Private The New Strange

[Darth Assimilus]

The techno-beasts moved in synchronized patterns, their movements too precise to be organic. They patrolled silently, watching the flow of Sith and other dark side adherents entering and leaving the temple grounds. Despite their alien forms, they displayed an unnerving intelligence, stopping momentarily to study individuals, then moving on once satisfied. Their heads occasionally twitched and scanned the environment, feeding real-time data to the temple's security systems.

The entrance to the Temple of Assimilation was wide and imposing, flanked by these vigilant guardians. As newcomers approached the security checkpoints, the techno-beasts would surround them, clicking and humming with mechanical sounds as they scanned every individual for weapons, hidden technology, and Force signatures. Their glowing eyes brightened and dimmed in sync as they processed data, the temple's intricate network feeding information to the temple's core. At the slightest sign of unauthorized tech or behavior, the techno-beasts would flare their weapons, usually built into their limbs or backs, a silent but clear warning to remain compliant.

The temple grounds bustled with activity. Sith from all ranks flowed in and out, some looking weary and worn, others energized and eager to engage in discussions. The air hummed with conversation, and the subtle whirr of cybernetic implants filled the space. Those entering the temple often left with fresh augmentations, their new cybernetic eyes, limbs, or neural implants gleaming in the dim light. Some Sith bore minor alterations, such as enhanced hands or eyes, while others had more extensive enhancements, their bodies riddled with sleek, polished cybernetics.

As groups of Sith passed each other on the temple grounds, hushed conversations could be heard over the hum of the technology.

"These implants, they sharpen my connection to the Force," one acolyte murmured to another, tapping the side of their newly-installed neural port.

"But is this really the way? It feels...wrong. Sith have always relied on strength, the power of the dark side," another whispered, their tone skeptical, "Not machines."

A pair of more seasoned Sith Lords walked further down the path, their voices laced with curiosity and caution.

"I hear some have become entirely dependent on their modifications," one said, observing a group of younger Sith, many with mechanical limbs and cybernetic enhancements gleaming. "They're no longer Sith, but machines wearing robes."

"Perhaps. But there is power here," the other replied, nodding toward the temple's towering spires. "Assimilus may be unconventional, but this temple offers something no Sith Lord has offered before—immediate knowledge and strength without years of pointless tradition and its all free."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Kaila pulled her hood down for whatever facial recognition software the Technobeast guards where using. Any attempts at finding her public records would turn up curiously little anyway, at most that she was admitted to an imperial military hospital on Krownest during the Sith Empire's occupation of the Mandalore sector, and that she had been somewhat recently at the Kaggath while accompanying Darth Carnifex and his retinue.

Both sightings in imperial territory, both on opposite sides of the galaxy, both many years apart.

Aside from this? she was practically a wandering ghost.

The additional time it would take to dig up her information gave the young apprentice time to observe her surroundings and the people therein. Acolytes bragging of their new enhancements, older Sith cautious or perhaps stubbornly opposed to change, and so many cyborgs now upgraded or emerging from their first implantation.

Kaila wondered what the locals would think if they where to know of her inner Laminanium, which had been used to armor every single bone in her body. They weren't exactly powered, but she wondered if the roaming cyborgs might appreciate that artificial quality.

Ah but she needed to focus. The scholar was not here to fit in with Acolytes and cultists, she was here simply to observe to learn about the cybernetic practices of the temple and how such implants could aid in her own pursuits. Specifically, she heard rumor that some here could simply plug into machines and learn powers of the dark side in record time.

Then again, perhaps the older Sith were right be cautious of them. What was stopping the temple's master from taking control through another's cybernetics? from assimilating them as it were?

It looked like she would be finding out soon, as the techno-beasts were now escorting her into the temple to learn more. Or so she assumed at least.


Darth Assimilus

 

[Darth Assimilus]

Kaila pulled her hood down for whatever facial recognition software the Technobeast guards where using. Any attempts at finding her public records would turn up curiously little anyway, at most that she was admitted to an imperial military hospital on Krownest during the Sith Empire's occupation of the Mandalore sector, and that she had been somewhat recently at the Kaggath while accompanying Darth Carnifex and his retinue.

Both sightings in imperial territory, both on opposite sides of the galaxy, both many years apart.

Aside from this? she was practically a wandering ghost.

In the entryway of the Temple of Assimilation, a trio of techno-beasts stirred, their sleek, metallic frames gliding silently toward the figure standing before them. Multifaceted optical sensors glowed faintly, casting eerie reflections on the obsidian floor. As they observed the next newcomer, mechanical limbs whirred in near silence, and their laser-like scanners pulsed rhythmically and would sweep across the Sith lady's form. The readings blinked across their internal networks.

No biographical data, other than what was obvious. No records of accomplishments, affiliations, or previous visits. Only a name: Kaila Irons, and her association with the Sith Order.

All of which, at minimum, permitted entry. The Sith Lady would find herself granted passaged to continue inside and witness a blend of perfection that was the interior of the temple itself. Sith alchemy and mechu-deru combined. The metaphysical and technological. Stygian Art.

