He asked the question carefully and slowly, giving her time to ignore or register what had been spoken.

--------------------

Eventually, he drew his mind back to the palace, to his present situation. Still not being able to offer any useful input, he instead probed 'round the room, examing the minds and souls of the familiar and unfamiliar around him. As he did so, his attention was attracted by a small, elusive twinge of a soul that was quite near, and quite unfamiliar to him.

Focusing his attention, he attempted to reach out and take measure of this new soul. Doing so, however, proved quite difficult, as the soul of this one was provign extrmely elusive. He could not seem to pin it down long enough to take good reading of it; it alwasy seemed to squirm away from his "grasp."

After several minutes of frustrated chasing, all he had managed to gather was that the keeper of this soul was very near the room that they themsleves were located in, listening in on Lady ShaRhylla, T'elion, and Kelvandar's conversation. Who, or what, as well as exactly where this eavesdropper was, still eluded him with maddening secrecy.

Still, his discovery merited attention. Reaching out with his link between ShaRhylla and himself, he whispered along it.
"My deep apologies for itnerrupting you, milady ShaRhylla," he purred apologetically, "But I have made a discovery that may merit your interest."

"It seems that we have...an uninvited guest, of sorts," he continued. "There is a...being...listening to your conversation. I believe he hidden somewhere along the outskirts of this room."

"Be warned, my mistress: this one is very elusive. I could not discern even his exact location, or what sort of creature he is. I would advise caution in dealing with this unexpected interloper."

Having said his piece, he again fell silent.

--------------------

Not that I am not strong enough to take care of myself! a silent little portion of her mind snorted to itself.

But if there is one thing I can learn from Father's death, it is that even the strongest can be felled, if he stands alone....

She jerked minisculely at that, a wonder that she should even think thus quickly following the cold logic of that statement. For to be truthful, she did not know for a fact that the straightforward conclusion had been a result of her own deductive reasoning.

When have you been a logical creature, my dearest?

A whisper of a chuckle floated through her mind, only to disappear like chaff upon the wind. She jerked again, blinked, and then focused upon those with her.

"Thank you for that information, Ragorian," she thought to him via their connective link.

"It is indeed most... unsettling that we appear to have an interloper...."

Aloud, she continued on along the same vein, now directing her comments to the respectfully wary Kelvendar while yet another portion now sought out the advice of the too-silent T'elion.

Where are you? I feel that to follow along the correct path that I now must do, I need help of others, and not many would be persuaded to rise up against Mother....

"Warrior!"

She let her eerily bi-colored eyes pin him like a bug.

"To whom is it that you present your honor, and your life?"

Pursing her lips, she refrained from fidgeting only by the greatest of efforts, uncomfortably aware of the obvious stalling tactics she was displaying by the redundancy in that question.

--------------------

But the Dark Lord was dead, and with the dark lady not present, it seemed obvious that his loyalty would go to she who "held the reins".

--------------------

A link popped into existence between the two of them, one created by the All, and one which only the All could penetrate to eavesdrop upon.

"To whom is it you place your loyalties, warrior?" she pressed silently.

"State the name...."

--------------------

"I see no others sitting upon the throne, not even a puppeteer exists that I can see, though they are well hidden. Perhaps it is that he is also a puppet to greater powers, though who is the puppetteer? But regardless, does this mean you hold the throne?"

I had taken a single step from that time, just enough to frame the right side of my body in the firelight. "I do not doubt your bravery, nor your courage, but I wish to make a thing clear. Do not fear ShaRhylla, dark lady of the sith, for I am here to help you."

I finished the small line with a curt and deep bow, there was the que, now for the returned line.

[ 04-11-2005 09:17 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Lord of the Masque ]

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"To the Lady ShaRhylla I pledge my alliegence."

[ 04-11-2005 09:19 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Kalvendar ]

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Then, still keeping her eyes on him, she tilted her head a bit toward the quiet warrior.

