Star Wars OPEN New Sith Trials: Dark Reach: Episode I: An Order Remade

OOC: Combo with @Sinrebirth

IC Sabel
Private chambers, Liberty's Misrule, middle of nowhere

A small smile touched Sabel’s face as Eleodie traced nails over his skin. His eyes glowed a pleased red, while zhe spoke. A light chuckle sounded as zhe gazed into his eyes. Lifting himself slightly, until he was half sitting, half leaning, he returned zher gaze. ”The Pirate Nation and mine, united between us, hmmmm.”

He thought about bits of intelligence that he doubted zhe had as it had been kept under the tightest of wraps, but there were other things that could demonstrate that their alliance would be quite profitable for both nations. ”Those who have made their choices,” his eyes sparkled in a darkly humorous way, ”are merely the non dedicated chaff separating itself from the wheat.”

His smile broadened, widened slightly, ”In all the intelligence you have on me, did it ever tell you a secret I attempt to keep from almost the entire galaxy?”

Zhe smiled back in the same manner. "We're surprised you haven't flaunted it already, with that Chiss ego and all," the Pirate Queen teased. Eleodie sat up, not concerned as to modesty as zhe folded zher arms. "Go on, dazzle us."

Sabel chuckled, trying to ignore zher movements. ”Not all of us desire to flaunt what or who we are. But, since you asked so nicely I’ll show you.” A small smirk appeared on his face, ”Do you wish the ‘cheap and easy’ demonstration or to truly see something? If the later, is there someone whose loyalty may be in question, among your crew?”

"Let's go with the latter," zhe said. "Your pilot we have absolute faith in. Test it, prove us wrong, or right?"

Zhe reached out for a small bell on the bedside, and rang it slightly. The aforementioned taciturn pilot appeared, almost as if he knew that was his cue. "Your Majesty?"

Sabel looked over as the pilot appeared. He glanced back at Eleodie even as his will leapt out. The will of the man was strong, yes, but years upon years of almost constant use of such power and it was mere moments before Sabel’s will overwhelmed the man’s. The man stiffened for a moment before relaxing back into the same pose he’d assumed when he’d entered the room.

Nodding at zher for a moment, Sabel chuckled and then the man’s mouth opened, but in a timbre that sounded oddly like Sabel’s, he spoke, ”Ask him anything you will, dear, and he can but answer truthfully now, the deepest truths he can reveal.”

He chuckled again from his own mouth, then sat back slightly, one hand tracing it’s fingers along zher arm.

Zhe chuckled. "Do you love me, brute?"

"I do," he responded with some monotonality. "It is the only reason I serve you."

Eleodie placed a hand upon Sabel's shoulder. "And if he was to be our betrothed, what would you say?"

"I would want to kill him, your Majesty."

"Oh my," zhe said. "But would you?"

"Only if ordered to do so, my love. I would never want you to be upset with me. It would crush me."

The Queen was touched, and she leaned closer to Sabel and kissed him. The pilot didn't react, not at all, even though, on some level of his mind - conscious, subconscious or even unconscious - zhe had just broken his heart. Zhe looked crestfallen. "This is the problem with being loved."

Sabel watched the exchange, a bemused smile upon his face. When zhe turned and kissed him, he returned it. He didn’t need to keep an eye on the pilot, the man was still under his control. Letting his mind wander a bit, out among zher ship, when the kiss broke, ”I do believe there will be many broken hearts with such a betrothal, among your crew.”

“However, we were talking about my people, before this little tangent. Such a union between us, your charisma, leadership, and appeal and my abilities, tactical, leadership wise, and in the Force, could create a polity few would wish to challenge.” He smiled, eyes even more deeply red for a moment, ”How would you like to see, feel through me, the emotions and thoughts of my Council of Captains when we return and I call it, to meet with the Liberty’s Misrule hanging overhead?

Dismissing the pilot, the Queen chuckled. "Their opinions are fairly clear, aren't they? They abandon your ships, seek others?"

"But yes," zhe leaned over and caressed his face. "We would very much like to see how they response when the Liberty's Misrule attends your little meeting." Eleodie stepped from the bed, reaching for zher clothes. "We think that would be very fun to watch."

"Into the Unknowns, then?

Sabel chuckled as he released his hold on the man’s mind and will once he departed. He stood, letting his uniform lft from the seat he’d placed them in and wrap themselves around him. ”Yes, let us return to my sector, remind my Captains of the chain of command, as some seem to have forgotten, as one of them reminded me recently with his actions.”

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @greyjedi125, @Silvertough, @darthhelinith, @E. L.Knight, @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Nick Rostu
End of Time, Haruun Kal

"More like," Nick said, "it's where you need to go, to leave this place..."

He looked up. "You're supposed to give hope to someone, Peloktan, I'm sorry, the Force tells me that." A grin.

"So, if you want to go, you can go, but otherwise, the akks won't abide a Sith here, and you can't leave, so..." A gesture to the darkest part of the jungle. "It's up to you, not me."

There was a shudder, and a ship appeared in the sky. It had arms, flailing like tentacles. From those limbs like barnacles launched a horde of small shapes; fighter craft fashioned from coral. "Vong ships, eh?" Nick shrugged. "You've been followed by the forces of the Sith God... congrats."

It meant it was time for Claiomh to go through the dark, or stand and fight... and probably die.

TAG: @ClaiomhSolais
---
IC: Commander Sellik
hangar, Dauntless, hyperspace, 35 ABY

The ship settled within the hangar and not a few moments later, the Dauntless vanished into hyperspace. All manner of First Order officer rushed around the fighter, and there was an air of hesitancy when the medics ripped open the TIE to get to Cocytus. The crew backed off, calling out for support, and there were then Stormtroopers standing in the hangar as the techs who had cut open the TIE, and the support staff, rushed back to safety.

There was a clip of shoes as Sellik arrived in the hangar, peering at the Kaminoan.

"Who are you then, to command the forces of the First Order?"

TAG: @Darth Cocytus (combo)
---
IC: Supreme Leader Snoke
Hapan ceremony, interrupted

The cragged face of the Supreme Leader sneered in amusement. The Neti was pontificating, and Snoke cared not for it. He glowered at Renn, and turned to loom over Soliloquy and Helinith. His eyes spread to take in Iudex, and Shimmer, who was breathing but pained. She was intact, all but, though there were more cuts and bruises on her body than she dared to count. She looked for Serapis, unsure.

"You think as if I care about Hapan politics, or your Consortium... let alone your ties to Kuat and the hidden Kesh. I don't require your nobles, nor the monarchy... the civil war has achieved all I wanted, which was for you to weaken yourselves. Isolated in New Republic territory, what will you do now? You're trapped, and I will simply assemble my fleets and destroy you..."

His signal cut out, but his voice remained.

"Now I know exactly where you are."

The line cut, leaving the ominous warning for them all.

A Hapan rushed into the room, holding out a datapad. "Queen Mother, I have traced the message from the perpetrators!" He bowed to Helinith, Renn and Soliloquy. Of course, Iudex also had a connection to Sabel he could tug on whenever he wanted, and eventually Astarta-Serapis would have responsibilities to pick up, including picking apart the Republicans, or following up on whatever Aurra Sing wanted...

But they had a link to Snoke too...

... and Soliloquy had all he knew from the Holocron of Darth Insipid to share with the others - or not.

TAG: @DarthIshyZ, @darthhelinith, @Silvertough, @darthbernael, @Mitth_Fisto
---
IC: Darth Insipid
Coruscant, depths, Sith Temple

There was a clap, once, twice, in the silence of the confrontation between Azathoth and Arb.

The latter snarled, realised he'd been caught out.

"So all it took was for me to fake my disappearance, and your true colours showed themselves..." Darth Insipid stepped from the shadows. His lightsaber was lit. "You needed something from us, so do you intend to reveal as much?"

Arb shifted his weapons to point at Insipid, who fluttered a hand to send them flying. They clattered to the ground, and Arb hissed.

"Well done, my apprentice. You stayed true to me even in my absence, which was merely a ploy to lure out Arb's intentions..." He smiled broadly, yellow eyes showing the expression also, adding a sense of genuine to it. His gaze hardened as it slid back to Arb. "So what do you want?"

Arb paused. "There's a box that ancient Force users protected. They hid it away... it's black...and, well, it's said to hold a component of the End of Time."

Insipid paused.

"But that's already happened."

Arb shrugged.

"Not as long as the box is a factor."

Insipid held out his hand and Arb levitated from the floor, struggling.

"My apprentice, kill him already."

A gurgle - "I'm telling the truth! The box! The Master of Masters hid it, had his Shadow to it!"

The Dark Lord didn't listen, simply gazing at Azathoth as to whether he intended to follow his command, or wanted to know more about the so-called repeat of the End of Time...

TAG: @Silvertough
---
IC: Queen Eleodie
Aboard the Liberty's Misrule, somewhere in the Unknown Regions

It came about quickly enough. Zhe didn't pay much attention to the details, but the captains were gathered. The Red Knights and a sizeable portion of Sabel's crewers were missing from a variety of ships before they had been locked down, and there was plenty of intel that the Nikardun's had accepted the command of Zestus due to their rule-by-merit system.

Eleodie simply regarded the process with some fascination. From what zhe knew, the Chiss had slapped down rumbles in an extreme fashion before, and it had only accelerated the process when Sabel was enticed to leave the Unknown Regions. Had Sabel remained, perhaps, the grumbles would have been silenced, but his aims were beyond the understanding of mortals... of non-Force users.

The Liberty's Misrule had arrived to keep things polite, though zhe understood the Eternal tech held the Imperial ships in their grip...

TAG: @darthbernael
---
IC: The Darkstaff
The Past, the Old Timeline, Cularin, Rivan's Castle, hangar

The guards and hounds and various pirates that served Phylus Mon, the Chevin who had the Darkstaff, they all died.

