Rirmia iw ri Ardira

[Taeli Raaf]

Hidden Sith Laboratory - Bastion

It had been a project she had been working on for quite some time. Dozens of missions to obtain even a scrap of information, secret expeditions to piece together the different rituals and the specs of the machinery needed. A few dead ends in trying to find the holocron so she could see if she was on the right track, but she had given up on that for the time being. Endless tests, countless subjects that had expired...

But now... she had summoned the Emperor [member="Darth Carnifex"] to meet her in the secret lab she had established on Bastion for tests. Because now... now she had had a successful test. Eldaah and her experiments on the girl had started her on this path, and her apprentice had been involved every step of the way in putting all of this together. She had been the subject of multiple scans, both physical and in the Force, to build upon on the unique bond Taeli had created with her.

Standing at the edge of the pool, filled with the very specific potion that was required for the ritual, she admired the machinery that hung above the pool. Ancient Sith in design, but she had taken the liberty of upgrading the designs. It was all ready, the test subject was prepared and now she simply waited for the Emperor to arrive so she could show him... show him the rebirth of the Children.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The sterile white light of the reinforced lift washed over him as it descended past the various floors of the administrative complex, dipping down beneath the ground level of the structure and deep into the sublevels that housed the Triumvir of Power's secret laboratories. The Emperor mandated that all laboratories be located under the earth, hidden from prying eyes and the civilian population of the capital city in the event of a hazardous emergency. Such an edict is what saw the Emperor descend several dozen floors in a mechanical lift reinforced for his weight, his only companionship being two members of his silent and stoic Imperial Crownguard.

A sharp trill indicated that the lift had reached its destination, followed shortly by the electronic doors receding into the partition and allowing the Emperor access to the designated floor. It took only a few minutes of walking to reach the Triumvir of Power, his intuition leading him directly to her through the maze of corridors and experiment chambers. He made no effort to hide his arrival from the Lady of Secrets, his footsteps easily discernable no matter how loudly the machinery around them hummed.

"Greetings Taeli, it's good to see you again. What have you concocted for me this time?" There was a small twinge of hunger in his voice, an eagerness to see what his favorite crafter of monsters had in store for him.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

She could sense him coming long before he came into view. An event horizon in the Force, the Dark Side of the Force unending within the Emperor. It drew closer and closer until he emerged, the towering figure of the Emperor himself. She could hear the eagerness in his voice, and it pleased her. After all, a craftswoman always appreciates when their work is enjoyed. But today was not a day for creating a new monster. Oh no, it was to create something that had not been for thousands of years.

"Greetings, my Emperor," she said, turning to face him. The pool of greyish-black liquid swirled behind her, the machinery lowering from above into position. "Today is a momentous day. It has taken me a great deal of time and experimenting, rituals and sacrifices, but I have finally reconstructed one of Vitiate's greatest achievements. While I had hoped to obtain his holocron, there was no way to do so in an expedient manner. Instead, I have used several spells to reconstruct the rituals used for this."

She gestured at the pool behind her.

"What you see, my Emperor, is what will be the birthplace of your Children," she said, spreading her arms. She made sure to emphasize the title. "Everything is ready, and I wished for you to see the final demonstration."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

One brow was raised inquisitively, "My Children?"

Then it dawned on him, and the things he had studied in the halls of histories came flooding back into his mind. He had poured deeply into the wells of Jedi and Sith knowledge, whatever he could find, and he had read several passages referencing Children in galactic history. "Ah, I see. You have invoked the ancient mysteries of Vitiate and repurposed them for our use? I must applaud you for this undoubtedly monumental task, Lady Raaf, for there are few who have managed to do so."

Taeli Raaf's mind worked in ways that often outpaced his own, her penchant for diabolical creativity having no discernable limitations. When the Emperor yearned for inspiration he often sought her advice, her words bringing renewed clarity or insight into whatever project he was embroiled with at the time.

And this time was no different, and at that moment his pride in her work excelled beyond all parameters.

