[IC] Hirak's Holo Diary

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((originally posted by Hirak Sanguinis, March 2017))

Entry 11: A Completed Lightsaber

*Hirak steps into view, a red and black lightsaber hangs at his side, the metal of a rustic Rattataki blade blended in with hardened metal crafted by a Chiss metallurgist, a beautiful weapon to behold perhaps. Much like a venus fly trap, it invites a curious eye, only to be lost. Regardless, the Apprentice clad in black from head to toe begins to speak.*

"I'll not bore you with the tales regarding my run in with the Blade or the Padawan and her master I encountered on Hoth. Those are tales that are seemingly meaningless in the long run of things. What is most important is that I have my lightsaber. It is a stunning mixture of Chiss work and my own Rattataki engineering skills.

After I had gone into the tundra, into the deadly death trap known as the Ship Graveyard, I had an encounter with thugs who were organised enough to work an active APC. As I said before, I won't go into it, but I made quick work of them and finally got all the items I needed to finish building my lightsaber: a Diatium power cell, focusing lens and an energiser, a power insulator and a emitter matrix. With all that crafted alongside the hilt, it was only a matter of time before I could sit down and really concentrate on it's creation."

*Hirak pulls out another datapad and out from it's emitter arrives a fully diagnostic picture of Hoth which then zooms down onto the Chiss base and then just further out to a private location that sits not too far away but enough for it not to be a problem should he run into trouble. The location is surrounded by various ruins, stone heads and buildings that stick out of the snow. One might get the feeling a massacre once happened here.*

"I chose a location strong in the force nearby the Chiss Ascendency base I was staying at. I sat down and began the construction utilising the force to arrange all the bits. The hilt was in two pieces and I had put everything together, arranging the power-cell in the back with the insulator, funneling into the power crystal and then the focusing lens straight after, the electrical workings of the emitter matrix straight after before attaching the two components together. After that it was quite simply really... even a brute could put together a lightsaber. I just had to follow the instructions from my master precisely and that rest I could feel from intuition.

And now I can cut through any foe, deflect any blaster. I can duel with the best of any of the Lords and sith within House Horuset, except the Darth himself. I can finally learn how to utilise the true strength of a Sith and become the ultimate warrior. Next time that ilkek Padawan will not escape from me with her master, I'll cut them down where they stand! I'll be unstoppable!"

*Hirak laughs. The heaving almost cackle like in sound but clearly far more manic than sane. He'd heave for a moment before smirking. Waving a hand at the transmitter, the holorecorder turns off immediately, ending the transmission.*

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((Originally posted by Hirak Sanguinis, April 2017))

Entry 12: The Arious War Begins

*A hooded figure walks into the shot, he stumbles down into a chair and pulls away the hood to reveal the pale Rattataki skin, the hairless head and the scars marking his ascension in the gladitorial pits of Rattatak. The alien then eases aside his robe so that his chest can be seen, bandages cover it and it's clear surgery has been performed on it. Hirak would smirk deviously and cough, whincing in pain whilst his left hand comes off of the robe to point at the bandaged chest.*

"A glorious reminder of my new capabilities and the road ahead. Tonight began our war against the Arious Empire, the cretinous breakaway sith who'd proclaimed their own emperor and gone off into the further reaches of the galaxy to found their own Sith Empire whilst our own had crumbled in the war against Zakuul and the Eternal Throne. Darth Horuset gathered us all, including the acolytes. I'll take a moment to speak of these acolytes before I continue, as I have spoken of Raeniu, Therdel, Zirvesh, Zunda and Trakaton before.

The acolytes we have garnered since my time have been both... promising and disappointing. The few that joined us on this first assault included Tashha, Aljo, Occularis, Siors and Temekel. Tashha is a giant human with a few cybernetic enhancements. She's strong, poweful yet slow. Djem So tends to be her favoured stance and honestly I have no doubt that if she got the... right kind of training she might go far with it. I must mention I have seen Therdel eye her up once or twice, perhaps wondering if even he could take her."

*Hirak would chuckle at his joke and then grip his chest, the pain riveting through his body and by his facial expressiosn it would be rather clear.*

"Next is Aljo, a Lethan Twi'elk, a rare breed of sith acolyte not one you see often, perhaps almost as rare as my own kind in fact. Her favoured form is Ataru, her acrobatic skills allow her the dexterity not many have. If she manages to move out of Zaryaa's shadow then perhaps she could be useful to the House. Time will tell though. Occularis... I say that name with venom. She almost got me killed, the damn ilkek azk-azak! She once used Soresu at me and whilst I have no doubt she'll convert that into a form of Niman under Cautus' watchful eye, she's been to conditioned by slavery to be useful. Siors is a brute, a manic personality who I've noticed hates Vipions. On further inquiry it seems he has reason to... I'll have to make sure I punish him so my Master can delight in his agony. Regardless, he has skill latent and will no doubt unlock it if he, much like myself, can find a way past his bullheaded nature. Finally, Temekel. One of the few purebloods I can actually stand. She's humble and knowledgeable; a skilled medic in her profession. Other than that, I know very little of her capability other than her lack of any desire to fight. Perhaps Ziost has put a fear in her that is too strong.

These acolytes turned up alongside the apprentices and the Lord to be briefed by Darth Horuset who instructed us that the Arious Empire must die. We'd be engaging them and attacking their flagship, sending a strike team of all our Sith to kill their emperor and lay them low by cutting off their head. So that's what we did. We burst through their perimeters and landed in one of their hangers before using grappling hooks to get in through one of their upper story windows, utilising lightsabers to get in. After assembling we cut our way through swathes of them, butchering all we came across until we got to the bridge of the Arious ship. There, we faced their emperor and his retainer. My master, Lord Tokiai, took a bunch of us including Darth Horuset and Zarrious, the exile (I forgot to mention he was brought back to aid us on some sort of condition... no doubt treacherous), Lord Saud, Cautus, Zirvesh and myself to take them on and complete our mission. Trakaton took the acolytes and others to fight the soldiers still streaming out from the other sides of the ship.

