Business Is Booming

[Tasha Blackwell]

Business was booming, and Tasha loved it. She had very capable employees that were working hard to expand her corporate empire. Every now and then Tasha made the visit out to some of the warehouses they had acquired. Some of them were less than legitimate, but they brought in tons of profit. She was on Nar Shaddaa visiting one of the disruptor producing factories.

The law around here didn’t improve even with Mandalorians taking over, and she was thankful for that. She could walk around here without worrying about anyone shutting down her operation. Tasha hated having such a strict security detail around her at all times, but it was necessary after the attempt on her life at a demo of her products.

She was given a tour of the assembly line and production of the guns at the new and remodeled factory. From the outside it now looked like a legitimate business, and it even had her logo on it. Tasha was happy with what she saw, but she had a long day and was beyond tired. Her business suit felt tight, and she wanted nothing more than to undo her ponytail and collapse on her bed.

Tasha snuck out of the factory for a moment, stepping outside of the building and into an alley. She had dodged her security detail and simply wanted to get some fresh air. It was the middle of the night, and there was a storm going on outside. The soft drizzle of rain was actually a welcome reprieve from the heat that scorched the city.

Tasha looked out into the empty alley, spotting the odd drunk every now and then. She reached into her purse and took out a cigarra. She wasn’t often a smoker, but the stress of these constant meetings was getting to her. Tasha lit up her cigarra and took a drag, blowing out a thick plume of smoke. She was standing under an awning to shield her from the rain. She tilted her head as a shady looking man with missing teeth slowly approached her. His hair was oily and he had a wide grin, “Hi miss, could I interest you in some deathsticks?” He looked her up and down, “....You can pay me in ways other than credits.”

 

[The Eternal (?)]

After leaving the tomb, the Eternal realized that it would need more than just a cult of followers behind him. With the help of one of them, however, they told him about a woman named Tasha Blackwell and how she was running one of the prominent weapons production company on the planet of Nar Shadda. The mask had a plan and she would be a key part of it if she had the answers that the Eternal needed. When he arrived on the planet it was easy enough to track her down, catching her scent quickly before beginning to track and stalk her from afar and in the shadows. The Eternal was a natural predator to the force and when he caught its scent then there wasn't any way for him to lose it. As he finally caught up, he noticed how the woman visited a factory and he assumed it was part of her assets.

Launching himself on the roof of the factory, he landed gracefully and with soft feet, moving like a wraith across the roof and in between the shadows before arriving at a random window with a perfect view inside. The Eternal didn't need to keep track of her, he could sense her well enough and with his own suppressed signature; her's would be the only one that actually stood out. Instead, the creature's eyes went to the assembly line of weapons that were still in production, clearly straight off the press as they were neatly stacked in crates or packaged somewhere else. It was obvious she was the right woman and that's when he noticed that she was separating herself from the others, deciding to head outside and leave the safety of her detail.

The man continued to walk closer, "I'm not needy." He couldn't help but let out a sort of childish giggle, unable to have his eyes roam after Tasha and her figure. A couple steps closer, "Cmon..." But before he could close even the distance even further he began to shiver uncontrollably, his breath coming out in thick clouds as he stared at in shock, "What the kriff... What are you doing?" Tasha would see that the butt end of her cigarra was no longer lit as well, the end froze cold. If both them were observant they could see the ice start to form along the walls, the moisture from the rain assisting in freezing everything there in the alley. The rain that fell through the air turned into practical icicles the moment each drop entered into the alley, freezing mid-air before shattering once they hit the pavement. "Whatev-" Suddenly one of the icicles flew through the air as a missile and went right through the homeless man's cheeks, staying stuck in the man's mouth as he tried to let out a pained scream before another came and pierced his throat. His hand came up shaking and hoving over the icicles that was plunged into him, not knowing what to do or how to get them out. He had talked too much and was a nuisance, that being the first thing the Eternal wanted to take away and silence.

The man thought Tasha was one doing this and he gazed at her with fear before more icicles flew through the air, one piercing through the man's thigh while another went through his stomach. Each icicle would slowly turn red, blood pouring out of the wounds and starting to color each one. The homeless man wasn't simply strong enough and simply collapsed to the ground with a thud, his eyes becoming lifeless as he finally succumbed to his wounds. That's when Tasha would feel something else was there with her, a presence that suddenly revealed itself and had the effect of swallowing everything in its path, the Dark Side palpable from it. The Eternal stepped out of the shadows from the other side of the alley and directly across from Tasha, raising one finger slowly to his mouth, "Shhhhhh..." The guards were still inside and they didn't need to be interrupted. "Do yooou... know whooo we.... arree?" His voice was multilayered, a combination speaking in unison as Tasha would also be able to hear the words whispered across her mind. The Eternal's gaze bore into her, seeming to stare directly past and into her soul.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha was about to tell him to buzz off when the man looked suddenly concerned. At once, she felt a chill wash over her. It was the Force working, but in unnatural ways. She didn’t control it, and she felt it chill her bones. The end of the cigarra froze, the ice traveling up till the entire thing crumbled between her fingers. She could see her own foggy breath leave her as as she exhaled, her eyes widening in surprise.

