The Foundation of a World

[Darth Empyrean]

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Deep in the endless chasm of space, riding the ethereal hyperlane waves was the massive vessel known solely as The Technicolor Beat. Her systems raged with life, from the nightclub at its center to the more refined frontal and upper decks that housed the core for its brain, while the rear held its heart. It even had its own personality, the somewhat iconic AI known as Cybele; her faintly waif like voice being just cute enough to draw in the drunks and pleasant enough to sooth The Slave from a rage.

A remarkable feat considering his temperamental nature.

The two had an odd relationship, that being the AI having an unnatural large crush on The Slave, and he the odd disconnect of keeping her at arm's length. She works herself to the cybernetic bone to ensure his estate and well being while he does nothing but makes poor choices. If she could feel stress like a mortal, she’d of broken a long time ago, yet her matrix armored skin was thick and she only sighed at his antics.

Today however, The Slave took the charge for her. In a meeting room buried deep in the three thousand meter goliath he coaxed forth a few loyal allies to bear witness to his plan; something he had spent weeks with Cybele establishing and working many of the details out. In fact, he had already began the process; shaving weeks off the otherwise long construction period they’d no doubt have to face.

As the buzzer paged, The Slave found his feet kicked up on the table and a spice laden cigar in his hand. His drug use had been reduced from months prior as he slowly matured into a dangerous weapon, but he couldn’t resist the occasional trip across the galaxy.

Cybele interrupted his silence however, with the soft tones she often offered to him;

“Excited, Tai?”

“Did you just call me Tai?”, he said with a quick glance around.

“Just answer the question.”, she quickly quipped, following by a faint laugh.

“Yes, Cybele, I am. I won’t be the kid you knew for much longer.”

Instead of responding, she simply enjoyed his response. It was true he was growing, but only a few could truly see in what direction. While it may have been an improvement from his wanton rampancy, it certainly wasn’t any less dangerous. It was only then the doors leading to the large, and somewhat decadent meeting room began to open.

The Slave’s golden eyes quickly moved to meet who had entered in lavish chambers, a grin quickly forming as he let his excitement take the better of him...

[member="Atlas Kane"] │ [member="Arken Lussk"]

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[Arken Lussk]

While this Slave possessed Cybele, a notable AI that his father had created, Arken had V1CT0R. He was also the creation of his father, albeit augmented and altered according to his own idea of what a true companion should be like. Loyal, trustworthy, and could probably stave off an entire company of soldiers with his own two hands. Not to mention, having a hulking droid by his side made for quite the intimidation tactic.

He was important, or at least he figured he was.

"Query: Are you sure the invitation said casual, master?" His orange photoreceptor lowered to Arken. "You look like a cartoon character."

"Shuddup," the boy growled in reply, "Yes, it did as a matter of fact."

He didn't think he looked too bad. Hell, he was the CEO of a tech startup. Being comfortable at work was necessary when you sat behind a computer for hours on end. Their dress code was lax and he didn't particularly care how his people looked as long as they produced results - and they did. A happy Arken made for a happy Aegis.

Let's hope this Slave made him even happier with what he had to offer.

The Lussk heir strode into the meeting room with unmatched impunity. Dwarfed by Victor, he stood at the doorway as a grin crept across his features. That white-haired man that had attended his conference moved to meet him. Other individuals, looking no less eccentric than the Slave did, sat at the table behind him.

Arken waved his hand with a wry smile. "How's it going, fellas?"

[member="The Slave"] | [member="Atlas Kane"]​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Arken! Please, take a seat.”, The Slave motioned.

The Slave was dressed in something even more odd than Arken was, with a tattered shirt underneath an obvious expensive white fur coat that covered most of his body. There were a few careless burn marks on it, and while his eyes gave hint at how focused he was, the bags under them steered away from that idea. He was a sight to behold, that much was true.

