Ask Serenno Military Wing

[Lilith Vye]

Dressed in dark but fitted clothing, Lilith had made sure to look presentable. Her blonde hair was tied back into a tight bun and she'd did her best not to let a single hair loose, or any frizz to show. Of course, hidden beneath her clothing was her belt and weapons. She didn't expect to need them, but she was and always would be paranoid. Thanks to the work that had already been put into influcing the planets politics, they'd gotten enough clearance not to be searched or disturbed while on the grounds, so there was no reason to leave them behind.

She knew she'd be speaking today, or, at least, injecting into whatever her partner said if he decided to take lead, which was probably preferable but unlikely. This mission was one of first of many she'd decided to take part in in order to make herself feel more part of the Sith. The instructions weren't exactly the clearest to her but she'd do whatever was needed to make things happen.

She was waiting for her partner outside of the compound, right beside her speeder. Even though she'd been given instructions, she didn't know who her partner was. There was a name, but she didn't recognize it. Not that she'd recognize many names, since she spent most of her three years in the cult working outside of it. Either way she tried not to let it bug her as she tapped her fingers on her datapad and waited.

@Malon

 

[Ryder Blane]

The speeder dropped him off outside the compound on the far eastern edge of the verdant, neon-colored city. He had not worn his billowing cloak, nor had he brought his lightsaber, but the leather vest and black tunic remained. Ryder Blane was also confused by his task; but he had come to expect murky orders from the higher-ups. Secrecy never bred opacity, after all. But beggars couldn't be choosers and Ryder needed this assignment if he wanted to secure a more favorable place in the cult. And he did.

His slate blue eyes found the woman moments after he stepped from the vehicle. Most Sith Eternal cultists found each other through the dark side of the Force, but Ryder had no need to expend his energies searching the minds of onlookers to find his mark. She was a well-dressed woman standing next to a speeder outside a military academy on graduation day. That either made her a street-walker or a Sith, and Ryder was betting on the latter.

"Apologies for the wait," he said smoothly. "The traffic in the skylanes heading this direction was murder."

He was telling a half-truth. The full story was that the port authority hadn't taken kindly to the appearance of a TIE Defender in one of its docking bays. While the common TIE was one of the most well-known ships in the modern galaxy, Ryder often forgot that its visage was still associated with the Empires of the past. The Old Empire. The First Order. The galaxy had not forgotten what the Sith had once wrought on them. He intended to make sure they never did.

He gestured at the marble path that spooled out in front of them, as if to say, After you. "Have you given any thought to how we should proceed? My orders from up top weren't... clear, to say the least." He jolted as if struck by an idea, then ran a hand through his shock of blonde hair. "Oh, and I'm Ryder, by the way. I guess introductions are in order." @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

The mans excuse only prompted Lilith to nod. She hadn't actually minded being given some time to think, despite the few unpleasant thoughts. She noticed his gesture and started walking towards the building, letting out a single breathy laugh at his first question. It was a good one. How did they proceed? But she simply answered with "I'm Lilith" at first, choosing to leave out the 'you can call me' part she sometimes added. She'd accepted Lilith as more than an alias at this point.

"It feels like we should have pamphlets or something," Lilith grunted, finally addressing his first question but not really, not at first. As they neared the building she plucked a visitor card out of a pocket, pressing it against a console. The console beeped and a light on top of it went from red to green before the door opened and allowed Lilith to enter.

She was mulling things over, and her eyes fell on one of the students before she spoke up again. "Maybe we could get some of the more popular graduates to influence others for us?" she said. "With our combined power I'm sure we could make an order last longer than usual," she added. It was something she had experience with; Talak and her had made a mind trick last much longer in order to get a Gree to infiltrate their own archive for them.

The young Sith tapped her bottom lip in thought as they continued down the first hallway. "Though we'd need to find them first," she said with a frown. Maybe Ryder had a much better idea.

@Malon

 

[Ryder Blane]

Ryder considered her idea. Rolled it about his head like a foreign taste. There was merit to it. Mind tricks were certainly the easiest route to take, though they were famously unreliable. Suppose the cadets they chose had strong minds. Sure, minds could be broken, but it was a loud process and they needed intact minds for their mission to succeed. And if they failed the jig would be up and they would be fighting their way out of a gundark's nest—not an ideal situation.

He hated this mission already.

Then a thought struck him. There were some in the Sith Eternal who found Ryder insufferable. Before he found them, his family had been among the upper-class on Alsakan. Because of that, he had a certain arrogance to him. It was in his gait as much as his speech, but his fancy education had yielded him something. Because of it, he knew a great deal of galactic history, and he knew that Serenno had once known the Sith. Scars of their dark presence were evident in the Force.

And that meant....


"Your plan could net us some supporters, I'll give you that," he said. "But what if we were a bit more direct? Some propaganda in the form of a manufactured crisis?"

There was a narrow, empty corridor to their left. Ryder took her by the wrist and pulled her suddenly into it. Here, they would have more privacy; even so, he lowered his voice.

"What if I was able to get something to attack this place in the middle of the ceremony?" he went on. "You'd be there in the audience: a sign of our solidarity. Then, when the trouble arises, you show them all the power of a Sith. None of them would have any reason to doubt us."

The plan sounded good in his head. Complex, but good. Still, everything hinged on her reaction to it. @Dread

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith thought on his plan. It'd certainly help the Sith's name and gain them some support, but she also knew that, if there were cameras, the recording may spread. Spread enough that perhaps Talak would possibly see it. It gave her pause. Was she ready for him to know the choice she'd made? But just thinking about 'if she was ready' suddenly made her mad at herself. Of course she was ready. Why wouldn't she be? The Sith, the Dark Side, it was her home now.

"Your plan sounds solid to me," she finally muttered after the long pause. "As long as you aren't caught by anyone or on camera while you get whatever it is to attack," she added. Of course he'd know that, but it was worth voicing anyway in the very slim chance that he didn't. This plan could go very well for the Sith, or very bad, and the very bad would fall on the two's shoulders. Likely planet-sized, crushing and killing them, because of how important it was to have the first takeover be successful.

"I do know there's a lot of large beasts nearby here," she said, seeing as the structure was basically in the middle of the woods. Maybe he could drive them mad with the Force, or maybe he already had something in mind, but it was an idea. If her partner had nothing else to add, Lilith would walk forward towards where the ceremony would take place. No one gave her a second look as she entered and leaned against a wall to wait for it to start. It wasn't going to be long before it started, and she assumed her partner was skilled enough to pull off whatever he decided to do.

She also wanted to make sure she arrived early so it'd be harder to tie her to anything, but she caught the attention of a lone cadet who started to walk up to her. She wondered if he could be of use, but stayed quiet as he approached.

@Malon