To Meet and Emperor

[Tsair'ra'Nuruodo]

Nirauan existed in it’s own little bubble, almost entirely detached from the Galaxy. Of course, as time progressed it seemed the detachment was becoming less and less present: another group was coming to meet with the still fledgling Empire of the Hand. The Sith Empire.​

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[SIZE=11pt]Tsair had known of the Empire for some time now, the Phalanx Commandos kept a very close eye on it’s impressively potent expansion. It was close, to an extent, though laid quite far away in all truth. But close enough for Tsair to be more than open to actually negotiating with the lot. Though...it seemed he was always open to talking to the mighty factions of the Galaxy to further his cause.[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=11pt]The space above Nirauan buzzed with some extent of activity, trying to make sure things looked right a proper. The single defense platform, “pitiful” in the grand scheme of things, hovered at the hyperspace lane’s exit to show the mightiest device the Empire of the Hand could muster.[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=11pt]Such was the buzz, not like they were entirely sure how to greet an Emperor proper. Didn’t have those on Nirauan.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt][member="Darth Carnifex"][/SIZE]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Nirauan

Coordinates had been received and clearance codes had been transferred, now the shuttle of the Sith Emperor descended through the clouds and across the vast reddish canyons and hills that dotted Nirauan's landscape. His shuttle cast a stark contrast with the rest of the planet, dark hull and sleek sharp angles against rugged and jagged red, a stream of white contrail marking its passage across the evening sky as the fortress in the distance loomed ever closer.

The Hand of Thrawn; named not only for its creator but also for the distinct arrangement of its five towers. They stretched up towards the sky, grasping for the heavens as if the digits of a Titan's hand buried beneath the stone.

Carnifex had never visited this world personally, but in years past he had dispatched scouts to investigate the fortress. He hadn't expected anyone to reclaim the structure in the name of Thrawn, but it appeared that his followers were alive and well even centuries after his death. It was them that the Emperor of the Sith was going to meet, face-to-face. His shuttle hovered over the landing pad attached to the structure's outer wall before coming down to land with a gust of wind and a hiss of hydraulic steam.

The boarding ramp descended and the Emperor emerged from the shuttle flanked by two of his Imperial Crownguard. He would advance on the fortress, intent on meeting with the leader of the Empire of the Hand.

[member="Tsair'ra'Nuruodo"]​

 

[Tsair'ra'Nuruodo]

Nirauan was a strange world, and only a blind man could not see how cobbled together the infrastructure of the planet actually seemed: it oozed ingenuity, to build something out of little more than ruins and the forgotten structures of old. In it's early days, the fleet of Tsair'ra'Nuruodo had come to Nirauan to established the nu-Empire of the Hand. Next to none of that fleet remained. That ingenuity came once the warships were scuttled, stripped down and used to forge Nirauan into a planet to be proud of.

Proud of in context, at least.

Even the Hand of Thrawn, ancient as ever, had felt this wave of new materials. Retrofitted and redesigned, it's all reaching spires did indeed seem to have a particular gleam to them. A handful of large capital ship grade Megamasers watched the skies. Not much other use for those old cannons, more ingenuity. Building defenses where there were none, and to think these people wanted to build "the bulwark against the Unknown Regions".

The Emperor's Shuttle was herded to one of the top landing pads, at the tip of one of the spires. Tsair's office for the more...diplomatic...missions the Empire of the Hand: a fine office, the nicest wine the old man who practically kept the entire planet from falling apart could muster, and hopefully kind words and banter. A handful of soldiers waited to greet the Emperor, not too unlike the Stormtroopers of old. Though instead of the old legions of white armored warriors, they were of erratic sizes depending on the speices and wore an armor of a fine light blue: not too unlike a Chiss's skin, amusingly enough.

"Follow us, we will take you to he Director's office."

"Director", that was one of the few titles that Tsair actually took: far from a man for long and breath stealing titles. And in one unified entity they soldiers turned on their heels and began to walk, making sure the esteemed guest wouldn't get lost along the way: or, go somewhere he wasn't supposed to of course. It was a silent trip, the Hand of Thrawn bustled with activity. Officers and the workers who kept the fortress running scuttled all around, even in these upper spires. Seemed the Chiss had no lack of manpower to keep his engine running fine. As time progressed, Tsair's office was reached. The Soldiers exiting to the flanks of the hallway it laid in, plain and not overly decorated: he was indefinitely no Emperor.

