Private Dirty Work

[Caulder Dune]

Xo System
Epitaph II - Command Bridge

The doors to the bridge split open, and in marched a mechno-chair of considerable prestige. It was composed of a glossy, black material, etched with spiral patterns of a seemingly specific complexity.

A tasteful display of wealth... At least by Sith standards.

It crossed the walkway above the crew pits, marching determinedly to where Lord General Irveric Tavlar waited. Its servomotors whirred audibly as it went, even over the din of its metallic feet scraping the cold durasteel beneath it. Mechno-chairs were clearly not built for subtlety - visual or otherwise.

The mechno-chair halted at a respectable distance from Tavlar, and only a moment later did its holoprojector flicker to life, displaying a downscaled version of Darth Adekos. He did not look dissimilar from the last time he had last been sighted: at the recently concluded Congregation.

Being rendered in blue might have flattered his physical appearance, but it did nothing to obscure a look of vague annoyance. One might presume it had more to do with the results (or lack thereof) of the Congregation rather than Tavlar himself.

“Lord General,” Adekos said, by way of greeting. “I was quite surprised to receive your summons. You must be sick to death of meeting with Sith by now.”

He smiled joylessly.

“How can I assist you today?”

---

Irveric Tavlar​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

The identity of Tavlar's vessel and thus his surrounding retinue had quickly been stripped down of its Sith influences as time passed between his outright declaration of treason and now. The Congregation accomplished about as much as Irveric had ever hoped - at the very least it bound Tavlar's host in line with Voyance's in this rebellion. The fears of Sith betrayal were still lingering but while their interests were tied in the destruction of the House Zambrano then their differences would be negligible...at least while a war need be waged.

Peering toward the holographic reflection of the once Sith Emperor, the scorned Lord General offered a nod.

"You should know better than anyone the Sith are not a kind who endear themselves to anyone." Tavlar offered.

"I appreciate the gesture of title but I think the entire galaxy would agree that I am no Lord General of the Sith Empire any longer." He admitted.

"I'm curious, more than anything. Believe me when I say I will not turn down any allies in this coming crusade but you seemed to be a man retired to the shadows - not one interested in involving yourself in the Sith squabbles yet here you emerge, why?" Irveric inquires outright.

---

Caulder Dune

 

[Caulder Dune]

Adekos exhaled softly, bemusedly. “Yes, well, do pardon the indiscretion. Mister seemed somewhat underwhelming.”

Titles could be such ephemeral things. Except for Darth. That one was markedly harder to be rid of. Like a flea on a dog.

He clucked his tongue at the former Lord General’s question. Of course this was about motivation. Even if Tavlar would ultimately accept any ally, he’d want to sort the reliable from the rest.

“The Sith Empire must be eroded before it can be dismantled,” he replied, matter-of-factly. “This 'squabble' represents an opportunity, however minute, to do just that.”

There was a certain distaste in his tone – as if having been forced to mention something indecent.

“Perhaps you were looking for something more specific. I’m of the opinion that this galaxy would be better off without the Sith Empire governing any part of it. That much, I’m sure, you’d agree with.”

---

Irveric Tavlar​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

The praise of Tavlar's...relevance did not go unseen if it even could be perceived as anything else. Adekos immediately gave off the impression of a dangerous man to traverse in conversation. Not because of anything he might say but because of what Tavlar might say to earn him a faint jab in reply of mostly good nature. It wasn't a pattern of behavior that bothered him in itself, it was more often those who espoused it who proved difficult. Adekos seemed to be level headed and see Tavlar as an equal. Seemed to. A rare feat of any Sith lord.

"It will be no minute squabble, so long as I am living I will be sure of that." Tavlar admitted flatly.

"The Sith Empire is a sick old beast. It does nothing but erode the galaxy at its very foundations. The self perceived value of each of its denizens dies all the same. Each action is purposeless at the heel of Zambrano. You are Sith but you must empthasize in leading men and women to die for a worthless cause. To bring worlds under its heel only to waste away at its populace with industrial brutality. I don't care what you think of the Mandalorians, the terrorists from their ilk does not justify the annihilation of its people and way of life. The Sith Empire must be brought low." Tavlar states outright.

