Private Dark Matter

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina had travelled into the void more times than she could count. Stepping into the nether had become second nature, a way to travel long distances in a few steps, portalling through shadows. But she always travelled with a safety net. A guarantee of escape because no matter how familiar you were with the shadows, they could and would lash out when the mood took them.

She was living, and the dead had no love for her.

Lina paused, steadying her breathing, fist tightening around her saber hilts to stop the tremors in her hands that were brought on by adrenaline. Time was strange here, she felt like she'd been running for an age, fighting her way across the darkness. She had felt something in the force shift, her tether to the world of the living snapped and the door she kept open closed. All her safety measures and calculations were made redundant. She had no idea that the galaxies had collided. All she knew was darkness, and the innate fear that came with being hunted.


A high pitched scream, like nails down a blackboard, reverberating in the force made her wince. She pinned its origin to somewhere behind her and she tightened her grip on the unlit sabers in her hands. Igniting them only drew more of them, the red light seemed to enrage them. She'd found that out the hard way.

Lina pushed on, following the tug in the force. She'd been following it for days, uncaring of its origin, only that it may offer her an escape…or a reprieve. Anything was better than fighting ghosts and shadows.

The screech grew closer, ice cold fear rising up her spine. This one was bigger, she could feel it in the force, its anger and hatred so palpable it was like a hot breath down the back of her neck in an otherwise cold world. She broke into a run, footfalls silent in the endless dark, trusting her instinct where her eyes failed her. If she didn't find a way out soon, she would become one of them.

Another scream joined the hunt. And then another. She wouldn't outlast a pack again.

Then she felt it, a pull so hard it seemed to yank around her neck.

Here. Open the door here.

Open it now.

She didn't hesitate, her voice a croak, unused for days, her mouth dry from dehydration but she was far too stubborn to give up, she refused to fall into nothing. The spell she wove drew attention, elongated fingers curled about her ankle burning where they touched only to be dashed away by brilliant red as she ignited her saber. The brief flash of red illuminated her surroundings for a heartbeat. Creatures of shadow, some humanoid but twisted by rage and anger, features stretched and bent out of natural shape, beast's with no eyes and mouthfuls of razor sharp teeth. All of them circling her, readying for the kill.

The fabric between worlds ripped open at her command, a tear large enough for her to squeeze through. Artificial light spilled over her, that was enough for her to know it was safe, or at least safer than remaining here.

Lina dove through, a clawed hand shot after her, scoring deep lines down her back and it tried to grab her, sinking barbed fingers into her soul. A guttural scream slipped her lips, as for a moment she was in both places. A body on its hands and knees, a soul in the clutches of a monster in the darkness.

Rage engulfed her, sabers igniting as she spun them against her foe, its scream mingled with her own as she broke free. Her soul slammed back into place as her body spun, casting her blood at the wound between worlds to seal it.

Then there was silence.

Just her own heavy breathing as she lay flat on her back, eyes blinking rapidly trying to adjust to the unbearably bright lights above her. She could feel warmth spreading underneath her. Was it blood? Probably, but it was hard to tell, she hadn't felt warmth since she stepped into the void.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

All too often Darth Strosius found Himself rushing from one place to another in recent times, always on the move and without much respite between traveling as even time in hyperspace was often spent in meetings of some sort. Between securing His followers new homes and bases of operation amidst the changed galaxy and weathering requests of support for any number of tasks from the wider Sith Order it was to be expected that His plate was rather full as it were. Expected but not at all desired.

Even now He was on the march and hearing reports at the same time, His entourage of officers having to keep up with His long strides down the hall of His newly built flagship the Harbinger of Absolution. A construction that hadn't entirely been His decision in the first place but one that had admittedly made the incessant meetings all the easier to manage given the lack of a primary base for His forces at the moment.

The officers by now had established a sort of sequence of news so as to not overwhelm or confuse their Prophet, each speaking in turn about the various reports they had to present and handing Him a datapad to peruse as they did so. It was a somewhat convoluted affair from an external perspective but one that they had mastered over the course of the past few days as Darth Strosius trekked from one end of the ship to the other to deal with some matter or perform any number of ceremonies for His followers.

