Ziost - Crown of the Sith Empire

Raela sighed as she looked down at her datapad and then up at the buildings around her. "Okay, so... It should be to the right at the end there..." She looked down to double check and then started walking again, frowning as her eyes moved between the street ahead to avoid people and the pad in her hand.

(expecting)

As she walked up a noticeable slope towards the top of a mountain an estate with large imperial banners came into view. There appeared to be some movement going on near the entrance and a ship landing on a landing pad. From out of the main gate walked a man with black armored robes that waved off a guard who had spotted Raela.

The young man approached and nodded his head to the woman in greeting, "I'm afraid I don't know you. You've drawn the attention of the guards, but I wished to make sure an unsightly scene didn't ensue. My name is Sylvain Torsin. How may I help you?"

She paused when she saw the banners come into view. How did I manage to get this far onto the- Then the owner of the estate appeared and she closed her eyes for a moment, resisting the urge to curse. "My apologies for the unexpected trespassing, Lord Torsin... The Force occasionally has its own ideas about where I should be at any given time, in spite of my own intentions."

"I am Raela Ausar."

"The will of the Force should always be followed, even if we don't know where it leads. Where was it that you were looking for?" He asked with a polite smile.

"My former Master's properties," she said, taking a glance at her map before sighing and putting her datapad away. "I have it marked, but apparently that is not where I'm going today."

He chuckled, "Would you like to come in? The name Ausar is one that stretches back to the beginnings of the Empire. It would be impolite of me not to welcome you after the Force has guided you here. I can have a transport take you to your ex-master's residence whenever you'd like. Perhaps something to warm the bones before heading out?"

She let out a breath a chuckled a little herself. "... Yes, I would appreciate that. As is Torsin - it's almost more surprising we haven't met before now," she said, resuming her approach.

"We might have at some point in the past to be honest. When I was young I made the rounds at different social events..." He said as he turned towards the house.

"Ever attend a party at the Torsin residence?"

"It's possible I attended with my Uncle at some point... I would have been very young at the time," she mused, looking at the looming complex. "I made the rounds a bit back then. My parents were looking at forging more solid connections with other houses back then."

"As were mine as a matter of fact. We ended up adopting a young Sith pure-blood girl and raising her in our home. It is a shame we didn't make a bigger impression on each other then." He smiled.

"It seems the Force would like us to remedy that now, however. So... what is it you do Lady... Lord... Darth... Ausar?"

"It truly is. It's Lady, for now," she said with a small chuckle. "Until recently, I've been doing a great deal of research on the fringes of Empire space. Magbalantay is the distillation of the word 'backwater' into its purest form, but it's not a bad place to work. And yourself, Lord Torsin?"

Sylvain stopped for a moment at the mention of Magbalantay, "Magbalantay you say... How long were you there?"

"I first arrived there... ten years ago? Ten years ago. Time has flown," she said, shaking her head, pausing when he did.

"I see... I'd heard of it before from an acquaintance. Never been there personally, despite frequently traveling about the outer rim for much of the past few years." He replied as they crossed over the threshold into the home.

He stopped for a brief moment and tapped on a security panel near the front door before continuing to lead the Sith into an open room with couches and tables. "What is the nature of your research, if you do not mind me asking?"

"Well, few actively visit unless they have a good reason," she admitted. "I might know who it is."

"I've been expanding on my former Master's research. Ancient secrets, as well a genetics, psychology, and the interaction of the three."

"The woman I knew was from there... but the last time she visited I am not sure." He replied.

"Genetics? Is that so...? So you have some background in biology and psychology... I'm currently looking for researchers for a bit of a project I'd like to find some more resources for."

"... Ah, I see," she said, nodding, seeming to come to some understanding. A slave or a project, then. Interesting.

"Hmm... You certainly have my interest, Lord Torsin, if it's within my particular field. I'd love to know more."

"Have you heard rumor of the ailment spreading across much of the Outer Rim?" He asked.

"The 'definitely not a plague, no really, everything is fine'? Yes, I've heard some about it," she replied, finding a place to settle in on one of the couches. "Given your discussion of the Outer Rim, I assume this is of interest. Are you looking for help combating it?"

He nodded and tapped something on his datapad.

A holographic image of a planet appeared above the coffee table.

"I'm the planetary governor of the Zygerria system. It lays upon the only hyperspace lane which connects Ziost and the core systems of the Empire with the Corporate Sector. Many of the resources our Empire uses to fuel its military and domestic initiatives come from this sector... and yet the plague has spread to much of the region. I am looking to make Zygerria a success story of sorts. Looking to contain the disease and eradicate it from my system before doing the same for the rest of the Corporate Sector." He paused for a moment.

"I'm looking for a cure, yes. Too much manpower has been lost already... And without a way to combat the disease we will lose much more in order to purge the populace of this ailment... The Empire's resources are stretched too thin as it is... we are not gaining strength... We are rotting from the inside."