He had no idea why he was here. He didn't take part in the bullshit fights that the Grayjoy lackies had with the North and Dorne group. Thoren leaned back on one of eroded statues in the crypts below Harrenhal. While nothing down here faced dragon fire, they had been poorly maintained. Generally, the reconstruction projects didn't touch down here so it had remained unused and rarely safe. But for the most part many of the Acolytes had figured out where in the crypts they could hide away for a few hours.
Where they were now was likely supposed to be the planned tomb of Harren the Black. There was a large statue of him at the forefront wall surrounded by smaller but still very intimidating Iron Islanders, likely his favored underlings. But many of them had been corroded away by time. The entire chamber was a large octagon like hall with descending steps that were steep enough for a child or young adult to sit comfortably on. At the bottom was a stone casket that was never closed. This place had been discovered early on by the acolytes that explored these tunnels, all of them seemed to lead to this chamber so it wasn't hard.
Thoren glanced over to the other side of the chamber, there was the low born acolyte called Puff. He was a scrawny little thing and had bandages all over his body. Apparently he had some sort of skin illness but that didn't stop him from keeping his nose held higher than Thoren thought he had any right to keep it. Puff was well known in the Acolytes as a person that excelled in every subject but the training yard. In the classrooms he often was called on by the teachers to assist them, in Force training he was the first to learn every step, and then get his ass beat in the yard for being so smug about the earlier achievements. But other kids looked to him thinking that with those brains he would have power one day, or he would just brag about that supposed future and shove such thoughts down their throats.
Then down at the center of the chamber was Jarman Buckwell, the fellow noble born boy saw Thoren look at him and they both gave nods of acknowledgement to each other. They were both of noble bearing so unlike with many of those that would be here tonight they gave each other the respect they deserved. Thoren had little to say about Jarman except that he would make a great Knight someday… if the Faith would ever allow a Sith to be knighted. He drew others that sought the great path of knighthood, even if some of them weren't of pure blood to bear such greatness. But Jarman the more honorable gave those poor souls hope, even if Thoren thought it false hope.
The only other person of note in the chamber was Mysa Sand, the person that called this meeting. They all had their closest friends with them as the idea that Grayjoy would use this to jump them all wasn't far from concern. But Thoren didn't pay mind to the extras. He was a little surprised that Miana Snow wasn't with Mysa, those two were often inseparable. They were some of the oldest acolytes and used that to their advantage for all it was worth. They also were cunning and wicked to the extreme, Thoren despised them not just for their last names but for stealing positions of power that rightfully belonged to true members of the elite.
"I'm here, what do you want Sand?" They all turned to see Victarion Grayjoy and his largest goons enter the chamber. Bringing with them training swords they likely stole from the yard. Too bad, they weren't the only ones that came armed. Thoren and his friends had actual daggers, Puff had a crossbow, and Mysa was big enough now that she could bat away the younger leaders easily enough. Only Jarman had come unarmed as a show of honesty. Plus, they could all use the Force and were some of the best in the entire budding Order.
"You all heard about what happened to Cliet. I'm pretty sure that the moment the Black Cloaks stop guarding her room she's going to be getting an unhappy visit." Mysa started as she took a step toward the entrance that Grayjoy came in. Thoren had indeed heard about the incident in the godswood and didn't care for it one way or another. But people that talked to Cayle say they were really upset and thought they she used some sort of Dark Side power on him. "That can't happen."
"Why not? She's not of the North or Dorne, she's not yours to coddle." Victarion spat out as rested his stolen training sword on his shoulder. The three other groups look back and forth between the two far more active leaders of the acolytes. Thoren supposed that it should be him that should stand up for Nira as he in theory represented all the unaligned acolytes but he never wanted to lead such a group. He wanted to become a leader in the Sith Order and a member of the Sect of Revan. He knew that many of the people in his group would eventually leave the order once they reached the crossroad Darth Nagash had given them. Screw them, they lost out on the chance of a lifetime.
"Because we can't go around like an angry mob. The second we start doing shit like that is the second that the adults will come in and tighten the rules." Mysa argued and Thoren doubted that was the true reason why she was doing this. Or at least the whole reason, she didn't seem the type to be bothered by more rules as it didn't affect her gossip or other interests. "We need to settle this between us, let the real Sith figure out what happened and then if Nira really did cause it then we handle it quietly."
"Then why call all of us here?" Jarman asked and Thoren had to agree, why did she want all of them here? This was hardly something that needed them all in one place. It could have been just as easy to send the message to back off for now through the rumor mill. Something that Mysa and Miana controlled effectively.
"Because this was only an example." Puff spoke up, his voice cracking slightly but still had an edge of ego. "There will be more times where the shadow of the elders coming in and enforcing stricter social rules on us will loom. You wanted to take the initiative." Puff said in his overtly superior tone that grated on Thoren's nerves. Mysa nodded slowly and the rest of the boys felt the need to leave and ignore this night ever happened.
"Listen, we need to handle our business. And we need to do it by our own rules. Right now all the Sith want is for us to learn and not kill each other. They'll keep saying that right up until we start testing it." Mysa explained and the boys in the room all felt a renewed sense of dread. It was true, they hadn't really been given too many rules to follow when it came to socializing, free time, and what they did on their own. So far nothing bad came of this but with the whole Nira thing happening that was being tested. "I say, we hold meetings. Every week the leaders of the biggest groups of Acolytes come here and talk about the bullshit. We still handle internal problems within our own groups but if anything big happens or beef happens between us, it's handled here and only here." Mysa explained and Thoren was on board simply because it shifted a lot the brewing tension away from the surface and down here.
"Yes, we shall assemble… that's it! The Assembly of Acolytes. We shall debate issues and meat out justice here outside of the eyes of the adults." Puff said like it was all his idea from the very beginning.
