Somewhere in the Unknown Regions
Onboard the Leviathan, Daimon stared outside the viewport as the ship was travelling through hyperspace. Their current destination was toward a newly discovered system where the Balance Keepers had made contact with some intelligent species that they described as the ancient Star Dragons.
Even Daimon didn't know what they were talking about and was wondering if this was one of the things he didn't research in his previous life.
But from what they told him, the dragons had approached their ship and had engaged in conversation with them, requesting to meet with their Emperor.
It was an unusual request, one that piqued his curiosity more than it concerned him. Species that made unprompted first contact with Imperial vessels and then immediately asked to speak with him personally were rare enough that he accepted every time out of curiosity.
Usually, it meant one of two things: either they understood exactly how powerful he was and wanted to establish a friendly relationship with him, or they had no concept of the Imperium's scale at all and were simply extending the same courtesy they would to any wandering ship.
"Cortana, what more do we know about them?" Daimon asked, turning from the viewport.
Cortana's image flickered into existence beside him. "Limited information, unfortunately. The Balance Keeper team reports that the Star Dragons are approximately thirty to fifty meters in length, capable of both atmospheric and vacuum survival, and communicate through a combination of telepathic projection and physical vocalization. Preliminary Force readings suggest they are extremely old, possibly predating recorded galactic history. Team Leader Ashira described the sensation as 'standing next to a mountain that happened to be thinking.'"
"That's a strange way to put it." Daimon said.
"Ashira may have overexaggerated. She also noted that the dragons seemed to recognize what she was, immediately, without explanation. They referred to the Balance Keepers as 'children of the small light' and asked several questions about who trained them."
Daimon thought about this. Beings who recognized the Force lineage of his Balance Keepers on sight, without prior context, were not a common occurrence. Even the Jedi Order, for all its history, had taken generations to develop classifications for different Force traditions. For an unknown species in an unmapped system to immediately parse the distinction suggested either extraordinary perceptiveness or they already knew who we were."
"Did they say anything about why they wanted to meet me specifically?"
"Only that they said the Emperor should come himself, and that sending 'lesser envoys' would be considered an insult to their kind." Cortana paused. "Ashira relayed this exactly how it was said to her."
Daimon nodded as he remained silent for the rest of the journey, lost in his own thoughts.
A few hours later they had arrived at the designated location and found the three Imperial ships stopped with three massive dragons right in front of them.
They were larger than Cortana's readings had suggested. The nearest of the three dragons stretched at least sixty meters from snout to tail, its scales shifting between shades of deep violet and midnight blue depending on the angle of the starlight hitting them.
The Leviathan dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of the system, and Daimon immediately reached out with the Force to get a sense of what he was dealing with. What he found startled him more than he expected. Each of the three dragons carried a presence in the Force that felt layered, as though multiple lifetimes had been compressed into a single consciousness. It wasn't quite like anything he'd encountered before, not the raw hunger of the dark side and not the serene detachment of the Jedi's light.
"Bring us in closer," Daimon ordered. "But maintain formation. I don't want the escort ships crowding them."
The Leviathan glided forward, its massive size dwarfed by comparison to nothing in the system except for perhaps the dragons themselves, who despite their size seemed entirely unbothered by the arrival of an Imperial dreadnought and its accompanying vessels.
Lord Maxim stood beside him on the bridge, his expression neutral, though Daimon could sense the tension radiating from him. "Should I assemble an escort party, my Lord? Or are we waiting for them to make contact?"
"Neither," Daimon said. "I'll go alone."
Normally Maxim would not try to refute, but this was an enemy he didn't understand yet and didn't know if they were a threat to the Emperor or not. "At least allow a shuttle escort to the edge of their formation."
"Fine. But no further than that." Daimon said heading to the shuttle bay. From there he took a shuttle and landed outside of the lead Balance Keeper ship, right on the nose.
Once he exited, he waved the shuttle away. The Dragons, seeing this slowly approached him until they were close enough to not cause any unwanted reaction.
"Emperor of the Veldari Imperium. It is good to meet you. My name is Kaelduun of the Duinuogwuins." A voice spoke in his head telepathically.
"My name is Emperor Daimon, the rest I assume you already know." Daimon responded.
"Indeed, I do. Let me start by saying that this is the first time that a member of my species of sought out another. Usually, we isolate ourselves from the affairs of the galaxy, content to observe the rise and fall of civilizations from a comfortable distance. But the presence of a certain being has forced our hand."
The only being he could imagine that could possibly cause this was the Son. If he was right, then he might finally be able to find him.
"Can I assume that you are referring to a being called the Son?" Daimon asked.
"You are correct. But he is no longer called the Son, instead he goes by Aruun the unbound now and has a powerful army of Killiks behind him alongside several select individuals who are powerful in the Force."
Daimon was surprised hearing this information. He never expected the Son to make a name for himself. "I've been looking for him for a few months now." Daimon revealed.
"Yes, I know. I have felt his hatred for you ever since he arrived in this part of the galaxy. He has been building something in the depths of this region, and I have watched it grow for a long time now." Daimon wondered what exactly he was building besides a massive army.
"Why has your kind not intervened before now?"
"Intervention is not the way of the Duinuogwuins," Kaelduun said, his massive head tilting slightly as his golden eyes studied Daimon. "We watch. We remember. We have watched empires devour themselves for longer than your species has possessed the capacity for written language. But Aruun has started hunting our species and taking control of them to use them as tools of war. He attacked our hidden homeworld breaking an ancient pack between us and the Ancients. Now my people are scattered, and our numbers are dwindling as he continues to hunt us down."
Daimon shook his head as hearing such a thing was unpleasant to say the least. "I do feel sorry for that, even though I didn't do anything to harm your species, it is still a sad thing to hear ones homeworld being attacked and then the people being turned to tools of war."
"I appreciate your concern, Emperor Daimon. But this is why I am here. I want to ally with you to get rid of Aruun and his massive army before he starts whatever plans of conquest for the rest of the galaxy." explained Kaelduun.
Daimon didn't feel any malicious intent or any subversion from Kaelduun so he didn't hesitate to accept. "I accept your alliance Kaelduun. I will try my best to help you and your people, but I must say that this will likely reveal your species to the galaxy."
Kaelduun knew this. He had already thought about the consequences of his actions and had already calculated the negatives and positives that this would bring. "I understand, however, for the survival of my species as an independent species, I will do what I must."
Daimon smiled and nodded his head. They were finally getting somewhere now with this new encounter. He never expected something like this to happen, but he was glad it did.
Now the hunt for Aruun could begin.