Keep it safe (Varanin)

[Arage Bao]

Penthouse​

Annaj​

Annaj still wasn’t the same from the last showdown between Anaya, Andra and Shorn. Shet had gotten hectic back then, I played my part, of course. That’s what the Governor does, make sure problems go away, quietly if possible. We were fixing it up again, paying out settlements for the afflicted, repairing damage were possible, renovating where that was more convenient.

Varanin, Adair and me had met a few weeks ago, discussed the current state of affairs, think we got it knocked down now. With most of the troublemakers outta town we can focus on bettering the Fringe, stagnation has plagued us, but ya know how we are… shet like that hasn’t stoppped us before.

I asked [member="Ashin Varanin"] to join me tonight, conversation. Between old… friends? associates? Hell, if I know. These days the lines are blurred. One day’s friend, is another day’s worst enemy. Point was, I respected Varanin, always had and always will.

But we gotta discuss the basics, figure out where to go from here. Confederation, Empire, heh. Dictatorship. We needed a clear purpose and a drive to get there, who better to ask for an opinion than the Dark Empress herself.

Stood on the roof of my penthouse, Annaj’s capital was sprawling, many of its buildings rising up from the fog and making itself home in the space. I was looking at it all, my city, my home. Gotta protect it, gotta make sure it stays safe.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

The cityscape was hypnotic, in its way, the product of centuries of centrality at the crux of some of the few trade routes that had survived the Dark Age. It had grown old and been renewed over and over again. For someone used to thinking of the galactic picture, the idea that any one city could be so much larger and older than her true perspective was a little humbling.

But only a little.

"I finished my review of the incident," she said, apropos of nothing. "Interviews, holocams, the usual. For the incident, you're in the clear. But I know you, Lord Ovmar, or at least I used to. You had cause against Shorn, but I rather suspect you knew his connection to Sivas. You knew you were starting a blood feud between High Councilors, and you knew Sivas would overreact, and you knew what side Adair and I would choose due to that overreaction. So I have to ask myself whether you knowingly played me, or just accepted it as the best of the possible futures stemming from your choice to put Daesumnor through Shorn's heart." She grimaced faintly. "No word yet on how he survived that, I suppose? If the soul-trap weapons don't work as expected, that doesn't say much for the security of Zaiden's spirit in the Lonesome Gun."

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

‘I was stubborn.’ the Sith Lord responded, leaning against the balustrade. ‘Arrogant and a snotty little brat, at times. I got blood on these hands, got stains all over the soul. But throughout these years there is one big constant, Varanin.’

Jared finally looked over to her.

‘I ain’t a complete idiot. Sivas likes to think that I orchestrated the whole thing, somehow convinced Anaya to think it was her own idea to visit the establishment, somehow knew that the High Councilor would go there that at the opportune moment, that I knew she would try and mindfrak Fen, making the situation only worse.’

Again he snorted.

‘Should be embarrassed and blushing that she puts so much value in my ability to plan.’ a shrug, followed by a wave. ‘I played with the cards I had, situation was moving so fast I was improvising most of it on the spot.’

‘We got some clues.’ he finally added. ‘People saw some kind of ring glowing on his finger, was a scuffle, hell if I know if it has any truth to it. But with Anders being the healer she is, she probably crafted something for him. Big umpf. Enough juice to regrow a fething heart and get the blood pumping again.’

‘On the how? As always, citation needed.’

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

On balance, she opted to believe him. She'd read the reports, seen the footage, and his story had the ring of truth to it. She rested her elbows on the balcony and lost herself in the skyline.

"I watched the holocams, after the fact. I saw the kill, and the ring, but I have trouble believing anyone but Valik, Merrill or the One Sith could have made something like that. If Merrill had done it, you'd have heard about it. If Valik had done it, I think I'd have heard about it. I think it's time we start taking a closer look at our allies. Good fences make good neighbours. Of course," she admitted, "that's relying on the pretty big assumption that Sivas would have anything to do with them, but I wouldn't put it past Shorn. He's not one to bow, and he's certainly not a team player, but I'd imagine their success in the Core has warmed his heart. Their...audacity."

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

‘Nah, he hasn’t got anything to do with ‘em.’ Ovmar said, no doubt ringing in his voice. ‘I would have known about it.’ He had been there when Shorn had walked into the throne room of the not-so-unkillable Emperor, the Throne-Breaker was only interested in making more chaos in the wake of an apparent power-vacuum.

Point was Carach. They were still in touch. If Shorn or Anders were shoving it in Sith territory? The Voice of the Dark Lord would have heard about it, no doubt about it.

‘Let’s put a pin in it for now. Doesn’t really matter how she managed to get the major alchemical resources for it. Might be there is another player, an unknown, hell maybe it was one of Rave’s apprentices.’ now there was a thought. ‘But we got bigger concerns than miss Grace and her eternal faithful companion.’

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

"True enough. Let's talk about Annaj. I understand you've built a powerbase here over the years, but between the Zaiden incidents and the High Councilor-versus-High Councilor events we've seen, I think we're clear that there's a need for improved security structures and increased accountability. We've installed surface-to-space defenses, turbolasers, shutter shields, Mandal Hypernautics droid security teams.... Frankly, though, I'd prefer to see Annaj under direct military control, with individual High Councilors removed from the command structure entirely, except pursuant to directives from the entire High Council -- a consensus that should be easier and quicker to get now, between you, Adair, Spencer and Dissero. Are you familiar with the origin of the term loose cannon?"

