22 Commander Teron
The Good the Jedi committed during the Clone Wars and generations beforehand weren't forgotten by many members of the Imperial Officer Corps. Yet this alone had lead to many deaths, assassinations and court martials.
Sabine Wren, Ahsoka Tano and Tobias Rune stood at the balcony of the box they were situated in. Their gazes locked onto the stage that was before them as more objects were bring brought out.
However just as that happened there was a sound at the door. It sounded like bodies dropping to the ground. Rune immediately turned his head, Ahsoka following suit, though Wren remained watching over the Auction that was going on.
Tobias could feel something faint behind the door, he could feel two bodies, but one of them seemed capable of force usage. He pursed his lips slightly. Using the force to call Wren's mandalorian repeating pistol to his hand, right from her holster, he would aim towards the door.
Ahsoka on the other hand would rest her hands over her lightsaber hilts, but didn't draw. There was hostile intent behind the door, but it wasn't necessarily towards her. It was based on whomever was buying up all the Jedi. She could only assume it was either a rival, or someone who had a personal connection to the people whom were bought. If so, that meant it was either a Jedi or a devout Imperial whom wanted to wipe the slate clean.
"Taking too long, my friend!" Suddenly the door was bisected by a green lightsaber and then the force was used to send it clattering in pieces to the ground. There a Jedi Master, named K'Kruhk, stood with his weapon at the ready.
He had been chasing the Jedi younglings and padawans who had been taken away from him on Arkinnea for almost the good part of twenty years. His padawan Chase Piru and the two younglings with the man in this room had purchased.
The Jedi Master almost seemed to be seething as he came into the room, though he didn't seem entirely blinded by his emotions. As he had finally found a portion of them, but he was without the capacity to bid against whoever bought them.
Seeing that it was an Imperial who bought them, he scowled and went to raise his lightsaber to point it at the man, only for his eyes to rest upon a familiar face. Ahsoka Tano was standing beside the Imperial, much to his confusion.
Commander Teron dressed in a ragged imperial uniform walked in with his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes darted from side to side, from Tobias to his friend and former commanding general K'kruhk.
"Tano?" K'kruhk's yellow eyes narrowed on the former Jedi padawan then back towards the Imperial who lowered his weapon the moment he saw who the Jedi Master was. He squinted at Tobias, "Give me the younglings."
Suddenly there was a loud bang, the powercell inside of the lightsaber exploded and while K'kruhk was able to shield himself through the force, he was sent flying backward and into the wall. He bounced off the wall and face planted on the ground, before slowly raising his head and looking at the Imperial. He was sure that he sensed the force being used by the man. His eyes widened seeing the vergence within the man.
Tano's eyes had widened at the sudden explosion of the Jedi Master's weapon, Force resistance didn't help much protecting the lightsaber. Her eyes nudged their way over to gaze at the Grand Moff.
"Master Jedi," Tobias spoke with a defiant tone. K'kruhk was a perfect meld of a high priest and a master warrior. He was an amazing Jedi Master, a legendary one at that. "Do you wish to court Death?"
"Grand Moff," Teron stepped in between the two of them. His voice was respectful, disciplined. He had a heavy imperial accent, one which generally adopted once they joined the ranks of the Old Republic and later the Galactic Empire.
"Yes, Commander Teron?"
Teron blinked a few times when the man knew his name, and his rank, even as his insignia had gone missing a long while ago. How did he know of him to recognize him so easily?
"Don't give me that look... You were taking care of their hidden Temple. Then you were arrested for treason and sentenced for life until someone caused a prison break." Tobias smiled casually now before looking back towards the Jedi Master as he straightened out his expression, a stoic look taking over his face.
Tano looked over at the two Imperials before the Jedi Master. She doubted he would allow K'kruhk to take his former charges. And if the Jedi Master tried to take them by force, she truly sensed that the Grand Moff would strike him down with remorse.
She could sense the admiration Tobias held for the Master, which made her curious about how much he knew about the Jedi of the Old Republic. Tano however could barely question the resolve to kill for one's ambition, recalling the Clone Wars and his militant background.
Teron had the suspicion the breakout was an inside job, it was around the time Tobias had become active two years after the Battle of Yavin. He reached up and stroke his unkept beard.
Kraytia would skip across the room, almost floating fairy-like as she did so and landed beside the Jedi Master.
K'kruhk looked up at the girl, a sheepish look across his face as he recognized her. Her silvery blade was held close to his face. "You traded in a blue focusing crystal for a silver one... You've always been the poetic one compared to your master."
