Private A Quart of Blood

[Lina Ovmar]

Her wedding dress exchanged for black robes, whose hem was lined with delicate gold embroidery, Lina had delayed her honeymoon, much to Sarlow Zambrano 's distaste. This could not wait, if it was left too long the heat of the moment will have passed, Darth Strosius had insulted her, but the crashing of her wedding reception provided her with a unique opportunity one that she could not pass up. She had the thank Gerwald Lechner for the idea, his attempt to diffuse the fight before it truly exploded, with threat of the emperor hearing of it... she smiled beneath her hood as her boots clicked along the corridor of the Mors Mon.

She came without a guard, and without fanfare. A quiet audience with the emperor and his wife hardly called for such a thing, besides she loathed the dramatics that others seemed so insistent on bringing. No doubt her husband disapproved her of walking into the proverbial lions den without a guard but it was all part of the game. If she came with a guard, it would speak that she did not feel safe in the emperor's presence, that she view him as a threat, rather than as the leader the order placed their faith in. everything had to be carefully planned, the smallest of details made the greatest of differences.

This was her chance to gain a foothold outside of the Zambrano name she had taken, to distinguish herself as something other than the kainite name she had been branded with. She paused before a set of doors, flanked by guards and lowered her hood, her emerald green eyes glittering in the light. "I am here for an audience with our Lord Emperor and Empress."

Darth Empyrean Srina Talon

 

[Srina Talon]

Tag: Darth Empyrean | Lina Ovmar
Location: Jutrand
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From her position seated on the floor before the Emperor…The heart of Jutrand was quiet. Her back rest against his knees whilst her husband finished braiding endlessly long lengths of platinum blonde hair in the traditional style that an Echani warrior might prefer. It was one of the few things they held on to with his form as it was. Even then…He required the use of the Force to pretend that he had an opposite hand that wouldn't melt flesh from bone. She held an ancient tome with blood-red ink between twin pale hands that she read passages from in High Sith. Her dialect was flawless, strangely, because she had never had any schooling in the mystical language.

Srina could feel it, fluidly, more than anything.

Her logical mind organized the meaningful units that created passages in the Old Tongue. The complex word structures were something that made sense to her. It was important to be proficient in Alchemy and despite her initial revulsion of it—Alchemy was a useful tool. Her once upon a time Master would have been proud to see her delve so deeply into his chosen passions. The closed syllable that should have sounded brisk or choppy fell from her lips like rain… "Tzirji tsinirkira tuti rasimâdni diâ warazini. Durokir nayir iroi tadti' wirio ri tsinirkira numûzsiti dir... Dzis ar ani saiyir nindz ani waria tuti isatru zûtazihri an jin' tnirma taratatsa…"

This particular passage painted a picture of ancient and priceless Sith artifacts and the consequences of using them. It went on to explain, in detail, how to create such items. The debt that must be carried. The soft-spoken Empress had her reasons for looking into artifacts that may or may not still exist in the depths of the crypts of Korriban…But she knew well not to underestimate them. "This part seems to imply that even a minor amulet of this caliber could destroy all life in a ten-meter circle if destroyed…A greater artifact would increase the area of effect significantly."

Could the Heart of Graush be utilized as an unexpected weapon rather than an amplifier?

Srina was specifically looking into a vessel that could successfully contain the soul of an incredibly powerful being. Something that was more than the phylactery she wore around her neck that belonged to Darth Carnifex. Something that could contain…Endless energy. Endless assaults.

For Eternity.

She turned the page.

"I do not know why lanvarok gauntlets were so favored.", her eyes narrowed for a moment while the warrior in her body railed against the idea of whirling razor disks shooting from un-alchemized gauntlets. How many soldiers lost fingers in that testing? "Messy. Imprecise. The only value is the indiscriminate terror they could cause on both sides…Terror…I could use."

The Dread Empress was nothing if not practical. Most assumed that her moniker came from putting fear into the hearts of her enemies, but it was more than that. She had been trained by a Dread Master to be a Dread Master. Not a puppet. She could become a living phobis device and had learned how to draw strength and power from negative emotions. Everyone in the galaxy was afraid of something. It made for an easy meal and an overwhelming advantage. One of the elder sepulcher priests came in to announce that the Emperor had a parishioner and the seemingly young Echani sighed…They couldn't have a moment—Could they? No. Their focus consistently fell on the state of the Order.

Typically…Because it should. They could not claim the title without paying the price.

But also?