As we approached the Emperor, the Dark Lord exchanged heated words and then attacked fighting a ferocious duel with the traitor. Myself and my Master took on a proficient Makashi user, using our dual saber strength to crush him. It was glorious, the thrill of true battle was amazing, it drove my anger and hatred of them to a sky-rocketing high. If I had been more proficient in Juyo then I would've sung the battle song like a god. Regardless, we forced him to utilise dark sith magic to turn himself into a Sith Spawn. A gigantic, terrible creature emerged with flailing swords for arms, a huge tail and a disgusting aura of decay that ate at your soul, your willpower, every notiong of positivity. It was terrifying, and I almost was killed by it. It wrenched a hole in my armour and tore a nasty slash in my chest whilst it was fighting my master. Thankfully, Zirvesh and I were called to lend him our strength and that allowed him to kill the beast. With the creature dead, Darth Horuset slaughtered the Arious Emperor and our task was complete but the war was not over..."

*Hirak shifts uncomfortably in his chair, a hand instinctively comes up to touch his chest whilst he moves*

"We gathered what we could of their data, intel on their ships and capabilities before scrambling back. I had to go to the medbay due to my injuries and there was seen to by Temekel. It was during this that I met Ovidian, an Arkanian wandering doctor who performed the surgery alongside her. Never before have I seen so many cybernetic attachments on a near-human. His skill was great, but it does not stop the numbing pain I feel currently... a lesson I'll never forget; never freeze when facing down a fearsome sithspawn. After this I came back here to update my holodiary so I wouldn't forget the details of the event... perhaps I'll muse on this when we win this war in hindsight.

End Transmission."

*Hirak wafts his right hand ominously at the holorecorder. He doesn't move but leans back and begins to breathe heavily, clearly speaking had taken it out of him and his tired body was starting to give in to needing sleep. Regardless, the blue beam of the holorecorder would eventually slam down back into the device.*

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((originally posted by Hirak Sanguinis, April 2017))

Entry 13:  Central Changes, The Exile and Korse

*Hirak walks into shot covered in his robe, the hood is pulled up over his head and only his amber eyes stare out from the darkness that covers his facial features. His robe is clearly one of the Apprentice style ones, very similar to any images of Lord Tokiai in his apprentice days. Regardless, streaks of red adorn the blackened clothing which hangs loosely to his body. Just by his neck are the streaks of bandages, freshly changed from the medbay. It's clear that the Rattataki apprentice is still suffering from the wounds he acquired during the first Arious assault.*

"With the Arious War on going there have been a few matters that need to be clarified for future reference. Lord Zarrious, the exiled sith who was once betrothed to Lord Saud was recalled to fight alongside us in the war. The reasons for this are unknown to me... and I have my suspicions but honestly I couldn't really care less. Zarrious was never someone I considered problematic for the House, he was a blademaster and a good tutor. Now that we fight the Arious and we only have two or so Lords on our side, an extra warrior is greatly needed.

Perhaps I'll find a way to learn from him, despite that I've heard none should be learning from him without permission. I sadly learnt this the hard way by asking my master if I could utilise his knowledge in an effort to become stronger. I was denied. I suppose it would make sense for Lord Tokiai to not want his star apprentice learning from a man who was once engaged to his bethrothed or... ti-... ti.. tiyarcha? A stupid word..."

*Hirak would waft a hand at the holorecorder in an idle fashion, clearly both amused and annoyed by the mention of it.*

"Some of the changes have been implemented including the removal of the Acolyte trials for now. It's quite the blow to the Acolytes who've not made it into the apprentice ranks thus far. I almost feel sorry for them, but then also quite sad that I will be missing out learning from the very best in a war situation at such a tender, ripe stage of my sith career. Hmm... much to think about.

Clearly, things have changed in that regard. As we build up our resources to strike out into the heart of this False Empire, I've been requested by my master to start learning Force Inertia. Now, from my studies I've found that Force Inertia is a strong ability, very good for the practice of Juyo. It allows one to change direction mid fight, pushing the natural inertia of your body in a completely unnatural way with the force. Trying this has been... worrisome, as I know my body will break accidentally should I try to do it with improper knowledge. So, I've spent a fair few nights in the library. Safe to say I made a slight attempt... almost broke my legs and now I've got a slight limp. That was merely a slight attempt. I'll need to be extra careful next time."

*Hirak breathes out heavily, a large sigh echoing from the holorecorder.*

"Finally, Korse. The Massassi you may have heard me talk about before? She's a nuisance more than anything. A loyal nuisance to our master, but acts more like a pet akk dog than a warrior. Docile and dumb, she's always been really interested in stories. My 'fondest' memories are of her random attacks on my person... but thankfully my master gave us the chance to get some retribution. Zirvesh and I approached her and discussed with her the fact that her behaviour had earned her the ire of Lord Tokiai and that she was to be extradited from the tribe. So we began to pummel her into submission. Of course, she fought back. A valiant effort but the combined power of myself and Zirvesh - to note our Master always puts us together due to the strength we possess together -  we put her on her back before getting the acolyte Siors to remove her from the ship.

All in all, a rather interesting set of events. Korse's removal provided an apt opportunity to practice my own force powers. They've been rather lacking recently and it's about time I caught up...

End transmission."

*Hirak would wave a hand horizontally towards the holorecorder and then walk away. The recorder's blue beam would return into the device before finishing.*

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((originally posted by Hirak Sanguinis, April 2017))

Entry 14: Landfall on Yarrick IV

*A devestated looking Hirak walks in. He's covered in his armoured carapace, the chest and back almost caved in with blaster bolt fire, his clothed underrobe seared almost as his face cut with scrapes. His face is contorted with fear, a deathly glow ravaging the usual emotionless composure the Rattataki usually offers to the holorecording. He growls and then roars, throwing the room around with the force. He'd step off camera for a moment, doing something that involves a lot of clanging before stepping back into frame. He'd stare at the camera before speaking.*

"Lord Tokiai and Lord Saud... they're... I can't even begin to word it. I shall have to begin from the top...

Myself and Zirvesh were called to the outposts of one of our new defensive bases in the Arious Empire's territory. It was a world called Yarrick IV, a barren cold wasteland that had little resources other than a border colony. It was there that Darth Horuset had instructed my master, Lord Tokiai, to build an outpost and then man it with our troops so that we might push forward into Arious territory.

