Ask Cast in Darkness

[Roman Antilles]

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GARDENLANDS, THULE, LOCAL TIME: 1346

Imperial corvette frigate leaped out of hyperspace, Thule's planetary contours becoming visible as the Sith Champion stood on the deck of the warship and glanced at it through the large window panes. "Two platoons with us.." Roman said calmly, Imperial fighters disengaging from the mothership and trended its way through atmosphere down onto the surface. Several fighters made fly by passes, while three large shuttles brought the Sith and their assault corp soldiers onto Thule.

Roman's armored figure disembarked the platform onto the ground itself, boots thudding in the mud as their envoy deployed alongside him. Setting up camp, he pressed some buttons into the datapad and handed the device back to the Imperial officer standing besides him. A large map of the terrain was brought onto the central holoprojector. The Temple in question stood on the NorthWest border, several heat signatures littered across the region. "We have local tribes and natives nearby, Champion Stythani...how do would you like to proceed?" He asked, genuinely interested in her opinion. Roman's own methods were often times ruthless and bloody, so Roman thought that perhaps he could accomplish this with minimal bloodshed if Celeste would spearhead the operation.

The soldiers kept bringing supplies from the shuttles, including what appeared as several pairs of dark Sith artifacts. The palpable sinister energies floated around them, for they were a necessary next step in solidifying the Nexus for the Empire.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste descended the ship's ramp gracefully like always, her lightsaber clipped to her belt while she had a pair of vibro-knives in her pockets. She had no idea what this day would bring, but she was glad that she had accompanied Champion Antilles here, because this way she could ensure that she remained in control of the endeavor and that he wouldn't shed too much unnecessary blood. However, what happened on Arda had shown her what you would receive if you solely relied on diplomacy...

She walked over to her fellow Champion while the encampment was still being set up around them. She observed the holomap while he addressed her more formal than necessary, so she let out a slight scoff when she turned in his direction. "I thought we have overcome such unnecessary formalities on Rishi, Roman" she reminded him charmingly while she took a step in his direction. It seemed like he would let her stay in charge after all, which satisfied her strongly. She was not in the mood for long exhausting discussions today, so she appreciated his question. "We shall commence diplomatically for now. We have no idea what we are dealing with, but I'm sure that we will find a human solution. If necessary, we should be ready though. Let's approach them carefully first, but we better take the platoons with us just in case" she explained calmly, while the memories of Arda came back. She was curious to see how this mission would develop, but she was hoping that they could make some fast progress here. After all, Roman was here as well and since he was quite versed in the ancient knowledge, he would surely know how to continue once they had taken over the first prison.

@Faded

 

[Roman Antilles]

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Roman laughed, "We have, I just wanted to put on a more serious note for the troopers." He said, and accepted her stepping closer into his direction. When she did though, he gently grabbed at her hand and pulled her in even closer. "I'm glad you're here with me.." He whispered into her right ear, before slowly releasing her from his grip. She couldn't tell given the terror inspiring mask that concealed his face, but a wide smile laced from the edge to edge of his mouth. For now though, he would have to retain his authoritative composure given the battalion of assault troopers that were listening to their every command.

"As Champion Stythani suggested, keep your arms out and ready but we will approach with diplomacy.." Roman commanded, signaling for those already prepared with arms/ammunition to begin tracking through the terrain alongside them. Several scouts had ventured out ahead, signaling via commlinks that they would be approaching what appeared to be a native village just a few meters up ahead. Roman gestured with his fingers, deploying a regiment of soldiers to sweep around to the left in a clockwise arc to surround the village from two separate angles. As they approached, the natives were unsuspecting and simply tending to their usual daily routines. Completely unaware of the probable danger that loomed they would not have known of the Sith presence until a majority of the legion was within view.

Roman gathered a pulsatile aura of dark energies in his left hand, dimming lights momentarily and releasing a series of wicked wails; Crimson lightsaber ignited in his right hand, the sound and brilliant light being almost identified. Frantic yells and movement instilled, until the soldiers showed up from the other sides with weapons drawn and pointed.

Roman said nothing, waiting for his comrade to initiate diplomacy talks. After all, that was her strong suit...not his.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste couldn't suppress a slight scoff before she smirked. "A more serious note..." she repeated sarcastically, playfully rolling her eyes. She knew that he was right about that, but this wouldn't keep her from teasing him.

