Per Aspera Ad Inferi

[Darth Carnifex]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5mAxXU9-yU​

​

The Black Pyramid, Coruscant

Even for Coruscant, the evening hours ticked along at a snail's pace. The seemingly unending winding trails of hover-traffic continued, naturally, but it seemed that even they have succumbed to the sluggish shroud that had blanketed the Imperial capital. The fading light from the distant yellow sun reflected harshly off of the slanted slopes of the monolithic construct of blackened metal that jutted out from the landscape like a hideous pustule. All air traffic was restricted from flying with several hundred meters of the massive structure, which not only served as one of the planet's many maximum security prisoners specifically tailored to hold enemies of the state like Jedi and other political adversaries to the Imperial regime, but also as the private penthouse for the current spiritual leader of the New Sith Order, Darth Vornskr, who impatiently paced back and forth in front of a massive window that took up the entire wall it was built into; affording the Sith Lord a marvelous view of the Coruscanti skyline and the setting sun.

However; not even the spectacular view could take his mind off the gnawing apprehension and anxiety that coursed through his body, feelings that one would not normally pair with a man of his infamy. Still, long ago the seed of doubt had been planted. The doubt of the One Sith's validity on the grand scheme of the galaxy, and the conflicting nature of the Force, and most of all it was the doubt of the Dark Lord's seemingly unshakable power to hold this band of murderers, schemers, and otherwise overtly ambitious individuals together to fight for a singular purpose that he alone had dictated. But after what Daella Apparine had done, a stunt he thought unfathomably idiotic and suicidal at the time, to the Dark Lord in his own throne room before she herself cast herself from the chamber's window had began to weigh heavy on his mind in the years after that.

Now with the Dark Lord destroyed, by his and [member="Darth Ophidia"]'s hands no less, he wondered what had kept him tethered to the Empire for so long. Maybe it was the notion that this government could bring order and stability to where there was none, but as his understanding of the Force only further matured he realized the folly of it all. That knowledge coupled with the fact that the ranks of the New Sith Order continued to further degrade forced him to rethink everything that he once thought he stood for, what he had fought for. If the Force was conflict, as the duality of it (the Light side & the Dark side) firmly asserted that it was, then how could there truly be order and stability in the galaxy without one or the other being completely annihilated, root and stem.

Long ago it was said that a Sith by the name of Sidious nearly accomplished this, but in the end it was his own hubris and the brood of a Skywalker who ended his reign and cast his Empire into the grave. His failure eventually gave rise to the One Sith, and the forefather of the Order he now found himself aligned to had, again, nearly accomplished the same task. Yet in the end both failed and the Sith were once again reduced to shadowy myth, tales to tell one's children of the horrors that the Dark Side of the Force could wreak upon the galaxy. History was always written by the victors, which is probably why that stereotype of the Sith being nothing more than mindless monsters seemed to persist even after the Four-Hundred Year Darkness.

But Vornskr looked at himself, and how could he doubt the validity of those cautionary tales? Was he not himself a butcher? Did he not carve terror in the hearts of his enemies as he strode across the battlefield, relentless as shells detonated off of his armored hide, entire armies cut down in one fell swoop of his sunfire blade? But once he had loved, once he had grieved... But the horrors of war and the detachment from such luxuries were the price he had to pay for the power he now wielded. Now he could no longer love, he no longer felt sorrow for anything.

He only felt hate, burning and unending.

Maybe that was his true destiny, to be a vessel of the Force's true will: an agent of conflict that would perpetuate the war between the Light and the Dark for all eternity, allowing the strong to rise and the weak to perish. If that was so then the name he now wore was nothing more than a farce, a lie bestowed to shackle himself to an ideology that he no longer felt any kinship with. In the dying light of the evening he could see his reflection, scarred and battle-hardened, in the window's glass, and his eyes narrowed. A Vornskr was a hound, a dog, that hunted others through the Force at the behest of its own instincts or that of a master. In that moment of true clarity he vowed never again to be used as such, to be a dog bound to anyone or anything.

And thus he cast off the name Vornskr, and chose one more fitting to his true nature.

His true destiny.

