Ask Korriban Steady the Ladder

[Darth Trelain]

Per my new OP template, thread is death enabled​

Darth Trelain had been relatively busy since coming into power as a member of the Imperial Council. Heading the ISB, heading the Inquisition, and keeping the Empire safe had consumed virtually every hour of the day.

In those hours, multiple reports had come across Trelain's desk regarding the actions of one Commander Altair Din. The two had exchanged... words during one of his previous operations, but this time it was a far more pressing concern than the lives of a small village.

Truth was, it was all compounding. The the Killik attack on Korriban had put him on her radar, the incident with the village had moved him up the ladder of attention, and the reports from her spies had earned him a meeting that he may or may not be glad he had.

He'd been summoned back to Korriban - now thoroughly secured thanks in large part to her efforts - and he would be seen into her office as soon as he arrived. For her part, she sat at her desk, robes looking surprisingly understated for someone of her rank, shuffling through the near-full ream of papers and reports she still needed to go through.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair knew this day would come. It was sooner or later that he would start having face time with the Council members or perhaps even the Empress. That didn’t make it any less nerve-wracking. He was recently crowned King of Eiattu and also Sultan of Klatooine. It was no secret that he was building a formidable powerbase. While this was normal of Sith Masters, it always drew the attention of the council.

Trelain was someone he was especially wary of given the nature of her style. She was known to be deceptive and conniving, but it also meant she operated on intellect more often than brute force. Altair knew he could learn a lot from her as he continued to shift from being a simple warrior to a leader.

Altair was led inside and he was adorned in his Imperial uniform. The tiefling knelt down in respect as he approached, bowing his head, “Lady Trelain,” He said before he rose up to stand at attention, “You requested to see me?”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain looked up from her work as he made his way inside, motioning to one of the chairs across from her for him to sit down.

I did, she confirmed, finishing up writing something on the report she had in front of her before moving it over to the other, "finished" tray. Now her eyes flicked up, attention now resting wholly and firmly on him. She took in the full measure of him as he sat there, pristine Imperial uniform rather than Sith robes, quiet confidence on his face, but below the surface she could sense the vague anxiety.

You've been making waves recently. King, Sultan, Commander. You fancy titles, don't you? she asked, leaning back and tilting her head slightly to the side as she watched him.

I suppose congratulations are in order, but I do have to wonder. Why abandon your position in the Sith Order in favor of the military? she asked. It was typically the Sith that collected titles. The Sith who were interested in building their powerbases and acquiring planets. Sure, the Moffs and High Command loved acquiring power as well, but it was... different. Their structure was, had been, and always would be more rigid than that of the Sith. Simply put: to be an Imperial was to stifle - if only slightly - his opportunity for advancement.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair hadn’t really thought about it, but he did indeed like his titles. Perhaps it came from a place of insecurity or something else, but they were important to him. He wanted his name to mean something other than just farmer. He wanted his efforts to be the foundation for something that spanned decades and centuries past his death. The tiefling shifted uncomfortably as she blatantly asked about him abandoning the Sith. The fear he felt was simmering just beneath the surface, and he had to choose his words carefully.

“I don’t consider it abandonment, my lady,” He said, his voice projecting stronger than he felt, “But I believe in order to expand our borders and truly make a mark on the galaxy, the Imperials need solid leadership. Morale and loyalty can make the difference between a successful campaign with fewer soldiers or an astronomical failure even with overwhelming numbers,” Altair spoke while meeting her gaze the entire time, “I believe my chosen field will ensure we are always making the best tactical choices with minimal casualty.”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain could feel that anxiety below the surface. It betrayed him, but truth be told, she enjoyed it. She relished in the power and fear that she struck in other people, and more than that, she enjoyed having that fear despite outward appearances sometimes implying something else.

She listened to his words about what he had chosen to do and his role within the Empire. Hm, she said quietly and cryptically as he finished.

And you don't feel that the Sith are capable of doing that, she said, more a statement than a question. It was the implication lurking just beneath the surface of what he had just said, and it was not one that many people would treat well.

