Private The Hand That Will Shape the Future

[Marlon Sularen]

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T H E_H A N D_T H A T_S H A P E S_T H E_F U T U R E
A Day before the events of The Spoils

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

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The Imperial Confederation was dead. It was a sentiment many within the former Imperial Faction shared following it's collapse as they faced defections and increasing pressure from hostile forces like the Sith and the Mandalorian. At first, Sularen thought that the Confederation could still survive, albeit in a reduced state, but eventually it became apparent that it was futile to keep the Confederation alive in any capacity. As such, the Supreme Commander was quick to begin working on establishing the foundations of a proper Imperial successor state that would not repeat the same failures as its predecessors.

With the knowledge he had acquired from his time during the days of the Dark Empire and the Imperial Confederation, Sularen now knew what was necessary to ensure the successful revitalization of the Imperial cause across the galaxy, but if he was going to succeed, then he needed help, help from trustworthy and capable individuals who shared the same conviction and determination to see the Imperial cause triumph once more without compromise or hesitation. Individuals who understood that Imperialism had no allies in the galaxy, only enemies and that it could only succeed if it asserted itself as the dominant force in the galaxy, not through compromise but through force.

As such, Sularen had sought out the senior-most member of the Imperial Confederation's Inquisitorious, Taregh Garon, in the hopes of securing his support and allegiance for his great project, a Final Dawn that would see the Iron Sun eclipse the galaxy once more and never set again. Fortunately for Sularen, Taregh was willing to meet with the Supreme Commander, and before long, the Senior Inquisitor would find himself entering a meeting room where he'd find Sularen comfortably seated at the head of a long rectangular table.

"Ah, Inquisitor Garon welcome," he said with a small smile. "We have much to discuss about the future."

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Tags | Taregh Garon​

 

[Taregh Garon]

The Inquisitor no longer needed to answer a summons. Since the Imperial Confederation had collapsed in on itself Taregh's influence had grown; he had a small fleet of his own as well as legions of Purgetroopers. The Inquisitorious had evolved.

Today he arrived because he understood the influence he wielded was finite.

Entering his eyes settled on the Supreme Commander, already seated at the head of the table which Taregh found poignant after a fashion.

Moving closer the Inquisitor would halt near Sularen, raising his hands he opened them wide and laid them across his helm with finger splayed. Lifting a moment later his helm, a menacing visage came off and revealed his features. The Helm was set on the table, Taregh remained standing.

Dipping his head he regarded the Sularen...

"Supreme Commander."

...a title which some might question the legitimacy of now. It may have been said as a token gesture.

To look upon Taregh Garon was to see a titan, he stood taller and wider than any normal man and his armor only added to any factor of intimidation men felt.

"The Inquisitorious is interested to hear your vision for the future."

...but the tone in which he said as much implied that the Inquisitor had his own ideas, one must wonder if their visions would align.

Marlon Sularen

 

[Marlon Sularen]

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T H E_H A N D_T H A T_S H A P E S_T H E_F U T U R E
A Day before the events of The Spoils

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

---

As the Inquisitor stepped inside the meeting room, he proceeded to walk closer to the Supreme Commander before stopping, towering over him at over 8 feet tall. While some would be intimidated by Garon's sheer presence, Sularen maintained his calm demeanour. He had witnessed the full might of Darth Solipsis unleashed upon his subordinates and had his own arm consumed by Kyrel Ren. When you get threatened by some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, few beings could match their level of intimidation.

Eventually, Garon would take off his helm and place it on the table before the Supreme Command before offering a simple response indicating his interest in his ideas, although the way the Senior Inquisitor spoke seemed to indicate that he might have his own ideas for the future. Hopefully, their visions for the future would align and create a partnership that would take both men to greater heights across the galaxy.

"To put things plainly, Inquisitor Garon, this galaxy is rotten to its core. It's infected by chaotic forces such as the barbaric Mandalorians, Republic idealists and Sith warlords. The only force in this galaxy capable of bringing order is us Imperials, and yet we've completely failed because, unlike our adversaries, we lack unity and conviction." Sularen began.

"With the Confederation, we watched rival Imperial states rise, did little to combat the Black Sun's attempts to undermine us and allowed the Sith Covenant and Wild Space Rebellion to grow like tumours. On the occasions we did take action, we suffered only defeat and humiliation at the hands of our adversaries. Some wish to pin the blame on me, but our failure stemmed from our hesitance and desire to compromise. We tried playing fair in a galaxy that plays dirty, and we suffered for that. I do not intend to repeat the same mistake," he continued.

