Venom and the Murder [Silas, ask to join]

[Kressara Thryn]

Holding her head in her hands, Kressara was slowly beginning to perk back up the more time passed. A small chuckle clung to her breath as she huffed at Silas’s remark. “Yes, I suppose you’re right about that. In fact, I wonder if I owe you an apology. I likened you to a typical self righteous sith lord with a personality crafted after the last dead old dolt to influence you, who likely learned their personality from the one before them.” Peeking up from behind fingers and loosened white gold strands to smirk at Silas, she continued, “But you’re pretty unique. That sense of regality didn’t form from becoming a sith. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

He asked her if she’d ever actually had anything explained to her, to which the blonde sat up in her chair despite the dull throbbing in her forehead. The force was indeed leaking back into her mind through a barely opened door, slowly bringing with it a livelier presence to the hull. Like slowly cranking up a dimmer switch.

“Now that you mention it…and no. I was never taught anything about the force, or combat really. I learned through real danger or need. On occasion someone would show me a particular skill, but my own…well I wouldn’t call him a master. I don’t actually recall him very well, but the sith who dragged me into the order taught me nothing at all. Actually, he imprisoned me for a year in Dromund Kaas where I developed my first addiction. After? I remember that a bit more clearly. I was a trophy of sorts once he believed I’d been broken, but no training was given to me even after being named an apprentice. We were alone, then Tormentous reclaimed his allegiance and I think I took off…don’t much know why. Maybe I was just sick of it. I was eventually found, Ol’ Torm surprisingly took a shine to me, and I’m sure you know the rest. I’ve been working special operations and assassinations for the sith and my own devices, but the academy doesn’t actually claim me. Most of the instructors there have a chip on their shoulder about me, even more so their students, some of which I intentionally pissed off. I think they’re droll and lifeless, and their lack of originality will kill the sith no matter who leads them.” Kress stated her past bluntly, as though she’d simply grown beyond caring. Emotion only returned to her words on her last statement regarding her disdain of a rather passionless gaggle of academics.

“I thought to myself I’d never allow someone to call themself my master again, and if anyone would ever aim to teach me anything they’d best do so as my equal, or I’ll learn from them as my enemy…and my enemies don’t usually live quite so long as the one we’re hunting now.” Taking one last sip from the bottle before corking it, Kressara noted with some of the playfulness returning to her vocals. “Not all of us can be prodigies, Silas, but that doesn’t mean we can’t climb just as high. You say I have potential, I believe you. I’ll never be like the others, you may find yourself endlessly frustrated by that, but at least I’ll keep you from getting too lazy on the throne. From here on, I’ll make it a point to keep you on your toes. Maybe I’ll learn a thing or two from it.”

[Silas Karn]

A forlorn expression coursed across the face of the Sovereign as he answered the matter of regality. "At first I was a regent for the Imperial Throne, however what is likely the true source of your inquiry lies with my parents. Endrasi my mother and Vasto my father, a high born Eshan noblewoman and a regional lord from Thyrsus. Their union was meant to tie the two systems and the divergent cultures together. However, the empire unbeknownst to any involved ensured his death and my mother's capture before they could fulfill their role. I was in their care until that event and thus my foundation lay in nobility. It was such that my stature as regent eventually allowed me to take up his mantle and finally unify our people."

A hint of anger lit the eyes of the Dark Lord as he continued, "My reign lasted ten cycles until in an attempt to free our growing alliance from the grip of the empire I left to secure a partnership strong enough to serve as a bulwark to any attempt to reclaim our territory. However the empire arrived before my return and Idaan, who that had served to establish my claims on Eshan, simply handed away everything I had worked for without a single shot being fired. It was upon hearing that news that all that once was Silas was quelled in the schism as I was forced to start anew."

It was an admission the Sovereign never anticipated sharing with anyone. Yet, there was something that even he had not uncovered between his self and the crow. An ease not felt elsewhere perhaps magnified by the ever-present boredom that accompanied his ascension to the throne. Hearing the young adept admit to the treatment she had received and the fact Silas already knew in that she lacked a formal foundation nor a true induction within the Sith had him shaking his head. 'To come this far and possess the gifts she does have. Such an absolute waste,' the Sovereign mused.

