Private There are no coincidences

[Lord Depravious]

// LOCATION: Jutrand
// Tags: Darth Strosius

The noise and chaos of the metropolis held no appeal for Lord Depravious.
Where most Sith might revel in the thrumming energy of crowded streets and ceaseless movement, he preferred the silence between moments—the stillness of the void, the echo of power unchallenged. Governing the needs of a teeming citizenry, he found, was often tedious. Yet even tedium had its uses. Power did not only come from conquest—but also from control.


Shaidin Kamari had come to this world with singular purpose: to meet a figure whose influence could serve his ambitions, and in turn, perhaps benefit from his own.


A meeting between Sith Lords was never simple. No etiquette truly existed for encounters between beings of such magnitude. What was the proper decorum when two storms collided?


Each entered such a meeting with hidden motives, buried truths, and sharpened pride. There would be no clear victor in a conversation steeped in ego. But there could be alignment—mutual elevation, if both parties were clever enough to see the thread that might bind their interests together.


It was with that intent, and nothing less, that Lord Depravious approached the domain of Strosius. Each step was a quiet proclamation:
He would not kneel.
But he was willing—should the terms prove worthy—to rise together.

 

[Darth Strosius]

Jutrand was a despicable place, even before it had been chosen as the throneworld of the corpse so many years ago. Darth Strosius despised city planets, far too many people and far too few places in His opinion. Especially one such as this one being held so tightly by its overseers. Normally He wouldn't bother setting foot on the world, mainly due to the heavy Sepulchral presence, but this occasion was something of an exception that He hoped He wouldn't regret.

An invitation to a meeting at all was rather rare, but one done by a Sith that He wasn't aware of was even more so. Initially He was suspicious of course given the unusual request but a brief check by what few contacts He did have on Jutrand ensured that the meeting place didn't appear to be trapped or otherwise susceptible to ambush. None that were clear and thus none that were done by any who could actually threaten Him at least.

Darth Strosius watched the approach of the one who called himself Lord Depravious with a measure of caution and curiosity, with narrowed eyes from behind His mask's visor. The waiting was over and now was the time for action it seemed. "Lord Depravious, that is what you call yourself yes?" He called out as He crossed His arms behind His back and stepped away from the alcove that He had been hiding within. "And what is it that brings you here to see me?"

Lord Depravious

 

[Lord Depravious]

Tags: Darth Strosius

The meeting place had been selected with precision. It was public—just enough that any attempt at assassination would stir whispers in the right circles, perhaps even reach the Throne of the Corpse himself. Yet it remained private enough that two Sith Lords could speak candidly, without the burden of too many ears or too much ceremony.

Lord Depravious approached with deliberate grace, his hands folded neatly behind his back, posture noble and unyielding, like a statue that had endured centuries of weathering without once bowing to time. Every step carried confidence born not of arrogance but of certainty. His presence in the Force, usually immense and oppressive, had been carefully stilled. Today was not for intimidation or for tests of dominance; it was for clarity.

"The title was not one of my choosing," he began. His tone was smooth and refined, with words shaped with intention and anchored by presence. "But it has followed me, and so I let it remain."

With a subtle gesture, he motioned for them to walk side by side. His hand returned behind his back, tucked away like a weapon holstered—not hidden, merely at rest.

The black armor he wore shimmered faintly beneath the ambient light, as though each scale bore echoes of battles long past. Sigils of the Krayt Dragon adorned the dark plating and curled along the hilt of the curved saber at his hip, a quiet testament to a history lived and survived.

"I have asked for this meeting," he said evenly, "because you possess something few others do: reach. Influence, both within the Order and beyond it."

He glanced sidelong—not to challenge, but to observe. Even through armor, body language betrayed more than most realized, and Depravious was always watching.

"I understand my position," he continued. His tone remained cold and composed. "To some within the Order, I am a threat; to others, a curiosity. But status has never been my pursuit. Results are."

They walked a few steps more before his pace slowed. The change might have been imperceptible to most, but certainly not to the being beside him.

"My ambitions are vast. While my power is not in question, the scope of my plan demands infrastructure: resources, logistics, access. I will need governorship over a world, or at the very least, a base of operations sufficient to support continuous production."

He let that hang in the air for a moment before continuing, his voice lowering just enough to be intimate without sounding secretive.

"I will speak in broad strokes for now. The specifics can wait until interest is assured."

He leaned in ever so slightly. It was not conspiratorial, but rather as one noble might whisper to another at a royal court.

"I am in talks with a handful of chemists and botanists. My objective is to engineer a substance so addictive and so potent that it makes the spice trade look quaint by comparison. This drug will not touch Sith space; it will infest the Republic, the Alliance, and all the sanctimonious bastions they claim are incorruptible."

Then, he straightened, his voice returning to a normal volume.

"Let the others obsess over lightsabers and Jedi. I would rather break their foundations—hollow out their sanctuaries with rot they invite in themselves. They guard temples while we poison their cities."

There was no threat in his words, only cold strategy, spoken with all the weight of a man who did not ask permission.

 

[Darth Strosius]

"That makes one wonder what title you might choose in it's place." He idly mused in response, less a probing question and more a stray remark that as easily dismissed as it was uttered. He wasn't curious necessarily, He spoke more as though He was making a note of it. He knew well enough the power that names could hold and titles whether they be granted or chosen were often even more significant in that regard. Yet He chose not to comment on it any further. Not yet at least.

Darth Strosius walked alongside the mysterious Sith and glanced him up and down, narrowing His hidden gaze as He examined the ornate adornments that lined the dark armor he wore. A noncommittal hum served as His initial response to the apparent purpose for this meeting. Influence was a rather potent and exceptionally flexible tool but one that was decidedly difficult to procure, as such it was no surprise that it was what Lord Depravious sought.

As the pace slowed and the other Sith continued the masked man would take the opportunity to get ahead of him somewhat, just a few steps in front despite keeping His visored gaze squarely on the Sith Lord. "Ah, a governship is what you wish to secure. I see." Not unforseen but the question of what world or other such territory would be the subject of such a governship was up for debate it seemed. Any world could serve well, with the proper steady hand of course, but some would always be superior to others. And the Sith Order had no shortage of superior planets to peruse and oversee.

When Lord Depravious leaned in Darth Strosius paused and waited for the coming remark in turn, His chin tilting down slightly so as to not catch the light of an overhead sign in His reflective visor. "Oh?" Anything that was meant to strangle the spice trade had His immediate interest, but to weaponize it against their greater foes was quite the bold promise. One that warranted scrutiny of course but also demanded attention and further explanation that seemingly wouldn't be given yet. How very intriguing indeed.

"Well you have garnered my attention to be sure." His words were measured but not cold or monotonous. They were calculated but with a clear undertone of genuine curiosity laced a hint of skepticism. "I'd rather like to see such a poisoning, or at least the poison in question, enacted before I can throw in my full support. I'm sure you understand." He took another step forward before turning to regard Lord Depravious properly, without the guise of pacing to steal His attention.

"But of course such a thing needs manufacturing doesn't it? " Anything worthwhile did. "What world would you have me back your claim to then? What planet will serve as the basis for the operations you speak of?" A rather simple question but one that could very well determine the end of this discussion and their plans in general.

Lord Depravious