Private The First Blasphemy

[Darth Nefaron]

Thyferra Burns.

Even now, great panic sweeps the systems of the Mid Rim.

But all Nefaron can do is brood from within his Citadel. Death had nearly claimed him twice, something he would not see occur a third time.
​

Following the Jedi’s sorcerous strike above the newest addition to the Sith Realm, Nefaron had retreated with his loot back to the darkest depths of his fortress world. The great citadel that dominated Anoat’s barren surface grew ever grander following the assault by the Queen of Korriban, but that did little to improve the Dark Lord's mood. Confined to a mechno-chair with various instruments and unknown chemical concoctions flowing into his withered veins, Nefaron attempted to amuse himself by completing the work he started above Thyferra, watching a horribly mutated creature writhe as its seemingly endless torture continued.

"This one's potential has been robbed by the Jedi. All that wasted effort, and we still laid waste to their world."

Nefaron did little but talk to himself, as the various droids and torturers that filled the chamber continued their own horrid projects under the Corpse Lord's watchful gaze. His prize subject, of course, remained sealed away within a Bacta tank of special design, the final ingredient to complete her only being added once the small fleet Nefaron took within to Thyferra returned. Having to be all but carried off an arriving shuttle and into the arms of the citadel's droid majordomo as his body failed him, even with the return of the Force to his withered flesh. Clearly, his talent for sorcery had been weakened by the witch Revna, though that was partially a fault of his own for underestimating her. While his power grew stronger with each passing year, the flesh he occupied would only continue to wither under the strain of the Dark Side, something Sith from countless different generations have sought to reverse over countless generations. Oh yes, he could produce a glamor to hide his form like others in the highest echelons of power, but why conceal the face of true power? He was beyond simple vanity; now he wished for nothing more than to see the galaxy consumed by fear and misery for an eternity.

He needed help. He knew who to ask.

"Lord Helix, it is by your hands that the majority of my body survived the unfortunate mess above Thyferra. While our grip on power within the Empire's boundary has never been stronger, it is clear we can no longer ignore the threat the Jedi and the Republic pose to our plans. It is time for us to evolve."

Helix had been welcomed to Anoat many times, both as a member of the Triumvirate that sought to reshape the Empire and as the most trustworthy ally the Corpse Lord could call upon. His presence had been requested as soon as Nefaron could think straight, and, to his credit, he came as soon as he could. While Lord Ka continued to support their joint efforts amongst the endless political chaos that was the Empire's governance, Helix and Nefaron could continue to operate as mere outsiders whose peculiarities made them appear to be little more than madmen when, in reality, they were plotting to make the galaxy their playground for all time. But before that could come to pass, they would both need to share the deepest knowledge they possessed, something that would be unthinkable for Nefaron to do with his Apprentices, but with the Warlord? That was merely a guarantee of future suffering among the galaxy's innocent.

Turning the mechno-chair toward the Warlord, Nefaron continued.

"We are reaching the limits of our current capabilities. While there is yet undiscovered power, we cannot achieve it as we are now. My body strains under the weight of the Dark Side, and your form, as impressive as it is, can only take you so far. Your science has proven to be far more capable than any produced by the scholars of Jutrand or Korriban, and so I must ask of you to find some method of keeping my body alive and stable, even if the Jedi deploy a weapon such as the one used against us only days ago."

While Nefaron was cruel and selfish, he could not ask this of Helix without offering something in return. Something that other Sith may view as a heresy of the highest order.

"In return for your aid in this matter, I believe it is time that you were welcomed into our fold, those who can take hold of the Force and bend it to whatever aim they see fit. To put it bluntly, we must grant you a true connection to the Dark Side and ensure you can control it just as other Dark Lords can. Together, we can ensure no Jedi can stand against you and that all will cower in your presence."

TAG: Helix
MENTIONED: Revna Marr Veradun Sharr Lirka Ka ​

 

[Helix]

Tag: Darth Nefaron ​

Helix's spined metal feet clicked across the ancient cobblestones of Anoat. He'd been called with the utmost urgency after the Thyferra debacle, and Nefaron seldom handed out an invitation for no reason. The colony found himself intrigued, as he virtually always did when visiting the withered Sith.

