The Emerald King - Hephaestus Prime - Part 1. (Patreon)

Master Fay, the Marauder – En Route to Hephaestus Prime.

"Certain of your decision, are you?" Master Yoda said through the Marauder's communications terminal, while Fay informed the Order of her decision.

Fay nodded gently, determination shining across her face without the slightest trace of hesitation.

"Yes. Emperor Harold's offer is my path. The Force itself has guided me into his service," Fay said with determination, causing Master Yoda to nod gently while several other members of the Council frowned in obvious disapproval.

"I do not consider it a wise decision, Master Fay. The Emerald Empire is far too aggressive and poses a threat to the political balance of the galaxy. The Senate was far from pleased when it was informed that one third of the Jedi Order had chosen to seek refuge on Gaia Prime, and I am certain they will be even less pleased when I inform them that a Jedi of your esteem and rank has become Emperor Harold's personal Advisor," Master Windu said, causing Fay to frown at the man's audacity.

Mace's arrogance was incredible. Fay had lived for centuries, long before the first ancestor of Mace Windu had ever appeared in the galaxy.

"First of all, I fail to understand why the Senate believes it has the right to interfere in Jedi affairs. I know the Emperor personally. He is not the violent and bloodthirsty man that Republic propaganda wants the galaxy to believe he is. Master Shaak Ti and Master Plo Koon arrived safely, by the way. I mention it because you didn't even bother to ask about the well-being of your... colleagues," Fay said firmly, her voice elegant, though the refined mockery within it was more than evident, causing the Jedi Master to frown as he prepared to respond.

Alas, Fay had absolutely no interest in hearing Windu's words. Turning her attention back toward Master Yoda, she continued.

"We shall remain in contact, Master Yoda. May the Force be with you," the blonde said, intentionally excluding everyone else before ending the transmission and taking a deep breath, calming her mind.

Her beloved Order...

Fay barely recognized it anymore.

The Council did not even care about Harold's motives.

His noble crusade against slavery.

No.

They were only concerned that the Emerald Empire's presence had stabilized the Outer Rim. Hutt influence had become virtually nonexistent, and the dirty secrets of Senators and businessmen were beginning to come to light, making the situation on Coruscant increasingly unstable.

"I told you it wouldn't end the way you expected," the Emperor's voice said from the entrance to the communications room.

The blonde turned around and inclined her head respectfully as Harold entered the room as usual, taking command of the place through nothing more than his presence.

"I've come to bring you this," the Emperor said as he handed Fay a small box. She had no idea what the object was, but the blonde could feel a powerful presence within the Force.

The Jedi Master opened the box delicately, gasping as she saw...

And felt...

What rested inside.

It was...

A small golden ring. It was shaped like a golden Phoenix with its wings spread wide, the symbol of the Empire, holding an unknown jewel between its talons, one that glowed softly with an emerald radiance.

"It is the symbol of your position on the Council, Master Fay. Imperial Advisor. It is an enchanted ring. It will vibrate gently whenever you are in danger, generally if someone with malicious intentions attempts to harm you. It also possesses enchantments that will warn you of poisonings and acts of sabotage, as well as an emergency Portkey to Sanctuary Station. It also bears powerful enchantments that will protect your mind, and no one except you and me will ever be able to remove it from your hand," the Emperor explained calmly and naturally.

Fay remained utterly stunned, staring at the ring in complete amazement. The Force...

Quite literally...

Emanated from it with overwhelming power.

The blonde felt no shame in admitting that she was completely incapable of understanding how the ring functioned.

Harold was a true Master of the Force.

That much was obvious.

"I am honored, my Lord," Fay said, bowing her head respectfully, causing Harold to roll his eyes and dismiss the gesture with a wave of his hand.

"Come. Let's head to the observation deck. We're almost at Hephaestus Prime," he ordered without waiting for a response as he began walking without looking back, knowing perfectly well that Fay would be right behind him.

The blonde followed the Emperor through the Marauder's immense corridors. Surprisingly, the ship was almost entirely self-sufficient, functioning through a combination of droids and the Force, making the vessel feel...

Alive...

In a way.

Fay knew there were people aboard the ship, but it was simply titanic. It was like a floating city, completely self-sufficient and, from what she had seen...

Lord Potter's personal laboratory.

The blonde walked along the main passageway directly toward the observation deck, just as the Marauder's mechanical voice echoed throughout the vessel.

"Attention. Journey complete. Preparing emergence into the Hephaestus System," the voice announced at the precise moment the familiar vortex of hyperspace vanished, revealing before her eyes what had once been the planet Zygerria.

"By the Force..." Fay whispered, utterly stunned by the sight before her.

The barren and decaying world of Zygerria had almost completely disappeared. Much of its surface was now covered by oceans, plains, and forests, although certain regions still remained as patches of brown.

"The terraforming efforts have been successful. The surface of Hephaestus Prime is now approaching optimal levels for complete colonization," Harold said with complete calm, prompting Fay to shift her gaze away from the planet's surface...

Toward the immense and titanic structure beyond it.

Fay could not even begin to comprehend the sheer size of what she was looking at. It was an enormous structure, unmistakably Imperial in its architecture, a colossal circular space station with hundreds of dry docks, each one containing countless ships in various stages of construction.

None of them resembled the Marauder. The Emperor's flagship was unique, but the influence and design philosophy were more than obvious.

At the very center of the station stood an immense inner ring, functioning as a gigantic processing complex. Massive industrial tug ships continuously dragged enormous asteroids into the facility, undoubtedly to process them and feed the Empire's ever-growing industrial machine.

