Private Imperial Ruling Council | Securing the Future

[Marlon Sularen]

S E C U R I N G_T H E_F U T U R E

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

​

The balance of power in the galaxy was shifting. With Galactic Empire's devastating attack on Atrisia and their revelation of their so-called Death Star III, it was now evident that the old galactic power structure once upheld by the Galactic Alliance and the Sith Order over twenty years ago had ended. The emergence of new major galactic powers and the eruption of wars had now changed the galactic landscape further throwing the galaxy into a chaotic multi-polar conflict between these emerging factions. In the wake of these events, Marlon Sularen, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Imperial Confederation had arranged a gathering of top-minds within the Confederation hoping to set out a long-term plan for how the Confederation could navigate this galactic crisis and emerge as a dominant power of the new galactic order that would soon arise.

Within the Imperial Center for Military Operations, the Supreme Commander and a group of three high-profile members of the Confederation would soon gather within a conference room ready to begin the summit that would shape the future of the Confederation's future. Among these individuals was Exarch Karl Von Strauss, Fleet Admiral Vorin Zonill and Governor Amalia Visconti. Together the four individuals within this room had the skills, the experience and the dedication that was needed to find unique solutions to the multitude of problems the Imperial Confederation would have to tackle, and Sularen was sure that together they could most certainly find a way to ensure the proper ascension of the Confederation in the long-term.

Once they were all seated, the Supreme Commander would proceed to speak up first formally beginning the procedure of this summit. "Thank you all for coming in such short notice." he began. "As you know, the galaxy is facing as unprecedented crisis. The actions of the Galactic Empire at Atrisia and their proclamations has sent ripples across the galaxy, and other actors are starting to take advantage of the chaos left behind by the trail of destruction created by Solipsis's antics." the Supreme Commander proclaimed. "The reason why i have summoned you is so that we can brainstorm and implement solutions to the myriad of challenges that our beloved Confederation faces to ensure that it will endure the upcoming storm." he further added.

After a short paused, Sularen would look around between his fellow peers and proceeded to lean forward and clasp his hands on the conference table, "The first topic that i wish to discuss is the establishment of the main priorities and objectives that we will serve as the focus of all Imperial efforts in the upcoming weeks as i must admit we have been lacking any proper direction and ambition for a while now save for our failed campaign in the Thandon Star Cluster."

Tags | Karl Von Strauss | Ronhar Tane | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory ​

 

[Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory]

It was rather strange for Amalia to be called upon by heads of state and those truly in power, though on the other hand, she still had to adjust to the whole set of new responsibilities and duties thrust into her hands over the past few weeks and months.

First there was her installment as the CEO of the N&Z, a position which she relished to have, as it allowed her more freedom to play both the open, neutral face of the massive corporation, but also to contain and shift the shadows which were mainly in control of the man who effectively raised and tutored her to become to versatile person she was today.

There was also the fact that with the Confederation's blessing, Amalia had also been appointed as Governor of Corvus, as part of the growing influence of the N&Z within the TIC, but also because it was simply an easy way for the TIC to tie the massive conglomorate to them beyond the usual commercial agreements.

it was because of this lastly gained status of Governor, that Amalia found herself walking through a multitude of corridors, closely followed by someone who previously had also been seen as an addition to Her in her capacity as the Warden; a masked figure with a rather aloof looking outfit, clean and proper, tidy and stylish, yet aloof or somewhat disturbingly twisted at the same time, especially when one would look into the eyes of the mask, where a pair of gold and crimson orbs would stare back.

When she was finally seated within the conference room, her own eyes turned towards Marlon Sularen , despite his age or perhaps thanks to it, the man was a force to be reckoned with, surprisingly spry and in excellent condition, with an air of authority few could hope to match without relying on the force. A simple nod from her end was enough, though with a short, somewhat unnerving grin, Amalia made clear that she was quite aware of what was the crux of this meeting and more importantly how this meeting would solidify not just the future of the Confederation, but perhaps also the very outlook the Confederation would have from that day forward.

"Supreme Commander," The Governor tilted her head ever so slightly. "While some might say the campaign at Brosi was a painful reminder that ambition must go hand in hand with ability, I would not call it a loss, but a lesson. The confederation is young and that comes with challenges. As you are aware, one of the challenges is to fully secure the Confederation's resources, to utilize them wisely and to deploy them with insight and understanding. Two points are what I wish to adress this day... The dissolution and reformation of the so-called force-user divisions which we have gained through the merger and a consolidation of Imperial resources yet untapped."

 

[Karl Von Strauss]

Karl was the second to arrive, after the Supreme Commander, naturally. He had planned to attend via holoprojector, but his aide, Lieutenant Thif, had reminded him that he hadn't shown up in person for several of the last meetings. So, with mild reluctance, he'd made the quick jump from New Aldera to Cholganna. Now, he sat back in his chair, datapad in hand, skimming through reports as Sularen began his speech. Karl was just turning his attention toward the Supreme Commander when his datapad emitted a sharp PING, followed almost immediately by another.

