- Location
- California
[X] "...stay with me..."
[X] "...Remain on Coruscant to set up a new political order in the Galaxy."
[X] "...Remain on Coruscant to set up a new political order in the Galaxy."
Revan: Galaxy of the Sith (SW KotOR Dark Side Quest)
- Thread starter Geckonator
- Start date
-
- Tags
- kotor
Excalibur
Sword of Promised Victory
[X] "...Stay here in the Temple to enact your vision for revenge against the Jedi Council..."
Encouraging her to act on her passion is good I think. Also spreads our influence and creates another opportunity to draw force user recruits. Sends a strong political statement of the end of the Jedi Order.
[X] "...Go to the frontlines and lead from the Fleet, where my old self was most comfortable."
Might allow us to more readily regain some of our lost memories considering it's where we most feel at home. In addition it enables us to better react to possibly rapidly changing situations at the front should another force decide to join the battle.
Encouraging her to act on her passion is good I think. Also spreads our influence and creates another opportunity to draw force user recruits. Sends a strong political statement of the end of the Jedi Order.
[X] "...Go to the frontlines and lead from the Fleet, where my old self was most comfortable."
Might allow us to more readily regain some of our lost memories considering it's where we most feel at home. In addition it enables us to better react to possibly rapidly changing situations at the front should another force decide to join the battle.
- Location
- Somewhere
[X] "...stay with me..."
[X] "...Remain on Coruscant to set up a new political order in the Galaxy."
[X] "...Remain on Coruscant to set up a new political order in the Galaxy."
Laying Some Strategic Groundwork
Geckonator
Occult Materialist
***
The Jedi Temple is more modern and advanced than it looks. Under the layer of mystical, serene grandeur the Jedi liked to put up, they fundamentally had a very practical fortress here on Coruscant. This included keeping state of the art HoloNet systems and strategic computer systems in "communications centers" that are more like war rooms, like the one you stand in now.
"Lord Revan, the overall reports are ready, if you are as well." The thick-set, beady-eyed officer who approaches with the information is more confident than most when approaching you; no obvious fear making him visible through the Dark Side, nor even the standard nervousness of addressing a superior. Admiral Engar was many things, most of them less than ideal compared to the stellar fleet officer you hear Admiral Karath had been before falling to your blade, but lacking in bravery or conviction was not one of them.
"Very well, Admiral, show me what I am ruling over now."
The map that emerges from the central projector is a massive,three-dimensional model of the galaxy, but with a precise tilt to its angle and some trickery with scale it was perfectly legible and functional to one person. Fields of color highlight most of the explored regions of space, and while these colors aren't standardized by any means, context and common knowledge connects blue to the Republic and its allies, red to the Sith, and the dark, slime green to the Hutts and their region of lawless gangster-space.
"As you can see, my Lord, reports have come in that the offensive on Mimban and down the Guu Run have been successful. Combined with our thrust directly from the Star Forge to take Coruscant and flank the Deep Core, former Republic space is now cut in two. This upper section here has perhaps some of the more prized worlds we've yet to take; we've heard reports of the largest gathering of former Senators rallying on Alderaan trying to call together an emergency fleet. However, the Intergalactic Banking Clan is increasingly impatient to end the war after Malak's brief raid on Dantooine also sent parties to attack Muunilist, and even the vaunted Kuat Drive Yards can't produce without the raw materials of the Outer Rim."
"And what of the Jedi? Our physical power over the galaxy could all come to naught if we grow complacent and forget the danger of even a single Jedi, much less if they have a secret base somewhere."
"That," the admiral says somewhat dismissively. "Is an increasingly remote possibility. We've heard reports of more Jedi isolated here, in the 'lower' section of the Galaxy cut off from the others. But they don't seem to be operating as a cohesive order anymore. Just a knight here giving his service to a planet's pro-Republic defense forces here; a small team there learning in isolation on frontier worlds. The most dangerous remaining Republic force there seems to be on Bothawui. That was one of the main sectors where the Republic made gains while the bulk of fighting happened in the Mid-Rim."
"I see." You examine the map inquisitively for a few seconds before noting something on the highlighted and labeled planets you point out. "Why is Manaan now listed as affiliated with the Republic?"
"Yes, we just got word of that. They seem to have taken Coruscant's fall as a sign to finally lean one way or the other, and their leaders' decision seems to have fallen on trying to rally the remains of the Republic. It's quite troublesome; we have Kolto reserves but not enough for a great deal more offensives."
[ ] "I poisoned their god and destroyed the source of their Kolto when I was last on their planet. They're now useless and should be conquered as such with a minimum of fuss."
[ ] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
Admiral Engar blinks in surprise at your simple statement. "That... I'll... I'll have that registered immediately with the fleet and put on their orders, my Lord."
"As to the rest," you gesture to him to turn his attention back to the map. "What does our administration look like? How are the worlds we govern being handled? What are the local worlds reporting in finances, stability?"
"I forget sometimes your... recent difficulties with memory, Lord Revan. My sincerest apologies. The truth of that matter is... well, we currently *don't* have a broad approach to governance. The fleet and army answered first and foremost to you and then Malak, and every world we've conquered has been relatively lightly garrisoned under the direction of one or more fully-graduated Sith. I believe that before Malak's betrayal you had made brief overtures to constructing something more formal. But Lor-- I mean simply Darth Malak continued the focus on military conquest first and consolidation of the gains was left a far distant second. We have no need for direct resource extraction or taxes aside from requisitions of food and supplies thanks to the Star Forge."
You put your hand over your chin and lean over the central holotable. The less than ideal implications of this arrangement are immediately obvious: what you claim as an Empire right now is just conquered territory: places where the Jedi and Republic have been kicked out and a Sith or two put in place to watch, but no real control, no truly loyal eyes, ears, and hands. The Sith Code guarantees your followers to be strong... but you know better than anyone that it also guarantees ambition. What will happen when a governor decides he is strong enough in the Force to challenge you? When she decides that sending resources to the fleet is too large a commitment. Even worse, could one be said to have any true power at all if they cannot wield it?
You must propose a new system. You have taken the galaxy and you intend to keep it.
[ ] "Begin extensive recruitment here on Coruscant and dispatches to the Sith on distant worlds. We will be building a centralized government from Coruscant, and all Sith will serve me directly rather than be granted any control of the local systems."
[ ] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
[ ] "The fight for the Galaxy was long and difficult, and we still have too many enemies to obsess over direct control over everything. We will create a Sith Republic, to replace the whithered and decayed Republic the Jedi protected. Individual worlds will have their civilian governments and a Senate to collaborate in, although the Sith Order shall control all their armed forces and have the right override them in their weakness, of course."
