Matters of Curiosity

[Rugs]

Karn ambled along through one of the Harbinger’s corridors toward the main hangar. He was, by now, quite familiar with the Dominus-class battleship’s interior — a far cry from his first trips aboard that’d seen him lost or hopelessly turned around in its many winding hallways. Good fortune, that, he decided as he passed by a small chronometer on one of the endless metal walls. He’d left his quarters a bit later than intended, but knew a few shortcuts to quickly get to where he was heading.

By his guess, he’d arrive at the hangar just on time.

He wore a neat coat of black and grey, with bronze buttons and the Cult of Strife’s emblem pinned to his collar. His pants and boots matched the coat, and his hair was neatly set, if still a bit damp from a shower before embarking from his room. A turbolift pinged as the doors opened before him, and he stepped aboard to ride a few decks down.

Not too much earlier, he’d been training with his master. Darth Viren pushed Karn in all things — be they physical, of the Force, or of the mind — but lately, Karn had asked for more. He’d always been hungry, always ambitious and driven, but the expedition to Khar Dalba — for all the notoriety it’d earned him — ignited a fire within him. Yes, he’d accomplished something no one had done in near 1,400 years, in extracting that holocron from Sadow’s old citadel on Khar Delba. But that had been with a Jedi’s — with Kath’s — help. Karn’s own failures, his brushes with death throughout the trials Sadow left behind, taunted him, day and night.

And when the time had come to turn away from the brief allegiance with Kath, when they’d crossed blades over the holocron...

The turbolift pinged and the doors hissed open. Karn emerged, rubbing at his chest, at the long, thin scar Kath’s lightsaber had left behind.

Still, to succeed in spite of his faults was no small thing, and Karn was certainly not one to turn down the praise that’d come his way. His triumph was secured, even if the Holocron was, at present, inoperable, and living through failures was a chance to identify and correct them.

So correct them, he would.

His present concern touched on the expedition. Lady Vecordia was soon to arrive aboard the Harbinger, and Viren had bid Karn greet her and bring her into the ship for a meeting. She was, as far as Karn knew, conducting some research into the terentateks he and Kath slain as the last of Sadow’s tests before claiming the holocron.

That he’d encountered the beasts — thought long dead after the Jedi Order’s Great Hunt some 400 years prior — and lived had been, after the prize itself, the most noteworthy achievement of his trip. This wasn’t lost on Karn; he’d taken some claws as trophies, though they, like the holocron, were presently locked away in his quarters for later use.

Karn smirked to himself as he turned a corner into a short, wide hallway. A pair of heavy doors at the far end opened to admit him into the Harbinger’s hangar. The hangar itself was wide and bare, in a manner that spoke to the Harbinger’s obvious purpose as a warship. The crew cleared some space for Lady Vecordia’s vessel.

Karn looked through the energy screen that separated the hangar from the void beyond as he came to stand, arms behind his back, to wait for the Prophet’s arrival. His experiences with the Cult of Mysteries were mixed, at best. Karn enjoyed his closest relationship with any Sith that wasn't his master with the Knight of Mysteries, Visarion. On the other hand, to call his relationship with Prophet Nostos 'bad' understated the hostility Karn felt toward the man. He could only wonder how things might unfold with Lady Vecordia.

Part of Dromund Kaas was visible below the ship. The heart of Imperial power; a world Karn found infinitely more impressive than dry, dusty Korriban. No sooner had his thoughts turned to the capital below than a ship came into the hangar, settling in to land before him.

Karn watched with moderate interest as he waited for Vecordia to emerge.

[That's So Wizard]

[ Dark Ideas ]

Well, there went her chance to butter up one of the Darths.

Some people were just so rude. To refuse an invitation from a lady, after she had her attendants cook such a lovely dinner and had draped her yacht in her finest livery. The nerve! In a sudden, momentary flash of fury, she threw her glass across the viewing deck of her ship; an image of Dromund Kaas and the void of endless space and stars behind her seat. The glass shattered into a million tiny little fragments with a satisfying sound, bringing a small, amused grin back to Viula's face.

"Be a dear and clean that for me please, Miriam." A young lady ran forward to eagerly clean the mess, perhaps out of a genuine desire to please her mistress or out of fear of repercussion should she shirk her duty. Her chair swiveled back around towards the planet, what seemed like miles of transparisteel over her head and in front of her so clearly displayed her new home. No less filled with the politics and scheming of Alderaan as she remembered it in her youth but lacking a certain soul; replaced with a cold, mechanical heartbeat that no doubt kept the engines of war turning over but sacrificed something in return. The Sith of old were a culture, a people, unified in identity and feeling an intense desire to belong.

