Shady People and Shady Meetings

[Darth Kravos]

Darth Kravos waited in the council chamber on Junction base for the arrival of the Eternal. It was a long time coming that they were going to have this meeting, and Kravos couldn't help wondering how it was going to go.

The truth was, he'd not ever had an outright conversation with the Eternal, and he'd begun to suspect that this individual was not the same one he had glimpsed at Telos. As a Jedi, Kal had spent years studying the Eternal, as it was the primary enemy to the Shadows. He had scanned over countless recording and even been briefly in the presence of the Eternal at Telos when he and Andraste were still trying to make a name for themselves among the Exiles.

He wouldn't have lied, at one point he thought it was Siris who wore the mask. Andraste had referred to him as a Warlord, he was about the right height and power, had otherwise fallen by the wayside in the Empire, and he was certainly acting different from what Kal had seen of him. But then, he found himself second guessing that thought. The presence in the Force certainly felt different and, of course, if it was Siris, he hadn't told him yet.

Regardless, he kept his suspicions to himself, and certainly wasn't going to bring them up. If Andraste had pardoned it - husbands or not - she likely had a good reason, and he was fairly sure that reason was that this was at least a different person, though who was unconfirmed. And good thing too. The old Eternal had nearly ruined the Exiles: fool that it was.

So, Kravos pushed those thoughts from his mind and instead focused on why he was here. At this point, he was not chummy with the Eternal, and he was here to ask for something that had the possibility of enraging the High Executioner. Only time would tell of course, but he wasn't going to back down either way.

 

[Siris Drast]

Recieving the message from Kravos, it seemed the other Sith Lord wanted to meet for the first time. While The Eternal would have just chosen to ignore it and continue on with his work but he figured it was time for them to meet. After all, they would be working together in the future and the person under the mask knew Kravos personally, least they could do was meet. This would've been the first time that Kravos had actually met the new Eternal and knowing Kravos, he would do what he could to find out who was underneath the mask.

While Siris may have confided in his friend about his new position, he wouldn't just reveal who he was because of their history. The Eternal liked to work and remain in the shadows, it was his home and where he belonged. Adding more to the list of people that knew who he really went against that and just opened more opportunities to hurt or try to betray him. Collecting the memories of the previous Eternals that still came to him every day, he had witnessed enough betrayal throughout their lifetimes to see it come from close friends, lovers, friends.

As Kravos sat there in the council room, he would slowly start to feel the air chill, the frigidness of it even seeping between his clothing and touching his skin. The shadows collected around the room seemed to wither and move as if acknowledging something was lurking within them. Kravos would be able to feel the presence in the force, it different from Siris', more feral like but still somewhat calm and collected. "Kravos, you requested to meet." The deep and terrifying voice echoing throughout the chambers that they Kravos stood in.

Again through the memories of the past Eternals, he's seen Warlords battle it out of jealousy or further power. Even knowing Kravos and the man that he was before, The Eternal was still wary of coming out and meeting just to face. If Kravos tried to locate him through the shadows, he wouldn't find anything as The Eternal knew how to remain hidden even as to someone like Kravos, he was a master assassin after all. As he waited for Kravos to speak, The Eternal extended his senses out throughout the chambers, making sure they were the only ones.

 

[Darth Kravos]

The minutes ticked by, but Kravos could sense the presence that seemed to arrive. Where it came from was another matter. Kravos had seen and figured out the art of teleporting, he supposed it shouldn't have been any surprise if the Eternal had as well. The War Master didn't bother turning and trying to find the voice, instead making his way over to one of the seats in the room, seemingly unfazed by the fact that the Eternal opted not to show himself.

I'd shake your hand, but it doesn't seem you're interested, he said. Relaxed as he might appear, he didn't actually drop his guard, remaining alert in case the High Executioner got any ideas.

I did request this meeting, he confirmed, not bothering with long and ominous pauses that people often used for posturing. They were gimmicks of those who lacked real power. I haven't seen you since Telos, but it is about time we sat and had a discussion, he paused before correcting himself. Or stood in your case. If it was an attempt to intimidate, it didn't seem to be working. But then, he assumed the Eternal would know that such theatricality - devastating as it might be to his subordinates - didn't bear quite the same weight amongst his equals who had similar tricks of their own.