"The Director lays inside."

Alas, none of them had any good idea what to call their guest in terms of titles. Emperor would just never flow naturally from their mouths.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Emperor's body, muscular and proud, was swathed in rich robes of vermillion and obsidian silk. Beneath his flowing vestments was a cuirass of dark durasteel gilded with aurodium and engraved with ancient symbols and images considered holy to the ancient Pureblood Sith. A single lightsaber hung from his waist, the gentle clinking of metal on metal as he walked the only indication that he possessed such a weapon. Even if he were to give it up, he would still be a formidable foe capable of killing with the barest semblance of movement.

But he had not come to kill, he had come to talk of the future.

The doors to the Director's office opened, and the gargantuan Sith Lord entered with a duck of his head. His stature was ill-equipped for a room designed for average-sized beings, his head nearly scraping the ceiling as he came to stand in the middle of the room. He would not take a chair if offered either, as his muscular bulk would undoubtedly break it should he attempt to. Instead, he would stand as respectfully as he could and bare down on the Director with his baleful gaze.

"Greetings, Director. It pleases me that you could meet with me on such short notice, I understand that there is much to discuss between us."

[member="Tsair'ra'Nuruodo"]​

 

[Tsair'ra'Nuruodo]

It was a simple room, obviously it was an office. Holopads laid about, among other variety of bits showing his work...not discounting a half finished glass of brandy that had sat there for who even knows how long. The only major decoration was a banner that laid behind Tsair's chair: emblazoned with the symbol of the Empire of the Hand. Tsair was not a fan of being flashy, a rather humble man it seemed.

He greeted the Emperor with a smile though, and the Director's age showed when he did. Wrinkles in his face curling ever so slightly, so far from eternal. And whatever might he had, a stance as firm as stone, broad shoulders, and his deep voice was lost on the Emperor: despite this fact, he seem far from wary or concerned by the hulking beast of a man.

"I must apologize for our current situation, we are not quite used to having Emperors on Nirauan."

He let out a soft chuckle, reaching down with an ever so slight grunt he pulled out a bottle: some wine, the finer stuff, for those particularly esteemed guests: getting himself straight again he set the bottle down, always fine to discuss the mighty happenings of diplomacy under the influence of alcohol.

"Feel free to have a drink, if it so pleases you."

The old Chiss made a soft pause, finding two glasses: rather plain wine glasses, no fineness of gems or gold. A recurring theme with the Empire of the Hand it seemed. Of course, the man poured himself a small glass of the red liquid, keep the edge off these diplomatic talks: especially when the Sith could destroy them effortlessly if they so pleased.

"The Empire of the Hand is always open to a diplomatic talk, no matter the time. But you are indeed correct, there is much we can discuss: I've seen much of your Empire, and I must say I am grossly impressed in your rapid expansion. Quite the inspiration, if I may say. But I must see what you would want of the Hand before I give my proposal."

He tried to dance around with his words, Sith were a strange breed. And he had no interest in upsetting the Emperor.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

The Emperor waved his hand and the bottle of wine the Director had provided levitated and began to pour a measured shot into the empty glass. Then it set itself back down on the table as the now full glass shot from the table and into the Emperor's hand without so much as spilling a drop.

"Your flattery is appreciated, Director. Restoring the Sith Empire and bringing order to the galaxy has been a long vision of mine, one that I have engrained into the Sith that follow my example. Gone are the ancient ways of petty backstabbing and treason, replaced by efficiency, loyalty, and progress. Without the fear of treachery, my Empire has expanded without fear or hesitation."

He took a sip of the drink, savoring its flavor over his tongue before swallowing and continuing on with his point.

"But there are those that do not share my vision, Director. Beyond the typical adversaries of order like the Jedi and the Republic, of course. I am speaking of other Sith, rogue Sith who have denied the truth of Brotherhood and instead have elected the way of heresy. Even now they congregate near your people's ancestral heartland in the Unknown Regions, growing stronger with every rotation as they coerce and trick the weak-minded into their service."

Carnifex then downed the entire drink, a contented sigh escaping his lips as he levitated the glass to sit back on the Director's table.

