Private In The Darkest Place [Taeli]

[Darth Carnifex]

Remnicore

Where once there was desolation and silence, a great monument had sprung up from the cracked lightning blasted wasteland. Towering above all other structures natural and artificial, the spires of the great black keep thrummed with energy rife with the Dark Side of the Force. Gargantuan war gallies, riddled with cannons and missile tubes, meandered lazily through the planet's upper atmosphere. Clouds parted at their passing, carving large swaths through the otherwise oppressive and domineering overcast that shadowed the barren lands below.​

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Starfighters whirled through the open sky as well, sleep forked designs born specifically for this purpose. Their pilots were slaved-linked to their machines, cables running from the back of their shaven craniums to the mechanical interface which welded man and machine into one cohesive unit. Down below trod great multi-limbed metal beasts, their groaning advance a dull screech above the otherwise soundless earth. Behind them were the dark durasteel walls of the castle, sleep angles giving way to squat military design. ​

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A single shuttle descended through the clouds, slowing to idle and then land on one of the outstretched platforms which jutted out from the malign keep. Ramp descending, several figures emerged and walked the lonesome distance to the castle's gates, which opened at their approached and closed once they had passed the threshold. ​

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Inside, the castle was just as dark and foreboding as its exterior. Strips of luminous crimson lights illuminated the spacious trapezoid halls, casting dark shadows over every surface as the group moved silently step-by-step. They passed closed and open doors alike, with those that were open offering brief glimpses into equally austere chambers of various purposes. Tall and silent guards monitored the halls, their sleek black armor almost invisible against the equally black backdrop of the hall. They stood still like statues, not even giving notice to the group which stalked past them.​

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Finally, the group entered a large chamber dominated by a massive open window overlooking the sullen landscape beyond the castle's domain. At one far end of the chamber was a throne, though none of the group moved to sit upon it. Rather, the largest of the group stepped forward and held out a small circular object. A pillar of black metal rose up from the ground at his gesture and stopped just below the object as the individual placed it gently upon the pillar's surface.​

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Pulling back his hood, the individual was revealed to be Darth Carnifex, the former Dark Lord and former Emperor of the Sith Empire. In the days and weeks following his abdication, he had spent his time studying the ancient esoteric mysteries of the Dark Side of the Force.​

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And now they were beginning to bear fruit. ​

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Behind him were many others of his inner circle, though it was obvious that not all were in attendance. The most notable who was in attendance was Taeli Raaf , mistress of monsters, and weaver of spells. They had both conspired to assault the Silver Jedi Concord and steal a Zeffo astrium right from under their noses, and they had succeeded. Now, after intense study, they had returned to Remnicore to discuss their findings.​

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"Such a quaint bauble," mused Carnifex with his rumbling baritone, "The key that will open the gate."​

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Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Remnicore

Yes, she thought, everything was going as they had planned. The Jedi and their allies had rushed to the defense of Onderon, to prevent the infamous Kaine Zambrano from adding another world to his long list of plundered and decimated planets. They had assumed that was all that it was, the then Sith Emperor and Dark Lord putting another world of his enemy's to the torch... but in setting their trap, the Jedi had lost by playing it in the first place.

Kashyyyk had been their primary target, not for such grandiose displays of fire and destruction, but for the quieter act of slipping into the temple as no more than thieves. A few taken identities allowed Taeli and a select group, some chosen for their infiltration skills, some chosen for their ability to cause chaos, to slip in and hunt down their prize.

Galactic events had prevented an immediate continuation of their plans, and having returned from the summit on Naboo, it had amused her that their erstwhile allies against the threats to stability had no idea what was slowly taking shape in the background.

"One step closer, my Lord," she replied, cradling said bauble in her hands as she walked beside him. Abdicated, officially, of his titles within the Empire, she still gave him the honorific as he deserved. Darth Carnifex might not be a being that could fully slip into the shadows of obscurity, his infamous reputation meant that the Jedi would always be suspicious if he had retreated from public sight, but here on Remnicore... a planet lost to history by most. Here, they were as ghosts to their enemies.

