The Youngest and the Strongest

by Trado

Valkorion originally had three children. For this story however, he has four. Two sets of twins with two boys, then one girl and one boy. These children are named Thexan, Arcann, Vaylin, and Kayden. Rated M just to be safe. Story starts a little before KOTFE and the story will be different than what happens in the game. ABANDONED.

10. Chapter 10: The First Moves

Chapter 10: The First Moves

It was now official, the Eternal Empire had joined the war against the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire.

Arcann had announced the invasion to the rest of the galaxy as well as the reason for it being the assassination of his father, the Immortal Emperor.

However, despite Zakuul having joined the war a week ago, Kayden and Vaylin had not fought in any battles yet, nor had they received any orders or assignments from Arcann.

Needless to say, Vaylin was not happy, which was clear by the way she was angrily pacing back and forth. "Ugh, how much longer do we have to wait for big brother's orders? The Eternal Fleet is destroying our enemies without us!" Vaylin nearly shouted to her twin, both of whom were currently on the bridge of the Eternal Flagship.

Kayden didn't answer immediately and seemed to just be staring out the bridge's viewport. After a moment, he turned to face his sister. "Vaylin, have you seen the most recent reports from the rest of the fleet?" He asked, with his twin clearly confused by the question.

"Why?" She asked instead, unwilling to admit that she'd ignored said reports.

"So far, the Eternal Fleet hasn't invaded much of the galaxy yet. Arcann has mostly used the fleet to eliminate threats closest to our territory, despite the fleet being large enough to do far more. So think for a moment, why wouldn't Arcann use the full power of the Eternal Fleet immediately?"

Vaylin stopped her pacing and took a few moments to think over her twin's question. She wasn't as good at strategic thinking as her brothers, but she still wasn't bad at it. She knew it made sense to eliminate the closest threats first but the Eternal Fleet was definitely strong enough to do far more.

So why did Arcann hesitate?

Kayden decided to give his sister a hint. "Vaylin, what's the Eternal Fleet's greatest weakness?"

Vaylin blinked. 'Weakness? What weakness? The Eternal Fleet is the strongest fleet in the entire galaxy and once their loaded with troops from Zakuul-' "Resources! The ships still need resources to function!" He said in realization. The smile she got from Kayden told her she'd said the right answer.

"Yes." Kayden answered, making Vaylin beam in pride. "The ships in the fleet don't consume much in terms of resources, but they still need to restock and refuel from time to time. Usually it's easy since Zakuul has always been at the heart of our territory. Now however, it will be more difficult since our ships will be traveling much further distances from what they normally do. So, with all that in mind, what do you think is the reason for our movements?"

This time, Vaylin didn't need to think about it. "Big brother's scouting for a good staging point, or a location we'll be able to use to resupply whenever necessary without going all the way back to Zakuul."

"Right again. I've even got a few ideas on where we'll be going, but I can't be certain until we hear from our brother." Kayden said while turning back to face out the viewport, signaling the end of the conversation.

Vaylin wasn't exactly pleased to know why her big brother hadn't sent them out yet, but she could understand the reasoning behind it now, even if she didn't like it. A few moments later, she went back to her pacing.

She just hoped that her and Kayden would be sent somewhere that would finally let her kill a lot of enemies.

Sadly, her hopes would be crushed.

The next day, Arcann contacted the Flagship with their first orders: They would take the Eternal Flagship and a good portion of the Eternal Fleet and conquer the world of Darvannis to be used as their main staging point into the rest of the galaxy.

At first, Vaylin had been thrilled that they would finally be going into battle and had mentioned her excitement about facing thousands of enemies to her twin. Unfortunately, her twin killed her excitement quickly when he mentioned what he'd learned about Darvannis.

Apparently, the planet was not strategically important enough for neither the Republic nor the Empire to even bother sending forces there. The only sort of defense the planet had, if it could even be called that, was a small group of mercenary forces hired by the Hutt Cartel. 'Gangsters and other such scum. If I wanted to deal with that I should've just stayed on Zakuul.'

Arriving at Darvannis only served to confirm that this wouldn't be any sort of a challenge. The planet had maybe half a dozen ships defending it, none of which were even warships, just transports with a few weapon emplacements. Vaylin did crack a small smile when imagining the looks of terror from the crews on each of the defending ships when they saw their massive fleet drop out of hyperspace.

