A Few Favors

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Mephirium had never met [member="Darth Adekos"] in person.

There were rumors, of course, as there always were when concerning men that held power. Some were flattering, others were not: Mephirium took them all into account. He was not the type to be dissuaded by the words of others, but a bit of prior knowledge never hurt when concerning a possible rival.

His ship came out of hyperspace around mid-day on Telti. A quick message was sent to flight control asking for clearance, and then he had a few moments to prepare himself. Adekos largely an unknown, but one whose support he would very much like to gain in the coming conflict.

He would need to appeal to this Lord's tastes, he just needed to learn exactly what they were first.

Closing his eyes, Mephirium opened himself to the force's currents. In the past, he might have searched for some semblance of peace; a way to speak with a clear head. Things were different as of late. He needed to achieve victory if he wanted to save the One Sith, and by extension, the galaxy.

He could not accept failure here.

After a moment's passing, he keyed in the code he had been given. Hopefully it would reach one of Adekos' underlings, or luckily, the Sith Lord himself.

"Lord Adekos, I am Darth Mephirium. I come to speak with you on matters involving the One Sith's future."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darth Mephirium"] | Pierre Bearzly

"Stop screaming, please." Adekos gently asked the Jedi Knight who was, in fact, howling in horrific pain as the technovirus ran its course.

His skin flaked off in several places, revealing muscle that was quickly calcifying into a hardened metallic substance. Unsurprisingly, the Knight did not hear him. He was some man in his thirties, a human or near human. He was taking this all rather poorly. The others had endured with pained silence at first, not even budging in their restrains. This one, however, was thrashing like a madman. The pitiless durasteel cuffs locking him in place failed to give away, even as the desperate knight tried drawing on the Force. The screaming got louder as the Technovirus worked its way up and Adekos rolled his eyes.

"Come on, now you're just being dramatic."

Despite the racket, Darth Adekos was not oblivious to the sound of the doors to the testing chamber sliding open. A Teltian ambled in cautiously, stroking his blue, forked beard. "Ah, pardon me, m'lord, hon hon hon." The Teltian, Mr. Pierre Bearzly, muttered, unnerved at the sight of the struggling Jedi. "A Darth Mephirium is asking to see you. He says it is in regards to the future of the One Sith. Hon hon."

The men of Telti had a distinct speech pattern and propensity towards dyed, forked beards. Adekos was learning to live with it. The masked visage of the Umbaran settled itself on Mr. Bearzly and studied the man for a moment, now ignoring the screaming Jedi. He had been a foreman of Telti's droid foundries even before the One Sith took the world. A smart man who knew better than to interrupt these proceedings unless it was on behalf of someone of great importance. This Sithling had no knowledge of a Mephirium, but if he was calling himself Darth he was at least worth humoring, surely.

The Sithling nodded curtly. "I'll meet him outside, thank you."

Moments later, Darth Adekos would arrive at one of Dome One's many landing pads, coming face to face with Darth Mephirium and... No one else. The man had no retinue? Fair enough. A pair of TA4s marked with the One Sith's insignia flanked the Umbaran on either side. "You must be Darth Mephirium." Adekos kept his hands clasped behind his back. "I don't get many social calls out here. What can I do for you today?"

 

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Flight control had led him down to Dome One shortly after the message was sent. Mercifully, they had given him the coordinates straight away rather than forcing him to ask for them. It wouldn't do to be clamoring over the comm channels like an idiot given what he was here to do.

The starfighter landed alone on the landing pad. He had no men or droids to accompany him. Mephirium had come alone. Past experiences had shown that bringing soldiers to a stranger's home did not always go over well. Some believed a show of power required a retinue of men. He felt power could only be shown when one was sure enough to come alone.

He had just managed to wrench himself from the cockpit when Adekos arrived; flanked by two automatons. Mephirium bowed his head ever-so-slightly in acknowledgement.

"That I am," he affirmed, "I've come to speak with you about a very important matter, and I apologize for taking the time out of your day to do so." Mephirium stood straight-backed and dropped his arms down to his sides, adopting a thin, albeit pleasant smile.

