Rebirth Through Chaos

[Darth Abyss]

Malachor V, The Tainted City

The Scrap Gallery was probably Abyss favorite place in the first of the free cities to rise out of scrap, dirt and blood, in his new empire on Malachor. Other parts showed the destructive potential of chaos and anarchy, but here one could watch as it became the driving force behind the creation of something new. A street away, a young Chiss man was strumming on his guitar, singing a song in his own language, around him a small crowd of people listening. In front of a wall a few meters away a Twi'lek girl was standing in front of a large, slightly abstract depiction of the Spires that illuminated the Tainted city with artificial light, the spray can still in her hands.

Abyss rarely showed himself openly in the city, his city, just often enough that the people wouldn't forget that he was still there to pull the strings in the end. Many believed him to be more a myth or symbol than an actual man, a mask passed on inside a large organization, because they couldn't comprehend how one man could control a place like this out of the shadows. Others simply thought of him as a ghost, a being that wasn't attached to the physical world, a shadow that lingered over Malachor V. In truth he was only one step away from an ordinary crime lord, but that one step made quite the impact. Other than Miss Blonde, the Queen of Nar Shaddaa, his closet ally and girlfriend, as long there were no eyes to see them, he wasn't accompanied by guards. That didn't meant that there was no one watching, only that his men were smart enough to not show themselves until they were needed.

It was not often that a man like [member="Connor Harrison"] called for help, but that was exactly what the jedi master turned dark had done today. Long he had pondered about the right place for their meeting, but his academy could not really convey what he had created since they had last meet. Only the Tainted City could. So that was where he invited his ally, or maybe friend even.

As the sith lord stepped besides the girl, he could see her twitch, scared as she recognized the mask that obscured his face. Yet she made no step back, and did her best to hide her fear. Clever girl. His right extended, and with the use of the force a black spray can jumped into his hand. Without saying a word he began to draw the outlines of his mask around the picture of the spires, showing both talent and experience while doing so, waiting for Connor to arrive.

 

[Connor Harrison]

There was a first time for everything, and this was Connor’s first time on Malachor V and a place known as the ‘Tainted City’, so Abyss had said anyway. Whatever that was. However, Connor approved of the city from what he saw above. Guided in by two large pillar of light, he brought his freighter down and kicked up a swirl of loose papers and plastic cups as he did.

A place called the Scrap Gallery was where Abyss would meet, and Connor stepped out onto the planet and the city to be met by energy. An energy that seemed to come from the atmosphere, hence an atmosphere built on the Force. He closed his eyes. Yes, it was there, seeping back slowly with each passing day and every new exposure to the Dark Side.

Pushing the crimson cloak back, Connor took his time walking through the city, looking up at the buildings and the décor on the streets around him. It reminded him of Nar Shaddaa a little, and the neon lights reflected on the ground, and people were out and about.

He looked ahead and walked down some steel steps, hand rolling down the bannister, he came into what looked like a gutted out building; scaffold and drapes on one side, girders across the other but with a warm breeze flowing through. Two figures were taking their time to graffiti the far wall. One held a familiar stance and clothing he’d seen before.

"Didn’t take you for an artist, Lord Abyss,” he called out as he casually crossed the distance between them.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

With a wave of his hand he gestured the girl to walk away, a command she followed without hesitation, her fear still as strong as the moment the sith lord had stepped at her side. When she was gone, the slightest of smiles danced of his face, as he gave his work on the wall a last look, before turning to [member="Connor Harrison"].

"Art is a passion that requires time, and time is something I rarely have these days."

Abyss hinted a bow towards the former jedi. It had been a bit since he saw him, and something was of, even if he couldn't pinpoint it instantly. The it hit him. He had heard the man talking, but his sense in the force hadn't kicked in beforehand to warn him that a powerful being was walking towards him. At first he thought that Connor simply masked his presence, but as he reached out he felt that it was there, only far less intense than it had been before. A brooding darkness that pumped through his veins, but not the bright flame he had expected.