---

Caulder Dune

 

[Caulder Dune]

He smiled weakly at Tavlar’s assurance, but otherwise listened intently. These were the familiar gripes of talented men and women who languished under the service of Sith.

It truly was a tale as old as time, these talented military commanders and bureaucrats toiling away in service of… What? A grudge. A feud started millennia ago by mystics, and now one sect felt entitled to rule the galaxy.

An endless waste of manpower; an impenetrable barrier against progress. But the mounting cost would always be considered trivial by most Sith.

“Much can be said of the Zambrano’s,” he mused, already considering the list of colorful adjectives that could be applied. “But their cruelties are rarely without purpose.”

His tone became more serious. “And if you were Emperor? What would your approach be to mounting Mandalorian unrest? Something more tasteful, I hope.”

---

Irveric Tavlar​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

If he were Emperor? In many facets -- a warped reality to conceive. Even as he took charge was the lightning rod of this crusade, at least as the Imperial dissidents were concerned, rising to such station was inconceivable. His role of commander of the rebellion paled in comparison to Sith Emperor though even still, he spoke on even ground to a man who was once Dark Lord himself.

"The Mandalorians...a proud people and a pride largely earned. Times over they put the Sith and Jedi both to their knees in their crusades. Even as their way grows warped and distorted by the reckless warlords that wear the Beskar'gam their creed is one I've taken upon learning from, not reviling. As a Sith you may see them in a different way than myself. In their purest form, not whatever they have been diluted to...they are warriors who have been able to equalize that of mortal and force time and time again." Tavlar says, seemingly admiring the bare tenants of the Mandalorian creed, but not the lion's share of its followers.

"When you strip a people of their pride and beat them into desperation, uprising and defiance is inevitable. The conflict between Sith and Mandalorian is not political, it is existential. You can not ever expect lasting peace between the two in the wake of the atrocities done upon the other by both. I could only hope to reconcile with those purest to the creed and the ways of their people while destroying the terrorists who'd rather ally with Jedi than follow the ways of their forefathers. Annihilating the lessons of generations of triumph over Sith and Jedi would be a foolish errand, each and every people in this Galaxy has its own piece of knowledge to contribute, be they their own mistakes or own merit. To deface and destroy all of them in favor of the perverted perspective of the Sith Empire...it is useless." Tavlar states candidly and outright.

"I would never claim myself to be the ideal ruler, the ideal leader. I never asked for this obligation. I was raised a farmer on Dantooine and became a shipwright in my young adult years before the Sith conscripted me to their ranks. Power...is not my aim, it never has been. I stayed the course of military command because I had to protect my soldiers. To the Sith lords in the Empire, they're tools to greater power. They'd happily throw their lives away for nothing as they did on Kintan and Mandalore. So much blood spilled for no ground gained at all and great suffering in its wake. That is why I defy this Empire, not because I envy the authority of the Emperor, but because it will waste away at the Galaxy until there is nothing left in order to serve their own lust for power." Irveric said - content to cease his own rhetoric in favor of hearing out the Sith Emperor in its wake.

---

Caulder Dune

 

[Caulder Dune]

Adekos raised his eyebrows, considering Tavlar’s response. A far more flattering appraisal than the Mandalorians deserved, in his estimate, but to each their own. It wasn’t unheard of for the galaxy’s everymen to laud the followers of the Resol’nare.

And as Tavlar continued to make clear, he truly was an everyman. Salt of the earth, of Dantooine. A shipbuilder and a farmer, and then a conscript. Most of Tavlar’s choices had been made by someone else. And now he had his own battlecruiser, poised to face down the Sith Empire with an increasingly unlikely coalition.

Admirable.

Even if his proposed solution to the Mandalorian crisis wasn’t.

He folded his arms, head canting slightly to one side as he considered Tavlar. “Fascinating. So you would ally with a few hardline elements, label the dissenters as terrorists, and use violence to be rid of them.”

This all sounded awfully familiar to Darth Adekos.

“If power is not your aim, why would you do anything other than leave the planet and let the Mandalorians govern themselves?”

