Chapter Eleven

Though no one had seen Hyperion returning from his call with his brother, he knew better than to believe his actions weren't somehow being monitored. However, as he studied the patterns of Imperial life, a dark and more alarming truth became clear to him. They were so desperate for good warriors that they didn't care for his conduct as long as he had no explicit intentions of betraying the Empire to the mortal enemy of the Dark Side. He could waltz right in, kill the Emperor, take his title, the Sith wouldn't penalize him for it if he was the stronger one than their Emperor was. But the problem was that he knew he couldn't simply kill the Emperor on his own and even if he could, he still had to worry about clever bastards like Darth Jadus challenging him.

That man was an enigma to Hyperion and that made him dangerous, his power notwithstanding. He had power second only to Emperor Vitiate, making him stronger than even Emperor Verrin yet he had never made a bid for the throne. What was he waiting for, assuming he wanted the throne of the Empire for himself? If he didn't why didn't he want the power of the Empire for himself what was it that he sought? To lead the Empire to ruin from within or induce a state of pure anarchy as he was rumored to have attempted when Emperor Vitiate's absence was truly noted and admitted to the public by the Dark Council?

What was he waiting for that kept him only as First of the Council and not striving to be the Emperor? Was he waiting for the authority of a position like the Wrath in which case he could become a Voice or Hand of the Emperor? Could it be that he just simply wanted recognition for his cunning in a manner that could make him a powerful ally? That was when Hyperion hatched an idea, something he realized could prove his saving grace if he should ever need an ally. If the Emperor asked him if he'd like a favor performed, should Jadus still be just a member of the Council by then, he would have Verrin nominate him to an Emperor's Voice.

Apart from allowing Verrin to pursue his own devices whilst still dictating his will to the Empire, which was considerable enough, Jadus would be in a position to advise him. To recommend courses of action strategically beneficial to the Empire overall or else to his own designs. If Jadus chose the former, the Emperor would find more reason to respect his Wrath and perhaps throw more formal accolades upon him beyond training his sons. But if Lord Jadus chose the latter course, Hyperion was assured that at least one of two things would happen. He would either be on the right side when Jadus won or that he had been successful in undermining the Empire as a Republic mole.

And even if Jadus won before the plans to take Mandalore were a success, the Sith would be profoundly undermined to near-annihilation. All the Jedi and the Republic would have to do is lay the finishing blow on the dying Empire then the Sith would be vanquished as a whole. The only problem that plagued Hyperion was the question of whether or not that was just what Jadus wanted all along for purposes of reconstruction. He was tricky as the Sith came and powerful enough to personally oversee his designs come to fruition if he had to. That was when Hyperion was starting to consider the unthinkable: find a body Crassus could possess so that his rejuvenation would be completed in seconds, rather than years.

On the one hand, Crassus was a monster that could never be retracted once released upon the Sith. But on the other, if he possessed a worthy body such as Darth Imperius, he was the only one powerful and cunning enough to bring Jadus down if he betrayed the Empire. More, Crassus had the knowledge and experience in order to reshape the Empire into a fighting force, thanks to the success he had in making Algethiius a force of prominence in the Unknown Regions. Plus, like Emperor Vitiate before him, Crassus knew the Sith magicks and techniques of essence transfer to survive countless millennia on host bodies who aided him in ruling.

On top of that, the fact he had power he could draw on in aiding Hyperion meant that a body more powerful than Hyperion's would make him all but omnipotent once he took it over. That was the big risk, the unavoidable chance taken if he was allowed a strong body, that Hyperion feared. As he thrust himself into the routine of training the Emperor's Sons to someday surpass or even replace their father, he thought carefully about what he wanted to do. He was already going to have to think of a way the boys could be rewarded if and when they surmounted their trials to become fully fledged Sith Lords and the Emperor's Hand was looking promising. In the years following Vitiate's death, the original organization calling itself the Emperor's Hands was discovered to have been accessory to Vitiate's grandest of designs.

