunts, “HEY BANTHA BREATH!” trying to keep its attention. Cabur, whining, darts around to the back, striking with its claws, hoping to trip it up if it was lucky enough to sink its claws into tendons. Hakkri, however, backs up to a safer distance and aims before launching a micro-grenade at the thing's bellowing face. It needed a make-over. The massive beast ignore the little morsel of food that was more begin a pest than a thread at it's legs and was looking at the food that had escaped it, roaring and turning around when suddenly a intense blast of pain seared at it's hide and face. It slowly turned around and looked in the direction one brightly coloured being, holding up a smoking device and roared in outrage. It charged the one who hurt it and stepped on the blaster that was dropped by Trizz, somehow losing it's footing and came crashing down right in front of Hakkri with a grunt of both pain and surprise. Trizz not thinking her chances were good to retrieve her blaster decided to instead run for it... to the nearest droids and see if she could reprogram them. Still not thinking her own chances were good, and the fact there was still a monstrous force-eating Goliath behind her, Kitt just keeps running, now raising her voice and screaming, “AZAZEL! AZAZEL TERENTAKA!” Meanwhile, Cabur lets out a low growl, tail tucked as he dashes in, trying to attack again at the haunches of the Terentaka while Hakkri gets some more distance, releasing another micro-grenade... Now closer, he can spy their oh so wonderfully useless guide cowering behind droid-debris and whimpering as it tries to hide. Hakkri had no time to aim and as the grenade was fired, he watched with shock as the grenade bounced off the ceiling, landing in front of his feet, scrambling back just in time to not get hit by shrapnel but the concussive blast send the Zygerian into the wall, where he fell down and was stunned. The Terentatek got to his feet, groggy and irritated, barely sensing the jaws and claws of the Tuk'ata but it was annoying so it reached and grabbed the sith hound, who yelped and tried to get free from the grasp... especially when the Terentatek started to pull and with a sickening tearing sound Cabur was pulled apart in two bloody pieces and tossed aside. Reaching the droids she hastily got her slicing tools out to make a attempt to reprogram the droids to see the group as friendlies while seeing the Terentatek as a hostile that needed to be exterminated as quickly as possible as she went hurriedly to work. Trizz, with her earlier success with the other droids knew where to gain access to their programming and did gain access to the friend and foe protocols, however she needed time still to erase what she needed to make the droids consider her and the others as friends, or she could activate the droids right now and it would treat any organic as a threat, the Terentatek... as well as Trizz and the others... Hakkri blinks, dazed before suddenly choking back sobs as he feels something through the force. Aggros was dead, he was not sure how he was aware, but he knew. He shifts to his feet, stumbling back a few steps as he grits his teeth and attempts with another grenade, needing to get rid of this brute to get to his man. Kitt's eyes widen as she looks back briefly to see a dead and shredded Tuk'ata fly through the air. She yelps and keeps running, horrified and desperate, but now beginning to worry that Azazel and the rest weren't much better off ahead. The grenade sails past and the Terentatek turns around, sniffing the air and a long tongue extends as drool started dripping down, the one who had hurt smelled rather tasty... It charged at the food eagerly, perhaps too eager as it's claw came smashing down and somehow Hakkri managed to get out of the way, leaving the Terentatek unable to slow down it's charge and howled out in pain as a lightwhip strike delivered by Hakkri who lashed out as the beast passed it, sliced off the Terentateks entire right claw. She found it and quickly went to work, changing the friend & foe protocols and then activated the ancient droids, at first nothing happened and then clouds of dust appeared as the droids surged into motion, their sensors detecting a threat in the passageway and moved forward, raising ancient but still working blasters. Hakkri braces the blaster with one arm, releasing a steady blast as he lashes out with his lightwhip, his ears laid back and face twisted into a vicious snarl as he tries to kill the creature. There was no more running... Except for Kitt. The droids were alive too now, so whatever was ahead, it had to be better than behind with the Terentatek, droids and tuk'ata pack. It looked at its stump, not comprehending with happened for a moment before it realized the food must have done this to