Sith Empire

From Star Wars: Exodus Visual Encyclopedia

Contents 1 History 2 Culture 3 Navy 4 Army 4.1 Organization 4.2 Training 4.2.1 General 4.2.2 Marines 4.2.3 Defense Corps 4.3 Outfitting 4.3.1 Helmet 4.3.2 Armor 4.3.3 Standard-Issue Rifle 4.3.4 Other Standard-Issue Supplies 5 The Sith Order 5.1 Origins 5.2 Niflheim 5.3 Branches of the Order 5.3.1 The Acolytes 5.3.2 The Marauders 5.3.3 The Assassins 5.3.4 The Sorcerers 5.4 Hierarchy of the Order 6 Important Locations in the Empire 6.1 The Throne Worlds 6.2 The Liminal Gard 6.3 2nd Fleet Operations Center 6.4 The Nexus 6.5 Imperatrix Station 6.6 Ziost 6.7 Sythic 6.8 Nassus

[edit] History

For canonical history, see Wookieepedia.

[edit] Culture

The Sith Empire is thoroughly an autocracy, with the Sith Order holding complete and utter control over the nation with no accountability whatsoever. They have engendered sensations of fierce nationalism and pride throughout their empire, essentially this means that even those who are not part of the order are proud to be members of the one true home of the Sith, a tradition of force users as old or almost as old as any other in the galaxy, and certainly the most powerful. Even those not in the Sith Order are born, live and die on Sith worlds, where their homes are but a few hundred miles away from the ruined palaces of Sith Lords of old. Those who do not experience this nationalism are, depending on the severity of their disapproval for the regime, either left largely alone to live their lives, or kept in check by the very real threat of Sith retribution - the Order rules with both the carrot and the stick, and is not reluctant to employ either as the situation warrants.

Mundane governmental ministries - the office of the Prime Minister, the parliament of inner systems and council of governors for the outer systems, the Armed Forces command (divided into Naval Command, Army Command and Special Services), and others exist to run the day-to-day operations of the hegemony but all of these are subject to the will of the Sith Order. Indeed, the entirety of the Empire exists to aid the Sith, first and foremost.

Should a child be born with Force sensitivity, a Sith acolyte will arrive (often without any warning, nor any explanation of how the Order is aware of the baby's sensitivity) and offer to take the child to be trained at the Sith Academy. The choice is left entirely up to the parents, but very few refuse this opportunity to elevate their child to this highest, most privileged class of society. The child is then taken at the age of 5 to become a Sith acolyte.

Because the Sith Order is not opposed to such complications as Love - indeed, it encourages them - children are allowed to return and visit their families and loved ones, but only after their sixteenth year, and only then if they swear to keep the location of the Sith school an absolute secret, under pain of torture and death.

The Sith themeselves cultivate practices of both hedonism (enhancing one's connection to the Force via the act of lovemaking is a common practice in the new order) and rigid discipline (training at the Acolyte stage is brutal and unforgiving, and is designed to traumatize the student so that she A) does not develop undue feelings of complacency because she is at the head of society without truly having to have worked for it and B) acquires negative passions such as anger and resentment that will fuel her connection to the Force).

If the Sith are nobility, then the Sith Lords and the Dark Lord are royalty. In recent months, lavish palaces and public projects (Monuments, temples, obelisks, museums) have begun construction, in the name of the ruling class. To liken the Sith Empire to real world civilizations, it bears striking similarity to the ancient Egyptian Empire, ruled by its god-kings and dotted with monuments to the glory of its past, present and future. There is also an element of ancient Roman ambition, entitlement and mobilization.

[edit] Navy

The Sith Empire owns the Sythic Shipyards and more secretly is in control of the Dorioss Shipbuilders. As such, its navy consists of vessels from both shipyards, listed as follows:

• Sith Flagship, Maelstrom
• Nession-class Cruisers
• Apollyon-class Assault Carriers
• Sith-class Star Destroyers
• Vindicator-class Star Destroyers
• Dirge-class Battlecruisers
• Royal Flagcruisers
• Rendili Stardrive Dreadnought-class Heavy Cruisers
• Kuat Drive Yards Acclamator-class Assault Ships
• CR90 Corellian Corvettes
• DP20 Corellian Gunships
• Kuat Drive Yards Venator-class Star Destroyer Mark Is
• Kuat Drive Yards Venator-class Star Destroyer Mark IIs
• Nebulon-B Frigates
• Lancer-class Frigates

