Rolling With The Punches

[Darth Tagus]

He stayed on the bridge for as long as he could stomach, watching the reports coming in about the overall disarray of the Imperial Navy since it's escape from Korriban. The majority of the naval forces above Korriban had managed to escape purely because the enemy seemed to have been so focused on making landings and winning the battle for the planet on the ground.

Some of the naval forces had been hit hard in the initial attack but most of the losses suffered were taken in the holding action made by the Imperial Navy to cover the retreat.

"Send the messages."

The communications officer of the cruiser saluted before hurrying to send messages to Darths Victress and Inheris and, as a bit of a longshot, The Eternal as well. He didn't know much about the mysterious figure. He just knew that there was one and the Emperor had trusted them enough to grant them some official powers.

Ideally all of them would be here.

Arriving at the secure meeting room, he nodded to the security forces as they finished a security sweep to ensure that there were no explosives or chemical traps. Once he received confirmation that there were none, he moved to stand by the large round table.

The door was locked behind him and he was alone as the lights dimmed until lights appeared from the ceiling. This was to be a holocall considering how spread out they all were. None of them would be physically present with himself. He removed his mask, setting it down on the table as his hologram was projected to the other recipients of the call.

"Korriban is fallen and the Emperor seemingly lost with it." he started bluntly, "We are it. We are the leadership of the Sith Empire now - I motion that all those not currently members of the Dark Council be promoted immediately under emergency circumstances. Any opposition?"

@Faded Truth @Nightfall @Orbit
@Darth Victress @Darth Inheris @The Eternal

 

[Darth Inheris]

There was a quiet aboard the Nocturne. In the long hours following its fall, what remained of the Imperial forces had managed to regroup and flee, consolidating at star ports across the Empire on order to figure out what to do.

Few were taking the days events easily.

She could see it in their sunken faces, haggard, tired, distressed, but still loyally following protocol, carrying on in spite. Hardly any chatter seemed to carry through the hallways, everyone trying to keep their minds on the work, and on nothing else. Whether their enemies kept steamrolling through the galaxy or halted, either way they needed time now to plan what would happen in the coming days, months.

Schedules were being drawn up as a cough behind her, bridge officer, newly promoted, broke her focus and grabbed her attention.

A transmission, Darth Tagus on the holo.

Now was the time then.

Much of the upper echelon was in shambles given the speed at which events were occurring in the galaxy, Inheris at least still had a few ‘friends in high places’ whose competency she was well aware off, Tagus being one.

Stepping into her officers lounge she locked the door behind, and brought up the channel to see the man spark into life.

His words were stark, clear, and more than a little welcome. Despite the tragedy of it, part of her smiled at the possibility she had been granted because of it now,

“I will relish the opportunity, My Lord” Inheris’ smirk was barely contained, a sense of self satisfaction settling over her. She had spent a great many years consolidating herself as a force within the Empire, a name not easily forgotten. And here now, even as the wreckage of the Empire’s capital was still fresh, her time had come. And what a propitious time it would be. If this were to be her companions in bringing the Empire through the darkest days in memory, she would stand ready to do so,

“And I’ve no doubt of those others present either” of course ‘The Eternal’ was an outlier to that statement. She had never met the figure, and yet their rather... idiosyncratic style was one she’d heard whispers of.

Still, this was the dawn of a new era. She was ready to take it by the horns.

@Nefieslab @Faded Truth @Orbit

 

[Darth Victress]

.

Darth Victress stood on the deck of her star destroyer, one of the few capital ships that had managed to retreat safely after the fall of Korriban. Cold gaze remained focused on their invaded homeworld, hands across her back as she took in a deep sigh. The military which she had helped build, the Imperial Navy and the ground forces had largely been slaughtered. The reports of casualties as they came in were difficult for even the Sith Lord to stomach, a sickening churn existing within her torso as if someone was twisting her intestines upon themselves.

