Private A Scheme Exposed [Darth Meritum]

[Sostiars Panith]

SIBC Banking Cruiser " Warchest of the Outer Rim " - Bespin Orbit
Darth Meritum

The Muun had recently entered Sith Space after escaping the capture of Muunilinst by the Diarchy.

He soon discovered himself entangled in a broader conspiracy orchestrated by Darth Nefaron , who aimed to dismantle the foundations of the Sith Empire and position himself as the ruler of its remnants, as well as the leader of his own Sith Order.

The Muun did not require the Force to foresee the consequences of such treachery against the Sith Emperor and the Dark Council. Therefore, before the Dark Lord had the opportunity to betray him, a common occurrence among the Sith, he took preemptive action.

He had only entered into a financial agreement, not a verbal pact of silence, which the Dark Lord had inadvertently overlooked, thereby allowing the Muun to uphold his species' oath to honor financial commitments but also bring him more influence and power within the Imperial Banks.

" You may proceed to hanger eleven, Sith Vessel " He listened intently to one of the monitors distributed throughout his office as the predominantly droid crew deactivated the deflector shields to allow the vessel transporting Darth Meritum to dock.

The SIBC could not place their trust in organic beings to manage the financial future of the Sith Empire, fearing they would yield to greed.

Therefore, their cruisers were entrusted to programmed droids, who exhibited unwavering loyalty to the organization which the Muun was thankful for as it meant it allowed him to operate within the shadows and away from the prying eyes of the Dark Council.

Though not from the eyes of the Sith Emperor, as Sostairs summoned one of his agents to inform him of a plot against the Sith Empire.

 

[Darth Meritum]

It was an uncomfortable thing, to fly in one of the Emperor's own 'Adonis' Class Transports. They were, of course, unique in their specific design - who knew how classified the ship's capabilities truly were - but there was a proverbial fleet of these things. As Voice, Darth Meritum had to get used to flying around like he was the Emperor, no matter how much of a target it painted on his back. He curiously thought about the life expectancy and average tenure of his position, and what it might look like after a few points of data.​

​

The ship was piloted not by droids as the cruiser they boarded were, rather highly trained pilots with either an artificial connection, or an authentic one to the Force - specifically to see into the future, and astronavigation. He even heard tell that they were trained with the Force enough to make these ships fly unnaturally. The thought was not a good one - and he hoped he would never have to see them in action.​

​

The landing strip fell with a hiss, and it took only a moment for it to touch down. Darth Meritum was in a simple black garb, almost understated for his position. One might have expected the 'Voice' of the Emperor to be garish and indulgent - but Meritum was not chosen for his influence, he was chosen for his pragmatic nature. In this, he reflected his thoughts in his clothes: simple, utalitarian, muted. The only color about him was the soft sulphuric glow of his eyes, and the heavily greyed hair around his face.​

​

Meritum fixed his sleeve as he strode down the gang plank, flanked by two Sith in great crimson armor. The Praetorians were Sith who had sworn themselves from the power structure of the Order as a whole, specifically to protect its vital assets. Perhaps not from other Sith, given a sanctioned Kaggath - but the Empire couldn't run if everyone was getting assassinated all the time, no? This was a rule that applied only for high level administrators, however. Dark Council, Ministry Heads, so on - each were given this privilege.​

​

With his final step he looked up, and awaited Sostiars Panith to greet him. Decorum and all that, he couldn't spit in the face of his position's honor just yet.​

 

[Sostiars Panith]

SIBC Banking Cruiser " Warchest of the Outer Rim " - Bespin Orbit
Darth Meritum

The Muun proceeded swiftly from his office to the hangar bay level, intending to extend his greetings to Darth Meritum .

This gesture was motivated not only by the latter's superior position within the hierarchy but also by the recognition that he had taken time from his presumably busy agenda to listen to the insights of the Imperial Banking Clan which sustained the Sith Empire through guild-based trading and external corporate support.

As he traversed the expansive corridors of the vessel, he contemplated the best approach to convey the information without presenting it in a blunt or factually inaccurate manner.

The details were scarce, as the Dark Lord had shared little regarding the specifics of his treachery. Instead, he had invited the Muun to a meeting in Anoat, which promised to be of great significance.

" You honor us with your presence here, Darth Meritum. " Sostairs inclined his head in a gesture of respect.

He took a moment to observe the two Sith present, both formidable and exceedingly lethal, armed with weapons poised to deliver a fatal blow with a single, swift motion.

