Private Her wish, His will

[The Lord of Hunger]

LOCATION: Somewhere in The Ghost Nebula
OBJECTIVE: Convince Her
IMPORTANT LINKS: Sword | Armor | Jewel | Ring | Necklace | DIII Gluttoneria | The guards | The Enforcer
TAG: Her

The Simultanious Collapse, that was what the documents and intel would now forever refer to as the downfall of both the Dark Empire and the Empire of the Lost, not a bad name to describe what essentially was the creation of the largest power vacuum since the fall of the major factions at the end of the Second Great Hyperspace War. While the man sitting on his throne aboard the mighty Gluttoneria battlecruiser had thought this fall of pawns in rapid succession would end with the fall of the Diarchy, it surprisingly didn't. In stead it was both the empires surrounding the Diarchy that came to fall. It was a somewhat inconvenient mess, but it did allow for the Lord of Hunger to obtain greater control if any of the remanants of these empires were to band together and reform anew. Still, unlike most, He was clearly aware of exactly who was behind this entire mess: Her , the mysterious, self-agrandizing Sith who had expertly woven her web throughout those two empires and who inadvertedly could be considered chiefly responsible for their downfall.

Yet, now that she had accomplished this, the Lord of Hunger wondered what it was she desired now, was this her goal. had she achieved all she wanted, or was this perhaps all just a preview of things to come, effectively a testrun. These thoughts spooked within the abomination's mind, an intriguing and rather amusing question keeping him busy and he did liked to be kept busy, to be able to observe the changes of the galaxy and play his cards when it suited him. He had tried to contain Her plans, steer them to his own desires and though it was perhaps in largest part a fluke, what this mysterious Sith achieved was something which could only be seen as a boon for the Lord of Hunger.

"Two birds with one stone, all to my benefit," Leaning a bit forward, the Lord of Hunger motioned his Scelerati to prepare for the arrival of his guest. He had spared no effort to track down the elusive Sith and it took quite a few bribes, threats and a body here and there before he could get access to where she'd been holding up now that she had succeeded in collapsing not one, but two empires in the wake of her schemes. 'Her' the only name and description he could give, besides the fact she was female and certainly not much older than at best thirty years old, at least physically, there was not much to go on. Still, he's prying and prodding had managed to lay bare a trail to the Sith's whereabouts and that was all he needed. He did not doubt that she'd be aware of the Lord of Hunger's claws slowly constricting around her, his eyes and ears rooting her out of the crowd. "The Galaxy continues to twist and turn, the status quo turned upon its head... Time to turn the wheels of fate once more."

He knew she'd be coming, he knew Her would not be able to resist, to confront the being who had been searching for her, sniffing her out, cornering her... after all, Sith would never sit idly by when their sheer existence was being threatened. He knew she'd come to him, he knew she'd find him and he knew that when she'd finally meet him in person, She like so many before her would realize the futility of her dreams and desires.

Thus he waited, with two Sceleratis flanking his throne aboard the Gluttoneria, with its stealth capacity disabled, most of its personel on standby and a clear and open route from every hangar bay towards the large space at the center of the ship where he now sat. "Today is the day in which we'll see the future..."​

 

[Her]

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Expansion Region, The Slice;
The Ghost Nebula.
Tags: The Lord of Hunger

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"The Ghost Nebula was a nebula and a sector in the Slice portion of Expansion Region that blocked light from most of the stars beyond and within it, isolating it from the galaxy and inspiring its name. . ."
-- A description of the Ghost Nebula.

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The Ufo is an unidentified vessel that had been found on the planet Kalist VI in the ruins of the last city of THE BUILDERS over fifty years ago. In that time, between then and now, it has swapped ownership from THE NOMAD to the woman currently traversing the many hallways of the Gluttoneria and it rests now within the confines one of the battlecruiser's many hangar bays as she makes her approach to the mysterious, sinister presence who had revealed themselves to her during the Sartinaynian Crisis. Guided by the Force, with the crimson beam of her Lightsaber blade held above her head to light the way, the DARK LORD OF THE SITH marches on the path of a new frontier in the wake of the SIMULTAENEOUS COLLAPSE that had taken down the DARK EMPIRE and their cousins within the EMPIRE OF THE LOST.

It is new, uncertain time in the Galaxy at the beginning of a new century, and time waits for no man.

Hello, friend. I know this isn't how this normally works. The usual dichotomy that we share is that you get to watch quietly, and we don't interact. But this is a troublesome time, and unfortunately I need you now more than ever. I have been talking to you for awhile now, but you never say anything back to me, and that is usually okay with me-- I like being alone, and I've been that way since the Black Pyramid-- but alas I am about to meet someone who thinks that I am the one behind all of this, and the truth is that would be a lie on my part, so stay with me and listen like you normally do.

The truth is that I didn't want the Imperial Remnants to disband like they did. I had hoped that they would get me to where I wanted to go. But the Eggman died over Lothal, you see, and then the clone was strangled to death by somebody, so I lost my place in both sides, and before I could get them back they were both gone. I think it was someone in the Tsis'Kaar who murdered the Director but I don't know who, and not being in the know is somewhere I haven't been in a long, long time. It's frightening, and I am terrified, but it was just like Ayra once told me: if you cannot adapt then you are waiting for a slaughter.

