TKR: How Noble

[Lyanna Drast]

Lyanna was of the opinion that if you wanted someone to work for you, fight for you, then you needed to be something more to them than some distant figure.

You needed to either know them on a personal level or you needed to be larger than life - something, someone, so much their greater that they felt there was no other way for them but to obey and adore you.

It was the first part that brought her here today - she was here to speak to a figure within the Imperial Republica who needed to be met in person. Reports said that they were a mover, a shaker, and Lyanna found herself in need of people of such skills.

Allerius Katress.

A nobleman from Alderaan, albeit a low ranking nobleman, who seemed to have decided that the life of a noble wasn't for him. Nothing odd about that - what was odd was that he seemed to have decided that he would much rather be an assassin for the Imperial Intelligence than enjoy parties and galas.

To each their own.

She honestly rather enjoyed some parties, if only because they tended to have the best dessert sections. Right now she was enjoying afternoon tea in one of the secure tea rooms of the embassy that Allerius sometimes worked out of.

He had been informed that she was waiting to meet him so she was certain he would not end up being late. And if he was?

Well she would be able to enjoy some lovely sponge cake desserts.

@Lazy Swordsman
@Allerius Katress

 

[Allerius Katress]

He checked his chronometer. Well he still had fifteen minutes. Allerius had been ready for much longer but he’d hung around his office in the Embassy for far longer than necessary. Of all the things the Alderaanian thought he’d be doing today meeting the new Empress was not one of them and it was certainly something he would not be doing if he had the option.

“Drasts.” he thought to himself with disgust. The logic behind someone’s great-great-great-great-great grandmother twice removed having been the founder of the Empire meant that they were in any way well suited to rule was twisted at best. And of late the bloodline seemed to be getting awfully thin. It was the Drasts that had caused the Empire to fracture. It had been a Drast that Allerius had decided to trust and then the idiot had to go and get himself killed. Now there was a new Drast on the throne, some cousin who decided that Elix wasn’t fit for rule. Well it’s not like the Assassin had much of an opinion on matters. One Drast was as bad as another in his opinion. At least this Lyanna was pretty. He could appreciate pretty.

Sighing as he strode down the hallway he decided he had best just get on with it. One of his colleagues had recommended that he leave his lightsabers behind but frankly Raymus could stuff it. The man had the bravery and brains of a puffer pig, the only reason the idiot was still alive was because he was too unambitious and insignificant to kill.

Reaching the entrance of the private tea room he paused as the two guards held up their hands. Already this was tedious. “Allerius Katress. The Empress has summoned me.” he told them without a hint of his usual smile.

One of the guards raised a hand and his response came out as a blurt, distorted by some sort of complex encoding mechanism in the helmet. Allerius wasn’t sure if he was speaking to someone unseen or to the other guard. When he spoke again it was in clear basic. “You may enter but first hand over your lightsaber.”

Gritting his teeth Allerius handed over the weapon. The guard nodded and opened the door. Allerius was just thankful that they didn’t pat him down and that his bagging black robes concealed the shoto held up his left sleeve by the N.E.W.D.A. device.

Careful that his mental walls had been fortified before entering the woman’s presence he entered the room properly and came to a stop in front of the Empress’ table.

Allerius dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “You summoned me Empress?”

The action and the words had been driven into the man by both his superiors in the Intelligence Agency as well as his superiors in the Diplomatic Corps. Both had learnt with surprising alacrity that Allerius was meeting the ruler. They had all said the exact same thing, give the exact same instructions and repeated them over and over again. The only point he hadn’t followed was to wear his Diplomatic Corps uniform however he hadn’t followed that one. For two reasons. First off getting changed had meant he would be late and he didn’t abide lateness. The second was because it felt too much like an obvious lie, the Empress would know precisely what he was and the uniform was part of the ongoing deception that he served the Embassy.

Still, as he knelt before the woman, he did have to wonder why a lowly Acolyte would draw the attention of the highest ranked Sith in the Galaxy.

