Ziost - Crown of the Sith Empire

In a vast, dark chamber filled with heavy stone columns, Jun-Tsu looked like small as she sat in front of a glowing white orb. It gave off a faint light that illuminated only the area round her, as she knelt amid a circle of what appeared to be prayer mats. Each was ornately embroidered in black and gold, in a pattern barely indistinguishable from a distance. Upon close inspection, however, they wove an endless cord with no begin or end around the perimeter of each.

In her hands was a small glass, and next to her a carafe of faint blue liquid. Silently she sipped at her cup, her posture precise and rigid.

Sylvain walked through the darkened hallways with an attendant from House Farro leading him on. His dark robes and armor matched the vibe to a great extent as he blended in with the surroundings.

He was led through the door to the table where Jun-tsu was waiting. He nodded a greeting from a distance and then approached, "Good afternoon Lady Farro. A pleasure as always to see you."

She did not rise, perhaps out of a sense of comfort or familiarity, or perhaps she had momentarily forgotten the social formalities. All the same, she did look up and gestured to a mat beside hers, "Pleaze, mein Lord, join me. It iz I who hawe zhe pleazure, especially az I pull you vrom your var grander eztate to zee me."

She finished her cup and took up the carafe to pour another. "Vould you care vor a drink, mein Lord? It iz Korrizian Wodka, diztilled vrom zhe ground root Mechla, plentiful near the western palace all year round. Common, but potent."

He came gently to her side and sat on the mat next to her, "I'll have one. I'm not one to imbibe too much alcohol. I prefer knowledge for my intoxicating influences."

"Knovledge prowidez me vith zobriety, drink prowides me vith intoxication." She said matter-of-factly, as she took up a second glass and poured. "I....returned not long ago vrom an audience vith zhe emperor. I, needed juzt a bit to zettle mein nerwez. I hope you vill vorgive a moment of veaknezz zhown to an old vriend."

She took another long sip and then rested the cup in her lap.

"No apologies are needed between friends my dear. Drink to your heart's content. A confrontation with the Emperor has been bad for many people's mental and physical states as of late. If my presence can help you recover from the experience I am more than willing to offer it." He said with a smile as he took a glass for himself.

He sipped his drink and swallowed it coolly.

It was a good distillation, smooth, with a burn at the tail end, one that warmed the stomach more than the throat. The perfect way to keep the cold of Ziost at bay.

Jun-Tsu closed her eyes, "I vear for you mein Lord."

He tilted his eyebrow, "Why, my friend?"

"You valk a dangerouz pazh," Jun-Tsu stared into her drink for a moment, lost in it's surface.

Rousing from her reverie she waved aside the comment, "I apologize, I am owerztepping greatly, mein Lord. Und iv I do, pleaze blame it on zhe drink."

"You do not. No more apologies my friend, really." He shook his head.

"The life of a Sith is fraught with danger, to which path do you refer to?" He asked.

"Mein daughter zaid zomezhing zhe ozher day. Zhe iz a peculiar child, precozious, but vith great inzight. I vear, vhat I took az idle metaphor...." she warred with herself over whether to continue.

"I...vear you are turning tovardz zhe Light. I vould newer beliewe you to be a traitor!" She was quick to add. "Zhat haz nozhing to do vith it. But I vear, in your patriotizm you....hawe begun to take a diwergent pazh."

He chuckled and shook his head, "I am no traitor Jun-tsu. I can assure you of that. She, nor you, are not incorrect... though probably not in the way you believe."

He sipped at his glass again and swallowed it down before continuing, "In comparison to some, I do not adhere continually to the tenets of the Sith Code as consistently as many do. My philosophy on the Force has always been detached from ideology. You know me to be a pragmatist... and as such my connection to the Force often has followed those basic tendencies within me."

He paused for a moment, "I spent considerable time exploring different phenomenon following our graduation on Korriban. Traveled to several sights of breaches in between our world and the Force. Through my studies, I have come to be able to access all aspects of the Force when necessary. I do not refrain from drawing on my passion when it is required, nor am I afraid to foster growth. The galaxy is full of individuals who try to personify one aspect of the Force or the other... and I do not think that is improper. But the Force ebbs and flows throughout all existence... it creates and destroys... Links and severs us all. My role then... as I see it... is to ride that state of flux and enable the disparate forms of power that exist in the galaxy to create progress and destroy weakness. To utilize the best possible methods for any given situation... So that the galaxy is neither consumed by the Void, nor lulled as a moth to the light."

