After a bit longer watching the stars go by, lost in her own thoughts, Keiran finally closed her eyes and took a deep breath, deciding to meditate. Many Sith didn’t do such things and those that did tended to do so in a way that was different than the meditation of a Jedi. Keiran, however, found that meditation could be a decent substitute for sleep when one needed rest but was unable to, or perhaps unwilling to sleep.<br/><br/>This was one such time. Rest was desirable. Even necessary, yet sleep was far from her mind. Closing her eyes and clearing her mind, she opened herself up to the Force, allowing it to flow freely to and from her. She was alone on the ship, so she didn’t have to worry about the thoughts or emotions of others, she could simply allow the Force to surround her, and to show her what it willed.<br/><br/>She remained like this for a time, undisturbed, until she felt something in the Force, telling her that Zyan would be on Balmorra. She smiled to herself but continued to meditate for a while longer, until she was closer to the system. She then stood, stretching a bit, and then headed off to clean up a bit and grab something to eat before she arrived. She wasn’t sure when she might have the opportunity to do so again, and energy capsules would keep your going, but she never found them nearly as fulfilling as a real meal.<br/><br/>When she’d finished her tasks, she returned to the command deck of the ship and sat back down in the pilot’s chair. As she began to make preparations to drop out of hyperspace, she sensed the presence of not one, but two fleets, as well as a brewing conflict. She clicked her tongue as she surmised that the Dark Council must have sent the fleet to aid her in subduing the rebellion on the planet, and then<span style="font-style: italic">neglected</span>to inform them that there was a change of plans.<br/><br/>To make matters worse, it seemed that Zyan’s forces had already arrived by the time the fleet dropped out of hyperspace. She could feel that a battle was imminent. If she didn’t do something quick, her plans would be ruined. She would probably find a way to salvage the situation and adapt, but she couldn’t bring back lost lives, or take back the fact that the fleet, which was officially under her control, had attacked those providing aid to the citizens.<br/><br/>“What to do…” she muttered softly to herself. She needed a way to end the conflict before it began, in a way that would satisfy both parties, and give her an advantage. Well, she didn’t have time to sit and deliberate, so she proceeded with the preparations and soon dropped out of hyperspace, positioning herself between the two fleets that were preparing to engage one another.<br/><br/>First, she hailed the Imperial fleet. “Cease your advance, Admiral,” she told him in a calm but commanding voice. “What? Why? We were told that you would be acting to suppress the rebellion here,” Admiral Leoric Elrivin, a human man who looked to be no older than 30, which meant that in all likelihood, he was a newer Admiral. Perhaps this was even his first mission in this position. Keiran had found that dealing with the young Admirals could be either a blessing or a curse.<br/><br/>On one hand, they hadn’t been in the Imperial army as long as the older ones, so in most cases, they were not so rooted in their ways, and in some cases, they were even more on the liberal side of things. On the other hand, they had made it this far for a reason, and they were often eager to prove themselves. That could make them easy to deal with and to manipulate, or it could make them more stubborn if they believed that the only way to succeed was by following the typical path. It was difficult, at this point, to determine where on that spectrum Admiral Elrivin would fall.<br/><br/>“I am well aware of my mission, Admiral. I have a plan. If you wish to see this mission succeed, I suggest you go along with it,” she told him, her words maintaining the same calm and commanding tone. There was a brief silence before his voice was heard again. “Very well, then,” he replied before the call ended. Keiran smiled to herself before making another call, the one that would likely be the tougher of the two. This time, it was the Republic Admiral that she hailed.<br/><br/>“Admiral Vaken, I presume?” she spoke lightly when the call was answered. “I am Darth Nyx,” she introduced herself. “I ask that you call off your assault on our fleet,” she got right to the point, making the request with a soft, light voice, her tone seeming more appropriate for someone asking a friend to share their dessert, than for negotiating a ceasefire. “In return, we will allow you to deliver the remainder of your non-militant aid to the citizens without interference,” she promised. “Our fleet will not engage your own, nor will it advance any further for the remainder of your efforts, so long as you do not attack first,” she added with an amiable smile.<br/><br/>“Consider your choice carefully. No one else needs to die today, Admiral,” she told him with the same amiable smile that belied the warning in her words. “I would also like to speak with the Dawn Knight in person on the planet’s surface,” she added, not as a condition, but as an aside. She knew Zyan was here, she could feel him, which was why she wished to speak to him. But that said, she wasn’t quite sure how he would take her reaching out to him directly right now, either through the Force or over the comms. It was easier, for the moment, to make the request through someone else, as part of a means to avoid conflict.<br/><br/>After she’d spoken her offer, she waited patiently for the Admiral’s response. She half expected that he would wish to speak to Zyan first, before agreeing to or declining her terms, but there was always a chance he would simply make the call himself and inform Zyan afterward. Either way, she would be patient, and if he did wish to speak to Zyan, she would allow him to end the communication to do so, or even bring him into the conversation if desired.<br/><br/>Of course, there was also always the chance that he might have no desire to cooperate and would instead decide to decline her offer, perhaps even fire on her right there. If that was the case, she had no qualms about retaliating. She wished to avoid what she saw as likely a pointless and fruitless battle that would ultimately be a waste of resources, if possible. If, however, a fight was what they wanted and they refused to cooperate, then she would not hesitate to give them exactly that.