Crown of Darkness

[Khendon Sevon]

A shadow nimbly fell and ducked through the barren field of asteroids. Its lonely presence sucked in the dim starlight and spat out darkness. The demonic shape slowed and predatory muscles flexed and forcing a halt. 375 meters of carbon fiber and neutron armor stood in the cold expanses of space in solitude. Death was the only guide of the lost craft—it was but a ghost on the sea, not breathing, not alive, just empty.

Khendon sat in a stiff chair. His gaze steadily held its place on the single, large viewport in his private quarters. The Imperator held a bottle in his left hand and a grayed, battered blaster in his other. “Daughters of time,” he said, “hypocritic days, muffled and dumb like barefoot dervishes…” his voice trailed on, “the day turned and departed silent… Too late, under her solemn fillet, I saw the scorn.” The broken man took a deep drink and fumbled with the safety on his Sevon Rifle, Co. blaster.

“Damn thing, damn the night. Damn the Sovereignty, damn the Federacy, damn Piett, damn Viscera, damn the galaxy. To hell with the galaxy! Blasphemers! Cowards! Fools! Damn existence…” Khendon closed his eyes, placed the cool barrel to his head, and pulled the trigger. “Damn the safety.”

The Imperator threw the bottle at the viewport. The glass container exploded in a shower of fragments and fine liquor mist. “Fine. Have it your foul way.” Khendon slammed his hand down on his datapad—he was too inebriated to use his neural implant—and called up a directory. “Silvin, no. Not her. Silus? Who’s Silus?” he continued smashing the screen until a series of records appeared. “Oh, that Silus.”

“Captain,” he said in a slurred fashion through his comm., “send an invitation to… Silus, yes, Silus to come to Federacy space—“

“Where in Federacy territory, Sir?”

An emotion flowed from Khendon’s subconscious. His eyes narrowed and voice became heavy and slick with anger, “HERE!” he shouted into the device, “Tell him it’s ‘a matter of life or death.’ Maybe he can help me with my problem. He showed promiss… didn’t he?”

“Sir?”

“Send the message! I don’t care how you get it to him! Just do it!” Khendon deactivated the cylinder and threw it across the room.

You’re not strong enough, Khendon. You’ll never be able to save her. Look at you, you’re pathetic! Not even enough will power to keep your senses, you SICKEN me. And you call yourself a ‘dark jedi.’ You know not the meaning of darkness. Go ahead, try to kill yourself again, you worm. You can’t even do that, can you?

“Not if I want to save her! I can’t, I just can’t!” The broken man wept in his palms, forming small salt lakes from the fire that fell from his eyes. Khendon needed something, someone… and fast.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus couldn't help feeling a bit wary as the Dragon dropped out of hyperspace on the outskirts of the Federacy border. Khendon was the last person Silus expected to have a life or death situation, unless of course it involved someone elses life. Long story short, he didn't exactly trust the man. However, it was one of those things where he really couldn't keep himself from going. Lilaena had agreed to join with him, and the trip there had provided them a bit of private time, which they didn't get very much of these days. If nothing else, the trip wasnt wasted thus far, so Silus couldnt complain. At this point, he was more curious as to what exactly it was that Khendon wanted from him. His first thought leaned toward dealings with the Balmorran Empire, but obviously, Khendon had to know that Silus wasnt a part of that organization anymore. Honestly, it could have been anything at this point...

As the ship neared Federacy borders, Silus slowed to a nice, non threatening pace and awaited clearance from the Federacy border patrol.

[Khendon Sevon]

A lightning sequence of events occurred. With the speed of a hyperspace sprinter information was relayed from outer-territory sensors to a command station and finally routed to in-field combat assets. It boiled down to a near instant shift of Federacy border forces.

Lieutenant Kalydine thought along with the Crimson Rite’s computers and smiled as a mental timer clicked to zero. “Emergence,” he muttered in a half daze. A black shape tore from hyperspace with all the fury of an electrical storm.

The demonic looking Federacy Gunship began “contact” initiation. The skin of the vessel appeared to fleck away and slide into the armor of the craft—like a molting Omerose lizard consuming its dead flesh through its pores. Polished weapons quickly sprouted from every meter of the warship.

