Author's Notes
Here we have it, I have been working on some of my original work and will continue to do so, so this chapter took a little longer. But its here, and I think by the end of next chapter will will move on to a two year time skip where we will get into some Mando stuff and the beginnings of Robert's Rebellion
There was something very wrong here. Looking at the twisted and distorted front gate to my manor it was obvious that Malora's words weren't a ploy. The rest of the palace looked fine, it was the classic imperial sloping sharp architecture, grand as fitting the Emperor and later Empire's Wrath. Massive spiked pylons lined the walkway up to the front door from the gate, everything but the gate was in order.
"The way the metal here bends… is not something that can be done through natural means." The Droid sounded troubled as much as a Droid could. The Force felt strange here, similar to a Wound but different.
"It's fine, there's enough room to crouch under." I appeared to wave off the concerns of the Droid but I was just as if not more concerned than it was. This was Naraiz's home after all, or at least the one he spent the most time in. The one on Anoat was his main one in theory and the one he planned on but this one was where he spent most of his days when not on the front lines.
Memories shoved aside for the moment, I led the group onto the palace's grounds and as we drew closer I could feel something's attention move toward us. That something darted into the corners of my vision as we walked up to the front door. It was some sort of entity that phased in and out of reality, once we had reached the doors it vanished from my senses. Glancing back toward the Droid, it didn't seem to notice what I had so I'm assuming that what I just experienced wasn't a physical stalking.
"I don't like this place, can we go?"
"We should leave, this place gives me chills." The twins spoke up as the front door creaked as it had been shut for centuries and that time wanted to be heard. I heard Vette unholster her guns and I can assume the others also prepared themselves.
"Ulysses, what exactly are we here for?" Oberyn asked as we all took our first steps into the palace. The front hall was as grand as it was designed to be imposing. The walls and ceiling created an illusion of being bigger than they were while making a person feel insignificant as they passed towering sentinel statues and walked under fabled tapestries. Only the former remained as the fine carpet, tapestries and other finery had decayed leaving behind only what could survive the centuries. Nevertheless the effect Naraiz had intended for those that entered his home was now working just as effectively.
"There are a few things I would like to find, things I know that should be still around." Force infused lock boxes that created small pockets of separated space, or the vault of artifacts that had an even stronger enchantment on it. While time might have eaten away at many valuable things that resided here, Naraiz had made sure that the most treasured things would remain for those brave enough to look for them. "But for right now, focus on your surroundings. We've entered a beast's den and I have no intention of being its next meal."
"Any idea on what sort of beast it is?" Vette asked as she looked for the hidden alcoves. It was strange for the both of us, as all the nooks and crannies that had been made for Vette and Jaesa to duck into were now being used against us.
As for the question itself… I had no clue. It wasn't anything natural, I had experienced some of the horrors that Star Wars had to offer, Abeloth, Star Weirds, and even a psycho One, but this felt like none of them. There was a wrongness to this thing that I had never experienced. In none of Naraiz's memories had he experienced something akin to this and that was saying something given the shit that happened in the Old Republic.
Abeloth was by far the most evil and disturbing thing I have dealt with, but even her I could feel had an anchor in rational thought. There was a core of real to her, a woman desperate to have power and belonging. So much so that she committed horrible taboos mortals should never perpetrate. As for the Star Weirds, they just felt hungry. Like all of reality and matter was their never ending meal. There was a primal emotion that could be understood. Whatever thing that had made its home here… it could be summed up with one phrase. It did not belong here, anywhere. I had a feeling that whatever I was stepping into now was beyond the norm for me.
