Indulge the Devil [Doren]

[Slade Xandir]

Blood didn't need to use the Force to see exactly the reaction which would seal this deal in blood and bond. There was the expression of how he wanted people to remember him, that menacing glow of horror in memory, unfurling into something that hell's wrath itself couldn't touch. That relentless echo of hate, the nectar he wanted to sip this very moment, but was prohibited by the damned lizards.

Standing, the Dragon King gestured to the port window. With a twinkle in his volcanic irises, he chuckled.

"You need only knock. Or if unable to do such, send a call."

The same manner of communication they used to meet, today. Nothing extravagant or complicated. The Sith always knew when their neighbors were nearby, whether they came to investigate the issue or not.

"The ship is prepped and docked," Raven slipped through the space between the pair of them, the only indication that she was female. Blood turned to look at the petite and shadow cloaked girl, and acknowledged her. "Then we musssssst be going."

The Sithian walked around the edge of the dusty tables, cloths and cloaks making an otherworldy symphony of sounds as they all dragged across the floor until he increased his speed to a slightly more determined walk. It caused them to flow behind him in a silent flourish, a sea's wave of scarlet.

As they departed, the Sithian called back to the Imperials. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Arrow."

Raven joined him, following him out and they soon were off the sealed base and into the docking bay, where they boarded and ventured back to their turf.

[Professor Mors]

"Indeed", Doren offered in light of his counterpart's closing comment. Yes, claiming the encounter was a "pleasure" might have come off as dishonest. Nonetheless, Vassyl hardly intended to come across as rude, and swiftly provided his guest with a final, courteous salute, and concluded, "Safe travels, I'm certain we'll be in contact again shortly". The Captain then spun about and took his leave, the pair of accompanying commando's scanning the area carefully in his wake, their weapons hot and ready to fire if needed. Upon arriving back at his TIE, Vassyl nearly collapsed on the spot, and had to lean against the rigging of one of the ventral wings. The encounter had been stressful, more than would have ever anticipated. And yet, there was still much to be done before Doren could digest all that had occurred.

***Imperial Military Station Delta 589, Ciutric IV, Ciutric Sector, Grid Coordinates N-5***

"It's totally out of the question!", High Admiral Ivy boomed, smacking his fist into an abused durasteel table, "They simply cannot be trusted!". "But what if they are telling the truth Admiral?", Rufino Fogg measured in, exuding a pensive tone with his commentary, "The potential reallocation of our assets would be tremendous". "Even so", muttered Admiral Quinby, "We have no guarantee that our potential gains outweigh the alternative". Vassyl remained silent as the titans of the Admiralty exchanged verbal blows. Though High Admiral Willis and Marshal Stockham were fulfilling deployments many sectors over, they wasted no time appearing via holocall. Indeed, the only absence what that of the Grand Admiral, with whom Doren had spoken to prior.

"And what say you, Captain", Christorn snapped at Vassyl, causing him to leap a little from his seat, "If we do entertain this fiction of a combined operation, how would you go about it?". "With as few units as possible High Admiral", Doren answered back, unafraid to flex his tactical acumen, "If there is a schism within the Sith fleet, their own battleships can handle themselves: what I'm concerned with is Tormentous himself". "You make it sound like you're more inclined to stage an assassination than an actual siege Mister Vassyl", Admiral Fogg probed, an intrigued glimmer flitting about his eyes. "It as you say Admiral, this is not about conquest. Rather, by stabilizing one radical government, we might curry favor with another".

"Government!", High Admiral Ivy bellowed with a reckless bewilderment, "This is the Sith we're talking about: they have no formal administration!". "Not in terms of a concrete polity Admiral", Doren piped, earning a scornful glance from his superior, "The Sith embody the notion of kraterocracy: in plainer terms, they worship strength. Though we failed to secure our objective over Xilkarth, we succeeded in proving our military mettle against the enemy's fleets. The zealot who contacted me is no doubt aware of this, and understands that our powers can achieve greater results working in tandem instead of continual opposition". "Still", Admiral Willis swiftly commented before his colleagues could respond, "The Moffs would never approve of a formal alliance".