him with a roar it turned around with it's remaining claw primed to strike, but roared out in pain once more... and now looked at a second stump as it's remaining claw was also sliced off. It roared and tried to bite or headbutt the food but it was too nimble to hit and all the Terentatek did was splatter it's blood over Hakkri, ruining his clothes. Trizz just stared at the droids, hoping they would kill the beast, she was afraid to move in the dark on her own and whimpered hearing the roar of the beast. "Just kill it!" She shouted after the droids Four of the droids had the target in sight and fired, three of them hitting the beast, but that was just enough to penetrate one area of it's thick hide, it was now aware of new threats however. Hakkri looses an appalled hiss as his clothes are ruined. “These. Were. My. Favorite. Clothes!” He yowls out, striking out once more.... And Kitt just keeps chugging along. She thinks she can, she thinks she can. The Terentatek was shocked at the response, no prey had done this ever before it yowled with pain as strike upon strike was delivered upon it, roaring, attempting one last desperate attempt to just swallow it whole, Hakkri raising his grenade launcher and point blank shot a grenade down it's throat which the beast swallowed down, blinking stupidly for a moment... before it's head was completely blown off... and the headless corpse sagged to the ground. The droids, no longer detecting a threat... returned to their former positions. Hakkri, covered in the ichor of the beast and face frozen in a mask of rage and pain, emerges from the passage near Trizz with his light whip in one hand and Blast and Smash on his shoulder. He points the lightwhip at Trizz and snaps, “Get your gun. We're following them. If Azazel isn't dead already, she's going to be.” Picking up her gun as ordered the lieutenant of Andrea submissively followed the enraged Zygerian, probably afraid of the look in Hakkri's eyes and what it would mean if she dared to disobey the command. They ran through the corridor and as they approached, looked upon a scene of devastation, two dead Terentatek, the sith gathered around them. Kitt was there, hurriedly talking to Azazel about the terentatek they had encountered when a gore covered Hakkri approached, a fire of rage in his eyes. Azazel looks at Hakkri, stepping back slightly in alarm as the emotions coming off of him hit her. She shudders and takes another cautious step back, quickly removing her helmet to reveal her tear-streaked face. “Hakkri, I--” The Zygerian steps forward with a snarl, eyes moving from his dead lover and fixating on Azazel, “YOU. PROMISED.” Azazel looks aside, ashamed, near to tearing up again. Tannus steps forward defensive of Azazel, but uncertain after everything Kitt had said. The Zygerian daffodil had to have killed the terentatek... and the droids... To have gotten there. Hakkri moves closer, “Heal him. I've seen you do it before. Bring him back!” Azazel just remains silent. She and her people had turned off their lightsabers but had expected to rush into another fight when the Echani came running, screaming of another Terentatek back with the others. Then Hakkri appeared and Andrea flinched at the emotions coming from him in waves and was making ready for battle again, but not with a Terentatek. Andrea motioned her people to not make a move however as she watched and listened, looking from Azazel to Hakkri. It seemed Trizz was shaken, the lieutenant was stepping away from Hakkri, smart, Andrea thought. As no one speaks, Hakkri moves even closer to Azazel, carefully stepping around Aggros, “I said bring him back.” Azazel shakes her head, “I can't.” “Why, because you saved your whore?!” he snaps, pointing his gun at Andrea briefly to note who he was talking about, “All tired out? You said you could do anything! Do it!” The dark lady frowns and keeps looking away, “The dead not gifted... They're beyond reach. Forever.” Hakkri steps to be face to face with Azazel, “You lied to me... He's dead. You let it happen. None of you stopped it. Not a single one of you has a scratch. But he's dead.” He raises the gun level with Azazel's head, hand trembling, finger at the trigger. As Tannus gets ready to move in to stop him, Azazel waves him off with a small gesture. “Why shouldn't I kill you now...” Azazel just watches Hakkri, “Because you can't.” The Zygerian jams the gun against her, “Because I'm weak?! I killed that thing! I've killed men for you, Azazel! With families! I can do it now. Without thinking twice.... Those people didn't deserve it. But you do. You're no better than any of those people you say are the scum, the problem. You're a hypocrite. And a liar. You can't do anything. You couldn't stop this.” The Sith master seems to regain a little of her