Private Vulptex on the Run

[Darth Strosius]

Despite his rather determined stride Alisteri was clearly still listening to and willing to continue talking with A'Mia given how he sighed at her remark. "Again you misunderstand the nature of the diseased branches in need of pruning. My foes are not the branches, they are the disease." He gestured dismissively with a little wave of his hand.

"To imply that the Sith Order would be destroyed by my actions would imply that my foes are part of it. They are not." He almost couldn't help the slight hiss in his voice at that. "There will be no rebirth because there will be no death, because I am not striking against the Sith Order. I am bringing death and destruction to the parasites and leeches that have taken up residence in its territory and upper echelons."

It was why he didn't consider the Ouroboros Crisis a civil war, as that would imply that both sides had belonged to the same banner. But the banners of the Eternalists and the Kainites, and all the Sith that would follow them either out of convenience or ignorance, did not fly over the banner of the Tsis'Kaar. He himself had never even bowed to nor acknowledged a Sith Emperor since the fall of the Sith Empire so many years ago, as none had proved worthy of the throne just yet.

If there were indeed any Sith worthy of it at all. "My 'doggedness' as you call it is a desire to see the Sith secured from the liars and tyrants that would misuse and mislead us for their own gains. I have served the Sith for decades and I have no intention of stopping now, nor have I ever taken up arms against the Sith. Even now I work for the Sith Order, just not for the version of it that Empyrean claims to lead."

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

"I see," she responded to his distinctions, only half lying.

A'Mia did understand his words, could all but see the lines of conviction in the way he held his body and the way that energy flowed through his form. What was incomprehensible to her was faith, zealotry the kind of which seemed to be this man's lifeblood. Though they did not seem to disagree much about the topics so far broached, they clearly operated very differently.

Fascinating

"Then I hold to my assertion that it is your service which makes you stand out, your dedication to the Sith that makes you such an appealing ally to those who seek the unification of our order."

The tall neti easily kept stride with Darth Strosius and he might notice out of the corner of his eye the way her form seemed to loosen, growing long in the limb. She barely paused between response and her bright question as she asked rather bluntly.

"Perhaps you chase conflict because that is all you have ever known? If I were to guess at your age and my studies of recent history, I would guess that you have never truly known peace."

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Unification is not the term that I'd use for what must be done." It implied that the Sith were fractured or otherwise separate in some way, and to some extent he supposed that notion was technically correct. There were many, himself somewhat included, that only paid lip service to the Sith Order as a means of ensuring their own place within it. It wasn't like in the days of the Sith Empire, when personal interest and the interest of the order itself were intertwined. Perhaps that did require unification in that regard, but not in the way that A'Mia and the King of Korriban thought.

Alisteri's walk came to a sudden stop at the question and the remark about peace. His masked gaze snapped to the Sith at his side and briefly narrowed as he noticed that her appearance had seemed to have slightly shifted once again. "Peace? Officer A'Mia, peace is a lie. There is only passion..." He turned away from her once more as his stride slowly resumed. "...and conflict."

He did not care for how accurate her assessment was. "Conflict is the nature of the galaxy, the nature of the Force itself. The Sith know this better than the Jedi ever will. For where their light fails to reach, where the conflict of the galaxy hides in the shadow, the Dark Side is there still. To truly win in this conflict we must first win the conflict within ourselves. The Sith Empire did not fall because of its external enemies, it fell because of its internal ones. Complacency and meek assurances allowed for disparate and heretical lesions to grow under the guise of strengthening the wider Sith even as they selfishly hoarded their power and resources while we were beset on all sides."

Not too much had changed from then to now in that respect. "When the time came that the Sith Empire had grown too weak to be useful to them they split and divided the Sith amongst themselves, carving gashes into the already fragile structure that we were fighting tooth and nail to maintain. Carnifex and Empyrean were among those that fled when it all came crashing down, among those that ensured that their forces would survive even at the expense of the Sith as a whole. And now they want everyone to bend the knee and follow their will once more."

He shook his head in disgust and made a dismissive gesture with one of his hands, although a quick and discerning glance would see the tension coiled in his fingers beneath his glove. A keen sense in the Force could feel his anger and wrath, pent up for decades, flowing out with each word until it finally culminated in a decisive and reserved, yet no less vengeful, remark. "I've seen what happens when they think the Sith have no more use to them, and I won't see it happen again."

