Junction Cleansing Wave | Panatha Burns | EE+Dasid Anya, AC+Ammuud/Bonadan

[Greer Caimbeulaich]

This was a true baptism of fire for Greer, padawan of the Ashlan Crusade. She had come along but was ordered by her master not to engage in battle. She had really hoped there would be less bloodshed but the government seemed blind to the risks of this action.

So now she found herself, tending to severely wounded Sisters of Ashla as a field medic. Patching them up and using the force to stabilise their most severe injuries. She was a tough girl from a tough planet, but the bloodshed here shocked her. The brutality of the defenders had caught the new army off guard but it would hopefully teach command a valuable lesson.

 

[Jedi Master Sir Blair]

Sir Blair
Occupation: Jedi Master, Head of the Order of Star Thistle
Location: Shrine of Darth Vornskr II
Objective: Fight Darth Vornskr, and live to see tomorrow's sunrise
Weaponry: Orange Claymore 'Saber (Faithkeeper), Green Shoto 'Sabers (Last Rites)
Tags: Pietro Demici and Joycelyn Zambrano

Something told him it wasn't just Pride that made the enemy before him give off such confidence. So he steadied his own Blade of Light, cause true power often lie within those like this lass. Not to mention he felt the Dark Side in what could not be described as just waves, but tidal waves. Suddenly Blair's legs moved as if not his own, and even more suddenly he slashed forth at the blackened blade that was aimed at him.

How would a 'saber even be affected by such a weapon? Was the outlook good if it had no effect? Time would tell, and hopefully not the expense of his own life. Not all too quickly at least, he would face this battle with courage. Loss was never an option, but he was no fool that didn't size up the enemy. No. Never that.

"A shame really, yer' n' awfully pretty lass. Though I'm sure all the Sith Lads are swooning often enough." A joking nature, one he just couldn't ever really seem to help.

 

[Joycelyn Zambrano]

Canthar, Panatha.
Shrine of Darth Vornskr II
Jedi Master Sir Blair

Vornskr made no attempt at removing her blade from the path of Sir Blair's Faithkeeper. The bright plasma impacted against the dark blade with sufficient speed and power to slash through most any metal, yet the dark metal did not yield to the bite of the lightsaber. It did not buckle and melt like most metal did upon contact with the radiant plasma, but resisted and remained intact. The clash made a fierce hiss, but not one of pain.

As Faithkeeper struck, the tall woman shifted her back foot and her stance. She allowed his swift swat at her weapon to knock it, only for her to bring it around in a retaliatory strike at his wrist.

While it did not radiate like a lightsaber, Zaudraka was practically searing, like steel fresh from the forge; its edge was so finely honed, yet so supernaturally strong that the barest touch would be enough to cut. In the hands of an experienced fencer like Vornskr, who bonded with the malicious spirit living in the metal, a sithsword was not a weapon to be underestimated.

"Do you flirt with all your enemies, Sir Blair?"

She asked, but did not wait for an answer. Instead, she followed her retaliatory strike with an advance. Lunging swiftly forward, like a serpent coiled, she thrust the tip of her blade forward at Sir Blair. It was swift, aggressive, like a vornskr's stinger.

"Or am I special?"

 

[Eina L'lerim-Vandiir]

Eina L’lerim-Vandiir, the First
Matriarch of the Valkyrja; Leader of Sanctuary; Liaison of the Fjölkyngi Smiðr Guild​

Location: Near to the Palace
Objective II.: Downfall
Equipment: Sverð Fyrstr (weapons) | Skrúð Engill Fyrstr (armour) || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m
Writing With: Pietro Demici | Corin Autem | Lilanna Kelamvor

[ Flúgva valkyrjur á val ]
<"High Nelvaanian"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Eina began to concentrate and reached out to the Force. Like her mother, she didn’t really like to show what she could do. It is better if the enemy does not know what you are capable of. But she had to do it here. Usually, Valkyrja tends to cause this effect, not eliminate it. Luckily, the Dark Side didn’t really affect her. All that was needed was to send enough "counterforce" into the storm for the two effects to extinguish each other. Eina was not a Dark Side entity, she was completely neutral, so she was not harmed by the Light Side. That's why she knew her mother should have had a different way than what she wanted to use.