"Lord Harrison. I was surprised to hear you call for help, but I think I understand now."

It was somewhere between insulting and disappointing that something or someone had robbed the ex jedi master his power, but at least Connor was here and the darkness was still inside him, clinging in the mans flesh and blood, waiting to return to its full strength. Also he had seen that Connor was both experienced and fairly ambitious, so this would be more of a temporary setback, and not the lose of a powerful ally.

"Tell me, my friend what is it that you seek? A new path to reclaim your power, or revenge for those that took it from you?"

Again a slight smile danced over his face, but it was gone after a split second. Revenge or power, clearly a trick question. A true sith would want both, so there would be no one to take the rekindled power away again.

 

[Connor Harrison]

"Both.”

Connor didn’t skip a beat. Then, he broke into a smile and a small shrug as he walked past the Sith to look at the art, noting the girl slinking away.

"The Jedi knew I was too powerful for them to let take their glory, so they severed my connection to the Force as I am sure you felt – or didn’t feel. But they will not beat me. I want it all. I want the strength and power from the Dark Side, and then I want to extract the greatest revenge on them possible.”

He turned.

"To slaughter them one by one, and take apart all I helped them build bit by bit.”

Then, he looked back to the art and took it in.

"I can feel the Dark Side in me, and it’s growing. I just need to keep pushing. To really let it take control and prove to the one guiding me, Mastu Xiangu, that I am worthy to stand beside her and re-shape the galaxy for us all.”

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"So it is lord Yaomo you serve now, I see."

The fall of [member="Connor Harrison"] had been a rather fascinating event, that left waves in the course of the whole galaxy. Not only did the silver jedi lose one of their most powerful, maybe even the most powerful, but others followed. Or rather one followed, even if it hadn't been her intention. Aria had been chosen by Darth Vitium, at least before her death, and now Connor himself was under the tutelage of Yaomo, another notorious sith lady. What a odd, but fairy interesting pattern. He wouldn't tell him what ties he exactly had to Yaomo, as it was business of the sith assassins, and therefore had to stay in the shadows.

"Your power has decreased to that of merely an acolyte, but strength alone will never break an enemy. Reclaiming it will not grant you revenge, my friend."

Now it was obvious why he asked for help. He probably called for all his allies within the ranks of the sith to learn and regain what he had lost. This would be more of a lesson, than a meeting between two friends then.

"Knowing your enemy is far more effective than any skill and any weapon you could wield and you, you know the jedi better than any sith I know, including myself. Do not make an effort to simply kill them, break them, take away all that they believe in. Then you will have your revenge."

The others probably taught him how to reconnect to his hate, his inner darkness so that he could strike harder and throw lightnings at his enemies. Abyss on the other hand was not a warrior by trade, he forced his enemies to kneel by schemes, with manipulation and deception. And if Connor really wished to become a true sith he had to learn that side of things too.

 

[Connor Harrison]

"That’s her, and yes, you’re right.”

He took in the art for a few more seconds, before walking back to the Sith Lord.

"They took it all from me. Rather, she did. Coci Heavenshield, wife of their Grandmaster. The second I came back to take my personal belongings, she cut me from the Force with some Wall of Light, simply ripping it from me. And she took my lightsaber. The one that belonged to the Skywalker family.”

It was clear he was still bitter about it all.

"I was given that blade. And she took it from me at my weakest.” He clenched his fists and lifted his head, trying to cool off. "But now I’m left to wandering from planet to planet avoiding trouble with my limited ability to build up my knowledge and power once more, and I knew you would be able to help with your view and insight.”

Calming down, he paced in front of Abyss.

"It’s funny you say that, because I’ve seen myself looking down on fallen Jedi, and seeing their worlds fall apart. But I’ve not done it personally, I’ve simply helped lead the forces to do it. I’ve shown them where to strike, who to hurt, what to destroy, and I watch it all fall around them. It’s…it’s thrilling to imagine. I want to hurt them, so much. ”

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

The notion that the jedi were now in possession of such an artifact as a blade belonging to the skywalker family pained him, it was a piece of history that he would've liked to see in his collection one day.

