Private Who Are You?

[Alina Tremiru]

Ailara wasn't a world Alina knew, but she had plenty of reason to be curious about it. Rumors of an Empire growing on the world had caught her attention, but so too did the rumor of the Emperor being a Sith. That alone was a reason for her to head to the world. This Darth Acharon was someone she wanted to meet. What did it mean to be an emperor? She'd of asked her own Empress, but she didn't dare waste her time. Perhaps that's why she felt more confident coming here. He was an Emperor, but he wasn't hers. Hopefully he wasn't the type to take insult from that belief either.

Her ship landed in the space port as any other. A visitor, here to enjoy the world. Tourist, almost. In some ways absolutely. The planet was a wonderfully warm one, so she opted for a far more simple outfit than the robes of the Sith. Tanktop and pants. Nothing anywhere close to fancy, and in some simple white and grey tones. As they said, never wear black in the heat. Yellow eyes scanned around the spaceport. It was a well cared for place at least. Now it was a matter of figuring out where to go next. She wandered up to one of the informational booth and leaned over the counter with a bright smile.

The gentleman behind it raised a brow curiously, but before he could say anything Alina spoke up first. "Is there a sort of palace here?" He nodded.

"The Palace of Thorns, yes."

She dropped quite a hefty amount of credits on the counter, smile still bright and wide. "Call me a taxi and have them bring me there. I'll wait outside." She didn't wait for an answer as she pushed back up from how she was leaning and strode off towards the exit. He'd either do as she asked, or she'd get a chance to see how the law was handled around here after she beat his face in. Alina found a bench in the shade to sit down in. Now all she had to do was wait.

 

[Darth Acharon]

The taxi would arrive not long after, taking Alina Tremiru to the governmental district where the Palace of Thorns and other prominent buildings were located. It was not all that strange of a trip for the taxi driver, as thousands of Ailaran citizens worked in the buildings immediately to either side of the Palace of Thorns. The taxi service did not drop her off right at the Palace itself, but a short walk away from it. The taxi station that Alina was dropped off to, unlike the one near the spaceport, was guarded by several Ailaran Army Troopers. They did not stop anyone from departing the station, but their visor concealed eyes watched everyone who stepped off to ensure there were no potential threats.

A short distance from the taxi station would be a large courtyard, roughly a kilometer in length, with several large skyscraper type buildings lining either side of it. At the far end of the courtyard sat the Palace of Thorns, dominating above even the skyscrapers. Hundreds of civilians could be seen wandering around the courtyard, either in groups or alone, as they went about their daily tasks. Running along the interior section of the courtyard was a moving sidewalk, which individuals could step on to quickly be taken to a different section of the courtyard.

Immediately before the Palace of Thorns itself, stationed on the staircase leading to the marble entrance were half a dozen Knights of Ailara, the personal guard of the Emperor and the state sanctioned Force User cult of the Empire of Ailara. Despite the high activity in the courtyard, almost no one dared approach these silent sentinels, and the few that did were thoroughly searched before being sent inside. Hanging from the walls of the Palace of Thorns, and several other buildings and posts, were dark red and white banners, with the Empire of Ailara crest blazoned on them proudly.

 

[Alina Tremiru]

This definitely seemed far more imperial. Alina stepped out of the taxi with a small smile at the familiar layout. It wasn't anything like the Sith Empire, but there were similarities. Enough for her to feel more at home. Though there were parts that were certainly more modernized than she expected. The fact that there were moving floors to get people from one side to another was intriguing. She'd never really seen them, so she pretty quickly found a way onto it to glide along towards the entrance of the palace.

A search though? She paused at the entrance as she watched the few who did go in get patted down and scanned for any hidden weaponry. This brought a frown. She'd only brought her lightsaber, but she certainly didn't want to be touched. With a puff of air she stepped forward, pulling free the smooth handle of her saber and held it up. "This is all I have on me. I don't do touch. Let me past." She spoke with authority, her eyes scanning each of the expressionless masks as she stood near them.

