My laptop actually came back a lot faster than I expected, so there's a real positive! :D
Author's Note: Dave Filoni recently got blown up by the Star Wars community for his analysis on the Star Wars movies, particularly about connections from The Phantom Menace to Return of the Jedi... and my goodness, his words are glorious. He talks about it during the Mandalorian Gallery episodes on Disney+, but I imagine you could also find it on YouTube as well. Dave Filoni once again proves his vast and amazing understanding of the Star Wars universe. We seriously need him in charge of all the creative processes for Star Wars at Lucasfilm! :O
Redemption - Somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories
3rd person POV...
Cere sat on the circular couch inside the common room of the Stinger Mantis, staring aimlessly at the table in front of her. Cal and Merrin had decided to go with Kanan and Ezra in assisting the Mandalorians, helping in their preparations for departure, while Greez was discussing different hyperspace lanes and travel routes with Hera; BD-1 of course was with Cal. As such, she was by herself to continue thinking about her worth, mulling over her guilt and what she could've done...
"Do not fault yourself, Cere."
The soft whisper of a voice close by startles Cere, as she whips her head up and quickly glances around the room for the source of the noise.
"Who's there?" she calls out.
There's no answer however and Cere lets out a tired sigh, deducing that she must've been hallucinating, and soon returns to her thoughts.
"You aren't alone, Cere."
The voice was much clearer this time, and Cere quickly gets to her feet, staring around the room with narrowed eyes, confused and uneasy. Turning towards the direction of the cockpit, Cere widens her eyes in complete shock upon seeing a transparent blue visage of a togruta woman hovering there, shimmering like a mirage. If she looks close enough, she could almost see a resemblance to Shaak Ti... but, that was impossible...
"Master Ti?" she calls out in astonishment, unable to believe her eyes.
"Trust yourself... Trust in the Force."
Just as quickly as the shimmering form of what looks like Shaak Ti appeared, it began to fade away.
"Wait! Don't go!" Cere exclaims desperately, reaching out to her.
But the image of Shaak Ti is gone, as if it had never existed. Cere stands still, completely dumbfounded, wondering if she was just seeing things... or if that was actually real. Glancing around the room, she almost jumps in surprise when she notices that she's still sitting down, as if she had never even moved in the first place. Perplexed, Cere glances down to see the Akul headdress that Shaak Ti gave her, resting on the couch where she left it. Frowning, Cere picks the headdress up in her hands and observes it, contemplating.
Jarik POV...
"Ugh. Dad, your hair is a mess!" Mara groans.
I turn to look at her with a raised eyebrow, placing my datapad on the table after pausing in my work. Mara and I were both in the common room of the Knight Hawk, taking a moment to rest ourselves; me in particular. Yet she's not bringing up the most ridiculous topic...
"What?" I ask, perplexed.
"Your hair! It's a mess!" she repeats, groaning in annoyance.
I frown at her comment, unable to help feeling slightly self-conscious as I experimentally run my hand through my hair. It's a bit disheveled and unkempt, but not really that big of an issue in my opinion.
"I just woke up fifteen minutes ago," I sigh in exasperation. "Besides, it looks perfectly fine."
"Are you kidding me? When's the last time you took a shower?" she demands.
"Last night," I deadpan.
"Oh really? It sure doesn't look like it!" she retorts. "You look like you got in a fight with a gundark!"
"What is it with you and my hair?!" I exclaim incredulously.
"Long hair isn't guy thing-" Mara starts to say.
"Ezra had long hair," I interrupt, rolling my eyes.
"Yeah, and he cut it last year," she states.
"Kanan?" I remind her, raising an eyebrow.
"He brushes it and keeps it in a ponytail," she quickly says, frowning down at me and propping her hands on her hips. "Long hair isn't a 'guy' thing. If you're going to keep you hair that long then you need to take care of it properly!"
I sigh in exasperation, propping my elbow on the table and leaning my head against my hand, giving her a look.
"Since when were you ever an expert on hair?" I ask skeptically. "I know it's not from Ahsoka."
"Didn't Mom sometimes add small braids to your hair because she liked messing around with it?" Mara asks rhetorically.
I open my mouth to respond, annoyed and admittedly a little bit flustered at the comment, but she keeps going.
"Anyways, Astrid and Sabine taught me all about making sure my hair looks good," she comments with a shrug. "I mean come on, do you see my beautiful, beautiful hair? It doesn't look this good on its own, you know!"
She holds up a few locks of her red-gold hair, which flows in a smooth wavy pattern, as an emphasis for her point. I roll my eyes and scoff at her antics, but before we could continue the opening of the door gained our attention, revealing Cere to be standing in the doorway.
