Night was upon the vast city-scape of Coruscant. Darkness cloaked the endless horizon of gleaming skyscrapers, highrises, apartments, clubs, bars, and other seedy, as well as exquisite activity centers in deep velvet layers. Lights spotted from the hundreds of trillions of windows planet wide, all bright pinpricks that contrasted with the growing darkness.
As far as the eye could see and as far as a being could travel, the city's buildings jutted from the planet's surface in needles of steel alloy and reflective glass.
The center of the galaxy, the heartbeat of the Republic's rule.
A rule that some were intending to end once and for all. A rule that some despised. A rule that more grew weary of. A rule that many argued had gone on too long and had become far too cumbersome for the greater majority. A system that was outdated and only advocated for the elite and wealthy, not the greater cause.
Palpatine stood high on his balcony overlooking Coruscant, his black robe making him appear as if he were a shadow. He faced the city, his eyes focusing on its individual lights, the faint movement of air traffic slowly coming alive. He was disinterested in his aid, Mas Amedda, who waited to one side of him and stared out into the vast city-scape.
Palpatine's thoughts were of the Sith, of the history of the Sith order, and its cycles of rising and falling for the last nearly ten thousand years.
The Sith were an actual species long ago, not used interchangeably and being synonymous with Dark Jedi like it was now, and technically, humans or any sentient species who were inclined towards the dark side. The Sith as a species ruled Korriban, Ziost, and other planets in their system as far back as twenty eight thousand years, going to war with the Rakata and winning under the true Sith King Adas.
Long before the Republic had come into being or was even founded.
The Sith were a species with a propensity for the dark side of the force. They embraced the concept that power denied was power wasted. They embraced natural order. They embraced conflict and strife. They followed the survival of the fittest mentality. They chose to embrace brutal impulsiveness.
They chose to embrace anger, fury, sorrow, hatred, negative emotions, and to covet power to oneself and only oneself.
The Sith Order as everyone knew it now and for the last several thousand years all began when the Second Great Schism occurred.
When Ajunta Pall and eleven others were exiled from the Republic.
For those who would say the First Great Schism caused it would be ignorant, misinformed, downright foolish, and would have some struggle with denial. They would struggle even more with the truth since they didn't research it for themselves.
The Sith Empire hadn't been established back then as everyone knew it now.
The Sith during that time were still their own species, and since Adas had fallen in battle thousands of year prior, they went back to warring with each other.
The First Great Schism and Second Great Schism were set apart by nearly eighteen thousand years.
So, the Sith Order wasn't founded nor established when Xendor broke away from the Jedi Order, causing the First Great Schism some twenty five thousand years prior to this point in time. Xendor wanted to open a new academy, far from the limited and dogmatically ignorant Jedi Order on the far world of Ossus. In essence he was opening the doors of studying and teaching the force to everyone within the galaxy.
He wanted to study and dive into the darker aspects of the force, or Bogan.
However, Xendor didn't limit himself, his students, or peers to just the dark side. The Dai Bendu, The Followers of Palawa, the Kashi Mer Guardians of Breath, the Baran Do, The Triad, The Mind Walkers, the Chatos Academy, and many other creeds were all studied by Xendor and his followers.
In truth Xendor wanted the full focus to return to the balance of one self, and when one was balanced, being balanced with the force was much easier, and with that everyone would have the knowledge. Just as his Je'daii predecessors, the ancestors of his Jedi seniors, thirteen thousand years before, pursued balance of one self with the force.
The highhanded Jedi launched attacks on Xendor and his followers, wishing to wipe them out from the galaxy.
Awdrysta Pina was the main Jedi at that point to lead the charge against the Legions of Lettow.
By all means Pina was a Sith in Jedi's clothing.
Truthfully Xendor nor his followers never posed a threat. The only reason they fought was to protect and preserve their own ideals and beliefs, which ran counter to both Jedi and Sith ultimately. Xendor even went as far as warning the Republic back then that the Jedi were not protectors, but power hoarders who wanted to take control of everything.
Even the Republic.
Nobody believed him back then.
Yet, Palpatine could see every warning Xendor declared manifest before his very eyes since his active memory kicked in.
Palpatine believed the warning.
People believed the warning now...
Xendor was truly ahead of his time in a lot of ways, but he was not a Sith Lord.