When we had arrived, our master instructed us to make sure everyone was prepared and ready to set out and scout the planet to make sure no spies had infiltrated our sector until suddenly the senses went off. A fleet of Arious ships pulled into orbit out of hyperspace before bombarding our location and sending ground troops to take over the facility. Their strength was beyond what we had been prepared for. Immediately, my master called for support. Our flagship was alerted and our own forces were organised to come aid us at the behest of Lord Saud and the imperial troops. When they arrived, myself, Zirvesh and Lord Tokiai had already set up a defensive perimeter when the Arious began, firing blaster bolts upon blaster bolts at us. Their numbers swarmed up on us, thousands of them approached. I only just managed to hold off what I could using Form V: Shien. With the high guard and the dark side flushing through me, we held the line. Myself and Zirvesh formulated the right flank with a detachment of guards. Our efforts were almost naught when the Arious started to fire upon our defense turret.

Lord Tokiai had rushed to it's aid, using the force and his own weapon to fend off the Arious onslaught but we were severely outnumbered. However, as we thought we would buckle our forces had arrived just beyond the outpost and had made their way here under the command of Lord Saud. Strangely, the heir to the Horuset throne decided to do an almost crazy suicide run into the Arious forces by sending their speeders into their front line... it had no real effect on the larger group but they were sorely needed all the same. Trakaton had arrived with his master and lead up a tank on the right flank where myself and Zirvesh had been as we began our retreat into the complex. Along with the relief force came a majority of the acolytes, alongside some of the Dark Honour guard dispatched by Darth Horuset himself, as well as the apprentices Raeniu, Therdel and Zunda. Weapon fire, death, destruction, a few stray bolts almost killed me by ripping through my armour when I was too slow, as well as causing severe damage to the others who stood by me..."

*Hirak would point to the various dents and holes in his armoured carapace. His whole face would grimace, the darkened amber eyes betraying his shock.*

"But none of that effort was enough. We set up mines in the main corridor to hold them off as we retreated. Our one tank managed to hold of the relentless chase that their sith gave us, managing to slaughter one of their own who valiantly took one of the shots but to no avail. The second shot came straight after and blew the front. But this was not enough to stop their attack, for whilst House Horuset comprises of mostly acolytes and apprentices our enemy offered a large number of Sith and Sith Lords who broke through. I remember turning to Lord Saud and stating to her that it would be an honour to die with her to which she scowled and made a rather passive-aggressive comment about not dying and me being pathetic. I suppose that was well earned... I had never seen such a large force with my own eyes before. Hysterics aside, I steeled myself alongside Zirvesh ready to defend our retreat.

When finally the Arious forces reared around the corner ready to mow us down with the full might of their army, Lord Saud ordered a full retreat whilst my master ran into the computer room to delete all the information we had stored there of our own defenses and of House Horuset's assets. A valiant effort by my master, one that... well... it bought us enough time to flee back to the shuttles. But my master and Lord Saud stayed behind even as the Arious brought up the charge, firing rockets and turbo lasers at the shuttles that picked us up.

They were taken, or even worse killed. I do not know how to react to this, with my master gone alongside Lord Saud who will teach us? Who will be able to share the knowledge to the new generation. We're Sith, I shouldn't feel affronted but I do. I barely had much from my master before he was ripped away by the Arious and may never return. All his secrets buried in a heap of limbs. It makes me so angry. I swear that I shall skewer every single Arious I see until I find him. No one stops my progression without my say so!"

*Hirak would snarl and turn around, he'd pick up some of the furniture with the force before whipping it around at the walls like a spoiled child. After finishing his tantrum, he'd turn back to stare right at the holorecorder with a dismayed sinking of his eyebrows and the relaxing of his jawline which had been tense throughout the recording.*

"And so we returned lost and broken. Preparing to pave our own way until our masters can return.

End transmission."

*Hirak would heave for a moment in anger, seething as he does so before he waves his hand in front of the holorecorder. The blue shine would disappear down into the bowls of the device once more before shutting off completely.*

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((originally posted by  Hirak Sanguinis, April 2017))

Entry 15: Lord Tokiai and Lord Saud - Missing!

*Hirak steps into the frame away from the holorecorder. His whole body is covered in the blue light but his usual armouring is exceptionally distinguishable outside of that. The rents that were in his armour the last time the holorecorder were used have been mended and Hirak appears to be less visually distraught. Instead, his brow settles slightly lower than usual. He appears focused and prepared. He folds his arms so that the gauntlet's metallic exterior clank against his breastplate before speaking.*

"With the upper echelons of the House missing or dead, the role of preparing the Acolytes quickly fell unto the better end of the Apprentice contingent. Myself and Trakaton had already been preparing some of the more willing acolytes for their trials ahead as some of them were acolytes whilst we were. So, when the Dark Lord commanded that training be taken over by Trakaton as one of the more senior Purebloods, it was only natural that I too was brought on board to aid.

Lord Zarrious was also present and whilst he was strictly forbidden from teaching anyone, I made my specific advances none the less. The fact that my Master could well be dead wouldn't stop me from getting the training I needed. Thus I goaded the Sith Lord a fair few times into fighting me, as many already know that I learn from example and from practical application. He sunk into Djem So and immediately began his attack in the training room after I provoked him and I started my application of Ataru. I must admit the Sith Lord has a knack for understanding situations better than I immediately thought. Instead of preparing for a potentially fatal fight, it seemed that the Lord understood that I was trying to find a way around the system and did not strike me down for my insulence. Instead, he offered me solutions in ways that only I could possibly understand. It was... rather awe-inspiring to say the least, despite him being an exile. Regardless, that progressed my Ataru leaps and bounds as well as my understanding of Djem So.

So, back to the systems that have engaged. Myself and Trakaton have taken two separate training sessions for the Acolytes of which we both have lead, each lesson being extremely useful for the current war against the Arious. The first was Force Barrier. This was the one that I aided in. Tashha, Aljo, Siors, Zaryaa, Soyut among others were present, some of the more well known acolytes in a mix with other lesser known. I instructed them simply and will demonstrate now."

*Hirak then takes a few steps back so the Holorecorder can get his full body. He'd then put both hands out so that the palms face outwards. He'd grunt and then close his eyes before speaking.*

"To formulate the force barrier you must concentrate on your emotions to strengthen your force capabilities before pulling that inner strength out into your hands to create the barrier like so."

