[b][i]Admiral Kava, Dredar Ragant, Koren Ozzell[/i][/b] 
NMS and Heat



Anticipation grew aboard the Lambda shuttle as it descended toward the designated landing pad near the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. The shuttle shook as it made its final descent and touched down on the landing pad. Admiral Kava stood before the boarding ramp, surrounded by her contingent of troops. More than two dozen stormtroopers stood behind her. To her left were a pair of death troopers, their black armor glistening in the shuttle’s interior lights. To her right, was a second pair of death troopers, with a third pair standing directly behind her. And of course, her trusted security droid Beeone was not far behind. Kava had to admit, it was an impressive entourage, and she was just glad that it was [i]her[/i] entourage.

After what seemed like an eternity, the shuttle came to a rest on the landing pad, and the boarding ramp slowly lowered itself to the ground. 

[i]At last.[/i] Kava thought to herself. It had been far too long since she had set foot on the Imperial capital world. The last time she had been on Coruscant, she had accompanied Thrawn shortly after leaving the Officers Academy. She had been in awe of the city planet’s splendor. The bright lights, the constant motion...it had called to her. She had been in awe of the capital, an awe that had only been surpassed when she had found herself in the presence of not only Grand Admiral Thrawn and Lord Vader, but the Emperor himself. 

How times had changed. There was no Lord Vader. Thrawn had been missing, and presumed dead for years. And the Emperor was gone. The once great Empire was a fractured shell of its former self, led by overgrown children playing war lord. The faction that had retained at least some semblance of its former self was the Grand Imperium, which under the leadership of Ozzell would never reach its full potential. However; now with Kava making her presence known, it stood a chance of being great. With her help, the galaxy would once again know the peace and order that it had experienced under the watchful eye of the Galactic Empire. 

Finally, the boarding ramp had come to a stop as it made contact with the surface of the landing pad, and Kava knew that this was her only chance to make a true impression. 

“Look alive men, we have an Empire to save.” She said with a grin as she led her troops off of the shuttle and toward the garrison that had amassed to greet them.

In orbit above the planet the Lord Commander of the Imperial Knights waited patiently on the bridge of the [i]Nightfury[/i]. His eyes gazed through the frontal windows of the Imperium vessel as he stared intently at the imposing fleet of starships. It seemed he would have to flash his diplomatic side once more. Behind the crimson armored man Captain Dystra folded his hands behind his back as one of the bridge crewmen spoke. 

“The Super Star Destroyer [i]Lazarus[/i] is returning our frequency. Establishing a line of communication now.” 

“Greetings Lord Commander Ragant, this is Captain Bryce of the SSD Lazarus. You have no reason to worry, we come entirely with peace intentions. Admiral Kava has already gone planetside to the Imperium Palace to meet with Lord Ozzel.” The officer replied, his tone entirely calm. 

“Who exactly are you? You came to this system, with [i]that[/i] fleet in order to negotiate?” The Force user asked as he stared at the man’s holographic image on the screen. Behind him Dystra stayed silent along with the rest of the bridge crew.

“The Galactic Empire, Lord Commander and yes we have. I am sure Admiral Kava would be delighted to make your acquaintance planetside.” Bryce replied with a calm nod. It seemed Dredar would have to speak directly with this ‘Kava’ in order to get any real information.

“Very well then. I will head down there immediately. Farewell Captain,” Dredar said back as the Imperial officer’s hologram faded with a nod. “Inform Lord Ozzel I will be arriving at the palace. Keep the [i]Nightfury[/i] in orbit. I want to know immediately of any changes in formation or if more of their ships arrive.” 

“As you wish Lord Commander.” Captain Dystra complied with a firm salute as the head of the Imperial Knights walked out of the bridge. 

Dredar shifted towards the elevator, as he stepped inside his eyes fell once more upon the [i]Lazarus[/i]. It was a bold move to bring such a powerful looking fleet to orbit the gem of the galaxy. ‘Kava’ must have truly been seeking out an alliance of some sort, or perhaps an annexation. He truly feared the latter, the last thing the resurgent Grand Imperium needed was to enter into a conflict while the real enemy lingered at the doorsteps. They had spent years rebuilding, forging alliances and biding their time. To plunge into a wasteful conflict like that would truly be a fool's errand for both factions. 

Upon his arrival to the hangar he was met by the death troopers which had been assigned to him. He’d have them brought down in another transport, Dredar was going to take his personal TIE fighter. The Lord Commander needed the [i]Vigilance[/i] if things went south though he sincerely hoped that would not happen. 