Where was that now?

What would the great Sith Lords such as Naga Sadow, Ludo Kressh, even Darth Malak or Darth Revan think of their Empire? Would they be proud of the thing their legacy birthed? She wasn't so sure. After all, the Sith of old had performed great, powerful feats through the Force. Creating whole new peoples built and bred for the purpose of hunting and destroying their enemies. She looked towards the datapad built into the arm of her chair, screeds of data shooting past faster than anyone could read it. Diagrams; both chemical and physical flashed on the screen for a few moments, diagrams she'd seen many times before. The Tarentatek. Maybe it truly was time to restore the glory of the Sith after all.

"Lady Vecordia!" Her smile returned to her as Viula was awakened from her daydream, turning her head to her Captain to her left, a rather frail and timid man but well experienced in running a ship like this one. Certainly not someone she'd want to serve with in times of war but he could keep the ship steady and pleasant during her parties and that was all she needed him for. Fly the ship, don't ask questions, don't speak out of turn. "Yes, darling? Are we almost in position?" He confirmed their trajectory, quickly directing the engineering crews to prepare her Phantom for take-off.

In one fluid motion the chair turned around and she was stepping towards the hyperlift to the hanger and without missing a beat another attendant stepped forward to place her shimmering emerald silk cape upon her shoulders. It was time to... make an impression!

---

The Phantom banked gracefully as it weaved around to approach the hanger of the Harbinger. Thinking of the ship, Viula suddenly realized she hadn't thought of names for her own ships yet. How foolish of her! To think she had even customized the outside of her ships and yet had not come up with a suitable name! Another flicker of anger passed over her but there was nothing within reach to throw; so she simply gripped the arm of her chair until her knuckles turned... well, whiter than they were.

Frustrations had abated by the time they were ready to land and she prepared herself to exit. An attendant offered her aurodium crown but she refused it. Far too big of an authoritative statement to meet someone so influential; such matters required a delicate hand. A shudder ran through the ship just as the engines shut off. Touchdown. She stood herself in front of the exit, flanked by her two attendants as the ramp lowered. "Karn, my boy! It is lovely to finally meet you, darling! I hope you find yourself well in these troubled times."

With her trademark smirk Viula made her way down the ramp, holding up her hand to indicate the attendants remain on the ship. She would not need them here. It was only then that she was able to take a look around the hanger. So clean, so shiny, so... boring. Bare plasteel so polished she was sure she would be able to see her own reflection if it were white. A shame she could not see herself; at least then she would have one pretty thing to look at in here. Although now that she was starved of anything eye-catching, Karn was not a bad looker himself.

"I must thank you for providing such a fascinating specimen to examine; though perhaps next time you should ensure it is a little less... flat." A hint of a taunt crept into her tone and her smirk got a bit more cocky, perhaps testing the waters a little on how far she could push him. Strong as he was, he seemed a little unstable, a little too hungry for his own good. Gosh, he reminded her so much of herself at his age! Ah, to be young again! "I do not imagine Naga Sadow was too pleased about our excavation efforts but..." She gave a little chuckle to herself, that smirk now turning into a grin of self-indulgent malice.

"He'll get over it.~"

[Ysmir]

---

Viren placed his helmet down upon the pedestal in his personal quarters on the Harbinger. He rested his hand atop it gently. His eyes closed, and he centered himself; this was part of his ordinary post-training process. Perhaps he was simply too immersed in his Epicanthix roots, or maybe it was force of habit. Whatever the case, he found that taking a moment to reflect and silence the world around him after putting himself or another through trials helped to refocus his mind on the goal at hand. A purpose was of paramount importance to the Darth, and the only thing he genuinely fretted about was being without one.

Fear was not an apt word. Viren feared nothing, he cowered in the face of nothing. Resentment and worry, however, were two feelings that were difficult to elude. When he had Karn earlier, he had continued to reinforce the ideals of conviction between their bouts. The Acolyte grew stronger, more clear of mind every day, but even simply reading the surface of the Arkanian showed that he still had a long way to go. A shadow of doubt hung over Karn's mind, and Viren did not falter for a second in identifying what projected that shadow. He wondered in his own time if the Acolyte would ever truly free himself of Colubus' influence. To impose such a will over your subject that it even continues after death... Viren wondered if Colubus had more power than he gave her credit for.

