ROTIGTA (OLD VERSION)

by bobbyf397

This is the old version of ROTIGTA for those who would like to read it. Keep in mind that I won't be updating this at all as it should be considered discontinued. This is mainly here for archival purposes.

Chapter I: The "Switch"

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

(In-Game Avatar's Personal Flagship in Modded Server for Voyages Into The Unknown DMMO-RPG)

Ten Minutes Before The "Switch"

As I stood on the bridge of the ship that I spent six years grinding for, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming feeling of despair. Today was the final day for the game I was playing, and even this modded server wouldn't be saved from the game's impending demise. I looked out of the viewport and into the vastness of space in front of me, reaching a hand out towards the stars.

It had taken virtual blood, sweat, and tears to come this far. I had to start out as a lowly cadet aboard another Player's Star Destroyer, the Executioner, and work my way up from there to become what I was today. I had participated in numerous battles over the years. From boarding actions on Rebel ships to destroying enemy fleets, I'd been through it all. While it was only six years out there in the real world, it had been nearly fifteen years in-game.

I was promoted on numerous occasions, and my character was even made a Grand Admiral at least two years ago. I'd already had command of the Basilisk by that point, but I only became a Grand Admiral when I was recommended by other Players. It took nearly five years for that many to have come aboard, but it was well worth it. When no other Players were aboard, I made it a habit to chat with the NPCs when I was alone. Granted, they couldn't offer much in conversation, but it was still fun.

Most of the crew were humans, as was the Army personnel stationed here, but all of the Stormtroopers aboard were Fett Clones who were wearing Phase II Clonetrooper Armor. I personally favored the Clones over Stormtroopers because they actually HIT what they shot at. The Clones originally wore the standard Imperial Stormtrooper armor, but I had them switch to the Clone Armor. In-game, my avatar's reason for doing this was because he felt that the Clone Armor was more intimidating than the Stormtrooper Armor, but in reality, I thought the Stormtrooper Armor was dumb-looking.

I mean, seriously, who thought a helmet with a frown was a good choice for intimidation? Phase II Clone Armor, in my opinion, was much cooler. The T-visor just seemed more badass than that stupid frown. That doesn't mean I don't have any Stormtrooper Armor. I just keep it all in the Storage Bay aboard. Those armor sets were placed in there alongside the few battle droids I confiscated off a Pirate Faction's ship near Tatooine. The specific numbers were twenty B2 Super battle droids, a handful of BX Commando droids, and two IG-100 Magna Guard droids. I was hoping to find a couple of Droidekas, but they'd already been sold to another Imperial three days prior. The amount I got was still good, however, as those were some of the stronger CIS units.

I lowered my hand and turned around, taking in the crew who were diligently working at their stations. They were all NPCs, of course, and I had met all of them when they first came aboard my ship. The Captain, one of the NPCs I had made, was standing next to the Admiral's Command Chair, with her Lieutenant on the other side.

The Captain, one of the few female NPCs aboard, was named Shara Cavos, and her Lieutenant's name was Erza Sarkley. He was an ambitious man, at least, that was what I'd put in his bio. I'd also made sure to write that he was absolutely loyal to me, just as much as his loyalty was to the Galactic Empire. The Captain was similar, however where her Lieutenant was ambitious, she was calculating and cold. She was a good tactical advisor, like the commander of the Stormtroopers aboard. He was a Clone Marshal Commander, and his designation was CC-1084/6597. I gave him the nickname 'Harlow', based on the protagonist from the Red Dead Revolver Remastered game from a few years ago. He was supposed to be the fastest gun in the Stormtrooper contingent aboard.

I began to slowly walk towards my quarters. They were two levels down in the Officer's Quarters, put squarely in the middle of all of the other rooms. Once I arrived at my room, I took a moment to reminisce all the times I had come out of the room to lead my ship in battle. As I walked in, I was greeted with the sight of Taver Slazin, my in-game avatar. The mirror, for whatever reason, had been put in front of the door. I took a second to look at my appearance in the mirror.

I fidgeted with my avatar's mustache out of habit. It was something I had written in his bio as a nervous tic. I wanted to keep up appearances since this would be the final time I would see this face. I felt the scar just under my eye. My character had gotten it when he'd had a way too close call with a Rebel's Vibro-blade knife during an early boarding attack.

I turned my head and looked at the desk that was situated near the middle of the room. On it, my character's datapad was just laying there, as I had tossed it onto the desk when I'd exited the room earlier that morning. I went over and sat down, opening a drawer to extract a few items.

I pulled out a bottle of Tihaar and a glass. I poured ice into it and then the Tihaar. If this was the last time I was ever going to see the Basilisk, then I wanted to be good and drunk. Well, drunk in the sense that I could actually feel the warm and fuzzy feeling from drinking too much alcohol.

There were more bottles like the one I'd pulled from out of my desk, but I kept them out of sight in a compartment within the closet. There were also some fine wines and brandies, but I wanted to get drunk properly. Besides, I thought Tihaar was the best tasting out of everything in there. If I could compare it with anything, I would say it was like a stronger version of Jack Daniels.

As I sat at the desk, sipping the drink, I looked up into the corner of my HUD.

"Only a few seconds left. Well, it's been fun, old girl." I thought as I lifted my glass into the air in salute of the ship, as well as the crew.

I closed my eyes as I set the drink down on the desk. I made sure my face was toward the ceiling. I counted down in my head alongside the timer that had been in the corner of my HUD.

00:03… 00:02… 00:01… 00:00…

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The "Switch" + 00:00 (The "Switch")

00:00… 00:01... 00:02... 00:03...

I opened my eyes, expecting to see the room I had my gaming rig set up in. To my astonishment and growing dread, it wasn't my room. At least, not the one in the real world.

I was still seated at my desk aboard the Basilisk. Not only that, but my HUD was gone. I motioned for the console so that I could call an Admin, but nothing happened. I tried again. Still nothing.

"What the hell is going on?" I thought as a sudden chirp came from the intercom on my desk. This meant someone was trying to call me from somewhere on the ship. I hesitated for a couple of seconds, and then pushed the talk switch.

"This is Slazin. What is it?" I asked in a much deeper and colder tone than I thought my character had. I mean... wow. Didn't realize my character's voice was that low when I chose it.

"Sir, you're needed on the bridge." a female voice answered, most likely Cavos's.

"On my way, Captain."

I left my room and headed towards the elevator. As I pushed the button to summon the elevator, I tried to think of what exactly was going on. Could this be some new type of DMMO-RPG? No, I could still feel the effects of the Tihaar that I had sipped on mere minutes ago. If this was a new type of game, then I certainly wouldn't be feeling actually tipsy.

The doors slid open, revealing a pair of Clones with shouldered DC-15A Rifles. They saluted as I entered, to which I gave them a sharp salute in return. I entered the elevator and one of the troopers poised a finger toward the elevator floor console.

"Where to, sir?" the other trooper asked all business.

"The bridge, please." I answered. The troopers nodded as the one poised by the console activated the button for the bridge.

As the elevator began to ascend, I stood facing the door. It was kinda awkward to just be standing there when there were two other people with me.

"I'm sorry if this seems rude, but what are your names, troopers? I've been so busy that I've forgotten."

"Uh... I don't have a name, sir." the trooper who pushed the button answered. The other one adjusted his rifle's positioning on his shoulder and jerked a thumb at himself.

"My name's Blitz, sir. I was one of the original Clones at Geonosis." he replied, a bit of pride evident in his voice.

"Ah, yes I remember you. You were one of the first Clones on the ground with the Jedi Grandmaster."

"Aye, sir. Grandmaster Yoda."

"Thank you, I'd forgotten the little imp's name."

The doors slid open once more to the bridge. I motioned for the troopers to follow after me as we left the elevator. I spotted the Lieutenant and the Captain by the Command Chair, the Lieutenant admonishing an ensign for a simple error that he'd made.

"Lieutenant, that is enough." I commanded as the man stiffened and quickly came to attention.

"O-of course, sir." he said, turning alongside the Captain. She also stood at attention, waiting for my command.

"At ease." I said, making everyone on the bridge loosen up as I sat down. I spared a glance at the Captain as she motioned a communications ensign forward.

"Sir, this man claims that there is no comms with any ships within this region." she explained as the communications ensign handed me a datapad. I gave it a quick look, and then turned my gaze upon the man.

"Explain."

"It's just that, sir. I've tried every available Imperial channel. There's nothing." the man said worriedly. The Lieutenant bristled and was about to speak when I held up a hand.

"Have you tried anything outside of military channels?"

"Yes, sir. Still nothing."

"Hm... odd."

"Yes, sir, I don-"

"Hold a moment, did anyone, perhaps, take a look outside the viewport?"

The Captain turned and scrutinized the viewport glass, then her eyebrows steadily rose as it became obvious that the ship wasn't where it was supposed to be. The Lieutenant also noticed.

"What in the Empire?"

"It appears that we have been moved involuntarily." the Captain noted as I snapped my fingers at her to get her attention.

"Perform a bio-scan reading on all surrounding planets. Call for me once you've found one that has a suitable atmosphere for us. Is that understood?" I ordered, to which replies of either 'Yes, sir', or 'Yes, Admiral' resounded across the bridge.

I stood from the chair and headed toward the elevator, the two troopers were about to follow but I halted them.

"You two, stay here." I ordered, the two troopers nodding in unison.

As I reached my quarters, I locked the door. I went over to my bed and sat down, placing my head in my hands.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON?" I thought multiple times as I stared at my polished black boots.

As the minutes went by, I replayed the events of the day, trying to figure out if there were any signs that this was going to happen. I stiffened as I remembered something from my early days in the server. There was an optional implant you could get in-game to make it easier to talk with other Players if a battle was raging. I'd been one of the first to get one about a year into the game. I could use it to contact an Admin and get help!

"Activate!" I thought as I remembered the activation order.

It was a dial tone, at first. Then, something connected, and an unfamiliar voice spoke.

"...Hello?" it asked, deep and commanding while also sounding wary.

"Yes, is this an Admin? I need help." I pleaded, to which the voice gasped.

"Wait, are you another Player?!" it asked in what I thought was a hopeful tone.

"Yes, I am. Are you an Admin?" I reiterated.

"No... but it's safe to say we're in a similar situation."

"How do you mean?"

"I'm also a Player. When did you get here? Where are you?"

"I don't know. Somewhere in the vastness of space, I guess."

"...how did you get into space? That isn't a feature in Yggdrasil."

"Yggdrasil? I was playing a modded version of Voyages Into The Unknown."

"So not only are you another Player, but you're also from a different game?"

"It seems that way, yeah. Who is this by the way?"

"I'm Momonga, from the guild Ainz Ooal Gown."

"No shit? I didn't think I'd meet someone like you in this place."

"Wait, you know about my guild?"

"Dude, anyone who plays DMMO-RPGs knows about Ainz Ooal Gown."

"I didn't know the guild was that famous."

"That's beside the point. Right now, my crew is scanning the surrounding worlds for life. They haven't gotten back to me, yet."

"Do you wanna meet up?"

"Why the hell would I not want to?!"

"Calm down, man. If you get into orbit, do you think you could spot the Great Tomb of Nazarick?"

"Yes, I think I should be able to."

Just then, the intercom buzzed and the Lieutenant's voice came through.

"Sir, we've scanned the surrounding planets. Only one has any kind of life, but they are a level one civilization. We aren't detecting anything beyond crossbow stage on the world."

"I will be there shortly." I replied, turning off the intercom.

"Momonga, I'm going to be sending a probe down to the planet. It'll be a robot making a weird sound every other minute. I would stand at the tomb's entrance, and make it clear that it is you." I said to the man on the other end of the thought line.

"Right. See you soon."

"Yeah, see you."

After I ordered a Viper probe droid be sent down to the planet's surface, it took about an hour for the droid to find the Great Tomb of Nazarick. I was standing on the bridge when one of the ensigns called out and said something was blocking the probe's path. I ordered him to get me an image, and a holographic screen popped up with a live feed.

There, standing in front of the droid, was a large skeleton holding a golden scepter. It was obviously Momonga. Even in Voyages Into The Unknown, the story of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown was pretty well known. I smirked to myself as the Captain raised an eyebrow and the Lieutenant gave a condescending look at Momonga. I noticed his expression and my face lost all signs of emotion.

"Is something wrong. Lieutenant?"

"It's just the gall of this freak to challenge us, sir." he replied, and my gaze sharpened on his back.

"Do not assume that he is challenging us, Lieutenant. There is most definitely an intelligence behind those glowing orbs." I stated as Momonga asked a simple question.

"Is the one I spoke to earlier able to hear me?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm going to ask for your name since there wouldn't be any way for the others on the bridge to know how I'd know your name." I said through the Player-to-Player Comms, and said aloud, "Yes, he is. State your identity, creature."

"Just so you know, I changed my name to Ainz Ooal Gown a couple of minutes ago." he thought, and said aloud, "I am lord Ainz Ooal Gown of the Great Tomb Of Nazarick.What is your name?"

"My username is EmpireForLife, but my avatar's name is Taver Slazin. By the way, how did you contact me?" "My name is Taver Slazin, and I am a Grand Admiral of the Galactic Empire. I must ask how you contacted me, as it is quite apparent there is no technology on your planet that would allow you into my thoughts."

"I used the 'Message' Spell to try and contact an Admin, but I got one of my subordinates first, then you." "One of my spells connected my thoughts to yours, Grand Admiral."

"Wait, there are others with you? Are they Players or NPCs?" "I see. So you used some sort of 'magic spell' on me?"

"They're NPCs, and they're like me. They aren't human. Are you human?" "Yes."

"Yeah. If they don't like humans, then I might have a workaround for that." "Hm. Well, you have my attention, lord Gown. Would it trouble you greatly if I and a few others came to your tomb?"

"What's the workaround?" "Of course, you are welcome to come here."

"We technically aren't human since the humans from my game aren't descended from apes. They're descended from another group of aliens. Think that explanation might work?" "Then by all means. We shall arrive shortly."

"Possibly, but don't get your hopes up. They don't exactly discriminate when it comes to humans." "I shall make arrangements to receive you, then."

It took only a few moments to load into the Lambda-Class shuttle once we arrived in the Hangar Bay. The shuttle left the docking bay and descended toward the planet. I was strapped in near the cockpit while the others who were accompanying me were near the exit ramp. The others mostly consisted of five Clones, including Marshall Commander Harlow, Captain Cavos, Lieutenant Sarkley, and an army General named Cyrus Jidak. The shuttle was being piloted by two humans, both wearing TIE Fighter pilot uniforms.

"Approaching the Tomb now, Grand Admiral." the first pilot stated, as the other began to lower the landing gear. I nodded and turned back to the others.

"Prepare to disembark!" I called which made the Clones stand up and place the barrels of their rifles on their shoulders, while Harlow held his across his chest.

The Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

The "Switch" + 02:00 (2 Hours Since the "Switch")

It took an hour to get from the Basilisk down to the Great Tomb. As the shuttle landed, I noticed a massive wave of dirt coming towards one of the walls through the cockpit's viewport. There was a being atop that wall, and their hands glowed green. As the ramp to the outside lowered, the four rifle-armed Clones marched down the ramp and stood at attention on either side of the path. Jidak and Harlow were next, followed by Cavos and Sarkley. I went after them and walked into one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen. The stars glittered like diamonds in the night sky, unmarred by artificial light.

When my gaze shifted back down, I saw a man in a red suit with a tail standing next to a tall woman with horns. They motioned for us to follow, and I gestured for the troopers to cover the front and rear. We entered the Great Tomb behind the two and were taken to an area that teleported us to the throne room.

There, seated at the end of the room, was Momonga, surrounded by the other denizens of Nazarick. On the path leading up to him were maids, who kneeled as we approached the throne. As we passed, they stood up and fell in behind us.

"I present to you, lord Ainz Ooal Gown." the tall woman said as she strode to be at her master's side. The man with the tail did the same and moved to Momonga's right.

"Who among you is the Grand Admiral?" he asked raising a bony finger towards us. I stepped forward.

"I am the Grand Admiral, lord Gown." I stated, giving a respectful bow. He nodded and told me to rise.

"You need not refer to me as lord Gown, Grand Admiral."

"But I insist that I must refer to you as such, for that is your position here."

"I see. I understand your situation is similar to mine?"

"Yes. Like you, we have been displaced."

"Then perhaps we could help each other?"

"Perhaps. However, I would suggest privacy to discuss the details."

"Are you mad, sir?" Jidak whispered as he grabbed my arm while looking up at Momonga. The Captain and the Lieutenant also gave me questioning looks.

"To be clear with you three, I want to make sure the deal is truly fair. If you hadn't noticed the looks some of these creatures are giving us, then I advise you to look now."

They casually glanced around and saw that some of the monsters surrounding them were giving them looks that would have burned them alive if looks could truly kill a person. The General scowled while the Captain kept her composure. The Lieutenant's eyes narrowed and he cursed.

"Bloody alien freaks."

"I'd say they have the same opinion of you, Lieutenant." I replied, and Momonga stood from his seat.

"If you would follow me, Admiral? Albedo, make sure our guests are made comfortable." Momonga ordered the tall woman. I followed Momonga as the others in my party followed Albedo.

Once we arrived in Momonga's private chamber and he cast a noise-canceling spell on the door, we began our discussion.

"Oh, you would not believe how much I've wanted to talk to another actual person." Momonga said in a relieved tone as his red glowing orb eyes disappeared and his mouth hung open. He was seated at a large wooden desk with me sitting across from him.

"The feeling's mutual, Momonga. I was scared out of my mind when I realized I wasn't in my house." I replied, fidgeting with my mustache again.

"At least we were both somewhere we knew, EmpireForLife."

"Yeah, thank God."

"So how'd you get here?"

"To be honest, I don't know. One minute, everything's normal, right? The next I'm actually in my in-game avatar's body."

"Same here, and the minute the NPCs started doing things on their own? Yeah... Something had definitely changed."

"How'd you find out all this was actually real?"

"I... I groped Albedo."

"Well, you got balls, that's for sure."

"How about you?"

"I'd been drinking just before the 'Switch' and immediately felt tipsy right after."

"The 'Switch'?"

"That name makes about as much sense as anything right now."

"Fair enough."

"So when you asked about helping each other out, what did you mean?"

"I was thinking we could join forces."

"Sort of like an alliance?"

"Exactly that."

"Hm. I suppose it makes sense to stick together since we're the only Players who have found each other so far."

"Yes. There are also some things I would like to know about your ship, though."

"Go ahead."

"I'm just making sure, but the server you were playing on was based in the Star Wars universe, right?"

"Yep. My ship is one of the more badass Imperial ships."

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's a Super-Star Destroyer. Though, officially, it's known as an Executor-Class Star Dreadnought."

"Wow."

"Yeah, my ship can lay down the hurt if need be."

"Alright. My second question is a little more out of curiosity. Are you still going to call yourselves Imperials, or are you going to call yourselves something else?"

"We'll still call ourselves Imperials as it only makes sense. A lot of my crew is made up of Die-Hard Imperial loyalists. If I change our name, then I'd likely be thrown in the brig."

"Speaking of the brig, do you have any prisoners?"

"Yeah, we do. Six, if I remember correctly."

"What are you going to do with them?"

"I'd imagine I'd have them executed."

"I see. Could you spare three? They might prove useful, and I wanted to run some tests."

"I don't see why not."

"My final question is probably my most important one: do all of your soldiers use guns?"

"Yeah, but there isn't a need for you to worry. We have stockpiles of Tibanna gas for them. I'm also assuming you can use spells to replicate items?"

"I can. Why does that... I get it now."

"Right? That's also another reason for us to join forces."

"Agreed."

"If I could ask one question, though."

"What?"

"What do you need help with?"

"I was thinking world domination. That way, we can look for more of us by possibly forcing them out into the open."

"Not a bad idea. I'm sure some guy or girl like us would either be trying to hide or be some sort of adventurer. I'm betting a few played RPGs, so it only makes sense they would do that, you know?"

"Right. So, are you in?" he asked, reaching a skeletal hand toward me.

"Well, you only live once, right?" I asked as I firmly grasped his hand and shook it.

After we finished finalizing the details of our alliance, Momonga led me to where Albedo had taken my entourage. As Momonga led me to my party, the man in a red suit and tail rejoined us. He asked what had transpired in the meeting. I smirked as Momonga told him that the Great Tomb of Nazarick was now in an alliance with my ship.

"I see, my lord." he said as he turned toward me.

"Yes. I have even offered your lord a tour of my ship, along with his top advisors, should he so wish." I stated formally, making the man grin.

"Ah. I must apologize, but could you be so kind and tell me your name again?

"But of course. I am Grand Admiral Taver Slazin, Mr..."

"Demiurge, and I am the Floor Guardian of the Seventh Floor."

"I see."

"I will be taking him, Aura, Mare, and Albedo with me to see your ship, Grand Admiral."

"Of course, lord Gown."

As we approached my party, the Clones came to stiff attention, as did the General, Captain, and Lieutenant. With a quick command of 'At ease', they relaxed, while the troopers still had their rifles balanced on their shoulders. Albedo kneeled before Momonga before he commanded her to rise.

"I feel it best that you explain your offer to your subordinates, Admiral." Momonga stated as he used the 'Message' spell to contact Aura and Mare.

"Quite right, lord Gown." I replied as I focused my eyes on my group.

"I have offered lord Gown a tour of the Basilisk, so they will be coming back with us."

To say that they were not entirely alright with my decision was an understatement. They all chorused a 'Yes, sir', however, as I was still the Grand Admiral. Aura and Mare appeared alongside Momonga, Albedo, and Demiurge. The Lieutenant raised an eyebrow at Mare's attire but didn't say a word. Momonga then led us back to the teleportation area, and then I led us back to the Lambda-Class Shuttle. As we departed the world, Aura had sat down in the cockpit behind the pilots, with Momonga sitting next to her and me next to him. Her eyes were full of wonder as she saw the beauty of the other planets in the system until she caught sight of the dagger-shaped ship we were heading for.

"What is that?" she asked in wonder. I smiled as Momonga also looked at the ship.

"That, Ms. Aura, is the Basilisk." I stated, pride clearly evident in my tone. She looked over at me in awe and then back at the ship.

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The "Switch" + 03:00 (3 Hours Since the "Switch")

As the shuttle came over the lip of the Hangar Bay, her excitement grew as she glimpsed the hundreds of men gathered in there. They all stood at attention and saluted us as we walked down the ramp from the Lambda-Class Shuttle. I ordered the troopers, Harlow, Jidak, Cavos, and Sarkley back to their stations as I led Momonga and his NPC companions through the ship.

"How long have you had this ship?" Albedo asked in a hushed tone, taking it all in.

"About... seven years, give or take, Ms. Albedo." I replied as I led them past the Hangar Bay and toward the vehicle storage area, our first stop on the tour of my ship.

As we entered the room, Aura's face lit up again as she saw the intimidating form of an All-Terrain Armored-Transport towering above them all. Mare was right beside his sister, but his face was apprehensive. Demiurge was looking at one of the 74-Z Speeder Bikes with a curious eye alongside Albedo while Momonga stood by me. There were other vehicles besides those, of course, mainly All Terrain variants and a few Clone Wars Republic vehicles. When Demiurge finished his examination of the 74-Zs, he turned to the other vehicles. Momonga turned to me as Albedo started to study the All Terrain-Scout Transports.

"These will be most useful if we ever go into actual combat with any real foe on this New World of ours." he whispered as I glanced at him, then back at the others.

"Let us hope that will not be necessary. I would like to remain anonymous for now, at least." I stated quietly but emphatically, Momonga nodding with my words.

After the quick tour of our Ground Vehicle Storage Bay, we headed towards the bridge via the turbolift. As we entered the bridge, the crew gave me a sharp salute, to which I returned, allowing them to get back to their work. Aura and Mare stared out the viewport that I had been standing in front of only mere hours ago.

"A wonderful view, isn't it?" I asked, coming to a halt behind them. The two dark elves nodded, smiles plastered on their faces.

"It's amazing!" Mare shouted, while Aura giggled. A small smile crossed my lips as I looked out of the viewport as well.

Even though I'd seen this view multiple times, I never got tired of it. It always gave me a feeling that I could go anywhere and do anything. It seemed the twins were feeling the same thing.

"It is certainly an impressive ship, Admiral." Momonga stated as Demiurge and Albedo nodded.

"I can't receive all the credit for it, though. None of it would be possible if I didn't have one of the best crews in the galaxy." I stated, complimenting the crew on their prowess in handling the ship. The bridge crew chuckled at that.

"Same could be said for you, sir!" one of the ensigns called, the other crew members agreeing.

The intercom on the Command Chair beeped, and I strode over. I pressed the talk button, and Harlow's voice came through.

"Sir, the prisoners are ready."

We took the elevator back down to the Hangar Bay, silence reigning supreme inside. As we finally came back to the Hangar Bay, the prisoners from the brig were ready and waiting. I was to choose three to be given to the Great Tomb of Nazarick, while the others were to be executed. I marched forward, the group from Nazarick standing back.

"You... You... and you are to be taken down to the planet." I stated, nodding at two of the Clones who were surrounding them to place them aboard the shuttle.

"What are you gonna do with us?" the leader asked and I turned to face him.

"You are to be executed as Traitors to the Empire, Rebel Scum." I stated emotionlessly as I motioned at the troopers nearby with my eyes to come over.

"Get them on their knees." I ordered, wondering when I would feel anything about ordering the impending deaths of three living beings.

"Yes, sir." the first trooper said, using the butt of his rifle to knock his prisoner on her knees. The others soon followed.

"Shouldn't I be feeling something about this?", I thought, and said aloud "Any last words?"

"Kark you, Imperial Dog!" one shouted.

"Go to Hell!" another cried.

"You'll pay for this one day." the leader stated defiantly.

"I doubt I will, Traitor." I said, turning to face the troopers after backing up.

"Fire." I ordered, still feeling nothing as I saw their bodies jerk and dance as the blaster bolts pierced through them.

Why was I so calm about killing those three people? Granted, they were Rebels, but shouldn't I have felt something about it? Was my character so desensitized to violence and death because of the time I spent playing as him that by this point he could just casually order for someone's death and not feel a thing? Not even satisfaction that they were dead? If that was the case, then what else about me had changed to become more like Taver Slazin, Grand Admiral of the Galactic Empire, and what was still me? Would I ever be the same again?

Chapter II: The Massacre at Carne Village

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The "Switch" + 3 (3 Days Since the 'Switch')

"Admiral?" a voice called from my desk. I rubbed my eyes as I groggily got out of bed.

"What is it?" I asked tiredly once I had finally gotten to the desk. I couldn't remember, but I thought I recognized the voice.

"Lord Gown wishes to speak with you, sir." the voice replied. I then remembered that it was Lieutenant Sarkley's voice.

"I'll be there shortly, Lieutenant." I said, removing my finger from the speaker's talk switch.

I strode towards my closet and opened it to find my uniform. As I did, I thought about grabbing the less conspicuous gray uniform that I kept from my days aboard the Executioner. I usually wore it when I was in a more dangerous area, as it hid the grime and blood better than the standard bright white uniform of my avatar's position within the Empire. I opted to choose the standard uniform instead, however, as there wasn't any danger at the moment.

As I began to fix the small creases in the uniform, I thought about how much everything changed in the past three days. I'd made several trips down to the planet since the "Switch", discussing strategies with Momonga while he was being attended to by his personal servant, Sebas Tian. Momonga had told me in one of our private conversations that Sebas had been created by one of the other original guild members, Touch Me. I'd also distributed the Standard Imperial Stormtrooper Armor out to the more skilled members of the Basilisk's security and the Army contingent. Say what you want about the overall look, it does serve its function… kind of.

While the armor was next to useless against blaster fire, impacts from projectiles like arrows wouldn't penetrate, provided that they did not hit the weak points. It was still miraculous to me that the Ewoks got that much plot armor in Episode VI. Seriously, no one is that good with a bow and arrow. The main reason I gave out the armor was to make sure that I wouldn't lose valuable assets to some stray rock or arrow. Given the level of civilization down on the planet, there was no reason to fear… provided that there wasn't an Ewok analog.

"'Valuable assets'?" I stopped a second to reconsider my thoughts. Ever since I became Taver Slazin, my mind was melding more and more into the man that I had created only six years ago.

How much would I change? Would I still be me, or would I become Taver Slazin fully? Momonga said that his own mindset was changing, too. Was it because he was no longer human? I shook myself, realizing I would go insane if I went down that train of thought.

I glanced at my appearance in the mirror once I had finished getting dressed. My uniform was immaculate, and I smiled to myself. It would hearten the crew to see that even in this crisis, I would still hold myself to the highest standards of the Galactic Empire. I marched over to the door, and it slid open when I got within two feet. In the hallway, two of the newly formed "Basilisk Guard" stood vigil on either side of the entrance to my quarters.

They were both armed with TL-50 Heavy Repeaters and a Force Pike clipped at their sides. The armor they wore was a mixture of the Phase II Clone Armor and the old Senate Guard armor. The shoulders and helmet on the armor came from the Senate Guard, with the crest on the Senate Guard's helmet filed down to not be so easy to see. The other pieces of the armor, however, came from the Phase II Clone Armor. The Guard was mostly comprised of Clones, though a handful were from the army, as well as the Naval Commandos.

Their jobs were to lay down their lives to protect the highest-ranking members of the Basilisk. Those members included me, General Cyrus Jidak, Captain Shara Cavos, and Lieutenant Erza Sarkley. Marshal Commander Harlow was already safe enough among his brothers in the Stormtrooper contingent aboard. If one were to compare them to something from Earth, then the best examples would be either the Secret Service or the Queen's Guard. The two guards then fell in behind me as I approached the elevator. One of them came closer, maneuvering his weapon over his chest.

"What's going on, sir?" Blitz asked when he was close enough. He was one of the first members of the Guard, as I had handpicked those who would actually become members of the guard.

"We will soon learn, Blitz." I replied, as the other guard also came closer.

"Think there's going to be trouble, sir?" he asked as I turned my head just enough that my left eye was trained on him.

The man in question's name was Galt Kyvar. I'd read his bio when I was choosing the members of the guard. He'd apparently joined the ranks of the Imperial Army at an older age, only four years after the end of the Clone Wars, at age thirty-six. He was born on Mandalore and had joined the ranks of the Mandalorians when he was only eight. He saw combat against the Clones during the final days of the war but joined the Empire when he learned of the atrocities committed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

It was ironic: he'd joined the Empire after learning of the C.I.S.'s crimes, but here he was, working for a government that did the same if not worse. He'd been placed aboard my ship because of the tumultuous relations he had with the original army group he'd been assigned to. By the time of the "Switch", he was a Master Sergeant, and well on his way to becoming a First Sergeant.

"Most likely, Kyvar." I said as we reached the elevator. Blitz pressed the call button as I turned my head to face forwards.

The elevator door slid open and the three of us walked inside. As I sat down in the Command Chair, Momonga shimmered into view from the holo-projector. He was likewise seated at his desk. Sebas was diligently standing next to him as Cavos and Sarkley stood at the sides of my chair. We both secretly activated our Player to Player communications as we began our spoken conversation.

"Hey man, what's up?" I asked through my implant, but said aloud, "Lord Gown, you wished an audience?"

"I found a village!" he replied happily, and he said aloud, "Yes. We believe we have found something of great interest, Grand Admiral."

"Sweet! By the way, how's the connection with the hologram viewer?" "Oh? Do tell. To be completely truthful, I didn't expect there would be anything nearby to you, but then we've still been dealing with the displacement mess."

"It's working great. The image quality is awesome, and your voice is coming through loud and clear. It's just like back home!" "That is understandable. I actually happened upon my discovery by accident. It is a village, and a large one at that."

"Good to hear. I was kinda worried the connection would be bad, because of the distance, you know?" "I see. That is quite a find."

"To be honest, so was I. Back on topic, though." "Yes. Since we are allies, I thought you would wish to be informed."

"Right, right. What do you wanna do?" "Thank you. Is there something you wish to do with the village?"

"I want to keep an eye on it. We may be able to learn how villages work on the New World." "Nothing at the moment, but I will be monitoring the village, just in case. Can you have troops ready to be deployed should the need arise?"

"How many soldiers do you want to go down with us?" "Of course."

"I was thinking one or two squads of your Stormtroopers. Maybe one of the smaller All-Terrain walkers?" "Good. Should we decide to move on the village, I would like for us both to be there. It will be easier to get information about this New World of ours directly rather than through our subordinates' reports. They may neglect to mention details that would be useful to know at some possible later date."

"That is doable. Send me the coordinates for it, and we'll be down there in a flash. Bye for now, dude." "Of course. Is that all, lord Gown?"

"See you later, man." "Yes. I will let you get back to the care of your ship."

He dissipated as the holo-projector was shut off on his end, and I sat in the chair for a few moments more. I then tapped one of the intercom buttons located on the armrest, activating the one in the Stormtrooper Barracks. After a few seconds, Harlow's voice came through.

"Yes, sir?"

"Commander, ready two squadrons of troopers for deployment on world, as well as one of the AT-RTs." I ordered, with the Marshal Commander offering an "Affirmative, sir" as I removed my finger from the button.

"Are you expecting trouble, sir?" Cavos asked in a serious tone.

"Maybe. Villages like the one lord Gown found are almost always in danger of raids, natural disasters, so on and so forth. It's easier to have a force prepared for any of these occasions, particularly in the case of raids." I replied all business.

As I sat, I thought about the possibility of going down to the planet. If I had to, then I was going to need something; something that I had created nearly three real-life years ago. I then stood from the chair and motioned for Blitz and Galt to follow me.

"Where are we going, sir?" Galt asked, pressing the elevator call button.

"Down to my quarters. I need to fetch something."

"Right away, sir."

After taking the elevator back down to the Officer's Quarters, I went back inside my room. I posted the guards back to their original positions, covering the entrance as the door to my quarters slid open. I walked over to one of the many bookshelves I'd had installed two years after I become the Captain of the Basilisk. As I stood in front of it, I searched for the one book that stood out.

The bookshelf contained the history of the Star Wars galaxy, up to the point of 5 BBY. All of the books on the shelf were either biographies, memoirs, original documents, or old maps that were all held either written on flimsiplast or held inside datapads. There was one, however, that did not belong. It was titled "The Adventures of Slivez Tazar" which was just a rearranging of my name to conceal the fact that, in actuality, it was a switch. The bookshelf slid into the floor after I pulled on the switch, revealing the small collection of weapons and items that I had accumulated over the years.

In one corner, there was a set of old Republic Trooper armor from the Great Galactic War against the Sith Empire three thousand years ago. That little item took YEARS to find, especially since most of the items of that period had degraded over the centuries. I found it at an ancient outpost near Korriban. Because the body of its owner was floating around in space, there was nothing that could have destroyed it, besides a collision with a meteor. I had it brought aboard the second I saw it when I was patrolling that area. I made sure to give the owner a proper burial.

Next to that was a double-barreled slug-thrower, similar to an ancient 10-Gauge Coach Gun. I'd confiscated that the same day I'd gotten my battle droids. On the pedestal next to the slug-thrower, was a Holocron that I looted from a dead Jedi NPC during a boarding action nearly three years ago. Then there was the small assortment of trophies that I'd collected from worlds like Felucia and Kashyyyk. Beside that was my collection of blasters that ranged from the Nabooan Model Q2 Hold-Out blaster pistol to one of the last remaining reciprocating quad blasters in the galaxy. I was more focused on the object in the middle of the room, however.

There, sitting comfortably within an ornate display case, was a lightsaber. It wasn't just any lightsaber, though. This one was special. It was known as a "lightfoil". If someone were to try and find an example on Earth, the best weapon that would be the best comparison would be a rapier or cutlass, whereas the lightsaber was more of a broad sword. It had been passed down through the Slazin family for generations. Of course, that "passed down" tidbit was just added as flavor text.

I opened the case and grasped the elegant weapon, holding it in front of me. I then placed my thumb on the activation switch, making the blade shoot forth from the hilt with a snap-hiss. It hummed as I held it, its bright silver blade lighting up the room. When I designed it, I went for the cutlass look, since I'm an officer in a navy. Granted this isn't some wooden-hulled sailing ship from the eighteenth century, the design did have a certain appeal. There was a guard in front of the hilt, which would cover my hand from an oncoming blow from an opponent. The blade itself was silver because I wanted to evoke the blade of an actual sword instead of the red, blue, yellow, etc. color of normal lightsabers. I deactivated the blade and clipped it to my belt, right behind the holster for my pistol.

I closed the hidden door as I left the room. Once I left the armory, I sat down at my desk and began to look over the daily report. It was fifteen minutes before the speaker on my desk chirped.

"Sir?" Galt's voice filtered through the speaker.

"Yes, Kyvar?" I asked as I set the datapad down.

"Lord Gown is requesting us to send aid."

"Of course. I'll be heading down to the planet in a few moments. Please inform the Captain."

"Yes, sir."

Once the conversation ended, I went to the closet and grabbed the grey uniform and a set of Field Armor, since I would be going out into the field. The Field Armor was because of the high probability of someone trying to cleave me in two.

As I arrived in the hangar, the AT-RT was being loaded into an LAAT. Harlow turned as he heard me approach and then offered a salute once he'd noticed me. I offered a nod in return as I passed him and climbed into the LAAT. After I was safely aboard, Harlow jumped in. The LAAT then flew out of the hangar and toward the surface of the New World.

In only a few minutes, the New World would finally meet its soon-to-be overlords.

Near Carne Village, New World

The LAAT zoomed towards the landing zone, doors open until I ordered them to halt and change directions. I'd heard a young woman scream over the sound of the engines. The gunship changed directions, and we came upon a scene that filled me with utter disdain.

There was a group of ten knights, all surrounding two girls. The larger girl was covering the smaller one as one of the knights slashed at her back. A portal soon opened in front of the two girls as Momonga arrived on the scene, using magic to crush the heart of the knight who had attacked the girl.

"What kind of man can kill defenseless women and children but doesn't have the courage to face me?" he asked, shaking the blood away from his bony hand. The other knights growled as they raised their swords.

Just as they were about to strike, they heard the sounds of the LAAT's engines, and stopped to look as the gunship came around to rest twenty feet off the ground. The troopers raised their rifles as I raised my hand. I then cut the air as my hand came down. The knights were torn apart by numerous volleys of blaster fire, and their screams echoed throughout the forest. Limbs detached from some of them while others fell to the ground as they tried to keep their insides from falling out. We descended as all of the knights hit the ground, dead or dying.

A figure then followed Momonga out of the portal, and judging by the proportions of the armor, it was Albedo. She apologized for her tardiness, and asked what she should do about the two girls, just as the AT-RT hopped out of the LAAT.

"Leave them. They are of no threat to us. The ones dressed as knights, however, are the enemies we seek," he told her, before glancing down at the two girls, "You're wounded."

"Are you alright?" A Stormtrooper asked, the red symbol emblazoned on his right shoulder clearly visible to Momonga and Albedo as he ran over.

"N-no. I was...-." she tried to say when she wavered.

"Enri!" the little girl cried as Enri fell back against the medic.

"Is she alright, trooper?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, and he nodded. He removed the backpack from his back and dug through its contents, the little girl shaking the older girl.

"Enri, wake up! Please wake up!" she cried as the trooper came back over and stuck a syringe filled with a cyan-colored gel into her arm. It was Bacta.

"That should stabilize her." he stated, as he began to stand.

"Stay here with them, trooper. I doubt these mongrels can pierce your brothers' armors." I ordered as I turned to the other Stormtroopers.

"Men, you have seen the enemy. I want you to head to the village, and Kill everyone wearing that armor. However, if they seem to be of a higher rank, then stun them. I want prisoners. Is that understood?" I asked coldly.

"Sir, yes, sir!" They replied and stood straighter as they began to run towards the village with the walker leading the way. Marshal Commander Harlow was controlling the AT-RT as I stood by Momonga and Albedo.

"I thought that you would want more prisoners, Grand Admiral?" Albedo asked, watching the troopers charge the village. I turned my head to face her with a wooden expression.

"They would most likely not know anything of value. Besides, being a prisoner is a privilege that only humans deserve. From my point of view, they've lost the honor of being referred to as humans."

"Though it pains me to say it, even you humans have some modicum of dignity and honor."

"Shall we take our leave?" Momonga asked to which both Albedo and I nodded in unison while the dead knights' bodies transformed. Momonga referred to them as 'Death Knights'.

As we began to leave, however, I felt a hand grasp my boot. I stopped and gazed down at the hand that one of the few still living knights had set there.

"Help me… please…" he begged, looking for mercy.

I was silent as I looked down at his pitiful frame. I reached a hand toward my holster and withdrew my pistol. Before the man even had a chance to cry out, my blaster barked and his head blew apart. Blood grazed my cheek from the mess my shot had caused. I nonchalantly wiped the blood off as we truly started our trek towards the village.

Carne Village, New World

The Stormtroopers were making quick work of the invading knights, with two of them definitively stunned and out of the fighting. The AT-RT was having no trouble tearing the enemy apart, and I could see some of the troopers become overly confident while fighting them.

Some had closed the distance and were using hand-to-hand techniques against the invaders. One trooper used his elbow to crush one knight's faceplate and then start pummeling the man. Another had a knight in a chokehold as he shot another knight that had come charging at him. I even saw one break the arms of a knight and use the knight's sword to kill the knight.

The other troopers were still shooting. I imagine the knight armor would do well against arrows and blades, but it was as effective against blaster fire as standard Imperial Stormtrooper armor was. Dozens of the enemy were scattered across the ground, blown apart by the explosive force of the DC-15A rifles.

"I believe that's enough." Momonga said through his cursed mask. He'd donned the thing just before we'd entered the village proper.

"Why?" I asked curiously, turning towards him.

"I wish to spread our names across this world. Surely others like us are here, and it would be much easier for them to come to us instead of the other way around. That is difficult to do with no survivors." he explained and I understood. I turned back towards the battle.

"Hold!" I barked and the effect was immediate. The troopers stopped killing the knights, who began to shake in absolute terror.

Who could blame them? They probably only thought the most resistance they'd be dealing with would be unruly villagers, not Clone Stormtroopers. I smirked as I saw them shake and shiver. The gutless fools looked as if a mere spider jumpscare would make them die from sheer fright. It was hilarious.

"I am Ainz Ooal Gown! I am the one who has asked this man, Taver Slazin, to spare you! Know that this village is under our protection! Run, Run and spread our names to everyone you meet!" Momonga said, his voice echoing through the now silent battlefield.

The invaders broke and fled in all directions. I watched as some ran down the main road into the village while others scrambled into the forest surrounding it. I wondered how many would actually survive in the long run. As they did, the villagers began to cheer!

"Thank you, but… why did you save us?" an older man, the leader, asked us. Momonga turned to him as I strode over to the two unconscious forms. Harlow was watching them from atop the walker.

"Were these the only officers?" I questioned, garnering a nod from the Clone. He gestured down to the one with the rat-like face and blonde hair.

"We think that one's name is Belius, sir." he said as I looked at the man. Two other troopers approached me as one of them held up a knight's helmet.

"We wanted to take this helmet back with us as a trophy if that's alright, sir." the other said as I took the helmet.