“This is the Federacy Gunship Crimson Rite.” Advanced microprocessors and neural interfaces relayed target acquisitions, estimated material densities, and various other military trivialities. “Welcome to Federal space,” the Lieutenant’s tone was metallic and mechanical, “we’re transmitting your next destination coordinates now. Your escorts will be arriving…” a second elapsed, “now.”

Wicked banshees ripped through the barrier between hyperspace and realspace. Shimmering dust fell from the mad crafts’ hulls like fire from a phoenix’s back. Three TIE Shriekers nimbly formed into a tight wedge and slowed as they gently approached the “non-internal traveling” craft identified as the Dragon.

“The Imperator will meet you at your new coordinates. You’ll be boarding the Death Advocate, an Insuperable-class Star Destroyer. We’ll be waiting for your hyperspace spike. Crimson Rite Out.” The Lieutenant cut his transmission and shook his cold face. Foreigners… maybe the next dispatch will be pirates, at least I can deal with them!

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Well, they certainly seem friendly." De'Ville eyed their escorts, and nodded towards the gunship ahead of them. "I cannot say that I have ever heard of an Insuperable class Destroyer, however."

The navicomp beeped, indicating that it had recieved the coordinates from the Crimson Rite.

[Silus Xilarian]

"It's a fancy way of saying 'bigger than our last one'", Silus commented, as he slowly sped his ship up.

"I'm just curious to see whats gonna happen when he makes a bigger ship, and can't think of anything better than Insuperable."

It wasn't a long trip until they were in the heart of Federacy space. As they approached the Death Advocate, Silus killed his sublights and waited for the tractor beam to pull them into docking position.

[Khendon Sevon]

The silver beast that was the Death Advocate stood in the blanket of empty space like a sentry to an invisible gateway. The ship stretched across the expanse of stars a thin, armored dragon in flight. From stem to stern she was a grand 1,500 meters—smaller than many star destroyers but of enough size to remain menacing.

Nimble, sensitive actuators controlled the alignment of the craft’s tractor beams as they gently brought the Dragon to rest within the belly of the beast. Bright light flooded the large hollow of a hanger. Everything shone like a mirror. Rank after rank, file after file of black-armor-clad, wicked looking marines stood at attention. Federal Stormguardsmen watched from large doors at the end of the cavernous room, their thin armor nearly blending in with the colors of the bay.

The great doors at the far end of the hangar gently swung open. Two Stormguard officers walked out first, red optical sensors scanning the scene. The smooth transitions between steps made them appear as if they were walking on air. Their rifles weren’t present but a sense of danger still surrounded the special operations forces.

Khendon strode in next, black coat flowing menacingly. His gray eyes were hard and set, jaw tight and compact. The Imperator wore a crisp, black Federacy uniform under his jacket. His stride spoke of his control. Khendon’s eyes flashed lightning and a sparkle shone, Time to meet that old ‘friend’.

The Imperator abruptly stopped in front of the vessel, a cylindrical weapon bounced once against his thigh then halted. So, this was my bright plan? What now, oh Great Leader? Call the Delteon Circus with its beasts to come and save the Federacy?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She walked down the ramp on the arm of Xilarian, a dark blue cloak fastened to her shoulders, the hood laying against her back. Short dark hair curled a bit around her ears as she looked around, taking in the huge array of storm... troopers? This imperial faction had a distinct look from the others she'd had contact with.

De'Ville saw the tendency towards unrelieved black was a little overdone, but effective. Everything appeared to be cut from the Lord Darth Vader's own uniform. Silus stopped just after stepping onto the deck of the Death Advocate's hangar, allowing the approaching group to come all the way in to meet them.