"Show me then, my dear. My eagerness cannot be contained for much longer."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

"Thank you, my Emperor," she said, bowing at the waist for a moment in response to the Emperor's praise. She drank it in, internalized it, and allowed herself to feel some smug sense of pride. It was her that had recreated this ancient process, her that had pieced together a puzzle scattered in a thousand different directions over the past millennia, her that was on the cusp of creating the perfect sleeper agents and extensions of the Emperor's will.

"Bring him out," she called, straightening from her bow. Two of her Adepts appeared from a side passage, dragging a male Sullustan shining with the light side of the Force between them. "My Emperor, allow me to introduce you to Jedi Master Sein Junb, formerly a commander of the Sullust Jedi Temple Guards. He was among those captured during Operation Eclipse, and he has been my guest ever since that day. I felt it only right that he be the first subjected to the process of becoming one of the Children."

She gave a gesture and the Sullustan was unceremoniously thrown into the bubbling potion behind her. He landed with a dull splat, the potion flowing more like a thick tar or oil over the Sullustan as he feebly struggled to stay afloat within the liquid mass. The machines whirred down from the ceiling, one binding his arms above his head and keeping him from drowning. From it, a small appendage lowered and placed itself along his spine. The other machine moved to where she and Kaine stood, coming to rest beside Taeli. A part of it opened, revealing what was for all the world a tool for collecting blood samples.

"When I activate the ritual, my Emperor, you need only prick a drop of blood onto the machine here," she said. "In ancient times, Vitiate required a much longer process to hollow out a part of his subject's mind, but I have taken the liberty of streamlining it. The ritual and your blood will bind the Jedi to your will, his mind connected to yours, his strength in the Force at your disposal. You will be able to possess him at your leisure, and if necessary, you can drain him of his power and add it to your own. Shall I proceed?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He could feel her own sense of accomplishment swelling with his praise, as was her right. She had alone recreated the process through which the Emperor's will would be spread across the galaxy, unnoticeable and undetectable.

Carnifex placed his trust in her, knowing that she was as firm a believer of his dream to see the galaxy united under the Dark Side as he was.

She would not fail him, she never has.

Then the prisoner was brought forth, battered yet still defiant. A foolish trait universal to the Jedi. "Ah yes, Master Junb. I read his file, your intelligence on him was accurate and comprehensive, my darling. He will make a fine first example of the power that lay at our fingertips." The Sullustean narrowed his eyes at the Emperor and thrashed at his restraints, but his energy had been sapped during his incarceration and he could barely muster the strength to truly resist captivity. Thus it was no surprise that he was easily maneuvered to the edge of the pit by Raaf's adepts, and tossed into the fetid liquid that churned beneath. His struggles were refreshing, the induction of suffering and panic like a cool breeze against his burning furnace heart.

But it was not to last, the machinery above them whirred into action to suspend the Jedi Master half in and half out of the pool. Other mechanical devices affixed technology to his spine, while another descended between himself and Taeli Raaf, a small syringe extending out from a small collection basin. All that it required was a drop of his blood, boiled black by his own unending hatred. The Emperor concluded that it was a small price to pay for such power, and without hesitation he allowed the machine to take a sample from the tip of his finger.

"Let it be written, Taeli. Let it be done."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

"As you command, my Emperor," she said, stepping up to the edge of the pool. The machines whirred, synthesizing the blood sample of the Emperor. It was an addition of her own invention, using Spaarti and Khomm cloning technology to create more and more of the blood sample. And when a sufficient amount had been created, the mechanical limb attached to Master Junb's spine inserted needles into him, the Dark Lord's blood flowing into him. His screams echoed off the chamber, but it was not loud enough to drown out the spell she began weaving.

"Kraujas iw Dyktis, rimri iw warniki Zutaiki. Arika iw Midwan, tutai sas Jina'tis. Mirji ri Anmudzuna, Diyi ri Asarsi. Titiai zo niriai iw ri Jin'ari!"