[ ] "Keep the status quo, but begin requiring all military forces be directly answerable to me, not the local Sith governors. Remaining centralized in the fleet will keep the Sith agile and under my watchful eyes, so that a military approach can be taken where civil substitutes...lose their focus on who they truly serve."
You finish giving your command, and the Admiral seems ready to speak, when there is a sudden interruption... of a severed head landing directly on the holotable.
Everyone in the room draws weapons and turns to the door in shock except you. You heard the clanking footsteps coming down the hall a few seconds ago.
"Declaration: My first mission under the new Assassination Protocol has gone spectacularly, Master."
HK-47 is a cold, efficient assassination droid, but if he had a face rather than just that menacing red death's head of a face plate, you suspect he would be grinning like a maniac right now. He takes a moment to flip the bloodstained knife he's holding through his fingers and sheathe it before approaching you.
"What in burning Teta's name is this?!" Admiral Engar turns a particularly bright, angry shade of red and attempts to get between you and the droid, but HK-47 merely stops and looks down at him.
"Explanation: You see, for this last mission, Master Revan left a great deal of discretion to the Meatbag Bastila on how the operation to kill the Supreme Chancellor should be planned and supported. Her final orders before I entered into assassination protocols and wiped my memories were, and I quote: Bring Lord Revan the Chancellor's head!" His voice changes temporarily into an exact recording for that last part.
"Clarification: Not that I am so literal as to let an order like that override the more important business of who to kill and doing so discreetly, Master. I merely saw an opportunity for added humor to please you thanks to the kitchen knife I murdered the Chancellor with. And Coruscant's fall meaning I could easily return to you without worrying about Republic guards stopping me, of course."
"This... droid is an assassin for you, Lord Revan?"
"The very best. Who suspects the protocol droid?" you reply, before switching to a slightly louder voice to announce to the whole room around. "And I advise everyone here keep quiet about him lest they become a future target."
"Explanation: You see, Meatbag--"
"What did you just call me?! I--"
"--As a premiere Hunter Killer model assassination droid assembled and modified by Lord Revan herself, I am a highly sophisticated system of automated infiltration and assassination. When given a precise target, I erase my own memory and manipulate circumstances, including further layers of memory rewrites and new owners if necessary, to become close to them and, ultimately, eliminate them. In this case, the target was the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, who as expected fled his office upon the arrival of the Sith Fleet."
"I'm sorry, did you say something about a kitchen knife earlier?" you ask, smirking.
"Agreement: Indeed, Master! Demonstration:" HK-47 draws the knife again and holds it up. "Explanation: For one of the most powerful men in the Galaxy, he did not seem to have very good connections. I found him in a lower level habitation block, subtly but insufficiently guarded by the variety of common scum and mercenary bodyguards I became familiar with during my time working for that Republic Senator. I arrived in the entourage of a Czerka Corporation benefactor meeting the ex-Chancellor in his apartment about smuggling him off the planet. It was actually an intriguing conversation in there, while I went to the kitchen and got the most efficient weapon I could find, now that I think about it. Recitation: the topics actually included several which my restored memory now connects to first-hand experience, about"
[ ] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[ ] "...Your rather frustrating insistence we make peace with the Sand People, which has only made Czerka more desperate as towns and farmers beyond Anchorhead are attacked by their migration."
"And..."
[ ] "...Their slaving operation on Kashyyyk with the help of Chuundar."
[ ] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
"Conclusion: you seem to have affected their business a great deal. A pity I could not get more intelligence on Czerka for you before my assassination protocol had me slaughter both the former chancellor and the Czerka representative. Observation: A briefcase covered in a layer of credits for the head and a calm explanation then my Czerka 'owner' would require some more privacy for negotiation after a down-payment seemed sufficient for your average Coruscanti criminal to let me go, although I regret not having a heavier weapon at the time to simply exterminate them all at once."
"Very well done, HK-47. Go to the lower maintenance levels. I'll be down later to give you some personal maintenance."
"Addendum: Very well, Master, and may I say it brings me the closest thing I can feel to joy to have you back. You are just as murderous as the old days, and then some, and I look forward to your next orders with anticipation."
The Jedi Temple is more modern and advanced than it looks. Under the layer of mystical, serene grandeur the Jedi liked to put up, they fundamentally had a very practical fortress here on Coruscant. This included keeping state of the art HoloNet systems and strategic computer systems in "communications centers" that are more like war rooms, like the one you stand in now.
"Lord Revan, the overall reports are ready, if you are as well." The thick-set, beady-eyed officer who approaches with the information is more confident than most when approaching you; no obvious fear making him visible through the Dark Side, nor even the standard nervousness of addressing a superior. Admiral Engar was many things, most of them less than ideal compared to the stellar fleet officer you hear Admiral Karath had been before falling to your blade, but lacking in bravery or conviction was not one of them.
"Very well, Admiral, show me what I am ruling over now."
The map that emerges from the central projector is a massive,three-dimensional model of the galaxy, but with a precise tilt to its angle and some trickery with scale it was perfectly legible and functional to one person. Fields of color highlight most of the explored regions of space, and while these colors aren't standardized by any means, context and common knowledge connects blue to the Republic and its allies, red to the Sith, and the dark, slime green to the Hutts and their region of lawless gangster-space.
"As you can see, my Lord, reports have come in that the offensive on Mimban and down the Guu Run have been successful. Combined with our thrust directly from the Star Forge to take Coruscant and flank the Deep Core, former Republic space is now cut in two. This upper section here has perhaps some of the more prized worlds we've yet to take; we've heard reports of the largest gathering of former Senators rallying on Alderaan trying to call together an emergency fleet. However, the Intergalactic Banking Clan is increasingly impatient to end the war after Malak's brief raid on Dantooine also sent parties to attack Muunilist, and even the vaunted Kuat Drive Yards can't produce without the raw materials of the Outer Rim."
"And what of the Jedi? Our physical power over the galaxy could all come to naught if we grow complacent and forget the danger of even a single Jedi, much less if they have a secret base somewhere."
"That," the admiral says somewhat dismissively. "Is an increasingly remote possibility. We've heard reports of more Jedi isolated here, in the 'lower' section of the Galaxy cut off from the others. But they don't seem to be operating as a cohesive order anymore. Just a knight here giving his service to a planet's pro-Republic defense forces here; a small team there learning in isolation on frontier worlds. The most dangerous remaining Republic force there seems to be on Bothawui. That was one of the main sectors where the Republic made gains while the bulk of fighting happened in the Mid-Rim."
