Ask Tests Of Brotherhood

[Altair Din]

Altair was waiting for Wodan when he stepped through the door. He was adorned in his Imperial officer uniform, his Warmaster insignia on to reflect his promotions. The tiefling was not in the mood to meet with anyone individually unless it was official business, but he would make some exceptions here and there.

When Wodan walked in, he would see Altair standing in silence, amethyst gaze calmly set forward. There was an air of calm confidence in his demeanor. Altair Din had taken every step just as he wanted so far. He didn’t care for sentimental things that ultimately didn’t prove useful in the long term. His entire ascension had been one hurdle after another, and each one a lesson that his attachments always proved to be a weakness. He would have none unless they were mutually beneficial.

His history with Wodan was deep enough to warrant at least this visit despite the colossal failures of the Sith. Altair was still bristling at the loss of the fleet and wondering why Wodan went to deal with Hutts right after Draugr’s mishaps.

However, Altair also remembered when Wodan recognized Altair as his Emperor in front of those in that tent on Eriadu. He had put himself in danger to show his loyalty to the tiefling, and Altair wouldn’t forget something like that so easily.

“Wodan,” He said quietly as he looked at the other man.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

His headache still persisted as he stepped from the shuttle and onto the metallic landing pad. As the ramp lowered, Wodan spotted the escort which had been sent to greet him, a dozen Imperial officers all armed to the teeth with blasters and pistols. Did they really think he was a threat to Altair, to his brother?

Stepping down the ramp he held up his arms to show where his lightsaber was clipped, he knew it would be taken and didn’t want any fuss and had no real tie to the weapon himself. As Wodan reached the bottom the Imperial Captain sent to greet him stood with a smug smile on his face, yanking hard on the lightsaber hilt snapping the small clip, the metal ring clinking across the surface of the landing pad. The smug look turned into a smile as he looked Wodan up and down, the Firrerrian wore an Imperial Uniform as he had for almost a year, preferring its practicality over the flamboyant Sith robes.

With a sadistic smile, the Captain reached out, his fingers gripping the rank bar on his chest and pulled, ripping it Wodan’s uniform. Wodan couldn’t help but snarl at the man, his fangs slipping from behind his lips. As quickly as they appeared, so did the blasters of the men around him, Wodan sighed, his fangs disappearing back behind his lips. “Good boy.” The Captain mocked, before grabbing hold of the patch on Wodan’s shoulder and ripping that too from his uniform. With him humiliated and stripped of what rank he had achieved in the Empire he was marched up to where Altair stood waiting.

The room was silent, with just the Warmaster and Wodan present, the door shut behind him leaving them alone. He stepped forward into better light, so that Altair could see the torn uniform, he wondered if the Tiefling would feel any guilt towards what had been done to him, it had been his order after all, to strip him of Rank and Privilege. “Warmaster.” He replied.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair’s gaze flicked over to where his uniform had been torn. The tiefling said nothing aloud, but a swarm of thoughts assaulted his mind at once. He thought back to their multiple ill fated missions, how they almost died together, how they lost their men. He thought of all the dog tags he still kept. Altair wondered if Wodan still carried them, or if he cast them aside as nameless faces as other Sith had. He wondered if Wodan pushed the agenda of other Sith while sparing no consideration to the Imperials that supported him.

He was not the emotional boy Wodan had known back then, and he didn’t need a shoulder to cry on these days. Their friendship, however, was undeniable and many aspects of that hadn’t changed. Altair’s posture relaxed, his tail swishing from side to side.

“Well…” He said as he walked over to get out a bottle of top shelf whiskey, “At least you kept your remaining eye,” Altair said dryly, pouring them both a glass.

There was no doubt there were whispers and mutterings about Wodan meeting with Altair among his men. However, most of his subordinates had seen Altair working with Wodan and the friendship they had. Would that all change now?

Altair motioned for Wodan to sit down, “I know you think I really am a demon, but what I did…it had to be done,” His tone made it clear he wouldn’t change his mind on it. Not that it could be undone now, “Anaris’ stupidity began our extermination. Followed by Draugr and then..” He gazed at Wodan. Neither of them could pretend that Wodan’s costly debacle with the fleet could be brushed under the rug, “Sith can’t be at the helm anymore. I'm never going to allow things like what happened to Firrerre again and this is the only way to ensure that,” He genuinely believed that, “You will always have a place…but it does come at a cost,” He looked back at where his uniform was torn.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

He stayed still, not moving as Altair made his little comment and went to grab a bottle of whiskey from a shelf. He watched as two cups were poured, from the same crystal decanter, fond memories of the times the pair were drunk washed through his mind.

As Altair turned back he would still see Wodan in the same place he left, but after a short delay he moved forward taking the seat as was asked/commanded. “I don’t think you are a demon Altair.” He replied, his voice as dry and emotionless as the Tieflings, although under the surface Wodan was far from emotion free. The Tiefling had hated the slur before, now he seemed to want to embrace its title, was there a little self mutilation in its acceptance he wondered?

“I am more…” He stopped as Altair mentioned Firrerre, his eyes flicking up to meet Altair’s own amethyst orbs. Although he didn’t say it there was some gratitude in his stare. “I think.” He nursed the drink, swirling the bronze liquid around in the glass. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this before? I thought we were brothers. I doubt I could have stopped you, but it would have been better to hear it from yourself, than on a Holo. Then have my clothes torn from my body by jubilant soldiers.” He replied, his eyes dropping back down to his whiskey, his hand clenched tight around the glass.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair sighed when Wodan spoke, hearing the tone of betrayal. He knew he betrayed many people, but in reality they all would have tried to stop him or get exceptions to the rule, “Was any of this a surprise, Wodan? Really?” He asked as he looked at him, a man he considered as good as his brother, “I didn’t tell my own sisters. I knew it had to be done and I knew I had to be impartial,” He knew that would rattle Wodan. Altair loved nothing more fiercely than his family and anyone remotely close to the tiefling knew that about him.

