[Originally written by Jento] Darth Obsidius stood on the bridge of the Relentless gazing out into the starfield. They were just off the port side of the Vaiken fleet formation preparing to jump out of the system within the hour. It was all for the meeting he’s just had.

Cousin to his own alter ego, Tomalas Svarthos, had sent an emergency signal for a meeting. It was strange, Tomalas always preferred to do business quietly, usually by holo and never in Imperial space. Something must be wrong. This was to be the understatement of the week. Food spread, wine poured, deck cleared; the meeting was set in place. Obsidius rarely had the pleasure of hosting guests on his own command ship and he wasn’t wasting the opportunity, unfortunately the grandeur would be spoiled by the content. This meeting was for Jento, Obsidius would have to remain in the shadows.

Brigadier Jento Svarthos strolled into the primary meeting hall finding his laid back cousin already picking through the various sweets food spread across the banquet table. Jento hadn’t slept in days and he barely could hide it from his face.

“Tomalas,” Jento said plainly crossing his hands behind his back. He wasn’t really in the mood for sitting although he knew that custom would demand it soon.

Tomalas grinned and plopped down in a chair, turned around backwards of course and set his plate of various unhealthy things down in front of him, “Well look at you, all dolled up and proper. That extra couple of blue and red boxes looks pretty swell on you…. Brig,” he threw the last bit in with a slight chuckle.

Stoic Jento stood glaring, “As much as I do enjoy a good catch up, I trust you have something other than an empty stomach to warrant your special visit. It has been years since you last came aboard.”

Jento’s words soured the happy look on Tomalas’ face. He pushed the plate aside and quickly drained his wine glass. “Jento, there’s a problem… a really big problem. He’s bald, got one eye, and a really bad attitude.”

Jento smirked, “Oh come now, Scelestus is harmless. He is all bark and no bite, he’d still be rotting on Korriban had I not pulled him out of that shutta pit,” he finally settled down into a chair.

“No no, you don’t understand,” Tomalas slid a datapad across the table, on it the split picture of a woman, one side with green hair the other with pink. “Meet Miss Nar Shaddaa, Trully Cosma.”

Jento glanced down and then back at Tomalas, “Charming. Your point.”

Tomalas pointed across the table at the datapad, “Last week, Scelestus knabbed her and hauled her away to this Darth Proteus. She somehow managed to escape but she’s running terrified that Scelestus is still coming back. Funny thing is he told her his name was Lord Scel. Can you believe that?”

“He hates the name Scel… are you sure she isn’t scamming you for money?” Jento pushed the datapad back across the table.

Tomalas paused his mouth agape a bit. Caught, he had given her 30,000 credits… but no, that wasn’t it. “No no, I know a good scam, if she was working me she deserved the money. She had some real terror in her eyes. When I told her I was related to Scelestus I thought she was going to shoot me. He’s in with this Proteus guy, Jento.”

Jento was already convinced but his face grew dark and scowling, “He *was* with him.” He turned and tapped a few commands on the nearby terminal, “He is scheduled to return to the ship in a few hours. You may tell Miss Cosma she need not worry about seeing Scelestus again.”

“Ahh, yep. You got it cousin. I don’t want to know the rest, in fact… I’m going to be going, like right now.” He grabbed his plate and a bottle of the wine. “Come by and see me on Nar Shaddaa, I just bought some stock in a Huttball team, I have tickets!” Tomalas quickly headed for the door.

“I hate Huttball,” Jento muttered under his breath as he headed for his ready room. ********************** The dull hum and clank echoed through the landing bay. It was the private hangar, reserved for only members of the Svarthos family. Scelestus made a point to land directly in the middle, taking us as much room as possible. He strode down the landing platform and a team of worked rushed out to see to refueling and servicing his ship, the very picture of normal military operations.

<< The ship intercom chimed>>

“Darth Scelestus, your presence is requested in Darth Obsidius’ private chambers. He is expecting you presently.” The intercom closed before he could respond.

‘Just what the devil does he want now,’ he thought to himself. He was in no mood to postulate with the ‘pocket Darth’ as he referred to him, but he would pester him or worse if he didn’t humor him. Time to play nice.

Darth Obsidius’ chambers were in the exact center of the ship. Sealed, hidden away from the official plans, only a select few even knew of its existence let alone could get into it. As Scelestus approached the walls slide open, thick as blast doors to allow him entry into the dark corridor leading to the sanctum.

A red hue poured out onto the floor, growing brighter with each step forward. Entering the errrie dark chamber, which Scelestus realized he’d never been in before, he looked around and realized he was now very uneasy. This was not what he was expecting… not a library or a bunch of relics in an office, this was a real Sith’s sanctum. As this sank in, it was too late.

The Force gripped his throat and he was slammed against the wall. Obsidius slowly walked out from the shadowed, his skull like mask burning red from the dim lighting.

“You DARE oppose me!” he barked into the hollow air, his hand raised holding Scelestus helplessly in against the wall. “You are nothing without me, NOTHING. You think you can ally yourself with this Proteus?!” He slings his hand and Scelestus flies across the room, slamming into a table, the contents shattering on to the floor.

Scelestus clammered to his feet, completely unexpecting the sheer power, he reaches for his saber to defend himself. As his fingers brush the hilt it flies from his belt and into Obsidius’ hand.

“Again the fool,” Obsiduis levels his other hand, blue arcs of Force lightning tear through the air, dancing across Scelestus’ defenseless form. He tried to block with his hands but the fury and anger were beyond resisting. He stops briefly, “I should kill you where you lay,” and he hits him again with another bolt, throwing Scelestus’ saber into the darkness and adding a second hand’s worth of the blue light energy.

Scelestus howled in pain, “STTOOOOOP!” he called down on one knee, reaching toward him. “I … will… tell you everything.”

Obsidius halted the assault, crossing the room and tipping Scelestus onto his back with the toe of his boot. Putting his foot on his chest he looks down at him, “What makes you think I care at all what you have to tell me, coward. I should send you back to the Academy so you can live out the rest of your days in failure. A failure, like you’ve always been, the second best, never willing to do what needed to be done. Ruled by fear, you will always be weak and always grasping at my coat tails. If it were not for pity, my own weakness, I would have rid this galaxy of you and strengthened our house for it. You disgust me more than you did in our youths, and I didn’t think that possible.”

Obsidius removed his boot and reached out with the Force grabbing Scelestus’ saber. The chamber doors opened and honor guards rushed into the room. “Show Darth Scelestus to the brig, the inner brig, complete seal, sensory deprivation level 6.”
