"I know not what I have done, but that is about par for the course."
"… again, my thanks for hosting me and mine for this past week," the old master of diplomacy said with practiced ease. It was a trivial thing to let some faint grandfatherly undertones slip into his voice, not least because he was old enough to be one. Of course, that was without considering his considerable experience. "I can only hope that I will be selected by my superiors to lead the next round of talks."
Around them, the holocams were recording. The lighting had been perfectly arranged, gently illuminating everyone in the entrance hall. There was no podium in front of him to obscure him, no speaker setup, just a host and his guest saying farewell.
Of course, that made it seem like they were not surrounded by their respective staffs, security contingents, hangers-on, local press, non-local press, and whoever could find a way into the center of governance on this planet.
"So do I," the planetary governor said, honestly enough. He was, like any good politician on this planet, trending towards rotund without ever looking out of shape. There was not a hint of dishonesty or deception to be found in his mind, at least from a cursory glance. Good, but that did not exclude the possibility of a secondary agenda. "Of course, the People's Assembly will spend months deliberating. No doubt they wish to wait for a 'more auspicious time,' as they like to say."
"Until they can use the next talks for their reelection, they no doubt mean to say," Lord Egatio said in a conspiratorial stage-whisper, earning a hearty chuckle. "Well, it is one of the inevitabilities of politics."
"The delegates from Greater Lantyr will be frothing at the mouth in their fervor," the governor predicted, nodding over to the young man whose head was completely covered by a blank black mask. Egatio's apprentice was, as was to be expected, engaged in polite conversation with a number of local notables, keeping them occupied. "Between you and your apprentice, the media has spoken of nothing but the Empire."
He noted the governor had not mentioned in what direction the local politicians' frenzy leaned. A very important point of distinction. Almost as an afterthought, he confirmed that his apprentice was indeed refraining from causing any trouble. Not that it took much effort to check; It was more like focusing on a particular bit of ambient noise. Except that in this case, the ambient noise was his apprentice mental lamentations.
And unspoken hope that a certain Jedi kept her distance.
"I would imagine that is quite useful for an elected official," he allowed himself to say, not having missed a beat. While he did mean every word of that statement – since knowing what would dominate the headlines in advance was a useful tool for any one of these delegates wanting to hide something incriminating or bolster their own reputation – he was more interested in the reaction to his statement.
"No doubt," the governor agreed. A response that revealed almost nothing. Oh, he was a clever one alright. Then again, that was to be expected of the ruler of an entire planet. Still, it let Egatio guess in which direction the planetary government leaned. "Too many rely on cheap tricks in their campaigns. Skilled oratory and good policy ideas are hard to come by these days."
"I know what you mean," the Sith said, nodding grandfatherly. Just another affectation, once which all too often kept his opponents on the back foot. "The war caused too many of my fellow Sith to neglect their debate skills in favor of learning how to wave a fancy stick, a shortcoming that is being spread across generations as we speak."
How many was too many? That wasn't important, and the term was vague enough to reinforce whatever the governor thought, though there was some truth to his words. There truly was a trend that had hit his sphere particularly hard. Diplomacy at the end of a lightsaber had a way of crumbling to moment the weapon turned to face a new threat. Then again, it was a trend that allowed a mere lord such as himself to amass enough influence to lead a delegation on his own. He could live with that particular outcome.
Of course, sharing that information was a gamble in and of itself. While it might weaken the faith the governor had in the Empire, it might also increase the chances that Egatio himself would be called upon the finalize any annexations. And any doubt the governor had in the Empire and how it rewarded service would be dispelled by personal experience.
"Looks like I have all the more reason to hope it is you that leads the next delegation," the governor said with a smile.
"As do I," Egatio replied. "Hopefully, we will get a closer look at your planet beyond the confines of your manor."
"Then I would recommend visiting in the fall," he advised. "No end to the festivals before the winter elections. It would be a good chance for the people to get to know you." After saying that, the governor's attention was drawn by a new figure approaching from the side. Lord Egatio, however, had sensed him coming several moments ago. "Ah, Master Bakarn, of course the offer is open to you and the Republic as well. I would not deprive my people of the opportunity to learn more."
"It is kind of you to offer," the walking mound of serenity said, a pleased smile on his face. A legend from the war, the aging Jedi's slate grey hair was pulled into a ponytail- what was left of it on his balding head, anyway. Blue eyes radiated an innocence that he had no right to have. An outward lie to match the inward one of the Jedi Code. "The Senate will be pleased to hear of this."
At the side of the Jedi Master came a diminutive knight. Despite the discrepancy in rank, Egatio knew she was the greater danger among the Jedi. She was responsible for the deaths of at least seven Sith over the course of the cold war. Seven deaths that Imperial Intelligence was certain were her doing, though they had not had enough solid evidence to level any serious accusations.
