Nar Shaddaa

Sylvain arrived at the Dango fully adorned in Sith trappings with is mask tightly in place. He walked up to the entrance of the pleasure barge and presented himself at the front desk.

They seem to be expecting him and bring him through the luxurious barge into a large private suite where Dango is speaking to a woman seated on a balcony overlooking the city. She wears a hood and nods to Dango who retreats and says, “I was just leaving.”

The woman stands and says, “My son, come to view all that we could control.”

Sylvain walked up next to his mother and looked out at the view she was witnessing.

She leans on the balcony and says, “What do you see?”

"I see a world of inefficiencies. Of worms ruling over others by debt, addiction, vice, and gluttony. Right now there is little but waste here... opportunity sure... but only after substantial reclamation efforts are dedicated to the task." He replied.

“I don’t intend to dislodge the Hutts, that would be ineffective. There is a larger vision here, my son. See that over there in the distance,” she gestures to a cluster of high rises.

“That is the Republic Compound, your enemy but also a useful tool for destroying Darth Baras. I intend to give them critical information that will make his destruction possible. I want you there at my side when the time comes, you should do the deed with me and end him with your hands,” she says proudly.

Sylvain looked out over the city to the Republic compound, "You seem to have taken your lessons from Baras to heart... copying his methods perfectly."

“He was my Master, I find no better way then to end him than by his own methods,” she responds.

“Will we have to kill Layne?”

"Perhaps." He replied. "Though her mind is weakening... she wishes to slay him... but she is terrified of him.. she also doubts whether this is the path she should truly be on or not. It's possible she could be turned... but it would be a terrible gamble. Even if you could defeat her easily... it would be an unnecessary distraction if she were present."

He then paused, "I seek to surpass Baras mother... not repeat his same foolish mistakes."

“Destroy him and you can choose any path you wish, my son. You would be the master of your fate,” she counters.

"To defeat a traitor with traitorous deeds is another form of failure..." He replied.

"Relying on the Republic only creates problems for my visions in the future. If it were discovered that I used the Republic to depose the sitting Minster of War, all of my credibility with those who would devote themselves to me would be lost. I seek to expose Baras for his traitorous deeds, to be better than he ever was... and to elevate our military to greater importance than ever before. Those who serve me must know that loyalty will be rewarded and treason will be punished. That is how our military runs, and that is how our Empire should run if we ever wish to free ourselves from the chains of these eternal feuds that only make our end closer with each passing day." He stared out over the city.

"To do what Baras would do, is to become him... to trap ourselves in the weakness he embodies. Do you not have the ability to defeat him on your own? Is the Republic your only asset in the fight against him?"

She turns to her son and slaps him with the back of her hand across his face. It stings and she says, “The tools of a Sith are varied. There is pain, there is deceit, and there is even the truth. Your people will follow you because they must, they will not care of your means to achieve such power. They only need to know that they should fear you.”

“You are Sith, you are my Son. They will obey because those facts supersede all others.”

Sylvain looked over to his mother with an intent look of harsh disapproval, "I am Sith... and fear and deception are tools I am not afraid to use to accomplish my objectives. But I do not fear using loyalty and honesty to accomplish them either. I am as much a military man as I am a Sith... to devote myself to one dogmatic view of the world only binds me deeper with its chains."

He turned his gaze back to the city as his face tingled where his mother had struck him, "There is irony in destroying Baras by his own devices... but there is much that is lost as well. Do you wish to see your son become like your master? To have him murder your husband again... who lives on inside your son now?"

"Perhaps you were the one who did it before... and now have come to finish the job."

“I wish to see you eclipse him. He will be forgotten and you will be remembered as the savior of the Empire. History will be written by us, it matters not how you achieve them. We control the message. We can make things the way we want them to be,” she says looking out to the city.

“You think I killed my husband?” she says calmly.

"I don't know enough to make a decision. I know you did many things for Baras... but I do not know the limit of your devotion to him."

He paused, "Surely you know how the events of last year transpired better than most?"

She looks out over the city in silence.

Sylvain turned to look at her carefully, "Is it your lack of trust in me that motivates your silence? Or something else?"

“My devotion to Baras was absolute as any apprentice should be for their Master,” she says not looking at him.

“His will guided my hands, which should be enough of an answer.”

He nodded in reply, staring blankly out across the traffic lines that dotted the skies.

She stares out in silence enjoying a quiet moment with her son... just like the old days, with less Sith affairs.

Sylvain's mind worked on the implications of what his mother had just admitted. He found it hard to believe that she could have been so heartless, when all her life his father had been her closest ally and compatriot. Be it for Sylvain's sake, or anyone else's, his mother had betrayed her husband's trust and facilitated or did not resist against his murder at the hands of Baras. He thought of Kris, and knew that he had found something different... but knew also his mother did not seem the type to allow him to keep such attachments easily.

"So what is your plan mother? How can I assist you?"

“My plan is pretty simple, I am going to force Baras to confront me. I have something he needs and he will go to any lengths to get it. The Republic will provide adequate distraction for me… for us to deliver the killing blow,” she responds calmly.

“You need to settle your mind first, you distract yourself with needless and frivolous distractions,” his mother says.

“She is beneath us and the more you cling to her the weaker you become.”

Sylvain looked out at the city and shook his head slightly, "That is not, nor never will be true... but I doubt I can convince you of that fact standing on this balcony."

He leaned forward, putting his elbows on the railing. "She is the source for much of my strength... my passion. She uplifts me and I her... Personally I could become the man you see me to become without her, but with her I could be even greater... but even if you disagree on that point, we will need allies if you and I are to assume Baras' position and not lose all that we take. She is Marr's trusted apprentice and his connection with our potential power base is strong. Shaisha as well gives us ties to Vowrawn, another man who would be sympathetic to someone like me in Baras' position if we can reveal him for the traitor he is."

He let out a slow breath, "What is it that Baras requires that gives you your opening?"

“You will see once he is dead," she says.

“Sort your emotions out, Son. I need you focused.”

"I am focused mother. I wish to see Baras removed at any cost. Your plan does concern me, however... for I do not know of your skill, your power, or this mysterious bit of leverage you hold over him. There are many variables here which would suggest this is a dangerous route to take at this juncture. His power is vast, and his influence wide. I doubt he will be unprepared for such an encounter."

He paused, "What makes now the opportune moment? If you cannot reveal the nature of this... thing you possess... then what can you provide to ensure confidence that this attempt on his life will not end in terrible failure? For of all the things that cannot happen... he cannot be permitted to win; he must perish at all costs."