Private The Whispering Shadow

[Darth Prazutis]

Darth Vornoth, Voice of the Dyarchy

The Nycthemeron descended upon the scorched dunes of Geonosis like a silent predator, its black hull casting an obsidian silhouette against the hazy, dust choked skyline. The vessel bore no overt markings that would name it of the Kainate, yet its very presence was like the herald of the unseen will that dictated the fate of world, nations, empires. The landing thrusters engaged with a muffled hiss, sending a thin cloud of sand curling away from the descending ramp as it touched down on the surface. Down from the yawning threshold of the ship emerged a single figure, Darth Vornoth, the Voice of the Dyarchy. The Umbaran Sith Lord stepped forth with the deliberate grace of a phantom, his pale form was wrapped in flowing layers of deep umbral black, fabric woven with whispers of dark sorcery, they seemed to shift and absorb the light around him. A man with a tall, wiry frame the robes themselves clung close to hm, their subtle patterns of shadow threading rippled unnaturally as he moved. The Voice's very presence was both subdued and suffocating, a creeping weight that pressed against the air, settling into the minds of all who beheld his form.

The Umbaran's face was a deathly pale canvas of cold precision, complete with high cheekbones and razor-sharp features that lend him the air of something almost inhuman in nature. His very eyes were sunken pools of abyssal grey, and they betrayed nothing about him, no rage, no cruelty, no desires. Only the boundless calculation of a mind honed to unravel the wills of others. The air around him carried no dramatic flickers of dark side energy, no overt power or presence, there was only a profound silence that devoured everything, an absence of presence that seemed even more terrifying than an overt display of strength. As he approached, the Geonosian honor guard stiffened. Even these hardened warriors, who were bred for war and steeped in the rigid hierarchy of the storied Stalgasin Hive, could not help but flinch beneath his gaze. They knew power when they saw it, and the creature before them was power incarnate, not in raw strength no, but in the way his very existence seemed to strip them of certainty, of will. The grips on their staves stiffened, tightened.

A Geonosian lieutenant chittered nervously before bowing deep, gesturing for him to follow deeper into the interior. The dim halls of the hive loomed ahead, adorned with gilded murals and spires of hardened resin. Stalgasin Hive towered above the landscape and long loomed as the ruling presence across the world, stemming before the turn of the age and the ancient wars of the past. Somewhere deep within, Archduke Ukvax the Gilded awaited, an ally of the Sith Order, a ruler desperate to crush his rivals in the Gehenbar Hive, and a being whose desperation could be sculpted into something far more valuable than mere victory. Darth Vornoth did not need to raise his voice. He did not need to wield a saber or summon the dark side in great, terrible displays like others who choked themselves on their pride. His weapon was far deadlier, his weapon was his voice. And before this meeting was done, Archduke Ukvax the Gilded would believe, with all his chittering heart, that what he desired most had always been what the Dyarchy willed.

Ukvax the Gilded ​

 

[Ukvax the Gilded]

Ukvax the Gilded Darth Prazutis

Darth Vornoth.​

The murals of Stalgasin Hive bore the stain of time; the age-entropy of history as their low-relief carvings told stories of old glories. Of the days of when Petranaki was first born, of Stalgasin claiming leadership after a thousand bloody coups and a hundred civil wars. How Stalgasin Hive always persevered - and indeed, as blade-like iconography etched stone made with rock-paste and lined with countless stony materials, it was intriguing. Geonosian Honor Guards, Elites, even lowly Warriors and Drones, all flinched or found themselves focused upon the Dark Lord as he passed by. In one instance, a drone screeched haplessly as it was pulled into the churning gear-work of droid production, ripped asunder as its error bade it a most fatal outcome. When the Sith passed, the Geonosians merely resumed to work as nothing happened - a Drone sent to take the place of the other.

The Hive never paused in its efforts, after all, whether it was the civil war, or providing its order on license.

It is not long until Darth Vornoth, passing a mural depicting that of twin Geonosian gladiators set to the death against each other, that the doorway slid open, and with it, he's welcomed entry. Standing within the War Room, once used for hundreds of years post the demise of the genocidal Empire for exhibition and training battles... Was the Archduke of Stalgasin Hive.

Ukvax the Gilded.

Obsidian shards sparkled as they were forged into his bronze, silver, and gold armor. Gold, silver, and bronze jewelry clinked as it slid around on his frame - the elaborate cane likewise soft pallid-white in its hue, made from the bones of fallen sentient champions in the Petranaki Arena. The Geonosian observed him - behind him was a registry of the battlefield around Stalgasin Hive, and how the efforts of Gehenbar Hive slowly began to close in. It was clear he was actively involved in the defense; his efforts prior shown as an allocation of strength to the left flank to ensure that the Stalgasin Hive defenders were not routed. But still, the Archduke made time for political maneuverings such as this one.

