Absalom
(An untold number of years ago... above a small green world... with a silent flash of light, a mighty warship appeared.
This was followed by another. And another. And another.
Ten thousand or more, all big and black and deadly. Aboard the largest, and keenest, a masked figure sat on a throne. He was placed in the middle of his command bridge, surrounded by the shimmering blue forms of the Empire's most powerful and influential Necromancers)
Lord 1#: "We are agreed then, brothers. Petty infighting and backstabbing has all but crippled the Empire. In order to survive, our ENTIRE Order will partake in the right of combat. There can be only one Emperor, one true Lord, cleansed by fire and blood"
(To his surprise, his comrades did not descend into the squabbling and bickering they always did when gathered together. Instead, all he saw were curt nods and grim agreement.
Save for one surly woman, a pointed-eared alien filth he had never cared for)
Lord 2#: "What of the natives? They are formidable warriors, I am told"
Lord 1#: "Anyone who dies, for whatever reason, is clearly unworthy to be Emperor. The battle begins with planet-fall"
(He cut the transmission and ordered his crew to land. He wanted a favorable tactical position...
Battle began, within the hour. Battle went on, unabated, for years after. The spite of an entire Empire, quarantined to a single planet.
A century passed. Nothing was left. No Lords, no slaves or natives, not a single blade of grass was left on the surface. Nothing, but a desolate wasteland.
A single armored Knight, with half of his face missing and a gaping hole in his chest, knelt in the dust. He slowly looked up, as a towering figure slowly loomed over him)
Antlered Knight: "Heh. You... were you alread... already one of us? Or ju... just a native?"
(He coughed up some blood. A piece of his antlers fell off.
The figure standing over him was reptilian, nine foot tall and as broad as a bus. Four muscular arms folded behind his back. A pair of cold black eyes)
Absalom: "Does it matter? I'm still standing. The throne is mine"
Antlered Knight: "T... true enough. Hail... Emperor..."
(Lord Absalom unsheathed a bright crimson blade and destroyed his last opponent)
(A month later. A neighboring System. The camp of an Imperial expedition.
Only the Necromancers had gone for the ritual. The Empire had gone on, without dark magics and wicked sorcery, albeit greatly diminished.
Now, however, they had a problem. War Droids, the kind only animated by Magic, had been spotted again. This force had been sent to deal with them)
Imperial Major: "I don't understand it! The Necromancers are missing for a hundred years and then just come back like this?"
Imperial Commander: "Don't worry, this is just some upstart. He's exposed his forces, left them in the open"
Imperial Major: "It could be a feint. A distraction, to draw OUR troops out"
Imperial Commander: "Impossible, ALL of the War Droids are on the field"
???: "Unless, of course, the battle itself IS the distraction""
(The Imperials moved to stop the intruder, but were far too late. They were already under his control.
The hulking Lord slowly paced through the command post, examining the vacant expressions on the officer's faces)
Absalom: "Tragic. What you have become, without men like me. Do not worry, friends. Your men will not perish for your failure"
(The Commander gave the order for all squadrons to stand down. There had been a mistake, the War Droids were under their control, and should be allowed to march on the Camp unimpeded.
Most of the men never found out that their officers were slaughtered whole-sale by the killing machines. Most of the men were more than happy to accept the leadership of this "General Absalom".
Another month followed. A war between a bloated and complacent military command and a single man, a relic of by-gone days and dead traditions)
Absalom: "Congratulations, Senator-general. Your daughter has just achieved your ultimate ambition. Bow to your Emperor"
Daughter: "Papa?"
Senator-General: "Wha- what? You don't want... ?"
Absalom: "The throne? That is what you are concerned about? Not your own daughter? You are a terrible father"
(The Lord picked the man up by the neck and casually threw him through the palace's reinforced window. He screamed as he fell the hundred stories to the ground below)
Daughter: "PAPA!"
Absalom: "Silence, my Emperor. We have plans to make"
(It was not long before every force in the Empire moved to influence the child-empress, to exploit her apparent youth and ignorance.