Allowing Kressara to finish Silas spoke up, "The first thing you must understand is that the Force is a living entity. It indeed permeates everything throughout this galaxy. I have seen the limit of its reach however as it is not omnipresent throughout the universe. Yet for the purpose of any inhabitant within this galaxy it might as well be. Secondly, that entity is not ally to anyone regardless of what the Jedi might preach. Though they are correct on one aspect and that is balance. The frightening truth of the matter regardless of whether or not you can attune to its presence or not its will is indeed tangible. Jedi believe that the balance it seeks is peace, perhaps subscribing to a view of the Force as it being an entity for good. However, it takes very little digging into the past to see that even if that was true their existence is not factored in and their sacrifices are an acceptable loss in a greater calculus of balance."

He could see that he was losing Kressara in the philosophy and so Silas altered his approach. "To simplify a larger picture the Force is ever present and available to serve anyone that can recognize it in a symbiotic relationship, even if the nature of that relationship is viewed differently by both Jedi and Sith. To improve your connection and as a byproduct the potency of its energies you are able to wield, most individuals require hours of meditation at a time in order to locate and channel that presence. The reason even a Sith would tell you to clear your mind of present distractions is that doing so requires great concentration, which of course gets easier with experience."

Waiting for questions Silas added, "The reason for the first part of this discussion was that I hold the closest thing to a mentor I've had views. This galaxy would be better off without the Force, and if I have anything left to seek it is in the death of the Force." Allowing time for Kressara to acknowledge what he had spoken Silas waited as she discussed the academy on Moraband. A smirk broke across the Sovereign's face as he listened. "Perhaps you haven't found the proper teacher, though I can't imagine you actually attending formal classes!"

A bit of levity and a muffled chuckle followed as he continued, "In truth though it should be treated as a resource to be used and then discarded just as anything else in life. As I lacked any interloper commandeering my body and leeching teachings from beyond the mortal realm, I would have killed for proper insight during the early days of my training. Flying blind should have been impossible and certainly was a far more difficult road to traverse. What you truly lack outside of structure is a broader view of where you are currently. Just as any outside of perhaps the walking forest who has secluded itself away, it is in history that all those on Moraband seem to be almost completely devoid from."

It was a truth that ran deeper than Kressara likely realized, especially with the latest revelations into her own past. What little seriousness remained was further pushed aside as the crow promised to keep things more interesting. Silas's eyes gleamed in a soft reflective hue as a wide wry smile broke across his countenance. "Come now, don't make promises you don't intend to keep." With that the Sovereign stood up and all light in the room was snuffed out (Darkness). "I shall take my leave for now. Need to be in peak form for what lies ahead." With that Silas's presence vanished as the room slowly regained pigmentation (Shadow Walk). Kressara had as always left the Dark Lord uneasy, unsure of what effect she was having on him. The crew was likely startled, though it was not as if Silas could leave the ship.

[Kressara Thryn]

His history didn’t really surprise Kressara, though it did dredge up the empathy still lurking deep down. She listened to him, not a snarky line to speak of as he shared something he claimed to be so far abandoned…but then why was he still angry? For that, she was not entirely convinced every last part of his former woes and aspirations had truly been laid to rest. Knowing all too well what that was like, an unusual look overcame her. It was a barely there half grin that somehow appeared more sad than anything else, her eyes capturing that very same emotion.

Maybe it wasn’t the Echani way, she didn’t know really, but to still miss what you buried a lifetime ago was only the most human thing she could think of.

When he was done explaining the past that started him on the path to where he was now, Kressara acknowledged it with all the careful reverence of someone attending the funeral of a friend’s bygone loved one. “Though it’s very much late, I am sorry for what you lost and the manner in which you lost it. I personally think it doesn’t matter how far removed from the loss you are in life…someone should always acknowledge the pain of it. Otherwise, we forget there’s more than just traitors and cowards out there.”