But he discarded of such a notion almost as soon as he entertained the idea. If she had power, she would not be dead. The Sith had little use for those who did not draw breath.

His concern for importance was well-placed, mainly because of what he prepared for now.

A visit from a Prophet of Mysteries was decidedly low on Viren's list of priorities, but until his next assignment was handed down to him by the Empress, he had little to do besides wait for the summit on Prazhi. It took all of two seconds for the Darth to decline her invitation to her yacht; the last thing he needed was a catered dinner and a Sith Lord feeling as though he owed them something. Besides, he knew what the political side of the Sith Order would do to gain favor, the lengths they'd go to. No, if what this Lady Vecordia had to say was necessary, she'd come to say it on Viren's terms, or not at all.

He lifted his head and opened his eyes as soon as she crossed his mind, and through the transparisteel viewport of his quarters, he saw it. A Phantom, flashy, with emerald-green accents.

Viren knew of Viula Frayus. He made it his job to know all who treaded aboard his flagship. What little his Lieutenants could gather from her past was markedly sparse and full of holes, gaps of time where her history couldn't be accounted for. What he did know, was that she bawked at authority, and that her former Master had died under mysterious circumstances. He watched as the Phantom made way toward the hangar bay, lights flashing as the docking procedure began. He would have an eye on her, and she would know it.

Viren turned from the window, leaving his helmet upon the pedestal, the starlight shining around its edges a stark white against the black metal. He passed his personal archives and meditation chamber, before the blackened duracrete doors that exited into the executive wing halls opened.

Even if the Empress didn't always have specific orders for her Darths, Viren knew better than to expect time off. There was no such thing as "nothing to be done"; every waking moment, the crew of the Harbinger spent their days planning, calculating, training, and preparing for the inevitability of war. Acolytes of Strife, personally overseen by Praetor's practiced their form and their conviction in the large training chambers in the center of the ship. The starboard offices were full of Imperial intelligence officers and Naval Admirals examining Republic fleet movement patterns, the geopolitical landscape of the Galaxy at large, and cooperating with the Research & Development department on Dromund Kaas to ensure the Harbinger's status as the most advanced and battle-ready cruiser in the Sith fleet. All in all, even in times of peace, the flagship was alive with activity, all geared toward never being caught by surprise.

Were he a more conceited man, Viren would believe this was all his doing. But he recognized the competence of his Officers, who so dutifully ran the ship according to his exacting standards, never missing a beat. It operated as a well-oiled machine of warfare, something Viren himself emulated. He hoped the Prophet would learn firsthand what the Sith truly stood for.

Just after Viula had spoken last, the doors to the hangar bay pulled back once more to reveal Darth Viren. The lights of the bay reflected off his glossy army, and off of the bronze pin affixed to the collar of his cloak that denoted his membership. The mountain of a man strode with tangible confidence into the spacious room, and each and every soldier within stood at attention once his presence was known. The crew that had cleared space for Lady Vecordia's ship all lined up in perfect formation next to one another. This process to them was as natural as breathing. Viren came to a halt next to his apprentice, whose attire almost mirrored his own.

The woman before him was every bit as serpentine as he had envisioned when researching her. Calculating eyes, pale skin, a devious smile that belied far more confidence than he suspected she truly had. Every bit of her visage was a mask expertly put on through years and years of practice, one his knowing eyes pierced through like an arrow. But he wouldn't betray that knowledge just yet. He turned to look down at his apprentice, giving Karn a small nod of greeting.

"Lady Vecordia," his voice eminated, softer than one might suspect, but in a deep baritone, "welcome to the Harbinger. If you'd follow me."

Without even a second's delay, the Darth turned and began to walk from the hangar bay once more with clear expectation for Karn and Viula to follow. Taken as a sign to return to their duties, the soldiers and crew within began working once more.

Viren led them wordlessly for only a brief couple minutes, taking them through the linear and grandiose halls of the Harbinger's main hold. Eventually, they came to a large conference room with several seats positioned around a decorative table of Sith design, and a holodisplay against the back wall, flanked on either side by transparisteel windows that gave a view of Dromund Kaas below. Viren stood off to the side as they filed in, next to an Imperial Admiral who nodded his head with his hands neatly folded behind his back.

