In Need of Sponsorship [Carach]

[Catalys Maijora]

The capitol on Coruscant was as vast as it was intimidating. In design it looked almost identical to the one on Bastion, and likely because at one point they were designed by the same person. Despite having fallen long ago, the Galactic Empire's influence reigns supreme in nearly every aspect of the civilization. From architecture to technology, none have yet surpassed them.

Perhaps that would change...

Catalys marched up the staircase and entered the grand halls. Imperials, soldiers, and Sith alike gathered for one purpose or another. This was where the One Sith Empire was truly ran, and it was the no names--not the Dark Lord--that kept it all spinning. Certainly the Dark Lord had other concerns, and the petty management of governments was not among them.

However; there would be those who'd threaten its stability, and thus by proxy threaten the goals of the Sith.

If anyone could prevent this, perhaps it was the exiled Exemplar of the Bleeding Sun. When he was but a member of the Primeval, Catalys had effectively served as the Host Lord's enforcer, rooting out traitors and asserting her control from the shadows.

If the Sith were to thrive, and if the Dark Lord would remain undistracted, then such an order must exist yet again to enforce the will of the Sith; and keep it all from falling apart. Thus the agent found himself in these halls, hoping to meet with one of the Voices--sectoral lords--with the singular aim of gaining their sponsorship for such an organization.

Should Catalys achieve his goals, a new set of eyes would watch over the One Sith Empire from behind closed doors... Officially they'd be military men, and law enforcement, but in truth they'd be spies and inquisitors, men and women whose goal is to uphold the One Sith's agenda at all costs.

[member="Darth Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Catalys Maijora"]

Carach believed in order. True order, not the kind proposed and advertised by the lackees of the Republic or the crazed blood hounds of the Final Order. Order that was instilled and followed without the threat of destruction on a planetary scale; the moment a government needed to orbitally bombard a world of theirs? It was already a defeat, in the eyes of the Sith Lord. There should always be a purpose to a tool of destruction - simple pettiness should not ever come into equation, but that was his opinion. The Dark Lord had other ideas, plans that concerned him greatly, after the events on Selvaris... his Lord had grown more and more erratic. He had locked himself in his chambers, locked away from his most faithful. Even the Eye was not allowed to come into his proximity anymore.

Not surprising perhaps with the acts of the Wrath and the Hand, but it annoyed Carach regardless. He wasn't sure what the Dark Lord was going to do, but... at the end of the day there was always a new agenda to follow. This one came in the form of one Catalys Maijora, the Exemplar of the Primeval, a man who had served the Host Lord herself faithfully. It had been him who had aided the Sith in the fleeting battle over Contruum.

Enough acts to give him the undivided attention of the Voice of the Dark Lord. Apparently the Primeval was eating itself alive from the inside, he had heard soft rumblings, most of them gossip from Zambrano - too far away from his own center of attention to really care.

But perhaps the fall of one ally could mean the rise of another. The Royal Guards stationed around Carach's quarters did not seemingly pay attention to Catalys, they kept their vigil silently, but the fallen Examplar would have the feeling of being watched regardless.

 

[Catalys Maijora]

Catalys strode silently through the halls, unnoticed by everyone around him. The armoured Exemplar was a ghost among the living, and he certainly felt like one after all that he had been through. However; he felt the presence of watchful eyes weighing down on him... It was rare feeling, since the non-force user never felt such a presence unless the force itself sought him personally. It was clear a powerful Sith Lord had now set their gaze upon Catalys, and for reasons their own decided to remain passive about it. The agent, an expert in hunting Jedi, had developed a keen sixth sense for these kinds of things.

Although he could not sense the force personally, he could follow it by the strength of its pull. Like a rope holding you back, the closer you got the looser it became. Wandering around and nearly circling back, he found himself in front of the office that belonged to [member="Darth Carach"], a prominent voice of the Dark Lord; recognized for his prowess in battle. It was said that the Sith Lord had participated in nearly every invasion, and never once failed to deliver victory to the Dark Lord. Although such matters were trivial for the Umbaran, he respected such feats as a sign of dedication. It was dedication that appreciated the goals that drove him.