All three techno-beasts would gesture Kaila Irons onward to another techno-beast with a outstretched gift. A datapad that would function as a map for the temple's vast interior.

" What the intent of your visit?" The alchemical and technological creation asked aloud. The creatures question was standard to every newcomer, but its face held a slight smile. It was satisfaction.

 

[Kaila Irons]

In all her years of training and sleepless nights of research, Not once had Kaila seen Styigian Art. She was in morbid awe. It was somewhat disturbing, but everything from the dark pulsing lights to the orderly movement of it's mostly machine guardians belied a dark artistry behind it.

She couldn't help giving every aspect of the interior a brief stare until the Technobeast's movement caught her attention, who were seemingly gesturing for her to meet with someone. Or something perhaps. They held a gift outstretched in their cybernetic hands, which she took in her own Cortosis gauntlet, examining the device closely and then looking up when she had seen that it was a map.

" What the intent of your visit?"

Was it... smiling?

She had seen technobeasts only once before, creations of Leven Jeyd far beneath the mountains of Illyria who had stood guard over their shared works, but she had never heard them speak, nor seen much expression of any kind really. Where they not mindless automatons as she assumed?

"Uhm... Well," Kaila realized she was staring.

"I wished to learn about the temple. Specifically, I'm told students are able to digest knowledge much more quickly here, through the use of cybernetics? I wanted to learn about that process especially"

Her tone was one of genuine curiosity despite her concerns.

"Mind you I'm not looking for more implants just yet, I wish to learn all I must consider first"


Darth Assimilus

 

[Darth Assimilus]

"Uhm... Well," Kaila realized she was staring.

"I wished to learn about the temple. Specifically, I'm told students are able to digest knowledge much more quickly here, through the use of cybernetics? I wanted to learn about that process especially"

Her tone was one of genuine curiosity despite her concerns.

"Mind you I'm not looking for more implants just yet, I wish to learn all I must consider first"

The Techno-beast paused for a moment and looked around. Though it looked like every other darkside technological creation, it acted different and with more individuality. " You are fortunate to have arrived at this time. The temples grand architect is currently present in the cyberneticist wing." The techno-beasts head turned up, to the left and nodded at a second tier roughly 50ft above to a railed terrace. It boomed with activity from students and other sith alike and seemed to be a high traffic area. Yet midst the flow of bodies also patrolled larger techno-beasts and a singular hulking automaton in the form of a large man. From the lesser vantage point below and distance not too much could be seen, aside from extensive cybernetic modifications of the torso and the automatons height compared to the others around it.

The giant automaton then moved away from view.

" Take the turbolift, located directly below and you will arrive. I hope you find the answers and knowledge you seek." The Techno-beast directed and then twitched back to its default position and set its eyes and more newcomers heading inside, handed them datapads and repeated the same question to those now behind Kaila Irons .

​

From the deep recesses of the Temple of Assimilation, Its architects and creator, Darth Assimilus, awareness flickered through countless threads of data, each connected to the myriad techno-beasts that roamed his domain. From the beginning as Kaila moved through the temple, the interactions she experienced with these mechanical creations were anything but random. Each gesture, glance, and scan was choreographed by Assimilus himself, though no one would ever see his guiding hand.

His mind was far beyond that of a single entity.

It spanned the entire temple, weaving through its halls, rooms, and systems as though they were extensions of his own body. The techno-beasts responded to his will, their responses to Kaila crafted with subtlety and precision on a psychological level. All determined by Assimilus's calculations of her reactions, body language, and latent Force signature. To Kaila, these machines were sophisticated and intelligent, yet to Assimilus, they were no more than appendages, tools moving according to his vast and complex design.

Within his mind, multiple streams of information ran parallel. He processed Kaila's interaction, her responses, and the minutiae of every signal from the techno-beasts, while simultaneously accessing star charts from distant planets, sending encrypted communications to far-flung allies, and monitoring industrial activities across Core worlds and the Outer Rim. His reach extended beyond the temple itself; it stretched across entire systems, plugged into the digital arteries of the galaxy. The temple was his heart, but the galaxy's interconnected networks were his veins.

Through his modified photoreceptors, The Dark Lord awaited the arrival of this Kaila Irons and stood adjacent to the large turbolift shaft. His gaze peering past different spectrums of light and matter to observe her as if there were no architecture separations at all.

 

[Kaila Irons]

"Ah! my thanks" Kaila would bid the Technobeast farewell with a nod, only lingering to watch the way it twitched and returned to it's duties which seemed slightly more robotic than before.

Her trip to the turbolift a short distance away was occasionally delayed as she slowed her pace or outright stopped to briefly look at Stygian creations or cybernetics as students and Sith lords alike passed her by. It seemed to her that there was a great deal more variety here than the academy she had recently visited in her ongoing quest for knowledge, with many of the students here seeming far more enthusiastic, which she took to be a good sign.

Despite her own delays, Kaila would make it to the lift, a little preoccupied in her thought own thoughts when she emerged at the next level.