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

The tall woman stopped when he did, facing off with him squarely. Her body language might give off "engaged" or "intently listening", Darth Strosius was a fellow warrior however and he could see she was ready for him to become physically hostile at any moment. She watched with those bright calculating eyes as he turned away to begin walking again. A'Mia followed on his heels, trailing to the side of him and just behind so as to keep herself in his periphery but so she could study him while he spoke.

"Nwûl tash.
Dzwol shâsotkun."

She practically sang back to him in the old tongue, mirroring his use of the Code of the Sith.

"I'll assume you’re aware you cite the Qotsisajak on the very planet of its birth. Just one gem in the veritable treasury of Korriban's history. I find however that ideology alone does a very poor job of accurately describing reality in its totality."

"Dogma has its uses of course but that alone cannot sustain you can it? Deny the existence of peace all you want but your body and mind understand the need for rest even if your spirit cannot fathom it." With the emphasized word she very nearly reached out to poke him in the chest, right at the core of him as if his very soul might reside there, but again withheld touch at the last moment.

The nature of the galaxy…

Fighting, clawing, biting, crashing…

This man will meet his destiny on the path he seeks to avoid it, she mused wordlessly to herself.

A'Mia did not seem to realize she had lapsed in to thoughtful silence mid conversation and without really concluding her point. She also seemed aware of, though oddly unaffected by his roiling emotions. Alisteri for his part would notice that she had slowed and she seemed to be staring into him again.

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man still maintained a rather nonchalant disposition despite the slightly tensed form of the other Sith as he faced her. At least she knew better than to let her guard down, something that some other denizens of Korriban could learn. "Vi tave sifu kash autorijas, sessuo." He agreed with a small nod as they walked, idly glancing at her following form out of the corner of his eye.

"Dogma and ideology are gross oversimplifications of the Sith Code and way of life. The code is sacred, as this world that birthed it is, and faith alone is enough for me. All else is secondary to enacting the will of the Dark Side." There was a guarded nature to his tone, as though he was slightly offended in some way. He even recoiled a bit from her touch despite it stopping short regardless of his movement. "A brief respite from conflict is not 'peace.' There is always struggle and the passion to both cause and persevere through that struggle. Peace has no place in it."

Before Alisteri could continue his ranting any further however he glanced back at A'Mia and noticed the distant look in her eyes as well as her slow stride. Her staring at him with said distant look was slightly unnerving, but he said nothing of it apart from a small sigh and a shake of his head as he continued walking. "Come now, aren't you supposed to be the guide for this place?"

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

Darth Malum breathed out a cold breath as he stood atop a balcony of some building on Thule. It was vaguely nondescript, designed for someone to look at for a second, their eyes to glaze over at how boring it was, and then to turn away without another thought.

All in all, a perfect building to make a Tsis'Kaar outpost. Unassuming, small, barely noticeable. The Tsis'Kaar several of these outposts across the world, across every world of the Imperium. They made useful points for agents to stay, for them to store gear, and of course report to the wider Tsis'Kaar network. After all, where there were shadows, the Tsis'Kaar had eyes.

The datapad to the side was constantly updating with new information and intelligence recovered by agents. The green level was information which was no doubt useful, but not particularly urgent to respond to, it would be archived and accessed as needed. The orange level was particularly interesting information, especially in these days of civil war, troop numbers, garrison allocations, and ship movements would be collated by the generals and fleets... of which he technically was now, to develop updates on the grand battle plan... for Fiviune.

The glass of red which he was sipping from cracked from the sudden pressure he applied to it.

He blinked, his finger was held at a quiet sting as copper liquid dropped atop the bloodied grapes.

Well though he was in love with a vampire, he had not yet taken the step to drink blood, which unfortunately meant he would need to waste the expensive goblet of red. Though maybe that was a good thing, there had been a certain uptake in his drinking recently. Ever since that meeting on Alvaria.

Thinking of it made him scrunch his knuckles. Perhaps that was why he had yet to return. No doubt his Alvaria would be far more welcoming and warm than this... bore of a building. Yet at the moment, all he needed was warm and welcome, especially when his newfound people would look towards him with that look in their eye.

That look, like he had any idea of what he was doing.

That look of utmost certainty and faith in him.

When for so long, he had simply been attempting to survive in this festoon which was the Sith Empire, with no plan, with no idea, simply... living.

His thoughts were broken by a red alert.

It was enough for him to return his focus to the datapad.