So, this is me adapting to the current circumstances. The man I am about to meet was always there beneath the surface of the Fifth Wing, and the corporation that he controls can get me to where I want to go. While we are talking I will admit something else: I am more sorry than you will ever know about what happened to Velran. But there isn't time for that now. I have a lot of hate, so I'll use it to put all that to the side.

At least I have Maldor out there, somewhere . . .

As the hooded Dark Lord made avenues towards the Lord of Hunger a pair of blast doors ahead opened slowly-- expectantly-- for her arrival. Crossing over the threshold and into the throne room where they were waiting. Lowering the Lightsaber blade to the side, with her concealed facial features staring up at him, Her was quiet with her own expectations. Would it be a new form of collusion, or were they a rival?

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[The Lord of Hunger]

LOCATION: Somewhere in The Ghost Nebula
OBJECTIVE: Convince Her
IMPORTANT LINKS: Sword | Armor | Jewel | Ring | Necklace | DIII Gluttoneria | The guards | The Enforcer
TAG: Her


The Lord of Hunger

He could sense it; the presence of those deeply steeped within the force. Like a moth to a flame, this sensation seemed to increase the closer this presence he had felt came to his location. Beneath his inhuman, golden mask, this sensation drew a gleeful smirk upon the monster's disfigured face. Yet, when the final blast doors opened and gave this presence access to the very sanctum in which the Lord of Hunger resided, his eyes squinted behind the visors of his mask, their vibrancy intensifying and the gold and crimson seemlessly blended the light from his eyes, visible through his visors.

"Welcome...little shadow," The monstrous man's left hand lifted its index and middle finger slowly from the armrests upon which both hands were placed, with this motion seemingly making it clear to both of the Sceleratii to not draw their weapons and to stand back. "Allow me to first congratulate you on your...wonderful machinations that have resulted in the downfall of two empires."

A slight chuckle escaped the man's mouth, a clear indication that whether or not it had been the goal from the onset for Her , it was all simply amusing to the being sitting on his throne, looking down upon her. However, as he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, he clasped his hands together and started to lean a bit forward, his eyes squinting even more as he seemed to breath in the air around him with great anticipation.

"After our last...conversation, things have happened which have been largely to my benefit," Again, that same cold, yet devious chuckle ran through the built-in voicebox of the man's mask. the rough and grainy voice resonating loudly within the chambers. Slowly, the abomination within the force stood up, an aura of cold, of dread and despair emanating from one who now in the flesh seemed to look both terrifying, but also... vulnerable, perhaps even a bit weak, like an ancient, old man nearly buckling under the weight of time itself. "If you would excuse me..."

Motioning towards the Sceleratii, one of them moved behind the throne, where the hissing of metal doors could be heard, followed by the metallic thuds of the Sceleratis moving as they grew dimmer for a moment, until a scream could be heard, muffled yes, but a scream nonetheless, followed by the shuffling of feet and the returning metallic thuds.

From behind the throne, what looked like a dishevelled Zabrac male was brought forth, dressed in rags, bound with naught but ropes around their wrists, a blindfold over their eyes and a gag in their mouth . As soon as the droid had reached the Lord of Hunger with this supposed detainee, the zabrac male's wrists were cut free by the droid's sharp clawlike fingers and thrown before the abomination within the force. This act did not take long for any response, as the Zabrac male quickly removed his gag and blindfold, a fiercely rebellious look in their eyes. At first this man looked at the female sith, but when mistaking the aura for hers, he went straight for the one who 'looked' to be the weaker of the two, cocking his fist backwards and throwing it forward with the utmost precision and speed...

Yet nothing happened, with the Zabrac's hand floating in the air right in front of the Lord of Hunger's mask, the monster's eyes squinting with glee. Slowly, the monstrous man raised his gilded, gloved left hand, gently sliding his fingers accross the Zabrac's face, until suddenly the sharp claws of his gauntlets dug deep into the poor prisoner's skin and flesh, elucitating a different, more primal scream of fear and anguish, as within moments, the Zabrac male's features started to wither and thin, his eyes dulling, sinking in and collapsing, his skin writhing, withering and shrinking, until it cracked like parchment. Musclemass sunk away and shrunk, bones creaked and crumbled, while it was clear that the Lord of Hunger's own vitality seemed to return tenfold, with his back straightening, his own bulk increasing considerably... what was being displayed, was the reason why someone who by all means should have been no more than an ordinary eriaduan human male, had managed to live for so long and above all, managed to thrive long beyond the normal human expiration date.

"Now...shall we talk business?" The monstrous man released his hand from what had been a fully functional, young and strong Zabrac male, only to reveal nothing but a dried up corpse, which as it dropped to the floor, shattered like a clay figurine into dust and ash.

 

[Her]

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Expansion Region, The Slice;
The Ghost Nebula.
Tags: The Lord of Hunger

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The cowl of a robe can accomplish many things. Hiding one's physical features beneath the hood prevented one from being instantly recognised. There was an air of intimidation as well-- an aura, shall we say-- to a person that is standing in front of you, and yet you cannot properly see who it is, what they are, or the other subtle ques that come from a glance, a stare, or the multitude of other complicated behaviours one associates with the Human race. You can learn a lot from a person's eyes; their smile, or lack thereof; and the other features that makes up a face.

