Alright everyone, the build is here.
Secrets of The Outer Rim.
Act II.
The Heart of Darkness.
Chapter XXIII.
Invaders of the Empire.
"Pass me the uhh...the sparky, weld-y thing, with the red handle and the trigger, the one I need for - ugh, you know what it is." Yevenna stammered as I used the Force to levitate the red-handled plasmatorch over to her. I then turned back to applying my own very limited technical skills to the calibration, setting the targeting computer to hit LAAT gunship, ARC fighters, Venator Star Destroyers, and anything else the Empire could bring to Taaszon. I still wanted to help but, after properly embarrassing myself when it comes to Schweva, I asked Master Attam if I could assist the Mandalorians in arming the defenses of their enclave. Phanza accepted, and now here I was helping Yevenna Aphlen set up surface-to-air defenses along the perimeter of the Mandalorian compound. I added a few more obscure Republic and Jedi air vehicles just in case as Yevenna made her way around the base of the structure with the torch before declaring "Base secured!"
"Targeting computer should be operation - lets see if this works..." Welded to the ground and the targeting computer manually and meticulously picked out to avoid friendly fire, everything on this turret should work. Nevertheless, I felt nervous as I wanted for Yevenna to circle around on the other side, waiting until she was ready. I heard three knocks on the opposite side of the turret and then Yevenna and I pulled the two master switches on either side, watching the turret fire up into existence. I smiled softly at the success while Yevenna raised her arms and cheered, satisfied to have finished off another turret. I packed up the pools while Yevenna used her jetpack to fly over to the trolleys of disassembled turrets...after all that would we would be starting from scratch all over again.
We weren't the only ones working on defenses. All around us the hum of jetpacks, plasmatorches, and activating targeting computers filled the air. At the same time, other Mandalorians were working on moving cultural artifacts, databanks, and training materials out of the enclave, trying to get everything out to the Silent Fleet now before the mass evacuations. Once the Imperial invasion started, we would not be bringing any more things, only people. Hence, the strong emphasis on getting stuff onboard the ships now rather than later. This activity wasn't just limited to the Mandalorian enclave, all across the capital city and, indeed, Taaszon, people were packing their things, arming defenses, and all around just preparing for an invasion. We all knew what was going to happen, the Empire was going to slam against Taaszon with overwhelming force and, despite our best efforts, we would be pushed back. Despite our best efforts, we would not stand a chance of retaking this world. Despite our best efforts, our only option seemed to be to abandon the Grand Duchy entirely and flee to Dromund Kaas, as Phanza and Admiral Wurra'thuundo'oma were already intending.
"Alright, ready to go, can you do the Force thing? Well...obviously you can, but...could you? That's correct right? Ceyla said I should work on my speech, I guess it's unbecoming of a Mandalorian to seem like dumb muscle." I tried to hide a giggle at the fact that, despite everything, Yevenna was still her same old self. Some people would think this was her being immature or naive considering the present circumstances, but I didn't think so, I think that Aphlen fully understands the weight of the situation in front of us. In fact, I think the rambling and stammering is her reaction to that, showing that she's nervous and scared and trying to keep up a brave face despite that. There was nothing dumb or immature about Yevenna, she was simply a regular person who had complex emotions and was expressive about them, sure she was talkative and high-pitched, and that didn't necessarily produce a threatening image, but she didn't need to present that image, because she was more than capable of winning any fight you put her in.
"Yes, of course." I replied and...did the Force thing. I lifted the large frame pieces and tabbed them together into place, the base plate on the ground, the rotational piece for the body, the electronics inside, and the frame pieces around it, the other rotational pieces for the turret, the actual guns, and then the armored cover for the turret. Yevenna still needed to make the connections on the electronics, weld or screw everything into place, and fuse the base to the ground while I armed the turret on the computer, but doing this bit with the Force saved us a lot of time and manual labor. I waited for Yevenna to handle the electrics - I couldn't exactly used the targeting computer until it was attached to the turret's power supply - standing there in the grand courtyard of the Mandalorian enclave, with the fountain in the center. The actual city of Taaszon was rather beautiful, various architectural styles blending together, and all of it kept in pristine condition by the government. I can't say I was a fan of the massive monolith always blocking a piece of the sky, but I had to admit the sheer scale of the tower, figuratively and damn-near literally reaching out to space, was impressive and awe-inspiring.
"Zaliza Vyvan?" speaking of the Citadel monolith, I turned to see one of the black and purple armored Citadel guards summoning me. I faced him skeptically, wondering what was going on, and what they wanted from me. Hoping to find out, I nodded to identify myself and the guard continued "Would you please come to the Citadel? Grand Duchess Voytana wants to see you."
"Oh...umm, yes, of course." I accepted, not really sure if I could refuse this. Voytana wanted to see me, me specifically, without Phanza, and I really didn't know how to react to that. Seeing some sense just before I numbly wandered off to the monolith, I turned back to Yevenna "Hey...are you going to be okay Yevenna? I'm not sure how long I'm gonna be gone."
"Oh, it's alright, I'll just ask Ceyla or one of the other Mandalorians to help me out, it's fine. I mean, you're going to see the Grand Duchess, I kinda understand." Yevenna replied, her answer just showing how deferential the people of Taaszon were to their monarch. I didn't think that Yevenna would have to finish up all alone anyway, but it was still interesting how she just completely accepted that I needed to go. I guess this is just another example of Taaszon's people being happy with their way of life. At one point, it would have been unthinkable for me to think that an advanced society would be completely content to live under autocracy, yet, since I've come to Taaszon, I've been surprised again and again. What is the moral here, that autocracy is okay? Ugh, I cringed at that, I wasn't going to say that, I don't think I was ever going to be ready to say that, but...I think I can say that forms of government and ways of life that I consider correct are not universal standards. The people of Taaszon don't seem to want a republic.
