Faction Sith Eternal │ State of the Empire

[Darth Maladroth]

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Korriban
Dresdae
864 ABY

It was no mystery, the economy of the Sith Eternal was suffering. Billions of credits in debt with a deficit only making it worse, heavy losses on Ossus, and no industry to begin to turn the tides on what occurred. Without final word on the invasion of the Peridian Hyperlane, the Consul were currently left with the job of establishing a plan both economically and diplomatically for a long term sustainment of their fledgling Empire. Where the War was the realm of the Worm and the Fist, the state of the union was the concern of the Will and the Consul.​

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The various Consul sat down at the meeting room, some glancing over old manuscripts, others over holopads containing a slew of data - and at its head, Darth Bourous, the Will of the Emperor sat leaned back with head on fist; red chiss eyes glancing over those gathered. When Maladroth glanced to him, Bourous nodded, an unsaid signal to begin the meeting.​

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Maladroth stood, and pointlessly clearing his throat, began to speak;​

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"Consul, I think we all know why we're here. Theres more than a few things we need to discuss.", he said through his robotic vocabulator.​

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" Arthos Vynea - you had mentioned in your report an intelligence leak on Ossus. Would you care to extrapolate on that?"​

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Sharan Maevel​

 

[Sharan Maevel]

Home Truths
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Power meant so tragically little without a strong foundation. The Sith Eternal were still learning that lesson, though Sharan figured this meeting would be the beginning of the necessary reforms. It was ultimately their responsibility to ensure there was an empire for the Sith and their legions to fight for and there was much work to be done. Sharan was ready to do her diplomatic part in all of it, even if Sith relations were often strained at best. Nothing was ever supposed to be easy.

It was Darth Maladroth who began this meeting in earnest. With a neutral gaze, eyes made to look like amber corruption ran through them with the use of contact lenses, Sharan looked up from her datapad and toward the mechanical Sith, shoving the device aside. The first order of business was something that didn't directly concern the woman and so she remained silent, though that did not mean she wasn't paying close attention. Information was power. If there was anything Vynea could share, Sharan wanted to hear it.

Anything Sharan could pick up beyond the reason why she was here would still be remembered and carefully filed away. Being a diplomat required more subtle tactics sometimes. One could never know when a seemingly irrelevant piece of information came in handy. She'd take a more active role in the meeting when doing so was appropriate.

Darth Maladroth | Arthos Vynea ​

 

[Arthos Vynea]

It was always with unabated curiosity he viewed Darth Maladroth and more then a bit of bias. He couldn't decide which he hoped more to be the truth. That Maladroth was in fact a powerful user of the dark side who had the secrets that Arthos desired, or that it was in fact the Eternal's AI. He'd learned the hard way how badly flesh had failed, and now, now he saw the value in metal. However the secrets to the art of commanding such things was at the moment beyond him. If it was the AI who'd decided somewhere to create it's own true personality and live out a 'fleshy' fantasy well that was simply just too tempting of an interest.

Standing though he nodded to the 'Sith Lord' before waving to a guard at the door. "Fellow, Consuls, I bring dire news from the front and the results of the Emperor's justice in that case. As you all know the Frumentarii promised the Emperor that all the intel was not only certain but the information was secure. We have reasons to believe that was all a lie now."

Out of the holoproject spit lists of figures, losses in terms of men, supplies and credits from the battle of Ossus. "The cost of the battle of Ossus was far beyond what any of us thought it would be. What should have been a sneak attack became a trap with dozens of Silver Concord warships surrounding our fleets and destroying the Red Dragon. While I did find some misconduct among the military it was mostly innocent in nature other then two individuals. The first was executed on the spot after I searched his mind. He'd sold secrets to a private buyer on our naval movements, and while we can't prove who bought it we absolutely know it was sold to someone inside of Silver space. I had thought this was our only and true spy, but another showed true resilience and was brought back to Korriban to be further interrogated."

Moving his eyes to the door he watched the rather wretched shuffle of what was once a defiant prisoner brought before the table. They didn't even look up any longer, but rather just seemed to try and flinch back inside of themselves as eyes moved toward her. "This is our true spy, or rather our double agent. Trained in the arts by our very own hands it turns out. Our little birdie here was supposed to be our agent and worked as part of the longer term team spying on the Jedi to ensure Ossus went through without a hitch. Instead some Jedi got into her the notion that we were evil, and like a little birdie she sung out everything to them. Including a full time table of the attack."