To this end they were all quite shocked and even stumbled over themselves when the masked man suddenly stopped in place, right in the middle of one of the corridors. Thankfully none aside from a couple of guards were there to witness the brief traffic jam of the officers as most were at their stations and not in the halls at the moment.

Darth Strosius offered the datapad in His hand back to the confused officer who had just handed it to Him as He cocked His head to the side and back, as though listening for something. The wisps that trailed from His robes had lengthened and unlike their usual habit of floating about were instead pointing backwards specifically. So too was the sensation that He suddenly felt in that direction. It was very odd indeed, like a wind shifting direction with no explanation. Yet it felt familiar almost. Even too familiar.

The officers and to a lesser extent their Prophet jolted when something appeared behind them. It almost looked like a gash in reality itself, a tear hanging in the air that provided little more than a muddled and blurred view of dark shapes and colors within. The guards raised their rifles towards the disturbance as Darth Strosius stepped forward, eyes narrowing behind His visor to try and peer into the tear to see what might lay beyond it. Only for someone to come falling through right as He was about to lean forward.

"...Lady Ovmar?"

How she had managed to appear so suddenly was unclear, the why she had done so even more so, but one thing was for certain. She was bleeding all over His new floors. "Send for medics and postpone my next meeting, we appear to have a guest." Darth Strosius knelt over the injured and seemingly disoriented form of Lina Ovmar, glancing back at the still guards and officers. "And someone fetch a mop." With that they sprung into action, the guards moving out to find the cleaning supplies while the officers began calling for aid at their location.

Meanwhile Darth Strosius looked over His unexpected guest and raised a gloved hand, lightning arcing between His fingers. "I would say it's a pleasure to see you, Lady Ovmar, but you appear to be rather perturbed." Lightning shot forth and wrapped around her body, draping her like a cold embrace as it sought to seal whatever injury was causing the decently sized pool of blood beneath her to grow. Additionally the pale tendrils seeping from His back had maneuvered around, reaching out towards her before He realized they were moving and quickly withdrew them. How peculiar indeed.

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

A pleasure?

Since when had Strosius been so polite to her? She closed her eyes, a snort of derision slipping from her, followed by a shout of pain as lightning seared across the open wounds on her back. They might have reached an accord the last time they met, but she did not expect him to be pleasant. If anything, it took the fun out of their meetings. She gently flexed fingers and toes. Something felt off, though she couldn't quite pin what, and all the while she assessed her state, her brain slowly began to catch up.

Since when was Strosius alive?

Eyes snapping open, she rolled away from him, lightsaber coming up to ignite and hover beneath his chin.
Or at least some part of her did. For a beat, she was looking through two sets of eyes, a set looking up at a mask that she was certain was secure in her home on Corva Yag, the other across from him, balanced like a cat with her lightsaber extended towards him. Shadowy tendrils connected the two parts, one ethereal...the other solid.

The beat passed. With a soft sigh of cold air, she was one again, soul and body reconnecting with agonising force, she stumbled and regained her footing. She did not have the time nor patience to be crippled by something as insignificant as pain. The lightsaber hummed between them. Truth be told, she was in no condition to fight whoever this was. It couldn't be Strosius, she'd seen him scattered into ashes, hell, she was wearing some of them. Whoever this was, it was a trick...or she was still in the nether. Or perhaps she had travelled in time?

The chain around her neck slid from beneath the cover of her blouse, the vial of ash glittering in the light as it pulled towards him. Her limbs shook beneath her weight, but she held fast.

"You are supposed to be dead."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Either He was a much better healer than He thought or Lady Ovmar wasn't nearly as wounded as she pretended, as in spite of barely having started attempting to close the wound she was already back up on her feet and pointing a crimson blade at His throat. "Ah." He clicked His tongue and tilted His head back slightly, having to hold up a hand as the officers behind Him drew their pistols and took aim. A shootout against a lightsaber in such a confined space was a recipe for disaster, they should know better.

Darth Strosius watched the woman carefully, especially when she stumbled, as she kept her blade leveled just beneath His head. As reluctant as He was to admit it He was somewhat on her terms at the moment. He might just be quick enough to disarm and incapacitate her before she could plunge the blade forward but He was in no mood to test that theory. Not when He was somewhat sluggish Himself from having spent half the day sitting and listening to reports.