"I'll ensure your privacy, My Lord," the Admiral assured, before exiting from the room.

Darth Viren regarded Viula momentarily with his burning eyes, the man standing a full head taller than her as they were briefly side by side when she entered.

"I trust your trip was uneventful," the Darth more stated than asked as the door closed behind the trio. He rounded the outside of the table, making way to one of two larger chairs that sat directly opposite each other at its head, though he did not yet sit, looking across to the Prophet. "And I see that you are acquainted with my apprentice already."

[Rugs]

The ship, a Phantom, that came banking into the Harbinger’s hangar was an interesting model. Green, unlike most of the ships — unlike most ships Karn had ever seen, now that he thought on it as he waited for Vecordia to emerge. It was loud, boisterous. He wondered what, if anything, that said about the woman who commanded it.

The Harbinger was impressive, if simple and brutalist. All hard lines, no needless excess or soft corners where they weren’t needed. A fitting echo of his master. But the Harbinger was a battleship, of the Dominus line. Though each of the Sanctum commanded one, and each was modified to suit their specific needs, there was only so much you could do, visually, to a warship.

The Phantom’s boarding ramp hissed open. A woman’s figure, at first shadowed, emerged at its top. Two others flanked her, though she descended alone.

Karn’s mouth tightened slightly, subtly, at the jovial greeting that rang down from the Lady Vecordia. He’d not known what to expect; it certainly hadn’t been this. Still, he’d heard rumors of her, of those under her wing struggling frantically to gain her favor. If her greeting seemed overly familiar, despite never having met him, that didn’t make her one to take any less seriously.

For a time, he had wondered if Viren’s quick refusal to meet with her aboard her own ship stoked Vecordia’s ire. If it had, the woman didn’t show it.

She was, after all, a Sith Lord. Only the Sanctum stood above her. And besides, wasn’t the whole point of his budding glory among the Order so that others would know of him, of his deeds?

“Lady Vecordia,” he said politely as she reached the foot of the ramp, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He nodded his head slightly in deference, a show of respect, but short of a bow. Karn bowed only to his master — only to Darth Viren — and Her Radiance.

His plastered-on smile, his ivory eyes, tightened slightly at her quip about the poor state of the terentatek, but he let it pass, as did he her mention of the excavation of Sadow’s citadel on Khar Delba. “The dead rarely concern themselves with the affairs of the living, Lady Vecordia.” The words felt hollow, dry on his tongue.

He remembered the things he’d seen with Kath in that forsaken place. Whatever machinations Sadow set in place to guard his Vault and the holocron Karn had recovered from it — they knew more about him than many of his Sith brothers. A distressing amount, played out through the visions forced upon him in that damn reflecting pool.

For the hundredth time, Karn told himself that it was just a trick of the Force, some ancient magicks left behind to peer into the souls of those who thought themselves worthy of Sadow’s prize. It offered scant relief.

“Sadow should be happy for the attention,” he added smoothly, letting those thoughts fade away. The corner of his lips pulled into a wry smile as the hangar doors began to open. “I imagine his old citadel is getting more study now that it has in more than a thousand years.”

Darth Viren arrived in the hangar. Karn instinctively straightened his posture, standing a bit taller. As his master approached, he offered a slight bow, a bend that gently lowered his head and shoulders. “Master,” he said simply as he straightened.

He followed in steady silence as Viren led them from the hangar and into a private meeting room. Once there, he took a position behind a seat to Viren’s right, though he remained standing Vecordia took her seat.

For the moment, Karn held his silence, studying the woman who’d come to meet with them and wondering what she had to say.

[That's So Wizard]

"And such a polite boy too! Oh, you are already measuring up to be one of my favorites, darling~" Her grin was alluring and snake-like, as if she was regarding a rather tasty morsel to consume, more for the pleasure of eating than the need to survive. Indulgence and greed were words that were so often used to describe her and as much as she despised how rude those people were... a part of her had to admit they had a point. And she loved every second of it.

She gave a little chuckle at his comment, holding her hand out to regard her own painted nails as she spoke. "Really? I speak to the dead all the time! I find the things they have to say rather fascinating~ A few of my dig team reported having some rather disturbing dreams, it makes me wonder what you saw in those dark corridors..." Viula met his gaze, trying to discern his soul, almost licking her lips in anticipation as she searched for something in the young Sith's eyes; something she saw every time she looked in the mirror. The haunting power of the ancient Sith Lords, the effects they had on your mind, your will, your confidence. Yet just as she almost thought she could see it-...

