Impatience

[Cassandra Paige]

~We were too greedy, grasping for immortality too soon. ​

Perhaps if we had only been patient, content to wait! ​

We would all have forever in the end.~​

Braxant Sector, Bastion, Ravelin​

​

Cassandra Paige had become, in a most round about fashion, a citizen of the Sith Empire. Well, some might argue that the Empire taking over the planet she currently resided on a very straight forward fashion as a matter of course, but the process that led to there had been anything but. The owner and CEO of GenPals, one of the appointees for Imperial oversight of the Corporate Sector, and with a history of working for and with the Empire, she had relatively free access within their borders.

So it annoyed her when that line stopped at the outside door of the Sith Temples. On the one hand, she couldn't entirely blame them. Cass was not a Sith, and she kept her ability to use the Force (such as it was), hidden. Cloaking that signature had been one of the very first things [member="Itash Mecetti"] has taught her to do, and it had served her well.

Until it didn't.

No, to go there she required an invitation. And the entire point was that she was not personally acquainted with the individual she wished to talk to.

Very annoying.

It didn't help that the person in question was not the easiest to track down a way to get in touch with them either. Lady of Secrets indeed.

It took all of her contacts, including asking for a favor from [member="Cerbera"], to arrange a message through. A request for a meeting. Short, polite, to the point without telling much of the why.

Today, with that meeting and the necessary 'invitation' secured, the red headed woman stepped into the Temple. Dressed impeccably in a tailored white suit, her heels takked sharply on the marble floor as she made her way to the room she had been directed to.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

To say she had been surprised and intrigued by the message would be putting it lightly. She had never had cause to interact with the CEO of GenPals, although she had known of the woman and her connections to the Sith. She had been doing a wonderful job in the Corporate Sector thus far, and her company provided all sorts of interesting creatures. And when the message came through with [member="Cerbera"]'s endorsement, well that had been all the more intriguing for the Lady of Secrets.

So here she was, dark purple and black dress with a cloak on her shoulders, waiting in the office she had requested within the Temple for herself. It had become more of an overflow spot for her library at her estate than something she used on a regular basis, but it still served its purpose. Plus it allowed her to be on site for when one of her adepts was running an experiment in the Temple's labs in the basement.

She was curious about what Miss Paige wanted to talk to her about as the message had been vague and unhelpful in that regard. Ah well, she would find out soon enough she was sure.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

This was not a place where one wandered without an escort. At least, not an outsider. Without the Force (ha), uninitiated as a Sith, Cassandra found herself flanked by a pair of burly creatures- barely human, and in such a way that it might be unclear if it was her bigotry at work or if they were, legitimately, the end result of some experiments to find the perfect 'hulking brute but not TOO distressing we guess.'

Mostly, she ignored them.

But then, Cassandra Paige was prone to ignoring anything that didn't interest her or benefit her.

They stayed out in the hallway- perhaps they waited, perhaps they went off to do whatever they had been doing before her arrival, she didn't care. The door of the office slid open and the red head stepped in. She wore that neutral business expression, calm, a slight but friendly smile. This was, after all, business, yes?

"Lady Raaf..... is that your preferred form of address?"

She took in the other woman at a glance. There was power here, not merely the Force but position and pride. Someone worth respecting, or at least treating with respect. Sometimes the later was as good as it got with the Paige's in general and Cass in particular.

"Cassandra Paige," she introduced herself, offering a hand to shake.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

Taeli took the time to examine the woman who entered the office before she replied. Her Lorrdian-raised eyes tracked the smallest movements, analyzing the redhead before her. She carried herself with confidence, her facial expressions schooled neutrally. This was a woman used to getting her way, and she liked to project power in a subtle way. The choice of white clothing suggested she tried to maintain a professional appearance, possibly one of... compassion or empathy. But coming to a Sith for something, and her close relations with a Sith, Taeli had suspicions Miss Paige was keeping her true self-concealed. She could definitely respect that. Purples eyes recognized the woman was also appraising Taeli, possibly judging her against the reputation the Lady of Secrets had built for herself.