It was fortunate then that the cowl of Her's robe had been raised to conceal her disgust when the Zabrak was devoured in front of her. She shifted slightly-- ever so much-- and the Lightsaber (which was still humming beside her in it's malevolent crimson red colour) moved subtly to the left: all of which indicated that this mysterious Sith Lord, who was, at the very least, partially responsible for the deaths of thousands at Bastion, and the subsequent economic collapse of the Empire of the Lost-- set to affect trillions across the Outer Rim Territories-- was uncomfortable at the sight of the so-called LORD OF HUNGER consuming a living person right in front of her eyes.

How odd given who they were and what they were meant to have done.

There was a time when the hooded woman would have been moved further by such a thing happening in front of her. Action, and dispensation of justice, had never been an issue for Her even going back to those dark, horrid days when she had served as a Knight of the Old Republic. The consequential pathway into the ideological, philosophical and physical adaption, adoption or transformatory process into the pathology of the Dark side of the Force had been one followed so that it could kill the Jedi that she had once been.

But it was just as THE NOMAD had once told her:

Once a Jedi, always a Jedi.

So, she stayed still, quiet and almost unflinching in the presence of such evil while her quarry considered the findings that he had made since they had attacked The Quest.

In the weeks since KRONOS had gained temporary access into ARCHIVE 09-14-25-15-21-18-23-01-12-12-19 (found within the data hoarding of the DIRECT SURVEILLANCE OF DOMESTIC THREATS) three operations conducted by the seditious FIFTH WING had been discovered and subsequently taken by the artificial intelligence on the behest of it's master. The consequential search into and discovery of the mysterious Sith Lord responsible for the Sartinaynian Crisis-- in combination with the analysis and deconstruction of the data taken from the former surveillance Police state of the late EMPIRE OF THE LOST-- had been crucial into discovering who exactly it was who had caused so much terror and strife along the BRAXANT RUN.

While much of the data was still being unpacked to this day, despite it having been several weeks since the events above, and upon Bastion, one particular operation had taught much to the man who secretly called himself DARTH HALYCON.