Darth Viren appeared.

Another surge of anger flared within her, she hated being interrupted like that. Not that he meant to, of course but she couldn't help that flare within her. She hid it well however, gripping the edge of her cloak until she was white-knuckled behind her back. A small curtsy maneuver hid the real reason she had done so, greeting him with her signature smirk. "Ah! And there he is, the lord of this floating castle! How are you, darling?~" Yet as he turned so quickly to guide them into the depths of the Harbinger, her grin faded for but a moment, melting into a cold stare of utter contempt, before her features reset back to that self-indulgent smirk.

She hated him. Fully and completely, though to be honest she couldn't really pinpoint why. Maybe it was the decor. Nice voice though. Yet the fact that she hated him so much also gave rise to a feeling of intrigue. What a powerful man to invoke such a feeling within her so easily, with only a few interactions. She understood why he was in the position she was in almost immediately... and she understood why Karn was his apprentice.

The walk through the Harbinger's halls was... so dull! Where was the color!? The style, the sophistication!? What was the point of so much power if he refused to use it to indulge himself and his men!? Where was his pride!? A finger slid along the wall as they walked, her hips swaying in her usual alluring fashion. Some of the soldiers they walked past stole glances, giving her an immense amount of satisfaction. Trained so well and yet they cannot deny their temptation. Good, I'd hate to think I'd lost my touch~

Even the meeting room was so dreadfully military, so organised and controlled. She allowed herself a small sigh as the door opened, her expression becoming one of disappointment for a few moments, enough to make sure her patron saw it. What kind of place was this to meet with delegates from the Sith Empire, or from other allies? How was this supposed to show the wealth and influence of the Sith? Viren might be a powerful warrior, strong in the Force and a capable military commander but that did not mean he knew how to treat a lady. Which gave her a little idea... something to throw a little wrench into the proceedings, maybe put him on the back foot a bit.

As they passed, she met his gaze as she'd done with Karn, yet instead of looking deep into his eyes, she held it for a few seconds before giving a rather obvious wink. Was that something she should do to a superior? Not at all. However, she never was one for operating under rules and regulations; nothing in the Sith code said she couldn't have a little fun, right?

Gracefully Viula lowered herself into the seat, crossing one leg over another and leaning back to regard the two across from her. They certainly were a pair; something about them seemed so... right. Like the Force itself had guided these two together to be Master and Apprentice; yet it was the way of the Sith for the Apprentice to overcome the Master at his appointed time. She would enjoy watching Karn destroy Viren when that time came. What a fight that would be! What a test of skill and strength!

"My dear, my trips are always uneventful, that is why I must create my own events~ I am sad you would not join me on my yacht, I assure you my chef is excellent~" With that, she leaned back, tenting her fingers as her smirk grew even more confident. "Karn is such a sweet boy, coming to welcome me! You should praise him more, after quite a few tests I've found positive stimuli a lot more effective encouragement than... negative stimuli~" Her eyes bore into Karn for a few moments, that malice creeping back into her tone and smile again.

"Still, since you seem so eager to get on with our meeting and I am eager to be free of this depressing decor, I shall share the findings from that delightful specimen your dear apprentice provided us with." She slid her datapad across the table, her long finger tapping a button to show it on the holo-display. The data scrolled through the graphs and figures again, displaying copious notes from both Viula and members of her team. "These creatures have such an interesting physiology, one that had to have been purposefully engineered to hunt and devour Force Sensitives. Their hide is thick enough to resist a lightsaber, if only partially. They have the capability to lay dormant for years, decades, even centuries between meals..."

Her eyes returned to Viren, lifting her chin as the data scroll reached a particular part, a full body scan of the terentatek remains. "We know they were created by unknown means by the ancient Sith Lords, as a lot of these physiological changes are not possible naturally." A small chuckle escaped her lips, her eyes burning with ambition and excitement both.

"What if we were to rediscover the means to make these beasts?"

[Ysmir]

No matter how sullen or dismayed she made herself look, Viren consciously went to great lengths to ensure he didn't grant her the satisfaction of him caring.

