Getting to Pion didn't take as long as she remembered, 'They must've upgraded their engines' Kallig noted. "Announcement: Master, my sensors suggest we have arrived at Pion and Darth Marr would like to speak with you privately."

"Your sensors HK? The "sensors" that are currently plugged and hacking the Imperial mainframe you mean?" Kallig asks with an amused smirk.

"Affirmation: That is correct Master. Query: Has my "humour" subroutine improved Master?"

"Yes yes it has HK. Well done!" Kallig's replies laughing. "I will find some more material for you to study later. How does that sound?"

"Statement: I would prefer eliminating meatbags Master, but if this pleases you, then I shall do my best."

Kallig's shakes her head while grinning, "Oh HK, I never said you can't do both. Don't worry, we will be at Korriban soon. Plenty of First Order troops for you to practice with."

"Anticipation: I am looking forward to that Master."

"Good. Now, you said Marr would like to speak to me?" As she said this, her comm starts beeping. She puts her mask on as per her protocol when dealing with anyone other than Scourge or HK. When she answers it, it is none other than Marr. "Darth Marr."

"Darth Imperius."

She waits.

Silence.

Imperius decides to break the silence, "What can I do for you?"

"We have arrived at Pion."

"Yes, I am aware. What do you need Marr?"

"May… May we speak in person, in private?"

Under her mask Kallig frowns "Of course. You can come to my quarters if you wish. Is everything alright?"

"I hope so Imperius." Marr sighs, "I shall be there shortly. Marr out."

Still frowning Kallig leans back on her chair in thought. 'Looks like I won't get to do any sight seeing on Pion today…' Kallig sighs. "HK please enable bodyguard protocol." She instructs. "Marr will be visiting shortly."

"Yes Master."

Moments later, she receives an incoming call. Marr has arrived. She gets up and presses the switch opening the door, allowing Marr to step inside. "Please, take a seat." Kallig says and gestures to the lounge. Marr nods in reply and sits down. Sitting opposite in her chair, Kallig asks "So what is it that was so important that you needed to speak with me in private?"

"I need to know what is your plan for Korriban and for the Empire. Do you have any idea why Scourge would not notify me of these outposts?"

"No, I don't know why he didn't notify you. It is most… unusual, especially given his personality… or lack of." Kallig comments. "How do you feel about the Empire Darth Marrvisas?"

Marr bristles hearing her full Darth name, but still answers, " I serve the Empire and I would die for it."

Kallig nods. "Yes. That is what I thought. Just like your ancestor. No, I am not Lord Vitiate, Emperor Valkorion, nor am I an Empress. I know many Sith want a leader, an Emperor or Empress, as was the traditional power structure. I cannot promise anything as of yet, but after Korriban, we can discuss that issue further. I care about the Empire as much as you do. I will not betray you as Vitiate betrayed his people. You are aware of the Esfandia outpost?"

"Yes, I am aware of that outpost. Why?"

"Good. I needed to know if you were completely in the dark or not. Now, I do have small garrisons and outposts in the area formerly known on maps as the Seat of the Sith Empire. Some areas in the vicinity and in the unknown regions have colonies also. Only Scourge and key council members were to know of this, should anything happen in the Core Worlds, or in the Empire itself. You should have been told of this particular development. In any case, we both have the same interests. We serve the Empire and we live for the Empire. As I said, if we reclaim our world, it will boost morale for Sith and Imperial alike. There is one thing that I will tell you that Scourge does not know."

"And what might that be?"

"There are still inhabitants on Korriban. Luckily for me, they recognise my authority and my status and they willingly serve me. They are Sith purebloods and Kassai groups who will support me without question. I suspect some think I may be like a god… However, No Imperials are on that world, so no troops and no ships."

"I see. Very well. Thank you for your honesty Imperius. If the council cannot work together, then the Sith Empire will fall apart." Marr stands "I will assemble the fleet and rendezvous with Moff Pyron's fleet on Dosuun. We will have a briefing with the other members of the Dark Council and then we will head to Korriban." As she walks towards the door, Kallig asks "Moff Pyron? Any relation to my Moff Pyron?"