First impressions were everything, and Mephirium was finding her rather preferred Adekos' way of speaking over some of the others he had spoken to. Sith were as varied as any other group, but the majority Mephirium had dealt with thus far on this little quest had been a bit...brusque.

"You've likely not heard of me." Few people had. "I served in the old Empire. Darth Vulcanus was my teacher."

Not a great many accolades, but then Mephirium had always been the ambitious sort. He did not need titles to prove himself. "When it fell, I found my own way. Now I've returned. I had heard of you in the past, and I felt given coming events that we should meet face to face."

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darth Mephirium"]

"Oh, I've heard of Vulcanus." There was a light snort from Darth Adekos, one laced with contempt. "Never his students. I'm pleased to know his legacy lives on."

That Graug, Krag he had once been called, was one of the more promising acolytes during his tenure as Emperor. Unfortunately that promise didn't carry over to his future. That New Order had been a disgusting cesspit. A rump state. Last he heard, Vulcanus had some dealings with the Horde. He had fought in a battle against the Moross Crusade, generating some strange Dark Side anomaly... Which only succeeded in making one of those Morossian 'deities' look even more like a god. Utterly contemptible. Not that Adekos had ever been especially fond of Graug in the first place. The only reason he permitted their devastation of Kalee was to shut them up for a while. If only it had worked.

Well, that was all in the past. Adekos resolved to do his best to not judge Vulcanus' progeny through the same lens.

Mephirium seemed to be referencing the future quite a lot. Like he was going to be someone who shaped it. That was a special kind of vanity, but if this upstart was planning something, it would be better to know. "And what is this pressing, upcoming event that should concern me so? Someone planning to assault me?" Adekos cocked his head, appearing to examine the man before him.

 

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"Yes. He died well." A lie, but one could not say Mephirium did not give the old beast a semblance of respect. He might have died at Mephirium's hand, but that had been the way things worked in the past. Krag had wronged him and paid the price for such. Mephirium had no regrets over what had happened.

"Not so far as I know." He affirmed, keenly aware of Adekos' attentions. He might not have seen the Lord's eyes, but he could surely feel them boring into him. It was a common sensation as of late. When you went around claiming to oppose what some might consider the most powerful being in the galaxy, people tended to scrutinize you. "And I would not consider myself Krag's legacy." The words were spat rather than spoken. It seemed they shared a similar disdain for Krag, and by extension, his people.

Still, the Graug served their purpose. They had sworn themselves to his regime, and he would much rather send them into the meat grinder than loyal men.

For a moment, he was all-too-aware of the lightsaber at his hip. Announcing his attentions in the past had brought him into conflict with some. None had succeeded in taking his life as of yet, and some had paid with their own. Others still had pledged their loyalty, or at the very least, their support.

That did not mean Adekos would be incapable of doing so.

Besides, if the older man opted not to kill him and instead take him alive, though highly unlikely, the Colonel knew where he was. The minute past the four hour mark that he had set aside, and the growing fleet he had amassed would arrive in-system. Wouldn't make much of a difference if he was dead though.

"Lord Adekos, I come to you because I respect you." That much was truth. There were Sith he held in contempt for their ineffectiveness, a great number in fact. Adekos was not among them. "Change is coming to the One Sith. We've grown a bit complacent, wouldn't you think?"

Sure, there were the recent battles with the Galactic Alliance, and the rather slow creep of their forces into the Unknown Regions, but otherwise?

"The Dark Lord's gifts are not enough. Loyalty is important. Worshiping a mortal man as if he were a deity while our holdings crumble around us is idiocy."

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darth Mephirium"]

Dying well? That was a concept people still had? Any sort of death was a negative experience. It hardly mattered if it occurred in the heat of battle, from a vicious disease, or a sudden assassination. Dead was dead. It was a negative experience no matter where or how it happened. Darth Adekos supposed he could interview [member="Darth Vornskr"] about it. That Epicanthix overlord had more experience with the process of dying and resurrection than most people. As Darth Mephirium continued, however, Adekos came to the conclusion that maybe he shouldn't be calling anyone. The near-human's language implied that whatever he was planning, it was likely contrary to the Dark Lord's vision.

