Title: A Gilded Prison
Fandom: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Rating: SFW, no warnings.
Length: 780 words
Content notes: Spoilers for the Sith Inquisitor storyline; pre-Ilum and pre-expansions.
Summary: Sometimes these responsibilities feel more like chains than honors.

Baar stared blankly ahead as he rode the elevator down, not acknowledging the others with him; he had just spent hours arguing with them, and for the moment he was finished with speaking. Another long session, Baar thought as he left the chambers, another interminable debate that seemed to go nowhere, all of them speaking passionately of the Empire’s future as a cover for their own power plays. If he had walked out in mid-debate, he did not think that anyone would have truly blamed him, although they certainly would’ve taken the opportunity to condemn him.

The others dispersed as he left the elevator - a few speaking amongst themselves, making plans for the evening, but most of them just as silent as he was. Baar stood at the railing, idly watching the others below, students and teachers alike who had no idea just how fragile their leadership structure could be. Perhaps some of them aspired to his position. He wondered if they would be dissuaded if they knew what he knew now.

A handful of moments passed before he realized he wasn’t alone anymore. Darth Marr’s presence was unmistakable, a looming and indestructible tower, even though he did not speak. He, along with Baar, had been quiet during the debates - he had spoken only when he had been forced to interrupt one of the arguments and move the conversation to more important topics.

“I’ve already made arrangements,” Baar said after a moment, still looking over the Academy floor. “I believe the way forward is obvious to everyone - the only argument seems to be over who gets the glory for it. They can peck over it after the important work is done.”

“Agreed, Darth Imperius,” Marr said softly behind his mask. “Do you anticipate any difficulty?”

“I always do.” He tilts his head, wondering if his amusement showed. “But nothing that we cannot handle.”

Marr nodded; aside from that he still had not moved. Was he watching the Academy too, or was he seeing something else, something far away? They had spoken very little of anything besides politics, and there were so many rumors about Darth Marr that it was difficult to say which were true. All anyone could say of him for certain was that he was not a man to cross, and that his loyalties were firmly to the Empire and against anyone who threatened it, either from without or within.

“This is the honor that almost all Sith aspire to,” he finally said, his voice even lower now, “and yet the ones who have achieved it behave as if they are trapped. As if they must scheme to escape.”

Baar didn’t know how to answer at first, still watching the people below. It was true - he had certainly not expected to be ensnared by politics. But he had not known what to expect, when he’d come to Korriban. He’d only known that he wasn’t a slave anymore, that he finally had a chance to be free. Everything that had come after - Zash, Thanaton, the ghosts and the Kaggath - had been him learning to survive.

“There’s always a way out,” he said, just as softly. “Either they’re willing to take it or they’re not. If they want to squander a chance to shape our Empire because they cannot get past their own shortsighted desires, then they’re fools.”

“Hm.” Darth Marr seemed... amused? Curious? Whatever he was feeling, Baar could not quite tell. The two of them had not spoken much since he’d given Baar his title; there had been so little time to do more than learn how to navigate the political landscape, to survive in this new battlefield. He wondered if he agreed, or if he, himself, felt that this was his own gilded prison, a trap for a warrior turned statesman who wished he could return to the battlefield.

But as much as he might have wanted to speak to him... the moment wasn’t right. He still acutely felt his inexperience, especially next to someone who had held a seat for so long. It was just another way he had to prove himself. “I will alert you should any insurmountable problems arise, Lord Marr,” he said softly.

“Understood.” Marr nodded. “I would prefer they did not.”

“As would I.” He knew that Darth Marr could hear his amusement in that sentence, but he suspected he understood. “For the Empire.”

“Indeed, Darth Imperius. Always for the Empire.”

Baar nodded as he turned away, heading for his ship. There was a great deal of work to be done. Perhaps this was a trap, of sorts, but it was also a challenge - one that he intended to meet and survive.