Ask Korriban Steady the Ladder

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain could hear the gears grinding in the Commander's head, and she just let it happen. She let him mull it in his mind and let his doubts take root and linger, growing deeper and taking hold.

No, no one told him to, she repeated, letting the words really sink in. No one had told him to change, he had just done it without even realizing. It was the simple presence of the Sith around him that slowly let the Dark Side pierce his heart. Just as Clove's mere presence would pierce his heart.

Because she is still a Jedi, she said simply. Sure, she's dropped the trappings of the Jedi and maybe even has officially left the Order, but has she really changed? she asked. So many - even Jedi - failed to see that being a Jedi was about more than just a name. Sometimes those with the name fell short of the goal and sometimes those who abandoned the name still carried it as if they hadn't. It was why Darth Sidious had worked so tirelessly to hunt those Jedi who had even abandoned the Order and sought to live in isolation.

You're rising, Altair. You've said yourself you want to be Warmaster. Equal to two others in the Empire and under only two, she said, letting it sink in for him just how highly placed in the Empire he would be. Everyone but Draugr, Raze, the Empress, and herself would bow to him.

You tell me what a Jedi could hope to gain whispering in your ear, she said.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair despised this. He despised it because she wasn’t saying anything new. She wasn’t saying anything he hadn’t considered already. It felt awful hearing it from someone else. He hadn’t divulged his feelings about Clove to most of his friends. Why? He wasn’t ashamed of her. He was ashamed of how she could change him. A large part of him believed she only changed him for the better, but he couldn’t deny that she had a difficult time separating herself from Jedi ideals. He knew she would have a problem with him leading the charge on Yavin. Even if she said nothing, he could vividly picture the disappointment on her face.

He exhaled and closed his eyes briefly, his fingers curling around the railing. He felt defeated, but there were hints of anger simmering as well. The further he delved into things with Clove, the greater her influence would be. Altair knew Clove would never fall, but he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t be pulled away from his path. He wouldn’t realize it till decades later and reflect on how he could have been on top of the galaxy. Instead he would be back on a farm with her. He once considered that life to be perfect, but the taste of power was not one he could forget so easily. It stuck with him ever since that first time Celeste gave him a glimpse of that life on Rattatak. The simple moment fundamentally shifted how he wanted to look at the galaxy and what he wanted for himself.

“Am I destined to be alone?” Altair asked quietly after a long moment. His chest hurt, his knuckles were turning light from how hard he gripped the railing. He couldn’t think of any woman that wouldn’t put some nonsense demands on him that would ultimately get in his way. Was this why Raze was so alone and isolated? He began to think how he would lose Vahliri and others when he fully shifted towards changing how the Empire operated.

There was a time where he loved Clove beyond his passions. But the more he thought about it, the more it all seemed like a fantasy. The truth was that his parents led simple lives and did the same simple things his family had done for generations. He was the first to step outside of it. He elevated his entire lineage into royalty. He was a powerhouse and he was a name the entire galaxy would soon recognize. Could Clove truly embrace him for who he was and the career he had chosen?

“Have you ever loved, Lady Trelain?”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Darth Trelain said nothing as he grappled with the realities that he had buried deep within himself. She had to assume he had considered all of this before, but she couldn't be certain. A part of her wondered whether she should send one of her assassins - perhaps Sarella - to kill Clove in a freak "accident." She held the thought for now, instead focusing on the moment at hand.

No, but to bind yourself to a Jedi is not the way, she said. She had no doubt that with his reputation and skills he could have any of a number of women if he put his mind to it. No, but his heart bled for one, didn't it? Forbidden fruits were most sweet, they said.

His next question caught her off guard. For a moment she considered her life and all that she had been through. She thought about her time rising through the academy of Korriban. She thought about those she had used and tossed aside over the years. The people she had enjoyed and the people who had fallen aside or been stepped on on her rise up the ladder.

The answer was "no." She'd had her moments of passion, she'd even had them stretch on for weeks, but to truly love another? No, she loved herself and she loved power.

Do not measure your life by the lives of others. I have not because I do not want to, she said, which was... mostly true. The power of the Sith is to make reality whatever you choose for it to be. You are not bound by the demands of others.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair couldn’t help but grin at her answer. It was a deflection, a cop out. She had never loved, never known the true pains of what that entailed. In many ways, he envied her. In other ways, he pitied her. It brought him the greatest high, just as it brought him agonizing pain. However, he knew she was right about one thing - he couldn’t love a Jedi. There would always be resentment growing like poison over time to destroy him and also Clove. It wasn’t something he could take on when he had such a promising career, when he was in a position to get his family permanently out of their simple and poor lives. All of that mattered more than his own feelings.