"I see." You examine the map inquisitively for a few seconds before noting something on the highlighted and labeled planets you point out. "Why is Manaan now listed as affiliated with the Republic?"
"Yes, we just got word of that. They seem to have taken Coruscant's fall as a sign to finally lean one way or the other, and their leaders' decision seems to have fallen on trying to rally the remains of the Republic. It's quite troublesome; we have Kolto reserves but not enough for a great deal more offensives."
[ ] "I poisoned their god and destroyed the source of their Kolto when I was last on their planet. They're now useless and should be conquered as such with a minimum of fuss."
[ ] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
Admiral Engar blinks in surprise at your simple statement. "That... I'll... I'll have that registered immediately with the fleet and put on their orders, my Lord."
"As to the rest," you gesture to him to turn his attention back to the map. "What does our administration look like? How are the worlds we govern being handled? What are the local worlds reporting in finances, stability?"
"I forget sometimes your... recent difficulties with memory, Lord Revan. My sincerest apologies. The truth of that matter is... well, we currently *don't* have a broad approach to governance. The fleet and army answered first and foremost to you and then Malak, and every world we've conquered has been relatively lightly garrisoned under the direction of one or more fully-graduated Sith. I believe that before Malak's betrayal you had made brief overtures to constructing something more formal. But Lor-- I mean simply Darth Malak continued the focus on military conquest first and consolidation of the gains was left a far distant second. We have no need for direct resource extraction or taxes aside from requisitions of food and supplies thanks to the Star Forge."
You put your hand over your chin and lean over the central holotable. The less than ideal implications of this arrangement are immediately obvious: what you claim as an Empire right now is just conquered territory: places where the Jedi and Republic have been kicked out and a Sith or two put in place to watch, but no real control, no truly loyal eyes, ears, and hands. The Sith Code guarantees your followers to be strong... but you know better than anyone that it also guarantees ambition. What will happen when a governor decides he is strong enough in the Force to challenge you? When she decides that sending resources to the fleet is too large a commitment. Even worse, could one be said to have any true power at all if they cannot wield it?
You must propose a new system. You have taken the galaxy and you intend to keep it.
[ ] "Begin extensive recruitment here on Coruscant and dispatches to the Sith on distant worlds. We will be building a centralized government from Coruscant, and all Sith will serve me directly rather than be granted any control of the local systems."
[ ] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
[ ] "The fight for the Galaxy was long and difficult, and we still have too many enemies to obsess over direct control over everything. We will create a Sith Republic, to replace the whithered and decayed Republic the Jedi protected. Individual worlds will have their civilian governments and a Senate to collaborate in, although the Sith Order shall control all their armed forces and have the right override them in their weakness, of course."
[ ] "Keep the status quo, but begin requiring all military forces be directly answerable to me, not the local Sith governors. Remaining centralized in the fleet will keep the Sith agile and under my watchful eyes, so that a military approach can be taken where civil substitutes...lose their focus on who they truly serve."
You finish giving your command, and the Admiral seems ready to speak, when there is a sudden interruption... of a severed head landing directly on the holotable.
Everyone in the room draws weapons and turns to the door in shock except you. You heard the clanking footsteps coming down the hall a few seconds ago.
"Declaration: My first mission under the new Assassination Protocol has gone spectacularly, Master."
HK-47 is a cold, efficient assassination droid, but if he had a face rather than just that menacing red death's head of a face plate, you suspect he would be grinning like a maniac right now. He takes a moment to flip the bloodstained knife he's holding through his fingers and sheathe it before approaching you.
"What in burning Teta's name is this?!" Admiral Engar turns a particularly bright, angry shade of red and attempts to get between you and the droid, but HK-47 merely stops and looks down at him.
"Explanation: You see, for this last mission, Master Revan left a great deal of discretion to the Meatbag Bastila on how the operation to kill the Supreme Chancellor should be planned and supported. Her final orders before I entered into assassination protocols and wiped my memories were, and I quote: Bring Lord Revan the Chancellor's head!" His voice changes temporarily into an exact recording for that last part.
"Clarification: Not that I am so literal as to let an order like that override the more important business of who to kill and doing so discreetly, Master. I merely saw an opportunity for added humor to please you thanks to the kitchen knife I murdered the Chancellor with. And Coruscant's fall meaning I could easily return to you without worrying about Republic guards stopping me, of course."
"This... droid is an assassin for you, Lord Revan?"
"The very best. Who suspects the protocol droid?" you reply, before switching to a slightly louder voice to announce to the whole room around. "And I advise everyone here keep quiet about him lest they become a future target."
"Explanation: You see, Meatbag--"
"What did you just call me?! I--"
"--As a premiere Hunter Killer model assassination droid assembled and modified by Lord Revan herself, I am a highly sophisticated system of automated infiltration and assassination. When given a precise target, I erase my own memory and manipulate circumstances, including further layers of memory rewrites and new owners if necessary, to become close to them and, ultimately, eliminate them. In this case, the target was the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, who as expected fled his office upon the arrival of the Sith Fleet."
"I'm sorry, did you say something about a kitchen knife earlier?" you ask, smirking.
"Agreement: Indeed, Master! Demonstration:" HK-47 draws the knife again and holds it up. "Explanation: For one of the most powerful men in the Galaxy, he did not seem to have very good connections. I found him in a lower level habitation block, subtly but insufficiently guarded by the variety of common scum and mercenary bodyguards I became familiar with during my time working for that Republic Senator. I arrived in the entourage of a Czerka Corporation benefactor meeting the ex-Chancellor in his apartment about smuggling him off the planet. It was actually an intriguing conversation in there, while I went to the kitchen and got the most efficient weapon I could find, now that I think about it. Recitation: the topics actually included several which my restored memory now connects to first-hand experience, about"
[ ] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[ ] "...Your rather frustrating insistence we make peace with the Sand People, which has only made Czerka more desperate as towns and farmers beyond Anchorhead are attacked by their migration."
"And..."
[ ] "...Their slaving operation on Kashyyyk with the help of Chuundar."
[ ] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
"Conclusion: you seem to have affected their business a great deal. A pity I could not get more intelligence on Czerka for you before my assassination protocol had me slaughter both the former chancellor and the Czerka representative. Observation: A briefcase covered in a layer of credits for the head and a calm explanation then my Czerka 'owner' would require some more privacy for negotiation after a down-payment seemed sufficient for your average Coruscanti criminal to let me go, although I regret not having a heavier weapon at the time to simply exterminate them all at once."
"Very well done, HK-47. Go to the lower maintenance levels. I'll be down later to give you some personal maintenance."
