End of a Cycle

[Sebastian Thel]

Theme Music

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A bell tolled over the streets of Carlac, where Sebastian walked to work amidst a conspicuous lack of people. A street guard directed speeders in his flamboyant uniform, most likely only seen by Sebastian that day. In the distance, a feint chanting traveled from a local church. Stopping beneath a lamp post dropping with icicles, the mathematician huddled beneath his scarf and coat. The frigid air clung deathly to the condensation floating above his breath. He pushed back his sleeve and checked the time on his holo-watch.

A few feet away from Sebastian, the traffic guard held out his hand and prevented him from crossing the road. Since there were no speeders coming in any direction, Sebastian tilted his head in curiosity at the sight. The man seemed very persistent in his work, as though he was intentionally waiting for a speeder to pass before he waved Sebastian along. Growing frustrated, he walked directly up to the Ming-Po and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, I have to get to work." He said sternly, a hint of curiosity on his tone. Even though he was early as usual, he still hurried out of habit. The Ming-Po turned his head fiercely and demanded something in his native language, then shoved Sebastian backwards with a hand.

"Well that wasn't necessary." Stumbling slightly, Sebastian took a step backwards and adjusted his glasses. His gloved hand was still firmly wrapped around the handle of his briefcase and he looked down out of habit to make sure the latches had not come undone. The other man seemed unfazed. "Look, I have an appointment with a Sith Lady." Sebastian said and reached into his pocket. He produced the document confirming his appointment, which was fortunately written in the native language of the world.

Upon taking a closer glance, the Ming-Po recoiled and gasp. He waved his traffic sign aside and allowed Sebastian to cross the road. After turning a corner, he arrived at the communications center, where he handed his document to a Ming-Po guard. The guard kept the file and waved him through the gates with a primitive looking rifle. Outside, military vehicles baring the flags of the Sith Empire were parked, where intelligence operatives filed out. He entered the front of the old building and greeted the features of the woman he was due to meet.

"Lady Avacyn, I am Sebastian Thel of the Saraaisash, it is a pleasure." Parting his lips in a coy smile, Sebastian extended a hand for Kaalia Pavanos to shake if she wished. He spoke quietly as he addressed her, struggling to completely lift his voice.

"Things have certainly got heated, haven't they?" He looked over his shoulder to check and see if anybody was listening. From streets dispersed of any civilians to authoritative practices ingrained in even the most simple of occupations, the pacifist world had become dangerously closed in their beliefs. "We shouldn't talk out in the open for too long, come on, let's go to my office." Shrugging, he waved a hand towards the door at the end of the corridor and beckoned Kaalia to follow him through the door.

Hidden away at the end of the building, Sebastian's office occupied a dull room with a single window. Communications equipment was set up beneath the window, with the door to a refresher on the opposite side. A wooden desk sat in the center, with a chair set for Kaalia. Setting his briefcase on the desk, Sebastian removed his coat, which he slung on the back his chair, along with his scarf. Underneath, he wore a plain, white shirt and a knitted cardigan with beige plus fours and lace-up shoes. He sat down and opened his briefcase.

For a moment, Sebastian stood up again and walked over to the door to make sure that it was locked. He turned the key and shook the knob, then sat back down. Out the briefcase, he selected several graphs which he laid across the surface. He placed his pens neatly beside one another, only to move one back into place when he was not happy with the way it was sitting. He removed his gloves and laid them beside the paper, then rested his chin on his fingers.

"Now then, statistics confirm a decrease in open networks between Carlac in the Sith Empire in the past five years." The mathematician began as he looked over a graph. A logarithm displaying a rapidly sloping function in communications networks between Carlac and the Sith indicated the further exclusion from the Empire in the government's list of allies. "Tell me what you found out from your last meeting with the president." Sebastian inquired he prepared a new sheet of graph paper.