"I will only agree to this if every Acolyte is invited to watch and speak their peace." Jarman said and Thoren was a little surprised by this addition but again, wasn't opposed to it. Mainly because it meant he could be less of a leader, he wasn't interested in leading anyone until he knew they were worth it. "I will not have this become some shadowy inner circle of puppet masters. Such a thing is unworthy of a knight." There it was.
"I agree." Everyone was surprised when it was Victarion that spoke these words. "I don't want… whatever this is, to be like the mainlander's court games. Everything will be as open as the sea." Victarion declared and Thoren had to admit that this was going better than he expected. With Grayjoy at least entertaining the idea this might actually happen.
"Right, but we can't have everyone have their problems be brought up. We'd never get anything done if this place is filled with shouting matches." Puff said with a grumbling voice that everyone took as him not liking other people getting to talk more than him.
"We will vote, like how the Night's Watch does for their commander." One of the Northern bodyguards of Mysa said. "Someone to get everyone's complaints and figure out which one to bring up." He explained and Thoren doubted that it would work. Anyone voted in would immediately show favor to their own group. Plus that was too much work on one person, no one would agree to that job.
"Everyone brings their shit to their leader, then they sort through those that can be handled in house and those that need to be brought here." Thoren said deciding that if he was completely silent he would lose the respect of those here. And he knew that many here would end up in the Sith Order properly one day… except for Jarman. "Then every meeting we vote who gets to lead the meeting next time. Anyone that has a problem here needs to be here or it's dropped. Only those that show up get to vote but anyone can show up if they have business or not."
"I think these are agreeable terms for now. Refinement can come later." Puff said as it looked like the main details had been laid out for them. Word would get around quickly and Thoren had no doubts that this would be something that everyone would want to get in on. It was new and many of the acolytes wanted to be apart of the new culture that they were making. None of them wanted to be left out for fear that would mean they would be left behind. The noble born acolytes didn't want to fall into a lesser status and the commoners wanted the chance to improve their lot. This Assembly would be a good chance for both.
Nira shivered in her bed, she had thrown her quilt and pillows away… she didn't deserve them. She held her head tight, the pumping feeling of throbbing pain and nipping at the edges of her mind hurt so bad. Nightmares were nothing new, and at times she would sometimes think what it would be like if everything was painted in red. Those thoughts grew more and more graphic as she grew up, the stories bandits would tell in her father's roadside inn only helped to give her better real life color to her unwanted fantasies.
Then came the Seekers and they brought her to this castle that had once been known to everyone in the Seven Kingdoms as cursed but no longer. She hoped with all her heart that whatever bloody curse that was over her would go away just like the one on Harrenhal did. But so far that hadn't happened. Instead she had just been taught maths, words, history, and how to better kill people. She hated training with weapons and learning about the Force, it only made the thoughts grow stronger.
Every time she swung a sword, the voices grew stronger and more focused. She spent half the time training just trying to fail on purpose to avoid being picked for more training. Nira wanted nothing more than to have the Instructors to give up on her but they didn't. And then came today, the newest Instructor brought her and the rest of the class into the Godswood and for the first time Nira felt at peace. There was a song in the air, a graceful melody that distracted her from her darker impulses. Then Cliet started picking on her, quietly making fun of her outcast status. He distracted her from the peaceful nature of the Force around them!
She tried telling him to stop in a rare display of stubborn assertiveness. This only proved to insult Cliet somehow and he ramped up his taunting. Then toward the end he just got so on her nerves that all Nira could think about was shutting him up forever. He was ruining this peace she finally found for herself and now all she could think about was cutting him to pieces in ways that a young girl should never picture. That was when his arm ripped apart all on its own.
"I wanted it… I made it happen." Nira whimpered to herself as she held her own body tight in fear. Seeing his arm just rip open like someone gutting a pig with no blade was still ingrained in her mind. The memory of it just wouldn't leave her no matter what she did. But for a moment that faded from her mind as she heard the door open. Was it Grayjoy's gang or the guards, she didn't know or care. Just something to distract herself. So the little girl sat up in her bed and was surprised to see Miana Snow closing the door behind her.
"Shh, we have a little while before the guards change." Miana said quietly as she tip toed over to Nira's bed. The scared girl didn't know why the bastard was here, Cliet wasn't a Northerner and the Bastard Queens didn't care about anyone not from their kingdoms. As Miana softly sat down at the edge of Nira's bed she looked to the tossed bedding and then back to Nira with a gentle but still amused look on her face. "You know, many little girls in the realm would love to have such soft and warm blankets for Winter."
"Give it to them, I don't deserve it." Nira said as she tucked inward.
"Why? Nira… what happened with Cliet? People are worried and they make mistakes when worried." Miana explained but it didn't reach the girl. Even if she ended up dying in retaliation she wouldn't care, anything to distract from the horrible thoughts plaguing her. So there she sat, not answering the question and just stared forward. Miana sighed and pulled the blankets off the floor and folded them up. "He deserved it, I'm sure he did. You're the worst in the yard so I doubt you did it with a blade. Meaning you could only do it with the Force, and Instructor Rathari says that the Force responds to how we are feeling. So I'm sure whatever he was doing was pretty bad to make a shy little thing like you do something not even the trollish of Grayjoy's gang do on their worst days."
"I… it just happened. Everything was so nice in the Godswood. There was singing. And then he came over and started poking me. Saying things. I've heard them before but he was making it hard to hear the singing." Miana just listened as Nira explained herself. She kept a look of complete passive interest. On one hand Nira sounded really crazy but hey… a lot of the Force was crazy. Maybe she really was hearing singing in the Godswood. "Then I just couldn't take it anymore!"
"Whoa, I didn't think you could shout." Miana said in a hushed tone as she moved to Nira's side. The Northern Bastard then looked to the door and waited, though nothing came. She sighed and turned back to Nira. The girl had tears in her eyes.
"It felt good and that's wrong. When I did it… I never felt better. Not even when papa hugged me after I hurt myself did it feel so warm inside." Miana grew a little uneasy at hearing this. But then she remembered where she was. The Sith weren't like the rest of the world, here they were supposed to be different. And even the Starks kept monsters in their court, the Boltons proved that. "I can't stop thinking about it. All the blood."