Kayden contacted the planet's defenders and gave them three choices: flee, surrender, or die. Most clearly chose the first option as every one of the defending ships immediately turned and retreated into hyperspace, leaving only the few defenders left on the planet's surface.

Vaylin wanted to go down and deal with them personally, but Kayden dismissed that idea saying that it simply wasn't necessary for them to deal with a few paid mercenaries when they could just send down a few squads of skytroopers and walkers to do the same. She agreed, but was very reluctant to do so.

'When am I finally going to get to kill something?'

On Darvannis…

Kayden and Vaylin landed on the surface of Darvannis with a few knights about an hour later. Both siblings quickly agreed that they weren't fans of the desert planet. Too hot during the day, too cold during the night, and the sand got everywhere. So they decided to finish their business on Darvannis as quickly as possible.

The skytroopers sent down before them had done their job and successfully captured any and all areas of importance as well as captured or eliminated any remaining mercenaries, which was surprisingly few.

Approaching the kneeling prisoners, Kayden started speaking. "Who is the leader among you?"

"Who's asking?" One of the prisoners spat in a distorted voice.

Kayden took a moment to examine the speaker and it took less than a moment for Kayden to be certain that he was the leader. The prisoner was massive, over a head taller than Kayden himself or the skytroopers. He also wore very intimidating gray heavy armor that covered him from head to toe with a mask practically made for battle. Kayden also recognized the prisoner as the one mercenary who hadn't immediately surrendered when facing the skytroopers.

In fact, according to the report, the prisoner was the only one who actually attempted to stand and fight, despite the impossible numbers he was up against. Kayden knew that this one merc had successfully defeated over two dozen skytroopers before he was stunned and captured, which proved that this was a great warrior and one worthy of at least some respect.

So the young prince decided to humor him. "I am Prince Kayden of Zakuul, younger brother to Emperor Arcann, ruler of the Eternal Empire."

The prisoner grunted. "Hmph. I've heard of the Sith Empire, never heard of any Eternal Empire."

"Understandable." Kayden said with a slight nod. "Our Empire existed only in what you know as the Unknown Regions until recently. Now, identify yourself." Kayden ordered.

The prisoner laughed. "Fine. I'm Sunder, Warlord of the Hutt Cartel and leader of these…cowardly mercs." Sunder said in a disgusted tone while looking at the other prisoners, who were carefully avoiding looking at their masked leader.

It took Kayden a minute but he was certain he'd heard the name Sunder before. Then it came to him. "You're one of the four Warlords that was amassing an army on this planet for the Dread Masters two years ago. The reports said you and the other warlords were killed." Kayden said, identifying the man from what he'd read about Darvannis from Zhorrid's records.

Sunder's facial expressions couldn't be seen due to his mask, but Kayden sensed the warlord's surprise before it changed to anger. "You're right that we were amassing an army of mercs here, but we thought we were doing it for the Hutt Cartel, not the Dread Masters." He said in distaste before continuing. "As for the report of my death, it's true that myself and the other warlords were defeated by a strike team that was sent here. The others might have been killed, but I am Gen'Dai, and you'll find that my kind are very difficult to kill." Sunder said and, though he couldn't see it, his last words had Kayden convinced that he was smirking under his mask.

Kayden didn't know much about Gen'Dai since there were only a few brief mentions of them in Zhorrid's records, but he had read that they were a very strong and hard to kill species. 'Strong, but not invincible.'

"May I ask why you attacked our forces? You could obviously tell it was a fight you couldn't win." Kayden questioned.

Sunder gave a slight laugh before answering. "What kind of a warrior would I be if I just rolled over for someone coming to take what's mine? Besides, it was your droids that beat me, not you. I'll bet I could crush you with just one hand if you'd been brave enough to face me." The warlord taunted.

Kayden was no fool. He knew the warlord was trying to provoke him and, if he'd said something like that to Vaylin, he would have succeeded. However, while Kayden could have just ignored or dismissed the taunting words, he saw an opportunity. "Oh? You think you'd be able to defeat me in battle if we fought one on one?" Kayden asked, knowing he'd take the bait.

Sunder didn't disappoint. "No, I don't think I'd defeat you. I know I'd defeat you." He said with total confidence.