So to speak, in the Force she sought the part that fed the storm; fortunately it was not dominated by Carnifex, so the woman had an easier time. As soon as she found this "focal point", she started to work. Of course, it wasn't that simple, but it could be circumscribed so that even those who didn’t have the Force could understand it. Eina began to "reassure" this part; this unfortunately meant that in the first minute or two, the storm raged even more fiercely than before, as the Dark Side energies clashed with the near-Light Side energies.

However, as the strength of the two different sides levelled off in the storm, the strength of the storm began to subside. First the rain stopped, then the wind subsided, and finally the lightning stopped. Until now, the power of Carnifex could be felt from the direction of the storm, now it was dominated by Eina. Which to others might have been like Ingrid's and Adrian's power had done together, already if someone recognized their Force Signatures. The Ashlan forces could feel it was Eina, because they know her.

Eventually, as the last remnant, the clouds also disappeared, the sky turned blue again, the Force Storm was over. And Eina opened her eyes…

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil stood his ground, for as long as he could at least. Tall as he might be to the average person, his father was further the giant. And yet he didn't waver. He brought up his saber, fully intending the blue saber to catch the incoming strike. Likely death was all that waited for him as he leveled his blade out. Then he was gone.

The Epicanthix blinked in surprise as he was lifted away. Ingrid L'lerim ? He nearly laughed. What was the point of him even trying to protect his friends if he was going to be so casually tossed aside? The lack of power he had was all too obvious now. What leg did he have to stand on to move in the path of the Empress again after such a shameful display?

"While I appreciate the sentiment, Empress. Do not forget I'm one who chooses to rebel against you and your Empire." The clash between father and son would have to be delayed, regardless. His eyes stayed on Darth Carnifex , lightsaber still held ready. He wasn't going to let her die for him, that much was certain.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Carnifex was like an implacable bulwark, the Empress' protestations virtually making no dent in the Butcher King's black iron fortitude. Whereas Kahlil was moved about with ease, the Dark Lord barely even budged as His own tremendous strength in the Dark Side pushed aside any efforts to manipulate His being. To say His disappointment in the Eternal Empress was immeasurable was an understatement, it quickly faded from annoyance into that cold heartless indifference upon which the greatest atrocities committed by a single individual could be achieved.

"To have come this far, and to still understand nothing."

The Dark Lord angled His runeblade down towards the castle floor, its tip scraping against the immaculate marble. With the deft strokes of an artist, Carnifex carved a runic symbol into the castle floor with the sharp point of his weapon. Almost immediately a small tremor rumbled throughout the floor beneath their feet as the smooth marble cracked and broke apart into neatly ordered squares in a ripple effect, not unlike that of a stone dropping into placid water.

The rumble quickly spread from the floor to the walls, to the ceiling, radiating out across the entire castle as it shook and shuddered. Segments of the castle separated and began to rotate and fold into themselves, the entire structure moving like each individual piece was that of a puzzle.

"To become enslaved to the weakness of others is unbecoming of one who claims Imperial prerogative. For all of your predecessor's faults, that was something that even he understood. The more you sacrifice for others, the less of you will remain. It is no wonder my son gravitates towards you, you share the same vulnerability."

He leveraged His weapon over one shoulder, a small platform coalescing under His feet even as the rest of the throne room broke apart and was unmade by the powerful magic now coursing through its foundations.

"What would Vandiir think of you now?"

Ingrid L'lerim | Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud, Archon of the Primyn Group
Empress of Terraris, Supreme Commander of the Terraris Command, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Palace
Objective II.: Downfall
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m || ENS Crimson Empress (in space)
Writing With: Darth Carnifex | Cedric Grayson | Kahlil Noble | Closed

[ Defence of Panatha ]
<"High Nelvaanian"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

"You're not a rebel, you never were... you never made any illegal act against the Empire, or me. You're rather a non-military advisor. You offered to help me to finish the war with them... and you helped me to lead the Empire better. No, you are not a Rebel, Kahlil..." she said, when the man mentioned the rebel thing again.