She couldn't read his mind, but his emotions hinted at turmoil. Not Silus' - the man who could only be Imperator Sevon. She'd never met him, but who else would greet them with an honor guard of officers, and a hangar of armoured troopers? She stood easily, bare feet on the cold, shiny black deck. Her dress brushed the tops of her feet, a long skirted version of Jedi robes, made in bright red with dark blue embroidered trim.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus stood calmy at the bottom of the ramp. He was really beginning to wonder, through all this ceremony, if Khendon hadn't become terribly bored, and ached to show off.
To his embarassment, Silus caught himself trying to remember whether they were supposed to walk to Khendon, or if Khendon was supposed to them. Deciding to go with the safe of the two, Silus began a leisurely stroll forward, figuring if he were wrong, Khendon would at least be able to meet them half way.

[Khendon Sevon]

The hangar was silent. A gentle, artificial breeze stirred the air and recycled the atmosphere. Khendon’s silvery eyes fell on the two individuals before him. Who is this?! he thought. Have I seen her before? Could she be from the Sovereignty? Is—

Poise! Snap to, Sevon! Take control, NOW. The imperial’s eyes sharpened and came to life, his brow tightened. Every soldier stood motionless in the room, as if time itself had paused. Maybe some sort of advanced Federacy experiment had frozen the moment in the now?

“Welcome to Federacy space, and welcome to the Death Advocate,” said Khendon in a somewhat friendly manner, a lopsided grin mildly graced his face. “Silus, it’s been a long time.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Silus was walking forward, and De'Ville did not want to appear a petulant child, holding back in his wake. She matched him step for step, her feet making no noise on the spotless deck. Sevon's eyes gave away nothing, although in their very deadness one could read something. This was a man who had given up.

And yet...

De'Ville watched silently as the Imperator greeted Xilarian, his eyes brightening even as his smile fought with the previous scowl. His emotions remained mixed, and difficult to separate. Her green eyes appeared to miss nothing, never leaving Sevon's face as she kept a tight watch on his emotions, waiting for any sign of betrayal.

[Silus Xilarian]

"That it has. You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself."

A bit of small talk. Not that Khendon was a show off or anything, but Silus thought it would be nice to go ahead and throw him a segway to talk about his operations. Not that Silus was impatient, but it would help to speed things right along.

One thing that Silus did note however, was how the Imperator seemed to almost become lost at moments, as if something very shiny had caught his eye. Something was turning in the man's head, Silus just couldnt be sure of what.

[Khendon Sevon]

A hunger began to build at the back of Khendon’s stomach, a thirst screamed in his throat. It had been weeks since the Imperator had talked to anyone human, had stopped to think about anything beyond self-pity or revenge. The Imperial found himself wanting to converse, desperate for human interaction.

Strength gently flowed into the Imperator’s face as he reassured himself internally. “The Federacy is doing well,” he believed himself, “though, I give a great deal of credit to Grand Admiral Piett. He has been diligently shouldering the large burden of running the government for the past few months.

Khendon mildly grimaced, “But I have other matters to discuss, ones that are of the utmost urgency. Please, this way,” the Imperial motioned towards the two large, open doors.

With a gentle electrical signal from his neural interface Khendon ordered the Storm Guardsmen to join their squad. The group of elite soldiers turned on their heels and walked briskly to identical units waiting nearby.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She recognized the feeling coming off him suddenly, and it surprised her that she hadn't known it right away. The Imperator craved revenge, but on whom, and for what, she couldn't know. De'Ville lived with that feeling every single day, and had for years. It was as familiar to her as the angles of Silus' body.

Sevon was talking with Silus: idle, small talk that meant next to nothing in the grand scheme of things. She didn't expect the guards to ever leave his side, and so was more than mildly interested when they did. Her eyes followed the two guardsmen as they joined their identical friends, but her feet followed Silus as he walked with Imperator Sevon through the welcoming doors.

Matters of the utmost importance? Perhaps he intended to cut to the chase more quickly than she'd thought.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Well, you've certainly gathered my attention."

Silus casually followed Khendon through the two big doors. Lilaena was being quiet, behaving herself, although Silus could tell that she was studying the place like a hawk. She never did trust Imperials, and well, very few things defined Imperial as well as this place. Of course, she almost seemed to have her own little agenda going on, which was kinda scary.

