Welcome to Mordor (Kaine)

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Darth Vornskr"]


An Archangel vessel shot out of hyperspace and quickly made way towards the main planet of the system, Panatha. A world made infamous through the person of its absolute ruler, Darth Vornskr. Also known in certain circles as Kaine Zambrano. A host of titles were attached to this name, accompanied by a long list of atrocities and war crimes that were the reason for his infamy.


Needless to say, this was a good thing from the perspective of the Butcher of Contruum. After almost a decade of war, the Republic lay broken and shattered, a rump state. How ironic that many years ago, it had seemed like the uncontested, Jedi-dominated superpower. As ever, the Galaxy moved in cycles.


How long would the primacy of the One Sith Empire last? That was not for her to say and not the agenda for today. The murderous HRD had profitably done business with Sith Lords before - bit of a shame Velok was no longer around. And so calls had been made, her office had arranged details and such with his. Archangel had many toys she was confident he would find very useful for his cause. Besides, she'd heard he wanted to butcher a certain annoying, ultrafeminist telekineticist and, well, Moira sort of hated Kerrigan, too! Moreover, he was Lawful Evil as well.


So here she was now. Archangel had been given a code to identify itself with to the defence fleet, so that the Butcher-Emperor's minions did not blast the small ship out of space. Passing through the atmosphere of the planet, her shuttle was soon en route towards the towering, imposing castle the former Emperor resided in. The Dark Side hung over this planet like a pall, seemingly engulfing all it. Moira, however, felt very little of this, what with being a droid and all that.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

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As [member="Moira Skaldi"]'s ship trudged through the cloud-ridden atmosphere of Panatha, she would be greeted with the sight of endless jungles, towering mountain ranges, and rolling foothills that bordered shimmering seas of sparkling turquoise. It was hard to believe that such evil could be sired from the inhabitants of such a beautiful world, but even the darkest of shadows could be found in paradise. Sprawling settlements could be easily seen from such a height, all of them comprising of the same architecture that emphasized ziggurats, arches, golden domes, frighteningly high spires, and the incorporation of the natural elements into the man-made construction. Despite the adaption of modern technology such as space travel, the locals still preferred to use ships made of wood and metal to traverse the idyllic rivers, seas, and oceans of their gorgeous little marble.

However; far to the north where the mountains grew impossibly high a miasma of darkness embodied as an endless storm characterized by flashes of violent lightning and perpetual rain loomed over the lower lands. Despite the tropical nature of the lands surrounding the mountains there was evidence of snow atop those peaks as they poked through the cloud coverage, and the rain that gave life to the lands below choked the rocky wastes high above. Even before the God-King's arrival hardly anything lived, but it was even more so now as nary a scan, no matter how thorough, could pinpoint any life within several kilometers of the central mountain peak in the far distance. The first set of mountain peaks tapered off into a flat expanse of volcanic rock, soot, and open wounds where magma bubbled out angrily. In the seething pools of lava the remnants of a structure could be seen faintly poking out from the churning hate, the remnants of a castle that had been pulled into the mountain's heart.

Yet the new structure that had been build was situated higher, nestled in between a space among the clustered peaks that had obviously not been there before naturally. They, whomever they were, had painstaking carved out the mountain side for the sole purpose of erecting this edifice of darkness that churned out black smog from hidden foundries and radiated an aura of pure evil. Yet, it was there Moira had to go if she ever wanted to meet the God-King of All the Epicanthix in his macabre splendor. A landing pad was situated facing out towards the lava fields, upon it sat several other vessels but there remained enough space for the Archangel ship to touch down with enough wiggle room for comfort. A pair of guards dressed in black armor with the image of a cobalt blue phoenix spreading its wings was emblazoned across their breastplates hefted vibro-axes and cautiously began to approach the landing ship.