He found Nefaron in dire straits indeed. Confined to a hover-chair, the monster was barely mobile. While not normally the liveliest-looking associate Helix had, he now resembled a long-dead corpse more than ever.

I must ask of you to find some method of keeping my body alive and stable, even if the Jedi deploy a weapon such as the one used against us only days ago.

Unfortunately for the galaxy, Helix was inclined to help him. Many would have taken advantage of Nefaron's temporarily-weakened position to wipe him from the board and eliminate a potential future issue. True to form, Helix did consider this, but had long ago concluded that the ghoul was far more useful (and entertaining) alive. Fellow artists were so rare, after all, much less kindred spirits, and leaving him to his fate would be a disservice to future generations.

"The Jedi's ill-advised toy did this?" Asked the spindly mechanical horror, maintaining a tone of polite conversation. He stalked closer to Nefaron, scanning him closely with a thousand and one senses.

As ever, Helix found himself marvelling that the man was still alive, let alone able to speak. Supernatural power seemed to hold him together, along with Helix's own medical micro-droids. The mechanical warlord remotely accessed the tiny machines' mechanical brains, reading the data they fed him. It wasn't pretty, and Nefaron hadn't been exaggerating. The machines were being tested to their limits by the challenges of keeping him physiologically alive.

Still, it was nothing he couldn't fix. After all, conquering the line of life and death was something he'd long perfected, and inflicted on a mass scale on the people of Thyferra.

"Easily done." He replied finally, after assessing the data he could see. "I must say, the fact that you still live is astounding. Unaccountable, even. A testament to the heights of your power. Nonetheless, I am pleased to find it so. The universe can ill afford to lose one of its few remaining men of vision in times like these."

The creature held up one hand, causing the liquid metal of his palm to swirl. A 3-D holographic image emerged, projected at size where both could really see it. Whirling numbers, barely-understandable formulae, and arcane pictographs danced by in an eyeblink.

"In truth, I had planned for this possibility. There are a number of ways to preserve this body. Some will require more work than others, but we will deploy one or more of them. You may rest assured on that front."

"In particular, one method shows great promise. A modified strain of my Tarnaci Blight. If you've watched the news or perused the after-action reports, you know all about that. This unique sample would give your body the same supreme resilience and regenerative properties as my Blightspawn, and would function regardless of the availability of your sorceries."

"Nor would your enemies receive any warning. You would look much as you do now, albeit with rather renewed vigor. The strain is not ready yet, but given the circumstances, I will raise its place on the priority list, along with other methods if you should prefer them." For the thousandth time, Helix restrained the urge to ask about the cause of Nefaron's infamous disfigurements. The ghoul was one of the few who could elicit something almost like consideration from him. "In the meantime, an additional dosage of endo-droids is in order to help repair the damage and get you mobile sooner. I'd offer you something for the pain as well, if I believed you'd accept." Helix was well aware that suffering only galvanized a Sith, at least to an extent.

"In return for your aid in this matter, I believe it is time that you were welcomed into our fold, those who can take hold of the Force and bend it to whatever aim they see fit. To put it bluntly, we must grant you a true connection to the Dark Side and ensure you can control it just as other Dark Lords can. Together, we can ensure no Jedi can stand against you and that all will cower in your presence."

It was Nefaron's second statement, however, that gave him pause.

"Once again, we find ourselves thinking along the same lines." He said evenly. "That too is in progress, but I find myself at something of an impasse on that project. I have secured assistance from contacts in the Covenant to complete it, yet some problems have been encountered. A warrior, a Mandalorian I think he was, introduced a snag in the process and removed a critical sample from my grasp. I was able to complete a scan of the sample before that time, but that is hardly a substitute for the real thing. Progress has been set back by some months."

"If you mean to help, I will gratefully accept. Perhaps your learned mind may spot something I missed in the process, or you might have a viable replacement sample amongst your laboratories."