I followed the guard to the monolith, moving through the active streets of Taaszon. All around me the preparations for war were in full swing - houses being emptied of all their possessions, families beginning their evacuations, and weapons and defenses were being set up all around the capital city - everything was being done to do as much damage to the Imperial invasion force as possible. We knew that the Empire's numbers and forces would take the capital one way or another, but, by maximizing damage and making Taaszon a fortress, we can delay the Imperial conquest. The longer that it took the Empire to occupy Taaszon, the more time the rest of the Duchy had to join the exodus - to either board the Silent Fleet or accompany it, as the other worlds of the Grand Duchy haven't been discovered yet - it would also make it harder for Palpatine to justify the cost of further war.
This was a vendetta and Palpatine was going to use deadly force to squash this threat to his power, but once we disappeared to the lost world of Dromund Kaas, Palpatine would truly have no idea where we were. He would have to balance the cost of searching the entire known galaxy and beyond against his concerns within his own borders. Palpatine is truly a magnificent and evil creature in charge of the largest entity the galaxy has ever known, but even his new Galactic Empire doesn't have unlimited resources. The people of Taaszon will be safe after this battle, and every bit of damage we do to the Imperial invasion force will leave them even safer and even better off. The strength the Grand Duchy was putting into its defense was exemplified by the electromagnetic railgun some Chiss soldiers were moving past us, able to throw deadly bolts and explosives at the Empire at amazing speed, perhaps even just below the speed of hyperspace, inflicting devastating damage at relatively low cost. The defense is going to be a brutal struggle but, before that, I have to meet with Grand Duchess Voytana. I entered the monolith and boarded the elevator, wondering what I was going to encounter.
It was a long ride up, ascending above the city, above the mountains, and indeed even above Castle Attam. Spending that long in the elevator, left me thinking about what I was going to face when I saw Voytana. I knew that I was going to feel the compressing, oppressing feel of her power, that was the only constant and, whether it was real or merely an imagined effect produced by fear, I already started to feel that increasing weight and that hopelessness bearing down on my shoulders. It felt like I was being given two options, to either kneel down and submit or to curl up in a ball and die, neither of those felt particularly appealing at this juncture. I was also going to need to do this without Phanza, which was concerning for a number of reasons.
First of all, I didn't have the support that Phanza gave me, I was going to be meeting Voytana alone. Second of all, Phanza knew Voytana for longer than I did, I mean, she was her apprentice, without her, I didn't know what to expect from Voytana, I didn't know what the Grand Duchess wanted or what I was supposed to say. Was I supposed to bow? Was this an official meeting or just a private conversation? What did I do to warrant this. That brought up the third reason why I wanted Phanza: she was my master now if, for whatever reason, I was in trouble with Voytana, I feel like Phanza should be the intermediary, the one who should deem what punishment was necessary and dole it out. I wasn't going to have that this time, I would have to confront the Grand Duchess herself. I still didn't know what was going on or why I was being requested when the elevator finally did open, but, now that I was sure that the heavy feeling of Voytana's power really was here and that she did sense me, I couldn't exactly turn back and run away.
I entered the throne room and instantly knew that Voytana was here, however, I didn't see her in the grand throne I was expecting her. Instead, I looked over to the far wall and saw the Grand Duchess standing there, facing out of the window. looking down at the capital city. I very much doubted that she could pick out any detail at this distance past the clouds, but I could understand why she was doing this. This whole city, this whole world really, is the product of three thousand years of work by Voytana and her predecessors, now all of that was going to get ripped away from her, and there was nothing that she could do to stop it. She could fight the Empire all she wants and we can do as much damage as possible, but we are going to lose this planet sooner rather than later. Voytana knew that, and she knew that any attempt to try and retake this planet would fail. Even if it didn't, even in the unlikely event that we somehow managed to repel the Empire and retake Taaszon, Palpatine would just send another invasion force and finish the job. Voytana knew that, and she wanted to enjoy her world for as long as possible.
"You came, good." she suddenly spoke, not even having turned around, merely aware of the fact that I was here. I was about to ask why she wanted to see me when Voytana continued, the Grand Duchess having anticipated my question "I called you here, child, because there are two important things that we need to discuss. The first is the matter of our species and what that means. The second is this new arrangement you have formed with Lady Attam."
"What about my species?" I asked, trying to avoid acknowledging the fact that she said we were both the same species. I knew that Voytana was referring to the fact that we were both Sith, but I still didn't like thinking of myself that way. Quite frankly, I didn't feel very much like a Sith, that wasn't who I am, that wasn't what I had always known myself as. I've always thought of myself as a Zeltron, that's what the Jedi told me, and that's what I believed for the longest time. I've found out that I'm half Sith, half human from Voytana, but that didn't make me feel Sith. I didn't like finding out that the Jedi, including Ullara, had been lying to me for that long, but I don't exactly think I can blame them. How do you tell a Jedi child that she was born a Sith and thus was predisposed towards the Dark Side? How do you put that kind of pressure on a young Padawan, especially during a war that already pushes the Jedi towards darkness?
