In The Cold Mines Of Kessel

[Ta'hok]

Leah was so grateful when Nefari decided to drop the word game. She bet that Drake and Raeph were similarly grateful they wouldn't have to attempt to untangle a web of words to try and find the true meaning behind them. Leah held no true loyalty to the Brotherhood. She smiled as she realized that her definition of the Brotherhood was in need of reformation. It seemed the 'Brotherhood' was here on this ship with the exception of Carnifex, whom she had never met. So the leaders of the Brotherhood would become members of Unification and serve Lord Kroenen. Leah hoped that this Lord Kroenen would better know how to handle his subordinates or else his ranks would similarly be fractured and seeded with dissent. But Leah put those thoughts, aside. She didn't know Lord Kroenen so she might as well go to him with an open mind.

Seeing that Drake and Raeph weren't about to say anything she decided to give her answer. "Well, I find this a much easier decision. I hold no loyalty for the shattered remains of a broken Brotherhood. I wish to follow you in joining Kroenen, however, I do take issue with the outright extermination of everyone remaining in the brotherhood." Leah saw the flash in Nefari's eyes. She knew it was all the notice she would get, she was treading dangerous waters, but she was confident she knew what she was doing. She held up her hand to forestall Nefari from any rash action, using the gesture to bid for a chance to explain herself.

"There are several young minds that could be brought from the remains of the brotherhood, minds that have yet to be tapped into, to be guided along the correct path. Let's not waste their potential. I ask for some time among those remains of the brotherhood to recruit, silently bending those most useful to our cause without raising the suspicions of Lord Carnifex. If anything, my apparent loyalty will gain me strength in that he will let me lie and do as I please being more worried about you Nefari and Kroenen's intentions. Thus when the time comes, I will take those I have converted to our side, and we will simultaneously strengthen our forces as we weaken and destroy what is left of the brotherhood. I know, if given a few weeks to a month I could gather those who would be most useful to us, in other words to separate the grain from among the weeds. All Carnifex will see is a new Sith, seeking to gain his favor by helping to train the new recruits with single minded diligence, when in actuality I will be on your side working to strengthen Kroenen. Obviously the more time I had the more I could gather but I'm not sure how much time we have before Kroenen's plans are set to begin. What say you to this plan Nefari? Do you find it agreeable?"

Leah hoped she had explained herself well enough. It was true she had no desire to fight against Kroenen, but she hated to waste all the potential that the Brotherhood had collected during it's tenure as an organization of Sith. It would take many years to gain back the same numbers, especially if they were headed towards a war. It would be that much easier to recruit those force user before the fighting broke out. Leah, patiently gave Nefari all the time she would need to think through Leah's offer. She didn't want Nefari to later blame her for having forced her to come to a rushed decision.

[Trenton Vinh]

((OOC: My bad, must have missed that when I posted [was on my Blackberry...tiny screen = more mistakes. Modified my post to fix that error. Apologies))

Drake stood up, hitting a few commands into the flight computer.
"She is right, letting what Sith we could gain from the Brotherhood go to waste would be a foolish decision. If it can be done without warning Lord Carnifex, I'm sure Darth Kroenen would be pleased."
his eyes passed over Nefari before resting on Leah,
"If Lord Kroenen doesn't appreciate the attempt to grow his numbers, than he is either more foolish than Carnifex, or he has an army of such strength and size that he doesn't need any more Sith."

With a sigh, Raeph stood up. He looked over Nefari and asked, "Does Carnifex have an army so strong he doesn't need more Sith?"

Drake eyed his old Apprentice and answered, "Don't waste your breath, Raeph. Let's just get moving. It will take time to reach Ziost."

[Ghev Dralin]

Nefari shrugged a little, listening to Leah, Raeph and Drake. Their plan resembled something of what Kroenen already had planned, just that she'd worded it badly.
"I'm sure Kroenen will find this plan agreeable, though I do not pretend to be privy to his every thought. He and I have a tenuous alliance at best. He involves me only in that which I need to know" she admitted, begrudgingly.

She glanced to Raeph, and at Drakes insistence, declined to respond, instead ordering her pilots to take flight.
"Ziost it is, then" she sighed. She looked out of the viewport as the ship took off, scanning the area for any signs of Konnor. She didn't expect to see him; the boy was resourceful, he was probably halfway to wherever by now.