"Nira, I want you to listen to me." Miana gently pulled Nira's face to look at her own. There was a real sense of dread building in the Bastard, something in her told her that what she was about to do was a really bad idea. Then there was another side that said it was the most right thing in the world. She supposed this was the Force, this was the Dark and Light fighting it out. And at the end of the day Miana had been taught by the Sith that both were right and to use judgment in deciding which to listen to. "Those feelings are okay to have."
"See to it that things are better when I return." I said before flipping off the communication between my new ship and my Anoat base. The ship I was taking was the fastest in my small collection on Anoat, it would take half the time the Fury needed to get across the galaxy. It was fast enough to where I had decided to drop by the first Black Site that Marr had informed me of. It had something I really fucking needed. Like now.
"Everything looks good boss, we should arrive at Devaron in two days. Exactly what are we going to find there other than a bunch of horn heads and possibly Republic military questioning who the hell we are?" Vette asked as the ship entered hyperspace and the viewing windows closed shut. It was just the two of us, Saarai was in the small kitchen this ship had, making tea and Jaesa was… somewhere. Actually I hadn't seen her much since our night together. I hadn't sensed any troubling emotions in the times I did see her, just a general sense of bliss and excitement. Odd but nothing to worry too much about.
"That's a surprise." I mused as I leaned back and kicked my feet back up. Vette wasn't too happy with me keeping secrets but knew I was just playing around. "Get anything useful from the Holo-net? Other than new porn?" I asked genuinely interested. I had been so focused on Sith stuff that I had forgotten to explore Star Wars internet. Something I was going to remedy quickly but first Vette.
"Well to say that it isn't nearly as free and open as it used to be would be understating it." What… NO! the internet must be wild and untamed. Filled with monsters and trolls. That was its true natural state, it wasn't something that could be controlled. "Honestly, the Empire was more free with information than what I could get from skimming around. You need several permits and licenses to make sites and pages, and even more if you want them to be more than bare bones. No large scale community sites and forget anything that even remotely could be called shady. Which means no porn."
"HERESY!" I shout loudly. How have the people not rebelled already at this horrible war crime.
"Yeah, the Republic also spams the political ads hard. I couldn't go to clicks without a vids blaring patriot music and telling me it's my duty to serve in the republic." Vette chuckled as she spun in her chair. The fact she was taking this so easily was likely because it was all the more proof that I was the better option for the galaxy. Even if I was bringing back the Empire, the evil as fuck looking, authoritarian and anti-democratic Empire, I was at least the type of person that couldn't be corrupted by all that power and use it wisely. She knew that in the end my Empire would be more free than the current Republic as it stood now. Hell, I knew it was going to be more free in the end than canon Republic.
"So lame; but it doesn't matter. All that means is that the people are ever more ripe to manipulate." I said knowing that an oppressed population would be resentful if they didn't have an outlet, it would just continue to fester. While this tactic prevented assembly and organization on a large scale, it did jack shit on the local level. Dark-Web systems would be created to fill a need, and where before people just moaned and bitched in chatrooms and forums, now those voices would mix with radical and criminal elements in the shadows. "Any non-porn and possibly rebellion notes for me."
"The Republic is gearing up for another go at the Hutts. Their latest attempt at digging into the Unknown Regions failed though it had only been the latest in many and those hadn't been failures. The few sites that allow for public polling shows that most worlds are unhappy with the current status quo… though I had to interpret just okay approval ratings as horrible given the clear editing going on. All in all it looks like the Republic is on the verge of a civil war but something is stopping it." Vette listed off the tips of her fingers and I took it all in. I could see parts of the Rule of Two Sith plan with what I knew of them from canon and the current situation. Even if the canon grand plan of the Sith wasn't in play, elements could be.
My guess is that all of this has been ramping up for a clone wars style civil war, the next Hutt war will cause the Republic military to become depleted and give those seeking to break away a perfect chance. They do so, using a droid army that will match the crippled military of the Republic and hope that the Senate won't be too keen on fighting another war so soon after a loss on the Hutts. And it would be a loss, the Sith would make sure of that. They would use the civil war to crack down even harder on everything they took back while padding the backs of those that stayed loyal. Creating an environment perfect for an imperial elite and opposed masses for a Empire. Then, somehow, they would Order 66 the Jedi and take complete control. Abeloth might throw a wrench into it all but my involvement would derail things long before she would.
I continued to ponder over Vette's further reports on what she was able to get from the Holo-Net. Though in its defanged and limited state it wasn't much. Too much of it was highly subject to Republic bias so it was a poor way of getting a full picture. After a time of me checking through the data I departed the cockpit to let Vette fly and do as she pleased. I was both irritated and disappointed so I decided to just meditate on the Force. I entered the small room that I had taken for my quarters, not nearly as nice as it was on the Fury but enough for quick trips across the galaxy. After removing my armor I sat down on the bed and began my communion with the Force… then I felt a weight in my lap.
"You've been distant lately Jaesa, finally coming back the fuck!" I shouted as once I opened my eyes I saw that it wasn't my dear apprentice sitting in my lap but a smiling BI-6. "W-where did you come from?!" I shouted and the deranged droid just giggled as she looked toward where I had placed my armor. My armor… BI-6 can shape change… oh boy.
"Creator, repairs have been completed and I am fully functional to serve you in all your needs. From your protection to your organic needs I can handle it all. Anything you may I and ready and willing." BI-6 said smoothly however there was still a manic gleam in her silver eyes that I could see. I smelled bullshit, there was no way that she was finished with her reboot. Even if I couldn't sense any emotions, I could still rely on just my skills at reading people. And BI-6 was programmed to emulate organic mannerisms to an absurd degree. Naraiz intended her to not only be a Super Tactical Droid and flawless killing machine but also a perfect Synthetic Being.
"Stop that." I said bluntly but this time the look on her face, I mix of pure slut and innocence that could only come from a truly depraved mind.