"You're an intelligent woman Zaliza, you know what's about to happen, and you know that many of us are going to die in the process. Possessing mastery of the Force, we are less likely to fall than our ordinary soldiers, but death is no less possible. You and I are the last vestiges of Sith blood in the galaxy, and there is a chance that one of us, if not both, are going to die in the coming battle." Voytana replied, still not facing me, but I could imagine her expression was rather bleak, so openly and candidly being confronted with the destruction, the extinction of her own species. I can't imagine how that feels...though I suppose I should know that feeling, considering I am a Sith..but it's still not how I feel. I don't feel like I just heard that my species is going extinct, I feel like I am hearing about someone else's crisis, and this isn't being the bonding moment I think Voytana intends to be.
"You don't expect me to...carry on the species, do you?" I asked, hoping that this conversation wasn't building towards that. I was in an awkward position, I knew that Voytana's power was on our side, but it still made me feel uncomfortable, I didn't know how to interact with her, and I wasn't sure if I could even tell her that I wasn't invested in the topic of the Sith species the way that she is. I know that this is important to her, I know that it's important to Phanza, and I understand that it holds significance to the people of Taaszon, but none of that makes me accept this revelation I only had a few months ago. It also didn't help that I still found the Sith to be a bit taboo...I can accept Phanza and the Grand Duchy, but I can't quite make the leap to be a Sith myself. That applies to both the species and the ideology.
"No, no, of course not. Not only would I not ask you to do something I won't do myself, but what's the point anyway? You're already a hybrid, there are no Sith males to mate him, any attempt to 'carry on' the species, as you worded it, would only dilute our bloodline. The Pureblooded Sith are already dead, there is no saving us, trying to would only be a hollow embarrassment to what our species once was." Voytana replied, revealing that not only she was not continuing on the Sith and Ducal bloodline herself, but that wasn't the point of the conversation. Feeling somewhat impatient, I wanted to ask what was the point of this conversation but, again, she anticipated me "The point is, we are the ends of an ancient lineage, the last of a great people, and we are going to have to face a deadly obstacle, one that can very well kill us both. I want to at least address that."
"Yes..." I trailed off, not really sure what to say. I knew that this was an important thing for the Dark Lord of the Sith, but I just didn't feel the same way. That being said, I could understand the urge to say things that need to be said before facing very possible death, and I already did something similar by becoming Phanza's apprentice. I could also face Schweva again and try to apologize for our last conversation, I was overly harsh and personal, my questioning wasn't even really equivalent to the admittedly valid but difficult questions she was asking me...but that's a matter for another day. I instead decided to ask about the other subject that the Grand Duchess had in mind "What about the apprenticeship question?"
"No, I don't have a question. Rather, I have a confession. I'm sure you are well aware of the Force Bond you share with Lady Attam. I was fascinated when she reported that she had seen a Sith-blooded Jedi on Coruscant, someone that we can turn over to our case, bring into the Grand Duchy. Phanza, however, can be rather meticulous when she wants to be, preferring to have you come to her, willingly becoming her apprentice rather than corrupting you. Now that this has happened, in a way anyway, I can reveal that I had my doubts about this. I wasn't sure that even Phanza's logic, morality, and standards could break through a decade and a half of Jedi conditioning against the Sith, against the Dark Side, and against an open use of the Force. I still wanted you to join our cause though, both because you have Sith blood, and because I do feel you can be a powerful and resourceful Force user, with the right training. So, to make sure that this happened, I influenced the situation. I created a Force bond between you and Lady Attam, drawing you two together and setting in motion the events that led to you finally becoming her apprentice." Voytana revealed, finally answering just where this Force bond came from, and revealing that it's an answer I never wanted to hear.
"Did Phanza know?" I asked calmly, needing an answer to this before I could properly process just what this means. This was already bad, this means that it wasn't entirely my choice to become Phanza's apprentice, this means that my actions, which I believed were my own, which were influenced by nothing else besides perhaps the will of the Force, were really the result of the machinations of a Sith Lord. What I wanted to know, however, was how bad the situation was. Was Phanza being genuine when she allowed me to choose my own path, or was that simply her knowing I would come around sooner rather than later, waiting for her master's scheme to pay off? I was hoping for the former, but I was dreading the possibility of the latter.
"No, I am going to tell her tonight when I meet with her. Phanza wanted to do this all by herself. My involvement was strictly my own, a precaution to make sure a potential asset fell into our hands." Voytana replied, now facing me, looking me in the eye. I suppose that there was no reason to believe her, however, when I looked into her eyes, despite being the eyes of a Sith Lord, I found it genuine. That was a relief because, if nothing else, that meant that Phanza was not intentionally manipulating me, that meant that she didn't betray me...but her master did. My master's master created a Force bond to turn me into an asset of their Sith state, and I've been going on missions for them, killing clones for them, and fighting my best friend for them. Everything I've done for Taaszon now was tainted, everything was sullied by what Voytana just admitted to me.
"I...I would like to leave now." I replied, making a rather abrupt departure, but I couldn't exactly think of anything else to do. I scurried out of the throne room and back into the elevator, squeezing myself as far against the rear wall as possible, I couldn't wait for the elevator door to shut. After what felt like an eternity, the elevator doors finally closed and it slid down the Citadel, at the same time, I slid down the elevator. I fell to the floor and pulled my knees to my chest, needing to rethink every decision I've made since this Force bond was formed...when exactly was it formed anyway? Voytana said after Phanza reported it to her, so that means my defense of Taaszon to the Jedi Council was legitimate, but then, on the way to Taaszon, Phanza first contacted me. It seemed like a dream at first, then she started contacting me when I was conscious, and even could see more of my surroundings...this was Phanza exploring the bond more as she learned more about it. That was another sign that she didn't understand it fully when it was formed, but...it still hurt. Was my willingness to see Phanza as more than a Dark Side figure an obfuscation as well? I don't think so, considering Phanza herself seemed to be aware of it, but that's just it...I can't trust my own perception of events anymore. I don't know what else Voytana could have done to influence my path to becoming Phanza's apprentice.
