Faction Honor the Fallen || War in the Rim

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

There were too many present here, too many voices, things moving ever further out from which he would desire them. There might have been some wisdom to at this point cut his losses, realise that movements were in motion and that he with his left arm attempting to choke the rest of his form, that there was little way to fight a war here.

Yet.

Had he ever been one to do so?

So, as other late arrivals came in their various forms, as he felt many a set of eyes watching him, curiosity and suspicion ever familiar expressions upon those orbs, as many a cacophany of voices, of words noted, spilt forth out from the room, the quiet masked watcher continued his staand, steady breaths concealing all which needed to be concealed, as he himself, though as visible as he always was, seemed to fade back into the periphery.

For the moment, there was only one he wished to address, the only one who had given him command, until that was rectified, all else would wait.

It was the utmost respect he could offer at the moment.

His hand reached for the mask, a loud hiss erupting from his face, alerting all whose ears wished to listen, as the mask detached from the form, and fell away to beneath the robes which held their own share of secrets and mysteries. Yet, with an aquiline nose, piercing ruby red eyes, and thin lips, held upon a noble face, all heralded by flowing raven locks, at least one mystery was solved, as Malum took his place by the side of the cradled empress.

His eyes were soft, for one who wore a physical mask, for one who wore a metaphorical mask, the emotion displayed was a weakness that at all other times could not be tolerated, yet, now, surrounded by all those who perhaps did not owe this woman their fealty, but instead, their loyalty, that emotion, might be acceptable yet.

Cautiously, he offered his hand forward, even as though the arms of the man she was cradled in might as well have been a bear's maw for all his willingness to place his hand there, yet, at this moment, all those surrounding seemed to matter little, and little else.

"....As you wish, Lady Tal-," He breathed out, so very tempted for his eyes to flick about, wondering if this was truly right... yet, it may indeed be the best course, for so many different reasons, the greatest temptation to flick to the man to who he owed his allegiance... but... "...Srina."

A beat passed, and now his eyes were considering all that was assembled here, stopping a moment to consider the violet eyed raven sitting upon Kaine's shoulder, the entire Dark Council had been assembled then... if he could use that for his advantage though was hardly guaranteed. He had thought Taeli's absence a boon in two ways, the first that the woman was as much likely to move against him, as she was to support Kaine, and the other, that her absence might have made any decisions here void.

Still, an anger that burned in the air, was enough indication that he could perhaps still do something...

"...The governorships of Echnos and Sluis Van, will no doubt be matters which the Assembly shall want to gather together to vote, as able candidates that Darth Carnifex," The Kainite exile might not have been an official edict, but it was what it was, and it was what people believed it to be, the Emperor had yet to make his voice heard. Was what Kaine said all that time ago on Jutrand true, were Jutrand and the Malsheem united? More and more evidence frightfully indicated so, "Darth Anathemous," She was watching him, and he was hardly sure why she was, the assassin of Kaine's apprentices, and newly knighted, she was not soon for the world, though if that was by his hand, or her master's was an open question, she spoke befitting an apprentice of the Twice-Failed Emperor, he supposed, and of all the candidates he might be able to stomach her presence... even if it represented a resurgence of Kainite influence in Sith Space, "Darth Halcyon," And somehow... out of two Kainite candidates, somehow, he had quickly made himself utterly... unfit for the role. It was his luck, that these were the assembled choices, and how he so wished, that none of the citizens of their empire would need to suffer their respective tyrannies, "are, many others might wish to place their candidacy to serve the empire,"

It was also his luck that seemingly the only one who opposed this was one that he could barely trust to begin with. Still, he felt it was a reasonable enough action... yet, as these moments already highlighted, what power did reasonableness hold?

"...I arrived to offer a report from all fronts and quarters, but it seems that has been securely tended to, as those who fought from Dorvalla, Echnos, and Sluis Van are all represented, as then we are all aware of the damages which took place here, and at Sluis Van," Between minds that had experienced agony, and ships and bodies that had experienced their own agony, there was one path he saw, "I would volunteer to lead out from Dorvalla an effort to chase the retreating Alliance forces to their border, with reinforcements as are available from our shipyards, the Tsis'Kaar trap succeeded with minimal casualties, and my Guard remains uncommitted, allow me the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot."

