Sith Emperor

> The Emperor's will is absolute. To defy his will is to defy the Empire itself.
>
> ━Darth Abyss

The **Sith Emperor** (feminine **Sith Empress**), also referred to as the **Emperor of the Sith**, the **Immortal Sith Emperor**, or simply **the Emperor** is the undisputed and sovereign ruler of the Sith Empire. Despite the existence of the Dark Council and the Imperial Senate, the Emperor was vested with supreme and absolute political and military authority, which gave him complete control over both the Imperial government and the Imperial Military. As such, the Emperor had free rein to govern the galaxy as he so desired. The office was often referred to abstractly as the **Imperial Throne**.

The first and current Sith Emperor is Darth Deceptious, and he brought a bold vision to the Sith Empire which turned the Empire into a force of dominance. He created the Sith doctrine titled the Rule of Order and promotes progress through unity, security, law, and order while labeling common civil liberties and rights as contradictory to the ideals of natural selection and the strong ruling over the weak. Under his rule, the Empire abandoned its former nepotism and strongly encouraged a self-determined meritocracy.

## Powers and Functions

### Governance

> As the Emperor wills it, so shall it be.
>
> ━Darth Revulsion

The Sith Emperor was the sovereign ruler of the Sith Empire. The Emperor was the ultimate authority in the political and military affairs of the state. As a result, the Emperor had the power to unilaterally implement policies that affected the Empire as a whole━from directing the Imperial Military to subjugate entire planets, to dissolving any organization and transferring their responsibilities to another. To that end, the Emperor could delegate powers to others, allowing him to rule the Empire through subordinates who served as an extension of his authority.

The Sith Emperor was the Head of State, Head of Government, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Sith Empire, and had absolute authority over the Order of the Sith, the Imperial Military, the bureaucracy, and the entire Empire and sectors itself. The Emperor had the sole power to appoint, dismiss, approve, and supervise the regional governors. The Emperor organized and declared the budget, economy, taxes, and trade, could order the Imperial Senate into session, dismiss it from meeting at will, could declare its agenda, and could propose, reject, and initiate all Senatorial bills. The Emperor also controlled, supervised, and could disband the courts, and had the final judicial say. As such, the Emperor's mere word was enough for the Imperial hierarchy to enact his will. Those members of the Imperial government that saw particular favor with the Sith Emperor often saw themselves elevated to positions of significant galactic power.

As the ultimate master of the Sith Order, the Emperor was the official leader of the Dark Council, the Empire’s ruling body, and had the authority to order and dismiss meetings at will, declare its agenda, and could propose, reject, and initiate all Council decisions.  He had the ability to take on any number of disciples and apprentices, contrary to others who were limited in the number of apprentices one could take at a time, and could freely raise the rank of any Sith on a whim and could transfer apprentices between any Sith Lord. In addition, he could observe and direct the Sith trials at any Sith Academy throughout the Empire.

As Emperor, Darth Deceptious' power allowed him to rule under what amounted to martial law. He could execute, imprison, exile, banish, or confiscate anyone or anything solely on his authority. The Emperor could also issue executive orders and proclamations within the legal force of law in the Empire more powerful than those issued by the Senate. The Emperor supervised, directed, appointed, and dismissed all officials in the government, and created, disbanded, supervised, and directed all governmental administrations, agencies, commissions, and boards. He could also confiscate all assets from defeated worlds at his order. He can also redirect funds from various departments for weapons development, even when such actions would otherwise be deemed illegal.

In addition to processing judgement to criminals via the judiciary system, the Emperor, should the charge be serious enough, such as high treason, can also personally deliver the sentenced punishment to the criminal in question. The Emperor can also preside over national events, as well as observe and direct the public executions of "Enemies of the Empire", and he also had the authority to force in the execution proceedings during national events and festivities.

### Military

> By the Emperor's command, all military affairs will no longer be subject to the authority of the Imperial Senate, effective immediately.
>
> ━General Pyre Kinall to the Imperial Senate

In addition to his virtually absolute actions over the governance within the Empire, he also had near-total control over the Imperial Military. The Emperor could give orders to Imperial High Command which are then transmitted down via the hierarchy. The development of superweapons under the Emperor’s reign often necessitated that he visit the site development to personally inspect the development. As such, the Emperor superseded the authority of whoever was placed in charge of the development whenever he made direct visits. He also can give inputs to the designs of various weaponry. He can also place various weapons and vehicles into lockdown should there be a grave security risk with them. He can also oversee the development of new weapons and training of new personnel besides superweapons should they be deemed important enough, as well as his observance of the final test to become members of his personal guard.

The Emperor could also personally lead the military forces into direct warfare should the battle or even military operation be important enough to require his presence, even operating his own personal legion and fleet of starships for the occasion. The Emperor can also redirect virtually the entire Imperial Military back to the capital when giving a speech to his military and citizens. The Emperor can also attend and present starfighter squadrons should they be exceptionally renowned and skilled during ceremonies. The Emperor can even, should the actions of one of his soldiers be extraordinary enough, personally award medals, including the coveted Emperor’s Will, to the recipient at his palace. The Emperor also has the power to promote virtually anyone within the Imperial Military. Likewise, the Emperor can also redirect segments of the military to other sectors, whether it be for a conflict or to sell people into the slave market. In addition, if the Emperor demands to make contact with one of his officers, even in the middle of a military operation, the officer is obliged to temporarily disengage from his current assignment, even physically relocate if they were currently in a difficult environment to ensure clear transmission signals. He can also order purges within his own military, especially if some officers were showing signs of anti-Imperial sentiments.

