The Summit’s Call (3597 BBY)

[Rugs]

”I knew you’d come.”

A crooked smile spread across Kamirille’s features. The wan light of a dying star filtering in through the polarized windows of the space station in orbit around some long-forgotten rock of a world lent her face a ghostly glow.

Nieraan’s jaw muscles visibly strained as his clenched his teeth, but he said nothing. It took most of his effort to keep the anger boiling within him in check, to keep from closing his hands to fists and swinging at the smug woman.

That’d be a losing fight. And for once, he wasn’t mad at her anyway.

Kamirille stood from the plush chair she’d been lounging in as if it were a throne.She was taller than him, at slightly over six feet. She was leanly built and athletic. She didn’t look anywhere close to her near one-hundred years, but neither did he to his thirty-five. He’d always taken after her more than his father, down to the raven black and blue hair.

“You remember it, don’t you? What I told you so many times on Metellos, after so many beatings because you were too stubborn to listen?”

Nieraan’s jaw clenched further. He refused to answer. Kamirille laughed.

“Fine,” she said with a dismissive wave as she turned to look at the distant white dwarf, “keep being stubborn. But do rid yourself of the attitude before we begin, won’t you?”

She looked over her shoulder at him, a long yellow eye meeting his. “You know you’ll only make things harder on yourself if you don’t, boy.” Kamirille turned to the window again, inhaling deeply. “But one way or another, I will make you strong.”

---

One week later

Nieraan could see the jungle out in the distance, beyond Kaas City’s limits. He stood with his hands folded behind his back, looking out the one of the windows in the Imperial palace. It rankled still, to have to go crawling to his mother for help after he failed to defend his own family, but he’d been left with little choice.

Cassius.

He didn’t realize he’d lost some hold on his temper until a metal vase on a nearby table began wobbling of its own accord. A servant looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Nieraan pointedly ignored the man, but forced himself to relax.

Kamirille would strengthen him. That was one need seen to in the wake Cassius Liviana breaking into his home and running off with one of his children. Danica was overseeing the process of moving the family to Kaas City, a much more secure location than Korriban — and one they would’ve moved to long ago, if Nieraan had his way.

One matter yet remained. Ascension.

For a long time, Nieraan had been content with his rank as a Sith Lord. He was high enough in the Order’s hierarchy that only a select few had any real authority over him, and he was safe from his mother’s machinations.

But loving Danica had created a powerful foe, and it was time to seek higher ground. Perhaps it was past time. Only one person could help him in that quest, so he’d sought a meeting.

“The Empress will see you now,” a servant said.

Nieraan sighed and, for once, straightened a button on his coat. He was wearing something akin to a Sith imperial commander’s uniform, but with a long black coat that still evoked his status as a member of the Sith Order. Danica had demanded he wear it instead of his normal dress. Nieraan reluctantly agreed, but not even Danica’s best efforts could tame his shaggy hair.

“Alright,” Nieraan said, with a last glance out the window. Lightning cracked the sky in the distance as he turned on his heel to the double doors that awaited. “Let’s get this over with.”

[Meira]

In the distance, black clouds were congregating over the mountains, moving quickly toward Kaas City. They were blocking out the evening light, casting the Sith Capital into a premature twilight. She had always loved a good storm. The electricity in the air before the first drops of rain seemed so tangible. Renata watched the relentless approach of the clouds for a few minutes from her private balcony, relishing the feel of the heavy humidity being driven back by the cool wind. Aurelius was waiting, but Renata lingered on the balcony a few moments longer. She did not turn back inside until the first heavy drops of rain began to wet the railing.

Once inside, Renata touched a comm on the large desk and instructed a servant to fetch Aurelius. She moved to a side table then, pouring herself a glass of wine and bringing the bottle and a second cup over to a small sitting area. She left the bottle and cup on the small table between the two chairs and sat herself down. Aurelius could be particular at times, and she did not want to waste any of this wine if she didn't have to. She sipped from her own glass as she waited, trying to decide if she should be pleased or frustrated with Aurelius.