"M'Lord, a transmission is incoming...it appears it is originating from Darth Tagus' capital ship.." The Mirialian? She thought to herself. It had been a long time since she had seen Zeven, or Darth Tagus as the man addressed himself now. He wasn't a fan of the Dark Councilor, and Victress' feelings were mutual. Regardless, she was intrigued to hear what he had to say. Darth Victress moved towards the central console, allowing the Holoprojector to receive the transmission and its connected signals. Tagus appearing on one and Inheris on the other.

A faint smile would creep across her face, hidden behind the Duraplast helm but still, somewhat glad that her ally had managed to make it out of Korriban alive. Darth Victress was silent as Tagus spoke truly, she hoped the Emperor would make it out of this alive but as of yet, there were no guarantees of his survival and for now, it appeared that the Mirialan was correct. Those that stood on this holonet call were the defining leaders of the Empire. She was the highest ranking Sith present now, an opportunity she had desired but not quite with these circumstances. She considered the suggestion of the ambitious Sith Lord for a moment, before speaking. "I have no objections...I welcome your addition to the Council. The disciplines of Ancient Knowledge and Military defense have needed new leadership for quite some time.." She said bluntly, her voice robotic and cold as if tainted by the helm. This was a new era, the ushering of three more Councilors alongside her to restore the Empire. The masters may have won the battle of Korriban, but the war had just begun...

@Nefieslab @Nightfall @Orbit

 

[Darth Tagus]

Tagus had taken his mask off for a reason.

"We will advance then." he declared firmly, "I shall take the rank of Dark Councillor of Ancient Knowledge. Darth Inheris - take the post of Councillor for Military Defense unless you have any objections. But that is entirely unimportant."

He scowled, visibly baring his teeth.

"This meeting isn't to smirk at each other and feel good about how far we've come. It is to address the fact that. We. Are. Lost." he growled out, bringing up news reports, "News has broken. The entire Galaxy knows that Korriban has fallen and that the Emperor has been lost along with it."

Breathing out slowly, he placed his hands palms down on the controls.

"It falls to us to lead what remains of the Empire even as it fractures around us. Our people have very little love for us - they will leave the 'Empire' in their droves." he looked up at both of the Lords who had responded so far, "We need to adapt. Having large swathes of territory and screaming "mine!" has only made us a target for Mandalorians, for Rebels and now this... threat. I suggest it's time to solidify ourselves. Form ranks and rebuild strength."

@Faded Truth @Nightfall @Orbit
@Darth Victress @Darth Inheris @The Eternal

 

[Darth Inheris]

Tagus’s intonation was undoubtable. The meeting was one of pure pragmatism, one that for the Empire nearly bordered on desperation. She knew it too, she hated to admit that she had let the moment of grandeur sweep that away. They needed to remain strong in the face of such onslaughts, which meant they, the new council, had to be most of all. That was her now. She had worked tirelessly to ensure she found such a position one day. And here, offered so casually the sphere of military defence, it took everything not to be taken aback. But her determination had seen her this far, her own personal power would see her only onwards,

“Scattered more than we already may not be the worst outcome” she said with a pause after Tagus. Thinking through the possibilities in her head, she continued,

“The galactic south has remained free of control from anyone for a great long time. Before now I had designs to try and fold them into the Empire, perhaps now it is time to accelerate such proposals” she gathered her feet, and sent data to the holoscreens shared by the meeting parties,

“We pull our forces, and a great deal of people down south” she gestured to the screen, pacing round the readout pointing out places like the Utapau sector, like Bespin and Mustafar “we take our might out of the warpath and let the Mandalorians hold the brunt of whatever the mind breakers bring. While we secure a new foothold, and time to rally” it was a bold opening move, she knew it. But gambits were all they had left. Such a moving of resources would be one of the biggest the Empire has ever seen, but perhaps it was what it required. And what else had she been appointed for if not to do what was required?

@Nefieslab @Faded Truth @Orbit

 

[Aadya Drast]

____________

Inside her private room aboard The Murmur, Aadya sat her head in her hands, alone and in the dark. She had stopped crying some time ago, at least the kind that was audible and unmistakable. Tears still occasionally welled in the corner of her eyes and slipped down the tracks, but they were becoming fewer and further between. Varyn's death had hit her differently than Milo's, but it still had hit her all the same.