 

[Darth Nefaron]

Helix was never one to arrive unprepared.
​

Nefaron keenly listened to his would-be doctor's advice; the options presented would all provide some benefit to a man whose body had long ago lost the physical characteristics that one would consider to be "healthy", but the Corpse Lord would require a more permanent solution, one that would see him unafraid of combat or the blasted treachery of the Jedi. While the idea of introducing a blight into one's own body would be suicide, Nefaron had been carefully studying his allies' findings and creations in what little spare time was available to him.

It was risky, of course. But the potential benefits would see him renewed, a fresh terror on all the galaxy.

"Know this, my friend, I have never found vanity to be useful to the Sith. Our agents may employ such a thing to lure beings by their baser instincts into our web, but true power is something terrible to behold, so will it be with me."

Nefaron managed to laugh, harsh and vile as it was, but he didn't allow it to last long before he continued to speak.

"Set to work on this modified strain, Lord Helix, you have found a willing test subject for its power. For the time being, your droids will suffice in keeping what remains of my physical form stable; the Dark Side will see to the rest in due course."

Helix was correct about one other thing, though. For a Sith to deny themselves pain was tantamount to abandoning the dark path altogether. Many Sith feared damaging their precious physical form, and the Order was lesser for it, something the Terror Lord would seek to correct in the future should he be given the chance, but he may very well be the final true Sith left to rule over a ruined galaxy should the Dzara triumph in the end. Still, that did not mean his promise to Helix rang hollow, for Nefaron envisioned his trusted ally would become something altogether new and horrid.

"The Mandalorians have proven to be a thorn in our side far too many times. We will deal with them in due course, something Lord Ka would take a great interest in, I think, but that is for another time. Our focus should remain inward, and I believe I am in a unique position to help you with your project. While our cousins in the Covenant know much, they are but scratching the surface of what truly lies in the darkness beyond the known galaxy. I believe it is time you knew what led me to become what I am, for if you are to understand the Dark Side, you must walk its path."

Guiding his impromptu throne across the chamber, Nefaron found his way to a holoprojector that displayed the progress of one of his many genetic experiments. After keying in a few commands, the Corpse Lord removed that image and instead pulled up a depiction of the Unknown Regions, or at least the sectors that had been mapped in the past thousand years.

"You know well that the ancient Sith, having split from our Jedi counterparts, were forced to the edges of the galaxy long ago. The vast majority arrived on what we know as Korriban today, but a significant portion also found their way into the depths of the unmapped star systems that make up the western edge of the galaxy. Exegol was founded as the stronghold of these Sith, but I knew that world could not be the extent of the Order's reach. As a young man, freshly mutilated and freed of the bonds of my first master, I fled into these depths in search of true power."

The map focused in then on a world that previously did not appear on the map, though its rough location placed it at the very edge of the galaxy, on the verge of the endless nothingness that existed between all galaxies. The planet registered no name, for it had long been lost to even the most studied of Sith scholars, including Nefaron himself.

"A lost world called to me. Here I found what I sought, a lesson in blood and pain and madness. It was here I learned of a group of Dark Lords that sought to take command of the Force itself, or at least master one aspect of it. Yet the Force refused them; the ritual they attempted saw them forever transformed into creatures that I will not speak of, for I granted them the kindness of death in exchange for what they had learned. I spent decades at their altar, nearly losing myself to utter madness as a result of their gifts, but in the end I mastered what they could not."

The Corpse Lord turned to Helix then, perhaps never more serious than he was in that exact moment.​

"Fear. Not the concept, the very real feeling that every living creature experienced when they first peered into the darkness of their primitive worlds. When a being dies in pain and terror, for the briefest moment, the midichlorians within them become lost, attempting to return to the cosmic force that binds all living things. I prevent those midichlorians from ever being free, enslaving them to my very will and ensuring that even in death, those who fall before me never know the peace of unity with the Force."

Then Nefaron revealed another truth. One he had kept carefully hidden. ​

"It is on this power that my body has been sustained for nearly half a millennium. Only when I had scourged nearly fifty unknown worlds of life in the outer regions of the galaxy was I at last able to return to the known galaxy. While you were not born of flesh as I was, I believe you may be able to repeat the same rituals I undertook so long ago to connect you forever to the Dark Side, if you dare wish to attempt such a thing."

