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Three days ago, Geist Weiss had thought the Plague of Dis would be the worst matter he'd have to deal with. After destroying the Planet of Dis and ending the Phirisan disease outbreak, he had managed to capture a Jedi Master by the name of Larik Novan. Novan had managed to slay Sith Lord Scyphodeeiruus, but had fallen victim to Geist's mental supremacy. Novan had been neutralized. Proud of his prize, he had left the ruins of Dis and Erinyes to return home. However, there he learned a terrible truth.
Darth Vereor was gone.
Reports even now were coming in. Two days ago while Darth Vereor had been visiting the immaculate prison Reckoning to deal with the insurgent Nathaneau Bastele, Reckoning had come under attack. Darth Vereor had been captured, frozen in carbonite. Hundreds of prisoners had escaped. Reports were conflicting on whether Warden Audroti had survived. Sending agents, he gave them a single order: "Clean up this mess." If Audroti had survived, Geist planned to have Audroti answer for his failures, the Sith Master would be summoned to Anaxes once the immediate problems at Reckoning were resolved, granting he still lived. With the death that swarmed Reckoning, he could not pinpoint Audroti's presence.
Geist Weiss, otherwise known as Darth Somnus, knew he had to act immediately. Calling a press conference, he declared himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith in Darth Vereor's absence. Tempting as it was to claim only the seat of regent, he knew he had to proclaim full authority to prevent a few members of the Dark Council from attempting to usurp the title. Andraste was empress, one feared as immortal. As such, Dark Lord was the coveted as the highest position possible in the New Sith Imperium, at least by a Sith.
Within two days, Darth Somnus had accomplished much in solidifying his power. A couple Dark Councilors were stirring things up, but he felt confidant they could be dealt with, one way or another. General Sev, after all, had been conveniently stationed at Anaxes for a conference that was lasting a week, to cover new military strategies. In reality he was the excuse to have half of Battlegroup Invincible at Anaxes to deal with the Dark Council should something arise.
Geist personally would have preferred to stay on Anaxes to deal with the Dark Council himself, but he had other priorities. Larik Novan was still in his custody. He had Novan stewing in the sub-levels of the Phantom Palace. Now the Dark Lord had an opportunity to visit the Phantom Palace himself. Destroying the Planet of Dis had taken a toll on the Dark Lord. He had managed to convey the appearance of full strength to the Dark Council and the Sith Order, but he required a couple days to fully recuperate, and there was no better place to do so for Geist than the Phantom Palace.
The Phantom Palace was the more common name for the behemoth castle on Zigoola. Constructed over the course of six years, it was Geist's place to relax and replenish his power. The hallucination-inducing planet made the construction of Zigoola's defenses much easier. Filled with over a thousand Force crystals that served as part of the architecture, the Phantom Palace was filled with Geist's power. Those who entered would face illusions forged from their memories. If one knew how to navigate the proper channels in the Force, those illusions would share peaceful memories or fail to work. However, intruders would be faced with the demons of their past.
Many of the guards on Zigoola, especially the Phantom Palace, were Covallons. Covallons looked like Yali, but were actually sentient beings. They fed into the deceptions of the sanctuary by prowling around, as if beasts roaming their hunting grounds. There were a few other defenses, but not as heavily fortified as other abodes of the Sith. After all, it was simply Geist's sanctuary, not a normal temple. It hosted shields and ground-to-air weaponry, but envied the defenses of military bases. However, as Geist's ship Poltergeist landed, Geist considered having the defenses upgraded.
Darth Somnus's signatory illusion had been shed the moment his ship broke into the atmosphere. He found little point in wearing them as it allowed him to focus on restoring his reserves. The Dark Nexus called Zigoola would aid in his objective of restoring himself to normal standards. However, even then he doubted he would be the same again. To feed the power necessary to destroy Dis, it had been necessary to drink on the darkness propagated by the Phirisan disease. The black stain would forever mark his soul. But he was determined to not let it stain his mind.
A Covallon was at the foot of the ramp went Geist disembarked. The creature telepathically reported that Larik Novan was still in the sub-levels, being shown illusions to trap his mind. However, his will had yet to break yet. Geist pondered on this. "Let him remain there for one more day. The Phantom Palace will sustain him for now." That was a feature Geist was most proud of. The Force was strong on Zigoola. The Phantom Palace was a filter, that injected the Force into the Palace's occupants. The Force could keep occupants alive despite lack of food or water. However, when it came time to meet with Larik face-to-face, Geist had decided he would take away those pleasantries. A starving man was an angry man, but one easily tempted by food's requiem.
Geist and Covallon were walking into the Phantom Palace, discussing how Darth Vereor's absence would affect the Phantom Palace and Project SALIGIA when the Sith Lord suddenly cut him off with a hand gesture. "I sense something." A powerful presence was approaching. A beacon of in the Force. The presence was too muddied to distinguish between Ashla and Bogan, especially with the swarming Bogan auras steaming from Zigoola. However, it was obvious this newcomer was much stronger than Larik Novan.
"Could this be a rescuer?" The Covallon inquired.
Geist sought knowledge from the Force, but was enlightened by no epiphany. "I don't think so. Still, I would like to know what they seek." Eris had reported about encountering Lecchamemnon. She was going to send him to Bastion to meet with Geist, but it appeared Lecchamemnon had sensed Geist was no longer on an Imperial fortress world. He may have tracked the Dark Lord all the way to Zigoola. "Let him land. Do not bar him entry." A chuckle escaped Geist's lips as he walked towards the throne room to await his visitor. "If he wants into the devil's domain, let us grant his desire. The illusions will enlighten his heart."