The Ithor Accords

[Darth Carnifex]

​

Tafanda Bay
Ithor

The Crestfallen emerged out of hyperspace above the viridian sphere of Ithor hanging against the backdrop of endless space as the light of Ottega crested the planet's horizon, offering an enticing visual to the occupants of the Imperial shuttle.

But they were not here for such wondrous pleasantries.

An opportunity had been laid at their feet, and they sprung into action to capitalize on its advantageousness. Several rotations ago the visage of Ra Vizsla had popped up on every major holonet channel across the known galaxy, through which he proclaimed the invalidity of the Ruusan Accords and decried all who supported the proceedings as cowards and fools.

The Sith Empire had walked out on the Accords mere hours before that proclamation, and had done so on the grounds that in the past these so called 'morally upstanding' governments had no inclination to lift a finger when Imperial governments were met with injustice and atrocity.

But when it was democratic governments and Jedi facing similar persecution?

Hypocrites. Pathetic hypocrites.

And in the strangest twist of fate, it would appear that the staunchly anti-Force Mandalorian Empire and the Dark-Sided Sith Empire were bedfellows with a common enemy and a common desire. The Galactic Alliance had rejected any notion that the Sith Empire was a sovereign state, aiding the Silver Jedi in their attack on Mirial while simultaneously declaring that the Empire had no jurisdiction over worlds that had willingly invited them to their shores. No doubt if given the chance the Galactic Alliance, or any democratic government, would do the same to the Mandalorian Empire.

That was why the Dark Lord of the Sith and his trusted counsel had arrived on Ithor's Tafanda Bay, to meet with Ra Vizsla the Undying to formulate an alliance between their two rightly sovereign nations.

The Crestfallen docked in one of the station's hangar bays, engines powering down as the boarding ramp descended to allow the Emperor and his colleagues to disembark at their leisure. They had scheduled their meeting in one of Tafanda's upper observation decks, which would afford them a grand view of the cosmos and the idyllic world that the station orbited.

Inwardly Carnifex wondered if the Mandalorians had beaten them to the station, or if they were the first to arrive.

[member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Ra Vizsla"]​

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Ra Vizsla"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"]

Aryn stood quietly besides the Mand'alor, his expression plain and unwavering.

Conversation had never really been his strong point, neither had negotiation nor talk of any sort. It was a wonder that The Undying had named him Shukalar. The idea had amused him, it was true, a brief smiling having appeared on his face when Ra had first offered him position. The word itself, the title was apt enough for someone like him, some thing like him. It meant 'Conquer', crush. It was a word that rang to his core, something he'd accomplished more than once.

Of course the position entailed more than that. It was a place of respect, of diplomacy laughably enough.

That was what amused Aryn so. He was not one for talking, not one for Diplomacy of any sort. He was a creature of few thoughts, and even fewer words. His place was not to make friends and allies, it was to crush and break those who would resist the Mand'alor.

A part of him supposed that perhaps Ra saw those two things as none too far apart, but The Togorian could not have guessed at his Mand'alors motivations. Nevertheless he found himself alongside The Undying, standing there as he had on Dosuun and as he would at any other of these meetings. He was here to do his duty. His warhammer sat resting upon his back, the golden armor resting heavily on his shoulder, and a bright white cloak hanging from his pauldron's.

His fur bristled slightly as the caught the scent of those around him, his good eye settling on the path ahead.

 

[Darth Caecus]

On the other side of the metaphorical table, Caecus was as equally unsuited to diplomacy and negotiation as Togarian. Tai Fa had requested her presence, suggesting this as another good way to serve the empire until she was back to her more.... typical duties. To say that Kith had her concerns would be a deep and insufficient understatement. Not merely about how useful her presence would be in general, but that there were details here with the potential to make her inclusion fraught. Explaining it to the meter tall bird had been stilted and difficult, but in the end it was agreed (reluctantly on her part) that there was little to no chance of her face being recognized. The woman she had been cloned from had been much older, only a small handful of people had seen her, and the expectation that she had died there on Castameer would be enough to make even one of those people unlikely to connect this young face to the frigid insanity of the woman who had orchestrated Omega.