The astrium in question would start them on the path, and it was an exciting prospect. Curiosity risen, as always, she looked forward to the chance of studying the Zeffo tomb and whatever corpse might be laying in state there. Not just on what its genetics could unlock, but what they might pull through the use of the Force. All in the name of creating their Dark Vergence.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A wave of his hand and a holographic map presented itself from hidden projectors around the room. The projection was larger than all of the assembled and was highly detailed with planets, star systems, and entire quadrants. A twist of his wrist and the image zoomed in on what had once been the Sith Empire's eastern border, slowly being consumed by the gradually encroaching Bryn'adûl horde. One of those systems that had been swallowed was the Lothal system.​

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"Lothal is lost to us, though we managed to evacuate all personnel and the collected data. In the end, the world has no further use to us now. We have the astrium and we have the writings on the tomb of Tor Valum." Suspended above them was the tomb itself, excavated from the crypt beneath the old citadel, and brought up to the throne room as the new citadel was built around them. When the time came to enact all that they had been working towards, this chamber would be the nexus of their dark machinations.​

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The map disappeared as the tomb itself began to descend down towards them, lowered by large sarrassian iron chains. The former Emperor walked over to the tomb as it came to a rest, placing a gloved hand on the weathered stone sarcophagus. ​

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"It is time to unseal his tomb, my old friend." He looked to Taeli, "The honor will be yours."​

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Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

It was unfortunate that Lothal had fallen to the Bryn'adul, as many other systems had already. They were quickly becoming an issue, and a disruption to the galaxy that needed to united against before, much like the Yuuzhan Vong before them, they were impossible to remove and the surged into more populated systems. Regardless, Kaine was right that the Jedi Temple had outlived its usefulness to their endeavors.

"You honor me, my Lord," she said, surprised he was granting her the chance to unlock the tomb of Tor Valum first. Darth Carnifex was not known for his charity, and as close as allies as they were, it still came as a surprise that he didn't take the pleasure himself. Her paranoid side also chimed into her mind that if a trap was triggered by the astrium being inserted, she would be the one on the receiving end and not him. Best to be on guard, she thought, as the chains lowered the crypt to their level.

"It would be deeply disappointing after all this work that it turns out his tomb is empty," she quipped, astrium in hand as she approached the depression where the sphere would be installed. Probing the stone with the dark side, she muttered a spell under her breath to detect physical and ethereal traps as she had once seen an expedition crew melted by an acid trap once. It had not been pretty. Her spell detected nothing, but still erring on the side of caution that the Zeffo could have created something she couldn't detect, she backed away and inserted the sphere with the Force, turning it until a pale light began to glow from it and the seal began to release.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Taeli would be correct in her suspicion that Carnifex would be wary of any lingering traps put into place by the ancient Sith Lord, even as inspection of the sarcophagus' exterior revealed nothing. Whether that meant that whatever traps had once been employed on the Sith Lord's tomb had worn away due to age or were never there in the first place was impossible to discern without opening the tomb. ​

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The latter appeared to be true as the astrium was accepted, internal mechanisms clunking into place, and the sarcophagus began to unfurl.​

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Pressurized air hissed out from the open cracks, the sides of the sarcophagus pulling apart to reveal the chamber within. What lay inside was the corpse of Tor Valum, his body mummified and preserved from contamination by the hermetic chamber. He wore fine vestments of the ancient era he once lived in, various artifacts strewn about his body. The most important prize, however, seemed to lay in the hands which were crossed over his chest.​

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It was a holocron, of clear Sith origin. ​

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Carnifex now approached, emboldened by the lack of repercussions from opening the tomb. Silently he observed the contents of the sarcophagus, his eyes scanning over each and every item as silent collection teams began to approach to take and catalog each of them. The one item that Carnifex reached out for with the Force was the holocron itself, which detached itself from Tor Valum's grip and flew into his outstretched hand.​

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"A key to a bigger prize," Carnifex whispered lustily.​

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Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Darth Carnifex

When they weren't reduced to a pile of organic goo or their life drained away in an instant from some dark side trap as the tomb opened, Taeli allowed herself to feel a sense of achievement. The body that lay in state was in exquisite condition, mummified as it was, but it was very well preserved. Kaine pried the holocron clutched in dead hands away, and she shared his look of greed for a moment. The knowledge contained within would help them on their goal. Collection teams moved in to start taking the other stored artifacts away, to be studied and cataloged in Carnifex's collection no doubt.

