boxofmisfits | An Inquisitor in the Sith Empire

Altair didn't often have reason to visit the jails, given that his work on the Dark Council was about as far removed from what passed for the Empire's justice system as it could be. So it was by pure chance- or perhaps a touch of the Force's guidance- that he had taken the trip today. An artifact that was meant to go to his sanctum beneath the citadel had instead found its way somewhere it didn't belong and so he had chosen to retrieve it himself rather than send out one of his attendants.

To someone not used to his presence, the small figure clad in white stood out in the dark environment full of uniformed officers and the odd Sith guard in dark armor milling about.

"Lord Nox!" One of the high-ranking officers greeted him as he stepped into the administrative office that overlooked the cells, looking rather nervous about the company. The Sith guards had stopped their patrolling entirely and stood at attention, heads bowed. The officers aside from the highest ranking one had also ceased their movement to stand at attention, "We're honored by your visit, my Lord, but we could have sent someone-"

Altair held up a hand and the man immediately shut his mouth, "The relic is just that important. I trust that it's been handled in the way I specified while under your care."

Though he was speaking normally, and though the officer didn't seem to notice given the veil that covered his eyes, his head was ever so slightly turned to the side- his focus on the man he could sense within one of the cells.

"Of course my Lord, it has been handled with the absolute greatest-"

Again, he held up his hand to indicate that the officer should stop speaking.

"That Sith there, in the cell. Why is he here?"

"Sith-" The officer began, finally taking notice of where Altair seemed to be focusing his attention, followed by a soft ah.

"That's just some alien sc-"

A crackle of electricity was the reason for his mouth shutting this time, and he cleared his throat before reformulating what he meant to say, "I mean. We do not think he is a Sith, my Lord. We think he may be some sort of Jedi spy."

"A Jedi spy?" Altair asked, a distinct note of doubt in his deep voice. That certainly didn't feel like a Jedi. And there was a strange quality about him. A discordant sort of tone in the way the Force felt, like that of some Sith holocrons he'd examined in the past. He motioned with his hand then, toward the door, and the officer blinked, "My Lord-?"

"Out."

"Ah- ? Oh- ! Yes, Lord Nox!" He said immediately, barking at his fellow officers, "Clear the room! Chop, chop!"

A flurry of motion had the Sith guards and the Imperials out the door, leaving Altair alone as he approached the cell the man was in.

"You're not from here, are you?"

The Grand Inquisitor opened his eyes upon sensing another Force user enter the jail, looking up and listening in on the conversation. For a moment, he thought the Sith was a teenager, but that was most certainly an adult's voice. Perhaps his species was just short. The blue skin pointed to any number of aliens. The white was an interesting color choice.

Still, he had a certain presence about him. An air of authority and darkness.

The lightning caught his attention. This was most certainly a Sith Lord.

As the guards left, the Inquisitor stood and approached the Sith, gazing at him through the barrier.

"No, I'm afraid that I'm not. I am unfamiliar with this city, and am not even sure what planet I am on. All I know is that two humans accosted me and had me arrested." He spoke calmly, but with an undertone letting the Sith know that he wasn't happy with his predicament.

"Kaas City. Dromund Kaas. Capital of the Sith Empire."

Normally Altair would not give that much detail due to it being entirely unnecessary, but the way the Force moved about around this man was abnormal to say the least. And he could only sense honesty in his words too, along with the understandable irritation that came with being locked in a cell without knowing why. He tilted his head up as though studying the cell the other man was in, though it was hard to tell what he was thinking with the veil on as it was.

"You've been tinkering with an ancient Sith holocron."

It wasn't a question. The way the Force felt, the sense he got off of him. Altair knew just the artifact that the man had been tinkering with. He knew it because it was currently locked away in one of his vaults and it was approximately two days since he had been examining it himself. Something about time and space seemed to flow a little differently around it and while it could certainly be a powerful weapon, he had deemed it too dangerous to continue experimenting on until he had a better handle on it. And had a better way of testing what it could and couldn't do than the usual Sith response of throw bodies at the problem.

"And given that said holocron was securely stashed in one of my vaults, oh, about two days ago, this may be less of a where and more of a when sort of situation. I'm surprised those idiots couldn't tell something about you feels off."

He tilted his head, "Though of course you are an alien and most people around here see and alien and entirely disengage their brains. It's an embarrassment to the Sith Order, honestly."

"The Sith Empire?" Now that got his attention. He'd seen clues that such an empire had existed once, but most of the history from that time was lost. "Yes, I believe you may be right."

The Sith Empire itself. That holocron had flung him thousands of years into the past, to a time when the Sith were many. Were he still not in a jail cell he would be savoring the moment. Still, this Sith could possibly be toying with him until he got bored and executed the Inquisitor himself. It was what Lord Vader would do.

That this empire was just as hostile towards aliens as Palpatine's, it was a shame.

"I fear that you were mistaken earlier. You see, I'm not a Sith. I'm an Inquisitor."

"... Yes? Last I checked an Inquisitor is as much a Sith as any other rank within the Order. We're a tad more politically inclined than our Warrior counterparts, but still."

Altair supposed that could have changed or be different wherever this Sith was from.

He was curious about those changes. And this man had the ability to sate his curiosity with little risk to himself. Like what he did to the holocron to make it respond to him by sending him elsewhere, elsewhen. Whichever it was.

He motioned with a hand, and the pressure he exerted through the Force intensified slightly and it took all of five seconds for the high-ranking officer from before to come rushing back in with a "Yes, my Lord?"

