Populate Serpent of Echnos | SO Populate of Empty Hex

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Beneath the mask, red eyes shimmering in golden hue narrowed as with the characteristic speed that Kaine had shown in each and every encounter Malum had with the former Dark Lord of the Sith, it was a mockery, the self-proclaimed god mocking him, withdrawing away the blade and confronting him with those garish gauntlets. Gauntlets, altogether too familiar, it seemed the man was built off the tools of the dead.

That they shared that in common was more annoying than he would have liked to admit.

As the Sith Steel barred against the Sarrasian iron, the sharp blade, brimming with the power of darkness cutting along the plate, yet, far from fulfilling its objective of making him bleed, as the plasma extension failed to make its mark.

Time seemed to slow, as he felt the hammer in his chest, gazing into the face of a dead man, with very real eyes gazing back underneath. Another irony, one felt as keenly as the air joined lungs, and blood flowed through veins. Momentum stopped in its tracks, for one who fought to kill quickly, it was jarring, the sensation of an iron grip around blade that had not yet made purchase.

The rain began to fall, the roar of thunder, red light flashing across this makeshift arena of theirs.

This was no longer a game for two players, if it ever was.

A blink, and the most key realisation of them all, as the water dripped down his mask, as raven locks grew wet, and impending tragedy grew more and more certain, the burst of green flames above him, placing his mortal coils at the mercy of one which had taken countless planet-fulls in the quest that for him had never ended.

Yet the key realisation, was beyond the natural finities and fears which were faced in those moments of existence in which life itself had flashed before red eyes, denying that which was imposed upon him, in the neverending march for the victory of his will. That which he knew he risked the moment this battle had begun, that which he had to have known that day so long ago when he left the safety of the Manse's wall for adventure into all which the rest of the galaxy offered.

But what which he never expected, for which could only come from one which he could never expect it from.

He had been betrayed.

The hammer struck his heart, as his vision dilated, grip upon beskar hilt, struggled against the strength wrought by an unbreakable grip.

He tasted anger.

He tasted hate.

He tasted disappointment.

They were not emotions wrought from his own heart, they were not emotions wrought from the only other from which he could feel. Irises darkened as another hammer struck his heart as if a gong sounded in the centre of his very being, stretching out to the rest of his form, a heavy breath breaking out from his lips, as the pain coiled around his ribs like a python having decided its prey.

His gaze settled upon the broken, barbarous weapon sailing forth for his skull, yet, his glare saw further beyond the weapon which was meant to execute him, settling upon the darkened clouds unnaturally formed, for all which occurred around him, as the stranger he promised to protect was saved from being betrayed, by a Sangnir he knew far too well, yet, simultaneously not at all. As a familiar figure drew herself out from the mansion, within her heart contained another familiar presence, yet, one which he had only felt once, so very long ago. As shadows emerged out from the advent of a darkened sky, whose shadows drawn from crimson solvent moved to engage.

They all faded away, into the darkest crevices of notice, there was only him, there was only his arch-opponent.

There was only the one who betrayed him.

The hairs at the back of his neck stood at rapt attention, as the air rippled with the buzz of the elements. Had it been planned? A deception concocted in smokey backrooms from whence he had not known?

Kaila said he had been here waiting...

...Why had Quinn already been here?

A flutter in his mind, broke thoughts apocalyptic, a question raised, of a voice that rose heart even in the greatest pits of despair. Would he go to war for her? War for a world that was as insignificant as this one? Could he fight this war, when he was so alone, facing an enemy that seemed insurmountable, flanked by one he had thought...

There was only ever one answer, the answer that had gone unspoken, the answer which had been held to for his entire life.

"I declare war. On all standing in the way of what we dream for."

His hand was anchored on the beskar hilt, as time began its eternal march, as blade and form disappeared from the vice grip, as the lightning met its mark upon Kaine's shoulders, Malum's waves of darkness fading in the face of such an awe-some use of power, revealing the Sith Lord standing several feet away, in front of his foe as the plasma drew black line across the platform, daring the Twice-Failed Emperor to give chase, his ring shimmering in fiersome glow, as the Darkshear formed by another sailed past him, Malum drew his finger upward, a mocking stance.

Yet the periphery of his rubies, rested upon the emeralds flecked in other stones, eyes unseen stared directly at irises visible.

He felt anger.

He felt hate.

He felt disappointment.

"Burn."

As with a great cacophony, out of his fingers like the recoil of a heavy blaster, a great spouting wall of flame, rapidly burning to greater intensity, from the fiery orange, to a blinding white, settling upon a pale blue, hammered forward like a freak of nature, towards the armoured hulk that stood between him...

...Stood between him, and victory.

Spoiler

Kaila Irons , Darth Carnifex , Tamsin Graves , Reicher Vax , Darth Prazutis , Kirie , Quinn Varanin Nyxira Valis , Lina Ovmar Ala Quin Adeline Noctua QK-2510 Lord Dvasius Ansisa Srina Talon Darth Imperius Jhyrack Pom Stych Tivé Gerwald Lechner Taeli Raaf Grrwunhoooll Agaburry The Red

 

[Darth Imperius]

Darth Prazutis

Imperius listened, the words of the Shadow Hand laying out the facts of his perception clearly and elaborately. It took no mastermind to see what the Epicanthix said was true, no genius to understand that this adversary, much less an enemy, was a nuisance. A remnant left by a strong figure that died at the hands of lesser successors. He did not know Darth Ophidia but wielding a sect of assassins with precision and politcal acumen was a trait difficult to comprehend and therefore respectable. To degrade it to childish bickering after murdering its creator, was the foolishness that laid the Sith low before and made sure that the apprentices were of lesser quality than their masters. A shame but unsurprising. Sith would not do well when they were not afraid of the punishment above, when they thought themselves the overlord. A lack of handling.

"Your tone bears reverence for the Dread Queen, for the Empress. Curious."

It was as much a statement as it was a fact. He noticed that there was a connection, a relation between the titanic warlord and the white-haired woman, the Dread Queen, he only knew from intelligence reports and announcements of the Sith. She was nothing to Imperius yet, an unwritten piece of paper under the headline of a title. But if she was Empress, she was Empyrean's consort and that either was down to love or power. Or both. Either was fine by the Dark Lords standards and would not change anything towards what was to come. The Galaxy required fire.

A fire that he was going to light.

Darth Imperius went through the stream of data, his mind feeling the vast energies, his heart sensing the great powers that were at work at Echnos. The Force yielded a gravity, a vision of the future that seemed the Sith at war if the right steps were taken, the right decisions were made in this very moment. The Sith would endure, individuals would fall. They had their civil war already, tearing each other apart but the nature of this ridiculous trinity would never extinguish the spark of conflict between them. Not unless they were brought to heel, not unless someone powerful enough would emerge to dominate. To rule.

"Once this business is concluded, I will get to work on constructing presences in the Stygian Caldera and in the Bactranate. Considering the volatility of this encounter, I will also re-deploy units of the Eternal Fleet to be ready for reinforcements across Sith space."

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, Governor's office
Wearing: Personal Armor
Tag: Srina Talon

"If conscription to the Kainites would be the death of you…It shall not be. You desire freedom. No collar, no cage."

The understanding finality of The Empress' words cut through the tension like a blade. Yet it was not swung with malice nor contempt. It merely slide through, as if a hot knife through butter at tea time.

Kaila was... free. Her one reason for climbing through the ranks, the single justification for every horror she had endured or inflicted, it was here, and arrived on but a few soft words easily as a mother granting her child a treat. Yet it was not granted for good behavior, rather this appeared to be something of a negotiation, even if Kaila was not in a position to demand of the flaxen haired sith.

But there were stipulations and naturally so, causing the young darth's brows to settle into something other than surprise, as the familiar dealings of the court returned to her office.

The Empress carefully disected the situation unfolding outside and how it began in a way easily digestible by one of lesser experience such as she. However it left a bitter taste in her mouth, for it brought to Kaila's attention a flaw of the self for which she oft struggled. She was caught in a strange cycle it seemed, one which began long ago. First in her service to Carnifex, enduring unspeakable things only to take the very first offer of freedom in response to witnessing the true scope of his mistreatment of her. Then when Malum seemingly jeopardized this potential freedom, she once again reacted accordingly. Now he was facing Carnifex, a duel which she should have began herself long ago, whilst she was barricaded in a command center looking over maps and coordinating from afar.

Her entire life had been spent in a spiral of merely reacting to another's actions, never truly acting of her own accord, and now it seemed she had relied on The Empress to drag her back onto her feet more than once.

This was not the endurance for which Darth Anathemous was risen, but stagnation. Passivity. A cancer with deep roots in her soul.

A chain. But today was about breaking those chains.

Anathemous took a deep breath, carefully analyzing the situation from a renewed lens, knowing that she must act. She must choose. What Srina was offering put the young darth in a better position than when she'd started. While it was true that Kainite eyes and ears would still be present on this moon, They would no longer own it, they would no longer be able to make demands of her nor her resources. Trade perhaps, but not simply take. All she really had to do was allow one of those decrepit priests whisper in her ear...

A formality really. Having one of her master's new Sepulchral in her court meant having his ears, but she had kept secrets from him all her life now. She could do it again.