"Short answer, the kind we'd be better off facing with the place's security system back up and functional." If I could reach the palace's internal power juncture, I could feed the system enough Force Lightning to give it a few days worth of power. It was common for Sith to outfit their liars with power grids that could, if needed, run on their own Force Lightning. Afterall, one of the first things you do when robbing or assaulting an enemy stronghold is cut the power. But if you could be the power, problem solved. "For right now let's focus on making our way to the power room."
"Inquiry, how is it you know the layout of this structure?" The Droid asked the stupid question again and I groaned as this was not the time for it to be playing spy for Plagueis.
"Because I built the damn place." I responded in the most stickily sweet and helpful tone I could muster and returned to leading us through an increasingly uneasy palace. But as we reached the end of the front hall and were about to take our way to the east wing were the utility areas were, that feeling of unease grew tenfold.
As we turned into a hallway we stopped as the sight made us all have a massive headache to the insanity.T̶h̸e̸ ̶w̸a̷l̸l̶s̶,̸ ̷f̸l̶o̸o̵r̶,̴ ̷c̵e̸i̴l̸i̸n̸g̷ ̴a̴n̶d̶ ̷e̸v̵e̷r̶y̶t̶h̵i̷n̷g̴ ̴b̴e̶t̸w̶e̶e̵n̶ ̵t̶h̴e̶m̵ ̷b̸e̵n̵t̸ ̴a̴n̷d̸ ̵w̶a̷r̵p̵e̸d̸ ̷i̷n̴ ̷w̵a̴y̸s̴ ̸t̶h̶a̶t̵ ̵l̸o̷o̸k̷e̷d̵ ̷l̴i̵k̷e̶ ̷a̸ ̴g̶l̵i̸t̷c̸h̶i̵n̸g̶ ̴o̸u̴t̷ ̵v̸i̴d̶e̵o̸ ̸g̷a̴m̵e̴. Frozen in this maddening display of broken reality. Yeah… I'm starting to think that whatever has been down here is not something I'm prepared for. Nothing in lore of Star Wars could do this, I knew of some of the stranger things that prowled in the darkness of this galaxy but this was beyond any of that.
"Naraiz… what are we looking at?"
"Recalculating sensors… sensors fully operational… í̷̞ḿ̶̙p̶̪͚͐o̷̡͓͐͝š̴̢͚s̶̢̊͝ͅi̵̮̟̎b̴̳̎l̶͉̉e̶͉̾̾"
"I think we should leave." At Oberyn's suggestion I nodded and we all turned away only to face a towering beast looming over us. A body like a mix between a lion with stumpy legs and the head of a bearded dragon with a mane of thin oily tendrils, the monster looked down at us while standing on its hind legs, a dozen beady eyes of all different sizes watched us. Then, in a half a second it phased out of existence in what could only be described as malevolent ş̵͔̉͛̿̽t̸̛̠̝̣̯͐̎á̷̡ͅt̶̨̪͓̑i̷̭̿̑̃c̸̬͖̻̀̈́. I blinked and looking down the front hall I saw it reappear on the wall to the side of the front door. A banshee shriek
Q̶̩̆̿̊͑́̏P̸̢̡̫̺̺͚͑͗̉̄́̃̏̓͑͂̾͘̕͜͝Ḯ̴̤̒̓͝G̸̨̘̞̳̠̦̼̝̞͈̘͍̟̐E̴͚̭̝̙̺̘͙͖̪̥̣͎̔͛͒̆͌͛͂̓̇͒̚̕Ỉ̵͎̥̙͈̪̀̅͊̿͗̔̍̍͝͠ͅO̵̻̱͍̿͌́̂̀̔̽̄̏̇̚̚͘͠Ģ̵̤̺̝̪̩͎̠̂̔́̐̔̋̈̒͗̾̚͝͠Ú̴͍̠͚͈́̍̈͋̆̈́͆̍̿̉̀̀̕͝O̴̧̬̮̱̻̙͓̠̰̬͇̗͈̍̆̾̌͝Ṅ̶̲͖̙̞͔͉̩̬̩̑̊͜V̶̨͉̮͓͙̲͖͌,̵̨̣̜̰͔̂̎̑̽͐̍̕̚͜X̸̡̠̣̼̗̖̖͍̫͉͉̿̆̚Ḩ̷̢̡̢̪͓͈̥͈͔̳͉̙̤͍̏̏̑̄̾͋̀̑̏̕U̵͎̤̫̤̞̲̿͋͐X̶̡̢̲̯̻̙̻͓̽̉̕̚͝͠N̵̡̳͔͙͎̣̣͈͚̈́́́̔͌̽̽̐̄̏̕͜Ǔ̴̯̾́̿́́͐͑́Ẃ̷̛͍̽̈͒̊̈͊̚͝͝͠͝5̷̺̰̪̃̉͛̈́̈́͗̋̄̓́̐́͘È̵̢̨̺̜̺͖̭̤̭̮̦̦̺̣̅͋̍̑̅͝V̴̨̺͎̙̹̹̥̘̩̻͓̭̜͕̔͊̽̋̆̉̎̌̄͗͘͘ͅB̶̡̢̟̐̈́̒̌̅̐̈͘͠Ò̷̙̬͚̲̤̤͕̳̞͑̌̈́̾̉͗͛̄͑̈́͊̃͊C̷̨͙̘͖̺͈͇̮̹͜͝N̶̤̰͙͉̉̉X̴̪̩͕̤̀̽̃͋̒͊̀̾͂̕̕͘͠͝Ḿ̶̨͙̺̮͎͖̱̻̳̘̆̐͐̊͜Z̷̫͔̎̉F̸̩̞̺̥̬̖̼͎̣͌̾͆̈̇̐̋͆͆̓̕͝B̵̢̰̘͓̲͚̙̘͆̐̅̍͜͝V̶̛̳̞̗̤͚̦̰̣͎͎̫͉͍͎͔̉̅̂̿̓̔̍̊̅̿̕̚͠Ș̴͎̗͎͍́͝ͅU̸̡̧̢̟̱͖͔͈͚̫͍͕̬̎̀̈R̶̛͍̮͕̯͓͖̉̀̿͋̀̉͑͊̂͂̈͝ͅB̷͍̰̀̓́̾̄̓͒͛V̵̧̨̙̻͔̬̼͍̆͋̏̉̅̔̐͒͂͒́̈̀͘Ơ̶̧̬͍͉̫̔̄͂͂̂̀͛̄́͘̚̚T̸̛̹͆͑̓̂̎̓̊͐͝F̶̢̘͕̝͎̋̀͜U̵̳̟̾̇̑̎̒̋̇̕̕P̵̡̱̻̘̹̩̯̈́͛̽͂̍͊͠J̸̧͈͖̖̗̫̖̖͍͖̱̻͙̥̒̆̓͒̉̅̌̀͒̈́͘̕͘͝ͅF̷̱̤̮̩͔̻̠̠̜̹̓̑I̸̧̡̛̩͓̗̝̹̗͚͎̞̲̊̀̉͜Ḋ̴̛̯͙̘̦̼̲͊̌͑̐̍͐̈́̈́̎͗̽͠Ĵ̵̡̖͔͍͈͎̲͍͓̥̪͑̕G̵̺͓̹̱̤̩͚̘͇̭͚̙̽̂̀̀̈̊̏́̀͌̔̒͝S̴̤̮̺̬̱̲̩̻̜̼͍̺̺͍̬͊Ȳ̴͚̳̟̆̈́̈́̍̃̑͜͜X̸̢̛͈̝͉̬͈̫̤̦̪̲̺͚̏̋̍̊̀͊̒̅̒͘͜͠G̶̡͔̹͖̱͝Ñ̵̡̢̥̥̊̋̎̋͊͐Ŗ̵̠̙͈̣̈̂͗̀̃͘͝͝ͅB̵̘̞͎̤͗̽̍͑̃́̽̓̎̂͆Ỹ̸͇̰̿́͗̉̉̊̍̿́̐̚̚Z̸̧̨̞̤̥̹̹͖͇̝̹̦͊̅͝T̵̢̢̧̮̯̏͑͒͌͗̅̋́̈̕̚͝V̷̡͔̗̺̤̼̤̱̤̰͔͇̿͌̈́͛̓̃̿́̉͂̅̒̕W̴̢̺͎̜̟̩͈̣̣̝͕̜͖̼̔͋͐̔̔̒͆̊̒̑̄͘F̴̨̲̦̠̰̹̖̮̙̱̔̑̈́̏͐̔̑͗̚͝͠Ņ̸̛͙͇͔̣̻̝̰̺̀̍̾̔̌̓̃̀̓̂̆̓̏Ḯ̷̱͎̺̪̜͚̻̖̙̹͎͎̔Ṳ̵̧̺͎̣͓̣̤͑̉̚Ơ̶̯̟̹̱͂̈̐́͐͋͆͊̒̅̎̈́̚͠Ĝ̵̼̫͂̿͗̽̊̍̈́̈̒̅̉̚H̸̠̀́̑̕M̴̡̰͈̲̗͉̏͒͛̉̅̎̎̇̊̅̓̆͘V̷͚̼͆̐̄̀̓̕͘P̷̢̢̧̛͕͖̘͈̼̗͖͕͎͚̥̋̽̅͂̓̔̑̌́͗͘B̶̧̖̦̯͓̝̣̘̣͍̳̞̹̲̒͋͆̀̽́̌͌͒̈́̇̿ͅÎ̶̢̧͉̥̤͙̲̯̊̈̅̑̅͛͆̊̄ͅJ̸̧̜̤̝͍̲̯̥͉̰͗̀͂̈́̈̅̉̀̾̄̒͑͠͝O̸̡̪̬͉̤̪̱͋͛͋́̉͝P̷̢̡̛͓̳̻̟̩̀̂̍̅̒̾̄͒̑̃̚͠͝I̴̛͇͔̟̪͂̀̍͗̔̈́̅̾̐̋̎̒C̶͓̫̣͚͖̖͙͉̐H̷̤̻̞̠͙̥̳̳̪͈̝̮̼͌̑̈́̈̇̈̃̍̈̚Ņ̴̱̥̳̦̺̈́͑͂̍̓͊̃͂̀͗̚̕͠ͅX̷̧̜̟͕̯̒͋̄̊͋̅̕̚͝Y̶̲̯̝̗̲̟̗̼͉̻͓͇̠̖͔̑̑̇̈́͑̍͆̂̓̀̽̍̕̚̚Ḡ̸̢͚͈͖̟͕̥̱̻̹́̓̀̾̓̂͋̾͝G̴̡̞̠̹͍̰͂B̴̲͍̘̞̙̪͕̟̺̥̗̽̉̀̀̋̌̒̈̓́̊̎̚͘͜͝I̴̢̝̗̻̫͓̘̼̙̝̹̟̣̬̪̔̋̕Q̴̢̹͚̲̞̦̺̱̩͖̫̰̬̍́͂P̷̨̥̮͍̻̻͍̝̱̻͈̥̩̜̓͆̽͑̄͜͠͝Ȯ̵̧̨̢͓̘̲͖̤͈̠̤͊̈̅̀́̔̄́̍͛̕̕̚G̵͎͉̞̯̙͓͇̪̗͉̘̳̠̱̝̔̃̃̊͒͂̈́̑̏̇͗̾͘Ī̶̼͔̬̝͐̆̈́̓͐̒̃̋̍P̶̬͚̯̮̙̥̥̦͉͎̜̃̓̒̀̾̂̏͛́͌̕V̷̺͇̖̖͇̼͋͛̅̐͝I̶̢̢̛̞̲̗̼͇͕̥͕̹̞̅̓̎̀͂̍̽͒͐̈́̊͌̃J̶̛̭̪̫̇̐̾̽͝͝C̶̡̧̝͚̙̙̣̺̬͉̘͗͆͐̓̃͘͠ͅͅŅ̷̥͈̪̖̗͒̏̐͌͋̚̕X̵̠͙̏̿̀̈̎́͌̈́̀̑̚B̷͍̠̻̦͎̆͐͜͜Y̵̨̢̢̢̟̙̤̘̻͈͉̘̼̔̋͝͠I̸̡̨̠͕̘̗̳̩͖̎͆̽̿͆͝Ģ̸̖̹̬̬̰̗̱̥̙͍̭͙͗̓̿̔͒̈́̍͒̂̑͒́̅͠Ǫ̵̛̖̫̜̟͖̱͔̝̥̝͚̫̀͝͠I̵̟̦̟̞͖̩͘C̷̨̜̤̰̜̼̲̙͚̖̦̑̿̄̔̉͋̔̓͘͝H̴̢̼͔̟̼͙͓͑͑̑̽͌̃̈́͝G̸̢̡̜̱̻̯̪̒̾̅M̶̪̮̱̩̝̟̳͆̈͂̈̊̔͗͊͋͋͒͒̾͝O̴͔̱͙̪̭̰͛͒̀͆̀̔͆Į̸͚̫̹̳̙̺͓̟̬͛͐͛̈́́̿͐̀̔͗̂͌̉̚͝Ȕ̵̧̢̖͙̩͇̩̲̤̲͚̈̽̂͝H̸̢̛͓̰̪̙̖͍̠̖̬̻̜̘̗̮̋̎̈́͑͠Ģ̸͎͈̙̝̮͙̬͍̺̘̬̰͌̂̓́̓̀̿Ç̸̛̺̈́̂̌̄́͂̏̽̆͆͐Ư̷̛͎̩͕͓̹̥̹̭̙̗͚̞̝͚̈́͂͂̀͐̽̀̅̓͝B̸̡͍̞̮̈́͋͐̈͊́̽̔̑̓͝͝Ȉ̶̞͓̫̘̗̺̻̥̳̻͖͇̫͔Ÿ̴̨͎͍̼͖̗͖̰̹́̾̀̓̾̚Ģ̶̛̞͎͚͖͎͇̿̓̽X̴̮͉͚̞̤͎̘̺͚̠̪͚̖͚̏͐̎̿̆̊̉̃͑̚̕͜Ņ̶̖̞͓̲̅I̴̻̰͓̿͂̿͋̄͗̽̽M̷̢̼̟̖͕̳͎̦̟̦͙̩̼̠̄̄Ų̸̨