"I don't much appreciate you locking my apprentice up on suspicion of being a Jedi spy, officer," The Sith said, head slightly tilted. His tone was calm and even, but there was an underlying hint that taking his words as anything other than absolute truth would be a bad idea.

"I- Ah- Yes my- my Lord," The man said, looking frazzled as he hurried to unlock the cell, nearly stumbling over himself to get out of the way, and unlike the restrained bow from earlier, now he was very much groveling, "My apologies to the everlasting night Lord and- ah- the other young Lord," He said, addressing the Inquisitor.

"I suggest you run and fetch my apprentice's lightsaber. I imagine you confiscated it when you quite mistakenly tossed him in here. I should like the names of the men who apprehended him as well."

The man very nearly sprinted from the room after his affirmative, and Altair turned back to the other Sith, "I recommend you play along unless you'd prefer the torture and execution that runs rampant here when it comes to alien prisoners."

Edited 2025-03-02 08:49 (UTC)

"I think perhaps that rank means something different in my time compared to this one."

He watched the drama unfold before him, impressed with the way the Sith commanded the officer. While he was certainly different than his old master, he was no less intimidating, and the Inquisitor didn't doubt that he would carry out any threats he made.

"Of course... master."

Apprentice. Even if it was just a ploy to get him out of here, he rather liked the sound of it. He was deeply curious to know more about this time period, and see this Kaas City without being treated as vermin.

"Once we have the opportunity, I imagine we will both have questions for one another."

"I imagine we will, apprentice," Altair agreed, sounding perfectly pleasant though there was certainly curiosity evident in his voice. Like he'd found himself an interesting puzzle. And the man's circumstances certainly were. But he wasn't particularly treating the man himself as a puzzle, and from his tone and how he held himself it was obvious enough that he saw him as a person first and anything else after.

Though he hadn't done anything to indicate it was the case, he had wondered about what could have landed a Sith in a cell and his mind had immediately jumped to the fact that it might be racially motivated even though that was so rarely a concern for Sith.

The officer returned with the lightsaber and Altair indicated that it should be handed back to its owner, and motioned for the officer to abscond immediately after. He wouldn't personally mind if another racist got splattered across pristine Imperial floors, but it would lead to an awful lot of work. And the man seemed to mostly know his place anyway.

He motioned for the other man to follow then, picking up the relic he had been there to fetch from one of the Sith waiting outside the administrative office. At least one person in this Force forsaken place had some common sense.

"Good work," He told the young Sith, "At ease."

The young man bowed, looking quite relieved at the approval and as Altair and his new apprentice departed, the workers got back to looking busy as Altair headed for the elevator that would take them up into the hub of activity that was the offices of many of Kaas City's most prominent Lords.

"If you should find yourself on your own at any point, I recommend that you introduce yourself as the apprentice of Darth Nox. It won't scare off the truly big fish-"

By which he meant those whose ranks were similar to his own, "But anyone else with at least two brain cells to rub together should run right off. And for our singular brain cell Sith brethren, I find that a good choke will clear them right up if using my name doesn't work- something about the oxygen deprivation makes their brains briefly work a tad better- but try to avoid killing them for now."

The Inquisitor took back his lightsaber, giving the man a threatening look for good measure, before strapping the weapon to his back and following the Sith, Darth Nox.

He tried to recall if he'd ever seen any mention of a Sith by that title. Perhaps it was mentioned in passing in one of the ancient writings, but those had been notoriously hard to translate. The Jedi had taken so much Sith history from the galaxy, and yet they wondered how some among their ranks could fall to the seductive power of the dark side.

"I will remember that, my Lord." Obviously his rank of Grand Inquisitor meant nothing in this time, and was useless as leverage.

Once they were outside, he took in a proper view of the city. At a glance, it was like many other cities, save for the statues of Sith Lords and apprentices walking in the open. Whereas Coruscant was all one big city, with multiple layers, Kaas City was a singular city built into a jungle planet. Off in the distance, one building stood out, separate from the rest, with three tall towers.

"So it's true. There was a time when the Sith were numerous."

Taking out his lightsaber, he activated both blades, making sure the weapon still worked. Holding it out in front of him, he activated the spinning mechanism, satisfied that it still worked too. Satisfied, he shut the weapon off and replaced it on his back.

"So we're not where you're from, then."

Given that Inquisitor was something different, Altair had thought as much. Though some Sith might have taken the other man checking his lightsaber over as a threat, he sensed nothing that felt like an attack was coming and thus remained as calm as he had been. From the sound of it, the lightsaber was quite a different design from what he was used to.

He wondered if he might be permitted to examine it later.

"It's Altair, by the way. When we're in private, you can call me Altair."

Both Ashara and Xalek refused to call him by his name. It'd be nice to have one apprentice who did.

Speaking of...

"Master, can we leave?" Ashara asked as she approached, sounding and probably looking quite sullen and irritated, "This place gives me the creeps and being on this planet gives me the ick."

The Kaleesh Sith trailing behind her was harder to read, but did bow to Altair with a respectful My Lord.

Ashara had none of that dignity, looking between Altair and the Inquisitor, sounding irritable as she asked, "Who's he?"

"New apprentice," Altair said, holding up a hand to stop her in her tracks as she prepared to get argumentative, "Long story. And you, stop that," He said to Xalek who now looked at the Inquisitor like he was sizing up the competition.

"Return to the Fury for now and I'll fill you both in later."

"We are not. I'm afraid that's a long story."

Altair. To be given permission to use his real name, it felt like some forbidden thing, but also a great honor. Emperor Palpatine went by his real name to the galaxy, rather than his title of Darth Sidious, and Count Dooku used his real name more than Darth Tyranus. Darth Vader, meanwhile, gave the impression that were anyone to even think about what his old name was, he would kill them.

