Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Marethyu, Priapus, Mike God of Lore, Beans
The Celestial Inquisitor
Chapter 11: Ki Sazen
– Sarik –
Taris is a terrible place, for most. For me, it's ideal. I'm sure people saw us land, but the simple truth is that they don't have the capabilities to come out and investigate what is probably another set of pirates or smugglers.
The rakghoul thrashes about in its cage as I hum to myself, reaching out to the plague within it. Khem captured one of them easily, breaking its legs as he dragged it back for experimentation.
I've learnt a lot already. The rakghoul plague is definitely Sith-engineered, and better yet, they were made to be controlled. I don't know who did it or what happened to them, but some Sith out there created these monsters with the intention of controlling them. They're a masterpiece of Sith Alchemy, even out of control as they may be.
A single rakghoul, dropped into an unprepared world, could be an apocalyptic situation.
Without their research or whatever method they used to control the rakghouls, I have to start from scratch, but the Lore of Plagues provides. I can do this. Aayla may have a few hundred soldiers, but I plan to have a few million rakghouls. I think the odds will be slightly in my favour.
It's enough to give me an idea of truly horrific proportions. My original plan was to just destroy the Republic's resettlement efforts, but what if I could do one better? What if I could claim the entirety of Taris for myself?
It's still a work in progress, but I know how I can achieve that goal in a way that nobody will be able to stop.
For now, I have to focus on my goal. Something was meant to help control these creatures, and that link remains inside them even now. I can sense it, searching the rakghoul's mind and the plague that is infecting them.
Delving into the mind of the creature, I focus as I try to follow the thread back to whatever is meant to control them. For just a moment, I see her. A human woman, a Sith? No, a corrupted Jedi. She's wearing a golden amulet around her neck. No, it's attached to her neck.
Something is clouding my vision, the stasis chamber she's in, I think. With just the Force, I wouldn't have been able to follow the thread but the Plagues and my Mark of Tzeentch allow me to pierce the veil.
She's possessed. There's a spirit of a Dark Lord of the Sith within the Amulet. Ah, I think I just found the rakghouls' creator. Still, the amulet is on the other side of the galaxy, and even with the enhanced intelligence from the Mark, it is not easy to try and pinpoint a location.
The Outer Rim, in the Ojoster Sector.
Leaving the Rakghoul for a moment, I head to the ship's nav computer and try to work out where it is hidden. The process takes me almost three hours, in truth, and that's cut down from the days it would take without Tzeentch's Mark.
Jebble, it's on Jebble. It's a frozen, uninhabitable world. She's buried in that stasis pod, deep beneath the frozen surface.
I don't have the luxury for another detour from my mission, and Aayla could leave Taris while I'm digging up ice on a world colder than Hoth. Still, Lord Zash is an expert in Sith Relics. I could send her the location and have her retrieve it. I'd have to bribe her again to get it off her, but she'd be able to get the manpower to actually dig up the planet's surface to find the stasis pod.
For now, I have a better idea of the Sith Lord's… aura and a better understanding of the bond he has with the Rakghouls. Without the Amulet, this is a far slower process, but I get to work with a frown on my face. Some of my rats are watching the forces that Aayla brought with her. They've set up close to the wreckage of the Endar Spire, but Aayla has repeatedly set out into the wilds with a small squadron. She's searching for something, but she hasn't found it yet.
100cp granted, 100cp total.
[Mana Seism] - 100cp, 0cp remaining
Like with some other arts in the world, this one draws power from the land and not the spirits or self. As some tell the tale, this is a power that gives no care for the future as it is deeply rooted in the immediacy of humanity. This power drags the Mana trapped within a land out and creates a charge of Mana which can be used to perform great feats of magic; however, if this were to be used on a land that couldn't be normally tapped by a shaman or a wizard for Mana then it will ruin the land as it takes all of the plant life within four miles to fuel a single mote of potent Mana and the land will only recover decades after the event in question. On Mana-rich lands, this magic can be used to gain more out of them at the side effect of it taking twice as long for the land to recover, during which you can pull even more Mana out of it, but it would be affected as if it weren't a Mana rich land at that point.
