KINGDOM COME

"We must be together, always."

Former Dark Lord of the Sith

The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces walked quietly to the forward position on the bridge of the RSD Galactus flanked by two Sith Knights. Or supposed Sith Knights. Even after all these years, he had trouble with the differing hierarchies of various Sith cults.

If you met one Sith, you've met them all... or so the saying went.

The Supreme Commander's wrists were bound by some sort of strange manacle that was held together by the will of the arresting party.

It was an ironic situation. Arrested on one's own bridge. He saw his crew carry out their individual duties and assignments nervously eyeing the Sith as such duties took them near.

"Our Lord has detected a tremor in the Force. He has felt that you wish to do him harm."

"How would one such as I harm a Dark Lord of the Sith?" Kaine asked perplexed. "Could such a thing happen?"

One Sith, one with green markings all over his face chuckled in a menacing manner. "Only in your dreams. But just because you cannot accomplish it does not mean you do not wish it!"

"It is punishment for these, your dreams, that my Master wishes your presence."

"And if I do not wish to go?" the Supreme Commander asked under an intense curiosity.

"Then you can die right here and now!" the other Sith retorted, with strange tatoos marking his face in a crimson splash.

Kaine learned that another saying regarding the Sith was correct as well, there was no reasoning with them!

"Helm," he called out, his voice strangely quiet.


"Sir?"


"I will be entering my command code unlocking a destination that is not in active memory. Once you have the coordinates, direct the Galactus on a parabolic course outside the Galactic Plane for reentry at the ultimate destination."


"Sir, the ultimate destination?"


Kaine felt his skin go colder despite the black leathery uniform.


"Ziost."

"Our love will bloom once more into the rose it once was."

Former Dark Lord of the Sith

The Previous Week...


"Fucking Sith.." grumbled the Praetor stepping up to the window behind Simon Kaine.

"Still thinking of Rodia, Theren?" Kaine asked watching the procession as Telan Desaria's fleet received the Honours of the Fleet for it's triumphant return after securing the Onyxian Occupation Zone.

Bhindi Drayson was notoriously absent but Kaine knew she was directing the negotiations with the Confederation fraction of the Coalition. She would either come back with something resembling an agreement and an embassy or she would come back with their Kashan heads. Also absent was the Ebony Vigilance but that did not stop the rest of the Empire from enjoying the presence of the Empire's Poster Child for Medals.

Of course, next week was Park Kraken's Triumph from the Cren Alliance Corridor. In one swift motion, the Empire had shattered the once proud Galactic Coalition to a mere gathering of local alien tribes.

Now, instead of one big leviathan, four or five smaller independent systems squeaked under the boots of the ever expanding Empire.

The audacious plans set forth from a recent joint meeting by Governor Kraken, Grand Admiral Desaria and Major-General Wes Vos pleased the Supreme Commander. It was a hearty surprise to see such great men of the Empire suddenly taking an active part in carving out their niche within the New Order and he knew these were the men that would carry Imperial Center into the next generation.

But not all news was necessarily good news.

Deep inside, Kaine felt the ever increasing presence of a higher game being played. An age old game with only two players and everything and everyone else mere pawns.

Creatures who toyed with fleets and lives as if they were mere fodder for their religious animosity.

Kaine had struck surprisingly against the Force Users pitting them against each other on Naboo during Endgame. By keeping them off balance and at each other's throat, he was able to complete his plans and consolidate the Empire.

Before any action could be mobilized by either Sith or Jedi, Wrath had struck scattering their organizations farther to the galactic winds.

In the vacuum, Kaine hastily worked to complete the Corps Project and institute the Jedi Corps within COMPNOR before the foothold of the force users could begin in earnest. And with impeccable timing, for Emperor Hyfe had succumbed to an ancient Sith spirit of Palpatine. If not for the Corps, Kaine would have died and who knew what condition the Empire would have remained in as a result.

Just as the Sith problem was contained for the moment, the Jedi had broken their ossification on Naboo and finally were marshalling their support towards the Galactic Coalition. Not much of a surprise there as they felt they were the natural inheritors of the Republic ideology.

