Private Beneath the Lens’s Glass

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

Dromund Kaas had left a bitter taste in Aagenti’s mouth with the recent events that endangered his life at the hands of once-allies, but for the sake of the Empire and for proving he was worth his title, he forced himself to remain stalwart, unflinching in the face of adversity, a symbol of strength of the Sith Empire and those leading it. Within the great halls of a vast Imperial military-complex, Aagenti dedicated himself ever more to the task at hand, sliding through name after name of Legionnaire, sighing and observing the reports, looking for those that stood out as much as one that he had spotted earlier.

In his looser and velvet-black Blastweave, the Coruscanti Sith that was Lord Aagenti stood out as a mote of darkness in the room fit for function and utility over extravagance. Lining the walls were large terminals displaying the maps of the galaxy, showing regions of influence and just how far thinly spread the Sith Empire was. As he found himself scrolling through the reports, he found his focus set onto the maps once again, wondering to himself just how necessary it was that the Sith began to look inward rather than outwards - there were many problems that needed to be fixed, and they held an eight of the galaxy under their grasp - patience as the key to victory, as he had often exercised in practice within a tense room of negotiations.

Turning away from his maps, Aagenti gave a small sigh, rubbing the side of his face with his clawed, cybernetic hand as his gray eyes went to red, and an intricate linework of tattoos in luminous red ink erupted over his body and his hands, shining dimly through the deep-collared robe. A lick of foresight told him that a visitor was arriving, and a he looked up, he could see the armored form of a Legionnaire, their head bowed for a moment as Aagenti deciphered the meaning held in their silence:

”Well, go on then; bring the Specialist in, don’t keep him nor I waiting, understood?” Aagenti would speak to the Legionnaire in a stern and impatient voice, flicking his hand aggressively to shoo the soldier out the door and into the hallways of the imperial complex.

Mazrim Caide/Taim

Specialist Caide was one of those few outliers that immediately caught Telis’s fancy and intrigue, an individual who stood out not just because of skill, but also because of their personality. Namely, just how somberly grim the man was recorded to be, and how he had turned down promotion enough times that he would have been leading his own squadrons by now should he have taken them. It was these small details that caught the Mechanist’s eye, and it had been the reason he had summoned the man here, and more importantly prepared a second chair in the office for Caide to sit at.

Awaiting the hallways for Aagenti’s guest, two black-armored Legionnaires found their charge, accompanying the “guest of honor” to the room of Aagenti as the Sith Lord quietly waited, moving through name after name and not even looking up as the man entered, just waving to a seat in front of him. ”Have a seat, you aren’t showing any sense of valor or ‘maturity’ by choosing to stand.”

 

[Mazrim Caide/Taim]

Mazrim nods and takes a seat. A small line of dried blood runs down the side of his head from a small laceration, the dust of battle still clings to his uniform, His eyepatch is notably dark with sweat, and the dirty brown cloth he had been using as a makeshift camo cloak hangs limply from his figure like an untanned animal hide. Yet, for all his disheveled appearance, his manner is anything but unorganized. Everything, from his perfect posture to gleam of competence in his one functioning eye as it meets those of Telis Taharin-Zambrano to the set of his shoulders spoke of the professionalism and calm that only a true veteran ever carried. The kind of professionalism that made for efficient, near perfect soldiers. The kind of thing that allowed Caide to carry out the deeds in the most recent report in his file, throwing back a live thermal grenade and single handedly storming a bunker, killing ten men and wounding another five while saving the life of a commanding officer by taking a glancing blaster shot to the shoulder for him. And yet the man sat, even breathing and calm presence for all the world like he'd just come off leave.
"You wanted to see me sir?" His tone is as measured as his air, professional and direct.

 

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

Aagenti would finally look up as Caide addressed him, giving the man a heavy squint before a small smile formed on his face. Compared to the legions of Sith that would’ve gladly attempted to intimidate a man like Mazrim Caide/Taim at the first glance, Aagenti had wanted to make a better first impression with many of his soldiers - the stern hand of a leader, of course, but still somebody that wasn’t completely robotic, even if his hand and mastery over technology seemed to suggest otherwise. He would turn off the holo-terminal that he had displayed, after making sure that the last name that had flickered was the one on Caide’s own file.

Darth Aagenti took a moment to look at the man’s appearance, inspecting the grime all evident on his armor and the blood that was dried to the side of his head. Perhaps not even hours ago, Caide had been fighting to protect the Empire, giving everything he had to ensure that what the Sith had been up wouldn’t be destroyed by those who wished to see the galaxy thrown into turmoil and chaos. He was protecting the lives of billions of people, and, according to his file, protecting the lives of dozens of fellow soldiers as well. Caide was the perfect image of what a Legionnaire was, and yet he was lacking something direly crucial, in Aagenti’s mind.

