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| - After his inquiry to the bridge crew of the Predator, Axel found out that who he needed to speak with was currently residing in or around the Imperial Embassy on planet. Axel climbed aboard one of his smaller ships and made the trip to the landing pad. Dropping most of his weapons on the ship, he made his way through the dark streets of Etti_IV's capitol city until he found the Embassy. Stubbing out his cigarette on the front steps, he makes his way up and then inside the building. As he enters the front door, he is met by a pair of guards who ask for his credentials. Considering his lack of Imperial paperwork, as he does not work for the Imperial government, he just shakes his head. "I am here to see Darth Malign," he states to the guards. "My name is Axel Vichten, I believe he will vouch for my presence if you relay the message." Ax displays a photo identification card, though the picture does not completely reflect his current appearance, as he has changed his looks a good bit as of late. The guards on the outside of the Embassy were all there were as for personnel as of late. The inside of the embassy was cast in darkness, no lights except for a few floor effects that cast a weak yellow light. The room was cold, and it was easy for anyone to see their breath as they entered. The guards lead Axel into this dark and empty room and then promptly leave closing the door behind them. Silence fills the void and there was nothing stirring in the room. The silence stretches out for several minutes and then suddenly with no warning Malign appears from the darkness just a few inches from the smuggler, "Axel Vichten, for what reason do I owe the honor of your appearance here?" Axel doesn't seem startled by the sudden appearance of the Sith, though this was less flashy of an entrance than he had grown accustomed to. "I want to go after the Maffi, Lord Malign." Axel states in a cold and calm voice. "I wish your approval and ideas on the subject. I know they have a compound here and one on Ord Mantell. I believe that the one on Ord is the most effective one to hit, as from what I gather, they have moved their Corellian operations there." Malign's face was masked behind a heavy hood and his lips remained straight. The Sith shrugs his shoulders and turns away from the smuggler exposing his back to the man, "Everyone wants something, Axel Vichten, and honestly our minds are on the same page on this subject. I do not have any suggestions for you. The OOAG seem to want Tyy'sun's powerbase taken away from him as well, after all he is in charge of the entirety of the CSA's resources." The Sith says quietly, "If you need men or weapons or credits I can arrange it. What do you have in mind?" "Well, I was thinking something simple on Ord Mantell," Axel states. "The NR has grown accustomed to me arriving in my Skipray to planet. Their compound is very close to the public landing pad. I can fly in, as if landing, unleash a series of volleys on their compound, unloading the missiles and torpedo tubes." He pauses to remove a cigarette from his pocket and then lights it, blowing a thin wisp of smoke from his nose. "As for the Republic military fleet, I am not concerned. I am confident that I will be able to get out of system as long as I don't engage them in the process. My ship may not be as maneuverable, but thanks to newer technology, it is as fast as the Republic A-Wings. I am at a loss though, as to how to handle their base of operations on this planet though." The Sith nods with a light shrug, "I see your point, it will be a dangerous venture no matter what you do. As soon as you start firing you need to consider they may have a planetary shield, and that could trap you on world. Also what about the Jedi?" the Sith smirks, "A tall and dangerous order and outside of the boundaries of the Empire I cannot afford to protect you. The Emperor would be very displeased if I risked our warships on Ord Mantel for the cause of getting the Zhao. You should consider more cloak and dagger methods. A bomb, perhaps." "My specialty lies in the cockpit of a ship, and I want them to know who hit them." Axel's glowing eyes have a cold look to them. "If there are planetary shields, I have capital grade ion cannons that could weaken a point that I might be able to escape through. Hopefully though, the act will go off so fast that I don't have to worry about that." Axel takes a drag from his cigarette as he ponders a moment, "Though, if you would prefer, I will use a different plan of attack. I did not think of the Jedi, only on a very rapid assault on planet. I have thought about my being put on a wanted list, but as you already know, I have been on many wanted lists over the years. If you have better suggestions, Lord Malign, I do wish you would share. I have always been one to work on impulse, which has served me well. You, however, are more wise to the force and I had not even thought of the Jedi involvement in this." The Sith shrugs, "You are a combat pilot, Axel Vichten, I think your plan has merit. I am just recommending something you already know, exercise caution. Have an escape plan, maybe a diversion in space, something that will catch people's attention while you try to escape." The Sith shrugs, "If you can create a large enough diversion that is." Malign turns around to look at the smuggler, "I may consider offering my services." He shrugs, "But remember just destroying their compound means nothing, you have to kill the hydra by chopping off its heads, one of which is Eson." The Sith shrugs and had no real problems with the Maffi, not anymore, they were out of Imperial space, but he was never one to