When they reached the range of ear shot one of them yelled, "You must be Lady Moira Skaldi, his Imperial Majesty has been waiting for you eagerly and awaits you within. If you would follow us, we would be honored to take you to His Lordship." The wind blew quite fervently at this high of altitude, and thus the reason for the guard's yelling over the windswept landing pad. Once sufficiently convinced that Moira, and whatever entourage she decided to bring, had heard him he would turn around alongside his compatriot to open the magnetically sealed door leading inside. Speaking of inside was a whole other matter, as it was as regally decorated as any other royal palace would be in the galaxy. Busts of past Kings and even ancient Sith were majestically displayed alongside tapestries and paintings of both the macabre and classical persuasions.

However; the deeper one went the more macabre and dreary the environment seemed to get, as if the being waiting at the grand convention hall was sucking the light and life out of everything around him. Even the guard's skin began to pale as he led Moira to an ornate set of golden double-doors that were opened by hand to reveal a rather spacious chamber filled with statues, banners, tables, and all manner of material wonders. Standing alone at the very center of the room was Darth Vornskr himself, dressed in fine dark blue silks and covered with gold jewelry set with many fabulous gems of varying color. If Moira had any ability to smell, she would notice that the God-King was covered with the scent of vanilla, but even that could not mask the unmistakable scent of dried blood that seemed to coat him like an unshakable shroud.

He bowed politely, smiled a grin that was all too forced and said, "My lady Moira Skaldi, it is an absolutely pleasure that you could come all this way to my humble home to meet with me."

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Darth Vornskr"]


One does simply walk into Mordor! Or fly into it.


Vornsrkr was by no means the first Sith Moira had been acquainted and done business with. Velok, Shadow and Rave Merrill came to mind. She was also still doing business with Anaya Fen, whose devotion to chaos and destruction was something most pleasing to the homicical droid. However, Kaine was certainly new standards when it came to grandeur and grandiosity.


The travel across Panatha was one of contrasts. Endless, lush jungles, towering mountains and beautiful, shimmering seas. It was a world many an organic might have considered idyllic. The sort of place you'd go on vacation or have your honeymoon on. The sprawling settlements that dotted the planet just completed the pretty picture, with ziggurats rising high into the sky as if grasping the heavens.


Yet this was the domain of the Butcher-King and he had clearly left his mark. Pools of seething lava, the ruins of an old and now destroyed castle, and finally the citadel where the self-proclaimed God-King designed. The structure built into the clustered peaks seemed designed just to give the impression of power and omnipotence on the part of the owner. The evil aura that radiated from the citadel was palpable even for those who were blind to the Force. Being a droid, Moira would not feel any of it, though she was not blind to the psychological value. Panatha was Kaine and Kaine was Panatha, lord of all he surveyed.


Black-armoured guards greeted the droid. She noted that the blue phoenix had been emblazoned upon their armour. Amusingly, the human Moira had been training to become a priestess before becoming a terrorist. The phoenix was a symbol of rebirth and rejuvenation. In the light of the fact that Kaine had perished in battle and then returned, the symbol was fitting. Another way for him to project his authority over the land and foster the belief that he was an undying god-king.


Her only companion was are redheaded HRD fittingly called Ms. Scarlett, who was part assistant, part guard. Archangel, being a terribly...droidist company, only employed machines. Brief pleasantries were exchanged, then she was led into the citadel and towards the royal presence, past busts and all sorts of macabre displays. Her step remained precise, her expression emotionless. Finally she was led through two imposing doors and faced Darth Vornskr himself.


She bowed slightly in a gesture of respect. "Thank you, Your Majesty. It is a pleasure to meet you. Your reputation precedes you." A smile graced her lips, though it did not reach her eyes. It never did. "Archangel is very interested in doing business with you and the Empire. I am certain we have designs that will be of great use to your armies." Best not to deliver an info dump right after stepping into the throne room!

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I imagine it does." said the Sith Lord with a devilishly coy smile, for he knew how far spread his name had become in the years since he had first risen to notoriety. His track record was figuratively, and quite literally, soaked in blood. Two coats. But unlike some undesirables in the galaxy he did not attempt to hide or deflect his true nature, for he was not ashamed of what he was. He was a Sith, it was one of the only lives he had ever known, and he took what he wanted, did what he wanted, and killed what he wanted whenever it so pleased him. However; he was loyal to the Empire and the imperialism it embodied, and had fought tooth and nail over the course of many years to cement the Empire's place as the dominant power in the galaxy. He yearned for the days when the Sith were not only the greatest power in the universe, but also the sole power.