And as the light at last faded across the horizon of Coruscant, giving way to the darkness of the night, he proclaimed to the Force and himself of the new identity he had woven.

"I am Darth Carnifex, and woe to the galaxy of my wrath for it is unquenchable."​

 

[Darth Prazutis]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxabLA7UQ9k[/media]​

The Black Pyramid, Coruscant

Even the Imperial Capital felt the sluggish presence of night as the evening trickled onward, the flow of nonstop air traffic slowing but never stopping, the many lights illuminating the surface as the yellow light from Coruscant's fading sun glistened off the unnaturally dark stones that made up the monolithic pyramid. The Black Pyramid stood defiant like a dagger in the night sky, an anomaly amidst the skyscraper towers and building chains that covered the surface of the most busy city in the galaxy. The dark stone and massive structure surrounded by huge black walls and tall towers, spotlights shining outward and all air traffic gravitated away. The space above the structure was restricted air space and anyone without the proper clearance was destroyed without mercy from the squadrons of fighters and anti-aircraft cannons protecting the building.

While the true purpose of the pyramid was a maximum security prison to hold enemies of the state, the Black Pyramid also served another purpose. It held the private penthouse of the God-King and Zambrano Patriarch Darth Vornskr as well as the quarters for the family. Those rare few who held the name Zambrano that proved their worth in the eyes of the God-King. given the true power behind the sacred name and allowed to frequent the pyramid as they so pleased. Darth Prazutis was one of the only people to earn that privilege. The Director of One Sith Intelligence stood alongside the man who he called many things his God-King, his master, but also his nephew, his blood, his brother. Ever since the days of the old Empire when Kaine came to find him back then he was Braxus, a lost soul toiling away wasting his gift as the perfect killer serving as a glorified dog in an army of men who wouldn't ever understand him.

There was little faith left in himself then until Kaine made him see what true power he held, what gifts he had and how bright of a future that he had ahead of him. It might've seemed odd to see a younger nephew consoling his uncle on such things but even back then when both men were so much weaker, Kaine was so powerful. Prazutis bowed to him calling him master and served alongside him for countless years learning, fighting, bleeding, proving his worth time and time again with every task completed, every lesson learned, proving that he was not some entitled fool clinging to a name he didn't earn. All those years worked up to this one moment where Prazutis was able to stand side by side with a man other feared the sight and presence of, a man he didn't have to bow to like a lowly apprentice anymore he was far beyond that. Kaine was like a brother to him and he knew the man felt the same, but none had ever admitted it.

The lessons they taught one another protected them from the strings of weakness family normally attached, but even so they were brothers nonetheless. Prazutis stood silently alongside Kaine and stared out of the observation window to get a beautiful view of the imperial capital absorbed in his own thoughts. There was not much in the galaxy that could make a man of Kaines infamy have this feeling of apprehension, this feeling of anxiety that Prazutis could feel from the man, years of time together allowed him to read Kaine better than anyone else ever could. As they had discussed it was the possible doubt of the One Sith's validity on the grand scheme of things in the galaxy. The Dark Lords spirit was forever destroyed Prazutis himself had bore witness to that when he witnessed master and Darth Ophidia killed him.

But even then he was forced to rethink his beliefs as the New Sith Order continued on a spiraling path downward off of the top of the mountain they stood upon. Kaine brought interesting points to bear when they spoke of beliefs as peers prior and how if the force was perpetual conflict where one side could never exist without the other, then how could order and stability ever be brought without one of the other being completely wiped from the face of the galaxy. Time and time again history is filled with examples of great Sith who came so close to achieving their one true goal of galactic domination and the destruction of the light, only to be brought crashing down proving the theory of conflict. Since history was written by those who won thats why the Sith were always seen as mindless monsters.

Kaine understood this and in the silence covering the chamber Prazutis assumed after the discussion they previously had he was rethinking everything he knew, and his proclamation confirmed it. A Vornskr was a hound sent to attack its masters enemies, some would say even Prazutis could've been compared to a hound in the past with Kaine as his master. But no more they were far more than master and apprentice now. Prazutis immediately knew the meaning of the name he proclaimed: Butcher. It spoke truth to who he truly was. That was one of the singular reasons why Prazutis defied the Dark Lord close to the bitter end by choosing his own name.