No, the first true Sith Lords who were called Jen'ari by the Sith species, were rogue Jedi Masters who swayed to the dark side, and used their hatred to unleash mayhem and slaughter.
Seventeen thousand years after the Legions of Lettow, these exiles were the first to dive in the depths of darkness and try to take power for themselves. Eventually they were exiled from Republic space, their ranks stripped, their weapons stripped, and they were chased away like savages.
These Dark Jedi conquered the Sith species, recruited the then full blooded Sith King's Shadow Hand to their side to tip the scales. The end result was the lead Dark Jedi personally executing the last pure blooded Sith to pull his people together from the series of civil wars that plagued their world for thousands of years since the fall of Adas.
Hakagram Graush.
These Dark Jedi, now called Jen'ari by the Sith, were the singular absolutes in the Sith's dissident and archaic society.
These were the first Jedi who understood from the beginning that the real power of the force lay not in the light, not the Bendu, nor in The Way Of The Dark, but purely the dark side of the force. It took nearly eighteen thousand years for someone on the Jedi side to get it, and it took another twenty thousand years of civil war between Sith for one pure blooded Sith to finally rise, take the claim, and get it as well, only to be murdered in the grand scheme of things.
Thirty eight thousand years in total, did it take people on both sides to finally get it.
The Sith species and the Jedi were foolishly ignorant.
Ajunta Pall was the one man responsible for it all, along with his followers. Deemed mad and driven insane by alchemy by the High Council, due in part to finding the secrets of creating and shaping life, they banned the practice of , it was only natural he had broken from the Jedi Order, departing with his knowledge and his skills, swearing that he would bring down those who had dismissed him. Swearing that he would murder those who dared to shun him.
He was alone at first, but a few others from the Jedi Order who believed as he did, chose to follow him in his study of the dark side.
When Ajunta Pall and those who followed him-eleven other exiles, went to war with the Jedi and Republic, they were exiled in defeat. Others were recruited to the cause. Ajunta Pall, the other exiles, and Sith practiced alchemy in order to birth hybrids, and this was one of their methods of bringing hybrids into the picture.
Soon the Sith Empire itself was founded from the ashes of this defeat, and the ranks of the Sith swelled to more than five hundred trillion in number, across a multitude of worlds and star systems. Empires that spanned for thousands, thousands, and thousands of years.
However, Ajunta Pall and the other exiles watched the Sith, and took from them core concepts that they believed were most essential. Eschewing concepts of cooperation, camaraderie, unity, meditation, mutuality, mediation, and consensus, they chose instead to rely on the belief that acquisition of power in any form lends strength and yields control.
And, to that end, they murdered each other.
The Sith Empire began to build their kingdom in opposition to just not the Jedi Order, but also the Republic, and any other government in the galaxy. Their Empire and Order was not created to serve. It was not created for diplomacy. Their Order was created to dominate, subjugate, oppress, and ravage everything and everyone else.
The Sith Empire's war with the Jedi and Republic was vengefully furious, dogmatically stubborn, and ultimately doomed from its inception. More than one version of the Sith Empire rose in the thousands of years, and whether it was the Jedi, the Republic, or the Sith themselves...
The Sith Empire always fractured.
What was proud and strong turned into something pitiable.
Ajunta Pall was the original Sith Lord.
He was the original Jen'ari, and because his might couldn't be matched, he was the Sith Empire's nominal leader.
He was the first King.
He was the first Emperor.
He was the first Jen'ari.
Ajunta Pall himself and the Sith who rose to take the ranks after him only focused on their ambition, never conceiving the thought of sharing any power. Never did they think of leaving a legacy. They squabbled among themselves and inevitably murdered one another.
Though the Sith Empire did flourish after their demise, it was just as Bane seen and feared during his lifetime...
The Sith went back to warring with each other.
Vitiate, Ludo Kreesh, Marka Ragnos, Darth Andeddu, Darth Anathel, Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Darth Malgus, Tulak Hord, Darth Qalar, Freedon Nadd, Naga Sadow, Darth Sion, Exar Kun, Darth Nihilus, Darth Sion, Darth Traya, Darth Ruin, Darth Rivan, and millions more, in their own lifetimes, began to conspire against each other from the beginning.
They turned the war they instigated with the Jedi into a war with themselves, each other, their comrades, and those closest to them, even flesh and blood family, and even the Sith Empire itself...
