Time Waits For No Man

[Darth Tagus]

Korriban.

The birthplace of the Sith Empire in many ways and the current seat of the Empire. Coruscant would always be important but the cradle of the Sith Empire was, very clearly, Korriban and it would remain so until the ancient buildings and the prestige behind them was destroyed by the unrelenting march of time.

But it would not happen today.

Today Zeven took the time to address an issue that had been growing within the Empire. Some parts of the Empire had taken exception to the idea that someone not of the bloodline had taken the throne and title of Emperor. As someone who was not of the bloodline either, Zeven very much enjoyed the fact that the Empire was no longer limiting itself to Emperors from a single family.

No matter the pedigree of said family, it was merely a recipe for disaster.

Awaiting the Sith he had called to see him today, Zeven stood with his hands braced against a table as he poured over the written reports of the situation. None of it was good but none of it was bad enough to warrant sending in a task force or going himself.

Instead it was time for a former Imperial Republica loyalist to prove that he had accepted the merging of the Empires. It was time for the Alderaanian to make a name for himself in the light of the Sith Empire as it always should have been; whole. He motioned for the two guards on the door to allow the Acolyte, one Rowan Harlow.

Without looking up from the read outs, he addressed the man.

"Acolyte Harlow... your Empire needs you."

He turned to regard the Acolyte.

"Are you ready to do what must be done in the name of the Sith Empire?"

@Insalius

 

[Rowan Harlow]

Another visit to a person powerful in the new Empire, on a world that Rowan had once seen as belonging to a hated enemy. He pondered on what had happened since his last mission as he walked up to the waiting Sith Lord. The Kaggath had gone badly, his rival Jacob had died soon after, most of his friends and confidants had been killed or disappeared, and with the upheaval that the Empire had gone through at the time he felt he had to lay low. It was a good time to recover, spending the intermediary time practicing and getting used to his new prosthetic and making sure his body and mind were fit to continue to be of use to whomever would be victorious. He was vexed that a lot of his hard work, even including having killed a goddamn DRAGON by himself, had been rendered moot, yet he also relished the opportunity to grow his skills even further.

This man appeared to be serious about his position, though, as it was evident by his stance and focus as he looked over the stream of data coming in to his base. Rowan knelt down in respect before speaking to answer the question posed to him. "If you've read my record, if it still exists, you'll find there's not much I'm NOT willing to do for the Empire. At least the civil war is now over and we can focus on the enemies that truly deserve our wrath. I apologize it took me so long to truly recover." He brushed his eye, which was still recording as well, then he continued to speak. "I'm willing to work twice or more as hard to make up for my convalescence, though. Whatever goal you have, I will do my utmost to help you achieve it." A fire burned in his eye as he meant every word he said. only the order that the Empire could achieve would be the key to peace in the Galaxy. The fight would be long, yet it wouldn't ever be a possibility until he was willing to take his first step into a new war.

@Nefieslab

 

[Darth Tagus]

It was true that Rowan Harlow had done more than his fair share for the Empire... or rather one half of the Empire.

The man had done much to make his name in the Imperial Republica but his unfortunate absence meant that he had missed much of the reunification of the Empire and he had done nothing for the Empire so far. It was something the man would be sure to correct in the future he was absolutely certain.

"It exists and it makes for entertaining reading." he confirmed before adding, "A dragon Acolyte Harlow? Sounds like a grand tale to tell the grandchildren."

Was he mocking the man? Not at all but he could see why the impression might have been given. Instead he just tapped a few more screens on his datapad as he looked it all over. He waved a hand.

"You will get your chance to work well for me today. Take a look at this." he offered a datapad to Rowan, "We have reports that the Zygerrians have begun raiding our border worlds. Until recently Zygerria was a member of the Empire and now they think to raid us and declare themselves independant."

He scoffed.

"Your task is simple Rowan Harlow; you are to bleed them. You are to bleed them until it becomes so costly, so outrageously weakening, to stay on their own that they come crawling back to us." he declared bluntly, "But first we need some of their codes. So you're going to need to take one of their slavery runs by surprise and take the information. Tell me... how would you approach this mission?"

@Insalius

 

[Rowan Harlow]

Rowan considered the question, going into his mind for a few moments. He recalled his first taste of actual combat, alongside his slain friend Eddard Thul-Drast. It had made him use the tactics and leadership skills he'd learned from his family to rally his fellows despite his low station, saving as many of them as he could from a surprise attack. There was a thrill at his plans going off successfully. He felt nothing when he took his first life, instead just moving past the event as if it were nothing. It was something he would end up doing again and again, though that didn't mean he didn't have compassion. There were some caught up in his plans that he did what he could to let them out as best they could, as he felt they didn't deserve any potential backlash. Ruthless, yet still with a heart.

He'd tried to be a covert operative with a public face that could get him into places he otherwise never could. He had joined the Venatori, led by the current Emperor at the time, though he didn't feel he was in any position to just go knocking on the man's door like an old friend. No, he would have to prove himself again, this time he wouldn't let his plans fail when nearly complete, just because he'd gotten a life-changing injury. Or, at least, it would have been life-changing if he hadn't spent so much time getting used to it. The recording and infrared capabilities of the eye would be very useful, which made him think of what other technology he could work towards to increase his tactical advantages. Having some of those grenades that damaged armor and armor functions sounded quite nice, especially with how vexing the Mandalorians were becoming. He knew they would be a problem way back when they started rebelling. He held no empathy for them whatsoever, now.

