Scenes from the Empire

[Tabigarashu Madara]

Imperial Palace​

Bastion​

​

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The aftermath of Jaminere was still in flux- the chaos there had not died down, and there was no telling just what that world would look like once the dust settled. All that was clear was that it had been a day of blood and fire.

Hirou didn't know if they had won or lost that day. But that hardly seemed to matter. Lives had been lost, unnecessarily. Chaos and terror. History would write the story of Jaminere, the question was only how would it look in the end?

The Saaraishash Agent sighed, shaking their head and continuing on their passage through the enormous halls of the Imperial Palace on Bastion. They had been sent back to Bastion after, to recover from the very, very near death experience of getting literally exploded out of the outside wall of a building. Honestly, Hirou was still sometimes vaguely surprised to still be in one piece. Rest, Tai Fa had told them, then return to Yavin, to the seat of the Saaraishash.

The only problem was.....

This place was huge. And Hirou was very, very small. It was difficult to rest and also get anywhere. So they traipsed along, on the one hand tired enough that their ears and tail drooped, but on the other, enjoying the sheer spectacle that was [member="Darth Carnifex"]'s palace.

ooc:

Spoiler

This thread is meant to be anything someone wants it to be. A series of scenes and vignettes from around the empire. Have someone you'd like to meet? Hope in and do it! Want to show something your character does in their down time, touch on a project they are perusing? Have something you don't want to do a solo thread for but would like to explore? Business objectives for tiering up? Anything goes. Use this space for character dev, or just to see what falls out of it. Feel free to pick different locations, anywhere across the Empire to explore in your scene!

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"Transmitting clearance codes now, my Lady."

It had been a long time coming, but as the Lady of Secrets' shuttle began it's final approach to the palace, she smiled behind the mask. Everything was nearly in position, and the Alliance was none the wiser. It was time to inform the Emperor, in person, that the long awaited day was, at last, almost upon them. She had heard of the attack on Jaminere, and to her regret and annoyance, she had been unable to warn the Sith of what was going to be coming exactly or when.

But they were a minor annoyance at best at the moment.

As her shuttle descended and settled on the palace landing pad, she allowed herself a moment to simply... enjoy what was going to come. A plan, ten years in the making, would finally come to fruition and she could finally be rid of those... hypocrites that she called colleagues. It had been a test of her patience, her acting abilities, and most importantly, her skill with the Force to make it all a reality. If her sister was still in the galaxy, she would need to thank her for the wonderful opportunity she was given.

Walking down the ramp, cloaked and masked, she met with the guard escort that would take her to [member="Darth Carnifex"]. The endgame was almost here.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

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​

The Emperor's throne room was dark, illuminated only by the light filtering up through the gridded electroluminescence strips that surrounded the throne in the shape of a spoked wheel. The absence of light cast ominous shadows across Carnifex's face, enhancing his naturally intimidating appearance. His body was swathed in dark maroon robes embroidered with gold Sith lettering and iconography, a symbol of his power, opulence, and dedication to the old traditions of the Sith.

Before Carnifex knelt several Pureblood Sith, their crimson bodies adorned with black zeyd-cloth robes covered by equally black plastoid armor. Their markings indicated them as Majors of the Imperial Legion, and before them, they had arrayed several lightsabers and padawan braids over torn and tattered cloth displaying the symbols of several of the Empire's enemies.

"Well done, my warriors, well done. With each victory and every tribute, you bring glory to the Empire, bringing us ever closer to achieving grand triumph over the thralls of the Light." The Emperor's voice was booming, utterly authoritarian, and dripping with a casual cruelty that demanded absolute obedience. "Return to your command ships, and continue to scour the Tingel Arm for any more Jedi Temples. Burn them and bring back more treasures, and your descendent's will never know hunger, poverty, or weakness."

They rose and saluted the Emperor, a closed fist crossed over the left breast and held there for a second and a half before bowing low at the waist. As they departed, several hooded servants would surge forth to collect the tributes and relocate them to private storerooms adjacent to the throne room.