"You should focus your revenge on her then, and on those close to her. The complete destruction of the jedi order is a task that is neither possible nor desirable. Like the darkness, the light can never truly fade from this galaxy, and those that try will simply be buried under the weight of a mission that they will never finish."

What he told him about fallen jedi was exactly what [member="Connor Harrison"] had to do if he wanted his revenge. Only that this time he had an advantage that would make it even more painful, more disturbed than what another could do to those he wished to destroy.

"Tell me about this Coci. Who and does she care for? What could we take away from her to make her crumble into dust, until there is only an empty shell left to strike down?"

He used the word "we" to signal the former jedi that he would happily take part in whatever he planned. Not that he hated the jedi the same way most sith did, they were far to meaningless to truly care about them. But disrupting their order allowed him to operate in their cloud of influence, and breaking and killing the wife of the grandmaster would certainly disrupt the order.

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor continued to pace, hands behind his back, but looking at Abyss with serious intent and focus. He was listening and processing everything as, on all respects, a student. Master in mind and the Light, maybe, but in terms of the Dark he was a mere Acolyte.

Of course Abyss made sense, and it was clear when he heard it out loud. Of course an Order couldn’t be wiped away, and nor should it. One couldn’t exist without the other- the symbiotic relationship almost. But to make bold statements that would send shockwaves across the galaxy and weaken them for years – decades – to come, that was something to be part of.

At the mention of Coci, Connor’s eyes darkened.

"Former ally. Former friend. She rose to her power in the Silvers by seducing their blind Grandmaster, becoming a wife and a whore, bearing a child as stubborn as her. She had a daughter, not her own.”

He could see her as clear as day; the jet black hair, the sharp features on a hard face and those black eyes. Once, he loved her smile and it made him happy, and he felt a lot for her. Now, she made him sick.

"Family is what keeps her heart beating. Her husband, she puts above all others, including the welfare of the Jedi in their keep. I should have been Grandmaster, and I would have led them to something brilliant, but instead he got there with his family and now it’s not what it was.”

Glancing up at a section of scaffold gently clinking together in the wind, he gazed at it.

"I know names, places and positions of everything and everyone she holds dear. I can’t wait for the day I see them fall apart, and I hope I’m there when everything she loves vanishes, and her heart breaks and her knees buckle before me.”

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

Names, places and positions. That was all Abyss needed to hear for his mind to start to piece together a plan that would help both [member="Connor Harrison"] and himself. A jedi that openly had a family was not a bit less foolish than a sith doing the same. There was a reason why no one could ever know that there was someone he loved, for her and his own sake.

"The shadows are my allies, Lord Harrison. I can make them strike at her heart, kill her friends and her family while she can do nothing but watch."

This Coci woman didn't meant anything to Abyss, but her position as wife of the grandmaster did. Killing her family meant killing that of the grandmaster. A enemy without hands could still run, in some cases even be a dangerous foe when fueled by utter desperation, but a enemy without a head couldn't even lift a finger.

"Taking revenge on someone so high up in the jedi hierarchy will take time, and I would advise you to set your plans in motion as soon as possible. Maybe it will take years until we strike, but we need to be ready should opportunity arise."

The day Abyss had meet Connor he had already seen the worth in having an ally with inside knowledge of the silver jedi order. Knowledge, after all, was power and he would use it if he could. Connors new master, Yaomo was an allie of the assassins, something that could play into their hands right now.

"The daughter. Who is she? Does she posses the strength of her parents, or is she the target that will fall at first?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked up, beyond the scaffold, and into the stars above. A small moon could be seen far away in the heavens, and he looked at it. Wondering if someone was looking back. Yet he never stopped listening.