Darth Acharon

 

[Darth Acharon]

The Knight standing at the front of the guard detail looked Alina up and down, though his helmet barely moved from the inspection. "We do not often get lightsaber armed travelers from off world. What is your business here, Lady...?" The words trailed off from the Knights mouth as the entrance to the Palace of Thorns, two large, gold and silver lined doors swung open. The Knight directly in front of Alina did not break his gaze from the stranger, but the other Knights turned to look up the steps to the entrance, where two more Knights emerged.

Darth Acharon came not long after. Today, he did not wear his usual Sith attire, feeling it more appropriate to wear clothing suited for a leading government figure. The white and red shirt he wore was buttoned nearly up to his neck, and the similarly colored pants were tight to his frame as he started walking down the steps of the Palace. His eyes snapped up and found Alina, narrowing for a moment before Acharon slowed to a halt beside the Knight staring her down. He placed his hands on his hips, his left hand not far from the saberstaff he wore at all times no matter the situation, and his eyes lazily took Aline in for a moment before speaking.

"You smell like an off-worlder, Sith. What brings a servant of the Sith Empire to my humble little planet?" Acharon's words were spoken warmly and lightly, the slightest hint of his native accent(pretend its Irish) slipping through his phrase. What was also clear though, was the caution the Ailaran Emperor felt as he looked at the Sith before him. The Empire of Ailara, while small, was still a Sith aligned Empire outside the rule of the larger Sith Empire. He did not think they warranted attention yet, but one could never be too careful, and he was never sure where the Empires decision on Ailara would fall.

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

"Alina is fine. I'm here to-" She was fine with stating her business, but like the other knights her attention was pulled to the opening doors. She didn't bother finishing her sentence. The business she was here on just happened to come outside. The Knight no longer existed in her mind as she kept her chin high, watching Darth Acharon closely. Sizing him up. It wasn't hard for her to recognize this was the Emperor. The lightsaber in her hand was once more hooked on her waist. She wasn't here to fight, after all.

"I'm not here as a servant of the Sith Empire, if that's worrying you. I came to speak with you, ironically enough. You're path is of interest to me, and I want to learn what it means to be Sith to you." No reason to hide her intentions. Her form laxed as her gaze shifted over the plaza, a pleasant smile forming on her lips. "It's also a bit of a vacation for me, I suppose."

 

[Darth Acharon]

A small smile crossed Acharon's face at Alina's words and he reached up to grip the shoulder of the Knight before her. "We have ourselves a philosopher, it seems. A philosopher out to see the sights of the galaxy." Turning, Acharon flicked his right hand, the Knights of Ailara nodding. The warriors turned and departed back into the Palace of Thorns, and Acharon turned his full attention to Alina. Gesturing for her to follow him, Acharon began walking back across the courtyard, Ailarans moving out of the path of the two walking Sith.

"You ask a question many before you, and many after, have and will ask. It is a good question, you know. What does it mean to be a Sith? Many aspiring philosophers like you though lose interest in looking for those answers when they find out there are as many truths as their are questions." Stepping onto one of the moving sidewalks Acharon and Alina rode it around the perimeter of the courtyard, his hands folded in small pockets cut in his pants. "I myself asked the question once, not all that long ago during my initial training on Korriban. The instructor at the time, mean old Twi'lek bastard that he was, decided to best answer was Strength." Acharon reached up with one hand and pulled the collar of his shirt down, exposing a long burn scar running from the corner of his neck and disappearing further into his shirt.

"Suffice to say, I did not find this answer all that educational." His words were dry as he stepped off the sidewalk, and began walking towards an alley between two of the larger buildings. They passed through the short alley, before emerging to the other side of the courtyard. There, a large platform stuck out into the air, hanging suspended by dozens of pillars that drove into the mountain that all of New Talmion, the capital of Ailara was built around. Coming to stand before the railing, Acharon looked out over the railing that separated the platform from the several kilometer plummet to the city below. In the distance, surrounding the mountain on all sides, was the Vagrant Ocean. Massive bridges could been seen running from the edges of New Talmion across the ocean to distant cities along the coast, and several large ocean going craft crossed the ocean in all directions.

"If all I had was Strength when I came to Ailara, this world would have been destroyed. If I was the type of Sith my instructor, and the Sith Empire wanted me to be, I would have conquered this world with fire and blade. Instead, I led the people in a revolution, and they chose me to be their next leader." Looking out over the ocean, at his people going about their lives, Acharon let a small smile cross his face. "It is a multilayered question you ask, Alina. My own question would be, do you have the time to learn?"

