Private Dark Contemplation

[Darth Argentum]

Jonex Mine 8-11B, near Bimmel

The Muun reflected upon his recent defeat. It's taste was bitter. He felt a terrible sense of distress as he replayed the memories in his mind's eye. His machinations foiled, the veil of his sorcery pierced all too easily.

Had it all been worth it? Throwing away a promising, if frustrating, career on his homeworld? He told himself that he could've recovered from his missteps. Perhaps he could've been reassigned off Muunilinst. It would've all worked out with time.

He sat there at that desk in the darkness. Long fingers rested on the desktop and his eyes were focused on nothing. Scarcely did he even register his own breathing. He felt hollow within his being.

His wounds pained him but the ease in which they were inflected hurt much more. So confident he'd been in his abilities. So quickly had he been disabused of his pride. The Muun's powers had proven far short of a true Sith Lord.

Perhaps it was time to admit defeat. To abandon this life....

Maro was so focused on his own self-pity that he took no note of the stirring shadows within the barely-lit office. They gathered slowly, like wisps of smoke. Slowly congregating into the rough form of a humanoid. Through the office a chill took hold.

It was the creeping chill which caught his attention. The administrative facilities had been cool upon his arrival but this cold meant something had went awry. Perhaps it was the climate control systems...but, no, he realized as his eyes sharpened. This was no mechanical malfunction.

His hand quickly fell to his weapon as he spoke.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

His body had tensed, ready to spring up and meet any would-be attacker. His eyes scanned the darkness quickly until it settled on the miasma in the corner. He stood quickly, knocking the chair back and dropped into a ready-stance with his crimson blade ignited.

It's blood-shine illuminated the gloom like a diabolical candle. It highlighted the murky form, though in truth, it barely seemed to have that. The centre-mass was still despite the swirling edges. No movements were made yet a rich laughter came from within it, detached and frigid.

"I would ask the same of you," came the voice as if from centuries past "You are, after all, in my home."

Dansk blinked quickly as he recalled just who this office, this entire mining colony had belonged to.

"Vectivus..."

"Darth Vectivus," the voice corrected "Dark Lord of the Sith. Unlike you."

The words hit with the impact of a sledgehammer.

"I can sense your weakness, Muun. Put away your weapon; it will do you no good against me."

The shade's tone was sardonic and it put Dansk's teeth on edge. Yet he relented after a moment, thumbing his saber off though he chose to remain standing. Perhaps this apparition couldn't be harmed by a blade. But he had other weapons.

"Very good. Now, as before, why did you come into my home?"

Dansk hesitated but ultimately decided to answer truthfully.

"I came seeking answers. Guidance for...what I should do next...."

The shade of Vectivus made no reply. Instead it remained impassive as if expecting more.

"My enemy defeated me," he said reluctantly "It was all I could do to survive. He toyed with me the whole time. I only escaped through happenstance."

"Of course he defeated you," came the amused reply "I didn't call you weak for my own amusement. But do tell me, why come to this remote place of no great significance?"

"Because, as you say, it's remote. It offers solitude...."

"Solitude to lick your wounds like a Kath hound beaten by it's master."

There was no mistaking the contempt in the shade's voice now. It stung the Muun deeply but he offered no reply.

"You are not welcome in my home if all you seek is succor," the disembodied voice went on "As a Muun, you should know only those who deserve to survive do so. As in business, so it is in life."

"Do I not deserve to survive?," Maro replied with growing anger.

"You deserve only that which you are strong enough to acquire."

These words resonated within Maro's core. It was the fundamental, unspoken lesson in the life of every Muun.

"Where did I go wrong, Lord Vectivus?," came Dansk's impassioned reply "What must I do to become strong enough?"

"Those who would commune with the Dark Side create a bargain with it. You have not truly committed yourself to it. Until you choose to do so, it with not fulfill the agreement."

More and more, these words began to impress themselves on the Muun. He stood silent and in rapt attention.