Kaila leaned back against her desk, gloved fingers drumming along it's edge.

"I... accept these terms, and responsibility for my actions."

Anathemous declared, standing to her full height, gaze meeting Srina's at last.

"My forces will be ordered to stand down, and I will inform Malum personally. However, I must inform you that he has ordered a Tsis'kaar fleet inbound, and if I fail to dissuade him from the warpath, I am uncertain of his next move."

She clenched her jaw at the thought, knowing that it was no longer in her hands whether this became a battle or not. Perhaps a war, if fate determined this would inspire violent sentiments beyond it's time.

But she could not allow the future to paralyze her in the present. Never again.

And so she began her march towards the door, summoning a flame to her hand as it opened before a wall of ice, the first of many obstacles which she would navigate today.

"I am unsure he will let this go, nor that the Inquisitors won't turn on me in the end. I will find a way to survive anyhow, as it has always been."

​

 

[Darth Prazutis]

"Srina Talon is an extraordinarily gifted individual, individuals like that I keep track of. Make no assumptions when it comes to the Empress, it has been the first and last mistake many have ever made. Much is hidden beneath the surface of that Echani." The Dark Lord replied. He wouldn't elaborate further on just how close the relationship between the Empress and the Kainate was, how strong their alliance had been. It wasn't information he felt like Darth Imperius needed to have, certainly not yet. Information was power and despite the Imperator's oath of servitude, and his introduction to the Kainate he was still a new element. It was still important to watch, to play out the situations endlessly in your mind, fight the invisible wars to perceive each move being made. It kept the mind sharp and made sure he, and the Kainate were prepared when and if the hour struck.

When Darth Imperius spoke next it was clear the man was satisfied with what information he had gleamed from the situation on Echnos, he swiftly moved on to what would come next. An increase in presence, a military buildup. All of this was good for the Kainate when positioned just right. The distance of Zakuul from the Sith Empire made it difficult for him to call upon his assets swiftly, something that may prove invaluable in the coming days following Echnos. "The Sith Empire is far from Zakuul. This will limit your reach and slow your response. Mobilize your forces appropriately and bring pertinent units closer. In time we will establish a more permanent location that suits our purposes." While two worlds already fell under the Imperator's banner their distance posed a problem, should the Kainate require them close by. Malsheem could move anywhere but if there was need for them elsewhere, it could pose an issue. Any world could be used as a staging point, an extension of the reach of Zakuul closer to the machinations of their enemies.

Once more the eye of AQUILA appeared over the arm of the throne cutting into the conversation "Supreme Excellency, a star destroyer has exited hyperspace within our system. It bears the designation of the Úlfs Reiði. We are being hailed." One ship? It was either daring, or incredibly foolish to drop out of hyperspace so close. The Eternal Rule was in the epicenter of a vast fleet marked with the symbol of the Kainate on their hulls. A force with enough presence to rip the breath out of anyone who bore witness to it, its sheer might alone enough to drown the stars in fire. All around them was a force even larger of ships of various shapes and sizes from freighters to bulk supply haulers.

They circled the Shadow Armada like living shields for the larger vessels, remaining as inert as the warships they stood between. Deep in the epicenter the Eternal Rule was barely visible now tucked between an unusual formation of dark cloudy nebulae that seemed to manifest out of nowhere, crimson arcs of lightning sparked into the materium all around it. All attuned to the force would feel the crushing weight of the overwhelming presence the Shadow Hand cast into the void. Deep within Prazutis flashed a menacing grin at the mention of the ship. "Gerwald. The fleet remains in position. Patch the wolf through directly to me." The very last time he'd seen the wolf it was during the height of the war between the Sith Empire and the New Imperial Order. They had fought together then when the wolf had convinced him against unleashing a demon to destroy his enemies. In the time since his descent into the dark side had grown, his position rising to become the Emperor's Wrath. Ever since their first meeting, he rose beyond it and grew stronger for it.

Once the connection established a hologram of the Shadow Hand would appear in front of the Dark Councilor. "Events continue to escalate on the surface of Echnos and the Emperor's Wrath appears before me. It has been too long Gerwald Lechner. Tell me, did you enjoy your visit to Malsheem? Quite the show you put on in the arena." Prazutis said. The giant briefly passed a glance to the screens behind the display that brought Gerwald to him. They showed the escalating battle below, and the deployment of Tsis'Kaar forces towards the Stormseeds. They were moving now to inevitably engage the star destroyer. Quite the interesting move indeed. Although to all present there was a reason the ventral hull of that vessel didn't bear the symbol of the Kainate.

Darth Imperius | Gerwald Lechner | Darth Carnifex





​

 

[Lord Dvasius]

Hmm. It seemed that didn't work. Everyone else in the room seemed to be preoccupied with talking. Talking to Kaila Irons , their thoughts and what words they spoke, all of their owns fates. What they were going to do. Why they were here. Talking, talking, talking. Nothing of substance or relevance to a solution of this problem. Civil war loomed, again, and they were all doing nothing, but standing. Dvasius was getting seriously and dangerously bored. Smoking more on his cigarette, the young Sith Lord thought of how he should be outside. Coming inside was a waste of time. There was no one making a battle plan at all. Outside, things were happening, mostly Force Storms, and a lightsaber on sword duel. Action.

He leaned back against the wall thinking. In a few minutes was he about to be the only one walking out of this room to assist his boss in fighting against, essentially, a God of the Dark Side? Admittedly a fallen one. Deposed, or something like that. In truth he'd been separated from the Galaxy for a good while and was only just catching up on what events went on in his absence. It was not much different now than when he'd left. The leader of the Tsis-Kaar in a fight to the death with Darth Carnifex , the "Twice-Failed Emperor" they called him now, Kaine Zambrano. He seemed ever the same too, though Dvasius couldn't claim a lowly Lord like him was ever in a position to get to know him anyway, but he knew what his actions and power left behind. Usually nothing. Well... death, and ashes.

He had to fight that? This was insane! Yet... the monotony going on in this room was far worse. He swore he could feel it draining his energy. Or was that something else? That's not good...

"Yeah. No, I'm done standing here.", he said, in frustration.

A Sith like him needed action. He was never one for politicking or this contemplation. Screw what was wise! What were they? Jedi? Well, Dvasius wasn't. Tired of it, he began walking out of the room. He got to where he was at the door and about to turn to leave when a wall of solid ice suddenly came down from nowhere, right in front of him, nearly killing him where he stood. The Sith Lord took a single step back, then watched as a small clump of his white hair, cut off, fell, slowly, to the floor, like it was snow from the sky. He looked up at the wall, then tried to see through it. Who did that? The white haired woman. He'd felt something from her, and her immense energy, right before the wall fell. That's how he was able to avoid death on time. Wait. Her white hair looked natural, not like his, changed the day he lost an eye and almost the other, to that strand casted schutta, UX-0626 . People talk, mythically, about fear or horror so deep it could turn a person's hair white. Turns out that was true, to a degree. The pain and horrific trauma, both physical and mental, that moment brought him, along with rage and shame, forced him to drown in the Dark Side to survive. It's power was the only thing keeping his life and sanity intact. Barely. But no. This woman was different. She was born this was, he thought. Echani? And that power... the Empress? That was the Empress of the Sith, Srina Talon . It was close to an honor just to be almost killed by her.

Maybe he should wait for her command or orders. She was definitely the highest ranking person in the room. The only voice that mattered, really. Not only here, but everywhere... Nah! Perhaps he should fear her authority and not act without it, but she hadn't told him to do or don't anything. It didn't even seem like the icy woman even knew he was there, or cared. Maybe that should hurt some small art of his ego, but as an assassin it was better for him to be ignored or underestimated.

He was getting ready to step out of the room again when some little girl spoke up, "The fight is outside, not in here."

Finally! Someone being sensible. The Lord conceded to let her leave first, not like she would be stopped by him anyway, and as he did so, Dvasius sensed something about this little, fledgling Sith wasn't right. It felt like... she had two minds? One horrifically, deeply dark, dominating and cunning, like a Sith. The other, more timid, lost or burdened somehow. Well. That's highly unnatural, but there was crazier things a Sith saw in this Galaxy. He let those thoughts disappear, rather quickly. Not his business, not his apprentice, and not his problem either.

"I'm with her... It... That really evil thing.", he said, unsure what to call what he was feeling from the girl.

The High Inquisitor (he still hated it) of the Tsis-Kaar, veteran of another war like this one, that seemed was still deciding if it wanted to be born and birth destruction with, it to countless lives and systems, finally put up his hood as he turned to the door. On the back of it could be seen, the emblem of the Tsis-Kaar, colored red. It was the same as the larger one on his back or the smaller ones depicted on each of his gauntlets. Sith Assassin Hidden Blades. Representing the organization he was so proud to be apart of... Once.

"Speaking my language. The only other true Sith in here.", Dvasius said, as he followed them outside, into the thunder and rain.

But no rain touched him. An invisible barrier of Force energy protected him from getting wet. Seemed he just put up the hood for effect and to show he was going to actually do his job. His white hair wouldn't have gotten wet anyway. It was at this moment, as was catching up to stand beside Tamsin Graves , he noticed the blood dripping down her arm and the incredibly evil looking symbols made of it, marked into her skin. His eyes did widen a bit at this and he chose to just look away from it.

