The first shuttle settled on the dull brown sands of Ambria’s weathered surface. The plateau had been cleared, a small camp set at the perimeter of the makeshift landing pad. They were not the first to arrive to the ancient world, quite the opposite. Glow-lamps around the periphery illuminated the dawn with a sickly golden glow. Sunrise met it, shimmering from the horizon, across the plateaus and mesas.
The landing ramp of the Lambda-class dropped down. Two men in sand-caked robes hurried to offer hand to the woman who descended in obsidian armour. Darth Viscretus. Her breastplate gilded faintly with shimmer of aurodium, brocart skirts and cloak lined with violet shimmersilk fluttering in the gusts of wind. She took the nearest hand, that of a man with features as worn as the stone around them, to step down from the ramp. The remainder of those on the platform knelt or bowed, a faint chorus of “hail” surrounding her.
She turned, facing the large expanse, the screech of engines drowning out the greeting - the rest of them had arrived precisely on time. Of course, they were coming from the very same fleet. They had come together, all with identical mission. To find a hssiss.
Erastus clambered down the ramp behind her, pursued by her Guard - three of them, and the Lord Commander himself. She knew the planet well, by now. It had been the site of pilgrimages for the Vahla for years, beyond Serenno and Rhen Var. Though, returning now, it felt quite...uncertain. As if it was a lost home, a forgotten home. She supposed in a sense it was.
“Heilen,” she called, to the younger man. It was not a name, but a title. In the matriarchal society, a man could not be a Chosen - but he could be granted such a title, within the Ember. He came forward with a satchel, and she took it from him with a warm smile, thanking him in a similarly foreign tongue. It contained two artifacts. A gauntlet, and a pendant, both of aurodium and phond crystal. They gleamed in the pallid morning as she slipped them on.
Her hands rose to her waist, above her belly, as they most usually did when she was required to wait patiently. Once they had all gathered upon the plateau, bathed in dawn, they would set out to the caverns nearest Lake Natth.
It had been a few months since he had truly been able to enjoy himself with a flight through the sky. The wind passed beneath his wings, the cool breeze giving a slight tingle across his scales. There was nothing like the peaceful bliss of flying among the sky and the stars.
Far below him he witnessed ships landing upon a plateau of sand. Reaching out through the Force he felt a warm presence. The one that calmed and helped organize his rage was down there. The one that gave him what he needed to continue his search was down there. Knowing that, he felt more at peace, but aware of his surroundings now.
Not wanting to land yet, he reached out to this warm presence to relay a message through telepathy. "I am here Divine One, among the sky. Call for me whenthe rest of the expected individuals make their way to you. For now I will enjoy the skies while we wait."
Cutting off his part of the connection, he continued to fly while wondering if she had received the message. Only time would tell. For now his flight was what mattered.
Light glinted off the golden highlights of Kevala's black armour as she stepped outside the landing platform of her Nubian yacht, the Tra'desh'ii. Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the arid scent enveloping those gathered; chalk, iron and salt. It was a smell as dry as the sand surrounding them. She brushed aside an errant lock of hair and tucked it behind her faintly pointed ear which twitched faintly in an attempt to gather any sound out of the ordinary.
The familiar deep plum presence of Volshe alighted in her mind and pointed behind her, while Shalyx'har'zan's more alien signature burst in above her. Keen eyes surveyed the land around them before she turned to her sovereign.
"Hail Empress!" she saluted dutifully. "For whom do we wait?"
The Iron Demon circled quietly overhead, waiting for its turn to land on an open platform below. Seeing an opening they descended, coming to a soft sweeping arc before lowering down to the platform. The whine of the engines dissipated slowly as the weight of the ship made its legs groan as the dust was blown off the platform in a shimmering cloud. The loading ramp extended with a grating noise as the side door opened, revealing a darkened interior and a massive shadow.
Contorting his exceptional frame through the doorway, Dorrian emerged onto the ramp and stood to his full, impressive height. His blood-red eyes squinted in the bright sunlight as he slid the hood of his cloak back, his freshly regrown horns glinting in the sunlight. Looking forward at the gathered group Dorrian began striding down the ramp, his personal guard, the newly designed X-1 "Praetorian Guard" model droids followed closely behind him. Taking up guard positions nearby the ship, they waited quietly as Dorrian continued. Reaching the location where everyone that had arrived before him had gathered, Dorrian dropped to a knee before the Empress before speaking.
"Hail Divine Empress! Hail honored company! I am honored to be joining you on this excursion."
Dorrian rose to his feet and saluted the Empress with a fist over his heart before turning to Lady Kevala and bowing deeply. Taking up an observation position nearby, he clasped his hands behind his back and waited quietly for the rest to arrive.
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