Marr pauses as she is about to step out. "I believe so. They have a proud history of working with you and the development of the Silencers during the war with the Galactic Republic. They are proud of their lineage and due to that, there will be at least one member of the family that is an Imperial officer. You still have friends among the Empire Kallig. Remember that." Marr states before walking out.

Kallig sighs, taking off the mask and tiredly puts her head in her hands. "I wish you were here…" she whispers sadly.

Two days later…

"...We leave for Korriban. Officers, please organise your troops and Sith- your apprentices any way you see fit. I expect the enemy to die, not our own. Council session is over."

Scourge is the first one to leave, but Kallig doesn't take any notice of it. 'Finally' she thinks to herself. "Anticipation: Master, my circuits are tingling with excitement. When we get to Korriban, may I kill them all?"

Kallig laughs "Of course you can HK. Show the troops what you are made of."

"...Return to Harkun and nurture your hatred for him, and use your fear of him to grow stronger. He may raise his fist to strike, but it is Lord Zash who will determine where the blow will land."

Kallig jolts awake. "Ugh" she groans and looks out her window to see a growing red-brown world. 'We're almost there.' Kallig observes, grinning to herself to herself and goes to find appropriate armour and robes for the "occasion".

As she heads towards the bridge, she sees Scourge looking through the viewport in the corridor. He seems to be deep in thought. As she walks up to him, he says one word. "Korriban."
"Yes. Korriban."

"The day has finally arrived. It seems as if no time has passed. I wonder if the surface is as we remember it also."

"Well, there is only one way to find out. Are you ready to reclaim what is ours Scourge?"

Scourge chuckles, "I have been ready since we went into hiding. Even more so since the fall of the Republic. You on the other hand," he starts as he turns to face her, "I had feared I would be dead by the time you decided it was time." He silently scans her appearance. "Well Kallig… New attire I take it?"

"Attire I thought was befitting for this glorious and historic day for the Empire." Kallig states proudly, then adds "Also… I didn't want to ruin my favourite robes on Korriban of all places."

Scourge actually laughs, something Kallig was surprised to see. There was only one other time she had seen him genuinely laugh and it was decades ago. "That is why I don't have attachments with my clothing Imperius."

"To each their own Scourge. The truth is, these robes were designed here on Korriban. The armour, on Odessen. They seemed fitting for this occasion. Until later Scourge." Kallig replies, making her way to the bridge.

"Indeed. Try not to get sand in the armour Imperius. It is quite an inconvenience to clean." Scourge replies. Kallig can hear him smirking and doesn't bother turning as she responds, "Duly noted."

Kallig arrives on the bridge, walking up to Darth Marr, who was silently viewing Korriban on the screen. "Marr," Kallig greets. "Imperius." Marr greets in reply. "Hm. Interesting choice of attire Imperius." Kallig was wearing dark purple robes, with light armour over it. The robe had material draping over the armour with dark red coloured ancient Sith symbols decorating it, as well as the cuffs and the armour itself engraved with silver and black Sith symbols and the Imperial Sith Empire insignia. "You look...dressed to impress."

Kallig internally sighs 'Not again…' "Well the sandstorms on Korriban don't do anyone-nor their robes or armour- any favours and I prefer not to ruin my favourite robes. As you should realise by now, I always aim to impress… in strength and in appearance. If I am to lead the Empire… I should at least look the part don't you think?"

Marr chuckles in reply and looks hard at Imperius trying to determine how much is real and how much is sarcasm. "It is moments like these I hate it when Sith wear masks." Marr admits. "Of course I am also wearing a mask for similar reasons I suppose." She turns back to the viewer. "So this is the holy world of Korriban. Homeworld of the Sith. Scourge's kind are from this planet correct?"

"Yes." Kallig replies with a nod. "His race are called Sith purebloods. I thought all Sith know this? Or have the Sith Lords responsible for teaching our history been slacking as of late?"

