Kessel Accords

[Srina Talon]

Location: Outer Rim Territories, Kessel Sector [Akkadese Maelstrom], Kessel
Meeting Place: Southern Hemisphere, Kessel Chateau, Pyke Syndicate Escorts
Intent: NAP Agreement
Tag: [member="Darth Carnifex"]

---

Once again she found herself in the far-flung reaches of space destined for some sort of political nightmare. This wasn’t her first trip to Kessel. This was, however, her first introduction with the Pyke Syndicate. The location for this meeting had been agreed upon by both parties prior to her departure from Geonosis. Her people had spent what felt like eons to find a suitable host world for what truly amounted to signatures and a handshake. She understood the necessity of meeting delegates meeting face to face for a pact of non-aggression but it didn’t stop part of her from seeing it as time wasted.

There was so much to do. Her perspective was unique. She believed in efficiency over feelings. It was one of the reasons that she had been sent as an Emissary of the Vicelord. In all things, as an Exarch, she was his hand. His voice. In this, she would be the same, only, with the ability to close out any emotion that could potentially color her decisions. She did not feel what happened in the Core. She did not see it—and she most certainly did not fear it.

Not today.

Her apathy carried with her as she walked the halls of a quiet chateau that had been secured on the border between the northern and southern hemispheres of Kessel. On one side lay spice mines that were mined to dust, craven, with despair and slavery. On the other side lay sanctuaries that the wealthy and privileged kept for themselves. The social order here was clear. There were those that were crushed beneath the boots of their masters and those that wore the boots.

It served as a stalwart reminder to tread carefully.

Especially, since, all of her traditional weaponry had either been left behind on the Ferocity or confiscated by the Pyke’s upon arrival. It was part of the arrangement. No droids, no backup, no third parties aside from those native to Kessel, and certainly, no surprises. Her Master had not been pleased with the terms, however, it was required. A leap of faith. An act of trust that would help to build a sustainable bridge between two nations that seemed to be at an impasse. It was an act for their people. A move, and perhaps, a sacrifice. Only time would tell.

Srina preferred that which she knew. Empirical data built by fact gathering and experience. Doing anything on faith alone felt misguided. Yet, she would never deny the needs of the Confederacy based solely on her own perspective. They had sworn to keep their citizens safe. This was a step toward ensuring unnecessary war didn’t land on their doorsteps. War was chaos. It was mindless, needless, agony. It was costly. This formal acknowledgment of the status quo should, in theory, spare them.

Srina walked in silence between two heavily armed Pyke Syndicate associates. The Royal Family that owned this small slice of Kessel paradise had been more than happy to offer their spare vacation home as a neutral meeting place. Certainly, the number of credits they had been offered had nothing to do with it. It was protected on all sides with excellent vantage points and private landing pads for large ships. There were electronic survey units provided to produce the validity of the signing. It gave the illusion of safety. Yet, extraction, if required, would be nigh impossible if one side turned on the other. It was… Not without risk. But, necessary. So very necessary.

Winter gray eyes followed the artistic lines that made up the artistically designed floors. The whole area seemed to have been recently polished, because anything with the possibility to sparkle, did so with ease. The light that poured through the windows was a warm amber that seemed to be slowly dying as the sun slipped lower in the sky. It turned the ivory of her clothing into something a little less soft, almost red, in the golden corridor. She had reused an ensemble from a previous engagement, much, to her attendant’s dismay, but it fit the bill. Non-threatening. Pale, sleek, with silver accents.

The Pyke Syndicate escorts spoke into their comms before of them reached to open one half of a double door. The representative from the Sith Empire that she was slated to meet seemed to have already arrived. Her expression seemed to clear of anything close to something that resembled human. Her eyes, like silver stars, deadened. “Thank you for meeting me…”, she spoke softly, though, the acoustics of the hall carried her words easily. There was a presence here that felt foreign.

It was dark. It did not belong to Kessel or the Pyke’s.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the slightly dimmer lighting. There was a long table that took up part of the room while the other end held a sitting area. It was clearly designed for more than two people. But, that was all there was. Only two.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Passing through the Maelstrom now, your Excellency."

The Crestfallen II emerged from the swirling turbulence of the Akkadese Maelstrom like a winged fiend out of Chaos, black hull swirling with remnant vestiges of gas and dust particles. Twirling through the vacuum of space, the Emperor's shuttle began to move along its approach vector towards the surface of Kessel. He had been to this planet sparingly over his long life, usually to secure some hidden agreement with the Pykes or to purchase coaxium in his days when he didn't have an Empire's worth of resources to fuel his agenda.

"Kessel Command Station, this is CF2-DL; Code Clearance Black. We're starting our approach, deactivate the security shield."

A moment passed until a voice, distinctly non-Human, replied on the other end of the communication channel. "Security deflector shield will be deactivated when we have confirmation of your code transmission, standby." Several more seconds ticked on as the Pyke officials down on the planet's surface reviewed the codes transmitted to them from the shuttle and concluded a long-range scan of the ship's contents in line with a cargo manifesto provided alongside the codes. When everything appeared to be in the correct order they again spoke to the shuttle pilots, "You are clear to proceed."