*Hirak then allows the force to ripple through him, concentrating on his inner anger to create a shimmering and rippling translucant shield that appears in front of him. The Rattataki would drag out the force but demonstrate slowly how it can be manipulated to formulate around him. He'd then move it with ease in a different direction to show the capabilities of optimising the defense. Hirak would eventually frown slightly and then nod, seemingly happy with what's been shown.*

"With time this becomes easier, utilising it with one hand and perhaps even with none once you master it. Regardless, I should them the basics and many of them got it except one... one lesser known acolyte who's name is so obscure I've decided to purge it from my mind completely. He kept stepping up and speaking out, so the full brunt of the training was aimed at him. Metallic objects were chucked by the other acolytes into him whilst he tried to formulate the barrier. He failed a few times but in the end succeeded out of necessity. I will always say that being 'chucked into the deep end' is always the most formidable way to train, for you will always become stronger to survive. Regardless, my training exercise finished neatly with the failures being punished by their colleagues. I must admit, I was not surprised to see everyone leap behind Soyut as no one had made any mention of them not being able to try to dodge. All got their comeuppance and the lesson was complete.

Whilst I was teaching however I realised that Therdel and Zirvesh were watching me. I could sense they felt they could do better. To that I internally smirked. Something they both need to realise is that whilst they themselves progress, I will always be watching and always be ready to learn from them. To adapt is part of my nature, and as such my adapted skills will always have room to grow. But that is a musing for another occasion...

So later on that week Trakaton began his own one concerning telekinesis. I must admit I was not there for the first half but I did enter in the latter half. He was suspending a giant pole with Zunda to chuck at the Acolytes who had to work in unison to manoeuvre the object away from directly hitting them despite the apprentices chucking it at them at speed. I was unsurprised to see their unity was a shambles and their capability less than that. Zaryaa tried to take charge, some looked to Aljo and others listened only to themselves. I believe Soyut may have been the worst, but it's hard to tell among so many other disappointments. At any rate, I joined in and we chucked it towards them. At the last minute they managed to make it just miss them but note before the pole slammed into the centre of the window frame and embedded itself in the first layer of the window's centre metallic disk. At this point, I left. Trakaton could deal with them.
This has been the usual routine. No Lords to aid us, the Dark Lord busy on the war effort and Zarrious sneaking around like a cockcroach, unshakable. I suppose the most enjoyable part is that Acarious has been attached to him like an underling who the Sith Lord abuses to no end. His pain and suffering does make me chuckle.

There is a plan to retrieve our Masters though. Myself and Trakaton were speaking to Lord Zarrious about it and mused that something along the lines of the Treaty of Coruscant could force them back to us whilst also providing us a way to force them in a treaty that meets our needs. I was somewhat skeptical at first, how could such a machination work against an empire that is much like the Sith and once were Sith? I started to come around when Lord Zarrious referred to me and Trakaton as the most capable Apprentices. I'm not often showered with praise but that instilled a feeling of pride within me I'd not felt in a long, long time... perhaps even since Rattatak?"

*Hirak grunts and coughs, seemingly growing sentimental was not on his agenda*

"So the plan was devised and Trakaton was elected to tell the Dark Lord, seeing as he was neither an exile nor an alien.
And we waited. I hope to hear soon whether or not the planning will commence but I hope it will be quick, I cannot wait to kill as many of those Arious traitors as I possibly can.

End transmission".

*Hirak seems to wait for a moment in thought before stepping out across the scene before disappearing all together. The holorecorder would cut out after a moment.*

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((originally posted by Hirak Sanguinis, April 2017))

Entry 16: The Return

*Hirak steps into the room, he'd be wearing his black armour clad light gear, made by himself with a mixture of black material, leather and armoured plating he'd scavenged during his time as an Acolyte. Hirak would pace in front of the holorecorder for a moment, it's clear that the Rattataki is deeply thinking, caught up in the bowels of his own mind as he wanders between the small room in which he records. Finally he stops and looks towards the holorecording device and stares at it before sighing.*

"My master has returned alongside Lord Saud. It was earlier today. There was a holocall to Th'Asidra whilst we were all present on the ship, both acolytes and apprentices, sith and Imperials.  My master called in to report that they were coming in to dock on the flagship via the Tija. I was shocked, they had been released and had arrived with no radio chatter at all... a shocking change of affairs.

I actually felt a sense of relief, I could finally continue being trained. I could finally learn more about Force Inertia so that I could be understand the full use of Juyo as a form. So when my Master and Lord Saud emerged from their Terminus and headed towards the bridge, a load of us were there already to greet them. Some stern, some happy, but all in all most were relieved that the two major Lords of our great household had returned without much harm. Both their auras were strong, invigorated, as if they had been revitalised by their release. Regardless, they greeted the Captain of Th'Asidra, Garrett Tarrik before heading off to speak to the Dark Lord. As they left, I turned to Zirvesh and followed alongside with her. She seemed... rather committed to following our Master.

Eventually, Zirvesh stopped on the Command deck and I followed her. Speaking to her I merely asked her a few questions:

"Zirvesh, do you wish to speak with our Master?". She responded as I thought she would.

"I wish to speak with him and updated him on our progress since his absence and learn what his next orders are."

I simply nodded, those were exactly my thoughts. But perhaps mine suffered a more selfish hubris of self-empowerment. Sadly, Cautus venutred out from the Dark Lord's personal chambers and approached to which he seemed intent on questioning our integrity, mostly mine of course. As a non-Sith Pureblood you can always expect the 'higher society' to question who you are, what you are and your capabilities. These questions are what I focus on when I crush others of their kind, when I beat them into the ground with my bare fists."

*Hirak would grunt, both without amused and excitement by the prospect. His blank stare would eventually twist into a vicious grin as he peers into the Holorecording device. He'd shrug somewhat before continuing.*

"After that tirade, my master returned and asked to speak with Zirvesh alone. I perked my eyebrow at this, as usually we are spoken to together but thought nothing of it, honestly. My master's ways are beyond reproach, they are his alone. So I waited, for what seemed an eternity before I was called in by Zirvesh on the holocom. As I entered there was an aura of unease, tension rather. I bowed and addressed my master properly. We spoke for a while and eventually I asked about training from him. The answer... was vague. But instead of offering me personal training from him, he decided to send me on a mission to Tatooine to retrieve money that was owed to him by a Twi'lek thug. I blinked, confused somewhat by this sudden order. I looked to Zirvesh, immediately my Master stated that she had other business to continue here."

