GM - Diverging Paths

[Xornoth Sk'ar]

If one could say that they could predict the future or know ahead of time what could occur, they did not inform Xornoth for he had carved his own path from the hearth of the galaxy. The significance of this meeting could not be understated as the Kaleesh warrior sat idle inside the study of his Lothal apartment looking over his notes. Xornoth folder the paper notes that he had written, a relic of his past perhaps but something that he had held onto as he waited quietly for his friend to arrive.

The apartment balcony overlooked the massive progress that had taken hold on Lothal in the short time that Cregan had held the planet within his grasp, its people were quick learners and over time the planet would develop nicely into what Xornoth quietly dubbed the cultural capital of the empire. He had stood by his friend and played his own part in its success which perhaps did not come to much surprise for Cregan but for Xornoth it had given him an insight into what leadership truly meant.

The empire continued to grow in no small part to his own efforts but even he could see the increasing difficulty that maintaining Imperial order on the many different formally sovereign worlds would strain still somewhat relatively small military capacity. Cregan had shown the success of maintaining a tightly gripped centralized rule but even the mighty Sith Lord could not always be around to keep things in check and had recruited the assistance of an administrator-moff to manage the civil affairs.

If such an idea could be taken on a grander scale, Xornoth pondered, where every significantly inhabited world would be placed under such administrators who would act as civil authorities on these faraway worlds in lieu of the Empress. Such a vast network of civil staff would require a dedicated structure to maintain and enforce but the importance of the task would require the backing of both the council and her majesty herself.

He didn't expect it to be a hard sell for Cregan, after all the man had hired help himself but to get the backing of a current council member would significantly help propel the idea into reality. The irony of waiting for him on the very same balcony yet again was not lost upon Xornoth as he poured an alcoholic drink for himself.

@Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Darth Evandrus strode through the hallway of the residential apartment complex - scaring a few of the residents witless just by walking past them. It was, he had to admit, something that he had gotten rather used to and he was glad that he had.

Would have been strange to see a Sith Lord apologising to people for scaring them.

Equipped in his regular armour, with his regular weapons clipped to the back of his armour, Evandrus was followed by a platoon of Royal Guards, dedicated to his protection. They were the best that the local Imperial Forces had to offer and Evandrus appreciated that - especially since he was, essentially, auditioning them for the duty of protecting his daughter.

They were doing well so far.

Leaving them outside Xornoth's door, Evandrus entered the apartment and made his way over to the balcony that Xornoth was waiting for him on. As he approached, he removed his helmet to face the other Sith as he waited for a moment. After letting the silence linger for a moment, he spoke,

"Seems like a lot of important things happen on this balcony involving warriors with covered faces being exposed..." he admitted before glancing at Xornoth, "If you want to gather your thoughts feel free. I cleared my day for this."

@Xorism

 

[Xornoth Sk'ar]

The sounds of the city carried themselves to the balcony while the light breeze swept against the highrise apartment to remind them of the day long gone where they last spoke. Xornoth smiled as Evandrus entered and spoke, making a reference to the last meeting on the balcony, there seemed some truth to it. He held himself composed before turning to his friend and seeing the man that he had always looked up to for guidance and support, a man Xornoth now considered his friend.

"Armor? relax Cregan there are no stairs out here.." Xornoth smirked recalling the embarrassing scene of being thrown down the temple steps several times while taking a lesson.

"When I joined the exiles my only drive was to become the best warrior in the galaxy, to defeat every opponent in my path and carve my name into the heart of the former best. To take their skull and wear it as a mask to instill fear into those who knew what I had done. These are who I was as a Kaleesh warrior, but then I met you, Cregan. You have taught many valuable lessons over the years and unlocked a potential in me that I could not see and we both reap the rewards of this."

Xornoth poured a second drink for Cregan before dragging it over the table for him with the force. They seldom had time together to simply sit down and drink these days as they had both become extremely busy with responsibility. Taking a short sip from his own glass and holding it just below his chest, he looked up toward Cregan with a short wink. "I don't believe Miss Fond has been in my kitchen so you should be alright to join me?"

With a more serious tone, Xornoth continued. "Our empire is vast and ever-expanding, far beyond what we can adequately police with our current resources. It has not escaped my notice that you have employed a moff to assist you in running the day to day administrative tasks for Lothal. Your rule of Lothal and my experiences in command have given me a taste of power that is not found on the battlefield and this is most exciting considering the current gaps on the Sith Council need filling."

