Disclaimer: Star Wars is owned by Disney.
AN: The sequel to The Passing Storm is here! ;-D This is going to work a little differently. Instead of working quickly on this story, Andrea and I will occasionally be adding scenes to this story, one at a time. Why not wait until we have fully developed chapters and can post quickly on the site? Well, because then we'd be waiting a year to get started, in telling the story! It is my hope that by doing this slowly, we can start to build a foundation for the story and really get things started in terms of the important ideas, so that by the time we are both ready to devote ourselves fully to the story, we will already have a strong foundation and anticipation for the story to really aid us in getting things moving quickly. :-)
For those who have forgotten the premise of The Passing Storm, here it is: Some fans feel that Anakin Skywalker is single-handedly responsible for the destruction of the Jedi Order. Here, the opposite is true. Because Anakin was never trained, there was no one left to challenge the Emperor. The Sith were able to destroy the Jedi almost utterly, with Sidious even killing Yoda. His identity was never exposed, so the Jedi were never able to strike back at him. The result is a galaxy left almost entirely in the Empire's hands. There is almost no hope left for the Rebellion. Unfortunately, Anakin has no desire to become a Jedi whatsoever, in this reality.
I haven't read anything that was Yuuzhan Vong related in a long time, so if I got anything wrong about the Yuuzhan Vong, I take full responsibility for it. I'll edit it later. ;-)
The Path to Redemption
Chapter 1 - Imperial Resistance
The space in the region was lit up with lights and turbolasers, from the hundreds of ships waging combat. Energy blasts and missiles were exchanged, with the wild abandon of two sides looking to wipe each other out. The huge Star Destroyers moved against their odd-looking opponents, engaging in waves of two to crush their opponents with overwhelming force. The organic-looking ships moved through the barrage, taking massive amounts of damage as their hulls collapsed and large holes were blown in the sides of their vessels. Hundreds of fighters dueled throughout the area in space, throwing everything they had at each other. It was absolute chaos, of the most brutal kind.
The battle had been going on for several hours, and was now into the worst hour. The massive amount of destruction being caused and the losses of life being endured were horrific.
Darth Tyranus stood on the bridge of the Star Destroyer, surveying the ongoing battle. Things were going well. Their forces were slowly but surely gaining the advantage over the enemy forces. The alien forces were on full defensive mode, struggling to keep strong against the barrage of enemy forces. Their forces might have been outmatched in terms of weapons, but in terms of superior numbers and tactics, Dooku knew they had the upper hand. The alien battalions were taking a massive barrage, and the Imperial forces were steadily, but surely wiping out any trace of the enemy fleet.
It had been several months since they wiped out the Jedi Order. Now they were taking care of the remaining pockets of resistance against their rule throughout the galaxy. These aliens were one of them, one of the threats that Lord Sidious had commanded him to deal with. The Yuuzhan Vong were from another galaxy, and they had come here with the intention of invading by taking advantage of the division between the Rebellion and the Empire, using the distraction to conquer territory and hold it. Dooku had not known about them, but Lord Sidious had anticipated their attack. He was completely prepared to deal with them, and had dispatched Dooku to deal with them immediately as soon as he sensed trouble. Dooku didn't want to be at the ends of the galaxy, but now he understood. These aliens were a potential menace to the safety of the galaxy. They needed to be wiped out. They had gone for full extermination of the Jedi Order, unlike Dooku's original plan, despite how much he pleaded, wiping out nearly every trace of the Jedi Order. That left Dooku as the second most powerful Force user in the galaxy.
Dooku turned back to surveying the battle. The Star Destroyers were doing a good job of cleaning up the remaining enemy ships, and they were gradually overwhelming the crafts with their powerful might. The tide of the battle was turning, and not in the way the invaders expected. Dooku turned his thoughts back towards the situation of his ideal plans. He wondered if his plans would ever be achieved, and it was a shame Lord Sidious couldn't see it, because it was a good idea. An army of Force sensitive warriors would be something the galaxy needed, especially if they were under their command. They deserved to rule as Force sensitives, because they were the only ones with the necessary wisdom and guidance to bring peace and order to the inferior masses, the lower classes. They were made to be ruled by them, and Force sensitives like Dooku and the Emperor were the ones to do it.
Tyranus turned back to face his prisoner. "Are you still confident that the Yuuzhan Vong will ultimately triumph?" he questioned.
Nom Anor glared at him defiantly, snarling viciously. "The pathetic military forces of this galaxy will never defeat our glorious empire, Infidel! The Yuuzhan Vong are the rightful inheritors of this galaxy, and we will claim what is rightfully ours, until we have wreaked glorious destruction throughout this galaxy and purified it of your corruption. Darkling," Nom Anor snarled, virtually spitting in the face of Dooku's refined façade.
Dooku arched his eyebrows. "Really? In case you didn't notice, the advantage seems to be turning against you. Our forces are rapidly overwhelming yours," he said, in his accented cultured voice.
He approached in a menacing way. "Tell me, what will you think when our warships overrun your pathetic capital ships and destroy the core of your military? What will happen when our forces bear down on your worldships and destroy the vessels, spilling the civilians into space and killing hundreds of millions of your people? What will you do when we butcher the women and children of your kind, and we sell the remaining members into slavery?" Dooku questioned harshly with malice. The lack of response showed the fear he was generating in his prisoner's mind.
Nom Anor remained silent.