"It isn't the Star Forge, but the Imperial Shipyards are something I am particularly proud of. As you can imagine, they function through a combination of technology and the Force, making them literally unique within the galaxy," the Emperor said, unmistakable pride evident in his voice as he admired the colossal structure.

Still unable to believe what she was witnessing, Fay asked,

"How do you power such a colossal station? The energy requirements must be... unimaginable," she whispered to herself, still struggling to comprehend the scale of what she was seeing.

Harrison merely shrugged before calmly issuing another series of orders.

"Bring the Marauder to my private dock. I want the prototypes from Project Titan loaded aboard the ship and secured for the campaign," he ordered calmly as the immense vessel began moving toward what was clearly the station's central Control Tower, located at its very heart, directly above the asteroid processing facility.

A moment later, a feminine voice responded.

"Understood, Your Highness. Priority Zero has been assigned to the Marauder, and the docks have already begun preparing the Titan hangars for loading. Your guests have also arrived. The Princess is waiting for you in the Tower's conference room," the woman replied before ending the transmission, leaving Fay with countless questions.

"Project Titan? What is that?" the blonde asked curiously as she watched the Marauder begin navigating inside the station, swallowing hard as she saw the immense complex teeming with life, millions of droids and Imperial citizens working upon the imposing vessels, both military and civilian.

Fay watched with fascination as numerous warships belonging to different Imperial Legion Chapters lay docked throughout the station, all of them being loaded with vast quantities of war machines and ammunition for the Siege of Nal Hutta.

The Jedi Master could not help but shudder at the sheer amount of firepower the Empire was preparing. Harold was not playing games.

Of that...

She had absolutely no doubt.

Fay's thoughts were interrupted as the Marauder finally docked at the Tower and Harold spoke once again, as always, with complete calm and total command of the situation.

"A small surprise I have prepared for the Hutts. Something... that will allow me to crush them like the filthy insects they are," Harold declared, while, through the observation deck, Fay watched in utter astonishment as something enormous began walking toward the Marauder's lower hangars.

Fay could only hold her breath as she stared at the metallic monstrosity Harold Potter had commissioned.

"That... is a Titan. Siege machines designed for one purpose alone: to crush Hutt fortifications and planetary defenses. They will be deployed from orbit and will neutralize Nal Hutta's orbital cannons, allowing us to conquer the planet and send a decisive message to the entire galaxy," the Emperor explained with complete calm, leaving Fay utterly speechless.

"By the Force..." she whispered once again, trembling completely as she imagined the devastation those...

Monsters...

Would unleash upon the battlefield.

"Relax. Only I possess the means to create Titans. That is not something that will change, so you have nothing to worry about. But now we have more important matters to attend to, Fay," the Emperor said as he calmly placed a hand upon the blonde's shoulder.

Without the slightest warning...

The two of them vanished.

Fay experienced the most terrifying and suffocating sensation of her entire life, as though her entire body were being forced through an impossibly narrow tube. A single heartbeat later, the blonde found herself completely disoriented, no longer aboard the Marauder, but inside what appeared to be a conference room within the station's Central Tower.

However, Fay had no time to marvel at what had just happened. She was far too occupied collapsing to the floor, utterly overwhelmed by the horrifying sensation that still consumed her mind.

"Oh... by the Force..." the blonde groaned as she squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to calm herself once more.

Harold calmly placed a hand upon her back as he spoke again.

"Relax. It'll pass. Don't worry," Harold said, obvious amusement visible upon his face while Fay continued trembling from the overwhelming sensation.

After several minutes, Fay managed to stand once more, still trembling slightly from the horrifying sensation.

"Where are we?" the blonde asked as she looked around the luxurious conference room in which she now found herself. The Imperial architecture was unmistakable, and everything surrounding her conveyed only one thing.

Power.

Fay stepped toward the enormous window, noticing that she was now a considerable distance away from the Marauder. The Titans had already begun boarding the vessel, while thousands of droids carried out maintenance upon the Empire's capital ship.

"Have my guests escorted to the Tower's conference room. Have refreshments brought in as well. This discussion will be a long one," Harold ordered through his communicator, pulling Fay from her thoughts.

"Yes, Your Grace," a masculine voice replied before ending the transmission.

"What guests are you referring to, Harold?" Fay asked softly, her voice filled with curiosity, but the Emperor merely chuckled quietly before answering.

"You'll see," was all he replied before making himself comfortable and motioning for Fay to do the same.

The blonde hesitated for a brief moment before taking the seat to the Emperor's right, elegant and graceful, something entirely natural for her, before allowing her thoughts to drift toward the coming battle.

Many people would die.

Of that she had no doubt.

Nor did she doubt that the vast majority of them would be innocent.

The Hutts were cowards and monsters.

Without question, they would use the millions of slaves on Nal Hutta as living shields before ever accepting defeat.

The species was doomed.

Harold would not stop until the last Hutt was dead and their species had been purged from the galaxy. Fay still hoped she might somehow persuade the Emperor to spare the lives of the younglings, perhaps condemning them to the same fate as the Zygerrians.

But whenever she raised the subject with Harold...

The Emperor remained unwavering in his refusal.

His hatred for the Hutts was...

Profound.

A deeply personal vendetta, beyond any doubt.

Before Fay could raise the subject once more, the doors slid open, revealing two support droids escorting two familiar figures.

Harold rose to his feet, calmly placing his hands behind his back.

"Captain Thrawn, Lady Ar'alani, I believe we have much to discuss... regarding the future of our peoples," the Emperor said, prompting both Chiss to nod gently, still visibly overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of the Station.

Fay simply felt the Force itself tremble with satisfaction, as though it were pleased by the gathering of the people within this room for some unknown reason.

And although she had no idea what the purpose of these negotiations would be...

She would soon find out.