********

Draven finished relaying the message to his Master, then received a reply message almost instantaneously; thankfully, the HoloNet relays that spanned the Unknown Regions and Kroenen's behest were still operational.
The message was text-based only; though it was unmistakeably from Kroenen himself.
"I will depart for Ziost. Abandon your mission to seek out Roth Fenix. Spread the word of Kroenen throughout the Core".

Draven nodded to himself, and input co-ordinates for his next destination. His first port of call would be Corellia, and from there...

[Ta'hok]

OOC: It's okay. I figured you hadn't done so intentionally. Plus, you are in several threads as it is, so I don't blame you. It must be challenging keeping them all separate.

IC: Leah was very torn. On the one hand she wanted to get back to Anoth as soon as possible to begin the task she had ahead of herself, but she also understood that leaving now could be interpreted as her betrayal of Kroenen. She would go to meet him first with the rest of her companions and then travel to Anoth and begin her work. She did not want any of them to doubt where her loyalties truly fell, for if they did suspect her of treason she had little doubt that she would be killed, or at least in for the fight of her life. She did not think she could win if all three of them attacked her but if they only sent one, maybe she could weasel her way out of it.

Telepathically she contacted her Defel pilot on her own ship and had him follow Nefari's. While she was doing so she felt her new Shadow awakening. Sending a few more telepathic commands had him slumbering peacefully once more. He would have to wait until she had time to take care of him.

"So, shall we be traitors for the rest of our lives?" Leah smiled at the confused expressions that were turned her direction. "We've already betrayed the Brotherhood, and I'm guessing as soon as things look like they'll go badly for Kroenen none of you are going to give your lives for his cause. Yes, I don't think any of you are martyrs. So, a proposition then: No matter how many times we switch sides or are brought into different groups we remain loyal to one another over everything else. That way, some part of the sith will always survive, learning from the mistakes of the other factions, gaining in strength until nothing can stand against us ever again. We could become the Gods and Goddesses of this crumbling galaxy and bring new glory to its pitiful existence.

"I'm not saying I think Kroenen will fail, at least not at first. It's true he may succeed for a time. He may even succeed in conquering the Galaxy as he plans to. But time has shown us that things never go that well forever. Somehow those accursed Jedi always find a way to ruin decades of work and possibly centuries of planning. But, it is my belief that if we watch each other's backs, then we can succeed just as they do. Let's see how well they fight against a Unified force of Sith masters. I say we give our support to Kroenen for now, let him use us as he will, but should he wish to kill one of us, then we will help to thwart him. Whether that be through helping to fake their death and hide them so that they may come back later and help us destroy whatever stands in our way, or whether that be to fight along side them and overwhelm the opponent."

She let her voice take on the grandeur of an inspirational speaker. She wanted them to be swept up in the dream behind her words, not to hear them as they would the speech of a politician. "No more games, no more deceptions, we are Allies, forever united in a fellowship. What say you my brothers and sister? Shall we show this galaxy the true power of those who do not look at each other with contempt or seek to destroy the other for gain? Shall we show them that we as sith can be more powerful then those pathetic Jedi and their hypocrisy of a religion? Together as equals let us unite and know that should any be added to this fellowship later that they are very trusted by whomever requests their presence. I don't know about you, but I hate taking orders from anyone. Together we can decide our future, together we can decide our loyalties, and together we will survive everything that befalls this galaxy."

Leah paused for only a few heartbeats, letting them contemplate her words before extending her right hand in a fist. She waited to see who, if any would combine their fists with her own. She hoped they would see the truth in her words. She hoped she hadn't just made a very critical mistake, but she didn't let any doubt cloud her confident expression. This was the only way any of the sith would ever truly be united. Trust was not something they usually gave to other sith, but that was hopefully going to change with this group of four. Leah did not lose the irony of these four, two men, two women, all trained in the darker arts of the force, all brought together in an order fraught with dissent and chaos, and all four willing to abandon that previous cause for one that was obviously better organized. They had come far together, perhaps they would be able to continue together.

"Are you with me?" she asked again, abandoning the grander tone her voice had held earlier, she merely stated the question. She knew the dangers, but she also knew the possibilities, however, the decision was not hers to make.