"No… Just wanted to confirm with you since you know more than any historian."

"I see." Kallig also turns to the viewer, observing the planet. She has mixed feelings about coming back here. It holds… memories. 'Not exactly good memories, but important ones nonetheless… as well as many unpleasant ones.' Kallig thinks to herself. Turning to Marr she clasps her hands together and asks, "So, time to claim ourselves a planet?"

Marr chuckles. "Eager are we Imperius?" Turning to the comms, she activates it and says aloud, "Imperials and fellow Sith. We have arrived at Korriban. I want a perimeter set up in defence formation around the planet.. I don't want any surprises especially from the First Order. Teams will be assembled and deployed to inspect the planet on foot and to neutralise any threats that may be there. It is time to reclaim our world!"

Immediately Marr and Imperius were met with roars of approval and battlecries from both Imperials and Sith on the bridge and over the comms. Turning to Imperius, Marr asks, "Shall we?" Imperius grins under her mask and replies, "Lead the way Marr."

Turning back to the crew on the bridge Marr points to a certain group of troops with a slightly different uniform to the rest of the troops on the bridge, "Thanaton squad, come with me." And with that, they move towards the shuttle bay. As they are nearing the shuttle bay doors, Imperius feels a disturbance in the Force. She comes to a complete stop and tries to pinpoint the disturbance. Marr turns to her. "Imperius? What is it?"

"I feel something…. A disturbance…. A… loss?" Her eyes widen in realisation. "Skywalker has become one with the Force. I can feel the conflict he was harbouring for so long has finally resolved and he is now at peace. He may actually become stronger now. Now that Skywalker is gone, Kylo Ren may shift his attention elsewhere. Looks like we will have to speed things along."

Marr nods in understanding. "Agreed. Keep moving troops!" And together with Thanaton squad, they all boarded the shuttle making their way to the planet's surface.

As soon as the doors opens, they were all met with a blast of heat, wind and sand. 'Just as I remember it.' Kallig thinks to herself. "I now understand why you changed robes Imperius. You were not exaggerating about the sand."

"Yet, with this harsh climate, it is the perfect terrain for Sith to train." Kallig states, leading the squad forward towards one of the ancient ruins nearby to set up a perimeter.

As the troops set up, Kallig looks around with the feelings of anger, sadness and nostalgia washing over her. "Statement: Master, Korriban hasn't changed at all. Disappointment: There are no hostile meatbags to eliminate." HK states as the droid walks up to her. "Don't worry. They will come." Kallig reassures him. From the corner of her eye she can see Scourge approaching her and doesn't seem to be slowing down. "Scourge? What are you doing here, you were assigned elsewhere." Marr asks. Scourge ignores her and continues towards Kallig. Something doesn't sit quite right. "Warning: Master-"

"I know." Imperius quietly interrupts and ignites her lightsaber, swinging it up just as Scourge brings his down mid ignition. "Have you gone mad?!" Marr shouts. "Do not interfere Marr!" Imperius yells over the hiss of the lightsabers and uses the close proximity to carefully study Scourge and notices something in his aura and his eyes- Scourge is expressing emotions. Not an emotion, but many emotions. Last they spoke, he has started to feel anxiety and frustration, but still quite faint, but a start nonetheless. 'This...this is something else. This is actual uninhibited emotion.' "Scourge…?" she carefully asks. He smirks. "Yes… and no. I told you I would take my revenge on you. I didn't think a Sith such as Scourge would be weak enough for me to take over unawares."

"You are a Jedi or Sith spirit I presume?"

"You do not recognise me it seems… but I definitely recognise you. That mask and those Sith robes do not fool me!" Scourge shouts and swings his lightsaber again with Imperius blocking once again. "I have angered and killed many Jedi and Sith. Which one are you?" Imperius asks. "Hahaha such a mighty Jedi turning to the dark side and thinks she can claim the title of Sith." He spits out as he says "Sith". Imperius frowns and narrows her eyes in confusion. "I have never been a Jedi. What nonsense are you sprouting Spirit?" Imperius questions.