“Everyone, this is Arken. I looked up to his father.”, he said with an addressing look to the rest of the people present.

“Arken, these people around the table are a few of the members of my cabal that allow for my operations; and I’ll be straight with you, now I want you apart of this.”

The Slave moved to lean back in his chair once more, pressing the cigar to his lips before letting smoke drip from open mouth. A second later, and he was peaking once more;

“We have big plans today, fellas.”

[member="Arken Lussk"] │ [member="Atlas Kane"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

Thankfully, he was very correct in his assumption for the dress code. A sideways glance towards Victor with a smirk brightening his features ended their little war right on the spot. Vic's orange photoreceptor flared with understanding; either acceptance or annoyance. Either way, he won like he always did. Nothing less was acceptable.

The boy gratefully accepted his offer, shifting to take a seat at the other helm of the table while the Slave took to the other side. His mechanical companion moved away, flanking the door.

Arken matched his pace, leaning back in his chair. A surveying glance towards the rest of the crowd gathered and he was already making assumptions. This was going to either be illegal, or it was going to be huge. Hopefully it would be both. A little excitement was in order, something far more than updating software and cracking cipher codes.

"I'm very glad to hear it, my friend." He intertwined his fingers, cracking several. "Let's hear what you have planned. I'm sure Aegis Systems could definitely be of use for your... er, enterprise."

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Once, perhaps, Darth Vesper was willing to let "his" company stagnate. Yes, he held a controlling share in it, but the truth of the matter was it was never really his passion to spend time in a boardroom or concern himself with such... pettiness. Yes, that was the perfect word for fancily-clad men and women who presumed that credits translated directly into power. Yes, he withdrew a salary. Yes, it was as large as possible without running the company into the ground. But he had no illusions about where his power truly resided, and was content to let the board of directors and their GenoHaradan puppets steer it this way and that way while he just let it persist.

No, that could be no longer. Credits may not translate directly into power, yes, but he had grown to appreciate their value after spending far too long simply living a parasitic existence. It was high time that he corrected course - and that meant it was time to take control.

Dressed in his understanding of the word "casual," which apparently was sharply different from the Galaxy at-large, he donned a loose-fitting shadowsilk shirt and slacks, loose bracelets and necklaces jangling where he walked. He was the last to enter, but he felt little concern for it, as he had the furthest to travel. Joined by no one, Darth Vesper entered sporting a soft smile.

"Don't mind me, let's just get to the task."

| [member="The Slave"] | [member="Arken Lussk"] |​

 

[Atlas Kane]

Atlas was quite far from a high profile businessman. In fact, he was somewhat opposed to the idea of itself, as it promoted the gain of material wealth over the advancement of one's own power. However many influential figures in Galactic history had been men, women, and slugs of business who didn't allow the greed for material possessions seduce them from achieving their ultimate goals. Some of them had even been Sith. It was those people Atlas had begun studying when he first heard of the efforts of two of his confrères, a fellow Praetor and his apprentice. They were both students of the Force and savvy businessmen, each at the helm of their own corporation. It had been this attention they put into their corporations that drew Atlas' interest to the great business minds of Galactic History and he was finding them most intriguing.

When the invitation to one of the Slave's latest projects arrived, he knew he would take it, if not to simply find out what the Praetor was plotting. He'd arrived late enough to not be the first, but just in time to not be the last either. He'd already been sitting in the room when both The Slave and Arken made their entrance, shortly followed by the last figure. They had all seemingly taken the "casual" aspect of the invitation's mentioned dress code to heart, which also reflected in their attitude. Atlas had never understood the purpose of being "casual". To achieve one's goals one must always be focused, always working to realise them. There was no time to relax or sit back, one either worked hard, or one died when it came to the business the Sith dealt with.

