Private A Dark Pact

[Darth Nefaron]

It was easy to hide in the dark corners of space.

To find a system removed from major hyperlanes and lacking anything of real value.

Anoat was such a system. It was from Anoat that Darth Nefaron would have his war.

But not yet. Not until the shadow was ready to fall across all the galaxy.
​

This was the primary reason that the Corpse Lord had accepted an invitation from an old ally, from the days when Nefaron began to integrate himself into the broader Sith community and seek out influential allies in the name of furthering his goals. While the methodology had changed, the end goal remained the same. Nefaron now had two Apprentices, a system of his own to command, and a gathering of vast hordes that even as he pondered prepared for a final war to bring the galaxy under the grip of terror. Where Darth Malum had once been his prime adversary, the Dark Lord now found himself a member of the Tsis'Kaar and a close advisor of its master. He knew Darth Malum did not trust him, but Nefaron spoke to the darkest parts of Malum's soul and told him of the great victories he could have if only he were willing to unleash the full horror of the Dark Side. While he was not ready to do so personally, Nefaron provided an excellent outlet to express those dark instincts.

But there was no loyalty. Nefaron was using Malum as Malum used him. Through Malum, Nefaron had a de facto seat on the Dark Council, the only body that could truly destroy his power and influence. While Malum lived and continued to rule, the Lord of Terror would grow his armies and his armada.

This brought the issue of this old ally to the forefront, however. Xeykard, the monstrous Barabel who had aided him in scouring several worlds, had returned and sought an audience. Apparently, Nefaron had slipped, allowing detailed plans for his growing forces to be known outside of the tight circle that had formed around the Corpse Lord. Xeykard could have gone to the Dark Council or one of the rival warlords and put an end to the Corpse Lord's schemes, but instead, he came to Anoat to speak once more with Nefaron. Were it any other being, Nefaron would have had him taken on arrival and brought to his laboratory to become the next horrid creature that terrorizes the galaxy. But a warrior of such skill and power was not to be cast aside, especially when Nefaron may just win his loyalty and service for future plans.

The Dark Lord looked out from his tower, his eyes fixed on the vast fortress complex sprawling out before him. He watched as detachments of his Corpse Legion marched from the gates and toward the vast pits and complexes that had sprung up to support the growing war machine. Great pits spewed black smoke that only choked the atmosphere further, the product of vast forges and mining efforts. This was but one part of the great operation that the Corpse Lord was carrying out, for hidden in the asteroid belts of the Anoat system were the new dockyards that had been given to Nefaron by his new ally in the Droid Warmarshal Helix. They produced terrible new vessels, vessels that would be needed for the coming war.

Xeykard could lead those legions. He could command those vessels.

Or he could be ground into dust by them.

"Master, we are detecting an unknown vessel entering the Anoat system."

​

The voice of Nefaron's droid's seneschal, DD-421, brought the Dark Lord back into his own body.

"Ah, then my guest will arrive shortly. Prepare a detachment to meet him in the main hangar. Escort him to the audience chamber; I shall attend to him there."

"Yes, Master."

Oh yes, Nefaron would sit on his throne and greet his old friend. It would be from that throne that Nefaron pronounced judgment, for Xeykard must make his choice. He could join Nefaron's alliance and ensure the end of all hope in the galaxy, or he could be destroyed as yet another reactionary who wished to maintain the corrupt order.

Nefaron believed he knew what choice Xeykard would make.

TAG: Xeykard ​

 

[Xeykard]

Xeykard had thought a star destroyer would be enough. Most worlds, that was sufficient; to the Corpse Lord, a reasonable escort for the warlord.

He had thought little would change behind the Blackwall among the Sith; he thought himself wiser than to underestimated Darth Nefaron.

His meager escort was met with the massed armada above Anoat. The bridge held its breath, a dozen eyes beginning a count of the fleet, finding their efforts fruitless in the face of such a force. Xeykard managed to break them from their stupor, with some difficulty, and soon found himself shuttled towards the surface.

The viewports told the same story; vast swathes of armoured soldiers marching under a singular will, the surface of Anoat blighted by that sole power. Xeykard was afraid of nothing -- to others -- but he understood what he saw. This was what the Sith were meant to do. It tensed his muscles in excitement and terror.

In time, he was led through the throne room's doors, marched up to that vile ruler's foot. This was outside Xeykard's scope; when they had met, their footing had been equal, leading campaigns for new worlds. Now, the Inquisitor was as close to an exile as he'd ever been, and Nefaron lounged on a throne molded to him.

He knelt to naught but one, but Xeykard gave Nefaron something perhaps more valuable -- two knuckles came to his forehead, then his fingers rolled out to the Sith Lord in an old Barabel salute.

"Your works have never failed to impress, Nefaron. Twenty years of war, and this one has less to show for it than a few short years of yours."

Darth Nefaron ​

 

[Darth Nefaron]

“Twenty years spent mastering the battlefield, my old friend, is nothing to scoff at.”
​

Though he sat upon his throne, Nefaron returned the traditional salute with a polite bow of his head, an offering of respect from a position of power. It appeared Xeykard had lost none of his imposing strength, for the mighty Barabel remained as imposing as ever. In the early days when Nefaron’s goal was simply to bring down the House of Marr, Xeykard proved to be a grand ally whose lust for battle and slaughter was immensely useful. But now the Corpse Lord was preparing for something far more grand in scale, if the gathering horde and armada under construction in orbit did not already make that plain.

But Xeykard might yet prove useful once again, even as Nefaron molded two apprentices of his own.

"I must admit my own surprise when I received your message, or should I say warning? Regardless, I heed your wise counsel and will seek to tighten the net of information around Anoat. Few know of the true scale of what is being built here, and I believe that is for the best."

The Dark Lord rose from his throne, his hand extended as a wooden cane found its way into his grasp. Naturally, I was for little more than show, but Nefaron enjoyed appearing more fragile than he actually was. He approached his old ally, the creature towered over him and yet Nefaron found it oddly comforting to be in his shadow once more. He could only hope that Xeykard desired more than to be a simple messenger, for one such as him could prove to be a truly deadly ally in the coming days.

"But you came in person to deliver this message. You came to verify what you learned in person, and so you have. The question is where you are to go from here, for few are allowed to leave Anoat once they arrive."

A mild threat, but in reality, it was pure honesty. Thousands of slaves toiled beneath the surface of the fortress, and thousands more were being twisted into the horrid Corpse soldiers that roamed the vast plains of the ruined planet and prepared themselves for the coming war.

"We should rekindle our past alliance. I know you will never be content to serve as a mere underling to my grand design, so perhaps I might entice you with further power and a seat at the proverbial table when all is said and done? You need only do what you do best."

Nefaron paused for a moment, a bit of sadistic glee coming to his lipless maw.

"Hunt. Kill. Slaughter." ​

Simple, and yet rather enjoyable as far as tasks for a Sith were concerned.

"My Apprentices will one day be powerful Dark Lords in their own right, but they are but mere children regarding their potential. I need someone to lead my forces in the field. Someone who I can rely on to silence those who would challenge the power of Anoat. When I unleash my legions, I need a bulwark of power to take command in my stead."

Enticing as far as offers go, and one very few beings were likely to receive from one such as Nefaron. The Corpse Lord lacked meaningful enforcers like those who serve the great powers of the SIth, and Xeykard was a prime candidate for that position.

"Accept, and we will take this galaxy together. Refuse, and you will never step foot out of this chamber again. I believe we both know what the correct choice is."

TAG: Xeykard ​