"Imperial comms have been unable to contact Ming-Po officials and our slicers haven't found the source of the disturbance." Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, he looked up at Kaalia and tilted his head inquisitively. "Has the president expressed any open disdain towards the Empire?" As Sebastian asked, he reached over and selected a recorder, which he placed on the center of the desk. He pressed the record button and waited for Kaalia to speak.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The meeting with the president had been, to place it in a forgivingly mild manner, tiresome. Often times during her diplomacy visits the leader of the planet was much more welcoming whether it was out of a wish to have the backing of the Sith Empire or out of fear for it, both stemming from the incredible amount of power it had at its disposal both in the political and military sense. Negotiations had often been remarkably easy to navigate because of this, but this time the planet of Carlac was willing to call the Empire's supposed bluff. There was no direct wish to expand their borders further to the west and they knew it, but recently the inconvenience this caused had gotten to alarming levels.

In order to restore the relations between Carlac and the Empire, Darth Avacyn had been sent down to the planet in question with a two-phase mission. In the first phase she was looking to restore the communication between the two party through simple negotiations, but it could be concluded with almost complete certainty that it would not lead to any result that could be considered satisfactory. Before the second phase was put in motion, however, more in-depth strategy would have to be discussed. This brought the woman to the entrance area of the communications center the Sith Empire had erected. She would be meeting with a member of the Saaraishash to assess the options they had available to them in order to assure that the situation returned to a much less heated state.

Sebastian would find Avacyn pacing until she noticed his approach, at which point she halted and turned towards him. He was definitely not a physically imposing man, but that didn't mean his wits were to be underestimated. "The pleasure is mine, mister Thel," she responded as she firmly shook his hand. Perhaps it wasn't everyday a Sith of her status was this respectful towards anyone who didn't share that particular trait, but that didn't deter her. They were on the same side, after all. The redhead's tall frame was accentuated by the sleeved black dress she wore. The collar as well as the ends of the sleeves has a constrasting white color, while her heels were a similar black.

"That they have," she responded quite frankly, "But you are right, this is quite the sensitive matter. I will be right behind you." As Sebastian began making his way towards his office, Avacyn followed him to the back of the building, where they found privacy within his office. After a quick look around to take in her somewhat uninspiring surroundings, she went to sit down on the chair that waited for her. After doing do, she took a glance at the graph that only further established the fact the relations had gone far from smoothly for a long time now.

The question that followed wasn't answered until Sebastian had pressed the button on the recorder, but when he did Avacyn would begin. "It seems the president is no longer all too fond of the terms of our alliance. They have witnessed our expansion and saw our strategy of taking hold of former Silver Jedi territory, then concluded westward expansion isn't in our interests. In his own words, they 'aren't afraid of us'." This, quite obviously, was a clear red flag. In case of an organized attack on the Empire, the chance of Carlac joining them was very real.

"In short, they would much rather see us leave altogether. I don't think an explanation of why that is unfavorable is needed." Avacyn then leaned forward and placed her elbows on the desk, folding her hands together and looking at Sebastian. "What do you make of this?"

[member="Sebastian Thel"]

 

[Sebastian Thel]

Before Sebastian could pull back his hand, he felt his wrist being pulled by the Sith Lady's strong grip. The ends of his mouth dented his cheeks in a slight smile as he averted her gaze and looked at the wall. Soft, brown eyes stared past Kaalia's shoulder and into the door at the end of the corridor. When she released, he pulled his hand away and stifled a small chuckle. One eye glanced over her dress, which may have been considered attractive to the average person. Kaalia's beauty, however, was lost on Sebastian. He gestured to the door and allowed her to walk ahead as they both exited down the corridor.

"This way, please." He said as Kaalia entered the door. Turning around another corner, he arrived at his office and opened the door. Once they were both inside, one of the operators poked her inside of the ajar space and waved her hand to gain Sebastian's attention. He looked up and smiled as he took off his coat and slung it over the back of his chair.

"Coffee, Bas?" The young woman inquired. He nodded in response and adjusted the pale blue, knitted waistcoat he wore underneath his coat. He took off his gloves and placed them neatly at the edge of the desk. Sebastian always kept his hands covered unless he was writing or manning the comms.