*Hirak begins pacing once more again, across the room and from side to side. He's clearly troubled by what he's thinking about as both arms fold behind his back, clasped together at the small of his back as he moves.*

"So I left. My mind raced, I was curious as to what the Arious had done to my master to pervert his course of action in this regard. In the end, I came to the conclusion that this is just a part of my training, practical in dealing with some sort of insubordination. I would commit to this task completely as was my standard regardless of my missions.

As I left, I considered what had happened just before. Zirvesh and I had approached our master's father, Darth Vipion, to inquire into training from him whilst our own master had disappeared. He was an elusive, vague Darth that I would not want to mess with. His overall aura was empowering and crushing. We had given him certain reasons why we should be trained and overall he seemed variably happy to offer us such. I felt... conflicted as to what was going on with the sudden change of behaviour. I believed that Darth Vipion had yet to speak to his son about the training.

So I left to go to Tatooine here I hunted down that Twi'lek thug like a bloodhound. When I found him, scurried into a corner like a little rat, I used the only effective method I had learned about getting what I want. I beat him, tortured him and ravaged him until he gave me what I wanted. I then left him with a reminder of what happens to anyone who betrays the trust of Lord Tokiai, a savage scar across his left cheek in the shape of a V. So then I left and returned to the estate.
I went searching for my master, who I happened across in the pit of the Horuset Spire training with Zirvesh whilst Lord Saud watched. I felt a deep stone within my stomach sit heavily upon my insides as I watched. Then anger game, frustration, rage... she was getting personal training and I was not? None of this added up... so I approached my master and spoke with him stating that I had done as he asked and returned his money to his estate.  He gave no sign that he was pleased, which was usual for my master. Instead, I asked him about training and his response has stuck with me consistently.

"When I have something to share with you, I will let you know, Alien."

The coldness of that response, the sudden change in mind. I could feel, understand that something was wrong. So I bridled my feelings to a comeback and bowed my head, asking what I was meant to do instead. He then sent me on another 'errand' to Quesh to oversee one of his factories there. So, I left again to get inoculated and monitor over the factory on the poisonous planet of Quesh. This wasn't as bad as I thought it was, I rather enjoyed whipping the workers into shape. It was there that I met Uattoral again, the large brutish Rattataki I had met for the first time during my crystal shaping on Rattatak. He was there to aid me in the overseeing aspects of my task. Although, I got the strangest feeling he was watching more of my movements than theirs...

Regardless, I crushed any insubordination by luring the rebellious workers to a meeting of my own design before beating them into submission, killing those that dared to defy the ruling of Lord Tokiai before personally monitoring the rest of the factory workers to induce fear and hard work into their very souls. Safe to say, I proceeded to get the factory output to increase to 200% whilst I was physically present there. I spent a fair few days at this facility to make sure everything was all working and then I left.  I remember Uattoral's gaze being very stern as I left, as if he was still watching my every movements even as I boarded the Vipion shuttle.

Then I returned to consider what my next move was. One must -always- consider your next move, even when things do not make sense. I hope soon I find out truly what's going on and what I've done to cause this.
End transmission."

*Hirak waves a hand towards the holorecorder and peers towards the right hand side of where he was pacing. He'd walk out solemnly with a large sigh before the holorecorder's blue light would fade down deep into the machine again before turning off.*

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((originally posted by Hirak Sanguinis, April 2017))

Entry 17: The Shadow Hand

*The Rattataki, covered by the hood of his robes, the long black fabric that's covered in various bits of red, the colouration not only of the Sith race but of the Sith in general, markings of House Horuset edged into the reddened part of the fabric. His black metallic gauntlets cling to his hands and forearms, as well as the usual blackened metallic boots which clank with fury as he walks. Hirak makes his way into the shot and offers a deep smirk towards the holorecorder.*

"I have kept a fair few secret even from this Holo Diary, mainly due to the fear that my prized possessions could be taken at will by any Lord of the House and then my secrets would be found out. But now... everything is aired out. I suppose it's about time that I divulged on what the Shadow Hand is.

Before I had even started this holo diary, I'd solidified bonds with two Sith in particular, Trakaton and Raeniu Vipion. We called ourselves the Shadow Hand and we stood as equals in a sea of acolytes. Our goals were simple: to achieve all that we wished to as one entity and to grow stronger together for the sake of House Horuset and for Darth Horuset. Throughout the acolyte Trials we banded together to lead, to conquer and to prove that we were worthy of being chosen as apprentices by the very best masters. This agreement is the cause of a lot of events that I've mentioned before. It's the reason why our second trial on Rishi went so smoothly, it's the reason why Occularis' attempt to have me butchered failed so drastically and turned on her and it's how myself and Trakaton managed to sneak a holocron out underneath Therdel's nose. These are a few to name of our triumphs. But sadly, things changed when Raeniu betrayed us.

A few weeks after we became apprentices, Raeniu became disillusioned once Therdel was broken for being revealed as an ex-Jedi. She feared that if any secrets were found out Lord Saud would break her too."

*Hirak would laugh, scoffing at her with a sadistic tone in the way that his body heaves from the cackling.*

"A weakness and a disappointment. We were wrong to trust her. By her own foolishness she got caught out by myself and Trakaton. We had discovered that she had told -everything- to Lord Saud. Our agreements, our positions, who we stood by and the potential vastness of our reach.  She betrayed the oath she swore when we first started the Shadow Hand. So she confessed all to Lord Saud who in turn approached all of us, Trakaton, myself and Raeniu, telling us that she decided that she will allow myself and Trakaton to continue unhindered by anyone, not herself nor Raeniu, but that we would do so in her favour. Raeniu begrudgingly accepted and we were thrust back into the fray. Then our masters disappeared on Yarrick IV. Turns out whilst they were cosy in their cells Lord Saud told her bethrothed of the Shadow Hand and that deeply upset him. It became very evident to me that the erratic behaviour that Lord Tokiai offered was induced by his disagreement with Lord Saud's desire to leave us unhindered, preferring a heavier handed approach to the situation.

