"You can," Altair was quick to correct, obviously thinking of a specific person as he spoke.
Valkorion, Arcann, Vaylin. All of them had stood above the people around them, forcing their will on their own nation, and on the galaxy. None of them had had a merciful rule, none of them had built an Empire that could last. Valkorion had failed twice.
"It can't last though."
He'd seen it so many times by now, what happened when a ruler tried to force their will on others without considering the needs or emotions of their people. It never ended well.
"Does there need to be a point? Amass power, wealth. Steal it from others, make the galaxy tremble at your approach, and then crush it beneath your boot. Over and over, until there's nothing left. Kill the Jedi, crush the Republic, cover worlds in darkness, and make people know it's you who've done it."
Altair was far from a typical Sith. But he knew Sith. He knew them well.
"Over and over, Sith after Sith, because you're never the biggest fish in the pond."
He offered a slight smile, looking quite tired, "I don't want that. Not for my people, not for the Sith Empire, not for the Jedi, not for the Republic. Tomorrow should be looked forward to with hope, not dread. It's just the matter of working toward it."
He could force the Republic and Empire to get along at home, of course. He had the Eternal Fleet under his command, after all. But he'd had that when the war broke back out. And to use it now would be to mark himself as every bit the tyrant that the Supreme Commander of the Republic had said he was.
Peace couldn't be forced. It had to come from within.
"... If there's anything else you just have to touch you can go ahead."
no subject
Valkorion, Arcann, Vaylin. All of them had stood above the people around them, forcing their will on their own nation, and on the galaxy. None of them had had a merciful rule, none of them had built an Empire that could last. Valkorion had failed twice.
"It can't last though."
He'd seen it so many times by now, what happened when a ruler tried to force their will on others without considering the needs or emotions of their people. It never ended well.
"Does there need to be a point? Amass power, wealth. Steal it from others, make the galaxy tremble at your approach, and then crush it beneath your boot. Over and over, until there's nothing left. Kill the Jedi, crush the Republic, cover worlds in darkness, and make people know it's you who've done it."
Altair was far from a typical Sith. But he knew Sith. He knew them well.
"Over and over, Sith after Sith, because you're never the biggest fish in the pond."
He offered a slight smile, looking quite tired, "I don't want that. Not for my people, not for the Sith Empire, not for the Jedi, not for the Republic. Tomorrow should be looked forward to with hope, not dread. It's just the matter of working toward it."
He could force the Republic and Empire to get along at home, of course. He had the Eternal Fleet under his command, after all. But he'd had that when the war broke back out. And to use it now would be to mark himself as every bit the tyrant that the Supreme Commander of the Republic had said he was.
Peace couldn't be forced. It had to come from within.
"... If there's anything else you just have to touch you can go ahead."