They had helped him oversee his immortality in a quest that consumed resources from the Empire, the Republic, and even Zakuul when it came into the picture. In response, Vitiate's short-lived predecessor (Darth Acina) toppled the organization, rounded up its servants, and ordered their execution in the heart of Dromund Kaas itself. She then declared the position available only to worthy heirs to the Emperor or Empress, specifically worthy specimens born of their blood as Verrin's children were, regardless of the mother's status. The children only needed to provide indisputable proof that they were the offspring of the Empire's ultimate master in order to be legitimate for the program but training to prove themselves was still required. What if this was the training, the regimen that proved they were worthy of being the Hands of the Emperor when the training was complete?

It would certainly provide the boys with an incentive and it would establish a reason that the Hands were effective at what they were meant to do. More, it would ensure that every single Emperor's Wrath from Hyperion onward would have a continuous supply of allies from among the Empire's most promising disciples or those next in line to the throne. On top of that, the ability to say that the Emperor's Wrath trained an aspiring Hand would be a more potent claim of power due to its excessive rarity. Another added point, one that made nominating Jadus to the Emperor's Voice all the more appealing, was that a Hand who went to the Emperor's Voice for political training would have an edge over those who simply trained with the Wrath alone. In the Sith world of competition, the more prestigious trainers you could add to your resume meant the more potential you had to become a Forceful being that could bring great change.

So when he finished training the eight sons of the Emperor another day, insulting them through part of it and physically draining them throughout the rest, he made his decision. He was going to speak to the Emperor about nominating any trainee of his who successfully completed his tutelage to the position of Emperor's Hand. However, he wouldn't do so with just his vote of confidence in his pupils alone: he would go before the Dark Council and voice both of his recommendations. He figured that if he could persuade the Council into his line of thinking and add his own vote of confidence to any bill he presented to the Emperor, he stood the best of all chances in convincing Verrin to do whatever he needed him to do.

Fortunately for him, the Council had enough respect and fear for Jadus that approving the notion to make him the Emperor's Voice was easier than approving the bill to offer Emperor's Hand to Verrin's sons. In the end, Hyperion persuaded them to accept provided that each time an Emperor fell, replacements for the Hands were selected and trained by the outgoing officials. Hyperion couldn't argue that and had actually failed to see that as a possibility in the initial bill he presented to the Dark Council. An aspiring heir to the throne who was trained by an Emperor's Hand, after the position started, could make the ultimate claim of worthiness to that very position if they petitioned for it. Taking combat lessons from the Emperor's Wrath and/or political classes from the Emperor's Voice would be just icing on that cake.

So with the revised bill about the Emperor's Hand and what training an aspiring one could acquire, he decided to approach Verrin about his idea. Expect more skepticism about the idea of Jadus as a Voice and his sons as Hands than you had with the Dark Council. Any good Sith lord who values their life and their power will fear being toppled by allies of a competitor. And you're coming to him with a bill that will allow you to station competitors for the throne all around him Crassus warned.

"Only if he chooses to view them that way will it be true. If he's smart, this will be incentive to earn the same respect from them that he gets from the Dark Council. Who knows? Lord Jadus might be less inclined to compete against him if Verrin was persuaded to occasionally heed his advice in deciding the Empire's future. He's already going to have to allow him access to all the Empire's secrets in order for Jadus to function as the best of all Voices for the Emperor," Hyperion replied. Crassus moaned at the prospect that Verrin should ever bend to pressure like that and pay respect to lesser Sith such as them just to survive.

Then again, Crassus was operating from the perspective of having never had his authority undermined until he pursued changing his fate after the prophecy of Hyperion's cousin. He had never known what it was like to ever need to respect anyone, having brainwashed entire generations under his thumb into abiding submission. It was just one of the things that, if Hyperion helped him cross back to the realm of the living, would make him one of the greatest emperors who ever lived among the Sith. Unfortunately for Crassus, it would probably mean one of the shortest reigns possible, with his power being the most coveted since Emperor Vitiate's own godly abilities. So with all that in mind, Hyperion knocked on the chambers, waited, and entered when he was called to do so with a new hope and a new fire in his aged eyes.