[Ta'hok]

Shadow Stalker felt his strength returning. He opened his eyes to find himself bound to a medical bed in some unknown location. He could assume that it was some part of Leah's plan, though in all honesty he was surprised that he was still alive. He was sure she would have killed him when she got the chance. It didn't matter. What did matter was that he was not free and he intended to be so. Straining with all the strength he could gather he pulled against his bonds, when his own physical strength was not enough he began using the force to augment his abilities. He thought he might be feeling them give some. Just a little at least, but then Leah's presence in his mind awoke, her smile was one of the worst things he had ever seen.

Go back to sleep, my pet.
Make me, witch!! He coated his voice with as much venom as he possessed which, when the comment was directed towards her, was quite a lot. She had in effect ruined his life all those years ago, and made his future worse then death in many aspects. But he had lived on anyway, and now that he was so close to finally being able to enact his vengeance on her, he would not just give up. She merely continued smiling as the medical droid approached him. Shadow Stalker tried to use the force to push it back but found it an impossible task as Leah began working her terrible art on him. All his nerves felt like they were on fire, every cell in his body was in the depths of agony. Every muscle tensed, his back arched nearly to the breaking point. Stalker would have screamed had he the ability to, as it was all he could do was violently exhale the air in his lungs through the ruined passageway of his throat.

The droid arrived at his bedside sticking a syringe in his arm and injecting some unknown substance. The needle felt more like a knife boring into his arm. Stalker gasped for air fighting against the unbearable pain his mind was sure was real. Leah's laughter was darkly giddy as it echoed through his mind. He wanted to silence that laugh by tearing her own throat out but knew that he hadn't the strength to resist her. Whatever drug had been injected into him began taking effect, flecks spread across his vision before everything went dark. In the medi bay his body lay still once more.

[Trenton Vinh]

Standing up immediately after she had finished speaking, Raeph Sunder smiled and spouted, "I'm in. Nothing is forever without an emergency backup plan."

Raeph pressed his fist to hers and looked expectantly at Drake, who had remained silent and still the entire speech.
Drake's eyes did not meet Raeph's, causing the Sith Lord to ask, "What's the matter, Draconius?"
He uttered Drake's full name with emphasis, calling him out.

Drake raised his head, staring daggers at his accomplice.
In a voice that oozed with venom, Drake spat to Raeph, "The Sith survived for this long, and all those who promised one another a truce just ended up betraying one another. The Sith way is that the strongest dog rules the pack. As soon as a stronger dog shows up, he takes over. Making a pact will only set you up to destroy yourselves. If one tiny, insignificant shred of distrust is dropped into your midst, your little pact will crumble upon itself."

Raeph seemed to deflate, and shot back, "Not if we try our hardest to make it work."

Drake shrugged, "And that would only make your 'pact' more obvious to Carnifex and the Brotherhood, or Kroenen and the Initiative, or whatever Sith is in power. And when the truth comes out, you will be destroyed. The Sith are not a trusting people, they will see this, here, what you're doing," he indicated to Leah, "as noble and self-preservating as your intentions may be, it will be seen as a rebellion. An inside attempt to steal power from the higher-ups. Even if that isn't what you planning for this pact. The stronger Sith will grow afraid of you, and when they get afraid, they go on the offensive. They will strike you all down."

Raeph shook his head, "It wouldn't be like that. We are Sith, we aren't fools."

Drake shrugged, "Perhaps not. But I suppose, since I am not a Sith, I have no place with your pact. I will not be a part of this. And before you get worried and threaten to kill me, I will give you my word that I will not betray your plot."
He smiled cruelly, and added, "Of course, my word is about as useless as your pact, because you do not trust me, as a Sith. And you will not find any trust in your pact."

He swivelled in his seat and turned to stare out the viewport.

"My apologies."

[Ta'hok]

Leah was overjoyed that she wasn't trying to fend off three lightsabers at that moment. Infact she couldn't be happier that she had reached through to at least one of them. But then Drake, ever the cynical realist brought a truth out that, no matter how ugly and crushing, was nonetheless truth. She heard him out patiently and couldn't help getting the impression that he had once been betrayed. Perhaps he had, it wouldn't surprise her, it happened to members of the sith all too often. She stepped forward placing a hand on Raeph's shoulder and giving him a confident smile before walking past him to Drake's chair. She took and deep steadying breath before speaking and breaking the momentary silence.