He turned towards the newcomers, tensing for a second upon seeing the orange togruta. No, this wasn't Ahsoka Tano. She didn't feel like a Sith, though. The Inquisitor nodded at them both, his face remaining expressionless. He supposed these were his peers now. His fellow apprentices to Darth Nox.

That he had more than one apprentice was another thing that seemed outlandish. Perhaps it was more common during this period.

"I look forward to serving our master," He said to them both, eying Xalek in particular.

"There will be time for it later, I'm sure."

It was disappointing to learn that the Sith weren't around to stay, but perhaps if he was told tales of where the Inquisitor was from then he could ponder out some way to correct the course of the Sith to ensure their survival. A survival in his image, but a survival nonetheless.

"I suppose we'll see," Ashara said, giving a careful nod- obviously not sure what to make of the situation or of the Inquisitor. Xalek on the other hand said nothing, though both of them bowed to Altair after he handed the relic he'd been there to retrieve off to Xalek to take back before departing for the Fury as he had ordered, with Ashara casting doubtful glances back at the pair.

"You'll have to forgive them their discourtesy," Altair said, addressing the other man again, "Ashara remains a Jedi at heart and it's in the nature of a Jedi to distrust a Sith."

The Jedi would not consider Ashara to be one of them still, but Altair knew that in her heart she still was- and he wouldn't push her on the issue. She was his apprentice too, after all, and he loved her the way that she was, "Well, when said Sith isn't her master, at any rate."

He knew she trusted him.

"As for Xalek, well... He had to quite a bit of killing on Korriban to achieve his current position, so he may perceive you as competition."

Even though plenty of Lords had more than one apprentice. And Xalek had never seen Ashara as competition. Perhaps it was because the Inquisitor was an unknown. But it didn't matter- they would adapt to each other assuming the Inquisitor stayed.

The Inquisitor bowed to them both, but kept his eyes on Xalek as he left. One didn't need the Force to sense the malice radiating off the kaleesh. He would have to keep his eye on that one.

"You convinced a Jedi to abandon the Order to follow you, yet she doesn't swear herself to the Sith? Most interesting." He could sense the light within her, stronger than any budding darkness. "She reminds me of a Jedi back where I come from, right down to being orange Togruta with blue and white lekku and montrals."

He had served as guard during her trial, but hadn't encountered her since then. There were rumors of her survival, and someone had killed the Sixth Brother on Raada, but so far nothing had been confirmed.

Edited 2025-03-12 02:01 (UTC)

"Certain circumstances involving me led to the deaths of her Masters. It's less me convincing her to abandon the Order and more that she's convinced herself that the Jedi would not forgive her for it."

She had felt like she had no other choice, and Altair knew it, "Since she thought that her choices were losing all she's ever known and being alone in the galaxy or coming with me, she ended up choosing to join hands with her enemy and seeking common ground. She's far more of a splendid Jedi than any of the inflexible morons that make up the Order's leadership. They've always been the type to break rather than bend."

Altair wouldn't necessarily say that he hated them. Hatred was too intense of a feeling. Strongly disliked, perhaps. But he understood that the Jedi teachings were important to Ashara and he had the power to shelter her within the Empire and let her find her own path while balancing that fine line between light and dark.

"I think you'll find her interesting as you get to know her. I've found her views on the nature of the Force and her ability to adapt her teachings into something that works for her fascinating, at least."

He motioned with a hand then. Dromund Kaas was not known for its pleasant weather and so it was better to go somewhere else to continue their chat. With Ashara and Xalek departing for the Fury, he and his new apprentice could depart for his apartment, "Shall we?"

A speeder was already waiting outside with a Sith in the driver's seat- waiting patiently, which said something more about Nox's rank that he could assign such menial tasks to another Sith. Altair had not gone in with the intention to stay long, so he had asked his driver to stay until he returned.

"Given the circumstances, you'll be welcome to stay in my home for now."

"I see." Such a thing was all but unheard of in his time. For a Jedi to turn her back on the Order and accompany a Sith, yet still remain a Jedi at heart. It was like something out of a holo-drama. Perhaps that said more about Altair, in how he did things differently than the Sith of his era.

It also sounded as though the Jedi hadn't changed much since this era. Stubborn, convinced they were right about everything, and unable to accept anything outside their doctrine.

"Thank you, Master. Altair," He corrected, stepping into the cab.

"Would you be surprised to learn that I was a Jedi once too?" Best to get that bit of information out of the way. If Altair accepted one such as Ashara into his personal circle, then surely he wouldn't be opposed to one such as the Inquisitor.

"Were you?" Altair asked, sounding curious, "You'll have to tell me all about that too. I'd be interested to know if the Jedi you know and the Jedi that I know are different at all."

As for the reasons why he was no longer a Jedi... Well, perhaps Altair would ask once they knew each other a little better. There were plenty of reasons to become disappointed with the Jedi Order, after all. He was as interested in the tales of the man himself as he was in the tales of the possible future he brought with him.

"Though I find the idea of the Jedi changing their ways to be difficult to imagine."

Certainly the Inquisitor must have found them inflexible too given that he was no longer a Jedi.

"I would be surprised if there was much difference between them."

He had revealed his Jedi past, and that was as far as he was willing to go at the moment. Friendly or not, Altair was still a strange Sith lord who had no qualms with snatching a stray dark-sider. For all he knew, he was stealing another Sith's apprentice. Lucky for them both, Darth Vader didn't exist yet.