There wasn't much else to add; they didn't stand a chance against Manticore, nor the Nagai Vy'ndall.

The Chevin held the Darkstaff in his hand, and he leered at them each. "You speak to me as if you have power over me," hissed Phylus.

But then, he choked, and stumbled to the floor. There was another voice that gurgled from his throat instead. You're the one who wants to command me. Me, who has lived for over thirty five thousand years. Me, who saw the Twilight Wars, the birth of the Republic, and the coming and destruction of the Sith?"

The scepter in his hand was nondescript, but it reverberated with hatred.

I would consume you!

The Darkstaff reached out for Manticore, and it's will surrounded the Zabrak -

TAG: @greyjedi125 (combo)

 

IC: Bellorum
private hangar aboard the Luxury Elite

Bellorum stared at the child in disbelief. It was her goal to locate and collect other Force users, but this one? Her thoughts were interrupted by a member of the hangar guard who stepped to her side and waited. She turned and motioned the guard closer, “what is it?” Her voice was hesitant as she distracted by wondering if Hekate could handle the new arrival.

“Ma’am we have another shuttle requesting permission to land,” the guard swallowed before continuing, “it’s Chancellor Mas Amedda, and he sends his apology that he’s early.”

She waved the guard aside ordering that the shuttle be directed to this hangar, “and someone find Ike,” she thought to shout after the retreating man.

“Hekate, take your new charge down to the academy area,” Bellorum quickly directed before looking at Cranjis. She narrowed her eyes so that he would understand exactly who was in charge from now on, “you will remain within the academy, and not wander outside that area, Mistress Hekate will answer any questions you might have,” then she waved them both aside to indicate they were dismissed because it was time to give her attention to the Chancellor. She growled low in her throat over the realization that she didn’t have time to change before greeting him.

——-

Amedda’s shuttle glided in and settled to the hangar floor, Bellorum stepped closer as the boarding ramp began lowering. Several guards disembarked and moved past Bellorum to stand where she waited for the Chancellor, who had just stepped on to the ramp. His eyes were on the Dark Lady as he walked toward her, “my dear, I hope you’ll forgive me, but I have been most anxious to see you,” he said softly as he reached for her hand. He gently caressed her palm while lifting it to his lips.

Bellorum swallowed back the bile rising in her throat and resisted the urge to kill once she’d felt teeth scrape the back of her hand. Where the kriff was Ike, because she couldn’t deal with this and helped like hell he would.

She slowly removed her hand from his grasp and smiled softly, “welcome to the Luxury Elite,” her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, but this being didn’t know her well enough to be afraid. Bellorum’s fingers fluttered and she looked into Amedda’s eyes before she spoke again and with more force, “you are safe here and will dismiss your guard, they should return to Coruscant.”

Amedda nodded curtly and turned to the guard, “leave us, I’m safe here. Return to Coruscant.” Bellorum slid her arm under Amedda’s and lead him out of the hangar as the guards returned to the shuttle. “I’ll give you a tour, but first let’s go to my suite,” she glanced up and lowered her lashes seductively, “I want to change and we’ll have a drink.”


Tag: @Sinrebirth @Darth_wanderguard @Nehru_Amidala

Hekate & Cranjis please combo!

 

IC Sabel and Eleodie with @Sinrebirth as Eleodie and the Captains
Council of Captain, Megarea conference room, Liberty’s Misrule above

Sabel stood at the front of the conference room as the Captains filed in, some very newly promoted to that position with the desertions from the fleet and the disruption caused by the Red Guard. He stood silently, his eyes a brilliant red, hands clasped behind his back. The mutters that reached the front as the officers entered and stood by their seats, waiting for him to sit before they did only causing a small smile to touch his lips. A decent portion of those murmurs were because a second seat, equal to his, stood beside his, Eleodie standing before it.

He waited until the last had entered and taken their place, the guard at the door giving a signal that they all had entered, the door shutting behind him. His gaze raked the gathered officers, his senses touching each of their minds, the uncertainty, the fear, the knowledge they had let this occur. He nodded for a second, ”Tell me, where did the Red Guard stand in the chain of command, do any of you know the correct answer? And before you reply,” he gestured with one hand at Eleodie, ”Zhe has as fully my confidence as anyone, currently, so speak up or I’ll find someone to replace you.”

The Queen fluttered her gold eyes at them.

Captain Felnar, his loyal frigate captain, opined quietly. "Well, I took it that they spoke for you, and as you, my Lord."

Moor, Vestia and Weston were missing, meaning a whole third of the Chiss's forces had gone AWOL. A third of his fleet had been disabled - but not destroyed - hovering above Primea or in the middle of the triangle between Base Prime, Iokath and Zakuul. There was a detachment of disloyal soldiers holding Base Prime, because hostage ships didn't equate to landing forces.

So it wasn't ideal, but it wasn't impossible. A delicate touch was required, which was going to be difficult to apply.

Zhe couldn't wait to see what Sabel would do.

The captains gathered hadn't been direct enough to rebel, but they had been thick enough to just watch the Red Knights rearrange the flotilla and abandon what were inevitably booby-trapped Imperial ships. Zestus's betrayal had been obvious to an outsider like Eleodie, so one had to wonder why these men hadn't put it all together.

Fear, in general.

Fear of Sabel, personified in the Red Guard.

Zhe knew well that fear was only part of the solution.

Sabel nodded then sat waiting for Eleodie to do the same then, ”Be seated.” As the captains took their seats he gazed at them, hands folded before his lips. A sigh, ”Perhaps that was my fault, not making their position adamantly clear.”

“And because I didn’t a third of the fleet is in shambles, the entire fleet is under my personal lockdown, and you all, all that have remained and stayed faithful, are here before me. Vestia may rejoin your number, I have yet to decide. But the first issue is that the Red Guard were always, Always, outside the chain of command. They were my personal guard and seeming disciples, to assist outside the command structure to deal with problems that required unusual responses. They were not, did not have my authority unless I specifically granted it, should the situation demand it. Zestus, and the others will be dealt with, after all they are but babes in the Force.” he continued.

He could feel their fear, and the confusion his admittal of partial blame had caused. ”I had faith in you all to know the orders I gave you and follow them. And now we stand with a fleet that must be returned to serviceability, an assault that must be made, and Zestus and his peers to be brought to heel. The mission that took me from you was a necessity, a danger to our polity, that required my personal touch. And it revealed, some with the aid of the Queen here,” he gestured at Eleodie, ”the absolute chaos that Known Space is roiling with. The Imperial Remnants there are not worthy of our aid and the ones that call themselves Sith have fallen much in stature. Their Emperor is dead, as far as I could tell, their two strongest warriors fallen in defense of a barely held polity. So, my question to you, what will you do to bring us back to strength?”

"Their Emperor," a captain said, carefully. "Not to be confused with our Emperor, presumably?" There were always dead-enders who hoped Palpatine wasn't dead, of course. They existed all over the Empire, praying for his return, committed to the Dark Force religion that Coruscant had briefly piloted as a way to hold the regime together.

"Of course not," came another. "He said their."

There was a rumble, and Eleodie sighed loudly.

They refocused as a group, and again Felnar answered. "Whatever it is you ask of us, my Lord, of course."

Sabel snorted lightly at the sigh from Eleodie, turning to her, in a low voice, ”Yes, some of them have not given up that mysticism. Useful sometimes.”

He turned back to his captains, eyes glittering, ”Your devotion, all of it, is noted and will be remembered. As I see it there are tasks ahead of us. One is to recrew the ships that have been depopulated by the deserters. But to do so we must retake Base Prime. As you know Vestia was the Flag Captain and I currently do not have one. Therefore, whichever of you can plan and execute the return of Base Prime to loyal forces will be granted the first interview for the position. And once those objectives have been accomplished, it will be time to call Zestus to account.”

He leaned his head against his hand, as though in thought for a moment, ”You may have noticed the SSD overhead, as well as the fact that the Queen is seated here, at my side. Some of you may have wrinkled out why that is. So in the spirit of the partnership forged,” a small smile touched his lips at the shocked sound that rumbled through the room as he extended his hand and took zher’s in it, ”I would recommend giving her the respect of my equal and listen as she gives her thoughts on the situation.”

"Your Majesty," they rumbled. Standing, they bowed, and acknowledged her. The Liberty's Misrule was not unknown to them. It was the former SSD of Grand-General Tagge, constructed even before the Executor, back when it was called the Annihilator.

"Be gone," zhe said, and they stood to file out. There was a slight hesitation, and the Queen laughed. "Well done, you have listened to your Lord. He asked you to think about who gave orders, and you did so. But we are not to be trifled with. Find Zestus, and we will have a reckoning with the traitor."

They bowed, and turned to go, but still slow enough that Sabel could interject.

Sabel waited as they turned, then as almost every one of them was facing the door he coughed slightly. ”Such charisma, dear. I remind them of the chain of command and with barely a word they listen to you.” He chuckled as they turned back, several red faced, others realizing the test they’d been given. ”Once the union is formalized, my word is law in our territory and zher’s in zhers. But in any joint operation, save an order that would betray your given sovereign, you would obey the one that commands you, be it zhe or I.” He could sense her agreement with his decision as he finished.

”Dismissed.”

They rushed out, some of them nearly tripping over each other to escape. Zhe turned immediately. “Why single out Vestia?”

Sabel chuckled, as they rushed out, in response to zher question. ”He is in good hands, waiting for us in my ready room. I wanted him separate so the Captains here had that wonder as to what his fate would be. He acted as they did, thinking that the Red Guard was in the chain of command so his fate will be no worse than theirs. In fact, assigning him a special mission that ‘recuperates’ him in my eyes will do much to show them that they have value.” he responded, thinking through the possibilities as he did.

