They say that to achieve peace you must prepare for war.
War and Peace.
Life and Death.
Light and Dark.
Good and Evil.
Chaos and Order.
These two opposing fundamental forces work side by side, acting as laws of nature itself. But to make war is to deny the truth. Life endures no matter how great the conflict. Planets grow plant life and allow organic life to live and grow.
Stars die and new stars are born and the cycle of life continues.
However some believe that life can be controlled, manipulated, and that they themselves can rise up and control the cycle. They would do anything to control the cycle: manipulation, devastation, and more crimes that would be recgonized as appaling to other.
The cycle expands, evolves, and along with it Chaos and Order change and adapt.
THE AGE OF THE NEW FRONTIER
EPISODE VI
THE HOUR OF THE WOLVES
THE CLONE WARS HAVE BEGUN AGAIN AND THE GALAXY THREATENS TO SPIRAL INTO ENDLESS CONFLICT AND MADNESS. IN THE WAKE OF THE ICONIAN ASSAULT ON CORUSCANT TENSIONS MOUNT BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC, THE SEPARTISTS, AND THE MILKY WAY GALAXY. IN THE SYSTEM OF MANDALORE THE MASSIVE DYSON SPHERE IS A PRIZE FOR ALL THE FORCES ON ALL SIDES TO TAKE AND LEARN ITS SECRETS. THE MILKY WAY GALAXY STANDS CLOSE TO FACING A WAR WITH BOTH SIDES AS THEY FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF THEIR OWN GALAXY.
SUPREME CHANCELLOR PALPATINE ATTEMPTS TO REASON WITH THE SENATE THAT DEMANDS RETRIBUTION FOR THE ATTACK WHILE DIRECTING THE WAR AGAINST THE SEPARATISTS. AS THE CLONE WARS SPREAD REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN FORCED TO FLEE THEIR WORLDS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO FLEET TO THE MILKY WAY, ONLY FOR THE REPUBLIC AND THE SEPARATISTS TO IMPEDE THEIR EFFORTS.
THE JEDI FIND THEMSELVES THE TARGETS OF THE SEPARATISTS ON THE BATTLEFIELD AND REPUBLIC CITIZENS WHO HAVE GROWN TIRED OF THE WAR…
Skyriver Galaxy
Deep Space
Far from any planets capable of supporting life there was nothing but lifeless rocks and asteroids on the far edge of the galaxy. There in that far corner came a blast of light that formed into a swirling bright vortex and from it emerged a giant rectangular construct that glided smoothly out of the vortex before it vanished. The ship's occupants set course immediately for its destination.
Scanning Star Patterns
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Scanning Complete
Timeline Established
Locating Targets
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Historical Records Confirmed
Moving to Intercept Target One
Outer Rim
Ferra Sector
Hypori System
Hypori
Droid Factory
The Fabricator had become instrumental in aiding the CIS in upgradings it's and weapons and droid armies in preparation for when the Clone Wars began again. It helped produce the new upgraded battle droids that were battling against the Republic right now and created new weapons to make the CIS army more powerful. And during that time it accessed information in its databanks, containing all information on the CIS and its enemies, the Republic, its Clone Army, and the Jedi. And yet there was some information missing, causing it to access other forms of information.
It accessed other data-streams such as the HoloNet, learning about the Republic, the Clone Wars, and the new galaxy known as the Milky Way along with its governments and current events.
Downloading Data
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Accessing Data
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Galactic Republic: Enemy
Grand Army of the Republic: Enemy
Jedi Order: Enemy
Confederacy of Independent Systems: Creator, Ally?
United Federation of Planets: Unknown
Klingon Empire: Unknown
Romulan Republic: Unknown
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Production of C1 Battle Droids: Active
Production of Ion Disruptors: Active
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Analyzing Clone Wars
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Data Inconclusive
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Running Simulation of Current War
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Results: Galaxy Rendered 89% Uninhabitable Based on Current Fighting
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Chances of Negotiations Ending War: Negative
Compiling List of Units Responsible for War:
Chancellor Palpatine
Wilhulf Tarkin
Yoda
Mace Windu
Anakin Skywalker
Padme Amidala
Count Dooku
General Grievous
Nute Gunray
Shu Mai
Wat Tambor
San Hill
Passel Argente
Po Nudo
SenatorTikkes
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Solution: Termination
The AI of the Fabricator began modifying the droids it was charged with building, following the logical conclusion it had come to.
Starfleet Operations TVL-977
Droid Apocalypse:
"It seems to be constant state of conflict with the Skyriver Galaxy. First it was the Borg temporal incursion into the time of the Old Republic and now this. And once again the Sith are at the center of it." Darion Hellion said as he looked over the readings of the timeline. "It isn't enough that we have to deal with the Sphere Builders, the Na'kul, and the Krenim but the Sith create something that causes an entire galaxy to spiral into madness."
Captain Walker watched the screen, depicting the timeline events. "And the Terran Empire seems to be part of it as well. It seems that they gain powerful allies as well."
Darion scowled. "Don't remind me."
"I won't."
"So if we take out this machine right here." Darion pointed at a planet in the Skyriver Galaxy. "We stop this threat."
"This will not be easy as it sounds." Walker stated.
"It's not that machine that worries me." Darion replied, putting a hand to his chin. "You know if we go ahead with this mission there is a chance the Sith will be onto us. No matter what events play out if the Sith believe they can change the future they will try it."
"Can you think of any other way?" Walker asked.
"…No." Darion admitted. "We take out the ship sent back first and then we deal with the machine."
"And Count Dooku?"
Darion glanced at Walker. "Don't worry, I remember the laws regarding time travel."
Skyriver Galaxy
Outer Rim Territories
Mandalore Sector
Mandalore System
Outside of the Dyson Sphere
Republic Star Destroyer
Bridge
Inside the massive space station the battle for control continued as the clone armies of the Republic clashed with the droid armies of the Separatists in various parts of the sphere. Both the Repulblic and the Confederacy had set up their own command centers inside the sphere and had called for reinforcements despite the attempts to lock down the system to prevent anyone else from reaching the sphere. The Separatists went as far as to set up a minefield to attempt to block the Republic from making further advances across the sphere and into their territory. The Republic had worked to set up as many outposts and small bases in the sphere as they could and were making strides in pushing the droids back but for now the battle had reached the stalemate.
Admiral Thrawn looked over the maps, seeing the battle zones inside the sphere. "Send a scout force here, monitor the droid supply lines. We can learn best of how to cut them off. Reinforce our front lines as it is extremely likely that they have many more reserves ready to use. And send a cleaning crew to remove the debris from the previous battles, we cannot risk damaging this station to badly."
"Yes sir." The clones all moved to carry out their orders.
Thrawn looked over the latest report and opened a channel, watching as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine appeared. "Yes, Admiral."
"The battles for the Dyson Sphere are slow but proceeding as planned. As you requested the Jedi have sent few of their own to lead the forward attacks." Thrawn reported.
"Excellent work, Admiral. What have you learned about the sphere?" Palpatine asked.
