One Little Victory

[Caulder Dune]

NEAR PANDO SYSTEM, NEAR PANDO
DESERTED STRETCH OF PLAINS

[member="Lady Kyros"]

Tyrin liked other Sith. As a general rule, that is. For the most part he viewed other Sith in a positive light, with a few exceptions for those that had explicitly wronged him. Such as Shorn and Cavill. Both of them had the distinct problems of being completely disorderly and blinded by their own psychopathic desire. Not to mention they couldn't set their own pride aside long enough to even consider subordinating themselves to a higher cause. Neither of those rabble had the vision necessary to make a meaningful impact on anything.

Kara did, though.

Maybe the one thing Tyrin could say with absolute certainty that he did right was sticking her in that academy. Indisputably, only good things had followed from that. One little victory. So of course when she asked for his assistance in collecting future citizens for a cryptic project, how could he decline? Better still, why would he decline? At present, he had styled himself as a deputy governor within transitional Coruscant. He was primarily handling the destitute underclasses. Homeless, unemployed, orphans, the sick, the junkies. Only the most upstanding people.

What Kara wanted, or Lady Kyros as she apparently now preferred, was the Force sensitive of the lot. Normally a lot of these rabble would be resettled, imprisoned, or sent to the orphanage run by the Herglic regardless of Force sensitivity. From what Tyrin understood of the diet the Herglic was feeding them, even the most mundane could become Force sensitive. Tyrin wasn't sure what to think of people upjumped in such a manner, but it meant that whatever orphans he collected that were already Force sensitive wouldn't be missed.

And since no one was exactly rushing to register the unemployed and other lowlifes, Tyrin was free to ship them where he wished as well. For many weeks, droids patrolled the under-levels of Coruscant. They set up check points, randomly stopping and scanning citizens for Force Sensitivity. They were also interrogated, and those found to be of no significance were taken aside and tested for Force sensitivity. Positive applicants were held, the others were sent to resettlement centers.

For orphans and street rats, the process was less pleasant. They were usually just taken forcibly and scanned forcibly, then taken kicking and screaming to the detention center if they tested positive. If they tested negative, they were instead taken to be shipped off to the Herglic's orphanage. The population of unattended children dropped drastically in the coming days. Those that weren't captured wised up and kept a low profile, or left for sectors that had a lesser presence.

The documentation of these seizures were routinely fudged so as to not show any inconsistencies with what he was shipping to the orphanage or resettlement centers. Tyrin had a reputation to maintain as far as his bureaucratic efficiency went. The rest were put on unmarked transports Tyrin had requisitioned. They then made for Confederate space, passing through it without incident and arriving on the mostly-unsettled world of Near Pando.

Several transports landed on the plains of Near Pando. They were far, far off from any civilization or means of detection. One of them opened up, and a mass of the rabble Tyrin had rescued ventured out cautiously. There were not many of them, and they all looked disheveled and anxious. But they were alive and healthy otherwise. Flanking them in an attempt to dissuade escape were a number of SC1 Security Droids.

Tyrin was present among them, ordering them to be silent. He suspected Kyros would want to inspect at least some of this lot. The other transports remained closed, as it wouldn't be proper to have that many people wandering around outside. A dozen feet from the large boarding ramp of the transport, the mass of Coruscanti refugees stood and waited in silence, completely uninformed as to what would happen. Tyrin, on the other hand, was waiting for Kyros.

 

[Lief]

Kyros had such wonderful visions for the world known as Aurum, a land she had found and had claimed. Construction had began on an initial city with which to begin expansion from, and a team of explorers had been sent to the lifeless moon Kol to attempt mining efforts, yet an unpopulated world was of little use to her. That was where Tyrin came in, although he did not know it yet.

Kära had, in abundance, a lot of slaves. More than anyone could have imagined her owning. The planet she had claimed and those she had access to through her company enabled her to feed and provide for them, but slaves did not make a society. They were merely one of the cogs.

