A Common Mystery

[Kay-Larr]

~Royal Palace~​

~Chasin City~​

~Commenor~​

Kay made sure that she got a bit of a break inbetween her meetings and appointments. While some would take the time to train or to study, she took the time to unwind and lose herself in one of her mystery holonovels, curled up in one of her cozy chairs in her office . This particular story that she was hooked on happened to be about a haunted castle that served as a hotel. Various people found themselves trapped, each slowly getting killed off one by one. It was a dark tale, but interesting nonetheless. She was used to being around Darkness as well as the Light.

She sipped her tea just as her assistant Olivia chimed in over her communicator. ~My Lady, your next guest, the Prophet from Malachor and Katarr has arrived.~

"Send him in please."

Kay shut off her datapad and got out of her chair quickly, moving carefully to not spill her tea as she ran around her desk and plopped down on her chair. Getting too absorbed in her novel had caused her to lose track of time. She shrunk down her Force signature to that of a small tree nut as she always did around strangers. Only a few knew of her well guarded secret and she preferred to keep it that way.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

It was odd how easy it had been to get here. Most worlds would never allow a being like the Mindeater to even set foot on their surface, at least if no one in their ranks was under the influence of the twisted grip his mind could have on lesser creatures. It was a nice change to walk the halls of a government that was generally considered to be legitimate by galaxy without some idiot trying to kill him with a blaster rifle, as well as without the rather brutal death that idiot would find afterwards.

The Prophet kept his presence well hidden under layers upon layers of deception, but it did little to conceal his true nature. What the force might obscured was easily seen even by human eyes, even if most insects lacked the intellect to fully comprehend what he had ascended into. The steps of the eldritch husk left no sound while he made his way towards [member="Lady Kay"]'s office, the metal shell marked by the rust of time and the cracks of war that only made him look even more like a ghost or demon that had risen from the black sea to haunt the mortals chained to the fragile plane of reality. Instead of a face there was only a mask, and below it a fixed, mocking grin that he had chosen to represent him for all of eternity.

When the abomination that casually defied the laws that kept reality together entered the room he made an effort to look as unthreatening as possible. After all this was business, and as much as he would've enjoyed a story in which he killed a queen by giving her an heart attack this was too important for the little games he played to keep himself entertained to counter the endless dullness of the galaxy. The entity offered a formal bow, before speaking, a disembodied, otherworldly echo that blew through the room like a cold breeze.

"Greetings your highness. It is a pleasure to finally meet the famous queen of Commenor in person."

 

[Kay-Larr]

To say that [member="Darth Abyss"] wasn't what she had expected was an understatement. His footsteps made no sound as though he were a ghost. Or perhaps that was just her mind playing tricks on her as she still had the latest chapter in her holonovel at the top of her mind. His armour was unlike any that she had ever seen before. It spoke of power, almost radiated it and she did her best to stifle a shiver as he bowed. His voice echoed in such an unnatural way. Surely it was due to the mask that he wore. It had to be.

Kay bowed her head, putting on a polite smile in greeting. "Famous? Oh I certainly hope not. Fame can bring about a lot of trouble and I've had my fair share already. But it is good to meet you as well, Prophet. Please sit, or stand if you prefer. Can I offer you anything to eat or drink before we start?" She had her tea of course, and figured that it'd be rude to drink in front of him. But given that he was wearing a mask, she doubted that he wanted to partake. Still, she had to be a good host for everyone.

 

[Darth Abyss]

The husk descended onto a nearby chair, placing his empty armor in a laid back postion that projected a false aura of humanity around him despite the fact that he felt absolutely nothing, neither sitting nor standing. It was interesting to see that [member="Lady Kay"] hadn't noticed his condition, or maybe she, like many others before her, simply refused to acknowledge that the dark side could twist nature to the point where dead, cold metal walked among the living. The question if he, the Mindeater, desired something to eat carried such a strange irony in it that he almost allowed himself to laugh, only stopping himself to not have that quite unsettling, dissonant cacophony of broken echoes reach her ears.

"My tastes are rather exotic. I would rather not burden you and your people with the task to find something suitable."

That was a very diplomatic way to say how much he hungered to devour more minds, hers included. The deranged curse had both empowered and crippled him, and at certain times all he was able to think about was to feast on the worthless thoughts and memories of any little insect that crossed his path only for the hunger to stop for a few hours.

