What Next?

[Soldiers By Kage]

Life. Was. Boring.

Dreadfully so. It had only been months since Lucy had gotten rid of the coin, and he already found himself missing the life he had left behind. Darth Ferus, once feared and respected. Powerful. Cruel. Able to do anything he wanted, when ever he wanted. Endless experimentation, endless resources. But he had chosen to leave that life behind, even locked the coin away in an alchemic box only a master of the Sith could open. That way he could never retrieve it. What Sith would willingly give another back his power?

This life wasn't meant for him however. He wanted it to be. Wanted to live the life of a normal person, free from the stigma of those in the dark path. It was one of the largest mistakes of his life. Even his business was boring. He stared down at his desk, glancing over the papers he would never read.

"You could just start up some actual projects. Do something with the company instead of just sitting around. Aren't you just tired of doing that yet? I am, and I can't even sleep."

An exasperated sigh escaped the lips of the once Sith Lord. "How many times do I have to tell you, Sica, to watch the sas? You're an A.I., do some A.I. stuff instead of bothering me." S.I.C.A. An AI originally made to pilot the stealth ships Ferus himself couldn't. Now, she assists Lucy with day to day business. Was it what she was made for? No. But she didn't seem to complain.

"Very well. Enjoy your brooding."

Another sigh. It's true, all he was doing was brooding. Maybe he should have stayed a Sith, he at least got this part right.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ptfyhBjXj8​

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Many thought him dead. There were those, of course, that doubted, but there was not a single shred of evidence remaining that proved that he had survived the explosion that consumed the entirety of the Black Pyramid and several levels around and below the massive structure. Even the labor camp on Togoria had been wiped from the face of existence, and every scrap of data held within the computer banks of the central tower had been eradicated, blown to the wind with the rest of the inmate population. For weeks he had been consolidating his power on Panatha, whispering into the ears of those he could control to assemble themselves at his true base of power. Many of the pieces were now falling into perfect alignment, but there were still many variables that he had to deal with before he could move forward with his dark agenda.

And so Darth Carnifex, formally Darth Vornskr, made his journey to Onderon in secret.

Falsified credentials and vessel transponders would only get him so far, and thus he had to resort to electronic sabotage and Force coercion to advance to Malgan Market. His face and body was concealed by a heavy flowing cloak and robe, and thus none would give him a second glance on a world still controlled by the One Sith Empire. In his hands he held a chest covered by an ornate cloth, yet even through the container a dark power pulsated subtly. It was what had led him back to Onderon, this item from which he had plucked from its resting place during a recent arduous journey into the unknown. Now he planned to return it to its owner, and perhaps gain another ally in his quest.

The building that loomed ahead of him was rather plain, the perfect hiding place for a former Sith Lord who didn't want to be found. But he had found him, and now it was time to lay the cards on the table. With but a wave of his hand he thrust open the door, striding into the building the typical flair and arrogance becoming of his stature, and sought out the man who ran the establishment by calling out his name in a great booming voice:

"[member="Lucifer Morningstar"], REVEAL YOURSELF TO ME."​

 

[Soldiers By Kage]

Well, so much for boredom.

A shiver went down the back of Lucy as the voice echoed through his small business. That couldn't be who he thought it was, right? "Sica, who's at our front door?" There was fear clear in his voice. He was defenseless save for the heavy blaster on his waist, and the DHK Guardian standing beside his door. "Statement: I assume this isn't a good thing, master. Should I be prepared to terminate meatbags?"

"Sir, it's a Sith."

"Yes, Guardian, you should be." Fear was still there, but he swallowed that down as he pressed the button to the intercom. "Yes, hello. This is Lucifer. Is there something I can help you with sir? Perhaps a new holocomunicator?" He let go of the button then, grabbing a hold of his jacket and pulling it on. He wasn't going to stick around for a Sith Lord after all. Well, he assumed it was a Sith Lord. If it wasn't, perhaps there was a future for Morningstar after all.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Even as the Sith Lord received the answer to his inquiry via the building's intercom, he was still on the move towards what he could only deduce were the proprietor's offices. Thankfully for being such a small business the office was only situated at the second level, and he needed only to ascend the staircase to access it. However; he was intercepted en route by what he assumed was some sort of lower level security officer, armed only with a electric billy club and an unimpressive blaster pistol holstered at the hilt. For whatever the reason, be it his heart or his shoes, the officer didn't deign to reach for his blaster, but rather allowed the electrical current to surge through his baton and went to batter the cloaked man in an attempt to halt his advance and perhaps put him in such a vulnerable position to detain him.

But Darth Carnifex had no time for fools.

He cradled the ornate chest under his left arm, and reached out with his right to catch the electric baton mid-swing. He was, to the guard's horror, unmoved by the electricity that now bolted up through his arm and down through his body, and with a hard squeeze he snapped the baton in two. By then the guard, no visibly panicking, attempted to reach for his blaster to defend himself, but by then it was far too late for him to save his wretched life. Carnifex casually reached forward to grasp the man by the cuff of his tunic, and lifted him several feet off of the ground before throwing him into the nearby wall with such tremendous force the wall caved in on impact.