͔̗̞̖̝̳͙̲̜̲͎̐̌̂̇̊̉́͗̈̀̃̕͘͝͝Ḯ̶͉̱̦̥͍̱̣̗̝͙̜ͅǪ̵͇̦̝̪̓̔͐͂̒͒́̃͛̄͋͘͠͠͠Ứ̶̛̞̗̫͍͕͇̭̠̱̼̮̱̾͐͌͑͌͋́̈́̃͜ͅ5̷̩̲̞̮̘͋̂̕ͅG̴̫̻̩̀͒̔̓͛̀͗̓̏̔͆͋͛͝H̸̤̻̠͕̟͙̗͈̯̺̊͆ͅÇ̷̡͕̮̪̯̹̺̺̖̻̹͎̂̂̍͜V̸̨̥̺̥̼̘̝͙̫̟̱̈́͗͜K̸̢̧̦͈̯͖̭̝̙̹̱̹̎̋̇̾̒̽̎̀̒͘͠Ṕ̴̢̢̛̬̼͖͔͇͗̋͂͂̄̍͜͝ͅQ̴̢̳̖̻̺̠͚͖̞̯͚͇̺̝͍̈́̌̌̀̈̈́̈͘Į̶̪͈̭͈̗̠͇͙̣̠̂͐̏́̉̽͋͗̚͠Ǘ̵̬̫̙̺̄̉͋̃Ř̶̡͕̺͕̈́͜G̸̢̜̦̭̑͘H̷̨͎̪̫͙̫͗͂͂́̇̕͝͠U̶̫͍͉̅̇̑̃͆̈́̒̈̊̚͝5̴̧̢̘̹͔̝̱̮̘̫̤̜͇͎̓̓̕Ĩ̶̧̧̗̭̬͉̭͈̘̣̦̰̳̩̏̍ͅN̵̡͎̝̯͖͔͎̟̐G̷̨̡̜̯̣̠̜̈̊̐͆̽̐͆C̶̮̣̈́̄̓̎̎̅̒͆̑̀̈́͐̎͠͝H̴̨̧̝̦̮̝͔̙̯͔̘̞̯̄̓͜M̵̜̬̖̲͉̭͗̃͌̓̊͘ͅQ̶̜͍̎͑̾͝U̷̧̡̮̝̺͙̪̯̜̘͖̪̱͆͑͋̄̀͊̌̑̈͜͜͝͠͝Ě̸̡͍̜̹̺̬͔̜̪̻̲̜̱̤̈́̍̾͑͒̽͊̚T̶̼̗̫̮͈̍͗̏̂͂͆̀̀͆̂̄Ģ̶̪͎̫̒́͛̊̀̍̀̚͝͠͝͝D̸̢̛̦͖̦̬̔̀̇̆́̾͊̊̋̅͋͜Ḣ̵̬̤̦͐̓̆̔̄̃̓̈̚Š̷̡̜̯̱͍̹̼̱͇̗̹̰̞̞͆̿̅̃͛̾̂̅̏͘͜͠J̴̨̛̹̗̜̖͗̑̓̊K̶͔̥͎͉̪̹̹̺̱̻̾̅Ǫ̶͕̉͋̀͜K̴̻̽̂̄́͑͊͒̒͌̆͘G̷͓͐̊̅̏̓̈͗̃̀̎̑̔̎̇͝B̸̧̛̗̘͈͉̰̦̟̬̬̹͜Ḿ̸̢̨̧̻̺̘̩͉͎͓̰͈̫̣̄̓̈́͗̈̽̎̑͛̕͜͝N̶̛̬͓̖̟̰̙̘͖̻̜͈͆̿̋̄̓̾̽͂̓̾͛͗̇̽ͅV̴̞̼̼͙̹̙̙̖̍̑̒͛̒̐́̄̓͝Ç̷̼͉̣̹̠̳̞̤̪̘̒̎͌͒̑̊͑͌͗̚ͅB̷̧̧̠̠͙̞͖̲̻̞͓̻̂̅͑̎̃͐̂̅̏̚͘͝͠͠D̴̛̪̰͐̚̕G̶̣͖͓̻̞̙̳̋̏́͜W̶̡̛̥͇̦̩̖͔̮̭̲͆̌̇̎̔̾̌̽Y̵̛͎̭̳͑͆͗͒͝͝Ǖ̷͉̪̜̹̩̫̬̻̯͍̳͋̿̓͆Ǐ̴͓͍̭͍̫̟̻͉̝̞̈́́̋̇͊̆̈̚̕̚͠͠R̵̨̢͉̳̠̹͈̞̙͇̜̈̌̇̓̀̕͘͝
echoed down the hall, changing in pitch and tone with every second it lasted. The Force was in pain just from it being here, everything it touched from the solid doors as its mane came to life and began ripping and twisting the massive doors into a impassible impossibility, to the very air that slanted and froze as its hallow reverberated through it.
I watched as the wave of reality changing madness that came from the monster came at us. Instincts that weren't mine force my hands out and with all the power I had available to me I used the Force to push back. The effect was like snapping broken pieces back together as my power rippled back toward the m̴̮̘̫̭͒̈́̀̿ộ̸̡̹̬͚͈̝̊̚n̸͚̼̰̦͉̘̪̈́̿̉̈́̍̀s̸̫̗̜̣̪̔̈͜͠t̴̯͉̮̥̘̞̀͂ȅ̷͖̬̠͕̻̲̼͌̇̆ͅr̸̡̡̞̱̼̋̈́̽̌̍͜͠, but it phased back out of existence before my Force Push got to it. Unfortunately, the same fixing effect that my attack had did not extend to the ruined door.
"W-what… what in the actual fuck was that!?" Dabai shouted as she and the others gathered their breath. I among them, seems the Force decided to act through me again as whatever I just did was not of my own will. My guess is that the Force simply saw that thing as so much of a threat that I subsumed my will for a moment to attack it.
"Warning, situation has reached a statistical impossibility. Redirecting command to subroutines." The Droid seemed to be having as much of a crisis understanding what just happened as we did. But as my wits returned to me and I stared at the sight of reality twisted into shapes that couldn't be made naturally I only had one rational way of explaining this.
"Yeah… that's a Daemon. I literally can't think of anything else that it could be."
"I've spoken with both of them and checked them out for any lingering outside influence. Talzin is on her way but I've done all I can on my own." Fay sat down at a conference room table with Rathari and Quinn also in attendance. The incident with the Thoren, Jadith, and the Maiden was currently being handled and the Godswood was under quarantine.
"How is this possible? Darth Nagash said that the Weirwood in Harrenhal was safe." Quinn asked as while he didn't proclaim to know about the mechanics of the Force he did listen to his lord intently. Previously they had all been under the assumption that the Acolytes could safely train under the Harrenhal Weirwood but now that was being called into question by the recent attempt of the Maiden to indoctrinate Thoren Smallwood. With it literally being within the walls of the keep, though not in it proper, this was a massive security breach.
"It is." Melisandre said as she entered with a raven perched on her shoulder. "The Maiden had been preparing for this moment, gathering her strength and distracted The Three Eyed Raven by attempting to free herself using some of the Weirwoods in Essos, thus putting his attention there."
"I'm assuming that you were told this by your little friend there." Fay was skeptical of the powers of man called the Three Eyed Raven. A Seer of unrivaled ability and scope, it sounded far fetched but considering this world she was willing to go along with it. The former Jedi would still prefer to meet with the man but so far had been forbidden to do so unless Darth Nagash was with her.
"Yes. He also was under the impression that the lingering Darkness in the tree would prevent her from using it as a beacon. But it seems it only makes it harder, he has adjusted his efforts accordingly." Melisandre explained as she sat down and the bird hopped off and landed on the table. Quinn stared at the animal dirtying his pristine conference table that he custom ordered from local artisans, whom gifted it to him free of charge as thanks for his work. "Governor please try to not look so fussy."