"The Jedi I know are a stubborn lot, completely set in their ways and full of self-righteousness. Romance is forbidden, and they seem to think that even humoring dark thoughts will lead to the dark side."

"That does sound consistent with the Jedi that I know, yes."

Of course there were plenty of Sith who saw true romance as forbidden too, but there were as many different Sith philosophies as there were Sith and so they were generally more willing to bend the rules- including rules they made on their own- to live according to their own will.

Given that they hadn't been too far from Kaas City it didn't take long for them to arrive at the building that Altair's apartment was in, and Altair got out and while the Inquisitor did the same, Altair addressed the Sith that had driven them, "Your services were adequate, so you may bring my approval to your master to go ahead with that pet project of his. But remind him that I wish for frequent updates."

"Yes, my Lord." The apprentice said, with a slight bow of his head- driving off once the Inquisitor was out and had closed the door and Altair moved to go inside to head for the private elevator that would take them all the way to the top.

"By the way, I do also have a Dashade living with me, just so you're prepared for that. Khem's face can be a bit of a... Jumpscare if you're not expecting it. He's fairly used to following my orders though so he won't be any threat to you."

The Inquisitor looked out over the city, finding the sight awe-worthy. Dromund Kaas as it once was, bustling and vibrant, with Sith everywhere. In his time, it was but a ruin, all but forgotten. He could sense the Force within the air, like a dark counterpart to the feeling of Coruscant before the end of the Clone Wars. That all of this was gone in his time, it gave him a feeling of melancholy.

He watched the exchange between the Sith, impressed that his new master seemed to command such authority even towards those who didn't belong to him.

"A Dashade you say? I can't say I've ever met one in person, but I've heard stories. Stories that say they feast upon Force users."

"They do. Khem has been living off of a diet of almost exclusively Jedi for years now."

Other Sith took the occasional shot at Altair still, but all they ever ended up doing was end up a snack for his Dashade. Altair hadn't known what to make of Khem originally, but by now he knew there was none as loyal as him.

The elevator took them straight up- opening up into his home, tucked into the corner of what appeared to be a well-kept sitting area and kitchen. While one would expect to see a servant or three milling about, there were none, though the area seemed immaculate aside for Altair's projects littered across the table- holocrons and tomes of ancient Sith writings that were in the middle of being studied. But also embroideries that were a work in progress.

As this was his home, and he no longer felt the need to feel discomfort in his own safe zone, he reached up to remove his veil to put it down. He rarely wore his veil at home after all, at least not any more.

"Welcome to my home, apprentice. I'm afraid my work trails after me everywhere I go, but you'll find the guestroom at least to be a comfortable place to stay."

With no relics to trip over.

"Then I shall hope that he's well fed enough to not feed off your apprentices."

That would be an awful way to go. Getting to a past era where he felt more comfortable only to be made into a Dashade's meal. The horror.

He eyed Altair curiously as he removed the veil, blinking once. "Ah, so you are a Chiss. I was harboring the idea that you were a Pantoran with an Imperial accent." Granted, Admiral Thrawn was his only frame of reference, so perhaps Thrawn was an anomaly among his people.

"Not so long as I tell him to keep his appetite in check."

Khem wouldn't be happy certainly. But Khem was also never happy with anyone other than Altair. Even those who had been at Altair's side for years got the cold shoulder from him.

"You weren't completely incorrect. It's my understanding that I am some form of half-breed, though I couldn't accurately say what percentage of Pantoran I am."

It was hard to tell given how poorly kept the records of slave breeding were. It wasn't as though anyone cared so long as they had bodies to throw at the work to be done. The slave settlement had had plenty of hybrids aside from him.

"As for my accent, well, I am an Imperial. I was born and raised here."

"Yes well, I've only met one Chiss in my life, so my frame of reference may be limited." Thrawn was a stoic fellow, his mind like a block of ice, and he gave the impression of a man constantly looking for clues and connections. Altair seemed freer with his emotions, a Sith, rather than a military man.

"I adopted my accent later in life, after I was taken to Coruscant as a youngling. Just as well, as I do not remember my life on Utapau."

"Really?"

But Altair supposed that if there was no Sith Empire, then there was also no alliance between Empire and Ascendancy. He had to admit that it wasn't exactly difficult to imagine a world where the Chiss had withdrawn back to their home, given that he was certain that most of them barely wished to comply with the terms of the alliance now.

"An Imperial accent on Coruscant? Things must have changed indeed."

The Inquisitor had heard Ashara speaking earlier. There was certainly no Imperial accent to be found there. As was the case with every Jedi and every person from the Republic that Altair had ever met.

"Where I come from, one would call it a Core world accent." Last time he saw Thrawn, he had that human with the Wild Space accent, and he could imagine the discrimination the man received thanks to that accent.

"A few Jedi I've met had that accent," General Kenobi, for example. "Not many, though. Ashara's accent was much more common among their ranks."

He looked around at the penthouse, marveling at everything. "My, you almost put the royal palace to shame."

"I see. This accent is admittedly one most associated with the core of the Empire- it's somewhat less common the further away from the capital you get. I imagine it's somewhat like what where you're from too?"

The more someplace was seen as the center of the galaxy, the more they felt the need to distinguish themself in some way or another, in Altair's experience. He'd been lucky enough that he had known many slaves who had formerly been Imperials and who had rather quickly realized that entitlement didn't fly in slave pens- he imagined himself having a much harder time if he didn't at least speak as though he'd been living and breathing being Sith since he was born.