His eyes dropped to the screen: one message flagged URGENT from Thif, the next from one of his ISS operatives inside the Imperial Palace. He opened the first. Anyone watching would have seen the subtle shift in his expression: the tightening jaw, the deepening scowl. As Amalia Visconti, CEO of N&Z and newly appointed Governor of Corvus, began to speak, Karl opened the second message. The lines of his face softened, but only slightly, replaced by an expression that wordlessly said: You've got to be kidding me.

He reached the final sentence, exhaled, and muttered under his breath, "Fuck me."

Without another word, Karl rose and crossed the room to a sideboard stocked with glassware. He poured himself a measure from a crystalline decanter, brandy, if he was lucky. The scent of spiced fruit, vanilla, and oak met him as he lifted the glass. One swallow, smooth and deliberate. Setting the glass down, he returned to his seat, datapad in hand, the faintest trace of resignation crossing his face.

Karl settled back into his chair, datapad resting on his knee. The brandy left a faint warmth in his chest; just enough to take the edge off. His fingers flicked over the screen as Amalia's voice filled the room. Karl's eyes lingered on his datapad for a heartbeat longer as she spoke. His thumbs moved quickly, an encrypted reply to Lieutenant Thif.

<<Understood, initiate a soft-lockdown of the palace. Increase security, ground all of her vehicles, and tap into her devices. If she so much as breathes, I want to know about it.>>

He hit send, the message disappearing with a soft pulse of light. Then he looked up. "I owe you an apology, Governor Visconti," he began, his tone even but carrying a trace of fatigue. "I stepped away in the middle of your address. There's been… a slight situation in the Capital, but it's being contained. It's nothing to worry about."

He straightened slightly, the earlier irritation gone, replaced by the familiar steel of an officer returning to purpose. "As for your proposal," Karl continued, "I'm in full agreement. Our force divisions, as they stand, aren't doing enough; they are hindered by the Risen Empire's anti-force dogma. And with their Grand Moff disappearing into the unknown regions, we can probably do away with some of the nonsensical rules and laws. A consolidated Force Corps, properly structured and accountable, would better serve our interests and ensure that such talents are used with clarity and discipline."

TAG | Marlon Sularen | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Ronhar Tane

 

[Ronhar Tane]

FLEET ADMIRAL VORIN ZONILL
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM
IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION

Zonill couldn't help but notice the shift in Exarch Karl Von Strauss 's demeanor during their meeting. To be sure, it was subtle, and had the Fleet Admiral not been paying attention to the man, he might have certainly missed it. But he had caught it, and he couldn't help but start to worry over whatever it was that had the Exarch on edge. To be sure, the reason that Marlon Sularen had called this meeting in the first place was, of course, to discuss the challenges facing the Imperial Confederation and the ways in which to proceed forward, but the fact that the Exarch was now uttering profanities under his breath was not lost on Zonill.

Still, best not to say anything at the moment. Zonill instead listened on as Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory made their proposals for the reorganization of Confederation forces, something that Zonill was in total agreement with. Karl Von Strauss then apologized for interrupting Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory and made his own recommendations on how such a reorganization would look. Zonill was especially intrigued by this idea of so called "Force Divisions", as force sensitivity was something that had been and continued to be rather scarce on Mahporeem. Despite his misgivings, he could see how this would be a valuable asset to the Confederation. In addition, the idea of finding and properly utilizing resources was as important an idea as any, and should be something that was addressed here today.

Of course, the Exarch's statement about that "slight situation" kept ringing in the back of Zonill's mind, and he seriously doubted it was as small as the Exarch was making it out to be. Regardless, now was not the time to call him out on it, as what he had said about the missing Grand Moff was a perfect segway into what Zonill wanted to talk about.

"If I may?", Zonill began. He stood up out of his chair and walked out to a holoprojector situated in the room. He activated the device, and it began projecting a massive map of the galaxy for all to see.

"We were all shocked by the recent disappearance of the Grand Moff, though none more than I. After all, I could only imagine where he ended up, and I have no shortage of theories as to why he disappeared in the first place. Which is why I am proposing the following: Imperial lead and funded explorations to the more unknown regions of the galaxy. The galaxy is obviously an enormous place, yet all the major factions insist upon fighting and dying over the same sectors over and over again. To be sure, these sectors are undoubtedly the most populated and richest in resources, but I believe it is time we start asking some important and uncomfortable questions here: what sectors can we tenably hold, and what sectors should we reconsider?"

Zonill paused for a moment, fully aware of the controversial statement he was about to make.