"Regardless if the Seer believes it is safe again, the Acolytes and Neophytes alike are not be allowed near the thing without direct supervision." Rathari's voice did not hold an ounce of room for debate and no one in the room was going to try. While it was true that the tree could be used to commune with the Light Side better than most means, the risk now was too great. "Darth Nagash is away and we must act in his stead. The Faceless Men incident however taught us that we can not act indecisive in the face of our missing Lord. A discussion of ridding us of the Weirwood must be taken seriously."
"I would advice not." Melisandre said serenely as she petted the raven. "While it is true that they act as conduits for the Maiden's power, they also act as outlets, the more of them there are the more her power is diluted. That is why the Crone manipulated the Andals into chopping them down the remaining Weirwoods in the realm after the foolishness of the First Men did most of her work for her."
"Then what is one more? This is an issue of security for the future of the Sith Order, we can not take the risk." Rathari argued, seeing this as a problem that needed to be solved swiftly. The Maiden could infect the Sect of Manwë, planting sleeper agents that would be used to destroy the Order from within. The Sith Emperor had attempted it with his Children and now the Maiden would do it with the Rule of Three.
"If we were to cut down the heart tree it would cause serious political backlash with the North." Quinn spoke up after several more minutes of the Red Woman and Rathari arguing their respective sides without addressing the more practical and worldly issue at hand. "Every hold with a Weirwood Heart Tree is in danger of undue influence. That is a threat that will need to be dealt with. But for now, those trees are at the center of the North's religious beliefs and they are our stanchions ally. Endangering that relationship is unacceptable."
"As much as I hate to say it, but I agree with Rathari." Everyone looked to Fay a little shocked knowing how much she detested the uncompromising man. "The Maiden represents aspects of the Light Side that the Jedi are inching closer and closer toward. Becoming more extreme. I don't want to see that happen here." The room was silent after that as it became clear that they were all at an impasse. There was no one in the keep that they all respected enough to break the tie, as Pierce had made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with this sort of thing.
"Well, it would seem that your wish for us to make a decision without Lord Nagash will not be answered." Quinn mused while Rathari stewed in his seat. The governor stood up with an amused look on his face knowing that his side would be taken in the absence of a clear choice for the time. "Now, if you will excuse me I have to address the recent unexpected hostility the Sith are getting from Braavos. Good day to everyone." With that the Imperial left the conference room, Melisandre just gave a knowing smile and with the raven left as well, leaving the two Force-Users alone.
"You know Naraiz is going to side with them." Fay admitted as she leaned back in her seat.
"It's a matter of preference at this point, both sides have merit." Rathari groaned as he leaned forward and laced his hands in thought. He was actually more concerned about the two Neophytes that were affected by the incident. But for now all they could do is watch and wait to see how they developed now.
It was by the time the group had found another way into the east wing of the palace that IG-99 was capable of taking direct control over its own body again. The experience of encountering such impossible reshaping of reality had caused much of its higher functions to stop working. And due to the earlier presence of an unknown digital entity, IBC protocol had shut down all external connections it had so remote control had been impossible. Carefully, it scanned around and found the organics and the target were in front of him. Data on them suggested that they were tired, wounded but not mortally, and reeked of panic.
"That fucking thing is going to be the death of us." The Twi'lek cursed as she carried one of the identical humans. The target was in the lead and had his hands outstretched and constantly moving at every shadow.
"Around the corner, and then we're at the power station." He said in an uneven voice before suddenly the i̷̧̛͍̫̳̰̽̈̈́͑̚m̶̛͉̏̉̒̊͛̊p̸͎̩͓̒̂ò̷̙̝͇̩̔̄̿̕s̶̹͐̃͆̀̒̈ͅs̷̨̙̩̞̲͊͘ͅͅi̸̪̹̖̽́͝b̴̧͍͍̻̉͠l̶̼̼͇̱̩̪̇͋é̵̬͉̦̯̿͋͊̋͘͜͝ creature phased into reality above him. With reflexes beyond mortal human possibility, his arms reached toward it and fired a pulsing blast of Force Energy. IG-99's optical sensors took great interest in that display as its master had only theorized the possibility of such a power. The beast however screamed and then vanished, the Droid deduced that this would not be the last it was seen. "Eighteen times now."
"At least it hasn't tried to do that thing it did with the front door." The unexpected human called Oberyn mentioned as the group rounded the corner and started moving faster to the heavy hydraulic doors that thankfully were still open. They all ran inside and the Chagrian and still walking twin took up firing spots at the door though IG-99 knew this was a little pointless given the abilities of their h̴͍̤̺͆̍͗̄͌ú̷̡͍͚̱̫̹̇̍n̶͉͋̑͠t̴͖̲͔̬̹̐̈́͜ȩ̸̻̏̎͑͘r̶̩͕͗̈͑. In fact, the Droid didn't know what a relic of a security system could do against such a foe.
"Inquiry." The others turned their heads at it, surprised that it was speaking again. "The degree of success will not increase with activation of security droids or turrets when fighting the enemy we have. How do you find the odds in this tactic favorable? Especially when you have no means to fuel the long dead power grid of this structure."
"That's where you are wrong sonny." Darth Nagash gave a ruthless and half insane smile as he held a hand to a central point in the odd machinery of the room. A focal orb built into the central conduit that connected to rows of electrical machinery. He fired bolts of Force Lightning and immediately a groan of awakening circuits and gears rang through the palace. Arcs of electricity were beginning to jolt back and forth between machines and the lights of the room turned on. "Security Alarm level Zero, any living or non-living entities within palace grounds not in the central Power Station are to be treated as extreme hostiles. The Eternal Sentinels Droids are authorized and encouraged to use full power in purging the grounds of all intruders."
With that there was a flow of data in the air, IG-99 as a droid could feel the exchange of information occurring around it even if it couldn't access a bit of it as it was still under security lockdown. Something was happening, and the IBC Droid wanted to know exactly how Darth Nagash had been able to do it. This was the palace of a long dead Sith Lord and yet he didn't even need to use a override code or anything. It was almost as if…
"Conclusion statistically impossible, alternative explanation not found. Conclusion… problematic." The moment it uttered those words it was shoved back out of the room with the Force, the door sealing shut in front of it. IG-99 was now separated from its target and only current fire support for miles. Turning its head at the sound of metallic footsteps heading its way, the droid found a squad of heavily augmented Sith Empire era battle droids, all of them outfitted in suits of armor that IG-99's data banks told it resembled the armor of Eternal Empire soldiers. "Conclusion, odds of returning to Darth Plagueis with critical information low. Mission failure, not an option."
I still couldn't let my guard down. Even now that I had removed at least one threat from the board for now, I couldn't ease up. The palace security droids, decked out in war trophy armor and weapons could take on the IG unit. Meanwhile the Force Golems in the Great and Front hall would be able to fight the D̸̛̙̝̬͋̀̋̀͆a̸̢͇̠̹̗̺̠̮̩̼̘͙̳͂̓̌̄̀̉̃͆̐́̐̚̚͝ė̴͕͇̝͍͍̣̼̣̼̼͚̤̦m̵͕͒͑̿̈́̑̂̅̓ŏ̴̢̢̰͚̮̠͙̠̣̩̝̇̔̓͋͐̑͛̉̈́̓́̔̕̕̚ͅn̸̨̜͉̜̯̜̙̤̝̈́͐̎̌̌̈́̒̔̆̃͜͝͝ͅ as their bodies were infused with the Force and thus resistant to its reality changing powers.
"Vette, bring Emmi over here so I can heal her." Hopefully the D̸̳̬̲̞̉̉͋̕a̵͓̾͆̃e̸̟̤͒̽͗́̈m̸̻̥̯̱͖̿͋͌͑o̸̜̗͖̯͙̭͒͑̅ͅn̸̘̓̈́̾͒͂ was distracted and we could be allowed a moment to catch our breath. Vette came over and laid the injured woman in front of me, pressing my hands to the claw mark on her side and began to let the Light Side flow into her. To my relief that seemed to be doing the trick and the wound was healing. "We need to get to the vault, if this thing can't affect Force things then that would be the safest place."
"What is that thing? You have to have some idea; you always know everything!" Dabai shouted and I could sense that there was nothing but fear and dread. None of the normal disdain she had for me was there, but that was expected in this situation. Still, it made me want to kill her a little less.
"I have… an idea. But it's a dumb and stupid idea that I can't confirm without more knowledge. Right now that's not important, getting you guys to safety is." I linked my wrist-comm up to the rebooting palace systems and began trying to get a sense of things. A lot of the palace's security system were offline due to the sheer amount of the place being fucked up by the Daemon's warping presence.