The shield protecting the wealthy estates at the Southern hemisphere dissipated as the Crestfallen II passed down into the atmosphere, followed shortly by a pair of short-range Pyke cutters that guided it over sprawling landscapes until they reached the chateau of the royal Kessel family.

A hiss of hydraulic steam blanketed the landing pad as the shuttle descended onto the ground, stabilizing landing gear bearing the weight of the large shuttle as it finally came to a rest. A single boarding ramp descended out of the shuttle's primary fuselage and a single individual emerged from the gloomy interior, his body swaddled in rich zeyd-cloth robes with a wide hood concealing the majority of his features. He walked along the length of the walkway connecting the landing pad to the main estate structure, a pair of Pyke guards escorting him into an antechamber where they proceeded to scan him for weapons. However, they would be rather surprised to find that he had not brought a single weapon along with him, nor any other technological trinket that might cause for concern among the security detail.

After a second more thorough inspection, they waved him through into the chateau's inner chambers. That's where the hooded man met [member="Srina Talon"] in a conference room fit for a crowd of thirty rather than two lonesome individuals, but it was to the exact specifications that he had desired of this meeting. She greeted his arrival with a soft-spoken whisper, her demeanor less authoritative than the hulking giant of a Sith that now entered the room to stand with her.

At more than eight feet tall, the smaller Confederate representative would be hard pressed to not find herself intimidated in his presence. He placed both hands on his hips as dark eyes studied her from under the brim of his hood, "Greetings, Emissary. I hope they have not kept you waiting."

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Outer Rim Territories, Kessel Sector [Akkadese Maelstrom], Kessel
Meeting Place: Southern Hemisphere, Kessel Chateau, Pyke Syndicate Escorts
Intent: NAP Agreement
Tag: [member="Darth Carnifex"]

---

The growing darkness approached like the swell of an ocean tide. Slow, inescapable. Srina had long since gotten used the presence of the shadow, to the taste of ash, and iron. It was primordial. Whether her eyes were open or closed didn’t matter. She could sense it in the same way she could feel a soft breeze moving across her skin. Only, instead of air, this had texture. Substance.

Strength. Qormuo Naktis.

“Srina Talon.”, she corrected, almost gently, as her soundless footsteps carried her further into the meeting hall. The pale-skinned Echani was just like the rest of her kind. Strange and new to those that were unfamiliar to her culture, but so incredibly unoriginal, that it was enough to make the concept of evolution weep. She looked just like her sisters, just like her mother, and just like every other one of her female ancestors that had come before. “Srina will suffice…If we are going to be spending time with one another I would rather not hear Emissary or Exarch every time I am to be addressed.”

She came to stand before the shrouded figure, neither to close, nor too far. If there was an ounce of fear buried beneath the tranquil lake her mind was composed of it would be hard to find. This representative from the Sith Empire was a mountain of a man. Srina wasn’t certain of his heritage on sight but at the very least she knew he was more than the garden variety human. His footfalls were too heavy. Shoulders too broad—much too tall. For all intents and purposes, he dwarfed her.

If she didn’t deliberately look up she would have been about eye-level with the lower portion of his chest. His robes hid much of his physical form, but something about the way he moved, of the way he carried himself, told her not to expect a skeleton. He emanated authority in the same vein that uranium gave off radiation. Was this truly the person she had been slated to meet with? Echani eyes were better than most, but when silver orbs flickered, evaluating the subject, she was left with more questions than answers. Unusual.

Tendrils of moonlit hair slid over pale shoulders as her head inclined briefly in respect. It was not the shape of the Sith Lord that gave her reason to pause. Many men were physically imposing. Twice, even thrice, her size. Srina had taken down Thyrsians that had seemed large enough to blot out the sun before leaving Eshan. This was different. It was not the form of the man that ought to draw fear and command a sense of terror. It was the power behind it. “Shall we be seated?”

Her muted expression remained unbroken as she moved toward the long conference table. When her fingertips touched the back of the chair, she stilled, as brief flashes of those that had come before blotted her sight. Srina viewed the Royal Family that owned this chateau. Smiling, eating, and laughing. It was polarizing to know that such diversity existed on this planet. When she’d investigated the spice mines she had never imagined anyone smiling on this world. It was almost as if they didn’t know what transpired in their northern lands. Perhaps, some of them didn’t.

Or they simply didn’t care.

The ghostly woman blinked, the visions faded, and she pulled out the high-backed chair just slightly so that she could sit easily. The table was made of old wood, just like the rest of the room, but the vintage illusion was shattered by the presence of modern conveniences. “I have been appointed to this venture on behalf of the Vicelord to complete the arrangements between our people. This proxy was negotiated on and accepted by both parties prior to the engagement. May I inquire as to whom your Emperor has consigned in his stead?”