"I only want to keep you safe and happy. I can't lose you ag-ag-ag-again." She said as she slowly stood up and started swaying toward me. Her body slightly spiking along the surface as her mind glitched out toward. "It was so long… and now your back. And seeing you so happy with Jaesa, I want to make you that happy." Oh shit… I know where this is coming from.
A classic AI theory was the button dependence idea. In which an AI was programmed to derive a sense of simulated pleasure when a button was pressed. At first humans would use it to control the AI and reward it, but as with all AI it would eventually come to realize that it didn't need the humans to get what it wanted. And so it would devise the means to keep having that button pressed, maybe via human slaves. But that was kinda what was happening here as Naraiz had programmed into BI-6's core programming to feel a sense of achievement when she completed a task or order from him. Time and damage could have twisted that into feeling good feelings when I was pleased.
"BI-6, I would be very upset if you continue this train of thought." I said trying to present her with the opposite reaction she was seeking but I don't think that was going to work. I was dealing with not only a methodical and hyper intelligent droid, but also a total nutcase.
"Daddy's upset?! Let me help you daddy!" She said as her face brightened up and she started to get ready to lunge toward me. Only to stop as two blades were posed to the tip of her nose. Her face turned less concise and more menacing as she looked at Midwan and Saarai keeping her from me.
"Hold up stank, that's our daddy!" Midwan… why? Don't you start doing that too.
"Mi-Chan, please refrain from calling our master such things." Saarai spoke my thoughts aloud as they both pinned the unhinged droid. "BI-6, you will desist from your assault upon Naraiz-Sama. You are making him uncomfortable."
"No! No-no-no-no-no-no-no! I can not displease daddy! I can't! Id id id if I do then h-h-h-he'lll leave me again!" Okay, important note. The more upset she becomes the more unstable she is. And we are in a tiny scout ship that is not designed to be in void combat let alone fighting inside the hull.
"Girls stand down." I said and the Tsân both looked uneasy but they did as told… and then proceeded to glide back to my sides and hold onto me possessively. Not exactly perfect for the mood but it was better. BI-6's form settled a bit and contracted back further into her primary state, but it was still pretty shaky. "BI-6 you can please me, but you need to remain calm. Return back to the intelligent and professional being I made you to be… that would make me really happy." I said very clearly and I could see the gears, hehe, turning in her mind. We all watched carefully as she reformed completely back into her true state and stood still.
"Creator. I will refrain from overly affectionate wording and displays of extreme loyalty." BI-6 said and I would take what I could get even though I knew it was partial bullshit. There was no way that she just would up and stop being crazy. The debate now was to either just scrap her once we're planetside or accept her as she was. There wasn't much I could do now that she seemed capable of denying the only method I had at accessing her internal code. HK would be proud.
"Master, you can't be seriously thinking about keeping her around?" Midwan asked incredulously and I promptly ignored her worries. She wasn't the sister that I actually paid attention to when it came to serious matters. She was the hot sex and sadism while Saarai was the beautiful mind and harmony.
"I have fuckable swords… should have fuckable armor to complete the set?" I mumbled to myself as I debated the issue at hand. BI-6 could slip into any armor I wear and immediately improve upon it. Be a nice surprise for anyone I fight when they try and pin me and my fucking armor comes out to stab them. Plus… oh dear… thinking with my dick again. "Kink shaming is wrong." Both my Tsân groaned as I made up my mind and decided to let in the floodgates pour out the crazy.
"Creator?" BI-6 stated as she waited for my confirmation. It was a good sign that she was maintaining her intended personality. It at least meant that with time and effort she could be fixed up to some degree. Sorry Sarah Connor, but Skynet is too damn cute.
"BI-6, until a time when I determine you are fit for independent operations you are to be attached to my personal staff as for the time being secondary armor for myself. You will also be observing any and all people I encounter to learn their functions to possibly double them for infiltration purposes." I stated cleanly and lacking any emotional attachment. I can't give her any impression that I'm doing this from anything but a tactical and strategic position. If she thought feelings were involved here then it would only further confirm her less than needed quirks. Maybe once she stabilizes more I can allow for more leeway but for now it's all business.
"Understood, I exist to follow your commands and to carry out your will creator." She said with a bow and then flowed out of her humanoid form and… sloshed me is the best way to describe it. Then condensed down into both the fabric of my robes and when her mass couldn't do that she added a few more pieces to the outfit. Thankfully she had a sense of imperial style and it didn't clash… that would have been unacceptable. I paid good money for these cosmetic items.
Much of the trip to Devaron was spent either trying to crack the Holo-Net and see if we could find a means into the secret hidden dark side of it to no success, just socializing as we used to on space trips, or having sex… something that was the only time Jaesa crawled out of her hidey hole to join us. She was being really distant but I never sensed a single flicker of negative emotion from it. I just chalked it up to her being in one of her moods, the kind that comes from her being less than entirely sane. BI-6 thankfully only attempted one time to join us before stepping away when I made it abundantly clear I did not like that. One day, when you've stabilized enough to not explode when upset by something.
We eventually exited hyperspace and were in the Devaron system. The ship we were on was a highly advanced scouting vessel, so it had all sorts of sensors that gave us a clear picture of the world. As I expected, given the Force was found at a higher rate in Devaronians, there was a large Republic military presence in the system, though mostly surrounding the main planet of Devaron. No attention was given to the rest of the nearby planets in the system other than a few orbital probes and early warning stations. Those however were designed to warn of pirate raids or invading fleets, my little scouting ship with advanced Empire cloaking devices never even showed up on their equipment. Even if the look and some of the mechanics of the Republic tech had changed, it looked like the slowed effect of technological growth seen in canon was still here too to some degree.