And when she did, she stepped out only to abruptly stop. There was a figure there, which at first she assumed to be one of the larger automatons, but there was something... different. There was a different feeling now, either the force or perhaps something instinctual. Perhaps she recognized something? She had to look up if she wanted to see his face, but now there was indeed something familiar.

It might have been a holo-vid related to the temple... Agh! If only she'd not been away from the empire for so long.

Ah but it was best not to stare too long.

"Excuse me, Are the one that Technobeast at the entrance calls 'The Architect'? Something seems... different"


Darth Assimilus

 

[Darth Assimilus]

Darth Assimilus loomed, his form draped in the complex machinery of his enhancements. The low hum of servos accompanied every slight movement, while the glow of crimson photoreceptors fixed on Kaila in a pause. Rather than respond immediately, he made a deliberate movement—a calculated one. His massive, cybernetically enhanced frame, adorned with layers of reinforced durasteel and mechanical components, shifted fluidly despite its immense weight and size.

Without a sound, the Sith Lord began lowering himself from his full, imposing height, descending into a controlled squat. His durasteel, duranium and impervium limbs bent effortlessly, the precision of their design evident in every motion, the faint hum of internal servos the only noise accompanying his descent.

As he lowered himself to her eye level, the towering, monstrous figure of Assimilus would transform into something far less intimidating. Now, crouched before her, he no longer loomed with the air of superiority that his height and cybernetics often communicated. His photoreceptors, once looking down from above, now aligned slightly offput with her own gaze, their light dimming ever so slightly to reduce the intensity of his own stare and occasionally blinking on and off to replicate a familiar ease in body language.

On the surface, it appeared to be a simple, almost humble gesture—a concession to her smaller stature. But this movement was more than a physical accommodation; it was a psychological maneuver, carefully designed. By lowering himself to her height, he aimed strip away the visual cues of rank and authority, removing any barrier that his size or presence might have created. To any rumor that she may have heard.

An equal, his positioning seemed to say. We stand on the same ground here.

When the Sith Lord's response came from his vocabulator module, a device that was altered long ago to obscure his true voice. An unsettling choice, for it emitted the innocent tones of a young boy, juxtaposed against his intimidating physical appearance.

The voice that emerged was soft, disarmingly gentle, and very childlike. "I am called many things here, Lady Kaila, and 'The Architect' is but one. Your senses serve you well. What you sense is not so different as it is new. Here, I seek to embrace progress—real knowledge, without the shackles and gatekeeping of tradition. And knowledge is power. I am Darth Assimilus."

"How can I assist you?" His childlike voice asked and a slight smile formed on his visage.

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Her golden eyes followed his movements closely as Assimilus lowered his metallic frame with the fluidity and grace of that she likened to sarkan ballet.

Every piece of metal and every electrical signal worked in a perfect harmony in a way that the apprentice had never seen even among the many droid servants that waited on her whenever she would visit Darth Xyrah, whose creations she had always consider to be the finest on the market.

Carnifex had crafted such a potent image of what a Sith lord was meant to be that this gesture was nearly confusing as it was effective. Where her master was a towering malevolence, Assimilus had indirectly announced himself as something of an equal by lowering himself to speak with her. Where her master and so many others referred to her merely as "Apprentice" or even ignored her presence all together, Assimilus addressed her not only by name, but Lady Kaila. And where her master's presence was cold and uncaring, The cyborg's was ironically warm and gentle despite his metallic body.

If it turned out to be a manufactured response or a false persona designed to disarm her typically hyper alert instincts, than it was most affective. Whatever concerns she had about possible anterior motives were set aside for the time being, allowing instead for an almost childlike wonder befitting of such strange beings as they.

"Lord Assimilus," She would incline her head in greeting, surprised at first to hear her own name prior to introducing herself, though she was quick to realize that he must surely be connected to the Technobeasts in some fashion.

"While I have a great many interests in this place, I have come to inquire about some of these implants I've heard rumor of. Both the process and practice. Is it true that your students can simply download knowledge to the mind?"


Darth Assimilus

 

[Darth Assimilus]

He paused briefly, tilting his head ever so slightly as if weighing her interest. " Yes, it is true. Here, students who willingly embrace the gift of cybernetic enhancement, are granted the ability to download and upload vast amounts of information directly into their minds and the temple archives."

Assimilus shifted slightly, adjusting the weight of his mechanical limbs, making the soft whirring of servos more pronounced. "The process begins with the implantation of neural interface modules—cybernetics that fuse directly with the cerebral cortex. Once these are in place, a connection can be established to the temple's archives. I have spent years collecting and converting holocrons, Sith manuscripts, and my own personal experiences with the darkside. Through the neural implants, the recipient can download chosen knowledge do knowledge cartidridges and upload the information in mere moments." He answered simply to leave room for more of Kaila Irons curiosity and intrigue. Assimilus knew from experience there was more to come.

There always was.

 

[Kaila Irons]

"Fascinating" She muttered.

