Ask Conquering the Unconquerable

[Renfry]

Junction was not the most glorious of planets, but it had a history within the Sith. The first Dark Lord Darth Kravos took this world as the center of his operations during the first Sith Empire. It had access to the rest of the galaxy, was unassuming, and yet still provided a certain level of solitude.

It was here that the Council of Lords had been called. The Eternal was dead and though several of the Lords had heard the news directly from her mouth, rumor still consumed the majority of the Sith Order. Few knew what had really happened and fewer still knew what would come next.

An "invitation" had been extended to each of them through the Eternal's personal comlink device, but signed with her name and title. As such, each was likely to have put together what had happened, but she had not left time for any to truly prepare for the meeting.

Darth Andruil sat in one of the chairs, awaiting the others. Those who were the most observant would see that it was the Eternal's lightsaber that now hung from her belt. Next to her, on a small table, sat a small, flat sack.

She knew that today would be a momentous day for the Sith Order, and she could feel her heart beat just a little bit faster with each minute that passed.

OOC: @Sreeya @Arclight @Mr. Teatime @Braden Drake @GABA @Topher It's highly recommended that if at all possible OOC, everyone's Sith Lord be present. Please let me know if attendance is not possible

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat was certain this meeting was going to be all but boring following the attack on the Firrerreon homeworld. Renfry had only just called for diplomatic leverage and Tiamat was curious how much Firrerre's demise has interrupted any talks with the FWA and even the Republic. Though did she even wish to continue such an offer? It was clear now she had defeated the Eternal, such power and prestige changes people.

Tiamat entered the chambers, first of the Lords to arrive.

She was dressed in her armor, navy with accents of gold, a stark contrast in addition to her red hair that made her look even more out of place in a chambers that was heavy with greys and reds. Her hair was braided, wrapped around her head in a crown to keep it out of her face; she paused when she entered, giving Renfry a small bow before finding a place to sit. The Queens' appearance had greatly changed, and there was something about it that left Tiamat in awe and in admiration.

Now to wait to see who else would acknowledge her call.

@Phoenix

 

[Emryc Thorne]

As he was not a member of the council, Emryc thought a few times before ultimately deciding to attend. The Sith simply did not have enough people on the council to warrant excluding the Sith Lords. Now that war was underway in full force, it was critical for everyone to meet and set a course forward.

The Sith Lord was adorned in his armor, helmet hiding his face from view. Out of respect, he did not bring his sabers to the meeting. Emryc offered Renfry a cursory nod in greeting before moving to take a seat across from her and a few seats down from Tiamat. There was nothing in his demeanor to suggest that anything was out of the ordinary. He had meditated extensively before arriving here, reeling back the slight edge that manifested in his presence now.

No one would be able to tell the man had recently glassed a planet from the way he calmly and politely entered the chambers and took his seat.

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Artorigas was lucky, for he had been on this side of the galaxy when the call went out. After meeting Queen Anfuil before he had headed to Serenno for a short time to visit his sister and see to her training and was due to head back to Exegol shortly when the call came out for him to attend this gathering on Junction. The Sith Noble was intrigued about what was about to happen next, this would indeed be a turning point in the Sith's trajectory. Much had been done individually up until now, what could they do if they stood united for a change.

He had arrived alone the Calesvol a single fighter sat upon the landing pad, not quite the usual extravagance the Serennian usually liked to cover himself in, but needs must. He wore no armour, only the court dress he had gathered at Serenno. At his hip however hung the new blade he had acquired upon Exegol an ancient black sword filled with history and death that he had yet to truly understand.

Darth Caelestis was third to arrive it seemed, already Lady Tiamat and Darth Raze taking there seats. He smiled at each of them in turn giving them a small bow of his head before he took a seat on the same side of Andruil. "Mi'Queen." Artorigas spoke softly before turning to face the door, wondering who was next to enter there little gathering.

 

[Darth Stolas]

Darth Stolas arrived just after Caelestis wearing the robe-like armour he was known for. While this wasn't unusual in and of itself he was also wearing his helmet. Black boots carried him into the meeting chamber and past the other Sith, the helm fairly still except for a pauses in his steps where he gave a slow nod of greeting to Lady Andruil.