And yet, you don't care for taking orders, do you? she asked. The implication under her question wasn't hard to put together. Their only semi-meaningful interaction up until now was him defying her orders. Granted, he'd accomplished the job in the end, which was why he hadn't been summoned back for a more thorough discipline process.

She was no fool. She knew he would be on the Council sooner rather than later if she didn't choose to stand in his way, which meant she would still be wise to tread... intelligently.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair considered his words for a moment, “Respectfully, not often,” He stated honestly. Lying and deception would do him no good here, “Many Sith are often governed and ruled by the emotions that feed the Dark Side. It ultimately clouds judgment when it comes to combat tactics. There is no thought given to casualties whether it be our own soldiers or innocents,” He knew what she was referring to and he would stand his ground, “The victories are twofold when military morale sustains and the citizens don’t fear us. That fear is what invites Jedi in the first place. If Sith treat their own troops like insects, what kind of loyalty do we hope to inspire from the citizens? Fear works to conquer worlds, but it rarely holds them.”

He was silent after that, probably likely having said too much already. Altair felt confident in his choices and his path. She didn’t seem the type to only see the value in brutal oafs like Draugr.

“I will always meet the objective, even if I may have alternative means of getting there,” Altair answered her question about taking orders as diplomatically as possible. In truth, he was impressed with how he was holding his own in this dialogue. Those Imperial Academy lessons were coming in clutch.

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain's eyes didn't turn off of him as he spoke, turning the statements over in her mind to see their merit from all the different angles.

Hm, she said again, equally as unhelpful in showing anything into her mind as before. So you would prefer a Sith Empire without the Sith? she asked. This was proving... a discussion. One which she was not yet sure how she felt about it.

You leave yourself little leeway. Should you fail to meet an objective and disobey orders, you'll be executed, she warned. Wether by her order or Draugr's or Raze's or the Empress's. It wasn't a threat so much as a warning. He walked a fine line and cut it to a razor's edge.

But, she said, continuing on with the thought. Thus far, you've managed to perform far above average, she said. She wasn't one to withhold praise where it was due.

She pushed herself to her feet and headed to the side of the room, stepping out a door and onto a balcony, leaving it open for him to follow. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and began to smoke one. She hated this habit. She tried to hide it from people most of the time, but it had been a byproduct of her career choice up until now, and now she had the most trouble kicking it.

So why did she begin to smoke around him? To make him feel as though he was seeing a side of her that she didn't show others. To appear vulnerable and open.

She offered him one and then lit her own with a flick of her fingers. The afternoon heat was scorching, but given both of their heritages it was barely even noticeable to either.

I take it, then, that your next title you're going after is Warmaster? she asked.

 

[Altair Din]

He hadn’t thought about that angle - the fact that if he failed an objective and also did it his way, he would face far worse. Altair’s jaw tightened, but he gazed ahead, “I will not fail an objective,” He said with promise, perhaps a bit of overconfidence. However, he wasn’t entirely sure how else to act in the presence of someone like her - someone that could kill him so easily.

“The Empire would not thrive without Sith either,” He said without looking at her as he stood there stiffly, “But I do believe more Imperial representation within leadership would help tremendously,” Altair had no intention of telling her that he would see the Sith as a subfaction of the greater Imperial army.

Altair glanced over when she beckoned him to follow. He stepped out into the balcony, his demeanor still rigid. He eyed her as she took out a cigarra. The gesture was surprisingly…casual. In turn, his own body posture relaxed. When she offered him one, he blinked a few times before taking it, igniting as he took a drag. Smoking wasn’t a habit he had either, but he only did it sometimes under great duress during combat with the other soldiers.

Altair coughed a bit when she flatly asked if he wanted to go for the Warmaster title. He shifted a bit, but she seemed a bit more casual now. His tail swished back and forth from a mixture of excitement and anxiety, “I uh… well eventually, yeah,” He said, even his speech slightly more relaxed, “In due time. Why do you ask?”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain took a deep drag and blew the smoke out into the air above them, watching as he did the same. She watched the way his tail seemed to flick back and forth, suppressing the urge to smirk.