---

Irveric Tavlar​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

"If we're able to rip it from Sith control, so long as they march alongside is they're more than free to govern it in this New Order. I don't see common grounds with the very same I fought on Mandalore - those successors of their supposed 'Empire'. The Clan Australis and its host are...not fit for governance. They were unable to best the same force to which the Silver Jedi bested on Kintan on a world supposedly sympathetic to their cause." Tavlar stated outright.

"I wonder then, how would you go this? The Mandalorian crisis? It would be shortsighted to not prod the perspective of a former Sith Emperor." Irveric admitted, though he might've had an ideological difference with the Umbaran that came with the divergent course of a mortal man and one adherent to the teachings of what the Dark Side had to offer.

---

Caulder Dune

 

[Caulder Dune]

"Yes, but suppose they want nothing to do with your New Order. What then?" Adekos shook his head, perhaps reprovingly. "No one is ever truly 'fit' for governance. It is a matter of perspective. You and Carnifex clearly disagree over his fitness to rule."

As was only natural, the conversation would come around to how Adekos would handle the situation. His lips thinned. In a perfect world, there would be a group of New Mandalorians to hand Mandalore over to. A sensible, reasonable, democratic people. But he doubted there were any left. Not in a galaxy as unforgiving as this one.

After a brief pause, he spoke. "If I were in your place, I would hand the planet back to the Clans at earliest convenience. You are not a Sith, so it is possible they will not read it as a cynical ploy to buy their favor. Mandalorians are intolerable subjects, but steadfast allies."

He did hate the Mandalorians. Truly and deeply. Yet there was no denying they made for useful friends, when they could be befriended.

"Supposing I were the Sith Emperor, though..." he continued, trailing off for a moment. "Not ideal. I would either be forced to commit to my predecessor's current agenda, or the reparations I would give the Mandalorians would see me usurped. Perceived weakness and all that."

Such was the way of the Sith. Give someone an inch, and they'll have you drawn and quartered for it.

---

Irveric Tavlar​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

"I share the same beliefs. Some worlds are just best governed by its ilk, Mandalore is one. It is a people far too resilient to ever uproot or drive out." Tavlar states outright.

"We'll see well enough if they care to involve themselves in this New Order. My aim remains unchanged either way." The scorned Lord General says outright.

"In that I am given a reprieve from the weight of legacy insurmountable from a lineage of Sith ruled Empires. Though the thought uprooting Carnifex from the throne itself is a task that seems all but unfeasible, greater work has been done." Tavlar pontificated in open air. To ponder himself in the throne of an Emperor was...odd, unfitting. Irveric himself liked to imagine that should Bastion be conquered the very moments he approached the throne empty and reclaimed. Would he see it destroyed? Would he seat it himself? A dilemma no one could wonder outside of pure hypothetical and even still, this was now the aim of Tavlar's ambitions. To stand in that hall as victor, what happened afterwards would be the truly difficult component.

"You may be able to see by now, Zambrano or not...the Sith are not fit for Empire. Just as the Jedi have seldom been trusted with such great power, no order, no peace can ever be had so long as either force cult clutches the reins of fate in the Galaxy...though I'm sure you may very well see different." Tavlar remarked.

---

Caulder Dune

 

[Caulder Dune]

Adekos looked expectantly at Tavlar, an expression solicited by the former Lord General’s later sentiments.

“The reins of fate,” he echoed, offering a weak smile of bemusement. “An interesting choice of phrase. I had not taken you for a man given to… Superstition.”

He said that word like it left a bitter taste. It was no secret how Darth Adekos felt about such things. To regard the workings of the galaxy as anything other than matter in motion was foolishness. The hologram shifted, clasping his hands behind his back.

“And do you consider the Jedi to have held those 'reins' during the height of the First Galactic Republic? Was that not an era marked by peace, order, and prosperity?”

---

Irveric Tavlar​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

"Even still...the Republic fell as it always have. Whatever 'peace and prosperity' there was, the Dark Lord of the Sith could still manipulate the control apparatus and reshaped a Republic into the Galactic Empire. Thats not say the Empire wasn't a land of peace and order in itself but even still..." Tavlar iterated, thinking over his next words for a moment with the consideration that Adekos was, afterall, a Sith Lord in mind.