~ Let me help, I'm not trying to kill him. Just weaken him. Then he is yours, I promise! You do what you want with him. How many times have I broken my word, my friend? ~ she asked telepathically from Kahlil.

Carnifex, meanwhile, began to cast spells again, and from the outside, Ingrid felt a familiar power that ended the Force Storm. She felt herself and Adrian, that is, Eina. As the room began to collapse, telekinetic powers, she opened the door and tried to push Grayson through it to protect him. She concentrated briefly and her legs rose off the ground to float above the ground.

"I didn’t demand or claim anything, I didn’t ask Tacitus to awaken my dormant Force Sensitivity, I didn’t ask your former lover, Onrai to do this to me. Unlike you, I never longed for power, never asked, and never wanted to. Do you find me weak? I may be, but of the two of us, I am still the stronger mind and soul, Lord Carnifex." she said in an ice-cold voice.

The question; it was still painful, but it was exceptionally pleasant. A predatory smile appeared on her lips.

"That he loves me and kindly scolds me for making the lives of others more important than mine again. Last but not least, he would be proud of me." she declared in an ice-cold voice.

Because she promised Kahlil that she would not try to kill the former emperor, Ingrid could not choose traditional warfare. It remained so that they would fight in their mind and she'll try to weaken his soul so that Kahlil could heal him. Fortunately, she has already won quite a few fights in mental battles, including against Night Spirit. She reached into the Force, it was easier with physical contact; thus, after a short concentration, she teleported, right behind him, still hovering. The Empress tried to touch Carnifex and create a connection between their minds to drag him into the world of the mind so that she could fight with him there.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil had paled immensely. He understood the dark magic his father was using, better than most. Once, it was a power he aspired to command himself. But to watch it so effortlessly warp the very building they were in, it put everything in perspective. Darth Carnifex was not someone he could even provide a challenge to, let alone stand against. Had Ingrid not moved him, he was certain that strike would of cleaved him in two. It was a horrifying realization, to know yourself as the ant.

The darkness was all around. Fear amplified by this unnatural power. The courage he'd mustered was quickly fading. Ingrid's words rang hollow. He had, in fact, done many illegal things within the Eternal Empire. Smuggling, mostly, but the occasional jailbreak for some rebels littered his path. While he sought for peace between the two factions, the Jedi refused to let anyone be executed.

Then she made a mistake. The Epicanthix blood that Kahlil and his father shared was potent in the Force, but the lineage had a different power all together. He did not respond to her telepathy for he could not hear it. "Ingrid- Get back!" He shouted, the panic obvious in his voice as she reached out. She'd gotten there so fast on her own. The most he could do was reach out, trying to yank her away from his father before it was too late.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"So far out of your depth, very well."

The Dark Lord exhaled, a thin trail of crystalized oxygen particles visible in the air as the temperature within the audience chamber plummeted to frigid conditions. The Dark Side of the Force was exceptionally strong here, radiating outward from Darth Carnifex in a manner unlike anything that had come before this moment. It was the purest extension of the Dark Side, a terrifying example of the power that the Dark Lord wielded with such ease that it could have been comparable to breathing.

Every inch of the Dark Lord's body appeared to tense in preparation, the outlines of His form that were once clear and distinct growing vague and abstract. Individual strands of scarlet electricity crackled in the air around the Dark Lord, bright flashes of sharp color against an otherwise monochrome land.

"It appears that the apprentice requires another lesson."

Suddenly the Dark Lord struck, whirling around with one arm outstretched right as Ingrid teleported behind Him. A great deluge of scarlet lightning burst forth from His fingertips, bathing everything that was caught in their path in unbearably bright energy. The energy output was so extreme that stray bolts of lightning that struck the floor and walls immediately caused the material to vitrify and combust into particles of melted glass and metal. Had this same power been levied against a lone individual of average Force potential, they would have been disintegrated almost instantaneously.