Thankfully the primary defenders, the Eternal Sentinel Droids and Naraiz's Force Metal constructs were unaffected and currently sweeping the place for anything. Reports of an unknown enemy were popping up in a trackable pattern, along with a report of a pursuit of an enemy droid. Now I had a idea of where the bastards were, the IG unit was trying to find an escape while the D̵̛̫͍̮̈́̄̾̌̃͘͝ͅä̴̢̩̭͉́̃̾̾͊̆̕͝e̸̝̦̦̜͔̩͑̑̑̒̽̂̋̌m̶̨̘̺͈̙̻͑͂͒o̶͈̠͑̐̈́n̷̢̧̛͓̼̍̔̉̓͜͝͝ͅͅ was on a rampage away from us and toward the Front Hall. If the Force Golems could hold that thing off long enough for me to get these guys into the vault, I could then face it alone and not hold back.
My only hope was that it could actually be k̷̺͑̒̔͝i̷͚̮̯̹̥̾̽̽͋̇̇l̶̫̟̙̼̃̂̍ļ̶̥͍͎͕̟̓͜ẻ̶̹͈̹̦̊̾̎͑̓͜͠d̶͕̰̙̺͊̓. This thing was unlike any enemy I had seen or knew of. Calling a D̸̥̜̳̀̔͑̌ạ̵̧͈̳̥͖̠̘̤̼̪̋̍̍͜e̴̢̛̝͚̺̖̖̣͙̣̿̐̇͌͗̀́̍͠m̸̜̠͎̗̮̞͔̟̼̥̍̿̉̑̈̈́̄̿͂̽͆͂̿̎͘͜o̸̬̯̼̜͇̪͑͐͒̽͌̊̓͝n̷̡̛̬͍̬̘̜͈̳͇̓̇̍́̓͊̽͗̇̋͝͝ was because it felt like one and had the same reality warping powers as one from 40k. The Force wanted it gone, not dead or defeated but gone. My only possible idea of what this could be was it was a being from another dimension like the Star Weirds but one even more hostile to this reality on a fundamental level.
"If we're going to find shelter, then standing around is only going to make our goal that much harder." Oberyn pointed out and I seriously regrated bringing him along. This was not supposed to be this insane. Maybe some mutant monsters but that was all. He could handle that. Protecting everyone, but Dabai, was my first priority.
Once I had stabilized Emmi we unlocked the door and ran as fast as we could. I gave the palace's system notification of our IDs and calculated the fastest unobstructed route to the vault. Thankfully it was a short trip to the central ping of the palace and the D̷̞̗̤̳͓̄̿̈́̎̓͐å̵̲̞͂̈́̄̇̽e̷̳̩̖̪͚̳̐̀̕m̸̞͒̀̒̈́̉͛͝o̶̡͉̝̙͕̪͍͛̏̑͂̌̎̃̕n̵͉̲̩̪͋͋͒̾͝ was still occupied in the Front Hall. Checking the status of the Force Golems… my heart sunk at the fact three of the six were already not responding to the system check-ins. Those were finely crafted weapons that Naraiz had spent years perfecting and making on his off time so the destruction of them was heartbreaking to say the least. Massive statues of legendary Sith Lords given movement by machine and Force alike, they were the formidable guardians of the home of the Empire's Wrath.
And all but one had fallen once we reached the vault. I began the intricate process of using the Force to click locks open and pull pistons out of their seals. This process would go faster if not for the fact the palace's system was still only forty percent operational. Part of this would normally be handled by just imputing a code but that would have made this life or death situation easy. Instead I got the bloodcurdlingly
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roar sending the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I finished the last few locks and rolled the vault door to the side.
"Everyone get in!" Vette shouted as she carried Emmi and I felt the Force twist in hate and disgust as something it didn't like approach. It wouldn't be a horror movie moment without a c̵̮͍͍̜̬̻̽̏̐͛̉͝ͅl̶̢̳͓̭͔̑̄ȁ̷̞͖̫̈́̉͑̈́̕̕͘͝ẅ̸̯̣̘̪́̒̉̚ ripping its way in the crack as the vault door attempted to shut. Gritting my teeth as I pushed on the binds on my power that I seriously wished I had not placed on myself before this mission. With the possibility of a Jedi unexpectedly showing up to inspect our venture to the surface of Dromund Kaas I couldn't risk it.
"By the Force, get the fuck out!" With one last straining push I forced the vault door close and the beast back. I fell onto my back as the door rolled shut and the Sith Runes covering the walls lit up, activating the preservation field within the vault. We were now in a small isolated bubble in space. Safe for the moment. I took several breaths as I could feel I had effectively strained myself to pull that off. Like working out too much and doing damage to your muscles.
"Naz, I think you better see this." I heard Vette call to me and I groaned as I couldn't get a moment to relax. With an uncomfortable groan I sat back up and looked behind. My eyes widened at the state of the inner vault, it looked as if someone had been living and working here. Furniture and work-spaces with books, data slates and scientific and Force equipment all scattered around. Vette had set Emmi on the bed, her sister stayed by her side. "Who knows how long this stuff has been here, but I'm guess before that thing set up shop here."
"That's reasonable, I doubt anyone would have been able to move anything into here with that thing out roaming the halls." I stood up and walked over to the largest pile of work material, leather bound books and even a Holocron I actually didn't recognize. That was what I picked up first and held in my hand. It was a Sith Holocron but cracked, a quick and subtle flush of my power into the thing told me that it was dead. But the mere fact it was here was a sign.
Setting it down I picked up the top book, I needed a few more minutes to recover and this was the first lead on what happened here. Opening the book, I was greeted by arcane runes and other notes on Force Sorcery regarding spatial transportation and the meta theories behind it. That wasn't a good sign but in line with my own expectations for what might have happened. Setting that one aside I picked up a data-slate and plugged it into my wrist-comm to let it charge so I could download the data.
"So what's the game plan?" Vette asked after about an hour as she approached me while I continued to skim through the stacks of knowledge here. Some of it was from my own library but most of it not so. One of the books even had some blood spatter on it so not all of them were given willingly.
"I'm looking for answers while letting my body recover. I can't use the Light Side while in here so that might take awhile. Get comfy." I said and with a snort Vette looked over to Oberyn and Dabai, the latter of whom was fussing over his scrapes in a begrudging but concerned way. Heh… seemed Vette was right about Dabai all along, she was just in love with the story more than the person. But that's just a guess. "I'm not liking what I'm seeing by the way."
"What, getting a clue?" She asked as I scowled at another journal. The deeper I got into the pile the more insane the material got. This one was half science half occult. There was… something to it. As a person that understood the Force maybe not as deeply as a true sorcerer but an intelligent practitioner, it wasn't entirely bonkers. Just unsettling.
"Whoever was here was trying to find something or get somewhere that isn't accessible by normal means. Everything here is about either finding things or opening ways to get somewhere else. Or… is about other planes of existence, multiverse theory." Vette's eyes widened at me mentioning that. Knowing my connection to that very thing and all of this being in Naraiz's vault meant that I was a part of this somehow. "What I'm not getting is the why."
"Anything in there about big beasties that can turn matter into putty?" I chuckled at her trying to keep the situation fresh in my mind but the mystery here was too personal now. A beep interrupted us from my wrist-comm, signaling that the data-slate had finished uploading. "What's on it?"
"A holo-dairy it looks like." With that I turned on the earliest entry and off my wrist-comm came a woman… that looked a little too much like me for comfort. "Uhhhh…"
"-This is Herath Rhyhall, first entry of a record for history. The Republic and Jedi in their fear of another resurgent Empire is destroying as much of our culture as possible, it is my hope that this journal remains untouched in my grandfather's vault.-" What!"
"What!" Vette shouted the same reaction I had and glared at me. "Explain!"
"I-I-I don't know! This is just as news to… ohhh… that's what she was talking about." It hit me like a truck. Something in Naraiz's memories clicked into place seeing this woman's face and hearing her words. A foggy night on Balmorra, a dashingly handsome older woman, a month of feuding with Nox, and a message wanting to speak weeks before the sender's death. "Darth Lachris."
"I know that name." Vette spoke those words slowly as she pulled the memories from her brain and looked at me judgingly. "She was your rebound woman when you and Nox were fighting at the end of the Balmorra campaign."
"Wasn't technically me." The warning look I got from Vette was all I needed to know I should drop that line of excuses. "Yeah so… I remember her being a bit odd when it came to this sort of thing. She was getting up in years and as a Sith she was expected to have strong kids, I guess I was her preferred gene stock."