"Scourge" seems not to have heard or chooses to ignore. " I assume you have never seen Scourge truly fight. I will show you why he was the Emperor's Wrath for so long Dark Jedi." Kallig takes an instinctive step back and then another. Just looking at Scourge it is obvious that in brute strength he is more powerful. She can safely assume his strengths are like that of Malgus, but with the entity within him, he may be more unpredictable. She will have to rely more on distance, force tricks and agility. She doesn't get much time to think as Scourge- or whoever that is- lunges at her again. Imperius dances around him, blocking attacks that get too close and sending short bursts of lightning and other force attacks when the opportunity arises, trying to buy time to work out what is going on.

'It thinks I am a Jedi. Most definitely this is a Sith spirit. Why did I not sense it before? And when did this happen?' The entity's laugh shakes her out of her thoughts, "You are weak, like before. Too scared to face me in close combat. You were too scared and weak to strike me down last time, instead you used a Jedi trick and blocked me out of my vessel. Since you have not tried this again, I assume your life force is diminishing, and here on Korriban, the Dark Side runs strong! Your abilities will not save you! Hahahaha!"

Kallig just narrowly misses lightning from Scourge 'Well that's new. But… Ghost blocking technique? Diminished life force?' Briefly, she remembers Cora and her pale face after a certain mission-

..."I was on a mission to save my master. She was being controlled by some kind of Sith manipulation... They call it the Force Plague I think? The technique I needed to use to cure her just took a lot out of me that's all. Nothing to worry about." …

Kallig narrows her eyes at the memory and her new suspicion. She slices at Scourge's armour, blade meeting flesh and hears him hiss in pain. She flips back, trying to gain some distance again and calls out, "Where did you meet Scourge?"

"Where do you think, Jedi? Where you left me on Malachor Three."

Kallig sharply inhales, her suspicions confirmed and narrows her eyes in growing anger as another memory- another conversation comes to mind…

..."Force Plague? I've never heard of that technique and I'm not aware of any Sith in this area. Are you sure Cora?"

"Well... actually... Xanthe, it wasn't a Sith exactly, it was a Sith Spirit called Terrak Morrhage. He possessed a Jedi Padawan that turned to the Dark Side and called himself Lord Vivicar and wanted revenge. He said the only way to stop him was to kill him. Instead, I used an ancient shielding technique I learned from the holocrons at the Jedi temple and severed his hold on the Padawan. But like I said, it is an intense technique."

Kallig isn't convinced. 'You look like death spewed on you. I know exhaustion. That-" she gestures with her hands- "is not normal exhaustion. What does it really do? How does it really work?" Cora looked uneasy but after a few moments, reluctantly replied, "According to the holocron, the ability is so intense that it requires the user's life-force for it to work." She pauses and looks away before continuing, "The Jedi in the holocron claim that the original Jedi who developed the technique had eventually died due to shielding too many Jedi from the Plague. Morrhage confirmed as much before I exorcised him."...

Kallig is brought back to the present, the anger and rage simmering in her, "So am I right to say you are Terrak Morrhage?" She questions calmly. "Ah, so you do remember me. I promised you I would regain my strength and destroy you. And here I am. How you are still alive after so long is a mystery, but one I will soon rectify!" He shouts as he lunges again, this time he actually lands a hit on Kallig's armour, cutting through the robes and into the armour, slowly piercing through- "I finally have my revenge. Goodbye Jedi." Morrhage gleefully says when as he pushes Scourge's saber further in, when it suddenly flickers and dies. "What-?"

He doesn't get to finish that question as Kallig immediately grabs Scourge's arm holding the lightsaber and sends an intense stream of Force Lightning into him. Morrhage starts screaming in agony and tries to pull away, but she keeps a vice like grip on him, sending more Force Lightning into him until he falls to his knees. Then she finally stops, and observes Scourge/ Morrhage panting with smoke rising from his armour. "Cortosis layered armour." Kallig states, "Very handy against lightsabers, but not useful against much else. It was an idea- a customised gift by someone very dear to me. It seemed her idea worked out well."