So many Sith, wayward children, were incapable of governing themselves. Their ambition, hatred, and varying passions left a lot of blood-fueled bickering that required a firm hand to put down. Srina didn't move her head so she wouldn't impair the work her husband had already done in trying to give her a small piece of their everlasting vows. Forever, was a very, very long time. "I wasn't aware we were entertaining today…"

Her position on the floor wasn't very imperial, nor, was the ivory attire she mockingly favored in direct conflict with the Light. It bothered Jedi to see someone so visually soft, and small, lash out and destroy anything that stood in their path. The cruel dichotomy they suffered when what they saw clashed so harshly with what they felt from her presence was worth it. It left them off balance. Unprepared for the creature they faced. Srina took no quarter and she had no patience for small mercies that others might have considered. She was brutal... but with truly terrifying and calculating precision.

The softer she spoke…The more one needed to worry.

"Shall I stay, meldanya?"

 

[Darth Empyrean]

His fingers didn't move like they once did. Once, he had been dexterous - enough to play the piano, or cook a fine meal, or braid his love's hair. Now he forced them to pull and twist with great concentration - grey fingers that fought against him to stiffen. It was an annoyance, but also a test of patience, a test of grief, for what he had lost. Even still, the closeness and intimacy he held with Srina Talon in these moments was all he could ask for. He would not ask her for anything more, not in the state he was, not for the danger his body had begun to pose.​

​

They both had come to understand his condition. More than him being dead, he had become death. There was nothing left for his body to do but to kill. It fought to kill itself, to die in spite of Empyrean's inexorable will, but when properly cowed into submission it did nothing but kill others. It had transcended, or perhaps fallen, to such a state as to be unable to create. Only destroy.​

​

So Empyrean's mind, his plans, his genius, would have to compensate for what he had cost himself in his ambition.​

​

Fingers gently held her hair, careful not to tug or pull. Where his fingers failed, the Force gave to him freely. Individual strands carefully intertwined and locked themselves without elastic bands or crimps. Perhaps a result of his eyes, his years of studying topology in math, or his eye for aesthetics, but it combined together to form intricate and beautiful braids. Each had their own meaning, each their own story. In-between the locks, small electrum bands with Sith symbolage lined his lover's hair.​

​

Words like Power, Strength, Passion, and the all too coveted, Love. A story woven into the very fabric of his desire.​

​

"The Lanvarok was likely a ceremonial weapon first and foremost - but even so, its tendency to be exotic in of itself became its strength. Once, our Order almost exclusively fought with their left hands, either due to a natural predisposition, or to represent themselves as the incarnation of the Left Handed God. As you well know, a left handed duelist is an oddity - it requires adaptation to deal with, no matter your skill as a fighter."​

​

A few more strands locked themselves together, nearing the completion of her braids.​

​

"Given no history of facing a Lanvarok, and further dealing with them being a left handed and skilled duelist - do you think that a dangerous, poison covered blade, would not become more of an issue for you than them? With no prior experiencing fighting something with such range, such different positioning, and a further ranged saw blade spitting poison... I imagine it would have been hard for me to come through unscathed.", he imagined.​

​

"Though, you were always the better duelist.", he admitted, the graveness in his tone changing ever so slightly for her to understand he was being coy.​

​

When the priest entered, offered that Empyrean had a parishioner, the Emperor did not ordain him a look. Infact, he offered nothing to the Priest until he left - something they had become used to. He hated them, and they hated him - there was no deal to be struck with that which wanted the other dead. So in a moment, they would bring in the guest, because they both also understood they could not stop the other from pushing the Empire forward.​

​

"They come and go.", he offered her flatly.​

​

"I would like you to stay. You're always more inviting than I am.", he mused.​

​

"The Sith fear me too much to be honest - but you bring out their tenderness. Foolish of them, might I add."​

​

Eventually the doors to the throne room opened for Lina Ovmar , but Empyrean made no effort to stop braiding Srina's hair so long as she didn't move to stand. If they were to ever see the Emperor be soft, it was to be exclusively for his Empress. If they found weakness in that of all things - he would simply have to educate them on what weakness truly was.​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

As the doors swung open, Lina swept in with a pace that spoke of urgency, but the sight she was met with snapped the wind from her sails, slowing her entrance. It was an intimate setting, With Srina sat at Empyreans feet, his focus on the braids he was weaving into her hair, it was the first time she had seen humanity in the corpse that many had come to fear. It made her yearn for Sarlow Zambrano , despite only seeing him hours before. To be away from him was agony, but what she was planning, meant that Lucia had to be kept safe and there was no one else she would trust but her father.

