Give Me A Reason

[Malok]

This was certainly a surprise.

Although they were aligned due to similar, corporate interests, two particular souls never had much interaction. From the outside looking in, the average bystander would simply chock this fact up to the obvious. Both men stood at the apex of a corporation. Both men had schedules as long as the Hydian Way. However, as these things often went, the truth of the matter laid underneath the surface. While, at face-level, the Sith Lord would never admit to having any feelings other than respect for his collegue...the truth was, he kept him at arm's length.

Why wouldn't he? After all, a lifetime's worth of possessions was heisted. While the most notable items eventually made their way back to Darth Metus, thereby converting his wrath into something less destructive, there was no reason for the two to become...chummy. The Metaphorical Bridge was no longer on fire, but it was still in need of dire repairs.

As such, imagine Metus' surprise when the call came. A call from the man who had it all.

"To what do I owe this unexpected...pleasure?"

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Isley Verd"]

It was time for a change. A big one. It was almost as if during his sleep a flood of new ideas washed through his consciousness, invigorating his tired mind and spurring him on to do things differently. Time for a change, time to mend some fences and start a new. Not the Sith way by a long shot, but to hell with all of that - he had never been a good Sith regardless. His predecessor and himself had wronged a lot of people in the past, some of them... they had earned it, others? Not so much.

Verd... Verd, Verd. It was only after that Ovmar found out that the man he was heisting from was also Rave's apprentice.

Strange how some things just come and go around like that. Circle of life, he was sure he had read some force philosophies like that. But here was the deal, the real deal, all the crap he secured, collected and added to his hoard was starting to wear him down. Darell felt it during the whole "Lasedri is attacking the companies"-spiel, it was the tiredness of ancients and the tiredness of a schemer who was tired of the scheming.

So a message was sent through the usual encrypted channels. They all knew each other in one way or another, getting in touch was the least of the issues... it was ignoring the physical pain that came from parting of a prized pebble.

Mister Verd. The message would read. Years ago you lost a lot of what you collected, copies were left... but that just don't make it right, does it? Over the years you have come across a few of your items once again, some given back by other associates, some in warehouses led to you by mysterious messages... I think it's time that full amends are made, finally. Meet me in the Kaas System and we will have a heart to heart.

***​

​

"I wronged you." the Sith Lord replied simply. They were standing in the observatory of the sprawling terraform installation covering the surface of a slighly more lush Dromund Kaas - it was a long ordeal, a lot of expenses, but the results spoke for themselves. Just as they always did when Carach got himself involved. He looked up from the solarium transparisteel provided by Arceneau, eyes peeled away from his magnus opus and towards the silhouette.

"That's what Sith do, true, but that just don't make it right, does it?" echo of the message sent earlier.

"You never exacted vengeance, why?"

Curiousity for curiousity sake, perhaps.

 

[Malok]

Clink. Clink.

One by one, chilled cubes descended into a cylinder of glass. One by one, they began to float as amber slid forth from above. One by one, they became smaller: diluting the ever-dominant flavor which past down the Sith Lord's lips. Such was the only fitting reaction to receiving a message of this caliber. Darth Metus remembered...how could he not? Hubris had gotten the best of him in those days; it inspired him to lower his guard. The Sith was cocky. Arrogant even.

He conquered Hutt Space. He made a legion of Force Dead. He carved out for himself a seat of power in the South...and it was all taken away. Why? Because he had gotten careless. He had become a piss-poor Sith in that era, and rightly so did he lose it all. Call it a learning experience, but it changed him. Hardened him. Darth Metus was the monstrosity of the present due to that Loss; and one of the responsible parties now messaged him.

An offer for amends? Bah.

It reeked. It reeked of a trap. It had to be.

Sith don't kiss and make up.

***​

Now standing within arm's length of the man, the Sith Lord felt heat. Emotion that was once buried began to bubble underneath his skin. His guard was up. Metus expected the worse...but for Arakyd's sake, he would ride it out.

Ah, a question. A damn good one.

"Business." he admitted. "When both we sat as members of the Executive Council, what gain would the Union receive if I hunted you down? What gain would the Federation receive if I cut you asunder? For Arakyd's sake, I shelved vengeance."