"Addendum: Very well, Master, and may I say it brings me the closest thing I can feel to joy to have you back. You are just as murderous as the old days, and then some, and I look forward to your next orders with anticipation."
Last edited:
- Location
- United States
[X] "Begin extensive recruitment here on Coruscant and dispatches to the Sith on distant worlds. We will be building a centralized government from Coruscant, and all Sith will serve me directly rather than be granted any control of the local systems."
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Your rather frustrating insistence we make peace with the Sand People, which has only made Czerka more desperate as towns and farmers beyond Anchorhead are attacked by their migration."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Your rather frustrating insistence we make peace with the Sand People, which has only made Czerka more desperate as towns and farmers beyond Anchorhead are attacked by their migration."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
Last edited:
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
if we where that much of a LS char how we ever fall to the DS??
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...Their slaving operation on Kashyyyk with the help of Chuundar."
lets be somewhat more proper evil mastermind evil.
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...Their slaving operation on Kashyyyk with the help of Chuundar."
lets be somewhat more proper evil mastermind evil.
Geckonator
Occult Materialist
You're forgetting to vote on what type of government we should solidify into.
StormLord
Savior, Conqueror, Hero, Villain.
If we did Manaan, Tattooine, and Kashyyyk first before discovering the truth; then we went to Korriban and the Sith Code resonated more deeply with us.
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
For the strategic value of Kolto.
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
-[X] "...after you were 'accidentally' caught investigating their supplies."
We did broker a peace... but then the Sand People attacked us after we looked into their supply bins. Not our fault!
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
Disagree with slavery.
I'm not sure about the government choice.
[X] "Begin extensive recruitment here on Coruscant and dispatches to the Sith on distant worlds. We will be building a centralized government from Coruscant, and all Sith will serve me directly rather than be granted any control of the local systems."
Will probably rub some of the current Sith governors in power the wrong way since we'd be curtailing their individual power. Watch out for assassination attempts, but this is probably one of the more long-term solutions. We tear it all down and build from scratch.
[ ] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
Do we have enough Sith that can be relied upon to be loyal? And can the Sith governors be relied upon to govern reasonably? I dunno; the weak and stupid can be culled out, but I'd think we'd need at least a generation of implmenting instituational changes at Korriban Academy before we can let our guard down...
[ ] "The fight for the Galaxy was long and difficult, and we still have too many enemies to obsess over direct control over everything. We will create a Sith Republic, to replace the whithered and decayed Republic the Jedi protected. Individual worlds will have their civilian governments and a Senate to collaborate in, although the Sith Order shall control all their armed forces and have the right override them in their weakness, of course."
So like the Old Republic buth with militarist Sith instead of diplomatic Jedi. We're the galaxy-wide military branch. Can focus on purely the Sith and military, but possibly consequences if we flex our "veto" powers too often. Probably wouldn't mind this outcome.
[ ] "Keep the status quo, but begin requiring all military forces be directly answerable to me, not the local Sith governors. Remaining centralized in the fleet will keep the Sith agile and under my watchful eyes, so that a military approach can be taken where civil substitutes...lose their focus on who they truly serve."
So we're still in direct control of the military, but with Sith governors instead of civilian governments. Will slightly rock the boat since the Sith governors will have their direct power reduced. Again, can we count on Sith governors to be loyal and govern reasonably?
Last edited:
Macros
omnisciently vague councilman
- Location
- Dirac Sea
Well, that seems rather interesting.
[X] "Keep the status quo, but begin requiring all military forces be directly answerable to me, not the local Sith governors. Remaining centralized in the fleet will keep the Sith agile and under my watchful eyes, so that a military approach can be taken where civil substitutes...lose their focus on who they truly serve."
I think the problem about full centralization isn't so much that Sith governors would be displeased (I mean, they will, but hey, tough to be them), but rather that it'll make administration extremely inefficient, given the size of the Sith Empire. And sure, Sith governors doesn't exactly scream 'utopia' either, but at least decent ones will be in a position to rule, while bad ones can eventually be force-choked to death - once we hear about it, which admittedly can be 'never'.
And I shudder at the thought of a Republic built on Sith ideology. That seems like an absolute nightmare.
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
Kolto is good, I guess.
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
-[X] "...after you were 'accidentally' caught investigating their supplies."
Ah, good times, good times.
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
Because fuck Czerka Corporation.
[X] "Keep the status quo, but begin requiring all military forces be directly answerable to me, not the local Sith governors. Remaining centralized in the fleet will keep the Sith agile and under my watchful eyes, so that a military approach can be taken where civil substitutes...lose their focus on who they truly serve."
I think the problem about full centralization isn't so much that Sith governors would be displeased (I mean, they will, but hey, tough to be them), but rather that it'll make administration extremely inefficient, given the size of the Sith Empire. And sure, Sith governors doesn't exactly scream 'utopia' either, but at least decent ones will be in a position to rule, while bad ones can eventually be force-choked to death - once we hear about it, which admittedly can be 'never'.
And I shudder at the thought of a Republic built on Sith ideology. That seems like an absolute nightmare.
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
Kolto is good, I guess.
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
-[X] "...after you were 'accidentally' caught investigating their supplies."
Ah, good times, good times.
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
Because fuck Czerka Corporation.
Geckonator
Occult Materialist
I should better differentiate these two options, what was in my head isn't coming across in the text.
This one is supposed to be a kind of Sith feudalism. The Sith Lords swear loyal to you first and foremost, setting up their own local administrations, but they all owe fealty to you and the planets you directly control (presumably going to be Korriban, the Star Forge, and Coruscant).
This is continuing a more military style occupation. The Sith governors become answerable to you because they're part of the fleet, and civilian governance isn't really a concept that exists in this version of the Sith.
As to the question of trustworthiness... There are hundreds of Sith and Dark Jedi governing worlds and sectors throughout the Galaxy, and Malak didn't keep a comprehensive survey or database or anything. From what you personally know all Sith who opposed you died on the Star Forge; there have been no reports of secession that weren't promptly dealt with by a subordinate or military asset more loyal to you. The big problem is that what we refer to by the blanket term Sith is also mostly Dark Jedi, in the sense that they're Jedi who fell to the Dark Side in various waves but never got formally instructed as "Sith". True, academy-trained Sith are in the most important roles and there's some institutional loyalty to you there that will probably hold up even if they scheme and plot behind the scenes in their aspirations, but they're relatively rare because... well, selection to even become a basic student at Korriban is horrible as you probably know. You can probably count on the majority--I mean, the system of Sith governors kept stable through the war so it's not like there are any ruinously bad ones on important worlds--and it will please most of your Force User followers into keeping stable, but it only takes one fuck up somewhere to cascade with how Sith notions of advancement work.
