Private A Study in Falsehoods

[The Amalgam]

Wearing: Resistance Epidermis

Armed with: Skin Shears (Purple Split-Saber)

Objective: Establish partnership with Darth Acharon

Korriban System, Post Invasion.

Kar Shian, Moon of Korriban


This was outrageous. The Holy World of the Bogan desecrated by filthy Jedi.

The Worm Emperor's words were what drew her back to Korriban in the aftermath of that humiliating defeat. How many treasures destroyed. How many secrets forever lost?

The Amalgam had searched the Dark Side in the aftermath. Her daughter Maple Harte had been injured in the fighting and had been captured, now a Prisoner/Guest in her temple. Her wounds were treated, and the Amalgam had delighted in both giving her a tour and psychologically torturing her with the sickening acts of cruelty and evil on an hourly basis.

She thirsted for payback on the Order, and knew it was time to finally step up her own war against the Light. She needed powerful allies for that. An ambitious Sith Lord looking to expand the fledgling empire of the sort the Worm Emperor encouraged.

She waited in her damaged but still hidden headquarters, which had survived the devastation. Her cult of white catsuit clad witches had just finished conducting repairs to the interior and exterior of the large, sterile white Pyramid that served as a temple to the Brain Demon. It had already been damaged in her fight against her daughters after she had spearheaded the attack on Castagne. Such fun that day. They were busy sacrificing captured civilians to reconsecrate the tomb

The Amalgam sat on a simple white throne, her daughter Maple, lost more and more to her schizophrenia, stood there next to her in tattered, dirty looking black and white armor, a neural disruption collar around her neck. Her eyes, one the sulphur of the Sith, the other a wet green darted about as she battled her episodes, struggling to remain coherent.

The Amalgam waited. She wanted an Alliance, but she also had to appear a force in her own right, and much could be gained in joining Forces. His great ambition and military resources, her unholy magics and decades upon decades of knowledge in the Darkness...it was a match made in Hell. And it had candies sprinkled on it!

The Amalgam spared a glance at her delusional but powerful daughter. Maple, whose real name was Uri Udinia, refused to look back at her.

Just as well. She had plans for her dear daughter, plans that would help cement the hold of the darkness over her.

"I'm impressed that you finally had nerve to kill a Jedi to protect yourself..." the nigh impossibly beautiful SithSpawn said in a whisper, watching the witches conduct their slow, torturous murders of the innocent, drinking in their suffering and strengthening herself and the unholy magics of the temple. They were behind soundproof forcefields of course. All that screaming would make for rough conversation. Maple struggled not to be sick at the depravity she witnessed, but the images would haunt her forever.

"Feth You." Maple sneered in hatred.

"We'll purify your soul yet, my dear Uri..." The Amalgam chuckled as she awaited Lord Archeron, the Evil Minds inside of her giving her a writhing, seething corruption in spite of her nigh impossibly beautiful, light catsuit clad looks, the channeling of the Dark Side occasionally making the flesh on her face and underneath the suit warp and bubble.

"We'll find you a nice selection of personas to enhance you dear. We just have to push you over the edge...but first, there is a guest we must meet, and, if he is worthy, shall accompany us on an ambitious mission of revenge..." the Witch teased. "We will began a great strengthening of ourselves and shall be enshrouded in the Darkness...slaughtering the followers of the light and eating their souls..."

 

[Darth Acharon]

The fall of Korriban had come as...a surprise, Darth Acharon supposed. Recent galactic affair had shown that the formerly thought impenetrable borders of the Sith Empire were not as immovable as once thought. That said, the fall of Korriban, a world that held significance to all Sith no matter their allegiance, had been surprising. He had not expected the Galactic Alliance to be bold enough to make such a strike into the heart of Imperial space. He had to give them credit for that, at least. The respect he felt for them was dwarfed in comparison to the debt they now owed to all true Sith across the galaxy.

In time, all debts had to be paid.