The helmet's design was somewhat familiar. It looked like a German crusaders' helm, but there were a few additions. First, the helmet could apparently be worn without the face shield, by the looks of Belius and the other fellow. Second, the usual holes that were present on the German helm were missing on this one. I looked from the helmet and back to them, then shrugged. I handed it back, saying that I didn't care what they did with the enemy armor sets. I did explicitly state that there would be no trophies taken from the bodies inside, though. I didn't want them to stink up the Basilisk. The troopers left while gesturing to their brothers. Soon, other Stormtroopers began to take the helmets and weapons of the knights. I hadn't thought about it, but the armor and weapons might make a good disguise should we ever wish to deal with the invaders' nation.

"Grand Admiral!" Momonga called, making me turn.

He motioned for me to follow him and the man who'd spoken earlier. They entered a slightly larger house and sat down once I made it inside. It was then I learned that the man was the village chief. We then spent several hours discussing various topics about the New World. It was a very educational experience.

"So we are currently within the boundaries of the Re-Estize Kingdom? Tell me, are there any other towns nearby?" I asked, to which the man nodded and pointed at an area closer towards the middle of the map.

"Yes, the city of E-Rantel."

"How large is this city?" Momonga questioned but the man just shrugged.

"I-I don't truly know its size, just that it is a city near here."

Just then, someone knocked on the door. The village chief's wife opened the door to reveal Harlow. We turned to face him as he entered, just as he was removing his helmet. Harlow's helmet was more unique when compared to the standard Phase II Clone Helmet. If I were to describe it, the best description for it would be an exact copy of ARC-77's helmet during the Defense of Coruscant in the 2003 Clone Wars series. There was a distinct lack of red colors on the armor, however. While most of the Stormtroopers aboard wore entirely white armor, he had black paint on his knees, shoulders, belt, and forearms. The white paint on the rest of the troopers was supposed to make them more uniform within the Galactic Empire, but I allowed Harlow to paint his. It made him stand out more.

"The prisoners are awake, sir." he stated, causing Momonga, the village chief, and myself to follow him as he left the building.

A group of six troopers surrounded the two prisoners. Belius was looking around with terror, while the other prisoner was stoic as he watched us approach. When Belius spotted us, he began to beg.

"Please, let me go! I have money, take it!"

"Captain, show some damn tact." the man next to him said, glaring at Belius.

"Who do you serve?" Momonga asked the two, and Belius blurted it out that very moment.

"We serve the Slane Theocracy! We were sent here to kill the Re-Estize kingdom's strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff." he cried, tears falling from his eyes. The other man's face contorted into a mask of rage.

"Damn you, Belius!" he shouted, only to receive a blow to the back of the head from a trooper's DC-15A butt-stock.

"You have quite the mouth, soldier." I remarked as the trooper replaced the rifle on his shoulder.

"You don't scare me!" he said as he spat on my boots. I looked down at the spittle, then back at him.

With a quick motion, I'd removed the lightfoil from my side, activated it, and held the blade on the right side of the man's neck. Belius pissed himself while the man began to sweat as he felt the heat from the blade.

"You really shouldn't have done that, boy." I said as I moved the blade over his shoulder, slowly beginning to lower the blade down.

The lightfoil cut through the armor he wore, and he screamed from the agony of feeling the blade on his bare shoulder. I wanted to drag this out as long as I could, but I didn't want to frighten the villagers. With a quick push, I sliced the arm off and the limb fell to the ground. Belius began to cry and beg even more so when he saw this. Momonga just stood there for a moment, before he'd secretly activated the "Message" spell.

"...What. The. Fuck. Was. That?"

"What? It takes a long time to polish these damn boots." I replied in a childish tone as Albedo joined us.

"Still… that was a little fucked up, don't you think?" he questioned concernedly.

"I…"

"We'll... talk about it later."

"Right."

I motioned for one of the troopers to stun the man, and ordered him to be taken back to the Basilisk's brig. He was dragged away as I turned to face the sniveling rich kid. My blade was held low to the ground.

"I would advise you to tell us everything you know."

"Yes, yes, just spare me!" he pleaded, to which I nodded.

I was lying, of course. As soon as he told us what we wanted to know, he would die. It was just a matter of who was going to kill him. After he answered each of our questions to the best of his ability, I motioned for Momonga and Albedo to follow me, as well as Harlow.

"What should we do with him, sir?" Harlow asked, and I turned to Momonga.

"I will discuss it with lord Gown, Harlow. In the meantime, watch him. If he tries anything… kill him."

"Yes, sir." he replied, donning his helmet again.

"So how do you want to deal with him? I think it's safe to assume we both want him dead." Momonga said through the Player to Player link once he'd sent Albedo over to watch Belius with the other Stormtroopers.

"Yeah. I'm very tempted to use the lightfoil on him, but I want to make an example of him. How do you feel about hanging him?" I replied and I swear that if he could have, he would have smiled under his mask.

Several Hours Later…

As Gazef Stronoff approached the village, he caught sight of something swaying gently in the wind. As he and his men came closer, they realized it was a body. It was hanging from a tree just outside the village. There was a sign that hung on his chest.

"I attacked this village for no reason. For this, I have been executed. Take heed of this warning, and leave the people of this village alone."

"The villagers must be stronger than I thought. Still, I have a duty to go there and see if they are well." he thought as he slowed his pace. His soldiers did the same.

When they finally reached the village proper, they were greeted by the sight of a man in a grey uniform and wearing a strange chest-plate, a large man wearing a mask and gauntlets, a tall woman covered in armor, and a man in simple clothing. The four were backed by a large contraption on two legs and seventeen soldiers in bright white armor. The soldiers were holding strange looking staffs on their shoulders. One of them, possibly a man of some higher rank judging by the orange thing on top of his right shoulder, held a shorter staff across his chest. Gazef urged his horse to a halt in front of them.

"I am the Chief Royal Warrior of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff. I have come on behalf of the King to protect the surrounding villages against attacking bandits." he stated to the four, and the simply-clothed man stepped forward.

"Thank you, General Gazef." he said, obviously the village's chief.

"You are the Chief of this village?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, who are these people who stand beside you?"

"They-"

"It is alright, village chief." the large man said as he stepped closer.

"I am Ainz Ooal Gown, and these are my compatriots Albedo and Taver Slazin. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, General."

"Yes, quite an honor indeed.", the man in the grey uniform stated, "My men and I were protecting Mr. Gown when we found this village besieged by men like the one hanging out there."

"Is this true?" Gazef asked the chief. He nodded, and Gazef stepped down from his horse.

"Thank you, Sir Ainz, Sir Taver. Without you, the village would be lost."

"General!" one of his men cried, and he turned to face him. The man had ridden in at break-neck speed.

"What is it?" he asked as the man hopped off his horse.

"A large army is surrounding us as we speak." he reported.

Gazef's eyes narrowed as Ainz let out a small grunt and Taver tensed. He then turned toward the two.

"Can you help defend the village again?" he questioned quickly, and Taver smirked as his men cocked their weapons and the contraption came to life. Ainz nodded at Gazef.

"Where do you want us, General?"

Village Storehouse, Carne Village Makeshift Defensive Works, New World

As we watched the men surrounding us, I was struck by the fact that there were creatures next to them. They were strange-looking things, to be sure. As Stronoff was talking with Momonga, I approached the two.

"-soldiers, alright. They must have worn the Imperial armor to throw us off." Stronoff said, confirming Belius's testimony.

"Is this village important?" I asked, and the General shook his head.

"Then they must be here for you." Momonga concluded as Gazef chuckled.

"Even the Theocracy despises me. Aren't I lucky?" he muttered.

"We need to talk." Momonga said through the "Message" spell link.

"What's up?"

"Those flying creatures are from Yggdrasil."

"What?!"

"Yeah, they're Archangel Flames, a low tier monster."

"If that's true, do you think stuff from my game could be in this universe?"

"I don't think so. Remember, you said you couldn't get anything on any communications channel."

"Right, I forgot… wait... what if there actually is stuff from my game? Not like functioning ships or whatever, but old wrecks or tech?"

"You're right, I totally didn't think about that. We're going to need to look for anything like that. We can't let any of the factions of this world get their hands on the technology from your game."

"Right now we need to focus our efforts on the battle."

"Right."

"I believe my men are better suited for ranged combat, General." I told Gazef as I pointed to a few of the troopers.

"Those staffs are ranged weapons?" he asked as he gave them another look.

"Yes, much like your bows. I was thinking of posting my men out of range from those magic casters out there."

"I see. What about Sir Ainz?"

"I will be staying here to watch the villagers. Before you go, General, take this." Momonga said as he handed Gazef a small wooden sculpture. The General nodded and then led his troops out of the village and toward the surrounding Slane Theocracy soldiers.

As we watched them leave, I positioned my men within the perimeter of the town and climbed onto the AT-RT. When the Theocracy forces began their attack, blaster fire met some of the attacking Yggdrasil monsters. To my astonishment, the creatures didn't go down with the first shots. I had planned on not using more than one volley, but it seems I'm going to have to use more to at least have a chance at defeating those things.

The AT-RT's Repeating Cannon showered many of the creatures with bolt after bolt. Those shots did kill them in one shot, and I assumed it was due to the cannon's bolts being more powerful than the rifles the Stormtroopers were using. To say the battle was going well would be somewhat of a lie. While we were killing the Yggdrasil monsters with ease, Gazef's forces were being torn apart by the Archangel Flames. I didn't even know if the General was still alive. I feared the worst.

Then, I saw him. He leaped into the air and dispatched one of the Flames with a move reminiscent of Sonic the Hedgehog's "Spin Dash" move. After a few more moves like that, a Flame managed a lucky hit. He was brought down for a few moments, and then Momonga's teleportation statue kicked in.

Inside the Storehouse, Enri held Nemu as the sounds of blaster fire continued. She then gazed up at the white armored soldier who had saved her life mere hours ago. When she'd come to, she was greeted by a relieved Nemu and a smiling man in white armor. There had been a red symbol on his shoulder. She was escorted back to the village by the man, who had said his name was Meds, after he put his helmet back on.

Once they'd arrived, she'd asked about who he was. He had told her that he was a doctor among his brothers. When she asked what nation they were from, he had said that they were apparently from an empire. When she asked if they were from the Baharuth Empire, he had declined.

"We're from a different empire." he had said vaguely. When she tried to press for more information, he had said that he was under orders to not reveal anything else.

He was certainly different. Compared to the other white armored soldiers, he was much more caring. The others were kind, sure, but they were more focused on their own and not her or the other villagers. When she'd met a doctor in E-Rantel, they'd been much more clinical compared to Meds.

"Enri, I'm scared!" Nemu cried as she tried to bury herself deeper. Enri rubbed her head as the little girl cried, glancing back up at the soldier as he kneeled down.

"It'll all be over soon." he said reassuringly.

As soon as he had finished, the soldiers from the Re-Estize kingdom materialized in the place of lord Gown and Albedo. Many of the soldiers were wounded, and the blaster fire outside had ceased. She thought heard the machine start moving, however.

"Wha? Where are we?" the man with the large sword asked as he stood. Meds came to stand in front of him.

"General Gazef? You're in the Village Storehouse. Lord Gown has placed a defensive spell on this place to protect it from harm."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. He was here just a moment ago..."

Gazef reached into his pocket and pulled out the wooden statue. It dissipated after a minute and he just smirked.

"Well, I'll be-" he never finished as he fell unconscious. Meds rushed over and started ordering the villagers to help him tend to the wounded.

Outskirts of Carne Village, New World

As I had been firing, I watched as Gazef and his forces were teleported. In their place, Albedo and Momonga now stood.

"Cease firing, Gown's up there! We can't risk hitting him!" I cried as I made the walker begin to move. The troopers stopped firing as my walker sprinted towards the two. My cap fell off my head due to the wind, landing a few feet in front of the troopers.

I reached them just as a blonde man ordered three of the Flames to attack. I managed to kill one, but the two others had stabbed Momonga. I readied the cannon to fire on the man for killing one of the only friends I had in this world when the Flames began to thrash about. To my amazement, Momonga was still alive, and was now just holding the damn things in midair.

"Pathetic. Is this the best you can do?" he asked in a dark tone as he killed the creatures by slamming them both into the ground, with the soldiers beginning to murmur as he began to speak again, "I would very much like to know how you were able to summon these creatures, but I'll find that out later. Right now, I will focus on destroying you. You wanted a massacre? Fine. You shall have one."

"W-what the hell are you fools doing? Hurry and attack!" the blonde man cried, and the surrounding Flames began to converge on us.

The cannon began to fire as they moved in, cutting down multiple Flames. Momonga then cast a spell that killed the rest. The blonde man stood there, shaking, as we approached. He shook more violently each time the AT-RT's feet hit the ground, one after the other.

"I-impossible! How?!" he cried as the other magic casters stood in front of him and began to try and cast their own spells. They never had a chance as the grenade launcher fired three times underneath the repeating cannon.

The bodies of the priests were flung to and fro as the grenades detonated amongst them. One tried to scramble away, legless, as the AT-RT's foot came down on top of him. The blonde man fell backward as another of his soldiers tried to attack Momonga, only for his head to disappear in a shower of blood.

"Albedo, you know these low-tiered spells can not harm me. You did not need to protect me." he said as she reappeared in front of him. She turned and shook her head.

"If something or someone desires to strike a Supreme Being like you, then they should at the very least be able to best me." she replied, and I nodded to him.

"She has a fair point, lord Gown. These weak-minded fools are nothing compared to you or I, and a waste of our time to slay them." I stated and she agreed, turning back to face them.

"Destroy them, Princip-" the blonde man tried to say until the thing was blown to pieces by another grenade.

"Are you really that stupid, boy?" I asked as the cannon swiveled to face him. He then pulled out a small crystal and began to laugh.

"I didn't think I'd have to use this, but now you shall face the wrath of our highest-level angel." he cried as the crystal glowed brightly.

An even larger creature, bigger than the last Flame, appeared in front of the magic casters. Momonga put a hand to his head and I began to worry. The cannon turned to face the creature as I heard Momonga.

"Are you kidding me? This is so stupid."

That threw me for a loop. Did he mean to say that this was something weak compared to him? Ok, what the fuck? How many levels was he? Before anything else could be said, the creature attacked Momonga. I swear to God, I. Heard. Him. Laugh.

"So this is how it feels to take damage? This is PAIN?!" he cried as he laughed, and my jaw dropped.

Albedo began to growl so loud that I and Momonga heard it. I was confused, and then she screeched so fucking ear-piercing that I thought I'd go deaf from my eardrums blowing out.

"YOU LOWER LIFE-FORM! THAT MAN IS MY WHOLE WORLD, MY BELOVED LORD AINZ OOAL GOWN, THE GOD OF MY HEART AND SOUL! YOU CAUSED HIM PAIN, AND FOR THAT, YOU WILL KNOW PAIN ON A SCALE NEVER BEFORE IMAGINED!"

"Calm yourself, Albedo." Momonga said, or at least I think he did. My ears were still ringing pretty badly because of her screech.

"But… my lord..."

"I'm quite alright. Aside from the fact that those angels were so very weak, everything is going according to plan." he turned back towards the giant creature, "Know Despair: 'Black Hole'!"

With that, the creature just disappeared. I blinked a couple of times to confirm the sight, and it was true. He'd killed the damn thing with one motherfucking blow. The blonde man fell to his knees as he spoke again.

"Even the priests don't have that kind of power… who in the fuck are you?"

"I am Ainz Ooal Gown. No one alive never felt fear at the mention of my name in the past." he answered as some kind of spell shattered, "It seems you were being watched. I'm assuming it was your superiors. It was counteracted by my defense barrier."

"I was… being watched?"

"Yes, you were. Now perish, boy." I said as Momonga approached him and I climbed down from the AT-RT.

Momonga dealt with him as I dispatched the other soldiers alongside Albedo. Gazef took his forces out of the village after the battle. Once they were gone, and after some negotiations, Carne Village agreed to become a territory for the Galactic Empire. As we made our way through the forest, Momonga and I reopened the link to talk.

"Christ… what a fucking DAY." I moaned through the link as I patted the dirt off my cap. Harlow had given it back to me when we began to leave the village.

"You said it. I didn't think we'd be fighting for so long today. I hope I lived up to Albedo's expectations." he replied as he looked back to the village.

"Judging by the look on her face, I think you did and then some, man."

"Really?"

"Really, really."

"That's great. I was worried my cover would be blown."

"I know that feeling. What are you going to do?"

"Probably speak to the NPCs, let them know my plans."

"I'll probably do something similar. See you tomorrow."

"Good night."

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

As we entered the Hangar Bay, I saw Captain Cavos and Lieutenant Sarkley waiting for me. Once we'd landed and the doors slid open, they told me General Jidak was planning on creating an on world Imperial garrison and asked where the best area for it would be. I told them the area around Carne Village would be the best location since it was our first territory on the New World. I then told them that I had an announcement to make. They then escorted me to the bridge.

As I sat down in the Command Chair once again, I pressed the button for the ship-wide intercom, and "grimly" explained our situation.

"Now hear this: To all members of the Basilisk, there is something that I must tell you now. I know many of you do not like lord Gown. It's quite evident, and I wish we didn't have to work with him. However, if we wish to survive this crisis, we have to. It's the only way. He's the only being on that world that could destroy us in an instant. I've seen it myself. If we do not honor the alliance we have with him, then he will kill us all."

The others on the bridge looked back at me, and I could tell they could see the "fear" in my eyes. I knew that we could never defend ourselves against his wrath if we angered him. Of course, I was just using this to manipulate the crew. If they thought I was terrified of Momonga, then they wouldn't try to do anything that would jeopardize my position as the acting Emperor of the Galactic Empire. In their minds, it would be better to have the highest-ranking man deal with the scary alien. I smirked as my and Momonga's true plans would be secure from any interference from the crew of the Basilisk.

Chapter III: The Carne Garrison Defense

Carne Village, New World

The "Switch" + 7 (One Week Since the "Switch")

"Watch it down there!" a worker called from atop a repulsorlift to Enri as sparks flew from the area he was welding. He was one of many working on the outpost that had been set up within Carne.

The work was slow but steady. It had taken them a few days to begin due to setbacks caused by the wildlife in the Great Forest of Tob. They had originally wanted the outpost there instead of inside the village itself because they wanted to, for whatever reason, stay hidden from the rest of the world. It had become too much of a hassle because of animal attacks and the village chief offered to let them build the outpost inside the village. It made sense since the village was an Imperial territory as laid out in the Imperial Carne Acceptance Agreement. The Imperials were reluctant at first to agree to the gesture. After a few more attacks, however, their opinion changed significantly. They then set to work almost immediately into recreating Carne as a fortress. As of this point, they'd already completed the "landing pad", the "storage facility", and they were working on the "vehicle bay".

The workers themselves were made up of both specialized and non-specialized labor. All of the specialized labor were workers from the Grand Admiral's starship, the Basilisk, while the non-specialized labor were villagers from Carne. The ship had also sent down soldiers, but they were different from the Stormtroopers that had saved her village alongside the Grand Admiral and lord Gown. These soldiers wore a light-grey set of overalls underneath an armored vest they called "Field Armor", and were armed with different but similar weapons. When asked, they said that their main weapons were called "E-11 Blaster Rifles", while their secondary weapons were named "SE-14c Blaster Pistols". There were more of the latter than the former as there wasn't enough room in the shuttles they used to carry the equipment down from the Basilisk.

She waited for the man to stop for a moment and then she continued on her way. The man in command of the workforce, a "General Cyrus Jidak", had asked her to gather some maps of the surrounding area for him. He wanted to be prepared in case another attack like the last happened. She shuddered as she remembered it. Had lord Gown and the Grand Admiral not arrived, she and her sister would be dead alongside her mother and father. After the funeral, she was one of the many villagers who clamored to see the attackers' leader's execution. She did cringe when she saw him struggling from being choked by the rope around his neck.

She was glad her sister wasn't there. Meds had taken her away after the man finally stopped moving. Meds didn't think she should stay any longer as some of the villagers began to mutilate the body. The two had become fast friends in the days since the attack, but he had to go back to the ship yesterday. She was sad he wasn't in the village anymore. She had hoped he and Nphirea could have met, as she thought the young alchemist would've liked him.

As she reached the tent the General was staying at, she heard voices coming from within.

"-on schedule, Jidak?" the distorted voice of the Grand Admiral asked.

"Aye, sir. The outpost should be finished within the next week, provided there is no excitement." the General replied in an optimistic tone.

"Very good. I have to go, our prisoner has regained consciousness, finally. They are prepping the IT-O droid as we speak."

"Of course, Admiral." he said as something clicked and the Grand Admiral's voice cut out.

She took the opportunity to make her presence known then. The General turned to her and nodded when he saw her. He gestured at the wooden table in the corner of the tent, and she set the maps down.

"Thank you, Ms. Emmot. If you'll hold a moment." he said politely as he moved toward the chest beside his bed.

He found what he was looking for after a few minutes of rummaging around. He pulled out a small bag and tossed it to her. The bag landed with a clatter in her hands. She opened it to reveal twenty chips that had been stamped with a strange symbol.

"Those are Imperial Credits. They're for all you've done for me these past few days. Once we finally have a way to get better supplies from the ship, you can use them to purchase items." he explained. Enri nodded her head and bowed before she left.

Once she had left the tent, she nearly bumped into one of the Imperial Army soldiers as she studied the credits. The man gave her an odd look as she bowed and apologized. He then rolled his eyes as he continued his patrol. As she stood back up, she thought she saw something in the forest. She stared for a few moments, but nothing changed. She shrugged and started to walk back to her home.

The man on patrol reached the guard switch-off point. He waited for the other patrolling soldier on the other end as he fished for a cigarette. He found the smoke and used the small igniter he'd kept in his pocket to light it. It took a few tries, but it finally ignited as he puffed out a small cloud of smoke.

The man's name was Corporal Davin Flint. He was a former member of the Coruscant Security Force, but he left it about four years ago. He wanted to explore the galaxy, and the Imperial Army seemed the best way to do that. When he thought back on the day he enlisted, he wished he'd chosen the Navy instead.

For most of his service, his division was usually on the frontline. The squad he was with, Squad 9, was colloquially known as the "Unlucky Number Nine" because of the jobs they were usually assigned when on world. His last posting on Klatimyrsk, a desert planet with rebel fighters hidden everywhere, from the biggest of cities to the middle of nowhere would be a great example. His squadron was almost always tasked with finding insurgents among the local populace. Every time they entered one of the damned cities, some native would take a potshot at them. When his division was posted on the Basilisk, he couldn't have been happier.

Then the karking "Switch" happened and now his squad was stuck babysitting a bunch of workers and villagers against creatures that ate a power pack before they went down. It didn't help matters now that they were running low on packs for their E-11s, and the next shipment of them wouldn't arrive for two weeks.

"Damn it all… where's Tylt?" he thought as the man still hadn't come. He was getting impatient since the switch-off point was vulnerable to attack from the forest.

"Sorry for the wait, Corp!" Tylt called as he jogged to the switch-off point. Davin rolled his eyes at the man as he tossed his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it.

"Where in the Empire have you been? I've been here for ten minutes." he complained to Tylt, who just shrugged.

"I had to resolve an issue with one of the workers and a malfunctioning droid."

"You could have called in and said it would take you a little while to get here."

"Eh, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yeah, yeah. Look, I'm doing your route and then I'm heading to my bunk. Be sure to yell as loud as you can if you start getting eaten."

"Whatever. See you later in the mess."

"Right." Davin said as he began to patrol Tylt's route and Tylt did his.

Tylt was like the younger brother that a person could both love and hate at the same time. The man, more of a boy really, had come from Corellia and had been a street rat before joining the army. He'd been a replacement for an old friend who'd been murdered during his last posting. The kid was still a rookie when the "Switch" happened. He was coming along nicely, though. At least the wildlife counted for something. As Davin walked the route, he didn't notice the pair of eyes glued to his back from within the forest.

Back inside the village, Erza Sarkley was seated inside the Emmot home. He was reading the daily report on his datapad when Nemu, Enri's sister, tugged on his sleeve. He glanced at her as she began to speak.

"Do you want anything, Mr. Sarkley?" she asked in a cute little voice. He didn't know why, but this little girl reminded him of his daughter.

His daughter had just recently gotten into a university on their homeworld of Chandrila. He'd received messages from her occasionally, and he'd send his pay to her to help her studies. She was studying to become an archeologist. Her interest in the past had sparked when he'd taken her to one of the museums on the planet.

He missed her. While he knew she was safe in their home galaxy, he couldn't help but feel that she was impossibly far. It had taken many trips to the ship's therapy droid to try and keep him functional. If the droid hadn't been there… well… he probably would've eaten his blaster by now.

"No, but thank you, Nemu." he said as he ruffled her hair and as he did so, the front door opened.

"Good morning, Mr. Sarkley!" Enri said happily as she tossed a bag onto the table. He smiled at her while Nemu ran over.

Nemu hugged her older sister with a smile so bright it was practically blinding. Erza took a look down at the bag. Some of the items inside had been scattered onto the table, and he recognized them. He didn't think General Jidak would be handing out Imperial Credits this soon.

"How are you Ms. Emmot?" he asked when he focused his eyes back on her. She bowed and said she was doing fine this day.

"There is something I thought you should know about, though. When I was coming back, it felt like someone was watching me."

"Really? Did you check to see if there was anything there?"

"I did, but I saw nothing."

"Hm. I'll inform the General that we may need to increase security..."

Just then, someone knocked on the door. While Enri went to go answer it, Erza slowly reached his hand down to undo the flap that covered his holstered DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol. While it wasn't standard Imperial issue, he had to admit it was a better choice when dealing with the local wildlife than the SE-14c pistol. That and he liked to know that whatever he hit truly went down when he shot it. Enri opened the door to reveal a tall dusky-skinned woman with red hair in a maid's uniform.

The woman had a large weapon attached to her back by a strap that ran down across her chest. If Erza didn't know any better, he'd say he recognized her. Then it hit him: This was one of the Pleiades maids of Nazarick. He couldn't remember her name, though, as Enri allowed her inside.

"Hiya!" the tall woman said with a smile and a wave of her hand. Erza just gave her a dubious look.

"Hello. I'm assuming lord Gown sent you?" he asked and the woman nodded. She then tossed two objects that looked like horns onto the table.

"Yeah, he did. He told me to give those to the household owner. I believe their name was 'Enri'?" she said with a hand to her chin and staring up at the ceiling. Enri grasped the two objects and studied them.

"I'm Enri. What are these?" she asked as she held the two small objects up.

"They're summoning items. Those are meant for calling in a few Goblins, specifically."

"Oh. Please offer lord Gown my thanks when you next see him?"

"Sure."

"Ahem." Erza grunted to get their attention. He motioned for Enri to take Nemu outside.

"This woman and I have some things to discuss. If you would give us some privacy, please?" he asked, Enri nodding as she took Nemu outside. With those two gone, he turned his gaze to the tall woman.

"We both know lord Gown didn't just send you here for that." he stated with finality. The woman's facade then dropped away, revealing her true personality to him.

"You're pretty perceptive for a human." she said in a sly tone. He simply shrugged at her words.

"Being a soldier will do that to a man." he replied as he affixed the holster's flap back over his DL-44.

"Lord Ainz wants me to keep an eye on Carne Village for him, just like your Grand Admiral and this outpost of his."

"Ha. You call this surveillance? This is standard procedure, nothing more. Imperial outposts usually have this many soldiers guarding them."

"So you say."

"I'm assuming lord Gown has ordered you to work with me?"

"Yes. I think your orders on it are about to come in."

His datapad clicked as a message from the Basilisk came in. He glanced at it, and sure enough, it was orders from the Grand Admiral. He grimaced as he turned back to the woman, who was now sitting at the opposite end of the table. She was smiling again, and he knew he was never going to be used to that fake smile.

"I know we've already met, but what was your name again?" he asked with an annoyed sigh.

"My name is Lupusregina Beta."

Armory Aboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

I'd finally had enough of waiting for the Slane soldier to start talking. Even with the IT-O, he was still resistant. It was getting tiresome and I ordered the officer on duty to notify me when he felt like chatting. As I walked through the corridors, I passed by the armory.

Inside, a younger man was working on something. I was curious, so I went in, unbeknownst to him. I was hoping it could stave off boredom. Even with everything aboard, a guy could get really bored really quickly. As I approached I could see weapon parts scattered around the place.

When the man finally heard my footsteps over his work, he turned. He stood at attention when he saw me. I peered at the item on the workstation. It looked like an M41A Pulse Rifle from the Aliens movie, except the ammo counter, secondary trigger, and shell eject port on the under-barrel grenade launcher were missing.

"What is your name, young man?" I asked as I looked over at him. He gulped.

"E-e-ensign A-Alexander Corvo, Grand Admiral."

"Tell me what it is you are building, ensign Corvo."

"I-I believed the TL-50 Heavy Repeaters were too cumbersome for the Basilisk Guard, sir. I thought I could improve on the design."

"I see. Tell me, what exactly have you done, so far?"

"Of course, sir. Its main functions are still the same, but I have changed the overall design of the weapon. It is supposed to be slimmer, faster, and able to carry more ammunition than the standard TL-50. I have also split the secondary firing mechanism away from the main portion of the weapon, making it much easier to maintain. It's still a slug-thrower but it fires faster because the firing mechanism has been updated."

"Hm. What part of the crew are you a member of, ensign Corvo?"

"...M-maintenance, sir. I'm sorry, I accept any punishment you give me."

"As of now, you are head of Weapons Development. Your task is to improve upon the designs of the slug-throwers and blasters aboard, as well as finding others to help you with the improvements."

"Ye-...what?"

"As I said, you are now my head weapons designer, LIEUTENANT Corvo."

"T-thank you, sir!"

"Carry on."

As I left, I heard him celebrate quietly over his promotion and the new job.

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

Londes Di Clamp was cowering in his cell in the strange vessel. His vision was playing tricks on him because of that strange black floating sphere. The man who'd amputated him had stood there, watching him, waiting for him to break.

Londes wouldn't break. He knew that someday his gods would come to save him from this hell. It was only a matter of time.

"hE's A tOuGh oNe, AiN't He?" some strange swirling being asked its twisting companion outside of the cell. That one did… something.

"ThInK thE sErUm iS WoRkInG?" it asked, and Londes growled.

Did these beings drug him? That would explain why his eyes were playing tricks on him. It didn't matter, he wouldn't betray his nation.

As Londes Di Clamp jittered in the corner, the two guards outside the cell began to converse. They gave him glances from time to time when he muttered incoherently. One of the guards, an older man, took off his helmet since it was stuffy in the Basilisk's brig.

"How long until the next shift, again?" he asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The other guard, a woman, looked at her pocket chronometer.

"About another ten minutes."

"Great."

"It could be worse."

"You and your damnable optimism." the man chuckled as he placed the helmet back on his head.

As he did so, he could hear someone's footsteps coming down the corridor. He turned and saw that it was one of the Brig's Interrogation Specialists. It was obvious he was coming for the drugged-out man in the cell, since he was the only prisoner aboard.

"Has he said anything of note, yet?" he asked the two guards. They both shook their heads, and then he ordered them to open the cell.

"Hello again, Londes. Feel like talking, yet?" he asked after he dismissed the guards.

"...Go...to...hell..." Londes muttered. The Specialist just gave him a disappointed look and without warning, began to beat him.

The beating went on for minutes. When Londes had stopped moving, the Specialist paused. When Londes didn't regain consciousness, he left the cell and locked the door. Obviously, the serum needed tweaking.

On the bridge, Captain Cavos was reading the daily report from Lieutenant Sarkley. He'd acknowledged that he'd received his orders from the Grand Admiral on working with the Pleiades woman that lord Gown had sent to Carne. She scowled as she thought of Gown.

If only the Grand Admiral would order her to destroy that damn creature, her fears would be put to rest. She didn't trust it. She felt… off whenever she was around it. Despite her fears, she wouldn't betray the Admiral. She felt it was important to advise him when dealing with Gown, given how frightened he'd seemed when he gave the announcement four days ago.

"Captain?" a voice called from the crew pit. She looked down and motioned for the man to continue.

"We're getting interference from somewhere on the planet." he informed her, gesturing to his instrument panel.

She came down to his station and took a look for herself. The man wasn't wrong as certain areas of the world had become blurred. Besides the strange static on the screen, there was nothing down there that should be causing it.

"Before this static appeared, did you see anything that might have caused it?" she asked the man, who shrugged in response.

"No, ma'am. There wasn't anything."

"Hm. Monitor the disturbance. If it changes, let me know immediately."

"Yes, ma'am."

The doors to the bridge opened behind them. She turned to see two Stormtroopers enter, followed by Marshal Commander Harlow. He and his men stopped behind the Command Chair. She turned to them and the Marshal Commander offered her a holoprojector. On it, someone's image waited patiently. It was the creature that lord Gown referred to as Demiurge.

"Mr. Demiurge. What is it you want?" she asked while gazing at his image warily.

"Good day, Captain. I would like word on the weapons the Grand Admiral promised us." he said with his usual smile. His armored tail swished back and forth.

"We are trying to find a simple kind of blaster for you to copy. We're afraid if you used one of our standard models of blasters, like the E-11 or DC-15 variants, it might be destroyed in your attempts to replicate it."

"Ah. What about one of the 'blasters' that had belonged to the 'Rebels' you had prisoner?"

"We are repairing those as we speak. They were destroyed when we took those Rebels prisoner on Haldis."

"Of course. When should we expect them?"

"Your people should have them by the end of the next week."

"That's wonderful news. We look forward to seeing them."

"Of course. Goodbye, Mr. Demiurge."

"Goodbye, Captain."

His image disappeared as the Marshal Commander lowered the holoprojector. He sighed with exasperation as he looked back at her. She grimaced as she looked into his visor.

"What do you think we should tell the Admiral?" he asked as he slightly tilted his head. She sighed and threw up her hands.

"Tell him that our 'allies' have requested an update on the blasters." she said as she turned back toward the viewport. He nodded and left the bridge accompanied by the two Stormtroopers.

"Blast it all. I know we can't just say that we don't have blasters to spare, but I don't want to give those… things weapons that could kill our men." she thought as she bit her lip. She didn't feel how hard she was biting until she felt a small dribble of liquid go down her chin. She placed a hand to her chin to stop the blood from dripping down on her uniform.

Carne Village, New World

The "Switch" + 9 (9 Days Since the "Switch")

"Flint!" the Sergeant called, getting Davin's attention.

"Oh great. The hell does that sleemo want now?" Davin thought bitterly as he marched over to the Sergeant. As he walked over, he heard the Sergeant call out five more names.

"Men, we have a man missing." he announced as he motioned his datapad. He gestured to Davin.

"Corporal, we believe you knew the man missing. His name was Tylt, Ren?"

"Yes, I knew him, Sergeant."

"I want you to take these men and look for him. He was last seen near the forest."

"Right." Davin replied as the Sergeant walked away. He turned towards the other men.

"You'll be following me. We'll comb the northern section of the forest. I want you two to comb the southern section, while you two cover the western section. We'll meet back up and go over the eastern section of the forest if none of us have found anything yet."

"Yes, Corp!" they called as he took the first private towards their section of the forest.

After about an hour, Davin and the other man had made it into the forest. They were about a hundred feet inside the area when they began to investigate Tylt's disappearance. He raised his head towards the other man.

"Found anything, yet?!" he called as he scanned the ground. The other man shouted back.

"No. Sorry, Corp!"

"It's fine. Keep looking!" he called back. He readjusted the strap that he attached to his E-11 back on Klatimyrsk as he looked back down. Something about this area was making him feel… uneasy.

Maybe it was the fact there was basically no sunlight that penetrated through the canopy up above. There was also the strange feeling of being watched. After a few minutes, he raised his head to call to the other man again. As he did he felt his boot connect with something small and boxlike. It let out an electronic gurgle and he bent to pick it up. It was a comm unit from a standard Imperial Army helmet. As he turned it over in his hands, it felt slick. He removed one of his hands and looked at it. He saw a crimson red liquid coating his fingers. It was pretty obvious what it was.

He heard a scream come from the other man and when he turned to look, he was gone. He dropped the comm unit and leveled his blaster out into the forest. He gulped as he thought he saw a large white blur dart across the path thirty feet away.

"Kark me… Kark me… Kark me!" he repeated in his head as he looked into the forest. He heard a twig snap twenty feet from him.

He squeezed round after round of blaster fire into the forest behind him as he ran towards the exit. Arrows whizzed by his head and he felt a trickle go down his leg as he sprinted away. He pissed himself! The only other time that happened was when he was rudely woken up by an old B1 that had somehow reactivated itself and thought it was in the middle of the Clone Wars during his first posting. The damn thing nearly made him a Eunuch when its blaster went off!

An arrow lodged itself in his arm but he kept running. Like hell was he going to die on some fierfek backwater like this planet. He heard something thump as he fired again, and he couldn't help but smirk. That's one unknown monster down. Then he felt the sun on his hands and was met by a firing line of Imperial Army soldiers. The Sergeant was there, cajoling the others into a proper line.

Just then, the alarm within Carne went off.

Carne Village, New World

Erza Sarkley was enjoying a cup of Caf from the few grounds that he'd brought down from the Basilisk inside his tent, alongside Lupusregina. He was surprised when she asked if she could have a drink like his. Shrugging, he made some more Caf and handed her a mug of it. The look on her face was a sight to behold. Apparently these creatures liked Caf. Though her face might have been… exaggerated, just a little bit. She looked like a bloody child who received a piece of chocolate.

It was still a test of his patience to work with the woman, though. She had been testing him with her little pranks ever since the day they had begun working together. He couldn't count how many times he wanted to throttle her for her antics. Then again, they were just harmless pranks.

As the sun began to shine down on them, he saw a Sergeant call six men to him. He didn't pay attention to the group for long as he went back to his Caf. He noticed them all split up out of the corner of his eye.

"What do you think they're doing?" she asked as she came up next to him. He gazed up at her and shrugged.

"Nothing that concerns us. Those men were Army soldiers. We men from the Navy tend to keep our distance from them." he replied as he set his cup down on the nearby table. He then sat at the table after he took his datapad from his desk. She took a seat across from him.

"What are we doing today?" she asked as she began to twirl a hair.

"We are to inspect the village's supplies."

"Oh… anything less boring?"

"I'm afraid not. After that, we are to check on the outpost's progress."

"Hm. Well, as long as I have more of this stuff, I should be good."

"I still can't believe that you would be one for Caf."

"I'm full of surprises."

After about an hour, the pair were outside the outpost. They were discussing the progress of the outpost construction with an on-site worker.

"As you can see, Lieutenant, we are quite on schedule. The only things that are missing here are walkers." the worker said as he gestured at the vehicle bay. Sarkley nodded as he used a stylus to write the progress report on his datapad.

Lupusregina was busy drinking her third cup of Caf. How she wasn't bouncing off the vehicle bay's doors was a mystery to him. Once he finished writing, he motioned for her to follow him. She nodded as she turned towards him. She was about to say something when blaster fire echoed out from the forest.

The worker jumped as Erza undid the flap on his holstered DL-44 at his side. He pulled it out as an arrow bounced off the side of the vehicle bay. The worker cried out as an arrow lodged itself in his chest. Erza aimed his blaster at the forest when he noticed Pale Beings start charging the village.

He got off a few rounds when he suddenly lost vision in one eye, and waves of agony filled him. He didn't know what had happened! Then, he noticed the long wooden shaft that was sticking out of his right eye. He'd been shot with an arrow!

How was he still alive? He then saw the slender dusky hand holding onto the shaft. Lupusregina had saved his life, but why? There was time for that later. She let go and jumped into action, using spells and the large weapon on her back to decimate the invading creatures.

He noticed more of the monsters had made it into the village itself. He took hold of the arrow's shaft and with a hard tug, broke the arrow in half. Half was still in his ruined eye, however, but he would be able to fight this way. He started moving towards the center when he heard someone cry out. It was Nemu!

He started sprinting towards the Emmot house.

Back at the house, Enri heard the blaster fire as she was preparing breakfast. Nemu had rushed into the room and quickly hugged Enri's leg. Tears began to well up in her eyes as Enri looked outside to see strange Pale Beings killing villagers and Imperial workers without discrimination. She heard banging on her door, and she took Nemu with her into their bedroom.

She didn't know what to do as the door was hacked at by a war ax. She turned to look at her little sister when she noticed the two horns on the nightstand. She snatched them and put one up to her lips. Just as the door broke open and Pale Beings began to pile in, a light forced them backward, then a sword slashed one of them across the chest. The light faded to reveal ten Goblins, one of which had attacked the Pale Beings. The others gave a war cry.

"For the honorable General Enri!"

The Pale Beings began to drop as they were hacked, slashed, stabbed, and clubbed to death by the Goblins. More began to try and enter the house when an unfamiliar sounding blaster fired into them from behind. The group of beings dropped and revealed a disheveled-looking, wounded Lieutenant Erza Sarkley who was holding the blaster he'd usually kept holstered at his side. He lifted it again when he saw the Goblins, who in turn raised their weapons.

"Don't! They saved us!" she called to the Lieutenant who looked at her, stunned. He lowered the blaster as the Goblins lowered their weapons.

"Are you alright, Ms. Emmot?" he asked as she gave him a worried look.

"Are you? Your eye-"

"Don't worry about it."

"General Enri, what do you want us to do?" the Goblin with the sword cut in. She turned to him and the other Goblins and pointed at the village.

"Help save my village..."

"Jugem."

"Please help save the village, Mr. Jugem."

"Yes ma'am!" he cried as he began to run out, but was stopped by Sarkley.

"I'll go with you. It wouldn't do if you got shot by friendlies." he said wryly and then winced as his ruined eye caused him more pain.

He turned to Enri and tossed her an EC-17 Holdout Blaster Pistol that he'd had tucked into the pocket of his uniform pants. She caught it and held it in her hands for a moment. She nodded as she held the pistol like he was, but she was pointing it towards the door. The Goblins and the Lieutenant then left to go and save the town from the invading monsters.

After a few minutes, another monster tried to attack but was shot back by Enri, whose hands were trembling from the shock of taking a life. She shook it off as more of them began to head towards the house.

Near the edge of the forest, the line of Imperial Army Infantrymen was holding back the tide of Pale Beings, but only just.

"Keep firing, lads! Don't let these bastards into the village!" the Sergeant cried as Davin placed a fresh power pack into his E-11. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw that a medic was gesturing at him. He complied and got out of the firing line so the medic could remove the arrow from the back of his arm.

After the arrow was removed, the Sergeant ordered him to take a squad of soldiers to deal with the monsters that had already made it inside the village. He nodded as he used his hand to convey to a few other soldiers to move to the village. A few complied, and they started running.

When they finally got into the village, it was chaos. The things were everywhere, and the villagers were being dragged out of their homes and slaughtered. His men lost it and began to fire into them. The barks of SE-14c Blaster Pistols and E-11 Blaster Rifles drowned out the screaming monsters.

Davin then saw a small green creature slash at one of the invaders, while a wounded Navy Lieutenant shot two others with a DL-44. A man raised a rifle at the green creature but Davin pushed the barrel down.

"Don't shoot, they're friendlies!" he shouted as another monster charged at them. A quick shot from his E-11 put it in its place. The Navy lieutenant noticed them and motioned them over.

"What's your name, soldier?" he asked brusquely as he shot at another creature.

"Flint, sir!" Davin replied as he fired on a group of the invaders. The Lieutenant pointed towards the center of the village.

"I need you and your men to hold the left flank while the Goblins and I hold the right, Flint."

"What about the middle, sir?"