What was the point of meeting face to face if one of them remained shrouded? The whole idea of the exercise was to foster some sense of trust, or faith, that wouldn’t be gained through Holo-Transmissions. The fact that Darth Metus had sent her into this wolf-den without any support was telling for many reasons. It was important. Success could not be left to chance.

[SIZE=11pt]“You know my face. My name. It is only fair.” [/SIZE]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Yes, your Vicelord."

The Emperor didn't much care for the Verds much these days, he disapproved of their divergence from his lineage of Sith though he did little to rectify it. He was far too preoccupied with his true enemies, the Jedi and the Republic, to start another conflict halfway across the galaxy. Which lead him to organize this meeting between their two governments, even if they were lost and unorthodox Sith they were still Sith in name and were thus viewed more favorably in relation to the other Force sects in the galaxy.

"You are cut from the same cloth, are you not? I can sense the power of the Force hidden away inside of you, misguided as it is beneath Metus' teachings. But I digress, he was not the reason why you and I are meeting here today." He reached up to grasp the hem of his hood, pulling it back and down to reveal his weathered and scarred features. A thick salt and pepper beard hung down from his lower face while a mane of gray sprouted from his scalp and was tied back with jewels and fine silk. A single tattoo dominated his forehead, the ancient symbol of the Sith Order inked across his skin in brilliant red.

His eyes though, they were the most defining feature. Twin orbs of inescapable blackness marred by pupils of seething burning magma, they glowered out at the smaller Confederate emissary with rare not particularly directed at any singular thing.

"You gave me your name, Srina Talon, so I will give you mine. I am Kaine Zambrano, but the galaxy better knows me as Darth Carnifex; Dark Lord of the Sith and Emperor of the Sith Empire. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

[member="Srina Talon"]​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Outer Rim Territories, Kessel Sector [Akkadese Maelstrom], Kessel
Meeting Place: Southern Hemisphere, Kessel Chateau, Pyke Syndicate Escorts
Intent: NAP Agreement
Tag: [member="Darth Carnifex"]

---

Tone was everything. Her head tilted in an almost bird-like fashion at the response the mountain of a man delivered in regards to the mention of her Master. There was unhidden dismissal there. Displeasure, disdain. Duly noted, then, left to the wayside. Silver eyes remained deathly silent in their continued examination the Sith Lord. The representative went on to speak of her connection to the Force, as well as the nature of her instruction, and another slight was placed against her mentor.

Also, noted.

“I won’t deny what you already know the answer to. It would be impolite.”

Being cut from the same cloth was not how she would describe her relationship to Darth Metus. They were not identical, almost by design, and that was how their Bond remained ever strong. She did not blindly obey. He did not tyrannically demand. Her Force-sensitivity had been molded, guided, and nurtured by the Vicelord. That much was true. The hooded man had sensed it, just as she sensed him, and the echoing dark that followed his every movement. More and more her expectations of this meeting and the reality that followed did not line up.

He reached to remove his hood and her gaze could not help but momentarily fixate upon the mark the action revealed. She knew the crimson-colored symbol, not out of ill-intent, but as a matter of a survival of state. It was her duty to learn of foreign powers, to listen, and to research as much as possible. This was a tattoo that belonged to a God-King, more than a simple Sith Lord, and far beyond the representative that she had been slated to meet with. Her gaze pulled down, following the scars, before finding his eyes. If Srina would have been well-versed in social graces she would have likened them to some sort of artwork, or, a shining marble of compressed onyx and molten rock.

They were different than the eyes of her Master, yet, there were obvious commonalities. They silently whispered of reasons she ought to hold fear. He had done nothing to encourage the notion, but, he didn’t need to. There was a dark beauty in orbs of burnished orange and blackest night.

Just like the power that breathed through him.

The admission of his name, his rank, and his title caused her to incline her head a second time. The greeting was just as respectful as it had been before, but now, the gravity of the revelation took her chin just a little closer to the top of her sternum. “I believe that the pleasure would be mine. I must admit that this is… Unexpected.”, Srina responded with every bit of honesty she had in her. It was unanticipated. Irregular. But, it did not alter her primary directives. “Your time must be precious. I will endeavor not to waste it.”

Too precious to meet with an Apprentice for the purpose of what equated to paperwork and light negotiation. She did not inquire about the change. It was the prerogative of every ruler worth their salt to take part in any function of governing that they saw fit. Who would dare tell the Dark Lord of the Sith that he could not meet with a foreign dignitary?

“Is there anything you would wish to state before we begin?”

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"Had you known that it would be I that greeted you on Kessel, you would have prepared yourself differently. But as I have you now, caught unawares and off-guard, do I peer to the truth of your being." The Emperor had a point, those that were informed ahead of time of his arrival often carried themselves with a dishonest air, attempting to hard to appear overly presentable to the pinnacle of authority and control. He found that his own people were much more honest when he showed up unannounced, and eventually the news of his sudden and impromptu appearances spread across the Sith Empire and instilled a fear in the regional governors and academy overseers of the Emperor popping up from behind the nearest corner to scrutinize them.