He had been on Korriban for the meeting heralded by the Worm Emperor when he received a communication from an unknown entity. The message had been brief, with only the invitation to a meeting, and a location. All things considered, Darth Acharon had little to lose by humoring his curiosity. He was not needed back on Ailara immediately, and had the time to meet this individual. So, shortly after the end of the gathering, Acharon had departed Korriban for the moon of Kar Shian, not a long trip, but long enough that the suspense and curiosity Acharon felt only grew.

When he finally arrived to the meeting location, he was confused at first by the lack of any visible structures or locations of note. This itself would not have been too strange if he could see who it was he was supposed to meet waiting in that empty space, but in this case it was truly empty. Grunting, he departed the small transport and walked to the designated coordinates, glancing around. He could certainly feel something nearby, and after several minutes of search, he was able to find the entrance to the underground base.

When he finally came face to face with The Amalgam seated upon her throne, the curiosity he felt only increased. Glancing around the chamber he was in, Acharon took note of the various warriors spread out in all directions, and his left hand drifted to rest on the saberstaff hidden beneath the cloak he wore. Walking across the floor to stand before the throne the woman he guessed invited him, he spared a quick glance to the chained and collared woman beside the throne. When he finally spoke, his voice was distorted through the helmets voice box, coming out as a graveled, resonating tone.

"Who are you...and why did you invite me here?"

 

[The Amalgam]

"Welcome, Lord Acharon..." The Amalgam said pleasantly, bubbling, shifting flesh from channeling the Darkness of the temple through her distorting otherwise gorgeous features.

"Quite the new era we've entered, isn't it? Everyone scrambling to be the Masters of their domain that they were always meant to be. I am known as The Amalgam..." the Amagam explained affably, admiring how the Darkness had made Archeron beautiful to her perceptions in the Force. "I am the Matriarch of a Powerful Coven of Dark Side Witches. I have much in the way of wisdom regarding the Darkness."

"Psycho..." Maple said very quietly under her breath, though even she could feel something different about Archeron. Maple AND The Amalgam had him pegged as an ambitious, powerful new blood in seconds.

"And I have had my eye on you for a while. Conquered your own planet. You got in on the ground floor immediately. You have ambition. You could go further...with someone like me participating in the maintenance of your rule and its conquests..." she said, standing up, flesh shuddering everywhere on her in disgusting, grotesque ways as she strode forward to him, stopping a few feet from him.

"I know many terrible secrets of the Dark Side. Secrets that beg teaching to those who I deem worthy. Just sensing you, I am quite confident you are the sort of Ally I could show these secrets to. For it is the way of my cult to corrupt, or corrupt further. To teach the Darkness to any who are worthy. But I must have full confidence in you. You see..." the melting, bubbling monstrosity said as it circled him, the rotting corruption it exuded choking the very air with the Dark Side, saturating the temple in hate and fear with her very presence. "I have an ambitious plan for revenge on the Jedi. I plan to destroy one of their Praxeum starships, filled with dozens of Jedi, using only three to kill many. But the three who attempt it must be very powerful Darksiders able to rely on extreme subterfuge and stealth, for deceit is the way of the Darkness. Should you prove worthy on that mission, I will be willing to truly enter into a full alliance, and show you my secrets, while my cult acts as an intelligence wing for you. You in turn, make my cult's Dark Side teachings part of the state religion. But in order for me even to be willing to take you on that mission, I must have total, unquestionable proof of your strength in the Dark Side..."

A White Catsuit Clad Twilek Witch with blue skin and sulphur eyes stepped through the soundproof field where the horrific ritual sacrifices were being conducted. Her flesh wriggled from channeling the darkness of the temple also, activating a spinning inquisitor type Lightsaber with red blades. Her aura was extremely corrupt also, but it didn't touch the dark nexus within the Amalgam.

"She is a high ranking member of this cult. If your strength in the Darkness can suppress and overcome hers and kill her, I will welcome your presence on my mission. She will try to kill you, obviously..." The Amalgam said, taking a seat on the throne.

"If you are even half as strong as you seem, this should be easy. Begin when ready..."

The Witch with the spinning red blades held out her hand in an attempted Force Insanity use on Darth Acharon , trying to break his mind with the Darkness on the Spot.