"That much is true", Admiral Fogg chimed in agreement, "And the general populace might be moved to revolt on an unprecedented scale". "Something which we can hardly afford to contend with given the recent increase in hostilities along the Hydian" the Marshal added. "But suppose", Doren carried on, "That it wasn't a formal alliance. If we could tailor an ambiguous treaty, something like a ceasefire, but without the expiration period, we might be able to have our cake and eat it as well. Pacifying the Sith diplomatically allows us greater flexibility along the Northern Trade Spine. What's more, if we are made privy to the Sith's naval movements, we can coordinate our own assaults to such a degree that the Alliance will not be able to adequately face both forces".

"Provided that this invitation to hunt their previous leader isn't one massive trap", Christorn remarked coldly, "Are you prepared to stick your neck out on the hope that these fanatics won't cut it to ribbons Mister Vassyl?". The High Admiral, Doren presumed, was himself unprepared for the Captain's answer, for the mere of utterance of, "Yes Sir, without the shadow of a doubt" muted the entire conference chamber. Using this pause to his advantage, Doren elaborated, "Allow me access to three squadrons of fighters and a team of commandos, and I will return with the head of our longstanding foe. If I should fail, disown me, demote me, execute me if you so wish, but I stand resolute with the Grand Admiral's verdict: it is a risky gambit, but this chance may never arrive again".

[Slade Xandir]

It wasn't too far of a flight back to the stationed Naga, and even before docking, Blood mused well over the playing situation. If anything the Sithian had full and vibrant plans for this potential alliance. Raven seemed to be uncaring in the aspect, as she was with the majority of things. Regardless, he talked it over with her, even as they walked down the matte ramp. There wasn't anything that could be seen as stranger than a massive dragon-like Sith Lord walking in massive strides while a tiny and dark cloaked figure seemed to float beside him. However, the personnel aboard Blood's Naga paid the pair no mind other than giving appreciative and awe-inspired whispers of their current leader. Not knowing what the pair had done or what they were up to, the security, pilots and other workers spoke of their ruler with nearly the same zealous temper as they had Tormentous. The only thing preventing them from fully fulfilling themselves in such whispers was the mysterious air that surrounded Blood's leadership; no one knew what the Sith Lord had planned for his faction.

No one other than Raven.

Katya, as her name was in the Sith, and in the world beyond, was his Phantom, the one responsible for finding out Intel and securing it for her Lord's purpose. The most confining thing was her own loyalty, and that was as finicky as she allowed it to be, to which stand point not even Blood himself knew. He had picked her up from a world and a lifestyle that hadn't deserved her, and repurposed the tiny Miraluka hybrid to his own desires. As skilled as she was in the Force, and as little as she had told him of her prior life, she was a gift, as he was to her. In a way, he had adopted her, and little did he know how much that had meant to her. Regardless of it, as untrusting as she was initially, she would give off her uncaring aura as it suited her best for this role, but unbeknownst to Blood, she was unable to leave this role, whether she wanted to, or not.

As they made their way into his chambers to discuss these things privately, the second the massive steel door shut them within the large confines of the ship, the low-setting burgundy lighting set them in a world of red. Here, they both blended into the surroundings with ease, shadows stretching to make more distorted forms of themselves. It was Raven who spoke first, as she hovered to levitate in a single place before the now sitting Dragon King.

"Is this worth it?" she said simply, soft voice skimming through the space between them. "Certainly. It only allows us a higher oppertunity for prosperity, in addition to numbers. The Sith have gone to aid Empire for it's own cause several time throughout the millennia; this is no different, even with the turned tables that Tormentous has laid to test me with."

"How do you know this is a test from him? And how do you not know this could just be another way of exchanging one threat for another?"

Blood thought about this one, his molten stare reaching the iridescent glow of the garnet stone that glowed in the pitch black void of her hood.

"Whether it be by Him, or by Fate itself, everything is a test. Tormentous was a catalyst for Fate to make this test, a vessel to set this game up. I am but a pawn of Fate, just as you are. But in the end, Fate claims all winnings, Katya."