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Metus"]

Carach considered that for a moment. Pure pragmatism had avoided an all-out war between two powerful Sith Lords, each one of them holding the loyalty of different subjects in the same nation, each one of them... well, it didn't quite matter now, but it was something to think about. Had they gone to war the results would have been disastrous, destructive. It would have surely destroyed the Techno Union - then again, looking at the monstrosity it has become that might have been the preferred option. A snarky thought, mostly, but it was an amusing one.

As a mentalist he could feel the anger and resentment in Verd. Wasn't surprising, Sith. It was more surprising that he kept such a good handle at the moment.

"You are a bigger man than me, then." because Carach had to admit that to himself. Had this happened to him? He would have gone to war, full stop. Everything would have burned for his pride and ego, just to see the man who wronged him cast down.

Foolish notion, he understood now. But that didn't make it any less annoying to realize what he had been in the past.

"You are expecting a trap. A reasonable assumption, I rarely play by the rules or make nice, but I have recently had a change of heart." A shrug of the big frame. Sometimes he still wondered what other people saw when they saw him.

"Do you have a ship, Metus?"

 

[Malok]

A compliment?

Or was it something else?

Perhaps Metus was reading too far into the statement, but given the circumstances over thinking was not out of place. He was, more or less, under the roof of one that had burned him. So what did Carach mean? Was it a simple pat on the back; a simple comment and nothing more? Or was this something more, frankly, Sith in nature? A subtle nod to the fact that Darth Metus had acted in a way ill-befitting his very name. Whichever the case, the Sith Lord was not about to ask for clarification. Nor was he going to give any sign that the statement carried weight...save for his eyebrow cocking behind his mask.

Then came a question that seemed silly at face value.

Did he have a ship? What, did he walk to Dromund Kaas.

But no, a moment of regarding the question allowed Metus to see what the man meant. Carach did not ask if he had access to basic transportation. He asked if he had a ship. A home away from home. A place of security whilst roaming the stars. A place to lay his head. At one point, the Sith Lord had such a possession. The Blue Krait was its name. While small, it was perfect. Stealthy. Well-equipped. He missed that Corvette sorely.

"I do not. We both know what happened to my previous ship, and since then I have yet to craft a satisfying replacement."

Salt if there ever was any.

"This change of heart isn't going to see you making Jedi Trees, is it?"

More salt. He was on a roll.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Metus"]

An inclination of the head.

"I do hear Rave is making progress with those." a soft chuckle followed. Perhaps there was an analogy between the change of heart with Rave and him, but as far as he could see their reasons were very different at the end of it all. She did it out of ambition, out of a desire to perfect and master the other side of the Force after making the Darkside hers with all the alchemical creations she had crafted in her time. He... he was simply tired. Tired of the scheming, bloviating, tired of the mindless weight that was bogging him down and keeping him there. Carach had been a dragon, coiled protectively around his hoard and never allowing himself to move, to change.

Was that the freedom that came from power? Were his shackles truly broken? Or was the restricted nature of morality replaced by the passive chains of pebbles and gain? It were questions worth asking, for sure.

Intent over action. Why was he doing this, what would he gain from it - was it all about peace of mind and peace itself? Or was he simply breaking the latest of chains that were holding him down in the pursuit of true freedom?

Freedom away from the material, to focus on what truly mattered.

"How would you like a new ship, Lord Metus?"

That mask looked away from his associate, back to the gigantic, solariumsteel viewing display. Transparent and giving them a grand view of the fleets and other constructs laying in wait in the Dromund System. Saiba's project in the system was almost done... almost time to move on to the next big thing.

"Now." Carach would say. Metus, too, was a mentalist in his own right - perhaps more focused on other things, but he would feel no hostile intent from his Sith companion.

The Voice of the Dark Lord would point to a certain place, empty place... or was it? A moment passed and suddenly a ship rematerialized. To call it a ship was an understatement, of the century even. It was huge, a monstrosity with enough guns to take on an entire sector fleet on its own and go on to conquer a few planets along the way. Its stealth systems allowing it to slip in and out of blockades, sneak up on any enemy presence... its hangars big enough to hold armies and support vehicles of its own.

It was the pride of Carach reincarnated.