composure at that, tearing the gun away with a blast of the force and slapping aside the light-whip when it comes at her in retaliation. “You can't, because you are my apprentice, and I am the master. You couldn't kill me on your best day.” Her fist begins to clench and Hakkri gasps as he feels pressure collapsing in around him, his body starting to wrench up into the air and his eyes wide. “You speak out of your place,” she hisses, stepping up and staring at Hakkri with eyes ablaze at the insult. “We are not friends. We are not equals. We will never be.” She hurls Hakkri aside with a gesture of her hand, him smacking into the nearest statue with a thump before slipping to the floor. He winces and looks at her with cold fury. “We are Sith...” she says simply, turning away and advancing closer to the tomb. Andrea watched it happen in silence and did not interfere, this was something internal within Azazel's command structure, she did however make a note of it and was already imagine several ideas on what this series of events could mean for her to take advantage off. If Azazel had a apprentice who wants her dead... and one day Azazel might become a threat to her, well that was good information to have. She looked at the Terentatek corpses, snapping her fingers for Trizz to notice her and then pointed at them. "Collect as many samples as you can." She said, just as Azazel hurled Hakkri to one of the statues and stepped towards the tomb, she quickly hurried forwards. "Azazel! Wait, what about any traps?" She quickly caught up to Azazel, not making a comment about what just happened and just continued with the business at hand. "Perhaps we ought to study this tomb first, perhaps find a clue about any possible traps or anything else of note." She said as she put her words into effect and started to study the tomb, looking for anything out of the ordinary or of note. She just keeps advancing, “It doesn't matter. These traps are pathetic, nothing a true sith can't handle. She reaches the resting place of the sith and looks over it with hooded eyes, searching for anything on the outside that might prove fruitful. The only thing that seemed to stand out to Azazel was that this second casket had some extra decoration, it appeared as the casket was on fire with the chiseled flames on the side. Andrea meanwhile studied the hieroglyphics, they were actually exactly the same as the ones in the Tuk'ata tomb, though she had missed something that seemed at the center of the majority of the stories of the dead sith lord whose tomb they were in. Most of these stories were accounts of the battles this ancient sith waged and his most preferred means of fighting his foes, the sith lord was depicted, facing his opponents, with flames appearing around his outstretched hands and burning his enemies to ashes. Andrea blinked at that, "Huh... why didn't we notice that sooner... say Azazel... care to take a look at this?" She said, calling out to her fellow sith to take a look. Upon Azazel's face, a faint smile spreads as she traces over the fire-etched decorations, before opening the casket, all but ignoring Andrea. The moment Azazel lays hands on the casket she let out a scream, she felt part of her powers being leeched off, first her force protection, it's power consumed by something ancient and then she felt more of her power bleed away as if she had been hit by a form of force drain and then... laughter. The source of the laughter a glowing blue spectral appearance floating out of the tomb, "I LIVE AGAIN!" The wraith, the spectral essence of Drachass Nuur turned around and chuckled, "I KNEW IT! ONE DAY POWERFUL ONES SUCH AS YOU WOULD PENETRATE MY TOMB! NOW DIE AND GIVE ME YOUR ESSENCE SO I MAY WALK THIS MORTAL COIL ONCE MORE!" It turned to Azazel, smirking, "THANK YOU." It made a small gesture with his hand... and Azazel was flung to a nearby wall, the breath knocked out of her even more as she felt as if she was still being drained. It then turned around and looked at Andrea, raising it's spectral brows. "YOU ARE ALMOST AS STRONG AS THAT ONE... OR PERHAPS STRONGER... EXCELLENT." It laughed again and suddenly formed a orb of flame within his hands that shot out at Andrea and exploded, hurling her off her feet, her only saving grace from the fire her protection bubble that was now gone. Andrea blinked, she was staring at the ceiling... because a sith wraith of some kind was hurling fireballs at her... She rose up slowly, she had been surprisingly handling things well she figured... her throat had been almost ripped out... Terentateks were trying to kill her... and now... a sith wraith was hurling fire at her... and she decided that she had enough. She stared at the wraith, her eyes crimson and yellow, sith eyes as she glared at the wraith. "ENOUGH!" She bellowed, arcs of lightning dancing around her. