Private Handshake

[Rinea]

DEEP SPACE -- BETWEEN KABAL & D'QAR

The void between star systems, far from the safety of the hyperlane, lurked a singular starship. A small corvette, no exterior lights, and naked save the barest of one life signature and the residual heat of emergency power. Not even the faint light of distant stars illuminated it. It was as if nothing were there at all.

Its existence unknown to any but those who already knew its location. Indeed, that included one Kaila Irons , who had been invited to find and board the vessel. There, she was promised a conversation. Far from any prying eyes. A single docking port remained extended, in expectation of the Sith's arrival. No escorts were lying in the dark, and the location itself was too remote and challenging for any other vessels to lie in hyperspace ambush. They would be alone long enough to avoid the risk.

A simple, short-range burst was sent out into space. A calling card of sorts, proof that they were there.

 

[Kaila Irons]

Wearing: Armor
Tag: Rinea

Anathemous sat deep in meditation.

The droid had been flying with her for so many years, but Zero had never seen anyone sit in the lotus position in the cockpit before. Nor was he used to flights so quiet as this. She'd been different lately, distant.

He didn't like it.

Still he pulled them out of hyperspace at the correct coordinates, as he had a thousand times before.

Only this time there was nothing there. A signal of some sort, yes, but nothing on visual scan.

"Werp woop?" he questioned.

For the first time since departing from Sluis Van, his master stirred.

She did not open her eyes, did not change position, only pointed at something in the distance.

"There."

They drifted closer, activating the ship's spotlight. To Zero's surprise, an inert corvette was indeed lurking in the shadows. Only when docked did Anathemous stand at last, turning to board without a word.

When she strode into aboard she did so with deceptive ease, her unnaturally heavy footfalls coming at a pace too leisurely for one of her trade. She was taking her time, studying the interior to determine it's make and origin, anything to tell her who she was dealing with and why.

All the while, the force guided her towards the one drawing her.

​

 

[Rinea]

The interior of the corvette was cold, quiet, and hardly lit at all. Emergency light strips and soft overheads illuminated the black trim and silver sheen of the hallway, which itself was long and narrow; quite liminal in its bareness.

Then, there was a sound, it belonged to something which wheeled itself quickly across the ground. It was a mouse droid, or at least something like it, though upon closer inspection, its design had been streamlined with a tighter form factor, and it bore a strange insignia along the chassis. There was the familiar six-spoke of the imperial crest, hollowed out, with a brain-like neural network depicted at its center.

The little droid led them along, down the hall, past a security door, then two, then a third, before finally it arrived at a final door and disappeared through a tiny square hole in the wall. The door light displayed that it was unlocked; all the Sith had to do was take a few steps forward, and indeed she would feel that singular lifesign inside--should she reach out through the Force.

Inside, Rinea sat at her desk with perfect posture, occupied by the holographic display of her computer. She didn't even glance Kaila's way, but greeted her all the same.

"Welcome," her lips parted. "Please have a seat." She did not gesture towards one. "Your droid may stay."

There were no chairs directly across from her desk. However, two couches flanked either side of the room. It wasn't a particularly large space. Sizable for an office, but no more than 7 meters across in either direction. There was a decorative water feature that provided a subtle white noise directly behind the desk, and small exotic plants were carefully placed to make comfortable use of the space.

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Wearing: Armor
Tag: Rinea

It was heralded by a subtle ring; Night vision.

Her world was bathed in soft green hues, but the detail among shadows became clearer.

Spying the mouse droid brought a wave of subtle relief over her. She'd been following these tiny navigational assistants since long before she was Sith, and to see them now amidst this strange and empty vessel was a boon to be sure. Her pace subconsciously quickened to a soldier's march.

You could take a Sith out of the corps, but not the corps out of a Sith.

