Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Castles and Dreams

A request for assistance from Vanessa had been answered by Ra. They had discovered some new metal that the other woman was going to use for her ship and other things maybe. Ra had yet to make use of the small piece of metal she had taken from that site. However, plans were in motion for Ra and it was going to take a long time to get to the end goal. Perhaps Vanessa would be interested in what they were, maybe even helping.

With a favor owed to her, Ra requested Vanessa to join her on Vjun at Bast Castle. If Vanessa came, she would be greeted at the door by an old man who would lead her to the library there. Offering her something to drink, Vanessa was told Ra would be with her shortly and if a drink was requested, Vincent would return with it shortly.

He informed Ra of the arrival of Vanessa and would prepare any drink wanted, he knew what to make Ra.

After a few minutes, Ra would join Vanessa in the library. In her own home, she wasn't in her normal business clothes, but something more comfortable. However, today, she did have most of her weapons. Her hidden ones. Two little sabers up her sleeves and knives in her boots. The rest of her gear, she didn't feel she needed. Their last meeting had gone well, so Ra didn't expect this one to go any differently.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
The invitation had come as a surprise to Vanessa. There were a select few things she did not expect - one of them was that Bast Castle had actually been reclaimed. By a Sith, no less. She had actually been planning on coming to examine the ruins and reclaim them for her own personal use, but apparently Ra had managed to beat her to it. She asked the butler for a water, which soon was brought to her - then a familiar face arrived.

Vanessa herself, for weapons, merely had her standard Sith lightsaber at her waist - a simple thing, nothing special. That said, she was a talented Force user and did not feel her lightsaber would need to be drawn in anger. Hopefuilly, it would not be required. Once in the library, Vanessa smiled at the Sith. "I must say, Ra, that this was an unexpected occurrence."

@Ra'a'mah
 
There were purposes to everything Ra did and inviting Vanessa to Bast Castle was one of them. It would potentially show the other lord even though Ra wasn't part of the Empire as she was, she still had some power. To hold possession of such an esteemed location might do just that. That wasn't her full intention though.

By inviting Vanessa here, they would be able to speak freely, openly about anything and not have to worry about the subject reaching ears they shouldn't. An example was her people in FWC. There they would not be able to speak freely.

Making note of the weapon, Ra wasn't worried about it. It was more of a custom to carry one or more than something needed.

"Well, I figured it would be a good opportunity to talk in a setting outside of business."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
"Business is fun, but I must admit, pleasure is more enjoyable. So much freedom, so little stuffy nonsense to worry about." She replied. "You know, there's actually very little I know about you, Ra. Why don't you tell me about yourself?" She raised an eyebrow, curious as to the situation. "For example, hwo did you end up becoming a Sith? What do you do in your spare time? That sort of thing." She inquired.

After all, Ra was a good Sith.

@Ra'a'mah
 
In a life that had been lacking of what a person would consider pleasure, Ra had no concept of it really. Growing up, the man that had raised her had done it for a purpose. He had wanted her to rule their planet after him. In the end the people didn't want them leading, killed him and forced her to flee with a serious head injury. Bad enough she had no memory of her life.

"Same can be said about what I know about you, Vanessa. Little more than a name."

Giving a small shrug, Ra took a drink of the tea Vincent brought for her. She listened to what Vanessa asked and decided to answer the two questions posed. The less somebody else knew of her, they would have a harder time getting close or figuring out something to exploit.

"I grew up sith, all I have ever known. Spare time is pretty lacking for me, but I enjoy learning. What about you?"

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
“Oh come now... that’s as vague a backstory as Belaya Praelior.” She said. “I know there has to be more substance to it. As for a lack of spare time - you were free enough to invite me to Vjun, which I certainly do appreciate.” She continued onwards. “Tell you what - I’ll open up about my past. Maybe that’ll interest you in telling me more.”

She took a sip of her drink. “I was, many years ago, a slave. A servant to a master. I had no knowledge of the Force then, and longed for a way to escape my encapsulating existence that threatened to consume me. Eventually - it’s a bit fuzzy, actually - I found an opportunity to escape when a Darksider slaughtered my master. He was the first indication I had that there was something more than this mere material realm.”

Another sip came to her lips as she proceeded onwards. “That Darksider, now dead and long forgotten, taught me a basic understanding of the Force - and why the Dark Side was superior to that of the Light. After experiencing an unfortunate accident, I came to the Sith and began to align myself to their teachings, their way of doing things. That was when I learned that a study of the Force would serve me better than a study of the lightsaber.” She thought as to how beneficial that had been in the past.