"It iz trecherouz, zhiz pazh, und vhile you remain loyal now, to be zo open vith your ideology," she sipped from her cup. "I do not deny mein own ztepz vrom zhe Zith Code, into realmz not usually tread by ozherz in zhe empire. Zhe old myzticizm demandz greater ztepz into zhe Dark, in vayz ewen zhe Zith do not take. Ve are of zhe old jen'jedai, zo I understand your vizh to hawe bozh vayz in each hand."

"But it iz dangerous. You can ztill be a patriot to zhe Empire vithout being a zlawe to zhe Zith Code, but it may make you zoft. Open to ideaz und ideologiez vhich can zvay you to treazon or ewen....to zhe jedai."

He shook his head, "To that end, I promise you there is no danger. I despise the Republic and the Jedi more than you seem to think. I can understand the source of their power without having to be amenable to them in any way. Narrow and dogmatic approaches are not something I can adhere to. The old jen'jedai and their rivals the jed'aii both held very different conceptions of the Force than any institution that currently exists. The tools available through accessing both Ashla and Bogan exceed either one individually."

He continued, "I have long respected your people because of the abilities that you have through dedicated service to Bogan... You have access to power that no one else does. That power is necessary at times, but for other circumstances there are better tools. Power is always situational. The galaxy needs people like you. It needs people who can access the true power of Ashla as well. It does not need the decrepit and failing institutions of the Sith and Jedi that have a form of power... but deny the true sources behind it."

He put the glass down gently, "Mine is the way of the Bendu. The Center Path... And it is as you say... A precarious one. But not for fear of falling to the Jedi. It is precarious for both the Dark and the Light do not comprehend it... and that engenders animosity from all angles. Balance is not the concept... for that is a word which the Jedi have perverted for their own uses... but the way of the Bendu is to navigate the flows of the Force... and direct them towards the ends that we wish to see."

"Zo," she said in a resigned tone, "You hawe vallen to zhe Jal-Shey philosophy, zhe middle pazh. I do not deny zhere iz much lore on zhe pover, inzight, und enlightenment v'one can gain zhrough zhe middle vay. I cannot dizuade you vrom your pazh, but I cannot condone it. Ve ewer zhall be vriendz, but you may newer zet voot upon Korriz. Ve cannot let v'one of zhe light, who haz allowed it to become a part of zhem in whole or in part, amidst our purity. Our pover, haz ewer come vrom our abzolute dewotion to zhe Dark Zide."

"But I underztand your vordz. I zpoke not long ago, zhe Umbră-Ușoară iz zhat vhizh deztroyz und decayz to allow vor new live upon vhich to veed. It tviztz und zhiftz zhe Liwing Vorce to our vill. But ve are in oppozition. Ve need zhe light az zhey need zhe dark. But ve are old, und adhere to zhe oldezt var, of zhe Dark verzuz zhe Light. I vizh you luck on your pazh, but...you handle two zerpentz, v'one in each hand. To look avay vrom v'one iz to be ztruck by zhe ozher."

He nodded, "You speak mostly the truth my friend, and while it saddens me, I would not think to diminish that which you and your family have worked for so many years to create. There is much your family can contribute to us all. I respect your methods more than all of our colleagues. But where you err is in my adherence to the philosophy of the Jal Shey. Their passive neutrality is not the aim of my pursuits. My interest will always be the Empire. All forms of power must be contained and mobilized for its success. To allow the destructive power of the Dark to grow unabashed eternally would only lead to the extinction of all. For the Empire... for my children... I cannot allow that future to come to pass. I am sure that your daughter's future has an equal measure of importance in your heart as mine."

"I do not vorry vor mein daughter. She iz beyond a great many in her pover, but I do vorry vor zhe vuture. Zhe woid iz opening und zhreatenz to zvollow zhe whole of zhe galaxy. I...have vorked agenzt it, but I vorry zhat nozhing can ztop it, v'one can only zurwive it. Und....I vill not be v'one of zhem, I vear mozt of all."

He furrowed his brow slightly, "Of what do you speak... you mentioned something similar when we last met."

"Zhiz iz different," Jun-Tsu took a sip, emptying her glass. She took up the carafe again. "I....hawe been put vorward by Lord Baraz to be zhe Emperor's Voice."

Her tone was neutral. No, not neutral, hollow. The cup filled and she set down the carafe and took a drink. "I hawe zo many zwordz at mein neck, I begin to qveztion vhich vill ztrike me down virst."

"Baras' gifts are rarely of benefit to anyone but himself." He replied after another sip of his drink.

"You do not need to ward all the swords off alone. What dilemmas do you face?" He replied with a look of support.