Bump in the Night

[Rugs]

Umbara was quite unlike any world Tsubasa had ever visited before.

It wasn’t the first where settlements were cut off from the local sun’s light; Af’el and Subterrel were such places, where inhabitants lived mostly underground. But this place was different. The city that sprawled out around the elevated landing pad the Vagabond perched on was cloaked in darkness, though he’d approached and landed on the side of the world facing the star it orbited.

“Seems they call it the Shadow World with reason,” he muttered, half to himself, half to Ifrit, the small draconic droid perched on his shoulder. Ifrit’s holographic dragon wings lay folded over his back. They threw dim splashes of light on the ground around Tsubasa, in the darkness.

Umbara seemed as fitting a world as any for the task at hand. The local government had put out a call for aid to any Force users willing to offer aid to the world’s largest city. A touring museum exhibit, headed by a man whose background was murky at best, had come to visit the city. The exhibit claimed to carry relics of ancient civilizations, recovered from newly unearthed temples on Cilpar.

The centerpiece was a mask, purported to be worn by the head of some cult long lost to history during ritualistic sacrifices.

That was three weeks ago. Ever since, strange occurrences plagued the city. Freak accidents. Waking nightmares. Strange disappearances and murders. Tsubasa had only just arrived on the world, and he could feel a malaise lingering like smog over the city.

Everything about the situation made his stomach churn, so soon after Balosar and the Servants of Vahl. But if he’d lent aid to free one world of a Dark Side-fueled threat, he’d lend aid to another. He considered sending a message to Macen; the Jedi had been a tremendous ally on Balosar, and surely his Order might wish to know of a potentially similar situation elsewhere.

For now, Tsubasa decided to see what he could learn.

“The ruling council has acknowledged our arrival, Tsubasa,” Ifrit said. “We are to come immediately to meet with them. We may not be the only ones here to investigate these occurrences.”

Tsubasa tilted his head thoughtfully to the side. “Well, I’ll take whatever help we can find,” he said. “Come. Let us see what’s at the heart of this.”

[caelum]

Nostos watched in silence at the city grew larger and larger below his feet. Holographic 3D images floated in mid air, showing the central city as the 'Arbitrary Solipsism' began to make it's approach. The Monitor-class cruiser was certainly no battleship, but it served it's purposes well enough, and what the ship lacked in destructive power it made up for in maneuverability and flexibility. Nonetheless, it didn't matter overly much.

The Sith have come to Umbara, and he could feel their fear down below.

"How long has it been, since they requested assistance?"

"Three weeks, My Lord." Lieutenant Nivix says dutifully, her eyes set on a datapad which, he can only presume, possessed information relating to the task ahead. "The ruling council seems to believe that the source of the dark side manifestations originate from a handful of artifacts recovered from the temples of Cilpar."

"So they say." Nostos considers. "I have my doubts. If the artifacts were truly the cause, and had been active for the past three weeks, they would be able to identify and dispose of them within a week, give or take the lives necessary to end it."

"Perhaps they cannot end the source, my Lord." Nivix asks reasonably. "It could be that the corruption is too strong for them to destroy without assistance."

"If so." Nostos says, a note of satisfaction to it. "Then that means we didn't waste our time traversing the stars for nothing. At the very least, we'll have an amusing story to tell."

With that, the 'Arbitrary Solipsism' alights upon the landing pad, and Nostos stands. He sighs as he does.

Lord Nostos, Prophet of the Cult of Mysteries. That was what he was. With the power to consign souls to their demise and pull and twist at the darkest aethers of the force. It brought to mind images of old, decrepit, fools nestled into a dark citadel, practicing blood magics and profane rituals. What a frightful, intimidating title, to anyone who did not see the cracks.

To those below, he was a target of contempt and envy, something to strive toward and against. He was an enemy and rival to them both, something to tear down and replace. To those above he was a tool, something new to use and manipulate, before he had established himself and his power. A frightful place to reside in, he imagined most fools died within the first few years, from carelessness or weakness.

But he was not like most fools, and as the lieutenant formed up behind him and the ship's guards formed an impromptu honor guard, Nostos sighs.