With Varyn's dying came a lot more... ramifications. It affected literally millions of people, her included and maybe more intently, but still. Unbeknownst to most of the galaxy, Aadya and Varyn had gotten married shortly after she'd been announced the winner of Emperor in Paradise. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that her husband of just several days was dead on Korriban, Aadya wasn't entirely sure. Not much she could do about it now, though.

The sound of gentle knocking came to her door then, the familiar voice of one of her Sith officers coming quietly through the door.

"Miss Drast?" It was just a probe, someone looking to just know the person they were talking to was willing and able to talk back.

Before Aadya could respond, she heard a small buzzing sound coming from some of the clothes Varyn had happened to leave behind the last time he'd been with her. Raising an eyebrow, Aadya crossed her room and riffled through the pockets, eventually finding a small datapad. It didn't take long to figure out what she was looking at - apparently Varyn liked to keep tabs of his Darths when they were having group chats without him. A little possessive, but not entirely unsurprising knowing Varyn.

The realization of the opportunity before her took a moment. First of all, this meant that the Darths were still alive - good news for the Empire. More importantly, this was Aadya's chance to make a choice. She could pry her way into the meeting, announcing to those present that she would be taking Varyn's spot as Empress. Or.. she could just turn away from her apparent destiny and let their secret marriage die with Varyn.

There wasn't really a choice, not one she could live with anyway. Gripping the datapad, Aadya looked turned on the light and looked in the mirror. She wiped the wetness from her face, inhaled deeply and let it out. Yes - she had made her choice.

Out of her room she went, to the main meeting room in the center of her ship. The door shut behind her and she pulled up her holotransmitter, plugging in Varyn's datapad which would let her essentially pop into the conversation that was already happening. Her image would appear to the others, even through the hazy blue distortion of the hologram they would be able to see the graveness painted across Aadya's face.

"You've undoubtedly gathered because you've heard the news, so I think we can skip that part of the story and move why I am intruding so abruptly." The words were coming out of Aadya smoothly and precise, like she'd somehow practiced what she was going to say but somehow still.. natural. "What you don't know, however, is that the former Emperor and I were married just a few days ago. We'd been waiting to announce it when we could both be together, but obviously we never got the chance." She paused for a moment but would continue before anyone could begin to interrupt her. "With Varyn's death the Empire will try to fracture - we've seen it before. What the people will need is someone they know, who they can trust will lead them in the right direction and protect them from whatever the kriff happened on Korriban. The people have already chosen me many times, they know Varyn chose me too." The next part was going to be the startling part and Aadya was unsure how the Darths would handle it. At least she was far enough away from them where they couldn't just turn on her and kill her. "I move to declare myself Empress. It will give the people someone to rally around when they have lost so much, and I can handle the responsibilities."

Aadya let the words hang, the gravity of her proposal extremely obvious. The Sith she was speaking with were some of the most dangerous, cunning and in at least one case, murderous people in the entire galaxy. The risk she had taken was very large. "It's the most logical course - I can have the declaration broadcast to the entire Empire in a few minutes. Only your objections now, in this moment will stop me. So speak, or fall in line behind me."

@Nefieslab @Faded Truth @Orbit @Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

Inheris inhaled deeply through her nose as Aadya's figure shimmered into what she had believed was a private conversation. A conversation that had been around such very topics. Whether the Crusader was to be the Empress or not, it seemed relevant now that this new Dark Council, having finally filled its ranks after years of stagnation under former Emperors and Empress's who tried to rule single handedly, made its claims and own authority known a little clearer.

Inheris, when she was still Saorise, had had the utmost respect for Varyn Rask, and even for his predecessor, who's bold move at least presented the opportunity of change. But their role could not be so easily filled by a single individual, no matter how exceptional. And now in these darkened times the seed of a chance to expand it had presented itself today. There needed to be a little more give and take in the Empires upper echelons, she thought so, anyhow.

She had not met this Miss Aadya Drast, or would it be Rask going forward? But in her words there was truth, a figurehead would be needed for the people in the face of the Mindbreakers, to give at least the impression not all had been lost on Korriban, perhaps at least it would hold a few more of the royalist star systems to the Empire to have a Drast stil at its fore.

