Private Enter That System From Outside

[Arcturus Dinn]

It was the door to the tallest building through which Arcturus wandered that afternoon, passing many chucked together fortifications and reinforcements in order to do so. To his surprise none tried to stop him, despite the fact that there was a clear protocol in place for visitors. He'd seen a queue on the way in, but had been ushered on ahead of the rest all the same. Not that he was going to complain; evidently he was expected.​

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Saying nothing at all, he was directed toward the turbolift and informed of which floor to ascend to. He did precisely that, somewhat thrown off by the reception though he didn't let it show. Instead he rode the lift up through countless levels until it halted on the floor dedicated entirely to Darth Empyrean himself. Various rooms were passed by without much consideration from the lad, and then he was approaching the double doors at the end of the hallway.​

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Arcturus knocked, then entered. He took several steps into the room, closing the door behind himself, and then sank down to his knees with his head bowed. He had yet to actually look upon his Father, perhaps in a way he was avoiding the reality of the situation.​

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"It is as you have bid" he stated, voice soft yet loud enough to travel to Empyrean. "I am ready to return to the fold, Father. Tell me what it is you will of me, and I shall see it done."​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The room's opening was two double doors, replaced recently with large murals of the Sith. Their slid open in the center, as though the Sith blades crossing in the center broke only to allow passage, then returned to their closed position once more. The reverse was differnt, stippled and ordained with the faces of Sith immemorial. It was a theme growing everywhere, as Arcturus would notice - zealotry ran rampant as religion took the population by the throat.​

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"It is.", Empyrean's voice offered to his chosen son.​

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He turned from the window and looked down, motioning for him to stand. Arcturus would notice how far gone he was compared to the lively, white haired, attractive man he had known. Now he was none of these things - he was a corpse, who's skin cracked and flaked as he moved. His muscles broke through in small glimpses between the scarred canyons across his flesh, but worse yet was the massive cut from should to hip that entirely removed half his chest and left arm. WIthin that cavity of his chest was a roiling, dangerous black smoke that he could sense was pure dark side energies.​

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He'd notice the wounds on his face, but more than any of those he would see that his father no longer had his black and red eyes, nor even the corrupted sulphuric ones previously known to him. Now there lay nothing but carved metal orbs with no pupil, soulless things that carried death in their stare. His hair abandoned the white it once had, now a harsh blood stained mess that almost dripped carnage.​

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"I have warned you of what I have become, and it will not get better. I am in... pain, Arcturus, but it is this pain that keeps me grounded. I fight Death and the Worm at all times, so remove the thought of saving me from your mind.", he said, front loading their conversation to get ahead of Arcturus's thoughts.​

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"Should one ever claim me, the Empire will face worse threats. Before then, I would consolidate, prepare us for what is to come. If you've come home fully, I would ask you to tell me of your journey of self fulfiment, as I had once done myself. Tell me of your deeds, your honors, and your passions."​

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"Then, I will decide what you can do to assist me."​

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Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

His Father knew him well enough to preface their conversation by smashing any hopes the lad had of making his situation better. He looked upon the man and saw no resemblance to he who had saved him from a lifetime of misery, who had taught him to read and write and forged with him his first blade, that which remained with him even to this day. It was not his Father he saw, nor his Master, but the grim visage of something else.​

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Arcturus could not help but stare, his gaze drifting over all of the exposed maladies and rot. His nostrils flared as he tried to keep control of the emotions which raged through him, and then he loosed a small sigh. Schooled his expression, and nodded his head. If Maliphant himself hadn't figured out a way to fix his present state, what hope did Arcturus have?​

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"It pains me to see you like this" he confessed, "But you are far from a weak man, and I will not undermine you in this." He only hoped that Maliphant realized that if there was anything Arcturus could do to help he would. No questions asked.​

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The instructions which were given left him thoughtful, stripped of his concerns for the corpse of a man before him, and he finally rose up to his feet. Hands settled at his back. Compared to when they'd last met in person, when Arcturus was a mess of a boy in that hotel room, he seemed like an entirely different person. Dressed sharply and respectably, mature enough to finally warrant well trimmed facial hair, and a body no longer emaciated but strengthened with eons of labour. Still, in the face of his Father he still felt like the timid boy who'd been thrust into his life so many moons ago.​