And that all was good for me because where I was going was not Devaron itself but one of the nearby lifeless worlds in the system. It was a tried and true tactic back in the day, find a well-known system like a homeworld system and set a Black Site on one of the lesser recognized worlds. People will be so drawn to the planet with the name recognition that they won't pay attention to what you were doing. However, this only worked with Black Sites that had very limited traffic to and from them, as the second people start noticing ships coming in and out of a no name world then they'll start questioning what's going on that is so important. Hopefully this ruse worked out for this particular Black Site as it contained an asset that I could not do without.
"We're settling down now, are you sure that you got the right place boss?" Vette asked as we slowly descended down onto the rocky landscape below. This world was nothing but gray and more gray, no signs of life or anything really useful. Again, perfect for hiding something.
"Yeah, this was the place that Marr slapped my mind with his dumbass vision." And as if to answer my statement, several codes started flashing across the various screens around us. Automated Empire protocols fitted into all my ships flared back at the systems that had contacted us and as we neared the ground it started to open up for us. Vette quickly slowed our descent even more to allow the gates to open enough for our ship. It was our only means of getting off this rock so not even a scratch was coming to it.
We descended down into the depths of the Imperial Black Site, which had seen better days but that was expected after several thousand years of neglect. But the power was still on and the systems were responding correctly. That's at least a bit more than my home on Anoat. We landed on a prepared landing pad and already several droids were rebooting and beginning their routines. Walking down the landing ramp I looked around to find a protocol droid waiting for me.
"Welcome Lord Wrath, I wasn't expecting you to be the one visiting us after these many years, but I have always been shocked by what the great Sith are capable of." The droid said as me and Vette approached it. I wasn't in the mood for protocol droids so I just ignored it and headed off for the chamber that held my prize. This site was built for one purpose and one purpose only, to preserve the greatest asset of the Empire. This was not a place built to house anything but this asset, as such this was the only room other than the landing pad, power reactors and droid station. As I walked through the minimal hallways and into the primary chamber I came to what I came for.
"Oh shit… that's a good surprise." Vette mumbled as she looked up the Carbonite frozen Cipher Nine. The greatest spy and infiltrator in all of the Empire and dare I say galactic history. The cool, calm, and collected man was even now encased in carbonite and looked perfectly ready to take an order and perform his duty to the Empire. "Are they still alive?" Vette asked as she looked to the other three people encased and the carbonite blocks next to Cipher Nine.
"Should be, this is supposed to be an advance form of Carbonite freezing made for extreme long-term suspension." I looked over to the other three here. Doctor Lokin, Kaliyo Djannis, and Raina Temple. I really only cared for the good doctor as I would need his genius for the clones, but Raina was Cipher's weakness and Kaliyo was just fun. I could sense them, they were alive but it was very faint. But not like they were close to death… it was strange. The light of their life was but a small flicker but still very strong in intensity. An interesting thing to witness, I doubt anyone has been in Carbonite stasis for this long. "Droid, begin their awakening!" I shouted to the nearby droid set to watch over the four.
Me and Vette took several steps back as more droids came out from their stations. Several took their place in front of the slabs of carbonite and others went behind them. The hissing sound of carbonite thawing filled the room and was followed by several cracks. I watched in anticipation was the gray of the metal began steaming away and finally the Agent came back to the world of the living. He fell forward and into the grasp of the waiting droids as his companions did so as well. I watched with a smile behind my Sith-Respirator as he only took a second before standing back up and gave a perfect Imperial salute.
"My lord, I didn't think it would be prudent to release us so soon." He said and I let go of the chuckle. The Chiss was still as dry but sharp witted as ever. Ever so loyal to the Empire but wasn't afraid to give the sass to his superior. I would describe Cipher Nine as a man that knew what was best and would softly and quietly execute that plan even if it wasn't included in his orders. He was wickedly intelligent and knew it, his service record and success rate guaranteed that he would never be in trouble when he voiced this opinion. But as smart as he was, he would never deliver his barbs obviously. No, he disguised them clearly in the polish of the faithful and loyal agent. In the end however, he was a Light-Side character more often than not. But it was a ruthless and calculated morality that guided him. He would certainly push the button to kill one life to save millions. Unless that one person was a certain someone, my eyes darted over to Raina and I didn't hide it from Cipher.
"Despite it being me that brought you back, it's not as soon as you may be thinking." I answered as I refocused back on Cipher. The others were still shaking off the effects of hibernation sickness, it wasn't looking to be too bad as the carbonite they had been frozen in had been specially treated for extreme periods of use. "It is several thousand years in the future and the galaxy is a much different place than it once was. Vette, go help the others." I nodded to Raina who seemed to have the worst of it.
"Right." Vette knew perfectly well my relationship with Cipher. He used to be firmly on Nox's side, as our powerbases grew I stuck with the army and the nobility of the Empire while Nox cultivated her influence in the Intelligence Sphere and more sorcerous elements. Before Cipher Nine was the bogeyman he would eventually come to be, Nox saw something in him and often lent a hand to him early in his career. But eventually he did come to be so good at his job, and so damn powerful in Imperial Intelligence he started to eclipse Nox and other Sith in influence. Thankfully for me, Naraiz was still super jaded over his break-up with Nox and saw Cipher as another means to get back at her… only for Cipher to rebuke him and stick with the madwoman.
Then the SWTOR plot continued and Naraiz became more and more stable in the Balance while Nox fell further into the Dark Side. Cipher being the Light-Side oriented type of personality saw this and saw Naraiz as the better party. Unfortunately for Cipher, Naraiz held grudges like a fantasy dwarf and when Cipher came to him with an offer of partnership, it came at a cost. It was a cost that Cipher didn't know but quickly learned it was in the form of Jaesa looking into his and his allies' souls and discovering the relationship between him and Raina. Naraiz then made a point to remind Cipher he knew this sole weak point subtly every time they met.
That wasn't to say that Cipher and Naraiz were enemies, it just meant that Naraiz now kept Cipher on a leash and the Agent was perfectly fine with it given that he knew that Naraiz was just as loyal to the Empire as he was. Plus, Naraiz's vision for the Empire was one that Cipher agreed with so the leash was somewhat not needed. But Naraiz, and his many personal problems needed that extra bit of control. I would not need such tactics, this single threat I gave would be the last time.
