Private The Summoning (Reina)

[Darth Carnifex]

The Malsheem hung like a looming fixture above the planet, locked in geosynchronous orbit even as the planet silently spun beneath it. Hot fire and magma illuminated the world, gushing from a great, gaping wound directly beneath the Malsheem's position. The surface of the planet had been cracked open, split apart. Kainate mining rigs delved deep, extracting the resources from the dying world in a ravenous frenzy. They cared little about what happened to the world after they were done, whether it lived or died. Those who had once lived upon its soil had already been carted off as slaves.

Great cargo freighters, city-sized monstrosities, lazily rose from the depleting atmosphere and into the empty vacuum. In their holds they carried that which had been so vampirically ripped from the planet's innards, all of which was to be deposited in the Malsheem's vast reserves. Sorting computers the size of multistory buildings rapidly parsed the pilfered plunder among the Malsheem's carefully curated depots, ensuring that everything was placed where it was needed.

Darth Carnifex watched the death of the world from aboard the Malsheem, at the height of its most senior command deck. Decraniated servitors catered to His ever need, and cybernetic technicians carefully calibrated the streams of data that poured across a dozen different viewscreens. Insectoid attendants in concealing purple robes stood silently in the shadows, bioluminescent eye-lenses shining bright even in the darkness.

Reinforced doors parted, slipping into the wall partitions with a silent hiss. A Dark Valkyrie, the winged honor guard of the Dark Lord, passed through with only the barest necessities draped across her muscular form. She knelt before the Dark Lord, head bowed in total reverence. "She's arrived, Eternal Father. We have sent for her to join your side." Though the words were spoken evenly, internally the Dark Valkyrie raged at the thought of another being allowed so close to the Dark Lord. Thoughts of vicious murder danced in her skull, but she suppressed any urge to act upon them.

He would not appreciate her insubordination if it was given life, He barely tolerated her thoughts as they were now.

The Dark Lord looked at the Dark Valkyrie, but said nothing. It was enough to send her heart fluttering, to be seen by the Dark Lord was stimulating in its own right. She again bowed her head low, mostly to hide the horrible grin which threatened to spread from ear to ear, and then swiftly departed the chamber. She would have much to brag about to her sisters.

Meanwhile, the Dark Lord's apprentice had been given clearance to land in an executive hanger bay close to the command center. Waiting for her was a small cadre of guards, who greeted her in silence but bid her to follow nonetheless. Walking through the Malsheem was like being subject to an unknowable gaze at all times, as if the vessel itself was watching her. And in that gaze, she would feel something akin to scorn and derision, the ship itself finding fault in her existence within itself.

Reina Daival ​

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Darth Carnifex
Her shuttle hadn't been anything amazing. It was good enough for her to use, but Reina didn't expect to write anything home about it. Even as she brought it in towards the Malsheem's hanger, Reina was mostly within her own head. The feeling of the planet, of the fact it was dying was something she could feel through the Force, even if her senses when it came to the Force weren't that advanced. It felt wrong. It was something she was a part of in a way. Even if she hadn't helped to inflict the pain on this planet, Reina was doing nothing to stop it. She didn't have the strength to stop it.

So in a way, even as she followed the guards that brought her through the corridors, the scorn and derision she could feel was...familiar to her. It was a way she viewed herself more often than not. She found fault in her every actions. Her every choice. None of it was good enough for her. The only time she felt like she was doing something right was when she was with Quinn. Without her presence, Reina struggled. To find her place, where she belonged in the Galaxy. She did not belong amidst the Jedi. She was not the right fit for them. Neither did she truly fit amongst the Sith as well. The recent Verd'goten with the Mandalorians almost made her feel as if she belonged...yet even then, she was an outsider. Those thoughts continued to swirl through her mind. Outsider. Monster. Abomination.

