Private In the Presence of Power

[Lysander von Ascania]

Darth Carnifex​

Silence engulfed the massive rotunda of the Senate building. The sound of every footfall would echo through the amphitheater as he strode across the floor. To most, he imagined this grand structure was only known for the theatrics that so often played out in the air above. The pods.. the speeches. Fewer appreciated the architecture itself. But ever since the siege of Coruscant, Lysander had. He’d spent a modest amount of time wandering these halls left behind by the Empire’s collapse.

A high-collared tunic of black hugged his lith frame, and an overcoat would fall mid thigh. Sleeves were buttoned at the wrist. Trousers were pressed, boots polished. For the first time in years, perhaps since he began navigating the Darker arts, he actually looked like a noble again.. one that was accustomed to statecraft. And today, he needed that old part of him to speak fluently.

Of course, he carried a deep understanding of Carnifex's legacy. Not just through influence, but also how that name bore within the heart of the Order. A year spent amidst Korriban, one of the Holy Worlds, had ingrained many truths into his soul. Stories of the Kainite echoed, and many stretched far beyond the Black Wall. A living force some believed, capable of reaching every corner of the galaxy.

A lone pod at ground level beckoned him forth. And so, he stepped into that empty embrace, expression molded into something calm, welcoming whatever lay ahead. Such traits may hold little value among his Sith brethren, but they were ingrained in him from a young age, and continued even through his studies at Kor'ethyr. For not all Sith were cut from the same cloth; each had their own weapons, and maybe.. his own was composure.

Fingers danced across the control panel, and the pod lifted from the floor, beginning a slow accent into the air of the rotunda. In time a vantage point was given, and only then would he shift his weight to lean back against a wall. A datapad rested in one palm, skimming through information that’d been pulled together by others. Now, it was no secret that even after the Covenant made their claim, that the Kainite had continued erasure of the Dark Side Elite.

Cruel in the eyes of the weak, mayhaps, but there was something admirable in finishing what you began.

A young emissary of a rising order, yes.. but not a boy playing at diplomacy.

Patience came easily; waiting felt natural.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Somehow, by some miraculous will, the Senate Atrium remained standing. Some of its glass facade had been shattered during the battle, and the once pristine white stonework was pocked with hundreds of blast points, but the structure itself had endured. In the chaotic aftermath of Coruscant's fall to the Sith Covenant, the Kainate had taken hold of the atrium and had begun using it as a sentencing court. Under the interwoven archways of stone and glass, they'd passed judgment upon the enemies of the Sith.

Dragged before a circle of Inquisitors, confessions had been wrung out of the accused until they could no longer speak. Such spectacle was merely a formality, there was no doubt as to their guilt. The very last thing the Inquisitors took from the accused was their life, wielding large laser-axes with crackling monomolecular energy ribbons, they severed head from body in one clean stroke. The dying was painful, albeit brief, and soon the atrium became inundated with the headless dead.

Darth Carnifex's shuttle set down somewhere near the atrium, the Dark Lord emerging flanked by two of His crimson-armored Crownguard. Smoke curled up through the broken ceiling of the atrium, rising from several bonfires where the accused were being disposed of after sentencing. The acrid stench was intoxicating. One of the Inquisitors approached the Dark Lord, bowing at the waist as he presented an open case. Inside were several lightsabers.

The Dark Lord plucked one from where it rested, briefly inspecting it before setting it back. Trophies from the Dark Side Elite they'd slain. Their rabid purge of the Faithless was not yet done, but great strides had already been made not long after the fall. He waved away the Inquisitors, who quickly vanished from His sight without a word. His business was not with them this hour, but with those who waited within what remained of the Senate Rotunda.

His shadow crept along the floor as He passed into the rotunda, preceding His actual arrival. None could miss the moment when He'd passed into the building, His presence spreading to fill every corner of the building; radiating absolute darkness. His hands groped the controls of a Senate pod, which rose into the empty chamber and hovered silently. To imagine that this was once the holiest of holies for the degenerate democracy of the Galactic Alliance brought no small measure of amusement to the Dark Lord, its wasting halls now a testament to futility.

A testament to the glory of the Sith.

Lysander von Ascania ​

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Darth Carnifex​

The rotunda seemed to devour all sound, like the depths of the ocean swallowed light; and even within his pod, he could feel the air pulsing. He refused to flinch or avert his gaze, for he knew the Kainite had done their work masterfully, as he had come to expect from them. Only a fool would not acknowledge the aid they had provided to the Covenant, yet many Sith were blind to such truths; not Lysander, who held himself above such petty ignorance and saw a much bigger picture.

A vision.

Doctrinal, brutal, and.. strangely admirable. For years, this was a truth that he held to himself, never daring to utter it aloud, except perhaps on this very day when the winds whispered of change.

Even before Carnifex appeared, the gathering darkness foretold the arrival of another, one who would join in this grand mausoleum where old ideals came to die.

