Private New year, new me.

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Aboard her own ship
Tag | Darth Carnifex

It had been a year since she had last been to Malsheem, her mind even through the warping and change had still remembered the contract that had been given. Adeline had done just as asked.. Mostly.

The primary target had been swiftly taken care of, his wife also terminated. Adeline had been successful in taking two out of the three children she had been tasked with, the third was caught in a line of fire.

Adeline taps a claw against the targets that had been frozen in

carbonite, a devilish smirk adorning her face as she backed away and started a message to be sent to Darth Carnifex 's holoprojector. ​

"This is Adeline, long time no see.. The targets you had requested have all been captured or terminated, the building was also taken down as I left. I made sure that not a trace was left behind... I also have something for you, my ship is about to arrive. Feel free to meet me in the docking port if you so desire, I would like to discuss my payment once I do arrive."

When the dark lord had last met Adeline, she had gone by "Jackal". Now she seemed far more refined and calm while speaking, even her voice seemed different..

Soon the message ends, right as the message was received their systems would detect Adeline's ship as it shot right out of hyperspace. The slender ship uncloaks itself, transmitting signal to inform the station that she was allowed to dock.

The ship makes a smooth landing within the bay, Adeline would be busy within the ship both waiting for Carnifex along with finding the gift she had spoken of.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Two ships escorted her as she approached, peeling off after they'd passed Malsheem's magnetic field. They were noticeably different from the ships that flanked her ship the last time she had arrived, an improvement, an evolution. Malsheem itself seemed to be evolving as well, new fixtures and spires rising out from the space station's surface like twisting coral. The landing pad looked more or less the same, but there was little to change on a design with so much uniformity and longevity. There were, however, some differences in the composition of metal plating on the walls and floors, different arrangement of luminescent banks, and an overall shinier look.

Her ship touched down on the hangar floor, compressed air hissing out as the hydraulic gears braced the weight of the ship under artificial gravity. There were no guards this time, and no hulking silver-scaled Sith Lord either. Rather, there was a rather demure attendant, her petite body clad in the sharp angular uniform of a Kainate officer. She was carrying a datapad in one hand, the other briefly reaching up to push the bridge of her glasses further up against her nose.

As Adeline exited her ship, the attendant walked forward several paces and stopped. She cleared her throat before speaking, "His Supreme Excellency has been eagerly awaiting your return, Lady Adeline." The officer briefly curtsied. "He's requested your presence in the trophy room." She then turned and began to lead Adeline through the same network of corridors and junctions that she'd traveled during her previous stay on Malsheem, though it was just as confusing as before.

The Trophy Room, as it turned out, was exactly what it said it was. The walls were thickly decorated with various trophies, although they were of a more macabre variety. One wall consisted entirely of lightsabers, some in various states of disrepair. Not only were there Jedi lightsabers among the multitude, but distinct Sith designs as well. There was an inclined viewing desk covered over by glass, in which rested several hundred braids of hair; all collected from the corpses of Jedi Padawans. At the center of the room was a large marble basin elevated on a pillar of basalt. Within the basin was a copious pile of ash and soot, which was undisturbed except for a crowned helmet placed at its center.

"Do you like what you see?" The voice of the Dark Lord cut through the silent air, the man Himself appearing from the shadows of the room's margins. "I believe you said you had something for me, and I sense it is more than what I instructed you to bring me. A gift, perhaps? I am intrigued as to what you could bring me, Adeline."

Adeline Noctua ​

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Malsheem
Tag | Darth Carnifex

As the white garbed woman stepped down the ramp, her dark boots would echo off the metal with each step. She pauses midway down the ramp, eyeing the stranger in front of her... Soon she slices the tension with a soft smile.

"Can't say you were who I was expecting.. Mm, no matter. Please, let us be on our way then, no? I have kept Lord Carnifex waiting for quite some time already."

It had been interesting to see the progress being made on this place, he was getting ready for something... What that was though she would not ask, as she assumed the towering man would not tell.

And as she was finally escorted to the trophy room, her eyes widen. Not in shock, but pure bliss. All the braids, the sabers... And what was that smell? She sniffs at the air, eyes darting to the ash pile.. Oh my.. It.. It was.. It was beautiful! That smell! That wondrous aroma! She would need to replicate it one day, perhaps even expand her own collection..

"I adore what I see! It is beautiful! All won by conquest... Thrilling hunts.. I need to create something like this myself! But that aside, yes, I did indeed bring a gift."

She pulls a small brown bag from under her snow-white cloak, as the woman opened it an audible grown can be heard from inside.. The light piercing in to reveal a head.. It would seem that it was the head of the man she had been sent after a year ago, yet something was different of course. Adeline rolls him out of the bag, allowing a full view of the zombified head. He appeared to be in horrid pain, unable to die yet still feeling death's scythe continue to try and harvest his still lingering soul.

"Toy with him, or end him.. I care not, his mind is still there.. If not a little slow. No doubt shattered after watching what I did to his family, two out of the three children are stored within my ship, encased in carbonite. The third ended up in a line of fire, I do hope that isn't a problem."

The woman that he once knew as "Jackal" had been gone, replaced by Adeline and her calm demeanor... What was also much more different was the new energy that was attached to the woman, it was as if the darkness was grafted onto her very skin. The gift appeared to be her own handywork, proving Adeline to be a swift learner in necromantic studies.