"Real strength can only come from the Dark Side. Therefore, you must complete this contract. Only then will you gain power. Power through the darkness means power over yourself. So it follows that you will also gain power over external affairs."

Maro let this wisdom soak into his marrow in the long moments of silence that followed.

"How do I go about honouring the contract?," he finally asked the shade.

"You already know how. In spite of your weakness, I sense that someone of power has already shown you the way."

The Muun nodded slowly in reply. His Master had shown him over many months. But then he'd gone without warning. Yet Vectivus confirmed that the teachings he'd already been given were the proper path.

"You may remain here for a time, Muun," Vectivus said again "I will not interfere so long as you as you choose to fulfill your agreement. But, if you choose to abandon it, you must leave or I will destroy you."

There was no anger in those words. It was spoken merely as a point of fact. As it was, Dansk knew the shadowy apparition still had enough power to interact with the physical realm. There were a hundred ways Vectivus could end him even if not directly.

"I will remain, then, for a time," Maro said after contemplating the offer "I will fulfill my bargain."

"Very good," came the satisfied reply "But remember, I will be watching you. Do not break our agreement."

 

[Darth Argentum]

He rarely left the mining complex in those ensuing months. Only then were there the briefest trips to nearby Bimmiel. Just long enough to acquire food rations and essentials. Even those occasions were to the most outlying villages.

The Muun spent many nights that turned into day and days that turned into night training. Meditating on the Dark Side. Contemplating both practical and philosophical teachings. Reflecting on the grueling training he'd received.

He too spent time performing each and every lightsaber exercise he'd ever learned. Again and again he would drill them. The Muun would push until his body was exhausted. Memories of failure always spurred him on just when his corporeal form was ready to quit.

Maro loathed the risk of physical confrontation. There was too much risk in combat merely for the sake of fulfilling primitive desires. Yet the humiliating defeat taught him in the most direct way. It showed him that it was a necessary evil to become truly competent with his weapon.

When he'd finally had enough of his exercises, he still didn't allow himself complete rest. To combat the risk of laxity, he would begin to recall every single wrong he'd suffered in his life. As the thoughts and images washed over him, he began to feel the most fiery sensation of hate.

He pushed that hate into the black fire of the Force. The heat radiated outwards and purified him of his physical weariness. It also washed away his mental weakness. His hesitation couldn't hope to stand before that midnight wave.

His body healed in the days and weeks. Scars were left where he'd been struck. Yet they only added to those left by the brutal hand of his Master. He didn't view them as ugly or disfiguring.

Indeed there was a kind of beauty in them. A tangible reminder of the price of weakness. But also a sign of that weakness leaving his body. And they would serve to remind him of the dangers of complacency in the future.

Slowly his thoughts began to drift into more mundane matters over the endless weeks. He began to think on the Empire of the Sith, it's structure and order. More and more it began to clash with Sith teachings of old. It was true that it gave stability.

Yet stability brought complacency. Complacency brought weakness. There was no struggle within the Empire's Sith Order. There was only the Dark Lord and his will. But that wasn't the way of the Dark Side.

No, his Master had spoken at great length of the nature of the Dark Side. Sibilius was a true zealot. He couldn't say the same of himself even only a few years into his training. Pragmatism was hard-wired into his subconscious and conflicted strongly with zealous actions.

Zealots often became martyrs. He had no interest in dying for something else...or someone else. He was aware his thoughts were heretical against the Order in which he'd been indoctrinated. But he wasn't willing to die for a being who cared no more for him than he did a starfighter or blaster rifle.

Maro refused to die like some fool on his own blade. That was what the current Order had established. To go here, to kill there and to die when the Emperor deemed it right. Yet Carnifex hadn't grown to his immense power by following the will of another; no, he'd forged his own path.

Was stability not synonymous with peace? Was peace not a lie? Did the Sith not strive to power to break their chains? And was this Order and Empire was merely another chain.

It was time to break free of those chains.