“In time I ascended the ranks of the Sith Empire before becoming one of the three Sith Lords. I controlled a full third of the Empire and bent it to my will. Well, before that idiot Krag usurped Kaine and left the Empire in shambles. I then aligned myself with a great many factions over time - the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The Corporate Sector Authority - both unsavory backstabbers. The Fringe, a home for outcasts - apparently not enough. The Galactic Trade Guild, destroyed by incompetent leadership. The Omega Protectorate - a mad group of mercenaries led under the behest of a conniving Shi’ido named Cira. I even spent time in the Galactic Republic under an assumed alias.”

More drinks were soon sipped. “I lived many lives, Ra. Married, divorced, assisted, backstabbed - this isn’t even my original body, nor is Vanessa Vantai my original name. I keep it to dissociate from my past self. But after so long, I left to the void and did not come back for decades. Only recently have I returned to find the galaxy still not in the state it should be.” She concluded.

“So now I ask again - why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

@Ra’a’mah
 
It had been kept vague on purpose, but it was true. As an adult, Ra had learned of more than being sith though. Growing up it had been all she knew, so Vanessa might feel the truth of her words.

Shaking her head at the name mentioned by Vanessa, Ra had no idea who Belaya Praelior was. She would remember the name and find out about her though, even if it was implied there was nothing there.

Using the idea that by telling Ra about herself that she would open up and in exchange tell her own past, Vanessa told Ra of herself. Listening in, from what she could tell, the starting story was pretty common. One thing she didn't feel they would agree on was how one path was greater than another. To each his or own, who was Ra to say which worked better for another person? She followed the Sith Code, but held it close and didn't make others do the same. In fact, Ra didn't even care what path anybody else was on as long as they didn't get in her way of an objective.

As Vanessa continued, Ra filed away the personal information given in her mind and listened. The mental note Ra made was that Vanessa should be held at a distance and not fully trusted. Deciding to share a little bit about herself would be fine, Ra started on her own story.

"I grew up on a no name planet. My parents were killed when I was an infant and have no memory of them. The man that raised me was a sith lord and raised me as a Banenite basically. You know, I don't even know if Ra'a'mah is my name or not. Does it matter though? How would you have the galaxy if you could then?"

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
"That sounds like my childhood. I never knew my parents - slavery was designed to destroy whatever family ties we had." She thought for a moment. "And it doesn't occur to me that I remember where I grew up. I guess I just don't think about it anymore." Thoughts continued to run through her head. Ra had been raised as a Baneite Sith, under the Rule of Two - Vanessa thought back to her time associating with Darth Ayra.

"Baneism is something I once tried - I learned quickly of the limitations. For one, it's impossible to quell all other forms of dissent in the forms of other Dark Side groups claiming to be the Sith, and the limitations of the number of Sith leads to their potential extinction quite quickly." She sat back. "The Rule of One we as Sith tried too - I didn't like it. And even though we were supposed to be One, there was so much infighting..." She sighed.

"Backstabbing doesn't work. Neither does witchery like the Nightsisters do - I learned from one of their clan mothers, Petra Cavataio, some of their ways. Their view of the Dark Side is just... primitive." She sighed. "But back to the backstabbing... I learned both from having performed it and having it performed on me that it is not conducive to a strong Sith order. Why were kaggaths banned? Why were positions given based on merit instead of the winner of conflict? Because we as the Sith finally, hopefully understand that infighting is what always leads to our downfall against the Jedi. Only united, cooperating and working together with one another can we truly, finally, send the galaxy into an age of eternal darkness."

She thought for a moment. "Who you are is not based around the name you were given at birth, or even whose genes you were gifted with. What matters is what you are in here." She pointed at where Ra's heart assumedly was. "Decades have taught me that while the flesh expires, the spirit is eternal. When you acknowledge this - truly​ acknowledge this - you become capable of so much more. So much so that it doesn't matter if your name is Ra'a'mah or not. You are the master of your own destiny and can be whoever you wish to be."

She pondered on the final question. "Through positive reinforcement. Thousands of years have proven to me that the Sith's reliance on warfare, on terror, and on out-and-out bloodshed cannot bring the galaxy under our heel. Wherever we apply more force, cracks appear through which resistance seeps through. We cannot simply tell the simple-minded people in the galaxy that the Dark Side is superior to the Light - we must persuade them through our actions to accept us as their overlords. A task made so difficult by the failures of so many before us..."

@Ra'a'mah
 
Shrugging her shoulders at some of what Vanessa said about how she had been raised, Ra didn't employ a Rule of Two thing herself. It was just how she was raised, no contact with any other Force user. After her master died, she lost her memory of everything and had lived that way for a few years. Even thinking the Jedi and Sith were a myth until she had met one and then learned later she could use the Force. Eventually her memory returned to her and she remembered most of her childhood. That she was a sith lord and her life had changed after that.