Averting her eyes a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips for the love the powerful couple clearly shared, and continued to nurture despite the obstacles in their path, she took a knee before both of them.

"My Lord Emperor, my Lady Empress, please forgive my intrusion." she began, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor out of respect. Lina held no fear for either of them, powerful as she was well aware they were they were not a threat to her in this moment. They were an opportunity. They were the one thing that would stand between her and her ambition. And if they chose to keep the door locked?

Well she was hardly fool enough to go against them.

"There are events that have occurred that I feel you should be made aware of, things that threaten the stability of the Order. Or rather, an individual." she felt anger prickling along her skin at the though of him, but she gave it no power over her. " Darth Strosius has been a problem for sometime, and I would like to offer a solution to deal with him."

Darth Empyrean Srina Talon

 

[Srina Talon]

Tag: Darth Empyrean | Lina Ovmar
Location: Jutrand
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"Ceremonial weapon?"

Her face for the briefest moment was filled with immediate revulsion, clear, and plain. It might surprise her husband who felt every emotion that passed through her, who endured, the truth of her personality that others never got to see. Her glacial nature and smooth countenance often led others to believe she had no sentiment at all. That her heart was frozen, cold, and made of stone. That…Was not the case.

But it was an assumption that benefitted the mystery of her station and was thus left without correction. "How…Wasteful.", she criticized without care for how or why that had come to be. A weapon was made to be used. If it was powerful enough it needed no exotic theatrics to instill fear and respect. Imagine, being fearful of a weapon. When in truth…It was the wielder. When Darth Empyrean mentioned dueling the kiss of her mouth formed what could have been a smirk. There and not there. He was being…Maliphant, her Maliphant, in the moment. She treated him as such. "I had decades to learn what you were denied…So…I am better. But, only because of experience. Not aptitude."

Her chilly words were meant to soothe. To assure, that she did not see him as less by Echani standards.

Or her own.

It was curious to her that her beloved believed that she brought out tenderness within the Sith when often she wrought their ire. She was blunt and often lacked tact in favor of the truth. For the most part, she assumed herself to be an unwanted Empress, merely, assigned to the task by virtue or sin of being in martial contract with their Corpse King. Srina cared not for political grandstanding and the games that Sith liked to play, over and over, and her refusal to allow it often caused…Upset.

She was silent while Empyrean spoke to the Priest. They liked her even less than they liked him because she refused to adhere to what they thought an Empress should be. Because she refused to use her bond with Empyrean to turn him into the ultimate weapon. He was her husband first.

Always and forever. From this life, to the next.

The pale woman lifted her gaze from the ancient tome as the doors opened. Those same gilded orbs followed the trajectory of one Lina Ovmar but narrowed slightly as the Sith Lord knelt before them. She had done nothing wrong. It was respectful…But Srina still despised such open subservience. It was usually an act with intent to deceive and it always stirred a mixture of disdain and curiosity within her. She closed the book with a soft thud, the sound reverberating in the hushed chamber, a punctuation to the words she had been reciting moments before.

Her winsome features remained impassive, a marble statue of regal composure. Her husband's fingers continued their methodical work on her hair, the intricate braids slowly taking shape, each twist and turn holding significance. It was devotion. Love, loyalty, and passion without words.

"Rise, Lady Zambrano…", Srina spoke after a long moment, her voice a cool, melodic whisper that carried an undercurrent of authority. Even though it seemed dulcet as the dawn it was an unmistakable order. "Or be seated with me."

She patted a space on the stairs nearby. Not too close to Empyrean…Most couldn't handle his presence and Srina had little doubt that Empyrean, liked his space. Well. From everyone but her. "There is no need for such formalities, you should not be kneeling, with respect to your recent birthing. Congratulations."

The white witch let her words settle while she silently evaluated the dark-haired beauty that had arrived so unexpectedly. Hearing just the tip of what it was in regards to drew a heavy sigh from deep within her chest. It was not unexpected. But, she had not thought this Sith would be the one to approach them first. Srina had loyalists spanning the entirety of the Order who lived, breathed, and died at her command through mutual gain and losses. There was very little she did not know despite her abhorrence for grandstanding and gossip.

"Darth Strosius…", Srina repeated, her tone devoid of any immediate judgment but laced with something undefinable. She was…Hard to read for the closest of her companions. "Tell us of your immediate concerns… Regale us about the grievances that have driven you here.", her eyes flickered down to the skin-bound tome in her lap. It seemed so sacrilegious on the backdrop of the ivory silks of her skirts. Srina's expression hardened, her mind already sifting through what she knew of recent events. It was no small thing to come to the throne to seek the decimation of one of their own.