Normally, she would always scold men for pulling her close unvoluntarily and without any forewarning, but she let him do it since they had actually gotten along quite well. Even if their opinions on many issues were different, they had always found way to compromise so far and she was confident that this mission wouldn't be any different. "I agree. As long as you behave you are pleasant company" she replied while giving him a cheeky grin, but instead of playing around they were both required to upload a more serious demeanor again, so she cleared her throat before she established her authoritarian fassade.

She followed him into the village, her lightsaber still concealed. She walked confidently, not expecting something like an ambush or something like that and once they were right inside, she smiled as warmly as possible. Roman's entrance left the people in horror, but as long as they were afraid, they would hopefully not do anything stupid. She stepped forward, observing the crowd to make out possible leaders, but it all seemed rather chaotic right now. "Don't be afraid. We are not here to cause unnecessary bloodshed. Surrender right away and no harm will come to those who comply with our orders" she explained their terms quite directly, not wanting to give them a lot of time to rush to their weapons or to make other stupid mistakes. There was a certain authority in her voice and even if it had been an implicit threat, she was articulating her words politely.

@Faded

 

[Roman Antilles]

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Naturally, the natives were not thrilled to see foreigners stepping foot on lands they had claimed for decades perhaps even over 100 years. The truth was that they did not understand the significance of Thule and for the time being, believed that this was their land and these Sith were intruders.

To a certain degree...they weren't wrong.

"SITH!" Yelled one of the children. Apparently, these savages had been familiar with the Empire and its operatives. Roman lofted a brow as they yelled out the name. Cautiously surprised, he coiled the force around he as well as Celeste as a volley of bow and arrow fire shot forwards towards them. Luckly, the troopers durasteel armor withstood most of the assault; Imperial Assault corps lifting their own blaster rifles in retaliation though did not yet fire as Roman raised his own hand to hold a temporary cease.

An elderly woman though, who also pulsated with a strange variant of the dark side slowly approached the two Champions. Her features were near tropical and the essence of her magic had traces of Dathomiri traditions. "What is it that you seek" She asked.

Roman shifted his attention towards her, but made no sudden movements or verbal responses..

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Apart from his dramatic entrance, Celeste had to admit that Roman did a decent job with holding back so far, which was rather pleasing. However, what wasn't so pleasing was that the Natives immediately tried to attack the Imperials, which was not only outstandingly rude and disrespectful, but also an extremely stupid idea.

Celeste deflected the remaining arrows flying in her direction with the Force, but it didn't go unnoticed that her companion had coiled a protective layer around them as well. She gave him a grateful not before she cleared her throat, directly facing the elderly woman who had dared to raise her voice.

"We seek to reclaim what is ours by right. The Empire held Thule for centuries, and we came here to ensure that we will reclaim the fortresses" she held her response brief and precise, to demonstrate that their endeavor was not up for discussion. Her voice was determined and authoritarian, so that it became obvious that if those inhabitants would try anything funny again, the Sith would neither be forgiving nor mild in their judgment. They were offering them a chance to surrender and leave, so that their blood wouldn't have to be wasted, but once the assault corpse would retake the prisons, it was obvious that they wouldn't be as lenient with the prisoners. This should, however, not affect the decision of the elderly woman, as she would probably not care about the prisoners' lives too much. It was nevertheless very interesting, that the old lady was obviously no stranger to the dark side either.

@Faded

 

[Roman Antilles]

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Roman remained standing next to Celeste as she spoke, offering no words of his own in this matter. The rubble of ancient Thule settled around them, seemingly what these natives had called their home for years now ever since the old Emperor had left Thule alone. As the woman pondered after Celeste's ultimatum, his armored form moved towards them in a threatening manner. Dark coils of force wrapped around him as the crimson saber shimmered brightly in dusk sky.

If they did not accept their surrender, it would be bloodshed. At least, thats what he thought.

"No, this is not yours by right...We have been he...." BLARGH!

A sharp spear protruded through the woman's chest from her back, one of her own kind betraying her midsentence as the young teenager pulled the weapon out. The other natives stood up and gasped in shock, several of them grabbing the one man for punishment while others fighting against them. It to have erupted into a civil war amongst the tribal folks. "She does not speak for the rest of us! The Empire provided stability and security!" Spoke one villager, while the other cursed at him and attacked.

Question was, which side would Celeste take in this case?

"Well love, should we help the uprising or play neutral?" Roman asked to the beautiful champion next to him. His hand reached for hers, grabbing it and pulling her towards him in an affectionate embrace, watching this mutiny unfold before their eyes.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste had expected many things to happen once she was done outlining her request, but she hadn't expected a tribal war to break out. This was not just mutiny, that was madness. She was normally pretty good at keeping up appearances, but her disbelief was slightly visible.