During the time period whilst the two of them were away, Raeniu fled with Cautus, now fearing for her life whilst myself and Trakaton were unfettered by Saud. Worse off, she told Cautus, and we realised very swiftly. He might be head of research but... he wades around with his information like a child splashing in a river filled to the brim with sithspawn. At that point, we understood that the original deal that Lord Saud had offered us,  of not hindering our progress and keeping the Shadow Hand a secret, had been broken. We made... contingency plans. Raeniu's death was not one we sought regardless, it'd have induced far worse consequences than leaving her alone. So, instead we planned, prepared and trained Acolytes as we were requested to pretending as if nothing had changed. Together we founded the plan for the Horuset strike against the Arious to force them into a treaty, with aid from Lord Zarrious and waited for the right moment.

The stretch and length of our influence managed to provide us with the fruit we required. Once we had confirmed that Lord Tokiai would no longer teach myself due to his rage, we could not allow for my progress to be stifled. Instead, we enacted our final contingency plan and went to the Dark Lord personally, offering him all the information on the table. We confessed and told him everything, every little detail and left nothing out. This he could confirm by exploring our minds, draining the information form us to determine the truth. This last resort plan completely outed the Shadow Hand now that it had been made aware to key players. The Dark Lord took this well, far better than I thought he would. He was impressed with our resolve and our ability, our cunning. So he made statements of his own. We would be taken as his apprentices to do his bidding directly and he would give us a contingent of his Horuset House Guards as protection, but not as our servants. With everything ironed out we returned and awaited the next move of Lord Saud's influence, whom we aptly dubbed as 'Saudists'."

*Hirak folds his arms at this point before he starts pacing around the room in a clockwise fashion, seemingly the consistency of the movement allows for Hirak to think and dictate his thoughts in an accurate fashion.*

"That move came to fruition in a planned murder of myself and Trakaton. Lord Saud called us on the holocall, ordering us to to go to the Vipion estate. Quickly following the holocall came our signal which indicated deadly intent. So, at that point we hurried into the Dark Lord's personal chamber to alert him of this. With our last contingency plan in place, the Dark Lord summoned the Saudist leaders into his chamber. There, he berated them for their idiocy, their misguided attempts to make his assets useless. The Dark Lord then disbanded the Hands of Horuset, the titles that Lord Tokiai and Lord Saud held in earnest before he then made myself and Trakaton his apprentices in front of their eyes. He stripped Lord Saud fully of her control of the Tija whilst Lord Tokiai kept his control over the Tusniyi, a mercy in my honest opinion to appease his father. After some useless attempts by Lord Saud to try and talk her way out of the situation, the Dark Lord delved deep into the mind of Lord Tokiai to confirm what he already knew. Once confirmed... they were ordered to leave, and we had struck our first blow as apprentices against two Lords of the Sith.

That was the culmination of the Shadow Hand's plan and we've continued to act as we always have done ever since, less in the shadows and more in plain sight.

I've never felt more alive.

End Transmission."

*Hirak waves a hand at the small circular device before exiting the room, a smug smirk on his face as he leaves. The blue light form the holorecorder disappears down into the machine again before switching off.*

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((originally posted by Hirak Sanguinis, April 2017))

Entry 18: Lord Zarrious and Ziost

*Hirak steps into shot, this time he wears this deep read coloured mask, pointed like a skull that sits idly on his head, connected somewhat to his actually reddened battle armour, casting a ominous shade across his character. His amber eyes are still seen through the clear substance that covers the eye holes. An aura of death would clearly be seen around him, as if he'd just come from a world where life was scoured. He'd sit down wearily in a chair nearby before speaking anything. His voice would emit an ominous robotic tone, one that almost devours his original tone, but still introduces inflexion and other important aspects of speaking*

"I've seen death itself. I've stared into the void where only the Dark Side exists as an almost living entity and it's terrifying. Such power... such grand power is beyond anyone's imagination and it's glory is so... mind bending. It could twist anyone not in touch with the Dark Side into a vassal of insanity. But... I shall get onto that in a moment.

I've decided to wear a mask. Now that I am the Dark Lord's apprentice I am his tool, his weapon, an extension of his will that none can question. I must be sharp, I must be ruthless and beyond all I must be smart. The mask conceals my identity to those who do not need to know. I have no doubt that those within the house will know who I am, they know that I am of Rattataki origin. This mask allows me to become something more than Hirak, I can become Sith, I can be faceless - a terrifying image of cruelty, malice and hate. I almost look forward to people questioning the choice, although some already have. The mask itself is an interesting feature. I've installed a recording device into it's matrixes so that I can take both visual and audio recordings of my surroundings. Of course, what footage I see is based on the 180 degree vision I have from the design I have made. I cannot film things from behind me. This allows me to advance my training capabilities by being able to rewatch my sessions with the Dark Lord at any time if I need to totally adapt my fighting style. A useful device to have. I can also retract it in a matter of seconds to a small pin I've attached to the left side of my neck. All I do is press this button..."

*Hirak's left hand moves up to his left neck and he presses a slot on that left hand side and the mask starts to retract, folding away neatly from his face in a rapid movement that takes about 6-7 seconds to complete, 'disintegrating' down into the small square shaped button that sits neatly on the left hand side of his neck. Hirak then smirks widly and opens up his hands as he speaks.*

"As you can see, a useful device for when I should reveal my idenity. Makes things far quicker than taking off the helmet, despite the downside of having this little square attached to my face."

*Hirak then drops his hands after pointing out the small square on his neck. He then presses it again and allows the mask to unfurl back up across his head. A simple process that takes about 7-8 seconds.*

"Regardless, this will be an interesting tool to use.

Onto more important matters, the Dark Lord also granted myself and Trakaton the freedom to request training from Zarrious. As the only real blademaster teacher currently residing in this house, I thought it apt to approach him for such training. He trained me vigorously in double-bladed Ataru, a technique he himself seems very familiar in. It was a hard working lesson and I learnt a lot, especially from watching him move. It's progressed my capabilities with the weapon no end, as well as increased the time I can stay in the form for during my training sessions. I must remind myself to practice against Zunda... hm. No matter.