Her voice held a darkness when she spoke next…A spine-chilling intensity, that held no compassion. Her aura seemed to shift on its own accord and the air filled with the cloying scent of jasmine and rain.

"As you can see…I love a good story."

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Empyrean didn't offer Lina Ovmar his attention in any capacity, though she would feel his all consuming eyesight on her every feature. It was not because he was interested in anything specific, but because the eyes that replaced his once real ones held within them omniscience. His mind processed everything around him, and he simply allowed it.​

​

That was until Lina was offered a seat near him as he worked on Srina Talon braid. For a brief moment, his gaze flicked up to her, and the full bearing of his attention came down like a wave. Within those eyes lay death, and not the sensation but the physicality of it - it was immediately obvious that if Empyrean chose, even his eyes could burn her down, from leaf to root. Regardless of where she chose to sit, his gaze fell back away from her and returned to Srina's braid.​

​

He didn't speak. Yet.​

​

Only listened.​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

In the quiet moment before Srina spoke, Lina could not help the small shiver of trepidation that ran up her spine, despite her best efforts to remain completely stoic and calm. Years of practice kept any sign of it from her posture and face.

She rose smoothly at Srina's request, her eyes flicking from the offered seat, to the Emperor as his gaze lifted from his wife's hair to her. The full weight of the power behind that breif gaze hit her like a sledge hammer, she hesitated for a heartbeat before moving to take the seat on the steps offered. Reminding herself that despite the fact that the power held between these two would crush her, she was not here to decieve, and she would respect their wishes regardless of if they clashed with her own. There was no need for her to incur their wrath.

"Thank you, my lady." She responded her eyes shifting back to Srina as she settled down, a smile spreading across her face. It was Lucia's future that brought her here. She took a moment to smooth out the skirt of her robes, collecting her thoughts before beginning.

"Strosius has a number of marks against his name. The part he played in the Ouroboros crisis, for one, his open disdain for his fellow sith lords, openly attacking Carnifex on Geonosis, but these are things you already know." She paused "His latest action, however outshines all of this, as he has managed to upset multiple Sith Lords with one movement, myself among them. He was invited, as were all in the Order, to attend my wedding reception, and rather than attend and behave like a civilised soul, he...crashed it." There was no other word for it, despite her searching for one. "He presented my husband and I with a box of wine, decorated with the heads of Zambrano guards he had dispatched. He then proceeded to levy a long list of charges to Taeli Raaf , treason against the Sith Order among them, with intent to strip her of every assest and stornghold she has within the order, which, if I am not mistaken," she looked up at Empyrean "directly impacts your baseline of power."

She settled her gaze back to Srina. "He came with leverage, in the form of three children he has kidnapped and held, and if the images he provided are to be trusted, beaten. Taeli's grandchildren. He also threatened the rest of us with orbital bombardment. I should like to point out my daughter was in attendance."

She let her words hang for a moment, before continuing. "Historically, his transgressions have either been rewarded, or ignored. This cannot continue."

Srina Talon Darth Empyrean

 

[Srina Talon]

Tag: Darth Empyrean | Lina Ovmar
Location: Jutrand
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Lady Zambrano got to the point. This—The Empress found to be a relief.

Hawkish eyes watched while the woman settled down with her as requested. This was much better. Why should she stare down at someone when they could simply meet and address the issue eye to eye? It wasn't the Imperial way, the Priest scoffed as he made himself scarce, but Srina paid him very little mind. The decrepit little sepulchral cretins were dead set on molding her into what they wished and for that endeavor alone they would only find themselves discontent.

No one told Srina Talon what she could or could not do. Not her family, the priests, the Order, the Force, or even her husband. They would suffer her—And she would ensure, nothing less, for those who thought her a piece to be possessed. A pawn to be moved.

The eyes of the Dread Queen flickered with a glacial light as she absorbed Lina's words, her face a mask of otherworldly serenity. She was aware of every detail of the affronts that poured from the dark-haired woman and even some that had gone unmentioned. The presence of this Zambrano imprinted itself in her mind like an ancient script etched into stone. Reading, her.

Silently judging the intention.