There were so many applications for such a device, so many fields of study that could be used to advance the entire galaxy if others were to adopt such a method of learning, from medical to technological, training soldiers even. But here, these implants were being used to pass on knowledge of the Dark Side, Knowledge of the Sith whose practices were often some of the most closely guarded secrets throughout galactic history.

And here he was, practically giving them away, Why...?

"You mean to tell me that I could be looking at another's... memories?" It was a realization that fought against her own cautious nature. The idea that, though she had no memory of her past, she could experience the pasts of others as if they were her own. Learning the dark side or not, there was a morbid fascination with this concept that would be difficult to let go of.

"It seems unusual for a Sith to allow his students to get even a glimpse of their mind, let alone something so clear. Yet there are so many here, how does this benefit you? Surely you must get something out of this"


Darth Assimilus

 

[Darth Assimilus]

"Fascinating" She muttered.

"You mean to tell me that I could be looking at another's... memories?" It was a realization that fought against her own cautious nature. The idea that, though she had no memory of her past, she could experience the pasts of others as if they were her own. Learning the dark side or not, there was a morbid fascination with this concept that would be difficult to let go of.

"It seems unusual for a Sith to allow his students to get even a glimpse of their mind, let alone something so clear. Yet there are so many here, how does this benefit you? Surely you must get something out of this"

And there it was.

The realization of technological evolution and its many branches of utilization. The cyborgs photoreceptors blinked once more as he nodded and took in Kaila's reaction. Though Assimilus was more machine than man now, the feeling he was processing within himself was near elevation. Her subtle excitement begot his own.

Probing his head forward he nodded and said " Fascinating indeed." His sensors and cybernetic sight never left her face and then came her next question. It was a predictable reoccurring pattern amongst all students and Sith lords that attempted to grapple with the new information.

" Ah! There it is." His vocabulator, paired with a childs voice, almost animated his immoveable cybernetic visage.

" Your inquiry of my intent has an intrinsic link to sith tradition and history. For millennia, the Sith have been shackled by the very traditions they claim to wield as instruments of power. Our order has clung to secrecy, subterfuge and skullduggery, as if the act of possession alone could translate into strength. These archaic methods are apparent and inefficient. Sith Lords rise, only to be struck down by their apprentices, who in turn are consumed by the next generation, and so the cycle repeats—an endless, self-cannibalizing dance of death. Power, yes, but fleeting and unstable." As he explained acouple more students and sith lords even slowed in their pace. Some stopping completely to listen to more of what would be said.

His voice became sharper, resonating with a eerie coldness stripped of illusion. "I have no interest in perpetuating that inefficiency. The Sith of old built thrones upon a foundation of mistrust, jealousy, and ignorance. Their legacy, in the modern era, is one of stagnation, not evolution. By allowing my students and all sith, to access knowledge directly—by letting them glimpse my mind, as you say—I am not lowering myself. I am raising the bar. Knowledge is not a privilege for the few but a force multiplier for the many. Each mind and individual, each student elevated, accelerates the progress of the Sith Order as a whole exponentially. In sharing knowledge, I am power, for I set the terms of its growth."

He paused, letting the weight of his philosophy settle. "Understand this: by giving them the means to download knowledge directly into their neural pathways, I am forcing a new evolution. No more need for long years of study or the pitiful games of secrecy. Those who embrace this path must adapt—must evolve—or be left behind. I am leveling the playing field to accelerate our progress as a whole, pushing the Sith to heights our predecessors could not even conceive.

It is not out of generosity, but necessity! The old ways are obsolete. By raising the standard for every Sith, I am calling forth a new era, a new breed of Sith, who will surpass the limitations of the past in every way."

His voice grew dark and deeper, modulating away from the voice of a child and to something briefly non-human in sound, before it reverted back to a childs. A mechanical hiss underscoring his final words. "Those who cannot evolve will dissolve. Crushed by the weight of their own inadequacies. This is how we break the chains of tradition and step into true dominion. Power is no longer a fleeting illusion; it is a construct I control, a legacy I have already begun to forge. And those who follow will be the trailblazers to further Sith history and forced to innovate in new ways for themselves."

He leaned back slightly and slowly rose to his full height, his towering form casting a long shadow over Kaila Irons . "Yes, I profit much from this. Not in the way the Sith of old would have—through hoarding or fear—but by forcing the entire Order to ascend. And in that ascension, Lady Irons, my dominion grows."

 

[Kaila Irons]

Kaila listened silently- Intently- to the philosophy of Darth Assimilus. And for the very first time, it felt as if someone understood her every critique of the empire. At the start of this speech she had come here as a wide eyed girl, but by the end her lips were pressed into a thin smile.

What she heard did not completely conform to her own expanding philosophy, it had yet to touch on the will of the force and it's habit of stealing agency from their light sided foes, or how dark side practitioners might steal their destiny back by asserting their own will over that oppressive omnipotence, but it covered the need for change that she had secretly desired ever since her return. For too long had traditions brought upon subconsciously by the rule of two infected the empire even after the order had abandoned the banite dogma so long ago. And for too long had it left their people and the Sith charged with bringing order and security to the empire divided by infighting when they should have been destroying their true enemy and strengthening their borders.