But where will I go?

He couldn't fade back into a normal, inconsequential life now. Not even if he'd wanted to. The Dark Side had marked him forever. Jedi controlled too much of the galaxy. Too many petty interests controlled other parts.

He wouldn't lower himself to working for criminal scum. It left his possibilities blank except for....

Would I go there? What fate would await me?

Maro decided that his own fate was his to decide.

I will face what is to come. If I am strong enough, I will survive. If not...

If not, he concluded with a grim smile, he wasn't worthy. There was a kind of satisfaction in knowing his possible death would be by his own choice. At least he'd freed himself. How many beings could die knowing true freedom?

 

[Darth Argentum]

So it was that he came to his decision. He spent those final days preparing himself before his departure. That he'd grown stronger was evident to him now. His last trip to Bimmiel had confirmed it.

The locals had been eager to trade their foodstuffs for his credits in the beginning. But over time, they'd begun to avoid him. His aspect had grown more terrible from more deeply communing with the Dark Side. His pinkish skin becoming pallid was the first sign.

They'd looked on him then with misgiving. As if the occasional buyer was growing deathly ill. Perhaps it was spreading. Only the lure of yet more lucre had convinced them to bother with him.

His final journey had proven far less peaceful. By then his eyes had turned from their natural green-yellow into the heart of a reactor. Their fear had grown into raw terror as they saw him descend from his shuttle. Only compelling them allowed him to even communicate.

But they wanted nothing more to do with the monster. Their deaths at his hands soon followed. They had what he needed but refused to allow him to once again purchase things. So he took what he had to take.

There was no great pleasure in their destruction. He dispatched them with business-like efficiency. Then he took what supplies he'd intended to acquire and no more. Bodies were not hidden as they'd not be found for a long time given how remote their settlement was.

Now he readied himself on that final day and a familiar voice spoke to him again from the shadows.

"So now you leave my home, but are you truly ready?" asked the shade of Vectivus

The Muun looked up from his preparation at the office's desk.

"And now you speak again."

"At such a time as I deemed it worthy," the long-dead Sith Lord replied.

The Muun gave a short laugh at that.

"Perhaps you've grown fond of my presence."

"Do not presume too far, Muun," came the response "I've merely tolerated you as an interloper."

Maro cock his head, his lips quirked into a rare smile.

"Hm, tolerated is it?," Maro said and then he shook his head "No. Lord Vectivus. You didn't merely tolerate me. I've begun to suspect you cannot truly touch this realm anymore."

"How long has it been," the Muun continued "How many centuries since your death? Do you even know?"

"My so-called 'death' is irrelevant."

The specter's tone had grown sharper with anger.

"Hardly, Vectivus. The truth is, you cannot touch this place without the presence of one strong in the Force. Isn't that so?"

"I can still destroy you," came the growled reply.

Maro shook his head with his contemptuous grin still present.

"No you can't. I was weak enough when I came here to think you could. But no longer. Your home has proven a useful training ground. Perhaps I will return one day. Until then, Vectivus, return to your slumber."

The shade made no reply. Indeed he perceived it's dissolution after a moment. And then he resumed his preparations....

 

[Lunafreya Solidor]

// ABOARD THE ARROGANTE //
// Darth Argentum //​

She was tired. Not physically but mentally, she was not tired of the endless wars that those imperials created, she rejoiced in it, but that absence of greed and ambition, as if they were mere puppets under the shadow fighting against an even greater darkness. It tired her, made her irritable and intolerant to endure that false sense of duty she had.

The body dedicated itself to mortal pleasures such as food, pleasure and drink, she practiced the services of her faith and recited them faithfully in due time but had little comfort in that. Sitting on a chair in the private chamber inside her ship, Lunafreya held a golden cup full of ambrostine, she sipped it frequently while watching seven holographic screens at the same time, videos from HoloNet, others with recordings of her allies and on her lap there was an open grimoire from the witches of Dathomir.