"May I come in?" she asks.
"Sure," I tell her with a gesture.
She walks inside, the door closing behind her. Standing still for a few moments, she seems to hesitate before speaking, slightly unsure of what to say.
"During the evacuation, when I spoke with Master Ti... she wanted me to give you something," Cere says.
I frown slightly in confusion, before looking on in surprise as Cere holds up Ahsoka's akul headdress in her hand. I'm quiet for a moment, slightly pained at the sight of it while Mara looks on curiously.
"What's that?" she asks.
"I don't know," she admits. "She told me that you would know."
"I do," I nod my head with a sad sigh.
Cere walks over and gives it to me. I take the headdress in my hand, looking down at it with a mournful gaze before carefully setting it aside on the table in front of me.
"It's an akul-tooth headdress; Ahsoka wore it during her years as a Padawan," I say quietly.
Mara gasps in surprise, widening her eyes in astonishment at what is a revelation for her, while Cere frowns thoughtfully.
"Ahsoka Tano?" she asks in faint recognition, and I nod my head.
"Shaak had hope that Ahsoka could one day replace her on the Jedi Council, seeing as she was a fellow togruta herself," I explain.
Cere looks at me apologetically, lowering her head.
"I wasn't aware of that," she admits regretfully. "I'm sorry for what happened."
"Thank you," I nod softly in reply. "I'm sorry too, Cere. I know you looked up to Shaak a lot after joining us."
She falters for a moment before replying.
"I remember what you told me earlier..." she starts off. "I'm still not sure, but... I'll think about it."
I give her a brief smile of reassurance, and after a few more moments she exits the room; thankfully she didn't seem as depressed or guilt-ridden as she did earlier, though the feelings are in no way gone yet fully. Looking back down at Ahsoka's headdress, I let out a sorrowful sigh as I think about the fate of Shaak Ti. To lose her also was a serious blow, as there was so much she could've done, an she could've helped in so many ways. She was kind, gentle, and understanding, and despite her continual support and commendation of me these last few months, I still feel like she's much wiser than I could hope to be.
"Mom wore this when she was a Padawan?" Mara asks quietly, also looking at the headdress.
"Yup. It's an akul-tooth headdress. In togruta culture, only those who have slain an akul are allowed to wear them," I explain.
"Wow. And she did that at my age?" she asks in amazement.
"When she was fourteen," I correct her. "It was her final test before becoming a Padawan. Shaak was the one to supervise her for that."
I smile softly at the memory, recalling how excited Ahsoka was after she returned to the Temple with her new headdress. Although it wasn't necessary for becoming a Jedi, it was still used by togrutan Jedi as a test for rising Padawans. Most of the togrutan members of the Order had their own headdress.
"Well, I need to start brainstorming a way to find Megatron's ship," I comment, facing the table and looking at my datapad once more.
"You do that," Mara scoffs, marching over to me. "And I'll fix your mess."
She moves behind me and starts yanking on my hair, and I let out a startled grunt before whipping my head around to face her.
"In the name of Morai, Mara, what is the deal?" I demand irritably.
"Will you just let me fix it for you? It's embarrassing," she snaps in reply, glaring at me.
"For me? Or for you?" I accuse.
"How about both?" she says. "I'm not letting you walk out of here looking like a homeless person."
"You're overreacting," I scoff.
"You're under-reacting!" she retorts. "Gosh you are so stubborn! Just let me fix it for you while you go tech savvy on your datapad, okay?"
"Yes ma'am..." I sarcastically reply.
Conceding with an exasperated sigh, I shake my head at her behavior and turn back around, and she hums in approval. I roll my eyes as she starts working on 'fixing' my hair, running her fingers through it, pulling a few locks loose, and doing who-knows-what. When Mara starts using a hairbrush I pause for a second in bewilderment, almost asking where she even procured a hairbrush from, before I think better of it and just let her keep going at it, redirecting my focus to my datapad.
Even in this family, with all the chaos we get into, it seems the universal law of girls—well, among the human species at least—fretting over a hairstyle is still very much applicable. That or it's just Mara being Mara, which I'm willing to see as being the case too. Still, I personally don't see the big deal, I just keep my hair regularly cleaned and washed and boom, it's perfectly fine. It doesn't need special treatment!
My hair doesn't look that bad... right?
No, that's ridiculous, it looks fine.
...
Kriffing Mara.
"So... how're we going to find the Decepticon warship?" Mara asks.
