Nevermore

[Darth Ferus]

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Valley Of The Dark Lord, Coruscant​

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To succeed was something every living creature in the Galaxy wished to do. From the small ant who only wanted to succeed in aiding it's colony, to the human farmer who wanted to succeed in growing his crops, everything had a goal. A mission. For the Sith, they had succeeded the first of many some time ago, and here within the Valley it was proof of their power. Their determination.

It seemed only fitting that here within the presence of many dead Sith Lords a meeting to plot the death of those who oppose their regime would be hatched. Darth Ferus, leader of the budding group of Sith Assassins, awaited none other than the Wrath of the Dark Lord himself, [member="Reverance"] . The Wrath had, in secret, commissioned Ferus to make this group of assassins, and he had succeeded. Armed with unique weaponry built to kill, ships meant to hide from everything, and skills revolving around the art of stealth, the Darth was very pleased with how everything was going.

Of course, it wasn't just the Lord Wrath Ferus was waiting for. An ex red raven and known crimelord, [member="Cryax Bane"] , was to show up as well. He had a list of people within the Red Ravens who had publicly decided to turn their backs upon the One Sith. An insult that would not be tolerated. But for now, it was to plan. Ferus kept both hands behind his oddly dressed body, and he himself would await the other two. Soon enough, the Assassins would have their targets.

 

[Reverance]

The sun tore across the world around him, shimmering old stone in dusty highlights that revealed the late onset of dilapidation. As if the One Sith were constantly fighting the qualms of time, the passage of its occurrence as it meddled in business not it's own. He mentally caressed the brilliant view, the look of blood spattered clouds reminiscent of a fresh crime scene across the horizon, as the sun lifted to drape it's hue across the old structures of One Sith antiquity, as he waited to meet the leader of the Sith Assassins. He recalled that time in the mountains, the persecution of the guilty for crimes committed against the war machine. A whisper in the ear, a recollection of services rendered, that in the dark of night, a unseen hand of the One Sith struck out to debilitate the enemies of the Dark Lord. And now, he would call upon their work once more.

The Red Ravens had struck a chord, one that hung low in the air and resonated across the surface of the ground. The upwelling of dust from rested position gave no inclination towards the significance of the action - it was non existent. A table broken in a bar, a measly table, and war had all been declared. A tumbler, an adder, it mattered little as the line between crystalline and organic components served more time in the mental capacity of the Sith Lord than the organization that had truly broken their chains. In a world filled with enemies, the Sith had always been friends to the Red Ravens, deterring the angry from reckless actions and instead painting the crosshair upon back for the sake of the alliance. But it seemed that a harlot and republic sympathizer now governed the body of corvids - that they were turn away from the natural tendencies of a common crime syndicate towards something more neutral, the notion nearly sickened the Wrath. There was so much potential in that body of crime and yet, they would soon waste away into nothingness, just like the black suns that preceded them, fading in the black hole of their own collapse.

He wore the garb of his tendency, the armorweave cloak atop the war-torn armor and weapons that typically donned him. He was a man of simplistic tastes, but one equipped with a certain silence, as he approached [member="Darth Ferus"]. He would cross his hands before his body, the cowl obscuring his face, as he stared into the face of progression and ancientness. The world around him - it was something behold.

"You seem well..." He whispered, not entirely caring for the small talk. But time passes whether the handsome blue devil, [member="Cryax Bane"], is there or not. Soon enough, the Chiss would greet them with an appearance and they could move on with the purpose of the meeting.

 

[Cryax Bane]

Dressed in an expensive white suit that repelled the scorching rays of the Korriban sun, Cryax Bane tread across the ancient burial grounds of the Sith known as the Valley of the Dark Lords. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, the Chiss felt a keen awareness of his standing as someone who did not wield the power of the dead kings whose monuments lined the valley. Still, his slicing skills and assistance during the battle of Kashyyyk had not gone unnoticed by the One Sith, and he was deemed a protected man by the Wrath of the Dark Lord, an honor that might have been lost on most crime lords, especially ones known for their stratospheric-sized egos. As he strode towards the men who waited for him, the Chiss’ expression was cool and impassive. However, he could not help but feel a touch of awe at the amount of famous and powerful luminaries who were buried here. Vader, Bane. Krayt. The Valley of the Dark Lords was a sacred place, even for an Outer Rim Chiss slicer who had zero understanding of the ways of the Force.