But before their strength could be gathered in full force Kaine, through diplomatic warfare, had not only blunted Coalition advancement with the creation of the League of Nations but had used the tragedy on Glee Anselm as a lightning rod to focus galactic anger at the last ill-timed and ill-conceived action of a unified Coalition.

Without the moral highground that they usually enjoyed and without the ability to fight a war on two fronts between the Dragons and the threat of an Imperial invasion, the Coalition shattered apart thus scattering the old Jedi Order... hopefully once and for all.

But as soon as one problem gets trampled underfoot, another one springs forth.

Theren Gevel had been working with the Bastion Conclave on Rodia and the news was not welcome.

Trying to establish operating procedures and backup infrastructure for Apocalypse Protocols was hard enough on Imperial worlds but to enact them on Sith controlled planets was next to impossible. If the protocols had not been in place right after Wrath, Corellia would have been impossible under Lupercus Darksword. As it was, the Bastion Conclave had no presence on Xa Fel and now Rodia was slipping.

This was due to one fact: Sith paranoia. Anything outside their purview was instantly suspicious and, unfortunately, acted upon.

Kaine felt a headache coming on.

Currently there were three Grand Masters of the Sith in play within the Empire. Emperor Hyfe, Grand Master Vance Jas and Grand Master Lupercus Darksword.

Emperor Hyfe was self contained within the heart of the palace and to a large part could be buffered from causing too much havoc in the galaxy at large.

Grand Master Vance Jas existed in a sort of self imposed exile on Xa Fel, only coming out at times to flex Sith muscle here and there but ultimately contained. Under the Empire's patrols, his ambitions were watched.

Grand Master Lupercus Darksword was Governor of Corellia making him subject to Imperial Law (of sorts). At such rank, hedonistic pleasures could be experienced without too much attention. Without the base of fellow Sith brothers to draw upon from Xa Fel, his options for ambition were limited.

And with all three maneuvering against each other behind the scenes for that small scrap of advantage, it was equally hard for any one to come out ahead.

With three separate and distinct powers, Kaine could see that one could always be played off the other.

But now there was a fourth player.

Theren Gevel had said it, once:


“We cannot afford ourselves the luxury of forgetting history. History never changes; the past is not fluid, it’s stone. So we can forget about it, and close our eyes and wish it had never happened, but eventually, it will come back to haunt us.”


All this time, Kaine had refrained from directly entering this age-old struggle of titans but he no longer saw an option. If this forth player became active, the balance would be upset and not even the Empire would be able to contain the bloody conflict that would ensue.

"Stronger than me?"

Former Dark Lord of the Sith

"You sure spent along time in the AI Interface." Gordon Sveli remarked as the Supreme Commander finally made his way back to the bridge. Coruscant was falling behind the Galactus as it made it's way to the hyperspacial jump point.

"Everything ok?"

Kaine shrugged sheepishly. "Just had some extra questions for the Technical Staff. I find that I am always trying to get out of touring the technical areas of the ship but when I think about it, their contribution is just as good as our Weapons Officers or Fighter Corps."

"You want to thank someone, thank the Damage Control Teams." Sveli remarked. "They get to make our mistakes look good."

Kaine chuckled despite himself, as if releasing some tension. "You have a point there, Gordon. I never.."

Simon's voice trailed off as he saw two robed figures come onto the bridge. Without Spartan or Stormtrooper escorts. An almost unheard of thing in the Imperial fleet.

"Where the hell is Security?" Gordon began to remark, voicing Simon's thoughts, at the lack of escorts but before anyone could respond, the two intruders ignited hidden lightsabers and pointed them towards Kaine.

"Supreme Commander Kaine. You are under arrest." the man with green face-paint spoke the rank with contempt. The situation seemed so surreal that the words did not seem to register at first. The relative ease with which these people came aboard and strolled onto the bridge left the Supreme Commander's mind reeling. Or so the two intruders suspected as their grins matched and spoke of an intent that the Imperials would not like.