One of the big ideas I want to get in this quest is that the Sith in power are... dysfunctional. It is a philosophy adept at taking power, but in trying to hold it the same ambition that sent them conquering in the first place becomes a weakness.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
[x] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
Individual governments, centralized army is the way to go.
[x] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[x] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[x] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
Individual governments, centralized army is the way to go.
[x] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[x] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[x] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[x] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[x] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[x] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[x] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[x] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[X] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Your rather frustrating insistence we make peace with the Sand People, which has only made Czerka more desperate as towns and farmers beyond Anchorhead are attacked by their migration."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Your rather frustrating insistence we make peace with the Sand People, which has only made Czerka more desperate as towns and farmers beyond Anchorhead are attacked by their migration."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...Their slaving operation on Kashyyyk with the help of Chuundar."
[X] "The fight for the Galaxy was long and difficult, and we still have too many enemies to obsess over direct control over everything. We will create a Sith Republic, to replace the whithered and decayed Republic the Jedi protected. Individual worlds will have their civilian governments and a Senate to collaborate in, although the Sith Order shall control all their armed forces and have the right override them in their weakness, of course."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...Their slaving operation on Kashyyyk with the help of Chuundar."
[X] "The fight for the Galaxy was long and difficult, and we still have too many enemies to obsess over direct control over everything. We will create a Sith Republic, to replace the whithered and decayed Republic the Jedi protected. Individual worlds will have their civilian governments and a Senate to collaborate in, although the Sith Order shall control all their armed forces and have the right override them in their weakness, of course."
Lord Ultimus
Beautiful...
- Location
- Undisclosed Warehouse
[X] "I poisoned their god and destroyed the source of their Kolto when I was last on their planet. They're now useless and should be conquered as such with a minimum of fuss."
[X] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...Their slaving operation on Kashyyyk with the help of Chuundar."
Let's be full Dark Lord, yo.
[X] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...Their slaving operation on Kashyyyk with the help of Chuundar."
Let's be full Dark Lord, yo.
Hakazin
Serpent Admirer
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[X] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[X] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
Last edited:
[X] "My personal power over the Sith will be more than enough. The armada and control of the Sith Order in full will remain mine alone, but relevant Sith can be granted their own planets to rule if they show loyalty and power."
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
Excalibur
Sword of Promised Victory
[X] "Tell them I saved their Progenitor last time, but I still have a sample of poison that could kill it and knowledge of exactly where it lives. They will surrender quietly."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[X] "Keep the status quo, but begin requiring all military forces be directly answerable to me, not the local Sith governors. Remaining centralized in the fleet will keep the Sith agile and under my watchful eyes, so that a military approach can be taken where civil substitutes...lose their focus on who they truly serve."
[X] "...Our lovely extermination of the Sand People on Tatooine that helped preserve Czerka's failing mining business."
[X] "...The loss of Kashyyyk as a source of slaves after you helped Freyyr in his little revolt."
[X] "Keep the status quo, but begin requiring all military forces be directly answerable to me, not the local Sith governors. Remaining centralized in the fleet will keep the Sith agile and under my watchful eyes, so that a military approach can be taken where civil substitutes...lose their focus on who they truly serve."
Geckonator
Occult Materialist
@StormLord Can you clarify your final choice on the political organization options? You listed them all out and put Xs in two.
StormLord
Savior, Conqueror, Hero, Villain.
Went with central government, although it's lacking in votes. I think it's the best long-term option, considering Sith / Dark Jedi be dysfunctional. But I suppose we might have a chance to come back to reform the government with the personal power option...
The Sith Temple, and A Confession
Geckonator
Occult Materialist
It is stunning how quickly time seems to pass on simple things. Scarcely had you made the smallest intimations of a reform to the Empire when the politicking began. The old civil service of Coruscant; the corporations which had hedged their bets on all sides of the war; and even subtle representatives of the criminal element all wanted to appear and pledge their allegiance--and secure their survival--with the new Sith Empire.
On distant worlds, the Sith Lords and their Dark Jedi legions were all too happy with the compromise. Political power over their own worlds, it seemed, proved sufficiently honeyed an offer to make them accept the implication of you being able to demand resources and forced policy through your role as head of the Sith Order. Already the cowed bureaucracy of Coruscant has, after some trimming of its fat, been set to work managing this arrangement, beginning a detailed census of the worlds and sectors under the control of the Sith Lords. The Lords, for their part, are eager to cooperate on that front: the quiet security of your recent victory gives them all clean, pacified worlds to show off.
Meanwhile, with the better part of a month passing, your fleet empowered by the Star Forge continues its slow but steady gains. Manaan surrenders as you knew it would, terrified of the secret of Kolto being broken and now directly threatened. They have been allowed some autonomy in exchange for their entire Kolto product, and the Republic remnants suffer for it. The storied Empress Teta System fell under your control soon after, and your admirals were proud to report the Battle of Kuat as a resounding victory that captured some of the largest conventional shipyards in the galaxy, and your generals equally proud of the lightning campaign to secure Cato Nemoidia and its rich coffers.
The rump Republic now splits in two politically, as you severed them physically through the heart of the galaxy. In the "southern" section, far larger and more untamed, the Republic still exists in the hearts and minds of many. The Bothans have taken up the mantle of a "United Front of Worlds", aliens fighting to preserve some ideal of democracy and freedom from your "tyranny". They fight the hardest, and it is difficult to make more inroads into their space without extra commitments of Sith and resources according to the latest reports from the front. Meanwhile on Alderaan and Muunilist, the rich Senators and bankers seem to care only for preserving their profits and luxuries as your fleet approaches. The first emissaries of their half of former Republic space have arrived suing for peace, offering generous war reparations in exchange for autonomy from the rule of any Sith Lords (it appears a reputation for repression on those worlds governed by your followers is already spreading and bringing fear with it). Their sniveling is annoying... but they might have a point, especially as the IGBC is offering to stabilize the Galactic Credit Standard around the Sith Empire, which would stimulate trade and endear your rule to the worlds under it.
[ ] Accept the peace deal.
[ ] The Sith do not make peace.
***
But regardless of how those negotiations turn out, life here at the Sith Temple stabilizes in its own, chaotic way.
As you walk through the cavernous halls this morning, you note that Bastila has made good on her promises in some spectacular ways. Where once there stood statues and murals honoring the Jedi in serene, heroic poses, now there is only toppled rubble. From the ashes of some of these monuments there now rise the first signs of new, brutal monuments to your glory, but many are left where they are in pieces (if cleaned up somewhat) as their own kind of monument: the Sith have the power to destroy, and even the mightiest legacy of the Jedi crumbles before you.