"The Gown maid has it."

"Yes, sir. You heard him boys, cover the left!"

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

"Oy, Ben, come on!" the gunner, Crane Deril, called to Ben Setrin, the pilot of their All-Terrain Scout-Transport, or AT-ST for short.

Ben had been napping after reading an illegal copy of Heroes of the Republic, which had been recently banned by the Empire. It was probably because it was filled with interviews from Jedi, but he didn't care. His grandfather had been a former soldier from the Naboo Security Force, and the man had told him tales of Jedi like Qui-Gon Jinn. Unlike the Clones or many of the citizens of the Empire, he didn't believe that all Jedi were traitors. Obviously, men like Mace Windu and Yoda were traitors, as they had tried to kill the then chancellor, after all.

"What, why?" he asked as Crane groaned.

"We've got orders!"

"Spast, why didn't you say so?"

"I thought it was obvious, ya idiot."

"Right, coming!"

Crane bolted down the hall as Ben put on his uniform and grabbed his helmet. He followed after him as he strapped the helmet on.

"Come on, Ben!"

"I'm coming, dammit."

He stopped with Crane and four others. The deck chief turned towards them as their AT-STs were loaded into the drop pods. There was the whole vitriol that went with using the AT-STs in combat, and any man there would hate to be on the deck chief's bad side. The men started walking towards the lift that went to the catwalks, so they could get inside the walkers before they were completely loaded.

As he and Crane continued their journey on the cat-walk, he noticed the grins on the other crews' faces. They were grinning with anticipation. This would be the first time they'd see action after several months. He couldn't blame them for that, he was kinda feeling the same thing.

"I'll see you all on the ground." their Lieutenant called as he got inside his AT-ST. The hatch closed and the steps that lead into the AT-ST's cockpit folded into the pod as the pod's roof was lowered.

"This is gonna be fun!" Crane said excitedly as he went in first, followed by Ben.

He secured the hatch and started the activation sequence for the AT-ST. Just as he did so, he felt the jolt as the AT-ST was enclosed by the pod. He took a controlled breath as he checked the systems. All the systems were green, and he opened the eye slits on the AT-ST.

The pod jolted again and he saw his goggles float into view. They were going down to the planet. Crane calibrated the weapons as they entered orbit.

"Do we know if the enemy has any arty?" Ben asked as Crane activated the rotary cannon on the left side of the walker.

"No. Just a bunch of primitives. They've got bows and arrows."

"Who exactly are we going to be shooting at?"

"Buncha pale freaks. They're basically wearing nothing for armor. The Grand Admiral is sending us down there to finish them off."

"Ah. So we shouldn't expect that much resistance?"

"Nope."

"Roger that."

"Team 3, are you receiving, over?" the Lieutenant's voice came through. Ben pushed the talk button to reply.

"Loud and clear, LT, over." he called back as Crane got his hands on the stick that controlled the weapons systems.

"Our team and Team 2 will be sweeping the outskirts. Team 3, your job is to clear the village. Try not to hit the civvies, clear?"

"Wilco."

"Out."

Ben released the button as they entered the planet's atmosphere.

"Hey, what's this place's name, again?" he asked as the walker began to move a little faster.

"I think the locals call it Carne."

Carne Village, New World

"Man down!" Davin called as another one of his soldiers was hit. The man crumpled to his knees, his SE-14c falling to the ground as he tried to staunch the flow of blood from his throat.

It had been hours since he'd seen the Navy Lieutenant and those Goblins of his. He did have some help though. The middle had fallen, so Lupusregina was fighting alongside them. If she wasn't a crazy warrior maid, he'd probably ask her out. He hadn't any action in months, and while she did have a great ass, he could tell she wasn't quite right in the head. Besides, she'd most likely snap him in two if he tried anything like that.

He fired again as another Pale Being tried to run him through. He'd have to reload, soon. He was down to forty rounds in this pack, and then there was the pack that he kept for emergencies. A volley of arrows came at him and he only got saved by the crazy warrior maid. She was knocked off her feet when the ground shook. He smiled as he vividly remembered his final days on Klatimyrsk, the shaking ground reminding him of those days.

His division was ordered to destroy the cities due to the fact that they were constantly harassed by the locals. When they entered the first city, they had a little help from one of the most feared weapons in the Empire. He remembered it so well because the ground shook when one of its feet touched the ground. If one was used to it, they wouldn't fall over like the maid just did. That being said, no one could help falling over if it was the "older brother". He called it that because the damn things were massive, and their weapons were better compared to their smaller counterparts. That was due to the fact that they were used to attack military installations, and not small cities, though.

"What the hell was that?" she asked with a growl as she looked around.

"That, lady, is the Imperial All-Terrain Scout-Transport." he said as he smirked and inserted a fresh power pack into the E-11.

The AT-ST came around from behind a few houses and its chin-mounted cannon opened fire on the remaining Pale Beings. Just as it did, some villagers armed themselves with blasters and began to fire at the kriffing things. It was a sight to behold. The Pale Beings had tried to charge, but they were cut down by the light E-Web cannon on the left side of the walker. The chin-mounted cannon fired again, and scores of the bastards were blown to pieces. Davin took control of the villagers and led them in a charge against the monsters. The slaughter had been all but complete as the remnants of the attackers retreated back into the forest.

Hours later, Davin had found the Navy Lieutenant. He was being tended to by the girl that had nearly bumped into him a few days ago and a smaller girl. Lupusregina was there, too, and some strange glow engulfed her hands. It was a somewhat comical scene and he smirked as he approached them.

"Hell of a day, huh, sir?" he said as he offered him a cigarette. The man declined, so Davin took it instead.

"You could say that, yes." the Lieutenant chuckled as the Goblin with the sword came over with a bucket of water.

"You fought well today, human." he said as the girl dipped a cloth into the water and wiped some of the blood off the Lieutenant's face.

"I could say the same thing about you, Mr. Jugem. It's Erza, by the way. Lieutenant Erza Sarkley of the Imperial Navy."

"Navy? The hell are you doing on land?"

"Not that kind of navy, pal." Davin said as he lit the cigarette. The Lieutenant then looked up as he heard and saw both LAATs and Sentinel-Class Shuttles.

It was relief supplies from the Basilisk at last, as well as a few squadrons of Stormtroopers to bolster the defense against anything like those monsters should they come back. As the ships landed, the Goblins' mouths dropped while a couple of men that none of them had ever seen before walked by, chatting about the day's events. Davin recognized the uniform, though. He whistled to get their attention.

"Hey there, you two the pilots of that AT-ST from earlier?" he asked as one of them rubbed the back of his neck and another grinned.

"He's the pilot, I'm just the gunner." the grinning man said as he jerked a thumb at himself.

"Want a cigarette?"

"I'd love one." the grinning man said as he walked over. The other man was about to stop him, but shrugged and followed.

Davin handed him one of the precious cigarettes as the Lieutenant was helped to his feet by Lupusregina. She grimaced as she explained that her magic had healed his minor wounds, but nothing could be done for his eye.

"It's fine, Lupusregina. The Basilisk has prosthetics for that kind of thing."

"Okay..." she said as the Lieutenant walked up to the three men. He stuck a hand out to the pilot.

"Excellent job, driver." he said as the other man grasped his hand after a moment. Davin lit the gunner's cigarette and the man puffed for a second and then exhaled. Davin stuck out his own hand.

"Name's Davin Flint." he said as the gunner took his hand.

"Crane Deril, and that's Ben Setrin." he replied as he gestured at the pilot.

A Stormtrooper Sergeant walked over to the Lieutenant. He whispered in his ear and the Lieutenant nodded. He turned back to the others.

"I'm to return to the ship for immediate treatment. I'll be back as soon as I've recovered from the treatment."

"Goodbye, Mr. Sarkley!" the little girl said alongside her older sister.

The three Imperial soldiers saluted as Lupusregina waved. He smirked as he waved back. It might have been a trick of the light, but he thought he saw her cheeks go slightly pink when he'd waved back. That was odd, and then the doors to the LAAT slid shut.

Onboard the Radiant Perception, Near the New World's Orbit

The door opened to the meditation chamber to reveal the back of a man levitating off the ground. The man who opened the door, a Clone Commander with a red and black paint scheme, stood just outside the doorway.

"Yes, Stagger?" the man asked, his back still turned while his lightsabers floated alongside him.

"General, we are exiting hyperspace now." Stagger said as he gestured with his thumb at nothing behind him.

"Of course." the man, Sedyn Merrick, said as he turned to face Stagger.

He was strong man in a full suit of Mandalorian armor. His helmet, one usually given to executioners, gleamed from the light of the hallway. He retrieved the weapons that had fallen gently to the floor. Stagger waited as Sedyn picked up his dual Westar-SE-14C5s, his lightsaber, and his old master's double-bladed lightsaber. Sedyn then motioned for Stagger to lead the way.

Clones with armor that had the same paint scheme saluted as the two passed them on their way to the bridge, Sedyn saluting back. The troopers were from the SE-14C5th Nexu Legion, which had been posted alongside Sedyn to hold the planet of Mandalore. It was the only way to keep Mandalore from turning completely Imperial.

As a Grey Jedi, it disturbed him that he had to work with the men who destroyed the Jedi Order, Darths Vader and Sidious. Of course, it would disturb him if he actually was a Grey Jedi. Right now, though, he was freaking the fuck out. Just a minute ago, he had been in a third-person view, watching his avatar meditate as the game shut down, and the Clones were all NPCs! Now they were moving on their own, and he felt… everything. It was like being able to see for the first time if one were blind. Did he somehow become his in-game avatar? No, that's impossible… right?

As Sedyn and Stagger entered the bridge, a trooper shouted out.

"Attention, Officer on deck!"

"At ease," Sedyn stated as he walked to the viewport. He blinked underneath his helmet when the sight of traveling through Hyperspace disappeared to reveal a Super-Star Destroyer eighty miles away.

"Sir, we're getting something on the comm. It's being relayed to us and our accompanying ship." a Clone said from the comm station.

"Put it through." Stagger commanded, and an unknown feminine voice came over the intercom.

"Attention Acclamator-Class Assault Ships, this is the Imperial Executor-Class Star Dreadnought, Basilisk. Identify yourselves immediately or be fired upon."

"The Basilisk? That's impossible. It's been missing for six months..." one of the Clone crew members muttered.

"This is Sedyn Merrick of the Imperial Inquistorius Branch aboard the Radiant Perception. Who is this?" Sedyn asked as he heard a sharp intake of breath on the other end. It sounded like it came from the woman, and then another voice came through the intercom.

"This is Grand Admiral Taver Slazin. I invite you to meet with me aboard my ship, Inquisitor Sedyn. We have much to discuss, you and I…"

Author's note: Now the GA and Momonga aren't alone. They now have another Player (courtesy of ComparedDread12), and two Acclamators. This is not to say that they are the only Players in the New World, however, as the 2nd attack on Carne wasn't a mindless action. Someone ordered the Pale Beings to attack… another Player, one who's hostile. And she has much more at her disposal than just the Pale Beings. Those were just cannon fodder.

Please read and review, but no hateful stuff. Also, try to keep it at two paragraphs long. It's very difficult for me to read the full thing in the little spare time I'm going to have in the coming weeks.

Chapter IV: The Raid Discovery

Onboard LAAT on Course Towards the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The "Switch" + 9 (9 Days Since the "Switch")

The LAAT left The Radiant Perception's hangar bay and began its flight toward the Basilisk. BalancedFear looked around at the troopers surrounding him. Both his Captain and Commander were going with him, and he was thankful for that. As he stood there, helmet under his arm, frown on his face, he couldn't control his powers as he read the minds of the other troopers. He felt bad about it, but he couldn't control it, since he was still freaking out.

Here he was, inside a LAAT, surrounded by his loyal Imperial Clone Stormtroopers, heading towards an Imperial Super-Star Destroyer. Most of the men going with him and aboard the two Acclamators had been created by him at least four years ago now, when he was level ten in the servers' Jedi class. When he became his avatar, his level was at thirty. Even though he was a Grey Jedi, he was leagues beneath the Grand Admiral in terms of levels.

To be a Grand Admiral in the Voyages Into the Unknown SW Edition server, you had to be at least level fifty-five to even be considered for the position. This guy was most likely in the high seventies, low eighties by the fact that he had a fucking Super-Star Destroyer. Putting all that aside, he knew the only people in Voyages Into the Unknown that could reach the status of Grand Admiral were Players, as the only way to become a Grand Admiral in the server was to be recommended by enough Players to be gifted that rank by the Emperor, who was a level one hundred Sith Lord.

The Emperor would then have to get approval from the admins of the server, which could take at least a year. There were only a few in the server that ever reached the rank of Grand Admiral, and no one actually knew their names. The reason for this was because the admins changed the entire record of that Player, making them seem like a ghost in the server, since the Grand Admiral rank was supposed to be a secret. All Grand Admirals would've been announced at the rumored Imperial Rally Speech event if you were an Imperial member, or Rebel Target Listing if you were a Rebel. That never happened since the game had been shut down.

"If this guy is a Player, then are there more of us? We can't be the only ones, right?" he asked in his mind when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

"(You good, General?)" Commander Stagger asked with a frown. His helmet was held under his arm just as BalancedFear had programmed him to do when Stagger was anxious.

"(I'm fine. It's just nerves, Stagger.)" he replied with a nod, his unconscious frown turning into a nervous grin. Captain Ace, Stagger's second in command, chuckled and leveled a finger at BalancedFear.

"(You, nervous?)" he asked nonchalantly and chuckled again. Stagger rolled his eyes.

"(Who wouldn't be, Ace? We're going aboard the Basilisk.)"

"(So?)"

"(You know, THE Basilisk! It's the ship that slaughtered those Rebels in the Oronytil Sector!)"

"(Wait, you mean those guys from Haldis?)"

"(Yeah. Cruel bastards, if the rumors are true.)"

"(The ones about the massacre?)"

"(What massacre?)" BalancedFear asked, getting the attention of the two Clones.

Stagger cleared his throat as he looked at him. He then recounted the after-action report on the Haldis Campaign.

"(Now, these are just rumors, but a lot of people are saying that they used tactics that even the Empire considers… excessive, for the kind of job they were assigned.)"

"(What do you mean?)"

"(Their job was to hunt down Rebel fighters and sympathizers. They found a… village that had been known to give refuge to such people. They then executed the old Contingency Order Thirty-Seven, then burned down the village when the Rebels and the sympathizers surrendered and were taken away. Afterward, the survivors of the fire were gunned down in the village center. It wasn't pretty. After all that, they only took six of the fifty-five prisoners they'd captured. The rest were executed and tossed into a mass grave near the edge of the forest surrounding the village. That was all we could get from the after-action report, though.)"

"(Hm. So we should err on the side of caution when dealing with these people, then?)"

"(Yes, General.)"

He was about to ask another question about the Basilisk when the pilot announced they were nearing the Basilisk. With that, Stagger placed his helmet back on his head while the others shouldered their DC-15A rifles. he took a calming breath as he saw the shadow of the Super-Star Destroyer cover the LAAT.

"May the Force be with us." he thought as he felt the LAAT touch the hangar deck.

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

I watched as the painted LAAT came into the hangar. Its paint scheme was highly reminiscent of the 2003 Clone Wars show from over one hundred-thirty-five years ago. The only reason I recognized it was because Lucasfilm had re-released the series as part of the 140th anniversary of the release of Star Wars Ep. IV: A New Hope.

They had made it a huge deal by adding in both the Prequel, Original, and Thrawn trilogy movies. Out of all of them, I'd preferred the Thrawn Trilogy over the Original and Prequel movies. They'd also added multiple TV series alongside them, which included the animated Clone Wars mini-series, the live-action Star Wars: Underworld TV series, and the animated Star Wars: New Jedi Order series. I'd spent hours as a kid watching it all with my Mom and Dad. …I miss those days.

The doors on the LAAT slid back and I saw a man wearing a full set of Mandalorian armor, surrounded by what I assumed were his own Clone Stormtroopers. They were also wearing the Phase II Armor, but whereas my men were a uniform white, these guys had an actual paint scheme. Their forearms and shins were painted black, with red paint on their elbows, knees, shoulders, and the lower portion of their helmets. The man started advancing towards me, accompanied by a Clone Commander wearing a modified version of Fordo's armor from the Clone Wars mini-series and a Clone Captain wearing an altered version of Commander Keller's armor.

The only bits that were different on the Commander were the fact that the helmet he wore had macrobinoculars and he had white Imperial Crests emblazoned on his shoulders. He had the same paint scheme as the troopers behind him, but the lower portion of his helmet was white. His helmet crest and the Jaig Eyes next to it, however, were painted red. The Clone Captain's differences were similarly small in scope. Instead of two hip holsters, he only had one, and his paint scheme was a red version of Keller's. Other than that, his armor was the spitting image of Keller's when he had the hooded robe on Toola.

The other troopers from the LAAT fanned out in front of the gunship, standing at attention. They stood facing my own troopers, along with a few members of the Naval Commandos, four Basilisk Guards, and Marshal Commander Harlow. The Mandalorian Inquisitor stopped in front of me, his two Clone officers stopping behind him. I stuck out a hand towards him.

"Welcome aboard the Basilisk, Inquisitor Merrick. I do hope you've had a pleasant journey to my ship?"

"Yes, though I will admit I was surprised to see your ship and not Mandalore. My men and I were stationed in that system, and we were heading there to quell an uprising." he replied as he took my offered hand and began to shake it, and then I heard a simple thought enter my head.

"God, I hope you're a Player, too." it said, and I realized it came from Sedyn. This guy was like me and Momonga! If we weren't surrounded by NPCs, I'd have probably hugged the man and cried.

"Activate." I thought, and then his eyes lit up.

"OMG, you're a Player too!" he thought.

"Christ on a crutch, you trying to fry my brain?!" "An uprising on Mandalore, you say?"

"Sorry, man. It's just… you know." "Yes. I am the one who controls Mandalore for the Empire."

"I get it, I did the same thing you did when I met another Player on the world below us." "I see. We should talk more in a more secluded area, don't you agree? After all, I wouldn't want to worry those of weaker fortitude."

"Wait, for real?" "Of course, Grand Admiral. You've been gone for a while, and I'm assuming we're just as lost as you are. By the way, call me Sedyn."

"Yeah. Come on, let's go to my room, for privacy. I'll call my friend up then." "Right. Follow me, if you please. Marshal Commander Harlow, you and your men will show the Inquisitor's troopers to the mess hall. Lieutenant Keiran, you may take your men and go back to your barracks. Galt, Blitz, Phibes, and Glitch? You follow us."

A chorus of either "Yes, sir" or "Yes, Admiral" ensued as the men followed their orders. We entered the elevator after crossing the deck. While Sedyn was busy talking with the guards, I called Momonga and told him about our newest arrival. The elevator chimed as we reached the Officer's Quarters, and the guards filed out first and took their standard positions within the hall. I led Sedyn to my room where I entered first, heading straight for my desk. The door shut behind him as I pulled out the bottle of Tihaar from the drawer. From that same drawer, I retrieved two glasses and set them on my desk, filling them both as Sedyn sat down across from me.

"My friend should be here any minute." I said as I grabbed a third glass and filled it with the Tihaar as well.

"Cool. So how long have you been here?" Sedyn asked as he took one of the filled glasses.

"About… nine days, I think."

"Huh. The NPCs aboard my ship say your ship apparently disappeared six months ago, so they must be going off game-logic in terms of time. I mean, I never even heard of the Basilisk before you contacted us an hour ago."

"Well, that's certainly weird. By the way, this might be offtopic, but what's your username?"

"What for?"

"Me and my friend use our usernames when no NPCs are nearby."

"Oh, I get it. So what's yours?"

"It's pretty dumb."

"Still want to know it, though."

"It's… EmpireForLife."

"Oh, well mine is BalancedFear."

"See, that's a better name than mine."

"Eh, I wouldn't say it's that much better."

Once he finished his sentence, I heard the familiar noise of a teleportation spell. BalancedFear jumped out of his seat when he saw Momonga appear behind me, and I had to suppress a snicker. He was about to grab his single-bladed lightsaber when I raised a hand.

"It's alright. This is the friend I mentioned."

"This is the guy you told me about?" Momonga asked as he studied BalancedFear. BalancedFear bristled as Momonga studied him, but I guess I would do the same if I wasn't used to Momonga's appearance.

"Yes. You'll want to be careful around him, though. He's from the Jedi-class. I'm guessing you know what those are?" I asked as I finally grabbed my own glass of Tihaar. I indicated Momonga's drink for him since he didn't notice it.

"A Jedi? So you can use the Force? What's it like?" Momonga asked as he grabbed his glass. He took a sip and I half-expected the drink to go straight onto the floor. Imagine my surprise when it didn't.

"It's kind of weird, and I can't really describe it. Imagine you were blind for most of your life and then suddenly you could see. That's kind of what it's like for me." BalancedFear replied as he sat back in the chair. I motioned for Momonga to sit in the other chair, but he declined.

"That's a very profound statement." I said as I grabbed my datapad while setting the glass down.

"It makes sense. The Force is supposed to be everywhere and is in everything, right?"

"It was all I could really come up with to describe it."

"So, now there's three of us. That means there's got to be more people like us here or on other worlds like this. I mean, it stands to reason."

"I hope to God you're right, because I really want to find some of my friends. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I met you EmpireForLife, but I miss my old guildmates."

"Hey, it's fine. I imagine I'd say the same thing if our roles were reversed."

"So, I gotta ask, but who are you?"

"My username's Momonga."

"You're kidding! From Ainz Ooal Gown?"

"See? Told you your guild was famous."

"I guess I can't argue with you."

"I can't believe it, an Ainz Ooal Gown member, here with us!"

"That's just the tip of the iceberg. You see, we're working together."

"Really? Are the NPCs okay with it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there's the fact the Empire is xenophobic. It promotes human-supremacy."

"His NPCs are kind of the same in that regard. Not a whole lot of them like us cause we're human. Though I doubt we're going to have any problems. The human NPCs here are terrified of Momonga. I doubt the Clones are scared of him, but they are loyal so there shouldn't be any problems. I also reinforced the human NPCs' fear with a speech I gave about six days ago. Managed to make them believe I was also scared of Momonga."

"It worked like a charm, not one of your Imperials has given us any overt kind of trouble. I've also told my people to treat you guys with respect since I've kind of implied that if we didn't, you'd reveal us to the other nations and lead an army against us. I'm not sure if Albedo and Demiurge cared, but they'll listen. They don't want to make me upset since they view us as 'Supreme Beings'. We were the ones who created them, so they view us as their parents."

"Yeah. Oh, it also might be a good idea to keep this from spreading, EmpireForLife. Your ship apparently has a reputation. My Clone Commander, Stagger, said you guys did some shady stuff on a planet called Haldis. Apparently you guys went all SS on them."

"What do you- oh. Was it really that bad? I was kind of stuck on the ship."

"Apparently you used Order Thirty-Seven, burned down the village, and then had the survivors shot."

"Not what I wanted to happen. I did say use Order Thirty-Seven, but I have no idea where the 'burning down the village' and 'no survivors' came from. I might have ordered the rest on accident now that I'm thinking about it."

"Oh for the love of God!"

"You 'accidentally' ordered the burning of a village and killing the survivors? How does that even happen?"

"Like I said, it was an accident. I had a lot of the orders in the game hotkeyed, and I pressed the one I use for brutality by mistake. I meant to push the "place everyone under arrest" hotkey.."

"Well, now your ship has a reputation for brutality."

"Well, if rumors like that spread to the New World after we reveal ourselves, it may be used in our favor."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, fear has its uses."

"I guess. It's just… I don't know. It feels wrong, for some reason."

"That might be coming from your in-game persona. It seems that since we've become our avatars, we take on some of the traits they had. For example, with Momonga being an Undead, he's got something that inhibits him from extreme emotion, like joy or rage. I, on the other hand, seem to be colder than I would normally be. As a Jedi, even a Grey one, I'd imagine you'd still have some problems with using fear. 'Fear is the path to the Dark Side', as Yoda said."

"Jeez, then how much of us is really there, then? I mean, how much more will we change to fit our persona and lose our true selves?"

"I've tried not to think about it."

"A guy can go crazy thinking about that kind of stuff."

We talked for hours about a lot of things. Plans, gear, and... home. After nearly three hours, Momonga mentioned he was going to E-Rantel. When I asked him why, he replied that he was going undercover as an adventurer.

"If you're going to be an adventurer, maybe you could take our new arrival with you?

"BalancedFear would make a good addition alongside Narberal and I, now that I think about it."

"The only issue we would need to deal with is your lightsabers, BalancedFear. Can't exactly explain those away, can we?"

"Well, I've also got a spare weapon I keep in my quarters so I won't get asked about the lightsabers. A Beskad."

"One of those old Mando swords? That could work."

"'Mando'?"

"Short for 'Mandalorian'. They were a culture you could join in the Star Wars Universe."

"Oh."

"Yeah, the Beskad's blade has been modified, though. It's got Vibro-blade tech inside it."

"Eh, we'll chalk that little detail up to magic."

"Sounds good. When are you planning to head to this 'E-Rantel' place?"

"About a day from now. It takes about a couple of days to get there by horse, from what Sebas and Solution have told me."

"'Sebas and Solution'?"

"Two of his NPCs."

"You know, I would send some of my troopers to join you, but I'm going to need them for some… operations within the Great Forest of Tob and some other areas."

"Operations?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's been some strange interference in some areas within the forest, and I believe they might be from our game, not Yggdrasil. Magic hasn't done anything to our equipment so far. It, therefore, has to be something from Voyages Into the Unknown."

"I remember you mentioning that when the Slane Theocracy attacked Carne Village."

"Carne Village?"

"Our first and only territory on the New World, for now."

"Ah. If you two don't mind, I'm going to head back to my ship and relay the news that we've joined your alliance as a subordinate of the Basilisk. Sound good?"

"No problems here."

"I don't have a problem with it, either. Before you go, though, give me a minute to use my 'Cloak' spell. Can't have the guards seeing me here unannounced."

"Right."

When Momonga had cloaked himself, BalancedFear left the room and took the lift back down to the Hangar. I used the intercom on my desk to inform Harlow that he was to escort the Clone Commander and Captain back to their LAAT, alongside the other troopers from BalancedFear's own Acclamator. When I finished with that, I turned back to the revealed form of Momonga.

"Have you made any progress with the autopsy?" I asked as I put away the quarter-full bottle of Tihaar and glasses.

Over the three hours, we'd all had at least two drinks, and I was feeling tipsy. I was still sober enough to talk about important matters, however. Momonga shook his head in answer to my question.

"Demiurge is still looking into them. All we know for now is that they're mutated. It isn't from magic, though… I'm thinking it could be from radiation."

"Radiation? Are you sure?"

"Magic does not cause the evolution that we're seeing with these things. They are at a… halfway point between humanoid and insectoid. There is still much of their original selves, which seem to be based on a common beetle. The only real changes are the fact that they don't have wings or an extra set of arms, and they're white. Their hands have also changed to look more human, as they have five fingers instead of three. If these creatures had been made by magic, then they wouldn't have lost those aspects."

"So where did they come from? It's obvious they're not from either of our games, so we must assume they're from another."

"Yes. I believe we should find out more in the coming days."

"Alright. In the meantime, I've sent a special squad of Clones into Slane Theocracy territory. We can't seem to get anything out of our 'guest', so these men will be sent to gather intelligence on the Theocracy. This, of course, means that we now have no need for a prisoner."

"I see. If you don't mind, can I have the body? I could always use more Death Knights."

"I don't see the harm in it."

"Thank you. See you later, man."

"Yeah, see you later."

Outside the Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

The "Switch" + 10 (10 Days Since the "Switch")

The Lambda-Class Shuttle set down near the portal site for Nazarick. The ramp lowered, and five men exited the shuttle. Londes Di Clamp led the group with a blaster wedged into the small of his back. The man holding the blaster, Lieutenant Konor Mirte held the blaster against Londes's back because he wasn't entirely alright with killing him in cold blood. The man had attacked and killed innocent people, but it felt wrong to kill him like this. His body was going to be defiled by that Great Tomb monster. The man was a soldier and he should be given due respect as such.

Konor himself had also never even been in any kind of situation akin to the one he currently found himself in. All actions he had been in were during skirmishes against enemy ships, and while he knew that he had helped destroy said ships, it somehow felt different. He chalked it up to the uncertainty of knowing what shot destroyed the ship. To be the one to order the death of a sentient being, especially in their presence, made his hands shake.

The men behind Mirte had no qualms about killing Londes. They were Clones, after all, and an order was an order. He was deemed an enemy combatant and any enemy that a Clone met was to be eliminated immediately. It wasn't their first time killing a man like this as the three troopers. Their former Jedi Commander was shot dead mere moments after they had claimed the planet Yruudias for the Republic. The lightsaber the Jedi had used had been taken as a trophy. Once the Emperor's New Order had been established, the saber was given to the Emperor as a show of loyalty. None of the troopers actually knew what had happened to the saber. They never asked about it, nor did they even care.

"Stop." Mirte said at the edge of the portal site entrance.

"Is this how I die? At the hands of men who aren't willing to give me a fair fight?" Londes asked as he turned to face his executioners.

"Fair fight? You've only got one arm, and the swords your men used can't even penetrate our armor." A trooper said as he aimed his DC-15S at Londes, the other troopers following suit.

Londes noticed the man who had jammed the weapon into his back look away as he stood next to the troopers. The man didn't have the nerve to even look Londes in the eye. This infuriated him to no end.

"You call yourself a man when you can't even look the man YOU are ordering to die in the eye?!"

The man faced Londes, apologizing for not giving him the decency of seeing his enemy's face. Londes was appeased by this and stared straight ahead. He prayed for his soul's safe passage into the afterlife as the man standing next to the men who would kill him stammered his orders.

"F-fire."

Secret Slane Theocracy Outpost, New World

The forest was quiet, and Yusef Galyn liked it that way. Sometimes, the damned Elves would send in covert teams of warriors to attack them and then run away again. They caught a few members of the last team, which included some women. One was being passed around for some of the others and he couldn't wait for his turn.

As he thought about her while walking his patrol route, he thought he saw something in the darkness. It was a fleeting image, but he knew it was blue, and it had glowed. He went to investigate as he drew his sword. Before he could take another step, something grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground. He tried to shout, but an armored glove had covered his mouth! Then, he felt a blade go through his throat. He tried to stop the bleeding when the blade pierced his skull, and Yusef Galyn was no more.

Galyn's killer stood up, wiping his knuckle plate's Vibro-blade off on the dead man below him. He held up a hand, signaling for his brothers to come out of the forest. They stood up and walked over, their Katarn-class armor becoming visible in the moonlight.

"Nice kill, Artery." one said, and Artery shrugged.

Artery's armor had a similar paint scheme to his pod brothers' armors. It was a crimson red, and he also had a black medical symbol on the helmet's forehead. The top portion of his helmet, shins, knees, and shoulders were completely crimson. Besides that, he had a rangefinder and a communications set attached to his helmet, along with two Bacta tanks on his legs.

"Eh, these guys are barely soldiers. He should have heard me coming before I'd even gotten my hand around his mouth. What about you, Explosive?" Artery asked, looking at another of his brothers.

Explosive's armor took some designs from Scorch, a member of Delta Squad. However, only the portion beneath his T-Visor was painted, along with a set of Jaig eyes painted on the forehead of the helmet. His shins and knees were painted, as well, along with some areas of his chest plate. The area where his neck came out of the armor was also painted, as was his backpack.

"Pakod be uj'alayi*!" he said, giving a thumbs up. Artery then gave attention to Hacker, his second-in-command.

His armor was nearly identical with Explosive's, with some minor exceptions. He had a mythosaur skull painted on his forehead between his Jaig eyes, no paint on his shins or knees, and less paint on the chest. There was also a strip going down the middle of his right leg. He had a communications set and backpack.

"No issues, either. I'm assuming you didn't have a problem, Stalker?" Hacker asked Stalker, the commando standing next to him.

Stalker's armor had the least paint out of the squad. He had the mythosaur skull painted on his chest plate and his helmet's forehead. There was some slight paint on the bottom portions of his shoulders and the middle of the stomach section of his armor. His knees were also painted, but not completely. Only two lines for both his knees. He had a set of macrobinoculars attached to his helmet, as well, and a boot holster for his borrowed EC-17.

"No problems, vod*." he replied. Hacker nodded and then turned back to Artery.

"Alright, we've only got a few hours before daylight. All of you, form up."

As they did, he started moving and ordered them quietly to recheck their power packs on their DC-17ms. They did and the packs were still at full capacity. They stopped when they heard laughter from within the outpost they were to assault.

"Stalker, get an eye on them."

"Got it, Squad Lead."

Stalker flipped his Macrobinoculars down over the T-Visor and focused on the outpost. There, in the center, was a group of men and a young woman. She was different compared to a normal human woman. Her ears were the same as Aura and Mare's, but her skin was lighter in tone. She also had bright green hair. The men were busy having their way with her and she was in very bad shape because of it. The men were beating on her as they raped her.

"Sir, you're going to want to take a look."

Artery raised an eyebrow beneath his helmet and then lowered the range-finder. He saw the same thing, and he cursed.

"Osik*. Explosive, Hacker?"

"Sir?" Explosive and Hacker questioned as Artery grabbed his DC-17m.

"You two follow me into the outpost. You are cleared hot on all human wets, but do NOT hit the girl. She might have intel on these laanduir ade. Stalker, you stay here and blow the heads off any hut'uun who try to escape, got it?" he ordered, Stalker nodding in assent.

"Elek, alor*."

"Good. Nari dayn*!"

Meanwhile...

Zentha Ianwenys couldn't take much more. These damn Theocracy bastards had captured her three nights ago after they'd killed or taken most of her soldiers. She had prayed to the Divines for herself and her soldiers to be saved, but she knew they wouldn't listen to her, now. She had been sullied by these pigs and the Divines looked upon those like her with disdain and contempt because of it. She was wishing that one of these pigs would be stupid enough to end her suffering. That was the only way for the Divines to forgive her for her impurity.

She felt one of them pull out and another was about to take his place when they all heard the shouts from the other men that had been sleeping in the barracks. One had come running toward them with a sword in hand while frantically looking back. He halted when one of the men said something, making the man stop. He started babbling in his tongue when his chest erupted, blood splattering the man who had stopped him. She was thrown to the ground as some of the men began to run away and others grabbed at weapons. Then, she saw them.

Men in crimson red-accented white armor were striding forward, strange items in their hands. A man tried to charge when he was blasted backward by one of the white armored mens' strange black rectangular items, which were clearly weapons. She heard men fall behind her and turned to see one of the runners get thrown forward as a blue bolt went through his skull. She looked back to the white armored men and saw one jam his fist under a Theocracy man's jaw. He then jerked his arm back, and she saw the Theocracy man's lower jaw burst open, causing the man to grasp at the wound. He was shot down by the white armored man as another came to halt and stood above her.

She could see some of the finer details of the man's armor. There was a strange black symbol on his helmet. He kneeled as he grasped at one of the blue glowing vials on his left leg. She tilted her head when the man revealed a small trinket with a plunger and stuck it into the vial. He pushed the plunger up with his thumb as he used his other arm to grasp her arm. Before she could protest, she felt a stinging sensation in her arm as the man plunged the trinket's needle into it. He then quickly retracted the trinket and started wrapping a bandage over the small wound. He then stood up and pulled her to her feet. The man then began to gently lead her away.

"Wait," she cried, and he stopped to look at her. She pointed at the cells where her soldiers were being held, "please save them, too!"

The man pulled a strange lever on the side of its helmet down and stared at the cells. He nodded before he yelled to one of his subordinates in some indistinguishable language.

That person gave a thumbs-up as he walked over to the cells. He placed an odd device on the wall and then walked away from it. The man then pulled out another device and depressed the top of it. The wall blew apart as the device that had been placed there exploded. One of the Theocracy pigs came stumbling out and was shot dead by the same man who was holding her arm. He had somehow gotten his weapon back out in the time between injecting whatever that liquid was and the wall blowing up. The man that blew the wall apart walked in, and she heard his weapon go off. She then saw him come out with one of her soldiers, and then go back in. She couldn't believe her eyes! The soldier's name was Meriel Erxidor. She was one of Zentha's best friends when she was growing up in Crescent Lake, the capital of the Elf Kingdom.

"Meriel!" Zentha cried as she tried to get the other woman's attention. Meriel stiffened and looked up at her, tears beginning to fall from her face. She rushed over and would have tackled her oldest friend if she hadn't been stopped by the man grasping Zentha's arm. She gazed at him for a brief second before they heard groans from the cells.

They turned and saw more of their comrades come walking out. One of them, a new male recruit, was being supported by the man that had gone back inside. The man that was still holding her arm tilted his head and asked his comrade something in his tongue, again. The one who had walked out shook his head. The man grasping her nodded and raised a hand shaped like a knife, pointing up at the ridge that had overlooked the outpost. She noticed one of the white armored soldiers leaving the officers barracks with sheets of papyrus in his hand while the man that held her arm did this. She was confused by this as she felt him gently tug on her arm again. He said one final thing as they all left the shattered remains of the Theocracy outpost.

"Jate bora, traat'aliit 83*."

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

Entrance to the mess hall

After IC-4120, or "Artery" to his pod brothers, gave me an after-action report on the Slane Theocracy outpost raid, I had the Elves escorted to the mess hall. With that out of the way, Squad 83 went back to continue their original mission: finding the source of the strange interference. The squad went back to the New World on one of the modified LAATs that I kept in reserve. They were very different compared to the other LAATs, and not just because they were painted differently. Their main difference was that they had a cloaking device, similar to the TIE/ph Phantom. Combined with a noise dampener and the less bulky outer weapons on standard LAATs made them perfect for black operations.

The ball turrets on a standard LAAT were swapped out with heavy repeating blaster cannons that, in my opinion, resembled old M134 miniguns. The ships were also piloted by a droid brain, to remove the possibility of human error. This wasn't foolproof, however, and I did not use them too often when I was still playing Voyages Into The Unknown. I'm using them more often on the New World because there is no defense against them. Before coming here, I had to worry about jamming devices destroying the droid brain in those LAATs from the Rebel Alliance.

After the LAAT left the Hangar I requested a 3P0-Unit to meet me in the mess hall, where the Elves were busy eating real food and drinking actual water. They were being fed maggot-infested bread and piss by the Slane soldiers. Such treatment seemed quite harsh, and I wanted to know why the Elves were being treated like this.

When I arrived, I spotted the 3P0 unit standing near the doorway. When it noticed my entrance, it began to walk toward me. I could hear the servos working inside its joints. Once it stood a few feet from me, it began to talk.

"Greetings, Grand Admiral. I am T-5C0, Human-Cyborg Relations. I am fluent in over six million languages. Am I correct in the assumption that you wish to utilize me to communicate with the beings from the world below us?"

"No shit, Sherlock." I thought as I nodded at it. The unit then motioned at one Elf in particular. The Elf had light green hair and eyes that shined like emeralds.

"That is the leader of the beings rescued from the Slane outpost. I believe her name is Zentha."

"I see. Has she spoken a word since you arrived?" I asked the droid, hoping that it would be able to translate Elvish to Basic.

"She has, sir, though it was difficult for me to translate at first. After running through my language database, I have identified the language as a highly sophisticated form of Sy Bisti."

"Good. That means the two of us may be able to have a conversation?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. If you could introduce me to this 'Zentha', please?"

"Of course, sir."

Mess hall

Zentha was currently sitting at one of the tables and nibbling on some strange form of a roll. It was softer than the biscuits she and her soldiers were given in their rations, and it was also a little sweeter. Meriel was sitting next to her, enjoying a glass of ice water that was apparently effervescent, if the bubbles she saw were any indication. Meriel also had some of the soft sweet rolls in a bowl. The other soldiers also had the rolls but were also eating bowls of stew.

The stew was colorless and filled with chunks of meat that she had never seen before. She thought about grabbing one of the bowls of stew since she hadn't had any meat since she left Imhonas, which was nearly a month ago. The only meat in the forest was either small mammals and birds or insects the size of small dogs. They couldn't eat the former because it was strictly prohibited to kill and eat animals like that, as per the Divines' wish for balance in nature. The latter couldn't be eaten due to the fact that, A: they were hard to kill, even with the specially made arrows issued to Elven raiding parties; and B: the damn things were extremely poisonous. The poison wasn't lethal but it did make a few of her soldiers incredibly ill.

"Meriel, could you pass me a bowl of stew?" Zentha asked her second in command. She nodded and was about to grab one of the bowls when she stopped.

"Oy, that silver golem is coming back, and it ain't alone. It's being followed by a human." she said as she pointed at the golem and an older man in a bright white uniform following behind it.

The golem stopped at the end of the table, next to both Zentha and the older man, who had sat down opposite her and Meriel. It then spoke.

"Presenting Grand Admiral Taver Slazin of the Galactic Empire."

"'Grand Admiral'?" Zentha asked, and saw the older man tap the golem's arm. It turned to him and he spoke a few words in his language.

"The Grand Admiral says you may refer to him as 'Taver' or 'Mr. Slazin'. He feels 'Grand Admiral' is far too formal for this."

"Ah. You are to act as a translator, then, golem?"

"Madam, my name is not 'golem'. It is T-5C0."

The older man quirked an eyebrow at the golem when it said this. Zentha assumed he didn't understand why it had given itself a name. A golem was a golem, after all.

"Yeah, you've said that before." Meriel put in, making the golem turn its head to her. The older man then cleared his throat and the golem turned to him. He began to speak, the golem relaying what he said into the Elven Language.

"'Entertaining as you and your friend's back and forth with my protocol droid is, Ms. Zentha, I feel we must discuss what happened down there. We are… new to this place, and we do not understand why those Theocracy soldiers treated you the way they did. If you could possibly elaborate?'"

"They have no love for my people, Mr. Slazin. They hate us for what our king did to their former Black Scripture Ace. That coupling gave birth to the abomination, Zesshi Zetsumei. She urged the Cardinals of the Theocracy to wage war against us, and we have been at war with them for the past three summers. We've pleaded for the king to help us save our kingdom, but that bastard doesn't care about us. He just wants to save his own skin. He's been sending raiding parties like ours against outposts like the one your men liberated us from. It's quite obvious he's trying to buy time for him to plunder our kingdom's treasures and escape."

"'So you are currently at war with the Slane Theocracy?'"

"Aye, we are," Meriel interjected, "and what does it matter to you?"

"'Then perhaps you can enlighten me? I've dealt with their soldiers before, and I did have one of them as a prisoner. He wouldn't talk, so we've disposed of him. As we speak, he is being thrown into the forest surrounding Carne Village. Perhaps the animals will find some use for him, eh?'" the older man explained, chuckling after he relayed the fate of the prisoner.

"There is not much we can tell you, Mr. Slazin. They have an extreme dislike of everything and anything that isn't human. They follow the 'Six Great Gods', but I do not know what they are. They also have special forces called Scriptures, and each is named after the Great Gods within the Theocracy itself. I do not know all of their names, though. That is the extent of my knowledge, and I'm the one who knows the most about the Theocracy."

"'A pity. These 'Scriptures' as you call them, was one possibly named the 'Sunlight Scripture'?"

"Y-yes. That Scripture was responsible for killing Demi-humans like us and races like the Lizardmen or Goblins, as well as exterminating foreign armies and villages."