"I find your loyalties pleasing; only time will tell if they are worthy of reward. To that end, I give to you this task:

"Go out among the clansmen, find those who would likewise bind themselves to me. No action is to be taken at this time, but those who swear fealty to me and mine shall look to the sky when the moon glows orchid.

"Then we shall meet on the Plains of Jh'affra'Dar."

She nodded to Kelvendar, letting her fingers drop from his temple to drift lightly along his jawline before they removed themselves from his face altogether. Abruptly then, she straightened, dismissing him by this simple action in order that she might direct her full attention to the newcomer.

"I fear none; who is it who comes now before me, with yet another claim to be of assistance to one who needs none other than that of those who have already proven their worth to her?"

On the side, she sent a quick query to Ragorian:

"Is this the eavesdropper of whom you spoke? He appears normal enough, but yet--"

She cocked her head to one side, letting a small tendril of her talents snake out with all the delicacy of a spring zephyr, to investigate for herself if the appearance this one presented was exactly what it seemed...

Or not.

--------------------

He walked forwards through the light, highlighting his horns as he suddenly began to change into his slightly monsterous sith form. "Take allies as they come, and destroy enemies as they flee your wrath." He finished speaking as he had changed. "There's an old expression used by the ancient sith, or so my father told me. Those of us who are unique should keep together. Mask, the half sith, at your command."

--------------------

“Be wary of this one, dear lady. Those who approach you offering assistance are difficult to trust.”

T’elion allowed himself a micron of musing at his own statement, then continued.

“But there are others who are trustworthy. There are those who follow your father still, even in his death. They are the warriors who placed their faith and lives in his hands, his leadership, and who would point to you as the rightful successor… and vindicator. You have taken the correct path, Kalvendar is of that stock, and will find many who will support you. But you will find that the laws of the Warriors will back you as well, for making your challenge in the tradition of the Clan and defeating her will gain you immediate support from the Clan. Look at what it did for your human mother.”

T’elion allowed another small moment of silence.

“Did she ever tell you how she rose to power? Hmm, another time. For now, this newcomer must be tested. Who is it that steals from the shadows and presents himself as an ally? And why?”

"That we share a half common ancestry does not warrant so blatant an appeal on your part; do not take me for the fool, Mask.

"Tell me now: what is it you wish to obtain by this sudden alliance that you offer, which in fact I do not truly need? For though my blood might be thin in that it is but half Sith, this matters not.

"What does is this."

She raised her fist to quickly touch her forehead and then lowered it to lay upon her torso, directly over her heart.

--------------------

He had returned to his "human" form, and now stood, his head slightly cocked, a gloved hand gently running over one of his horns.

"Can't you see? All I want is to feel that his blood has wetted my blade or to be able to feel that his flesh has found a place upon my horns. I want the assassin dead, and I'm willing to help you to get to that end, wether my service be temporary or for life."

[ 04-11-2005 11:05 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Lord of the Masque ]

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He came to kneel next to a sith who had plumeted from the wall, who sported a concussion and several damaged bones. He did his best to tend, and spoke with some of the healers, small questions as to their opinions upon the Dark Lady Graysith's absense during such an attack and what they thought of the lady ShaRhylla.

He did recieve some strange looks and questions, but simply shrugged them off as he went about his assigned task by the dark lady.

--------------------

"...whom he apparently holds a great deal of animosity for. Which strikes me as quite odd, milady. For Rykounagin held no memories of this 'Mask' during all our time together that I was aware of."

He fell silent a moment, perusing the self-proclaimed "Lord of the Masque" with a mounting curiosity. He was indeed half-Sith, as he had proclaimed, but what his other half was eluded him still. Some sort of shapeshifter was obvious. Ragorian reached into his own recesses of memory, searching for names of species that could suit this description. Clawdite, perhaps? No, they could not change form this drastically. He had heard of other shapeshifting species, one in particular that seemed as though it would fit, but its name eluded him almost as persistently as the race of which he was trying to pin such name on. Sighing mentally in frustration, he brought his attention back to the present.