"It isn't ever men like me who have any control in this Galaxy, traditionally. Those of us between Sith and Jedi are victim to the very duality of these force cults. Forced to 'align' with one or another or be chattle for the slaughter for both in the middle, just as the Mandalorians are. So long as the two exist, there will be no true peace and order. The Sith will manipulate Empires into being just as the Jedi will reap control in Republics who claim to be elected governments. These politicians and aristocrats in between only have as much power as the Jedi or Sith deem them to have. Anything else must be willed into existence. As such, so long as the Sith and Jedi manipulate the flow of fate in the Galaxy, it will be suffering unending." Tavlar says, perhaps brazenly to the face of a man who was once Sith Emperor.

---

Caulder Dune

 

[Caulder Dune]

He wouldn’t have described the waxing and waning periods of the Republic as falls, per se, but he could see Tavlar’s point. What good was a Republic if it could not be kept?

What he and every other Imperialist forgot to consider was just how long the Republic had been kept for… And how short lived the first Galactic Empire had been in comparison.

“A rather cynical view of the Republic and its peacekeepers,” he observed. “Have you met many Jedi? Personally. Not in combat. I think you’ll find you’ve overestimated their political acumen.”

Darth Adekos frowned, and continued. “Many would say the Sith are responsible for most of that 'unending suffering.’ And yet I get the impression your cabinet will be flush with former Sith-Imperials. Why is that?”

---

Irveric Tavlar​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

"I have. Two. One of them being the very Jedi Knight who'd done this." He said, lifting his cybernetic hand up near his own face to gesture the damage Lanik Dawnstar had done to him on the field of battle on Kintan.

"And another Jedi Knight, Ryv Karis. I talked to them with no malice, to gain a better understanding of the enemy, of their code, their beliefs. It was...enlightening, to say the least. Cults, both Jedi and Sith. It is not one or the other who is truly responsible for more suffering, surely the Sith code certainly lends more to it however. " Irveric says, he'd encountered both in states their most primal, in battle. Each of them fought similarly on a person to person level seeking to cut a swath through their enemies but even so far more death was dealt by the Sith.

"It is the duality of these beliefs and the endless conflict that this duality creates which seeks to undo all the middle, that is what is wrong. Former Sith-Imperials will certainly play a role in this New Order, this treason was not done so easily by any of them. If they have committed this far, then I expect them to commit the rest of the way in this vision." Irveric states outright. Though he was wary of the Sith among the ranks of the rebellion, they were each bound in this betrayal.

---

Caulder Dune

 

[Caulder Dune]

His brows knit together. “You believe treason is… A difficulty for Sith? You seem to hold your allies in higher esteem than the cloth you’ve cut them from.”

Perhaps Tavlar saw something in his Sith acquaintances that Adekos did not. He knew the Lord Commander had fought alongside at least one Sith commander. Trust was bound to form. Respect, even.

But for the rest of that rabble…

“Well, far be it for me to doubt your judgement,” he said. “I suppose time will tell just how sincere these commitments are. Some might say you've chosen a side in this cult feud by aligning with Sith at all.”

---

Irveric Tavlar​

 

[Irveric Tavlar]

Adekos had his point. After all they were committing treason all the same as he was. Perhaps he was better to tame the delusions of loyalty from adherents to a creed solely dedicated to strengthening a base of power.

"You would know better than any other of how these Sith operate I suppose, Lord Adekos." Irveric remarked in return, mulling over his thoughts for a moment before he sought to re articulate himself to the former Sith Emperor.

"If they're not fighting with me then they'd be fighting under the banner of Zambrano or not at all. With their fates sowed in the eyes of the Sith Emperor they have little choice in seeing this war through to its conclusion. Even so, in the wake of victory, what they will be when the ashes settle is another story. In my closest confidants, I have my trust however theres no telling what will sate the rest." Irveric admitted candidly to the Emperor. They were working with uncertainties but even so, everything about this war was nebulous in how it would carry out and the identity of those who'd survive when it ended.

"How would you deal with them?" Irveric asked outright. A valid question considering he only assumed he had to tangle with Sith upstarts in the past.

---

Caulder Dune