But a Temple is not just a monument, and today you go to see the other side of Bastila's personal project.
When you enter the training chamber, there's a hushed pause as those present look back at you, recognizing your mask immediately... and then the clash of lightsabers begins again.
"What are you staring at! Is the presence of your master an excuse to let your guard down?" Bastila barks at the two young apprentices facing her. Both are dressed in robes of brighter colors with green and yellow lightsabers, clearly marking them as some of the Jedi Padawans who have reconvened on the Temple in the past weeks, fascinated by stories of the Sith and the potential to keep learning of the Force now that their old masters are dead or fled. Neither of them is particularly good or experienced, falling into a basic guard and just barely keeping up as Bastila lashes out at them one after the other with the two ends of her lightsaber. The room is an old Jedi sparring room, but the marks of actual combat and the Sith banners draped from the ceiling now give it its own unique atmosphere. A half dozen other students, some younger, some older, some in civilian clothes and others in the black robes preferred for Sith apprentices, watch from the sidelines, and as you walk forward and join them in watching you can almost hear them inhaling deeply to stay perfectly still in fear.
"You're too defensive, the only way to protect your openings is to go after the enemy's!" She cries out as she batters up against the apprentices' increasingly sloppy attempts to block. When one finally moves to strike back, she immediately shifts her footwork to easily dodge the light thrusts straight out of Shii-Cho. "Now you're being too predictable! Abandon doomed attempts at precision, let the Dark Side guide your blade's aggression."
She shifts her ligthsaber into one hand only and waves the free hand at both students, pushing them back and down against the ground with the Force. "Feel that anger, sense your pride and fight for it! You will never be a Sith if you are not willing to fight for it!"
They both buckle to their knees, shaking under the telekinetic onslaught, but then you slowly sense something stirring...
The one with the green lightsaber leaps forward, pushing through Bastila's use of the Force like running against a windstorm, and draws his saber back for a few wild slashes. But Bastila is ready, and changes her own stance. No longer does she seem slow and methodical, but aggressive in her own way. Your bond lets you feel her thoughts, and deep down you sense the bright spark of pleasure at the student's reaction. She easily parries the now highly aggressive but strangely graceful swings of the student, and then replies with her own flurry of attacks. He's on the back foot, but seems to have picked something up as he can keep up with the attacks and attempt his own (failed) replies. But eventually Bastila finds an opening and exploits it, and with one swing brings the saber lightly up his arm and then finally to his neck as he doubles over in pain.
"Excellent, you seem to have improved a little. Perhaps there is hope for you in the Sith yet."
She deactivates her saber and places it back on her belt, where it hangs loose. "Go to the infirmary and have that wound checked. If you feel so inclined you can even ask them to leave a scar for you to remember this lesson by. And you," she turns suddenly to the other student, still panting on his knees. "You are to meditate and practice intensively, and then spar with your partner here when he returns. You are not welcome to more training unless you can defeat him in one duel."
"And for the rest," she turns to face the watching apprentices with cold indifference. "I can only hope you could learn something there secondhand. Remember that technique, caution, apprehension, all these things must be abandoned when you can truly feel yourself guided by the Dark Side. If in any moment you hesitate, if you doubt your feelings, then you are lost and will never grasp the true strength of the Force."
She turns her head subtly to you, seemingly to judge your response, and at your silence dismisses the students.
The students trail out of the room, all of them eyeing you in awe. Some bow as a sign of deference, others merely avert their eyes if they can feel you gazing back from beneath the mask, but none dare speak to you. When they're gone you approach Bastila where she stands.
"I trust my methods please you, my master? I admit to not having been formally schooled in the ways of the Sith, but the Dark Side's power should speak for itself, I think."
"The lesson was excellent, Bastila. Your position as my apprentice is well-deserved."
She smiles and bows. "And I am eager to serve you in it."
As she rises and you approach a window to look out upon the Coruscant skyline in the distance, she speaks again. "Tell me, master, would you like to walk to the tower and talk more?"
"Let's." You agree simply and follow her out the door and down a smaller hallway, toward the turbolifts up one of the corner towers
"Tell me, master, have you... felt your old memories again yet?"
"No." You answer truthfully through her hesitation. "Although I feel the Dark Side and know I am Darth Revan, my old memories still elude me."
"I see. Perhaps if the Dark Side will not restore you so easily, it is time you delve into the old lore for some insight. The records of the Temple have been gradually restored, and I've heard that many promising old artifacts and manuscripts have been found on Korriban."
"Perhaps that would be best. Politics and war are a path to power, but the Force holds so much more promise there."
As you reach the base of the tower and summon the turbolift, Bastila brings herself a little closer to you, but waits in silence. When the turbolift arrives you both get on and you speak again first.
"Which of the Jedi Councils was this? I know it was not the High Council but when I was training--re-training--they never explained the exact layout of this place."
"The Council of First Knowledge," Bastila replies, a note of bitterness dripping from her. "The Keepers of Wisdom, the Teachers of the Ancient Force. I saw them here many times as I was trained, they were the ones who judged and tested my Battle Meditation. They claimed that it was dangerous and I would need to control it. Now I know they were only afraid of my true potential."
The turbolift stops and brings you into the council's chamber, the same kind of standard round hall as the other three council chambers. As you step in you notice the damage to the room; long trailing burns along walls and floors, a council chair cut in half which you briefly examine and see must have been done recently with a lightsaber. You and Bastila don't exchange a word about it but what happened was obvious enough.
"I was stronger than them, stronger than any other living Jedi... aside from you, perhaps, from a certain point of view." She continues, following you to a window to look out upon the city bathed in pale morning sunlight.
"And now they are gone, thanks to you. Hate is a powerful passion to call upon; I am always impressed to see how fully your contempt for the Jedi can drive you, Bastila."
"No, not hate alone. When I first fell to Malak, and now when I go into battle, there is another passion I hold onto."
"And that is?" You ask, intrigued and perhaps already knowing exactly what she means.
"When Malak captured me, it was after a moment defending you." She looks straight at you, seeming to peer right through your mask and see your recognition.
"So you feel shame for that moment of Jedi selflessness then, you hate your old self."
"No! Far from it, that moment ran through my head endlessly as Malak tortured me as my greatest failure as a Jedi. You see, I didn't intervene there to protect the mission, to think about some wider plot the Council wanted done, I did it for you."
She steps closer and through her body language and the Force you begin more clearly detecting the intentions within her.