"I know who you are, [member="Lucifer Morningstar"], and I have something you want. Reveal yourself to me and I shan't cause anymore damage to this establishment, but defy me and I will make sure that nothing remains of this place or it occupants."

 

[Soldiers By Kage]

"Sir?"

The sound of the AI broke the silence Lucifer had focused on after speaking to [member="Darth Carnifex"] . The man was still on his way up, and the ex Sith Lord wasn't so foolish as to think an office guard could stop him.

"He threw frank through a wall sir."

Frank, the name of the guard that was now cradled by pain. A deep breath escaped the lips of Lucy as he simply cradled his own forehead. He was terrified. But why? Why was he so scared now? Because he didn't have access to his power? He wasn't a fighter, not like his old master. He was a manipulator. Of fear and anger. Was being the key word. An unknown opponent with the upper hand.

Well, that must be what the people Lucy himself fought must have felt.

He tried to force a grin as he nodded once to Guardian. "Just.. Stay here. Maybe I can talk the Sith out of killing me. I don't think you'll last too long."

"Statement: Very well master, but I implore you not to underestimate my skills."

"I don't, just.. Stay." With another sigh he stood, and walked out of his office. Now out of it, he was in clear view of Carnifex, and Carnifex was in his view. A shiver went down his spine as he saw the man. Shrouded in darkness huh? Well, it's Sith at least.

"So.. What can I help you with?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Ah, there he was.

Lucifer looked so brittle, so fragile... He doubted it would take much effort for Carnifex to crack the smaller man in half with but a gesture, but that was not what he was here for. His journey was of a different nature than murder, and his purposeful stride slowed to a leisurely stroll as he neared the well-tailored man. Baleful eyes glared out from under a heavy hood, and his mouth curled into a deep frown. "Your fear is misplaced, Morningstar, for I have not come here to harm you." He gestured with his right arm, and a nearby table suddenly wobbled violently and soared through the air to hover near the gargantuan Sith Lord before settling down in the gap between Carnifex and Lucifer. With his left hand he held aloft the ornate chest that he had cradled like a child moments earlier, and slammed it down on the table with enough force to crack the wood, but not completely demolish the table.

"I have come to redeliver onto you your destiny." He reached over the chest, and snapped the lock between his index finger and thumb, and pulled back the top to reveal the treasure that lay hidden within. Inside of the box was a plush pillow that took up the entire interior, but resting gently on top of the fine fabric was a coin that shone with an unnatural luster radiating with dark magic so potent it was virtually intoxicating to those well attuned to the arcane.

[member="Lucifer Morningstar"]​

 

[Soldiers By Kage]

"Right, and instead of a quick heads up you punt poor Frank into a wall.." It was muttered to himself, but Lucy made no effort of hiding it from [member="Darth Carnifex"] . At this point, if Morningstar was going to be dead, he would be. And certainly not about to sit down at a table across from the Sith that had barged in. A brow was raised at the appearance of the chest, as well as the Sith Lords words themselves.

"Destiny, what in the world could y-" His jaw almost hit the floor. A coin, no, his coin, rested upon a simple pillow like some sort of trophy. A new sensation, one mostly forgotten at least, rose in Lucifer's body. How did this Sith find his coin? His brow knitted together as he tried to keep his composure, but the jig was up. His anger leached out of him like it would any Sith Lord who lost their connection to the Force.

"Why do you have my coin?" Lucy spoke through clenched teeth. The only reason why he didn't just unleash his hate in the form of lightning was because without that very coin, he was unable to. He knew that this Sith knew it as well. So why? Why was he here?

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"The acquisition is irrelevant, all that matters is that you now have the opportunity to take hold of the power you once wielded." He gently pushed the lid of the chest shut, shielding the coin from further scrutiny by the visibly angered [member="Lucifer Morningstar"]. "For too long you have allowed yourself to languish in this mercantile prison you've fashioned for yourself, denying your true potential in favor for an existence of mediocrity for reasons I cannot even begin to fathom." For Carnifex the denial of one's power was the ultimate sin for one should not shy away from their own strength and allow themselves to be just a stepping stone for those without the reservation for taking what is theirs.

"You were once a Sith Lord, but look at you now... Pathetic and weak! With a flick of my wrist I could separate your head from your shoulders before you had a chance to blink, before you had a chance to even comprehend what had happened." He took a step towards Lucifer now, his gaze nearly eye level with the minutely shorter individual. "I have come to bring you back into the fold. The One Sith crumbles even as we speak, but it will not be the end for you and me or anyone with the ambition and dedication to see further than that insane lunatic we shackled ourselves to for over a decade. Take up the coin, wield the power that made you strong, and join me..."

His voice lowered a few octaves, his eyes burning brighter than ever before. "Or meet your ignominious end at my hand. The decision is yours."

 

[Soldiers By Kage]

Power.