Very useful.
Taris is 'mana-rich' because it's been overrun by Dark Side-afflicted monsters for years, that darkness seeping into the very ground. I have an idea, a great and terrible idea. If this works…
Getting back to work, I raise my arm and grin as the rakghoul does the same. Then, with a thought, I watch the rakghoul tear itself to pieces at my command.
Commanding one rakghoul is a good start, but for my plans, I'll need far more than just one.
"Master, we found them," Kory informs me over the comms, making me smile.
I sent Kory and Vette out to prove their value to me, searching for the Nikto cult. It's a good test of their training, as Kory has learnt how to cloak herself with the Warp, and Vette has her assassin training.
If the pair of them can't deal with some rakghouls, they're of no use to me.
As I listen to their report, I can't help but laugh. Here I am, working out how to control the rakghouls, and some fallen Jedi is already five steps ahead. I can work with this.
– Ki Sazen –
As she listened to the comms, she prepared herself.
They had been discovered; her cult was under attack. A Sith, his apprentice, a monster and a Twi'lek were currently carving their way toward her inner sanctum. And yet, they had killed no one.
She could feel her follower's life force through the Force; the Sith had slain none of her men.
The door opened, and the group entered her sanctum without a care. Several of her strongest Nikto followers placed themselves in front of her, weapons ready, but she gestured for them to back down.
"Funny, when the Nikto said someone was after me, I thought they'd be smart enough to keep their distance," Ki said, igniting her blade as she looked upon the dark-red skin of the hooded figure.
"Ki Sazen, Jedi Knight and 'Hero' of Tas-La. I came to this planet looking for a Jedi Knight, but I think you're a far better prize than Secura," the Sith said, removing his hood. Golden eyes stared into her soul; his blade put away as the apprentice behind him looked at the Nikto with a fierce expression.
She recognised the devotion on the girl's face. It was the same that her Nikto had for her. Her eyes flickered to the massive creature behind him, a Dashade?
"Hm, you're here for Aayla, then? I thought she was here for me when she arrived, but she was clearly looking for something else. I'm almost offended," Ki admitted, pacing back and forth. "Why are you here, Sith?"
The Sith smirked, and with a gesture, several more figures followed him into the room. Her eyes widened, seeing the rakghouls acting so obediently. How? She had the ultrawave transmitter. How was the Sith controlling them?
"You-"
"It's almost funny. I had such big plans on controlling the rakghouls, only to find that someone else had the same idea," the Sith chuckled, making her snarl.
"I've come too far to let you steal my plan. I'm going to take my cult and my rakghouls and make a nasty little paradise for anyone who swears loyalty to me," Ki growled, but the Sith just held out his hand.
"Calm yourself, Ki. I know what you want. I've listened to your 'chronicles', I know your story," the Sith said. "As I said, I'm here for two reasons. To capture Aayla Secura and to destroy the Republic's resettlement efforts. You want to make Taris into a kingdom for your cult, and I have a way to ensure that the Republic never returns here."
"An alliance with a Sith?" Ki asked, hesitating.
"You think your former Jedi comrades see you as any better than me? I have someone who can fix the ultra-wave transmitter, and I know how to control the rakghouls. My range is limited but with your transmitter…"
Ki hesitated again. The scientists she'd kidnapped had proven borderline useless in getting the transmitter working.
"Teach me how to control them," Ki demanded, pointing her lightsaber at him. The apprentice and the monster moved forward, defending their master, but the rakghouls didn't move, slaved to his will. "Taris will be the new home of my people."
"I'm open to that, but only if you aid me in my goals. You're no more loyal to the Republic than I am. Help me drive them off Taris," the Sith bargained, making her hesitate for just a moment. "The Sith are going to win this war; you might as well join the winning side now. Even if you manage your plans, you know the Republic would never let you keep Taris."
