The Founder: Part 1

[J3C0]

Mierin stood on the bridge of her personal star destroyer the Crimson Wraith. Her eyes were set on the massive shipyard before her, and her lips turned upward in a slight smile. There was work being done here, work that was far grander than anything they had done before. She knew that [member="Daella Apparine"] was in charge of this, and she felt a hint of jealousy that it wasn't her. A frown pulled at her lips slightly as she was reminded of that fact, the fact that she was not only not in charge here, but that she had no real purpose.

She let out a sight, causing many of the crew members around her to jump up in surprise. They did not like it when Mierin sighed, they did not like it when she did much of anything. The new members of the crew were always rather jumpy, something that actually amused The Sith Pureblood to no end. Her smile returned, and she signaled to her captain.

The man who now ran her ship was known as Nar'in'Nuruodo, or Rin.

The man was intelligent, tactical, and logical to a fault. A chiss of course whose unsettling red eyes and blue skin seemed to haunt the ship wherever he went. Mierin did not learn much of him yet, he had only been with the ship for a week or two. Yet in those weeks Rin had already changed much of the ships structure. The Ensigns seemingly moved faster, the soldiers were more organized, and the entire ship seemed to shift around on a point.

For Mierin, it was heaven.

 

[J3C0]

A ship working efficiently was a ship that she did not need a hand in. She could finally sit back and let someone else run this ship, let someone else take care of the problems that the thousands of people on board had on a daily basis. She already mothered the One Sith, she didn't need to mother those within her crew. Her eyes shifted slightly towards the captain who walked up behind her with quiet but quick steps.

“Lady Mierin.”

He bowed his head.

That was one thing she enjoyed about the Chiss. They were logical to a point, and respectful to a T. This was of course sometimes a hidden face, the Chiss were not unknown to conduct assassinations and kill those who they thought were weak, but on the face of things, they were nothing but respect. Mierin enjoyed that.

She turned to the captain, regarding the man with bright yellow eyes.

 

[J3C0]

The contrast between red and yellow was almost disturbing, the red glow of the Chiss' eyes seemed to radiate outward from his skull, while the bright yellow seemed to consume and call to the energy around it. It was an interesting display, only broken by the Captain looking slightly downward in a sign of respect, and submission. In a sign of respect she did not observe his submissive stare, but instead looked out the window, pretending not to notice that he had bowed his head.

Mierin smiled.

“Captain. Are there any alerts?” The question was one posed to halt her boredom. There wasn't much for Mierin to currently do. Her own little project was on hold as the resources were gathered, and Copero was known to be a target for the Rebel Chiss that still lived throughout the Ascendancy. Despite herself, Mierin hoped for some sort of activity from them.

There was nothing else for her to do on this world, nothing except to watch her failure.

A frown tugged at her lips, and slowly she turned to regard the captain once more. The man would be well informed about what was going on here, not only was Rin a Chiss, but he called Copero his home. Perhaps more than any Chiss, Rin wanted the Sith to control his world.

 

[J3C0]

The captain waited for a moment, signing over to one of the ensigns who rushed towards the Chiss captain at a sprint.

Mierin raised an eyebrow at the boy, but she did not comment. Apparently the crew were as eager to please Captain Rin as they were Mierin. She was slightly impressed by that fact, but she didn't want to comment. When a crew respected a Captain, it was an excellent sign. They feared her, so they would need to respect Rin.

The Chiss took a small datapad from the ensign and glanced at it with quick determining eyes.

“Yes my Lady. It seems that some of the Rebel Elements have dug in on a nearby asteroid, Imperial troops have been unable to...dislodge them so far.”

A smile tugged at Mierins lips again. An asteroid base? How curious that was. The smile tugging on her lips expanded, and she turned to regard the viewport. For a moment she mused on what could be done, thinking about the rebels in their little hidey hole. “Tell me more Captain.”

Her voice was sanguine

 

[J3C0]

The Captain paused for a moment, then nodded his head.

“Their base is an old mining Asteroid. They have converted many of the mining lasers into defensive positions and have heavily fortified the mining base throughout. No walkers or vehicles are able to enter the facility, we will only be able to use troopers.”

Mierin smiled broadly. So the base was small, the corridors would be tiny and likely heavily fortified with refuse and pieces of rock and ore. The mining base was likely very heavily defended as well, she suspected that the last rebel elements on Copero were stationed upon that asteroid, and once they were eliminated many of the problems plaguing this world would be finished.