"Very well. Let's get this over with."

[sparrow]

Zarene frowned as she pulled the needle from her arm, tossing the now-empty syringe into a disposal container. With the defeat the Archeri spire over Nar Shaddaa, the effects of their plague had subsided. Treatments though were still a work in progress, and she had been prescribed a regimen of regular fungicide injections that would keep the symptoms at bay and, hopefully, slowly eliminate the disease in her system. Examining her face in the mirror, she could see that blackened veins that had once run along her cheek at the border where cybernetics met flesh had subsided. More time would be needed to be certainly, but this was a good sign for now.

A portion of the Sith forces had continued to push forward into former Archeri-conquered space, but for her, she would keep her distance for now. She had played her part on Nar Shaddaa. It wasn’t known whether venturing closer to Archer space could cause the disease to flare up against, and she didn’t intend to find out.

So here she was with her current mission. A request for assistance from Umbara, to deal with trouble relating to a Dark Side artifact.

“Will you be taking the squad with you?” Byar stood at the doorway. The tall, thin Lieutenant had fought by her side for many years, and had acquitted himself well against the Archeri on Nar Shaddaa.

“No,” Zarene replied, as she pulled her undershirt back over her shoulder. “Not until I get a clearer idea of what I’ll be dealing with down here.” If the Dark Side artifact had the ability to twist minds, a possibility that hadn’t yet been eliminated, conventional soldiers were just as likely to be a liability as an asset. “Keep the corvette in orbit. I’ll take the landing craft down to the planet by myself.” The briefing had instructed her to meet with a Prophet of the Cult of Mysteries at the spaceport, Nostos, a newly raised Lord. She wondered if he was one of the weird one mask-wearing ones that the now-missing Darth Keres liked to keep company.

Byar nodded. “I’ll have the hangar techs prepare the craft for you then,” he replied. The sound of his brisk footsteps echoed down the hallway as he strode off.

_________

Later…

Sagitta, Praetor of the Sith Cult of Strife, stood at the landing pad. The light recon armor she wore resembled that used by many Sith scout units, giving her the appearance of a common soldier, were it now for the lightsaber that hung at her belt. The Umbaran contact who had arrived to meet her bowed, which she acknowledged with a curt nod. She looked to the nearby landing pad, the rumble of engines filling the air as the giant cruiser docket. Well, someone wants a big entrance…

[caelum]

He could feel them. The Umbarans. Feel their force presence as they skittered about the landing pad, their attention as their gaze is brought towards the ship. Uncertainty, doubt and fear, grown from the three weeks of chaos brought about by the dark side artifact within their city, and finally brought to the surface. They were desperate, and so reached out for any that could help them, but they were scared too. Fearful of the threat in their city and the threat that the Sith represented.

Only natural. Fear would be rational in this case.

Lord Nostos and his men walked down the ramp of the 'Arbitrary Solipsism' with poise and grace. Typically, he wouldn't have bothered with the pomp and flourish, but this was important. More so than any other, this artifact was under the jurisdiction of the Cult of Mysteries. This was the purpose from which the Cult was created for, and it had to be shown, from the very outset, that this was theirs to own and control as they see fit. Prophets did not skulk in the shadows like thieves after all.

The umbaran waiting for him was a curious specimen, afraid but trying not to show it, and Nostos walked past him, boots clapping loudly upon the pavement. A few moments of confusion followed, whereupon he was met by lieutenant Nivix and hushed words follow. His eyes scan across the landscape.

For a place known as the Shadow World, it was curious that there were no significant signs of Dark Side corruption upon the planet and it's people. It was no Korriban or Dxun, where even the very soil was steeped in the dark side, and that by itself was curious. Knowing the likes of the Sith Lords of Old, he imagined there would have been at least one dark sider determined to turn the planet into his own personal fortress.

His eyes cross another person on the landing pad, a woman wearing Sith Recon Armor. That by itself was of notice. She was not part of his retinue, which meant she was either part of someone else's group or a person on a more...subtle mission. The lightsaber on her belt seemed to confirm it, and Nostos wondered whether he should make his presence known.