One by one, as soon as they had shown their hand, they were wiped out by the new high General of the Imperial Military.
Absalom did not take the title of the Necromancer's high priest, either. Despite being their sole surviving member. Instead, he was found facing down another antlered man, in a gladiator pit)
Absalom: "You will not attack me?"
Gladiator: "No. I saw what you did too the others. You would destroy me"
Absalom: "Yes. I would. Do you have a name?"
Gladiator: "No"
Absalom: "But you do have a power. One you do not understand?"
Gladiator: "... Yes"
Absalom: "Come with me"
Gladiator: "... I would kill you, given the chance"
Absalom: "And if you manage it, you deserve too"
(The newly dubbed "Lord Xerxes" was a controversial choice for High Priest of the Necromancers. After he had used his newly learned dark powers on enough nobles, however, the choice was accepted.
Under his leadership, the War Droid Empire reclaimed much of it's territory and all of it's glory. Route after route, triumph after triumph, General Absalom became known as the man who could not lose.
His shadow leadership and mastery of the Necromancer's way became forgotten secrets)
(The War Droid Empire was finally stalled. A large number of Systems, still technically under Imperial rule, joined together and declared independence.
This newly formed Republic was hoping the other major factions would join them. The Empire's claim WAS legitimate, however, and their fleets great enough to scare any sympathizers off.
Absalom decided the entire ordeal was beneath his personal notice. A rare tactical mistake on his part)
President: "This is hopeless. We have no armies, hardly any ships. No chance, against just a handful of War Droids!"
General: "That may not be true after all, Sir. I'd like you too meet someone"
Grandmaster: "Greetings, Mr. President. I believe we have a common goal"
(The Crusaders, despite their own inner schisms, had NOT been spending the decades wiping themselves out to the last man. And for a first, they were ready for the Necromancer's return.
Absalom and Xerxes had had just a few short years to rebuild the Necromancers from various acolytes, murderers and slaves. The Crusaders were united, strong and formed the backbone of the Republic's military.
ESPECIALLY their pilot's corps)
Eagle Four: "Whoa, how'd you pull THAT stunt?"
Eagle Leader: "Heh. Not even a droid brain can keep up with a Crusader's reflexes, son"
(With a great deal of annoyance, Absalom came to bail his forces out, after a year of his better armed and trained men being pushed back by the Republic.
He did not bring reinforcements. Nothing beyond his name. The man who couldn't loose won his first battle by announcing his presence. The Republic's retreat was immediate, and disorganized.
His first real battle, to the amazement of all, was a Republic victory. Their own top admiral managed to get his troops to stand, encircle, and decimate the weary Imperial ships.
Absalom's own command ship was destroyed. Unsubstantiated reports claim that a Republic fighter spotted Absalom's body floating in space, only to learn too late that he was not dead.
The pilot never made it back to base)
Absalom: "You fought well today. Or, your fleet did. You did not claim a single one of my fighters"
Eagle Four: "How-"
Absalom: "Disappointing"
(Absalom regrouped with the Imperial Forces. One of his Lords questioned his leadership ability. Absalom conceded the point, and honestly offered the Lord the chance to take his position by right of combat.
The Lord declined.
A string of victories quickly erased Absalom's shameful defeat. A strike force of Crusaders were sent to assassinate him, before Absalom could win the war four-handily.
That is how the Crusaders discovered Absalom's true nature)
Crusader 1#: "I, unth, thought this guy was supposed to just be an armchair General"
Crusader 2#: "Clearly, he's something far worse"
Crusader 3#: "Fall, monster!"
(A blur of scarlet and the Master fell in two pieces)
Absalom: "Children, playing at war"
(The remaining Crusaders attacked as one. Absalom only carried a single blade, but it changed hands so quickly he might as well have had one for each hand)
Absalom: "You expected a mere General? A military man, a deluded extremist perhaps. A soul you can relate too, understand, defeat.
No. Sorry to disappoint. I AM a Monster"
(The Crusaders didn't really have an answer for that. In part, because they were blown out of the room by Absalom's lightning storm)
This was followed by another. And another. And another.