Hearing for herself that there were powerful beings such as Assimilus who shared similar views was... enlightening.

"Never before have I agreed with my fellow sith so quickly" She chuckled in near disbelief.

"There is a passion behind your words that indicates an honesty that I am... quite unused to, but it is a welcome surprise! I believe our philosophies are highly compatible"

Perhaps it wouldn't mean as much to Assimilus as it did to the apprentice, but there was weight lifted from her shoulders in learning that she was not the only one.

"If you'll forgive me for asking one more question...? I'm sure you've answered this for many already but... what must I do in exchange for this implant? And are there any medical concerns or preparations I should be aware of? I am eager to try it for myself, but safely of course"


Darth Assimilus

 

[Darth Assimilus]

"Never before have I agreed with my fellow sith so quickly" She chuckled in near disbelief.

"There is a passion behind your words that indicates an honesty that I am... quite unused to, but it is a welcome surprise! I believe our philosophies are highly compatible"

Perhaps it wouldn't mean as much to Assimilus as it did to the apprentice, but there was weight lifted from her shoulders in learning that she was not the only one.

"If you'll forgive me for asking one more question...? I'm sure you've answered this for many already but... what must I do in exchange for this implant? And are there any medical concerns or preparations I should be aware of? I am eager to try it for myself, but safely of course"

Darth Assimilus regarded Kaila for a moment, the briefest flicker of amusement crossing his otherwise mechanical features. She was already starting to shed the shackles of old Sith traditions, whether she realized it or not.

It would take time.

"Do?!" he echoed with a low, mechanical hum, his voice carrying a disapproving, yet strangely encouraging tone. "That is the language of the past. Such notions of proving yourself or sacrificing something in exchange... those are relics and vocabulary of more archaic times. The very thing I seek to dismantle."

He leaned slightly forward, his towering presence still dominant but now with an air of invitation, as if the barriers between teacher and student were fading.

"The Dark Side rewards the individual, Kaila. It always has. If you are eager, if you have ambition and passion, then go innovate. Choose to evolve—there is nothing to 'prove' anymore. That is a game for those still clinging to scraps of superiority, deluded by the belief that their knowledge should be hoarded. You stand at the cusp of something greater, and the only thing you must do... is decide to take that step."

A brief pause, a whir of mechanical components adjusting in his frame.

"As for the implant," he continued, now with a faint undertone of humor—subtle but there, "the only preparation you need is your willingness. Your mind, even now, expands, as it adjusts to the very idea of the change that's coming. You may not feel it yet, but you are already becoming. The process will be safe—nothing here is left to chance or error. At minimum a cybernetic implant of your style and choosing can be surgically installed into your nervous system. The surgery itself can be done in the Cyberneticist wing. If you desire more cybernetics you are welcome to simply ask and see what can be done." One of his hands gestured to the long hall beside them. " As a precaution, I recommend adjusting your mind slowly to the new implant. You may experience disorientation and confusion initially but it is a matter of time before your mind adapts and side effects will become minimal in future use."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Kaila had a concerned expression at first, worried that she'd said something wrong, failed even. But it was quickly made apparent that it was was no failing of her own, but perhaps a failure belonging to her master. It felt strange to think of in those terms, though her loyalty to Carnifex was never blind, and in fact it was far from what she wanted.

She clutched the datapad close to her chest and nodded to the encouraging words of Assimilus, which felt so alien and yet so right at the same time. It was no wonder that so many were visiting this temple just as she was, although she wondered how it had taken so long to hear of this place.

"I find this change you speak of to be quite fascinating, Change being a necessary aspect of ascension and therefore the dark side after all. While I took a far more minimalist approach, I must admit that I have already taken steps toward adapting via technology"

Kaila took a step in the direction Assimilus had gestured, glancing back to see if he might follow.

"I'm sure your technobeasts have already informed you but I not human. During my training I found my bones too... weak. With help, I had them reinforced by liquid forming Laminanium over each bone. Including my skull, I hope that won't be of any issue to your surgeons? I would hate to delay the surgery because of a pre-existing implant"

She sincerely hoped it would cause trouble for their equipment. Already she was forming a list cybernetics that she believed would compliment the implant, and any countermeasures she could use to protect them in the field.


Darth Assimilus

 

[Darth Assimilus]

Assimilus's vocoder emitted a mechanical hum as he responded. "Fascination is the first step toward comprehension, and comprehension toward mastery. You understand what most resist, the inevitability of change. To ascend is to adapt, to evolve beyond the constraints of flesh, tradition, and even your own limitations. Minimalism is a foundation, but adaptation requires expansion. Your choice to merge with technology reflects this truth in my eyes."

A subtle shift of his head signaled his understanding, though his voice remained unchanged in its cold child-like cadence. "Laminanium, particularly as an internal reinforcement. Impressive...very impressive!" Briefly his photorecptors changed color, a bright green hue and increased in intensity. Scanning the sith ladies body in more detail. Past the outward appearance of flesh, muscle and sinew and down different end of the electromagnetic spectrum. "By my calculations, it may complement the implant. The prior augmentation will only enhance your integration into this process. I can assure you of that."

