Thirty-Five
The Citadel, Dromund Kaas
17 ATC
The invitation had listed no time other than "your earliest convenience," so A'tro had headed for Nox's chambers immediately.
There had been no details in the message about why Nox wanted to see her, but that was not particularly surprising. No, what was surprising was that Nox was back on Dromund Kaas, and A'tro hadn't yet heard about it. Requesting a meeting must have been one of the first things she'd done upon arriving.
As A'tro reached Nox's chambers, she found her Dashade warrior standing guard outside. That was unusual, and it made A'tro nervous even as the Dashade stepped aside and beckoned to her to enter. Something strange was going on. She could feel it.
Nox's antechamber was very similar to A'tro's, with a large glass-paneled wall overlooking the city, but the glass had been darkened to nearly complete opacity, as if to prevent anyone from looking in. A small astromech droid sat off to one side, emitting a low hum, probably to interfere with any listening devices. A'tro slowly made her way into the room, keeping her lightsabers within close reach.
Nox herself stood with her back to the window, a bright spot against the dark glass. She was wearing an emerald green dress, cut low to expose her shoulders and an expanse of pale bosom, close-fitting around her torso with a flowing skirt that pooled around her on the floor. An ornate collar of green stones the same color as the dress adorned her long neck. Her hair fell in waves around her bare shoulders, the black locks blending in with the tinted glass behind her.
She looked dressed for a party rather than a secret meeting, but A'tro had come to expect that sort of thing from her. What she had not expected to see was Darth Marr, present and standing close enough to Nox to suggest that the two had been engaged in conversation.
Nox spoke first. "Lovely to see you, as always, my dear."
A'tro cautiously approached the two Sith Lords. "What's this all about, Nox?"
"The future of the Empire," Marr said softly.
"Ah," A'tro muttered. "One of those meetings. I'm guessing something has happened to set this off."
"On the contrary," Nox drawled, "nothing has happened. Not yet. That's the whole point."
A'tro put her hands on her hips. "Are you going to explain properly, or will I have to drag it out of you one ambiguity at a time?"
"I'll explain in a moment." A hint of mischief curled Nox's customary half-smile. "Not everyone is here yet."
A'tro went down a mental list of people Nox might invite to a clandestine conference. It was very short. Unless… "Don't tell me you invited Ravage."
Nox shrugged one shoulder. "After the three of us, he is the next most powerful member of the Council by a large margin, so yes, I did."
A'tro frowned incredulously. "Do you really expect him to show up?"
"He won't," Marr interjected.
Nox kept smiling. "We'll see. You may be surprised."
"I highly doubt that," A'tro said, shaking her head. "You may as well tell me what this is all about."
"If you insist." Nox folded her hands neatly together in front of her. "Intelligence sources in the Republic report that—"
A'tro felt the Force presence approaching an instant before the door opened, but she still turned around to watch Darth Ravage walk into the room.
I don't believe it, A'tro thought. What in the Emperor's name did Nox tell him?
"I regret this already," Ravage said sourly, coming to a halt some distance away from the other Sith.
"Afraid?" Marr asked, his voice going soft and meaningful.
"Of what?" Ravage said scornfully. He looked around the room, his gaze settling on A'tro for a moment, then on Nox for a moment more. "I'm in no danger here."
"Believe me, Ravage," Marr murmured, "you are always in danger."
Nox glided forward, interposing herself halfway between them. "Gentlemen, I must ask for the sake of the Empire that any fighting be postponed until we have come to a decision. And then I'd like to watch."
A'tro suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
"For the sake of the Empire," Marr said with noticeable reluctance.
Ravage only scowled.
Nox beamed. "Now, then. As I was about to say, Intelligence sources in the Republic recently presented me with a rather interesting report."
"Had Saresh assassinated yet?" Ravage broke in.
"Oh, dear me, no. She's far too useful to us alive." Nox's tone became brisk and businesslike, a startling change from her usual drawl. A'tro had only heard her speak like that on a few occasions. "Case in point: thanks to Saresh's continued escalation of the war, a significant number of Senators have become disenchanted with the stalemate, which seems unlikely to end any time soon. Their troops, money, and resources are being used in massive quantities with very little reward, and they and their worlds have grown tired of it. These Senators want peace, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to get it—including negotiating a truce with us."
There was a long silence.
A'tro spoke first. "What exactly are you proposing?"
Nox met her eyes. "I'm proposing that we take them up on it."
"I had a feeling you were going to say that," A'tro said grimly.
Marr sighed faintly. "This…may be necessary."
A'tro turned to stare at him. "You can't be serious."
"Marr is always serious, trust me," Ravage said. "And though it pains me to admit it, I'm inclined to agree."