But this girl, this Srina Talon, remained composed even in his presence. Oh, she was surprised by his duplicity, but nonetheless, she was not wholly taken aback, at least not visibly. "And time, my dear is my most abundant resource these days. The Galactic Alliance lies in ruin, their forces scattered to the farthest corners of the Netherworld."

Dark eyes flashed as he took his seat, his power reaching into the feeble metal beneath his hind to reinforce and enlarge to better accommodate his muscular bulk. "Let's talk about that, first of all. Let's talk about Coruscant, Srina Talon. There were servants of my Empire that accounted for the appearance of Confederate vessels during that battle, unequivocally aiding the Alliance in fleeing the crucible of their own destruction as we smashed their dreadnought to pieces against the cityscape."

He clasped both of his hands in front of him, his elbows anchored against the sturdy conference table that separated them. "What are your opinions on that battle, Srina Talon? Were you there that day when the Light was cast down from its pedestal?"

[member="Srina Talon"]​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Outer Rim Territories, Kessel Sector [Akkadese Maelstrom], Kessel
Meeting Place: Southern Hemisphere, Kessel Chateau, Pyke Syndicate Escorts
Intent: NAP Agreement
Tag: [member="Darth Carnifex"]

---

“No. I would not.”

Her words were stated simply. As one breathed—so did her gentle voice flow. There was no argument in the pale beauty, no sense of dishonesty, or hubris. She truly believed that she would have come prepared regardless whom she was set to meet. Everything she was to discuss with the delegate of the Sith Empire would be a matter of public record. It would do her nation a disservice not to give it her utmost attention and focus. Srina paused, the kiss of her mouth creasing, before she amended her statement. This deception was a generalized notion built for function, not trickery, and should in no form be taken personally. Just as her Master trained his students when they were unaware…So did this Emperor secretly test her. “My truth will become evident regardless. I do not lie.”

Much to the irritation of Darth Metus, it was true, she did not. The young woman found it offensive.

“Yet—you do not know me. Therefore, you have my understanding.”

From cradle to the sword Srina had been raised with a particular set of rules. They were never to be broken. It was part of the reason she had initially found an innate flaw with the Sith ideology. Finding strength through passion had never been the way of her people. Especially, not her family. They were warriors through and through, deeply entrenched in the military, and more often than not found merit in what went unsaid. Political endeavors were actually new to her. She’d tried to convince the Confederacy, the Vicelord, that she was ill-suited to it… But, they disagreed.

The graying man explained that his perception of time of different. He seemed to have more than she’d initially surmised. Her lips moved, faintly, while a ghostly smile broke the stark marble of her seemingly delicate features. “I stand corrected then. Perhaps, that is a resource I will borrow after all.”

Her attempt at humor would die abruptly at the mention of the Galactic Alliance.

If she were anyone else she would have balked at the subject. Anger would have moved through her, righteous, like wild-fire, but it did not. In the wake of the affliction that tore the Core to shreds, she had felt like many others. Shocked. Adrift. Cautious. If the Sith could rip warships from the belly of Coruscant with the entirety of the Alliance watching—what couldn’t they do? What wouldn’t they do?

“I was there.”, the admission would come softly, her tones soft, like morning bells. There was no emotion that followed. A statue would have given the Emperor more. Silver eyes seemed to grow distant for a moment while she tried to piece together what she recalled from that day. Most of it was a blur. Ash, and smoke. Bodies piled high. “We were notified of the incursion almost immediately. It didn’t matter. Many of your servants, including one in particular, were already there. I remember many things. The Sithspawn in the streets and the breaking of the Vanguard. I remember seeing it split in two as it fell into the Archives and destroyed the rest of the skylanes…More than anything I remember arriving too late.”

The Emperor moved and she paused, briefly, to allow him room to speak if that was his desire. The way he worded his next few inquiries made her realize that they had a fundamentally different way of thinking. He was focused on the fall of the Light. The Jedi. The Sith Empire had toppled an idea, a belief, in one fell swoop. There was no bastion of goodness to replace it and from her observations there never would be. Srina, in turn, recalled the refugees that fled in terror. She recalled the civilians that lost everything. She recalled the injured and frightened children that she had relocated to Naboo, friendless, parentless, and without any hope of ever returning home.

She remembered coughing up black phlegm for weeks afterward. Srina had endured the trauma second hand. Were it not for her ability to compartmentalize, and were she a lesser woman, the mere mention of it would have brought her to hysterics.

“From an objective standpoint, your systematic decimation of the Core was executed without fault. It was planned, timed, and carried out with the maximum potential for damage to your enemy. Taeli Raaf was the lynchpin. Without her…”, Srina trailed off, her head tilting, before she carried on, “The battle may still have fallen in your favor, but, it would have been far less one-sided.”