Even as she walked through the corridors, she could feel not only the eyes of the Malsheem staring upon her, but even those pacing by her. Feelings of hatred and murderous intent was being radiating in her direction, but she had done her best to ignore it. It had been the advice Veyra had given the Siren before Reina properly set out. To walk as if she belonged, for if she doubted her strength, then Reina had no place here. And so that's what she did, holding her head up tall as she walked through the corridors.

Then came her arrival at the command deck. Even if bowing was not something Reina found herself doing often, nothing coudl stop her from bowing down onto one knee. There were only two people she would kneel for this way. For Him, out of Fear. And for Quinn, out of love.

"You have summoned me. I have arrived."

Simple facts. But perhaps that was what she did the best at. Simplicity. She kept her gaze firmly rooted on the ground, not yet rising from her position. As much as Reina prided herself on standing tall and not taking orders from others, He was one of few that she would listen to.

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[Darth Carnifex]

For a time, the Dark Lord did not turn, nor even acknowledge her. He stared straight ahead, absorbing the data as it cascaded endlessly before Him. When He did finally turn, the pressure in the room shifted as the full weight of His gaze crashed down upon the young Reina. It never got any easier, being the sole object of His attention. The sheer terror which crept down into her bones, the chill that so eerily wound its way up her spine was so potent because it was so unnatural.

Everything about the Dark Lord of the Sith screamed at her to run away and hide, but she could do neither. His piercing gaze fixed her on the spot, and she found that she could not move.

"Young Reina, my dutiful apprentice." His voice washed over her like a tidal wave, steel wrapped tight in velvet. "It has been some time since Brosi. I've summoned you here to catch up on all that you've done since. From my understanding," the faintest ghost of a smile crept across His face, "You've been quite busy."

Reina Daival ​

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Darth Carnifex

Every fiber of her being was screaming at Reina to move. To run. But even know, she couldn't bring herself to move. It was the same fear that had routed her in place during her first encounter with the Dark Side, back on Woostri. Unlike then, she ddn't have a Jedi to instill confidence in here. Instead, she kept her gaze firmly planted on the ground.

"There has...been much I have been doing. Yes. I need to keep myself busy. I will not achieve anything...if I do not continue to act."

She had to work as hard as she could. To feel worthy. To be someone of note. None of that would happen if she took a break. The only person who could convince her to take a break from her work, from her mercenary-like role was Quinn.

"I have been doing jobs for the Sith Covenant...alongside earning the "right" to be called a Mandalorian, through what they call a "Verd'goten".

Reina didn't doubt for a moment that Carnifex would know that the Verd'goten was, but that didn't mean she would not leave the information out. Even if someone knew, giving them the information again would be fine.

"I've been working with them closely. I did a job with one of them, to take down a disloyal Count on Serreno. I worked alongside a Mia Monroe. She was also who I had to fight during the Verd'goten. Alongside another Mand'alor. Mand'alor the Reclaimer."

That was one, she hadn't quite gotten the name of. Only his title. Either way, the information was important in her eyes.


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[Darth Carnifex]

"Rise, Reina." It would be the only command He would give her, coming to stand over her by a staggering degree. His shadow swept over her, engulfing her in its darkness. Even deprived of His armor, the Dark Lord of the Sith made for an impressively frightening figure. Dark maroon robes hung down over His powerful body, embroidered with golden Sith runes along the sleeves and chest. His lightsaber hung loosely at His hip, the forked emitter glinting in the dim light.

He listened to her recount quietly, absorbing all that she said without any interjection or change in expression. When she finished, He took a moment before speaking. " Mia Monroe is an amusing name to hear from your lips, apprentice. Should you encounter her again, it would behoove you to never speak my name aloud in her presence. She is an old foe who yet clings to her impotent ideas of revenge."

