Conspiritors

[Neesa]

​

​

The inside of the citadel had barely been weathered by age. Someone had attempted to reclaim it sixty years ago according to Lord Sitas. Then they had fallen from favour before even beginning the exterior renovations. It was a good place to meet up well away from prying eyes.

Neesa didn't always get to join her master when he came to conspire. Tek preferred to give her as much information as was strictly necessary. It wasn't because he didn't want to keep her informed as such, but that given her role the chance of being captured and interrogated was high.

They climbed a wide staircase. There were still tapestries hung on either side of them, worn and frayed with age. The colour was still there, Neesa noted. Five massassi, each in different colours to represent a Lord were already waiting outside a wide chamber. There were several Pureblood Lords and a handful of their staff inside. The table in the centre had been cleaned down for use and some new chairs brought in.

All sat and faced forwards as Sitas, the last of them and a Council member, took his place.

"Siedra," he said loudly, wasting no time. "She is becoming a problem and needs to be removed. I need suggestions for unconventional methods to get her out of the way."

Neesa kept her expression neutral despite her pleasure. At least she wasn't dressed as a servant in this chamber, but garbed in the robes that marked her as Sitas' Hand.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

Vrak stayed silent for the time being. The others could speak first. He already had several solutions in mind, though none of them were overly subtle. The time for subtlety, in his opinion was over. Things were moving quickly now that he had acquired Lord Gelders mines and the old man's factories. Ships were beginning to be produced, and very soon the Starport would be erected within the central cit of Athiss. No one could stop that now, not even Siedra.

He frowned slightly however, glancing to his left.

"Why not simply kill her? The Council won't care about one more dead Pureblood."

Vrak stood in agreement with the statement, but he wouldn't suggest it out loud. Lord Sitas had always favored more...subtle approaches when it came to ending his rivals. Vrak was different of course, having slain the Old Man his own lightsaber and the aid of a Jedi. There were Council members that wanted his head for that, but that didn't matter with the power he had no amassed. "No."

He had to be contrarian here, despite his own wishes.

"There has been enough of that as of late." The irony of him saying that was not lost. "They will begin to see specters at every doorstep if more are killed."

Vrak didn't particularly care if The Council became afraid, not really anyway, but paranoia had a way of running rampant. If the Council began to suspect that their lesser counterparts were coming after them...it wouldn't end well for anyone at this table, including the Councilor present.

 

[Neesa]

"She has already taken extreme measures to protect herself," Sitas added. It only accentuated Vrak's point if they had already increased their personal security. "Whilst I'm sure something could be arranged it would take careful planning to avoid a blood bath."

Several ideas ran through Neesa's head. Shuttle malfunctions could be easily arranged. Perhaps they were checking closely. Poison was hard to trace if you used the right combination. The ones she had used in Gelder could have been mistaken for a heart attack if Vrak hadn't raised the alarm.

"I want some options to try and remove her. We could hit her operations and sweep them out from beneath her or perhaps try and find something to discredit her," Sitas continued.

"Or create something to," Neesa added. There was a barely perceptible ripple that round around that table at her presumption to speak. But Sitas merely nodded. It had been preordained of course. The outsider making a suggestion to prompt the others to apply themselves.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

"What of her underlings?" Everyone had those on Athiss. Siedra especially had a litany of servants that expanded even further than Vrak's. The woman enjoyed her trinkets, and those trinkets were often people. It wasn't something that was looked down on, not on Vrak's homeworld, but it did present opportunity. Unlike Vrak most here did not treat their servants with respect, something he only did because he saw worth in those few he had.

"Some are surely inclined to us." He continued. "Siedra is known for her cruelties after all."

It was often best to tear something down from the inside.

Vrak cocked his head to the side slightly, watching the reactions of those at the table. Some of them were uncomfortable with the notions of dealing with a servant, thinking slaves either beneath them or completely worthless. Vrak knew different of course. "It could be advantageous."

Not to mention easy.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

"She has fed us false information before," another remarked. Neesa didn't know his name. His black robes with bronze and scarlet trim were quite striking.

Neesa didn't reply to that, but she looked towards Vrak and offered a barely perceptible nod. She didn't want to mention in front of these conspirators that the Sith tended to ignored the lowest orders of servants. Siedra had fed information through her trusted lieutenants not her cooks or doormen or cleaners. Neesa had been busy extending her own network of informants. If she explained this those around the table might start to realise she had ears in several of their households already.

"The move to block the spaceport was unpopular," Neesa said. "If we could prove that she acted against it that would harm her support." Whether that needed to be true or not was another matter.

"If you could disrupt her financial operations..." Another spoke. Of cause Rahn would mention that, he personally stood to gain the most from Siedra's financial groups failing. Neesa made a mental note.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

Vrak looked around the room. Yes the idea of a slave rebellion unsettled them. They would try to make half a dozen different excuses in order to avoid doing what they had to. The Sith Pureblood glanced towards Sitas for a second, then towards Neesa.

"My lord." It pained him to use such formalities, but Vrak wasn't quite yet the mans equal. "Your hand."

He gestured to Neesa. "I believe she could be of help here. She has proven resourceful in the past."