"It is indeed a remarkable work of advanced technology, Chancellor. I have discovered it has the ability to jump through supspace to another location instantly. However supspace and hyperspace work differently in our galaxy so the coordination for a jump is harder and must be done precisely or the station would end up…somewhere else. It is also appears that this station was built as an outpost for studying our galaxy, possibly on order of the Iconians." Thrawn answered. "It contains logs on every species, including my own. However the recovery of the data-logs is slow due to how foreign this technology truly is."
"Continue to recover as much as possible, Admiral. This sphere's technology will be very useful to us." Palpatine stated.
"As you wish." Thrawn said as the transmission ended.
Admiral Thrawn looked out the window and closed his eyes in thought. The technology used to build such a massive station was impressive but Thrawn had reason to be concerned as well. He believed that one could understand the psychological and tactical limitations of one's adversaries through the examination of their art, and thus exploit their weaknesses. And this station told him much about its owners, the mysterious Iconian race that was said to be a dangerous enemy to both galaxies.
The reports and files regarding the Iconians given by the Alliance showed that the Iconains believed in primarily using their servitor races to fight their battles for them, hiding their true strength which possibly lied in their gateway technology. The Iconians were highly advanced and infact worshiped by their servitors that could possibly number in perhaps billions and they used the myth built around them 'the Demons of Air and Darkness' as a way to promote fear and terror in their enemies. They were also capable of mimicking ships of their possible enemies based on what he had learned about the Undine-Klingon war that caused ties between the Federation and the Klingon Empire to fracture until they reached an agreement following the murder of the Klingon High Council by an Iconian who warned them not to provoke its people again. Such tactics showed only to strengthen Alliance ties based on the following events in this galaxy and the Delta Quadrant of the Milky Way.
As for the Alliance and the Republic Thrawn believed that a society of multiple species, with different viewpoints and philosophies, was inherently unstable. It was proven true when Federation and Romulan ties broke apart that led to the Treaty of Algeron and again when the Klingons broke ties before the Dominion War and after the Klingons conquered the Gorn. It was only through threats like the Undine, Borg and the Iconians that kept the Alliance together despite their recent victories. The Alliance was powerful and Thrawn respected their intelligence and bravery but their weakness lied in their unity that can be fractured as proven time and again.
Thrawn recognized that the Iconians saw this weakness as well from their attack on Coruscant which was a cunning move. Attempt to frame the Alliance for an unprovoked attack that led to the deaths of thousands and cause the Senate to scream for declaring war on the Alliance was indeed an impressive move. However it seemed the Alliance had found some friends in this galaxy based on the reports of Captain Nathan Creed working with a former Death Watch Mandalorian and later the Jedi. The United Federation of Planets believed in unity and democracy while the Klingon Empire was an aggressive military that conquered worlds, a belief shared by the old Romulan Empire before its collapse and rebirth into the Romulan Republic and their fleets even spoke of their beliefs and strength.
It was especially true for the Federation as Starfleet's approach to Starship design was significantly different than that of most powers in both galaxies. The Klingons tend to regard a ship as a method of carrying heavy weapons into battle in order to engage the enemy, or to land troops on the surface of a planet. The Romulans tend to look upon their ships as a statement of political and military might, producing large vessels intended to intimidate all who see them. Cardassian ship design tends to be led by the compromises necessary for of fighting against foes considerably larger and more powerful than themselves.
The Dominion approach to shipbuilding is akin to their policy regarding those who man them, the Jem'Hadar, designed to be effective fighters who can nevertheless be built in the largest possible numbers at the highest possible rate. Their ships are highly modular in design, allowing them to be built in sections at the kinds of facilities which would normally only be capable of constructing shuttlecraft. These sections are then assembled at larger facilities.
But a Federation Starship is an exercise in skill, almost a work of sculpture.
Throughout its history the Federation has routinely pushed the envelope to the absolute maximum with each new generation, striving for an unmatched level of perfection almost for the sheer pleasure of it. This manifests itself in many ways; while a Federation ship typically devotes between 5 to 30% of its internal volume to combat equipment, they are usually more than a match for dedicated warships of similar size built by other powers. Starfleet ships tend to be faster, more agile and far more flexible than their competitors. However the Federation and the Romulan Republic's use of powerful weaponry seemingly contradicted their own peaceful beliefs and the Klingon Empire didn't employ the use of slaves despite the many worlds they have conquered.
They refer to the people of the worlds they conquered as subjects and they have even been allowed to join the Klingon Defense Force. That was rare, even in the Republic that mostly employed humans and not just human clones unless you were a Jedi. The Romulan Republic was just coming together, similar to the Federation, initialy similar to the Separatists who broke away from the Republic.
Then there was the Delta Quadrant and the many species there that many in the Republic have yet to encounter but heard of.
The Voth and their Doctrine which they believed to the point that it was almost their religion.
The Borg Collective and their assimilation of anyone that crosses them.
The Borg Cooperative which promoted free will and only assimilated those who wished to join them,
The nomadic Hirogen and their culture of hunting formidable sentient races.
The Benthan and their belief in forcing order on the Delta Quadrant.
The Hazari and their mercenary tradition.
The Hierarchy and its extremely capitalistic society, measuring any undertaking strictly by its profit margin.
The Kobali and their way of reproducing by reviving the corpes of humanoids and turning them into their own kind.
The Kazon and their aggressive ways, attacking ships to steal their technology for foolish glory.
And their Vaadwaur and their wish to reconquer the Delta Quadrant, becoming servitors to the Iconians.
The Alliance had made ties with some of these powers while becoming bitter enemies to others. And yet they still had time to come to this galaxy, fighting against enemies like the Borg and the Undine and uncovering a plot by the Iconians to conquer the galaxy. The Alliance's ability to make allies in spite of the times these alliances have quickly been broken was impressive and surpisingly effective. Still, Thrawn considered the evidence and believed even with the Alliance gathering allies they would not be enough given the possibility of how a threat the Iconians represented.
A strong central government would be needed answer this threat or the alternative would be anarchy. Still, it didn't prevent Thrawn from studying the hundreds of cultures that made up the Federation, the Prime Directive, and the most famous commanders and leaders from many of the worlds in the Milky Way such as Sun Tzu, George Washington, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Philip Green and Abraham Lincoln of Earth followed by famous Starfleet captains like Jonathan Archer, Christopher Pike, James T. Kirk, Spock, Jean Luc Picard, William Riker, Kathryn Janeway and Benjamin Sisko while other leaders included the Kahless the Unforgettable, Commander Kor, Worf and former Chancellor Martok of the Klingon Empire, Gul Dukat of Cardassia, Kira Nerys of Bajor, and others like the clone of Picard created by the Romulans known as Shinzon and former Empress Sela. Thrawn studied each strategy of these figures that were famous in their own way, respecting many of them for their strategies and victories and even worked on perfecting their most famous tactics. He had even visited the holo-deck at the Starfleet Embassy on Coruscant before the attack and took the time to go through simulations of the most famous battles in their database.
The Xindi Conflict.
The Earth-Romulan War.
The Battle of Charon.
The Federation-Klingon War.