He found his seat near the Nightsister but away from others and sank smoothly into it. The Firrerreo gave off no visible signs of distress or anger. Rather he might even seem strangely calm after the glassing of Firrerre, although it was difficult to tell exactly without seeing his ever-expressive face.

From his belt he retrieved his operations datapad and activated it, dark visor turning downward to look at the most recent reports. Intelligence networks were things that needed much looking after and with all out war brewing Stolas must constantly keep up with new information. Galactic goings-on could shift the balance so very easily.

 

[Asminys]

The southern Sith territory had been holding its breath since rumors of the Eternal's travel to Dathomir had begun to spread. The Eternal rarely travelled, so when it moved, lips moved as well. What happened after was still a mystery, and the rumor mill of the Eternal's court had been in full swing.

Asminys had seen the writing on the wall. Merely a guess, but one confirmed when he had received a message through a line only ever used by the Eternal... signed by Darth Andruil. He arrived at the council of Lords confident that forces loyal to him were poised and prepared in the case of a power vacuum after the Eternal's passing, an even that his calculating mind had given fair odds of happening when their 'glorious leader' passed from its mortal, or immortal, coil.

Arriving behind Darth Stolas, Darth Asminys walked into the room and stood there for a moment. His eyes travelled across the already arrived Sith Lords, flicking from one to the next behind his mask. His skin crawled being in a room with such concentration of power, an assemblage of the strongest and most successful Sith of the Eternal's empire.

Breaking his stillness, Asminys strode into the room and took his seat. He watched Darth Andruil in particular, noting the lightsaber that rode her belt, and the covered object at hand.

 

[Alyse Ti'Varnus]

This was certainly unfortunate timing. The First summoning of the Sith Lords to Council, only for it to be received in the midst of an outward bound venture into the Unknown Regions. The destination the Nihil Retreat that surrounded the Perann Nebula, the target and intent was to track down the Sorcerers of Rhand, and bring their rumoured re-emergence to a swift termination.

The Question that remained however, was whether to abandon the journey and make haste to the Junction in an attempt to attend in person, but given that the small fleet under the Sith lord's command was now in orbit around Lwhekk - it seemed extremely unlikely that the meeting would be postponed to suit one of the Orders Lords being otherwise engaged, especially when it would take a fortnight of travel through the volatile space of the Unknown regions to even get get to the start of the Shiritoku Way trade route.

Rather than be absent, a response had been channelled through to Dathomiri Sith Lord, Darth Andruil who had called for and requested the presence of the Sith Lords at the outpost on Junction, to advise and apologise ahead of time, but to also arrange for a secure encrypted channel to be established in lieu of not being able to attend in person.

Staring out of the view port of the capital ships command deck as she watched the defence fighters patrol around the small fleet, the Blonde Sith Lord continued to muse over the rationale as to why it was Darth Andruil who had called for the meeting. There were suspicions as to why, a notable shift in the darkened currents of the Force - indicating a possible shift in power, but that could just be but mere speculation.

Stepping away from her viewing point, the blonde left the bridge of the ship, headed to her own private quarters and sealing the chambers behind her. With a wave of her hand the Sith Lord summoned the helm of her Darth Ceryx visage from its resting place on the side of her desk. Closing her eyes, the Sith lord pulled the helmet over her head, before then proceeding to open a secure and encrypted channel to the Sith Meeting chambers on Junction.

Within the meeting chamber, the chair less podium flickered into life with a wash of blue static as the holo projectors powered up, stabilising the image for a few moments - before eventually the armoured form of Darth Ceryx came into full view, standing still as she she regarded the other Sith Lords who were in attendance. Her helmeted visage bowing it's head respectfully to Darth Andruil, being the one who was chairing the meeting, before her projection worked it's gaze around those gathered within the chamber, offering a respectful nod to each one in turn.

Once the projected form of Ceryx had greeted each of her fellow Darths, the Sith lord folded her hands over her lap as she stood still and silent waiting for the meeting to commence.