Ten thousand or more, all big and black and deadly. Aboard the largest, and keenest, a masked figure sat on a throne. He was placed in the middle of his command bridge, surrounded by the shimmering blue forms of the Empire's most powerful and influential Necromancers)
Lord 1#: "We are agreed then, brothers. Petty infighting and backstabbing has all but crippled the Empire. In order to survive, our ENTIRE Order will partake in the right of combat. There can be only one Emperor, one true Lord, cleansed by fire and blood"
(To his surprise, his comrades did not descend into the squabbling and bickering they always did when gathered together. Instead, all he saw were curt nods and grim agreement.
Save for one surly woman, a pointed-eared alien filth he had never cared for)
Lord 2#: "What of the natives? They are formidable warriors, I am told"
Lord 1#: "Anyone who dies, for whatever reason, is clearly unworthy to be Emperor. The battle begins with planet-fall"
(He cut the transmission and ordered his crew to land. He wanted a favorable tactical position...
Battle began, within the hour. Battle went on, unabated, for years after. The spite of an entire Empire, quarantined to a single planet.
A century passed. Nothing was left. No Lords, no slaves or natives, not a single blade of grass was left on the surface. Nothing, but a desolate wasteland.
A single armored Knight, with half of his face missing and a gaping hole in his chest, knelt in the dust. He slowly looked up, as a towering figure slowly loomed over him)
Antlered Knight: "Heh. You... were you alread... already one of us? Or ju... just a native?"
(He coughed up some blood. A piece of his antlers fell off.
The figure standing over him was reptilian, nine foot tall and as broad as a bus. Four muscular arms folded behind his back. A pair of cold black eyes)
Absalom: "Does it matter? I'm still standing. The throne is mine"
Antlered Knight: "T... true enough. Hail... Emperor..."
(Lord Absalom unsheathed a bright crimson blade and destroyed his last opponent)
(A month later. A neighboring System. The camp of an Imperial expedition.
Only the Necromancers had gone for the ritual. The Empire had gone on, without dark magics and wicked sorcery, albeit greatly diminished.
Now, however, they had a problem. War Droids, the kind only animated by Magic, had been spotted again. This force had been sent to deal with them)
Imperial Major: "I don't understand it! The Necromancers are missing for a hundred years and then just come back like this?"
Imperial Commander: "Don't worry, this is just some upstart. He's exposed his forces, left them in the open"
Imperial Major: "It could be a feint. A distraction, to draw OUR troops out"
Imperial Commander: "Impossible, ALL of the War Droids are on the field"
???: "Unless, of course, the battle itself IS the distraction""
(The Imperials moved to stop the intruder, but were far too late. They were already under his control.
The hulking Lord slowly paced through the command post, examining the vacant expressions on the officer's faces)
Absalom: "Tragic. What you have become, without men like me. Do not worry, friends. Your men will not perish for your failure"
(The Commander gave the order for all squadrons to stand down. There had been a mistake, the War Droids were under their control, and should be allowed to march on the Camp unimpeded.
Most of the men never found out that their officers were slaughtered whole-sale by the killing machines. Most of the men were more than happy to accept the leadership of this "General Absalom".
Another month followed. A war between a bloated and complacent military command and a single man, a relic of by-gone days and dead traditions)
Absalom: "Congratulations, Senator-general. Your daughter has just achieved your ultimate ambition. Bow to your Emperor"
Daughter: "Papa?"
Senator-General: "Wha- what? You don't want... ?"
Absalom: "The throne? That is what you are concerned about? Not your own daughter? You are a terrible father"
(The Lord picked the man up by the neck and casually threw him through the palace's reinforced window. He screamed as he fell the hundred stories to the ground below)
Daughter: "PAPA!"
Absalom: "Silence, my Emperor. We have plans to make"
(It was not long before every force in the Empire moved to influence the child-empress, to exploit her apparent youth and ignorance.
One by one, as soon as they had shown their hand, they were wiped out by the new high General of the Imperial Military.
