Aspiring Jedi
Citadel Inquisitorius, Atrisia
Imposing and yet elegant, a building delicate and yet clearly designed to intimidate, the so-called 'Citadel' was the bastion of the Atrisian Empire's Inquisition, something that was more myth than known fact, and yet all the more intriguing as a consequence of it. This place, beautiful and yet disturbing, held testament to that same mystique: carefully hidden away in plain sight, designed to stand monumental and yet remain concealed to all but a select few. And now we walk among that select number. That was, perhaps, the most intriuing part of all.
Intriguing enough to bring a former Sith Lord and his apprentice halfway across the Galaxy to seek this place out. An invitation helps, of course, he reflected, recalling the mixture of curiousity and incredulity at receiving such a thing from no less than the Grand Inquisitor herself. Disturbing that another could track my movements enough to send an invitation. That was sufficient in itself to bring him here. The curiousity was merely an added bonus.
He had heard of the Atrisians, of course - not that any of them had ever been caught in Sith space - the Dark Council naturally briefed on their existence and the potential threat they might cause to Imperial operations within their territory. Tirdarius had long since left those political machinations behind, and had little inclination to treat such beings as the enemy. Quite the opposite, since I am here, he reflected, pushing back the hood of his flowing black cloak to better gaze at the citadel before them with cold grey eyes. But we must confront them nonetheless, if we are to live within their space.
With Val'ryss' attempts to resurrect the Empire dying down into smaller embers, it had been left for many to find a new direction. Although the life of an independent had carried some appeal, simply retiring on a distant world to study, meditate and reflect, but Tirdarius had spent too long in the service of something larger than himself, and to step away from that now was not something he had felt capable of. Not yet - I am not so old that I must force myself to stand aside. And so, here they were: directed by invitation to speak to those who might yet hold values similar enough to his own that they might yet hold appeal.
Sadly, the Atrisians were not known to be the trusting type: Sith Intelligence had them pegged down as extraordinarily loyal to their ideals, mildly isolationist but expanding outwards, with strong militaristic values and a clear descendent of those values held by the ancient Galactic Empire, something Tirdarius himself respected considerably. Getting them to trust a former Sith would not be an easy task, but he was up to the challenge nonetheless. But first, to present ourselves to their Grand Inquisitor, let her understand that we pose them no threat, he thought reflectively. Provided they pose no threat to us, of course. That would be a different matter entirely.
"Do I sense a little nervousness, Jyn?", he asked his apprentice, glancing over at the girl beside him. He remained continually surprised by the depth of her loyalty, travelling across the Galaxy alongside him even though there were many other places where she might have been safer and happier seeking out a less chaotic destiny than the one that he had carved out for himself. "It's an honest feeling: pursuing the unknown should never be an easy thing. Most especially when we simply walk up and knock on the front door," Tirdarius noted, a faint smile of amusement curving his lips.
Striding across the stone bridge that was the only land entrance to the Citadel across the water that pooled beneath it, the former Sith Lord had every intention of doing exactly that. He could have entered undetected, of course, but that was hardly a platform upon which to build trust. And so, let us be overt for a change. There was little sound to mark their passing: the soft rhythm of leather boots against stone, the gentle whistle of the wind as it blew through the mountainous canyon that served as the Citadel's concealment, and the peaceful flow of the waters beneath and around them, undisturbed by any technological din. At least they choose a place of peace to establish their home.
The great double doors that led within the complex were closed, sealed off against unwanted visitors - no doubt they would open only when those within had reason to depart, or when they wished to bring others within. Certainly they would bar the way for us if they could, but I've never found a door that can remain closed to me for very long, he noted inwardly, amused at the very idea of it. He paused a moment, his robes fluttering softly around his slender frame as he observed the threshold, then offered the faintest of shrugs.
"Not opening up? How impolite," he remarked calmly, his voice carrying the controlled urbane tones of one used to polite civilities. "Perhaps they'll relent if we knock," Tirdarius continued, his serene smile broadening slightly, even as his grey eyes narrowed slightly and adopted a look of concentration.
Raising his hands, the long sleeves of his outer robe sliding back against his wrists, the former Sith gathered little of the energy that he could sense surrounding them, a gentle tingle suffusing his skin as though he had made contact with a static field, a simple shiver running down his spine. Invisibly, that energy projected itself forward, observable only by those trained to recognise it, taking hold of the doors that blocked his way. His hands faced each other, palms inward, perhaps a centimeter apart, then moved outwards, his arms extending slightly forward, hands parting in a broad sweeping gesture to either side.
There was silence there for a moment, then the grinding motion of stone pushed against those mechanisms which controlled it's motions, the doors before them parting, a small line of darkness exposed and becoming ever wider as the darker shadows of the inner entrance became exposed. Hands becoming still in their motion, the former Sith cut off the energies he had been pouring into his telekinetic force. He lowered his hands, exhaling a deep breath, then offered another shrug.
"It seems our new hosts have offered us their hospitality," he told Jyn with a faintly sardonic tone. "Far be it for us to refuse such a generous invitation. Shall we?", he inquired, making a shooing motion with one hand, as if to suggest that they should go within. He led the way, robes fluttering around him with each stride, his eyes having to take a moment to adjust to the change in illumination as they entered the Citadel, his senses outstretched, waiting for one of the others to make contact. They'll come, in due course.
"Anybody home?", he called, raising his voice ever-so-slightly above his preferred whisper. "Or is it customary to ignore guests when they stand on the threshold of your home?"
