Faction [GC/SO] The Mustering

[Muss Noren]

Thule

Lord Nwul may have transformed this once barren land into lush pastures… it was his soldiers that were turning it back into mud. General Muss Noren, the 2 and a half meter Dowutin, watched the training exercise unfold before him. The giant stood in silence on the hill overlooking the fake battlefield, sheltering underneath a makeshift shelter his engineers had assembled. His gaze switched between the battle that was unfolding before him and the holo-table that displayed the two opposing armies.

When he answered the Steward's call and pledged allegiance to his Golden Covenant, he wasn't one to sit and wait for someone to hand him an army. He knew how this went, if he didn't take initiative, it would be the baby-faced force sensitives that would get the commands, not the alien Imperial General… So he sent a message. To every corner of Imperial and former Imperial space; to both current and former Imperials. Though not as aspiring, or well-articulated as Lord Nwul's been, but where he was appealing to the Sith and to Imperial leadership, General Noren was targeting the men and women he knew well… soldiers. They answered his call – in the tens of thousands. Veterans and warriors flooded to Thule, all with the shared vision: to see Sith and Imperials work together, to build together, and to reign together.

The First Imperial Foreign Legion…

His soldiers didn't look pretty, he didn't have the funds like many nobility to provide them with armor and weapons. What they had was what they could bring with them. Anything that was welded to the floor, many of his soldiers had brought with them. Every quad had an eclectic mix of personal armor and weapons. Yet, what they lacked in uniformity, they compensated in sheer ruthless determination and professional experience. From what his newly appointed officers were telling him, there weren't many who had less than five years of active combat experience.

As an act of collaboration and transparency, Muss Noren extended an open invitation to the wider Golden Covenant to watch the Legion's first wargames. To witness the overwhelming response from across the Empire. But also to remind the Sith, that it takes more than individuals to birth an Empire.

The Imperial Foreign Legion

 

[Tarus Undara]

Thule
A Golden Covenant Story​

Tarus knew better than to involve himself in such things as this, but his presence here had been specially requested. Whether that was based on the fallen Jedi's merit or if this was punishment, he couldn't tell. All he knew is that the Golden Covenant needed more than just Sith. It needed ideals, and it needed men and women who believed in those ideals.

They needed soldiers.

"Your Legion is impressive, General," Tarus said to Muss Noren with a stony expression. He could have forced a half-assed smirk, but neither of them were here for pleasantries and faux feelings. They were generating a machine of war, and that took perception and intent.

"These are ex-Imperials?" he asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Their tenacity and combat prowess are undeniable. But what of their loyalty? Scores of troopers amount to very little if their allegiances are uncertain."

His tongue was steeped in ironic hypocrisy; Even Darth Nwul himself seemed unaware of Tarus' own torrid heart. The Covenant had found him - saved him, for all intents and purposes. He owed them, and had chosen to repay his debt through service to the Gilded Council. Tarus had no memory of his life before. There was nothing to run away to. If preparing an army for this new vein of Sith was his purpose, then so be it.

The fallen Jedi looked to the Dowutin with curiosity.

"How will you ensure their service the Covenant?"

 

[Muss Noren]

As Muss watched the wargames unfold, he could feel the mood among his staff officers shift. The Colonel beside him stiffened up, Muss could hear his heart rate quicken. He turned around to see their first guest arrive.

Darth Sidonis

Not a Sith that he had personally met, but he had taken the time to know the faces of the elite in the Golden Covenant. The Dowutin greeted the Sith, unfazed by his presence; while his officers remained silent allowing their Commander to do all of the speaking. With a flick of his hand he ordered his steward to offer his guest a drink, but other than that, General Noren allowed the man to watch the exercise in silence.

"Your Legion is impressive, General,"

Muss glanced at his guest for a moment, trying to deduce the meaning behind his statement.

"They look like Chit," he responded, telling it as it is. "They look more like a giant mercenary band, but they know how to fight. I just need them to fight together as a unit."

He had brought tens of thousands of soldiers from across the galaxy from a range of units. It was always going to take time to turn them into an army that will win Lord Nwul a war. But it is his aim to do that quickly and show the Sith that the it will take more than fancy saber skills and dark side talent to win a war.

"These are ex-Imperials?" his guest continued.

Muss shook his head with a sly smile on his lips. "No..." he replied, pausing for a moment. "They are Imperials. Imperials who have found the rightful Empire to serve."

Darth Sidonis continued venting his concerns about their potential loyalties.