She starts circling him, "So it was you who caused my sister so much suffering. It was because of you that her life was being robbed before my very eyes."

He looks at her in confusion, "Your sister? But you look just like her- How is this possible? Jedi and Sith- sisters!?" He painfully cries out in disbelief. "Regardless, as I told her, your only option is to kill Scourge. I doubt you know that technique that she used on me." He says with a smug look.

"You are correct. I do not know the technique. I will not needlessly kill Scourge, but I am still Sith and I will not spare your essence." He looks at her in confusion and asks " What do you mean by you won't spare my essence? You cannot kill a ghost!" Although no one can see under her mask, Kallig grins cruelly. "Oh but I can. You see, these abilities run in my bloodline. She- as a Jedi- could block or exorcise ghosts and I- as a Sith- can bind ghosts. I am a Dark Lord of the Sith, a member of the Dark Council and master of the Force Walk." Scourge's face pales, "You have mastered the Force Walk and lived?" He asks in disbelief. "No one has survived the Force Walk without going mad and dying an excruciating death!" He exclaims, trying to get up. Kallig shoots him with another burst of lightning to keep him down. "Now… I would bind you, but after what you did to my sister, I will destroy you." Kallig hisses. Morrhage scoffs in reply "You cannot bind a ghost that already has a host."

"Watch me." Kallig coldy replies. "But as I said, I will not be binding you… I will eat you." And before Morrhage could try for one last attempt on her life, Kallig Force pushes him off balance and fires one last blast of Force Lightning, long enough until he is barely moving, the smell of burning cloth coming through and extends her hand, pulling out the Sith spirit from Scourge and keeps it floating seemingly bound in front of her- absorbing its energy and knowledge before calmly saying "Goodbye Morrhage. This is for my sister Cora." And with one final burst of energy, Morrhage disappears with a final dying scream.

Satisfied that Morrhage was no more she turns and kneels next to Scourge to assess his injuries. "Can you hear me Scourge?" When she receives no answer, she turns to call for help when she sees Marr already approaching her. "I had a feeling something was wrong with him. I felt something unusual with him when he returned from Malachor recently. Then he seemed himself again until the meeting regarding Korriban."

Kallig shakes her head, "I should have been able to sense this. I have become too complacent."

"Do not be too hard on yourself Imperius." Marr replies and looks over at Scourge. "If he is truly the former Emperor's Wrath like you both claim, then he shall recover. He is most definitely alive, I can assure you of that Imperius." She signals the medics over, "Take him to back to the ship. He is of no use to us." Marr orders. "Right away my Lord." The leading medic replies. As they prepare their equipment, Kallig senses a disturbance and almost immediately after, Marr's holo alerts them with an incoming message. "My Lord, we have just detected multiple ships in the vicinity. They have been identified as First Order and have surrounded us! We have been led into a trap! What are your orders?"

"What?! That cannot- Nevermind. Hold your ground and do not let one ship through! Show the First Order how to fear the Empire!"

"Very well my Lord."

Marr nods as the transmission ends. "I have no idea Marr, so don't even ask." Kallig states before Marr even turns to her. "She may not know…. But I do." Scourge weakly admits, slowly sitting up. "Explain." Marr orders. ""Morrhage wanted revenge. If anything were to happen, he wanted the First Order to destroy what he could not. He used my knowledge to leak information to the First Order, hence how they know where and how many we are."

"And now we are sitting womp rats and may even lose this world again. No! I will not allow it." Marr hisses. "And you," she says, pointing at Scourge, "Will have to prove yourself as a Sith. I never thought you to be weak Scourge."

"Weakness has little to do with this. He offered me something that I deemed worth the risk. However, I did not anticipate the betrayal. Of course, I will not leave here until every member of the First Order is dead."

"Get ready. I can see the shuttles now." Kallig warns, as she pulls out her comm. "I have arrived. Do you read?"

