Private Meeting of Gold

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Úlfs Reiði, hangar bay
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

Several days had passed since the rescue of Quinn Varanin .

Darth Anathemous departed the shuttle with unnaturally heavy steps which subtly shook the boarding the ramp against her durasteel-toed boots. A cloak of pantoran-silk flowed behind her, a once graceful garment now pocked by holes and scorched, if more so than her black armor, it's smooth, shining surface now home to a few more marks than before.

"How many, my lord?" An orange-shouldered commander dressed in Echnosian armor asked, hoping to congratulate his superior for an increasing kill count.

"Not enough."

Anathemous passed him by, ripping the mask from her face with a frustrated expression, causing curled hair to cascade down her shoulders like liquid gold. She felt as though she'd been hunting rebels since the incident, tracking down and eliminating any and all persons connected to whatever terrorists had dared lay hands on the princess. Truth be told, she would rather be with her right now, yet what little time the echani was not resting often involved private meetings in her room with other concerned parties, such as The Empress, Dark Councilors and other figures who were more important than herself.

Kaila had no choice but to acquiesce to the demands of her superiors. But she knew the princess was thinking of her too.

And so it was that the lord of Echnos, the ever restlessly dutiful warrior-sorceress that she was, turned her attention to more "productive" matters, rather than sit idle while those cowards still polluted the galaxy with their breath.

"Someone bring the prisoner to a doctor." she sighed as her men dragged a wounded, blindfolded rebel out of the ship.

Then she leaned against the wall near some door, running gloved fingers through her hair.

"...find me another target."

​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Rebel hunting is best left to the Tsis'kar you know. They love killing those beneath them to prove their loyalty." Overhearing the conversation hadn't been Alina's intention, but she had none the less. The Sangnir stepped into the room, calm as ever, hands clasped behind her back. It'd been a while since she bothered wearing more Imperial looking clothing, but she was in full decor now to look more like an officer than a Sith. Not that her eyes hid it much. The glow of red on the black sclera certainly gave away her true nature.

Eyes no different than Darth Carnifex . A Sith returned from death, forever marked by the Force for such an unnatural perversion.

"I could give a better target, Lord Anathemous, if you're interested." Her own hunt wasn't over. The Force Hunters those rebels used, they didn't get them by chance. They'd been supplied. Taught. There was no chance they could take Quinn Varanin captive without proper training. Even Alina had issue with it now. "Or you can keep killing the rabble. That does help the rage."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Úlfs Reiði, hangar bay
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

"Tsis'kaar..." Kaila spat.

She gave the uniformed woman a sidelong glance, her golden gaze widening the barest inch upon meeting the stranger's.

It was like looking into the Dathomiri eclipse, and perhaps equally as bad for one's health. She'd only seen those eyes once before, associating them with the man she hated most in this galaxy, and all the dread power therein. Whoever this woman was, she was no mere soldier, not was her presence to be taken lightly.

And it seemed she had Anathemous at a disadvantage.

"A better target, you say?"

She turned towards the stranger, her expression being, as it often was, one of mixed curiosity and caution.

"You have my attention, ma'am. And my curiosity."

The woman was given another once over as Anathemous approached, noting the subtle difference in their height and the sickly pallor which gave her fellow blonde an almost ethereal glow amidst the interior light which outshone even her own fair and freckled skin, despite clearly being healthy and fit. And yet, she seemed to lack the dark veins of the other pale sith lords she'd known, corrupted by the dark as they were. This was almost a bloodless pale, she thought. How curious,

"I'm afraid however, that you have me at a disadvantage. I have seen your eyes before, but never your face."

"Who are you?" she hummed curiously.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

Oh?

A brow raised as Kaila all but cussed out the Tsis'kar. Bad blood, it seemed. It was a pretty common thought to mistrust them, considering the past tensions between the serpent queen's bid for power and the duel between her scions certainly did no favors for public opinion. This level of hate was personal, though. There were questions to be asked about it, another time at least.

"Quinn's got quite the weakness to Force suppression, considering her nature. It's not something she'd be taken by surprise though. Those rebels didn't just whip out a lizard and bring her down, they had training to handle it. Someone taught them how to handle it. That's a problem I want taken care of." A proper Sith wasn't brought low just because they lost the Force. An acolyte, perhaps even a Knight, but a Sith Lord didn't need the Force to be a threat. Or perhaps Alina was projecting. She herself didn't, after all.

"Alina Tremiru. No one of major importance these days. Are you up for the hunt?"

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Úlfs Reiði, hangar bay
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

Her nature.

Kaila seemed to recall knowing ahead of time that Quinn was born of the force, but to see what became of the woman without her maker was... Just thinking about it brought an uncomfortable frown to the young Darth's face. But seeing it? That challenged everything she knew of the force. How was she supposed to destroy the great enemy, if for her efforts, Quinn would die...?

But there was no time to think of such things, only the present.