Vrak knew well that Neesa had her own agenda, everyone did, but he was trying to press and issue here among this small council of Purebloods. They were not the only ones to be heard. They were not the only ones who could plot and plan. Yes they were better, stronger, and more intelligent, but the Humans and Aliens of Athiss could stab someone in the back just as well as any Purebloods. The men and women within this room needed to see that.

At least that was how Vrak saw it.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

Well that provoked quite a revealing set of reactions. Neesa kept her gaze lowered but her eyes prowled the room. The one in black and red seem unperturbed. Rahn's upper lip curled back a fraction in disgust.

The differences were only amplified when Sitas replied. "Of course. She is several generations away from a Pureblood, yet proved in the trials to be more resourceful than many acolytes."

Brethas shifted in his chair. Of course he did, Neesa mused. He had put forwards his own daughter to join the ranks and become his hand. She had made clear than any who faltered during the trials would die by her own blade and had seemed quite the skilled swordsman. Neesa had stabbed her in the back and left her in the catacombs.

"It will not be quick, cheap or easy," Neesa said, raising her gaze. "If anything we can use comes easily we will have to first assume it has been out before us deliberately. We can start by more closely monitoring her staff. Find a weak spot and start squeezing."

It wouldn't take much. A small threat led to small gains, but there was a snowball effect to these things.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

He smiled. It was a small smile, but there nonetheless. Vrak could see the displeasure play across the others, the way they cast their glances down when he tried to look at them. Half of them feared someone repeating such a feat with them, the other half were simply too filled with pride to ever consider the suggestions of a slave. Vrak on the other hand saw this as a useful opportunity, something that provided him with a great amount of leverage over the others.

"Excellent." He spoke before anyone else could.

Athiss as a world was relatively simplistic when compared to places like Coruscant or Empress Teta, but the politics held the exact same complexities. Everything you did, every reaction you had, every notion that you took upon yourself was seen as nothing less than a signal of everything you stood for. It was how the Purebloods painted themselves. Vrak knew this, and he knew exactly what stance he was taking with those in this room and everywhere else.

"We should begin quickly" Vrak continued on.

"The faster we start, the less she will see it coming." She would always suspect something, but she couldn't predict everything.

 

[Neesa]

There were other matters to discuss of course. Things that did not overly concern Sitas. He was quite pleased with himself for bringing the gutter rat here. Between here and Vrak the situation on Athiss was getting nicely stirred up. It all needed to be sent into disarray and the old guard swept away. Only then could he be the stabilising influence the Sith needed to take them in a new direction.

Neesa had been stretching out her influence ever since arriving and that concerned him. She was perhaps a little too capable when it came to influencing the lower orders of Sith society. Vrak made the intelligent move to get involved. They could both shore up their own defences in case the Nagai decided to switch allegiances. But then who from the other side would have her? Could Siedra put her distaste for aliens aside? Sitas saw threats everywhere, which is why none of them had killed him yet.

"We should discuss some details," Sitas rumbled as the other members started to file out. "Brethas your assistance will be welcome but we will contact you when we have worked out what we require," he added as the sith turned to take his seat again.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

Vrak stayed where he was.

Patience was key in the workings of Athiss. Politics, plots, all of it required a great deal of patience. One day someone could be your friend, but wait long enough and they would betray you. That was the way of the things here on Athiss, how it worked. Around every corner there was someone willing to sell you out. Vrak knew that, he had experienced it more than once already. Now that he had some power however he knew to be more careful.

Especially with all the enmity he was gathering as of late. "I would have a word, Lord Sitas."

Vrak said with a small smile.

The last time he'd 'had a word' with someone above his station they had ended up dead. Vrak wasn't powerful enough to kill Sitas, the man would know this of course, but the implication was still there. It would always be there to the paranoid mind of a Pureblood.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

Neesa had barely seen the two together, she reflected. Mostly she was sent as almost a go-between. Vrak was ambitious and more openly so than her own master. But Lord Sitas had set out on a campaign of aggressive expansion whilst generally keeping himself out of the line of fire. The younger sith was likely more than aware of this, Neesa reasoned, but had hardly held back in the meetings she had attended. He had even gone as far as drawing his own lightsaber when they took an ambush of Siedra's massassi head on.

"Of course," Sitas replied, gesturing towards a chair. His mannerisms were less brusque than when he dealt with Neesa. "Was there something else or did you just wish to discuss some of the details?"

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

"Both." Vrak said simply.

Sitas would eventually have to be done away with, but such plots were long way away from being realized. Vrak first needed to secure his own position on Athiss, claim a base of power that was more permanent than his current post. He had strength enough right now, but even One of the Council Members could easily revoke any claim to strength that he had. Vrak needed to ensure that couldn't happen, and the only way right now was through allies.

"The others." He began. "They are uncomfortable invoking the will of their slaves."

Vrak stated the obvious. "Perhaps it might be time to cut some of them loose."

 

[Neesa]

"As you said yourself, there has been enough of that as of.oate." Lord Sitas' voice was a deep rumble
His huge hands came to rest clasped together on the table. His alchemical experiments had left patches of discoloured skin.