"How will you ensure their service the Covenant?"

General Noren pondered his question for a moment.

"I don't think you understand what these men and women have just done." His hand gestured passionately to the soldiers before them. "The soldiers have left well-paid positions, they've left family, brothers in arms and friends to venture across the Galaxy. At the risk of their own lives. Why do you think they did it?" Muss asked. Pausing for a second before answering his own question.

"They did it because of the dream that Lord Nwul have given them. The dream of an Empire in which Sith and non-Sith put their disagreements aside. In which Sith and Imperial fight side by side, rule side by side."

Muss paused for a moment, his gaze locking onto Tarus'. He had spent enough time around the Sith and Dark Jedi to know how they think and how they act. But most rank and file, and even the junior and mid-ranked officers, have never spoken to a Force user, let alone fully understand or comprehend who they are.



"They have left everything, risked everything because they see you as gods. And they relish the opportunity to fight alongside you. And for a mere second, they can see themselves as your equal."

TAG: Tarus Undara

 

[Diodoros]

Location: Thule
Tags: Muss Noren | Tarus Undara

The golden man faced a lot of pushback from his handlers when he expressed interest in this whole ‘golden covenant’ thing. Diodoros thought it sounded pretty cool, even if it was just the name. He’d actually already done work with Sith before, although unknowingly. Also the Sith were pretty powerful weren’t they? Kinda like the Jedi but not as strong? That was at least Diodoros’s assessment of Sith.

So without the approval of his handlers, Diodoros went out of his way to try and get into the Golden Covenant as ‘outsider talent’ and was still very new to the whole Sith civilization. It reminded him a fair bit of The Hutts, their power and decadence had some familiarity. Except everyone wasn't giant slugs, so that was a nice change of pace to what Diodoros was used to. ​

. . .​

Currently he was out to answer an invitation from a “Foreign Legion” which sounded pretty interesting. He wasn’t sure yet if it was something he wanted to join or not. But he was there to witness the wargames play out. Watching holographic displays of the armies playing out their mock battle with great interest. Remembering him when he was a kid playing with toy soldiers or similar strategy games he was never good at or had much success. Only winning once against someone for using such an outlandishly bad strategy that it blindsided his opponent and made him victorious.

However, Didoros had not realized that this Foreign Legion was particularly ‘imperial’ in its identity. Which would likely be an issue for the Firrerreo if he’d known about it. The mercenary fighter often went out of his way to take on jobs that involved subjecting imperial targets to his carnage. Even to the annoyance of his handlers when he would undercut the competition just to get hired. The ‘joy’ of pulverizing storm troopers while swinging one of their own by the leg like a club was payment enough for the golden man.

Fortunately though as far as he knew, this Foreign Legion for the Golden Covenant were not imperials. At least he didn’t see any of the distinctive storm troopers that were practically synonymous.

Also Diodoros wasn’t really paying any attention to what the other two in the room were discussing. Something about the sacrifice the soldiers made to be here. The golden man looked over to one of the men, specifically the one that was smallest, and had hair. “Sounds like quite the honor if you ask me. To have professional soldiers and fighters like them want to fight beside you. I’d personally find that to be quite a rewarding experience.” Diodoros said, sharing his small opinion on the matter. Having no clue who he was talking to and what his history was.

Then the golden man looked back over to the other guy, the one who was big and bald. He mentioned a “Lord Nwul” , someone Diodoros had been hearing a lot of since trying to join up with The Golden Covenant, but had no real idea who they were. “I imagine Lord Nwuel would be quite pleased with The Foreign Legion here, I’m not sure if they’re here or not. But knowing what your soldiers have given up just to be here, that's gotta earn their respect I think.” ​

 

[Tarus Undara]

Thule
A Golden Covenant Story​

“Respect is fickle,” Tarus said sourly. He looked over the Foreign Legion with harsh, yellow-ringed, crimson eyes.

He’d seen dozens of Empires rise and fall on a whim. They follow the strongest, and while it may be true that these soldiers abandoned all they know for the Covenant, who’s to say they hadn’t done the same for their previous masters? Or that they won’t repeat it again for the next?

“How long before they’re ready to die for us?” the Sith asked coldly. Clearly he meant, ‘when were they expected to step onto the battlefield’ and not when their hearts would truly bleed golden blood.

Darth Nwul had high expectations for the Covenant’s army, and any ounce of dissent or wavering loyalty could not be allowed to persist. Tarus would be sure of this.

- Muss Noren | Diodoros -​