On the one hand, he was one of the few higher ranking Sith that she did not feel the need to micromanage. She could trust that he would carry out whatever mission assigned to him quickly and well, with very little fuss or theatrics. He took pride in his skills and abilities, but was not overly proud in general. He had a fierce power with the force, yet she could still take the upper hand with him if necessary, and he knew it. He had few secrets. Of those, Renata had a good grip on the ones that truly mattered. And he was not so overly ambitious as to prove a threat to her rule.

On the other hand, Aurelius was not quite ambitious enough. When Renata seized the title of Empress, there had been a flood of hangers on, of sycophants, and of opportunists. Her own apprentice, Solis, had jumped at the promotion to Darth and Grand Inquisitor. Yet Aurelius held back. He already did not often use his Sith name, something Renata found almost offensive. But she had touched his mind, and had known that trappings were not what Nieraan valued. The name did not hold the same meaning to him as Renata did for her. Perhaps one day.

It had taken a terrible crime to finally bring Aurelius to her doors. As they swung inward and the man stepped through, Renata set down her glass on the small table and clasped her hands together, resting them lightly in her lap. Danica had already come to her. Renata already knew the whole story. Guarded as Aurelius always was, she didn't need the force to recognize the rage that seethed within him. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly in satisfaction, but Renata maintained control of her face as he approached. That smile threatened again as she noted the neat clothing that he wore. Picked out by Danica, no doubt. The presence of the fine clothing was evidence of the importance he placed on this meeting.

"Aurelius." she said in greeting. "I knew you'd come.

[Rugs]

“Did you?” Nieraan’s first words as he entered Renata’s office were perhaps more caustic than he would have liked. The anger that burned in his eyes was, perhaps, more heated than anyone would rightfully dare to levy in the presence of the Empress.

The smoking tendrils of anger that slipped through Nieraan’s attempts at control weren’t meant for Renata, though -- a man could only stew for so long in his rage without unintended consequences.

He stopped short of the chairs and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply to steady himself. His fists clenched at his side and his presence seemed to waver between heated fury and and unsure, shaky attempts at calm.

Nieraan hadn’t come to beg, but neither had he come to make a fool of himself.

“Sorry,” he muttered, annoyed at himself.

He looked at the chair, as if momentarily unsure of the proper procedure for seating himself in the presence of the Empress. This is important, Danica drilled into his head, over and over. Appearances matter.

Yet Neiraan couldn’t see much else to do than seat himself, what with Renata already sitting and all, so he did. Then he sat for a moment of awkward silence, trying not to grow angry again as his mind recalled the events that led him here. His silver skin betrayed his emotions.

“Then I take you already know what’s happened,” he finally said. “I can recount the details if you’d like, but it seems like that’d be a waste of both our times and I’d really prefer not to.”

A boom at the door. Blaster fire erupting at the front of the mansion. Nieraan’s eyes narrowed slightly. His hand, clutching the arm of the chair, twitched momentarily as he resisted the urge to curl his fingers to fists.

“I have,” he started again, “for years, given everything I can to this Order. My time. My strength. My blood. My knowledge to keep our members as capable as I know how. But I have recently found myself in the position of needing...” his jaw muscles strained again, as he subconsciously resisted what felt like an embarrassing ask, “more.”

[Meira]

"Did you?"

Renata smiled at the unintended bite of the words. She did not respond, but rather let the silence following his words respond for her. After a moment, Aurelius growled out an apology. She waved one hand in a casually dismissive gesture as he hesitated, trying to decide if he should sit or not. That hesitancy caused the smile on her face to continue for another few moments before he finally made up his mind and sat down. If there was one thing Renata enjoyed these days, it was seeing how everyone worried over how to behave around her. Aurelius hadn't, not before now, but there was a first time for everything.

“Then I take you already know what’s happened..." he began and Renata nodded her head.

"I do." she said when he'd finished, reaching out one thin hand and resting it on his forearm. His skin had gone silvery, a very rare sight indeed, and he was threatening to ruin the upholstery on the arm of the chair. Usually, Renata was not one for calming nerves. She preferred the chaos of emotion to be in the air around her. Other people were much easier to manipulate in such situations. But the kind of rage that she could sense from Aurelius now was the sort that would burn beyond any semblance of control if allowed to go wild.