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DIRECT SURVEILLANCE OF DOMESTIC THREATS; ARCHIVE 09-14-25-15-21-18-23-01-12-12-19; REPORT CONDUCTED BY TK-73; APPROVED BY Alicia Drey ; DOCUMENT: CLASSIFIED. OPERATION: ABSOLUTION; "A clandestine attack upon Coruscant conducted by remnants of the Brotherhood of Maw, and the New Imperial Order." ​ STARDATE: 09022024. ​ They called the operation 'Absolution'. Directed by Ignacious Korvan, upon information gathered by the intelligence branch that would later become COMPNOR, a strike team consisting of surviving members of the Brotherhood of Maw, and the remnants of the New Imperial Order, were ordered to strike a prison facility belonging to the Galactic Alliance on the planet Coruscant. Their mission was to liberate a former Imperial Knight that they called, 'Sahar', and bring her back to the Carlac system in those early days when the Dark Empire were still forming. Secondary objectives included the liberation and subsequent capture of dissidents being held in the same facility so they could either be recruited into the cause, or subsequently eliminated if they refused to join. Two years prior to this, when the Jedi and their alliance believed that the Brotherhood of Maw, New Imperial Order and the other Imperial remnant-- such as the Elysium, and Eternal Empires-- had been destroyed at the end of the, 'SECOND GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR', the Nomad had freed and then quickly murdered a Knight of the Old Republic (a Jedi Knight) to replace her with a cloned version of herself in collusion with Velran Kilran within the same prison that was later attacked by the same strike team gathered under Ignacious Korvan's direction, and orders. It is important to note, for the sake of context, two important, and pertinent facts surrounding this event:- FACT #1: The captive Jedi in question was known as ELLA NOVA: a former war hero of the, 'ONE SITH WARS', who was captured by the vigilante VULPESEN during a diplomatic conference held on NEW ALDERAAN one year following the annexation of the OLD REPUBLIC by the NINTH SITH EMPIRE for conspiring to murder several delegates attending the meeting hosted by ALEXANDRA FEANOR to negotiate an armistice and peace following fifteen years of war across the known GALAXY. NOVA, following her sentencing by the JEDI HIGH COUNCIL, was found to be GUILTY of conspiring to attack the, 'TEMPLE OF BALANCE', and was found to have been turnt to the dark side following her incarceration inside the, 'BLACK PYRAMID', after she was captured by DARTH CARNIFEX at the end of the war. Also, it was alleged by the council that NOVA was believed to have either become, or was closely associated to DARTH AYRA: a minor Sith Lord who joined the ONE SITH following the failed upstart of the, 'NEW ORDER', that was later founded after the EIGHTH SITH EMPIRE'S collapse following it's defeat during the, 'BATTLE OF DAC,' in 842 ABY and the subsequent capture of KAINE ZAMBRANO by the KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC to be tried for high war crimes during the rulership of ASHIN VARANIN, DARTH VORACITOS, DARTH ADEKEOS, and EMPEROR LUSSK over the SITH EMPIRE before, and after his rise to, 'SITH EMPEROR', towards the end of the SITH'S first invasion on THE GALAXY which began in 835 ABY. DARTH AYRA, otherwise known as ALICIA DREY, was responsible for the invasion and subsequent annexation of the planet KASHYYYK during the One Sith's invasion of the Old Republic, and who used her alias as Alicia Drey to conduct business on the planet CHANDRILA as the CEO to a technological developer known as CHANDRILA DATATECH, and an agricultural company called CHANDRILA GROUP. Delegates attending the peace summit on NEW ALDERAAN were convinced by a leaked transmission which implicated ELLA NOVA, who was attending the event as a SENATOR TO HUMBRAINE on the FEDERAL ASSEMBLY TO THE GALACTIC ALLIANCE, was Ayra in disguise, and was there to commit acts of homicide which later led to her capture and subsequent incarceration in cryostasis on CORUSCANT. FACT #2: The 'EMPIRE OF THE LOST', which was founded on LIANNA at the turn of the ninth-century by ACULIA VOLAND, was created by a merger of surviving remnants of the ELYSIUM and ETERNAL EMPIRE'S which were destroyed during, 'THE SECOND HYPERSPACE WAR', and of which was later taken over by VELRAN KILRAN following his coup d'etat against the VOLAND ADMINISTRATION during a secret meeting held in LIANNA CIITY, 900 ABY. LIANNA, as the current day capital of the EMPIRE OF THE LOST, was formerly the capital of the TENTH SITH EMPIRE that was ruled by DARTH CARNIFEX before it was destroyed by the ASHLAN CRUSADE. CARNIFEX, who is still alive despite the destruction of his Empire, is the leader of one out of the three most powerful syndicates, or Sith sects found in the ELEVENTH SITH EMPIRE which calls itself, 'THE KAINITES', and who are the modern day rulers of the STYGIAN CALDERA, and a region of space dubbed, 'THE SITH HOLY WORLDS' comprised of the planets KORRIBAN, DROMUND KAAS, ZIOST and several other minor planets. During Sahar's liberation the strike team, which was given no name, or official designation, captured the Nova clone and transported her to Carlac where she was interrogated. During this interrogation the ISB were convinced that they had discovered and subsequently liberated a former member of the One Sith. Members of the New Sith Order, a fanatical Sith sect loyal to Darth Solipsis, later recruited the clone under the assumption that she was Darth Ayra. Following on from Operation: Absolution, TK-73 made contact with the clone and activated her as an informant within the Dark Empire. A convention held by Ignacious Korvan, and Solipsis' on Carlac was later demonstrated to Velran Kilran, and his newly formed Imperial Ruling Council, following his assassination of the Voland regime and instatement as Emperor to the Empire of the Lost. The supply of classified information regarding the convention was used as the justification for the instalment of the clone to the head office within the New Imperial Security Bureau (despite protests) where she assumed the alias of Alicia Drey within the organisation. NOTE: The NEW IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU is a security, and intelligence gathering organisation serving the EMPIRE OF THE LOST as one of it's military branches. It is responsible for the internal, and external security of the IMPERIUM, and it's IMPERIAL ADMINISTRATION under EMPEROR VELRAN KILRAN. When it became clear that the Dark Empire and it's forces could not be turned into targeting the Stygian Caldera, as part of TK-73's initial strategy to weaken the Kainite's hold over the Stygian Caldera before the Empire of the Lost's invasion of Korriban, Director Drey made contact with the Tsis'Kaar during the Empire's attack on the planet Felucia to negotiate an arrangement which was made between these Sith and the Director where they were to begin conspiring to either destroy, or reform the Empire of the Lost, whose territories encompass the former lands of the Tenth Sith Empire that was destroyed by the Ashlan Crusade in the years preceding the Second Great Hyperspace War, into a state aligned to the Dark