Private A Bid For Brosi

[Madrona A’Mia]

Outer Rim Territories
Brosi
A Short Time After the Imperial Invasion
Theme​

The proverbial dust had hardly settled along the frontlines of the Stygian Caldera theater, where Imperials had pushed an assault on Brosi and the Holy Worlds responded fiercely in turn. Where once not so long before a deadly virus threatened to become endemic and might even have spread through the rest of the Vassal Cloud, now thrived a planet reborn from the ashes of cleansing fire and fed through sorcery fueled by Death.

It was there, nestled within a bright new grove that A'Mia and one of her students now studied the Weave where it thrummed about Brosi.

Seated in repose like a living statue, the neti meditated in a glade both beautiful and macabre. With imperial armor scattered about the place, like so many insect carapaces emptied of their meat by some great spider or shellfish cracked open and divested of substance by some ravenous giant, remnants of the recent conflict were plain to see despite the rampant growth across the various battlefields.

This spotless carnage was thanks in part to the voracious and transformative power of the ritual wrought by Darth Caedes , Revna, and Srina. Not a single ounce of gore had been wasted in the aftermath, all of it went to serve a greater purpose.

What once was a warzone littered with biohazards, now flourished an ever expanding series of forests which originated from their center: Psilofyr.

Mycelial networks grew from the Reyno Valley to the Bay of Sypon, questing tendrils worked their way ever farther all while new trees and bushes seemed to appear every passing hour. The rampant growth cycle had started to slow, with no new decay to feed from yet, but A'Mia was just beginning to acquaint herself with the place she planned to call a second home.

We are well beyond the Shoengen Coast, we can sense the roots of the Talbot Ridges now— where soil meets bedrock, where the very stones will soon come alive.
​

She spoke in the collective "we" and addressed Lysander von Ascania as well as any other that might be tapped into the Weave where they currently dreamed alongside the reborn planet.

Though her body was singular, at rest in the grove, her mind wandered freely along many pathways and she airily offered guidance to the Sith apprentice she'd borrowed from Revna Marr ’s tutelage for a time. So that he too might glean wisdom from the dark miracle the planet had undergone and even offer his own perspective on their findings.

Despite the incredible bloom of flora across the globe, Brosi still lacked significant populations of fauna. The zinsian and hfredium mines were operational again thanks to the united effort of many Sith and a workforce of droids, and there were a few hundred scattered Sithspawn that had survived the purification process. The planet was otherwise fairly barren, particularly of sentient life, and so the approach of two powerful life forms drew A'Mia from her reverie with interest.

Her form stirred, her mind began to withdraw from the dizzying and blissful vastness of such all encompassing awareness, and the neti's large blue-green eyes opened. Out of habit, she still spoke through the mental bond.

We have visitors.

Srina Talon | Taeli Raaf​

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Madrona A’Mia | Srina Talon | Taeli Raaf

​

Lysander's black tunic caught the light of the grove. Approaching the Neti, there was reverence in his movements, deepening; he bowed his head, closing his eyes to attune himself. The teen's breath fell into rhythm with the hum of the forest, as if aligning with Brosi's heartbeat.

Laced through their shared link, a note of thanks emerged, floating like a whisper in the space between them. <Thank you, A’Mia, for showing me the intricacies of rebirth.> His hand traced the glowing root beneath him, the grooves pulsing with memories of life and death.

Echoes of mortality still rang in his ears, recalling the brutal Shoengen battle that had taken place only days ago, the taste of ash and blood lingering on his tongue. Another soft exhale followed. <It's kind of hard to believe how life surges now, amidst all the destruction.>

Curiosity flowed through him. A faint, brief smile curved Lysander's features as he reached inward, feeling strands of his own energy being woven into the glowing mycelium. <Help me understand how to honor this bond.>

For in this tangled connection between life and death, between flesh and fungus, he found an allure that was oddly impossible to resist. <What’s the next step.. toward hidden places or deeper into the Weave?>

He then moved beside her still form, his body settling into a meditative stance with legs crossed and hands resting on his knees, every muscle relaxed. This was a position he found himself in often, but this time it felt different, easier to sink into a state of calm. Slowly turning his head, a sheepish arch lifted his brow, absorbing the reality of seeing his own physical form again after being so deeply immersed in the metaphysical realm.

