The Keepers

[Riamah]

Through life, one's path took turns and twists along its route. However, in a way the path Ra was on was quite similar to the path she had been on several years ago. Back then she had piloted a single ship, now she had a whole fleet. It was this job that had lead her to gaining the opportunity to advance herself and now she was known by many people across the galaxy.

A message reached her and she raised an eyebrow at the sender. The content was straightforward.

Ra'a'mah. It has been some time. My sources tell me you are the head of the Merchant Fleet for the Free Worlds Coalition. A position I am sure you have earned. I'd like to speak with you about a potential trade alliance between the FWC and the Galactic Empire. You can join me on Bothawui at the Imperial Sector Headquarters. in three days time, if you are interested.
Adron Malvern
High Moff of the Imperial Bothawui Sector

Not having had any contact with him since the last days of the Dominion, she was aware of some of his activities. They just had not crossed paths since those days together. Making sure she had at least the afternoon free to meet with him, she arrived as requested those three days later.

Adron was one of the few people that knew she could use the Force so Ra did not hide what she was from him. If it was any other potential client, that would have been hidden. They had worked together before so her business façade was present, but it didn't fully cover her attitude. When she greeted him, it was with a real smile.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Drev'Starn, capital of Bothawui. The city was alive with commerce and business, as it usually was. Spacers from all corners of the Empire visited the heart of the Bothawui sector. Engulfed by the racing traffic of speeders and transport ships was the Imperial sector Headquarters, part government building and part military base, towering over the elongated structures of the bothans.

​Inside the imperial Center Adron sat in his office, his eyes locked upon the papers that plagued his desk. The papers were of a non-military matter; documents reporting the economic and civil status of the Bothawui sector. As the high Moff it was his duty to supply the planets under his disposal with the blanket of Imperial Society. Since taking the position as High Moff Adron had commissioned the building of more schools, spaceports, mining operations, farms, and medical centers. The result, was a time of noticeable prosperity for his sector of the Empire. Finally the last paper crossed his eyes and he was able to set the stack of documents to the side for now.

​Instead his eye turned to a datapad, set on the edge of his desk. Within the device was his true focus in the coming days. Information. Since becoming a member of the Dark Jedi Order, Adron had been devoting himself to gathering information to aid both the order and the Empire, of course it was in service to his own goals.

​Staring out of the window, the young Moff stared with a blank expression, not unlike one of confusion. As he sat in the office he could not help but let that feeling cross over him. The feeling what he was out of place or in the wrong, and he knew the feeling was true. He sat for a moment, taking a notice on how different the Bothans lived and acted compared to his own people on Serenno.

​A deep exhale erupted from him before a soft beep erupted from his desk. He glanced over the console on the table, tapping a flashing yellow button before speaking up. "What is it, Lieutenant?" He asked, his words hushed as he recovered from his moment of nostalgia.

​"Sir. Your guest has arrived, shall I send her in?" For the first time in some days, Adron allowed a small smile to drift over his solemn expression. He had not seen Ra'a'mah in nearly a year, and had been happy to find out that she was available for his meeting.

​"Bring her in, Lieutenant. No more disruptions for the rest of the day." He told his clerk, standing from his seat to properly welcome his guest. The young adjutant escorted Ra'a'mah in, making his departure after gaining a dismissive glance from Adron.

​Approaching the woman, Adron would incline his head at her, offering a genuine smile as he did. "Ra'a'mah." He said, calling on her full name as he often did, rather than shortening it. Once the bow was out of the way he would gesture to a small bar in the corner of the room. "Are you thirsty?" He said before making his way over to the bar himself. "When I found out you were the person I was supposed to contact, well I was surprised to hear you had risen so far so quickly." He said, his eyes glancing over her form a bit, searching for any changes in her appearance since the last time.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Since this was a business meeting, Ra had dressed for business. They had known each other for a while so Ra for once came almost weaponless. Only the Force. Because of this, her hair was down and went down her back with a slight wave. Her eyes were still a natural gold and not corrupted. This helped in business dealings and keeping the fact she followed the sith code a secret. She didn't think it would have mattered to Adron though.

Their greeting was formal, but friendly at the same time. Calling her by her full name, Ra kept that smile on without any concern on appearing to look dumb or silly. Business would be attended to, but right now, she felt like this was more of a reunion between friends.

