Private What Goes Bump in the Day

[Kal]

She had certainly convinced the masses. Good. Plentiful witnesses to convince those who had not been present.

After confirming that she was up to the task of pandering to their superstitions in a convincing manner, Kal delegated the act of observation to a subordinate before consistently predictable effects.

---

As with their last meeting, Kal would simply appear before Kyriaki - though this time he was incorporeal and indeed entirely invisible except to her. Or rather, he was projecting the image of himself into her mind instead of going through the effort of producing a visible form through the manipulation (however simple) of visible light.

<Well done, Kyriaki. Do you believe Sibylla will prove to be an issue in the future?>

 

[Kyriaki]

Kal

By now Kyriaki was used to Kal just appearing out of thin air. It was still spooky though! "Sibylla is the most dangerous of all the Vaderites," Kyriaki said without hesitation."She lacks raw power...for now, but she's untethered by ideological claptrap and has an inquisitive mind. But she needs me for now. I have a connection to the Supreme Leader she can't easily replicate and make sure her ideas reach his desk when her Master deems them too esoteric. The fact that I'm now seen as pious is advantageous for her because associating with me makes her seem less heterodox," she explained, pausing.

"At the same time, getting rid of her would raise too many questions. Her Master is one step removed from the Leader, and a hardliner. She thinks me a weakling, but Sibylla giving me the time of the day makes her take me a bit more seriously. If Sibylla falls, her connections in the military and scientfic communicty won't be inherited by me, but by someone more...difficult to work with. I need her for the time being." The devil you knew, in other words.

 

[Kal]

Listening attentively, Kal was pleased to find that her information on Sibylla largely matched what he had procured.

<Excellent. She seems worth keeping an eye on. I will look forward to seeing how she develops her talents.> Eyes glowing a bit brighter, he seemed to scrutinise her. <I was not offering to 'get rid of her', to be clear. I am no hitman.> Given how he played a key role in a deception that cost the lives of a number of men, the inner workings of his morality were likely lost on her. No matter. He did not expect organics to understand his perspective.

It had taken him a long time to understand them, after all.

<I believe we have a bargain to complete.>

 

[Kyriaki]

Kal

Kyriaki felt like pointing out that his actions had directly or indirectly gotten plenty of people killed, and probably mentally traumatised more. Indeed, some of the spirits of those unjustly murdered by the Vaderites had suffered, too. However, she said no such thing. Years spent obfuscating her true thoughts behind a pleasant facade had told her to when to remain silent.

Besides, what she had in mind would cause many, many more to suffer. All for the cause. So she just gave the Shadow a nod. "Yes. I promised you a happy memory, and I'm true to my word." She extended her hand, thought of the memory very intently as she sought to open up a mental link to transfer it to him. She would, of course, shield the rest of her mind as far as she could.

 

[Kal]

A precious memory willingly given - from a Force User, no less. Far more valuable than credits, to one such as him.

Accepting her connection, he began the arcane process of extraction. As he worked, the memory would grow vaguer on her end until nought remained but an absence. After a moment's consideration, he filled said absence with a vaguely defined sense of contentment and a summary of what had occurred that night; mere words, but a useful precaution.

It would not do for 'the Leader' to reference something that had been fully excised from her memory.

<There, the bargain is complete to my satisfaction.> At some point, coiling tendrils of spiritual 'mass' had come to hover around her head. As he wrapped up the process, the retracted back into his form. <Feel free to reach out if you need further assistance in the future. I am always willing to barter.> Especially with an interesting being.

 

[Kyriaki]

Kal

As the memory was consensually extracted, Kyriaki felt a sense of...loss. The void where a memory had once been was soon replaced by a generalised summary...but it was like remembering an extract from a book. Bland, impersonal. She could not help a feeling of emptiness.

It doesn't matter, she told herself. Resolution was written across her face. I cannot afford self-pity, I cannot afford anything that holds me back. I'll trade every happy memory and more to bring ruin to the Vaderites. I shall bring the echo of the Bone Forest to heart of their empire. "How can I contact you once you leave this world?" she queried. "Or this plane, for matter."

 

[Kal]

It was a wonderful feeling - the extraction of a memory. It made him feel like a writer finishing a book. It was not pleasurable, per se, but it was profoundly satisfying. Naturally, those feelings were in no way mirrored by Kyriaki.