The woman's gaze sharpened at the mention of higher training, a suspicion of her own which she'd been unable to pursue without a proper lead.

Perhaps this red-eyed stranger was exactly what she needed, even if that need was simply to feel as though she'd done something, to make up for not being there when Quinn needed her most.

For failing the only one left to care for her.


"Alina Tremiru." She hummed softly, as if testing a taste at the end of her tongue.

"If you are a friend of Quinn, then I suppose you are a friend of mine. I will gladly hunt those who would do her harm."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

A friend of Quinn Varanin 's? Alina didn't show emotion amongst strangers. Nothing more than her smile that never quite reached her eyes was the default before she got to know someone, but there was a hint of sadness to her gaze. It hadn't been that long ago that Alina and Quinn had been engaged, but those who fussed over the Princesses safety didn't even know who Alina was? She truly was just a replacement for Vesta, wasn't she?

The thought passed quick, the sadness in her eyes gone as soon as it showed. "Then we are allies, my Lady. Whoever supplied them, trained them, is the target. Shall we depart? I've wind of a stock house hidden away in the wilds."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Úlfs Reiði, hangar bay
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

That hint of sorrow, however brief, did not go unnoticed. Kaila was forced to become quite cautious, become Anathemous, out of a need to sniff out malice among her peers. It made her very observant. However in this instance, the most likely explanation in her mind was that Alina too felt for the echani's situation, and so Kaila thought nothing of it.

Save perhaps that it was good to have an ally for once.

"A storehouse...?" she narrowed her eyes in focus.

The mission, as it often did, had become the priority.

"Filled with those nasty little darts and stones, I imagine? I'll need to grab some additional equipment before we depart."

"How many guards?"

Tired or not, she was eager to know all she needed to redeem herself. What weapons to bring, how many men.

Who to kill.

​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Unknown. After the crushing of the rebellion they could have a skeleton crew or a full group of survivors regrouping there. It'd be the ideal place to build up a counter attack or a full retreat from Sith space." The later was more likely in Alina's mind. They knew the Sith were after them. She didn't care, though, if they fled or not. What she needed was information on the one who sold them all those supplies after all. Their blood would help her find it.

"What sort of equipment? Anything fun?"

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Úlfs Reiði, hangar bay
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

So either they'd finish the rebels once and for all or deny them a valuable outpost. Either way it was a valuable target and Kaila appreciated miss Tremiru's intel.

Her question however took Anathemous by surprise, though it elicited a faint smile, and nervous chuckle.

"Oh, nothing too crazy."

She glanced up, thinking on it for a moment.

"Hmm. A mandalorian buckler, Kunai, perhaps a blaster for emergencies. Things to offset the lack of force if need be."

Susevfi had taught her a lot about the world, and she would not let the lesson go to waste. Never again.

"Come," she said, turning to go find her quarters.

"I'll show you. Although it sounds like you've some experience hunting targets like this, perhaps you've something to show me as well."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Mandalorian, huh?"

A bemused looking smile took over Alina's expression, but she didn't push it any further. It would be good for Kaila to have something. They were in danger, after all, of being cut off from the Force. Less of a threat to Alina herself, but she wasn't about to explain as much right yet. She followed along, shoulders square, still very much the appearance of an officer.

"Perhaps I could. I've quite a lot of experience with Force nullification."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Úlfs Reiði, living quarters
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

"My... former master, He believed I should keep what I kill." she explained in a strangely uncertain tone.

The golden haired duo would find themselves in the young Darth's temporary quarters then, what would have been a simple military bunk, clean and well organized, with the exception of stacked holobooks and even a few parchment tomes, all containing a little slice of history, sith tradition, and even a few related to Dathomir.

Anathemous however had come from the weapon rack magnetically hung behind the now empty armor stand.

She took knives, an old Kainite rifle, and as promised; a set of Mandalorian vambraces, their silver gleam visible where the black paint had since worn.

"Lady Tremiru," she began whilst affixing the new armor.

"You've an air of experience about you, any idea how the rebels got their hands on so much?"

A quick flash of blue confirmed to her that the combat shield was still functional.

She was ready.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

That was a pretty common sentiment among the Sith, Alina figured. Her focus instead was on the gear Kaila gathered up. A lot of useful things, certainly. "Someone with the knowhow. It's not something just anyone knows how to do. And to get their hands on that much? Yeah. There's a lot to figure out behind the scenes. Whoever it was, they'll have quite the handy answers."

They'd better, at least. Or Alina would find the answers in their blood. "Your ship, or mine?"

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Úlfs Reiði, entering hangar bay
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

"So we're in the dark till we nab the right scum."

Kaila made her way towards the hanger, gesturing for her astromech to follow, who had been sitting inactive in the corner until now. It's singular "eye" gazed up at Alina curiously, seeming to run some sort of scan before rolling to it's master's side as the sangnir inquired of their transport.

