Alix had remained silent for the large portion of the flight, promising Marrick that his questions would be answered upon their arrival aboard the Kaggath. After all he was more the tactician and muscle behind the operation more than anything else. The Lambda Class reached the ship, flying through the hangar that stretched along the bow of the ship. Standing up Alix picked up his pike from it’s resting place and walked towards the entrance, beside the ramp. He waited at perfect attention for Marrick to approach him, force of habit really.
He turned his head back to the Sith Lord. “Welcome aboard.” With that he hit the button and the ramp deployed, hissing as gas was pushed out of the ports as the air pressure stabilised. Walking down the ramp he moved to the left of it, standing at attention waiting for Marrick to disembark. In the hangar stood a significant portion of the ships stormtroopers, as well as officers and pilots lining the halls. There were no maintenance personnel to speak off and everyone stood at perfect attention.
A
man in robes approached, walking side by side with a
man whose rank insignia identified him as an Admiral. The Admiral stood back straight as the man in robes took to a knee and bowed before Marrick. “My Lord. It is my pleasure to meet you, my name is Talbor Hunis. Welcome to the
Kaggath, this is Rear Admiral Tamzen, this is his command.”
The Admiral nodded “Sir.”
“It is our pleasure to have you aboard this ship, we will accomplish great things with you as our leader. Leading us to greatness, and bringing back the True Empire, for the Empire can only function with the Sith at the throne. Tell me, what is it you desire?”
Marrik took a moment to consider his response carefully. He no longer doubted this organization’s sincerity, but now he had the legitimate concern of protecting and nurturing this tiny new force. As well as growing strong enough to lead it properly. Hutt space was chaos, ripe for the picking. He decided, then and there, that he would elevate this order, and by extension, himself, into a true force to rule the galaxy. However, first thing’s first.
”We will need more troops. I have recently been made aware of a group of mercenaries operating in this sector of space. Powerful mercenaries known as the Prudii Verda. They are large and well-equipped enough to solidify our power. We must gain their aid through whatever means possible. Force, if necessary. Afterwards, we shall reveal ourselves to the remnants of The Empire, and unite them under our power. I am willing to take council on how best to achieve these ends.” Marrik’s wounds ached, his pain no longer dulled by rage, but he did not allow it to show. First impressions were quite important.
Talbor seemed more taken aback than Alix was, Alix just stood there without saying so much as a word throughout all of this. He’d speak if he was spoken too, Talbor however was not against speaking. “An excellent choice M’Lord. The Prudii Verda, as a point of Imperial Embarrassment are one of the Empires misguided ventures. A Inquisitor was paired with a group of elite mercenaries, and when the leader of the project tried to cancel it they revolted against the Empire. They killed everyone on the research station they were trained on. It was a mess, one that the Empire forgot about when the Prudii Verda went missing and chose to neglect when they appeared again in Hutt Space.”
Tamzen spoke up now. “From what we know of their statistics we have the fleet power to take them out, however their ground strength is considerably greater than ours. Our troops are loyal, and skilled however they are no match for the level of training that these mercenaries posses. Taking them out by force won’t be necessary, and we don’t have the funds to-”
Alix spoke up, his voice through the helmet. He didn’t move. “Challenge them.”
Talbor shot Alix a look, he couldn’t see it but Alix didn’t even bother looking back at him. “They’re Mandalorian. Challenge their leader, and if you win they’ll fall in line.”
Talbor bowed his head lower again. “Forgive him My Lord, he doesn’t understand the finer intricacies of politics. Obviously we know you won’t stoop to such a savage level.”
Alix let out a fake laugh, a
huh. “Vader understood the strength of a leader being active on the battlefront, the strength it can add to morale. To show that you are willing to do what you expect of others.” He never would have spoken like this in the Emperors presence, may he be at peace with the Force. However he could not stand Talbor, he wasn’t sure sometimes if Talbor believed in the cause to further his own standing or to truly improve the Galaxy. Either way he didn’t like the man, and they both knew it.
”Alix is right, though his impertinence leaves much to be desired.” Marrik said. Indeed, the man had echoed his own thoughts quite closely. He had a grudging respect budding for the warrior. [color=gold]“I am not Vader, but I
am Sith. I will not cower while others’ legacies are forged on the anvil of battle. No, I will challenge their leader, I will destroy him, and scatter his remains into the void of space for the rest of his forces to see.” Marrik nodded to Alix, then looked again to the others.
