The hum of the power systems was so familiar, so comfortable to him. He walked the main command bridge, looking at the planet below through the steel tempered glass. His arms folded behind him, pulling the black tunic tight around his torso. Dark auburn eyes were unexpressive as his mind ran through the operation, the successes so far, the few setbacks and the potential ones. He turned back after moment, watching the other officers as they went about working. While none of them technically served in the Empire any longer, they all carried their ranks and their titles. They had performed their jobs as expected. Over time of course he has had to replace fallen members with pirates, confidence men other scourge of the galaxy.

But they got training. If they didn?t cut it in training, they were spaced. There was no time for foolishness. His men however, those he knew were loyal to him held the key positions. There was no chance for mutiny; there was no time to waste with those attempting such nonsense. He moved through the bridge, heading towards the first lift. Without command or motion other than his movement, the door opened allowing him entrance. It began to move as soon as he settled. The lift moved swiftly downward.

When it finally stopped, there was commotion on the flight deck. Transports filling with troopers of various assignments, their armor specialized for the task soon to be at hand. There was a group reviewing a briefing while another was going through final check of their weapons. His First, lani, approached him from behind, carrying with her his belt. He moved his arms enough that she could easily fasten it to his waist then stepped back. Even here on the decks of The Abyss she wore the uniform of his slave girls proudly. The collar upon her neck almost got more respect than the commanders and elite officers of the ship.

He folded his arms behind his back again, moving towards a group that didn?t seem to fit in. Some excited to be there, some not so much. Others too busy examining their surroundings of this place while some were not impressed by the technology of the ship. But they were all his, The Corrupt. The chosen, the select.

Stopping but a few meters from them, they became quiet, their eyes turning attention to the black uniformed figure. He smirked at them, reviewing them all; catching their eyes as he does so. He looked over his shoulder and nodded. The deck began to fall silent of the preparations as two troopers dragged out a young man of the Watch. He was well built, athletic and a fighter. He struggled with the guards and his shackles as he was dragged across the deck.

As he was dragged closer, he saw the man in black and became outraged, fighting his guards so that he might escape and get closer to the man that had killed his family recently. Travanix only smiled darkly. But the shouts across the now quiet deck were still entertaining. The man broke free and rushed the dark master. It was for naught as lani tripped him up easily, sending him to the metal plating.

Chuckling, shaking his head he rolled the dazed youth over with his polished boot. ?There is no hope for you,? he started, ?No hope for your friends, your town.? He smiled darkly. ?Your world.? He extended his hand and a trooper passed him a blaster pistol. ?I have decided that it is time to show this place there is something to fear in the darkness.? He leveled the pistol at the young man?s head and he became still, but the defiant look in his eyes remained.

?You have no honor!? He belted out towards the towering form, and then spit on his uniform.

It didn?t faze him to be spit on. It had happened all too many times. If one of his victims wasn?t doing it, then he wasn?t doing his job right. ?There is no need for honor. There is only a victor and a corpse.? And then the blaster fired, putting a bolt clean through his head and scaring the deck plate. The blaster handed back, his arms folding behind him once more as he turned to The Corrupt. ?The time for planning is over.? He paused looking them over once more. ?Destroy them all. Level the city. The order to invade is given. Let none stand in your way.?

A holographic projection of Victor appeared before Travanix on the bridge.

"The orbital strikes did their work well, as did your legions, aside from a few cowards I caught fleeing the site of battle." Smirking, he added, "I removed them myself."

The projection then changed, replaying a series of events from the night before. On a ruined rooftop, the blue man who had attempted to kill them both stood surrounded by teleportation runes. Just before he faded, Victor extended the blade from his wrist and drove it through the man's gut, slicing upward until only air and a pool of violet blood remained.

"Celeth, the sorcerer who attempted to assassinate you has been neutralized, at least for now. It is unlikely this will be enough to kill him, but I did not anticipate the arrival of a fairy that towers over a three story building."

The projection shifted again, to a massive, blood-covered fae with torn wings.

"Despite its condition, the fairy still managed to free Celeth from a powerful enchantment and allow his escape. Something with that kind of power may be useful to us. However, there is no doubt in my mind that it will use that power to heal him. Celeth is one of the Vindra, the highest order of sorcerers, and a legitimate threat. Should he surface again, I will be better prepared, for him and the fairy as well."

The image finally returned to Victor himself, and Anya who stood close behind. Her arm that wrapped around him did not quite cover the blood-soaked wrapping around his own, held in place by a black ribbon.

"Aside from some minor... setbacks, operations have been a success. Fifty-six military grade aerial drones now patrol the market district and the surrounding sectors. Seventy-two more will be ready within a day. I have, of course, shielded my own establishment, and it is currently in use as an on-site armory and command post. My arm will complete its regeneration in seventeen hours, but my combat readiness is unaffected.

Kazon out."

Reports that the Watch HQ was empty did not really surprise him. Further more, the disapperance of the Corrupt - the Watch Offcer did not faze him as he stood looking over the portions of the attacked city from the top of the Chainned Inn.

"Everything is proceeding according to plan, captain. Calm yourself." Travanix said quietly, his arms folded behind him. "Take the Watch regardless, burn it to the ground. Kill the civilians around the building."

"My Lord, what about the traitor?" The armored stormtrooper captain asked.

"Him?" Travanix chuckled darkly. "He is doing exactly what I need him to do. Once you have completed your task, Captain, order your men back. Begin your search for your secondary objective."

"As you command, My Lord." He sanpped a salute and disappeared down the side of the building.

"Lt., order Gamma and Beta to hold their positions while Alpha needs to sweep the northwest." The lieutenant manning the station nodded and repeated the orders into the comlink.

The city was burning en mass. The orbital strikes from the Abyss were lighting up the sky. He predicted that the traitor would make his move, and how he would move. And now, he needed to complete his assignment.

Vinny stood on the roof of the Ritz, surveying all that was going on over in the West End and reflecting upon what he was about to do. It had been a week or two since he had met Travanix over lunch at the inn and agreed to be part of the plan. He didn't know exactly what the plan consisted of, or what Travanix's overall goals were, but it didn't really matter to him. It was a chance to to cause a little chaos. To shed the shell life had put around him and let loose his feelings that had been bottled up, festering until he felt black inside.

To him, this was about revenge. Revenge for every little slight. Everything that was said about him. At those who he called friend, but left him out to dry when he asked them to be there for him. It was all their fault things had been going so poorly as of late. Why he always seemed to be finishing second best. Ignored. Made fun of. Thought of as just "a nice guy."

But how best to go about it? All this orbital bombardment and shock troop use left a sour taste in his mouth. Anyone could just blow up a city or two. Why, there were even ways he could imagine a whole planet being taken care of from a distance. But it was too impersonal. Revenge was best savored up close, the stink of fear and the cries of pain coming from his victims. To take their hopes and grind them beneath his boot. To strip away everything they hold dear, piece by piece, until they begged him to end their suffering.

Opening a rift, he stepped through and came out down on the streets, the shadows cast from the buildings feeling like a warm blanket to him. Pulling out a notepad, he began to start writing a list of names. And the way the list was forming, he was going to be busy for quite some time.

He heard it over the comm system.

Now, it was too late.

The first combat walker had been deployed. Soon, death would rain down upon the city. There were not simply a "few". No...Travanix and Romax had planned this all to well.

From the stars there would come some twenty walkers, their mass and girth subjegating the people of this planet.

Enslaving the whole world!

He turned towards the holographic displays, his arms folded behind him. But this was not what he was waiting for. This was not the last surprise he had coming for this mudball.

Still...The walkers would send terror through even the most hardened.