Awakening the Sapphire Dynasty (Fallen Majesty & Eve Lacus)
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Eve Lacus on 16-03-2013, 07:37:15</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Awakening the Sapphire Dynasty (Fallen Majesty &amp; Eve Lacus)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eve Lacus</strong> on <strong>16-03-2013, 07:37:15</strong>
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				<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">The Zaire Empire</span></strong></div><div align="center">(http://i32.servimg.com/u/f32/12/12/45/20/a13410.jpg)</div><br>“You must hurry your Excellency. We are already late enough as it is.” The swift pace of high heel shoes clicked diligently across marble floor of the massive hallway. The resonating sound of rustling clothes, and conversation echoed through out the outsized corridor. “I know Uila. You don’t have to keep reminding me.” The second individual replied. Grabbing the out the reached robe from her maids hands. “Well I wouldn’t feel the need to do so your majesty. If you would be on time for a change…” The other female rolled her eyes. She knew her maid had point, if she had not insisted on spending the good portion of the morning in her mother old gardens. She might have made it back to her rooms in time to dress. “I get it Uila! Bad Rehka!”&nbsp; The maid paled, realizing that she might have over stepped the boundaries. “I apologize Empress.”&nbsp; <br><br>Rehka sighed, turning around to look at her apologetic maid. “It’s okay." The young Empress looked away. She hadn't meant to be so hard on Uila, but the pressure of today's events were weighing heavily. How Rehka wished she could go back to her days in exile once more.&nbsp; Of course life never worked that, or at least, it never worked the way Rehka would rather have it work. “I’m not frustrated with you.”&nbsp; The maid sighed. Glad that she had not lost the Empress’s favor. “Did things not go well in the last council meeting our Excellency?”&nbsp; That would be understatement of the century. The Empress thought. She attended the meetings, but Rehka held no real power. <br><br>She was a puppet, a figurehead the council had decided to place on the throne. In laymen’s terms…a scapegoat to use if they messed up. In the beginning Rehka had tried to take an active role as Empress. Using her new found position towards the reform of the Zaire slave trade, and the peace negotiation with the Jaieubian Empire. It didn't take long for the council to show her the errors of her ways. Whatever good intentions she begun for Zaire, were undone once the council got wind. At the rate things were going, her dreams for Zaire would never come true. “Your majesty?”&nbsp; The maid cut in pulling Rehka away from her thoughts. <br><br>“Sorry Uila.” The Empress smiled. “ It’s not you. I guess I am just nervous about meeting the amazing newly titled General Maximus Aurelius.”&nbsp; She laughed, resuming her pace down the hallway. “ They say he’s very handsome.”&nbsp; Her loyal maid chimed in. Showing clear interest in the turn of subject. “If I didn't know any better Uila. I’d say you have a crush on the General.”&nbsp; The Empress teased. “Oh no your majesty. I would never be as so bold to set my sight on someone as important as the General Maximus.”&nbsp; The maid blushed. “ Besides one look at you, and the General will be utterly lost.”&nbsp; Rehka rolled her eyes. While the Empress enjoyed compliments, she hated how the tabloids over exaggerated information about her. “ You shouldn't believe everything the media tells you Uila.” She enlightened her maid. “Besides I’m not interested in the Generals good looks, or if he falls madly in love with me.” <br><br>At least that was pretty much the truth; her interest in Maximus had nothing to do with romantic interest. After the council had over turned any form of peace negotiation with the Jaieubian Empire. Rehka had taken a back seat to her advisers power play. Even silently coming to believe leaving the decision making to the group was in the best interest of Zaire people. The Empress sighed. She couldn't have been more wrong. No sooner had Rehka come to terms with her present situation, a massive rise in rebellions began in the slave population. <br><br>At first the Empress had known nothing about the uprising. She soon learned why. The council had been ensuring her ignorance by commanding the servants to keep her away from&nbsp; such information. Rehka had been furious once she had learned the truth, but short of calling a council meeting, and demanding the advisers rewrite this injustice. There was little she could do. That’s why she needed the General, with the war hero’s new found popularity and skills in battle. Maximus was just the type of ally the Empress needed in her campaign against the council. <br><br>“So how do I look Uila?" Rehka twirled, fully gowned in royal wardrobe. Both females standing just a few steps away from the entrance of the throne room. “ You look wonderful your majesty.”&nbsp; The maid beamed, clearly enthralled with the Empress’s regal appearance. “ Thanks Uila.”&nbsp; She smiled. “ I guess I am ready to give our war hero his medal.” And maybe a proposition that could change both our lives. Rehka reflected, just before heading out of the hallway, and into the throne room. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Awakening the Sapphire Dynasty (Fallen Majesty &amp; Eve Lacus)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenMajesty</strong> on <strong>22-03-2013, 20:13:10</strong>
