A walk within the Sepulcher..... Is that a Statue?

[Yoru Shakou]

The halls were quiet, eerily silent as if the entire complex was dead. There hadn't been much that could have been done, though there was still much that could be accomplished. This sanctuary, this Sepulcher lay deep within the mountains, untouched, hidden away from the galaxy. Few knew of its existence and even fewer knew of its location, while there was even a rare breed that could say they walked among its halls and lay their eyes upon the effigies of the ancient Sith Lords that graced the entrance hall with their presence.

Without a word she walked among them, her hands brushing against the bases of the massive statues as she quietly thought in contemplation to herself. There was much for her to do, and always there was so finite amount of time in order for it to be carried out. The Baroness allowed her eyes to open, those Golden-Yellow hues falling upon the grandest of the statues, a being twisted in tormenting agony, showing the duality of the Dark Side. There was power there, and at the same time there was hate, pain, agony and fear. The Baroness stood before the statue, allowing it to remind her that there was so much that she could gain, and so much that she could lose.

"Will you stay in the shadows spying upon a woman?"

The Baroness spoke, seemingly to nothing more than the air, though she knew whomever was there that they would get the hint, or at least attempt to take her upon the offer of joining her. She did enjoy the small strolls that she had when she moved about the Sanctuary. So few beings had graced it or even knew about it that there was usually nearly nothing more than memories within the halls. At times she had the entirety of the Sepulcher to herself, and she usually enjoyed the solitude.

It wasn't always as enjoyable though, and often her mind would race with questions of the galaxy outside. A mind that she was pushing to be calm and quiet. As ever he faithful watch beast remained with her. The large Nexu remaining quiet as it sat next to her, accepting the constant stroking of the woman's hand upon its head.

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I just might."

Despite his words, the being who spoke them took a step out from the darkness that concealed his being, and dropped the concealment over his Force signature. He was an imposing man, nearly seven feet tall and his body was well-built and muscular. His hair, a mixture of black and gray, cascaded down past his shoulders, and was styled back to keep it out of his face. A ring of facial hair encircled his mouth, and had grown out to be long and thick. His eyes, haunting and brooding, stared down at the smaller woman with the predatory gaze of a hungering hunter, and his mouth curled into an amused smirk as he approached her. He wore a set of regal garb made from scarlet, ebony, and golden silks of the finest grade, and a single duraplast cuirass was affixed around his chest. Upon it were several runes written in the ancient language of the Sith, and in the center sat the snarling visage of a demonic figure beckoning to the burning sky.

The man bowed respectfully, and then explained; "I do apologize for lingering so long in the shadows, but I did not want to disturb your solitude."

[member="Baroness Magrath"]

 

[Yoru Shakou]

With a silent turn, her golden-yellow hues fell upon the towering man, though the fear and imposing figure that others might shy away from seemed not to entirely affect the Baroness. The woman whom had spent much of her life dealing with those that would attempt to intimidate her was more than up to the task of keeping her eyes upon the towering male's and not feel as if she needed to shy away. It was natural though that one in her position would become accustomed to such shows of size, power and strength. After all, her own sign of power was the fact that she had a tamed Nexu at her beck and call, the animal remaining at her side, though its spines stood up slightly, the beast ever so protective of its mistress.

"Solitude is enjoyable, just as much as the company of others. This place though is quite for the moment."

The Baroness spoke as she ran a hand along her gown, stepping towards the large and towering statue that she had been looking up. Her hand reaching out and running along the smooth obsidian of the base. Pressing her hand against it a small compartment opened, her eyes peering into it as it remained empty, though much as she had said, it would remain empty for the moment. Her hand ran along the inside of the compartment before she withdrew it, pressing it back into place.

Throughout the Sepulcher, there were many small compartments such as that, whose location was only known to a few. Each lined with sensor baffling materials to keep their contents protected from theft. This was a haven, and its location close to the Mandalorians and Republic meant that such measures were necessary.