"I have no doubt they will be very glad to hear it," the voice of the governor reached his ears, but Egatio did not let it distract him. "Not that it was ever in doubt, but you were model guests. The Sith, too. Now if only my lobbyists could have that same level of grace…" his voice trailed off as Jedi and Sith gave a polite chuckle.
Seven suspected deaths, with who knew how many more they could not connect to her.
And yet, Nestor had managed to get on her 'good' side. Or at the very least, had managed to avoid getting gutted by her the moment there were no holocams present. Speaking of which, where had his apprentice gone? He was no longer in his field in vision.
He did not need to search far to find him. Or even turn his head. His apprentice had a tendency to broadcast his thoughts to anyone who could listen, placing him… somewhere behind him. With the slightest bit of effort, he managed to catch a few snippets of his conversation; this little exit event was not too densely packed to prevent it.
"It is a curious coincidence, J'Meson, but I highly doubt the leak came from within the Empire," said apprentice told what had to be the editor of the local media network. Somehow, the two of them had become reasonably well acquainted. "It was timed too well to be from an off-worlder. Every new publication this week focused on the Sith, all without causing an undue disruption in sales. No, it had to be a local."
"You're suggesting a local released the footage?" said editor asked, indulging the young Sith. Little did Nestor know that the editor had been the one to leak the footage. His knowledge in local matters of media was incredibly useful in that regard. And, perhaps more importantly, anyone doing a routine intelligence screening of the man might consider him an imperial asset. That bit of deception alone was a valuable tool.
Ah, but that little talk had gone on for long enough. Egatio reached out with his mind and nudged his apprentice. Immediately, the spinning wheels of thoughts cast carelessly to the winds screeched to a halt.
"Only they would know how to best use it, J'Meson, but I am far from an expert on these matters." His apprentice briefly deflated, as though disappointed. "My apologies, J'Meson, but my master is a stickler for the itinerary. I wish you the best of luck with your work. If all goes well, we might see each other before too long."
The pair shook hands, and the apprentice moved to join his master.
"Ah, you must be Nestor!" The governor not-quite-asked as the apprentice took up his position on his master's right. The portly man extended a hand in greeting, one which the apprentice clasped with the expected grace. "I don't believe we've been introduced. Governor G'Ber of Cyrillia, a pleasure to finally make the acquaintance of the man dominating the headlines."
"Likewise a pleasure, governor," the apprentice said, politely enough. "Though with what the headlines have been saying about me, I am not surprised you waited to introduce yourself."
A reasonable response, given the unrepentant smut those headlines promised. Polite chatter filled the air for a while longer, with his apprentice's discomfort filtering into his thoughts every time he found himself meeting the Jedi Knight's eyes. Egatio made a mental note to refocus Nestor's training, if only for the potential for a slightly quieter next conference.
And to better prepare him for another confrontation with the Jedi. With the amount of media coverage they had generated, it would be idiocy of the highest order not to capitalize on it.
Still, it took the better part of an hour for the event to wrap up and for the two Sith - well, the Sith and apprentice, really - to find themselves in an aircar on the way to the starport. Fortunately, this aircar had been procured by Imperial Intelligence, guaranteeing them a reasonable expectation of privacy. At least, as much as men in their line of work ever had.
"That went well," his apprentice mentioned, apropos of nothing, the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"It did indeed," he agreed. The apprentice turned his head in question. Not rapidly whipping his head around a character in a holodrama who had been blindsided, but with the refined grace that was indicative of his station in his life. Alongside speaking in a vaguely imperial accent, that made two things Nestor could do right. No, wait, he had a talent for grabbing attention, too. Three things, then.
"My lord, I do not follow," the young man said. "The planet is not about to join the Empire, there is no guarantee of an alliance, the Jedi were able to move unopposed, and there is no guarantee that we will be the ones assigned to turn the next conference into a concrete success. How was this a success?"
"Remember who our enemy is, my apprentice," he said. Unfortunately, for every moment of competence, his apprentice had a moment where just couldn't quite see what was going on in front of him.
"The Republic," the apprentice said, giving the expected answer, though his thoughts protested about the label.
"Do they have the allegiance of this world?" Egatio asked.
"No," he answered, as his thoughts whirled in a futile attempt to predict where this line of questioning was going, the metaphorical wheels in his head spinning wildly. "No, they do not."
"If they want control, what do they need to do?"
"Put more effort into the next conference?" he guessed, before the realization settled in his mind. Good, some progress.
"And that required money. The Republic is still in the middle of a decade-long economic depression; Unless they decide to increase their expenditures, any further funding comes at the expense of something else. But since this spending would be spent outside of the Republic, it would be worse for their recovery than investing in rebuilding. If nothing else, it will take up time and stall the next budged a little."
"And there you have it, apprentice," he said, leaning into his seat as the spaceport came into view. "Victory need not always be crushing or overwhelming if it furthers our goals."
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