In the wake of Norik Kun's death, many of the grand destroyers of the Sith Empire were lost or destroyed. The fledgling Sith Empire maintained an armada composed principally of two sources - advanced warships manufactured by the secretly Sith-owned Dorioss Shipbuilders, and military surplus from the Clone Wars that was cheaply acquired immediately after the Sith Order in its present incarnation claimed power. A recent militarization and aggressive push to retake all of its old assets has significantly bolstered the Sith war machine in recent months, however. At the time of this writing, the Sith Navy can field several hundred warships. They also have Ossian Bombers in their starfighter complement.

[edit] Army

The Sith Empire is not restricted to Force users and pilots; it has its fair share of ground military personnel as well. The armed forces of the Sith Empire are very small, compared to those of many other powers. However, every Sith soldier is trained for months, and outfitted with the best equipment money can buy - he is a mobile weapons platform, an individual fortress as much as he is a regular soldier. The Army is divided up into two groups, the Sith Marines and the Sith Defense Corps. They are distinguished superficially by the coloration of their armor. Sith Marines wear armor stained crimson, whereas the Defense Corps wear blue.

Note: The following figures represent only combatant units, and do not account for support units, medics, and other noncombatants.

[edit] Organization

Sith Army Composition: 56,884 Infantry. 4,062 Light Artillery. 298 Heavy Artillery.

Divisional Proportions: 18,450 Marines. 38,434 Defense Corps.

Squad: 4 Infantry

Platoon: 40 Infantry (10 Squads)

Company: 120 Infantry (3 Platoons)

Armored Company: 80 Infantry, 12 Light Artillery, 6 Heavy Artillery

Army: 840 Infantry (7 Companies)

Marines: The Marines are the Sith offensive forces. They are extremely well trained in occupation tactics, commando and infiltration techniques, demolitions, assault, ship-to-ship, boarding and deepspace combat, siege, and a number of other disciplines. The Marines are deployed solely with troop transports to occupy enemy stations or planetary targets. Once the target has been neutralized and conquered, Defense Corps troops move in to maintain the occupation.

Defense Corps: The Defense Corps represents the central government-subsidized law enforcement and Peace-time military force in the Sith Empire. They compromise the central unit of any planetary garrison, and they are the troops deployed onboard Sith warships as defensive soldiery and a deterrent to enemy boarding actions. Only invasion fleets carry Marines, but every ship in the Navy has a detail of D-Corps soldiers. When a planet has been conquered and the initial resistance overcome, it is the Defense Corps that moves in and establishes a permanent military occupation and defense force. They are trained highly in urban combat, crowd/riot control, law enforcement, and guerilla tactics.

[edit] Training

[edit] General

Physical and Mental Conditioning/Training: Weeks 1-4

Basic Training: Weeks 5-10

Weapons Training (Sniping, Marksmanship, Assault, Secondary and Tertiary Weapons Modes): Weeks 11-12

Physical and Mental Conditioning (Second Round): Weeks 13-15

Field Training (Cursory medical, tactical education): Weeks 16-17

Integrational Tactical Training (Cooperative tactics with navy, local defense forces, etc.): Week 18

Physical and Mental Conditioning (Third Round): Weeks 19-20

Final Exam (Series of 18 Individual, Squad and Platoon - Oriented Simulations): End of Week 20

Trainees that pass their final examination then go on to specialist training for either the Marines or the Defense Corps. At the end of basic training, trainees are fully capable of performing as soldiers with partial education in field medicine and officer-level tactics - allowing any squad member to function as a squad leader in the occasion of his commanding officer's death, and allowing for any squad leader to function as a platoon leader in the event of the same.