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"I have expanded my understanding of the Force and its machinations, seen much of the Galaxy. I took on a student for a time, though the fates saw fit to see us separated." Thoughts of Tamiko left him feeling a little raw inside, but he squashed it down. "I have been blessed at the hands of Velok, and cursed in turn, forged a great many things and made plans for even more. I have made a place for myself within the Netherworld, and understand it more and more each day... as much as one can understand an ever shifting plane."​

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It was hard to even think back on all he'd done since their meeting on Coruscant. Some of it he certainly wasn't proud of...​

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"I have made right with Rhiannon... Ishani, that is. I'm ready to step up, as a Father and a Son; they are my passions, Master, my muses." He inclined his head some as that confession was made. "So too is my drive for knowledge, to master the esoteric natures of the Darkside. I bend the Nether to my will, I bend blood, and metal, and life itself... I have spent my life running from what I am, who I am, but no more. I wish to prove myself to you, my loyalty and my competence."​

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Darth Empyrean ​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Empyrean slowly nodded. The story was short, but summarized well - he would make no complaints, nor unwelcome comments. Instead he let it hang in the air as he imagined the life his son had led and how so much earlier he had learned lessons it had taken Maliphant decades to settle. It had shown, at the very least, he had done some good in raising him, teaching him how to be better than himself.​

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"I am glad to hear that.", he said, more in reference to finding his musing than attempts at loyalty.​

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"I have never questioned your loyalty, or your competence, Arcturus. I have only had concerns for those that guide you - but you and your company are you own to make. I am simply a guide, nothing more."​

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He moved to find a seat on the blackened throne of the office, calming the rampant dark side energies that poured off of him like a torrential rain fall. Flooding the senses only to be dammed behind the incantations carved into the stone, the ability to breath seemed to ease in only a moment. Empyrean spoke again, in a tone Arcturus would know was only for him - fatherly, stern, but lacking the danger he carried for so many others.​

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"My condition is due to hubris, and a reliance on a strength that was not my own. If I am ever to pass on a lesson, it is that. Rely on your strength alone, allow no others to support you in what you need. That is what I can offer in this moment."​

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Another moment of silence as he adjusted for comfort on the throne.​

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"The Order failed in its galactic revolution from Odavessa, and I hold the Worm in the prison of my mind. Instead, we have taken the southern region of the galaxy as we saw fit using cults and implanted agents. Now we conquer again, facing threads both within and without. The Mandalorians, the Jedi, the Rimward Trade League..."​

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"Yet all pale in comparison to the threat of factionalism. I have not been able to hold dominance over the Order as I should - there are too many disloyal entities within it. Darth Ophidia, Darth Carnifex, a dozen untrained and incompetent Sith with thoughts of grandeur and nothing to back it up. I would have you help me in that regard above all, Arcturus, in consolidating the Order's strength so that we might truly make a difference."​

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Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

He was not interrupted throughout his response. Perhaps that ought to have unnerved him, as though what he was saying was somehow unsatisfactory or wrought with disappointment, but instead it simply bolstered him. It was true that his words were concise, lacking in true detail, but he doubted very much that his Master wished to hear every little thing he'd done. There wasn't time enough for such a recounting. Even so by the time he was done he felt as though he'd just bared his soul.​

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It was good then that Maliphant found it all satisfactory. That he was, in fact, gladdened to hear of the muses he'd wrangled.​

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But it was what came next that shook the boy, truly. His loyalty and competence had never been in question? Was this just another thing in life which he had made far bigger than it needed to be? Something he'd built up in his mind, and allowed to bleed intrusively within? He'd gone looking for approval, just as he'd gone looking for some way to make himself worthy of both his label of Father and Son, though neither had been requested of him to begin with. Self imposed...​

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"You will always be more than a guide" he retorted, and all at once the strange outward façade he was looking upon did not seem so foreign or strange. It was his Father, regardless of how he appeared, it was his Master. He found that he could meet those stony marble eyes without reluctance, he did not cow or seem unnerved.​