"I do not trust this one's proclaimed motives, simply of pure hatred. Something else is driving this 'Mask,' I would believe, though his spirit is far too elusive for me to pin down, much less reach out to."

"I would also advise caution, Lady ShaRhylla. This shapeshifter hides far too many secrets, both of his thoughts and his abilities, for me to consider him anything but an enemy."

[ 04-12-2005 11:05 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Blade of Chaos ]

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"This one shall be the tool by which we overthrow the pretender and She who took Dark Ladyship in so false a manner," she said, the words flowing between them like silken oil.

"Who better to assist in this than one who is able to alter his shape at will...

"...and that will being mine?"

Still smiling coldly, she then focused on Mask.

"And if I assist you in the killing of this Rykounagin--"

She spat to the side, momentarily remembering the rash youth and his insouciance toward her.

"--then you shall swear unquestioning loyalty to me.

"Or your life, too, is mine."

--------------------

"Then it is without regret that I hand my life and ability to your hand and bind it to your will, lady ShaRhylla, Dark Lady of the sith, and puppeteer of the masquarade." I drew my sword and spun it between my fingers, so that the handle and hilt were before her, easily in her grasp.

[ 04-13-2005 11:10 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Lord of the Masque ]

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The gyrations ended with the handle offered back to her new minion.

"Good," she stated simply, then moved toward him and, taking him by one arm, began leading him toward the sideboard. There she paused and motioned toward it, welcoming him to its bounty. She took none herself, but merely contented herself with an ornate goblet of the famous Sith brandy.

"Tell me, my new friend," she began abruptly, never one to beat about he bush.

"I know that you are a shapeshifter; to what extent are the ablilites you hold?"

Taking an unexpectedly dainty sip of the brandy, she continued peering at him over the rim of her glass.

[ 04-14-2005 11:22 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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I barely blinked as my body seemed to "shift" almost rippling as suddenly I became ShaRhylla, becomming her to the best of what I could examine in her figure, then shifted again to become Kalvendar, again to become the previous dark lady, Graysith, again to become Rykounagin, and again and again, encompassing a few dozen forms before returning to my "human" form.

"A taste of my capabilities."

--------------------

"Good, good," she purred as she took another sip of her brandy. Swallowing, she held the goblet up, studying the glistening green liqueur for a moment before turning her attention to the Mask once again. Her smile stretched even more broadly across her face before it appeared to soften, becoming almost sultry.

She took another sip, looked over the rim of her goblet at Mask, then set it down.

"Tell me more of yourself, my new ally," she said, softening the command to a request by the tone of voice in which she spoke.

"Where have you kept yourself, here on K'eel Doba? One with such talents as yours would surely not have gone unnoticed by my father, the true Dark Lord of the warriors. How is it that we have not come to know of your existence here?

"Did you dwell here, in Phrinnchatka, or elsewhere? Or indeed, have you found another place to call your home?"

--------------------

"I have watched from the walls themselves, from the shadows since I was very young, taking in all I could from my hidden obscurity, but with the more recent events, I felt it necessary to reveal myself." I said quietly, almost not paying attention, speaking as though I was far away.

--------------------

"You refer to the altercation between you and Rykounagin?" she asked sweetly, taking her seat once again.

"Or some other... event."

With that all pretense of fastidiousness evaporated. She tore into her meat like a rabid animal, sinking her fangs therein, ripping and tearing as the blood and juices ran down her face, presenting to the Mask a symbolic gesture of what she could and in fact would do to others in return for loyalty and assistance...

...as well as to anyone who in turn tried to betray her.

--------------------

ShaRhylla finished devouring her meat like the animal that yet resided within her, and was awaiting her companion's reply when the doors to the Dining Hall burst open.