However, before she could react towards the mayhem anyway, her fellow champion pulled her close, right into an affectionate embrace which left her even more startled."You're not wasting any time, are you?" she asked him slightly sarcastic, but still amused, because they were literally standing in the middle of unfolding chaos and he was right about having to make a decision. Right away. "We should step in. We shouldn't waste lives so recklessly and I don't want the innocent killed. Go ahead, work your impressive magic and I guess they'll stop" she then explained softly, implicitly urging him to do what he could do best: Intimidating the fighting crowd.

It was obvious that not all of them would deliberately follow them, but it seemed like the majority was responsible and intelligent enough to know that resisting was a stupid idea. With that being said, she let go of his hand and ignited her lightsaber, intending not to slay anyone but to emphasize that they were completely serious. She took a few seconds to observe who was fighting on which side before she started to interfere by catching the first disobedient man in a stasis. She telekinetically knocked him of his feet with the Force and pushed him backwards, while his shocked eyes found hers. "Stop this madness at once!" she commanded the villagers loud and clear, hoping that Roman and the troopers were also busy sorting the wheat from the chaff.

@Faded

 

[Roman Antilles]

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The villagers were as torn as the Sith in decided which side to take. Some followed the rebellious teenager while the others stayed with the loyalty of the slain woman. There were indeed two conflicting views: One of which acknowledged that a submission for the Empire meant stability at the expense of independence. It seemed like a small price to pay to many, but for others it would shake their way of life.

Luckily, Roman felt the need to compel them into making a decision; just as Celeste hurled one of the disobedient men to the side, Roman would use a more aggressive tactic; extending his left hand out, the champion's fingers gestured with a quick twisting motion. The man immediately to the right of the teenager and one who stood for defiance released a quick and painful yelp before his neck was snapped almost instantaneously. It sent another wave of shock through the crowd, others choosing to side with the resistance soon backed away from the boy.

Roman knew that Celeste would disapprove of his murderous ways, but he would accept her criticism on their journey back home. It was their polar opposites that drew them closer and made them perfect for each other. Her tender kindness reflected against his raw brutality; for she was the sentiment of reason and he was the wave of fear. Champion and his Queen. He soon moved closer towards the epicenter of villagers, crimson lightsaber still ignited in his right grip as his mechanized voice addressed the crowd through the slits of his helmet.

"This young man shall be your ambassador, for Imperial might sides with his plight.." Roman said, placing a gentle pat on the shoulder of the teenager and whispering into his ear. "You are now the youngest politician in the galaxy.." He spoke, slight chuckle and sarcasm dripped from his words as he continued to track closer into the opening of the Fortress. "I need five volunteers to initiate the ritual and restore power to our Nexus... So...." Roman paused for a minute, shifting his gaze back upon the newly appointed ambassador of Thule. "M'Lord...pick five of your favorite enemies.." He said.

If there was to be a sacrifice, why not make it interesting...

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Even though Celeste was immediately involved in action, it did not go unnoticed that Roman was being...well himself. She curtly shot him a warning glare before she her attention was required elsewhere. This civil war was still in full swing, but once Roman had gotten rather rough in his pursuits, the majority was intimidated enough to stop.

That was admittedly what Celeste wanted to achieve, but she did not need them frightened. They were not here to establish themselves as some sort of ruthless tyrants that ensured their rule through spreading terror...no, they or at least Celeste was trying to win the people over deliberately. At least partly. A few measures had to be taken. She Force pulled a man towards her who had seemingly established himself as some sort of leader of the still rebelling citizen. She stared him right into his dark eyes, using a simple mind trick to convince him to stop. There was no need to kill him to set an example. She simply grabbed him by the shoulders and whispered "And now you're telling your friends to lay down her weapons before we shed any more meaningless blood". He nodded, still a little startled but raised his voice just like she had commanded and more and more followed his lead and stopped, expectantly glancing at the two Sith in command.

She slightly nudged the man forward, so that he was out of earshot before she turned to her fellow champion, a satisfied smirk on her lips. "Wow look at you. I knew there was quite the diplomat hidden behind this dreadful armor" she teased him amusedly, so that only he could hear while the boy was indeed busy letting his gaze wander over the crowd. She wasn't pissed or anything as he had held himself back. Those that had bled had left them no choice. They could have stunned them all, but the people had unfortunately been at each other's throats already and not all of them could have been saved. His idea with the sacrifice was, however, still cruel and she wouldn't take part in that. Those five were the last ones that had to bleed today, this was still something she would ensure.