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! AND I WILL NOT ALLOW SOME DEAD SITH TO STEAL OUR GLORY!" She screamed as she and her people let loose barrage after barrage of lightning at the wraith. It was laughing again, finding it cute that such sith pretenders thought they could kill a true Sith pure-blood such as himself... but then he felt the power buildup in the one he had hurled a fireball at and another and a feeling came to him that he had forgotten since he had died... fear. Its eyes widened as lightning sped forth, too many arcs too count. "NOOOO!" It screamed in despair as he could not avoid the oncoming storm and then was struck mid-air, lightning coursing through his form and he screamed and screamed as he was being disintegrated piece by piece, reaching out to the form of Azazel as if he hoped to gain her strength in the hopes to survive but it was too late and with a final scream of despair... the wraith of Drachass Nuur... simply ceased to exist... Andrea was panting, but satisfied, gritting her teeth as she took a step forward, ignoring her sore muscles as she walked towards Azazel to see if she needed assistance. Azazel grunts and gets to her feet, rubbing her head and already missing her helmet. “What... Just even happened?” She hid her relief upon seeing Azazel was still alive and instead let out a grunt and shrug, "Guessing that was the wraith of the sith whose tomb this is, apparently installed some means to return back to the living. I think we foiled those plans... it made the bad decision to piss me off, you saw one of my force storms earlier, I just did that again." She finished saying with a growl, staring at the spot where the force wraith had been disintegrated by the combined powers of herself and Rhak-skuri. Azazel blinks, still trying to get rid of the stars before nodding and using Andrea to steady herself. “Alright.... Now... Let me try that again...” She winces, leg beginning to bother her with all the new aches again. “This guy better be worth all this...” Supporting Azazel she walked beside her to the casket to indeed see if there was a reward for all this. As both sith reached the casket they looked upon the mummified remains of what they guessed must be Drachass Nuur, in his mummified hands that were placed on top of his chest he was holding a single sith holocron. Azazel looks at the holocron, regret flickering across her face for a moment before she grabs the holocron. “Let's see what else is in here,” she whispers, closing her eyes. Andrea let go of Azazel, crossing her arms and looking at her fellow sith. "So..." She said in a whisper, wanting this conversation to stay between them and not be overheard by their people. "Care to come clean with me? About this 'training run'?" She said, staring at the holocron in Azazel's hands. “I didn't know much...” She says, eying the holocron. “But it was enough. A holocron of Khaelesh's. It spoke of this place. Knowledge, power. Though, I also wanted to see how those with me would hold up in such a place. I would have come, just you and I if it were not part of my goals.” She glances back at Hakkri, “They did... Very well. Yet, they still need to be more prepared.” Azazel brushes her hair back, looking back at Andrea. “There should be more here, but at least we have the information from the droids, and you have samples of the terentateks and new tuk'ata as well. A worthwhile endeavor, I suppose...” She snorted, "Knowledge and power? Sounds more like that was a lure for a trap, seeing how that wraith was talking when it appeared." She turned away from Azazel, still talking. "Still... good to know that you do not trust me still, claiming this was for training while in truth you were hunting for treasure." As Andrea looked back the hint of suppressed anger and at a deeper level, betrayal she felt was evident before she turned to Trizz who informed her that the samples had been collected, as well as evidence these beasts were also poisonous, she took the phial of poison Trizz had collected, looking at it before she chucked it towards Hakkri. "Here, for your mistress, so it can be put to good use." Snapping her fingers for her people to follow her. "I am getting out of this accursed place... Keep up if you do not want to miss the speeder back to the academy." Azazel closes her eyes, fighting down her own feelings before following behind. Hakkri eyes the poison, a scowl still on his face before pocketing it, Tannus giving the Zygerian a wary look before shaking his head. “You will learn, Hakkri... We all have.” He moves forward and picks up Azazel's helmet before kicking at a dead terentaka, “Azazel, if you want, I can go back with Andrea and get the shuttle back he-” Azazel gestures for him to be