Dreams of the Dark Side [Day 10, Late Afternoon]

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

The chamber was completely black, nothing rested within it, save a single white orb upon a polished black stand. The floor was a burnished obsidian, glinting in the faint illumination. The walls, seemed almost not to exist, leaving the room as an inky void with its single floating star. Jun-Tsu sat silently, hands folded in meditation. Beneath her low slung veil her eyes were closed and she allowed herself to drift with the currents of the Force.

The light faded from view, and she sunk into her body, yet beyond it, like slipping to a reflected world. All about her, she could make out the faint outlines of the walls of the chamber, hidden though they were, beyond them she could sense the courtiers, ministers, and guards as they walked the highest floors of the People's Tower. Those that still stood intact, that is.

And she saw, one faint darkness, as it moved up the tower, walking from the lift, and to the door of the chamber. As it opened, the witch remained unmoving, "Velcome, Lord Tenebrous."

[Lord Tenebrous]

Compared to the Child Empress, Shaisha's dark light in the Force was only a small torch compared to the great beacon that was Vas-Tsu, but it was one that continued to grow stronger as her shadow grew larger.

The soft fabrics of her regalia moved silently along with her steps as she approached, pausing to bow before Jun-Tsu. "Dark Mother. An honor to stand in your presence again," she spoke in a formal and polite tone.

"Everything seems to be well underway for tonight's procession."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Yez," she said with a soft, maternal quality, one that seemed almost affected for show. A faint smirk playing at the edge of her mouth. "I heard you vere extolling our wirtuez on zhe ztreetz today. Vew could talk of anyzhing elze. Truly I am vlattered, und I am in your debt. I understand zhat any truly loyal zitizen of zhe empire zhould zing zhe Emprezz'z praizez, but ve, here," Jun-Tsu gestured to the chamber. "Here ve liwe in zhe real vorld."

"Ve understand zhat loyalty iz a preciouz commodity zhat iz ztill in zhort zupply. Zo....zhank you."

[Lord Tenebrous]

She smirked faintly at the praise, before her head dipped in appriciation of the words. "And thank you. Were it not for you... and Vas-Tsu, I would probably still had been the Emperor's puppet. It might sound strange, but encountering the two of you at the spaceport that day changed my trajectory and way of thinking..."

A red hand idly ran over her intricate braids, a style she had been sporting more and more during the past week, and now had embraced in full with the dawn of a new era.

"It gave me hope, to use such a simple word. And to be honest, I feel indebted to the support given," Shaisha gave a sincere smile at that. "So for me, it's in my personal interest that you and your daughter's reign continues."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Ve are wery vlattered. I hope in zhe dayz to come zhere iz much ve can do vor v'one anozher. To zhat end, I vonder, could I impoze upon you to accept v'one more burden on mein behalf. I know you hawe pledged your loyalty to me und mein daughter, but I vizh you vould accept an offer to become zhe virzt of mein perzonal acolytez, I zeek to create a circle vizh whom I may ztudy zhe deeper myzteriez of zhe Dark Zide. I need zhoze who can zeek out zhoze myzteriez and go where I am unable due to mein new tiez und dutiez."

[Lord Tenebrous]

One of her ridged brows rose with interest at Jun-Tsu's proposal.

"So... you mean something akin to your personal agent, to boldly tread unknown paths on your behalf in remote places?" The corner of her mouth tugged upwards into a half-smile. "If that is what you mean, I would say we seem to be of very similar minds."

Her golden eyes, now more intense and tinged with red than before, shifted to look at the white orb on the stand. "While I will assist with the reformation of the Intelligence, I've been thinking that my skills have most often served me best when away from paperwork." A brief chuckle.

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I zaid in court....all miniztriez muzt zhow dewotion to zhe Dark Zide," her own cryptic smirk played momentarily over her features. Her coy words clearly alluding to the thought of having such similar 'acolytes' in all divisions of governance. "But yez, you hawe zhe right of it. I vill not dewiate vrom mein pazh to mazter zhe Dark Zide, und vind communion vith it. But alzo....I muzt know zuch myzteriez und pozzezz potential relicz zimply to know zhat zhe likez of Arya und Baraz do not pozzezz zhem."