"Yet do you mind me smoking in here?"

The sith reached for a dragon shaped pipe from the inside of his robe, the dark, arcane energy that surrounded it lingering in the air around the two. He couldn't truly get intoxicated by anything anymore, but the magical smoke produced by burning korriban incense still had and oddly calming effect of the endless void of his mind.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay watched as [member="Darth Abyss"] sat down, his movements even more strange than the way that he had walked. She knew next to nothing about him, and although she looked at him, she didn't stare.

She picked up her tea and took a sip after he had politely refused. It made her curious as to what sort of exotic food that he liked to eat. Although there were many different types of food that came in through Commenor's ports, they didn't have everything.

As the Prophet inquired about smoking, Kay shook her head a little. "No, I don't mind at all. My doctor for a time was a heavy smoker. I guess that you could say that I had gotten used to it. We all have our bad habits." She gestured towards her tea with a small smile.

Kay leaned back in her chair, cradling her cup in both of her hands. It was time to get started. "Commenor is neutral territory. As such, we treat all sides equally so long as they don't break our laws while in our territory. The wars and conflicts outside of our borders don't matter. There are no fights here among our Embassies, people stick to their own. It helps maintain our economies and keeps them flourishing. So how can we help you and your people?"

 

[Darth Abyss]

The mechanical jaw below the mask opend in a clearly unnatural motion, revealing just the slightest glimpse of the emptiness waiting behind it. Then his lifted his right to lock the pipe between the sharp, rune engraved teeth. With nothing more then the dark side the pipe lit up, slowly burning the exotic incense placed inside of it. To common men the smell would be unpleasant, but those with the gift felt the vibrant, otherworldly properties that were hidden inside the thin grey smoke that danced into the air, emerging from the pipe, his mouth and from the hollow eyes of his mask.

"By burning our enemies."

There was the sound of metal scrapping over metal from his jaw, the equivalent of a chuckle when you had no lungs left to produce any sound even similar to such a simple sign of amusement.

"I am well aware that such alliances are not forged in a single day. For now I would like to discuss the placement of a Free City embassy on Commenor, and obviously a Commenor embassy on Katarr."

Having a embassy on a world such as Commenor was a first step to make the Free Cities of Malachor and Katarr into an officially confirmed independent nation. In theory they cared little if the galaxy accepted them or not, but the attack on Malachor would've been a lot easier if there had been a public outcry, and the following political reaction, over the horrors that happened there.

"Further I would like to discuss a treaty for trade between our nations. The Free Cities have much to offer, including exotic, unique technology and exotic art."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Realization of just what she had let walk into her office struck her at the moment that [member="Darth Abyss"] had lit his pipe. The small glimpses of what lay behind the armour that he wore was evident enough as well. The Prophet was quite possibly one of the top most powerful Darksiders that she had come across. Powerful in the way that there was nothing of their prevous life left in him.

As he spoke of Commenor burning his enemies, she slowly shook her head. The Commenori stayed home. They weren't soldiers for hire. Their numbers weren't great enough to wander the Galaxy and fight in other people's wars and to leave Commenor vulnerable to attack. They were neutral to everyone but themselves. People just didn't quite understand that.

His odd laughter gave her enough to know that he was joking.

Her expression lightened as things got underway. She sipped her tea. Another Embassy was a good thing. She didn't know about the attack on Malachor specifically. Kay just knew that battles were fought on other corners of the Galaxy. It was a cycle that never ended.

A trade agreement was another thing. All positive mind you, yet she had to be caregul to not get too much of the same things. That would only lower prices and they would all be at risk of lowering their GDP as a result.

"An Embassy for the Free Cities would be most welcome. That I can agree with easily enough, provided that your people abide by our laws. I'd expect no less from my own people in our Embassies in foreign territories. Now what exotic technologies and artwork does your people possess? And what kinds of goods would your people need from us? We wouldn't want to flood your market with things that you already have."

 

[Darth Abyss]

"My people will respect your laws, and there are no laws in the free cities yours could break."