"'Really? Then they were not very good at their job. They attacked a village named Carne seven days ago, and with the help of both my men and a friend of ours, were wiped off the face of the planet. I imagine the Theocracy is still curious about what happened to them.'"

"You jest! You couldn't have defeated them so easily!"

"'Oh, they were quite pathetic. Their soldiers fell just as easily as the ones that had captured you did in that outpost. And their magic-casters? Don't make me laugh! They were nothing compared to us.'"

Zentha nearly fell out of her seat. The Sunlight Scripture was responsible for multiple genocides against her people, and this Taver Slazin was saying that they were defeated easily, so far as to say that they were pathetic? Just how powerful was this "Galactic Empire", truly? She began to think about what this meant in the grand scheme of the world. While many things were uncertain, there was at least one thing to be certain of. They must not anger this empire, lest it destroy her people just as effortlessly.

"'Perhaps an arrangement could be made between us?'" the gol-no, T-5C0, translated. She had to stop thinking this "protocol droid" was a golem, as she didn't want it to purposely mistranslate her words and start a war with this "Galactic Empire".

"What kind of… arrangement?" Meriel asked as Zentha stared at the tabletop. Zentha shook herself and looked back up at the Grand Admiral.

"'It is quite simple. I would like to send a diplomatic envoy to your nation. Perhaps we can 'convince' your coward of a king to do his duty? If he will not be convinced, then we will take over, and then destroy the Theocracy, together. Does that sound amenable to you?'"

Zentha looked at Meriel and Meriel gazed at her with a pensive look. It may be better for their nation to serve this empire than to be crushed beneath its boot. Besides that, with their help, they might be able to end the war. They both turned to see the faces of their soldiers, who all had the same expression as Meriel. With a resigned sigh, Zentha turned back to the Grand Admiral and nodded. She then noticed his hand was stuck out toward her. While she was confused at first, she did the same thing, to which he grasped her hand. He began to gently shake it up and down, and she couldn't help but feel like she was making a deal with the Evil One.

Outskirts of the Great Forest of Tob, New World

The "Switch" + 12 (12 Days Since the "Switch")

BalancedFear was walking behind a cart that their employer, a "Mr. Nphirea Baleare", was currently driving. In front of him, the adventurers' guild group known as the "Swords of Darkness" were casting glances at the forest surrounding them. Momonga and Narberal Gamma were walking beside the young Player-turned-Mandalorian Grey Jedi/Inquisitor. They didn't look like their normal selves, however, and neither did BalancedFear. Momonga was wearing a large suit of black armor while Narberal was wearing a simple shirt and pants, as well as a brown cloak. BalancedFear was wearing a medieval version of his standard set of armor, though he did keep the helmet.

"Mr. Mauk, I believe we should rest at the stream up ahead." Nphirea stated as he saw the horse start to falter. Peter Mauk nodded and called back to tell us, though the others heard Nphirea.

"It'll be nice to rest for a little while." another one of the swords, Ninya, said with a smile. BalancedFear smirked under his helmet when he noticed the blonde archer, Lukrut Volve, trying to make a move on Narberal again. He wondered if the archer would realize that Narberal wasn't playing hard to get and actually truly hated him.

That was one of the many things he didn't like about the doppelgänger. Another thing was that she was a bigot against humans and she was completely surrounded by an aura of the Dark Side. It was quite clear that she was evil, and had she not been one of Momonga's NPCs, he would have killed her already. Momonga also had a Force aura, but it was more dark-grey than just jet-black. BalancedFear didn't know what that meant. All he knew from the server was that if a Force-user, or in this case a Magic-caster, had a jet-black aura then they were deeply embedded in the Dark Side, meaning they were very evil. A pure-white aura was for those of the Light-Side and meant the opposite.

When they finally reached the running stream, he took his helmet off to drink the water. He knew it was safe because his helmet detected no toxins within the water. That was part of the reason he kept it on him. It helped him stay alive in places like this. Momonga and Narberal were sitting near the horses, still being pestered by Lukrut. He felt a shadow fall over him and turned to see Dyne Woodwonder, the druid of "Swords of Darkness".

"You're pretty thirsty, huh?" he asked good-naturedly, making BalancedFear grin.

"Haven't had anything to drink since we camped last night." he replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I suppose that's fair. How are your friends doing?"

"Well enough. Can't say how Nabe is doing though. She looks like she wants to kill Lukrut in his sleep."

"Ha! You aren't wrong about that. That fool is too cocky for his own good."

"Maybe he'll wise up soon." BalancedFear said as he grabbed his helmet and placed it back on his head.

As he stood up, he sensed danger incoming and pushed Dyne down. Dyne would have protested until he saw an arrow fly past where his head had originally been. The others readied themselves as Ninya pushed Nphirea into the cart. People started coming out of the woods with swords and axes, while some stayed inside to fire at the group.

"Ninya, protect Mr. Baleare! We'll deal with the bandits." Peter said as he unsheathed his sword. Lukrut brought his bow to bear and fired three arrows into the forest, killing two of the five archers.

Dyne stood and used "Twine Plant" to ensnare ten of the twenty bandits coming at them. Momonga and Narberal leaped into battle, catching five bandits off-guard. Momonga killed three of them while Narberal's "Chain-Lightning" got the other two. BalancedFear grabbed his Beskad and narrowly deflected an arrow as another bandit rushed him.

"Kill 'em all and take the boy! Lord Bdantel demands it!" the leader of the bandits called as he swung his battle-ax at Peter, grazing Peter's shoulder with the ax blade's tip.

Using a minor Force-push, BalancedFear knocked the bandit away a few steps and sliced downward, the Vibro-blade cutting through the sword as it finally activated. The sword blade fell to the bandit's astonishment and then he felt massive waves of pain as he felt a new gaping wound appear on his left arm. He, not wanting the man to suffer, swiftly cut the bandit's head off as two more bandits charged at him.

He cut the hand off the first bandit and amputated the other bandit's leg. With a quick thrust, the other bandit fell, grasping on the Beskad's hilt as BalancedFear had unknowingly pushed the blade all the way through the man's chest. Weaponless, he used his armor to block the first bandit's off-hand sword. With a quick punch to the man's gut, he swiftly disarmed him of the sword. He then used his elbow to knock the man to the ground. He pulled his Beskad out of the other man and plunged it into the back of the first bandit.

He heard a scream as he saw one bandit at the cart. The bandit had already wounded Ninya with a slash across the leg and was about to finish the job.

"No!" he thought as he shot a hand out, using the Force in a way he never thought he would have to on this world.

As BalancedFear saw her predicament, Ninya could feel the heat from the wound on her leg. She didn't want to die, not yet. Not when she still hadn't found her sister. The bandit raised his sword to plunge it into her skull.

"Die, whe-echh!" the man gasped as the sword dropped to the ground.

Ninya looked up at the man and saw that his hands had gone towards his throat as if to knock away a pair of hands that were choking him. She saw him start to levitate, his legs kicking feebly.

"Wha-kk-is-aach-happening?!" the man tried to question to no avail. He was levitating a good two feet off the ground. He jerked and squirmed as the pressure grew tighter, and Ninya could actually see his throat being depressed.

She started looking around for the cause of this, and saw Sedyn balling his fingers as if he was holding something. Then, it hit her. He was somehow choking the man who had tried to kill her. All around her, the fighting had stopped.

"What in the Six Gods' names?" the bandit leader muttered as he also saw Sedyn.

Everyone was looking at the man in the strange armor. The bandits were looking at him in fear, while the others stared in awe. Sedyn said one word.

"Run."

With that, the bandits broke and scrambled away, leaving the man floating in mid-air. Ninya then heard a sickening crunch and the man fell to the ground. Sedyn lowered his hand. Momon brought him over to the cart.

"We can ask about that later. I say we find someplace to make camp." Peter said, to which Nphirea nodded, looking dumbly at Sedyn. He got back in the driver's seat and urged the horse forward. Everyone let Sedyn sit in the back of the cart.

Later that night...

BalancedFear and Momonga sat alone at a separate fire. BalancedFear held his helmet with the visor facing towards him. Momonga stealthily activated the message spell as Narberal Gamma stood watch.

"You ok, dude?" Momonga asked through the message spell.

"I'm not sure. That's the first time I've used the Force like that in this world. It's not exactly a good thing that I did." he answered back.

"So you've used it like that in other places. Why are you upset about it now?"

"Before, I couldn't feel what it was like to use Force-Choke. It was just an ability I could use. I felt… cold as I choked that one guy."

"What do you mean by 'cold'?"

"I mean like my soul felt cold. It's like someone dropped an ice cube down the back of your shirt. That's how it felt."

"Well, at least you still have a soul. Being an Undead means I don't have one. You gotta try and move past it. If you hadn't done that, Ninya would be dead right now."

"You're right, and I know that, but still-"

"But nothing, man. You did what you had to do. Just leave it at that and don't give it any more thought, alright?"

"...alright."

Though BalancedFear said this to Momonga, he would contemplate his actions that day for many days afterward. Using the Dark Side of the Force on the New World would also make him introspective for a time each time he used it until he didn't care about it at all.

Road Into Carne Village, New World

The "Switch" + 13 (13 Days Since the "Switch")

"We're almost there!" Nphirea said as he urged the horse to move a little faster.

BalancedFear didn't know a whole lot about Carne Village, and Momonga hadn't said a thing about it as they were traveling to it. All he had said was that he and EmpireForLife had saved it from attacking soldiers from a nation called the "Slane Theocracy". As they crested the hill, he could see why Momonga hadn't said anything.

"Huh, you wanted to surprise me, you son of a bitch." BalancedFear told Momonga through the Force.

"Couldn't resist." Momonga replied and Narberal just looked at the village dully.

"Uh… did this place always look like this?" Lukrut asked Nphirea, who was also puzzled.

"Last I checked, it was just a village. There wasn't a wall and there certainly wasn't whatever the heck that is at the back of the village." Nphirea replied, letting go of the reins to rub his eyes and make sure he wasn't imagining it.

Carne Village had changed from the simplistic little town to a fortress-in-progress in the few days since the Pale Beings attack. There was a wooden barrier with guard towers surrounding the entrance, and what looked like metal walls backing the wood. There was also some activity that seemed like construction. There was a massive complex at the back of the village and a large banner flew atop it. Nphirea and the other adventures didn't recognize it, but Momonga, Narberal, and BalancedFear did.

The banner was similar to the German Kriegsmarine flag of World War II, though that was only known to BalancedFear and Momonga. There were massive differences, however, with this flag and the one from the Kriegsmarine. The Kriegsmarine flag had a red background, a white and black cross with a circle in the middle, an Iron cross in the upper left corner, and the Swastika in the middle of the circle. This flag, however, had a black background, a white cross with a gray bordering a red center in the middle, no symbol in the upper left corner and no circle in the middle, and the Galactic Empire's Imperial Crest in the center of the cross.

Momonga and BalancedFear recognized it because they'd seen one just like it hanging in EmpireForLife's quarters, on the wall behind his desk. The wagon began to move forward, and the two walked right alongside it. Narberal walked beside Momonga and the other adventurers cautiously walked behind BalancedFear. As they approached the gate, an Imperial Army soldier smoking a cigarette could be seen talking with a Goblin!

"Hey, you, halt!" the soldier cried, pointing his rifle at them. The Goblin unsheathed the sword from the sheath on his back.

More Goblins appeared out of the grass surrounding the gate as other soldiers, some in standard Imperial Stormtrooper Armor, came out from the village, weapons raised. Momonga and Narberal saw a familiar-looking Imperial Navy Lieutenant come walking towards them, hands clasped behind his back.

"What have we here, Corporal Flint?" Erza Sarkley asked, his eyes going to the man who'd stopped them.

Momonga and Narberal then noticed that Sarkley's right eye had been replaced. It wasn't an organic eye anymore, but a cybernetic one. It kind of reminded Momonga of an eye from the old Terminator films, however, it wasn't just straight red. It was black with a red cross and a white center.

"Not sure, sir. Some kid and a few people who might be trouble, not counting Momon, Nabe, and Merrick." Flint replied as he kept the blaster leveled at them. The adventurers tensed as Nphirea nervously glanced back and forth between his group of adventurers and the defenders.

"Mr. Sarkley? What's- oh, Nphirea!" Enri Emmot asked before she spotted the seated Nphirea.

"You know the boy?" Erza asked as he turned to look at her with a raised brow. She nodded as she walked over to Nphirea.

"I do, Mr. Sarkley. He's the person who visits our village from time to time."

"Hm. Well, he'll still need to register himself with us. Lower your weapons, men."

The soldiers and Goblins lowered their weapons, and the cart was escorted inside by Flint, Erza, Enri, and the Goblin with the sword. The adventurers were told in no uncertain terms that they were to hand over their weapons before they would be allowed to enter. Not wanting to cause a problem, the "Swords of Darkness" did so. They were confused, however, when Momonga, Narberal, and BalancedFear didn't have to.

"How come you guys aren't taking their weapons?" Ninya asked Flint that she handed her staff and dagger to a soldier in Stormtrooper Armor.

"They've already registered themselves as 'adventurers' at our outpost. Once your group does the same, your arms will be returned to you." he stated simply as he handed her weapons off to one of the Goblins.

The soldier then gestured for the group to follow him inside.

Imperial Outpost, Carne Village, New World

"Alright then, if you would please sit, then we can begin your registration process." Erza said to Nphirea. The young man sat down as Erza pulled out the registration forms.

"What are those?" Nphirea asked as Erza set the flimsiplast down in front of him.

"Your registration papers. That way, if you come back you can show the guards at the gate that you are known by the Empire, and are allowed to enter freely. That means you won't get a blaster rifle shoved in your face."

"Oh. That would be good to have."

"It would. Please answer truthfully and to the best of your ability."

"Of course, Mr… Sarkley, yes?"

"That's correct. You'll hand the papers back to me once you are finished."

Nphirea nodded and grabbed a stylus from nearby. Erza leaned back in his chair and grabbed his datapad. He was busy with the daily report when Nphirea and the group of adventurers came into Carne, so he would have to update the report. It was several minutes until Nphirea tapped the desk to get Erza's attention. Erza took the forms and told Nphirea to wait outside.

"Let's see. Name is Nphirea Baleare… he's a pharmacist… he's from E-Rantel… his age is fifteen years. It appears that everything is in order." Erza thought as he read the documents. He stood up and walked out into the hallway where Nphirea was sitting in the chair next to the door.

Erza motioned for the boy to follow him to Cyrus's office. The good General was in overall command of the outpost, for now, and he and Erza worked together. Erza represented the Imperial Navy in this case, as it was planned for the outpost to have a squadron of TIE Fighters in case of a much larger attack than those pale freaks and the Slane soldiers. They were still a little ways off, however, as the area for the fighters had yet to be completed.

In the meantime, Erza had gotten to know the General. The man had been born on Coruscant during the early years of the Empire, and had gone to Raithal Academy before seeing combat for the first time during the "Reconquest of the Rim" campaign. Afterwards, he would see combat on Mustafar and Kashyyyk when uprisings occurred. The man had risen through the ranks quickly, becoming a General by the age of twenty-nine. From there his career stagnated because he refused to use family connections to get higher ranks, like most Imperial officers, some of which Erza had the misfortune of knowing.

When they finally reached Cyrus's quarters, Erza knocked on the door. After a yell of "Come in!" was heard, Erza opened the door and led Nphirea to one of the seats in front of Cyrus's desk. Cyrus gave him an appraising look as he turned his attention to Erza.

"Who is this young man, Lieutenant Sarkley?" he asked as he took a sip from a cup of tea that he had been in the middle of drinking before Erza and Nphirea entered.

"This is Nphirea Baleare, General. He's a pharmacist from E-Rantel." Erza said as he slid the registration forms over.

"Hm." Cyrus hummed as he set the cup of tea down and began to read the forms.

The General read the forms for a few minutes until he set them on his desk and placed his attention on the boy again. He started asking the boy about everything he'd written down, and Nphirea gave the same answers. Cyrus nodded and then asked one final question.

"Why did you come here, Mr. Baleare?"

"I came to collect some herbs from the nearby forest. They're used in creating potions in E-Rantel."

"Ah. Then by all accounts, there shouldn't be any problems. Have a wonderful rest of your evening, Mr. Baleare. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance"

Cyrus stuck his hand toward Nphirea, and the boy shook the man's hand. The General then gave him back his papers and let him and Erza leave. Before Erza had left the room, however, the General had one more thing to say.

"Don't forget that we're going to play Holochess again later, Erza. After all, I do so love taking your money."

"I won't, Cyrus. I will see you later, my friend." Erza joked as he left the room.

"Until then." Cyrus said with a wave.

Imperial Outpost Mess Tent, Carne Village, New World

Corporal Davin Flint was trying to enjoy his dinner, but the Sergeant screaming at the top of his lungs at the new recruits was bringing back some bad memories. Every time one of them fired a shot from a SE-14C, another would miss the target. It reminded him of his own days in an Imperial Army Boot Camp. He was remembering the time one soldier managed to shoot his bunk. He never got why the targets were in front of the damn barracks.

"Bloody hell, what I wouldn't give for some blasted mute button for the Sarge." he thought miserably as he took another bite of local food.

It was a meat pie with a wedge of cheese and instant caf that he'd gotten from the dispenser. It was a lot better than the Imperial rations, which were usually either A. Old; B. Dry; or C. Tasteless. As he was about to take another bite, he noticed the adventurer group from earlier walk in.

"Hey, you're Flint, right?" one of them, a man with blonde hair and blue eyes said as he and his group came over to where Davin was sitting.

"Yeah, that's me. Why?" Davin asked as he looked up at him. The man took a seat across from him while a couple of the others took their own seats, while the blondie with brown eyes went over to the counter.

"Just curious." the man said as the other blonde sat down next to him.

"I wouldn't eat that, blondie." Davin warned, seeing that the man had gotten some of the Imperial rations.

The man shrugged and then took a bite. Davin judged by the look on his face that he got the old rations. Those rations usually tasted like nerf droppings and had led to a few common Army jokes about the food. He pointed out a waste bucket near the counter, and the man rushed over to spit it out.

"What is that?" the larger man with a headband asked, gesturing at the Imperial rations.

"Army rations… from fourteen years ago. What they were doing on our ship, I will never know." Davin replied, taking a bite of cheese. The other adventurers gave him incredulous looks.

"You're joking, right?" the kid asked, and Davin shook his head.

"'Fraid not. There are only three kinds aboard the ship, and that's either old, dry, or tasteless. Why do you think I'm eating this?"

The other blond man came back over and sat down, holding his stomach. Davin, feeling pity for the poor man, offered him some bits of the cheese wedge. The man tentatively took the pieces and popped them into his mouth. He smiled as the taste of the old Army rations was replaced by the taste of the cheese.

"Thanks." he said with a grin at Davin.

"Don't mention it. I had to eat that kind of stuff before I came here. Those were some of the worst days of my life."

"No kidding?"

"Yep. That's one of the main reasons I wish I wasn't in the Army. Navy guys get the better grub."

"Any other reasons?" the kid asked with a grin.

"By the Empire, lad, there's a bunch of reasons! Let me tell you about my time at this place called Klatimyrsk."

It went on like this for a time. Davin and the adventurers talked about their pasts, their dreams, anything really. It was one of the best days Davin would have on this world.

Outskirts of Carne Village, New World

The "Switch" + 16 (16 Days Since the "Switch")

"Are we ready?" Ijushir asked, stroking the beast beside him.

The beasts were large, and very frightening when the hive first met them. They had massive jaws, and large piercing claws on the sides of the jaws. They had four legs, and had been battle-tested already against the creatures that dared tread on their queen's territory. They only lost four of the beasts to them, but they were torn apart quickly thereafter. Their remaining beasts would still be able to do the job.

"We are ready, my brother. Let uzzz zzzend our beazzztzzz againzzzt them." Ajushir replied, urging them forward and jumping atop the closest one.

Imperial Outpost, Carne Village, New World

BalancedFear awoke to the sounds of blaster fire and screams. He jumped to his feet and used the force to summon his helmet. He grabbed his Beskad from the side of his bed and leaped out of the tent. What he saw shocked him, before filling him with rage.

He saw about sixteen Arachnids from the Starship Troopers films going after defenseless villagers. The Stormtroopers, Goblins, and Army Soldiers were attacking them, but their shots only seemed to piss the damn things off. Using the Force, he lifted one of them up and slowly squeezed his fist shut. It screeched in pain and then green blood shot out everywhere. It coated a few troopers and Goblins, though one couldn't really tell when the blood hit the Goblins.

He saw one trooper blasting away at one of them, only to get stabbed by the claws. Blood splattered the Arachnid, and then its legs were ensnared by a familiar spell. It was Dyne!

"Hurry and kill the damn thing!" he yelled as he struggled with trying to keep it in place.

Lukrut shot arrow after arrow into it and managed to get one of its eyes. Peter then charged forward and cut at its legs. The Arachnid tried to pierce him like the trooper, but its claws bounced off Ninya's armor spell. Ninya was also struggling to keep the barrier up when a pale bug-like thing slashed him across the back. Flint came rushing forward and tackled the fucker. He started beating on it with the butt of his E-11.

BalancedFear heard Peter cry out as the claw pierced through the shield and him. He was lifted up and thrown at Dyne. The vines disappeared and BalancedFear would have helped if one of the bastards hadn't come up from behind. He had to use the Force to stop it from tearing him in half. A flurry of blaster bolts came in from the side and smacked into the thing, killing it after a minute.

BalancedFear looked back at the "Swords of Darkness" and saw Lukrut torn apart by another Arachnid. Dyne was about to cast a spell to save Lukrut when his head was popped off his shoulders by an Arachnid that had come from behind. It had used its claw to thrust the head clean off the body.

BalancedFear felt the ground shake as an AT-ST came into view. It was using the chin-mounted cannon against scores of the things. Then the familiar sound of an E-Web powering up came from behind him and he ducked. Hundreds of bolts were thrown downrange at the Arachnids, one dying with every hundredth shot.

Something tackled him to the ground. It was another pale bug thing. It was trying to force a crude sword through his visor, and it was starting to succeed.

"Die in the name of our mizzztrezzz!" it cried, and then BalancedFear Force-pushed the thing off of him. He pulled the Beskad back to him, the blade whirring as it came to life.

He swung the Beskad at the bug-thing. It dodged and tried to hit him with its own blade. He then used the Force to jerk the weapon out of its hand. Growing angrier by the minute.

"Fuck it, I'm just gonna slam this bastard against everything I see!"

He then sheathed his Beskad and started throwing the thing against the walls of the outpost, the trees surrounding them, and the ground until its white carapace had turned orange because of its blood.

He dropped it and heard as the shooting started to die down. He spotted a lone Arachnid trying to run and used Force to make it stop in its tracks. Men were surrounding it with murderous looks in their eyes.

"Don't! We can use this one to find where these bastards are coming from." BalancedFear cried, the men stopping and turning to face him. When what he said finally clicked, they all grinned maliciously.

"Medic!" Flint shouted as he was holding the barely conscious Ninya. A medic ran over and gave her a quick look.

"Damn, we have to get her to the Basilisk, now." the medic said, Flint nodding. The two then ran toward the landing pad.

BalancedFear found out later that there were a lot of dead Imperials, but miraculously, no villagers had died during the short battle. It did make a lot of the survivors angry, and he knew for a fact that you don't fuck with the Empire like this. There would be a reckoning for this. EmpireForLife would make sure whoever made this happen would pay.

Unknown Cave System, Great Forest of Tob, New World

"What do you mean it FAILED?" a buzzing female voice asked a pale being before it.

"I-I am zzzorry, Queen Nefer-Tari." the being said, bowing it's head low.

"I have no use for your apologizzzeeezzz. You will kill yourzzzelf immediately, lezzzt you zzzuffer the traitorzzz death." Nefer-Tari said coldly. The being nodded and crawled away. Once out of sight, Nefer-Tari heard the sound of metal breaking a carapace.

Queen Nefer-Tari was angry. These pathetic beings had dared to trespass with their village and machinery, and she would not have it! They would die, slowly and painfully for defying her will. She looked over at one of the few human soldiers that she kept alive from their first assault on the village. The man had said his name was Ren when he had been brought before her. He saw her stand up, and also saw her stinger twitching. He turned white with fear.

Inside Nefer-Tari's mind, Ryuzaki Shioko was crying. She never asked for this! What sort of monster would make her become this evil creature? She covered her ears and clamped her eyes shut as the man screamed in agony as her in-game avatar started to sting him to death. She thought only one thing in her head.

"Somebody save me!"

She repeated that phrase over and over in her mind. She didn't care if she had to die, all she wanted was for someone to take her away from this nightmare.

Chapter V: The Humble Beginnings of Imperialism

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The "Switch" + 16 (16 Days Since the "Switch")

"How bad is it?" I asked the 2-1B as it finished stabilizing the boy. It whirred and clicked as it thought about what it should say.

"Overall, her condition is stable. However, she has fallen into a coma. I do not know when she will come out of it." it reported dutifully, mistaking the boy's gender.

"Don't you mean 'he'?" I asked to be clear in case I had misheard the 2-1B. The droid turned back to the boy and injected a dose of Bacta to help stimulate the healing process.

"No, sir. By all accounts, this being is not a male, but a female. I am uncertain, however, on why there are bandages across her mammary glands. There is no injury there if my readings are right."

I understood what she did when the 2-1B mentioned the chest bandages. She had been binding her breasts to give her a more boyish look. I was assuming it was because of her fellow adventurers, as having a woman in that kind of group might cause issues. I wouldn't know until she woke up, though. With a nod, I left the droid to tend to his patient.

I passed bed after bed as I left the medical wing, and many of them were occupied by the severely wounded. Half were Clones and the other half were Imperial Army soldiers. It had been a hectic morning, to be sure. Most of the staff were assigned to deal with those that were the most injured while the other patients had become nurses, fetching water and blankets.

I don't know why, but I was beating myself up because of this. I should have seen something like this coming. I'm a fucking Grand Admiral, I should have had a plan for every contingency that I could've thought of! I shook myself to dispel those thoughts, as they weren't doing anyone any good. I had to take this lesson, hard as it may be, to heart.

Once I'd finally arrived out in the corridor, I noticed a man sitting on the bench next to the entrance. He was smoking a cigarette and his uniform was stained a little red. He didn't even notice me when I sat down next to him.

"Are you alright, soldier?" I asked, getting the man's attention. He turned and jumped in his seat when he realized the Grand Admiral was sitting right next to him, cap in hand.

"I-I'm fine, sir." he said after a quick salute. I looked at the cigarette in between his fingers.

"Do you have another one of those?"

"Uh… yes, sir."

"Might I have one?"

"O-of course, sir."

"Thank you, soldier."

"Right, sir."

I held my cigarette against the man's offered igniter and puffed a couple of times after it was lit. Sighing, I grabbed the flask I had taken from my office earlier when I'd heard about the incoming casualties. I had stuffed the thing in my pocket and had planned to drink it to dull the news of how many casualties we had. I offered it to the man after I'd taken a swig, who hesitantly took it. I guess he was a little nervous since he was sitting with the guy who could order him to be shot if he did something stupid. I wouldn't do it in this case though. There needed to be some levity, after all.

"What's your name, soldier?" I asked after he finished drinking.

"Corporal Davin Flint, sir." he said, handing the flask back to me. I put it back in my pocket.

"Flint? I feel like I've seen your name before."

"Uh…"

"You can relax, Corporal, it wasn't for some disciplinary action. I think I saw it when I was reading about the good General and his forces."

"Right… sir."

"Why are you here, Corporal Flint?"

"I-I was the one who brought Mr. Ninya aboard, sir."

"It's Ms. Ninya, actually. For whatever reason, she bound her chest."

"Oh."

Flint sat there for a few minutes, mulling over this piece of info. He held his cigarette until its tip was nearly touching his fingers. He sighed and tossed the remains of it into a nearby waste compactor. After he sat back down, he turned to face me.

"Grand Admiral?" he finally asked after nearly ten minutes of silence.

"Hm?"

"Is there any way for me to be a part of the group that goes after whoever's doing this?"

"Possibly. Why?"

"I feel I owe it to Ninya to get some payback. Her friends were good people who got killed defending our outpost, after all, and besides, she's still unconscious right?"

"She is. Very well, I'll see what I can do, Corporal." I said as I got off the bench and tossed the remains of the cigarette into the waste unit that Flint had thrown his into.

"Thank you, sir." he replied as he also stood up and started to head towards the Imperial Army barracks.

Basilisk Weapons Division

As I was walking back to my quarters, I stopped at the armory. Inside, many men and women were busy working on blasters of every shape and size. Corvo had apparently found many members aboard who were talented in blaster technology. I spotted Lieutenant Corvo working on what looked like an E-11 with an ACOG scope and a collapsible stock. The rifle itself also had two tac-rails, a built-in flashlight, and a larger barrel. As I approached, he turned to face me, causing me to wonder how he knew I was behind him. I then noticed the reflection of the glass on the magnifier to his right.

"Attention, officer on deck!" he cried into the microphone near his workstation, then offered me a salute.

"At ease." I said into the microphone after saluting back. The workers got back to their projects as Corvo motioned me over to his workstation.

"Come to check up on us, sir?" he asked with a grin as he tightened a screw on the scope mount. I nodded as I watched over his shoulder.

"Yes. What exactly are you working on? I know it's an E-11, but it seems you've made some changes to this particular one." I replied as he started adjusting the scope's magnification.

He stopped and picked the blaster up off the workstation. He then led me over to an area where dozens of scorch marks from blaster bolts adorned the wall opposite us. There were several targets on the wall, each marked with scorch marks on and around them.

"We've been getting complaints from the personnel stationed at our outpost in Carne Village. Most of the complaints revolve around the E-11's stopping power when used against the local creatures. As a result, we've been tinkering with the power regulator by cannibalizing parts from one of the excess DL-44 pistols we took from the Rebels on Haldis. The tests have also shown us that with the increase in power, the standard stock for the E-11 will break after repetitive fire over a one-hour period. As such, we have replaced it with this stronger stock and we've made it collapsible for possible use in close combat situations," he explained as he grabbed a power pack off the table next to him. He then inserted it into the blaster, switched the stun setting off, and aimed the rifle. He turned his head toward me before firing, "I would stand back, sir. Wouldn't want you getting injured because this thing blew up."

I gave a short chuckle and stood back as he re-aimed the new E-11 prototype. He fired and was rewarded when a larger-than-average scorch mark marred the target's center. He put the blaster back on its stun setting and set it down on the table as I walked over to him.

"I would call that a success, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir, the E-11c is most definitely a success." he replied with satisfaction. I raised an eyebrow when he said the name of the prototype.

"'E-11c', eh?"

"Well, there's already a 'b' variant, sir, though it's mostly used by the Rebels."

"Ah, of course. Are there any more weapons?"

"Yes, sir. Follow me, please."

He led me over to a woman who was busy working on what looked like an old unloaded MG08/15 if someone replaced the wood with polymer, took the charging handle and belt holder off, and tacked on both the barrel of an M1919 Browning and the barrel end of an MG-42. There was also a small display box in the area above where the usual magazine would be. A glowing red number "one thousand" was visible on the display as well as current weapon temperature and other important bits of weapon info.

"Ensign Halsy?" he asked, getting the woman's attention. She snapped a salute when she noticed me standing beside Corvo.

"G-Grand Admiral!" she squeaked and I had to hold in a laugh. I didn't think hearing a woman squeak like that would be funny, but apparently, it is.

"At ease, Ensign." I replied with a smile, causing her to relax slightly. Corvo then gestured at the weapon.

"Here we have another prototype. This is meant to be a lighter version of our E-Webs, able to be deployed faster in combat by our troops. The long set-up time for a standard E-Web is due to the Eksoan Class-4T3 power generator, which requires a man to regulate the power to reduce the risks of a power surge. We've eliminated that need from this weapon by having it use our newly designed power packs." he explained and pressed a button about two inches above the trigger. The display made a noise and then a grey rectangular shape slid out about six centimeters out of the side facing toward me.

"This is the new power-pack, sir. We tried putting more power into it, but the weapon failed to function when we tried using it." Ensign Halsy said as she handed the rectangular shape to me.

It was basically a small rectangle about the size of a soda can with a glass display on one end and a button on the other. I was about to press it when Halsy tapped my shoulder. I gave her a questioning look and she explained.

"That's used for releasing all the energy in the power pack. It's meant to destroy the weapon in the slim chance our forces could be captured by the primitive natives on the New World."

"I see. So, don't touch the button?"

"Yes, please do not touch the button. It'd turn us all into a rather large mess."

"Of course, Ensign. Here you are."

She nodded and placed it back inside the blaster after I handed it back to her. Corvo tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to turn towards him as he motioned for me to follow him again. I gave the Ensign a nod and followed after him. We stopped at another table and it was quite obvious that the weapon being made here was a flamethrower.

Compared to the BlasTech X-42 Heavy Flame Projector favored by Clone Incinerators and the Oppressor Flamethrower favored by Incinerator Stormtroopers, this weapon was smaller. It had a vertical grip similar to an old M1928 Thompson Submachine gun, an older model of AR-15 style pistol grip and stock, and the sights of an M41A Pulse Rifle from Aliens. The barrel, magazine, and length were different, however. The weapon was designed to hold small red fuel tanks, and the barrel was made to ignite the fuel coming out of the weapon. The length was also about ten inches longer than the M41A.

"This weapon was commissioned by the Imperial Army Incinerators since the Oppressor Flamethrowers are cumbersome when used in urban areas. They were thinking ahead in case we ever attempt conquering one of the nations on the New World. Besides that, there is nothing really of note about this weapon. The weapon is ready to be produced en masse and we've just been waiting for the right opportunity for it." he said as he shrugged. I gave the weapon a thoughtful look.

"Could these work in caverns?" I asked, intrigued. I finally knew who I would be sending down there. Now all I needed to figure out was where the beings were located.

Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World (Unit 574)

Unit 574 was bored. He'd arrived at this place nearly four hours ago with the blasters that were going to be supplied to the Great Tomb. While coming here, he'd familiarized himself with the weapons inside the crate, which were mostly A-295s. The others were about twenty DH-17 blaster pistols. There were a few DL-44s aboard, but everyone aboard the Basilisk didn't want to give their "allies" a weapon that could punch through Imperial armor easily. The ones being given could get through standard Stormtrooper and Field Armor, but they would have a tougher time getting through Phase 2 Clone Armor.

The blasters were very different from the E-5 he was used to. Then again, this whole situation was very different from what he was used to. To go from killing Clones for the C.I.S. to fighting for the Empire and now bringing supplies to these primitives was a definite change from his norm. Being a Baktoid Combat Automata X-series Commando Droid did not prepare him for situations like this. He was better suited to killing organics than being an Imperial envoy.

He was sitting on the crate that held a good chunk of the Rebel weapons taken from the Haldian Rebel cell and as he sat, he watched the corridor. His master had told him to wait for him and guard the weapons, so that's what he did. He was ever grateful to his master because his master had saved his life after the Clone Wars ended. He was going to be melted down, but his master had intervened on his behalf.

As he watched the corridor, he spotted a young female. Having found something to rid him of his boredom, he jumped up towards the ceiling.

Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World (CZ2I28)

Just as CZ2I28 Delta was walking back to her quarters, she noticed the large metal box in the corner. She was curious and wondered if something cute was inside. As she redirected herself, she felt something watching her. She was about to open the box when she heard something metallic move above her.

She dodged back as what had been above her dropped onto where she had been. It was a strange machine of some kind. It had red eyes, a grey body, and silver joints. At least, she thought they were joints. It stood and removed its embedded sword from the ground as it turned its head to look at her. She reached for her gun but was knocked back into the wall by the machine.

"Are all you flesh bags this weak? Seriously?" it asked in a deep mocking tone as the blade of the sword came closer and closer to her throat. She managed to push it away with her leg.

She finally brought her weapon up and began firing at the machine. One of her shots hit the machine, but the bullet bounced off its armor, and then she was pinned once again. The machine raised its sword to pierce through her good eye-

"That's quite enough, Unit 574!" a voice called out and the machine was knocked off of her by Yuri Alpha, her older sister. The machine was about to move again when a man in a grey uniform appeared in front of the two.

"I said that's enough." he reiterated, and the machine stopped. It stood motionless for about thirty seconds. Then it snapped to attention with one metallic arm going to its faceplate.

"Roger, Roger." it replied and lowered its hand. The man turned to Yuri Alpha with a frown.

"Is your friend alright?" he asked as he looked down at CZ2I28. Yuri did the same, with a barely discernable look of fear etched into her face.

"I am well." she stated as Yuri gave a small sigh of relief before she rounded on the man in the grey uniform. CZ2I28 thought it looked familiar, but she couldn't remember why.

"Captain, I demand that your machine apologizes to my sister!" Yuri said angrily as she gestured at the machine. The man turned to the machine with a dull look.

"You heard her, Unit 574. Apologize to the young woman." he said as he tucked his arms behind his back.

"Yes, master." it said as it turned to CZ2I28, then bowed.

"I apologize for trying to destroy you."

CZ2I28 was suspicious but nodded to the machine all the same.

Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World (Captain Mathias Ulten)

Mathias Ulten ran his normal hand through his hair as looked at the spot where Unit 574 decided to try and murder one of their allies. He thought about tweaking the droid's personality again for the thousandth or so time when he turned back to the two maids.

"Who are you?" the one-eyed girl with the red-gold hair asked in an emotionless voice as she got back to her feet.

"Oh dear, my apologies. In all the excitement, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Captain Mathais Ulten." Ulten said as he motioned for Unit 574 to stand behind him.

"And why are you here exactly, Captain Ulten?" Yuri Alpha asked as Ulten turned toward the crate of blasters.

"I was sent here to deliver those, Ms. Alpha. They are the weapons we promised to give to the Great Tomb of Nazarick." he replied as he pointed at the crate with his artificial arm.

That was one of the more unique aspects about him, besides his older style of beard that he had cultivated during the rise of the New Order. His arm was made from a BX-Series Commando Droid's, in that it was actually the arm of said droid. He'd been given it by the medical droids of the Confederacy before he switched sides near the end of the war. He knew quite well that the C.I.S. was losing by that point, and he didn't want to die for something he truly didn't believe in. He mainly joined so that he could loot worlds that the C.I.S. conquered, and managed to transfer the funds from those little adventures to his new bank account when he joined the Republic mere months before it changed into the Empire.

"How did you get that crate in here, anyway? It looks quite heavy." Yuri asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. Ulten smirked and clapped the BX-Series Commando Droid on the back.

"He helped. He's surprisingly strong given his frame." he said with a grin as the one-eyed girl with the red-gold hair walked over and picked up the crate. His eyes widened when he saw this because the crate was about ninety kilos with everything inside it.

"Thank you, Shizu. If you two gentlemen would follow me, I will be taking you to the Sixth-Floor Amphitheater. Lord Ainz has stated that all weapon tests are to be conducted there, and besides that, mistress Aura and lord Mare have some targets for you." Yuri explained as CZ started walking behind her with the crate still in her hands. Ulten shrugged, then began to follow with Unit 574 alongside him.

Ulten thought this whole ordeal was somewhat ridiculous. Why would they need to test the weapons they just spent weeks fixing? Did the Nazarickians believe the Empire would stoop so low as to try and sabotage the weapons? After a minute or two, he realized it was a good point. The time before handing the weapons over would be a great opportunity to secretly cripple their allies.

Sixth-Floor Amphitheater, Great Tomb of Nazarick

The view was quite impressive in the amphitheater. Ulten was looking at the stars while Unit 574 and CZ2I28 were setting up. Yuri Alpha walked over and sat down beside him, followed by Aura and Mare. They were strange-looking creatures, to be sure. Heterochromia was somewhat uncommon in the Empire. The other parts about them made them an even rarer creature within the home galaxy. Mostly due to the fact that creatures like them had been extinct for the longest time. The most recent recorded sighting of the creatures had been well over two thousand years ago.

"Hey, what happened to your arm?" Aura asked as Ulten brought his attention back down to her.

"I lost it during the Clone Wars. I was a naval Lieutenant at the time and we were attacked by a Republic ship. They shot us to pieces, and a support beam fell on my arm. The thing was so badly damaged that it would've been a waste to try and save it. I was rushed to the infirmary and they didn't have any real prosthetics on hand. They used a damaged BX droid to replace my arm." he explained as he stared at his prosthetic arm.

"The whole thing?" Mare asked as he looked at the arm in awe. Ulten chuckled and shook his head.

"No, just its arm. The rest of it was too badly damaged, so they cannibalized the rest to repair other BXs."

"So that machine down there is a 'BX-Series Commando Droid'? Did I say that right?" Aura asked as she watched Unit 574 and CZ retrieve one of the gifted blasters.

"Yes. Again, I must apologize for his earlier behavior, Ms. Alpha. I think there was a glitch in his programming while he was being manufactured, so he has a more… unstable personality than a standard BX."

"As long as he doesn't try it again, there will be no grief between us." she replied when they heard Unit 574 shout up at them from the amphitheater floor.

"We're going to begin testing!"

With that shout, Aura released the monsters that would act as targets for the blasters. They were all low-level undead armed with basic swords, shields, and axes. They didn't stand a chance against the weapons. The blasters tore them apart within seconds. They were halted when Unit 574 raised his hand, allowing them to begin the next part of the demonstration. Unit 574 and CZ2I28 then set their A-295s down and pulled two variations of blaster pistols out of the crate. They set them down on top of a table that had been provided earlier. CZ2I28 picked up a DL-18 while Unit 574 took a DH-17. The carnage resumed as soon as the power packs were inserted. The demonstration ended soon afterward.

Ulten and Unit 574 were recalled to the Basilisk by the Grand Admiral himself, and no one ignores that kind of summons. Yuri Alpha and CZ2I28 led them back to the entrance, where they were met by two Imperial Army soldiers wearing standard Stormtrooper Armor, denoting that they were veterans.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Alpha, Ms. Delta. I hope we will be able to see each other soon!" Ulten called as the shuttle ramp began to close. Yuri gave a wave while CZ2I28 just watched.

The Lambda shuttle hovered for a few moments before it turned towards the night sky and headed for the Basilisk. Yuri led CZ2I28 back inside, but not before looking back at the shrinking form of the shuttle. It was not lost on her that the Imperial Army men were slightly tense compared to Ulten. There had to be a reason for it, after all, as Ulten had been quite relaxed when around them. Perhaps she could ask the man if he returned.

Onboard the Acclamator, Radiant Perception

The "Switch" + 17 (17 Days Since the "Switch")

BalancedFear was meditating once again. He didn't know why, but it just felt right to do at this moment. As he meditated, he felt as though he was in a vacuum. He then began to see something… a vision.

He opened his eyes and saw that his vision had a blood-red tint. He was standing motionless on a bloody battlefield outside a city he didn't recognize. He could feel the ground shake as AT-ATs moved across the battlefield towards the city. As he watched, he saw multiple Imperial soldiers marching forward, just behind the AT-ATs. Many of them were from the Basilisk, while others came from his own ships. He noticed some odd-looking Imperial Clones that were in front of the other soldiers. Their weapons were not like he'd ever seen in the Star Wars galaxy. It was a mixture of a DC-15S and an old M2 Flamethrower, however, he didn't believe the weapon itself was a flamethrower.