"Zhe day vill come, I azure you, vhen mein daughter vill rize, und zhey vill zeek to turn her into a puppet of zheir vill. Ve muzt begin to plan now vor zheir inewitable betrayal, zhat zhe vill of zhe Dark Zide may continue to guide zhe Empire."

[Lord Tenebrous]

"Or Zash," she added as Jun-Tsu listed the potential rivals. "She is keeping a low profile now, but with an extended lifespan, she will play a long game."

And Shaisha didn't believe that anyone would ever stop to be a threat.

"We must be wary of them both, yes, but there might also be threats outside of the Empire, yet unseen. The Emp... the other Emperor, as Vas-Tsu called him, said that he had children. Twin sons, and a daughter. And I don't think he's the type to boast needlessly of their talents, so when he say the daughter has the potential to be more powerful than him, then it is something I consider to be a danger." Her light smile and mood was gone, now replaced with a hard determination. "It might be a threat that never rises, but I'm not the type to leave such things to chance."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I've not vorgotten," Jun-Tsu took in the words with a quiet contemplation. Still and solemn, like a silk wrapped statue.

"All theze beingz muzt be vound und ztudied. Ve muzt know zheir zecretz, und ve muzt know iv any of zhem employ zhe hereziez of zhe Emperor. Zo many plotz, zo many diztractionz, but above all, ve muzt continue our ztudiez of zhe Dark Zide. Zhe more ve learn, zhe more ve can learn, zhe more ve vill underztand zhe vull nature of zheze zhreatz und be prepared."

"I hope."

[Lord Tenebrous]

The woman gave a contemplative nod, shifting gaze from the orb back to the witch-queen before her.

"In a way I am similar to Baras in that I operate the strongest when I'm not in the spotlight... and in some way like him, I am able to maneuver myself well enough when forced to be there, as you have perhaps seen during the competition for the Council seat," she managed a dry smile at that, considering the circumstances. "If it is your wish that I go where you cannot, to search for secrets to understand more, then I believe we have coinciding desires."

"Too long I have been confined to Imperial space, when there is so many more places out there where other Sith have thread. Dxun, Empress Teta, even Coruscant itself has been the path of the Sith at various points in history - though that would certainly be a challenge."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Wery true. Many a jedaii haz been zeduced to zhe Dark Zide ewen vithin Republic space. Ve cannot hope zhey are all like Freedon Nadd, zo villing to embraze zhe dark. To zeek to know it. Und long bevore zhen, in zhe time of Naga Zhadow much of zhe Republic vorldz vere v'once inhabited by uz, on hiz campaign to wipe out zhe jedaii vorewer."

"Yez, you are right, zhough you take your live into your own handz to wenture zhere. Ewen in dizguze your heritage iz betrayed all ower your vace."

[Lord Tenebrous]

"True," she nodded gently, "but such challenges will come in time. Worry not, I've no intention of set my ship to jump to the deep Core worlds right away." Her chuckle was warm and reassuring. "It's all merely musing at this point, but yes, in time it's a challenge to take on."

Shaisha's arms casually crossed over her chest, covering the burnt gold trims with the sheer lace sleeves." To start with would be the Empire's outer regions and colonies, and from there the neutral territories. If I find any ancient knives, I will be certain to bring them to Her Majesty - she seems rather fond of such blades."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Zhat zhe iz, zkilled beyond her yearz. It vill not be long bevore I teach her to craft a blade of her own. Zhere are zome ancient textz vhich zpeak of blooded bladez, uzed againzt zhe jedaii much like our Zith zwordz vere. Zhey vill teach her early how to bezt begin to vield a zaber vhen zhe time comez. Zhould you vind v'one in your trawelz, hovewer, zhe Emprezz iz zure to be pleazed."

"I hawe many tazkz to complete vhile you are avay, but among zhem, I hope to zeek out vayz of healing zheze voundz in zhe Forze left by zhe Emperor. Perhapz I can vind a vay to return zhe Dark Zide to zhe blazted areaz."

[Lord Tenebrous]

That made her pause, contemplation surfacing to her face as she moved a hand up to stroke the spur on the right side of her face.

"It is a dangerous undertaking, but I might have an idea of where to start. As you recall, you needed ore from the world that he stripped of all life and connection to the Force. Lord Rath and I sent some of our most trusted people to go there to find it - not only were we needed here, but the place is particularly nervewracking for those who are sensitive to the Force. To suddenly not feel it anymore at all, it's almost like breathing with only one lung." She scowled slightly, but continued. "It took quite toll on them too... deep wounds on their psyches and spirits, it would seem."