"I've got an idea," I admit with a small frown. "If this 'Soundwave' is as good as Elita says, then I've seriously got my work cut out for me."
"Can you even slice into cybertronian tech?" she asks curiously. "It's so... different."
"We revived Elita One," I shrug in reply. "Besides, there's only so much that could be different. The biggest issue would be the language barrier."
"No kidding," Mara scoffs in agreement, grabbing another few locks of my hair. "Even binary isn't as weird as theirs."
Imperial Palace - Coruscant
3rd person POV...
"I have sensed a disturbance in the Force."
Emperor Palpatine paused, stretching out his thoughts to his two most useful servants; not men, as they were much more than mere men, which were insignificant, fit only to be ruled. The two powerful individuals standing before his throne, watching him, seeking to understand why he summoned them, carried some degree of tension. And he could feel that much of it wasn't just from their failure on Atollon, though there was certainly that.
The recent discovery of the Yuuzhan Vong having been on Atollon not too long ago had now brought Vader to question the full extent of Thrawn's loyalty to the Empire; indeed, Palpatine himself knew that Thrawn's loyalty wasn't strictly to the Empire itself either, though his vast use as a Grand Admiral outweighed that issue. However, that loyalty had no been fully tested either. Perhaps Thrawn truly did not expect the Yuuzhan Vong to be this close so soon, but if that is the case, then that would only increase his sense of urgency in helping the Chiss Ascendancy, which would Palpatine would find to be an issue.
A servant with divided loyalties is no servant at all.
"Is it Jarik Shan, my master?" Vader questions.
The Emperor narrows his eyes, staring at the two of them with a brief scowl on his face. Of course it was not Jarik Shan, something Lord Vader should've known all too well. He has long since been noted and dismissed as a disturbance unknown to him. The only issue lies in Vader and Thrawn's ability to end his life; as a metter of fact, Thrawn still carried some reservations about the death of Jarik Shan, something he could sense despite the Chiss Admiral's attempts to keep his thoughts about that hidden.
"No, the disturbance does not come from him," Palpatine states dismissively, leveling them with another glare. "Nor does it come from the creature you claim to have encountered on Atollon."
Of course, there was that strange creature that they both reported to have interfered with their attack on Atollon. Of course, Palpatine knows such an event occurred if Vader reported as such, yet that excuse can only go so far; it's the only reason that Vader is still being allowed the task of killing Shan, and why he hadn't taken away the Seventh Fleet from Thrawn. It is not a complete loss though, as the Jedi Master Shaak Ti has now perished, while word of the rebel's defeat has been spread across the galaxy; a firm reminder that the Empire is still the dominant force in the galaxy, and cannot be contested.
"This disturbance is something new. Something different," Palpatine continues, looking between them. "Something that will require both of you working together to uncover."
There was no visible reaction, but Palpatine could sense their surprise and wary confusion.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I believe my duty and my abilities would be best used elsewhere," Thrawn quickly states. "The rebels who escaped Atollon must be tracked down and eliminated before they can regroup and join with other cells."
"I agree. But the Seventh Fleet and Vice Admiral Sloane can deal with that without you for now."
"And what of Governor Pryce and her failure?" Vader questions.
"Grand Moff Tarkin will make sure she is aware of how... disappointed I am, in her blunder," the Emperor replies, pursing his lips in distaste for a moment at the mention of her. "For he will be joining the Vice Admiral while his new assignment is being prepared for him."
"Were it not for Tarkin's request that the rebel leaders be captured, they would all have been annihilated," Vader states coldly.
The Emperor narrows his eyes dangerously at Vader, who does not visibly react, though he understood his master's displeasure. Palpatine could sense Vader's anger and frustration with who he considered to be politicians involving themselves in the effort to wipe out the rebels. And he could understand his apprentice's feelings to a degree; Vader is much more cold and efficient in his dealings, have very little patience for anything otherwise. However...
"Perhaps. Though, do not forget that it is hope through which these rebels survive on. To see their leaders defeated, is what will break them," the Emperor says, smiling thinly. "And if I am correct, Jarik Shan was not to be included in the capture, for you would've been free to eliminate him. Yet this is the second time you and Thrawn have caught him by complete surprise, and yet subsequently failed to destroy him with the same swiftness."
He can sense Vader's anger rising at the accusing statements, as well as the hardening of Thrawn's attitude. Yet they both knew when to be silent.
"While Sloane and Tarkin find and deal with the rebels, Grand Admiral, you and Lord Vader will take your flagship to deal with this other matter that holds my attention," Palpatine continues to say.