TAG: Helix
REFERENCED: Lirka Ka ​

 

[Helix]

Tag: Darth Nefaron ​

Helix listened as the creature before him laid out his sordid tale of misery and betrayal. It still didn't quite tell him how these terrible injuries had occured, but it was something. One step closer towards acquiring a practical grasp of the sorcerer's thought processes.

Here was a man who'd dragged himself up from nothing, overcoming his ruined body and worse mind to transcend the frailties of the human condition. As worthy a ruler as one would ever find. Only a broken man was fit to rule a broken galaxy.

"An admirable course." He said finally. "A difficult one, but admirable. Few men possess the will to do the same."

Helix flickered through his own long memory, and the legions of memories he'd stolen. Mind by mind, consciousness by consciousness, not one of them knew the name of the lost world that Nefaron referenced. That was not entirely surprising. Many forgotten and terrible things slumbered in the galaxy's furthest corners. Some of them were better left buried, but this one seemed to be held by only one man.

"It's really something, isn't it?" The warlord continued after a moment. "When you're face to face with something beyond the pale, something you're not equipped to deal with. Even in my older body, I was worth an entire legion of generals. The best the Republic could manage were children to me, cavorting in a playground I'd been purpose made for."

"But there are things out there to blast the strongest of minds and the keenest of senses. I devoted so much effort to finding an alternative to hyperdrive technology for a reason."

"The odds are low, a percent of a percent of a percent, but they might take you somewhere you don't want to go. I understand fear very intimately. Academically at first, then personally. More personally now, when I can reference the minds and nightmares of thousands."

"There are places where the trees moan and sway when there is no wind. Where the sky is black and the sun is blacker." Somewhat fanciful language from the normally-practical Helix, but he said it with the same inhuman impassivity as he usually managed.

"Fear is traditionally finite." He shook his head. "Not when we are done. Not anymore."

In many ways, it was remarkable that this being had walked a path so similar to his own. Both had been shattered and remade into something monstrous. Yet Nefaron had done it as a mere man, and arguably emerged more whole than he had any right to.

While you were not born of flesh as I was, I believe you may be able to repeat the same rituals I undertook so long ago to connect you forever to the Dark Side, if you dare wish to attempt such a thing.

"I am ready, eager even, to attain this power for myself. The problem, as ever, lies in the mechanics." The droid's holographic display shifted, displaying a five-sided crystal. Even through the sterile medium of a hologram, it seemed to cast a weight on the room. The various small sounds of the chamber seemed muted, as if holding their breath.

"This is Black Tarnicite. The only sample of its kind in the universe. A seething wellspring of potential like no other, and my own creation. The key portion of my new and glorious body, the key to my apotheosis, if you like."

"The challenge is this. I made my current form to repel sorcerous intrusion. I could bathe in the Nether unharmed, and nearly did on Abregado. Moving the totality of my consciousness into the sample has thus proven difficult, if not impossible, as it must be done manually. I must transfer a tremendous quantity of data in little time. The substance requires certain stabilizing agents. Without these, the sample would not remain intact long enough for me to attain control of it, and shape it into my new body."

"The process would be long, fraught with risk, and not accompanied by a guarantee of success, but the result would be..." Helix paused, as if drinking it in. "Glorious."

"Without it, I not only cannot grasp the energies of the ether, but they cannot grasp me."

"There are a handful of things that would serve as viable stabilizers. One of them was Tsil crystal matter, but the Mandalorians keep it far too tightly guarded. Kyber may work, but it would need to be a significant quantity, more than is used in a single lightsaber. I do not have an overabundance of lightsabers at hand, nor easy access to unaltered Kyber."

"Lacking a viable stabilizer, a Force Nexus of sufficient power could keep the sample stable, at least for a time. That, however, introduces a league of risks of its own, some of which I find unacceptable."

"Still, should the process succeed, it would tip the balance of power significantly in our favor, and more promisingly..."

The warlord looked around, as if checking for spies even in this most secure of strongholds. "It may serve as a basis to repeat the process again. We may do as the Reborn did, and create a viable standing unit of artificial Force-sensitive servants from extant warrior stock. A force bent entirely to the will of the Dzara."