"Divide and conquer," zhe said bluntly.

Zhe lounged on zher over-sized chair, for any room zhe was in needed a 'throne'. "We suspect you have a problem, Sabel. You've a cycle of fear which is going to see you need to do periodic purges. Glory is all well and good, but you're breeding radicals, and you're not a radical. Military discipline, can it sustain an Empire? What of life? Living?"

"Loving?" Zhe fluttered her eyelids.

Standing, Sabel began to pace back and forth, thinking. ”We’ve spent the years we have been here surviving, attempting to secure our borders, and develop the technology of what we have found. But perhaps it is time to expand, not the physical borders perhaps, but the mandate, turn this into a true civilization. And, working together, I do believe both our spheres can prosper and not have this issue.”

Zhe reached out a golden tipped-hand for him to take. "You need a name, for you new Empire. A promise, that it won't be the way it was before," Eleodie said. "Because the old ways... they are dead." The Queen stared into his eyes with a glazed expression. "This First Order, or whatever they call it. It is so named to escape what that Palpatine did. We can see it... but did you escape his shadow?"

Sabel ceased his pacing, turning to face zher, taking zher hand. ”I doubt what we have become is what he intended but if he’d intended something else he should have put another in command. These are my, our now, people, and we will build something worthy between our two nations.”

He paused, a smile, ”What do you think of the ‘Shadow Diarchy’ as a name for our joint realm, two equal rulers, commanding our two polities together.” he asked as he leaned over, kissing the back of zher hand.

"We like," zhe said. "We approve very much. The Shadow Diarchy. Very nice," the Queen said, and rolled zher hand over to cup his face and guide it to zhers. Once they finished kissing, zher voice turned hungry. "You can lock this room, yes?"

Sabel felt the warmth of her cheek and lips as he held her and the kiss lingered for a moment. As she asked, he smiled then lifted a finger, the sound of the bolts drawing shut from the doors sounding from across the room. ”Of course…”

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @greyjedi125, @Silvertough, @darthhelinith, @E. L.Knight, @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Morrigan
Haruun Kal, our time, Jungle edge

She was with Hades, but she could feel the pain from him, mainly from the loss of the Force, but age, also. The man had been a Sith for many years, back when it was lead by Vassago, she believed... before Marvellous... before Ventris... before Mystique... before Insipid... before the Triumvirate...

It was worrying, but then the Jungle rustled with electricity and a tide of power that stirred her hair, and would antagonise Hades as well, perhaps even push himself from his stupor.

There was a charge to the air, and Morrigan looked worried for a moment, but if she could feel it...

She glanced at her love. "Did you feel that?"

--
Jungle heart

The dark released Claiomh through, and it took from her in exchange for the opportunity. Whatever creature had hidden at the heart of the jungle for however many years drained her of the Force, reducing her to the power level of an apprentice, tugged at her knowledge of advanced technique, in exchange for her inter-dimensional trip.

She would feel a void in the Force as the Dark Heart used that power to transport itself back to... wherever it had came from.

But she still had the Force, just the trip had cost her.

And yet...

And yet...

She could sense a Sith here...

And...

Somewhere...

Bernael existed in this reality...

Or...

Perhaps...

He had?

TAG: @ClaiomhSolais, @E. L.Knight, @darthbernael (mention for latter only, in a roundabout manner)
---
IC: Ike
Orbit of Coruscant, aboard the Luxury Elite, heading to the hangar

He had done a degree of research via their criminal contacts since arriving here, and as much as Aryan and Syren had spent the time canoodling, or... whatever they were not doing, he had mentioned Coruscant and so didn't want to let Bell down. He was in the middle of reading about a criminal kingpin by the name of 'Arb Skyxnex' - a name which had rumbled in his non-existent memories somehow, when he realised Mas Amedda was aboard.

With a sudden oops, Ike threw his silk dressing gown over his skin, tying the sash around his waist and accepting that gown and undergarments would have to do. He would make it work, after all.

He headed to the hangar, conscious that negotiating with the ex-Grand Vizier was essentially key to them taking control of the world and then the criminal underworld would follow. As he waltzed towards the hangar, he allowed his bare feet to announce him as Bell gave a seductive smile about her plans.

“I want to change and we’ll have a drink.”

Ike piped up with a smirk.

"And if you can't wait, I'm happy to entertain you in the meantime."

TAG: @Lady Belligerent, mentions for @HanSolo29, @QueenSabe7
---
Coruscant underlevels

Arb howled, and Insipid waved a hand and slammed the sharpshooter into the wall, knocking him unconscious with aplomb. Turning two fingers, he lifted the man and continued to speak. "Well done, my apprentice. We'll keep him as a hostage until whatever scheme he has going on attempts to ensnare us."

"As to your question..." he stalked under the Jedi Temple-come-Imperial Palace, leading Azathoth to a silver-plated yacht.

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Imperialis

"... I intend to allow the criminal underworld to consume itself while we have the leader. Once the lieutenants have consumed each other, we'll step in when we have more assets. The in-fighting will do our work for us..." He stepped to the yacht, gesturing it open. Inside it's hold were the four statues, and Insipid bundled Arb into one of the holding cells.

He snorted. "So, the box. Is this something he truly seeks, or is he merely attempting to hide his connection to it?"

Insipid wasn't looking at Azathoth. He was keeping himself secluded in the Force, but there was something in orbit...

He tapped a display and took in a casino ship holding in orbit. "The Luxury Elite." He watched as an Imperial shuttle departed it. "Huh."

He glanced at Azathoth. "Have you any strength at gambling?"

TAG: @Shadowsun
---
IC: Eleodie Maracavanya
In the Unknowns, poised to head to Primea, Megarea conference room

They were in the middle of the table which had been previously circled by his captains, absently regarding reports. Zhe didn't consider it comfortable, but it had served it's purpose. "Ah yes," Eleodie said. "Word has leaked of your meeting. A few of those present appear to have abandoned their craft and are heading towards Primea, where the Nikardun fleet is holding, as well as a third of your disabled ships..."

Zhe looked at Sabel, golden eyes amused. "So we know the identity of the last of those who waver, and we have our loyalists... for now." Zhe sat up. "We seem to have our target... I'm sure you know all about Primea, but it hasn't been an easy egg to crack for anyone. We can go in all guns, you can lead a team... but we imagine Zestus, was it? We imagine he has a plan for you... him and his Red Knights."

In earnest, zhe was intrigued as to what his plan would be.

Zhe hoped he knew that zhe wouldn't just hand over the Misrule to a foolish plan.

TAG: @darthbernael
---
IC: Vy'ndall Tremyr
The Past, but also

The Nagai moved the slavers ship into orbit above Almas, reducing Darth Rivan's fortress to a speck behind them.

As he did, Manticore would have a soft moment with the unconscious Darkstaff. There were subtleties between it and him, and Manticore would pick flashes of memory within himself... Vy'ndall was a memory, indirect, a suffusion of something that had happened, though perhaps not the way it was intended or meant to.

The Lord of Anguish.

There were other memories awakening within him, cautiously.

A warrior monk by the name of Jin...

A Darkness...

But there were other memories too, curdling within the Darkstaff. Four friends, no, five, all betrayed by each other.

The rumbling name.

Trayus.

It had resonance for Manticore.

The Darkstaff was showing him times and places.

A Jedi named Phanius who fell and became Darth Ruin.

His corrupted texts, picked up, misread... much like Revan and Rivan...

There was also... an understanding. The Darkstaff could take them forward in time. It had an understanding of time they didn't... that the alternate universe that they had crossed into, it was the future of their timeline. They were creating branches and branches and branches... but most of them were inconsequential, and died off.

The Darkstaff knew about the Change.

About how it was a simple matter of causing a Change, engineering an Apocalypse, and, as long as there were no divine interventions, reality would end again. That the Sith had engineered the continuation of existence... but not them.

A specific Sith had discovered his fate, and undone it.

Here, he had simply died.

A curse upon the Skywalker blood forever.

There, his plan was not yet spoken.

His name... Manticore could not yet pick at it.

But a Change had already occurred...

... so an Apocalypse was all that was needed.

If Manticore willed it, he could rejoin his fellow Sith.

He could follow himself back to the Battle of Hapes.

He could follow his connection to Darth Insipid.

He could follow his connection to Bernael.

"Or," Vy'ndall said. "You can follow your connection to me..."

A chuckle.

"Before Master Yoda kills me."

It became apparent that the Nagai wasn't really there.

He was merely a projection caused by the connection the Zabrak had with the Darkstaff.

Or, rather, was going to have, and now did.

TAG: @greyjedi125
---
IC: Commander Sellik
Aboard the Dauntless, the day after, Oovo IV, 35 ABY

The prison world of Oovo IV in the Tharin Sector, bordering Hutt Space was, well, as you would have expected, in uprising.

The First Order had appropriated the historic prison because, well, why not. The New Republic had used these facilities, and the Empire had, and the Old Republic before that. Desolation Alley, the maximum security prison here, was still here. So the First Order took it, deploying Stormtroopers to replace the blue-attired New Republic guards.

Simple.

But now.

Commander Sellik stood at the bridge as they arrived, a well rested and fed Darth Cocytus escorted to the bridge by a pair of Stormtroopers that were determined to impress the Sith. "My lord," Sellik said gravely. "I have further reports for you about the state of the galaxy, but as to below." He regarded the world beneath them.

"I have heard from the surviving Stormtroopers below; the lower levels of the prison have been seized by the inmates, and seem likely to take the upper-most level shortly. Their landing pad includes supplies and a shuttle, but they've been at a loss where to go even if they escape."

He paused. "Did you... want us to deploy, sir?"