When the story she had requested ended the slender Echani once again exhaled slowly, the soft breath barely disturbing the air, yet carrying the weight of countless contemplations. She could feel Darth Empyrean at her back and his strength brought her own. It was rather cyclical when she reached back to touch his knee…A silent gesture, words, without sound. Her voice, when she spoke again, was just as ethereal as before, drifting through the chamber like the first snowflakes of winter—delicate yet laden with an undeniable chill.

"…Darth Strosius…", she began, the name a whisper of frost on her lips, "…Has indeed overstepped in his role as an Inquisitor and in that folly has found a penchant for chaos, theatrics, and audacity..."

It had been quite the show at the wedding, or so, her God Child had informed her. But there were other things to consider over the bankruptcy of judgment it took to toy with the lives of Sith children to impose his will where his strength would fail. He had also served the Order for a dedicated tenure, known, for his taciturn thoughts and unshakable ideals. What he thought he knew? He did not. What he thought he saw? Was an illusion of a bygone era. Born of his own…Deeply flawed assumptions.

"Tell me…What would you do with one of your younglings were they to misbehave so egregiously? How would you handle such rebellion? Such blatant, unrepentant, disrespect?"

Srina tilted her head slightly, the elegant cascade of platinum hair catching the ambient lighting, creating the falsehood that there was light in the darkness. The intricate braids, woven with care by her husband, gave her a sense of completion. The weight of his focus turned the knees of most of the galaxy to jelly but his wife felt…Otherwise. She lived and breathed in the miasma he created. Flourished, in his darkness. It was a balm to her, moreover, it gave clarity.

"The nature of the Sith is one of conflict…", Srina continued, her tone as calm as it was cold. "Conflict is not polite. There are no rules, no etiquette in war…and unless I am mistaken…We as a people tend to rise stronger, better, and more powerful after we are burned. Yet…There is a line, faint but undeniable, where ambition bleeds into ego and recklessness, where strength becomes a veneer for madness. A point, in which we must choose to intervene, or let the story go on."

Her gaze drifted momentarily as if she were peering at something neither of her companions could see before they pulled back to the present. "To act against Strosius with haste might suggest fear or desperation. To do nothing implies tolerance for his abominations. Neither path befits the stability we aim to maintain. Expand on your thoughts, Lady Zambrano. We promise nothing…But we will hear this solution you propose."

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"Do not presume to know what affects me.", Empyrean said in a cold, flat tone. His attention didn't stray from Srina, but his words were an obvious threat. He didn't play to the idle fancies of his Order, and he would not let her dictate his actions through any hint of manipulation. Even a true one.

"Would you have me kill him? Burn the Inquisition by will alone?", he said as he paused finally from Srina's braid.

"Consign thousands to death for a threat and a beating? As my wife proposes, before you give us any request, you will consider very carefully what you ask me to do. I may just do it - but you won't like the cost that comes with it."

Again, he returned to what he was doing.

Lina Ovmar​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Her younglings? Such an odd comparison to make. Strosius was a man grown, the lesson that actions have consequences should have been something he was taught long before he became a Sith Knight, let alone a Lord. The faintest of frown lines appeared on her forehead as she contemplated her answer. "Younglings are granted freedoms and privileges as the grow, and while I would want to encourage the testing of boundaries because this is the only way for us to grow, outright crossing them?" she shook her head "Freedoms and privileges can be revoked."

Lina blinked at the Emperor's threat, lifting her gaze once again to meet his. "My apologies, my Lord, my intention was to make an observation, not a presumption." That was all Lina did, she listened and she observed. She paid attention to the finer details that others might not notice. Decades in the shadows granted her such privileges, and her observations were rarely wrong. Though perhaps voicing that here was not the wisest of decisions.

"You could do nothing, allow Taeli and Malum to handle this themselves, but at what cost would that be? I'd burn my way through the entire galaxy if it offered me a chance to kill anyone who'd laid a hand on my daughter. I imagine Taeli would do the same, to free her grandchildren." A new lesson she had learnt, the day they had placed Lucia in her arms, that it was possible for a mothers love to know no bounds. Something her own mother had failed miserably in. "Malum... I am less sure on his reaction. His Kaggath was refused and Strosius were friends once, I think if he could find a way to both punish and save him, he would."

She pursed her lips at the mention of death. "Killing him or burning the inquisition would do no good, that would be the equivalent of starting another civil war, besides, he can hardly learn a lesson if he is dead." She believed that there was still a great deal to be had from Strosius, he just needed to learn the art of subtlety and the ability to see the true pattern of the web that lay before him. "You could exile him, but you'd lose half the inquisition in doing so as well as an asset. As...difficult and disruptive as he is, he is still an asset to the Order. He just needs a heavy hand."

