Private The Heights of Scintillating Splendor [Taeli]

[Darth Carnifex]

Coruscant, Federal District​

The long nose of the black-plated hoverlimo pulled up alongside the marbled veranda, the back door popping open and pivoting vertically. One leg swung out to press its foot against the marble floor, followed by a hand reaching out to grab the side of the hoverlimo. Emerging from the executive cabin was a rather large gentleman, wearing a knee-length waistcoat embroidered with an exquisite serpentine pattern running along the edges and hem. The rest of His outfit was likewise impressive, each article reckoned to be worth a small fortune separately. On His hip hung a single lightsaber, magnetically clamped to a leather holster looped through the fabric tied around His waist.

Despite the man's noble appearance, there was a darkness that hung about Him like a funeral shroud. Yet despite that, He showed no trepidation standing out in the open in the Coruscant twilight. He turned briefly to look over the vast cityscape, the domed Senate chambers a short journey away; the seat of Alliance power. The hoverlimo's door swung back down into place as the vehicle pushed away from the veranda and slipped down out of sight. The man then turned away from the view and walked further onto the veranda, where a series of couches, tables, and even a bubbling fountain had been arranged.

Several droid servants moved about under the shadowed awning, their chassis coated with electrum detailing. But their demure external appearance was a facade, for hidden within their mechanical armors and robust chassis were dozens of weapons and defensive measures. Each one of them was a skilled assassin and hunter-killer, fed unique programming engineered by the battle-technicians of the Kainate. They would be more than a match for any would-be trespasser. But, for now, their only purpose was to cater. One approached the gentleman as He sat down on one of the reinforced couches, constructed large enough to comfortably seat His impressive stature. In the droid's hand was a silver platter, a bucket of ice in which rested a bottle of Corellian brandy, and two fine glasses, sat upon it.

The droid deftly poured the gentleman a drink and handed it to Him, which was accepted and brought up to the man's lips to drink. Only the finest were appropriate for this night, because the gentleman had a guest coming. One of extreme importance, such that it was necessary to host such a meeting right under the noses of the Alliance and the Jedi, with whom they were embroiled in deadly war.

Darth Carnifex took another sip of His brandy, and watched the horizon.

Waiting.

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Coruscant, Federal District

It would not be a long wait.

There would be the soft sound of a breeze or wind nearby and the soft click of heels on marble would announce her presence as easily as the accompanying words, "It has always fascinated me just how quickly the Coruscanti can rebuild their city or adapt it to damage inflicted. You would never know the Maw struck here, but a few quadrants over they made the emergence spot of one of the Ferratas into a lake for the wealthy to relax by."

A blonde woman with gray eyes, wearing elegant shimmersilk purple and blue robes of the current fashions among the elite and some of the Senate and their aides of the planet and heels to match, took her place at one of couches adjacent to the lounging man. The 'serving' droids of the man would know her proclivities, as the man himself would as well that she never partook of alcohol, would retract the Corellian brandy in place for mineral water from the rivers of Naboo into her glass.

"You'll have to forgive the appearance, the Senate session just concluded," she continued, raising her glass in a small toast to the man. Darth Arcanix took a sip and smiled at the Sith Lord. "Welcome back to Coruscant, my friend."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"No doubt it was a dull affair, more hand-wringing over the threat of the Maw?"

Too much deliberation and not enough action, the staple of any democratic system. He briefly tasted that word in His mind, 'democratic', and He again found it distasteful. The weakness of inferiors magnified through bureaucracy, the ignorant masses poisoned with ridiculous thoughts like self-determination and liberty. The Maw exemplified all that these moralistic vacillators feared, the darkness of the unknowable and uncontrollable. In this, the Maw were the perfect cudgel against their enemies, but would never survive the conflagration they had unleashed. Such a crude weapon was to be used only for a temporary purpose, much like a proton torpedo.

"Activate silence." A hush fell over the suite, the entire estate effectively becoming a technological dead zone. Even the most ardent of SIA listening bugs or observation drones could not pierce the veil, the occupant's words garbled beyond all attempts to unscramble and their bodies distorted into abstract pixilation. Now they were truly free to speak as they pleased, without fear of careless whispers or watchful eyes.