Admiral Kava made her way down the loading ramp, flanked by her landing party and the hulking security droid Beeone, she marched straight toward the Imperium troops that stood at the edge of the landing pad. The fact that Ozzell had met her with nearly an entire legion of Imperium troops was pleasing to her. It told her that her presence had ruffled the feathers of the Imperium High Command.

[i] Good.[/i] She thought to herself. The fact was, that Kava believed that Imperium needed a bit of a shake up. Ozzell and the Imperium had become complacent in its current state, and with its soft policies towards the so called “New Republic,” had given the rebels a legitimacy that they had lacked even after the death of the Emperor. This complacency had made the Imperium complicit. The lack of action was unacceptable, and if she had anything to do with it, a thing of the past. 

She scanned the gathered stormtroopers and other Imperium agents until her eyes fell on an older man standing between two large sentry droids. Though the man had aged considerably since the last time she had seen him, most likely due to the stresses of leading what had remained of an empire, there was no mistaking that the man that she was looking at, although greyer and more worn, was indeed Koren Ozzell. Her crimson eyes met his gaze as she approached him, coming to a stop several feet in front of the Lord Imperium and offered a crisp salute. 

“Good to see you again, Lord Ozzell.-” She said as she extended a hand. “-we have much to discuss.” She said as her next words were cut off by the whine of a lone TIE fighter making its way to the landing pad.

As the [i]Vigilance[/i] broke through the clouds above the bustling ecumenopolis Dredar’s eyes narrowed on the Imperial palace as his modified TIE fighter moved towards it. He kept his hands firmly on the controls of his starfight as he took in the sight of several figures gathering outside the structure. A legion of Imperium aligned stormtroopers caught his eyes as the [i]Vigilance[/i] descended towards another part of the landing pad. Another group strolled towards them, led by a female Chiss. That must have been ‘Kava’, the leader of this bold Imperial fleet that’d arrived at the galactic capitol. 

The [i]Vigilance[/i] flew over the intersecting parties as the two head Imperials exchanged salutes, his presence noticed by both of them. He could almost notice a smirk on Ozzel’s face as Dredar’s TIE screamed above them in its descent. The Force user gently set his starfighter down a short distance from the two factions. Then Dredar flipped all of the switches off inside of his fierce vessel and began to emerge from the top of the starship, clad in full armor and helm. The man then cleanly jumped down the top of his starfighter, then calmly strode towards the two groups. 

“Lord Ozzell, I was not aware of such an important meeting happening. My apologies for interrupting. The mission was a success, it went without a hitch,” The crimson armored man stated from beneath his helmet with a firm bow towards the head of the Grand Imperium. Then he reached both hands up to remove the helm from his head. As he revealed his face his eyes turned towards the Chiss. “I am Knight Commander Dredar Ragant of the Imperial Knights. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Admiral, your fleet is most impressive.” 

Kava watched as the crimson armored man approached from the modified TIE fighter, introducing himself as a member of the Imperial Knights. Of course, she was familiar with the Knight Commander by reputation. He served the Imperium well, and his loyalty was unquestioned. 
“The pleasure is mine, Commander Ragant.-” Kava said with a smile as she regarded the Force user. “-and thank you. Indeed it is, and perhaps one day it will serve the Imperium as well as it has served me.” She let her words linger in the air for a moment before adding, “I believe we have a lot to discuss, gentlemen. Perhaps we should take this discussion somewhere more private.”

“Exactly what I was going to suggest, Admiral.” The Knight Commander replied with a firm nod and affirmative smile as the assembled group moved into the Imperial palace. Dredar walked beside Lord Ozzell, allowing the Imperium’s leader to lead the talks. He was the one who had arrived late to the discussions, but the Lord Imperium was a far more savvy speaker than him anyway. 

He sensed a familiarity between the two assembled Imperial leaders which boded well for the negotiations. Dredar was not personally familiar with the Chiss admiral but he had heard of her. The recollection only really came to him once he met Kava face to face. Aliens in the Imperial naval ranks were a true rarity, at least during the Emperor’s reign. When one distinguished themselves by ascending to such a powerful position it made waves in the Empire. Dredar was glad such a figure had the mindset she did, to seek out an alliance. A fractured Empire was a soon to be extinguished Empire. 