Still, that did not rein in her curiosity. That symbol in particular fascinated her. While it was certainly imperial in origin, Anathemous could plainly see that the droid itself deviated from the traditional model used by most Imperials, and there were no surviving factions so noteworthy as to acquire more advanced design.

Still, imperial remnants were the only logical conclusion thus far.

When at last they arrived before an opening door, the young Darth took only cursory glances at the room. While it seemed an interesting space to be aboard a ship, reminding her of the office back on Echnos, it was Rinea who held her attention.

A chiss? surely this was no Dark Empire vessel, nor affiliate with The Maw. Certainly good news, although she was still offput by the seeming disinterest in those red eyes of hers. Anathemous was not used to being ignored, not since she'd forced the Sith to see her for the threat she was.

"Welcome," her lips parted. "Please have a seat." She did not gesture towards one. "Your droid may stay."

She stood there for a moment longer, head tilt curiously.

Zero hid cautiously behind her boot, leaning out to watch through his photoreceptor. It beeped in relief when his master decided at last to approach the seating.

Her helm was removed with a pressurized hiss, disengaged from the interlocking neckseal she wore, causing blonde hair to spill over her broad shoulders. It was her eyes though, that most noticed first. Golden hued, and glowing with a corrupt intensity which pierced the darkness—never turning away from the chiss as she slid into her seat.

"Quite hospitable, for a warship." she noted, careful to remain a polite guest while voicing her curiosity.

"Imperial, I assume? though it's been quite some time since I met one of your own in uniform. I haven't seen many chiss since the fall of Csilla."

The warrior made herself comfortable, Synthatex and Exo-muscle creaking as she crossed one leg over the other.

She forsaw a long, but interesting day ahead of her.

​

 

[Rinea]

Rinea glanced at the hiss of the helmet and spent a second or two soaking in the Sith's appearance. The Chiss' expression did not flinch, and her eyes darted back to the display.

"Quite hospitable, for a warship." she noted, careful to remain a polite guest while voicing her curiosity.

"Not a warship," she insisted. "An experiment in an automated design. Very capable of piloting itself, but useless in a fight without its crew."

"Imperial, I assume? though it's been quite some time since I met one of your own in uniform. I haven't seen many chiss since the fall of Csilla."

The next remark caused Rinea to pause. 'Fall of Csilla' was certainly a curious choice of words that absolutely caused a slew of questions to form in her mind. Her expression cracked into something sullen and confused, but she did not ask. That would have to be an investigation for later, or so she decided.

"Imperial," she parroted the word with amusement. "In a way, yes." She did not elaborate.

Rinea waved her hand and the display disappeared, the lights in the room grew brighter, and her red eyes settled with mixed intentions on Kaila. She leaned forward, planting one arm over the other on her desk like a cat in the sun.

She led with a very direct question that may've come off as pedantic. "What are the Sith?"

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Wearing: Armor
Tag: Rinea

"Ah?" she quirked a brow.

Kaila knew technology, Echnos had expanded her already keen understanding. Putting an auto-pilot in corvettes however, feasible as it might be, felt unusual as it was interesting.

As did the woman's response to her statement.

Her eyes narrowed but briefly on those blue features, creased with a hint of confusion. Sullen she understood, the fate of Csilla set a barbaric precedent for the rest of galactic history, but confusion? where was that coming from?

"Imperial," she parroted the word with amusement. "In a way, yes."

The stranger moved on quickly, and Kaila wondered if that faint amusement was meant to distract the chiss from her previous thoughts. Still, she confirmed useful information, even if it gave her more questions.

But when Rinea asked her own, Kaila's observations were put on hold.

She led with a very direct question that may've come off as pedantic. "What are the Sith?"

Kaila blinked.

Her brows furrowed.

And moments passed by as she tried to understand the real question, because that couldn't be all, could it? Perhaps she meant "what does it truly mean to be Sith" or "to what doctrine do you belong".

The young Darth leaned back in her seat, chin pinched between gloved fingers.

