Nar Shaddaa

Sylvain arrived at the Club in his dress military uniform and asked for the private booth he had requested ahead of time. He gave them the name of his guest and walked over to where he was directed and took a seat.

The Sith did not have to wait for long.

Yslane arrived and was directed to the private booth. Considering the venue, she had chosen to wear evening attire. "Good evening Mr. Torsin." Yslane looked over his uniform, "I hope I have not kept you waiting for long." She smiled.

He stood as the lady arrived and shook his head, "Not long at all Lady Tssilla. I hope you don't mind the venue, I thought they could use a charming woman like yourself in attendance to keep their reputation up."

"I would say there are more then a few stars outshining myself on the floor tonight," She took her seat and waited for Sylvain to sit before continuing, "The city is no Courscant, but it has certainly attracted a level of wealth...and the opulence that usually follows."

Sylvain took a seat and nodded, "And I take it you aren't a fan of such 'opulence' from your tone?"

"I have nothing against a show of wealth." Yslane sighs, "But all too often such things become nothing more then a surrogate ego contest. At least with two braggarts you can often times avoid them, the noise is a good warning. But to wealthy families carrying on a feud by proxy, its a bit harder to avoid when you work in government."

Looking over the room he chuckled and nodded, "I share that appraisal; funny how childish things can get when it comes down to finances. I was raised in a noble family, as you probably know, but I was taught to despise waste of this level. To think of all the good that could be done with these resources... It truly is a shame, is it not?"

He smiled and turned back to Yslane and inclined his head gratefully, "Thank you for coming. I'm sure you must be tiring of my presence after three days in a row now. I wanted to take the opportunity to get to know you a bit better... perhaps lay the groundwork for a coalition for peace... because as was evidenced yesterday quite clearly, the task might be quite the difficult one to accomplish."

"War is easy." She replied solemnly, "Peace is hard. I believe the noble Senator from Mon Calamari is all too aware of this." Yslane didn't comment on the Senator from her homeworld, that one's motives and plans were more unclear to her. "I am surprised Darth Xevious allowed the Colonel to drive the conversation for so long. I always expected most Sith to be more...controlling."

"Well I am a Tssilla, a name that means little to those outside of the Republic's government. There were stories, amusing little tales really, that the Tssilla family had served with ancient pre space-faring Kings. Ridiculous of course. But my family has been in the offices of the Republic since the beginning. Chancellors and Senators come and go...but there is always a Tssilla somewhere in the halls of power." She shrugs, "Which meant my path was laid out from birth. Boarding school, university, and now here."

There was a pause as she looked out into the crowd, without turning back, "But I suspect my family history is not what you are asking for."

He smiled, "If that is part of how you define yourself, then it is of interest to me Lady Tssilla. That is a noble heritage you come from."

He called the waiter over with a tip of his hand and coolly slid comfortably into his chair, "How else would you define yourself? Not looking for leverage or any such thing mind you... in case you are concerned."

"Above average height," She smiled, "A bit overly cautious and a little overwhelmed."

Yslane sighed, "Well I suppose I would also say I am Civil Servant trying her best to keep her first assignment from tumbling apart. A person who genuinely wants peace and a chance for the people of the Republic to recover. There are a distressing number of war refugees needing shelter and food. And more then a few carrion eaters who prey on such while the military and Jedi are locked into combat with well...yourselves. Surely you have noticed an increase in piracy as well?"

Slyvain nodded, "Wars often bring out the best and worst of nations... There was an encounter here just yesterday from what I hear with a collection of pirates in the system. Such waste..."

He shook his head slightly, "Well despite your 'overwhelmed' disposition, I would say you are handling yourself quite well. I was not merely complimenting you to see your cheeks flush adorably red yesterday, though that was an added benefit. I heard what you were saying and thought there was a great deal of commonality upon which we could build. I wanted to impress upon your delegation lead the importance of your voice... because to be perfectly honest with you... your partner has been less than impressive to me."

He smiled warmly, "I'm assuming for one of your natural abilities, her comments on the Jedi must have been particularly difficult to listen to politely."

He grinned knowingly, "You have handled yourself exceptionally well young Lady Tssilla."

Yslane shakes her head, "The Senator from Courscant is free to think whatever she wants about the Order. Her comments were technically correct: The Republic can stand without the Jedi, as for all their influence they do not rule the Republic nor even really wish for such power. But the Republic would be greatly changed. More so then I think the Senator realizes. More then just losing some philosophers and generals. It would be tearing a piece from the very soul of the nation."