Red alerts were rare, though were more common in recent days... for obvious reasons.

After all, red alerts were for generally time-restricted intelligence or more importantly.

Distress beacons.

He pulled the chair out from beneath its stand, ignoring the sharp screech of its movement, as his red eyes examined quickly all the information.

Alisteri's fleet at Korriban was peacefully compelled to surrender, but Alisteri himself either voluntarily or through force, was taken into custody by an agent of Darth Caedes.

Urgh.

Other Tsis'Kaar elements on Korriban, inserted when Ali had aided in the seizure of the world were quick to pipe up themselves, though their information was varied, and most of it unconfirmed.

Some said that he had been spotted at a known quarter of the governor of Korriban.

Others said he was still amongst the fleet.

Others even said he had already slipped his guard and was making his escape.

At least that claim held some evidence behind it, a blurry picture of a masked man, unaccompanied in the deserts of that old holiest of worlds.

The chatter continued, though this was a repository of information, it also held a secure way for agents to communicate and coordinate with one another.

Malum could already see the panic taking root amongst them all. One of the apprentices of Darth Ophidia, captured, no doubt to be executed by those most hated Kainites? For they all knew, no matter what rumours, and news came out of that Darth Caedes, no matter his gestures and words, the man was as Kainite as they came, a slave to that Twice-Failed Emperor, Carnifex.

If said former Emperor caught word of Alisteri's presence upon Korriban... if the Emperor on Jutrand did...

Malum may have made an agreement with Darth Empyrean, but it was clear the man held no love for the elder apprentice of Darth Ophidia.

The Tsis'Kaar were already on the backfoot, to lose one of their most renowned generals before the true battle even commenced... it could shatter them. Various agents upon Korriban, making wild claims, were to attempt to coordinate amongst the chaos, a plan to extricate him out of there. A plan, which he knew had little chance of success. For even if Alisteri had sprung himself from dodge, there was little chance that Darth Caedes would let him enjoy his freedom for long, and a hodgepodge mission, that sacrificed their intelligence apparatus on Korriban would not change that.

He found his fingers typing before he could finish his thoughts.

The Baron De Red: No one else responds to the distress beacon, the fleets will remain where they are. I shall free Darth Strosius.

He turned off the datapad, only able to bask in the virtual cheers of his comrades for a few seconds before he felt himself.

Shift.

He landed upon the sand, with blood quickly barking out his lips, and falling upon the golden particles.

The sensation of bending time and space around you did not get any easier. Thankfully, he was practising, and the distance between Thule and Korriban was short enough to aid matters.

He was lucky too, that he had been to Korriban, this would be his third trip.

It was simply fate that he could never come in more pleasant circumstances. Standing up, wiping off the sand as best he could, he covered himself in his cloak and began marching off.

There was an old ruin nearby which served as a Tsis'Kaar outpost. It would have everything he needed, and from there, he could gather more local intelligence from the other agents, and make his move.

Then he would need to have a very sharp conversation with his fellow knight.

Madrona A’Mia Darth Strosius

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Peace is where the roots grow deep in soil undisturbed, rest is where the mother womprat curls amongst her progeny for a few precious hours before she must again leave to ensure they have nourishment. Memories of another time, of a different existence suddenly filled her and she felt- no, she didn't feel so much as she recollected that others felt such things and that spacetime ticked on like the beating of a grand heart or an eternal engine. This man had not known peace though, not even really a forced truce, so she relinquished the point.

"I do not doubt that faith alone is enough for you," she responded quietly, eyes rising to his masked face once more almost as if she could see beneath the obscurity.
"But you cannot change that faith alone does not make the whole of the galaxy turn."

She was suddenly animated with movement once more and prowled gracefully down the next hallway to the right that they approached. She no longer made efforts to keep him in her periphery but Darth Strosius might feel eyes on him all the same.

"Lest you find my lack of faith disturbing, allow me to show you to the campus temple."

Darth Malum of House Marr​

 

[Darth Strosius]

"Indeed it does not." Not yet, at least. One day when the Sith ruled the galaxy, one day when the Dark Side stretched across each world and enveloped them all in its cold embrace, then the galaxy would indeed be turned by faith alone. He hoped that he would live to see such a day, but he doubted that it would come to pass even in his extended lifetime. Oh well, planting trees under whose shade you won't sit and all that.