"Yep, that's a demon.", he said, though there was a strong possibility it wouldn't be heard over all the thunder. He didn't need it to be acknowledged if it was, but that wasn't up to him.

Then the girl reached up towards the storm and a massive surge of energy went through her. If he couldn't see the bolt of energy, he'd definitely felt it in the Force. He also felt... pain, fear. And he felt the rest of the power here. So much power! The moon was alive with it. Fear, rage, multiple and massive manifestations of the Dark Side. So much of it, all around and all up for grabs. He breathed it in through his nostrils with the air, like they were the same. Like it was just as life giving. And it was, wasn't it?

It looked like now the girl was holding a weapon in her empty hand. One he couldn't see, but could feel the malignant darkness, radiating from it. Then she thrust her arm forward like she was throwing it at Carnifex. Again, Dvasius' eyes widened, surprised at the complete lack of fear she had to to be able to do this, never mind the power required in doing so. It seemed Darth Malum of House Marr sensed it as well. He suddenly vanished from in front of Darth Carnifex , and reappeared not far from where the two... err... three, were standing.

Lord Dvasius gave him a look of acknowledgment and a light, very insincere smile. Hopefully Malum couldn't tell. Then his energy surged too before saying "Burn.", and letting out a massive, continuous wall of fire, that scorched its way toward Carnifex. The flames got hotter every second. It almost felt it from there.

"He can do that too, huh?", the lower-ranking Tsis-Kaar said, thinking, "Eh, he might be alright.",

"Guess it's my turn."

He drew in power from the storm of chaotic Force energies around him, until it overflowed. It started spilling out of him, as bolts of lightning exiting his body. It began to hurt too, and he involuntarily shot a Force Scream, from the physical pain and rage he was feeling, still managing to aim it at Darth Carnifex . The lightning coming out of him surged again. His face had become paler than it usually was. Grey, actually. Veins had risen to the surface of his face, resembling black lightning bolts. His eyes were pure, burning red now.

Dvasius wasn't a god-like being, as many of the others around him seemed to be, but he could become one, just for a little while. Thanks to all the power they, themselves, were exuding into the environment. The young, admittedly inexperienced, Sith Lord chuckled to himself and smiled grimly, due to the massive amounts of dark power he was channeling into himself. It felt amazing to be so powerful for just even a short time. Now he wanted, no needed, to find a way to be like this all the time. For a split second he thought he might falter or lose control. There was a look of uncertainty on his face for a short second, but he remembered all the fear he felt in staring down the "Once Emperor", let alone fighting him. All the anger he felt at being dragged out here to do this in the first place. And for ridiculous reasons! For a childish "Darth" ( Kaila Irons ), and the fact he could die out here because of the arrogance of two peers alone. It was close enough to treachery, to get him killed like this. But it was his job and he would fight for his fellow Tsis-Kaar or at least the survival of the organization itself, till the end. Channeling all that, he regained control of all the power, boiling inside of him.

Dvasius crossed his arms over his chest, in an 'X'. Sith Lightning crackled between his fingers as small blue and purple bolts. Another uncontrollable Force scream, then he dropped his arms back to the sides of him and massive wave of Force power charged ahead of him. It tore up the ground and filled the space after it with lightning. First colored blue and purple, like his power, and like typical Force Lightning, then it went back to red as it faded away, back into the environment and its own masters. It went off with thunder louder than the storms around it. Like it demanded to be heard above all others. Or so it would seem to those in its direct vicinity. The sound was almost enough to shatter eardrums.

The being who manifested such great power stumbled slightly, but didn't fall. However he still was severely drained. Though the man could still stand and still fight, the exertion made him weary. His skin had gone back to its original color and his eyes returned to their usual fiery orange. Dvasius wanted to make some casual quip or comment, like he normally would, but didn't.

 

[Darth Imperius]

Darth Prazutis

Imperius took the briefness of the elaboration with an internal smirk. It was telling that there was more to it and that more could be learned about it. He was going to find out, in due time. The power struggles and alliances of this Empire were the foundation of what was to come and what was to perish, there was no way around it. To realise who was strong enough to survive and who was not, but who would be aided in their survival, was crucial. The Empress did not appear on Echnos out of charity, nor did he believe she would offer mere sympathy towards whoever she was meeting. A subtle but powerful display of her political acumen and reach.

He left it at that and instead started to focus on data stored in his own memory, scanning through the Sith worlds and the worlds of their Empire to find suitable places to raise strongholds of his own. His economic and logistical potential was vast, but it was indeed on the other side of the Galaxy. He needed to move smartly and swiftly. The Stygian Caldera or the Sith worlds, were the obvious choice. Korriban had a King in Darth Caedes , but he did not know the political structures around Ziost and Dromund Kaas. Instead of uttering the question, he was simply using a link through Kainate frequencies to get the base information.

"Other than the Malsheem and yourself with your nephew - who aligns themselves with the Kainate in the current climate and where do they reign?"

To not accidentally pick up internal strife, he needed to know the baseline for who were his "allies" at the time being. The situation ahead proved one thing, that was that civil war was on the threshold and to know who you would not be fighting, was necessary. To learn where their powerbases were and what they had, even if superficial, was a strategic and operational necessity to learn.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

TAG: Srina Talon | Darth Prazutis | Darth Carnifex

Gerwald waited, his eyes fixed on the massive weapon of war which held its position in front of his own ship. It was a picture of how the relationship seemed to be between the two great titans. The Mountain continued to stare down at the smaller wolf. The Lord Commander motioned to the view screen as the holoimage of the Dark Lord came into view. His voice was deep and foreboding. Those of the Wolf’s crew which had never met the Sith before quaked at the sound of his thunderous speech. Gerwald had not called him the Mountain without reason. He was a striking figure, one that could not be hidden. The galaxy trembled in his wake, yet, the Dread Wolf did not flinch or bow.

He smirked at the observation which Darth Prazutis offered. It insinuated that the Emperor’s enforcer and executioner did not belong but that the Zambrano did? Gerwald almost scoffed at the remark, but the compliment which followed assuaged some of the pretension which the Sith Lord demonstrated.

“I thought I sensed you then.”

It was not an answer, but for the moment the Sith would have to be satisfied with it. He let the compliment stroke his ego for a moment. Gerwald knew he had put on a show, and could boast a feat few in the Sith Order could. The Dread Wolf had faced the Butcher King and lived. Gerwald walked away with his respect and secured for himself an ally that no longer made him dependent on the benevolence of the Emperor.

“The Emperor and Empress allow me to do as I wish, and I informed your nephew of my intent the moment my crew intercepted the broadcast, however the size of your escort drew my attention.”

Gerwald knew the size was much larger than an escort, but he used the word intentionally. Prazutis knew that bringing war to the edges of Sith space would not be a wise venture. While the Kainites were formidable, they could no longer outmatch the power and size of the first and second legion. If Prazutis was aware of the inner workings of the current Order, he knew the importance of Echnos. It was the reason he was in front of Prazutis now. The Dread Wolf grinned.

He locked his eyes with the Mountain.

“It seems as though you would bring a club, or a blunt instrument, to a situation where a surgeon’s scalpel would be better suited. Regardless of what happens on the surface, Echnos itself must not fall.”

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Echnos City
Direct Tag: Kaila Irons | Darth Malum of House Marr | Darth Carnifex | Lord Dvasius
We Might Be Close By Tag: Quinn Varanin | Kirie | Tamsin Graves Lord Dvasius Lina Ovmar | Darth Prazutis

______________________________________
​

Stillness.

While the young Darth deliberated on what Srina softly offered, it seemed as if the Echani had ceased to breathe. She became an alabaster statue amidst walls lined with paper-bound books, precious because real parchment was hard to find. There was something…Not quite right about the pale creature, hard to pin down, and more than a little anomalous. Some had likened her presence to a painting without color, or a song, without sound. Her eye sockets were full of golden flame as she waited, humanity folding away, hidden beneath lock and key…

…Until the decision was made.

"Do not forget, Darth Anathemous, your strength, your sharpness, nor the intellect of your peers…Malum of House Marr is ambitious, but he is not a fool. The Inquisition is a guest to this moon. If the Kainite can be ejected in the span of an afternoon tea… ", Srina murmured, her tone even, with an expression that held the emotional capacity of a teaspoon. "Let us say that…Your newest house guest may think twice before offending their host."

The winds of change were so brutal within the Sith Order that they were more akin to that of a hurricane. Shifts of power were rarely peaceful, and transitions were rarely executed without tremendous loss and bloodshed. Srina suspected that somewhere deep down Kaila Irons had anticipated the consequences of drastic measures, but, had either unfortunately underestimated the reach of her opposition…Or accepted the cost. If Echnos, the Governor, and the Inquisition did not matter…If they were so unenlightened, powerless, and weak—Why had the Kainite responded? Why was Srina here and not on Jutrand?

The answer should have been obvious. Strategically and politically.