She didn't trust him, but he hadn't killed a single one of her men. Even the Jedi wouldn't have been so merciful. And he wasn't wrong; even with the rakghoul army she wanted, she'd be facing off wave after wave of the Republic's finest, coming to destroy her paradise.
"What would you have me do?" Ki finally asked, making him smile.
"Destroy the Olaris Reclamation Base and kidnap some people of interest. I'll give you the forces," he said, gesturing at the rakghouls. "Meanwhile, I'll set things into motion to banish the Republic for good."
"So the Sith can take over?" Ki asked derisively, but he just laughed.
"Is that so bad, Darth Sazen? With your power, a cult and the Rakghouls at your side, you'd have a considerable amount to offer the Empire. You'd rise through the ranks in record time. A single, plague-infested planet is nothing to the Empire," he purred. "I am Sarik, master of plagues and ruin. Kory is my apprentice in the Lore of Ruin, but I need another to learn the art of the Lore of Plagues. You already wanted to control the rakghouls, but there's so much more to plagues than just that."
As he spoke, Kory stomped on the ground, and the earth cracked open and green flames spewed from it. It was unlike any Force technique she'd ever seen. Green lightning sparked from her fingers, and Ki considered her choices.
If they fought, her people would die. Maybe she'd slay the Sith, but not without considerable fatalities. The rakghouls would no doubt infect many of her people, and she'd have to put them down.
She turned off her blade, sheathing it as her cult looked to her for guidance. She'd promised them a new home; that was all she'd ever really wanted.
"Who do you want me to grab?"
– Sarik –
Feat Achieved: Recruit Ki Sazen and the Cult of Sazen (100cp). 100cp total.
Ki will strike at the Republic base, aiming to grab Dorne and Governor Saresh. Our bait for Secura. It's important that the Empire isn't seen attacking the Republic base since we are technically at peace.
A fallen Jedi turned to madness is an internal matter, not our fault at all.
"You expect me to let you brand me?" Ki asks, her ego clear as she glares.
"The Caryll Rune of Corruption is a necessity for studying the Lore of Plagues unless you wish to become a victim to your own plagues. Kory, remove your robes," I order, watching Kory strip on the spot, uncaring of the Nikto cultists, as she turns to expose the mark on her back. "With the Caryll Rune of Corruption, you are immune to all plagues, even the rakghoul plague itself. Observe."
Moving to one of my controlled rakghouls, I stick out my arm and let one of them bite into it. Despite her disbelief, I hear her gasp as I let myself be infected by the rakghoul plague.
"I can give this to you and your followers. Your cult will never need to fear the rakghoul plague, which is going to be necessary if you plan to live on Taris," I continue. "And the plagues you will conjure won't wreak havoc on your body. I'd be dead from the Lore of Plagues techniques I have used without it. It also provides the bearer with a healing factor, look."
As I show her my arm, she moves closer and watches as the bite closes. No sign of infection at all.
I am not willing to risk experimenting on Kory, even if I am sure I can give my followers the Caryll Rune of Corruption. But Ki, I don't care about her. If the Rune and the Lore of Plagues have long-reaching consequences, she's expendable.
As long as she serves her part in this, what happens to her afterwards is irrelevant. For all her power and ambition, she's a naive Jedi who was convinced she was destined for greatness by a bunch of primitive Nikto. She's younger than Kory and in her late teens, from a guess.
I remove my own robe, showing her the runes upon my body as her eyes trace them, her hand reaching out to touch the black runes that cover my body.
"You said you have someone who can fix the ultrawave transmitter. Show me them," Ki demands, clearly buying herself time to think. Her eyes linger on my muscles, making me internally smile. I suppose being a Jedi from a young age gave her no time for passion.
"Of course," I agree easily, summoning Floats. "This is Floats Alone, a Huragok. His species is incredibly talented with technology, and he possesses more technical knowledge than all the scientists you grabbed combined. With my understanding of the rakghoul plague and his technical skills, the Ultrawave Transmitter will work even better than intended."
She hesitates before she hands over the transmitter to Floats, who trills excitedly. She almost leaps at him as he begins to dismantle it, but I stop her.