"Lady Raaf is fine for me, Miss Paige," Taeli said, nodding her slightly, a smile on her face as she accepted the hand. "Please sit, if you require refreshments, the acolytes outside can bring it to us quickly."

Once Miss Paige was seated, Taeli would lean back in her chair a bit.

"Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked. "Your message requesting a meeting was rather light on details."

 

[Cassandra Paige]

There was little enough for Cassandra to hold Taeli Raaf against. The reputation, yes, but even that was vague and meant, she assumed, to impress and intimidate in a very, very different way from the Zambranos. Anyone who had half a brain would see the latent threat in such a reputation.

The spectre of the Galactic Alliance ought to assure that.

Cass took the seat that was offered, sitting up straight, legs crossed neatly. She tilted her head slightly as if in thought, then agreed that yes, refreshment would be excellent. It was not of course, why she was here, and once those details had been sorted, she drew her attention back to Taeli.

"I have a..... personal interest in a particular topic. My fiance and I have a small wager riding on it in fact," she smiled slightly. "I am hoping that, perhaps, you would be able to put to rest a disagreement in fact."

That was one way of putting it. At the moment, cloaked as it was, it was only through the continued actions of [member="Itash Mecetti"] that Cassandra was able to maintain her connection to the Force. He had promised that he would find a permanent solution for her but Cassandra was growing weary of the waiting. The up and down roller coaster that was the maintaining of that connection. The rising hunger until the need was sated. No, it was an untenable situation to keep for too long.

"You see, we have recently been discussing the potentials for how someone without sensitivity, the latent power to wield the Force, might acquire the means to do so in a permanent fashion. Is that something you have a familiarity with, perchance?"

Casual, relaxed, as if they were discussing preferences in tea.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

A snap of her fingers and the acolytes returned, Taeli ordering them to bring her and her guest some tea. Rushing off to carry out her orders, she relaxed back into her chair and settled her full attention onto her guest once again. She did utter a word as Miss Paige explained why she had requested the meeting, and it could not be on a more fascinating subject. The... could one call it artificial? empowerment of a non-Force Sensitive being was a rarely studied topic and for good reason. The experiments that had been done showed it could be done, but the results could be unpredictable. Erratic. Life, mind, and body altering.

And such consequences always piqued her curiosity.

"It's not unheard of," she finally replied. She made a gesture towards some of the books on the shelves behind her as she spoke. "Sith sorcerers and alchemists have longed experimented with the empowerment of others with the Force, not something the Jedi would readily test. Marka Ragnos immediately springs to mind as his scepter was able to drain the power of a Force nexus and then transfer that power into an individual, granting them Sensitivity. A ritual, performed in a sufficiently powerful nexus and by a master of Sith magics, could also artificially empower a being with the Force permanently as the case was for an old Imperial faction known as the Reborn."

She paused as their tea was delivered, not speaking until the acolytes had left the office.

"A forced bond, forged by the dark side, with a powerful Force user could also grant some ability with the Force," she continued, pouring them each a cup. "But that would not equate to true Sensitivity as you seem interested in as the Force user could just as easily sever the bond and end one's ability to call on the Force."

 

[Cassandra Paige]

Cass was..... familiar with the Scepter of Ragnos, but when Taeli mentioned it she made no sign. Just looked interested and nodding occasionally.

The Staff was, after all, what had started this journey to begin with. Unfortunately the long term side effects were simply not acceptable. Cassandra still remembered how that felt... holding it in her hand, draining the very life out. And then turning it on [member="Itash Mecetti"].... she had never apologized for that, and never would. For a short time, she had felt like a God. She had stood over him, taken nearly everything. Would she have killed him?

She honestly still didn't know.

That had been worth it, even with the costs after the fact.

"Mmm, indeed," she commented, tone neutral, after Taeli mentioned that forced bond. She sipped from the cup lightly. Sith and their tea, but it was fine tea at that. "I believe such a situation would be... untenable.... in the long term. Ultimately unacceptable." Her done was casual and easy, a warm chuckle even at the end.