Sharan Maevel

 

[Darth Maladroth]

"And this...", Maladroth said with a wave of his robotic digits in the air.

"... song bird, works for the Frumentarii?", the robot offered.

"It seems like Qual'Al-Selim should keep a tighter leash on her toys.", he said with a robotic laugh, incurring some of the others in the room to follow suit - knowing that the Will and the Eye fueded like children. Bourous did not laugh, but neither did he demand silence as he readjusted slightly.

"While one could doubt a Consul to make the same dull mistake, I am curious - are there others we should mind for? Fledging as we are, traitors in enough numbers could fester - and what may have been a small wound could quickly become a gangrenous limb."

Sharan Maevel │ Arthos Vynea

 

[Sharan Maevel]

"This is our true spy,

A look of unadulterated distaste overcame Sharan's features upon laying her eyes on the traitor. She seemed like she had already faced quite the physical punishment for her actions, but in Sharan's eyes it had not been nearly enough. Sympathy for the weak and those unwilling to serve the strong were the true vermin. Among the rats was where the disgrace of a spy belonged.

"Disgusting."

It was all the diplomat needed to say. While others laughed, Sharan looked at the situation in a much different light. An empire so young could not afford such deeply embedded spies to be in their midst. While she bit her tongue, her thoughts were filled with strong disappointment towards the Frumentarii. Though she would've worded it differently, she found herself agreeing with Lord Maladroth's sentiment.

Of course, it was comforting to hope that the two mentioned traitors were the first and last of them. Such hope, however, would also break the Sith Eternal before it was able to get a proper foothold in the galaxy. Sharan found herself distrusting her fellow members of the Consul even less now. Distrust that she would never show.

Darth Maladroth | Arthos Vynea ​

 

[Arthos Vynea]

With a rather sour second look at his spy he shook his head in response as he'd long considered the same thing. "The traitors I've worried more about are those who have had second thoughts about the Worm Emperor, but I believe Ossus will cause them enough fear to slow down such foolishness. There will always be those for whom credits calls more sweetly to then loyalty, but to be seduced by Jedi? No I hope not. Still we know already Qual'Al-Selim has had her own spies in this very room for other meetings. We cannot be too vigilant. Many loyal men died because of this, and we all know we can't afford a second battle like this one win or lose."

It was one of the few times he was not pleased with an error the Spider had made. Without Maliphant's banking connections they wouldn't even have had the credit to build their current ones. "Industry and commerce are going to kill us long before any Jedi will. We must find a way to not only replenish these losses but gain true independence. Darth Maliphant's banks and the Fist's raiding can only hold us up for so long."

Sharan Maevel Darth Maladroth

 

[Darth Maladroth]

"Indeed.", Maladroth said as he rested his metal arms against the table. The servos were nigh silent, but their slight noise seemed to accent the silence, not the room for the briefest of moments before he broke it with his synthetic tones.

"Building industry should be simple - though Korriban has pushback from the religious sect to not be disturbed. The Sepulchral chief among them have fought my efforts to bring processing equipment to the planet - afraid we will disturb the ancient tombs. Important to their rituals or some nonsense.", he said with a wave of his hand.

"Not that it would matter, the planet doesn't have much to process and export besides artifacts at that point... That leaves us with Rhelg, Bosthirda, or the Sith Lord Grundark 's own holdings. Felucia can likely process food - but the local fauna will no doubt prove problematic. Thanium or Mossak may prove better for mining expeditions; but that leaves the last issue."

"Who do we export these things to? Sharan Maevel - would you have an idea where to start? While we could certainly strive for autarky, I doubt we would pay back the growing debt on self-sufficiency."

Arthos Vynea │ Sharan Maevel

 

[Sharan Maevel]

Economics wasn't Sharan's field of expertise either, but she had picked up bits and pieces on trade during diplomatic talks in the past. She wouldn't be able to tell which nations needed what, necessarily, but certain nations were much more looking for trade relations than others. That wasn't wholly unimportant.

"In terms of the large nations currently present in the galaxy, there aren't too many options if one would look to forge a trade agreement," Sharan began. Sliding her datapad back in front of her, she linked it up with the room's holoprojector. Moments later, a map of the galaxy came into view. Borders of the major nations, as well as territory held or controlled by groups such as the Brotherhood of the Maw and the Corporate Authorities of Denon were marked.