He had his answer when he saw the cloud of gas come pouring out of the weapons when the lead Clones neared the city gates. He saw the guards there begin to cough and cry out as their eyes, mouth, ears, and nose started to leak blood. The troopers with the poison gas projectors entered the city followed by Imperial Army soldiers wearing standard Stormtrooper Armor and Imperial Clone Stormtroopers still wearing their Phase II Clone Armor. He followed close behind, unprepared for what he would see when he entered the city.

Men, women, and children were crawling out into the streets as they began to show the same effects as the guards at the gate. Some Imperial soldiers showed mercy and shot them, others didn't look at them as they preferred to march towards their unknown objective, and a small few laughed and toyed with the dying innocents. He felt disgusted at the death he could see all around him. That's when he saw him: EmpireForLife was casually walking behind the men, wearing a set of Imperial Field Armor, a gas mask, gloves, and a cape. His hands were clasped behind his back and he didn't know how he knew, but he knew that the man was smiling maliciously behind his mask. BalancedFear felt something in his hand and saw that he was holding one of his Westar-35 pistols. He looked back up at EmpireForLife and unconsciously raised his pistol. The man turned to look at him and he fired. As soon as the shot left the barrel, the vision ended.

His eyes shot open and everything clattered to the deck. He had difficulty controlling his heartbeat for the next few minutes, but it felt like hours until it finally calmed down enough that he was certain it wouldn't burst. He knew that was a vision, but of what? Was it some possible future? If so, how far was it into that future?

He stood up after he gathered everything that had fallen to the floor. He placed his helmet on himself and left the chamber. As he walked through the corridor, he spotted Stagger talking with one of the maintenance crew. The man was wearing a modified version of the Phase II Engineer Armor usually seen on Clone Combat Engineers. The armor was basically outfitted for extended periods in space, along with a low-powered jetpack. Stagger noticed him out of the corner of his eye and snapped to attention after he dismissed the maintenance crew member.

"What can I do for you, General?" he asked when BalancedFear answered with his own salute. He motioned for the Clone Commander to follow him as he began to walk toward the ship's machine shop.

"I've been wondering about our young Clone cadets on our sister ship, the Bloodied Spirit. How have they dealt with everything?" BalancedFear replied, causing the Clone Commander to give it some thought.

"They're tough boys, sir. The men are teaching them pretty well, but it will still be a few years before they're ready for service."

"Hm. What about the side project I'm working on? Have there been any problems at all?"

"No, sir. The droids you came up with are doing well, and they'll be sent out into the field by the end of the week after next. Though, they won't be as tough as those bloody BXs on the Basilisk. Your modifications to that 2-1B and the R2 unit are also coming along nicely."

"Good to hear. Either way, we're heading to the machine shop. One of my Westars has been acting up, and I want to get it fixed." BalancedFear mentioned as he pulled the pistol out of his holster. They got a few steps closer when the ship-wide intercom came on.

"General Merrick, you are needed on the bridge." the XO called over the intercom, making the pair head towards the nearest lift.

They arrived on the bridge and BalancedFear waited as EmpireForLife's visage appeared from the holoprojector above. He tensed slightly as he remembered his vision, and his face became pensive under his helmet. He had to calm down, however, as he remembered that the vision was of events to come.

"Inquisitor Merrick, I hope you've had a good rest!" EmpireForLife said with a small grin, BalancedFear nodding as he crossed his arms.

"I have. What is this about, Grand Admiral?" BalancedFear asked as EmpireForLife readjusted in his seat.

"I'm putting together an expedition, and I find myself in need of additional troops." "I figured this was the best way to ingratiate your guys with the New World."

"What's this expedition about?" "I see. How many men do you require, and what supplies should I send with them?"

"My Commando squad picked up some captive Elves. They're from a Slane Theocracy outpost that the Commandos raided about five days ago. The expedition is so we can make contact with them and maybe gain an advantage over Slane." "About three hundred of your troopers to accompany the three hundred Stormtroopers I'm sending alongside one thousand Army troopers. They're also going to be accompanied by two HAVw A6 Juggernauts, as well as twelve AT-RTs and four AT-STs. There will hardly be any real difficulty getting to the kingdom with that kind of force."

"Damn, that's a lot of guys. Am I going with them?" "Very well then, I shall have it arranged."

"No, I need you for something else. Remember the Arachnid you captured? We're going to use it today and find the bastards who've been attacking us." "If you would accompany them to my ship, I have need of you for another operation."

"Alright, see you soon." "Of course, Grand Admiral. I will be there shortly."

EmpireForLife's image cut out and BalancedFear turned to Stagger. There was no need for words as the Clone Commander was already on his way to get volunteers from his men. BalancedFear himself was already heading for the hangar, but not before he finished a few tasks aboard the ship. With a cleaned Westar and polished armor, he arrived in the hangar to see ten of his LAATs filled with his men. He hopped into the lead LAAT and was off to the Basilisk within thirty minutes.

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

Ben Setrin and Crane Deril stood in front of their AT-ST's drop pod on the catwalk behind the large assembly of Imperial soldiers. Behind them, and in the vacuum of space, were two HAVw A6s sealed inside their own versions of drop pods. Multiple LAATs were on both sides of the hangar as well. There were thirty in the other hangar while only twenty could fit in this space.

Ben noticed that most of the Imperial Army troopers were wearing the standard Stormtrooper Armor, with some slight additions. They all had a range finder attached to the side of the helmet, a short skirt that a lot of the old Clone ARC Troopers used to wear, a second grenade, and a survival pack usually given to the Sandtroopers. The NCOs were wearing black pauldrons while commanding officers were wearing Stormtrooper Commander armor with different colored pauldrons depending on their rank. Captains wore orange pauldrons while Lieutenants wore white pauldrons.

The Army drivers and gunners, like him and Crane, were wearing Imperial Field Armor that was usually reserved for the Army Infantry. Some of the Imperial Army troopers were also wearing standard Scout Trooper armor, and Ben assumed they would be used for recon and controlling the AT-RTs he noticed being loaded into some of the LAATs.

The standard Clones and Clone COs were also wearing armor that had slight modifications. Additional armor had been added to the helmet, legs, chest, and shoulders of the troopers, and their helmets were modified. For standard Clone Stormtroopers, their helmets had a set of macro-binoculars and cheek plating. The difference between them and the Clone Commanders' helmets was the addition of a stronger comm unit on the right side of the Commanders' helmets and a replacement of the macro-binocs for a range finder. The Clone Commanders also had a skirt whereas the standard Clones didn't. All of the Clones also had a single pistol holster attached to their left thigh.

"Why do you think the Grand Admiral ordered us in here?" Crane asked as he leaned on the catwalk railing.

"Dunno. Must be something huge, though. There's got to be at least three battalions in here." Ben replied as he looked down at the mingling men. He saw movement at the furthest wall and nudged Crane to look over at the movement.

The Grand Admiral was walking towards a hastily set up podium in front of the assembly followed by an Army Colonel, a silver 3P0 unit, and a being that the pair had never seen before. The being was a woman with long ears and bright green hair. They were then followed by beings that looked similar to the woman and two Basilisk Guards. They stopped in front of the podium and faced the Imperials while the guards stood back behind the Grand Admiral. The man then cleared his throat and began to speak into the microphone attached to the podium.

"Soldiers of the Basilisk, the Radiant Perception, and the Bloodied Spirit, you are about to embark on the first major operation on this New World of ours. This mission is of critical importance to us, as it may give us an advantage over one of the three powerful nations of this world: the Slane Theocracy. Many of you will remember they were the ones who deliberately attacked the innocents of Carne Village, the site of our first territory on the New World. They have not only done this to Carne Village, but to people like this woman here. Her name is Zentha Ianwenys, and she is from a nation known as the Elf Kingdom. She is a Captain within their military and was rescued by the brave Clone Commandos of Squad 83. She will lead us to her nation alongside Colonel Marco Kavlin. In addition to them, I am sending T-5C0 as a translator until the 'Elves' learn to speak Basic, as well as two members of the Basilisk Guard: Galt Kyvar and CT-1045/9818. They will be protecting miss Ianwenys on my behalf. Besides this, you will be testing out some of the new ordinance that our own Weapons Division has been developing for us. They will complement the standard weapons you all will receive as well. You are all now a part of the I.E.E.F. or Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force. Your mission begins in one hour, so get yourselves to your ships and prepare to disembark. Good luck. That is all."

Ben and Crane looked at one another. That was not something they were expecting. They'd been handpicked to be a part of the first major op on the New World. They grinned as the troops below loaded themselves into the LAATs while the Elves, Colonel Marco Kavlin, T-5C0, and the two guards went toward the turbo lift. Ben expected they were to be loaded into one of the Juggernauts. He then noticed his Lieutenant motioning for them to get into their AT-ST. He nodded and nudged Crane again, then he motioned to the AT-ST's hatch when the man turned to him. They climbed inside and waited for the one-hour countdown to end.

Ben saw the Juggernauts drop first, and then he felt the drop pod jolt, indicating that they were once again heading down to the planet.

Imperial Outpost, Carne Village, New World

I stood in the center of the lone LAAT that had been reserved for BalancedFear, me, and the troops I was taking with me to exterminate the pale beings. There was one slight change that was last minute with the plan that Captain Cavos and then BalancedFear discussed with me. I would be staying at the outpost to monitor the team's progress so I wouldn't be struck down by some lucky blow from one of the beings. BalancedFear would be leading the charge against the pale beings, alongside my contingent of B2 Super battle droids and a unit comprised of one eight-man squad mix of Imperial Flametroopers and Imperial Army Incinerators. They were called the "Purifier" unit for this mission.

Contrary to most of the materials on the Clone Wars that I read or listened to back in my original body, the Flametroopers were wearing a specialized version of Clone armor I had tailor-made aboard the Basilisk rather than the rehash of Clone Cold Assault Armor.

The legs, feet, forearms, and gloves came from the Clone Scout Trooper Armor whereas the helmet, chest plate, belt, groin, thighs, and arms came from the BARC Trooper Armor. The helmet and shoulders were also modified. The helmet had a rebreather attached, as well as the back part of Bacara's helmet. The shoulder armor had been shortened to cover most of the shoulders to allow for maneuverability. Their armor also took cues from the Imperial Incinerator Stormtrooper Armor, with the crimson markings and shielded lenses to prevent eye damage from their usual weapon, the BlasTech X-42 Heavy Flame Projector.

The Imperial Army Incinerators wore the Incinerator Stormtrooper armor with an added pauldron and harness to account for the new weapons they would be using alongside the Flametroopers. Their normal flamethrower, the Oppressor, was too cumbersome even though it would fit in tight spaces. For this mission, the weapon would be more of a hindrance.

I made sure that the Flametroopers and Army Incinerators were issued the same flamethrower that had been in development in the armory. It was a small number, for now, with only just enough for this unit. They weren't hard to make, but they did take time, not like with the E-11c or Light E-Web. About twenty each could be made within an hour. Most of those went with the Expeditionary Force and the other E-11cs would be sent to the outpost with the next supply shuttle.

As we touched down at the landing pad, we were met by Lieutenant Sarkley and General Jidak. They jumped slightly at the sight of the B2s and I couldn't blame either of them. I'd read Jidak's bio, and knew about his early career and he most likely fought against a good number of B2s. I had stated in Sarkley's bio that he'd heard of the accounts given by Clone Wars veterans on how dangerous B2s were during the war. Unlike the Jedi who could simply cut them in half or use the Force to destroy them, Clones and some volunteer Republic forces had a more difficult time with those droids, as their armor was significantly better than the standard B1 battle droid.

"Don't be alarmed, they are under our control. It's a pleasure to see you two again after such a long time." I said pleasantly as the B2s parted and I walked off the LAAT. BalancedFear was close behind me, followed by the Flame unit.

"The feeling is mutual, sir." Sarkley replied with a nod as Jidak stuck his hand out. I took the hand and shook it as the B2s filed out of the gunship behind the Flame unit.

"If you'll follow me, sir, we'll take you to your command area." Jidak said when I released his hand.

As we walked, I noticed some of the changes that had occurred after the recent raid. There were E-Webs placed around the outpost's perimeter, and I saw some of the villagers were carrying SE-14c pistols. A few of them were actually wearing Imperial Army uniforms, indicating that they had enlisted into the Basilisk's ranks. That was a wonderful sight! Recruitment from the village would help bolster my forces, even if it was a small amount.

BalancedFear stopped next to me and turned to look into the forest that was just off the path. The B2s took this as a sign that there was some unseen danger and readied their wrist-blasters. He raised his hand in a placating gesture and then called out.

"You can stop hiding. I know you're there."

"Oh, come on! I wanted to spook you guys." a tall, dusky-skinned woman with red ponytails pouted as she came out from behind a tree.

When Sarkley noticed her, he sighed and shook his head as he looked down at the ground with his hands at his sides. He looked back up at her with an annoyed expression and waved her over.

"Grand Admiral, Inquisitor Merrick, may I introduce Lupusregina Beta… lord Gown's liaison to Carne Village and our outpost." he said in a dull tone as the woman gave a small wave to BalancedFear and me.

"I see. How is lord Gown, by the way? Has he been well?" I asked with a blank expression. I remembered that Momonga had told me that this particular maid from the Pleiades Six Stars was renowned for her sadistic personality that she often hid behind a friendly demeanor.

"Yeah, he's doing well." she replied as we began to walk again, her arms placed behind her head as she walked in an overly relaxed manner. I nodded as I turned back to face forward.

"So… what are these? More machines like that one that brought those weapons?" she asked casually about the B2s, and I knew what she was doing almost immediately. I'd heard about the incident involving Ulten's BX and another of the Pleiades, CZ2I28 Delta.

"Yes, but they are a different model than the one Ms. Delta and Ms. Alpha dealt with. That model was a BX-Series Commando Droid. These are B2 Super battle droids, or SBDs, if you prefer the common shortened name among the Clone Wars veterans. These are slightly less deadly than the BX, but that is because this model of battle droid served a different purpose. The BX was meant to go behind enemy lines, whereas these droids and their smaller brethren, the B1 battle droid, were frontline troops. Compared to the B1s, this model is significantly better in terms of armor and weapons."

"Oh. What's the 'Clone Wars'?" she asked with real curiosity. I sighed and looked up at her.

"If you really want to know, I can send down a few holobooks about the war. There's simply too much to tell you right now and I'm more focused on getting revenge for the men that were killed."

"By the way," Sarkley cut in as he slowed to stand on the opposite side of the woman, "where were you during the attack? I didn't see you."

"Oh, I was told to report back to lord Ainz. It was a pretty bad coincidence that I arrived at the Great Tomb when those things attacked again." she replied apologetically, which threw me for a loop. That actually sounded genuine coming from the woman. I was about to say that she didn't need to be apologetic when we stopped again.

"Here we are, Grand Admiral. We have set up this building to act as your command station. It's heavily reinforced, just like the main building of our outpost, and we will have guards posted outside at each entrance and exit." Jidak explained as he input the keycode to get inside.

I gazed around inside, satisfied with their work. I turned back to the group and gave a mirthless chuckle with an expression cold as ice.

"Now then, let us deal with these pathetic insects that dare attack us so boldly."

Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force Staging Area, New World

Zentha Ianwenys stood next to the metal behemoth that she'd entered alongside Marco Kavlin. The protocol droid, T-5C0, stood next to her as they watched the Imperial forces unload their weapons from the crates that had been placed on their ships. She believed they were called "LAATs". She also occasionally glanced up at the "AT-STs" that were patrolling the staging area for possible threats.

She still couldn't believe her eyes when she'd first seen them. They were quite tall and were apparently controlled by two men each. The "AT-RTs" she'd noticed leaving the "LAATs" were much smaller in comparison, and they were both small compared to the metal behemoths. She hadn't learned the behemoths' name yet.

Meriel came up beside her, looking over the weapon she'd been given by one of the "Stormtroopers". It was a short black staff that the Imperials called an "E-11". It was given to the Imperials that didn't usually wear armor like the "Stormtroopers".

"How long before we move? I'm getting kind of bored with all this." Meriel asked with an impatient sigh. T-5C0 looked at her with a slight tilt of his head.

"I could ask the Colonel, if that would be preferred?" he replied to which Zentha nodded then went back to studying the Imperials.

Meriel came closer when the droid left them to find the Imperial Colonel, and spotted the two "Basilisk Guards". Meriel gave them a glance as well.

"What do you think of them?" she asked when Meriel turned back to face her. She grimaced as she looked over at them.

"I know they mean business. D'you see those metal batons they're carrying at their sides? I swear one of them actually sparked earlier."

"Do you think one of us could take one on if they didn't have their main weapon?"

"No, I think they would win. They've hinted that they're quite proficient with those weapons, and most of our raiding party was made of new recruits."

"Hm. What do you think of that?" Zentha asked as she pointed at the E-11.

Meriel turned the weapon over in her hands then aimed it at a nearby bird. She would have shot it if they were allowed to. It was a nice size, but the Imperial Colonel had ordered for them to not waste ammunition. Meriel and Zentha expected that to change when they were further into their journey.

"It's not bad. I'd rather take a bow and arrow, but this could do in a bind. Doesn't really require skill and it's fairly light. I mean, you know it's there from the weight, but I could move with it for a fair time."

"Well, at least you got one of the smaller weapons. I saw Paeral Yellen with one of the larger ones. I think I heard someone call it a "T-21". That bloody thing is bigger than he is!"

The two women laughed at that mental image. Paeral Yellen was one younger of the recruits, at seventeen years old. He was about one point six meters tall, making him the smallest in the raiding party, and was regarded as the "little brother" of the group. He was a spirited young thing, though, and good with a blade. Why he was issued a large weapon like the "T-21", Zentha would never know.

T-5C0 came toward them with the Colonel close behind. The Colonel was a blonde-haired man in his early thirties, and sported a neatly trimmed mustache. He was holding a strange-looking device in his hand. It looked very similar to the Imperial weapons they called "blaster pistols" but Zentha somehow knew that it wasn't one of those.

"The Colonel says that you are to climb aboard the HAVw A6 immediately. We are about to begin the expedition." the droid said as the Colonel passed them.

Zentha and Meriel followed the droid into the metal behemoth, which Zentha now knew was called a "HAVw A6". Before she fully climbed inside, she saw the Colonel aim the device toward the sky. He pulled the trigger and a bright red light shot out, signaling the Basilisk.

The expedition began to move forward, eager to complete the first task laid out for them by the Grand Admiral. The LAATs that had brought the soldiers and equipment down lifted off and headed back to their original ships, some going to the Basilisk and others to BalancedFear's Acclamators. As the expedition moved through the forest, they all felt that they were making history.

Thus, the Empire finally began its conquest of the New World, alongside the Great Tomb of Nazarick. History would define this day as the true birth of the Imperial-Great Tomb Alliance.

Chapter VI: The Kindness of Strangers

Great Forest of Tob, New World

The "Switch" + 17 (17 Days Since the "Switch")

"Pick up the pace, people." the Army Incinerators' Sergeant called back as the squad of eight (twenty-eight if one counted the B2s) followed the creature the Mando Inquisitor caught. Flint was still creeped out by the damn thing.

He tried to pick up the pace, but it was difficult considering he was unused to wearing about thirty kilograms of armor. He had asked the Grand Admiral to be temporarily assigned to whoever was going in to kill the pale beings that had harassed Carne Village and killed Ninya's friends, but he didn't think he'd be given Incinerator Stormtrooper armor when he requested it. He still felt bitter about the deaths of Ninya's friends. They didn't deserve to be torn apart by some freaks of nature, and with Ninya unconscious, he felt it was only fair to take revenge against those bug freaks.

He shook himself and focused back on their unwilling guide, which was surrounded by the B2 Super battle droids they'd brought along to act as security. His hand clenched slightly as he remembered the destruction it and others like it caused only a day ago. One of his friends from the village nearly got bisected by one of them and was only saved by the AT-ST attached to Carne. The AT-ST blew the thing apart as it reached his friend before heading towards where the things breached the walls. Flint himself followed after it, getting to the breach just as the battle had reached its climax. He saw what the things had done to both the Stormtroopers and the Swords of Darkness, but he couldn't dwell on it as he had to help Ninya. Suffice to say the creatures and the destruction they caused left a negative impression. Thankfully though, the damn thing would get a taste of its own medicine as soon as it led them to its home.

As they kept pace with the freak, Flint couldn't help but think about the men who joined the Incinerator unit. Before the mission started, he was introduced to Zeta Squadron. They were all volunteers who wound up in the squad through their service. Some were just standard troopers who'd been reassigned when their units were taken out, others enlisted directly into the Incinerators. For example, the Incinerator Sergeant that was leading them.

Illant, the Sergeant in question, had been a member of the Coruscant Rescue Ops before enlisting. He had chosen the Incinerators because of his experience in fighting fires on Coruscant, believing his experience would translate well. He actually claimed that he was one of the members that helped clean up the Invisible Hand's crash, but everyone believed he was making that up. The other members were an entirely different story, however. Many of them had been assigned to the Incinerators as punishment. Flint knew for a fact that three were actually reassigned due to "minor" mental issues. Overall, though, the men from the Army Incinerators were pretty friendly when compared to the Flametroopers.

The Flametroopers scared the kriff out of him. It was as if their emotions had been burned away after the constant use of their BlasTech X42s. Whenever they spoke, there was practically no emotion. Flint wouldn't be surprised if they had basically become living droids at this point.

The creature started to slow as the trees started to thin out. Beyond the trees was a large opening in the ground with a natural incline that led deeper inside. Flint could tell this was where the pale beings were coming from because there were hundreds of footprints leading away from the hole and towards the forest. He also guessed that this was where the original force that attacked Carne came from, as well as the attack from yesterday.

The Inquisitor stepped forward as he halted the group. He kneeled in front of the hole, reaching a hand toward the ground, not saying anything for a few minutes. He stood back up and took the smaller cylinder from his belt. With a snap-hiss, a yellow beam of light shot forth from the cylinder. A couple of the Flametroopers twitched when the cylinder activated, raising their flamethrowers slightly.

The B2 droids readied their wrist blasters as they marched closer to the entrance. As the droids moved forward, Flint raised his flamethrower at the creature. The Flametroopers and the Army Incinerators did the same, all of them starting to surround the creature. The roar of flames destroyed the quiet of the forest surrounding them as they doused the monster, following the orders given to them by the Grand Admiral. The creature screeched as it was consumed in the flames, the Army Incinerators stopping when the screaming stopped. The Flametroopers took slightly longer to cease, however, once again causing Flint to be slightly concerned for their mental health. He then turned and watched in satisfaction as the creature burned.

"Oi, Corp, it's time to burn these bugs out." one of the Army incinerators said as he shook Flint, the man gesturing to the rapidly disappearing form of the Inquisitor.

Flint nodded as he replaced the fuel canister in the flamethrower and marched forward. Unbeknownst to the other members of the mixed flamethrower unit, he gulped as the light of day gave way to the darkness of the hive. He had a slight form of claustrophobia but that wouldn't deter him from the task that he had promised to do on Ninya's behalf.

Thus they all descended into the darkness of the cave below.

OP. COM., Imperial Outpost, Carne Village, New World

"Mr. Grand Admiral, sir?" a feminine voice called out into the command center. I turned my chair around and raised an eyebrow when I noticed Enri in the open doorway, letting the light of day into the darkened room.

"Ms. Emmot, what brings you here?" I asked as she fully entered the room and the door slid down behind her.

"I wanted to know if you wanted anything, sir. You've been in here for several hours."

"Just a cup of caf, please. I ate before I came here. I do need to be awake to issue orders, however, hence my request for caf."

"Of course, sir."

"Oh, Ms. Emmot?"

"Yes?"

"Has Mr. Baleare left yet? I wanted to speak with him before he went back to E-Rantel."

"No, he's still here. He's currently looking for some medicinal herbs to help treat some of the wounded from yesterday's attack."

"I see. Tell him I want him to prolong his stay until the operation is complete. I would like to have a word with him."

"Yes, sir."

With that, she left the room and I turned back to watch the monitors in front of me. Each one held a live helmet feed from the unit excluding BalancedFear and the B2s. So far, the unit was facing little resistance to their intrusion. I knew this wouldn't stay the case as we were dealing with creatures that hadn't evolved enough to ignore intrusions into their home like this. In a way, this whole operation reminded me of my days in Voyages Into the Unknown. It was about three years ago during my time as a Captain. We were under orders from this one commodore named Slasher_5oo. The guy had sent us all to Geonosis to quell an uprising on the planet, but he never really described anything about it other than that.

When we'd arrived, our ground forces were all but destroyed and the Geonosian NPCs fled into their hives as soon as they saw our fleet. Slasher then had us follow them into the caves, sending me to oversee the operation. I'd been in a similar state as I am now: stuck in a command center while my men went in to deal with the enemy combatants. Thinking the bugs had no real forces left, I sent a squad of Imperial Army Regulars in. Everything was going smoothly at first with minimal resistance and no casualties on our side. Then… it all went straight to Hell. The Geonosians swarmed my men accompanied by reactivated B1s, forcing me to watch as each of them was killed. They were NPCs, and it shouldn't have affected me as much as it did, but I'd ordered those men into that situation under faulty information and a whole lot of arrogance. The commodore simply shrugged and bombed the hive from orbit.

When I asked him about the whole thing, he said that he was trying to teach a lesson to people like me. Men can and would die for my arrogance, and I needed to learn not to underestimate my enemies, no matter how weak they seemed or if they were NPCs. It was a good thing I took that lesson to heart, otherwise, I would be having more trouble with the "Switch". I imagine I would have somehow fucked up meeting Momonga or getting Carne as an Imperial Territory. I let out a sigh and shook away the memories of a life I would no longer live before turning my attention back to the monitors.

As I watched the monitors, it felt like something was watching me. Without turning in my chair, I turned my eyes to look at where I believed whatever was looking at me was. I slowly reached my hand down to the lightfoil at my side as my eyes went back to the monitors. I felt the presence edge closer, and my grip tightened on the weapon. I felt something on my shoulder and in an instant, I was on my feet with my lightfoil activated, its silver blade held at the approximate location of the being's throat. I deactivated the blade once I realized who had been watching me.

"Ms. Beta, what is it that you want? I'm in the middle of conducting an operation." I said as Lupusregina Beta lowered her hands back down to her sides once my blade was away from her throat.

"I thought it would be funny to surprise you. Jumpy, much?" she asked in a pouty and slightly annoyed tone. I rolled my eyes and sat back down.

"Well, it comes naturally when one is a Grand Admiral of the Empire. In my home galaxy, officers sometimes rose through the ranks by killing their superiors. I survived such an attempt about a year ago and I have been, as you say, 'jumpy' ever since."

"Really? I didn't think you guys would sink that low."

"It is a very cutthroat system that we have. Most officers attain their rank through nepotism. Either way, if you want to stay and watch, just take a chair from nearby and sit down."

She sat down after a minute or two to watch the unit's progress. The door opened once more and Enri brought my requested caf over to me and jumped once she saw Lupusregina. Thankfully, the caf was already in my hand, and the steaming mug didn't splash all over me when she jumped. She apologized with an embarrassed expression, but I waved it off, stating simply that she should try to get used to Lupusregina's antics.

As the door shut once she left, the monitor lit up when the unit finally unleashed their flamethrowers in the cavern.

Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force, New World

"Sabacc!" CT-5033/1842 heard as he finished cleaning his DC-15S. He turned towards the voice and saw CT-906-2011, one of the many Stormtrooper Lieutenants in the I.E.E.F., motioning him over.

He stood and began to walk over, casually carrying his blaster. He noticed another trooper standing next to the Lieutenant, one of the new guys that came with that damn Mando Jedi.

"Great, I'm being saddled with one of those karking Mandos. I doubt the Grand Admiral would like it if I caused trouble for him though, so I'll suck it up." He thought before he took a few calming breaths. He was calm enough when he finally came over, offering a salute to the Lieutenant.

"What is it, LT?" he asked after CT-906-2011 returned his salute with a nod.

"The Colonel wants some of us to take point. He's making sure there aren't going to be any nasty surprises waiting for us. You and Trooper Plaz are up first, then you'll switch out with Fault and Burns in an hour. Understood?"

"Understood, sir." Sabacc said as he started walking towards the inner forest with Plaz following after him.

Twenty Minutes Later...

Plaz finally broke the tranquility of the forest.

"So, why the name 'Sabacc', vod?" he asked, annoying Sabacc. Sabacc snapped his head toward Plaz with a growl.

"Let's get one thing straight, Mando, I'm not your 'vode'. So no Mando speak or there's gonna be problems between us." Sabacc answered biting off each word, slightly shifting his blaster toward the other trooper. Plaz noticed this and sighed.

"Let me guess. You fought Mandalorian mercs during the war?"

"Nah I just don't like Mandos. Of course, I did, damn it! They killed a lot of my brothers and that certainly didn't help my liking of 'em."

"Osik, do you even know why Mandalorians become Mandalorians?"

"Because they want to be seen as tough? Newsflash, it only makes you a murderer in the eyes of the galaxy."

"No. They become Mandalorians because they want to be a part of something greater than themselves. During the war, I joined the Mandalorian way because I didn't want to be just some number. I have a feeling you understand that sentiment pretty well. However, I'll try and refrain from using Mandalorian language if it causes you to have some bad memories."

"...Thanks." Sabacc said in an introspective tone as they lapsed back into silence.

Sabacc mulled over what Plaz had said. While his hatred for all things Mandalorian might be irrational, he just couldn't bring himself to try and forgive them. After some thought, he decided that he wouldn't be so hard on the new guys. He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel the same way Plaz did during the Clone Wars. To the Jedi and the Republic, the Clones were expendable. He'd seen it a dozen times: one of his brothers, begging for help, gets ignored by his Jedi General who's too busy dealing with the battle. Once the battle is over, his brother is already dead and the Jedi doesn't even let the other Clones stop and mourn their fallen brother. Sabacc finally explained his namesake after a few minutes. While he still didn't exactly like Plaz, he would make an effort to get along with him. Plaz was still one of his brothers after all.

"I got the name 'Sabacc' because I like to play the game pretty often. I'm actually really good at it, but there hasn't really been a chance for me to play it here, yet."

"Maybe after this whole bloody mission, me and you can play a game?" Plaz asked with a smirk behind his helmet.

"Sure, why not? It'll get rid of some of the boredom."

Plaz was about to respond when they both heard a twig snap ahead of them. Their blasters were raised instantly, ready to gun down any attacker. They saw movement coming from the bushes ahead and Sabacc motioned for Plaz to cover his approach. Plaz nodded and Sabacc advanced on the bushes. There was more rustling until a small being burst out, nearly getting blasted by both Sabacc and Plaz if they hadn't noticed that it was just a small girl. The girl wasn't very old, looking only about eight or nine years old, and had the long ears of an Elf. She was in a ragged looking loin-cloth and was scared out of her mind.

The two Clones understood why very quickly as a large creature with similar features to a domesticated animal on the New World called "Dogs" came running out of the bushes after the girl. It raised a scimitar-like blade toward the girl and the Clones didn't hesitate as they emptied their power packs into the creature, blowing it onto its back. The girl then skidded to a halt when she heard the blasters and saw the two Clones. She simply stood there for a few moments with a look as if she'd seen them or their armor before. Slowly, the two lowered their blasters. Plaz got down on one knee and set his blaster down. Sabacc was about to ask why he'd done that when the Mandalorian Clone removed his helmet.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sabacc asked in confusion as Plaz motioned to the girl.

"Bic an staabi, ad'ika*." Plaz said, ignoring Sabacc's question.

The girl hesitated for only a few moments, but then slowly walked toward the kneeling Clone. The Clone then pulled out the cleaning rag for his blaster and wiped the girl's face to remove some of the muck and grime that had accumulated from what looked like many years of hard labor. The girl started to sniffle, the tears making visible lines on her face. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around Plaz, the trooper being shocked only for a minute. He then reciprocated the hug as Sabacc scanned the forest in front of them.

"What are we gonna do with her?" he asked when the two ended their hug. Plaz looked up at him with an incredulous expression.

"We're taking her back with us! What the hell else would we do?" he said indignantly as he put the helmet back on and stood to face Sabacc.

"What? Are you insane? She's a little girl!"

"A little girl who will DIE if we leave her out here, alone."

"That's not our problem."

"Not our problem? She just ran from Empire knows what and you want to leave her here, where she'll most likely be found, captured, and killed?"

"Damn it all, we don't need this! We've got an objective to complete and can't just be sidetracked by this girl's troubles."

"The Elven Kingdom is still nearly a two-month trek through this kriffing forest! I imagine we won't be overly delayed by this."

"Grrr… fine, have it your karking way, Mando! If the Colonel says put her back, though, you better follow orders."

"Ni tayli'bac, shabuir*."

Pale beings' Hive, New World (BalancedFear)

The cavern walls were illuminated by the blade of BalancedFear's lightsaber as he scanned for more of the pale beings. He would've preferred to use the double-bladed lightsaber, but that wouldn't be a good idea with the others with him. They might get hurt if he were to use it. While he liked the single-bladed lightsaber, he preferred the double-bladed version in close quarters like this. He could make do with either, it was just a personal preference. It wouldn't matter in the long run. He was already skilled enough with the single-blade as he knew the basics of most combat forms, but he was strongest in Form III: Soresu and Form V: Shien/Djem So.

While normally the Jedi-class could only be proficient in one lightsaber form, BalancedFear had bypassed it by unlocking a skill called "Blademaster" from the original game. Usually, the skill was a level one unlock, but it had been tweaked in the server. In the server, it was a level twenty skill that could only be unlocked if you were both level twenty and had managed to complete the Dark Jedi event on Ryloth. It had been a limited-time event, only available from June twenty-first to July tenth, 2136. Since he completed both requirements, he was able to learn bits about the other forms. Not enough to be a master, but enough to be called competent. There was one form, however, that always seemed to give him trouble. He wasn't the only one, either. Form II: Makashi was one of the more difficult forms to learn and utilize, especially when the lightsaber he used was a straight hilt and not a curved one.

He then remembered that EmpireForLife had a lightfoil. He also remembered that since lightfoils were originally meant to be used with Form II then EmpireForLife might be able to help him. Probably not to the fullest, though. The Lightfoil that EmpireForLife had was a modern version. The modern versions were usually used in fencing, and as such, the users of the weapon were usually taught fencing skills instead of a lightsaber combat form. There was hope that he might be able to combine the fencing skills with the teachings of Form II. After all, fencing was basically the non-Force user version of Form II.

A pale being jumped out of the shadows to his left and was cut down in an instant, its head hitting the opposite wall as its body collapsed to the floor. Two of the twenty B2 droids accompanying them stomped forward and began firing into the corridor the pale being had emerged from. A Flametrooper appeared from behind a corner, nearly setting BalancedFear alight when he spotted the Mandalorian.

"Apologies, Inquisitor." he said brusquely as he turned to face the main corridor.

More pale beings were charging down the corridor towards them. BalancedFear felt somewhat sorry for them as the trooper unleashed more fire. The beings never stood a chance as they took the brunt of the attack. He turned off the audio to his helmet as the beings began to cry out in agony. Unfortunately, he couldn't turn off smells as the scent of burning meat filled the cavern. He tried his best to ignore it as the other soldiers with flamethrowers flowed past him and added their fire to the burning mass. The droids didn't care as they marched through the fire, firing away at unseen pale beings as he and the other soldiers went around the pile of scorched bodies.

"Someone please help me…" a thought whispered as he staggered from an overwhelming feeling of anguish and sorrow.

"What was that?" BalancedFear thought as he pushed through the feeling. The thought, when he had heard it in his mind, sounded female.

That should be impossible. Had the pale beings somehow kidnapped a villager? If so, then when? They couldn't have done it during the raid yesterday, there were only two pale beings among the Arachnids. There was also the fact that those two seemed hellbent on the destruction of the village and not taking prisoners.

Pale beings' Hive, New World (Ryuzaki Shioko)

On the other side of the cavern, in a large room made to look like a throne room, Ryuzaki Shioko had listened to the report from the prostrated form of a warrior alongside Queen Nefer-Tari, albeit unbeknownst to the Queen.

"Exzzzplain yourzzzelf! What do you mean, intruderzzz?!" Nefer-Tari roared in anger at the groveling messenger.

"We are under zzziege, my queen. It is thozzze who dared trezzzzzzpazzz on our territory! They wield weaponzzz that breath fire and otherzzz kill uzzz with weaponzzz that zzzhoot projectilezzz that can break through our zzzhellzzz with relative eazzze. Their leader is an armored man who wieldzzz a blade of pure light!" the warrior explained as another chorus of screams echoed from the corridor entrance.

Another batch of warriors went charging toward the screams, only for more cries to resound as they two were burned alive by the unknown invaders. From what Ryuzaki had heard from the warrior, it sounded like the invaders were using flamethrowers, while others utilized some kind of gun to punch through the warriors' shell armor. She couldn't understand how the knights Nefer-Tari had captured had somehow developed flamethrowers and guns so quickly in such a short time. She then thought of the others that had been captured. She swore that they looked like the pilots of the AT-STs in Return of the Jedi. She knew it didn't matter in the end, though. She was condemned by some unknown evil to be unseen and unheard and spend the rest of her days inside Nefer-Tari. She lowered herself to the ground and fervently wished once more for some sort of rescue from this Hell. Her wishes went unnoticed by all, as per usual, since she was still stuck in Nefer-Tari's mind.

"Someone please help me…" she whispered again as she began to sob while curled into a ball.

She felt something pass over her as she suddenly became enveloped in a shadow. She turned to the origin of the shadow and saw a man in a full suit of armor, standing there with his back turned to her. She couldn't believe her eyes!

"Hello?" the man said as he looked around.

"Are you real?" Ryuzaki asked in a hopeful voice, making the man turn toward her.

"Yes… and I'm here to save you. Where are you?"

"In the throne room! Please, hurry!"

"You must guide me there."

"I will, just hurry, please!"

Pale beings' Hive, New World (BalancedFear)

BalancedFear couldn't believe it. He followed the thought back to its source and discovered a young woman. She had been so happy when he saw her, happy to see another human being after what looked like days. He'd followed her directions to the throne room and discovered the mastermind behind all the attacks, a female pale being that looked like a humanoid version of a bee.

"KILL THEM!" the mastermind screamed as pale beings stampeded into the room.

BalancedFear's lightsaber flew around the room as the Flame unit and the B2 droids opened fire. pale beings dropped left and right as the blade of the lightsaber sailed through their bodies while others screamed in pain and terror as flames engulfed them. The B2s gunned down scores of the creatures.

BalancedFear could feel the presence of the young woman in the room. He searched around for the woman, but he couldn't see her. He brought parts of the cavern roof down on top of the mastermind, pinning her stinger to the floor. He strode towards her as the other men and droids continued to eliminate the pale beings.

"Where is she?" he asked coldly as he held the blade towards the mastermind's neck.

"I'm here!" she cried, and to BalancedFear's horror, he realized where the woman was.

She was currently pinned by the sections of the roof he brought down. He didn't want to believe it, but it was true. The woman was the one who orchestrated everything… or was she? He used the Force to sense her intentions and discovered that there were two minds inside the mastermind. The woman he had promised to save, and the monster that had murdered several innocent people. He weighed his options quickly as he lowered the blade. He then lifted his free hand toward her.

"You will be free." he told her in a determined tone as he used the Force to rip the woman's mind out of the mastermind's body. He then directed her toward one of the B2 droids. Not knowing how to use the body, the woman fell to the floor.

The mastermind, without the stabilizing aspects of the woman's mind, began to thrash about in a gibbering frenzy. BalancedFear felt someone brush past him. It was the Imperial Army Corporal who had asked to join their operation. He couldn't quite remember his name, but he watched in silence as the man approached the mastermind with his SE-14c drawn.

"This is for Ninya, alien freak." he stated viciously as he fired twice into the creature's head, flinging the girl's old body back onto the rocks trapping her.

After that was done, it was a simple mop-up of the rest of the pale beings. BalancedFear never left the woman's side as he used the Force to personally carry her temporary body out of the cave.

"Don't worry," he whispered, "I've got you."

He thought he could hear her begin to cry as her nightmare burned down around them.

Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force, New World

"Hello, little one." Zentha Ianwenys said to the small child the two Stormtroopers had brought back from the forest.

They were currently sitting inside a makeshift base, created by positioning the two HAVw A6s parallel to each other while the four AT-STs were placed at the two ends between the two large vehicles. The AT-RTs were making constant circles around the base to deter any attacking forces. The Imperials had also set up blaster emplacements just behind the AT-STs, using both their standard E-Webs and the new light versions developed in the Basilisk's armory.

The Colonel was busy relaying this new development to an astromech droid projecting a hologram of the Captain of the Basilisk. She would then pass the information onto the Grand Admiral, who would then decide on what to do with the girl and whatever information she might provide. Zentha was assigned to talk to the girl and extract any useful information from her. The problem with that was that Zentha didn't know anything about the girl, and didn't want to cause any more damage that hadn't already been done to the poor girl.

"Hi." the girl replied after several seconds.

"Do you want something to eat?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, I will be right back."

Zentha stood and walked over to the small kitchen area that had been set up. She pointed out two rolls and the cook nodded, handing her the rolls. She then grabbed a cup of water and strode back over to the girl. She offered the items to the girl, who took them and began to tear into the snack. The poor girl had been emaciated.

"What's your name?" she asked once the girl had finished.

"My name is Fero." the girl replied as she looked into Zentha's eyes.

"Where are you from, Fero?"

"I… was from a small settlement near the lake. I was taken from there not long ago, perhaps three or so years ago?"

"What happened?"

"A large group of Bandits attacked our settlement. They killed all the men and took us, the women and children, as slaves to work in some kind of ore work camp. I only survived thanks to strangers that looked like the one man in the red and black armor."

"Did they look exactly like him?"

"Uh… yes, they did. Why? Is that important?" the girl asked to Zentha's rapidly retreating form.

Zentha couldn't believe it. Stormtroopers, captured by Bandits? That shouldn't be possible. Once she was in-sight of Kavlin and the Captain, she called out to them.

"Colonel!" she called, the only real Galactic Basic word she knew to call the Colonel, though it was still heavily accented.

The Colonel saw her approach and motioned to someone out of her view. The Captain raised an eyebrow at her approach. Once Zentha had stopped in front of the two, she saw the familiar form of T-5C0 waddle into view. Kavlin spoke to the protocol droid, who then repeated his words to her.

"'What is it?'"

"The girl you brought in, Fero, says that some of your Stormtroopers have been captured by Bandits." Zentha replied, out of breath from practically sprinting over to the duo.

The Captain's eyes widened and she called to someone off-camera. The Colonel was equally as surprised.

"'Are you sure of this?'"

"Yes, she told me that she saw men that looked exactly like your men if they were to take off their helmets."

The Captain was staring down at a datapad, then spoke a few words that T-5C0 diligently translated.

"'You're wrong. Our scans show that all of our troopers are still with you.'"

"No, I'm not. The girl swears it to be true."

"'I'm afraid that's-'"

"Humor me, please. If the girl is right, you would have more troops, and if she's wrong, you'd be getting rid of a potential threat that could come after us."

"'What?'"

"Her village was raided by Bandits, and the Bandits within this forest are known for overwhelming their targets with their numbers."

Kavlin turned to face the Captain, speaking to her, Zentha catching the word "Scout". The Captain nodded and then gave orders to someone off-camera. After a few minutes, she spoke again.

"'We have pinpointed a possible location of interest that might be where the girl escaped from, about fifteen meters away. I want you to send a small unit of Scouts out to check it.'"