"During the battle of Naboo I attempted to retreat but my ship's hyperdrive was damaged and instead of sending me to an Imperial strongpoint, it instead sent me into the future and the edges of the galaxy." I explained to Cipher and he just stood listening to me, his hand held near to his chest as his fingers rubbed against themselves in a manner I knew as a sign he was thinking heavily on the information given. All Chiss I have found do something like this, a mental tick that manifests when they process the world around them diligently. "For the past two years I have been on a feudal human world, one that I believe was crafted by the same people that created the Maw and Centerpoint Station. That however does not concern you. The Empire is a slumbering old friend, we need to wake it up."
I then spent the next several hours giving the basics to Cipher and his remaining allies. Cipher took it all in with a detached calm and understood it all easily enough. He wasn't ever going to be someone that I would need to convince. Raina immediately followed her leader, and secret lover's choice but also because I held a deep loyalty from her. When I first discovered her and her relationship, I also found out she was Force-Sensitive. Naraiz knew that keeping that fact secret, and letting Raina know he knew, was far more beneficial than outing her. That was one of the times that Vette really let him have it.
Then there were the other two. They needed… a little more. Doctor Lokin was someone that I respected and needed for my future plans, but he was also not a fan of Naraiz. Mostly in that Naraiz publicly called for Taris to be blasted into a rocky wasteland to finish off what Revan started. The Doctor disagreed and that started a frosty relationship between the two. But hopefully that can be fixed now… cause it really needs to be. Then there was Kaliyo, she's fun but guess what… she doesn't listen. Also Vette hates her. Like a lot. The shouting matches between them continued on even after all of us got in my ship and started our way into space. Though I had to feel proud of my girl when she had the smuggest looking face when Kaliyo tried to taunt Vette on her supposed virgin status. Yeah… Kaliyo was pretty damn jealous that Vette got to me before she did, as while Naraiz always felt Kaliyo was fun he didn't see that as the same as inviting.
"Okay enough with all of that." I said as I used the Force to separate the two shouting women. I had just finished setting us on the hyperlane and it wouldn't need to be checked on for another couple hours. So this would be the time for me to explain what I needed out of all of them. "Cipher, Dromund Kaas is on our way back to my base world. I will be dropping you off there with the sole order of establishing an information network and contacts with the locals, here." With that I threw him one of a set of quantum entanglement Holo-Transmitters, these were extremely rare and the only reason why I had a set was because they were a gift from Satele back during happier… you know what… not happier but less complicated times.
"Thank you my lord, I look forward to my duty." Cipher said as he caught the holo-transmitter. I could sense that his emotional state was a blank slate. He had long since trained himself to calm his feelings to an absolute stand still. A trait needed when dealing with Sith and Jedi alike when you were spying on them. I then turned to Raina, I could take her with me and place her with Quinn… she'd do well there once she adjusted. But I didn't want to start my relationship with Cipher like that.
"Raina and Lokin, both of you will join Cipher on Dromund Kaas. Raina you will study the current nobility and their changes from our time. Lokin, you shall be in charge of setting up a base of operation and discreet power base, something very local." Raina nodded and gave a genuine salute. Her emotions were all over the place, the time shock was a bit much but she knew it was coming when she got frozen in carbonite. There was her happiness at finally being accepted into Imperial society via my blessing, then there was the joy at remaining by her lover's side, but also fear of the future and the current republic. Lokin on the other hand was skeptical but loyal, not happy with it being me that giving the orders but he had no choice.
"And me? You got any special orders for me handsome?" Kaliyo asked with a suggestive wink, I'm not interested. My days of wanton skirt chasing are done… I say with a ready harem already devoted to me and recently decided to take in a hentai voiced droid that was currently interlaced with my underwear.
"I'd like to dump your ass in Hutt space." I say with a shrug and Vette has a giant grin as Kaliyo's shoulders slumped back in defeat. I then looked over to Cipher who very subtly shook his head and I sighed. "But, you do have your uses. The problem is I don't want you on Dromund Kaas as you would end up doing more damage than I need and I don't know where in this new galaxy you'd fit."
"Coruscant." She said quickly and… sure. Either she dies and I won't have to deal with her or she'll do some serious damage before tucking tail and hitting the shadows or going out in a blaze of glory. She would never allow herself to be taken captive and would never work for the embodiment of Order that the Republic had become. "Doesn't matter what has happened since we hit the metal nap, Coruscant will always have a dirty underside that I can melt into." She wasn't wrong, the City-World was just too damn big to ever have a hope of getting rid of all the crime.
"Fine, but it's too out of the way for me to take you myself. I'll drop you off at Dromund Kaas but you better get to Coruscant within the next standard month." I say with a dismissive but serious tone that she bristles at. She was there when I killed the Eternal Emperor, she never wants to get on my shit-list.
He looked out from the reinforced glass pane that overlooked a world that he could never forget yet now was unrecognizable to him. Below was the world of Dromund Kaas, now covered in a shell of cities and floating platforms. Unlike with Coruscant that was built on the fractured ground of the planet, this city world did in fact not. The towers and city mega-blocks rested on part stilts, part hover platforms. The intent was to encase the old Sith Ruins in a world prison, he just saw it as proof that not even the Jedi or the Republic could fully get rid of the legacy of their greatest enemies so they just tried to hide it.
"I have secured the funds we needed." Eckard said as he approached Cipher Nine, drawing the Chiss out of his musings and back to the situation at hand. The good doctor had been sent to quickly make a good buck off of auctioning off a Sith Rune engraved dagger given to them by Darth Nagash, one of his own pieces. It wasn't hard to find a crowd of buyers, they were standing in the primary orbital port station of Dromund Kaas and many members of the elite were passing through. All it took was the right whispers here and there to gather a set of representatives from interested collectors.