A presence to his side caused the Sith Lord to turn, revealing lieutenant Nivix's reassuring presence. "The Ruling Council wishes to meet with us my Lord."

"Wishes, or demands?" Nostos asks, amused. The lieutenant shrugs.

"Their servant says wish, the council's words say demand." Nixix sighs.

The Sith Lord considers that for a moment, his gaze glancing over to the mysterious Sith Lady from afar. After a few moments, Nostos turns to Nivix.

"The Council waited three weeks." Nostos says, turning to the Sith Lady. "They can afford to wait a few more minutes. Tell the umbaran we will leave once I'm ready to leave."

A pause. "Oh, and get the men on their best behavior." Nostos says idly, turning towards and approaching the Sith. "I believe we are in the company of an esteemed guest."

Lord Nostos approaches the Sith, breathing slowly, studying her as he approached. It was a curious affectation, to appear common yet to wear the weapon of her station, was it deliberate? He kept his presence close to the chest, walking slowly and deliberately, the only sign of the power working through him the advanced age his body had suffered and the bright eyes that stared at the sith curiously.

"I've never been to Umbara before." Nostos remarks. The Sith Lord wore a a set of form fitting clothes, black high collared, long sleeved, shirt with similarly black pants, gloves and boots. A grey long vest stretches down to just below his knees, the closest thing to robes the man appeared to wear, with a belt around his waist topped with a buckle made of pure silver in the shape of a diamond. 


"If you would happen to be knowledgeable of the planet, I would be appreciate your assistance my Lady." Nostos continues. "After all, the sooner our task here is concluded, the faster we may leave this world." 

[Rugs]

A shuttle came to pick up Tsubasa and Ifrit. The ride from the landing pad to the palace at the heart of the capital city, from which the Rootai ruled Umbara, was short. All around, the capital city’s skyscrapers and towers rose — dark fingers reaching for the perpetual night sky.

The palace was short and squat by comparison, and all rigid, straight lines and angles. It spread out over a considerable area. The shuttle landed in a small landing bay in the palace’s rear, and soon Tsubasa was being whisked off through the halls to meet with Council representatives.

He could not help frowning as he exited the shuttle. The palace, for all its exterior severity, was truly impressive within, with broad hallways that stretched up to pointed arches. Dark marble floors lined every hallway, and Tsubasa and his escort passed countless incredible works of art and what he could only guess were cultural artifacts of the Umbaran people.

“Is something wrong, sir?” One of his Umbaran escorts was a short, broad shouldered man. He was bald, like most of the people Tsubasa had seen since arriving. He watched Tsubasa over his shoulder, a dark brow arched in question.

“No, nothing here,” Tsubasa said. “I meant no offense. This palace is breathtaking.” That seemed to placate the man, who led on with a slight hurry to his step.

A darkness descended on the world. It wasn’t the malady he’d felt lingering over the city from the landing pad. This was something different; it was chilling and very much active. It stank of the Dark Side.

I don’t like this.

“Councillor Zanedi and Councilor Chinelo will meet with you here,” the bald man said as he led Tsubasa into a moderate-sized, ornately-decorated meeting room, “once the others who have come to pursue this task have arrived.”

The others, Tsubasa thought as he nodded graciously. So I won’t be working alone, then. That wasn’t bad by itself, though Tsubasa could not shake the nagging, gnawing feeling in the back of his mind that something was out of place.

“These others,” he said as the man was turning to leave, “who are they?”

The servant stopped. “I do not know their names, sir, but two representatives of the Sith Empire have come to help in this task.” His face remained placid as Tsubasa frowned in through. “If there is nothing else...?”

Tsubsa waved the man away with a thanks. As the door closed, leaving him to wait alone, he crossed his arms over his chest as Ifrit skittered off of his shouldeer and onto the dark wooden table.

Sith. Of crouse it’s Sith. He’d worked with a Sith before, though he wouldn’t call the experience pleasant.

Still, he could only wonder if they’d make things better, or worse.