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Agreed. I have often enjoyed seclusion, sealed away from the ignorance of the galaxy around me."

It was no secret that Kaine was one of those Sith that felt like he was superior in every-which-way to the rest of the galaxy, and had the delusion that he knew exactly what the galaxy needed, and that he was one of the elite few to properly govern the sheep that occupied it. He watched the Baroness closely as she walked to the base of the Sith statue, and opened a secret compartment located in it's obsidian base. However; the compartment was woefully empty, as was this entire temple save for them. With a few short steps he closed the distance between them peering first up at the statue, and then casting his gaze down at the smaller noble beside him. "It is a waste that this place remains empty, it should be filled with acolytes and instructors bringing forth the next generation of Sith. Instead, it reminds me of the musty mausoleums of Korriban, now in the clutches of the Republic and their Jedi dogs."

His words were growled with an intense disgust, his opinion on the Jedi just as well known as his opinion on the inhabitants of the galaxy, nay, perhaps even more well known.

[member="Baroness Magrath"]

 

[Yoru Shakou]

"In due time there shall be those that flock here. Yet for now it is better than such a location remaining known only to a few save it fall into the hands of the Jedi."

The Baroness remained facing forward as she slowly pushed the small draw back into its hiding place within the base of the statue. It was her own desire that there would one day be those that would flock to this secluded temple to the Dark Side to dwell upon the teachings of the Sith that had come before them. Yet at the very same time she understood that it must remain a secret to prevent its own destruction from befalling it. For her it was more important to keep such secrets safe than to announce to the galaxy that they were known at all.

"Discretion is the better part of Valor dear Kaine."

She spoke, moving her head slightly to the side as she looked up at the male that towered over her. The Baroness brought her sight back down as she pushed a few wrinkles from her gown, then felt the slight nudge from the Nexu as it made its way back to its mistress' side. Her hand running along its head slowly before she took in a slight breath before exhaling shortly after. For her something still felt wrong, as if something was brewing upon the horizon.

"Perhaps such a time is coming in which this place will be safe from the prying eyes of the Republic. Such a time feels close and yet far."

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Once again, I agree with you, Baroness."

The Sith Lord stood deathly still as his eyes watched the Baroness like a hawk, his mouth impassive save for when he used it to speak, and his hands remained clasped in front of him. His gaze then spied up the tamed Nexu at the Baroness' side, and he couldn't held but chuckle. He too had an affinity for dangerous creatures as pets, and he had kennels filled with the Force-hunting Vornskrs that his Darth name had been derived from, but those within his captivity did not have their whip-like tails removed. He had no fear of their vicious nature, for he knew that he, as a sentient creature and a Sith Lord both, was the superior predator, the apex of all. While there had been some... incidences with those of lesser stock in the care of his vicious creatures, the Vornskr never harmed their master, but would always rather treat him like the alpha male, and cozy up to him when possible, and were extremely defensive of him.

That kind of sentiment also extended to members of his family, as if the animals either knew that the Zambrano family was one of predators, or had been taught to not harm a hair on the royal family. Either or, they were marvelous pets, and his wife simply adored them. "The Republic will soon meet it's end, but even more swiftly the Republic's grasp on former Imperial territory will soon be moot. Even now the Empire strikes out to disrupt trade routes along the Mid Rim, and if the trade lines to the Tion Cluster are cut, then the Republic garrisons stationed there will starve out and collapse. It is inevitable."

[member="Baroness Magrath"]

 

[Yoru Shakou]

There where times when the Baroness would speak, and times when she would listen as she did now. Her mind clear as her hands clasped together before her, the large Nexu sitting up and rushing into the dark corners of the temple, off to find some small vermin that lurked in the shadows. Her golden-yellow hues watched as the beast pounced and tore into a small womp rat, a small grin crossing her lips as the beast stay with its kill, playing with it for a moment.

"The Empire is a great many things Kaine. Its ambition above all is one that must be watched carefully. As it moves to cut off a piece of the Republic, it could find its own forces cut off from its main body."