Was he loyal to the Sith?

In a sense, yes.

The Sith offered him much beyond mere trade pacts and assistance, or at least, claims of such. Their prowess in the Outer Rim accounted for itself; victories against the Galactic Alliance showcased their strength in equal measure likewise. The Archduke knew the fate of Woostri from the intelligence of Galactic Alliance news, and thus he was no fool to condemn Geonosis to the same fate of those inferior creatures. Alignment with the Sith meant survival - his Regime would still be enforced, of course, but he knew that to placate the Sith in such time as to maneuver Geonosis into a position of power and prestige and importance within its ranks...

Well, Geonosis was the bastion of Outer Rim industry for a reason after all.

Archduke Ukvax the Gilded of Stalgasin Hive made his way over to a spot just in front of the war table - a bulky, insectoid protocol & translator droid accompanied him at his side. The Geonosian dipped his head in respectful greeting, wings splayed slightly out. From his black eyes and horizontally-slitted orange pupils, the Geonosian responded firmly, first with a statement, then a question.

[GEONOSIAN]: "A'huye-tik mrrrrrrrwippp, geyh-haeh-hahiye. Ayotuek, soyuek krrrrrrrrriw ka-kliak huyeok?"

The protocol droid took a moment to process as it was supplied its own lines by the venerated Archduke, before it replied firmly.

[BASIC]: "His Eminence the Archduke welcomes you to Stalgasin Hive, Darth Vornoth, Voice of the Dyarchy. We believe in a prosperous working relationship with the Sith; we, regardless, ask what is it you have come for. His Eminence believes you have a more grand purpose than the mere acquisition of war droids or of other weaponry, and likewise is willing to offer whatever it is you desire... within reason. That, and of course... certain discussions regarding the future of Geonosis within the Sith Order's vaunted powerbase..."

The Geonosian Archduke waved as he chittered-chattered to the Droid to signify his next response.

[GEONOSIAN]: "Ahae-geyh-haeh; wrrrrrrrk mheyh'heyh-ayaeh."

The droid paused, and with an affirmative nod from the Archduke, finally translated.

[BASIC]: "His Eminence is also willing to extend a personal gift to your Liege, but the Archduke will not disclose it yet. He will certainly be pleased, however."

Thus did the Archduke await the words of Darth Vornoth, even as the word of the Foundation's formation tempered his expectations. Any work would have to be done in a way that didn't too much notice of course. But the Archduke was confident in such measures being undiscovered so far...

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Darth Vornoth, Voice of the Sith Dyarchy

The silence stretched infinitely between them, thick and deliberate, like an unseen weight pressing upon all in the chamber. Darth Vornoth did not move immediately. The Umbaran merely stood before the Archduke as if he were a void given form, his pale, sunken gaze settling upon Ukvax the Gilded with the full, crushing weight of inevitability. There wasn't so much as an inkling of hostility in his stance, no outward menacing display, but there was something in the way he carried himself that made the very air feel thinner. It was as if it recoiled from his very person. There was undoubtedly a darkness that marked him but it wasn't certain whether it was his own presence, or the mark of something far greater over him.

Even in this dry heat the room's temperature dropped significantly. His expression was unreadable, his deep grey eyes reflecting nothing, giving away nothing. He stood out even among the typical image cut of Sith for he didn't bear the feral rage of a Sith marauder, nor the cruel satisfaction of the sadistic sorcerers. There wasn't even a visible weapon on his person, but Darth Vornoth didn't need to wield emtion as a weapon, nor did he need an actual blade. His power lay in absolute certainty, it remained in the quiet erosion of resistance, until all things aligned with his will. This was why he alone was appointed the Voice of the Sith Dyarchy, given the sole authority to speak for the dark masters of the Kainate. When he finally spoke, his voice carried no threat, no demand, only inevitability.