Standing still, he first turned his head until it faced one of the guards directly. Using an Umbaran trick, Catalys began to slowly acquaint himself with the internal mechanism of the soldier. His will, his wishes, and his thoughts although clouded were now easily shaped and influenced. Parting his lips being the helmet, his voice would be as soothing as a Zeltron's.

"I seek audience with your master, you feel the wish to grant it to me, yes?" The words were seeds. Similar to the Jedi mindtrick, but less effective. Only a weak mind could possibly succumb to it so easily but the Exemplar had a hunch that the Sith Lord's guards would be weak minded. Why would a Dark Lord feel the need to protect himself with basic soldiers? Purely an example, to keep a standardized appearance that distracted the lesser.

It was a tactic commonly used by powerful individuals. The truly formidable guard were never standing around, they trained when they weren't fighting, and fought when they weren't training. A Sith Lord on their own is equally impressive, as well. One Lord of the Sith is worth an army; perhaps a nation if they're cunning. It only took one Lord of the Sith to shape the Republic like putty in their hands, which helped assure the Dark Lord's victory during the reformation of the One Sith.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Catalys Maijora"]

The presence of the Examplar was not a secret to the Dark Lord. His passage had been slow and deliberate without anyone standing in his way for a reason after all, but he was wrong in his assumption this time around. Carach did not doubt that many of his contemporaries were exactly how Catalys expected them to be - lax, highly arrogant and self-assured of their own superiority. Of course he himself was a Sith which meant he was subject to much the same biases his kind experienced.

But he was also experienced. The stories of exalted Sith Lords dying in their sleep, poisoned or by blades in the night were much and many. Plagueis himself had died at the hands of his Sith Apprentice while in a drunken stupor... would the same have happened with dedicated elite guards? Who knew, but Carach wasn't the kind of man who would leave such things to chance.

And so when Catalys tried to influence the Royal Guard nothing happened for a moment. Then the Guard shifted his head slightly, opaque visor looking down and staring at the Examplar for another moment. The red armor seemed to shudder... or was it the guard himself who shuddered?

"That will not work, I am afraid." the voice coming from the Guard was clearly not his own. Raspy, imperial, low and baritone.

"Their minds are closed off to all but myself, Exemplar. But you may enter all the same. I wouldn't suggest trying that again, though. They aren't very happy with you as it is."

The presence retreated and the Royal Guard shook his head, before looking back up and resuming his duty.

 

[Catalys Maijora]

Catalys was somewhat taken aback.

Never would he have thought a Sith Lord wasted their time exerting such influence. "A shame, and here I thought they had their own minds," the agent quipped.

Walking past the company of guards, Catalys approached the entrance of the Sith Lord's office, the sliding door made way. Stepping inside that very same entrance shut behind him, leaving a small corridor as his only scenery. It was neither too dark nor light, the soft shadows masking the more precious details of the architecture. Walking forth and through the building, he stopped just short of his final destination. Ahead and across the end of the corridor was an office dedicated to the Voice of the Dark Lord. What secrets lied inside were certainly kept from prying eyes, and he already expected that some form of security was present should assassins or infiltrators attempt to break through the door and catch the Sith Lord by surprise.

If Catalys was going to secure a sponsorship, he had to try and learn as much about the Lord as he could. That was all assuming he'd actually be speaking face-to-face with the man who spoke through his own guards. It was hard telling who the right man to work with was, but so far it at least seemed this one was willing to hear him out; for selfish reasons of course. Catalys had dealt indirectly with Jared Ovmar once already, so should he ever grasp a similar nature from this particular Lord, perhaps he wouldn't be left at a total disadvantage.

[member="Darth Carach"]