"What about that spell you Sith use to keep from making babies all the time." Maybe she was worried that it wasn't as fool proof as advertised. I know Vette really does not want to have kids at all so that might be her fear.
"There was a night that Naraiz can't fully remember, it was one of the last. Pretty sure she did something like what Jaesa did." It wouldn't be too hard to break my Force prophylactic when I was still that weak. I was a freshly made apprentice and she was an experienced Darth, I'm sure in her mind she was doing me an honor. "Regardless that happened thousands of years ago, let's just see what my granddaughter did." With that I pressed play.
"-I have set up a base in my grandfather's palace. Even as the Republic begins to seal away the surface of our world, I will continue to work for vengeance. The greatness of the Sith will not be sealed away like some bad forgotten nightmare. I have gathered all I can from the disappearance site in the Naboo system and now I shall work here to find my missing grandfather.-" Oh dear, seems that this Herath was a bit obsessed with the legend of her grandfather and hoped that she could find him and he would save the Empire. I can't help but feel a bit of disgust and disappointment in her. That she felt so weak to need to seek out the help of a man that from that time's perspective was likely dead.
"I'm moving along, a few of these are earmarked." I didn't need to know every single detail but this was the key to understanding what happened here. The image flashed forward and Herath returned but now she was less… noble looking. Before she was the picture of an Imperial noble born Sith, fine lab dress and perfect make-up and hair. Now it was clear that she had been living off rations and isolation for a while. She still attempted to maintain her looks but not nearly to the same degree.
"-This is, it has been one year since the first plate has been installed. Nearly everyone has left the surface, and security to and from is getting stricter. My work has had some success, but I fear that it is too late. The Republic has won… my pride is wounded saying that but fact are facts. My only hope is to possibly find and free my grandfather so that we can gather up whatever remnants are left and carve out a fledgling empire in the Unknown Regions.-" She sounded so defeated but focused on this idea of me coming back. I can only imagine she had been raised on stories of me, propaganda of her legend of a grandfather as everything around her fell apart. I was this ideal, this savior that would give her everything she felt was hers by right. Instead of using her intelligence to adapt to the new galactic order as Darth Bane and others did, she clung to the past like a security blanket. I skipped to the next marked entry, however this one had a note attached to it that just had a bunch of text spouting about having been both lied to and being foolish. Mmm… that's not good. "-I did it! I made contact with Otherspace-"
"Why'd you pause it?" Vette asked as she looked up to me.
"Otherspace, that's… really bad. But not as bad as this being a literal Warp Daemon." Otherspace was just another dimension connected to both this one and Hyperspace. It was a oddity in the lore, and part of the very old lore. But what little I knew of it was not good news. But at the very least I was not fighting a Daemon of the Warp… I hope.
"-I did it! I made contact with Otherspace. Method three and four in tandem produced what I thought at first was a failure but in actuality was a success. I was able to step through the portal and travel beyond our universe. However, I was rejected and pushed out by one of the natives of this new plane of existence.-" Herath looked even more disheveled and the mad happy look in her eyes spoke of a deepening obsession that likely superseded any original intent. I had seen this happen to other Sith that became so focused on their research that they forgot why they were doing it in the first place. Often they needed their master or a member of the Dark Council, me, to smack them upside the head to remind them that they worked for the Empire first and foremost. "It called itself Gua-Oi Dim, and said that as part of a deal with another being, looked after things here and there. I assumed it referred to both Otherspace and my own reality. The entity appeared human in all respects but for a curious effect of reflection. There was always a second one of it, reflected in the void that I had met it in. An uncountable number of reflections of our meeting existed all around us. It warned me, told me to stop what I was doing. But I can't. I won't. I have to do this.-"
"Is any of this making any sense to you?" I knew something was off here, but I felt like I was missing a piece of the puzzle. An entity that watched over Otherspace and our universe, was she talking about God? Did he change up the image for her, she didn't describe the being as a familiar face the being was using just for meeting like it was for me. The name feels familiar but I can't quite place it. Then there's also the note attached the entry, a note that was dated on the same day as the last entry. Skipping ahead to the very end, we were greeted by a Herath that was completely gone at this point. None of her regal noble charm remained, the aura of a researcher on a mission to save her people was nowhere to be seen. All that was left was a twitchy, empty eyed woman that did little to care for herself. Her face was marked with unfamiliar runes and her ankles and wrists were bound with strange rings of metal.
"-This… today has come. Those above will finally suffer for all they have done. The voices, the threats… the calls… they all sing to me. The warnings that I had been given so long ago, I should have heeded them but they were nonsense that had to be ignored. With all my study and the teachings of those beyond in the white void and black stars, I have completely the anchor that will bring about a new age for this world. With it will invite the uninvited and the Jedi and Republic shall suffer fates worse than anything the Force could allow.-" Putting the mad rambling aside, I picked out one word. Anchor. If there was something like that here then that could mean if I destroyed it then maybe all of this could end. That was if I was lucky, which I rarely am in these situations.
"If the anchor isn't here, because I don't sense anything that could possibly be like that… then where would it be? I'm going to have to look through these entries to see if she was using another place for a ritual or whatever."
"You really just need to talk with her." Victarion grunted though his speech was a little slurred. He had originally come to the Tower of Manwë to try and get Thoren to help him deal with the Acolyte power vacuum issue. He wasn't about to just let some dumbass thugs ruin his chances within the Sith. But somehow, he got caught up in drinking with Thoren and talking about things that normally he would give no two shits about. "Despite how weak she is, Jadith was willing to stand up to this… whatever that thing was. To find a woman willing to spit in the face of a god for you, make that woman your wife damnit."
"Taking relationship advice from a (hiccup) Grayjoy… what have I fallen too?" Thoren was far more drunk than Victarion. His issues with his father, the troubles with Jadith, and now nearly being mind controlled by what Instructor Fay had described as a Force Entity but what Thoren recognized as one of the Seven… it was all a bit much. "Though… considering my roots I doubt its as far as I could go."
"Ah shut up about that. So your daddy turned out to be a bad guy, that happens all the fucking time. Look at the Targaryen prince or fuck better look at your woman, her parents are right cunts and she's… well… great for you." Victarion stared at the empty bottle between them and then pulled up another from the case that Thoren had procured prior to this get together. If he was going to have to deal with this bullshit then he was going to be hammered for it.
"You… you are making too much s-sense I don't like it." It might have been the booze at work but Thoren felt better hearing that. Begrudgingly, it far more correct than he liked. If someone like Jadith could be as good as she was even with her parents as they were, then he should be able to get over himself. Step out of his father's tainted shadow and prove to the world that he was better. "I'mm… I going to go. Gods damn it, I'm gonna go and stop this stupid… this stupid thing between me and Jadith." Thoren drunkenly stood up and stumbled toward the door only to be tripped onto his face by Victarion.
"Nah, when you're sober lightweight." The Smallwood had only taken a few drinks from a single mug while Victarion was on his third and began pouring his forth. A groan came from the fallen Neophyte that turned into soft mumbles as Thoren passed onto the void. Victarion continued to drink alone, seeing as it was essentially free booze for him and he was stressed as it was.
"Thoren I love you!" The Grayjoy groaned as Jadith slammed open the door, clearly just as drunk as her proclaimed love. He looked back to see her wobble her way in and then literally fall onto the ground in front of Thoren before passing out just as he did.
"Wait! Stupid girl!" Victarion felt that maybe something might come from this night as Mysa entered the doorway clearly having been chasing after Jadith. "Grayjoy, what are doing… oh."
"Seems both of these two were made for each other. Care to join me on Smallwood's stag?" Victarion normally wouldn't bother offering such a thing to the bastard but he was a little desperate for both help and decent drinking compony. The Dornish woman stared at him for a moment, then the case of bottles sitting underneath the table he was seated at.
"Those the Blackcloak's brew?" He nodded, it had become something of a local favorite, the liquor that the city guard made in their spare time. Allegedly it was a recipe that came from Captain Pierce but using local ingredients. "Fine then, but if I sense you trying to get me into bed?"
"As if I would find you attractive, I like a woman with a little more bite." Victarion despised Mysa's pension for shadowy games and her growing development into a spymaster. The back room dealing and all that nonsense wasn't his style and he would hate to have a partner involved in such things.
"Oh I have bite, but glad to know where we stand there." He also hated that smug look of knowing everything that she was gaining. One he had to look at as she walked around the unconscious couple and sit across from him. "So how many drinks did he get in before ending up on the floor?"