Xornoth had briefly considered making a move to join the council but the prospect had been kept at bay by the busy nature of the work he was completing. There, however, existed vacancies which needed to be filled by eager and willing Sith, if they were willing to stand up for them.

"Cregan, as my friend and the man who knows my ambitions best, I would ask you to support my claim to the seat of Grand Moff on the council. The Empress needs a vast network of Moff's to manage her domain and more importantly, you need someone you can trust to keep them in line. From this position, I can continue my work to grow the Imperial Navy and prove myself beyond our wildest dreams."

@Nefieslab

 

[Darth Evandrus]

Evandrus rolled his eyes a little bit in amusement at Xornoth's comment about the armour - he would have explained himself but he didn't really need to. The simple truth was that being a Sith Lord was a job that didn't come with down time. If you were a Sith Lord, you were a Sith Lord all of the time and that meant that you were constantly a target, constantly prepared to battle for the Empire and, indeed, a symbol to the people of the Empire.

Instead of responding to the throw away line however, Evandrus just listened. He was here for his friend and he was going to listen to him because he honestly thought that his friend needed this. Needed this time to reflect.

"You've changed a lot since then Xornoth - grown a lot since then." he agreed with a small smile, "I'm glad to see it. I've been seeing it as it unfolded and I think you're able to see what I saw in you those years ago."

Accepting the drink, Evandrus winked at Xornoth before taking a sip of the drink he was offered. Had he been any other Sith Lord, there was the potential for this joke to have fallen flat but Evandrus had, luckily, retained his sense of humour throughout the years. Sipping the drink, Evandrus' eyes bored into Xornoth as he laid out where he was going with all of this.

He didn't say a word while Xornoth spoke.

Once his friend was done, Evandrus looked down at his drink for a moment before taking another sip. Setting the glass back down, Evandrus looked his friend in the eyes.

"Xornoth." He began, pausing for a moment before continuing, "The Empire is the product of my family - of my wife, those I call brothers and our children. As you know, the Council protects and serves the interests of the Empire. By asking for my endorsement to ascend to the Council, you are asking me if I believe you will protect, serve and better the Empire. My family."

He stared at Xornoth for a moment before smiling a little bit.

"I believe that you will." he admitted with a widening of his smile, "I honestly believe that you will do so much for the Empire... you're my friend and you aim to aid my family. Of course you have my support, Xornoth."

@Xorism

 

[Xornoth Sk'ar]

Friendship was not a word that Xornoth threw around lightly, amongst the stars he could perhaps count on one hand the number of people that he would count as a friend, fewer still the number he would rely upon. Taking a seat upon the council would change their dynamic somewhat but while they would be technically equal in rank, Xornoth would still look up to his friend for guidance when needed.

Cregan filled the Kaleesh with pride as he spoke, the recognition sent shivers down his spine. "Little Xornoth has outgrown the nest it seems." Taking the bottle again and pouring out another drink for each of them before taking the glass to his lips to empty it just as quickly. "The Moffs under my guidance will be ruthless, but fair. Imperial worlds will enjoy a degree of autonomy for the most part but we will bring them into line and define what it is to be a part of the Sith Empire. Perhaps with time, they will come to support the throne as we all do."

The next step of the plan would be for the Sith Master to bring the majority of Moffs on board either through diplomacy or with threats of violence, either worked. The finale would involve convincing the Empress herself of the plan and convincing her to it. With Cregan's and the Moffs support, Xornoth felt confident that she would be willing to at least hear him out if not agree to it immediately.

"Fate it seems pulls us apart just as quickly as we are put together, as I suppose I will have to resign from the Judgement. In other news, my recent trip to Kalee has not gone unnoticed after all." Xornoth referred to the raid that he had conducted with Kano and Quickclaw, where they had slaughtered half a village in a revenge-fueled attack. "I'm told that several warriors have sworn to kill me." Xornoth laughed heartily, hoping that they would try.

"More interestingly I have been propositioned by six different families trying to offer their daughters to thank me for what I did. I am not sure that I could ever love again, let alone that many at the same time but you seem to make it work. It is after all expected for a powerful Kaleesh warrior to take many wives and father even more children." Kriff he would need a palace indeed just to keep his family in one place.

With all that said and done, the pair of friends would continue drinking and talking into the night, savoring the moment before going their separate paths.

@Nefieslab

/end thread