The End of the World [Day 7, Mid Afternoon]

[Lord Tenebrous]

She looked thoughtfully at Jun-Tsu. "... You're right, it's getting ahead of ourselves. Sorry, was just voicing my thoughts, thinking about the fallout." She sighed softly. "But you're right. This matters more than the politics of the Empire; this is galactic scale."

[Lord Jo'ren Rath]

"Yeah. One Galactic scale fuck up at a time. Let's save the galaxy first and worry about the Empire imploding second." He nodded to Jun-Tsu. She had given him an idea. It was a slim hope. But hope died last.

[Dapper Dog]

Arya cackled as she looked at the child and then said, “Yes… that explains what I have foreseen, those that have drunk even a sip could be compromised if their will is weak… those too deeply will not be able to resist.”

“They could be his for a time or forever, or until he is destroyed… but the future beyond that point is obfuscated. It is a null point in time and space… a great deal of Dark Side Energy converging on that moment in space-time.”

“We will have to deal with the fallout if we survive,” she added grimly.

“Tomorrow, at Imperial Court… that will be the moment, that will be when decisions will have to be made and sacrifices made. Failure is obvious, we die, but if we succeed…” she said with a dark grin.

“We save the Sith Empire.”

"There's a base. One of the temples. Imperial Guard are keeping everyone away." He shrugged. "Might be nothing. Might be he's got a plan. Like Exar Kun."

“The training ground of the Imperial Guard is a sanctum of the Emperor, I learned of this during my time on Bankor. It is a contingency, if his physical form is slain his spirit, and he is now more spirit than man will retreat here to recover… Lord Scourge confirmed this much to me,” Zash responded.

“It may be prudent to launch an orbital strike, but we cannot tip our had too soon.”

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I had vorried greatly about zuch pover. I had hoped zhe blade might zewer hiz link to ozher zuch wesselz, but I do not zhink ewen mein vamily'z alkhemy iz ztrong enough to do zuch zhingz. Zhe bezt I can hope iz zhat it may cut avay hiz invluence on zhoze here. But in truzh....it haz been a millennia zince zuch a blade had to be vorged, und zhe zecretz of itz vull nature are not vell known to me. Only zo var az it may truly kill hiz immortal, corporeal vorm."

[Lord Tenebrous]

Arya's words confirmed more or less the suspicions. "Sounds like resistance will come from unexpected angles then and not just his guards."

"There is no way to protect from such Influence other than a strong will?"

[Lucinia Malveaux]

Lucinia had been rubbing her temples for some time. Finally she shook her head.

"While I respect the power that the Emperor has achieved, I am not some... some morsel to be devoured at his will." Lucinia said haughtily.

Her expression grew more serious. "We have a time to act. Can we plan further, or..." She cast her eyes about at those assembled. "Will it be clear what to do when the time comes?"

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"At zhe time of Darzh Malguz' attack, zhat iz zhe moment I hawe vorezeen. It comez to zhat moment vhen all poverz are arrayed againzt him zhat zhe blade can ztrike."

[Lord Tenebrous]

Her lips pursed for a few moments as she was thinking, recalling some of the things she and Kristal had been looking into. "We should be wary of Malgus too... he's not nescessarily an ally in this endeavour."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"The question isn't who to be wary of... this is the Empire, one must always be wary. Malgus will certainly kill any or all of this party without thought or remorse. The question is how many there are that can be relied on to see this plot through and what their role will be in the moment of import. If even those present are possibly compromised... that makes that number infinitesimally small." He replied.

"What is the plan specifically? Walk up to him on the throne and stab him? That is a long and arduous walk if he already knows we're coming... I don't think there are any here that can walk that distance and survive... not even the gifted child." He paused.

"I can provide protection to some degree for such a walk... but the power of the Emperor is undeniable."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"It remainz to be rewealed. But know zhiz, he may be immortal und ancient but he iz a man like any ozher, v'one driwen by all the pazzionz und humorz of zuch limited beingz az ve. He hungered vor pover zo greatly az to conzume zhe wery pover he zought. He doez not zhink ov hiz actionz, only of zhe rezultz. He haz grown zo poverful ewen zhat no doubt he laughz at our pathetic attemptz to uzerp him."

"I am to be hiz woice, und he zhall conzume mein ezzence to make room for hiz vill. I am, likely to him, a pizhetic creature barely to be noticed. V'one does not mind inzectz, but a zpider can ztill kill vith a bite. It iz prezicely becauze he iz zo poverful zhat he vill allow uz cloze....elze he vould be here now, at zhiz wery moment, to slaughter uz all."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"Not to sound too much like the wet blanket... but that's a rather optimistic appraisal my friend..." He replied.