Braxus was a killer his entire life born with anzati blood in his veins and the enhanced traits, for centuries he forged a legacy of blood across the galaxy. First as a dog to the highest bidder, a mercenary serving as the favored killer to the Hutt Cartels when they were once powerful, then to anyone with the credits. Until he pledged himself to the cause of the Sith Empire and served once again as a killer and an assassin, it seemed that was all anyone ever sought him for death. While he did become something more pledging himself to the force and the dark side there was a price for the power they wielded. Prazutis's soul was blackened that was his price, and emotions such as grief, sorrow, regret felt alien in his mind, he had come so far he couldn't understand them anymore. So when he chose his Sith name he picked one that best resonated with what embodied him, and chose the one word in the ancient tongue of the Sith:

Prazutis in its true meaning was Destruction.

He nodded when Kaine finished "Butcher, Executioner. It suits the essence of who you are, something we must all embrace. Darth Prazutis means destruction, death, an identity I set for myself for that same reason." Prazutis replied. Both men now wore identities that truly resonated with who they were, and dogs tethered to the chain of an order of lies was not one of them. "On the eve of the day I was to bring you back to this world, the dark side showed me a vision. It appeared to me as a galaxy on fire. I first thought it a sign of our vengeance cast down upon our enemies but the more I continued after to meditate on it, the more clearly I saw it. I see everything clearly now and the truth laid bare. It wasn't a new age of darkness brought forth by the One Sith Empire, it was its own destruction. Truth is treason in an empire of lies, and an empire built upon lies can only stand for so long before it crumbles onto itself. We must act quickly if we wish to survive its fall."

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He didn't turn to face [member="Darth Prazutis"], but he acknowledged his presence all the same. In the fading hours of twilight the Sith Lord wore a moderately simplistic set of clothes tailored with the finest silk vast amounts of wealth could purchase in the galaxy, although several ornate rings were slipped over his calloused fingers and were decorated with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds save for the one resting on the ring finger of his right hand which instead displayed the azure phoenix of his regime on Panatha. His midnight black hair had been combed back and bound up into a ponytail that ran down from the base of his skull to the middle of his back, and the faint hint of facial hair had begun to spring out from the healed flesh of his face, although it had not yet fully sprouted into a beard of any sort. He listened to the man support what he had already been feeling, and the faintest glimmer of a smile flashed across his face.

"The Empire's fall has been in motion for many months, Braxus. Ever since that pretender and his ilk sowed chaos across the capital, forcing us to put down the deranged Dark Lord after their paltry forces had been wiped clean from Coruscant. When the Dark Lord died so did the bonds holding many other Sith to this government, and when our numbers began to dwindle it heralded the doom that I feel in my bones. But it doesn't matter, the Old Empire, the Sith Empire, the One Sith Empire, the Sith Triumvirate... They're all the same, vain efforts to impose order on a galaxy dictated by a Force who's very nature is anathema to order. It is the destiny of the Jedi and the Sith to fight each other, why else would the Force be divided by such broad metaphysical lines such as the Dark Side and the Light Side? Both sides are guilty of attempting to circumvent such fate by attempting to destroy one side or the other, but eventually we all come back... Each side is replenished with time, and the fight begins anew. We must put aside all of these pretenses of an orderly galaxy, for ultimately no such thing can possibly hope to exist, and we must embrace conflict as the one and only truth of existence."

 

[Darth Prazutis]

In the hours of the evening Prazutis shirked his trademark robes in favor of a double breasted black doublet with gold buttons, matching black trousers made of the finest silks, and a brown leather belt with gold plates inset and the Zambrano phoenix proudly displayed in gold. He wore the Valthris Crystal in an ornate dark gold amulet set around his neck. His hands were empty with the exception of the Zambrano signet ring sitting on his right ring finger. Unlike his nephew Prazutis' black hair was cut short and he had well kept facial hair on his face. Prazutis kept his gaze on the skyline not bothering to look as Kaine spoke, letting each word sink in. In his mind Prazutis knew everything he was saying was truth.

