The Jedi Problem....

[Daxton Bane]

In size and scope the flagship of the Minister of Information was designed to impress and inspire awe. Thousands of troops moved as a well oiled war machine, ready to sow his will on any planetary system foolish enough to oppose him. Yet among that mass, one stood head and shoulders among them. Daxton Bane wore a simple robe of dark purple, the color so rich that could be mistaken for black in the low light.

Entering the office of Kaine Zambrano, he bowed politely and said, "Greetings, your eminence. I have come to submit my report on the Jedi situation." Daxton remained silent as he waited for the command to continue.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Kaine was dressed in his custom-crafted combat gear, which fit his muscular form like a glove. Plates of Ultrachrome rested just beneath polyfiber and durasteel, making his armor not just durable, but even resistant to lightsaber strikes. He sat on a luxurious chair made of fine leather, and leaned back in it as this man, this Daxton Bane, came to his private officer and announced that he came to submit his report on the Jedi. Finally, Kaine though, Something to take my mind off of this boring deluge of abstract operations. Kaine leaned forward and placed both elbows on the wood of the table, clasping his hands together and staring Daxton directly in the eye as he spoke. "Very good, you may proceed with the report." Kaine's voice was very deep, and was laced with authority and elegance, having being raised in a family of nobles, of lords and ladies, and groomed from an early age to be one of them, he retained his authoritative nature, but underneath that he clutched onto a violent and bloodthirsty soul. He sat there, intensely staring at Daxton with emerald eyes, waiting patiently.

 

[Daxton Bane]

"Based on the information gathered by our spies and informers, it would seem that Jedi have entered into some sort of alliance with the Republic. Based on historical archives I believe they intend to reestablish a Jedi secret government similar to that during the first Republic. In this they are hampered by the lack of knowledge among the general population of what jedi is and what their intentions are.

I have taken the liberty of instituting several programs which I believe will swing the popular opinion in our favor at the same time blacken the name of Jedi and tarnish their reputation.

Operation Dark Horse is a propaganda mission on Muunilist. Low tier operatives organize Sith cults among the population spreading favorable stories about how life improves under our rule. Carefully prepared success stories and positive propaganda for the local populance establish our reputation as bastions of order and law. At the same time, they would spread true stories about how under the Republic there was massive corruption. Jedi started conflicts, slaying innocent people without warning. From there they can jump to other star systems and establish similar cults. This would be the initial wave, once the cults are established we move to stage two.

Operation Wild Fire is a two pronged attack designed to destabilize trust in Jedi and the Republic. Using specially designed pathogens we will unleash an epidemic on the targeted worlds. When the planet is firmly infected, we will send ‘goodwill’ relief supplies as a sign of helping these neutral worlds. These supplies would be harassed and attacked by vessels bearing the mark of the Republic or the jedi, to ‘prevent’ the Sith from helping those in need. We can even stage an actual Republic assault since we can forge these items based on the designs our spies acquired, at which point in time the Sith fleet would arrive to drive out the dastardly cowards.

At the same time, a team of Sith would pose as Jedi to commit acts of public murder, theft and mayhem. I am considering calling them the Jedi Republican Guards. A militant faction of the who utilize violence to oppose the Sith. We can dummy up a spokesperson whose stated claim is that Jedi would do whatever it takes to fight the Sith. Any who do not join them will be dealt with harshly. Add to this I have an operation in play as we speak to channel a large number of funds from various financial institutions on Muunilist to this Jedi Republican guard leaving a trail of bread crumbs anyone with half a brain can follow. When the funds are discovered missing, the Jedi would be left holding the bag.