Then something slid from around her neck and the "wings" flowing behind Him twitched at the sight before His eyes even landed upon it. He could sense the ashes within and knew well enough what they were, for they were His. Which begged the question of where she had gotten them of course, Malum had said that he had recovered all there was to retrieve. He was going to have to have a talk with that boy later once He finished dealing with this guest.

"And you appeared out of thin air in the middle of my ship." He drawled out in response before giving the slightest of nods towards her necklace. "Wearing a piece of me around your throat like a trophy all the while, quite obscene." A hand slid into His robes, one of the gloved fingers reemerging with a piece of His gauntlet adorning it. A phrik claw. Said finger pressed against the crimson blade and slowly pushed it to the side as He leaned back to allow it free passage. "It appears you haven't heard the news Lady Ovmar, not even death itself can conquer me. I have returned to the land of the living to do the work of the divine. Albeit in..." He glanced back at His tendrils with a slight tilt of His head. "...a rather unfortunate state."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina took more of him in, eyes shifting to the wings, to the feel of him in the force. Drained…but not diminished and certainly not dead. Then down to the necklace hovering off her chest. It was him. This was no trick, she was not still in the nether and she hadn't travelled in time. Relief flooded her, and with it came acceptance of the pain she was truly in. The saber in her hand deactivated and she found her back against the wall sliding down it, taking note only now of the weapons that had been drawn.

“I've been absent.” She said waving a hand towards where the tear had been. “Unintentionally absent. Something happened, I couldn't…” she trailed off, wincing in pain. “I need batca, painkillers and a very strong drink. Then maybe we can swap stories.”

She tugged the chain from her neck, feeling it snap as she held the vial out to him. “It wasn't a trophy. You are something worthy of study. Besides, I'm pretty sure that obscenity just saved my life.”

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Thankfully it seemed as though their previous tenuous peace would be upheld as the lightsaber deactivated, Darth Strosius instantly turning to wave off His officers as she sat back against the wall. "It seems we have something in common then, much transpired in my absence as well." Both during His death and then until His reemergence. "Luckily for you we're near my quarters." He glanced back at the officers before pointing at one of the more sheepish ones. "Eretal Tillo, would you be so kind as to deliver a bottle of Dodbri Whiskey from the canteen to my quarters?"

As the Eretal hurried off to fetch the drink, a team of medics finally arrived and set to work providing the bacta and painkillers that were requested by their apparent patient. Before they set to work Darth Strosius was quick to pluck the vial from her grasp, almost seeming somewhat surprised Himself by the sudden movement on His part, before stepping back and letting the medics do their part.

He rolled the vial around in His gloved fingers, His tendrils poised over it like birds of prey watching their next meal below. "Worthy of study and a potential savior, since when did you start doing compliments?" He tore His gaze, and His "wings", away from the vial as the injections finished and the medics did a final checkup. Nothing life threatening thankfully, just an injury in a wrong spot at the wrong time. "Are you able to move on your own comfortably? It's not a far journey."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina watched him as the medics worked on her wounds, drinking in the details that had changed. The tendrils that stretched from wings towards the vial she had made. The swirling anger and stiffness that she had come to know in their breif encounters seemed to be gone. Either that or he kept it hidden beneath the surface...or perhaps she'd caught him on a good day?

A sharp pain shot through her as one of the medics prodded a wound on her arm a little to hard snapping her attention to him with a hiss and a glare.

"Do that again," she growled "see what happens." He averted his gaze, mumbling an apology but continued with much gentler hands. Her emerald eyes slid back to Strosius as the medics finished dressing wounds and left her with a heavy dose of pain relief.

"I was always nice, Lord Strosius. You have just always been too cantankerous to notice."

The medics helped her gently to her feet, the movement felt odd, like something was disconnected. She closed her eyes, as it brought a wave of nausea. It was like every movement she made, something was trying to catch up. Dizziness made her reach to catch herself on Strosius's elbow.

"Walk slow, and I'll make it. If only for the sake of pride."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The medics knew well enough to work quick in their tending at least, Lady Ovmar wouldn't be the first that had been rather protective and agitated when under their care. Dealing with Sith and their soldiers fairly regularly wasn't the safest of positions to be in after all. Certainly not with Darth Strosius as a potential patient.