quiet, and he falls silent with a raspy sigh, “You look like Lydz when her and Rei'ki fight.” Azazel leers and snags the helmet out of his hands, quickly covering her face, “Help me with Aggros, I can't carry him alone.” At those words, Hakkri gets up and shoves Azazel away from the dead man. Azazel merely regathers her composure and continues to follow Andrea. --- They had arrived back at the academy, she had distanced herself from Azazel right away and went to her quarters, removing her armour while ordering her Zeltron and Twi'lek slaves to prepare a bath for her. She had been basking in it's water for a while when she had enough of the requests Azazel was sending and just accepted her request for a talk and informed her to join her in her quarters to get this over with. She had her eyes closed, floating lightly in the water, close to the side when she heard one of the Zeltron welcome Azazel in and footsteps indicating that she was being escorted to her. She didn't acknowledge her presence with words, merely opening her eyes and staring at the other sith lord, raising a eyebrow. As Azazel passes through the door, she watches Andrea floating, silent. Her armour was gone, as well as the weapons. Remaining was simply a tunic stylized after jedi ceremonial attire, cloth pants and her anklet bells. She approaches the tub silently, stopping at the edge before sitting on the rim. “I knew this could be a trap. I didn't trust Khaelesh. He wants me dead.” She hesitates, fingertips skirting over the water's edge. “I couldn't trust any of the others. And I still do not know how to look at you. We have helped each other, shared a bed, and yet... Can you honestly say you have no thoughts of seeing me dead still?” She looks away. She did not look away, staring at Azazel the entire time since she walked in, finally looking away as she rose up a arm and hand from the water, droplets dripping down as she took hold of Azazel's hand. "Interesting, one would assume you would place your trust with the one who you publicly share a bed with, or could he not be lured away from his precious tin soldiers?" She said with a snort. "Nevermind, as for your question... if I had any such thoughts... or if I believed you had any such thoughts, well then I think certain events would have gone differently... like when that sith hound had it's teeth into your flesh... or when my throat..." Her other hand came to her throat before she dipped it back down in the water, resisting the urge to feel her throat. Azazel scoffs, knowing she was always second to the Mandalorian cause of Gra'tua's. She frowns and looks back at Andrea, watching her hand, then dipping down to kiss along her throat. “I would not let that happen to you, ever...” She lets out a soft cooing sound. "Hmmm... we both have secrets... I accept that... but.." Her hand was around Azazel's neck now and she squeezes a little bit, forcing the both of them to stare each other in the eye. "But if the both of us are working together on something... and the other knows this it might be a trap... or might lead to a trove of treasure, knowledge or power... it will not be kept hidden, because I felt like I was used Azazel, you did not treat me as a partner or ally... you treated me as expendable labour, withholding information... as I said, secrets are fine but not on matters we are supposed to work together on." Her eyes glimmer for a moment at the forcefulness Andrea was using before she traces her fingers along the other sith's hand and wrist. “If you insist, Mistress...” she murmurs, letting herself slip into the water alongside the lady of Korriban. “Am I forgiven?” She smiles, murmuring near Azazel's ear. "Yes... at least... you will be once I am satisfied after we are done here..." She said with a grin as she lowered her head, at the same time her slaves locked the door and made sure that all incoming calls were blocked. Summary --- Azazel: DING, lvl-up - vibroblade proficiency 2 -------Sith Holocron: Pyrokinesis and Force Jump 2 will be unlocked for Azazel when studied. Tannus: DING, lvl-up, sabre barrier 1 Acquired: Terentatek poison, Sith Holocron Construction Bay Contract: Syndicate who have a order of several assault craft to be constructed, 40 SP per month, Medium Risk Droid Foundry Contract: Syndicate, wishing to have some assassin droids manufactured, 15 SP per month, No Risk Honorable Mention – Kitt, lvl 4 Lieutenant killed a tuk'ata with her bare hands and survived this mission, what a bad-ass Tannus apparently was the most capable person in the group Hakkri, a lvl 8 Apprentice killed a Terentatek Andrea: DING, lvl-up Rhak-skuri: DING, lvl-up Acquired: 4 Tuk'ata, Terentatek DNA samples Honorable Mention – Andrea has very scary force storms Rhak-skuri almost gained a level for looking at things