[Khendon Sevon]

A large hallway stretched beyond the great door. Here the Imperial theme was resounded just as strongly. Massive turbolift doors lined either side of the cavernous corridor. “Right here,” Khendon remotely accessed one of the smaller, plainer doors and it slid open silently.

The lift was typical except for the lack of physical controls. A gentle hum signaled the activation of the device and it ascended. Khendon stood tall, arms clasped at the small of his back. His cool, silver eyes stared intently at the dark, metallic floor. The Imperator looked up, “I’m sorry,” a tinge of sadness seeped into his voice and visage for a second, “I’m not being a very good host, am I… Have either of you eaten?”

A click reverberated through the small liftcar as it locked into place. The door slid open to reveal another hallway. However, this hallway was significantly different. It ended abruptly only a few paces out with only two doors, one on either side. The lighting was dim and air still.

Khendon let his question hang and stood motionless, eyes questioning beyond what he'd asked.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena didn't want to break her silence, but looked at Silus as Khendon asked the question. The Imperator was not walking out of the 'lift, and so they did not either. Silus looked back, not being able to resist a roguish lift of an eyebrow.

The Dark Jedi master turned back to the Imperator, "We have not eaten recently. Thank you for your hospitality." Her voice was neither low nor high pitched, although there was a velvet quality to it that nearly purred. She smiled pleasantly, still waiting for Sevon to take the first steps out of the 'lift.

And in the food... if he was choosing to kill them, poison was a good of a way as any, and it would quickly clear up the reason they were brought here. She doubted it very much, however. There was something this man wanted desperately, besides revenge.

[Silus Xilarian]

Khendon seemed to be getting a bit more tense by the moment, and Silus wondered if maybe Khendon was avoiding the reason he brought them there. He couldnt be certain of too much, but he knew Khendon was at the very least uncomfortable.

"Yes, we were too busy to eat on the way."

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon wondered at his own anxieties. He looked to the ground for a moment then took a resolute breath. “This way,” Khendon’s dark heels clicked as he strode towards the left door.

The Imperial looked at the metallic portal for a moment and it slid to the side silently. Lights slowly took hold over the room as Khendon stepped into the chamber. “We’ll order something up.”

Khendon’s personal office was spacious by any stretch of the imagination. The room looked out of place on a battleship. The walls appeared to be a dark, textured wood. Large pillars sprang from the ground and thrust upwards to clasp the high ceiling. Swords and weapons of all shapes watched mutely as Khendon entered.

Deactivated prototype battle droids, statues of progress, stood in dark corners. Khendon’s desk was placed at the far wall, if you could call it that. The far side of the room was constructed entirely of a see-through material, a cousin of transparasteel, that held a breath taking view of the starfield around the vessel.

Training mats, small alcoves for meditation, a large holographic display, and many other devices and areas hugged the walls of the immense office. “Sorry for the mess,” Khendon smiled. A table in the center of the room had bits and pieces of machinery strewn across it. Extremely detailed holograms floated above the dark surface of the table, stealthily projected by a cube suspended a few meters from the ground.

“So? To it?” Khendon gestured towards several chairs near his desk.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

As they entered the expansive office, if it could be called that, De'Ville took her time looking around. The Imperator ushered them towards some chairs, and while Silus followed him, she simply took in her surroundings. The walls were paneled in an expensive wood, and pillars which were better suited to a Nabooian throne room seemed to hold the ceiling from the deck.

She walked slowly after Sevon and Xilarian, lingering in the corners of the room and traveling by the wall, occasionally putting out a hand as though to touch some of the many weapons displayed.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Of course"

Silus took a seat across the table from Khendon. The room they were in was a complete contrast to the rest of the ship, but in a good way. The chairs were much more comfortable here than normal imperial seats. It seemed this room was more for personal use than business.

Lileana had taken to walking around the place, looking over the many weapons draped around the room, which was a bit of a scary thought. Ignoring her however, he kept his attention on Khendon, intent on finding out why there were here.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon sighed heavily; his eyes were ringed by darkness that was only emphasized by the lighting in his office. His silver gaze stared wearily at the table’s grainy surface. Kyryanu, where are you…

The Imperator looked up at the man he had invited. A mild gloss revealed how close to tears Khendon was. After a delay and significant duration of silence he spoke, “I’ve lost the only important thing in the galaxy,” his voice wavered.