"All that stands between us and his knowledge is gaining the gatekeeper's favor," she replied. "To craft a portal of our own, and who knows what else Tor Valum could teach us?" One of the collection teams went to try and touch the body and Taeli stopped him cold, her glare frostier than even her cryokinesis could be.

"I'll be taking the body with me," she continued saying. It was a statement with finality. To be able to study the genome of a Zeffo, the experiments that could grow out of such research, the projects and products that they could use for their own hidden agendas... it was too tempting to resist. The Jedi had no idea what had been unlocked here, what they were truly up to even as the Empire fought tooth and nail for survival.

"Shall we see what Tor Valum left us, my Lord?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Yes, let us see the wisdom of the ancients."​

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Carnifex turned, cloak fluttering as he stalked towards the same plinth which he had previously rested the astrium on when they first arrived. He placed the holocron upon it, reaching around to the plinth's shaft to remove several panels revealing a variety of instruments built into the structure. He extended several data analysis and collection probes and connected them to the holocron's surface, mechanisms within the plinth coming to life several moments after.​

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Reaching out with the Dark Side, Carnifex poured his power into the device to will it to open at his bidding. After a few moments, the holocron began to shine brightly and release brief discharges of electrical energy. A few moments after that, a small red light poured out from the holocron and coalesced into a small hologram-like image a few centimeters above the holocron.​

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It was the image of Tor Valum, the holocron's creator and former owner.​

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"W̛͜͟ho d̶̸a͢͏r̷e̸s͟ ̶d̵i̛͝s͞t̷u̸̵r̵̵͡b̷̛s̴̛ ̡͘t̀h͡e ͏H͟҉̸o͠l̵o̵̡c̶͜r̴͟͝o̴n̛ ̨̛͡o͘f̡͘ ̨͟T̀o̴̴͠r̷̕ ͞͠V̶͏a̧̧l͘͟u҉̷m͢,́ D̸͞ar̛̛k̴ L̴o̵͢r̶͞d̡ ̴͘͝o͏҉f̴̨ ҉̨̛th̢e ̸̧S̛í͝t̡͘̕h́҉͞?̴͠"​

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The image stared directly at the two Sith Lords, a small bluish light reaching out from the front of the holocron to scan their faces and identities.​

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"I̛d̸̡͜e͏̧͘nt̡i͞t̸i̵̡e̷͢s͘ ̛͟n̵o͜t̶̶͡ ̧r͘e̵̕͟c͠o̶g͢͠n҉̨͝i͘z̴e̵̵d̴̕,͠ ͏͏s̵t̢͟a̧͟t̸̷ę͡ ́yòư̴̢r ̀͜ra͜͝n͞k̸s͟͝ a̛͝ǹ͢d t̴̵͞ì̶t҉l͝e͟͟͝s͡." The image seemed to pause for a moment, "My̢͘ ̵͞i̴̶̴nt҉e̶̛r̵҉nal̵ ̨̛͝c͏h̀͞͝r̸͡҉ò͘͝n͞o̸͝͏m̡͠e̛͞t̷e̸̶͢r͟ ̵͡s͞t͝a͘te͠s̨̀̀ ţ̴́h̀́a̕t̵͢ ̴̢ş͜è͝v̧͠è͘ń-̨t̵͢h̸͝o̧̢ú͟s̸a͏͏n҉͟͡d̶̵,҉ f̶iv͢e̢͢͝-̵͘҉h̵̶̕u̸͝ņ͏d̶̷r̕e̡͜d͜͞, ̴àn̡d͠͏ ̢͘̕s̸̴i̶̵x̢͟t̵y̛-f̨ou̵͝ŕ̸̨ ̢y͟ȩa̢r͘s̶̢ ̧́h̢҉ą́v̛̕e̸ p̷͢ą̡͏ss͢͝ed͞ ̸̶s̶͘͠i̷n͢͡c̢̢e͟҉ ̶͞m͏̨y̷͡ ́c̴̶͡r̨͢ȩ̛a̧͞t̢i̕͟͡ò͏n͏̡.̶͝͡ ̨͡"​

