Faction Prefsbelt Nights | Post-Schisms Dawn [TSE]

[Thaelius]

Prefsbelt IV // Prefsbelt System // Mid Rim
High Orbit // The Black Sword //
10 Hours After Schisms Dawn
​

Thaelius was still shocked. How did they beat him? It had never occurred in his entire career and yet by bringing in more forces, and outflanking his position with faster, more agile ships, they crushed his counteroffensive. To say the least, he was not happy.

The fact that Muunilist, Scipo and Mygeeto now lay in the hands of the New Imperial Order was information that would cause uproar across the entirety of the Sith Empire. Order had to be repaired before chaos took root.

Thus, he took it upon himself to meet with the senior commands of the operation. Weakness needed to rooted out, the Navy needed to be restructured. Idoits within the Sith Imperial Armada and Legion needed to be ousted.

But he couldn't do that. He didn't have much authority but by surprising members of the Sith Order with a meeting, he deduced they would perhaps listen to him. Perhaps.

OOC: Hello, Sithies. I just wanted to write this thread because I had a vibe for it and for us to regroup and strategize. I know we have a lot going on right now but write with me.

 

[Lirka Ka]

The name Thaelius meant nothing to Lirka, though the word "Ordo" left a snarl on her lips. Reminded her of the barbarian dogs that still walked. The Moff had found herself lounging away in a command throne far too small for her massive armored bulk: pocked with blaster marks and showing some signs of the explosions that had rocked the planet. Did she show distress at the loss? Some nagging sensation of apostate victory looming like death's shadow? A new resolve to massacre the traitor wherever their head reared? No. None of those things, the armored figure gave no emotion, in fact she looked almost bored as she sat there; her body hiding away as it reeled from the combat-stimulants no longer pumping through her veins.

Instead she thought, daydreamed in a sense, on records she had derived from the vast horde of Sith knowledge. She thought of a distant people, cultist drivel that hid away in their chaotic nebula and venerated the supposed "Dark": the enthropy and decay of all things in the Galaxy, it was a humorous Nihilism to the whole situation that had fallen into their lap. She did not disagree with The Dark. No. In fact all this had done was prove to Lirka it's existence: had she been in better company the Moff would've laughed at the whole thing. But alas she was not.

The presence of a Moff like herself, so closely placed to the vulnerable borderlands with the apostates beginning to take ground against the Empire left the precarious position of how to respond. It warranted her being there enough, despite the Sephi's hidden annoyance at the whole thing. It was time to see what the upstart had to say.

 

[Aerarii Tithe]

The Black Sword, Prefsbelt IV orbit

---


The armoured door to the meeting room slid open with a faint hiss. A lone figure in the hallway, attired in the teal military uniform of a Sith-Imperial Moff, paused for a moment as they composed themselves before stepping into the compartment.


Whether they actually were or not, Aerarii Tithe was convinced that all eyes were on him, and not in a good way. As the Governor of Sector Group II he had shared personal responsibility for the defence of Mygeeto alongside his superior Grand Moff Madelyn Lowe . Despite lengthy preparations, fierce fighting and the destruction of the iconic bridges, the New Imperial Order flag now flew from the top of the Sith-Imperial Banking Clan Central Vault.


That he had not faced summary execution during their retreat from Mygeeto weighted heavily on the Moff’s mind. Surely that meant that worst punishments were being devised for his failings?


Navarch Princeps Ordo had brought them together to uncover what had gone wrong. It had not been easy for Tithe to present himself at his gathering, but as much as he hated to admit it, as a man of process and bureaucracy he knew that someone had to be found accountable. But he had no intention of that person being him. His time in the Sith-Imperial bureaucracy had brought with it hundreds of favours owed to him, along with the means to conduct bribery and extortion. It was going to take every ounce of his cunning to walk away from this one alive, let alone with his reputation intact.

If Tithe was known for one thing other then being a coward, it was being a survivor.

---

Thaelius | Lirka Ka​

 

[Thaelius]

Black Sword // Prefsbelt IV
Aerarii Tithe // Lirka Ka
// Madelyn Lowe (If your coming that is)
​

His flagship had dealt very little damage from the Battle of the Bloody Aurua but occasionally bodies would be found and condolences would be sent to thier families. Inside that very room, one of those bodies would have been being removed as finally Thaelius himself would enter the room where the "Moffrence" would speak to him.

His eyes would rest on the holographic image of Moff Alejandro Chadian, the newly appointed governor of Sector Group IV. The man was an odd sight compared to the rest of the Moffs considering he was much younger and more cowardly for not attending in person.

"The New Imperial-Alliance Invasion of Mygeeto ,Scipio, and Muunilist has dealt a serious blow to our forces within tpour border with the apostates. Needles to say, it must be rectified...and as soon as possible"

"And how exactly do you propose we do that, Admiral Ordo?" Alejandro almost immediately chimed in when Thaelius was finished the first part of his proposal.

"We need to reorganize our fleets and armies to better deal with this meance. Moff Ka, wouldn't you agree that the New Imperial Order is striving to perfect thier smaller army as to defeat us with efficiency and quality over quantity?"

