Ask The Catalyst

[Kaldar]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

Kaldar had his hesitations about his decision. The Champion was a Sith through and through to the bone, and that meant he was willing to turn on anyone or sacrifice anything to achieve his goals. The Sith Order was floundering, but there was one vortex of darkness that still remained in the galaxy. It called to him like a siren's song through the Force even if Raze didn't know it.

Or perhaps he did. Perhaps he let the darkness call those who were like him or at least... those that might one day become like him.

The biting cold and discomfort of Hoth tore through his clothing even though he was bundled up. And the cold extended beyond just that of the low temperature. It was the chill of the Dark Side. It was power. It was delicious.

Even as Kaldar crossed the threshold of the ominous castle, he knew that his life would never be the same. It would end here or it would transform like emergence from a chrysalis.

When he eventually found Raze - or Raze found him - he dropped to his knee and bowed as he had once down before Tempest. Kaldar was a Sith and no fool. He knew that the Dark Lord was his better and wielded a power that he wouldn't trifle with and he knew how to show the appropriate deference to those individuals. So many Sith had forgotten that. So many "Sith" were no Sith at all.

My Lord, he said.

 

[Darth Raze]

The wraith always had Rax to alert him of anyone approaching the fortress. Rax had been trained by Raze on reading intent and whether someone commanded the Dark Side of the Force. It was the only kind of being Raze allowed to approach him thus far unless they had any obvious gifts they carried with them.

By the time the young Sith arrived at the gates, the Anzat was walking back from his abomination lair. Kaldar would feel the pulse of the Dark Side stronger here than he ever had before. Abominations were created here by the dozen and there was a presence in the Force that was twisted, tortured and evil. It would be suffocating to any Lightsiders, but it would empower the Sith.

The wraith silently surveyed the being that knelt before him, debating whether or not he was still hungry after feasting earlier. Raze reached a hand down and curled a finger under the man’s chin, tilting his head up so their gazes met. The Anzat’s crimson eyes gleamed, his visage pale and unnatural, “You are a pretty one,” He remarked. The wraith’s touch was as icy as the Hoth surroundings. His face was impassive, but that glint of bloodlust was vivid in his eyes.

Raze drew back from the Champion, deciding to give him a single chance to explain his purpose before he destroyed him, “State your business.”

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar could sense the darkness growing with every step, and he coveted it. He knew that he needed to be able to twist it to his purposes, and he knew that he was still many years away from being able to twist it in such a way that Raze could. Sith tended to die violent deaths with only the most cunning and skilled coming out on top. Raze was no longer young, and Kaldar remembered the saying to be wary of an old man in a profession where men die young. He'd heard other reasons to be wary of Raze, though.

Raze touched him, and the finger was almost colder than the ice in its own way. The statement wasn't a reassuring one, but he hadn't been strangled yet. That was a plus.

I have come to serve and to learn, he said. In order to demonstrate my ambition, I offer the alliance I forged with the Nagai to you. They are ready for war and their people are well practiced in combat. They and their armies could conquer the galaxy, he said. In times past, it had taken half the galaxy to stifle the Nagai invasion. They had been sedate for nearly a century now, but their people hadn't truly changed, and many had grown in their hunger for conquest and glory again.

Kaldar didn't presume to know Raze's ambitions, but he did know that almost any Sith could benefit from an army at their call.

 

[Darth Raze]

Very few things could catch Raze’s attention anymore. He was already considering all the ways he would use this pretty thing before he disposed of it over the bridge as an empty husk. That was when the boy spoke. For a moment, the wraith said nothing. Without warning, the Anzat violently entered the Champion’s mind. Raze rummaged through multiple things, but most of all, he corroborated the words he spoke aloud. The intrusion would be painful, but it was quick and over within seconds.

“So they are,” He remarked silently, stepping back. He was genuinely impressed, “Rise,” He commanded the Sith.

The tall doors to the fortress creaked open and Raze spun on his heel and walked in. The boy would know to follow. The corridor was ornately decorated, the theme decadent and worthy of kings. There were rows of suits of ancient Sith armor, rare finds from all over the galaxy. A lot of them were items he retrieved from where Emryc had stockpiled them as part of his collection. It was Raze that had an eye for these artifacts, so he stole them back for himself.

“What is it you wish to learn from me, Kaldar Tann, that you cannot learn from your Dark Lord?"

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar felt the intrusion into his mind like a nail through the head, grunting in pain at the intrusion. It infuriated him, but Raze would have already anticipated that. Sith enjoyed exercising authority over others, and he didn't expect to be treated well. Rage or not, he kept the feelings in check and made no actual action upon it.