"Understood, Your Majesty. May I point out that Governor Tarkin is less familiar than I am with this particular rebel cell. And of course I still have some work to do in my effort to uncover the location of Jarik Shan," Thrawn says calmly. "Perhaps a more efficient approach would be for Lord Vader to take the Executor and seek out this disturbance on his own."
A brief hint of anger stirs in Vader at the suggestion: no one gives suggestions to a Sith Lord on how to conduct their tasks, nor would they command them, only their Sith master should do so. Yet he remains silent.
"You surprise me, Admiral Thrawn," Palpatine remarks, smiling thinly. "I would have expected a certain eagerness to journey within sight of your home."
"Excuse me, Your Majesty?" Thrawn asks, narrowing his eyes cautiously.
"The disturbance is located at the edge of your Unknown Regions. It appears to be centered on a planet named Batuu," he explains, sensing a reaction to the name. "I believe you have heard of it?"
"Yes," he murmurs in reply. "I have indeed heard of it."
And so had Vader as well.
"I am most curious about this. I feel that it is no coincidence that I have sensed this disturbance much at the same time you bring news of Yuuzhan Vong presence within the borders of the Empire," the Emperor continues, frowning deeply.
"You believe this disturbance may be related to those beasts?" Vader questions.
"That is what I wish for you to discover," he responds firmly, pointing a finger at them. "You, Admiral, will command. You, Lord Vader, will deal with the disturbance."
"Yes, Your Highness," Thrawn says.
"Yes, my Master," Vader says.
"Now, as for these 'Decepticons' you say you have allied yourselves with..." the Emperor starts off, frowning in displeasure. "Explain yourselves."
"It is not so much an alliance as it is a truce of mutual cooperation, Your Majesty," Thrawn explains. "The pink transformer known to be allied with Jarik Shan and the rebels, whom we now know is named Elita One, is affiliated with an opposing faction to the Decepticons known as the Autobots. They seek to destroy her."
"Is that so?" Palpatine asks thoughtfully. "And what brought this 'Elita One' here?"
"I am unsure of that, Your Majesty," he admits. "But the Decepticon leader, Megatron, desires her destruction greatly. Because the Autobots were assisting the rebels, Megatron requested that we let him deal with his enemies, while we handled the rebels."
"I see. However I would like to judge his intentions for myself," the Emperor replies firmly. "I asked for him to be brought here. Where is he?"
"He is waiting outside, Your Majesty," Thrawn states. "However I must warn you, he did not take kindly to your summoning."
"Oh?" he questions, raising an eyebrow.
"Megatron believes he has no equal, and that no one can hold power over him, my Master," Vader scoffs in contempt. "He believes all of us to be insignificant compared to him."
"Then why did he come here?" Palpatine asks.
"So that he could claim that he'll will do whatever he pleases, and that you hold no power over him," he states irritably.
"Ah... and he truly believes this?" the Emperor says in response, smirking in amusement. "Well then, perhaps it is time I greet our... guest. No need to keep such an 'important' visitor waiting."
Hoth asteroid belt - Outer Rim Territories
Jarik POV...
After over an hour of formulating a strategy to gain the attention of the Decepticons—without the Empire coming with them—I finally came to what I thought would be a reasonable option. With some assistance from the Autobots on how their technical specifications, such as the type of signals they transmit, what type of frequencies they use, the equipment, etcetera, R5 and I managed to whip up a strategy that might actually work. After discussing it with the Autobots, they, Mara, R5 and I all set off into space away from the rebel fleet to begin the mission, after informing Hera and General Dodonna of course.
Mara, R5 and I were all in the Knight Hawk while Elita, Ironhide and Chromia all went in their own ship. We also brought along a spare vulture droid fighter that was laying around in the Redemption; my plan was to use the droid as bait to lure in the Decepticons by broadcasting the same signal that Ironhide's shuttle did. The Autobots currently had it on board their shuttle, and would throw it out once we put out plan into action. Lucky for them, they don't need to breathe, so they can survive in space just fine.
"In all of the years we've spent trying to keep ourselves hidden, Dad, this might be the first time we actually want to be found," Mara comments.
"Well, not us specifically, but I see your point," I shrug in acknowledgement.
R5 beeps a snarky comment in response, and I simply rolls my eyes before the Autobots hail us over the comlink.
"This droid fighter of yours sure look pretty worn down," Elita remarks. "You sure it'll do the job?"
"As long as it sends out a signal, that's all we need it for," I say in reply.
"If the Decepticons do come after it, we'll have very little time to act," Ironhide grunts warily. "As soon as the Nemesis arrives in the area, it'll take Soundwave moments to realize that it's a trick."