"Which leaves the simplest option;" her gazed passed between both of them, gauging their reactions. "You gave him this seat of power, you can remove him from it. Place the inquisition in the care of someone who can be trusted to wield it for the good of the empire, not for their own selfish vendettas. Remind Darth Strosius that everything he has, he has because you gave it to him, and such gifts should not be squandered in the pursuit of destabilisation."

Darth Empyrean Srina Talon

 

[Srina Talon]

Tag: Darth Empyrean | Lina Ovmar
Location: Jutrand
______________________________________________________

She turned slightly while Darth Empyrean spoke to Lady Zambrano and let her arm rest across his skeletal knees so she could rest her temple against her wrist. It was an affectionate gesture and a movement that would keep her husband seated, careful, not to interrupt his work on that side of her head. He had always had a swift mind regarding the heart of an issue and his ascension into the Corpse King had only honed that ability. It made his tongue sharper than any blade.

Her gaze turned back to their visitor.

Every word that was spoken was weighed and measured. Echani were known for their keen senses and uncanny ability to see far beyond the typical near-human flatscan. To sense the outcome of battles long before they happened if only because they had intimate knowledge of communication without words. To see between what was spoken—To know the truth with such precision that many assumed they employed the Force to get such accurate results. Despite the logical points presented, Srina could sense an underlying presumption and a lack of understanding of the deeper currents that moved through the Order. Even Srina's rather simple question seemed to draw confusion.

“All within the Order are my children, Lady Zambrano. This is the way it must be. Not because they are infantile or lack the sufficiency to stand, nor, is it so that we may revoke their freedoms at a whim—But a reminder that I do not eat my young regardless of the transgression.”

No. The Sith could and should be more than base creatures of beast and burden that devoured their offspring as if they were a light snack. Who turned on their children, simply, because something about them smelled different or instinct drove them to end the line. If that were the case her husband would have taken matters into his own hands and enacted scorched earth where all conflict would be ended because there were no more Sith to fight. There would be silence.

Sith did not thrive in silence.

They breathed, flourished, in shadow...But silence? Their machinations were meant to be heard. To reverberate through the galaxy unparalleled so that their doctrine might live eternally...

Eyes of burnished gold flickered. She knew Darth Malum of House Marr well enough to understand that there were things he often kept from her. Sith were entitled to their secrets, so she left it be until she could do so no longer. Pitting friend against friend former or present suggested that the kaggath would have been rigged in the favor of the Inquisitor. If Malum were to fight Darth Strosius as their champion to have the final say on the matter…He would have to win. He would need, to win.

Brutally, bloodily, and without any shred of shared kinship.

“…Should we proceed…Who do you propose would take up the mantle of Inquisitor in his stead?”

The question was posed innocently enough, but there were layers to it that would not accept a response that lacked definition. If she had come this far, with this plan, Lina Zambrano was certain to have thoughts on succession. The option presented was not simple. It was easy to say, certainly. Especially from one who did not have the entirety of the Order resting on their shoulders… But that was the difficulty. Sight and scope. To see the larger picture versus immediate satisfaction. “Are you not here…For your own vendetta?”

“…It was your wedding, interrupted, that by your word has outshined every other sin. He threatened your child, your family, and murdered your guards to prove a point. Do you not have a vested, personal interest, in seeing him punished?”

Strosius had crossed many lines and would likely cross many more before the new moon passed overhead. Srina could fully understand a mother seeking to protect their young because it was what she had done, at any length, for years. She would remove the throat or decimate the mind of anyone who even remotely suspected that Lunaria and Soldane existed.

Moreover, the Empress would ask no one for permission.

“I recognize the implication this has created for the Order as a whole. Do not think, I am not sympathetic to the plight of having one’s blood under fire. Being where we are requires more and we must verify all charges that have been made. For instance…Were the accusations against the Lady of Secrets true or false? That, also requires our attention. But you…”, Srina began, almost gently, regardless the whispering frost that circled around her. It emptied her of all that made her remotely mortal no matter how intimate she currently sat with her husband. “Have come to seek our intervention rather than act accordingly. Do you believe that the Taeli Raaf will seek permission before securing her progeny?”

“I think, not. Thus…It stands to reason that you seek something more specific than an altruistic gesture to bring a wayward Sith Lord to heel. What is it? Protection? Power?”

Something only the Emperor or Empress could grant. Something, she could not take on her own.

Perhaps…Control of the Inquisition?

