Private In the well of madness

[Diarch Rellik]

Location: DSD-Vault, Private Meditation Chamber

The chamber was dim, lit only by the soft glow of ambient lighting. Here, beyond the reach of bridge chatter or petitioners, Rellik knelt alone at the center of the floor. His mind reached outward. Searching the force to find the place that lingered in his dreams. A vision of a maddening whirlpool in the force. A graveyard of ships and lost people. It clawed at him, praying it could latch unto the dark side within the Diarch and feed upon it. A yawning pull of madness and sorrow. It was in his meditation that he found it. A sector of space left mostly uncharted. If this anathema wanted to pull on him, he would conquer it in return.

He rose, heading to the communicator on his ship. Searching his memory for trusted people who would be able to help him in a mission like this. Preferably an anchor that could hold him down from succumbing to the madness itself. After pondering for a while there was only one person he thought would be perfect for the job. On Kiev'ara he was a balanced voice that helped the team stay focused. Activating the comm and sending a recorded message for Zinayn to call back to.

"Zinayn, I've encountered a distortion. A place where the Force bleeds strangely with a madness thick and coiling. I am calling to ask for your aid directly. I need someone who is solemn and strong in their emotions, in the force. Someone who will not succumb to the dark easily. It is for that reason I am requesting to meet at your earliest convenience. Respectfully, Diarch Rellik."

He closed the channel and stood in silence. Already, the pull of that place gnawed at him. But soon, they would go and see it for themselves.

Darth Avanthyss Zinayn

 

[Zinayn]

An image had been in his mind for the past hour. Actually, it could have been a day. Time tended to move differently when one was laser-focused. Zinayn sat in his private quarters on Aurora Station, lights dimmed, unscented candle lit on the low wooden table in front of him. His breathing was slow; so slow that a non-Force-sensetive observer might think he had died. He sat cross-legged on a simple woven mat, focusing on the image. A scale was in his mind. Durasteel. Untarnished.

The picture moved. The scale tilted from side to side. He reached out a finger in his mind, touching the middle. It steadied. Right...in the middle...of the comlink. The image had changed, and he suddenly became aware of the thrumming of the deck beneath him, and the incessant pinging of his communication device. He had no idea how long it had been ringing. Having succeeded in centering himself yet again, he got to his feet and turned on his holoprojector. It was Diarch Rellik.

Concern etched his features. Zinayn looked the same as the Diarch did once the message played out. A distortion in the Force? One that was so maddening that Diarch Rellik had requested aid? It had to be serious. The Chiss grabbed his lightsaber, communicator, and katana and headed out the door.

As he walked briskly through the corridors, gray robes flowing behind him, he got several amused and worried looks by Lilaste passerby. Zinayn paid them no mind as he entered the turbolift to Hangar 4. His hand grabbed for his comlink, and he made a call to the Diarch's frequency.

"Diarch Rellik, this is Zinayn," he said, voice steady despite the minor furrow in his brow. "I received your message. I am ready and available to accompany you. I must admit that you have piqued my curiosity. Shall we meet at the naval dockyards?"

The turbolift chimed and Zinayn swept out, nearly avoiding an astromech and a Lilaste pilot. His gaze searched the busy hangar for any sort of shuttle (he didn't have a personal one) and locked onto a new model being wiped down by a cleaning crew. "Excuse me! I need to use this shuttle. Urgent business," he said, tone leaving no room for debate. The crew members looked at each other, passing a silent message. Then, one-by-one, they packed up their equipment and left.

Without waiting for a response from the Diarch, he entered the shuttle and set in a course for the dockyards.

Darth Avanthyss Diarch Rellik