[edit] Marines

Commando Training (Infiltration, Slicing, Introductory Demolitions, Clandestine Tactics): Weeks 1-8

Heavy Demolitions Training: Week 9-10

Offensive Warfare Tactics (Siege, Blitzkrieg, others): Weeks 11-14

Deep Space Combat and Boarding Tactics: Weeks 15-17

Physical and Mental Conditioning (Final Round): Week 18

Final Exam (Series of 24 Individual, Squad and Platoon - Oriented Simulations): End of Week 18

[edit] Defense Corps

General Defensive Tactics: Weeks 1-2

Shipboard Defensive Tactics: Weeks 3-4

Guerilla Tactics: Weeks 5-8

Urban Warfare Training: Weeks 9-12

Crowd/Riot Control Training: Weeks 13-14

Law Enforcement Training (Legal Education, Procedures, Protocols, Nonlethal Tactical Training): 15-17

Physical and Mental Conditioning (Final Round): Week 18

Final Exam (Series of 20 Inividual, Squad and Platoon - Oriented Simulations, Written Test): End of Week 18

At the end of a 9.5 month training session, the graduated Sith soldier is among the best trained elite warriors in the galaxy. He is, thanks to advanced physical conditioning and chemo-stimulation, in perfect physical shape - often (Thanks to the chemical muscle stimulation) surpassing the physical strength of even the healthiest of his peers. Due to constant emotional conditioning and indoctrination, the soldier is entirely loyal to the Sith Order and is girded against the traumatic experience of war. The Sith do not turn their soldiers into mindless killing machines - every trooper retains a sense of humanity and compassion to temper their killing edge. Standard procedure dictates that every Sith soldier retake his examinations every subsequent year. Should he fail, he is required to retake general training, specialist training, or both as the need demands.

[edit] Outfitting

[edit] Helmet

• Comlink (Equipped with 14 channels: 1 open, 1 squad channel, 1 platoon channel, 1 general military channel, 10 programmable channels. Built-in encryption. Optimal range - 44 Kilometers. Maximum Range - 689 Kilometers).
• Friend/Foe Recognition (IDs potential targets as friendly, hostile or unknown as determined by orbital or planetary command center/controller such as an orbiting assault ship or landside military base. If no such command center is present, this function does not operate).
• Sensor Micro-Array (Maps out environmental terrain. Range of 640 Meters).
• Infrared Heat Vision.
• Visual Enhancement (Up to 5X).
• Auditory Enhancement or Dampening. Max 50%, Minimum 0% (Total Silence).
• Voice Amplifier (Max: 40 Decibels).

[edit] Armor

• Class 2 Ablative Protection
• Fully functional vacuum and environment suit (Full functionality and comfort in deep space and in atmospheric conditions including but not limited to: Between 360 and -144 Degrees Fahrenheit, Corrosive environments of low to middling acidity, high-pressure environments such as deep sea, low-oxygen atmospheres. The suit has systems to convert carbon dioxide into fresh oxygen, allowing a soldier to recycle his breath supply (theoretically) indefinitely. However, there is also a backup supply of 4 hours of breathable oxygen should this system fail.).
• Jet Pack (Up to 5 minutes of sustained flight. 20 minute cool down/recharge. Maximum speed 142 km/hour. Acceleration: 0-25 one scond, 25-77 two seconds, 77-142 one second).
• Feet of armor can activate a magnetic charge so the soldier can "stand" on metal surfaces such as ship hulls in low- or no-gravity environments.
• Digital processors and enhancement servos increase base wearer's strength by a full 110%.

[edit] Standard-Issue Rifle

• Primary mode of fire: Automatic. Firing rate of 661 shots per minute.
• Secondary mode of fire: Semi-automatic (Ideal for sniping and precise firing).
• Tertiary mode of fire: Mini-rocket weapon (anti-light vehicle, armor piercing).
• Power pack holds energy for 65 shots.
• Standard rocket clip contains 6 mini-rockets.
• Scope, with maximum magnification 10X.
• Attached flashlight, range 22 meters.

[edit] Other Standard-Issue Supplies

• 5 extra power packs
• 2 extra minirocket clips
• Emergency rations sufficient for 3 days
• Glowrod
• Stun cuffs
• Signal Flare
• Medical field kit
• 3 Thermal Detonators
• 1 Remotely detonated heavy explosive charge
• Vibroblade
• Fusion Cutter
• 2 Smoke grenades

[edit] The Sith Order

The essential core of the Sith Empire is its order of Force users. This is the information regarding that aspect of the Empire.