This led to ruin each and every single time the Sith would rise to take the mantle. In the end, the Sith Empire destroyed itself over tens of thousands of years of civil war. Up and coming Sith only wanted to be king or queen, they destroyed their leaders first, then each other, and then weaker Sith rose to take the mantle by ambushing those stronger.
The Empire fractured away into nothing after Kaan and those who followed him killed the Sith of the New Sith Empire led by Darth Ruin.
What followed was the greatest perversion of the Sith, the dark side, and the Sith Empire in the history of the galaxy. It took one angry man by the name of Darth Bane to wipe out the Brotherhood of Darkness, and in essence, destroy the very Empire he swore and spent his life trying to strengthen.
No Sith of Kaan's Brotherhood survived the initial bloodbath. Those who lingered were quickly dispatched by the watchful Jedi during that time. In a matter of only standard weeks, all of them died, or were slain in small scale battles, all but Darth Bane and his lone apprentice, Darth Zannah.
From the death of the Sith Empire came the Sith's revival, and now, with everything coming together as it should...A new, organized, refined, and all around more efficient Sith Empire would be born out of the chaos that was the Clone Wars.
For one thousand years, they had prepared. For one thousand years, they kept their heads down, they worked in secret, and manipulated things from the depths of darkness. For one thousand years, they allowed the Jedi to believe they were truly dead and gone.
For one thousand years they allowed the Jedi the levity to believe they actually ended the Sith Empire, Sith Order, and the Sith doctrine.
Palpatine believed he was the culmination of the dark side. He was the pinnacle of one thousand years of careful planning. He was the dark side itself. He was the Sith Empire. Through him darkness emanated and flowed. Through his existence the Sith would transcend their barbaric dogma and take their rightful place as rulers of the galaxy.
But, only he would rule, because only he was capable.
It was his destiny to rule the galaxy, and this he knew.
His legion of dark side adepts shifted impatiently, but none shifted more or showed visible signs of impatience than Grievous. Sadly, he had had not yet learned his lessons in patience, and it would appear that he would never be able to learn.
Perhaps it was just how Grievous was.
He had hoped the warlord would come to value patience and understand with time and training after his failure with Obi Wan. After all, it was patience that had saved the Sith order and allowed them to operate with near impunity for one thousand years.
It was patience that would give them their victory now over the Jedi.
The Sith who had survived when all of his fellows had died by his hand, Darth Bane, had understood that small detail and more. He had adopted patience as a virtue when the others had forsaken it. He had adopted cunning, stealth, and subterfuge as the foundation of his way.
Technically old Jedi virtues, the other Sith in Kaan's cabal would have disdained.
The same virtues Jedi disdain now-gave them the supreme edge over the Sith long ago.
Bane stood aside while the Brotherhood tore at each other and were destroyed. He watched Kaan try to keep a fracturing faction together, and fail. When it was believed all of the Sith were destroyed, he emerged from his concealment with his apprentice.
He had never worked alone, Zannah always assisted him in some manner, but it was inevitable that he would grow old and be the last of his kind. Eventually, Zannah became the Master. Finding an apprentice, she trained them to be a Master, and they killed her, and that Master would go to find his or her own apprentice, and so forth to carry on their work through the generations.
So every generation was stronger than the next.
For one thousand years there had only been two. Only two. There would be no repetition of the mistakes of the old Sith Order and Sith Empire.
There would be no power struggles between Sith warring for power within the Empire itself.
"Everything is going as you've seen it would, Lord Sidious."
Grievous's deep, mechanical voice brought Sidious back to the present and out of his thoughts.
"Tatooine is sparsely populated. I can begin targeting the Tusken Raiders and get rid of that slug Jabba like we're doing with the rest of his kind." Savage Opress commented.
The massive Zabrak's rough voice made Darth Sidious lift his eyes to the holograms surrounding him.
"Patience Opress...How goes the attack on Hutt Space?"
"The attack on Hutt Space is going as planned. They were able to mount an offense and defense, but we are just tying up some loose ends. The communications are all down. The war is won. While they continue to fight, they will not make much ground, and we've cut off their cartels' communications as well so they can't call for help. We are locking both down under our focus."
"Good. The Republic has no presence that far away. Since the Senate has been shut down for two standard months, you should have no problem finding the Tuskens and wiping them out. You should have little trouble eliminating Jabba and the rest of the Hutts. They will be done away with brutally, quickly, and without hindrance."