The battles of the Mutara Nebula, at Khitomer between the Enterprise-A and a cloaked prototype Klingon Bird of Prey, Narenda III, Wolf 359, the Briar Patch, and even the Bassen Rift. Thrawn was especially fond of testing himself against enemies who seemed unbeatable and the ones with advanced cloaking devices. It was the least Thrawn could do for all the times he spent studying the new galaxy and as much as he could about it.
'By the prickling of my thumb, something wicked this way comes.' Thrawn thought, idly quoting Macbeth.
Inside the Dyson Sphere
Orbit of Center Star
Unknown Vessel
"Status."
"We've scanned industries inside the sphere. We know the exact results needed to mimic the incident in the Solanae Sphere. And we have tapped into the systems for triggering the subspace drive."
"Good. Begin."
Begin personal log, Admiral Leeta of the Terran Empire.
Soon all others will bow before the might of the Terran Empire. Now it is time for the Empire to extend its reach beyond the veil. We will now expand into other realities, including the United Federation of Planets, the Skyriver Galaxy of the Republic and we will use a great ally we have discovered. The reality of the Sith Empire which has agreed to ally with us in our endeavor for the chance to conquer beyond their galaxy.
I shall be the one to seize the glory. I shall be the one to seize the power. I will take my stronghold across and lay waste to those who oppose me. I have spilled the blood and the text has been revealed to me. Doubt has been burned away.
The way is clear and I am worthy.
Their universes are within my grasp and I will take it and no one will stop me.
Not the Federation.
Not the Sith.
Not the Jedi.
No one.
End recording.
Inner Rim
Coruscant
Senate Building
Senate Chamber
Palpatine ended the transmission with Thrawn and considered the recent events. With the Dyson Sphere under his control his future Empire would even be more powerful, especially against his new allies. The humans from an alternate reality, the Terran Empire that was as imperialistic as the Sith Empires of old and they were just as advanced as the Federation. Not only that but the one who spoke to him on behalf of the Empire, Admiral Leeta held a power in her that was exactly like what he had felt against the Pah-Wraiths on Bajor.
He then discovered that like how Pah-Wraiths had turned Savage Oppress into their host the ones in the so-called Mirror Universe had done the same for Leeta. Though she was not as powerful as Savage had been she was no-less powerful enough to be a very dangerous threat. Fortunately she agreed to an alliance with the Sith and started to covertly supply advanced technology to them in exchange for building up a force to not only invade the 'Prime Universe' but to also help Leeta overthrow the Emperor of the Terran Empire. Sidious had to give Leeta credit for she was not only powerful but as cunning and dangerous as a Sith.
The small bits of technology she had given was promising, such as the Agony Booth that had been added to his former apprentice Maul's accommodation and had been left on when Sidious had last left the Zabrak. This technology had been sent to the secret bases and shipyards built on Palpatine's orders that at the very moment were building and construction ships and weapons to fight against the Milky Way Alliance as well as enhancing the power of the Weapon and accelerating its construction. He would use it against the Milky Way, targeting the most important planets of that galaxy and crushing his enemies all in one strike.
These planets represented the hearts of the Milky Way Alliance and represented the very threat to everything the Sith had worked for.
Worlds that supported a free and united nation where people came together for the idea of peace, freedom, democracy, and friendship.
To the Sith that was a concept so alien it was unthinkable.
To Sidious the Milky Way's very existence was a threat to his plans.
The Alliance with its allies and unity.
The Iconians and their portals.
And beings like the Pah-Wraiths and their powers.
Before coming to the meeting Palpatine looked at the latest report on the newest ships being built to fight against Starfleet ships, an improved version of the Imperator with a heavily reinforced hull, stronger deflector shields and greater firepower and the brand new ship known as the Resurgent class Star Destroyer. Twice as long as the Imperator class, featuring hull structural bracing in its midsection, as well as armored hull plating and a truss to support the bow's upper hull with over three thousand turbo-lasers and ion cannons along with smaller point-defense turrets and missile launchers this ship would have been terrifying even without the upgrades being supplied from the Terran Empire. The upgrades included improved energy focusing lenses and targeting interfaces to improve targeting computers, electromagnetic couplings and EPS regulators that improved power generation and regulation, and plasma compressors that would better contain the plasma and regulate it, allowing for a faster and more powerful firing rate. In addition to improved weapons along with an improved reactor that supplied more power than a ship several times it size the deflector shields had been upgraded as well, now able to produce an invisible layer of energetic distortion containing a high concentration of gravitons over the hull that was said to be able to deflector particle beam weaponry and exotic torpedoes similar to previous form of deflector shields but more advanced and designed to work against Milky Way weapons.
Sidious was not fooled though.
He knew that Leeta wasn't supplying him with the latest and best technology of the Terran Empire. Mearly enough to keep him satisfied and to keep him from believing she was simply using him for her own plans. Again he was forced to admit how Sith-like Leeta was and how dangerous she would be in the future. It only served as motivation for him and remind him that in the end he would strike her down and either destroy or take over her Empire.
His thoughts turned to Anakin Skywalker and how he had managed to tame Savage Oppress who had the power of the Pah-Wraiths, making even more powerful than all of them, himself included. The fact that Skywalker had been powerful enough to same the monster proved that he had become even stronger than Sidious had previously believed. If he was as powerful as Sidious believed he would become than he would be perfect for taking down Leeda, even if she was as powerful as Savage Oppress. Of course though he had not forgotten the Fabricator created by CIS scientists that had begun creating a new class of battle droid that would be even deadlier than the B2-super battle droids. The new droid resembled a B-series battle droid, with a similar torso to the B2 super battle droid; but with a much larger and box-shaped head.
It was called the C-series Battle Droid, shortened to C1 and was believed to be amongst the most powerful battle droids to be produced yet. They are were armed with wrist blasters like the B2 super battle droids but on boths wrists and additional armor for better protection. It was a necessary step since everything revolving around the Milky Way had forced Sidious and his apprentice to speed up the course of the war. With more dangerous enemies the Jedi would continue to decline in numbers until the time was right.
"The Senate will now come to order." Mas Amedda's voice barked.
Palpatine shook his head as he focused on current events, specifically the events surrounding the attack on Coruscant by ships resembling MLA ships and their allies. The Alliance claimed it was staged by the Iconians to turn the Republic against them. When the Dyson Sphere in the Mandalore system was captured the Senate was quick to claim the sphere for themselves, stating that the Alliance had no place in the galaxy anymore. Then there was the matter of the Jedi who with the exception of the few who went to the Mandalore System did nothing as Maul and the Shadow Collective took control of the system and nearly waged war on the Republic along with the Separatists.
Many argued that the Jedi needed to be removed from the war and that they should punish the Alliance for their 'cowardly attack', refusing to believe their claims of being framed. In addition to that, ties between the Alliance and the Separatists fell apart after the battle on Bajor where Emperor Kahless cut off Count Dooku's hand. The embacy was evacuated from Raxus and, with the exception of several ships, had withdrawn back to the Milky Way. That was why the USS Enterprise was on the way to speak on behalf of the Alliance.
For now the Alliance wasn't the foremost on the Chancellor's mind, though they might still be useful.