"Should we manage to hammer these difficulties out, then yes. I will accept your most gracious offer. After all, we both stand to gain from it, and our enemies will not wait."

 

[Darth Nefaron]

Helix understood. They all would one day.
​

Still, the Warlord's ability to see past the pathetic morals that bound sentient life together made him by far Nefaron's most deadly ally, if only for the fact that he did not harbor the same commitment to religious fanaticism as Ka, but more so because his end goal was simply self-fulfillment, a worthy goal in the Dark Lord's mind if there ever was to be one. He was a boon to Nefaron's cause, but more so because he was as willing as the Corpse Lord to sacrifice everything if it meant achieving an even greater level of power within a dying galaxy. But for the droid to truly become connected to the Force, he would need to transcend to a level previously unachieved by any being in the galaxy, organic or otherwise.

Naturally, he already had a plan. One in which Nefaron could play a unique role.

The Corpse Lord was silent as his companion regaled him with this marvelous new resource, one unique in all the known galaxy, and the woes that came with it. While it was the key to power previously unimagined, it appeared the Warlord had been vexed as to how to actually achieve his own version of apotheosis, be it by Mandalorian scum or the lack of untainted Kyber, even within the grasp of the Sith Empire. These would be difficult to obtain under current circumstances, but the third option presented could be the most worthwhile and the most immediate, despite Helix's concerns. Perhaps it was Nefaron's turn to offer his own aid, not merely promise it.

"My friend, I believe we have found the solution to the issue of stability already. Within the bowels of this fortress, alongside great slumbering beasts and various other projects I would keep secret for the time being, lies the source of this world's endless cold and wild storms. Years of effort, years of suffering and death, all to form a source of power I may draw from as I see fit. A Nexus of the Dark Side that I continue to feed with every conquest of the Sith. It is bound to my will and will obey my command, and in this case I believe its power will be sufficient to carry out a ritual to ensure the Black Tarnicite is stable long enough to grant you the power you seek."

Nefaron beckoned for one of his servants, cloaked in black and utterly terrified, to his side.

"Prepare the ritual chamber. Bring forth a hundred of our slave stock; they will be the catalyst."

"Yes, Lord Nefaron."

As the servant scampered off, Nefaron directed the Warlord's attention to the turbolift at the back of the room, guiding him toward his destined fate, one way or another.

"Naturally, I would have you inspect the nexus before we carry out the ritual; if it suits your needs, then we can proceed at your leisure. I must warn you, the power of the Dark Side is not something any being can merely brush off, especially if you succeed in your apotheosis. It will be cold, it will be all-consuming, and if your will is not strong enough, it will consume you utterly. Are you prepared for such a thing?"

TAGS: Helix
Mentioned: Lirka Ka ​

 

[Helix]

Darth Nefaron ​

As ever, Nefaron's ability to devise solutions rivalled his own. It didn't surprise Helix that the withered sorcerer had an idea ready at hand. After all, The Lord of Fear understood the Force in a more-than-academic way, something he couldn't claim. More than likely, Nefaron understood it better than he himself ever could.

In truth, this would be but the first step of the warlord's plans, but for once, it was something he could not do by himself. He was loath to entrust it to another, even to a close ally like Nefaron, but no gain came without risk.

A quartet of hooded and armored droids emerged from outside, carrying an unmarked, slate-gray case. Helix took it carefully, almost reverently. After all, this uncontrolled sample was preposterously dangerous. Should they fail, it could potentially replicate out of control, as Tarnicite tended to do. Given time, it would likely consume the planet they stood on.

If Nefaron and himself were lucky, they would be killed quickly in this potential scenario, but he considered that mercy statistically unlikely.

Helix brushed that uncomfortable thought off. There was a reason he had been leery of the Force Nexus option. One possibility was that the charged Tarnicite would simply prove uncontainable, even with his earthshattering strength. That, of course, would lead to uncontrolled replication.

Another was that the substance and the Nexus would feed one another in a catastrophic loop. The results of that would make uncontrolled replication look like a pleasant way to die.

Still, Nefaron was offering him a solution, right here, right now. In Helix's hundreds of years of existence, solutions were seldom so straightforward. Everything had to be a struggle. He couldn't recall the last time something had just... worked. Fallen right where it needed to, with no great convolution required.