Yellow eyes glimmered with rage, fury, hate, excitement, and anticipation as each hologram waited impatiently for him to continue on.
Sidious was pleased.
"Move against the Tusken Raiders first. I want those abominations killed to the last young. You will then have no difficulty killing Jabba."
"What about the Jawas?" Grievous questioned.
Opress crossed his arms, scowling slightly. "No need."
Sidious nodded. "They will be spared. They will assist us in centralizing trade and Tatooine into our network."
"What of the Republic?" Durge asked.
"Certainly the Senate will send search teams and the Jedi will assist them." Lok Durd remarked.
"They will rally to the plight of those we are attacking. Palpatine's orders won't stand when four genocides are taking place right under his nose." Gizor Dellso added.
"What about the Jedi? Won't they be sent to ascertain what is going on as well like what Lok Durd mentioned? Obi Wan Kenobi is always snooping around and is a fool of the Jedi Council and the Republic. Anakin Skywalker and Cadus are always quick to jump at the plight of others." Alto Stratus cut in, voice gruff.
Sidious nodded.
"You don't need to worry about the Jedi interfering. They will go to Mygeeto as we've planned, while bringing their focus onto our activities outside of the Republic afterwards. Palpatine and the Separatist Council will agree and sign a ceasefire in due time. Species like the Ewoks and Hutts will be considered trash. Their extinction will be celebrated."
Darth Maul exhaled sharply.
Whorm Loathsom hummed, satisfaction permeated through his voice. "We can consolidate our strength and power in the outlying systems using Tatooine as our main base along with Endor..."
"Which means we will be able to draw certain Jedi away from the Temple into battles beyond the Outer Rim. We may be able to draw certain ones to us as we want. We could force them to chase us into Wild Space or the Unknown Regions. We could reduce their numbers to half or more without much effort on our part." Fenn Shysa nodded, tone stoic.
"What about the Ewoks and Bothans? I know no one cares about the Ewoks, but the Bothans are considered sentient and have sway in the Senate. The Mon Calmarian are no different, and they will certainly send news to someone of our attack." Feral piped in.
"Palpatine has put new amendments and bills in place that have designated certain creatures to be transported to Coruscant as food, among them are the Ewoks. The Ewoks will be the main source of nourishment for the galaxy. There is also a bill to further medical development in helping those effected and affected by the chemical and biological warfare. The Ewoks are going to be used for the experiments and procedures. The Bothans being used for the same is of little consequence when it is legal and will help stabilize the economy."
"But, what if the Jedi are sent?" Gizor Dellso asked, keeping his tone level.
"As a matter of improvising, lord Sidious." Grievous tried to amend his own curiosity and caution.
"If the Chancellor sends the Jedi after any single one of you, most of them will be no match for you at this point. It is too late for them to stop us now, even if they wanted to. You've slaughtered trillions in these recent battles, and continue to slaughter trillions more. Remember the power of the dark side. Remember the power of the agony of those around you. Remember the lessons of the ancient dark lords. Focus on these attacks and meditate on them, once you do you...You all will understand everything is going as planned. The Republic will be dismantled into my Empire sooner than even I expected."
Sidious could feel the dark heat rise inside of those gathered and consume them.
Unable to endure the silence that followed, Alto spoke in his gruff tone.
"This could have severe backlash on us, lord Sidious. I do not care about the Jedi, they can't do much when it comes to politics. They don't enter that arena. But, those senators could force Palpatine's hand and something foolish could be done..."
The dark figure in the hologram turned slightly.
"You are right. There could be backlash. However, that is what we want! To unravel the Republic further until only I can put it back together! The more they squabble, the more it unravels, and none of them, not even pious Bail Organa or that haughty woman Mon will be able to put it back together. The Republic will be done away with, once and for all."
The hood shifted toward Feral. "Feral."
"Yes, my lord?"
Darth Sidious's voice turned low and hostile.
"Prepare Ewoks and their young for transportation. Prepare the young, females, males, warriors, shamans, and elders separately for transportation as well if you haven't already. Prepare all of them mixed together as well for transportation. If the procedure is finished, prepare to ship more immediately. Do you understand?"
Feral clenched his teeth, and he lashed out to the side of him, causing a massive explosion seen through the holo-image.