But, there would be more powers behind the throne this time,

"Miss Aadya Drast" Inheris breathed in response to the woman's words "I accept that you and Varyn were married not so long ago, given the recent circumstances. And in your defence, the galaxy has had little time for the celebration of nuptials, an Emperor's or otherwise. A surprise light in the dark for the populace would be your announcement to the Empire" she opened cordially, if not with a little bite,

"But, and my fellows may wish to express their own thoughts upon this, I feel it relevant to say that, with the Empire in such a state, and the knowledge and experience represented in my brothers and sisters at this meeting, that the Dark Council are as much the remaining authority in the Empire now. Any new Empress would be advised to see this moment as a time to, as Tagus said before, 'form ranks' with their fellows in command" she continued. Inheris could respect the move on Aadya's behalf, it was bold to even enter the conversation, let alone suggest what she had, but she wanted to set things straight as the galaxy entered a new era,

"I will support you, and the Empire, I hope you take your place well. But we all form the line alongside eachother, not behind"

Perhaps she would come to regret those words. But today she felt she needed to say them. Only time would tell whether the rest of the Council felt the same.

@Logan @Nefieslab @Faded Truth @Orbit

 

[Darth Tagus]

Tagus was already beginning to get rather irritated with the meeting. Victress seemed to think that she was best just standing there in silence (which he would agree with actually), The Eternal hadn't shown up and Inheris opposed his idea for solidifying the hold on the Empire within a smaller area by immediately pitching a full-scale invasion of the Galactic South.

"We can't invade an entire half of the Galaxy when our heartland is being gutted!" he barked at Inheris, "Supply lines would be so thin as to be non existent, the morale is so far below sea level it's speaking with the Mon Calamari and we lack the leadership to co-ordinate large scale invasion tactics. Next time you have a suggestion, Darth Inheris, I suggest you actually think before you speak."

He was not best pleased.

After the loss of Korriban and their Emperor, the Empire needed to get it's arse back on track but that wasn't going to happen if one of the four most powerful members of the Empire ignored the reality of their situation to suggest some wish-fulfillment idea about invading half the bleeding galaxy.

Then Aadya showed up.

He knew of her, of course, from her public exploits but he had done a mission or two with her in the past as well. The fact that she had entered the meeting was... both insolent and rather welcome. Perhaps she actually had something worthwhile to add to the conversation, unlike Inheris.

"We've had no need to 'hear' the news, Crusader." he pointed out bluntly as he crossed his arms, "Inheris and Victress were on the ground and I was in orbit. We were there."

The unspoken 'and you were not' didn't need to be said to come across incredibly clearly.

At her suggestion, he raised an eyebrow.

"Your suggestion is to hinge your legitimacy as a ruler on a secret marriage. It reeks of weakness - but your candidacy has merit." he shrugged once, "I suggest we argue that it was the decision of the Dark Council that you have the... prowess... to lead us. Do not lean on your familial relation to the last Emperor when he made his name ending a self-destructing cycle of blood relations becoming ruler purely through familial relations."

@Faded Truth @Nightfall @Logan
@Darth Victress @Darth Inheris @Aadya Drast

 

[Darth Inheris]

Whether Tagus had intentionally misunderstood her suggestion, she wasn't entirely sure. She agreed with holding a smaller area, but she wanted that area to be damn well away from the frontlines of these creatures, and if that meant a push to get them away and buy them some time to restock, then perhaps that's what it would take. She did not mean most of the South, only the areas they already had. Planets that could fill those holes in supply, not a new Empire made whole-cloth.

Still, there was little point arguing, even if she wanted to.

While she offered Tagus a glare in response, she looked to her console as he responded to Aadya's interruption. While Tagus critiqued, she plotted an alternative. She drew up a map of a possible design.

A small fleet of ships, fast, direct, could launch a feint from the lower reaches of their Empire, perhaps Iego, or Delacrix, to try and draw the Mindbreakers in one direction. While that occurred, they could fortify their most important lands for ship production, population centers, and agriworlds to keep the whole thing running.