"As for your compliment for my home, thank you. I thought it was a little too big initially and had been thinking of downsizing, but you would not imagine the talking to I got for even suggesting that a Dark Councilor have anything less than a penthouse apartment."

Ravage had ranted for a good two hours in the middle of one of their meetings, and it had been one of those rare occasions where Marr had been in agreement with the man. Even so, Altair could nearly feel the headache he'd had that day return just thinking about having to sit through Ravage's marathon-whining.

"Thankfully it has been an excellent place to store and display relics and artwork. I've come to quite enjoy the feeling of almost living in my own personal museum."

"That is correct. A Grand Admiral I've met a few times has an aide from Wild Space and you can tell from his accent." The Inquisitor had ventured out there a few times, so he had a good idea of the various Wild Space accents.

"If you'll permit it, I think I would like to see these relics and artworks." Actual Sith relics and art. Oh, truly he had died and become one with the Force. "And, Dark Councilor, you say?"

Had he truly gotten so lucky?

"I can already tell how people treat this aide," Altair said, with a wry smile. Some things would just always stay the same, he supposed. He had never quite understood it himself given that a person's capabilities were ultimately what mattered. Of course the truth was never quite so simple even in the meritocratic Empire. If he began counting the amount of Sith and Imperials who'd coasted by on nepotism he'd be counting well beyond the age of simply going gray.

"I would request that you don't enter my office, but aside from that, there's no room in the apartment that is off-limits to you so you should find quite a lot of relics and art to study."

The relics in his office were probably the most interesting, but they were also in the middle of being translated and studied. Until he had discovered all their secrets he couldn't in good conscience let someone else examine them even though the Inquisitor seemed well-versed in the dark side of the Force.

"And yes. I am head of the Pyramid of Ancient Knowledge, meaning that I am the Councilor tasked both with expanding Sith knowledge and safeguarding the secrets of the Sith Order. Did I... Not mention that?"

He thought he had, but perhaps he had been coasting by on Darth Nox so much that it had slipped his mind that it would be less obvious to someone who wasn't from here that that was who he was.

Edited 2025-04-14 14:56 (UTC)

"Yes. Fortunately for him, the Grand Admiral seems to treat him well." He never sensed any resentment from the young man or fear of his boss whenever they were in the same room. Thrawn was much different than Lord Vader.

"I promise I shall not enter your office," Even if his curiosity was burning. His new master was taking a chance on him, and if he really was an important figure within this Empire, then the Inquisitor would do well to remain in his good graces. Best case scenario, he'd be tossed aside and forced back into a prison cell.

"I gathered that you were a very important person within the Empire, that your name means much, and that you command authority over many other Sith. Your title was vaguely familiar to me, but I'm afraid I was unaware of what your actual role within the Empire is."

Altair let out a soft huff of laughter- he could sense that burning curiosity after all. See it in the intensity of his eyes. It reminded him rather of his own curiosity towards all things Sith- be it artifacts, writings, or even politics.

"You may enter my office so long as I am in it, I suppose."

Not because he thought he needed the supervision, but because it was the only way to keep him from feeling bad if any of his relics should decide to lash out. Plenty of Sith artifacts had ways of protecting themselves and the secrets they held after all.

"Vaguely familiar, huh. I wonder if I work harder to spread my name further, if your memory here would be updated in real time..."

The Inquisitor had already confirmed that it was a when after all. It would be an interesting experiment to see if something about his memory changed should he go out of his way to change something about the here and the now.

"Assuming you'd agree to me experimenting with that idea."

"We can certainly find out." Somehow he didn't think it worked that way, based on the theories he'd read. Still, Altair was the master, and thus he got the final say.

"I can guess that you've figured it out by now. I am from the distant future. I assume you have even more questions for me now, which I am willing to answer." Which was potentially dangerous, as it risked changing the future. Say the wrong thing and Darth Vader might not exist and thus he would never become Grand Inquisitor. Or the Inquisitor himself might cease to exist.

"I'm not so unreasonable that I would bombard you with questions on your first day here."

He was brimming with curiosity, of course. He had a million questions and more questions were forming with every passing second. His passion as a Sith was most often expressed as curiosity after all. He was greedy when it came to learning new things.

"You are my apprentice now, and I your master, but most importantly in this moment- you are my guest. What I am going to do is show you to the guest room and let you get comfortable while I take care of the teeny tiny problem of informing the people who need to know that I have chosen to take on another apprentice so that people will know to not touch you."

News was probably spreading already. Rumors tended to fly on Dromund Kaas after all.

But there were a few people who would need to hear it from Altair himself. Judging by the look on his face he was not looking forward to those conversations.

"The time for questions will come- for now, you should decompress and think about how you wish to proceed from here. My shadow will be a comfortable place for you while you are here, but I also assume you'll be wanting to go back to the time you belong in."

The Inquisitor gave him a suspicious look that quickly faded. He was so used to Lord Vader that Altair being so generous to him was almost too good to believe. Like he expected to be Force choked at any second. Yet, something about Altair said that he was genuine, that he intended to take care of his new apprentice.

"Truth be told, I wouldn't be too upset if I were unable to return to my own time. I think I already like you more than my last master."

"Ah, you work for one of our more idiotically aggressive brethren, then."

It wasn't exactly difficult to guess. Many Sith threw themselves directly into the dark after all, without any regard for the fact that they were meant to master it and not be mastered by it. Altair knew more than one Sith who was like that too and felt lucky that despite how bad of a master Zash had been, she had never been like that.