The other name she spoke of brought a true smile to the Dark Lord's mouth, a warm chuckle emanating from somewhere in His throat. "Mand'alor the Reclaimer, it is amusing that he has taken up that old name once again. I had thought my son had given it up a long time ago, but it seems he's reinstated its use. Should you see him again, tell him that his father sends his regards. Be careful in what company you speak such words, however. The very whisper of my name inspires great fear and loathing among the Mandalorian kind."

Two Mand'alors, one an enemy and the other the son of the Butcher.

To the Mandalorian people, Darth Carnifex was the epitome of anathema. He was the despoiler of their culture, the ruination of Mandalore itself. More than eighty-five percent of all Mandalorians in the galaxy had perished by His hand, and many more suffered such humiliation and deprivation that even generations later they had yet to recover. Even as relations between the Sith and Mandalorians had been to even out, thanks to the efforts of the Empress Srina Talon , there would be nothing that could remedy such national trauma.

And to add insult to injury, the Dark Lord continued to wear His war-cloak of stolen beskar. A tapestry of diamond-shaped scales, each one carved from the beskar'gam of a Mandalorian clan; no two were alike. It was a living symbol of the genocide He'd inflicted upon them. Not only that, but His ruthless plunder of Mandalore's resources had filled leagues upon leagues of stockpiles of nothing but beskar. He armed His soldiers with it, used it to craft heinous mechanical abominations. All that He did bled the very soul of the Mandalorian people.

"What of your adventures with the Covenant, my apprentice? I hear interesting things these days."

Reina Daival​

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Darth Carnifex

She did not need to be told twice, as the redhead stood up to her feet. Even so, she still felt as if she was a miniscule speck in the Galaxy. Of course for her, that was a feeling that was slowly becoming more and more common for her. She was nothing compared to those she spent her time with nowadays. The Titans of Legend, the beings of Nightmares. And she was just...herself. Reina didn't instill fear into anyone, nor did she instill hope. No-one listened to her tactics or plans. She was a no-one...

The redhead shook her head to dismiss that thought from her mind. She knew part of it was coming from how much negativity she had surrounded herself with, how much darkness was flowing both around and through her. Instead she listened to Carnifex's information about both Mia and Mand'alor the reclaimer. It was good that she hadn't brought up her training towards Mia. With how close the pair seemed to be getting, both from the job they had done together and the Verd'goten...There was a part of her that wondered if that would throw some wrenches between the pair. Keeping secrets weren't something Reina was good at, but she would be able to try.

Of course, there was the far bigger secret of her keeping her training secret from all the Mandalorians. If Carnifex was anywhere near the demon that she had heard he was, then it was entirely possible that plenty of them would look upon Reina with intense hatred of their own. It would be like the Jedi once again. Everywhere she went it was like the Jedi. The disappointment. The glares. Damn it, she had to stop letting her thoughts be influenced as she let out a long sigh.

"I can not...tell you much about them. I have yet to be able to properly integrade myself amongst them. I had an associate say they would get me a meeting with the Trimuvirate, in exchange for helping them kill a Jedi...Though that has yet to happen. There was a raid I was involved in however. The Jedi had attacked Tython. I was on a fuel station above the planet at the time. I...I...had to fight...a friend. She...reminded me of myself. She's angry. Full of fire. Righteous fire. She burns harder than I ever could have."

In a way, Reina was jealous of Kito for that. In the past, she had also been jealous of Kito because of Valaine's affection, but at the very least she had managed to get over that jealousy. Now she just admired what the pair had. For now, she sniffed to herself, raising a hand to rub her eyes, in the attempt to make sure there wasn't any tears.


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[Darth Carnifex]

"Is she the first friend you've fought since you made your choice?"

The question was posed genuinely, springing from a desire to know more. Not once had the Dark Lord ever diminished Reina's past as a Jedi, nor has He used it against her. She had willingly chosen to forsake that life, to take the path of the Dark Side. He could not rightly call her a Sith, she had not the necessary knowledge, skill, or induction, but she was well on her way if she continued down this road.