(OOC: Defeat her how you please just don't make her a pushover lol)

 

[Darth Acharon]

Acharon turned his head slightly as The Amalgam rose from her throne, her body shifting seemingly just beneath the surface. He narrowed his eyes beneath the helmet, extending his senses out around him as she approached. He did not think himself of much importance, relegated to a backwater world to rule over. The fact she was aware of him put Acharon on edge far more than her unusual appearance. He did not move, however, as she began moving across his vision. To do so would expose him to her followers spread out around the rest of the room.

Granted, if they had wanted him dead, they could have easily ambushed him when he entered, but it never hurt to stay aware of ones surroundings. What did pique his interest, however, he did have his reservations. While he was not opposed to the thought of an alliance, especially with one who evidently had strong resources to support her, he was not committed to the idea of allowing the religion of a cult to become dominant on Ailara. It was often through religion that subversion found the easiest avenue. The loyalty of the cult one day could lead to insurrection months or years in the future, when the state and religious leaders begin to disagree.

What she was offering to him was a live explosive, and there was no way of telling when, or even if, it would go off in his face. He had little time to respond though before the crazed woman before him gestured for one of her disciples to step forward, and ordering the two of them to fight to prove his strength. A sneer spread across his face, annoyed at the prospect of this unknown woman insinuating his weakness until he could prove otherwise. Such was the way of the Sith, true, but it was still rude.

His saberstaff was in his hand almost the moment the witches' blade ignited, and he shifted his body into a low combat stance. He felt the attack on his mind before he saw the witch move, his mental barriers crying out from the pressure, but standing firm. "You think that a good trick, witch? I have stood in the presence of Carnifex, and felt the mental will of the Worm Emperor. Your ploy has earned you nothing but a slow death." Lowering the point of his saberstaff, Acharon pointed it to the ground at the witches feet, and gave a sharp, downward gesture.

The ground beneath the witch cracked from the Force energy Acharon sent, throwing off the witches balance. In that brief instant, Acharon was on top of her, his saberstaff slicing through the air. He gave the witch credit, she was skilled. Even after the sudden change in positions, she was able to deflect his first few strikes, rushing backwards as Acharon continued his advance.

The witch flipped backwards as Acharon launched a quick series of flowing attack, hoping to force her into a corner against a pillar at the edge of the room. Instead, the witch leaped vertically into the air nearly twenty feet. She landed sideways, her feet strike the pillar for just long enough to allow her to push off. She hurtled back towards Acharon, raising her blade up and activating its rotating defense. Acharon stared at her for a brief moment, before reaching up with one hand. As she plummeted through the air, Acharon caught her with the Force. Before she could react, Acharon jerked her down, away from his original trajectory, straight onto the end of his saberstaff he lifted into the air. The two pieces of the witches body landed on either side of the Sith warrior, and he turned his attention back to the Amalgam.

Reaching out, he pulled the dead witches blade to his hand, igniting the blade and holding it at the ready, raising his still ignited saberstaff as well. "Have I passed your little test? Or would you like me to kill anymore of your followers..."

 

[The Amalgam]

The Amalgam cackled in delight as Darth Acharon displayed his power and skill in slaying the Elite Witch. Her flesh wriggled violently as her dark presence reached out and drew the screaming, invisible soul of the witch into herself, feasting on its parts and minds.

"Well, done, Lord Acharon!" She laughed, going full Palpatine for a second. "You are definitely the sort of powerful ally one wants. I propose you joining me in this mission of glorious vengeance. There is a Jedi Praxeum ship filled with over two hundred and fifty Jedi very close to Sith Space. I will show you ways to conceal yourself both physically and through the Force, so that once you are aboard with me and my...protege" The Amalgam said after a moment, staring at a scowling Maple.