"Many of the words you speak are true Drake," she said, her head downcast her voice humble. "The sith have survived this long following their own traditions and ways. But never have their numbers been very great. It's true there has always been a need for an alpha dog, and leader of the pack and rarely has that leader come anywhere close to sharing power with a mate. Like wolves we have made each member fight for their position and survival. But we can change that. It takes the smallest wave of sound or vibration to start off the cataclysmic force of an avalanche. If we give it our all, we very well could change everything."

She paused but after receiving only silence as a response she added, "Or we could just be deluded fools. Listen, the point is it will be hard. It will likely be more challenging than anything any of us have ever attempted to do before. But that's what makes it appealing. I don't know about you but I've always loved a good challenge. I'm sure that much of it will be hard and first. But so was using the force once. Besides, there are ways to be united that aren't obvious. I assume each and everyone of you can perform telepathy through the force. We could easily communicate that way and pass messages freely one to another in seconds. With four minds working together no one person could gain advantage over that. We have four separate minds, four separate imaginations. Together no one being could come up with a plan more complete then our own.

"We are sith, we have played the game of intrigue for many years. We know how to cover our tracks. And if it is perceived as rebellion then surely one of us will find out and warn the others before it's too late. Thus we have moved a step ahead for surely a normal sith would expect us to flee if we found out and save our own skins instead. All we need is practice." Leah realized that she was leading herself further away from convincing Drake so she changed tactics.

Leah turned to face Nefari. "Nefari, I will admit that at first you and I were at odds with one another. Nonetheless I understand the danger of the game I was stepping into and respect that you wanted to establish who was in command before I became unmanageable. I admire that decisive trait that you possess. You are unafraid to act and I respect that. By inviting me to join you in going to Kroenen you have shown that you are willing to put that initial meeting behind us. I agree with that wholeheartedly and can now say, I trust you, and thank you."

Then she turned to face Raeph. "Raeph, you were very open to me when I first arrived trying to help me as best you could. I would call it kindness but I think you might find that somewhat offensive, so instead I shall call it instinct. You expressed to me as we walked those dark caverns that you knew the Brotherhood would tear itself apart because it's members lacked trust. So you have said, and so it has been decided by us several weeks if not months later, that the Brotherhood is no more. When I first proposed that we start by trusting each other you were initially hesitant but then you saw what I was trying to say and that I meant what I offered. I trust you Raeph, and am grateful for your sharp and perceptive instincts."

Lastly she turned back to Drake's chair. "Drake, it was you who initially found my talent and saw something in me. Even I do not know what it was you saw, or why you felt to offer me the invitation that you did. It probably doesn't really matter now, but because of those actions we are here, this very moment discussing these very things. For your incredible foresight I thank you. You have given me no reason to mistrust you. Even your previous words have not planted the seeds of suspicion in my heart. Curiosity yes, but not suspicion." She bent some so that she could wrap her arms around the back of his chair laying them across Drake's shoulders. It was not quite a hug because of the chair in between them, but it was close.

"The words you have spoken are true, but so are mine. I trust and respect each of you as I hope to someday earn trust and respect from you. Before the Brotherhood I was little more than a murderer with force powers. But now I have become so much more, with your help, and with your training. You say you are not a sith, and I must admit I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that, but perhaps we are not sith either. Perhaps we each have become something darker, something stronger. Perhaps we have transcended the shallow ways of the sith, to discover something even better in the darkness. Whatever it may be, we have done so together. I ask, you to please reconsider. We need you Drake. Each of us is an important member in this, but somehow, I have the feeling that if we are to succeed then we will need each one of us. We can't to this without your help." She paused slightly again before adding, "...please." It was nearly a whisper, but she couldn't have put more sincerity in it. She was emotionally prepared for him to reject these words as he had the first, but she had to try. She had meant what she said before, this would indeed likely fail if there were only three of them. Two, of them she had to correct herself. Nefari had yet to cast her decision.