"Whatever you choose to do, you have a place here if you want it. You are my apprentice and that means that as soon as I've gotten that point across to the rest of the Council," He said, sighing softly with the idea of having to talk to some of them given that they would likely disapprove of him taking in another apprentice of unknown origin rather than snatch up someone new directly from the academy, "You will be groomed for a role within the power structure of my Sphere of Influence the same as Xalek. An assassin, an enforcer, a commander of my military forces, a scholar or researcher or archaeologist, a politician... You can even choose to become an overseer at the Sith academy if you'd like. Whatever you prefer to specialize in, you will find a place to call your own if you stay."

He was already adept in the dark side of the Force, Altair could tell. While there would be a period of learning the ways of the Sith Empire and what it meant to be a part of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge, Altair wasn't exactly stingy with promotions.

"The only real thing I will ask of you is that you strive for victory, but learn from any failure along the way."

"Hm, I rather like the sound of all that." He was used to having some authority, as the leader of the Inquisitors, and there were times where he entertained the idea of taking Darth Vader's position. To hear that he could do much more than just that, it was an appealing idea.

Him, a military commander, politician or overseer. Even just becoming a scholar or researcher also had its appeals, since he did like to do research on his own and he often spent his free time reading old books.

"Oh, you need not worry about that. While I may not be a true Sith, the dark side is all about striving for ambition and exceeding your own limitations."

"You've become my apprentice," Altair said, tilting his head slightly to the side, "So you can't say that you are not a true Sith any more."

He hadn't been trained as a Sith in the academy, sure. But there were many Sith who hadn't done that either, such as Jedi who had ended up defecting to the Empire. Some younger defectors had ended up going to Korriban, but it wasn't like it was necessary for his new apprentice to do that when a master had already chosen to take him in.

"If you'd like to spend some time in the Sith academy to get used to how things are done here, that's fine- but there is no one in the Empire who would dare openly challenge my authority and call you anything other than Sith."

The way he'd chosen Xalek hadn't exactly been standard either, given that Xalek had ignored the subtleties of murder and had killed another acolyte right in front of him. Altair's fellow Councilors might raise an eyebrow at how he'd acquired a third apprentice to call his own, but even they would not question him.

"I'll be looking forward to where your ambition takes you- though I should also clarify that while I wish for you to strive for victory, the most important part is that you survive any failure along the way."

Not a typical desire for a Sith, he knew. But Altair had already lost two of his apprentices before. He didn't ever want to lose any apprentice of his again.

"Oh, I have no intention of dying, of that I assure you."

Seeing Korriban in all its glory, it would be like a dream come true. The temples, the academy, all still there and still active. How much did history record, and how much was true, he wondered. He would be the envy of his peers and his master if they knew.

"In my time, I lead the Inquisitors. I suppose we would be classified as Dark Jedi, though we didn't call ourselves that. You see, long after your time, a Sith by the name of Darth Bane created the Rule of Two, in the name of ensuring our survival. The rule states that only two Sith may exist at once, no more and no less. Ostensibly, it was to keep the Sith from destroying each other and ensure that they could hide in the shadows, waiting to take revenge."

A silly rule, if he did say so himself. Especially now that the Jedi were gone.

"By not making us full Sith, my master was able to get around the Rule of Two, thus giving him a small army of dark Force users."

"... That... Is the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Even if he hadn't given them Sith titles, they were Sith in all but name.

"I can understand the fall of the Empire and the Sith Order- I can't say that I much agree with how we're currently doing things and wasting talent which might very well be our downfall- but this Rule of Two that Darth Bane created sounds more useless than a sauna on Tatooine. And any Sith following it afterwards must be intellectually deficient."

Altair understood the need to hide. After all, the Sith had done that before. Being driven on the run, in hiding until they could gather their strength and eventually reclaim Korriban and reclaim their place in the galaxy. But only two being able to exist at a time was impossible to pull of.

"Unless he added a clause for how to deal with the apprentice killing the master or the other way around, no Sith Lord worth their salt is going to waste the time and effort it would take to essentially start from scratch if their first apprentice spontaneously combusts. And no apprentice is going to quietly accept not eventually having their own student to teach their own way of following the dark."

Thus the Inquisitors, Altair imagined.

"I imagine plenty of your fellow Inquisitors would love nothing more than to kill you and take your place, and I imagine this master of yours had plenty of backups in case something went wrong with the first one."

That was what made sense to him, anyway.

"If Darth Bane and this master of yours truly wanted to keep Sith from destroying each other, they would take a decimated Sith Order and put the idea of strength in unity so firmly in their head that no Sith trained under these new rules would ever think to challenge the wisdom that power comes through ruling the galaxy together with an iron fist ever again. Perhaps add a few more lines to the Code that puts in-fighting on the same level of cardinal sin as weakness and self-destruction. If you are essentially handed a blank slate, there are ways of manipulating Sith teachings to your own benefit."

There were, after all, as many different ways to interpret the code as there were Sith. Altair certainly did not teach his apprentices the same slop as the Overseers in the academy taught.

"If the way the Sith are now and the way we will continue to be caused our downfall, then take that failure and beat your apprentices over the head with it until it becomes an ultimate shame."

It was probably a bit scary how much Altair seemed to like the hypothetical of how to lead a Sith resurgence in a world where their ways had been hidden away and mostly forgotten. And how cheery he sounded when describing how acolytes in that hypothetical should be beaten down until they truly believed that power came from unity to the point that rebellion against the idea became a taboo.

Really though.

Sith and those who were not quite Sith sounded more like a recipe for disaster to him even aside from the logistical impossibility of it.