Council founded on JUTRAND. As part of the arrangement, the Tsis'Kaar were given access to the DIRECT SURVEILLANCE OF DOMESTIC THREATS INIATIVE. All thirty-two outposts were later compromised and turned by an organisation called the FIFTH WING: a compartmentalized branch of the Tsis'Kaar consisting of their agents sent undercover to infiltrate, spy and sabotage the Empire of the Lost; expats of the Tenth Sith Empire, who were still loyal to the Sith cause; and disgruntled members of the Imperial administration unhappy with the Kilran regime. The strategy outlined in the Director's encrypted message to Velran Kilran was adapted after it was learned that the Dark Empire and their invasion of the Galactic Alliance could not be swayed into instead targeting the Stygian Caldera. A full transcript of the message can be read here. Instead, full focus was placed onto influencing the Tsis'Kaar and their operations both externally, and internally. The creation of the Fifth Wing, therefore under the pretences of a conspiracy against the Empire of the Lost, was in fact a manufactured crisis to manipulate the external enemies to the Kilran regime to attack and decimate it's internal threats. Under the disguise of the conspiracy, Director Drey in collusion with the Fifth Wing wiped out all traces of opposition to Emperor Kilran to solidify his position within the Empire of the Lost, while gaining intelligence on one of the three most powerful war lord syndicates/Sith sects housed within the Eleventh Sith Empire. This accomplished the task of removing threats to the Kilran Dynasty, and soldifying it's claim to the mantle of Emperor to the Empire of the Lost, with minimal losses to those loyal, or aligned to Emperor Kilran, while maximising losses to political, and military rivals within the Imperial administration who did not want Velran Kilran to become defacto head-of-state. The strategy also accomplished pinning the blame of such attacks on the Empire of the Lost (if at all discovered by the Imperial admin) upon the Sith Order, their Empire and the vassal region colloquially referred to internally by members of the Tsis'Kaar, Eternalists, and Kainites as, 'THE SITH HOLY WORLDS', comprised of the planets KORRIBAN, DROMUND KAAS, ZIOST and several other minor star systems that formerly made up the ancient Sith Empires over the several past millennia, and more significantly the same Eighth Sith Empire which first invaded the Galaxy following the end of the FOUR-HUNDRED YEAR DARKNESS in 835 ABY. If discovered organically then the subsequent infiltration and corruption of the Fifth Wing-- a Sith aligned organisation-- could be used as a justification by the Kilran regime to commence further strikes and create in-roads to the Stygian Caldera following the attack on Felucia which saw the planet annexed by the Empire of the Lost. Aggressive expansionist policies, and military incursions into Sith aligned space, was apart of the arrangements made by TK-73 and Velran Kilran in 898 ABY two years before his ascension as Emperor, and in line with the strategy implemented by the Nomad before his disappearance. On Stardate 24042024, Director Drey was directed by TK-73 to attend a war cabinet hosted by Darth Empyrean on board the Mors Mon. Drey was ordered to collect information on the cabinet, it's attendees, war plans and an analysis of the Mors Mon for research. During the meeting Drey attempted to dissuade the Sith from targeting the Empire of the Lost, and focusing their next invasion on the Galactic Alliance. This was not apart of the Director's orders for a Sith incursion into Imperial space was desired to create justification for retaliatory strikes, and counter-attacks into Sith space as a precursor to war, and invasion of the Stygian Caldera. It is suspected that the Nova clone, following decades of captivity held in cryostasis within the Galactic Alliance, became defective during it's mission in the war council meeting but these suspicions are unsubstantiated. During the Siege of Tion, the Empire received several communiques from the Mors Mon indicating that the Sith attack upon the Empire of the Lost was in retaliation to the Director being discovered during Empyrean's war cabinet, and the subsequent leak made by an envoy to the Trade Federation of Planets that Alicia Drey was a spy working for the Dark Empire on Lianna. Using these communiques as justification, TK-73 arranged Director Drey to be captured, and taken alive for interrogation following her return to Lianna City. It was determined that the Director was defective as suspected, and that a new strategy was required given the severe losses sustained at Tion, and the economic fall-out following the Trade Federation of Planet's decision to classify the Empire of the Lost as a no-trade zone. A subsequent hearing was hosted secretly by members of the Imperial Ruling Council, with Emperor Kilran presiding as judge, to determine whether or not the Director was guilty of crimes of sedition, and treason against the Empire of the Lost. Under TK-73's recommendation, the Emperor ruled that Director Drey was NOT GUILTY. On Stardate 07222024, Director Drey was found dead in her apartment in Lianna City. The Trigonus Report, in combination with the formation, and later defeat of the rebellion which called itself, 'THE TINGEL ARM COALITION', created the necessary environment to switch the actions and alleged existence of the Fifth Wing away from the idea of Sith corruption within the Empire of the Lost towards a galactic wide conspiracy waged by members of the NEW JEDI ORDER to eradicate Imperialism across the Galaxy. This is new strategy, which moved away from the initial one put into motion by TK-73 and the Nomad, is suspected to have been put into place by Director Drey's former co-conspirator on Jutrand, and follows a series of unexplained disappearances recorded by the New Imperial Security Bureau to several staff within the organisation, and the other military branches of the Empire of the Lost. It is suspected that the true culprit responsible for her murder was a member of the Tsis'Kaar in retaliation for Director Drey's actions on board the Mors Mon which placed suspicion upon them after the Director used their credentials to gain access to Empyrean's war cabinet. This concludes the strategies implemented to bring the Empire of the Lost into direct conflict with the Sith Order. The subsequent betrayal of the Nova clone on board the Mors Mon, combined with the economic policies of the Trade Federation of Planets, dissuaded the Imperial regime from further incursions or strikes against the Sith Empire coinciding with the formation of the rebellion founded after a revolt on Zygerria, which attacked the Lothal system from Hurikane, and consequentially killed Velran Kilran. A new strategy must be created and subsequently implemented given the details of this report. TK-73 heavily speculates, at the conclusion of this dossier about OPERATION: ABSOLUTION that the Nova clone discovered that they were not the real Ella Nova, or Alicia Drey, leading to the psychosis that it experienced on board the Mors Mon, and the later attempt to dissuade Maldor Mecetti from colluding with THE GHOST OF KALIST. ---END OF REPORT---

