Something Isn't Right

[Taran]

Matthias led the Jedi down into the planet, away from all the noise of the cities. In the depths beneath the surface, it was quiet, cold, and dark. The perfect realm for the Dark Side to grow and fester. Matthias was in a paradise.

"This, my little Jedi, is your new home," he said, waving his arm at the darkness around them. "Soon, after a few months, you'll come to love this place. Its security. Its silence. Its power."

A little farther along, Matthias stopped and closed his eyes, reaching out with the Force. Searching. "Ah," he said, smiling and opening his eyes. "There it is." Continuing on, but holding closer to the left side, Matthias slowly began to turn them. "Watch your step," he told the Jedi, sending out a wave of lightning to illuminate a gaping pit less than a step to their right. "It's a long way down. You could take the quick way, I suppose, but the landing is rather painful. Personal experience."

Slowly, step by step, they made their winding way down to the bottom of the enormous pit. Once they reached the bottom, Matthias found and lit two torches, passing one to the Jedi. There were only two exits from the pit: the winding passage up, and a small tunnel.

"This pit marks your boundaries," Matthias was explaining as he headed for the small tunnel. "If you go beyond this, consider your education terminated. You may enter the bottom, of course, but if you proceed to ascend the path you are expelled from your courses."

After a short distance into the tunnel, which was small and humid, Matthias stopped and chuckled. "How silly of me. We've come all this way and have not exchanged greets." Turning around, Matthias held his right hand out to the Jedi. "My name is Matthias Blackmore, Dark Lord of the Sith, and Fist of the Dark Council. A pleasure to formally make your acquaintance."

[Jay]

"A Pleasure indeed. My name is Jayno Dragonas, youngest Jedi Master, and mouth, voice, and unfortunately malevolent hand of the Jedi counsel." Jayno paused and looked around, "This is a lot different than I thought it would be."

Jayno looked back to Matthias, "So Matthias where do I go now?"

[Taran]

"Well, Jayno," Matthias said, continuing down the tunnel. "Now, you must learn to close your eyes and listen. This education you are receiving down here is not one achieved through vocalizations and violence, though that does come later. No, the training here is one of the mind. After all, how can you control and manipulate others if you can't control yourself?"

The tunnel ended a short time later, opening into a rather cozy little room, with doorways leading to other domiciles branching off to the left and right. The room was lit by sets of subterranean lights designed to illuminate but not damage one's eyesight from prolonged exposure, hence the soft red tint.

"This is home," Matthias said. "My room is the one to the left, and since the others wont be joining us, you can have the room on the right. This here is the common room. We can prepare meals in our own rooms, but the ingredients are all in the kitchen straight ahead. There is a latrine in each room, as well. Oh, if you feel like exploring, there's a trapdoor beneath your bed that will take you to a labyrinth of tunnels."

[Jay]

"Thank-you Matthias it is an honor to be here. Now if you don't mind my doing so I will retire to my room."

Jayno walked briskly into his room and passed his hand over a sensor to close and lock the door. I'll just leave a quick message for the counsel then they won't call me wondering where I am. He reached into a pocket on the inside of his cloak and pulled out a holographic message sender. He turned it on and spoke, "I'm in," then shut it off and went to sleep.

[Taran]

Matthias watched the little Jedi, Jayno, walk into his room and shut the door. With a sigh and shake of his head, he turned and walked into his own room, closing the door behind him. Sitting down on the bed and closing his eyes, Matthias slowed his breathing and focused on the world around him, meditating and resting.

[Jay]

Jayno woke up in the earl morning, though if he wasn't so tuned with the force he would have never known. He walked to the door and opened it then walked to the kitchen to get something to eat. Jayno saw some fresh fruit, That's strange, he thought as he picked them up and went back to his room leaving his door open.

Jayno sat on his bed and meditated as he ate. The darkness here is strong. That's good! After all that's why I'm here, he thought. Jayno thought he felt a presence at the door, "Yes can I help you?"

[Taran]

Matthias watched the Jedi grab some food then return to his room. Matthias' night had passed calmly and, depressingly, uneventful. Standing, Matthias walked to Jayno's room and stood there for a moment.

"Good morning," he said, exaggerating a yawn. "Sleep or meditate well? I thought that perhaps today could be spent casting about for some hidden object of power. Care to join me? I have a hobby, of sorts, of finding and collecting them. Well, if selling them to the highest bidder can be considered collecting. Perhaps it's that I collect Credits."

[Jay]

"Why not," Jayno opened his eyes and stood up. "I slept well. Do you have a clue as to where these things are?"

[Taran]

"Most likely down," Matthias said. "There's not really much room for something of great power to be above us. If there was, it would stick out like a Twilek dancer in an upper district."

Matthias walked back out into the main room and sat down on one of the seats scattered about the room. "Now, you should know the drill from your rather restrained and incomplete Jedi training how to feel about with the Force to find objects and people. Spend the rest of the day doing so."

[Jay]

"Very well I will do so," Jayno knelt on the floor and closed his eyes feeling all around him. He stopped some ruble from falling onto himself by crushing it to dust depositing it about the room. Such darkness I have never seen the likes of it. Wait! What's that? That must be one of those objects of power Matthias was talking about. I must find more!

Within mere minutes Jayno had found and traced the locations of several of these objects. "Matthias I have found several of these strange objects of power you mentioned earlier. Do you want me to retrieve them?"

[Taran]

Matthias smiled and shrugged. "If you want. I'm just here to expose you to true potential. It's up to you to make a choice on what to do with it."

[Jay]

"I will go and get the closest on to us. I did sense life down there, but it's like nothing I have ever encountered do you know what it is?" Jayno asked while he was preparing to go into the labyrinth.

[Taran]

"Yes," Matthias said, reclining on his seat. "They are called Terentateks. They hunt Force users and kill them, absorbing their power. Essentially, they feed upon the Force."

[Jay]

"Well that's nice to know. I'll be back within the hour," he said as he leaped into the maze below.


ooc: sorry I didn't give much to go on I'm still trying to figure out how this is going to go.

[Taran]

OOC: lol no problem. Just write whatever pops into your head.


Matthias chuckled, closing his eyes and relaxing in his chair. This Jay, this Jedi, was in for a shock. One of those Force-eating creatures wasn't too tough to handle, but in numbers it was near suicide. Matthias wondered, though, whether he wanted the Jedi to succeed or die. It felt strange that he couldn't make up his mind.