It was Skywalker's apprentice, that sub-human child Ahsoka Tano.
He sensed something powerful with her during the battle on Bajor and witnessed the battle with Savage Oppress under the control of the Pah-Wraiths. That staff she carried held some sort of power, a power so great that Sidious believed it was some sort of rare Jedi artifact. Only he knew the Jedi would never let a mere child carry a weapon that powerful. She was instrumental along with her master in stopping the Pah-Wraiths but that wasn't the key concern.
Tano seemed to be an aquantance of Sisko.
If Sisko had helped Skywalker's apprentice become powerful enough to stand against an opponent like the Pah-Wraiths she was a great threat and one that needed to be disposed off immediately. Fortunately he had already put in place a plan that would ensure Tano's immediate disposal. Skywalker himself had somehow managed to tame and hold Savage long enough for Tano to destroy the book which showed Sidious that Skywalker had grown even stronger than Sidious had predicted. Perhaps strong enough to move forward with the next phase of the plan.
"The Milky Way Alliance has been a constant source of chaos for us ever since they first appeared. They brought threats like the Borg to us and threatened us with their wars. They have attacked and then claimed they were framed while openly speaking with the Separatists." The senator from Malastare started, causing many people to agree.
Bail Organa spoke next. "The Alliance is not to blame for everything that has happened. They came to our aid against the Borg and against other threats. They warned us about the threat of the Iconians from the start and even members of our army have encountered them."
Padme stood up. "Senator Organa is right. I was there on New Romulus when the Iconian gate activated and took us to that base. I saw their base, I saw their plans, and I saw how they had been spying on both galaxies with possible plans to take over both of them."
"And yet we have never encountered these so-called Iconians." The senator of Eriadu pointed out.
"That does not make them any less real. We have encountered races who serve them, the Elachi and the Solanae and the massive space station in the Mandarlore system is a station created for the Iconians as a staging ground." Padme argued.
"And there is still no proof! Perhaps these Iconians are a fabrication for the Alliance to spread fear and mask themselves from us while plotting our downfall. It is in our best interest that we remove them from our galaxy immediately."
"And what happens if the Iconians are real and they decide to invade?" Padme retorted. "Do we dare turn away the only people who know what we might face?"
"And what happens if the Alliance drags us into their wars? Do we dare face the Borg again who came from the Milky Way? Or perhaps there will be an even greater threat."
Palpatine looked up, seeing Anakin along with his sub-human apprentice watching the meeting on behalf of the Jedi Council, as he stood up. "Members of the Senate, we have worked long and hard to end the war with the Separatists for the last two years. It is nearly the end of the third year and even as we welcomed people from a new galaxy our progress has been slow. Now is the time to vote and decide whether to-"
Palpatine was cut off as a swirling circular mast of dark energy that resembled a galaxy somewhat appeared above him and from it emerged a creature. It looked to be feminine but that was all they could tell as it floated in mid-air. Its skin, if it could even be called skin, was a mix of pulsing black and blue energy with segements of armor on its body along with a crown like headdress. It had six yellow glowing eyes, glaring contemply at the surprised and speechless members of the Senate as it seemingly hovered above the Chancellor's podium.
"So this is the Senate of the great Republic. The Whole of galactic civilization in the Skyriver Galaxy." The creature spoke in an ethereal voice. "How…Unimpresive. Represenatives from thousands of worlds, all here to represent their interests, and yet you fail miserably. Unable to achieve a single form on consensus no matter the amount of time given, a disgrace to what it means to be Whole. How far you all fall."
"If you have come to hold us hostage or to simply mock us I assure you that you will fail." Palpatine stated, staring up at the creature as Clone Troopers and Senatorial guards on platforms moved to surround the intruder. "Who are you to openly insult us?"
The creature regarded him for a second. "I am of the Iconian Whole and I come with a single warning. The same warning I issued to the Alliance of the Milky Way. Do not attract our attention again. Your usefulness to us is great but expandable."
"And how are we useful to you?" Bail Organa asked.
The Iconian turned and looked around the Senate. "For being as you are. Allowing your Whole to fracture instead of acting as one, allowing war to be declared instead of avoding the outcome, allowing corruption to fester instead of purging it and allowing blood to be spilled and chaos to be spread instead of saving the people who die at your whim. All of this allows us to grow stronger."
"You think you can speak to us like this?!" Senator Orn Free Ta spoke up, causing a few senators to agree with him. "We are the Senate of the Republic and we do not allow creatures like to you mock us-AAAAAHHHH!"
The Iconian held up her hand and Orn Free Ta was lifted out of his pod and his form was suddenly filled with energy much like the members of the Klingon Council who had been killed by the same Iconian who visited them following the Undine's failed invasion. The Iconian clenched her fist and Orn Free Ta exploded in a blast of light, leaving behind no evidence that the senator of Ryloth ever existed. The senators all cried out in shock and terror at how the Iconian killed Orn Free Ta so easily and callously.
The clones and guardsmen reacted instantly, peppering the Iconian with barrage after barrage of blaster bolts only for their attacks to have no effect. The Iconian swept its gaze about it once and then swept its arm out…and every single one of the soldiers collapsed backwards, their armour falling apart to allow dust to scatter on the floor around them.
"Consider this removing an ineffective part of your Whole my gratitude." The Iconian stated as more security guards came into the chamber and shot at her, unaware of the fate of their fellows.
Only with a wave of her hand the blaster bolts disappeared into smaller portals and came out behind the guards, killing them all instantly.
"Your brief encounter with the sentients of the Milky Way clearly has not proven to be a useful lesson." The Iconian scoffed.
"How can you act like this?" Padme stood up. "You come before us, murdering innocents on a whim and think nothing of it. How can you justify such horrific actions?"
"It is because it is the Iconian right and duty to rule the Milky Way Galaxy. We will reclaim our homeworld and rebuild the civilization that was destroyed by the jealous ones on the Day of Fire. The suffering of one galaxy or more is nothing to us as a thousand worlds could burn and not satisfy our wish for vengeance." The Iconian stated, hatred and rage in her voice. "You are another small minded insect. Naïve to the ways of the universe, searching for peace that has long since died, resorting to diplomacy in the face of those who care not for words of a corrupt and rotting Whole, and a hypocrite for being an opponent of war and yet it was through your meddling that the war you struggle to stop was declared."
Padme could only gape at the words thrown at her.
Suddenly a shape leapt down into her box, standing between her and the Iconian…
"Enough lies, Iconian." Anakin Skywalker ignited his lightsaber. "It was Gunray who started this war, and it's you who caused what happened at Mandalore. The Alliance told us everything about you and your show here won't intimidate us."
The Iconian tilted its head, examining Anakin. "Such brave words…from the mouth of a cold blooded murderer."
Anakin's jaw clenched but he did not back down. "If what we've heard is true then you've 'murdered' trillions. Is your idea of a strategy really to antagonize two galaxies into fighting you this time around when you couldn't even handle one?"
"We do not need to antagonize anyone into conflict, you do that well enough on your own." The Iconian replied. "You have done so since before our unity rose and fell, and you shall do it long after this Republic crumbles to ash."