There was another twisted, jarring chuckle from the entity. The people of Malachor and Katarr couldn't be easily described by any existing system, so they generally called themselves anarchists. Many believed the Prophet to be a tyrant because the people so willingly rallied behind him, but in truth he was the exact opposite. He had no interest in the lives of insects, and so he had allowed them to simply make their own decisions as long as they paid him enough respect. The only times the all seeing eye emerged from the shadows was to make sure that everything would play in favor for his worlds as a whole, and his people knew that well enough to answer his rare calls to act on his behalf.

"Weapons, robotics and cybernetics are our main branches of technology, followed by experimental pharmaceuticals. Malachor also gave birth to a unique style of art, sculptures shaped out of the remains of the past. We are scavengers, and almost all we create is build out of what can gain from those that came before us."

One man's trash is another man's treasure was a sentence that described the people of the free cities almost perfectly. The first of the free cities, Malachor's capital known as the the Tainted city, had been initially build out of the wrecks of the numerous fallen ships that had crashed on the half dead world throughout the ages. Katarr's largest city Defiance had simply been build out of the ruined city they found when they came to the world. Or as the Prophet liked to say: His people could make something out of nothing.

"Katarr still is heavily reliant on off world food. We have the resources to pay for it, but a less expensive deal option would allow us to use them otherwise. Malachor will need various supplies to rebuild once the siege has ended."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

No laws that her people could break in the Free Cities? That could have two different meanings. It could either mean that [member="Darth Abyss"] has faith in her people to always do good, or that his Free Cities have no laws at all. More than likely it was the latter.

Weapons, cybernetics, robotics; all of that they had gained from other worlds. But there was some things yet that they could provide Commenor. " Experimental pharmaceuticals? What do those entail? And I would love to see some samples of the artwork. Perhaps they could reside in some of our buildings, as well as at our University. A great many of our art students will love to study them."

"Katarr is welcome to our food. We can offer the same discounted rate that we do with our allies, including a smaller tariff." She raised a brow at the mention of Malachor being under siege. She had at times worried that the same thing could happen to Commenor. Thankfully they had no enemies to even want to do such a thing. "Who has Malachor under siege and why?, if I may ask? We'll provide whatever help that we can with it's rebuilding efforts."

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Our main focus are psychological applications. The most successful product on the current market is the compound FAI74, commonly known as Faith. It increases the ability of people to forge strong bonds with others."

It was another very diplomatic version of the truth. On a world with now laws many people dabbled in psychoactive substances which paved the way for various designer drugs created and distributed by his own organisation. Not to speak of the deranged combat drugs his scientists had cooked up, horrible chemical weapons that turned those affected into feral maniacs with no concept of reality. Yet this branch was a secret, and those products were only available to a selected few. [member="Lady Kay"] still had to earn such a level of trust.

"I will make sure to send you a small selection of sculptures and instalments from which you can chose."

He already had a few impressive pieces in mind, so beautiful that he had claimed them for his personal collection. His favorite piece was a installation shaped like a sphere just largen enough for an average sized human to stand in. It was build out various small electronic lights from the interiors of the ships that had rained down on their world. When standing inside the sphere would use electromagnetic bending to keep the light out, while the lights formed an exact depiction of the stars above malachor's capital, including their movements according to time and date.

"The Resurgent Empire. They tried to force Malachor into submission during their campaign to subjugate the ancient sith worlds. Since then my people have been fighting their oppression, but through guerrilla warfare and civil disobedience."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow as [member="Darth Abyss"] described the drug known as 'Faith'. Forging strong bonds? Like Force bonds or something else? She had to be careful in her questioning as he wasn't aware of her sensitivity to it, as far as she was aware. "Forge bonds? Is it like a love drug?"

There were very little drugs on Commenor, more so because most had living wages and good lives. Not to mention most of the dealers were now working in the mines up to 30,000 feet below the surface. Some were also sent to Ultimatum for 'volunteer' experiments. Kay had done what she had to in order to stifle the underground market. But nothing was ever foolproof.

She smiled a little, bowing her head as the Prophet spoke of sending some of the artwork to her. She was quite intrigued as to what they looked like.