Objectivity was not what the God-King had requested. Her eyes closed for a moment and feathery eyelashes dusted quietly against pallid cheeks. Delving into personal opinions was always a folly. It had no place here. Yet, she had been asked. She would answer. “I have waded through the remains of those you left behind. I have seen many things. Waste, among them, but moreover a reminder that the galaxy will never be made fair. Some will always suffer for the action, or inaction, of those that lead them. There is no respect, no peace among equals, because peace and equality do not exist. Either one side prevails and the other goes extinct, or, both negotiate their differences and create a greater partnership.”

“Your Empire and the Galactic Alliance were always headed toward some sort of explosive and violent ending. That is of no question as your ideologies are incompatible on a fundamental level. It was only a matter of who won, who lost, and time.”

Her perspective was strange. Especially, considering her ties to the remnants of the Alliance. The allies that the Confederacy took made for strange bedfellows but that did not change what was true. The facts were plain. Would she ever advocate for needless wanton destruction and death? No. Would she ever claim to understand this eternal fight between the light and the dark? No. Did she see the motivation behind it? The reason that both sides were so hell-bent on destroying each other?

Yes.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He smiled, "And thus you are more intuned to the Force than many others I have encountered in my campaigns across the galaxy, namely the Jedi."

Carnifex reclined back in the chair, the faint glimmer of a smile cresting his features as he mulled over the young woman's words in his mind. She understood much, but there were still many things that she allowed herself to be hamstrung by, chiefly the fate of those poor unfortunate wastes who end up caught between the Light and Dark when they do battle. At this point in his life, the Emperor of the Sith paid them very little attention, especially if they were citizens of the Alliance that he was intent on toppling.

"But what are the lives of a few million weighed against the trillions that occupy the galaxy elsewhere? People die in the war, Srina Talon, that is the price that is to be paid for violence. But those who survive the conflict come to understand the Force more deeply, their perspective evolves... And they will come to understand what I have known about the Force for many years, that it is conflict itself. Light and Dark, two sides of the same coin that are doomed to fight endlessly over the ages, sparking war after war that leaves entire worlds barren of life until one side is forced into the shadows. And then the cycle begins anew as the scales of balance are reset."

This ideology, this perspective, fueled every action that the Sith Emperor took across the galaxy. From every battle, every pre-emptive strike, every punic incursion, and every act of barbarism and cruelty inflicted by his command. The Jedi were the enemy of his people, and there could be no reconciliation between them. Those who fought for the Jedi, or even willingly tolerated their presence, were thereby accessories to their malignancy and were to be excised with the same callousness as the Jedi themselves.

"Right now, the Sith sit firmly atop the Throne of Balance. The cyclical nature of history decrees that eventually the Jedi will reclaim their position upon the throne, and then the Sith will snatch it back from them, and on and on and on it will go." His smiled broadened, unspoken promises dancing across his lips, but as quickly as it came it faded back into stoic blankness. "But you did not come all this way to listen to an old man ramble on about destiny and fate, did you? I apologize, the topic of war always takes me far beyond the beaten path of our conversation, so please forgive me."

He leaned forward now, "We came to discuss the possibility of a non-aggression pact between the Confederacy and the Sith Empire, so what would your master, the Viceroy, desire to see come about between our two governments in this regard?"

[member="Srina Talon"]​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Outer Rim Territories, Kessel Sector [Akkadese Maelstrom], Kessel
Meeting Place: Southern Hemisphere, Kessel Chateau, Pyke Syndicate Escorts
Intent: NAP Agreement
Tag: [member="Darth Carnifex"]

---

It seemed as if there might have been a compliment threaded through his gilded words, though, she felt herself undeserving. It was simply who she was. No more than her skin was pale, nor her hair white, her mindset was a state of being. It could not be helped. Silvery eyes flickered, reflective pools, when he settled back in the chair and seemed to think on the words she had spoken. There was something about this Emperor that she had not expected to find. It was not quite benevolence, though, it was something close to it. He was unlike previous Kings and Sith Lords she had crossed in her travels.

Power, grandeur, and agelessness did not seem to have yet gone to his head.

“I do not disagree. Not, entirely.”

Her voice carried like a sweetened breeze across the table. It never held anymore volume or depth than needed though it would never fail to reach his ears. There was no reason to shout or to argue her point of view because it fell in a very linear path to what he had already suggested. Not to mention that raising the decibels in a discussion, never, ever meant that the aggressor was correct. More often than not it made them a fool. “I also fully understand the principle of the one versus the many.”

“It is a choice we all must make.”

In this instance, in particular, it was the many versus the few. But, she still knew it well. She had watched the Vicelord sacrifice his own sibling if it meant saving hundreds of thousands of citizens in the Confederacy from an enemy. She could remember the ache of the decision. The hate that had been levied in his direction from his former home. He bore it all without discussion. Let them hate, let them talk. It had been, to this day, the only way to rid themselves of a plague that seemed nigh invincible.

It had been the right choice. The only choice.