He asked if she was thirsty and motioned to a small bar as he walked over to it. Following behind him, she picked up one of the bottle and poured herself a glass before he could do it himself.

"Thank you, Adron. You know, when I joined the Dominion, I was a simple businesswoman, currier of goods and people. In a way it shouldn't be that surprising, I'm just doing it on a far larger scale. I don't move people around so much anymore, but goods certainly. Lead of the merchant fleet. Things appear to be going well for you here. How have you been?"

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

[SIZE=11pt]In more recent days Adron had taken to drinking a bit more than usual. Nothing excessive to cloud his mind or dampen his sense. The Moff would enjoy a routine glass of wine when time allowed, some nights even veering off as far as a glass of Serennoan Whiskey. Today he decided a glass of wine would best fit their reunion. Beneath the bar was a small compartment, where he stored a decent Corellian white wine. Pouring himself a glass, he would turn back to Ra, holding it up in cheers. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“There is certainly good business in being the head of your own merchant fleet, I do not doubt you have been doing very well.” He told her, recalling their early days in The Dominion. Adron had just been named the Commander of his sector when Ra’a’mah entered into his life. Of course it was some time later when the man learned of her true alignment in the Force, and her identity as a Master of the dark side. He made his way over to his chair, offering her a seat across from him as he set his glass down on the desk. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“You were a bit more than a simple business woman, Ra’a’mah.” He said, his deep blue orbs locking on her own eyes as he hinted to her true identity. His hand waved over the console on his desk, eyeing it closely before tapping into the device. Immediately the windows in the room darkened as a tinted film descended onto it. The door to the room gave an audible click as it was locked, and in the top corners of the room a series of red and yellow lights were activated. “Privacy is something I pride myself in.” He said, glancing up at the lights before clearing his throat. “If my time in the Dominion taught me anything, it is that you cannot trust anyone or anything.” He explained, before taking a soft sip of his wine.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Ra’a’mah when I found out you were my point of contact for the Free Worlds Coalition I was happy, but not just because I would be seeing an old friend, but because I need your help.” He explained to her, setting his glass back on the table in front of him. There was a brief moment in silence as Adron searched Ra, gauging her reaction to the statement. However it was quickly abandoned as he tapped the holofunctuon on his desk. The image of a planet appeared before the two, offering a slow rotation while Adron stared at it. “I was exiled from my home almost one year ago. In that year a Sith Lord, named Darth Banshee has asserted herself as the head of the Serennoan courts.” He said, his eyes locked on the blue image that represented Serenno. “She is the Queen of Serenno. Her rule is backed by the nobility. Some follow her out of greed and the promise of power, others follow out of fear.” Adron’s tone was low and neutral, yet his agitation with the subject was apparent in his presence in the Force.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Adron took his glass into his hand, taking another measured sip before letting out a slight exhale. “I need your help getting my planet back from the Sith.” [/SIZE]

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Lifting her own glass in the cheers Adron gave, they took their drink together. Wanting to correct him slightly when he said it was her own merchant fleet, Ra just kept silent. He was accurate to a degree and in the long run it probably did not really matter. Knowing she was the Free Worlds was enough information for him right now. It wasn't like she was intentionally keeping anything from him, it was a simple correction of words and that could be done later.

As he took behind his desk, he motioned to the chair across from him for her to sit in. Accepting the offered chair, their eyes met. He did know the truth about her, one of the few people still around that did. Before they had met though, she had been exactly what she was now, but on a far smaller scale.

When he locked the room and had all the different security measures turn on, she stiffened up for a moment. Ra did not embrace the Force or react any further for she did not sense any ill intent from Adron. When he continued on speaking of those days in their past, she nodded in agreement. Trust was so hard to gain, but easy to loose. However, in their time together then, she had never betrayed him. In the end to preserve her life, there might have been that need. It had never happened though and she wasn't about to reveal how close it had come to happening.

This realization brought about within her a sense of ease and that stiffness went away. As he continued on, she knew he did trust her as much as he could. The fact he shared the information he did, the plans he had and what he wanted of her told her as well.

"It will be difficult to accomplish, Adron. Even with what forces we can bring. I cut as many ties as I could with that Empire, however I can still come and go as I want. How do you plan to go about this and who else knows of your plans?"