As a force sensitive, Kyros naturally favoured her own kind. While she refused to train those beneath the age of five to learn either of the paths she could set out for them, be they force sensitive or otherwise, that did not make them useless.

Thus she met with her former Master upon a neutral location. Those that he brought, all Force Sensitives, would be housed upon Aurum, boosted from their low life status. Had Tyrin found her younglings too then all the better. In her vision, only those with the sensitivity to touch the Force would be of worth. The rest were, as already mentioned, merely cogs.

She watched from the shadows as the ships landed and the one which contained Tyrin was opened to reveal a cacophony of individuals. Men,women,children, all of different circumstances. All perfect.

Finally she stepped from the shadows, a small host of masked Bladeborn at her back. "Separate those beneath the age of Five, take them to one side. Make it orderly, I will not have a riot on my hands. If some refuse to leave their parents then leave them for now. They will understand the honour they are being shown soon enough."

With a bow of their heads the Bladeborn set off to try and separate the youngest members of the revealed group to one side. Kära meanwhile continued to step forward until she was midway between what Remained of her small group and Tyrin. "Master" she said, with an inclination of her head. "So kind of you to accept the contract."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Lady Kyros"]

Tyrin found Kyros' referral to him as master to be quaint, to say the least. It hardly mattered. She was enough of an equal now that she could call him virtually whatever she wished. He gave his characteristic smirk and inclined his head respectfully as well. The creepy golden mask was new. Tyrin had worn something similar for a time. He would likely don it again the next time the One Sith launched an assault on a Republic-held world. He intended to be there this time around. Tyrin refused to let history blow him by yet again.

Even if that did happen, at least he could say he contributed here.

"Better to not call it a contract. I don't seek any remuneration here." Though it would have been nice. "I found little reason to decline. I imagine whatever service you put them toward will be better than their fates if they remained on Coruscant."

Tyrin watched the mysterious servitors Kyros had brought with her shift through the crowd, separating the younglings who were unsupervised. The ones that clung to tightly to nearby adults or parents were summarily ignored. From what Kära had mentioned, that wouldn't work once they got where they were going. His droids remained where they were, ambivalent to the Bladeborn. To leave their current positions would just encourage someone to attempt to flee.

"Although I am curious as to what you'll be doing with them. Building an army, I suspect?"

 

[Lief]

Kära barely paid attention to the rounding up of the Younglings, her trust in her men unmissable. There was nothing they could be offered which would turn them against her, not even the offer of freedom. Her lip twitched beneath the mask, the humour showing within her gaze to his words.

"My Lord, I has an army before you even Knighted me." The idea of it brought back memories of her first subjugation, of the Ashborn, and all that had happened since. It was difficult, she had found, for people to deny her what she wanted, even when she had been a child of ten with the death of a high profile Jedi on her sleeve.

Not that Kyros had ever intended to have men fall to her feet in devotion and servitude. No, that happened of its own accord.

"Besides, I would not waste such good blood in the battlefield. Walk with me." Without a word needing to be said more of her Bladeborn fanned out around the individuals Tyrin had brought with him, keeping them in place and under control. They really were very effective.

She began to walk in the opposite direction, a habit of hers had always been to pace but with such wide planes it seemed silly to remain rooted to only a few feet of walking space.

"I plan to use them, amongst others, to populate a world. Soon they will forget how they were plucked from their planets, for their blood gives them dominance over others, even without training. On a world which is self sufficient they will want for nothing."

And that would in turn bolster all she had in mind, from the world and it's economy to her company and even her grand army.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Lady Kyros"]

"Oh, right. I'd almost forgotten."

Kära had briefly and uneventfully held tenure over a third of Sith space, with all of its resources at its command. Not to mention she had been most active in gathering support where it couldn't be seen. As one could well imagine, sufficiently attractive female Sith rarely had any trouble amassing followers. Not to downplay their actual power or capacity for leadership or anything. Merely an observation on Tyrin's part, albeit one that would get him a lot of flak from the more social-justice minded if he ever made note of it out loud.