The Captain seemed to agree with her assessment.

“I suspect that the last of the Rebel elements are stationed aboard this asteroid.”

Mierin turned to regard the Chiss, giving him a large broad smile. Oh yes, this one was very clever. Far more clever than her old human captain. Her lips pursed for a moment, perhaps she should replace all of her crew with Chiss.

Now there was an idea.

 

[J3C0]

Mierin regarded the man for a moment, deciding on what orders to give.

“I believe you're correct Captain. They'll have hidden themselves away, the asteroid would make a perfect base to strike out at Copero and her shipyards.” Not to mention the One Sith stationed there. “Do we have schematics of the mining base?”

She mused upon the situation for a moment, and then turned once again to the viewport.

The Captain turned away without answering Mierin, signaling to another one of his ensigns to come over with yet another datapad. The man really was commendable, Mierin would have to make sure to keep him close. Captain Rin would be an asset.

“Yes.”

The captain finally answered, quickly and succinctly. Another smile tugged at her lips, and she turned around, taking the datapad from Captain Rin in crimson hands. For a moment she studied the schematics on the device, as she had suspected the Asteroid was naught but small corridors, ancient mining tunnels, and small pockets of command centers and lunch rooms.

The Fighting would be hell.

 

[J3C0]

Many would have shied away from such a challenge, would have decided that the fighting was not worth it and that other commanders could sacrifice their troops. Mierin however was not such a commander. She wanted those rebels, and more so she wanted the prestige of eliminating them. TO her it was a simple matter.

“Captain. Prepare our troops.” As she spoke hushed whispers ran throughout the bridge, rumor would soon spread.

Captain Rin however did not seem upset by the coming loss of life, indeed a wide smile spread across his face. That was a rare thing to see from him, in the two weeks that that Rin had been aboard the Crimson Wraith Mierin had seen the man smile exactly three times, not including this smile. Each time it had been when they had fought Rebel elements of the Chiss Ascendancy.

The man truly thought this new Empire was the path of the future for the Sith, and his unquestioning loyalty was proving to be a true boon.

“Yes Lady Mierin.”

His stoic voice rang out to her once more, and then he turned away from the Sith. She began to bellow and bark orders towards the gathered ensigns, preparing them for battle.

 

[J3C0]

Activity began to buzz within The Crimson Wraith, troops preparing themselves, ensigns preparing the ship, and of course Sith Acolytes readying themselves for the slaughter. Mierin was always keen on collecting Acolytes to do her bidding. They served her loyally and unquestioningly, something that she quite liked.

Those that were strong enough survived, those that were weak died.

It was the way of the Sith. This has never changed, and would never change. The One Sith were loyal, the were powerful, but the acolytes were nothing. They were less than trash, and they knew it. In the coming battle her troops would play only a second roll, her acolytes were the ones that would take care of most of the facility.

She smiled at that.

Her acolytes. It had been a very long time since she had had Acolytes. A variable army of young students to use as she willed. Her smile widened as she gazed out the viewport, listening to the sounds of scurrying ensigns.

 

[J3C0]

It took only half an hour for the Crimson Wraith to ready itself, and once the ship was prepared Captain Rin once again skulked up behind Mierin. The man was deathly silent, and moved like a cat. It was a strange thing really, describing a man in that manner, but it was true. Rin was almost completely silent, and as he moved up behind Mierin he eyed the shipyard that lay past the viewport.

For a moment neither of them said anything, Rin wasn't quite sure how to approach Mierin just yet. The Sith were a new entity to him, yet he believed many of the rumors that lay about them, tales of death and lashing out.

“Captain?” Mierin mused. “Are we ready?”

For a moment Rin did not answer, instead he simply watched the construction of the shipyards before them. He had never seen the like of what was being built here, and indeed it was utterly unique in its nature. Yet eventually, the Chiss gathered himself and managed to speak, his bright red eyes reflecting off the windows.

“Everything is prepared Lady Mierin. They are eager to get moving.”

There was a slight amusement to his tone, a joy.

 

[J3C0]

Mierin shared a smile with Captain Rin for a second, turning away from the viewport and towards the man.

“Excellent.” She said. “Give the order Captain. We make for the Asteroid as fast as we can. I want the Crimson Wraith to be present over that asteroid within the hour, our troops prepared and the Acolytes readied for battle.”

The Chiss stopped for a second, he was unsure if he had authority over the Sith acolytes. Mierin smiled slightly, amused by the nervousness that ran over him. The Chiss were all about rank and titles, the area of the Sith...it was gray for him, he did not know.