[Ghev Dralin]

Silence hung in the air, the low throbbing of the Nightstalker's engines suddenly seeming very loud.
In the cockpit, the two Krath pilots continued with their duties, acting oblivious to what was going on in the passenger bay; of course, they could hear every word, but their order had sword it's allegiance to Nefari, heralded her as their saviour. They had no loyalty to the Brotherhood, and wherever Nefari went, so would they.
It came as little surprise, then, when the co-pilot left his seat and kneeled before his mistress, his head bowed low.
"My lady, whatever your decision, it will be supported by the Krath" he said in a low voice. "And we do not deign to think ourselves of higher intellect than The Nameless One, however if I may be so bold as to offer some insight... an outsiders perspective..."
"Speak your mind" Nefari said. The whole time, her eyes hadn't left Leah. The girl - woman - had spoken dangerous words, but bold nonetheless, and despite her initial instinct to rebuke her, Nefari had begun contemplating the ramifications of making such a pact. Yes, there would be consequences if their little deal was seen as an act of rebellion, but there could also be some small fortune of victory to be gleaned from it.

"My Lady... it has been the observation of the Krath that the Brotherhood no longer functions, just as it was observed by Krath in the past that the Sith do not operate well under any leader" the co-pilot said, risking a glance at his mistress's chalky-white face.
"Your observations are noted, get to the point" she murmered.
"Y-yes My Lady. We... that is, the Krath as a whole... believe that the Sith need to begin uniting, a mutual bond and a mutual gain to hold them together. This pact could be the start of something bigger..."
Nefari held up a hand, and immediately the co-pilot fell silent. She continued to stare at Leah, as if doing so would reveal some hidden agenda some... personal profit the woman was hoping to gain from all of this.
With a sigh, she relented.
"The ways of the Sith are long ingrained upon many of our Order, though Kroenen has taken the best of us and moulded them into something... whole" she explained to Leah. "Those in the Initiative have little interest in personal gain, or betraying their master. They're with him to the end, because their goals are one and the same. Should Kroenen become weak... well, they've already proven that they won't betray him, but help him recover his strength" she said.

She rose from her seat, which the co-pilot took as a sign to return to his duties.
"Many years ago, when Kroenen was first exiled, he was damaged almost beyond repair by this man here" she said, pointing a finger at Drake. The air with which she spoke gave her an almost accusatory tone.
"If ever the Initiative were to betray Kroenen, it would have been then. But instead, they put their efforts into rebuilding him, continuing his work in his absence, and waiting for the day he finally emerged to once more take the reins of their operation" she said, moving toward Leah and slowly circling her as she spoke.
"I think we should meet with Kroenen until we begin making hasty decisions of self-preservation, though I will say this much; Kroenen is a visionary. He will unite the galaxy by any means possible, which doesn't necessarily bode well for the Sith Order. So yes, I will join your pact" she said, touching her steel-clad fist to Leah's, "but only because I feel that one day, the Sith will need rebuilding. And we'll need rebuilding in a way that ensures trust and unification".

[Ta'hok]

Slowly Leah withdrew her physical contact with Drake, turning about halfway through the Krath's speech, to face Nefari. She was curious as to what the Lady of Darkness would do. What her actions would be in this somewhat momentous occasion. She was surprised when Nefari pointed out that Drake had bad history with Kroenen. She couldn't help the briefest of glances in his direction. This little bit of information complicated things. Her attention was immediately brought back to Nefari as the woman began circling her. She couldn't help feeling like a juicy slab of meat before a lioness. Still she held her ground. She allowed herself a smile when Nefari proclaimed her decision to join in the pact. Leah happily met Nefari's fist, repeating the gesture she had made earlier to accomodate her newest partner.

"Thank you, Nefari." Leah bowed slightly to accentuate her gratitude. "You are right, it is wise for us to first meet with Kroenen and I agree that we stay this course of action and see where it shall take us. But I must say I am much happier knowing that you two, and possibly three," she added another glance and Drake, "have my back." She remained where she was behind Drake's chair, still somewhat anxious to hear his response.

[Trenton Vinh]

Drake listened to Leah as she carefully pointed out some of the better traits of Raeph and Nefari.
She could mean what she is saying, or she's simply manipulating them. And Raeph is eating it up. But something tells me she means what she's saying...

She said, "Even I do not know what it was you saw, or why you felt to offer me the invitation that you did. It probably doesn't really matter now, but because of those actions we are here, this very moment discussing these very things. For your incredible foresight I thank you..."

This made Drake think back.
Perhaps this is what I saw? The Force possibly showed me the actions necessary to get to where I am now...perhaps as a chance to save my own life later?

Drake closed his eyes, and after a moment felt her arms drape over his shoulders.

I doubt I had that kind of foresight. I do not think my life has any purpose beyond Trenton Vinh. He is the only thing that matters now.
But perhaps there is more meant for me than I assumed?