The final words of Darth Anathemous hung in the air, uncertain of her fate, but still, she marched toward the door with seemingly renewed conviction. She would survive. The Empress allowed herself the faintest flicker of satisfaction at the maturing evolution of the former Kainite, hidden, beneath layers of glacial calm. She had seen the cracks in the young woman's resolve, bitter roots, and yet she had also witnessed those fissures close and become whole. Determination, replaced passivity.

It was enough. For now. The rest…Would come soon enough.

The door hissed open, and Srina followed, steps unhurried but purposeful, her presence trailing behind the Governor like the shadow of some ancient predator. The wall of ice shimmered in the sterile light of the command center, crystalline and sharp, until Kaila raised her hand toward it. Full of flame. It responded as if alive and the ice splintered, melting, to reveal the path ahead before slowly falling apart. The silent woman continued to watch her push through, back straight, shoulders squared. Good.

That was the strength she was looking for, the same strength, she had felt vibrate through waves of fear and torment on Echnos not so long ago. It wasn't borrowed from others, but newly forged. It belonged to Kaila Irons, perhaps, a lioness in hiding—And no one else.

The pale monarch, seemingly frail and diminutive, raised her hand and with a twist of her fingers the frost from the shattered wall coiled and snaked along the floor, a tendril of frozen air that broke before them like an obedient servant. It rolled forward, gathering momentum, while they stepped outside. The air smelled of burning and ozone—And a piercing cry hit the air just in time to greet their exit from a Sith Lord ( Lord Dvasius ) she was unfamiliar with. It was a horrendous sound that she knew well…But not aimed in their direction. The effects, were minimal.

The sky was still black as pitch due to Quinn Varanin releasing her frustrations but the further end of the landing platform seemed to be almost radioactive whilst hellfire-blue light roared to life from Darth Malum of House Marr without thought or regard toward what might get caught in the crossfire. It evaporated the rain that had begun to fall long before it graced his skin which caused steam to rise into the air. The light would have been beautiful, shadows etching into his features, were it not for the fact that she could feel the heat from such a great distance that she knew its lethality. She could taste his hatred, his determination, that cloyed and stuck like ash in her throat. The almost mad craving for victory. Her wintry expression softened ever so slightly when she looked at the red-eyed youth she held in such regard.

He had grown, and suffered, so much since their first meeting. She understood his desires…The deep-seated need to avenge an Empire that had long since fallen, to bring a new age, a new dawn.

If only their world was that simple.

The eyes of the Empress abruptly turned to proverbial stone when she felt power begin to swell not far away. The Darkside had a particular flavor to it and when it was unleashed so chaotically, without care, the buildup of pressure was a telltale sign. Another bellow in the Force, strong, and destructive. Her princess had already left the area reeking of ozone but the scent grew stronger just before another ear-splitting sound cracked through the air— like atmosphere breaking for a hyperspace jump. It was coming from the same man ( Lord Dvasius ) as before and the strength of what he unleashed caused the platform to shudder while it peeled off the first layer of duracrete like the rind from a fruit.

Those same eyes of stone, of emptiness, gleamed with a quiet and commanding light as the attack unfolded in her peripherals. The bone-rattling Force scream followed the searing arc of Force lightning that crackled through the air until it met with a burst of frost that surged upward from her feet in a glistening wave. It shimmered like liquid diamonds, the frost creaking and cracking under the sheer intensity, but it held firm, rapidly spreading along the arcs of electricity while the fractal patterns trapped the sound in reflective resonance until the bellow was naught more than a whisper.

It left a violent, thronged statue in its wake, preventing it from hitting the Sith Lords across the platform.

She flicked her finger.

It shattered.

Srina leaned into Kaila Irons for a moment, so close that she would feel the frost that still swirled around her feet, so near, that it would most definitely be a breach of personal space. Her expression remained unchanging in a place that was thick with tension, a disturbing visage of serenity, in a moment that promised carnage at the slightest provocation. "I say it again...Never forget…You are Darth—"

"—Be what you are."

Threads of reality bent around the Governor and created rippling waves while the edges of her form frayed as if being viewed through fractured glass. The frost that was so alive moments before froze to complete stillness. The air compressed, its weight bearing down on the Vahla-Cyborg like an invisible tide as the Echani folded space around her. In the moment before it would become too much…Kaila Irons disappeared—And reappeared as Darth Anathemous.

Directly, within the blue blaze from Darth Malum of House Marr .​

Srina did not look at what she had done, even though, some onlookers very well may believe that their Empress had just killed the leader of Echnos City in cold blood. Rather…Her gaze fixated on Darth Carnifex even though she knew…His eyes could not behold her in the traditional sense. He knew her. The sound of her, the scent of jasmine, of rain, that always floated around her like a cloud.

Her fingers, pale and graceful, hovered outward…Her hand hanging between them like a question carved in silence. Would he choose to keep dueling the raven-haired Marr while Anathemous potentially burned to a cinder? Or…Would the Butcher King take what she silently offered?

Accept her…Amongst frost, and flame, in the first breath of a makeshift battlefield. They both knew...This…

This was how true Sith were made.

Spoiler

TLDR: Kaila gave be permission to throw her into a pseudo-volcano...Don't @ me fam xD

 

[Kirie]

Location: Echnos
With: Adeline Noctua
Mentioned: Quinn Varanin , Darth Malum of House Marr

A snap of cold had surrounded Kirie, a frigid feeling altogether different from the dulling, draining aura of the storm, like cool crypt soil. No, this cold burned. It set Kirie's senses alive, driving her back towards consciousness.

She sat up with a gasp, head lolling, cradled by a woman she did not know. She had dark hair, blazing red eyes, and she looked down on Kirie with a pitying expression, holding Kirie up like a doll.

Kirie felt awful, like someone had scooped out her insides leaving only a hollow shell. Her senses were dull and her movement's strangely delayed. But her mind was alive with icy energy, and it knew she was close to death.

"Foolish creature.."
"Are you able to stand?"

"Yes." she croaked. "If you help."

Kirie actually wasn't so sure. But she knew she couldn't stay here, with the burning, draining storm and the encroaching tendrils of blackness swirling about around her. Quinn was nowhere to be seen, lost in the gloom. There was only her mysterious rescuer.

Reaching out with leaden arms, Kirie wrapped herself around the woman's thin frame, trusting that the Sith was stronger than she looked. The unpleasant smell of burning cloth and singed flesh filled her nose, and Kirie did her best to ignore it. The sharp-faced woman was cast in a freakish blue light, and Kirie blinked several times, before realising it was not a figment, but a wall of sapphire flames, bright enough to cut through the strangling dark. Kirie could feel their heat from where she and Adeline Noctua were huddled at the base of the landing pad. She buried her face in the woman's neck to protect herself.

Channeling as much strength as she was able, Kirie stood unsteadily, rising with the Sith woman until they both stood at the edge of the platform, Kirie hunched over, leaning her weight on the unknown Sith. As they stumbled away from the duel, Kirie risked another glance behind her. Between flickers of blue flame and the howling whirlwind, Kirie caught a glimpse of Quinn, still channelling the storm, her face a twisted mask of rage and concentration. Had she not seen Kirie, or heard her plea? Or had she noticed, but chosen to ignore her servant? That thought was painful. It was an accident, Kirie was sure of it.

Kirie's legs buckled from under her, and she scrabbled to find purchase on the steel floor. She steered the Sith woman towards the front steps of the Governor's mansion, finally allowing herself to crumple to the ground again, beads of sweat running down her forehead.

"Thank you." Kirie murmured. She was so exhausted. Rolling over away from the Sith, she curled into a ball, tears stinging her singed cheeks.

"Home." said Kirie, quiet at first, then louder. "I want to go home."

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Echnos city, Landing pad
Wearing: Personal Armor
Tag: Srina Talon Darth Malum of House Marr Darth Carnifex Lord Dvasius Tamsin Graves Quinn Varanin Lina Ovmar

Resolve.

It came walking out of the manor heralded by frost underfoot. She knew what she had to do, though it gnawed up through her insides to think of it. Yet the empress had fulfilled the young darth's greatest ambition, the driving force behind every action she had ever taken since coming of age in Carnifex's court.

Freedom.

So long as she had her freedom, there would be no time for regret. Nothing else mattered now.

Even as the rampant chaos made itself known in streaks of crimson which crackled through the sky with thunderous force, as baleful blue clashed with steel and sorcery alike, as the storm overhead was drowned by the tormented screams of dark lords,

Anathemous marched with renewed purpose towards the battle as she had the first time war came to these shores. With a clenched jaw she steeled herself for what was to come, Golden gaze fixed upon the dueling lords with a calculating stare one might describe as inhuman, like that of a Vornskyr unleashed upon the jungle, or a machine set upon it's task.

Cold.

She felt a cold, yet even as The Empress leaned in close, her eyes burned with a renewed fire. This had to end. The cycle of loyalties ever changing, the running, the fear. It all had to end.

"I say it again...Never forget…You are Darth—"

"—Be what you are."

Her chin raised, one last calming breath releasing steam into the frosted air as she listened close, eyes closing for but a moment.

"I am Anathemous, Dark Lord of the Sith!"

"And I will be denied no longer!"

