Chapter Ten

As soon as Hyperion was able, he left the Imperial Palace to find an independent channel on which to call Dantius. Finding a channel that was virtually untraceable to the Sith and the Jedi, he commed his brother's frequency. "Hyperion, I wasn't expecting news for at least another standard month! What do you have for me?" Dantius exclaimed.

"For starters, the Sith are in a terribly desperate spot. I've challenged and killed the Emperor's Wrath, earning his place as a direct result. Hell, the Emperor already has me training his sons in the ways of the Dark Side as proof that I am worthy of the position. More, it seems like they have good strong fortifications here and Balmorra with their spare armaments being sent to Dathomir in order to bolster its defenses," Hyperion said, having learned of the Dathomir shipments during his second day of residence among the Sith.

An errand boy and double-agent of the Jedi? You have truly fallen far to be agreeing to the role of messenger and mole for your brother Crassus replied. Hyperion winced at the reply, encouraging Dantius to ask what was wrong with his older brother.

"Nothing I can't overcome at the moment, don't you worry. But I do feel the pull of the Dark Side whilst being here. It's not as strong as it would be for a Jedi Knight like yourself but it's there all the same," Hyperion told him. Crassus was probably saying something about himself growing stronger with every day that Hyperion acknowledged or even tried to fight him. However, Hyperion ignored this and continued with the report he had to give Dantius and the Republic military.

"Any weaknesses? Structural, military, anything that we can use?" Dantius continued.

"It seems that in order to destroy their armaments, you're gonna need a three-pronged attack on both worlds. You'll need space to be one prong, land another, and underwater the third in order to fully catch them off guard enough to defeat them. I recommend full-scale fleets for the space battle while a full-scale invasion force takes both of the other prongs. That's if you want to make absolutely sure that there isn't a high chance the Sith will survive to haunt the galaxy again and even then, a few may still escape to rebuild, a few always do," Hyperion said.

"You said you had become the Emperor's Wrath and you're training the Emperor's sons by his concubines. What do you suggest would be the best strategy if we're to expunge the galaxy of as many Sith as possible?" Dantius asked. Nearly fifteen years ago, Dantius had captured Hyperion in the Hapes Cluster and held him under interrogation at Vornu about the movements of General Nobunaga, Crassus' most indispensable servant. Back then, Hyperion had not been cooperative and even made threats to the effect of destroying Dantius' then-current love affair, Ashlynn Thorin. This time, Hyperion intended to do right when Dantius asked him questions about the Sith, no matter their grandfather's protestations.

"Allow me to demonize the Republic to any and every pupil I train. Permit to fill their heads with lies about its military, the Jedi, and much more until they're certain it's kill or be killed when you arrive. You'll have all your authorization to kill as many as you can without having actually goaded them to that end. More, when news of our victory are broadcast on the HoloNet, any potential Sith sympathizers would be hard-pressed to remain so loyal," Hyperion said. Dantius mulled that possibility over, debating whether or not to let that fly what with this mission already being off the kinds of channels the Jedi normally had access to.

"Yet if they gain any traction at all, they'll stop at nothing to eliminate every trace of the Republic and the Jedi Order that they possibly. Your propaganda could be what spells the doom of the Light Side of the Force if this goes to hell," Dantius said after several moments of thought.

"Yet if I should be caught relaying information to the Jedi, I could always argue that I was relaying false information provided me by the Emperor himself. More, I could say that whether or not I was a traitor, my superiors couldn't argue with the kind of warriors I produce. In addition, if you intercept any Sith force sent to Mandalore, they won't gain that kind of traction," Hyperion explained.

"Mandalore?"

"Among the Emperor's intended steps towards reinvigorating the Sith is to reunify the Mandalorian tribes whether that means putting up a puppet or taking the helmet himself. Unfortunately, either way, Shae Vizsla isn't about to give up the title of Mandalore without a fight and the mask hasn't been seen since Mandalore the Preserver. The only way the Emperor is going to get Mandalore back under Sith rule is to honor its customs and hope he has a warrior strong enough to pull the job off," Hyperion replied.