The doors opened shortly thereafter and the two men at her feet snarled at the figure of Calis Vilya, her assassin and protector, member of her personal guard.
“My Princess, a signal has been caught. A wandering ship found not far from the Arrogante.”

“A ship?”, she raised her cup and drank a sip. Only reason she was there was because they did not have a place for her just yet, they did not trusted her yet. “What kind of ship?”

“We are not sure. It ain’t a fighting vessel, but I thought you should know… Captain Pellaeon has expressed desire to destroy the vessel for trespassing.”

Pellaeon, another human. Old, sad, dirty and unworthy.

"No." she declared abruptly. "Order him to trap them and bring it aboard now."

“As you command.”

When Calis left, Lunafreya closed the grinoire and whertled loudly, calling for her maids and ordering then help her put some decent clothing.

 

[Darth Argentum]

The Edges of New Imperial Space

The journey from the Jonex Mining Colony had taken three standard days. Longer than if he'd simply put his shuttle at full speed. But that would've drawn unwanted attention from Sith ships. His clearances were all valid, and ostensibly, there was no reason to rush.

So he made his way from checkpoint to checkpoint, making short jumps before reverting to real space. A feeling of anticipation grew as the hours dragged along. Trepidation too, though he was loathe to admit it. He still didn't know if this was the correct move.

But he was past the final security checkpoint by now and past the border. Of course, going back now would prove problematic. The border security forces hadn't been cooperative. A lower-ranking member of the Sith Order couldn't bluster their way through.

Thus his hand had been forced. He bent the will of the Legion officer posted, using what equated to a hammer in the mind. There hadn't been time for subtlety. The Legion wouldn't be pleased by his actions but that was the least of his concerns.

When the Dark Council found out about what he'd done, then there would be real concern. They didn't tolerate such things and their wrath would make his former Master's seem a fond memory. Hence his plan of not being there when they were told.

Upon making it past the checkpoint, he deactivated his Sith transponder. There was no need to draw that sort of attention from the New Imperials either. For all purposes, he was a Muun escaping Sith Empire-occupied Munnilinst. They'd pick up his shuttle and he'd manipulate his way through.

It wasn't surprising how quickly he was detected. After all, he wasn't attempting to hide. Yet who discovered him was. It wasn't a military vessel though it was certainly large and well-armed. Maro frowned as he studied it's NIO transponder signal.

Not a military ship, yet purportedly with the Imperials....

Was it a pirate vessel? He hadn't heard of there being a problem with piracy near the Imperial-Sith border. Yet that didn't mean exceptions couldn't happen. Caution, then, became the mode of choice.

He cut the shuttle's sub-light engines and waited for the larger ship's hail. It came and he made his reply. He reverted back to being just an ordinary Muun. Cowardly and obsessed with credits.

They took his smaller craft into the landing bay. He was made to come down the landing ramp with hands up. He did his best to appear fearful of the men and their weapons trained on him. They assumed he was harmless and unarmed and a subtle amount of the Force bolstered that notion.

In fact, his lightsaber was hidden in the small of his back. Maro was glad he had it as he was led along to meet whoever was in command of this ship. It seemed that they were strong in the Force. Perhaps strong enough to detect his small manipulation.

Still, he drew himself back into the mundane. He hoped it would be enough....

Lunafreya Solidor

 

[Lunafreya Solidor]

// ABOARD THE ARROGANTE //
// Darth Argentum //​

The princess hated parties, the ball galas in her planet were the reason for disgust for a very long time. She hated having to pamper those spoiled proud nobles from all the Tapani Sector and beyond, to praise their halls and wealth, to learn their names and history, she hated that, but now that she was in an empty life in a cold dark place, she missed that , she missed that a lot.

She might make up for it with little demonstrations of finesse and power, like the one she found herself doing there. For dressed in garments too elegant for that meeting with a stranger, Lunafreya surrounded the shuttle with his guard, a hundred soldiers lined up in the great hangar of his ship with spears raised high in greeting for his arrival.

