"Why yes, I can get worse."
"The peace established by the Treaty of Coruscant is the law of the galaxy; The Empire and the Republic must coexist peacefully," the masked man spoke in a passable imitation of an imperial accent. Clad in strange robes, the man stood at a lectern next to The Monster. The child-slaying abomination likewise stood behind a podium facing a holocam.
The duo was flanked by a pair of diminutive figures that only served to make them both look all the more impressive. Sith next to Jedi, and Jedi next to Sith. It was enough to make Darth Angral wish to vomit into the nearest mostly open receptacle. "To do anything else would violate the publicly stated laws of the overwhelming majority of the galaxy."
"As such, it is obvious what must be done: Darth Angral's plans must be opposed at each and every opportunity," The Monster spoke. He looked calm, decisive, and his body language revealed not a single shred of doubt. Oh, how he wished he could gut him from across the galaxy, but that would have been too easy. "Not merely from the Republic. This demands bilateral action. Action from the Republic and the Empire. From both the Jedi and the Sith."
"We have already faced the forces of Darth Angral," the Sith in the mask spoke. Despite his innumerable treasons, he stood tall and proud. Despite the infestation that was plaguing him, his voice was one of remarkable good cheer. And that damned mask made it seem like he was smiling at him, mocking him.
Him! Darth Angral! "On Coruscant, when his son Lord Tarnis tried to hold the entire planet hostage. On Taris, when rogue intelligence assets tried to abduct Doctor Nasan Godera. On Nar Shaddaa, when Lord Sadic tried to abduct countless innocents to be transformed into mindless killing machines. Each and every time, we have met Darth Angral's forces and triumphed."
"We must stand united and oppose this madness," the Monster spoke. "Together, no matter which side we are on. For a brighter future."
Darth Angral cut the feed.
He had seen the press release well over a dozen times already. His rage had built and built, reaching its peak and simmered on. But it had done its part. It had granted him the singular focus he would need for the task ahead.
The Sith Lord turned his focus back to his surroundings. Clustered behind him on the bridge of the Oppressor were his remaining two apprentices and a veritable gaggle of specialists, experts, advisors, and technicians. He could sense their unease, their fear, their uncertainty. After all, hadn't he called this glorious crusade of vengeance? Hadn't he sworn to see the Jedi brought low for their crimes against him?
Why were they here? Far away from their assignment that had been canceled so suddenly?
In the reflection of the viewports, he could see the image of his precious boy. Bright-eyed and eager, ready to sink his weapon into the heart of the Republic. But right then, all he could see on his dearest Tarnis' face was pain, fear, and shock. The same expression he had worn when The Monster had gutted him like an animal.
Darth Angral turned around to face his staff.
Lords Praven and Nefarid were closest, as was their right as his former apprentices. Kneeling, as was their duty as his subordinates. One Sith Pureblood, one human. The two faces of the Sith Empire, as was only right and proper. Behind them were the rest. Standing, as military protocol dictated. Various experts he could not do without, much as it pained him to admit.
"Report," he ordered, though he knew perfectly well that their entire situation was tenuous. Their plans had been foiled, they had taken unexpected losses, and their enemies had multiplied even further. But by acknowledging their failures, new avenues might present themselves.
Or it might reveal some particularly incompetent underlings he could execute.
Either way, he stood to gain something.
"The hunt for the Shock Drum on Tatooine has yielded no results, my lord," spoke Lord Praven in his usual baritone rumble. "As per the information provided by Lord Tarnis, we know it is on Tatooine. The precise location remains unknown, however; Given time, I am certain we can find it."
"How much time?" He asked.
"Months, at the very least." the pureblood said without hesitation. Though his face and voice did not show it, the dismay at being forced to admit as much was perfectly clear in his mind. "Perhaps years. With the failure of Watcher One to secure Doctor Godera's knowledge of the Republic Superweapon Initiative, we would need to search the entire planet, my lord, and my initial search has not yet had time to be fruitful. Moreover, there is very good chance that the facility storing it does not even know what it hides."
In other words, he had failed. But, as Lord Praven had pointed out, the failure was in part due to the failure of others. Of course, had Watcher One returned to them alive, Darth Angral had no doubt that his former apprentice would have been a touch more circumspect in his assessment.
Darth Angral did not bother passing judgment. Instead, he turned to his other apprentice. Lord Nefarid, the human whose hooded robes hid everything except a vibrant red mustache in dire need of a middle part, spoke in a comparatively reedy voice.
"My efforts to locate the Death Mark system on Alderaan has likewise stalled," he admitted. "Though House Thul has proven cooperative, I have not yet been able to find out where the control system of the Death Mark has been stored, for the same reasons as Lord Praven. However, my estimated timeframe is more optimistic."
