Under the glass moon...[Kaine]

[Invicta Zambrano]

“My Lady?”

“Mmm?” came the soft, indolent reply, drawn past plump, glossy lips.

“We have come out of hyperspace over Panatha, my Lady. We have been hailed, and they have requested to speak to you directly.”

Her delicate brow furrowed. “A peculiar request. Our transponder codes and the authorization of my seneschal has been enough to grant us clearance.”

“A fact which Kyrios did indeed pass along to them, in case there was any doubt. However, my Lady-“

“-they insist. Alright, Arik, I will speak to them. Do go ahead and tell them I will arrive momentarily.”

He bowed and took himself out of the small lounge room attached to her equally small suite. It was a far cry from the Great Houses of her homeworld of Alderaan and the palaces she was visiting on this little galactic jaunt of hers. It was a tradition of House Gaultier that those not already promised or betrothed by their parents to another House for an alliance were to make a journey to other like-minded and properly ‘bred’ aristocrats.

Invicta had been traveling for almost a year, and had met no one that she could stand for longer than ten minutes. She couldn’t help it…or explain it. There was a fluttering sensation, an inner sort of prompting that told her it simply wasn’t ‘right’. Displeasure had reigned across her father’s features earlier that morning, when the report of her dealings with a well-connected and wealthy Bakuran family had reached his ears.

But she hadn’t been able to help herself, on the one hand. And on the other, she had taken such a perverse pleasure in tormenting their simpering excuse for a son – who had cared more for indulging his appetites than anything else. She sighed softly and pinched the bridge of her nose as she strode down the hallway and down the short staircase into the cockpit area.

Clad in a swath of snow-white silk that showed no skin save her delicate hands, Invicta nodded to the pilot. The monitor flared to life, showing a lazily dressed guard who quite clearly did not believe the initial communication. The lout had the ill manner to yawn as he peered into his monitor, dark eyes going wide as he finally caught sight of her. The waves of crimson curls that fell to her waist, the slender figure hidden beneath the white shimmersilk, and the features that quite clearly had murder writ in their emerald orbs.

She did not let him speak. “You have insulted a noble-born attendant who has served my family for eight hundred years, whom I regard as a second father. You have kept us waiting and insisted that I be summoned from my rest because you did not believe the codes and clearances we transmitted to you. When we land and we are in audience with your king, I will seek either your position or your life, dependant on my mood.” Her voice did not rise, it had remained cool, collected and dangerously soft.

Showing a measure of self-preservation, the man said nothing, simply quickly and expediently verified their codes and gave them clearance to break Panatha’s atmosphere. Coordinates for a berth at the private spaceport that served the nobles of the capital were given in a proper and respectful voice with eyes not rising to meet her own. Perhaps, Invicta mused, she would be lenient.

The young woman turned her back on the monitor when all was said and done, striding back into the hallway and up the stairs to her quarters. She would need to begin her preparations.

One did not simply appear to an audience with a king without every attention paid to proper court protocols and traditions.

By the time The Erebos set down and the palace escort arrayed itself at the base of the ramp to receive her, Invicta had decided that visiting Panatha had been the proper decision. The unease that had plagued her mind for the last several weeks ceased the minute her stiletto clad foot touched the duracrete beneath her ship. Something was…different about it. A scattering of energy seemed to wreath around her form and withdraw with a peculiar sense of acceptance given.

Fingers smoothed out the fitted royal blue shimmersilk of her gown, ensuring it lay as it should around each of her petite curves, as she collected her now-scattered wits. The crimson cascade of her hair had been tamed into a fasionable upswept coif, delicate shimmering pins and combs holding the curls in place. Her emerald gaze was accentuated by a simple sweep of shimmering powder, and a touch of gloss had been swept across her lips.

Like so much armor, she gathered her noble façade and held her head high as she was escorted to the waiting vehicle.

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

It was time. Nobles from across the stars had come to this world seeking a highborn coupling, and Kaine had been more than welcome to receive them. Sadly, the guard who had been assigned to monitor incoming cosmic traffic for Panatha had made a fatal slight to the most esteemed guests of his King. The moment word of that error had reached the King, his wrath had been quick, but brutal. The guard was brought before the King, bloodied and beaten, and then flayed alive by his servants. Blood had coated the polished marble that evening, along with other bodily fluids here and there. The man had died slow, Kaine made sure of that, and once life finally left the man was he relieved of his duty. The skin would be taken down below, to be worked into a cloak for the guard's replacement. A warning of what happens to those who displease the King.