The more talk about revenge and the death of the Jedi he once cared for filled him with nothing but eagerness to continue on the path before him.

"Nina is her name. I haven’t seen her much but I know of her. Thurion’s daughter. Theo is her blood-son. Midvinter.”

He came back to attention and turned to Abyss.
"Midvinter is their heart. Thurion’s homeworld on the edge of Silver space, and a place they value more than Voss. They have their own life there, born of Valkyri blood. It’s secluded and backwards and that would do damage also if it was razed.”

The thrill of the fight was bubbling away and his fingers fidgeted, as if tingling for something out of reach.

"Help me, Abyss. I need everything to become strong again. I need to ascend within the ranks of the Sith and be taken as one of them. I can’t do this alone, and I won’t give up on my destiny that the Jedi stole from me. I want to destroy them. I want to destroy them one by one.”

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

There it was, a honest call for help. Until now Abyss had hidden behind the possibility of disrupting the jedi, but there was more, far more that mattered. And Connor would play a part in it, with thr help of Abyss. The jedi were simply the first step.

"Nothing in this galaxy comes free my friend. I will help you, with all the resources at my hands, but there is something I have to ask for in return."

[member="Connor Harrison"] was eaten up by his own hate, it controlled him, and with it Abyss knew how to manipulate him. He wanted the man as an ally, not a servant but for what he planned he had to pull more than just the friendship card. Right now the former jedi lacked the vision to see the bigger picture, but once his power would return he would understand.

"My friend, war is at our doorstep. Not the one between jedi and sith, but that which will dictate who will rise as the next Dark Lord of the Sith."

Again the edges of his face twitched for a second, as he looked at the man in front of him.

"And I suspect that your master has given her loyalty to the wrong side. I only have the greatest respect for Lord Yaomo's strength and accomplishments, and so I would rather see her survive what is about to come. For now, I would ask you to keep me informed about her plans, and once the time is right it will be up to you to convince her to renounce her current alliances. And make no mistake, if my words ever find the ears of your master, it will not be the jedi that will wake up with a knife in their backs."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked at Abyss, nodding now and then, understanding he had a lot to prove and a lot to take on-board about the way the Sith worked. After all, his life had been led by the Republic and the Silver Jedi Order – both had let him down at some point.

But, as Abyss started to make clear of his wish, Connor was stunned. Scared, almost.

He swallowed. So there it was, already – the deal with the devil.

Betray the trust of Matsu, or gain nothing from Abyss except a death-threat.

He cleared his throat, a smile came and went quickly, and confusion crossed his brow.

"I..er, war? What war? Matsu Xiangu doesn’t strive to take sides at all. She has no sides. She only sides with the Sith. I mean, with you.”

He cleared his throat, a smile came and went quickly, and confusion crossed his brow.

"I will do what I can.”

This had rattled him, and he didn’t know what to think or say, so looked away, searching for a something that made sense. Already he was being played between two very dangerous parties.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"I know this must be confusing my friend, but there is more that divides us from the jedi that just the dark side."

He could see, and feel the confusion inside the man in front of him, his inner conflict born out of the remnants of his time with the jedi. The sith had no "we", there never had been true unity between those that were real sith. Yet he had a ace up his sleeve, something to convince the fallen jedi that following him would be the right call to make.

"No sith rose to power without pushing a knife into someone's back at least once. That has been our way since the foundation of our order, and it has not changed since then."

He walked closer towards [member="Connor Harrison"], laying his right hand on the mans shoulder as a sign of trust and friendship. What he would say now was manipulation, but it was also the truth. Not that Abyss would've cared if he had to lie, but convincing someone with the truth was an easy way to get a point across.

"In this game it is up to any of us to decide if we want to be pawn or player. What has your master taught you by now? Philosophy? Applications of the force?"

A single laugh was released from his lungs as he moved his arm away from the mans shoulder and took a step back again.