"Under whose authority?" Simon asked, his voice hardened and quiet. Perhaps playing for time for the security to react to the hidden silent alarms that surely must be blaring elsewhere.

"The authority of our Lord and Master. An authority you sought to silence!" the man hissed.

His partner's grin grew as he suspected Simon's thoughts, "Do not seek your security. We are projecting an aura that is keeping them away."

"Are you Jedi?" Simon asked, standing his ground, curiosity developing.

The man with tatooed script on his face spit onto the polished bridge floor. "Do not insult us by uttering that word." he ordered. "I may just lose my temper and slaughter everyone here."

"If you do so, the computer will lock down the bridge and space everyone." Kaine remarked leaving the tattooed one to wonder at the truthfulness of the remark but unwilling to test it. Yet.

"My Master is amused that you would attempt to outsmart a living God. Perhaps if you grovel before him, he will let you keep your life." Green face taunted.

"I doubt it," tattoo-head answered. "His wife is a vengeful woman and a powerful Master in her own right. She will not tolerate your scheming."

Green-Face switched off his saber sensing the fear of the other bridge crew. Taking some manacles, he tossed them to the Supreme Commander. "Put these on, prisoner."

Kaine's brows furrowed but he silently complied.

"You think you are a high Imperial bigshot." Tattoo Man scoffed. "But the two of us rendered you and your entire ship helpless.."

"You have not yet left the ship alive," Kaine reminded and the Sith Knights scowled.

"It will be nice to see my Master break you! You've been victorious much too often and have an overbloated sense of self."

"You are reading my mind.." Kaine murmured but the intruders were too busy with issuing their orders to the bridge at large. "We will need to go to this system! Immediately. If you comply, we shall let you all live!"

When noone moved, the men started to growl.

"They will not obey without orders from their superior," Kaine explained. "They have been well trained."

"Then make them comply or we shall show them the error of their ways."

The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces walked quietly to the forward position...

"The sacred planet Ziost, home of our ancestors and once seat of the great Sith Empire, will not die.
It will remain constant as time itself."

Former Dark Lord of the Sith

"For a Supreme Commander, you are very apt at obeying orders.." one of the intruders commented. Kaine wasn't looking and so did not know which but really did not care.

"Following orders is the backbone of the Empire. But that is something you Sith soon grow tired of."

"Because our kind issues the orders. We are the obeyed, not the followers. It is what makes us strong."

"Strong?" Kaine turned around this time. "Name me one Sith Empire that has lasted?"

Green-Face grinned an evil grin and responded, "The Galactic Empire."

Kaine felt a pain in his side. The cursed green-painted bastard had a point.

"We are here." the tattooed man unnecessarily observed as they could all see the orb of Ziost growing larger the closer the Imperial Battleship came to the forgotten world.

"I must say, Kaine. I am surprised you did not try one of your tricks against us. I am disappointed." the Green-Face then added, "But then again, it's also been said you are intelligent."

"Picking a fight with the Dark Lord is not what I call smart.." the tattooed one spoke up to which the other bowed. "Well said, brother."

"Come, prisoner. Let us depart."

Kaine stopped short. "Don't you have to contact your Master to let him know we are here?"

Green Face barked out a laugh. "By the time we enter the atmosphere, he'll know. Come!"


The two intruders and Kaine walked off the bridge and as the doors shut, Sveli was already trying to put in a call to security.

"Sir!" came a voice in the Scanning Pit. "We appear to be throwing active scans towards the planet!"

"On purpose?" Sveli asked moving quickly to the Officer.

"No, Sir. It seems the Galactus is automatically scanning, but for what.."

"Sir!" Another Officer grabbed Sveli's attention. "Life signs, technology, structures... they are automatically being categorized!"

"How large is the list?" Sveli asked.

"Not large. It seems there is alot of abandoned structures, old craft and native growth seems to be consuming just about everything. There are other structures that seem newer and these are being categorized with a priority flag?"

"Flag? For what?"



*


"Are we going to the Hanger?" Kaine asked.