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Carnifex would be the first to speak up, "I am Kaine Zambrano, also known as Darth Carnifex, Dark Lord of the Sith." Though he had officially abdicated that title, it was no use to explain the complexities of Imperial politics to a holocron gatekeeper.​

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Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Darth Carnifex

With bated breath, she only watched as Kaine placed the holocron on the plinth where it belonged. She wasn't sure if the information probes would be able to bypass the gatekeeper if they needed to extract the knowledge forcefully, but there were ways. Zannah had recorded in her own holocron how her master had extracted what he wanted from Andeddu's holocron with his powers. Kaine could not be effected by mentalism because of his species, but neither was he able to access that tree of abilities himself. It was something to consider...

The holocron came to life with an infusion of dark power, its gatekeeper appearing and demanding to know who would dare disturb it. Kaine spoke first, as was his right, and while he had abdicated his role officially, unofficially... well that was another perspective. Braxus wouldn't go against Kaine's wishes, not without reason. No, the game hadn't shifted in truth, just the appearance of it.

"Darth Arcanix, Lady of Secrets of the Sith," she replied, not inclining her head or otherwise showing it respect she might to a living Sith Lord. Holocrons had a nasty habit of not giving the proper instruction if they sensed too much deference from the one accessing it. Sith would not grovel before a hologram for scraps of power.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"A̛rc͝͞an͜i͏x͡ ̨̀a̕͟n̨͝d̨ ̢͘͞C̶̢arni͢f͟ex͢,̀͞ ̷m̢͢y̢ ̨͘s̕èn̶͟͢s̡҉or͠͝s̛ ̡̛ha̸̷͜v̢͘e̡͢ ̴͢l̴o̡gged͜͟ ͝yo̧u͏ŕ̶͏ ̧ì͠n̨̢f͘or̴͢m̨a̕͞t̵͟͞í̵̛òn.̨͢"​

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The holographic gatekeeper paused, processing the information. The information probes attached to the holocron began to do as they were intended, feeding the gatekeeping program with information regarding the exploits and prowess of the two Sith Lords in order to convince it that they were worthy. Only the worthy could be allowed access to the secrets of the holocron, and they were both determined to acquire that information by any means necessary.​

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Another moment before the Gatekeeper looked to the two Sith.​

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"Ẃ͢o͟r͠t͏҉h͢҉i̛n͟ę̸s̴͞s̛͠ ̧̛͠j͘u͏̛ḑ̵g͠͝͝e̴̕d̵͠͞.̧ ̀A̕c̸͡ce͏s̨̛͘ş͢ ̵͢g̷ra̴nt̡̛ęd͡.̵̢͠"​

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The hologram faded as the holocron opened up, another hologram appearing which contained detailed information about Tor Valum, the Sith of his era, and the connections between Remnicore, Lothal, and Mortis itself. Almost immediately, the same information probes which had fed the holocron information began to voracious transcribe every piece of information that was just now made available, transferring it to a private server deep within the bowels of the fortress.​

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Carnifex then turned to Taeli and spoke with a tone of triumph, "It is ours now, my friend. There will be no one to stop us."​

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Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

She was suspicious that no test had been demanded by the gatekeeper, merely acknowledging their identities. Something in the back of her mind was needling her about it, secrets were being given up with no fight or attempt by the gatekeeper to sway them to his line of thought, his teachings, his ideas... no they would need to be wary, even if they did have it all now.