"Elaborate," Darth Angral ordered.
"The Death Mark laser is a two-part system," he explained. "Ground-based fire control and orbital weapon. Even if the orbital laser is inactive, we can scan the orbital debris field for objects of the appropriate size. From there, it will be the work of technicians and analysts to find the ground-based counterpart. The work of weeks or months, not years."
"Promising, but still slow. Far too slow. It gives too much time to The Monster and his allies," Darth Angral grumbled. "And as can be surmised from his absence, Lord Sadic has failed in his quest for the Power Guard project. Even worse, he managed to strengthen our enemies at the same time. In short, we have failed. Completely and utterly."
"Respectfully, my lord, the situation is not so dire." From within the gaggle of advisors came a single voice. Female. Younger than expected. The speaker pushed her way to the front, revealing herself to be a redheaded intelligence agent.
"Elaborate, if you would be so kind." Darth Angral decided to hear her out before twisting her neck into a pretzel, if only for her boldness.
"Assuming the Shock Drum is best abandoned, and the Death Mark requires some of your lordship's own assets to be secured, that still leaves the bulk of your lordship's forces uncommitted," she said, glancing at a datapad in her hands. A cursory glance into her thoughts revealed that it was just theatre.
She knew perfectly well what she had to say and what she knew, she just wanted to break eye contact. Deference, perhaps? Or did she just want to speak to a Sith Lord a step below the Dark Council without looking at him? "Additionally, though Lord Sadic failed in his primary objective, the Minder assigned to the Imperial Intelligence Outpost on Nar Shaddaa confirmed his secondary objective was a success. Our goals can still be achieved, though the plan must be adjusted."
Our goals.
The words were meant to signify that the intelligence agent already counted herself as part of this venture. A bit of theatre to convince the gathered crowd that they were all in this together. Or, far more likely, a simple factual statement that she was along for the ride aboard The Monster's priority target.
Darth Angral made a note to spare her, just this once.
"This secondary goal came with a three-quarters-of-a-million credit price tag," he muttered. Darth Angral still remembered that expense report and the very lengthy justification Lord Sadic had included. "All to infest a Jedi sympathizer with half a dozen orbalisks."
"The orbalisks were only a quarter of a million credits, my lord," she answered. "The redundant sterilization measures took the rest."
"Fantastic." Darth Angral's tone was scathing. "So now we can rest easy knowing that a treasonous Sith Lord will not be growing a set of lightsaber-proof armor. All while The Monster benefits from having a Sith to let him into imperial space on demand. Brilliant."
"In the short term, it would appear to be a setback," the agent acknowledged. Once again, her attention dropped to her datapad for a heartbeat. "Jedi and Sith are cooperating to oppose us. A press release has brought them to the attention of the corporate sector. A previously withheld interview with Lord Nestor has been published by a nominally independent news outlet to demonize us. Some of our strength has been lost."
The woman's boldness was beginning to get on Darth Angral's nerves. Perhaps he could have her thrown out an airlock? Perhaps she had a family?
"Unless you are about to reveal that irony has strategic applications, I suggest you excuse yourself," he growled.
"My lord, Lord Sadic's target is due to be surrounded by notables from the Jedi Order, the private sector, the Republic military, and perhaps even their Strategic Information Service." The red-headed agent continued. Oddly enough, there was not a single ounce of fear in her head. Darth Angral made a mental note to investigate if she had a family, friends, or pets. "He is also currently being pumped full of adrenaline, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and various other hormones. Lack of sleep alone should begin to fuel a breakdown before the week is out."
Oh.
Oh that was brilliant!
So, Lord Sadic had managed to accomplish something with his death, after all. He almost regretted having taken his frustration out on his dead subordinate's family. He was still going to figure out who was important to this agent, but he wouldn't be using that information. Probably.
"Thank you for your contributions, agent," he said, wheels turning in his head as he began to formulate a new plan. If all he needed was a bit of time for his enemy's efforts to collapse in on themselves and end up weaker than they started… He knew what he had to do. "Nefarid, return to Alderaan and resume your search. Praven, you will join him. Help House Thul consolidate their position while you're there; I want The Monster to have to fight for every scrap of progress while the bomb beside him ticks down."
"Your will be done, my lord," came the answer, spoken in unison from two mouths.
"As for the rest of us…" Darth Angral paused to savor the anticipation for a moment longer. "Even a man with no past has his vulnerabilities. We shall remind the galaxy that where a Lord fails, a Darth succeeds. Navigation: plot a course for Zyg Prime."
One target in contested space, one target in neutral space. Ignore one, and he would secure even a single superweapon. Ignore the other, and he would have an entire system at his beck and call.
If The Monster strengthened himself, so would Darth Angral.
That strength would grant him power.
That power, victory.
...
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