"Forgive me for answering a question with a question, but..."

"...what do mean, 'what are the Sith'?"

Her tone was not meant to belittle, but rather reflected her confusion.

"I'll not be so rude as to assume you've not heard, so perhaps we might expand on that question, get to the root of what you're asking?"

​

 

[Rinea]

Rinea's gaze narrowed in on Kaila, capturing the signs of pause and subsequent consideration.

It was good to see that the Sith's first response was not anger or disregard. The Chiss lingered in satisfaction, then pressed on.

"Forgive me for answering a question with a question, but..."

"...what do mean, 'what are the Sith'?"

She dismissed the entire premise of Kaila's latter contemplation and instead focused on the shorter question--the question that mattered.

"Your confusion is warranted, but my question was rather literal." There was quiet before she reaffirmed her point. "What are the Sith?"

The officer leaned forward in anticipation, her brow bent inward, and the hint of an eager smile begged purchase at the corners of her lips.

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Wearing: Armor
Tag: Rinea

Was she toying with her?

Kaila searched for meaning in her eyes but discerned none.

"...a warrior faith which has dominated this galaxy for nearly eight thousand years." she said in disbelief.

Whatever this game was, it grew annoying. The young Darth leaned forward in kind, sharpening her glowing eyes at the chiss as her voice grew just a little louder, and firmer than before.

"We are the dark side made flesh. The Gods from which man prays deliverance."

"If you believe the Eternalist church." she added with an almost dismissive wave.

"Even your crest—the one on your droids—is derived from that of a Sith Emperor."

Her own droid rocked into the couch once or twice, giving the woman pause from what could have become an impassioned speech were she allowed to carry on instead.

Kaila lifted but one finger, levitating the droid safely into the seat beside her.

"And who are you, exactly?" she questioned, turning back to the uniformed chiss.

​

 

[Rinea]

"...a warrior faith which has dominated this galaxy for nearly eight thousand years." she said in disbelief.

Whatever this game was, it grew annoying. The young Darth leaned forward in kind, sharpening her glowing eyes at the chiss as her voice grew just a little louder, and firmer than before.

The Chiss did not twitch at all. She sat, almost frozen in time, still at that almost eager edge of her seat.

"We are the dark side made flesh. The Gods from which man prays deliverance."

"If you believe the Eternalist church." she added with an almost dismissive wave.

The smile grew slightly before receding at the quip regarding their iconography. Some in her ranks may've taken it as a preposterous slight, but she enjoyed the revelation that Kaila was a woman who paid attention to even the small things.

However, her attention was truly captured by this 'eternalist church,' the Sith were more backwards than she could have imagined here. To hear the declaration of a sect... That 'Sith' was not synonymous with the 'Eternalist Church', pressed at some educated guesswork. It sounded to her like that meant there was a schism in the Sith religion where beliefs competed. The Sith Order did not have ideological domination, not even within their own ranks.

It was a question she needed to ask, but first, she would offer an answer. The Chiss sat back and then stood up. She casually walked over a wall and waved her hand. Suddenly, the water feature stopped. The liquid disappeared into the recycler at the bottom without even a splash, and the rectangular space behind it transformed into a display.

A high-resolution holocast began to play. Judging by its presentation, it was likely a product of education rather than simple propaganda.

The video depicted a human man. "Moff Relinn is the founder and father of our Union Eternal."

"The hero who put an end to the Imperial Civil War, broke the warring factions, seized and nationalized the corporate sectors, and liberated Coruscant. The visionary behind our Sovereign Code and..." She waved her hand to pause the feed before it continued.

Rinea walked back to her desk and made a chair out of the edge where she could better face Kaila. "I am Rinea. Intelligence Officer, Loyalty Division." Her tone and expression suggested no joke was at hand here.

"You are a God, then?" She twisted the earlier remark on her tongue and teased curiosity towards Kaila's identity.