"'Of course, Captain.'"

With that, Zentha left, knowing that her presence was no longer required. A little while later, and the Scouts were assembled. Trent Byron, one of the Scouts, stood in line with a few other members that were assigned to the Scouting mission. Once the Colonel had finished speaking, they split into two teams. One team would take the north side of the Bandit camp while Trent and another man would take the south side.

Bandit Camp, Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force Route, New World

It took nearly two hours, but they arrived without alerting the Bandits under a moonless sky. Trent and the other man got set up at their position, while the other team did the same. Trent had a DLT-20 and was currently looking down the scope into the camp from his camouflaged position. There were hundreds of slaves inside the camp with most of them being Elves with a few humans mixed in. He sat there, waiting for at least one of the humans to turn so that he might be able to get a look at their faces.

"Team Two, do you see any Clones, over?" the leader of Team One asked through the helmet comlink.

"Negative, Team One. No positive ID, yet, over." the other man replied. Trent scanned the camp again and nearly missed the face of a Clone soldier.

"Sir, I have a positive ID on at least one Clone inside the camp." Trent said to the other man, the man nodding to him.

The man went to confirm the news over the comlink only to nearly get his head lopped off by a sword. The man dropped and pulled the EC-17 from his boot holster, blasting the sword-wielding pig-man-thing down. Trent started to open fire on the camp guards, some of which were taken down by a few of the captive Clones inside the camp. One guard had come out holding a DC-15S, only to receive a bolt to the face from Trent's DLT-20.

"Be advised, the guards have access to blasters. Deal with them first, then go after other guards!" Trent called out over the comms, getting a confirmation from the other Scouts.

It was full-blown chaos inside the camp. One of the Clone captives had managed to reach the rifle before one of the other guards could get to it. He then began to systematically take down the guards going after the other slaves.

"Give that Clone some covering fire!" the other man with Trent called out openly, beginning to fire into the camp.

Trent's DLT-20 started to overheat so, switching to his EC-17, he burst out of his cover and slid down into the camp. He was nearly killed doing so as he had almost got stabbed by a guard once he hit the ground. He was shot by the Clone, and Trent nodded to the Clone and started firing at the guards alongside the was then tackled by a guard, making him lose the EC-17. He struggled with the guard for a time before the man was shot in the back by a female Elf. She nodded at Trent as he picked up the guard's sword and began swinging at the incoming guards.

The fighting ended when an AT-ST lumbered into view of the camp. The guards just stared up at it, knowing that they had lost. They dropped their weapons and put their hands up. The Elven slaves then took the swords while the Clones went inside the shack that the guard who'd grabbed a blaster came out of. The Elves began to butcher their captors as the Clones emerged from the shack in their armor. Most of the Clones wore Phase II armor, but two were wearing Phase I armor. One of the Phase I's was a normal trooper, while the other was a pilot. The other troopers were standard, with only one of them being of high rank. He wasn't alone as he also had two members of his own original unit. The high-ranking trooper marched forward.

"Captain CC-459/682-9917 of the 426th Assault Legion. Who are you?" the trooper asked after a quick salute. Trent saluted back and stuck a hand out.

"I'm Private Trent Byron of the Army Scout unit attached to the Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force. You're going want to talk to Colonel Marco Kavlin, our commanding officer."

"Of course, Private, lead the way." the trooper replied after shaking Trent's hand.

Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

The "Switch" + 18 (18 Days Since the "Switch")

"…en wi… kno… worked?" Ryuzaki heard someone say from someplace. She thought she recognized the voice, though it sounded like he was trying to talk through water.

She couldn't see anything from where she was. All around her was just darkness. She heard a noise that sounded like someone had placed something on a sheet.

"Soo… e… patie… Inq… errick…" another voice said. This voice sounded much deeper and more commanding, and also had the same problem as the first.

"…agine… t… tak… a coupl… ents." a third voice cut in, sounding cold and clinical. This voice also sounded like it was trying to talk through water.

"Hello?" she asked out into the darkness, hoping someone might respond.

The silence was all that responded to her query. Suddenly, a bright light began to shine, burning away the darkness. She shielded her eyes but the light somehow penetrated her hands. She closed her eyes to stop the light. When she finally opened her eyes again, she was greeted with the sight of three people standing over her, being shadowed by a bright light that shone down on her. The three backed away as she sat up, two of which turned the other direction.

She recoiled once her eyesight had adjusted and she saw the large form of a robed skeleton. She fell off the table she had been laying on and onto the carpeted floor, scared. She connected with the legs of another person. She looked up and saw the buxom form of a lady dressed in white with horns on her head. She could see the anger etched on the other woman's face.

"How dare you insult my beautiful lord Ainz!" the woman growled, raising a hand to attack Ryuzaki.

"Albedo!" the skeleton called the woman, making her stop.

"Yes, lord?"

"Do not harm her. It would be rude to attack someone you spent precious magic on to resurrect them."

"I'm sorry, lord. I took her actions as an insult to you."

"Could you two have your little conversation later, please?" the filtered voice of the man in the armor who had saved her said, embarrassment evident in his tone.

"I have to agree with Inquisitor Merrick. It would be less difficult for us to talk to the woman if she were clothed." a man that she had never seen before stated, making her look down.

She screamed as she covered herself up with her arms, one across her chest and the other down to her groin. She glared up at the skeleton who was brazenly staring at her, and realizing his error, he turned around as well. He motioned to someone out of her line of sight and a woman wearing a maid's outfit with glasses took her hand. In an instant, they were teleported to a room with six beds.

"Please wait here while I find something for you to wear. Judging by your body, I would say that you would fit most comfortably in one of Solution's spare uniforms." the woman said as she entered a room to their left.

"O-okay." Ryuzaki said shakily. It didn't help that the room was somewhat cold.

The woman returned with a maid's uniform similar to her own and waited for Ryuzaki to put on the spare uniform. Once she did, the woman was about to take her hand again.

"Wait! Is there something I could wear to cover up… this?" she asked, pointing to the window in the uniform.

The woman stopped to think. She went back into the room and grabbed a shirt that would help Ryuzaki maintain some shred of modesty. Ryuzaki then took off the uniform, put the shirt on underneath, and then put the uniform back on.

"Alright, now I'm ready." she said, holding her hand out to the woman.

They appeared outside a room and the woman held the door for her. She shut it once Ryuzaki was inside. She began to approach the next door, but was stopped by two soldiers wearing white armor. One held his rifle at his side with a hand out to stop her while the other had his weapon trained on her.

"It's alright. Let her through, men." the man she hadn't recognized called out to the two men from the opened door to the room that Ryuzaki had woken up in only minutes earlier. They nodded and backed off.

She made it to the three, a nervous expression plastered to her face. She noticed the large skeleton dismissed the "Albedo" woman. Albedo was about to protest but decided against it as she left. After the skeleton cast a small spell at the door, the trio then turned to face her.

"Sorry I didn't give you anything to wear. I kinda forgot to do it." the skeleton said sheepishly, the glow from his eye sockets gone and his mouth agape.

"Dude, how in the fuck do you forget that?" the man in the armor asked incredulously.

"He's got a point. Did being turned into a lich make you lose a few brain cells or something?" the man she still didn't know asked in an irritated tone.

"Huh?" she asked, utterly confused by the total 180 the three had taken from her earlier interaction with them.

"Right… time for explanations. My name's Momonga, he's BalancedFear, and he's EmpireForLife. What's yours?"

"Ryuzaki Shioko. Wait, Momonga?"

"Yep, but the NPCs call him 'lord Ainz'."

"Yeah, that way our cover isn't blown."

"Cover? Wait, does that mean-"

"We're like you. We're Players."

"Yeah, me and EmpireForLife got here around the same day. BalancedFear got here about a week ago."

"Why are you guys using your usernames?"

"We… uh… to be honest, I really don't know. Momomga kinda started the whole thing and I just followed along."

"Same here. Wait, was that your real name?"

"Yes. My username… was Nefer-Tari."

"'Nefer-Tari', huh?"

"I'd prefer if we didn't use it."

"Why no-"

"Just do as she says."

"Alright."

"...Okay then?"

"So… what? Are you guys all working together?"

"We are, and we're kinda hoping that you'll join us."

"Why should I?"

"Well… we figured it would be easier on all of us if us Players stuck together. In fact, we've been trying to find others like us. We're trying to take over the world and hopefully force some Players out into the open. If that doesn't work… well... we'll cross that road once we get to it."

"I see. I guess it won't hurt. Besides, I owe BalancedFear for saving me."

"No problem."

"I'm sorry, but… I'm not sure what game you two are from. I know Momonga is from Yggdrasil, cause you know, Ainz Ooal Gown."

"Right, and that's totally fair. We're from a modded server of Voyages Into the Unknown. The server was entirely dedicated to Star Wars. He's a Grey Jedi/Imperial Inquisitor, and I'm a Grand Admiral. My avatar's name is Taver Slazin and his avatar's name is Sedyn Merrick."

"I knew the uniforms were familiar."

"So, our little group has grown once again."

"Group?"

"Yes. We don't really have an official name, yet. Personally, I like the Imperial-Great Tomb Alliance. What do you guys think?"

"It could use a little work."

"Yeah, that definitely won't stick."

"I think it sounds kinda corny, but it's okay."

E-Rantel, New World

A man staggered through the empty streets of the city, shivering. He started coughing violently, blood droplets coming out the third time he coughed. He started walking forward again, his goal in sight. The local apothecary might have something that could help him. As he walked, he bumped into a woman clad in armor. She grabbed him and threw him against the wall, an evil grin plastered to her face. She grabbed a stiletto from behind her back and put it to the man's throat.

"You should watch where you're going. Never know who you might run into." the woman said, only to get coughed on.

Disgusted, the woman dropped the man and wiped at the blood that had landed on her face. The man stood back up and headed once more toward the apothecary. As he neared it, he had another coughing fit, this one sounding more ragged than the last. He opened the door to the shop, hoping that someone would be at the counter.

"Hello? Any-(Cough) anyone here?" he called out into the empty shop.

He walked forward, only to stop when he stepped in something wet. The stench of death was evident in the air, and when he looked down, he realized he'd stepped in a pool of blood. He jerked back and followed the pool to its origin point with his eyes. There, behind the counter, was the body of an old man. It looked as though he had died only a few hours ago and it had been slow. His face was contorted in a silent scream, but there was something that scared the man. The old man's face had the same problems as the man's own. His nose was irritated, his eyes were sunken, and there was blood surrounding his mouth from constantly coughing. His skin had also become paler in hue.

The man ran out of the apothecary, tripping on the door on the way out. As he went to get back up, he saw ten white exes on doors up and down the street. How had he not seen that? It was just like in his home village. He'd come to E-Rantel to find a cure for his village, but it was now quite clear that the city was just as doomed as his village was. He cried out as he felt something inside him burst from too much pressure. He couldn't move as he felt his organs shut down one by one.

He died there, slowly and in agony. By the morning of the next day, hundreds more were in the streets, crying out for help or already dead. Wagons carrying the dead were being wheeled out of town and thrown into pits where the bodies of the dead would be burned. In an alleyway nearby, the woman who had accosted the man from last night began to cough as she tried to clear her throat.

Chapter VII: The Plague

Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

The "Switch" + 20 (20 Days Since the "Switch")

"Lord, do you have a moment?" Albedo asked once Momonga had sat down at his throne.

"Yes, what is it, Albedo?" he responded, turning to face her.

"There is a situation in E-Rantel, lord."

"What do you mean?"

"This is E-Rantel as it was a week ago." she said as she walked closer to the throne and activated the Mirror of Remote Viewing.

"Yes?"

"This is E-Rantel, now." she stated as the Mirror changed from the past E-Rantel to the present E-Rantel.

The city was in shambles. Doors with white exes ran up and down the streets, with bodies strewn about every few feet. The bodies were quite pale, making the blood around their faces stand out even more. Their collective blood ran down the stones of the streets and making the streets extremely slick. A wagon passed by, filled to the brim with decaying bodies, driven by a man that was wearing clothing similar to that of a plague doctor from the Black Death period of medieval Europe. The cart then rode past a mob of people, all looking very sick. Hundreds of E-Rantel's residents were fleeing the city in fear for their lives, with some collapsing in pain due to whatever the sickness was.

"Where are those people going?" Momonga asked in a faux calm while his mind raced as he watched the residents flee.

"As of now, lord Ainz, they seem to be heading in all directions. A large portion is on a collision course towards the Imperials' territory of Carne village." she replied as she summoned a map with a close-up of E-Rantel and the areas surrounding the city.

"Are our allies aware of this?"

"I am unsure, lord."

"Summon them and fetch our guest. It would be best if we were all present so we can begin planning on how to deal with this crisis. Also relay these orders to Sebas, Solution, and Shalltear: they are to stay put wherever they are and not leave until we more fully understand this new disease. I know that there is only the slimmest of possibilities that the disease will affect them, but I will not take that chance."

"Of course, lord Ainz."

Within minutes, Ryuzaki was in the throne room, dressed in what was once of Solution's spare uniforms. All semblances of it being a maid's uniform had been stripped away, however, and it now resembled a dress and was a quite stunning sight to any who would see it. The usual window in Solution's other uniforms was completely removed. The skirt was kept but made longer to be less revealing as it covered her legs down to her shoes. The choker was done away with, as well as the frills on the upper portion of the uniform. The gloves were kept, but the cuffs and single-arm cuff were removed. Instead of the high-heeled leg armor, she wore a simple pair of shoes. The headband was also discarded. She had the original design that had been on the skirt taken off. The color was also changed to a light shade of silver. She looked both regal and modest within this uniform-turned dress.

She was quickly followed by a helmetless BalancedFear and EmpireForLife in a freshly cleaned white uniform. Behind them were four members of the Basilisk Guard. There was a slight difference in two of the men in the guard, however, as the two rear guards had the same colors as BalancedFear's Clone Stormtroopers. The two rear guards also had brown-colored cloaks.

"Is there something wrong, lord Gown?" she asked, already having been told to refer to Momonga as such when Albedo or any of his other NPCs were around.

"Yes. There is an extremely dangerous problem in E-Rantel, the city that my alternate persona uses as a home base."

"What kind of 'problem'?" BalancedFear asked with a raised eyebrow.

"How dangerous is it?" EmpireForLife asked as he folded his arms.

"There is a plague spreading through the city as we speak. I have gathered you all here to inform you in person, as well as to be sure that both our dear Grand Admiral and illustrious Inquisitor are not infected. If any of your men come into contact with the disease, there is a high chance it will spread throughout your ships when they 'rotate' back aboard and quite possibly take you two down in the process. I'd rather not risk that, and I am quite sure you two would not like to risk it either."

"You would be correct in that assumption. I'll need to move some assets down here, however, to maintain contact with my ship and my men." EmpireForLife stated with finality.

"I'll be doing the same." BalancedFear said steadily.

"Of course. Appropriate accommodations will be made available until we have a handle on the situation."

"One question, lord Gown." Ryuzaki said, gaining Momonga's attention and halting the two Imperial Players.

"Yes?"

"What are we going to do to prevent the spread of the disease?"

"Oh, I can answer that, lady Ryuzaki." EmpireForLife answered as he pulled out a small disk.

An image appeared from the disk, revealing a Clone Stormtrooper. It was obviously one of his own troopers due to the lack of colors. This version, however, was unfamiliar to the others in the room. The trooper was wearing armor identical to the Phase II though the only difference anyone could really see was the fact the armor and helmet were a darker shade than white due to the hologram. The visor was easily distinguishable, however. It was very clear that it was white rather than the usual black of the standard Phase II Helmet visor.

"I will be deploying Stormtroopers with armor that is specifically designed to handle dangerous materials. I imagine it will work just as well with any and all diseases."

Imperial Outpost, Carne Village, New World

The "Switch" + 25 (25 Days Since the "Switch")

Cyrus Jidak sat in his office, wearing a spare set of standard Imperial Stormtrooper Commander armor minus the helmet, as he had set the helmet off to the side on his desk. He was currently writing a report detailing the status of the population within Carne, including the Goblins who were somehow unaffected by the disease. They were currently acting as medical assistants to the 2-1Bs the Grand Admiral had sent down. He had also sent down spare sets of standard Stormtrooper armor alongside the droids, as well as a battalion of the newly formed Hazardous Material Stormtroopers. They had been created to deal with a bioweapon that had gone out of control near Felucia and hadn't seen any other action until now. The reason that the standard Imperial Stormtrooper armor was sent down was that it had advanced breathing filters inside the helmet which protected the wearer from chemical, biological, or toxic threats.

The measures employed by the Grand Admiral to try and stem the tide of infection within Carne were currently working rather well. Only a tenth of the total population of Carne had been infected so far. Out of all the infected, there had been only one Imperial. In an attempt to further stem the tide, Cyrus had ordered that the infected were to be executed if they became too belligerent. This had already happened once a few days previous, but enough were killed that they were still burning the bodies.

The quarantine had started out simple enough. The HAZMAT Stormtroopers arrived and began to hand out the spare armor to essential personnel as others were evacuated back to the ship, including Lieutenant Sarkley. Out of the original two thousand Imperials who were manning the outpost, only five hundred remained. They then helped create small holding areas to be used for quarantine purposes, being helped by the village residents. It was another day before the first waves of fleeing E-Rantel citizens arrived. The cages filled rapidly as the very first refugees were let in to begin searching for a cure.

After two days, the refugees tried to swarm the gate when they weren't immediately let in. It was stopped relatively early as the front ranks of the mass were gunned down. This served as a clear example of what would happen if they were to try anything that drastic again, and led to their bodies being burned to prevent further spread of the disease. After that, the refugees were all sworn to secrecy before being let in, and then led to the quarantine area where they would be tested by the 2-1Bs for any signs of infection. It was rather easy as the disease was easily distinguishable against anyone who was healthy. The disease caused an overproduction of blood to occur in the host, as well as lung irritation and sensitivity to light. Another symptom of the disease is an eventual loss of sanity before succumbing. The disease was spread by bodily fluids and air. If anyone was found infected they would be taken to the cages before cure tests would begin. None of those who were infected survived as, so far, the disease had a one hundred percent fatality rate.

The reason a few members of the population had been infected was due to proximity to the quarantine area. Some of the children had been playing too close to the area. They got too close and were coughed on by the infected, leading to their families becoming infected and then being placed into quarantine. As an added measure, the families' homes were destroyed with compensation for the damages being given in the form of a new home created by some of the Imperial workers once the crisis was over.

The one Imperial became infected due to an unfortunate mishandling of the quarantined infected. He had been one of the few Imperials assigned to bring the infected provisions and they, in a state of delirium, had attacked him. They managed to knock off his helmet, and he was then swiftly coughed on while he was trying to subdue his attackers. He was finally saved when those infected were shot by the HAZMAT Stormtroopers. It was quickly determined that he was indeed infected by the pathogen and was immediately placed into quarantine. After being placed into quarantine, the 2-1Bs studied him to determine the pathogen's effects on a human who wasn't born on this world. Suffice to say, it wasn't pleasant news.

The soldier had developed the same symptoms as the other infected. It was a fervent hope by many Imperials that the disease would only truly affect the human population on this world. Having already seen the pathogen's effects on its host, the soldier took matters into his own hands. He was discovered hanging yesterday morning, but it is speculated that he had actually hung himself the day before. His body was removed and burned to prevent the spread of infection. His ashes were then buried in the Imperial graveyard behind the outpost. A sign of respect for all the man had done in service to the Empire. After that incident, feeding was left to be carried out by the 2-1Bs. If it was up to Jidak, he would have any and all incoming refugees killed to prevent the spread.

There was one exception to that, however: Nphirea Baleare. When he had come to the village yesterday, he was immediately placed into quarantine due to a cut on his hand after a quick scan to discover the blood still on the wound. After a day, when he was still showing no symptoms, he was scanned and was discovered to have antibodies to the disease. He said that the wound had occurred during the initial outbreak in E-Rantel.

His grandmother had been running a potion shop and during his daily duties, an infected woman had come in. She had been in a state of delirium and had attacked Nphirea. He defended himself by knocking out the woman, though this was not a good move as his hand had been cut by her teeth. The blood around the woman's mouth was still slick, and it had gotten in the wound.

With the antibodies present, there was a very high chance that either a cure or an anti-virus could be created from his DNA. There was just one problem with that in Cyrus's mind. As soon as the people were cured, it was highly likely they would break their oath to silence for the highest bidder. The question then would be a very difficult one. Should the cured refugees be quietly killed off or should they be let go? He had written the question at the end of the report and would wait for a response from the Grand Admiral once he sent it to him. He finished the report and was about to contact the Basilisk for new instructions when someone knocked on the door to his office.

"A moment, please." he said as he donned his helmet.

"Yes, sir." a Clone voice replied from behind the door.

"Come in. Is something wrong, trooper?"

"The locals are getting restless again. The Lieutenant wanted to know if you wanted us to make another example."

"What do you mean by restless, exactly?"

"There are rumors that a new group is planning to swarm the gate."

"Damn. I suppose they haven't asked their fellow refugees about what happened to the last group that tried that. Very well then, you have my permission."

"Yes, sir. If I may be dismissed to report back?"

"Just a moment. I want them to get a clear message this time. Use the flame projectors. I doubt anyone will forget that."

"Yes, sir." the trooper replied with a salute, then about-faced and walked out.

The trooper, CT-843-9961, approached the Lieutenant with the orders from the General. He and one of his brothers were then sent to fetch the X-42s after relaying the orders. He didn't want to use the weapon on the civilians as he'd been a victim of a weapon like it during the initial years of the Empire. His right forearm had been severely burned, leaving most of it as scar tissue. He had been placed into a Bacta Tank soon afterward. The damage was done, however, and his arm was still covered with burn scars.

"Torch, you there?" the other Clone asked as Torch stared into the crate of X-42s.

"Y-yeah, sorry. Just lost in thought." he replied as he smacked his helmet a couple of times with the palm of his hand.

"Right. Come on, help me carry this bloody thing."

"Sure."

The two troopers grabbed the crate and hauled it to the gate in question, and not a moment too soon. The crowd that had gathered had started getting rowdy. The troopers guarding the gate hadn't been phased by the mass as they began to throw rocks at them. Most of those rocks landed only a few feet ahead of the crowd, indicating how weak most of them had become because of the disease. The Lieutenant thanked the two and sent them back inside the village to guard the quarantine area.

Three troopers walked back inside the gate as the Lieutenant called for them. He then pointed to the crate. The troopers nodded with his unspoken order and picked up an X-42 each. They marched back to the gate, the other troopers moving closer to the outer walls as the three became visible to them. The crowd began to march forward.

The roars of the flamethrowers drowned out the screams of the mass directly in front of the gate. Torch closed his eyes so as to not see what he was doing to the refugees. After only a minute, the flamethrowers shut off and the smell of burning humans filled the air. The refugees not close to the gate looked toward it in horror as the HAZMAT troopers lowered their flamethrowers.

After this, the refugees dealt with anyone who wanted to try for a third charge by simply telling them what had happened to the last group that had tried. When they weren't believed, they took the stubborn pricks over to the gate which still had the burned bodies strewn in front of it.

Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

The "Switch" + 28 (4 Weeks Since the "Switch")

"And we still have no word on Baleare's bloodwork?" Momonga asked the two other Players in the room.

"None. For now, we're doing our best to contain the pathogen." BalancedFear stated as he ran a hand through his hair, his face showing evident signs of fatigue. He hadn't gotten any real sleep in two days, not since the revelation that so many innocents had been gunned down outside the gate to Carne Village. He had also been using the Force to try and supplement his strength, but even that was beginning to fail.

"I wish there was more we could do than just sit around on our asses all day." Ryuzaki put in. Her face was almost always in an expression of sadness ever since she learned about the rising rate of death.

"We all wish that but it just isn't the case. We're doing all we can, for now, the Grand Admiral especially."

"How do you think he's dealing with all of this? It's mainly his men in the line of fire for this whole mess."

"I think he's trying his damndest not to let anything show, but… I've seen him taking swigs from his flask almost constantly. He's definitely worried."

"Lord Ainz?" Albedo questioned as she entered the office.

"Yes, Albedo?" Momonga asked as he turned toward her, the other two looking up at her.

"We're ready to begin the test."

"Right. If you two will follow me?"

The three followed behind Albedo as they were led up to the sixth-floor amphitheater VIP box. Inside the arena, a body was laid out in the center. The body was being kept in a constant state of freshness by Elder liches to ensure the validity of the experiment that was about to begin. A Death Knight appeared alongside one of Shalltear's Vampire Brides in the center of the arena, just a few feet away from the body. She'd been one of the many that remained in Nazarick as Shalltear had only taken two.

The experiment was a test to see if the disease could actually affect the undead. While the three Players doubted the Death Knight could be infected, as it was in the far more extreme category of the undead, being nothing more than a large rotting corpse in armor, the Vampire Bride was in a tamer category of the undead. The Vampire Bride was basically a fresh body compared to the Death Knight.

The four took their seats in the front portion of the VIP box. Behind them were the rest of the floor guardians that were still in Nazarick, as well as a team of Imperial scientists that had been brought down from the Basilisk to study the effects of the disease. The team of scientists was writing notes down on their datapads before the experiment began. They had hypothesized that the first signs of the disease would be visible within one hour of direct contact.

The experiment began when the Death Knight sliced down the corpse's main body and the two undead creatures both stuck their left hands into the blood that poured out of the wound. They then sucked on the blood that coated their left hands. Once this was done, the lead Imperial scientist then began to speak.

"The disease, commonly referred to as "The Red Death", is spread through contact with infected air as well as the ingestion of infected bodily fluids. We should see symptoms somewhat similar to that of a human host within the creature known as a "Vampire Bride" whereas the other will most likely have blood begin to pour out of the largest orifices due to the fact that it doesn't breathe. This will only occur if the two undead down there are indeed infected by the disease. This will take some time as previously documented. For those who haven't read the reports, the disease's effects can not be seen until an hour after exposure."

The group sat and watched the two while the Imperial scientists were taking notes. The timer for showing the first signs of symptoms was winding down as they watched. BalancedFear, while watching, began to fall asleep as the toll of not getting any rest for two days made itself evident. Not that anyone had actually noticed, as he had his helmet on and the fact that he had his head against the back of the seat.

He woke up when the timer began to beep and signify that the one-hour limit before symptoms should start to appear had ended. Another timer began, this one set to four hours, indicating the normal window of time the symptoms would appear. He peered next to him and saw that Momonga looked like he was asleep. The usual red glow in his eyesockets was missing and he wasn't sitting up as straight as he had been before.

Ninth-Floor, Great Tomb of Nazarick

Yuri Alpha was then called away by Sous-chef, who was busy working the bar on the ninth floor. She teleported outside the bar and promptly went in when she heard something crash to the ground. When she got inside, she saw the Imperial Grand Admiral sitting at the counter, looking down at the fallen drink of Eclair Ecleir Eicler with a raised eyebrow. He chuckled, and she saw that he looked a little… tired.

"You really should have gotten that straw, Mr. Eicler." he said as he looked up and shook his head at the penguin butler's accident.

"Nonsense! The glass was just too far for me to reach." Eclair replied in a huff.

"Ms. Alpha, thank goodness you are here. I need some help." Sous-chef greeted her in a relieved tone as he pointed at the Imperial Grand Admiral.

"I've tried to get him to leave, but he refuses to do so. He keeps saying that Ms. Zeta is currently trying to remove a few pests from his room. They're… members of Kyouhukou's family. He heard about Ms. Zeta's fondness for them and let her have at them. That was over eight hours ago, and he's been here ever since. I think he's gone a little batty."

"I'll go see if Entoma is done. If she is, I'll escort him back to his room." Yuri replied as she went to leave.

"Please do so!" Sous-chef called after her.

She teleported over to her and her sisters' quarters, as the Imperial Grand Admiral's room was only a few rooms down the hall. She opened the door to his room and saw that Entoma wasn't there. She walked back to her and her sisters' quarters and saw Entoma, Lupusregina, and Shizu looking at her once she opened the door.

"What's wrong?" Shizu asked in her usual deadpan tone.

"Nothing, it's just that it seems that that Imperial Admiral might be somewhat insane." she replied as she walked inside and sat down on Naberal's bed.

"Why do you think that?" Entoma asked with a tilt of her head.

"He's been in the bar for most of the day. He keeps saying it's because you're still getting rid of the cockroaches that had found their way in."

"Is the stress getting to him that much?" Lupusregina asked with a puzzled expression as she got off her own bed.

"I'm not sure. I doubt in his previous life that he had to deal with something like this."

"Yeah, I get the impression that he was more used to dealing with something that he could actually see and fight."

"It does make sense. He's an Admiral with a ship that seems to be more focused on dealing with other ships than fighting a deadly disease."

"Well, let's go bring him back to his room." Lupusregina said as she offered a hand to Yuri.

Yuri took the offered hand and the two left the room to teleport to the bar. Once they had, they spotted the Grand Admiral lying face down, his arms forming a makeshift pillow on the bar with an empty glass in front of the arms. Sous-chef hustled over to the two once he noticed them.

"Please tell me Ms. Zeta is done." he stated in a tired tone.

"She is." Lupusregina said as she gazed at the Imperial Grand Admiral.

"Wonderful! Now please get him out of here. He's drooling on the bar."

"Come along, Grand Admiral." Yuri said as she approached him.

As Yuri got closer, she heard light snores from the Grand Admiral as he slept. She gave his shoulder a light tap to try to wake him up. He came awake with a groan as he raised his head. He looked down at the counter and grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket to clean up his mess. After he had, he wiped his chin with an embarrassed look.

"My apologies. The past few days have been… taxing, to say the least." he replied as he returned the handkerchief to his pocket.

"Thank you for cleaning up your little mess." Sous-chef said as he took the glass of water while the two Pleiades maids began to escort him back to his room. Yuri was about to teleport them to their quarters when the Imperial Admiral stopped her.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather walk back. I need to stretch my legs." he stated in a wry tone. She nodded while Lupusregina shrugged.

"I don't see a problem with it." she said while she shrugged.

"As you wish, Admiral." Yuri stated as she nodded.

"Taver will suffice. It would be nice to forget that I am a Grand Admiral for a little while."

"Of course, Taver."

"Whatever you say."

The three then began their trek back to their respective quarters. No one spoke for the first part of their walk. The Admiral broke the silence with a question directed towards Lupusregina.

"Have you managed to get through the history of the Clone Wars, yet?"

"No, I'm just beginning the second year. I just finished reading about the 'Muunilist 10'. I've got to ask, Taver, what made them so special?"

"Oh, it's simple, really. They were members of the ARC Troopers."

"'ARC Troopers'?"

"It's an acronym. ARC stands for 'Advanced Recon Commando'. They were some of the better units in the war, on par with the Commandos."

"Like Delta or Omega Squad?"

"Somewhat."

"I'm sorry, but what is the 'Clone Wars'?"

"It was a war that his galaxy fought fourteen years ago. It was between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. I'm still reading about it, but it's where his Stormtroopers were created. They were originally called Clone Troopers and were members of the Grand Army of the Republic, led by a bunch of peacekeepers called Jedi."

"That's mostly correct. The Jedi weren't just peacekeepers, however. They were the supposed guardians of Peace and Justice before they showed their true colors in the final year of the war. This isn't true for all Jedi, though. Inquisitor Merrick has told me that he was once a Jedi Knight before he realized the true evil of the Jedi."

"Wait, so he was a part of the war?"

"Yes, as a Republic mercenary. He'd already left the Order when the war broke out. He wasn't allowed back into the Order but the Republic saw a use for a Force-User that would be loyal to them rather than the Jedi and their mysterious ways. I don't actually know where he served during the war, but I'm assuming it was somewhere in the Outer Rim. I myself was only a child during the war so I scarcely remember those days. Once the Empire came to power, I enlisted and rose through the ranks."

"Did this 'Confederacy of Independent Systems' also use Clones?"

"No. If I recall correctly, both of you have met a few former members of the Confederacy. Captain Ulten and his droid would be the most prominent examples for you, Ms. Alpha, while the B2 Super Battle Droids would be Ms. Beta's."

"Ah yes, I did. I'd forgotten about it since it seemed so insignificant at the time, but he did mention some bits and pieces about war. He never explained it though."

"The Confederacy's forces were a mix of aliens and droids, most of them composed of the latter. The BX unit you met was just one of several versions of droids used by them. He was a special forces unit. Lupusregina has already seen one of their frontline units, the B2 Super Battle Droid. There was also the B1 unit, which was the bulk of their army. There are other droids, but many are lost. Few found a place within the Empire, some among my ship's complement, while most others were either scrapped or left to rot."

"Why is that the case?"

"To be frank, my dear, there are simply too many planets in our home galaxy. The Clone Wars was a widespread galactic conflict. The Empire itself is still cleaning up the remnants from the war, but we can't possibly get every planet. It would take decades."

The conversation ended when the trio reached their rooms. Yuri and Lupusregina bid the Admiral good night, and he wished the same for them. The two maids then went to their beds and laid down. Lupusregina fell to sleep quickly, but Yuri was busy thinking. She was still curious about the Clone Wars. Perhaps Lupusregina would be willing to share the books she's reading once she's done with them?

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

"Ma'am?" a voice called out from the crew pit.

Shara walked down from her spot in the center of the bridge into the pit, coming to a stop near the area where she heard the voice. She saw one man turn to look at her and took that to mean that he needed to speak to her. She took a step over to his console.

"What is it, Ensign?" she asked as the man pointed at the console screen, and the small white dot moving steadily closer to them.

"I'm not sure, ma'am. We have an unknown vessel heading towards us from two systems over. I believed it best that you knew. Should we try to hail them?" he replied as he turned to face her.

"Let's see if we can't get a code signature from them first."

"Aye, ma'am."

She walked out of the crew pit and over to the comm officer, who had already begun scanning for ship codes. She stopped when she saw the puzzled look on the comm officer's face.

"What's wrong, Lieutenant?"

"Ma'am, it's this code. It's definitely Imperial, but it's not one I've ever seen before." he replied, his brow furrowing further.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, take a look, ma'am."

She came closer and looked at the code that showed up on the screen. The Lieutenant was right. The code was most definitely Imperial, but she'd never seen this particular version. It was larger than a Lambda-Class shuttle but not bigger than a Bayonet-Class Light Cruiser. Whatever it was, it was something that none of them had ever seen before.

"Try hailing them. We'll see if we can sort out this mess."

"Aye, ma'am."

The comms came to life as the comm officer opened up an Imperial channel. Shara came close so that she would be heard by whoever they were contacting. She then began to speak.

"Attention, unidentified Imperial vessel, this is Captain Shara Cavos of the Imperial Executor-Class Star Dreadnought Basilisk. Can you hear us?"

Static was all that she received, at first. Then she thought she heard a faint voice.

"Say again, unidentified Imperial vessel?"

"…his is Lieutenant Aren Varick o…pro…or. Ple…nd…el… systems damaged!" the voice replied in a distressed tone as it cut in and out.

"What is your current location?"

"We've lost the signal, ma'am. I'm sor-wait, I think they're trying to locate our position. What should we do?"

It had felt like the entire bridge turned its collective gaze onto Shara. She stood there, weighing options.

"Have to make a call… I'll take full responsibility if this goes wrong." she thought as she gave the order to broadcast their position to the stricken vessel that was trying to find them.

Carne Village, New World

The "Switch" + 30 (30 Days Since the "Switch")

Clementine felt like shit. She'd gone with one of the multiple groups of refugees that were trying to leave E-Rantel as it went to hell. Now she was sick with whatever was killing everybody else. She'd been smart and didn't join the idiots who tried to rush the gate. She was patient, which was a damn struggle for her. She was cleared and then led to what the "Imperials" called a "quarantine area", little more than a bunch of glorified cages.

From the looks of it, it seemed this was where they dumped people with the disease to die. Well, fuck that, she hadn't survived this long only to die because of some fucking disease. She would be docile until they made a mistake.

"Refugee number 35471? Come with us." one of the two soldiers clad in yellow armor said as he and his friend approached.

She stood up as the door to her cage was unlocked and the two soldiers backed up, their strange black staffs raised at her. She held her hands up and walked out of the cage. That's when she struck.

In an instant, one of the soldiers was on his back while the other scrambled to grab his knocked-away staff. Clementine pulled out one of the stilettos that she had hidden under her cloak. She plunged the dagger downward only for it to skid off the helmet's visor. Apparently, it wasn't glass like she thought. Just like that her brilliant escape plan came apart. Before she could even attempt to run, she felt pain all over her body and was claimed by darkness.

The soldier, Torch, was beyond words on how relieved he was. The sick woman that had attacked them had moved nearly as fast as a Jedi. He quickly shoved her stunned unconscious body off of him and checked for signs of the air-tight seal on his armor being broken. He sighed in relief as there was no sign of any such damage to the armor. He glared down at the unconscious sick woman and proceeded to kick her hard in the stomach, resulting in a large bruise.

"I think the General's gonna want to take a look at this one. We might be able to use her." CT-44/2319 said, a grin hidden under his helmet.

"I think you're right. Get your binders. We'll drag this whore up to him by the damn things." Torch replied back as CT-44/2319 put the binders on her wrists.

Holding Cell, Imperial Outpost, Carne Village, New World

Clementine awoke strapped to a table in some strange white room. She was the only one inside, but she assumed that someone was watching her from the darkened glass pane that was on the other side of the room. She turned her head left to right to see what else might be in the room. She stopped when she saw nothing else inside except more white walls.

"Can you hear me in there?" a strange-sounding voice asked from nowhere.

"What? W-where the hell (Cough) am I?" she demanded, garnering no immediate response.

"Since you can hear me, let's start with my first question: Who are you?"

"Fuck y-you, I'm not telling you anything unti-AAGGHH!"

"Let me reiterate: Who. Are. You?"

"(Cough) When I get out of here, I'm gonna k-AAGGHH WHAT THE FUCK!"

"I'll only repeat myself once more. Who are you?"

"...Clementine."

"That's better. Now then, where did you learn your skills, Clementine?"

"S-screw you."

"Unfortunate."

"AAGGHH!"

"Again, where did you learn your skills?"

"From my childhood when I was growing up in the Slane Theocracy."

"Well isn't that a funny coincidence? We just can't seem to be rid of you bastards. What was your mission here?"

"Mission? I left! I (Cough) stole something of importance to the Theocracy, do you think I would stay there (Cough Cough Cough)?!"

"What exactly did you take?"

"..."

"I grow weary of this."

"AAGGHH!"

"What. Did. You. Take?"

"The C-crown of Wisdom."

It went on like that for several hours, Clementine was but a weeping mess by the end of it. Jidak went back up to his office, leaving an entire squad of Stormtroopers down there to watch their newest guest. Once back in his office, he immediately went to the holoprojector and began hailing the Grand Admiral.

Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

My eyes shot open when I heard the constant beeping coming from the small holoprojector that I had set up in my room. I sat up on my borrowed bed, which was surprisingly comfortable, given the fact that it was in a dungeon. Before I accepted the call, I tried to smooth the wrinkles out of my uniform, as I had forgotten to take it off to sleep last night.

I activated the holoprojector and was greeted by the sight of General Cyrus Jidak. He was still wearing the standard Imperial Stormtrooper Commander armor that had been given to him during the initial stages of the outbreak. He was smiling as he greeted me.

"Good afternoon, Grand Admiral. I believe I have something you might be interested in."

"Do tell, General." I replied as I grabbed my datapad off the projector.

"We took one of our quarantined infected prisoner, as we believe she is different than the rest. The troopers that brought her in said that she moved almost like a Jedi. We questioned her, and she told us that she is a former member of the ninth seat in the Black Scripture. She betrayed the Theocracy and stole an item known as the 'Crown of Wisdom'. We don't know what it is, but after several hours of intense interrogation, she's told us its location. It is evidently with a small number of cultists from a cult known as 'Zurrernorn', which is currently located in E-Rantel's Cemetery. They have been looking for someone to wear the Crown for whatever reason."

"Now that is interesting. I'll be sure to inform our ally."

"I don't see why that would be a smart plan, sir."

"Well, we don't know what it does, do we? It's better to leave it in hands that know what they're doing instead of needlessly getting men killed. Besides, maybe it will weaken them?" I said matter of factly, lying about the weakening bit.

"Of course, Grand Admiral. My apologies."

"Your apologies are unneeded. Is there anything else?"

"No, sir."

"Very well, then. Carry on, General."

The projector turned off as Jidak cut the transmission. I headed toward the war-room with my newly gained information. It took nearly fifteen minutes since the throne room was a floor up, and I had been in the middle of the ninth floor. The Pleiades maids were also extremely busy, so I didn't want to bother them.

The two Basilisk Guards I had stationed outside the war-room saluted as I approached. I gave a quick nod to let them know that they could drop their salute as I walked inside. Momonga, BalancedFear, and Ryuzaki were somewhat surprised at my sudden entrance. Momonga told Albedo to leave the room, as this was an important meeting. Once she, BalancedFear's own honor guard, and my guards left he cast a spell on the door that canceled the sound of our voices.

"What's up?" Momonga asked as he turned back to me.

"I have some interesting information. Jidak captured a woman who apparently moved nearly like a Jedi. She was brought in by a couple of my troopers."

"Is she an adventurer or something?" BalancedFear interjected as he tilted his helmet slightly.

"No. She's a former member of the Black Scripture."

"The 'Black Scripture'? Who're they?" Ryuzaki asked with a puzzled look. The look went away when BalancedFear explained.

"She apparently stole an item from the Slane Theocracy called the 'Crown of Wisdom'. It's evidently in E-Rantel, of all places."

"You're kidding."

"Not lying, man. It's apparently with some cult named 'Zurrernorn'."

"So what are we waiting for? Send in a squad of troopers or something."

"I would, but the fact is that they're not actually in the city. They're in the cemetery. It's their HQ."

"Momonga, you're in the city every other day, aren't you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"We know the disease doesn't affect the undead, so maybe you can lead the troopers in?"

"No, I have to remain here."

"What about Narberal?"

"NO."

"Well, it has to be you or her, dammit. We can't just let this opportunity go!"

"Look, you can't protect them forever. You have to be willing to sacrifice in order to win."

"While I don't agree with either EmpireForLife or Ryuzaki on that, I do believe that one of you has to be lead on this."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Fine. Narberal will lead whatever unit you send in. Next time, though, we get to use one of your units for this kind of thing."

"That's fine by me."

E-Rantel Cemetery, New World

The "Switch" + 23 (23 Days Since the "Switch")

In the dark of night, no one heard as one of the Basilisk's Black Ops LAATs came flying down outside the cemetery. Once the gunship had touched down, two four-man squads left the troop holding bay, all clad in jet black armor. One squad had a set of Vibro-blades attached to their arms, while the other squad looked like a normal squad of Clone soldiers.

The armor was significantly different than standard Phase II armor, however. These particular sets were equipped with cloaking technology. These sets were known as "Shadow Trooper" armor aboard. The difference between these particular sets and the ones used by the Republic's 212th Attack Battalion was that these sets were completely black and had a light blue visor. This is what the second squad of troopers wore.

The one difference with the first squad's armor was that it had been adapted to use the cloaking tech because the armor this squad originally wore belonged to a group of Clone soldiers known as Clone Assassins. When they had joined the Basilisk, they were ordered to paint their armor black and adapt the cloaking tech to become the "1st Company of the Imperial Shadow Assassins". It didn't matter to these Clones. Their purpose was to get rid of all enemies of the Emperor. Doing what the Grand Admiral, who was just a Commodore at the time, said made their jobs easier.

