Serreno
Count Dooku's castle
Droids laid strewn about the castle grounds; many broken, crushed, bisected, or sparking. A black cloaked and armored figure spun a vibrosword in deadly, calculated arc into another commando droid, the vibrating blade cutting into the shoulder joint and through to its chest. The droid fell, sparking and twitching as another came from the left. The figure raised its hand, lifting the commando into the air, then closing its hand, crushing it into a contorted mass of metal, machinery, and circuitry.
"Enough!" An aged voice called from afar. The figure released the crumpled machine and looked up to the balcony. Count Dooku sternly overlooked Darth Vader, arms crossed, brow furrowed; his apprentice's talent grew each day, his skills with a blade had improved vastly since their first training session, his force capabilities growing stronger with each passing day. Dooku was proud, but wary; a Sith apprentice's first duty was to learn and become stronger, their second was to overthrow their master. So, he would temper Vader until he saw fit.
"What is thy bidding, my master?" Vader asked from below, lowering himself down to one knee.
"Attend to me in my war chambers, it is time for you to learn more of the galaxy you will help shape." Dooku called and with a whirl of his cape, turned to walk inside. Vader rose from his knee and strode quickly inside, following the winding hallways of his master's castle until he arrived at the war room. Inside was his master and five holograms of people, all of whom he did not recognize.
"Well…look at you." One of them commented, a man dressed in noble clothes.
"Gentlemen," Dooku began, "this is my apprentice, Lord Vader; he will be joining us in our efforts against the Republic." Vader bowed to the six. "Vader, these are my staunch allies; Count Carcus Vork, a fellow count of Serreno."
"A pleasure, Lord Vader." Vork bowed.
"Our old ally, Viceroy Nute Gunray." Gunray bowed his head slightly. "The general of our forces, General Grievous." Grievous merely stared at Vader. "Another of my generals, Shogun Toro Kazie."
"Well met, my Lord Vader." Kazie bowed more deeply.
"Finally, one of our crime liaisons and generals, Lord Naraka Shorv." Shorv merely grunted and nodded quickly.
"A pleasure to meet you all, my…friends." Vader said hesitantly, bowing slightly to all six of the figures.
"With introductions aside, let us begin." Dooku said. "Vork, Kazie, Shorv, have you successfully ingratiated yourself in the Free Dynasties?"
"Yes, my Count, we have successfully established ourselves amongst the 'nobility' of the Free Dynasties." Vork said smiling. Kazie and Shorv briefly glared in his direction before focusing on Dooku.
"Excellent, continue to grow; we will require your new forces and equipment when the time comes to wage war." Dooku ordered. "Viceroy Gunray, what is your report?"
"We are at twenty percent material collection, my lord, and with the addition of the lords of the Free Dynasties, we may no longer have to rely on raids and thievery to obtain our goal." As Gunray spoke, Dooku produced a datapad and handed it to Vader.
"Even better news; now, Lord Shorv, have you found what I have requested?" Dooku turned to the crime lord.
"Eh, Kyber crystals aren't the easiest things in the galaxy to locate, Dooku," Shorv said, almost dismissively, but as Vader watched, a sly grin crossed his face, "but I found them; the Jedi have an abandoned temple on the backwater planet of Jedha. They used to mine crystals there and there should be plenty left over."
"Well done, all of you," Dooku said approvingly, "but remain vigilant! The Republic has authorized the creation of a task force dedicated to the pursuit of all of you. Remain on your guard; any mistake will lead them straight to you. General Grievous?"
"Yes, my lord?" The cybernetic general asked, stifling a cough.
"I have need of your destructive talents; there is a Republic outpost over the world of Korriban in the Horuset system. I require its immediate removal."
"My master, is that not a seat of the Dark Side?" Vader asked, interjecting for the first time in the meeting.
"Indeed it is, but why does that capture your focus, Lord Vader?" Dooku asked.
"Should General Grievous destroy the station, it may indicate he is still aligned with you, my master," Vader explained, "Permit me to go and be the instrument of your will. I am an unknown to the Republic; a renegade to whom I have no ties."
"Nonsense, my lord, allow me to-" Dooku cut Grievous off with a raised hand.
"Very well, my apprentice; you shall go to the Republic outpost and destroy it. Leave no survivors." He turned back to Grievous. "General, ensure the destruction of the outpost goes unnoticed…for a time. Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker are leading the task force in pursuit of you and your renegades… entertain them for as long as you'd like." Grievous laughed maniacally, bowed his head, and faded from view. "Viceroy Gunray, continue to search out new avenues of approach for required resources; you can never have too many." Gunray bowed and faded as well. "Lord Shorv, maintain your underworld empire and ensure a…reputable appearance in the Free Dynasties."
"What of the ship that attacked my interests, the UNSC El Dorado?" Shorv asked.
"In time, Lord Shorv, you shall have your vengeance; for now, focus on the task at hand. And, perhaps, they may stumble into your lap in the meantime." Dooku said. Shorv grumbled but bowed and faded. "Count Vork, Shogun Kazie, act in unison; where one of your approaches may fail, the other may succeed. Gather allies for the coming war, grow, prosper, and gather what we require." The two men bowed and faded as well, leaving Vader and Dooku alone.
"And so my pieces are set in motion across the board. Now, time and the Force shall tell of their success…or failure." He turned to look up at Vader. "And that includes you, Lord Vader, but before you depart, you will need a weapon appropriate of a Sith." Dooku reached inside his robes and produced a lightsaber, a long, thin weapon. As Vader reached for it, Dooku held it vertically and activated it, a long angry vermillion colored blade snapping into existence. "Remember, my student, no survivors…but look for allies along the way. This is your first step into the greater galaxy; find your own pawns and pieces for the board, be subtle when needed, and crush those who stand in your way when all else fails." He deactivated the blade and gave it to Vader.
"I will not fail you, my master." Vader said, accepting the lightsaber and bowing.
"I expect not. I will have a ship prepared for your journey to Korriban, but for the sake of discretion, you will have to stop along the way to refuel." Dooku said and with a wave of his hand dismissed his apprentice.
With a whirl of his black cape, Vader marched from the war room towards his master's hangers. As he walked, he took out the datapad to give it a quick glance. The heading was all he needed to read to pique his interest.
PROJECT: DEATH STAR
Author's Note: What? You didn't think that just because I killed the Emperor didn't mean I wasn't going to throw in the OG sci-fi superweapon? Ya'll obviously don't know me that well then.
I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I wanted to get SOMETHING out. I had been planning a Free Dynasties thing for a while, however, because that side is essentially a shameless self-insert, I decided not to and instead chose to work on the Original Bad Boy.
Speaking of that side, I'm going to rework it, taking my name out of all the chapters and replacing them with some other name. Will I still keep the Free Dynasties thing, yes, because I enjoy the concept of a potential third super-power in the galaxy to mix things up. Also it helps me mix Halo and Star Wars earlier than I planned to, which would be far away in Act fucking Three and ensures that this is still a crossover. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed, and next time we will be keeping our eye on Darth Vader as he expands his horizons in the broader galaxy.