She remembered words of vitriol bellowed at a cruel world. Words which had earned her The Empress' attention in the heat of battle not so far from here.

She remembered...

Fire...

Heat... She felt heat.

Eyes shot wide, blue flame dancing around irises which shrank at the coming of ominous light as the world seemed to slow, As Anathemous appeared between Darth Carnifex at her back, pitted against Darth Malum of House Marr ahead of her.

Gloved hands shot forth on instinct as reality opened before her like a tunnel, and all her rage, all her hate, all her spiteful will to endure was thrown back at a world which wished to see her burn long ago. Yet Kaila was born of fire. From the moment she awoke in that hospital, the only thing she knew was fire and the screams of all who dared touch her. Never again.

Sweat poured from her brow unbidden as the flames lapped at her silken cloak, casting it's edges immediately into cinders which began to drift through the air.

Fingers curled like hooks, and with a clawing motion, with a steadily building shout through grit teeth, she began to pry the flames apart.

"Nnngh-" At last she threw them aside, flames rushing past her in a chevron which left the durasteel above and below her a melted slag, it's white hot glow threatening to cut through the entire platform.

"NNGHAAAH!"

​

It felt... good, in a strange way. That thrill, that blood pumping through pale veins once stagnate in the commander's chair. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to exercise this power. It had been forcibly locked away since the siege, contained like a dog waiting to be unleashed when the time was right, a humble servant left to wait for summons by greater men.

If only she could let loose, If only she could face the man behind her, throw open the gates of a Hell his own making so that her hate may run wild and free. For this is where Anathemous truly lived, unburdened by the uncountable thoughts and worrisome calculation, given but one narrow focus above all others:

The thin line between life and death. A line in the sand, drawn in blood and fire.

Instead it must be drawn for Malum. Another cruel joke played upon that girl by fate... she cursed the name for decreeing that she must stand against those who should have been her allies, time and time again.

Yet stand she would...

The flames parted beside her with roaring ferocity that cast the remains of her cloak in heated winds as if flaming wings as the pantoran silk split apart only to become little more than dust and embers around her, Yet the girl lived. More than lived, the girl thrived even as flame stuck to her shoulders and ate away at her war-skirt.

"Stand. Down."
she growled from her heaving chest as the flames died, Glare broaching no argument.

"All of you."

"Recall your fleets, stow the munitions. Negotiations have concluded,"

"This moon is mine."​

Not the Tsis'kaar's. Not her master's. Hers. As it always would have been, for they were here as much by her grace as her folly. Guests, nothing more and nothing less. Perhaps one day this would all change, but today there could be no more error. No more risks, not when The Empress had once again given her a second chance at life.

Or perhaps, even if Srina did not know what she had truly give Kaila all those moons ago, a third.

For her own sake, and for Ala Quin , it would not be wasted. Never again.

It all had to end.

​

 

[Tamsin Graves]

​

Theme: The Black Parade
Equipment: GL-13 blaster | Combat Knife | Multi-Tool | Inquisitorial Saber
Tags: Kaila Irons | Nyxira Valis | Adeline Noctua | Srina Talon | Pom Stych Tivé | Darth Malum of House Marr | Darth Carnifex | OPEN

Fiery orange eyes watched as all the magick's flying about evaporated and a burst of burning retribution appeared between Darth Malum and Darth Carnifex. Its focus had been on its spear of midnight black but as it all manifested before them the weapon of devastation was on its way to its intended target. With a single thought the spear dissipated and returned to the demon in Tamsin's body open hand. It did not know what was happening before its demonic fiery eyes.

It wasn't sure if the fires wrapped in wisps of ice were ripping Kaila apart before its eyes or if it was something else. The Demon forced Tamsin to watch unblinking as her master was seemingly being consumed by fire. It made her watch because if this was indeed the end of Kaila Irons, the girl would need that pain and rage in her heart. That type of suffering was good for darkening the soul and hardening it.

Tamsin watched in horror as she saw her master emerge in flames between the Lords fighting. She saw the flames bite at the flesh and attempt to consume. The demon wouldn't let her look away it wanted her to see this wanted her to suffer through it. It wanted her to see the death of parent like….like it had. It wanted her to feel every agonizing moment of the consumption. Tamsin wanted to cry but the demon would not let her. Tamsin wanted to run into the flames and a burn with her only friend in this damn existence, but the demon held their body still.

"Why are you doing this?' Tamsin asked pleading with the demon to give her an answer. Why was she being forced to watch her master burn.

"You see these people before you. They have done this for many millennia now. Unbridled power each and everyone of them, they sit on their thrones and look down upon everyone else. Their power prevents them from seeing the stagnation they cause, always fearing the ones beneath them are out for rebellion or betrayal to take what is theirs. So, they deny them power and truths under the guise of trying to maintain order. It all leads to stagnation because no one can ever rise above them and change what is killing an Empire." The Demon spoke to Tamsin in with a melancholy tone as it told the little girl its truth. "Empires always crumble and fall, because it resists needed change to remain strong. They all stagnate and die in an endless cycle, yet every time the same leaders rise to the top leading the sheep. They keep the will alive and the only way to kill it, is by killing them all so the will has no way to thrive and repeat the cycle over and over again."

Tamsin listened to the Demons words, and she felt its rage and hatred towards all the sith lords and the sheep that followed them. Yet Tamsin also felt a pity and a sadness in the Demon towards Kaila. Tamsin didn't know why the Demon hated life by its own words wanting to extinguish all the flames that burned inside the souls of men. "Yet you feel for Kaila? Tamsin asked it sheepishly.

"She had a fire in her, the spark that she might realize what I did long ago. That these Lords aren't worthy of worship or service. I had hopes she would shape you into a weapon I desired. My only gripe is she took to soft of a touch with you, but we must carry on if she is truly gone." The Demon continued to watch as the feeling for that moment when life would leave Kaila's body. It never came though like a phoenix rising from the ashes Kaila emerged covered in the flames of her rage. The Demon who did not like fire twinge slightly at the sight of the reemerged Kaila who burst flame forth from her body. An Ember of Vahl it noted to itself and Tamsin with in as it saw fires surrounding Kaila.

A small smile crossed Tamsin's face, and the Demon eyes flared up in elation at the sight. "Good." It exhaled out loud as she saw Kaila stand before her master and Malum. "This is no longer our fight." She again spoke out loud, but it was to the girl inside Tamsin. To it the fight between master and apprentice was sacred, it had only intercede because Kaila was afraid or preoccupied but now things were set right. "But she could die?" The annoying girl in her head again pleading and begging.

Tamsin too saw that her master had survived but now she was between two combatants who both had a reason to hate her at this moment. Both who could easily kill her and in the moment, she almost saw her sister die and now seeing her alive but in peril she wanted the Demon to fight but it wouldn't. "Fight, fight for Kaila!!!" Tamsin screamed into the echoing void of her mind.

"I will not, unless she asks me for aid child. This is her fight as it maybe your fight one day as well. She has given them all a choice, she may yet survive without having to lift a sword. But we can only observe now, yet don't you worry if she dies, we will avenge her in time." Those last words hung ominously in Tamsin's mind; she knew the demon was capable of cruelty just by those words alone. She knew it wanted to end all life in the galaxy and the next. She knew if her master fell her and now this Demon in her would not stop until every last person here today was annihilated from existence just from the final words it spoke Tamsin felt its truth. Tamsin just watched unable to react unable to do anything she felt so useless. She couldn't even shed a tear of despair or even of joy that her master had been reborn in flame.

"Remember child, these moments of pain make you. In the end you will only remember the pain and suffering you have endured they will make you stronger." The Demon said once more out loud to the child Tamsin with in.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | Echnos

Tag | Kirie

Her rescuer seemed to have no issues lifting or helping carry the wounded girl, as they buried into her for comfort she couldn't help but let them.. Let this reflection of her past self find some level of comfort, even if her pale nostrils picked up the sweetest of scents..

It took a firm willpower to deny her hunger, to smell such a fine fruit... A tormented soul, ripe with enough juice to deliver even a moment of divine bliss.

But alas, she didn't indulge.......

Crimson eyes watching as they longingly stared over at Quinn Varanin for reasons unknown to her.. Friends perhaps? More? Mm.. Didn't matter right now.

And as a cold, pale hand wiped away tears from their face, a comforting blackness enveloped the both of them. A protective shroud that denied the world around them, not letting the slave girl see the conflict further.​

"Thank you."

She takes a seat next to them, the very world around them looking to be nothing but a sea of stars, and an ocean of void. The woman's Sith spawn spring at the chance to investigate new people, scrambling out from her dress to gaze upon the slave, their little beady red eyes watching every move.

"I can't say I did it expecting a thanks, but the thought is appreciated my dear."
​

"Home." said Kirie, quiet at first, then louder. "I want to go home."

Adeline smiles to herself, remembering all those nights as a child.. All those cold nights on Nal Hutta when she had no home... That was no longer something a slave like herself could ever have, there was no home.. Was there ever a home?

Alas, she keeps her smile, hiding herself like always.

"Is there even a home?"

A simple question, yet it would be one laced with many layers to uncover.. Each one unraveling as we age and mature.

Her eyes look down over at the girl, seeing her life and very soul struggle and twitch as their body had been wounded thoroughly.