Tendrils of the deepest black twined out of the nothingness, plunging into the liquid, staining it the same color as they surged towards the captive Jedi. When they connected with him, his mouth opened in a silent scream. Their insidious work began, hollowing out part of his mind and soul, latching onto the blood of the Dark Lord within him, making it a part of him. Pulling on the taint within it that was Kaine's presence within the Force, filling those hollowed areas with that taint, the spell weaved the Jedi's very essence into the fabric of the Emperor's.

The black eyes of the Sullustan started to glow red with the power of the dark side, the power of the Emperor as the spell empowered the blood within him. The Emperor would start to feel Master Junb within his mind, a puppet on a string he could control whenever he desired. As the spell ended, the red glow faded away and the Sullustan slumped unconscious within the arms of the machine. He would not remember what happened when he awoke.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He could feel the power and energy infusing the Jedi Master's body, the barrier between them weakening just enough so that his will would suffuse into the Sullustean's consciousness. He could taste the blood in the Jedi's mouth, hear the sounds of his own screams as they ripped out of his throat, and feel the quaking agony that tore through his body like a fever. It resonated in his mind and he welcomed it, internalizing the Jedi's pain and allowing it to crystallize along his heart.

And when it was all over, there was no doubt that his control over Master Junb was anything other than total. His thoughts, feelings, and innermost shames were his own to know now. An entire lifetime of experiences, of joys and sorrows, triumphs and tragedies, flooded into his mind as he lived through the Jedi's skin. Decades of another person's life compartmentalized and dissected in mere nanoseconds.

For a time the Emperor was quiet, his expression one of concentration as he organized the jumbled thoughts that found themselves beside his own. His eyelids fluttered sharply and they opened to reveal his baleful gaze, his hand gripping the nearby metal railing for support as his mind regained awareness of his surroundings. "The Jedi's life was mine to witness, Taeli. I was present for his birth and all events since up to his submersion in the pit. He is mine now."

Three lifetimes now occupied the being that was known as the Emperor, not just his own, but the harvested consciousness of his own mother and now the stolen memories of the Jedi Master they had warped to their own twisted desires.

"Your experiment was a complete success, my dear. The first Child is born."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

And that had been the part she had been less sure about, forming the connection between the Emperor and the Jedi. Hollow out the soul and mind? Sure, she had success in that regard. But to have the essence of the Emperor fill that hollow, the connection hidden from observation through the Force until the Emperor decided to possess the Jedi Master or activate his connection to the dark side? That had been far less so. To hear the Emperor's exclamations that her experiment had succeeded was a great deal of relief.

"But certainly not the last, my Emperor," she said, gesturing for her two Adepts to fish the unconscious Jedi out of the oily pool. "Master Junb will be placed in a position where he will be allowed to escape, but not too easy as to arouse suspicion. He will eventually make his way back to the Alliance remnants."

The first of completely undetectable sleeper agents.

"With this success, my Emperor, I seek your permission to have three more such locations established on Malsheem, Dromund Kaas, and Korriban."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I should hope not, I want a child in every advantageous position available to us. You've set a high bar, Taeli, they'll be watching for agents like you embedded in their ranks. But they'll never expect these masterpieces, for they do not even know of their true purpose..." The Emperor grasped the air in front of him for emphasis, a dark gleaming smile widening his lips as the Jedi Master was hauled out from the fetid soup, his body unceremoniously place on a gravsled and removed from the room.

"The Throneworld and Dromund Kaas will serve our ambitions well, but Korriban is far too open, far too many prying eyes watch that world." He pointed at Taeli, "You will instead take this technology to my fortress on Khar Delba, it is where I resurrected the once indomitable Ra Vizsla. Access to that world has been restricted to all but my most faithful, and you have earned such trust many times over. This is my the edict of my will."