"Trust that Floats understands what he is doing," I say simply. "The Ultrawave will work."
Floats trills in agreement, waving a piece of it around. He'll get me a list of what he needs, and I'll buy the rest from Jansa. My Merchant is a gift from the Force itself.
"It had better," Ki finally agrees before she sighs. She doesn't wear a robe; instead, she has a short grey v-cut top that exposes her midriff. Grabbing it, she pulls it over her head with a frown. "Fine, give me this rune."
Her breasts are smaller than any of my other girls, and the teenage Zabrak is standing before me topless as I gesture for her to follow me. Like most of her kind, she has some tattoos running down her face, with short brown hair that has a row of spikes along the top of her head. She can't hide her nerves, but she's past the point of being able to turn back now.
"Well, are you going to give me the rune or just stare?" Ki asks, hands on her hips. I pause, taking a moment to take a long, deliberate look at her small breasts.
"You can't put a piece of art in front of me and expect me not to enjoy the view a little," I say simply, slowly running my hand down her cheek as it makes its way lower. She doesn't stop me, chest pushed out as my hand traces her body and cups one of them. "You were wasted on the Jedi, but I think you already knew that."
"The Jedi boys were too boring, but you Sith do like your passions don't you?" Ki replies. "And my Nikto are too devoted to even consider me as a woman."
"You'll be studying under me as you learn to control the plagues, and I have a very hands-on approach to teaching," I flirt back, making her smirk.
"I think you'd have tried to kill me, if I was a male. You wanted me from the moment you saw me, didn't you?" Ki asks, watching as I swirl a finger around her nipple.
"We Sith are greedy bastards," I admit without shame. "When we drive the Republic away, we should… celebrate, but for now, we have work to do."
"Agreed," Ki says, her breath uneven as her nipples harden from my touch.
Gesturing for her to lay down, I conjure my Quill and start to work. There's every chance she dies as I try to carve the Rune of Corruption into her very soul, but that's why I'm testing it on her and not Kory or Vette.
Ki is strong, and as I begin to carve into her mind and soul, she bites down the scream that tries to leave her.
– Vette –
Returning to her quarters, she had to admit… Sarik knew his stuff.
She'd always been sneaky; it came with being a thief, but with his training, she felt like a ghost. He'd sent her and Kory to spy on the Republic troops, documenting their patrol patterns.
It was all a part of her training, now that they had other people to practise on. She didn't just spy on the troops from a distance; she snuck into the camp and helped herself to a copy of their plans, escaping without being seen once.
The word Hashashin was really starting to mean something to her. She knew Sarik was using their bond to implant the knowledge in her head, but whatever he was doing, it was working and that bode well for her and Taunt-
Where was Taunt?
No, no, no, no, no.
Searching the ship, she cursed herself as she found a discarded slave collar stuffed into one of the boxes. Taunt had always been good with technology and far sneakier than people realised.
Her heart pounded, anger and betrayal stinging her. Taunt didn't believe her. She thought she'd convinced Taunt to just have patience, but Taunt had seen it as Vette betraying her, betraying what their group stood for.
All she'd done was convince Taunt to leave her behind.
Sarik and the others were busy. Khem had been sent to get Sarik more test subjects. Kory was practising her Ruin stuff. Who the fuck knew where Jade was.
But if Taunt was going to run, she'd run to the Republic Base that they had landed somewhat near to. The same republic base that Sarik planned to destroy. It was going to be overrun with rakghouls soon.
Approaching Sarik as he spoke with the new girl, he turned to her.
For a moment, she froze as he stared into her very soul.
"I see," Sarik said simply. "You promised me that you would keep her under control. That she could be useful to me."
"I can fix this, Master. She'll have gone to Olaris. I'm faster than her. I can catch up and bring her back," Vette said quickly, kneeling before Sarik. As reasonable as he could be, she knew that both her and Taunt's lives were in danger.
"Olaris is going to be a graveyard before long," Ki said coldly. "Whoever 'she' is, I doubt she'll survive my assault."