“Until they are Darth's, they are less than your ensigns.” Her voice was meant to sound reassuring, but she bit off each syllable as if the very idea of Acolytes disgusted her.

Captain Rin simply nodded, turning away from Mierin and issuing the Order to move out.

 

[J3C0]

The Crimson Wraith lurched forward, turning about and facing away from the Shipyard in mere moments. The great lumbering Star Destroyer shifted forward in the black void of space, inching away from Copero and its mighty shipyards and shifting itself towards the Asteroids that held the Rebels. With a massive vessel like this, the trip would not be a long one, yet she could sense the anxious.

Mierin knew that feeling well. It was the feeling of coming battle, of coming death. This was the simplest of things, it was the rush of emotion, of feeling that came when dealing death.

This was what Mierin was feeling now. She felt a rush of excitement, of emotion. Her acolytes would lead the charge, and she would follow them in with her own troops. That was the plan, her acolytes would lead the charge, their success or death would be a deciding factor. Of course it could be argued that a frontal assault on the Asteroid was unnecessary, that the Star Destroyer could simply destroy the Asteroid in one swift move.

Yet that wouldn't yield the same result.

 

[J3C0]

If they destroyed the asteroid it would simply make martyrs out of those Chiss still aboard.

If they simply wiped away the Asteroid from the face of existence they would be little more than heroes to those Chiss that still rebelled. If they were taken out one by one however, captured and taken by the One Sith, then they could be twisted, they could be used. Mierin would take them, she could break the traitors and show the Chiss that rebellion was not the correct choice.

“Captain.” Mierin said summoning Rin to her.

The Chiss' head almost immediately snapped up, his keen ears always alert to his mistresses call. Quickly the Captain made his way over towards her, loud bootsteps echoing as he wandered towards the viewport. He arrived with a stern look and a short bow.

She turned to him, facing away from the viewport. “I want the brig prepared. There will be survivors.”

The Captain frowned slightly, he didn't like the idea of survivors. Those that had turned against the One Sith did not deserve life, they did not deserve survival. To Captain Rin, there were consequences for your actions, and traitors deserved nothing less than death.

 

[J3C0]

She spied the mans expression with a hint of amusement. Oh yes, she realized his way of thinking. Her own line of thought had once been much the same. In the ancient Empire she had been a known slaughterer of enemies. No matter who they were or what their station was, Mierin had always executed the enemy. It had led to her being called the Executioner Queen, the Lady of Athiss that never took prisoner. At the time the reputation was grand, though it later changed.

When Mierin's voice, the woman who was put into station to point out her flaws spoke up against this tactic, the Executioner Queen had listened.

The folly of what she had done was pointed out to her. Prisoners were a valuable tool, they were things that could be turned against their friends, they were things that held information, they were things that could be used. Mierin knew this now, she knew the benefits of martyrs, or prisoners, of torturing your enemies to do your bidding.

“Worry not Captain.” Mierin said with amusement in her tone. “Their stay will not be a pleasant one.”

Rin looked at her with curiosity.

 

[J3C0]

“Long ago, I learned the value of a life.” She began to explain to him. “It is not the worth of a being or some such Jedi nonsense. Instead it is the value that other people hold in their lives. These Rebels, these martyrs, they are valued by those traitors against the Ascendancy. They are seen as heroes.”

Mierin turned away from Captain Rin and regarded the viewport.

“I will break these heroes.” She said it with a smile.

Ever since her little discovery, ever since her truth speaker had told her of the benefits of capturing ones enemies, she had learned to enjoy a new craft. Torture, torment, the breaking of a persons will. There was a slight joy in doing that. The idea of taking someones personality, of taking their beliefs and breaking them, changing their way of view entirely, it was a beautiful thought.

It was one that Mierin enjoyed.

 

[J3C0]

Her eyes drifted to something in the distance, a massive asteroid slowly coming closer and closer to the ship.

“And if they do not break?”

She smiled. Her eyes drifted over to his reflection within the viewport. Captain Rin did not yet understand what she was. He did not yet understand that the Sith were something special. He did not understand that to Sith, the mind of a mortal was nothing. By the whims of Mierin thousands had been broken, and thousands more had been ended.

It was a fact of life when dealing with Sith that your life was not your own, that it belonged to the Sith.

“Captain.” Mierin said quietly. “I assure you that such a thing is impossible.”