Glancing down, he gave her armored forearm a quick jab with his fingertip; it was meant more as a question than a challenge. A grin born of mischief caressed his lips. "My bad. Forgive me," he quipped warmly, "but I wanted to check and make sure you're not just another illusion."

Lysander's vision danced with a myriad of hues, each tree pulsing with vibrant light. Pupils were dilated, eyes half lidded, though it could have simply been the effects of being properly dosed by his professor once more.

 

[Srina Talon]

Tag: Madrona A’Mia | Lysander von Ascania | Taeli Raaf
Location: Brosi [The Grove]
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Everything was so old…And yet very, very new.

The blooming greenery had given birth to bright colors that artfully disguised the fact that Brosi had once been scarred and full of malevolent corruption. There had been much to do. Even…As Psilofyr stretched toward the sky and their people began to chase Imperial remnants out of their space, Srina felt as if she hadn't slept properly in weeks. There was too much on her mind, and rest did not come easily for one who often felt like the entirety of a nation was nestled for better or worse against her chest.

It was suffocating…But even as it stole the air from her lungs—It gave ger purpose. The Sith Empress wore not a crown but, as always, remained wreathed and set apart from others, in the invisible certainty of her own strength. There was grace to it, an eloquence that bore the prowess of both warrior and the fiercest mother. It was…Her way. To be simple, but never plain. Delicate, but never weak.

"I do not mistake this victory for peace."

It would be unclear to whom she was speaking, though she was clearly alone. Her dulcet tones were a little hoarse from breathing in so much smoke and ash. The air of Brosi was much cleaner than it had been. Enough that she could go without her rebreather…But the damage was already done. It would take time to heal fully. Hawkish eyes slid over the battlefield-turned-garden, loose ivory hair catching faintly on newly sprouted branches, as if they were little fingers running through it. The kiss of primrose lips twitched, the corner of her mouth lifting in faint amusement…"Yes…Yes. You are very impressive. Brosi…It remembers death, too well."

"You shouldn't forget what fed you. Neither should we."

She could still feel the phantom heartbeat of the mycelial network in the back of her mind, but beyond that was the creation that she had bestowed blood to. Srina was speaking to Psilofyr rather candidly, even though it didn't really respond with words. She could sense the shape of it and see colors that gave way to a perfect bubble of thought and mood. Something about the way she had woven together the pieces of the ritual made her hyper-aware of this world. The pale woman was not connected in the way the Hordemother was…Nothing so intricate.

But there was something.

It was the same something that had allowed her to guide the tendril-like vines to save her children from a distance and pull them into the earth for protection. Her steps were silent, yet her force signature had been left unclouded. There was nothing here she needed to hide from. No Imperials…No ego. Just the sensation of a planet forever changing, terraforming, into something most Jedi could only dream of. A world full of brilliance…It was ironic. That Sith, in this war, in a dark hour of brutality…

…Stood on the side of life. Not destruction. Creation.

It was her penance for ordering its sterilization.

"Do I interrupt?"

The words that left her for Madrona A’Mia and Lysander von Ascania were barely a whisper, but none in the grove should have any difficulty hearing her. It was curious to watch them. The stillness was filled to the brim with both beauty and sin, but both remained wrapped in the throes of a bond she could subtly sense but was not part of. Srina stepped neatly around a piece of armor that was overgrown with vines and bright purple flowers. It was worn, dirty, with a hole punched through…

Where life had found a way.

The layered black silk of her clothing shimmered faintly with threads of silver, cutting close to her frame, before flowing outward in trailing hems that brushed the ground like curling smoke. Over her waist and ribs rest an armored corset of unknown metal, silvery, and molded to her shape with understated engravings in ur-Kittât. It was functional. Brosi was relatively…Safe.

Where she had come from was not.

It lent a quiet severity to an otherwise ethereal appearance. It was a reminder that, despite her mortality, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Srina had not the might of her husband, nor the temperament, but she had been raised in steel and flame. She would not bend. She would not break—And certainly, would not be undone by the threat of Imperial aggression.

