The Dark Academy on Korriban

"A very admirable and utilitarian approach. Undoubtedly why your family is so renown in the Empire." He said with a nod.

"It's what keeps us strong," he says with a nod. "That and the fact that we also extend invitations into the family to any human that proves themselves an extraordinary pilot. Keeps us strong and full of fresh blood and grants regular citizens a chance to rise above their station if they have the talent," he replies with a nod. "It's definitely more a family in spirit than blood, though there is a lot of shared blood."

"With enough time and a similar approach, perhaps one day we'll be able to prune out all the weakness inherent in the Empire that led to our past shame." Sylvain replied. "Our current successes are indication that we may have already reached such a point."

"We are certainly doing much better than we did in the past," Zeno replies with a nod. "It's a sign of improvements over the years. Improvements in technology, training, education and loyalty. I foresee a better future where the Republic finally finds it's place... in the ashes of history."

Sylvain nodded and tilted his head, "I've heard you speak much of battling the Republic. Do you have any experience yet? Or is this more what you aspire one day to do?"

"It is an aspiration. I've not had the opportunity to go into battle. I recently finished my pilot training and now I am here at the academy to finish my sith training. I've got some aerial combat kills but not in full battle. Just part of the Deathwright training where we participate in life or death battles against criminals slated for execution who have piloting skills," he says. "As part of that I've killed three Republicans, four smugglers, two traitors, and an assortment of other ne'er do wells."

"I see. And what is it that motivates your hatred for the Republic? Is it your training?" Sylvain asked.

"It is their existence. Their continued existence is a blight on the honor of the Sith and guide their citizens down a fools path," he says, a bit of intensity shining through in his eyes. "The people of the galaxy deserve better, stronger leaders to show them the way."

The Empire's line of propaganda. He either truly believes it or is well-practiced in reciting it.

"Indeed. One wonders how they have been able to last so long with such obvious weakness."

"Oh, they're not weak. They're just wrong. They preach peace and protect the weak." He sips from his glass.

"Is that not weakness?" Sylvain asked.

"Having weaknesses does not imply overall weakness. A man with one arm tied behind his back has a weakness, but if he is skilled enough it can be overcome. Though he is not as potent as he could be with both arms," Zeno says. "They have overall strength, but they have it despite their weaknesses. If they did not have some strength then we would have crushed them entirely by now."

"What would you say their source of strength is then?" He asked.

"Training, technology, greed, family, nationalism, faith in their false path... every individual's source of strength is their own. The Jedi, for all their foolishness, find strength in the light. Just because one thing is inferior to another by it's nature does not mean it cannot be strong. It just means that it has weakness to overcome in order to gain that strength. And they hold onto those weaknesses believing them to be strengths." Taking another sip from his drink, before swirling it around in his cup and watching the flow.

Sylvain nodded, "Makes one wonder what our weaknesses that we are holding on to are does it not?"

"Individually, there are many people in the Empire with weaknesses. As an empire? We do what we can to cull them. Assessing one's own weaknesses is a difficult prospect though, since one does not want to see anything about themselves as a weakness. They're usually a blind spot." The sith-blood continues swirling his drink.

Sylvain smiles and nods as if something has occurred to him, "A lacking of self-reflexive thought... I think you are on to something there Aspirant Zeno."

"It's simply the way the mind works," he says returning the nod. "One needs to look at themselves critically before their enemy does, but it's hard for anyone no matter where they are from."

Sylvain thinks on that for a second, "I wonder if that is indeed the case. I could see how the unbridled selfishness of many Sith could make them even more susceptible to a pattern of thinking that prevented them from considering themselves critically."

"How do you think so many apprentices succeed their masters?" Zeno asks. "They are in the position to see their vulnerabilities."

"And how much progress is lost when those apprentices waste perfectly good resources in the process of their ascension?"

Sylvain takes a heavier drink than he had been taking, "Without the Empire and it's needs to temper this tendency... We'd have more of the pointless bickering that has kept our people weak for centuries."

"Order and hierarchy were something the sith lacked. The creation of the Empire changed that. But fighting also breeds strength by culling the weak. And in that regard the sith have been creating powerful Lords for millenia. Now that we have brought order to the people we can direct our efforts towards an external adversary in order to become stronger. And we have institutions such as the sith academy to weed out those that would be a detriment to leading the Empire." Another sip is taken.

But is it enough.... Not if Jadus is any indication.

Sylvain nods at the response. "It's been useful thus far, and that is promising."

"And it is possible that when the Empire has conquered the galaxy that it will have to take on a new form. One that breeds strength from within. Because peace is a lie," he says with a smirk, before taking another sip.

Sylvain nodded, but on the inside felt far less fulfilled than normal. There was something far too insular about this conversation. It lacked any critical evaluation of the axioms that they were bandying about.

But despite the inner turmoil, Sylvain kept his cool appearance on the outside.

"Good drinks eh?" He said with a smile.