Dominion Relic | SO Dominion of Empty Hex (Binaros/Torrential)

[Darth Temerant]

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Objective II: The Forge
Location: Pyramid's entrance

Temerant hunched over his knees as he awaited the small entourage. He sat almost motionless as he listened their introductions, and some time after they were done speaking. It was an uncomfortable silence, awkward, some might even say, but the man seemed entirely subsumed in it, minding not the tension it built. At last, he spoke.

"You both seem to hold some misconceptions," he stated dryly. "Allow me to disabuse you of these notions."

His blackened helm focused on the Inquisitor first.

"My motives, brother, are well beyond your paygrade," he sentenced, his gruff voice denoting little in the way of kinship. "But I am sure an Inquisitor trusted by the Governor of Binaros can infer that I am here to ensure the interests of the Imperium are well protected. It would not do to allow just anyone to waltz into an ancient Sith forge and retrieve these valuable blueprints unsupervised, hrm? One might be tempted to make copies, or even keep them for themselves," he concluded.

"And whilst we are on the topic of misusing the Imperium's resources... I am sure the good governor is a perfectly competent individual, and yet I find myself somewhat perturbed that he would think to use members of the Inquisition as bodyguards to members of his personal cohort. Rest assured, the appropriate checks and balances will take place," he told him in an almost casual fashion, making a dismissive gesture with his hand, but there was no mistaking his meaning: it was a threat to his position, loosely as it was issued.

His helmet turned to Arrgata Sentro then. He found it telling that she referred to the governor in such terms, but such thoughts were kept to himself. "And that is Knight Inquisitor to you, Commander," he corrected her. "You would do well to understand the difference. Whilst your invitation is duly noted, it is not your place to suggest what I can or cannot do in the first place. So long as we are clear on this point, we shall get along swimmingly. You may retrieve whatever you please from inside the Manufactorium, assuming it does not interfere with the mission parameters or my own objectives," he finished at last.

So much for olive branches.

"I thought you said you had to play nice," X3 mused over their comms.

"I am," Temerant argued in a near inaudible whisper, his helmet masking the movement of his lips. "Shush."

He finally turned to the lone figure approaching from the other vessel. "And who might you be?" he demanded to know from Darth Ecclesia , even as he reached out to sense the imprint she left upon the Force.

 

[Arrgata Sentro]

Objective 2: The Forge

Location: Entering the Manufectorum.

Tags: Darth Temerant (interacting)

​

Her eyes widen like eggs, instinctively her hand went for her blaster, but stopped long before grabbing the handle. She would usually kill anyone who spoke that way with her. But she had to remind herself that this was a first time dealing with these lunatics.

I offer you assistance, and that is what you tell me..

"KNIGHT inquisitor.. you will.." before she could probably say something she'll regret, the Inquisitor in charge of her safety lifted his arm up in his shoulder, his finger pointed to the air. Giving her signal to stop talking. Oddly enough she obeyed.

"I can feel your anger Commander, but you should actually be grateful to the.. KNIGHT Inquisitor. He was much more honest then me" robotic voice spoke calmly, as his hand went down and return behind his back.
"I am also tasked with the same assignment, but that was my secondary mission. One I kept to myself. However now, once he told you about it, I'm sure there's no point in hiding it.. for you will be extra careful NOT to do anything stupid. No?" Inquisitors helmed tilted a bit, while watching other one.

You lying piece of.. Master was right to warn me. But I still find the polite one more adequate. She smiled sinisterly while skipping down the rocks..
"Oh yes, I definitely will.. Thank you KNIGHT!" she said through laughter.

Her Inquisitor started to move behind her slowly, adding something only the other Inq would hear in whole.

"I hear honesty goes a long way, guessing that's why you are the one with higher clearance. I'm but a poorly agent, just following orders." he jumped forward down the cliff, and in front of the Commander. Walking toward the Forge.

Once he came close enough to her, she asked him through a whisper.. "Tell me, liar, are all of you such sanctimonious pricks?"
He did not answer, but she could hear a soft, short laugh.

She looked at her troopers, and nodded her head forward, after which 3 of them rushed in front as a scouting party. She add the order through the comling.. "Secure the entrance and establish a landed com with Viserion and Sandor. In case we lose short range links once inside."