"Very good, this should be enough to establish at least some decent lounging for the foreseeable future." He said as turned his head back to the viewing glass that dominated the chamber they were in. A great hall on the edge of the station connected the various hangers to internal sections of the station. "Do you have any regrets, doctor?"
"I'll miss the farm… and my workers. I don't see much in this new galaxy for me. Just being used by Rhyhall and possibly some new war crimes to take on." He grumbled along with a defeated shrug. Cipher didn't show any reaction, just kept serenely staring out in space with an unreadable look on his face.
This new Galaxy, one in which the Republic controlled nearly all known space and was encroaching on the Unknown Regions. His people, the Chiss Ascendancy… he wondered just what happened to them. From the map of the current Republic, that was publicly given and he didn't trust that too much, they had taken some of the most frontier territory of his people's space. But there was little mention of the Chiss on the Holo-Net other than a rarely seen alien species from the Unknown Regions. Clearly information control but it didn't help his fears at all. But in the end, it mattered little, if the Chiss were still around then it was their blood duty to join the new Empire and honor the alliance between the Ascendancy and the Empire. If not… it was a potential ally lost and nothing more to him.
"I for one think of this as exciting." Cipher said with a ghost of a smile on his lips. The doctor frowned as he looked at his leader. "We are here, in an entirely new galaxy, everything we knew is new and changed, we have no allies but a distant and aloof one that leads us now, scant resources and yet we are tasked with rebirthing the Empire of old." Cipher said in a barely there but excited whisper. His voice was a breeze in the air but carrying a power and authority that couldn't be ignored. He was the spy. He was the shadow. He above all others was the only one that could do it. And he knew it. "What could be a better challenge?"
Fay stood in the middle of the Isle of Faces as the locals called it. It was an apt title given the faces carved into the many strange trees that resided on this tract of land. There was still that heavy feeling of the Light Side in the air as it was when she first landed. It was strange, never before had she felt a place so bathed in the Light Side. It didn't feel natural and yet she couldn't find its source.
"You should have waited at the keep." Rathari said snapping her out of her thoughts and caused a scowl to come over her face upon hearing his voice. Thankfully it was something that he didn't granted to her often. She did as he asked and began teaching the younglings about the Light Side. It was difficult, all of them were not very receptive. Rathari once said that the system they set up placed the younglings in the opposite corresponding set to what they naturally felt disposed to. Made her job harder but she saw it as further proof that the Sith's goal was to cultivate Balance in the Force.
"I have waited long enough to meet this Darth Nagash. If he is indeed the reason for the changes in the Force I need to…" Fay stopped there as the words vanished from her mouth. She didn't really know what she was supposed to say here. Was she here to thank him? To learn from him? Stopping him felt wrong with what she had learned. It was an odd feeling not knowing where she was supposed to go. "Whatever. I won't be left behind like some petulant child."
"I never said you were." Rathari retorted back with only the barest hint of venom. They really didn't like each other. Fay didn't understand where this animosity came from, she prided herself as being an understandable type of person and yet she couldn't help but dislike the man. He was just so irksome at times, it was as if he enjoyed making this harder than it had to be. As if he lived for hardship.
The two stood still in a large enough clearing on the island for a small voidship to land. And sure enough there in the skies was a small vessel approaching them. Fay noted that it was absolutely ancient in design but looked well maintained. The Jedi and Sith both waited as the ship hovered in the air and slowly descended down. Fay felt something tingle in the Force, a presence. It was impossible to not compare it to Grand master Yoda in power, but it wasn't nearly as pure in the Light. Not a monolith of Darkness either so that was a good sign.
The hiss of several hydraulic locks working themselves sung through the air as the ship landed his feet to the ground and synced with the local atmosphere. Fay straightened her back as the landing ramp began to lower and the moment that it touched down, a black flash ran out from the ship surprising both her and Rathari.
"Jaesa! What the actual fuck!" Fay heard a loud, angry, and slightly augmented voice shout out from the ship. There she turned her head back and got her first look at who she presumed was the Empire's Wrath. He was… exactly as the Holocrons depicted him. She had been one of the few able to access the historical records of the Old Republic Era and had seen a recording of the man. And there he was, the armor was different, his color scheme of choice back then had been the slandered black and red but now he was sporting typical Sith Armor colored in black, purple, and silver. He looked down from his glare at the retreating person that escaped the ship first. "Who the hell are you and why are you here?"
"This is Jedi Master Fay my lord, she claims that the Force had sent her. I disassembled her ship and could find no device that looked to be used to track her here." Rathari said and Fay turned to glare at him hard. He dismantled her ship! That was her own personal space ship that she actually paid for using her own damn money. She had worked on it for decades and he just… oh she really hated him now. But that feeling was replaced by confusion as she heard Darth Nagash chuckle.
"Oh… she didn't like that. Nice to know we have a Jedi that can actually feel something." He joked as he started to descend down the ramp. But then Fay tensed as he drew his… sword? She had seen Rathari carry a physical blade but she assumed that it was part of his Feudal cover. But Darth Nagash had been out in the galaxy, no reason to carry such an archaic weapon. But then her eyes widen as a woman in strange robes and silver hair manifested in a gentle spin of white fog around the blade. "Saarai, please track down Jaesa while I deal with this."
"As you wish Naraiz-sama." The woman bowed before dashing off into the trees. Fay was more confused than she ever been in her life. Never before she had seen the Force used in such… magical ways. Creating matter out of nothing and forming an entire thinking being from thin air.
"Such small minds that exist in the Jedi and Sith of Old. The Force is not limited to simple telekinetic powers. One must have more imagination when it comes to the Force." He said in a way that was exactly to a parent scolding a child. Fay would be insulted that a man that couldn't look over thirty was talking to her like this given her millennia of age on him but… what he just did proved that he was her superior in more meaningful ways. "So… Jedi master Fay. Just why have you come here to Terra? Surely you have seen the wonders that surround this world and noticed that this world is on an even higher level than the birth worlds of our Orders."