[edit] Origins

Nassus was a world perpetually in twilight. The clouds were dense, filling the sky and diffusing the sunlight until by the time it reached the high, jarring peaks and deep valley forests of the surface, it was little more than a suggestion. The true day on Nassus took place at night, when the bioluminescent forests blazed a fierce blue, illuminating vast stretches better than the feeble sun ever did.

Humans inhabited a number of cities in the mountainous regions. The world was a discomfiting place to live, with day feeling like night should and the luminescent sea-level forests and dark cloud cover giving the illusion that the sky was below and earth above. Over the centuries the human settlers learned to adapt and cope, but Nassus remained isolated after clerical errors deleted any mention of it from the old Republic’s registry.

The planet remained unnoticed by the galaxy at large until the Jedi scholar Rashael Koss happened upon it in his research. He traveled there and found a world awash in the Force – all of its indigenous creatures were tremendously force sensitive. But it was the dark side that he felt there – the animals operated on instinct, they knew fear and hunger and lust and little else. Koss stayed on Nassus, studying the fauna, the people that had developed largely in isolation, the crystal formations that grew deep in the mountains and the trees that no human could go near without being blinded. While there he fell in love with a local woman and with her, conceived a child.

The sensation of love defied all tenets of the Jedi Order – theirs was a detached way, that of objectivity and neutrality. Koss was an intelligent man and knew he had broken a central law of the Order in falling in love, but at the same time, could not come to understand how so beautiful a feeling could be anything but good. Unable to find resolution, his contemplations on the matter turned to dire rantings, which in turn transformed into an opposition to the sterility of the Jedi Code. Being a scholar, Koss had in his possession a number of artifacts he had excavated at archaeological dig sites on worlds that had once been a part of a Sith Empire some four thousand years prior. One of these was a holocron. He had never before so much as thought to activate it but now, bereft of answers and finding himself increasingly on confused, uncertain ground, he partook of the ancient Sith lore and discovered therein another philosophy, one that embraced the strength and vitality that accepting one’s humanity and emotion could bring. Koss found fulfillment in the things the holocron taught him, and came in time to condescend against and then hate the Jedi Order. He began to take apprentices from Nassus’ settlements, tempering all his teachings with a mantra – “Passion is power, but belligerence is weakness, and stupidity is death.”

Rashael Koss and his students wandered across Nassus for years. They wandered northward, coming at length to miles-long tracts of twisting, dead forests and to jagged mountain ranges that scraped the dark, clouded sky. It was there that they discovered a vast, ancient edifice – rising up from a plateau, many miles long and extending so deep into the mountain that they could not begin to map out its extremities. The citadel, they fast discovered, had belonged to a Sith Lord of antiquity – one of terrifying prowess whose studies, throughout his centuries-long life, had been preserved in perpetuity in the cavernous, gothic libraries and laboratories in the deepest reaches of the mountain’s womb. Time had taken its toll on some of the Sith lore but much was undamaged and the new Sith took up residence in the castle, naming it Niflheim after a cold, frozen afterlife of legend.

The Sith grew in their mastery by leaps and bounds, and under the tutelage and wisdom of Rashael Koss, grew to embrace passions other than bloodlust – they came to love each other fiercely, connect with such terrible potency that not a one could fathom bringing harm to any of the others. It was then that the Dark Lord Koss took on his final pupil, a young boy called Seth DeSchaen, whose father had brutally murdered his mother and then himself.

Seth’s talent for the Force was unnerving to his teachers and peers – in the course of a year he had matched those who had traveled with Koss for half a decade or more. By his second year, he had surpassed them. When the Dark Lord of the Sith declared his two best students to be Sith Lords in their own right, Seth was one of them.

The circumstances concerning the fracturing of the Sith fraternity of Niflheim are not entirely understood – what is known is that Seth DeSchaen murdered six of Rashael’s students, and drove another four insane, leaving their minds shattered and useless for the rest of their lives. Rashael Koss faced him and Seth defeated him but stayed his hand, opting not to kill his teacher.

The order slowly recovered from the tragedy, and Seth DeSchaen, if he experienced remorse or punishment, gave evidence of neither. He retreated to Niflheim’s womb, to its deepest chambers that ancient spirits still haunted. He rarely came up, and spoke almost not at all when he did. And then one day, he called a meeting of the order and told them, “Norik Kun, Dark Lord of the Sith Empire, has died. Now is our time.”