"I searched my feelings and saw that attacking Malak at that moment had seen me already fall to my passions, for you. And after a time, I could no longer justify that feeling as wrong, and I knew that it was pointless to resist everything else. I swore allegiance to Malak in that moment full of hate for the Jedi, but when I saw you again... the Dark Side guided me, I knew I was back to the deeper and more powerful of my passions, and that I had found my true master."
She steps closer again,
"I know you felt it too, through our bond... the moments of intimacy I tried to deny... along the many months that we traveled together. I used the discipline of a Jedi to hide the outer signs and try to put it all behind me as it happened, but I know you felt it through our connection in the Force, that it influenced you. Perhaps in that way, we embraced the Dark Side together."
"And what do you intend with these feelings now? What do you desire now that the Dark Side has freed you to embrace desire itself?"
She takes a final few steps forward, now just barely apart from your body as she reaches up and removes your mask. As your face is exposed and your eyes meet hers directly, she speaks again.
"I want you, Revan. As lovers we will be more than master and apprentice, destined for more than the self-destructive cycle of training and betrayal. By belonging to each other--utterly--our passion can give us power beyond any momentary rage or fear. There will be no power in the Galaxy greater than ours, we can find joy in each others' arms along with power, and at long last the Force shall set us free."
Her eyes are bright yellow ringed with red as she stares into yours, which you know to be the same. You can almost feel her breath on your skin at this distance, and in the Force you can feel her as an inferno consuming this room. And in that moment.
"Bastila..."
[ ] Kiss her.
[ ] "...I... I'm not certain about this. Perhaps I can love you, but I can't say it here, now, yet."
[ ] "...I can't return your feelings. Devote your passion to me, by all means, but know that I will never feel the same desire for you."
[ ] "...This sort of display only makes you weaker. Love is a dangerous emotion, a threat to your independence and strength: kill it and bury it. I am nothing but your master."
On distant worlds, the Sith Lords and their Dark Jedi legions were all too happy with the compromise. Political power over their own worlds, it seemed, proved sufficiently honeyed an offer to make them accept the implication of you being able to demand resources and forced policy through your role as head of the Sith Order. Already the cowed bureaucracy of Coruscant has, after some trimming of its fat, been set to work managing this arrangement, beginning a detailed census of the worlds and sectors under the control of the Sith Lords. The Lords, for their part, are eager to cooperate on that front: the quiet security of your recent victory gives them all clean, pacified worlds to show off.
Meanwhile, with the better part of a month passing, your fleet empowered by the Star Forge continues its slow but steady gains. Manaan surrenders as you knew it would, terrified of the secret of Kolto being broken and now directly threatened. They have been allowed some autonomy in exchange for their entire Kolto product, and the Republic remnants suffer for it. The storied Empress Teta System fell under your control soon after, and your admirals were proud to report the Battle of Kuat as a resounding victory that captured some of the largest conventional shipyards in the galaxy, and your generals equally proud of the lightning campaign to secure Cato Nemoidia and its rich coffers.
The rump Republic now splits in two politically, as you severed them physically through the heart of the galaxy. In the "southern" section, far larger and more untamed, the Republic still exists in the hearts and minds of many. The Bothans have taken up the mantle of a "United Front of Worlds", aliens fighting to preserve some ideal of democracy and freedom from your "tyranny". They fight the hardest, and it is difficult to make more inroads into their space without extra commitments of Sith and resources according to the latest reports from the front. Meanwhile on Alderaan and Muunilist, the rich Senators and bankers seem to care only for preserving their profits and luxuries as your fleet approaches. The first emissaries of their half of former Republic space have arrived suing for peace, offering generous war reparations in exchange for autonomy from the rule of any Sith Lords (it appears a reputation for repression on those worlds governed by your followers is already spreading and bringing fear with it). Their sniveling is annoying... but they might have a point, especially as the IGBC is offering to stabilize the Galactic Credit Standard around the Sith Empire, which would stimulate trade and endear your rule to the worlds under it.
[ ] Accept the peace deal.
[ ] The Sith do not make peace.
***
But regardless of how those negotiations turn out, life here at the Sith Temple stabilizes in its own, chaotic way.
As you walk through the cavernous halls this morning, you note that Bastila has made good on her promises in some spectacular ways. Where once there stood statues and murals honoring the Jedi in serene, heroic poses, now there is only toppled rubble. From the ashes of some of these monuments there now rise the first signs of new, brutal monuments to your glory, but many are left where they are in pieces (if cleaned up somewhat) as their own kind of monument: the Sith have the power to destroy, and even the mightiest legacy of the Jedi crumbles before you.
But a Temple is not just a monument, and today you go to see the other side of Bastila's personal project.
When you enter the training chamber, there's a hushed pause as those present look back at you, recognizing your mask immediately... and then the clash of lightsabers begins again.
"What are you staring at! Is the presence of your master an excuse to let your guard down?" Bastila barks at the two young apprentices facing her. Both are dressed in robes of brighter colors with green and yellow lightsabers, clearly marking them as some of the Jedi Padawans who have reconvened on the Temple in the past weeks, fascinated by stories of the Sith and the potential to keep learning of the Force now that their old masters are dead or fled. Neither of them is particularly good or experienced, falling into a basic guard and just barely keeping up as Bastila lashes out at them one after the other with the two ends of her lightsaber. The room is an old Jedi sparring room, but the marks of actual combat and the Sith banners draped from the ceiling now give it its own unique atmosphere. A half dozen other students, some younger, some older, some in civilian clothes and others in the black robes preferred for Sith apprentices, watch from the sidelines, and as you walk forward and join them in watching you can almost hear them inhaling deeply to stay perfectly still in fear.
"You're too defensive, the only way to protect your openings is to go after the enemy's!" She cries out as she batters up against the apprentices' increasingly sloppy attempts to block. When one finally moves to strike back, she immediately shifts her footwork to easily dodge the light thrusts straight out of Shii-Cho. "Now you're being too predictable! Abandon doomed attempts at precision, let the Dark Side guide your blade's aggression."
She shifts her ligthsaber into one hand only and waves the free hand at both students, pushing them back and down against the ground with the Force. "Feel that anger, sense your pride and fight for it! You will never be a Sith if you are not willing to fight for it!"
They both buckle to their knees, shaking under the telekinetic onslaught, but then you slowly sense something stirring...
The one with the green lightsaber leaps forward, pushing through Bastila's use of the Force like running against a windstorm, and draws his saber back for a few wild slashes. But Bastila is ready, and changes her own stance. No longer does she seem slow and methodical, but aggressive in her own way. Your bond lets you feel her thoughts, and deep down you sense the bright spark of pleasure at the student's reaction. She easily parries the now highly aggressive but strangely graceful swings of the student, and then replies with her own flurry of attacks. He's on the back foot, but seems to have picked something up as he can keep up with the attacks and attempt his own (failed) replies. But eventually Bastila finds an opening and exploits it, and with one swing brings the saber lightly up his arm and then finally to his neck as he doubles over in pain.