With the population calling out for Jedi blood, we can swoop in and offer the protection and aid should they decide to join our empire. We would achieve a bloodless coup, allowing us to not only preserve our forces and resources, but we would have whole planets rising up against the Jedi and their Republic."
As Daxton spoke he used his data pad to pull out charts and diagrams to show his calculations as well as projected figures on how much his proposal would cost as opposed to projected cost of the expense of a full military campaign against the same worlds. By giving the neutral worlds a common enemy in the form of the Republic and its Jedi terrorists, they would be forced to join the Sith willingly to form a defense against the perceived aggression of their enemies.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Kaine nodded, this plan was good, very good. "Indeed, a very tenacious and deliciously sinister set of plans my friend. To which, I find myself fully behind, as always I shall have my hand in any sort of business such as this. Tell me now, what do you require of me? I have the resources, the operatives, and the technological as well as the cybernetic capabilities to help see your plan bear fruit for the good of the Empire." He rose from his chair, slicking back his hair with one hand while another clicked a sequence of key-characters on a panel built into his desk, which brought up a holo-image of the planet in question, Muunilist. "Where should we concentrate the most with Operation Dark Horse? I believe we should target the highest density of poverty, and work from there naturally. As well we would have to chose what planets we would unleash the pathogens onto with Wild Fire. We should quickly chose our targets now before any more time is wasted." He said with a zeal in his voice that spoke of vicious devotion to his occupation and of the possible terror of which he could sew in the unaligned worlds. The Jedis would not be saviors in the eyes of these people, but horrible monster who butcher children. It delighted him so.

 

[Daxton Bane]

"I have taken steps to recruit qualified personnel," tapping his keypad to draw up the relevant dossier. "As you can see she is smart, willing and pliable. Our analysis show that she would appeal to an overwhelming 88% of our target demographic. She would be the new face of the Hydian Way News. Our new propaganda and disinformation arm."

Drawing up a hologrid of Muunilist, he show the minister where they planned to put the initial temples. "Our studies show that these religions have a large underground following. By taking the basic precepts we can come up with our own appealing religion and indoctrination procedures, here, here and here. They will target a large portion of disaffected unemployed worker base as well as the rebellious student populations."

"For Operation Wildfire, I am still in the process of perfecting the toxin soup we are going to use. I had hoped that we could test it during the planned siege of Morje but studies show that the cost would not cover the benefit. I would suggest we reserve it for more advanced targets we would wish to secure. This is where I serve at your discretion. I do not have access to advanced military plans and strategies of the military forces, but you sir do. So by cooperating with you, we can both benefit from the project."

"We would need also to generate a large number of 'Jedi' and 'Republic' gear and weapons for the more public raids. If we could produce such materials as evidence, they would be hard pressed to say the Jedi Republican Guard is not a real thing. It is my aim for the Jedi Republican Guards to be a permanent thorn and source of embarrassment for our enemies. By the time I'm finished the average citizen would think that Jedi would sell their mothers to slavery and are capable to any number of hineous crimes."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Interesting, interesting. I shall send out some of my best scouts to secure a list of suitable worlds for us to unleash the toxin once it is finished, perhaps another oceanic world, maybe even Mon Calamari? Ah, how deliciously fun that would be, as the planet had already suffered massive devastation when they're entire population faced genocide at the hands of Darth Krayt in ages past." He snickered darkly, a rather evil grin plastered across his features. "And as for the Jedi paraphernalia, do not fear, I can fabricate those with little difficulty, and I already have an idea of the wolf to put in the sheep's clothing. Yes, I do believe this will go nicely, very nicely. Your visit has been very beneficial to me, Mr. Bane, and I hope that we both come out better from this whole ordeal."

 

[Daxton Bane]

"Thank you for your confidence, Your Eminence. May we bring glory to the Sith while raining death and misery to our foes." Daxton replied with confidence, as he solidified another brick in his plans to rise among his fellows. To many Sith were blinded to the fact that they could seize power by force, no Daxton followed a different path. Let them plot their games and little fancies, while Daxton focused on the bigger prize. By proving he was a valuable asset to the Empire he would surround himself with those of mutual interests. He could use them for his purposes and when he was done, well there were always more people willing to go for the brass ring...