"That is enough.", She declared abruptly as she noticed the thin figure of a tall creature standing before her. "A Muun?", Her lips asked ironically to her servants, she turned to Calis Vilya. “Is that why they disturb me? Next time, let Pellaeon do what he wants.”

The woman dressed in black robes fell on her knee.
"As you wish, my princess."

“As for you…”, something inside her mind was itching, a feeling she was quite familiar on identifying the reason. "Come with me."

She started walking back to the elevator, there were too many lies to be seen there for anyone to believe them. Too many lies were endured by her, so she was an expert on sniffing them around and as they were both inside the elevator, she spoke.

“So, Muun, do you have a name?”, After the answer she said. “And what are you doing in here? In this part of space?”

 

[Darth Argentum]

The Muun had kept silent throughout. He'd been keeping up the appearance of a frightened wayfarer. All the while he'd been watching and listening carefully. Evidently the being in charge was royalty or had taken up the trappings of such.

He decided that the former was true upon her entrance. Accompanied by a multitude of ceremonially armed guards, it was still her that commanded everyone's attention. Her clothing was extravagant, her face beautiful, her manner cold and haughty. Yet those things were secondary to Maro.

She was the presence in the Force he'd felt upon descending from his shuttle. Yes, she was strong, and he sensed the Dark Side in her. But it wasn't the same as a Sith. There was a more primal quality to it, he decided.

His own physical telltales were hidden behind the mask of the mundane. Perhaps he looked a little drawn and pale. But that could be explained away by his recent flight from Sith space. So too were his radioactive yellow eyes hidden behind the more greenish hue of a normal Muun.

Maro followed at her command, evidently cowed by the great presence. He saw the gimlet stares of her guard as he fell in behind her. It amused him that they really did think he was afraid. If only they knew just one of his spells would leave them raving with terror.

How easy it would be to dispatch them in that state. Or perhaps he would leave them to turn on each other. Beings often resorted to such behaviour under duress. It could prove interesting to sit back and watch how long that process took.

But for now he followed. On the way to the turbolift, he was questioned.

"My name is Maro Dansk, your highness," came the carefully constructed reply "I am a financial adviser whose business had been greatly impeded by the Sith Empire in recent years. I managed to contact the right officials and...for a fee...they allowed me to pass unhindered into New Imperial space."

"My goal," he went on "Is to resume my business out from under their odious control."

His story carefully weaved just enough truths into the fiction to make it seem real. Using his actual name made no difference. She wouldn't know him, just an apprentice at the time of his last major conflict with the New Imperials. And he did want to resume his business, though not necessarily finance....

Lunafreya Solidor

 

[Lunafreya Solidor]

The elzeri listedened to his speech with a calm expression on her face, not of the same peaceful realization that the Jedi were famous for having but something beautiful like a marble statue, untouchable and icy. And all she needed at that moment was for Muun to know how 'satisfied' she was in finding a Sith in the middle of nowhere in the galaxy, that according to the orders of the geezers and bastards who governed the New Imperial Order she was to deliver the even for High-Command in shackles. She refused calling them her superiors and would rather rip her arm off herself than doing it so, the day Lunafreya Solidor would call a filth, useless, meatbag piece of klarg human her superior, now that would be a day that the galaxy should fear her more than the Sith Emperor himself.

"Okay," she said to Muun, turning her head forward and shutting herself up until the elevator stopped on the floor of the private chamber she had. Leaving the doors to open to a comfortable room with elegant furniture, leaving the elevator and walking leisurely to one of the armchairs, sitting down even more informally.

“We took Muunilinst and did not found a single Muun on the planet. The Empire took them somewhere, I wonder where and why… but then again I don’t care.”, She snapped her fingers a few times at a protocol droid behind the two, indicating to bring her something to drink. “Why did you leave them? Not the Muuns, the Sith. For money? That is very Muun of you. No… I'm beating something else made you do it. ”

“And how could I blame you? The Sith have gone mad, like a sick animal, taken by anger and total insanity, or so I heard. Carnifex’s own son started this petty war against them, his bastard boy, a cocky little cup if you ask me.”