Imposing and yet elegant, a building delicate and yet clearly designed to intimidate, the so-called 'Citadel' was the bastion of the Atrisian Empire's Inquisition, something that was more myth than known fact, and yet all the more intriguing as a consequence of it. This place, beautiful and yet disturbing, held testament to that same mystique: carefully hidden away in plain sight, designed to stand monumental and yet remain concealed to all but a select few. And now we walk among that select number. That was, perhaps, the most intriuing part of all.
Intriguing enough to bring a former Sith Lord and his apprentice halfway across the Galaxy to seek this place out. An invitation helps, of course, he reflected, recalling the mixture of curiousity and incredulity at receiving such a thing from no less than the Grand Inquisitor herself. Disturbing that another could track my movements enough to send an invitation. That was sufficient in itself to bring him here. The curiousity was merely an added bonus.
He had heard of the Atrisians, of course - not that any of them had ever been caught in Sith space - the Dark Council naturally briefed on their existence and the potential threat they might cause to Imperial operations within their territory. Tirdarius had long since left those political machinations behind, and had little inclination to treat such beings as the enemy. Quite the opposite, since I am here, he reflected, pushing back the hood of his flowing black cloak to better gaze at the citadel before them with cold grey eyes. But we must confront them nonetheless, if we are to live within their space.
With Val'ryss' attempts to resurrect the Empire dying down into smaller embers, it had been left for many to find a new direction. Although the life of an independent had carried some appeal, simply retiring on a distant world to study, meditate and reflect, but Tirdarius had spent too long in the service of something larger than himself, and to step away from that now was not something he had felt capable of. Not yet - I am not so old that I must force myself to stand aside. And so, here they were: directed by invitation to speak to those who might yet hold values similar enough to his own that they might yet hold appeal.
Sadly, the Atrisians were not known to be the trusting type: Sith Intelligence had them pegged down as extraordinarily loyal to their ideals, mildly isolationist but expanding outwards, with strong militaristic values and a clear descendent of those values held by the ancient Galactic Empire, something Tirdarius himself respected considerably. Getting them to trust a former Sith would not be an easy task, but he was up to the challenge nonetheless. But first, to present ourselves to their Grand Inquisitor, let her understand that we pose them no threat, he thought reflectively. Provided they pose no threat to us, of course. That would be a different matter entirely.
"Do I sense a little nervousness, Jyn?", he asked his apprentice, glancing over at the girl beside him. He remained continually surprised by the depth of her loyalty, travelling across the Galaxy alongside him even though there were many other places where she might have been safer and happier seeking out a less chaotic destiny than the one that he had carved out for himself. "It's an honest feeling: pursuing the unknown should never be an easy thing. Most especially when we simply walk up and knock on the front door," Tirdarius noted, a faint smile of amusement curving his lips.
Striding across the stone bridge that was the only land entrance to the Citadel across the water that pooled beneath it, the former Sith Lord had every intention of doing exactly that. He could have entered undetected, of course, but that was hardly a platform upon which to build trust. And so, let us be overt for a change. There was little sound to mark their passing: the soft rhythm of leather boots against stone, the gentle whistle of the wind as it blew through the mountainous canyon that served as the Citadel's concealment, and the peaceful flow of the waters beneath and around them, undisturbed by any technological din. At least they choose a place of peace to establish their home.
The great double doors that led within the complex were closed, sealed off against unwanted visitors - no doubt they would open only when those within had reason to depart, or when they wished to bring others within. Certainly they would bar the way for us if they could, but I've never found a door that can remain closed to me for very long, he noted inwardly, amused at the very idea of it. He paused a moment, his robes fluttering softly around his slender frame as he observed the threshold, then offered the faintest of shrugs.
"Not opening up? How impolite," he remarked calmly, his voice carrying the controlled urbane tones of one used to polite civilities. "Perhaps they'll relent if we knock," Tirdarius continued, his serene smile broadening slightly, even as his grey eyes narrowed slightly and adopted a look of concentration.
Raising his hands, the long sleeves of his outer robe sliding back against his wrists, the former Sith gathered little of the energy that he could sense surrounding them, a gentle tingle suffusing his skin as though he had made contact with a static field, a simple shiver running down his spine. Invisibly, that energy projected itself forward, observable only by those trained to recognise it, taking hold of the doors that blocked his way. His hands faced each other, palms inward, perhaps a centimeter apart, then moved outwards, his arms extending slightly forward, hands parting in a broad sweeping gesture to either side.
There was silence there for a moment, then the grinding motion of stone pushed against those mechanisms which controlled it's motions, the doors before them parting, a small line of darkness exposed and becoming ever wider as the darker shadows of the inner entrance became exposed. Hands becoming still in their motion, the former Sith cut off the energies he had been pouring into his telekinetic force. He lowered his hands, exhaling a deep breath, then offered another shrug.
"It seems our new hosts have offered us their hospitality," he told Jyn with a faintly sardonic tone. "Far be it for us to refuse such a generous invitation. Shall we?", he inquired, making a shooing motion with one hand, as if to suggest that they should go within. He led the way, robes fluttering around him with each stride, his eyes having to take a moment to adjust to the change in illumination as they entered the Citadel, his senses outstretched, waiting for one of the others to make contact. They'll come, in due course.
"Anybody home?", he called, raising his voice ever-so-slightly above his preferred whisper. "Or is it customary to ignore guests when they stand on the threshold of your home?"