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

Adron tapped a button on the console to his desk, causing the hologram to dissipate.

The reality of the situation was not lost to Adron, he understood full well how long and difficult it would be to take Serenno, let alone keep it. He gave Ra'a'mah a meaningful look before offering a brief exhale. "I'm not going to get my planet back in one day. The truth is I don't have a plan, not yet." In Adron's eyes there was a shallow reflection of the defeat he felt, yet it was quickly replaced with a motivated expression.

"If it was as simple as taking the planet, It would be much easier. For my reclamation of Serenno to mean anything I have to be able to keep the planet. That's not something I can do just yet."

It was true. When it came to military might, the Galactic Empire was capable of mounting an invasion of Serenno, one that would likely end in success. However, at the most the Empire could hold the planet for a year before it would inevitably be overrun by the Sith once again. It was that very reason that the Moff council had denied Adron's request to aid him in securing his homeworld. The Campaign would expend various Imperial resources for little more than prolonged failure.

"I've spent weeks devising plans, schemes, and plots that would end in me reclaiming Serenno. In the end, none of them would really do any good. If anything they would only prolong my return, or get me killed." That frustrated tone had changed to mild exasperation, yet it was quickly dialed down as Adron's calm persona settled back in.

"I'm not going to take Serenno tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. Taking that planet will take years, if not decades of planning. That is why I need your help Ra'a'mah."

"No one else knows of my intentions, even if some others do speculate. I am going to open a web of information and influence over the galaxy, at least I'm going to try. With my pull in the Empire it will not be difficult to put it's information at my feet...but I need more, and for that I need someone who can report on the movements of the galaxy as they see them." He said, indicating he was looking for Ra's assistance in this.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Sipping the drink she had, Ra sat entirely silent and almost unmoving as Adron spoke of his plans or rather the lack of plans he had. Right now, he just had his vision and dream of what he wanted. A goal to accomplish and he was asking for her help. The amount of trust was clear to her and not missed. One thing she found slightly odd. He said she is the first person he spoke to of his plans...

"What of Anya? We worked together before. I would think as your wife, you would include her."

Unless of course he thought she couldn't be trusted and in which case Ra wondered what had changed between them. Absorbing what else he said, she gave him the moment to answer her question.

With a broad motion, she indicated the Empire around them and looked back to Adron before continuing.

"Does your Empire not support you? You can't take Serenno back by force. Instead, work from the shadows. Grow a powerbase around yourself and strike them when you are in a position to do so."

Again, Ra gave him the time to answer before addressing one last thought on her mind concerning what he was saying.

"You, my dear Adron, sound like what is or could be considered a good sith."

Just a gentle nudge and probe at him, not an attempt to corrupt him. A statement and one that might be enough to give him pause for thought on his path within the Force. If he needed or wanted help, she could offer it in more ways than one.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

Adron did not doubt that Anya would come up in conversation. If anything he was glad to handle the situation now, rather than have it brought up at a later time. The High Moff was dry in his response, though he kept his words true to his heart and mind. "We are no longer married." He said, flexing his ring finger for a moment, allowing Ra'a'mah to take notice of the ring that was missing from his hand,

​"Our affections are a thing of the past. I harbor her no ill will, yet I cannot proceed with her." He admitted, before his eyes fell on Ra, showing the truth in his words.

​"My Empire supports me so long as my actions do not harm them." He revealed, taking the glass of wine into his hands. The bitter-sweet taste of the white whine crossed over his tongue as he finished the last of the beverage off.

​Adron was seldom anyone's "dear' and the term did not go unnoticed by the man. Though he would not give the word any more attention than usual, it was not something to focus on. "The Sith took my planet and killed my people. If I must take on their ways to take back my home, so be it. My family died for Serenno, I will live for it." He said, an exhausted sigh coming from him as he spoke the final word. A life of servitude to a planet was not what Adron had wished upon himself, it is merely how things turned out.