@Nefieslab
@Lyanna Drast

 

[Lyanna Drast]

Lyanna had been in the middle of taking a bite from a small finger cake when Allerius actually showed up... which was just typical. Whenever she chose to indulge her sweet tooth it was typical that someone or something would distract her. At least this time it was actually an appointment and not just one of the many courtiers who lingered around her, looking to curry favour for this or for that... sometimes she just lost track.

Finishing the bite, she took a small sip of water to clear her throat before speaking.

"Allerius Katress." she greeted him, not ordering him to rise at all, "I've been looking into you."

She gestured to a small, paper, folder on the table. It was paper, of all things, for ease of burning when it came to being a sensitive materials. Humming slightly, she looked back to him.

"It seems to me, Mr Katress, that you are a rather selfish man." she admitted bluntly, her trademark smile nowhere to be seen right now, "That you are serving the Empire only because it serves your purpose."

Taking another sip of her water, she looked at him.

"Tell me Mr Katress... what am I to do with such a man? What does one do with an assassin who may turn against you should he receive a better offer? What does one do Mr Katress?" She made a show of thinking about it, "Play to your pride? No, you're not insecure enough to need it. Push on your patriotism? Definitely not. So, it strikes me that there's only really one option that works really isn't there? Do you know what that option is Mr Katress?"

@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Allerius Katress]

Allerius remained kneeing because for all else he was, all else he appeared to be, he was still a nobleman. He’d been raised to accept these sort of situations as easily as breathing. When she mentioned she’d been looking into him he frowned slightly. Other Sith might have been pleased to draw the attention of the most powerful person in the Empire but Allerius couldn’t claim the same. He wasn’t an ambitious man. He cared little about his standing in either the Empire nor amongst his fellow Sith. He served the Empire for one very simple reason. It was necessary. The Empire stood for peace, it stood for control and it stood for Order. Without the Empire chaos would reign.

So when she mentioned that he was a selfish man he felt genuine surprise, when she mentioned he served the Empire for himself it confused him. Allerius had never been private about his belief that the Empire was necessary to keep the Galaxy whole. It was why this rift between the Old Empire Sith with their ancient traditions and the more refined Core Sith needed to be mended. If anyone in this room served out of self-serving desires Allerius had no doubt it was Lyanna. She had likely only struck out against Elix not because he was a poor Emperor but rather because she’d been able to drum up enough support for her own ambitions. Still such was the way of the Drasts. He had come across one half-decent example but even Eddard had been a self-serving man although at least he was concerned the Empire’s corruption.

“Is that so Empress?” he said neutrally. He was curious where she was going with this. “This humble servant serves for the well-being of the Empire.” He remained respectful but he also unintentionally emphasised that word.

Allerius kept his eyes averted not for respect of Lyanna Drast but because he bowed before the will of Andraste’s Throne. No matter how he felt about whomever sat upon the Throne it was the position itself that matter. The title was everything. It had to be absolute because it was the lynchpin that held the Empire, and thus the Galaxy, together. Elix had been a weak link and that was why the Old Empire broke free. He only hoped Lyanna proved to be up to the task and could bring the wayward realm back into line.

He wanted to be respectful but he had no need to win her favour. He was happy with his lot in life and didn’t need, or want, to curry Imperial favour. He left that to the fools of Coruscant and the greedy fools who’d sell their own mother for a title.

“If such a man existed however I suppose one would need to find a way to bind him to you that could not be broken. Either by invoking true loyalty or finding a hold over the man that he would not dare test.” he answered tonelessly. Allerius usually liked playing games like this but he wasn’t in any mood right now. He honestly had no idea what she wanted from him. The Alderaanian had never considered himself more than an average Intelligence asset with a little above average ability with subterfuge. So why seek him out?

 

[Lyanna Drast]

She hummed a little bit, leafing through some of the files that had been amassed regarding Allerius. There wasn't a lot but it was enough to be noticeable to be sure. She looked back at the man. The files painted the picture of him being a selfish man. There was talk that he was much more in sync with the ideal of a unified Empire but that was all it was; talk.

His superiors had written a different tale.

Lyanna gestured for him to rise with her hand.

"Up - if you are truly a supporter of the throne I suppose you likely have some explanation as to why your superiors have felt the need to write otherwise?" she passed the reports over to him, letting him read the comments himself, "If you were a greedy, selfish, man? I would have to accept that as your nature and make sure that you never received a better offer. That I was always the better offer."