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

It was quite the curious move for Darth Acharon to actively send his guard away. Was he that trusting of the Sith Empire? No, that wasn't it. He didn't view her as a threat. Curiosity turned to amusement. No, she likely wasn't a threat. Wasn't strong enough. Yet. For now she trusted he didn't have an intention to harm her and followed along. Philosophy? Truthfully Alina wasn't all that interested in it. How could she ponder the beliefs of another if she still wasn't sure what her own belief was.

"Scars are proof of lessons learned and battles survived." It was an idle musing, not meant to break his train of thought. She had her own scars, physical and otherwise. Her brow furrowed as their path lead to the alley. A good place to strike someone down out of sight. Was that his plan? Or was he trying to test her? Smart way to see if she was actually an enemy, bringing them to a place without a guard.

The view was astounding. She went right up to the railing, leaning against it to overlook the world. It was a wonderful sight. The city. The ocean backdrop. Her gaze drifted back to him. In a way, he was doing what she sought to do. Be the guiding hand for the weak. Give them protection from threats and let them live their lives in safety. The Empire Protects. A mantra she picked up for herself.

"I'm not one to turn a lesson or two, if it makes me stronger. I won't lie though, I'm not much of a philosopher."

 

[Darth Acharon]

Acharon nodded his head at Alina's words, leaning his back against the railing, and looking over his shoulder at the ocean. "You do not think yourself a philosopher, Alina, but you are. It is sometimes hard to think about, but those of us in the galaxy who ask questions like you or I do are rare. Too many people are born into a life they never question, live an existence of toil and stagnation, and return to the earth without ever looking beyond their simple life and ask why. The few who do, in a galaxy of trillions, are philosophers all, even if they do not think themselves so."

Grunting, Acharon took a step away from the railing, flexing his right arm to work out a sore he had been feeling for a few hours. "You asked me what it means to be a Sith, and perhaps the most simple answer that I believe in, is that to be Sith is to be free. I am sure you have heard something similar to that before, and you might very well believe it yourself, but my view on it differs from the Sith Empire's current direction." Turning, Acharon took a single leaping step forward and jumped up onto the railing. The railing let our a reverberating clang as he balanced on top of it, looking down the several kilometer fall before him.

"To be Sith is to be free, free from the shackles of dogma, control, and direction. Within the Sith Empire, you are free to follow the orders of the former Sith Emperor, or now, the Dark Lord of the Sith and the new Empress. You are free to worship them, to kneel to them, and die for them. Beyond that, your freedoms are shackled. To be a Sith within the Empire, you are given the choice of a heavily structured and guided path, in which the illusions or freedom are given, but the end result is always the same. Servitude to someone stronger, and little hope for change, except when they decide it."

Extending his hands out to the side, Acharon allowed the wind to start pushing him forward, off the railing for just the briefest of moments, before he slowly clenched his fists, and began to move back, with subtle uses of the Force, to an upright position. The action was for little else than to give Acharon something to do as he thought, and he lowered himself down to a sitting position on the railing. "I have decided that to be truly Sith, I must be truly free. So, I forsook the Sith Empire, its shackled freedoms and half choices, and set out to decide my own fate. I have joined other Sith organizations, yes, but each of them offers something that the Empire discourages. The freedom to choose how I will live my life, and a freedom to decide what I as a Sith can do."

Turning his head to look at her, he narrowed his eyes for the briefest of moments. "Perhaps not the most advanced theory you have ever heard, but it is the start of what I have come to believe. There is more, but that is a story that could take much more time."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

There was a lot that Darth Acharon said that made sense to Alina. But there was also a lot said. That was the biggest reason she didn't like philosophy. It often just seemed an excuse for people to hear themselves talk. Still, she did listen to his words. To be free is to be Sith. It was a simple belief at it's core, but not one easily attained. Her yellow eyes watched him for a moment. Ah. He was showing off his power in the Force. His idle fall before catching himself with the Force almost earned a roll of her eyes, but she kept that down for now. There was much she could learn from him.

Maybe.