"They are rabid beasts, Director. They will do harm to your people and eventually your Empire if not put down, I would ask for a diplomatic and military alliance between your Empire and mine to combat this heresy before it spreads like wildfire. In doing so, my Empire will freely trade with your own and share the bounties of our wealth, alongside other concessions such as aiding in the pacification of the Unknown Region's threats."

A captivating smile, "That is what I ask of your people, Director. What would you ask of mine?"

[member="Tsair'ra'Nuruodo"]​

 

[Tsair'ra'Nuruodo]

[SIZE=11pt]“I cannot say we have such mighty dreams, a gate of sorts. Little else, quarrel the Unknown Regions to prevent any of the particularly nasty types setting their sites on carnage within the wider Galaxy.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Tsair took a slow sip, this off planet booze was a rare thing: not exactly the easiest planet in the world to get to, and most trade was small and rare. In current times at least...and that current lack of activity would eventually be what he proposed to the Emperor, but he’d much rather make some attempt at buttering the beast of a man up beforehand.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Some would call us heretics, in the now defunct Ascendancy. May their souls rest easy. But, titles do not befit me much Emperor: you may just call me Tsair if it so pleases you. I know of the people you speak of, I have been wary on the threat they may pose to my goal.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The old Chiss man paused, trying to articulate mentally how he would propose what he planned for having access to such a large Empire:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“As you may have noticed, Nirauan is rather barren of activity. More so than usual at least, one of our few trading partners: the world JanFathal. As you could expect, we like to keep close eyes on our neighbors. The world is silent. Exposition aside, we would greatly appreciate a joint operation between the Hand and your Empire to see if JanFathal has fallen to those said particularly unpleasant nasty types.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]He took a small breath, a wordy man indeed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“And if such things go well, I feel an embassy within the Sith Empire could be beneficial to both of us: there are many forces within the Unknown Regions that the meager forces of the Hand cannot hope to fight.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]With his desires laid bare, Tsair took his sweet time considering going to war. It was indeed a strange predicament, War was not what the Hand had planned to dive into. But, sacrifices must be made for the grand goal.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Whatever forces we can spare will be sent to assist in the removal of these heretics. My flagship has laid dormant for too long.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]It was the way of the Galaxy: they were never going to stay at peace for long.[/SIZE]

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

"I will dispatch a portion of my forces to aid you in ascertaining the fate of JanFathal, and eliminating any hostiles you may encounter."

No doubt that if the denizens of JanFathal had come under attack, the Legionnaires of the Sith Empire would make quick work of them. Battle-hardened from over a dozen campaigns from the Tingel Arm to the Core, the Emperor's vast legions were well-prepared to meet any challenge head-on.

"Then once the threat has ended, we will work to accommodate whatever dignitaries you wish to place in my capital. I will likewise strive to do the same for this world or any world you deem worthy, Tsair." He'd gone from using the man's title to using an abbreviated version of his Chiss name, as the man had requested of him. However, he did not extend the same courtesy to Tsair, still desiring to be called by his true and proper title.

The one he'd won many wars for.

"And the time to fight these heretics will be upon us soon, my friend. Marshal your forces for when the clarion rings across the stars, for battle will be joined soon after."

[member="Tsair'ra'Nuruodo"]​

 

[Tsair'ra'Nuruodo]

"Your generosity is greatly appreciated, Emperor. I can only hope there is still something to save on JanFathol."

While painfully cynical Tsair had dueled with many of those unsavory figures. They knew no mercy, they knew nothing but cruelty and ruthlessness: gladly would the scum the Empire of the Hand had devoted themselves to fighting destroy a world of all life to fulfill their own selfish goals. Meaningless threats to the grand and all encompassing might of the Sith Empire, but to the still rather pitiful Empire of the Hand they were a menace that laid over them, indefinitely capable of tearing down all they had built.

And that, could never be allowed.

"We shall muster what we can spare. I thank you for your time."

In truth, Tsair was worried in this dive headfirst into the Galactic Affairs of war so early. Their ships and soldiers were few, their position was distant and obscure: to gain enemies so early was indeed a dangerous line to dance on, but: to gain allies, and to further the great goal of the Hand. Blood would need to be shed.

[member="Darth Carnifex"]

 

[Tsair'ra'Nuruodo]

Mighty double post of doom