"Care to put that to the test?" Kayden challenged. He now sensed he had the warlord's attention and interest. "A deathmatch between just you and me. A prince versus a warlord. If you kill me, you'll claim my fleet through right of conquest. If I kill you, the Eternal Empire claims Darvannis. Do you accept?" Kayden asked. He'd lied about the fleet of course, but the warlord didn't need to know that.

Sunder was silent for a few moments, seemingly thinking over his options, but Kayden sensed that the warlord had made his decision the moment he'd made the challenge.

"I accept." The Gen'Dai said. Kayden nodded and ordered his skytroopers to bring the warlord to an open area for their upcoming duel.

Before Kayden could follow, he was stopped by Vaylin's hand on his shoulder. "Please let me kill him." She all but pleaded. "That giant hunk of metal isn't worth either of our blades but I know you don't like killing as much as me so please let me have this one."

Kayden shook his head. "Normally, I'd say yes, but this is about more than killing an enemy. This is meant to send a message."

Vaylin looked disappointed and angry at first, but quickly became confused when he'd finished. "A message? To who?"

Kayden just gave his sister a grin. "You'll see." He said before walking in the direction the warlord had been taken.

A few minutes later and everything was set. The warlord had his weapons returned to him which included a handful of thermal detonators, a blaster pistol, and a huge electrostaff that was nearly twice the size of the ones Kayden had seen before.

The only weapon carried by the young prince was his lightsaber.

The only ones watching the duel were Vaylin, their knights, and the other mercenary prisoners per Kayden's instructions. There was also a large number of skytroopers spread out around the area just in case Sunder decided to try and make a run for it. 'Not that he'd get away from me or Vaylin, but better safe than sorry.'

"Are you ready, warlord?" Kayden asked while igniting his lightsaber, the golden blade coming to life in his hand.

"Yeah, I'm ready boy." The warlord responded while activating his electrostaff, the light from the staff making Sunder's armor look even more menacing.

The 'boy' comment did annoy Kayden slightly, but he wouldn't let the warlord's taunting get to him. Instead, he shifted into a fighting stance while Sunder did the same.

"Then let's begin." Kayden said and rushed forward the instant the words had finished leaving his mouth. He sensed Sunder's surprise with how quickly he'd charged, but it was slight and the warlord found his balance again quickly and blocked a slash meant to sever his head from his shoulders with what appeared to be very little effort. 'He might not be force sensitive, but he's incredibly strong physically. Not surprising with how big he is.'

Kayden attacked with quick slashes, thinking speed would be able to penetrate the warlord's defenses, but Sunder proved to be surprisingly quick despite his size and easily blocked or parried all of the young prince's attacks.

After a few more quick slashes, Sunder changed from defense to offense and started attacking with very heavy strikes. Kayden redirected most of the strikes, knowing he had to be careful due to the warlord's strength, but one blow came in at an angle he knew he wouldn't be redirected quickly enough and had to block the blow instead. As he'd expected, the strength of the blow was enough to knock him off guard for a split second. The warlord immediately pounced on the opportunity and tried to land a fatal blow to the young prince's head.

However, Kayden was still the faster of the two and recovered quickly enough to duck under the swing that surely would have smashed his skull had it landed and swung his lightsaber to cleave the massive man in half, but the warlord proved his skill again by moving his electrostaff just enough to be able to deflect the lightsaber away from his body.

After that, both warriors jumped back and put some distance between each other, temporarily pausing their duel. 'He's good.' Both duelists unknowingly thought at the same time.

Each knew now that they were facing a skilled opponent. Kayden's natural skill was extraordinary, even among the most skilled knights of Zakuul. Sunder, while not as skilled, made up for it with battle experience against all different types of opponents and species.

Sunder, deciding it was time to switch tactics, pulled out and activated a thermal detonator which he immediately threw at the young prince. Kayden simply raised his hand and used the force to freeze the detonator in the air between the two of them.

Before Kayden could wonder why the warlord had used such a simple move, Sunder quickly drew his blaster pistol and shot the thermal detonator out of the air, causing a decent sized explosion.

Out of reflex, Kayden raised his arm to shield his eyes from the blast. When he lowered his arm, he saw Sunder had somehow crossed the distance between them and was swinging his electrostaff low to take the young prince's legs out from under him.

Rather than try to block the strike, Kayden jumped over the staff and then thrust his arm straight up, causing what appeared to be a sand geyser to go off directly below Sunder and causing the massive warlord to go flying back and hitting the ground with a solid thud.