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"Now...shall we talk business?"

The thumb, which was holding onto the ignition button of the active Lightsaber to Her's left side, released it's grasp upon the weapon and with a soft hiss it deactivated in her palm. Both hands would then rise to the cowl of her robe, and slowly begun to lower it.

Ella Nova?

The hood lowers, and reveals long strands of blonde hair.

Darth Ayra?

Yellow, bloodshot eyes stare upwards at the LORD OF HUNGER with a gaze of someone who has seen war, and a lot of it.

Alicia Drey?

Somewhere the artificial intelligence known as KRONOS was still working through the data that it had gleamed from the Sartinaynian Crisis. Some of the information it had unpacked from OPERATION: DREY implicated the creation of an agricultural firm based on LIANNA who had been granted an eye-watering grant of GSU credits by the late EGGMAN which proved crucial in stemming the effects of the Trade Federation of Planet's decision to place the Empire of the Lost in a trade embargo at the turn of the ninth-century.

TK-73?

Someone was behind it all.

Wordlessly, expectantly, Her folded her arms into her chest, and stared up at the Lord of Hunger to hear his proposition.

---

 

[The Lord of Hunger]

LOCATION: Somewhere in The Ghost Nebula
OBJECTIVE: Convince Her
IMPORTANT LINKS: Sword | Armor | Jewel | Ring | Necklace | DIII Gluttoneria | The guards | The Enforcer
TAG: Her


The Lord of Hunger

His eyes seemed to squint, no movement being shown as the disgust displayed by his visitor seemed to not only ellicit little reaction from the Lord of Hunger, but neither did the fact that her arm, the one carrying the lightsaber seemed to twitch. It was all part of the proceedings, it was a way to tell, to understand what kind of people he was dealing with, for by displaying his own lack of morals, his own domination on how everything works, he could gauge the reactions of others, confront them with the horrors of reality to draw out reactions which could give insight in their state of mind, their own ethics and beliefs.

The reaction the mysterious woman only known as Her made was enough for the monstrous abomination before her to know that deep down, despite all she had weighing down on herself, all she had contributed to and orchestrated, from the thousands of deaths she personally had to have been responsible for, a simple life being snuffed out without mercy, without scrupules or hesitation apparently seemed enough to make her twitch.

"One's true nature is always revealed when confronted with a brutality not their own," The information relayed through KRONOS, the far reaching and deep seated conspiracy that had taken most likely years, if not decades to form and execute did amuse the Lord of Hunger, whose own manipulations and works had shaped quite a few problems to the galactic alliance in the past and whose effects also had ramifications in regards to how the former Lord-Regent of the Dark Empire acted and behaved himself on the galactic scene. And even now, while from an outward perception, the N&Z Umbrella Corporation had been lead and run by his grandnephew Tertius C. Nargath, in truth the Lord of Hunger, only known to a few as being Darth Halcyon and perhaps even more importantly; the former Chancellor of the Left to the Zweihander Union Credius Nargath, still held considerable sway in the direction taken by the company, the factions it traded with and even the very people it employed through the ever-present shadow within the company in the form of the Section C division.

"Confusion, chaos and discord are the tools and weapons you have clearly been utilizing like an expert in what has been considered one of the most intricate webs of information and desinformation I have come across so far," A chuckle, dry and cold, seemed to escape the man's mask, the voicebox strengthening the tone of his voice and smoothing out its raspy, hollow nature. "But...your role in this web of lies and half truths has been... hazy, your actions clearly downplayed and expunged through excellent covering of your own tracks. For that I have to commend you, you whose face is blurry to most, whose identity is veiled in layers of protection and uncertainty."

Slowly, the man's electrum detailed gauntlets moved, one hand reaching within his cloak, as the hiss of his mask uncoupling itself could be heard, followed by the sliding of mesh when his other hand pulled back the hood of his cloak and the mesh cover of his head which had been attached to the mask. In doing so, the truth was revealed, now that he had just engorged himself once again upon a strong, force sensitive subject, his face seemed to be younger than even the original reports would state Credius Nargath to have been prior to his vanishing act. What was revealed was not the face of one well over a hundred years old at this point, but the face of a man in his physical prime, with an age not a year over thirty five. Yet the eyes, filled with an inhuman understanding, an unnatural vibrancy and strength did not bely the truth of his nature, the reality of exactly who he was and more importantly WHAT he was.

"Your skills still have use, your life still has value and I am still willing to see your machinations come to fruition," With his thin lips slowly curling into a smile, something underneath his skin seemed to wriggle momentarily, betraying further the unnatural way in which his physical form has been achieved and maintained. "You who has brought chaos to a whole quadrant of the galaxy and who has laid bare the weakness of so many would-be powerful players in the galactic game... you will need a cover, a new identity to hide behind and a means to further your own goals. So as long as these goals align with my own, I am perfectly willing and certainly capable of providing you with exactly that which you need: the means to act with impunity."

 

[Her]

---

---

Expansion Region, The Slice;
The Ghost Nebula.
Tags: The Lord of Hunger

---

"...I am perfectly willing and certainly capable of providing you with exactly that which you need: the means to act with impunity."