Ingrid's attempts to draw the Dark Lord into the mindscape would run up against an impenetrable barrier surrounding His mind, a barrier that had existed since He had been born eighty years ago. Not even the most powerful of mentalists had been able to crack its surface, but it came with the added downside of the Dark Lord never been able to tap into that same pool of power as other Sith Lords could. So with His defenses at their most powerful, the Butcher King unleashed His hatred out in the form of scintillating strands of naked energy; the lightning of pure willpower!

In that instant, the royal palace became a beacon of brilliant energy.

The Dark Side overwhelming.

Ingrid L'lerim | Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud, Archon of the Primyn Group
Empress of Terraris, Supreme Commander of the Terraris Command, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Palace
Objective II.: Downfall
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m || ENS Crimson Empress (in space)
Writing With: Darth Carnifex | Cedric Grayson | Kahlil Noble | Closed

[ Defence of Panatha ]
<"High Nelvaanian"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Ingrid had successfully touched Carnifex, but even then she felt that the man was essentially immune to telepathy. She saw the man's attack, but she didn't have a chance to act, because Kahlil then got there and yanked the woman aside so the lightning didn't hit her. When she got to the ground, she looked at the young man with a cold look. She would have liked to be angry, but as usual she was unable to do so now.

"What if you were paying attention when someone sent you a message? And next time try to let it into your mind." she asked and said in an ice-cold voice. "I don't want to kill him, just weaken him so you can save him. But for that you have to go, because here such forces will unleash that I will have neither the strength nor the time to take care of you! Go!" she said.

As the huge force unleashed, Ingrid felt an immeasurable hunger. The cold didn't bother her; she loved it much more than the heat. After all, she was born and lived on an ice planet. The Empress let her body absorb the energies, groaning from the feeling. It caused at least as much intoxication as when she was with her husbands or one of her lovers. She suppressed the feelings and treated the whole thing carefully, knowing she could lose herself.

As she absorbed more and more energy, so did her power, so that the shadows came to life in the palace and the hall; It was Ingrid's power. Now it was easy to see through the disguise of the mortal body and see the entity that was a woman. The original figure that Adrian found more beautiful than the mortal red-haired form. However, she was still neutral, despite the many Dark Side energies, she did not become a Darksider. Her power extended to the entire palace and below, and through the open rift she also crawled into the Nether, the millions of shadow tendrils, the woman's power began to permeate everything.

And she reached the crypts, where there were almost certainly Zambrano bones as well. She woven her power into these, the woman made a few hand gestures, exactly the same gestures Adrian did once, after all she learned everything from him.

"Dradzia diâ katsoshi!" (rise and move) she said in ur-Kittât.

The palace trembled, something moved deep inside. This time the Empress turned the absorbed energies to the Nether and used them there while absorbing more energies. She didn't keep them, she used them. The red-haired woman used to find all the Zambrano souls in the Nether, those which one had not yet become one with the Force, but existed independently. She began to grasp these.

"Get off the planet and never return, or I'll destroy all formerly existing Zambrano with your assistance, Carnifex! Not only the rest of their body will be destroyed, but their soul will be my food!" she said in an otherworldly voice, but she was still neutral in the Force.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

God.

That's what many Epicanthix viewed Darth Carnifex as. A living embodiment of a god. Growing up, Kahlil had heard the tales. The rumors and myths. Being part of the family had stunted such thoughts, though. It was his father, not a god. A man who transcended death, but only through the Force. And with it's own cost. It was like knowing how a magic trick worked. It took away the mysticism behind it. The wonder.

And yet that was the first thought he had as he yanked Ingrid L'lerim aside from the blast. If there were truly gods in this galaxy, his father was one of them. He couldn't feel anymore fear than he already had. Terror had grasped his soul since the moment he came face to face with the Once Emperor. Fear of the man who butchered his own children. Fear of becoming like him.