He would have to give her credit for trying to understand. Talk of the force always stung her pride beneath the dauntless confidence she wore. It was her second greatest weakness after all, and the depression of feeling like a bird in the wild with its wings clipped was her first. To be surrounded by people reveling in their connection to this intangible entity, people who claimed it was for their use and others who said it was a guiding life energy, she couldn’t help but to feel out of place. What he said made sense. It truly did. Yet, she knew she couldn’t apply it. Not without hurting herself and the ones who’d begun to root for her.

Instead of moping though, she only smiled and nodded. Letting him talk and doing her best to take it in. “I wouldn’t have expected you to advocate for the death of it. As usual, I must contradict you. I’m a killer of many things, but I don’t believe I would end it if it were my choice. The force is balance, yes…but what is it balanced with beyond our galaxy? Surely something. Let it torment and heal this cluster of stars and dreams all it likes. Whatever its counter is far beyond our knowledge, perhaps it’s a better place because of it. Or, just maybe this back and forth of good and evil we all live in is the better half of whatever lies beyond, and it is our failure as sentient beings which turns even what should be, to what mustn't.” He picked at her, rightfully so. Kress replied without any effort to deny it. “You’re not wrong. To the credit of every teacher I’ve ever met, I doubt it was their fault. Still, I hate many of them for other reasons, but being the reason I cannot grasp the force is not one of them. That lies squarely with me. A mere instance of humor from that mystical presence you all tap into so fluidly. I resent it, because believe it or not I understand what you’ve just explained. It doesn’t take much thought for me to know precisely what you mean, but I feel like a match that doesn’t burn no matter how many times it's struck…but show me fire anyways. Maybe I’ll catch one day. It’s not as though I wouldn’t try.”

During conversations like theirs, it sometimes became apparent that Kressara had more going on in her head than drugs, money, and her self made world. She didn’t always use to talk like she knew very little. She only learned to wear her mistakes and shortcomings like a disguise to mask her strengths from view. Yet that careless, unbothered and untapped facade flourished once more as their talk came to a close.

“Ah yes, I’m sure I won’t be able to come through on that one. You might as well forget I ever offered at all! Enjoy your beauty rest.” The darkness pooled around them and he was gone…though hardly far. The ship was tiny and Kressara could have sworn she saw the heel of his boot sticking out behind one of the charging pilot droids. Snickering to herself as the crew slowly got back to their activities, Kress put their drinks away and meandered to the bunk beds just before the cockpit for a nap. Crawling up to the top bunk on the left with walls covered in pictures and string lights, she tried to force herself to rest. She hadn’t since she woke up from her glitterstim overdose. Drifting off into a surprisingly deep sleep, the blackbird fell into nonsensical lucid dreams and the force began to flow more freely through her as soon as her consciousness left her slumbering form, as though she weren’t blocked at all.


Entering Coruscant’s Atmosphere


Jasper took the ship down, its engines adjusting from zero gravity to the draw towards the planet’s cityscape surface. The jostling of air pockets fighting the thrusters might have woken Kressara normally, were she not absolutely knocked out. Her auburn curled pilot called back to a hull, “We’re approaching! We need to land this bird in the undercity, right? Kress?”

Hearing no response, he didn’t know whether to wake her or let her be, so instead Jasper followed the coordinates down to the tall buildings, through checkpoints, and below the first layer of brilliant city life to the underworld. The Shyyyo’s momentum slowed as they reached a landing pad in the slums, dropping her down nice and easy.

[Silas Karn]

Describing such loss was like explaining color to the sightless. Regardless of the separation the schism allowed the innate knowledge of what was taken, frittered, or simply eroded away was infuriating. The raw indignation generated from so many past events culminating in absolutely nothing to show for his efforts birthed an unrivaled indignation that fueled even the current Sovereign as everlasting a supply of fuel as it seemed.

After taking his leave Silas closed his eyes to familiar highlights of horrors inflicted upon others. The cries of those he had slain, poisoned, and utterly destroyed lingered at the edges of his subconscious. Though not fully numb to the suffering, the Dark Lord was so accustomed to the images and sounds that he still found rest and eventual silence of such tragedies.