I cried into my robes on the elevator ride, now almost welcoming how long it was, enjoying the fact that I could be completely alone for a time. The weight of Voytana's power slowly went away as I got further away, but I didn't exactly find any solace in that, because it was replaced with the heavy knowledge of what Voytana said..the implications just got worse and worse the more I thought of it. Was the contact with Ullara real? I mean, yes, a cave full of Jedi lightsaber crystals was a place strong in the Force, the kind of place where a deceased Jedi could be closest to the mortal plane, but it's also on Taaszon. It's awfully convenient that Ullara's spirit was able to make contact with me on a Sith world she's never been to. Then, around that same time, my increasing hopelessness over rebuilding the Jedi, was that real? On one hand, the Jedi were destroyed and I was only a Padawan at the time, on the other, knowing that Voytana was already using her power to align me with Lady Attam, I had to question that. I had to question everything that resulted in me becoming Phanza's apprentice.
I took the speeder back to Castle Attam soon after, wanting to just go back to my room and sulk. I would be entirely alone, even R9-W3 was sent ahead to the Silent Fleet along with most of my clothes and possessions, and that suited my just fine. Just when I was finally settling back into life after the Jedi, just as soon as I found some closure with Ullara and a purpose as Phanza's apprentice, Voytana came along and revealed that it was all built on lies. I loved Phanza as an individual, she's fair, she cares about me, and, even if I don't agree with all of it, I know that she has a reason for believing in everything she believes in, but I can't love the fact that she is a Sith, not now. Voytana, with her Force bond and her manipulations, has proven that, deep down, the Taaszon Sith are no different than any other Sith. All they care about is there own power and advancements, and I'm just the latest addition to Voytana's powerbase. A small, vindictive part of me almost wanted to see Voytana's whole powerbase destroyed in front of her eyes, but I couldn't do that.
Lady Attam, Ruumshi, Avoine, Ceyla, Yevenna, Schweva, the common people of Taaszon...that was worth fighting for. I was going to fight for them, not for Voytana, not for the Grand Duchy of Taaszon, but for my friends and allies who happen to serve Taaszon, and for the common innocent people who, just like everyone else in the galaxy, don't want to become pawns of Palpatine. Satisfied with my cause for remaining in the struggle, I was determined to go to my room and rest, planning on talking to Phanza and Schweva later on. I wanted to clear the air with Lady Attam and, ideally, talk to her before Voytana did. I wanted to be the one who broke the news to my master, I didn't want her to have to find out the same way that I did. That was a matter for later though, for now I just wanted to - suddenly, a klaxon broke out in the hangar, bathing it in red light and filling my ears with the blaring sirens. I looked around, seeing the hangar staff leaping into action, turning the speeder around and prepping the Ultimate and the Chancellery for takeoff - they would board the Silent Fleet's hangar.
I rushed off to find Phanza, figuring that the Sith Lord would know what's going on and give us orders according. I headed through the halls of the palace and found my way to the war room, following the alarms there. The doors opened in front of me to reveal quite the commotion as Ruumshi, Avoine, Lady Attam, and HK-107 were already here, staring at various screens. I looked over at them to see an Imperial fleet emerging from hyperspace just short of Taaszon's rings, caught in the trap laid out for them. the Venator-class star destroyers were caught with the rock rings in front of them and our Margraviate-class Super Dreadnoughts behind them and above - so as to not allow our ships to be rammed by Venators coming out of hyperspace - and our ships began inflicting massive damage. I had to admit, this was a good way to use our limited numbers and the the environment against them. The Imperials may have had a wayfinder with them, but they didn't have experience using it, and that meant they would have a very difficult time trying to get capital ships through the rings, particularly the storms. I watched the gray central hangar panels rupture on a Venator as Schweva entered the room from the opposite side, having rushed here from wherever she had been.
"Everyone's here, good. The evac shuttles are accepting the last loads of cargo now, when they return to the city, they'll only be taking people. We'll keep the Empire preoccupied in orbit for as long as possible, but I am fully expecting a ground battle to start soon." Phanza replied, giving a report of the situation above us. Another wave of Imperial ships arrived out of hyperspace, but Taaszon deployed a reserve force from behind Exavellos, the Margraviate ships firing their purple lasers and inflicting massive casualties upon the Imperial fleet, which would have been a great thing, had the Empire not kept coming. We deployed fights and bombers of everything kind - Bisectors, Devastators, and Terminators - but more and more Imperial star destroyers would jump out of hyperspace, revealing the true amount of force Palpatine was willing to commit to this purge.
Confronted with so many targets, our Super Dreadnoughts weren't able to contain anything, and, soon enough, Venators were beginning to push through the rings on their way to the planet. Experienced or not, the lead Venator forced its way through, letting the orbiting debris of rocks and ice crash against the shield as it followed the general path laid out by the wayfinder - was it onboard the lead ship or was there a control ship coordinating their movements? That could explain the somewhat delayed and generalized actions, the crew of the lead ship may not have the actual navigational data in front of them - pushing through even as more rocks and more ice crashed against the weakening shields. Eventually, the shields failed and the Venator was shredded by the movement of the rings, but, as the second ship took its place, I realized that the Empire didn't care. They would keep throwing their ships at this problem until one of them got through, and there was nothing we could do about it. Not even the electrical storms could stop the Empire because, while they took down a number of star destroyers, more were getting through, and they were starting to get to the endpoint of the rings.