The fact that it was exactly what she and Itash were doing now? Well, that was how she knew it was not enough for her. To have it at his whim. To have that hunger and need, and he the gate keeper? No. It had been better than nothing, but as the months had dragged on and it had turned into a true addiction, having someone else hold the power to withhold was no longer a price Cass was willing to pay if there were other options.

"A nexus though?" She cocked her head slightly, the vague curiosity of her mask cut only by a sharpening of those grey eyes. "I presume there are ones, known, that would be powerful enough to suit? Not merely stories I mean."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

"Indeed, once you get a taste of true power... it's hard to not want more," she said, carefully eyeing the woman in front of her over her cup. "It's been said the Force is an addiction that no addict would ever want to give up, and I suppose that is true. It is the pathway to abilities many consider unnatural. Why, with just a few thoughts and the proper command of the dark side, I could conjure spirits, warp and alter creatures, reanimate the dead... control the minds and emotions of those around me, subjugate untold beings to my will. If I ever deemed it necessary, as I have in the past, I could slaughter entire legions of soldiers or walk among them unseen, a phantom invisible to sight."

She said it all casually, as light as the conversation had been beforehand. But Taeli... she had that feeling this was more personal than the woman before her let on. The nexus ritual had piqued the woman's interest, as much as she tried to hide it. Eyes always told the true story.

"Indeed, there are several nexuses in the galaxy that could serve that purpose," she said, taking a sip of her tea. "The Valley of the Jedi on Ruusan is always the first one to spring to mind, but the Jedi have taken to guarding it jealously for a few years now since a Sith faction claimed the planet. I believe the current guardian is the same man who led the ill-fated Rebel Alliance. Regardless, there are potent nexuses in the galaxy. The tomb of Freedon Nadd on Dxun for one, Dromund Kaas, Ossus has become a formidable bastion of the dark side since we conquered it, and of course the Trayus Heart on Malachor V."

 

[Cassandra Paige]

It was, she knew, exactly that now. Addiction. Cultivated deliberately by [member="Itash Mecetti"]? Difficult to say. It ate at her. She knew now that there was no going back, no giving up what she had experienced. Outside of the addiction itself she was not one to willingly give up power, in any capacity. She had grown up, pretending to sour grapes when it came to the force and its wielders, but the reality had been that she had been jealous. In general and the specific. Her sister, Anastasia, mousy and shy, no ambition whatsoever and *she* had been the one to receive such a gift?

It was hard to say how much that had contributed to her mistreatment at Cassandra's hands, but it had certainly been a factor.

She listened politely, nodding occasionally, but none of what Taeli offered as capacity in the Force was unfamiliar. She knew the scope. She had felt a universe inside of herself that first time, simply waiting. The Force itself, infinite possibilities, the only limitation your imagination....

And the limits of human form. Of flesh and bones.

Of blood.

"So many that the Empire has taken command of," she said absently. "I am sure the Emperor is pleased by that."

A pause, as if a thought occurred to her only in that moment.

"Would that task be something anyone who drew on the Dark Side of the force could accomplish? Or only a Sith in truth?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

"Oh yes, he's been immensely pleased by our progress," she said offhandedly. If anything, the Emperor was far more interested in the dark waters of the nexus on Dromund Kaas. Their potency was astounding, plus their mutative qualities were being researched on captured subjects of those who had fled into those depths during the Mandalorian bombardment. Fascinating stuff, but absolutely top secret, so she would not be sharing that with Miss Paige.

She waited a moment to answer Cassandra's question, giving it some thought. Could someone do the ritual without having a more thorough background in Sith sorcery and alchemy? Sure, they could... it just might not go well at all. Then again, the empowerment ritual could go wrong even in the hands of the most experienced masters of the arts. But the chances increased tenfold if someone didn't have practice. And if they had attempted other methods of gaining the Force... she actually had to suppress a shudder at the unpredictability of the two or more methods interacting. The midiclorians in a being would certainly not appreciate it.

"It is possible," she replied. "However, this ritual can be... prickly at best. If inexpert hands try it, the results could be utterly disastrous. Even a master of Sith magic does not attempt it lightly."