One thing that had not changed within her was the fact she didn't trust anybody until it was proven they could be. So far only a few people had gotten full trust from Ra and Vanessa was not one of them. Time would tell if that would even happen, for now Ra would maintain a distance and allow things to progress naturally. One thing she didn't like was how Vanessa came across as better than others, but saying something was primitive just came across as egotistical. Such was the case with many people though, not just the Sith.

Ra had no desire to make the unwilling follow the Sith Code. As long as they didn't get in her way or try to stop her, Ra did not care what path people were on. Maybe that made her a weak sith, but it was how she was and she didn't want to change.

"There's always going to be bloodshed and war, Vanessa. Not everybody is going to ever agree on one thing. Just how it is."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
"I understand that." She said. "War is the expression of chaos in the galaxy. War destabilizes order and creates chaos - and chaos is the natural state the universe devolves into when order is not actively applied." She thought for a moment. "Therein lies the purpose of the Sith - to instill order over chaos through the power of the Dark Side. And it's easier to instill such order when you approach your subjects with a lighter, less firm hand. When you persuade them to accept the darkness into their hearts and allow it to rule. There is a reason I prefer corruption to annihilation."

She sighed. "My only regret so far is that the Sith have potentially gone so far down the path of being viewed as destructive and violent warmongers that we cannot hope to appeal to the masses and subjugate them with logic and reason. For loathing emotion, I find the Jedi seem to use it quite often in order to keep their subjects pacified. A pity."

She looked at Ra. "You asked me how I would have the galaxy if I could. What about you?"

@Ra'a'mah
 
Shaking her head at Vanessa, Ra didn't think the other woman would work well into her plans. Time would tell. For now, Ra would maintain a working relationship with her, but not beyond that. That was her purpose in inviting her here. To get to know the other sith outside of business. Right now, things did not look well for them working together for long term goals. Short term projects, one off deals wouldn't be an issue.

"Let people make their own decisions on ruling. Display to them with, as you put it logic and reason the various alternatives and then our own. Most people want power and would follow willingly. What do you do to the others?"

As a spy, assassin, sith and businesswoman there were many things Ra would do. On the other side of the things, there were many she couldn't do even if she wanted to. Mass genocide wasn't one of them.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
@Ra'a'mah

Vanessa considered Ra to be delightfully sensible and surprisingly well composed. Some Sith were unequivocally evil in every single action. Others were gibbering wrecks of maddened insanity. But Ra was different - out of all the Sith, she seemed to be one of the most stable. Vanessa would definitely spend more time coming up with plans to work with her on.

"Manipulate them through selective actions. Bring them in line." She said. It was that simple - and what the Sith did.
 
A shadow of a smile crossed her face at the answer Vanessa gave her. Then it turned bitter. With an emotionless stare, Ra started speaking.

"My master was like that. However in the end things backfired on us in a very tragic way. The people he thought we controlled rebelled, not wanting him in power. We escaped our no name world with a few loyal supporters and attendants. These rebels gave chase and shot our ship. Most of us were able to escape, but my master died in front of me. A durasteel ship beam crushing the life out of him as he named me a sith lord and his successor. Then things went black and I lost my memory for eight years."

She had been with the Dominion at the time and they had made enemies everywhere. With their desire to have everybody work peacefully together, it had been their downfall. There were other reasons, of course. Near the end of things, she had been discovered by the Assassins and brought into their ranks. Trained and sent on a few missions.

However, her business roots that had been formed in those eight years had called to her and it was answered. She still numbered in the ranks of the Assassins and thus fell under the umbrella of the Sith, but did not number in their ranks. It was something Ra was fine and content with though and wanted it kept that way.

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
"Your former master sounds like someone who could use a lesson or two in manipulating." She sighed. "Providing the people what they want - not always, but sometimes - is key to manipulation. If they believe you listen to them in some things, then lies will be accepted as truths and progress can be made." She thought for a moment. "I'm sure you probably don't care about my sympathies, but I'm sorry about what happened to your master. I'm sure you were... well, reasonably close to him." She continued. "You lost your memory?"

Vanessa continued to ponder over the circumstances of Ra before her. Her position of influence and power was strong, strong enough to one day pose a threat - but a threat was not what Vanessa wanted her to become. She wanted peace and friendship, not scheming and backstabbing.

That never ended well, after all.

@Ra'a'mah
 
"It was from him that I learned it. So I really don't think he needed lessons. You see what happened as is typical with those that use the Dark Side...he got addicted to the feeling. So he corrupted to the point where he wasn't thinking clearly all the time. Something I vowed would never happen to me. To crave power just to have it."

