Private Sulfur (Taeli)

[Darth Carnifex]

The shadow fell across the polished marble, the Dark Lord's distorted reflection stretching beneath Him like a living stain of darkness. Above Him, the body of an Alderaanian Knight-Commander floated - still breathing. Their limbs contorted painfully, their mouths wrenched open in a gruesome, but silent, wail. Beyond the knight Bastion's upper veranda, Sanctuary City held its breath, locked in anxious torpor.

With the resignation of the Alderaanian High Council and subsequent fall of House Organa, Alderaan's fate was poised on a knife's edge. Already, dark forces began making moves across the entire world, the Eternal Father of the Kainate among them. In a swift motion, the Dark Lord had struck at Castle Bastion, a stronghold for the Knights of Alderaan in Sanctuary City. Accompanied by a small cadre of Blackblade Guard and Saaraishash Inquisitors, the defending Knights had been caught unawares and cut off from the rest of the city.

The rest of the city had yet to even become aware of Bastion's fall, so quickly had it been put to the sword. What survivors among the Knights had been rounded up for interrogation and experimentation, with the commanding knight suffering at the pleasure of the Eternal Father. There was little that the Eternal Father could gleam from the knight-commander, and so had contented Himself by playing with His victim to alleviate boredom. That time too was coming to an end, and so the knight-commander levitated through the air in unceasing torment.

All while Darth Carnifex waited for His co-conspirator's arrival.

He'd kept her appraised of all His doings on Alderaan ever since the Covenant began to encroach upon the system. From the network of Nezumi spies to His meddling in the minor noble houses, enriching their resentment of the Organas and those allied to the previous status quo. There were always those who felt slighted by the prevailing order, those who's insecurities could be bent to the will of the Sith. Darth Carnifex enticed their darkest desires from their hearts, promising them all that they desired should they pledge their loyalty. It mattered little if such promises were kept, they were ultimately disposable pawns.

The doors to the council chamber opened, and a winged Vanr Inquisitor entered. "The Lady of Secrets has arrived, Supreme Excellency."

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Darth Carnifex
​

Heels clicked across marble floors as she entered the chamber where her closest ally stood. Whereas his reflection was cast as an infinite void of darkness, shaped by his malevolence, hers stretched out like wings as her dress and robes floated softly around her form. It had been a long time since she set foot upon Alderaan, since her old friend Alex had been forced to abandon her Temple of the Grey. The planet hadn't been a major priority for her in the intervening years as other projects and plans had taken precedence, but the Sith Covenant moving into the world and her ally's machinations had drawn her attention as well.

While he had laid the groundwork with the minor nobles, it had been she to suggest the target for their infiltration. Sanctuary City had been a safe haven for refugees from across the galaxy, but specifically those who had fled from the Scar Worlds and the Brotherhood of the Maw. It was a place where roots could be placed deeply and cultivated quietly, something they were both quite accomplished at, and all that stood in their way was a detachment of the Alderaanian Knights from their Order of the Shield. The assault had been swift and devastating between the Blackblades, the Saaraishash Inquisitors that still served him, and her own Geist Infiltrators. Those who had survived were below, suffering through evaluation and interrogation, before they would be taken to either Kainate or Arcanist facilities. She would offer the Vanr a small nod of acknowledgement before addressing Carnifex.

"Playing with your food still?" she asked quietly, looking up at the slowly turning, and clearly in pain, former Knight-Commander of this Bastion. There had been almost a level of disappointment in how easily and quietly they had fallen; that disappointment would be projected towards the man whose suffering would only increase. Not even worth the effort of cloning and replacing him, sadly.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Dark Lord didn't turn to face the Lady of Secrets, but she would feel His acknowledgement of her regardless. "There was little else enjoyment to be wrought from these pitiful knights. Not one among them offered good sport." Carnifex didn't even truly have to intervene, His forces were enough for any knight that they encountered. The few times He did directly participate was when one of the knights tried to assault Him directly, and paid for it with their life.

"But I suppose we should be thankful. The operation was completed quickly and without any complications. We jammed their comms before the attack, so they had no opportunity to raise the alarm. Once we finalize preparations, we'll assume the identity of the knights and continue transmitting an all-clear. I doubt the other knight outposts will pose any significant threat, but you always stressed the importance of erring on the side of caution."

He then turned to face her now, His eyes drinking in her familiar sight. "How fares your operations, Taeli? With the monarchy dismantled, we'll have plenty of room to maneuver on Alderaan. The Covenant will no doubt pass power into the hands of some local lords, but they'll be a minor nuisance should they raise any objections."

