Harnaidan

The TIE Hunter broke through the atmosphere and headed towards the starport next to the former IGBC HQ. Cain set the fighter down and disembarked, slightly hunched over as he walked, clawed hands clasped behind his back as per usual. His tattered cloak billowed out behind him. His lightsabers clipped as his waist clicking together with each step forward. His heavy footsteps echoed in the nearly empty streets.

So far Cain detected no deception whatsoever. Which did little to ease his discomfort at reuniting with his master after all this time. Cain didn't hate his former master, but with the way everything had played out, he wasn't exactly fond of seeing the man again. Sure he had trained with the man for the better part of five years and he respected him to no end, but being around him again was going to be interesting.

Cain continued on towards the security checkpoint at the entrance of the building. The Sergeant on duty halted him, as expected.

"Halt. State your business here."

Cain Dracus:"I come at the behest of your High Admiral with permission from your Grand General to seek an audience with him."

If the harsh, mechanical tone of his voice had surprised the trooper, it was hidden beneath the white plastoid helm. Cain would play along for now. After all, he was summoned here and came of his own free will because the offer intrigued him.

"Understood. Please wait here while I verify your claim and summon the General's Elite Guard. We will have you on your way momentarily."

Cain sighed wearily. Which was exuded from his helmet's external speakers as more of an exasperated wheeze than a weary sigh.

He hated all of this pomp and protocol. It annoyed him to no end. But again, he would play along for now. If it was one thing he had learned from his Master's lack of it, was the patience was a useful tool, especially for a Sith. And so, his patience would be rewarded, or it would wear thin. This situation had the possibility to go either way at the moment.

Within moments, the Imperial Elite Guard would appear, a full squad of the finest Imperial Shocktroopers within the General's armed forces. These Stormtroopers would approach the newcomer, identified as Cain Dracus, with their leader walking up to give him clearance. The sergeant nodded, learning from his past mistake with the earlier visitor, Lord Xakire. The commanding officer looked to the Sith.

Please follow me, Lord Dracus. The Grand General is within his quarters on the top floor and is ready to see you.

It took just a few moments of walking before the Stormtroopers placed Cain before the door of Nicademus's office. Without any permission granted, the doors opened, inviting the Sith to enter. Once inside, the General could be seen sitting at his desk, reading a datapad in hand. The High Admiral's fleet had departed and new arrivals brought more fortune to his growing faction. After a moment, the Imperial heard the sound of air filters from the suit of armor that covered Cain's body. It was a familiar sound to Nicademus as another once inhabited an armor identical to that of Cain's. His eyes looked up at the Sith, setting the datapad down.

I hear you come with the High Admiral's recommendation and approval. Am I correct, Lord Dracus?



The eyebrow of the General went up. This Lord Xakire seemed very willing to hand over plentiful resources to his cause all because of what his senses told this Sith. Nicademus would key the holoscreen to turn off, allowing him to give the visitor his undivided attention.

You make an interesting proposal, Lord Xakire. A very very interesting offer. Although, I once ruled both the Imperial Remnant and the Galactic Empire before where I am now. I was a Head of State, a Galactic Emperor and now but the top commander in the present hierarchy. I do not seek to form yet another Empire, Lord Xakire, but rather a new Imperial domain and identity such as the Pentastar Alignment or Pellaeon's Imperial Remnant. The Empire died when I declared it dead, but its legacy and ideals will live on through us.

Dracus stalked after the escorting guards. Within a few moments, Cain was standing before the Grand General. The Imperial was sitting at his desk, reading a datapad. Upon Cain's entrance, he set the pad down and sized up the maimed and broken Sith before him. And then he spoke. As the Imperial finished speak, Cain snorted in disgust, which would have sounded like an exasperated exhale to the Imperial.

Recommendation and approval from Viox!?! He needed no such thing from the man, and wanted even less. It had been a very poor choice in words from the Imperial. One that he would rectify momentarily.