A message chimed on the Emperor's throne, conjuring a small holoprojection of one of the guard captains of the Palace upon activation. "Your Eminence, the Lady of Secrets is here to see you." Carnifex's mouth split into a mischevious grin, "Send her in at once."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

The palace was impressive as always, a true nerve center for the vast and expanding Sith Empire. As she walked through the halls, ever closer to the throne room itself, she reflected on her time with the One Sith. Always in the outer ring of power, never able to slip her way into that inner circle. She had never figured out why. Perhaps it was because of who her master had been? Praelior's presence had been suffocating, her wants and needs constantly stifling the continued ascension of those that had been in her sector as Voice. If it had not been for Corvus and the opportunity there, Taeli suspected she would have been relegated as a minor Sith at best, never one to gain any sort of influence or power over the center...

And now here she was, a door away from the true center.

Ushered into the throne room, she slowly made her way down the barely illuminated room to where the Dark Lord himself sat in his glorious throne. Attendants were about, taking objects away into side passages and rooms, although for what purpose, she was unaware. Reaching a respectful distance from the throne, she took a knee and bowed her head before the Emperor.

"Thank you for receiving me, my Lord," she said, her voice modulated behind her mask. "I come bearing news, and deepest regrets that I was unable to sufficiently warn the Empire about the attack on Jaminere."

 

[Disciple]

It had been some time since he and Kaine had last spoken. Though, what was time but a construct? He actually hated that argument, but it held a logical weight all it's own. Time was a useful tool, but he found it interesting that a means of codifying entropy had taken root so thoroughly in the collective galactic consciousness. Perhaps those in other galaxies didn't measure time. Maybe they measured crop yields, or color.

Now that'd be interesting - time through color.

For another time, that thought. Stepping out from behind a statue, a whistle upon his lips and a skull in his hands - taken from one of Kaine's trophy rooms, of course. It was turned this way and that, studied by the nondescript man padding his way out to stand alongside the 'Lady of Secrets.' "What use is a Lady of Secrets who tells you truths you already know?" He asks, lips curling into a vague smirk.

Though he wasn't a clown, he knew Kaine would recognize him. Time may have been a means of arranging entropy into something understandable, but capriciousness had a form all it's own. With the skull held in his left hand, he kicked his left leg back and touched his right hand to his heart, bowing deeply at the waist with the skull lifted above and behind him as a counterweight. "I see you've been busy." He remarks, nose crinkling as he remembered the Purebloods from earlier.

"I wasn't aware any of my kind still lived, let alone groveled at your feet like novitiates." With that, he rose once more, steadying himself with the skull, once more, cradled in both hands.

[member="Taeli Raaf"] [member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The doors retracted with a hiss of hydraulic steam, a mystifying fog surrounding Taeli's approach towards the elevated throne. Several Crownguard stood positioned at strategic intervals around the chamber, closer to the walls and to the multiple entrances built into them. Many of them knew the Lady of Secrets by her appearance, having been the silent watchers on many of her private meetings with the Emperor of the Sith. Their loyalty was unquestionable, and their devotion unwavering to their diabolical liege-lord.

Carnifex smiled, spreading his hands wide in greeting as the Lady of Secrets took a knee at the foot of the plinth. "Lady of Secrets, it is always a pleasure to see you in good health. Do not concern yourself with the past, Jaminere was an insignificant distraction. Whatever ground the rebels gained is of no consequence, they will soon be dealt wi-..."

The Emperor's words were cut off as his gaze suddenly swept to the left, fixating on the enigmatic figure that suddenly seemed to materialize out from behind one of the statues that decorated the chamber. At the man's sudden appearance the nearest Crownguard sprung into action, lightsaber pikes held in aggressive stances as they surged forth to surround the man. Yet even as they did so, the Emperor held up a hand for them to stand down.

He recognized this man, surely not physically but the familiarity in the Force revealed the man's identity, and it was not someone that Kaine Zambrano had expected to see again in his lifetime. "Disciple," he spoke the words, not as one would say to an actual novice, but with more than a fair share of respect, recognition, and surprise. "What an ill omen," mused the Emperor, practically under his breath, "You will find that many of your kind have returned to the galaxy, most came from the planet Athiss. Apparently, they kept an entire Pureblood civilization in hiding there. I am surprised that you did not know, Disciple, but to what do I owe the honor of your arrival, Jester of Mischief?"