Chapter Twelve

"Do you know what you would be asking me if I said yes to this even with the approval of the Dark Council on your side?!" Verrin immediately demanded. Hyperion had explained the petition to make Jadus the Emperor's Voice, the reasoning behind it, as well as his bill about who should lay claim to the position of the Emperor's Hands. Hyperion nodded and carefully chose his words as he spoke to the man who'd made him one of the most powerful political figures in the Empire.

"I'm asking you to take the same risk that your subordinates take, every day. The risk of being surrounded by potential contenders who can eliminate you if you're weak and serve you if you're strong. In this day and age, reformation to how the Sith are allowed to compete with one another for power is needed. One that allows us to do so without facing the usual consequences of our destruction at the hands of the Jedi and their vaunted Republic. The Sith need not rule by brute force alone but by means of instilling fear and inducing confusion as a result of political cunning," Hyperion said.

"And why the Emperor's Hands of all positions? You do realize they only served Lord Vitiate when last they existed?" Verrin asked. Hyperion nodded and at once had an answer ready for this.

"The Emperor's Hands of Vitiate served his ultimate goal of devouring all life in the galaxy that he might live across the life of the cosmos. But since they've been destroyed in the invasion of Zakuul, we have a perfectly wonderful chance to reorganize the Hands anyway we see fit, including to the benefit of the Empire," said the Emperor's Wrath.

You speak of benefitting the Sith and their conquest even as you intend to make every effort to undermine their successes. Truly, you would've made for a terrific Sith Lord if you had completed your training before you betrayed me Crassus told his grandson. Hyperion inwardly snarled at the notion that he could've made a great anything that related to the Dark Side. Otherwise, he continued to stand at attention as he waited for Verrin to make a decision. When the Zabrak Emperor of the Sith finally spoke, Hyperion knew it would be the final word he'd say on the matter.

"I accept the terms proposed by yourself and the Council with two additional clauses. First, the aspiring Emperor's Hands must successfully complete training with both the Voice and the Wrath. Second, they are obligated to recommend up to five Force-sensitives who are ambitious and unrelated to the Emperor's family to take their place should they fall for any reason, be it during training or during tenure at which point all five shall be tested. Let the Dark Council attach that to their stipulations and I will approve the bill to reintroduce the Emperor's Hands to the ranks of the Empire. I'll even work on a recommended course of training for your half of the time they must spend in addition to the Voice for his half," Verrin said.

Hyperion nodded and wrote down what Verrin wanted to add on a separate flimsiplast that he then attached to the overall bill for training. "Is there anything else you wish of me, my lord?" Hyperion asked.

"When the Council has reached a decision, I may have a mission for you to either conduct yourself or send your pupils on as a test of their skills. Personally, I prefer you resolve it yourself then give my children time to train with the Voice in your absence but it'll be up to you to make the final decision," Verrin said. Normally, a preference or suggestion from Verrin was a command to his subordinates but Hyperion had essentially undermined that authority to his face in the name of preserving the Empire. Still, the Human knew better than to test the bounds in which he could undermine such ruthless ambition and power anymore than he had to.

By putting Jadus in close proximity to him as the Voice and asking that the princes be trained as Emperor's Hands, he had likely strained his limits as the Wrath quite enough as it was. When Hyperion presented the amendment to the Council, they were surprisingly quick about approving it. If nothing else, they recognized the need to have Forceful beings every bit as ambitious to have the Emperor's ear as the Hands would be to have his throne. In Vowrawn's words, it would force them to think about how to outmaneuver their ambitious pupils as much as how to take the throne from the Emperor until they could be certain they could move unfettered. When the Council adjourned, Hyperion called on Jadus for one last request that would Hyperion would hope would be approved by the Emperor though not if he declared it.