Carnifex steepled His hands, slightly leaning back in His seat as He gathered His thoughts. "Solipsis is dead, the entire Alliance knows that. I wonder how much they know of what has transpired since." He looked to Lady Raaf, blazing eyes glowing beneath a furrowed brow. "I was on Exegol for his funeral, and for the struggle for power that played out afterwards. I witnessed the victor arise above all contenders. Darth Mori now leads the Brotherhood as the Dark Voice, my cousin Vesta."

"What do your agents in the SIA know of this?"

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"Oh, just minutiae you wouldn't care much about. The usual bureaucratic red tape," she replied easily as he activated the obfuscating bubble around the estate so they could talk more freely. She actually was enjoying the scene of the Alliance gearing up for their election season as Tithe had the advantage of being the Vice-Chancellor and then interim Chancellor after the attack on Adhira Chandra.

She was not at all broken-up about the death of Solipsis on Tython, nor about the devastating damage the Maw had taken in their failed efforts to destroy the birthplace of the Jedi Order.

"Such a shame the Sith'ari is no longer with us," she said, her tone a facetious sadness. Her opinions on the Maw were well known to her compatriot. Her tone shifted back to normal as she continued, "While there is a sense of relief that Solipsis is dead, the Alliance isn't quibbling about whatever leader has emerged to take control of the Maw. The success in the Empress Teta system to liberate it and Tython's successful defense has greatly increased morale and SIA is pushing for an aggressive strategy to continue hindering the Maw's structure."

She took a sip of her water, casually lounging on the couch.

"There's a demonstration in a few days about a new initiative for an anti-Force User unit within SIA," she continued. "But the more immediate rumblings are about actions to assist the Tionese against the expansion from the Empire. The Senate received a request for aid from them."

The conflict with the Empire had been brewing since the Kuati Affair and most everyone within the Galactic Alliance was disposed towards hindering their former ally against the Sith at every turn. Open warfare would not be far behind if the assistance to Tion Cluster was overt rather than covert or proxy.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Their confidence is a smokescreen, they should have learned this by now." The Dark Lord was dismissive of the Galactic Alliance, as He was of all democracies and enemy governments. Only through the Sith could the galaxy be corrected from its errors, with a power instilled through the Dark Side of the Force. The Sith Empire was a wonderful testing ground for ideas that the Dark Lord would later synthesize into His doctrine of Eternal Rule, although its destruction had earned Him the ire of many former contemporaries. An entire generation practically wiped out, laid to waste, in the pursuit of higher understanding of the Dark Side.

The fools were incapable of understanding His designs, but that was alright. He no longer had to rely on lesser minds to further His goals, He could engineer an endless legion of fresh bodies to supplement His campaigns across the galaxy. With technology acquired from Kaminoan, Khommite, and Spaarti sources, Carnifex had endeavored to engineer the largest cloning program ever undertaken since the ancient days of the Clone Wars. But more than that, He bolstered tissue and spliced genes together through the art of strandcasting, coupling the occult with technology to breed insidious lifeforms for His armies. The soldiers of the Kainate were engineered for loyalty, flash-trained since gestation to be the perfect obedient followers.

"This anti-Force demonstration is interesting, Taeli. Keeping tabs on how that develops would be of great interest to us." He took another sips of His Corellian brandy, allowing the pause to let Him gather His thoughts. "The Tionese offer us an opportunity, despite their earlier disloyalty. I believe we can use this conflict to our benefit, as well as ensure that those families that stood against us can never do so again. I will dispatch my agents to the Cluster to see what can be ascertained."

He then moved the conversational thread along to a new line, "I've noticed you renewed contact with some of the former members of the Empire, Alina Tremiru and Alisteri Haxim. Tell me more about them, do you believe they will have a place in the future we are building? I invited Alisteri to Malsheem several weeks ago. He tried to shield His thoughts, but my Dzunkissai saw right through him. I assume he voiced his displeasure to you?"