[member="Taeli Raaf"] | [member="Disciple"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Disciple"]

She very nearly drew and ignited her lightsaber at the sound of the interruption, but she restrained herself but barely. Behind the mask, irritation would flash across her features as she had not been expecting, nor did it seem anyone else had been expecting, the appearance of this... interloper. The pureblood was strong in the Force, and apparently the Dark Lord knew him. However, this did put a... spin on how she could present her report. She didn't know, nor did she trust such a being as this Jester of Mischief.

"That is not for your understanding nor is it your business to know, fool," she replied to the unknown Sith, more referring to a synonym for his title... but she could sense there was certain madness coming from the unknown Sith. Lovely... she despised fools and jesters.

She fell silent as the discussion turned to the survival of the Pureblood's species, not something she particularly cared about. The colony that had emerged from Athiss might have been the largest one seen, but there had been others of various species popping up across the galaxy. There were even rumors of Rakata offshoots in the Unknown Regions, yet another supposedly extinct species. The galaxy was mysterious in that way. She didn't miss the mutter the Emperor had said about this one being an ill omen. An old enemy perhaps? Not the most opportune time if that was the case.

 

[Disciple]

Disciple smiled, though it lacked warmth, and was clearly something he'd practiced rather than something he felt. "Does it come as a surprise to you?" He asks, one brow lofting. "I'm not omniscient." His brow darkened, then furrowed, and his lips pursed in thought. "Athiss always was a chamberpot. I'm not surprised they hid there." His attention, finally, turned to [member="Taeli Raaf"], who quite understandably didn't take kindly to interruption. After all, he wasn't supposed to be here.

That much was made clear by the guards, whom Kaine, in his infinite patience and wisdom, had called off.

...for the moment, at any rate.

"Flowers for the lady?" He asks, holding up the skull, which had at some point become a bouquet of quite-dead dandelions. "It matches your heart." The words were said with a smile, but spoken like a whip. Whether she took them or not, it was poor form to ignore the question posed to him.

"I was rather bored." He admits, then leans forward, shielding the side of his mouth as though to keep the words from reaching the ears of the Lady of Secrets. "And I'd heard some gossip about a certain Lady that quite tickled me... well, pink, if you'll pardon how literal that would otherwise be." He looked the human now, but Disciple had a long history of being whatever the hell he wanted to be at the time. That robot phase had been a mistake.

"Thought I'd get a look at the mummer for myself."

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"You and boredom never mixed well."

Oh, how long had it truly been? Though nearly two decades had passed, the Emperor could vividly remember the dark storm clouds that had rolled over Kaas City the night that Moridin had made his move. Fighting had been sporadic, isolated pockets of resistance pushing against the grand coup that Moridin had orchestrated to put himself upon the throne of the Empire. Carnifex had been there in person, he killed several Sith who had resisted Moridin's call for unity and strode into the throne room shortly after the Dark Council's execution to declare his allegiance to Moridin's Empire.

What surprised the young Imperial Agent was the sudden appearance of Disciple in that throne room, trading words with the newly christened Emperor Moridin. He had truly looked the part of a jester in those days, his outlandish appearance concealing his devilish nature. Disciple didn't stick around for long, disappearing as quickly as he came while Kaine delivered the proclamation of Moridin's ascension to the greater Empire, himself becoming Moridin's right-hand in the aftermath.

How far he had come since those early days.

"You know more than you let on, King of Creatures. I would ask that you be forthwith, but you've never been one to abandon madness and riddles."

[member="Disciple"] | [member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"] [member="Disciple"]

Behind her mask, her eyes narrowed but she did not rise to the fool's quip or whatever it was he was doing. She also did not accept the offered flowers, leaving the fool hanging. She had neither time nor patience to deal with someone like him in the best of times, but right now... his further words almost made her draw her weapon again. That he had arrived because he heard rumors about her, well... that would not do at all. As the Emperor said, she would much prefer straight talk to riddles or whatever mad dribble might slip from those irritating lips.

"I would heed the Emperor's words and speak plainly," she said, rising to her feet. Even with the mask in place, one would be able to tell, by her tone, she was in no mood to deal with games. Not when they were so close to the goal she had been working towards for so long.

