Private Friend Or Foe

[Darth Imperius]

Echnos | Echnos City
Kaila Irons

The Dark King ominously laid behind them, the dark silhouette against stars barely visible. It were the same coordinates that he was aboard the Eternal Rule together with Darth Prazutis before when the nearby system nearly sparked another civil war, a sound spot back then and serving him well now. Just outside sensor or scanner range and close enough to conduct a swift jump to appear in the system itself.

Echnos. A victory against the Alliance, a battle in which fear was made manifest. And when Darth Imperius was nearby, where Darth Anathemous nearly lit the fire for a civil war between her new domain and the to-be-exiled Kainates. Darth Imperius was a Kainate by allegiance, his purpose and goals aligning with those of the Dyarchy. But he was not bound or bend by any law or loyalty other than to the Sith and the acknowledgement of power. Blind unity and ignorant loyalty were the cancer that plagued the Sith, they knew only the extreme of utter anarchy or the narrow-minded submission to imperial politics. They had forgotten the way of the ancients.

The Vehemence, the Dark Lords personal assault shuttle, left hyperspace after a short jump into the Echnos system, the domain of Darth Anathemous. It transmitted the appropriate codes and clearances to be permitted to touch down in one of the hangars of the capital, intending to not raise any attention or alarm by being designated as a supply drop. The shuttle was steered by Imperius himself, travelling alone, as was common for him.

Upon leaving the shuttle and making his way instinctively through the cubic and domed city, he was obviously noticed by his simply large appearance, clad in dark plate armor that hulled him from toe to head, partly covered in a tabard of deep crimson color with hood concealing most of the helmet in shadows except for two red lenses. Strapped to his back a large greatsword, humming with malice and dread and at his side a damaged-looking, broken lightsaber hilt.

It was only when he reached the entrance to the rulers government building that he spoke. His voice a measured and calm tone with deep, resonant bass, it was as controlled as it was imperious and offering the impression of barely contained wrath.

"I am here to meet Darth Anathemous, tell her that Darth Imperius has arrived."

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, governor's office
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Darth Imperius

Nothing happened on Echnos with her knowledge. From the moment Imperius left his shuttle, he'd been tagged by surveillance AI and compared to every known resident and past arrival documented since Anathemous began her tenure on this moon. She studied the feed carefully from the comfort of her office, something of an extension to the makeshift command center nearby, constantly feeding data and communications to the young darth in between rigorous training sessions and constant study.

"Howl_runner tagged this one as a new arrival three minutes ago." SB-13 informed the governor.

"Well, he hasn't killed anyone yet or declared a challenge in the exhibition dome... Too patient to be a Wanosa assassin but too obvious to be Tsis'kaar... But he's just walking through the city like he belongs here." Anathemous thought aloud, idly dragging her thumb across her lip.

"Kainite?"

She would squint at the footage as the sith— whoever he was— drew nearer to the manor.

"Fetch my armor."

That was all the confirmation the droid needed to wheel in a mannequin from it's master's quarters, beginning to carefully fit each blackened plate over her bodyglove, preparing his Witchblade for a battle that might not even come.

When at last her Beskar steel vambrace was fit about her wrist, the young darth commed her guards ahead of Imperius' impending arrival.

"Allow him through, but tell me when he gets there."

"Yes ma'am." The lead guard finished speaking with his holographic superior just as Imperius arrived.

"I am here to meet Darth Anathemous, tell her that Darth Imperius has arrived."

"Yes, my lord. The governor is expecting you." the guards informed him whilst stepping aside, waiting till he had passed to relay the message.

"Ma'am, Lord Imperius has arrived."

"That will be all, sergeant."

Anathemous would be waiting in her office, clad in the sleek armor of a witch turned warrior, hands clasped behind her back as she waited to receive yet another "guest" in her home.

"Imperius." she tested the sound on her lips.

"Hm."

​

 

[Darth Imperius]

Kaila Irons

Darth Imperius entered anything but silently, the clanking of his heavy sabatons echoing like the footsteps of a titan, it was as deliberate as it was calm, unimpeded and unstoppable. With a barely noticeable nod he passed the guards, not giving them an apparent second glance after his armors systems had scanned them and fed the information directly into his brain.

His tall, imposing figure seemed to barely fit through the entrance of the office as he entered, the hilt of the weapon strapped to his back reinforcing that impression. The Zakuulan came to a halt in front of his host, giving no indication of removing his helmet or offering any other proof of a living being inside the armor, in fact turning motionless.