"Yes, my lord. I will begin the process with their young and shamans first...I await my orders to exterminate them."
Sidious wheeled on Fenn Shysa, noting the man's face was stoic, and that his eyes were cold and sharp enough to pierce Mandalorian Iron.
"This turn of events that is upon us is fortunate, but fatal for the enemies, as well as ourselves due to the timing. We must accelerate our plans. If you haven't done so already, all of you, begin landing your troops. All of them. You will soon receive more, advanced droids once the ceasefire is finished, and before that. I want you to keep your eyes and ears open Fenn, Mandalore and everyone on it will soon be clenched in our fist, and I need you to push it."
"I understand and it shall be done, my lord." Fenn said, voice detached.
Whorm glanced quickly at Gizor, who was trying his best to appear calm. "Are the actions we undertake against our enemies, especially the Ewok, Hutts, Mon Calamari, and Bothan legal?"
"Why do you care if it is legal Whorm?" Feral asked.
"We will kill senators who get too gutsy. It wouldn't be the first time one of us did something along those lines, which always draws unnecessary attention." Opress concluded.
"Agreed. Bail Organa has been in my sights a few times, but that Kenobi always saved him before I could run him through." Altos seconded.
"We can kill Jedi. We can't kill Senators without serious consequences. There will be too much ruckus over the deaths of those self entitled worms." Gizor replied.
"He is right. Killing a Senator causes too much of a ruckus. Unless a ruckus is what we want. My brother is right though...Right now we don't want to draw unnecessary attention onto ourselves." Maul conceded.
"If Senators cause enough noise, the Jedi will act. That is how it has worked for the last one thousand years." Ventress agreed, tone dark.
"Everything that has been done and will be done to the Ewoks has been made legal and essential for the economy and the galaxy at large to recover from this long war. If there is a fuss, I will make sure it is absolute that they are tortured and suffer in public on every world in the Core, especially Coruscant, and no one can question it. We will celebrate public torture sessions and executions of those little rats by the thousands. We will impale them and parade them around the streets if too much of a ruckus is raised over them. Nute Gunray and the others will sign the ceasefire, along with Palpatine and whoever he wishes to choose to put into that spot, making the Ewoks treatment completely legal and forever binding. They will be a part of the galaxy's nourishment and survival moving forward. It will shimmer things down to a boil, and people will accept it."
"Yes, of course. The tide is with us. We can do as we please since we've taken over a huge part of the Outer Rim." Ventress took a quick breath, grinning hard.
"And if the Jedi prove to be a thorn?" Durge asked.
Sidious sunk deeper within his robes. "Palpatine should never have brought them into this if it really comes to that. They shouldn't have taken it upon themselves to go and play the pious heroes. Kill them if they confront you, immediately, ruthlessly, and make examples out of them by eviscerating them."
"I will devour them just like I devour Ewoks and their young." Feral snarled.
"Yes, I will do that." Fenn answered.
"As will I." Alto seconded.
"Converge on Tatooine once you are all finished. We will consolidate our forces from Endor, all the way to the independent sectors where Grievous is currently attacking the world Mon Calamari. If the Jedi are falling to the dark side, this will bait them before Mygeeto. When they realize we have more than half of the Outer Rim and parts of the Mid Rim, they will come like they always do. This time things will be much different."
"And, if it doesn't bait them? What are we going to do about Master Cadus?" Ventress asked.
"The Master Jedi known as Cadus is mine. He has butchered many Mandalorians in past wars and conflicts. I will deal the killing blow to that monster." Fenn remarked.
"Your Mandalorian Code means nothing to me. You can't overwhelm me. I am best equipped to fight Cadus to the death. You just stand back and polish that armor you treasure so much so it is nice and shiny, you'll be able to see your cowardly expression in it...While I, a real warrior, handles Master Cadus." Grievous jeered.
"What did you just say to me?" Fenn nearly snarled.
"Calm down." Durge urged, tone strong.
"Do not tell me to calm down! Cadus and that Jedi Strike Force attacked the True Mandalorians! In a war that lasted nearly a year, that man cut down thousands of my kin! Jango Fett killed thousands of Jedi during that war, and Cadus beat him within an inch of his life and broke every single bone in his body! Jango pierced through that monster's armor! It wasn't the first time Cadus, or other Jedi have shed the blood of a Mandalorian either!"