One of the Clone Assassins stood out from the rest. He was CA-9912/231-67, the company commander, also known as "Captain Reaper". His armor was different compared to both groups of Clones. His main armor was a mix of the Phase II Shadow armor with added forearm Vibro-blades from the standard Clone Assassin armor. He also had a kama and a pauldron, both colored dark red. His helmet was the most different thing about him, though. His helmet did not have the standard T-Visor, but two small eye-holes. He had then painted a skull big enough to take the entirety of the main faceplate. It was part of where he derived his namesake.

The two squads were met by a dark-haired woman in a cloak, an indifferent expression on her face after nearly an hour of waiting. She wore plain clothes underneath the cloak, but underneath that, one would find a maid's uniform.

"I assume you're Narberal Gamma?" Reaper asked the woman, who nodded, "You're late."

"Better late than never. Let's get this over with." she said in an annoyed tone.

"Right. Lead on, maid."

Within minutes, the two squads had cloaked and followed the Pleiades's Doppelganger. They reached a smallish area overlooking a large mausoleum, where two skeletons stood guard outside. Narberal was about to use chain-lightning when one of the troopers stopped her. He shook his head as he held up his DC-19 "Stealth" Carbine. He and another trooper aimed their weapons at the two skeletons.

With nothing more than the sound of an air puff, the two skeletons fell to pieces. A man in a robe came walking forward from underneath them, giving an exasperated sigh. He stopped as one of the Assassins appeared and stuck his left arm's Vibro-blade through the man's back.

Creeping up to the door, the Clone Assassin took a quick glance to see if anyone else was going to arrive. He heard footsteps coming from the left and hugged the wall as another robed figure came walking into view. He stopped once he saw the body of his fallen comrade. He was about to cry out when another bolt from the trooper next to Narberal sent him back to whatever deity he prayed to.

"Hide the bodies." Reaper commanded as the rest of the squads came forward.

One squad took the two bodies while the other squad gathered the bones. They dumped them unceremoniously behind another mausoleum. They then stacked up at the door. Narberal and the Clone Captain took the position at the front of the left and right groups.

"On my signal." Reaper stated as he took an offered DC-15s Blaster Pistol.

Narberal grunted as the Clone counted down.

Chapter VIII: The Crown

E-Rantel Cemetery, New World

The "Switch" + 30 (One Month Since the "Switch")

Galal Batisi, Zurrernorn Initiate

Galal Batisi crawled on the cold cobblestone floor while he bled out. He was still disoriented from all that had happened in the past few seconds. He and two of his fellow cultists had been guarding the entrance to their hidden base, when out of nowhere, men in strange black sets of armor rushed in. The skeletons that they had summoned were torn apart in minutes from some form of magic that came out of the staffs the men were carrying.

The first of the two cultists with him to die was an older fellow whose name Galal never knew. He had tried to cast a summoning spell to get more reinforcements when both of his hands were amputated, and his head disappeared in a blinding light from a smaller staff. The other cultist had been a friend who had introduced him into Zurrernorn's ranks. He was torn apart by the blinding flashes from the strange mens' staffs. Galal had tried to run, but he felt a searing pain as one of the men used the blades attached to his armor to cut a large gash into his left leg, nearly amputating it.

He nearly made it to the door when his head exploded. His body was then dragged to the opposite wall and laid down, alongside his colleagues.

Captain Reaper

"How many of these fierfeks is that now, Maverick?" Reaper asked CA-423-11/7752 as he spun the pistol back into the holster on his kama.

"About twelve in all, sir." Maverick replied as he shook the blood off his forearm blades.

"How many were supposed to be here again, Nine?" CT-1127-9788 whispered to his brother, CT-1127-9789, as they kept their blasters on the other door.

"I believe the report said that it was thirty in all, Eight. 'Course, we can't exactly rely on that kind of info. That woman that got captured by the boys in Carne was a member of this group. She could have lied to get us killed in revenge for being interrogated." Nine whispered back as Narberal Gamma came toward them.

"Ms. Gamma." Reaper stated to stop her from opening the door to the next room.

"What is it?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"Little bit of advice for you: watch for tripwires."

"Huh?"

"Take a look at the bottom of that door."

She did so, seeing the thin string that stretched from the door's bottom and up to a small bell near the door frame. She scoffed before turning back to Reaper.

"Is it really that much of an issue? The only real magic these mages have is raising the undead, and I'm quite sure that you and your men can handle those."

"It is. In case you forgot, according to that assassin in Carne, these guys have enough power to resurrect at least a quarter of this graveyard. The last thing we need is you bringing everyone in this damn place down on top of our heads and resurrecting the dead. Not only would we get overwhelmed, but also get infected from the damn plague that's still running rampant out there."

"You might, but I won't."

"There is also the small issue of disappointing lord Gown. I'm sure you don't want to make him upset, now do you?"

Narberal's eyes narrowed at Reaper's words. He was a lowly human and should have more respect for his betters. His words did ring true for her, however. She grumbled and stepped back from the door as a Shadow Assassin neatly disabled the trap that had been set. Reaper then made a tapping motion on his gauntlet.

As one, both squads of troopers cloaked as Narberal cast an invisibility spell. Eight opened the door while his brother kept his DC-19 on the room the door opened into. The troopers filed into the room, staying close to the walls while Narberal walked in behind them. After a thorough check of the room, the troopers relaxed while Narberal kept her guard up.

The two squads of troopers nearly botched the mission when they breached the last room, which was supposed to be simple. The three cultists were supposed to be simultaneously taken down by one synchronized shot. That hadn't happened as a trooper accidentally knocked over a bottle, alerting the cultists that they weren't alone. They couldn't really be blamed, however, as the last time they worked as a cohesive unit in any ops had been well over a year ago. They'd fallen out of step, and they didn't have time to train for this op. They were lucky it hadn't all gone tits up at this point.

"Check for anything of value in here for the intel guys. Papers, maps, the works." Reaper stated before giving a status update to the Basilisk.

Narberal sat on a nearby crate as she watched the humans eat. In her mind, she imagined using chain lightning on the troopers, then blaming their deaths at the hands of Zurrernorn. She didn't give it serious thought as she knew that lord Ainz wouldn't be happy if she killed them. They were supposed to be allies after all. She knew they would find themselves on opposite sides at some point, though. Lord Ainz would somehow manipulate these Imperials to work for him rather than with him at a later point. For now, though, it was better to work as allies.

Unbeknownst to her, the Imperials held similar views. They knew one day they would need to deal with the Nazarickians and either make them subservient or destroy them. They were Non-Human freaks, after all, and it was insulting to their collective pride as members of the Empire to have to lower themselves to work with the Non-Humans rather than using them to both the Empire's and the Grand Admiral's advantage. They needed time to prepare, however, as they weren't yet ready to deal with the higher echelons of the Great Tomb.

Of course, none of them realized either event would actually occur.

As the troopers searched for any useful intelligence, the handle on the left side door of the room began to turn. When the door opened, an older man appeared. He was carrying a bag over his shoulder, one that leaked a lot of red fluid. He spotted Narberal sitting on the crate opposite him, and before he could even raise the alarm, was wrestled to the ground by two other troopers.

A knife appeared near the man's throat. He saw the glint of metal and knew what to do. He kept quiet while Maverick approached. The assassin crouched as he came face to face with the older man.

"What's your name?" he asked as the man looked up into Maverick's visor.

"K-Kerit Halun!" the man gasped as the knife dug into the skin of his throat.

"Well, Kerit Halun, seeing as you stumbled your way into our hands, you're going to help answer a few questions we have."

"What d-do you mean? I am but a simple caretaker for this resting place."

"Keep your voice down, Halun, or I'll order your throat slit. Same goes for trying to lie to us again."

"You doubt my word?"

"We know you're a member of Zurrernorn, as well this place being Zurrernorn's main HQ, for now."

"'aitch-cue?'"

"Don't change the subject. Where's the 'Crown of Wisdom'?"

"The what?"

"Trooper?"

The knife's edge dug a little deeper into Halun's neck, drawing a trickle of blood.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you! It's in the main chamber, through the next few rooms and to the right."

"Thank you." Maverick said as the other trooper released Halun before Maverick beheaded the man.

Ten minutes later...

The Crown was in sight as Narberal crouched behind a fallen stone pillar. Two troopers were nearby, their weapons trained on the group of cultists that surrounded the Crown. They waited for Reaper as he got into position behind the group with Maverick and another trooper. The last group of Clones was closest as only one of their members had a blaster rifle. One of the troopers was nervously flicking the stun/kill switch on his blaster as he waited impatiently for the word to kill the cultists.

"Blast 'em!" Reaper's voice cried out, followed by each of the ranged Clones opening fire on the group.

Once the group was on the ground, the Clone Assassins moved in and confirmed the kills, stabbing each of the bodies twice. Narberal and the other troopers moved in after this was accomplished. The group gazed upon the Crown as the bodies of the cultists smoldered.

"Basilisk, this is Captain CA-9912/231-67, codename 'Reaper', are you receiving?" Reaper asked as he held the wrist communicator up to his helmet.

"We read you, CA-9912/231-67. Do you have eyes on the target, over?" Captain Cavos replied as Reaper heard some shuffling in the background, indicating that the normal comm operator had gotten out of his seat so that Cavos could sit.

"I'm looking at it now, Basilisk. We'll be heading to the extraction point, over."

"Roger that, CA-9912/231-67. We're sending the gunship down now. Be advised, we have an unknown blocking the route to your extraction. Eliminate with extreme prejudice, over."

"Wilco, out." Reaper replied as he shut off the communicator and wrapped the Crown in the robes of one of the dead cultists.

Narberal, Reaper, and Maverick led the troopers out of Zurrernorn's hidden base, passing the decapitated corpse of Kerit Halun on the way. He had tried to warn the group of cultists that had been guarding the Crown but Maverick cut his warning off as he stabbed through his back. To be sure of the kill, he then cut off Halun's head. That was when the troopers moved to their ambush positions. As they passed by the body, Narberal stopped and stared at the body. She then proceeded to kick the body lightly and went back to leading the troopers out. The troopers gave her looks of amusement underneath their helmets, Nine and Eight snickering at her little show of annoyance at the cultist.

As the group made it outside, they came upon the sight of a sickly old man in red robes. He was glaring at them while flanked by two massive creatures made of bone. His eyes narrowed as he began to speak.

"I am Khajit Dale Badantel, one of the twelve executives of Zurrernorn. You will return what you have stolen or suffer an agony you haven't ever conceived of!" he cried as the two monsters beside him tensed, ready to strike.

"Nine, contact the Basilisk. Tell them we need a little bit of help with that unknown." Reaper ordered on the squad's private channel.

"Right away, sir. How many shots do you want on them?" Nine replied as he quietly got behind Eight.

"Two shots. One for each of those monsters."

"Yes, sir."

"Well? What is your answer?" the old man replied icily as he held a hand out to them.

"Yeah, no. You can go kark yourself." Maverick replied, a deadpan expression plastered to his face underneath his helmet.

"Ki-"

The old man never finished as the Basilisk's shots destroyed the two bone monsters. Narberal, Reaper, Maverick, and the other troopers shielded their eyes as the entire world turned a bright green for only a few seconds. The old man was flat on his back as a large bone had fallen on top of him, crushing his lower body. Narberal finished him off with chain lightning as the troopers passed him.

The Black Ops LAAT, filled with both the troopers and Narberal, left the E-Rantel Cemetary as the sun began to rise.

Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force, New World

The "Switch" + 31 (31 Days Since the "Switch")

Ben Setrin's walker stepped over one of the many fallen trees that were in the way of the expedition. At this point, most of the men who had been on foot were now either inside or on top of the HAVw A6s due to the number of trees that began to appear in their path. The AT-RTs were having a better time, but only slightly. They had to get a running start to get over a lot of the trees. The AT-STs, including his own, were faring the best, as they were tall enough to simply step over some of the trees due to their height.

He noticed that many of the trees looked decrepit and old, having been knocked over years ago. He thought that some of them looked as though they had deliberately fallen in some places. That wasn't possible, however, since there wasn't anyone nearby for hundreds of kilometers.

"Hey, we've got something." Crane said as he pointed at the radar in between the two.

"Right, I'll call it in." Ben replied as he pushed the talk button.

"Go ahead, Team 3, over." The comm operator of the command HAVw A6 stated after a minute.

"We're getting a reading on the radar, unsure of what it is at this time, over."

"Roger, Team 3. Team 4, can you confirm you've also got unknowns on your radar, over?"

"Wait one, over."

"Wilco."

"Lead, we can confirm unknowns on radar. How do you want us to proceed, over?"

"Search and ascertain, over."

"Wilco, out."

"Roger, out."

With their new orders, both Ben's and Team 4's AT-STs moved further ahead into the forest while the rest of the expedition halted.

Twenty minutes later...

More dots appeared on the radar as soon as they moved further into the forest, varying in size. Ben stopped the walker once he came upon a large cluster of trees that surrounded a small-ish village. It was little more than a few houses, a shop, and an inn. What gave him pause was both the state of the village and the trees surrounding it.

The entire village was severely burned as if a great fire had raged recently. He knew that the fire happened recently as there were still some smoldering embers on the buildings. The issue with that was that none of the surrounding trees had any form of burn damage, and he knew they couldn't have just grown back immediately. It takes nearly a century for forests to recover from fires if he remembered his book on the "Great Forests of the Galaxy". Given the already strange nature of the world they were on, Ben felt uneasy, to say the least. Crane nudged him as he stared dumbfounded at the radar.

"What the…?" Ben muttered as the dots started to move towards the back of the village.

"I don't like this." Crane said as he readied the AT-ST's weapons.

"You and me both. Let me hail Team 4."

"Good idea, I'll keep watching the radar."

"Team 4, this is Team 3, how copy?"

"..."

"I repeat, Team 4, this is Team 3, how copy?"

"..."

"Team 4, please acknowledge, over."

"..."

"Where the hell did they go?"

"Don't look at me, the radar says they're still about twenty meters away."

The two men turned back to the radar as it started to ping. A massive dot was heading right for them from their left, where Team 4's walker had been. Ben maneuvered his own walker out of the way as a massive fireball came spiraling past. Ben and Crane barely had any time to reconcile this within their minds as something hit the AT-ST hard enough to knock it back a few steps.

Ben's head connected with the back wall of the walker's cockpit and he was glad he was still wearing his helmet. If he'd left the helmet off, the force of the impact would have caved his skull in. Crane hissed as he had hit his head on the instrument panel in front of him.

"Kark me, what the hell was that?!"

"I don't know, but-!"

Ben nearly bit through his tongue as the walker was bucked forward by the still unseen force while Crane hit the instrument panel again. The force of the hit was harder this time, however, and Crane wasn't quite prepared for another hit so soon. He slumped forward, and Ben worried his best friend was dead. He sighed in relief when he saw Crane breathing. Crane was alive but unconscious, which left Ben the only one to fight whatever the hell was attacking them. He transferred control of the weapons from the gunner over to him as he turned the walker around to face the unknown attacker.

A large beast that looked like a New World canine with flaming horns faced him. It snarled and paced in front of the walker, daring Ben to attack. He grabbed the lever for the walker's weapons and opened fire on the creature. It dodged left as the walker's chin-mounted cannons fired. It pounced and slashed at the cockpit, jolting the walker backward once again. Ben then depressed the trigger for the side-mounted light E-Web cannon, scoring a hit on the beast. It was a minor hit, but a hit nonetheless. The creature roared in anger at the hit and shot a fireball from its mouth at the walker. The ball did nothing except blacken much of the front of the walker.

The creature took a swing at the walker again but missed as Ben moved the vehicle closer to the beast. Knowing it was vulnerable, it leaped backward just as the concussion grenade launcher on the right side of the cockpit fired. The beast was dazed by the grenade and started to madly swing its massive paws in the general direction of the walker. Ben moved the walker back, happy that his mistake in firing the grenade launcher led to this result. He meant to use the chin-mounted cannons, but he pressed the wrong button and wound up firing the grenade launcher instead. The beast smacked the walker into a nearby tree, which left scratch marks on the side of the cockpit. Ben tried to fire the chin-mounted cannons, but they had overheated as a fireball hit the bottom portion of the walker's cockpit.

Ben quickly grabbed the personal weapon all walker crews were given at the start of the expedition. It was one of the newer weapons created in the armory, the E-11c, a supposedly more powerful version of the standard E-11. He thought about opening the hatch above but nixed the idea. He'd be exposing himself to that thing if he popped his upper body out of the cockpit. He rested the barrel of the E-11c on the walker's eye slit, using his other hand to steady himself as he leaned in to look down the blaster rifle's scope.

He lined up his shot and fired at the beast. It cried out as one of its large eyes exploded into a viscous goo. Ben then took the opportunity to fire both the light E-Web cannon and concussion grenade launcher at the monster. He kept the two weapons firing on it until the grenade launcher ran out of ammo and the E-Web overheated. At that point, the chin-mounted cannons had cooled, and for good measure, he blasted it once with the cannons. The walker became drenched in gore and viscera as the beast's side exploded from the impact of the shot.

Once the smoke had cleared, Ben opened the hatch on the cockpit. He was about to set his hands down on the lip of the hatch but decided against it. He didn't want to get his hands all bloody and stain the instruments inside. He scanned his surroundings, searching for Team 4's walker. He soon spotted the walker and grimaced.

The walker itself was still intact, but it was scorched black from the top down. The beast had gotten the jump on their walker. He thought he could see the driver's burned arm peeking out of the eye slit of his walker. He shuddered to imagine what the inside of that walker looked like, let alone smelled like. The only thing he didn't understand was how he hadn't heard the attack on them. Surely burning to death would cause indescribable pain, and make them cry out in both pain and terror? He knew for a fact that the walker's interior wasn't very loud as he could carry a conversation just fine while it was in motion. Did the creature somehow mute their cries, and ensure it remained in stealth before it attacked his own walker? This raises another question as to why it attacked the walker in the first place. It had to realize that it couldn't eat the walkers just by looking at them, so did it somehow smell him, Crane, and the other crew?

Ben was promptly brought out of his thoughts when Crane groaned, signaling his return to the land of the living.

"Ugh, what the hell?" Crane stated as he rubbed his eyes.

"You missed the show." Ben said hollowly as his eyes went back down to the beast.

"What are you… what in the Empire happened?"

"Safe to say we found our unknown."

"I'll say. What about Team 4?"

"Dead."

"How bad is it?"

"It might be best to bury their ashes."

"Damn. Well, we can't just leave the walker."

"We're going to have to go back to the expedition. Contact the ship so we can get them out of this Empire-forsaken place."

"Roger that. Switching weapons back over to me."

"Right, coming back in."

Ben closed the hatch as the moon started to shine down on the site of their battle. As the walker began its trek back to the Expedition, they failed to hear the quiet yipping barks coming out of a nearby cave. The cave itself was hidden from view by the density of trees in front of it. If one were to look inside, however, they would find a nest not unlike a fox den with a litter of 15 pups just barely three days old. This is why the Ash Hound had attacked the Imperial walkers: to protect her newborn pups. The father of the pups had already been killed by an Adventurer group a week prior, and now the pups had no mother to care for them. They were not long for this world if left on their own, but that was what life was like on the New World. There was only one constant fact of life outside of the nations and civilized lands of the New World. This fact was that the strong thrived, while the weak perished.

Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

Narberal presented the Crown of Wisdom to a seated Momonga as I congratulated Captain Reaper and his squad on a job well done. Albedo then sent Narberal to her quarters to rest, the troopers following her out and towards the Landing Pad once I finished debriefing them. He unfurled the robe that housed the Crown as BalancedFear and Ryuzaki entered the room.

"So this is the 'Crown of Wisdom'?" Ryuzaki asked as she looked at it.

"Yes. This item is extremely unique, as it does not seem to come from my home dimension. Does it perhaps come from yours, Ms. Shioko?" Momonga asked, referring to Ryuzaki's game as his red orbs gazed down at her from his throne.

"I've never seen its like from my own home, Lord Ainz. What of you, Grand Admiral?"

"No, something like this is not from my galaxy. I believe it was created here, on the world which we find ourselves." I said as I clasped my hands behind my back.

"I've never seen it before either. I'm definitely sure it's not from Mandalore. I believe the Grand Admiral is correct." BalancedFear said as he nodded at the Crown.

"We shall learn more once I have analyzed it. All Appraisal Magical Item!"

"What is it?"

"Yes, Lord Gown, please do not keep us in suspense."

"Were we right in its origin?"

"Yes. It is regarded as one of the Slane Theocracy's greatest treasures. The Crown itself is the symbol of one of the Theocracy's important persons, the Shaman Princess. This Crown is used in many of the Theocracy's magic ceremonies. While the limits of the New World would prevent human magic casters to surpass anything beyond 3rd-tier magic, this Crown allows the wearer to bypass those limits up to using 7th-tier magical spells. However, for all of its advantages, there are some extremely severe flaws. The largest being the price of using the Crown. Once worn, the Crown limits the wearer's thinking ability to that of a marionette, and it cannot be removed without leaving the wearer's mind ruined. The only way to nullify its power over the host is for it to be destroyed."

"It would seem that this item would be better suited to be used on any of our prisoners."

"It appears that way."

"Damn, and I thought we could really use it."

"Perhaps we can…"

"Do explain your process of thinking, Grand Admiral."

"Yes, what do you mean?"

"Do enlighten us."

"Do you still have those prisoners, Lord Gown?"

"What of it?"

"Wait…"

"You can't seriously be considering that."

"Why not? They are traitors to the Empire and deserve no mercy from us. I say we force one of the Rebels to use it and turn them into something useful to our cause."

"You do make an interesting point."

"Is it truly worth it, though? As you said, Lord Ainz, it only allows humans to bypass their limit up to '7th-tier' magic. I don't see how it could be of any real use!"

"I have to agree with Lady Ryuzaki. It is not right to treat our defeated enemies this way."

"Then they should not have taken up arms against the Emperor. Do not forget you still serve him."

"We shall discuss this further in a more private setting, agreed?"

"Very well, Lord Gown."

"Alright."

"As you wish."

"Now then, Grand Admiral, is there any word on Baleare's blood work?"

"So far, it seems promising. We should have the results by the beginning of next week at the latest."

"That is good news. I would very much like to be back with my Legion."

"It would be nice to have some kind of normalcy after this mess."

"On that, Lady Ryuzaki, I believe we all agree."

"What of the expedition to the Elf Kingdom?"

"We've lost one of the AT-ST crews to some beast that could wield fire against us. The walker itself is intact, and we have taken it back aboard the Basilisk for cleaning. There was another walker with them and they managed to kill the beast. The walker has minor damage considering the fight, and the crew is just fine."

"So the expedition has suffered two casualties since its start? That is good and there was also the fact that they were joined by those others, including those other Clones from that Bandit mine?"

"Yes, their numbers are still sufficient to continue forward."

"How have those former Bandit slaves been doing since they were liberated?"

"By all accounts, they are doing well. A few suffer night terrors and some simply break down for moments at a time. The medical teams are doing all they can for them. I certainly can not fault them. Over three years of abuse and thankless work for many of them? That was most certainly a harrowing experience. "

"Yes, we have a name for it in my own dimension. It is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I'm surprised it isn't more prevalent, because it certainly is a given after what they went through."

"Damn those Bandit bastards."

"We can all be thankful that the perpetrators are dead." Momonga stated as the doors to the throne room opened again.

Two members of the Basilisk Guard walked in, escorting a 2-1B medical droid. The two guards waited for my permission to come forward. Knowing that something big must have happened for the two to come in, I motioned for them to come forward. The trio came closer until they were only eight feet away from me. The 2-1B then began to speak.

"We have the results from Mr. Nphirea's bloodwork, Grand Admiral."

"I see. Is it good news?"

"We are able to synthesize a cure for the disease from his blood. It will take time, but it is estimated that we should have the completed cure by the end of the next week. There is more information, but the Medical Officer in the Basilisk's Sick Bay said that it would be better to discuss the information on the ship."

"Very good! Has the information been relayed to our outpost?"

"It will be, sir, as soon as my report is finished."

"What else is there to report?"

"We have completed a prototype cure, but its effects do not last very long. There is a high probability that within 24 hours, the virus will return to the host."

"Hm. So this prototype could be used as a sort of continuous treatment, then?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. Continue producing the prototype in conjunction with the true cure. We may find a use for the prototype."

Holding Cell, Imperial Outpost, Carne Village, New World

Clementine awoke in the white room. She was still spasming due to the shocks whoever had questioned her had given when she had been… uncooperative. They had interrogated her all throughout the night and into the early hours of the day, trying to gather as much information from her as possible. They finally stopped when they noticed that the shocks weren't keeping her awake anymore.

"So you're awake? Good. Hold still." a blurry shape said as he stabbed her arm with a strange glass cylinder that had a needle and was filled with a grayish-green liquid.

The pain lasted for a few minutes, but then she felt as if she could do anything! The illness was gone. She was cured, and now she was going to make her captors pay! She looked around for the blurry shape, but they had disappeared. The interrogator's voice then came into the room.

"I wouldn't try anything too foolish, Clementine. We have given you a cure to the disease, but it is only temporary."

"Sure, and I'm the Empress of the Baharuth Empire." she spat back at the voice.

"You'll learn quite soon."

"When I get out of here, I'll-"

"You'll... what? You're completely surrounded by my forces, and I very much doubt even your skills could defeat two thousand Imperial Stormtroopers. You would most likely die in the process of trying to escape. Either that or be back within the hands of the Empire in minutes, at most."

"Can't fault a girl for having dreams."

"No, I suppose I can't, but you will never achieve that particular dream."

"Big words from someone who doesn't have the balls to show his face!" she cried out, only for a strange flickering specter to appear in the white room.

"You want to know who I am? Very well, since your information led to the acquisition of the Crown of Wisdom and the destruction of the E-Rantel Cemetary's Zurrernorn sect. I am General Cyrus Jidak of the Imperial Army. I serve the Galactic Empire, and more directly at this point in time, Grand Admiral Taver Slazin."

"Tav-er Slay-zin? Is he as much of a coward as you, Ji-dack?"

"Cowards? That's funny, coming from you, Clementine. You ran away from your home after stealing an item rather than staying loyal. That is the epitome of being a coward. I, on the other hand, simply can't afford to get sick. If that means that I have to hide behind a glass screen then so be it."

"Well, I'm fine now, so you ca-ngghh!"

Clementine gripped her stomach as blood erupted from her mouth and onto the floor of the room. She collapsed onto her knees as the specter stared down at her. She turned her head to look up at him, seeing that he was smiling darkly down at her as she had begun to cough uncontrollably. He started laughing as she fell over and onto her side.

"I did tell you the cure you were given was temporary. Do you believe me now?" he asked, his laughter rising in volume at her pain.

"F-fuck (Cough) y-you!" she snapped and caused him to cease laughing.

"I do wish you would stop saying that. I've learned what that means, you know? It is so very vulgar, my dear Clementine."

"You can (Cough) go (Cough Cough) screw yourself, Ji-dick!"

"Do you want to know how you're going to get that cure again?"

"..."

"I thought you might want to know that. It's very simple: to get the temporary reprieve the cure brings, all you have to do is do what we tell you. From here on until your demise, your life belongs to the Empire. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"I want to hear you say those words."

"My life belongs to your Empire."

"Good. Rest now. You will be given a much larger dosage later in preparation for your first mission for us."

"Yes."

"'Yes', what?"

"Yes... master."

The specter vanished from sight as Clementine laid on the ground. On the other side of the glass, Jidak was smiling as his plan succeeded. Clementine would now be completely in the Empire's power to use as they saw fit. He left the interrogation room and headed back up to his office, wanting to contact the Grand Admiral and tell him of their new operative. As he went up to his office, he stopped to consider an idea. If they could find more people like Clementine, perhaps they could be useful. Of course, if they willingly joined the ranks of the Empire, that would be best.

He knew for sure that he wouldn't conscript any of the "worthy" adventurers who might decline to join their ranks, like the members of the adventurer group "Blue Roses", for example. They had been getting rumors from E-Rantel that "Blue Roses" was doing work for the princess of Re-Estize Kingdom. Something that entailed dealing with a local criminal underground known as Eight Fingers. Those who were deemed "unworthy" and declined to join would be conscripted in the same way that Clementine had been.

They would be exposed to the "Red Death" and given dosages of the cure to keep them in line. It was a perfect plan and one that could ensure that the Empire would remain anonymous to the general populace, at least until they were ready to reveal themselves. And if the Empire grew tired of them? Well, there are always "unworthy" adventurers to conscript.

Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force, New World

"Whee!" Fero exclaimed as Meriel spun her around in the air.

"Having fun you two?" Zentha asked as she approached, Paeral Yellen following close behind.

"Yeah. It's been really boring, and Fero looked like she needed cheering up." Meriel explained as she held the young Elf girl close.

"Can't argue with you there. It's very slow going now, even with the Imperials' vehicles." Paeral put in as he tapped his foot on the roof of the HAVw A6.

"It can't be helped. The Theocracy caused all this destruction years ago when they drove us back to Crescent Lake and its surrounding cities. Even we would have trouble getting through here."

"Right, Lady Ianwenys, I know."

"Could be worse, kid. We could have been having more trouble with that damn Ash Hound. I'm still amazed that Ben guy managed to kill it."

"We can't ever forget how powerful this Empire is. I doubt they'd have any trouble razing our home to the ground."

"Of that, we are all certain. They managed to kill all of one of the Scriptures in a single battle, after all."

"Yes. Hey, I heard we might be stopping soon."

"Really? That's good. I'd like to get some hunting in."

"Didn't take you for a hunter, ma'am." a new voice cut in from behind the group.

They turned and spotted the source of the voice. It wasn't hard as the man's armor was distinctive. It was one of the Bandit Mine rescuers. He was joined by one of the rescued Clones, who smirked upon seeing Fero.

"Hey there, Fero. Haven't seen you for a while." the trooper said, chuckling.

"Brand!" Fero cried happily as she jumped out of Meriel's arms and ran over to the trooper.

The trooper looked similar to many of the Basilisk's men, except for one difference. His left arm was entirely light green. The other Elves were confused by this somewhat, as they believed the Clones could only come in two colors: white or red and black-ish grey. The trooper noticed them staring and saluted.

"Trooper CT-4351/82. My name is Brand, though. Used to be a member of the 110th Offensive Company. Then I got blown here from an exploding reactor aboard the Venator I served on. Lucky to be alive, actually. I was only a couple of halls away from the reactor."

"You realize they probably didn't understand a lot of what you said, right?" the Army scout said in a deadpan voice as he facepalmed.

"Oh, we understood perfectly." Zentha said in perfect Basic.

"Oh." the Army scout said in a small voice.

"Yeah, those lessons with the droid helped a lot." Meriel put in, to the Army Scout's embarrassment.

"Right, sorry. We came up here to tell you all that we're stopping for the day. Colonel Kavlin was feeling a little cooped up."

"Alright. If you two don't mind, we'll stay up here."

"Mind if I join you, then? Haven't seen Fero for a little while, and I wanted to catch up."

"Fine with us. What about you?"

"Hm. Eh, what the hell, why not?" the Army scout said as he sat down on the edge of the HAVw's roof.

The others then sat down, some pulling out snacks that they had stashed in their packs. Meriel offered the Army Scout some dried Ash Hound meat, to which he tentatively took.

"What's your name?" she asked as he took a bite of the meat.

"Mmph… Trent Byron." he replied, smiling at her.

Meriel smiled back as they began to chat. Zentha then sat down next to her friend and stared out at the setting sun. Fero and Paeral were busy chatting with Brand. Below them, an AT-ST with three scratches from the paw of an Ash Hound was patrolling on the outskirts of the expedition.

"I still can't believe I missed the whole thing." Crane said in an annoyed tone as he watched the radar.

"It isn't your fault you did. That damn thing nearly knocked me out, too." Ben replied as he flipped a control switch.

"Yeah, but I feel bad for leaving you alone to fight it. We're a team. Teammates don't let their fellow teammates down."

"I don't blame you for what happened. I know you would've done the same if I'd been knocked out and you were still conscious."

"Yeah…"

"Look, just move past it, huh?"

"Alright, I'll stop complaining about it."

"Good. I'm glad we got that settled."

"Sure."

"Think one of those Elven women would give me a chance?"

"Maybe. I can see one of them talking to an Army scout on top of the Juggernaut."

"If they'll talk to those guys, then I definitely have a shot." Crane laughed as the pair continued their patrol.

What none of them noticed, however, was the trio of beings high in the trees. They wore red robe-like garments and had pale skin. They were shrouded in a sickly green mist as they watched the people below them. One of them readied a wicked-looking bow and aimed at the Elf staring out at the sunset. She was about to release the arrow when her sister stayed her hand.

"No, Djezol." she said, giving the archeress a stern glance.

"But why not, sister? They are too close to our home!" the archeress replied with an exasperated tone.

"She has a valid point." the woman generating the mist stated.

"I do not believe they are looking for us."

"How can you tell, sister?"

"No, I think Anzosh is right."

"Thank you. Remember, our home is to the west, not the south. These people are clearly heading towards the Elf Kingdom."

"I still don't like how close they are to our home already."

"Wait, sisters, do you see that one person with the small Elf child? His armor looks familiar."

"Galred is right. It looks similar to the Savior's helm…"

"You are right, sisters. We cannot kill those who are related to the Savior."

"We must report back to Mother Vekre."

"Agreed."

"Yes, sister."

The trio disappeared from sight as the moon finally rose once more into the sky, the only trace of them ever being there was a symbol carved into the tree that held their weight as they watched the expedition. It looked like a Clone's helmet, but it was older than the Clones. This helmet was worn hundreds of years before the Clone Wars, during an age when there was both an Empire and a Republic. One was controlled by the Sith, the other protected by the Jedi. It was the helmet of a Republic Trooper. Underneath the helmet, there was a phrase written in an ancient language.

Translated, the message says this: "The Savior Protects Us."

Chapter IX: The Fall of Shalltear

Onboard Unknown Vessel, Far Edge of "New World" System

The "Switch" + 31 (31 Days Since the "Switch")

Aren Varick was busy tending to one of his fellow crew members' injuries as the console beside them burned and spat sparks. The man he was tending to was one of the few engineers left aboard their ship and would be a major loss to both morale and the repairs still underway all around the blasted thing. Varick was trying to staunch the flow of blood coming from the mangled hand that had been caused by the sparking mess of a console. The engineer had been trying to fix the damn thing before it blew up and knocked him into the opposite wall. He was unconscious, and would have only been discovered after the next shift came by to do more repair patches. He would be dead by that point and it was only extreme luck that Varick had found him.

He had just finished treating a Navy trooper when he discovered this engineer. The trooper had gotten her leg stuck in a malfunctioning blast door. She was lucky the door hadn't shut normally, which would have painfully amputated the leg. The door closed at a third of its normal speed, still fast enough that the trooper wouldn't have been able to save herself. This resulted in a compound fracture in her lower leg, as well as dislocating her hip. Varick couldn't do much for the hip, but he would be able to fix the leg. He immobilized the trooper's leg before calling for a medical team to take the woman to get treated. They took her back to the makeshift medical station that had been set up in the safest place aboard the ship: the hangar bay. They were lucky that the TIE-Fighter contingent that was meant to be placed aboard hadn't made it before the accident. They still had the TIE pilots as members of the crew, however.

It was a miracle alone that he hadn't shut down when he treated the first casualties of the accident that had sent them to this strange galaxy, as the injuries were getting worse all the time. It also didn't help that the entire bridge crew was killed in the accident, which meant that he alone was the sole high-ranking authority aboard. Knowing that he was woefully inexperienced in leading anyone, he let the NCOs take over on most matters. There were two areas where the NCOs actually allowed him to lead somewhat. These areas were in ship-wide decisions, like rationing, and anything relating to medicine. It only made sense since he was the Medical Officer before becoming de-facto Captain.

Once the leadership structure had been figured out, Aren sought out men who could fill out medical teams for emergencies like this man and the woman. The crews were a mixture of former doctors, medical students, and even veterinarians. It was a motley jumble. Their ship wasn't completely killing them all, however. Many of the functions of the ship had been restored. Hell, the bridge was back in only an hour. Aren didn't understand it at all. He didn't bother trying to figure it out, though, since there were a lot more pressing matters at the moment, I.E. the man bleeding out in front of him.

"Lieutenant Varick? This is Petty Officer Cano, can you hear me?" Cano called over the ship-wide intercom, to Aren's consternation.

"Yes, I can. I'm busy, what is it?" Aren grunted as he finally managed to stop the bleeding.

"There's been an update on our heading, sir. You better finish up what you're doing and get up here."

"Right. Send a medical team to the third maintenance corridor on sublevel 8, we've got an engineer whose hand's been damaged severely."

"Right away, Lieutenant."

Aren stood up and headed out the door as the medical team arrived.

Six minutes later...

Varick entered the bridge after getting up the stairway. The NCOs were gathered at Ensign Lybun's console, which showcased their trajectory based on the transmission they received four days ago. They turned to face him as he finally got close enough to see.

"Is that their ship?" Aren asked as he stood behind Lybun's chair.

"Aye, Lieutenant, that's the Basilisk." Lybun stated as she zoomed in on the ship's current position.

"What are those other ships in the background?"

"Acclamtors, I think." Chief Petty Officer Garash answered, stroking the grey stubble on his face.

Garash was one of the old breed. He had been a Petty Officer serving his home defense fleet that fought side by side with the Republic during the Clone Wars. He had helped support an invasion of a pro-Separatist world in his home system, one that used a prototypical variant of Assault Ships instead of the more common Acclamator-Class. The ships were known as "Unification-Class Assault Cruisers". In principle, they were an upscaled version of an Acclamator-Class, being bigger and able to offload more forces. They even had a separate hangar for smaller ships like LAATs. A number had made their way into the Imperial Military, however, but it was only five or six ships of that class. They were highly expensive for what they were, being the same price as any of the Imperial-class Star Destroyers.

"Acclamators, out here? Who do they belong to?" Engineering Petty Officer Morgana asked as Lybun tried her damndest to read the code signature.

"Says here that it's called the Radiant Perception. Pulling up data on it now."

"Where have I heard that name before?" Cano muttered as he scratched his head out of habit.

"Here we go. It's the flagship of one Inquisitor Sedyn Merrick, and one ship in a fleet of four that is home to his personal legion of Clones, the 95th Nexu. The other ships are The Bloodied Spirit, The Absolution, and the Blameless Conceit. They were all en route to Mandalore to quell an uprising when both the Bloodied Spirit and the Radiant Perception went missing in hyperspace the same…"

"'Same…' what, Ensign?" Sergeant Major Olvik of the Navy troopers asked with apprehension.

"The same day as our accident…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"You're sure, Lybun?"

"Aye, Lieutenant. Those two ships and ours left our own galaxy the same day. The Basilisk, though, that's been gone for… over six months?"

"That's impossible."

"I don't know what to tell you, sir."

"I can't believe this. Those are probably the only Imperial forces in the entire galaxy besides us right now."

"All the more reason for us to link up with them in a quick fashion, Morgana. How long until we reach their position?"

"I can't really say, Lieutenant. About a week, if we're lucky. If we're not, then about a month or two."

"Damn. Cano, do we have enough rations to last that long?"

"Yes, Lieutenant. Don't forget, we've still got enough food for at least six months."

"Right… I forgot. I guess we should be somewhat thankful, then. That's one of the few things that helps lessen the stress this blasted heap is causing us."

City of E-Rantel, New World

"It still amazes me how fast they got this city cleaned up." Major Werin Imore stated as he looked out the window of the hotel room.

"Yes. I preferred it when the sick were still there. I used to go into the back alley to 'help' some of them." Solution Epsilon said as she fixed the few creases in her dress.

"Now we can leave the city and continue onto Re-Estize." Sebas Tian stated as he stood patiently next to the door.

Werin had joined both Sebas and Solution just before the order to cease operations temporarily came in. He was to be playing the role of the suffering fiancé to Solution's bratty rich mistress from Baharuth. He was yelled at for being late to the hotel by Solution as a way to establish his cover, to which he hurriedly apologized to her and blamed the recent plague for his tardiness. The true reason as to why he joined the two was so the Basilisk could get practice in infiltrating the nations of the New World. If an Imperial agent could be placed into the capital city of the Re-Estize Kingdom, then the Basilisk could start building an intelligence network there before beginning to do more of them throughout the nations of the New World.

Werin was a member of the newly created Basilisk Intelligence Division. His original job aboard the Basilisk had been similar, in that he was gathering intelligence. He had been an interrogator in the brig, spending a good deal of time recently working on Di Clamp before the man was executed. His experience in the brig would not help him on the New World as he couldn't simply beat the information he needed out of the King of the Re-Estize Kingdom. At least not yet, but he imagined he might get the chance in the future.

"Are you almost ready, 'dear'?" He asked Solution sweetly, to keep up appearances to any eavesdroppers.

"Where is that gift you promised me?" she replied in an irritable tone.

"Sebas, if you would?"

"Of course, my lord." Sebas nodded as he went to the closet and retrieved the box that had been set in the closet. Sebas handed Werin the box, who promptly set it on the bed.

Werin then pulled out a small blaster pistol from the box. It was a new model created in the Basilisk's Armory. It had originally begun its life as a SE-14c, and now everything about it had been changed. The scope was completely removed while the barrel had been shortened and made more boxlike. The port for power packs was now placed inside the grip rather than underneath and just behind the barrel.

Unbeknownst to the trio in the room, the weapon in Werin's hands looked similar to an old Glock 17 from Earth. That is, it would if the slide of a Glock 17 had been extended backward by one inch and slimmed out to a trapezoid-like shape over the hand gripping the pistol. Besides that change, the barrel from the Glock 17 would stick out of the slide by three centimeters. The weapon's creator, Lieutenant Junior Grade Perinim, dubbed it the "SE-15a".

Werin then pulled out three Hush 98 comlinks. While an older model of comlink, they were much more easily hidden than the Imperial C1 Personal Comlink. He then handed two to Sebas and Solution after he instructed them on how to use them. Sebas pocketed the comlink as Solution hid hers inside herself. There was a slight concern that the comlink would be dissolved, but Solution reassured Werin that even though she was a Slime, she could choose what to dissolve and what to keep intact.

"Has our driver arrived yet?" Werin asked as he hid the SE-15a in a concealed hip holster.

"Yes. He's waiting for us out front." Solution said, smirking at the memory of watching him talking to the men in particular.

"Very good. We shouldn't keep him waiting, should we?"

"No, we shouldn't 'beloved'."

"Hmph."

Sebas opened the door for Werin and Solution after the Slime Pleiades dissolved the box the equipment came in. After the two left the room, he shut the door, marking their first step in leaving their first stop on the road to Re-Estize. They exited the inn and entered the carriage that was waiting for them in front of the building. As they entered, they were met by Shalltear Bloodfallen, who was sitting comfortably in between two of her Vampire Brides. She smiled as the trio of spies sat opposite her.

"I don't believe we've met, Mr…?" she asked, letting Werin introduce himself.

"Major Werin Imore of the Basilisk's Intelligence Division, at your service, ma'am." he replied with a nod. She nodded in turn as the carriage ran over a rock.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Major."

"Please forgive my impertinence, but I was under the impression that this mission was to be conducted solely by myself, Ms. Epsilon, and Mr. Tian?"

