Welcome back friends! Yes, we have returned with another book! We are so stoked for you guys to read it! Remember, we do not own Star Wars! We are just huge fans of the universe! ENJOY! Reminder this is 6 years after the events of Book 3.
Part 1 Chapter 1- Empress Cien
In the depths of the great palace of the Reborn Sith Empire, Empress Cien stood with her arms crossed, considering her next move. Over the last two years she had been able to use the combined might of the Bloodstorm and the Imperial forces that had fled the New Republic to conquer this small empire in the Unknown Regions. Small by her standards and the standards of most of the galaxy she had ever known, only a hundred worlds or so, but one of the larger nations that called this region home. The palace she stood in now, taken from the original rulers that had controlled this 'vast' expanse of space, was testament to what they had been able to accomplish. That she stood here now was testament to how minor a force they had been, as the Bloodstorm and a squadron of thirty Imperial Star Destroyers had swept through, easily turning aside the relatively meager resistance they had put up.
To her left stood General Mendax. A tall thirty year old man with short cropped brown hair and dark brown eyes dressed in the general's uniform. He had a very chiseled face that always held an emotionless expression. He cleared his throat. "My lady. I advise we avoid advancing spinward as there are rumors of a powerful empire under the Chiss that is not to be trifled with. May I make the suggestion of moving rimward in the meantime?" Mendax suggested in a rather calm fashion.
Cien glanced upward toward the general, who was a bit taller than her. He had replaced General Varden after he had passed away three years ago during the chaos that had happened after the battle of Endor and Palpatine fell. Her glance turned back towards the map, inspecting the nations they knew of towards the galactic rim.
"What? Scared of the Chiss, General?" Ikari, Cien's first and currently only acolyte, asked from Cien's right in an accusing tone. "Have you even met one?"
Ikari was a short girl probably around her middle twenties. She had jet black hair that was neatly tied back into a long braid that fell to the small of her back. Her eyes were a piercing green that they actually looked closer to yellow than actual green. Her skin was pale and she wore black robes with subtle purple accents and a pair of black boots that barely brought her to Cien's height.
Mendax raised an eyebrow at her. "No, but I doubt you have either," he remarked rather coldly.
Cien suppressed a want to roll her eyes out of annoyance, a gesture that was unbecoming an empress. Ikari and Mendax constantly bickered whenever she held council with both of them present, in a strange way it reminded her too much of her feud with Kopesh all those years ago, which added an extra level of annoyance. Both because of the remainder of Kopesh himself, and the fact she had privately hoped to keep such conflicts out of her inner circle, trying to learn from the mistakes of Dracul.
"I'm not particularly interested in starting a war with a major power in this region until we have further consolidated ourselves." Cien spoke, finally. "The Chiss, from all accounts, are adversaries to be considered. Which system would you suggest for our next move, then, General?" She said, hoping her subtle council would reach her Acolyte.
Mendax nodded and gestured to one of the planets before them. "This system is currently inhabited, but by a rather inferior species. However, according to our scans, there is a high level of unrefined rhydonium that we could mine to fuel our fleet for years to come," he informed her before lowering his hand and placing it behind his back with the other.
She considered it for a moment. It made sense, and was an obvious target. "How many ships will it take to pacify the system?" She asked.
A snarky smirk appeared on his face. "Two Star Destroyers and their escort battle groups should be more than enough to pacify it, my lady. Though the Bloodstorm is also more than capable to handle such a venture on it's own," Mendax said, sounding just a tad overconfident.
As tempting as it was to have the Bloodstorm as far away from her as possible, she still felt it was needed here as a symbol of her Empires might. "Dispatch the Star Destroyers at your discretion." She ordered.
His smirk disappearing, Mendax bowed to her. "Of course. Right away, my lady," he said before turning to the lower ranking officer behind. He gave a simple nod of his head and the officer left to dispatch the destroyers.
Cien called an end to the council by stepping away from the holotable, and the rest of the officers dispersed to carry out their orders for the day, in preparation for expanding out into this new region. Ikari knelt before her, bowing her head.
"What now, my lady?" Ikari asked in a very obedient tone. "What would you like me to do?"
"Act as vanguard for the fleet." Cien ordered. "Scout this new region, learn what you can that may be of interest, or a threat."
Ikari nodded as she rose from her knees. "Yes, my lady. I shall leave right away," she said with a slight bow before leaving the chamber.
Cien nodded her approval. She was glad to have an acolyte such as this, obedient and willing to play her part in this fledgling Empire. She turned to leave the room, her personal guard forming behind her as she left to return to her suite. Feeling a sense of pride in what she had accomplished, and in having accomplished it in the shadow of learning what not to do from her own, hopefully long dead master Dracul.
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