"Stop."

The Empress was no different. Power overwhelming. Her voice rang hollow in his ears. This was what he had been fighting for? No, not fighting. Thus far he'd only been used as little more than a figurehead. A reason for his father to strike out. A reason for Ingrid to fight back. Was that all he was? A reason for others to fight? Kahlil's knuckles paled as he clenched his fists. He didn't ask anyone to fight for him. Especially not to go to these lengths. Ingrid was going to start a war.

For once, anger welled in the young man. Anger at his powerlessness. Anger at his friend. Her choice to fight in his place. To use his family as a weapon. He became a Jedi to protect his friends. His family.

"Stop."

The dead deserved their rest. He could feel them. His family. The ones Ingrid was pulling weren't just those long dead. His siblings, slain by their father. Older. Younger. The heavy darkness of the room seeped into his very soul. How could she think to use his own family as a weapon? For the briefest moment hate flooded his mind. She was supposed to be his friend, his ally. She was going to destroy the very thing he wanted to protect.

"I said stop!"

Blue illuminated the room as Kahlil stepped forward. He swung his saber down, the blade more than enough to deal with manifestations of the Force, with the soul intent of stopping Ingrid from harming any more of his family.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"You would do best to tread very carefully," replied Carnifex, lightning still crackling around Him as He spoke to the empowered form of Ingrid. He hadn't been surprised by this turn of events, He had endeavored to go to great lengths to learn as much as He could about the ruling figures of the galaxy. His spies within the Netherworld itself told Him many things, keeping Him appraised of the comings and goings within the Land of the Dead.

"You approach a threshold, Lady L'lerim, one that cannot be withdrawn from. A violation of the revered dead." It wasn't just the Zambranos that partook in the ritual veneration in the remains of the deceased, but the wider orthodox Epicanthix population as well. The devotion to the dead in Epicanthix culture ran so deep that they deified their monarchs upon their demise, putting them up on the same level as their three principal deities, Nereus the Father, Nussyn the Daughter, and Neaos the Son.

To tamper with the bones of the ancestors was one of the greatest sins any Epicanthix could commit, an even greater sacrilege when performed by a foreigner.

Then His son, spurred on in anger by the sacrilege that Carnifex had just cautioned against, leaped at the Eternal Empress with his cerulean blade ignited for the attack. It was a violation of one of the highest tenets of the Jedi creed, that a Jedi would only use his power for knowledge and defense rather than attack. Although, even Carnifex could see the argument made that Kahlil had struck out in defense of his family's remains, something that could be construed as noble.

"Reconsider your actions, Lady L'lerim, and our accord may yet persevere." He made no mention of continuing His efforts to fight His son, His interest now renewed in the budding darkness He sensed within His son. It was just as He said, Kahlil could never truly escape the grasp of His destiny.

He would be His once again.

Ingrid L'lerim | Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Darth Prazutis]

The world seemed to blur as the very air around the Elder Zambrano seemed to twist in on itself. It wasn't just their that bent unnaturally but reality itself before it gave way and shattered like the cracks of a glass window. In the epicenter of this breach formed a jagged rip black as tar. The very edges of this manifestation seemed to bubble and hiss as it both burned and was burned by the very touch of something that defied comprehension.

A giant emerged from within the blackened rift.

Skin that had been as dark as the rift itself lightened to form a tan pigment. In his wake came a bone rattling storm of a force presence, for he burned with the titanic radiance of a star. It only combined with the colossal presence of the Butcher King but it was something else perhaps that may have been more surprising. The great effect of the dark dyad between the pair fostered over six decades spent together. An unbreakable, rare bond within the force and when both were together their powers melded together and magnified into an even greater presence for their powers mirrored and amplified each other. The link between them unified their minds into the near perfect fighting team to face down any foe.