"Then we better act fast 'Hide," Chromia replies.
"You know what would really suck? If the Empire came out here too," Mara says uneasily.
"I don't believe they will. Megatron is not known for making alliances, especially with organic beings," Elita says thoughtfully. "The only reason I think he's doing so is because he didn't expect to face such a large fleet. Even the Nemesis would have some trouble against that super-sized Star Destroyer."
"Guess it's a good thing he hates us 'fleshies' then," I reply sarcastically.
R5 beeps about not liking us either, but Mara lightly kicks him with an exasperated sigh, shutting him up.
"I'm ready on our end," I report, having all of my specifications set. "How about you three?"
"We're ready," Elita responds.
"As soon as you drop the vulture droid, we'll need to go comm silent to avoid detection," I add in warning.
"Understood," Ironhide acknowledges in reply.
"Take us down Mara," I say, and she nods in acknowledgement.
Mara takes the controls and starts flying the Knight Hawk in the direction of the nearby asteroid field; we chose this location specifically to hide ourselves from the Decepticons using the natural signal interference provided by the space rocks. Mara directs us over to one of the larger, slow moving asteroids, and carefully brings us in for a landing on its surface. Once we land, R5 engages the clamps to keep us secured to its surface, and Mara lets out a sigh of relief, slumping in her chair.
"Nice landing," I compliment her with a smile.
"Thanks," she replies.
"Are you cleared?" Elita asks.
"We are. Drop the vulture droid, and I'll activate its beacon," I tell her.
Out just beyond the asteroid field's perimeter we could just manage to see their ship in the distance, and watch as its door opens up, allowing for Ironhide to throw out the vulture droid. As soon as they do so I cut the transmission between our two ships and activate the droid's homing beacon; with some help from the Autobots, R5 and I managed to specify it to be as similar to the real Autobot ship as possible, also having to work it in such a way that it wouldn't be very obvious either in order to avoid making Soundwave suspicious. Hopefully it was good enough to get them here.
Imperial Palace - Coruscant
3rd person POV...
Megatron stood at the entrance to the Imperial Palace with his arms behind his back, scowling as he looked out at the city landscape before him. As he thought about his current situation right now, he seethed with irritation and contempt. It was beneath him to meet with some organic 'Emperor' at their request, and to even consider the idea is laughable! Yet here he is, waiting for him to come out, with the Emperor certainly being stupid enough to believe that he had the right to make Lord Megatron wait.
The only reason he's even fathomed this idea is so that he can make it strictly clear that these organics have no clue who they are dealing with, and that getting in his way of destroying the Autobots would be a great mistake.
Upon his arrival, the insects cowered in fear and sought to aim their weapons at him, intending to force him into submission with their idle threats. Megatron simply laughed in response, and would have gladly demonstrated that he isn't someone they can control, but Vader and Thrawn stepped in before he could do so, ordering the Imperials to stand down. They agreed with extreme reluctance, however they still kept him under strict watch and security; Megatron almost sighed, opting to not bother with them. There would be no point killing them anyways, its not like they have the firepower to actually hurt him.
As he waited for the Emperor to arrive however, he couldn't help but observe the large city spanning the horizon with some begrudging respect: if he were to just wake up from a long period of stasis lock, he would almost think it was Cybertron. However after first glance, the similarities fell away, and Megatron's respect was replaced with contempt. Even if it may look it, this place was in no way Cybertron; its structures were many, but weak and flimsy, and its inhabitants were nothing but worthless insects who knew nothing of the universe.
No matter where he goes, organic beings remain the same: they al think that they're the center of the universe, especially the ones that live in comfort, away from the struggles that give one purpose in life.
Megatron is broken out of his thoughts as his audio receptors pick up the sound of footsteps approaching, as well as what sounds like some sort of walking cane. And then of course, the cyborg's unmistakable breathing that echoes out. How that creature sustained such injury, he does not know, nor does he care, but it only proves how weak and pitiful these organic beings truly are.
"You certainly enjoy taking your time," Megatron calls out, not granting them the respect of seeing his face.
"If the wait was an inconvenience, I apologize. I do not often receive guests such as yourself," the Emperor's voice replies, and Megatron narrow his optics.
Guest.
This pitiful organic, believes he is no more than a common visitor? Perhaps he was not clear enough already.
"Indeed," Megatron murmurs in reply. "Allow me to make myself clear, Emperor..."