The droid came back with a platter, on top was a golden chalice filled with ambrostine. Her left hand raised and she pointed her index finger at the Muun.

“Name your poison.”, raising the chalice and drinking a sip shortly afterwards. “I come from a planet far, far away from here called Kaikielius. Last frontier province of the Interstellar Protectorate, sole government of the elzeri species and here I am, princess Lunafreya Solidor, working alongside a cocky bastard, a filthy human ruler against the Sith… “

“Also, Muun, I won’t look for those officers you bribed to come here, but the High-Command asked me to do deliver any and all Sith related personal that I would possibly find.”, she smiled after saying that, a cruel little thing. “But I won’t do that, because just watching space can be quite… boring and I am very easily bored.”

“What are you seeking coming to this rogue faction of traitors and bastards? Besides me, off course, I’m from a higher breed than most of them.”

Darth Argentum

 

[Darth Argentum]

Maro tensed at her words though he maintained his neutral mien. He'd been centimeters from drawing his weapon when she revealed knowledge of his true identity. But he decided instead to play this out. To see what her game was.

"A Sith Lord?," he said, carefully choosing his words while seeming taken aback "I am no Sith Lord."

And that much was true. He'd been apprenticed to a Sith Lord for several years but had never risen beyond.

"As you say, I did leave them. As far as there not being a single Muun on my world, I imagine that essential beings were evacuated. We are most useful."

He emphasized the last bit. Best to appeal to natural greed in royals. Maro had dealt with their kind many times. Not a single saint among the lot.

"I am most relieved that you've chosen not to report me," he continued with a thin smile "I don't mean any harm. As you say, I'm seeking profit."

At her offer of alcohol he politely declined.

"I'm afraid I must decline your offer, Princess," he explained "I seldom, if ever, imbibe."

"But, if I must name my poison, your highness, it's power."

His eyes met hers as he smiled his thin smile.

Lunafreya Solidor

 

[Lunafreya Solidor]

“No, I think the empire did that just so they could make a point.”, Lunafreya replied raising her glass and doing a small imaginary toast to that. “We can enslave whoever we want and you can’t do xit about it, but they left the gold… all that gold, now in the hands of a greedy pig that runs AvCorp.”

The comment gave her a hint of disgust, something kept in the depths of his being. The memory of that unpleasant being was enough for that.

She went on taking small sips from her golden cup while marinating the comment he had made about power. One of the biggest poisons she had ever known, so addictive and playful that it won over anyone.

“That kind of poison can be… tricky.”, she stood by swinging the liquid from the chalice in front of her, her violet eyes focused on its contents. “I find myself in a similar position. After having tasted my freedom away from my planet, away from my court and away from my former ruler, I have found myself craving for more.”

“But instead of dying for power due to the dangerousness of its poison, I want to live to rejoice in it.”, she confessed to the alien, “In my religion, the Church of the Word, it is believed that nothing happens without a reason. What would the reason be for this coincidence? For such meeting to actually take place? Is it the will of the Gods? Is it the ways of the Force? Chance? Our own doing? I could have left it alone and didn't even say anything to my captain when he wanted to blow up his ship without asking about its contents, I could have ordered my servants to have you gunned down at the bridge, or you could have killed me in the elevator, so many possibilities, so many outcomes.”

Her words were true, there were too many possibilities for her to even begin understanding a single one. But there was also many ways for this meeting to have a ‘happy ending’ for both of them, or a ‘joyful beginning’ if she had to put it in words, she was in need of allies on the New Imperial Order, so she could reach for her own stars.

“Maybe we can help each other, Muun. Fill each other’s chalice with that poison as we toast to it and drink it.”