 

[Disciple]

Disciple enjoyed a moment's recollection, remembering a sky of rock and a bed of fire. His lips curled upward into a dangerous smirk, and he clasped his hands together in the small of his back; the flowers were still there, dead though they may be. "She's a real spitfire. Takes after you, though - bit too high on herself. But aren't we all?" Agitation, annoyance, exasperation. They were all equally amusing. His tongue appeared, briefly wetting his lips, and his attention settled upon [member="Darth Carnifex"] once again.

"I do enjoy my riddles, but I'll spare you a rhyming game."

More wordplay was sure to follow, and it did. "The Lady of a Thousand Titles has bartered with the Man of a Thousand Masks." That smile never left. "This was some time ago, of course, but... if you desire to know what I know of your Lady, well... perhaps entreat the man who shot you off that rooftop.

And if you need something to get him to talk... during the Harvest Season, he came in contact with an ancient relic that imprisoned something within his head. I wouldn't try to look into his mind, but ask him about it."

Clapping twice, he disappeared, leaving behind not the flowers, but a single balloon that began to drift towards the ceiling. As it rotated, a Wookiee in a hardhat came into view, coming out of a sewer grate with a caution sign in hand.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Emperor's mouth curled down in a frown, his brow knitting in thought as Disciple disappeared into thin air only leaving behind a single red balloon. The creature's words didn't necessarily trouble the Sith Emperor, but they did make him think.

"An ill omen indeed, for what does Sarge Potteiger have to do with this?"

The last time the Emperor and Potteiger met was on a rooftop many years ago, when Carnifex had attempted to finally fulfill his burning desire to end the life of Anaya Fen. Potteiger had interrupted them, of course, and had blasted Carnifex with a round from his combat bolter. The blast had torn out a great chunk of his midsection, leaving him bleeding and injured several stories below that rooftop. He had not known what had transpired after he had fallen, but by the time his agents had recovered him, both Anaya Fen and Sarge Potteiger were gone without a trace.

"Questions for another time," the Emperor muttered, "But now that we are no longer interrupted, my lady, why don't you inform me of the harrowing news you keep locked in your head?"

[member="Disciple"] | [member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

Behind her mask, the yellow eyes would roll as the jester made his final pronouncement and vanished, leaving behind some randomness or some such that she had no time for. And honestly, she and the Emperor did not need more interruptions at this time, least of all from more eavesdroppers. Calling on her command of the dark side, she began crafting a spell to ensure their privacy.

"Zutadzani ri zijia dia sudti na winasizi," she intoned. An obscuring dark fog would surround the throne, wrapping itself around the Emepror, herself, and the Crownguard. Anyone outside the fog would be unable to hear their voices, or see anything beyond faint silhouettes of those within. If they tried to step through the fog... well they would find themselves unable to remember why they tried to step through it, and remember urgent business elsewhere. Now that she was sure they were alone, she removed her mask, shaking out her long dark hair as she lowered her hood.

"Now that we are quite secure, my Lord, I do indeed have news to share that is of monumental proportions," she said, setting the mask on the floor. "The Alliance will be finishing their Project Vanguard above Coruscant in a weeks time. The first in their line of Super Star Destroyers."

She had been an advocate for it of course, a weapon of such power... that would be turned against the Alliance.

"What they are not aware of is half of the crew are aligned with me," she continued. "And not just them. Roughly half of all members of the Alliance military secretly serve me, along with many members of the New Jedi Order, the political bureaucracy, the governors... I am pleased to report, my Lord, that half of the Alliance serves the Sith and they are finally prepared for the endgame we have been working so long towards."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"It is not often that I am able to lay my eyes upon your face, unmasked."

The need for secrecy had been paramount over the years, Taeli's position deep within the Galactic Alliance could not afford to be compromised. But now, at last, the era of secrecy was quickly coming to a close as Master Raaf reported on her activities. "So, the time has finally come. For many years we have plotted, we have waited patiently. Now, at last, we will unleash the fire that will burn the Alliance to cinders, shattering their stranglehold on the galaxy forever."

It had long since been a dream of the Emperor, to see the Alliance finally humbled and made to kowtow to the might of the Dark Side of the Force. The Great Galactic War had allowed the Sith Empire to deliver its own series of hammer blows to the ailing Alliance, but they had never been in a position advantageous enough to deliver the final strike.

Now they were, with Taeli's agents infiltrating practically half of the Alliance military and other governmental institutions.