 

[Renfry]

One-by-one they had all arrived. The most powerful individuals from the Sith Order and some of the most powerful people in the galaxy. Tiamat arrived first, and Andruil smiled in response to the bow. The two women had always had an interesting relationship, but she was one of those that Andruil considered a friend for many years now.

Next came Emryc. The Sith Lord had a reputation that far proceeded him, and despite what had occurred at Firrerre, the Sith Lord was stone-cold-calm. She had come to expect nothing less from him and yet there was still a part of it that unnerved her. She silently wondered if he and Morgan had seen each other since the "event" and whether or not it would bleed over into this meeting. It was something she had already considered and planned for.

Darth Caelestis was adorned in full dress clothes and took his seat. She was glad to see him here, and there was no question that he was quickly growing in power, reputation, and capability. She gave him a nod as well.

Morgan's appearance was the most tumultuous. While not externally visible, she knew him well enough to know that while he remained reserved there was no doubt that he couldn't be fully calm after what had happened. How precisely he was coping with it wasn't clear, but he wasn't walking in with a saber drawn, and that was a win as far as Andruil was concerned.

Asminys arrived next. He would be one of the biggest wild cards at the meeting. His loyalty wasn't truly secured nor had she spoken with him about the Eternal's death. He had enough standing to be a thorn in her side should he opt for a course of rebellion. Yet still, she didn't see him wanting to break free from the rest of the Order. It was a dangerous world out there alone and he was violent, but he was no fool.

Last to "arrive" was Ceryx. Andruil's gaze settled on the video for a moment. She was less than thrilled with the Sith Lord's absence and relative isolation from the Order, but it was something that would be watched and addressed at a later time. For the moment, the Queen hadn't pressed the issue of her appearance in person particularly given the intentionally tight timeframe she had left for them to arrive.

And then there was Calix. Notably absent. As Emryc had pointed out, he'd likely fled with what little assets were left to his name, which meant there was opportunity on the table for the ambitious. A seat that could be claimed with nothing more than a single head.

Most of you have probably already guessed why I've invited you here, she said, sitting up in her seat a bit straighter and leaning over to the bag. The Lords weren't fools and it didn't take a genius to put together what was going on... if they hadn't already been informed directly by her.

She reached into the bag at her hand and pulled free the two pieces of the Eternal's mask, dropping it to the ground in front of her.

The Eternal is dead by my blade. By Sith Rite I am taking its title, seat, and assets, she stated firmly. It wasn't likely that anyone would challenge this, but she gave pause enough to invite challenge. What she was afraid of wasn't being challenged for her seat.

She was a reckless leader and it has cost the Sith dearly. War is coming in full force, and we are going to emerge victorious. I intend to transform the Sith once more into a single Empire under one authority and one vision. We have each built up our corners of the kingdom, but the time for disjointed fiefdoms is over. It's time to unify and face this threat head on, she stated.

Violence and offensive action will be a necessity, but senseless killing or oppression of our own are not going to be tolerated. We can't fight an external force if we're having more uprisings like Sullust, she said. She knew full-well that the reason the Sith had lost Sullust was not because of the Jedi, it was because of the reckless violence of the Eternal and Vyrassu. A happy and proud populace was a populace that would fight.

Now is the time to decide whether you are going to support me or do as our Councilor Occidius has done and flee with whatever you can, she said. It didn't need to be stated directly that he would be found and dealt with. They were Sith.

She looked to each of them in turn, looking for dissent or objection.

So far as the war is concerned, this also the time to raise concerns about weaknesses, vulnerabilities, or suggestions for the the best course of action, she said.

@Sreeya @Arclight @Mr. Teatime @Braden Drake @GABA @Topher

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Caelestis watched as the remaining Sith Lords made there appearance within the chamber, Stolas was shortly behind him and took a seat on the other side of Anduil to himself. There was something about his demeanour that was off compared to usual, rumours of something going down Firrerro had reached Artorgias back on Exegol. Perhaps this is what had soured the Sith Councillor was he not from the planet? His gaze moved quickly over to Darth Raze to see if there was any recognition there before moving to the next person to enter.