"I can return another time–"

A vine curled slowly up from the ground and wrapped around her wrist, twining slowly around her arm. Curious. Did Psilofyr wish that she stay? It was hard to tell what belonged to the seed that she had helped nurture and what was part of this new Brosi simply being…Hungry. She supposed she had familiar energy and very likely did feel like some sort of flesh-based snack.

"–If the Hordemother and her student are occupied?"

There was another tug at her wrist. More insistent. Almost, petulant.

Interesting.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Madrona A’Mia Lysander von Ascania Srina Talon
​

While she had not been present for the battle that had occurred on Brosi, she and her wife had first secured Ziost before joining the fleet battle above, she had been most curious to set foot on the world. Fiolette had returned to assist with further fortifying Ziost with Nerralyn and evacuating any of the population that needed to leave in case of further attack, but she had remained to descend on the world below.

Before and during the battle, Brosi had been targeted by a bioweapon of some sort, a plague that had unleashed a form of blight upon all organic matter on the planet. That alone would have usually prompted her curiosity as simply something for her to study, reverse-engineer, and utilize in her own research. But what had been unleashed during the battle was infinitely more intriguing to the Mistress of Monsters. The tree released by the combined efforts of Darth Caedes , the Empress, and the Seer of Korriban A'mia Madrona was truly an astounding feat of alchemy and biomancy. She was regretful that she hadn't been present to assist with the shaping, but as she walked among the vibrant plant and fungal life created by the tree as it spread, she was quite impressed thus far.

She could a consciousness brushing against her mind, curious about who she was, a consciousness that felt vast and was slowly growing. So, she thought, the tree was sentient in some manner as well, even more intriguing. For the briefest of touches, she let the Seed's consciousness in to see who she was and why she had come. It had led her to the Grove, to speak with A'mia and a small smile formed as she saw the Empress was also present along with a younger apprentice she didn't know besides from the recent Kaggath tournament.

"Truly remarkable," she said as a means of greeting. "Very excellent work."

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

A good natured swat back at Lysander was quickly forthcoming to counter his jab, their body language like that of a lothcat playfully harrying a tree and the botanical affectionately responding in that alien way she had. A'Mia was pleased with his line of questioning, with the earnest curiosity she saw within him, and felt no small amount of satisfaction regarding his achievements in battle. That would have to wait though.

Schooling her expression as Taeli Raaf and Srina Talon approached, the neti rose from where she'd been meditating and motioned for the young man at her side to do the same. With arms sweeping out wide in a gesture of welcome, the arboreal woman bowed before her visitors. Lysander von Ascania had likely never seen A'Mia bow for anyone save for the King.

"I can return another time–"

A vine curled slowly up from the ground and wrapped around her wrist, twining slowly around her arm. Curious. Did Psilofyr wish that she stay? It was hard to tell what belonged to the seed that she had helped nurture and what was part of this new Brosi simply being…Hungry. She supposed she had familiar energy and very likely did feel like some sort of flesh-based snack.

"–If the Hordemother and her student are occupied?"

Raising from the respectful gesture, the neti strode forward to close the distance some and flowers bloomed in the shadow of her steps.

"No no, we're honored by your visit— in fact, your timing is excellent. Psilofyr has very nearly mapped the entirety of this continent. Please, be welcome in the grove or wherever else you should wish to wander."

Turning a half measure toward Taeli, A'Mia bobbed her head in a rather youthful manner— expressing more excitement than was typical for her.

"For you to be here and see it is already a joy to me, your praise is cherished beyond my ability to summarize with words!"

Before she let herself get too carried away, A'Mia remembered her manners and that she ought to set a proper example. Turning to gesture for Lysander, the neti made introductions.

"Empress, Lady Raaf, this is Lysander. He was one of the students on the front lines during the battle and has shown great promise in a number of areas."

She didn't formally introduce the two women because frankly that felt both redundant and self explanatory. This was also an opportunity for the young man to put his best foot forward, to perhaps show off his own sense of decorum in such circumstances.