Shrugging at the sympathies extended, it had been almost half of her lifetime ago that his death happened. Shaking her head when Vanessa assumed they were close, Ra remained silent until she was asked about her losing her memory.

There had been no love in their relationship, not even that of a father to a daughter. He had been her master and that was all. Providing what was needed to live, teaching her how to be his successor. Then as he died, named her a sith lord.

"Yes, our no name planet rebelled. We escaped into space to be pursued by these rebels. When they fired on ship, most of us were able to escape. I'm not sure what happened, but he named me a sith lord and then my world pretty much went black. When I woke up, I thought I had grown up on Coruscant and lived in an orphanage my whole life. It was about eight years later when I learned the truth."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
"A failure to think clearly. Something that unfortunately is quite common amongst the ranks of the Sith." She said. "I don't know how many times I've seen or heard of such." Thoughts went back to the situation surrounding Krag and his attempt to take the Empire over, or the... brash​ decisions of certain non-TSE Sith Lords.

She listened carefully, noticing her responses before she explained what happened. "So he did not have enough loyal resources put into place as is. That explains why the rebels were able to amass enough firepower to overwhelm your ship with little or no resistance." She thought for a moment. "You're not sure what happened?" She raised an eyebrow. "What was the truth, then?"

@Ra'a'mah
 
"I've read about such failings through history as well as seeing it for myself with my master."

Shaking her head slightly, Ra had not gone into great detail of what happened when they fled. That and Vanessa misunderstood her words. Might have been due to Ra giving as much detail as she could have, but she was keeping the other sith at a distance and would continue to do so.

"No, he wasn't in control of the planet yet, but was getting ready to do that. So the people there didn't want my master in control. We had a fleet of ships, but nobody with any space combat training. So we lost to the ones that chased us down. Even if we may have had better ships, they had knowledge we lacked."

Her tone and eyes were slightly flat and emotionless. Stating fact and nothing else.

"You misunderstand, Vanessa. The lie was that I grew up on Coruscant all my life. In truth, I had grown up as a Baneite sith."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
"That makes more sense." Such a state would certainly have been more than vulnerable to an uprising, as Ra had clearly explained. Vanessa thought back to how many other similar situations had occurred throughout the past - such an issue, was it not?"

"You know... the whole 'being raised as a Baneite Sith' thing is reminding me of something I really don't like thinking about." She sighed. "There was actually a point in time where I thought 'this galaxy's only big enough for the two of us' and pursued the Baneite path. I took a young woman named Alicia Drey from Chandrila. She killed her own family for me and served me loyally. More loyally than almost anyone I've ever been a part of. Then I failed her. I failed to realize that my hubris had damned her to a belief in an ideology that would ultimately destroy the capabilities of the Sith as they should have functioned. I discovered down the line that ultimately, she had succumbed to Orbalisks, devoured by them as Bane himself nearly was." She sighed.

"I spent twenty years in exile thinking about my mistakes and working out a way to do things better before I chose to come back with the assets that had followed me into the Unknown Regions. It was not something I enjoyed doing."

@Ra'a'mah
 
In hearing the tale of Vanessa and an apprentice of hers, Ra could tell she was attempting to establish some sort of connection with her. It may have been how she was raised, but it wasn't what she felt was the way to go. As she had grown up, there were no other Force users around. So it had been all she knew, however her master had never said they were Baneites. It was just the best example Ra could think of to explain how she grew up.

"If somebody wants that kind of loyalty, they aren't going to get it from me."

It wasn't what she believed in anyway. There was room for more than two sith in the galaxy. Besides, laying faith in only two like that if they were together and both killed somehow, there would be a gap for a time until the next generation of sith came out.

"I guess in a way, I spent eight years in exile of a sort before I knew of my past. However, I wouldn't actually change that since it helped me get into the position I am now. Leading the merchant fleet of the Coalition."

[member="Vanessa Vantai"]
 
"Nor do I expect that sort of loyalty anymore" She said, sighing. From what her records had stated, Ayra had succumbed to the devouring taste of the orbalisks. An unfortunate end to a woman taught to be solitary and not work with other Sith for the betterment of the Dark Side. The infrastructure of the Sith had taken a tremendous pummeling due to the loss of the original Empire, the New Order, and the One Sith. And here they were again, rebuilding the fallen ruins of their predecessors.

"I merely am surprised I was able to return so peacefully. Last time's exit was... not exactly the most enjoyable of experiences, that's for sure." She thought for a moment. "You know, I've been going on for so much, I don't even know the original reason you asked me out here. What's going on?"

@Ra'a'mah
 

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