Cain Dracus:"You appear to be misinformed, General."Cain chuckled to himself"I require neither recommendation nor approval from your High Admiral. I studied under him for a time, and then ventured out on my own. I approach you because it was made clear to me that there would be a rather large benefit if I did. Obviously I do not expect to be given everything for nothing in return, so allow me to make you a rather interesting offer."Cain turned away from the General and strode over to the window, heavy footfalls resounding withing the quiet room, and peered out over the starport he had recently landed at."I offer you my full allegiance, my full support, loyalty and that of the soldiers under my command. I make no effort to hide the fact that I am a Sith and that I have been trained under Lord Viox Savage's brutal regime. I possess unique skills that you may find useful to your rebuilding...or you may not. It all depends on how...opportunistic you are, General. But the loyalty of me and mine have a price..."

And that is where Cain paused his offer, knowing that he had sold himself up to the General well enough to make the General nearly guaranteed to bite. Cain turned away from the window and looked upon the General from beneath his helm. He was grinning malevolently, though the General would not notice in the slightest.

If the Grand General was hurting for resources and followers as badly as it certainly appeared to him upon his initial impression of the General's operation here, then the General would bite. And after all, Cain's demands were not unreasonable or outrageous for someone of the General's stature. Despite not having the seemingly limitless resources of the Galactic Empire, the General himself had amassed a large amount of wealth and prestige, giving him a very well earned reputation. And with such a shiny reputation came the weight behind it. The General had the means to set him up and keep him protected from those who would interfere with his...dabbling. He had the chance to begin his research and experiments again with the protection and resources of a former Empire at his disposal. And this time, no one, not even his former master would stop him this time...

Colonel Xaldrich watched the Cadet for a long time and listened to his words. The boy was smart, the Colonel could give Davos that, too smart for his age. He could have easily sought a political career at the right age and become a Moff swiftly in the Empire of old. The General was the type of man who desired talent, merit and determination in both his soldiers and officers. With the rebuilding of a planet and the rising sun of a faction in plain view, there would no shortage of opportunities for the most determined and talented among the group. Maybe the Cadet was one of those rising stars...

The Colonel turned his attention back to the convoy for a moment as a commlink message alerted him of the convoy's head arriving for assignments at the last checkpoint before Camp Bravo. After reading the message, his gaze returned to the Cadet.

I have no power over such an arrangement, Cadet Raim. In fact, you would need to go way above my head to either General Artemis Delvardus, the commanding officer of the Imperial 9th Army or... the Grand General himself. They make the security sweep and patrol assignments personally. They are still trying to a build a hierarchy, but in the mean time, it keeps the Grand General busy and his mind occupied.

Colonel Xaldrich sighed, remembering when he was first introduced to then Major General Nicademus Delvardus. Back when the two were a part of the Second Fel Empire's army. When the Fel Empire disintegrated, the Colonel followed Nicademus to Deep Core, setting himself up easily as the Head of State for the Imperial Remnant there. He would be elevated to High Colonel when the General ascended the Imperial throne as Galactic Emperor after the disappearance of Lord Sinistra.

Nicademus has been known to have a controlling streak, but its because he cares about getting the right results. After all, back on Eriadu, he was the commanding officer of Eriadu's Planetary Security Force before joining the Imperial Army. He has the mind for it.



Nicademus would listen to the Sith for awhile before he felt a pause in Cain's words. Nicademus leaned forward in his seat, placing his hands right below his nose, bringing together to form a bridge between one shoulder and the next. His mouth was hidden for a moment as the General looked at Cain for a few moments longer before he leaned back. The ploy had worked...

Suddenly, the Imperial burst into laughter. It wasn't a hearty laugh, but a mild one. Enough to emit as a loud chuckle. The General would then slowly die off before the Imperial served his own grin back at the Sith.

My mentor was right about dealing with other Sith. In fact, my own words were a ploy of my own to get straight to the point. The High Admiral never spoke of you before he departed nor has Lord Savage ever spoken of a former apprentice. So I doubt he would given you a recommendation when you came with your own, Lord Dracus.

The Imperial stands up and walks back to where a desk was which was the console of his holoscreen projector. His eyes never left the armored figure of Cain Dracus for a moment. As noted before, Nicademus once knew someone who wore the signature Sith Infiltrator armor, but perhaps unlike Cain's condition, the former who had worn it before remained within its confines temporarily.