Kyros about-faced and began to walk forward, prompting Tyrin to fast-walk for a bit before he closed the gap between them and managed to keep pace. If not for battle, she had something else in mind. Hopefully not experimentation. That was another horrible cliche. Then again, this many people would hardly be needed for such a thing.

He quirked an eyebrow when she mentioned colonizing a world. It was easy to imagine a planet tucked away in some corner of space, ripe for colonization. Tyrin could hardly imagine it staying that way, what with the rapidly expanding major powers of the galaxy. He trusted she had a plan for that. Tyrin also very much appreciated she intended to start from scratch with a population made entirely of Force sensitives, as opposed to kicking out leaders from elsewhere and ruling an already established city.

Seemed like a good idea, all an all. A lot of logistics and work to be involved, but if an idea didn't require effort then it probably wasn't all that good.

"An entire planet? Very ambitious." Tyrin commented. "Let me guess, a planet in the Unknown Regions?"

 

[Lief]

Forgotten? Then clearly Tyrin was not speaking of the same time that Kyros was. After all, Kära was talking of herself as a child, barely able to swing a lightsaber yet with a mind that was outmatched compared to any in her age range. She could still recall the look of audacity on first Tyrin's face and later Shinju and the others in the Academy, when she took their names without due course from the confines of their minds. When she sent men quivering to their knees.

Of course, her visualisation within her memory immediately brushed over the unnecessary torture she had likewise faced on the command of Lucien. It had broken the child she had been, for a while weakened the core of her being... Yet upon her return she had become something far greater, stronger. The child had broken away from her, and even as an eight year old she had held herself like a Lady, and more so like a Sith.

Since then, nothing had broken her again. Not even the invasion during which she made her first true kill. Sure, others had fallen by her hand but never by her blade, never immediately by her doing or within her grasp. Azar had haunted her, quite literally, for some time. Yet even he could not break down her walls to make her buckle. Nor too the Jedi. Mayhaps it had been worth the anguish, then, of seeing the monster that Shinju had become, her cannibalistic tendencies practised upon.. No. Kära would not even go there. Her people were worth more in memory than that.

"An entire planet," she reiterated, keeping her gaze fixed ahead for a moment longer of thought. "Previously inaccessible save for the most skilled of pilots. A backwater planet, yet one with potential." Slowly she turned her gaze across to Tyrin. "Do you have access to more like those you brought today? From other areas of the Galaxy, of course, I don't intend to depopulate Coruscant." That would be bad for business, after all.

[member="Darth Janus"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Lady Kyros"]

"Depopulating Coruscant is arguably the best option." Tyrin explained. "The planet is massive and in no shortage of underclass. Particularly underclass that won't be missed under the current regime."

Tyrin, despite his work and loyalty to the One Sith, did not see them going very far. Perhaps they would win a more victories against the Republic, cleaving it in twain and freeing up many of the core worlds for conquest. It just wasn't built to last. Few intergalactic regimes ever were. Inevitably the Protectorate would become involved, or perhaps the mercenaries in the Fringe would blindly lash out in an attempt to secure their own footholds in the core. Too many of these unfortunates were

There was little room for optimism as far as Tyrin concerned himself with the One Sith. He would help them where he could, as they were still the premier Sith organization. One that, as opposed to the barbaric and woefully inefficient New Order, managed to at least take Coruscant. He would also help Kyros where he could, as the woman had a knack for discretion and thus her projects tended to have longer lifespans. No one else seemed to appreciate subtlety these days.

"I could see about transporting some off of Hypori, though it will be more difficult to do so under the nose of the planetary government. Outside of that, I'm afraid surplus Coruscanti is the best I can offer."

 

[Lief]

"I spoke out of your own interest, not my own; I have nothing against the Coruscanti, and their racial diversity could prove useful." Besides, there was a vast number of humans there, also, and somewhere deep within Kyros her racial superiority towards humanoids, especially near-humans, rose. "If you believe they will not be missed then by all means."