"Darth Anathemous." The voice gravelly came forward, distorted by the helmet. "I was curious to see who was behind such a strong resolution after an equally strong miscalculation." His words were used to spit out the facts, not judgement, for it was for the listener to decide what they were to them. It was very clear to him, there were truths and facts and he saw them as they were, not as they were twisted to suit needs and opinions.

"The purpose of my visit is relatively simple: I want to know who you are. Subsequently you will learn who I am. The Sith Order and its lack of cohesion require correction in course and while desirable and admirable, difficult to achieve alone for the time being. To identify those of similar minds and ideals can force a nail into the coffin of petty factionalism and bickering division."

"You are recently ascended by our Empress herself, rewarded with the governorship of this world. Are you a rising star or a protected child?"

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, governor's office
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Darth Imperius

Anathemous did as she always would, standing firm, even the face of this armored titan. Though not exactly small herself, certainly not for near-human woman at least, and sporting augments yet unseen in her deceptively lithe frame, she still looked up where his eyes should have been, her own narrowing in response to his questions.

And taking on a fiery glow inside that dimly lit office.

She had trained what felt like a lifetime with men like him. To one day kill a man, not only like him, but better. The dark lords may think her a fool, but never a coward. Of that at least, she would make certain.

"I am here because I made it so."

Her first words to the man, and they were spoken as if from the lips of a Queen announcing her arrival to a rebelling nation.

"Because when those sith who lost their wards surrendered to fear, gripped by the Phobis, I did not merely stand my ground. I took it."

"Because of all the apprentices sent to that battlefield, I alone learned the truth; that though even sith feel it's pull, fear demands violence. To be excised most viciously and without delay."

"And I am Darth Anathemous because I. decreed. it. so." she spoke through grit teeth.

"Our Empress simply chose to step around the bureaucracy, to recognize the name carried on a force scream across the battlefield so far removed from those protected children we call The Assembly."


She was done being humble about the siege. So many voices demanding she justify her every breath, whilst equal in measure were those demanding recognize the power she wielded, to act less like a pawn and more like a Dark Lord.

Fine.

If Kaila must die for Anathemous to live, then she would deal the death blow herself.

She was done hiding.

"Tell me, Imperius," the young darth asked, chin raising the barest inch.

"How were you named?"

​

 

[Darth Imperius]

Kaila Irons

Fierce. Good. She was not only confident but also aware of her strengths it seemed, a valuable trait. But more importantly, she believed in action and did not hide behind excuses or titles but only the actions that took them and that would defend them if challenged. It was difficult to tell if he offended her or if she simply despised the fact of her status being challenged and questioned, but it mattered not in the end. She stood her ground.

"I claimed it." The story of how and when, was for a different time and while the majority would consider it an event that recently occured, he had taken up the title long before any of the current Sith were alive.

"Any real Sith should stand on their own and die on their own, not by the grace or mercy of others."

His pose shifted, his armored hands clasping on his back as his gaze remained fixed on her, an indicator of relaxation? Satisfaction? It was difficult to tell from the enigmatic void that was his polished, armored surface.

"I am curious about the Siege of Echnos. Care to share your insights? A Phobis device is rare, few Sith have the capability to withstand it, even fewer can create it." His tone ever so slightly shifted like his stance, offering not exactly a casual one but more conversational than challenging or inquiring.

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, governor's office
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Darth Imperius

"Hm." her gaze settled into something more neutral.

It wasn't quite the answer she wanted, but neither was it the answer she expected. In fact it was hardly an answer at all, leaving one to ponder just what exactly the man had done to claim the title, and in fact it was somewhat frustrating knowing so little when she had already told so much, even if condensed.

Still, the implications would paint a picture.

As did that slight shift in posture. For a man of action, it seemed as though he was more willing to converse than some she'd met. Even if only to ask questions, though Anathemous supposed she'd be a hypocrite to bring it up.

"In truth I do not know if our Empress created it or not, but she certainly commanded it."

"It was... clever." she added, glancing elsewhere.

"We were tasked to lure the alliance deeper inside, and then she turned the whole city on them. Imperial, citizen, alliance soldier, it didn't matter who you were, they all turned on each other until she drove them to the gate, and then the alliance were evicted just like that. Embarrassed, even."

There was a hint of morbid awe in her tone, as if she looked upon her empress with both reverence, and simultaneous horror. Even now, the very city itself exuded faint traces of the fear Srina Talon had induced upon it, like runes carved upon the tomb wall.