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Wearing: Armor
Tag: Rinea

The chiss stood, and a wolf-like gaze followed her.

It was the first time in a long while that Kaila had seen a woman taller than herself, if only by a little. It added to that veneer of militarism, she supposed. As did the sudden lack watery ambiance, annexed by the familiar glow of holo-technology, although the contents were decidedly less familiar. It came easily at first, a name she'd only just learned, a union she'd never heard of and some civil war which she could only assume meant the New Imperial Order's schism—but Coruscant? liberation?

"But that's impossible." she stated.

"Not even the Dark Empire could hold Coruscant."

"I am Rinea. Intelligence Officer, Loyalty Division." Her tone and expression suggested no joke was at hand here.

"You are a God, then?"

"I..." she sighed, and glanced away.

"In the old religion, some might've called me such a thing."

"But I've more practical views than that."

A beat passed, her fingers drummed against the cushions.

If Rinea was willing to introduce herself properly, then Kaila supposed she'd best return the formality.

"I am Anathemous, Dark Lord of the Sith."

She nodded, the closest thing most would ever receive to a formal bow.

"Governor of Echnos, Warlord of the Second Legion."

Another beat, her lips pursed in thought.

"Rinea is your core name, yes? is that what you wish to be called, or do you prefer a full name?"

​

 

[Rinea]

There was no protest or debate to be found from Rinea. She let the word 'impossible' slip by, and instead continued to listen.

When the topic came to 'Dark Lord of the Sith,' Rinea's expression paled momentarily. She nearly skipped a beat until the concept of 'governor' and 'legionary warlord' followed suit. So this wasn't their leader, to say the least. Then it must've been a Sith cult that embraced a multitude of Dark Lords, a far more ancient interpretation, but one that disturbed... How many were there to manifest such ideology? Dozens, hundreds? Had the Jedi failed so miserably to let the Sith reign unchecked? Of course they have.

In the old religion, some might've called me such a thing."

"But I've more practical views than that."

It was only after the rest that she briefly questioned. "Oh? One moment, the Gods from whom men pray deliverance, and at the next moment, too practical for such views?" She questioned aloud. Not so much to provoke, but to solicit clarity.

Then, she answered regarding her name. "Just Rinea... My true name is for those more familiar to me." The echo of Csilla's mention prodded her thoughts once again, as did the memory of those who were left behind.

She revealed little of the emotional knot that had formed, save for a brief glimpse of that sullen look again.

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Wearing: Armor
Tag: Rinea

"It's complicated."

She glanced away again, idly dragging nails across her lip in thought.

"I've fought things they called Gods," she began with some hesitance, "I have served men who claimed to be."

The young Sith crossed her arms then, eyes still distant as she recalled things even she could not quite believe, but lived with all the same.

"Men who blur the lines between..."

Finally she looked to Rinea again, jaw tight, freckled skin creased with disturbed pride.

"I do not believe in Gods, but I know only Sith have come close."

"I spoke to you of reputation, as much as our nature."

What that made Kaila exactly, she was unsure, it was enough for the faint flicker of doubt to cast shadow across her features. Doubt, and consideration.

In the end however, that was not the question.

Then, she answered regarding her name. "Just Rinea... My true name is for those more familiar to me."

"Ah." she nodded in understanding.

"Then perhaps Rinea is for you what Darth Anathemous is for me? I can respect that."

​

 

[Rinea]

She crossed her arms and soaked in the explanation.

At the end, she didn't much like to have her corename compared to the masquerade of a Darth's name. It was different, cultural, not religious, but that distinction was not going to be her point of argument. Instead, she would rather move the needle back.

"You are the first Sith I have ever met. Ever known by name. Ever known to be alive." She waved her hand, and the holocast continued.

The story went on, describing an empire which uplifted all those it conquered, an empire which weaponized surplus to revitalize and energize a wartorn galaxy, piece by piece. Of course, it was still processed through the lens of propaganda, educational or not. Yet, it painted a picture of something that did not currently exist, at least here, of all places, there were certainly elements which made little sense at all despite Rinea's seriousness.