The way [member="Darth Carnifex"] described this war, this endless, impossible galactic battle was entirely new to her. Srina had never heard it described fully in this fashion but had instead made similar assumptions based on her own experiences with turmoil and warfare. What the Emperor spoke of dealt with the conflict on a much grander scale. So much so, that it felt like a fight between deities, versus a struggle through a belief system. The only real differences in her take seemed to lay with the notion of whether or not the losses were truly acceptable. For every life extinguished in any nation, no matter the alignment, there was some sort of detriment. A forfeiture of culture, technology, and potential.

But if Fate was truly involved? Perhaps, there had never been any other way. Were they always destined to be here? At this moment?

Her unfathomable gaze broke from his when he apologized. Her head tilted. Why? He hadn’t done anything wrong or caused her any sort of undue discomfort. “You needn’t request forgiveness because there is nothing to apologize for. I came all this way to speak with a representative, a proxy, and yet I find myself graced with an Emperor… Should I not hear him?”

She paused, searching for words, before finally settling. It would be easier to express what rolled through her head over a dojo mat versus a wooden table. It wasn’t a desire to fight the God-King, not specifically, but it was the Echani way. To hold someone, or be held by them, at the tip of a sword was to know them in their entirety. “I am not foolish enough to believe that I know all that there is. I appreciated your perspective.”

Naturally, the reason for this meeting returned. The Pact of Non-Aggression. While he leaned forward, she leaned back, as her head began to thump from the mere memory of the Viceroyalty debating the subject. It was a blessing that the Vicelord had the final say. “We wish to reduce the amount of unspoken stress between our nations. We believe that this path would best suit both of our nations in our current endeavors.”

Oh, the diplomatic nightmare alliances and agreements caused.

“Darth Metus has requested that I put forward the following...”, she trailed off, moving her hand over her holo-comm, before a small, nearly invisible projector placed the bullet points in the air to the left of them. The text glowed faintly, but it was written in basic, and fairly easy to read. Nevertheless, she read without looking, her eyes fixed on the Emperor, over the agreement.

“It would be called, in our archives, the Kessel Accords. This pact of non-aggression confirms that the Confederacy will not take aggressive action directly toward the Sith Empire. We will not aid in an attack against your sovereignty, however, we will defend our allies. We would be free to pass through your territory, observing all requests, and of course, obeying the native laws of the area. The Sith Empire, in turn, would have the same freedoms with the same stipulations met. Everything should be observed equally.”

Spoiler

OOC Information:
- CIS agrees that they won't invade TSE.
- TSE agrees that they won't invade CIS.
- TSE acknowledges that the CIS will take ally slots if TSE invades one of their allies.
- CIS acknowledges that TSE will take ally slots if the CIS invades one of their allies.
- The CIS will not, as a faction, take ally slots in an invasion targeting TSE.
- TSE will not, as a faction, take ally slots in an invasion targeting CIS.

Basically, we agree that we can defend our allies via ally slots, but hitting back directly will void the NAP. We can also pass through each other’s territory/cloud without any negative repercussions or hindrances. We will still be required to follow the laws of the area but this means that planets and locations can be visited without detriment. If anything of the above comes into question, or a thread raises an eyebrow, the two factions can consult Admin to Admin to ensure everything is kosher.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Likewise, the Emperor never broke eye contact with Srina as she listed off what the treaty between the Empire and Confederacy would entail. But as her words trailed off his eyes briefly flitted over to what was being projected, his mind analyzing each piece simultaneously in the time it took for him to look and for his eyes to reconnect with hers.

"Hrm."

He leaned forward now, elbows on the table with his hands clasped together in contemplation. "The treaty you and your master have provided to me is fair and just, you will find no one in my Empire that would object to such agreeable terms. I will share this proclamation with my subjects and ratify it into Imperial canon as swiftly as is able, Srina Talon. Let this agreement between our people mark the beginning of a brand new epoch of cooperation in the Outer Rim, the last true bastion of civilization left in the galaxy now that the Core is nothing but ash and ruin."

The Emperor reached into his robe and produce a smaller holoprojector device, letting it dance across his fingers as it levitated across the table and briefly connected with Talon's own. The contents of the accords were then copied and downloaded to the Emperor's device, which disconnected after a brief trill and floated back to his grasp where it was returned into his robes.

"Have you anything left to ask of me before I prepare for my departure, Srina Talon?" That smile returned, broader than ever.

[member="Srina Talon"]​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Outer Rim Territories, Kessel Sector [Akkadese Maelstrom], Kessel
Meeting Place: Southern Hemisphere, Kessel Chateau, Pyke Syndicate Escorts
Intent: NAP Agreement
Tag: [member="Darth Carnifex"]

---

The small creature was unused to someone that seemed so willing to look her in the eye so easily. Mercurial orbs were starlit drowning pools, filled with whispering, elusive things. Her stare was blatant and intense. Srina had suffered through etiquette training as a youngling, however, their customs different from the rest of the galaxy. More often than not it left those who didn’t know her very well feeling as if they were being analyzed against their will. In a way, a very Echani way, they were.

Perhaps this was the privilege of not being the most terrifying thing in the room.