Darth Argentum

 

[Darth Argentum]

She came from a planet of yet more religious fools. The galaxy seemed to abound with such beings. Willing to let the currents of the universe drag them this way and that. It filled him with disgust yet he saw advantage in this too.

"An interesting religion," he remarked "One that I'd not heard of before."

That wasn't strictly true. It sounded more or less like the philosophy of the Jedi. To allow the Force to 'guide' them. In fact, they allowed their lives to be dictated to them.

The advantage came when you were the one to dictate beings' fates. It brought to mind the Rule of Order when put that way. Perhaps this extragalactic Princess could be his route to power. For him, of course, and he'd string her along so long as it was needed.

She seemed to almost resent her position. This told him that she'd not learned to master it. He could act as a mentor and teach her to do so. And there lay his niche. In his previous life, he'd worked with many non-Muun.

He would be subtle and patient, a spider hidden in the shadows. She wouldn't see the silken strings as he spun them around her. Eventually she would depend on him entirely. But he'd always play the role of subordinate lest she learn his true motives.

"It's well that your Captain didn't gun me down," Maro said.

He would've found a very nasty end if but one blaster bolt had been fired. Even still, he was a complication. A tie to the old world for her and an obstacle in the Muun's way. He'd have to be disposed of.

A pity he didn't try to end me.

"One road to power is through credits," he said later "Though I'm sure you're not surprised to hear a Muun say that."

His lips quirked into a thin smile. Maro decided that it was time to reveal his true identity. Best to show her now so that she could learn to trust him more quickly. It would even be considered a gesture of goodwill. But first, a little story to set the stage.

"Another road to power," he went on "Lay in the teachings of my old mentor. He was rich almost beyond belief. But he showed me that even credits are simply tools."

"He knew real power, the kind that could move the galaxy itself. But he never truly embraced it. You see, he followed a dogma like the faith of your world. There is a high priest, of sorts, that he allows to fetter him."

"So it is that this dogma is a chain around his throat. Chains are always to be broken."

The Muun's thin smile had become an almost feral grin as he dropped the mask of the mundane. She would now see him for what he was. Pallid skin like a corpse, eyes glowing a malevolent yellow and more importantly she would feel the Dark Side from him.

"He tried to wrap the same chains around me. But I will not be a slave to foolish dogma. I will not follow Carnifex's so-called 'Rule of Order'."

"This Rule of Order is like your Church. Together we can cast off our chains and achieve real power. Yes, we can drink from the chalice and drink it all."

Lunafreya Solidor

 

[Lunafreya Solidor]

She listened to Muun's words carefully, where from time to time she took a sip from her goblet and at least once reached out her arm for the service droid to fill him with more than she drank. And although he heard a name that was familiar to him, thanks to his longstanding relationship with the bastard of the Emperor, Lunafreya was unaware of the concept of what the 'Rule of Order' would be.

“I am not familiar with the ways of the Sith from this modern times. My people learned the old ways, thanks to a hero many thousands of years ago.”, the legend was old and spoke of Raithwall, great king of her people and how he united the elzeri in a time of great darkness and ensure their survival as they drifted to space. As for the moment the Sith finally allowed his true colors to appear before her very eyes as if he was trying to show her what power did, by permitting his body to emanate with the force of darkness, she did not even flinched, but kept a small grin on the left corner of her lip, as herself took a moment to think what to say next.

“I found the old ways much simpler than now. Now they are just tainted by misery and shameful acts of raw strength and what they believe to be power, pathetic dogmas clouded by mysticism. Even in here they can be found, is not the Sith Bastard the Lord Executor for the Imperator? And yet we can find Sith and other sorts of users all around this ranks, running like hyenax chasing the bounty of flesh, but what can be done?”