Alisteri paused to allow A'Mia to move ahead of him once more before following after her, his steps noticeably quickening at the mention of the campus temple. He always did so enjoy seeing the architecture of the faithful. "You've yet to mention it before now." Not that he had really asked about the full facilities that the academy offered himself.

"I assume that its used mostly by students in their free time or for recreation? Or are there set sermons and rituals that the students must observe and partake in?" Given Korriban's positioning in the Sith Order's domain he wasn't fully sure if the Sepulchral priests would be the ones having their hands in the goings on of such a temple or if the Kainites had their own priests there. Regardless he had little doubt that both groups of blasphemers would be interested in having a hand in the academy either way.

Madrona A’Mia / Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

The tall woman moved with more purpose than she had yet shown this encounter. As if she had honed in on something that might sway this stubborn man to see that they, as Sith, had more in common than they did not. Down the new hallway she lead them and then out a pair of beautifully carved wooden doors, taking them through a side exit which led out to a gorgeous desert courtyard which served as a crossroads for several areas of the sprawling military academy campus.

What Darth Strosius was not being shown on his "tour" was that there was just as much to explore below ground as there was above. Though the man certainly must know that any Sith Academy with its kyber would be far more than met the eye. Their exit from the main building revealed that a few clouds were beginning to form on the horizon and the sun would soon be obscured as it dipped low, near to setting.

"To be perfectly honest with you…"
A'Mia finally turned over her shoulder to answer him cheerfully, still keeping her trajectory set for the building in the distance.
"I have no idea!"

Art generated with MidJourney by Gerwald Lechner

Tag: Darth Malum of House Marr​

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri actually had to hurry his steps a bit to keep up with the taller Sith's renewed stride as she moved down the hallway. "You seem rather eager." He noted, half to himself and half as a remark. His gaze ran across the wooden doors before they pushed past them, idly admiring the carving work and wondering where they had gotten the wood from. Perhaps Dromund Kaas? It would be rather fitting.

The courtyard was scenic all by itself but the sun's low position framing the building in the distance made the atmosphere of their walk all the more palpable. For a brief moment he did feel nostalgic, reminded of the handful of times that he had visited Korriban back before it was wrenched from the Sith Empire. A world vibrant with activity and resplendent in its sacredness. How far it had fallen indeed, but at least its new ruler seemed to be respectful of the storied history.

"You...have no idea?" He cocked his head to the side as he followed after A'Mia towards the building, his tone reflecting a hint of disappointment. Then again he supposed the renovations and reconstructions were still under way so more than likely not all facilities were fully online and available as of yet. "Is it even open and accessible yet?"

Madrona A’Mia / Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

The pace she set propelled them onward hastily, though they had a span of ground to cover yet given how expansive the Academy was. She cast a smile sidelong at his comments and questions, though the mirth seemed performative as ever.

"You've reminded me of its existence," she answered plainly, "Because faith is the farthest thing from my mind most days, unless I'm brushing up on theology to provide myself context on historical matters."

She eyed him curiously when she answered, sensing his disappointment and very curious indeed how the zealot might feel about conversing with a self proclaimed heathen.

"Oh no, the temple was of the very first to be rebuilt and furnished if memory serves! This is a holy world after all, both in the religious and cultural sense."

Darth Strosius and Darth Malum of House Marr​

 

[Darth Strosius]

"You should put more attention into matters of faith Acolyte. They are far more pressing and relevant as of late than many would admit." It wasn't surprising news really, he knew that many did not share in his view and reverence of the Force nor of the Sith's holy duties. A fact that Alisteri had unfortunately had to accept in spite of how much it irked him that their divine tasks were seen as simple goals of power. Faithless Sith were the least amongst their issues in truth.

"So the temple is in active usage then?" That hardly narrowed down their practices, especially if one were to assume that it was restored before Darth Caedes was granted rule of Korriban. Regardless it would be poisoned by the Sepulchral and Kainite priesthoods alike, of that he was certain. A pity but a fate that could hardly be avoided given the circumstances. "How close is the academy itself to being fully restored anyway?"

Madrona A’Mia / Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

"I'm sure it is," she responded vaguely with regards to the temple being in use.

In truth, A'Mia was like a black hole for such emotional and conceptual topics as religion or faith. Their structural integrity could not hold up to the event horizon of her analytical scrutiny. She was a non traditional Sith in many ways but she found that centering herself in the hunger for knowledge and her willingness to endure pain was connection enough to the dark side for now.