Staring up at the Lord of Hunger, Her averted her eyes to the left in deep thought. The mysterious being who had revealed himself during the SARTINAYNIAN CRISIS had wanted something. She had felt it through the Force, and with enough deductive reasoning, and cunning, she had deduced that the events that she had set into motion on Bastion had inexplicably, without intention, either affected or disrupted the machinations of the man now standing before her. There was something among the Imperial Remnant, whether they be amid the Dark-Imperials who had recently pulled out of Carlac for parts currently unknown, or the Lost-Imperials that would later form the Imperial Sector Authority, or somehow even among the Diarchs and their coalition of sympathisers tired with the state of a Galaxy that had been war torn since the end of the Four-Hundred Year Darkness.

But she was taken aback when he had revealed that something was her. This meeting was not a trap designed to lure her out of the shadows and into the light to be destroyed, or exposed as she had expected. In the wake of the crisis Her had learned of the breach in the Direct Surveillance of Domestic Threats which therefore exposed secrets that had been stored in the program. Among the files stored in it's many archives were the clues that would lead someone curious enough to deduce her real identity which would bring an end to her machinations among the Imperials and Diarchs along the Outer Rim Territories. Which was why she would destroy the program, and the Fifth Wing who had corrupted it, before her existence became known to her many enemies among the Jedi and Sith Orders.

But no... He was not here to destroy her. This was a recruitment to bring her into the fold of his own machinations. Had she truly impressed him as he had implied in his veiled words? Was there something among the Chaos wrought by the conspiracy that had subsequently affected the Imperial Remnant that had, somehow, given him something? Was the collapse of the Empire of the Lost and Dark Empire to his benefit that now the woman responsible for it all was now useful?

It brought a singular question. Turning her gaze back to the man, as she admired his facial features, Her asked:

"Why?"
​

---

 

[The Lord of Hunger]

LOCATION: Somewhere in The Ghost Nebula
OBJECTIVE: Convince Her
IMPORTANT LINKS: Sword | Armor | Jewel | Ring | Necklace | DIII Gluttoneria | The guards | The Enforcer
TAG: Her


The Lord of Hunger​

A sly smile, the corners of his thin lips curling upwards in a rather wicked grin, this was the expression, the reveal of his reaction to Her words, Her question. He had noticed her apprehension, he had seen her hands and the way they moved, but more importantly, he did not allow her eyes to wander, he would not avert his own eyes either, for if the saying was true; that the eyes were the windows to the soul, he would have her see the vastness of his soul, the innumerable horrors that had been drawn into it and devoured in his decades within the Netherrealm. He would have her see into the very core of his being, to understand that there was no remorse, no morality, no code nor conduct holding back the lord of Hunger besides his own agenda, his own game.

So to, did the monstrous abomination wish to see what laid behind those dulled and emotionless eyes of his guest, the truth hidden deep within her soul, the core of her being. What had brought her to become a harbinger of chaos, of shadow and strife. What had truly set her on the path which had led her to where they both stood. Was it ambition? Was it setbacks in life? What had turned her to become who she was, what had made her, Her?

"Why, you ask?" Again that same, callous and uncaring smile, a flicker within his eyes betraying his amusement at the very question. "Why does one seek a purpose? Why does one have goals? I am intrigued by your capabilities, your flair and your charisma. Whether it be through guile or through subtle manipulation, through heavy handed acts or political maneuvring... you have played several factions against one another in this galaxy, your very actions are partially to blame for the fall and consequent collapse of the Dark Empire and the Empire of the Lost. You my dear guest, have wrought forth a new era, your chaos has toppled empires... and you have given me amusement."

As if to say the latter was the most important, the Lord of Hunger's eyes squinted with a hint of glee. However, his smile, his grin seemed to slowly turn into a scowl of sorts, as if he was only now coming to the crux of this conversation, this answer to her question of 'why?'.

"Why am I interested in you?" Turning around, the man remotely activated the holgraphic display of his throne, revealing several images of people he was keeping tabs on; some more known than others. There were dignitaries, politicians, even known scientists and corporate figureheads, each in a rather vital role within their field, each representing an aspect of the meaning behind the word power. "For decades, my machinations, my manipulations have born fruit in the form of silent pawns, unknowing and unwilling pawns, each blessed and cursed by the very blood which runs through my veins. They all play a part, they all have a role, but where they all fall into a certain mold, you break this mold, you defy destiny and predetermined roles. However, you are constrained by what I call a belief, a philosophy which is no longer feasible within this day and age. It makes me wonder... if you want to know why I am interested in you...it is because I want to know WHY you have done what you did, I want to see just what you can come up with next, the chaos you can bring upon this galaxy... and use that chaos as a cover."

 

[Her]

---

---

Expansion Region, The Slice;
The Ghost Nebula.
Tags: The Lord of Hunger

---

". . . You my dear guest, have wrought forth a new era, your chaos has toppled empires... and you have given me amusement."