"Your Eminence." he said, his words carrying the weight of quiet authority. "You see clearly. That is why you yet stand, where others have fallen." The Umbaran allowed the words to linger. The words he spoke contained neither flattery nor reverence. It was simply a statement of fact, one that invited the Archduke's ego to set comfortably in place. It was after all, always easier to break smething that one believed was utterly unshakable. The Voice didn't need to look at the war table before him, nor did he even need to. The shifting battle lines of the civil war, the slow encroachment of Gehenbar Hive's forces like a gauntlet clasped around ones throat, the desperation that undoubtedly lurked beneath the Archduke's gilded exterior, it was all laid bare before his careful gaze. And yet despite this, he didn't address it directly. Instead, all he did was plant the seed. "The Gehenbar Hive would see you broken." Vornoth continued, his voice was like a whisper curling through the cracks of the mind, not through direct power no, through the sheer craft of speech. "They would see the Archduke of Stalgasin, a lineage that has endured for centuries, toppled, replaced, forgotten." The Voice's gaze didn't waver, didn't blink.

"Yet Geonosians do not break, do they?" The pause taken was a purposeful one. It was a question cloaked as flattery A trap, baited with a bit of truth. "You have endured a thousand wars. A thousand conflicts. Many empires, the iron grips of galactic nations. And you will endure a thousand more." The words came at a steady, methodical fall. But now came the shift, the tightening of the noose, the moment when simple acknowledgment became an inescapable course of action. "But endurance is not enough." He let the words settle between them, pausing carefully. "You seek dominance, not survival. You do not wish to merely outlast Gehenbar. You wish to crush them." Silence. A single, drawn breath. Speech was a delicate dance, a battlefield all its own. One where a single placed word could entirely change the outcome. Then came the final twist of the blade. "Your enemy festers because you allow them to. The weak claw at your throne because they have not been removed."

It was a simple thing to say. But the implications of the words sank deep. "The Kainate will correct this." There was no need for any promises. No need for him to declare any intentions. The words themselves stated what had already been decided. "It will see your enemies eradicated. It will ensure that the legacy of Stalgasin is not merely preserved, but ascendant." But then, finally, the true purpose of this visit revealed itself. "But strength is measured not in droids, nor ships, nor weapons Archduke." His tone did not shift, did not rise. It remained patient, uncompromising, as if reality itself was aligning to his will even as he spoke it into being. As if he could simply speak and all of the world would correct to the vision he set before it. "Strength is control. Strength is ensuring that even the lowest castes serve a purpose." He let the opportunity of realization bloom within the Archduke's mind before taking the time to give it shape. "You have the perfect solution before you."

The words that came were light. Gentle even. It was as if stating something that had always been there, in front of them waiting to be realized. "The weak of Gehenbar Hive, the detractors, the agitators, you need not waste resources crushing them entirely. Let them serve you. Let them be shaped into something useful." He didn't say the word. He didn't even need to say it.The Archduke was a highly intelligent being. He would undoubtedly understand one didn't climb to the apex of such a culture without standing a cut above the rest. And more importantly, the purpose would be to get the Archduke to believe that it had always been his own idea. "In this, the Kainate will assist you. A simple exchange, mutually beneficial. The unwanted will find new purpose beneath the banner of a power greater than they could ever fathom." Still, his voice remained completely calm. Unbothered. He was not asking for any concessions, nor was he making any demands of the Archduke. He was simply presenting the path forward to him.

"This is the path forward." The silence returned, thick and unshakable.

"The only path forward."

Ukvax the Gilded ​

 

[Ukvax the Gilded]

Ukvax the Gilded Darth Prazutis

Interesting.​

There is an amiability with the Voice of Darth Prazutis for certain; he admitted as, painful as it was to acknowledge, it was true. Geonosis found itself at an unfavorable tipping point at this current junction; the Kainate, and by extension, the larger Sith Order, served as a useful means of assistance. Assistance he could not turn down. He however, was unaware of what Darth Vornoth, and by extension, his master proposed. And truthfully, after the deaths of his wife and children, after the deaths of countless peers and of his peers? He wasn't inclined to give them any quarter, any mercy. To this end, the Archduke dismissed the protocol droid, seeing as how the Darth apparently understood him well enough, potentially, to speak without need of a translator.

If not, it was in the corner anyway.

The Geonosian's hand reached up to stroke one of his tentacled "mutton chops"; Archduke Ukvax of Stalgasin Hive contemplated a fair bit more. It was best to give this a second to actually think about the logistics of it. But, he could not complain. The Kainate offered a permanent answer to the terrors of Gehenbar Hive and its allies, as well as his enemies. A demon's bargain, but a bargain he had no qualms with accepting. To this end, the cane gently thwacked the butt of it upon the ground, before he, Ukvax, spoke in response.

[GEONOSIAN]: "Ack-hoyeuk-mrrrrrrrtiw, gaeh-haeh-ha, wrrrrrrt. Soyuek'ehe-haeh-huyoek. Naek-tuoah haek; wrrrrrrtik maeh'yaeh."

