In the shadowed depths of the newly forged Uli—the palace Safi personally named—the air was thick with the scent of shadow-infused minerals and the whispers of ancient spirits. The palace sat atop the dense jungle, carved from dark crystalline stone and merged seamlessly into the terrain, blending shadow and nature in eternal harmony.
Shailia led Safi through winding corridors—tunnels lined with glowing runes and shadow banners—until they arrived at a grand, shadowed hall. Here, four slave attendants—Vhalar prisoners, now indoctrinated into the Mahasimu faith—awaited her. Their bodies were marked with shadow symbols, their eyes filled with broken obedience.
"Your attendants," Shailia announced softly, "are now yours. They will serve, protect, and obey your every command. Their spirits have been reforged—bound to serve the glory of the Empire and your will."
Safi studied her new attendants with curiosity, a mixture of pride and predatory anticipation flickering behind her gaze. She stepped forward, her voice calm but commanding:
"They are mine now. They will serve as my shadow attendants, to guide and support me as I build our future empire—by my side, in shadow and silence."
The attendants bowed, accepting their new roles—symbolic of her rising power in the empire's new hierarchy.
The Bloody Campaign in the Uli SystemMonths later, Safi's expansion through the Uli system—its primary planet, Uli 056—had become legendary among the Mahasimu. Her forces, under the ruthless command of Kizito and Tano, fought fiercely to conquer the system in a brutal campaign.
The Battles of Uli 056 were marked by savage combat—armored ships clashing in blood-drenched atmospheres, shadow-commanders leading midnight strikes against orbital defenses, her armies storming the planet's heavily fortified cities.
Kizito's ships unleashed wave after wave of shadow fighters and artillery. Ground forces, led by Tano, assaulted orbital stations, crushing resistance in bloody hand-to-hand combat, their blades dripping with the blood of enemy soldiers.
The native defenders—desperate and fiercely loyal to their land—fought with primitive weapons, trapping shadow troops in vicious ambushes, fighting through the blood and ash to slow the conquest. Thousands of their fighters died in the molten streets, their blood sealing the victory of the Mahasimu shadows.
"The system is ours," Kizito declared during a final command broadcast, blood-streaked and exhausted. "Uli 056 will serve as a key resource for the Empire—its strategic position and rich resources now belong to us. No rebellion will survive this day."
Tano, with his usual grim resolve, led the final sweep of the last resistance strongholds—his blades cutting through natives trying to rally one last time. Bodies littered the battlefield, a testament to the savage, blood-soaked campaign that had carved the system into shadow.
Safi's Reign BeginsIn the aftermath, Safi declared her victory openly, standing atop the central spire of Uli, overlooking her new domain. Her eyes burned with the fire of conquest, her shadow attendants by her side.
"This system is our seed," she proclaimed, voice echoing through the newly seized cities. "Through blood and shadow, we will grow stronger. Our empire's reach will stretch across the galaxy—undeniable, eternal."
Her voice promised a glorious future built on brutal conquest, her shadow allies and soldiers ready for the next campaign—expanding her dominion across the stars, with Uli 056 as her girlhood's crown jewel, forged in blood and shadow.