"Of course. We will take what we want."

As the three men moved down one corridor after another, Kaine saw that there was no one in sight, as if this part of the vessel had been deserted.

"Quite a trick, you people have. Keeping my people away.." he commented and the Sith grunted.

In truth, they were confused by the absence of people as much as Kaine showed.

They came up to a blastdoor that was closed before them. Tattoo-Face gestured to the panel. "Open it."

Kaine's anxiety level increased and the intruders felt it. It was a sort of fear but there was also resolve. The intruders might have called Kaine on it if they had not been confused with their premonitions. There was the overall aura of danger but nothing specific and as the blastdoors opened, their danger sense eased.

The three of them walked past the blastdoor threshold and entered an area of sudden, unexpected intruder firepower rendering all of them unconscious. The intruders were quick and lasted a few more steps than Kaine who surrendered to the unconsciousness that had enveloped him. The intruder AI program was just too quick and was ready.


*


"That was foolish, Kaine." Gorder Sveli chided as the Supreme Commander awakened in the Medical Deck with a massive headache.

"The bastards are always trying to save their own skins," Kaine grimaced as he sat up. "They didn't expect that I would shoot myself."

"You knew this Dark Lord would send people to you..."

Kaine's grimace lightened a little, "Everything about this 'Dark Lord' spoke of recognizing nothing else but his own ego. He would be direct and he certainly was. I simply had the techs lock Ziost out of the computer and keep certain decks clear. Once we unlocked it, the AI went about a preset program of scanning the planet and activating Intruder Control Systems. They were to lock onto my location and render myself and anyone near me unconscious."

"If you'd been killed?"

"Then the program would have simply run it's course."

"Which is? We've pretty much kept a high orbit over the planet while the Galactus completed it's scans. What is the plan?"

"Help me up, Gordon. I'll show you."


*


Sveli helped Kaine hobble ont the Bridge and Ziost was a wide orb shining out from the forward viewports.

"Computer? Status of Ziost Protocol?"


"100% SCAN COMPLETE. AWAITING FINAL ORDER. IN ABSENCE OF VERBAL CONFIRMATION, AFTER 0400, FINAL ORDER WILL BE CARRIED OUT."

"Galactus." Kaine said through gritted teeth.

"Execute."


"COMPLIANCE"



And the collected weaponry of the RSD Galactus began to rain down it's fire from the heavens boiling the waters of Ziost, firing it's forest and buring all vestages of civilization found on the planet, including... any inhabitants.


The fourth player was removed.

The metal plate lay at the center of the table.


"What is it?"


"Ultrachrome. The fuckers plated their fucking ships and stormtroopers with the stuff."


Kaine frowned. "Seems excessive. They must spend a fortune mining and working the metal."

"Estimates say mining it accounts for more than half their economy. Especially given the composition and state of their fleet."

Kaine's eyes narrowed, "And these are the people that betrayed..?"

"The same fuckers. They dig up a thousand year old armor hoping it'd protect them."

"If memory serves, this protects from blaster fire?"

"It's conductive so I wouldn't necessarily say it protects. If there's no where for the energy to go, it will, at the very least, fry your testicles and make you infertile."

"Well, fortunately, we throw something a bit better than blasters."

"There is more to go over.."

Kaine waved his hand. "No need." This is best left to our various technological departments. "All this shows to me is the very unnatural fear these people convey."

"Fear of what?"

"Fear of losing. From these reports, it seems losing is a somewhat closed option to them. What that tells us is that when it does happen, they will be paralyzed. They will be so incredulous with the very impossibility of their.. infallibility they will fall apart and die."

"The fuckers betrayed their own people. They didn't want to get their hands dirty and they would rather have slit the throat of the hand that fed them than even entertain the possibility of losing..something. I like these fuckers already."

Kaine smiled, "It was rather draconian of them. But put them out of your mind. When Drayson returns, we will see what we have with these people. In the meantime, there is something more pressing that concerns me and it is something here in the heart of the Empire."

After a moment passed, he resumed.


"The Sith."