Without warning, Megatron whirls around and swiftly crouches down in front of Palpatine as the others with him, slamming his fists into the ground. To his credit, the Emperor was only just briefly startled, whereas Vader took a step back reflexively and whipped out his lightsaber, the Royal Guards pointing their pikes threateningly while the Imperial troopers all aimed their weapons.
"You do not command me, Darth Sidious, and you never will," Megatron sneers, and Palpatine widens his eyes slightly at hearing his Sith name. "Your meager concerns are insignificant to me, a my only purpose for traveling to this galaxy is to wipe out my enemies! If you try to get in my way then I will be all too glad to end your rule!"
"You dare to threaten us?!" Vader demands furiously.
"As Onslaught has already shown you, the Decepticons can decimate your forces, whenever we desire!" he taunts in reply. "Consider yourselves fortunate that you insects are not worth our time. However, I would strongly advise that you do not test me."
Satisfied, Megatron stands back to his full height and begins marching away. Before he could travel far, however, the sound of slow laughter gets his attention. Confused, Megatron glances back with an irritated frown on his face, seeing the Emperor chuckling sinisterly in amusement.
"The threat against your life, amuses you?" he asks with contempt.
"Oh, Megatron... you overestimate yourself," Palpatine says with a wide grin. "You say I am insignificant, and yet you do not even have full domain over one world, whereas I am the ruler of thousands of star systems."
Megatron narrows his optics and turns back around to face him, a scowl on his face. He takes another step forward, but a pair AT-ST walkers stomp forwards a step as well, priming their turrets defensively.
"Do not make another move!" an Imperial calls out over the loudspeaker.
Megatron glances irritably at the scout walker and casually raises his arm, firing a blade from his cannon. The purple bolt explodes against the ground between the two walkers, causing them to stumble, and Megatron stares down at the Emperor.
"Shall I demonstrate just how pathetic your weapons are?" he threatens.
"Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo, kindly inform our troops to withhold their fire unless I give the order," Palpatine tells Thrawn.
The Grand Admiral is reluctant, but nods his head in agreement, giving the order.
"A wise decision," Megatron states, lowering his arm.
"Indeed. For your sake, Megatron," Palpatine replies with a smirk. "I sense we are not so different from each other. We both understand what it takes to ensure victory, and are willing to use whatever means necessary to achieve it."
Unable to help himself, Megatron bursts out in mocking laughter at the statement, grinning in amusement as he looks back down at Palpatine.
"You seriously think you and I are alike?" he sneers. "I was a champion of my race before your galaxy knew the meaning of civilization! You are insignificant in comparison. It would be so easy for me to crush you like the bug that you are."
"You clearly do not understand the power we possess, transformer," Vader growls dangerously. "Compared to it, you are nothing."
"Is that so, cyborg?" Megatron sneers. "Tell me, if not for your suit, how helpless would you be?"
Vader snarls angrily and takes a step forward, but a stern gaze from the Emperor pauses him in his step. Satisfied, Palpatine looks back up at Megatron with a hard gaze.
"You truly believe yourself to be all powerful, when you stand here in my domain?" he demands coldly.
"The only thing keeping you alive is my sheer contempt of dealing with such worthless beings, when I have other important things to attend to," Megatron says carelessly.
"Perhaps you need to understand the full power I possess..." Palpatine growls.
Megatron turns away from him with a dismissive scoff, transforming into his jet mode so that he can leave. As he attempts to take flight however, he finds himself unable to move through the air. Confused and frustrated, he increases the power of his engines, yet he still is physically incapable of moving. Glancing behind him, he could see the Emperor's arm outstretched in his direction. Without warning he's suddenly slammed back down to the ground by the Emperor, grunting in surprise and outrage. Furious, Megatron quickly transforms back into his bipedal mode and whips around with a snarl on his face, glaring down at Palpatine.
"You dare?!" he roars, raising his cannon arm.
He fires a purple energon bolt, to which Palpatine manages to direct it away from him with a Force shield. Thrawn flinches instinctively, ducking back to cover himself as the bolt shoots past.
"I will take your metal world, and all those on it will submit to my rule! Refuse, and you shall be destroyed!" the Emperor declares.
"I submit to no one, least of all you fleshling!" Megatron roars, unsheathing his sword.
The Imperial forces immediately open fire on the Decepticon warlord, a hail of red blaster bolts flying through the air in his direction. Megatron raises his arms to block them and growls, retaliating with his own cannon. The scout walkers are easily destroyed in large explosions, and Vader throws his lightsaber. Megatron moves his head out of the way of the lightsaber and lunges forward with his sword, intending to kill Vader, Palpatine, and Thrawn. However he's preventing from doing so as the Emperor unleashes a powerful blast of Force lightning, arcing out in powerful bolts; Vader also adds to it with his own burst of Force power.