So it was with a sigh and a hesitant agreement that Kith had joined the delegation.

Dressed simply in soft greys, she had, with some discomfort, even left the mask behind that she usually wore when in her official capacity within the empire. She supposed, after Felucia, that her days using that mask as a separate persona were likely over. Perhhaps not for good, but for now?

Yes.

She followed behind Carnifex and Saarai, face neutral and blank, but that was normal. Blue-grey eyes flitted, taking in details as the moved through the hallways, the great double doors of the meeting chambers opening in front of them.

[member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Darth Saarai"] [member="Ra Vizsla"] [member="Aryn Spar"]

 

[Ra Vizsla]

[member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Aryn Spar"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Darth Saarai"]

Of course they'd beaten them there.

Everything was a competition with the Mandalorians, and everything with Ra was a grand gesture. It was a reality that had been woven into the Undying's very being. The Mand'alor knew the art of theatricality all too well and its implications on negotiations such as these. There really wasn't any other way to handle it.

Ra was wearing his golden armor, as always. Assassination attempts came by the dozens since the Civil War, he thought. His shoulder still reminded him of that, and the Ysalamiri on his back chirped every so often to remind him twice over. These... Sith were not Ra's favorite people. Always shrouded in darkness, always plotting, conniving. Still, as far as allies came in the outer reaches, there were none stronger than the Sith Empire. Unlike most, these people had offered Ra no ill will nor reason to suspect aggression. They would be spared of Ra's ushering of the Winter Raids, for now. Mandalore's might knew bounds, and Ra was more than strategically careful than to bite on more than he could chew.

They could not afford aggressions in the east as well as the west. The eye of Manda'yaim focused Coreward, these people offered no reason to the Undying to raise arms.

Still, there was something more to what Ra wanted here, aside from staunch allies opposed to the Ruusan Accords. He would measure these people, to see their worth.

The red visor of the Undying emblazoned with moving embers, staring forth as the delegates from the Sith Empire joined them.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Aryn Spar"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Ra Vizsla"]

He had considered sending Vulgrim in his stead.

Mandalorians respected strength and there weren't many things stronger than a ten foot Maelibus, but sending a minion when you were dealing with the Mand'alor and those closest to him? Something told Tai that would not go over well. Besides, the Thirriken was one of the few people who had consistently lend his assistance to Mandalore under the old Mand'alor, Vilaz.

The three foot tall birb settled himself next to the Dark Lord and Caecus, studying the Mand'alor and the... cat.

Why did it always have to be cats?

The Thirriken opted not to take the first word here and allow Carnifex to begin the discussion. It would be best to observe from the side, the way the delegates handled themselves and interject when necessary.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The proud visage of the Dark Lord ventured forth into the Observation Deck, the large double doors retracting into the wall at his approach to expose him and his entourage to the Mandalorian that were waiting within. Around his shoulders was draped the crimson cloak that had quickly become the staple of his office ever since he rose to the position of Dark Lord and Emperor, the thick armorweave swaddling his muscular body in a sea of ruby. Beneath it was a cuirass of black and silver metal forged with steel and dark magic in a furnace of roaring flames and boiling blood, it offered the Dark Lord's upper and lower torso significant protection but offered little in the way of enchantments or curses.

Zambrano and Vizsla were roughly the same height, so as one approached the other they neither had to adjust their gaze to meet each other's eyes. They stood parallel from each other, both proud and capable warriors who had risen to lead their respective people through might and cunning.

The Dark Lord regarded Ra with visible respect, bowing his head in acknowledgement of the other's prowess.

"Ra Vizsla -- Mand'alor the Undying, undisputed Lord of the Clans and Ruler of all Manda'yaim. It is a pleasure to see such a legendary warrior standing before me, alive and well. It was never a question who would emerge victorious from your conflict with the Liberator. May the universe again quake at the mere mention of the Mando'ade."

He spared only a passing, amused glance at the Togorian warrior next to him. Carnifex wondered how this brute would react to the presence of his race's annihilator.