”Of course. I’d offer you a drink of water or a few hours to go and get yourself cleaned up, but I’d be correct in assuming that you’d turn down both commodities, hmm?” Aagenti would raise an eyebrow at Caide as his smile faded, not even giving the man the time to answer as he shook his head and set to the task of organizing the tablets and hologram displays on his cluttered desk. Behind him, on the back wall, was engraved the symbol of the Sith Empire plainly for all to see, and beneath it sat a wardrobe where three lightsabers were displayed - two identical, and one easily doubling in length as the other two.

As he worked, however, he continued to look up at Caide every few moments, looking for any reaction within the stone-cold soldier. ”In your latest report, not only were you able to throw back a live thermal imploder before it went off, but you were able to act and protect a Centurion from active fire, all in a single mission. That requires a certain amount of level-headedness and courage that is lost in almost every other soldier of your ranking on the field… and that’s why you’re here today.” Clasping his hands in front of him, Aagenti would stare right into the man’s eyes, his own irises briefly becoming a myriad of color before settling back to gold, with some stitches of that same color briefly lancing through all of the terminals seen in the room.

Aagenti would then settle back in his chair, leaning back but still keeping his hands clasped over his chest. ”When looking through your file, I initially was planning to have you promoted and reprimand your superior officers for not having promoted you sooner, when I realized… you’ve been offered the chance to be promoted several times over now. Every single time, though, you’ve turned it down, as reliably as a clock ticks or the sea of stars rises over the Sith Empire, you have been equally content remaining a nameless Legionnaire. In an Empire of ambition and volition, you must see exactly how weird that is, correct?”

This time, Aagenti did offer him the chance to answer, giving him the opportunity to explain his thinking throughout all of this. He highly believed that Caide was just somebody who was willing to just be some wartime vigilante, and Aagenti wanted to know what the soldier’s aim was. He felt there was some sense of discretion that Caide had cleverly employed, but he was genuinely just curious about who Caide was behind the armor.

 

[Mazrim Caide/Taim]

Caide feels his natural suspicion rise up before he crushes it back down. If someone like Tellis knew what he was, he’d have been dead already. He meets the holds the sith lord’s gaze and nods.
“Sir if I may. I believe I am more of service to the empire as a soldier than an officer or a special forces operator. The men need someone on their level that they can aspire to. Centurions, sith knights, lords, to the rank and file these are mythical figures. Figures to be followed and revered, but not something they would ever dare aspire to, because they know it is simply above them. But me. I’m just a soldier sir. I may be good at what I do, but to my fellow infantry I am still one of them as long as I hold this rank. As long as I am still one of them, I am something they can really aspire to imitate.”
The speech rolls smoothly off his tongue, his stoic demeanor and the subdued confidence gleaming in his one functioning eye giving it credence and a legitimacy it would perhaps not otherwise have. He still holds the Telis Taharin-Zambrano 's eye.
“In this world, murderers are in higher demand than heroes, for good reason. Murderers are practical, heroes are not. But I believe the legion needs heroes sir, to allow them to do their bloody work to the best of their often meager ability. And I cannot be a hero if I am above them.”

 

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

Aagenti would put the tips of his fingers together, raising them to his mouth as he rolled over the comments that Mazrim Caide/Taim presented to him, thinking it over. ”The mistake in your judgement, if I may be allowed to dig further, is the belief that these figures who stand all around you in almost mythical reputation were always such that way.” Aagenti would allow his hands to drift down to his side as he considered the sentiment that Caide had posed. It was a true and genuine attempt to be a font of inspiration for others, but the critical flaw in his analysis laid in the belief that the people he serves with aren’t capable of aspiration.

”This may seem like blasphemy to the ears of those below, but those Centurions and leaders that you see in the field, guns raised and orders shouted from their mouths, were often in the same position as you. The empire needs foot soldiers, yes, but by standing in the same position, what you inadvertently breed is stagnation, and your skills are wasted rather than being used where they need to be used.”

Aagenti would motion to the map that displayed on a large terminal on the wall, showing the galaxy in all its splendor and the regions of influence of each faction. Spanning as visibly as the sun above Dromund Kaas was the Sith Empire, consuming somewhere around an eight of the galactic territories that were played at. ”This Empire cannot thrive without skilled minds where they’re needed.” He then clasped his hands once more, with a small clap.

”Now, I do not wish to push you into a position of command if you’re not ready, but frankly your talents in CQB and your calm under fire would be most fitting for a Commando regiment or a specialist infiltration squadron. You are worth far more than a Legionnaire, and by restricting yourself, you’re killing the ambitions of those that look up to you. For yourself and for them, you need to learn to look beyond your humble beginnings.” Aagenti would allow a small smile to form on his face, his eyes squinting at the man, as he moved to grab one of the tablets of the pile, moving to place it in his lap as he motioned for the Legionnaire to respond.

 

[Mazrim Caide/Taim]

Caide listened impassively to Telis Taharin-Zambrano 's rebuttal. This was unfortunately going to be even harder than he thought.
“Sir. I am needed on the front lines. I will not quote my statistics, as you doubtless have already reviewed them all prior to this meeting. I have been the deciding factors in multiple major engagements for the main legion. Special operations squadrons and commandos have hundreds of me. The legionnaires only have me. I am needed where I am, my numbers prove that.”
As Caide speaks, he stands, the motion smooth and efficient, no wasted movement even in something as mundane as this.
“If I may be dismissed sir, I am due for a pacification mission on a rim planet. With your permission, sir?”