And take the war away from the hands of those who fought it with an unnecessary depravity. After all, what the Emperor did speak of, stoked a fire, which he knew might yet be another feather in his cap.

"...I would also request the transfer of all prisoners who were captured here and at Sluis Van," He had to make the attempt, "I hope the intelligence I provided before the invasion aided you all... I would seek to use our methods to gather more out of the imprisoned," His fingers rapped against the skin of his palm, for all of them to interpret as they would.

As his blue shadow watched the proceedings with watchful eyes, yet to truly be noticed, even as eyes had doubtless seen her, her role played and introduction far from given. As Malum, found himself doing what he had only just realised he had been doing...

...Delaying the confrontation with the one that he knew sat in orbit above them.

Srina Talon Darth Carnifex Gerwald Lechner Darth Empyrean Kaila Irons Lina Ovmar Ansisa Taeli Raaf Credius Nargath Spencer Varanin
Mentioned: Darth Strosius

 

[Srina Talon]

Nearby Allies: Darth Carnifex | Gerwald Lechner | Ansisa Darth Malum of House Marr Lina Ovmar Kaila Irons Darth Empyrean
Distant Allies: Kivah | Firrerreo
Location: Governor's Mansion Ruins
______________________________________________________

"Worry not for me…"

She was not worthy of their concern.

The words that left the Empress were drawn and thin as she addressed the concerns of one Credius Nargath while they floated over her head. Srina didn't get the sense that she was being asked so much he was asking the Sith Lords that surrounded her. It was bothersome if only because it added to her feeling of ineptitude. She could do many things—But she did not have an unlimited energy pool to draw from. The nature of the ritual she had performed was not unlike the ritual Darth Empyrean had performed during the battle. The main difference?

She was mortal. She—Still had a beating heart.

Her beloved husband was dead.

For all that they worried about the "tear" that had been created above Sulis Van they seemed ignorant over what she felt brewing within Echnos. The moon had been a staging ground for which a phobis device had come to life—It did not leave, without mark. Lina Ovmar would feel the presence of unseeing eyes on her form while Srina accepted the manpower that was offered.

"Thank you, Lady Ovmar…I know that my methods can be seen as severe, perhaps, extreme…", the murmur came from a quiet place, tucked safely away, in the arms of a man that had spilled more blood than most could fathom. Darth Carnifex was every bit the beast they thought him to be, and yet, the Empress of their Order held no fear. No apprehension. If there was something in him that ought to draw horror to her bones—None would note it. "But they are…effective. I have always warned that the Alliance would one day forget their place, now, we are charged with reminding them. The hunt…Has begun."

The way Srina likened their foes to animals was not a mistake, nor, was it a slip of the tongue. She took no pleasure in ending their lives but they would be culled all the same. With the precision and sympathy of a butcher, she would see them laid to rest, their deaths made useful, if only for reclamation to the soil they had once sprung from. Did anyone present think that the Alliance meant them comforts and warm wishes while loudly calling for the demise of any Sith they crossed? The Jedi themselves might have wished for…Peaceful, progress. But the Alliance?

They had come for blood—And they would have it.

Kaila Irons was…Reforged. She was the woman she had been, yet, through the hellfire of the phobis had become that which very well may have placed her on a new path. Srina could not see it in the way one viewed a road to be walked upon…But there was something. Some flicker of the essence left that had come to break her down. To give way for a Darth that could not only climb through the ranks but hold her position. It had been a birth among so much death and despair…And it ought to be distinguished as such. "…Such wisdom from our youngest Darth…". Srina spoke, off-handed, as if it was something all should take note of.

She might have continued but Darth Carnifex beat her to the punch. She felt his words before she heard them, deep, rumbling from within a chest that was just beside her. She nodded in his assessment of Kaila Irons ,Darth Anathemous, and felt secure in that decision. The apprentice had offered up solutions that she had seen supposed "veteran generals" fumble through when placed on the spot. That was a mind that should be allowed to build upon its own intellect. Experience, would allow that. Experience, was what Darth Carnifex offered her.