Then she heard about Malachor's troubles. That made her grow more serious. "Oppressing other worlds...I hope that such a thing never happens here. But your tactics are the same that we would use, I'm sure. Is there a chance that you'll liberate yourselves?" The Resurgent Empire was one of her allies. Yet she couldn't take sides. That would lose her neutrality. It didn't mean that she couldn't help in the aftermath though.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Nothing so simple. Faith has the potential to create long lasting relationships, it does not offer love but a sense of belonging while taking away fear and anxiety. I think the therapeutic possibilities are obvious, but tests also revealed its use when training individuals for high risk jobs that require a diverse group to share absolut trust in each other."

Some people would probably call it brainwashing but in his eyes it was so much more. Faith had to be used carefully to not damage the minds of the users but if done right it could make a random collection of soldiers into a well coordinated unit that worked in perfect unity and balance. In the more lawful parts of space such methods would probably be meet with a lot of criticism, but on his outlaw worlds drugs were as normal as having a drink. The Free Cities was more than a name, it was an idea, a place where everyone had the right to make decisions without anye sort of authority interfering.

He allowed the pipe to light up again through the twisted power of the dark side, allowing his mind to drift through the arcane smoke while choosing his next words. One of the main reasons why he had come here was to add a sense of legitimacy to Malachor and Katarr. They were a lawless bunch that lived by their own rules, but that shouldn't be a reason to deny them their right to sovereignty as it was currently the case.

"For the moment the fighting has stopped. I entered negations with one of their emissaries, but their council has not yet made a final decision for Malachor's fate."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded some as she listened to [member="Darth Abyss"] explain the 'Faith' drug. It certainly had good military applications. Especially when such teams were built on the fly. She wondered if governments like the Galactic Empire were using it or something similar on their cloned soldiers.

All of that was secondary for the moment. First and foremost was the plight of Malachor. "If I may ask, what were the terms in the negotiations? I'm not quite sure of how the Resurgent Empire operates. It would also be useful to know, in case they expand their reach into my territory. And if there's some way that I can help you negotiate your end better, then I would do so. They are an ally of Commenor's afterall. Surely that could hold some sway in your favour." Or so she hoped. The way that she saw it, it wasn't quite taking sides so much as it was playing the middle ground. Talking was cheaper than fighting.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"I paid them off. Yet I assume other worlds would not be so lucky."

Once more the unconformable almost chuckle of the hollow entity could be heard. It was a slight oversimplification of a more complex situation, but in theory that was exactly what he had done. He managed to make the emissary of the Empire see that Malachor would never bow to them, and that the fight would only leave them with dead men and ash. There wasn't much to gain for the Empire from ruling over his world. They could raise a tax and his smugglers would avoid it to the point where they wouldn't even see a single credit.

"I have ways to make money disappear, uncut by taxes and laws. They showed an interest in using that option to have a part of Malachor's wealth flow into their pockets. Why they call us cutthroats will always remain a mystery to me."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. [member="Darth Abyss"] seemed to have had the situation well in hand. Such tactics were something that she would have to keep in mind if ever Commenor and it's territories were in the same plight. Hopefully that'll never happen.

"Cutthroats? Such ways of circumventing taxes is an everyday practice for shrewed politicians. Our own tariffs and taxes for you will be low. And as it would be a bit on the humanitarian side, I could give Malachor an even better deal than that."

She couldn't pick sides, couldn't choose favourites, but when it comes to relief efforts, there were no sides. Kay didn't want anyone to be living without what they needed to survive.

"Is there anything else that you'd need of us? Or any questions?" She had some of her own, but how to ask them without revealing her knowledge of the Force was complicated.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Your offer is appreciated. Even before the siege Malachor was never had much resources to offer, and once the Empire's occupation is removed everything from food to medicine will be in high demand. More than Katarr has to spare."

They had build their world on scavenged and sometimes plundered riches, but these resources were far from infinite. The Prophet and his organisation had the money to balance those shortcomings during times of relative peace, but not enough to balance out the destruction of war. His people would survive with or without the help of Commenor as they always had, but it would cost a them more suffering and hardship while they would lack the strength and resources to prepare themselves for the possibility of the empire's return.

"No, but I can see you have some of your own. Now that the diplomatic part of this meeting is dealt with, feel free to ask them."

This time he didn't simply used his metallic chuckle, but the true, unholy laugh of the Mindeater. It was an almost unidentifiable noise, echoes layered upon echoes of twisted, distorted sounds that formed a dissonant chorus that reached into this realm from far beyond the veil. He was surprised that so far [member="Lady Kay"] had did her best to ignore what he was, normally he state of being was meet with fear or curiosity, and in many cases both.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. Sieges were often a very successful tactic from larger forces in bringing smaller governments to their knees. It was a tactic that she hoped was never used on any of the worlds under her care. "We will do whatever we can. Hopefully it's enough."