“Silus,” he fought back the tears that threatened to overtake him and clenched his jaw, “Kyryanu and I recently married, and… and for this reason, and others, we kept it an inner-circle secret.

“And… and, now! They have her, they’ve taken her, they’re torturing her!” Khendon fought the urge to stand and simply ran a hand through his hair. His face was beginning to turn red with emotion.

The Imperator of the Imperial Federacy forced himself to collect the pieces and continue, “I recently bombed the moon Virm Minor in Sovereignty territory in reply to their kidnapping of my, my Love. They started a war,” something changed in Khendon’s eyes, a coldness, an animalistic anger and rage took hold, “I have the one who plotted against me, against my family… against my… child,” Khendon looked up, eyes searching.

“Esalis,” he spoke the name as if it hurt to phrase, “I have Esalis…”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Still she hung back, a growing sense of dread and danger filling her stomach. Not immediate danger, but certainly the Force was telling her something... no good would come from this meeting. De'Ville purposely knicked her index finger on a displayed blade, leaving a slight smear of blood on the item.

She walked back towards the center of the 'office' as the Imperator voiced his despair. She felt his pain, anguish, and hatred of those who had taken his wife and child, but remained detatched from it. It would be too easy to think of Ja - De'Ville cut off that line of thought abruptly, and held out her hand, allowing blood to drip down to the floor in a circle around her. Neither man noticed what she was doing, and the amount of blood was small.

“I have Esalis…”

Lilaena's eyes tracked to his immediately, and she locked eyes with the Imperator. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle with intensity, but all she did was stick her finger in her mouth, breaking the eye contact to look at Silus. She would wait for him.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus' eyes widened a bit at Khendon's spill. Not only was he surprised at the information that he'd just been given, but also the fact that he didnt know who this Esalis person even was.

"Ohhh kay...lets sort this out. First off, who is this Esalis guy?"

A thought about Kyry also tinged at the back of his mind. It had been a long time since he'd seen her. He found it interesting that her name show up at this particular moment.

[Khendon Sevon]

This human contact sobered the Imperator slightly, “Esalis,” he smiled at the thought, “is not a man. She is a woman.” Maybe I’ve come to the wrong person… he does not know enough about the Sovereignty… he’s too, too good… I need someone dark, someone, someone… like me.

Khendon’s voice steadied, he drew on the power of the force to fortify his resolve and bring clarity to the chaos in his mind. Control returned to the leader. “Esalis is a member of the Sovereignty. She is, from what I’ve gathered, a dark shadow that works as a covert operative. Esalis is a mistress of the clandestine, a commander of twisted and sinister techniques.”

The Imperator stood and held his arm before Silus. “She,” Khendon spoke now through tightly clenched teeth, “ordered the removal of my wife’s only natural arm left.” For emphasis the former Vice-Diktat ran two fingers over his thrust forth forearm.

Something sparked and lit the tinder. Fire stormed in Khendon’s heart, the smoke filled his words, “These are dark times we live in. The Sovereignty grows towards us and an ancient, unspoken evil rises from the unexplored expanses to our back!” If the dark jedi could breath fire, the exhale he released would have put napalm to shame.

“I must have my wife and my unborn child back. My admirals are useless, they cannot help me… This is something that requires more than the strength of ships!” Khendon, without knowing it, began to plead, “I was once a capable warrior of the dark arts! I have fallen from that esteem, my saber will not be powerful enough to kill the black serpent that holds my Love…”

A snarl formed on Khendon’s face, “a dark jedi holds her… and I must make him pay, whatever the cost!” His voice was nearly silent, but power resonated from the simple words. As if a great burden had been lifted, the Imperator sat again, eyes confused. What wills itself upon me? What stirs in the blackness?

[Lilaena De'Ville]

His anger stirred her, but not to action. The Imperator spoke of a dark Jedi holding his wife, and yet the Esalis woman seemed to be important as well. If his saber was not powerful enough to kill the man who held his wife, then presumably the unknown dark Jedi was fairly experienced and strong.