"We absorbed the Naboo Sith Order because we faced a strong, consolidated
Jedi presence in the New Republic. We needed force users on our side to combat their natural advantages. But now we find the enemy vanquished. Gone is the Age of Luke Skywalker. Gone is the Age of Gash Jiren, Xylon Hexyra and Leia Organa. The Jedi temple is disbanded and the flame that the Jedi would have rallied behind has been snuffed out by the betrayal of the Kashan. People, we've won the war."


"So now, in relative peace we find ourselves with four distinct groups of our own 'super soldiers' and no enemy to fight.

The Jedi Corps is a stopgap but they are nowhere near strong enough individually or organizationally to combat four groups. One.. maybe. But four?"

"Well fuck, let's give them a fleet! Load all of the fuckers aboard and send them to the Dragon Imperium. Shit, have them pass through Kashan Space before they go. Take care of all our problems in one swoop."

"And when they come back?" Kaine asked. "I have no doubt that these Sith have the power to cut a path of destruction through the Confederation and through the Imperium alien technology or reliance on ancient armor notwithstanding. But the truth is, they could do the same thing to us. Perhaps our larger resource base, weapons, materials and the like give us the mass to simply overwhelm them but if they consider you a threat, are ready for you there is very little we could do."

"But a Jedi or Sith can die from simple blaster shots!"

"This Force of theirs is limited by the vehicle. Even though these people are given extraordinary strength, they are still kept in check by the limitations of their physical bodies. Now we've gone through great strides is developing anti-force soldiers.. Bhindi Drayson's work has been invaluable in this respect but sooner or later the question is going to be asked, who are these soldiers designed for when we have no Jedi to fight?"

"Our Emperor is a Force User."

Silence ran across the table as people contemplated this.

"Are we talking Rebellion?" someone asked harshly. "I did not tread the bones of rebels only to become one!"

"No." Kaine said quietly. "Our intent is not against the person of Daemon Hyfe, against the person of Vance Jas or Lupercus Darksword. Our intent is against that which would have them fooled into thinking they are in control. Our intent is against that which would eventually exert it's own control over these people in high offices. That which would tear our Empire that we've fought so hard for apart."

The Supreme Commander sighed. "You see, in the Dragon Imperium, you have machines working toward an eventual goal. They've created their machine God who purposes for his kingdom to come.

The Jedi train to listen to the voices of this Force. Whether this Force repressents some divine intelligence or the desires of the microscopic midichlorians we do not know. All we know is they fight for some goal. They've been promised a righteous kingdom to come.

The Sith try to control this divine intelligence or try to control the power channeled through these midichlorians. They fight for some goal and we know, in the end, each Sith expects his kingdom to come.

And then there is the Empire. Like the Coalition, we are merely pawns here. Perhaps even the machines falling under one guise of Light or Dark as seen by either Jedi or Sith.

We are in the middle of this war and it is up to us to figure out how we will go down."


"Fucking Religionists."

"That is why I am not concerned about Ultrachrome or Dragons. We should be wary and we should look to our own advantage and yes, if push comes to shove, we should destroy them completely. But what I will not do is lose sight of the big picture.

I wonder if they keep us distracted with fighting among themselves as we think we keep them distracted fighting among themselves.

Who is manipulating whom?"


Zell snorted. "So what's the grand plan, Kaine?"

Everyone turned to the old man and he sat back, "I assume you've thought of a plan?" he rasped out.

Simon Kaine gave a shadow of a smile. "Am I that transparent?"

"I just don't want to see that you've opened my eyes to the end of the galaxy only to find that there is no plan to prevent it!"

Kaine nodded, "As it turns out, I do have a plan. In one stroke, we will remove one Sith group and begin work on a structure that will ultimately, hopefully, prevent either group from gaining ultimate supremacy."


"How?"


"By observing as much of their behavior as I could, one thing struck my notice. Sith remain in places that once held prominence in their sect ages ago. They scurry through ruins and graves in search of items of power made long ago to utilize. But they always hope to find that one object that would bring them ultimate power."