After all, despite the self-import with which she carried herself, she had reached out to him. Not the other way around. And he'd be remiss if he ever let her forget that little detail. Even when she entered the room and shot a rather crass wink his way, the warrior did not budge, stoic as ever. Her sultry gaze was met with one of brimstone, merely watching her go by without the slightest hint of interest.

Viren was selfish. This much he was at peace with. The ideas of love and companionship were alien to him, a daydream. Such disdain for relations of any kind made it easy to deny Vecordia of her alluring charms. When he looked at her, Viren saw nothing more than opportunistic succubus who would love nothing more than to steal a kiss from the Darth -- all the while thrusting a dagger into his back. No, he would not show weakness in front of one so perceptive as she. Despite reading her so easily, Viren was astute enough to realize that she, more than likely, was reading him as well. If he slipped up for even a moment, that would be ammunition for her to use down the line. And that was unacceptable.

So he remained calm and composed as ever, years of discipline showing in moments as he didn't outwardly react to her subtle mannerisms in any recognizable fashion.

Viren remained standing after his question was asked, watching Vecordia as she slipped fluidly into the seat just across the way from he and Karn. He could sense intrigue and curiosity from his apprentice, and Viren would be lying to himself if he didn't admit to at least some level of interest for what she had to say. The Lady Prophet was many things, but stupid, Viren thought, was not one of them. Even if this was some ploy to merely gain his trust, she would not be so dull as to do so without bringing forth something of tangible importance.

Viren lifted a hand whenever she mentioned praise.

"How I train my apprentice is none of your concern, Lady Vecordia. Continue," the Darth stated plainly before letting her go on.

That out of the way, Viren crossed his hands over his waist as he listened on. Glossing over the quip about the decor, Viren instead focused on the datapad which projected graphs, figures, and notes of various kinds. Viren was studious enough to recognize the various numbers as biological data -- DNA chains, protein construction, and some words and phrases Viren was not quite sure of due to his surface-level understanding of the subject. However, whatever he didn't grasp was soon made clear by Vecordia's explanation.

The specimen she referred to, of course, was the dreaded and awesome terentatek. Built like tanks and possessed of a hunger for Force-sensitive blood, the last of these vaunted beasts were thought to have died out decades ago. Such a line of thinking was why, when first reviewing Karn's action report on his deployment to Khar Delba, Viren was quick to doubt that his apprentice had truly encountered such a creature. Encountered, and defeated. A monumental victory for one so young, even if he did have... help. On this, he and Vecordia could agree; they were truly fascinating specimen, a relic of Sith history that eluded explanation.

So naturally, when she posed her question, Viren lifted his orange eyes from the datapad to Vecordia.

"It would be quite the discovery. But I do not speak in hypotheticals," Viren stated simply, looking back down to the data once more.

"Do you, or do you not believe it is possible?"

[Rugs]

In any other situation, Karn might have been grinding his teeth to keep a neutral face. As things stood, the muscles along the side of his jaw occasionally flexed as he tightened his jaw, but he maintained his respectful silence. Vecordia was.... different.

He wasn’t sure what to expect from the Prophet, but she was exuberant — nearly bubbling with energy. But it wasn’t Visarion’s thoughtful brooding or Nostos’ look-at-me-I’m-so-smart or any of the other more subdued mannerisms typical of her colleagues in the Cult of Mysteries. She was decidedly outgoing. Or at least that’s the face she chooses to show. Things were rarely as they appeared among the Sith, and even simple interactions could be as meaningful as exchanges in the most intense duels.

Still, Karn was still very much feeling himself from his newfound popularity after the expedition and wasn’t exactly displeased with her praise, even if the manner of delivery grated.

That was, until, she ventured to advising Viren on how treat him. Karn’s gaze shifted immediately to his master, his stomach tightening. Bold, even for a Lord, to tell one of the Inner Sanctum how to conduct their business. Viren quickly put down her words and moved the discussion along. Karn nodded silently, not realizing he’d made the gesture until after it passed.

Viren was a hard master, but fair. He reprimanded Karn when he erred and praised him when he deserved it. Karn wouldn’t have it any other way; he wanted to ascend to the mountaintop and needed a master to lead him there, through all the rigors and hardships on the road to greatness, not one to blow needless praise up his ass.

As Vecordia presented a datapad with her findings, Karn leaned forward to look at it. He offered silent thanks for it as it gave him something to focus on beyond Vecordia’s needling of Viren. Yes, she was not going to let it go unknown that she was displeased at his refusal of her request. Karn thought her ire amusing, in a way, but was smart enough to keep his thoughts entirely to himself.