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Madrona A’Mia | Srina Talon | Taeli Raaf

​

Unlike the touch from a humanoid hand, the Neti's botanical whap landed with an ethereal pop, scattering luminescent spores like stardust midair, drifting before his widening eyes. And though he braced for it, a surprised inhale escaped him all the same, entranced by the dance of glowing flecks in the shared grove.

Rather than another punch, A'Mia's next gesture summoned him, so he rose smoothly from his meditative position. A soft vibration pulsed through his palms along the way, the very essence of Psilofyr's living soil murmuring beneath his cool exterior. Pushing up to his full height, his muscles awakened, gaze shifting downward long enough to catch the roots throbbing delicately, and noting the patterns around his leather boots, which cast a soft aura.

Now he found himself anchored in the moment; there were no distractions, no temptations to scroll through his datapad. Naturally so, every fiber of Lysander was attuned, a state often born from deep connection. Somewhere in the distance, he could even hear alien bark with slow drips, each one echoing a heartbeat

Such was a surreal experience; no other place in the galaxy held him like this before.

When his elder sister bowed, a posture of living balance between life and year, only then did years of courtly discipline stir within him. He stepped forth calmly, across plush, mycelial carpet, his silhouette open, tempered by humility. His left hand rose near the heart, fingertips brushing at the edges of his tunic, while the right extended in an arc, palm raised, as if offering the grove itself.

It was his first formal bow since departing from the Core Worlds long ago, but it arrived as instinctive as breathing. He bent at the waist; his head lowered in perfect respect. Beneath the arc of a brow, his glossy emerald gaze lifted just enough to meet the powerful presence of their two guests. Both devotion and full attention shone clear amidst that calm.

The acolyte's voice then emerged, quieter than he often remembered it, yet imbued with latent strength. "Empress Talon, Lady Raaf. It is my honor to greet you here. I am Lysander von Ascania, and I walk this grove thanks to A'Mia's wisdom." His tone was smoothed and softened by gratitude, an imprint from time once spent at an academy on Ukatis.

Brosi's spore-kissed air aided him with nothing less than earthly clarity, in a way that steadied him.

His mouth curved in a soft arc, a mask wore sparingly, but under it was the kind of warmth that rarely surfaced.

 

[Srina Talon]

Tag: Madrona A’Mia | Lysander von Ascania | Taeli Raaf
Location: Brosi [The Grove]
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She was distracted.

Not on purpose…It was the insistent tugging on her wrist that drew fathomless eyes downward with a bead of amusement. She could not yet understand what it was that the former Neti-Seedling wished of her, but it didn't seem fond of her attention being focused elsewhere. The tree and its roots had no concept of hierarchy or any human constraints. It did not think as they did—but far more abstract.

Trying to follow it was like watching pictures made of shifting cloudwork.

Srina moved her other hand over the roots and vine that tightened on her skin to an almost uncomfortable point, patting them as she might a child gearing up to throw a tantrum. It kept the tree complacent while the Hordemother made her approach, nature incarnate, with every movement an act of verdant elegance. When bowed to…Her swanlike neck bent respectfully, returning the gesture. It was not quite a bow…But it was how the Echani had learned to show deference.

Quite like Madrona A'mia…She bowed for no one.

Not even the Emperor.

"Thank you. I can see that the little one has been quite busy…He has grown colorful in behavior."

He. It was a strange thing to denote gender to something that was truly genderless…But in the back of her mind, she pictured a young boy causing his own brand of planetary mischief. For that—She blamed Darth Caedes with a certain level of fondness. It wasn't that she was entirely aware of his history, but for a certain impishness that both secretly (or not so secretly) resonated. After all, who else could it have come from?

Revna was a proper Sith Acolyte and Srina…Well…Everyone knew that Srina had no idea what "fun" looked like outside of a swordfight. The Empress remained quiet while their host spoke with a certain enthusiasm that Srina found curious. It wasn't that it was entirely unusual, more so that it was impossible for the alabaster woman to imitate. Her face did not emote that way. Her lips did not curve so freely—And her voice never had that lofty bubble of joy.

It was fascinating.

Gold-hewn orbs switched to The Student when her title again rang it the air. It was common enough that she should have been quite used to it over the years, but it still felt like a yoke. Perhaps, she would never acclimate to it. "I would ask, if it does not offend, that all of you simply refer to me as I am while we are here. Srina will suffice."