Before he'd landed, Kayden had jumped high and, before the warlord could roll out of the way or raise his electrostaff to defend himself, the young prince drove his lightsaber right through the middle of the warlord's chest.

Neither combatant moved and the only sounds that could be heard was the wind and the slight hum coming from Kayden's lightsaber and Sunder's electrostaff. 'It's not over.'

Despite the lightsaber that was buried in his chest, Sunder started laughing. The warlord then tightened his grip on his electrostaff and swung it up at the exposed prince. Thinking fast, Kayden used the force to backflip off and away from the downed warlord and avoided the attack, but left his lightsaber in Sunder's chest. 'Interesting.'

"Huh, seems you are difficult to kill." Kayden commented as Sunder rose to his feet, seemingly unconcerned with the still activated lightsaber in his chest.

"I did tell you." He said in an arrogant manner before drawing his blaster pistol and firing several shots towards the now weaponless prince. Kayden wasn't impressed by the attack. 'He really thinks I can't defend myself without my lightsaber? Maybe he's killed Jedi or Sith who couldn't, but I'm not them.'

Raising his hand and waving it back and forth, Kayden used the force to redirect the blaster shots away from himself before using the force to snatch the pistol out of the warlord's hand and, when the blaster was suspended in the air right before his hand, the young prince made a fist and used the force to crush the weapon and letting the now useless weapon fall to the ground.

"Hmm, never seen a Jedi do that trick before. Or are you a Sith?" The warlord asked.

"Neither." Kayden answered. "I'm a prince of Zakuul. That's all you need to know." Kayden stated before using the force to retrieve his lightsaber from Sunder's chest and quickly return it to his waiting hand.

Looking carefully, Kayden could see a clear hole in the middle of Sunder's chest and watched in fascination as the hole in the warlord's body quickly closed, leaving only a small hole in the massive man's armor. 'So he can regenerate but still feels pain. I'll need to study these Gen'Dai a bit more so the knights will have an easier time dealing with any others in the future. Regardless, I've seen enough. It's time to end this.'

"If you have any last words, Warlord Sunder, say them now." Kayden said. The young prince sensed the warlord's surprise, which was quickly replaced by amusement.

"Last words?" The warlord repeated mockingly before he burst out laughing. "You just watched me get impaled by that lightsaber of yours and get back up instantly, now you're saying I should say my last words?" Sunder questioned in that same mocking voice.

"Is that all you have to say?" Kayden asked, ignoring Sunder's words. The warlord didn't understand. He was finished before the match even started, he just didn't know it. Now, Kayden had decided this fight had gone on long enough.

This time, he sensed anger building in the massive man before he took a stance with his electrostaff. "I've been killing for longer than you've been alive boy. Don't think for a moment that you-"

That was as far as Sunder got before he cried out in pain when he was struck by golden lightning coming from Kayden's hands. The lightning enveloped the massive warlord and was so intense it actually caused the other thermal detonators on his belt to go off, causing a huge explosion to envelop the Hutt Warlord.

Reaching out with his senses, Kayden checked for any signs of life and was surprised to sense that not only was the warlord still alive, but he was only slightly weakened. 'I really need to study these Gen'Dai more when I get a chance. An explosion like that would've killed most other beings.'

A figure walked out of the smoke from the explosion a moment later. It was Sunder, but the only reason Kayden knew that was because he still had his mask on. Well, partially at least. The bottom half of the mask had been blown off in the explosion, showing a huge mouth filled with sharp teeth. The rest of his armor had also been destroyed, showing an even more massive body than the one he'd had previously that appeared to be a mess of muscles and nerves without skin.

Opening his fanged mouth, the enraged warlord let out a roar before charging at the young prince. Kayden's expression didn't change and he simply raised an arm and blasted Sunder with more of his golden force lightning.

The Gen'Dai's scream from the pain was much louder this time around and Kayden guessed that his armor must have given him some slight protection. Now however, that protection was gone and Kayden could tell that, while his lightsaber wouldn't have been too effective against this being, his lightning clearly was.

Having seen enough, Kayden raised his other arm and, calling upon the force to strengthen him as much as he could, the prince of Zakuul unleashed a storm of lightning on the helpless warlord.

