Mutual Enemies [Ask]

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

It had been a standard month since their duel on Korriban, and Darth Vupua was still experiencing the effects of what had happened inside the Valley of the Dark Lords. Through her studies of the dark side, Vupua knew that the dark side of the Force was a weapon, and not something to be used to heal ones injuries, or to make ones life easier to endure. Pain was a reminder and a lesson. It had a use. Embracing the pain that she had sustained at the hands of Darth Abyss, Vupua had taken the necessary steps to heal her hand and foot. It did not serve her to lose control of either of her limbs. Beyond healing her extensive injuries, Darth Vupua had not seen to her other, more lesser injuries. Only life threatening injuries, or the loss of a limb, were the only things that she required to be healed.

During her duel with Darth Abyss, Vupua had learned that the Sith Lord had a cult on the infamous moon of Nar Shaddaa. She had not heard of the Children of Korriban before she had fought Abyss on the world they had been named after. She assumed that the cult was not made up of actual children. That it was just a name used to symbolize their position beneath their leader, Darth Abyss, like a parent to a child.

The Initium touched down on one of the smuggler moon's spaceports. Taking the precaution to lock her ship before departing, Darth Vupua made her way into the slums of Nar Shaddaa in search for Abyss' cult, carrying fresh scars from their duel a month ago.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Nar Shaddaa, Secret Underground Bunker

"Lord Abyss, we assume she is here."

Abyss turned to the man that had just interrupted his mediation deep down in his bunker, hidden so far under the surface of the smuggler moon that it wasn't even part of the public energy grid. Since the day his men had scrapped what was left of him from the surface of Korriban he had been preparing for this encounter, trying to find the best way to deal with his new little problem, while spending most of the month in and out of a bacta tank, and that only after going under live saving emergency surgery. They were official allies now, but they both knew how much of an lie that was in the end. The only reason why they agreed to not kill each other as soon as they would meet again was to secure their own lives, until the point would come were one of the would decided that the hour for the final confrontation was there. He gave a quick answer to his man, before rising from the ground.

"Do you remember what we have discussed?"

The man simply nodded and was gone again, and as was Abyss, swallowed by the shadows that surrounded him.


Nar Shaddaa, Rundown bar

The bar was empty besides the barkeeper which was looking into the distance with a blank stare that was a clear sign for the mindcontrol he was under and the sith lord himself, who was casually sipping on his glass of corellian whisky, the good stuff, and not the cheap dirt the bar was normally serving. At the same time a unassuming man passed by [member="Avedia Lacroix"], dropping a small piece of paper on the ground before fading into the masses of scoundrels, drunks and lowlifes that populated the moon, on it the adress of the bar he was now. One would think that it would be hard to have eyes and ears everywhere on a place like this, but after all it was his world. Well not really his world, but one where he had a lot of influence, and was very close to the woman that actually ruled the galaxy's criminal capital.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

Darth Vupua walked through the throng of sex slaves, gangsters and merchants that littered the streets of Nar Shaddaa, the cowl of her robe raised so as to conceal her face from view. She pondered on how to find Darth Abyss whilst drinking in the energy around her. The dark side of the Force was strong on the smuggler's moon, as all forms of debauchery and crime were done here on this small, infamous moon.

As she walked through the streets, Vupua could feel the man that she was searching for somewhere on Nar Shaddaa. But she could not pinpoint his immediate location, only knowing that Abyss was somewhere on the smuggler's moon. As she walked, using her senses and powers to try and guide her to where his was, she was guided into the bar as she felt Abyss' presence there. Before she could enter, a stranger knocked into her and dropped a piece of paper at her feet.

Kneeling down to pick up the paper, Vupua begun to read what was on it...

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Welcome."