" I shall not delay you for very long as you must be very busy in keeping the Sith Empire united in the face of the Galactic Alliance's offensives. But I have learned of a plot against not only the Emperor but the Dark Council as well. " The Muun said not wanting to waste the man's time with meaningless drivel that would solve nothing.

 

[Darth Meritum]

Meritum wasn't entirely sure what he expected from the Muun, he had very little interactions with their race over the years, and cared little for the racial stereotyping of serious business men. That being said, he was mildly surprised and appreciative that in this regard - the man was exactly what he was told he would be. Direct and to the point, Meritum didn't like to dally around niceties and pleasantries.​

​

"A man after my own heart," he said with a half smile.​

​

"I've flown a long way. If its not too much to ask, I'd like to sit and have a drink of water."​

​

It wasn't out of some nefarious or secretive reason, Meritum had full confidence the Praetorians with him would not leak anything they heard. Oddly, it was one of the own orders within the Sith he actually trusted. With a motion to the banker, Meritum fell into step besides him.​

​

"There are a thousand plots against the Emperor and the Dark Council every day, Chairman. You must understand I have some... concerns. Many of these plots are just that, a nobody Sith doing nobody things. How does this one require the Emperor's attention?"​

​

It wasn't that Meritum was doubting the man, he most certainly thought he was entirely serious, but the Empire was corrupted from its very birth by the insidious nature of plots. He was of full confidence that even now there were hundreds of plots to kill him alone. Very few of those, however, were going to end up on his radar.​

​

Sostiars Panith​

 

[Sostiars Panith]

SIBC Banking Cruiser " Warchest of the Outer Rim " - Bespin Orbit
Darth Meritum

The Muun displayed a subtle smile as he remarked, "Your request shall be fulfilled — please accompany me to my office. " He gestured for the Hand of the Emperor to follow him through the corridors of the banking cruiser, leading to his private office. ​

​

This setting would allow for a more in-depth discussion of the matter at hand, free from the risk of external interruptions. Given the possibility of a spy within the crew, he was determined to safeguard against any information regarding his betrayal reaching Darth Nefarion, particularly at this point in building his powerbase within the Imperial Banking Clan.​

​

"Normally you would be correct, Darth Meritum. But in this particular case there may be just cause for the Emperor to personally intervene as the plot has been orchestrated by Darth Nefarion, Lord of the Corpse Legion. A minor power perhaps on his radar but one with known supporters and a dislike of the ruling elite" The Chairman acknowledged with a gentle demeanor that most conspiracies against the Sith Emperor and the Dark Council were unlikely to succeed. ​

​

However, in this instance, there was an individual possessing an elite army and a network of supporters, which could potentially lead to a schism. Such a division would be detrimental to the Sith Empire, particularly if they were to achieve victory over the Galactic Alliance. ​

​

They finally arrived within the office of the Imperial Chairman, a small space of subtle luxury but also numerous holocharts and datapads with numbers of the InterGalactic Stock Exchange, one of the primary ways that companies measured their growths in such turbulent times. ​

​

As a protocol droid gave the pair of them a glass of water. ​

 

[Darth Meritum]

Meritum took it with a nod, drinking deeply before setting it aside. While he was sure that this man was somewhat in league with Nefarion, if he had divulged his plot to him, he highly doubted the man would then try and poison the Voice of the Emperor. In the grand scheme of things, Meritum was nothing but a proxy, and killing him would achieve nothing if the goal was to strike at the Sith Order or Empyrean directly.​

​

"I am somewhat familiar with Darth Nefarion, though only in passing. He has been present in some of the recent assaults on Sith-adjacent worlds, notably near the Stygian Caldera and more recently on Woostri. I think he's a fine asset, but in the world of the Sith, fine assets tend to get too independent."​

​

Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his legs and watched the stock market index tick, up and down, over and over for a moment.​

​

"What would you propose we do, Lord-Banker? I certainly don't know the details of his plot, nor do I know his supporters. Without those two things, I'm afraid whatever solution I make will be temporary, if not driving them to further secrecy."​

​

Sostiars Panith​

 

[Sostiars Panith]

SIBC Banking Cruiser " Warchest of the Outer Rim " - Bespin Orbit
Darth Meritum

"Indeed...Indeed they do." The Muun agreed, delicately sipping the water from the glass as they carried on with their conversation.​

​

He contemplated his own position within the Sith Empire, feeling like an outsider with limited ties to the Sith Emperor Empyrean and the Dark Council. He was equally exposed without their safeguarding, which would be essential if Darth Nefarion where to discover his betrayal firsthand. ​

