Plagueis-Tarentum Alpha

This is the thread of Plagueis-Tarentum’s Team Alpha for the Episode VII December Run-On.

Teylas Ramar (12761)
Farrin Xies (10013)
Aabsdu Dupar (5580)
Kz’set (13299)
Scion Tarentae (9335)
Vivackus Kavon (9219)

[KSD Transcendent]
[Command Bridge]
[Orbit of Lyspair]

“Do you trust Farrin?” Aabsdu Dupar, Master-at-Arms of the Dark Brotherhood, quietly relayed to the much physically taller man by his side. Elaborating, he added, “A betrayal could be costly, both to you and to Clan Plagueis.”

Teylas Ramar, the current Dread Lord of Clan Plagueis, nodded sagely. After a few moments collecting his thoughts on the matter, he responded, “Perhaps, but right now our arrangement is mutually beneficial. It will continue to remain so as long as Plagueis holds the upper hand militarily. Farrin is no fool; he won’t risk open warfare with Plagueis.”

A brief moment of silence came between the two.

“Besides, the suspicious, double-crossing, underhanded tactics of Plagueis in recent memory have led to disaster every time,” Teylas recalled. “It was the undoing of Kz’set, and as a result it was the undoing of Vivackus. It allowed Xander Drax to infiltrate our ranks and seize the Anchorage. I won’t allow that to happen again. While I realize most Sith lust for power, a certain level of trust will be required within Plagueis to avoid our previous self-destructive actions.”

Aabsdu nodded. Teylas felt as though the Dark Counselor understood the nature of what he was attempting. As a former Dread Lord himself, Aabsdu understood all too well how many times Plagueis has approached the brink of destruction.

“So you feel you’re up to the task?” the Elder asked.

Teylas responded, "I would rather share slightly more power with those under me to ensure loyalty than to continue down the path of destruction we were on. I believe after what transpired with Drax, and the ancient Sith entity after him, everyone else has begun to realize the same. I will bring order to chaos; structure to the destruction Plagueis leaves behind in its path.

The two were interrupted by a female voice walking up behind them, “Spear Squadron has finished their recon of the Shadow Academy complex. It appears that Dacien and his staff have finally fully evacuated. Shall I start having the ground troops prepare for deployment?”

“Yes, Admiral Ranin. We’ll need support troops to cover the facility while we send in our strike team to take out the undesirables,” Teylas ordered.

“I’ll prepare the dropships, Lord Ramar,” Ranin responded before turning to Aabsdu to acknowledge her former Dread Lord, “Lord Dupar,” she said with a slight bow of her head before walking back to her sitrep monitor.

A few moments later a large ship appeared from hyperspace: a ship both Aabsdu and Teylas recognized.

“Looks like Farrin and his forces have arrived,” Aabsdu noted.

“Good. There is another loose end I think we can tie up while we’re down there. I’m going to go have a little chat with someone before we head down,” Teylas looked at Aabsdu with a grin.

[KSD Transcendent]
[Vivackus Kavon’s Quarters]

“Sorry if we are disturbing you,” Teylas softly said walking into Vivackus’ quarters alone. The Dread Lord was still weary of the condition of his former consul - his friend - in the troubling times he had been going through. Teylas could feel Vivackus’ screams through the Force almost eternally. The swap from one body to another was taking a toll on his mind, and the evidence was quite clear. It wasn’t a stretch to say that anyone who felt compassion for Vivackus, as most of Clan Plagueis did, felt helpless to do anything about it. However, the Grand Master’s orders gave a perfect opportunity for Teylas to finally do something to help.

“No, no,” Vivackus responded as he stood from his meditation. Teylas could feel the blank stare behind his now Miralukan visage. Vivackus asked two questions jointly, “How are you; what can I do for you?”

Teylas smirked, “I think it’s about time I ask what I can do for you…”

Vivackus listened intently as the Dread Lord relayed the mission details to him. Teylas proposed it as the perfect opportunity: Vivackus would only need to gain control over himself for a little bit of time. Just enough time to enter the academy and begin searching the records, unhindered by any of the staff, for the vassal he now occupied. A Miraluka whose body he now inhabited; surely someone who graduated the Dark Brotherhood’s academy at some point.

Finally, at the end of his pitch, Teylas asked Vivackus intently, “So, do you want to find out whose body you are in? Perhaps give you an idea of how to control what has been going on with you, or at the very least give you a bit of closure?”

[ISDII Magnus Kaerner]
[Farrin Xies’ Quarters]
[Orbit of Lyspair]

The cloaked figure of the Brotherhood’s Headmaster, Dacien Victae di Plagia, winked out of view on the holoprojector. After it had, the Tarentum Consul sat on the edge of his desk, quietly lost in thought. He barely looked up as his Proconsul slipped into the room and took a seat in one of the chairs near the desk.

After a moment, Sith Bloodfyre broke the silence. “Did you glean anything useful from our Headmaster?” After Farrin shook his head, the Shaevalian continued, “I have my… concerns about this course, Farrin. Dacien is a - well, was a member of Plagueis, but those loyalties never truly die. As for Teylas, he proved himself trustworthy when we were aiding his Clan on the Anchorage, but what now? They have nothing they need from us anymore.”

The Consul met his friend’s gaze for a moment before answering, his voice quiet but firm. “I trust the Plagueians - and of course I include Dacien in that - more than some of the other Clans, but not much. At the same time, Sith, Tarentum can’t hope to continue on in isolation forever. The Grand Master is playing at something, and I’m not sure what yet. Until then… well, we can’t go it alone anymore.” The Proconsul shrugged slightly, acceding to the logic of the move even if he still didn’t fully like it. Further conversation on the topic was interrupted by a short rap on the door which opened with a hiss to admit the former leader of Tarentum - and current head of its only House - Scion Altera. After he entered the room, he acknowledged the other two men with a simple nod.

As if aware of the previous conversation, the Quaestor immediately turned to his Consul. “Farrin, is this a good idea? I mean, our relationship with Plagueis has been on the mend, but this just seems like madn-”

With a rueful laugh and a wave of his hand, Farrin cut him off. After standing, he grabbed his cloak and rucksack and gestured for the door. “Sith already beat you to it, my friend, and my answer is still the same: we need all the allies we can get.” The grin that had crossed his face very quickly left, and his lips compressed before he continued. “But once we get on the surface, we’ll have to watch our backs. You’re going to be the only one I can fully trust down there.”

The Tarentum Proconsul stood from his chair and shook their hands. “Good luck to you both, and come back in one piece. The rest of our forces are on alert, and I can have our troops planetside in less than an hour - say the word.” With those cheery words, Farrin and Scion stepped out into the hall and, within minutes, found themselves approaching the shuttle that would take them to the Plagueian ship for the rendezvous. Slowing, Farrin placed a hand on his compatriot’s shoulder.

“The Grand Master’s game may not be in our best interests, and neither may the Plagueian’s. Watch yourself, Scion.” After a nod in response, the two Tarenti boarded the shuttle for the short flight, a sense of unease leaving them both lost in their thoughts.