Anakin held his lightsaber out, the tip directed at the Iconian. "Maybe, but you won't be ruling anything before or after that point." He promised, "So either keep making your threats and show off your powers or vanish, it seems to be all your kind is good at anymore."
The Iconian nodded. "Yes…perhaps a change is in order." She swept her arms around. "Defend the parasites of this Whole…or die with them."
She ripped open a portal showing a dark void behind her…and within that void a light emerged, surging forward towards the opening. The Iconian tilted her head down to look at Anakin again.
"The choice is yours…Chosen One." She said, and vanished in a blast of darkness.
Anakin's eyes widened as he felt the heat radiating from the opening. "By the Force…" He spun and held out one hand, shoving his wife and the other senators sharing the box with her back through the door into the corridor outside of the Senate chamber before having the door seal itself shut. "Everybody out!"
Padme grunted as she hit the ground and immediately tried to rush back towards her husband before the doors closed. "Anakin?!"
Ahsoka tried to help but Anakin knocked her out of the room with the Force and closed the door to lock her out as well. "Master!"
The Jedi Knight, now standing in the direct path of the portal, turned and held his hands out. He called out into the Force and swung his arms out to his sides, generating an invisible push which shoved two sets of delegates out of their boxes and to safety like Anakin had done with his wife moments ago. He tore the now empty boxes out of the wall and arranged them in front of himself, covering the portal just before a wave of fire erupted from the opening.
Senators shrieked in terror and began to pile out of the Senate chamber. Chancellor Palpatine and his entourage were ushered onto platforms and swept down to the bottm of the room as quickly as possible. The Chancellor looked up to see that Anakin was just barely containing the solar flare which the Iconian had unleashed into the room. The two platforms which he had used as improvised plugs were quickly melting, the metal heating up far past its melting point and threatening to let the inferno loose.
Palpatine shook off a clone trooper who tried to tug him off of the platform and towards the exit. He could not allow Anakin to die, not yet, not so early into his plans and before his master stroke.
He reahed out through the Force and linked himself with Anakin.
'Your emotions are a well spring of power, Anakin.' He whispered in the back of the younger man's mind. 'You cannot prevail as you are. You must break your chains if you wish to save her…'
Anakin did not realize that someone was communicating to him, but the message still reached him none the less. He clenched his teeth and pushed back against the endless wave of fire pouring from the portal. The very air around him threatened to ignite and the ground beneath his feet heated up to the point that it hurt to remain standing, but only the thought of Padme along with Ahsoka reaching safety kept him where he was.
'Use your anger, use your pain. Harness it, feed on it!' Palpatine urged. 'That is the only way to save her…'
Anakin's eyes snapped open, and he unleashed a yell before letting the melted husks of the platforms drop away, leaving nothing between him and the solar flare…which stopped at the threshold of the portal, held in place by his will. The Force surged through him now like a hurricane, and he was focusing it on keeping the flames from escaping the portal…and on willing the portal to shrink in on itself.
Palpatine watched as the Hero with No Fear held back the cosmic fury of a star with nothing but the power within him. Even from where he stood he could feel the power being harnessed to make this feat reality.
'Good, Anakin, good…' He smirked, and allowed himself to be led away in the crowd swarming through the exit.
Soon only Anakin was left in the chamber, fighting an impossible battle against a force of nature. His clothes, his hair and his skin burned even now that the inferno was contained, now only his pain and the darkness he called on kept him from collapsing dead.
"P…Padme…" He strained to speak, the flames scorching his throat. "Be…safe…"
Then with one final effort he made the portal collapse in on itself, and a blast radiated out from the space it occupied. As it struck him he lost consciousness and was plunged into oblivion.
Outside, thousands of people were being pushed back from the Senate building as the structure began to shake and crumble. When the explosion created by the portal occurred the supports gave out and the center of the heart of the Republic caved in, plummeting into the sublevels beneath and causing tens of thousands to be crushed under twisted, burning metal.
"ANAKIN!"
Ahsoka and Padme's screams were lost among a myriad of terrified cries from those around her. Padme felt Bail Organa's hands supporting her as her legs threatened to collapse beneath her. All she could do was stare at the ruined, burnt out remains of the Senate building…the place her husband had been moments before.
Jedi Temple
Master Yoda's Quarters
Far across the city in the Jedi Temple, Master Yoda's eyes snapped open and he stood up in his seat immediately as he felt a sudden curtain of darkness fall over the planet. The event that had caused the Dark Side to be pushed back ever so slightly weeks ago had been undone and more, now the darkness was crushing, choking. The ancient Jedi Master collapsed off of his seat and tumbled to the floor of his quarters, gasping for breath.
"Pain…" He wheezed as his doors opened and two Jedi Sentinels clad in white rushed to his aid. "Death…I feel…happened…something terrible…has…"
He looked to the open window of the room and saw the pillar of smoke dominating the cityscape in the distance, originating from the site of the Senate building.
"Skywalker…" Yoda gasped as one Sentinel helped him to stand. "Fallen…Skywalker has."
Three days later
Jedi Temple
Council Room
It had barely been three days since the attack on the Senate that led to the destruction of the center of the Senate building that led to the deaths of thousands, close to the same level as the earlier attack. The people had become confused and terrified as they looked upon the remains of the Senate building. And among those deaths was the apparent death of Anakin Skywalker that had come to a shocking blow to Republic morale as many searched for his body but found nothing.
Except the burned and broken remains of his lightsaber.
In that time the surviving senators had been holed up in the 500 Republica, the apartment building for senators while Chancellor Palpatine had been relocated to his private estate, all of which had been placed under heavy guard. Padme Amidala had barely left her apartment, only leaving to attend the funeral and even then she barely spoke a word. Among the few people who managed to even get her to speak was her friend Satine, the former Duchess of Mandalore who had been dethroned by Death Watch and the Shadow Collective before their defeat. Though Pre-Vizla had been murdered by Maul and Maul had disappeared along with the former Prime Minister Almec who had been ousted as a supporter of the Shadow Collective the people of Mandalore had no wish to return to the peace-keeping society Satine had tried to create.
The military build up by Death Watch had continued with a few surviving members on the side that did not support Maul remained in place to help drive Maul's forces off of Mandalore and claim the Dyson Sphere for themselves, even with the Republic and the Separatists currently fighting over control of the sphere. It was without saying sadly that Satine was no longer the Duchess and her peaceful idealism had been rejected. With her home world now no longer welcome to her Satine had been forced to move to Coruscant, taking up residence with Padme and tried to help Naboo's senator deal with the grief of loosing her husband. It wasn't hard to figure out as Satine herself had been in love with a Jedi and if she was honest with herself she still was.
But Obi-Wan had kept to himself in the wake of Anakin's death, trying not to show how much it hurt to help Ahsoka who herself had become a shut-in. She had barely left her room in the Jedi Temple and did not wish to speak to anyone. The grief of losing her master, the one who had trained her and taught her so much, was too much to bear. The Jedi Council in the meantime had convened to speak of the latest attack by the Iconians and discuss what to do about it.