Not that the Dark Lord's vision had ever been consistent or clear. There were only so many times Adekos could be told it was beyond his understanding or that any given setback was part of "the plan" before he became skeptical of the idea that the plan even existed. At this rate the only reason Adekos tolerated the man (and his many deaths) was his ability to unify the Sith into a single cause, relatively free of infighting. Much had been accomplished; far more than the old Empire had ever achieved.

"Define complacent." Adekos scoffed. He had heard this line of thinking before: 'if I am not currently engaged in a battle, we clearly have lost our way.' Adekos was always happy to dismiss it. "The battle at Contruum was hard fought and recent, halving the Republic and reducing it to a rump state. I call that progress. Recuperating our losses afterwards is hardly complacency, not while the Galactic Alliance is now trying to make inroads into our territory."

He paused for a moment. "You were... There, right?"

Adekos continued on, not the least bit concerned with the answer. He was just curious. "I have never been one for worship and have always held strong doubts of our Dark Lord's status as a deity. Such rituals and delusions have been reserved mostly for the Yuuzhan-Vong and the neophytes who never mastered the ability to breath through their noses. I refrain from voicing them simply because, despite his obvious shortcomings, he has made progress in the dismantling of the Republic. You also mentioned that our holdings are crumbling, didn't you? Where, exactly?"

 

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How to go about this?

He could not use blunt force. Other Sith Lords had been brought in line easily enough with the tip of a blade. Adekos was, unfortunately, intelligent, and picked apart his rather quaint argument with relative ease. Most ate the line about complacency up.The bit about their holdings crumbling around them usually emphasized such. He needed another way to word this. A way that might make Adekos sympathetic to the cause, though he felt that the relative stranger would be firmly entrenched in the lacking of karks side of the fence.

In truth, Mephirium simply wanted to be in charge and exact his will upon the galaxy. That was just how things were when you got to the core of it. Sure, the Dark Lord had his failings, and yes, his grand plan sometimes made little sense, but he had done good for the One Sith as a whole. His ability to unify the Sith had created what they now had today.

Problem was, there was enough opposition to his rule for Mephirium to pick people apart rather easily. In truth, Adekos was the only Sith he was having and trouble with. The man would be useful. Someone who could actually think would be needed to go against all the yes-men.

Mephirium sighed.

"You're smarter than most, Lord Adekos." He cracked a thin smile, though it lacked any semblance of warmth. He would be taking a chance admitting his intentions openly. This world belonged to Darth Adekos, and while he might be able to make it back to his ship, it would be hours before the fleet would even consider jumping in-system.

Death was a very real possibility.

"I apologize for trying to twist things to you - - I'm sure you know that a large margin of the Sith will believe anything you tell them so long as you take the time to say it to their face." He paused for a moment. "The fleet is large enough to prove formidable. The armies number in the hundreds of thousands. Allies join everyday. I only ask that you stand on the right side of his history, and if not that, then to step out of its way until the winds of change have settled."

He was prepared to fight if need be, though he did not expect Adekos to start flinging lightning everywhere. Still, he knew to be ready for whatever possible outcome there might be.

At the very least, he had made clear what he had come to say. At this point, he would be happy if Adekos kept his fingers out of the pot and waited things out. He highly doubted the older man would join him in this little crusade.

"I was at Contruum. Bloody battle, that one." Mephirium half-turned, "I'll be taking my leave if it's all the same to you."

[member="Darth Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Darth Mephirium"]

Adekos sighed. "You give up far too easily. Not a good trait to have in a ruler, although that's nothing considering you came here alone and with only one plan of action." The Umbaran paused a moment and realized that sounded unintentionally menacing. He quickly clarified. "Don't worry, I won't stop you. Not now, anyway. If the Dark Lord can't handle this coup d'état, he's unfit for continued service anyway."