Indeed, the snowy peaks of Khar Delba had been a refuge for the Sith Lord as he gradually returned to the region. Hidden off the beaten trails through the Stygian Caldera, it had once served as the principal stronghold of the Dark Lord Naga Sadow but had fallen into severe disuse after his exile to Yavin IV. Carnifex had revived its importance months before the formation of his Empire, and he continued to use it as a secret repository of Dark Side knowledge and experiments.

"I will grant you clearance when everything is prepared."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

"It will have to be done meticulously, my Lord," she responded, watching the Sullustan get carried out of the room. "Truly a shame that Starchaser escaped before the process was ready."

The idea of Coren secretly enslaved to the will of the Dark Lord of the Sith was amusing to her. The self-proclaimed leader of the Light, well one of them anyway, a hidden instrument of the Sith and his most hated enemy. Well, she was pretty sure she ranked right up there with the Emperor in that regard with Coren. Her eyes widened in surprise, however, when the Emperor deemed the research should go to Khar Delba and not Korriban. She had been to planet, years ago during the One Sith, as part of an expedition to find hidden artifacts of the ancient Sith.

"You honor me, my Lord," she said, bowing deeply to Kaine. "Preparations will begin as swiftly as possible. Everything should be ready for transport within the hour. With the success, we will begin mass producing the potion and equipment on the Elidibus for transport to the locations."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Excellent, my friend. But do not let your thoughts linger on our failure to capture Starchaser, he will not elude our grasp for much longer. Not with these powerful servants you have crafted for me."

They had come to blows since that fateful day on Coruscant, but the wily Jedi Master has still managed to evade capture at every turn. His slipperiness was matched only by his fervent tenacity, traits that would serve him well if he had the capacity to embrace the Dark Side of the Force.

But alas, his mind was firmly fixated on slaving away at the behest of the impotent side of the Force.

"And with what else we have in production, the pitiful Alliance remnants will be left with no quarter. What more concerns me is the recent happenings in the New Republic, particularly the controversy surrounding what happened on Duro. From what my spies tell me, a Sith fleet carrying unknown marks moored over the planet's surface for an inordinate amount of time. For what reason they appeared over Duro, I cannot say, but the increased activity of the New Republic in that sector has me wondering."

He crossed his arms over his chest, "Perhaps your friend in the New Republic can enlighten us, Taeli. I want you to make contact with her whenever able."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

Yes, while she would like to capture Coren and subject him to a process he could never free himself from, that could wait. Other projects would need attending to, both experiments and undermining their enemies. She had already dispatched Eldaah secretly to Dathomir with some of her Adepts. What was about to occur there... well she would be watching with great interest. The turn of their conversation to the New Republic brought a smile to her face.

"I have information on that, from the very friend you mention, my Lord," she replied easily. "She thought I would find it amusing. Apparently, they are part of an order of Sith calling themselves the Jen'ari. Their leader was seeking an alliance with the New Republic against us and sent his fleet to Duro and Humbarine as a show of the strength he offered. My friend was present at the meeting with their leader, a man named Vyrassu, and the Vice Chancellor rejected the overture."

She had found the situation highly amusing indeed.

"According to my friend, Vyrassu promised retribution for the slight against him and left. As of yet, she has never said if anything has come of his threat."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"The Jen'ari? That word translates to Dark Lord in the ancient tongue of the Sith, and they refer to themselves in that manner as a collective group?"

He chortled, "Grand delusions is all I see, my friend. This Vyrassu was not one of the One Sith, nor was he in the Empire before that. The records we recovered from the Pureblood Empire do not mention him in any capacity as well, and they possessed records that dated back to the time of Vitiate." Some upstart was making a lot of noise in that portion of the galaxy it appeared, using old words and claiming titles that he had undoubtedly not deserved.

"I'll dispatch my feelers into the criminal underworld, see what they know about these rogue Sith. I would see what else your friend can uncover." He didn't have the time to divert too many resources into this fringe group on the edge of his periphery, he was too focused on advancing his Empire on nearly every front as they secured total hegemony over the Tingel Arm. Plus, with the secession movement in the North, he wouldn't have much time at all to pay attention to the conflagration in the Core.