There was a twinge in the Force below, a flicker. Not quite appealing to Cocytus, but sensing him.

TAG: @Darth Cocytus

TAG: @DarthIshyZ, @Mitth_Fisto, @darthhelinith, @darthbernael, @Silvertough (combo to continue, please)

 

IC: Supreme Leader Snoke
In the Shadows

Everything was going according to plan.

His plan, of course.

Insipid was dead... Manticore and Bernael, they were 'off the board', so to speak... Cocytus was no longer a factor...

He had drawn the Sith out of hiding, and they were sitting on Hapes, ready for him to wipe them out.

Gideon, Eccressys, Sloane, Hux, Apollin... he would unite the former Imperials under his rule soon enough.

First order of business.

He regarded that which stood before him with a smile, and turned back to face the Shadow behind him. To who had left the Hapan system and sought him out. A good sign; a sign that he was doing the right thing...

The heretical thing.

"You're the God of Death, yes?"

His oversized hand gestured to the construction.



"Would this be useful?"

The Shadow that had birthed itself from the wounds of the past allowed a smile to enter the Force.

It pointed at Ship, the meditation sphere.

"Shall we travel together?"

A guttural chuckle.

"Allow me to give you a tour, my friend."

TAG: No-One

 

IC Sabel and Eleodie, with @Sinrebirth as Eleodie
In the Unknowns, poised to head to Primea, Megarea conference room

The reports were strewn across the table. Many of them had drawn sighs or low growls of frustration from Sabel as he read them. Those that had fled had taken the time, from time to time to disable systems where they could. Luckily many of the ships were still in good trim and the crews he did have were working like demons to get the SDs back to full functionality. Even better news was that the Eternal systems aboard several of the ships in Primea were able to report back through the hybrid comms. So they had a good picture of what those ships could see with their systems.

At Eleodie’s comment he grunted. ”We do now know the ones that had been on the fence and fell away like dross. Zestus is smart, I’ll give him that but he’s also not close to the power I wield, which will make him take chances he’d otherwise not. The Nikardun are not fools and the simplest solution will be to show them he’s not the perfect warrior they desire to lead them.”

He brought up the data the Primean fleet craft had sent, the deployments of the Nikardun and how Zestus had prepared them for his advance. ”Yes, both are viable options but we have others. He and I will face each other again but we do have several elements of surprise. The report from the semi disabled craft at Primea indicate we already have several assets there that would be able to take them in the flank or from the rear. So the real question is how do we distract them from that second assault, get them to face away from it so it does the fullest damage.”

Eleodie fluttered her eyelids. "We can be very distracting."

Zher fingertip traced the reports. "The Misrule is a very attention-seeking lady... even if Zestus likely knows about us by now."

A tap of a finger, and a datapad projected an image. "We have what you have secured here; the Megarea, your two ISDs, the frigate, the Misrule..." Zher eyes took in the Resurgent, still basically weaponless, "and that hulk of course."

The data from Primea wasn't... welcoming. Nine Nikardun Battledreadnoughts, some forty other ships including twelve sleek Nikardun destroyers, and a host of frigates, corvettes and gunboats. Primea was deeper in the Unknown Regions than they had ventured, not far from Csilla, which was itself another host of problems. There were the two disabled Onager's and a quartet of Star Destroyers in-system, providing them a tactical advantage if they managed to resurrect them.

Indeed, Zestus and his team had managed to secure many more ships than the defected crew they had... which suggested an accord with the Nikardun. Every day, more ships arrived under the Nikardun banner, and the Vak of Primea were essentially powerless to do anything about it.

But the rest of their fleet was split between territorial positions, blockaded the home base... they could recall ships, of course, but…

Sabel chuckled at the distraction comment, ”Yes you can distract well.” he commented.

He tapped the display, bringing up the information on the Onager’s and the SD’s. A sigh at the data. Three of the SD’s would have weapons functionality by the time they arrived but only one of the Onager’s might, and their data was unsure, have such functionality by then. He thought about recalling ships but that was the usual game of robbing one resource to assist another and that often turned out quite bad in the end.

He sent a secured message through the Eternal system, to bring those ships to as full functionality as possible without alerting Zestus or the Nikardun forces. It would do them no good if that element was attacked or destroyed before they could launch the feint with the Liberty’s Misrule or the other craft.

Pulling up the holo of the system, the icons for all craft noted so far included, Sabel began to pace for a few moments as he thought. Little mutters under his breath issued forth and he kept looking between the holo and the wall. Stopping finally, he moved back up beside zher. ”The Resurgent is all but useless, until it is repaired. Which leaves us with the Meg, the Misrule, the two ISD’s, and the Nebula.” He zoomed in on the fifth planet of the Primea system.

Pointing, he smiled coldly, ”That should be a good start, and the Meg, the SD’s and the Nebula can all widen a gap for you and your payload, in the asteroid field, by doing our own tugging. Once through, the Misrule will take the center of the formation and we’ll come in, to all appearances a head on attack. Zestus is smart enough to know that’s not the case but knowing the Nikardun they’ll be itching to fight. And the payloads will be hidden in our shadows until time to release them.”

"We approve," zhe said, after a moment. "Do you intend to keep a reserve?"

Again zhe tapped the Resurgent. "It could be a decent carrier, with shields repaired. We gather it can hold 144 fighters; which is a lot for its size... stage most of our fighters from it, perhaps?" Zhe wondered. "Or just leave it out?"

The Queen twisted zher lips. "The Nikardun and the traitors and Zestus and the Red Knights. We can't imagine they are perfectly in sync, but they are for now." A gesture. "Let alone the Vak of Primea. They have a large military, but it's all small gunboats; patrol craft and corvettes and the like. We go in as invaders, we are liable to get some flak."

"Do we intend to twist the perception of us?"

Sabel chuckled, the room suddenly seemed to sprout a dozen Red Guards who bowed to the two of them then took up places around the room before fading again. ”Zestus may be a decent Force user but yes he cannot match what I can and does not have the ability to discern which of what I could spin up would be the true, physical us and which were the phantoms.”

Gazing at the image of the Resurgent, ”Hmmm, yes, the Resurgent has the range on every ship I’ve seen save the Misrule. And would allow us to double the fighter complement. Keeping the majority of them onboard it would give the SD’s more power to tow their payloads.”

“As to dealing with Primea and keeping them from aiding the Nikardun and Zestus, I’ve already had the crews taking care of that.” He touched a stud on the holo table and an image of the outside of the ships came into view, his territory’s logo and hers had been overlaid with a different one.



”We will appear to come from the Ascendency and the Primeans are indebted to the Chiss from the prior invasion of the Nikardun. Plus they are hesitant to face the Chiss as they remember that disaster.”

The Queen nodded, amused. “Very smart. Especially with the rumoured ties between the Chiss and Imperial remnants in the Unknowns...”

Zhe shrugged. “I even hear the Chiss are developing their own Star Destroyer and TIE variants. But they’re focused on defending their boundaries so it’s less relevant to us... and makes them perfect covers.”

“We approve, you may use the Misrule accordingly.” Zhe held out zher hand for him to kiss.

The corner of his lip turned up and he took zher hand, leaning over to kiss it. Leaning back up, ”So it is set, all that remains is to enact the plan.” he said before pulling zher close and kissing zher.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @greyjedi125, @Silvertough, @darthhelinith, @E. L.Knight, @Mitth_Fisto

 

OOC Supercombo

IC Remaining Sith
Hapan ceremony, interrupted

Renn ignored the threat from Snoke, the man, the fool, did like to talk so he let him as Renn glanced at Soliloquy, a short nod for the fact that he was taking care of the other business of responding to the attack. He could feel their wounded but also see that the Hapan teams that had entered in the aftermath were escorting the wounded nobles out of the Throne Room. He took a moment and spoke with one Hapan in charge of that effort whose aura was giving off sincere and lasting devotion to the new Matriarch, to Helinith. He pointed out several of the surviving nobles and suggested that they be kept under even more observation than the others, perhaps a cocktail of truth drugs added to their meds to encourage them to talk with recovering. The Hapan nodded and set off on their task. Soon the room was cleared of all but the Sith.

Turning back to his Craziness and Soliloquy, ”We need to get everyone on the same page. So if either of you has anything that can assist us, speak now.” His gaze swung to Iudex, ”Something tells me you have a way to negate that ‘cut off’ bit the fool mentioned so if I were you, I’d make that call.” His gaze continued to sweep the room, ”And the rest, just like our new leader, if there’s anything you think you can add, do so, we need to be fully prepared when that overweening blowhard shows up.”

Astarta sat up. Her head felt awful. Whether it was because of an early hangover or the result of being thrown into a column, she didn't know. She had a vague memory of Snoke, that deformed being Serapis was supposed to meet ages back, making an announcement. What she saw now seemed to confirm that. Pandemonium. People running this way and that. Absolute panic.

She struggled to her feet, holding onto the column for support. She saw her fellow Sith were conversing in a corner, so she made her way over to them. She arrived just in time to register Renn's last sentence, "we need to be fully prepared when that overweening blowhard shows up.” Nothing worse than coming into a conversation late, but, from context, she could tell that the Snoke thing wasn't a dream, it was happening. She grabbed onto Renn's branch for support and spoke to Queen Helinith.

"Ummm, your highness, we don't have an admiral of the Navy, yet, since Galney did her thing." She pulled a datacard from her pocket. "This is a list of candidates, but they haven't been vetted, yet."

The hologram of Snoke vanished, and with it Iudex's adrenaline, leaving the injured Falleen standing quietly by himself, lightsaber held firm in an iron grip. With a reluctant sigh, he pocketed his lightsaber hilt. There would be no fight today, no great struggle to throw himself against. No, instead there would be only more of the same politicking he detested so greatly.

Fantastic.