***Sector L-9, Former Imperial Center***

What was once the crown jewel of the Galactic Empire was now virtually unrecognizable to Silas. Planetary Shields generators gone, the massive Golan Platforms still left in a state of ill repair. The tallest and most pristine buildings that denoted the arrival to the hub of the entire galaxy still decimated. Virtually no effort had been made to restore this 'Coruscant' to the beacon of hope the Alliance once believed it to be. Of course it was largely a matter of logistics.

Since being sacked by the combined resources of the Sith and a legion of unaligned rabble the empire had elected to turn a blind eye to and simply ignore their former capital. This did not mean that the empire would simply free access to the wreckage by the Alliance however, and as such most efforts had been restrained to very small scale efforts. This left 'Coruscant' as fertile ground for piracy, drug running, and other elicit acts one wished to hide from either principal faction.

It was just such an environment that the company the Dark Lord had traveled with happen to thrive. Once they had touched down Silas took to the ramp and departed the ship without speaking with any of Kressara's companions. Yet the moment the Sovereign set foot upon 'Coruscant' a flash of light blotted out his vision, receding to reveal the upper city of the Imperial Center restored to its pristine condition. "Lord Karn, how goes the battle?" Out of the corner of Silas's vision stood Fleet Admiral Kraiov.

The pair clasped forearms in what had become a customary greeting as some alien trash was being escorted from the immaculate streets to the lower rungs where they belonged. In his mind the Dark Lord knew this to be merely a shade of what once was. However, as an Echani it was difficult to break from the depths of such a vivid display. Silas had heard of those of his kin that could intentionally walk the echoes of their past but this was not voluntary. Perhaps this was set up by the one the pair had hunted.

To influence such a trained mind from sufficient range as to remain concealed though seemed unlikely. Whatever the case Silas stood immobile with the hue of his eyes faded to a pearlescent sheen bearing witness to events play out from his past.

[Kressara Thryn]

“Kress! Kress! We’re here!” Jasper’s voice roused the slumbering crow who blinked hard to clear the dreams from her eyes.

“Jazz? Oh…man, we landed?” She sat up, fixing her hair back into a messy bun and slowly crawling out of the bunk.

“Yep! We’re in the undercity. Your um- sith friend is waiting outside.” The nervous pilot was dressed and ready for trekking the dangerous slums, bringing an endearing smile to Kressara’s face as she noted, “I think you’d better wait here. We could need a fast extraction…would you mind staying?” A look of relief fell over Jasper. “I was hoping you’d say that.”



Gathering her gear and hiding what she could under her street clothes, Kress emerged from the hull and strode past the casually (as casually as he’d allow anyways) dressed sovereign, thinking he was merely standing around waiting as she piped up, “Sorry. Deep space sickness makes me tired. We should start by combing the streets. I’m sure we’ll sense him if he’s near. We can ask around a couple dives…Silas?” Only after turning around had she noticed the distant look in his pearlescent whites, peaking her concern. The cinder blonde reclaimed some ground between them until she was standing in front of the sith lord, peering up at him quizzically before repeating in a softer tone, “Silas?”

He was completely dazed, entranced in some other time and place invisible to her. Knowing the sovereign, being trapped in a reverie in such a place was not likely his intention, so carefully, so as not to startle him out of the mesmerism, Kressara reached forward and curled her fingers around his forearm to gently squeeze him so the physical pressure might release him from his daze.

“Silas, are you okay?” Her voice was intentionally smooth, trying to guide his mind back into the present from whatever other sights captivated him.

[Silas Karn]

The schism was degrading, that was Silas’s only conclusion as he began to witness his imperial life as it once was. Kressara had taken notice but just before she touched his arm he spoke aloud, “Krynn…” The physical intervention did not shake his visage however. Instead the holovid of his former days played on until a voice shattered the false reality. As the crow’s voice broke across the Sovereign’s consciousness the images faded and the natural sapphire hue of his eyes returned.

Holding his head with his free hand and covering the front of his face Silas recoiled slightly in pain as a powerful headache began to resonate through him. “No, but don’t let that distract us from our pursuits. Suffice to say that what once was the man before you is slowly seeping back. The hasty implementation of a wholly unrefined technique to escape one’s problems has reached its limits. It was never tested on a practitioner of the Force and was ill-suited to hold such a mind forever.”