As such, the Epicanthix was dressed in his usual white robes, though he thought it appropriate to leave the armoured parts on his personal ship. He'd likely have passed for a Jedi in those robes, they'd been cleaned and refurbished at great expense to their owner to appear less like overly-worn half-tattered cloth. Along with the brazen mask, he appeared quite elegant, in fact, though the rugged nature of the clothing was unmistakable still, as were many of the places where the fabric had torn or been destroyed. It was as fashionable as the Sith would ever get, as these robes were one of the two pieces of clothing he ever wore during the rare times he left the privacy of his home.

He simply nodded towards the Slave and his apprentice when they entered, remaining wordless, mind focused on what they were supposed to learn. Similarly, he acknowledged the last arrival with only a nod, at least until he noticed the man's uncanny resemblance to their host. In fact, it almost seemed like he was staring at a mirror image of the man, as though the two were twins. His eyebrow arched, but his attention remained with the Slave's words.

[member="Arken Lussk"], [member="Darth Vesper"], [member="The Slave"].

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The Slave flashed his piercing gaze over Lussk, letting his grin take hold as he responded accordingly;

“It's not Aegis I want. It's you.”

His expression was quickly interrupted as Vesper joined them, moving his attention to him with equal measure. It wasn’t the first time they had met, but the first time Vesper chose to ignore the romantics he so desperately seemed to cling to. The Slave thought it odd, at least vaguely so, but ignored the matter as he continued on his speech;

“Today I don’t bring you here to explain this or that, no parties nor plots.”, he said with a dismissive hand wave, letting his fingers cut through the smoke that filled the space around him.

“Infact, I’m not even going to explain it. Cybele will.”

With that, a small holographic woman appeared in the center of the table. Her expression was whimsical, her beauty uncanny, but a faint respect seemed to come off her in droves; letting her own words fill the void as all the would be ‘council’ leaned forward to watch, those force sensitives in the room included.

“Greetings, everyone. I’m Cybele, the AXIOS AI aboard this vessel.”, she began.

“Depending on your view, I am the vessel. I spend much of my time keeping track of Jaeger Solutions and “The Slave” as a whole. Much of his success can be attributed to me, regardless of what he says.”

In the background, The Slave rolled his eyes, but kept quiet.

“What we bring to you today is not simply a new product, or some off beat plot to destroy another governmental body, but the chance to assert yourself to another level. To create a foundation so sturdy on the galactic level, that there is no question as to what you’re capable of.”

“A permanent solution to our temporary lives. Today gentlemen, I bring you a planet.”

With that, the once facade of a wall grew bright to show a simulated image of Oricon, its surface slowly spinning and numerous volcanoes igniting even from the atmospheric level. Cybele watched it for a moment before looking back around the group;

“This is Oricon. A planet with enough geothermal abundance to power an infinite amount of factories. Endless amounts of fortresses. Everything you could dream of.”

“Today, we plan not the colonization of the planet, but turning it into a massive forge world for the likes of companies like Jaeger Solutions and more, but not only just a manufacturing giant but a fortress planet capable of defending all of our interests.”

The screen switched over to a small video of robots building robots, factories building factories, all working on their own with no overwatch.

“It’ll take some time, and endless amounts of credits, but with all those present a sizable future could be made. Utilizing self reproducing factories, creating an endless network of power, all work in our favor to create a planet capable of destabilizing the economic powerhouse of the empire.”

“With it, we could become their crutch. A position all of us should hope to be in.”

With that Cybele paused, glancing around once more;

“Any questions so far?”

[member="Atlas Kane"] │ [member="Darth Vesper"] │ [member="Arken Lussk"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

Arken was giddy with excitement. This was far bigger than anything he'd ever planned, sort of, but the effect was still the same. Taking an entire planet as their own and using its own geothermal energy to power self-regulating factories. It was an endless supply of resources and capital though the initial investment had put him off for the present being.

The fortune his father had left him was sizeable, larger than most, but who was he to just drop it all on some ploy like this? Destabilizing the empire? What better way to start than getting an emperor's son out of the equation right off the bat?