Call it professional curiosity, she said, unhelpfully again. Draugr's recently taken the position of First Blade and we've been without a Warmaster since Traives's... demise, she said. It was since before her time on the Council that the role had been empty. In truth, they'd made due without it - many of the Imperial upper command was quite good at what they did even with the position empty - but she knew it wouldn't remain so forever.

What do you make of the Jedi? she asked. You've fought them on multiple occasions, but you don't view them as a mortal enemy, do you? she asked.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair pondered the question for a moment, “To be honest.. I find them more a nuisance than an entity to be destroyed,” He explained, “The Killik are an example of a force that need to be exterminated. But the way I see it, Sith wouldn’t exist without Jedi. Think of examples like Varyn that turn out to be among the strongest assets,” Altair fully believed in that, “Just like Jedi think Sith can be redeemed, we can benefit from looking at Jedi as potential recruits,” It was a strange take, but one he was growing to appreciate since he saw Varyn.

“I think they’re a problem if they stand in the way, but I don’t see the value in going out of our way to take them out either. The galaxy already hates and alienates them and they shoot themselves in the foot more than we ever have to,” Altair looked at Trelain. He realized he had been running his mouth and likely saying a bunch of dumb things. Why the hell was he being so honest? This was going to get him killed. Oh no. He was on a balcony. He knew all about the Raze tactics. Fuck, she was going to toss him.

Altair gave her a polite smile, taking a step back from the railing as he continued to smoke.

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain found his take on the Jedi to be more interesting than anything. After all, she was the one who had recruited a Jedi apprentice during the Battle of Korriban, though this was hardly public knowledge at this point in time. Perhaps he would be an interesting candidate to reveal that to.

I will be more convinced of Champion Atrix's value if Yavin falls, she said. His combat on Mustafar had been a first step to be sure, but his true test was still to come. If he passed, she was confident he - like Sarella - would find a quick climb through the ranks.

When he mentioned the Jedi shooting themselves in the foot, she actually laughed slightly. Mostly because it was so true. Sure, she had authorized the attack on Yavin, she had managed plenty of anti-Jedi operations, she had sewn disinformation, and she had recruited a Jedi, but ultimately, they harmed themselves more than she ever could.

And when will Clove be joining us? she asked, knowing full-well the bomb she had just dropped on him. More than anything else, she searched him out in the Force as she said it. She wanted to feel the truth because the truth was all that mattered.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair coughed and sputtered a bit unceremoniously as Trelain casually said the name. However, to his credit, he externally managed to make it look like it was the cigarra, “Sorry.. I only really smoke in the trenches,” He explained, his fingers trembling the slightest bit. He had to be extremely careful about what his tail was doing, the very tip of it twitching rapidly.

Where was this going? Why did she truly want him here? There was no way she wanted to just talk philosophy and this was confirming that suspicion. Altair exhaled softly as he looked at her. His first thought was to play dumb and act like he didn’t know who she was referring to. However, there had been enough socials and overt gatherings. She was ISB and would know everything and he would be insulting her intelligence. Altair had a sick feeling at the pit of his stomach and had to keep from vomiting right there. He hadn’t felt this level of anxiety in many years, not even on Korriban when he thought he would die under bombardment. The levels of panic he felt were almost tangible in the Force.

“Sh-She will not,” He said quickly, “She is leading the Star Guardians. Clove is not a Jedi. The Star Guardians have endorsement from many governments including the Sith. I believe it was Darth Raze that authorized Star Guardian operations within Imperial space.”

Altair tried to be a step ahead of her where he could, “She is useful in aiding our injured troops, but she will not aid the enemy or engage in the war directly,” He paused before quickly adding, “-Because that risks the credibility of the Star Guardians and would see it destroyed from all sides," Altair tried to keep his answers logic and fact based to keep emotions out of it.

 

[Darth Trelain]

Like a cat with its food, Trelain was having entirely too much fun with playing with Altair. As he choked and sputtered on the cigarra, she just looked at him deadpan.

I'm sure, she said to his explanation in a tone that said she very much wasn't believing that but wouldn't press the issue for the moment. She already knew. And she was dangerously observant. She could see the quiver in his tail even as he tried to keep it in place. Her business - more than anything else - was people. Studying, knowing, understanding, and manipulating them.