Strange, he thought, how clarity might arrive in the presence of a monster. This was the same one responsible for the burning of Alvaria, his cousin's homeworld.. now almost forgotten. This too was a reflection of something that could not be ignored.. the clash of so many doctrines, the never ending battles of the Sith. Since fleeing to the Outer Rim, this was all he had witnessed, a never ending cycle of power struggles.

In time, his voice rose, as the moment now demanded an answer.

“Lord Carnifex,” he began, voice firm, “your presence honors the Covenant’s claim upon this world. The Kainite’s work here has been.. decisive. Necessary. And of course.. recognized.”

A breath unfurled, and a pause bloomed like a shadow.

"The Covenant would not be so blind to diminish your hand in this, only seek its understanding. I would see its foundations strengthened. What began in fire and the fall of the faithless must not be permitted to fade into something brittle.”

A thin ring of darkness cinched around his pupils.

“I come as emissary with an open hand of my own, to speak of alignment and purpose. Of the future we have begun to carve from the bones of an old galaxy. I am here to build a bridge, if you would allow it. To speak plainly. To ask what you would claim in return for cooperation, or even.. understanding.”

The words tasted honest, and surely better than some dance of half truths.

“I would much rather ask you directly. If there is something you desire, within reason, speak it. Let us begin there. And I will tell you whether the Covenant can meet it.”

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord of the Sith stood tall and resolute. That the Senate pod was an inadequate vehicle with which to ferry Him only added to that grandeur, for He was ill-fitting for a device built for more modest individuals. Just as the Sith were ill-fit for the chamber itself, one that had been dedicated to noble discourse and democracy, was now a catacomb flooded with darker ambitions.

"Then we need not speak in riddles," replied Darth Carnifex, acknowledging that there existed no illusions between Sith.

"I desire only four provisions, Emissary von Ascania. First among them is total freedom of movement throughout Covenant territory for myself and the Kainate. The Covenant can keep their own facilities for themselves, but the larger worlds would be open. Second, the sanction for the Kainate to build on any world within Covenant territory. Third, to allow the Kainate to collect a proportional tithe of individuals from worlds within Covenant territory. Lastly, to bridge the Byss and Hoth hypergates to allow mutual transportation between the Core and the Outer Rim."

Prior to this meeting, the Dark Lord had commissioned a draft of these exact terms created in preparation. He had anticipated this overture from the Sith Covenant for His critical aid in storming and securing the Imperial Palace, and had prepared accordingly. Carnifex leaned forward in His pod, His shadow falling across Lysander's own. "That is all that I seek, Emissary. The specific details can be fine tuned at our leisure, but the broad strokes are thus said."

Now He had to see how the emissary would react, and whether or not the Covenant triumvirate would agree to the Dark Lord's terms.

Lysander von Ascania ​

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Darth Carnifex​

Senate pods drifted around them in a funeral orbit. Some were cracked.. some barely clinging to their purpose. The rotunda groaned like a dying colossus. In its decay, it felt as though the ghosts of the dead were still watching… or shifting in their graves.

The shadow of the Kainite spilled over him, but Lysander only tilted his head, enough to meet that piercing gaze without craning and lock onto the titan.

Ambitious, he thought. But what was ambition to a Sith? It was a treacherous landscape that all were familiar with. There were twists and turns Lysander was still learning to navigate.

How refreshing it was to finally shed the pretense, to discard threats and empty pleasantries.

"Four provisions," the words rolled like liquid fire.

Another nod. "Very well. Your terms are.. considerable. But not unreasonable."

His voice echoed through the chamber.

“You have earned your reputation, and your place in the shaping of this new.. order. Our realm is not defined by a single throne; no, it stretches across a constellation of many warlords, each ruling their own dominion. Should you choose to walk among them, know that you do so by your own power. Neither the Covenant nor anyone else will hold you, or them back."

He gave the moment a second to breathe.

"As you choose to walk these lands, know that I would choose to walk beside you.. not as someone who holds some leash, but as one who will ease such passage. So, that I may be of further assistance."

Another breath was drawn; the cold air scraped his lungs like glass.

"If the Kainite longs to create, then.. let creation commence, Lord Carnifex. Erect your sacred temples and forge your engines. Know that your endeavors might stand shoulder to shoulder with those who stake their own. It is vital that these rivalries remain local. I will not see it escalate into a wider war. The Covenant watches but stays its hand. Still.. as mentioned, I shall ensure your first steps are not wasted."

Lysander's expression darkened as the word tithes echoed in his mind. Light caught a sharp line across his jaw. He paused, sinking into a moment of deep reflection. The request weighed heavily on him.

"If you wish to find others, I won't stand in your way. Such a pursuit may invite scrutiny. Strange, really.. in reality, some may even welcome the exchange."

Then came the most beneficial of the four provisions.

“A bridge between the Core and Outer Rim strengthens us both. A corridor of power, a closing of distance between two distant realms that should, in truth, find cooperation.. rather than more strains of ideology. Let us no longer be estranged. We must reshape the galaxy without the clash of arms."

He stepped forward in his pod.

“Of all your conditions.. this is the one I would champion. Not only is it practical, but.. strategic. I will see that the Covenant understands its value. You have my word.”