Meanwhile; the vehicle responsible in bringing Lady Gaultier and her entourage was right on time as it breezed through the opens gates of Vain Hallow. Beyond those walls awaited a honorary legion of guardsmen who stood at rigid attention as the fair Lady was escorted from the vehicle, and into the castle proper. The interior of the castle was haunting as it was beautiful, cold stone walls, thick tapestries, luscious carpets, and artwork of every form hanging upon the walls or tastefully placed at a junction. Finally the Lady and her entourage would reach the majestic throne room, where another host of Vanr Honor Guard stood at attention and bowed in respect to her highness as she entered. Each of these Honor Guard wore golden plate armor that marked them above all else, as the King's personal guard and protectors of the royal family. A large ante-chamber had been built before the throne, large enough for any sort of festivities that would need the King to bear witness to. Elegant tapestries of crimson cloth fluttered in intervals at each side of the room, decorated with a black grinning skull wearing a crown of burnished gold, the new sigil of the Zambrano Royal Family of Panatha.

In lieu of electronic lights, there sat braziers burning with a hellish purple flame along the walls, casting the throne room into a perpetual gloom that served to add an aura of ominous intimidation to whomever came before the King, but such parlor tricks might not work on the beautiful Lady Gaultier. Still, even her followers would tense up the moment they entered the room, but perhaps that was the intoxicating sense of decay wafting down from the incense burners high above. At the end of the chamber was a series of elevated platforms, with a series of stairs leading directly to each one. The first platform was merely where those who came before the King would stand when he addressed them, while the second platform was the site of the King's black iron throne. A ghastly construct of black iron and steel, imposing in all of it's terrible glory, but that was not what made it so sinister. Rather, it was the person who sat upon it that was the most sinister addition of all. The Tyrant of the Pacanth, the King of Panatha, and the former Emperor of the Sith Empire, Kaine Zambrano, better known to many as Darth Vornskr.

He was dressed in a suit of phrik armor, combined with delicate cloth under armor, along with a cloak that hung over the left arm of the throne to touch the ground. A crown of alchemy-enhanced aurodium with a multitude of precious stones sat upon his head, a symbol of his divine authority across all of Panatha. He regarded the visitors with a friendly smirk, before calling out to them; "Welcome, welcome proud Lady Gaultier to my humble home! I am most displeased that your arrival was delayed due to the incompetence of one, but rest assured he has been dealt with accordingly." In a single fluid motion he rose from the throne, and descended the steps to stand before her Lady, the Honor Guard still knelt before the honored Lady and their Lord. The King bowed respectfully, and moved to politely kiss her hand should she allow it. "I do hope your journey was worth it, my dear."

[member="Invicta Gaultier"]

 

[Invicta Zambrano]

The vehicle was warm and comfortable, a fact for which the lady within was quite thankful. A soft, snow white wrap of sable fur lay across her lap, while slender fingers gently stroked across the pristine surface. They lingered over the intricately wrought metal and precious gems of her brooch, a gift from her mother on the occasion of her last birthing day celebration. A stylized version of House Gaultier’s sigil, it rested perfectly and refracted little rainbows across the pure white of the fur.

Invicta remained quiet, shaking her head as Arik offered her refreshment from the expensive selection provided. She took none, but paused a moment to appreciate that even this small detail had been tended to with care. There was a nod to her homeworld, with an Alderaanian liquer that she favored, and another still to her love of fine wines, with a bottle of Corellian red nearly as old as she was. A smile settled upon her lips as her gaze drifted to the scenery passing by outside of her window. Panatha was beautiful, she mused, though she would ever be partial to Alderaan as the most beautiful of worlds.

Soon enough, the luxuriously appointed speeder whisked them onto the grounds of Vain Hallow, coming to a stop moments later. The door was opened and Arik exited first, giving her the proper length of time to quickly check her reflection and draw the sable wrap around her shoulders. Her loyal attendant's hand extended to receive her fingertips, drawing her out of the vehicle and into the courtyard, the path flanked a legion of guardsman at attention. Their armor gleamed in the light, and their silent stoicism was a most welcome pleasure. Even the best behaved of her Father's guards could not be so silent and still...she marked the impressive sight with a delighted smile, passing through and into the castle proper.

