Doomsday Preppers [Day 8, Early Evening]

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu sat quietly, staring out at the void, dotted with stars, her face reflecting that dotted emptiness with the deep pools of glassy black that were her eyes, the spidered, jagged patterns of ebony veins jutting all about them now midway down her cheeks. Her fingertips were a stained pitch. The thrill, the sorrow, the passion, and the pain all still demanded to be heard all at once in her body, and so she had been lost in a cold fugue that reminded her of her baths in Živá voda while pregnant with Vas-Tsu. That purifying cold, that made one hang between life and death, cradled by the Dark Side.

It had been a harrowing attempt to get out of the People's Tower. There was no returning to her home. She could not trust that her sisters were themselves. While she prayed to the Umbră-Ușoară that they were safe, a quiet irony crept through her mind. The Emperor had given a great gift this day, though not in the way he had hoped. He had separated the wheat from the chaff, and those that remained would be proven greater than those who would fall. It was the ultimate test of any Sith. And the population too, would have gone through the crucible.

But that would come later. For now chaos still raged, and even had she wanted to return to her estate, the streets, the skies, everywhere planetside was another danger lurking. So she rested on Arya's command ship, staring out into the inky black, both seeing and not seeing it. Her blackened finger tips traced the pattern on one of her amulets and she thought back to futures yet to be realized.

[Dapper Dog]

Arya smiled and as she sat in her command chair on the bridge and said, “It is done, and you even lived through the ordeal.”

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Jun-Tsu did not reply right away, lost in her own reverie of the stars. But slowly she turned, her long veil shrouding much of her face and body. "It vaz not az I had expected. I had.....vorzeen a vuture wery much like zhiz v'one, or razher, vhere zhiz pazh now leadz."

She bowed her head and closed her eyes, "I had zhought it merely a glimpze of a pleasant dream. I had only alloved meinzelf to beliewe it could only be a dream. But by zome miracle, az ve vaced zhe dark conwergence of all vuturez, I vound zhe virzt ztep to take me to zhiz gloriouz end."

Opening her eyes she tried to rouse herself from the numb feeling that had gripped her, though it refused to leave. "I muzt now vind zhe next ztep on zhe pazh."

[Dapper Dog]

“The future is truly our for the making now,” Arya replied.

“The Dark Council is our next, if minor, obstacle, Hurn is Dead and Hoshi has returned to the outer regions. Jadus, well, I doubt we will hear anything of use from him soon. Darth Malgus is dead and for now the death of the Emperor is limited to only a few that need be privy to it. But it is not a secret that will last,” she responded.

“I have more strings to pull but tonight you rest as king-slayer, tomorrow you rise as the mother of the Empress. Which brings me to our next issue, I intend to rule as Regent until Vas-Tsu is of age, what role do you think that leaves for you?” she asked.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Mein plaze haz newer been to rule. Trappingz of zocial und physical pover are not mein aim. You vill rule vizely az Regent, mein Darzh, und you hawe prowen yourzelf a true ally of Houze Farro, und adherent of zhe Dark Zide. Vor mein part, I vill play zhe role of Emprezz Dowager, it iz a role I hawe played vith mein vamily vor many yearz now, holy mozher to zhe Dark Zide."

"You know I hawe only zought union vith zhe Umbră-Ușoară, zo iv I muzt be zuch a vigure, let me be little more zhan a zpiritual vigurehead to zhe people, to zpur zhem to deeper ztudy into zhe ancient lore of zhe Zith und jen'jedai."

"I vizh only to continue mein communion, und zee zhat mein daughter iz prepared to take zhe zhrone vully v'one day. Zhat her vill not be uzurped und she not turned into a puppet."

[Dapper Dog]

“You will be the Spiritual Mother of the Empire,” she said with an understanding nod.

“Will you return to Korriz, or reign from Dromund Kaas; I have always been partial to the warm weather of Kaas City.”

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

For a moment there was silence, Jun-Tsu contemplating the decision, "Neizher, your graze, I beliewe Korriban iz mozt appropriate. By your leawe, I vill zeek out v'one of zhe ancient templez und remake it into a grand zanctuary to zhe Dark Zide. Und vrom zhere I may owerzee zome....minor changez to zhe curriculum of zhe academy. Our grandezt Zith muzt be zcholar-warriorz; inztructed more zhoroughly in zhe Dark Zide."

"I hawe vound too many of mein old clazzmatez vallen from zhe Dark, or veak in zhe poverz of zhe Forze. Zhat iz unacceptable vor zhe grandezt Zith academy."

[Dapper Dog]

“Then it will be so, a change of head masters to usher in a new era of leadership,” she said proudly.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

She turned back to the window to stare out at the stars, "I beliewe I may keep Lord Zavaz."

[Dapper Dog]

She turned back to the window to stare out at the stars, "I beliewe I may keep Lord Zavaz."