The next moment, the rain formed into shards of ice and pierced into him. Tasha could only let out a yelp, some of the blood splattering across her legs and shoes. She stepped back till her back pressed against the alley wall, her eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t seen such a brutal and abrupt display of the Force, especially when she couldn’t sense the arrival of the person.

And then she felt him.

It was the poison in the Force. It was suffocating, as if it were a rift that didn’t care whether it was Light or Dark. It was tangible to where she could almost taste the foul and rancid taste in her mouth. It assailed all her sense, and it was heavy and clung to her skin. The frost was still there, and she was rooted in place. Everything around her seemed to slow down, and she could only gaze ahead as the figure slowly emerged.

The crimson gaze pierced through her like the shards had done to the homeless man. Tasha’s mouth hung open at the sight, and she was taken aback. What was this creature? Was this a Sith? Was he sent over to force her back to the Empire? Had Varyn sent someone for her? Tasha’s mind ran a million directions at once.

When the man spoke, he didn’t sound human. He didn’t even sound like a he or she. It was a monster, and it was a taint in the Force. She had been a Sith long enough to tell when something was truly dark and truly lost to malice and chaos. There was no redemption that would ever be possible for this creature before her. Everything he stood for was a crime against nature and the balance within the Force. It took her a moment to set her gaze on the mask the creature wore.

As she studied it, recognition flashed in her bright, yellow eyes. Tasha felt herself grow weak, wondering if this were nothing beyond a vision. No. He was here. He was here in the flesh. It was here. It was alive, and it had found a host. Tasha could only whisper quietly, “It….can’t be…” She choked the words out, still in disbelief over seeing this before her. It had only been a rumor, and even then no one had returned from exploring.

Before her stood the tapestry of history and the eyes that had seen the first Empress and her dynasty henceforth. Before her was the culmination of the Sith - from the very beginning until now. It hit her all at once, and she felt shaky on her feet. It was everything she had ever studied and chased during her time as a Sith. Tasha wasn’t a part of the Empire anymore, but this was her passion for as long as she could remember. This was what drove her into the Empire, and this was what she lived for. Before her stood a remnant of what shaped Andraste’s empire.

Tasha slowly lowered down to her knees, bowing as she hadn’t done since she had been a young acolyte before her Sith Master. She tilted her head down, “My lord…” She said with a shaky voice, “I am not worthy,” Tasha didn’t have her saber on her to present before him, and she felt lesser for it.

 

[The Eternal (?)]

Confusion, fear, apprehension, it all played across her face and the Eternal knew exactly why. It hadn't fed and killed ever since it was first born for nothing, the mask had gone to lengths that people wouldn't be able to stomach if it revealed it's secrets and it reeked of the death it has caused. But the second round of emotions that flooded over Tasha answered the Eternal's question over whether she knew of it or not. The Sith Lord towered over as she slowly lowered herself to the ground, the crimson eyes tracking each and every one of her movements until she bowed before it. It was obvious that she was a Sith, the fact that she was force sensitive and that she was bowing before the creature in recognition, the usual reaction of the mask being fight or flight. The Eternal was slightly disappointed, it was expecting a hunt and intended on playing with its food if she resisted, having not felt the satisfaction in hundreds of years but this made it much easier to find answers.

The Eternal lowered itself as well, crouching down as its eyes continued to burn into her, Tasha able to hear deep breathing from the creature as it inspected her. "No but yooou... caan make yoourseeelllf so foor your saaake." The Eternal's hunger had been stretched those hundreds of years it had asleep and it was famished. Even if the woman was a Sith or not, at that point the only thing that would keep her alive would be her answers and usefulness to the mask. "Looook at ussss..." It commanded Tasha, its voice carrying the authority of warlords and previous lords that span the entire Empire. She would feel the force slither around her head like a snake and tighten before her head was forcefully snapped upwards and her gaze involuntarily meeting the Eternal's, about a foot of space separating them. Now that they were so close to each other, Tasha would be able to feel the force inside her slowly tug towards the Eternal and slip away in its void, the mask unable to stop itself from consuming the force as it was a leech that could never find it's fill. "Weee waannt... weapons." The Eternal's head twitched once more with a painful hiss before returning back to Tasha and correcting itself, "Soooldieerrs." It's words seemed to be lathered in the Dark Side, as if it was speaking for itself and to Tasha. The mask didn't need traditional weapons, it was searching for something much more specific.