Iudex shook his head as he slowly made his way to where the other Sith were gathering, making no effort to hide his irritation for what had just transpired. He crossed his arms across his chest, quietly listening to Renn as he waited for a moment to speak. He gave the Tree a single nod in response to his implied order, but otherwise said nothing to the Sith in question. For there was someone else who needed to say something substantive.

Iudex turned to face Soliloquy, an eyebrow cocked. "While that all sounds really important, comrade, we needn't worry, for our dear Emperor here already has the solution!" He smiled humorlessly. "Didn't you say you were prepared to use Battle Meditation to direct our fleets from behind our planetary shields? Also.. Something about knowing how to enslave millions of sapients a day to crew our brand-spanking new fleets?"

Iudex made a point to look at the destruction wrought within the coronation hall. "I'm uh.. Not seeing any of those new subjects running about.. Or any new fleets.. Or a functional planetary shield.. Looks like you got your job cut out for you, eh Emperor?"

Soliloquy sighed. He had hoped to wait for the Queen Mother to speak first before he did, but with that impudence he could not let it slide. Lifting a hand he turned it this way and then that, and then suddenly a small polyp mushroom was between two fingers.

With a flip of his hand a generous application of Force he sent it on a path into Iudex's nose and down into the man's digestive system. It was a poison to some, but if Soliloquy remembered correctly for reptiles it was typically digested as an aphrodisiac. Dosage should be about four times the proper dose as one with his weight.

Raising his hand again he formed a static sphere around them that would disrupt all listening and monitoring devices. "You speak openly of potentialities with a microphone to your face on the assumption that just because the screen is off no one is listening. Your planning and foresight truly are astounding!" Rolling his eyes he reached down and tore his pants leg open on the side.

Reaching in he removed the holocron, wiping off the blood on the torn cloth and leaving a rather sizable hollow in the leg, before holding up for the others to see. "Before I state my ideas on the topic, I thought there might be a couple points of illumination the prior Emperor would like to state having heard things so far."

Shimmer was there too, briefly bandaged up and her arm in a sling. Sitting heavily on one of the few surviving chairs, she leaned forward, eying the Holocron. "Former Emperor? That belongs to Lord Insipid?" He eyed the Queen Mother, his former apprentice, as she understood it.

Helinith, who had been scrolling through Serapis' list of personnel with little enthusiasm, looked up sharply and the tablet broke in her hand.

As it was brought into view, her eyes flickered with different emotions that passed by so quickly, they were hard to read.

Though she didn't once move, it almost seemed in one moment she was reaching out to take the holocron, and then in the next moment it was gone.

Whatever her views on the matter, she remained silent, and began force healing her hand (the glass screen of the tablet had drawn blood) but her eyes remained fixed on the holocron.

The Holocron flared into existence.

It was little Lord Insipid, and he waved in a relatively restrained manner. He was, after all, dead. "Yes, I left behind a Will, and I wrote my own Epitaph. With Force users like Snoke and the Twins abounding, let alone the Skywalkers... we're relatively outclassed, so I needed somewhat to collate all my secrets and research..."

He held out his hands. "Turns out you didn't blow up the Round Room. Congrats!"

"Presumably Hapes is finally secure... and it's my role to regale you with either a) my Ike private photos, b) the Second End of Time or c) my thirty year plan for galactic dominance." He shrugged. There were more idiosyncrasies to the Holocron than the true person, probably because it was an AI rather than a Forceful being who could actually read a room.

The image did turn around to individually note them, as if peering forward. "Unless we have some backstabbing and bloodletting to get to, at which point don't let me stop you."

Renn kept track as the other Sith spoke their pieces and he knew that this holocron was going to put them through their paces but he was mulling all the information given already. Moving slightly closer to his Craziness, he reached down, gently taking her hand in his and adding his own energy to hers, healing her hand as she focused on the holocron. His eyes lifted, looking at the tiny figure of Insipid as well, ”I take it you were appraised that Manticore and Nevet are dead…”

Iudex made no attempt to stop Soliloquy's attack, simply grunting in mild discomfort instead as the polyp entered his digestive tract. The point had been made, and as much as he fervently disagreed with it, Soliloquy was in charge, free to make whatever backwards decisions they wished.

A unconscious shiver swept through his body, no doubt a result of the fresh dose of stimulant now absorbing into his bloodstream. A stimulant that felt.. Familiar. Iudex crossed his arms over his chest, the corners of his lips upturning into a faint smile. He had been given an extremely high dose of what felt like an aphrodisiac, an odd choice to poison a Falleen with, considering the pheromones that characterized his species.

He was tempted to just do nothing, to let his overcharged pheromones simply envelop the room, let what would inevitably happen happen. An in-depth team building exercise, so to speak. Iudex glanced at each of the other gathered Sith for a moment, before shrugging. He had had worse ideas.

Iudex clicked his tongue, filing away such thoughts for a later date. He needed to be serious. If the Sith needed him to be a footsoldier, then that's what he would be. Let the others worry about concepts like "logistics" , or "morale". For that end, he first needed to have some semblance of a clear mind, which meant, as enjoyable as it was, the mushroom had to go.

With a slow exhale, Iudex focused inward, centering his thoughts onto a singular focal point, his gut. That was where the greatest concentration of the stimulant lay. In one motion, the polyp was eviscerated, crushed into trillions of harmless specs via a clenched fist. Iudex cocked his head to the side, pleased with his handiwork. The dust would be expelled along with his natural pheromones along the next few days, empowering it's influence with no lasting damage to himself.

..Just in time to watch as a miniature Insipid pop into view from a holocron. A million questions sprung to mind, but one felt more immediately important than the rest. Seeing no one else speaking, Iudex stepped forward.

"My Lord, before anything else, answer us this." Iudex said quietly, staring holes into the small avatar. "Is this latest death of yours.. Permanent?"

Grinning inspite of himself Soliloquy feigned interest in the things he already knew. "After sparkling. . .Ooh, how about I display option A as a backdrop whilst you talk through the applicable portions of option C keeping in mind Snoke's message you just overheard from inside my leg. Hmm?"

"Har har," the Holocron said to Soliloquy, amused. "I've heard Manticore and Nevet are missing, yes. One must never presume dead, not nowadays..." Insipid smirked. "Far too negative."

His gaze cut to Iudex. "Yes, I am dead... but that doesn't mean I'm gone. Some remnant of myself appears to have been left behind in our old reality, ushering across potential Sith candidates." He lazily gestured to Helinith and Renn. "So, I imagine I still exist, somewhere in the cosmos. But I'm not here, so you're very much at a disadvantage."

"Well, my plan to deal with the First Order was relatively simple, actually." Insipid glanced to them. "Snoke's control of the Imperial remnants is tenuous. All we need to do is kill him, and we can take the next thirty years infiltrating the Senate and transforming the New Republic into a New Empire. Instead of taking over, we shall simply make the galaxy Sith. Curriculum, culture, traditions... all of it."

Renn pondered the not dead comment for a moment, but he knew his connection to his old friend was silent which argued opposite what this holo Insipid said. As to the true, or a true version of Insipid still surviving, he smiled, knowing that that other version did exist.

At the comments about Snoke and how to defeat that one he chuckled, ”Snoke...I may have annoyed him, at least enough to get him to commit so we’re in luck in that case, also our current level of forces is not as high as his overall.”

Soliloquy simply waited on the others. Watching them, feeling them in the Force. He was apathetic to the plan Insipid had laid out, it wasn't one that was working. But these Sith were gearing up hearing a dead-ish leaders plan. His own would have been simpler, let us establish ourselves here. Give it a hundred years to fortify this caldera that was so similar to the Sith's original beginnings and then perhaps pursue the other avenues after letting the near times deal with themselves. Snoke was a powerhouse most were not ready to face and those that were nearly ready were all missing in action.

Soliloquy did not count himself in that number because he had no desire to settle any battle for the Sith. This was their existential crisis. All he would do is offer ways, tools, and let them decide ultimately their own fate. This had shown just how ready they were to follow the past instead of forging the future.

Helinith shrugged.

"The way I see it is we need more time. Our fleet has been torn apart and while this allows us to rally the Hapeans to one cause, even they can't make ships appear out of thin air."

She refocused her attentions on healing the self-inflicted laceration in her hand, grimacing slightly.

Insipid shrugged. “It’s up to the Dark Lord; you have everything you need to triumph...” he eyed Soliloquy. “But we all know that the Force is where any conflict will be resolved.”

He turned aside. “Politics, military strength, though it is anathema to us to admit it; it comes second in our repertoire of weapons...” with that, he signed off.

Renn chuckled, ’Helpful..’ he thought. Glancing down, he ran his hand over Helinith’s once more, adding a touch more of his healing to hers.

Looking back up, he glanced at Soliloquy, ”Nothing said about changing who the boss is so whether you like it or not, little brother, you’re still in charge. Some of who we have can rally the Hapans, some,” he flicked his glance over at Iudex, ”could possibly get us access to another fleet, commanded by a Sith, and we do have and know what the former Emperor said, we have our Force powers. Plus, I do believe Snoke is going to have a focus, one I intend to keep in place, distract him...me.”

He chuckled again, recalling what he’d told twisted, arrogant whatever Snoke was, ”So, lead us, decide how and where we expend our energies, with all those options.”

Helinith grinned and looked at the garishly dressed emperor.

"In that case, may I nominate myself for the task of dressing up and looking pretty? I think I'm getting rather good at it."