The talk of torture raised one of her eyebrows, and she resisted the urge to demand where Esalis was being held. All in due time. Instead she remained in the center of the circle of her blood.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Interesting. "

Silus poured over the data in the back of his mind. Khendon was a ticking time bomb, which in a way was good. Anger was always a powerful emotion. However, Silus knew good and well that the Imperator could very well destroy himself with it.

"What would you suggest we do?" Silus stated calmly.

[Khendon Sevon]

The calmness of Silus’s voice broke through the slow ice that was frosting around Khendon’s heart. His temper had risen and grown beyond its usually dull flame. The anger was directed not at the man before him but at himself.

He knew now why he had contacted Silus in a drunken fury. It had been the correct thing to do. “I need to find someone.” He voice was weak and his eyes searching, “I need… well, I need someone to show me the way.” His words trailed into the silence.

“Do you understand?”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"I understand." De'Ville broke her silence, and then added to her words. "Kaba la hesh marecht ha comuun i alla rabecht."

The circle of blood droplets around her seemed to give off a grey smoke, that rose and twirled around her feet. Esalis was here? What she wouldn't give to visit her... but that would be less than prudent in this situation. The Sith incantation she'd uttered simply vaporized the blood around her feet - a simple enough trick that could be used against living beings, should there be time to prepare the blood circle and learn the focusing chant.

"He can show you your way, Imperator." De'Ville looked toward Xilarian as she spoke.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus gave slight glance toward Lilaena. Though he would never let it show, he found her 'witchcraft' to be mildly disturbing, and did have hopes of one day breaking her of the habit. However, she did have the mysteriously wise angle working quite well for her, which at this point, would help the situation a bit.

"Yes, I believe that together, we can find an end to this dilemma of yours."

The offer was very much open and on the table at this point.

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon stared directly into the man’s eyes. The Imperator opened his mouth partially to speak but suddenly found his throat dry. The world lost focus, shadows, like curtains, fell in front of the former Vice-Diktat’s world. His silver eyes went unfocused.

For a moment the dark soldier was lost in a field of blindness. Then, like a bolt of lightning, a spike of pain ran over his mind. It felt as if lashes were directly whipping his brain, searing infernos grew and burned with the fire of an ion drive at full thrust.

The Imperator’s face contorted and he let out a silent scream. The man’s hands went straight to his face, clenching his skin as if to pry it away from his skull. A pain beyond the flesh plagued him with its needles and hooks. If it were physical, he would have died from the sheer volume.

Khendon lurched forward in his chair, his heart filling with the heat of a volcano. A heavy weight clenched his lungs and let no air flow. The blood began to pool in the Imperator’s brain like a hot well of life. He could feel his body rejecting existence. Something was terribly wrong, horribly wrong.

A bright image broke the sheer sheet of blackness. It was not pleasant. White, scorching pain wrote its jagged message on the Imperator’s consciousness. A simple fact was present. His daughter had just been ripped from his wife’s womb. Every gory detail painted itself for his inner eye’s horror.

Tears streamed from the blank, dead eyes of Khendon. His inaudible scream finally took on sound and erupted from the depths of his soul. The world returned.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The Imperator looked at Silus, and started to speak, but then an unearthly transformation took him. His mouth stretched with a scream they could not hear, and he dug his fingers into his face, pulling and stretching his skin as though he wanted to remove it.

He lurched forward, his eyes deadening even as he continued to silently scream. De'Ville reached for him with the Force, and cried out from contact with his emotions. "Something is wrong." With a few steps she was on his side of the desk, and placed her cool hand on his flushed forehead. "I have no gift for reading thoughts, Silus, but this pain is not his."

The Imperator's eyes welled up with tears, and a terrible scream came out of his open mouth. De'Ville took her hand away and stood back slightly, his scream ripping through her ears. What in the nine hells...?

[Silus Xilarian]

"No. It's not."

Silus' eyes narrowed in concentration, and he slowly eased around the desk, kneeling beside Khendon, opposite of Lilaena.