Whenever the Emperor arrived on a military installation, he was frequently met with an air parade of Imperial starfighter wings, and also had thousands of massed troops, including officers and technicians standing at attention. The Emperor’s Honor Guard and Sovereign Protectors often preceded out before the Emperor. In addition, his shuttle is often escorted by some squadrons of starfighters. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military, Darth Deceptious was known to participate in many battles and operations personally, commanding the respect of his troops as a ruler who fights on the frontlines, rather than remaining within the safety of a command center.

## Style of Office

> Look sharp! We are being honored with a surprise visit from His Imperial Majesty himself! If any of you value your careers, you won't do anything foolish.
>
> ━Moff Valion Pyron to his garrison

The Sith Emperor was formally referred to as “His Imperial Majesty, Darth Deceptious”, as well as simply “His Imperial Majesty”, or “His Majesty”. Both “Your Majesty” and “my Lord” were accepted forms of oral address. In the context of nonofficial, everyday conversations, Darth Deceptious was generally referred to as just “the Emperor”, even between Imperial officers. While not commonly said, he could be referred to as “Lord Deceptious”.

Certain individuals had their own ways to address the Emperor. His Sith apprentices addressed him as “my master” or “master”, a sign of their master-apprentice relationship in the dark side of the Force. At times, certain apprentices would also use the possessive determiner “thy” instead of the more common “your” when inquiring about their master’s will. Among the Sith, he was normally and almost always referred to as “my Lord”, a common address for Sith who hold a higher rank. It was also common for others to address him as “my Emperor”. He was also addressed as “His Immortal Majesty”, due to his seemingly unaging appearance and incredibly long lifespan.

The title of Sith Empress was the female equivalent to Sith Emperor, and addressed as “Her Imperial Majesty”.

## Protection

### Emperor's Honor Guard

* *Main article: Dark Honor Guard*

> What’s the Honor Guard doing here? Aren’t they supposed to be the Emperor’s guards?
>
> ━Unidentified Imperial commander

The Emperor’s Honor Guard was an order of elite bodyguards charged with the duty of protecting the Sith Emperor. Chosen from the very best of the Imperial Military, their loyalty and obedience to Darth Deceptious were unquestioned. Additionally, the Emperor was guarded by Sith, but they were later phased out resulting in his security being primarily provided by Honor Guards and Sith troopers of his personal legion.

Members of the Honor Guard wielded a variety of different weapons as the situation required, primarily an electrostaff or force pike, but were also proficient with blaster rifles and other weaponry to be considered deadly opponents regardless of their weapon. Their uniforms consisted of crimson-armored robes and crested helmets, but they would also don variations of the armor when harsh environments required it.

### Sovereign Protectors

* *Main article: Sovereign Protector*

> The most disturbing trait of a Sovereign Protector is their disregard for their own life to protect the Emperor.
>
> ━Jedi Master Quinn Maru

The Sovereign Protectors were the elite variant of the Emperor’s Honor Guard, drawn from exclusively the ranks of the elite Sith troopers of his legion, only the best were elevated to the status of Sovereign Protector. In addition to their crimson armor, Sovereign Protectors wore a scarlet cape and were stationed primarily in the Imperial Citadel, the Imperial Palace, and wherever the Emperor was.

Like the Sith troopers in general, Sovereign Protectors were stripped of their individuality, replacing it with fervent and unquestioning loyalty to the Emperor’s will. The Emperor believed free will was unnecessary for his Sith troopers, thus, even Sovereign Protectors had to undergo flash-imprinting and loyalty conditioning. As a result, Sovereign Protectors were even more loyal and machine-like than even the Sith troopers and the Imperial Military’s soldiers.

## Residence

### Imperial Citadel

* *Main article: Imperial Citadel*

> The Emperor has returned to the Citadel, Lord-Regent. I will make sure your message is relayed to him.
>
> ━General Pyre Kinall to the Emperor's Regent

    The Emperor’s throne room, located in the Imperial Citadel on the Empire’s capital of Dromund Kaas, served as the Emperor’s seat of power throughout his reign. The Citadel’s throne room along with three other floors served as his headquarters, training room, meditation chamber, and sleeping quarters. The Emperor’s Honor Guard and Sovereign Protectors were stationed on each floor for the Emperor’s security.

### Imperial Palace

* *Main article: Imperial Palace*

> The Imperial Palace is the safest place in the galaxy. Heavily guarded, state-of-the-art defenses, an entire fleet blockading the planet itself at all times, military-grade shielding, and that only scratches the basic defenses.
>
> ━Darth Soudain upon visiting the Imperial Palace

    The Imperial Palace was the personal estate of the Emperor. Located on his homeworld of Arkanis, the Palace was considered one of the safest places in the galaxy, virtually impenetrable and well-guarded. Originally serving as the Arkanian Royal Family's estate, it was later confiscated by the Sith Emperor and remodeled into a more Imperial design for the use of the Empire's Royal Family. It contained many floors, the throne room being on the top floor in the center tower, and several hidden entrances and unmapped underground areas used for his secret research. After the Sith Empire’s official capital of Dromund Kaas, the Imperial Palace’s mere presence on Arkanis made the world one of the most important Imperial worlds.