"We have the knowledge, yes, but acting on it will be the real triumph, Kaine," she responded. "To keep the Jedi and our enemies distracted from our real work until their parts are to come into play."

From her own studies of the temple on Lothal, back when she had helped rebuild it with the Jedi, she knew a portal of such power to the World Between Worlds would require a planet or site strong in the Living and Cosmic Force, and be balanced between light and dark. The Celestials had long ago tied their culture to the Balance, and to take the Throne of Destiny, to reshape reality to what they desired... it would require immense work.

"We'll need a distraction of magnitudes."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Their fixation on the Empire will be their undoing, Taeli. It blinds them to the truth."​

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The ambitions of Carnifex and Taeli had transcended the limitations of mere Empire, which had always been a means to an end for them. A platform where they could accumulate the resources and manpower necessary to advance their goals to new heights. Lothal had given them access to part of the puzzle, and Remnicore had added more necessary pieces. Now it was up to them to arrange them in the correct order, to gain sight of the full picture that laid at their feet.​

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"The Jedi are consumed by justice, blinded by their own eagerness to exact retribution. We will have no issue circumventing their gaze now that it is cast elsewhere." He spoke dispassionately, his voice a deep monotone rumble. "I have enlisted the services of Koda Fett, he is currently hunting the officers and politicians of the Alliance in their own territory. I have also dispatched my agents to reconnect with revolutionary cells in the Core Worlds, feeding them credits and resources. They will serve us well without ever realizing who has aided them, but we still require something far larger."​

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He activated a simplistic holo-map of the Core Worlds, his eyes scanning each world for something to use.​

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"Here," he pointed a finger towards one of the worlds, "Foerost. It is home to a shipyard complex of sufficient note. Will knocking it out of orbit suffice?"​

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Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

She couldn't argue with the fact that the Jedi continued to be blinded in their zealotry, in their pursuit of the darkness' ultimate destruction. It would never happen, and for every Jedi that committed deeper and deeper into such blind aggression, the closer they came to that darkness themselves. It was what had made her ability to subvert the first rendition of the Alliance so easy, and the new one, formed from its remnants and others, had not learned from their mistake. A pity.

"It would certainly create a major humanitarian crisis if the shipyards impacted the world," she mused, looking at the map in thought. "Foerost is still on the edge of Alliance space, although we would have to utilize some of our secret hyperspace lanes to reach that side of the Core."

It could be a useful distraction, but that would be more for the Alliance government and any Jedi that may have a conscience to help relief efforts. It wouldn't attract the attention of the bulk of the Order to rally to its defense or aid. No, they would something else launched in tandem. Something that would draw the notice of the Jedi through the Force and bog them down with its repercussions long enough...

"We need something to echo through the Force," she continued, eyes moving from place to place on the map. "Something that could either bog down the Jedi from both the Alliance and Silvers or have them start fighting each other."

The second option would be far more difficult to create, but not completely impossible. Looking at the border between the Concord and the Alliance, she stopped and zoomed in on a pacifistic world.

"Caamas."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Perhaps," Carnifex mused.​

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He looked back at the map, scanning the array of planets. He focused his efforts on the Alliance-Concord border, agreeing with Taeli's assessment that they should attempt to drive a wedge between the two disparate Jedi Orders. He then saw something that gave him an idea, a window of opportunity that they could exploit to the fullest.​

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Reaching out to direct Taeli's attention to the world in question, he pointed to the section of space on the Alliance-Concord border near Humbarine.​

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"Natanus."​

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It was a world of moderate means just off the Trellent Trade Route, partially industrialized but rapidly growing in stature under the stewardship of the Alliance. It was the only habited world in the system, the third planet from its native star. It was home to some twelve billion people, most of whom lived in the industrial cities which continued to spread and grow across the planet's surface. It was not so much of a high profile target as nearby worlds, but it was still of some degree of importance in the region.​

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"This is where we shall strike, the Dark Side draws me to it." And for a flicker of a moment, the faintest glimmer of a smile curled the edges of Carnifex's lips.​

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"And I know exactly what we shall do."​

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Taeli Raaf ​