Soliloquy dipped his head slightly at the twigs words, and at the Queen Mother Helinith's words. "The Queen Mother always should be the best dressed. You also shall have to be the rallying cry of the Hapan people. Iudex the call to the underhanded and amorous sections of society, but your own plans for a fleet you are free to pursue. Renn, keep being a target but you must keep the Queen Mother safe, also feel free to ask me if you need any help making her 'fit' the title role. My apprentice will handle returning the Senator and trying to secure a contract for advanced or even abandoned contracts from Kuat that we can use to rebuild a fleet - one that might be lighter on crew and heavier on droids. Astarta can be the linchpin for fleet developments and crews, her intimate knowledge of these things should aid in integration. I will get my labs producing weapons and alternative organic technology that should give us an edge in a fight - especially against a Force user. Where our own crutch is is also where Snoke's is. His overconfidence in the Force may be our path to victory against him. I also have a series of holo-light belts that I will get the Hapan arts and fashion industry to make in the coming week, if they work I am hopeful they will allow us all to hide our presences in the Force without effort or skill."

Here he pointedly looked at Iudex, "If we slowly activate them and use proper shielding for sleep chambers most if not all of us could become enigma's in the Force and blind spots that the enemy will not be able to sense where or what we do. Nor sense us coming. Or conversely we could all fake our deaths while we slowly move to infiltrate and influence the new galactic government." Here a shrug, "Options are always welcome. Yet I believe this covers the short-term preparations. Oh, yes Astarte and Iudex - also keep an eye out for fomenting traitors that do not accept the rallying call."

Iudex stood quietly, passively absorbing the words of the other gathered Sith. He had come to the same conclusion that he presumed everyone else had, being that they needed far more time then what was available. But, it couldn't be helped. Snoke had shown his hand, it would be foolish not to respond in some manner.

He regarded Soliloquy with renewed interest, bowing his head in agreement to the orders, implied and stated. "As has been alluded to, my contacts have discovered a way to contact our new Chiss friends. While I'm not sure what the late Lords of Hunger and Hate offered them last time, I'm sure I can arrange something." Iudex crossed his arms over his chest. "Not to worry, I'm sure the good General and I will've smoked out any remaining renegades in short order. We were hit once, not about to let them blindside us again."

Iudex glanced at Astarte with a smirk. "Right, General?"

With the new Emperor seemingly interested in acting like a leader, Iudex promptly ceased airing his grievances, if not for the time being. The real enemy was Snoke, after all. Some minor rivalries had their purpose. Infighting would only weaken the already shaken Sith, which was the last thing the man wanted to do.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @darthhelinith, @Mitth_Fisto, @Silvertough, @E. L.Knight, @DarthIshyZ

 

IC: Morrigan
Haruun Kal

Jungle edge. The wanderings of Claiomh would lead her to the closest city, Pelek Baw, which she had missed during her crash landing. To be it bluntly, without her powers she was easy prey for all manner of insect, bug, and infection. By the time she reached civilisation, she would be dehydrated, famished, and exhausted. Her emergence saw the locals take her in, though anything of value would be taken from her.

It wasn't a nice place, by any stretch of the imagination.

However, Morrigan, leaving Hades for the moment, had her ear to the ground and the news of the arrival of a newcomer from the jungle saw her intrigued. Snapping shut her datapad, she kissed him. "I'll call you; leave this to me and make sure we have supplies, my love." When someone said he'd stolen a flashlight from her, she knew it was probably a lightsaber. It didn't take much for her to take her initiative, steal it back, and comm Hades.

Found something, maybe someone, meet me at the medics...

Morrigan was her own agent, she stealthily headed through reception, hacked the system, and found the room she wanted. In short order, she was standing at the foot of the Claiomh's bed, who would have been shackled down, but she was missing. Of course, Morrigan thought. Stepping to the system, she found that she'd already been shuffled off to the morgue. Morrigan doubted the woman was dead; not a Force user, anyway, and she headed to the coroners office...

... and found the drawer.

Claiomh had been sedated, and Morrigan had adrenaline ready. Amused by the label on the woman's foot, tied by string round her big toe, Morrigan pulled out the drawer and stabbed her in the arm... and stepped back.

Hades, you best catch up...

She didn't want to be sliced and diced when this beauty woke...

TAG: @ClaiomhSolais, @E. L.Knight (combo for us all)
---
IC: Queen Eleodie
Aboard the Liberty's Misrule, edge of Primea system

The preparations didn't take too long. If anything, what took the longest was the sneaky transfer of asteroids to the main attack force. The Resurgent was prepped so it could launch fighters, even if it had minimal weapons. It's shield generators were fully repaired, at least. Eleodie watched the enemy fleet, which only grew in the meantime; another Nikardun dreadnought and a pair of skinny destroyers joined the force.

Not good for us, she thought.

This would be a fairly difficult battle.

Sabel would have everything under control, however. But the Red Knights and Zestus remained unaccounted for, and indeed were not evident in the Force. The Queen wondered what the traitors were doing...

For Sabel, of course, he had a communique reaching out for him from Known Space...

Darth Iudex had gotten around to reaching out. In their private chambers, Eleodie glanced over at the Chiss. "Our love? Who could be calling at this key point?"

TAG: @darthbernael, @Silvertough (combo)
---
IC: Darth Insipid
Sneaking aboard the Luxury Elite, Coruscant orbit

With Arb trussed up, bound, and gagged... Insipid had visions that the man would escape at the least opportune moment. But, they needed chaos, or, perhaps, serendipity, or they would never succeed. Without vagaries, they would not have a counter to the surprises the enemy had...

Whoever that enemy was.

Insipid gestured to the shuttle that descended from the casino ship as they ascended. "That's an Imperial design... bearing the sigil of the Grand Vizier... so the Sith here are already pressing forward with whatever plan they had."

He was fully cloaked, and allowed Azathoth access to the wardrobe of the ship, which was seemingly extensive. In all likelihood, this was on purpose, to enable whoever took that part of the Contingency there to do whatever needed to do. To infiltrate, to expand, to hide; to rebuild. "Here we are."

The hangar had an Aqualish in a much-to-small tuxedo acting as greeter as they landed their ship and dropped the ramp. "Business aboard the Luxury Elite?" He held out his hand for a payment.

Insipid shoved Azathoth to act. He cloaked himself in the Force, and kept us as hidden as possible.

There were Sith aboard, he was sure of it.

But they would not sense him.

Not Bellorum, not Ike, not Syren, not Hekate.

TAG: @Shadowsun, mentions only for @HanSolo29, @Nehru_Amidala, @Lady Belligerent, @QueenSabe7.
---
IC: Shimmer
Hapes, post-explosion, post-Coronation

The reports flooded in as the Consortium rallied behind their Queen Mother.

The nobles were in outrage at Supreme Leader Snoke; his attack was base treachery. The First Order had betrayed the Hapes Cluster.

Of course, Shimmer had the undesirable task of bringing Ormes Apollin back to Kuat, though he was essentially a drugged-up, space-out, nut at this point. She would use the Force to heal him, to cleanse him, before returning him to a position of responsibility. He wouldn't remember everything, because well, that wouldn't do. But, they needed him sane to ever be able to use him again...

Lady Galney helped settle the Queen Mother and Prince Consort in; they had a bedchamber all set up, and some privacy. It had been a very long day, and the nobility were as drained as everyone else. Indeed, were Astarta-Serapis to try and hunt down the conspiracy, they would find that the nobles would point at the danger - at the nobleman that had scorned them at the Coronation before departing... Beed Thane. Who was promptly picked up and dragged to a royal prison cell, right next to that of Aurra Sing...

That gave Helinith and Renn some time to recuperate, perhaps even to plan... as a couple.

That left Soliloquy. The Holocron of Insipid opted to switch on after everyone left.

"The Akkadese Maelstrom, eh?" He chuckled slightly. "Where else would Snoke be?" He twirled his finger. "That's this realities answer to the Maw..."

The Holocron was quite amused. "... makes you wonder what is within it?"

"But I do like the idea of you fortifying the Hapes Cluster into a new Stygian Caldera... seal ourselves away for millennia..." Insipid paused. "But who will stay in? Who will you have to lock out?"

TAG: @Mitth_Fisto, @DarthIshyZ, @darthhelinith, @darthbernael
---
IC: Sellik
Oovo IV, 35 ABY

The Dauntless deployed it's Stormtroopers, though about half the inmates fought on. Many did indeed seek to join up, and Sellik had them shuttled up, after a degree of processing. It was a pointless, isolated world, a prison after all. But that Force user remained, deep in the depths. Whoever it was, they didn't want to come up.

Indeed, most of the resistance beneath was around the deepest levels; the subterranean parts of the prison that were where the most dangerous prisoners were kept. It was the obvious place for them. Sellik had the way cleared soon enough, and an honour guard for Darth Cocytus prepared soon enough. The commander had lost as many soldiers as he gained making headway, but was eager to obtain his new Kaminoan lords approval.

There was a single floor locked now.

Floor zero.

Sellik stood with four Stormtroopers at the edge of it.

"My Lord, I have sent a patrol in, however they, um, died."

TAG: @Darth Cocytus (combo)

 

IC Sabel, Iudex, and Eleodie (Fun, lots of fun with @Silvertough and @Sinrebirth)
Aboard the Liberty's Misrule, edge of Primea system

Sabel and Eleodie had spent much of the time during the flight to Primea discussing tactics and plans and had only recently retired to the bedchamber when the comm went off. At first he attempted to ignore it before zhe spoke up, "Our love? Who could be calling at this key point?"

He sighed, there was always something. He pulled the datapad that was still chiming into his hands and looked at the frequency. One eyebrow rose as it was the secure one that he had left the Lord of Hunger. But as far as he knew that being was dead. Glancing at zher, ”This is odd, only one being had this number and he’s gone…”

Sitting up, the sheet fell away from them both. He pressed the stud to accept it and the image of a Falleen appeared. Sabel’s eyes suddenly glowed a deeper red, ignoring the fact that it may seem odd that he appeared without dress but he was beyond that now, ”How did you acquire this frequency and why are you comming me? If this is not something of dire circumstance, I will hunt you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, to your dying day.”

