Grand Admiral, First Order Central Command
Cyrus watched as Boan left, and for a while simply stood in silence, pondering his next move. The young woman had laid her ambition out before them both, trusting in... something. Not the fidelity of a Sith and an officer she didn't know, that wouldn't have made any sense, not for someone who had displayed such intelligence so far. No, it was a gamble, perhaps she was betting on their personal ambition as well, holding each true to their pact until it was too late to make any difference.
Loyalty, to the Empire? Or to the Sith? In the end it didn't matter, Cyrus had neither. They gave him ship and he went to war, and amidst the chaos and thrill of battle he did their bidding. But if the tide shifted and the balance of power changed, he knew he would find himself at odds with former allies again. It wouldn't be for the first time, either. The goddess of war and victory was his only master, Sith, Jedi, and all the rest be damned.
And what of Darth Hauntruss, and those he almost considered 'friends.' He respected her, to be sure. Respected her skill in battle, and her ability to recognize talent, but he wouldn't flinch if it came to facing her down on the battlefield. No, in fact he might enjoy it. After all, nothing makes a fight enjoyable like a worthy opponent. Especially, say, an up-and-coming officer with a lot to prove. She would have his support, if only so he could craft the enemy he wanted to face, and the day they came to be on either end of a system would be a glorious day indeed.
"The Admiralty is rotten through and through, but I would be wary of cutting out one cancer only to see another grown in its place, loyal to no one at all." He spoke almost casually, as if his thoughts were elsewhere. "To say nothing of the problem with replacing talent, even if that talent is limited. Have your purge, but I would like to have some influence on who lives through it." He gave a stiff bow. "Until next time, Lady Zankarr."
Then Cyrus left as well, to see how the machinations of one woman's ambition could shake up an Empire.
[member="Darth Hauntruss"]
Loyalty, to the Empire? Or to the Sith? In the end it didn't matter, Cyrus had neither. They gave him ship and he went to war, and amidst the chaos and thrill of battle he did their bidding. But if the tide shifted and the balance of power changed, he knew he would find himself at odds with former allies again. It wouldn't be for the first time, either. The goddess of war and victory was his only master, Sith, Jedi, and all the rest be damned.
And what of Darth Hauntruss, and those he almost considered 'friends.' He respected her, to be sure. Respected her skill in battle, and her ability to recognize talent, but he wouldn't flinch if it came to facing her down on the battlefield. No, in fact he might enjoy it. After all, nothing makes a fight enjoyable like a worthy opponent. Especially, say, an up-and-coming officer with a lot to prove. She would have his support, if only so he could craft the enemy he wanted to face, and the day they came to be on either end of a system would be a glorious day indeed.
"The Admiralty is rotten through and through, but I would be wary of cutting out one cancer only to see another grown in its place, loyal to no one at all." He spoke almost casually, as if his thoughts were elsewhere. "To say nothing of the problem with replacing talent, even if that talent is limited. Have your purge, but I would like to have some influence on who lives through it." He gave a stiff bow. "Until next time, Lady Zankarr."
Then Cyrus left as well, to see how the machinations of one woman's ambition could shake up an Empire.
[member="Darth Hauntruss"]