The Harlow looked at the map, considering the current status of the Zygerrians. They were one of the nations that had once been under Imperial control but had left, meaning they were an enemy that would have to be ground under heel or forced to rejoin their former masters. The slave trade had been a lucrative business that had generated money and helped keep potential criminals in line with the threat of being sold into slavery, even if in most cases it wasn't true. The Zygerrians were a prideful people, especially those in the slave trade, and prideful people tended to act in certain ways. All Rowan would have to do is nail that mindset down, allowing him to predict what they would do next and plan around them. A good tactician could make an enemy dance to his tune without even being seen playing the instrument. When his superior had brought up the question of their allegiance, the Harlow had already started to generate plans and run simulations in his head as to what he would need to do.

"For this specific mission, the first plan that comes to mind involves one of their slave ships on their route. They used to be part of the Empire, so we would have data on them of previous operations. I doubt they would have changed much when they left, so I can use the navigation data to plan what their route will be. Then I prepare soem bait that would cause them to stop for sure, which I will then take this time to sneak on board and steal their codes through whatever means are appropriate at the time. Slicing, mental domination, or some other option if it appears." He looks Zeven in the eye, determination in his gaze. "I'll use some Imperial citizens as bait, since that would be most enticing to the Zygerrians right now. We don't have the time for luxuries like more drawn out and less...ruthless plans. This is as efficient of a plan as I can think on the spot, though if you don't approve I can always come up with another one."

@Nefieslab

 

[Darth Tagus]

The man wasn't rushing into anything - he took his time to ponder the situation - and Tagus could appreciate that. He too was a man who couldn't bring himself to act in haste when he knew that so many mistakes were born from actions made in haste. So he allowed the man time to familiarize himself with the information that he had up at the ready.

Of course the Sith Lord had it all on a datapad to give to the acolyte but he wasn't going to get all up on the other Sith about wasting time when he didn't know about the datapad copies. As far as Rowan knew, this was the only chance he would get to actually get the information before the operation began.

Taking out a cigara, Tagus lit it with a small application of Force Fire before taking a pull. He was the master of this domain and if he wanted to smoke indoors then he would smoke indoors.

He let out a puff of smoke in Rowan's direction.

"Prove it." he declared bluntly, "Prove to me that you have the stomach to make the hard decisions, the ones that make your guts squirm and your mother sick. Prove to me that you have what it takes to become a Sith."

Tagus' eyes burned bright yellow.

"Do you think of yourself as a Sith, Harlow? Do you feed the hunger inside of you daily?" he demanded, "Well you will. You will because I will not tolerate weakness. Are we clear?"

@Insalius

 

[Rowan Harlow]

Most of the questions were rhetorical, which were understandable. Of course this man would question his commitment, his conviction. He met Zeven's smoldering gaze with his own, with his lust for power and hunger to fuel his personal dreams. There was nothing he felt more strongly than the restoration of his family name and lands, all to take that legacy and turn it into something far greater. "Crystal, sir. As you were speaking, the last of the puzzle pieces fell into place for my plan. If you would like to see, I shall show you real quick." The smile he gave was of confidence, but not to seem insolent. He wanted to work for this man, after all.

He pulled up a planet that had recently been lost due to the Zygerrians leaving the Empire. "This is Troiken, though I think you know that already. It is a frrequent stop of the Subjugator, a very highly regarded Slave Ship and group. I've also seen a few reports of some displaced Imperial citizens that need a new home, or some place to find succor. I am willing to bring these refugees to the planet, perhaps accidentally programming their IFF to seem very appealing to my target. When they land to take them, that's when I'll get your codes. I'll choose a place that gives me the best chance of success. Is this acceptable? If you have any criticism or changes, I'll gladly take them into account." He gave a polite bow, actually trying to be polite and again, not insolent.

@Nefieslab

 

[Darth Tagus]

The last pieces of the puzzle indeed.

Rowan Harlow was something of a strategist it seemed because the man had devised much in the way of a plan for a very simple mission. Hopefully it wasn't overly complicated and, thus, prone to failing. In Tagus' experience, sometimes the best plans were actually the most straight forward. In his experience you didn't need to have a good strategy when you had good tactics and the wit to know how to adapt them.

But he would reserve judgement for now.

For now he would let the Harlow try it his way and if it succeeded then he might very well have a place in the new Empire. He hummed a little bit as he leaned forwards against the table slightly.

"It is acceptable." he declared bluntly, "If you do well at this then I will meet you again - this time on Moraband. Do you understand? To be clear..."

He turned to Rowan.

"If you succeed you shall once again be on the road to greatness. Should you fail, I will remove your eyes slowly. Am I understood, Acolyte Harlow?"

@Insalius

 

[Rowan Harlow]

"Very clearly understood, Darth Tagus." He raised a hand to touch his mechanical eye, remembering the pain he had experienced when he'd lost his eye. "Losing the first one was an experience I don't want to repeat. I'll put all effort into making sure I don't need to lose the other. I shall keep you posted on my progress and the next time I step foot into this room, it will be with your desired codes." The words weren't a boast, they were meant to be truth. If he couldn't complete this simple task, he had no place in this new Empire. When Darth Tagus was done with him, Rowan would bow low to make his exit. He had plans to formulate and pawns to get into place. It felt good to be back in the saddle.

@Nefieslab

 

[Darth Tagus]

There was nothing more to be said.

The other Sith knew what he was going to do, knew what he was being asked to do, and there was nothing more than could be said. Anything else wouldn't actually add anything so rather than speaking, Tagus merely nodded and gestured with a hand to Rowan and the door before returning to his work from before.

It was clear that Rowan had been dismissed.

/End Thread
@Insalius