[color=gold]”But how best to go about this?”[/gold]
“From Mandalorian culture, just openly challenge them. Call him weak and challenge him, that will draw him out and then you can fight at some neutral ground somewhere. That’s all you need to do.” Talbor flashed a look, that if looks could kill it surely would have.
“M’Lord forgive us, Alix is a soldier and a warrior. He has no place in these discussions.” He moved indicating his arm down the passageway between the stormtroopers to the door at the end of the hangar.
Marrik grunted in exasperation, but followed along down the corridor with Talbor. He sensed the rivalry between the two, and normally he would side wholeheartedly with Alix, but he needed to determine what sort of value Talbor held before passing judgement. He began to think he may acclimatize rather well to this new role.
Talbor lead them through the halls, several officers looked up at them, casting glances and standing to the side to let them past. “I was one of the Prophets of the Dark Side. I worked for Palpatine, discussing issues and secrets the likes of which even Alix did not hear when protecting the Emperor. Learning from Yupe Tashu I know many secrets of the Dark Side-” His expression turned sad. “-Alas I was not blessed however with the ability to access the Force so what information I have-” He bowed his head slightly. “-Is yours for the taking. My diplomatic skills? They too are available to you. While Alix-” He waved his hand dismissively “-believes he needs to help you with your combat abilities. As if he could compare to you My Lord.”
Marrik’s eyes widened beneath his visor. Someone who could teach him more about the force, but who was himself no threat? What beautiful twist of fate had lead him to this cult, he didn’t know, but he would not squander it.
”I want to know everything Palpatine taught you. Marrik demanded,
“As for Alix, you do not give him enough credit. He is formidable in the ways of the Blade. Were I not Sith, he would have bested me. I will learn what I can from him as well. Meanwhile, let us track down the Prudii Verda. While we search, I would have you share your knowledge with me.” Talbor grumbled. He didn’t like being told he was wrong. “Alix has a point, simply challenge their leader openly and he will likely come. It is best to do so somewhere public, for example there is an old arena on Nar Shadda that was owned by one Grakkus the Hutt that would be an excellent place for the duel, and it has a history of Jedi deaths so likely that will aide you in becoming stronger.”
“In terms of the Dark Side, one of the reasons the Emperor focused so much on the Death Star was it’s ability to destroy. Being present during a time with that great a loss of life can create wounds in the Force which can increase the abilities of a Force Wielder, such as yourself. However I don’t think you’re at that power level yet, hm?” He chuckled to himself. “One of the most important lessons he taught was that while you must use your emotions to give yourself power, you cannot let the emotions control you, for when you lose control that’s when mistakes are made. Vader is a good example of this, it pays to be feared however Lord Vader killed many Imperial Officers, some of them were high standing such as Grand General Tagge because he lacked control over himself.” Talbor tutted to himself. “So much could have been different if Tagge had survived, he was a tactical genius.”
”Well, tell the bridge to take us to Nar Shadda. I will think on what you have said. For now, I need rest.” Marrik’s wounds, and the events of the night were taking their toll. He was finding it difficult to focus. He paused a moment, wincing mid-stride, something he instantly cursed himself for internally.
”Do I have quarters aboard this vessel?” He asked.
Talbor clicked his fingers and a trooper that was following them caught up and stood at attention as they both stopped. “This Trooper will take you to your quarters, I have taken the liberty of decorating them in a way that I hope you approve, however should you wish we can also seal of the medbay so you can have some privacy and medical attention?”
”That will not be necessary. The Dark Side sustains my body.” While this talent was certainly something several sith before him had mastered, this was a blatant lie. In truth, his armor had taken most of the damage, and his wounds were mainly bruising and light burns. However, it seemed wise not to show weakness in the company of the Acolytes. With that, he followed the trooper to his new quarters.
It was a lavish affair, dimly lit with the iconography of the many Sith Empires dotted about. He saw the large bed and moved toward it, a smile creeping across his vicious teeth. It had been a long while since he had tasted luxury. He would savour it.
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