Shadowlands

While his steps made no sound on the physical plane, he knew that they could be picked out in the Force. He made little attempt to hide it, in the company which he was about to join, he had little reason to. The irony of it all still danced in his mind. Young, ignorant lust for power and darkness, was greeted by the aged, experienced and battle weathered maelstrom that the storm had built into. His beginning as a Sith stood in the ethereal plane, now conversing with the plane of the living, a colleague with whom he had sworn to beat down the light and any other which disillusionally presumed to threaten them.

As he would emerge from the shadow, his eyes were on Sin, and while he knew that she would have felt him, his mind was focused on the one from his past. He let his mind reach out, closing his eyes for a quick moment, before opening them again and seeing the ghost form, his senses heightened as he allowed the Force to blend the two planes before him and looking now upon a face he had not seen in what felt like ages. It had been years, to be sure.

"Electrix, you know that knowledge and the faintest whisper are enough to drive some mad, not to mention fuel an army to rebellion. Your knowledge is ever present, that in itself being an asset, though you also know there are ways to make one... whole again."

Diux looked over to Sin, letting the icy blue mix with the yellow, examining her and the others as he spoke again.

"Electrix was a teacher of mine when I had begun at the Kashyyyk Sith Order. He taught me much as I fell, learning to swim in this sea of black. He tested me until the point I left to establish the Order of the Black Star, and even then we held them as allies and called when needed. They have been loyal, and would certainly prove useful in what is to come." He looked back to Electrix and up to the sky, closing his eyes as his head descended again. "We know the Tide will need it."

Stormro stepped into the clearing behind his former master, his own presence in the Force obviously dark yet lacking anything which would give the impression of great power. He did not bother to check behind him to see if Nel had kept up; he already knew that she would not have fallen behind because she would not allow that to happen no matter what it required of her. He had seen within her in that instant on Tatooine, her mind laid open for him to pick through as he had surged through her. He had seen her sheer determination to succeed in spite of her weakness and in spite of her failures; Nel was the sort for whom failure was a challenge and guaranteed success held only stagnation. Scanning over those already present, he raised an eyebrow in interest as his eyes fell upon one whom he had not seen in a long time, longer even than it had been since he had seen Sinistra. Gavin was like a ghost from his past; a man who had once been a comrade and brother before shifting loyalties and beliefs had driven a wedge between them. That was long ago, however, and from the sound of the former Grey's words Gavin's own beliefs seemed to have changed as well.

Raising an eyebrow as Gavin's gaze shifted to him and his new apprentice, Stormro spoke. "And what is it that we Sith have to offer that one such as yourself would want Gavin Phoenix?" Stormro was not yet fully willing to give his unbidden trust to any of these men, especially Gavin. Most of them were unknown to him, and the one person who he did know had not been one who Stormro would have called an ally for some time now. None the less, the looming threat of the Mando'ade meant that the Dark Tide and the Sith needed allies, and as long as he did not allow anyone to get too close or to know too much there was little harm which they could do to him. A part of him, the paranoid part which had always been there and which had been exacerbated by the cybernetics which he had installed within his head, didn't like how Gavin had looked at Nel; the young Zabrak was his find, and he would be damned if he would allow anything to interfere with her training. Shifting his focus away from such thoughts he smiled slyly in response to Electrix' comment regarding his lack of corporeal substance.

"There is more to war than mere physical combat Electrix; As your former student has pointed out, even if you cannot fight directly you can be of value to the effort. If nothing else, you can pass on what you know to the younger generations so that the Sith as a whole are stronger for having learned what you have to teach. Besides, this war may potentially present us with an intriguing possibility; history has shown that not all Jedi bear the stresses of war as well as others, and if we play our cards well we may find ourselves in a more advantageous position once it is over than we are presently in..." His smile widened, although he refused to elaborate more in the present company. His mind was always mapping out potential contingencies, tracing the potential echoes of actions and events throughout the galaxy from one potential shatterpoint to the next. While he had a very limited gift for actual prophecy, he could certainly imitate such an understanding of the Force by such analysis and he saw no reason why anyone present save for Sinistra should be privy to what he might do in such a hypothetical situation. His mind returned again to his mild paranoia in regards to those with which they were meeting, his body language and emotion-neutral presence betraying none of the distrust which he felt towards the others in the clearing. No, not even those who were well established members of the Sith Order had any reason to know his plans, for he could never know if they might someday seek to betray him.

The addition of Ramiel to the clearing was a surprise to Sinistra but a welcome one at that. Ramiel tended to be a solitary wanderer but when trouble graced the horizon, he was never far away. She nodded to him, taking his words in stride. He had good things to say about the ghost. She was about to ask Gavin exactly what he would need when she received an urgent comlink message routed through the Rancor's relay. She scrolled through the message quickly, her breath escaping her in an angry sigh. She tucked the comlink away, as Stormro spoke to Gavin. She was surprised. There were subtle clues in his words and stature that lead her to believe there was a story there, albeit for another time as it was a luxury they were quickly running out of. She directed the conversation back to herself for a moment, referencing the message she had just received.