"Like what?"

"Like a Starforge." Kaine mentioned quietly.

"A Starforge?! Are you mad?! If the Sith got ahold of something like that, we'd have a real fight on our hands! One of survival!"

"I am not saying we build them a Starforge, Admiral. But we build something of such magnitude that will eventually capture their attention. Something that will harness the dark energies of a Sith world, attract as much Sith as possible and.."

"And?"

Kaine grinned this time, "Well that would be classified."

"How would this attract Jedi?"

"Because Jedi are always attracted to what attracts Sith as the self proclaimed Guardians of the Galaxy."

"Why don't we use the mandatory Medical Care to simply zap midichlorians. Destroy their numbers in babies and we wipe the bastards from the galaxy altogether?"

"After we take care of those in power now, yes, Zell. That may be the next move in preventative measures."

"So, what the fuck are we building and where? This sounds ominously like a Death Star."

"That's another project, Zell."

The old man grunted.

"What we are building is almost the same size but out of materials that will harness the dark forces lying dormant above the host planet."

"What host planet?"

"Ziost."

There was a collective gasp. "You know who you'll have to deal with when you get there."

"If he's as powerful as he claims, he will have already taken the first steps perhaps sensing a nebulous danger that is approaching. In any event, a sleight of hand should surprise him sufficiently for us to destroy him and his few followers. After all, if a blaster can kill them, surely turbolasers can do no less?"

"If you are wrong? If he guesses right and kills you?"

"Then take the Ebony Vigilance and scorch the land he lives on, Zell! Blow the planet to hell! You can still build what we need to even if the planet is broken!" Kaine snapped.

"Then, Supreme Commander, before you die, can I see what the plan is?"

Simon smiled grimly as a holographic projection appeared above the table. The holograph was distorted.

"Will someone move that stupid piece of metal off the table?"

The plating was picked up and thrown to the side and the picture resolution sharpened.

"Looks like some ornate puzzle box." someone mumbled.

"What the fuck is that?"


"That, gentlemen, is what is going to ensure that our kingdom comes.


I give you, the RUBICON."

"Kaine did what??" the Emperor shouted sending messengers and aide scurrying for cover.


Grand Moff Zell (retired) acted as if he hadn't heard and chuckled to himself, "Obliterated the Sith presence on Ziost! I wish I would have seen that Dark fucking Lord's expression as it rained fire from heaven."


The old man went so far as to slap his knee, his laughing fit turning into a coughing fit.


Daemon Hyfe cast his gaze over at the stoic Kaine who simply stood there. "You have nerve, Kaine. A clear attack against..."


"Against what?" Zell interrupted, clearly confused. "Was his fucking highness and his bitch wife your servants or something? Did they grovel in your presence wherever you tread?

They were fucking competitors!

Better they lay with scorched bones than worry about some ill-conceived, ill-planned attack on us!"


The Emperor scowled and turned to Simon Kaine. "Did it ever occur to you Kaine, just what sort of message this sends to our Sith? To the Naboo Sith Order? To Lupercus Darksword?" His voice quieted. "To me?"


The Supreme Commander's eyes narrowed. "As a matter of fact, I did." he responded coldly. "To Grandmaster's Vance Jas or Lupercus Darksword, what do they care that some outside competitor was erradicated? It should show them that the Empire takes care of it's own. Yes, we rely on the Sith to counter the Jedi threat but the Jedi are not the only force user threat out there. There are countless sects of Sith that crop up each thinking they are the true master over everyone else. It's time the Empire faces these threats and removes them.

It should also impress upon them the lengths we are willing to go to protect our Emperor should your throne be challenged!"


"That sounds nice, Supreme Commander. But what you have done is damage the Sith Legacy by pitting ordinary soldiers against an albeit self proclaimed Sith Lord but a Sith Lord nonetheless and ..AND..having the audacity to succeed! You have removed the aura of power we use to rule."


"Good." Kaine said and Zell began to laugh.