"That depends on how many men you think we should bring."

"My ship," she gestured towards the nearby courier.

"Is best suited to small infiltration teams what with the cloak and all."

"But I suppose It's more about how you use it." she added with a faint smirk.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Pretty much. There should be a paper trail on where the supplies came from, if they haven't erased it yet. It'd be good to get there before. An infiltrator sounds like the ideal thing to get there quick before they realize y'know, we know where they are." She glanced briefly to the droid, though, head tilted. Droids were useful, if hackable. She'd replaced her own pilot droid with one she knew was loyal. The kind of loyalty that they couldn't say no to, at that. She'd trust this droid, though. At least for now.

"It's just us two, so, I think we'll be fine to use it anyway."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Disembarking from the Úlfs Reiði
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

"Just the two of us? and no time to waste."

Anathemous was quick to jog up the boarding ramp and through the central living quarters of The Masquerade, a few books still sitting atop the holotable which doubled as the space she ate breakfast while on mission.

In fact the past few days while Quinn was busy reminded her of those strange days spent as a seeker.

"Zero will show you around if you wish, otherwise the cockpit's this way."

She said, clambering up the short ladder into the cockpit of the unusually arranged ship to plop herself down in a seat of corellian leather, a set of matching seats beside and behind it.

"Control to Masquerade, we are departing on Sith business, how copy?"

"Control copies, good hunting Masquerade." the radio answered.

They knew by now what sith business meant by now, and that any argument would fall on deaf ears. Following Quinn's death and subsequent rebirth, Anathemous was... different. Eager to do things she may have shied from in the past.

"So," she flicked the comms off and began takeoff, turning to Alina.

"Where to?"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Susevfi's first moon."

Alina took the seat beside Kaila, idly folding her hands in her lap as she looked out the viewport. It didn't surprise her that Sith Business was the only code phrase needed. In the last Sith Empire, that was all that was needed to bypass a good number of security checks so long as they knew it was true. In this one, she assumed it was even more the case. The Sith had far more power now.

"They're hiding there, whoever survived anyway. The Empress was quite ruthless in her punishment."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: En route to Susevfi's first moon
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

"So close... I suppose we've not given them chance to run far."

Anathemous mused whilst lifting the ship up and out of the hangar. It wasn't long before the stars streaked across cockpit viewport, bathing the interior in a soft blue glow as they entered hyperspace en route to their destination.

"They're hiding there, whoever survived anyway. The Empress was quite ruthless in her punishment."

"Good." she stated, almost casually.

But even now, her tone belied a faint frost.

"She died in that shuttle, you know. The Empress was made to move heaven and earth, to resurrect her own daughter."

The golden reflection staring back at her seemed to take on a brighter glow than before.

"The rebels will get what they deserve."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"She died in that shuttle,"

All things considered, Alina had been very calm all this time. Her voice was level, her posture was deserving of the nobility she was raised in. She betrayed no emotion on her face, no twitch of the eye or somberness further than what she had done earlier when she realized Quinn hadn't told anyone who she was. Quinn died was a tipping point she wasn't aware of.

As a Sangnir, Alina could manipulate blood and Anima. She could use it to revive the dead under her command, gift strength and life to those she deemed worthy of it. Empower herself well beyond her bodies already unnatural limits. But that was a trait of her conversion. Her power with the Force, why she was a Sith Lord, was something else entirely.

The Force died around her. It wasn't like the void stone used where it suppressed the sensation or how the Ysalimir created their bubbles to muddle the senses. The flow of the Force ceased to exist in her immediate vicinity for the moment it took before her emotions were brought back to heel. A few seconds at most. ".. They certainly will, then."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Susevfi's first moon, Orbit
Wearing: Armor
Tag: Alina Tremiru

Kaila was still shaken up by the whole ordeal, enough to throw her typical caution out the window and work with another sith whom she'd never met, just so long as it meant avenging her princess. Her empress.

And enough that she hardly looked up from the controls when realization dawned upon Alina.

Anathemous lost her connection to the force for but a moment, that strange sense of freedom from The Will, and utter lonesomeness, causing the young Darth to wince softly.

Closing her eyes, she could no longer feel Tamsin Graves aboard the distant Úlfs Reiði, nor even Alina's presence right beside her.

"...something's wrong." she muttered as they dropped out of hyperspace.

Even so, she was quick to activate the ship's cloaking mechanism, causing the ship to hum eerily around them.

"Did you feel it too?"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

".. Mm? Oh."

And like that, the Force came rushing back in like the tide. More like a tsunami, flooding and overwhelming to those who weren't used to such a sudden shift. She didn't further explain, just get her eyes on the moon as it came closer and closer to them. She was letting her focus drift to try and make sure this was where the blood had shown her. To see if the memories she'd drained were the same as what she now saw.

They were.

She lifted a hand, pointing to a cluster of trees to the east once they broke through atmosphere.

"There."

Kaila Irons