"Make sure he's disarmed."

At first Silus thought the worst case scenario had happened. While Kyry had no facilities with the force, it wasn't unheard of for a force sensitive individual to make a one way bond with a normal person. If Kyry were sharing her last painful moments with her husband, then the last thing Silus wanted was for the Imperator to have a blaster handy to shove in his mouth once he came to. Moving his own hand to Khendons forehead, Silus closed his eyes.

In Khendon's state, his mind was weakened enough to allow Silus a glimpse into his thoughts. Actually, it gave him more of a front row seat. It wasn't a pleasant show.

Darkness surrounded them, offering security. It held a measure of comfort that was quickly being threatened. In an instance, light broke through, blinding white with a tint of red. Luckily, Silus felt none of the pain, as he was only a spectator. Khendon wasn't so lucky. As everything came into focus, they found themselves in a room. It appeared large, but their wasnt a very good sense of perception to get a clear idea. It looked like a hospital almost.

As Silus probed further, Khendons silent scream suddenly became audible, catching Silus by surprise and making him draw away. As he did, his connection with the Imperator's mind shattered. He quickly replaced his hand, trying to rekindle the connection, but Khendon was beginning to regain his consciousness, and all Silus could hear was a faint, but tense pulse.

He rose slowly and stepped away.

"They took his child..."

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon opened his eyes, the muscles sore from having been pulled tight. His face was already painted with streams of tears. The lost soul let out a wail and all of the rivers of Delteon flowed down his cheeks. He sunk to his knees and clutched himself, arms wrapped tightly around his chest.

The Imperator began to rock back and forth, his mind blinded by what had just happened. A moment was burned into his consciousness and played over and over like a recording on loop. One of Khendon’s hands found its way to his head and he tugged at his hair, sobbing helplessly.

Great tremors rose from the man as his head touched the cool, durasteel floor. His heart poured out onto the moist surface. Slowly, the Imperator shook his head from side to side, his hand being tugged with the motion. The former Vice-Diktat’s eyes were burdened, his soul numb.

A change came like the picking up of the wind and suddenly the streams were dammed, the expression faded like ink on ancient parchment, something replaced the mountain of sorrow. Khendon suddenly burned hot and screamed. With all of the fibers of his body the Imperator brought his hands down upon the floor the force crackling like a live wire through his body.

Jagged edges of hardened material rose from the impact, a cobweb of fractures spread across the durasteel. A sound, like thunder on a high peak, blasted through the room. Khendon raised his bloody hands to his face and sat up, eyes expressionless. He stared at the far wall, glimmering diamonds occasionally falling forlornly to the shattered surface.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She delicately loosened the Imperator's sidearm from it's holster, and laid it on the floor out of arm's reach. The three beings knelt behind the large desk, Sevon a broken man between the two who had been summoned. Summoned, perhaps, to witness this? But he could not have known. This was too real to be affected only for their benefit.

"They took his child..." Xilarian stood and took a few steps backwards.

"Bastards." De'Ville spat the word with as much venom as she could muster. As the man beside her continued to wail and rock back and forth on the ground she felt ...pity? But just as suddenly as he'd started falling apart emotionally, the Imperator brought himself back together.

Fists slammed into the durasteel floor, and she practically leapt backwards as structural fractures appeared in the floor. The noise of impact thundered through the room, and she looked uncertainly at Silus. Not afraid, but wondering what their next move should be. If Sevon had damaged the integrity of the room... empty space was, after all, only a step away.

The Imperator sat back on the floor, lifting his bleeding hands to his face. Everything was still, save for the tears that still dripped off his face to the broken floor. De'Ville let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and knelt back down on the ground, but out of the reach of his hands.

"Sevon, can you speak?" When the Imperator did not answer, she looked at Silus. "This is not our fight, but he could be a powerful ally." She spoke the words as a whisper meant for Silus' ears only. She had no gift for telepathy, but used a trick of the Force to manipulate sound waves to keep her words from the man on the ground.

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus glanced around cautiously for a few moments. He didnt sense any real danger, and no alarms were sounding, which bode well for them.