He didn't had a doubt that [member="Avedia Lacroix"] would've been able to find him on the moon, even without his note. The force was strong in both of them, their duel had taught him that. But it served another purpose: Intimidation. She had stepped into his world, and he wanted her be aware of that. He wanted her to know that she couldn't make one step here without his eyes watching her, that she could make no sound without him listening. She probably didn't planned to attack again already, but caution was important. With a wave of his left the barkeeper walked to the table and replaced the bottle of good whisky with a fairly cheap one, and placed a second glass on the table.

"Drink? There is only a drop of poison in it."

He made it sound like a joke, but the truth was that there was actually a drop of poison in this new bottle. Not enough to kill, or even weaken her, just enough to further enforce that she would do good by watching her words and steps as long as she was here. After he spoke he took another small sip of his own, clean drink, which tasted a whole lot better than what the barkeeper had just placed on the table.

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

Lifting her hands to the cowl of her robe, Darth Vupua lowered her hood as Darth Abyss poured them both a drink. In the glow of the overhead light, her freshly scarred hand was visible for a slight moment as she lowered her hood. But nothing paled in comparison to the damage that she had wrought upon her the man that sat before her. She could feel the freshly added cybernetics that worked throughout the body of the Sith Lord that sat before her. Vupua wondered who had left Korriban as the stronger for their troubles, or whether one of them was weaker following their duel.

In an act of defiance to Abyss', Vupua crossed the bar confidently towards the table that he was sat at and grabbed the glass that held the poisoned liquor inside. She knocked the glass backwards, drinking the contents and swallowing them whole. The dark side of the Force coursed through her body, immediately beginning to burn away the toxicity of the poison and stop it from affecting her. She placed the glass back beside the bottle Abyss' had been using to pour their drinks and smacked her lips in appreciation to the Sith Lord's knowledge of the dark side. He did not fear her, and that was good, because what she would need from him was all his strength if their enterprise was to be successful.

"The dark side is strong here on Nar Shaddaa. I have heard somethings about this moon. It is not surprising to find out that a Sith Lord with your talents has decided to make this a place to gather influence and power. I see that I was correct in sparing us further injury or hardship on Korriban. I daresay if we had continued then one of us would have lost more than mere blood."

Folding her leg over the other, Darth Vupua subtly touched with her powers around the room, feeling for any traps that Darth Abyss might have left for her. She felt out for a pressure pad that she have just sat down upon, for example. Or some kind of device designed to momentarily blind her, as Abyss had done on Korriban a month ago. Propping her elbow on the table, Vupua lowered her chin into her palm and surveyed the man that sat before her with a glare.

 

[Darth Abyss]

Abyss watched her closely, and felt a bit of internal amusement as she downed the glass, completely unaffected. She was strong, but she suffered from a level of arrogance he had rarely seen even in the sith. Working with her was beneficial in two ways. Not only would they be able to accomplish much together, it would also allow him to further analyze her, see beyond the face she wore on the open and find what it was he could use to break her once they would cross blades again. Knowing your own strength was nothing compared to knowing your enemies weakness.

There was no trap set up for her. While there was a good chance that their next confrontation would be started by a trap, Abyss wasn't someone who would use something so simple than setting up a boobytrap in a bar, but a trap that would be so complex, one that would creep up on here without her even knowing that it was his. He wasn't the aspect of famine for nothing.

"There is more on this moon than just the power of the dark side. So many of our kind decided to build castles, fortress and rule a gods. But they are blind if they think that anything that is openly ruled by the sith can exist unopposed forever. Our order has many enemies, including those to pretend to be our allies. This is why I decided to retreat to the shadows, pulling the strings unseen."

He didn't take a sip from his own drink, not because he feared his own poison but again to establish that everything that happened on the moon was seen by his eyes no matter where he actually was.

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

Vupua nodded her head as she kept her chin propped up on her wrist. She understood the need to operate without being seen by your enemies. If there was one thing she had learned from fighting in the One Sith Wars is that playing army is not the solution. In the end the Galactic Republic had been destroyed by the Sith, but out of the ashes of the Republic came the Galactic Alliance. To truly takeover the galaxy, the Jedi had to be destroyed. The formation of the Silver Sanctum and the Alliance were proof of this.

