A Piece Of The Pie [Suns & Sith. Inv Only]

[Seris Vant]

It was an interesting development that the Sith had managed to push so far south in such short a time. Things were at a fevered pitch and leading to the crescendo. Pushing the Republic out of the south for good. And doing so would serve Black Suns long standing goals and especially it's wish to regain the systems lost in the war. An that was why Rayl had arranged a meeting with Sith war leaders, along with Amarant. Not in person of course, they were a bit busy. But a hologram conference would do just fine.

One by one they joined. Silent constructs of light depicting the real deal. Rayl hoped today by the end of their talks they'd be able to find their sides on the same page. "Lords of the Sith. I've asked you here to talk with us for two reasons. Firstly, Barab I. We would like an explanation for the reason you participated in that conflict. When it was clear of our respective standings, and the aid we'd given given in your conflict. Which Lord Vornskr may attest to. So that we may bury the hatched on the matter. And once we have that resolved I wish to talk about war matters and your push south".

[member="Amarant"] [member="Darth Vornskr"] @Reverence [member="Darth Isolda"]

 

[Reverance]

The blue effervescent image of a specter appeared, clad in transparent imagery and the veil of an armorweave robe. Upon a throne of metal and flickering diodes, the man sat nonchalant in eternal lean, smoking cigarra extending from a tattooed arm, just outstretched from the robe. While it couldn't be seen, one might estimate that a smile and laugh resided behind curtain of cloth.

"As far as I am concerned...there is no hatchet to bury. Tell me, who has fed you such false accusations?" Where they false? Nope, not in the slightest. But what communications occurred, between One Sith on Barab I, occurred so through One Sith communications lines. On top of this, initial correspondence between Red Ravens and One Sith was encrypted. And for the One Sith who engaged the Black Suns, Reverance being the prime suspect, he never once released visual information to his identity. A practice he has adopted by and large for the entirety of his career as a Sith. He could think of one occasion where this wasn't this case, and that was on Manaan. And only because a Jedi asked for his identity in such polite manners. Beyond that, the actions of the One Sith were justified, by the results born, as both criminal organizations now existed in relative order, much due to the efforts of the One Sith. Well, that was how Reverance saw it, anyway. "I would see such notions stricken from tongue and laid to rest, now, with no further words of their mention...so that we may move towards more profitable and pressing concerns."

[member="Rayl Wilded"] | [member="Darth Vornskr"] | [member="Darth Isolda"] | [member="Amarant"]

 

[Seris Vant]

"There are no false accusations here sir. The evidence is quite clear of the One Sith's involvement. Its not hard to discern that those were Vong bio ships we were engaged against. If I were to sail for Coruscant I'd find the same ship types, or some I know amongst your enemies could corroborate the fact". Rayl leaned both arms on the holorecorder table. Eyes sharp as spears and wizened by age bored in to the abyss of Reverance's shadowy figure. "So I would suggest before YOU embarrass your Emperor and Lord Vornskr further. That you come out with the truth that someone in the Sith acted in aggression against us at Barab I. I care not who, but if pride will bind you. Perhaps another will see it has no benefit in hiding it". Everyone here knew the truth of the matter. And surely the risks Reverance was taking with his line of speech. The Sith had few allies and they'd lose one if they allowed one Voice to speak for all.

[member="Amarant"] [member="Darth Vornskr"] [member="Darth Isolda"] [member="Reverance"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Rayl Wilded"] | [member="Reverance"] | [member="Darth Isolda"] | [member="Darth Vornskr"] | [member="Darth Vitium"]

Amongst the ‘Lords of the Sith’ was Darth Carach, Voice of the Dark Lord and the man who had sunk Ahto City with the help of Reverance and [member="Matsu Xiangu"] . For a while the silhouette, his features cloaked in shadows, simply listened on to the conversation.

Until finally a lull in the flow of the talk became apparent and Carach could say something.

‘You miscalculated.’ the Sith Lord simply said, it was beyond him why the thugs and common rabble of this Galaxy were suddenly projecting airs around them. Pretending to be better than they actually were, trying to put themselves on equal grounds with men and women of true power.