With her hand on his arm strengthening their contact, Renata pushed a sense of calm and control toward Aurelius' mind. Her breathing was slow and steady. It was not the same as she remembered her Jedi training being. This was not a bid at detachment, but rather a reminder that strength and power could overcome any emotion. It was not a call to dismiss his pain and seek empty peace, but to harness that pain and take solace in knowing that he could control it and use it.

"You were there." she said, her voice cool and matter of fact. "You allowed him to be taken." It was a gamble, what she was doing. But everything with Aurelius had always been a calculated risk. He was the least predictable of the Sith that had risen in the wake of the first Inner Sanctum, and yet he was one of the most reliable. A strange juxtaposition. Renata had been hoping to help his ascent since the day she'd met the man and had been initially surprised by his lack of ambition. But over the years, she had learned how to pull him from the muck. Danica had certainly been helpful in that respect. Loving someone had a way of helping people to care more for themselves. But Aurelius needed to be challenged as well as encouraged. He needed to believe he deserved more, and then to have that desire threatened. Renata could have kissed Cassius. She only wished she had thought of it first.

"And now you want me to help you fix your mistakes."

[Rugs]

Some semblance of calm tried to take hold as Renata touched his harm. Nieraan kept a growl to himself. He hated feeling outside influence on him. He hated that he had to come to beg like a dog after scraps because he’d failed to protect his family.

But it was better to go with this for now. He needed Renata, whether he wanted to admit it or not, and overly antagonizing her would serve no purpose.

“You were there,” Renata said. “You allowed him to be taken.”

So much for peace and calm.

Nieraan scowled openly. His grip tightened again on the panel. Sparks crackled across his fingertips before he wrestled back some degree of control

“I allowed nothing,” he growled.

But was that true? He’d fought, to be sure. He’d also lost. At a moment when victory seemed assured. After killing dozens of Cassius’ men and pushing the old man to the brink. None of it mattered.

“And now you need me to help you fix your mistakes.”

Nieraan’s eyes narrowed. With anyone else in the Empire, those words would’ve earned a punch in the face and a healthy dose of lightning. Yet attacking the Empire’s Empress was a good way to end up dead.

That wouldn’t fix anything.

He closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. For a long, turmoiled moment he remained silent as he wrestled his fury under control.

“Yes,” he said finally, opening his eyes. “I need your help. Is that what you want to hear, Empress?” Some of that acid returned to his voice. It was hard to keep away, but he cleared his throat and tried again to speak more calmly.

He sat up slightly, pulling his arm away from her touch. The gesture was more defensive than defiant. “I will fix my own mistakes, but I need more power. More influence. More everything.”

Acting against some Sith Lord was one thing. But a Darth — that title bore the weight of millennia’s worth of predecessors. Nieraan had ignored the difference, comfortable in his own stratum, but he wasn't blind to it.

“You are the only one who can give me that,” he said. “What do I have to do for it?” That was a dangerous thing to ask, in the Sith. But it might not matter, for Renata. One couldn’t simply ignore the Empress’ wishes.

Try as he might, he couldn’t keep an edge of desperation from his voice. Threats against himself were one thing. Threats to his family were something else, and he’d go to the ends of the Galaxy to crush them.

[Meira]

She kept her eyes focused on him, her senses attuned to his every movement. She did not believe that Aurelius would be so stupid as to attack her, but one could never be certain. She could feel how he seethed, but also how he maintained control. It was a struggle, to be sure, but he did maintain control Good, she thought. He's come such a long way. There was a faint burn in the air and Renata saw, with a quick glance, that it was the fabric of the chair, singed beneath his hands where he gripped the arms with white knuckles. When he narrowed his eyes at her, Renata knew that he'd come to that pivotal moment, the moment of choice. Her eyes remained wide and ready, but she said no more. She had pushed and guided him to this moment, but he would have to be the one to take the next step.