The masked man raised an eyebrow at her nice comment but didn't disagree, watching silently as she was helped up to her feet by the medical team. She must have lost more blood than she was letting on given how unsteady she appeared to be. Perhaps a side effect of her sudden appearance as well? Teleporting or traveling the way that she had done must have been quite punishing on the body if not done properly, even more so when injured and panicked all the while.

Darth Strosius stilled as she reached out to grab hold of His elbow, looking between her hand and her face for a moment before clicking His tongue in response and wrapping a hand around her arm to help keep her up. "Slow it is then." With the watchful gaze of the medics all the while, He began leading her down the corridor with a steady and slow stride. Keeping His eyes on her from the periphery of His visor.

"It seems as though you may need more than just bacta and a drink after all." He mused when they were out of earshot of the officers and medics. "The nearest medical bay isn't that far away, an IV would do you some good I'm sure."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Each step required thought and effort, beyond the management of pain. She felt like she'd been fighting and running for days, time was strange in the nether, she dreaded to think how long it had been here. Still she held her head high, even if her fingers tightened on Strosius's arm.

If she wasn’t so focused on controlling the sensation that she was tearing apart, she might have taken a moment to appreciate just how gracious he was being. Every meeting they had had prior to this had been a battle of words or blades.

She gave the barest shake of her head at his words. “I've been fighting and running through the void of the netherworld. I need a drink. Sensible decisions can come after.”

She cast him a sideways glance, an amuaed smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Unless of course you choose violence again.”

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The void of the netherworld, Lady Ovmar must have began dipping into poetry during His absence. Everyone needed a hobby He supposed. "Violence is one of the most sensible decisions one can make depending on the circumstance." There was plenty of use in dropping facades and discarding pleasantries at times. It could catch those who expected something formal or at least cordial off-guard and thus at a disadvantage after all, albeit one that had admittedly hardly worked all that often.

Thankfully His quarters were close and the door slid open as they approached, revealing the rather stark and sterile officer's quarters that could be found on any military vessel such as this one. He hadn't quite gotten around to dressing it up at all yet. The only notable difference was the lack of a bed, in its place instead was an oubliette of sorts.

There was a table jutting out from the wall and some rather comfortable chairs to go along with it thankfully, with Darth Strosius quickly moving with Lady Ovmar over to the nearest chair. A bottle of Dodbri Whiskey was all that occupied the table aside from somewhat haphazardly scattered datapads. "Ah, your drink has arrived." He noted with some measure of humor laced into His words. "I don't have any glasses to toast with I'm afraid, forgive my lack of preparation."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

If Lina recalled correctly, his office on Faldos had been lacking in decor, so she was hardly surprised at the clinical room that greeted them. Though even by his minimalist standards, it was barren. She clicked her tongue in disapproval and settled into the chair with a hiss of pain. She picked up the bottle, scanning the label before setting it down again and offering Strosius a disdainful look.

"How uncivilised of you." She sat back in the chair, keeping her eyes on the masked face before her and folding her arms. She might have been injured and in pain, but she was not drinking anything without seeing her host drink first.

"Are you finished being polite? I do hope so. It's somewhat unsettling."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

He hummed in response and took a seat across from her, setting the vial down between them and resting His masked cheek against His now freed hand. "You appeared out of thin air from what I can only describe as a portal to some hellscape, injured and out of sorts all the while wearing a piece of me around your neck." The vial seemed to subtly roll towards Him at its mention until a gloved finger pressed against it to stop its movement. "And you are the unsettled one?"

Darth Strosius supposed that if Lady Ovmar's last sight of Him was His demise then it did make sense that she was so on edge, seeing a literal dead man walking could do that. His followers still stared at Him behind His back when they thought He wasn't paying attention after all. "If you'd prefer shouting and threatening then I'd be happy to oblige but frankly it's rather refreshing to have something more interesting than reports to attend to."

With His other hand He reached over and flicked the top off of the bottle, grabbing hold of it and sitting back as He reached underneath His mask and undid some portion of it. He tilted the bottle back in a quick swig, giving only the briefest glimpse of a pale chin and throat before He set the bottle back down and refitted the compartment back onto His mask. "Not my preferred drink but our stocks are rather limited at the moment. As one might expect the galaxy being mixed around a bit does terrible things to supply lines."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

"Well, your powers of observation are as poignant as ever. It was a portal to Hell. Chaos. The Void. The darkest pit that exists in the Netherworld. I was not being facetious when I said I had been running across it. And yes, I am unsettled. You are not reacting like someone just fell out of a portal to Hell with a piece of you around their neck. You're acting like this is a planned visit you forgot about, because who doesn't have glasses to drink from?"