Folding his hands into a subtle but cordial bow before both Sith lords, Bane joined Reverance, the Vong King, and Zabrak Sith Lord, Darth Ferus. As his red alien orbs met the Wrath’s one seeing eye, the Chiss’ face broke into a charming grin, his teeth blindingly white against his blue skin.

“Reverance. I am honored to join you here on these hallowed grounds,” he said, allowing himself to indulge in a longer look at the tanned and muscular man than was probably necessary. Then Cryax turned to Darth Ferus and nodded his head.

“Darth Ferus, the Red Blade himself. I hear very good things about your group of assassins. Well met. I am Cryax Bane.”

Not one to trifle with the precious time of Sith Lords, Bane launched straight into discussing the meat of the matter in his best "all business" tone.

“I’m sure there’s no need to bore you with details about the demise of the Red Ravens/One Sith treaty, Darth Ferus. No doubt you have already heard. Needless to say, there are high ranking members of my former syndicate who are staunchly anti-Sith, and I believe its in our best interests to eliminate them. Wouldn't you agree, Reverance?”

[member="Reverance"] [member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

With Lord [member="Reverance"] 's appearance the red man seemed to brighten a bit. It wasn't as if Ferus had a crush or anything on the Dark Lord's Wrath, but the fact that his assassins would finally get their first target from the Dark Lord pleased him. Having been trained, armed, and even given some field experience the Red Assassin felt it was time. Of course, he wasn't interested in small talk either. His excitement for his group made that clear. A simple nod to the one eyed mans greeting would suffice for now. So long as [member="Cryax Bane"] didn't keep them waiting long.

And thankfully, he didn't. Already coming up to the pair was none other than the blue man in a white suit. A rather expensive looking suit. A single brow raised as he looked over the Crime Lord, he rather confused on why anyone would risk dirtying something that clearly cost a lot of money. Then again, anyone who had the money might as well spend it. That last part was something Ferus was trying to get use to.

Right to business though.

"Aye, I've heard about it. I also know a rather nice table is being offered by none other than Wrarth for the orange woman no? I do hope there are more targets than that, the cove could use some more furnishing." A light joke about a very serious bounty. "Is there another goal however? Perhaps to bring a new person up the ranks and bring the Ravens back into the fold. Or just to terrorize and make sure the Ravens don't try to fight us. There are many options on the table for the moment." He preferably liked the first. Bringing someone pro Sith into power would benefit them all, and at the end of the day it was a better weapon than fear.

 

[Reverance]

"Cryax...always a pleasure." He spoke without really visually acknowledging the blue man, his gaze fixed on the architecture of the world around them. As if he had been transposed from Korriban, he felt an odd pull of darkness that seemed to stir something within the marrow, boiling the blood and pressurizing the flesh into something rigid and taught. More so than what was common, yet he couldn't seem to pull himself away. Like staring through something, not necessarily at it, his mind drifted off as he picked at his teeth with the metal armor of his left hand. Not that he wasn't pleased to see [member="Cryax Bane"], they had grown accustomed to one another's company. But they seemed to always be meeting during business hours, maybe that would change in the future. But the cards were dealt, had to play 'em now.

Pulling his fixated view from the structure and sun, he jutted out the corners of his mouth and furrowed his brow, listening to [member="Darth Ferus"] speak towards hypothetical plans. Scratching the scar, he pulled at his jaw, elongating the view of his face as he went through the motions. "The Red Ravens have found themselves deep in the pockets of those we deem enemies, under the excuse of neutrality. There are indeed more targets..." He folded his arms, thinking about all the time he had spent with the Red Ravens. Between the assistance on Barab I to the assistance in conquering worlds while the universe was in turmoil, he felt the sting of betrayal far more than he anticipated. How sweet the vengeance would be, to drive the knife deep in the back of the organization and watch if flounder and caw before dying a cold and lonely death, fallen from it's lowly perch.