One of her guards entered to pour them both a cup of tea.

"In the end your motivations matter not." she admitted firmly, "Only your capabilities. I am in need of people who have the drive to excel, for whatever reason, to assist me in dragging the Empire out of the hole that Elix has left it in. The Old Guard are too stubborn, too stuck in their ways. I need new blood. If I told you to, for example, kill a corrupt member of your own department and take his place higher within the ranks... would you be able to do that? For the good of the Empire and yourself?"

@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Allerius Katress]

Catching her gesture he rose slowly to his feet and stood silently, unclasping his hands from behind his back only to take the offered report. He read it through the words silently without speaking to her at first. Allerius felt his eye twitch slightly at what was written there. His so called superiors. Pompous, arrogant, talentless fools. Looking up to meet the Empress’ eyes he finally answered her in a voice that was very much forced to be flat.

“That is because my superiors are fools your Majesty. Perhaps it is a little odd to here one of the aristocracy say this but too many of the higher ups in our Empire are there simply because of familial connections and other such methods that allow the talentless and stupid be given places of power.” he answered honestly. “I have never played their games. I have never sided with one person or another in their foolish internal politicking. I couldn’t care less about their ambitions and I lack any of my own. So since I do not fit in with the usual ambitious lot and I refuse to play their games so I suppose I make them uncomfortable.”

Putting the report back down on the table he sighed and shrugged. His motivations didn’t matter? He supposed he agreed. He didn’t care about the motivations of others so long as they didn’t directly do harm to the Empire but he wondered if it was such thinking that allowed such rife corruption to pop up all across the hierarchy of the Imperial Republica.

‘Why did Eddard have to go and get himself killed? He seemed to have an idea about how we could start countering that.’ Allerius give an internal sigh of annoyance. ‘Why do bad things always happen to me?’

Allerius barely waited a moment before answering Lyanna’s question. “But of course.” he said sounding a little confused. “You’re the Empress, the single highest authority of the Empire, whoever you believed should be removed would be and if it helps the Empire all the better.”

 

[Lyanna Drast]

Lyanna could feel her was controlling himself very carefully and she applauded that in a man. He was doing his absolute best to keep from letting her emotions show without suppressing them too much. It was a very Sith thing to do and she appreciated it. And what he went on to say?

Well... she wasn't exactly about to slap him for saying it.

"Acolyte Katress... you are preaching to the converted." She agreed, slightly amused, before gesturing to herself, "I sit before you today because a relative of mine was given the single most important role in our Empire because he was born to it. Now had he done something to improve himself? I wouldn't have minded. But instead he was only ever eligible to lead because of his birth - never because of who he was. If I did away with him for that, I think you'll find that my tolerance for the same kark on an, admittedly, smaller scale is just as low."

Lyanna was glad of his enthusiasm as well.

"I am attempting to, in a word, 'clean house', Allerius." she told him simply, "Because I need someone skilled, someone with drive, to start heading up some of my operations. So I give this mission to you now Allerius Katress; kill your immediate superior in a way that incriminates no one. Take his place and obtain the rank of Sith Crusader - and I will have you lead my intelligence operatives against our enemies both domestic and abroad."

@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Allerius Katress]

With his hands clasped behind his back again Allerius remained standing silently in front of his Empress. As she spoke about her relative, the former Emperor, he tapped a finger against the back of his hand as he pondered his words.

“I can’t say I disagree. I understand the need for the current inheritance laws. Like everything else about our Empire it is designed for stability and to help us retain Order. The old ways are unfeasible for the running of any kind of long-term Empire.” he said seriously. The rule of the strong had benefits but it did not stretch to creating a Dynasty that would last anywhere near as long as Drast’s grasp on the throne had. “However it also has it’s clear weaknesses as our dear former Emperor showed. For all their treachery one thing the public will never believe about Darth Vrael is that he is weak and unworthy of the place he has claimed.” The Alderaanian’s sickly yellow eyes met the gaze of his Empress as he spoke. He knew what he said was borderline treason but he had his reasons, he felt a need to understand his new leader’s own views but, perhaps, he was also testing how far he could stretch his privilege to speak directly to Lyanna.