It was over almost as quickly as it had begun - thankfully - and he knew that his mind was just laid out before the Dark Lord with all of its desires, ambitions, and even devious intent. He had seen just how cutthroat the Champion could be under the external guise of amiability. He was vicious at his core.

Despite the pain and the moment when he thought "this is the end, he's going to rip my brains apart" it seemed he was not, in fact, dead. Not that that situation couldn't change, but the Dark Lord instructed him to rise, and he did so.

The doors to the fortressed groaned and creaked open, seemingly powered by some ancient mechanism that was fitting of a place like this. He wondered how old it was and what its history was. He supposed it didn't matter now.

His eyes were drawn to the ancient battle armors and artifacts that lined the castle, and he had to keep his mouth from hanging open at the sight. It was wealth and power and splendor.

Kaldar considered the Dark Lord's question for a moment, but the truth was something that Raze would have already seen in his mind. There was no point in lying about it now.

Everything, he said. There was no limit to his hunger and drive, and he would sacrifice anyone to get what he wanted.

The Sith are not what they were. I follow power, and you are the demonstration of what Sith should be. The real Dark Lord, he said. It was as "simple" as that. Kaldar had had few interactions with other Sith that impressed him, but if there was one person he would elect to follow it was the man in front of him.

 

[Darth Raze]

They walked past a foyer towards a grand hall that was lined with ornate paintings and decor all over the walls. There were plush carpets and lounges with soft classical music echoing all around them. It was not as twisted and rigid inside as it appeared externally. It was clear Raze was a being that appreciated fine arts, a trait that perhaps carried over from decades of being Emryc Thorne.

As soon as Kaldar took a seat, a stunning Hapan woman in a revealing, flowy dress walked over to serve him a drink in a tray. He was well versed enough with the Force to be able to tell she was not here against her will, but still displayed blind admiration and a toxic attachment to the wraith. The Queen Mother had arrived here with a posse to change the interiors of the dwelling, and some of the women willingly stayed out of a fanatical draw to the Anzat.

Raze took a glass himself, sampling the expensive wine. He calmly studied the boy, amused at his answer. A faint grin touched the corner of his graceful lips, “I have no quarrel with this Tempest or her so-called Sith Order,” He remarked, taking a sip, “What is the role you envision playing serving me?” He had a number of people coming to him asking for power or direction, but few could ever articulate what they truly sought. Power was an umbrella and could range from wanting to control a single individual to wanting to control entire planets. Power meant mastery of a specific study of the Force. Power meant having leverage over powerful individuals. What did power mean to Kaldar?

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar's eyes continued to sweep over the area, though whether in admiration or the practicality of looking for the fastest exit, even he wasn't sure. It was so ingrained in him that the two were one and the same.

As he moved in to take a seat in a surprisingly comfortable chair, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was in the highest stakes job interview of his life. It took concerted, disciplined intent to calm his nerves and maintain the external passivity that he had long ago adopted to be the chameleon necessary to accomplish his missions.

Even so, he couldn't quite help his eyes flitting over to the gorgeous woman who came to serve a drink to the Dark Lord.

He weighed his every word carefully, but he had always been a quick thought on his proverbial feet. He hoped it would serve him well now.

He didn't miss the phrase "so called Sith Order." It was precisely why Kaldar was here.

I'm here because you're Sith. Not "so-called" Sith. That is what I want to become. The precise "what" of my service to you... he paused for just a moment as he considered the proper wording ...would be to expand your interests. Unfortunately, I can't give a more detailed answer than that because I don't presume yet to know the full details of your interests, he said.

It was the real issue that he had had in his studies for approaching Raze. So far as he could tell from his research... he had no real idea what the Dark Lord wanted out of the galaxy. He just existed. And perhaps he wanted for nothing, but Kaldar doubted it. Even this place was filled with the fine things of the galaxy: drinks, women, art, weapons... those were expensive. And anyone who had appetites like those had interests.

Whether that's artifact recovery or leading an army or something else, I like to think I'm adaptable, he said, and that was true. He was good at becoming good at things. He was a firm believer that the greatest strength of the Rule of Two Sith had been their versatility and flexibility. That was their strength.

 

[Darth Raze]

Raze chuckled quietly to himself as the boy told him he was Sith. The Champion was certainly good at flattery and using words he thought would score the most points. However, he also had an army at his back, and that would score points with the Anzat, “It is rude to refuse a host,” He reminded the boy curtly, noting he was sitting with his drink without having taken a sip. There was an amused smirk on the Anzat’s lips. There would be no knowing what drinking or eating here entailed, what each passing moment could bring, whether Raze could abruptly decide to devour Kaldar or not. One thing was for certain - if someone was in Raze’s lair, they belonged to Raze. If they did not do as he pleased, they would be erased from the galaxy.