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"We did not give him the Inquisition. Darth Strosius took it from the hands of Darth Ophidia - after he cut her down.", Empyrean corrected.​

​

"He earned it through blood and right of strength. It is not mine to take by word, and it is not right for me to take by power what I do not need. It would be petty and vindictive of the Emperor to strike down someone obviously weaker for a grudge.", he continued.​

​

"I fight to overcome. I do not fight to punish, and I will not take his Order from him myself."​

​

Empyrean let Srina Talon adjust against his knee, moving his singular hand to continue braiding the other side. Each was a lock to signify a battle, mental or physical, in their relationship - and as he allowed the force to guide and press gold bands into them, he tied the smaller strands into greater ones, until it formed intricate braids into braids. He tied it off at the end, and finished his work before running a thumb, cold and dead, across Srina's cheek - letting her know he had finished.

"However, what you have said is true. Darth Strosius is strong, he is dutiful, and he is ambitious. The only issue is he is stubborn - his head might as well be the metal helmet he wears for how hard it is. The Inquisition should be adjusted and have oversight, but to bring that to fruition would be something others must do before the Mors Mon returns to Sith space. Speak to the Dark Council, Taeli Raaf , Darth Malum of House Marr , and Gerwald Lechner , and broker a peace that puts him under the command of another - so that he is no longer so free.", he said flatly, resolutely.

"As for why you came to us. What exactly is it you seek?", he said, reiterating what his wife had asked.

Lina Ovmar​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina watched the pair carefully, the delicate comfort between them, despite the weight of the order that rested on their shoulders. Where Srina was gentle and soft in her words, Empyrean's were as sharp as a freshly honed blade. She found the contrast oddly comforting, though not enough to let her guard down entirely. there were few in the galaxy that were granted such a privilege, to see the truth beneath the shadows she so readily enveloped herself in.

She wanted to say she understood Srina's take on the members of the Order being her children, that they were allowed to make mistakes, and to some degree perhaps she did, she had allowed those within her network that had faltered to survive, where her mother would not have, but even that had its limits, so where was Srina's?

To learn Empyrean's view on Strosius earning the Inquisition rather than being given it following the death of Ophidia was a useful insight. that he valued strength and demonstration of such was obviously allowed but again at what limit? Where were the lines? Or was it simply a case of you had to cross them to find out. Violence and conflict were a part and parcel of their nature, it was to be expected. In the tribes of old it was expected of you to kill you master in order to claim is power, it was the natural order of things. But there were powers within this Empire that had been allowed to live for far longer than was natural, that had yet to have a worthy subordinate unroot them.

"You are correct, I have a vested interest in seeing him punished, and I am more than content in levying that punishment for his transgressions against me personally. But I also have a vested interested in his survival." She had come here today to perhaps lay a claim to the inquisition, to get their blessing to do so, yet she was not the only one vying for it. Malum's Kaggath had been clear; the Tsis'Kaar for the Inquisition, and she could not afford to lose either ally.

"If the inquisition was offered, I would take it without hesitation, but I have not earned that right and nor do I think they would follow me. When my mother was exiled from the First Empire, her Inquisition followed her, earning their trust and respect of the Red Hand took the better part of a decade and more bloodshed than I care to admit, it is not something I wish to repeat." She looked up and Empyrean, "What I seek, is support and opportunity."

"I was brought into the Order under duress by Carnifex, it was not what I wold have chosen for myself at the time, yet my choices since then mean that I am here to stay. While I have broken any hold he may have had over me, my choice of husband and the growth of my family mean breaking away from his name and affiliation with the Kainites a little harder. I wish to establish a name for myself and a future for my daughter that is independent of him. "

"I will approach the Dark Council, and broker with them for the right to oversee Strosius and bring him back in line, but I would like to do so with your support."

Darth Empyrean Srina Talon

 

[Srina Talon]

Tag: Darth Empyrean | Lina Ovmar
Location: Jutrand
______________________________________________________

A bird-like trill escaped her throat in response to the soft touch to her cheek, though, twin aureate orbs remained focused on their visitor. Lady Zambrano had come from so far. Paying attention was the least they could do in the wake of such lengthy accusations that painted the Lord Inquisitor in a less than favorable light. Even though Darth Empyrean had finished his work on her braids his Empress remained where she was. Languid—Comfortable, in a presence that tended to alarm and scare the life out of everyone else. He was her shelter, the air in her lungs, the will in her bones.