"Anything else, my friend?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

"I suspect my friend will be... eager to see this upstart silenced," Taeli replied, smiling thinly. Knowing Alex as she did, she suspected the woman, while wanting to see Taeli amused by the whole situation, was also the Jedi Grandmaster for the Republic. She wasn't about to send that sort of sensitive diplomatic information along on a whim. Vyrassu must have really irritated her during that meeting. Powerful enemy to make, not a position she would envy.

"Nothing yet, my Lord," she continued. "But possibly something soon. I have another project to see field testing, and my apprentice has been arranging an operation to Dathomir for the occasion."

No one truly knew what had occurred under Dromund Kaas, but it had seemed that the Mand'alor had asserted her independence from Kaine's manipulations, and it was... likely that the Mandalorian appearances at recent battlegrounds were small tests to see how they fared against Sith forces. An abject lesson was needed, and the garrison on Dathomir was isolated enough that a field test of her new Creeping Lignan experiment could be done simply enough. Plus, it would give her a chance to acquire the texts on Dathomiri Magic she desired.

"Nothing will be traced back to us, but perhaps a trail of breadcrumbs could be arranged to lead to our little upstarts," she mused.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Ah, yes. Your Creeping Lignan, quite nasty stuff."

Taeli Raaf, the Lady of Secrets, the Mistress of Monsters, had made quite a menagerie of horrible and terrifying creations at not only his behest but to quench her tenacious quest for knowledge and experimentation. The substance that they both referenced was one of her less destructive creations, but it was nonetheless a worthy terror weapon to use against the Empire's many enemies. Dathomir would serve as a fine test zone, and with proper precaution, the Mandalorians would never truly understand what had crept its way into their garrison.

And the Lady Raaf was nothing if not cautious.

"If you are able to trick the Mandalorians into suspecting these heretics, then that will serve us well. The Mandalorians are a utilitarian people, they have no mind for the greater mysteries of the Force or the Dark Side. I doubt there are many among their ranks that could truly discern the truth of your efforts, my dear. Not since my puppet Ra Vizsla purged their population of competent Force wielders." And drove those that would not submit away from the Mandalorian Clans, as was the Emperor's true intentions. It had made it a simple manner to plant the seeds of his influence and let the roots grow deep.

"Keep me appraised on your experiment's progress."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

"I'll be sure that my apprentice lays the appropriate clues and let the Mandalorians draw their own conclusions, my Lord," she said. She had found, in the course of her work against the Galactic Alliance and the New Jedi Order, that one couldn't force someone down a particular path. You needed to gently guide them towards the conclusion you wanted them to go down, all the while making it appear as though it were their own thoughts and actions making the decisions.

"By your leave, my Emperor, I shall begin preparations for the Children production to be moved and will inform you when the operation on Dathomir has concluded," she added, giving the Dark Lord one final bow before leaving the chamber. She had a great deal to be overseeing, and time was of the essence.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Excellent, I entrust this task to you, my friend. You have not failed me yet, and you will not fail me now."

He stood still as Taeli made her move to leave, his eyes drifting back to the foul pit where the Jedi Master had been submerged in earlier. Wrinkling his nose at the acrid odor, the Emperor then took his own opportunity to leave. As he walked out of Taeli's facility, he allowed his mind to wander in regards to the ramifications of what he had been shown. Taeli Raaf was cunning and highly intelligent, and he valued everything she had done for him in the past decade.

And he would continue to trust her, but even with their incredible rapport, it did him no favors to put such blind faith in her. He would independently monitor her activities even though he doubted that it would reveal anything he didn't already know.

As he entered the cockpit of his shuttle, the pilot turned to await his master's command. "Return to the palace, I have much to contemplate." The Crestfallen II took off from the landing platform and began its trek back to the Imperial Palace at the center of Ravelin.

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​