The second training is what I refer to at the beginning of this recording. Lord Zarrious took us to the desolate planet of Ziost. He walked us past corpses turned to ash, stuck in their mummified forms. The feeling of the air.. it felt like nothingness. Both myself and Trakaton felt this as a desperate void of life. Lord Zarrious called it power. I'm inclined to agree, but such power is... beyond our capabilities. So we trudged on to the edge of a ruined temple area with a shrine. There, Lord Zarrious trained us. Trakaton was to defend himself with his blade whilst I was to dodge. Both of these were to augment our original capabilities in our preferred forms: Trakaton's Djem So and my Ataru.

Lord Zarrious struck out of the shadows with his lightsaber, he'd appear quickly to strike Trakaton then force me to move, then try the other way around, using our blind spots to force us into everything possible. He'd then use force abilities to completely blow us apart or lightning to force us to utilise our terrain. Pain, anger and hatred drove us to not die as Zarrious did not hold back, at least... not entirely. By the end, I had utilised my force augmented dodging skills and telekinesis to try to drive him off and by the end myself and Trakaton ended up working in tandem as we always end up slipping into. He applaued our unity but not before he unleashed the full strength of his power and blasted us back into the wall despite a combined force barrier effort. We were like putty to his strength... I'd not felt such a dark side aura since the Dark Lord. Truly, when I think about it, Therdel was a fool to consider ever having a chance against him in a real fight.
At that we had finished the training and so Lord Zarrious told us our path would be hard, our training would almost bring us to death's door but if we survived we'd be powerful. So he left us there, on that hellhole, to find our own way out. He broke our holocoms and left us there to find a way off. So... we did.

We camped, scavenged and scoured what little we could of parts left over before we eventually got a signal out. I will never forget the feeling of that place. It almost makes me pity Temekel to think she was there before it all happened. To have known it before... would surely break her mind now to go back.

End transmission."

*Hirak waves his hand at the holorecorder before moving out of the scene. The blue light would dip away back into the machine, retracting into the small circular disk shaped device that produced it before shutting off.*

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((originally posted by Hirak Sanguinis, May 2017))

Entry 19: The Treaty of Syllos III

*Hirak walks into the frame of the shot, the blacked parts of his armour are covered in blood, strained by a charred looking blast shots. His armour is fairly rendered as if he'd just come straight from a battle to this room to do his recording. He'd pant heavily before pressing the button on the side of his helmet, retracting it from his head. His eyes would pop, now a deep shade of red, the dark side malice rushing over his whole body as the darkened connection to the force shows itself in his eye colouration. He'd laugh heavily, almost a cackle of sorts.*

"The Third War against Heresy is over! House Horuset have crushed the Arious, we put the nail in the coffin and forced them to sign a treaty they'd never expected. As I've detailed before the plan that myself, Trakaton and Zarrious had previously discussed had been structured into fruition by careful planning from Trakaton. Modelled on the Treaty of Coruscant, a strike team was organised and lead by the Dark Lord, Trakaton and myself to attack the Arious Temple of Decay on their home world. If we could force their hand by taking their main HQ, wipe out their forces there and take hostage someone of importance in their Empire then they'd be forced to sign the treaty.
So, we all were ordered to the Bridge of Th'Asidra to complete this task. Lord Tokiai and Cautus were sent on the diplomatic mission to speak with the Arious Leaders and distract their entire fleet, Lord Saud would remain on Th'Asidra to utilise Battle Meditation to aid our troops.

So we landed upon their temple world with the mighty armies of the Horuset fleet. Myself and Trakaton were in charge of the two tanks that were dropped to blow a hole in their main temple whilst the Dark Lord himself set up HQ at the foothill of the Temple's exterior. The fighting was the most intense I had ever seen. Whilst a multitude of acolytes and fellow apprentices followed our lead, we defended the machines as they fired upon the mass of machinery that guarded the front entrance. Many lives were lost, more so for the Arious than the Horuset side. I spent a great deal of time diverting tank fire and blaster bolts. We enroached slowly towards the entrance of the Arious Temple of Decay, grinding each and every step of the way with bloodshed and the power of the Dark Side. Eventually, we got near the front when a rogue missile came straight at the tank I was defending. Unable to divert or defend it wtih a force barrier, we had to abandon the tank to it's fate.

Once we had abandoned the tank, I ordered the acolytes and soldiers to stand by near the entrance and not to enter until we had cleared it out for their own protection (although truly I did not care what happened to any of them if they wished to be idiotic). Igniting a singular end of my double-sided weapon, we entered in close proximity to the fighting. Blaster fire continued until the rest of the apprentices and Lord Zarrious had slain all that remained within our immediate vicinity. Yet, a Lord persisted above us in one of the square roof tops of the Temple's interior. From the sides came more soldiers, one equipped with a portable rocket launcher that fired straight into Trakaton, launching him into the side of a statue. I jumped out of the way, only to be flung into a wall by the Sith Lord above. Thankfully, Therdel was there and righted my descent so I didn't break my neck."

*Hirak growls slightly at that though, a hand coming up to rub the front of his face with anger and hatred. He'd crack his neck to the right side once before speaking again*

"Regardless, we pressed on eventually with the Dark Lord leaping up to kill that petulant Sith Lord who caused us problems, no doubt one of their main defenders. The group of apprentices and Lord Zarrious charged off to rise up the building via the staircases. We were met however with two other Sith Lords who took the high ground whilst being faced with the larger contingent of apprentices. They scoffed at us and taunted us with their words, only for one to pulled into us via a combined force pull that made the heretic die chopped to pieces by my own blade, as well as others who joined in the slaughter. The other one leaped past us and continued to try to escape the slaughter. Some of us progressed inwards to capture our main target, a woman and important diplomat for the Arious Empire. Therdel and I captured her and I was left in charge of making sure she was put into a proper cage ready to be utilised against the Arious. The acolytes had a run in with the errant Sith Lord who escaped. I was not there to... witness their 'brilliance' but I suppose he did die eventually.

