Ziost - Crown of the Sith Empire

The face of a Zabrak with dark tattoo patterns floated in front of Sylvain as he walked through the halls.

"... And the girls, they are safe?" Sylvain asked to his trusted confidant.

Tyron related the general state of things with the girls and the preparations of Kristal's funeral back to Sylvain as he drew very near the front door.

"Thank you again Tyron... I'll be seeing you soon. We have much to discuss when we do." He nodded in farewell and hung up before opening the front entrance to his home.

He bowed slowly and politely to the Lady Ausar as she came in and greeted her in a solemn fashion, "Good morning. It is a relief to know you survived the events of yesterday."

She dipping her head before pushing back her hood. "Thank you... You as well. My condolences on your loss."

He nodded graciously, "Life is pain my friend. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something..."

He guided her in and led her to a small room with a couple of couches and a bar. He walked over to the bar and removed a couple of large empty bottles of hard liquor from off of the surface before looking up, "A drink... in honor of your discovery?"

She smiled at that. "I'll gladly accept. We at least have that to celebrate. Less than a week of work is not at all bad of turnover for that kind of research."

"Indeed." He said with a nod as he pulled out a couple of glasses and a bluish alcohol from the wall.

"T'was constructed by Malgus apparently... And that's not just the official spin on the matter." He said as he poured the glasses.

"Wait, they publicly gave the credit to someone else?" She asked, stopping for a moment.

"Malgus is the current straw-man for all the ills within the Empire... The plague, however, he was responsible for. He used it to draw resources away to his allies and the fleets away from Ziost to prepare for his coup. His death marks the end of any significant obstacle that would prevent our production of your serum." He replied as he slid the glass over to her.

"Another thing to drink to I suppose."

"Oh, oh, oh, right, I get it. He's responsible for the plague itself," she said, shaking her head and exhaling as she accepts the drink. "I suppose so." She raised her glass to it.

"I'm just glad we can get it deployed in a reasonable timeframe." She didn't like watching people suffer when she could do something about it. That went unsaid.

He nodded, "I am still working on the specific logistics. I hope you can trust me to administer it in the best possible way going forward. Resources may be somewhat limited in the early stages before manufacturing can really kick in... but we will be sure to direct it to the places that are of greatest import in the days ahead."

She nodded. "I've finished my part. I'm willing to leave your part to you. I'm not a complete control freak," she said with a small laugh.

"Good. Your trust is appreciated. Should you have need of your creation for a site of personal interest... notify me and I will make it happen."

"I still have the data, so it should be fine... I appreciate it, though. You never know what might be necessary," she replied with a nod.

"The time has come for people of your skill to put to use their full talents... Repairing the damage done to so many." He said after he swallowed his first swig.

She nodded in agreement. "I intend to take on authority over healthcare and research. I think that's the best place to put in my efforts. What do you intend?"

"To survive..." He said with a simple nod. "I have girls to raise. A system to administer over. A new Empire to aid... All of those things require me to be alive... and those who aspire for titles and fame... they end up being remorsed by those who live on."

She nodded quietly. "I'm just trying to do something productive while I'm in the more central systems for a while. Eventually I won't need to be here, and I can return to my planet and observe for a while."

He nodded but then tilted his head, "A woman like you should stay near the center... Useful people always have a reason to be near the seat of power."

She shrugged. "I only have so much energy and patience for staying at the center of things. And besides, I also want to survive."

"Let us hope that this new regime does not uproot its talent as the last one frequently did..." Sylvain said with a tinge of... despair it might be.

"I hope not... but that's the way most people take Sith philosophy," she replied, shaking her head.