Darth Iudex cocked a brow, letting the figure's threat hang alone in the air for a moment. Finally, a face to match with the voice he had overheard during the battle above the skies of Hapan. A face that appeared to have some control over the Force. Iudex narrowed his eyes, intensely studying the holographic image of Sabel.

The awkward silence finally broke as Iudex bowed his head. "My name is Iudex. Darth Iudex. I belong to the same organization as the late Lord of Hunger. Above all else, I wish to personally thank you for your contributions to our recent conflict."

Iudex clasped his hands behind his back, an unamused smile plastered on his lips. "No doubt you had entered into some form of contract with the late Lord, a contract which, due to his unexpected passing, is now only known to you and your kin." He cleared his throat. "The Sith Empire would like to know the details of such a contract, if for no other reason than to provide adequate recompense for any damages suffered during the battle."

"Furthermore..-" Iudex blinked, now noticing Sabel's distinct lack of clothing. "Ah, bad time, I take it, hmm?" A hollow smirk.

Eleodie leaned forward to see Iudex more clearly. “Not at all,” zhe demurred. “The perfect time, our friend Lord.”

Zhe held the sheet upon zher chest, but did nothing to allow it to dip. “A Falleen? You did not say he was so pretty, Sabel. We want him.” The Queen chuckled. “Consort of ours, what do you think? Can we add him to the contract?”

Sabel turned and smiled at zher, a warm look. When he turned back, his smile was still in place but now it was less warm and more...predatory. ”Darth Iudex, is it? I am Lord Sabel, he who yes was in contact with the Lords of Hunger and Hate.”

His eyes flared for a moment, ”Recompense...interesting.” A low chuckle emerged, [color= #00080]”Based on the remaining forces you had when I left, that would require a good portion of your fleet to equal value for value. However, my Queen here seems taken with you and has enormous appetites....[/color] The tone of dark humor in his voice was quite evident.

He paused, considering the discussions he and the Lords had before the return to Hapes. ”I rescued your Lords from an extremely destructive situation. After we spoke they were adamant that I return with them, in the hopes that they and those at Hapes could demonstrate the current strength of their Order enough to convince a Lord that Sidious himself trained to make an alliance with them. You see, I have something beside my Power that I am well aware you do not, a fleet.”

Iudex waved his hand. "Ah, the late Lords often found themselves in, as you put it, extremely destructive situations. You just happen to be a recent addition to an ever expanding list." He chuckled quietly, taking a moment to retrieve a datapad from out of view. He tapped idly on it, before placing it back out of frame.

"Sorry for that, who knew an Empire would involve so much paperwork, hm?" He said, smirking. "But, enough of that. You put me at a disadvantage, Lord Sabel. You seem to know a lot more about us then we do of you, a mistake I would like to rectify. Starting with.." Iudex paused, raising his hand to stroke his chin. "From what admittedly little I know of Chiss space.. After you departed from the battle over Hapan, the most efficient path home would have taken you through New Republic space, would it not? I'm curious to know how you were able to sneak your Star Destroyers through such a monitored area.."

Zhe was ignored, and zhe found it amusing, but zhe knew why. Eyelids fluttered as zhe replied. "He didn't; the New Republic caught him, and we intervened, bringing our Super Star Destroyer to his aid. In exchange for his hand in the bedchamber, of course." A grin. "But we are not greedy; we can be shared."

"You Sith want something from him, but have little to offer. Negotiations are from a place of equality, not weakness." The monarch sniggered. "You should introduce us, Sabel. You do us a disservice."

Sabel chuckled, a mock bow of his head to zher, ”Apologies, my dear. Getting interrupted in bed with you for an interrogation by someone I do not even know makes me irritable.”

He swept one arm toward her, ‘unintentionally’ making the sheet slip even more from their forms, ”Darth Iudex you said, I present to you Eleodie Maracavanya, Pirate Queen, Eleodie, I present to you a quite impetuous and forward Sith by the name of Darth Iudex.”

“Zhe is not entirely wrong, I was in the middle of, hmmmm, aggressive negotiations with the New Republic when zhe and zher ship appeared and enabled us to leave NR space without a pangalactic incident. But you are rude young Falleen, my Queen wants a toy to add to zher collection and has set zher sights on you, yet you do not acknowledge that.” his eyes smoldered in contrast to the almost terrifying smile on his face.

Iudex turned to regard the Queen with newfound interest, a new strategy beginning to develop. It would appear Sabel's position of strength wasn't as rock-solid as it appeared. He was as much in debt to this Queen as the Sith were to him.

Curious indeed.

He bowed his head low, bending at the waist in genuine respect. "I offer my sincere apologies, from one renegade to another." He said, now focusing entirely on Eleodie. "And while the exploits of Maracavanya's Pirates are legendary among the Cartels of the Inner Rim, I'm ashamed to admit I never had a chance to put a face to their leader." A lecherous smile grew on his lips. "And what a stunning face it is."

Iudex looked back at Sabel, his threatening visage having no apparent effect. "But who's to say zhe and I haven't already come to an unspoken conclusion, hmm? A barter is as much an elaborate dance as a collection of spoken words, is it not? So, let us dance, now, and perhaps together in the near future, eh?" He said, flashing both an easy-going smile.

"Even if the rest of our conversation is a failure, the two of you have saved me a substantial amount of both credits and time. The results of your 'negotiations' will undoubtedly increase the amount of New Republic patrols in that sector. I'll be able to adapt accordingly." He hummed, clasping his hands together in front of his chest. "So, let's get the boring business stuff out of the way, so we can get to what we really want, hmm?"

Eleodie enjoyed his recovery. Zhe was distinctive enough, with the golden additions to her skin, but the Falleen had clearly been off balance from encountering Sabel in bed. But of course Sabel had been off balance from being contacted in bed.

Zhe demurred; what zhe wanted zhe had. So zhe let Sabel continue while zhe rolled out of bed, in full view of the cam. It didn’t matter to zher.

Sabel’s grin could be considered friendly, now, if one had a very wide definition of friendly. He considered, then dropped, the idea of telling this little upstart Falleen that he would shortly be receiving a visit from the annoyingly tenacious Leia. It suited his purposes that this Darth Iudex believe Eleodie had the upper hand in their relationship.

”To business then, two Resurgent class SD’s and a half dozen Beta-Class Cruisers as repayment.” he said flatly.

Looking over at Eleodie, ”My dear, do you wish a part of the Consortium as part of the deal?” he asked, almost playfully.

“Supplies are always appreciated,” zhe cut in. “Hapes has rainbow jewels, no?” Zhe looked carnivorous. “And interesting little biological research. We would have sight of it.”

“In exchange, we would agree to not incorporate your underworld into our own.” Eleodie looked polite. “Does your criminal syndicate have a name that we can notify ours to avoid the territory of?”

A devious idea popped into zher head. “You are welcome to operate within the Imperial territories of course... they are tied by a crime lord by the name of Arb Skyxnex, based on Coruscant.” Zhe seethed. “He has been quite the bother to our operations in Remnant space.”

Iudex cocked his head to the side, an eyebrow raised. "Two Resurgent class Star Destroyers.. And six Beta class cruisers." He repeated flatly, seemingly testing the words on his tongue. "It's strange, my after-action reports didn't mention such devastating losses from your fleet during the Battle of Hapan.." A frown. "Indeed, I remember watching your two vessels safely jump away to Hyperspace, moments before I rammed a cruiser into a First Order SD. Oh what were they called.. The Nebula and the Resurgent, correct?"

He began stroking his chin with a puzzled expression. "No, I'm prepared to offer replacements for the fightercraft and bomber wings directly destroyed or irreparably damaged during the battle. Furthermore, I can offer one Resurgent class Star Destroyer as a measure of goodwill. The SD however will take some time until it's fully operational, the late Lord Hunger created quite a mess inside," Iudex shook his head in reprehension, "Technicians are still finding viscera to cleanse."

His eyes flitted to Eleodie. "A Rainbow Gem is a tall request, my new friend..." Iudex said, retrieving the datapad. "Let's see what we can do.. Luckily for you, a matured batch of Gems looks like it'll be harvested within a standard month.. With each valued at roughly.." A low whistle escaped his lips as he counted the dozen or so zeros. "You seem to have an eye for their true value, so I'll tell you what. A Queen's Regalia should be the envy of the galaxy, so I offer two Rainbow Gems. One, to keep my Void sovereign, and for the second, well, as the good Lord Sabel there pointed out, I'm in the market for warships."

"Your flotilla represents one of the largest neutral states in the galaxy, insofar as the Galactic Concordance is concerned." Iudex huffed indignantly. "As much as it pains me to admit, the Sith are in need of vessels. And if Lord Sabel's 'diplomacy' with the New Republic is any indication, we'll need them sooner, rather than later. Which," He glanced back towards Sabel, his frown returning somewhat. "Places a hold on any bulk transfers of vessels of particular worth for the time being."

It was a strange position to be in, trading ships he couldn't spare, to parties with ulterior motives, for a possible promise of future aid. Aid which, more than likely, wouldn't arrive in time, if at all. Iudex inwardly sighed, admittedly finding humor in the irony of his situation.

Sabel chuckled, the Falleen was shrewd. He gazed over at Eleodie, ”Hmmm, my dear, I cannot recall, did we say jewels or the worlds that produce them? Regalia is nice but a constant supply is even better.”

Turning his gaze back to Iudex, ”Assisting your Order cost more after the fact than the fighters and bombers. Your little battle attracted attention. Which is what cost me a capital ship. And it sounds like you have even more trouble headed in your direction.”

