"That belongs in a museum!" (By request only)

[Warmaster Nyâsh]

"You will not lecture me about justice, sire. I am not some mindless neophyte to be directed into a class room." Ecthelion spoke up firmly and kept iron determination in his words. It wasn´t pride which was moving him, but the idea to be looked up by someone claiming to take up a cause which he served more, longer and better than any individual in this room, on this ship or even in this sector could imagine. The deep roots of loyalty, of duty towards the great Benevolent Emperor and His Eternal Throne joined with his own ambition to further these goals, his experiences and skills and resulted in his current stance of confrontation in this conversation.

"I will not kneel to you." He pauses and fixes his eyes on the man he is talking to. "There is no power in this room, system or galaxy which could make me kneel to anyone anymore. There is no oath I will ever take again, nor an allegiance but the one I have sworn already. My service, my duty and my life were and are dedicated to the Eternal Throne and its most Benevolent Eternal Emperor of Zakuul, even in death."

The Zakuulan made a few steps, swiftly approaching the self-proclaimed Eternal Emperor. "That is my answer to your question. Do you accept it?" Giving it another short pause before continuining, he reached out with his hand. "Take it and we will join arms, I will fight with you and I will obey your ruling for as long as you keep following the path which you claim to follow."

@Darth Tactitus​

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

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Attn: [member="Ecthelion Aiglos"]​

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• CNS Invictus
  Special Database Coordinates XM3-A817Z94-M9A378

Tacitus nodded once again, carefully weighing the Zakuulan's response. "We fight for the same thing, Exarch Aiglos," the Sith Lord spoke, grasping the man's extended arm in a tight grip, mindful of the sharp talons at the ends of his fingers. "The same cause and the same banner."

"I will not stray from the path that Emperor Valkorion has laid out for the galaxy," he said, his tone firm. "That is my oath to you, a ruler's pledge to those who follow him. I expect you to hold me to it."

"And if your loyalty to the Eternal Throne is real, then no further pledges are required, except your word that you will keep faith with the Eternal Empire and its Wardens," Tacitus said. "I am placing a great deal of trust in you, because I think someone with your experience is invaluable to our cause. Moreover, I am entrusting you with secrets handed down to us from Emperor Valkorion, himself. Secrets that drove his actions, much like they drive mine."

He tightened his grip on the man's arm, his tone solemn as he said what followed. "These words have been spoken from the beginning and will be spoken until the end. Uphold the principles of our Order and all that for which we stand. Never share our secrets, or divulge the true nature of our work. Do so until death, whatever the cost. Welcome, brother, to the Wardens of the Shroud."

"It is time for you to learn the truth, the secret that us Wardens keep," the Emperor spoke as he released the man's arm. "Emperor Valkorion was murdered by the cowardly Outlander, but the Outlander was a tool. Before the Emperor of Zakuul, there was one known as Darth Traya, who attempted the same thing he sought. She, too, died at the hands of a tool, one known as the Exile."

"The Great Enemy which pulls the strings of all these puppets, of the mindless Jedi and animalistic Sith, is not a man, but a thing beyond mortal comprehension. It is the Will of the Force itself. It is the mind behind the chaos and corruption, the stagnation and injustice which hold this galaxy in an iron, suffocating grip."

"It empowers the weak at the expense of the strong. It encourages mindlessness, hedonism and the selfish pursuits of base impulse. It manipulates people, events, for its own ends and feeds off the chaos and devastation that this causes."

"Most can not see this, but Emperor Valkorion was no mere mortal. Neither was Darth Traya. Neither am I and now, neither are you," he said, in a matter-of-fact way that was cold and calculated, yet firm. "For order to take control of the galaxy, the Force must be shackled to the control of those who can be entrusted with the responsibility. Its Will must be broken, killed and cast aside. Only then, will the galaxy have true order, true justice. Only then will Emperor Valkorion be avenged, his sacrifices vindicated."

"This is what we face. This is why we must tread carefully on the path ahead. For it is a difficult path, its challenges many. That is why the Wardens of the Shroud exist, to preserve Emperor Valkorion's teachings in secret, to carry on his work away from the prying eyes of the Great Enemy's innumerable tools that would destroy us and plunge this galaxy into damnation, forever."