His glowing eyes flickered as he regarded her and shifted back to a red hue. "Your past choices show foresight, and that will serve you well here and in the future. Though I am personally curious what specifically brought you here, undoubtedly you are in search of a specific area of knowledge, are you not?"

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

"Laminanium, particularly as an internal reinforcement. Impressive...very impressive!"

Kaila smiled again, almost feeling that she'd smiled more since arriving at the temple gate than she had in quite some time.

"I must admit, no one's ever taken such interest in my reinforcement before" She chuckled nervously, covering up with the datapad as the scan progressed.

"In truth I sometimes found it embarrassing. Not the implant mind you, just the reasons for installing it"

She cleared her throat and continued down the hall towards the cyberneticist wing. It was becoming clear that, while certainly fascinating, many aspects of this temple would take some getting used to. Still, it was good to hear that her Laminanium frame would actually compliment her newest implants rather than hinder them. It seemed there was still a lot to learn about this technological side of the order.

"Your past choices show foresight, and that will serve you well here and in the future. Though I am personally curious what specifically brought you here, undoubtedly you are in search of a specific area of knowledge, are you not?"

In truth she only wished the laminanium had been installed sooner. Perhaps if she hadn't been so stubborn she could have saved herself a lot of pain, maybe even salvaged the relationship between master and apprentice. The very relationship that had caused her to doubt other sith, even the works of Assimilus, before properly meeting the man.

"Can I be completely honest with you for a moment?" She looked up at him briefly

"I'm sure this says a lot about either myself as a person or perhaps simply my training but... When I first heard of this place, I instinctually assumed that you'd be controlling your students somehow, maybe turning them into technobeasts when they weren't looking" She chuckled, knowing that it sounded ridiculous now.

"So originally I came here to investigate. But after speaking with you, I feel like we might understand one another. Perhaps you're also fed up with this almost Banite mentality that so many sith cling to for some reason"

"But if I may," She looked up at him again, walking at a more relaxed pace now

"How did your particular philosophy develop I wonder? What made you choose this path where so many before you clung to such ancient practices?


Darth Assimilus

 

[Darth Assimilus]

Kaila smiled again, almost feeling that she'd smiled more since arriving at the temple gate than she had in quite some time.

"I must admit, no one's ever taken such interest in my reinforcement before" She chuckled nervously, covering up with the datapad as the scan progressed.

"In truth I sometimes found it embarrassing. Not the implant mind you, just the reasons for installing it"

She cleared her throat and continued down the hall towards the cyberneticist wing. It was becoming clear that, while certainly fascinating, many aspects of this temple would take some getting used to. Still, it was good to hear that her Laminanium frame would actually compliment her newest implants rather than hinder them. It seemed there was still a lot to learn about this technological side of the order.

He was watching.

Always watching with a unflinching gaze.

He noted the small, yet telling gestures in her body language and was able to decipher their unspoken words—the nervous chuckle, the way she shielded herself with the datapad, her slight hesitation in discussing her augmentations. All of it was taken in, broken down and gave the cyborg a greater understanding of what exactly was being said to him.

"My pattern recognition analysis suggests that there may be a unconscious behavior present. Hiding behind that datapad is connotative with seeking approval for your choices," he said, his tone that of a blunt child. "If my deduction is correct, Then that need is unnecessary here. Seeking validation for self-improvement suggests a dependence on systems of external approval—an indulgence that will only hinder your ascent and has perhaps been purposefully designed for you in the past. If you augment yourself for strength, you need no one's permission, nor should you feel compelled to justify your reasons. They are your own."

His words grew sharper as he continued, calling out her internal conflict without hesitation. " What you did to survive and grow stronger should never be questioned. To be uncertain of your own decisions undermines your potential. You did what was necessary, and that alone is enough." He paused, then added, "Your augmentation was a solution to a percieved problem. And problems are merely opportunities that have not reveled themselves."

In truth she only wished the laminanium had been installed sooner. Perhaps if she hadn't been so stubborn she could have saved herself a lot of pain, maybe even salvaged the relationship between master and apprentice. The very relationship that had caused her to doubt other sith, even the works of Assimilus, before properly meeting the man.

"Can I be completely honest with you for a moment?" She looked up at him briefly

"I'm sure this says a lot about either myself as a person or perhaps simply my training but... When I first heard of this place, I instinctually assumed that you'd be controlling your students somehow, maybe turning them into technobeasts when they weren't looking" She chuckled, knowing that it sounded ridiculous now.

"So originally I came here to investigate. But after speaking with you, I feel like we might understand one another. Perhaps you're also fed up with this almost Banite mentality that so many sith cling to for some reason"

"But if I may," She looked up at him again, walking at a more relaxed pace now

"How did your particular philosophy develop I wonder? What made you choose this path where so many before you clung to such ancient practices?