"By our estimation nearly ten thousand people were killed when the Senate Building collapsed." Plo Koon reported.
"We searched through the remains but there has been no sign of Skywalker. It's likely his body was incinerated in the explosion." Ki-Adi-Mundi continued. "Perhaps that is a good thing, given what we had sensed."
Obi-Wan frowned. "What do you mean, Master Mundi?"
"We all felt Skywalker presence become shrouded in darkness. It is likely in the last few moments he fell to the Dark Side as a way to save himself." Mundi answered calmly.
"Anakin could not be at fault for that. The Iconians chose to assault the Senate and opened a portal that unleased some sort of solar flare. We knew the Iconians were a threat but we had no comprehension of just how dangerous a threat they truly are." Obi-Wan protested. "We cannot assume Anakin has died as he was able to hold off the solar flare until most of the building had been evacuated."
"Sensed no sign of Skywalker I have. If unable to sense him, through deep meditation, unlikely alive he is." Yoda said solemnly.
"Perhaps this means he was not the Chosen One after all." Mundi stated.
Obi-Wan scowled but didn't speak as Yoda replied. "Assume what we do not know we cannot. Perhaps, a role yet to play Skywalker has. Meditate on this, try to see through the veil of the Dark Side I will."
"What shall we do about the Iconians? They assaulted the Senate, murdered senators and security guards before releasing a solar flare into the building that would have killed millions if Skywalker had not prevented it." Shaak Ti's hologram pointed out.
"Ties between the Republic and the Milky Way have been strenuous as of late in the wake of the first attack on Coruscant. It is hard to predict how they can help us given how elusive the Iconians are in their own universe." Mace pointed out. "There is also the matter of Padawan Tano. She will need a new master. We cannot forget that we are still at war with the Separatists."
"Speak to her on that matter I will." Yoda said, ending that topic.
"In the meantime we must turn back to the matters of the war. Grievous has launched a full assault, starting with Duro and he's been pushing through the Inner Rim. We need to work on repelling him as well as reinforce our outer lines and sending supplies to planets under attack." Windu stated, looking around the room. "It seems Dooku was well prepared to restart the war just as much the Iconians."
"And several planets, including Mahran and Kashyyyk were hit hard. None of the ships we sent to assist them have reported in." Plo Koon stated.
Yoda closed his eyes. "No. But hope there is, always."
"The citizens of these worlds needed more than hope. And once again it is because of Dooku's doing. Him and Sidious." Mace frowned. "Have there been any word on discovering where Sidious might be."
"No. We just have no evidence to go and even less now." Obi-Wan said. "We know Sidious is humanoid and his height helps narrow down the list but it is still a rather large one."
At the start of the war when Dooku told Kenobi that a Sith Lord named Sidious had infiltrated he and the Council believed he had been lying, even assuming that Dooku was the Sith Master that had trained Darth Maul after discovering dark side artifacts like a Sith Holocron but Dooku had still been a member of the Jedi Order during the blockade of Naboo. Then there was the band of Dark Jedi Dooku had trained to fight for him such as as the Dathomirian Asajj Ventress who appeared to be working with or for the Klingons now. Then came the trial arranged by the creature known as Q who helped show that Sidious was indeed real and the Jedi encountered him again on the Milky Way planet Bajor who had almost been tricked into releasing the Pah-Wraiths.
"Looked at the Senate, we did. Risked much we did by questioning those we serve. But no evidence we found. If in control of the Senate Sidious was, would not defeated the Republic already be?" Yoda asked rhetorically. "Or need us alive does the Sith in response to the Iconians? Or perhaps, accidently reveal Sidious to us Dooku did. Allowing us to search while Dooku continued to escalate the war?"
"I have thought about that day for a long time, Master. I believed that Dooku did intentionally reveal himself as a Sith when Anakin and I pursued him to that hangar on Geonosis. At first I thought he might have been buying time for Gunray and the other Separatist leaders to escape but I believe he allowed us to follow him so he could show us just how powerful he had become by joining the Dark Side. He might not have expected you to follow us but he spared us…As if to send a message." Obi-Wan said.
"Right, you may be Obi-Wan. Pride, the weakness of the Sith it is and pride it was that led Dooku to show himself. Proof we now have that he was trained by Sidious, possibly after defeated Darth Maul, you did." Yoda agreed. "Saw it in the trial placed on us by the Q we did and on Bajor we did. Forced Sidious into the open when releasing the Pah-Wraiths, the former Sith Maul sought to do, became a threat to their plans it did."
"Then perhaps we should be the ones force Sidious's hand next." Mace Windu suggested. "Given that Dooku lost a hand to the Klingon Kahless on Bajor this is perhaps the chance we have been looking for."
"What do you mean?" Shaak Ti asked.
"Without Dooku, the Separatist movement would collapse and Sidious would be without an apprentice. There would no longer be a single fingurehead to rally around. Those who were left would consume themselves in a frenzy to take his place. If every river is a branch of a single might one…than let is dam the flow. Cut off the head and the body will follow." Windu explained.
Obi-Wan's eyes widened as he realized what Mace Windu was talking about but it was Yoda who spoke. "Assassination, mean you?"
"No." Obi-Wan's mouth automatically conveyed his thoughts. "Some things simply aren't in the realm of possibility. Not for Jedi."
"Speaks the truth, Master Kenobi does." Yoda agreed. "To the Dark Side, such actions leave."
"No one here wishes to behave like a Sith Lord." Mace held up his hands, trying to project a calming presence.
"Few do, at first. A small step, the one that determines destiny often is." Yoda said.
"Dooku's injury against the Klingons proves he is vulnerable and now we have a chance to stike a definitive blow." Windu stood up from his chair and walked slowly towards Kenobi. "With or without the presence of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Iconians Dooku will just continue to wage his war while Sidious continues to plot in the shadows. If we do not stop them then the Iconians will be the least of our concerns."
Obi-Wan knew that Anakin would agree with what Windu was suggested but remained silent.
"Mahran, Duro, Kashyyk, and many more worlds are suffering as we speak. Do we sit back and do nothing? Is it not our duty to protect the Republic and its citizens? We must act and stop this, now."
All eyes fell on Yoda who closed his eyes for a moment. "Greatly heavy, my heart is, that come to this, matters have."
He slowly stood up from his chair and approached the window.
"Each life, a flame in the Force. Beautiful. Unique. Glowing and precious, it stands to bravely cast its own small light against the darkness that would consume it." Yoda looked out the window. "But grows this darkness does, with each moment that Dooku, Sidious, and the Iconians continue their attacks…Stop them we must. Start with Dooku, we shall."
As Yoda bowed his head everyone seemed afraid to suddenly speak until Windu finally broke the silence. "The question before us now is who will be the one to strike the killing blow?"
Obi-Wan sighed. "I…May have a suggestion."