​

Fortunately, the Banking Cruiser traversed the various regions of the empire without lingering in any one place for an extended period, complicating any tracking process and almost guaranteeing his safety. Though, the Muun was astute enough not to risk invoking fate by vocalizing such. ​

​

"We need more information to be certain of the threat posed to the Empire, though the mastermind did provide me with a secure data chip which will grant an individual access to a fortress on Anoat." Sostairs said to Darth Meritum , reaching into his pocket and withdrawing said chip given to him during their meeting on Jutrand.​

​

"Should the Empire's agents somehow manage to arrive on the world by mere convenience, they would be able to access records and route out any of his supporters and provide names." He suggested, with a raised expression. Not exactly saying that the Sith should investigate the fortress but merely expressing interest if they were to arrive unexpectant for an unannounced inspection based on rumors. ​

 

[Darth Meritum]

"Hm."​

​

Meritum considered it for a moment. They would likely only get once chance no matter how he turned it, but if he let Gerwald Lechner and Darth Malum of House Marr know, they could equally combine their strength to deal with Darth Nefaron - he doubted he would need the Emperor to pay attention to this at all. Typhojem forbid, it would only get worse for everyone if he did.​

​

"I think an audit may be in the cards, Lord-Banker. Now, I will not play dumb and imagine you are doing this for the good will and kind smile I can offer. What, exactly, are you looking for as payment?"​

​

Sostiars Panith​

 

[Sostiars Panith]

SIBC Banking Cruiser " Warchest of the Outer Rim " - Bespin Orbit
Darth Meritum

" There are many reasons that I brought this information to you, though they can be boiled down to a single tenant " The Muun appproved of the proposal of a surprise audit with a subtle nod, understanding that it could effectively entangle Darth Nefaron in Imperial bureaucracy and formal procedures. ​

​

Such a delay could provide him the opportunity to secure adequate protection from potential repraisals once his treachery became apparent as the Fortress on Anoat was likey only known to a few individuals within the wider Sith Order. ​

​

" The tenant is in terms of protection - there is little need for the Sith-Imperial Banking Clan to be bogged down in powerplays amongst the various sith lords and jealous governors within the Empire. I'd like to humbly request full immunity under the authority of the Sith Emperor in order to accomplish his whims without fear of an early grave. " Sostairs indicated with a soft gesture towards the Hand of the Emperor, seeking the Sith Emperor Emmpyrean's assurance of protection from the internal squabbles the Sith Order. ​

​

This would allow the Banks to carry out their responsibilities throughout the empire without the concern of internal disruptions which could complicate the war with the Galactic Alliance and other powers. ​

 

[Darth Meritum]

Meritum nodded at that, looking towards the floor in consideration.​

​

"I could be willing to swing such a pre-emptive pardon and gurantee protection - but I must add a caveat. The Emperor can offer his authority and protection to you, but we would need assurances that your efforts would be solely in his and his own's favor, rather than against him. While it may sound implicit, I like to be overt in declarations like this - if the Emperor is to give his protection, it comes with the understanding you won't be protected from him, should he decide you have betrayed him. Is that fair?"

Sostiars Panith​

 

[Sostiars Panith]

SIBC Banking Cruiser " Warchest of the Outer Rim " - Bespin Orbit
Darth Meritum

The Muun placed a hand on his chin for a brief moment as Darth Meritum suggested an additional amendment to the agreement prior to its submission to the Sith Emperor. ​

​

Such a caveat could potentially pose significant risks, given the Sith's notorious paranoia and capriciousness regarding their judgments. ​

​

Any perceived slight could be interpreted as treason, even if the overall outcome favored the empire as commerce and trade were not static commodities which could be predicted.​

​

He would be forced to prioritize Eternalism above all other influences, a propsect that held little appeal for those who chose to remain neutral and unbiased. ​

​

" The Emperor's judgement shall be abided by; should we be perceived as undermining the Empire's confidence in our transactions, we will face the consequences. I assure you that the Banking Clan will fully adhere to the principles of Eternalism. " Sostairs said ultimately agreeing to such a heavy price for protection. ​

 

[Darth Meritum]

"Eternalism?", he said with a frown.​

​

"Hardly, Lord-Banker. I just mean to say you shouldn't double cross the Emperor - he is not a good enemy to have. You will, of course, be given the fiscal and administrative freedom to do as you need to. I will not hinder your efforts in that regard. I will bring up your concerns to the Dark Council, and in turn, will even put a good word in for you."

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss, while I'm here?"​

​

Sostiars Panith​