Though Silas had spoken at length regarding the mental partition that had held his former self back even now the Sovereign was doubtful that Kressara truly understood what was transpiring. The Dark Lord whose very consciousness had formed from the dark side of the Force and the man that had lived in the very flesh that lord now piloted. As the schism had slowly eroded away the two entities began merging.

Much of Silas’s own former mannerisms and personality had shown through the lens of the current lord. Removed from Tormentous’s ever-present shadow the partition had only grown weaker. Now the lives led by both were starting to converge. The Sovereign was greatly troubled by this occurrence yet had decided to hold firm to the mission parameters until he could return to Moraband and properly access the newfound situation. It seemed arriving at the former Imperial Center had only hastened the metamorphosis.

[Kressara Thryn]

Krynn?

Face scrunching in concern, Kress corrected, “No…Thrynn.” Worried Silas might be having some kind of force sensitive stroke, she bent his arm and moved to his side to support him by his elbow, watching and listening closely. Deep ocean blues returned and the assassin breathed a sigh of relief when he began speaking more regularly…a bit too regularly as it turned out. Fixing her disbelieving gaze on him, she protested, “Negative. Were we in the middle of combat, or merely in a busy street you wouldn’t have been capable of responding properly. Whatever that was, you can keep it to yourself if you want, but you aren’t keeping the risks of it from me by ignoring it.”

Making sure he could stand on his own before vanishing into the ship, Kressara returned with an earpiece in hand and stood on her tiptoes in front of Silas to hook the device around one of his ears beneath white tufts. She turned it on, checking it before giving herself a matching piece. “Testing…alright. Since talking seemed to help, I’ll be keeping tabs on you through these. If you do that again, or we get separated and you don’t respond, I’ll start talking to you and return to your side for your protection. Since I can’t just sense your distress through the force and talk into your brain like you can, let me have this so I can have your back.”

Her hand lingered a moment on the device, even though it was already secured, retracting her hand with fast averting eyes.

“You know not every part of you has to be the sovereign in order to be who you are, right?” She said it with the kind of certainty one says their own name. Giving him the chance to ignore her, she backed away and turned towards the ship lot’s exit. On the way out she noticed a ship with chipping orange paint over an older, better paint job…stolen. Painted to help hide it from first glance. Also happened to match the description Lorcan gave her in the vision while she and Silas combed her memories.

“Nefaretis…” The name soured on her tongue like an acidic vapor leaving her mouth between the fair haired pair. “Orange paint. Lorcan spoke of orange paint. That’s got to be it.”

She branched from the dark lord’s side and approached the ship while reaching for a hand held welder she frequently used for breaking and entering on her missions, setting to work on cutting through the hatch at the end of the distended gangplank.

“Who goes? State your business!” A droid on the other side of the door called out in a robotic tone. “State your b-WREEEEP!!! Kressara kicked the metal from its melting fastenings which struck the droid, sending it careening into the wall of the hull. Stepping through the sparks, Kressara cautiously and quickly walked the ship to the cockpit.

[Silas Karn]

The care Kressara had taken to ensure she could maintain a status check on Silas was accompanied by an unfamiliar warmth. As she averted her gaze the Sovereign’s acuity fully returned to him only for the crow to call him out on his stoicism. Watching as she departed to board the wayward vessel before them Silas felt a keen sense of numbing fog etching away at the edges of his subconscious. Something was more amiss than simply being on the grounds of the Imperial Center once more. With a scowl Silas fell in line behind Kressara and walked upon the loading ramp.

Boarding the ship a sharp pang of déjà vu hit the Dark Lord, “Impossible…” Silas quietly murmured to his self as the frightful recognition of what had occurred finally dawned on him. “That witch! That utterly reprehensible wretch! Were she not already passed on I would slay her in her sleep! Curse her, curse her to the great void!” The Sovereign’s fists were clenched and his eyes swiftly looking more bloodshot in rage. Silas was utterly seething, the promised memory that had been cleft from him in exchange for instruction in a lost art now revealed itself at the worst possible opportunity.