[member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Ra Vizsla"] | [member="Aryn Spar"]​

 

[Yasha Cadera]

Standing behind and to the right of [member="Ra Vizsla"] was a petite girl in beskar’gam so new it held its original shine. Yasha followed as Mand’alor the Undying’s Ward, learning from his direction, and taking to whatever menial task the Mand’alor commanded of her. She was a force dead apparition of Panathan citizenry and the after effects of surviving the Netherworld. A warrior in her own right, she earned her place and knew enough to keep silent unless spoken to.

Brushing her gauntleted hand on the buy’ce clipped to her belt, Yasha pulled in a quick breath as [member="Darth Carnifex"], [member="Darth Caecus"] and [member="Darth Saarai"] ventured into the area. [member="Baiko no Kaho"] ensured that before serving as Ra’s Ward in this matter, the Epicanthix girl’s hair was braided up in a crown, which not only gave ease to wearing her helmet, but looked the part of a little Lady. It was the only civility to the Hell Child, aside from the ramrod manner to which she stood.

There were two-fold reasons for the little Mantis to attend diplomatic negotiations: one, to learn from Ra and two, to see the fabled God-King Kaine Zambrano, who ruled her mother’s homeworld with the dictates of iron.

He was huge. Well, huge was a relative word when one shared a room with [member="Aryn Spar"]. A gigantic juxtaposition to the curious bird, who settled beside Darth Carnifex. Finally! Oh the day! Not just with her beskar’gam for the first time, but in a room with someone who made Yasha look tall? The twelve year old stood as tall as she could, smirking behind the Mand’alor. Once [member="Darth Carnifex"] began to speak, Yasha quirked her head to the side.

The Dark Lord had the same accent she did. Maybe if the negotiations went really well, she could get an autograph. It wasn’t every day one met the God-King of her entire race. For now, Yasha kept her post and let her gaze continually sweep around the area they found themselves within.

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Ra Vizsla"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Yasha Mantis"]

Aryn maintained a deathly silence.

His gaze fell on the lead man, a creature he did not know and did not wish to. Sith were distasteful creatures even on their best days, their flesh rotten and bitter to the palette. He was no fool of course, he remembered what they had done to his homeworld, he remembered the camps, but right now that was all to be placed aside.

This was not the time for vengeance.

The Togorian stood in stoic silence, his good eye sweeping over the Sith that stood in front of them. To him they were all tiny, even Ra and Carnifex were dwarfed by his height. One of the Sith, a small bird like creature stood smaller than even Yasha, making him assume that the creature, like Yasha herself, was some sort of child. He frowned for a moment, wondering how the thing would taste before he slowly returned his gaze back to Carnifex.

His ear flicked slightly as the empty words of flattery that fell from the Sith's mouth, words as empty as the mans soul.

 

[Darth Caecus]

Kith's eyes flickered to Carnifex when he spoke, head bowed for a moment and voice- if not warm- then at least welcoming. Gaze cast with a certain curiosity to the child and the Togarian. Interesting. Of course, one could say the same of Carnifex's entourage. A bird and an unassuming young blonde woman. Neither of which resembled the traditional concept of Sith.

She stood back, her presence, as far as she was concerned, superfluous. Carnifex led, Dark Lord and Emperor. Saarai wielded the quill, holding to a more subtle influence but not less important. And she? She was here because Carnifex had requested it. But she had no official capacity, no role in his empire, not truly. There was, however, no question of her loyalty.

That perhaps, was enough.

Blue-grey gaze landed finally on the Mandalore. Like Carnifex, a mountain of a man. She studied his face, her own expressionless beyond the barest thoughtful down turn of lips.

She was not prone to self recrimination over the acts of the woman she was clone from. That offered nothing useful and would only serve to drive her mad. But there was something sobering about being face to face with someone her predecessor had killed, even if indirectly. She mulled it, rolling it around in her mind without particular utility.

For now, she waited, and watched. More curious about them all than anything else.