"Dark Lord?"

"Yes, I am here."

"I shall come to greet you." The comm deactivates and Kallig continues walking towards the ruins. A Sith Pureblood comes out to greet her along with another individual that Marr can only assume is Kissai. "My Lord!" They declare as they kneel before Kallig. "Rise, loyal Sith'ari." She replies. "Gather your people. The time for the Sith Empire to reclaim and restore this world to its proper glory has come! However, before that can be achieved, we have an enemy called the First Order who have ambushed us and we need to stop them."

"Of course Dark Lord. We will send message to all tribes immediately!" and with that they bow and run back.

As she hears Marr approaching, she asks "How bad is it up there?" She hears Marr sigh. "He described it as being led into a trap. There is no way in or out. They are aware of our position and numbers." Kallig nods in understanding. "Very well. I suspected this may have been a likely scenario. Excuse me, I need to make two calls." Kallig says quite calmly and activates her holocomm once again.

"My Lord?"

"Ah Major Kenneth. Glad to see you have not retired yet."

"Of course not, Lord Imperius. I will not retire until I see the Empire come back to its former glory!"

"Well Major, that day has come. Enact 'Operation Vengeance'."

"I… Yes, Yes! Of course my Lord!" The Major shout over to the other officers, "Enact 'Operation Vengeance' now! It is not a drill!" Turning back to Kallig he says "We shall rendezvous with you on Korriban shortly."

"Very good. I look forward to seeing you Major. Imperius out."

Kallig then sends another signal- "Yes? Oh, Darth Imperius! What an unexpected surprise!"

"It is good to see you are well Moff Carsen. Today is your lucky day. It is time for 'Operation Kaasper' to commence."

"I never thought I would live to see the day…" the Moff says to himself in disbelief, but quickly comes back to himself replying, "Of course my Lord! I shall make preparations immediately!"

Kallig nods "Very good. Imperius out." Turning to Marr and Scourge, she says, now all we have to do is kill troops and buy time. Easy. Isn't that right HK?"

"Affirmation: Of course Master. But Master… Can't I kill them all?" Kallig chuckles, "If you can, then yes- kill them all."

"Well here is your chance droid, here they come!" Scourge declares as they all activate their lightsabers. "Thanatos squad, prepare yourselves!" Marr warns. When the First Order troops get close enough, Marr shouts out "For the Empire!" and runs into the fray while the troops respond with a war cry of their own before opening fire.

Xanthe can feel the Dark Side coursing through her veins. Being washed over by the dark energies of Korriban make her feel somewhat revitalised and refreshed, and can feel some exhilaration from the intense combat, the thrills of battle being a distant memory for so long, she had doubted she would ever feel this way again. The realisation of this comforts her. She never expected Korriban of all places would start to make her feel like herself again. She is half tempted to take off her mask, just so they can look upon the face of the one who would kill them, 'But no… Better for them to see the mask of Kallig. Plus getting injured or killed because of sand getting in my eyes would be unbecoming of a Darth.' She smiles to herself as she kills another First Order trooper. She has lost count, but it doesn't matter as she hasn't felt this good in years. "How are you faring HK?" She yells over the sound of blasters and sabers. "All meatbags have been eliminated Master. Disappointment: They are no match for me. They have very slow response times."

"Glad to hear it HK. Don't be too disappointed, it just means you will get more target practice out of it." Kallig replies with a smirk. "Acknowledgement: Point taken Master." HK replies as he takes down another trooper. Kallig can see more troops gaining ground against Marr and Scourge, so she calls the Force to her and sends a large Force Wave to the shuttles, temporarily stopping any more troops coming down and unleashes a Force Storm to create some distance between them and the First Order, creating a temporary reprieve for them as they regain some strength. "Just like the old days Scourge?"

"Not as skilled as the Republic, but yes… It reminds me of the war."

"No Jedi here to destroy the Academy or to steal holocrons and kill Dark Council members this time."