Gerwald Lechner pledged himself to the orders she had given, though, that was hardly unexpected. Srina nodded her head tiredly at the mention of Oleander Webb and almost missed his distaste of Credius Nargath in the moment. He was familiar but not so much that she could recall his name in any fashion. Perhaps, it was the beating her psyche had taken. The long-haired lupine would feel her words in his mind as he had a million times…A cooling rain.

<<Be at ease, wolf mine.>>​

His hackles were raised defensively because she could not currently protect herself.

It was rare. Exceedingly, rare—And it would be jarring to those who knew her.

While Credius Nargath and Gerwald Lechner spoke about how they might handle Sulis Van Srina felt her focus pulled toward something she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a feathery presence that was neither here nor there but the alabaster Echani could feel it all the same. It felt like the rolling hills of her homeworld. Tasted—Of the endless light of the Six Sisters, while mixing, with something inexplicably opposite. Unstable. It triggered her memory.

Serving beneath the reign of the only Queen ( Spencer Varanin ) that had ever held her allegiance.

Whatever it was…It was gone just as quickly. But, some of the strain in her had eased.

She breathed inward, a little too sharp, and returned to the conversation just as a raven ( Taeli Raaf ) crawled from the shadow of her keeper. Golden eyes stared at it for a long moment, but it was the words of Darth Empyrean that fully snapped her back to the present.

Her husband had not responded to her.

Not in word, at least.

"Prepare the Second Legion…But try and understand what we have done from the perspective of those who call this area home. Rhysion…Understand what I have done. Ignoring the consequences that follow is a folly that I will not entertain…Nothing can twist a broken mind swifter than the promise of salvation in the face of the unknown..."

Srina had tortured the people of this City. She had twisted them into a bulwark that the Alliance would have such difficulty burning through that failure of their acquisition of this system was only inevitable. She had given them fear. She had given them madness. She had given them death. She had aided in providing the Sith Order with the victory they so richly deserved but she would not pretend that a Jedi couldn't show civilians that this carnage could be avoided if only they joined the efforts of the Alliance. For this—She would seek them out.

For this sin alone…She would see them hunted and excised.

Darth Malum of House Marr interrupted her thoughts when he finally stepped forward. At this point she had either assumed he hadn't heard or the presence of Carnifex, Kaine, had kept his boots glued to the ground. Intrusive thoughts fed her doubts. That it was not the man she knew beneath the mask. That it was a trick…That he had been crushed beneath the weight of the mines. That he was a decoy sent from the Alliance—

But…Her name. That swift, personal correction.

When he moved into her line of sight without his mask some of the fierceness in exhausted eyes melted into acceptance. He would see her eyes trace his features, almost urgently, but it would fade just as quickly as it had come. Echani eyes at work. Just as she knew every plane of Empyrean, Carnifex, or Gerwald—So too did Malum fall into that category. She knew him. The hand he offered was met with her own, solidifying, what her eyes told her. It was true, it was indeed him.

Carefully, she drew his digits to her cheek for a moment…Before letting go.

It was just in time—Because her head snapped toward Credius Nargath at his notion of stripping children as if they were fruit from the vine. The frayed edges of the Force welled from her core in such a way that she could not hide the depths of the darkness that had sewn itself into her soul. She was silent while Malum spoke, considering, before issuing any statements. As exhausted as she was…Her mind was not entirely addled. Her words were sharp, as ever. "We are not the Jedi and a dead world does not produce. If you crave fear…You should have been present last night. There was…More than enough."

The argument could be made that people could be supplanted with droids and slaves but that defeated the purpose of holding the line at Echnos. It defeated the effort, the sacrifices, that had been made above Sulis Van. Entire fleets had been lost, to her understanding. "There will be a time for the Assembly to argue holdings—But now is not the moment for political pursuits."

"Darth Anathemous is young but deserving of the opportunity and will have my support to accomplish what is required."

Their young would never learn to stand if their efforts were repeatedly swept under the rug with bureaucratic nonsense. No one was bound by the ties of Eternalist, Inquisition, Kanite, or Tsis'Kaar when they were shoulder to shoulder in the muck. It hadn't mattered to the Empress which banner the Sith she worked with carried. Only, that the job was done.