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"I'll be watching the demonstration, don't you worry, my friend," she replied. It was something she was more interested in than the plight of the Tionese, but she knew Kaine had once been invested in the Cluster. It was the larger conflict that could be born from the invasion of the Tion Cluster by the Empire that she could see being more useful on a grander scale, in time at least.

"It remains to be seen," she said, easily following onto the next conversation thread. She wasn't at all surprised that Kaine was keeping tabs on individuals such as Alisteri or Alina. They were the next generation, and several of them still held a grudge for what had occurred when the Empire fell. "The young man was on edge, perhaps worried about why I had summoned him, and he was particularly and no doubt deliberately polite and reserved. I gave Alisteri a task, and I'm very curious to see how he performs. I feel his talents could be put to far greater use if he was... offered an alternative learning environment to Ophidia, but that will be his choice."

She would simply let the boy see what he could have and learn and compare it.

"As for Alina," she said, pausing to take a sip of her water, a sly smile sliding into place, "I intend to further her education. She's certainly grown more ambitious, and her wanderings have engendered a certain taste for power and rulership. In time, and with proper guidance, she will quite the potent force."

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Both show promise, but their training must be cultivated carefully. Which is why I am pleased to see them entrusted to you, my friend." Neither would trust what the Dark Lord had to offer, their perceptions tainted by personal tragedy. The fall of the Sith Empire had jaded many, those whose vision could only stretch so far. The fog of uncertainty clouded the road ahead, and many moved with trepidation now that the guiding rope that was the Empire had been rendered slack. Carnifex and Taeli held no such unease, they had planned many things long in advance and were confident in where the path they walked was taking them.

Which is why they had survived, when so many of their contemporaries had fallen or gone astray. Things were perpetually in motion, wheels always turning, gears always spinning. Though the future was as ever-shifting as a whirlwind of sand, the Dark Lord's Oracles could discern shapes out of the storm as it raged around them. Where others saw nothing but chaos, the Oracles saw distinct lines, impressions, things that have allowed Carnifex and His allies to steer through the turbulence.

Alisteri and Alina would come around in time, they only needed to be shown the truth.

All things were calculated, every action precise. Neither of the two Sith Lords could afford substandard maneuvers in a galaxy where any wrong step could be fatal. Exposed to the truth too soon, and Alisteri and Alina would destroy themselves. Shown too late, and neither would grow to the heights they were destined. Showing Alisteri the world-craft Malsheem was a calculated move, playing upon his doubts and preconceptions. That seed would still need to germinate. Why Alina was not shown the same was evident, she would have to be handled differently.

"I will need to test Alina," spoke Carnifex, "I must ascertain for myself what she is capable of at this juncture. She and Alisteri are close, I will use him to bring her to me."

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"I would never intentionally set out to steal a student away from Ophidia," she replied at the first remark, allowing an appropriately aghast expression to cross her face. It might even almost be believable to most anyone except her close ally. In all actuality, she had laid a small pile of breadcrumbs for the masked Sith Knight to pluck at that would slowly draw him towards her, if he pursued the path. Her task of testing and spreading her Creeping Lignan near Hutt Space was both a chance to prove himself to her for further possible for him and his cult and a dual-layered test to see if he would succumb to a certain temptation and how well he performed.

As for the other remark...

"I would ask for a certain level of restraint," she said more seriously, "but I would understand if something more permanent happened if she failed your test."

She had plans for the Sangnir Highblood, and if she survived Kaine's obstacle, it would only prove to Taeli that she was fully capable to walk the path she wanted for the younger woman. She had such promise once properly tempered, once she could control her emotions and hunger instead of allowing it to control her. Her own test of the girl's abilities had been enlightening on her progress and had generated other ideas that could assist her own research and enhance her apprentice's power base.

"So, the Grumani Sector," she said, smiling over her glass as she switched subjects to the coming emergence operations.

Darth Carnifex

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"She will not die." It was the best guarantee that Taeli could get from Kaine. He had no intention to slay the Sangnir, but her condition after the test was entirely dependent on if she passed or not. Success would see no permanent damage, but failure would bring suffering.

Failure always brought suffering.