It was only after Kaldar would drink from his cup that the Anzat continued the dialogue, sipping from his own chalice, “What does Sith mean to you?” He asked. He was genuinely curious about what Tempest’s Sith Order was and what they followed. Raze wanted to understand Kaldar’s interpretations of what he had witnessed, what he studied, and what he thought true Sith meant.

“It is more than mere strength,” He reminded the boy. Strength was what lured the boy here like a moth to flame as it did many others. Collecting an army suggested Kaldar had more brains than that, and Raze wanted to hear from him directly.

 

[Kaldar]

Ah, of course, he said, taking a sip from his drink without any hesitation. Certainly there could have been something horrible like artery worms in the cup, but Kaldar was quite confident that Raze wouldn't have to resort to poisoning him if he wanted him dead.

The fact that he was going to have a philosophical discussion with the most powerful being in the known galaxy was an interesting way for the day to go. Raze asked him a direct question and there was something in Kaldar that rebelled against the idea of giving a direct answer, but he also had a feeling that Raze wouldn't appreciate evasion.

He shook his head to agree with Raze that it wasn't just strength. Not strength, power. It's about being powerful enough that the galaxy conforms to fit you, he said. He had read and studied about the thoughts of the ancient Sith. He knew some believed they were servants of conflict, some that they cared only for their own interests, while others condemned the selfish Sith and said it was about conquest and control. But for Kaldar, he looked at the greatest Sith of history, and the thing they had in common was that the galaxy bent to accomodate their needs. Whether that was through wielding an Empire, the Dark Side directly, or a league of assassins, they all bent the galaxy to fit their needs and desires.

 

[Darth Raze]

That he differentiated between the two was a testament to his deeper thinking. Most Sith conflated strength and power, which was precisely why Raze chose that term instead of power like Kaldar had mentioned a few times. The Anzat contemplated in silence, deciding that the boy would be suitable. The wine, Kaldar would find, was really just wine. It had the potential for being the extract that could change him into an Exalted, but today was not that day.

Raze was amused. Not because of what Kaldar said, but because the boy did not realize exactly how accurate he was. As Emryc Thorne, he molded the entire galaxy to fit his ambitions and introduced the galactic senate once more. He brought entire planets to heel with just his words. Power. Not strength. The Anzat sipped from his drink, his gaze looking past the boy briefly.

“Very well, I find you tolerable,” He declared after a moment of silence, “You are permitted quarters here if you please,” He assumed many Sith were homeless at this point, “Since you have mentioned artifacts, there is one that has eluded me. It is called the Fifth Shard of the five that composed the crown of palpatine. I have obtained the third and fourth and understand that the fifth resides somewhere in Imperial space,” Raze explained, “Retrieve it for me,” He stated flatly.

The Anzat rose to stand then, “I will have something waiting for you upon your return if you are able to complete this task,” He said simply, “Have your army prepared to mobilize. Do not return empty handed."

Without a word, Raze drew Kaldar's empty cup to himself, the one that had his saliva along the rim. Kaldar was his and would likely not realize the full extent of it just yet.

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar sat in silence, and as that silence stretched on, he realized just how critical the question had been. The full gravity of the situation popped back up in his mind again and he suppressed the anxiety rising within him.

Kaldar probably would have laughed at the "tolerable" comment if it came from anyone other than Raze. Still, he took it as a stamp of approval and probably about as good of an endorsement as he would receive at the moment. The offered quarters were a confirmation of that.

Thank you, my lord, he said, a bit surprised at the offer of lodging but given the state of the facility here, he certainly wasn't going to turn it down that was for sure. Not that he was confident he'd be spending a lot of time here. He didn't anticipate that Raze would give him a lot of "down time" or that his own ambitions would allow for idle leisure either.

The fifth shard, he thought to himself. He wasn't familiar with it, but he had no doubt it was valuable if it was created by Palpatine and Raze wanted it. He also knew better than to return without it. How long would that take? Weeks? Months? Who had it? The Empire?

I'll see it done, he said matter of factly. He had no idea how yet, but he had confidence that he would find a way. His mind couldn't help but wonder what it was that Raze would have for him, and he knew he had just passed the threshold into a high risk, high reward scenario for the foreseeable future. But if he wasn't willing to take the risk, he didn't deserve to be here.

He was surprised when the Dark Lord plucked the chalice from his hand, but he didn't ask questions, instead glancing at the cup with a hint of evaluation in his eyes, almost as if he expected to see something done with it, but nothing happened immediately, so he didn't hold it for much longer.

For the moment, though, he did take it as a "get out" indication and with a bow from the waist, headed would head for the exit unless he was stopped.

He blew out a quiet breath from between his lips as some of the anxiety began to dissipate from his muscles. Anxiety he didn't realize he'd been holding.

Alright... Imp space here I come, he muttered under his breath.