He saw that she attempted to extinguish any tears before they made themselves known, such a thing was hard to conceal from one as observant as Himself. "You need not reject sadness, my apprentice. Others of my kind may view it as a weakness, and perhaps in truth it is in a certain light. Though I chiefly wield anger, hate, and fear to power me, joy and sadness can be equally as potent. The Dark responds to passion, your passion. It matters not where that passion originates."

Carnifex placed a strong hand on Reina's shoulder, "There are times I've wondered what it would have been like to have been taken in by the Jedi as a child, raised in their temples, nursed on their teachings... Only to forsaken them for the Dark. I have known nothing but the Shadow's embrace for as long as I have been alive. Even when I was a baby, it was all that I knew. Do not mistake this for ignorance in the Light, I have studied and observed the Light and those who wield it. Even with this knowledge of the Light, I still choose the Dark."

He wiped away one errant tear with His thumb, gently cradling the side of Reina's face. "So do not hold back, my apprentice. Tell me more of your friend and what you felt that day. Tell me more of those you once considered comrades."

Reina Daival ​

 

[Reina Daival]

Tag: Darth Carnifex

"Yes...I don't have...many friends. If any. Most have left me...No trace of them."

As much as Carnifex may have thought that Reina was well on her way to becoming a Sith, Reina believed she did not have the nature for it. She was far too attached to people. She wanted to protect people more than she wanted to hurt, or rule over them. Yet she shook her head to dismiss any of those toughts from her mind as Carnifex continued to speak. She didn't need to reject sadness? That was what she had done her entire life, even before she had even joined the Jedi.

"I was...never raised by them myself...I wanted them to teach me. To help me figure out...how to control. I liked fighting. A lot more than the average person...But my master...She refused to give me the time of day. Refused to entertain the conversation. She just wanted me to...stop fighting completely. She wouldn't...discuss the idea of me using it for good...It aggrevated me to no end. She had given up on me. That was why I left the Jedi...She's apologised since, but that does not change that who I am now, is because of her. The choices I have made, because of her."

The Siren tensed ever so slightly as Carnifex wiped the tear away. He was one of those that continued to make Reina feel on edge with physical contact. It was not truly a fault of his own. She had gotten far too used to Quinn's touch, for she was the only one that didn't make Reina fear at the concept of contact, but she ignored that for now. He had asked her to tell her more, and so she would.

"She...reminds me...a lot of who I used to be. She has a fire burning inside of her. A strong moral compass. She's wandered through the Galaxy, as one of those Bokken Jedi...I knew she wouldn't let me walk past her. If I was in her shoes, I wouldn't let someone working with the Sith walk away...And so we had to fight. But...I couldn't bring myself to hurt her. Not at first. I lost my sword against her. It shattered. I nearly gave up. I was going to let myself die. but then...I remember I made a promise to someone. That my life belonged to them. And I wouldn't let anyone else take me away."

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[Darth Carnifex]

"She only apologizes after you've slipped beyond her control, Reina. She defined who you were against your will, forced what she wanted you to be on your shoulders. Your reasons for leaving the Jedi become clearer by the second." The Jedi and the Sith were similar in this way, that fear of loss. In this instance, it was the fear of losing control. In Reina's case, her master's control over her defined her time amongst the Jedi. It shaped her entire experience with the Order. Another Sith might have sought to impose their own vision upon Reina had they taken her under their wing, but Darth Carnifex was not like other Sith.

He looked to Reina expectantly, no trace of sympathy or compassion to be found anywhere in His expression. It was not known if He could even still feel such emotions, or if He had suppressed them so much that they no longer existed. He did, however, know how to replicate the emotions He'd forsaken in order to entice and seduce those most susceptible to them.

"What do you plan to do if you encounter her again? Try to talk? If that fails, fight? How far will you go this time to win? Will you disarm her? Injure her? Or do you have the strength to sever that part of you forever? What will you sacrifice for what you love, Reina?"

Reina Daival ​