She shook her head at his offer of returning to the threats and shouts she had become so used to. "No, thank you. My head hurts enough. Just..." she wanted to say, stop being so nice, but it sounded absurd in her head "Never mind. I will just have to tolerate it for now."

She watched him remove the lower compartment of his mask to take a drink. Didn't the whole Empire get a good view of his face during the Kaggath? Was there a need to continue the secrecy? It's not like there was anyone else here. She opened her mouth to comment when his next words stalled her.

"What do you mean mixed around?" she asked with a frown.

Lina leaned forward to grab the bottle from the table, or at least something did. This time, she could see it happening as well as feel the coldness that spread across her torso as her soul leaned forward, fingers passing through the bottle before it snapped back to where it belonged. For a moment, she remained frozen, processing what she'd just seen. She sat forward slowly this time, reaching once more to curl her fingers around the bottle, before looking at Strosius over the top of it.

"I'm going to put a pin in whatever that was for the moment. How long has it been since the Kaggath?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius blinked at the response and for a few moments seemed genuinely at a loss for words, His head cocking and tilting side to side for a few moments as though His eyes were darting around in some attempt to better understand what she had just said. As though He was dissecting and processing it word by word. In truth He pretty much was, mentally speaking at least.

Had it been before His demise He would have almost dismissed the notion that anyone could simply travel to something that lay so far beyond the mortal coil, having only ever known of one other such occurrence, but now it seemed all too real. Still highly unlikely, but at least believable. He had never made it to the Netherworld that He had heard whispers of from others, His destined merging with the Force had been interrupted and overturned by the Dark Side itself. That Lady Ovmar could traverse such a world while still alive was fascinating and, to Him at least, unheard of.

"Hm? Oh yes I suppose you wouldn't be aware." Evidently she had been stuck beyond realspace for quite some time indeed. "Whether by some ancient arcane machinery or the shifting of the celestial bodies under their own speed, the galaxy has changed. Hyperlanes have snapped and frayed, entire worlds and systems have been misplaced and shifted unnaturally. Many sectors have fallen into complete chaos." Even the dispersed Wonosan outposts and enclaves had felt the change, although the followers of Darth Strosius were some of the few that had been relying upon charting new and unconventional hyperlanes to begin with. A rather subtle advantage as the galaxy pieced itself back together.

He watched the odd movement of Lady Ovmar as she reached for the bottle, His hidden gaze widening and His "wings" twitching at the sight of her essence leaning forward before her body did. Separated for just a moment but more than long enough to see and make note of. "...huh." That must have been what it looked like from the outside when His soul and body were rejoined, hopefully she wouldn't have growths of tendrils as He did after it was all settled.

He did not at all enjoy the idea of putting a pin into that topic but He nonetheless answered after a moment of hesitation. "....A few months." He drawled slowly before clearing His throat and continuing. "I was out of commission for almost a week, then on the mend for another week or so afterwards. Since then I've been rather occupied with bringing my flock back together and trying to reassert myself in the Sith once more. I have only had noteworthy success in the former matter thus far."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina frowned as he explained the galactic shift. Such an event would have affected multiple planes of existence. That was how she'd gotten trapped, how the paths she followed previously had gotten jumbled and probably why the Void spirits were especially volatile and resistant to taming.

How had her network been impacted? Not just the Red Hand but also the shadow walkers. The creatures that existed between worlds and tailed certain individuals for her. She ran a hand through her hair, so much work to be done.

She pulled the bottle slowly towards her and froze at his answer. She heard nothing he said after ‘a few months’.

Months?!

She knew time passed differently there, but there was no rule to whether it was faster or slower. Thus far she had not determined the triggers for either, only that it didn't behave in the way it should and it was also impossible to track time once you were within the void. She'd estimated days. Maybe a week or two.

But months?!

She had gone deathly pale. Slowly she pulled the bottle towards her and took a deep swig.