"Yes, please. Would you like anything to drink M'lady?" He answered as he sat down. The woman turned to Kaalia and waited for her response. Once the Sith Lady answered with her preference, the operator left and shut the door. Standing up again, Sebastian quickly checked to see if the door was locked and once he was satisfied, he sat down again.

The tip of Sebastian's finger pressed the button on the recorder. With a pop of static, the tape began to collect every word exchanged between the lips of Kaalia and himself. Leaning backwards, he sighed and stretched his fingers, then opened his briefcase. He selected a graph displaying the decrease in open networks between Carlac and the Empire, on which a logarithm confirmed the downward slope of functioning communications between the two powers. Sliding the graph over to Kaalia, he selected a new sheet of graph paper, along with a ruler and a pen.

"That would explain the government shutting down networks between Carlac and the Sith." As he slid the graph across the table, he tapped his finger on the paper and indicated the figures. The logarithm marked with the sloping decrease of open networks, tapered downward, just as Kaalia had described the president's reluctance to accept any more offers from the Sith. "It seems they wish to isolate themselves from the rest of the galaxy and shut out the Empire from their dealings." The mathematician expressed his thoughts.

While Kaalia took the time to observe his report, Sebastian prepared a new sheet of graph paper, along with a ruler and pen. Every so often, he arched an eyebrow and looked up to the lips of the Sith Lady as she spoke, absorbing every word and analyzing the details between the syllables which rolled off her tongue. He set the ruler against the paper and traced two axes marked with numbers which listed waning statistics. This time, Sebastian listed the graph with a series of dates relating to factional allegiances.

On Y axis, he marked the years and on the X, he listed the names of various factions with whom the Sith Empire was involved with. A exponent shot upwards, depicting the growing relationship between the Empire and the Mandalorians. Another fell directly down as the Sith continued to pillage the worlds of the Silver Jedi. He calculated the rates at which allegiances differed and compared the statistics to those of the communications networks which had been closed by the Ming-Po. The numbers rolled beneath his grip, before he suddenly paused to look up at Kaalia.

"May I have that back, please?" As he spoke, Sebastian lifted his head. His glasses had slipped clean off his nose and he pushed them upwards as he waited for Kaalia to hand him to the other sheet of paper. Nodding in appreciation, he placed the earlier graph he had prepared beside the new one beneath his wrist.

"The Ming-Po began isolating their networks from the Sith Empire around approximately the same year the Empire allied with the Mandalorians." With both the sheets of paper side by side, Sebastian quickly calculated the rate at which Imperial relations with Carlac had tapered and compared the decrease to the growth of the allegiance between the Empire and the Mandalorians. "The decrease in open networks between Carlac and the Sith hit an exponential slope when we invaded the Silver Jedi, but the Ming-Po are historical enemies of the Mandalorians." Marking figures against the points against the most glaring fluctuations on the graph, he sat back and held the pen between his teeth.

"This leads me to believe that their grudge against us is due to their mistreatment at the hands of the Mandalorians." Sebastian said as he swiped the pen from his mouth. He leaned back down and turned to the downward slope listed with the attacks of the Sith Empire against the worlds of the Silver Jedi. "Now they may be considering an allegiance with the Silver Jedi in retaliation, but I can't determined that for certain." Tilting his head to one side, he considered the gradual rise in Carlac's relations with the Jedi. The statistics were not well-behaved, causing Sebastian to shift in discomfort. He was convinced that further investigation needed to be taken.

"From what you heard at the meeting, do you believe that Carlac may be considering an allegiance with our enemies, or do think that they intend to remain isolated?" He clicked the pen and sat upright, looking at Kaalia with a curious glint in his eye. There was no telling just how deep the cycle of oppression ran on the pristine world. Once the intentions of their leaders were sourced, the cycle could be uncovered and broken in the process.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Only when Darth Avacyn finished her verbal report on her meeting with the president did she finally acknowledge the existence of the cup that waited in front of her, picking it up while she adjusted the placement of the graph that had been handed to her by Sebastian. A quick look at the liquid that was contained inside confirmed she got what she had asked for- caf, a beverage that one could get pretty much anywhere, even if the quality tended to vary wildly. It was hard to mess it up for her, however. She had always preferred it black, as pure are it got. Force knew the woman could use it after having to remain civil against the most influencial man on the planet they were trying to restore relations with. The way he had conducted himself hadn't made that easy in the slightest.