His thoughts flickered towards the meeting he would soon have with Kroenen...
Kroenen's intentions may be in the right place, but I have my doubts about him as well. He is strong, but he is as dogmatic as the Brotherhood, just in a different way. All things fall in time...Kroenen's hopes for unification will crumble like the Empire.

He snapped back from his thoughts as Leah continued speaking, and she finished with a quiet, "Please."

Exhaling slowly, Drake said just loudly enough for only Leah to hear,
"If you seek to aid us, you will only weaken yourself...and us. It is the most difficult struggles, when fought and won on their own, that yield the highest rewards. You steal that struggle from us, it will only make it easier to destroy us. If you want us all to be safe and secure, you must dispense with the help and the sacrifice, and recognize the value in letting us fight our own battles. Because when we triumph, we will be much stronger for it. Remember that."

He was silent for several moments, giving her time to reflect on the truth behind his words, "I am not a Sith. Sith is simply a title, and, like yourself, the title is not who I am. And it is not what I believe."

When Nefari spoke, Drake remained silent still, allowing her to voice her thoughts.

Kroenen needed me to hurt him. He needed me to show him what pain is, what suffering is, and how hard it is to overcome.
He needed to fall, to learn what it is like.
He should have learned much from it. If Kroenen has fallen that far and learned nothing...

Drake smiled inwardly at himself. He wasn't going to pretend that he had been trying to teach Kroenen something.

I only defended Carnifex because I needed him at the time. In retrospect, it may have been unwise to do so...and it may lead to my own demise. But I have the feeling that Kroenen realizes how I helped him, despite weakening him. He grew stronger from it...

Drake turned back around in his chair and regarded Nefari with an almost amused expression. He spoke softly,
"Kroenen's initiative needed him as much as he needed them. In time, one of his own may rise to destroy him. Perhaps not. However, he is stronger because of what I have done to him. If he didn't grow stronger, he wouldn't be in the position he is in today.
I taught Kroenen a lesson that day. A terrible one, perhaps, but a useful one. One that you may not have yet learned, Nefari."
He paused for a moment, and continued, "I taught Kroenen how to fall. Because with that, he learned how to pick himself back up. As a leader of a Sith Empire, that kind of knowledge is what will keep him alive."

He looked back to Leah, and said, "You bring up several good points, and may have won me over. But I will not become a part of your little group until after I have met with Kroenen."

He turned his gaze to look at Raeph, who was staring at Drake with malice.
"Raeph, if you think threatening me will pressure me into joining then you are more foolish than I had ever thought." He let anger flow into his words, a rare display of his true emotion, "Do not test me."

[Ta'hok]

Leah heard Drake's whispered response and immediately felt her soul rebelling against it. She was not taking away their struggles and trials. She may perhaps be changing the form which they would take, but she was not removing them entirely, merely increasing the likelihood that each of them would survive their different trials so they could grow stronger. Her way was not one of weakness, she knew. No one could completely remove all the trials that another would have to face. Each of them, despite being united would have their own struggles, they that would need to over come. But she knew the wisdom in gathering allies against insurmountable odds. No Jedi went to do battle against an entire army by himself, always they had back up, even if it was only their padawan.

She listened too, as Drake speculated on whether Nefari had learned how to take a fall and rise again. It was a hard lesson indeed to learn, but the way in which Drake went about questioning Nefari made it sound as if he was threatening to teach it to her. Leah saw something then, something she hadn't seen before. Drake, openly attacked Nefari and Raeph, for their shortcomings but instead of lashing out at her, he had merely attacked her plan. And even in doing that, he was only trying to get at Raeph. Why wasn't he attacking her? It could merely be her words, or it could be the fact that she hadn't ever betrayed him, or played games with his emotions, or any number of manipulative things that the others might have partaken in during their past. Still, she had to wonder if maybe she was reaching him more then he was letting on.

Nonetheless, based on his words and actions, she sensed a deep bitterness within him. It saddened her to see that one could be so crippled by emotion that he couldn't progress, but she knew she couldn't force him to see things her way. He would have to come to that decision on his own. She was very surprised when his, calm demeanor was incinerated by a burst of anger. Even though the emotion was not directed towards her she still felt as if she had been burned by the cold fury of his words. She turned to Raeph attempting to forestall further action from him by shaking her head slightly. She could tell that Raeph wanted to do or say more, but now was not the time. She knew when it was better to retreat and regroup, then to charge forward into oblivion.