The Dark Lord was very pleased with our efforts. He had killed the Sith Lord above and I stood close by to the body of the man who had caused me grief below. He smirked and then spat upon his corpse. This was a defining day and from this lesson I would learn, become stronger and far more capable than any of the colleagues around me.

With the news of our victory, Trakaton sent a holo message to Lord Tokiai and Cautus to inform them that we had captured their Temple world. From there, we negotiated their total and complete surrender before their eventual succession back into the Empire. Truly a grand victory for our House. It is a period in our history I will never forget, for it forged us in battle. I remember the smell of the Dark Side in that place, and how we had stained it gloriously upon their battlements. We had bent the force to serve us that day and it was a pleasing mistress...
End transmission."

*Hirak waves a hand towards the holorecorder and it shuts off, pulling the blue light back into the machine with a simple click of it's machinations.*

[Trakaton Kalkoran]

((originally posted by Hirak Sanguinis, May 2017))

Entry 20: Sparring, Exile, Accidents and Siors

*HIrak steps into the frame completely robed in a dark, hooded full length material. Reddend streaks adorn the ends of the robe whilst the armlets are specked with off-red colouring. The darkened parts of the attire almost mirror the background if not for the red eyes that peer out from underneath the hood, surrounded by a metallic helmet. Hirak allows both hands to come forwards, the blackened gauntlets claps together whilst the fingers interlock. He speaks plainly, the usual robotic tone reappearing to colour his voice.*

"With the end of the war, it is necessary to keep in shape. Trakaton has often refused to spar with me, for reasons... I cannot personally fathom currently... but others have not. I have sparred with Zunda before on multiple occasions, most times besting her. The first time I recall using Makashi to get inside her double-bladed ataru techniques. I never allowed her to utilise the full style and made it easy for me to slash at her central hilt guard. The other times, I brandished my own double bladed lightsaber to utilise what I had learnt from Lord Zarrious. I asked Zunda to come at me with her own Double Bladed lightsaber techniques. It was at this point I realised that she wasn't as proficient in it as I thought she might've been, despite being easily the most powerful Apprentice. It was curious, perhaps she had not had the practice from it? Regardless, it was an eye opening experience to realise I was certainly the best at double-bladed combat in the House."

*Hirak allows a metal encased hand to move up to his chin as he taps the masked visage in thought.*

"Which reminds me, despite his input into the plan that eventually ended in the Treaty of Syllos III, Lord Zarrious was once again banished from House Horuset by Darth Horuset himself. I could feel the intense feeling surrounding it.. apparantly it was beacuse of some acolyte he had been taking away for private training. One can only assume at this point but it's not exactly hard to figure out who that favoured one was. I was simply grateful for the teaching I received from him. I could sense and feel Trakaton's unreserved guilt though as he stood there watching the whole affair take place. I wonder if it truly was hard for him to stand before a man who had gone out of his way to make both of us stronger. Strange are the ways of Pureblood society, I will give them that... times were simpler on Rattatak.

And so he left. That was that. So I pledged to myself that I would continue to train just as hard. It's strange too that I've noticed Trakaton's own desire to do almost anything seems to have diminished, as if the life was being sucked out of him. He can barely sleep it appears and often wakes up screaming. I wonder what plagues his mind. But I cannot allow his... failing disposition to distract me. If both of us falter then immediately the circle will break and we will go back to having nothing, might as well become slaves once more. So I've trained desperately hard since then. The holocron has helped significantly, especially in furthering my understanding of the saber forms and my strength with a Saberstaff. So I put those into practice often with sparring. Though some of my peers are not as proficient at controlling themselves as I it seems. During one spar, I challenged both Raeniu and Zunda to a three way duel of sorts. It's interesting as both rely heavily on their force techniques to bolster their strength in combat, both in the prowess of their abilities but also as a way of controlling their opponents direction, speed and initiative. It just so happened that shortly after my attempt at Force Inertia..."

*Hirak motions with his right hand towards the left arm of his to indicate the focus of his next few words.*

"... and the breaking of my left arm from the force of the necessary movement, I took on a Makashi form to combat Raeniu's almost Niman-esque style. As I got close to her, having to adapt due to the loss of my left arm's functionality I managed to dodge Raeniu's first openin slash before side stepping and jumping in. Sadly, Zunda at this point decided she wanted to use the force to slap us together which once more -unfortunately-..."

*Hirak stresses the final word with what sounds like jagged, edgy sarcastic undertones*

"... lead to Raeniu becoming impaled upon my blade. To which end, the spar stopped and I had to carry the heavy pureblood female to the medbay whilst the droids fixed her up and put her into a kolto tank. I knew straight away that Lord Saud would take great offence if she found out her apprentice was.. handicapped in away. So I holocalled her to inform her of the accident. She came straight away to view Raeniu in the Kolto tank. It still haunts me to think about it but she turned on Zunda like a Nexu stalking it's prey. She calmly walked up to the apprentice, asked what occured and when told she proceeded to utilise Force Affliction on the human female. She screamed and collapsed almost onto a heap on the ground. I did my best to reign my emotions in check but I will not lie. I felt afraid for the first time in a while. So Lord Saud left, but not without making sure I understood what she was capable of.

Speaking of not so happy 'accidents', there was an incident the other day involving Lord Tokiai and Siors. Turns out Lord Tokiai gets very annoyed by a huffing noise, who knew? Regardless, he was teaching the class about the differences between aliens and pureblood physiology... a topic many have discussed before but not in lesson format. Siors was told not to huff and he kept doing it to the point that Lord Tokiai literally leaped over the counters, grabbed Siors by the throat and slammed him down into the ground just behind where he was sitting and proceeded to use his sharp claw like hands to rip out the human's throat. The pure agony I could feel coming from Siors was his just reward I suppose before eventually he was carted off to the medbay and fitted with a rebreather. A sad excuse, truly, for disobedience. One would hope everyone there would learn from Siors' tragic mistake..."

*Hirak would chuckle lightly as both hands move to his hips, resting upon the bone as the robotic like cackle emits from the mask's vocal cage. After a few moments, Hirak would stop and allow his arms to fall back to his side resting.*

"An amusing prospect.

End transmission."

*With a wave of his hand, the device would begin to shut off allowing the blue light to shimmer slowly before retreating back into the metal holorecorder device which it was playing from.*