Without warning Kyros' comm-link went off. She did not turn her attention away from Tyrin. In her earpiece the words of her exploration team, sent to the moon of Kol, rang, unheard by Tyrin. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, and she said one short word, "Continue" before shutting off the connection and glancing apologetically at Tyrin. "As would be expected, there is a lot of work to be done colonizing a world." Carefully she shrugged her shoulders.

"I'd like to offer you an open ended invitation to join me on world when initial construction plans are completed, there will be much to discuss." She knew Tyrin to be meticulous, well organized and planned, such would be a useful set of traits with what Kyros had in mind for the backwater planet known as Aurum.

[member="Darth Janus"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Lady Kyros"]

Tyrin blinked at being told she was speaking out of his own interest. When was the last time anyone had done that?

"How very kind of you."

Frankly, Tyrin had not been picky in choosing candidates for Kyros' resettlement scheme. There were a number of less humanoid among them. Tyrin did not concern himself with species. What he did concern himself with was Force Sensitivity. Granted, he disliked a few species. Dugs, Wookies... Particularly he disliked female Aqualish. They were just as difficult to look at as their male counterparts, not to mention they had weird suction cup appendages instead of hands. No wonder Aqualish men were typically a violent lot.

Thankfully there were no Aqualish among the selected. A few Weequay, a handful of Gran. Perhaps a half-dozen Duros. Perhaps they would not become powerful Masters of the Force, but they were sensitive enough to warrant selection. Tyrin meant to speak again beyond that, only Kyros received some sort of alert in-between. Whatever it was must have been an important development, judging from the look on her face. The joys of civilization building.

She offered him the chance to join along. An opportunity to shape a new bureaucracy into a heartless, efficient machine from the get-go instead of stumbling in to an already bumbled mess? How could he refuse.

"It would be my honor, truly. Will you need any additional assistance with initial construction, aside from manpower?"

 

[Lief]

Kindness wasn't necessarily one of her traits, but nor was needless cruelty. The least she could do in the face of such resourcefulness was see what was in the best interest of those involved. At least at the top... The bottom, not so much. Yet even they would have an extremely succinct and well planned part to play in the grand scheme of things. What Tyrin offered next was no less than had been expected, albeit a little earlier than she thought.

"If you have no other pressing matters on your time then by all means" she made a very subtle gesture with one hand, "Input from more than one source is always valued." It did not do to be closed minded and too dogmatic in your own viewpoints, often others would catch what you missed. Where the rise of a potential Empire was concerned one could not do to have faults in the foundation.

Her hand slipped into her robes, as if she had already planned for this, and when she removed it she was clutching a small datapad. Within would hold her initial plans, for his scrutiny. She was open to criticism and new ways to approach the situation, especially where the class system was concerned. "As you can see, this has been in the works for some time..."

This writer is being lazy in that you already know the social ladder etc that Kyros is showing you, but this can open up a nice amount of discussion surrounding it all the same!

[member="Darth Janus"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Lady Kyros"]

Politeness was not necessarily one of Tyrin's traits either. It simply was more prudent to be of an approachable, rational demeanor than anything else. Somewhere along the line it became ingrained into mainstream Sith ideology that the only way to keep a dog in line was to kick it. Yet petting the dog simultaneously kept it in line without generating unrest and disdain. It was tragic that this kind of nonsense continued to perpetuate itself. Maybe Tyrin would take to handing out pamphlets to the rest of the One Sith to counteract it.

It really did make Tyrin's heart sing when Kryos spoke of input from more than one source. The singing intensified when she actually handed him a datapad. And here he had begun to think that he was the only Sith in the galaxy who bothered to put his plans to paper before executing them. It made it a lot easier for him to scrutinize, and others. Tyrin accepted the datapad and spent a minute or so reading through it. True to Libby's word, the other writer did already know about the proposed system, so Tyrin could respond in kind without all that much detail.

Tyrin's expression remained neutral, up until he approached the section regarding slaves. At which point, he frowned. "Slaves? You ought to know by now that such a peculiar institution is by no means beneficial to any proper society."