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				Maximus Aurelius was on his way to the palace.<br><br>The legend of the 'thrice-promoted General' preceded him, or so it seemed. Ranks in the military of the Zaire Empire were hard won, and rarely given out to slaves, as many slaves in the Zaire Empire were viewed as simply that, slaves, and thus expendable. Also, one usually got one chance at a promotion. Traditionally, if that promotion were denied, for whatever reason, the rank you had was the rank you stayed at. The fact that Maximus had been up for promotion to General twice, and been denied twice, then was up for promotion again, was unheard of.<br><br>It wasn't as if Maximus hadn't deserved it each time. He had been a born warrior, trained in the Mameluke gladiatorial pits, where most slaves did not survive, but those that did were warriors unlike most any had ever seen. Of course, Mamelukes were also known for being very selfish, and self-centered, which made Maximus' ability to lead unusual. He hadn't started out that way, though. The Mameluke slave trainers were interested in crafting beings of war, and in the trainers' minds, there was no space in the beings' minds for soft things such as compassion, empathy, or caring. Maximus had been one of their finest works, as Maximus had been intent on learning everything they had to teach him. The trainers sent for people from off-world, people skilled in the most exotic and unusual of martial skills, because they knew Maximus was special.<br><br>Of course, many in the pits resented Maximus for the special treatment he got. Not that Maximus cared. The only things they could say were words, and if they said or did any more than that, they would get in Maximus' way, and thus, be crushed. After one of the fights in which Maximus had gotten wounded badly, that was when he had met Moire. He had been a young boy, no more than twelve years old, when Moire had come to tend to his wounds. Maximus had no time in his life for soft things, but there was just something about having someone tend to his wounds, mop the sweat from his forehead, and tell him stories and other such things, that was nice. She was a girl a few years younger than he was, or so he thought. Of course, when it came to the stories, he had insisted she tell him the stories at first, asserting his right to have other slaves do as he wanted. He couldn't help but learn things about her in the doing, though. <br><br>Eventually, what were demands became requests. Not the most politely worded requests, but requests all the same. When he recovered, he went to search her out, only to notice that she was to be trained as a pleasure slave, and was not treated very well. This bothered Maximus. In reaching out to her, and trying to shield her with his influence, he learned much. In all honesty, he felt like more of a man, and less of an animal, as he reached out with what influence he had in the pits to protect Moire. In the process, he couldn't help but notice others who were treated as poorly as she had been among the other male gladiators. Being the trainers' favorite, he commanded the most influence with them, and started to use that, and his newfound knowledge about what a man should be, to extend that to others. In the pit, he found his humanity, and helped others to find the same.<br><br>Of course, he kept up with his martial training. His trainers had told him consistently that he was truly a being of war, and from all Maximus had seen of himself, it was true. He took to all the training, no matter how exotic, and when his training was done, he was said to command the highest price out of any slave they had sold. He stood to make them very rich indeed. To showcase his skills, his trainers arranged for a series of prize fights. The majority of any purse Maximus won was to go to his trainers, to repay the exorbitant expense they had incurred training him. The rest was to go to Maximus.