By clandestine effort, the Sith sowed the seeds of what would become their eventual conquest over the ancient throne worlds of Sith heritage. And then, one day, they struck – within half a year, the core worlds of the Sith Empire were united under a new order.

[edit] Niflheim

The palace of the Sith and their academy, Niflheim is a massive, gothic edifice built into a mountain on the hidden, Darkside-strong world of Nassus. It is more than two miles long and more than a kilometer into the sky, at places. Originally the stronghold of a Sith Lord of spectacular capability, Niflheim lay abandoned for thousands of years before Rashael Koss and his students took residence there. Even now, with the Sith Order growing, only a minute fraction of the castle is occupied.

The Academy occupies one of the peripheral towers, looking out over a valley long since dried up, its once live forests now petrified, a weald graveyard. The classrooms, small library, dining hall, Acolyte dormitories, and the residence and training halls of the Marauders are in this tower. Even then, only half of the tower is occupied. Every acolyte is given his own room but it is a tiny cell, sparse and largely unfurnished save a cot, a desk, a meditation mat, and a light. Some cells are furnished by powered lighting, others require candlelight – not all of the lived-in areas of Niflheim have been refitted with power and running water – though these are mostly located in the Acolyte sector and Marauder’s quarters. The small library is overseen by a Sorcerer and two senior Acolytes – it features six hundred datadiscs concerning Sith Lore, three precious Sith holocrons, and four even more precious bound paper books so ancient that touching them is strictly forbidden – they must be handled through the Force with the utmost care and delicacy. There are also several thousand datadiscs concerning more mundane lore – history, theology, geography, the sciences, et cetera.

The doors to the tower are massive, tons-heavy things, that can only be opened via an exquisite expression of the Force – Acolytes are generally not yet trained enough to force the doors open enough to allow entry or exit – thus locking them within their tower. Such heavy doors are the norm throughout Niflheim – almost every entryway is too large and heavy to move except with the Force.

The architecture of Niflheim is very dramatic – it is all grand, echoing, buttressed halls, stained glass windows depicting images of tragedy and dark reference to the Sith Lords of yore, black stone and grey wood, vaulted ceilings, and pale blue light from glowing crystal statues in the grandest halls – the same indigenous crystal that, when used as a focus for a lightsaber, creates a blade of black-light negative blue hue.

Below the Academy in the castle proper, are the dwells, reflection halls and training galleries of the Assassins, and the vast, private halls of Lyra Onaesar, Sith Lady and ruler of Niflheim. Only the area immediately surrounding the Academy tower is thus occupied – beyond the areas of habitation, the cold, cobwebbed wings and twisting corridors of Niflheim carry on for miles in silence.

A vast, mostly empty hangar is built into the mountain directly beneath these apartments. A few squadrons of TIE-class starfighters, several shuttles and perhaps a Sith Battleship or two are typically docked here.

Beneath the hangar begin Niflheim’s deep reaches – its dungeons and basements. These extend deep into the mountain upon which Niflheim is built, so much so that no one knows how far they go. They are empty and uninhabited for hundreds of meters and then, in the citadel’s deeper reaches – far, far below the rest of the Sith Order, the Sorcerers live and study. These perpetually dark halls are still haunted by ancient Sith spirits, and only the Sorcerers bear the disposition and raw talent with the Force not only to tolerate them – but to learn from them. The Sorcerers also keep in their sanctum the Great Library, far superior to its sibling in the Academy. This library houses thousands of texts both ancient and new concerning Sith and Darkside Arcana, and the Sorcerers are reputed to keep under strict guard the holocrons of several ancient and famed Sith Lords – as well, it is said, as holocrons created by the prodigal Sith Lord Seth DeSchaen and the Dark Lord himself, Rashael Koss.

Below even the Sorcerers’ halls is the lair of Seth DeSchaen, where no one else treads. No one knows what secrets Seth keeps in those deepest reaches of Niflheim, or what if anything lies deeper still.

Rashael Koss used to live in Niflheim, in the apartments now occupied by Lyra Onaesar. The Dark Lord presently resides on a private manor, thousands of miles to the south in a more populous region of Nassus.