She paused, brow furrowing…They might think they had done something wrong.

"I hear it so infrequently…I forget the sound."

Even if the truth was layered…It was exceedingly true. She had heard every manner of Empress or Empress Talon snarled, screamed, chanted, and praised but Srina hardly seemed to exist.

"I am pleased to meet you formally."

She had crossed paths with Madrona A’Mia and @Taelie Raaf before but Lysander von Ascania was new to her sphere. The softness he held for the Hordemother was noted with some degree of interest…The attachment they held to their young was transparent. Dangerous in certain circles but while on Brosi…They were safe as houses. "A student who survives their first war is rare…", Srina spoke softly, watching Lysander, as if he were a puzzle to be solved. "A student who listens afterward…Is rarer still."

Her gaze moved to the Lady of Secrets to give her the same nod of her head that she had offered the Hordemother. Being that Darth Carnifex had such faith in her…Srina had followed suit long ago. There had been a moment not long ago that they might have come to odds in dealing with the perpetrator of a certain kidnapping—but fate had swallowed the scenario before she could intervene.

"Brosi appears to have been transformed. We arrived with a seed and a few prayers…You have encouraged him to thrive. Have you experienced any complications with Imperial remnants?"

Pragmatic as always…She moved toward the reason for their visit. While it was a sight to behold, her mind seemed to hold the logical assumptions of a droid. Few were so pleased to see her. Even fewer were pleased to see Lady Raaf arrive in her wake. It spoke of a split spectrum where the result was either very, very good—Or nightmarishly awful. "They have been suspiciously…Silent."

Srina still thought the battle had been won too easily. Too few casualties. Too low effort from the enemy. Attacking the Holy Worlds was a strategic point designed not to break their territory but to debase moral. To break their spirit. It was a tactic Srina could respect; however, it had been poorly executed. Were they really that inept? Or was there more to come?

Time would tell.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Madrona A’Mia Lysander von Ascania Srina Talon
​

She would offer the Neti a small smile as she welcomed both herself and the Empress to her grove, although she certainly noticed the enthusiasm. It would appear that she had a fan in the Neti Sith, something she had noticed beforehand during an Assembly session where she had spoken to A'mia and Darth Nefaron briefly. A'mia had an admirer in Taeli too so far, and if her work continued to as it was with Brosi and this tree of creation, that would only grow.

Her gaze would shift to the acolyte, acknowledging his formal bow and greeting with a similar inclination of her head as Srina's. She had never been one to insist upon such displays, she had always found them unnecessary unless one was within a formal occasion such as the Assembly or a diplomatic gala or some such, but in this quiet grove, surrounded by the life that was the Seed, the formality seemed superfluous. Still, at least it showed that there was some hope among the younger Sith that manners could be taught to them. This generation... there was an internal sigh, but her face betrayed none of that exasperation, settled as it was into that small smile not uncommon from a master offering praise to a pupil. She also knew her arrival, as of late, had been a portent for... disciplinary action and one could assume that her arrival, plus the Empress, was either a harbinger of doom or the first signs one was about to be elevated. There really wasn't an in-between there.

"At the moment, Srina, the vast majority of Imperial remnant forces have pulled back to Minntooine," she would say quietly. "They seem to have left the Caldera for the moment."

She didn't expect these Imperials to have given up after just one attempt to break the vassal state of the Holy Worlds had failed. No, they were planning something or at least learning from their mistakes for the next attack. Of course, it was also allowing the Sith to further fortify and move resources into the Caldera thanks to the legislation she had advanced with Prazutis and Taeli herself would hope they had more tricks up their sleeves. She hadn't joined the battle at Brosi until late, and she had not made her presence known. Other Sith had likely done the same.

"I myself am curious about the capabilities of this Psilofyr. Perhaps you could elaborate upon those for me, A'mia?" While her question was directed towards the Neti Sith, there was also plenty of opportunity for the apprentice to also offer his appraisal.

 

[Madrona A’Mia]

Of your own merit too, came the silent acknowledgement as to Lysander's earned place within the grove— ushered by neti but agreed upon by the vast ocean of Psilofyr's mind.