[sparrow]

She had never been to Umbara before, but from what she knew of the place, it would not be a place she would particularly enjoy. An outwardly orderly and organized society, but one where backstabbing and betrayal in the shadows was commonplace. And on Umbara, every place was in the shadows.

Perhaps not too unlike the Sith, she thought to herself. The Empress had attempted to reform the Order to have more, well, order, but old traditions did not die so easily.

She turned towards the new arrival, Nostos. “We’re not here on a cultural exchange program,” she replied flatly. The Umbaran contact frowned at her words, but she paid him no mind. “Just worry about the artifact, and how to deal with it.” That was supposed to be the expertise of the Cult of Mysteries after all. “Given your knowledge on that subject, I will follow your lead.” And if he couldn’t neutralize the artifact, then she’d find a way to destroy it. That was why she was here, after all.

Sagitta looked back towards the contact. “We shouldn’t leave the council waiting. Let’s be off.”

__________

They arrived in an ornately-decorated meeting room, a pair of Umbaran councilors already present. And a third. She eyes narrowed slightly as she examined him. An Epicanthix, like herself, around her height, perhaps slightly shorter. A Force user. Likely asked here for the same purpose as us. But why?

She waited for the Councilors to speak.

[caelum]

"Ah but to focus purely on one's objective at the expense of what could be learned is never wise. To focus purely on one's task over the pursuit of knowledge, in my humble opinion, stunts one's growth." Nostos said impartially, looking at his fellow sith with the slightest tinge of amusement. Closer inspection of his compatriot had allowed him to identify her quickly enough. Zarene Yin of the Bronze. Praetor to the Cult of Strife. The cybernetics built into the side of her face was curious enough, and while he wondered as to the cause, he was polite enough to say nothing.

"Still perhaps you are right, and I thank you for allowing me the lead here." Nostos bows, as he gives the umbaran representative a firm look. He takes the hint, and begins walking ahead and, after a brief pause, he follows. He looks to the Praetor once more.

"Given the choice, I would prefer the artifact in our hands than any others." Nostos says, studying his companion. "One powerful or esoteric enough to affect an entire city by itself suggests to me some manner of sorcery at work. We could learn a great many things from it."

A pause, before he smiles. "Or turn it into a weapon, at your discretion, Lady Yin."

Behind them, Nostos's soldiers formed up quietly and efficiently, Lieutenant Nivix at their side.

------------

The palace was interesting enough, indicative of umbaran culture. Skyscrapers around, yet the heart of their culture was a dwarf-like, squatting, building that seemed almost droll in comparison. Was it indicative of umbaran psychology to trend towards a more defensive posture? A skyscraper is difficult to defend as a primary target, but if one's capital was short and to the ground, then the underground installations would be significantly easier to build. On top of that, the skyscrapers would be welcome additions to such a defense. Ostentatious now, yes, but in the event of an invasion they could be retrofitted with defensive elements and serve as citadels around the capital. The republic would likely find such a defense difficult, leery as they are of casualties.

The Sith would simply bombard the planet. What a tragic waste.

Nostos's attention was wrenched from the artwork and ornately constructed pillars, and more to the third non-native in the room. He almost gleamed in the shadow of Umbara, a curious presence, in a world so bereft of light. He was not a Jedi, at least his manner of dress didn't seem to suggest so, but he was no less dangerous for the fact. Something told him that should the force user have Nostos in his hands, that it would be an unpleasant experience.

Still, he was likely assisting in the hunt for the artifact, and if he could be pleasant to the worst excesses of the Sith he could be pleasant to some fringe force user. Nostos reached out with the force, not as an attack, not as some creeping illness for the force user to choke on, but as a soft, tendril of shadow, gracing his spine in an icy coldness that was neither pleasant or unpleasant, but simply was.

It seemed to say, even as Nostos cast his bright gaze on the force user and the umbarans recognized their presence, a sort of welcome. A sort of acknowledgement from the Sith Lord.

[Rugs]

The Umbaran councilors arrived a few minutes after the door closed behind the majordomo. They came in through a door on the opposite side of the room, an elaborate piece of dark wood with gold and silver gilding. It split down the middle, spreading wide to admit them.