"Khendon. Try to calm yourself."

Silus wondered just how well the request was going to be met by the Imperator.

"If we are to act, then it will have to be quickly and efficiently."

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon’s face drooped in sorrow. With effort, and more than a little pain, he blinked tears from his dull silver eyes. Light, sound, the motion of the air recycling, all were focused into a single stream of consciousness. The Imperator’s head ached, his implant area pulsated—his emotions were too powerful for the machine to understand.

A bloody hand curled gingerly into a weak fist in front of the imperial’s face. No pain, nor warmth, could be felt. Khendon flexed the complex appendage, his head tilting ever so slightly. His muscles felt like putty doused in drive fuel and lit with ion exhaust. Crimson liquid ran down the former Vice-Diktat’s arm and over the dark material of his uniform. He voice was a whisper lost in the silence like a lamb’s timid cry at seeing the wolf, “Their sins have bled my family… I will bleed all of the families of the Sovereignty.”

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville frowned, chosing to mostly ignore what Sevon had just said. "Xilarian is correct, time is of the essence. There will be enough time for speeches and declarations later." She tried to speak gently, but barely pulled it off.

Standing to her feet she looked at Silus. "I would like to see his captive, Esalis."

[Silus Xilarian]

Silus glanced over his shoulder at Lilaena.

"You read my mind."

Silus looked back over to Khendon.

"We have much to do, and very little time. However, we wont get much of anything done until you rest."

[Khendon Sevon]

The boiling subsided until it was only a mild bubbling. Then, as if it had never been present, the rage, sorrow, and pain slid away from Khendon’s eyes. He blinked furiously, his head light with the sudden change. White splotches danced across the Imperator’s vision and he worked hard to control the sudden shaking that had come to his hands.

He peered at the bloody fingers, cut flesh, and trickles of scarlet, eyes fixated. A frown slowly formed on his twisted face as the muscles relaxed and rolled back the tense expression they had so recently held. “Yes… yes, we must act.

“And we shall act.” The leader of the Federacy looked to the man he had called, “There will be time ahead to rest. I have to prepare. We have to prepare.” Silver eyes disappeared under their covers then returned, sharp and critical. Khendon’s voice had taken on a determined tone, “The sooner we decide what to do the faster we can act. The faster we act the better our chances of success.”

The imperial pushed himself off the floor, his muscles and bones protesting loudly. Pain reverberated through the recesses of his mind and shouted, threatening to topple the warrior. Khendon ground his teeth and locked his jaw, facial features sharp in the mild light.

“I didn’t mean for it to turn out this way,” the Imperator apologized with a curt bow, eyes fixated on the two figures. Blood dripped from the man’s clenched fists steadily, forming a red moon on the dark, durasteel floor.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He was assuming an awful lot, even though they were offering to help, he asked nothing about what they would require in return.

In fact, she didn't know if they would ask for anything in return. She slid her gaze over to Silus, wishing not for the last time that she could communicate silently to him.

[Silus Xilarian]

"Then tend your wounds. In the meantime, De'Ville and I need to return to my ship to make a few necessary arrangements. "

Silus glanced down at Khendon's hand once more, then toward Lilaena for a moment.

"We will return within the hour. Perhaps we could visit this Esalis character?"

[Khendon Sevon]

Khendon pushed away the impulse to look at his injuries and attempted a smile. “I’m going to head two decks down to one of the medical facilities. If you’re looking to talk to Esalis, she’ll be there.

“I’ve already interrogated her,” the man’s silver eyes were as hard as stone, “I would have never believed it, not even if Piett told me.” A mild distance threatened to pluck Khendon’s words from the air.

“Esalis is a loyal Imperial. Her fealty lies with Viscera, as does mine. However, only now does she understand this… and maybe, just maybe,” the Imperator grunted with satisfaction, “she recognizes my rank.” The last words were said somewhat menacingly, a predatory look came to the Imperial.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville walked over to where Silus was, retreating again into silence. Being on an Imperial ship for so long, with that woman also on board was beginning to wear on her. She looked to Xilarian, ready to follow him out and back to their ship.