"Everyone here has a part to play. Some for longer than others. Rahn I fear will never quite meet us eye to eye."

"Who wears the red and bronze trim?" Neesa asked


"Lord Huldir? You noticed how sharp he was and recognised a threat," Sitas stated. "We will need his resources and he is loyal. We go back a long way."

He turned his heavy brow towards Vrak again, leaving apace for him to continue the debate.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

"I was not suggesting their death." Vrak said simply. As much as he would have simply liked to execute everyone that stood in his way, he realized that simply wasn't possible anymore. Killing more and more people would just lead to rampant paranoia, perhaps even another civil war. Athiss hadn't seen such a thing for nearly three generations, but the last time it had happened there were dire consequences. Best to avoid that.

"I said cut them loose." He turned to Lord Sitas. "They would immediately run to Siedra."

He would as well if they dared to throw him from this little group of conspirators, if only because it would give him more opportunity for power. That was really all any Pureblood wanted, power and position. Vrak knew that, and he knew his peers. "We can use that, while at the same time weighing down Siedra's camp."

They would of course have to feed the person leaving false information, but that could be done easily enough.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

"Test them," Neesa suggested. "See how loyal they are. Don't give cut them fully loose but give them enough reason to defect if they're not truly loyal to your cause. Confide a detail which Siedra would act upon to them each - a different one - and see who bolts to her side."

It was a reasonable suggested, but Tek didn't think it would take much to make any of them leave. Just the idea that they weren't going to be as central to their plans as they had expected would do it. Rahn was greedy and didn't fit their plans. He would go in a heartbeat. Would Jalek? He despised any he saw as impure, but had been loyal so far. He didn't respond but his body language suggested he wasn't fully sold on the notion.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

"It's the wise thing to do." Vrak said simply.

"Loyalty is rare on Athiss." Not an accusation, merely an observation. "Everyone here is out only for themselves, including me. There is no greater purpose than oneself."

He peered at Lord Sitas for a moment. "The key point here is weeding out those who do not think we are the best method of driving their greater purpose."

Siedra was crafty, but she didn't hold the same sway as Vrak or even close to what this little cabal had. That was simply within her nature. She was more closed off, holding her cards tighter to her chest. It was a mistake of course, had she been more open and willing she likely would have been able to gather more allies than even he could.

That was not the case however.

"If we cut those disloyal from our cabal, then it means more for us in the end." That caught the attention of everyone in the room.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

"What details?" Sitas asked Neesa.

"I do not know. We would need to think of some."

Sitas turned away from them for a moment. When he turned back he gave an affirmative nod. "I will leave you both to concoct some. Report then back to me and I will decide on the best method to push their loyalty."

That seemed relatively final to Neesa so she gave a half bow of her head in return. Dark curls spilled forwards before being pushed back into her hood. She rarely bothered to do more with her hair than tie it back before a fight.

"What have you got so far?" Tek asked. He knew she had been busy, but the others didn't need to know how much.

"One of her household staff has been a little indiscrete. Her partner doesn't know. She feeds me weekly status updates to keep it that way. I was going to tell her she would be off the hook if she could give me something on the next rung up."

Sitas looked to Vrak. "Thoughts? Any cards you wish to share?"

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

Vrak sat quietly. Siedra and him had been rivals for nigh on two decades. They had verbally, and physically sparred with one another on more than one occasion. She had tried to have him killed at least four times that he knew of, probably more, and he had done the same to her. They had been playing this game for a long time, an artful dance that neither of them was even sure they could win. He frowned for a moment and glanced towards the others.

"We should not think it easy." Vrak said plainly. "Siedra isn't a fool, and she may well find a way to turn this entire situation around on us. Her handmaiden, the body servant is ambitious."

He thought for a second.

"Niala is her name. Siedra thinks her loyal, but she has designs on her own power." The unfortunate part of that however was that Niala did not often stray away from her Mistress, that made contacting the girl difficult.

Though perhaps Neesa could do it.

 

[Neesa]

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

"She is a few degrees from where I have reached so far," Neesa admitted. "But it's a goal. Better to have a stick and a treat to ensure compliance. Those close to Siedra come under much more scrutiny."

There was an approving nod. She didn't know if it was because Sitas agreed with her appraisal or because she had used the word scrutiny. Her street language had mostly been trained out of her now. It still tended to surface when she was stressed.

"It will take time and we have to hope for a break or an opening. If they're watching those close to her, we have to watch them more. How many of her people are you watching?" She asked Vrak.

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Neesa"]

"All of them." He said simply. "The ones that I can anyway."

He shrugged. "She does the same to me."

It was well known that Siedra and he had been at odds for many years. The two of them had one of the longest lasting rivalries in modern history. It was one of the reasons both of them were respected. It was rare that Purebloods lasted under such conditions, especially considering their propensity for assassination. Both he and Siedra were skilled in combat and strategies, though she was more inclined towards use of the Force than Vrak was.

"One most also remember, She's a Sorceress." It needed to be said.

"Tricks of the mind and body should not be ruled out." Not when it came to Siedra. "She is not the strongest, but she's learned over the years."