Ziost - Crown of the Sith Empire

Remmington stops by the People's Tower to visit Jun-Tsu. He hopes that he is able to catch her before she leaves for Korriban. He announces himself at the entrance.

The door to her chambers opens, a vast room within occupying one of the rounded edges of the People's Tower. Tinted windows crossed much of the far walls, as polished black steel wove an almost hypnotic pattern along the floor, as though drawing the eye in and towards the large rounded area, depressed into the floor. A floating orb gave off a soft light, while flying ebony silks draped from the ceiling in four pillars. Each one bearing the sigil of House Farro. Prayer mats were arrayed about the light, while further in, near the wall of windows rested a large console behind which sat Jun-Tsu.

Her fingers worked over the controls, as she brought up various files, projecting them as holograms into the air above the slab of metal. Most of them were purely text, from what Rem could see at his approach appeared to be written in ancient Sith.

Remmington approaches and offers a polite bow to Jun-Tsu. He admires the scenery and glances at the writing in the holograms. "Good afternoon Jun-Tsu. Doing some light reading today? I believed you said you were heading out to Korriban sometime today or tomorrow."

"Not exactly," she corrected with a distracted air as she studied the texts for a moment longer. Finally rousing herself from her research she worked the console and the texts faded from view. "A zuitable plaze muzt be vound virzt for mein zeat of pover. It may take time, but I hawe v'one of mein Houze adminiztratorz already zhere to look vor appropriate zpotz. Zhen construction can begin."

"I vill, howewer, be wiziting zhe academy in zhe next vew dayz to dizcuzz zhe kindz of revormz I expect vrom zheir curriculum."

"I am guessing that you mean some place steeped in the power of the Dark Side? Though are there any places like that that have not already been claimed by the Academy or some ancient temple or ruins?" Remmington asks. He actually was a bit curious. If there was such a place, it probably be somewhere uninhabited and probably dangerous to get to.

"For the reforms, are you going to get some new instructors in? Some of the old instructors may not know anything about parts of the new curriculum that you want to introduce."

"Zhere vill be many typez of revormz, vor all zhe Zith academiez, including here....und on Korriz," she stood slowly looking out the dark windows at the shaded megalopolis below. "Much vill be changed to prepare uz vor var. Und raizing zhe next generation of Zith in zhe traditionz of myzticizm are tantamount to our zuccezz. It vaz zhrough zorcery zhat Naga Zhadow nearly deztroyed zhe Republic. During zhe Great Hyperzpace Var, zhe Great Zith Var, ewery major wictory vor our Empire came from Zith zorcererz zteeped in zhe deepezt zecretz of zhe Dark Zide."

"Vhy ve hawe let our greatezt veapon vall into dizuze I vill newer underztand."

"Probably because the military took the fore front of the war efforts. It is easy to see the correlation between training soldiers and what they contribute to the war effort. Mysticism I am afraid has a disconnect there. While as you say there have been great turning points it is hard to get a consistent level from mystics and how that translates into the war front. Powerful mystics are a boom but weak ones will be seen a having little to contribute. Weak soldiers on the other hand... well there are always uses for pawns and cannon fodder.

At the end of the day, soldiers are still a requirement for the war effort. So it seems natural that some Sith may focus on more physical aspects. Especially since we are the only thing that can repel the Jedi if they decide to deploy on the war front as well. At least that is my opinion." Remmington gives his summary.

"Though you are right. In a war, one should use all the weapons and resources that they have available. Hopefully the newer generations will have a good balance of abilities and get stronger overall."

"Let zoldierz vight on zuch low termz. Zith are better zhan zuch zimple v'one on v'one combat. Zhrough zhe Forze, each ov uz iz greater zhan a hundred men. Ewen az baze az mein zkillz are, I could bezt twenty men unarmed zhould zhey come against me. Zhink vhat could be accomplished iv ve truly carried to delwe deep into zhe zecretz of zhe Dark Zide, und vield zhem az ve did in ancient timez. Zhe Empire vill ve an unstoppable forze. Let zhe Jedi come, ve vill zhow zhem vhat true zith zorzery can do."

"Well as some people have mentioned before. Sorcery is all good but we shouldn't be too lax about lightsaber training too. Keep all the weapons we have at our disposal sharp." Remmington comments.

He has a slight pause as a moment of nostalgia runs through his head and he lets out a chuckle. "I have to admit. I certainly did not think we would be in this position 4 years ago. So much has changed this then."