On her order the scouts started to take out the beacon equipment from their backpacks, and create a small dish, which send waves only on the frequency used by her Ships.
Once done they would wait for her to arrive, and follow her inside. Her dark shadow troopers were beside her all this time.

So that's why they are so close. To spy, AND keep me safe. Damn it.

The building itself was a huge pile of rubble, with some walls standing still. But the inside of it was a different thing.. The land floor and above were just a make up, real Forge was a bunker underground. Which made sense to her, as she slowly lowered down via steel staircase. Elevators were not operating, and electricity was gone. Which made her realize..

"Blasted.. I forgot a droid." she stopped in tracks, and turn back, looking first at 'her' Inquisitor, then at the other one.. "So Knight Inquisitor, do you have any idea how do we bypass the power, or do I request a probe be fired from my ship?" her tone was same as his from before.

"Either one works for me..".

 

[Darth Ecclesia]

Objective II : The Forge
Location: Inside The Manufactorum
Tags: Darth Temerant Arrgata Sentro

By the time she arrived, Darth Ecclesia found a sizable crowd around a commanding presence who had to be the Knight Inquisitor. Clearly all the sightseeing she had done along the way had proven to be quite the delay, as she should have been there before the others arrived, at least that were her thoughts. Judging from the mood and tension in the air, she seemed to have joined the group at the end of what looked like a squabble of sorts, and it was simply drama she didn’t really care to partake in. As much as she loved being a Sith, all the in-fighting and arguments over everything and nothing at all was dreadful. The fact that she had just used an oxymoron in her own thoughts just showed how much she detested the whole thing. Unfortunately, drama and squabbles were all part-and-parcel about the nature of those who call themselves Sith.

The Knight Inquisitor finally noticed her entrance and turned his attention to her. The demanding tone he presented to her proved her right. He had to be the Knight Inquisitor. There was no way she was wrong about this one. The Sith Knight did not hesitate to introduce herself. “I’m Darth Ecclesia, an Inquisitor of her Shadow, Knight Inquisitor. I was also the one who returned your hail from my ship.” Her introduction over, she gave him a polite half bow, the Atrisian manner of courtesy ingrained in her. Should he be able to see her past her darkened helmet visor, the Knight Inquisitor would also see an equally polite smile that came along with her bow.

​

 

[Darth Temerant]

​

Objective II: The Forge
Location: Entering the Manufactorium
Tags: Darth Ecclesia Arrgata Sentro

The Knight Inquisitor focused on the new arrival. Nodding faintly. A member of his own order, following protocol was, at the very least, a relief.

"Good," he simply gruffed, though he at least managed to send a nod of acknowledgement her way, the man himself seeming uninterested in giving any manner of identification beyond his own rank.

As for the other two Temerant's outfit gave little insight as to what expression he might don, though judging by his demeanour , unimpressed might be a safe bet. He had taken note of the hand reaching for the blaster, as well as the tone issued his way, but he paid little mind to it, pushing himself to a stand.

His arms crossed over his chest, the man watching the Commander's men at work, though a sense of impatience exuded from the man, who let out a slight groan once they were all set up. He was the first one in.

As they finally began to descend into the pyramid's his ever-darkening silhouette turned to the Commander as she addressed him.

"Your lack of adequate preparation is scarcely my concern, Commander. You may do as you like, but I shan't be waiting," he informed her bluntly. If his eyes were visible, one might imagine them rolling. "I have already done all necessary scans, not to mention we've delayed enough as is," he elaborated, albeit in a resigned fashion. "My equipment is perfectly suited to negate the lack of power," he let her know. "As am I, should we need to restore it."

He did not bother to brief them on his passion for the world of engineering. The less anyone knew about him as an individual, the better.

"Master," X3 came in. "Not to interrupt your bashing of the Commander, but I thought this was a joint operation. Perhaps in the interest of good will..."

Temerant huffed under his breath, producing a pair of spheres from his jacket. He clicked them both, prompting them to beep and boop in almost a questioning tone as a pair of long reaching lights ignited where their 'faces' might be.

"No. The blonde and her retinue," he instructed, one of the spheres moving to hover over Arrgata's shoulder whilst the other did the likes over one of the guards, the glow drones providing them, at least, a better look into the depths they were descending into.