You offer me allegiance, support, troops, ships... all for a price. You sound more like a mercenary, Lord Dracus, than someone who is willing to join this cause of mine. I have many Sith now under my command, not including your own master. I have a number of force users; Imperial Knights, Sith and so forth. I have a greater number of non-force personnel; Stormtroopers, naval and army personnel, pilots, gunners... I have troops, ships, support and allegiance from them; unquestionable and unbreakable. Tell me, Lord Dracus, is that what you offer for your price? Unquestionable and unbreakable ties with my cause?



For now, we are... an Imperial Remnant, for lack of a better term. We are the remnants of an Empire, loyalty has bounded us together along with common ideals and beliefs that have steeled and forged us into soldiers, commanders and Imperialists. I have ruled an Imperial Remnant before and so shall I do so again. Until we are strong and solidified, we cannot be anything else but a remnant.

After listening to the General, Cain couldn't help himself. He began to cackle to himself, almost uncontrollably. While traces of laughter could be heard from the noise emitting from Cain's helmeted head, the Imperial before him probably wouldn't take comfort in the noise. After a few moments of pure amusement, Cain cleared his throat and spoke to the General once more.

Cain Dracus:"You have learned well from the Sith then, General. I must admit that. No wonder you have successfully rose through the ranks of the Empire like you did. Mind you, the one advantage you have over being a Sith, is that you can see a bigger picture in the grand scheme of things, and actually grasp for it. Many of those who would call themselves my colleagues of the trade are too short-sighted for such a prominent characteristic. But I, however, am not."

All traces of amusement and false admiration of the General's persona were gone in an instant. Cain gathered himself up to full height, a threatening six feet tall, and strode over to the General, clawed hand extended towards his forehead.

Cain Dracus:"I cannot explain, however I can show you..."

At that moment, the heel of Cain's palm would press against the General's forehead, hopefully quickly enough to avoid the General reacting and assuming the worst. Cain knew he had perked the General's interest, and now he hoped that that interest was enough to see what Cain wanted to show him. This was not done with the intention of harming the General, but to show him more clearly than words or pictures could explain...

If the General was now to be in contact with Cain's palm, his mind's eye would open up to a vast crimson desert. It was the sandy, desolate wastes of Rhommamool. Directly behind the General would have been the small settlement of Redhaven. Directly in front of him was a deep trench, filled with deformed and partially decaying corpses. In the sky, off towards the horizon, the tell-tale dagger shaped outline an Imperial class vessle could be seen. In the vast expanse before him, a horde of corpses were moving towards him. Some were already partially rotten, others were relatively fresh. Some were adorned with desert camouflage, others were dressed in typical civilian garb. Some were missing limbs and appendages. Others were missing entire halves of their body, but still clawed their way across the dunes. Blaster burns adorned the chest of nearly all of these creatures. Men, women, alien, all moving at various speeds towards the trench and the last line of defense before Redhaven. Upon closer inspection, the skin clinging to these creatures sagged and was molting. Skin lesions adorned the yellowing flesh. Dark spots indicating skin necrosis could also be noted. Odd angled limbs would indicate broken bones, and upon each of these hideous creatures' left hand, at the wrist, were massive tentacles that seemed to sprout out of the bone. And then the noise came. A horrendous screeching groan. At this time, a stunning and horrible realization would dawn on the General. These creatures were dead. And more importantly, they were now charging towards him at miraculous speeds.

Cain's harsh mechanical voice echoed within the General's mind.

I sense the fear in you, General, and you have have every right to be afraid. This is what a fate worse than death looks like. This is what I mean when I barter with you like a petty mercenary. This is my creation. This is the secret I keep locked away. This is the Dracus!

And as the Dracus abominations began to rapidly close the gap between where they had started and where the Rhommamoolian Armed Forces now stood, Cain removed his hand from the General's forehead and took several steps back, unsure of the reaction that the General would now have. All Cain could do at this point and time, was hope that if the General was displeased, he would at least let him leave without any trouble. Only the next few crucial seconds would tell. As Cain awaited the General's reaction, he tensed up and moved his right hand down to his waist, ready to unclip his saber and make a speedy retreat...

