Into the Woods [Day 5, Early Evening]

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

The sun hung low on the horizon, but still plainly visible with the clear, bright day. In just a few hours it would be nightfall, but for now, a beautiful purple-orange hue radiated over the dense woodlands that stretched around the unique manse of Lord Bellious. Jun-Tsu's private transport touched down on the landing pad and after a few moments, her door opened, her chauffeur stepping to the side to let her out.

Clad in her black robes, as was her fashion, she peered up at the somewhat tubular building. Though she faced it dead on from the entrance, making it seem rather large and spacious, she smirked to herself how similar her home was in Ziost to this home here. Both held secrets below the surface.

[Lord Bellious]

The conduct was led by a cogent guard who had been informed of the arrival down the ramp, followed by the inclined corridor leading below the sea level. There was enough transparisteel on the way for the Farro to be able to admire the severe, lethal beauty of Ziostese submarine conditions. The bays were interspersed with holo-sketches, shifting across several frames of a raw kind of animation, mostly depicting scenes of violence.

Before Jun-Tsu would reach the main space, a turn was indicated into one of the side-rooms were Lord Bellious had already been waiting.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu took in the sights with a placid enjoyment, clearly enjoying the novelty of the estate design. It felt, appropriate, she settled on, for the like of Lord Bellious, as she was shown into the receiving chamber. Noting the occupant, the witch approached and offered her customary low curtsy. "Mein Lord, thiz humble v'one zhankz you for zhe chance to zee your vonderouz home."

[Lord Bellious]

Bellious inclined back in less formal but equally respectful way as the door behind them were closed. "And yet your humility can hardly inform my sense of superiority, with your strength in the Force being so apparent. Please join me." She gestured to the table which was actually white-pink marble, but manipulated at the molecular level for its natural veins to assume fin-de-sieclesque patterns. The chairs were of similarly altered hardwood, their angles giving the impression of being bent by will rather than carved by a carpenter's toolkit.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

The Korrizian rose and ushered herself to the table, taking a seat with a practiced grace. She ran a hand idly over the table before her as she did, a faint smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

"You or v'one of your household haz a razher talented eye vor zhe merging of aesthetics. It iz alvayz a joy to zee the vorld ozherz build vor zhemzelwez."

[Lord Bellious]

"World-building from the ground up is a time-honoured sport of the Sith, wouldn't it be so?" Bellious chuckled, pouring wine for both. "Usually after destroying some previous worlds. The new world rarely emerges from the old spontaneously or willingly." She pushed the glass gently toward Jun-Tsu. It had a shape and tinge of a heliamphora. "Ever practised on small scale, it gives some satisfaction."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"True enough, zhe art of destruction und reconstruction iz at zhe very heart of Zith Alkhemy. A microcosm of zhe vorld, to breakdown zhe indiwidual ingredientz to reconztitue zheir baze partz into a greater whole. Zhough to mold zhe pover of a whole vorld," she lifted the glass as she took in a deep breath, letting out a contented sigh.

"Zhat iz zhe kind of pover I vould v'one day like to be priwy too."

[Lord Bellious]

Moyr sipped with some wry thoughtfulness. "And here we have indirectly arrived at what looks like our common inspiration, Naga Sadow. I'd enthusiastically dwell on the secrets of his artificery. Alas, so far mundane considerations have been quite pressing."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Though it could not be seen through her headdress, Jun-Tsu closed her eyes and offered a slow sage nod. "Zhe greatezt among uz. During hiz reign Houze Farro vaz ztrong, perhapz not yet in itz prime, but oh zo ready to zhriwe under hiz vize und gloriouz rule. An emperor unlike any ozher."

There was obvious admiration in her voice and in her words. One would expect nothing else when discussing one of the greatest alchemists and magicians of all time. I hawe zeen zhe gloriez of hiz Empire, vatched him zearch for zhe vabled Muur talizman, vitnezzed zhe true rize of Zith zorcery into zhe pover it iz today....iv but people vould remember."

[Lord Bellious]

Moyr nodded in concurrence on the value of Sadow's achievements. "To the contemporary, he's only known for how the Great Hyperspace War ended, and his ingenuity in bringing battle to the heart of the Republic is not given its due. In my mind, the path to Sith victory rests in embodying his boldness and mastery of the Force. Alas, too many I speak to seem to be the brainchildren of... Kressh." Moyr avoided a direct critique of Vitiate.

"We've followed Sadow's path backwards, from Yavin to Ziost. Have you found any footprints of his greatness on the planet? Some areas are declared off-limits..."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"You mean in Old Ziost? No, I went there briefly hoping it might....inspire me, but all I found was cold, quiet rock. Ewen zhe Dark Zide veelz qviet zhere, zlumbering. It vaz a place I vound very meditative, but little elze. Let zhe archeologiztz dig up zheir ztonez, avter zo many yearz, I zhink all zhat'z levt zhere are lezzonz on zhe pazt. Nozhing for ve who vollow zhe Dark Zide. Korriban vaz alvayz zhe zpiritual heart of zhe Empire, und it veelz zhey hawe made zhat delineation qvite apparent."