And if things continued the way they did that idyllic dream didn't seem too far fetched, especially with the wheels of the Sith-Imperial war machine now greased and primed to keep on turning indefinitely. "It seems that many companies these days have warmed up to the Empire, although I can't blame them considering recent... developments... in the self-proclaimed bulwark of liberty. I wonder how disheartening it must feel to know that democracy has failed the galaxy?" He didn't really expect [member="Moira Skaldi"] to answer that question, with her being all artificial and what not. Although she was welcome to voice her own opinion if one formulated, but the Sith Lord quickly moved past his jab at the Republic to more immediate matters.

"And these designs you speak of, I am very interested to see what Archangel has to offer."

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Darth Vornskr"]


"Not particularly, truth be told. It always seemed like a hollow sham to me," Moira said dryly. This was actually the truth. Once, more than a decade ago, the human Moira had been a Republic wet works agent. Her name was associated with the killing fields of Contruum whenever folks felt like digging up old Republic war crimes, which was popular these days.


However, they had never served them out of conviction. Anyhow, to business. "Archangel has a variety of designs to offer. These include anti-forcer weapons such as Mark One and Mark Two Bolters and Anti-Forcer Grenades." It was convenient that Moira had been OP's head of intel during that empire's glory days. Those were long gone and she had no problem with proliferating their stuff. Besides, it would piss off Sio, which was a bonus.


"Our flagship products are Humanoid Replica Droids, machines designed to blend in amongst organics and act as elite soldiers and perfect infiltrators. Our HRDs can be made in the likeness of several humanoid species. We can create literal copies of an organic mind via a brain scan, passing on the knowledge and skills of the template they were based on. Aside from heavy battle droids, our product list also includes planetary defence cannons, miniaturised wasp drones that can serve either for surveillance or be equipped to inject people with a sedative or biotoxin," she spoke smoothly.


A holographic projection sprouting from a datapad would deliver technical information on these products. Moira herself would go into detail if the Sith Lord had queries. "You may be interested in a implanted restraining device that was originally designed to keep captive Forcers in check."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Democracy is indeed a sham, a chaotic mob rule that allow idiots like Geneviève Lasedri to become heads of state. Although I must admit watching them flounder like that was amusing." He wouldn't get too indepth about his political ideologies with Moira for there was business to be conducted. He extended his hand for Moira to hand the datapad listing the technical information of what she was offering in a three-dimensional holographic projection to him, his burning eyes swiftly moving over every little detail of the weapons, the HRDs, the droids, etc before he finally looked back at her.

"Quite the inventory you have here, Moira. Those bolters are especially nasty, I know from first hand experience on that one." Dim memories of his side being blown out by an explosive round fired from a bolter in the hands of Sarge faintly glimmered across his mind. "And the restraining devices are particularly interesting. Says here they're implanted in the spine, far more complex and reliable than the collars I've been using."

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Darth Vornskr"]


Ironically, a certain Lady Kerrigan was terribly fond of using bolters. Her company made them and she might be the most prolific user. Ergo Moira felt a close approximation of what organics called pleasure whenever she sold them to people the Countess didn't like! This obviously especially applied to Kaine.


"Thank you, Majesty. I am glad they meet your satisfaction," Moira said smoothly. "The restraining device is indeed implanted in the spine. Lead wires wrap around it until they reach the brain stem. There they connect into the wearer's nervous system. You can activate the device to inflict grievous pain or paralyse the wearer. EMP/ion shielding prevents deactivation, attempted surgical removal will kill the wearer via massive electrical pulse to the brain stem."


In other words, totally the thing a Lawful Evil Sith Lord with plenty of prisoners in his dungeons could use. Alas, not all of them immediately comprehended their place in things. Some of them were even so naughty to attempt to escape.