Luckily, because of the time Avacyn had spent relaying the events of the meeting, the drink had cooled off just enough for her to drink it. She took a good sip while glancing over the graph, which showed a trend not at all suprising to her considering the words of the president earlier today. "They are definitely not happy with our presence. They hammer home the point that we have the means to get the long end of the stick in deals of any kind. At least, that is what I think is going on, considering the general sentiment that the Sith Empire 'abuses their position'. We would profit off of their backs." Another sip of the caf was taken. It couldn't kick in soon enough. "Our relations with the Mandalorians definitely does not help the situation, either."

The graph was handed back over to the one who had drawn it up and he would continue giving his own perspective on the matter, which mostly consisted of numbers and facts. His explanations were capped off with a question posed to the woman. She took a second, then went to reply. "I definitely do not think they want to isolate themselved completely. They know all too well that they would not make it. Whether they would ally themselves with any enemy, I cannot say for certain. If a powerful one arises, perhaps." In the state the galaxy was in at that moment in time, however, it was doubtful.

"Now, this is only a suspicion," Avacyn then said, changing the topic somewhat and seemingly out of nowhere, "but I have reasons to believe the president is the one who created this general displeasure towards the Empire. I do not know what the end goal is, but perhaps we can find a correlation between this downwards slope," she said while she pointed towards the graph that she had returned to him previously. "And the start of his presidency. If there is, that would potentially help with finding a solution to the issue."

[member="Sebastian Thel"]

 

[Sebastian Thel]

Sliding a hand into his pocket, Sebastian rubbed the die he routinely carried on his person. As Darth Avacyn spoke, he made a notation against the decrease in communication between Carlac and the Sith, expressing the lines the Ming-Po had opted to keep open with a percentage, which made him agree with the Sith Lady. He did not believe that they wished to isolated themselves entirely, but rather, exploit the Empire's resources while still maintaining their distance. Sebastian took the die out of his pocket and shook it around on his palm.

"If the Ming-Po wish to isolate themselves from the Empire, while still accepting our resources, chances are they mean to exploit us." Sebastian said and rolled the die. An even for the lines Carclac had cut between the Sith and an odd for the hospitality they proceeded to milk. After scooping up the die, Sebastian shook it around in his hand again while considering the chance that the President had directly influenced the result.

"Darth Avacyn, if you approach the presiden'ts cabinet with the offer of peace, I can intercept the channel and monitor their exchange with him." Shoving the die back into his pocket, Sebastian took another sip of caf and shuffled his notes. Determining the chance of Carlac acting against the Empire was all well and good, but Lady Avacyn would need to insert herself directly into their cabinet to find out what they were really up to. Opening his briefcase, Sebastian placed his notes neatly in a pile on top and closed it, before standing.

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Beneath the ground level of the communications centre, Sebastian stood in front of a mirror in the quarters he had been assigned for the mission. Adjusting the buttons on his uniform, he made sure the lapel on his double-breasted coat was neat and tightened the straps at the top of his jackboots. After grabbing his cap, he pulled it on rakishly over his messy hair and left, where he turned a corner and walked down a flight of stairs. The bunker below the office where he had worked with Darth Avacyn smelled of metal stained with fuel, churned by the electronics inside the walls.

Withdrawing a breath, Sebastian inhaled the smell, which he had come to enjoy since working for the Intelligence network. A cramped bunker filled with analysis machines and communications equipment now felt like home. The doors opened and he stood in his uniform, beholding the powerful woman at the other end of the room. When she dismissed the guards, they left and the doors closed, leaving Sebastian alone with her and the beeps of the terminal mounted against the wall. A microphone had been fastened to Avacyn's dress, which Sebastian now had the task of connecting to his terminal.