"We near the Grand Opening within the span of a few short months. There is still much to do but more students arrive all the time. A golden age of Sith approaches."

That last line was said with a strange certainty, one that hinted at why this woman would come to be known as Lord Seer of Korriban well before her time as a knight. Indeed, A'Mia's uncanny sight did not seem limited to the scrutinizing examination of living people but also granted some awareness of the greater web of cause and effect. They neared the carved stone steps which led up to the Temple, a faint thrum of dark power emanating from the structure itself.

Darth Strosius​

 

[Darth Strosius]

An eyebrow quirked up behind his mask at her response but accepted the answer, even as vague and noncommittal as it was. Perhaps it was operational in a more abstract way, used in secret practices and rituals rather than by the wider academy's staff and students. Alisteri used his own church for such things after all so it made sense.

"A golden age?" The masked man chuckled at the declaration and shook his head. "If only." There was far too much work to be done before such notion could be entertained. Taints to scrub away, worlds to reclaim, enemies both old and new to be suppressed. Far too much to do first.

As they finally began nearing the temple's entrance he could sense the structure's presence even from the first steps up to it. There were other such places of power and influence across Korriban, most of them as ancient as the Sith themselves or not far behind, but this one was unfamiliar. Was it an existing site of power or was it something new? Either way he was eager to find out.

Madrona A’Mia / Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

The desert sands were a constant annoyance, he did not even need to move for small particles to get around his protective layers, and itch his extremities. With every trudge his steps grew heavier, sand pouring through any hole or crevice it could make a new home in his boots. It did not help that the desert by its very nature was far from a stable environment, the distant dunes may have implied some sort of assurance that these lands were able to stand on their own metaphorical feet, but it only took one step, one gust of wind, the realisation that you were falling through the sand, the harsh winds of a dust storm, to realise.

This place was a living hell.

It was also the most well-known of the Sith holy worlds, so that was suitably apt.

Thankfully he was confident enough in his ability to walk through such unstable terrain, especially as the ruin was up ahead, that his vision was not entirely of sand and the aforementioned ruin. His bright rubies had been split in twain for some time now, his normal form trekking through the sands, all the while, his Shadow, was by the mountainous complex that seemed to house Korriban's Academy.

He could admit from the outset, it was an interesting site. Rather than most structures which might have been built free of true concern for the terrain it was built on, Korriban's Academy, or as the intelligence he had read called it, Korethyr Academy, seemed to have been built in spite of the terrain in which it inhabited. Most of its structure seemed to be built atop the mountain, with its interior... his shadow moved up the mountain top, gazing down on what could be a valley of sorts, indeed, the structure seemed to be built atop the mountain, but too, built inside the mountain. Perhaps some artificial measures had been used to dig through the rock and stone, but from what he could see, they had not only built in spite of the structural anomalies but indeed, alongside them. The large mountain cascades provided better walls, than manmade ones ever could, while the valley below could house more than any artificial space could imagine.

It was a pity that it housed mostly Kainites.

Oh yes, his intelligence indicated that Darth Caedus had been a lot more independent-minded than any normal Kainite lord, that this academy claimed to open itself to all members of the Sith Order, which in itself had some use, made infiltration easier, but it at the end of the day was a simple matter of logistics. Korriban was deep in Kainite space, ironically far from the Sith core, and that Sith core was currently in the midst of tearing itself apart. Suffice it to say, despite his words and claims, Malum could not see how it would be possible for this school to not be inhabited almost entirely by those of the Kainite creed.

Loyal foot soldiers for Darth Carnifex's plots and schemes.

Or perhaps loyal foot soldiers for Darth Caedus'.

Heh, one that was ambitious enough to be made King of Korriban, was likely as ambitious enough to overthrow his master.

That could be useful.

The trick would be to nip him in the bud before he turned his gaze towards the core.

He wiped the thoughts from his mind, there was no point in scheming for things that were far from certain.

Instead, turning his eyes back to the ruins, he noted the storage hall which would no doubt house a speeder, and make the actual trip to the Academy in his real form, far easier. Then he noted the two blue contacts which he had not worn since his last trip to Korriban...

Perhaps it was time for the Marrtaniels to return, heh.

So it was, that as the Shadow spotted Darth Strosius near a structure that could only be a temple, near some... large arborous figure.

The real Malum, with diamonds shining in his eyes, kept his mouth closed, as he braved the desert winds, to save his battle brother.