It was everything in him not to sunder the Living Force such that every adept in the sector would be alerted to the presence of the Dark Lord. “Of all the foolish meddling nonsense. If this vessel was once known to me it almost certainly points to a time prior to my internment within the Empire. It must either be directly related to the cycles I served as a mercenary or….” Silas then went silent as the worse possibility dawned on him. This supposed dark acolyte may have had some dealings with those connected to those either connected to Silas’s enslavement. Most unsettling was the even darker prospect that they may had once been aligned or possibly were still so with the infamous former Director of the Imperial Security Bureau, “Morven.”

It was a chilling thought as there was good reasoning to neither Tormentous nor the Sovereign ever seeking out the man whom would otherwise be a mighty fulcrum to leverage the undoing of the Galactic Empire. Morven had been the architect behind limiting the growth of the Echani, was responsible for the production of a sect of synthetic adepts birthed partially from the Karn bloodline, and likely signed off on Silas’s young life as a slave. Yet for all of his influence over the region to the Director it was merely a side project to his lofty aims.

[Kressara Thryn]

“FRACKIN HELL ON A CRACKER, MAN! WHAT?? WHAT IS IT??? WITCH??? WHERE???” Kressara leapt out of her skin at Silas’s uncharacteristic outburst, turning on one heel ready to fly into combat, but nothing seemed out of place. Her breathing evened quickly, fists dropping. “What do you mean? You’ve seen this ship?? No way! What are the odds?”

But the enraged string of recollections and seething surmising started to paint the picture of a far more devious enemy than a simple rogue sith who’d escaped justice for too long. They both had a reason for violence now. Kicking aside a busted mechanical arm, Kress drew closer again to speak in a lower tone. “Why’s that name sound familiar?” Being a system challenger, the names of quite a few powerful people stayed fresh in her mind, but that one wasn’t current. Couldn’t have been. Whoever it was, the echani was livid at the thought of him. Quirking one side of her lip, she purred, “Sounds like we have more than one target to take care of. This Morven…you want him dead?” A murderous twinkle in her eyes watched Silas’s face for a reaction, egging, “Cause I don’t know about you, but I could go for a couple more manhunts after this.”

Metal clattered around the next corner and a startled pilot droid beeped and chimed trying to correct its mistake. Kressara’s killer leer darted in the direction of the noise, stalking over a fallen mop to snatch the droid’s head in a grip tight enough to stress its faceplate fastenings. “Your masteeeeerr~...” Singsong, the blackbird flung it onto the floor near Silas’s feet, the bot tumbling loudly over metal grating. With a tone shift like day to night, she shouted, “WHERE ARE THEY?!” before waggling the cutting tool in her hand threateningly.

[Silas Karn]

Silas took an impromptu seat as Kressara quizzed him on what he had spoken of. The Sovereign had once crossed paths with the vessel but had lost the memories associated with such. Attempting to vocalize this reality he began, “I…I can’t say for certain. There is an immense pull in my gut as if I should know precisely where we stand and what this ship represents but there is a numbing void in my mind. What I can say for sure is that I’ve finally discovered the price for the teachings I received from the Lord of Betrayal herself. Something pertaining to this ship and my past has been cleaved from my mind in such totality that nothing short of physical trauma could naturally mimic.”

One thing was now true and the crow was swift to put a pin in it. The pair now both had like cause in this mission. Yet, upon her next question Silas involuntarily recoiled. Shaking his head vehemently, “No, you are never to attempt such. There is one man whom even at the height of his fervor that even the Lord of Torment steered clear of. The former Director of the Imperial Security Bureau, Colonel Morven. The only safe means to approach such a mission is to shed your life of everything you would desire to keep. To have nothing to lose. Even then it is likely to fail.”

Kressara was treated to a rare sight, the Dark Lord Sovereign visibly shaken at the mere thought of contesting a single target. What’s more it was very unlikely that any records of Morven outside of his previous post would even exist. A swift inquiry on the holonet would result in very little, curiously little. Righting his self and recollecting his composure Silas looked to Kressara. “As you well know I don’t exactly have a good track record for holding onto my possessions or persons of import.” Deeper meanings once more held behind simple words.