She took a moment to collect her thoughts, while her eyes remained upon the Nexu. In the more recent months she had watched closely, seen the Empire of the One Sith cutting their way through a swath of Republic territory, while at the same time her own plans continue in the background. The Oligarchy was rising once more, and machines and vessels of war and protection were being churned out the furnaces and fires that lit the many worlds of the system. Bringing her hands together she looked along her finger tips, remembering the soldier that she had easily cut down with a burst of lightning, the one that had the gall to even raise a blaster to her figure.

"When the Republic falls there will be many clamoring to pick the corpse clean and all will fall into conflict. The Mandalorians, the Sith, those of the North, South and East will push towards the vacant worlds in a great clamor. That will be the greatest test for the One Sith in the coming future, to stand against the tide."

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I am well aware of that fact, Baroness."

Indeed he was, for every Sith conquest there had been about twice as many counterattacks on newly acquired Imperial space by the Republic in an attempt to reclaim what was theirs, but each time they were driven back by the impregnable bulwark of the Dark Lord's servants.

"Empress Teta, Alderaan, and Coruscant have faced attack by the Republic forces and their Jedi 'guardians', but we have stood strong and resolute in the face of adversity. We welcome it, we revel in, and even if we are set back we come back, stronger than ever. Look at the mighty history of the Sith, one would say that it is full of defeat, but I see it as a long chain of evolution. With each setback, the Sith regroup and adapt, we grow stronger and we learn. The Exiles were the first to taste defeat against the Jedi, and from their exile they created the Sith Order. The Brotherhood of Darkness was destroyed by Bane so that the Sith could rebuild, and as two we grew strong until the Jedi were at out mercy. Krayt re-envisioned the Sith into the One Sith, and once again we ruled the galaxy."

But, in the end even Krayt faced death, but he had brought forth a while new philosophy that Kaine had adopted eagerly upon discovering it in the archives of the One Sith on Prakith. Krayt, after his revival after the treachery of Wyyrlok the Third, found that, like him; the galaxy must be killed through the violence of war, and then reborn from the ashes like a glorious phoenix. In that glorious rebirth the Sith would need to guide the survivors to a glorious utopia where the Jedi were all but ancient history. Surely, in this era the Sith were getting close to fulfilling that ancient dream, for Kaine had been receiving visions of galactic death, and tremors that shook his muscular body to it's core.

Something on the horizon was coming that would shape the future of all, and Kaine would welcome it gladly.

"This time, the Republic are weaker than ever before, the Jedi Order divided among itself into several sects. Now is the time for the Sith to rise up, and claim the Throne of Balance for themselves."

[member="Baroness Magrath"]

 

[Yoru Shakou]

"If such a lofty goal is that which you have in mind, to claim the Throne of Balance, then such a time will surely turn the Galaxy. I believe that time is coming, it is near, so very near."

The Baroness spoke, then stopped for a moment, nearly as if she were staring off into the future, her eyes remaining still. Quietly she looked towards the darkness of the temple, to the statues of the Dark Lords that came before the Sith. Saying nothing in that moment, she watched as the shadows danced upon each other before forming the figures of the many great Sith whom had their own designs and desires when it came to claiming the Galaxy in the name of the Sith. Slowly a small grin began to awaken upon the Baroness' lips as she stood there, looking into the darkness and watching as the Sith Lords seemed to beckon her to join them.

Taking a step forward, she stopped as the large Nexu rushed up to her, taking its place next to its Mistress' side as the Baroness stood still. Closing her eyes, the golden-yellow hues opened slowly as she let out a breath. That smirk growing ever wider as she seemed to see what the future held, or rather he own vision as the Oligarchy that she so sought to build was spread out across the systems that were currently held by her enemies the Mandalorians and the Republic.

"The time for the Oligarchy to rise is on the horizon. When it does, I shall look to the One Sith and see friends. I will stand with your family, just as the Oligarchy will stand with the Sith."

[member="Darth Vornskr"]