But the entire point was this. His entire argument hinged upon the misguided assumption that the One Sith were the only ones utilizing Yuuzhan Vong technology and that organical technology was as easily compared as regular galaxy-standard technology.

He neglected to realize there was a Yuuzhan Vong population just south of the Abrion Corporate Alliance, a nation that had merged with the ACA some time ago. But that was okay, nobody expected a simple-minded pirate to realize all the facts that were in front of him, least of all a man like Darth Carach. His expectations were very low in regards to the Suns and the Ravens alike.

Carach didn’t mention any of that though, simply because of the following. ‘You assume we need you or your resources, sadly you are mistaken on both accounts. The Republic will fall. The only question that is on the table is if you and yours will be there to profit from it, like you desire, or if you will stick to your little corner of the Galaxy, like you have been doing for the past years.’

‘You have one chance to rethink your strategy towards this discussion.’

 

[Reverance]

Smiles, the Lord of Pain had nothing but. A clutched hand cradled burning cyllinder as he brought the taste of ash and char to his lips, breathing in the smoke. With an an idle drop of the gesture, he blew that very same smoke back into the screen of the holoprojector. [member="Darth Carach"] was right, the One Sith needed the Black Suns about as much as the screws that are left over when you take a machine apart and put it back together. Sure, at one point, this relationship may have been developed in the mood to create chances for the sequestration of resources. But as it stood now, the arbiter of this crime syndicate was turning into nothing more than a thorn in the side, one that Gabriel would move to remove. Despite his inclination towards things painful and enjoyable and their integration, he had no time for the itchiness that often came after. No, suffice it to say that he cared for the words of this man as much as those of the ant, pleading against the descent of the boot.

"We hold only the concerns Dark Lord in our minds..." The implication that [member="Darth Vornskr"] concerns mattered to Gabriel was a grave misstep, one that hung upon the outcropping of an insult. While Gabriel was a peer to Darth Vornskr, he answered to no Voice in matters of War. Which was the only subject that concerned him at this point. "Tread carefully...you are one step away from flinging body from the teetering edge." This man had a made a grave miscalculation, the mind of the Sith Lord echoing the sentiments of [member="Darth Carach"]. And his mistake was assuming that he was upon similar footing as the Sith Lords of the One Sith.

[member="Rayl Wilded"] | [member="Darth Carach"] | [member="Darth Isolda"] | [member="Darth Vornskr"] | [member="Darth Vitium"] | [member="Amarant"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Reverance"] [member="Darth Carach"] [member="Rayl Wilded"]

Another holo-image flickered, though this one wasn't a Sith Lord.

Instead it was a man in a suit, wearing sunglasses and looking as though he had slept on his desk the previous day, his hair a shaggy mess. He stood to the right of the Sith Lords, or rather his projectors did, and there was an air of confidence surrounding him, glowing off of him. Of course Alric was only in this conversation for one reason, he was the CEO of Titan Industries.

The Company that had made those ships Rayl had spoke of.

He cringed slightly at the two Sith Lords, though not visibly. He understood a bit more about them now, having gained a slight understanding into the minds of the Sith, but he found their approach here...tactless to say the least. He understood that when it came to the Suns the One Sith had a position of absolute authority, but still, it didn't pay to upset potential allies.

“If I may interject.” Alric spoke with a level tone, neither bashful nor boastful, as if he was simply stating facts. “Those ships you speak of are produced by Titan Industries. Though we are mainly contracted to the One Sith, we are ultimately a private Industry, as such, it is our right to sell any and all of our products to whomever we wish.”

That wasn't exactly the truth. There were a few things that the One Sith held exclusivity for, like the Dark Blade and the Immortal, but Rayl would neither know that, or even really suspect it since Titan did in fact sell to a multitude of others. Including new factions like The Primeval and the Red Ravens. “Those vessels were likely not apart of the Sith fleet at all. As with all Yuuzhan Vong ships, tracking them and their origin is difficult. I'm afraid the blame lays on the open market, not my friends here.”