There was a deep connection there. Only a deep connection could have caused the waves of sheer panic that she now felt in the Force.

Lord Raze authorized them to operate within Imperial space... she agreed, her words intentionally slow to draw this out. She put the cigarra to her lips and pulled another drag just to let the "but" of the sentence that he would very much know was coming linger a bit longer.

...but can you imagine what he would do if he thought there was a risk they were compromising one of our up-and-coming Imperial Commanders? she said, wincing slightly as she said it.

I certainly wouldn't, she lied because she very much liked to imagine it.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair’s jaw tightened again. With one question she had managed not only to give him high praise, but also words that sent a chill down his spine. He exhaled softly, his tail drooping a bit.

“Do you believe I’m compromised?” Altair asked as he looked her in the eye. He spun the dialogue back on her. He could have sputtered and fumbled his words, and he needed to collect himself. So he turned it back around on her in this little spar she began. He had taken all the blows so far, but it was time for her to give her read of the situation. Amethyst eyes glinted against the sun, his expression reserved, "Have my actions suggested that thus far?"

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain didn't even bat an eye as he turned the question back around on her. Instead, she pointed toward him with the two fingers that held her cigarra.

That is the right question, Commander, she said. In truth, the compliment was partially a deflection. A way to take the pressure of needing to answer that herself off of her and opening the door for her to place it back on him. She would "encourage" him to find the right answers.

The truth was, she didn't know enough about their intimate life to know the answer to it, but she wasn't about to admit that out loud. What she did know was that Clove had been a Jedi, Clove refused to join the Empire, and Clove had a close relationship with a valuable asset to the Empire. She didn't like any of those things.

She's left behind her Order - allegedly - and taken up a relationship with you but she still refuses to join the Empire. Why is that? she asked. It was one part curiosity and one part a need for data to begin planting the seeds of doubt. Only out of his own mouth would she have the truths that she already guessed at.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair couldn’t help but scoff as he looked back over the balcony, a bitterness in his mannerisms, “There’s no relationship,” He said flatly. And she would know he wasn’t lying about it. Regardless of how he felt about Clove, they were not in a relationship, “She’s not a soldier,” Altair said, “She lost all her battles as a Jedi and left the fight altogether. She wouldn’t be a useful asset to the Empire even if she joined.”

He despised talking negatively about Clove, but it was a means of guarding her. He needed Trelain to stop being so curious and decide Clove wasn’t even worth the trouble. Altair was panicking for entirely different reasons. He didn’t want to be sent on some hapless quest to go kill her to prove his loyalty, “I have never done anything to suggest my goals are aligned with anything but the betterment of the Empire. Lady Trelain, if I may…I fail to see how Clove is a factor in my career in any way.”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain listened, still feeling the conflict within him, but she could also tell he was on the verge of locking down. The body language changed, the inner working of his mind shifted, and on top of all that, she knew he wasn't lying about the two of them no longer being in a relationship... or perhaps never having been in one to begin with.

However, as he reached his final statement, she was... actually surprised. Really? she said, wondering if she had overestimated him.

If you don't see how close contact with a former Jedi who rejects our cause couldn't cause you career problems then you need to open your eyes, she said, surprisingly bluntly.

Altair, I'm not here to make you kill her... she said, almost as if reading his mind (and perhaps she was). She had certainly instructed that of Sarella, but she was in a different scenario than Altair. At this point he hadn't betrayed the Sith. He wasn't a former Jedi.

...but I do have my concerns about her influence on you, she said, frowning for a moment as if in deep thought.

I'll be straight with you, she began, though that was really not true. Virtually every word she breathed at any given time was a lie. She was the Queen of Lies. My job is to watch people: in the Empire, outside the Empire, you name it, she said.

While I may or may not agree with all your methods, I see your potential, and I can see you're going to go far. I want to see you succeed, Altair. For the good of the Empire, she said before raising her hand through the air as if to brush away an objection she heard coming.

I have no personal stake in whether you rise or fall, she went on, implying that she was unbiased, but not stating it aloud. She found in situations like this that the subconscious message was often the most powerful.