"I don't care. You Mandalorians swear you are warriors, but I am Kaleesh! You are all nothing but paltry, prattling imitators, now you will shut your mouth and stay out of my way. Your world is nearly a pacifistic hellhole anyways with your stupid queen taking the helm like she has. Pre Viszla is hardly of any concern."
Fenn's eyes narrowed. "Say that again and you'll be looking down the barrel of my blaster the next time we meet."
"Draw in less than a second, it won't make a difference to me. My new body is better equipped than my last one, you will find my blows to snap your little bones."
"How can we take anything you say serious when Obi Wan defeated you, Grievous?" Maul demanded.
"He defeated you as well! He cut you in half and left you half mad until Savage found you and Sidious could set your mind right again." Grievous snarled.
Maul glowered towards Grievous's direction. "I'm going to pop his head off of his shoulders the next time I clash with him! I'd worry about yourself, droid. You lost to that Jedi despite having sixteen arms during that encounter, and that says a lot about your skill."
"I am not a droid and if you enjoy breathing you will not say that again! I will crush you like the insect you are right now! Don't make me go to your location and show you why these fish people are calling me their greatest catastrophe in history. I'll smash you as easily as I smash their underwater world!"
"Enough, this is pointless squabble." Durge said once more.
"Moving forward." Opress remarked with a shake of his head.
"No!" Grievous roared, eyes locked on Maul.
"We aren't going to fight among ourselves. It is a waste to do that." Feral remarked.
"I agree. Are we going to lure Master Cadus into an attack or not? We don't have time for these pleasantries if we are. I can promise all of you knowing from first hand experience...We could attack him at the same time at full power and he'd defeat us all. We will not touch him." Ventress cut in.
Sidious smiled, feeling rage swelter in the room and bristle from everyone currently gathered.
The thought that one Jedi Master could defeat them all left a bad taste in everyone's mouth, but Cadus was among the very few Jedi capable of such a feat, the other one being Yoda.
"You have Hutts, Bothans, Ewoks, and other contemptible creatures to torment and kill. You have trillions to eradicate until none remain-do I make myself clear. Total genocide is our goal. When search parties are sent out, I want them to discover mountains of dead bodies and dying. Grisly and cruel sights. I will check back in with all of you once Tatooine is cleansed of the Tusken Raiders and Jabba is done away with, brutally I will add. I want an example made out of him. I want everyone on Tatooine to weep with terror at the sight of each and every single one of you."
Everyone nodded.
"I will contact you soon Feral, in order to give an exact number on the Ewoks that will be shipped off world first. The Separatist Council will be most happy with this turn of events and go with the tide. It is safe to assume there will be about sixty billion shipped off in total, but there could be twice as much depending on how the ceasefire talks go."
Feral nodded.
"What about Master Cadus?" Opress asked, clenching his fists. "Killing him would save us a lot of trouble."
"First, the Jedi have to be cornered and forced into action once again. When that happens we won't have to lump Master Cadus or young Skywalker in with the rest of the Jedi...They will be beyond strong willed and tired of the stagnant order along with whoever wishes to follow them."
"But, Obi Wan is Anakin's-" Durge started.
Sidious cut him off briskly. "For now, focus on exterminating threats and making yourselves stronger with the dark side. When the time comes, we will move forward with my plan to do away with the greatest threats."
"Yes, lord Sidious."
Grievous and everyone else bowed.
Sidious turned his eyes onto Ventress.
"You will go to Endor and begin using your Sith sorcery with Feral on the Ewoks. Assist him in any way he tells you to. Whatever happened between you and Master Cadus, I am going to make you snuff it out. All of you will eventually go to Endor before or after you consolidate on Tatooine. It is there you will understand the great facet of the dark side when you encounter the Ewoks, and you will see that those contemptible creatures are no different than the Jedi. Killing and tormenting them should prove to be...Quite the experience for all of you, especially if your hatred for the Jedi runs as deep as you say."
"Of course." Ventress bowed her head.
"If she doesn't listen am I allowed to treat her like my droids are treating the Ewoks? They just love to impale those rats on racks or send beams of energy through their love to beat them to death and suffocate them in the dungeons being built. Ventress would fit nice alongside these rats on one of the racks."
Ventress held her tongue, looking to Sidious.