@Faded

 

[Roman Antilles]

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Roman chuckled as she teased, his armored figure moving over to her and affectionately sliding his arm across her waist as he approached the teenage boy and the other villagers. His figure appeared to grow restless and impatient as the boy struggled to select a few, only with an arrogant tilt of his head Roman commanded even more pressure on the newly doctrined village leader.

"Them!" The boy pointed, one by one, to five middle-aged villagers. Perhaps they were family who shunned him or perhaps somehow they had wronged his loved ones in the past. Who knew, and Roman certainly did not care. "Good" said the Sith Champion, motioning to his soldiers as he began to advance into the Fortress entrance. Imperial soldiers grabed the five individuals that were pointed out and pressed rifles into their back, forcing them to follow the Sith as he led them to their inevitable demise.

Fortress was like many others, though even more desolate than those found on Mustafar considering Thule had been abandoned for over a century. Stone rubble was falling through cracks, making even walking through the corridors a hazardous endeavor. Soon though, the central altar could be seen. It was left unpowered and that's where their Sith Sorcerers would come in handy. Roman brought his favored ones, three Twi'lek sisters all versed in Korriban magic who would take the initial lead in commencing the ceremony. Roman commanded the troopers to make the five prisoners kneel before the altar, before stretching out his free hand and motioning to one of the soldiers.

A giant vibro-axe was tossed into his hand, gripping it tightly he then extended it to the boy. "It is said, the one who commands the sentence must execute the punishment. Think of it as your first test as leader..." He said.

Was this cruelty? Making a teenage boy kill the five himself? Or was he just preparing the boy for a lifetime of leadership...

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She still wasn't quite sure when he had started to act so affectionately but she tolerated it, hoping that her physical proximity to him would keep him at bay. So far, she had done a decent job in holding himself back and adjusting to her diplomatic approach, but his idea with letting the boy choose those who would have to be sacrificed was bugging her. Was he trying to implement some sort of dark pedagogy? Did he not want to pick random villagers by himself? Or was this simply fun for him? She left his embrace and crossed arms in front of her body while he was busy praising the boy for his choice.

They wanted to restore the Force Nexus and this was the last act, she told herself again. While Roman was was bringing in the five chosen villagers Celeste tried to fix another issue: There was still a certain amount of tension in the village and she tried her best to sort everything out between the two fronts.

She still had a platoon at her side and she commanded them ensure that everything remained peaceful before she made her way over to the fortress. Once she reached the entrance she was already hearing his voice and she immediately felt a hint of rage flaring up.

She approached the Champion who was just about to offer the boy the weapon and seeing his slightly panicking face made her sick. Was he trying to toughen him up by demonstrating the cruel ways ancient Sith rituals? Whatever it was, it displeased her strongly, but she was still trying not to undermine his command here. "Since it is already part of the ritual, wouldn't it be more efficient to do it yourself?" she suggested sweetly, her smile perfectly fake. She didn't want to come across too feisty right now, so she had chosen to appeal to logic instead.

@Faded

 

[Roman Antilles]

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Roman liked Celeste's company and even went as far as curtailing his usual methods to appease her; and so as he tried to take a more diplomatic approach with minimal violence and bloodshed, he thought she would be satisfied with it. Though it seemed, his trajectory for this mission had upset her to a certain degree, though Roman wasn't fully aware of it just yet. He continued to look at the boy after handing him the Vibro-axe, studying his facial features and wondering would he go ahead with the deed. The boy was troubled after all, a certain look of hesitation and panic wrote all over his face and when Celeste suggested an alternative solution, one could easily see the sigh of relief wash over him.

Roman on the other hand, shifted his attention back towards his fellow Champion as she made the suggestion. His temperament changed momentarily, from a stoic curiosity to a mild annoyance. But as she had voiced the option, he couldn't simply ignore it and thus reiterated it back towards the boy. "Your choice..." Roman asked in his mechanized voice as it rolled through the grill of his helmet. The boy stood there motionless before staggering back and replied with a pronounced stutter. "I....I...Can't!" He yelped, dropping the axe to the ground and backpedaling away from the Sith.

Roman sighed and rolled his shoulders casually, before plucking the axe up and tossing it back to one of the soldiers. HIs armored figure approach the young one, and a firm hand patted him on his back. "Legacies weren't created overnight, I'm sure you'll have many more opportunities to prove your allegiance to the Empire..." He said, motioning towards one of the Twi'lek sorceresses as he seemingly walked away from the ritual site.