Thrawn quickly makes himself clear of the danger zone, knowing that he's incapable of doing anything to fight such a being.
Megatron growls angrily as he blocks the lightning with his sword, attempting to force the blade down while Palpatine and Vader keep him him at bay with their powers of the Force, the former blasting a storm of lightning at the cybertronian. The rest of the Imperial forces waste no time in firing on Megatron, a barrage of laser bolts striking his body. Megatron grunts in annoyance, his armor strong enough to protect him from their fire, and snarls as he tries pushing his sword down further towards the two Sith Lords.
"A walking machine is no match for the power of the dark side!" Sidious declares gleefully.
He increases the power behind his lightning attack, and Megatron cries out in surprise upon the lightning bolts striking his body actually causing him some measure of pain. Furious, Megatron slowly turns his right arm through the tremendous grip of the Force to point his cannon at them. He charges his cannon and fires a shot with a frustrated yell. Startled, Sidious and Vader quickly halt their attack in favor of creating a Force shield to protect themselves.
The energon blast explodes point blank of the Force shield, sending out a blast wave that throws all of them away: the two Sith are thrown up onto the steps while Megatron is blown backwards, rolling across the ground with a surprised grunt. The other Imperials in the vicinity are blown away by the blast wave, with Thrawn just barely managing to avoid it by taking cover behind one of the palace's pillars. Megatron looks up from his crouched position on the ground, growling with anger. Before he could resume his attack however, his internal comlink crackled to life.
::Lord Megatron?::
"Soundwave!" he snaps irritably. "What is it?!"
::I have located the Autobots, and await your command on how to proceed.::
Megatron's anger fades to be replaced with interest and cold satisfaction. Glancing around, he noticed Imperial TIE Fighters flying his way, as well as the two Sith getting to their feet, and nods to himself.
"Excellent work, Soundwave. Open the space bridge portal," he orders.
Standing to his feet, Megatron gives the Imperials one last look of contempt before turning around as a portal opens behind him. He calmly starts walking for it as Sidious looks on, narrowing his eyes angrily. With an angry roar he thrusts his hands out and unleashes a tremendous wave of blue Force fire, which crackles through the air on its way to Megatron. However just as it was about to reach him, Megatron enters the swirling vortex, which promptly disappears right afterwards.
The Emperor ceases his fire attack with an irritated scowl, while Vader walks up beside him, also seeming frustrated.
"Lord Vader, before your departure, you would do well to inform our navy that all transformers are to be declared as an enemy of the Empire," Sidious states, growling in cold anger. "They pose a great threat, and if they will not submit to the Empire, they must be eliminated."
"As you wish, my Master," Vader replies.
The Nemesis - Somewhere in the Outer Rim Territories
3rd person POV...
Megatron walks out of the space bridge portal with long, determined strides, an irritated scowl on his face. His encounter with the Emperor was most certainly not what he was expecting... it seemed that Onslaught was correct in his assessment that the Andromeda galaxy's Force users are certainly not to be taken lightly. Yet Darth Sidious believes he can conquer Cybertron? Even with all of his mystical power, the conceived notion is still laughable. Putting all thoughts of Sidious and the Jedi aside, Megatron sets his mind to more important matters as walks onto the bridge and approaches Soundwave, who remains as silent and unmoving as ever.
"Soundwave. You have located the Autobots?" he states with a frown.
Soundwave gives a single nod in response, showcasing the signal beacon on his visor. Megatron analyzes the beacon for a moment and then grins in satisfaction.
"Well done. Take us there immediately," he orders.
However, Soundwave gestures up to the monitor beside him and displays the beacon up there, providing more detail; specifically some of the communications chief's own uncertainties and suspicions. Megatron stares at the monitor with a slightly confused frown, attempting to deduce the meaning.
"What is different about the signal, then?" he questions.
Soundwave brings up more data on the signal, such as the inconsistencies it held compared to the regular thing; they're so subtle and faint that not many would have picked up on them, were it not Soundwave reading into it closely. The monitor then shows a diagram of a machine: an Andromedan droid with the designation of "R5-S7."
"You're saying this isn't, the Autobots?" Megatron demands, confused and annoyed.
Soundwave only stares back at him, and then Megatron understands the meaning, widening his eyes in surprise before smiling in amusement.
"I see..." he remarks, chuckling sinisterly. "The Autobots are attempting to lure us in?"
Soundwave nods his head.
