Eternal Father
The Crestfallen tumbled through the tumultuous cacophony of hyperspace, incandescent streaks of blurred light wrapping around the shuttle's hull as to journeyed onward. Outfitted with advanced an advanced hyperdrive and navigational system, the Crestfallen made expedient time as it journeyed through the tightly patrolled lanes of the Sith Empire.
Silence enveloped the personal cabin, not a single sound uttered except for the meticulous and paced breathing of its sole occupant. He sat cross-legged on a raised platform, his body and mind synchronized in perfect harmony as he meditated on recent events, internal turmoil, and the task laid ahead of him. Only when the warning klaxons signaling the end of his hyperspace journey did his eyes open, halos of molten metal drowning in a sea of inescapable blackness. His face was immaculate where once there would have been scar-tissue, the virgin flesh of a newly activated strand-cast unmarked by war or conflict.
Yet, at least.
The shuttle popped out of hyperspace in one of the most remote systems in the Empire, even though its relative proximity to the capital should have made it more well-known. It mostly remained forgotten because all of the known hypertrails leading into it had been erased from the Empire's records. Those who had been gifted the system did not want the denizens of the Empire to so callously trod upon what had been given to them in confidence, and so there were few in the great Sith Empire who knew of the satellite moon of Sojourn in the Carrion Sector. It had once served as the residence of a rogue Sith who had been uprooted and destroyed by the Emperor and his companions, and it had been given to
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and his Golden Company as payment for one of their many military ventures on behalf of the Sith. Since then, the moon had been left in their stewardship and allowed to be governed as they saw fit.
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and his Golden Company as payment for one of their many military ventures on behalf of the Sith. Since then, the moon had been left in their stewardship and allowed to be governed as they saw fit.
It was here where the Sith Emperor was to meet the Supreme Sun Guard, the Warlord of the Golden Company, the Reclaimer of Thyrsus himself. They had known one another for a long time, longer than many might suspect. Khonsu Amon had, at one point, served as the secret Sith Apprentice to the Emperor's uncle, Darth Prazutis. It was a fact that little was cognizant of, and it would remain that way for as long as both deemed it necessary.
Heavy clouds parted as the Crestfallen knifed through Sojourn's upper atmosphere, a vast canopy of vibrant green foliage rising to meet the descending shuttle as it approached the distant castle. Though much of the original architecture remained, even from such a long distance the improvements and additions made by the Thyrsians were readily apparent. If they wanted to, they could outlast most armies in their walled up fortress. The Emperor doubted that anything less than the total destruction of the entire surrounding environment would dislodge them, and perhaps not even that. It was a fortress made for such things, a total bastion of impervious defiance.
Fortunately, the Emperor possessed the necessary clearance that allowed him to land at the adjourning landing platform without much hassle, even if he could feel the sights of the anti-aircraft guns shadow his vessel's every movement. The shuttle's ramp lowered to the ground, and a small cadre of six Crownguard emerged from within the ship's hold, their segmented crimson armor a stark contrast to the rich greens and golds that surrounded them. Then came the Emperor, tall of stature with his musculature concealed beneath heavy flame-retardant fabrics. His lightsaber dangled from his hip, the only physical weapon he carried on his person. He looked every bit the warrior-king, his pose confident and prideful, and the air around him seemed to shimmer and shine with the barely contained power that seethed beneath the fiber of his physical form. Long black hair was bound back in a warrior's tail, bestudded with jewels and other finery in the Epicanthix tradition.
It was rare that two warriors of equal renown would meet face-to-face such as this and not be opposed on the battlefield, though ultimately a scant few would bare witness to such things.
