Vexilla Regis Prodeunt Inferni

[Darth Carnifex]

​

Outer Rim Territories
Mygeeto

The Blade of Fate hung once again over the icy world of Mygeeto, but this time it had not come to threaten the native people with annihilation. In the time since the pacification of Mygeeto the planet had become fully Imperialized, and the banners of the Sith Empire flung from every building of importance while sermons were given by the members of the reformed Imperial Mission.

All in all Mygeeto had become relatively peaceful since its annexation into the Empire. Not to mention their subservience had allowed the Empire to mine the planet's crystalline surface uninhibited, with ancient mining facilities unearthed and repurposed to serve their new masters. One such facility deep below the planet's outer crust, deeper than any other documented facility, had been discovered by [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] of the Sith Valkyries during an expedition deep below the planet.

When her discoveries were reported back, a team was immediately sent to bore a new passageway to the facility after the previous one had proven impassable for large-scale movement. The new entrance was wide enough to fit a large freighter end to end, and delved deep down into the planet's crust before bottoming out at around twelve thousand meters. Beyond that was a massive natural cave system filled with massive crystal formations surrounding a single facility, which since its discovery had become the headquarters of the Sith Valkyries.

Now the Dark Lord had finally come to see the fruits of the Valkyrie's expansion, his personal shuttle, the Crestfallen, descending down through the borehole after being granted clearance by the monitoring station constructed near the hole's opening. From there it would continuously descend until reach one of the many landing pads extending from a railway that would lead him from the landing complex to the primary structure.

He was expected, and undoubtedly Kaalia would be awaiting his arrival with great enthusiasm.

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

In one of the larger substructures, repurposed to be Kaalia's personal residence for when she acted in her title as Sith, the woman sat in the middle of her meditation chamber. It was a simple, dimly lit room with no distractions, allowing her to truly center herself. From there, while her eyes were closed, she had shut herself off from the things around her, allowing her to focus purely on her own being. In that room no one but the Sith Lady was allowed entry under any circumstance.

"Lady Avacyn, lord Carnifex is about to land."

The voice of an initiate Valkyrie pierced through the door, causing Kaalia to open her eyes and let light fall onto them once more. The Dark Lord was on time, as she had expected, and so it was time to show him the progress of the collective of Sith she was one of the founders of. Rising to her feet she sensed the presence of the one who was undoubtedly one of the most powerful beings, if not the most powerful. She had been in his presence before, but never had they had truly conversed. That would now change, and it was a great opportunity. Being in good graces with a man of his stature certainly had it benefits, so there was much to gain here.

The door opened and the redhead walked out, watching as the same initiate who had informed her of the Dark Lord's arrival presented her Valkyrie Founders' armor. Next to her was another initiate, one the Sith Lady had made to see the truth personally only recently. "Make sure he receives a welcome befitting a Dark Lord. I will be there shortly." [member='Darth Imperia'] and [member='Aria Vale'] both were not present this day, leaving the meeting with him to just herself.

"Of course, milady."

She quickly made her way out of the room to ensure everything was in order, leaving Kaalia and the other initiate to put on the armor. It was a piece that as appealing to the eye as possible without sacrificing functionality and once again she noted that Imperia had done an outstanding job with it. It was fit for both combat and official business, making it something she wore on many an occasion.

---​

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At the landing pad not far from where she had been getting ready, a number of Valkyries had already gathered, kneeling as they waited for the boarding ramp to lower. Avacyn meanwhile, flanked by two Valkyries, had just walked onto the landing pad as the figure of Darth Carnifex had yet to be revealed. Everything was as she had ordered.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]​

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The boarding ramp descended, pressurized air spewing forth to bathe the landing pad in a thin fog, and collided with the metal deck with a dull thud. A pack of six Crownguard emerged from the darkness of the shuttle and arrayed themselves before the ship, three on either either side with their unlit saberstaves tilted forward as they knelt in preparation for their master's entry. The Dark Lord's heavy footfalls preceded him, his boots thundering down upon the metal of the ramp as he walked calmly out from the Crestfallen to stand before the assembled Valkyries, all of whom ( save [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] ) knelt in reverence to the Lord of the Empire.

He gestured for them to rise and then continued to walk along the pathway they had set out before him until he at last came to stand before Lady Voldaren herself, and the Dark Lord bowed his head in respect to one of the founders of the Valkyrie Order. "We never had the pleasure of meeting, my lady, but I am pleased to finally rectify that error." His voice was calm but still carried the dark power and authority he was known for on the battlefield, and his eyes glowed with a luminous anger that was never truly directed at anyone in particular. Behind him the Crownguard took up position as a column, their hidden eyes scanning for any potential of danger, for even despite being in the company of loyalists they never tired in their vigilance.

The Dark Lord gestured towards the Valkyrie's structure beyond the landing pad, "Shall we proceed?"

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia was unable to suppress the slightest of grins upon laying her eyes on Darth Carnifex. The fact she was the one who he was meeting with in particular spoke volumes about how far she had made it, and it had made every struggle more than worth it. She truly stood for something now, but time to rest on her laurels was never afforded to any Sith. There was always someone looking to take what is yours, and so one could simply never sit still.

Today was not about usurping another, however. To be frank, Avacyn had no wish to take up the mantle that currently rested on the shoulders of the man who approached her. the title of Dark Lord painted a target on one's back and saddled one up with unparallelled responsibilities, things she was not interested in being burdened with. She had great respect for him for that reason, not to mention the fact she did not have to fight him to know she was simply not as powerful as he was. He had more experience, more time spent practicing and studying the Force and the lightsaber.