"Perhaps they could be a starting point to understanding how to treat the malady, without exposing yourself to the dangers of Nathema right away?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"A vize notion, zhough it vould take much time bevore I could attempt to heal zuch a gaping vound in zhe Forze. Zheze may prowe zimpler, zhough zhere are ozher voundz, var zmaller, like zhoze left by Lord Zash und ozherz like her. Zmall voundz vhich come vrom zhe total anihilation of a beingz ezzence to fuel ritez of immortality. Vhile zhe Dark Zide tviztz nature to our own endz, inztillz live vhere none zhould be, und drawz it avay from itz natural pazh, zuch vorkingz do not, in and of zhemzelwez, deztroy zhe Forze. You zaid yourzelf, Nathema iz a plaze unnerving to all beingz of zhe Forze, und zhat zhowz uz it iz not of zhe Dark Zide."

[Lord Tenebrous]

And that meant that the Emperor had no longer been of the Dark Side, if Jun-Tsu's words were correct.

"Strange to think that what I hoped to achieve on the Dark Council will be realised now, to an even greater extent. The war with the Republic will start again, the internal structures of the Empire will be reformed into something more efficient, hopefully removing the corrupted roots that had taken place across some of them... and with your aspirations to bring back the traditional arts to the Academy... it is more than I could've hoped for myself."

"Only a pity that Baras attached himself as a leech to it all, but well, nothing is perfect."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Baraz iz a necezzary ewil. I zpoke vith Lord Mordax earlier, und he zaid zomezhing wery prezcient, und zhat iz Baraz iz v'one able to make himzelf indezpenzible zhrough extreme competence. He iz a ztreat to mein daughter'z rule iv vor no ozher reazon zhan to remowe him vould cauze damage to her empire."

"Yet," the witch idly reached a hand up to one of her talismans, "I can admire zuch zkill. He vill, v'one day, be dealt vizh, but vor now, I muzt admit he iz a ztrong ally to hawe, v'one vhich haz legitimized to many mein dahrling'z rule."

[Lord Tenebrous]

"Mm," she nodded, considering the advice she had been given. "Seems about accurate."

"My brother gives sound advice, though I worry for him. The loss of his wife was... hard, on both of us, but he has already turned away from the Dark." A long time ago, she worried. "Though there is some merit in having words from those who view the world through a different lens, such words must be weighed with caution."

"And those who could endanger the foundations of this new age are varied. From both sides of the spectrum."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Yez, hiz lack of dewotion iz unzettling, und I do not know what plaze zhere iz for him und zhoze like him in zhe new regime. I do not dabble much in prophesy, but I hawe zee hundredz of vuturez, zome end in ruin ozherz great triumph. I zaw zhiz day az a pozzibility, zhough only v'one of many. In zome of zhem, I zee mein dahrling vulvilling her gloriouz deztiny. I zee her grown und vize, poverful und veared. Herz iz an empire of zhe Dark, of zhe Umbră-Ușoară. Vhere our pure dewotion to zhe Dark Zide iz revarded vizh conquezt ower zhe Republic."

"But in ozher wizionz, she roze to cazt down Emperor Malguz, und zeize zhe zhrone of pover. To zee zhe vuture iz to valk a zhouzand pazh at v'once."

[Lord Tenebrous]

"So many possibilities how this could go." For all they knew, the Republic could launch an attack straight at Dromund Kaas tomorrow, or began an incursion on Korriban.

"Perhaps there is some excitement in it for me that I have not had visions beyond that fateful day. For once, the future seems to be endless unknown possibilities, at least for me," she mused thoughtfully.

"Oh, by the way, I have the list of people I would recommend for positions within Intelligence - if they want it. Along with some that I would attach a word of warning to. It could be my hunch being wrong, or a case of 'keep your enemies closer'. Some I consider extremly dangerous, and some I merely have suspicions about... I'm quite certain you are able to assess their potential danger appropriately."

With that she reached into one of the nearly invisible pockets of her regalia, withdrawing a datachit she passed over to Jun-Tsu. "As per the Empress-Regent's wishes."