[member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Darth Saarai"] [member="Ra Vizsla"] [member="Aryn Spar"] [member="Yasha Mantis"]

 

[Ra Vizsla]

[member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Darth Caecus"] [member="Aryn Spar"] [member="Yasha Mantis"] [member="Darth Saarai"]

"..Right. I present to you my highest ambassador, Aryn Spar, the Shukalar of the Cuir Rekr.

And my ward, Yasha of Clan Mantis."

Ra's eyes veered over to the Togorian. Shukalar had spared few words concerning this meeting prior, but they were all Ra needed to know. The Undying had no personal vested interest, but as Conquer, the Togorian had every right to exact his vengeance when the matters of State were resolved. Ra gestured to the round table setting nearby.

Even in his days of tyrannical lordship, the Mand'alor still required that every table the Mandalorian leadership sat at be round. It was a very serious offense to Ra otherwise. It was a semblance of his stature with the people - that despite his station, despite his own representation of the Mando'ade, that they were all in this together. They were Mandalore.

Ra sat down, and gestured the others to do the same, and then motioned to Caecus and the bird man.

"It is customary to introduce yourselves."

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Ra Vizsla"] [member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Darth Caecus"] [member="Aryn Spar"] [member="Yasha Mantis"]

He eyed the three Mandalorians before them.

The Mand'alor. The Togorian. The human child.

"Indeed." Tai acknowledged with a slight nod, before settling himself down on the edge of the chair, perching from it and possessing the vantage point to study them at his own leisure. It almost brought him eye-to-eye with Aryn, barely, but almost. It was the thought that counted. "Darth Saarai, advisor to the Dark Lord Carnifex," A wing gestured to his left where Caecus was seated.

"Darth Caecus, fellow Lord of the Sith and my Hand." Head tilted slightly. "Pleased to make formal acquaintances."

After that the Thirriken quieted down once more.

This was still Kaine's meeting and negotiations, but it seemed prudent to break the silence and make the formal introductions. Part of him wondered just how many aliens these Mandalorians had amidst their numbers.

Spar was a good example, but was he one of many or simply an anomaly?

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The young girl seemed to look at him with obvious recognition, and while he in turn did not recognize her he understood that she was of the same species as he. To the untrained eye the Epicanthix were virtually indistinguishable from a baseline Human, albeit larger and on the average more muscular, but to someone like Kaine it was easy to spot his own out in a crowd.

Carnifex bowed his head in acknowledgement of the Mand'alor's compatriots, saying nothing to the stoic Togorian but offering a simple greeting to Yasha in their shared native tongue.

"Moi' dui Ass-Foduil xsirr i'ay, vuesk ah Pomoduo*."

The Dark Lord took his seat, clasping his hands together as he found a comfortable position. "Now that pleasantries are out of the way, Mand'alor, I believe the moment is upon us to discuss the specifics of why we have gathered here. Our people have always fought. Sometimes side-by-side, but more often than not we have found ourselves on opposite sides of the battlefield. If my assumption is correct you and I are of a similar mind, we are tired of the children of the Manda'yaim and the children of the Empire killing themselves when we truthfully have more in common with each other than we do with other peoples. Though that may be idealistic of me. Pragmatically you'd rather not be surrounded on all sides, and the Core is weak -- riddled by war and pacifistic fools."

For a being more oriented to waging war, he sometimes could muster up a suitable tirade of carefully crafted words.

Sometimes.

[member="Ra Vizsla"] | [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Aryn Spar"] | [member="Yasha Mantis"]​

​

*May the All-Father bless you, child of Panatha.​

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"] | [member="Ra Vizsla"] | [member="Darth Carnifex"] | [member="Yasha Mantis"]

Aryn did not seat himself at the table, mostly because every single one of the chairs provided were far too small for him to actually fit in. The Togorian didn't take this as an insult of course, he was rather used to it. Being ten feet tall in a galaxy of beings that stood half his height most of the time was a rather large problem. Sometimes he even had difficulty fitting through the doorways found on starships.

He shifted slightly, stepping behind the chair to the right of Ra and standing in place.