"No. And also no Dark Advisor telling you where to go." Scourge retorts and then sighs. "I… That was uncalled for. I apologise Imperius."

Surprisingly, Xanthe didn't feel as bitter as she usually would when a reference to the Advisor was made and chalked it up to the effects of Korriban. "Hmm… It seems age must be catching up with you then Scourge, because you are getting tired and grumpy it seems." Kallig states and turns noticing the next wave of First Order troops making their way over, as well as more Sith Purebloods.

"Looks like break time is over fellow Darths and we also have some backup. Let us show them the fury of the Sith." Kallig happily declares and jumps into the fray assisted by HK and twirls her saber, slicing anyone unlucky enough to be close to her and electrocuting anyone too far away from her. "I think Imperius is losing her mind." Marr mutters. "No." Scourge says, shaking his head. "I think she is finally healing and finding herself again. You should have seen what she was like back in the days of the Galactic War. She had quite a reputation. For her to find enjoyment from this is something I never expected to see." He turns to face Marr. "And if you are lucky, she may actually agree to taking the mantle of Empress after this is over. Until then, let us destroy these pests." Marr nods and they run striking down all who stand in their way.

After what seemed like an eternity of "slicing and dicing", Kallig's holo rings and she stops long enough to answer it and is relieved to see the Major's face. "My Lord, we have arrived at Korriban. Are your ships aware of our status?"

Kallig looks at Marr and Scourge, with Marr already on her comm updating the Imperial fleet of the reinforcements. Looking back at the Major, she replies, "They are now. Provide assistance and destroy all ships. Do not let any escape. Send as much ground support as possible as well."

"Very well my Lord." the Major replies cutting off transmission. 'It's almost over.' Kallig thinks to herself. Before long, the sky is light up with laser fire and explosions and the ground is full of sabers, blaster fire and dead troops, the sound of screams and blaster fire filling her ears. The sounds making her grin in satisfaction and by a quick glance, making Scourge grin in satisfaction too. 'And probably Marr as well.' Kallig thinks to herself.

Eventually, the sounds stop, the ground of Korriban covered with bodies- some charred, some whole and others dismembered- transport wreckages and craters, and the survivors finally sit down in exhaustion and relief. "Appeasement: That was not too disappointing Master. Some targets actually got close enough to receive warranted attention." HK states. Kallig hums in agreement, "It wasn't too bad. No Force Sensitives to contend with besides Morrhage, but it was enough to actually make me put some effort in."

"You must be mad… If it wasn't for your forces getting here in time, we would have been overrun, regardless of strength in the Force, this was almost suicide!" Marr almost shouts. "Oh please, if you think I'm mad now, you should meet my other personality." Kallig casually remarks and smirks before adding, "Also, did you really think I would have just cut them all down with my lightsaber? If your will is strong enough and your affinity in the Force strong enough, as Sith teaching tells us, the Force is our weapon. I have decimated squadrons before just by large surges of Force energy, trust me- I always have a contingency plan. And with the three of us here," she nods towards Scourge, "We could have easily wiped out the first wave of troops with a large enough Force Wave. You have not see war like we have Marr. You have much to learn of the old ways. It seems a lot has been lost over the centuries…. No wars or interactions with other challenging Force adepts like Jedi to keep you on your toes… Which is my fault I suppose, and a part of me does regret that the Empire and the Sith Order had to be kept in the shadows for so long." Kallig admits. She turns to Scourge and asks "How do you feel Darth Scourge?" If looks could kill, Kallig would already be dead with the glare given her way. "I am no Darth. Never cared for the title, you should know that. I was the Emperor's Wrath for a time and that cost me much too high a price. That was more Morrhage's influence, which I was foolish enough to allow." Scourge growls, looking away from both Marrvisas and Kallig. Xanthe could tell there was more to this than Scourge was saying, after all, he was worthy of being the Emperor's Wrath. Curiously, she asks even though she already knew the answer, "You did interact with the ghost on Malachor didn't you?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"What did he offer you in order for you to let your guard down and be so easily used as a vessel and be manipulated by him? I know you Scourge… Being the Emperor's Wrath is not an easy feat and what the Emperor did to you to ensure loyalty and to prolong your life, as well as everything we both went through after the events of Vitiate on Ziost and with the events on Zakuul, shrugging off a pesky disgruntled Sith Spirit should not have been an issue."