"I'm no healer, but I can offer a way to make sure you live. By the end you will be stronger for it, but there is always a catch."




​

 

[The Red]

He'd seen enough. The Zabrak let out a low chuckle as he pushed himself to his feet, slow and steady as if he was far too old. The Sith, fighting amongst themselves, proving their might. More and more stepping in to throw their sides, to posture their power in the corners of those in the ring. Demoralize through unity. It was a good and fair tactic.

It explained nothing to the Red on just what the state of this Order was.

There was a click of his tongue before the rhythmic tap of his cane had him walking from the spectacle. Without the proper information, he'd only be in the way if he joined the fight. And too many others were already talking amongst themselves. There was one solid click though as his gaze caught sight of something else. Red eyes focused on Lord Dvasius . His wrist.

A slight smirk formed before the Zabrak continued to head out. It was always good to see old things refurbished and reused.

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Kirie //: Srina Talon //: Darth Carnifex //: Darth Malum of House Marr //: Lina Ovmar //: Kaila Irons //:

The storm raged, and with each passing moment, it only grew. Quinn could feel herself losing control, her emotions being fueled and twisted. The storm consumed everything in its path and roared with its unquenched hunger.

Quinn's hand fell as the lighting washed over the Butcher King, sucking dry what power it could from his armor. He continued his fight, while the Varanin girl only continued to give the storm what it desired. Tendrils of electricity flew, lifting and embracing the woman from the ground towards the eye of the storm clouds. Its spinning clouds only showed a glimpse of the dark core forming and opening. There was nothing more she could do; giving into the storm, Quinn pulled her knees towards her chest and let the coils of the storm embrace her.

She felt every ounce of emotion that seeped from the world below her. Malum bled through her defenses; everything he thought she felt cut deep into her mind. His anger and frustrations from the perceived betrayals of those he valued confidants. Quinn could feel the intent and the desire to be free from Kaila, regret for how things had spiraled. She could taste the fear of the innocent people who were caught in this war between titans. As quickly as her lips kissed their fear, they were gone, and Quinn only knew their fate.

The storm had grown too much for her. As she hung in the balance between being consumed and the anchor for the impending wormhole, Quinn was no longer herself. Closing her eyes, she knew she needed to focus somewhere, anywhere.

Something familiar brushed against her mind, and her eyes opened, leaving her in the middle of a room. It was plain, the decor faded, and wallpaper peeled from its foundation on the walls. Lights flickered like lightning. The storm was outside, but she was safe within the four walls. Quinn stepped towards the wall, a hand reaching out to attempt to press back the old wallpaper, but her foot stumbled. The room warped, the corners of its reality pulling and stretching as Quinn stood at its center.

Another figure stood with her. Its back facing her, but as she stared, Quinn could easily discern who had manifested.

"Happy Birthday," the voice whispered to her. The silk in their voice was one Quinn found herself only dreaming of. Eyes opened once more and it was morning. Quinn sat up in the comforts of the large bed, and looking about the room, she remembered instantly her bedroom on Eshan. Quinn nearly scrambled to sit up as she continued to take in what was happening, looking towards the balcony, her harp resting at the top of the short cascading stairs. The Eshan morning filled the room and Quinn could smell the fresh dew on the flowers just under her balcony. Everything smelled like home; it felt like home and was perfect. "Did you sleep well?" Quinn's attention was pulled back to the other in the room, the weight of their body on the bed as they knelt beside her. A hand reached towards her face, and Quinn felt their touch. A smile crossed her face as she finally let herself fall into this dream. Her eyes met theirs, and she shook her head, "No, because in my dream, you were gone." A smile crossed their face as they caressed the young Princess's cheek.

"It was just a dream, I'm here now." Vesta's words were perfect. The horrible reality that she had dreamed was just that, a dream. "This is real?" she asked, scared that her mind was giving her a wonderful dream before the storm she had created tore her to pieces. Vesta smiled and pushed her back onto the bed in an embrace.

Quinn felt herself continuing to fall through the bed as she reached up, not wanting to leave the dream. Eyes opened once more, and Quinn found herself in another familiar place. The metal plating of the ceiling, the stars shining through the viewport, and the quiet hum of the air filtering system created the ambiance of the ship she had been given by her parents. Quinn sat in the flatbed, moving the sheets slightly off her frame. Her head was spinning; the dream within a dream sadly wasn't something unfamiliar to her, but it had been some time since she had something that intense. "You okay?" a voice whispered gently against her ear. The cool touch of a lover caressed her bare shoulders, hoping to comfort her. "I will be." She whispered back, exhaling. She knew not to mention Vesta; despite how long it had been, they both knew Echani's heart was torn.

"What did you dream about?" the voice asked again. Quinn smiled and looked over her shoulders to stare into Alina's face. Her heart melted as she sighed, "A reality where you weren't there." Quietly, they embraced, and Quinn felt safe again. Her eyes shut tight, waiting for the sickening feeling that her mind was going to pull her through another hole, but it didn't happen.

Was this the reality she was meant to be in? Quinn opened her eyes, and the embrace was gone, and she was alone in the plain room once more. Instead of the torn wallpaper and disproportionate walls, everything was normal. Quinn stood, hands folded in front of her as she soon recognized it as Kirie's room. Stepping in, Quinn saw the small figure, which was Kirie. There was a sigh of relief; maybe this was the end of it.

"Kirie, I had the most horrible dream." She started and moved to sit next to the woman on the bed. As she drew closer, Kirie stood and looked at Quinn in the same fashion she had seen when they had first met. Fear was all she could see, all that she could feel, and then…

Nothing.

Kirie disappeared, and Quinn felt her name called out in the distance. Quinn turned in place in the room. Her head whipped in different directions as she looked for her frantically. "Kirie!" She called for her and continued to look, throwing things about the room with the Force. She continued to scream for the slave girl. Unknowingly, Kirie had given the Princess a purpose, an inkling of a reason to continue forward - to be something beyond a doll.

Quinn fell to her knees in the disheveled room, wallpaper peeling from the foundation and the windows cracked. The room twisted with each painful cry for the girl.

Despair fueled the storm as the wormhole finally formed, its gaping hole opening to consume its primary energy source. Once Quinn had become one with the storm and the Force - there would be no stopping the monstrosity from consuming the rest of the planet.

As Quinn screamed deep within her psyche, the gentle caress tore through the walls that the Princess had built around her. Only one person could ever reach this deep into the girl and pull her from her despair. Gentle hands held the child's face, wiping tears from under her eyes and reminding her of the purpose that she was gifted with. Srina's words pierced the storm like a ray of light, and Quinn opened her eyes as the pull of the storm's eye was at its peak.

Thank you

The dark clouds screamed, not in fury, but in pain. At the center, a figure reached forward; golden ribbons spilled from her fingertips and began to envelop the storm clouds. With each ribbon, the clouds shrank and began to collapse into itself. The hunger that created the storm was filled by its dark consumption. In its final moments, as Quinn regained control of it, something from the shadows clawed its way through. One of Lina's shadow creatures had made its way to Quinn, and before the girl could react fully, its massive claw swung and tore through her side.

Amber eyes glowed with a fury only a few had seen. As quickly as it had been conjured, the creature found itself with the gold ribbons of the Force Drain around it. Whatever its essence was, it was gone in a matter of moments. The Echani looked through the remnants of the storm, finding its master through the Force.

A single image would flash in Lina's mind; it would be her mangled and bloodied body being feasted upon by the very creatures she commanded. A dark voice would echo behind the image.

Death

Coming back to her senses, Quinn fell to the ground just as Kaila would interrupt the fight between Malum and Carnifex. Struggling to stand, her energy nearly drained. Blood spilled from her side and through her fingers as she tried to stop it. The conflict behind her was the last of her concerns; she didn't want to be involved in this clash of egos. The only thing on her mind was one person. "Kirie?" she called out to the girl, but there was no answer.

Was Kirie one of the ones she felt become one with the living Force? So many had died, and was it her doing? Quinn choked on her own tears as she cried out again, "KIRIE!" With each bloody step, she tried to feel for the girl through the Force. All she wanted to know was that the girl had escaped in one piece.

"I'm sorry! KIRIE!"

tldr; no more storm :3

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Mailed fists closed around empty air as the blade dematerialized in His grasp. No words were spoken, only a slight incline of the head as the Dark Lord blindly tracked the other Lord's movements through the darkness, His prescience never wavering even amidst the turmoil of battle. He reached up and the hovering blade slipped down into His own palm, armored fingers curling around the hilt as weapon and master were physically reunited; the power of the Wellspring surging down from within the blade itself.

Rapid movement, quicker than the eye could track. The Dark Lord spun around and knocked aside the darkshear with the back of His fist, sending the scintillating spear of energy careening away before it detonated from the force of His action. Scattered, errant energy danced between the Dark Lord's fingers before harmlessly dissipating into nothingness, the Dark Lord sparing only an empty, hollow glance in the direction the spear originated before turning His helmet back towards Malum.