Madrona A’Mia

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Though she had donned her officer's jacket when they'd first met, Darth Strosius surely noticed that at no point had she thought to wear shoes. Not even when they set out to trudge along the stone and sand pathways between buildings. So when they reached the carved stairs, Alisteri would gain yet another insight into the woman's strange form and see why Neti were classified as a 'many limbed species'. A'Mia practically flowed up the steps, her feet and legs suddenly splitting into many tendrils to effectively allow her to glide upward in a smooth motion that resembled an automated lift. She continued on in their conversation, unaware or unconcerned with how strange it might be for her companion to ambulate alongside her now.

"You see what is before your eyes, in excruciating detail perhaps, but I speak now of what I see far off and in broad strokes."

They moved higher still, nearing the grand stone doors of the temple which were swung wide for the time being, perhaps letting in the last of the day's heat before the cold of night set in.

"So you say 'if only' and I counter that it is only a matter of time provided we are willing to put in a great deal of work."

The foyer of the temple came into sight, and what a grand sight it was. Traditional architecture, ruins of old restored and new stone carved to match seamlessly. It seemed that the temple had indeed been highly prioritized in the reclamation and rebuilding of Korriban. Alisteri's keen eye might notice a dozen important Sith cultural markers in the entrance alone. Runes of the Old Tongue were inscribed in the entryway, there were a few stunningly lifelike busts of Sith Lords of legend, but far more central to the building than anything regarding individualism was the geometric patterns prevalent through all of the architecture. There appeared to be star maps, alchemical diagrams, and all manner of other mystic or cryptic inscriptions etched beautifully into stone, spanning floors, walls, and even arched ceilings. The effect might have come across as busy or distracting were it not also so artfully subtle.

Darth Malum of House Marr​

 

[Darth Strosius]

The masked man took one step onto the stairs leading up to the temple and paused as his wandering gaze noted something strange about A'Mia's ascension up the stairs. Where before she had bare, for some reason, but recognizable feet she now sported a flurry of tendrils that gracefully carried her onwards. He simply watched the display of movement for a few moments before realizing that she was speaking and subsequently hurrying up the stairs after her. For the moment he chose not to ask too many questions about her shift in locomotion, mainly due to the fact that he was lacking a datapad with which to record the specifics.

Instead he followed her path up the stairs to the wide open stone doors that awaited them at the entrance of the temple. "You are either extremely optimistic, or you and I disagree to staggering degrees on what sort of 'work' must be done then." Alisteri, despite his zeal and fanaticism, was not one for optimism. He couldn't afford to be. Practicality and accurate assessments of the situations at hand were his preferred methods of survival, ones that kept him and others under his banner safe from external factors just as much as they kept his ambitions in check.

His gaze swept over the foyer with a mixture of appreciation and a slight bit of awe. He always enjoyed the typical hallmarks of Sith architecture and this temple sported such things in spades, not to mention the impressive displays littered around. Busts, maps, inscriptions, diagrams of all kinds painted an already beautiful building into a masterpiece of Sith culture and history. At least the current occupiers of Korriban knew to respect their elders he supposed. "A rather grandiose display indeed."

Madrona A’Mia / Darth Malum of House Marr

 

[Darth Malum of House Marr]

It had been a surprisingly eventful and exciting journey on his speeder to the outskirts of the Academy, and he would certainly take eventful and exciting compared to boring and... sand filled. He had seen numerous Sithspawn buried underneath the sand, or otherwise patrolling around the perimeter of the Academy, striking upwards, and marching towards him if they ever sensed him. The speeder allowed him to avoid the worst of it, but numerous of them, usually isolated had been laid dead across the sandy shoals, to be buried underneath and forgotten. Still, though it allowed his mind to recuperate from the dull walk, their quantity was proving a problem, which was he had ventured deeper, he had decided to drive with his presence unseen by both the naked and unnaked eye. For the most part, it seemed to work, a lone speeder drifting along the dunes seemingly without a driver, apparently did not rank as highly as one which had a Sith Knight at its helm. Still, it was not as if he was entirely left alone, having to move in erratic and far from direct movements to avoid their paths, it certainly delayed his arrival at the gates of Korethyr Academy, though from the eyes of his Shadow, watching Alisteri and the sentient tree move further up the Temple doors, he seemed to still have some time.