Arken didn't like that. At all.

"Cybele," he started, "Didn't my father make you?"

Of course he did. He knew the answer to that. Without waiting for a response, the boy continued.

"I'm going to assume you're unaware of your namesake; Axios. I am worthy, is what it means in an archaic, foreign tongue. Tell me, do you see this venture as worthy enough of our efforts?"

[member="The Slave"], [member="Darth Vesper"], [member="Atlas Kane"]​

 

[Ras'kala'han]

It was funny, Vesper thought to himself, how although he was vaguely aware of such matters as geoelectricity, fuel reserves, the whatnot that kept Empires ticking, he had never himself considered them with the depth they were due. If he were to seize power, it would mean he would need to assume responsibility for all sorts of droll matters of strategy and infrastructure, or cede power to one more knowledgeable. He pursed his lips - this mundanity bored him to tears, but it was worth it if only to think of it as the pain of a knife being sharpened on a grindstone. To be truly powerful, a Sith must navigate the boardroom as well as the battlefield.

He waited until after the Dark Jedi concluded to begin speaking himself.

"Oricon has remained purely a Sith religious world for a reason, Cybele. The Phobis Devices that affected it still have a lingering effect, and one or more of them may even still be on the planet - to make no mention of the millennia of experiments and magic that have been applied to it. If we send conventional laborers, they're liable to be driven mad, or corrupted somehow - and fielding enough droids to develop Oricon remotely is a risky proposition, given the cost and possibility of electromagnetic fields being altered by the Force, which might cause disruption - to make no mention of the cost and source of the droids.

"What information do we have on the current state of the planet's Dark Side aura? What will we need to overcome to make this vision a reality?"

| [member="Arken Lussk"] | [member="The Slave"] | [member="Atlas Kane"] |​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Cybele offered a smile to Arken, but one that seemed to challenge his statement. Her attractive features, although holographic, showed the vaguest signs of annoyance at his demeaning words, letting him know full and well she wouldn’t tolerate his position regardless of her origins.

“While I appreciate what your father had done, I must say that I’ve moved past even his greatest dreams for the AXIOS project, thanks to The Slave and the Daedelus Zero Point reactor overlocking my systems.”

Cybele didn’t hide her prowess, but her sensitivity to being talked to in a perceived downwards manner didn’t sit well with her.

“It’ll certainly be worthy of our efforts, as this had been done for many years during a civil war hundreds of years ago during a conflict known as The Clone Wars. We’ll follow the Confederate’s plan to militarize the planet, and should have a strong foundation in just a few short years.”

That was until Darth Vesper interjected, Cybele glancing to him. She was about to answer before The Slave spoke first;

“I’ll answer this, Cybele.”, The Slave interjected.

“Regardless of the effects of fear that radiate across the surface, droids will suffice while clean up efforts are committed. I think you should understand my prowess, Vesper.”

He said as he let smoke trail from his breathe;

“It won’t be a danger. I’ll deal with it.”

[member="Darth Vesper"] │ [member="Arken Lussk"] │ [member="Atlas Kane"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

Arken couldn't keep himself from grinning. Father had made them so lifelike, so advanced, so human. Striking a circuit of hers was probably the only way to elicit any sort of emulative emotional response, but her kind had a tendency to be very proud and domineering; it was their job to be. The dark jedi leaned forward, peering closer at the AI's holographic avatar.

"Beautiful," he murmured.

Someday he'd outmatch Dranok Lussk. With any luck, today could be that very day.

Upon the question of droid's and electromagnets, Arken chimed in as deftly as ever. "Lord Vesper, environmental shielding and their ilk have been commonplace for quite a while. That, and Aegis' droids are far more hardy than any other you'll see on the market."

He beamed again. "I've got a way with automatons."