 

[Arage Bao]

‘I see.’ Ovmar wasn’t happy with it, far from it. This had been his planet for a long time now and things like that tended to grow to a man, ya know? Didn’t mean he didn’t see the infuriating logic in it, but it was infuriating at the least.’ a snort. ‘All of this cause of that-’ he trailed off with a few mumbles, but eventually shrugged. ‘Can’t disagree with the wisdom.’

There were times when ya gotta put your foot down, and there was a time things went farther than simple pride and hubris. This one of those moments. Adair had said it right, this wasn’t only his home, it was their home and it had to be kept safe.

Hell, Fen, Sivas and Shorn had showed that things like this could be done better.

‘I will coordinate and see it done.’

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

"We will coordinate and see it done. I suspect this will go a long way toward solidifying your image with those in the know, and send a strong message to the new High Council. Accountability is the antidote to accusations of..." She shrugged volubly. "Coup d'état. Which is what we did. Among the least of our sins, but still. I had high hopes for democracy here, Ovmar. The Jedi Grandmaster oversaw our elections, even if my invitation to her was at least half a delaying tactic to split the Republic in preparation for O'reen. Democracy kept us alive, but not all life, not all growth, is good. Sometimes we get growth in all the wrong directions. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that half the High Council was actually voted in. Greater accountability, better rule of law, less fear of arbitrary decisions...these are the things that'll help us massage our image, just as much as kicking the clart out of the Rhandites at Solovarna."

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

‘Can’t have everything we want, Varanin. None of us. The Unknown Regions ain’t ready democracy, look around us, turn around a stone and a beast leaps out to rip your throat off. Needs to have stability, respect for law and authority, love for red tape and all the restrictions a bureaucratic regime can think of.’ a hearty chuckle at that. ‘You tell me, are we that?’

‘Jokes aside, you are right. She kicked us right in the teeth with her stunts. We will have to be careful, get some wins- clean sweep the issues we have ignored. Most importantly though… we can’t lose focus anymore, we gotta stay on our shet.’

Ovmar pondered for a while.

‘Is Cordel going to be a problem?’

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

"Sources close to him have suggested that I meet with him at his rented estate here on Annaj. The reports are clear -- even if he aided and abetted her indiscretions, even if none of us were informed, at the core of things he was operating in his capacity as High Councilor for Internal Affairs. I believe he remains loyal to the Fringe, and he's too deeply entrenched in Skye and Zaadja to remove without serious long-term bloodshed. Not that I'd wish it. He earned what he has." She gave Ovmar a significant look. "As opposed to the pretty girl who got nepotized into power by her lover, perhaps."

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

He returned her look with that old roguish grin of him, it would remind both of them of times long since passed, reminiscent of the man he had been before Jared himself had chosen a different path. It was akin to a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, trying to smooth over the awkward situation with a smile.

But Ovmar wasn’t that boy anymore and the memory didn’t last for long, before the Sith Lord returned and shrugged. ‘At that point in time I did not know Rave as well as I did later.’

‘I wasn’t going to watch our boys be taken care of by an unknown quality, Sivas was malleable and compliant, allowing me to make sure they were taken care of.’ another shrug. ‘Didn’t end all that well, and I will admit my fault in this.’

‘Anyway, I don’t have a problem with Cordel staying where he is. He always seemed a competent man, if slightly extreme in his public gestures of control.’

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

"You could say the same for all of us. Fortunately, perhaps, I get the feeling the Unknown Regions won't leave us to squabble for long. There'll always be something else coming out of the dark, and if there's one lesson we should have learned by now, it's that common enemies unite us. The Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium, the Republic, all the rest. Those struggles may have lost us millions of lives, but they've given billions a shot at united connectivity. No, something big is coming, sooner or later, and when it does we'll all have the chance to face in the same direction."

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Ashin Varanin"]

“Intuition, gut feeling or are there reports involved?” Jared hadn’t been able to disconcern any new threat yet, which didn’t mean a lot these days. Lot of things on his mind, many things needing handled, so it wouldn’t be strange if something had slipped past him.

Was the reason why they were in this together, what one person missed, another could see clearly.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

[member="Jared Ovmar"]

"None of the above, not as most people would define them. I've lived over half my life in the Unknown Regions; I've seen things the Fringe wouldn't believe. I know the balance of power outside Fringe space. When the farthest threats don't move against nearer ones, it means something farther and deadlier is active." She tapped her temple. "Sith battle coordination. I sacrificed what I loved most in the universe, and that made me a Sith Master. Because of that event, I can see how every puzzle piece fits together. I followed Lumiya's suggested path. The end result? It's not gut instinct, it's not proof, it's not farsight -- I just know how this goes, like anyone with experience knows what comes next in their preferred field. It'll be relatively soon, too. All the right silences from our farthest trading partners' enemies.

"I think it's time we decided on a use for the Roche generator. We've reverse-engineered what we can, but we've hit a wall."