Technically, by that logic, the Dark Lord had become unfit for service three deaths ago. The system just continued to work regardless. Why question it if there was nothing to be gained and everything to be lost? Those deaths had never been decisive attempts to seize power, however. Chances are if Mephirium managed to kill the sordid creature and keep him dead... Perhaps things wouldn't be as different. But Adekos wouldn't bet on it. Swelling ranks of supporters or not, Adekos had doubts if Mephirium's foresight extended as far as a leader's should.

If Adekos was truly the only one to ask the right kind of follow-up questions, it was a terrible omen for both the One Sith's ranks at large and this pending coup. Hopefully, for entertainment reasons, Mephirium's followers made up for it with skill at arms.

"Let me give you some advice before you go, because I'm in a humorous mood." He started. "Ruling Sith? Not all it's cracked up to be. The Dark Lord only got this far because his 'equality among Sith' spiel somehow managed to work. When you yank the war axe out of his skull and his lifeless corpse tumbles off his throne, all that talk goes out the window. Whether you keep calling us the One Sith or not, everything goes back to the basics, to the Old Sith Empire: back when the leading cause of Sith casualties were other Sith."

Some people remembered the reign of Emperor Tyrin Ardik fondly. Tyrin Ardik remembered it as a long, grueling nightmare wrought with paranoia. The millions of credits he embezzled was the only thing that made up for it. Other than that, it alternated between pitched battles and constantly checking over his shoulders for assassins. "The Galactic Alliance and the Chazwa Rump State will see that as weakness. They'll attempt to exploit it, maybe launch an offensive. If you don't shore up all the border systems against an attack the minute you step into office, you've already lost. Whatever allies you've consolidated for this, don't let them wander too far once the job is done. All too often does it happen that within a week of putting you on the throne, they think the job is done and pull out to conduct their own affairs. They forget. And your detractors won't. You take your time consolidating power and reinforcing your holdings. If you launch right into an invasion of some Chazwan backwater or Alliance core world, it won't be pretty, mark my words."

Far be it for Adekos to pass up an opportunity to educate a soon-to-be head of state. If Mephirium won, then perhaps he'd use that advice to continue the One Sith's upward rise. If he lost, then the Dark Lord would continue to gather dust on his throne and the stats quo would be maintained. Either way, Darth Adekos was convinced he would be satisfied with the result. If he had any knowledge of the coups that would run concurrent to Mephirium's, then he gave no indication of it.

He concluded. "There's your advice. Make of it what you will. The Force knows I could have used it back in my day. Now, off with you. I'm sure you have more recruits to collect. Have a nice flight."

 

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No, I'm being strategic.

Mephirium did not bother putting his thoughts into words. If Adekos thought he was giving up too easily, then that was what he thought. There was no point in arguing over it. Besides, the older Sith Lord was right on one thing - he had made a mistake in coming alone. Such a tactic had impressed some of his newly-minted allies, but he'd forgotten that not all Sith respected a bit of bravery. Some perceived it as foolishness, and to some degree, they were right.

Mephirium would not make such a mistake again, especially not with Adekos.

However, if the older man thought the youngster to be caught up in himself, he would be wrong. He waited patiently as Adekos gave his advice, and Mephirium, for all he was worth, took it to heart.

"I've no intentions of escalating the war any further at this point until I've consolidated my position," he paused for a moment, "I know you may think me a fool, Lord Adekos, but I do appreciate the advice nonetheless." There was sincerity in his words. Adekos might have received him more harshly than others in a strictly verbal fashion, but he had at least offered some bit of help without requiring anything from Mephirium.

That accounted for something.

"If I succeed, you may hear from me again. If I do not...well, let's hope it makes for a nice show either way."

He cracked a grin that was entirely humorless and lifted himself back up into his starfighter. He didn't look back until Telti was far behind him and the hyperspace drive began to engage.

[member="Darth Adekos"]