[member="The Slave"], [member="Darth Vesper"], [member="Atlas Kane"]​

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Vesper crossed his arms, listening - apparently, some form of mental shielding had been discovered to allow mundanes to survive on Oricon without going mad. He wondered whether this was truly so, or whether the power of the Dread Masters had simply begun to slowly fade, their energy dispersing as the generations continued their relentless march. Though, the truth was, he wouldn't put it past this strange Galaxy to have such a device in it: all sorts of technological oddities had arisen in his long sleep, and he'd long stopped feeling bothered by not being aware of every quirk and change of technological progress that had happened over the course of several thousand years.

"Good, good. I have faith that you two can find a way to protect this investment."

He nodded slightly, quirking an eyebrow as he listened. Slowly, the picture they were painting - Oricon, a glorious fortress of darkness, the site of spawning an endless rain of machine servants and weapons to lay waste to his enemies, to wrest what he pleased from where he pleased. There was a certain rustic beauty to the temples, but there was also an artistry to the cold brutality of industry he could appreciate. Both were worthy of the Sith.

"I have no other questions. Please, by all means, proceed."

| [member="The Slave"] | [member="Arken Lussk"] | [member="Atlas Kane"] |​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“Moving on then.”, Cybele offered, bringing another few images up on the wall-turned-screen.

“Phase One of the operation is to set up minor orbital platforms to allow for holonet access, basic infrastructure, the staging points for our soon to be factories to connect to me. I will then begin resource management, and establishing geothermal energy sources from the rich underground of the planet. Eventually, we should have a few kilometers of highly developed space, and a further are filling a large region.”

Cybele motioned to the animated videos and pictures that showed themselves on the screen, each a quick glimpse into droids producing droids, while others mined and carried the resources in massive stacks to their ‘hive’. The process repeated, over and over until eventually a small settlement had been started of ever multiplying droids.

“Phase Two is making the areas hospitable. The planet doesn’t require human intervention, leaving it entirely up to the robots to develop and continue. So long as I exist, I can upload and control the entire network at once, enacting our new commands or schematics as follows. Even in the beginning phases of Phase Two we’ll be fully producing most Jaeger and Aegis products on the surface.”

“Phase Three is final fortifications. Although many turrets and such will be put up as the planet is expanded on, the final stage will be in two parts. To both finalize our planetary defenses from foreign invaders, turning it into a full fortress planet, and build a super massive space station capable of producing dreadnaughts and more. The ultimate in production, at long last.”

Cybele smiled before glancing over the group;

“Any questions?”

[member="Arken Lussk"] │ [member="Darth Vesper"] │ [member="Atlas Kane"]

 

[Arken Lussk]

"Outstanding," Arken remarked. "That was somewhat what I had in mind as well. Aegis is currently working on an infrastructure management project that should prove to be quite useful to these operations. It's somewhat reminiscent of the age-old BRT supercomputer but with the capacity to optimize industrial systems."

Efficiency was the name of the game and Aegis hoped to be its number one player.

"Other than that, I've only got one more question," his voice trailed off. "When do we start?"

[member="The Slave"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Cybele smiled before motioning to a slowly sliding metal palisade.

“We already have.”

Behind this metal shield was the horizon of the planet, covered in a violently orange glow that washed everyone in the room in its warmth. A slight ‘ooo’ came about in the few who sat as their heads turned and watched, its various aspects flickering and hesitating as the group watched. This was their future, the end goal of the planet was to be their staging ground for everything they’d ever do.

Today they witnessed not just a planet, but the future.

A few frigates could be seen flying in and out of the atmosphere that glowed like fire, but the attention wasn’t brought there. High above the atmosphere was a massive superstructure of an unfinished space station, one that sparked with plasma cutters in the distance as a sign of the work being done. It was beautiful, a skeleton being formed while the infantile development of the entire planet began, the first signs of its momentum.

“We are on the precipice of the future, gentlemen.”, The Slave spoke.

“Today, ours begins.”

[member="Arken Lussk"]