The Inquisitor listened to Altair's rant, nodding along every so often, truly interested in what he had to say. It was actually rather cathartic to hear a Sith of old come to these opinions, and how the Rule of Two was only holding them back in his era. It kept him and the others from being considered full Sith, while Palpatine was allowed to reign as master of the Sith, with only a single apprentice as competition.

"Oh, I have no doubt that many of the Inquisitors under my belt would have killed me and taken my position if they had the chance. They would find that I am not so easily gotten rid of." Hate could be a powerful motivator.

"The Emperor of my time, my master is his third apprentice, I believe. He would train them, then something would happen to them and he'd simply replace them."

"As is the Sith way," Altair commented, since it really was the Sith way to murder to move up in the world. The Inquisitors really were Sith denied their name and only a fool would think otherwise so far as he was concerned.

"And I'm sure those apprentices all had their eye on someone to make into their own students, too. You can't learn the code and not want more."

Everyone interpreted the code a bit differently, of course. It was Altair's belief that there were as many different Sith philosophies as there were Sith. They weren't like the Jedi, after all. Their code wasn't set in stone, it was always shifting and always changing. Murder wasn't technically a requirement for the student to surpass the master, but many Sith interpreted the code like that anyway and the ones who did things differently were fun to study. He gave a soft and thoughtful little hum then, "This conversation is making me ponder the value of murdering Lord Aruk again- that is, the Councilor at the head of the Sphere of Sith Philosophy."

If Marr could essentially lead more than one Sphere, then so could he.

He gestured for the Inquisitor to follow him then- so that he could actually follow through on leading him up to where the guestroom was. Through the hall lined with both statues and artifacts that practically radiated dark side energy, and then up the stairs that were somewhat less oppressive with the amount of plants lining the sides of the stairs- though Altair's dedication to the Empire was clear even there as the Empire's flags decorated the walls as they ascended.

"Oh, I do not doubt that. Darth Tyranus went through two apprentices before his demise." Last he heard, that Ventress woman was a bounty hunter now, and he could guess that Savage had met an untimely end. Maul was still unaccounted for, and as far as he knew, Lord Vader had no 'proper' apprentice.

"Is he that incompetent at this job? Or did he simply insult you in some way?" Just because Altair was reasonable didn't mean he wasn't still a Sith. The Sith found all manner of reasons to murder each other, according to history.

He followed Altair, immediately being hit with the dark side energy that radiated from the decor and taking it in stride. The Inquisitor took a moment to admire some of the statues and artifacts, marveling at all the history within this very room.

"I don't think I've ever spoken so much as a word to him, nor him to me, actually," Altair said, trying to remember if he'd even met the man. Many of the Councilors chose to avoid the meetings of the Dark Council unless participation was mandatory, choosing instead to focus their attention on whatever their Sphere happened to be focusing on or on the ongoing war.

"I do want his seat, though. Thankfully I have many rivalries with my fellow Councilors so if I did go after him, I wouldn't be the first suspect," He added, rather pleasantly. Normally Altair needed more of a reason to go after another Sith but it would be nice to have a say in the shaping of the Order as a whole.

"I figure that if Marr can essentially run multiple Spheres of Influence depending on which seats are left vacant for a time, then so can I."

Marr had been on the Council for a long time, of course. He was trusted, even valued, for the stability and military might he brought to the table.

"Of course I'd like to take over Lord Rictus's Sphere too- too often does the Sphere of Mysteries meddle in Ancient Knowledge's business."

He glanced back at the other man then and smiled slightly, "It is fairly common for Councilors of similar Spheres to form strong rivalries with each other. Out of all of my fellows, I'd say the only one I get on well with is Marr and given that he practically heads the entire Imperial military on his own, it lends me a bit more influence than someone like me usually should have."

Implying, of course, that Marr trusted Altair the way that Altair trusted him.

"Now, if someone was to decide to murder Lord Ravage, I'd be suspect number one. Of course they wouldn't need to look very far if I did murder him since I'd be stringing his entrails up across Kaas City like party streamers afterwards."

"It sounds to me that you wish the Empire was run entirely by yourself and Marr." Altair must have respected Marr a lot, if he was one of the few he didn't wish to kill. The Inquisitor briefly entertained the idea of his new master being the Sith Emperor of this time. Records of the current Emperor were scarce in his time, but what little he'd read he was an absent ruler.

He turned his attention to another statue, wondering what someone like Admiral Thrawn would think of it.

"Do you not think that would overburden you, having so much responsibility? I was under the impression that there are twelve seats in order to allocate the work evenly."

"I would welcome Lord Vowrawn's input as well. It is my understanding that he does an excellent job- when he is fully motivated to work."

Altair supposed that when you'd been on the Council for as long as Vowrawn had and got to be his age at all, one got pickier with the duties one decided to uphold oneself and everything else could be delegated to apprentices and other Lords in one's Sphere. Though he himself thought that he would never tire of doing the work. The Sith had a long and fascinating history to uncover, after all.

As for whether Altair would prefer an Empire headed by himself and Marr, well. His silence spoke more than words given that he didn't deny it. Of course he was careful to not speak those sorts of thoughts out loud even within the privacy of his own home.

"I'm not as close with him as I would like to be though, though I believe he has a close relationship with the Emperor's Wrath."

Altair had- fortunately- never met the Wrath. And would very much like to keep it that way. When it came to Sith to get close to, the Emperor's own attack dog was best avoided. Unless your name was Vowrawn, it seemed. Altair was perfectly content with only having seen the Wrath from a distance- that was more than close enough.

"That does make him what you'd call odd given that most Sith would prefer that Lord Wrath does not become aware of their existence. I suppose I lucked out in that we were of different stations during our days at the Academy and thus our paths never crossed- we did graduate at around the same time though."