"Ask the Emperor to recognize the Hands, Wrath, and Voice of the Emperor as separate entities deserving of the same treatment as the Dark Council. If he approves, it will mean none of us will be held legally accountable for lending no assistance if he's challenged in a Kaggath," Hyperion said.

"You are taking bold, unprecedented steps in your attempts to reform the Empire to a more adaptable state. Yet this reeks of power-seeking for yourself and any potential candidates that might succeed you. Normally, I find this trait commendable and have made no secret that I desire to practice these traits myself when possible but under the circumstances, I must inquire. Why should I ask the Emperor to make such a declaration whether or not the Dark Council supports him?" Jadus asked. Hyperion was impressed by the near-absolute nonchalance with which Jadus asked such questions and how methodically he seemed to probe him from behind his mask.

"Think of it this way, when the deceased Councilman Darth Thanaton challenged the second Emperor's Wrath to a Kaggath, he forfeited when he requested the aid of the Dark Council. The Wrath, Voice, and Hands of the Emperor are supposed to be considered equal to or greater than the Dark Council in authority with Voice having formerly been a host body for Lord Vitiate. If that is true, is it really fair for the Wrath, Voice, or Hands to be considered a resource the Emperor can rely on during a Kaggath while the Dark Council is above such responsibility? Or is it yet another sign that the Emperor fears someone learning that he is not as invincible as his posturing would suggest?" Hyperion explained.

"So you would have our Emperor show invincibility by leaving himself vulnerable to even his top-ranking members. More than that, you would do so in a manner that would allow the Voice, the Wrath, or the Hands to challenge him to a Kaggath if they felt the need arise. Do you understand the implication of what you are asking me to persuade the Emperor into approving, my reputation for fealty to him notwithstanding?" Jadus asked.

"If I do it, it will be looked upon as a power grab. But it is the fealty you have sworn since your failed attempts to sow chaos throughout the galaxy that makes you more persuasive. More to the point, in return for doing as I ask now, I will be giving you the kind of power you have dreamed of for your ambitions of chaos and destruction. I will be giving you the power to formally challenge the Emperor himself along with the information necessary to succeed if and when you amass enough resources to strike. Who would I be to judge if you failed after being handed all that help?" Hyperion replied.

"So you would have yourself, the Hands, and the others in a position to keep their most coveted assets and recuperate any lost during a Kaggath against the Emperor. If he wins, you will have the chance to rebuild whatever you may have secretly sent him or his opponent. But if his opponent wins, then the legal neutrality required during the Kaggath would mean the victor can count on you swearing fealty to him as you once did his predecessor. You... are a fascinating fellow, Hyperion Algethii: I do believe we shall work well together. I will make that one of my first propositions for the Emperor, following my ascension to the role of Emperor's Voice and after I have begun to attain the kind of information that'd serve me well," Jadus said, finally convinced.

"I am pleased I could be of assistance to you, the Emperor will inform me when he wishes to dub you Voice of Darkness but I suppose he will send you and the Empire a memo. For the glory of the Empire, it will be an honor to work with you more intimately from here on," Hyperion said, saluting by pumping a fist over his heart. Crassus chuckled when Jadus walked back to his headquarters, having terminated the conversation with a short bow to his equal.

Truly, you would've been a most invaluable service to my court when I was King of all Algethiius and its empire. You are cunning, patient, and you wield the power to personally supervise any plan's fruition as necessary Crassus told him.

I am merely ensuring my survival, regardless of whether I honor my true mission here or become convinced I would be on the right side to become loyal to the Sith. If I should feel I must defect, I've done enough to benefit the Empire that my survival is assured. But if I feel the need to complete my mission to the Jedi, I'll have done enough to ensure I can set the rest of the wheels in motion with impunity from my Imperial master Hyperion told him.

And that is why you would've done so well. You think only of your survival, regardless of which side you must betray in order to see it through. The difference is that you have more selfless intentions than most Sith who act as you do Crassus told him. Hyperion hated being reminded of his son by the vile spirit within him but how could he argue with him, for once? How could he tell Crassus he was wrong when Menelaus was exactly why he was here now?