"Allow me to suggest one that I believe we should no longer attempt to capture...Coruscant! At least, not in our current iteration", Zonill added hastily. "Let's face it: compared to some of the other factions, we neither have the manpower nor material to hold onto and conquer the core worlds. And for what? Just to have three other rival factions bloody us up for a few months control of those sectors? How much longer can the Empire really hold onto its newly acquired holdings before the greater galaxy rallies against them or internal rebellion causes them to lose their grip?"

"No, if you ask me, we are much better off focusing our time and energy on the more outlying sectors, bringing law and order to the unknown regions of the galaxy. It is in these sectors where competition is nearly nonexistent, and in my humble opinion, such sectors are ripe for the taking. With enough effort, we could create a new Imperial order spanning across vast spans of the galaxy...if we were only to drop our obsession with the core worlds".

"Of course, that is not to say we ignore our adversaries completely, but rather refocus our efforts on territorial expansion we can afford to hold. And maybe, just maybe, we can relocate our errant Grand Moff in the meantime", Zonill concluded as he sat down and waited for the responses to his rather hot take.

TAGS:
Marlon Sularen
Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory
Karl Von Strauss
OPEN

 

[Marlon Sularen]

S E C U R I N G_T H E_F U T U R E

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

​

As expected both Governor Visconti and Admiral Zonill pushed their proposals as topics of immediate priority for this conference. The Confederation could use a proper restructuring of it's Force-User Organizations as it still required a strong Force-User centric branch that could properly contend with the threat posed by both Jedi and Sith given that the more extreme methods and conventional methods to deal with Force-Users had repeatedly failed in the past. Already Admiral Zonill had previously introduced Anti-Force User technology during the Cholganna Naval Conference so that was also something that needed an appropriate discussion.

As for Admiral Zonill's proposal, Sularen did agree with the sentiment that fighting over the same portions of the galaxy was indeed pointless and that the Imperial Confederation neither had the resources or manpower to seize the Core Worlds. Although then again taking over the Core Worlds was the Galactic Empire's obsession, not the Confederation's. His proposal to promote space exploration to spread law and order to regions that had yet to be explored while also working to reconsider which territory the Confederation could and could not hold.

"I must concur with the Governor and Exarch's assessment. We've neglected our Force-User Division for far too long due to extreme Anti-Force User dogma. As the Battle of Brosi has shown, our conventional military forces remain vulnerable to the powers that force-users wield and while Anti-Force User technology like the ones provided by Admiral Zonill and the Maphoreem Remnant could even the scales a bit, that still doesn't negate the extraordinary powers Force-sensitives wield at their disposal." the Supreme Commander responded.

"However the greater issue that arises, is how do we effectively construct a Force-User orginization that could serve as a Middle ground against the Sith and Jedi. After all most force-users tend to be drawn towards either extreme rather quickly and in order for us to efficiently challenge the might of the Sith and Jedi orders we will need to draw in a large quantity of force-users and give find a way to effectively train them in spite of our lack of experienced veteran force-users." he added.

Tags | Karl Von Strauss | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory | Ronhar Tane ​

 

[Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory]

"Still...even as we talk, the force user division and any idea around it is in truth subservient to the complete restructuring of the confederation itself," Amalia showed a soft grin, her eyes slowly darting towards Karl Von Strauss and Ronhar Tane before settling on the Lord Commander. She had come to understand the strengths of the people around the table, the ways in which they operated and attempted to accomplish their goals. All great men, all powerful men...but all seemingly unable to see that the first step to recovering this vessel called the TIC, was to fully restructure and reorganize the whole thing. Just as Tertius had done with the N&Z, Amalia wouldn't mind drafting up a complete reorganization of the Confederation and its structure.

"Too many overlapping divisions, the uncertainty of duties and the complexity of the hierarchy are things which should be reversed and removed," Tapping with her fingers on the table, her nails making the familiar sound they always do during a meeting, the Governor of Corvus leaned back a bit with that same strangely incomplete smile which never seemed to reach her eyes. "After all, how are we going to make a division meant for force users and understand the whole complexity of their position when in truth our own positions are just as overly complex and convoluted?"

Ronhar Tane | Marlon Sularen | Karl Von Strauss | Onrai

 

[Ronhar Tane]

FLEET ADMIRAL VORIN ZONILL
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM
IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION

Zonill had always been a man of action.

And whenever he had to take said action, he always preferred doing so from the bridge of a Star Destroyer or similar sort of capital ship. After all, if one was going to place their faith in something, then what could be a better option than the cold embrace of Durasteel?

Point was, Zonill had never really understood or dealt with the force much, as Mahporeem had always been seemingly bereft of any sort of force users. Whether this was entirely coincidental or by deliberate design, Zonill couldn't be sure. What he did know was that those gifted in the force could easily turn the tides of battle, and having such force users working with the Imperial Confederation would surely prove to be a boon to Confederation forces. Establishing these so called "force brigades" should be a priority, Zonill agreed.