"Master, please. Send me on ahead, I'll bring her back… or I'll kill her myself before she can tell anyone that you're here," Vette swore.
"Or maybe you'll join her and jump on the first shuttle off-planet," Sarik said, his tone flat as sparks of lightning left his fingers.
"No! Master, give me a chance to fix this. I won't fail you," Vette begged, and Sarik reached forward and lifted her chin. He opened his mouth, and breathed a red mist onto her face, forcing her to breathe it in.
"You have twenty-four hours. Afterwards, that plague will begin to rot your organs from the inside. Only I have the cure. If you return and Taunt is not either with you or dead, I will watch you vomit your own liquified organs. Taunt was your responsibility, and you failed me," Sarik said, his tone disappointed more than angry. "You realise that even if you bring her back, she will have to be punished."
"Yes, Master," Vette agreed, making him smile darkly.
"See it done, Vette. You have failed me once; you won't survive doing so a second time," Sarik warned.
– Sarik –
Tzeentch would be proud, I think.
With my control over Taunt, I sent her scurrying away, carrying a custom-made plague into Olaris. Vette is now going to follow with the activator.
"Prepare yourself and your men. Start the attack on Olaris the moment Vette arrives. If she is as good as I think she is, she'll survive and find her friend. If not, she'll pay the penalty for failing," I say simply, making Ki nod.
"It will be done. Olaris will fall. What will you be doing?" Ki asks, making me smile as I look over the map.
"Ensuring that nobody can come here uninvited, ever again."
[Mana Seism] has altered my plans and increased the scale of my idea. The mass slaughter of Olaris is only one part of it. At the same time, I'm going to use the Ultrawave Transmitter to send a signal to every rakghoul on the planet, with one simple order.
Kill.
A planet wide massacre of pirates, smugglers and even the wildlife of Taris. It will fuel the largest spell I've ever cast. [Mana Seism] will aid in it as I draw the very life out of the planet itself to fuel a Lore of Ruins spell on a scale that even the Skaven have never seen.
It's going to be beautiful.
— Quest Section — VOTING CONCLUDED
Should Sarik send Zash the location of the Sith Amulet?
Yes.
No.
Author's Note: I did forget that Ki Sazen and her cult had a transmitter to control the Rakghouls. Like I said, a dozen story arcs per planet is hard to juggle.
Written: 22/11/2024
I am entirely motivated by praise and interaction, so leave a review, and I'll probably write faster. I do read every review/comment, because it gives me the happy brain chemicals and motivates me to write more. My body is a machine that turns positive reviews into new chapters.
I have a Patreo n, where my supporters can vote on which fics get bonus chapters each cycle and have access to advance chapters, up to ten chapters ahead of the public release. Patreo n is also five chapters ahead and plat/diamond tier have voting rights for my Quest. Feel free to check it out.
I also set up a Subscribe Star as well, more or less just as a backup/test to see which I prefer. The chapters are available on Discord if you're a Patreo n and on the site directly on Subscribe Star due to the different site rules, so if you don't use Discord or have issues finding the chapters, Subscribe Star is the better choice.
The Advance Chapters
Diamond: The Celestial Conquest Ch03, The Gambler Ch15, The Celestial Remnant Ch11, The Tamer Ch17, The Celestial Escalation Ch04
Plat: The Origin Ch04, New Game Plus Ch09, The Warlord Ch18, Guide to Conquest Ch10, The Tamer Ch16
Gold: The Dragon Ch05, The Cursed Ch06, The Warlord Ch17
Basic: The Unbound Ch03, The Warlord Ch16
Quest: The Celestial Inquisitor Ch12-16
Links:
Patreo n. com (slash) TheDarkWolfShiro
Subscribe star. com (slash) the-dark-wolf-shiro
I have a Discord server with a bunch of other authors and a load of porn. So much porn.
Here's the link for that: discord .gg/DarkWolfShiro
If it says it's expired, it is probably your account being unable to join NSFW servers, and you'll need to fix that. If you fix that and it still says it's expired, add me (DarkWolfShiro), and I'll invite you myself.