Her cheeks flushed, "...every child in the Republic grows up hearing the deeds of the Jedi, it probably tints one's view."

He smiled, "You needn't be so coy Lady Tssilla. Experienced practitioners of the Force can sense others when they see them... It would take considerable skill and training to mask a connection to the force as strong as yours."

He then raised his hands in a gesture of appeasement, "Unless of course this truth is a burden to you for some reason... then I would be sure not to mention it. Unless of course I would like to see your cheeks flush that charming pinkish color again."

She smiles, "I am not surprised you noticed. In truth I was a bit concerned Darth Xevious would openly make light of such in the dinner." Yslane keeps her head turned outward, "Such is...a complicated topic..."

"Might I ask what your thoughts on it?"

"I see it as a boon, personally. I do not know specifically what trouble you may be in or what the regulations are concerning this matter... but the Jedi are the only thing that keeps your Republic safe from the Empire. They should have a significant presence in any such talks if you are not to be taken advantage of completely." He replied.

"Have you trained for long?"

"Why do you assume I am a Jedi?" Yslane turns back to her conversation partner, "Not all Force users in the Republic are tied to the Jedi. Though they do monitor them, since the Force can be dangerous to both wielder and those around them."

He smiled, "I have no knowledge of this of course... but I have faith in the Jedi to know a good opportunity when they see one. Or to phrase it a bit better... a good soul when they see one. Your connection is strong.. and unless you outright shut them down, I doubt they would have not wanted you to join their order. Besides, you seem like the type."

"Vermin you mean?" Her tone is level and like her eyes lacks the accusatory tone such a question would imply. "Or do you disagree with your senior most official?"

Yslane considers the situation for a moment then sighs, "A padawan."

He shakes his head, "Most certainly not a vermin. I have nothing but respect for the Jedi, even if they are my enemy. I believe them to be a bit naive at times perhaps... but the same can be said of the extremists in my own group of associates."

"I am told most Generals do well to have at least some respect for their enemy," Yslane smiles slightly, "Even an inept man can occasionally wound the overconfident."

"So then....our conversations take on their full dimension." Bereft of the bureacrat 'disguise', Yslane's posture becomes one more confident. "I half expected most Sith to overlook a weedy, vacillating bureaucrat as merely another weakling. Seems stereotypes can cloud even those who wish to look past them."

"In the interest of full disclosure....I didn't lie on my desires for peace, or my reasons. I should add, however, that I have serious concerns if your Empire can truly accept peace or if this is not just a cease fire. Our noble Senator from Courscant neglected to point out that to seek an accord seems contrary to the Sith's very philosophy: Peace is a lie."

She chuckles slightly, "Though that is only taking it at face value."

He smiled and nodded, "And there is the confident and well-informed woman I expected. I'm glad she has come out to speak with me, took a bit longer for you to shed your mask than me."

The waiter then arrived and Sylvain put in the order for he and his guest after hearing what she wanted.

After the waiter departed Sylvain turned back to Yslane and smiled, "Much of what you said is true of course. Sith philosophy does claim that Peace is a lie. But the discussion we had yesterday at the luncheon appears to be quite topical... Can a 'lie' be mutually agreeable? Even if we conceptualize 'peace' on entirely different terms, I think it is quite possible for our interests to align... at least for a time... given the right circumstances."

He leaned forward just a tad in his chair and looked at the woman sitting across from him, "This eternal duel between light and dark will probably continue on past whatever it is we do here. Whether it be instigated by the Jedi or the Sith... contention is bound to happen. But not all within the Empire are Sith, nor are all Sith bloodthirsty fiends. Just as not all within the Republic are Jedi, and not all Jedi are peacekeepers. But the workings of those who occupy somewhere in the middle of that spectrum, can be just as important in altering the flow and types of conflicts that may ensue..."

"Here I thought you were going to argue that Peace was a metaphysical concept related to spiritual stillness and emotional control, not the literal lack of war. Then point out it should be obvious when the full quote Their is only passion is given." She laughs softly, "But you chose to turn my own words from yesterday against me."