The Valkyrie elder bowed her head much like the Dark Lord did to show the respect was very much mutual. "The pleasure is mine, Lord Carnifex. I am glad to see your support for the work that the Valkyries do." It was her way of spreading the ways of the Sith across the galaxy and to see that the effort did not go unnoticed meant things were headed in the right direction. "I wish our meeting could have taken place in the Elder's Sanctum, but the finishing touches are still being applied to this place. I do hope a tour will be satisfactory." It would not take much longer to complete the constructions, but they were not finished just yet.

His question was answered with a slight nod. "Of course, let us not needlessly waste any time." The young Sith Lady started walking. "With the Silver Jedi crumbling we have seen that many more of their numbers accept the Sith ways and abandon the Light. Many of those are not worthy, but those who are have significantly bolstered the Empire's power."

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"The ranks of the Sith have always been reborn in the ranks of the Jedi, their striffling dogma is a breeding ground for rebellion."

It was a reality that had persisted for thousands of years, from the first brave exiles to Exar Kun and Darth Krayt, many of the most prominent Dark Lords of the Sith had risen above the pacifism of the Jedi and had taken destiny by the throat intent on reshaping the galaxy for the better. Carnifex, however, had never experience the light. He had been born in the darkness, molded by the oppressive shadows of his upbringing before mastering the Dark Side of the Force and rising up to lead the New Sith Empire.

His eyes lingered on the still unfinished pinnacle as they neared the structure, "A shame, I would have liked to see the Elder's Sanctum. A tour will suffice, however, I am eager to see what you and the other Valkyries have wrought."

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"And I once was made to believe in their ways. I was a child who knew no better, but I broke free from the weakness of the Jedi. I know how it is like to be blinded and I have turned what was once suffering into an instrument. The Valkyries." There were many in the galaxy that were unknowingly being suppressed like Kaalia once was. That fact was what drove her, she took up the duty to break the shackles that had been placed on the galaxy by the Jedi. "Of course, this effort is not merely my own effort. Aria Vale and Darth Imperia have contributed greatly."

The structures were functional, but were still being finished. The largest structure was the one that had been turned into the Sanctum, but like many of the others it was still under construction. "I merely do not wish to disappoint you with the sight, most of the intricate features have yet to be realized. If you so wish to see it despite that it is not a problem in the slightest." Most of the construction efforts were not centered around the structures however, but the area below it. The harsh environment was perfect for training and so terrain had been shaped to facilitate it.

"As you can see the focus during the reconstruction is on functionality to make it fully operational as quickly as possible. Everything has been according to schedule and that milestone should be met in a week." The woman led Carnifex to a turbolift that led down. "Most of the effort was put in the area underneath, however. I am eager to show you." The environment had already claimed a number of overzealous acolytes, proving it would cause one to grow in strength or die trying.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"And a powerful instrument the Valkyries are, Lady Avacyn. Invested in you is the power of life and death, the power to pass judgement upon the promising."

They continued on, and the Dark Lord took great interest in every aspect of the structure's construction. He poised questions about how long it took, about what materials were being used, and how the blossoming acolytes of the Valkyries were being trained and honed into proper Sith. Carnifex was genuine in his questioning, he was very invested in the Valkyrie's growth and as they continued onward his faith in them continually solidified.

"On a planet such as this, functionality is paramount. I am pleased that the workers that have been allotted to you have been diligent and resolute. I will ensure that any request put forward by the Valkyries will be met with proper haste." They reached a turbolift, one that could only lead further down into the crystalline cave. "If you are eager to show me then I am eager to witness, lead on."

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"Then please, after you."

The turbolift would shoot downwards for a short time before reaching the bottom. If one looked out they would see the crystal caves, with certain areas refitted to accomodate activities such as sparring. Other areas had remained untouched however for when a more natural environment was preferred. Even now there were Valkyries sparring, meditating, and more, as there never truly was time to rest. "The workers have shaped this area perfectly for honing one's skill, both in the Force and in more physical ways of combat."

Kaalia looked out to the ones who who were training as they did no more than cast a quick glance over to the two before returning to what they were doing. The instructions that they had been given was clear: Those who were here during Lord Carnifex' visit were not to be distracted by his presence. They would only halt if the Dark Lord himself willed them to.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Carnifex had to admit, the cavern in which the Valkyries had roosted was beautiful.

The subterranean walls were marvelous to behold, an elaborate natural latticework of a thousands thousand edifices that glimmered with incandescent light. It must have taken several million, maybe even a billion for good measure, of years for this cave to naturally form deep below Mygeeto's surface.

It reminded him of home, of the endlessly sprawling jungles teeming with thousands of different species of animal and insect. It was very much like the galaxy at large, thousands or tens of thousands of different species living simultaneously bound together by the Force. And much like those steamy jungles of Panatha, the Sith were the apex predator of the galaxy that preyed on all other weaker species for nourishment. It was an analogy that Carnifex was proud to connect with, as he had always believed in the inherent superiority of the Sith over all.

He breathed in deeply, the smell of sweat, blood, and anger filling his nostrils. It was a pleasant scent, one that brought him back to when he stood where they stood, fighting to prove himself to the overseers as they scrutinized every movement he made. Thirty years later and the tables were turned, and now he was scrutinizing a new generation of Sith as they postured in an attempt to impress the Dark Lord of the Sith. It almost made him laugh.

"I see you keep a tight ship, Avacyn. These are promising looking disciples, each of them worthy to serve the Empire. But only the strongest will attain greatness."

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]​