He did pause in leading the other man to allow him to stop and inspect the artwork he had on display.

"And I don't have much to say about Lord Jadus either, I suppose- last I heard he had withdrawn somewhere to do his own thing while his Sphere runs itself."

That hadn't gone too well recently, of course, but the Sphere itself endured through fear of its absent master. Intelligence too would restructure itself and return, he imagined. It wasn't as though he had the right to take those matters into his own hands given how wildly different his own focus was from Intelligence work.

"That is the intention, but given that about half the Council tends to be dead at any given time, it rarely ever works out that way. Most of us end up handling work outside our usual duties to make up for whichever one of us kicked the bucket last."

"Hm, the Emperor's Wrath. I've seen the title mentioned in old tomes, and could parse that it was a position close to the Emperor, though sadly any information regarding his identity and official standing within the Empire was lost." It didn't take a genius to figure out that with a title like Wrath, it meant you were essentially the Emperor's living weapon.

Altair made this Wrath sound very fearsome indeed, if the rulers of the Empire didn't wish themselves in his crosshairs.

Jadus was another figure who he only knew by name, but had very little to go on. A figure shrouded in mystery. Whatever possessed him to flee the known galaxy, he couldn't fathom. He imagined it took a lot to make a Sith of this time take such drastic action.

"You make it sound like Dark Council members dying is a common occurrence."

"He's a mystery to most of us, too. The official stance is to not bother him and he won't bother us- unless the Emperor is particularly cross with one of us, that is."

The Wrath could not ignore a direct order from above, after all. Altair was glad he didn't have to live his life carrying out someone else's will. He could befriend and trust who he wanted without the fear that someone else might order him to kill them. Of course there was the chance that he might need to kill a friend regardless, but at least it would be his and their choice to make enemies out of each other.

And the Emperor directly involving himself in the Empire's matters didn't really happen any more. Their ruler was quiet and Altair preferred it that way.

"We've lost six in... Oh, about the last three months or so."

They were usually quickly replaced, but it did further destabilize the Empire when a pair of Lords began fighting over a vacant seat. It was why Altair wasn't opposed to the idea of one Councilor pulling double or triple duty for multiple Spheres.

"A new Councilor often has their tenure measured in days or weeks. I believe the betting pool over how long I'll last is still ongoing."

He was young and he was an alien, after all. Not the sort of Sith anyone expected to last.

"A lot of Sith lost their bets when Malgus died and I didn't on Ilum though. Of course I came out significantly richer," He said with a smile. He had joined the betting pool and put money down on surviving when Malgus had betrayed them, after all.

"That doesn't seem terribly efficient," The Inquisitor mused, turning back to Altair. "If you ask me, the Empire needs a better system for vetting candidates for the Dark Council." That would probably sound insulting, worthy of punishment or death, but the Inquisitor felt that he knew Altair well enough by now that he could speak his mind.

"You will have to tell me that story, of you and Malgus on Ilum, one of these days." The Inquisitor remembered going to Ilum when he was a youngling, getting his first crystal, before he'd been sent to Temple guard training.

Altair couldn't help but let out a soft little huff of laughter at that, "It really isn't- and I don't disagree. Of course it is in our nature to struggle for our place in the world, but I find that the superior Sith is rarely the one that ends up with a seat on the Council- only the one who happens to have the most support during their climb."

Of course some Sith found their way onto the Council on their own, but then got too wrapped up in their own greatness to make the connections that they should.

"There is a world of difference between a Lord asking for assistance from someone of a higher rank and demanding that same assistance from their equals but few hopefuls seem to understand that."

Many a Lord failed to cultivate the sort of base they needed to hang onto their power. Altair hadn't been a Councilor for long but he had learned the limits of how much power he could borrow from his allies and how much he needed to have himself to ensure he didn't lose his seat and his life. Mercy was not a requirement for a Sith and so to beg one's equals for aid without anything to offer in return only invited ridicule.

"It's unfortunate that nepotism is alive and well throughout every strata of the Empire. If the Academy did a better job at educating its students, perhaps we might measure the tenure of Councilors in years rather than weeks."

He smiled then, rather pleasantly, "I think you'll fit right in with my crew of misfits. I happen to enjoy having apprentices who speak their minds."

He followed it up with a vague and dismissive gesture then as he turned his mind to Malgus, "And it wasn't anything so grand as to be called a story. We fought. I won. He lost. It is a pity though- Malgus was misguided, but he had many ideas that would have benefited the Empire had he gone about things differently. Among other things, he thought that the inclusion of aliens would strengthen the Empire rather than weaken it."

Needless to say, that was something Altair agreed with. Aliens should not just be allowed to become Sith, but they should also be made full citizens with as many rights and opportunities as the humans. The Empire would be stronger for it by allowing alien citizens to hold ranks within the military and have influence over their society.

"That is individualism for you though. He didn't know how to affect positive change and so he tried to force it and had to be swatted down like a fly."

"It may take a while for me to get used to being allowed to speak my mind. My previous master favored blind obedience and simply doing what you were told." The 501st Legion often got a new captain every week or so for displeasing Darth Vader, for example.

"The Empire's xenophobia can only hold it back. It is a shame that Malgus did not find a better way to implement change that this Empire so desperately seems to need." Even the Inquisitor was barely tolerated within his own Empire, and was often looked down on for being an alien. But the Jedi didn't discriminate and thus many Jedi who chose to join the Inquisitors after the Clone Wars were aliens.

An Inquisitor in the Sith Empire

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