"I've done the 'wing it' approach to try and kill one much more powerful than I... It did not go well. Solid plans with achievable directives for each actor are the far better basis to start with. Contingencies are sure to occur... but simply because a vision did not reveal a plan does not mean there shouldn't be a plan to put into action or diverge from if conditions change." He asserted with mechanically emotionless candor.

"If not to discuss what exactly is expected of us individually, I'm not sure what the purpose of this meeting is other than to implicate each of us to anyone who may be watching as co-conspirators in a possible coup attempt on the morrow."

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"I am no tactician, nor zkilled in zuch matterz of var. Mein plan in reactionary, und zhough I know you to be a zpiritual man, I alzo know you to be a practical v'one. No anzwer I can giwe vill zate you, mein freund, but...I carry out zhe vill of zhe Dark Zide, und it zhall guide me to zhe proper place at zhe proper time. I truzt in zhe Forze, und zhrough zhe Forze I vill act."

She cast down her gaze, the talismans and ornaments of her headdress chiming as she did so. "I hawe vaizh in zhe Umbră-Ușoară."

[Sylvain Torsin]

"Faith and prophecies are powerful tools Jun-tsu. But every successful prophet has always been armed and prepared. Unprepared prophets are destroyed. If you've not the mind for strategy, then perhaps Darth Arya does? Pardon the pun... but blind faith has never been your moniker Darth Arya. You have plotted against and killed many rivals in your time, including my father. That kind of success is only possible through meticulous planning." He replied again devoid of emotion.

"There are few who have the same level of experience in dealing with the Emperor in this party... What are the parameters of the operation? If Jun-tsu and her faith alone are sufficient then none of us need be here. Jun-tsu's faith is an important factor... our purpose and plan of action are another."

[Dapper Dog]

“Faith is not how I would put it, the pieces have to be weaved together carefully, the dagger, the gathering of unlikely allies, even the moment of action must be precise and occluded. In fact we could be playing right into his hands,” she said after a moment of thought.

“Yet my visions say we have no other moment, if we let this pass us by it could be decades before such another opportunity comes to pass if we are all standing and not dead by then. I agree with a plan, but it must account for betrayal purposeful or not,” she finished.

[Lord Tenebrous]

"It wouldn't surprise me at all if he is expecting this. Encouraging it even... he is confident in his power and immortality, and this is probably just amusement for him." Or something worse.

"A plan is all well and good but how much exactly can we plan around a moment in time that we don't know that much about, other than that we will our lives and more on the line to bring him down."

[Dapper Dog]

Zash said, “Sadly I agree, we can only plan so much with the data given. We must be personally prepared, that much is true. We will have to be in the chamber positioned and ready to react… and trust in each other which is not a strong suit of any Sith.

She added looking at Sylvain briefly, “Well any living Sith.”

“We cannot rely on the Dark Council, not initially; they will seek to protect their power. Darth Arya and I have pledged our forces on the ground to secure key access points around the People’s Tower, if you have people you trust I suggest you do the same.”

Darth Arya added, “The People’s Tower is a city unto itself with defenses that could withstand a siege and bombardment, Malgus knows this and will most likely make that the target of his ambitions. In that chaos will be our moment.”

“Those that have value to you, I would direct to the People’s Tower or away from Ziost altogether,” she finished.

[Sylvain Torsin]

Sylvain nodded as Zash spoke though he was confused internally.

You agree with the foolish assertion that we can’t plan but then start laying out the plan already in motion... Okay...

“This kind of information is what I am seeking. Thank you Lord Zash. Knowing what has been prepared and what we should prepare is what making a cogent strategy consists of. It engenders the ‘trust’ you say we need. Obviously we cannot see all ends but ambiguity on our end breeds laxity... This strike must be precise or it will not breach the nets put in place to catch us.”

[Jun-Tsu Farro]

"Und zo ve are left az ve hawe zaid, ve ztrike vhen Darzh Malguz makez hiz attempt. Zhat iz zhe zignal. At vhich point, ve zeek zhe Emperor. No matter who vallz, no matter how many it may take, zhe blade muzt be plunged into hiz body, but do not be lax vith conwentional armz und all zhe pover ve hawe arrayed. Ve are veek alone againzt him, but az I hawe zhown to zome of you, Houze Farro haz long zurwived az a cowen, able to draw our poverz together vor a common goal. In zhat I hawe enacted poverz of zhe Forze vell bevore I maztered zhem on mein own und zo zhall ve."

[Lord Tenebrous]

"It's do or die," she concluded. No matter what happened, they would either have to succeed, or they would die, she figured.