Her eyes shifted back to Darth Malum of House Marr at his final two requests…And her eyes would burn holes in him the same way they had at the War Council meeting before Tion. Rarely, did he speak without purpose. Rarely, did he say what he meant before gatherings of his peers. Only…What they might want to hear. "Go. But…You will return to me."

It was an order. Not, a request.

"The majority of the prisoners may be transferred to your care—But any high-ranking officials within the Alliance must be sent directly to Jutrand."

A compromise.

Darth Empyrean wouldn't care about the lives of any member of the Alliance, any Jedi, unless they carried significant weight. They were mayflies to him…Born quickly, dying just as fast. In this regard, it would give both men what they wanted without having to rankle one another about it. Srina was…Too tired to mediate tempers. Too tired to worry about what some absentee-Sith might think about how they handled the aftermath of a war effort.

Her head tilted inward and her eyes closed.

So…Tired.

"See it done—All of you. For those without task, as my husband has informed, the Second Legion awaits."

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Srina Talon | Darth Carnifex | Kaila Irons | Lina Ovmar | Darth Empyrean | Taeli Raaf | Credius Nargath | Ansisa

Darth Empyrean looked toward him, and the other members of the Dark Council, his will was certain. The Dark Council had been given a task. For now, the Wolf would stand by his decision to allow Darth Carnifex to oversee the transition of power. His faith was well placed it seemed as the Epicanthix passed Echnos City to Kaila Irons . Her plan, when asked for one by the Empress, was worthy, and Gerwald could support it.

He did not move away from Srina Talon however. Even with Empyrean close, and her call to Darth Malum of House Marr , the wolf did not budge. She was correct that his guard was up. He did not see her in such a vulnerable state often. To his knowledge this was only the second time. Once he had offered his own energy to keep her strong. It had led to him blacking out. Something of his memory of that event was missing, but he had blamed it on the fact he had passed out.

Gerwald still did not know that Srina took the memory.

Her words came to his mind. It was how they often communicated when surrounded by others. The walls of his mind were always open to her. Naedira was the only other to have such unguarded access. Gerwald relaxed at her words. She would know it because she knew him. To the rest the subtle shift would not be as noticeable.

<< “As you wish.” >>​

The conversations around them danced about in turn. Each offered support and made claim to what they wanted as they saw fit. This what Sith did, and yet, Gerwald knew it had nothing to do with their recent victory. It was about power and control of something greater. Each vied for what they wanted, and yet, in the midst of it all there was one who commanded them all. Not even Empyrean challenged her orders or demands.

It brought a smile to the wolf which lay within Gerwald. Whether everyone wanted to admit it or not, Srina was the Alpha of this pack.

She spoke to Credius Nargath before he could interject. Was there a reason to put him in his place when the empress had done so with such force. The Wolf did not like the way he spoke to Carnifex either. This man was a new arrival. He had not aided them prior to recent conflict, and his own words showed he had his own motives for doing so. Gerwald did not see him as loyal to the Order. In fact, he was beginning to reassess who was and who was not from his perspective. He was happy that Srina scolded him, and he knew that Carnifex would handle the insults levied toward him as he saw fit.

Credius was on borrowed time.

Darth Malum of House Marr spoke his mind. His words irritated Gerwald, though he would not show it. They did need to be addressed however. On the matter of what had already been decided the Echani Empress was emphatic that Kaila Irons would indeed remain in the place Darth Carnifex set her. To that Gerwald nodded in agreement.

“The empress is correct. The matter of this transition was decided before your arrival and it will remain as such until a more permanent decision is made. Darth Empyrean has just tasked the Dark Council with making a decision about the Second Legion and we should also discuss candidates for this post and that of Sulis Van as well,” his eyes looked to the raven ( Taeli Raaf ) before turning his eyes back to Malum. “We will meet to discuss this the moment you return from your pursuits.”

He nodded toward his counterparts.