"Observation: the Empire is about to break through the rings. Tactical Assessment: we should deploy in the capital city, the evacuating meatbags will need our assistance. Query: may I please start killing clones, Master?" HK-107 provided an assessment of the situation, which, despite his rather...unique way of addressing sentient beings and his bloodlust, seemed mostly accurate.
"Yes, yes. We need to get to the hangars. Voytana plans to deal with the first few star destroyers personally, and we have air defenses in place, but they're going to get on the ground soon enough." Phanza answered, already heading out to the hangar. All of us followed, soon separating into two groups. Phanza, Ruumshi, and Avoine were going to head to the far side of the city, trying to hold the line there, while Schweva, HK, and I were going to be deployed closer to the evacuation site, establishing our main line of defense, the one that we absolutely could not sacrifice, hence the bloodthirsty hunter-killer droid was being deployed alongside two Force users. Voytana planned on dealing with the star destroyers somehow, but I had no idea what she intended to do...she can't have a terrible revelation in hand about all of them, especially with them being brainwashed clones.
Shaking off the petty insults, for now anyway, I focused on the situation in front of us as I climbed into the speeder. I was mad at Voytana and I had a lot to think about and a lot to talk about, but, for now, I had to focus on the real situation in front of us, saving lives and allowing the innocent civilians of the Grand Duchy to evacuate to the Silent Fleet. There would be times to address my personal issues later, for now, I strapped myself in as Schweva did the same in the seat next to mine - her demeanor was still cool around me, but she was, wisely, putting that aside so that we could work together - finally, HK-107 took the pilot's seat and flew the speeder out of the hangar, Phanza and her bodyguards in the other, taking off for another part of the city.
As our two speeders headed down to the capital from Castle Attam, I could see the little figure of Grand Duchess Voytana stepping out onto the Citadel's landing pad, a lone presence standing out high above the clouds. I watched as she was confronted with a star destroyer, the lead ship having broken into Taaszon's atmosphere already, and I wondered what was going to happen next. The Sith Lord was facing down an entire starship alone, what could she possibly do? How could she possibly survive? Well, my question was answered when the Sith Pureblood raised a hand and purple lightning flew free, hitting the star destroyer like an EMP. I looked on from the canopy of the speeder in disbelief as a star destroyer was knocked out of commission by the actions of a lone individual, Voytana's lightning instantly rendering it inoperable. Voytana may have created this Force bond without my knowledge or consent, but even I had to be awed by her power as a Venator-class star cruiser fell out of the sky and crashed into the mountains on the other side of the city.
I almost got hopeful for a second, thinking that between the ambush in space and Voytana's awesome power, we would actually have a chance, but then reality hit and I was reminded just how hopeless this situation was. The sun was blacked out as another star destroyer entered the atmosphere, then another, and two more, until finally the Imperial armada was filling the skies. I saw Voytana summoning her power, lightning building up at her fingertips, but then, the star destroyers opened fire. Voytana didn't stand a chance as Imperial lasers destroyed the landing pad, the throne room, and, finally, even the base of the the tower, sending the entire Citadel falling. I watched in absolute horror as the monolith fell against a mountain before being split in half, the upper half laying against the opposite side, out of sight. Just like that, our greatest weapon was anti-climatically taken out of the equation and the whole landscape of Taaszon was changed forever. The greatest symbol of Sith authority, the Citadel which you could see from anywhere on Taaszon, was now just a pile of wreckage across the mountains. The only thing filling the skies now was the Imperial fleet and the ships they were deploying - ARC fighters, LAAT gunships, and every other type of craft imaginable.
"What...what just happened?" Schweva asked, her voice scared and shocked, the Chiss woman sitting there petrified as she just saw her Grand Duchess vaporized while she sat helplessly in a speeder, unable to do anything to stop it. I hadn't exactly been on good terms with Voytana at the end there, but I could hardly believe it either...someone who I found so incredibly powerful every time I saw her was murdered before the fight even really began - our greatest asset was gone, just like that, and the impossibly overwhelming Imperial force seemed even more unbeatable now. We just saw Voytana eliminated in the blink of an eye and now we had to land and step into that very battle...star destroyers and buildings are falling in just the first phase of the fight, what chance do we have?
"Explanation: under heavy turbolaser fire, the Citadel collapsed, leaving the royal meatbag dead. Tactical Assessment: This has significantly lowered our ability to fight the Imperial invaders. Conclusion: we need to establish the defensive perimeter immediately. Reasoning: The meatbags were are charged with defending are in grave danger without us." HK-107 explained, somehow raising a valid point. Yes Voytana is dead and yes that hurts our ability to fight, but there are still people evacuating down there and we still need to hold the line for as long as possible.
"May the Force be with us." I whispered as we came in for a landing, knowing that we'll need whatever luck we can get. The shuttle touched down and we immediately leapt into action, disembarking and preparing to hold the line here. I grabbed my purple and black lightsaber, grabbing the disguised hilt and igniting it for the first time, heading off to the right side of our defensive line, the shuttles behind us. HK-107 ran off the center, his metal feet clanking against the ground as he ran up there with a great and varied arsenal of an assault cannon, a blaster rifle, several automatic blaster pistols, explosives, and a vibroblade. Schweva took the left, the Chiss armed with her lightwhip and lightsaber, dual weapons with which she can hold the line. The autocannons and railguns we set up earlier were doing their best to shoot down Imperial vessels, and for now, we were dealing with only the evacuees - who passed us to get to the actual evacuation staff, where they were divided up and put onto the shuttles - but the Empire was getting closer and closer to the surface, and I knew we would be fighting them sooner rather than later.