 

[Lirka Ka]

The deathly-still Goliath merely stared down to the gathered assembly of mulling bureaucrats and disgraced commanders, it gave her time to think, to ponder the deep morality that the Traitor Soldier had delivered: even an ounce of willingness to simply surrender were it to stop more bloodshed. It was a fascinating weakness of mortals, one that was now a lost and distant prospect to the half-deranged Sephi. But Thaelius pulled her out from her pondering when he spoke. Bah. Quantity. Quality.

"The notion that this is merely a topic of quality of warriors, of honing their meager forces, is daft."

The distorter built into her helmet turned every word into a garbled, heavily accented, snarl. Not so befitting for the other bureaucrats garbed in finer uniforms: dirty as some may have become during the course of battle. With a groan of machinery the Sephi sat up straight, two eyes that glowed with emerald light bored down at the Upstart.

"Quantity is the ultimate destructor of quality. It matters not how great your warriors are when you are outnumbered a thousand to one...no. You all must understand the minds of the foe, their disgusting morality."

She almost spoke the last word with disgust, it was no secret that Lirka was as cruel as they came: such traits had earned her the dominion of Moridinae, and that had ultimately led to the deaths of millions.

"They care for the common-folk, the rabble. And despise the Sith oppressor with all their hearts. Laughable, and it shall be their downfall. Not some pointless reorganization: we must throw aside notions of superiority if the Empire is to survive. We must turn their very morality against them, till their hearts grow black and they become the very thing they had sworn to destroy. The people are our tools. Our weapons. They shall give their lives to make the enemy suffer."

In true Lirka fashion, it always ended with a cold, and callous, disregard for life.

Aerarii Tithe

 

[Aerarii Tithe]

The Black Sword, Prefsbelt IV orbit

---

The meeting opened much better than Aerarii had expected. Rather than a military-led inquisition to pin the blame for Mygeeto on him, the Navarch Princeps sought a wider discussion on how the Sith-Imperial military could be reorganised the fend off the New Imperial threat. The bureaucrat relaxed slightly in his form-chair. He was more than happy to discuss restructuring the armed forces if it kept the harsh glare of cross examination far from him.


“The technology we fielded was impeccable” Tithe added. The Alphine Armor worn by the Legionnaires at Mygeeto was fresh off the production line and integrated all the latest advances and gadgets. While morale amongst the forces after the defeat had been at a low the Moff had never been seen, one of the few shining comments to come out of it was how well their cold weather kit had performed.

Moff Ka noted that in the end superior numbers always won out, and proposed that it was the beliefs of the New Imperials and their hated of the Sith Empire had given them the edge on the battlefield.

“Psychological warfare. That, that we do.” The Office of Imperial Truth was highly skilled in propaganda and media warfare. The OIT had already been at work reshaping the narrative around Mygeeto and Muunilinst by announcing that the defeats had been planned withdrawals designed to lure the New Imperials into a trap. The amount of credits lost had been severely downloaded in public reporting, with the Sith-Imperial Banking Clan having released doctored financial statements to support these claims.

“We can turn them into the very thing they so despise.” It would not take much to gather, collect and edit holonet footage together which showed the NIO carrying out war crimes. When shown to their loyal citizens the outrage would divide their attention, giving the Sith Empire the opportunity it needed to counterpunch.

---

Thaelius | Lirka Ka​

 

[Hailyn]

What Alekto heard were the common tales told by many who misunderstood what had caused a defeat, it wasn't uncommon for men and women of military standing to presume a strength in numbers or a power in superiority would mean an absolute advantage. She allowed her own thoughts to ruminate in her mind as the others spoke, she had walked away with a victory under her belt over two Jedi, but the rest of the Empire had suffered a series of disconnected losses that had added up to a single overarching defeat. Being the larger foe meant more avenues of attack, and less focus, less cohesion, and it undermined whatever advantage greater numbers and an inherent superiority in dormant power might possess.

"Quality, quantity, they're both words meant to excuse something that the ones uttering it do not understand - we did not find ourselves pushed out of Mygeeto and away from Muunilist because of a lack of quality in arms, we possess the greatest soldiers the galaxy has seen in an age. Our defeat was shortsighted willingness to separate, to give our enemies a way to divide us and conquer." She said at last, though she was rather interested in the closing implications of Aerarii Tithe . "Outside of the field of battle we should actively strive to undermine them, we've played fair for far too long. It is understandable, many of our enemies were once those we had considered as some of our own, but it is unacceptable all the same." The woman continued, the serpents grafted to her head swaying in agreement.

"Slander them, if their own actions do not match with the image we desire them to possess; outmaneuver them, we should be planning our advancements rather than simply focusing on making ourselves 'better' than them; and come together once more."