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What he did notice though was how the throne he sat upon seemed to alter his state, even if only a little. Arcturus could sense the shift in emotions, and indeed the darkness permeating, and found within himself a small modicum of relief which he would not draw attention to. He'd sworn to leave the matter of Maliphant's state alone, and he would honour those words he'd uttered.​

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The lesson was met with a soft inclination of his head. "I shall strive to keep such a lesson in mind, Father," he assured the man, knowing better than to simply outright promise it to be so. It wasn't always easy to see how much you were reliant on others, after all. But doing his best was something he could truthfully stick to. Arcturus couldn't help but ponder on the strength he himself held. He was no warrior, and in truth he wasn't even much of a sorcerer, he meddled with things that most Sith overlooked, tampered with trinkets and artifacts and dangerous facets of the Force which would just as readily backfire on him than work as intended.​

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Still, strength had many pillars.​

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As he was caught up to speed with not just the state of his Master but of the Sith's place in the Galaxy, Arcturus made mental notes. Their sphere of influence, their nearby enemies, and indeed the presence of the Worm locked away inside a biological prison. Yet it was the threat of splintered factions and infighting which seemed to be the real source of unease.​

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It was true, with so many creeds and beliefs and varying methods it was hard to keep Sith unified. Some might argue unification went against their very core, though Arcturus was not among them. For all he'd suffered and seen, and all he'd done, he remained something of an idealist at heart. For better, or for worse.​

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"I will do whatever I can to aid in this, Master," he stated, "Tell me what it is you would have me do, and I will see it done." Untrained Sith could be molded and forged, incompetence could be tempered out with enough time, and those who believed themselves to be more than they were? Well... It was never too late to knock someone down a few pegs. The Triumvir of course weren't something he could tackle, he was nothing when compared to Carnifex and Ophidia.​

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With all of this roaming around his head, another thought popped up. "I would like to seek your permission, to train Rhiannon." He was an Apprentice, and it wasn't normal for an Apprentice to take on a student - even if he'd done it before - but she needed guidance, a ship in a storm without a lighthouse to beckon her, and he wanted to ensure her education was ample.​

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In many ways he didn't want to entrust her to those more complacent or overzealous Sith. Those who, as his Father had put it, were incompetent, or haughty.​

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Darth Empyrean ​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"I will leave that to your better judgement, I do not know Rhiannon with any depth. There are many more lessons I would impart upon you before I'd truly support you training another - but I will not deny your ability to choose a path of your own.", he said simply.​

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He used the force to pull open a draw at the desk, pulling from it a small holopad with details regarding the political climate of the Order, the other Orders and their known associates, and a large amount of information the Frumentarii had collected on the Sith of the region. It was a monolithic source of information.​

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"I will say this much, Arcturus, there are many things I will tell you in time - and much of it must be kept secret. Some know some details of I and the Worm, but they don't know it all. Same goes with a variety of secrets I shall impart upon you. This data sheet is one. Do not let it fall in the wrong hands."​

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He let the force close the drawer once more before he continued.​

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"First, I would like you to expand your skillset. Politics, diplomacy, leadership - all important things that I do not doubt you will pick up quickly, but also when to impose your strength. It is about the surgical precision of your strength, not the amount of it - remember that."​

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"Second, you will be working with a few of my other agents. Venn Kolis as you have already met. Rayden Helonus , Adeline Noctua , Gerwald Lechner , Darth Nito , and numerous others. Of course Srina Talon as well - in time. Meet with each of them, explain yourself, and work with them on the missions I have laid out to them."​

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"Lastly, you will need a home on the planet. I know you have asked me for little, but in this I will not allow you to suffer. Name your home, your ship, and any other amenities you will need - be they military, political, social, or pleasure, and I will have them waiting for you within a week."​

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Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

It was not a full support he garnered from his Father insofar as training Rhiannon went, after all Arcturus had not been taught enough yet himself, but nor was it abject rejection. Instead Arcturus was given the grace to decide for himself, and he inclined his head softly in thought. "I will never stop learning, Master, I strive to always better myself, to understand as much of this Galaxy and those within it as I can." Apprentice, Knight, Master, it did not matter to him. He would never permit himself to stand still and pretend like he had all the answers. Though he understood well that such wasn't what his Father was insinuating. "She would benefit from some level of guidance" he added.​