I tried to process for a moment, the people pushing past me on either side, a loan parting in the ground, a single little girl standing here in a desperate attempt to hold off the mighty Empire. I thought of Voytana and the Citadel, the two greatest symbols of Sith authority and history on Taaszon wiped out in mere moments of the invasion, spelling out just how truly doomed we all were. Then I thought about the fact that every other Jedi was dead, killed by the same clones who I would be fighting in mere moments. These clones, once brave allies, once men who I trusted my life with - I mean, right before Order 66, Commander Warlock had saved my life, the abrupt change was a complete transformation, turning Warlock from a man who saved my life to a relentless enemy murderer - were going to be gunning to kill me, and that meant that I was going to have to kill them. This wasn't the first time I've killed clones but, somehow, that didn't make it any easier. I didn't like taking another sentient's life, I didn't like seeing the face of my former troops be the face of my enemy, and I didn't like the fact that I was now fighting for the Sith, but this is what I had to do now. I needed to stand my ground because of all these people around me, these people boarding the shuttles. This wasn't about me or Voytana or killing clones, this is about helping the defenseless, and I could believe in that.
I raised my head and snapped into action, having come to terms with what's about to happen. I aimed my right hand at a low-flying LAAT gunship and fired my purple Force Lightning at it - not nearly as impressive as what Voytana would accomplish, but I still knew where the engine was and managed to knock one of the engines out - watching the gunship lose control and go crashing off into the distance, exploding on impact. Seeing us in action, the civilians were now giving us a wider berth, and HK-107 took advantage of that to begin firing off his assault cannon, shooting down gunship and starfighters even as they went on bombing and strafing runs across the city. Purple and black armored Taaszon troopers, and blue-skinned Chiss soldiers alike were fighting all over the city, keeping the Empire landing from now, but it was quickly becoming evident that it was going to be a losing battle. The autocannons and railguns were doing their best but, there was only so much they could do and, little by little, the Empire was destroying the guns one by one. Various Sith were using their powers against the gunships, but none of them - not even Phanza - were as powerful as Voytana, not even they could hold the line forever. The Empire would make it to the surface any moment now and we would be up against their clone troopers.
"Zaliza! Watch out!" Schweva called out and I turned to see an ARC fighter barreling towards me, electrocuted with a lightwhip scorch mark along the stubby, incomplete end of the wing. I Force pushed some of the people rushing towards the shuttles down and then ran off, trying to get everyone away from the crash zone. I ran towards the shuttle platform and, finally, I jumped at the last moment, just barely getting past the starfighter as it hit the ground and skid past where I had just been, continuing off until it was finally stopped when it crashed into a nearby building. I was fearing a fire or an explosion, but the snow fell off of the roof of the house and extinguished the flames, preventing that. One crisis averted, I turned back to the sky, seeing the swarm of Imperial vessels now uncomfortably close to the surface. Our ships were now deployed in the sky over the capital as well, but, in their limited numbers, our forces in the air were having little effect. At this point, it was getting to the point where taking down the ships were arguably as damaging as letting them land, because, as Schweva just inadvertently demonstrated, the ships are so low they're crashing right here, right onto our forces and fleeing civilians. There's really no winning here.
HK momentarily put his assault cannon on his back and switched to his blaster rifle, the droid aiming straight at a gunship on a strafing run directly ahead of him. I watched as the marksman droid took two shots, taking down the pilot and the co-pilot in one shot each, showing that, for better or worse, he really did deserve the designation of hunter-killer. Unfortunately, the droid was again confronted with the fact that the gunship was now on course to crashing right into him. Fortunately, I was watching the situation, so I was able to grab the gunship with the Force, trying to slow it down. Fast and uncontrolled, the gunship was difficult to slow down, even with my power in the Force, but, luckily for me, Schweva took notice as well, helping me take control of the gunship and bring it down sideways, safely landing just short of any civilians. HK-107, meanwhile, switched back to his assault cannon and rushed over to the crash site, prying open the doors and gunning down any survivors. I cringed slightly at the brutal execution before turning back to the sky, Schweva did as well, while HK used the crashed gunship as cover.
Whether it was a result of Schweva and I being distracted with bringing down the gunship, or simply an inevitability of the Imperial advance, but, as Schweva and I returned to our perspective defensive positions, clones were already on the ground. The harsh winter sun reflected off of the white armor of the clone troopers as they advanced, firing their guns as they ran. I moved my lightsaber quickly to block, struggling to adapt to now using a single-bladed weapon. My new lightsaber was more subtle and concealable, but it provided less blade, less area with which to block blaster bolts, and I was growing concerned in my ability to hold off this onslaught from the advancing clones. Knowing I needed to reduce their numbers, I raised my hand again, unleashing a burst of Force Lightning and electrocuting them in their armor. I tried to tune out their death screams while blocking the blaster bolts from the other Imperials, telling myself that this was the product of necessity. I caught one bolt just the right way and bounced it back at the clone, taking him down with a single blow to the chest. It belt almost like the Clone Wars again, being in a real war zone, doing such impressive things, and desperately trying to ignore the gnawing realization of how many people I've killed already.