"I wonder what it is they hope to accomplish," Megatron muses thoughtfully to himself. "Well, let us not keep our friends waiting."
Hoth asteroid belt - Outer Rim Territories
Fortunately for the Jedi and the Autobots, they didn't have too wait very long for the Nemesis to show up. About half an hour after they started broadcasting the weak cybertronian signal, Jarik and Mara looked out the cockpit window of the Knight Hawk at the appearance of the massive warship, slightly stunned by its appearance; even Mara despite having seen it already.
"Talk about overkill," Jarik murmurs in regard to the long spines, and Mara nods in agreement.
Meanwhile, as soon as the Nemesis came into view the Autobots immediately flew their ship around to behind it, using the asteroids as cover. As soon as they crossed the empty space between the asteroid field and the Nemesis, they moved in for a landing on the warships hull. Attaching their ship to the underside of the Nemesis, the three Autobots prepared themselves for their mission.
"Elita, you should remain here," Ironhide says.
"What? Why?" Elita asks in a bit of protest.
"Someone needs to stay with the ship in case we need a fast evac," he states.
"Not to mention you're the one Megatron wants to offline. If something goes wrong, we can't let you be the one to fall, otherwise Prime might become compromised," Chromia adds, and Ironhide nods in agreement. "I don't want to lose you again, sister."
Elita sighs reluctantly but nods her head to them in acknowledgement.
"What have you uncovered Soundwave?" Megatron questions.
Soundwave continues to work silently at the computer terminal, swiftly going through the data his scanners and various detection systems were picking up. He displays a visual image of the vulture droid starfighter on the main monitors for Megatron to see, who frowns at its appearance.
"And what of the machine who is apparently operating this signal?" he questions.
He waits for a few moments after his question, although when no answer is given he frowns in confusion and annoyance to glance at Soundwave, who stood stiffly at the computer terminal. Megatron has known Soundwave for a very long time, with the silent cybertronian being his most loyal supporter, and as such he could see past his trusted ally's silence much better than most others could ever hope to, able to understand at times what Soundwave was thinking. And he could tell Soundwave was confused.
"Well?" Megatron demands. "What is the issue?"
Soundwave tilts his head briefly in Megatron's direction, before refocusing on the terminal with a bit of tension, revealing his own frustration. He brings out his two tentacles and attaches them to the computer, boosting the warship's sensors to figure out what is eluding him; locating such a primitive machine, particularly one from the Andromeda galaxy should have been child's play... yet this 'R5-S7' was keeping itself hidden much better than he ever thought possible.
The only times he's ever had difficulty in technical operations is when he's faced off against Blaster who, after Soundwave, was the next best cybertronian hacker. He's held a rivalry with his Autobot counterpart for much of the war because of this fact. Still, there's no possible way that the technology of these Andromedans should prove a match for him of all beings! After putting in more intensive work, knowing that Megatron was growing further annoyed, Soundwave finally managed to bypass whatever was keeping this little machine undetected, and discovers its location.
Megatron turns back to his own monitor as an image of the Knight Hawk comes on the screen, followed by pictures of the droid R5-S7 and Jarik Shan, gaining some of the Decepticon warlord's interest.
"Him already? Now what could possible lead him to attempt such..." Megatron pauses as a thought comes to his mind.
The rebel planet had the remains of Hive on its surface... and the Autobots were forced to call off their attempts to leave this galaxy... Megatron chuckles in realization.
"Of course... the Autobots cannot get past the Hive on their own. They seek to learn how we bypassed those wretched creatures," he says with a smirk, turning towards Soundwave. "Put our troops on alert for any sign of the Autobots. And Soundwave, do away with Jarik Shan and his machine however you wish."
Soundwave nods his head in acknowledgement, focusing back on his monitor with some determination.
No one can best Soundwave at this game. No one!
Author's Note: Whoops! Cliffhanger! :O
Honestly, writing the conflict between Megatron and Darth Sidious was really difficult lol, for the precise reason that I have no clue who would win in a battle; I just can't see either of them coming out on top, and no matter who were to win I would feel like that's just not right for the loser lol. As it so happens, neither of them would ever accept having another as being above them, as both share the same desire to be the ultimate rulers of everything. Hopefully this standoff was a good enough interpretation of this, and it works!
It's just one of those confrontations that's kind of forbidden, you know? xD
Hopefully I got a few laughs with Mara freaking out over Jarik's hair, lol. Btw no disrespect to girls and their hair, I just thought this would be a funny scene: Jarik's been a warrior for nearly all of his life, so making sure his hair looks good would be the least of his worries. Hence his exasperation with the topic. :P