"After you meet with Kroenen then. I trust you still mean to keep your promise of earlier either way. Thank you Drake." Leah knew, compared to her previous orations this seemed simple. It was true it, paled greatly in comparison, and there was more she wished to say. But there was no point in pushing Drake any further. She would only succeed in forcing him away from her by continuing, so instead she watched him passively, her eyes open, almost innocent in appearance despite their dark red color. Her posture somewhat defeated.

[Trenton Vinh]

Nodding to Leah, Drake said, "I am not an informer. I respect your choice to band together, and will not betray it. As I said, you have my word."

Raeph spat at Drake, "Are you a coward? Why not just join us, nothing bad would come of it, since we have each others backs."
Raising his eyebrows at his former apprentice, Drake sighed softly, his tattooed face calming from the anger he had displayed several moments before,
"I already said I would deliberate it and make a decision after meeting with Kroenen."

Resisting the strong urge to grip Raeph with the Force and hurl him out the viewport, Drake sighed once more and said quietly,
"As a Sith, all of you will fear betrayal. And if pressured, I have my doubts that none of you would give the others up. Remember, if you can trust no one else, trust in your training. Trust in yourself. Never doubt or regret what you have done, for every decision you have ever made has brought you here."

Crossing his arms and frowning slightly, Drake looked at Leah with a look that did not hide his admiration for her boldness,
"You all have shown me your strengths, and I have not overlooked the fact that the three of you together would crush me. But if you cannot trust me to not share your secret pact now, you will never be able to trust one another. Never be able to trust those that may join you. Your species are manipulative and deceitful by nature, it is how you have survived this long. I hope for your own sake's that you can break the bloody pattern those before you have created."

[Ta'hok]

Leah smiled in response to Drake's affirmation that he would not betray them, but sighed mere moments before Drake did as Raeph continued trying to goad Drake into joining them. Truly there was little she could do to stop him. They were to be equals in this alliance and by giving Raeph a command she would be elevating herself above him. She would not give commands unless they later wanted to reform their group to have a leader and it became her, though she doubted she would allow it to be that way. It would be nice to be the one in command but ultimately it would separate her from them, and throw off the balance that their group had been founded upon.

Leah was slightly stunned when Drake looked at her with admiration in his eyes. Drake once again spoke the truth when he stated that if they could not trust him to not betray them, then they would never be able to trust others who might join them later. She too hoped they could break the bloody cycle that had proceeded them. If they were successful they could change the future of any Dark Force user who would come after them.

"Thank you," she stated once more. And she was grateful both for Drake's word, and for his compliment. She dearly hoped he would decided to join them, but she did not know how convincing Kroenen would be. She realized that Drake might never join them, but she still decided to hope that would not be the case.

[Trenton Vinh]

Eyes staring out the viewport, Drake muttered, "We should be going."

Turning around to glance at Leah and Nefari, Drake's eyes wandered beyond them to Raeph, who was seething silently.
Still resisting an urge to pin his inferior former apprentice to the wall with The Force and choke the life out of him, he said, "I am looking forward to meeting with Lord Kroenen."

Raeph muttered, "What about me? I have followed you for years, has all the favor I gained mean nothing to you?"

Eyebrows furrowing, Drake's dark crimson eyes flashed eerily. With a subtle Force Grip, he constricted Raeph's throat gently, his irritation obvious. Not one to mince words or display his power uselessly, he spoke coldly to Raeph, "You may ask Kroenen yourself if you may join his initiative. I for one, will not blindly join a cause that may be just as foolish and misguided as the last. He requested a meeting with me, I will meet with him. If you feel I am ignoring you and your needs, you may as well just state it now. At least that way there is the chance that I will respect your boldness and not slaughter you where you stand."

Raeph stood stock still, stunned and unmoving. The invisible fingers around his throat tightened slightly, and Drake continued speaking, "You are not my apprentice anymore, nor are you my child. I have no obligation to take care of you or help ensure your safety. If you wish to join his Initiative, I will not grovel for your safety. I will weigh my options, you can weigh your own. I have taken care of you for long enough, it is time you become the Sith you are strong enough to be. I am not going to be around to help you along forever."