"...you will become very difficult to track as you work to sabotage key systems. I can also teach you to fake a Light Side Aura. I will bring you in pretending to be a Jedi aligned business woman. I'll be in just as much danger as you will at this point, so no need to fear me betraying you, for it could very well mean my own neck if I did. The point is...we are going to kill every single Jedi on that ship...and if you do exceptional there...I may reveal more of my knowledge to you..." The Amalgam said to Acharon pleasantly, skin setting into place as she ceased fully channeling the temple nexus. The murders and sacrifices behind soundproof Force Fields continued unabated...and it was clear by the way the Amalgam didn't bat an eye at any of it that she was enjoying what she watched.

Maple for her part was curious as to how the Amalgam planned to do it. She knew how devious the Amalgam was at an operation because her False Jedi Self, Ursula Sandraven, had been devious at Operations.

Maple didn't bother looking at her nigh-impossibly beautiful appearance, because the rotting nexus of evil, sadistic minds inside were nigh-impossible to ignore. How could she have not seen it as a Padawan? Truly, the magic protecting the Amalgam was crafty and powerful...

Acharon likely 'would' become powerful taking the Amalgam's knowledge...and equally as much a blight as she, the Bounty Hunter mused, thankful the neural disruptor kept her from feeling the evil of the temple, the suffering of the innocent people being murdered in silence all around them...

 

[Darth Acharon]

Acharon held his combat ready position for several more seconds before pushing himself back up to his full height. Deactivating the two weapons in his hands, he tossed the dead witches blade to the side and reached across his body with his right arm, clipping his saberstaff to his left side. This woman was insane, he realized that now. Oh she was clearly intelligent, cunning, and certainly an accomplished fighter, but the insanity he could see and feel within the Force surrounding her were unmistakable.

This was hardly anything new, especially among the Sith. But, Acharon had to figure out whether or not the plan she put forward leaned too far into the realm of insanity, or whether it was a stroke of genius. At the moment, he knew which way he was leaning. "Three of us against near three hundred Jedi. Your confidence is to be commended, but even a being as powerful as you, supported by me and this other, are not going to be able to defeat three hundred Jedi. Even if they don't see us at first, the odds are stacked against us."

Turning his head, Acharon took in the rest of the room, folding his arms across his chest. "Are you certain there are no other targets?"

The Amalgam

 

[The Amalgam]

The Amalgam smiled, leaned forward in her seat, the flesh on one side of her face bubbling slightly as her body metabolized the temple's dark energy. Maple wanted to be sick just looking at it. She half hoped Darth Acharon hadn't eaten anything, because watching how unnatural a Sith Spawn's flesh could be was enough to turn almost any stomach...

"But Lord Acharon, they 'will' see us. See me as a legit Light Sider. And see you as more helpless than you really are. That's the genius of it. We'll be right there, and they'll think they have the upper hand when a supposed Lightsider brings two captured enemies to them. They'll be so focused on catching the two of you when I arrange for your inevitable escape they will ignore the surprise I bring them while you destroy critical systems. We do this correctly, efficiently and with precision timing we'll only fight a few at most to kill many. But your devotion to the Dark must be without question. A true test of your prowess. Think of The PR victory. The Conquerer undertakes a daring raid on a Jedi Praxeum to avenge the wounds Korriban suffered at the hands of Jedi Scum. You'll win great respect, and greater fear, which will gain you great power. Plus..."

The Amalgam lounged slightly on her throne.

"You'll be considered a badass. Being Badass is like Forty percent of what a Sith needs for success. Vader? Badass. Maul? Badass. Tyrannus...Crusty Old Badass."

She smiled, dead purple eyes glimmering with the Dark Side and amusement.

"Dare to be badass with me, Acharon. Otherwise...you're not having the real fun..."

"She's got a weird sense of fun..." Maple grumbled, sulking.

"Oh, hush you!" The Amalgam scoffed mildly at her 'Daughter' before turning to look at Acharon. "She has such tame methods of fun. Turned into a complete icebox when it comes to killing for amusement. Its so annoying. What say you, Acharon? Wanna make a name for yourself and learn about how the true power of the Dark? Or do you want to climb and scrape like so many whose empires might last a year, at most? Its one thing to be king of a planet. But if you are going to be more you must be willing to sieze opportunity. And sometimes the best way to kill them isn't some suicidal standoff, but carefully planned operations and understanding how your enemy thinks and fights, for future reference. Nothing builds skill and strength like dropping you right into the thick of it."

