The End of All Things

[Darth Kravos]

It was high above Ilum that Darth Kravos stood looking at the icy world. The High Arcanist had just finished using the ship and now others were dropping out of hyperspace to meet the flagship. It was mounting for something large and the Dark Lord knew it.

The fact that the Empress herself was here to greet him was no small thing and it felt as if it had been forever since he had last seen his wife. Both of them had been torn to opposite ends of the galaxy and there was always more to be done. He look out at the other ships dropping in, Marauder, Firestorm, and Indomitable had already arrived with more on the way.

He turned to see the Empress herself approaching. He didn't care for public displays of affection, but even he had been missing her. It's good to see you again, Empress, he said, his voice forcibly distant. There was an air of professionalism and distance that she would recognize as distinctly Kravos. She had always seemed to enjoy it in the past, though.

Everything is coming together, he said. How have things been on your end? he asked her.

 

[Andraste]

Andraste was still not accustomed to being on a ship so massive. She had been on many ships in her lifetime, had even crash landed a few. Now to think – she was on one of the most impressive ships in the galaxy and it was named after her. To this day, all of this still seemed surreal and she often thought back to her days as a lowly Jedi Knight that had no real direction or purpose in life.

Her fingers traced over the consoles she passed, her robes sliding along the floor of the ship as she spotted Kravos. She hadn’t seen him since they had met for a Sith council meeting and he had been decreed Dark Lord. Since then, he had thrown himself even further into his work and the Empire benefited greatly from it. She heard him greet her formally, her eyes glancing back behind her to the open door behind which some crewmen stood.

Andraste barely moved a muscle before the door hissed to a close, “Cut the crap,” She muttered as she closed the distance between herself and Kravos. She didn’t give him a moment to registered what happened before she snaked her arms around him and pulled him close, tilting her head to capture his lips in a hungry kiss. To say that she missed him was an understatement. Out of everyone else, she had seen him the least and there had been a void left behind from their time apart. Andraste kissed him for a long moment before she finally pulled away slightly, murmuring against his lips, “I’ve despised being apart from you.”

 

[Darth Kravos]

As she closed the door, the Dark Lord - her Dark Lord - slipped his helmet off and looked his wife in the eyes for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He barely even flinched as she told him to cut the crap but gladly returned the kiss she placed on his lips. In fact, he returned it far more emphatically than he had expected. She pulled back and confessed how much she had missed him.

Oh really? I barely noticed you were gone, he lied flatly, though she would see right through that from the way he moved to the look in his eyes when he was around her. He had missed her desperately as well. He kissed her again, hugging her closely to himself. We really need to find reasons to be together more often, he said as he rested his forehead against hers.

Have you been all right? I've wanted to come by and see you, he said, thinking about all the time he wanted to tear himself away to be with her only to have this abomination or that galactic crisis pop up. It had been exhausting, if he were honest, and had kept him even busier than he had ever been before. How's the baby? As troublesome as his parents? he asked. After all, that's what you were supposed to do, right?

 

[Xhexania]

Aboard the flagship, the Dagobah Sith stood poised for the arrival of the Empress. In passing, she witnessed the ultimate power of the Dark Lord, siphoning the energy he cast away; a testimony of his true strength. Like most Sith, she was here at his calling, waiting for the testament of the gathering. She had never laid her mix matched colour eyes on such glory, or the Dark Lord; and now as he passed toward his personal chambers whilst she remained still and loyal, she could only feel a growing hunger of power rise inside her.

Then came the manifestation of why she had chosen the path of Sith; the Empress herself. She was hauntingly beautiful, yet dangerous like a brightly patterned snake whose colours masked the deadly venom she could enact on the weariest of prey; both strong and weak. Her bite, though never witnessed first hand, could plague the enemies of the Sith Empire with an absolute judgment that coursed and corrupted the veins of the misguided; poisoning both mind and soul. Her power was great, her power was just, and her power was the stitches that held together the newly fabricated Sith.

And as she passed, Xhexania dropped to one knee whilst bowing her head; not out of respect of who she was, but of what the Empress represented. Glancing to both right and left, she saw that the two Imperial soldiers flanking the Twi'lek Sith had not shown their respect for their Matron, prompting her to act; dragging both soldiers to their knees via invisible hands grasping their throats. When the Empress moved on, she released her hold on the two puppets of the Sith Empire; standing herself.

With both the Dark Lord and the Empress on the same ship, something horrific was brewing; something historic.​

 

[Andraste]

She couldn’t help but smile at his sarcasm, lightly shoving him in response. Andraste didn’t hesitate when he pulled her in, kissing her again and allowing them a brief moment to shed their titles and be just themselves. She gazed into his eyes as he tilted his forehead against hers, smiling at him, “You really need to stop chasing abominations so I’ll actually want to come with you,” She pulled back from him, nodding at his words, “I know. Your line of work is especially taxing so I don’t expect you to come by often.”

Andraste surveyed him quietly for a moment, noting the impacts of the dark side lining his face. He was getting the same dark circles under his eyes, the haunting look that was the price to pay for the slow decay that came from the dark side. Andraste smiled at his words, though her eyes always remained animalistic and primal, “He gives me far more trouble than any Jedi ever has,” She admitted freely.

Having been allowed their brief moment, she waited for him to put his helmet back on before she opened the doors again. Andraste could spot a twi’lek Sith just outside the chambers, her gaze fixating on the woman for a moment. She turned back to look at Kravos, “How long until we arrive?”

Andraste strode back out of the chambers, all but gliding towards the row of soldiers once more. She didn’t make entirely too many public appearances, but her signature was chilling and memorable. It felt like the slightest brush of an icy finger traveling slowly up the spine, just enough to be uncomfortable and make the hairs on the back of the neck stand on end. There was the sense of dread that accomapnied her signature now, and it was felt by even those that weren’t strong in the Force.

@Phoenix @Swamp Witch

 

[Darth Kravos]

Kravos grimaced as she mentioned abominations. Oh yes, he'd been up to quite a bit of trouble there, but perhaps that would be a conversation for another time. You're always welcome to come with me, he said. He had dragged her along for other missions and things before, so there was no telling what he could pull her along on.

Make Siris stay at home with the little Jedi-killer, he said. Too early to be making references to the kid killing people? He wondered what she thought of that. Most mothers wouldn't be happy about the thought of their little ones growing up to be killers, but Andraste wasn't most mothers.

He turned as Andraste prepared to open the doors, slipping his helmet back into place as he walked alongside her. Not long now, he said. The Stormbringer, Resolute, and Hurricane had arrived and now the ships leapt to hyperspace. They weren't far away from their target and it would only be a matter of time until they felt the wrath of the Empire. And not even its full wrath at that.

He walked along the bridge, glancing at the Twi'lek Sith. She reminded him a Narri just a bit, and the Dark Lord half-wondered where the Sith Master was. It felt like ages since he had seen her last. The ships are all ready, and their gun crews are as well, he said, glancing down to see they were only a few minutes out now. This ship is quite the terror, he finally added. It was, without doubt, the most powerful construction he had ever seen.