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Darth Carnifex
​

"Probably because these so-called Knights have nary a Force user among them," she remarked wryly, watching the man who had previously been in charge float helplessly. Although, she was interested in... examining some of the captured members that were below. Her Geists had reported that one of the females they had captured was a complete blank in the Force, a Knight with a flame as her emblem instead of the shield that her fellows had. It was only a mild curiosity, though.

"We'll replace the outposts one by one then," she continued, her lips quirking up as he mentioned how she had advised caution and stealth for their operation here. The continued upheaval on Alderaan was to their advantage, and the more power structures they subsumed covertly, the stronger their presence and influence would be. Even if the Republic and the Jedi reclaimed in the world, in time, they would be present and watching with none the wiser. A strategy they had employed many times.

"The Arcane Syn are in an... expansionary mood, old friend," she replied. "My experiments continue apace, you'll be pleased to know that some new creatures are almost ready for testing, and I've finalized the enchantments around the reservoir to quietly replenish our supply from the Nether siphon at the Warlock Gate. Merryn is working on expanding Aurora operations in the Republic, while I actually just came from Coruscant. Had a very interesting conversation with the Covenant's Emissary there. A string or two here or there on the metaphorical wrists, nothing noticeable, of course. Hakassi will be the site of a new Aurora operation to support the Covenant with Merregon transports, and I've agreed to back young Ascania's activities in the Bormea sector."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Good, that is pleasing."

The floating knight-commander suddenly slammed into the table, almost snapping the marble and sending spider-web cracks in every direction. He died instantly, crushed against the table's hard surface. With that brief distraction finally run its course, the Dark Lord took His seat. He gave a curt gesture, and the Vanr Inquisitor inclined her head before removing the corpse from the table and withdrawing from the room with it.

"The meat will make a subpar meal for my Targons, sadly, but what can you do? So few things are worthwhile on this world, but I've managed to uncover something that I believe is invaluable." He produced a small holo-device from within His cloak, and slid it across the table to Taeli. When activated, the first image that appeared would be that of an Alderaanian Killik; the original native species of the planet.

"What do you know about Killik pheromones, Taeli?"

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Darth Carnifex
​

She wouldn't even blink as the knight slammed into the table, cracking the polished marble from the force of impact. She merely took her own seat as the corpse was removed, and her only thought was that the knights must have skimped on the tabletop when designing their meeting chamber. Good Alderaanian marble was very hard to break, as her countertops at her home on Genesia could attest.

An eyebrow would quirk up as her old friend slid the holoprojector over, and it displayed a Killik. His question about what she knew about them and their pheromones wasn't surprising, although she had never worked with a specimen of the species directly. She knew the stories, though. Between the research they had done on the Ones during their incursion to Mortis, what Alex had told her, and her own personal studies and wanderings of the galaxy in pursuit of Force knowledge.

"They help facilitate communication between hive members, among other combined means, but they also can alter the brain chemistry of other sentients through prolonged exposure to become part of that hive mind," she answered, observing the warrior form on display. "Joiners I believe the term is among those that have been incorporated into a hive."

Her fingers would tap on the cracked table in thought.

"I know some of the stories of how even powerful Force users were absorbed by nests, but their personalities were able to influence the evolution of the nest, which could be an interesting point of study," she continued. "I had thought that the Killiks could no longer be found on Alderaan and had mainly relocated to the Unknown Regions around the Utegtu Nebula?"

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"That is the conventional truth of it," replied the Dark Lord, "The Killiks of Alderaan died long before the original world perished, and were not replenished when Alderaan was reconstituted. This world has not known the presence of a Killik nest for several thousand years." Ancient records of the Sith Empire under the Dark Lord Vitiate detailed various overtures by the Sith to court the Killiks of Alderaan during their wars against the Republic, all of which ultimately amounted to nothing with the extinction of the Alderaanian Killiks.

Should Taeli look through the files on the device, she would see many biological and genomic data about Killiks, as well as various artificially cultivated samples. "With Alderaan now bereft of Jedi protection, I believe it is time we reintroduce the species to this world. Excavate and construct new nests, seed them with our engineered Killiks, and cultivate their pheromones to test on the Alderaanian people."

Carnifex had already done some legwork in regards to setting this scheme up, but He knew that if He wanted to maximize His results He'd have to rope in Taeli as co-conspirator. Fortunately, she's had plenty of experience in co-conspiring. "I want your assessment, old friend. What's the viability of this plan?"

Taeli Raaf ​