Maple, disturbingly, knew the truth of these words.

It was how The Amalgam had trained her.

 

[Darth Acharon]

Acharon remained silent and unmoving as The Amalgam tried to convince him of this, he was still certain, fools errand. She did not entirely help her case when she started speaking of how "cool" or "badass" this enterprise would be if they pulled it off. For at the end of the day, the big great IF here seemed to far outweigh the rest of her argument. Perhaps they could pull this whole thing off. Perhaps they could take on that many Jedi on their own, which was still under much debate in his mind, and maybe they could get out. But against that many Jedi, a single mistake could very spell and end to their plan, and no one could be perfect two hundred and fifty times in a row.

"Your concepts of fun and excitement are as alien to me as your nature, woman." The single statement carried the annoyance and venom Acharon felt as he turned and began to walk across the chamber. "It is not my way to kill for the sake of killing, to destroy for the thrill of the destruction, or to eradicate life for the mere thought of enjoyment. Every action must have a purpose, every though a logical outcome, and every action a certain level of success that can be properly expected."

He stopped walking then, staring at the broken remains of the witch he had killed to simply prove a point to her former master. "But your plan is not without some reason. But if I am to undertake this plan with you, then I will take one thing in exchange." Acharon turned on the spot, looking back at the Amalgam. "Oh I am not foolish enough to think this was something you came up with on the spot just for me. You were planning this for some time before, and such a victory as you hope to achieve would go a long way towards supporting whatever goals you might have as well. So if I am to go with you on this mission, I will take one thing in return."

"I want the Praxeum. Intact.

 

[The Amalgam]

"Done." The Amalgam said to Darth Acharon . "We'll take the Praxeum intact."

This Acharon continued to impress her. He clearly was full of ambition, like she had predicted. He would need it.

The Amalgam then decided to share her initial wisdom as promised. She stood up, making herself physically invisible with the Force.

"You can bend light around you to create a Force Powered Stealth field. It can fool even the sensors of droids. It will likely be difficult for you to channel at first, unlike me...then again I've had centuries to master it...Move slow to make less disturbance through the air. At greater levels of mastery you can even dampen sound..." the Amalgam explained before ending the effect. She then dampened her presence in the Force to that of a microscopic organism, making her nearly impossible to detect, even at close range.

By removing and converging all traces of your presence in the Force inward, you can remain almost completely immune to being sensed for a relatively short amount of time, due to how new you will be to it. Powers are like muscles. They must be worked..." the Amalgam added. It was essential Acharon knew and could utilize the first two parts of what he would need for this mission to sieze an intact Praxeum. She hoped her daughter was paying attention as well.

Truth be told, though Maple was sworn to kill her, The Amalgam was using her current status as Prisoner and Quasi-Slave to spend time with her in a twisted way. She hoped to turn her to the Darkness by forcing her to help, and she had placed enchantments to make it very difficult for Maple to resist commands. Painful, even.

But Acharon was the current issue. It wasn't good to go into long, drawn out lessons with these types. They did better when you gave them the basics and let them work the rest out on their own. Not that The Amalgam didn't enjoy long lessons but they had to be really good, important lessons. Teaching stealth powers was more like showing someone how to work a new utility, and rarely warranted such an approach. Long winded philosophy was best used for long discourses on the Dark Side, which infused her very being. She stopped hiding her presence.

"Show me you can do what I just demonstrated, Darth Acharon...you did so well turning one of my better underlings into steak chop, so this should be a breeze." She stated smoothly.

"Do you ever get tired of being a smug, insufferable ass?" Maple growled from behind. "Trust me, Darth. She's crazy. Real Crazy. But its not the crazy you should worry about. Most of the people you encounter are crazy. Most of the people you likely work with are varying degrees of batchit. No...with her? Its The Evil you gotta worry about. The sadism's a close second."

"Oh, my protege loves to serenade me with such ringing endorsements!" The Amalgam gushed comically, flipping Maple off while the Bounty Hunter only scowled back.