She just chuckled lightly and said, "May he never die."

"I will leave the details of how the Academy will function in your capable hands. You should know that Darth Zash has gone missing, as expected."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"She iz an abominazion now." Jun-Tsu offered. "Mein zourzez told me, long ago, zhat she haz begun to conzume zhe Dark Zide, az zhe Emperor v'once did, opening voundz in zhe Dark Zide, to vuel her immortality. I do not doubt zhem. Vor now ve can only hope she iz too young to truly garner zhe zecretz to vollow in zhe Emperor'z vootztepz, but....in zhe end, she too muzt be deztroyed bevore zhe iz conzumed by zhe pover vhich zhe beliewez herzelf to be in control ov. She und her dizciplez are mizguided, und muzt be brought to zhe truzh."

[Dapper Dog]

“Agreed, she was helpful for her knowledge but it may have all just been a ploy to get something to make her a danger in the future. We will have to scour the galaxy for her if only to make sure she does not do something foolish to threaten our regime,” she responded.

“With the Emperor dead there will be challenges to our power, it will be essential we are united publicly. I don’t sense any reason this would not be, but it needs to be said. Any division will be seen as an invitation for our enemies to test us.”

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Ve are agreed. Ve vork now to zolidify our pover. I can veel zhe zandz ztill zhifting beneazh uz, but giwen time...." she let her thoughts linger a moment on the possibility.

"Ve muzt giwe zhe Empire purpoze, united purpoze zhat zhey might veel a zenze of vamiliarity ewen az zheir ruler iz replaced vith another, und az zo many upheawalz occur. Hawe you an idea about vhat zuch a zhing could be?"

[Dapper Dog]

"I advise we dissolve the dark council, it will only serve to dilute the authority of the Empress, but we must make sure to transition the members to important roles i the new regime. I personally do not care for xenos but they have a growing presence in our Empire and we need to better utilize these lesser stocks and the ideal of equality will go a long way to silencing them," she responded.

"Your thoughts?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I agree, but I vaz rescently reminded of zhe clewernezz of Naga Zhadow, v'one of zhe greatezt of zhe priezt-kingz. He wery nearly conquored zhe Republic zhankz to hiz adoption of zheze beingz into hiz army az eqvalz. I hawe vound many vithin zhe ozher zpeciez to be competent und able to zee zhe light of zhe Dark Zide. I zay....make all opportunity vor zhem vithin zhe military. Let zhem be praized und honored vithin zhe rankz of our nawy, und let zhem die in zervice to our grander wizion. Let zhoze vizh a zkill vor zhe Forze, do az ve hawe alvayz done, prowe zhemzelvez vorthy of rezpect zhrough action."

"I v'once velt zhe Zith Academy valling into ruin vith zhe number of xenoz I zaw among mein clazz, but zhoze zhat vere unvorthy zimply vailed, und zhoze who vere, zucceeded. It iz how it zhould be. Indeed, I vizh vor ewery child vizh zkill in zhe Forze to be trained in zhe Dark Zide az zoon az pozzible. I do not beliewe we can avvord to vait until zhey rize to the point of imprezzing v'one of zhe inztructorz to gain admittance. Let zhem all be gazhered und zhen trained und tezted. Zhoze zhat vail vill be cazt out or killed, zhoze zhat zucceed vill continue."

[Dapper Dog]

“Then we will make it so, Jun-Tsu,” she said in reply.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Tell Darzh Baraz, zhat it may be benevicial for him to begin propaganda about zhe Zith academies, counter zome of zheir draconian repute. Vamiliez zhould newer vight uz vhen ve vizh to make zheir children too Zith. They zhould be elated to hawe zheir children taken to be trained at zhe academy. Somezhing about a better, nobler life avaitz zhem...zomezhing. He vill know vhat to produce I am zertain."

[Dapper Dog]

“He has a way with words, for sure,” she agreed.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

Her mind raced with various scenarios, possibilities, demands, but it all seemed too grand, to large. The witch had never glimpsed the Empire from such a vantage point before. Grand reforms, new policies, whole new orders to every sect of the population, and yet.....she tempered herself. Change must come slowly, quietly, too much too soon would only rile the masses. Make them stubborn like a Korrizian muun.

So she allowed these thoughts to pass from her mind. She had asked for enough, just enough to solidify her Imperial power without being perceived a threat by Darth Arya.

Her eyes passed over the multitude of stars as she gave a soft sigh. She would allow her this one moment, this one brief moment, as she looked down at Ziost to be content, to be happy that she was alive, that the Dark Side had found her worthy. In this moment, and perhaps only in this moment, she could claim total victory over all that had stood in her way. It was a thrilling sensation.

[Dapper Dog]

Darth Arya exhaled as if releasing her own tension and burdens, she knew there was more to do but for now she savored this victory.

She knew it would be fleeting.

/scene?