He knew it wouldn’t be today. It wouldn’t be tomorrow. Perhaps it wouldn’t even be for months. But he knew he had to let her go. In the deepest corners of his mind, he always knew. He could have his trajectory to become Emperor, or he could settle down with Clove. But he could never have both. Perhaps back under the stars that evening he would have chosen her. But no more. He had opened the door himself already, Trelain simply nudged him to step through. He gazed out ahead, his grip on the railing finally relaxing. The rage began to subside into acceptance.

“Yavin will burn.”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain saw it now: the seeds had already been planted long ago, she was simply the gardener coming along to water them, and help them sprout fruit. There was no further need to nudge him or drive him further. It would grow all on its own.

So it shall, she said, sticking her cigarra into the ashtray hidden on the balcony.

She stepped back inside the office, closing the door once he followed her back in. She took a seat in her chair once again and opened the drawer of her desk, pulling out a datapad and pressing several buttons before sliding it across the desk to him.

I'm working on assembling Moff Councils to oversee the four main Imperial Sectors. Your work defending Mustafar combined with your recent promotion and title acquisition on Eiattu make you a prime candidate for the Senior Moff position in the Southern Sector. Effective on your return from Yavin, she said. The datapad had the commission paperwork specific to the task.

You'll share the authority with the rest of the Southern Moff Council and the Sith Masters who have interests in that region, but your say - and responsibility - will be greatest, she said. While he would not have full and unilateral say over what happened down there - a responsibility more expected of a member of the Council - it was a step above his peers in that region and a step below the ruling Council.

I've long held anxiety that strikes will come against Sluis Van and Bespin in particular, she said. Many saw the Southern Reaches as a pointless region, but those people were shortsighted, and as the Empire continued to grow its reach down there, it became more and more important to the government's foundation.

She knew he would be shocked by this, and that was also intentional. The truth was it wasn't any gift of kindness or affection, it was far more subtle, devious, and nefarious than that. It was classical conditioning... of course, not so obvious. It was providing a small reward following actions she wanted to encourage. A way to encourage his subconscious to continue following her advice. It also placed more responsibility on him, widening the wedge between himself and the not!Jedi.

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was pulled from his thoughts when she began to move. He followed her inside the office, figuring she was about to dismiss him. However, when she spoke, his eyes widened in surprise. His tail betrayed his elation, waving back and forth.

“This…this is a surprise, Lady Trelain,” Altair said, his eyes still displaying shock. He didn’t fashion himself a diplomat exactly, but he couldn’t deny he had a way with people or articulating his points. Military school taught him a lot about leadership and he had a loyal following. This would be a huge step for him and likely see him in the Senate.

He found a series of successes with the Empire. His efforts were rewarded. He brought up his family from poverty. Why would he ever let anyone pull him from this? Why should any woman govern his mind and tug him away from playing such an important role? Why should he listen to anyone but those that saw the true value in him? That saw his worth, his potential, and they endorsed it? People like Clove could only love him as long as didn't inconvenience them. She wouldn't be the first, nor the last. He had to be better at this. He had to learn to see what was genuine and what wasn't.

Altair smiled at Trelain, “It would be an honor to serve as Senior Moff,” He said proudly and confidently. He paused for a moment, considering a few things.

“Lady Trelain,” He began with a bit of hesitation, “If I may… could you teach me? Teach me how to shield my mind? To protect myself from getting swayed? To protect my mind from the influences of the Jedi?”

 

[Darth Trelain]

Trelain could feel the excitement flowing off of him in waves, and that only told her that he would be increasingly loyal to the Empire and increasingly distant from the Jedi.

Everything was proceeding as she had foreseen it. That was right up until his final ask. Now that was one that she hadn't seen coming. With his new appointment to a Moff Council, there was certainly the possibility that he simply wanted to protect his mind from the Jedi that he may come across in his diplomatic encounters. But Trelain was a paranoid woman, and she didn't like the idea of those under her being able to shield their thoughts from her.

But then another thought crossed her mind. The type of training he was talking about was intimate in its own way. It required one to open their mind, to restructure it, to shield it... it would mean that if she taught him, she may well be able to read his thoughts based simply on body language, movement, and speech patterns. The way people who didn't wield the Force could.

Her mind raced quickly, considering his option before agreeing only a moment later.

Very well. But that's not a quick or easy process, she said. And as with all things, it wasn't something she would do out of the kindness of her heart. It was with intention and purpose. Keep everyone close because your friends and enemies were often the same people.