[edit] Branches of the Order

[edit] The Acolytes

Sith Acolytes are students, ranging in skill and talent from the newly initiated all the way to the almost-graduated. An Acolyte is typically born within the boundaries of the Sith Empire. There are generally two groups – the younger Acolytes, who are identified as being Force Sensitive when still no older than five years old and are raised in Niflheim until they graduate into full-fledged Sith at around eighteen years of age, and the older Acolytes, who for whatever reason were not identified as being Force Sensitive, and petitioned to be given Sith training. They usually graduate much later on – an Acolyte who began studying at Niflheim at age fifteen might, depending on her talents, become full Sith as late as thirty, or as early as a year or two after first arriving. Acolytes are taught basic Force manipulations and sensations, and philosophy – they do not enter into the actual masteries of Sith lore until near the very end of their education, and then it is only enough to gauge which path would be best for them to travel afterward – that of the Marauder, the Assassin, or the Sorcerer.

[edit] The Marauders

Fury incarnate, the Marauder is the warrior of the Sith Order. Stereotypes abound of Sith using their rage as a weapon, transforming themselves into mindless killing machines the likes of which the galaxy cannot comprehend – they lose themselves in the passions of battle and become more dangerous than a Jedi ever could. These stereotypes are realized in (and only in) the person of the Marauder, who unlike the other Sith, cultivates a unique psychology and paradigm within herself so that at any moment she may sunder her opponent violently and completely. The warriors of the Sith allow no quarter and sacrifice their own stability to become the most dangerous, thorough killers in Sith Space. The Marauders are taught only the most basic Sith disciplines – those necessary to enter into the characteristic bloodfrenzy that lends the Marauders their strength and invincibility in battle. In terms of mastery and aptitude, they are the weakest in the Order, and the lowest in the triarchy.

[edit] The Assassins

The Jedi call the hearts of the Sith dark. They call the powers the Sith draw upon the Darkside, and they say that the Sith work in shadows. For the assassins, this is true. The Sith Assassin studies the arcana of darkness and shadow, both concrete and intangible, both real and metaphorical. They move unseen and unnoticed – people forget they were ever there, they do not remember what they talked about or why things are different now than when before the Assassin came and went. They are the forgotten people, the invisible ones, and the Order stays hidden due to their efforts. The Sith Assassins are the middle rank in the triarchy, and are taught far more Sith magic than the Marauders, though only of a specialized variety – the magic of shadow is obscure and distinct from the rest of the Sith arts.

[edit] The Sorcerers

Masters of Niflheim, masters of the Empire, Masters of the Sith themselves, the Sorcerers are the most powerful, and the most introspective of the Sith Order. They study all the most secret, ancient and powerful Sith rites – only the Sorcerers are taught Sith Alchemy, only the Sorcerers are taught the most powerful spells and rituals, and the ways in which one may speak to the Force, and have the Force speak through them. The Sorcerers are the weakest in combative terms – they are ill-suited to direct fighting, but their mastery over their art means that they never have to – why duel a man, when you may drive him mad, plunge his heart into the depths of irrecoverable despair, make him think you are already dead – or – make him think he has already died? The Sorcerers spend their time in study and in philosophy – not the detached, objective studies of the Jedi, but the discordant, personal contemplations that unlock the true secrets of the Force. Where the Jedi think of themselves as the servants and defenders of the Force, the Sith Sorcerers see that they are the Force, an extension of its collective consciousness, their base animal instincts and their higher reasoning, their private selfishness and the greater need both given as expression of the countless small wills that comprise the one collective will that is the Force.

[edit] Hierarchy of the Order

Sith Acolyte > Sith Marauder/Assassin/Sorcerer > Sith Lord > Dark Lord of the Sith

Current Sith Lords: Lyra Onaesar, Seth DeSchaen

Dark Lord of the Sith: Rashael Koss

[edit] Important Locations in the Empire

[edit] The Throne Worlds

A blanket term for the planets that comprise the cultural core of the Sith Empire. Ziost, Thule, Rhen Var, Ossus, what was once Korriban, Sythic and others, these worlds were stronghavens of the Sith for thousands of years. The people here are proud of their heritage, and are wildly supportive of the new Sith Order.

[edit] The Liminal Gard

A deepspace monitoring station at the Sith Empire's shared border with the Galactic Empire. The Liminal Gard is some six kilometers of holonet arrays, decoding centers, and one of the largest and most sophisticated sensor arrays in that stretch of the galaxy. It keeps a close watch on the Empire and its movements near the Sith border, and can serve to provide advance warning should an attack be imminent. The Liminal Gard's location is military-level classified, meaning that civilians do not know it exists or where it is.