<br><br>He was not the only one to complete his training. Moire had, as well, and she had blossomed into a true beauty. A local lord had seen her, and had arranged to pay for Moire to be taught the most exotic of the arts of pleasure, of dance, of music... the local lord had a very firm vision in mind, and paid Moire's trainers well to see that vision executed. She was to be given to the local lord soon, after he officially paid the trainers for her. The rumors swirled among the pits as to how badly the local lord treated his slaves, and Maximus could not allow Moire to go to him. He told his trainers to enter Maximus into a deadly tournament the local lord was sponsoring. The winner would get one favor, that the local lord had to grant. He promised his trainers that they could have every last coin he had saved, should he perish. With that, they agreed, and he was entered. <br><br>It was the hardest tournament Maximus had ever fought in. Men and creatures from all over the Empire had been brought in, and Maximus had to use every skill and bit of knowledge he had gained from the Mameluke pits. Truth be told, if it had not been for all the extra training they had given him, he would have lost. But, a very wounded and tired Maximus presented himself before the local lord, the last man standing, and when the local lord asked what favor Maximus wanted, he had not asked for his freedom, as most had been expecting. Instead, he had asked for Moire to be his. The lord sputtered, trying to get Maximus to pick something else, but Maximus insisted, and the lord had to agree. He was much too proud to be thought of as an oath-breaker, although privately, the local lord seethed.<br><br>It took the local lord a while, but he thought of the perfect revenge. The lord bought Maximus, and put him in the army. Should Maximus die, all of his possessions would go to his master, including Moire. She was the strongest reason he had to stay alive. Life in the army was hard. Not the basic training, of course. That was fairly easy. The local lord had arranged for Maximus to be assigned to a legion of ne'er-do-wells and other malcontents. The casualty rate in Maximus' legion was the highest that most had heard of, and it was where most were sent to die. They were assigned to some forgotten world, and their captain had been killed in combat. Most of the other men had little formal training as warriors, outside of the basic bootcamp given to every soldier, so it was up to Maximus to lead, and he did, to great success. No one else wanted the role of that particularly unpleasant legion, the Steel Angels, so Maximus was offered the chance to lead it. <br><br>And he did. He instituted major reforms, the most notable of which was that he ate no better than his men did. He slept where they slept, fought where they fought, and lived like his men did. It was quite clear that he would tell none of them to take a risk he was not willing to take himself, for after all, he was one of them. And yet, not, for as the Steel Angels were assigned to world after world, one forgotten battlefield after another, it was clear that Maximus was a born warrior, and leader. They were unused to a leader who valued each and every one of them, and did his best with what he had to make their lives as pleasant as he could. His harshest punishment was expulsion from the legion, which none of them wanted. <br><br>The only ways in which he and his legion differed were two. The first was Moire. She was one of the most skilled, and most beautiful, pleasure slaves any of them had ever seen, and she was Maximus' right hand. Anyone who harmed her, answered to him, and while no one knew what Maximus and Moire did when they were alone, many could guess. The second was books. Maximus was tired of people treating him like a dumb warrior, and he found value in knowledge. He knew full well that it was the only treasure he could take with him, and that someone else could not lay claim to. He often accepted treaties in exchange for books, or lessons in this or that.<br><br>The Steel Angels were expected to do as they had always done... be cannon fodder to soften up the opponents for other legions, and thus, Maximus' orders were always delightfully vague. This gave him room to try out new strategies, unorthodox tactics, and he was known for exceeding the scope of his orders, if not in word, then implied. Often, he had done with one legion of the worst the Empire had to offer what others couldn't do with three. The Steel Angels were one of the best kept secrets among the slave legions of the Zaire military. It was the posting that many slaves came to desire, for the slaves were treated like men there.<br><br>The Steel Angels grew in number, and in strength, as Maximus rose in rank. He never transferred, and never allowed anyone else to command his Angels. The first time he came up for the rank of General, he found out after the fact. The second time, he was denied in person. The third time was at the end of a brilliant campaign, having succeeded in spite of overwhelming odds and the enemy having much more at his disposal than Maximus had, that got him promoted for the third time, and left no one in a position to be able to stop it.<br><br>It was for this that he was told the Empress wanted to see him personally. It was why he was here on the capital world, going to meet her so that she could hand him a medal. He usually ignored these things, but it was the Empress, and not even he could get out of attending this particular award ceremony. He hoped Moire would come. But he was mostly curious what the Empress wanted. He just wanted to show up, get his award, then go back to his men, among whom he belonged.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Awakening the Sapphire Dynasty (Fallen Majesty &amp; Eve Lacus)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Eve Lacus</strong> on <strong>20-04-2013, 01:10:49</strong>
