Star Wars: Light & Dark Rising

15. Morbid Planning

Darth Athair keeps his arms crossed as he stares at the holotable in the communications room. The mostly dark room conceals most of his youngest daughter's face, for she stands away from the holotable and the light being emitted from it, holding her hands behind her back. His eldest is leaning on the holotable with both her arms, studying it closely.

"Korriban is only so big, and as one of the most famous Sith worlds, is almost empty because of looters and scavengers. I'm afraid we must start seeking off planet." He says, and his youngest looks between her father and sister.

"But we've been building too much here." Inion says, "I don't trust any of their fear and greed enough to leave, not yet. And that, what did she call herself? The Crimson Warrior? What if she overturns everything?"

"I share your concern over her, but I don't think we have a problem with the men." Deifiur says, not moving her eyes from the holotable, which has a map of the galaxy projecting.

"How do we have no problem with the men?" Inion asks. Athair couldn't help but notice how her tone sounded perfectly like an annoyed little sister. He was so used to solitude and never seeing his daughters, that he was still taken aback by their interactions and how no matter what the Jedi, or even Athair himself, put them through. They occasionally almost sound like kids when they communicate, though they keep most of those interactions hidden from the men, Teoir, and Athair himself.

"Longord." Deifiur says, "And given that all of the men are loyal to him, and the..." She pauses as if the word makes her uncomortable, "slaves are under their grip. They won't be a problem."

"What make's you think Longord has any loyalty to us?" Inion asks, her voice slow, like she's trying to extract as much information as possible by ensuring Deifiur can hear every word she says.

"He's loyal to one of us." And Deifiur finally raises her eyes to look directly at her sister, and slightly smiles. "Watch how he acts, sister. He clearly admires someone here."

Athair looks to Inion as well. All Longord cared from Athair was pay, there wasn't any actual life or death respect for him, not yet. Both his daughters were closer to the men, because they were training them. But while both sisters knew that the men need some time, Inion was the only one who actually said it in front of them. She almost appeared understanding or even kind, as kind as a Sith can be, in the men's eyes. Particuraly one's.

"But this is all under the idea that Teoir won't gut everyone here, or gut him and take full control." Deifiur says, her eyes resting back at the projection.

"Perhaps we can make her go off planet." Inion says, and her sister shakes her head.

"We better not be taking her with us." Deifiur says, angered by the very idea of it.

"No, we won't take her with us. If we find anything, I don't want her eyes to see it." Athair says, "But I'll give her something to do. And if she doesn't come back, we'll definitely survive without her."

"But we still have a problem. Where will we be going?" Deifiur says.

"That tome has more planets in it then I can memorize, which is helpful but it does make me question where we'll even start." Inion walks up to the holotable now, and stares at the map as hard as her sister.

Deifiur says, "Ziost was controlled by the Old Sith Empire, but it was a political powerbase. Even if there is anything of value there, it's probably destroyed by the centuries of infighting. Not to mention its been slowly freezing over. Maybe Balmorra?"

"Balmorra was more militarized, and by the Imperials and Republic rather than Sith. All we'd find is destruction and military camps. And that's if the military camp was even Imperial controlled." Inion says, years of the Jedi Archives paying off.