The Eternal couldn't help but give a deep chuckle at its next thoughts, finding it quite amusing to itself, "Aboominnaatioons... Beasts... Like us." It needed a quick reference on how to describe it and it just fit the description perfectly. Tasha would then feel the force around her neck and face dissipate slowly, allowing her free movement again as the Eternal raised a finger and pointed it directly at her, "Do not lie... to usss." His finger then slowly raised to the center of her forehead and moved a few inches closer, "Wee can seeaarch... ourselves if wee musst." The Eternal could if it really wanted to but it would have been dangerous for both of them if it tried, it requiring much more strength then it currently had. If it tried to dig around then it could possibly destroy Tasha's mind and with it the information or even split the mask apart in its attempt. It was still nurturing itself and it would require some time before it recovered to full strength.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

This was the embodiment of everything she had ever admired in history. He was the living, breathing representation of the foundations of the Empire. Tasha didn’t move, the only sound the rain around her and her own rushed breathing. His presence was almost suffocating, and she felt his energy push against hers, almost clashing against her decisions to abandon the path she followed.

She was beyond shocked to see him lower himself as well. Tasha kept her head bowed, but his words caused her to look up. Her animalistic, yellow eyes for the first time gazed into something more primal than her own. His demands were not what she had expected, and she was shocked he even knew who she was. Silence hung as he spoke, and she felt a chill travel down her spine when he pointed at her.

The crimson gazed pierced right through her, and she couldn’t imagine what kind of monster was wearing the mask. What did it cost to put it on? This was many personalities and many voices entrenched within the artifact, and she could tell it pierced into the host and took up residence. Was the man behind the mask even there? Or was the mask fully in control? Was Siris Drast in there? Tasha found herself vacantly staring at him for a moment.

“I...Yes…” She barely found her voice, “Yes… I-I have research and science divisions. I can aid you where needed,” Tasha paused for a moment, gathering some of her thoughts slowly. She began to think of her life choices. He was a Sith, and he represented the Dark Side. He represented her past. She slowly rose to stand, “I will do what I can, my Lord,” Tasha mentioned, “But I have strayed from the path of the Sith, and I never intend to return. My business spans across the galaxy and I will not change that,” She felt afraid speaking so boldly, but she knew what she stood for. She would continue to be Blackwell that supplied all sides of the war.

“Can we still have an understanding?”

 

[The Eternal (?)]

The Eternal had given its warning and the ball was in Tasha's court now, it would be up to her to do this easily or not. But the woman, however, seemed memorized by it, her emotions churning differently then the usual fear as the creature could taste it. She had a keen interest in it and the Eternal kept that in it's mind and agreed that she would help it with the help of her company and her assets. But then Tasha started talking to much, revealing to much information that she had left the Sith and that she intended to never return. As she started to raise she would also instantly hear the Eternal let out a sort of animalistic growl, it a low rumble from it's throat and that's when Tasha would start to feel the pain in her legs. The force would slither around her torso and force her back onto the ground with a slam, returning her to the same position as the Eternal hadn't risen itself yet. If Tasha glanced at her legs she would find frostbite was starting to take hold, a think layer of ice covering her long legs as she could feel the blood in her veins start to freeze as well.

The mask contained Lords, Warlords, and Drasts and Tasha just told them all she left the Dark Side and wasn't looking back. "Yoou willl... not do whaaat yoou caaan... Yooou willl geeet iiit dooone..." The Eternal's hand shot to her throat and she would feel the frostbite start to settle where he touched, forcing her head up to look at the creature, "Weee haaavvvee waaaited.... loooonnng ennnouuughh..." The Eternal snapped at her before tossing her away, the freeze disappearing from her legs and throat and allowing to speak and actually feel the blood flow back to those areas as she would feel the stings as her limbs got their oxygen back. The Sith Lord stood up now, its crimson gaze still burning into Tasha, "Yoou wiissh tooo keeep yooouurr freedooomm? Yooouuurr bussinneesss?" It spat out the words like it was vile to speak them, finding Tasha's priorities completely wrong. The Eternal had sacrificed it's freedom and everything for the Dark Side and yet Tasha gave it up just for credits. "Thenn weeeee... sugggessst yooouu dooon't faaaill... Thhhaaat isss ouuuurr undeeerssstaaandiinng..." In fact, the Eternal felt the urge to rip out Tasha's tongue and raid her mind like it suggested before but now there was a Jedi in it's headspace and that was the only thing keeping it in line. "Geet usss ouuur arrmmy.... Weee arrree waaatcchhiinngg..."

The Eternal kept it's eyes on Tasha the entire time as it started to step backward toward the wall it entered from. The shadows remained there and the creature submerged back into them and acted like they had hands themselves and were yearning to reunite with the Sith Lord. When it disappeared, the cold disappeared with it, the sheens of it melting off the walls as the ice on the ground formed into puddles as well. Even though it's presence wasn't directly in front of her at that moment, Tasha would still be able to feel the monster's eyes still on her, watching from a distance as it waited for to start moving and retrieving what it wanted. It had been asleep five hundred years and patience was one word it did not know. Tasha would still the whispers around her head, communicating with themselves before they issued one word to her, "Waaaalk..."