Scourge was silent for a few moments and looked away before taking a breath. "I… Marr and the other Sith are not the only ones, softened by the lack of war." Kallig could feel the shame and anger radiating off him, 'which in a way was a good thing' Kallig thought to herself as she observed that he was experiencing more emotion lately than he had during the Galactic Civil War. 'I guess Vitiate's ritual is finally wearing off.' Kallig's thought were interrupted as Scourge continued, " I have not felt real emotion in so long, and I cannot die yet. He offered me a chance to feel something again. He claimed he could undo the ritual Vitiate performed on me. I was foolish and I accepted his offer. I did not anticipate his betrayal. As a Sith, I should have known better." Scourge admitted gritting his teeth as he said the last few words. Kallig looks at Scourge, thinking how best to respond to his admission and puts her hand up to stop any comment Marr was about to voice. "Do you serve the Empire Scourge?"

"Of course."

"Do you care for the existence of the Sith Order?"

"I would not have done all this if I did not care for the Empire or our Order."

"What does the Sith Empire mean to you Scourge?"
"It is everything to me. Now that Vitiate is gone, there is a future, the galaxy will not die. I serve the Empire and I will fight for its existence and the preservation of the Sith until my dying breath."

Satisfied with his answer, Kallig turns to Marr and states "Well, that sounds good enough to me. Do you have any issues Marr?"

"I do believe his loyalty to the Empire is true, but his weakness cannot be tolerated. He cannot sit on the council with a Darth title."

"Ah, but then, neither can I be your Empress Marr. I have my own weakness. I came back only through Scourge's insistence and my Force Visions. Now that Scourge's weakness has been made known, he can conquer it and become even more powerful. As far as his position is concerned…" She turns back to Scourge, "What do you suggest Scourge?"

"As I said, I do not truly care for Sith politics. I find it amusing on the sidelines, I do not have the tolerance for it directly. That is your domain Imperius. I am more suited for battle than council meetings."

"Very well… Would it be appropriate to say that for now, it is Lord Scourge, military advisor to the Dark Council until further notice? Or to avoid suspicion, to use the term Darth in name only?" She asks Marr. Marr looks at Scourge and replies, "Military advisor to the Dark Council is…. Acceptable. Lord, fine. Darth…" She sighs. "I suppose there are other Sith that have become Darths with less backbone, however their lifespans have also been quite short. You may keep the Darth title Scourge, and as per your wish, you are no longer a member of the Dark Council."

"There we are. All sorted. I assume everyone is happy now?" Kallig asks and doesn't wait for a response before continuing, "Now, let us rendezvous with the others. I will send the other Councillors and Imperials the coordinates to the ruins of the Sith Academy. My forces are already aware and should have already secured the area."

Xanthe starts walking in the direction of the Sith Academy accompanied by HK and the loyal warrior Sith pureblood survivors. She doesn't bother to turn around to confirm if Marr, Scourge and the Imperials are actually following, because, 'Eventually,' she thinks to herself, 'they will have to make their way there.' As she's walking, she senses a familiar presence. She stops, trying to get a better reading on it and realises the presence is getting stronger quite rapidly like as if...

"They're flying here?" Xanthe mutters out loud. "Query: Master, is everything alright? Is it one of your Force premonitions, or is there a meatbag you need eliminated? Oh! Perhaps there are First Order survivors that need to be eradicated? Please say yes Master." HK begs. "No HK, I just felt a familiar presence, but I can't put my… finger… on…" she trails off as she finally realises who that Force signature belongs to. She lifts her head up and sighs, and all that HK and the others accompanying Kallig can hear is her saying…

"You have got to be kidding me!"