Dooku stalked towards the prisoner menacingly. There were two clone troopers further behind the prisoner in case he tried to harm their commander, not saying a word. "But then, perhaps that truth is one that you already know. Our forces are overwhelming you, and your gods seemed to have abandoned you. If they exist at all," Dooku smirked, laughing quietly a bit. Nom Anor frowned at him, burning at the accusation. Dooku paused, considering an important point. "You creatures are bereft of the Force. Normally, you believe that would render you immune to some of our Force powers. However, the dark side has ways around that," Dooku said ominously, making Nom Anor take a little step back.
Dooku raised his hands to his enemy's chest suddenly, and blue lightning came out of the fingertips. The lightning pushed Nom Anor to the floor, and the alien screamed in pain as the lightning passed all over Nom Anor's armored form, working its way into every spot. Yuuzhan Vong liked pain, but there was a difference between the pain that made you stronger and the type of pain meant to torture. This was simply "sadistic", torturous pain. The two guards stood back in shock, but remained silent nonetheless. The way Force lightning was able to harm you was that it drained the life energy out of you, in addition to providing an energy attack on the body. The lightning wasn't able to suck the life force without the Force, but it could still fry the living flesh of the Yuuzhan Vong as easily as any droid hit with the attack. Nom Anor cried out in agony, as the lightning finally ceased passing over his body. Smoke rose from the alien's dark armored form.
Dooku surveyed the alien that lay on the ground in pain. Dooku pulled out his lightsaber, and plunged it into the leg of the wounded alien. He plunged it into the armor's weak point that left the leg uncovered, and slowly drove the lightsaber across cutting through the limb, until he had severed the leg from his body. Nom Anor screamed in agony as the horrific pain shot throughout his system, making inhuman sounds that sent shudders through the bodies of the other two guards assembled. Dooku took out the lightsaber and then did the same with the other leg, cutting it completely. The alien's legs had now been severed completely. They lay on the ground like useless, discarded limbs. Dooku took the saber and then did the same with Nom Anor's right arms, severing it at the shoulder by using the opening between the armor and the flesh. The alien's skeletal face was awash with pain, reflecting an agony he had never known before. Dooku straightened to stand back in satisfaction and looked at his work. There, that ought to have done it. The alien was completely crippled now; all arrogance gone from his eyes.
Nom Anor lay in agonized exhaustion on the ground. He was unable to move, being too grievously injured by the lightning to direct any movement to his limbs. As he lay there on the ground in agony, he reflected on the folly that had brought him to this place. He had made a mistake. The invasion was supposed to begin 50 years from now, but Nom Anor had convinced them to go ahead with an attack sooner than on schedule. He had been so sure that he could take advantage of the division between the Rebellion and the Empire, and launch a surprise attack! He was afraid that the Galactic Empire would become too powerful as it gained power, and that they would no longer be able to reclaim territory from it once it fully came to fruition. He wasn't supposed to begin his term serving as a spy in this galaxy until 4 years from now, but he had insisted on coming here earlier. He wanted to prove himself to his superiors. And now all those dreams were shattered. As he lay there dying on the ground, Nom Anor saw in his mind exactly what the Infidels were going to do to his people. The Yuuzhan Vong weren't going to claim this galaxy as their own. The Infidels were going to launch a surprise attack on them in the gulf between galaxies, take them completely by surprise, and wipe out his people with ruthless efficiency. This would be the end of the Yuuzhan Vong Empire, and their thousand year reign of supremacy throughout the universe.
By Yun'Yuuzhan, what had he done?
"Your usefulness is over, Nom Anor," Dooku said. He had extracted all the information he would out of Anor, earlier through torture, and there was nothing left for him to provide. Holding his saber up with both hands, Dooku plunged the saber into Nom Anor's throat, making the body shudder in a death throe. The alien shuddered once all over, with a gurgling sound coming out of his throat, and he finally went still. Dooku stood back in satisfaction and looked at his handiwork. He stared at the two guards, who were still standing guard despite their shock. "Get this garbage out of my sight," he commanded them, quickly ushering them into action.
The two guards quickly rushed into action, grabbing the corpse by the arms and hauling it out of the command room.
Dooku turned back towards the view of the battle outside. The battle was rapidly winding down now. The flashes of light had almost disappeared, and the flickers of destruction were lessening, as the Empire needed to take less shots at their enemies. In the few minutes he had been conversing with Anor, the Empire had dealt several massive blows to the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. The chunks of Yuuzhan Vong ships floating in space were startling, and showed the massive amount of destruction the Empire had dealt to the fleet. Dooku paused for a moment in contemplation. If what Nom Anor said was true from the information they had extracted earlier, they had wiped out 1/5th of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. The Yuuzhan Vong had rounded up a massive amount of ships in the hopes of launching a surprise attack on the former Republic, and keeping the planet they acquired from them. Unfortunately, that had worked counter to their plan, as they now found the majority of their fleet in this section suddenly the target of a surprise attack of their own. The Yuuzhan Vong ships may have been formidable, and their weapons were maybe even superior to the Empire's, but the sheer superiority of the Empire's numbers and superior tactics ensured that they were greatly outmatched in terms of where it mattered. They simply had no hope of victory. Dooku threw his cape back regally, confidently brushing it past his shoulders. The last flicker of light outside faded away, as the Empire destroyed the last of the Yuuzhan Vong ships threatening them. He ordered the captain to depart, and began the long process of walking back to his private sanctuary.
Tyranus left the bridge of the Star Destroyer, as the fleet suddenly leapt into hyperspace, leaving behind the shattered remains of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet.