Well, my first video is out, it's called Two Dudes Talk Videogames. It's a weekly news and opinion show. Watch it, then make your friends watch it, then you're friend's cats watch it.
Setress pulled her jacket up and over her. "That was amazing, Kre." She said, rolling her neck. "Who taught you how to do that corkscrew thing with your tongue?"
"I figured it out when me and Ana were first together. I'm sure you can imagine how desensitized a sex slave can get."
"Do you have any stories about your past that aren't major downers?" She sighed.
"Given the situation, probably not, no." Kre stretched and sat up in the bed. "Especially since they all end with 'and then I came to the future, where the Empire was gone, and my friends had been dead for thousands of years'."
"Good point." She said. "Well, at least you're feeling better." Setress finished getting dressed, and turned to him. "You are feeling better, right?" His skin had gone from a bright yellow, to a pale orange. An improvement, more or less, but he still looked like he was about to throw up.
"I really don't know why I punish myself like this." He groaned. "So, I'm going to go ahead and blame you."
"I'm okay with that." She watched Kre throw back the covers, and spin out of the bed. There were a lot of deep scratches on his back. The one's she'd inflicted had all scabbed over, but the others were all scars from previous conquests. "If your back is any indication, you've had some fun in your life. Ana must have been a real freak."
"No, she wasn't. She was a very intimate and loving person, but ashamed of her sexuality. She was with me, at any rate."
"So, if the scratches aren't from her, then who are they from?" She asked.
"No." He said, flatly.
"No? What do you mean no?" She asked.
"It's really quite simple; you want me to enlighten you, I refuse. In short, no." He walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
"Fine, be that way." She laced up her boots, and left the room.
Kre stared at himself in the mirror. The smaller one in front of him caught the reflection of the full body mirror behind him. There were a lot of scratches on his back. Setress' were the most obvious, still fresh and glistening in the light. Beneath them, though, were dozens of others. Had Setress been paying more attention, she would have noticed the ones beneath those.
He had lied to her, when he said that the ones she saw weren't Ana's. In truth, they were, but they weren't inflicted in the heat of passion. He still remembered when he had asked Ana to do it. She had had to really dig her nails into his back to cause the kind of damage he requested, and she cried the whole time. In fact, she showed more emotion then he did. Kre, for his part, was just happy to not have to stare at the scars he was really trying to hide anymore.
Still, all the marring in the universe could never erase his memories of that night. He shuddered just thinking about it. Alzerath might have died a horrible death at Kre's hands, but the twi'lek's hold on him remained.
Kre turned on the refresher, and splashed some water on his face. The warm liquid felt good on his face. He was still going through withdrawal, though he was finally on the down swing of it. With the way everything had been going, it was nice to have at least one thing going in his favor. Pretty soon, he was sure he would be recovered enough to resume his duties as Emperor.
Once he was recovered, he'd have to figure out what to do with the rag-tag remnant of the Empire, and Setress. Especially Setress. She was passionate in bed, and he believed she was trying to do right by him. Still, her history proved she had problems with impulse control, and that could make her dangerous. He had entrusted her with far too many secrets. He had seen far too many examples of agents, once thought reliable, crack. All too often, he'd had to call a retreat because of some vital piece of information these agents had blurted out.
He would not let that happen here. Not when doing so meant losing everything. No, he would strike her down before that happened.
Kre heard the door open and shut, and felt a familiar presence.
"Sanguine'ar." He said, flatly.
"My lord," she was gasping for air. "You...need...to...see..."
"Take a breath, woman. Whatever you have to say can wait that long." Sanguine'ar took a deep breath, and righted herself.
"My lord, we uncovered the entrance to the Sanctuary of the Sith in the Citadel."
"Congratulations, let me know when you've found an interesting artifact."
"That's just it, master, it's...well, you really need to see this for yourself. I can't explain it."
"Alright, fine." Kre grabbed a robe, threw it on, and followed Sanguine'ar out of the room. The two of them, likely alone in the massive cruiser, made their way onto the lift. Sanguine'ar punched the button to take them to the lowest level. Right away, he could sense something ominous coming from Sanguine'ar.
The two of them were alone in the lift. Seeing him now, in the light, she couldn't help but marvel at how much damage cold-quitting the stims had been on him. She was willing to be he'd lost close to 45 kilos. He was doubtless much slower, clumsier, and weaker. This was the first time he'd been out of that room, there was no way he would be acclimated to the changes.
"So," she began. "Has Setress commented about your, um, appendage?"
"What do you mean?" He asked. Sanguine'ar had a flash back to the vision she'd had only a week earlier about cutting him down.
"Well, most guys have to buy ribbed condoms for her pleasure. You kind of come pre-equipped." She glanced at her lightsaber.
"No, she hasn't. Not that it's in any way relevant to what we're doing." His voice was constant, and she didn't sense any suspicion. The temptation to lash out and claim the Empire, and the secret she was leading him towards, was great.
"Yeah, yeah, not relevant at all..." She stammered, staring at her lightsaber. She vaguely recognized that he was still talking, but her eyes were locked on her inherited lightsaber. Anger and ambition roared up in her like a thunderstorm, then crystalized. With lightning reflexes, she reached for her weapon.
Sanguine'ar was so engrossed in her own world, that she didn't notice that he was watching her the whole time. He'd never told her he knew about her little vision, or her temptation to strike him down. She didn't even know that, to his trained eyes, she might as well have been broadcasting her intentions over the intercom system.
When her arm first twitched, he was already in motion. Before she had managed to reach over, he grabbed the back of her head, and slammed her face into the door of the lift. Once turned into twice, then three, four, five, six times. Her nose broke bleeding all over her face, and he'd probably knocked out one of her teeth. With each blow his rage and sense of betrayal grew and grew, until it had become an uncontrollable frenzy.
She said something, but he didn't hear it. He threw her into the opposite wall of the lift. She slammed into it, hard, and slid down. Kre followed up the throw with a powerful kick to her gut, forcing her into a fetal position. Even with the large, sharp, claws on his powerful feet covered by his boots; he knew that the blow could easily cause internal bleeding.
Kre straddled her, and started beating her. The blows from his cybernetic arm were followed by snapping and cracking sounds. Even her armor, designed to protect against ballistic damage, could stop him; his fists easily found their way between the plates.
Blood covered his fists, and pained wracked sobs and screams echoed in the small metal compartment. He brought his organic fist up, and launched it back down. Midway through, he stopped, and stared in horror.
Flashes of Ana's broken and beaten form beneath him made him want to vomit. Kre jumped up, and pressed himself against the door. He took a moment to assess the situation. Sanguine'ar lay in a fetal position, her arms out stretched for both protection and surrender. He'd inflicted massive damage to her, and vicariously to Ana. He felt guilt for causing her such pain, the feeling, though, began to ebb as he weighed the evidence.
What she had done was treason, and she had to pay for it. To kill her, though, meant eliminating the only other person in the galaxy capable to successfully training the acolytes.
Kre decided to leave the choice to her.
Her master, whom she realized far too late was far beyond her skill, pulled her to her feet.
"I know about your flash vision." He said. "The one you had while standing over me, debating whether or not to kill me. Nothing happens on this ship without my knowing about it, my treacherous apprentice."
"I...sorry..." She wheezed through a broken nose and shattered teeth. "Forgive...me..."
"No, Lord Sanguine'ar, I can't do that. I am, however, going to give you a choice. I can save your life; but you will forever be indebted to me, and will likely need extensive repair and cybernetic augmentation. That, of course, will reduce your power, and you may end up needing to spend the rest of your life in a machine. Alternatively; I can kill you, and end your suffering."
Sanguine'ar thought about the choices. Would she really be living if she were a cyborg slave in all but name? It didn't sound worth it. Still, she did have one trump card.
"K-kill me...and...Ana...dies too." Sanguine'ar fell to all fours in front of the triumphant Sith.
"Curious that she did not intervene in your assassination attempt. Still she, like you, tried to kill me. She, like you, was someone I trusted. Make your choice." With her last bit of strength, Sanguine'ar looked up at the cold visage of the Emperor.
"Death." Kre pulled the lightsaber he'd give her, and ignited the blade.
The red blade cleanly cut through Sanguine'ar neck. Her head hit the floor as the lift came to a halt, and it's doors opened.
"By the Force! Lord Sanguine'ar..." He heard Setress exclaim. "My lord, are you alright?"
"I've been better." He said. Kre picked up Sanguine-Barriss' head by her short hair, and stepped out of the lift. "Gather all of the Imperials and acolytes at the base of the loading ramp." He commanded her. Setress bowed, and ran off to complete her task.
It only took a few minutes for her to return, with all of the denizens of the settlement. Kre stepped up to the edge of the ramp leading into the massive cargo bay, and examined the group. He could feel trepidation, fear, excitement, anger, hate, lust, every emotion known to him was represented in that group. So too was the feeling of treachery.
"Citizens of this new and young Empire," He began, raising his mighty voice. "There are those among you with traitorous thoughts in your minds. There are those of you who would seek to supplant me as the ruler of the Empire. This act, is an act of treason." He held up Sanguine'ar's head, a resounding gasp sweeping over the crowd. "This is what happens to traitors. Lord Sanguine'ar sought to strike me down, but she failed. She was one of only two Sith Lords, my right hand. She was as close to indispensible as one can be, but even she was not above the law.
"The Empire will survive because of your loyalty to myself, and each other. It will thrive because of patriotism. Dissension is not inherently unwelcome, and no one, not even myself, is above reproach. The days of Sith impunity are at an end. The days of blind obedience ended more than three thousand years ago. If you have an issue with our operations, with a law, or even with me, you are free to bring it up.
"Know, my subjects, that this freedom of speech does not grant the right for insurrection for personal gain. Now, go, return to your duties." Much of the crowd dispersed, confused and disquieted. Setress, however, made her way up to him.
"Kre," she began in earnest. "What the hell happened? Are you really telling me that Sanguine'ar tried to kill you?"
"Yes, I am."
"But, that doesn't make any sense? Why would she do that?"
"It's simple, really. She wanted the Empire for herself. She sought to make slaves of all Imperials, and even the Sith. Even you."
"I just...I can't believe it. It is so out of character for her." Setress stared at the severed head in his clutches.
"The lust for power, and all that it brings, can make even the sanest of people crazy beyond reason." Kre carelessly tossed the head. "Don't let this worry you any further, Setress. Focus on more important things. I heard that there was in interesting discovery in the Sanctuary of the Sith?"
Setress brightened at the change of subject. "Yes, yes there was. When the diggers first pried open the entrance, there was light coming through the crack. They thought it might have been from a hole or something, but it's not. The Citadel is being fully powered by something."
"After three and a half thousand years? That shouldn't be possible." Kre said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Do they know what's causing it?"
"No, they're preceding with caution into the Citadel, so it's slow going. There was reference to some kind of engine on one of the computers. I can't remember what it's called. Inexhaustible Engine? No, that's too long. Eternal Engine? No, that wasn't it either. Invincible Engine? No, but it did start with an 'I'."
"The Infinite Engine?" Kre asked.
"Yeah, that's it!"
"If this is true..." Kre began, his voice trailing off. "This could be the key to rebuilding the Empire."
"What do you mean? What's so special about it?" Setress asked.
"If it really is the Engine, Setress- well, we might live long enough to see Kaas City rebuilt, and our fleets restored."