"You have no need to be concerned, Feral. Ventress will do as you say, and more because she has that much to offer you...She will make sure the Ewoks suffer...She will come as their hope, and then crush their pitiful spirit once and for all when she begins to brutalize them. She will obey your orders because they come from me, and if she refuses, Ventress knows what will happen..."
Ventress felt ice chill her spine, but she kept her composure.
Feral grinned at the idea.
"Good, I don't need to worry about leaving any marks on her then...An example can be made out of the foolish Ewoks for the rest to see. Imagine their horror when they think Ventress is there to save them, but she will betray them and torture them instead."
"It'd break their spirit completely. Provided you have killed their young, and have taken away anything else that can give them hope. Eliminating the shamans among those tree rats will also be a good idea for the long term so they can't hold onto foolish thoughts like gods." Altos commented.
"I've taken the seeds they cherish to grow the trees native to this world. I can send the Ewok shamans to the lot of you-as much as I enjoy killing them, even I'd spend a few days hacking four billion or so to tiny little morsels. I figure they will put up a little rebellion, a cabal if you will..."
"Sounds fine to me. Whatever resistance they are trying to put up, we'll snuff it out before it even has the chance to begin." Maul shrugged.
"No complaints on my end. I'll send a portion of my forces to Endor now to consolidate with Feral's in order to get some of the shamans sent our way for execution and torture. The shamans who we do not kill or turn into food, will be turned into wall decorations or carpets elsewhere." Opress said, tone severe.
"The faster the Ewoks are extinct the sooner the Jedi can be vanquished and we can take that whole curve of space as our own. We will have a direct path to the heart of the Republic, the Deep Core itself." Fenn commented.
Ventress narrowed her eyes when everyone else nodded in agreement with the plan. "Those tree rats will wish for death, but it will never come...I will make sure they suffer for all eternity, beyond this lifetime..."
"So, we are all in agreement. The remaining Ewok shamans will all be killed immediately or sent off world to be killed." Opress nodded.
"I am fine bleeding the Mon Calamari, but I will reserve something special for those little rats." Grievous said, conceding with the idea.
"Good. The first step towards the Ewoks' extinction has been taken. They will be the first, next to the Hutts, and Tusken Raiders. If the Jedi are still a concern...Once Tatooine is under our control, we will deal with the key players...We will give them more bait and quarry, before smashing them like a Rancor crushes insects underneath its feet."
"What about the other commanders who are not present?" Lok asked, looking from hologram to hologram.
"Sev'rance Tann will want to hear of the recent developments. She's wiping out Durga's, Ka'pa's, and Graballa's forces, but she is always invested in our cause." Maul remarked.
"Until the Hutt Space is ours, those who are there should center their focus there. We don't need one of those gas guzzlers to contact the Republic or Jedi...Hutts are too cunning and conniving. I don't need to remind anyone here that Jabba the Hutt contacted the Republic when we took his son and killed him during the Clone Wars." Ventress interjected, tone strong.
"Ventress is right. Pass this transmission onto them. Soon you will all consolidate and strike fear in the heart of this galaxy. Your revenge, your hatred for the Republic and Jedi, your fury of the injustice of the Republic, and even the simple notion to murder just to murder, will all be fulfilled by your hands. Patience is our asset right now as well as focus."
There was silence as their holograms vanished.
Sidious stared at the space ahead of him for a moment, then turned to Mas Amedda.
"Ensure that no one disturbs me for the time being. Things are almost in good order."
On the bridge of the Executioner, Viceroy Nute Gunray, his brother Rute Gunray, and their right hand, Rune Hakko, stood staring in shock at the protocol droid that had come to inform them that the rest of the Separatist Council and their aides were starting to gather.
"What do you mean they're here?! They are way ahead of schedule. We are supposed to meet near the Ryloth system before discussions begin." Nute hissed furiously.
TC-14 droid models were designed to be impervious to the looks and cowardly mannerisms their Neimoidian creators always exhibited. They were even designed to speak steadily, as opposed to their creators who'd stumble over entire sentences when they were flustered.
"The rest of the Separatist Council has arrived, Viceroy. Even the esteemed San Hill and Poggle the Lesser have gathered here, as well as the stately Shu Mai."
Rune Hakko was always a restless sort of being, but recently extreme caution and paranoia began to cloud his thinking.
He wheeled on the droid, face crumpling in dismay.