Then, Marlon Sularen began to speak yet again about the logistics of establishing such a fighting force while Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory began talking shop about the philosophy of creating such divisions. If he was being honest, much of what was being said was somewhat lost on Zonill, though he did get the general idea of what was being said. Still, this whole "Jedi/Sith" issue was one that was increasingly annoying the Admiral, who never really liked to be so heavily constricted when it came to establishing one's ideas.

"Might I ask why exactly there remains such an obsession with this whole 'Jedi/Sith' philosophy?", Zonill began as he shifted his weight forward in his chair. "It really doesn't make much sense to me, if I'm being honest. Both sides have their views, and both sides take them to the extremes, with no ability to understand the other side's opposing views or compromise with them. Why exactly should we, the Confederation, take a stand on either viewpoint or even try competing with them? Why not simply establish these companies of force users with an understanding of what the force actually is: a tool to be used like any other? No more of this 'light side or dark side' nonsense, if you ask me. At the end of the day, the force is simply the force, and to porghole those who use it into arbitrary categories of 'light and dark' or 'good and evil' seems just a bit ridiculous to me", Zonill concluded as he glanced back toward Karl Von Strauss , who had not said anything since making his original statement about the so called situation he had referred to earlier.

"As for the logistics of doing so, I again refer back to my earlier talking points: set up exploration parties and expeditions into the lesser explored regions of the galaxy, appeal to those with a sense of adventure and curiosity, find some planet in the middle of nowhere and establish the damn training center for all these new force users!", Zonill exclaimed somewhat excitedly as his head began to throb, his injury flaring up from where he had smashed into the floor from the latest engagement against the Empire. Ever since that injury, Zonill couldn't help but feel odd, almost as if something had happened from the impact he had received. The medics had checked him out from head to toe and couldn't find anything wrong with him, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss with him.

Regardless, that was another conversation for another time. Zonill cleared his throat and settled back into his chair.

"Anyway, what do you say to these proposals, Exarch Karl Von Strauss ?", Zonill asked.

TAGS:
Marlon Sularen
Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory
Karl Von Strauss
OPEN

 

[Marlon Sularen]

S E C U R I N G_T H E_F U T U R E

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

​

There was truth to the Governor Visconti's words. There was too many institutional bloat within the Imperial Confederation, two separate force orders, the special commissions within the military and COMECI itself which was a body separate and independent to the Confederation's legislature. It was this type of institutional bloat that had caused the demise of the Empire of the Lost and had held back the Dark Empire during it's final days. A more simplistic hierarchal system similar to how the Galactic Alliance had functioned. A well-defined and organized Legislative body, the armed forces, an intelligence apparatus and a force-corps were the four pillars that the Confederation required to advance their goals of strength, order and authority across the galaxy.

Then Admiral Zonill chimed in, questioning the Confederation's supposed obsession with Sith/Jedi philosophies and going over his viewpoint about how the force was tool meant to be wielded not subject to the moral or amoral philosophies of the monopolistic force-user organizations. His idea concerning pursuing expeditions into the more remote and uncharted regions of the galaxy, which could be used to train a whole new sect of Force-User far from the eyes of the Jedi and the Sith.

Both statements had merit and could potentially help the Confederation further grow as an emerging player in the galactic field. "Trimming the fat within our institutions could work." Sularen responded, first addressing Visconti's remarks. "Historically having a bloated institutional apparatus has not worked well in the past especially with the Empire of the Lost and their many branches." he added. "Perhaps simply reducing our institutional apparatus to a Legislative Branch, a Military Branch, an Intelligence apparatus and an official Force-corps would be enough to both sustain the Confederation and advance our agenda more efficiently. After all this is the model the Galactic Alliance followed and they have lasted far longer then any galactic government in the past four decades." he responded.

Then the Supreme Commander shifted to address Zonill's statement. "The thing is Admiral Zonill. Force-Users are an asset that have been wielded to great effect by many regimes in the past and present. In Democratic Governments they exist as independent organization's that work alongside the government to achieve mutual goals. On the other hand Authoritarian Governments either they exist as an extension of the state or serve the state directly depending on the nature of the government itself."

"As our defeat at Brosi showed, we need to prop-up our own Corps of Force-Users to be better equipped to confront galactic powers like the Sith Order and the High Republic that make use of Jedi and Sith in great quantities. The only problem is that most force-users have a tendency to veer towards the philosophies of the Jedi or the Sith and as a Government that stand opposed to both philosophies it's hard for us in particular to draw in those in the middle who tend to not subscribe to either philosophy. The only effective way we can raise our own Force Corps is by finding a way to work around this obstacle and get enough numbers to challenge the more mainstream traditional force-user organizations."

Tags | Karl Von Strauss | Ronhar Tane | Amalia Visconti | Mira Rhory ​