Location: Ancient Sith Library, on the surface of Krayiss II
Objective: Reclaim the Library for the Sith Empire
Allies: [member="Darth Lykos"]
Enemies: [member="Darth Kentarch"]
As the Sith vessels had dropped out of Hyperspace and sped towards the planet, they initiated their deployment of troops transports, shuttles and supporting gunships and fighters, a vast array of smaller vessels springing forth from the innards of the vastly-larger capital ships, descending upon Krayiss II in a swarm of disciplined military firepower. It was a sight to make allies feel bold and to make one's enemies feel utterly demoralised. After all, these beings are all here for you. That was just as the Sith demanded it.
Tirdarius had elected not to involve himself in the main aspects of the campaign: with [member="Darth Carnifex"] present to oversee the capture of the planet, the other Sith Lords were released to pursue their own objectives, provided they served to contribute to the Empire in some fashion. The ancient Temple-Library that had once existed upon the surface had long since fallen to ruin, concealed by centuries of neglect and protected by spirits of those sworn to guard the secrets of the Temple, even in death. To locate and secure such a place seemed a fitting task.
His shuttle landed close by to the co-ordinates the Sith Archives on Bastion had provided for the Temple, though the entrance might, perhaps, be harder to locate than that. A second shuttle filled with white-armoured Imperial Stormtroopers had accompanied him, all armed with their multi-purpose assault rifles and stun batons, there to secure the Library and keep the contents safe, once the Sith Lords had declared it safe for them to entire. Who better to preserve the secrets of the Sith but servants of the Empire?
The entrance was not as difficult to find as he had originally surmised: several small vessels were already parked just beyond, clearly in preparation for departure. The Sith Lord scowled at that, and ordered troopers forward to clear them with a short wave of his hand, a quick hand signal communicating what they already knew to be obvious: all those who stand in our way are to be eliminated.
The fetid, stale air of the Temple interior suggested that it had not long been open to occupation, and had been left undisturbed for much of the time prior to the Sith's arrival. And yet where are the guardians to challenge me? His experience with such ancient abodes frequently provoked the arrival of dark energies to test those that would gain entry: those who proved unworthy would not live to regret the attempt. And yet, now, nothing. Harder to gain entrance to a local Cantina during a sporting event than to walk into this Temple now. Something simply wasn't right.
Inhaling a deep breath, the Sith Lord stretched out and gathered dark Force energy around him, weaving it with a soft incantation into a fine web that wrapped around him like a form-fitting bubble, casting shadows around his form and rejecting the contact of the light, such that none would be able to observe his physical presence. That alone was hardly sufficient, though: true invisibility demanded that he withdraw his presence in the Force, smothering it as one might extinguish a light simply by blowing out the candle. A difficult task to balance for a student, or even those advanced beyond that, but for a Lord, it was the work of a few heartbeats.
His footsteps touched silently against the rough permacrete floor that led into the interior, any soft rustling contact muted by the illusion he had woven, less now than a whisper of a breeze. A matter of minutes later, as the light within began to brighten, revealing a grand interior: a vast open storeroom of knowledge. Data tapes, flimsiplast journals, perhaps even a few rare tomes written on paper... A wonderful little repository, though clearly one that had been plundered: here and there were considerable gaps where information had been removed. True sacrilege.
And here now: perhaps the origin of that heresy. Soldiers dressed in dark armour, contrasting wildly with the white of those that now guarded the outside of the Temple, and that worked so diligently to secure the area. But with them, although standing apart, a figure dressed in red clothing of rich fabric and stylish cut, exuding darkness as though simply exhaling it. A thief in the night, come to take that which is not his for the taking. Tsk tsk.
"Surely you learned better than to steal from a library when you were but a child?", Tirdarius observed mockingly, his voice whispering out from the shadows but with little clue to their source. "The penalties for such were usually quite severe." A touch of mocking laughter accompanied his words, a cold, sardonic tone easily noted. "I am afraid it is time for you to check out now."
A blue-white burst of lightning emanated from deep within the shadows of the room, striking one of the dark-armoured troopers full in the chest, black smoke and the acrid smell of burned flesh rising from the hole struck in the armour. The caster did not remain still as his attack made contact, on the move so as not to allow his location to be so easily determined.
"To defile a Sith Temple and loot the contents of it, that is a crime indeed," he continued softly, his voice continuing to carry that tone of ridicule, directed at the room's startled occupants. "But to steal from the rightful heirs to the knowledge contained within...there can be only one answer to such heresy."