"In the future, do try to be prepared if you're going to be on the field. Or maybe stick to your ships," he suggested, ever the charmer, the man unhooking the lightsaber that lined over his lowerback. "And do not mistake the lack of energy for a lack of activity. Our predecessors had a knack for keeping things protected long after they were abandoned," he noted. Which reminded him.

"Darth Ecclesia," he looked over his shoulder to the woman. "Take point with me."

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"I was but a pup when he ruled - I would know nothing of his.", Empyrean said with a frown.​

​

As they finally hit the end of the stairwell, the floor opened up to a wide opening mostly intact besides the small depreciation of the local pillars. They held fine, but the gold inlay seemed to wear, and the soft red glow known for in Sith Ruins seemed all the less for it. The Darkness was all encompassing, almost ethereal, but with a raise of Empyrean's hand the rest of the torches in the room bloomed to life.​

​

All around them were various sarcophagi - but only a few seemed to still be viable. On a lifted platform in the middle of the room stood a more elegant one. It was, however, empty by comparison - opened fully and openly. With it, the closest to it were also open. Empyrean frowned deeper at this, knowing that whatever was within the last sarcophagus was important. Either the Sepulchral already had come here, or something had already left.​

​

"It would seem we were too late... No doubt the Sepulchral would not have informed us of the world until they had done whatever they required. The question now is what had they needed from this?"​

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Darth Carnifex // Darth Ophidia​

 

[Von-Kri]

Tag: Lliara Daeva​

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Von caught the aerosal with both hands, almost dropping it in his uncoordinated way. Considering most Sith that were skilled in either the Force or Saber combat could have done such a catch with no effort - it was perhaps surpising that Von struggled so openly with it. He coughed, perhaps out of embaressment, perhaps out of necessity - and pocketed the device.​

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"I can't say I know the Emperor's will. Conquer the Galaxy, break fate? Just what the holovids and academy tell me.", he said with a shrug.​

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"Noble goals, I suppose. Maybe he'll do it...", he said, but he avoided the obvious 'but probably not'.​

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"You work with the Inquisition?", Von asked her suddenly ,glancing over to her from the clear glare of his mask.​

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Darth Empyrean Darth Carnifex​

"So it would seem"

Darth Ophidia had, however, explored many a plundered tomb in her near fifty years of service to the Sith, and this chamber brought to mind memories of deceptive architecture.

"And yet..."

She paused as she stepped ahead of Empyrean and let her fingers glide less than an inch above the intricate sarcophagus. her body then turned quickly to one of the other sarcophagi.

"The Ancients knew the fickle nature of creation, they knew their graves would not be left undisturbed in perpetuity."

Nor, one could reason, was it ever the goal to rest. Rather, the Lords of old waited. She leaned in close, as if smelling the scent of the open tomb and tracing her fingers just above the frame of it as she had with the greater one.

"Two there shall be, nothing more, nothing less; a Master and an apprentice."

She looked at the two other Sith Lords expectantly before explaining.

"This is a decoy, meant to fool the short-sighted and save the true treasures for a worthy successor."

She then crouched down and ran her fingers along the tilework on the floor until her fingertip dug into an irregular pattern. She could immediately recognise the outer border and the shape of the ur'kittat within.

 

[Kinoan]

Objective I: The Spire | Semi-Open (Ask)
​

Stick to the shadows, and they will never notice.

Peering out from behind a crumbled asteroid, the Knight gazed upon the colossal tower. It was a miracle of engineering that it still held up to this day. But his purpose here today was not to marvel over Sith architecture. With one more check to make sure the coast was clear, Kinoan scurried along the desert floor, making his way to the entrance of the obelisk. It has been quite a while since the previous group of Sith entered. Hopefully they would be too caught up with their own greed to take notice of the man.

The entrance was broad, with decorative stone lining the outer edges. Letting out a deep breath, the Knight stepped inside.

"Let this be worth it."

Breaking out into a light jog, Kinoan knew that he only had a limited amount of time here before either his ship was found, or he would be caught. His goal was to collect are many data files, holocrons, or physical documents that he could about the Sepulchral that he could. By obtaining this information, the Knight could help improve his dueling methods for when he fought the Sith. You must know how your enemy operates if you wanted to beat them.