He had not had the chance to ever meet this creature, he called him such as there was a primal nature to his presence as he surveyed the room before him. His eyes hidden behind a mask, Artorigas took special note of the character and would spend some time after looking more into this man as he took his seat. The final attendance was via hologram, something that in itself miffed the Sith Noble, this had been a meeting that everyone here knew its unspoken topic. One that would change the face and future of the order and Darth Ceryx had chosen to appear in blue. Though as he looked around the room he spotted one seat completely empty, the mysterious Darth Occidus, a staunch ally of The Eternal, perhaps fleeing any wrath which would follow his allegiance. Or worse looking to plan a return to seek revenge on them all.

Before his mind could wonder much more Andruil spoke, Artorigas turned to face the women as she began her speech. He knew most of this already but it was still interesting it spoke aloud amongst a group who all would probably wish to be sat in her seat right now, the full power of the Sith Order at there backs.

Strangely however it seemed Artorigas was the first to speak, was it that the others were waiting to see what the others would say first. Not wishing to be the first to support or denounce the women, however as he had already spoken this aloud once before the Sith Noble was confident in speaking again. Leaning slightly forward in his seat, his gaze washed over all those present, including the empty seat before resting on Anduil. "You have my support Darth Andruil." He had to grit his teeth not to call her Mi'Queen but in a place such as this he needed to give as much grandeur to her Sith title as possible.

"In terms of our weaknesses, our navies are old and rag tag, our armies full of rabid dogs rather than trained soldiers and our alliances are few and far between. As you know I have begun the rectification of one of these but assistance is needed across The Order if we are to achieve success in this war." It was a blunt statement and perhaps not a helpful one but the facts of the situation needed to be laid out, no point sugar coating around Andruil, they had done it around The Eternal and look where that had gotten us?

@Phoenix @Sreeya @Mr. Teatime @GABA @Arclight @Topher

 

[Alyse Ti'Varnus]

So the suspicion surrounding the tremors in the Darkside was founded, where the perceived fading of the Eternal's presence in the Force was faintly felt within the far reaches of the Unknown Regions - came the shift in power of the dark side to their newest avatar, Darth Andruil, the new ruler of the Sith and it's growing Empire.

The image of the holographic Darth flickered for a few moments, before it's helmeted gaze turned towards the self announced Dark lord of the Sith Order. "The Eternal is dead" Ceryx spoke, as her holographic form turned inline with the direction of her gaze, before the Sith Lord lowered down into a knelt position. "Long live the Empress" she added as her head lowered in line with the bow, before holding the position for a few moments and then rising back to her full height.

Standing in silence, Ceryx listened as the Sith ruler outlined her stance on the Sith, forming the territories into a singular Sith Empire, removing the fragmented territories that had emerged as each of the respective Sith Lords wrought their own seat of influence, either through aggressive seizing of territories and forceful expansion, enacted through the majority of the Sith Lords who were present within the chamber, or through subtle manipulation within the shadows of planetary and political governance.

The Empress' vision for the Sith Empire was one of a united front, in face of an up coming galactic war. One that extended not to the leadership, but also to those who were ruled by the Sith, the lightly touched upon but somewhat unsaid sentiment that oppression and subjugation was prohibitive in fostering loyalty in the rank and file of the populace - something she recalled her father quoting once 'Until the populace become conscious they will never rebel, but it is only when they have rebelled that they can become conscious'

"Though If I may inquire, when the coming war breaks" Ceryx inquired as her holographic gaze shifted over to meet that of the Empress'. "On how many fronts will the war be fought? Do you envision for a conflict with the Independent Systems Consortium, The New Republic and Free World Alliance, or will you seek to escalate tensions between the other Galactic powers and take advantage when the opportune moment presents it's self"

 

[Renfry]

Caelestis spoke up first, offering his support and bringing up the sub-par state of the military. She nodded her agreement and acknowledgment.

Yes, we'll need to recruit and organize a real army. We're not going to have mindless marauders and cultists running our forces, she said. It did occur to her that some of the Sith were mindlessly violent as well, but many were not. That was another thing that would be slowly dealt with with time.