“This filthy humans care only about credits and politics. They build massive ships to tame the stars saying they will do things differently, and yet, they fail miserably in that and more.”, she took her chalice once again to her lips, drinking the rest of the ambrostine in a single gulp. “They suck on that AvCorp animal’s neck like leeches, allowing it to spread those ridiculous fawny coins he owns around this side of the galaxy. Support that traitor Sularen to boost his ‘might’ with those horrible ships he has, but the worst… the worst is that Tyrell, the Grand Vizir. That one has water in his veins, hidden under that mask of apathy.”

Darth Argentum

 

[Darth Argentum]

Her reaction was rather subdued, just a small smile. That boded well for him given that she was no anti-Sith zealot. Killing her would've proven messy and difficult had she been otherwise. Perhaps she may have even been skilled enough to kill him instead.

He'd taken a risk in revealing his true identity. But coming here into New Imperial space had also been one. So far it appeared that his gamble had paid off. And indeed, it wasn't a gamble so much as a calculated risk. Maro didn't gamble, after all.

"I've dealt with many humans over the years. I find them typically rash and immature. They're also quite short-sighted, rarely able to think beyond tomorrow, let alone beyond their lifespans," he commented.

The Muun tilted his head to the side at her observations on the Sith. Her conclusions were not far off the mark.

"They believe what they're told and they follow like cattle. But, as you say, they aren't true to the ways of the Sith when they were strong."

"Even now, their Empire begins to fall in on their heads. This New Order rebelling is just the beginning of their end."

Maro chuckled at her derision for AvCoin and it's creator. He'd learned the hard way that Avernus was far more formidable than he seemed. Yet she continued and he could only grin at her words. Her mind had traveled along a path he'd intended to guide her already.

"The IGBC isn't what it once was," he spoke truly "Once, their reach was as long as the galaxy. Nothing happened without their tacit consent."

"But their time is bygone. It's time for a new controlling entity within that sector. We can create this between us and begin to assert our control over the shambles the galaxy has fallen into."

"If you control the currency, you can then control everything."

Lunafreya Solidor

 

[Lunafreya Solidor]

There were common sense in his words, some would see it as wisdom but for her kind this was but the truth. Told a thousand times by a thousand tongues, those that were mortal lived as if it were otherwise, but her species was immortal, not undying, but immortal, time could pass for thousands of years before a elzeri could die, but that was not the case for her, she was but young, unlike her father.

“They lack balance and the ability to see it. As long as we let those low humanoids beasts rule over us, we shall never achieve divinity.”

A long time dream of her people, or at least what her religion preached, that when found one with death, their spirits achieved that the same level of understanding as that of gods.

“And now they are nothing. Their new dark masters have done nothing for it but dream they hold a place in the galaxy, by financing all sides of the major wars and thinking how far will they get with it.”

She barely noticed how subtle he was in the way he spoke, she was already taken by it and dreaming about rivers of money in her hands. And for a moment after that, Lunafreya who had no brilliant ideas herself, finally felt malice taking over her mind and a web of planning spinning inside her mind.
“What if… we could balance things up a bit?”, the elzeri girl started to tap her index finger in her chalice as she spoke, “The New Imperial Order sucks money from AvCorp and the IGBC, but AvCorp is not a real bank, while the IGBC focus itself on keeping a hand in the governments pockets, the other banks are fighting each other for control and supremacy, as if they are trying to achieve the lead and take over all the competition, but what if a company that followed the New Order was such banking institution?”

“One that I would be happy to provide proper financing, if… you would agree on making sure it would be perfect, for as brilliant as I am, unfortunately I know nothing about banks and credits, except spending them.”

Darth Argentum

 

[Darth Argentum]

"Then we have an accord," Maro said smoothly "I can guide our enterprise with my knowledge of such things."

Such a foothold was exactly what the Muun had been seeking. He'd not expected it so quickly. Yet the Dark Side provided when it was necessary and that pleased him greatly. Things were falling into place nicely.

"Our first order of business should be to establish our headquarters. We should acquire an already existing framework and modify it to our tastes."

"It will be far easier to mold this institution than build from nothing. Perhaps there is such a place you know of within New Imperial space?"

Lunafreya Solidor