Alric actually had no idea if they were or not, but this interjection would land the blame on capitalism...or him, either way it was a more tactful way of steering the conversation and would ultimately lead to what Alric wanted.

A simple move.

 

[Amarant]

"Rayl, don't speak sourly to our guests. They may be duplicitious and foolish, but they are still here by invitation." Amarant sat in a room, staring down all the various holograms in this conference. "[member="Darth Vornskr"] admitted in his typical loud, over the top speeches--speeches I was listening in on when I sliced the Raven's so-called 'encryption'--that some of the attending forces aiding the Ravens were opposed Sith. And as for the role of those present, I have this to say--"


""Mmmmmmmmm....Mr. Ash..." " The broken recording interjected, "You've never met anything like me..."



Amarant smiled the sort of cheerful smiled a six-year gave when when she was bewildering her instructor. "Funny thing, vocabulato decoding indicates that your voice matches that recording by factor of 97.89%. Now, if you're done trying to pretend you weren't a known assailant in this, how about we talk about a price for your weaseling behind our backs. Or at least, what assurances we have you're not going to stab us in the back again. Because If I'm on the edge of a cliff, I'll take somebody with me. If I have to hire every bounty hunter this side of galaxy, I will get my pound of flesh. We are not your dumb puppets, we are not your playthings. This is the new age, the Suns are not fools to be bullied by every six-month-old empire scrabbling it's way to the top of the heap of corpses. If you desire our alliance to continue, then I suggest you put [member="Darth Vornskr"] on the line. You three," she said calmly, "are lacking in any real leverage and hold little interest to me."



She smiled at the businessman's claims. "Not a bad bluff, you handsome devil of a man. Wonder what truth I'd get if I sliced your records. Regardless, your testimony is so obviously tainted by conflict of interest it doesn't matter. You're making millions off the Sith, so toadying up to them is the best strategy for you. Although you failed, your loyalty to a good customer has been noted. We may have more to discuss in the future, I am considering commissioning a good piece to lead men into battle with. Call me then."



She then nodded to the various holographic figures. "So, now what? More thinly veiled threats? Or are you actually willing to admit your failure of a cover-up and start talking like grown-ups? Because, honestly, I'm done with your farcical innocence. Your Sith, your good at wreaking havoc. You could at least have the stone to acknowledge when you've been caught doing so. Or are the mighty so afraid of a young crimeboss that they can't even muster the courage to acknowledge the truth?" It was a taunt, but honestly. She had grown so sick of the false pretentiousness of these so-called Dark Lords. All this pomp and circumstance, and they still couldn't actually own up to their own behavior. Why call yourself a master of the unseen if you're that scared of your own shadow?


(OOC: You guys really gonna chicken out of just trying to bribe your allies a little? Seriously, now...)


[member="Reverance"] [member="Alric Kuhn"] [member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Reverance]

The Lord of Pain wasn't one typically for laughter but even the crust of a planet falls victim to overbearing pressure. It crawled out of parted lips, split open by the cockamamie nonsense spilling forth from the Black Suns and those who currently represented once great organization. Oh, how the mighty and profitable had fallen. The burden of proof rested upon their feet and how did they respond? That's right, with the acoustically weak noise, 9 words, spoken through space, upon the background noise of a constant breathing ventilator system in a suit that was nearly as old as the Sith Lord himself. How did he know this? Well, because he owned the thing, it was sitting lazily in his Star Viper, soon to be upon the chopping block for something much more advanced. Their claim of percentage acuity was even more laughable, 9 words of muddied phenomes drifting across space, compared to the poor quality audio that spanned the distance across hyperwaves...and they claimed 97%. A better joke the Sith Lord had not heard in some time.

As the noise of his boisterous laugh died down, muted by his capacity to turn the volume off by the control of the chair, he ceased his rapture upon the brown smoking cylinder, inserted between parted lips. If the One Sith had shown any thing, this day, it was that they had the capacity for tact and the capacity to know when they had the upper hand. Seeing as though they held the cards, and the black suns showed a level of arrogance that, in truth, beguiled the Sith Lord, he merely cracked his neck and wiggled his fingers. It was time for his departure from this conversation, that much was true.