"So my vision for the future is simply this: a new empire rooted in merit, reason and loyalty that will understand only one truth: order cannot be negotiated, it must be enforced without compromise or hesitation. You either stand with us or against us, and since most of this cursed galaxy already stands against us, it must be purified of its sickness and i intend to create the ultimate instrument that will deliver such judgement upon the forces of chaos in this galaxy"

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Tags | Taregh Garon​

 

[Taregh Garon]

He listened, unspeaking while the Supreme Commander went over his idea for the future.

Eventually all Taregh could do was remark...

"Oh, Sularen---"

...it was true, the Supreme Commander had witnessed the might of Darth Solipsis and had lost his arm to Kyrel Ren but that was then and this was now. They were not here.

Taregh was here though, looming over the Supreme Commander.

He was not born an Imperial he chose to become one. If his father, Garrus Garon could see him now he might weep before he and his son engaged in a duel that would only end with the death of one of them. It occurred to him that Sularen might have been born an Imperial---and if not he may have allowed himself to become narrow minded.

Without warning the Inquisitor reached out, his hands were massive he could literally palm a mans head in one of them and while Sularen was larger than normal he could still palm his head too.

That was what the Inquisitor meant to do, take Sularen by the skull with his forehead pressed into his massive palm while he growled...

"Your rhetoric is strong, Supreme Commander but you forget what it means to taste the blood in your mouth. Let me remind you."

...he'd pull backwards then, attempting to rip Sularen's head downwards and slam it into the face of the table he thought to sit at the head of while his hold withdrew...

"You've held a position of power for a long time now but the triarchy of the Confederation is dead. The Galaxy is beset by a Mandalorian Horde, the High Republic and no less than two Sith Empires. You have lofty ideals but you need to inspire men before you alienate them. You are a genius, they say but your ego may have gotten the better of you. Do not speak to me like a politician again, reach deep into your heart, reconnect with your ideals; convince me to -partner- with you."

Marlon Sularen

 

[Marlon Sularen]

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T H E_H A N D_T H A T_S H A P E S_T H E_F U T U R E
A Day before the events of The Spoils

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

---

As Sularen was left a bit stunned after he re-oriented himself after Garon's sudden strike, blood trickling down from his nose as he swiped some of it off. He didn't expect Garon to strike at him suddenly, but at the very least, he had caught his interest. Even then, despite this little humiliation, this little display of force from Garon only proved why he'd become a valuable component to Sularen's plan. Garon was a pragmatist who understood the grim reality the galaxy faced but had no time for nonsensical politics. He'd follow Sularen if he showed that he could actually act on his plans and succeed.

Thus, once he'd recollected himself and regained his composure, Sularen continued to speak. "I'm assembling a new force, the Final Dawn." he began. "From here on, Cholganna, I intend to begin my operations to gather assets and resources, silently building up a new empire hidden from the eyes of the dominant powers of the galaxy. A new army, a new fleet and a network of spies, informants and agents built from scratch, along with the infrastructure to support them all," he explained.

"Except I can't do this on my own. I'm a commander, someone with a great vision and the strategies to implement it. But I still need capable individuals at my side to help me accomplish my vision, especially force-users such as yourself whose support will be crucial in handling threats like the Jedi and the Sith." Sularen added. "You've already gathered considerable resources at your disposal, and so have I. By pooling our resources, we can create the foundations of this new empire and accomplish much more together than we would have done individually."

"I have already identified multiple points of interest within the former Imperial space far enough from the prying eyes of the Sith and the Mandalorians that we can use to jump-start our project. But of course, these resources and assets would be useless if i don't have the sufficient support base to expand upon what i've already established here on Cholganna."

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Tags | Taregh Garon​

 

[Taregh Garon]

Taregh laughed.

Sularen recovered well but as the Inquisitor listened he thought the Supreme Commander may have been more of a dreamer than he publicly projected.

Regardless Sularen also made viable and factual points that could not be denied.

He considered, his gaze wandered away from the Supreme Commander briefly. Taregh did not sit, he remained standing where he towered over Sularen. When his eyes returned to Sularen he would have taken a small step backwards to create a modicum of distance between them as though giving some reassurances he would not reach out for him again.

Finally he replied...

"Your vision has some merit."

...he conceded this, architects like Sularen always had visions of merit but he likewise challenge him with the obvious facts...