Absalom did not take the title of the Necromancer's high priest, either. Despite being their sole surviving member. Instead, he was found facing down another antlered man, in a gladiator pit)
Absalom: "You will not attack me?"
Gladiator: "No. I saw what you did too the others. You would destroy me"
Absalom: "Yes. I would. Do you have a name?"
Gladiator: "No"
Absalom: "But you do have a power. One you do not understand?"
Gladiator: "... Yes"
Absalom: "Come with me"
Gladiator: "... I would kill you, given the chance"
Absalom: "And if you manage it, you deserve too"
(The newly dubbed "Lord Xerxes" was a controversial choice for High Priest of the Necromancers. After he had used his newly learned dark powers on enough nobles, however, the choice was accepted.
Under his leadership, the War Droid Empire reclaimed much of it's territory and all of it's glory. Route after route, triumph after triumph, General Absalom became known as the man who could not lose.
His shadow leadership and mastery of the Necromancer's way became forgotten secrets)
(The War Droid Empire was finally stalled. A large number of Systems, still technically under Imperial rule, joined together and declared independence.
This newly formed Republic was hoping the other major factions would join them. The Empire's claim WAS legitimate, however, and their fleets great enough to scare any sympathizers off.
Absalom decided the entire ordeal was beneath his personal notice. A rare tactical mistake on his part)
President: "This is hopeless. We have no armies, hardly any ships. No chance, against just a handful of War Droids!"
General: "That may not be true after all, Sir. I'd like you too meet someone"
Grandmaster: "Greetings, Mr. President. I believe we have a common goal"
(The Crusaders, despite their own inner schisms, had NOT been spending the decades wiping themselves out to the last man. And for a first, they were ready for the Necromancer's return.
Absalom and Xerxes had had just a few short years to rebuild the Necromancers from various acolytes, murderers and slaves. The Crusaders were united, strong and formed the backbone of the Republic's military.
ESPECIALLY their pilot's corps)
Eagle Four: "Whoa, how'd you pull THAT stunt?"
Eagle Leader: "Heh. Not even a droid brain can keep up with a Crusader's reflexes, son"
(With a great deal of annoyance, Absalom came to bail his forces out, after a year of his better armed and trained men being pushed back by the Republic.
He did not bring reinforcements. Nothing beyond his name. The man who couldn't loose won his first battle by announcing his presence. The Republic's retreat was immediate, and disorganized.
His first real battle, to the amazement of all, was a Republic victory. Their own top admiral managed to get his troops to stand, encircle, and decimate the weary Imperial ships.
Absalom's own command ship was destroyed. Unsubstantiated reports claim that a Republic fighter spotted Absalom's body floating in space, only to learn too late that he was not dead.
The pilot never made it back to base)
Absalom: "You fought well today. Or, your fleet did. You did not claim a single one of my fighters"
Eagle Four: "How-"
Absalom: "Disappointing"
(Absalom regrouped with the Imperial Forces. One of his Lords questioned his leadership ability. Absalom conceded the point, and honestly offered the Lord the chance to take his position by right of combat.
The Lord declined.
A string of victories quickly erased Absalom's shameful defeat. A strike force of Crusaders were sent to assassinate him, before Absalom could win the war four-handily.
That is how the Crusaders discovered Absalom's true nature)
Crusader 1#: "I, unth, thought this guy was supposed to just be an armchair General"
Crusader 2#: "Clearly, he's something far worse"
Crusader 3#: "Fall, monster!"
(A blur of scarlet and the Master fell in two pieces)
Absalom: "Children, playing at war"
(The remaining Crusaders attacked as one. Absalom only carried a single blade, but it changed hands so quickly he might as well have had one for each hand)
Absalom: "You expected a mere General? A military man, a deluded extremist perhaps. A soul you can relate too, understand, defeat.
No. Sorry to disappoint. I AM a Monster"
(The Crusaders didn't really have an answer for that. In part, because they were blown out of the room by Absalom's lightning storm)
Absalom: "You forgot about my kind. But I have not forgotten you"
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