"Grown ups...my sweet children, you are but insects to me. Your accusations are baseless, as are your tactics." He took a puff of the cigarra and revealed a tooth filled smile beneath the shadowy veil of his cowl. "Foolish...duplicitous...No, your actions and words have been careless and you have made grievous error in their selection. Careless for your own future and the meagerness left in that thing you call a life. It seems odd, that slugs would so readily taunt the sole." The audio cracked in it's own form, shimmered with the projection of the man upon his metallic throne. It did so, because after all, millions of miles of distance will induce static and background noise in any signal, no matter the strength. "But you were right about one thing...We are extremely good at wreaking havoc. Endeavor to remember that with what time you have left." He was obviously angry, but it came forth in marked irritation and an obvious reduction in the amount of care he had towards the consequences of his own words. Like being ridiculed by a child, the Sith was steaming.

What did he have to fear with his words? Nothing from these individuals. He was growing sick of the incessant whining and undeserved ego from those who claimed themselves the better. As if the Sith needed to play nice with these people, it was an unusual custom that he had afforded the Red Ravens - but wouldn't provide the same for the Black Suns. Why? Because the Red ravens had afforded proper respect to those who wielded the power, and understood that power has the potential to flow downhill, with proper persuasion. Most importantly, Gabriel knew their vocal accuracy couldn't be so critically acclaimed. How did he know this? Because he, at one time in his life, had dipped his hand deep into the reservoirs of technology and pulled out one single truth: you can't create something that isn't there. And just as you can't enhance an image beyond it's resolution, you can't clear a sound of background noise without chopping out important bits in the process. Maybe he was wrong about that, being that he was Arkanian, there was a potential for that stubborness most were accustomed to. But if he was, the whole universe better fear their own words, meager as they may be, for being universally identified through a decoder process upon shaky legs.

A hand across the chair arm flicked as the holoprojector cut off the image of the unnamed Sith Lord. He rose from the chair, laughing, and walked away from the situation.

[Exit thread]​

​

[member="Darth Vornskr"] | [member="Darth Isolda"] | [member="Darth Carach"] | [member="Darth Vitium"] | [member="Rayl Wilded"] | [member="Amarant"] | [member="Alric Kuhn"]

Spoiler

ooc: No ooc anger about this, just playing out Rev how he would respond...you poke the bear, you get growled at

 

[Seris Vant]

[member="Reverance"] [member="Amarant"] [member="Alric Kuhn"] [member="Reverance"] [member="Darth Carach"] [member="Darth Vornskr"] [member="Darth Isolda"]

It was a dread mistake to allow that man to continue his rant. He had buried the discussion alive and walked off laughing without so much as a whisper from those that knew they stood to gain from repairing things. The crossroads were behind them now. And the path they traveled would be soaked with blood. "You all let that madman speak for you so be it. All ready at war with half the galaxy anyways. Losing one of the few friends you had will do you well I'm sure. Consider any contracts null. Citizens will be deported. And diplomatic relations to cease". Rayl's sight panned over to Aramant. Looking over what she might be feeling at the moment. Anger, disappointment, anything. Nothing stood out to him. The stoic defiance this girl held that Ash must have given her was well used. Most would be fuming in this situation. It was an inevitability for this to happen though. Perhaps not in this way. A year, five, maybe even a decade or longer. If the Sith continued on to win they'd eventually have come to this.

Rayl reached up to his neck, grasping the old red cloth he wore when he first joined Black Sun. And since Nar Shaddaa hadn't worn since. Tugging upwards, shimmying side to side until it rested on the bridge of his nose and concealed his face. "I'll come for that honorless excuse for a man's head. And all who stand behind him. Mark my words Sith". Rayl cut off his transmission, leaving them to surely scoff over his threat. They'd learn the ruthless nature of this Pirate soon enough. Whole worlds were for the sword if it brought him closer to his goal. They'd rue the day in exchange for ruin.

[Exits Thread]​