There was silent gratitude that her husband would feel, know, in the things she did not say. They slipped through the conversation like water. He picked up where she left off and vice versa…As if they were making a game of reading minds. In reality—It was simply the nature of their relationship. Whether or not they agreed on everything had never mattered because in the end, for better or worse, one always supported and upheld the other. Lady Zambrano, Srina noted, had a quiet ambition.

It was not the loud bonfire of passion and pride that most Sith leaned on like a crutch.

It was softer.

It occurred to her that the raven-haired woman was likely used to getting what she desired without much difficulty. It wouldn't be hard for her to make it seem like any ideas that bubbled forward were their plans, their imperial design, when really, a little sparrow had been singing in their ears. It was subtle enough that it didn't seem deliberate…But, it was there all the same. "Having his freedom stripped and therefore his competency questioned will bring out the worst in him.", the pale woman murmured, though, she did not disagree with the temporary solution. It was a small bandage on a very large wound…

But it would do for the time being.

Her gaze flickered at the confession of the newlywed Zambrano and the white witch was silent for quite some time in consideration. It was longer than what most would have considered conversationally acceptable but it would show that she wasn't merely responding with the first thing that came to mind. She was considering the words, the desire, of the one who had come in such careful supplication. "If you seek to make a name for yourself, your daughter, it will require more than a thin want at the expense of a Sith Lord that has fallen out of favor. Your child does not deserve the scraps of a lesser being."

"The opportunity you seek present, ever, and always. If you seek control of the Inquisition, you must place the notion of being a servant to the wayside. Take what is required by might, blood, and skill or the Inquisition will never bow to your will. Want, take, have—You need only decide if you have the strength to keep it. That…Is the biggest mistake Strosius has made. He has neither the strength nor the prowess to keep making such monumental movements. Do you?"

The question was rhetorical for the most part, but the suggestion remained plain as the ivory fabric that dripped from her frame. If Lady Zambrano wanted the position so fervently, she would need to acquire it in the same fashion that Strosius had. With might. It had to be earned, not given, and as Darth Empyrean has so clearly impressed…Not something they would simply order. To do so expressed favoritism and the imperial couple leaned neither one direction nor the other. "While you decide your path…Follow the wisdom of my husband. It was, after all, an order. For that…You have our support because we spoke it thus. Show that you can command respect and instill order without losing control of the situation. Let your voice be heard."

"….That…is the beginning of creating a proper name."

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Empyrean sat quietly as Srina Talon spoke truths, and then leaned forward as she finished. He glared at Lina Ovmar , watched her for the cracks that formed in men and mortals when they stood before him - he didn't expect her to cower and retract, she wasn't a welp. Even yet, there was weakness in all beings if one looked close enough.​

​

"But don't bring up my name.", he said flatly.​

​

"You have my blessing, but not the right to invoke me. My Empress may be another matter."​

​

It was direct and short. A finality in his words that brokered no argument.​

​

"When I return to Sith Space from winning our wars, I will deal with these situations as I must. I won't have you work on my behalf. If you want something to be made for you, then earn it through you - not me."​

​

"Leave. I wish to have dinner with my wife now."​

 

[Lina Ovmar]

The soft murmuring that placing a leash on Strosius may in fact bring out the worst in him did not go without notice, Lina took it into quiet consideration. She hoped that she would be capable of tempering him and yet as the quiet settled between them as Srina considered her response Lina felt a ripple of uncertainty run through her. She was new to the Order, most would simply know her as Sarlow's wife, she did not have the influence to be able to sway the Dark Council to place this responsibility on her.

Srina's words confirmed this for her, sound as the advise was. She offered Srina a warm smile. "Thank you, your majesty. I am grateful for your counsel." She lifted her gaze to meet Empyrean's as he leaned forward a glare fixed on his face that she imagined would make most tremble and perhaps turn away, but to Lina, it was just another mask to be unveiled. She held his gaze as he spoke, her head tilting slightly, the warm smile still resting on her face.

A blessing, but no invocation of him name? Not ideal, but then perhaps that was the point. Why would he give her his name to use when she was as yet, no one? This was an opportunity to prove herself. She bowed her head, finally breaking away from the intense eyes as a sign of respect.

"As you wish, your majesty."

She rose smoothly, descending the dais they'd been sat upon before turning and bowing to them both. "My thanks again to you both, your majesties."

She turned away then, without a glance back, determination shifting across her face as her mind became a buzz with thought, there was much to be done. It was time to bring the Red Hand into the fold, to show them what the daughter of Anaya Fen had been doing for all these years.

Darth Empyrean Srina Talon