"Not even a full mug." Victarion scowled before taking a drink and as Mysa poured herself her own. "I wanted to talk about the Acolytes but he sucked me into his problems with his father and the girl there. Didn't even touch on something interesting like what happened in the Godswood."
"Miana was upset at them banning everyone from entering, but considering the reason I'm inclined to agree." The Neophytes still at Harrenhal had been informed on what happened to a degree. Instructor Fay had gone to each of them and told them that the Wierwoods were connected to the Light Side via a malicious Entity in the Force. Miana being a follower of the Old Gods had been distraught to say the least and was being watched over by Instructor Fay. The others weren't as affected but were still disturbed by the idea of a seductive mind controlling near-god-like being in the Force. "What do you think about, that gods are real?"
"It's not a god, it was beaten by an over emotional girl with attachment issues." Victarion snorted at the idea of godhood. There were no gods in this universe, only those with enough power to fool those without into thinking they were. Tywin Lannister was a god to a beggar on the street and even if he didn't know it, Darth Nagash was a god to him. "But as for the creature itself, from what they told us it is an aspect of the Light Side. To represent Purity, Chivalry, and morality to the extreme. Us drinking here and insulting each other is the best defense against it you dumb cunt."
"Cheers to that asshole." They both took a drink, somewhat in comradery. Each downing their respective mug, both let out a breath as they enjoyed the fog of the drink seep in. "But… to your earlier point. Why did you want to talk about the Acolytes?"
"They are being rowdy. Us all leaving at the same time is causing problems and it reflects badly on us." Victarion poured himself another mug, ignoring Mysa's on purpose.
"Badly on you." The Dornish bastard shot back with a satisfied smile.
"On you too, your alliance between the Northern Acolytes and those from Drone is falling apart." It was his time to smile while she frowned. Victarion had not been idle since the meeting with Governor Quinn and had spoken to the most intelligent of his former gang who ironically were the least influential. The little thought he had given it back then, he had assumed that these Acolytes would be the ones to pick things up but that turned out to not be the case. Instead Nira had bullied and scared her way to the top and was pushing out and down anyone she saw as a rival. They told him what was happening in his former gang but also that things weren't so peachy in the other camps.
"Donovar has been telling me that everything is fine." Donovar Vaith, Victarion dismissed that boy as an opportunistic snake. But the Grayjoy assumed that Mysa saw that as intelligence.
"He's lying to you then and you're not doing your hobby justice." She glared at him, a warning that he cast aside. He wasn't afraid of her, she had been spending her time learning to kill with secrets and lies while he was just learning to kill people. "When Smallwood wakes up and gets his mind straight, you, me, and him are going to go the Assembly and sort this out. We might get in trouble for being so blatant about it but if we do it right we won't have to do it again and I'm pretty sure the Governor and Lord Nagash will give us a pass then."
"We should get Nikola in on it too, Jarman is still out of the city but Edmund will listen to us if Thoren is with us." Victarion really didn't want to involve Puff or whatever he called himself these days. In his eyes that little runt was the worst of the worst. Just as slimy as Mysa but with none of the backbone. He gave a grunt in agreement but only because it made logical sense, not because he liked it.
"Do you have everything gathered up?" I asked as I finished my unlocking ritual. If I was going into this fight that depended on my power in the Force I was going into it fully powered. Not since the last days of Naraiz's time in the Sith Empire did I use my full power. The very last time being an indecisive duel with the Hero of Tython.
"Yeah, everything that we can carry, are you sure that you want to blow this place up?" Vette asked with deep concern in her voice. I smiled, it was true that it was a tough choice to make but in the end it had to be done. There were other things in this palace that would help me and my plans but I knew that the moment that I ended the Daemon threat Malora would descend upon us in an attempt to pick at the bones of the Empire's Wrath.
Thankfully it seemed that Herath did one thing right and horded as many valuables as she could in the vault. Probably she chose this spot as her main quarters to hide from the outside world or perhaps as shelter from the forces she was courting. Regardless I had found most of the things that I had wanted to find, artifacts of Revan and the Revanites, Holocrons from the Dark Temple which according to Herath's dairy was indeed utterly destroyed by the Republic, and few of my master's creations including the memory digitizer. Other things were included in the sacks that the group was carrying. The moment that I stepped out of this vault they would run to the palace's garage where hopefully something still working would be waiting. Or at the very least something fixable.
"Better to have it gone then in the hands of a deadbeat like Malora." She was something I would have to deal with eventually. But better that be done when I had control over Dromund Kaas and I could send down an army to clean her out.
I gave myself one final moment to get ready before opening the door. Everyone was at the back of the vault, expecting the monster to be waiting for us the second those doors opened. But thank the Force it wasn't. All that was waiting for us were the dismantled bodies of a squad of security droids. I didn't count IG-99 among them so it might still be out there but didn't have time to think about that thing.
Vette and the others ran as they carried our loot behind me as reports of the anomaly heading towards us hit my comms. Taking the planned risk, I separated from the others as they headed toward the palace ship dock. To my relief, it did seem to be focused on me and it wasn't long before the D̸̛͓̞͇̩̍̀̔̑́̈́͋͊̎͠a̶̡͇̟͉̫̳̝͎͍̻͖͇͓̯̟̱̒͌̓̏̾̿̃̓͘ẹ̷̢̩͙̣̹̯͇͈̫̠̤̝̣̩̖̑͗̐̕ͅṁ̷͚̼̒̽͐̌͊̚͝ơ̷͇͈̽̽͆̆̀̊̓̉̓͋͒͠͠n̶̲̺̓̈́̈́́̋̕̚͘̚͝ was lunging out of thin air toward me. Reaching out, I sent forth a cage of Force Lightning catching it mid-air in the attack. It squealed as it resisted but eventually phased back out of existence and reappeared further down the hall.
I was heading for the upper ballroom, that was where Herath had planned to perform her ritual to create a portal to Otherspace. It was a wide open space under a glass ceiling dome on the highest floor of the palace. I had some ground to cover with a persistent f̵͉̐̋͒̿͘͜ò̴̧̠͙͇̈́̍ę̶̝̬͚̗̪̟̌̅̌͒̓̅ that was glaring at me with laser focus. I shattered the windows in the hall and sent every single piece of glass toward the D̶̢͚̹̜͖͕͇̹̐͑̋̓̚͠ͅa̴̦̫͍͂͗͛͂̒̐͆̏̉e̸̞͔̟̥̩̥͍̰̬͇͗͂̅̊͊̍͘m̵͇͈̳̯̜͖̲̆̄̃̉͆̆̊̈́̕͘͝o̸͙͈̹̦͈̣̫͌̎͆͝͝͠ͅn̶̡̋̓̇ as I walked forward. It responded by warping the floor upward to block my attack. Good, physical threats could still hurt it.
Using the Force to launch myself up into the air and over the distorted floor I unsheathed my blades and swung down at where the Ḑ̵̨̤̻͙͇͈͉̟̱̝̞̟̿͆͒̐̚ą̸̢͉̼̺͇̫͚̝̤͂̏̊̋̓͐̓͐͝é̷͈͓͇͇̀m̸̱̻̣̈̈̊̆̏̈̚ö̷̢̡̪̲̤̗̲͍͔̤́̃̀̓̊̒̉̇ņ̵̪͍̜̼͉̜͑͒ was standing. Escaping my attack but not running away, it reappeared looming over me mid-swing of its claws. Midwan blocked the blow while Saarai thrusted forward only to find that the beast had already vanished. This same cycle of it vanishing and reappearing as I blocked and countered continued five more times until I got pissed off and pulled a disappearing act of my own and cloaked myself in the Force. I hadn't tried this before as I didn't think it would work but I needed to disrupt the flow of the fight and my gamble paid off. For a much needed split second the D̴̨̬͍̼͉̩͉̝͓̓̅͂̆̍̏̓͝à̷̤̝͉̝͎̹̮͙̓̄̔̑̑͛e̷͖͕͛͗̉͒̾̔̽m̷̦̪̰̭͓̽̈́͒͋̈͗̚o̸̤͝n̶͎̯̦̋ hesitated, either out of confusion or shock I didn't know or care but Saarai got a clean slice into the monster's right hind leg, cutting it clean off.