"My fellow brothers in darkness, we have a mutual problem that I have just been informed has only gotten worse. The Mandalorians have struck Ziost and Dromund Kaas, along with Korriban and Yavin. We lose precious time to talk of what we will get from this mutual partnership. I regret that my timetable for this war has been shortened and my armies must be made ready for the storm is coming."

She looked to Stormro and Ramiel, her sulfuric eyes casting a sickly pallor on her face. The yellow sallowed her skin and she looked ill, and ages older than her 60 years. Her anger compounded on itself, her solemn wish that she could run into a gaggle of the armor loving fools right now leaving her frustrated and wanting. She exhaled audibly, letting her anger melt away with it.

"I regret that this intel pulls me away, but I invite you all back to Kuat to join us in handing the Mandalorians their heads on sticks. Ramiel, I trust you can escort our guests back and see to it that their needs are taken care of?"

She did not wait for their answers, a polite bow to the three unfamiliar ones and a nod to the Lord of Vengeance. She turned and headed back into the forest, letting it swallow her presence into the verdant wall. The walk back to the ship passed quickly as she could follow her previous trail easily, her mind going over the brief again and again. Surely the information was a mistake but if it had made it to her, it had been double checked and triple checked. There was no mistaking it. She bounded up the ramp of the Sith Infiltrator and did not slow her haste until she was behind the controls. She powered up the ship and performed her preflight checks. Before long, the ship was rising from the planet's surface, her coms opened to Kuat and Admirals Monet and Belbe to expect incoming and to dispatch a ship to Kashyyyk to pick up the others she left on the surface below.

*Gavin watched with unreadable eyes as Sinistra apologized and retreated into the Shadowlands, new purpose in her step. For whatever the message stated, he felt a bit sorry for the one who was on the other end. He had hoped to continue his conversation with her, but it could wait for another time. He was, at least, pleased that he didn't need to ask for a ride. His lay in ruin on the shore, just at the entrance to the Shadowlands and had been there for a few days now. He waited a moment more before he turned his attention to Stormro.

His eyes looked Stormro up and down. How did this man know his name? He had been alive for so long now. For one hundred and seventy years if he remembered right and almost the last forty in exile. Was he someone from his past? At this point, he believed almost all those he once knew had to have died by now, even his brother had passed, no longer desiring to live without Akire. There were many faces in his past, nd many of which he couldn't place. Time, it seemed, had become the enemy of memory. But he brought his mind to the now. Clearly this man knew of him, but he didn't care how. Turning to fully face Stormro, he once again shifted the bag that hung over his left shoulder, a slight clanging of metal resonating from it.*

"What I seek is understanding and knowledge. I desire to see and understand how the Sith perceive the Force and the darkness so that I may further my own knowledge. I have trained with the Jedi, ran with the Grey, and have dove deeply into the teachings of the Dark Jedi, along with other systems of belief and views. The Sith are the last major faction I have yet to gain inside understanding from. "

*Gavin took a couple steps forward until he stood just in front of Stormro, his eyes ever piercing. Another moment of silence passed before a small smirk came to his face.*

"I'm sure what I desire isn't outside of any boundaries that would prohibit my acquisition of such knowledge. And I'm sure, that you and Lord Sinistra can appreciate one who wishes to step further into the darkness, am I right?"

I stood there silently as I saw the exchange between the female and the shade. It would seem that were were in fact going to be needed, and after listening it seemed I wanted to participate in this war. A chance to see what they had to offer in his dark favor. I Nodded to the lady showing that I would join, but the moment was soon killed with the arrival of two others. Exhaling fast the movement of air through my teeth caused a hissing sound. My grip tightened around the cross as my anger built. HEATHENS!!!! They were here, my blood began to boil and all I could do was stare that them, the look of disgust evident. I stepped forward my free hand twitching at my side. Just on the outside of my priest robes that concealed the pistol holster just on the other side of it. Everything faded out except the two that had just arrived. There was only us now in my world, Chaos laughing with delight and Horus fury only feeding into my own. All three of us were ready to act.

Heathens, you filthy creatures slithering around here. And another step forward. You should all burn for you're indiscretions!!

My attention was shattered when I heard the voice of another come into the clearing. I stopped suddenly looking at him, my head tiling sideways towards my right. This man appeared to know the shade, or did in the past. I now counted four of them, four people for recruitment? This was turning into an interesting matter. The need for help must be dire... And though as my sight returned to the two heretics in front of me, i was burning with the desire to smite them while they stood before me I was not as stupid to try and attack them while the favors seemed against me. Especially since my allies now seemed to be aligning themselves with them. I clenched the hand at my side attempting to stop its twitching, but now it was just more of a tremble.

Hearing the women speak I smiled. It seemed like war was coming faster then anyone had expected, and there final standing ground would be Kuat. Well then It would seem they were hitting a dire position. Even enlisting heretics to help them. They would find themselves at the end of a barrel, didn't matter who's barrel it would be. So I looked back towards the new man who had arrived, the shades old comrade and spoke to him directly.

I will stand with you're forces on Kuat. I have men who have dedicated there lives to war, I will have them meet us there as well. The mando heretics will burn with the black fires of the abyss!!!