"Yez it haz," she gazed out the window, at the world below. "How cloze und yet var I am vrom vhere I vant to be. Perhapz zhiz iz zhe vay ov ewery parent. To zacrivice vor zheir child. To zee to zheir prozperity ahead of your own."

Remmington nods. "Having children certainly does shift your priorities and changes your life considerably. Even though Vas-Tsu is way more powerful than both of us, that does not change the fact that I wish no harm to ever come to her and to protect her."

He smiles. "To be honest, I certainly did not think that we would see the rise of your House much less both our Houses so quickly. I was thinking that maybe House Farro get back its standing in maybe a decade or two when she got older and more mature. I certainly did not think that House Balmung would start its resurgence within my life time."

"Ve zhall zee how zhiz came to be," Jun-Tsu offered with a pensive look over her shoulder. "I appreziate und am indebted to Darth Arya. She haz been our patron zaint, und it iz by her vill zhat zhiz rize iz pozzible. But, I vonder, doez zhe do zhiz becauze she beliewez az I do in zhe vill of zhe Dark Zide, und zhe needz of zhe Empire? Or doez zhe zeek zhe pover zhat comez vizh vielding zhe pover of zhe Emprezz. Knowing zhe voman it iz zo hard to tell. Zincerity iz blurred by perzonal ambition. Und it beginz to bleed togezher."

"Who can say for certain. Although when Sith are involved it usually is a safe bet to say that she is doing this as part of her own personal ambition. She will have a hold over how the Empire will be run for decades at the very least. I suppose our part will be to keep her in check and make sure that her ambitions serve the Empire and the will of the Dark Side." Remmington replies.

"For the moment though, it is undeniable that her power and experience are necessary. So we best use this time to rebuild the power of our Houses." He nods.

"In earnest," Jun-Tsu finished with a slight nod. "Und learn zhoze charmz vich vill hide meinzelf und our daughter vrom her prying. It vill take a great deal of time to mazter zhe Forze az zhe haz, but I hawe vaizh in mein connection vizh zhe Dark Zide. In time, I vill grow greatly in mein clozenezz vizh zhe Umbră-Ușoară. Let zhe Emprezz-Regent rule zhe Empire, I take zhiz moment to eek out mein fiefdom und zit az zhe zpiritual leader of zhe Zith. All zhe lore of zhe Forze iz open to me now. Und I vill learn az qvickly az I am able."

Remmington nods. "I am sure that you will be able to do it. You took over as head of your House right? What is your grandmother going to do?"

A silence followed as Jun-Tsu bowed her head, "Great-grandmuter haz tranzended to join vizh zhe Umbră-Ușoară. Zhe doez vhat all Farro zeek, und herz are now zhe myzteriez of zhe cozmoz to dizcower."

The Witch-Queen offered a soft prayer in a muddled dialect of ancient Sith and modern Korrizian.

"Ewer zhe zhall be mein guide. Poverful und juzt, cruel, but vizh purpoze. Vize beyond all ozherz in her maztery of zhe vorze. Vor zhree-hundred und zewenty-zewen yearz, zhe haz led uz in zhe vayz of zhe Dark Zide. Zhe accomplizhed miraclez vizh zhe Forze zhat may hawe ewen riweled zhe ancient priezt-kingz of old."

"It iz zaid zhat zhe could trawel betveen planetz in zhe blink of an eye, und kill a hated enemy vrom acrozz zhe galaxy. I know it iz childizh, but....I beliewe it vaz truly Ka-Tai Farro, zhrewd und cunning, who truly killed zhe Emperor. Zhe gawe uz zhe knowledge to vorge zhe black needle vhich pierced hiz abominable vorm, und az poverful az zhe materialz vere, zhey alone, ewen vizh all mein zizterz, could not hawe truly killed him. I beliewe zhe entered zhe Umbră-Ușoară to end zhe Emperor, und zhow zhat zhough zhe may not hawe been az poverful, zhe vaz var, var more cunning in her uze of zhe Forze."

She shook her head, "But perhapz, that iz juzt a grieving grand-daughter zeeking zolace. Perhapz I und mein zizterz truly can vork zuch miraclez now, und great-grandmuter vaz content to pazz on to a greatly earned revard."

"I suppose, I am content vizh eizher ztory I tell meinzelf."

Remmington nods and recalls what Vas-Tu said at the end. "That is entirely possible. Just because we destroyed the physical body, there is the possibility at this spirit survived somehow. That is not something that I usually deal with but I have little doubt that she can finish him off."