"That doesn't mean we have no options, however. I won't waste anyone's time by pointing out what we can't do and instead focus on what is possible." The territories of various nations changed color, drawing attention to them. "I would wager the best three options would be the Eternal Empire, the Corporate Authorities of Denon, and the Confederacy. The Eternals have shown a great willingness to ally themselves with Sith, while the corporate overlords of Denon will deal with just about anyone if it's good business. The Confederacy may also find our products desirable."

Sharan left the datapad where it was, placing her focus back on Lord Maladroth. "Of course, trade agreements with smaller nations could also be looked into. Their governments tend to be much less stable, however. Agreements can and will fall through at times. With all this said, though, I am no economist. I am merely pointing out possibilities based on diplomatic relations. Some bonds may require more effort to create and maintain than others."

Darth Maladroth | Arthos Vynea ​

 

[Arthos Vynea]

With a grim smile he rose a hand to interject after Sharan Maevel as he brought up another holoprojection on different numbers. The nysillin crop from Felucia the last couple of years as well as it's decrease, but highlighted were generations of earlier data showing an overwhelmingly larger number. Perhaps more interesting was the heavy uptick in expected harvests.

"Interestingly enough our Lord of Felucia has reported a rather enthusiastic attempt to work with the Felucians. Apparently he enjoys their demeanor something about simple honesty. The Empire used Felucia mostly as a base to create sithspawn and experiment, but there is plenty of credits to be made there. Lord Grundark plans to work hand and hand with them offering them a much looser reign in exchange for what they believe is a fair exchange for their harvest. It doesn't cover the debt, but apparently Grundark maybe actually able to pay his own forces."

Leaning back after everyone had a moment to read through the numbers and consider them. Agricultural food products would leave them in competition with Taanab, but historically they'd always been they'd always been in competition over feeding the Outer Rim worlds. Nysillion though was already in high demand in a galaxy at war and with the natural growth of an entire population of farmers perhaps the Cragmoloid could make some dent, but still it didn't solve their problems as a nation.

"Free trade is the other problem, the Empire has for years been scaring off merchants of all types, and the Fist's raiding and pirating aren't helping either. We need to pass laws and protection of a merchant class to increase the flow of trade. Fear is a great weapon, but if it causes the trader ships to avoid us it does us no good."

Darth Maladroth

 

[Darth Maladroth]

"I do not envy whoever has to tell the Fist he has to cease his raiding of merchant vessels...", Maladroth said with a slight frown to his robotic mouth. The message was clear, at least - convincing the Legions and the Fist to abide by a new ruleset would be difficult, even with the influence of the Will behind them.

"Eternal Empire, Denon, and the Confederacy.", Maladroth futher mused.

"The Confederacy has been notoriously insular, they may be difficult to convince to open up their borders. Confederacy First was rather recent, causing notorious instability in galactic markets - but it is an option if we can get our foot in the door. Eternal Empire I am not presently familiar with, but market trends seem amicable - but Denon may be one of our better choices. In the Mid Rim, they don't have near the food production we do - even if we must send it to them through shell companies, we could easily make friends within their borders. Leave alone the tactical power of having a friend bordering so many of our enemies."

" Sharan Maevel - If the Will allows, I'd like you to take the lead on such a project. Reaching out to the other nation's governments could do us well, and if they seem amicable, perhaps see how far you can push it. The Confederacy and Eternal Empire have been notoriously staunch supporters of the Sith Empire against the New Imperial Order; but if they see more potential in us, they may yet turn in our favor."

"And, in the case none of the avenues work - we could always request the assistance of the Frumentarii. As I understand, the Eye has a finger in many cartel's around the galaxy - were we to begin moderate production facilities and exporting illegal weapons, drugs, et cetera we could make a mighty profit. Dangers would likely include a hit to our national image in the situation we are found out; but alas - we're Sith. They'll likely say we do it anyway...", he mused.

" Arthos Vynea would you have an idea on establishing some sort of... Pass port for approved traders in our borders? Establishing some form of confidence in trade will be paramount if we don't want to go broke hiring the IGBC's trade subsidiary to run our meager exports abroad."

 

[Sharan Maevel]

The graphs lord Vynea put forth elicited a silent but acknowledging nod from Sharan. It was good to know what potential export they had to offer. She made sure to make a copy of the data, in case any of it were to come in handy.

