The Ugly

[Darth Abyss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTz1mHYQ0Mg

Maena, The Dead Dragon - Level 477, The Dead Dragon Casino

Death, Life, Undeath. It was all the same to those that had crossed the veil and returned.

Even if they stood on two different sides now, the experience of death, the horrors of chaos, and the violent march back to existence was something that could bind the most opposing of souls.

There had been a short period of time when the Sith Assassins saw success instead of death while Abyss was a part of the council. It had been a time when the shadows stood strong, but also a time when then aspects could gather under one banner, one purpose. Abyss remembered the day when they meet in the safety of the Black Adder on Nar Shaddaa, united not just in war but in jest.

How fleeting such times were. Now the Assassins bowed to the false Dark Lord and his shallow Empire, while the Black had renounced any shred of loyalty he ever had for those that were nothing more then misguided traitors in his eyes. Abyss had avoided to interact with his peers since then, not out of respect, but out of paranoia. Of all the Sith that could challenge him, his master, her master and his own acolyte Brother, were the only ones he considered a danger to himself. Not just due to their power, but due to their insight into the abyss that raged on within him, an advantage only few other could claim.

When he send an invitation to [member="Darth Ferus"], the returned flesh of the Red, he considered his options. At first he felt it would be most appropriate to invite the Sith Lord into his throne room within the Dead Dragon, a symbol of his power, wealth and independence. The trapdoor that could drop the Zabrak into the depths of a pit in which an undead dragon had taken residence was only an afterthought.

In the end he settled for a less hostile environment. He didn't invited his old ally to make an attempt on his life, and it would be wise to not turn the situation that way regardless of his intentions. Instead of the eery halls below the clubs and bars, Abyss had picked a secluded room in the upper areas of the Casino.

The small table was illuminated by dim light, just enough to leave half of Abyss' hollow appearance shrouded in shadows. On it rested a deck of Sabacc cards, as well as fancy can and a cup. The Mindeater rarely forgot, so the Red's liking of fine teas had not escaped his mind. He had prepared a special brew, made from a mix of genetically modified herbs originating from the artificial biotopes that had once rested below Malachor's dirty surface. Between the metal teeth of the husk rested a pipe, fittingly shaped to mirror a dragon's head. From it emerged thin smoke, both its foul odor and its strange, otherworldly presence revealing the Korriban incense that was used to produce it.

 

[Darth Ferus]

It took some time for the Zabrak to arrive. Not just due to distance, but do to preparation. The elder man remembered [member="Darth Abyss"] fondly, from their first fight to their last. And that was most of their relationship. A fight with no end, always being interrupted, always a thrill. Darth Ferus had come under the impression that the Black was planning to take revenge once and for all in a trap. He was always the cunningly sly one of the council after all.

Yet when he arrived, wielding his lightsabers and more then ready for a fight, he felt no such sensation in the Force. There was no air of secrecy or a looming unseen threat. No, there was only a desire to speak, and Korriban incense. A faint smile took over the features of the elder as he stepped through the door, holstering his saber once more onto his belt. "Abyss, my dear friend. I am glad we don't have to come to blades this time. Is that tea?" Ferus was dressed in the classic black of the Sith with his hood thrown back, his now stained red eyes piercing into the skull plate Abyss had as a face.

 

[Darth Abyss]

"No, it is an offer to keep this place clean of blood and shattered metal."

The hollow eyes of the Mindeater remained fixed on the figure that had just entered, yet his right hand proceeded to fill up the cup with the precession of sight beyond sight. At the same time his left raised slightly, and on its mark the other chair on the table was moved just enough for [member="Darth Ferus"] to sit down. He didn't meant to appear hostile, but like the saber that had just moments ago rested in the hands of the Red showed he wasn't the only one that approached this meeting with a healthy sense of paranoia.

Instead of using fear and threats he opted to play on his inhuman properties, his ability to see without eyes and the endlessness of his mind that could accomplish countless tasks at the same time with little to no effort. It was a reminder that while other sith moved around their pieces, Abyss had already burned down the playing field and replaced it with one more suited for his desires.