It was widely known that Jedi Master Quinlan Vos was not an ordinary Jedi and he had long accepted that fact. Hailing from the planet Kiffu Vos possessed a strong sensitivity to the Force, discovered and trained by Jedi Master Tholme. Vos's own abilities were unique due to his psychometric ability that was enhanced by the Force. As a youngling, he trained alongside other Jedi hopefuls such as Siri Tachi, Bant Eerin, Shylar, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Vos trained as a Jedi under Master Tholme. As a young apprentice, he fought beside his master in the Stark Hyperspace War, where he became close friends with fellow Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. When he was young he had saved young Aayla Secura from becoming slave to a Hutt crime lord whom later became his Padawan. Unlike his former Padawan Vos did not take part in the Battle of Geonosis because of his ideals but later played a key role in the Clone Wars attempting to infiltrate the inner circle of Count Dooku. While providing information to the Republic and the Council Vos has been forced to do things that led many to believe he was truly a traitor, including the murder of his great aunt.
Dooku had attempted convert Vos fully to the Dark Side but proved he was still a Jedi when he saved Kenobi from Asajj Ventress and Tol Skorr and later helped Kenobi rescue Plo Koon and two other Jedi. When he returned to Coruscant, where he managed to convince the Council of Reconciliation of his intentions. Vos was given time to recuperate and then was reinstated as a General.
"Nice to see you drop in on time for once."
Vos smirked as he stopped front of Obi-Wan. "Nice to see you too, Obi-Wan. I'm sure you missed me."
"Not terribly." Obi-Wan said but was smiling. "I do not recall our last advanture with particular fondness. Unfortunately, I don't think this next assignment will be nearly as pleasant, though I hope it is more successful."
"This isn't going to be good is it?" Vos asked.
Obi-Wan sighed. "No, old friend. It's quite far from good, actually."
"I'm listening."
"No, I…" Obi-Wan shook his head. "Think I'll let the Council explain as they see fit."
That was enough to tell Vos it wasn't good as Kenobi led him to the Council chamber.
"Master Vos, welcome." Yoda said with a smile as Vos bowed.
"Good to be back, Master. I'm ready for whatever you got for me." Vos said.
"What we have is a mission we have reluctantly deemed necessary." Mace answered. "There's no other way to phrase this other than bluntly. Master Vos, the Council wants you to assassinate Count Dooku."
For perhaps the very first time Quinlan Vos was lost for words for an entire moment. "I think I understand. But how…do you prorpose I do this?"
"Get close to him, you will." Yoda answered.
"Close enough to kill him? How am I supposed to do that? I can't just walk into his palace." Vos said.
"You served the Republic will in previous undercover missions." Windu pointed out.
"Sure I tried to get Intel on the Separatists but this is a whole different story." Quinlan admitted. "This is not a one man job."
"Correct, you are." Yoda nodded. "Help of another is needed."
"And who can help?" Obi-Wan asked.
"One, there is who has tried and failed. Yet closer has she come than any other to killing Count Dooku." Yoda answered.
Obi-Wan's eyes went so wide they nearly fell out. "You can't possibly mean Ventress?!"
"Ventress? Not Dooku's apprentice Ventress? The one who's been a thorn in our side for years." Vos stated.
"The one I speak of, she is." Yoda nodded. "Came closer again when allied with the Klingons she did."
"But she wasn't the one who cut Dooku's hand off." Obi-Wan replied.
"Wait, wait. I can't have heard this right. The Jedi Council wants me to work with a Sith?" Vos spoke up.
"Failed Sith. As much I hate to say Ventress did indeed come closer that time on Bajor, even if she was knocked out and it was the Klingon warrior Kahless who defeated Dooku. That's not to say Ventress is trustworthy but in this case our desires do align on this one point." Obi-Wan admitted.
"Failed is an interesting choice of words, considering that Ventress has failed more than being the perfect Sith. She's attempted to kill Dooku repeatedly and obviously, not succeeded." Windu pointed out.
"She acted alone before. This time she won't be." Obi-Wan looked at Vos. "This time she'll have you…If we can find her."
"What's that mean?" Vos asked.
"Ventress is working alongside the Klingons but we have no idea if she is on this side of the portal or in the other universe." Obi-Wan answered.
"And what makes you think she would even work with me?" Vos asked.
"The same man, our enemy is. Aid us she can, if not already planning to so with the Klingons." Yoda said. "Perhaps convinced to work us, they can be."
"So how do we do that?" Vos asked.
"Go to the Klingon home world and stand before the Klingon High Council, you will. Ask for help and perhaps come to you, Ventress will." Yoda stated. "A chance to repair ties between us, this can be."
"If they don't try to kill me first. I heard that these Klingons are rather trigger happy, especially after what they did to the Zygerians."
It has been a full year now since the discovery of the Skyriver Galaxy and much has happened. The war against the Klingons and the Undine have ended and the Vaadwaur for the most part have been crippled with the loss of their leader, Gaul who was a pawn of the Iconians. But the Iconians are coming and we know when they arrive the entire galaxy will be plunged into war. The Iconians have already attempted to trick the Skyriver Galaxy into declaring war on us by framing us for an attack on the Republic capital Coruscant and use the Shadow Collective led by the Sith known as Darth Maul as a proxy to further weaken the Milky Way Alliance.
As we attempt to prevent such a war from happening we must not forget the troubles we face in our own galaxy.
Milky Way Galaxy
Delta Quadrant
Kobali Prime
Hanchon's Log, Fifth Day of the Month of Giving
Final testing of the Samsar is progressing as expected. We're still having some trouble with the plasma relays, half the EPS conduits are down and my engineers absolutely refuse to have anything to do with those Federation replicators, but those are all problems that can be successfully resolved
Captain Kim is returning to the system in three days. I'll ask him to send over a team to deal with the replicator issue.
My people are a spacefaring species. We are accustomed to building and maintaining a fleet. We did so without support for decades before we settled on this world, and we will continue to send out survey ships, trading expeditions, and, most importantly, the collection vessels which allow us to continue our species.
The collection vessels will be more important than ever now. We've lost so many, and replacing them with those in the Temple is now no longer as straightforward a choice as I once thought.
But the Kobali are not warriors. This conflict has forced us into those roles, and it is an uncomfortable fit at best.
The Samsar is the first of our warships. A cruiser designed for defense with the help of our friends from the alliance, it is unique for a Kobali vessel. The Regenerative Integrity Field will help us greatly during an attack, but it is not the ship that concerns me.
It is her crew.
My people are a gentle race. Kind. Compassionate. When they are confronted by an enemy, their first response is not to fight. Our friends have helped us in this regard, but … the Alpha Quadrant must be a very dangerous place. As friendly and accommodating as the officers from the alliance are, they are …harder than we are. It is to their advantage, as they have been able to do much we could not, but I do not know if I would ever wish to be like them.
This war has taken much out of my people. I pray it does not harden our hearts as well.
Beta Quadrant
New Romulus
Mol'Rihan Center
Republic Intelligence Notes: Sela was transported off planet at 0745 hours, just as Arbiter Kellek reports. When she arrived in the transporter room at the detention center, it was the first time she had been in an area without that was not covered by transport inhibitors and subspace blockers since her arrival on New Romulus.