"Those of us who kept a sound mind did so through the battle meditation of my former master's sorcerers, many of them all at once, or alchemical wards such as myself. Although the jedi destroyed it during the battle, resulting in my aforementioned decree."

"It took The Empress to bring my mind back from the frenzy..."

Of that at least, she was unafraid to admit. She had almost been another person entirely, her bloodlust unbound and unbidden. It wasn't until that very moment that the name Anathemous had come to mind, and the birth of that sith had been violent indeed.

"I didn't learn until after that she'd been lying there all the while, in this very office. If you look there-"

She gestured to a new and oddly placed window set in the floor, giving her a view of the dining room below.

"Our empress threw a jedi right through the floor, several floors in fact. Yet she continued to reach out, offering fear or support as needed. Even as it drained her body. Even like that, she force she summoned to bear was unstoppable."

"She was unstoppable."

 

[Darth Imperius]

Kaila Irons

His presence did not shift, his body remained unmoved. He apparently listened, intently for all that mattered, to the hymn and commendations towards the Empress. It was not exactly what he had expected after the strong outburst of self-focused proclamation and affirmation. A sudden shift from acting like a self-proclaimed Dark Lord to the seeming devotion of another figure, be it a sovereign or not.

It was not interesting, so he assumed that his question was too vaguely asked.

"Such united effort is common under the patronage of benevolent Sith overlords, is it not? Coordination, loyalty, cohesion make for a strong force multiplier among the Sith while sadly putting the weak under its protective skirts."

"I have joined the Dyarchy, the Kainate, for its potential to exterminate these insults to our Code. You had chosen to evict the remnants of our forces from this world in your recent miscalculation - why?"

He did not come her to interrogate her, but the faded attention towards the Empress made him rather uninterested and switch from what he considered casual to more direct, a line so narrow that probably no hair could fit on it, but an important distinction in his mind. The young Dark Lord was interesting, her storytelling was not.

"My purpose here is not to investigate the incident or give it much thought at all, it simply is the catalysator which brought your being to my attention. I was observing the events unfold at the side of Darth Prazutis while laying in wait. Seeing you stagger but find your resolve, was intriguing. I have been on the wrong path for a long time, hiding behind excuses and following leaders and their ideals that lead to nothing. To shed the mantle of uselessness and reclaim my Sith origins, was not a mere correction, but my ascension to reality again. For nature is conflict and conflict is the Force."

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, governor's office
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Darth Imperius

Her eyes narrowed again.

"If you think the weak were protected that day, Think again. We cremated just as many citizens as alliance soldiers."

The crematorium had been overworked that day as alliance bodies and civilians were reduced to ash from dawn till dusk, entire families that had slain one another in their arcane paranoia unceremoniously thrown into the furnace with hardly prayer. This moon was a graveyard masquerading as a forgeworld. How fitting then that a force walker should become it's master.

"I have joined the Dyarchy, the Kainate, for its potential to exterminate these insults to our Code. You had chosen to evict the remnants of our forces from this world in your recent miscalculation - why?"

"Because he wished me to be the very thing you seek to destroy." she finally spat.

"Have you ever wondered why His apprentices fail to gain prominence? Why out of so many, It is only I you have heard of?"

"Because He holds us back. He deliberately withholds things from us, for fear we will one day surpass Him. He does not create Sith, but slaves, dependent on His patronage to survive. Miscalculation or not I cast off my shackles, and I will never again allow my fate to dictated by another. Not Kainite, Not Tsis'kaar, Not Eternalist."

"Do you really think He will not try the same of His allies?" she scoffed.

"Of our order?"

​

 

[Darth Imperius]

Kaila Irons

There was hate, pain, fury, disappointment, pride, ambition in her that roared when she was talking about ... well, he assumed it was either Carnifex or Prazutis. Her past was haunting her and she was not only trying to overturn it, but to eradicate it or its causes. It was relishing to take that in. She was fierce and ambitious, defiant and with a strong will. It was as intriguing to him as it was empowering to her.

"I am not bound by faith or worship, nor dependent on patronage and aid. Our causes align and until they don't, they benefit me."

"The Order is plagued by small visions, petty rules and weak ideologies, if it fell victim to him, it deserved to die. But those who are stronger than what these little cults - the Eternalists, Tsis'kaar and Kainites, represent, those who actually have the Sith code as their foundation of strength and the will to use the power earned, will endure while all titles, cults and groups slowly crumble."