"Right, um, I'll just get this hooked up to my station." Sebastian said awkwardly, twiddling his fingers as he prepared to touch the small microphone. From his pocket, he took a signal locator, a piece he had designed to trace a line in an area where the local network had been cut.

Sebastian reached out hesitantly and pinched the microphone attached to Avacyn's dress, wincing in discomfort as his fingers came into contact with her sternum. He inserted the tiny locator into the microphone, which accepted the piece with a click. After attaching the lead of the microphone to the locator, he withdrew his hands and wrung them, shoving off the feeling of touching the Sith Lady. The locator beeped, telling Sebastian that it was ready to be connected to his station, so he swiftly turned on his heel and headed towards the terminal, where he sat down.

Logging into the Imperial server, Sebastian quickly opened up a private channel between Avacyn and himself, which he installed with the tracking beacon located within the mircrophone. After entering an access code, he connected his station with the locator and encrypted the line between them, ensuring that it could not be breached while Avacyn was undercover. When he opened the line, the microphone beeped again and the locator began to look for the line that Carlac had cut with the Sith. Satisfied, Sebastian swerved around on his chair and faced Avacyn.

"We're good to go, that locator should pick up the local network, even if it the Empire can't access it." Sebastian affirmed, pointing to the microphone. "While you're talking to the cabinet, it will trace the line they're using so I can intercept it, then we'll find out what they're really up to." Pointing awkwardly, Sebastian spoke with a ring of optimism as he proudly explained the piece he had designed. Now that the channel was set up between them and securely encrypted, Darth Avacyn was ready to address the cabinet.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"Do extend my gratitude towards president Goja for bringing together his cabinet on such short notice."

"Of course. The cabinet is eager to hear your offer. I wish you a good evening, milady."

Darth Avacyn silently nodded and watched the holo-image that was projected in front of her retreat into the base from which it came, the blue hue present in the bunker dissipating as it did. Her unorthodox decision to contact the president's office personally instead of through a subordinate had turned out to be the right move. Where before it had been exceedingly difficult to arrange for a meeting between herself and president Goja, her second request was met with little resistance. A meeting with the full cabinet was quickly arranged to take place only two days later.

With her part of the preparations complete Avacyn walked towards the mug that contained her caf on the table, but as she took hold of it she realized it had long gone cold. Sebastian had already left the bunker so that she could get the necessary arrangements done and so she allowed a sigh of disappointment to escape her lips, something she would never do in the presence of those she worked with. At least her transport to the hotel she stayed at was already waiting for her, one of the benefits of visiting another planet in an official Sith-imperial capacity. The woman already knew what she was going to do first when she got back, too. A call to Dromund Kaas.

She always missed Ishana when she was off-planet for Imperial business.

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Avacyn looked away from the datapad in front of her to take a sip of her caf, savoring the taste for a short moment before swallowing the hot beverage. She had taken a chair placed in front of one of the machines and turned it so that she faced the door when sitting down, saving her from having to turn her head when Sebastian arrived as well. Until then, she had decided to use the time she had to go over her speech script for a final time. It wasn't as much of a proper 'script' as it was a list of points with the general information and statistics needed to back up the points to be made, though, which had become Avacyn's preferred way of preparing for any kind of public speech. There wasn't a lot to address as the meeting with the cabinet was simply a way to extract the information the Empire needed to gain the upper hand without having to resort to armed conflict, but it was important to at the very least stave off any suspicion. Empty speeches devoid of substance were far from uncommon, serving as little more than to show a willingness, or guise of willingness, to maintain relations.

When Avacyn began nearing the end of her list the doors opened and Sebastian entered the room, causing her to nod in greeting. Afterwards she gestured to the guards that everything was in order, the doors closed to allow the two to speak in private. The woman placed the datapad and the cup of cap onto a flat surface of the machine she sat nearby and got up from her chair to approach him. "Good morning, mister Thel," she said in a friendly tone, giving him a modest smile. Sebastian had been pleasant to work with, his personality being a welcome change of pace of the normally ego-driven Sith.