He closed his eyes. Renata inhaled, her thin lips stretching into a smile as she released the breath. Good. She waited in the quiet of that small moment, allowing Aurelius the time he would need. She knew that this was not easy for him. But it was necessary. This was the hardest lesson had to learn when she received the Darth mantle, and now it was his turn. She studied his form as he composed himself, pleased at the fruits of her labors. Aurelius would never admit it -honestly he likely didn't know the full extent- but he was one of her favored pet projects.

"Yes." His eyes would connect with hers as they opened again. “I need your help. Is that what you want to hear, Empress?”

Renata's smile warmed. "It is."

He continued, making his assertions and stating his need for more. Renata nodded along, fully understanding that need. He pulled away from her and Renata folded her hands onto her lap as she listened.

“You are the only one who can give me that,” he said. “What do I have to do for it?”

Renata allowed the silence after his question to weigh down for a few moments before she answered. When she did answer, Renata took care to wrap her words in the heady ether of the Force. Her eyes, electric blue with shocks of gold held him in her gaze. She wanted to be sure she had his full attention.

"Show me that you are worthy of the name you were given, the one you discard as often as not. If you want this, Aurelius, it had damn well better not be only for your petty revenge." Here, she stood, knowing that he would bristle at those words and not wanting to give him the opportunity to interrupt her. "I have saved this Empire from self destruction, I will not lay its new foundations on unsteady ground. You have risen this far on innate talent and my good graces, but if you wish to wield the power of the Inner Sanctum, I will have your undying commitment. The Order needs leadership and while I know that your family is precious to you, you must know that they are insignificant next to the needs of the Empire."

Renata paused for a moment, and then stepped closer to Nieraan, reaching out to take one of his hands in both of hers. Her eyes sought out his again as she continued, in a softer but still commanding tone. "I will give you these gifts, Aurelius. You will have the title and the power. You will reunite your family. But know this; I will rip it all away from you if you fail me." Her hands gripped his just a little tighter, but she continued to smile gently. "Do we have an understanding?"

[Rugs]

Petty revenge.

Nieraan nearly growled at the remark and opened his mouth to say more, but Renata preempted him before he could get a word in edgewise. Probably for the best. What could he say that would dissuade her? Yes, Cassius’ attack was what pushed him to seek this advancement. Yes, he needed the position to properly seek his revenge.

But petty? No, Nieraan had plans for Cassius, but it would take time--a long, drawn out personal campaign. He had time, after all. The old man did not.

What was that to someone not involved, though?

At Renata’s last words, Nieraan’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He bristled again, but more subtly. Dangerously.

“You will get everything you ask of me, and more,” he said. “I can promise you that. I will continue to push this Order to greatness, as I already do. No enemy will escape my reach if you demand it, and no unworthy Sith will be left unmolded into a weapon for your hand.”

His voice dropped and his expression grew more severe. His fangs showed as he scowled and his presence grew almost thorny. “But you should know one thing about this understanding, Renata,” he said, foregoing her imperial title for the first time. “If you harm my family, I don’t care what pain or misery it brings me, or if I have to die doing it — I will kill you.”

Nieraan, not realizing he’d leaned forward, settled back into the chair and took a long, slow breath. His jaw tightened and for a fleeting moment, he felt a tinge of worry that he’d overstepped his bounds.

No going back now, though. And he wouldn’t even if given the change. His family — his children — deserved a life better than the one he’d lived, and he’d let nothing, not even Renata, stop him from providing it. She could help, tremendously, if they stayed on good terms.

“That is the only thing I have to add,” he said. “Otherwise, yes. We have an understanding.”

[Meira]

That warning had almost been too much. Through his skin Renata could feel how very close to the edge Aurelius had come. Only a few years ago, such a threat would have been met with violence, swift and brutal. Now, this man, this Sith Lord knew control. And no less brutal or powerful for it. Aurelius took the warning and added it to the flame. She did not envy Cassius, or any other being that would have the misfortune to be found opposite him.

"Renata..."