"But if he succeeds in getting Mandalore's tribes back under his thumb, it'll accelerate his plans for a return to prominence in the galaxy by centuries. You were right to tell me, I'll have military forces dispatched there at once and I'll send someone after the mask of Mandalore. In case the Sith bypass the Jedi I intend to send to Mandalore to intercept the Emperor's chosen disciple," Dantius told Hyperion. The older Human nodded and then informed his brother that he should be returning soon. Curfew was about to start in a standard hour and he would need to be up to train the Emperor's sons near dawn.

Dantius nodded and informed him to call again in three months' time if he could. "Three months is too early to tell if my regimen will have the desired effect. I need at least half a standard year before I could even think of having significant results for you. But work on mustering a force now, using the intel that I've provided you so that the Emperor knows the Republic will meet his every attempt to reignite an alliance with Mandalore. On this end, you're my only hope," Hyperion begged.

"Alright, you have seven standard months to place your training regimen and inform me of the effects. Doubtless, even if it's effective, the Emperor will still need at least another year before he is ready to launch any kind of attack," Dantius.

"Don't be so sure of that. He's been stockading on this world since the Empire fell from prominence, eleven years ago. Even with those seven months noted, he may be ready sooner than you expect to begin flex his muscles. He'll have to if he wants to keep his place long enough to name an heir to replace him in the event of his death by old age or assassination," Hyperion stated.

"Good point, I didn't think of that. Even so, keep me informed of the latest developments you're able to find. I want political machinations every month where possible and I want those military ones by a minimum of seven months. This information will help me determine when the right time to strike will be and give me information I can proudly present to the Chancellor," Dantius said.

"The Chancellor?" Hyperion asked.

"Of course, who else has the power to expunge your records at a command? Who else would have approved this mission and kept it incognito? The Chancellor's seal of confidentiality is illegal for the Jedi to breach without probable cause to believe a mission treasonous. And this one is the furthest thing from," his brother answered. He cut transmission before Hyperion had time to ask him why the Chancellor would be in on this despite what might have been a breach in trust for the Senate if this mission came to light.

A mission as confidential as this could never have been introduced to the Senate as a bill needing approval. If it did, it would indicate that the Republic had done a sloppy job of eradicating the Sith and was asking its people to approve them funding another war. Another war meant more bonds, more loans dispensed, and more money for the Intergalactic Banking Clan to get their thin, hairless, Muun hands on. Such things would not be approved by the vast majority of the Republic, too tired and broken down by the war that came to willingly invite another one.

Whoever the Chancellor was in this cycle, they were putting their political career and their personal lives at risk in condoning this mission whether Dantius' idea or not. If this failed and the Republic learned of it, the Chancellor would be impeached for treason and the Vice Chancellor instilled just in time for the kind of full-scale war their predecessor hoped to stop. More, once said war was started, it would be uncertain whether or not the wearied Republic could win even with formerly Zakuulan technology on their side.

Hyperion realized now that the Sith were gaining ground faster than he might be able to stop them. What's more, aside from stolen Zakuulan technology, weaponry, and other items, Hyperion was giving the Sith the very tools they needed to destroy the Republic. If this backfired, he was going to give them enough anger, hate, and vengeance to bring Coruscant to ruins as Malgus had brought the Jedi Temple there to its foundations. It was a tumultuous time to be alive and making these risky tactical decisions for someone like Hyperion.

You have a perfect chance to rebuild yourself to the Dark Side, grandson. A chance to rise from the decadence of your exile and rise straight to the top of the Sith food chain Crassus told him as they journeyed back to the Citadel. Hyperion did his best to ignore his grandfather's command that he take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity. But when the nagging became to incessant to bear, Hyperion had to point out that in biding their time, they would be able to see what the Force will them. By the time he arrived to his bedroom in the Citadel, he had only time for two hours of meditation and fortunately, that was all he needed anyway.