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Visiting a Lord of the Sith was often a daunting experience for anyone without their gift. This unease extended even to visiting a family member. Anhel Rolm tapped his foot as he sat upright in the waiting area of his sister’s stronghold. The decor was meticulous and orderly, each piece matched with a symmetrical match and spotlessness nearing to the extreme.
“Lord Haydriss is ready to see you.” The nobleman nodded and followed the servant further into the sanctum. It did not take long to reach her personal chambers, her holdings minimal compared to more ambitious lords. Upon entering, all attendants were dismissed immediately and then it was only the two of them.
The two of them gazed at each other for a few moments. Anhel expected her to greet him warmly, as such in the past, but he was met with only an emotionless mask behind a desk. She did, however, speak eventually. “Anhel, it is a pleasure to see you.” She tapped her fingers against her chair and then rose. “Why have you come to me today?”
He clenched his fists and inhaled. “Sister, why did you not come to the party?” He kept his tone as restrained as he could manage. “Mother was expecting to see you there.”
Haydriss shook her head and walked closer to him. “I have been occupied with my research.” She let out a sigh that reverberated through her mask. “Brother,” she added with the sentimentality that had been thought to be lost.
“Surely you can set aside a few hours for our mother.”
“I am close to a breakthrough, brother!” she said with excitement. She turned to the door and let out a small laugh. “Shall I show you my progress?” Before he even responded, she began to head out.
Anhel latched onto her wrist and was met instantly by a darkness overtaking the room. The masked face turned back to him, offended by the touch upon her person. “Sister,” he said, as if to remind her of their relationship. It appeared to be enough as the anger ceased emanating from her body. He pulled back and folded his hands behind his back. “Sister, we are concerned about your distance from our family.” He took a breath. “I am concerned about your well-being.”
The Sith let out a sigh. “What can I do to assuage your concerns, little brother?”
“You can start by addressing me like a sibling.” He exhaled. “You do not need to wear that mask with me.”
To his surprise, she complied and unsealed her mask. It released a small hiss before she removed it from her face. Her face was not marred by injuries, contrary to his expectations, but her eyes had turned to a sickly yellow. “I am a Sith Lord. I choose to emanate that facet of my life instead of our family.” She looked down at her mask and then back to him. “It would harm my efforts to be involved in politics.”
“There is nothing to be afraid of, sister. It would only beneficial for you to align your interests to mother’s.”
“On the contrary, I am certain that the last remnant of the Serasai will prove problematic in the near future.”
“She is too inexperienced to be of any threat”
“Kristal Serasai is the apprentice of Darth Marr. It is unlike him to choose someone who is weak.” She tilted her head. “I imagine that her two friends match her potential. I heard that one of them also earned the favor of another Dark Council member, Darth Vowrawn.”
“If you are so sure of their capabilities, then you should be willing to help solidify our family’s position. Our family, Haydriss.”
The Sith woman pulled her hand back and shook her head. “What would you have me do, Anhel? If I destroyed them, I would be earning the ire of their masters and anyone else invested in their efforts. If I opposed them indirectly, I would be using resources that I need for my research.” Her eyes turned baleful and peered through him. “In either case, I would be contributing to what is dismantling our Empire.”
“What dismantles our Empire is a lack of loyalty!”
Once more, the room shuddered from her anger. “Do not dare believe that I do not still love you, Anhel. But I will not allow that to shroud my better judgement.” She let out a harsh hiss as her shoulders heaved.
Anhel tugged at his collar, a bit of sweat crawling down his neck. “Sister,” he said once more, hoping that it would calm her down.
She opened her mouth but was interrupted by the arrival of another Sith. Her status as such was not readily apparent beyond the lightsaber at her hip. The Zabrak looked jovial for a brief moment before her expression turned more serious. “I didn’t know you had company,” she remarked before shooting Haydriss an apologetic glance.
Both of the Rolm siblings stayed silent. “Oh come on, at least introduce me. I am Lord Ralnorrei.”
The non-Sith frowned and crossed his arms. “You may be Sith but you should know better than to interrupt us.”
“Sure, sure,” the Zabrak muttered. Then, with a fiendish smirk, she ignited her lightsaber and swung it straight for the man’s neck. An instant before it had met his neck, the blade vanished, the hilt following through with the phantom swing. Past his head, Ralnorrei reignited it and let it hum next to his ear.
Haydriss drew out her lightsaber in response and interposed her stance to protect her younger brother. The other Sith let out a sigh and retracted her weapon. “Woah there. There’s no need to be such a protective sister.” She shrugged to the confused man. “Yeah, she’s told me about the family.” Her eyes lit up, though this time her excitement was much more happy than sinister. “Do you ever say, ‘Hey sis” to her? It sounds very similar to Haydriss.”
The two others stayed silent. Anhel looked to his sister as she lowered her eyes, a tinge of red on her cheeks. “I did not mean to interrupt you, sister,” he finally said. “I will leave you to your research.”
She intended on leading him outside but he refused the gesture. “Take care, Anhel,” she said with a weak smile.
He nodded and walked out of her office. As soon as the door shut, he heard his sister begin cursing the other Sith. The shouting stopped shortly afterward but he was led away by a servant before he could eavesdrop any longer.