Kava followed the two men through the Imperial Palace into Lord Ozzell’s office, which had also served as the throne room of Emperor Palpatine himself. As she entered the space, though it was different, it was still somehow the same. Her mind drifted to one of her earliest memories as an officer in the Empire. Soon after she had left the Imperial Academy, she had been among a few other young officers who had been handpicked by Grand Admiral Thrawn to accompany him to Coruscant. That particular trip was highlighted by a personal audience with the Emperor. She remembered it just as if it had happened only yesterday. The Emperor sitting on his throne as he discussed matters of the growing rebellion with Thrawn, and the sound of Lord Vader’s mechanized breathing as he stood silently behind the Emperor’s throne. 

The memories quickly faded as she was once again brought back to the present moment. Unlike her earliest visit to the Imperial Capital, she was now the focal point of the meeting with the Imperial High Command. Kava waited while the others that had escorted them to the Lord Imperium’s office had left and only the three remained before she said another word.

“Koren, it [b][i]is[/i][/b] good to see you again.” Kava said. “And while it is good to see that the spirit of the Empire lives on in the Grand Imperium, it is apparent to me that you have a serious problem looking you in the eye.”

“Oh? And what might that be?” Ozzell asked.

“It is obvious to anyone paying attention that the rebels have their sights set on Coruscant. They are a sentimental lot, and they want nothing more than to once again control the capital.-” She began. “-the rebels have been emboldened since their victory at Endor, and with good reason. The Empire has become scattered and weak. There are far too many Imperials out there playing warlord, too concerned with creating their own little territory. They have weakened the Empire by working with criminals and the like in order to secure their imagined strongholds, and it has left us in disarray. I plan to bring them back in line, and regain control of the galaxy with a unified Empire. Kava let her words hang in the air for a moment, letting the other men process what she had in mind.

“Interesting.-” Ozzell said with a grin as he contemplated what Kava had said. “-An admirable ambition indeed. Should we succeed in creating a unified Empire, the rebels would have no choice but to come under heel.” Ozzell conceded. He paused for a moment as he shifted his gaze to the Imperial Knight and then back to the Chiss woman.

“But what makes you think that the rebels would dare assault Coruscant?” Ozzell asked at last.

“They know that to control Coruscant is to control the galaxy. If you listen to the rumors- troop movements, whispers of the beginnings of a new generation of Jedi, it all leads to one specific conclusion. The rebels are gearing up for an assault on the capital, it is only a matter of time. Either we work together to stop that, or the rebels will overthrow you and once again take this planet, and then that would leave all of us in quite the predicament. Wouldn’t you agree, Knight Commander?”

“I would, Admiral. It is inevitable the rebels will come for Coruscant, it is the crown jewel of civilization. Seizing it from Imperial control would be a way for them to further cement their legitimacy to the greater galaxy.” The leader of the Imperial knights stated with a nod, even though he himself would never see this ‘New Republic’ as anything more than lucky traitors.

“I wouldn’t put it past them to throw everything they have at taking this world. If they do that we would be utterly crushed at our present state. A reunified Empire would be able to strike back at the rebels then crush them under foot,” Dredar added as he let the vision briefly fill his mind then continued to speak. “These warlords are scattered, when met with a stronger, more unified force they’d have no option but to submit. Some may be resistant to the idea but if they’re ‘removed’ from power then their little empires will descend into uncertainty which we could take advantage of.” 

Such a grand operation would take some skillful planning and admittedly some luck. Many of these warlords were riding their own coattails. It would be a difficult bullet for many to bite to give up their modicums of power, to step in line and hand over their forces to the greater Empire. But each of them would bend the knee when faced with overwhelming enough military might or at least Dredar truly hoped as much. The warlords’ fleets didn’t help the Imperium if they were crushed into space dust in a doomed battle. 

“Indeed Dredar.-” Ozzell said to the Knight Commander, almost uncharacteristically in the casual way he said his name. “Indeed.” Ozzell paused for a moment as he turned away from the others and gazed out of the large window which gave him an unmatched view of Coruscant. He knew that Admiral Kava and Dredar were correct, that should the New Republic launch an all out assault on the capital, in their current state the Imperium would not be able to defend themselves. However, the Imperium working with other factions, particularly Kava’s impressive fleet, would give them a chance.

“What exactly is it that you are proposing, Admiral?” Ozzell asked, finally turning back to face his compatriots. 

“A partnership, Lord Ozzell.” Kava said. “My fleet will come into the Imperium. I will not just be an ally, but a partner in bringing the galaxy back under the heel of the Empire. And together, we will finally crush the rebellion and force upon the rebels a punishment fit for the traitors and terrorists that they are.” Kava paused. “And together, we will restore the Empire to its former glory.”