"Excellent, you seem to have improved a little. Perhaps there is hope for you in the Sith yet."
She deactivates her saber and places it back on her belt, where it hangs loose. "Go to the infirmary and have that wound checked. If you feel so inclined you can even ask them to leave a scar for you to remember this lesson by. And you," she turns suddenly to the other student, still panting on his knees. "You are to meditate and practice intensively, and then spar with your partner here when he returns. You are not welcome to more training unless you can defeat him in one duel."
"And for the rest," she turns to face the watching apprentices with cold indifference. "I can only hope you could learn something there secondhand. Remember that technique, caution, apprehension, all these things must be abandoned when you can truly feel yourself guided by the Dark Side. If in any moment you hesitate, if you doubt your feelings, then you are lost and will never grasp the true strength of the Force."
She turns her head subtly to you, seemingly to judge your response, and at your silence dismisses the students.
The students trail out of the room, all of them eyeing you in awe. Some bow as a sign of deference, others merely avert their eyes if they can feel you gazing back from beneath the mask, but none dare speak to you. When they're gone you approach Bastila where she stands.
"I trust my methods please you, my master? I admit to not having been formally schooled in the ways of the Sith, but the Dark Side's power should speak for itself, I think."
"The lesson was excellent, Bastila. Your position as my apprentice is well-deserved."
She smiles and bows. "And I am eager to serve you in it."
As she rises and you approach a window to look out upon the Coruscant skyline in the distance, she speaks again. "Tell me, master, would you like to walk to the tower and talk more?"
"Let's." You agree simply and follow her out the door and down a smaller hallway, toward the turbolifts up one of the corner towers
"Tell me, master, have you... felt your old memories again yet?"
"No." You answer truthfully through her hesitation. "Although I feel the Dark Side and know I am Darth Revan, my old memories still elude me."
"I see. Perhaps if the Dark Side will not restore you so easily, it is time you delve into the old lore for some insight. The records of the Temple have been gradually restored, and I've heard that many promising old artifacts and manuscripts have been found on Korriban."
"Perhaps that would be best. Politics and war are a path to power, but the Force holds so much more promise there."
As you reach the base of the tower and summon the turbolift, Bastila brings herself a little closer to you, but waits in silence. When the turbolift arrives you both get on and you speak again first.
"Which of the Jedi Councils was this? I know it was not the High Council but when I was training--re-training--they never explained the exact layout of this place."
"The Council of First Knowledge," Bastila replies, a note of bitterness dripping from her. "The Keepers of Wisdom, the Teachers of the Ancient Force. I saw them here many times as I was trained, they were the ones who judged and tested my Battle Meditation. They claimed that it was dangerous and I would need to control it. Now I know they were only afraid of my true potential."
The turbolift stops and brings you into the council's chamber, the same kind of standard round hall as the other three council chambers. As you step in you notice the damage to the room; long trailing burns along walls and floors, a council chair cut in half which you briefly examine and see must have been done recently with a lightsaber. You and Bastila don't exchange a word about it but what happened was obvious enough.
"I was stronger than them, stronger than any other living Jedi... aside from you, perhaps, from a certain point of view." She continues, following you to a window to look out upon the city bathed in pale morning sunlight.
"And now they are gone, thanks to you. Hate is a powerful passion to call upon; I am always impressed to see how fully your contempt for the Jedi can drive you, Bastila."
"No, not hate alone. When I first fell to Malak, and now when I go into battle, there is another passion I hold onto."
"And that is?" You ask, intrigued and perhaps already knowing exactly what she means.
"When Malak captured me, it was after a moment defending you." She looks straight at you, seeming to peer right through your mask and see your recognition.
"So you feel shame for that moment of Jedi selflessness then, you hate your old self."
"No! Far from it, that moment ran through my head endlessly as Malak tortured me as my greatest failure as a Jedi. You see, I didn't intervene there to protect the mission, to think about some wider plot the Council wanted done, I did it for you."
She steps closer and through her body language and the Force you begin more clearly detecting the intentions within her.
"I searched my feelings and saw that attacking Malak at that moment had seen me already fall to my passions, for you. And after a time, I could no longer justify that feeling as wrong, and I knew that it was pointless to resist everything else. I swore allegiance to Malak in that moment full of hate for the Jedi, but when I saw you again... the Dark Side guided me, I knew I was back to the deeper and more powerful of my passions, and that I had found my true master."
She steps closer again,
"I know you felt it too, through our bond... the moments of intimacy I tried to deny... along the many months that we traveled together. I used the discipline of a Jedi to hide the outer signs and try to put it all behind me as it happened, but I know you felt it through our connection in the Force, that it influenced you. Perhaps in that way, we embraced the Dark Side together."
"And what do you intend with these feelings now? What do you desire now that the Dark Side has freed you to embrace desire itself?"
She takes a final few steps forward, now just barely apart from your body as she reaches up and removes your mask. As your face is exposed and your eyes meet hers directly, she speaks again.
"I want you, Revan. As lovers we will be more than master and apprentice, destined for more than the self-destructive cycle of training and betrayal. By belonging to each other--utterly--our passion can give us power beyond any momentary rage or fear. There will be no power in the Galaxy greater than ours, we can find joy in each others' arms along with power, and at long last the Force shall set us free."
Her eyes are bright yellow ringed with red as she stares into yours, which you know to be the same. You can almost feel her breath on your skin at this distance, and in the Force you can feel her as an inferno consuming this room. And in that moment.
"Bastila..."
[ ] Kiss her.
[ ] "...I... I'm not certain about this. Perhaps I can love you, but I can't say it here, now, yet."
[ ] "...I can't return your feelings. Devote your passion to me, by all means, but know that I will never feel the same desire for you."
[ ] "...This sort of display only makes you weaker. Love is a dangerous emotion, a threat to your independence and strength: kill it and bury it. I am nothing but your master."
Last edited:
- Location
- St. Petersburg
"among" is probably unrequired.
I wonder if having any other emotion but hate would prove helpful or detrimental. Then again, all Sith stories end in betrayal, so I wonder if a few changes could shake some things up.
[x] The Sith do not make peace.
The lure of a stabilized economy is a strong one, but the Deep Core is too valuable to leave it in the "independent" hands. I'd be much more inclined to make peace with the Southern half of the former Republic, seeing how it is a bother to conquer, but they are the least likely to ask for it.