"I believe you are among the latter, among those who do not walk on the path laid out by others but you claim it on your own. We do not require a god, shadows or a cleansing fire to act for us - we become them."

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, governor's office
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Darth Imperius

"Hm." her features softened, if only a little.

"Then I suppose, for the time being, we fight the same battle even if our causes may differ."

She wasn't a fool, despite what others claimed, knowing when to make alliances with those she disagreed with or even hated, so long as she would benefit, and when to make those arrangements temporary. Though she would make a distinction known, between her will and their own.

"Make no mistake however," she raised a finger.

"No matter what that nasty business may tell you, I believe in a united and stable empire. If we must purge a few for the many to prosper, so be it. But this is my home. And If I am made to believe that anyone in your alliance will threaten that home with ambition hiding behind the banner of our code to mask their intent, I will fight them, just as I would fight any Jedi."

"Times are changing, and though we cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves in the face of war, neither can we allow ourselves to be taken advantage of. Not by the weak. Not by the strong."

​

 

[Darth Imperius]

Kaila Irons

"How do they differ?"

He was not subtle or deceptive, it seemed impossible for a titan to make silent steps and so it seemed impossible for Imperius to approach a problem without directly confronting it.

"The Code does not hide ambition, it does not need to. The Sith are ambition and if ever its flame died, so would the Sith die. No temporary institutions are worth glorifying above the fundamental truth that the Force is conflict - Peace is a Lie."

"But only if the strongest stand united in passion, we will be united in conquest. It is collective purpose that binds us together, that enables our way forward and that let's use weaponise our ambition. The dream of Empire is as tied to the Sith as the lightsaber and the Sith Code is it's foundation."

He spoke as calmly as before, as factual and measured as he had from.fge beginning but there was no doubt passion in his words, even if he seemed to be as cold and dark as the void of outer space.

"But it's foundation is neither slavery, nor worship, not deception alone can stand the test of time. Every Sith must strife, but for that, every Sith must be pure in purpose."

"What is your purpose, Darth Amathemous?"

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, governor's office
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Darth Imperius

"What is your purpose, Darth Amathemous?"

Anathemous glanced aside. If he had asked this of her mere days ago, she would not have given him an answer. She was, for a time, lost. The youngest darth of the eleventh sith empire had forgotten why it was she fought so long and hard since the day she was laid at His feet.

But now she remembered.

Her purpose was a great heresy. An impossible feat that she could not achieve alone, and so gathered conspirators to her side, most patiently, and always in the shadows, preparing her followers for a crusade which had no end. A task so daunting, that even the immortality she sought was but a small stepping stone upon the great journey, mere preparation for a millennia of searching for the means to complete this task.

To destroy The Will which so insidiously influenced the fate of all living creatures. The great enslaver, master of the endless cycle.

The Force.

But how was she to explain, to this man who's very identity seemed molded by the will, that she wished to see it's end?

He would not understand. They never did.

"To upend fate."

She left him with but cryptic words from the lips of a witch, as she had so many before him.

Though she supposed the great work served another purpose in of itself. A purpose for which she believed they would come into conflict, if to a lesser degree than than the work itself.

"And to see that our people prosper." she added, her gaze returning with newfound resolve.

"Both the strong and the weak, so long as they do not forget their place. Good and loyal service should be rewarded, even if they do not see the conflict in which their crafts find use. They all serve a purpose, Imperius. Even the weak."

"It's just a matter of finding the right people to lead them."

​

 

[Darth Imperius]

Kaila Irons

"The weak have no place anywhere and no justification for their existence except for being dominated. It will be an inevitable cleansing that removes what is decaying in complacency and compassion, especially within the Order."

"As for 'upending fate'. Do you know fate? Have tasted destiny? It is a lie. The same lie the Jedi tell for bedtime stories. The Force is conflict. Balance is conflict. Nature is conflict. It pits life against each other since the dawn of time to make the strongest and most adaptable come out on top."

He spoke with a certainty that gave off the impression of having considered this, of having thought about it for a long time, intensely and thoroughly. Imperius had been a Warden of the Shroud, he sensed the same foolish belief here, even though far less developed and thought through.

"One does not waste time with trying to grab smoke. It will eventually choke you without you achieving your goal. But alas, fate and destiny are very common among the young and eager." His thoughts going back to that meeting on Rakata with Serina Calis . "Even though barely understood. And rarely backed up by action."