"This is most excellent news, my darling. You have served faithfully for many years, and your loyalty will be rewarded tenfold once Coruscant burns."

[member="Taeli Raaf"]​

 

[Vaylin]

Location: Bastion - Leaving the Starport

Vaylin let out an exhausted sigh, slowly dragging her feet down the ramp of her shuttle. She had just gotten back from inspecting the crew of the Crimson Valkyrie along with the entirety of the Vermillion Authority too. Although fortunately for her most of the latter's Star Destroyers consisted of simply meeting the crew and speaking with them. Vaylin was a person of action, not speaking. It had taken hours for her to be happy with the little 'speech' she had prepared, every over moment spent wondering why she had to even do this.

To build morale. Connect with the crew, rather than being absent Commander when the ships weren't away from Bastion on one mission or another.

She was even meant to wear a uniform. A uniform.

The Zabrak had let out an amused snort, opting to leave all that prim and proper stuff to the actual Admirals within the Sith Empire. Her armour was as good as any fancy uniform, and was Vaylin's choice of outfit when addressing the crews.

Although now all she wanted to do, was kick off her boots and rest her legs. But the Zabrak was oddly stressed, and she needed to unwind.

What better way to do that, than with a drink or two.

Or three...

[member="Heca Foliou"]​

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

"Thank you, my Lord," she said, bowing towards the Emperor yet again. It would be a relief, such a relief, to finally wash away the facade she had been playing for so long. There was only so long one could pretend to be something they were not before they felt like needing a good, long refreshing soak to wash away that which they despised. If it wasn't for the Jedi, her family would still be in one piece. If it wasn't for the Jedi, she might still have Corvus and Melori.

To know it was coming to an end, to know she would finally be rewarded for all her services... it brought a satisfying smile to her face.

"When the signal is given, my agents will launch the... coup is a good term I suppose," she said. "Defenses will be disrupted around the Alliance, making it the ideal time for you, my Lord, to launch the devastating assaults at the Alliance's core. Coruscant... and Fondor will finally be vulnerable."

Those two worlds would be absolutely devastating for the Alliance to be attacked, especially with half of their people betraying them and causing chaos. They would crack and break, and whatever fragments that might survive would be hunted down. She suspected some could be suborned, or would flee to other factions in the galaxy. By then, though, it would be far too late. The Alliance was the major galactic power to venerate the light, and with their destruction, the remainder would be nothing more than embers dying a slow death.

 

[Heca Foliou]

Truth be told she had never left Maene not once i her life. She found a comfort zone that she was content with. Wealthy and didn't lack of anything, though that comfort zone was then popped and invaded with the death of her parents which led to her new style of life. From being a bright, positive woman she became dark and grim. She had taken interests and activity of things that were against the norm of how her parents raised her to be. Wanted to make her like everyone else. Normal and comply with everything.

Not anymore.​

When [member="Matsu Xiangu"] took her as her apprentice she grew more and more into her newfound personality. Of course, much more tamed as to avoid killing anyone at random as she wouldn't progress with her studies and learning in the arts of the Darkside of the Force and the Sith. Heca had much to learn, but she had time. Now that she was...a bit sane she could study at ease without having to think spilling blood constantly. Unlike Matsu, Matsu was wise and always in control of herself. One would think the Sith only enjoyed to unleash havoc everyday of the week, but that wasn't always the case. The Xiangu was intelligent, efficient, and patient. Tiny she was with the Foliou beating her by two mere inches, yet she was inferior when compared to her master.

As she studied, her master did suggest to her of learning other things besides notes on how to wield and manipulate the Force. And so Heca listened to the words of Matsu and here she was in the capital of the Sith Empire. What would she find on Bastion? She didn't know, but she kept to herself and was rather introverted while observing others in the spaceport that she was now departing from.

There was a Zabrak nearby walking by the same path Heca was on as they both came from the spaceport, but didn't make contact. However, [member="Vaylin"] would pick up a mixed pot of emotions within Heca. Curiosity, anger, a hint of bloodlust, and oh so many more ingredients. She wore elegant clothing with makeup that reflected on her personality. She glided without putting too much attention on her surroundings and frankly didn't care if she bumped into someone or not. The young lady was at lost with her own thoughts and imaginations while trying to remember what she read on the Force during her trip to Bastion.

[member="Vaylin"]​