 

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

Aagenti would sigh as he watched Mazrim Caide/Taim rise from his seat, looking up at him and putting his head in a single hand. ”I’ll call in some of my own Legion to fill in for you - veterans from Ronion, if you need any assurance. You know full well as much as I do, Legionnaire Caide, that your skills and personality are abnormal compared to other Legionnaires, and that you are in a very special position. I don’t want to fuel my own ego, but we both know this isn’t a normal meeting.”

Aagenti would put his hands flat on the desk, looking up at Mazrim and motioning for him to sit down, his back now hunched slightly forward as the gold inlays visible on his chest flickered slightly, turning rose gold before back. He kept his composure, though, as he’d learned to do throughout his whole childhood, but Mazrim could see how the cybernetic hand on his left arm dug little divots into the metal surface of the desk. ”Please, have a seat.”

Aagenti would rub the side of his temple with his left hand, the metal claws ingrained into the fingers glinting in the blue light in a way that warped it and seemed to almost distort and corrupt it, a small reminder of the twisted alchemy that made up the construction of each bladed finger. ”If you are happy where you are in the field then by all means, live, breathe, and die amidst the hordes of people far more ambitious and willful than you. But I don’t think you are content there. I could read it in your eyes as soon as you entered this room - you want something more.”

Lord Aagenti would take the tablet off of his lap and place it on the desk, fully visible for Mazrim to see, before sliding it over to the other side where he can reach it. ”I can offer you exactly that.” Finally pushing himself up to stand from his chair, Mazrim could see the full frame of Aagenti - rather unassuming, especially beneath the dark robes he wore, though still, purposefully fit to hug his frame, with his right arm lacking a sleeve and the other having a great, dropping piece of black silk drifting down from the shoulder and towards the wrist in a long arc. As he stood, he moved over towards one of the cabinets on the side, his metal greaves clicking against the floor as he examined the map of the galaxy briefly, his eyes set on all the world outside the Empire, before he turned back to Mazrim.

”The Empire needs fresh, new minds within the war machine if it wishes to protect the lands we’ve consolidated. Our eyes have turned inwards, a result of my greater counseling, and with it my focus has been set on finding new ways to protect our most crucial provinces. If we wish to remain the bastion of order that we have set out to be, then we need not just new technologies or weapons, but new tactics, plans, and ideas. That tablet contains information on one of my many plans that I’ve yet to set in motion.”

Aagenti would clasp his hands behind his back, staring a hole straight through Mazrim, before suddenly turning back to move towards his desk. ”Now, of course, if you walk away we can forget this ever happened, you’d go on and be forgotten as every other Legionnaire, and you’d be seen as a war hero when you finally die by the small handful of comrades that have decided to remain Legionnaires and remember you. If you instead want to prove to the Empire and me that you’re worth something more, then be my guest, take the tablet, and when these plans are set in motion, should you be alive, you shall be one of the few set to do something truly fantastic.”

As he passed, Aagenti would give one more push on the tablet towards Mazrim, before sitting down. He leaned back once more, his hands crossed over his chest as he looked at the man across from him.

 

[Mazrim Caide/Taim]

Mazrim has to admit as he sat back down, the man was convincing, and he was tempted...but he pushed the tablet back after some thought. Still, it wasn't smart to outright refuse a personal offer from such a high ranking official, that would just bring more attention down on his head.
"Give me some time to consider the proposal. I'm on leave in a few months...we could talk more in depth about this proposal then perhaps?"

 

[Telis Taharin-Zambrano]

Aagenti would look hard at Mazrim Caide/Taim with an inscrutable expression, watching him slide away the tablet with a seemingly look of paranoia and unreadable intent. With a heavy look and sigh, Aagenti would wrap his metallic claw of a hand around the tablet, sliding it back to his side of the desk and placing it somewhere deep within the many drawers of the desk. He then sat up, going back to his tablet with a look of disappointment that was quickly washed over with neutrality.

”If that is what you wish, then by all means. You may leave this office, and return to your duty, Legionnaire Caide. Just know that I am a very impatient man, and I have little room in my life for those that are afraid to seize opportunity when presented with it.” As Mazrim stood up to leave, Aagenti would shoo him away with the flick of his hand, immediately going back to his work as though nothing had happened or transpired. As he did so, two of the soldiers stationed outside the door moved into the room, nodding to escort the man out of the office.

”Remember, Mr. Caide… this Empire counts on you, as it does every Legionnaire. Serve us all well.” Aagenti would continue typing as Mazrim was led out of the room at his own pace, Aagenti once more moving through files and flicking through confidential plans and ideas yet to reach daylight. That was who Lord Aagenti was - a sea of ideas and unfathomable plans.