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				“Presenting her majesty Empress Rehka Elaheila Selei Asastiana Ielei ruler of Zaire Empire.” The trumpet sounded, as the enormous double door leading to the throne opened to reveal the lady in question. Taking a deep breath the Empress walked through the double doors, her expression, appearance, demure, and body language were everything befitting a lady of her position. Cameras accompanied by the paparazzi immediately encompassed Rehka as she began walking down the aisle towards her throne. Normally she would have demanded a limited amount of publicity at events such as these, but if her plan to bring the General in as an ally was to succeed. Rehka would have to make their meeting look as unsuspicious as possible. Her advisors were not above using any type of leverage to their advantage. Having the media involved in the Maximus triumph was an excellent way to keep the council from taking any steps to hinder plans. <br><br>The audience hall was quiet while Rehka progressed towards her throne, as tradition always dictated during ceremonies such as these. The nobility of the court stood in respect, while the one being honored remained outside of the ceremony until his own entrance. Once again the crowd of nobles would remain at their feet until the honoree kneeled before the current reigning current monarch. Only when the sovereign directed the people to be seated, and the honored hero once again stood could the ceremony begin. Rehka had never understood why such theatrics were needed, but after devising this clever ruse to meet the General. The Empress was glad her ancestor had insisted on such rituals. <br><br>Cover, tact, and misdirection were needed very much during these uncertain days. With balance with the Empire teetering into chaos along with the good will of the governments within the galaxy. On both fronts the council was internally antagonizing the people of Zaire and the Concord of the Jaieubians. Rehka wasn’t really certain of what they were after by doing this, but she had idea that she would be the fall guy in the end. She had to put a stop to their machination, but without help there was little hope. Which was where the General came in, from the Empress study of the soldier’s career, she could see he was perfect for this crucial task. He was a great leader, had acquired tactical skills, and his background as a former slave would easily help rally the people against the council. There also the strong unit under his command, the Steel Angels, they were another division of exceptional warriors that Rehka would love have allied to her. <br><br>There prowess on the field of battle was becoming legendary throughout the Empire. Sometimes even Rehka had a hard time believing in the tales regaled throughout court. Who could ever believe a moderate unit of men could hold off a large brigade of rebel forces single handedly without reinforcements? The Empress certainly hadn’t believed at first but after the first press coverage of their heroics, Rehka had found herself hooked from then on. She had kept a shadowed eye on the men as well as the General, gathering information about each man, and digging even further into their histories. There was nothing overly concerning about most of them, and the ones that did have a bit of dark past seemed somewhat redeemed under Generals command. Then of course there was the man himself; Maximus. He was somewhat of a mystery still to the Empress. <br><br>Rehka had pulled ever report and profile the military had on the General. There was a lot of material there but nothing had told her really anything about the man. The Higher command called him an enigma, they or any other evaluator could decipher nothing about the former slave turned soldier. Every profile pretty much stated the same thing, the General was controlled honed warrior, whose loyalties were never in question, but his weaknesses or emotional state could not be determined. That last bit both worried and intrigued the Empress. On the one had such a skill would definitely keep the advisor on their toes, not one of them would ever know where they would stand with Maximus around. The Empress smiled inwardly. What she wouldn’t pay to see the council squirm under real power. They probably would have no idea how to deal with a force that was far from intimidated by them. <br><br>Of course there was a drawback to this as well. Rehka also had to take into account for