"Is there anything else you require?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Carnifex's eyes tracked the head as it rolled out of the bag, coming to an awkward idle between the two of them. The head was gibbering inanely, its mind clearly broken by the murder and abduction of its family, the traumatic magic imposed upon it, or some combination of the two. Carnifex's expression did not change as He stared down at the severed head, the silence stretching on between the two of them. He hadn't requested that she bring Him any token of the deed, but He did not forbade it either. She'd done it on her own initiative.

Her skill with the art of reanimation still needed work, but the talent was there nonetheless. He'd seen sloppier work by those generally more skilled than Adeline, but He'd also seen better. It wasn't a terrible start, if she found a teacher to nurture her skill then she would become a powerful master indeed. Perhaps even to rival the greatest of the age, perhaps even the equal of those legendary necromancers of the ancient past.

He took a step towards the severed head, one foot landing next to it and the other foot slowly pressed down on top of it. The head groaned against the pressure mounting against it, but Carnifex held back for the moment. "I suppose this is a far kinder fate, and perhaps the fool could provide some level of entertainment." He grounded the sole of His foot against the head, a grotesque squelching sound accompanying the action as coagulated blood oozed out from the gaping neck wound.

"The effort does not go unnoticed, but..." Carnifex let the other shoe drop, literally. He applied more pressure, and the head beneath His foot cracked like a piece of rotten fruit. Pulpy brain and clumpy blood spewed out in all directions, shards of bone skittering across the ground with a clatter. The ruined remnants of the head's face, practically unrecognizable now, were stretched out beneath the crushing pressure. "It was unnecessary."

Taking His boot off the gory mound, Carnifex looked down towards Adeline. "Two of the three children is acceptable, they will be transported to holding cells for thawing. As for your payment, I give you a choice. You can either accept monetary compensation for your services, elevated to account for the successful acquisition of two children. Or you can choose several items from the armory like before, equal to the amount I would have paid you in currency."

Adeline Noctua ​

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Depths of Malsheem
Tag | Darth Carnifex

The act normally might have unnerved most people, or even agitated them over a gift being discarded in such a way... Yet there were other reasons for the reanimation besides proof the deed had been done, truthfully she just wanted to practice her craft... The unlucky fool just so happened to be the one that was labeled to her little test rat.

To her it was rather pleasing to watch it be disposed of anyway, it wasn't her finest work, nor would it be the last.

"Perhaps, but I figured it to be pleasing nonetheless. As for payment... I have no indeed, in the past it would be easy to pick, but now? I am unsure, weaponry is always lovely, and I still enjoy all things shiny of course."

It was clear that Adeline had changed since last they had met, Carnifex had known the desires of Jackal easily enough, yet the wants of Adeline tended to be different.. Perhaps both ended with the same goal, but still different. The reserved occultist would require a bit more study for sure, she herself was now lost in thought... The whole time she had done the job the reward had never been on her mind, not once. Now that it had been brought back to her attention she didn't know what to do with it.. Did she need it?

"Perhaps my reward could be entry into your library? If I must be honest, at the moment no gems or jewelry even catches my fancy. But I haven't had a moment to just sit down and read, perhaps find new things to study and learn? Yes... I think that is my request, and if I do only have the two choices I suppose more precious materials doesn't hurt."

Confusion, this was the only thing on her mind. Never once had a choice normally this simple been so hard, but thankfully her love for books and knowledge came in.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Oh?"

The Dark Lord crossed both arms over His chest, His eyes blazing with renewed interest. "The creature known as Jackal would not have hesitated to snatch the pearls held aloft in my hand, but Adeline hungers for greater treasure." It was far easier to woo and entice another with material wealth, for the Dark Lord was not wanting in such splendors. But to appease the appetite of one who desires knowledge was a far greater challenge, for knowledge can be more dangerous than all the turbolasers and missiles in the galaxy.

Few not of His house had been permitted entry to the Athenaeum, the great repository of all recorded knowledge. Long had the Dark Lord toiled to assemble this great collection, scouring the galaxy to slake His insatiable thirst. Even now, His Collectors moved through the galaxy's underbelly, trailing every whisper of new knowledge, hunting rare artifacts, and lurking in the bowels of the HoloNet. The only other that the Dark Lord had given permission to read from His collection was the Emerald Dragon, Stardust Solus Skirae .

But could He trust this Sangnir? He smelled the stink of His enemies imprinted upon her flesh, it could be dangerous...

Then again, He was a bold gambler.

"This token of my generosity shall be yours, a temporary gallivant through the initial levels of my scholarly hall. Be forewarned, that I abide no treachery, and you shall be watched carefully. This privilege is not to be reinstated if rescinded, so do not test the limits of my benevolence." Again, the walls shimmered and changed until they were in a massive chamber, wall-to-wall with shelves upon which sat every conceivable manner of data receptacle known throughout the galaxy. Flimsiplast scrolls, datapads, datacrons, uneti-wood bound books, and even leaflets made from compressed interstellar gasses. Droids custodians roamed the aisles, scanning the shelves periodically with a whirl and click of mechanical joints.

There were darker entities lurking just beyond sight, the true caretakers of the library. Their gaze fell upon Adeline the moment she materialized, their scrutinizing gaze capable of instilling a terrible sense of dread and doom. Beyond that, the library was empty. The faint glimmer of bright green skin could be seen moving from section to section, but they moved too quickly to be properly seen.

"The caretakers will ensure that you do not stray, and remember; they are always watching."

Then the Dark Lord was gone, and Adeline was alone.

Alone with her reward.

Adeline Noctua ​