Even enough time to admire the architecture of the looming red door which was the entranceway to the Academy itself. The materials almost seemed tinted in equal parts red and black, while the glass reflected the crimson light which almost signified, defined their Order. It was an intimidating sight, the great doors to a fortress that would take several armies to take.

If an army could even make it this far anyway.

It was not only the Sithspawn that defended this place, remembering his quick skim of the Academy's schematics, he knew this place had far more defensive structures and traps hidden in its depths. He already felt some on the way here, there was some ward placed over this place, that had not affected him any, apart from simply noting his presence, but he could feel by its energy would be a hindrance to any non-Sith... and would certainly be far more a hindrance if they attempted to camp around the grounds in a siege, slowly, their willingness and morale would suffer, waver, and then break, no doubt.

That was if his grace, Darth Caedus even allowed there to be a siege. The mountain seemed to have been formed upon the planet's leylines, likely it had been a wonderous coincidence that the mountain was here at all, for the leylines seemingly allowed the entire structure to shift in place as necessary. It would take control of the entire planet, for this place to fall under siege.

And this was Korriban, no Sith would willingly allow it to fault without a tremendous fight.

In short, it was not only a supremely defensible fortress on Korriban, but it could also act as an immensely powerful moving fortress if it decided to move on offence.

There were further defences inside the complex of course, Jen'koshû Dread Lords, once raised by Sith King Dathka Graush patrolled within, and there were enough Force-activated locks, and Force suppression fields, to make any room into a chokepoint, that would make it a war of attrition no sane commander would want to take.

Let alone the discussion of the Sith Masters, Knights, and Acolytes that would fight like cornered lions.

And whatever else stood inside.

Fortunately, he was not here with a battering ram, ladders, and siege towers, nor with catapults, trebuchet, or cannons. There would be no siege that he would be commanding today. Instead, with a map memorised in his brain, as his invisibility cut off, Malum of House Marrtaniel, a well-to-do gentleman with raven locks and blue eyes, cane in hand, with an attire consisting of a suit, and glasses strapped to his face, stepped off from his speeder, moving towards the intimidating doors, with a joyful smile upon his face.

To the first person he saw, "Please summon Darth Caedus, or one of his representatives please," He tutted on his cane as he spoke with a voice that was so burgher, that one would have thought his eyes had credit signs upon them, "Our mining prospects will have no luck without his approval I am afraid, and we must begin right away."

To the person he spoke to, who was no doubt very confused, he marched forth to their splutters.

The red eyes behind the blue knew exactly where he needed to go.

All the while, the band around his wrist was quite warm, for after all, where Malum once saw double, he now saw triple.

As his doppelganger scaled the mountain complex and was rapidly approaching Alisteri's position.

Madrona A’Mia Darth Strosius

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

"Good," A'Mia smiled placidly, slowing as they reached level ground and she returned to ambulation as a bipedal creature once more.

"Disagreements are important for creative problem solving, and diversity strengthens our numbers."

She cast about a bit as they stepped through the ornate doors which were swung wide, perhaps looking for some kind of attendant or information desk. It was clear she was more used to academic settings and not at all aware of how a church or temple might function.

"Yoohoooo!" She called out brightly, voice all but echoing, unaware that robed priests and other holy people would reside farther in, busy with prayer or study.

Her large eyes scanned opposite hallways which led off the foyer, doubtless leading to the main open temple area, quiet meditation chambers, and eventually an attached clergy house on the lower level. She turned back toward Darth Strosius with a shrug, ready to take his lead, when she caught sight of bustling movement, a would-be businessman making his way up the stairs.

Darth Malum of House Marr​

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri couldn't help but scoff and roll his eyes at the rather cheery, and in his mind somewhat cheeky, response. He raised an eyebrow as he watched his guide briefly flitter about as if in search of something that was clearly not there, even going so far as to call out in order to attract some sort of attention. Rather odd, even for one as eccentric as her.

"A'Mia...do not think any less of me but I must ask, what are you doing?" They were hardly a few steps inside of what was clearly a rather grand temple, it was unlikely that there would be someone just waiting there for them to arrive unless they were expected in one form or another. Perhaps there was some sort of construction crew or other guide that usually lingered by the entrance that she was searching for?

When A'Mia turned back to him he noticed her gaze lingering on him only for a moment, and then shifting to behind him. Not bothering to turn around, he twisted his head back to regard an approaching figure. He hadn't even sensed their arrival, strange indeed. "Hello there."