"Playing army with the Jedi is a mistake," Vupua said in reply. "Rising armies to destroy the Jedi does not serve our purpose. The One Sith destroyed the Galactic Republic, but then the Galactic Alliance and Silver Sanctum were formed next. If individuals such as us are to successful complete our goals and fulfill our passions, then the Jedi must be dealt with it."

"I realize, however, that the destruction of the Jedi cannot be done without resources and means to impose my will. If there is one thing I learned on Korriban is that you possess a calculative and cunning mind, Lord Abyss. Perhaps more calculative and cunning than my own. I am eager to learn how you operate."

 

[Darth Abyss]

"The jedi?"

Abyss released a cold, inhuman laugh from his lungs, a sound as intimidating as it was artificial, with no actual amusement in it. Yes she was a sith, and like so many of them she lived in her own small world in which there was only one realy enemy: The light. He on the other hand had long ago given up on the childish wish to destroy the jedi, it was something that neither should nor could be done.

"And then what? Do you really think that the destruction of the jedi will distinguish the light forever? Many before us have tried, men and women far greater than you and me, and yet the light still returned. For eternity the jedi have sought to bring balance to the force, but they are to blind to see that only the never ending fight between light and dark can keep the force from falling into utter chaos."

It weren't words simply fueled by spiritual enlightenment, but words that were build upon years of studies of the galaxy's past and history. He was a shadow, but he was also a scholar, a man that had dedicated his live to understand the patterns that were carved in all of history. Whenever on side truly became a major force in the galaxy and destroyed the other, the force balanced out what happened. The fall of the galactic empire was only one of many incidents that marked this in the history books.

"The jedi will rise and fall, exactly like the sith. It is a fact that we have to accept if we truly wish to create something that will stand against the test of time. Darth Banes plan would have been a success, control from the inside, without the forces of the light even able to see us. But in the end, another great order of the sith had to fall because of one man's ego. I do not intend to make the same mistake."

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

Vupua kept her beliefs to herself. She vehemently disagreed with the man that sat across from her. As Abyss explained his thoughts, the woman sat across from him had an epiphany. It was clear that Abyss was always going to be the polar opposite to herself. The way he talked made her believe that he was old and inadequate with the current scheme of things. If the pair had not fought on Korriban a month ago, and this conversation had occurred on a fresh meeting, then Vupua did not doubt that she would have killed him right there and then for his putrid weaknesses.

She was reminded of a lesson that she had received from her Sith Master. Vupua had been taught that an individual could possess greater physical strength than her to the point that the other could dominate her through combat. But this individual could also possess understandings and beliefs that weakened the Sith Order. Abyss had proven to be a match to her in strength due to the strange power that had thwarted his death. But in terms of belief he was weak. It was inevitable that she would destroy the Jedi. Axiomatic.

"What is your intentions then?" Vupua wondered aloud as Abyss spoke of not wishing to make the same mistakes as his predecessors.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"For the sith? Control from the shadows. As soon was we show our true colors, we inevitably fall. Maybe it will not be the jedi that will strike us down, but our own kind, blinded by their mindless desire for power without considering the consequences."

Waging war against everyone, even themselves had interrupted the rule of many great sith before them, and it would be the downfall of the next sith empire, and the one after that. It was the curse of an order that only the strongest shall rule, not the smartest. Infighting often started to the worst times, because the greatest sith warriors simply lacked the skill to comprehend things that were far greater than them. In their empty minds they never figured that there was more to ruling the galaxy than the power to swing a sword.

"For me personally? Not much. I acknowledge that even now there are sith in this galaxy that could crush me with their fingertips, so I do not seek to rise as a ruler of our kind. My duty is a simple one. I am a collector, a guardian of the knowledge that our kind has created, so it will not be lost once the next fool decides to call himself Dark Lord of the Sith. It is a duty I chose, not for me, but for the legacy, the generations of sith after me, so they will have all they need to ensure that our order will never truly die."