"I was unsure if you would show. Since your return from beyond veil your path is shrouded in shadows and chaos."

It was a rare occurrence that the Prophet could see nothing at all. Under normal circumstances the strings of time, ever shifting and intertwining, were an open secret to him, but the future of Ferus had grown more and more obscure since the strain of death had tainted his spirit once more.

"How was your time in the Nether. Is it still as lovely there as I remember?"

Even Abyss' ethereal voice couldn't do much to mask the underlying sarcasm in his words. Not even the hollow lord was mad enough to enjoy the broken, mind shattering chaos that awaited all those that died in the name of the dark side.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Dark, empty. I don't think I actually ended up in the Nether like yourself." Ferus had never actually been to the Nether, so he wasn't entirely sure. Regardless he sat across from [member="Darth Abyss"] and took up one of the cups of tea, sipping at the liquid gently. "To be fair my path was always shrouded in darkness. Perhaps more so now. But, and I don't mean to seem rude," He set the cup down, leaning forward on the table with his fingers clasped in front his chin. "Why bring me here?"

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Why here on Manea, or why invite you at all?"

Obviously Abyss knew full well which of those questions [member="Darth Ferus"] had meant to ask. Before the Red would find the time to answer his mostly rhetorical question, the husk continued to talk in his distorted voice, while smoke danced from the dark holes carved into his wooden mask.

"Manea is a world under the protection of the Sith Assassins. Not the Empire, just us."

The actual ruler of the city world was a Sith Lord herself, but so far Abyss hadn't seen any trace that she had any more love for the Empire than himself. While she didn't made herself an enemy, but remained a neutral party, granting her world, that in a past meeting of the Council had been placed in the watchful eyes of the shadowy organization the Red and the Black both belonged to, the opportunity to become a comparably save place for two formally hostile Lords to meet and talk.

"I do not serve the Empire, but I am as much a part of our Council as you, the White or the Pale."

Slowly the hollow lord reached for his left foot, making sure to avoid making any quick motions that could be seen as an attempt of deceit. In the end his hand found the strange, blue dagger that he carried as symbol for his seat on the council and placed it on the table besides the tea.

"I called you to learn of the current dealings of our kind, and to know what I have to expect if I ever cross paths with my master or my acolyte brother again."

 

[Darth Ferus]

"In truth I can't speak for either of them. Even before my untimely demise I was hardly part of the Assassins. Your master and your fellow acolyte could very well try to kill you on sight, or welcome you with open arms. As for the Empire, well. The Sith and Imperialism have always seemed to go hand in hand. So long as the Emperor remains the Dark Lord the Sith Assassins will always serve him. Of course, if another rose to the challenge to become the Dark Lord, who knows what would happen." He rambled slightly, but as he spoke Ferus kept a watchful eye on [member="Darth Abyss"] , sensing out with the Force. The husk of pure darkness with no flesh was impossible to read as a normal person, but it seemed Abyss still had emotion.

"Needless to say, I assume you would follow this challenger, no?"

 

[Darth Abyss]

"That entirely depends on the challenger. Why replace an enemy with an even more powerful enemy?"

The words were followed by the broken laugh of the husk, little more then noise that failed at mimicking the sound humans and other organic beings made when they felt amusement. If that was because Abyss didn't felt true amusement or simply because his chosen from was limited in that regard was a matter he happily left for [member="Darth Ferus"] to decipher for himself.

"If the next Dark Lord is the same in all but name, then I would gain nothing from replacing Carnifex. Revenge against the Lord of inbreeds would please me, but in the end I am as pragmatic as the next sith."