"Right now most sith despise you. Former jedi are not well liked by our kind. Even your master sees you as a tool to use, and not as someone meant to ascend into the ranks of the sith. I on the other hand have seen what you can offer. Join me, and I will help you to become more than just an enforcer of anothers will."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor didn’t mind the hand on the shoulder at all. He was too busy thinking about every possible outcome to this conversation and situation.

"To be fair, she hasn’t taught me anything like that. She’s introducing me to myself, the one buried beneath the Light. Making me open up to the darkness. And soon there is a place to go where she says I will find what I seek.”

The first glimpse of the ruthless nature of the Sith had come to the surface.

"I am sorry you feel there is internal war for a title, but I thought you didn’t care for things like that? A title is just a title, is it not, and one that attracts more vultures to circle overhead. Aren’t you more in control of things as you are?”

Trying to divert the thread of conversation probably wasn’t going to work, but he couldn’t turn his back on the woman who had given him one last chance to survive. Without her, he’d be dead. But Abyss was a decent man, and he didn’t want to let him down either.

Inside, he was floundering.

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"So she promised you what you desire? Where did I hear that before?"

It was painfully clear that [member="Connor Harrison"] was absolutely oblivious to the things going on in the shadows. A sigh left Abyss mouth, and for a second he had doubts if it had been wise to act like Connor was an equal more than anything else. In his current state it would've been easy to simply manipulate his mind with the force, but true loyalty was the better way.

"This war is coming Connor, an rather sooner than later. This is not just some shadow on the horizon anymore, it is here and it will not be stopped by either of us. When Aria's master died, a fragile balance broke into pieces, and the sith are divided. The Zambrano lineage could claim the title now, but they know that they have as many enemies inside our order as they have friends. Conflict is brooding below the surface, and one day it will erupt."

He stopped for a second, turning away from the fallen jedi and looking at the dark sky of malachor. It was true that Abyss didn't liked to concern himself with such petty things, but a new dark lord would mean a new empire, and that would interfere with his plans if the wrong man would sit at its top.

"I do not wish to claim the title for myself. Only a fool would. But with Vitium out of the picture, many want to see themselves on that throne, and one of them will do so one day. I simply intended to make sure that it is someone that I can trust. Yet the decision is up to you, my friend. Pawn or player, never forget that. Just know that it is not Yaomo's blood that I am after, in fact it is quite the opposite. Maybe I am even wrong, and she has no intentions to stand on the wrong sides of things, so there could be simply nothing we both have to worry over."

 

[Connor Harrison]

The death of Silara caught Connor’s attention. He didn’t feel anything for Aria being devoid of that monster, but now she must be wandering alone without guidance.

"I cannot say for sure, you understand that don’t you. It’s only been a few weeks since the Jedi threw me out, and I have no presence with the Sith at all. Yes I’m trying, but I know they don’t care for the discarded piece of meat from the bones of the Jedi Order. If I don’t fall in line, I’m dead. Even you just warned me about a knife in my back. Not exactly brimming my faith in the new career choice are we.”

Rubbing his jaw, he walked a few steps away from Abyss, still thinking about Aria.

"I didn’t know about Vitium. No loss there. But what of Aria? Do you know where she is and if she has found another to help? I fear without a guide she will become blind and become a monster. She has far more potential than I, Abyss. You know that yourself. Whatever role I play, don’t lose sight of Aria.”

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"I do not ask you to tell me her every move. Only if it becomes clear that she intends to have her assets march into war, then I will need you to report. For her safety and for your own. Neither do I want you to draw her on my side. All I want her is to abstain from the conflict completely."

It wasn't a threat, but a piece of honest advice. If Yaomo would join forces with the Zambranos, there was a chance that Abyss allies would've to march against her. Not only was she a good ally to have, she was also extremely dangerous, and a fight against her and her weapons would cost much. The Zambranos had soldiers, but she had the undead and weapons chemical and biological in nature which could erase an army in a matter of hours.