This would only work though if he could locate a library or data storage area. If he could not, then this was going to become very interesting, very quickly.

 

[Lliara Daeva]

Lliara's helm turned slightly in Von-Kri 's direction at the question. There was only a moment's pause for dramatic effect before she responded, "I do." Followed by a briefer pause. "And to answer the next question no one ever asks aloud: no, it is not my job to make sure you believe in the Emperor is a deity, and that you love everything they do." If that were her job there was be far fewer living Sith Lords in the Order. Some Inquisitors would disagree with Lliara, but then the Mirialan wasn't a religious zealot.

No, she'd lived long enough to see plenty of self-proclaimed deities die the same way everyone else did. Harder to kill, certainly, but that was hardly the criteria to distinguish a deity from a mere mortal.

Now, as to what her job was if not enforcing blind adoration and loyalty to their beloved Emperor... well, that was Lliara's little secret.

"I hope you'll satisfy my curiosity now in telling me whom you work for or with." Turn about was only fair play, after all.

 

[Von-Kri]

"Ah, so not an Ecclesiarchy Inquisitor.", he said with a faint smile and a nod.​

​

"I once read an Inquisitor of a rather zealous nature killed a dozen cultists for worshipping Darth Mori - a powerful Sith in the Maw. I'm not sure if it's true, but...", he shrugged. His gaze fell back on her with a slightly confused look, more that he didn't know the answer to give her.​

​

"Can't say I work with anyone. I've spoken a few times with Taeli Raaf - I suppose working with a Dark Council member on matters of science could be considered important."​

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Lliara Daeva​

 

[Darth Ecclesia]

Objective II : The Forge
Location: Inside The Manufactorum
Tags: Darth Temerant Arrgata Sentro

The Knight Inquisitor did not seem interested in providing his name, alias or any other identifying information beyond his rank, while it was a bummer, it was not necessarily a concern for Ecclesia. It was not that knowing any of that information would help them in their cause today, although knowing the name of the Sith she was working with was always a good thing to have. Unfortunately, many Sith were secretive folks and the Knight Inquisitor seemed to be one of them. Deciding not to probe, she remained slient after her greeting and watched as he addressed the commander and her retinue with more snarky comments.

The latter part of his comments was exactly what she was feeling as well. Despite the lack of energy visible in the barely lit manufactorum, Ecclesia was under no illusion, there were no activity or defences active in an ancient place of important such as this. The Knight Inquisitor turned to glance over at her, giving her an order to take point with him. Without a word, she moved over to take point with him as they began to delve into the depths of the ancient Sith's forges. The bowels of the manufactorum awaited them.

​

 

[Arrgata Sentro]

Objective 2: The Forge

Location: Entering the Manufectorum.

Tags: Darth Ecclesia | Darth Temerant (interacting)

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Another Inquisitor joined in, a female. She was very polite to the higher ranking one, but she didn't even bother to notice Arrgata. That made her smile, thinking that they cant all be this insecure and just stuck up in their own little cloud towers.
She ignored the female, same as she ignored her. Just listening to the Knight Inquisitors rant.

"My equipment is perfectly suited to negate the lack of power," he let her know. "As am I, should we need to restore it."

"Heh.. Thank you, for answering my simple question, with a long answer. If you are pressed for time, maybe spend it less on unnecessary lightsaber measuring. I am prepared, as much as I need to be, there are two big ships above me, who can provide me with anything in matter of 30 seconds."

She lifted her forearm up, near her mouth, to order a probe lunch. But her Inquisitor escort placed his hand on her shoulder, gently.
"Do not waste time commander. He said he can cover it".
Her eyes fell on his hand, and he removed it right away. But she chose to listen to her Inquisitorial Escort.

Let him do it indeed. But she turn to her own trooper and told him to stand by in demanding of a drone, in case she send him a signal.

"Master," X3 came in. "Not to interrupt your bashing of the Commander, but I thought this was a joint operation. Perhaps in the interest of good will..."

Her lips again curved in to a smile, as she placed her hand on the back and started to slowly go forward. Swaying her hips deliberately.
"That is one smart droid.."

After which a two levitating orbs got stuck behind her, illuminating the pathway in front of her. She was taken back a bit, while observing the thing beside her head.