The monster roared in pain as it stumbled on to its back and trashed around at the loss of its limb. I didn't care and sprinted straight toward the nearest set of stairs, not trusting the elevators. Thankfully the D̵̳͒͗̾͝ȃ̶̢̛̺̞͖̘̦͈͋͂̽̀̌̎͛͘͝e̵̙͕͉̺̽̅͘m̷̪̺͈͚̲͖͎̝͂̊͜ō̵̯͉͓̜̄̆̐̓͘͘͝͠n̵͇̪̗̥̊̏̒̚͠ did not do the smart thing and instead of chasing Vette and her group, it stayed mad and hurtled itself toward me. I smirked as it seemed to have lost its fine control over teleporting due to its injury as it kept flickering in and out as it barreled down the hall. Soon enough I ran into the stairway and like a rabid dog it followed, desperately trying to claw and smash its way toward me while occasionally popping in and out of existence closer and closer to me.
Halfway through the stairway, I just thought to myself fuck it and fired down an energy blast behind me. This palace was going to get blow to all hell once I was done here anyway. Destroying pieces of it now meant nothing. The stairs behind me were partly melted, partly shattered, and overall destroyed from my attack but that only served to slightly slow down the D̴̡͇̤̖̜̟̦͖̞̔a̵̡͈̤̼͔̔͂ę̶̻̭̯̭͙̯͙̙̯͆́͌̌̄̾̀̈́̐m̷͙̭͕̠̋̐̀ơ̵̡̦͌̓̾̐̎͑͝n̵̖̍̍̂͠ as it leapt onto the walls that remained. In its rage to attack me, it made another lunge toward me as I reached the last flight of stairs. I ducked and it rolled up the stairs its push off was so strong. As it phased out of space and back in to right itself back up, I fired another cage of Force Lightning.
In its anger, it seemed to push back with greater ferocity. I got a small look at the hind leg I had separated from the D̶̢͙̮̗̑a̴̪̹̦̖̰̼̥̠͖̦̟̜̒͊̀̂͋̂̊̚̕ẻ̴̡͉̬̝̞̺̩̬̇̐̊̓̚m̴̯̩̭̯̩̭̈́͊͛̉̿ǒ̴̧n̶̡̦̫̘̺̬͉͖̲̹̺̍̔͒͂̽͛̽̋͒̉̚̕, all of it. The bottom part of the leg was still there, limp but floating nearly attached but separate from the main body. My normal tactic with the two was to let Midwan block and erode the enemy weapon or in this case the D̶̳̖͈͎̖͍̝̋͊̓̿̾̉a̶̙̿̓̅̅̐̃͌ę̴̜̺̔̃̊̋̽̍̕m̶͙͉̃̿̚͝ơ̴͙̪͙͈̯̘̦͐͒̈́͋́͒͘n̴̦̙͇͊̓̈́̈́͘'̶̛͇̂̒̎̌̈́̉͌s̵̺̤̤͔̥͉̈́ͅ claws with every touch and then use Saarai to bypass armor with its disintegrating effect. But maybe here I should switch them as this thing didn't have armor though it seemed to be immune to both of my sword's effects and its claws were still as sharp.
Regardless, with a throw of my arms I sent the beast hurtling back down the stairway by throwing him off the side. The goal isn't to kill the Ḋ̴͖̒̅͆̊ā̵̧̙̏̒͂̀͌e̷̩̘͖͆͒̽͝ͅm̶̮̙͍̝͑͒̿͋͜ō̷̢͚̞͇͖̯͖̥͊͂́̈͠͝n̸̩͕͈̪̲̈ but to severe its anchor to this reality. If that failed then I would destroy it. In all honesty there was a part of me hoping for that, so far this was the first time I, me, was going all out in this body and the type of situation I was in didn't do it justice. But right now it wasn't for my fun but just surviving.
Running out of the stairway, hearing the D̵͇̩̣̭͖̽̈́̋a̸̡̛̬̙͐̄̊̚͘ë̶͚͈́͋m̷͉̤̮͗̊̾͝ͅo̷͈̪̰͈̻͛͠n̵̬͖͒̌̉ burst through the wall behind me, I just began using the Force to pull down entire walls and even the ceiling down on top of it. I'm sure that from the outside it looked like some serious destruction was taking place as the roof of the palace's top floor was being pulled down. But every time the rubble completely obstructed the path behind me, the monster either phased past or smashed its way through. We continued this destructive chase down the hall until I saw ahead the large doors to the ballroom. A wave of my hand and they were thrown off their hinges.
Almost immediately I was hit by a pressure wave as I stepped foot into the ballroom. A sheer tidal wave of w̵̖̝͓͖̅͐r̸͉̟̝͙̟̝̈̏̏̎̿͆̾̈́ȏ̶͖̃͛̔̉̏͛̈́͋̀͗̓͘n̵̮̰̻̲͚͙̙̾̐͌̿͆̾͐͊͗̄́̐̏͌̐̄͂g̴̨̧̡̰̝̲̱̩̞̪̮͕͕͉̩̝̜̅͊n̸̡̳̘̳̖̺͕̭͌e̷̢̛̠͖͖͍͉̗̩̜̳̘̱̹̎͆͜ş̴̤̼̣̝̼͇̓̑͌̏́̑̏͐͝͝s̸̡͕͈̗͇̯̣͓̺̦͔̾͆̂͆̏̿̋̀͆͠͠ manifested in the form of pushback on my very soul. It felt like there was something I had only felt a few times in either of my lives slowly being shoved back even as my physical body pressed onward. My guess, in a panic the beast made a desperate teleport in front of me. It's body flickering in and out of existence as it loomed over me once again. Sweeping down with a full body lunge it madly tried to stop me from reaching the center where a crack in space shimmered, at its core was a twisted Kyber crystal glowing in all sorts of colors.
I jumped into the air, turning above the beast as its mane of tentacles slithered at me. With one hand I aimed an energy blast at the monster and the other at the Kyber crystal. With how this thing was trying to stop from reaching here, that was all I needed to confirm my next action. A purple beam of condensed Force energy fired from my hands, burned the air as the hit their targets. The beast cracked the floor as the blast tore into its hide but not quite enough to pierce through. But the force was enough to break the floor and send it hurtling down. As for the Kyber Crystal, it was utterly vaporized the second that my beam hit it.
The ballroom was crumbling around me as the shockwave of my attack and the following sonic boom that came from the rip in real space destabilizing and slamming shut. The entire top floor of the palace was falling to pieces and I could hear a high pitched whine of pain pitch in and out until finally it was gone. I gave a deep sigh as while it wasn't the most climactic battle, it was certainly my most challenging so far. I could feel the Force descend back down upon the local area like high tide finally coming back in. Sweeping up after so long of being pushed away.
"Palace system command Code Final Penance, initiate the moment I leave the premises." I would find Vette and the crew, and if I had to I would Force Carry an entire shuttle out of this Force forsaken city. Then I would deal with the ones that put me on this path in first place.
IG-99 watched as a lone ancient shuttle flew out of the structure, its flight unnatural and uneven suggesting some sort of other means of it flying. It mattered little to the droid, it had vital data to give back to its master. Darth Nagash was somehow an ancient Sith Lord from an era long past, he was not some upstart playing a forgotten ideology but a veteran and venerable Dark Lord. However… it might seem that the Banking Clan droid might have found a counter for its master.
"-Kaas city is mine… as is the rest of the surface of this world. That is not negotiable.-" All around it were Imperial droids, in front of IG-99 was a metallic feminine body of ever shifting skin made of plates and muscles of cable and wire. Its head is a hologram of a woman whose body had died eons ago.
"We share mutual goals and competitors, my master would be happy to extend a partnership should the deal be favorable for all sides. Terms of contract will be discussed and debated, business and profit will be had by all." Yes, IG-99 would return back to its master with both knowledge and so much more.
Author's Notes
I wonder how many of the you caught my little Easter egg I threw in there. Oh well, next chapter will be Naraiz dealing with things after returning to the surface, then back to Terra. After that we will have the timeskip, first will be the Tourney At Harrenhal then Naraiz will head back to space to check in on Jango and the True Mandalorians
Reviews
RonaldM40196867 - that's obvious by this story
Rapidnoob - no
anthonym3 - She will end up being a adversary
Reads too much - The mandos will be taking center stage in the comign chapters as Naraiz helps them win back their planet though not everything will go as planned. Darth Skynet will be a fun enemy to play around with now that she is going to be on team Plagueis. Maul and Savage will be around much later, Maul is already in the hands of Sids, and Savage hasn't been born yet. Naraiz has some more Sauron-like moves to play.
Monkeylikespie - Vibro-weapons sorta are Star War's answer to power swords, not nearly as OP as power swords but the idea isn't that far out there.
Golden Gun - no... he hasn't. He has not yet made a appearance in the story so he is still alive
dudepotatos - they're getting there but buggy races will be shown soon actually