Sunder shrieked in pain, which sounded far more like a beast roaring rather than a man screaming, but Kayden didn't let up and just continued unleashing more and more lightning on the Gen'Dai.

Finally, the warlord's screams ceased and Kayden stopped his lightning. This time when he reached out with his senses, he wasn't surprised by the results of his force storm.

Sunder, the Hutt Cartel Warlord of Darvannis, had been reduced to nothing but ashes. The only thing left of him being his blackened, half destroyed helmet. 'Yeah. This'll send a message.' Kayden thought as he reached out once more and noted that every one of the prisoners was looking at the scene with disbelief and fear.

Walking towards the prisoners, Kayden used the force to throw Sunder's burnt helmet in front of them before speaking loud enough for all to hear. "Your warlord is dead. Darvannis now belongs to the Eternal Empire. Take that helmet back to the Hutts and tell them this, our war is against the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. If they try to fight us or retaliate for this, there will be consequences." He finished while waving his hand, using the force to make certain his message would be delivered.

Having said his piece, Kayden ordered the prisoners onto a nearby shuttle which quickly took off and soon he received confirmation from the fleet that the ship had jumped back towards Hutt controlled space.

After receiving said report, Vaylin approached him. "So, not that it wasn't fun to watch, but what was the point of all that? You could've crushed that so called warlord in seconds, but you chose to toy with him instead. Why?"

"To send a message as well as a warning." Kayden answered simply.

Vaylin was clearly not satisfied with that answer. "Brother, can you please explain so that I can stop asking the same questions over and over? What was the point of this?" She asked in a sweet tone, clearly demanding details.

Kayden sighed. "Our main enemies in this war are the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, but they aren't the only threats in this galaxy. I'd say the next biggest threat is the Hutt Cartel."

"Right, the slugs, you talked about them before. You said they were just gangsters, so why are they a threat to us?" Vaylin asked in a bored tone.

"They aren't a threat to us." Kayden corrected. "But they could be if they feel threatened or they think we're trying to take what they think is theirs. Yes, they might be gangsters, but they've been around for thousands of years now despite the majority of the galaxy knowing what they are. At one point, they even had their own empire until it collapsed. Still, they control a lot of power and influence and could be an obstacle to us." Kayden explained, hoping his sister would understand what he'd been hoping to accomplish.

Vaylin did appear to be thinking about what he'd said. "So the fat slugs could be a problem for us but they're not right now. Why?"

"The Hutts have been mostly neutral in the war between the Republic and the Sith Empire and have only provided assistance to either side if they knew they would benefit in some way. However, if they were to fully join the war and support either the Republic or the Sith Empire, the side that received their help would get incredible support, likely drawing the war out for much longer."

Vaylin's eyes widened slightly. "And you said you wanted to end the war as quickly as possible. You want the Hutts to stay neutral, at least long enough for us to crush those Jedi and Sith."

"Yes." Kayden answered with a smile and a nod towards his sister. "I would like to do something about the Hutts at some point, but they aren't a priority right now. So for now, we just need them to stay out of the way."

Kayden could almost see the moment when Vaylin put all the pieces together. "You showed off during that fight so those scum that left on the shuttle will tell the Hutts, and the helmet was your warning to them on what'll happen if those slugs get in our way."

"Exactly right. They're scum, but still smart enough to know better than fight a battle they can't win. When they hear we're joining the war, I don't think they'll be an issue." Kayden said, confident that the Hutts wouldn't try to stop them. "Now, we've still got some work to do here so we might as well get to work."

Vaylin groaned at that, which just caused Kayden to give a slight laugh.

Neither was aware that the force storm Kayden used to destroy Sunder had the unintended effect of sending a ripple through the force, causing a few individuals of note to take notice.

On Tython…

In the privacy of her personal meditation chambers, Satele Shan, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, opened her eyes when she felt a sudden disturbance in the force.

She'd been meditating in hopes of clearing her mind somewhat due to the seemingly never ending pressure that came with fighting this war against the Sith and, more recently, the new Eternal Empire that had recently joined the war. 'This disturbance did not come from any Sith, but whoever it did come from is very strong in the force.' She thought while reaching out to see if she could learn more about what she'd sensed.

Unfortunately, after several more minutes and no answers coming to her, the Grandmaster stood and walked out of her chambers and made her way to the council chambers, intending to report this new development to the other council members. 'This war… it only seems to get worse the longer it lasts.'