"It is a numbers game though Supreme Commander, resources aside there are many enemies."

...they did not have a map between them but if they had Taregh would have pointed out the mass of the Sith Empire, the Mandalorians, the High Republic, etc. He'd heard rumbles that the First Order was establishing itself anew in the Outer Rim. The Inquisitor was not a strategic genius like the Supreme Commander but he was practical and practicality dictated that they were vastly outnumbered and that a new strategy was fundamental to success.

Of course he also realized that allying with Sularen would afford him more influence and resources than he already had which is why he remarked...

"The Inquisitorious would need an amount of autonomy in this new Final Dawn. We will not go back to the way things were."

...obviously, Taregh had no intent of relinquishing the resources and manpower that he had acquired for himself.

Marlon Sularen

 

[Marlon Sularen]

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T H E_H A N D_T H A T_S H A P E S_T H E_F U T U R E
A Day before the events of The Spoils

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

---

Where Sularen had once gained Garon's interest, now he had his attention. He acknowledged that his vision had merit and affirmed that this was indeed a numbers game. Powers such as the Mandalorian Empire, the High Republic and the Sith Order endured because they had dozens upon dozens of powerful and influential people at their disposal, not to mention they were all intertwined with each other, given the High Republic and Sith Order's mutual connections to the Mandalorian Empire. Factions that had failed, such as the Galactic Empire, the Black Sun, the Confederation and the Diarchy, were too insular and isolated and lacked the sheer manpower to openly challenge their rivals and sustain their conflicts.

However, Garon further added that the Inquisitorious would have to gain some autonomy within the Final Dawn, unwilling to deal with the same bureaucratic constraints that had limited it during the days of the Imperial Confederation. At the very least, this confirmed that Garon was already interested in joining the Final Dawn, although Sularen had his own plans for the Inquisitorious. It was an institution of the past, something that the Confederation had tried to leverage to counter the threat of both Sith and Jedi. It didn't work, as obviously shown by the Confederation's failed attempts to conquer the Sith Holy Worlds.

"I have an alternative proposal for you, Inquisitor Garon," Sularen responded, ready to pitch his own plan for the future of the Inquisitrious within the Final Dawn. "I indeed to do away with the Inquisitorious entirely and replace it with an idea that i first envisioned during the final days of the Confederation; the Imperial Hands." he began. "A decentralized network of covert force-sensitive operatives that would act as assassins, spies, and operatives for the Final Dawn. They would, of course, operate outside the traditional chain of command and report only directly to the ruling body of the Final Dawn, the Shadow Council, whilst having unlimited access to any assets that would be required to accomplish their task," he further explained.

"The Inquisitorious and the Imperial Knights were held back by bureaucratic and institutional bloat; the Imperial Hands will have no such weakness. Whenever there is a threat that is too complex or entrenched for the Military or Intelligence to deal with, the Imperial Hands are dispatched to get rid of them. Once deployed, they'll have free rein to carry out their task however they see fit using the resources at their disposal as long as their objectives are accomplished in the end, with minimal interference."

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Tags | Taregh Garon​

 

[Taregh Garon]

Sularen did have his attention. The Inquisitor did see the merit in the Supreme Commanders ideas, his ambitions.

He wondered if Sularen would be able to gather the support to make his ambitions into a reality one more time though. As many could attest it was one thing to have ambition but it was entirely something else to make that ambition into a reality.

He listened. Imperial Hands were a novel idea and the freedom they would be afforded would be appealing to many but Taregh had no intention of falling into another trap. Once Sularen had finished he was quick to tell him...

"It is an interesting proposal, I do not doubt that many former members of the Inquisitorious would jump at the opportunity for minimal oversight in the completion of their duties."

...however he was not one of them which is why he was plain to state...

"If I partner with you then I will take a place on this 'Shadow Council' you propose. I have no intention of relinquishing the resources I have amassed to live as a simple agent of imperial authority again."

No doubt Taregh was likely still one with the Inquisitorious at heart merely unshackled by the ruling council that once commanded him. He had his own agents now, his own agenda. He saw the Sith and the Mandalorians as a great threat to be cleansed by fire whereas the High Republic might well been a polity that could be allied with until those greater threats were ended. Taregh did not ask Sularen where he stood on the matter but he must have wondered.