“When I stepped through on the other side it had been two weeks…three at most. I've been gone for months…” Has anyone even noticed? She shoved that volatile thought aside, drowning it with another swig before setting the bottle down and shoving it with her fingers back to the centre of the table

Then someone came to mind who she had promised to help. Promised to visit and help free. Bogan damnit.

“@Revna ?” she asked, almost dreading the answer. She'd need to send word, she hiped the walker she'd left with her was still with her, wherever she was.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Naturally Lady Ovmar wasn't taking the news well, a perfectly understandable reaction really. It was hard to put into words and even more difficult to completely understand without having seen the new galaxy in its first few days then weeks of change. To see the simple facts of location having been undone and rewritten could only really be understood firsthand, and even with it now settled and somewhat understood it wasn't clear enough to relay properly.

"I was also away from all but Malum for a month or so myself. Then right when I had managed to return properly the galaxy itself changed to uproot me once again. I can certainly understand your..." He watched her swig for a long moment before continuing. "...disconcertion more than most." It was an odd method of comfort from Darth Strosius it seemed, uncomfortable not due to a lack of genuine intent but rather a lack of connection or other such common ground to rely upon.

While they hadn't been foes or rivals the handful of meetings and interactions between the Lord of Wonosa and Lady Ovmar typically hadn't been pleasant. Evidently it was a rift that He intended to mend despite clearly having little to no experience doing so. When the name of His apprentice slipped from her lips however, the calm and collected demeanor froze and tensed alongside the tendrils that had been drifting about as though caught in some unknown breeze.

"Revna."

Each syllable held a different, simmering emotion. A burning rage and frustration, and a somber regret. Anger had been an all too common disposition for the masked man, something that had been laid clear for all to see far more times than was necessary and more than enough to instill it into the perception of Him overall. But regret was different, something that would have only been briefly glimpsed before by Lady Ovmar when He had healed the wound He dealt to her so that she could seek out His apprentice when He could not.

While that glimpse had indeed been very brief and superficial, the way it was laced into His words made it seem just as potent as any wrath that He had ever spoken with. "I...we had heard of her last known location being on Korriban. Malum and I made all haste there but...she was gone. She had left to confront...." What at first seemed to be a choked sob instead became an exhale of frustration as anger burned away sentiment. "Her jailer, Prazutis. I have been mustering my strength to face him and his wretched kin, gathering my forces for an all out assault against Dromund Kaas and the Malsheem if need be."

One of the tendrils flickered and He shot a venomous yet hidden glare at it, the vial shaking slightly as He hissed through clenched fangs. "But I am weak. Incomplete. I couldn't even best that brat in the Kaggath, and without the ability to return to the strength I possessed then there is no point in facing Prazutis or his ilk. I just have to wait. And wait. And wait." His voice had risen, gloved hands gripping the table and starting to leave dents before He paused and did His best to compose Himself. "This body is useless, to myself and to my Revna There is nothing I can do, not until I am whole again at the very least."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina watched the reaction, the simmering fire she had come to associate with him, ignited as the force seemed to reverberate with his frustration, and her heart sank. She knew why Revna had gone to face Prazutis. Lina had taught her that the only person in control of her destiny was herself. To face Prazutis, was to earn freedom on her terms, to grow in power so that she could one day defeat him. Submission now…vengeance later.

Her eyes flicked to the vial as it twitched, to the tendrils around him that seemed to ache for it. She sat forward, reaching across the table to place a hand on his, but her soul reached him first, passing through skin and settling on something else. She withdrew her hand sharply, looking at it for a moment.

“Interesting…”

She flexed her fingers and set it aside in her mind. “Revna is more resilient than we can ever give her credit for. Despite everything she has endured, despite whatever she is enduring, she will come out the other side of this stronger. It might not be how you wanted it, but it was a path she chose,” she inclined her head, “to some degree at least.”

She picked up the vial on the table between them, examining it for a moment before letting out a small, disappointed sigh and shattering it against the tabletop, freeing the ashes within.

“There are more of your ashes in my lab on Corva Yag. Revna has a vial like this also.” She withdrew her hand, gently plucking tiny shards of glass from its palm. She scanned the room, looking for a suitable shadow. “Do you trust me, Lord Strosius?” she asked, looking back at him.