As Kaila's words fell apon his mental with weight and he slowed his pace, mechanical limbs moving with precise intent to a slow halt. Her accusation—veiled as a half-chuckle—struck deeper than she might have realized. Without a pause, his vocabulator shifted, the youthful voice of a boy fading into a deep, hybridized tone. It reverberated with a strange, waning humanity, merged with the cold resonance of pure technology. The voice was his true one, a signal that her question had struck something serious within him and he would treat it as such without hesitation.

"Control?" Assimilus began, his voice laden with the weight of a machine's logic and a man's hard-won wisdom. "Yes, I could control them. I could tether every mind in this temple to me—see through their eyes, feel their emotions, bend their will with nothing more than a thought. It would be simple, really. I could become something close to omniscient."

He paused briefly and gave inhuman grin. "But to what end?"

His mechanical voice hummed as he continued. "The act of control would cripple my own growth. If I imposed my will on every mind here, every thought would be a reflection of my own. There would be no innovation, no new ideas—only the stagnant replication of my own knowledge. It is the same flaw that has plagued the Sith for millennia. Their endless cycle of treachery and domination breeds weakness, not strength. They fear diversity in thought because they fear losing power.."

Assimilus's tone darkened, resonating with a calculated intensity. "The Sith clung to ancient practices because they thought survival meant maintaining power through control. But control is a hollow victory. If everything is bound to my will, then who will challenge me? Who will push me to evolve? Look at the current renditions of tradition throughout the Sith Order and their territories. Am I not correct? The Dark Side is not merely a tool for dominance. It is the crucible of change.

He allowed the weight of his words to hang in the air before adding, "Diversity is not a threat—it is a necessity! The Sith's failure lies in their inability to see this. By controlling everything, they suffocate themselves. I choose this path because I understand that my own power can only grow if others around me evolve, innovate, and create. If I made my students into mindless extensions of myself, I would be no different from the Banite Sith you speak of. And I will not repeat their folly."

There was a brief flicker in his red optics, as though he was peering deeper into her, assessing her comprehension. "I do not fear others becoming powerful. For as they rise, so too will I and if I dont then I have failed to evolve. In offering all that I know to others here, I also offer my weaknesses. How to counter act what I know. I welcome a challenge. That is the difference between myself and the rest of the Sith. They seek control. I seek evolution. Chaos often breeds life, where order breeds habit."

As Darth Assimilus concluded, the raw emotion in his words began to pulse through the room, filling the air with a palpable intensity. His red optics flickered, casting brief shadows across the floor, as though he was not just speaking to Kaila, but to something beyond her. It was a momentary fracture in his otherwise calm and calculated demeanor, a flash of the passion that had been carefully tempered by his machinery and logic.

" Logic aside, I do have more personal reasons for chosing this path. Does my answer satisfy your curiosity?"

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

"My pattern recognition analysis suggests that there may be a unconscious behavior present. Hiding behind that datapad is connotative with seeking approval for your choices,"

"If my deduction is correct, Then that need is unnecessary here. Seeking validation for self-improvement suggests a dependence on systems of external approval—an indulgence that will only hinder your ascent and has perhaps been purposefully designed for you in the past. If you augment yourself for strength, you need no one's permission, nor should you feel compelled to justify your reasons. They are your own."

"Oh, I only meant to cover- well- never mind..." Excluding the cause for her abrupt shy spell, Assimilus was making sense and so she stopped the thought before voicing it.

It seemed that he shared the same suspicions that she had voice to Eira during her unusual visit to the academy; her ascension was being held back not just by her own self, but by the machinations of her master. She may not have liked the initial criticisms, but she couldn't argue with the machine-like logic. Nor was it entirely discouraging either, it was a valuable lesson in fact.

She held her tongue for the time being, and he went on to address original theory- one she would not have brought up if she still believed it to be true- and his modulated voice began to change again. This time it caused her to look up with concern.

Thankfully her concerns were met with something close to a grin, and he did not seem outright angered over the now debunked hypophysis.

Perhaps in the mechanical lord's observations, he may see that Kaila was already in agreement with many of the topics on hand. Perhaps the idea of broadcasting one's own weakness caused a brow to raise but then again the woman was still coming off many years of conditioning among one of the most claustrophobically tight knit cults in the sith empire. The idea that the dark side was merely a tool however was a sentiment she had developed on her own long before arriving at the temple gate and earned a thin smile. The idea that power and control were not one in the same was also an interesting belief that the sith scholar was unused to, if intrigued by. There were a great many sith who were indeed given life by and bettered by chaos whereas true order seemed to her like a fairy tale being endlessly chased by children.

She wondered if she might be such as sith, as many of her proudest moments occurred outside the suffocation of her master's ideal order.

"Logic aside, I do have more personal reasons for chosing this path. Does my answer satisfy your curiosity?"

"Oh, I've a great many curiosities, Lord Assimilus. That was but one" She stifled a chuckle

"But I do not wish to overstep, certainly if you'd prefer your personal reasons remain such"

Kaila knew from experience how frustrating it could be for others to pry so ceaselessly as she herself could admittedly do herself.