In reality there was more to this meeting than just saying "hello." In a way it was a courtesy to the other man and in another it was finding where he stood. Eternal and Essia were the two he least wanted to have this conversation with as they were the remnants of the old Warlords, but he had come far enough that he didn't feel any inclination to back down now. So will this meeting be mask to mask or not? he asked. There wasn't really any humor in his comment regarding the fact that neither of them showed their physical face so much as it was an actual fact: both wore either helmet or mask.

 

[Siris Drast]

The Eternal continued to watch Kravos as he made his way to one of the chairs in the room, sitting himself down and just waiting for either the Sith Lord to reveal himself or continue this conversation as it was. With Kravos' comment, it reminded the new Eternal that the Sith Lord did know of the previous one. Well the Eternal couldn't really do anything about that, the differences between the two were there but he wouldn't make the same mistakes as the last one. It seemed Kravos also just wanted to have a civil discussion, The Eternal finding no hint of hiding anything else within the Sith Lord's words.

With his final question, the silence was the only answer for a few moments, the chill and lively shadows still happening. By the time that had passed, Kravos would've thought that The Eternal just left the room and the base altogether. But soon he stepped out from the shadows across from Kravos, his cloak still enveloped completely around his body and the only visible thing being his mask. The shadows under his feet seem to slither around him like snakes but when he stepped out from the cover of darkness, they retreated back into the shadows to wait for their master to return.

The Eternal went over to the chair that sat directly across from Kravos, sitting himself down as their gazes leveled at each other. "Is this where you warn me that if I betray the empress you will hunt me down and kill me? If it is, spare us both suffering through it." Even if Kravos didn't know it, The Eternal knew what type of man he was and if that was the entire point of coming here then this would be just a waste of time for the both of them. The Eternal didn't say anything else, just waiting for Kravos to speak. It was obvious Kravos wanted him here to either give him the warning that The Eternal pointed out or just to see where the master assassin stood. There were a lot of questions around him and he knew he wasn't the most trusted out of all the Sith Lords and The Eternal could thank the previous wearer for most opinions around him now.

 

[Darth Kravos]

For a moment, it seemed as if the Eternal had left. Kravos rolled his eyes behind his helmet, but didn't move yet. His mind began running through those possibilities of more violently dealing with the problem in front of him, but then, if this was Siris, that wouldn't go over well.

Then the man appeared. At least he assumed it was a man because, really, how many 6'3" women were there? At least he had emerged from the shadows and that was a win in the War Master's book at least for now. I wouldn't ask you here for something so asinine, he stated. He nearly commented about how the last person he'd had that conversation with, it hadn't been a "conversation," but ultimately decided that would have been wasted words. They both knew who the other was so there was no point in posturing or other pointless manifestations. If the time ever came where he thought someone would betray the Empress, Kravos wasn't the type to give a warning; he just came knocking.

What I want to ask you is far more self-serving, he said. And it was the truth. There was no point in sugar-coating it, and they were both busy - presumably - so there was no further reason to delay the conversation. I'm going to make a move for Dark Lord - head of the Council - and I want to know where you stand, he stated bluntly. The position was empty, and Kravos was arguably the obvious choice, regardless of the Eternal's opinion of him. Unlike the other Sith Lords, the War Master didn't bother asking for support directly. If this was Siris, there wasn't need to ask, and if it wasn't Siris then he couldn't trust the answer anyway. For that matter, he couldn't trust the answer no matter what it was, but that didn't mean there wasn't some level of strength in a word; even a Sith Lord's word. Still, Kravos had to move forward under the assumption this man was his enemy until he was completely assured otherwise.

And you're welcome to tell me that you don't want to share your plans, that's answer in itself. But as a Sith Lord, I thought I'd pay you the courtesy of asking this in person, he said. Sure, he may have been tipping his hand to tell the Eternal his plan, but it was far enough along now that he would be hard-pressed to do anything about it even if the other Sith Lord decided he wanted to.

 

[Siris Drast]

Well, at least they could spare that conversation. In truth, Kravos did already have it before with him but that years ago and it didn't turn out so pretty. That was a long time ago and so many things had changed since then, now one of them wearing a mask that only sought destruction and death, the other now trying to lead a council of Dark Lords and both married to the same person. Oh, how things progressed after that moment in the alleyway between the two of them. As Kravos continued speaking, The Eternal just sat in the chair quiet as a statue, his blank and expressionless mask staring right back at Kravos'.