They were near the same height, both with the bald heads that were common to the species. One was older and somewhat portly, with faint wrinkles spreading from the corners of his eyes. The other, younger, was slender and moved gracefully. His gaze was fierce, burning with silent ambition.

Both regard Tsubasa silently, weighing him in their own ways. Neither spoke a word as they settled into the large chairs that awaited them on the opposite side of the table. Tsubasa nodded to them politely but held his tongue as they waited for the Sith to arrive.

It didn’t take long. A woman entered the room first. Tsubasa’s gaze drifted over her, then returned, lingering for a moment. She was an Epicanthix, just as he was. That was a surprise; they were an uncommon people, out around the Galaxy. He wondered what misfortune befell her to lead to such extensive cybernetics.

The second Sith was a strange-looking fellow. It was hard to place his age — Dark Side corruption marred his features. In less polite circumstances, Tsubasa might have wrinkled his nose at the stink of the Dark Side coming from him. As things were, he was to work with the Sith — both of them — so he offered the same polite nods he’d afforded the councilors.

“If we are all ready to begin,” the elder Councilor said as the Sith took their places. Tsubasa, feeling a chill on his spine, cast a wary glance to the male Sith. His gaze was unflinching, but brief, as the councilor spoke on.

“I am Councilor Chinelo, Chief Councilor of the Rootai. My colleague,” he motioned to the younger councilor, “is Councilor Zanedi.”

Zanedi said nothing. He simply watched them with that same intense gaze, seeming to take them all in at the same time as looking past them.

“As you are aware, we have experienced significant troubles since this exhibit bearing an ancient artifact — a wooden mask recently recovered from Cilpar.” The room darkened and a holoprojector built into the middle of the table whirred to life. It threw an image of the mask to the air between the Force users and councilors.

It was old — rough, dark wood with a fissure running to just above the left eye. Thick, dark red lines ran along the cheeks and turned sharply down beneath each eye hole, tapering to points at either side of the chin.

“We have reason to suspect the mask displayed in the exhibit is a forgery,” Chinelo continued gravely. “For all the circumstances that have followed its arrival, none have happened at the museum itself.

“To begin this investigation, we have arranged for each of you to travel to the museum once we conclude our meeting here. There, you will be authorized to inspect the artifact on display to determine its veracity. You will also meet with the exhibit proprietor, Vega Pencron.” The holoprojector now displayed a woman. She was Human, or some type of near-human, with dark hair tucked into a neat bun behind her head. A streak of silvery-grey hair ran through her hair from her left temple. She smiled warmly in the picture, with vibrant green eyes that reminded Tsubasa of Cerea’s fields.

“Should your investigation confirm our suspicions, we are tasking you with finding the real thing before some greater tragedy befalls this city.”

[caelum]

How intriguing.



A Cilparan artifact, a rare enough thing as it is. The planet was almost entirely unremarkable, an agriworld through and through, Cilpar encounter more inbound fertilizer shipments than any visiting foreign interest in the planet. It was a non-entity, interesting only for the dots of temples upon it's surface, but even that was hardly of consequence. Ancient civilizations had established it's presence upon countless planets, not all of them were relevant to the Sith, fewer still relevant to the Force itself. That this singular artifact coming from Cilpar existed at all was either a recent discovery worthy of acclaim, or a hoax.

Nostos leaned in forward. "Councilor. Let it be known that the Empire will be more than happy to carry out the task you've set for us today. We will retrieve the artifact, of course, ensure that no further harm would befall the city as we do and suitably punish whoever it was that had stolen the mask."

A pause, before turning to Tsubasa, a curious look on his face. Bright eyes stared forth, before looking back to the Councillors, smiling.

Umbara was an interesting enough planet, neutral to the conflict currently, but not unmanageable. Influence on the planet was valuable, and anything that they could do to align the planet for the Empire was a worthwhile investment. This Cilparan artifact was only icing on the onderonian cake, at this point.

"I will presume that the task allows us the suitable level of latitude to carry it out as per your preference. Is there anything else you would wish, before we begin?"