Though her words were rather brief, she had listed off a series of broad directives that were rather easy to understand - in line with Tithe's own suggestion they ought to turn them into the villains of their own story, and rather than focusing on simply assembling a "better" fleet or "better" equipment it should be their focus on strategy instead. Her last point, however, as rather vague and open to interpretation - something she must have realized or intended, as she parted her lips to elaborate not soon afterward. "We have given our forces, the Navy and those on the ground alike, far too much freedom to operate on their own - this needs to end. Unity on the field of war is what saw the Empire emerge as a titan of war, and we have only allowed that position to slip from our grasp because we have wrongfully attributed our victory to a sense of superiority - there is nothing that makes you, any of you, or even me, better in an objective sense than our adversaries. Theories of dark, of light, they're just psychological tools to demoralize the other side - what will make us superior is acting with purpose, acting together. A united front, with planned action, will see us overwhelming these New Imperial upstarts like we did the Silver Jedi Order." She explained.

"It is not our strength which needs improvement, it is the manner in which we execute it that needs to change."

Lirka Ka Aerarii Tithe Thaelius Telis Taharin-Zambrano

 

[Thaelius]

"No. Technology is only as good as those who wield it. We have the numbers, and yet that alone will not allow is to win" Thaelius was not impressed with the Moffs, Lords and Ladies he had invited on his flagship. They bickered and argued in order to prove they were right. It was highly unnecessary.

"We don't need to make new warships or armor or vehicles. The Sith do not need new Lightsabers or new Battle Armor. We need unity! Lady Alekto is correct. We destroyed our enemies together."

He paused. Perhaps this meeting could bear fruit. "I propose this. Rather than contuine to shove Star Destoyers and Legions down our enemies throats, we should begin to work effectively...together. Moffs, Admirals, Generals, Sith Lords and Ladies. A...Supreme War Council if you will"

The Galae Empire, long ago, had gathered most of it's leaders in a similar way however it never had an official name nor was it permenat.

"This new Council wouldn't be responsible for commanding the military but rather to examine and implement our combined knowledge to crush the New Imperial Order and the fledgling Galactic Alliance"

Hailyn Aerarii Tithe Telis Taharin-Zambrano Lirka Ka

 

[Lirka Ka]

The clawed gauntlets gently scratched against the arm of her chair, Lirka only had so much paitence for talk: she was the iron fist of Moridinae after all, her word had been law, and her laws usually fell under the category "brutal and efficient oppression of the enemy". Her voice hummed out her helmet now, ideas were taking form.

"I do feel a...culling...of the weaker elements of command may prove a sorrowful necessity. Incompetence will weigh us all to oblivion."

She weighed it all down on Aerarii Tithe , there was not a great amount of subtly in it, she could taste his fears and was grossly amused by it all. She would judge the man for his worth in time, and see if she could make something proper out of whatever scraps showed themselves.

"Propaganda is worthless to zealots. They will not care what some tech in a lab grows up on the holoscreen, no. Proof. We will need true and bloody proof, to force their hearts to grow dark and dour: I have it on good pretense that Prefsbelt will be their next target. Place civilian encampments around our fortifications. They will slither and twist to try and keep their grand nobility...or simply must give into the wanton slaughter of the innocent."

It was not Lirka if there wasn't some dark and bloody concept thrown out to the wind. While the Sephi was grossly successful in keeping the Empire's rule all but absolute on the border-worlds, she had ultimately been brought into the fold to bring about the end of a culture. And it would always show. The beast returned to leaning back in her seat with the concept of war councils and the like, dull bureaucracy. The rest could babble on over that.

Thaelius Hailyn Telis Taharin-Zambrano

 

[Aerarii Tithe]

The Black Sword, Prefsbelt IV orbit

---

Aerarii tugged at the collar of his uniform, which suddenly felt tighter that it should have, as Moff Ka spoke. A cull of the poor he was fine with, but a cull of the weak would not end well for him. He offered a nod in agreed and tried to move things along before accusations of weakness could be thrown around.

“I, ahh, well I,” he fumfered. “I’d disagree with you on that one... respectfully of course. Zealots are not born, at least, well you know… rather they’re raised. True or lies - depending who you ask - shape their rational minds into zealotry. If we can shape their beliefs, act upon the very truths they hold dear, well, we could break their spirit without a life lost.”

Tithe made a note to look into the intelligence around the NIO movements nearby Prefsbelt IV, which fell within his Sector Group as Mygeeto and Scipio once had. His money for the next attack was on Jaemus, but anything was possible. At attack as Prefsbelt - assuming a Sith-Imperial victory - would go a long way to removing the stigma that he currently felt was wedded to him. A glorious victory would overshadow his recent defeat.

Darth Alekto - radiant in power and yet unsettling to gaze upon - voiced the need for strength in unity. Navarch Princeps Ordo likewise suggested the creation of a war council. Tithe himself has recently convened a gathering of senior Governors to address the Apostate threat. He knew well the benefits that could be gained in bringing together the right individuals to address a problem.

“Yes, yes, a gathering of great minds, a conclave of the commanders, a synod of… well, you get the idea. Not just the military though. No no, we need all Sith-Imperial apparatus represented. Everyone, everyone, will need to pull together to fend off this most egregious threat that we face.”

---

Thaelius | Lirka Ka | Hailyn | Telis Taharin-Zambrano​