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

"So your prerogative is to ensure the survival of our Order. I see." Vupua knew of the millennia old curse that had befuddled the Sith Order since it's inception. She had heard of the tales as a Jedi Knight, and from her understanding of the dark side, betrayal was the way of the dark side. The answer to this problem was not pacifism, however, and that is what Abyss sounded to her: a pacifist. She did not know what had happened to the Sith Lord that sat across from her that made him so weak, but for now, Vupua would keep her disgust to herself.

"I am a connoisseur of dark side knowledge. I make it a goal of mine to leave every star system I enter stronger after I leave. You claim to have some control over this moon. How have you managed to achieve this?" Vupua believed that Abyss had some level of control. She sensed no self inflated ego or arrogance on his part to make such a claim. She was eager to learn what Abyss had at his disposal, so that she could use it for her own devices.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"I am sure that you see."

His words were filled with obvious sarcasm. The reason for this was the same as his rise on Nar Shaddaa. He was good a reading people, very good. There was no subtle clue that slipped his mind, like the fact that she had spoken very little while he talked, that she avoided saying much about his views and beliefs. On Korriban he had learned that behind all her strength, she was not above arrogance, and he also knew how a arrogant person behaved when meeting someone presumably inferior. There was no need to use to force to see behind masks, he simply had to be observant and able to piece together the pieces once they presented themselves to him.

"To be honest, Lord Vupua, I think you see nothing. You see a coward, but simply because you lack the vision. That can change. You are powerful being, I do not deny that, but you are shortsighted. When the next empire rises, I will fight in it, for glory and blood, like all sith that hear the drums of war on the horizon. Yet that is no final solution. Securing the survival of our order, against all our enemies, be it the sith themselves, the mandalorians, the jedi or which new servants of light will rise after them on the other hand is an endeavour that has a future far beyond my own life. That sister, that is true dedication to the sith code."

His yellow gaze rested on her, analysing even the slightest reaction her face could make. She was interested in playing him for her own cause, like any true sith would, but Abyss was done being someone else's tool. He had a vision for the future, one that had potential to secure glory for the sith far longer than any empire could. She on the other hand was strong, but she couldn't see what he could.

"You ask how I came to power here? For the same reason why I will live far longer than any sith empire. Because there is always more than one point of view to consider, because the simplest and most obvious solution is not always the best. Fear only allows for temporary control, to truly rule forever you have to be able to see your enemies perspectives. A enemy without a cause to fight you, is no longer an enemy."

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

Vupua laughed, but it held no joy. She laughed at the fact that he truly believed that she did not possess foresight. Allowing her laughter to subside, Vupua retorted: "If I lacked vision, Lord Abyss, then I would not have ended our duel on Korriban before one of us died. I am a Sith Lord, and so I possess a vision necessary to complete my aims. I have many reasons for why I want to destroy the Jedi Order. I realize that the Jedi will always be my enemy because whilst I still operate, they will always try to stop me because I practice and study the ways of the dark side. It is the same for you, although I openly admit that I do not care for how the Jedi interfere in your business beyond it affecting my own."

"I do not think that you are a coward, Abyss. I think that you are cunning, and calculative. But I do believe that you are limited. I was taught that a Sith Lord should have no limits. I can move and walk where I please, without being interfered against. I focus only on myself, for the dark side only serves the individual. I do not care about the other individual members of the Sith Order, but I realize that I will not live forever, and because of this, my prerogatives include the survival of the Sith Order after I die."

"You and I will never see eye to eye. But we are useful to each other, and under this mutual understanding, we share common interests. You know that your operations can garner the wrath of the Jedi Order. It is axiomatic. But through clever use of misdirection and manipulation, you can ensure that the Jedi do not interfere in your plans. By supporting me and my common interests, I will act as that misdirection for you."

