Vanitas Vanitatum
Posted by: Mikel von Bianchi, Galactic Empire
Date: Year 15 Day 175 Onboard the Super Star Destroyer Executor in system Horuset (283, 314).
KORRIBAN (INB) - After months of conspicuous silence from the Galactic Empire on the emergence of the so-called Sith Order, a statement was finally issued today by Darth Virsunas, breaking the Order of the Sith's silence in the wake of Dorian Tecto's arrest by the Jedi Order last month. Bearing the official markings of the Dark Lord of the Sith, the statement detailed how a group of unworthy and exiled Force wielders, under the banner of Myn Kuat, began to preach an illegal and heretical version of the ancient heritage of the Sith. Virsunas' statement confirmed what many commentators had previously assumed: the creation of the false Sith Order was a feeble attempt by predominantly rogue and power-hungry Force wielders to regain prestige after many had been stripped of their titles and expelled from the Order of the Sith for corruption and constant vying for personal power.
"Several of the founding members [of the false order] were removed from the Order of the Sith due to sheer incompetence and appalling weakness," stated the Dark Lord. "Let it be known that there is only one true Order of the Sith, and if it is to remain strong and pure, holding claim to the revered title of 'Sith', then a certain standard must be upheld by its members." The statement went on to explain that the Order's silence on the matter was attributed to the necessity of maintaining operational security for ongoing work to bring about the collapse of the false order. "This was a complex and time-consuming operation with far-reaching consequences across many governments and territories of the galaxy; we did not want to generate excessive interest in this vaunted Sith Order whilst we undertook such comprehensive work," he expounded.
Details within the statement make it known that an informant working for the Inquisition established himself as member of the circle of conspirators as the foundations of Myn's order were being laid. As one of its first and most trusted members, this informant obtained wide-ranging access to the group's database, including secret identities used by the pretenders as they attempted to maintain the secrecy of their involvement in the false order. This intelligence was relayed back to the Lord Inquisitor, Darth Surra, for catalogue and ongoing planning as the Inquisition maneuvered to stymie the false Order. Slowly, employing a variety of decryption protocols, the Inquisition managed to link the assortment of code names to real identities, gradually piecing together a complete list of Myn's followers which has since been made available to the public along with the Dark Lord's statement.
As a result of counter-intelligence work, several spies within the Empire were uncovered and placed under arrest by the Imperial Security Bureau, including the self-styled "Spymaster" of the false order, who illegally laid claim to the title 'Darth Thanos'. Subjected to lengthy interrogations by the Inquisition, Thanos was forced to recognize the heresy of the false Order, and was noted as having plead for his life before the Dark Lord. Granted a merciful reprieve, Thanos continued to play his role as Spymaster for the false Sith under the strict supervision of the Inquisition, enabling a further flow of intelligence from within the false Order.
With Myn Kuat's feeble empire cut in half with the rebellion of The Mercenary Guild, his interests besieged from multiple sides by his enemies, and the loyalty of his followers waning, he is reported to have fled the known galaxy and gone into hiding as his aspirations were once again cut short. Several of his followers haphazardly attempted to lead the Sith Order into growth with Myn's absence, but none lasted long and the group continued to face problems in maintaining coherent leadership, and building critical infrastructure. Eventually Darth Umbris, a member of Myn's order and exiled former Dark Lord, was forced to reveal himself to other members of the false order as Dorian Tecto in a last-ditch attempt to stabilize the floundering false Order.
The Dark Lord's statement implied that the most shocking element of Tecto's revelation for his peers was the fact that Tecto was a serving member of the Jedi Order. Tecto had been known to be training Jedi Masters, and was entrusted with the running of the Jedi Medical company that served as a front for the Jedi Order's money laundering operations. Despite his claimed turn to the Jedi faith, the Inquisition remained certain that Tecto remained loyal to no one but himself, and that he was simply using the Jedi Order in much the same way he had previously attempted to use the Order of the Sith prior to his expulsion from the Empire - as a vessel for his own vainglorious pursuit of power.
Addressing Jedi Order's claims that the Order of the Sith was in fact behind Tecto's infiltration of their ranks and subsequently the false Sith Order itself, the Dark Lord rebutted: "These are simply more laughable claims from the paranoid Jedi Order. We removed Tecto from the Sith because we recognized the danger his lust for personal power posed to all, but the Jedi couldn't see far enough past their own dire need for Masters to train their army, to accept the truth of Tecto's nature. Tecto was granted more power by the Jedi Council than many of their longest-serving members, which serves as a testament to their ongoing greed for power. The Jedi now desperately wish to portray their arrest of Tecto as a sign of their competence, when they have merely been forced to act and protect themselves from their own incompetence a year after their greed and lust for power let such an untrustworthy person into the Jedi Order in the first place."
The Dark Lord finished his statement with the unflinching truth: "With the false order scattered, fragmented, and reeling from losses, it was my decision to see this failed and treacherous order bled dry, its assets and communication systems seized, and its members exposed for the duplicitous fools they are. The Order of the Sith will not tolerate false teachings and dangerous religions that simply seek to enslave people; whether it be under the banner of the insidious Jedi, or the distorted and false claims of madmen unworthy of calling themselves Sith."