She stopped the feed again.

"I was surprised to learn the Jedi and Sith are far from extinct."

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Wearing: Armor
Tag: Rinea

"I say this with the utmost seriousness; you could have met worse." said Kaila dryly.

Not with pride to be the first of her kind to meet this seeming newcomer, not with diplomacy it may merit.

She crossed her arms then, leaning forward to pay closer attention to the holocast. One could almost see the understanding form, the way her brows settled, how she slowly began to take this seriously, consider not only the possibility but the merit of this message, propaganda or not.

She stopped the feed again.

"I was surprised to learn the Jedi and Sith are far from extinct."

Kaila did not answer immediately.

And when she did speak, it was almost distant, distracted even by the paused image as she continued to soak in the details.

She was speaking from memory, from instinct, of a truth internalized long ago.

"So long as the force exists, light and dark will do battle. We are inevitable."

Her eyes narrowed then in realization, shifting towards her.

"So you do know what we are."

Then back to the holocast, to which she gestured defeatedly.

"But what is this...? when is this, or where? It feels real, it feels... plausible, but doesn't line up with recent history at all."

​

 

[Rinea]

The inevitability of Jedi and Sith... She wondered if all of this was perhaps a cruel trick of fate, but the amused thought was quickly dismissed as just that.

"So you do know what we are."

"No," she said plainly. "I know of Sith, but not your Sith, and never were the Sith I know... Well, extant." Rinea gestured again, and the wall returned to being a water feature. If there was more of that holocast left, she did not bother to play it for Kaila.

"But what is this...? when is this, or where? It feels real, it feels... plausible, but doesn't line up with recent history at all."

She chose the direct route. "Our hyperlane was disturbed by an anomaly. We don't exactly know what happened or why, but we found ourselves not where we expected to be. We found a lot of unexpected things." A blatant hint at the reveal, but short of just pulling back the curtain.

Part of her needed to see how quickly the Sith would catch on. The other part of her felt the absurdity in her own explanation and would rather have cringed. She, too, wished it were all an impossibility.

Kaila Irons

 

[Kaila Irons]

Wearing: Armor
Tag: Rinea

My sith?

Her gaze fell to the floor.

And the more Rinea explained, the more they began to dart from side to side, at nothing in particular down there. Eventually they settled on her, examining her, the sigil on her uniform, more closely.

Finally they traveled up to her red eyes, and the girl's lips pursed.

"The planeshift." she spoke as if asking a question, and answering it at the same time.

Kaila slumped back in her seat, audibly rocking the furniture under weight one might find surprising from a woman her size.

"Is that what you want from me then?"

"To be your tour guide, for wherever—or whenever—this is to you...?"

​

 

[Rinea]

"There is no 'whenever," she dismissed with a shorter tone than before. "Wherever, yes, perhaps this 'planeshift' caused us to move uniquely through space, but not through time... That would require a universal time reference, which does not exist."

Rinea stopped herself there. This was not the time nor the place to give a science lesson to a Sith Lord. Even her own explanation was slightly erroneous. "If I wanted a tour guide, I would have just kidnapped a competent navigator from this..." The Chiss cut herself off. It was a difficult truth to commit to. "This... galaxy."

She slid off the desk, back onto her feet, and paced in front of her. "The Force cults were eradicated. There were so few Jedi and Sith remaining, it wasn't exactly a difficult task... They both saw quickly to each other's demise, we merely cleaned up the rest." She said 'we' in a more distant way. Perhaps she was not part of that. Maybe it occurred too long ago.

"I need to know how to handle the Sith threat." She stopped, turned, and faced Kaila head-on.

A blunt statement for someone face-to-face with a Sith Lord, someone unarmed, alone on a ship in the vacuum of deep space.

Kaila Irons