"Most Jedi don't fight among themselves for power, nor do we impose our will for the simple act of doing so," She nodded, "Elements of Sith Philosophy all but demand such, though as will all such things it is open to interpretation by the practitioner. Still...your Empire has lost more times to its own backstabbing as to our efforts. I would wager had I asked....which do you fear more? Your fellows or the Jedi, Darth Xevious's true answer would be his fellow Sith."

"I do not envy those of you who wish to change this, history points to it being akin to reversing the flow of the river with a spoon."

She sighs, "But that is off track. At least three people in that room wanted peace. Myself, the senior Senator, and you. Every temple begins with the first stones no?"

He smiled and nodded, "You'll excuse me if I tend to not dwell on the more philosophical aspects of the force. I tend to be a bit more utilitarian in its use and functions, rather than spiritual or fanatically devoted to one universal code. The in-fighting among the Sith has indeed been a great source of waste for us in the past. I am of the belief that it was such foolish devotion to the ideals of the Dark Side that led to our destruction at the hands of the Republic last time. What has emerged from our losses however, is an Empire that is not as attached to those principles as it used to be. There is more... diversity in the types of voices which hold weight in the Empire."

He chuckled, "And while the flow of the stream has been strong against those who seek for philosophical moderation... we have been spooning dirt into the river, helping to redirect its course for many generations. Given enough time and support, even mountains can be moved with the right type of spoon and diligence."

Their drinks arrived and Sylvain nodded his thanks to the waiter before lifting his glass for a sip. "There are more people here than just me who wish to see 'peace' in our day as it were. As a token of that, I have a bit of information for you."

He handed over his datapad which had a file open on a Twi'lek named Faz. "Our investigation of the attacks on my ship and Kristal Serasai's from a couple days ago have revealed the culprit to be a Republic slicer by the name of Faz."

"In that we differ...I do not feel one can separate the Force from philosophical arguments, but long debates on the nature of the Force and how it relates to the greater galaxy in the minute, as opposed to the practical, are best left to periods when there is not a war."

"And where do the Jedi fall in this movement of yours?" She inquires before trying her own drink, "Still your eternal enemies?"

She cautiously picks up the datapad, "I'm not familiar with a Faz, you'll forgive me if I need to verify this myself before accepting it." Yslane places the datapad back down, "Have you considered that your own hardliners might be using either false flag operations...or hardline elements in the Republic...to launch these sorts of attacks. Or that one of your fellows saw a chance to eliminate two rivals and set it up as above. If I was particularly ruthless and knew either a deep cover agent or a way to trick my enemy into killing an opponent....absolving me of blame....that would seem a prudent plan no? Actually, why did they target you and this Kristal Serasai over say Darth Xevious himself?"

Yslane takes another sip, "There is also the possibility a third party wants to continue the war and knows enough to play both sides. These talks are fragile even without the bombs and riots. The sad truth is even as we worry about those in our own nations wanting the war at any cost....there are more then a few whose coffers grow fatter every day another blaster is fired in anger."

He smiled as she tore into her mini-tirade and nodded, "I have considered the possibilities my dear. I assure you, the intelligence is accurate. I will leave you with the data to investigate yourself if you so desire. I also have my own personal men searching for his location as we speak. I expect to hear something within the next 24 hours."

He tilted his head, "You are probably wondering why I would want this... hence your discussion of all the possibilities. I want this to be able to help you gain the type of support you need among your own people. With this information we could make your side quite embarrassed. If we were to bring this man in... then what he 'confesses' is entirely left up to us to determine, and we take credit for disposing of this man who, as far as the public would know, was sent to kill Imperials and ruin the peace talks. It makes it look like you and your delegation are not here to negotiate honestly with the Empire."

He continued, "I do not wish for that to happen. It is only through mutual trust that our two sides will come to any type of an agreement. So if the Republic brings in their own man, and administers justice to this radical element? Then we create the narrative that I think we both want to see promoted. The man listed there is doing this out of a personal grudge against my associates Layne Hoshin and Kristal Serasai for an encounter they had with him on Yavin nearly a year ago. I personally do not think there is reason to protect such an individual... especially since he threatens your own desires to consolidate peace through his rogue actions. It is possible that he may be connected to a third party like you suggest somehow... but if he ends up in your custody, then you should be able to figure that out easier than if he runs free."

He took a sip of his drink, "I trust you to make the assessment that you feel is right, of course. I will provide his location to you to pass along to SIS or any other source you wish if you so desire as soon as I acquire it."