Did he meant 'Light', when I said power? All my troopers have light installed in their helmets. I meant Power as in this entire building. Hope these orbs are not his solution for the lack of functioning hardware around.

But she stayed silent, seeing this as some way of his "cooperation" on the "joined" operation. She was even about to thank him for this.. help.
But he spoke again.

"In the future, do try to be prepared if you're going to be on the field. Or maybe stick to your ships," he suggested

She made an innocent face, while looking at him, tilting her head to side just a little bit.
"I most certainly will, Knight Inquisitor. And since you care so much for my preparation, to give me an advice, let me return the favor.." her innocent expression disappeared in to an unemotional one. While she was pointing to 2 of her troopers to go forward through the long corridor.
"Try to be more of a team player. No matter what you think of the team.. Because one day, you will ask for help in form of orbital bombardment, or a air defense by fighters.. and you never know, with certain reputation following you, the cannons might jam exactly in that moment. Or there wont be any available fighters in the vicinity.
You can have clearance as high as the atmosphere, but it's the Navy's personal finger on the button, that will one day save your life.".

She start slowly to follow her troopers, shadowed by her Dark security. Realizing that there are 3 Inquisitors, on a square meter. Recalling his remarks about the "poorly managed resources" by her master.
While adjusting her blaster holster, for faster draw, she thought what the heck.. "Oh, and thank you for your glowing orbs. They will be of much help." thou she was 75% sure they record as well, but still "And for the warning about our predecessors defense systems. But I have no doubt that I will be safe, surrounded by 3 Inquisitors." she chuckle, and continue to sway her way forward, observing the corridor walls and its architecture, as well as any potential cylinder station or a power source coupling.

The Dark Troopers turned their rifles lights, and shine on everything in front of her.

Knight Inquisitor wanted to move forward faster, taking the female one, named Ecclesia with him. Arrgata kept a short distance away from them, still shadowed by her own Inquisitor.

​

 

[Darth Temerant]

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Objective II : The Forge
Location: Inside The Manufactorum
Tags: Darth Ecclesia Arrgata Sentro

​

Temerant snorted a grunt to Arrgata's words, keeping his eyes peeled for activity as they descended deeper into the structure.

"Hrn. What reputation?" the man asked plainly, clearly amused by the idea that she might be able to identify him. "For a woman who has an aversion to 'lightsaber measuring', as it were, you sure are rather self-indulgent when it comes to issuing ill-conceived threats," the man noted dryly. "In my line of work, you learn to value self-relieance, Commander. And rest assured, if I ever am in need of assistance, I shall seek competent help."

"Master..."

Temerant rolled his eyes at the slightly admonishing voice in his ear.

"Your probe droids might unexpectedly trip some kind of security measure, and set us back considerably. Your reliance on your ships and their assistance is a crutch, Commander," he explained in the plainest of terms. "Out in the field, a million things can go wrong, and thirty seconds is a very long time when outside the comfort and safety of a reinforced hull. In a place like this, there's every possibility that your communication with your ships is cut off, or our way back, or that we're much too busy dealing with enemies for any request to prove efficient," he concluded. "So you will forgive me if I find your confidence misplaced."

The Sith, however, did not seem much in the way of apologetic. He was, at least, not entirely disgruntled by the presence of Darth Ecclesia, who seemed content to keep quiet and focused on the task at hand.

As they progressed the pyramid grew darker and darker as they left any ilk of natural light behind. Even as they did, Temerant could feel the power of the dark side becoming thicker, like an oppressive fog seeking to envelop him, and draw out the worst of his nature. It was a pleasant notion. To break free of all self-imposed constraints. To devolve into something less... civilized. But such were the trappings of the dark side: freedom lied not in giving into it, but in mastering it, lest one confused a lack of inhibitions for liberty, and find themselves prisoners to chains of their own making.

"Look alive," the man gruffed then. "We're coming up on something up ahead."

 

[Lliara Daeva]

Lliara's upper body leaned forward as her hands slowly swept back behind her. The red line of her helm fixed on the man as he spoke. "To think you'd have such an ear." A Dark Council member known for dabbling in science? Yes, a trivial fact of import. Nothing at all worthy of comment. The modesty was unbecoming, but Lliara would let it pass if Von-Kri felt the need to downplay such connections.