Cain relaxed his posture and continued to observe the General before him. Clearly the event had shaken the toughened Imperial. More than he'd probably ever admit. As Delvardus regained his hardened Imperial composure, Cain listened intently as he spoke. Once the General had completely finished speaking, Cain chuckled to himself again. As he spoke, his mechanical tone remained harsh and emotionless.

Cain Dracus:"Ah, so you have heard of Imperial Bioweapons Project I71A, otherwise know as the Sickness or Project Blackwing. Vader was an idiot to try and weaponize that monstrosity...but now you have an idea of what you are up against, yet you do not have the full story. I shall grant you a brief insight, for I am feeling generous. The Dracus was not created due to the mistrials of estranged Sith Lords trying to alchemically find immortality. The Dracus was discovered. The Dracus was found in the Unknown Regions. It was all but destroyed. From my knowledge on the situation, my father, Zekk Forge, saved several spores of the virus and began studying it, trying to see what made it tick and discover ultimately how a virus becomes what the Dracus is. His research was slowed due to his exile from Iridonia and the seizure of his assets. He hid out in the Imperial Junkyard for many months before being discovered by Lord Savage. Lord Savage destroyed the majority of his infection and brought him back to Rhommamool to continue studying the Dracus. Long story short, the Dracus escaped, reached critical mass and formed an intelligent and sentient Hivemind that tried to consume the planet. I was horribly maimed in the attack...hence the gruesome visage and the name change. After the death of my father, I began researching in his place. With the resources of the Tyrian Triumvirate, then the Imperial Sovereign House of Savage, I have made progress in learning how the Dracus works. I come to you now, pledging the support of myself and all my available resources because I want to continue my research and experiments. That is my offer to you. You provide me with the facilities and equipment, and I provide you with a very unique research that will bear many fruits that will benefit everyone involved. My former Master saw the Dracus as something that could be studied and weaponized. Harnessed if you will...as a limitless supply of foot soldiers...among other things..."

Cain paused for a minute to let his proposition sink in fully. While the General mulled that over, Cain thought best to inform the General that it was best to not threaten him with idle threats, regardless of whether or not the General would actually follow through with it or not.

Cain Dracus:"I merely opened your eyes, General. And as for having me removed, you truly do not wish to threaten me with that again, lest you wish to see whether or not I have truly learned my studies at the foot of your High Admiral. I understand you are a powerful and connected individual, you will find no challenge from me in that regard. I have no desire to lead an Empire nor usurp your rule. You want to be the Golden Imperial you were raised to believe you can attain, and I will not stop you, in fact, I can help you attain that goal...a united Imperial front that rivals Palpatine's Galactic Empire. My only goal is to have a safe and secure location to continue my research."

Cain paused once more and looked the General over.

Cain Dracus:"You know what I have at my disposal, General. We all play by the rules and everyone gets along fine..."

Cain was about to threaten the General with the whole "If you cross me, I unleash this upon the galaxy" bit, but thought better of it. The General was a well educated individual and he knew what Cain was linked to. Cain awaited for the Imperial's response.

Cain listened to the General's plans to expand. The only thing that struck Cain as odd was the fact that this had been entirely too easy. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the General had a good grasp of what the Sickness was capable, and therefore didn't want to tempt the wrong kind of fate, or perhaps the General had his own nefarious plans for Cain's specimens. Regardless, Cain peered upon the holoscreen and nodded in agreement.

Cain Dracus:"We have an accord, General. And I shall trouble you no longer. You have been very accommodating. I shall have a complete report of all my resources sent to your desk as soon as possible."

And with that, Cain bowed his head and stalked from the room. Regardless of the General's true reason behind taking Cain's experiments under his wing, everything was falling into place. The only thing that remained was to completely sever ties with his former master. And he knew exactly where he'd find him. Hopefully he'd catch him before they left on their next assignment. Cain returned to the ground floor of the former IGBC HQ and exited the building, heading for the starport across the way to where his TIE Hunter was berthed. Shortly after climbing aboard his ship, it was lifting off the ground and rocketing skywards, destined for the Legacy of the Void.