She had remained silent for a minute as she digested this proverb. "But will Fate be in your favor as you trade one enemy for another?" she asked, reaching up to pull her hood from her pale face, purple bobbed hair silhouetting the features entirely.

"Only time, patience, and determination will tell. But I am willing to atleasssst find out."

[Professor Mors]

"You do realize this is madness Captain", Dwight Stockham interposed as he followed Doren down towards the hangar lift, "The numbers are hardly pointing in your favor". "They seldom do", Vassyl scoffed, "Nonetheless Marshal, I will do what I can. No matter how slight the chance, this cooperative could". "Cooperative", Stockham chortled with indignation, "You'd better keep that confidence in check Mister Vassyl, if you don't, you may as well be playing into their hands". Doren furtively rolled his eyes as the pair entered the lift proper, and quipped back, "I'm terrified as it is Marshal, you'll forgive me if I try to keep my spirits up some". Dwight glanced at Vassyl with a face that simultaneously sympathetic and condescending, "Well, do keep your wits about you Captain: you know who you're up against here".

Doren remained silent for several moments, until at last the door slide open, revealing the hall leading towards the auxiliary hangar. Without turning back to face his associate, Vassyl coldly concluded, "More than anyone else Force Marshal: more than anyone else", and exited across the onyx floor without another word. Balling his hand into a fist, the young Line Captain worked to quell his frustration as he strode up the ramp of the shuttle Blackthorn. He had talked all afternoon and well into the evening, but going forward, Doren had his doubts as to whether or not he could make good on his assurances. The Sith were a sore spot, to be sure. If armistice was achieved, it would spare hundreds, maybe thousands of lives. And yet, what did that mean for those who had made the ultimate sacrifice in the past?

Yes, how could Vassyl hope to honor their memory in this way? But surely further bloodshed was equivocally unfair to those who still drew breath. It was a maddening dilemma, an axiom of the first degree. Still, Doren could not defeat the Sith by his lonesome, and adding to the pile of corpses would not revivify those who had fallen in the line of duty. Upon returning to Reverent, Vassyl wasted no time in stealing away to his private quarters, nurturing a great desire for privacy after the hours of cross-examination. Many minutes passed, as the Line Captain paced about, his usual tea affording him little in terms of relaxation. Finally resigning to what needed to be done, Doren took a seat at his desk, and began sending a long-range priority signal into the Reach, [This is Captain Vassyl: the documentation has been readied, we are prepared to move forward at your discretion].

[Slade Xandir]

Raven, ever ready to illustrate her capability of being the first on information's doorstep, had heard the relay through her earpiece. The wavelength and code of transmission she had copied, rewound, and send directly to Blood within a couple of clicks to her earpiece, slender gray fingers working under that bob to correct the direction of the message. Watching the data load on his holowatch, he payed it aloud for the both of them.

Confusion ran through him as he attempted collecting knowledge he had on this sort of thing, but he had none; he wasn't experienced in this assortment of leadership, let alone any at all. What documentation? So to Raven, he asked, "What documentation does he refer to?" in hopes that she might know the reference.

After a brief pause, she ran over her own stores of info regarding this matter. Generally she spoke, "Probably something to do with the alliance possibility," before she narrowed it down with "more than likely what might need to be achieved before we call ourselves 'alllies'. If anything, if could even be what they require on their behalf that we would have to adhere to; regardless of what it is, we must conjur up something of the same."

With a nod of his horned head, the draconian agreed. But the manner of which they acquired this documentation of their's mustn't be haphazard - it would show inexperience, weakness on their behalf. Something like that must not be shown to the ene- Well, prior enemy.

"See to it."

As she vanished from sight through one of the many shadows in his chambers, his holowatch dialed back to the same frequency of message, using the allowed code transcribed between the two parties. "We too are prepared; proceed."