Fire, a great whirling gout of bright azure flame flooded towards Him. He needed only to extend His arm, the jagged blade of Tosochkashai pointed right at the heart of the raging inferno. The flames parted when they met the Dark Seether, flowing to either side of the Dark Lord before rejoining into a single stream of flame several meters behind His back. Suddenly, and without explanation, the Dark Lord swept His blade down back to His side, allowing the split flame to briefly rejoin as the air shifted in front of Him.

And Srina Talon and Kaila Irons appeared before Him.

The young Darth again split the flame, causing them to sputter our and die at great exhaustion to herself. Carnifex hefted His broken blade up onto one shoulder, reaching up with His free hand to undo the helmet lobbed 'round His head. Sight and sound flooded back into His system as the helmet was removed, the Dark Lord opening His eyes for the first time since He placed it upon Him. He moved to stand closer to the Empress, His looming form towering over both her and Anathemous by a considerable degree. He took the Empress' hand in His own, holding her gently as one would hold the hand of someone they deeply loved. It was a provocative gesture, one meant to elicit a reaction.

"Such is the will of the Master of Echnos, who am I to countermand it?"

A subtle and silent message was passed along to the Kainate forces lingering beyond the system's periphery, less words and more feeling. It relayed that the Empress had successfully negotiated, and that they were to prepare to leave this system and return to the Malsheem. His gaze turned to look at those nearby, sweeping from one person to the next.

"Before you stands the Empress of the Sith, to who you owe your undying allegiance. Your will is hers to govern, your life hers to spend. Those who allow the festering rot of treason to molder in their hearts will know only endless terror. All those who defy the throne will be destroyed."

Srina Talon | Kaila Irons | Darth Malum of House Marr
Tamsin Graves | Kirie | Quinn Varanin
Darth Prazutis | Lina Ovmar | Lord Dvasius ​

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

The boom and crackle of thunder and lightning lodged ahead by the oft-forgotten third surviving apprentice of Darth Ophidia was the last concern at the back of raven locked skull, as mask though alight with the azure flames of his creation faced ahead towards the dauntless everlasting foe, his attention, had been drawn away at the moment of his disengagement with the vice grip of the once Dark Lord, the Twice-Failed Emperor.

Towards one which, though combat might have been far less dangerous, who made his heart anguish in way which a darkshear through his chest might not have so pained. Red eyes stared balefully, her rains broke at the fierceness of the fire, yet still the lightning struck the earth, with rumbling crescendoes of source which his ears could barely distinguish.

At the end, all of them could be against him when the opportunity came so dearest.

All of them could smell the weakness exuding out of him, as sharks drawing close, as carrion circling, the blood was in the water, the blood was in the air, and all of them.

All of them could be his foe.

The ring sang a shrill tone, the gem upon its head shining with the impulse of a star, so grand which might have blinded eye if one was to gaze upon it, as the flames narrowed, as blue as heat allowed, seeming to near belch smoke, as if his fingers were the maw of a dragon's skull, a measure born out of expressions of most need, for all which he had known this moment would come, for all which he had dreamed of this day.

His attention was simply elsewhere.

Pupils dialated as the wind washed back against him, his cloak brought to levitation from the stream of power ahead, as the kilt found itself in similar position. A wind born of enough pressure that destiny would have had him flung away from the cacophany of noise and elemental surge, only to be resisted by the stubborness of black boots which made their mark upon metallic ground.

Another took command of body, as mind was...

...Simply elsewhere.

Nostrils smelt of home, an unfamiliar room, yet one which was so... right. He had never been to this world, but he had been invitated... he had wished to see it...

A hand caressed his cheek, words exchanged that were not his.

A stranger, whose presence...

He never wished to leave.

The eyes blinked, and he was elsewhere, another room, somewhere else familiar, a presence this time which his sight, adjusted to quickly enough. Not a stranger, one who he knew well in his own way. Yet, not in this way, instincts which he did not possess melted into the touch of the Sangnir, as comfort he should not have felt protruded through his body, an embrace that should have made him fear a shikkar to the back.

Yet...

He never wished to leave.

The eyes blinked, that which was the eternal nightmare held not the providence for its own end, lost in the spiral of space beyond material and place, there was new ease here, new confidence, this was the house of sanctuary, the end of unending memory, of unending regret, a horrible dream indeed.

A new figure, one which he had only just moments ago met... whom now gave him utter and so narrow purpose... he had promised to protect her... he had promised to save her... had he not? Red eyes slammed shut, as an unseen force slammed into his chest, forcing him to take step back, his breath hitching, as the flames spluttered. A master losing control, as his dog, Chaos demanded to be unleashed. The flames flickered, weakening, as Kaine's blade broke forth its flow, blue turned to white, white turned to orange, as the Force struggled against his command, struggled against his will, pops and crackles breaking out around his person, as ahead, he saw nothing, even as from above, a figure came crashing down, all those who bore witness as she was lost to fire, and usurped weakening and fading light.

He was simply elsewhere.

"Kirie!

The voice slammed into the back of his head, as double sight saw two different true realities, one which scrambled to find one which he needed to protect.

The other who was still, as his ring faded back to nothingness, and blood trickled down his nose.

"Kirie..." He whispered, words both spoken and unspoken through two sets of eyes, as nausea assaulted a mind fractured, and fractious.

The storm above faded away, beyond the notice of his remit, as the flames which scorched the ground long away drifted, exhaustion broke ground across his form, he swayed in his step, his mouth dry, his vision clouded, a mind numb and tired. A voice echoed in his ear, good news or so he hoped, though uttered with such prominence, which a confused mind could hardly tell.

Only instinct forestalled collapse, the movement of his greatest enemy, towards his greatest ally, even blind he felt their hands conjoined, even tired and weakening he felt his blade point to the bridge of their connection. Instinct tempered by emotion most foul, visionless he saw, in darkness the light was entirely visible. The path forward, the victory to be gained. It would only take the will of which was contained within one who had been so bold already. Yet, the memory of the voice restrained him, victory, perhaps already had been gained, a victory for Kaila... a victory for him...

The blade moved, as his form turned, towering over her, the masked Sith Lord dropped to a knee, the plasma of the blade extinguished, as the Sith steel broke the ground of the platform.

"To Her Imperial Majesty to whom I owe my fealty, does she command that I cease action? For only by her will I act, for only by her word do I cease, for only by her presence do I kneel!"

For there had after all been only four whom that he had ever bent his knee to, and one of them was dead by his hand.

Spoiler

Kaila Irons Darth Carnifex Tamsin Graves Reicher Vax Darth Prazutis , Kirie Quinn Varanin Nyxira Valis Lina Ovmar Ala Quin Adeline Noctua QK-2510 Lord Dvasius Ansisa Srina Talon Darth Imperius Jhyrack Pom Stych Tivé Gerwald Lechner Taeli Raaf Grrwunhoooll Agaburry The Red
Mentioned: Darth Ophidia Darth Empyrean

 

[Pom Stych Tivé]

The Matriarch watched in shadow and utter silence as the Sith Empress trekked on past and out of the room, the Matriarch's personal presence perceived to perfectly blend in with the Dark Forces which sprung from the well itself. She wondered if she would not be the wallflower, if she were to go off her rocker once in a while, as she witnessed occur across the land before her very eyes. Such a display that nearly caused those involved to combust themselves into smithereens. It really isn't her style to be so flamboyant, nor so obvious in her intentions, likely the main reason the covens have survived for so long.

She watched her lover stand out in his phenomenal way, just being himself. With doe eyes she crooned lightly as she watched him move, wondering if he would come for her later on Dathomir; hoping he does not notice her presence.

Pom wondered what he will say to her in private, if he knew of her participation in what took place here. She could say it was unwitting, but she knew deep down, she did what she did because wanted to get his attention. For a while she's been feeling off-kilter. The lot of the Wanica is guilty of playing silly lover's games. The Nightsisters have ever felt it difficult to properly voice their desires, likely because they don't approve the fact that they actually crave the attention of any man, like they honestly do!

As she watched the show come to a conclusion, knowing that Kaila Irons will be alright on her own, the Wanica Twelve reached out of the darkness of the Nether beyond, and gripped hold of the shoulders of the Matriarch. They gently pulled her back out of this realm, into shadow.
​

 

[Darth Prazutis]

"My dear Gerwald. I haven't done any of the sort yet. Echnos is just beyond this system. There are greater things at work here, we merely protect the territory against enemy intrusion." The Dark Lord flashed a menacing grin towards the Emperor's Wrath. It was a purposeful, bold-faced lie that Gerwald would easily pick up on. But there was a complex weave of truth in what he spoke. There was a far greater reason beyond mere brutish tactics that drew him to the outskirts of the system, contingencies in case things went wrong. Due to so many open parts, combustible elements in one place there were many potential outcomes. It was better to be prepared across a broad spectrum than it would be to be caught unaware, that was when the greatest disaster struck. Perhaps the restraint he showed in not entering the system spoke volumes compared to if he did. The Dark Lord felt it then. A message carried across the dark dyad he shared with the Eternal Father, the message he'd been waiting for. Success. Now it was time to leave.