[edit] 2nd Fleet Operations Center

Floating in space just off of the Hydian Way, the 2FOC is the Sith Navy's headquarters in the northern quadrant of their space. All ships report in here, all retrieved contraband is brought here to be processed, all naval movements along the Hydian Way ranging from patrols to full fleet actions are coordinated and directed from here. The 2FOC features expansive drydock and repair facilities, as well as a twelve kilometer long cargo sector where taxed goods acquired from tollbooth waypoints, confiscated contraband and the spoils of war are kept until they are requisitioned elsewhere.

[edit] The Nexus

A massive, sprawling station in the heart of the Empire's southern territories, the Nexus serves as the focal point for all governmental contact with that reach of the Imperial Territories. Authorities in the Meridian Sector, the Cron Drift, the Jalyn Star Cluster, and all nearby systems report in to administrators here. The Nexus additionally oversees all naval actions and monitors all trade along the Perlemian Way, like its cousin to the north, the 2FOC. At 42 kilometers in overall diameter, the Nexus is a city all in its own right - and is a local hub of mercantilism, entertainment and trade. For many traders it is their first and only stop-off point in the Sith Empire, as its sixteen million inhabitants - only six million of which are government employees - will often pay good prices for their wares and if they do not, then the authorities at Nexus Station are as likely to buy their goods and ship them deeper into Sith Space.

[edit] Imperatrix Station

When the Sith Order reunited the worlds of their Empire after the fractured infighting following Norik Kun's death, an interim government was set up here, at Imperatrix Station, to manage the mundane running of their territories while they focused on more necessary things. Imperatrix station was fourteen kilometers of military command center, political capitol, and public relations/coordinations hub all at once. After the administration was relocated to Sythic recently, Imperatrix Station was converted into a museum and propaganda machine. Due to its relatively close proximity to Ziost, it also serves as the final waypoint for pilgrims on their way to that world.

[edit] Ziost

The ancient capital of the Sith Empire, Ziost was a world covered by dark forests, ruled over by the most terrible Sith Lords ever to have lived. That, however, was thousands of years ago. Ziost today is a frozen wasteland, bereft of life save for archaeological digs and sites, the palace of a medium-ranked Sith Sorcerer who oversees all archaeology throughout the Empire, several research stations, and pilgrimages. The current Sith Empire is the first to open up some of its ancient sacred worlds and locations up to non-Force-Sensitive pilgrims. Certain places on Ziost have been authorized for Pilgrimage, and facilities to cater to the pilgrims have sprung up around these holy sites - though they are all government-owned. There is no private industry on Ziost, and there is no permanent population. These days, the sacred heart of the Sith Empire lies silent - a dignified memory of aeons past.

[edit] Sythic

A heavily urbanized world (though not an ecumenopolis), Sythic is home to approximately fourty eight billion sentients of all species. It is the administrative capital of the Sith Empire, from whence all the vast, sprawling Empire is run. The military and nonmilitary committees and commands, as well as the Parliament of the Throne Worlds and the Office of Governors are all located here. Sythic additionally is home to massive shipyard facilities used by the Sith Navy to construct mighty warships to defend and expand their borders.

[edit] Nassus

The Heart of Darkness, Nassus is a secret world where unique local floral phenomena give the appearance of the sky being earth and the earth being sky, and of the night being day and the day being night (See information on the origins of the Sith Order for more detailed information). It is sparsely populated, with some two million indigenous residents scattered throughout the planet - though they are focused primarily in the equatorial region. In the far north is Niflheim, the castle and school of the Sith Order. Nassus' heavy cloud cover means that sensors cannot penetrate down to the planet below, or up into space. This problem is circumvented via a series of orbital satellites that convey sensor data down to the surface below. It is unknown to any but the Sith themeselves what defenses Nassus holds, for any ships that guard the Heart of Darkness are never permitted to depart and the indigenous peoples, already used to living in pre-hyperspace technological conditions, are not permitted to leave. The Dark Lord of the Sith, Rashael Koss, makes his home on this world but does not live in Niflheim.