"I knew it! That Sidious wants us all dead and he has no qualms of showing it now! Count Dooku was working with him all along!"
Rute made a placating gesture.
"Stay calm, Rune. The Jedi and the Senate are completely ignorant of our movements in this matter. We can speed things up and have the meeting here. It can't do us any harm to move ahead in certain regards so we are ahead of the economical curve that is coming."
The other Neimoidian gaped at him, but Nute gripped Rune by the shoulder.
"Remember we are assured to win and have our peace. Now we must persuade the Techno Union, Communications Cartel, Commerce Guild, and the Corporate Alliance to put their own funds into creating more warships just like this one and investing great funds into our secret projects. They will be the most wary of this talk of a ceasefire and truce with the Republic." Nute Gunray said.
"What about Senator Amidala and Queen Jamillia of Naboo?" Asked Rune, his beady eyes and thin features narrowing with suspicion.
"She isn't dead yet. We don't need to worry about her any longer. Palpatine shut her and Naboo out of the political sphere just as he has done with us. I have all of the time in the galaxy to have her head sawed off and lodged on my desk with a pike. The feeble Naboo have no military might and the Jedi will not keep safeguarding that world, they will have much bigger things to worry about in the near future." Nute remarked.
Rute nodded.
It made sense why his brother wanted Padme's head so badly, even if her voice of opposition to create the GAR of the Republic had been working in their favor, as several others things she had advocated for, actually favored the CIS in the long run.
Padme embarrassed Nute badly in the Battle of Naboo, forced him to sign a treaty that couldn't be circumvented, and there were more embarrassments heaped onto his brother and the Trade Federation as the Clone Wars went on.
So it only made sense to have murderous intent towards the bold woman.
Nute spoke in a level tone. "We don't need to worry about those two anymore. With these new battle droid models that we are going to add to our vast military and massive warships like this one owned by Ventress...We will be our own powerhouse and government alongside the Republic in the galaxy. We may even be superior in terms of economy and military, definitely."
The trio continued their avarice banter, moving toward the command bridge. They moved swiftly through the massive ship, passed an archway and took a turbo-lift. After a short pause they reached the command bridge and moved along, Rune hastened his steps coming to a narrow hallway.
Inside of the command bridge were several others, all of them opposition Senators the Jedi and Republic had come to recognize as direct enemies to their rule and took violent action against them, or their worlds, at some point since the Clone Wars.
First came Po Nudo of Ando, head of Hyper-Communications Cartel.
Beside Nudo sat neckless Toonebuck Toora of Sy Myrth, with her rodent-like head and wide mouth.
The Quarren Senator, Tessek, sat beside Sy Myrth.
Wat Tombar sat near the head of the table along with Passel Argente.
Shu Mai and San Hill sat across from them.
Nute remembered meeting these executives before, back on Geonosis. What felt like four lifetimes ago if he had to be honest. Yes, he realized, it seemed like back then he had been at the center of the hive, and was still at the center of the hive.
"Shu Mai, how nice of you to join us. You do intend to speak at this meeting, correct?" San Hill, seated near the head of the table, asked in his high pitched tone.
"In representing the Commerce Guild and its needs, yes. You can rely on me to be very concise." Across the table, Shu Mai nodded.
"And, what of you Magistrate?" Poggle ventured, looking towards Passel Argente.
The tall Koorivar rubbed his long horn. "No need to worry about where I stand or if I am loyal to our sincere cause. As Magistrate of the Corporate Alliance and a distinguished member of this Council, my sole intent and focus are progressing things forward. The research of Darth Mekhis that I have seen so far is quite intriguing."
"And, what of you Wat Tombar?" San Hill ventured, a sly smirk on his face.
"The Techno Union and Baktoid Armor Workshop will gladly assist in anyway possible. Our experimentation into mutating viruses and diseases is coming a long way, so of course, I and the Techno Union are also looking for a handsome percentage...That way we can further our war efforts." The Skakoan said, adjusting his vocabulator halfway through his statement.
"We will come to the margins and percentages soon enough." Nute assured.
Those gathered around the table murmured their greetings, nodded to each other, kept the formalities for many moments, and then they went silent.
Their eyes settled on the large hologram that appeared in the middle of the table.
The figure was in complete control, even making these powerful and wealthy beings of the galaxy shake in terror.