His eyes glowed once more, ”Which, notwithstanding a second damaged Resurgent you wish to gift me, considering the admittance of inability to transfer the requested craft, and yes I remain firm in my decision, tells me the true reason behind your call.”

A wry smile at Eleodie, before turning back to Iudex, ”If you’re going to call to ask for aid once more, you should have led with that instead of trying to butter me up with talk of a deal and what I desire for my previous aid.” He chuckled, darkly, ”My dear, I suspect that they need not only a fleet but a fleet commander…”

Eleodie adopted a rather carnivorous expression. "If we may," zhe said, softly. "We have a conundrum of our own, do we not, my love? There is something that we will likely have a need of, when all is said in done... perhaps we could intermingle, but keep our crews in a position of authority?"

Zhe was being oblique, because that was more fun to add drama to the conversation. "Would you consider that, as it is a commodity we are likely going to be... short of, when this is all said and done, no?"

"As I originally said, the Sith Empire wishes to offer recompense for assets lost during the battle within our borders." Iudex stated, wagging his finger. "What may or may not have happened outside such borders are of no monetary concern. As I understand it, this contract of yours held no stipulations on your return voyage, no?"

A thought popped into his head. "But, if you're saying that your forces believed they were under the Sith's protection, even outside of our borders..." He murmured, scratching at his chin. "We can begin finalizing a tributarial relationship of sorts if that's what you want.."

Iudex's lips spread into an easy-going grin. "Because we're such good business partners, I'll ignore your idle threat about certain worlds within the Empire." He said, a hint of venom in his voice. "It would be uncouth of me to not state, for the record, that we are very protective of our worlds, along with the citizens residing within, even if that means removing them in totality from the equation."

His eyes glowered for a moment, as he shifted his gaze between the pair. "Now." He said with a softening tone. "We're here to negotiate, no? What service can the Sith provide in return for aid?"

Sabel’s eyes glowed and a broad smile lit his face as he latched on to certain phrasing that Iudex had used. He gazed over at Eleodie, a twinkle in his eye as though to say ‘watch this’ before turning back to the Sith. ”Your Empire,” he began, with merriment in his voice, ”barely won a battle, with my assistance and the deaths of the two strongest I felt you had, against rebels from the Consortium itself.”

He leaned back, muscled torso crisscrossed with scars appearing as the sheet shifted more, ”But yes, I do believe negotiations are in order, amount of tribute owed, crews for vessels, vessels to be designated, worlds to provide sustenance for those crews, all of the minutia of such.”

Leaning forward again, the grin turning predatory, ”So since you require my aid and are offering vassalage, how soon will the Consortium be ready to announce their vassal state position to our kingdom and begin preparing the due tribute?”

Gazing at Eleodie once more, ”My dear, should we leave their current political structure in place as governor of the new territory? It seems the most practical solution. And no need to ask for your gems then, they’re our worlds now so they will owe them to the Queen over their Queen.” he said playfully.

Eleodie looked back from Sabel to Iudex and raised zher hands. "Mince words and sow discord in your own time, our love," zhe smiled, bemused. "The wording of an alliance is acceptable for us. We need crewers, the Hapans have them; they need allies, rather clearly, and we are surrendering our claim of certain territories outside the New Republic in-exchange... the other items are compensation for our losses to date, after all..."

Zhe peered at the Falleen. "Do you have the authority to negotiate a treaty, Sith?"


Iudex sighed in annoyance, resisting, for a moment, to simply end the call then and there. He looked at Sabel, bemused, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes, we won the battle. A costly victory, I'll hand you that. But the battle within the Hapes Consortium is but a mere blip in the greater war that has raged throughout time and space." He said, shaking his head. "But for someone like you, who claims to have some amazing hidden power, to really think that the late Lords of Hate and Hunger have truly perished is truly amateurish."

Iudex scoffed. "You're making the exact same mistake that Snoke has made, time and time again. If you held any actual aptitude of note, you would realize that the concept of death is.." A pause. "Let's say.. fluid."

He turned to regard Eleodie and smiled, offering a minuscule bow of the head in wordless gratitude. Finally, progression. "Yes. Simply name your terms, and we can negotiate as we go."

Sabel chuckled, undisturbed by Iudex’s irritation. ”Finally, someone with actual sense. I could feel the grief of your people even as we departed Hapes. Until you said as much I had to assume you were in the boat of those who do not understand the depths of power ones such as those two have at their disposal.”

He sat up straighter again, the Falleen may be observant to some degree but they’d kept him enough off balance that he hadn’t seen or realized all they had said. A wry grin crossed his face as he gazed at Eleodie, ”What do you think, my dear, should I stop teasing him long enough that he realizes that we’d already named our terms?”

Eleodie smiled. "Come, come, we have a battle to get to, so let us finish up, and ratify the agreement. Zestus and the other rebels won't wait, my love." Zhe eyed Iudex. "We cede any claim to the underworlds of the Imperial remnants in favour of your Syndicate... we require the order we have made, of ships, with follow-up crew numbers, the gem, of course, and the bio-data, if possible... and we shall agree to a mutual aid treaty with you in your weakened state..."

"Agreeable?" Zher eyes cut to Sabel, first.

Iudex stroked his chin. "I offer no apologies in wanting the conditions repeated plainly. In times such as these, miscommunication can often be the barrier between life and death. But, I find the terms as stated.. Agreeable." He said with a reptilian purr. "I'll have my people contact yours to hash out the minutiae of the deal, but, as it stands.."

A triangular-shaped cocktail glass floated effortlessly from offscreen into his outstretched hand. "We have a deal~" He murmured, a predatorial grin spreading across his lips.

Sabel’s smile was even more predatory. ”I would offer one real addendum to the deal before agreement. That your Sith be tested in how well they handle task forces or fleets, otherwise they will accept my command of the joint fleets when working in conjunction. No ifs, ands, or buts. The first Sith that attempts to undermine my orders that are given in those circumstances will be spaced.”

His blazing red eyes pierced the holo to look directly into Iudex’s, ”That cockup of a battle, and the fact that I know Hunger told you to follow my orders but I wasn’t even asked for advice, tells me that I am completely unwilling to put my crews in that situation again, they are my people.”

“Agree to that or there is no agreement.” he said, the firmness of his voice giving evidence he would brook no argument. Eleodie had, perhaps, reminded him of his duty to his people, and he would not fail them or waste them.

Eleodie arched an eyebrow, but wanted to see what Iudex had to say to that, more than anything.

Iudex was silent for a moment, idly swirling the contents of his drink within its glass. "Your concerns.." He began, "Hold merit. Your desire to protect your people from reckless maneuvers are heard, and understood." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "At least by me."

Another pause.

"At the very least, I can guarantee that you will hold the final say in how your assets are deployed. If you believe that they're being mismanaged.. We can add a stipulation that you can pull out, without fear of reprimand.." Iudex frowned, fully aware that he wasn't answering the question. "But.. As far as handing over full control of the fleets to your command while within our space.. I'm afraid decisions like that are outside my jurisdiction, so to speak."

He shrugged. "I can voice support for the move, and I will, but ultimately, the final decision rests with the Emperor. As much as I would love to say "Sure thing, you got a deal! You control the skies, we'll control the ground." Or something, I don't have that power."

Iudex took a small sip from his glass, an excuse to buy him some time more than anything else. "Do you have any other objections?"

Sabel’s head cocked to the side for a moment, an expression that could be said to be a mix of playful and annoyed crossing his features. In a low tone, ”Perhaps I was wrong about one of the Sith, at least. It takes a great deal of moxy to initiate contact with an unknown Sith with an established power base and attempt to negotiate when one does not have the power to ensure that any negotiations can be completed in that call.”

Looking intently at the Falleen, ”That being said, until and unless you return with my addendum being agreed to then there is no deal. Return with that and we will move forward, with a treaty between our nations.” He held up his hand for a moment as though to cut off any objections Iudex may have. ”No I will not negotiate about that. But, I do admire your courage and fortitude for taking this on yourself.”

Glancing at Eleodie with a small smile, ”I’m sure you could find much more to your liking among us, if you’d rather, more worth working with, and a stable, growing polity within which to utilize your abilities.”

Eleodie was enjoying being the Sith advocate, so to speak. "We differ on this, Sabel. We appreciate initiative in our subordinates, and we imagine the other Sith will want to be carried along before a treaty is formulated. We wouldn't want a perfectly good idea to be ruined just because of internal politics."

Zhe returned the small smile to the Chiss. "Ruling by fear is counterproductive, remember."

The Queen was done. "We are finished. Go, Falleen, give our words to the others... you will call us, not the other way around." Zhe signed off.

Sabel chuckled, ”Of course, I do recall. It was just an offer and we shall see how these Sith respond.” He turned back to Iudex, ”You have this frequency now, we will await your response.”

"Negotiation, not subjugation, my friend. Would you sign over the remainder of your forces to a relatively unknown entity? Or would..-" Iudex shook his head. The matter was concluded.

"You will hear from me soon." He said with a respectful bow of his head, before ending the transmission with a relieved button press.

His first task was finished, with debatable results. As first attempts at galactic negotiations went, it could have been far worse. Conditional offers were better than nothing, after all. Even so, the whole affair left a bitter taste in Iudex's mouth. He had been outplayed and outmaneuvered with ease. Worse, his position had only been saved in the end due to the whim of a foreign Pirate Queen, instead of any action of his own doing.

Iudex slumped into his room's only chair with an exasperated groan. "..Sabel's got a point though.. Not a good indication of strength when you got the muscle forging alliances.." He chuckled darkly, staring daggers into the circular holoprojector. "..How the hell am I gonna spin this to the Emperor.."

TAGS: @Sinrebirth, @greyjedi125, @Silvertough, @darthhelinith, @E. L.Knight, @Mitth_Fisto