Private Loyalties and Honors

[Simeon Karth]

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Location: Hypaethral Gardens, Fortress Carnifex, Bastion.
Objective: Discuss potential allyship between The Sith Empire and The Bulwark Coalition
Tagging: Lily Kuhn

Simeon waded his way through the Hypaethral Garden, his footsteps drowned out by the bristling of the flowers and leaves against the wind. The sun had just recently raised, giving the garden a glimmering clementine hue. The aroma of the garden was sharp, as scents from all different flowers and plants in the galaxy clashed to create something he had never smelled before. As he began to reach the display of Queens Heart, a vine unlike anything else in the garden, he could make out the figure of Lily Kirsche Kuhn, the woman he was meant to meet. She stood at a much shorter stature than Simeon expected from someone in her position, yet looks were deceiving in the galaxy, and he wasn't one to underestimate individuals on mere sight. This meeting was obviously very private, taking place in a relatively exclusive portion of the fortress, but The Sith has as many eyes in the shadows as they do sabers in their armory, and Simeon was as privy to this as any other diplomat in the galaxy worth their weight in credits.​

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The journey to Bastion was a long and cumbersome one. To even reach the garden, Simeon and his small group of elite soldiers had to pass through more checkpoints than he cared to remember, eventually having to leave them to wait in the ship before he even got near the Imperial Palace, and the planet was a long way away. Simeon had planned on staying in the capital for a night, before departing in the morning back to The Hold. Not only were he and his men exhausted, but he quite enjoyed being in such a bustling capital, reminding him of Coruscant, a time long forgotten to his memory. The light chatter of imperial families drowned out as he finally approached Lily.​

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As he drew more near, they locked eyes for a moment, before he began to speak. "The beauty of this garden knows no bounds, such as the nature of The Sith Empire" Simeon proclaimed to the woman before taking a small and courteous bow to her. For the meeting, he donned a simple robe made of fine garments, with a pin of his faction on it, a high tower with a thin and narrow bridge leading to the top of it, glistening in a shade of deep orange from the sun. "It brings me a great honor to be invited to this place, and you have my gratitude for the audience. I'm glad our communications have led us to this meeting." Simeon extended his hand toward Lily for a handshake, his joints were stiff, and his face as uninviting as usual.​

 

[Lily Kuhn]

They often say it is best to catch flies with honey than vinegar, but alliances are not quite so easily made. Still, it took a certain degree of pleasantries to open the door to something beyond simple talks, and a chat between nobility - Lily, herself, once royalty of her own - was the perfect segue into building a broader connection between the Empire she now served and the budding entity that was the Bulwark Coalition. To that end there was perhaps no better place than the Hypaethral Gardens to act as the setting for their meet, a place of serenity that sat in the middle of the Sith capital of Bastion.

War was perhaps coming to Bastion, but it had not come yet.

"It is truly quite a gem." She agreed, following Simeon's gesture with a curtsy of her own. While Simeon wore robes, Lily was dressed in a sleeved black dress with the symbol of the Sith Empire embroidered along the front of her right shoulder. The Tetan met the older man's hand for a stiff shake, very much reminded of the politics of the past, and smiled softly. "The pleasure is mine, it isn't often that governments in this age of isolationism reach out to others." Lily replied, gesturing to a small table with a chair on either side that had been set up specifically for this talk. It was minimalist in nature, a simple garden table and two equally simple chairs, designed to remain out of the focus of attention.

"Please, have a seat. We can discuss what we can do for each other then."

Simeon Karth

 

[Simeon Karth]

Simeon had been out of diplomacy in this nature for some time, but the rusted sword had not yet lost its edge. It felt good to be back in the proverbial saddle for him, a place he felt most comfortable in times of such distress and discord through the galaxy. He would make hundreds of trips to and from Bastion if it meant he could have this much fun again, although his cold demeanor did not provide that much context.

Simeon nodded his head, before seating at the table. "The turning point of the galaxy runs closer and closer as the minutes pass." The garden felt near quiet now, the focus all towards this conversation, cold dew setting on the leaves. "It's in trying times like these that such a big place can feel so," Simeon trailed off for a moment, the word losing itself on him, "suffocating, is likely the best way to describe it."

Simeon pulled a tablet out of the inside of his garments, before placing it on the table, preparing to take notes on the conversation. "It is in my belief that an alliance between The Bulwark Coalition and The Sith Empire could prove most fortuitous for both parties. The Sith wishes to bend the galaxy to its will, and The Coalition wishes to be its silent defender."

Simeon began typing away at his tablet to give Lily a moment to think, preparing lists of numbers, locations, names, and resources available to bargain with. Aligned interests are what brought Simeon here this morning, and aligned interests were going to make this whole negotiation possible. "Whether it be soldiers, knowledge, refuge, or diplomacy, The Bulwark Coalition will pledge as many resources as it can to The Sith. Our cloud of influence runs through wild space, a portion of the galaxy largely untamed by most governing parties, and in turn, your cloud of influence as well. All that I ask for in return is similar hospitalities over sith controlled space."

Clouds in the air span around like dancing Twi'leks, as Simeon intently watched Lily's reaction. Positive information was just shared, that he was sure of, but more went into talks of an alliance treaty than mere offers, and specifics must be discussed. The Commander would let the woman lead where that talk went, power of The Sith Empire was no secret in the galaxy, yet not so many speak of the numbers of The Bulwark. Simeon was keenly aware that not many frequented Wild Space, and much less so a woman of this caliber.

Tag: Lily Kuhn

 

[Lily Kuhn]

It took a moment for Lily to compartmentalize the details he'd provided, and several moments more for her to consider the options available; diplomatic meetings in the context of aid were generally transactional in nature - a government would provide arms in return for political assistance in a region of advantage as an example - and while alliances were certainly not unheard of, they were rare to make with the Sith Empire and particularly in the current political climate of the galaxy. Allies, particularly those who were considerably less advantaged than the Empire, were thus ironically harder to secure from the outside, as the Sith were reticent of partnerships except those in exceptional cases.

It just so happened that the Bulwark Coalition were precisely in the neck of the woods, metaphorically speaking, that Lily was comfortable stepping just a little above her pay to get the ball rolling. Wild space was indeed a region of space that was, up until recently, out of the window for the Sith Empire, however the swelling wave that was the New Imperial Order shoving the Empire south and the Silver Jedi to their western flank forming a hallway of sorts with the edge of the galactic disc prompted them to slowly turn their eyes at an entity of sorts that had remained off of their radar simply due to convenience.

The Bryn'adul.

And the Bulwark Coalition were, coincidentally, quite nearly in their all-consuming warpath.

The Jedi would have likely been unwilling or unable to take this gamble, however the Sith were more than willing to find a reason to look "better" in a political sense, and in the eventuality of cooling tensions with the rival Imperials to the West and North meant a push into what would undoubtedly be a mutual enemy. "Symbiosis? It's certainly doable. If the Bulwark Coalition can provide assistance in future battles on behalf of the Sith then we will find a way to do the same for the Coalition by keeping them free of encroachment from the Jedi or the Bryn'adul." She answered, after spending some time weighing the options. "If you'd like to negotiate further - economic aid, weapons provisions, and so on - then we can accomplish that here, as well." Lily added with a practiced smile.

Simeon Karth