It's obvious now she was waiting for that opportunity, and that she had allies both in orbit and at the detention center. One of Sela's guards, a Lieutenant Seken, is currently missing, and the PADD she was using had been altered to allow subspace transmissions. We are investigating Seken's ties to imperial loyalists, and have determined that he has a nephew who serves on a Romulan Star Navy vessel.
We do not know Sela's location at this time; although we think she is still in Romulan space. A shuttle is missing from the R.R.W. Lleiset, and we believe it was used in Sela's escape. Commander Jarok is cooperating with the investigation.
We've locked down the detention center and all media transmissions off planet. D'Tan is currently meeting with representatives of the Federation and the Klingon Empire, and he will address the Senate in closed session in an hour. We've announced that Sela's hearing will be delayed, but under no circumstances can we let the news become public knowledge.
We have no idea how many people in our Republic are loyal to that monster. If we can't recapture her, it could mean war.
Alpha Quadrant
Earth
Starbase One
Office of Admiral Quinn
Captain Creed and Bo-Katan stood before the desk of Admiral Quinn, both of them having been asked to meet with him following the battle on Bajor. Despite agreeing to meet with him Bo-Katan couldn't say she was very much interested in working for Starfleet. Her only concerns were focused on Mandalore and the civil war she had helped start to save the people from being puppets to Maul and the Iconians. She decided to meet with Quinn and if he offered her a chance to join Starfleet she would turn it down and simply request passage back into her home galaxy.
"Captain Creed, Miss Katan, we are all in your debt for your part in helping to stop the disaster on Bajor and for the discovery of what is now being called the Skyriver Sphere. The Republic and the Confederacy both have made claims to it along with Mandalorians, both those who had been working for the Shadow Collective and those who want to maintain their independence. In a situation like this all Alliance ships were pulled back, not wanting to be involved in the matter or risk war with anyone there. Instead I asked you both here for help on another matter." Quinn explained. "Miss Katan, though you are not a member of Starfleet we are willing to return to your home galaxy, to wherever you wish to be if you decide not to accept the request we have."
"And what request is that, Admiral?" Bo-Katan asked neutrally.
"Starfleet Command wants your help in tracking down and capturing Darth Maul." Quinn answered, surprising both Katan and Creed.
"Tracking down and capturing Maul, Admiral?" Creed asked.
"We discovered a True Way ship that had been equipped with a cloaking device in orbit of Bajor during the battle. It slipped away but not before four life signs were beamed off the planet. Given your report we believe Maul and Count Dooku were amongst those to be beamed onto the ship. Since Count Dooku is now back in the Skyriver Galaxy we assume Maul is as well, likely as a prisoner based on the information that he is considered an enemy to the Separatists." Quinn explained. "Maul was an ally of the Iconians and Starfleet Command believes he may have vital information. But there is another reason…Captain Creed, you of course remember former Romulan Empress Sela?"
"Yes, Admiral. The daughter of Starfleet member Tasha Yar who was assigned to the Enterprise under the command of Captain Picard. She was captured during the attack on the Elachi starbase."Nathan nodded.
"It's been confirmed that she escaped prison on New Romulus." Quinn said grimly. "We don't know how but she obviously still has allies."
"That's not good news, sir. Sela has committed many crimes throughout the quadrant." Creed said, remembering the few times he and a friends of his encountered Sela.
"Yes and it ties into into this mission. Sela was a prisoner of the Iconians for over a year and it was believed she was holding back vital information while Maul was an ally to them through the Shadow Collective and given that these Sith could one day be a threat to us we need to know whatever he might know of the Iconians." Quinn nodded and looked at Bo-Katan. "I asked you here, Miss Katan because you know the Skyriver Galaxy better than we do and if anyone has a chance of tracking Maul down it is you."
"With respect, Admiral I might just kill Maul for the crimes he committed against my people." Katan said with a dark look. "I know enough about Sith to know the only good one is a dead one."
"Perhaps but what's to stop the Iconians from taking over your galaxy and your planet when they do come? The Iconians represent a clear threat to everyone, including Mandalore." Quinn replied calmly as he stood up. "That's why we're asking you to help us. We want you to help us help you."
Katan was silent as she thought it over for a moment, glancing at Creed and then back at Quinn. "All right. For the sake of my world and my people along with the chance of seeing Maul dead I will help. I should tell you though that I make no guarantees that I won't try to kill Maul if he resists."
Quinn nodded. "It will be noted, Miss Katan. Captain Creed, you have no objections?"
Creed shook his head. "No, Admiral. At the very least I can say I am equally motivated in capturing Maul for bringing his war to Bajor. The Bajorans did not go through the Occupation and the Dominion War to be subjugated again by another ruthless tyrant."
"Very well. Now, given that ties with the Republic have been strained we have decided, with the approval of the Romulan Republic, that a cloaking device be installed on the Seraphinite. We believe it will greatly help you and we've supplied you all the known locations of outposts and areas used by the True Way in this galaxy. We know the True Way has ties with the Terran Empire given our encounter with Admiral Leeta but we don't know if an alliance has been forged with the CIS." Quin continued. "If an alliance has been forged we need to be informed immediately."
Creed nodded again. "Understood, Admiral. We won't let you down."
"I have one condition," Bo said, "Your ship and advanced transporters may be fine for covertly moving between systems, but I may be required to make an open entrance that won't arouse suspicion. I want a squad of Gauntlet fighters loaded onto the Seraphinite, each of them built to spec, and replica Death Watch Beskar'gam for anybody who ends up piloting them. I need to appear as if I still hold authority within the Death Watch if I am to be of any use to you in tracking Maul."
Quinn considered this quietly before nodding. "I believe that we can acquire all of this for you in short order."
Skyriver Galaxy
Inner Rim
Coruscant
Location Unknown
Darth Sidious looked down at the body that had been placed in the capsule filled with healing bacta to heal his most serious wounds and sustain him for now. The patient's body had been badly burned and his body had nearly been mutilated beyond repair with his limbs broken, shattered or torn off with a breathing mask attached to his face to help him breath. The injuries were enough that Sidous ordered him to be placed in the bacta tank immediately.
"Can he be repaired?" Sidious asked.
Next to him was a DD-13 medical assistant droid named DD-13/HK, a 2-1B surgical droid by the name of 2-1B/DRX, and an enhanced FX-6 medical assistant droid.
"We have done extensive scanning on the patient. Our scans confirm that the nano-droids, origin confirmed to be Borg in origin, are working to repair the inner damage but they are only able to repair enough for the patient to survive in a comatose like state." DD-13/Hk answered. "Our scans confirm he can be repaired with extensive modifications. We can rebuild him and ensure he is stronger than an average biological lifeform. It will take nearly a year at most before he is completely rebuilt."
"Good. Prepare the surgery but only begin when I say so." Sidious walked forward, standing in front of the tank. "We have much to speak of, my apprentice."
He had many things to take care of and he needed his apprentice mentally ready for the coming transformation. He closed his eyes as he tried to probe the future and saw many outcomes. And while he was at it he would need to ensure his new agent was ready to execute the new plan Sidious had set up until the time was right.
Inside the tank the apprentice opened his eyes that flashed yellow in the blue liquid that was helping to keep him alive.