He considered a holomeeting between the pair, resulting in a more comfortable meeting between the two parties as they would be in their natural domains. As Raven garnered the requirements and papers together, authorizing and denying the new changes that were meant to come and shutting down the ones that were old and dried up, Blood flicked a telekinetic touch towards the massive screen he had affront his back wall. This gave no feed, but with a programing of his watch and connection through the pair of devices, it was easily paired. With such, he sent a permission code to the Imperial Captain in case he'd desire a video feed or join via holo. If not, then they would simply speak over the radio waves. Blood wasn't attempting to do too much, so as not to illustrate how ignorant he was in this sort of matter; he was used to being the middleman in Sith affairs so long ago, not calling the shots as he did now. But he had gotten this far - there was no point in turning back.

[Professor Mors]

Doren was somewhat taken aback by the sudden request for a virtual conference. Nonetheless, if the Sith and their masters had some objection or inquiry into the procedure, it would be better to field it now as opposed to later. Before activating his own holofeed, Vassyl swiftly initiated several punch-codes that would make his otherwise closed-transmission locatable, and able to be monitored by other Imperial personnel: mainly the ISB. No matter how the next stage of the talks played out, Vassyl wasn't keen on the idea of being locked up and tortured a second time. While an unorthodox proceeding, the Captain was determined to keep things secure and within acceptable parameters. Engaging his own visual recorder, the Line Captain had to grip the edges of his seat so as to not appear surprised by the emissary's grizzly appearance.

[You have my thanks for the swift response], Vassyl's holographic facsimile began, [And I have no doubts that you'll be pleased to hear that my government has decided to go forward with your proposed arrangement, to a certain extend anyways]. Yes, the deal would be struck, but at this time its tenets were primordial at best. [At this time, we are prepared to offer a basic armistice incumbent upon both parties. We shall not engage your forces, so long as you guarantee to avoid confrontation with the Empire], Doren continued, [ Similarly, territory parameters for a demilitarized neutral zone have also been extended to you and yours, provided you consent to the other sections of the document]. Rapping an anxious thumb on his desk, Vassyl put forth his final stipulation, for now anyways, [Given the sensitivity of this agreement and the formalities of a recognized treaty, we will have to exchange signatures in person: if it is to your liking, we can meet on the weather satellite once more, or another location if you find one to better suited for our purposes].

[Slade Xandir]

As the conversation was being held, the entirety of it was being not only vocally recorded, but played in the ear of Raven, as her earpiece was connected to the volume feed. The more the Captain fed him, the more it bolstered the information Raven produced. Through text feed, she began sending him the necessary coordinates of each index dealing with Sith territory, wherever it was connected in relation to Imperial territory. It also showed the process as fast as she typed the commands for neutralization to take place, along with the status of which such was taken place. Places along the Rim were hesitant to allow such to take place, and it showed as the markers between the feed of Blood and the Sith were with the markers of Doren and the Imperials. But after a max of 3 minutes, the faction had completely reduced their deterrence and arms against Imperial involvement, giving temporary and renewable passway to Imperial allowance. it was clear there would have to be more authorization for the majority of less calamity, but what was obvious was how swift the Sith were to get this armistice on a roll. The feed displayed wherever on the screen Doren had such processed, and Blood had given credit to such efficiency to Raven.

"We will have the meeting upon the ssssatellite we had our previous meeting. No harm there."

Leaning forward, his slitted pupils glanced through the various messages popping up on his screen, discerning between the important ones and the less meaningful notifications. Rebel uprising on one of their various moons, protest from servants and their protests being culled by the many warriors he had enforce such rules he demanded. The increase of runaways and how much percentage of the lost had been brought back to the many mines and slave harbors. The ones who rose to support the decision versus the ones who attempted to defect from their colony. The many feeds of the connections and their percentages of how far along they were of allowing Imperial visits, their barricades in certain sectors that Raven had began raising. The many stores that were brought up and the many that moved, either hoping to attract Imperial attention or deter it. Weapons shops being eradicated or erected depending on the tastes of the owners, the tradeways given more or less surveillance.

All of it was visible to both parties, giving more transparency to the intimacy of their relationship. How much Blood was allowing Doren to see was of course being monitored by Raven, but all in all, it was a lot.

"How soon can we get this settled?"