The suggestion had them dropping size like Tagus recommended, but also kept their core forces hopefully away from the enemy for a time. Perhaps that was a clearer plan to all.

The image keyed in she sent it to the shared consoles of the meetings members. When it came time to play it it would display a holographic by the numbers play of that strategy on the galaxy map, give a clearer idea of what she meant.

Still, she by no means was flush with confidence. If their combined forces could not hold Korriban, how did they expect what remained to hold anything else on the enemies doorstep. Still, it was something, she would be curious with how the others would respond.

For the discussion on Aadya, Inheris agreed with Tagus, they had atleast shared the same mind more or less there. She merely nodded her support on that end, and looked over to the upstart Empress for reply. Her battle plan was ready to display when the time came.

@Faded Truth @Nightfall @Logan
@Darth Victress @Darth Inheris @Aadya Drast

 

[Darth Victress]

.

Darth Victress did indeed stand there in silence, listening and observing the bickering that occurred between Tagus and Inheris. It appeared that the Eternal hadn't shown up and Inheris' invasion plan appeared ambitious though for once, she had to seemingly side with Tagus on this decision. The empire had just lost its heartland, morale was low, and she knew better than any of them that the imperial forces were not prepared to retaliate with brute force this early. No, they would bid their time, strengthen their strongholds, rebuild what was lost, and then strike with decisiveness and merciless cruelty.

She was about to speak when the hologram flickered, revealing Aadya Drast to intrude on the meeting. The dark councilor's emotional response was hard to decipher and the ebony helm covered her visage in entirety. Secretly she lofted a brow, somewhat taken back by the Crusader's decision but also somewhat in consideration. Her views however, differed from that of her other two new councilors. Darth Victress spoke, her voice robotic and cold. "Quite the ambitious leap, from Crusader to Empress. " Her gaze shot towards Tagus at his suggestion, "And how do you suppose we justify going against the Rule of the Strong? Her only merit to being Empress remains her relation to the late Emperor. Her claim through marriage may be weak, but at least it has some reasoning. There would be no other legitimacy for the Dark Council to appoint a Sith Crusader to the title of ruler..." She said, disagreeing with Tagus on that regard.

@Nightfall @Nefieslab @Logan @Orbit

 

[Aadya Drast]

____________

Aadya remained quiet after her long speech, more than willing to give each of the Council members their turn to speak. While others in her position may have chosen to brash, strong arm "I demand you follow my orders" approach, it didn't seem prudent here. Without a true Emperor, the Council were the strongest, most influential members left in the entire Empire. Pissing them off and having them abandon any idea of supporting her was killing her push before it even started.

The eyes of Aadya's hologram fell onto Victress first with a small snort of snide laughter and an incredulous look painted across her face. "Why am I not surprised you, out of everyone, would cling so desperately to an insignificant ranking structure, Victress?" Aadya's voice was still steady, but she had a rising anger starting to bubble in her chest. "You'd seem to be fine with the entire Empire burning to the ground so long as your tombstone has the word Darth chiseled into it. These traditions, these self imposed hierarchies - they mean absolutely nothing without the Empire behind it. Or are you content to simply rule over ashes?"

Despite the fact that Victress seemed to support the idea of using her and Varyn's marriage to add legitimacy to the claim of Empress, Aadya couldn't help but be pissed off by the insinuation that a meaningless title - or lack thereof - would or could be a deciding factor here. "Even though I'm loathe to agree with you, Darth Tagus, I think your suggestion would work. It would show the Council has heard the will of the people and aren't just looking out for their own self interests."

With a long sigh, Aadya looked to each of the Council members, placing her hands on the table in front of her and leaning forward. "The fact of the matter is, we stand on a precipice here. Inaction or hesitation will, without a doubt, result in our Empire - and our people - being consumed in the flames that took Korriban. They will all be killed or taken as slaves.. or worse."