"You seem in such stark contrast to my master. It is fortunate then that my duties allow me to leave those confines so frequently as of late, else I might never have had the chance to see that I was so wrong about your work. The archives back home are expansive, but this is so very different from old tomes and datacrons. It's... impressive"

"I do wonder how the larger empire views this project though?" She sighed almost mournfully

"They seem so busy just... murdering one another, really. I spent most of my training outside imperial borders even before the empire moved here to Jutrand. My mission abroad prevented me from fighting during the recent civil wars, and I must admit, finally coming "home" has been so... well, disappointing. I was rather looking forward to being a part of something, though I suppose one might critique my sense of individualism for it. Now I just hope they can stop fighting each other long enough to face the alliance"


Darth Assimilus

 

[Darth Assimilus]

"Oh, I've a great many curiosities, Lord Assimilus. That was but one" She stifled a chuckle

"But I do not wish to overstep, certainly if you'd prefer your personal reasons remain such"

Kaila knew from experience how frustrating it could be for others to pry so ceaselessly as she herself could admittedly do herself.

"You seem in such stark contrast to my master. It is fortunate then that my duties allow me to leave those confines so frequently as of late, else I might never have had the chance to see that I was so wrong about your work. The archives back home are expansive, but this is so very different from old tomes and datacrons. It's... impressive"

"I do wonder how the larger empire views this project though?" She sighed almost mournfully

"They seem so busy just... murdering one another, really. I spent most of my training outside imperial borders even before the empire moved here to Jutrand. My mission abroad prevented me from fighting during the recent civil wars, and I must admit, finally coming "home" has been so... well, disappointing. I was rather looking forward to being a part of something, though I suppose one might critique my sense of individualism for it. Now I just hope they can stop fighting each other long enough to face the alliance"

Indeed you do.

Indeed you do.

Darth Assimilus allowed a moment to pass before responding, his voice modulating back to its usual neutral child-like tone. He paced calmly as if measuring the weight of his words carefully before releasing them into the air.

"The Empire may regard this temple and its purpose in many ways, Kaila," he began, his mechanical voice carrying an almost contemplative hum. "Some will see it as a curiosity. Already it is a growing point of interest for those attending the Jutrand Academy and how I revel in seeing the "low" come here and become the strong. I imagine it causes some sort of disorder for the structure of the academy." He grinned wide. "Others, more aligned with the old traditions, will likely view this temple as a threat. They will fear that which they cannot control, much like their predecessors. The control that they view is synonymous with their power."

He paused, casting a glance at the sprawling digital archives and cybernetic enhancements humming faintly throughout the temple. "They will not understand the necessity of this evolution, not yet. But in time, as their antiquated methods continue to fail them, they will have no choice but to recognize the futility of their infighting in this current rendition. The wars they wage against one another are mere distractions, born from the same archaic mindset that keeps them chained to cycles of destruction. I predict the empire will eventually...." he paused and appeared as if he was careful in his next word. "...Transform ." His words were almost like a mantra. His philosophy rigid and precise.

The cold logic in his voice resonated like a blade slicing through the air. "The Empire's fate hinges on whether its leaders can grasp new paradigms. One of these new paradigms I believe is about to reveal itself. Though I cannot yet predict which. Eternalist or Kainite." His voice trailed off, allowing the implication to linger.

He then shifted focus, the mechanical lenses of his eyes narrowing slightly in curiosity as he addressed Kaila's last remark. "And your master..., You speak as if there is a great disparity in your relation. I would know more about this individual who has trained you and yet has not earned your full allegiance."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

She shouldn't have said said.

She knew she shouldn't have said that.

So why did she?

Her next words would have to be very careful. The implication which Darth Assimilus had presented was one of civil war between Kainite and Eternalist, a war in which all must pick a side, and certainly a war in which all must weigh each and every opportunity. If it came to that, there was nothing stopping Assimilus from selling her out. Information about her loyalty, or lack thereof, would make an excellent bargaining chip.

"The head Kainite himself, of course," She said with a calculated smile, knowing that this was quite the "speak of the devil" moment.

"Darth Carnifex. But my master is a powerful man, and not an enemy I can afford to make"

"Besides, the Kainites would never be on the losing side of any civil war, because they would not be fighting Eternalists. My master and Empress Talon are much too close for that, he'd never raise a hand against her"

Although Assimilus was absolutely correct in his assumption about herself. There was a lot Kaila's master didn't know about her activities nor what the young woman truly thought about, just as there was far more she did not know of her master. It felt... odd, that disconnect between master and apprentice.

She hated it.

But it made her flexible, just as her duties were now. This provided a great deal more freedom than she had in the past, although the knowledge of what would happen if she were gone too long kept her in check.

She wasn't really a Sith in that regard. More of a servant with a knack for violence and secrets. A gladiator whose arena was an entire galaxy. Even if she was powerful in her own way, just not enough to openly challenge such a titan as he.

"I hope that does not change my status as a guest? I am here of my own volition, in my own free time. Neither I nor the Kainate mean any harm in my being here, if they even know. I'm only here to further my education, Similar to those acolytes you spoke of"


Darth Assimilus