“It was a step I had to take without any influence, without anyone trying to sway me in any way,” Altair said as he took a drink, “You’ve seen the countless attempts. I’ve been working towards this for years now. I never wanted to take such a drastic step, but after the series of mishaps, this is the only way to preserve the Empire.”

They had a history of constantly excusing individual Sith actions or passing blame off on the Eternal. Nothing short of removing the Sith from power could ensure that those scenarios were never allowed to begin with. From now on, Sith would have individual accountability for their actions and could not drag entire governments and planets into wars.

“If I were power obsessed, I would have broken Draugr for the second time in that tent,” He told Wodan as he shook his head, “I’m doing what I need to keep us alive.”

Altair looked down at the ground, “I won’t hold it against you…if you follow Vahliri,” He met Wodan’s gaze then. The Firrerreo knew about the close friendship Altair had with Vahliri for years and the underlying feelings between them both. He would know how much this tore at the tiefling even if it didn’t come to surface, “I burned a lot of bridges…”

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

His tilted slightly still looking down at the glass as Altair asked if it was a surprise, no it wasn’t. Wodan had expected at least half of what Altair had done, he knew the man well enough that if he ever came to power that he would install a more meritocratic system than the class system that came before. But he wasn’t expecting for every Sith to have any merit they achieved ripped from them and sent to the back of the que.

The fact he hadn’t even told his family was a small comfort, it wasn’t personal, it wasn’t because Wodan had been such a screw up of late that Altair had lost faith in the Firrerrian. It let out a long breath, some of the shame disappearing from his shoulders. A small amount of guilt left as Altair claimed that he hadn’t been swayed by any others, Wodan was concerned that without him around others would have tried to get their claws into the Tiefling and use them for their own agendas.

But as that small guilt and shame disappeared, they were immediately replaced by a larger more sorrowful sense of guilt. Wodan’s eye lifted slowly to look at his friend, he had done it all alone, his brother had taken the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders without help and bore its painful weight through one of the hardest choices he could have made. Altair would be able to see the sorrow in his eye as Wodan tried to imagine everything that had gone through Altairs mind and heart these past few days. Why hadn’t he been there, forced his way into the circle of one, taken some of the burden off his shoulders, he knew he couldn’t hope to hold even half of what Altair had taken on, but even if he could have taken some of the weight it would have helped.

Wodan’s eye and face steeled when Altair mentioned Vahliri and deserting him. “Your a fucking idiot and a shit brother if you think I would abandon you now.” He said, his voice stern, his gaze piercing. “But…” He placed the glass still full down on the table between them. “If you want me here, you have to do me one favour.” Wodan shifted forward on the chair, sitting up straighter. “You have to let me in, let me help.”

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair braced himself for it - for Wodan to tell him how the Sith way was his way. He truly couldn’t blame him. He had dabbled in the darkest Force powers and it made him feel powerful. However, the past few years he found himself standing by his Matukai roots. He noticed how every use of Lightning or something especially dark always left him feeling different. He was quicker to anger, quicker to become subjected to his own emotions. Since he had abstained from it, he found his head to be much clearer and he didn’t feel a swirl of angry emotions within him.

When Wodan spoke, the surprise was clear on Altair’s face. He had fully expected this to be a goodbye, but yet again his friend stood by his side. He was so surprised by the declaration - and also being called an idiot which could get anyone else killed at this point - that he started chuckling. He shook his head, his demeanor softening to become similar to what Wodan used to know. Altair’s smile faded slightly when Wodan mentioned letting him in. Both men knew Altair was wary of that now with how often it went sideways for him. He had told Tia of his plans, and she abandoned them all. He had told Clove about his ambitions, and of course that fell apart even prior to her death. Was he prepared to lose Wodan the same way?

“You’re a stubborn piece of shit,” He said as he clinked his glass against Wodan’s, “But…I will need help,” He admitted, “I want to reform the Imperial Knights,” Altair explained, “I was learning more about them when Draugr went and got himself killed and I had to act,” He sighed, shaking his head. All of this was expedited far more than he wanted. He was thrust into a role he wasn’t ready for, but he had to play the part nonetheless. It all went downhill since Trelain invited him and Vahliri to elevate them.

“Just do me a favor,” He said as quirked a brow, “Don’t ever kneel for me again,” Altair said sternly, still vividly recalling the stunt Wodan pulled on Eriadu.

@Braden

 

[Wodan]

The chuckle from Altair brought a genuine smile to Wodan’s face. There was at least something of the man who got drunk with him in there, buried deep but it was there at least. “I learnt from the best.” He replied, picking his glass back up as Altiar went to clink it, after which Wodan knocked back the entire glass. The nerves that had filled the beginning of their meeting were slowly fading as they spoke and Altair allowed him at least some share of the burden.

“Anything brother, although I don’t know much about them. I am sure I can figure it out.” He said putting down his empty glass. Wodan had an assumption that the Knights were the replacement for the Sith Order within Altairs new Empire, but considering the harsh restrictions put in place against his old brethren he was curious about their makeup and what Altair had in store for the new group.

“If you let me in and help, I am sure I can keep myself on my feet.” He answered. “A favour for a favour.” He continued, standing up giving the Warmaster a stiff and awkward salute, a cheeky grin on his face.

@Sreeya