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He chose to speak no more on that matter, he could dwell on it himself in his own time. ​

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A datapad was produced and handed across to him, and Arcturus glanced briefly upon it before returning his attention to Empyrean. He could read through it later. Instead he listened as talks turned to secrecy, and he was quick to nod his head. "I would never presume to speak on that which is said in confidence" he assured the man, "You hold my loyalty first and foremost. None shall have access to it, this I swear."​

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An expanded skillset was principal amongst his newfound duties. To learn the arts of diplomacy and leadership. Politics weren't a thing he'd ever so much as sniffed at, it seemed to be the sort of work meant for men far more charismatic than he. The closest thing he had to experience in regards to any of that was his time overseeing Folende. He nodded his head in agreement, especially to the comments made about strength. Subtlety and well timed precision were worth more than brute force, though both had their uses.​

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Next came mention of other agents, and Arcturus made a mental note of their names. "I shall meet with each of them, assist them however I can." As for the expansion of his skillset, it seemed that he'd have to get himself involved more with their expansion efforts. It was time for Arcturus to participate more in general, step out from the veil of the Nether and the shadowy corners he preferred to cling to.​

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Funnily enough it was the final task which posed the greatest level of difficulty for him. Growing his catalogue of knowledge, and forming ties with others, he could do with enough time and effort, but assenting to his Father's assistance in a tangible, monetary sense did not sit well with the man. He had always strived to walk his own path, and make his own way in life, insofar as assets were concerned. It was important to him that he work for what he had. It was easy for others to look upon him and see naught but nepotism and privilege but the boy asked for naught, expected naught, actively avoided what others might have fast exploited.​

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"I do not seek assets from you, Father," he stated, as his brow furrowed in discomfort. He wasn't wrong of course, Arcturus did need roots now more than ever. A home, men at his back, another sort of strength that would help secure his place and his future. But then why did it feel so icky? Maliphant was rather adamant about it though, he wasn't so much asking as he was telling and Arcturus doubted very much he could talk him out of it.​

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For a moment, just a moment, Arcturus' composure briefly cracked. More the boy of his youth than the man he'd come to be, he didn't look upon his Father when next he spoke. "I wouldn't even know what to ask for" he stated. The only roots and stability he'd known in his life had been back at Harper's Retreat. That was so long ago now... He'd always tried to go it alone, keep in motion beyond the workshop he held in the Nether; that was a retreat more than anything though, a way for him to avoid responsibilities.​

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Darth Empyrean ​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

"That is my fault for forcing you into struggle.", he said with a slight frown.​

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"It is the struggle that makes us strong, and without it - we would crumble against a slight breeze. Iron is made into steel through a hammer's righteous strikes - and I've made you more Steel than Iron now."​

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He lifted a small crystal from across the room, as he often did, and let it settle before them. It spun faster until light poured from it, and a force vision of the planet appeared before them. It spun slow, then zoomed in upon a certain area. A practical fortress near the more naturalized areas of the city world, empty and mothballed as it was.​

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"You will get this home. It was that of the a noble family who was opposed to our rule on their world. You will make it your own, with the funds I provide, and I will supply you with an attachment of soldiers. They are veterans of our campaigns, and have a long history - they can train others, should you expand."​

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"You will also receive a 'Khan' Star Destroyer. You will not lead it, but a Captain in place will teach you how - until the day you are ready to lead on your own. Additionally, all of this shall be paid for by my treasury. I would raise you to a Noble of our fledging rule. As it befits my Son."​

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"Last - I would raise you to Knight, so that you may speak with authority wherever you go, Arcturus. Does this suit you?"​

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Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Arcturus listened and watched as the crystal was brought across the room to hover before them and his Father spoke of steel. "I do not rue the struggles I've faced, I am grateful for them. I know that I can stand alone when necessary." That was something few had in truth, when all was cast aside many would falter. But he'd never had men to rely on, or domiciles, that which he had he'd wrought for himself.​