For a moment he stayed in that position, then looked down at the others and decided that staying in a standing position would probably be rude. With a slight clatter of Beskar Plates the Togorian lowered himself into a squat, his form hunching slightly besides the chair that had probably been provided for him. He give the small metal lump a slight sneer, but then turned his head back towards the Sith as they began to speak. The small bird man said his name and the others, which Aryn quietly noted.

Then Carnifex began to speak.

Aryn's good eye watched the man the same way a Predator watched an unfamiliar thing, unsure of it's potential but still ready to kill.

As always the Togorian remained quiet, not saying a single thing in response but simply allowing his ears to flick back and forth. Unwillingly he caught the scent of the Sith, all three of them reeking of death and deceit. His eye flickered between the three of them, his fur prickling.

 

[Yasha Cadera]

[member="Aryn Spar"] | [member="Darth Saarai"] | [member="Darth Caecus"]

The more [member="Darth Carnifex"] spoke, the more a shrill coating of familiarity trembled down Yasha’s young spine. She knew that voice. Having never been on Panathan soil herself, nor well-versed in the Sith Politic, Yasha combatted with the ignorance of her own mind, until his voice clicked into their mutual mother tongue.

A quick intake of breath.

Yasha knew this man and his demonic red eyes. She and her mother [member="Aditya Mantis"] knew the God-King not through a physical correspondence, but a mutuality of place.

The Netherworld. The Blood Plains. Kaine Zambrano… she looked from [member="Ra Vizsla"] to the Dark Lord of the Sith and back again. He’d been a voice in her childhood, a serendipitous force which lanceted at the horrors of her early days by being a larger target Aditya could slink around in secret until he was gone. Kaine Zambrano was the reason Aditya never lost her hope of leaving the Netherworld, because he accomplished it years before Yasha saved her mother from a septic Armageddon. Stepping out from her place behind Ra, Yasha flourished in the curtsey of a High-Born Epicanthix Citizen trained at the Temple of Nussyn, as her mother had taught her.

“Yay uamayl pi, i'ayl Mogirdi'. Moi' Nyrri'm xsirr i'ayl nodu, Gak Kemb. Id er baak da rii i'ay poki ed ovoi' hlap dui Psoemr ah Bsaak. Sa kek I.*”

There was no stutter in the child’s voice, nothing but a direct stare into the face of an utter darkness she could neither feel nor appreciate. Force Death had left Yasha fearless of the magics around them. Nothing could be worse than what she survived in her childhood.

Nothing could be worse than a place both she and Kaine survived. After her courtly curtsey, Yasha took her seat beside Ra, her feet dangling and not quite capable of touching the ground. She sat with her hands in her lap and watched, taking note of words like ‘Empire’, ‘truthfully’ and ‘war’. There to learn and gain experience, Yasha kept her head up and tried her hardest to understand every word. Once in a while, she keyed a word into her translator, and took note. Somehow, Yasha knew Ra’s diplomatic words were better. But… to each their piece. In a lull point, Yasha keyed in a line of private text for Ra’s buy’ce.

‘He was in the Netherworld. I remember him.’​

​

*You honour me, your Majesty. May Nussyn bless you, God-King. It is good to see you made it away from the Blood Plains. So did I. ​

 

[Darth Caecus]

Kith inclined her head when Tai Fa offered her introduction, but remained silent. She had nothing to add- no real reason to be here other than that Carnifex and Saarai had requested it. Ever since Felucia, she had struggled to find the place she fit- not simply within the Empire that held her allegiance but in the greater stroke of the galaxy.

That was a normal part of life, but most people went through it earlier... well, later in truth. A year and a half ago she'd awoken in a cloning creche. The why of her creation had never seemed confusing, though she had rejected it early and left, striking out into the galaxy. But, surely, there was more to her than that.

Pale blue gaze flicked from Carnifex to Saarai and then back across the table to the Mandalorian delegation.

Mostly, she listened, and watched.

(ooc: feel free to skip over me in posting order moving forward, but I'll keep an eye on this thread to post reactions as necessary)

[member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Darth Saarai"] [member="Ra Vizsla"] [member="Aryn Spar"] [member="Yasha Mantis"]