(Your terms are reasonable, your policies acceptable. The Kainate's conditional offer is accepted in full; we are eager to dispose of our enemies. The Sith Order presents the only path forward for a united, free Geonosis; a freedom in servitude, perhaps. But one that benefits the Kainate's aims, Stalgasin Hive's aims, and that of the Sith Order's aims. A most proserous agreement. You will find no complaint or quarrel. That being said, I ask what is your plans regarding our industry? We will need much aid in reconstruction; the Sith Order is in the best position to offer such, I assume.)

With that, the Archduke's dark eyes with orange pupils examined the Darth, studying his intriguing face and features. The Archduke found him a tolerable figure for a non-Geonosian. A shame he was not Geonosian; his politicking would have been useful as a peer in Stalgasin Hive. Yet, for now, he awaited the words of the Kainate voice of Darth Prazutis. Would they agree, or disagree? Was there to be more negotiations, or was there to be a final signatory agreement to rid his world of the rivals he faced?

Only time would tell.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

Darth Vornoth, Voice of the Sith Dyarchy

The silence lingered for a moment longer after the Archduke's words fell, thick and pressing, as if the very air itself was waiting for Darth Vornoth to dictate what came next. Silence so often wielded as a poignant weapon in discussions such as these. The Umbaran didn't move, didn't blink. The only sign that he even heard Ukvax's words was the subtle tilt of his head, an almost imperceptible motion, it came like the shifting of shadow across the surface of a blade.

"You understand necessity" Vornoth finally said, his voice carrying the weight of quiet certainty. "And necessity is what separates the victorious from the forgotten." There was no dramatic shift in his tone, no grand declaration of triumph. Instead, his words simply carried the cold precision of a blade sliding into place, it was a lock sealing shut around inevitability itself. The Voice let the Archduke sit with the weight of his own decision before addressing the next point, the true concern. The industry of Geonosis. The reconstruction of war-torn foundries. The restoration of Stalgasin Hive's supremacy over all others.

"The Sith Order does not merely conquer. It cultivates." Vornoth's pale fingers folded together, his sharp gaze unwavering. "The Kainate sees Geonosis not only as a stronghold but as a cornerstone of war. Your industry will be fortified, expanded, integrated." His voice was steady, unwavering, like a hammer striking against the shaping metal of the Archduke's future. The holographic display at the center of the war room flickered, shifting to a grander scale by some unseen will, yet still the Voice never even moved. It now showed Geonosis and its neighboring systems, the vast network of trade routes and supply chains that had, in some measure, become fragile due to the internal conflict. Yet, there was potential there, potential to be reforged, restructured into something far stronger than before. "Your world is invaluable in what it produces, Archduke." The Voice continued, gesturing towards the projection. "Droids, weapons, materials…these things are lifeblood to the Kainate.. But the wounds inflicted by Gehenbar Hive have disrupted your full potential."

He took a measured step forward, closing the space between them ever so slightly, not in intimidation, but in true finality. "That simply will not do. Stability must be enforced, not just in dominion, but in production. Stagnation invites destruction." A pause. "You will have what is necessary. The Kainate will supply advanced schematics, reinforced supply lines, additional raw materials. The war effort of the Sith Order is vast. Your factories will have purpose beyond Geonosian borders." The flickering projection shifted again, mapping out the Sith Order's expanding territories, then shifting to the distant Kainate's, showing clear pathways for Geonosis to integrate itself deeper into the Sith war machine, before shifting back.

"You will not merely rebuild, Archduke." Vornoth's voice dipped lower, his words pressing into the air, it came like an unshakable decree. "You will rise to heights never before reached. Stalgasin Hive will not just be restored. It will be reforged into something greater, something untouchable, unassailable. Its industries will not simply fuel Geonosian prosperity; they will fuel the forging of an empire." A pause, deliberate. "And the debt of such patronage is only that you remain aligned. That your factories serve the Kainate's greater purpose, the Sith's greater purpose." His abyssal gaze locked onto Ukvax's, sharp as the keenest scalpel. "And in return, your enemies are erased, vanished from your sight. Your throne is secure. Your name will be etched into the annals of history as the Geonosian who didn't merely survive but conquered." The words hung in the air; the path laid before the Archduke now was undeniable. It was not merely assistance. It was a guarantee. A future carved by Sith hands, should he remain on this course.

Darth Vornoth waited. The deal had been struck in all but formal agreement. The question was not if Ukvax would accept.
It was whether he understood that he already had.

Ukvax the Gilded ​