Two deified figures in Epicanthix lore. Two giants that had been worshipped as gods by the people they had come to defend. A people deeply connected with the dead and the unfolding desecration of the sacred dead about to happen. It was the gravest of insults a foreigner could inflict.

"Lady L'lerim." The Dark Lord said stepping up beside the Twice-Emperor. The next words were spoken with a deeply foreboding but soft tone from the rumbling giant, his eyes passing between the woman and the young Zambrano before her.

"We stand upon an important crossroads. Your choice will cast ripples throughout everything. I would reconsider your next actions."

Darth Carnifex | Ingrid L'lerim | Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud, Archon of the Primyn Group
Empress of Terraris, Supreme Commander of the Terraris Command, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Palace
Objective II.: Downfall
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m || ENS Crimson Empress (in space)
Writing With: Darth Carnifex | Cedric Grayson | Kahlil Noble | Closed

[ Defence of Panatha ]
<"High Nelvaanian"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Kahlil was wrong among the red misty thoughts. Ingrid wasn't like that; she respected the dead. True, not in that way as the people of Panatha, and yes she sometimes used them, but always with respect. And most importantly, she never ate any of them. It was just a threat. It’s not an empty threat because she would have been able to do it if forced to do so, but she hoped it wouldn’t happen. However, Kahlil ruined everything.

The young man reacted exactly as Ingrid expected. That's why she wanted the man to leave. Stalemate situation. If she lets Kahlil, she will seem weak; if not, Carnifex will get what he wants because Kahlil may fall to the Dark side. Ingrid knew the local religion; she studied every planet that was part of the Eternal Empire. The red-haired woman knew exactly she dances on fragile ice. Would she have been able to become an even bigger monster to save others?

Yes… she was a Warden… As a Warden… The Jedi do what is right. The Sith do what they want. We do what is necessary…

And yet, she hoped she didn’t have to. Because Ingrid didn’t just want to protect Kahlil and Cedric Grayson . But everyone else too, the whole population of Panatha. She had already acted before Kahlil's second order, she made more hand signals, and utter more words…

"Waiti diâ awuzi!" (go back and rest) she said; the dead moved again and returned to their graves. However, she had not yet released the souls.

She would have just responded to Carnifex when she felt another power. This was also perfectly known by the Empress, Ingrid spoke to him several times. And they had a similar trait in their lives; they both lost the other half of their souls, their beloved partner. A few years ago the woman would have been embarrassed in their presence, even maybe she would have been afraid of them; now, however, she felt nothing. If she has to die, she dies. That's all. During a fight, she will do as she would expect from the members of her people. She will remain worthy of her Rocksolid ancestors.

"Lord Prazutis!" she said respectfully as she nodded to the other Sith Lord.

"This is true not only of me, but also of you, my Lords. Lord Carnifex has already tried to kill me, which I cannot ignore. But it is up to you what the sequel will be. It is up to you to decide what the fate of the planet and its people should be. I am ready to continue to protect the planet and its people, not you, them. But if they want to… I'll leave this place. But in this case, the Eternal Empire will not protect Panatha if Rurik Fel , Adhira Chandra , Lord Grayson… or anyone else decides to destroy everything and everyone on it. The blood of your own people will dry on your hands, not on ours." she said in an ice-cold voice, without emotion.

And then Kahlil's attack came. Luckily, she absorbed enough energy, so she raised her hand and stopped the blade with Tutaminis. She looked at Kahlil with a cold gaze; Ingrid didn't want to hurt him. And this state could now be played for a long time thanks to Carnifex and Prazutis. But she didn't want to. The red-haired woman reached into the Force, trying to turn off Kahlil's lightsaber with telekinetics.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

​

Red tinged his eyes, but only for a moment. Everything immediately felt cold. Regret flooded his mind. He.. Struck out? Ingrid L'lerim was going to cross an unforgivable line, but he struck? Darth Carnifex 's words rang hollow in his ears. They were at a threshold. The cold in his soul only grew as another voice joined the first. Darth Prazutis . Carnifex's uncle, and ever faithful shadow.