Hatred is an emotion that the Jedi teach you not to feel. Feeling, however, is encouraged among those who train to become one. Love. Compassion. Empathy. These are prerequisites into becoming a Jedi Knight. So long as your emotions are tempered by knowledge, wisdom and balance then one can never step over the threshold and path onto the Dark side of the Force. Eight long years of war trying to protect the Old Republic combined with eight-hundred and seventy-two days of incarceration at the hands of the enemy taught Her how to hate.

That wicked, sly grin of amusement-- as if that was what really mattered about the simultaneous collapse of the Imperial Remnant-- inspired hatred and contempt. The eyes are a window into the soul, and for Her there was nothing there but sincere, utter hatred.

Hate.

You must make a friend of horror. Horror, and morale terror, are your friends.

If they are not then they are enemies to feared.

". . .I t is because I want to know WHY you have done what you did, I want to see just what you can come up with next, the chaos you can bring upon this galaxy... and use that chaos as a cover."

At last Her relented her hateful stare upon the Lord of Hunger and averted her gaze away from him in contemplation.

As her thoughts swirled she thought about her pawns. Kilran and Drey were dead. They were killed by someone in the Tsis'Kaar, and the other by the rebellion inspired by a revolt on Zygerria leading to her loss in leverage over the Imperials. The Phantom Empress had been severely injured during the Sartinaynian Crisis, and it was unknown if she would ever recover.

The Empire of the Lost was no-more. It was destroyed by the very manufactured crisis that was meant to keep the Eggman upon the throne to be used in a crusade against The Kainite within the realms of the Stygian Caldera. They had had one taste at Tion, and that had begun the series of events which led to the revolts across the Old Tion Hegemony. Instead of destroying her enemies, or even weakening them, she had inadvertently strengthen their position along the Outer Rim Territories. The Imperial war machine had failed to bring about the damage she had sought to deliver to her enemies.

Thousands of Sith had been killed in the meatgrinder that was the Siege of Tion but her true targets among the upper echelons of the Eleventh Sith Empire had never been stronger, more prevalent and powerful as evident by the formation of the Blackwall. The burgeoning faction that was calling itself The Imperial Confederation-- consecrated by the joint alliance of the Imperial Sector Authority, the successors to the Empire, and the Risen Empire, a long lost remnant of the first GALACTIC EMPIRE-- was far from ready to contest Sith supremacy, and perhaps more significantly, lacked the necessary elements that were needed to make them play. It would take time before they were ready to be played.

Then there was the N&Z Umbrella Company that had been there all along. A front for the Sith Lord standing before her to play his own machinations. To what end? What was it that this Lord of Hunger desired out of the Imperial Remnant? Did he believe that, through her recruitment, he would gain leverage among the burgeoning Confederation?

Her closed her eyes as her thoughts brought her round to a conclusion that this man-- no, this entity-- has enticed her into coming too. Ayra. Mendacium. She had broken her chains through victory, and had been set free upon the Galaxy, vowing to never again serve another Sith Lord. But through the Force that was what she felt this being wanted from her.

Service.
Prostration.
A puppet.

"A Master never reveals him, or herself."

The teachings of her predecessor were a constant reminder. As the word of her former Master stirred in her mind, bringing her round to the conclusion and path before her-- as she shifted through the often convoluted logic of the dark side-- Her opened her eyes to look up at the Lord of Hunger. They quickly darted away, as if locking eyes once again was uncomfortable, as she replied:

"What do you want?"​

---

 

[The Lord of Hunger]

LOCATION: Somewhere in The Ghost Nebula
OBJECTIVE: Convince Her
IMPORTANT LINKS: Sword | Armor | Jewel | Ring | Necklace | DIII Gluttoneria | The guards | The Enforcer
TAG: Her


The Lord of Hunger​

"What do you want?"

These words weren't unexpected, in fact...perhaps they were entirely expected. After all, perhaps bar the woman standing before him, the Lord of Hunger was probably one of the hardest to gauge in terms of their motivations and eventual goals. Sure, there were known underlying factors like power and control, but truly...would he not have been able to usurp some throne on a random planet to hold dominion? Could he not have toppled the Empire of the Lost or the Diarchy through his control of the N&Z Umbrella Corporation? The answer was simple: yes, he could have. However, even if he could, it did no longer suit his purposes.

After all, while political and corporate, yes even military power had their uses and could have been used effectively to get what he needed, this abomination in the force was more keen on playing the game. It was better to have pawns, rooks, bishops, knights and even a queen for the sake of gaining control over the board. To play the game, the corporate, military and political power began to blur, to fade in importance, for personal power would take center stage. The three aforementioned powers such as wealth, political weight and military might were best delegated to the ones who'd be moved around and used. As long as the personal power would trump over any of these three powers, there was no need to personally use them.

"What I want is a cover, an operation that completely hides and veils my own machinations, drawing away all the attention from what I do," The man smiled, an eerie, somewhat sinister grin spreading across his face. "All I need from you, is for you to try again, rebuild your network, strengthen your agants and your connections... redraw the lines in your mind, begin anew and set ablaze the galaxy. As long as your actions can be construed as a front to my own, you will be given all you need, from credits to contracts, from fronts to identities... You see I care little for wars and power in the usual sense, all I care for is to evolve to find the next step and to expand my knowledge, my control and thus... my own evolution."