"Freedom is meaningless without the strength to keep it. There will always be Sith who want to take control. Take power for themselves. Stamp out rivals. This freedom you have now is an illusion. If another Sith decides they want this empire for themselves, or if the Sith Empire decides you're a rival, freedom won't give you the ability to win or protect your people. I have seen first hand what a Sith Lord will do for their selfish desires and the countless people they would kill."

Already the memory of Zygerria and how the Graug mercilessly slaughtered that Empire under the orders of Vulcanus filled her mind. Her grip on the railing tightened briefly before she let go and turned around to lean against the railing and look back to the palace. "You have to be able to protect your choice. Otherwise, you're just pretending until something bigger comes along and erases you."

 

[Darth Acharon]

Acharon nodded at the words of Alina Tremiru as she spoke on the need for strength. "You are right of course, but I fear you focus too much on the military aspects of being a Sith. Combat scars, strength, and the ability to defend all that I have chosen to do." Reaching down to his hip, Acharon unclipped his saberstaff and held it out. With a small flick of his thumb, the two crimson blades erupted to life, and Acharon turned to blade over in his hand a few times. "I do not have any illusions that what I have here is precarious, Alina. If the Sith Empire so much as glanced in my direction, it could all come crashing down."

Turning, Acharon let go of his saberstaff, letting it hang in the air with a simple grasp of Force control. Looking at Alina, he gestured to the saberstaff as it bobbed slowly in the wind. "Let us say that this is the Sith Empire. Strong, malevolent, and ready at a moment to strike me down. What would be the best way for to stop it? To muster my armies and fleets and clash with the Empire head on, engage in the vary type of warfare they specialize in because showing strength and battle prowess is the Sith way? Or, would it be better to simply...remove the threat." Raising his right hand, Acharon snapped his fingers, and the saberstaff deactivated.

As he reached out to grab his weapon, he turned to look back over New Talmion. "No amount of strength will ever truly protect you, or that which you seek to protect. No matter what you do, there will always be someone stronger, someone more determined. So when the only avenue of strength is not enough to protect your freedom, what is the next best thing? What have I been using to defend my Empire of Ailara, my place of control in a galaxy of chaos?"

Turning to show one eye to Alina, he tilted his head slightly.

"Cunning."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

He was talking quite a bit more than Alina would like. It was as if he thought she wasn't even a Sith. She didn't know what kind of Sith she was going to be, yes, but she wasn't the fresh blood she had been before. As his saber floated in the air before them she finally couldn't just keep silent anymore. She lifted her own hand and reached out with her power in the Force. Not telekinesis, she couldn't use that. Disruption. Whatever power he was using to keep the saber aloft would be cut off. It was her answer to his question. 'What would be the best way to stop it?'

"Cunning is just the strength of the mind. Only fools and muscle heads think raw strength is the only type." A slight smirk turned up her lips as her yellow gaze stayed on Darth Acharon . "And of course, there are other paths to this power. Allies. Trickery. I'm not so new to the Sith I blindly assume that I need to fight the best to win."

 

[Darth Acharon]

Acharon smiled, turning to face Alina Tremiru fully as he gripped his saberstaff. "You are right, of course. My mind has been...elsewhere as of late. This has been my first chance to speak of simpler matters. I have allowed myself to be carried away in thought." Sighing, Acharon pushed himself off the railing, gripping it with his arms. For the briefest of moments he plummeted off the side, but a quick twist from his arms and wrists reversed the motion. He let go of the railing and flipped once in the air, before landing on his feet. "I have also been stuck behind a desk for several day. Indulge my need to stretch, if you would."

As he stretched his arms, Acharon turned to look across the ocean, as one of Ailara's three moons was just beginning to ascend. The smile fell from his lips as his mind worked through what he was to say next, and a brief look of regret overtook Acharon. "To be a Sith, in my eyes, the most important thing to see is that our creed, the ways of the Sith, is not a religion." Acharon folded his arms behind his back, watching as the moon slowly began to creep over the horizon bit by bit. "The Force, in my eyes, is not some great cosmic entity. It is not a living power, and it should not be worshipped. Those who are powerful in the Force, such as the former Emperor Carnifex, should not be worshipped as gods."