We'll begin recruitments immediately. There are plenty of people looking for ways out of their life situations who would be happy to sign up and plenty of security forces within our borders to recruit officers to whip them into shape, she said.

Her attention turned next to Ceryx, who too declared her loyalty before questioning the scope of the war. A good question, and perhaps the key question.

Conflict with the FWA is a given and the Republic has decided to go to war as well. I have no intention of war with the ISC. They aren't backing the Jedi and are intentionally staying out of the war between us because they're smart, she said. The FWA should never have been picking this fight in the first place, and the Republic's actions were... also somewhat baffling. She had the sudden mental picture of Emryc sitting in a corner, smoking his cigarra, and watching as more worlds flocked to the ISC to escape the raging war and the word "profiting" floating above his head.

If any of you manages to turn the FWA and Republic against one another, your contributions would not go unnoticed, she said. If you could convince your two enemies to fight one another, that was far better than fighting two enemies at once.

@Sreeya @Arclight @Mr. Teatime @Braden Drake @GABA @Topher

 

[Asminys]

There it was. The mask was out of the bag. Asminys stared at the mask that lay before them as some of their number committed their support to Renfry. Darth Andruil. The Eternal was finally dead, and not by his hand.

A fist clenched silently, knuckles whitening invisibly within the glove that covered them. Rage bubbled and brewed under the surface as he stared at the mask. The sweetness of revenge turned to ash, not that he would ever taste it. The drive to right the injustice that was his existence, crumbled before him.

He had never been sure, but in this moment he was certain.

His creator was dead, and not by his hand.

He remained silent as volcanic rage flared within him, the meeting at hand momentarily forgotten as he processed the information.

And then his rage cooled. His eyes turned up to Renfry behing his mask. Darth Andruil. He had known her before, as a hunter and a powerful witch. She had aided him, and he owed her a favor. That was the extent of their relationship, but he held a begrudging respect for her that only grew with the knowledge that she had slain the Eternal, as much as he hated it for her.

He could nurse his hate on his own.

"I will not challenge your right to rule." He finally stated, Yet., the thought unspoken in his mind. He cared little for the throne, except the fact that everything he could take should be his. He had taken Renfry's measure before. Now he took Darth Andruil's...

The throne was not his for the taking.

Though some of her ideas made him wish to try it anyways. Either that or he would have to practice restraint with the people he ruled.

"What are your intentions with the Southern Territories? There are many there who's loyalties to the dead may remain strong." The Eternal's grasp on the minds of the Sith in the south had remained strong while other lords kingdoms grew in the galactic north. "The ISC's border grows and threatens to further cut it off from your Empire, and the conquered territories of the free worlds," He shot an invisible glare at Darth Raze with his eyes as his mask remained trained on Renfry as he continued. "The Syndicates have even dared to attack facilities and incite uprising among the populace." Uprising that he had put down violently, which now ran counter to Empress Andruil's desires. His own grasp on power in the south was now delicately balanced.

"And what of the worlds that have not yet seen the power of the Sith and sworn themselves to your rule, that would remain neutral in your war with the Republic." Worlds that had no masters, worlds whose masters were weak and undeserving, worlds whose resources and populations lay ripe for the taking by the Sith.

 

[Renfry]

She could sense the hesitation from Asminys, but he said nothing in challenge. It wasn't exactly a glowing endorsement of support, but it would do for now.

Our expansion into unaligned worlds will continue, and dissenters will be dealt with, she said. It would be a process to solidify full power and it would be with effort that dissenters would be rooted out, but they would be rooted out and they would be dealt with definitively.

There are planets near the Southern Territories that can still be quite useful, she said. As for the ISC cutting off the Southern territory, somehow that feels like a much lesser issue than the rather bulbous extension of the FWA doing the same, she said. The ISC cutting off Sith territory was the least of their concerns.

The Syndicates are still something of an unknown entity. They're not united, which means what holds for one may not for another she said, which meant a potential advantage for the Empire. If they could ally with them or event turn them to infighting, it could be one less problem or one more advantage.

@Arclight