But I see writing on the wall that I've seen before. What happens when she asks you not to attack Yavin? If she makes you cast doubt on yourself then she's a risk to you and your men, she said. He'd betrayed his care for his men, and she would weaponize anything in this conversation.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair visibly relaxed when she stated he wouldn’t be sent on a murder mission. He regretted that relaxing of his shoulders instantly. He knew better than to trust Sith, and he wasn’t sure what kind of game she was playing. Trelain was known for being manipulative, but he couldn’t deny a pang of emotion - not entirely positive - when she pointed out how Clove never aligned with the Empire’s principles. Flashes of when she gazed at him with fear zoomed through his mind, but he contained himself.

“She wouldn’t ask that of me,” Altair said, chewing on the inside of his lip. Did he truly believe that? He wasn’t sure anymore, “And…even if she did, it’s not her place to dictate what I do for the Sith. No one has a say in it save for the Council,” His commitment to the Empire was unmatched and where he was now, no one would sway him from that path. But there was a part of him that wasn’t entirely convinced. There was a small part of him that thought back to that field where he was fully ready to run away with Clove and leave the war and everything behind.

“She left the Jedi so she didn’t feel obligated to stand in my way,” Altair explained as he looked at Trelain. He had to shift the topic again and flip it. It was easier than dealing with the cracks of his feelings on Clove, “Are you suggesting that no personal attachments are allowed within the Empire? Because it is our emotions that let us wield the Dark Side of the Force. It’s the ability to act on emotion that frees us where the Jedi keep themselves chained.”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain could see the way his shoulder hunched, the way the movement in his tail changed ever so slightly. She'd have to make a note to learn more about Tiefling tail movements if he continued to rise through the ranks as she suspected he would.

Wouldn't she? she asked, visible and tactical surprise written on her face as she asked. She didn't press that further for the moment, deciding that it was for him to consider if he really believed that because Trelain certainly didn't.

Of course she would never "command" you to do anything, she said. She was sure the girl was far too subtle for that. But surely a woman who has set up an entire health organization at 21? 22? she asked despite knowing full well what the answer was is no doubt smart enough to know the best way to get what she wants is through wearing you down, she said.

She was going to go on before he changed topics.

Not at all. I'm simply suggesting we be wary who we make those personal attachments to, she said.

Take your friend, Varyn. Do you think when he came to us he ever imagined he would do what he's done? But he formed attachments here in the Empire and four years later, he's leading an attack against his old home of his own free will and volition, she said.

No, Clove won't ask today or tomorrow. Maybe not even a year or two from now, but someday she will ask, she said. It was simply a matter of time, and deep down, Altair knew it. He knew he'd almost run away with her before, and he would be asked again to compromise who he was and what he wanted. It was simple to Trelain: it was impossible to run both East and West.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair listened quietly to what she said. He wanted to brush off all of it, to file it away as manipulative nonsense, but he couldn’t help the uneasy feeling. That unsettling feeling of all the things he had already promised Clove. All the ways he had said he would draw lines and not firebomb cities and planets. Would he have decided that all on his own if Clove’s influence hadn’t been there? Even if it sounded objectively bad, would he have arrived at the conclusion on his own? He thought of all the times he held back because he was in her presence.

Not today. Not even a year from now. But one day.

Would he be able to say no? Altair thought of all the hurt he had suffered from Clove without even being with her. What if he pursued things with her and it worked out? What if they were married? What if she was the mother of his children? If she asked him not to strike at Yavin, would he be able to push back? Altair’s nostrils flared, his tail moving erratically.

“No one…told Varyn to fall..” He spoke barely above a whisper. Vahliri hadn’t told him to do a single thing. And yet, he couldn’t help but think about all the silent ways she influenced him without either of them likely realizing. He felt anxiety and a feeling of nausea rising.

“It doesn’t make sense…why would she..what..” Altair shook his head, “What would Clove have to gain? She knows I would be executed if I disobey orders. What would she gain by making me risk my life?” He was grasping at anything he could, his voice breaking the slightest bit. It was the first cracks in the armor from all of Trelain’s blows and strikes on him. There were hints of fear in his eyes.

And hints of doubt.