"I agree with Cryax. Every individual of the Red Ravens is a mark, one worth dispatching in a timely manner. Focus on the leadership but a message sent is a message received. Destruction of their facilities will assist in our endeavors as well." He focused on Darth Ferus now, his stare cold yet meant in some semblance of respect. The man had done well for himself and had stayed on the good side of the One Sith, that was something respectable. "If you wish to interject a mole, then by all means. A body riddled with cancer will find it difficult to fight off simultaneous septicemia."

As Chiasa had pointed out, some microbes were in fact deadly.

[member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Darth Ferus"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Standing underneath the long shadow of an ancient Sith Lord, his sensitive red eyes shielded from the sun, the Chiss listened to each man in turn. Bane and Reverance had become close enough in recent weeks that the crime lord felt there was no need to put a dam around his thoughts. He knew that Reverance respected the ebb and flow of his analytical mind. In his former Unkindness, the subtleties of Cryax’s sharp intellect seemed to be lost on some of his more philistine staff members. He fleetingly recalled Patricia Susan Garter once asking him if he ate a thesaurus for breakfast.

“In terms of inserting a mole, whatever the Wrath deems appropriate, I would agree with. If the One Sith wants to continue to see the Ravens flourish under puppet leaders, so be it, but if I may be perfectly frank, I myself want nothing better than to see the entire criminal syndicate obliterated, starting with the leaders. After what the Red Ravens did to my slicers and my company on Nar Shaddaa, Antecedent should burn.”

What the Chiss did not express were his thoughts on what he could do with the Red Ravens out of the way. The Outer Rim would be as ripe for picking as Mandalorian orange trees, and there would be a fortuitous hole for the Coruscant Rotary Club to fill, especially on Nar Shaddaa. Cryax desperately wanted the Smuggler’s Moon back in his blue-skinned hands. Even if he had to share it with Khaleel Malvern, it was rightfully his.

“I am happy to give you intel about the particular vulnerabilities of my former employees. The targets are, in order of importance, Chiasa Kritivaas, Patricia Susan Garter, Keira Ticon and Lurcano Car'dan. I say the assassins go for broke and hit any and all Raven members, even the freelancers. To help you, I have tons of data from the security breach that I performed on their network, and it will soon be at your disposal, Lord Ferus.”

[member="Darth Ferus"] [member="Reverance"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

"I see no reason to completely destroy everything they have. Rather, taking what they think is theirs and making it the Siths will send a much stronger message than just destroying facilities." Ever the want to keep things profitable and useful, Ferus would interject the idea after [member="Reverance"] mentioned the distractions of facilities. Already the Assassins have proven capable enough to assassinate major company owners and liquidate their assets, and that always proved better than just blowing the building up. But the red man would go quiet as [member="Cryax Bane"] spoke. The want to completely destroy a foe. It was so very dark.

Sithlike even.

A bemused smirk rolled over the features of the Darth, and he would offer the faintest of nods. He could respect the concept of revenge, even help with it. "Very well, screw the mole idea. They shall all burn, and the Raven will simply no longer exist. The space will become neutral once more. Maybe then we could have a group that's actually loyal retake it all." Destruction was now set in stone, and to Ferus, all of the Red Ravens had the mark. How ironic that a group named after the same color as blood would end up covered in their own.

"Any and all information you could provide on any member would be very welcome. Personal habits, business meetings, even distant family members. I want to simply know all there is to know about them. The more you know, the easier it shall be to end their lives." Ferus wasn't exactly exaggerating. Any information Cyrax would give would make the research part of the hunt go by that much quicker. Sooner he knew, sooner they'd be dead. "Shall we post a public bounty however? Or will this be solely for the Assassins? Either way, they'll end up dead. And either way they'll learn not to cross the Sith. Of course, leaving it to myself will strike that much more fear. They'll expect a bounty, and when there isn't one they'll grow comfortable. Make mistakes. And we'll be waiting in the shadows to strike."