That wide ranging consciousness, which was unusually fixated upon their current location and particularly enraptured by Srina's presence.

Well pleased with her student's show of manners, A'Mia watched and listened intently while the others spoke. She allowed a beat of silence after each of their additions, ensuring that in her eagerness she didn't speak out of turn. Privately, she reflected on how interesting it was that the Empress outwardly expressed herself in a way that A'Mia so often internally felt.

Her alabaster expression like that of a beautiful statue and devoid of the same emotions whose absence so often made others uneasy. A'Mia had corrected her behavior in the direction of disarming, in the attempt to fit in and hide her colder nature. But the fierce little leader of Sith seemed to use that same uncanny inscrutability to her advantage.

How interesting, the neti noted offhandedly in the privacy of her mind.

"Yes, of course— Srina and Taeli, if I may?"

Her singsong intonation carried across the glade they stood in, and somehow seemed to travel down into a nearby fen, as if Psilofyr himself ushered word of their arrival across the verdant landscape in celebration.

"As you say, the Imperial foe has pulled back for now— even as their corpses feed this glorious new beginning. We make ready for the inevitable incursion of their forces or others upon the Caldera. And to your question! There is much yet to learn about the little one but what we do know is nothing short of wondrous."

With a sweep of her hand, the arboreal woman bid they walk onward, deeper into the grove which had steadily grown more lush even as they completed their greetings. Plant growth had slowed somewhat since the initial ritual but it seemed to continue slowly progress before their very eyes.

"No complications per se, but definitely some anomalies. Just around the bend here you'll be able to see where an old industrial district used to be. The plague ravaged this area first, and the fighting wasn't any less gruesome."

Indeed, the somewhat enclosed glade they traversed soon opened out to a pathway that provided views of the densely wooded landscape on one side and what once had been a city block on the other. Buildings were in disrepair and some had succumb to ecological succession— brought down by the weight of vines, ferns, and other such things.

"There you can see where memories of the fallen are being brought back to serve some new purpose," she pointed at some humanoid figures sprouted from the recent battlefield.

"Other such organisms have been spotted too, springing up as if from nothing to create new flora and fauna, sometimes hybrids. I theorize that Psilosfyr is making ready in his own way— as with any colony, the workers must be robust enough in number first. But soon I anticipate the creation of warriors. After all, there are powerful memories of conflict to be drawn upon."

She continued moving them along, their trajectory sloping them up a slight hill where the vantage point would be better. A'Mia continued her summary of what was known about the new landscape of Brosi.

"Psilofyr's abilities range from the more mundane, such as food and fiber production, to the more advanced, such as innate immunities to disease and the creation of new species, both zoological and floral. I am still seeking to understand communicative capabilities, however the presence of mycorrhizal network leads me to believe that planet wide communication will be possible. Communication that, by its very nature, would be encrypted against those unfamiliar and couldn't be disrupted or intercepted in the same way technology can."

Their steps brought them to the crest of the slope and A'Mia turned to survey the grove below. A flat area of freshly disrupted soil could also be seen beyond that, just a few hundred yards past where those strangely woven forms were growing. Numerous droids appeared to be clearing old wreckage and digging out an area where new foundations could be laid.

"I seek dominion here. On behalf of the Order, I wish to safekeep Brosi— to tend Psilofyr as he matures, and grow this place from a mere mining planet, into something of an oasis. The Caldera has much to contribute to the Sith at large, more than that though, we that reside upon the Holy Worlds have an opportunity for self sufficiency as of yet unimagined."

She turned then to collect the gazes of her guests, voice growing contemplative.

"We broke ground mere hours ago, where a new laboratory will soon be built. And life springs forth every hour, life which needs to be studied and guarded. There are also endless opportunities for mutation that I've only just started wrapping my mind around. In short, I ask for your support to govern here."

A'Mia straightened up and completed her request.

"The mines will remain operational, new medicines and materials will soon be in production, and great discoveries await me as I commune with Psilofyr. Will you support my bid for Brosi? That I might achieve these results?"

Lysander von Ascania | Taeli Raaf | Srina Talon​