 

[Darth Abyss]

"You can give me nothing I do not already have, or at least nothing I can not create when the need arises. Yet I agree, having you as an ally for now is the simpler, and more efficient alternative."

Again he looked at her face, still lingering for a reaction to build his judgment on. Her laugh had been another sign of her arrogance. He was easily able to admit to himself that she was the stronger one of them, but he had learned in their duel that his mind towered over hers. Keeping her as an ally to secure temporary security for himself until he found the means to strike her down a final time was a effective move to ensure the way he operated, but beyond that there was not much to gain for him. A distraction for the jedi was something so easily created that he often hadn't to anything himself to make it happen.

"You do overlook the root of the problem. What is it that gives the jedi strength? It is not the force, because in a fight the light will always have to bow to the darkness. No, their strength is the support of the people. Many in the galaxy still view them as guardians, as heros and guides that demand respect. But what would happen to the jedi if they were alone, hated and feared by those that once cherished them? It would break the order apart, it would take away their option to even oppose us. If you are really wish to succeed in your shortsighted project to defeat the jedi, you will have to understand them. They dedicate their lives to protect others, but when there is no one that wants their protection, they will lose their purpose. With time the jedi will stumble and fall, and in the end they will be broken. That is how you beat them, not with your blade."

His tone was almost lecturing now, but interestingly enough it was not meant disrespectful. He would never be able to convince her to see the truth, so his best chance to gain something from this alliance was to make sure that she had the right means to succeed, or at least partly succeed in the goal she had dedicated her live to.

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

Vupua's upper lip curled as she felt herself being lured into a lecture. She didn't require lecturing on the Jedi. She had been one. She understood their weakness. But she was not ready to reveal that she had once been a Jedi Knight. If she could help it, she wouldn't reveal such information to Abyss throughout the tenure of their relationship. "I understand that playing army with the Jedi is a mistake. I have seen it with my own two eyes. Patience must become the weapon of the Sith. A plan must be created in order to destroy the Jedi and what you have spoken is exactly what I want to do. Those that follow the ways of the light side pull strength from unity and peace. To destroy the Jedi overtime must be to cause enough chaos in the galaxy, that their individual members are killed through accidents, uprisings, proxy wars and the like. For the Sith to become victorious we must put aside our status as conquerors and become teachers, scholars, and so on. I needn't a lecture on what must be done."

 

[Darth Abyss]

"While we speak, I am already enacting the things you speak about. I might misjudged your vision, but do you have the matters to make it become reality?"

Now they were talking. Slowly, carefully he was creating his net. Maybe there was a way for her to be useful after all, to use her in the things he was planning for the future.

"To do what you speak of you will need many things that I posses. Money and wealth for example, but I am sure you have collected your own fortune on your rise to a Lord of the sith. But what about contacts? You are strong, but you are only one woman. There are many like minded individuals that share your desire to erase the jedi, people equal or above you and me in power and influence. Also never leave out the underworld in an equation like this. My word has meaning, not only here in the galaxy's criminal capital, but everywhere where money and crime are one and the same."

Another laugh came from his lungs, now that it was time that he came to the real point of all this.

"This is Nar Shaddaa, and on Nar Shaddaa everything comes with a price. I have both the skills and the means to make your vision become reality, but the real question is what you can offer me in return."

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

Lifting her finger up from the hand she was using to lean her chin down onto her palm, Vupua ran it along the top of her lip in thought. Pitting her calculative and cunning mind to use, the Sith Lord thought over their conversation and experiences with other Sith. She thought back to her lessons about the Sith and realized how limited the Jedi really understood their enemy. As she came to a conclusion about how she would get Abyss to become an asset in her plans, she felt the same disgust she had felt on Korriban a month ago when she had been unable to defeat the man that sat across from her.