It was only half the truth. What he really meant was that if there wouldn't be a contender for the Dark Lord's title that Abyss saw fit to rule the sith, then he would work towards his revenge from another angle. The plans for that already waited deep inside his head, schemes and trickery, owned favors and lost faith that would accumulate into a thick, incomprehensible net of deception waiting for Carnifex to walk into it.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Ah, but if you pit two you hate against one another wouldn't it be easy to step in once the fight is finished to strike down the victor while he's weakened?" To Ferus himself the idea was appalling. There was no honor in that where honor was due, but he knew full well that [member="Darth Abyss"] would throw away the foolish notion of Honor when it would suit him best. It was the major reason the elder Lord was here now.

"To cut to the chase, I need someone like that on my side in the coming days. Does this interest you?"

 

[Darth Abyss]

"I find it insulting that you even feel the need to ask."

Like before the husk laughed his hollow laugh, before grabbing the dagger on the table and slowly lifting his metal from the chair. Quietly he opened the door the room just enough to move his free hand through the opening and knocked at the wall besides the entrance once. While the door closed again, Abyss continued to speak.

"You will need more then me to push the Dark Lord of his throne, a throne of your own to start with."

On his mark the door opened once more, this time because of a pale, blue eyed man stepping into the room. The agent offered a datapad to [member="Darth Ferus"] before leaving the meeting without a single word. Upon the small device the Sith Lord would find a list of criminal assets on Ord Mantell, a world neighboring Iridonia, that Abyss had forced under his control. In fact he had expected that the Red would ask him for this one day.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Someones been busy." He mused as he poured over the datapad given to him, his eyes scanning over the screen. "Was this planned to assist me? Or was it for the off chance you and I would be at odds?" Both was the likely answer, and one that Ferus respected of [member="Darth Abyss"] . Always be prepared for everything, so nothing comes as a surprise. Gently he set down the tablet, his eyes gazing up to the husk of the Black.

"Shall we begin changing the Sith?"

 

[Darth Abyss]

"Both."

The Red was right in his assumption that Abyss had these plans ready for either option. While he preferred to use the strengths of [member="Darth Ferus"] to his advantage, he never was naive enough to put his trust in another Lord of the Sith, or anyone for that matter.

"Almost. If we are going to challenge the Butcher King, you need an army. By the right of the sith you can not call upon that of any ally, but only upon those that directly serve you."

Since the door had closed the husk had not returned to his seat, nor had the dagger returned into its place of hiding. Slowly the hollow lord stepped in front of the Zabrak, before he lowered himself to one knee, while holding the dagger out towards the Red.

"Darth Ferus, I hereby accept your claim on the title of Dark Lord. My blade, my service and my loyalty belongs to you."

Obviously it was a farce, a technicality that meant as little in reality as loyalty meant to the Mindeater. Yet when it would come down to a Kaggath it would allow Abyss and his men to walk in the name Ferus, and bolster his forces with the power of chaos.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Ferus stayed sitting in appearances and in appearances alone. Hiding beneath the calm exterior he gave was a wolf waiting to pounce onto prey, his red eyes narrowing ever so slightly as the Zabrak kept his gaze on [member="Darth Abyss"] 's movements. The Black was the least trusted in Ferus's mind, not that it was a bad thing of course. Just that the last thing he was going to was not be prepared when Abyss walked towards him with a knife.

Even as the husk knelt and spoke his untrusting eyes continued to watch, but a faint smile formed over his lips. "Impressive. I never thought I'd see you kneel before me, even as a farce."

 

[Darth Abyss]

"What farce? I am but a humble servant."

The voice of Abyss was so utterly sarcastic that for a brief moment there was very little of the ethereal being he had grown into. Slowly the husk rose from his kneeling position, and the knife in his hand quietly disappeared within a sleeve. After everything was done, he returned back to his chair and once more ignited the small pipe between his metal teeth.

"Now, Darkest of Lords, what are your plans?"

While the title was spoken with a hint of mockery, Abyss still thought [member="Darth Ferus"] as worthy of it as anyone else. It was always just a string of words held together by arrogance and entitlement, but at least he could expect the Red to act more in his favor then Carnifex ever could.