It had been years since anyone outside of the Inner Sanctum had used her name absent any title. In fact, thinking back on it, she believed he had been the one to do so. Nieraan Onin, crouched down in the damp, dark depths of the temple on Korriban, that Noghri flailing in the dark. Even as Aurelius threatened her life, Renata couldn't help but smile. How high we have ascended, she thought, and yet how little we have changed. His threat was not, however, necessary. She knew he would follow through, to the best of his ability, should she take his family from him. But Renata had no intention of doing that. She adored Danica far too much to do such things. She doubted it would ever become necessary.

"I am glad." was all that she said in response to that. "Now," the tone of her voice shifted, taking on that Imperial authority used in official matters. She tugged at his hand, urging him to stand up. "let's do this properly."

Her hand still gripping his, Renata followed that path she'd found years ago through his nerves to his mind. He'd improved his defenses over the years, but it was a fool who believed they could guard themselves entirely from the Dark Empress. Aurelius was no fool, but he had forgotten his place, if only for a moment. He was fortunate that she favored him, and that they were alone. His reminder would be much more severe otherwise. As it was, a gentle nudge should do the trick.

Looking up into his eyes, Renata smiled warmly at the man as her mind traced its way into his. She could recall the shame of his child's loss to him, she could help him to relive his greatest fears or most shameful defeats. She could deprive him of his senses, or overload them and drive him into madness. She could pull the very life force from his soul. She could but she did not. Renata was not subtle as she moved through his mind. He needed to remember who she was, what she was. Names were important. Titles were important. A man of his species should know such a thing. Had he not come here seeking a new title? And why? Power.

"Kneel." she said, her voice soft but powerful. She did not wait for him to comply. With the command came the compulsion. She pressed into the motor cortex of his mind, her will firing the synapses that caused his knees to buckle. The proud man lowered before her and for a few brief moments, she maintained that hold on him, allowing him to feel it. And then, in an instant, she released him, both mind and hand, taking a step back and lifting her chin. "Rise, Darth Aurelius, Dark Lord of the Sith, and raise my Order up with you. I welcome you to my Inner Sanctum."

[Rugs]

For a passing moment, some part of Nieraan wondered what retribution might fall upon him for his threat. It wasn’t an idle one; both of them knew that. Yet who would be so bold as to make a threat on the new Empress’ life, while she was still new to power?

Still, he had a history with Renata. It was... occasionally bumpy, but mutually beneficial, on the whole. She was the reason he had reason so far in the Order, to begin with.

“I’m glad,” came her response, and that was it. Nieraan frowned slightly. It seemed too easy. Surely she didn’t take his threat so lightly.

A sudden jolt shook him. It wasn’t the sting of electricity, but something far more concerning. He felt her mind, icy and controlled, snaking into his. A shock of fear worked through his system as he panicked, trying to hide his most sensitive memories — his most sensitive failures — from her prying eyes. His failure against Cassius, even though she knew of it already. The many abuses his mother bestowed upon him. The fact that she yet lived and he’d gone running to her much as he had here.

Nieraan tried to cordon them away, yet he knew in the pit of his being that Renata could find all to them and more if she truly wanted to. Something else happened, though, she worked deeper into his mind.

He felt an urge to obey her. Nearly irresistible. Like a fly to honey, he felt drawn, inexplicably, unceasingly to do whatever she commanded.

“Kneel.”

The rug pressed against his knees before he knew what was happening. His free hand’s palm pressed against the fine rug beneath him as his head tilted forward in a subservient bow. If some part of him wanted to resist, wanted to push back to his feet, it was powerless to do so.

Nieraan gritted his teeth and bore it in silence.

Suddenly, she was gone, or her presence was from his mind as her hand left his skin and she told him to rise.

Nieraan hesitated, breath coming in short, heavy gulps as he processed what had happened. Darth Aurelius. A darth could not hesistate.

He stood, proud despite the embarrassment bestowed upon him.

For the first time since he stepped foot in her office, he grinned. It was a dark thing, showing the tips of both sharp canines. He nodded his head, in his own sort of bow. Despite her intrusion, he was thankful

“As you command,” he said. With his head still halfway tilted down, his smile turned to something of a smirk. His own personal war was about to begin. Cassius would know a fury like no other. “Thank you, Empress.”