"The path of the dark side is one we all have to walk on our own, Connor. We all had masters, but they do not walk besides us in the dark. You said it yourself, Aria has the potential to outmatch us all, and she will do so at the given time. Your attachment to her will always hold you back, if you not accept that the apprentice has risen above the master. Both of you are sith now, not jedi. She hates you, and that hate gives her strength. Any sith hates his master, it is the way it has to be for us to grow strong."

He looked away from the sky and back at [member="Connor Harrison"]. The man had still so much to learn about the order he had joined, he was like a child lost in the dark.

"Vitiums death is not a good thing Connor. Do not allow your personal dislike to blind you from the truth. As long she was alive there was balance, she was the only one that could openly stood against Carnifex and his allies in this conflict. Now there is chaos, and I do not even know how many factions rise at this moment, to take the title for themselves."

 

[Connor Harrison]

Scratching his brow, Connor let the awkward explanation wash over him.

"I know, I know,” he sighed.

He knew Aria was stronger than him, and maybe it was how the old Connor acted that he regretted. The Light had destroyed many bridges for him, and the Dark was trying to repair them. Maybe it could given time.

As for Vitium? That pleasure would be a private one. One less Sith to content with thinking she knew it all.

"I don’t know relations out there, and I have only met two of the Zambanos, and both were very forgetful people. As for Carnifex? I’ve encountered him before but he was with Matsu. I think they were lulling me into the darkness a little more. And so, yes, sadly, I don’t understand the rivalries but I know who I don’t want to see suffer. Matsu, and yourself.”

He looked away for a second, thinking.

"Hang on, if attachment makes me weak, then why the hell should I care enough to help you? Or Matsu then, for that matter. Why is it wrong I care for Aria, but accept her leaving, but alright if I care for you and your goals and to report on Matsu?”

Connor shook his head.

"Right now it seems the Sith way is to play deceptive games with each other. At leas the Jedi stood unified.”

[member="Darth Abyss"]

 

[Darth Abyss]

"I am not asking you to help me out of sympathy, Connor. It is a deal I offer you, the opportunity to profit from the resources I have collected in my rise, to make yourself a name in our order. For a sith it is important to be respected and feared by our peers, and right now you are nothing to most of our order. I see you as a friend, but like any real sith, including your master, I would sacrifice you without hesitation if I had to. You need to learn to think so yourself, or you will not survive the path your are on. There is a small line between friendship and foolishness."

The notion that Yaomo was with Carnifex was what he had expected, but it was still troubling. Other than Connor he knew at least one group that was preparing to dethrone the god-king in the near future, and while the others did their part by bringing their battle prowess, it was his duty the even out the battlefield before the war had even started. Matsu was more of a threat than the overly arrogant Carnifex, so having her stand against him was really not a desirable outcome.

"We are not the jedi. The strength of the sith is our individual power, not unity. In a society of backstabbers and cutthroats you can only come out on top if you are one yourself."

Yet it seemed that [member="Connor Harrison"] was slowly, very slowly getting an idea of what it meant to be part of the sith. Morals and real loyalty had no place there, both a weakness that a smart opponent could use to break him.

"The conflict inside the sith is simply a tool to ensure that only the strongest and smartest survive till the end. Without unity we can not allow our members to be weak if we wish our order to stand the test of time. There is nothing personal to all this, decisions made in times like this are simply based on pragmatism."

 

[Connor Harrison]

This was never going to be easy, and he knew more than ever this was an ascension only for the strongest. The hungriest. The most ruthless. Connor wanted it all – to be feared, respected and seen as an equal, not a castout.

"Alright,” he said finally. "If I hear anything, I will let you know.”

There wasn’t going to be a gentleman’s handshake for there were no gentlemen in the Sith, that much was clear. Connor nodded to himself that he’d made another small step forward.

"So, Lord Abyss, you talk about your strength, and resources and influence with the Sith. Can you prove it? What do I get for myself.”

[member="Darth Abyss"]