Hearing what she wished of him Allerius could barely believe it. It was true he was not an ambitious man but he was practically being handed a promotion on a platter, something he never expected to receive from his superiors. However, better than that, he was being given permission to take out that damned fool that threw barely comprehensible Intelligence Reports at him at every opportunity.

Bowing his head he smiled showing a little too many teeth as his usually charming expression turned to something far more predatory. “Oh your Majesty it would be an absolute pleasure I assure you.”

 

[Lyanna Drast]

The man spoke plainly and Lyanna was glad of it. While she might have experience as a political beast, she much preferred the men and women under her command to dispense with tactics marred by the political. They had no reason to be political and, often, all they were attempting to do was hide their thoughts and feelings about a certain subject.

Admirable and expected in Intelligence Operatives.

Annoying never the less.

A soldier, a warrior, should be happy to speak as such and she seldom saw that within her ranks. The fact that Allerius Katress knew when to speak and when to hold off spoke well of him.

"Well, Vrael claims to be the Emperor of the entire Sith Empire." she smiled ever so faintly, "And yet has made no moves to take our half of the Galaxy now has he? But I see what you mean. I mean to test him myself in the near future."

It would either be the beginning of her reign or it would be the end - but either way it would be something she would be remembered for. She personally didn't think the Kaggath held any importance in modern times. After all, what good was being able to kill another Sith in limited one-on-one combat when it was Mandalorians who were running rampant throughout the Galaxy? Being able to counter another Force user was not going to help them fight off the Mandalorians.

But it would be done, one way or the other.

Chuckling ever so slightly at his response to her command for him going forwards, she nodded to him before tapping her desk with a small smile on her face.

"See that it is done and done well." She confirmed before smiling wider, "Of course - there's no rules against having some fun when you do it. Is there anything you wish to discuss, Allerius Katress?"

If not then it was time for the man to begin his task.

@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Allerius Katress]

Straightening up Allerius’ grin turned into a faint smile. “Vrael may not be weak but I do not believe he is stupid. No matter how powerful the Old Sith believe they are their antiquated ways and convoluted traditions are no match for the might of the Core.” he said dismissively. There might be powerful Sith in the Old Empire territories but the time when the power of your Force Adepts decided the outcome was gone. The Republica’s organisational prowess, it’s intelligence services, it’s legions of men and fleets of ships would lay waste to any ambitions that the Dark Lord might have. Personally Allerius believed that, if it came to it, Vrael could probably take Lyanna in a one-on-one fight but that hardly mattered. The important fact was that if the two met in battle, a Kaggath in the old ways, which he believed the woman was implying then there would be one of two outcomes. Either Lyanna one then by their own beliefs the Old Empire would have to take a knee or Vrael won in which case he was no closer to ruling the Core, no Sith of the Republica would care less about the old man winning some archaic duel.

Allerius shook his head slightly. “No Empress. I will not waste anymore of your time.” he said with a hint of sincerity. He was certain that ruler of the Empire had more important things to do that speak with a lowly nobleman of Alderaan.

“I will see to my task at the earliest convenience. Good day our Majesty.” he said with another bow.

Turning he would leave the room, so long as he wasn’t stopped, thankful that he didn’t have to ignite his shoto. Once he was outside the room he’d take his lightsaber back from the guards and head on his way. It appeared he had a murder to plot.

 

[Lyanna Drast]

No, Vrael was far from stupid.

Lyanna might be young, she might be foolish at times and she might even have inherited some of the arrogance that Sith were said to be known for but she was not going to underestimate her opponent. The man who would style himself Emperor of the united Sith was far more of a man than Elix had ever been and to defeat him would take far more than what it had taken to defeat Elix in the end and this she knew to be fact.

Smiling, she nodded.

"Than go and go with purpose." she told him simply, her smile turning sharper as she continued, "See it done, Allerius Katress. I shall be watching your progress with great interest."

She would enjoy the show Allerius put on when he killed his 'superior'.

/End Thread
@Lazy Swordsman