She took another quiet sip. "But zhen zhat iz v'one opinion. I am zure you zpeak vith ozhterz, like lady Okatezh, or Lord Nyx, und you may vind zheir interezt haz yielded more rezultz zhan mine."

[Lord Bellious]

"I choose to trust your opinion in this regard." Moyr placed down the glass, half-emptied. "And it is indeed Korriban than calls the strongest. Still, we have met here for a purpose other than debating archeology, haven't we?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Az perzeptive az ewer, mein Lord. Avter zhe lazt Challenge, I noted, ewer zo zubtly a zertain underztanding you had convirmed mozt acutely. I do not vizh to open vrezh voundz, but ve could all zee, plainly, a zertain capriziouz, vhimzical nature at vork ower zhe prozeedingz zhat, v'one could zee plainly did not puzh vorward zhe owerall good of our zociety."

Jun-Tsu circled the point, marking it plainly, especially for one as socially adept as Moyr had been in years past. "I do not mean to be coy, but dare I zay zhat ve both are of a zimilar mind on zhe subject?"

[Lord Bellious]

"I believe so." Moyr nodded slowly. "If there's any gain from what happened on that day, it is the acuity of that realisation and revulsion against this state of affairs perverting the Sith Code any further. Most don't see it because they lack the insight drawn from historical juxtapositions and the vision to imagine a different path."

She paused. "In truth, my conflict with Darth Zash, my bond to Yavin and my disrespect for the verboten have led to explorations that can directly relate to the subject at hand. I entered the rat's race knowing it's a trap."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu nodded in agreement, "Vize of you. Und ve vill zee vhether or not zuch inzight vill zerve you vell. Ztill, you are not wrong. It iz telling zhat vhen zhe azpirentz prezented zhemzelvez zhat zhe all claimed flaw vith zhe Empire. It iz obviouz zhat our current ztate haz not bettered in zhe great zhadow zhat now loomz ower uz. Juzt more chaoz...und ewen greater danger. Danger more zhan mozt know."

"Danger beyond juzt a capriciouz or particular nature. It iz mozt conzerning vhen v'one no longer zeez zhe empire, zhey zee only zhemzelf, in zhe falze believe zhat zhey are zhe empire."

[Lord Bellious]

"I think it's not even that. He has built himself some alternative shrouded from Darths and Moffs. The Empire in its current shape is thus expendable in the end. And I have always had a special hatred for being rendered a tool of anything."

She paused. "I have recently discovered one of his secret facilities where his personal guard is trained."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu was silent for a moment after, revealing a thoughtful expression, "I hawe been zo vocuzed on zhe blight, I had not zhought of zhe zymptomz, zo to zpeak. I'd zhought wery little of zhe guard ozher zhan being a hinderance."

She sighed, "No doubt hiz corruption haz owertaken zhem completely."

[Lord Bellious]

"Political thinking is a critical commentary on the spiritual." Moyr remarked, alluding to a good combination of their respective strengths.

"I wouldn't doubt they are properly conditioned to execute any orders. As to the numbers, I cannot tell. But it's safe to assume: enough for a planet-wide solution, or a sufficient number of surgical strikes on the unexpecting."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"A troubling amount vhich vould likely zend zhe Empire into chaoz vere zhey to zuddenly vind zhemzelvez vithout direction." Jun-Tsu sighed and continued to sip at her wine, "But I am not merely being colorvul vhen I zpeak of hiz corruption. Zhere iz a perniziouz air acrozz zhe galaxy. Motez of zhe Dark Zide zcattered from a great und ominous vound in zhe Forze. V'one I vear....vhich eminantez from v'one zourze." She hardly needed to say who that source might be.

"Zurly you know ov vhat I zpeak. Zhat pover ve hawe all velt, been tempted by zince zhe Night of Terorz.....hiz pover, hiz trick to let him enter you."

[Lord Bellious]

There was a long pause. It was obvious, and yet it hadn't occurred to her before, so the taciturn turn was actually a time of extreme mental berating. She had deluded herself that it could have been the Dread Masters or the Ziost itself, reacting to the presence of so many powerful Sith. "...I see. But I fear he had a chance to do so to me before. On Nal Hutta I discovered a temple that most likely held some of his secrets. I managed to penetrate it, but all my recollections of what I discovered were violently repressed by some will and I have had no access to them..."

She then looked at lady Farro with suddenness. "Maybe you could unlock them."