Marlon Sularen

 

[Marlon Sularen]

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T H E_H A N D_T H A T_S H A P E S_T H E_F U T U R E
A Day before the events of The Spoils

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

---

Once more, Garon showed interest in Sularen's proposal for reforming the Inquisitorious into a more decentralized and autonomous group of Force-Sensitive Agents, pointing out how many Inquisitors would be receptive to having less oversight in the completion of their duties. While there could be concerns about their loyalty to the Final Dawn, Sularen understood that force-users could not be institutionalized in a way that wouldn't reduce their effectiveness. They needed an effective yet reliable group of force-users to challenge both Sith and Jedi.

Then Garon spoke once more, this time offering another condition to Sularen to cement their partnership: a seat at Sularen's envisioned Shadow Council. The Senior Inquisitor further made it clear that he had no intention of relinquishing the resources he had amassed to become a mere simple agent of Imperial authority before. It was an interesting but unsurprising request, although it did make Sularen wonder what Garon's angle was. Sure, Sularen had been the one to seek him out, but his desire to retain the autonomy of the Inquisitorious and acquire a seat on the Shadow Council were indictators that he had his own altruistic motives and separate agenda.

The extent to which Garon's agenda aligned with his own remained a mystery for Sularen, although Garon's willingness to join forces with Sularen did indicate that there was some form of alignment. To Sularen, this had to be addressed; if he and Garon were to become partners, then there needed to be a mutual understanding of sorts. Where Garon had come to understand what Sularen sought from their partnership, now it was Sularen's turn to find out what Garon sought from this little agreement of theirs.

"A seat on the Shadow Council is something I can grant, of course, after all your insight on certain matters could prove to be invaluable in our efforts," Sularen responded, accepting Garon's request. "However, I can't help but wonder. I've told you about my vision of the future and a glimpse into my plan to execute it. But what about you? What is it that you seek to gain from this little partnership of ours? You want a seat on the Council and want to retain the resources and assets already at your disposal, so surely you must have had your own motives for agreeing to our partnership."

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Tags | Taregh Garon​

 

[Taregh Garon]

Motives. Yes, the Inquisitor did have his own though how much he intended to reveal to the Supreme Commander would remain a mystery.

Taregh had a reputation for brutality but he was also careful and he'd learned from the past. He'd been an Inquisitor when they were given less authority in the Imperial Confederation, answering to the Empress initially and then the Triarchy after her. The Inquisitorious was always inhibited by the Military or Bureaucracy, now that he had a taste of freedom and the influence to conduct his own operations on his own terms it would be foolish to relinquish that.

"It's quite simple Supreme Commander."

...he began to say...

"I've tasted freedom. Now I have the power to influence operations and military action that I see fit. Why would I give it up to join with you as anything less than an equal? I'll take a planet when the territory is carved out, one that I can transform into a suitable representation of the Inquisition."

He smiled, somehow that made him look more malicious.

There was more though.

Laying a hand on the long table his fingers splayed, the thick digits curling against the surface afterwards like they might be able to leave a physical representation of themselves where he'd drug them.

When he spoke again Taregh would admit that...

"If we do not join together and make something then we will die. It would only be natural. The Galaxy is so alive with threats that no one can stand alone for long. Whether you are powerful or a genius it makes no difference."

...it was largely survival that appears to have shaped his decision. He knew that he could only act on his own for so long without allies. Better a devil he was familiar with like Sularen than someone else whom he had no read on yet.

Marlon Sularen

 

[Marlon Sularen]

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T H E_H A N D_T H A T_S H A P E S_T H E_F U T U R E
A Day before the events of The Spoils

IMPERIAL CONFEDERATION
CHOLGANNA, OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

---

Sularen chucked as Garon gave his answer. Not that he found it amusing, but it reminded him of his own rise to power and motivations, having developed a distaste for serving so-called Emperors and Empresses after accumulating power and influence and seeing those Imperial rulers fail time and time again. It was as Garon said. Once you taste freedom, you will never want to become a servant ever again. Garon also made another valid point when he spoke about the importance of unity. Unless all Imperials banded together and forged a united front against the enemies of order, then they would die regardless of their skills or power.

"Well then. Welcome to the Final Dawn, Councillor Garon." Sularen said, acknowledging the Senior Inquisitor as a member of his Shadow Council. "I do look forward to working with you in bringing forth a true resurgence of Imperialism in this corner of the galaxy, as there is much we could accomplish together," he proclaimed. "Now, if there isn't anything else you'd like to talk about, we can move forward with our first steps," he continued.

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Tags | Taregh Garon​