“On the matter of prisoners, however, my orders here were to take no prisoners. No mercy and no quarter were given here. Those taken to my ship are yours when my shadow is finished with them. As for Sulis Van, I cannot speak to the situation there. If reports are correct, there are more dead there than here.”

The second legion was being prepared. It was time to not only ensure it was ready, but that it was battle ready. Empyrean wanted it done. There were those which would find themselves there. Among them would be loyalists which Gerwald had from his days as the Lord Commander of the Knights Obsidian. Many which had been left behind or disenfranchised by the collapse of the nation had been prime targets to fill in his ranks. Many that had once looked for balance watched their great state crumble. Gerwald offered them a sense of purpose, but more than that, he gave them an outlet for their hatred and anger.

“It seems the final matter is to ensure the wound which still exists over Sulis Van is closed. I will be returning to Jutrand shortly to settle what affairs require our attention now. I also greatly desire to be reunited with Naedira before the next battle calls.” His gaze turned to Darth Empyrean and Srina Talon . “You may return with me if the Mors Mon is needed elsewhere.”

The vigilant wolf would not leave the side of his mistress unless commanded to do so.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The term 'Rhysion' felt foreign in this environment, to have so many hear something so tenderly close to him. For most, a name was simply what they had known since the day they were born. Empyrean watched his mother die, and the memory of his true name was forever lost and shrouded by the trauma echoes of death. A name was something he did not have for many years, something so many take granted for - he held none.​

​

Many had called him different names at different times. The Master with the whip made him answer to whatever they chose to call him - like an old dog tossed between rescue shelter and rescue shelter. He answered to avoid the whippings, the pain, the punishment - but it only drove that lesson deeper. With every whip, every blade, every scar carved deeper the importance of a name. A name he chose. A name he earned.​

​

Rhysion was the kindest gift Srina Talon had ever given him. He had the title of Darth Maliphant, but it was the name Rhysion Talon that made him feel whole - like there was a place finally waiting for him in the world. Before his death, before the painful existence of Empyrean, there were a few months where he had been happy.​

​

Before his ambition went too far.​

​

To hear his name here took him off guard. He didn't feel it was something they should hear, something foreign and tender. The only part of him that still lived. The others wouldn't notice his dead expression alter, but Srina would feel the sharp but short hint of hurt. He looked to her, the empty husk of a man who's eyes were little more than metal orbs. A being so deeply scarred from a life unbefitting, he had nothing left to give.​

​

His gut instinct was to correct her, as he had a thousand others. A name meant something, and his Empire would know him solely as Darth Empyrean, Emperor, and Dark Lord of the Sith. But his gut instinct was protection, and he had no need to protect himself from her. The urge faded as quick as it had come - where others would be scorned, he would not let that trauma hurt his wife.​

​

For so long, he had thought himself able to outrun consequences, that in the face of Destiny there would be no qualms too deep, no morality too depraved, nothing out of the question to keep on his path of ascension. Yet here, facing him now, was a consequence he not foreseen, so lost in himself he had been. Srina Talon was everything that made him complete, even in a body that failed him long ago.​

​

But she was not him. She could not hate this world like he did.​

​

His hand worked itself into a fist, letting resolve fester in his grip as he turned back to the others, no words said to his wife.​

​

"Disperse a portion of the First Legion's provisions to Echnos. The Jedi won't find as good ears if their bellies are full. Ensure this city recovers.", he said flatly, directing it towards Darth Carnifex , a coldness striking through even kind words.​

​

He looked to Gerwald Lechner and offered nothing but flat denial;​

​

"I don't need a travel companion."​

​

Then with a hand, the Force broke into a cry at his touch. Reality tore and a gate into nothing opened once more. The Emperor walked into it, and allowed it to close behind him.​

 

[Credius Nargath]

​

He could feel his skin wither further and further, his bones creaking. The longer he stood there in the presence of all those powerful users of the Force, the more ravenous and destructive the Hunger became to Credius, his body being sapped of its lifeforce just to try and satiate the need for sustenance. If it could not drain those around him, it would drain the one who beared it.