The biological data, all neatly arrayed before his eyes, was genuinely fascinating. Karn, owing to his upbringing and his parent’s work and, perhaps, his Arkanian blood, had ever taken an interest in marrying the sciences of life — biology, genealogy and so on — with the Force’s dark magicks. Such work was, after all, what had led the Sith to his father, and in the process, cleared the way for the young Karn to join the Sith Order.

And Darth Novus had been famed for such work. Before her execution.

“It must be,” Karn said, speaking up after his master’s question. “Recreating the dead, perfecting the living — what greater achievement could there be?” He realized he was perhaps speaking out of turn, but pressed on. One thing yet lingered in his mind and had done so ever since returning from Khar Delba.

“There’s one thing I cannot help but wonder, though,” he said, folding his arms as his brow furrowed in thought. “Terentateks are supposed to be extinct — wiped out by the Jedi and their allies after the Great Hunt at the end of the Great Sith War. Yet there were two lurking in Sadow’s Vault.” Karn looked to his master, then Veocrida in turn. “Could it be that there are more hidden on ancient Sith worlds? Waiting, as the Sith have done before, to make their return to the Galaxy?”

[That's So Wizard]

She simply smiled as Karn threw himself into the conversation. His excitement, his passion for such a subject was infectious, intoxicating. She couldn't help but watch him as he spoke, her lips slowly becoming a grin, eyes aflame with excitement of her own. This boy was going to become one of the greatest Sith Lords in the known Galaxy, of that she was certain, more certain than anything else she had thought for years. If they had more people like him there would not be so many loathsome fools in the Sith Order.

They would be strong again, like the days of old.

Just as the Holocron had shown her, all those years ago.

"Precisely, darling!" Another little chuckle left her lips, she could hardly contain it, the mirth was coursing through her like a drug. Here she was, so frustrated with this situation and yet one singular boy had given her hope again for the Galaxy. How ironic that it be the apprentice, not the master. She wondered if Viren saw the same potential in him she did. She wondered if he saw his own demise staring back at him every time he looked into the boy's eyes. Oh how she wished she could savour that feeling, to see the man she hated so much brought low by fear.

"They thrive in the darker places in the Galaxy, which is where we should search for live specimens, yes? I have heard of undisturbed Sith Temples, it would just be a matter of getting to them. Places where even the Jedi dare not tread." She paused for a moment, regarding Darth Viren, her smile suddenly fading, replaced with a cold, almost lifeless tone of voice. The act was over. As much as she enjoyed poking the bear, now that she had the hook, she should pull it in a way he would respect. "Make no mistake, I have no intention of delivering you a pet. I'm quite sure either you or your apprentice could find one of these things and break it's will to serve you without much trouble."

Viula leaned forward, hand splayed on the table as she looked into his eyes. "I am here to give you an opportunity to develop a weapon. We have an opportunity here to be true Sith. Masters of the Force, masters of life and death and all that comes with it. We have an opportunity to turn the entire Sith Order into Gods." With a wave of her hand the datapad opened up a holo-projected map, smile returning as she settled back into her seat. "I have a plan... and you have the resources to execute it. Give me a guarantee and that plan will be yours. Your word will do, of course. You are a man of honour, are you not?"

A plan she had indeed. Whether it would work or not, that was another thing. One for her team to figure out when it came down to it. There were several steps to reviving a dead species like this. Simply cloning it would provide inferior, weakened copies, which may provide them with some benefit but the real thing would be so much more useful. "Can you imagine... Sith warships flying over Republic worlds, opening the cargo doors and dropping forth a number of these beasts? Imagine the devastation, the carnage, the pain, the death... the chaossss..." She almost bit her lip at that last one, letting that last 's' drag on for at least a full second.

Frankly, even if it didn't work out, the opportunity to work with these two was more than enough for the risk to be worth it. She could feel herself getting stronger just be being in their presence. And after all, that's why they were all here, right? To get stronger.

[Ysmir]

Viren afforded his apprentice a great deal of autonomy in these proceedings, not even going out of his way to silence to boy when he spoke his mind.

For Karn, it may have been jarring not to receive any verbal warning. But Viren had his reasons.