As she made her way to speak with her fellow council members, Satele thought about just a few of the brave individuals who'd laid down their lives for the order and the Republic. 'Master Orgus, Master Braga, Master Kaeden… how many more must give their lives before this conflict finally ends?'

Entering the council chambers, she saw that the chambers weren't empty and almost gave a small smile when she saw the other occupants. There were four people in the chambers and Satele took a moment to consider each.

The first was a fellow council member like herself and was someone that Satele thought would likely be the best candidate to replace her as Grandmaster if that ever became necessary, the Barsen'thor.

He was still fairly young, barely thirty years old, but he had the skill and wisdom of someone far older. He was also one of the two Miraluka currently on the council which was clear by the simple brown cloth covering where his eyes would be. Other than that, his appearance was mostly unremarkable with silver hair long enough to cover his ears but not quite reaching his shoulders and wearing the traditional brown robes of the Jedi Order.

Two individuals stood on each of his sides and, despite neither being council members, both were welcomed and respected in the temple.

The first was the trandoshan hunter, Qyzen Fess. Satele had known Qyzen for a while now since he'd often visited the temple to see Yuon Par, the Jedi Master that would eventually train the Barsen'thor. However, Satele never had any issues with Qyzen's presence despite some light protests from her fellow masters.

The second individual was the Barsen'thor's apprentice, Nadia Grell. Satele couldn't help but feel a slight sadness whenever she saw Nadia. The poor girl had lost her father to the Sith and had so many responsibilities to deal with because of his death and the girl was barely out of her teens. Still, Satele had faith that the young padawan would receive all the help she needed from her master and the rest of the order.

The last individual was standing across from the Barsen'thor and speaking too quietly for Satele to hear the words but it was another young Jedi that the Grandmaster recognized, Kira Carsen.

She was another young Jedi that brought sadness to the grandmaster, but for different reasons than Nadia. She, and those she returned to Tython with, were the very first ones to encounter the Eternal Fleet and escaped to warn them of their impending threat.

Unfortunately, she'd returned without her master.

The loss of their battlemaster had hurt the order badly but it had definitely hurt his former padawan the most. Kira was strong and good at hiding it, but Satele could sense the worry that she felt for her master. 'As well as something else she's doing an excellent job of hiding, but that's not a secret for me to speak of.'

"Greetings." Satele said, getting the small group's attention.

"Master Satele." The barsen'thor said in greeting while giving a slight bow with Nadia and Kira doing the same while Qyzen just gave a slight nod. "I apologize, I didn't realize there would be a council meeting today."

"Nothing to forgive Barsen'thor." Satele said, dismissing the young man's apology. "I wasn't planning to call a meeting but it seems the force had other plans." Satele explained, her words getting a hopeful look from Kira.

"My master?" Kira asked, hoping for anything even slightly relating to her master. 'It probably would've been better if I had sensed something related to the Battlemaster, but the force rarely shows us what we want to see.'

"I'm afraid not Kira." Satele said, making the young knight's hope evaporate faster than water on Tatooine. "However, I would ask you to stay and observe this upcoming meeting. I have a feeling it relates to the force that attacked you and your master and your experience and perspective could be necessary."

Kira looked surprised for a moment before a smile appeared on her face and she nodded eagerly. "I'll give whatever help I can master." She said with a determination that made a small, almost unnoticeable smile appear on the grandmaster's own face.

"I know you will Kira.'' Satele acknowledged before turning her attention back to her fellow council member. "Barsen'thor, if you're not busy I would ask that you stay for this meeting as well. I feel your experience with the Rift Alliance will prove invaluable against this new threat."

Satele sensed his surprise for a very brief moment before it was replaced by a determination that rivaled Kira's own. "I'll do everything in my power to support the order in this dark time, Master Satele."

This time, the smile on Satele's face was clear to see. "I thank you, Barsen'thor. However, I think any further discussion should include the rest of the council." She said before gesturing to the center of the room.

Getting a nod, the Barsen'thor and the Grandmaster both took their own seats before Master Satele sent a request out to the other members of the Jedi council asking them to assemble for a meeting.

It took a few minutes, but the few members of the council who were in the temple arrived and took their seats while the majority of the members appeared as holos. 'Another effect of this war.'