"Tobias is my Master now," Kraytia said outright, her pale blue eyes tracing the old man's nonhuman facial structure, his loose hair. She allowed him to rise to his feet as she could sense he had more control over himself now. She herself took a few steps back and returned to the side of her current master.
"Tobias? Grand Moff Tobias?" K'kruhk glanced over at the man who he had initially threatened uselessly with his lightsaber. So this was the man who brokered a peace between his remnant and the Republic? A man who was more interested in peace and ending the war, then the continuation of the Galactic Empire. At least that was what he thought until he entered the system to find the massive number of fleets and modified warships.
"Heard of me? I'm flattered." Tobias Rune sounded sarcastic, but he really was flattered which could be sensed by both Tano and the old Jedi Master.
"Commander, would you like to join the ranks of the Imperium?"
The Imperium was still an enigma, most just assumed it was just another Imperial remnant without a name or purpose. The two men looked at the black armored mantle which decorated the Moff's shoulders and chest.
"The hidden Shadow Temple needs a good caretaker." He added as Teron seemed not only confused, but curious and conflicted.
"Shadow Temple?" K'kruhk interjected as he stepped forward, just centimeters away from Kraytia's blade. A shadow temple? Why was it hidden? His eyes squinted once again, wanting this information.
Tobias Rune's gaze turned towards the Jedi Master, "In the absence of the old Jedi Order, I founded my own Order under the nose of the Empire in the northern unknown regions. The Order of Shadows," He stated with his eyes as stern and serious as ever.
K'kruhk was intrigued, though not enough to abandon the path of the Jedi, but he wanted to know what this Sect of Force users was all about. Though he doubted they had the goal akin to the Jedi Order such as a Balance of Light.
Shadows were made of a combination of light and darkness, darkness caused by physical obstacles. In a sense, it was harmony and tranquility on its natural level. There were many meanings for a Shadow.
"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no fear, there is power. I am the heart of the Force. I am the revealing fire of light. I am the mystery of darkness. In balance with chaos and harmony, Immortal in the Force." Tobias Rune recited the code to the Je'daii Order from the Legends timeline, something which baffled the Jedi Master's thoughts. "The Shadow Order is my arms, my legs and my blades. They're akin to something like 'Imperial' Jedi."
The Master snickered at the coined term, Tano simply had a brow raised hearing it. Teron was still in contemplation.
Wren on the other hand was just having the time of her life, purchasing and bidding on everything that showed up, using the future emperor's money to do so. Everything was going to him though, since the plan was to buy up everything.
"What's your goal?" This was the last question the Jedi would ask him.
Tobias allowed himself to smile again, "To make an Empire in which the Galaxy deserves. An Empire that the Old New Order was supposed to be, uncorrupt, untainted by the Sith spit."
Tano and K'kruhk could feel the hatred towards the Sith emanating from the man. It was somewhat to be expected. Many of the Imperial Officers not only hated the Sith, but despised them for killing those whom were not responsible for the actions of others.
Darth Vader had mercilessly killed his own Officers and troopers on multiple occasions. Palpatine was no different, and could be considered even worse as he would manipulate others into the hands of his enforcer, or even stab them in the back.
Palpatine was a Warmonger, Vader was his slave.
"At what cost?" Tano suddenly joined in the conversation as she completely turned her body to face the man half her age. She could sense that he had done something, but couldn't quite figure it out.
"The destruction of Moraband, one of many Sith Worlds, tainted by the Sith origins."
The beginning of the Sith? Tano blinked a few times as she narrowed her eyes on him. He knew of the origin world of the Sith, where and how they began?
Wren turned her head as she noticed that Tano had turned towards the officer she decided to join. Was she going to be torn between Duty and friends? She bit her lower lip as she went to place a hand on her pistol's, but noticed one was missing. Her eyes immediately locked on the one in his hand. 'When did he take that...?'
"You'd destroy an entire world to destroy the Sith?"
"Wrong. To destroy their inheritance, culture, artifacts which are entombed upon it. All it needs is a trigger, a single dark side cultist." Tobias allowed his lips to curl into a lopsided smirk, "Sic semper evello mortem tyrannis."
Through the force Tano and K'kruhk knew exactly what he said even though the language itself was foreign to them. "Thus always I bring death to tyrants...?"
In this reality Sith were known for practically being evil incarnate, at least that is how they were preserved. Count Dooku couldn't really be seen as evil, but more so misguided and ambitious. Darth Sidious on the other hand was the incarnate of evil, a calculating psychopath or maybe even a high functioning sociopath with a deviant nature.
The two Jedi however were wondering just how the young man thought of the Empire, wasn't an Empire run by a tyrant? Then again, this would also be calling all known Monarchy tyrants.