In the center, HK-107 had no such reservations, gunning down clones with glee, spraying his assault cannon in a wide arc, killing clones that were even in the zones Schweva and I were supposed to defend, no doubt with murderous glee. These clones were once part of the Grand Army of the Republic though, they knew how to fight a murderous droid, so, when I saw a group of Imperial commandos sneaking up on the other side of the gunship, about to ambush HK, I wanted to warn him. I appeared to be too late though, because, as I was distracted with Force-pushing down on a group of clones that got a bit too close, the ambushing group climbed on top of the gunship and tried to gun down HK from above. The assassin droid was, fortunately, more capable than the standard separatist clankers, and he soon switched to his vibroblade and one of the blaster pistols, quickly cutting down or simply shooting the commandos, showing that he was not going to be ambushed. To emphasize this point, grabbing his assault cannon again, HK climbed on top of the gunship and started unloading on the advancing clones, making himself the biggest and most obvious target on the battlefield, and relishing it.
Glancing far to the left, I saw a blue and black whip fly through a group of clone troopers, sending their corpses flying off to the right as Schweva held the line, deflecting blaster bolts with her traditional lightning and attacking with a mixture of the Force and her lightwhip. It was certainly an odd and diverse arsenal, but it seemed to work for the Chiss woman and, well, considering that we're fighting to hold the line against the Empire, that's about all we can hope for. I saw some of the last few shuttles get loaded up and leave, right as Schweva used the Force to pull a passing AT-TE off a gunship, bring the walker down on the advancing clones and disabling it at the same time, taking down multiple targets at once. The carrier gunship, disturbed by losing the walker it was carrying, then struggled to recover, allowing for one of our autocannons to get a lock and bring it down before it could maneuver away.
Bringing the focus of the fight back to me, I seized some of the falling debris with the Force, then throwing it at the clones in front of me, eliminating them with pieces of their own ships. Between my Force attacks and HK's earlier sweep, I now have some clear distance in front of me, and the fleeing civilians took advantage of that to quickly board the remaining shuttles. One took off, then the next, and the next, one after that, and finally we were making progress. We were finally getting civilians out of here when, suddenly, perhaps intentionally, or perhaps simply in a tragic accident, a rogue laser bolt hit an evacuating shuttle, blowing it up. Not only did it kill the civilians onboard, but it also eliminated that vessel from future evacuation runs. Thankfully, but now we seem to have gotten most people out, but still, the loss of a shuttle, particularly a packed one, is terrible, especially at a time like this.
Perhaps enraged because the Empire just killed civilians, or simply thanks to me remembering something which Phanza had done during the Battle of Imperius Prime, I channeled lightning again. This time, rather than unleashing it as one blast of lightning, I directed it at one clone, then the next, and another, and again, until I had eleven clones chained together and being electrocuted, all victims of my chain lightning. I cut the lightning off and they dropped, deceased, but I fell over too. Arms weak and panting from exhaustion, I realized I did too much, I over exerted myself, and now here I was, laying dumbly on the ground in the middle of a battlefield. I was going to die like this, wasn't I?
I looked over at HK-107, but I saw him preoccupied, blasting at clones advancing over the gunship while dealing with another holding onto his back, trying to pull the droid down. HK was able to flip the clone on his back over and onto the ground, slamming his throat with a metal arm, but then he turned his attention back to the clones coming over the gunship...how had they recovered so quickly? It seemed like we had built up some distance, but now the clone troopers were on top of us again, pinning us down and getting closer and closer to striking a fatal blow. I locked over at Schweva, hoping that the Chiss apprentice was in better shape than HK or I, but she was busy angling her whip around a ground of clones advancing with riot shields, shields which allowed them to get within the range of her whip. Schweva did manage to curve it around them and hit them from behind, but now she had to deal with the regular clones that advanced behind the shielded group, meaning that she too was preoccupied. I tried to crawl forward and pull myself up, but all I saw was my shaking, exhausted arm failing to pull my drained body forward as the white armored clone troopers got closer and closer.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see what happened next. I waited to hear a blaster bolt ring out, I waited to feel it hit me, but...it never came. Instead, I heard the sound of a jetpack shooting into the sky, and then another, followed by the sound of the Imperial clones firing into the sky while airborne blaster pistols fired back at them, raining down death from above. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Yevenna's red armor and Ceyla's silver armor flying above us, the two Mandalorians joining our defensive line. Looking further around, I saw Mandalorians of all shapes and sizes, from alien bruisers to lithe operatives to even a couple of children in training, some in armor, some not, but all of them were boarding the shuttles which just returned from the Silent Fleet. One of the Mandalorians came over and helped me to my feet before she ran off to the shuttle, joining the rest of her clan. I realized this was the rest of the Mandalorian enclave evacuating. The airborne onslaught from the Ordo sisters gave us some breathing space. We were about to reposition and prepare for the next wave of Imperials when, suddenly, the clones in the distance leaned into their comlinks before turning around and rushing to a different direction.
"Wait...are they retreating? They can't be retreating, that doesn't make sense, they have the numbers and we've been struggling to - " Yevenna started before Ceyla interrupted her, the elder Mandalorian noticing that the clones, along with the Imperial fighters in the sky, were turning their attention to the far side of the city. It didn't even take me a moment to realize that was exactly the part of the city where Phanza, Ruumshi, and Avoine were, and I knew that, without a doubt, Phanza was the cause of this Imperial redeployment. Redeployment, that is what this was, not a retreat.