<The coin will work just fine.> She might think that he was able to create an interstellar communications device on the fly, but the reality was much more simple - Greystone was making a local outpost. He could simply tie the trinket to a local mind, which would in turn relay the message to Kal himself. <Mind you, do not expect an instant response.>

He was closer to an intelligence analyst than a god - 'praying' to him in a crisis was unlikely to accomplish much, no matter how profound the offering. He could not exert much influence without time to call in the right favours.

 

[Kyriaki]

Kal

"I see. Good. Until we meet again. May the Force serve you well," Kyriaki responded, expression placid and calm. She turned away and slowly walked back to the groundcar. Honna was in the driver's seat. The engines were still running. "You have fun, m'lord?" the Gamorrean grunted without preamble after opening the door for her boss.
"I'd hardly call it fun," Kyriaki responded.
"Ghosts are like that. Weren't sad I missed the drama."
"Probably the one case where Vaderite speciesism worked out in a xenos' favour, yes?" Kyriaki asked airily. Turning her head, she briefly glanced back to the spot where she'd just had a conversation with Kal. "This arrangement has been...surprisingly fruitful." Honna grunted something she didn't understand. "Something on your mind?"
"Worked out for ya," Honna responded while starting to drive the groundcar away. "Ya got a spirit's helping ya, now ya really got the Sith's attention. Ya can't fly under the radar no more. Better be careful, boss."

Kyriaki was about to say something when suddenly she heard the shrill ping of her comlink. Picking it up she checked the number, then took the call. "Hello, Sibylla."
"I have a theory about...the fascinating event we were privileged to witness."
"I'm all ears."
"So you see, the Nether is a realm of pure thought. Ergo it can be manipulated to the will of the powerful at the precise moment and need at the right time where the permeance is strongest. Thus someone with strong will and the right emotional circumstances could pull something from the Nether impossible in in the mortal plane."

"In other words, I unconsciously took advantage of the fact that the barriers between our reality and theirs was at a historically weak level because the forest is permeated with Nether energies. My thought willed the sabre into existence."
"In a nutshell, yes. You thought of the Vader and how he would slay the demon. Granted, the evidence is quite circumstantial at the moment. But if I'm right, the event could possibly be replicated. I will be devising a plan for...trials." A shiver ran down Kyriaki's spine. Trials meant people would suffer. "Are you still there?" Sibylla asked when a few seconds passed without response.

"Yes, I was pondering the implications. That's a fascinating theory. Perhaps I could support you in this...venture."
"Oh, naturally. After all...I wouldn't want to exclude Nether-talker. I'm afraid you won't have much free time for quite a while though. My Master is very interested in speaking to you...and examining your blessed weapon. So are Thrul and the Supreme Leader. In fact, you're expected at the Altar of the Sith'ari."
"Then I shan't keep them waiting."
"We leave tomorrow morning. Oh, and Kyriaki, don't expect only admiration. Some will consider you a threat. A flawed clone, seemingly blessed by the Great Vader himself? Surely a trick."
"I sought to do my duty, nothing more. I've been blessed in a manner I do not fully comprehend. I have nothing to hide, and surrender myself to the Dark Father. And all shall hear about how pivotal your device was in turning the tide."
"I don't care for the plebs' praise, only the support of the powerful."
"Both go hand in hand. The lords cannot remain deaf when the plebs proclaim the Dark Father's champion has proclaimed the Clever Sith's device to be a potent tool of good."
"Yes. Let us speak more of this later."

 

[Kal]

An almost liquid bobbing of his 'head' served as acknowledgement. <Best of luck with your schemes.>

Like before, he was there one moment and gone the next. This time was more permanent, though he planned to remain on the planet for at least a few weeks. There were nexuses to study and an observation post to establish; some of his minions had already found a suitable location, apparently. Now all they needed was discreet construction and biomass.

Most of the Grey Ones that would staff it would be born in it.

So long as some experienced personnel were moved in, the rest would assimilate their skillsets. It was simpler to run the site with a skeleton crew during an initial phase than to move large groups around. For most of the Grey Ones, Tephrike would be a permanent posting - if the site was discontinued, they likely would be as well.

They were, after all, bred to be expendable.