Rising slowly up to her feet, Vupua momentarily reconsidered what she was about to do. For the first time in years, she experienced the feeling of doubt. Turning her fiery gaze to the man that sat below her, Vupua's upper lip curled as a sign of her annoyance and disgust. "There can be no doubt that it was I who issued the challenge on Korriban. Whilst I vehemently disagree with your views and beliefs, there can be no doubt that I was the one who failed in the Valley of Dark Lords. I could not kill you. I could not surmount you. I was too weak to defeat you."

Lowering herself down to her knee, Vupua lowered her gaze and knelt to Darth Abyss in fealty. "For now, I will serve you, until the day comes that I am strong enough to surpass you. And when that day comes, I will challenge you once again. If either of us lose, then the loser deserved to die. I pledge my allegiance to you until that day comes, Darth Abyss."

 

[Darth Abyss]

And that was what set a intelligent man apart from a strong one. Strength could be used to break your enemies, but wits and cunning could make them bow. The corners of his mouth twitched for a second, but they returned as fast as possible. He did not allow himself such acts of arrogance in a situation like this. She served him because she needed him, and the longer she would be involved in his plans, the more she would understand how to use deception and trickery to reform the galaxy according to her vision. Sooner or later he would've to kill her, maybe even without another fair fight.

"I accept your alliance, Lord Vupua. There are many things that await us now, plans that have been set in motion that still require my work to find their end."

From his robe he pulled out a datapad, one he had prepared prior to this, in case that this would end as he had planned, and handed it to her.

"Soon there will be an uprise on Iridonia, jumpstated by an attack from an outside force, the lost tribe of the graug. My involvement in all of this can not be know, but I will still need someone to lead the attacks. Simply know that I do not send you on this mission in the hope that you will succeed, because you will not. The attack has to fail, so Iridonia will have his new King. The graug are mindless brutes, but they do respect strength, especially in the dark side. I will need you to rise up as an loyal yet submissive advisor that stands besides their leader, so the attack will be effective enough to make the people of Iridonia shiver in fear. Once the time comes for you to play your part, I will contact you."

The datapad was filled with a lot of information on the lost tribe of the graug, their location, numbers, resources and a list of handpicked targets on Iridonia so she could already plan her assault, but there was nothing about his plan to make them move, or how he would lift her into the rank of an advisor. That was his part to play, and the best way to force her into loyalty was to make himself irreplaceable to her.

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

 

[Darth Ayra]

| [member="Darth Abyss"] |

Rising up to her feet, Vupua took the datapad into her hand and begun to read whilst Abyss spoke. Skimming over the contents, she knew that this would require extra revision after she parted ways with Abyss. Looking back up when Abyss finished, Vupua asked: "You spoke of other individuals that are higher up than you. Does that mean you are in service to another Sith Lord? Or you have created alliances with more powerful and influential ones? And when will I be able to meet these individuals?"

 

[Darth Abyss]

"My service is to me, and to me alone. But like today I have played my cards well, and so I was able to strike alliances with those that stand above me in power, because they understand my worth."

With satisfaction he noted that she already had begun to read the information he gave her. Having a sith apprentice, or even a knight to command was useful, but another lord to enact his will would give his plans the push they needed.

"It is up to them to decide when you will meet them, and that will be after you proved your worth for our operations. But be told that, if this mission will be successful, there will be a high chance that at least one of them will be interested in meeting you."

His words spoke about Darth Ferox, the soon to be king of Iridonia, lifted on his throne by orchestrated by Abyss. It was to early to introduce her into the ranks of the assassin just yet, at least officially. She would have to prove her worth first, not as a warrior but as someone that had use beyond swinging a sword, and the council had to be involved fully before such a dangerous and hard to predict individual would be allowed to see what lived in the shadows.

[member="Avedia Lacroix"]

Spoiler

OOC maybe Ferox jumps into this, so she can have her first glimpse of the assassins a bit early than intended lol.