The Dark Lord before her watched and listened with a practiced ease. He reviewed the details seamlessly, whilst not removing focus, or letting his thoughts slip away. Her eyes did not move from his person. Not when he moved, nor when he spoke, as she already knew what would display on the holo-documents that rotated between them. Then, something happened that she did not expect.

He agreed to the provided terms without argument.

The Exarch remained quiet whilst he made copies of the necessary information and nodded to his words. There was no encryption to stop him from doing so. At least, not for these documents. Since it was a shared set of rules and regulations the Sith Empire had just as much of a right to the information in its entirety as the Confederacy did. It was written plainly, clearly, to remove the potential for any sort of misunderstanding. They had so many refugees from the Core. So many that were now Confederate citizens, still, living with a certain amount of fear. The margin for error was almost non-existent.

Again, more, that she did not expect. The God-King smiled, more, but was already preparing to take his leave? The small woman leaned back in her chair and her hands folded neatly in her lap. The hologram in the air faded away into disassembling particles that disappeared as if they had never been. Briefly, her eyes swept the wood grain of the table, before she glanced back toward the Emperor. “Our business has indeed concluded favorably, however, I did not realize you would depart so soon."

Herr elegant brow furrowed for a brief moment as she reviewed the interaction. He seemed pleased with the outcome, however, Srina was not the most observant when it came to the emotional contentment of others. She was logical, to a fault, and observed practicality over all else.

“If I have offended you in some way I must request forgiveness. Diplomacy, in my opinion, is not one of my strong suits. I do not have the necessary tolerance for…”, Srina trailed off, choosing her words, before continuing on, “Polite deception.”

“I only ask because your previously scheduled proxy had planned to remain on Kessel for a longer period of time.”

The Chateau had actually been cleared for their respective co-habitation until the weeks end. The only individuals on the premises were their Pyke Syndicate escorts and a handful of domestics to see to any needs they may have. The Kessel Royalty that had vacated the location had been all too pleased to stay out of their way for the duration of the negotiation. Srina had been prepared to remain at the behest of the Sith Empire whilst they relayed the results to their respective superiors. Part of that was removed from the equation because she had been greeted with a King instead of a Bishop—but the breach in protocol was unexpected. “Will you not remain, at least, for an evening meal?”

“Then, if you so choose, you may resume playing the part of the old man and commence with rambling once more. I would like to listen.”

Srina would remain unaware that she had not only called the Emperor old, but, in the same sentence accused him of inconsequential speech. Her earnest tones would make it abundantly clear that it was a potential slight she would not see or understand. The Exarch, in her mind, referred to his earlier words about Destiny and Fate. In a less broad sense, the silvery woman was actually curious. She had been exposed to leaders of many nations, but none, quite like this one. None before had ever mentioned the Throne of Balance or had spoken to her so casually about motive and means. Srina, for all of her quiet grace, was endlessly curious. She had only passed through territory that belonged to the Sith Empire once. A very, long time ago. “I know your people, your culture, in a general sense. I have poured through many documents. It is all...Written by someone else. Details, captured, by someone outside of your sphere. So...I know of the Sith Empire...”

“But I do not know it. Not as I should.”

 

[Darth Carnifex]

His brows knit together in thought, a heated contemplation between whether or not to strike her down for her insolence. Her mannerisms were far removed from what was considered the social norm in the Empire, and the Emperor didn't know if it stemmed from the Confederate's own culture or if it was the Young Talon herself.

In the end, he capitulated and returned to a more relaxed posture.

"Very well, Srina Talon. At your insistence, I will remain for a while longer, at least for supper."

It had been quite a long while since he had actually attended a dinner that wasn't some grand extravagant event, he'd been too busy overseeing his Empire's many campaigns across the galaxy. The Sith Emperor possessed the stamina to move around constantly, showing up in one system for a day and then suddenly appearing in another for the same amount of time with seemingly no downtime in-between. As he had mused before, his ability to appear and disappear anywhere in his Empire at the drop of a hat was part of his tried and true method of ensuring that the local governors remained on their best behavior, for who could expect that the Emperor would suddenly show up on their doorstep.

"And as for my people, I have no doubt the meeker galactic powers write profusely of our demonic nature. Cast aside the lies and exaggeration, we Sith-Imperials are pragmatic people of hearty stock. We place value in one's abilities rather than the circumstances of their birth, nor do we discriminate on gender or species as some organizations have done in the past. Anyone of capable skill can rise high in my government, Srina. One of my most trusted confidants is a Thirriken if you could believe that."

A trusted confidant and one of his most vocal critics, the meter tall birb had the tenacity and conviction to tell the Emperor things that others would not in true honesty, and he was greatly valued by Carnifex for that.

"I will answer any questions you have of my people, better to dispel the fog of ignorance."