​A pause crossed Adron, his tone shifting a bit as he lowered his voice. Not out of hear, but in a manner of curiosity, as if asking a question that was in the back of his mind. "The power of the Sith.....Can this help me?" He questioned, his eyes falling around the women. He was already a being of the Dark side, but if it meant saving his planet, there was no limit to how far he would go, so he believed.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Thankful for his honesty when it came to Anya, Ra gave him a simple nod when he pointed out he was without a ring on his finger. It was a minor detail in their reunion, but it was still something she felt she should have noticed about him. Anya would be left out of his future and his plans, Ra noted this mentally and would remember it.

Keeping silent as Adron continued to answer her few questions, she had a slightly grim look at what he said about his Empire. If it had been something she expected to help him, his answer decided that fate. They would not be there to support him. In fact as he answered, her intuition told her his career here would be ending soon.

"The Sith Empire took your home. There is a difference. Might not be much, but not all sith are allied with them. Such as me, I am not a part of them. Only thing I have in common with them is a code. It is that code that can help you, Adron."

Many sith wanted power for the simple reason of wanting it. Ra wasn't that way, but it tempted her at times. Maybe it would be what tempted him.

"Through Strength I gain Power. Through Power I gain Victory. Two simple lines of my code. Many ways to go about accomplishing them. Besides my word on the movement of the galaxy...what else do you want from me?"

Leaving off, for now a secondary question, Ra wondered if he would pick up on it. What did he offer her?

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

There was a bit of appreciation to come from Adron when he did not press on about his current relationship status. It was not something he wished to discuss, as most could understand.

Ra’a’mah spoke of the Sith Code and a slightly grim expression crossed over his face. “A code that can help me.” Adron repeated, before his eyes fell on Ra. Everything that Adron had in his life was a result of his own merits. Of course he had been born into wealth and station, but that was all taken from him after the Sith took Serenno. So now all he had left was his vow to reclaim Serenno.

How long had it been since Adron truly belonged to a code? Years.

After abandoning the ways of the Jedi he vowed to never again let a code hold him back. Offering the answer to the question he had yet to ask, Ra began to recite the code of the Sith. Through strength he could gain power, and with power he could achieve victory. Having maintained his silence long enough, Adron’s mind had come to a calm focus. He had committed himself to learning of the Darkness, but to become a Sith would mean he would become the very thing he vowed to destroy. As Ra asked if there was more he would ask of her, his eyes held a mixture of confidence and determination in his final statement.

“Teach me.”

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

He repeated what she had said about the Sith code giving him the ability to accomplish his goals. There was a chance he had the view many of the old Dominion people had. The sith were there to be used, not given any real power. However, they were both past those days. Adron had used her then and wanted to do so again. Back then though they had worked together, almost equals. She had saved his life and when the Dominion fell, he had saved hers.

When he answered her question on if there was anything else he wanted from her...his answer pleased her. Wanting her to teach him, but it might be what he anticipated exactly. She wouldn't teach him so much dark arts, but more of her code. Together they would be the keepers of that code in their own way. Perhaps he would decide her way worked for him as much as it did her.

Downing the rest of her drink, Ra set the glass down on the edge of his desk and stood up. She held a hand out to him to shake as if they were making a bargain. What she might get out of it would be decided in the future. The knowledge she had a willing student was enough for now.

"I give you my word I will do my best to guide and teach you, Adron."

It was the start of a vow that was unspoken.

[member="Adron Malvern"]

 

[Adron Malvern]

Hesitation was abandoned. There was nothing left to be wary of now. If Serenno was to be his again he could not limit himself.

Once Adron had viewed Ra’a’mah as his agent, his pawn to utilize however he saw fit. He had been wrong about her of course, perhaps even wrong about the Sith. In his heart he knew she was his ally in this battle, he would have to put aside his pride and learn her ways if he hoped to reclaim Serenno. A person’s word was their bond, to break it would mean they were a person of no honor or virtue.

Taking her hand into his, Adron nodded, knowing there was still a matter to be settled. “Help me and I will be indebted to you. I always pay my debts.” He assured her, before offering a knowing nod. So it would be that he was her apprentice, and while there was some manner of interest in learning the ways of the Sith, there was fear. Hide it as he may, there was fear.

Taking his seat, Adron tapped the console on his desk. The security measures within the office we're deactivated, and his tone returned to normal. “Now. There are a few trade agreements I'd like to show you. If you find them acceptable we can go forward with them immediately.” He said, his focused and slightly grim expression replaced with a confident smile that came over his face.

@Ra'a'mah