Ziost - Crown of the Sith Empire

The rented shuttle rattles as is sets down at the expected coordinates.

"Great thanks. You''ll get the other half when we get back." Even through his coat, Char shivers as he steps into the wastelands. L0-R3 is beside him and the droid shakes his head.

"Another reason for droid superiority master. I do not feel the cold Master."

"Yeah, and you don't feel your joints freezing until they break"

"Ah"


The banter is light, and keeps them from concentrating on the danger of this meeting in the middle of nowhere.

There is an old dome like shack that sits in a small clearing with primitive tools like a metal axe sunk into a tree littering the area, but it seems like this has long been abandoned.

"Well, it looks low tech enough Lo." Char nods to himself. "It's not a bad place to set up for a hacker for meetings. No local grid, if they even have a grid it's contained. Keep your head on a swivel Lo"

"That would require a different mounting platform"

Char ignores the comment from the droid and raps on the door. "Hello, I didn't show up late. I assume this is the place, yes?"

The door creaks open on a hinge and inside is an old table with a holo-communicator on it, the rest of the place has cobwebs and dust but the communicator looks new.

"Clever way to hide your tracks." Char mutters. "Lo, keep an eye out for anyone coming to snatch us. We'll make a break for it if things look dicey. If we get pinched, we'll have to rely on the insurance policy."

With that out of the way, Char activates the holoprojector. It's likely how the person wants to contact him.

A mask comes into view and then a voice behind that mask, silky and smooth, “Char, do not be alarmed, yes we know who you are. I leveraged many assets to know who broke the Imperial cipher and interfered.”

The masked man said, “Now we meet.”

OOC: Fear check at Hard, roll Discipline or Cool.

Cool against Darth Jadus Fear Check-Hard Cool Check: 4eA+3eD 0 successes, 4 advantage


[Failure, using advantage to narrative effect at Dapper's suggestion]

Char takes a step back. "You know?" In spite of that being an absolute possibility, Char can feel panic rush through him. His anonymity was the biggest weapon as a slicer, and he felt naked without it.

"Umm, yes. I guess of course, if you're saying it." The criminal is flustered still. "But I suppose that if you knew that, and wanted me in a dungeon you would have had ample chance to do so. I just..."

Char pauses. "If you have those resources, then what do you want with me?"

“Because as you would say, I am in the market for a new Eagle,” he responded.

"A new Eagle?" Char is initially flummoxed by the question. "A new Eagle."

Gears begin to turn, and things slide into place with horrifying clarity. "A new Eagle."

"What better way to gather up the political dissidents? To keep them working, venting their frustrations in obnoxious, but hardly damaging ways. To keep a closer tab on their leaders, the most likely ones to make trouble. It's...clever"

"You grasp the enormity the task ahead of you then?” he responded.

"Pffff. I think you are insulting my intelligence if you think I am dumb enough to assume that. This is..."

Char stops.

"This has repercussions, beyond repercussions. And what you're offering, whether you know it, will have consequences that neither of us can see." Char clears his throat. "Don't think that if you are offering power like this, that it won't be abused. Maybe not in the way you think, but abused. The way things are now, the way the Sith are now, not everyone is going to keep their head in their place. There are going to be people, and yes, xenos, who are too capable for what the Empire has put them in. And when there are people too skilled, too smart for what the Empire can do, they are going to look for another path. And if you are going to let me offer them one, one that doesn't hurt the Empire, and can quite weaken its foes...well, all take all the misfit toys."

"But maybe I am getting ahead of myself: what, exactly, do you want of me?"

“The Sith labor under the fallacy that they alone understand fear and domination, it is time they understand that they are not above being terrified of losing those things they believe are theirs by birthright.”

The male modulated voice continued, “The democratization of fear is my goal and the Eagle is one lever and tool to spread that message. You can refuse and return to your life of skulking or you can become something larger.”

“I expect abuse, but I also expect that you would do so according to the aim of drawing the misfits to your side and setting them to the task of strengthening the Empire by attacking our enemies from within and without.”

Char pauses. "The democratization of fear, huh? I heard the same thing from someone I respect. Hmm?"

The man thinks for a moment.

"I didn't do what I do out of love of the Empire. But kriffing damnation if it isn't home, warts and all. And if you are talking about shaking up what was there, what was the old guard, and putting in something new, I am all for that. The question is...what is the old Eagle, what is this Darth Malgus, and what would you like me to do about this?"

“The Eagle is an ideal and a crucible, he was not the First and you will not be the last,” he said in reply.

“Darth Malgus is Sith he is bound and trapped by everything that means.”

"I...can work with that. So, again...what do you need from me?"

Char Fin'le wrote:"I...can work with that. So, again...what do you need from me?"

“It seems obvious, your compliance as the eagle,” he said.

OOC: Also please add a signature.

In spite of his fear, Char can't help his sass.

"Oh, I thought you wanted a non-compliant person. Clearly, my mistakes." Remembering himself, Char clears his throat and resets. "What I mean is I accept the title but if you want me to do the job well, I either need specific instructions or you can give me a task and know what you are going for and you trust me that I can do the job well."

"Now, I can't be sure exactly what you want, but it's been no secret that Malgus has been getting as many capable people as possible chasing the Eagle. And you say that, what was it, that he's stuck being a Sith? If the Eagle is your creation, and he's hammering it, I'm assuming that you would like me to hamper that in some way."

"If I assume too much, it would be helpful to know before I put my foot into it."

He can feel needles pricking his skin as the mask just stared at him silence and then replied, “Darth Malgus is not your concern, and you assume incorrectly. Your role would be to build the next network, prepare them to be the villains that the Empire will need.”

"See, that's why I asked." Char sighs a bit and rubs his forehead.

"How about to start off? Any assets to work with? Because I can start from scratch, but I have no idea what sort of timeline that you are looking for?"