"Your way forward has more or less sidelined you from the Tsis'kaar and Kainate. Maybe these factions, these divisions and separation, bickering for philosophical bits and pieces are overdue in their existence. The way forward is to focus on the Sith Code and Empire. Enough is wasted, enough weakness permitted by rallying support against each other rather than the enemy."

"Do you agree or do you find that this chaos suits you as a ladder?"

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, governor's office
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Darth Imperius

The sound which clawed it's way from her throat was almost growl more than a sigh. Yet she moved not a muscle, and by the look in her eye, it was apparent that her convictions were no less unmoved. Too many visions had she seen come to pass, one too many lovers had perished whilst she ignored the signs of fate's insidious touch upon them, for her mission to be anything less than zealous.

Even The Emperor supported her path, their understanding of the code Imperius was preaching, near identical. That was reason enough to disregard all others.

He was right about one thing, however. This division needed to end, even if they would remain divided of their reasons why. And so with a deep breath, Darth Anathemous relented but once.

"It is perhaps the only thing we do agree on, Imperius."

Her clipped voice was tired, jaded even.

"Though I would caution you remember why such division exists. It has been brought upon us by dogmatic leaders turning us against each other— or against themselves. You say He does not control you, that you will part ways once He is no longer beneficial to you. It is important to consider how you will benefit Him, and to cut ties before you create a monster that you cannot stop."

"Every crown is made up of small points. Echnos was one such jagged thing, and one should deny them from men like these more than we provide, lest we inadvertently crown a king who cares not for the code."

"One who has lost us two empires already."

​

 

[Darth Imperius]

Kaila Irons

Darth Imperius started moving, his gaze moving around the office and its interior. It was as calm and measured as his tone, he did not intend to go away or to insult her, he was keenly intent on supporting his words with what could be seen as a casual disregard for her worries. He was unphased by her apparent torment and trauma with one of the Lords he was in alliance with.

"I have not met Darth Carnifex, I was not even close to him. You seem to stand quite deeply into the shadow he casts, the so called Twice-Failed-Emperor. You are correct though, it is dogmatic leaders that have brought us here, dogmatic leaders who are bound by complacency due to their long reign. The Sith crave for purpose and direction, not worship and gone history."

"My purpose and benefit can be measured by what I offer, for a Sith does not act out of benevolence and compassion, and what I get in return. There is little Sith cannot achieve when they are set on a goal, united in passion, they shall be united in conquest."

"I want to extend my hand to you for working together, to bring down factionalism and return the Sith to their core principles. What say you, Darth Anathemous?" He pronounced the word not out of mockery or insult, but to highlight her position, a gesture of respect.

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, governor's office
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Darth Imperius

Imperius, it seemed, was not one to take no for an answer. She could appreciate his persistence however, for it denoted, if his words proved true, a form of respect that the young Darth was most unused to. If not of her character, then her ability at the very least. Or perhaps he was merely desperate, one had to wonder.

"Hm."

Anathemous stroked her chin in thought, carefully considering, as Imperius would come to learn she always did, every possibility she could conceive.

She knew that their paths would diverge eventually, inevitably even, although that seemed an eventuality which Imperius not only expected, but was prepared for. Many would call it unwise to come willingly into the embrace of those who would discard you without second thought, and you them in kind, and many would be correct. However, as Darth Bane had made it so, that had become a most fashionable response one's sith peers, and Anathemous knew well the value of keeping tabs on friend and foe alike, often blurring the line between.

If nothing else, such decisions to support or scorn could be made long after they were announced, and oft differed from spoken answer.

She would watch them closely, yet keep her cards equally close, feeling out Imperius and whatever associates he had to determine if she would stay to support them or to destroy them.

"Very well, Darth Imperius. You have my curiosity."

"Let us see if you can hold it."

​

 

[Darth Imperius]

Kaila Irons

"Curiosity."

The Dark Lord repeated the word like he would savor, question, judge and despise it at the same time. It was all of it and nothing, it was her view. She had a right to it, the mind to share it and the guts to stand behind it. Good. There was a reason he was here and it was satisfying to see that his evaluation and assumption was quite correct.

"I can assure you that more than curiosity awaits in the wars to come."

His gaze rested on her one last time, the massive figure slowly walking back up to her, the void of a helmets face staring at her with crimson lenses and less than no humanity or feeling in it. The warlord towered over her but not for intimidation or to pose superiority.

"Force serve, Darth Anathemous. We will meet soon again."

With that he moves past her and back through the door through which he came and departed.