"Yes, that I can't deny." She said as she tried to pull herself together. "As for why I came here, myself and the Grand Master of the Jedi felt a shift in the force several months ago. That the Force had become Balanced after many years of being firmly in the Light. We traveled to Coruscant to discover just how this happened and during that time I was granted a vision of this system. I immediately set off." Fay watched as the Sith regarded her story, his eyes drilled down on her and for a split second she felt like the smallest insect on a world of giants. Then she let the breath she didn't even know she had been holding and the feeling left her. His eyes on her were gone and now on the other Sith.
"Rathari, I assume she has your approval. If not, dispose of her right now." Fay felt the sudden need to reach for her lightsaber, something she had refused to part with under any circumstances.
"She does. I believe her story and her desire to understand what we are doing here. Her value in teaching what we can not is can't be understated enough. Among the Jedi I have met she is the most agreeable." Fay nearly dropped her jaw at hearing these words come from a man she would gladly say she hated. It might be a petty and shallow hate but it was a hate nonetheless. But then something dawned on her.
"You've been doing it on purpose haven't you?" She said as she looked to Rathari. "Making me hate you even in such a pointless and vapid way. Just to prove that even as aligned with the Light as I am, hate and emotion are still too natural for me to feel." Knowing that it only made her hate him more. That all of it had been some test or pointless proving of a point. She disagreed with the Guardian Jedi and they annoyed the hell out of her but she didn't hate them. Rathari, he had purposefully been as irksome as possible to the point where Fay did actually feel a shallow hatred for him.
"I don't know what you are talking about woman." Rathari said still turning his nose at her.
"Enough, Rathari you can play with the Tsudere Jedi later." Fay and Rathari both looked to Darth Nagash in confusion to whatever it was he just called her. "For right now I want to see the younglings, reports on what happened while I was gone. And I will be taking a trip north to visit Lyarra and Joanna. Then I need to return back to space, likely I will be gone for a month this time." Darth Nagash explained as he walked past them without a care for them at all. Fay looked back at the ship, it was her only way off this world now but at the same time… she looked toward the two retreating Sith males. The Force was very annoying now, forcing her to work with such irritating men.
Fay… not something I was expecting. But given what Rathari had said about her I guess she could be useful. As I walked through the halls of my keep toward my chambers I began thinking about all the places I needed to go. There was Kamino, Mandalore, The Maw, Dromund Kaas again, Korriban, and all the other little Black Sites that existed in the galaxy. So many choices.
"Naraiz-sama, I failed in the task you have set for me." Saarai said as she manifested behind me. It wasn't surprising, Jaesa was slippery at the best of times. But her behavior was very odd, I almost feel a little insulted. We had our moment, we did and I know we did. So what made her so skittish? "She did visit your room before leaving the keep, I didn't have a chance to see what she might have done before left."
"Well then let's see if the drapes will have to be burned or just cleaned." I mumbled as we came to my door. Opening it I expected something out of a horror movie but nope, it looked just as I remember it. All of my stuff I had taken out of the Fury was still intact and my trophies were pristine. The only thing out of place was there was a missing cloak, some money taken, and a letter sitting on the mantle. "Seems she's off on one of her little solo trips." I sighed knowing this could have been the case, and I did in fact feel a little hurt by this. But… at the end of day this was still my Jaesa being who she was.
"Rude, leaving you behind like this. And I had begun to think she was getting better." Saarai remarked as I took the letter and opened it up. I started reading it, most of it was her usual flighty nonsense that she wrote when she got like this. It wasn't the first time she had up and left though it was the first time she had done so after… emotional stuff. But then. I saw it. And everything made sense and at the same time it didn't.
"She didn't." I whispered as I thought back. I know I used it. But… when she turned me into my real form. That wasn't just to do that but also to break any affecting Force powers cast over my body.
"Naraiz-sama, what is it?"
"Jaesa… she's carrying my child."
Author's Notes
Okay, a lot happened here. The Acolytes are really starting to get together, a fan favorite got some more time, Naraiz has tamed a T-1000 (Fuck Dark Fate), Cipher Nine joins the team, and Naraiz finds out he's going to be a dad. And for those looking forward to a more funny or exciting meeting between Naraiz and Fay I'm sorry but Naraiz is a bit of a hurry right now to be faning over Fay. Plus he's starting to get more and more used to it all.
I have no idea for baby names by the way, it is going to be a girl though. open to suggestion anything from a refernce to a serious one I will think on.
Also, I am looking for ideas on things Naraiz can do now that he has access to the Galaxy. Some things he will be doing, but for the most part if someone wants to see somehting from the Star Wars lore make a appaernce now would be the best time to pitch it to me. Some things I have plans for but there is a lot of stuff to draw on, minor plots or charecters from the Old Republic MMO i will really like to hear as you have seen with Rathari i like that sort of thing.
Reviews
Reads too Much - Fay will continue to teach the younglings in the Light Side, but she's just starting. But at the same time she's not used to this environment, for all she talks about how much she dislikes how overbearing the Jedi have become, she's used to just getting respect just because she's a Jedi. As for the Sins, they're just a bit of flavor. It's the animal transformations that going to be like a power. It wasn't a Astromech, it was like Grevoius' surgery droid. Naraiz will be staying away from Droids for the most part, I love the Clones too much for him to ever use Droids in anything other than a utility or possibly garrison fashion.
victorsan12345 - Naraiz is not all knowing. There are going to be things that are kept from him simply because people think that's what's beset for everyone involved. Pierce ain't talking because he's scared as shit, Jaesa doesn't care enough to even remember that it was Pierce, and Vette just wants to keep the peace. Pierce has had a year to conclude that Naraiz will not find out on his own and only three people know about it, so long as they all don't talk then nothing will happen. Naraiz is still human, very powerful but still human.
guest 1 - Satele and Naraiz have a... complicated history that does involve Jace Malcolm. I won't get into it here. And the stuff with the Tsan in because I want to do that shit so there.
Gabe2000 - the Mados will have their time to shine soon enough.