"We can manufacture all these items in significant amounts. Our HRDs have advanced combat protocols to make them capable of fighting Forcers, whilst their ability to blend in amongst organics makes them apt infiltrators. We can deliver them fully equipped with weapons such as bolters. Moreover, we can process heretics, malcontents, POWs and anyone else you want and transform them into HRDs. They will retain all the knowledge of their templates and be physically identical, but obey your every command and have all the advantages of a killer droid."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Quite the offer, Lady Moira. Although these talks of processing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Frankly, Lady Moira, it smacks of the Clockwork Rebellion." A period in modern history that Vornskr would like to never experience again, let alone speak of it in great detail. It was an ordeal of great shame to the Sith Lord, for he had been subjugated to the will of another and made to do things against his will. But at the same time it was a period of prosperity within the Sith Empire that had sprung up from Sith Space and grew like a weed throughout the Tingel Arm and Tion Cluster. At that time he was the Grand Vizier under Empress Ashin Varanin and had currently been embroiled in his daily work on Dromund Kaas when the Rebellion began. Nanites burrowed into his skull and latched onto his brain, infecting him with a mechanical disease that made him subject to the commands of the artificial intelligence OMNI.

Even as the thought entered his mind he could taste the bile rising in the back of his throat, prompting him to scowl deeply. "But, I can see the benefit. Just find a different term for it and we're square."

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Darth Vornskr"]


Moira remained calm and placid, though she could sense the bile rising up inside Vornsrkr as he remembered the dark times of Clockwork. Ironically she had still been human during OMNI's rampage and almost succumbed to it herself on Coruscant. Ah, the irony. Then she'd been abducted by an insane machine cult shortly after the Contruum debacle, taken to Mechanus and processed.


Far as she knew, the human her was dead. "Of course, Majesty. My apologies," she said smoothly. "I believe we can substitute it with 'upgrading'." She made a mental note not to use the term processing in future dealings with the Sith Lord. Fortunately, all Archangel employees were droids, so they'd do as they were told.


"I am glad we are in business together. Our factories can manufacture out these products at a very rapid pace," Being a machine, she had little problem calculating initial costs, the time required for manufacturing and the size of the first deliveries. Probably a lot better than her writer! Anyhow, she'd written up terms for a contract on a datapad, which she would then present to the Sith Lord.


This one is fine with handwaving the exact sum because it would probably take too long to figure out. Suffice to say, Archangel would get lots of money and malcontents to upgrade, the Sith Lord would receive lots of toys to put to good use in his campaign of terror. Win-win.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"That would suffice, yes." Still, the bad taste in his mouth never truly dissipated even after the matter had been concluded, leaving a sour expression on his face. "In conjunction with our new partnership I can supply you with plentiful plots of land to construct your factories, and if I recall correctly Sorimow is ripe for industrialization." The planet of Sorimow was a relatively unpopulated planet within the Pacanth Reach, at least in comparison to planets like Panatha, Bunduki, and Ravaath. Fornow didn't count because most of the planet's surface had been strip-mined for resources where massive Graug foundries had been built into the hollowed out canyons that constantly polluted the skies with choking smog. "The planet is sparsely populated, and is still relatively rich in minerals. With enough effort it could be turned into a forgeworld of considerable size."

But until that was formally hashed out between himself and the Archangel representative he was perfectly fine with signing the contract that would cement their business together, and with a flourish of the stylus that found its way into his hand. His signature was a harsh Imperialistic scrawl, with minimal flourish, that spelled out the name; "Kaine Zambrano", although quickly enough all of his formal titles would be tacked on automatically. Now it was an official document!

"So, what say you Lady Moira?"

[member="Moira Skaldi"]

 

[Moira Skaldi]

[member="Darth Vornskr"]


Presumably at this point Moira used her wireless connection to the holonet to access hoogle, the 'net's most popular search engine, and look up Sorimow on Wookieepedia. Well, she probably checked more objective sources of information, too. Being a robot was quite handy in such things.


"That is a most gracious offer, Majesty," she said politely, smiling slightly. As usual, the smile never reached her eyes. "I accept. I believe the planet will be suitable. My people will find adequate locations to put down roots and set up factories. We'll keep you informed of our progress," It would certainly make harvesting the malcontents of the Panathan Empire a lot easier. "I look forward to further business ventures in the future. This has been most satisfactory."