Yet, even in this moment where a pain raged through his decaying body, ravaged by the onset of age, the incompatibility between a soul that has dwelled for what seemed like eons within the savagery of the netherworld, the being which once carried the name Darth Halcyon and still had an inkling of attachment to the name they were given at birth, looked at the ailing Empress Srina Talon when she dismissed his cruelty and ruthless nature. Perhaps contrary to what Gerwald Lechner ; the Wolf would have expected... Credius bowed ever so humbly, so unlike a powerhungry Sith and more...like someone who had...a surprising amount of patience in this new age he had discovered himself to be in. "As you desire, your Imperial Highness, I will refrain from making such suggestions evermore...in your presence."

Still half within his bow, his back hunched and his arms still spread out mid-bow, the cloaked and masked figure turned his head towards Darth Malum of House Marr , who within his right and his grand position had made quite a remark. "If you are in need of council, Lord Malum...I am always available to those who wish to... get things done."

Straightening himself as best he could, the withered man unfortunately had to force his creaking bones to bow once more in respect to Darth Empyrean as he seemed to leave everyone behind, no doubt back to his designs that went far beyond even what Credius had been doing for the past decades. A calm nod would be given to Kaila Irons who with her new title as Darth Anathemous had instantly gained control over a large and quite frankly insanely lucrative domain under the auspices of Darth Carnifex . A pity that the Twice Emperor was so adamant in his choice...but there was little the abomination could do at this point in time. To be able to stand against the Twice Emperor or the Dead God, the withered remnant of the proud Nargath had to bide his time, continue his efforts and continue to keep his hunger at bay...for now.

"You and I have never seen eye to eye," The Monstrosity looked straight at Gerwald Lechner , a spark of defiance and maybe a bit of...understanding as well, a strange mixture within the former marquis' eyes. "But I can respect your nature... Mighty Fenrir..."

Though not with the same power as the Emperor himself, Credius too seemed to evaporate in a black fog, his senses allowing him to pinpoint his most trusted servant aboard the Usurper nearby, allowing him to create a path through the force to the mobius tyrant awaiting the Abomination's arrival. As soon as he did arrive on the Usurper though, Credius nearly seemed to collapse, turning towards his servant with burning eyes behind his mask. "Bring them to me...bring them all!!"

Srina Talon | Darth Carnifex | Darth Malum of House Marr | Gerwald Lechner | Darth Empyrean | Kaila Irons | Firrerreo | Lina Ovmar | Ansisa | Taeli Raaf

 

[Kaila Irons]

"…Such wisdom from our youngest Darth…"

Kaila was... unused to being praised for doing her duty. Much less for thinking. She had always assumed that as a Kainite she was expected to be more of a servant than a traditional Sith, and it was simply her lot in life to serve in silence as if she were a machine.

This felt different. This felt... good.

Even despite the fact these words fell from the lips of one who had subjected her to the maddening touch of a Phobis.

Should she really feel this way about Empress Srina Talon ?

Before she could process these complicated feelings, Darth Carnifex addressed the group at large, his commanding voice drowning out all others. She listened intently as always, for his word was law, and often death to those who did not heed it.

Only this time, she heard something she had never before.

"Darth Anathemous has the right of it, she will be the Fist with which these worlds shall be wrung dry of ill influence. In this, she will speak with my voice and act with my will."

She was in command? Kaila's lips pursed in surprise. She had only ever known discipline from her master, But here and now he spoke of reward equally so. Not only was she in command, but the dark lord had publicly recognized her ascension.

Her chin rose a little higher, lips pressed thin in a subtle but uncontrollable smile. The Empress had all but promoted Kaila herself in using that name, but to hear the words in her master's booming voice brought a chill to her skin, and then a confidence that burnt with the radiance of realized ambitions. After so many years of struggle, of fighting for scraps, she had finally done it. She was no longer the weak little girl who had been laid at the feet of the former emperor, she was officially something entirely new. Something vastly stronger. Better.

There was still work to be done, not least of all being the hunting of infiltrators across the system, but this brief comfort she felt of her place within the order would do just as well in lieu of a celebration nor ceremony.