Amidst the presentation of the data, theological musings on the deifying of the Sith Order, Viren continued his game of cat and mouse beneath the surface with Vecordia. He would show that Karn was valued more by the Darth than even herself; and in a way, it was true. While the acolyte lacked the same experience, authority, and power that Vecordia held, he had one thing that no other living Sith did, and that was Viren's own teachings. Several months had passed since Karn came under his tutelage, and in that relatively short span of time, the Praetor Magnus had witnessed great improvement. Of course, the road to true power was jagged and rife with failure and frequent setbacks, but Karn had already outperformed his expectations in some sense. Viren knew Karn through battle and through philosophy. Viren only knew Vecordia as a face, and nothing more. Her title meant as much to him as the ground beneath his greaves.

"Precisely, darling!"

Viren lifted his eyes from the holoprojector once more. Ah, so that was the ploy? It made sense. The specimen left behind from Karn's assignment was hardly substantial. It was proof, nothing more. Beyond that it had little use, and even Viren was savvy enough in the field of genetics to know that.

His eyes burrowed into Vecordia's own when she spoke at length of her vision. Despite the... ferocity with which she delivered the sermon-like explanation, Viren could see the wisdom behind it. Fanatic though she was, her vision was not blinded. She saw potential where potential certainly may be, and that was enough to pique the Dark Lord's interests. The terentatek was a versatile and poorly understood beast. The true reach of their prowess wasn't widely known, nor even how they came to exist in the modern age. Even if their supposed "project" were to fail to achieve its intended goal, they would still manage gather deeper understanding of one of the Jedi's most hated and feared foes. This was a noble cause to pursue. Viren lifted and crossed both arms as he nodded his head.

"So," his baritone emanated out, "a guarantee?" He echoed the question less rhetorically, and more introspectively, as though the Darth were weighing his options.

What did he have to gain? Certainly not her favor; that he could do without. But removing Vecordia from the equation, this was an opportunity to gain more knowledge for sure, and potentially more power for the Empire as a whole. It would do the Empress a disservice to not at least entertain the possibility.

What did he have to lose? Little. As Vecordia so astutely noted, their resources at the moment were satisfactory. War had not yet come ringing their bell. And if Viren took the helm for whatever this Sith Lord asked, he would not have to worry about the job being done wrong.

Viren turned to his apprentice, and gave one curt nod. Karn seemed eager enough. This may prove to be valuable experience for the growing acolyte. He turned back to Vecordia.

"Fine. My word, you have," Viren said, "now tell us your plans."

[Rugs]

It took a considerable deal of effort for Karn not to smile like a smug, self-satisfied cat as Vecordia confirmed his suspicions. Yes, the Great had been effective — brutally so, at great cost to the Jedi themselves, even — but had not completely eradicated the terentateks from the Galaxy. They must yet lurk, hidden in the darkest corners of Sith space where even the Order’s dogged quest for the ancient knowledge of old had yet to reach.

After all, Sadow’s citadel waited, unconquered for near a millennium and a half. Until now. How many other secrets must be scattered, left hidden from the eyes of the unworthy and waiting for Sith successors to recover and unleash upon the Galaxy once more?

Karn’s thoughts drifted, to distant worlds and distant glories he might yet obtain. It was only when he sensed a certain shift the room’s atmosphere, when Vecordia dropped the bubbly act, that his focus came rushing back to the here-and-now.

As he saw it, the discussion shifted now to for his master to handle and for him to observe. Intriguing thought Vecordia’s offer was — as much as the thought of bringing back a thought-dead species or even making it better titillated his decidedly-Arkanian sensibilities — Karn was an acolyte, and held no real authority compared to either of the masters in the room.

The offer seemed a reasonable one, in his eyes, but Karn was an easy mark for it. It was a chance like none he’d personally seen for genetic experimentation, to meld science and the Force in a way he’d jump at purely for the sake of doing so. Mastery of life and death, and all that came with it, Vecordia had said. What greater calling was there?

But he was not so naive as to assume that Viren might jump on any project just because it was intriguing. For a pillar of the Sanctum, there was far more to consider than just how interesting a proposal was — potential cost, viability, the web of politicking the dominated every interaction within the Order and so on and so on.

Karn could almost feel then gears turning in Viren’s head as the massive man considered Vecordia’s offer. Then his master looked to him and nodded. Again, Karn fought the urge to grin.

Instead, he turned his gaze to Vecordia, across from them, expectantly, as Viren agreed and demanded more details.