Ziost - Crown of the Sith Empire

Beneath the massive orrery housed in the lower levels of the old temple complex, Jun-Tsu and all the witches of House Farro gathered. Softly they chanted, but the great expanse made their voices echo in unison into a cacophony of rhythmic whispers. They all stood with one hand outstretched towards one another, hand relaxed in a faint point, the other held at their waste in a well practiced mudra meant to help expand the senses into the Force.

Together they joined their power, a practice well known to the sisters, and their other siblings. It was the earliest thing they learned, how to gain power through ritual. When one was not strong enough on their own, the Farro taught how to become unassailable in union.

Together they projected that power out through the orrery, reaching out into the infinite void, across millions of light years of space to find their matriarch, their monarch, the feared and revered Witch-Queen, Ka-Tai Farro.

"Mein children, I am vistening," she answered.

"Great-grandmuter," Jun-Tsu led, but all the sisters intoned in unison, with a bowing of their heads in deference. Then raised their gaze and knelt.

"Ve hawe learned much in zhe zhort time ve hawe been here. Many terrible truzh hawe been rewealed. Vas-Tsu haz zeen zhingz, truzh of zhe Emperor, zhat hawe been convirmed by our allied here on Ziozt. Hiz return iz zhe ztorm ve veared. A terrible vound in zhe Vorce vaz opened at hiz avakening, und he iz...hungry."

"Az you know I hawe ztudy vith Darth Traya, an expert on zhuch voundz, zuch damage to zhe Dark Zide. Und I beliewe he iz not alone in hiz terrible pover. A var lezzer threat, Lady Zazh, haz learned zhe zecret of fracturing zhe Forze by deztroying liwez vor her own pover. Vere zhiz juzt v'one zoul here and zhere I vould not be alarmed, but zomehow I beliewe zhe haz learned zhe rudementary art zhe Emperor now pozzezzez vholly. He haz drained entire planetz of zheir Force, of all remnantz of zhe Dark und Light, to pover hiz azention. Und I vear zhiz dangerouz pazh he haz taken cannot be ztopped. Hiz hunger vill grow until it conzumez zhe whole galaxy. Korriz along vith it."

"You veel hiz dark pover already as a miazma over zhe Force. Zince zhe Night of Terrorz....it iz hiz pover. Hiz falze darknezz. Do not uze it. Puzh it azide. If you can, great-grandmuter, try to cleanze it from Korriz bevore it invectz our vamily. To draw upon it iz to become a part of zhe Emperor, vor him to grow vithin you."

She cackled at those words, but when she finished her eyes were grim.

Ka-Tai crooned, “Vis darkness vither, our children must slither.”

“Void in ze force, our end in ze due course. House Farro must not fall, ve must answer ze dark call. If ye vail mein daughters, ve all drown in dark vaters.”

She grinned revealing black green teeth, “Ye are mein dark brood, sharp and crude. Ze knife must be sly, und dark childer, ze void-man must die.”

The sisters nodded in unison. "Your vill be done great-grandmuter."

"Ve are zo young, zo, I vear ve do not hawe zhe pover to go againzt hiz pover. How can ve zuzzeed? Ve beg you honored v'one, guide your humble granddaughterz to wictory."

Ka-Tai replied, “Vitual and sacrifice, steal ze life. Create a blackened blade so vile, the void ve our greatest trial. Drink of mein thought, visdom and death it shall vrought. Ze blade vill vind ze heart, but ye life shall ye part.”

She cackled deeply and they could her essence in her mind and the ritual fill their thoughts and bones and then it recedes.

“Now… ze dark beckons me, I shan’t not flee.”

The assembled ladies all let out a litany of soft sighs as the strains of the ritual eased. They looked to one another with thoughtful expressions. Jun-Tsu, however, just looked down at her own lap, and contemplated their monarch's words. "Zizter'z, ve now hawe our goal. Now ve muzt vind zhe pazh zhat takez uz zhere."

They nodded in unison.

Now it came down to whether their great-grandmother had been literal or metaphorical in her advice to them. It was also time for her to go back to studying texts, even as she tried to perfect her own union with the Dark Side. She sighed internally.

“Mein dark sister, ve can begin ze vork immediately. A blade that can pierce ze void, but who vill vield it when ze time comes?” Fa-Lei said quietly.

Jun-Tsu looked down into her lap with a contemplative air, "Ve zhall zee vhen zhe time comez. But zhere iz v'one zhat I beliewe to be our bezt hope. Depending on zhe nature of zhiz blade."