Taeli swiftly moved the conversation onto the topic of the Grumani Sector, a tract of space in the Outer Rim. The nascent Triumvirate of the Sith Order had their eyes fixed upon Grumani, drawing up plans to eventually carve up the sector into spheres of influence. From there, Grumani would be the bedrock upon which they built a new Empire, a stronger Empire, one that would wipe away the mistakes of the old. Unlike the previous Empire, there was no overarching will that would drive it forward, as the three Warlords that comprised the Triumvirate were all jockeying for power.

"Yes, Grumani," Carnifex answered, "It is the latest fixation of the council. We will move there very soon, and establish it as our new seat. Things are moving very quickly, Taeli. A new Empire is to be born." He reached into His cloak and brought out a small holoprojector and placed it on the table between them. When activated, it generated an image of the Grumani Sector with all the systems named and detailed. Carnifex gestured to three systems near the sector's center, Alphoresis, Gazzari, and Tergamenion.

"This is where I will establish my foothold in the sector, no doubt Empyrean will make for Darkknell. His mind is one of economics, that is what he will seek. As for Ophidia, she is more devious. I do not know where she will stake her claim, but it will be on the periphery. Feints within feints, that will be how this council fights."

Taeli Raaf ​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Darth Carnifex

As a Sith Lady to a Sith Lord, that was the only reassurance she needed for whatever test Kaine had planned for her apprentice. Success or failure would dictate the rest, as expected. Lounging on her couch, she gazed over the holoprojection as Kaine activated it and highlighted the worlds he had desire for within the Grumani Sector.

She could appreciate, on a certain level, the desire of this forming Triumvirate to establish roots for a new empire in a region that had ancient connections to the Sith. Even if it was to Sith that had been squabbling during the galaxy's first Dark Age and had eventually been subsumed by Kaan's Brotherhood. However, there were advantages to the region as her eyes fell on Sarrassia and Phaegon. Many advantages.

"I agree that Empyrean will make a play to control the economics of the sector, and no doubt secure the surrounding systems to strength any defensive postures from you or Ophidia," she demurred. "Some will wonder why you chose these systems, my old friend, as they aren't your usual choice for strongholds.

Not that Kaine didn't have his hidden redoubts besides Malsheem, publicly known as it was now. Remnicore, and the work ongoing there, was still hidden from the sight of the others. Her finger alighted on Alphoresis, calling up the data on the world. Amythest eyes took in the planet's history and, as she was sure Kaine expected from her, curiosity bloomed.

"A plagueworld... now that has possibility," she remarked, a sidelong look to her long ally. "An accord?"

It was a simple offer, a beginning to a continued arrangement of unrestrained discovery and experimentation. She continued by saying,

"At the conclave, I'll aim for control of Phaegon and some of the other systems to secure my place," she said, her finger tracing through the projection and highlighting the aforementioned world and two others, Gallion and Sanrafsix. "Control of the source of Lignan Ore is too valuable to pass up or allow one of the others to claim without passing through certain eyes. Gallion, from reports from my scouts, has a very interesting effect on its local fauna with its peculiar low gravity."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"An accord," agreed Carnifex, the unspoken pact renewed once more. Though they pursued their own ambitions across the galaxy, working independently on one another more often than cooperatively, there was still a strong bond that maintained the confidence each one held with one another. Still, the Dark Lord believed that the same pact existed between Himself and Darth Ophidia before her perfidy had been revealed. Could He now trust Lady Raaf in the same manner as before? He would have to meditate on this, He couldn't allow unchecked paranoia to discolor His every decision.

"We must move carefully, very carefully. My adversaries have multiplied, and their eyes will be upon my actions in the sector. You must be able to move where I cannot, a hidden dagger waiting for the killing thrust." A part of His pride had been wounded by Ophidia's hands, His ambush of the Eternalists uprooted by betrayal and extortion. Had Ophidia not played her hand, then His enemies in the Eternalists would have been skewered between Malsheem and the approaching Blackblade fleet. Resentment simmered beneath His stoic façade, a festering hatred and unquenchable yearning for vengeance.

They would pay, and they would scream as they did.

"Darth Ophidia will be our most dangerous adversary, we must watch her closely."

Taeli Raaf ​