Sebastian went to make the necessary adjustments to the microphone Avacyn had already had attached to her dress and the woman couldn't help but feel a bit of amusement at the awkwardness he displayed, but she managed to keep that to herself. It was hardly the reaction she expected anymore with the way she was subconciously eyed at on a regular basis, but it didn't bother her. While the man worked behind the terminal she went back to her caf, sipping away at it from her own seat until he was done.

"Then I suppose it is time for me to do my part. Let's see what we can uncover, hm?" Avacyn quickly finished her cup and standing up for a second time. After straightening her dress she took the datapad and with a series of taps informed her chauffeur that she was on her way. "I will return here afterwards to discuss what we've found. Wish me luck." With that, she made her way towards the exit of the bunker.

[member="Sebastian Thel"]

 

[Sebastian Thel]

Sebastian took off his cap and left it on the bench of the terminal, the pulled on his headset. With a few taps, he logged into the Imperial server and brought up the feed on Darth Acacyn's microphone, which he quickly began to isolate into a personal server for both Avacyn and himself to use over the course of the mission. Running numbers through the congruent operation on his keyboard, he rearranged the address of the server into a heavy encryption, preventing any adversaries from intercepting the line he shared with Avacyn.

"I've established a private server that we can both use for the duration of the mission." Sebastian affirmed, opening up the line he would use between Avacyn and himself. The microphone beeped again, ensuring him that the line was now ready for use. "Contact me using this encrypted link, in the event that it gets intercepted, the Ming-Po won't be able to trace it back to the Empire." Tapping away, Sebastian already began to monitor the feed as Avacyn prepared to leave. By isolating the server they were going to use, he ensured that the Ming-Po would not be able to trace it back to the intelligence network in the event that it was breached. They would reach a dead end, with no known source backing the server.

"Good luck, m'lady." With that, Sebastian bid Darth Avacyn farewell and turned around to face the terminal. The door closed behind him, letting him know that Avacyn was well on her way to meet the cabinet.

As the last escort left the communications center, the lights in the bunker went out, leaving Sebastian beneath the light of the screen. A window enclosed with bars let some light in, but other than that, he sat in darkness, with the screens serving as the only other source of illumination. While Avacyn made her way to the house of government, Sebastian began the process of tapping their comms, all the while monitoring the feed which Avacyn updated. The locator traced the local network, it's signal becoming stronger the closer Avacyn travelled to the government sector.

"The locator has picked up the network, I'm tapping the official comms now." Before the green glow of the numbers on his screen, Sebastian went to work pinpointing the lines of communications in the area. Alerts appeared on his screen, beeping with the lines the locator had found, which he entered into a graph function, producing all the nodes representing servers in the area, as well as the edges which connected them. So far, the private channel for the government house had no appeared on the locator, so Sebastian waited with his fingers pursed for Avacyn to arrive.

His alerts beeped, letting him know that she was parked outside the government house. Immediately, a node appeared on the graph, beeping with the signal of the cabinet's personal line server. On his live feed, he saw several Ming-Po officials greet Avacyn and listened on the microphone keenly for what they had to say.

"Government server located." Sebastian said into Avacyn's earpiece.

Unbeknownst to the Ming-Po officials, he was making his way into their comms. While Avacyn gave her details to the officials and the guards, Sebastian hit the edge connecting channels between them and opened up the government server, which was encrypted. Cracking his fingers, Sebastian divided the numbers based on their corresponding behavior, the value of each character switching to reveal the letter it stood in for. Upon cracking the access code, he entered it into the server, which opened up to reveal the government comms.

"Bingo." Sebastian said, accidentally into his mouthpiece. "Server decrypted, proceeding to monitor comms." With a tap, he hit the nodes and opened up the various lines planted all throughout the government building. While Avacyn met with the cabinet, Sebastian would scour the comms and update her with anything they weren't telling her.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

 

[Sebastian Thel]

Double post!