So close. So, karking, close. All Lucy would have to do is reach out and take it. The only thing stopping him? [member="Darth Carnifex"] and what he might do if he did. The man was right. A wave of a hand, and Lucifer would be no more. There it was again. Fear. Fear of being mortal, fear of death. And then, anger. Just as the saying went, fear led to anger, to hate. Morningstar was angry at his own arrogance, his own mortality. He hated feeling this weak.

All of these swirling emotions, emotions no master of the Dark Side could emulate. Emotion fed the dark, but when you had power, you lost your fear. Your hate. What better way to regain it than by removing the blocker? He hated his normal life, he hated how weak he was, and he hated this Sith that brought back his coin, and shoved this ultimatum in his face.

All to gain power.

"You give me back my coin, and I work for you, right? Why would you even want me, Darth Ferus, back? I was a nobody. I trained Ophidia, and that's about as much to my name that I have. What do you expect of me?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

There it was, the fear... the hate... Carnifex could practically smell and taste the potent emotions that rolled off of [member="Lucifer Morningstar"] like fog, and he silently relished in the other man's conflict. He was now at a crossroad, and the only two paths ahead of him were submission or destruction. "I expect you to serve, and I expect you to fight. I have proclaimed myself Dark Lord of the Sith in the absence of a worthy successor, and on the fringes of the Outer Rim I will work to restore the Sith name to glory. You were once the leader of the Sith Assassins, and if you join me I will ensure that you can recreate what you have lost." Twas a simple offer, bend the knee and serve under Carnifex as the leader of a new generation of Sith Assassins, or refuse and be destroyed body, mind, and soul.

To some it was an easier choice than most.

 

[Soldiers By Kage]

"No."

Quickly the man held up his hands to stop any incoming death [member="Darth Carnifex"] was sure to give him, if to only explain himself.

"I was never an Assassin. I made the order to fill a need the One Sith needed, not because I was any good at it. They thrived under Ophidia, the one I groomed to take over, to let me do what I do best." A single hand pointed to the chest, but Lucy was sure to never take his eyes off this new Dark Lord of the Sith. "Alchemy. You saw what I did to Fresia. Sage got the credit for his temple, but you know it was I who made that blood lake. And if I wasn't so caught up in the dealings of being the Shadow, I would have continued with it. The monsters I could have made, the potential. Millions of peoples worth in blood and flesh ripe to form. You want me? Let me make these creatures from nightmares. Otherwise, kill me. This experiment, that coin, all for nothing if I can't continue my experiments."

The fear was always there, of death that is. But to lead another group of Assassins? He wanted nothing to do with it. He stole it from his master, and regretted it instantly. So yes, he was willing to die to not make another group of shadows.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"A pity, I could've used some assassins." was his only retort to [member="Lucifer Morningstar"]'s refusal to once again take up the mantle as the leader of the Sith Assassins, and countered by offering to be one of his prime alchemists and fleshcrafters instead. "But I remember Fresia well, but let us hope that your future creations will not be discarded as it was." With a wave of his hand he opened the chest with such force the back hinges were broken and the lid tumbled away to the floor with a loud clatter.

The coin, pulsating with hungering malice, rose up from its resting place to levitate several meters in the air before slowly trudging along through the air to hover before Lucifer in a manner most tantalizing. "We shall see how far the merit of your past actions will take you, and how further you will go with your experiments."

The time had come for Ferus to take back his power, but would he still bow before Carnifex like he had so far insisted on doing? Or did his mind still swim in the waters of treacherous thought? Time would tell.

 

[Soldiers By Kage]

Almost greedily the man took up the coin, snatching it from the air like an addict grabbing spice after a week of detoxing. And just like the spice addict, Lucifer found himself delving deep into an almost forgotten sensation. The Dark Side. It's energies festered inside him, and he felt complete. Burning red eyes replaced the hazel tone as the Force flowed through, and he broke stuff.

The table before he and [member="Darth Carnifex"] was thrown through the glass door leading to the mans office, if just to test his power. It had been so long, and it made him happy. So very, very pleased. He cast a grin to the masked man, and finally asked the question he had wanted to before.

"Who are you, anyway?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The man seemed to pause, a slight shimmering of the air and tingling of the body betraying the contemplating that churned in his mind, and then at least he reached up with gloved hands to firmly grasp the brim of the cloak that had so far obscured his facial features save for the glow of his hateful eyes. He pulled back his hood effortlessly, letting the many thick locks of vibrant ebony hair cascade down across his shoulders and chest, and then casually reached back to free whatever strands of hair had gotten pushed up against his back by the hood. His brooding patrician features were unmistakable, as were the flecks of emerald that tainted the sulfuric haze that dominated the pupil of each bloodshot eye, and his mouth curved into a teasing smile. "Once upon a time you knew me as Darth Vornskr, Voice of the Dark Lord and harbinger of his fury, but that era has long since passed into nothingness. I stand before you know as Darth Carnifex, Dark Lord of the Sith and total ruler of the Black Empire."

And what was the Black Empire? Carnifex didn't bother to elaborate, but instead motioned with his right hand. "And now, Darth Ferus, I have bequeathed you the power you once so foolishly separated yourself from, and now you will kneel before me."

[member="Lucifer Morningstar"]​