"Masters, thank you all for gathering. We have much to discuss."

On Korriban…

On the Sith homeworld, a rather large figure was kneeling in his own meditation chamber. The moment he sensed the disturbance in the force, his blood red eyes snapped open and he growled in rage before rising to his full height.

He was a large figure at well over six feet with strong muscles and great power in the dark side of the force. His physical appearance was also one that would intimidate most who saw him with his pitch black robes and armor and his blood red face and eyes showing himself to be a pure blooded sith.

However, all of that was nothing compared to the darkness within him. A level of rage and cruelty that most Sith could only dream of and all others could only fear, and a bloodlust that couldn't be satisfied.

In other words…

He was the perfect person to be the Empire's Wrath. The same person who'd once been chosen to be the Emperor's Wrath, hand-picked by the former Emperor himself.

He was now also the unofficial leader of the Sith Empire and the Dark Council after word reached them of Darth Marr's disappearance and, soon after, his death, something that even the Wrath would admit was a rather serious problem since Darth Marr, despite his faults, had made a decent leader for the empire. 'But he's gone now and those who destroyed him will be destroyed. I'll see to it personally.'

Marching out of his private chambers, the Wrath started making his way to the Dark Council chambers. It irritated him more than a little to have to deal with some of the council members, but he knew he had no choice. He was the only one strong enough to hold the council and the empire together now. 'What's left of it anyway.' The Wrath thought bitterly as he thought about some of the losses the Empire had suffered recently.

With Darth Marr's death, the Dark Council now had only six members, half the number it should have, and two of its members had only recently gained their seats. 'We must fill those empty seats soon. Some of the spheres have been leaderless for far too long.'

Turning a corner, Wrath sees two individuals speaking at the end of the corridor. The two newest Dark Council members, Darth Acina and Darth Occlus, having what appeared to be a friendly chat. Though the Wrath was certain they were likely discussing their places among the Dark Council. 'Not surprising, they've been close allies since the Seeds of Rage incident.'

Darth Acina had gotten her seat after the death of Darth Karrid and was currently the head of the Sphere of Technology. At first, her position had been a strong one since she'd been the only member of the Dark Council to have access to the Arcanum, a secret space station containing some of the greatest dark side artifacts in the galaxy. However, Acina's position had suffered greatly after the Dread Masters' servants successfully stole several of Arcanum's contents. With Occlus' help, the stolen artifacts were retrieved and the thieves killed, but it wasn't forgotten that the Arcanum had been infiltrated due to the betrayal of one of Acina's apprentices. She still had considerable influence, but less after the incident.

Darth Occlus, the newest member of the Dark Council, had perhaps the least influence among its members, but his power was still considerable. Occlus was currently the head of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge after he personally killed the previous councilor in charge of it, Darth Thanaton.

The Wrath couldn't help but growl when he thought of the foolish Sith. Thanaton had wasted so much of the empire's strength in his efforts to kill Occlus and, not only had they all failed, his efforts had only made his enemy stronger and he'd used up even more resources waging a Kaggath against Occlus on Corellia and then running like a coward when things didn't go his way. 'Not that it saved him. It only served to prove Occlus was indeed worthy of his seat.'

Wrath hadn't seen their final duel in person, but he had watched the holo afterwards and would admit that watching Mortis snap Thanaton's neck had been quite satisfying. 'Though not as satisfying as putting my lightsaber through Baras' chest.'

The thought of his final confrontation against his master brought a smile to Wrath's face. It had taken a long time, but that moment, when he'd finally ended his master's life, he knew then it had all been worth it. Baras had definitely earned his fate, but he would still grudgingly admit that at least his master hadn't wasted as much of the empire's strength as Thanaton had.

Still, despite his satisfaction over Thanaton's removal, the Wrath couldn't help but be wary of Occlus. The man was a complete mystery to most, even the Empire's Wrath himself. Apparently, very soon after taking his council seat, Occlus had ordered the destruction of any and all records relating to his past. Why he did this, no one seemed to know, save Occlus himself. There were only three things about Occlus that the Wrath was certain of, Occlus had been a slave before becoming Sith, he was some sort of alien species but Wrath didn't know which, and he was undeniably loyal to the empire. 'He proved that when he spared Darth Achelon when most would have killed him.'