oppose destruction and violence of anything or anyone. "As you stated, I am a combat pilot." Axel states coldly. "It would be suicide for me to walk in, guns blazing. What I hope to do is lure them to me. I know destroying their compound will do little aside from cost them credits and put a bounty on my head. What it may also do, is force them to go after me in a more direct manner. I know that Eson is likely already wanting to kill me for the loss of his thumbs. I just want to show them that I am not one to sit in the shadows, that I plan on taking the fight to them instead of waiting around for them to attempt to assassinate me." There was more to it than that, but Axel wasn't speaking his mind completely. Instead, he just takes a few drags from his cigarette and asks, "Any kind of distraction may put them on high alert and they may raise shields prematurely. My plan was one of complete and utter surprise. What kind of distraction did you have in mind?" "I could offer the Predator as a diversion, I suppose though, naturally you would understand why I hesitate." The Sith smirks, "You need to use your fast moving capital vessels as a diversion and have them attack shipping lanes to force the New Republic to attempt to crawl after them. This should be all the time you would need to escape the world if the timing is perfect." He shrugs, "I would be willing to pilot a fighter for you should you need it Mr. Vichten, it has been quite sometime since I have enjoyed combat." "I would have thought you enjoyed the combat over Bonadan," Axel says in a slightly sarcastic tone as he refers to the incident at Ego-Fest. "My only fear in doing so is that, at the same time as that diversion takes place, it would force the Republic to raise any planetary shields if there are any covering that part of New Alderaan. "I also lack the competant manpower to command my Capital scale vessels in my absence, at least when it comes to possibly engaging the Republic fleet. Maybe you could pull some Destroyer officers who you could trust for such an endeavor?" The Sith shrugs, "Perhaps droids will solve your manpower dilemma." He steps forward, "The key is perfection in timing, when you are leaving atmosphere the diversion will enter the system and begin their attack. And only to buy you enough time to leave the system. Naturally this is a very large risk to anyone who associates with you on this mission, droids might be better apt to maintain the appropriate timing for the mission with a few human bridge officers and controllers. If not, I can easily bring some Imperial officers, though not as seasoned as you would like to assist during the mission." The Sith offers, "However, I would suggest you start recruiting competent individuals who can manage your assets and use them, or they will go to waste." "One such recruit, as I have been working on that, was recently converted to the Maffi fold." Axel's voice would hint at a bit of bitterness at this fact. "He still owes me a great deal though. I just can't trust him when it comes to attacking the Maffi themselves." Axel takes a final drag from the cigarette before crushing it out between the fingers of his left hand, it's servos complying with his will without so much as a hiss or buzz. "You are, of course, right about recruiting manpower. For a while, I saw myself as a retired collector, now I know that retirement is not in my blood. I cannot sit idle and I wish to wage war at seemingly every moment. I also hope that the Maffi retaliate by attacking my estate on Caspar. That would force the CDU's hand into moving into action, at least on a small scale, making them susceptible to other plans." Malign nods, "Difficult situation you have put yourself in Axel Victhen." The Sith steps back into the shadows as his words now echo through the room from all directions, "Difficult times are ahead Axel Vichten, we both know this galaxy has nothing good to offer our kind, we are a select breed, Dareus is a traitor to the Empire and now a traitor to you as well. He is the type that must be smote and removed from this galaxy forever." He turns back and gives the smuggler a light bow, "Go make arrangements for your plans what you need you can have from me, my resources are yours." With a slight bow, Axel nods to the man. "As you wish, I'll gather the intelligence that I need. Whatever is finally decided upon, the Maffi will suffer at least financial losses for the moment." He stands back up, fully erect. "Is there anything else you wish of me? Is there anything that I could do to further your own goals or those of the Sith?" Axel may be a free spirit, but there was much he wished to learn from the Sith. To perform the Sith's biddings put him at their mercy and as an enemy to many others in the galaxy, but Axel didn't seem to care. Malign steps forward back from the shadows with his hood pulled back holding a small black object that seems to be shifting its size and dimension in his head. It seems to take most of his concentration, "No Axel, not right now. I will contact you soon. We must be vigilant, but patient; I will contact my master and get orders soon." The Sith pulls himself back into the shadows and the doors behind open up to allow the smuggler to leave. The Sith meanwhile retreats back into an antechamber to mediate. Axel knew when the proper time to leave was, and this was it. Without another word, he simply gives a bow and then turns to leave. He pauses just outside the door for a moment, as if to ask something, but decides it's not the time. He doesn't turn back though, instead starts walking again, making his way out of the embassy back to the streets.
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