Revna Marr Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

While Darth Strosius did not recoil away from her touch physically, His tendrils most certainly whipped back in surprise as something beyond her hand made contact with Him. "That is certainly one word that could describe it." He glanced between Lady Ovmar and Himself until she spoke up again, His fangs almost audibly grinding together at the placation. He knew that His apprentice was capable of surviving her circumstances, He knew that she had already managed to do so on Korriban and would do so again, but that wasn't what irked it Him so.

It was that she was having to do it all alone, to account for His own failings.

The moment that the ashes were free His "wings" dove for them, sweeping across the table and encasing them in the pale ethereal mass that comprised them. As they pulled away however they did not look any healthier nor diminished at all, rather the ashes were simply visibly seen within them. Reclaimed but not restored. For a moment the masked man seemed to sag slightly at the sight of it but He perked right back up when she mentioned having more of His remains.

"...How much of me did you keep?" His followers would have quite literally killed for the remains of their Prophet, perhaps Lady Ovmar's absence until now was for the best in that regard. The question made Him blink before slowly shaking His head. "Not at all." Then He held up a finger as though to stop her from interjecting. "However, I am willing to overlook that in this hour of need. What is it that you would ask of me so that I may have my ashes returned to me?"

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina watched the way the ethereal wings dove forward to consume what little the vial contained, her curiosity evident in her face. She longed to reach for them, to understand what they were and why they were. A blink and she snapped her attention back to his masked visage offering a coy smile at his question.

"Enough." She said softly in response.

Lina couldn't blame him in his lack of trust, she'd done nothing to earn it and her agenda had not exactly been put on the table for discussion. It never had been. Though she was a little taken aback that he seemed to think that she wanted something from him in order to get back...well, himself.

"I don't want anything from you." She said simply. "I just wanted to know where we stood." Her bleeding hand flicked out, casting droplets onto the floor. "This isn't an attack, so please don't stab me." She informed him before turning her attention to the droplets.

Her voice dropped an octave, a low murmuring of a spell, the harsh tones of high sith passing between her lips. The blood on the floor fizzed, smoking slightly before it disappeared. For a moment, it seemed like whatever she had attempted had failed. A few beats passed, and the room began to slowly darken, the shadows elongating as they stretched to wherever blood had fallen.

Three figures rose, elongated and humanoid in shape, but without faces or features to read.

"Find Revna Marr , bring her a message when she is alone. I am sorry for my absence, my promise still stands." The first melted away with a sigh as she turned her gaze to the other two.

“Inform all Red Hands to return to Borkeen Station. I need a headcount and a full report. Mark any who do not comply for the Kinisirsa to hunt.” These too melted away, bowing their heads as they did. Lina sat back, suddenly looking worse for wear, the spell clearly taking more from her than just blood. Her brow was furrowed in thought, a dozen things running through her mind. She had a lot to catch up on.

She reached for the bottle and cursed when her hand didn’t move, but her essence did. “This is going to get tiresome very quickly.”

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

He didn't at all enjoy the implication that a significant part of His remains were in anyone's possession, let alone in the possession of someone such as Lady Ovmar who had been at odds with Him before. Darth Strosius made a mental note to take a trip to Corva Yag, with or without her present, and reclaim His lost pieces the moment that the opportunity presented itself. There was a part of Him that doubted that she would simply allow Him to reclaim His strength, even after having secured them through some agreement.

If the roles were reversed He wasn't entirely sure if He would have done so for her.

He cocked His head to the side in confusion, and suspicion of course, when the question of compensation or service was dismissed so easily. A suspicion that only heightened when she began weaving some sort of spell using a few stray drops of her blood. At first nothing of note seemed to have occurred, then His senses pricked with new activity as the room darkened and three figures arose before them. Evidently people and things appearing in His ship were on the agenda today.

Darth Strosius glanced between Lady Ovmar and the figures as she gave out her orders, idly wondering what promise she could have given to His apprentice more so than any of her organization's commands. One always had to take stock of their assets and forces after all, especially when out of commission for any period of time as she had been or as He was.

"Indeed it does." He nodded, giving a quick glare towards His "wings" before idly pushing the bottle closer to her with a finger. It seemed as though she was still out of sorts spiritually speaking, still somewhat disconnected between her two halves. He could sympathize with such a predicament. "Your condition should be easier to mend than my own, perhaps it would be best to see to it that you are in one whole first and foremost?"

Lina Ovmar