Other than that, the Wrath simply couldn't get a reading on the man. Even his own apprentice and secret lover, Jaesa Willsaam, had used her special gift to try and get a read on Occlus but all she'd been able to say was that his intentions weren't knowable. So while the Wrath didn't quite trust Occlus, he had no real reason to distrust him either. At least, not yet.

Sensing his approach, the two council members abruptly ended their conversation and turned to face the approaching pureblood. "Lord Wrath." Both said in greeting before giving a slight bow.

Acina was wearing a blood red robe with her hood down, showing her attractive face, brown hair, and sith yellow eyes.

Occlus looked the same as always, with a plain black robe with his hood up and wearing his ancestor Kallig's mask. The Wrath had thought more than once that the darkness in the mask where the eyes would be was very fitting for someone like Occlus since the eyes were an excellent way to get a read on someone but, for Occlus, nothing could be seen.

"Acina, Occlus." The Wrath greeted both, not bothering to bow in return or use their Darth titles since he knew, despite being Dark Council members, the two Sith were beneath him. "Both of you make your way to the Dark Council chambers. There are matters that need to be discussed." He said before turning away from the two Sith, not bothering to wait for their replies.

As he marched away, he felt a very brief surge of anger in Acina before it was buried, but sensed nothing from Occlus. 'As usual.' He thought as he entered the dark council chambers with Acina and Occlus close behind.

The chamber was enormous with six seats on each side of the room and a throne in the back to look down on them all. The Wrath used the force to jump up to the throne. Sitting on the throne that had only been meant for the former Emperor, the Wrath used a console on the throne to summon the other members for a meeting.

It didn't take long for the rest of the council to assemble, although only Acina and Occlus were there in person, all the others were attending via holos. The Wrath took a moment to look over the other Dark Councilors.

The first one his eyes landed on was also the one Wrath respected the most, Darth Vowrawn. A fellow Pureblood Sith and one of the longest serving members of the council, Vowrawn was the only member who'd supported the Wrath against his former master and, as a result, was the one member of the Dark Council that the Wrath felt he could truly trust. 'Well, as much as one can trust a Sith.'

The next member was one that annoyed the Wrath, Darth Rictus. The oldest member of the Dark Council was capable, the Wrath would admit that much, but he was also one who held strongly to Sith Traditions, including the belief that aliens had no place among the Sith, something that the Wrath and previously Marr had disagreed with.

The Wrath had dealt with many different species during his journeys and, while he'd killed many of them, he had seen more than a few aliens succeed in tasks where other Sith had failed. He'd seen it early on for himself when his former slave, Vette, had successfully opened a secret chamber in the tombs that no other Sith could figure out how to open, a success he'd rewarded by removing her shock collar shortly afterwards.

Bringing his thoughts back to the present, the Wrath moved on and looked towards the next council member, Darth Mortis. He didn't follow Sith traditions as strongly as Rictus, but he did still support the anti-alien policies. The Wrath thought the man was a hypocrite since, despite his support of the policies, he'd quickly changed his opinions of aliens like Karrid and Occlus once they'd proven their strength.

The last member was the one the Wrath hated the most, Darth Ravage, another hypocrite. Ravage had also been against aliens unless they proved themselves but the Wrath had a more personal grudge with Ravage. During his final duel against his former master, Baras had asked the Dark Council for support and Ravage had been quick to offer his aid, at least until Baras' strength had been depleted, and ever since then the Wrath had considered Ravage an enemy. The only reason he hadn't simply ended Ravage's pathetic existence was because the empire had been so badly weakened already that the loss of any more Dark Council members was something that simply couldn't be accepted right now.

"Members of the Dark Council." Wrath said loudly, getting the attention of the other members. "We have much to discuss. Let's begin."

A.N.

That's all for now folks. The Eternal Empire has captured Darvannis and Kayden's execution of Sunder has already started getting some attention. I hope you all liked how I introduced some members from the Sith and the Jedi. For this story, I had the Empire's Wrath take over leadership of the Empire after Marr's death since he would be the highest figure left in the Empire. I also want to mention that I didn't identify all the members of the Jedi Council because, while I do have plans for the Dark Council, I'm still deciding on what I want to do for the Jedi Council. I'll also be including more characters as the story progresses so that's something to look forward to but, for now, please let me know what you think and I'll try to get you guys the next chapter as soon as I can. Thanks to everybody and have a great day!