Despite everything they once believed possible for the galaxy order, security. Regardless of who or what was in charge it was always the same beliefs regurgitated over and over "Once the enemy is destroyed finally we will bring peace and prosperity to the galaxy." the same lies coming out of the mouths of a different set of liars each time. A goal to drive the people fervently toward while the powerful sit on their thrones with the bones of the previous leaders at their feet. True order was a pipe dream for those who held the beliefs of the various Jedi and Sith factions, they were destined to fight and kill one another for an eternity with the illusion of peace only a brief reprieve to prepare before the next battle begins. They could never achieve true order for very long, and those in power know it but never accept it. Why would they? It undermines their goals and the continued acquisition of power through the regime they've set up.

"Sith Empire, One Sith Empire, Silver Sanctum Coalition, Galactic Republic, Galactic Alliance they're all just spokes on a wheel. This ones on top then that ones on top and on and on it spins crushing those on the ground. Their paltry pretext of order is a carefully placed lie to motivate their incompetent followers while those in power continue to stay there and consolidate it. With the limited beliefs they cling to so dearly, they can never achieve true order. We must put aside the beliefs we were taught to accept and embrace new ones if we are to achieve success where the One Sith failed." Prazutis replied truthfully. The Jedi and Sith could never truly achieve order under their beliefs, the lies they tell themselves. It was an endless war they fight against one another, an endless conflict without equal. The Director of One Sith Intelligence was always prepared for every situation, and this was one he had already prepared for long ago.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Indeed?" he said inquisitively, his eyes falling from the window to gaze back at the powerfully built half-Anzat with a glimmer of mischievous mirth twinkling in those sulfuric pupils. "Do not forget that their failings are ours as well, we blinded ourselves to the truth of the galaxy, to the truth of the Force. But we shall no longer be the shield that protects the ignorant masses from themselves, and we shall no longer prop up those we conquer just so they can abuse our gifts and turn on us every time the wind blows. We shall truly become the sword, and the whole galaxy will taste the harshness of our blade. Let us be done with these futile Empires and return to the old ways."

"Long ago legends told of an ancient Sith Lord called Exar Kun who rallied the Massassi, Krath, and Mandalorians together to form an empire that did not hold onto territory, but instead they sowed chaos, fear, and wrought terrible destruction upon the Republic in their bid to destroy the Jedi. Like Exar Kun we shall go forth to destroy, and unlike the Empires of old we shall not allow ourselves to be shackled to a capital like Coruscant. We shall operate through space itself, preventing the champions of the light from pinning us down in open battle, materializing from the void to sunder entire worlds before disappearing like mist to strike again and again."

He now fully turned to face [member="Darth Prazutis"], his right hand clenching into a fist with purpose. "Our Black Empire shall be the scourge of the Light, and soon all Jedi will know to fear our power. However; our cause is useless in this dying Empire, but to openly defect is a poor strategy. It is time to once again cloak ourselves in the shroud of deception, and make sure none can follow our tracks." And so the minions of Kaine and Braxus went to work gathering up any and all of the items and artifacts within the Black Pyramid that held any cultural, religious, or strategic importance into a convoy of unmarked military transports and began to depart Coruscant for the safety of the Pacanth Reach. Meanwhile the bridge crew of the Hammer, the Star Destroyer stationed above New Caross on Togoria, received an encrypted transmission from Darth Carnifex with the orders to purge New Caross, and after thirty minutes of swift preparations the Star Destroyer began to initiate an orbital bombardment of New Caross, killing all prisoners and guards in one fell stroke. All that remained of New Caross were the remnants of the outer walls, smoldering and ruined, and the blasted bones of thousands upon thousands of Togorian men, women, and children.

Kaine's wrath had finally be unleashed.

All that was left was the destruction of the Black Pyramid, and as the final transport escorting both Carnifex and Prazutis away from Coruscant left the atmosphere and made the final approach into hyperspace the Pyramid detonated with such destructive force it obliterated not only the surrounding skyscrapers, but also the many levels beneath the structure nearly all the way down to the lowest levels.