the General as well, if she could not read him normally or through communing with his mind. The Empress would have to take measures to protect herself if they forged an alliance. After the advisors revolt years ago, and their rise to power, Rehka had made a silent vow to herself. Once she regained control over the Empire, no one would ever wrestle control away from ever again. She would be the sovereign in every way that counted, and usher the dream her family always had envisioned for Zaire. Rehka would take whatever help she could to achieve this goal, but she would not trust or hand over her rightful power so easily. The General would have another thing coming of he thought to take the crown for himself, Rehka had had enough of greed, malice, and deception in this lifetime. She would never let it happen again. <br><br>The Trumpets sounded throughout the massive room, signaling that the doors were about to open to let the honoree through. It was the first time the Empress would lay eye on the Maximus and despite her position she was nervous. She was about to meet the man who could possibly help her bring the Zaire back from the brink of destruction. It was both a promising and daunting thought. If this man agreed to help Rehka, then this would be the beginning of a silent war. It was frightening and yet she would not step back. The young Empress would only move forward from here, she would fight and gain victory. She just needed to make this first move and ensure this alliance. <br><br>Rehka continued to look on as the procession continued. It was easy to spot the General since he was the one stationed in the middle. She studied him as he the honored guard escorted towards the throne. The rumors were very true Maximus was indeed an impressive man lean, tall, muscular, everything a soldier should be. It left no doubt in the Empress mind that the talks about his leadership abilities were without a doubt second to none. He was exceptional physical specimen, and though Rehka did not to admit it. He was very attractive as well; no doubt every female nobleman woman in attendance today was taking note of that. But this was also something the Empress now worried about. She shockingly could not read the warrior. His features told her nothing about what he was feeling or divulge any insight into him. He was like a blank mystery and Rehka would have struggle to piece the puzzle together to gain answers. The Empress nearly took a step back, stunned for the first time in her life that she could not ascertain some by look or through the wave of mind. She was completely blocked, and Rehka did not like it. <br><br>The Empress maintained her composure as they procession finally reached position before the throne. The people from behind waited anxiously for Rehka to give them permission to sit, with the silent direction of her hand the crowd took their seats, and began the ceremony. Rehka stood on the podium of the throne and looked down at the man standing before her. “Welcome General Maximus; Honored hero of the Zaire Empire.” The Empress stared faced to face with the man before her; her eyes never leaving his as she became enveloped by the strength and power of his gaze. <br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Awakening the Sapphire Dynasty (Fallen Majesty &amp; Eve Lacus)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>FallenMajesty</strong> on <strong>13-05-2013, 02:26:11</strong>
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				Maximus had little patience for such grand affairs. He knew how they would turn out, for he knew how the nobles thought of him, and so he enjoyed not dancing to their tune. He was always careful to show up just to the events he absolutely needed to, while avoiding entirely the events where the nobles would parade him about like a show piece. They kept denying his promotions, able to do little else due to how popular he was with his men, and they both knew it. <br><br>This event was different, though. First, it was one he could not talk his way out of. In spite of how he might feel about the Zaire Empire and the Empress, he knew what his duty was, and he knew that should he turn this down, it was not him, but his men, that would suffer because of it. Besides, this event was amusing to Maximus personally, as some of the very same nobles who had denied his promotion to general twice were in the crowd, and Maximus knew it. There was literally nothing they could do about it now, and Maximus could only hope they looked relatively silly for having denied Maximus this promotion for so long. If he saw one of them in the crowd, he gave them a rather smug smile. He was not above rubbing it in, after all they had done to him.