Commenor strived to have good relations with everyone. It kept them safe. If everyone had a stake in her worlds, then they wouldn't want to lose it. Nor would they want to upset others that could be allied with them. Who would attack their friends?

[member="Darth Abyss"] gave her permission to ask questions of him. There were plenty, he was right in that. Yet she still felt the need to be diplomatic about it. "Your armour, it's quite unique and it modifies your voice in ways that I haven't heard before. What's it's history? Was it your Father's?" Most of the unique items she knew where family heirlooms.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"The man I once was had a father, but his influence does not reach what I am now."

How unsurprising that a queen like [member="Lady Kay"] searched for the history, the path that had lead him here inside his family. For many such an approach would work, royalty or not, but Abyss had left behind his past the day he was called into the ranks of the sith order. His father died and he was reborn, he struggled and fought to stay alive and was reborn a second time as something that overshadowed humanity like a twisted, eldritch entity.

"I am sure you understand that our relationship has not yet grown enough to tell you the whole story, but there a few things I can tell you."

The husk leaned back in his chair, once again allowing his metal jaw to open as he reached for the pipe to refill the incense inside. It would hopefully enough to make her understand that he wasn't a man wearing an armor, but an creature existing on an entirely different level of existence.

"I was once a young sith that called himself Abyss. The One Sith recruited me during the height of their power, and I was blinded by the strength of armies and empires. Yet the longer my blade served them, the more I understood that there a truths far greater than anything this plane has to offer. When the empire fell I decided to seek these truths. My body grew unable to withstand the powers I had summoned through my search, and so I left it behind. Now I can see more than any living thing, future, past, present, the realm of the dead, nothing remains a mystery to me."

 

[Kay-Larr]

What he is now....

He certainly wasn't an average Force user, that was for sure. And it didn't take much to know what side he leaned towards.

Kay nodded as [member="Darth Abyss"] let her be aware that she didn't earn the right yet to know much about him. The feeling was mutual. She too had her secrets that she kept close to her chest. Did she want to test him and see just how much that he could see about her? No. She didn't want him to try.

"The One Sith once occupied Commenor, though after it's collapse, the few that were here had no interest in staying. I was elected as it's leader after that. I don't think that any have returned ever since. But I could be wrong."

And she knew what it was like to die. The number of times that she died during her abduction were too many to keep track of.

"It sounds as though you have gone through much. So what keeps you going? What drives you now?"

 

[Darth Abyss]

"I have my worlds. They are my legacy in this plane of existence. Bastions of absolute freedom the stand against the ages."

The question what drove him was an interesting one. The answer had to be divided into two categories. On one hand there were the goals of Abyss. A scholar that desired insight into the forces that ruled the happenings of the galaxy on an entirely different level of existence. A Prophet that had his cities, his own magnus opus, to care for. A cursed pirate king that hunted arcane artifacts. A sith lord devoted to the calling of the dark side.

Then there was the Mindeater. A being of hunger and destruction, hidden deep inside the void. The Mindeater wanted to consume all knowledge and all mind until there would be nothing but it left. It was the true reincarnation of the ancient Darth Nihilus, the original lord of hunger, awaiting a time of great darkness emerge from the emptiness to bring chaos to the galaxy.

"I am also a scholar. I studied the force like few besides me. My desire if to fully understand how it is connected to time. The future and the past can be perceived, on my level of existence to a quite complete extend. I theorize that there should be a way to manipulate time by manipulating the probability of certain timelines by altering connected events. With enough insight it might even could be possible to influence probability itself to manipulate the flow of time without physical actions."

It was a test. What he had just told her was a power that very few humans could fully comprehend. To most it would sound like the ramblings of a madman, but someone that understood time, either trough the force or through science, would understand what it meant to hold such power. How [member="Lady Kay"] would react would tell him more about her without even asking.

"Another subject I recently began to explore is the realm of the death. I have found a way to traverse through the nether at any given time, by combing the magic of the Nightsisters with the alchemical arts of the sith."