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Still, all things must evolve. As much as he could go it alone he knew that he would be of more value to his Father's cause if he did not remain entirely reluctant to that which Maliphant sought to offer him. His surprise was palpable from the start even so as a home, men, and a ship were all laid out before him, and to begin with Arcturus could not think on the words to speak much less utter them. Gratitude swirled up within him, alongside a very slight stinging hit to his pride. That wasn't something he ever thought he'd feel... Pride. He wasn't the kind of man who clung to such. Yet here they were...​

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Then came the titles. Noble... He who had been little more than a slave would rise so keenly above his station? And finally Knight.​

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It was as though time stood still.​

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"This is more than I would ever ask for" he stated. More than he could ever need, though he didn't voice as much. He began to shake his head. Was it too much? It was as though his whole life was being flipped on its head. Maybe this was what he needed though. No more hiding, it was time he made good on his promises. To Maliphant, to Rhiannon. Finally he nodded his head.​

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"Of course, Father. I shall use all of this and more to see your will enforced and bring glory and success in your name."​

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It felt prudent to kneel, so he did precisely that. His head hung in humility and subservience. He felt wholly undeserving, though he knew that would only serve to better fuel him. To prove he was worthy of such..​

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Darth Empyrean ​

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Empyrean nodded, but did not comment on the obvious implications of Arc's comment. He had grown humble, and while that was an admirable trait - it was a waste of the Dark Side to be accepting of a low station. Perhaps it was the nature of the Dark Side, or the nature of the Sith, but ambition and dreams fed their strength as much as anything else. He would foster these things in his Son now.​

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He stood from his chair, the force carefully moving his desk and chair out of the way as his staff formed in his hand. It's alchemized krayt dragon figure head seemed to stare at them both as he used it to walk towards his son. Gently, he ignited it's force saber, bringing it down to almost touch the shoulder of Arcturus.​

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He would find it disturbingly contrasting to what one thought of a blade like that. Instead of heat like he'd feel from a lightsaber, it was cold - dangerously so, but it was kept well under control by Empyrean's grasp of the weapon. He shifted it over his head to his other shoulder, and spoke as the knighting was under way;​

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"You've done well to find your identity and your place in this Galaxy, Arcturus. With Passion and Strength I have no doubts you can now raise it, spurring on the embers of ambition. You may yet fight for my ideals, but in time you will fight for your own. You have done well to control the Dark Side, and done better to make me proud."​

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"Rise, Darth Arenaceus. The Galaxy and our Order await you."​

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Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

There was still plenty for him to learn, many ways for him to grow, but was such not the nature of humanity in general? Nobody was ever really done, and to believe it would land one in a state of complacency that didn't sit well with the likes of Arcturus. He was driven by a hunger, a need for knowledge and self-improvement. Humble though he might have been, he found himself unexpectedly filled with future-facing plans. That wasn't normal for him, typically he avoided looking to the future. It was too far out of reach, there were too many shifting gears and places for things to go wrong.​

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But there, knelt before his Father as he was Knighted with a most ancient weapon, he could finally begin to see the possibilities which lay in store. For himself, for his newly formed family, his... legacy. He had come to Maliphant with nothing, not even a name to give. Now he had more than he'd ever thought possible, and it opened doors previously sealed off. He could be so much more than he was. Every step he'd taken to get to this point had been made with reservations, he underplayed his hand, that which he tinkered on and developed lacked the grand schemes and designs of his predecessors. Simple, utilitarian, as though afraid to step outside of the box he believed himself set within.​

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He was a slave no more. Hadn't been for quite some time, though he'd struggle to shed himself of those mental bonds regardless. Passion, Strength, Ambition... All things he'd believed himself unworthy of. With the voicing of his new title, Arcturus felt emboldened. Darth Arenaceus, he could hide from it no longer. Nor, he quickly discovered, did he want to. He had knelt Arcturus, a wayward boy with nothing tethering him, who drifted between the realms of life and death without purpose or ambition. When he arose, he felt so much more. ​

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"I shall forge a place for myself at your side, Master, and beyond." It was time to step out from the shadows he obscured himself with. To rise above even the station he'd just now been given. ​

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Darth Empyrean ​