"Too right, fucking good! Our Emperor doesn't need a fucking 'aura of power' to impress because he has real power! So fucking right, let's separate the pretenders from the real deal!"


"Zell.." Hyfe began, clearly irritated.


"Don't fucking waiver on me, your Majesty!" Zell snapped. "You were a gunboat skipper once! Tell me to my face that if that fucker Fitzgerald was a force user, your tactics in fucking gutting his fleet two times around would have changed?! Don't fucking tell me you would have been so awed by his fucking aura of power that you would have retreated?!"


At the mention of Hyfe's old victories, he smiled. "You make a smashing point, Zell." he finally conceded.


His eyes cast over to his Supreme Commander, but I still do not trust you, Kaine. I will be watching you very closely!


If Simon was aware of his Emperor's thoughts, he did not show it. Instead, he moved forward holding a datapad. "My Lord, I would like you to look at what we intend to do with Ziost."


Hyfe glanced at the project name: Rubicon


..and the more he listened, the wider his smile became.

“There are moments which define us. These moments are upon us always.”


“With every breath we take, we are changed.”

Former Sith Lord

Perrin Descartes stared down at the two skulls before him, their grins half buried as ash. In one moment, Simon Kaine put on notice those pretentious force users who thought themselves as Gods. His royal pain in the ass, Dark Lord Maim, was one such individual.

And now what are you? thought Perrin, looking down at one of the skulls.


All your ambitions, all your pride, all that you ever were...



...reduced to this.



Perrin would have thought Emperor Hyfe to be livid at the sheer audacity of Supreme Commander Kaine. And perhaps he was... but the Emperor was also pragmatic and practical where it came to his seat of power. Kaine had, after all, wiped away a potentially bothersome adversary.


And his pet bitch.. Perrin kicked the other skull away with his foot causing some of the fine dust to take wind.




He had not done much as the Emperor's Hand but the mere fact that he was who he was gave Daemon Hyfe some piece of mind, he supposed. He had not seen Dehoir in quite a while and wondered if she perished on an assignment as a fellow Hand or not.

He did not dwell on it much but if one Hand was expendible, was not another? Could not another?

In any event, the Emperor liked to preen and boast about his accomplishments or how the hard work of others brought about events he had foreseen or manipulated to occur.


But this?


Hyfe had given Perrin a brief account of this self-appointed Dark Lord and once crimson emperor. His empire had come and gone as quickly as rains in a desert. Emperor Hyfe heard of a rumor that his chosen 'Lord-Protector' had absconded with what was left of Maim's dying empire.


Perrin tapped the remaining skull with his boot. "Fat lot of good your Lord Protector was..."


Hyfe's description of the man left an unflattering tale... A coward who coveted both the acknowledgement and approval from whatever master he served. He fed off the approval for as long as he could before he either bored his masters or they came to resent his lips on their rears.


Now this supposed Lord Protector was out there, somewhere, probably claiming the title 'crimson emperor' for himself... Whatever that was.


I could probably call myself Emperor of Ziost right now, he mused.



But worrying about Maim's leftovers was about as relevant as talking about Chaddwick Fearson's Lady Tabrith.



Whatever massive construction project was going on in the space around Ziost, the Emperor clearly knew what it was as Perrin was not sent to investigate.


In fact, Hyfe seemed to care more about what sort of mischief Lupercus Darksword would create within the Sith Order under Vance...Darth Vicirus. Lupercus was reportedly in or around the former nexus of the Jedi, Naboo. If anyone could cause unparalleled mischief, it was Lupercus.



Casting one last look at the skull, Perrin's curiosity was satisfied. A long time ago, he had killed a person who would cover his face with paint and who called himself a master. But wipe the paint off and this so-called master was nothing more than simply a man. Just as this former Dark Lord of the Sith was nothing more... than a skull that cast a sad grin of forgotten accomplishments.


If that.


Perrin's walk left a trail of finely ground dust behind him, his eyes taking in the desolate scenery.


A scorched earth that would be devoid of life for centuries.


But then again..


..everything dies.


He entered his waiting ship and began it's start-up sequence.



..everything.