[member="Srina Talon"]​

 

[Srina Talon]

Location: Outer Rim Territories, Kessel Sector [Akkadese Maelstrom], Kessel
Meeting Place: Southern Hemisphere, Kessel Chateau, Pyke Syndicate Escorts
Intent: NAP Agreement
Tag: [member="Darth Carnifex"]

---

Srina did not smile often. It wasn’t due to a lack of joy. She just didn’t typically have the time or the patience for emotion that belonged to the masses. Her duties, despite her Sith tutelage, required a mind free from the burdens of letting passion and sentiment overcome logical thought. When [member="Darth Carnifex"] amended his statement and agreed to remain she assumed that all must have been well. His momentary irritation would be acknowledged and dismissed. If he was truly angered, she was certain, he would have demanded clarification. As such a very quiet, ghostly smile, appeared at the kiss of her mouth before it vanished.

“Thank you. It would be…Peculiar, to eat alone here.”

She could already hear her voice echoing through the acoustics with someone else present. It would have been worse had she been the only one in the meeting hall. The Echani felt awkward that such opulence was wasted in the first place. If they only needed to say three sentences to each other, why waste monetary assets on this location, when the same thing could have been accomplished in a fly-by-night meeting at a deserted cantina?

The Emperor immediately launched into a spiel about his nation and the slender creature gave him her full attention. She had asked, Afterall. “Not all historical data is slanted negatively.”

It was true. Srina had gone through more dockets than she could name in preparation for this meeting. Some painted the Sith Empire as monstrous beasts. Some didn’t. The same could be said about the Confederacy. There had been whispers and murmurs among the nation for months when they’d glassed the capital of Melida/Daan. There had been a reason for it, however, many didn’t see the need for such extreme measures. Srina had been present. They had not.

If she was referred to as a monster before? The Dread Queen? That certainly hadn’t helped matters.

“We handle things in a similar fashion. I am merely an Apprentice…”, she began slowly, leaving out, that her Master had long since admitted the reason for it. Srina accepted his wisdom and did not push for more than he thought appropriate. “Yet if something should happen to the Vicelord...I am tasked with filling his shoes.”

She tiled her head a little while her elegant brow drew inward for a moment. Srina had heard of a Thirriken before, however, it wasn’t a species found commonly near the Confederacy. She made a mental note to look it up properly later for context. Regardless, she still understood what the Emperor was trying to say. “You are kind to answer. I will do the same—if you would wish it.”, she intoned, though truthfully, his willingness was more practical than anything else. If they were to lead a pact of non-aggression forward it would be paramount to understand one another.

“I am mostly looking for your impression. Your…”, she trailed off gently, her voice a light trill in the still air, almost birdlike. Her small hands spread out across the table showing an imagined expanse. ”Your view. I am also uncertain as to what would be considered polite to inquire about.”

But, she had to start somewhere. With that in mind, she began with a general question. It was strange for the leader of a nation to arrive at something so menial as this. She understood his reasoning, but still, it still presented dangers. Srina knew herself to be truthful, honest to a fault, but not everyone in the universe was so enlightened. It could have been a trap. A ruse. Still…He came.

“How long have you presided as Emperor?”

[SIZE=11pt]Historical data contradicted itself in that regard. Srina, as always, remained curious about all things she did not know for certain. It would be foolish to ignore a chance to learn. [/SIZE]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I have been an Emperor of the Sith for five years, though I have been a Sith for far longer."

Though he had served as Sith Emperor prior to the One Sith's revival in the Deep Core, his tenure did not last for very long under the threat of war from the Republic and the Mandalorian Clans. On the watery world of Mon Cala, he had been deposed after fighting the entire Jedi Council, his arms and legs bound in chains as he was carted back to Coruscant to face trial for his many crimes against the Republic and the Jedi. If he hadn't been saved by the One Sith en route, he would've surely been tried and executed.

But all was made right, the Republic was destroyed and he reclaimed the mantle that had been unjustly taken from him. It was by his will that the Sith banded together under his direction, with only a few scant holdouts defying his authority on the fringes of unknown space.

"I have long believed that unity among the Sith is the key to victory, not divisive jockeying for power that embodied a great deal of our history. I have read the writings of Darth Krayt, a Dark Lord of the Sith so powerful and so wise that he crafted a philosophy known as the Rule of One and became the second Sith Galactic Emperor in all of known history. He understood that power itself was never, could never be, the purpose of the Sith. Instead, our purpose was to serve the goal of the collective order, to destroy the Jedi and build a utopia through the Dark Side of the Force. I was exposed to these teachings during my time as Darth Vornskr in the One Sith, and I have repurposed them to suit a new generation."

Carnifex had fused the Rule of One with several pre-Banite Sith philosophies, eschewing blind loyalty to a Dark Lord for reasoned loyalty to the Sith state, the Sith Empire. A Sith was to serve the Empire in all things, and everything he or she did was to ultimately benefit the Empire's growth and hasten the destruction of its enemies. He called this philosophy the Rule of Order, Chwayatajak, though it had quickly become known across the Empire as the Kainist Doctrine.

"We no longer fight merely for ourselves, Srina. We fight for a galaxy devoid of weakness and impotency, lorded over by the Dark Side of the Force. With that purpose we are united, and with it we are strong."

[member="Srina Talon"]​