The sorceresses did as commanded, pulsatile orbs of force releasing from their fingers as the three of them quickly snapped the necks of the five villagers within moments. As their lifeless bodies crumpled to the ground, several soldiers assisted them in preparations for the ritual. Roman at this point whispered something in quiet to one of the lieutenants, ordering him to begin bringing in the materials necessary for completion of their rites. Arms folded across his chest as he stood behind the gathered committee and watched attentively at his mages worked.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste had internally prepared for many different outcomes. Even though she had schemed cleverly, her attempt to protect the young boy purposely hidden by in a logical conclusion, Roman still could have lost his temper if he had actually wanted the boy to execute the punishmemt, but Celeste had sensed the fear inside the intimidated villager boy, so that she had been completely certain already that he wouldn't be able to do it on his own.

She was starting to wonder whether Roman would attempt to bend his will with the Force, so that her muscles almost started to tense, but to her surprise, he just accepted the boy's fright. A wave of relief immediately washed over her while she her body relaxed again, a slight, satisfied smile on her lips. Her eyes still lingered on Roman who was then starting to prepare the ritual and as the sorceresses snapped the villagers' necks, she made her way over into the background of the chamber, observing the preparations with a certain amount of distance but at the same time ready to assist her fellow champion if needed.

Through her last experience with the ritual on Rishi she felt more prepared this time and she was of course willing to help, so she waited for his instructions while her attention was now caught by the boy who had not fully disappeared. She could feel his conflict as his fear was starting to get mixed with a hint of curiosity as he lurked in the shadows in the corridor behind the hall.

@Faded

 

[Roman Antilles]

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The triplet sorceresses began ritual proceedings almost immediately, as they realized the Champion would not wish time to be wasted. Arranging the recently diseased in a single file line, they cut into the flesh of the bodies to pull out skin and blood. Freshly coated daggers with the coagulated red blood were gathered and placed in the center piece of the altar. The ceremony began shortly, mists of red Korriban magic escaping from the Sorceress' fingertips before engulfing entirely the five who were 'sacrificed' into this ordeal.

A thunderous echo ran through the altar, only followed by shattering noises and rumbling grounds. A single green bean lashed outwards from the center piece, and attacked furiously into the five bodies. It made them spring upwards, almost hanging them as in a crucifix as their flesh decayed rapidly and evaporated into the essence of the red mist. Fires began to culminate in various locations of the temple until a singular fire exploded in the middle of the ceremonial ledge.

Roman's armored form came to stand quietly next to Celeste, arms folded across his chest as he continued to observe the ceremony and ensure its timely completion. "You seemed slightly unsettled..." He asked, noticing perhaps some increased hesitation and doubts within the other Champion.

@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

While Celeste watched the Sorceresses getting started she occasionally kept glancing back at the boy who still waited in the shadows. She could not only sense but see this inner conflict between curiosity and intimidation, but the latter was apparently not strong enough to frighten him and send him off.

As she directed her gaze back at the ritual that had now officially started she could see the red mist spreading through the room, coating the chamber with an icy, sinister presence while the ground began to rumble and the air was filled with a roaring thunder. She didn't flinch this time but she was more than relieved that she didn't need to be directly involved this time.

She watched them with a hint of curiosity until she glanced back at the hallway behind them, but the boy had now finally disappeared and as Roman suddenly addressed her, she simply shrugged. "No...positively surprised even that you let the boy go. I still think it was the right thing to do. There was too much pressure on him" she replied with a soft smirk, glancing up at her fellow champion.

@Faded

 

[Roman Antilles]

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Roman laughed lightly at her statement, "He did murder a woman twice his age in cold blood earlier for the Empire. Perhaps I could cut him some slack.." He said in that mechanized voice. The armored figure slowly moved away from his fellow Sith and turned to speak a few words to the Imperial Troopers and the three priestesses that had accompanied them. As their work drew to a completion, they began collecting the artifacts as well as having the villagers clean up the corpses they had utilized for the ritual.

Roman turned once more towards Celeste and slowly walked past her, "Once we have this stronghold up and running, I will groom the boy further...into a weapon of darkness.." Said the Champion, a certain chill and cold coming from the statement as he walked away. The troopers would continue cleaning up their materials while a small force remained behind along with one of the priestesses. They would secure the fortress and ensure it would be up and running for any SIth masters or Lords to visit in the days to come.

Roman stood outside the Temple for a brief moment, a sigh of relief coming to his figure before he returned back towards the shuttle.

// exit thread