There was still the trial ahead of course, and he had no doubt it would be unpleasant, but it was still a solution.

He stepped forward onto the lift.

"Then let's not keep the fates waiting." Helix said, in a tone carrying an uncharacteristic note of resolution. "The first of many successful procedures to come."

 

[Darth Nefaron]

Nefaron could only chuckle in response to his companion's comment as he joined him on the turbolift.

He knew full well there was no such thing as fate.

There was only the Force. Soon enough, the Force would be screaming too.
​

Soon enough, the lift began to descend with a creak as the group went ever deeper into the darkness of Anoat. The chamber they entered was at the very heart of Nearon's fortress, the one place untouched by Revna Marr 's assault on the fortress, and for good reason, for it was the fount from which the Corpse Lord drew such terrible strength to heal his broken body and carry out such blasphemous rituals such as the one they were about to carry out. After what could have been an eternity, the wall in front of the group slipped away to reveal a massive chamber with two tiers, one being the platform at which the group's turbolift would stop and the other lay below; already, a vast mass of slaves had been forced into the chamber by Nefaron's servants, the crack of electrowhips and clubs echoing in the vast expanse around them. But the real prize lay before them, for both tiers overlooked what appeared to be a black abyss, no different than a mere hole in the ground.

But this was different. The cold here was nearly unbearable, as if on the surface of a world blanketed in eternal winter.

The Force took no physical shape here, only the endless dark that awaited all who would walk the dark path. For those who fail to master it, an eternity in the void awaits, but for men like Nefaron, it was merely the promise of an endless power source he could draw from forever. Only now did the Sith Lord slip free of his chair, rising onto barely healed legs as his servants came to his side to help guide him, but he brushed them away.

"I must see to this personally. Every moment of this ritual must be carefully orchestrated, or it will be the end of us all."

All but limping to the edge of the platform, Nefaron directed Helix and that precious metal case in his possession to the edge of the abyss, but he was prepared to offer one final warning.

"Once we begin, I will not be able to stop the ritual. Should it begin to fail, I can only attempt to protect my world; you will be consumed in your entirety and cease to be."

Helix understood this better than anyone, but Nefaron would not move forward with an unwilling participant in this matter. Even the slightest doubt could destabilize both the nexus and the Tarnicite and lead to the utter ruin of them both. But for every monstrous thing that could be said about the Warlord, none could deny his raw ambition, and that was what drove him forward.

"Open the case. I will take hold of the sample with the Force; you must take your place at the edge of the platform and resist your every instinct to flee before the endless maw of darkness. Regardless of the outcome of this experiment, pain will be guaranteed. The Force will attempt to reject you as an abomination in your new form, and you must force your own will upon it to overcome the very energy of creation, a process in which I can only guide you, not force you over the edge. But first, fresh kindling for the great fire."

Nefaron looked to one of his cloaked servants, a simple nod being all he needed to offer to begin the great dying below. Sure enough, the platform below the one the group stood on began to retract, and the vast number of slaves that lay below them began to panic as they began to run out of space to stand. It didn't take long before panic turned into struggle as desprate slaves began to fight for what little space remained, many already tumbling into the pit below as their screams filled the chamber. Nefaron could practically feel the Dark Side clawing at his very flesh, desprate to be unleashed in a terrible storm of power, but the Corpse Lord only lifted the Tarnicite sample from its case and allowed it to hover over the chasm, the Force Nexus attempting to swallow it whole but being held at bay by the Terror Lord's sorcery and the great sacrifice of so many beings in such a short amount of time.

"Forward, Helix, step from the edge and prepare yourself for what is to come!"

The Corpse Lord had to all but shout over the cacophony of noise that filled the chamber, from the seemingly endless screams of the great rush of wind that came from the Force Nexus as it attempted ot break free from Nefaron's control. The Tarnicite sample had begun to violently shake under the weight of such a titanic force, eager to lash out and take hold of whatever came into its path.

Should Nefaron's power hold and Helix's will prove strong, it would be its new host.

TAGS: Helix
REFERENCED: Revna Marr ​