For a brief moment the hologram froze as he turned towards AQUILA's eye, his words carrying to the AI and not to the Emperor's Wrath "We are done here. Take us home." Prazutis then resumed the conversation with the Emperor's Wrath then. "It would seem this area has proven safe, now that your here I'm certain there is nothing to be concerned about." The technicians aboard Gerwald's ship would all see it on every monitor, and outside of every viewport. All at once the vast fleet came to life almost in complete unison. Every Kainite ship's engines glowed with fire as they turned away from the direction that would take them towards Echnos, plotting different hyperspace coordinates far away from the system. "Always a pleasure to see you Gerwald. The next time you come to Malsheem, do make sure to pay me a visit. Bring your darling wife with you even." That was the last words the Shadow Hand spoke before he cut off the communication from his side, all along the war fleet they prepared. In short order they began to enter hyperspace, away from Echnos and make the journey back to where Malsheem currently was.

Darth Imperius | Darth Carnifex | Gerwald Lechner





​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Echnos City
Direct Tag: Kaila Irons | Darth Malum of House Marr | Darth Carnifex | Lord Dvasius
We Might Be Close By Tag: Quinn Varanin | Kirie | Tamsin Graves Lord Dvasius Lina Ovmar | Darth Prazutis

______________________________________​

—Here ended the lesson.

There were moments when a student required breaking to accept the laws of the universe. The pale woman had been raised on Eshan where failure was not an option. Perfection in body and spirit were the only way to serve the Queen. With their whole heart, their whole being, with the entire might of the Six Sister's moving in deadly harmony. Like some great wave, made of flesh, bone, and blades. She was no stranger to conditioned training, nor, to strength through pain.

But sometimes…They just needed a little push. Perhaps, not into an inferno but a push all the same.

Srina was incredibly aware of the storm that Quinn Varanin had created while the wind created tousled lengths of white-gold hair this way and that. The energy it created a flush of power that made it feel like little ants were walking along her skin. Her mind stayed with her godchild while the sight of something curious, if not, a visitor from the void pulled from cloud and shadow. The Princess of Eshan was coming into her own, not easily, but with a flair that her godmother lacked…

She couldn't say it came from her parents either—But it was an intense sight to behold. Were it not for the fact that her focus was required here to end the conflict she would have sought out her god-child. Soothed her mind, her aches, and whispered of her pride. Such a powerful young woman.

It was one thing to unleash a Force Storm.

It was another to stop it.

The cry from Kaila Irons pulled her back to the landing platform and the Dread Empress had the satisfaction of watching the Governor let go. The release of her fear and acceptance of what she truly was would see her through any battle. As long as Darth Anathemous didn't forget what she'd learned—The feeling of taking control by force if necessary. Her flesh should have blackened, cracked, and peeled away from her frame. She could have burned alive…

She did not.

The sight of Kaila standing tall, like a phoenix from ash, was momentarily obstructed by the presence of Darth Carnifex at her side. She looked even smaller when his shadow fell, a slip of a woman, standing in the shade of the tallest tree. It should have brought her a sense of intimidation but the diminutive Echani was cowed by nothing and with his helmet removed…She could see him again. Her hand became encased within his and her head inclined just slightly when he spoke to the Governor. Acknowledged the word, nay, the order that poured from the Vahla-Cyborg with the might of a falling star.

Her fingers laced between his meaningfully.

"…I will pay it."

The soft whisper that would likely go unheard by the surrounding parties was for Kaine alone. Regardless of how swiftly she might have granted liberty to Kaila, there was a price, for freedom. It was not something the others were prepared to accept nor something she would ever speak out outside of her agreement. It boggled definition—The cost of one life. Her thoughts were interrupted when Darth Carnifex began to address the makeshift arena. It almost startled her to hear someone speak of her in such a fashion…So deferentially in public. The accolades belonged to her husband and the Order.

Never to her.

Eyes of golden flame poured past Kalia and toward Darth Malum of House Marr whose mask obscured his features. Something, he well knew that she hated. Echani felt half-blind when viewing others this way, which, was another reason she found relief when Darth Carnifex removed the offending object. There was something unexpected in her chest that ached at the sight of Malum kneeling, this way. Some emotion that she had no name for, that, her ice-ridden heart could not comprehend.

How often had she pulled him to his feet?

How often had soft fingers taken his chin to lift his eyes from the floor?

"You fought well, Darth Malum."

The words were laced with the same glacial softness that he would know well from their many interactions. Her head tilted as if she were listening to something no one else could hear and the frost she'd held throughout the incursion slowly dissipated, her pristine black art sinking back into the steel before fading away. The still form of Malum was in stark contrast to the destruction of the platform—a symbol of power subdued, not by force, but by presence.

It was a moment in which power bowed to wisdom.

Mercurial orbs were sharp and discerning, taking in every detail of his exhaustion, and the raw will that had kept him standing until now. For a long moment, Srina said nothing, allowing the silence to stretch. The wind of the dissipating storm tugged faintly on the obsidian of her skirts, carrying with it, the faint scent of scorched earth and cold steel. When she did finally respond to the words that left her with more than a few questions—It was equally soft. "You may rest, my own."

"If I am to command you…I command that you rise. Not as a man brought to heel, but as a storm that knows when the winds have changed so that it may rage again another day."

The red-eyed man was too great to be spent here, at this moment, against a foe already quelled. Kaila Irons had her freedom AND her Moon. Darth Malum of House Marr and the Inquisition had a foothold on Echnos. Darth Carnifex had the Kainite ban revoked, plus, the unspoken reward that none would be aware of. "There is no shame in yielding to the inevitability of what is already won. The Twice-Crowned King has stilled his blade and the Governor has spoken…"

"Come. Let me see you."

The same thing she had asked Malum on Echnos—Just after decimating its populace.

 

[Kirie]

Location: ????
With: Adeline Noctua
Mentioned: Quinn Varanin

Away from the power of Quinn's storm, in this dark place the Sith woman had taken her, Kirie felt herself slowly rekindling. Feeling returned to her hands and feet, her skin lost its icy pallor, though it still tingled and stung. Her heart thudded in her chest with a confidence it hadn't had a minute earlier, and the dullness in her senses was gone. Her body, though, was clearly weakened. It was as if she had run for a day and a night, even sitting up was an effort.

Chill hands caressed Kirie's face. She shivered and recoiled, leaning away from Adeline Noctua as she sat down beside Kirie. The woman's crimson eyes bored into Kirie's own. Her saviour was unsettling, and there was a quality about her that was somehow bestial, like the stories of monster folk Kirie's friends had shared by firelight on Weik.'' Beady-eyed creatures crawled around her, body, in an out of the folds in her cloak. Kirie shied away from them. Their docility and intelligence hardly seemed natural.

"Is there even a home?"

"Yes." Kirie said softly. "But I can't reach it." Even if she could be smuggled offworld, transported by this Sith to her isolated planet, Kirie did not know this woman, she would not stick around to watch out for her, and Quinn had duties within the empire, so she could not go with Kirie either. The moment she crossed the border, the pretense of the uneasy protection Quinn had provided would vanish. Her brand and her chain code would call out to her captors, and Kirie would be captured again, this time without a hope of ever returning.

Kirie could not allow herself to be tempted by the seemingly simple path. She would escape the Sith Order and the Kainate. Then, she would disappear, and make sure that they never laid a finger on her again. She would make herself untraceable, so that no Sith would ever track her; Even if that meant enduring the storm on Echnos, and returning to Quinn's service. She was the key, Kirie's beacon of hope in the darkened reaches of the Order. But, Kirie could not rely on Quinn alone. She needed others. Friends, allies, accomplices. Only then could she find freedom.

"I'm no healer, but I can offer a way to make sure you live. By the end you will be stronger for it, but there is always a catch."

"I will take whatever help I can get."

The storm had nearly killed her. Perhaps it raged still outside this... Wherever they were, ready to consume the remaining vitality that weakly pulsed in Kirie's veins.

Why not? Kirie thought, her world had already shattered to pieces multiple times in the past month, and it seemed she was sliding towards some inexorable fate. The more she strained and struggled, the worse she was punished. If Echnos was any indication, Kirie worried that she would not have the strength to overcome whatever awaited her on the path ahead. She thought back to the day of the crash, when her benefactor had dragged her back from the precipice of the Netherworld.

"I am very, very sorry for what is about to happen to you."

Yes. If Kirie was to survive, she would have to do as her Sith betters did. She would not carry a red saber, but she would accrue power and relationships, manipulate her position, attain advantage. It was selfish, but she was an Errop amongst Vask-wolves. It was the only way.

"Whatever it is, I want it." Kirie said, sitting forward to hug her knees, eyes locked on Adeline.

Then, though she could not physically feel it, the torrent of anger and violence that had been churning in Kirie's stomach and chest lessened, a storm petering into a rain-sodden breeze. Kirie was overtaken by a melancholy feeling, intercut with sudden bursts of anxious urgency, like a spurting artery. Instantly, Kirie knew what, who, had caused it. Quinn, she thought. That is Quinn.

"I'm sorry! KIRIE!"

In an instant, all the rational thoughts were gone from her head. Quinn was hurt, or worse, and she was searching for Kirie. Even though Kirie's body was injured and drained, her head was aflame with panicked thoughts.

"She needs me." Kirie said to Adeline, her voice urgent.

"Let me out. Take me back!"