"Darth Mori," the name sprang up as though Taeli Raaf 's name drop didn't warrant further scrutiny, "yes, I could see an Inquisitor not letting such a thing pass idly by." A light chuckle followed suit. "There are limits. Worshiping someone that stands among the Maw would be a perilous decision." Loyalty to the Order -- to the Emperor, if you must -- was important. Maintaining discipline was paramount. Couldn't have all the Sith tearing at each other's throats with their bare teeth. Openly kneeling before a rival Empire would only beg for an inevitable clash. They had enough concerns with certain factions within their own Empire. The Kainites, for instance. A very insistent group.

"Long as your mind is in the right place." What did one's heart have to do with anything? No, Lliara didn't excuse foolishness being attributed to the heart. A person made their choices in life, and they dealt with the consequences. One benefited the Order or they did not. How they felt about anyone's status as a deity... how any felt at all was immaterial.

Theirs not to reason why...

"Well," Lliara surged forward with a little extra energy to her stride, "no time like the present to unseal the vault." Her hands swept forward again and the three smaller pyramids in her hand floated in the air before her. The chamber they ascended toward held an array of carvings and impressions up the length of a massive and towering pillar. Soon, the keys shot forward and slid into place in the intricate design on display.

 

[Von-Kri]

Von-Kri wanted to speak again, but he'd become to liberal with his words. His lungs were on fire as he tried to speak again, forcing him to cough as small pustules grew inside each - reducing his ability to breath, let alone speak. The stairs seemed to only go on longer as he drew in those breaths, but eventually he managed to find some peace near the top. He only hoped she didn't notice his inherent need to stand near a wall for support near the top.​

​

As the vault opened, a darkness seemed to flood the room - disgusting and oily, it stuck to their skin as the plethora of holocrons and artifacts lay behind the vault doors. In the center, however, was the true goal they were tasked with - a massive black pillar glowing in surges. The connection to the network the Sepulchral spoke of, a force based communication method to keep their records well connected.​

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"I suppose that's it.", he said with a hoarseness she would recognize as his illness.​

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"Lets get it started."​

​

Moving up to the control panel, he noticed how cultish it looked. Advanced Sith technology often had an air of religious sentiment to it - but the more advanced it became, the more it fell into the world of sorcery as much as technology. Pressing a few buttons, a small panel exposed itself for his blood - once more, but he was a corrupted thing. His would only hurt it.​

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"Would you mind?", he said with a frown.​

​

As she did, he'd speak again;​

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"I suppose with the coming death of the Maw, it'll only be a matter of time before we're at war with the Alliance. I doubt the Jedi will let us continue our expansion unhindered. Out of the frying pan into the fire and all that.", he said, marked by a final cough.​

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"Do you enjoy war? I'm not sure how I feel about it."​

​

Lliara Daeva​

 

[Lliara Daeva]

Lliara strode up next to Von-Kri after the darkness slid over her finely tailored suit. Slowly, the Mirialan's left two forefingers slid along the top of her right wrist as the man politely asked if she'd donate a sample of blood. "Not concerned it'll bond with me?" she asked as she stepped up to the control. It was peculiar. Few Sith would have allowed another to touch the controls. Was he keeping his blood as private as an affair as everything else about him? For someone so young, she wondered how he had so many secrets. There were Lords with a more rote and boring history.

Well, Lliara understood. She didn't much feel like becoming permanently attached to this delightful contraption either. Nor destroying the integrity of her suit -- nothing would upset her more. She'd come prepared for the eventuality. The sacrifice at the door being made by another spared one use; now it seemed its time had come. A little... package integrated with her gloves.

With a flick of her wrist, a needle appeared in order to prick the pouch with the 'donation' required.

"War?" Lliara deposited the blood where indicated. "A necessity to keep certain elements occupied. Idle hands and so on. The Jedi never have learned how to keep to their own affairs. It leads to their undoing every time." Much as the ravenous appetites of the Sith led to theirs; not that Lliara would say as much aloud. Some things were best kept to one's self, especially in the presence of unknown elements.

"Now, then, what forbidden knowledge shall we uncover today?" Lliara smiled behind her helmet with anticipation. "I do love a good research project that results in a broken world. Best someone else pays that price, wouldn't you agree?"