Is this really happening? A'tro wondered. "I know the war could be going better, but surely we needn't resort to this."
"We resorted to a truce with the Republic once before," Ravage pointed out.
Marr sighed again. "I have spent much of the past five years on the front lines. I know the state of our forces. Unless something truly extraordinary occurs, the Empire is no longer in a position to win this war. We can only hope to survive it."
"We are not losing," A'tro snapped. Anger blossomed, smoldering in her chest. "The only reason our forces are in their current state is because we continue to fight each other rather than the Republic! I have said this time and again, and I have been ignored—by our counterparts on the Council, by the rest of the Sith, by everyone who would pursue petty squabbles and wallow in a sea of Imperial blood instead of crushing our enemies!"
Her voice echoed through the room. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists at her sides. Emotion is weakness, she reminded herself. Maintain control.
"Sith fight one another. That's how it is," Ravage said flatly. "I will agree that involving the military in personal conflicts is a waste of resources. Fight your own battles, or be killed."
"But Ravage," Nox murmured dramatically, "that goes against Sith tradition."
Ravage ignored her.
"The Empire is slow to change," Marr said. "That is why I believe we need to seize this opportunity for a ceasefire."
A'tro pressed her lips together into a tight line, thinking hard. A truce with the Republic? She had been seventeen when the Treaty of Coruscant was signed, her dreams of going straight from the Korriban academy to crushing Jedi on the front lines snatched away in an instant. Years later, during her service to Darth Baras, she had relished the opportunity to be a part of the first strikes that reignited the conflict. War was all she had ever trained for, all she had ever wanted.
But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the others were right. Peace would give the Empire a chance to recover, to stabilize volatile elements within the power structure and approach the future more unified than before. Without the Republic nipping at their heels, they could afford to turn on one another, weeding out those unwilling to follow the new order.
Peace would let A'tro stay on Dromund Kaas and raise her daughter. It was a sentimental thought, but also a practical one. Saryn needed her mother alive and present to guide her along the path to becoming a strong, disciplined Sith, the kind who would lead the Empire into a new golden age.
"Very well," she said finally. "I see your point. This…this is for the best."
"Of course, that's all assuming we can even make this work," Nox pointed out. "The Senators may change their minds, or be found out and arrested for treason—Saresh isn't exactly forgiving. And then we would have to convince the rest of the Council."
"They will fall in line," Marr said coolly, "or they will fall."
Ravage looked at A'tro. "What about the Emperor?"
She kept her face expressionless. "If he objects, I'm sure we'll know about it."
"Wonderful," Ravage muttered. "I always wanted to go down in history as part of a Dark Council that overstepped and got itself purged."
"Cheer up," Nox told him. "If the Emperor's Wrath is being so reasonable about this, I'm sure the Emperor himself will see the wisdom of this plan."
A pang of uncertainty ran through A'tro. She did her best to ignore it. "So we're decided, then?"
"I'm all for it," Nox said airily. "I lose so many agents in wartime. I could use a chance to replace a few."
Ravage eyed her suspiciously for a moment. "If we can make this work…it would be useful."
"I do not make this decision lightly," Marr said. "But I believe it is the best option."
Nox reached up and twirled a lock of her hair around one finger. "Lovely. I'll have my people reach out to the Senators in question and let them know we're interested in talking. Now leave one at a time, at intervals, and do try to be discreet about it."
A'tro made the walk back to her apartment slowly, deep in thought. It seemed odd to her that Ravage and Marr had both acquiesced so quickly to the possibility of a truce with the Republic. Not only was it the first time she had ever seen the two of them agree on something, the thing in question was peace, something to which both Sith normally seemed staunchly opposed.
Maybe Nox had blackmailed them both; as head of Sith Intelligence, she was certainly in a position to do so. Then again, Ravage and Marr had both been on the Dark Council when the Treaty of Coruscant was signed. The Empire had had the upper hand, then, but perhaps they both recognized that the time had come once more to stall the conflict.
It still made A'tro uncomfortable, but she had to acknowledge that the Imperial military was stretched thin. The Republic was not faring much better, and the Jedi Order had certainly sustained enough losses to—
A'tro stopped in mid-step. The Jedi.
K'saria.
I think we should talk, the message had said. Was her sister connected to the Republic faction that wanted peace? She would know the costs of fighting the Empire better than anyone. And she had always been pragmatic.
Having the support of the Jedi would make the Senate faction's bid for a truce much more legitimate. Meeting with K'saria could be a way to ensure that support.
A'tro resumed walking. The Dark Council would have to manage without her for a few days. It seemed she would be going to Alderaan after all.