Reaching down to his hip, Acharon pulled out a small communicator, turning it idly in his hands. He then dropped his hand, holding it in place and slowly disassembling the device piece by piece, until it hung strung out over nearly an entire meter of space. "To be a Sith, in my eye, you must come to understand that the Force is nothing but a machine. A complex one, granted, but a machine that can be analyzed, studied, and controlled. To be a Sith is to be a philosopher, a researcher, someone willing to risk it all to delve deeper into the hidden components of the machine." Flexing his hand slowly, Acharon slowly began to piece the communicator back together.

"If this idea makes little sense, I understand. It confuses me still sometimes, but it is the core of what I believe to be a Sith. We must not be religious zealots, worshipping some being whose coming could be calculated like any other stellar phenomenon, if we only knew what to look for. To be constantly trapped in a cycle of individuals claiming to be deities deserving blind obedience...it is the greatest flaw of the Sith."

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

This time it was amusement that flooded her features. Mostly at the bit of showmanship when it came to Darth Acharon descent from the railing. It made a lot more sense now. He did say he was trying to figure out his own place as a Sith, but at least it wasn't creepy musing like she was used to from other lords of the Sith. "You're right. It doesn't make too much sense. But, I do agree. Worshiping Sith as gods.. It's folly. Only the blind follow them. And more often than not, they're blind themselves. Or they know it's a lie and use it to control."

She laughed a bit at that. "It's not a bad idea. Certainly one way to keep followers as just that." Alina paused then, glancing to her hand. The thought was there, briefly. Her power could cut people off from the Force, if she had enough practice. A god killer. The idea was quickly pushed down. She didn't have that kind of strength. No where close to the training she needed.

"It's my goal to change this cycle. Sith don't need to kill each other to get more powerful. United we're far stronger."

 

[Darth Acharon]

"Ending the cycle...the Sith Empire intended to do that. Create a nation of Sith that had moved past our baser instincts of trying to murder each other. They succeeded for a time, but their attempts to stifle the baser instincts of our kind led to the fate they are in now. The Empire being assaulted on all sides, and a self declared Sith'ari God creating a religion of subservience. Yes, united we are stronger..." Acharon's words trailed off as he looked away, his shoulders slumping slightly. It was a nice thought, but what he had seen thus far did not fill him with much optimism of what they would be able to accomplish.

"Your vision is good, Alina, and I commend you for it. But to accomplish that which you have stated would be an undertaking greater than an Empire, and in this case, you can see the outcome."

Alina Tremiru

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

"So long as those who claim to be gods stand at the top, it will never change. The only way to get true change is to beat them at their own game and show them just how wrong they are." That was way easier said than done, but given how even the Sith Empire let Other Space Kaiden ruin world after world for his own gain at the expense of civilians, it would be necessary. Her gaze fell for a moment as she took in the weight of this task she'd given herself. But it didn't stay down long. Her eyes flicked over to Darth Acharon once more.

"What is your plan?"

 

[Darth Acharon]

Acharon turned his head to either side a few times, as if weighing the words Alina Tremiru had spoken to him. She was spirited, of that there was no doubt, but the task she set before herself was monumental in scale. It was good to set goals for oneself, objectives to push yourself forward and improve upon, but this one seemed drastic in the extreme. It would take a long time for anyone to get to the point they could challenge the current Sith figures of power across the galaxy, and longer still to establish a powerbase strong enough to handle upending the current status quo.

"I agree as well that the Sith proclaimed Gods need to be dealt with. But beyond that...I seek to establish for myself an Empire. Ailara is but a start for me, a place for me to learn what it means to be a leader and prepare myself for the future. I wish to establish a new Sith nation of reason and control, where the Force is studied, researched, and harnessed rather than worshipped. Where the strong are seen not as Gods, but as simply more accomplished individuals in the field, ones that can be understood and dealt with."

He turned to look at Alina, his face neutral. "A new beginning"

 

[Alina Tremiru]

​

"A new beginning." She mused the thought out loud, mostly to herself. What Darth Acharon said brought clarity to her own thoughts. Alina hummed a bit. The sun was setting on this world. How long had she been here? Or was it just that she arrived late? Either way, she suddenly felt hungry. Her smile grew after a moment, her gaze finding the Emperor once again.

"So what does this planet have for food? I'm feelin hungry enough to eat."