 

[Malok]

Even if [member="Darth Carach"] was not aware, he and the Sith Lord's mentor were alike in that regard.

She would never say it out loud. In fact, she did not. However, Darth Metus knew his mentor. He saw the look in her eyes when she spoke of the change; he saw the expression when she mentioned Geonosis. In times past, her motivation had been ambition. She had a talent for twisting creation with the Dark Side: a talent that Darth Metus had come to make his own. However, something transpired in the tunnels on Geonosis that jarred her. A sacrifice for the sake of victory.

It exhausted her. It quelled the ambition to twist, contort, and control. It made her tired and thirsty for a change. And so she did. The Light found a powerful ally in her, but with it came a rift. A distance between her and the student left behind in the Darkness.

Nevertheless, the salt produced a chuckle. But then a question was posed. One followed by a motion to look out at Dromund Kaas. The Sith Lord obliged, mentally kicking himself for turning his back on Carach. He kept his guard raised...but gaped nonetheless when the ship manifested. It. Was. Gargantuan.

"...That large, yet fully cloaked?" he breathed, the ship nerd part of him emerging. "Most impressive."

Wait.

"...For me?" he said, almost in disbelief.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Metus"]

At the end of the day Carach was a Sith Lord, nay a man of theatrics. He enjoyed the show, enjoyed the large gestures and making those big, sweeping changes. It was as much a part of him as was the actor who played every role to the letter, changed his identity ever few years to keep it fresh and simple, so to say that he was enjoying this? Was also the understatement of this particular century. Lips curled up in a smile, a wild smile that spoke of pleasure at the moment, behind his mask so unknown and unnoticeable. But perhaps as a former Mentalist Metus would catch just a shred of the happy feels Carach was experiencing right now.

To give... was so much more enjoyable than to take, it seemed.

"When I do things... I do them big, Lord Metus." the Voice replied after a moment, giving Verd some time to catch the glimpse of the ship. To explore the angles, the rigid pikes extruding from the hull in a menacing way, it was not a beautiful ship... not like the Serenity used to be, but it was a ship of power. And for Sith Lords that would be enough.

"I said I wished to make amends, and I meant it. It is yours - to do with as you wish."

 

[Malok]

It took effort, but the Sith Lord was able to pry himself away from the masterpiece before his eyes. As an opportunist to the core, Darth Metus saw this as a golden ticket. It dwarfed the Sentinel by far. It made the Blue Krait seem like a speck of dust. Truly, this was an exceptional means of making amends. Turning, Metus placed his gaze upon the mask. It was cold. Expressionless. It was the sort of thing that fit Sith of their caliber like a glove. Yet beneath?

Oh, beneath the surface...he could feel something. Just a sliver of satisfaction.

Now, either this meant that Carach felt only that small about the reveal...or...there was a hidden ocean of glee.

"I accept." He would be a fool not to. "I shall call it the Shroud of Kash, in honor of our mutual friend."

Another pause...and he extended his hand. The bridge was being mended.

"Zhol Kash Dinora."

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Metus"]

To shake an alchemist's hand was to accept the possibility of consequence. His forray into the alchemical and magical arts were mostly purely academical, recreation and redesigns of ancient artifacts to accomodate his thirst for more knowledge, but he knew just what an alchemist was possible of. Memories of Rave sticking HK, the Iron Protector of the Protectorate, to the surface of the floor he was standing on came to mind, but that was the entire thing of making amends and reforging bridges... you had to take a leap of fate sometimes. The hand was shook a mere second after it was offered - just a tiny shred of his mind projected to ensure there was no hostile intent noticable.

He was changing his ways... didn't mean all that paranoia was going away any time soon.

"I have made sure that the ship comes with a few additional surprises. Be sure to check the hangar A-32 for an old friend of yours... the captain's quarters might be of interest too." the Blue Krait was just small enough to be fit in the largest of the capital ship's bays, they had removed most of the fighters that were part of Saiba's personal corporate fleet which gave them the needed room - Metus would probably be planning some refitting procedures at any rate.

"If you are in need of assistance with the refitting process, you may always call upon Saiba. The scientists there have made themselves very familiar with the inner-workings of the ship."