"No, Yevenna, they've found a bigger target than the shuttles." Ceyla concurred, also referring to Phanza, Phanza who, now that Voytana was dead, was now the highest ranking and most powerful Sith on Taaszon. Therefore, she was now the Empire's main target. We all gathered around in a circle, Phanza was important to every single once of us: Schweva and I were her apprentices, HK-107 was her personal assassin droid, Ceyla was her Mandalorian contact and frequent traveling companion, and Yevenna was not only Ceyla's protege, but accompanied Phanza on the Loukhamii mission. We all valued and looked up to Phanza, so we all listened to what Ceyla said next "I'm going to try and contact her."
I watched as Ceyla pulled out her holocommunicator and tried to contact Phanza, only to find out that the Empire was jamming all of our communications. That didn't help with our worrying, but, fortunately, we had another solution. The Force bond, the thing which Voytana created, the thing which is now perverted and tainted thanks to her machinations, but also the thing which has linked Phanza and I ever since we first saw each other on Coruscant. I reached out through our bond and I felt Phanza, still there, still intact, but busy, locked into a battle with dozens of clones and...and Vader. Vader himself was here and he found Phanza, the two were locked in combat and Phanza was heavily outnumbered. Even if Ruumshi and Avoine were still in the fight, which I couldn't see enough of the situation to confirm or not, she was heavily outnumbered. Phanza was too busy with Vader to reply to me, but she kept the link open, meaning that I could feel exactly where she was, and I knew where we had to go. I turned back to the group to report what I knew.
"I know where Phanza is, I have to get to her."
"Observation: you are tired and ineffective, meatbag, you won't do her any good." HK-107 replied, instantly taking note of my physical exhaustion and the fact that I probably wouldn't do any good in a fight at this stage. I hated the fact that he said that, and I hated even more than he probably had a point. I was tired, I was carrying a lot of emotional baggage right now, and the Empire was being relentless so far, we couldn't afford to be anything less than one-hundred percent effective against them and I simply wasn't capable of that right now. Not that any of that was going to stop me from trying my damnedest to get to Phanza.
"I'll go with her. Phanza is our mistress and we need to help her in any way we can. The Empire seems to be focusing their forces towards her but, HK, Ceyla, Yevenna, you should still stay here and guard the shuttles, just in case. Make sure you keep the last shuttle waiting until we either come back or tell you otherwise." Schweva replied, instantly volunteering to help me. I couldn't help but smile at that, that, despite everything, Schweva was going to help me get to Phanza. I knew that it was probably more about Lady Attam than about getting me there, but still, I was glad that the Chiss wasn't being resentful towards me. I knew grilling her was wrong and that I was being childish, I also knew that she deserved an apology once all of this was over.
The Chiss and I snuck through the city or, rather, the rubble of it. Bombing runs, Imperial landings, crossfire, and, especially the collapse of the monolith all left a mark on the city. Once the beautiful and diverse capital of a proud civilization, Taaszon was now a war zone, and it wore all the scars of war imaginable. Schweva and I had decided on stealth because it gave me a chance to recover from my earlier exertion, and also because we decided that less time would be lost sneaking past the Imperials than getting bogged down in a fight with the clone troopers. Especially not when I was still not quite in a condition to fight. How I was going to help Phanza face Vader like this was a matter for another time, for now, I just needed to get to her, needed to do something to make sure that she survives this fight with Vader. I just needed to do something, even if I don't know what that is right now.
Schweva was a helpful presence though. We had been rivals at one point, somewhat hostile to each other, and perhaps we'll be rivals again in the future but, right now, I was grateful to her. I followed her as we scaled a knocked over communications tower - perhaps part of the reason why we're not able to contact Phanza, but I think that's mainly down in jammers on the star destroyers - and we passed through the streets of Taaszon. It was eerie, the streets not only deserted of people, but the Empire uncharacteristically quiet as well. The fighting in the sky had died down to a few dog fights, the clones on the ground weren't actively attacking the shuttles right now, and even the sound of blaster fire seemed faint at best. To some, this would seem like the battle was coming to an end, like the Empire had already won, but I knew that wasn't the case. The clones were all heading for Phanza and Vader, and we were following them.
"We're close." I whispered to Schweva as I pointed towards a staircase. We're on our way Phanza, stay strong. I added in my head. We needed to head up to the elevated walkway on this side of the city and then cut through the Northern Station, where perimeter trains, local speeders, and even certain traffic coming from off-world converged. The Northern Station was the main hub of this side of the city, and, through it, we could get to where Phanza was. Perhaps because we were closer now, or maybe Phanza was using the Force to show me more, but I could see her holding off a red lightsaber while pushed against the railing of one of these elevated walkways and, while I couldn't see Vader through the cloudy image, I could hear his distinctive, mechanical breathing. I saw Phanza leap over him so she wasn't on the edge anymore, but something about that move seemed to set Vader off, as he caught her blade twice mid air and then deliberately unbalanced her when she landed. Vader was not going to let anyone attack him from behind.
"Though here?" Schweva asked and I nodded as we entered the station. I was, however, instantly stopped in my tracks. I felt her before I saw her, that familiar presence, that friend who was forced to become my enemy. Standing there, in the middle of the station, clearly as shocked to see me as I was to see her, stood Thonna Ai'Sunn - the Third Sister - flanked by four clone troopers, two on each side. The Twi'lek and I simply looked at each other for a moment, neither of us fighting, but neither of us having a choice. She needed to obey the Empire and I needed to get to Phanza.
This was a big one.