The others would take this time to argue politics to which she would appear apathetic, it wasn't her place to involve herself in such things after all, but internally she was beaming at the news which preoccupied her thoughts such that even Darth Empyrean 's uncaring stance towards their victory here and the sacrifices of Srina Talon was not enough to take this moment from her.

Even if it was concerning.

"...The governorships of Echnos and Sluis Van, will no doubt be matters which the Assembly shall want to gather together to vote, as able candidates that Darth Carnifex, Darth Anathemous, And Darth Halcyon are, many others might wish to place their candidacy to serve the empire,"

Then the master of Marr spoke, and she could ignore politics no longer.

Did he say candidates? She thought, brows raising at the young Dark Councilor who was now unmasked and conversing with The Empress. But why as she a candidate? Was she not merely to root out the enemy and then return to the Malsheem, to train for battle and await the next task as she had always done?

"There will be a time for the Assembly to argue holdings—But now is not the moment for political pursuits."

"Darth Anathemous is young but deserving of the opportunity and will have my support to accomplish what is required."

No, The Empress was not in the mood for the "Hurry up and wait" sort of life that people like Kaila oft lived. She wanted this vacancy filled quickly, to press the initiative while it still belonged to the Sith. She appreciated the pragmatism of it all, of course.

But why her? Kaila was, as Talon acknowledged, young. Her accomplishments, at least what was recorded by official sources, few. She was a mere scholar at best, an enigmatic assassin belonging to a controversial faction at worst. Would a strong, accomplished commander not serve this purpose better? This planet was now swarming with great and terrible power belonging to beings far more experienced and far more accomplished than herself.

No, perhaps that was it.

Of all the voices present here, voices like Credius Nargath for example, They were all creatures of renown and ambition. And they were willing to trample any who stood between them and to achieve these goals.

If The Empress believed her plan to be wise, then it stood to reason that she announced her support because she wanted someone capable of subtlety. An instrument of precision.

"I..." She struggled to find words adequate to express her gratitude towards the empress, nor shock at her decision.

"If you believe me up to the task, My Empress, I'll not argue" She bowed her head deeply towards Srina Talon , whether she could see the gesture or not.

Suddenly everything was happening so fast. Yesterday she was a failed apprentice sent to redeem herself or die, today she was a newly ascended dark lord of the sith, tomorrow perhaps, a planetary governor. It was exciting, but quite overwhelming.


Srina Talon Darth Carnifex Darth Malum of House Marr Darth Empyrean Credius Nargath Gerwald Lechner

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina offered a small bow of her head as the political conversation around them continued. "Isn't that what it is to be a sith, my Lady? To do whatever is necessary to achieve our goal. To sacrifice what must be sacrificed? You did what needed to be done for our people to succeed, nothing more, nothing less. The alliance flee with their tail tucked between their legs and we will pursue."

She reached out to squeeze the Empress's hand, a quiet reassurance. Perhaps they'd get time to talk again soon without the opressives eyes and ears of the man who carried her. She stepped back as she called Malum forward, removing herself quietly from the crowd that had gathered. Lina was better moving in the shadows, whispering in the ears of others guiding them to the path that better suited her.

Who Sluis Van or Echnos fell to in the end would not matter. Carnifex's control would be temporary. That was enough comfort for her. She could tolerate him a little closer to home for a short while. He couldn't watch her movement while he handled pockets of rebellion and raised the young Kalia Irons to a new height.

Her own gaze lifted away from the group to a presence at the back of the room that made the lightsabers at her waist hum in the force. Her emerald gaze watched her for a moment, fingers gliding over the silver cylinders that had once belonged to her mother, there was malice there, but also something deeper and far more complicated. Anaya Fen had had complicated relationships with almost everyone who had crossed her path, but this one? The soft locks of golden hair that escaped the confines of her hood, the quiet but powerful presence in the force, this could only be one woman.

Quietly she approached, coming to stand at her side. It was an interesting view from here, removed as they were yet able to see all that occured, the differences in the power that emanated from each member present.

"My mother spoke of you often, Lady Varanin. Sometimes with nothing but hatred, other times with reverence. But then my father had broken her mind beyond repair that the end, I don't think she truly knew who she was herself."

Srina Talon Spencer Varanin