"I see now that you have chosen to uphold these teachings as well. This brings us to what your duties in service to this nation, will be," Tacitus said. "The Eternal Empire is currently without a High Justice, as one could not be found to whom I would entrust such a position, until now. Will you accept this station and the responsibility it carries?"

 

[Warmaster Nyâsh]

Ecthelion Aiglos applies an equal firm to the man´s arm once he grabbed it. Looking into the eyes of the person he would serve now. Serve with now? The old Exarch was comfortable with either at this point. By, for his measures, testing this leaders ability to decide and control, he could acknowledge him as superior for as long as the service was directed to the goal of justice for the Galaxy.

The Zakuulan listened with care to the explanation of the 'Great Enemy'. The Will of the Force. Aiglos was an enforcer of will, of rule, of law and of control. His means of justice. He did never had much insight in the Force or was eager about the deeper knowledge and the higher secrets. But he could see the sense behind the words, it is an aspect which may be true and a deed which could be accomplished.

But Aiglos would - could be only a minor figure in the path towards that mystical and immaterial target. "I accept your offer and the duties which go hand in hand with it. Your trust honours me and I will not prove it wrong as much as I will watch that nobody wrongs the ideals we just declared."

He continues to speak with calm and clear voice. "My strengths reside in the enforcement of law and order by all means necessary. Military and political leadership is united in the rank of High Justice and I promise to perform better in this role than my predecessor."

"Now my strengths do not lie with the shadow games, with secrets and with mysteries or theological research. I see the purpose of the Wardens and I strengthen it with as much as I can, yet I ask to be tasked rather as a supporter role on that elementary and ultimate goal."

Releasing the grip while making a step back and giving the Emperor a slight, but meanfully calm nod in respect and acknowledgement of the rulership now accepted. "The matter at hand. Hidden on the moon is a part of the Eternal Fleet, an entire ship. A Zakuulan flagship."

With a slight impression of happiness and eagerness in his synthetical eyes he adds. "My ship."

[member="Darth Tacitus"]​

 

[Kainan Wolfe]

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Attn: [member="Ecthelion Aiglos"]​

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• CNS Invictus
  Special Database Coordinates XM3-A817Z94-M9A378

The Eternal Emperor listened to the man's response and nodded, once. His terms and conditions were reasonable, so he saw no reason to object to any of them. "Then your duties to the Wardens will not include any of the things you requested to be excluded," he said. "One of the things us Wardens do, is collect and preserve the ancient lore of the original Eternal Empire and work to restore Emperor Valkorion's legacy. The duty which I would assign to you as a Warden, will be to counsel and educate, to safeguard and preserve the memory of the greatest ruler who ever lived. Would that be acceptable for you?"

Then the new High Justice revealed the secret of the moon and Tacitus fell silent. A Zakuulan flagship. This... was beyond anything he had hoped to find. It would be the beginning of everything else, the foundation upon which the Eternal Fleet rose again. The Emperor nodded, slowly, as he considered the implications, eyes staring out into the void beyond the viewport.

The technology of Zakuul, which they had sought throughout the galaxy, was finally within their grasp. Star Fortresses, Skytroopers, all of Valkorion's mighty weapons at the disposal of those who wished to restore his legacy. This changed everything. This was where everything would begin.

Ambition flashed in his eyes as he spoke, slowly, with measured words of prophecy as he gazed out at the stars. "Thus, the Age of Chaos comes to an end... In its place, let Eternal Justice reign."

 

[Warmaster Nyâsh]

Ecthelion folds his hands behind his back. "Indeed it would, sire."

The Zakuulan saw the facial expression on the eyes of the overlord. Aiglos silently agrees with the proclamation of the sovereign. Once again words. He was looking forward to seeing words being fulfilled and proved to result in actions. Afterall he didn´t know this man and Empire well yet.

"I was maintaining and repairing the ship for the past centuries to get it operational again. It is a huge project which never seems to end. Or rather was. My first interest and request is to locate funds and resources to recover the Dies Iustitiae. I will overwatch the project personally until it is done. In the meantime of the reclamation, I suggest sending technicians and engineers on board, next to the workers, to learn as much as possible about it´s internal workings. There are plenty of sources of technology which can be used for further developments."

Pausing a moment. "The computers are still working as well, though locked by myself with gene-signature. There are sensitive information saved which will explain itself when the time has come to reveal them."

[member="Darth Tacitus"]​