A small contingency of warriors entered quickly, saluted, and as a whole fell to one knee before her. The highest ranked of them bowed his head, and spoke.

"M'lady, a ship of unknown origins has landed in our spaceport; we have hailed, but as yet have received no answer to our call.

"Your instructions?"

It was indeed something to be said of the Sith and their strict warrior codes: during any trial and tribulation, in absence of either their Dark Lord and/or Lady, leadership was clearly and without hesitation assigned to the one who was closest in line to inheriting the title. With the Lady Graysith out of the picture and Lord Roan dead, the one individual next in line was ShaRhylla, as indicated by the tattooes of entitlement she bore upon her fair skin.

The warriors stood quietly, waiting for her answer. It did not take long in coming.

"Take the occupants captive, and imprison them in our dungeons," she replied in a tone of voice that appeared totally unaffected by all this.

That her feelings regarding this manner were completely otherwise was indicated by her next words.

"Kill those who would try to fight back. When all are incarcerated, bring one of them to me; it matters not which one."

The warriors bowed, got to their feet, and departed to carry out her orders.

Soon the spaceport was crawling with warriors, who muscled in to replace the workers and technicians who under normal conditions kept Ch'arlingua up and running in a smooth and efficient manner. A Warrior Captain sent forth a hail.

"Depart from your vessel immediately, and without your weapons!" he commanded before flicking closed the communication link he had opened. After all, there was at this point no need for any reply from the newcomers other than strict obedience.

He motioned to his men, who swarmed out onto the tarmac, ringing the strange and ancient ship, weapons quivering and ready.

[ 04-22-2005 02:27 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by ShaRhylla ]

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"I did speak of Rykounagin, though the man is of no more importance at this time. Unless you have more questions you wish to ask of me, what service might I perform for my lady presently?" I asked the question gently, not trying to provoke her unpredictable moods.

--------------------

Apparently Kelvendar had been a busy little bee of a Sith in his compliance to ShaRhylla's orders, for none of the warrior units under Graysith's Second, Salandaar, were anywhere close to the frozen spaceport.

Much less swarming about a peculiar ship in particular....

Most warriors remained at the ready, their spears and swords drawn and bristling, but a chosen few approached the strange ship in one tightly bound body. At a nod from the highest ranking Sith, they lay their weapons down upon the tarmac, quickly making a mystical symbol upon the cold ground out of their swords and spears, making certain that every point was aimed directly toward what they perceived to be the hatch of the mysterious ship. Then they drew back even further, joined hands and, closing their eyes began to chant.

The eerie sounds of mysticism clashed abruptly with the technologically advanced hull of the ship, but Sith weaponry always blended with its magicks...

Even when there were those who were not even aware that they were dealing with things of Sith nature.

The hatch slid obligingly open; the warriors carefully picked up their weapons, taking care to do so in the direct opposite order in which they had been laid down.

Then they turned to the others and nodded, receiving a nod of affirmation from the captains. Soon about fifty warriors were swarming the ship, gaining entry via their magickally opened hatchway, while the others tightened their positions as well as their grips upon their weapons.

Within the ship, the leading warrior came upon a sight so unexpected it made him pause in mid-march:

There, standing quietly together as if there wasn't a thing wrong in all the universe, stood a blond-haired young woman and a Sith.

A Sith.... and a warrior to boot, judging by the tattooes embellishing his features.

Behind them they could make out a shadowy cylindrical shape, something that was strange in its unfamiliarity.

The warrior tightened his grip on his weapon, and glared at Shayla and Panthar. He had his orders....

"Place your hands where we can see them, and come with me!"

Waiting for a reply, he motioned to the others, who quickly ran past the little party and headed into the bowels of the ship, seeking to find anyone they could, to imprison them per the command of the young Dark Lady pro temp. Their footsteps pounded into the shadows, preceding their arrival, warning anyone who might be hiding that their masters were soon to be there.

They smiled as they ran, dreaming of those who would be so foolish as to try to oppose them....