It was a magnificent edifice, and so sumptuously adorned that Invicta knew the other Alderaanian nobles in her entourage would be in positive awe of their surroundings. While the Great Houses had grand estates, none of them were quite on par with the palace of the King of Panatha. Her smile remained warm and her emerald gaze glittered as she strode through into the throne room, her head held high and her bearing unerringly strait. She took pleasure in the murmurs of discomfort from behind her, which her heightened senses easily caught, and she paused a moment. Her voice emerged as a swift, heated whisper "If you cannot remain silent, you will return to your ships and leave immediately. I will not tolerate such behavior here." She did not need to ask if her meaning was unclear, her retribution was well known and feared among them all.

A flick of her wrist saw them all fall instantly silent and attentive, as they should have been all the while, though their tension tightened around them in delectable knots. Emerald eyes narrowed briefly before she turned back and smoothed her expression, continuing forward as the King's voice rang out. She paused the proscribed three steps away from the stairs leading up to the dais whereupon sat the man himself. As schooled as she was in the subtle arts of being noble-born, Invicta inhaled a touch sharply as she lifted her emerald gaze to meet one that so closely matched her own. She could see nothing else as he rose and descended the stairs, barely even noticing as Arik took his place behind her and to the right. The glimmering, golden-clad honor guards dropped to one knee in perfect synchronization, while the King did her the honor of bowing and placing a warm kiss to the back of her hand.

Energy flared and accosted her senses, but Invicta breathed deeply and offered a smooth, graceful curtsy, allowing the King to keep hold of her hand. Something intangible flickered at the edge of her awareness, but it proved elusive to her for the moment, leaving a delicate silence in the majestic room. Her voice emerged, soft and silken, "You honor me, your Highness, and yes..." she paused, lifting her gaze to meet his, something nameless and indescribable stirring in their depths. "...I daresay it has been."

 

[Darth Carnifex]

He smiled a wicked smile, his thumb lightly rubbing against the soft flesh of her hand as he held it gently. Now that he was closer, his features were more defined despite the gloom of the throne room. A man of black hair lined with aging gray ran down past his shoulders, the bangs kept out of his face by the onyx crown that sat perched atop his head. His facial hair covered his entire lower jaw, the hair near his chin and lower lip stylized into a goatee that articulated well with his sharp features. His skin had a corpse-like quality to it, pale as the grave with the veins being visibly seen against the skin. However; the entire right side of his face was ashen and ruined, the cheek bone poking through the charred flesh. He had earned this during his second confrontation with Ashin Varanin, the former Empress of the Sith Empire, now Grand Admiral of the Fringe Confederacy. Although; Kaine did not exactly know if she was still politically involved with the Confederacy anymore, but he suspected she still pulled strings here and there.

The left side of his face was a stark contrast to his right, the skin relatively unblemished by scars and in the right light it actually made him look as handsome as he was before he earned his battle scar. His eyes were sunken, with thick black bag hanging under each eye from either lack of sleep, or an aftereffect of the Dark Side corruption running rampant through his body. While his eyes were a vibrant emerald, they were flecked with a sulfuric yellow so common among those who delve deeply into the Dark Side. Other than what his face revealed, his body was at the waning peak of physical fitness, his frame larger than most of the Epicanthix in his current company, and he stood an entire foot above Lady Invicta. This made him a very imposing figure to behold, but his body language did not reflect that at this moment. Rather it reflected a curious interest in Invicta herself, as well as the fluid motions of practiced nobility. His smile did not fade as he talked, "Please, my dear, call me Kaine. Among equals I prefer to skip the formalities we are so used to when dealing with those beneath us, now come... we shall talk more on the veranda." He gently led Invicta, and her entourage to the corridor to the immediate left of the throne which led to the aforementioned veranda.

The veranda overlooked the castle grounds far below the central keep, and had rows of parallel columns carved from black granite to match the marble floor. A table had been arranged on the veranda for Invicta and her entourage, and Kaine gently led them to it while servants hustled around to please their individual needs. Once they were properly seated Kaine talked again, "I hear you hail from Alderaan, a beautiful world. I have only been twice, unfortunately, one when I was a young lad and again when I worked for Imperial Intelligence in the Sith Empire. Back before it's fall obviously, during the reign of Emperor Moridin, a personal friend of mine later in life. Ah, but I am rambling again. Please, tell me more about yourself, and your family. I am interested to hear about you."

[member="Invicta Gaultier"]