Arguing with the Council was something that Aadya had foreseen but wasn't particularly keen to do, she wasn't interested in talking just to talk and wasting her own time. "So we move forward with the holonet address letting the people know that I am their Empress, presented with the opportunity by will of the Council. That we will need solidarity and sacrifice for the Empire to weather the storm, and that I.. we.. will be there to help stem the tide." Aadya was unsure of she was getting in bed with the devil here, but it seemed to late to turn back now. "Members of the Sith Council, give me your final decision. Shall we proceed?"

There didn't seem to be much else to say. Rumination and contemplation were a game they did not have time for. Now was the time for decisiveness, resolute belief that what they were doing was the right thing to do. Aadya felt that way, she only hoped the rest of the Council did now too.

@Nefieslab @Faded Truth @Orbit @Nightfall

 

[Darth Tagus]

Tagus rolled his eyes and discarded the plans made by Inheris.

"Keep your head in an actual important conversation and not making battleplans you have no real clue how to implement." he snapped at her before glancing at Victress, "And you - stop barking because we all know you're never going to bite. If you ever followed the rule of the strong you would have tried something against me after I publicly called you out. Since it's clear you're not confident you would be the stronger, I think you should admit to never being able to use that rule as an argument ever again."

Why the hell was it that the youngest person in the conversation was acting like the most mature when she was, literally, a bloody teenager? He pointed to Aadya.

"The girl is more universally recognizable than either of us, to say nothing of how borderline invisible Inheris is. I am not well-liked, nobody has ever heard of Inheris and if you became Empress I would literally join the karking Jedi Order." he reasoned, "None of us are suitable. Aadya has the right name, even if that doesn't matter as much now, she is not weak even if she doesn't match us yet, she is visible, she is popular and, above all else, she is someone outside of our little feuds."

He glanced at Aadya.

"My knees would not bend for Inheris or Victress - but they'll bend for you." he told her bluntly, "The first time you kark something up, I'll support you and help you however I can. The second time you kark it up; I'll kill you."

Tagus would support the Drast girl and he would do whatever it took to help her... to a point. If it became clear that she was the problem then he would remove her.

@Faded Truth @Nightfall @Logan
@Darth Victress @Darth Inheris @Aadya Drast

 

[Darth Victress]

.

Darth Victress snarled as the Mirialan chastised her, though her anger was more fought with irritation rather than a bubbling of heated emotion. "And yet you've taken no action for your numerous grievances, as here I continue to stand..." She snapped back at him, she knew that Tagus had a dislike for her and verbal gestures weren't really enough merit for her to lash out. And so, she would allow Tagus to finish his portion. A seething anger somewhat as she hated to believe that he was correct, but as much as she loathed the other Sith, there was some truth to his words.

None of the current councilors were an enigma with the general populace, and they would need not only strength but a sweeping of elevated morale if they were to destroy their enemies. Her focus shifted towards Aadya, "We will never rule over ashes, the Empire has crushed its adversaries for hundreds of years, and we will continue to do so..." She said, a momentary pause as her golden eyes flickered between Tagus and Inheris before continuing. "Darth Tagus speaks truly. Very well, you have my support Miss Drast, I will provide guidance to the best of my abilities as you lead this Empire."

Darth Victress would support the Drast as well, and if there ever came a time when the new Empress was no longer functioning in the best interest of their Empire, well...she would deal with that accordingly. Deception or Violence, the Dark Councilor always achieved her goals.

@Nightfall @Logan @Nefieslab

 

[Darth Inheris]

This meeting was drawing on, but at least something had been agreed to by now. That something though, was incredibly important,

"I already said my piece" Inheris added to the chorus of Councilor's affirmations. She was ready to move through this. There was much to be done, and seeing how this new council would work with another was already proving an interesting challenge. Finding allies had perhaps been easier when she was simply an acolyte.

But she had never wanted to remain an acolyte.

And she had found at least by now that remaining close to whatever royalty stepped up to the throne had kept her in good stead, it was not a tradition she meant to break as so much else in the galaxy tore itself apart,

"Make your announcement, Empress" she finished softly. She expected she would see the broadcast very soon. Then there would be time to begin what needed to be done.

@Logan @Nefieslab @Faded Truth