It came as no surprise to hear the earlier sentiment from his father echoed like a parrot. Any other instance he might of mocked it. Any other Sith, and he certainly would have. But he just felt.. Empty. Why was he even here? His saber receded as he did. Fear clouded his mind. He took a step back. What could he do? For the first time since he arrived, he listened to the Empress.

He ran. Turned tail and bolted from the room. He couldn't stay there, not anymore.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Carnifex watched His son gripped in the throes of fear and indecision, warring emotions playing unhidden across his youthful features. Then, the boy deactivated his lightsaber and turned to run away from the room, his legs carrying him quickly from the sight of all within. One might have expected Carnifex to give chase, to continue what He had started moments earlier, but the Dark Lord watched as the silhouette of His wayward son disappeared from view.

"Let him go," rumbled the Butcher King, "He will come back to us in time."

The Dark Lord then turned His attention back to the Eternal Empress, the palace gradually reassembling itself as the mood for violence passed like rain on the mountain breeze. Kahlil's intrusion had the potentially unintended side-effect of grinding the imminent battle to a halt, stopping the fighting before it had truly begun. Carnifex's helmet unlatched and disappeared into the confines of His breastplate and cloak, again revealing the scarred visage of the eighty-year-old Dark Lord of the Sith.

"It appears as if the danger has passed, Empress," observed Carnifex, "The Crusader's advance has been blunted, I doubt they will press forward now that their momentum has withered. The only question that remains is what will you do? I have no desire to oppose the status quo between the Eternal Empire and Panatha, so long as you remember our accord. Keep your forces, leave your forces; it does not matter whichever choice you make so long as you honor the sovereignty of my people and the rights of my uncle's crown."

It was somewhat amusing that this aforementioned uncle had not been present for the majority of the conflict within the Palace, but Carnifex had known where Adriel was during the battle. He had been at the front lines of the conflict, directing his people against the invaders and repelling them wherever he could. It was the duty of the King to fight with his soldiers, as the Epicanthix were a predominantly martial culture who valued combat and strength above other qualities.

"The Light will find no purchase here."

Ingrid L'lerim | Kahlil Noble | Darth Prazutis ​

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud, Archon of the Primyn Group
Empress of Terraris, Supreme Commander of the Terraris Command, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium​

Location: Palace
Objective II.: Downfall
Equipment: The Soulsabers (hidden) | Brynja coat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | Viper Mk. I Skinsuit | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland | OPBC-01m || ENS Crimson Empress (in space)
Writing With: Darth Carnifex | Cedric Grayson | Kahlil Noble | Darth Prazutis | Closed

[ Defence of Panatha ]
<"High Nelvaanian"> | ~ telepathic communication ~ | << comm. channel >> ​

Ingrid didn't move when Kahlil turned off his lightsaber. She was ready to stop them if Prazutis or Carnifex decided to go after him. However, this did not happen. She also let go of the souls, let them free. The red-haired woman was deeply relieved that she didn't have to hurt them. She feared she would be able to do it, and she wouldn't even feel guilty. The Empress was glad it didn't turn out. The rift also closed.

She looked at Carnifex; the way she looked at the old face, she felt very old. The Empress still looked like she was in her mid-twenties, thanks in part to the shape-shifting. She wasn't that young a long time ago. Did the two men know or could they feel the woman’s true age? It didn't really matter much. But it was good what Carnifex said. She was able to deal with this.

"Your people can still retain their sovereignty, but only without you, Lord Carnifex. You left no other choice. Lord Carnifex, Lord Prazutis… I exile both of you from Panatha and the Eternal Empire. If they ever return, I will be forced to revoke Panatha’s sovereignty." she said in a cold voice.

With this, without turning the slightest sign of fear, she turned her back on the two men and walked out. Ingrid stopped at the door and turned back to the two Sith Lords once again, for the last time.

"You have time to leave until tomorrow morning, my Lords." she said.

With that, if the two men don’t stop her, she’ll go after Kahlil and Cedric.