"Laws would be a good first step, though keep in mind that mere rules will likely not be enough. We could always see what else needs to be done when the circumstances ask for it." While Sharan thought of the outward relations, Lord Maladroth was smart to keep their own people's motives in mind. She dearly hoped the Fist would understand this was for the betterment of their empire. If not, they would continue to be as insulated as they were. The diplomat considered herself lucky she wasn't the one to have to bring the news, at least.

The woman was pleasantly surprised about what she heard next, though. Taking the lead on major diplomatic relations was a great opportunity, and producing good results had the potential to add much prestige to her name. This was something she wouldn't turn down in a thousand years.

"I would be honored," Sharan responded with a flattered tone. "If given the chance, I shall make it my primary focus."

Darth Maladroth | Arthos Vynea ​

 

[Arthos Vynea]

He considered it for a moment while Sharan Maevel replied, a sharp girl and they were lucky to have someone who knew the value of diplomacy. Too many Sith were like the Fist, too much muscle and just not enough brain. They quickly ran afoul of the intensity of their passions and while they could utilize the power it brought them, their decisions were deeply affected by it. He'd come to enjoy the military discipline he found among the military though, and their surprisingly high effectiveness.

"I do actually have the start of a plan, but we will need both the Fist and the Fleet's cooperation to get it in motion. We introduce a small fee to certify any merchants that come through our borders. Any ship's captain with a pass on their particular vessel will of course have open access to trade and protection. The Fist will have to agree though no matter how generous their particular cargo we must leave them be. Pirates and smugglers, well we lump them together and the Fist can have all his heart desires off their ships. Then the hard part is the wait while we let the merchants discover we actually will honor our word and slowly trade will come. Reputation is a hard come by thing, and ours is starting particularly low to begin with."

Darth Maladroth

 

[Darth Maladroth]

"Consider it done.", Bourous interjected in Maevel's direction. His red eyes were betrayed by the furrow of his brow and the frown on his lips; then he was silent once more.

Maladroth glanced back to the Will, almost frowned, but resisted as he glanced back.

"Reputation. A byproduct of lesser beings; but alas - hopefully our dear Maevel can assist with such. In the mean time, I suggest we get the Emperor's backing - and will likely need Qual'Al-Selim to back Bourous for him to heed us. She seems to hold sway over the Emperor in ways others do not - and the Fist is too busy raiding to truly worry about the concern of the Emperor."

Arthos Vynea / Sharan Maevel

 

[Sharan Maevel]

A silent nod would constitute Sharan's response to Bouros. She had gotten much more out of this meeting than she had expected coming in. This was where the real work would begin though. Establishing contact and arranging talks were the real first steps that had to be taken. She couldn't disappoint her superiors after receiving such an important task.

The woman listened on as Lord Vynea and Lord Maladroth continued their discussion, resisting a frown while she did. 'dear Maevel' sounded a little too belittling for her liking, but it wasn't anything she wasn't used to. Discrimination and underestimation were common occurrences. Regardless, speaking to the emperor and Qual'Al-Selim wasn't on Sharan's plate.

"Getting the raiders under control will be vital to letting any talks with other nations bear fruit. I would like to request to be kept updated on that situation, so I know when to engage my galactic colleagues."

Arthos Vynea | Darth Maladroth ​

 

[Darth Maladroth]

"You'll be the first to hear of any updates, Consul Maeval.", Darth Maladroth offered with a lean back in his chair. His metallic digits steepled before him as glowing red eyes glanced around the table.

"Something else this council should be aware of - it would seem the Worm Emperor and Frumentarii seek to homogenize the Eternal. Religious persecution is about to become very prevalent - and foreigners will be seen with great unease. It may be worth it to establish an office specifically orientated towards offering outsiders visitation passes, much inline with the thought of trade passes."

"Differentiating them will be important, but logging each of the visitation within Sith Eternal space may also help alleviate Qual'Al-Selim's paranoia that there are seditious factions within the Eternal. Full reports on purpose and intent of visitation, length, and a visible badge to identify them as a foreigner - along with a tracking beacon that must be on at all times. With the authoritarian nature growing for security purposes, it may provide undease for the common trader - in effect, putting further strain on the fledging economy..."

Maladroth readjusted.

"Therefore, I'd propose an additional measure. The nationalization of failing businesses into the Eternal - and operating licenses provided for those who show a strong history for economic productivity. Fledging businesses get a grace period of course, but reverting their assets to the state can help save us from overwhelming failure of small business without foreign trade."

Sharan Maevel │ Arthos Vynea