So he wanted to be head of the council, The Eternal knew someone would gun for it and he wasn't surprised that Kravos would be the one to do it. It made sense to him why he went for it, he was the War Master after all and it seemed Kravos already thought the position was destined for him as he just told the Eternal that he was already going for it. The darkness flowed through the mask as if recognizing the power Kravos had and considering for itself if he was suitable for the role. The Eternal could tell that Kravos was on edge about him, not because of his power but because he didn't know what to expect to him. The Eternal was the most unpredictable out of all the lords, the only one where the others didn't know his face, what he thought. He worked in the shadow and out of the eyes of the other and it made sense that there was some worry about where he stood.

After a few moments of silence, The Eternal let out a dark chuckle before speaking, "By all means, make your move for the head of the Council. The position doesn't interest me in the slightest." It was true, it would only limit with what he could and The Eternal didn't need that type of restrictions on him to look after and make sure the other Lords kept in line. "My plans don't involve the head of the Council." That was true too, the thought of the head seat wasn't even a forethought to him at all. Kravos could be it all he wanted but he would have another thing coming if he thought that gave him the right to give orders to The Eternal. The Sith Lord glanced over to the chair that Kravos intended to take, studying it for a few moments before looking back to Kravos, "Whether you believe me or not." Knowing Kravos and how paranoid he was, he probably didn't believe his answer at face value but it didn't matter to The Eternal if he did or not.

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kravos merely sat in silence. Whether the Eternal's silence was an attempt to gain the upper hand or a legitimate attempt to decide his position, Kravos didn't know or care. He did know that the answer he got was genuine, and he had to at least proceed under the assumption that it wasn't, but it was an answer. At least for the moment, the Eternal had not decided to side against him. Taking the position of Dark Lord was itself a declaration of superiority in a way, and if someone were going to stand against him, most would do it at the outset of his statement.

Very well, he said, standing and nodding. It didn't seem there was any love lost between Kravos and the Eternal, but if they could work together that was half the battle. The last thing either of them needed was one trying to kill the other. After all, they were all a part of the same Empire.

My position on the Council will be one to make sure that the rest of the Council is able to perform to their maximum effect, he stated, and firmly believed that that was true. The best thing he could do to make the Council more effective was to support the individual Sith Lords. He hoped the Eternal wasn't planning to be difficult, but he wasn't optimistic. If there's something I can do to help you with that, you know how to contact me, he said.

But I'm sure you're a busy man, so I won't keep you any longer, he said, and with that he turned to make his way out. It didn't seem the Eternal was overly interested in being chummy, so Kravos wasn't going to waste either of their time. He'd come, said his piece, and given the Eternal the chance to do the same. The distancing himself certainly fit with Siris, but Kravos had already grown bored with mulling that over. Even as he made his way out, he still kept alert... just in case. It never paid to let your guard down around someone who might not be a friend.

 

[Siris Drast]

The answer seemed to suit Kravos just fine, standing up and giving The Eternal a nod as they stared at each other. Knowing Kravos, he probably thought his answer wasn't truthful but the Sith Lord didn't really care if he believed him or not. As long as Kravos didn't interfere with him, The Eternal wouldn't interfere as well. The Lord was ready to depart as well before Kravos continued, offering his help to him before concluding rightly that he was a busy man and he didn't want to be kept longer. It was going to be an interesting dynamic to say the least, he wondered how much Kravos would try to push his boundaries when it came to The Eternal.

The Eternal's eyes followed Kravos as he made his way to exit from the council room, "Enjoy your new position, Kal." Even mentioning his name, it wasn't enough for him to piece together that it was Siris under the mask in the slightest. The War Master was a well-known shadow before this and anybody could have known it. There was a subtle message in using his personal name and he wondered if the War Master would catch it or not. If Kravos turned around he would already find The Eternal had disappeared, the chill vanishing and the shadows retracting back into their corners.

With the meeting concluded it was time to return back out into the wild space, his plans wouldn't complete themselves and The Eternal intended to finish what he started.