Vax considered the man who was their emissary for a long moment, noting the weapons. His initial view of Varak, from the man's speech and tones, was that Varak was compensating for some fears or cowardice by carrying as much weaponry as he was. Then again, the fact might well be that such mannerisms were false and Varak might well be quite deadly with all his implements. Either way, the weapons would mean little to a pair of Force-users. The battle droids though, gave Vax pause, and he felt a chill down his spine as he passed by them, seeing his reflection gleaming dully in their carapaces. Many a Jedi had fallen to such droids.

"Indeed, tell us of this Shiva. I cannot recall ever having heard of him before."

The turbolaser the three men would enter carried them upwards and across, towards the command bridge and Shiva's quarters. They'd be there momentarily.

He glanced to Vax, then back to Varak, wondering if the old man was thinking the same.
"Perhaps it is a good thing that this Shiva isn't as well known as the other Confederates, though. Seems that all the higher-ups were killed at the end of the War, or soon after. I've heard rumour of scattered remnant fleets, but they haven't made any sort of strike for some time, so far as I'm aware. At least, nothing of mention".

Caden Sturn
Former Inquisitor - Fugitive
Imperial Inquisition Ace Pilot

He motioned for the droids to lead the way, resisting the urge to take out his lightsabers as a comforting precaution. He had no doubt that the droids would see such a move as a threatening act, and he had no intention of testing the reality behind the stories he'd heard of the MagnaGuard and its capabilities. Not when he'd already come so far, gleaned so much from Varak about the nature of their host and his role, not only in the past, but in the present.

The ship burned, damaged heavily.
"You are not what you seem, Caden Sturn. Nor what you seem to think you represent".
The voice came from afar, first male, then female, then something else entirely. Shrouded in secrecy, duplicitous in its delivery.
Bodies lay strewn around him; sand-blasted armour and age-old rifles scraped along the charred deck, toward a gaping hole in the ships hull.

He quickly came back to himself, thankful to find his hands preoccupied with steadying his weight against a bulkhead, rather than grasping a pair of incriminating red lightsabers. He glanced at Vax, a grimace on his face, then recomposed himself and continued heading toward Shiva and whatever else might lay ahead.

Caden Sturn
Former Inquisitor - Fugitive
Imperial Inquisition Ace Pilot

Moving forwards with Caden beside him, Vax approached the door, half surprised when the droids silently parted to either side. Shiva was either a trustworthy man or a foolish one to leave the Jedi in possession of their lightsabers; either way, it was a gift of sorts that Vax was all too happy to keep. Grasping the door's handle, he gave Caden an encouraging look, opened the door and stepped inside.

Tall, robed, cowled, all in black, he cut an imposing figure. From his size and bulk, it was apparent he was a man who might well have led a hard life of labor. Moving around the table, he opened his arms in a universal welcoming gesture. "Gentlemen, I greet you in happiness and with the hope that the future is brighter than the present. Please, sit, refresh yourselves, and we will talk."

He approached a table, keeping a keen eye on their host, while taking a few bites to eat and a glass of some blue concoction that looked most refreshing of them all. Politely, he took a seat, still watching the robed man as if expecting him to start hurling bolts of Force lightning across the room at them. Maybe it was just the robes, but he looked to Caden like he'd fit right in among Emperor Palpatine and Lord Vader's retinue.
"This is good food" he commented, taking a bite of his small but welcome meal. "Your pilot told us you have your own stronghold world. I can imagine the other remaining Separatists don't have such luxuries" he said. He meant it not as a challenge; infact, his words were laced with impression, as though he'd placed Shiva on a pedestal above the other Separatist leaders still out there.

He looked to Vax, unsure if he should begin laying out their proposal or not. He didn't want to rush into things before they'd had chance to properly assess their host, but time may press them harder than he'd like.

Caden Sturn
Former Inquisitor - Fugitive
Imperial Inquisition Ace Pilot

Keeping a smile on his lips though, the Jedi graciously partook of the offered food and drink, letting Caden speak while the older man sat back and studied. It was obvious that Shiva had done moderately well for himself; no mean feat in the galaxy these days. The lack of a visible face perturbed Vax slightly, but some beings preferred their odd comforts.

"Yes, indeed, your pilot stated you have been able to retain control of a planet. I commend you on that victory, Shiva."

"No, no, I'm afraid many of my former comrades have fallen by the wayside or slipped into service with one criminal organization or another over the years. I've managed to avoid direct confrontation with the Empire for the time being. Unfortunately, I cannot stay hidden forever, and my stronghold will need to be evacuated. Until then, though, I gather materials and construct what ships I can. Of course, keeping the Empire busy with terrorist cells does do a fine job."

"Terrorist cells are becoming more of an irritant to the Empire than a real problem" he pointed out. "Last I heard, the Senate was using it as an excuse to tighten Imperial rein over its worlds and bolster security. In the end, such small attacks could have the opposite effect of what you're trying to achieve" he observed. He let this sink in, hoping Shiva didn't take offense to his criticisms and dismiss them both outright.

"Your people on Nar Shaddaa sent us to you. I think it's time we start discussing what benefits we can bring to each other".

Caden Sturn
Former Inquisitor - Fugitive
Imperial Inquisition Ace Pilot

"Take the recent conflicts between Volus and Vjun, for example. I plan to turn that into a large hotspot that may well result in a war between the two. With Imperial attention on them, I can work around things elsewhere. My agents on Volus are poised to strike soon."

Shiva pused for a moment, looking the pair of men over.

"So, the benefits. What is it you want?"

"In short, we need allies. The Empire won't be stopped by small raids, it will only tighten its grip until every insurgent, every Jedi, and every free man, woman and child in the galaxy is under its control or laying in the dirt" he said solemnly. "If the active insurgents can be persuaded to band together and take a target - a meaningful target - then the Empire might have to think twice and take notice, and realise that the people aren't all happy with their rule"
He paused, as if working something out in his head, or drawing up a mental image.
"It's a risk, but if we can convince others to bring their full force to the table, we could work up a fleet and an army large enough to storm the Senate, or take Kuat Drive Yards, or destroy the Inquisitorius at their base of operations".

Caden Sturn
Former Inquisitor - Fugitive
Imperial Inquisition Ace Pilot