<br><br>They had insisted that he come alone, without his legion. Being so far from the homeworld, and being slaves themselves, it was hard to be loyal to the Zaire Empire itself. In Maximus' experience, armies were more loyal to people than they were to a country. Maximus knew his men were loyal to him, and the best evidence of that was that he was still breathing. Given that the Steel Angel's last commander had died under 'mysterious circumstances' and the results of the inquiry into his death were 'inconclusive', he felt fairly confident in stating that his men liked him, and were loyal. He had to fight a bit to bring Moire, but then, she came with him everywhere. In addition to her training with the Sisterhood of the Blade, she was Maximus' aide-de-camp, his companion, whatever she needed to be. If it were up to Maximus, instead of this ceremony full of empty pageantry celebrating the proud slaveholding traditions of the Zaire Empire, he would have a nice penthouse suite, fully stocked, for a week, while he and Moire spent time away from the insanity that Maximus had to confront daily.<br><br>But this wasn't bad either. Maximus didn't quite know where Moire was, as his attention was drawn by the million and one things going on around him. In spite of himself and his feelings about the Zaire Empire in general, he could not help but be impressed by the capital. It wasn't the display of wealth that impressed him. It was the sense of history that pervaded throughout. That the buildings here had been present before anyone assembled now was alive, and would stand for many centuries after the people here had died. <br><br>Nowhere was that feeling stronger than as Maximus approached the palace. Having grown up without so much as a copper coin to call his own, he couldn't help but wonder what it was like to have more money than you knew what to do with. To never have to carefully tend one's balance sheets, or never care if a gold coin went missing. There was also something about the women raised without the slightest appearance of poverty. Maximus was a bit of a traditionalist, he supposed. There just wasn't anything about most of the women available to the men in the army that appealed to him. Either they were nearly as tough as he was, viewing coitus as simply a good time, to not be thought of again, or a pleasure slave, to whom intimacy was a duty. <br><br>As he looked on the Empress, he couldn't help but wonder what her life had been like. First, she was obviously a woman. She had received the best beauty treatments that money couldn't buy, and probably had the best trainers and fashion consultants designed to showcase her beauty to its best advantage. Those treatments worked quite well, enhancing what was already a considerable beauty to one for which one would trade an empire, which was undoubtedly the point. He felt a considerable amount of rage that this woman was the presumptive head of an empire that treated so many good men and women like cattle. She probably had not known a day of hunger in her life, not known the cruel lash of an overseer or slave trainer. She had not had to perform duties that many found distasteful (such as bedding the ungainly nobles who let their passions warp their bodies). This woman was the one who profited the most from a system that destroyed so many, and he hated her.<br><br>He had always hated the Empress. But, having seen her in person, he couldn't help but pity her now. He had not heard of a prospective husband, and he knew enough about the history of the Zaire Empire to know that it was with the Emperor in which true power lie. She was just a pretty bauble designed to be pawned off on the suitor willing to pay the highest price to bed her. In an odd way, she was no more free than he was, or at least, so it seemed to him. He at least had seized enough power for himself that kept him and Moire safe, that kept his men's bellies full, and his legion in a state of benign neglect that allowed Maximus to treat the men and women under his command like the men and women they were. An odd question popped into his head, as he wondered just how much of her time was truly hers every day. <br><br>But his expression was too well schooled to betray his thoughts, hopefully. Moire had found a tutor in the manner of Court Etiquette and manners. This performance had to go well, or his men would suffer, and he already dared antagonizing the people who didn't like him anyway. However little power the Empress might have, she could undoubtedly make his life very unpleasant should she choose to, and Maximus knew what he needed to do. Just get his award, cause as few waves as possible while he was here other than those that he had done already, then leave.<br><br>As he came before the throne, and the Empress saluted him, he was aware that she was looking him in the eyes, which was something that his etiquette instructors had told him quite firmly that 'he was not to do, ever'. "I am honored to have been given the opportunity to serve the Empire as I have, Empress." He said, lowering his gaze and bowing, believing that to be the proper thing to do, and the thing she was least likely to react negatively to.
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