Her voice drifted sanguine once again, and the Captain shifted slightly as he once again became uncomfortable. He truly did not know Sith, but he would by the end of this little trip.

 

[J3C0]

The Asteroid drifted closer and closer, shifting ever forward, moving until it finally took up the entirety of the bridges viewport. Yellow eyes studied the massive Mining facility for a moment, there were several hangars dotting the huge asteroid. None were large enough for the Crimson Wraith of course, but large enough to fit several dozen dropships inside. That would be enough.

“Captain Rin. You have the bridge.” Mierin said as she turned away from the viewport. Her heels clicked as she made her way across the durasteel floor.

Within the Hangar her ship would be waiting, along with a dozen or so transports filled with troopers and Sith Acolytes. They would all be eager, eager to prove themselves ready. She knew that a few of the acolytes would die within only the first few minutes of the battle, many of them were foolish, if not downright idiotic.

Yet they would serve a purpose.

The doors of the turbo-lift sealed itself shut before her, slamming closed as if punctuating her thoughts.

 

[J3C0]

The turbo-lift shot down the length of the Ships spine, rushing down towards the correct level in a matter of seconds. As she moved down through her ship Mierins thoughts turned to the coming battle, the fight that would eventually see to the destruction of the Rebel Chiss.

It could be argued that the rebellion was in fact Mierins fault. It had been her failure in the game of diplomacy that had made the Chiss split into two factions, those that served the One Sith, and those who stood against them. Perhaps if she had been more diplomatic perhaps if she had been kinder the Chiss would have seen the truth of the Dark Lord. Instead Mierin had brought war. She had split the Ascendancy into two.

Though it had not been all her fault.

She scowled slightly, wishing that the Chiss simply would have followed her without another word. It would have made things so much easier. Now they had to be put down, she would have to slaughter and break those Chiss that would Rebel against them.

It was a lie to say she would not enjoy it, yet it was a task she would rather had never been set.

 

[J3C0]

Had the Chiss stayed in line, had they stayed as one whole and simply joined the Empire it would have brought immense strength to the One Sith. The few that had, the half which had decided to join the One Sith already brought immense resources. The Shipyards of Copero, the arms factories of Csilla, the loyalist Chiss brought in quite a bit of strength, but the whole would have been so much more.

The doors of the turbo-lift slid open, and the halls of the Star Destroyer were revealed.

Unsurprisingly they were completely empty. All ensigns, soldiers, and gunners had long since found their place within the Star Destroyer. They had sought out their stations and manned them as soon as Mierin had given the orders. The Crew of the Crimson Wraith delivered nothing less than perfection, neither their Captain, nor their mistress would stand for anything less after all.

She moved through the halls of the ship.

Lithely Mierin moved towards the Hangar, her face twitching into a scowl. She cursed these rebels, cursed that they had ruined yet another one of her plans, another one of her plots. They would feel her wrath.

 

[J3C0]

She entered the hangar, and found it in silence.

Thousands of men and women lined the massive hangar bay. Troopers, acolytes, and dozens of pilots stood in place waiting for her arrival. They presented themselves, fully armed and ready for combat. A smile tugged on her lips as she saw them all, they had organized a parade of sorts for her, set themselves to the task of looking neat and organized.

“Orin.” Mierin said as she approached the Commander of her first division. “You shouldn't have.”

She sounded almost touched by the act, and her smile told the truth in that. Mierin lingered for a moment, stopping for a second to simply observe her troops. It was an awesome sight. The power of the arranged forces that she controlled, enough to smash the rebels.

“By your command my lady.”

Orin spoke up, the grizzled warrior bowing his head to the woman in respect.

 

[J3C0]

For a moment more Mierin simply observed the mass of troops and Sith, waiting for her command. It was a memory of what she had once commanded, of what she had once held at her fingertips. She remembered the mass of Massassi, the armies of slaves at her fingertips. The power she had had as the Lady of Athiss. A deep regretful sigh surged through her, and a longing look was shot into the middle of no where. She yearned for that time again, she yearned to command armies and fleets once more.

Soon. She thought to herself remembering the tasks that the Dark Lord had set before her.

The Dark Blade was complete, the weapon would soon be complete, and once again Mierin would have her fleets, she would have her armies. It was a simple fact. The Dark Lord would grant her what she wanted, she only had to do well.

“Prepare for the assault.” Her voice was rock solid, no hint of emotion. “I want them wiped out.”

These Chiss would pay. She would take them, break them of their will, and force them to repent for the sins that they had committed. Of that she was sure.