 

[Reverance]

"No public bounties..." He spoke quick and sharp, from the corner of his mouth. These were trying times and it seemed every time someone got themselves a big juicy bounty, an ego grew two sizes too large. Besides, they rarely lent themselves to efficacy and often waved the flag, heralding the intents of of the contractor to the incoming victim. The purpose was to send a message and that's what the One Sith would do, one paid in blood instead of more lofty currencies. There was a certainty he felt in the assassins path, especially if the group functioned at any sort of level to offer the boost of confidence that now imbued [member="Darth Ferus"]. Gabriel felt it hadn't been so long ago that he stared down the barrel of Ole Beaut, at the red man, in the halls of the prison on Neimoidia.

"The mission is for the Assassins for now, we will maintain that integrity for the time being." He looked over to [member="Cryax Bane"], the removal of the armorweave cowl revealed a sort of tiredness in the Wrath that seemed almost palpable. He was a busy man but for a moment, his concealment of exhaustion faltered as he reclaimed it. He had planets to run, a faction to lead, and enemies to judge. He had no time to be tired or be caught in the brevity of it's expression across haggard face. And as he considered that, he rubbed his mouth with his unarmored right hand and cracked his neck.

"Focus on Chiasa, initially. She drew first blood, lets return the favor in spades." He gesticulated, as if rolling through the vinyls on display. "Next, go for Patricia, Keira, and Lurcano. They don't really matter to me...but if they wear the emblem of the Corvid, they sentence themselves to our judgment." He motioned to Cryax. "If you have information that can assist the assassins in their endeavors...then by all means, please divulge it. It would be greatly appreciated."

 

[Cryax Bane]

“Do I have intel? Does it snow on Hoth?” Bane asked, exchanging a smile with both the Wrath and the Red Blade, his white team gleaming in the Korriban sun. The Chiss quickly tapped a few keys on the Datalogger strapped to his wrist and projected Holofiles in the space directly in front of the three men. In front of them floated pages and pages of unencrypted data, just ripe for the One Sith’s picking. The intel had come at a painfully high price: the massacre of all of his teenaged slicers on Nar Shaddaa. Bane swallowed back a hard lump in his throat and stoically continued.

The intelligence report Cryax had compiled detailed everything from the schematics of the Dragon Palace Casino, the energy shields build around the capital, the numbers of security guards as well as make and model of security droids, and the placement of sniper droids in empty apartments in the neighborhoods surrounding the casino. Some of the intel came from Bane’s personal files, as many of these fortifications were put into place by handsome blue devil himself.

Along with information about the casino was a detailed report of the Red Ravens current territory. It listed all of the currently Ravens-owned planets, along with the valuable resources they contained, like the Stygium on Enigma Prime and of course Makeb’s Isotope 5 mines that they shared with Danger Arcenau. The report also detailed a few planets which were currently under Red Raven attack like Ozzareus, Nal Hutta, and Aduba III. Bane elaborated as he quickly scrolled through the files with one blue-skinned finger, opening, closing, zooming in, and zooming out with enthusiasm as he displayed the data.

“There was talk in the upper echelons of the Red Ravens moving towards Kessel and those surrounding territories. Given the collapse of the One Sith treaty, I’m not sure if that’s still in their game plan.”

The rest of Bane’s intel was clearance codes, manifests, landing permits, ID tags, known freelancers, warehouse and company locations, and business fronts. The layout of the Golden Nautolan, a Raven-owned casino on Nar Shaddaa was also detailed. Most importantly, there was personal information about the four Ravens being targeted by the assassins, such as home addresses, family members and suspected lovers.

“The Ravens are currently building up their military,” Cryax added. “Stargo Defenses and the red birds are currently manufacturing weapons and ammo specifically targeting Force users, like the Sith Killer Round. I believe there will be more where that came from. My gut tells me they are planning an attack on Sith space, but unfortunately, I have no intel on when or where.”

[member="Reverance"] [member="Darth Ferus"]