"It is, but there is a concurrent mission within yours. The reason as to why you've been making yourselves a target is so that we could acquire a magic or martial arts user that would be suitable for lord Ainz."

"That does explain some of our recent actions, though I do wish I'd had some sort of forewarning about this. I would've done more to help since its quite beneficial to both our causes."

"I'm glad you're taking it so calmly, Major."

"To be completely honest with you, m'lady, it's happened to me before. It's why I transferred to the correctional area aboard the Basilisk. I used to be a member of the Army before I switched career paths."

"'Correctional area'?"

"Ah, right. 'Correctional area' is another word for prison or brig in the Empire. I was an interrogator being reassigned to this."

"Really?"

"Yes, though I'm not the only member. I was the only one allotted to begin the process of setting up an outpost for the B.I.D."

"Let me guess: Basilisk Intelligence Division?"

"What gave it away?"

"How many are meant to join us once we make it to the capital?" Sebas asked, curious on how difficult the Imperials' size might make the mission.

"Including me, there will be sixteen. It's to make sure we can take out target buildings quickly."

"As long as they don't reveal us, I'm sure we will get along just fine." Solution cut in threateningly.

Werin was about to reply when the carriage stopped and something banged on the door. He pulled out the SE-15a and inserted a 20-shot power pack. He held the pistol close to his chest as Shalltear stood up.

"Knock-knock, girlie! Why don't you come and play with us? I promise we'll be real gentle!" a man called, as others began to laugh.

Shalltear opened the door to the carriage and the bandits that had surrounded the door began to laugh. Zach, on the other hand, looked confused. This wasn't the girl he had picked up outside the inn. He certainly would've remembered picking this one up, judging by her rack. A bandit stepped forward and began to speak.

"This ain't your lucky night, girlie. Don't fight us and we won't kill ya, alright? You've got a helluva pair for a kid!" he said as he reached a hand forward to grope her.

He stopped as he felt a stabbing pain in his wrist. His face contorted into a look of confusion, then fear as his hand fell to the ground. He brought it back to himself as Shalltear stepped down from the carriage. The man began to scream as his stump shot blood into the sky. Shalltear glanced around and began to smile evilly as the blood collected into a sphere above her head.

"As if I would let your filthy hands ever touch me." she said as her Brides leaped from the carriage interior and behind the men.

"Oh gods, what the fuck ha-!" the bandit was cut off as he was decapitated.

"Shit, a fucking magic caster!" One bandit cried as looked up and saw the blood collecting above them, drawing his sword.

"W-where the hell did these bitches come from?!" another cried as he came face to face with a Bride when he tried to run.

Zach stood back as he watched the men get slaughtered by the girl and her friends. He turned to run and saw the girl he had picked up. She lowered the top of her dress and all thoughts about the others disappeared from his mind. He reached both hands out to cop a feel, and promptly sank into her. He screamed as the rest of him quickly followed suit. Solution laughed the whole time, loving the way Zach's screams made her vibrate ever so slightly as he was slowly digested.

Werin stood on the carriage steps and waited for any stragglers. A man tried to run back into the forest, and Werin took aim. He let the poor bastard think he would get away for a few more seconds. He slowly raised the pistol and lined it up on the man's back. He squeezed the trigger and felt the blaster jolt. The blast from the pistol pushed the man forward a couple more feet. He then fell face-down, smoke billowing out of his back. Werin surveyed the carnage caused in only a few minutes.

"This was a stupendous waste of our time." Shalltear remarked in a bored tone as one of her Brides came forward with a still-living man.

"My lady, we have learned where these men house themselves. We have also learned that there is someone among them who has martial arts skills. He goes by the name of Brain, and by the words of this man, has apparently fought on equal terms with the Royal Head Warrior of this kingdom." the Bride said as she lifted the man up.

"Is this true?" Shalltear asked the man, who nodded.

"Does he mean that this 'Brain' has fought Gazef Stronoff? I've heard tales of Gazef's exploits while we were stuck in that inn." Werin put in as he walked over to the trio.

"Have you? What do they say about him?"

"That he is one of the strongest warriors in Re-Estize. This 'Brain' must be powerful indeed if he can hold his own against him."

"Then this might not be a waste after all. What should we do with this man, then?"

"Allow me." Werin said as he quickly aimed his pistol and shot the man through the side of the head.

The Bride dropped the man as Shalltear curtseyed to Werin. He nodded in turn as he returned his pistol to his holster. Solution walked over to them alongside the other Vampire Bride.

"I'm afraid that we must part ways, lady Shalltear," Sebas said, turning to her, "as we have our own mission to attend to."

"Of course. My Brides and I will be heading towards the martial arts user." she replied as Werin helped Solution into the carriage.

Before he completely went inside, Werin took a sword from one of the dead bandits. He explained that it was "for emergencies" when he couldn't use the blaster. This would mean he would need training in using the weapon, but that would come later. Sebas climbed into the driver's seat, taking the reins for the horses. He nodded to Shalltear, and the trio of spies was off.

"May we meet again in Nazarick." she called to the retreating carriage.

The Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

The "Switch" + 32 (32 Days Since the "Switch")

The blades clashed against each other once more. BalancedFear attempted to counter the incoming blade, but was swiftly knocked down. He attacked after the counter, only for his blade to disappear off into a nearby corner. He felt the blade of his opponent's sword and knew the fight was over. He had lost.

"I see my lessons in fencing haven't been wasted on you. You've improved since the last time we fought." EmpireForLife remarked as he removed the blunted tip of the rapier that had been in BalancedFear's practice vest.

"Well, you're a good teacher." BalancedFear replied as EmpireForLife helped him to his feet.

"I wouldn't be if I had allowed you to use the Force during our practice sessions. You would've taken me down several times before now."

"Most likely, however, I'm sure you know we Mandalorians stick to our word."

"I know. I've dealt with you Mandalorians before."

"Of course you have."

The two laughed as the audience gathered in the amphitheater's stands applauded the match. The Pleiades, Aura, Mara, and Cocytus had come to watch the match. Originally it was just Aura and Mare. Yuri Alpha and Lupusreigna then took an interest, and so on and so forth. The two Players bowed to their audience as two Imps arrived. One Imp flew over to the stands while the other went down to BalancedFear and EmpireForLife.

"Lord Ainz requests your presence immediately. It's very urgent." it said and then flew towards the opposite gate before either Player could ask what was so urgent.

The two removed their practice equipment just as they were forcefully teleported to the Throne Room. They appeared next to Ryuzaki, who was in a nightgown. Momonga was already seated at his throne and looking at what looked like an in-game console. Momonga had explained that the in-game console they were seeing was not truly an in-game console, but a spell he had created called "Master Source". The spell replicated the console's more basic functions. At the moment, it was showing the NPC names, with one in red. Neither EmpireForLife nor BalancedFear could read it, however, as it was in Japanese. It was a weird discrepancy since the NPCs could all speak fluent English without a hint of an accent.

"Grand Admiral, Inquisitor, lady Shioko, I'm afraid that I must inform all of you that Shalltear Bloodfallen has betrayed us." Albedo stated as Momonga held up a hand.

"I still do not believe she has." Momonga put in, thinking aloud.

"After we lost contact last night, I checked the Master Source and discovered this, my lord. It's extremely likely that she has betrayed us, as both of the Vampire Brides that accompanied her have both died."

"What about mind-control magic? She's obviously not dead. Her name would have disappeared if that were the case." Ryuzaki questioned, getting their attention.

"She's undead, so that cannot be. Lord Gown has explicitly stated that all undead are immune to mind-control." BalancedFear replied in a somewhat doubtful tone, shaking his head.

"Then perhaps it has something to do with the New World?" EmpireForLife said and causing everyone to look back at him.

"That is an interesting point. Perhaps a martial art of this world caused her to become our enemy?"

"It makes sense. We still don't know everything about this place."

"But we still don't know how it happened."

"The cause doesn't change the fact that she betrayed us. We should send a hunting party to deal with her, my lord. I will lead them, with Cocytus and Mare acting as my vice-commanders." Albedo stated with finality, already moving to begin putting the party together.

"No, Albedo. That might be too rash of an action at this point in time. We must confirm that she has indeed rebelled against us of her volition first. If she has not, then we must make all possible efforts to rescue her and find out who has caused this. If she betrayed us due to our treatment of her or she is upset about something I possibly did, I would understand."

"Upset?! After all that you have done for us? If she truly feels that way, I will not allow her to live!"

"Calm yourself, Albedo. Remember, my fellow Supreme Beings created all of you. That includes both the good and bad qualities of each of you. You were all made the exact way we wanted, and I love all of you for it. So if Sh-"

"So you love me?!"

"A-Albedo?"

"Loves me. Loves me. He loves me!"

"You were listening to me, weren't you?"

"And off to her own fantasy, she goes." EmpireForLife whispered as Ryuzaki and BalancedFear attempted to hold in their laughter.

Albedo then went off on her own tangent while Momonga tried and failed to snap her out of her stupor. By the time she had stopped long enough to listen, Momonga had already located Shalltear. She was just outside of E-Rantel. He was about to begin speaking again when he received a call from Narberal.

"What is it, Narberal? I told you I was not to be disturbed!" his status effect of being an Undead kicked in, calming him down, "Forget it, what do you need?"

After Narberal explained that the guild had sent him a request to meet about a Vampire terrorizing the area outside of E-Rantel, he was off. EmpireForLife and BalancedFear took off soon after. They headed back to their rooms to prepare their forces.

The Grand Admiral's Quarters, Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

"Basilisk, this is Grand Admiral Taver Slazin, come in." I stated as the holoprojector turned on.

"This is Lieutenant Sarkley, Grand Admiral. Do you need something?" Sarkley said as his face appeared on the table.

"We have a situation. Shalltear Bloodfallen is being mind-controlled and is to be considered hostile at this time. I need a squadron of Clone Snipers sent down to the coordinates I will be sending to you as soon as we're done speaking. Also, have all weapons trained on her position. I will not take any chances that lord Gown will be unable to contain her. Once that is accomplished, put the ship, the expeditionary force, and our outposts at full alert. Then I want a doubling of the guard at the outpost until this situation is resolved."

"Will that be all?"

"For n- wait. We were monitoring the planet last night, correct?"

"Yes, but why is that important, sir?"

"Bring up every recording from the past 24 hours. We may see what caused this blasted mess."

"Right away, Grand Admiral."

"That is all for now. Send the data to me once it has been retrieved." I finished and shut off the holoprojector.

I sighed as I went to sit down on my bed. With any luck, this entire mess would be sorted out in a short amount of time. My datapad pinged once the data from the past 24 hours had been sent over to me. I scrolled through the videos until one caught my eye.

From the recording, I could see a group of people were in the forest facing down a hideous-looking monster, one that I knew distinctly. It was Shalltear in her Vampire form. She was going berserk as she charged the group. A man with a spear attempted to strike her, only for her to block it with a spear of her own. She knocked him out of the way and was still charging at an older woman and a big man with a shield. A spell was cast just as Shalltear attacked the two with an energy attack. She stopped moving soon afterward. It was the same spot that Momonga had seen earlier in the Throne Room. The recording then showed the armored spearman looking up as if he heard a noise. He pointed at the camera, which was attached to all of the Viper droids that had been sent down for keeping an eye on the New World. He tossed his spear as the droid started firing at them. Two of the group went down, and the droid hurriedly escaped before they could bring it down. I zoomed in on the group and cursed as I recognized them. From Clementine's description of the Black Scripture, it was impossible to mistake their Captain.

The Slane Theocracy had attacked and tried to control Shalltear, but they were only partially successful, it seemed. She would have gone with them when they left if she were fully mind-controlled. Then again, the spell could have worked completely, and she was simply left there without orders due to the fact that the one who cast the spell was too injured.

It didn't really matter, as in the end, it would only lead to one outcome: the complete, total, and utter destruction of the Slane Theocracy.

Holding Cell, Imperial Outpost, Carne Village, New World

"Wake up, Clementine." Jidak's voice cut in, waking Clementine from her slumber.

She grumbled and got off the cot that had been provided for her. They had given her a slightly larger dose of the temporary cure to the disease so that she could get back into shape to kill. She was then provided a bed, food, and water. She was getting bored, however, and thought about attempting an escape.

"Yes, master?" she groused as she put on her armor.

"You have a mission to complete. We need you to eliminate a target."

"Who is it?"

"You are to eliminate one of the six Miko Princesses of the Slane Theocracy. They need to focus on their own lands for a little while rather than snooping around our territory."

"Are you crazy? I'm wanted all over the Theocracy!"

"You will either do as you're told or die horribly to the 'Red Death', which would you prefer?"

"Alright. How will this work?"

"We'll be dropping you at their location next evening. She and her escort will not arrive until the day after next, so you should have ample time to familiarize yourself with the location. Once you've dispatched her, use the flare that you will be provided to signal for extraction. If you complete the mission, I will see about getting you better quarters."

"Consider it done, master."

Forest Outside of E-Rantel, New World

"All units, check-in." Second Lieutenant CC-1457/8801 ordered via his helmet comm.

"Viper reporting, sir." one member said from his position on the ground.

"Sneak here, sir." another said from within the trees.

"Forty-Four over here, sir." the final member said as he walked out of the foliage on the left.

"Form up on me, troopers."

The three other Clones appeared in a sem-circle around him as he pulled out a Commando Recon Probe droid, given to all Imperial Sniper units while serving aboard the Basilisk. He tossed the droid up into the air to survey their surroundings. The droid searched for a black armored knight, a woman in a brown cloak with plainclothes underneath, and a large rodent the pair had found while going back to E-Rantel on their first mission as adventurers. Once found, the troopers watched them as they were being accompanied by another larger group of adventurers.

The other adventurers presented a problem for the Clones, as they would need to be dealt with if secrecy was to be maintained. It wouldn't be too difficult to deal with them, however, as the four Clones had fought tougher during the Clone Wars. The armor they wore was Clone Scout Trooper armor rather than the normal Phase II, as the Scout Armor was better for snipers to operate in for this kind of environment. There was also the fact that their armor had been painted to blend in with the environment. The group of adventurers was due west of them, so the troopers set up an ambush for them.

One hour later...

The adventurers drew their swords after being surprised by both Mare and Albedo and readied themselves to attack, only to be torn apart in a crossfire as their leader was knocked unconscious and tied to a tree by lord Gown. The man was livid when he awoke.

"You fucking bastard! I'll kill you for this! You and your band of freaks!" he cried before he felt CC-1457/8801 put a DC-17 to his head.

"Be quiet." he said as pressed the barrel harder into the man's head.

"Wait, wait let's talk abou-" the man couldn't finish as the blaster fired, blowing his brain out. The Clone then turned and saluted lord Gown alongside his brothers.

"Second Lieutenant CC-1457/8801 at your service, lord Gown. If you prefer to use my name, it's 'Explorer'."

"Thank you, Explorer. I take it that the Grand Admiral sent you to help with Shalltear?" lord Gown asked as he transformed back to his original robed skeleton form.

Explorer nodded and explained their mission. After a moment, lord Gown sighed but said that he understood. He then ordered Mare and Narberal to take the bodies back to Nazarick with the large rodent. Apparently, its name was "Hamusuke". It tried to make an excuse not to go to Nazarick but was ignored by all.

The troopers followed Ainz Ooal Gown and Albedo to within twenty meters of Shalltears position. They then split off and took up positions on the surrounding cliffs. Explorer watched through his scope as Albedo and lord Gown approached the still Shalltear. In only a few minutes, the pair teleported elsewhere in a panic, leaving the four snipers on the cliffs. Taking this as a cue that they could not regain control of Shalltear, the four troopers lined up their shots on her head and were about to fire when the Grand Admiral cut in.

"Do not open fire on Shalltear!"

"Missed your last, sir. Please repeat, over?" Explorer asked as he placed a hand to the side of his helmet.

"At the moment she is, as explained to me by lord Gown, in a sort of Standby mode."

"What, like a damn clanker?"

"Correct. For now, hold your positions until lord Gown returns. Is that understood?"

"Wilco, sir. Out."

"Damn it all, I was hoping we could get some action." Forty-Four griped in an annoyed tone.

"I'd rather not face that freak. You saw the report that B.I.D. Major made on his way to the capital, right?" Viper said in an exasperated tone, referring to the slaughter of the bandits last night.

"Cut the chatter you two, and start getting comfy. I've got a feeling this is gonna be one of those ops."

Momonga's Office, Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

Demiurge walked in and sat down beside Albedo as she finished explaining Momonga's plan to Cocytus, me, BalancedFear, and Ryuzaki. I could tell that he was displeased about something, and I wagered it was because Momonga didn't have any real backup from Nazarick. He cleared his throat as he turned to face Albedo.

"Care to explain what exactly is going on?" he asked as she pulled up a Mirror of Remote Viewing.

In the Mirror, Momonga was casting spell after spell on himself to prepare for the coming fight with Shalltear. My snipers were still in position, though they had been given explicit orders to only intervene if Momonga seemed to be in very serious trouble. The Basilisk still had every weapon that could shoot at ground-based targets pointed at Shalltear as well.

"You already have the answer to that." she replied calmly, a small smile on her face.

"I was meaning the fact you let him go unsupported!"

"It was our master's orders. I simply obeyed, as I hope you will do as well."

"Why didn't you protest?! We could have sent some lower-level creatures ahead of him in case this is a trap! If all of us fought together, we would be unstoppable! I can't even begin to fathom the kind of madness that went into his decision, but it was damn obvious that lord Ainz was testing us, and don't you even act like you didn't notice it!"

"It is as you say."

"THEN WHY DID YOU ALLOW HIM TO GO UNSUPPORTED?!"

"If I may, Mr. Demiurge?" I interjected before a fight would break out between him and Albedo.

He turned toward me, angry at Albedo's actions, and barked for my reason to interrupt. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my communicator, putting it to my mouth. I asked a simple question to the man on the other end.

"Are the guns still on target?"

"Yes, sir. They haven't deviated from the target at all in the past twenty-four hours." the Gunnery Officer replied.

I shut off the communicator and began to explain to Demiurge, whose face turned from one of barely restrained fury to an angered curiosity.

"That was the Gunnery Officer aboard the Basilisk. Do you know what exactly I was talking about when I asked him that question? No? It's quite simple really. All gun batteries aboard the Basilisk that can attack the planet are currently aimed at Shalltear's position. Lord Gown isn't 'unsupported', he has quite sufficient support from both my ship and the four snipers I've had placed around Shalltear's position. The snipers' weapons are currently aimed at her head, and should the need arise, they can blow it off with a simple pull of the trigger. With this kind of support, I doubt she would get very far in hurting lord Gown. There is also the assumption that he can survive a direct hit from about five thousand turrets firing down on him all at once. If he does perish in the battle, however, I will give you complete control of both the Basilisk and her crew. I hope that will somewhat ease your concerns."

"Dude, are you crazy?!" BalancedFear shouted through the Player-Player communications.

"Please tell me you're not serious." Ryuzaki put in through her own version of the 'Message' spell.

"Relax. I've already got a contingency in place should Momonga die. Once Demiurge and most of the Nazarick Guardians are aboard the Basilisk, and the entire crew evacuated from the ship down to the planet, I will destroy both it and myself along with the Guardians. You two will then be de-facto leaders of the Imperials who survive. Once the leadership is figured out, you two will destroy Nazarick and attempt to continue taking over this world. I doubt you would have too much trouble with it. We are the most superior when it comes to tactics, weaponry, and armor on this world."

"You're joking, right?"

"Do we look like we're leaders?"

"You led a hive, Ryuzaki, and lest we forget, BalancedFear, you have led your own Clone Legion. It will be fine. For now, though, let's hope that outcome doesn't come to pass."

We sat in silence as we waited for Momonga to begin the battle.

Unknown Village, I.E.E.F. Route, New World

"Piotr? Piotr, where are you?" Yusnal Zuma called for her six-year-old son.

She was a widowed farmer and mother of four, three girls and a boy. Their father had died due to the disease that had traveled from E-Rantel, near Carne Village, where her sister and brother-in-law were chiefs. Piotr was a curious little boy, and liked to play in the woods around their farm. He went out further into the woods from where he last played every single day. She hated it when he did this. It caused her to worry about what might happen while he was in the forest. She continued to call him, walking into the forest herself and leaving her eldest daughter to watch the farm.

As she entered the forest, a chill began creeping down her back. Her own parents told her stories about this place. Most of the stories revolved around its name: the Rotten Grove. It was plagued by the souls of the damned, who lusted for battle long after they fell. She still believed in those old stories even as an adult. At night, when the wind carried in just the right way, she thought she could hear screams coming from within the forest.

She continued on her path until she finally found Piotr, who was busy splashing around in a small pond. She sighed as she finally got his attention and lead him back to their home. They didn't know how lucky they were that day. Only a few yards away, under a hillside, was a cave. Inside that cave, the remains of a ship from the long ancient Old Republic lay still. The ship itself was mostly sealed due to the environment it found itself in. There was, however, a large opening from where it had broken in half when it crashed a millennia ago.

A man stumbled out of the wreckage. He staggered over to the remains of a deer that had fallen into the cave by accident. The man then collapsed and crawled to the deer, beginning to feast on it once more. The fall wasn't what killed the deer all those days ago. It had been this man, or rather, his corpse. The man himself, an Ensign in the Republican Navy, had died a millennia ago when a horrible virus had been unleashed by the captive Sith Lord aboard their ship. It had infected and killed everyone in a matter of days. Most of the casualties occurred when the ship crashed, however, as the dead started coming back.

The man himself had died when he'd been shot by one of the corpses, his blood mixing with that of another corpse. The corpse whose blood the man had been lying in had reanimated and was then swiftly cut down by a Republic Trooper who himself was later swarmed by a group of them. The man heard something in his head as he died. It was a strangely distorted voice. It repeated itself over and over again as his corpse rose back up.

"KiLl aNd EaT... kIlL AnD eAt... KiLl aNd EaT..."

Chapter X: The End of the Beginning

Great Tomb of Nazarick, New World

The "Switch" + 32 (32 Days Since the "Switch")

We all saw Momonga strike at Shalltear as we watched the Mirror of Remote Viewing. A massive pillar of blue energy rained down on Shalltear's position, leaving only a crater once the pillar dissipated. Momonga stared into the crater as a lone figure clad in blood-red armor became visible. I thought she started laughing, but there was no sound from the Mirror. She started speaking as a crazed expression plastered itself to her face. Her expression changed after something Momonga most likely said since no one could actually tell if he was speaking due to the fact that he neither has lips nor his jaw moves.

"She looks… confused, almost. Why would that be?" Ryuzaki asked as she leaned in towards the mirror.

"I believe she is confused by her current state of mind. Remember, even if she is mind-controlled, her devotion to her creators is still there." BalancedFear replied, Albedo nodding in agreement.

"Hm."

The crazed expression returned as she charged at Momonga, unaware of the magical mines he had laid just before the battle. She was knocked backward as Momonga cast another spell. The blackish-purple sphere hurtled towards a hastily erected wall made entirely of stone that Shalltear created in the last second. As soon as the wall broke, large skeletal ribs shot out of the ground in an attempt to trap the Vampire.

"She's studying lord Ainz's mana, I believe." Cocytus stated as Shalltear's eyes glowed.

A green aura surrounded the Vampire as Momonga threw another black sphere at her. She disappeared just before the spell hit and nearly appeared right next to Momonga. She was stopped by some unknown force as she reappeared. More explosions occurred as she disappeared again. She reappeared on the ground, blood leaking from a corner of her mouth after Momonga sent a barrage of magical spikes to where he believed she went. I was distracted from the viewing when my holoprojector started pinging.

"Yes?" I asked as the lead Clone sniper shimmered into view.

"Sir, we need to reposition ourselves. That last explosive attack nearly got Sneak just now, and I'm not willing to risk my men more than necessary."

"Of course. I doubt you'll be able to do much now, anyway. Pull back from the cliffs for now and regroup with the Dark Elf twins. That should give you a better position to open fire on Shalltear."

"Right away, sir." the Clone replied as his image disappeared.

"It is good that your men are falling back. Shalltear's weapon, the Pipette Lance, regenerates health with every hit it makes on an enemy opponent." Cocytus remarked as hundreds of bone shards went flying at Shalltear.

She disappeared and reappeared back in the sky as Momonga threw another black sphere. The sphere was then counteracted by a magical shield, which seemed to leave Momonga stunned at its appearance.

Five minutes later...

The holoprojector pinged again.

"We've met up with the twins, sir, and we also have a shot on the Vampire's head. Should we take it?" Explorer asked, as his men started getting their rifles set up.

"Wait one." I replied as I muted the holoprojector.

"What are you doing?! Have them shoot her!" Demiurge exclaimed angrily, wanting to get Momonga out of the battle he was in as quickly as possible.

"I concur with Demiurge. We need to end this fight before lord Ainz is hurt." Cocytus stated, agreeing with Demiurge.

"Lord Ainz stated that this was his fight and his fight alone. We are not to interfere." Albedo said calmly, BalancedFear nodding in agreement with her words.

"Once a duel is started, none may interfere." he explained, bringing up an ancient Mandalorian point of view.

Neither Ryuzaki nor I had spoken, and I found myself agreeing with Albedo and BalancedFear. Ryuzaki also seemed to agree with Cocytus and Demiurge judging by the look on her face alone. I was now the tie-breaker as everyone turned to face me. I then remembered Cocytus's comment on Shalltear's weapon and how it healed the user if it hit an enemy. Looking at this situation logically, it would be stupid to have them attack now when they could be found and killed, thus giving Shalltear more health to attack Momonga.

"I can't have them take the shot because of Shalltear's weapon. She'll be healed once she kills them, given your description of it, Cocytus." I finally said before unmuting the holoprojector and telling the troopers to watch alongside the two elves.

Demiurge shrunk once he realized that particular point. If Shalltear killed the humans, then she'd have a better chance against lord Ainz in the long run. Cocytus and Ryuzaki figured this out themselves once they gave it some thought.

"Forgive me, Grand Admiral. I let my emotions get the better of me." Demiurge said in a much calmer tone than earlier.

"No apology is necessary. I imagine I would act the same way in your position."

We then saw Shalltear summon a spell that resembled a lance made of pure light. Another short exchange of words occurred before Momonga took to hits from the lance. He sent a magical version of a slash attack at her, the attack connecting. Her shock from the blow turned to a slight grin as the blood flowing from the wound went back inside of her. She had then gloated until Momonga summoned the same magical attack again. They exchanged the same previous spells and were both hit, Shalltear beginning to mock Momonga. She then set him ablaze as he struck her with lightning. They continued this back and forth until the two stopped to catch their breath.

Within minutes, however, the fight began again as Shalltear stabbed Momonga. He quickly teleported backward and summoned a literal wall made of skeletons. Shalltear destroyed the wall, only to be met with magical projectiles. Another brief skirmish in the air occurred as the two finally came to the middle of the crater that had once been where Shalltear stood. Then, the moment we all had been patiently waiting for had come to pass. She had finally summoned her household and a clone of herself. In one fell swoop, Momonga killed her household, the magical clone, and Shalltear herself. She only stayed dead for a minute, but it was just enough time for my part in his plan to be enacted.

"Do it, Grand Admiral!" Momonga cried through the holoprojector once he arrived at the elves and troopers' location.

In an instant, the Basilisk's ground-facing batteries opened up on Shalltear. The Mirror had glitched from the number of turbo-lasers hitting the position over and over again as Shalltear's agonized screams somehow came through the Mirror.

Ten minutes later...

The barrage was finished and everyone besides myself and Albedo was shocked into silence for the next few minutes at the display.

"You and lord Gown planned that from the start, didn't you?" BalancedFear asked as he finally found his words, being the first to do so.

"But of course. Once lord Gown made Shalltear use the ability Einherjar and also summon her household it was a simple matter of using his skill, The Goal of all Life is Death, and the spell, Cry of the Banshee, to make her use the resurrection item that lord Peroroncino had given her. Once that was accomplished… well… you saw the end result."

"How will we explain away the glass that is left?" Demiurge asked as he gazed at the glassy area where the sand, which had come from Momonga's skill, had been.

"It's quite simple. We shatter it and use spells to pick up the pieces."

"What about anyone who saw the blast?" Ryuzaki asked pensively, worried about what I might do to any witnesses.

"Come now, my dear, do you honestly believe that anyone would think that display of firepower came from a ship in space, let alone an Imperial Executor-Class Star Dreadnought?"

"The people of this New World of ours are too mindless to even think of that." Cocytus put in as he began to stand up and head toward the portal site, where Momonga would appear with Aura, Mare, the Clones, and Shalltear.

Seventy Kilometers Southwest of the Captured Secret Slane Theocracy Outpost (Imperial Outpost Two), New World

"How far away is this damn thing, anyway?" Explosive complained as he watched the rear.

"Only a few more meters, vod." Hacker stated, looking at his HUD's minimap, Explosive groaning at the answer.

"Want me to carry you the rest of the way?" Stalker asked jokingly as Artery held up a closed fist.

The other two commandos halted, Explosive stopping once he hit Stalker's back and turning to face the front. They fanned out around the area in front of them with the object of their attention in the center of their small encirclement. The object in question was a damaged ship that none of them had ever seen before. It looked similar to a Sentinel-Class Landing Craft, but had aspects of a Lambda-Class Shuttle as well. The wings that would have been at the back of the Sentinel-Class had been moved to the sides instead of the rear of the craft. They still faced the same direction as they did on a Sentinel-Class instead of a Lambda-Class, though. The cockpit had been moved to just underneath the top wing which made it look more like a Lambda-Class. The ship's size was more akin to the Sentinel-Class

"Think there's anyone inside?" Explosive asked as he lowered his DC-17m slightly. Artery was about to answer when something else did.

"Identify yourselves! Do it or we'll blast all of you!" a Clone's voice called out from the ship.

The commandos quickly called out their numbers as the owner of the voice stepped out into the sunlight. He was also a Clone Commando, but he wasn't armed with the standard DC-17m. He was instead armed with a Westar-M5 rifle with an under-barrel grenade launcher. He re-slung his weapon once the commandos had answered him and motioned to the ship. Other commandos came out, all but one armed with Westars. The final commando was armed with a Verpine Shatter rifle and a collapsible Force-Pike.

The commandos from the ship all had the same paint scheme. A black line going down the left side of the helmet, black shoulders, and a red-painted left arm that ended at the elbow area of their armor. They also had holsters for DC-15S carbines, the said weapons already inside the holsters. The leader, the commando who called out to them, had a range-finder, a grenade on his belt, and two holsters while the others only had one holster. The slicer of the group had three slicing tools in place of the grenade while the medic had medical supplies all across his belt. The demolition expert had the small grenade rounds that the Westar-M5 grenade launcher used on his belt as well as a large knife holster attached to his right shoulder.

"Sorry about that, vode," the lead commando said as he held a hand out, "we've been out here for a while and most of the life around here is pretty hostile. I'm Nexu."

"Artery." Artery replied as he shook Nexu's hand.

"This is Verpine, Rhinnal, and Det." Nexu stated, pointing to his brothers behind him.

"That's Explosive on the far end, Hacker next to me and Stalker on my right. When did you all get here?"

"About a couple of months ago, maybe? We were exfilling from a mission when we got hit just as we entered Hyperspace. Most of the crew died either in the crash or getting eaten by the local flora and fauna."

"I'm sorry to say that we're in a similar position. The ship we were stationed on somehow got here a month ago. We aren't the only ones with that problem, though. Two Acclamator-Classes also got here in a pretty similar way you did. There are rumors about another ship, too, but-"

"Wait, you're from a ship?"

"Yeah, the I.S.S.D. Basilisk."

"Do you think we can get our own ship outta here, then?"

"Sure, why?"

"We've got someone aboard who might want to meet with your ship's captain."

"It'd probably be better if they met the Grand Admiral first."

"Grand Admiral? That's actually better."

"Why?"

Nexu was silent as three more beings came into the sunlight. The first thing that Squad 83 noticed were the two massive droids. They were a model of BX Droids, only seen a few times during the Clone Wars: BX5-Siege Droids. The basic principle behind the droids was the firepower of a squad of B2 SBDs in one droid. They were armed with both rocket launcher and rotary blaster cannon on shoulder-mounts, a left flamethrower arm and another rotary blaster on the right arm, and finally a pair of normal arms near the mid-section of the droid that reached to the droid's knee joints.

They were stunned silent, however, when they laid their eyes on the being in the middle. The being, or rather the man, was wearing a black robe underneath a black Royal Guard helmet with a bright red visor. He was holding a pike with the blade missing, as it was deactivated at the moment. He silently stared as the commandos regained their composure. There, standing before them, was a member of the Emperor's Shadow Guard.

The commandos saluted quickly as to not anger the Guard. Once the Guard had nodded, the commandos motioned for them all to follow them, but not before marking the damaged ship's location for the Basilisk.

"Odd," the Shadow Guard thought, "that I never sensed the Grand Admiral's presence before now. I could sense everyone else's, especially that group of witches and… whatever else that was earlier. It doesn't matter though. If the Emperor himself believed the man was worthy enough to become a Grand Admiral, then it is by his will that I serve as the Admiral's enforcer."

After they had returned to the Imperial Outpost, the new group awaited pickup as Squad 83 was retasked to work toward the takeover of an organization that had E-Restize's criminal underbelly underneath its thumb. They would be under the direct command of Sedyn Merrick once the Shalltear business was dealt with and normal operations could resume. They asked their handler about the name of the organization.

The man had simply called them "Eight Fingers".

Deserted Village, Slane Theocracy, New World

The "Switch" + 34 (34 Days Since the "Switch")

Clementine watched as the carriage carrying her target came into view from the rooftop. She was thankful that she managed to get here a day previous as it allowed her to indulge herself while she waited. She had tortured and killed the inhabitants of the village, allowing her to work through some personal issues with her current working arrangements. It also had the added benefit of keeping wherever she'd gone after the assassination was accomplished secret.

Once she had dealt with the people of the village, she set up a lookout post in a building opposite the inn. She knew from experience that the Mikos liked to be close to the populace. Wanted the people to believe that the Theocracy actually cared for its people or some other sappy bullshit. Clementine never cared when she was a member of the Black Scripture, and she certainly didn't care now. She had also set traps in and around the inn since she knew she couldn't take down a Miko with her skills alone. Poison and explosives would damage the girl enough for Clementine to get a fatal strike.

Clementine's plan was to kill the Miko priestess, her escort, and burn the village down to destroy any traces of her masters' involvement. The traps did come from them, after all. The Miko's death would be investigated within a month, at the latest, and would then force the Theocracy to focus itself on internal issues. This would then let her Imperial masters go about their business. Hopefully, the Slane Theocracy would be dealt with in short order soon afterward. She'd like to pay her family a visit for ratting her out when she tried to hide at their home. She didn't think the Imperials would mind if her family went missing.

The carriage stopped just in front of the inn, and the Miko stepped down. Clementine recognized her as the Miko Princess of Earth. She was the weakest out of all the Mikos since she was so young which in turn meant that Clementine wouldn't need to exert herself too much once the traps went off. The little girl went inside and met with Clementine's resurrected Innkeeper. Her time studying Necromancy wasn't wasted since those she resurrected were her slaves until she was finished with them. Once she was done with them, the bodies would turn to dust. The girl went upstairs after purchasing the best room in the inn as Clementine snuck down to the carriage and the guards surrounding it.

She killed the guard near the back and rolled him underneath the carriage as she moved on to the next guard. He spotted her too late, his throat slashed before he could call out for help. He quickly bled to death as another guard went to piss. As soon as he was out of the final guard's sight, she threw one of her stilettos into the back of his throat. He tried to cry out as he fell face forward and the stiletto was pushed out from his impact with the ground. The final guard was alive long enough to see the traps go off, fire bursting out of the upstairs windows. He was about to rush in when Clementine's Morning Star buried itself deep into the flesh of his face. His head touched his shoulder blades from the impact, killing him instantly.

The Miko fell down the stairs, disorientated from the traps. Her appearance had changed significantly since she had gone inside the inn. Her eyes had become red and puffy as her stomach emptied its contents on the ground outside the inn, and her clothes were singed from the explosives. She was kicked over by Clementine, making the little girl spit up blood from her now broken nose. Blood and bile stained her robes as she shakily stood up.

"Clementine!" the girl angrily cried, shocked at Clementine's appearance.

"I'm surprised you know my name, you little bitch." Clementine mocked as she twirled her Morning Star around.

"Of course I know of you! You are the traitorous harlot of a sister to Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia, the 5th Seat of the Black Scripture!"

"So big brother is still the 5th Seat? That's disappointing, I was hoping he would be kicked out of the Scripture for what I did."

"His actions speak for his loyalty."

"A shame. I do hope he will have an interesting time when he meets my masters' forces."

"What?"

"Nothing you will need to concern yourself with much longer, brat!" Clementine yelled as she dashed at the Miko.

The Miko used her power to begin attacking Clementine but to no avail. Her powers were not advanced enough to handle Clementine's speed. Clementine was easily dodging the large boulders that were coming her way and stabbed the girl. It wasn't a fatal stab, as she wanted to toy with her prey. She then took her Morning Star out and began smashing the incoming boulders as a way to show the little girl how weak she was. The girl cried out in agony as her arm was broken by Clementine's next strike.

Realizing she couldn't defeat Clementine, she tried running away. She used her powers to set up obstacles in an effort to slow the assassin down. It worked just enough for the girl to make the girl believe that she was able to escape. Little did she know that Clementine just allowed her to think that.

"Help! Someone, please help me!" she cried as she got further and further away from the inn. Clementine slowly made her way to her, an evil smile plastered to her face.

"Why won't anyone help me?!" the Miko cried as she reached the village square.

"Sorry, but no one's coming. If you'll take a look at the building behind you, you may understand why." Clementine said mildly as she came around the corner of a building, playing with one of her stilettos.

The Miko turned to the building and recoiled in horror as she saw the severed heads of the villagers hanging from one of the banisters on the balcony attached to said building. She began to sob as she realized how hopeless her situation truly was.

"I want to go home. I want my mommy and daddy."

"Cry me a river, whore." Clementine said before she began to laugh maliciously at the little girl.

The girl didn't offer any kind of resistance as Clementine slowly made her way to her. She just cried as the older woman began to make small slashes and cuts all across her little body. It finally ended after two hours had passed as Clementine plunged both her stilettos into the girl's abdomen. The girl bled to death quickly.

Finally finished with her task, she lit the village with her stiletto. The village caught alight quickly and could be seen for miles. She left the village with her stilettos unsheathed, dripping the blood of the little Miko Princess of Earth. She used the flare to signal a Black Ops LAAT deployed from Carne Village. She was met with blasters held at the hips of four Stormtroopers, all pointed at her.

"Get the job done, or do you need us to help you?" one asked with an unfriendly tone.

"It's done. Can we go now? This place is starting to get boring." she replied with a plain tone.

The trooper nodded as they lowered their blasters. She was directed to sit on a crate in the middle of the four. The trooper then banged a fist on the side of the wall twice, letting the droid brain know that it was time to leave. The doors to the LAAT shut soon afterward. Clementine's prediction of the Theocracy's response wouldn't be correct, however.

One week later...

Clementine's destruction of the village did little to the body of the Miko Princess. When the Black Scripture arrived, they were horrified by the state of her body. The Captain of the group didn't know why, but he had a feeling that this event and the one with that strange automaton and Vampire were connected. He shuddered at that particular thought. When they turned the body over, the 5th Seat's eyes glinted with a cold fury.

There, carved into the girl's chest, was a message.

"You're Next, Big Brother."

Suffice it to say, the Theocracy would not bother the Imperial-Great Tomb Alliance for many months after this event.

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The "Switch" + 42 (6 Weeks Since the "Switch")

"Ah, it's so nice to be back aboard my ship." I said as I stepped down from the Lambda-Class Shuttle.

I had been sent an urgent message two days prior, saying that I should come back to the ship once Shalltear was dealt with. It took a while to resurrect her for some reason. Perhaps it was because of the amount of damage her body sustained? Eh, didn't really matter in the end.

Captain Cavos and Lieutenant Sarkley were waiting for me at the bottom of the ramp. They saluted quickly and then herded me to the bridge. They practically pushed me into the elevator.

"What in the Empire has gotten into you two?" I asked as I smoothed the creases in my uniform.

"Uh… you'll see, sir." Sarkley said nervously while the Captain's hands were shaking.

"What happened?"

"It's not a really a what, sir, but more of a who." Cavos said, a slight twinge in her tone.

I gave the two a closer look and saw that fear had a strong grip on both of them. It was as if Darth Vader himself had appeared on the bridge. I seriously doubted it, though, since both Vader and the Emperor were Players in the server and not NPCs. I realized why they were frightened out of their wits once the elevator door finally opened. I audibly gulped as I came face to face with a person who evoked the same kind of reaction as Vader did.

An Imperial Shadow Guard stood motionless in front of the elevator, surrounded by a squad of Imperial Clone Commandos and two BX5-Siege Droids.

"Commandos, atten-tion!" a commando called, clearly the leader.

The commandos snapped to attention, saluting me while the droids just stood at attention. The Shadow Guard came forward as I walked out of the elevator. He scrutinized me as I stood motionless, cowering slightly at his gaze. I struggled to keep myself calm in the face of someone who could literally tear me apart with their mind. It was a harrowing experience, to say the least. The guard then stepped back and kneeled before me.

"Ok, what the actual fuck! First those bandit prisoners and now this? Are you fucking kidding me? If he finds out that I'm not actually a Grand Admiral, I'm so dead." I thought just before the Guard's thoughts entered my mind.

"Greetings, Grand Admiral. I believe you know what I am?" he asked, confusing me as to why he didn't say anything about my earlier comments.

"Yes, you are a member of the Emperor's Shadow Guard. Might I ask where you came from?"

"From the surface. My ship was shot down as we entered Hyperspace and we crash-landed here only a few months ago. We've been here only two months. I must ask how you disguise your presence from me, however, as I only found out about you ten days ago. Are you Force-Sensitive?"

"No, I was trained in Teräs Käsi after I had a rather nasty run-in with a Jedi a few years ago."

"Ah, I see. You must be a very good practitioner?"

"Not in the physical aspect. I trained my mind only."

"A pity."

"Quite."

"My curiosity has been sated, so I shall now sate yours. By the will of the Emperor, I am to serve you because you were hand-picked by the Emperor himself. This makes you the highest Imperial authority in this sector."

"I see. Do you have any… further questions?"

"Yes, are you the one who owns those two Acclimators?"

"No, those belong to an Imperial Inquisitor by the name of Sedyn Merrick. You shall meet him later. I want you fully briefed on our situation first."

"Understood, sir."

"I shall prepare a room for you in the meantime. Now, please leave the bridge, you are distracting my crew."

"As you wish." he said mentally as he stood and took the elevator down.

I didn't know where he went, but I thanked God that he was gone. I can't believe he actually believed me about the Teräs Käsi! Does that mean that NPC Force-Sensitives can't look into the minds of Players? If that was the case, then that means my identity is safe so long as I keep up appearances. Feeling understandably drained, I went to my quarters and just sat on the bed. I don't know how long that was, but my stupor was broken by the desk intercom going off.

"Grand Admiral, you are needed on the bridge immediately!" Cavos voiced called out, urgency evident in her tone.

I didn't bother even responding, and with a grumble, went up the lift and promptly sat down in the Admiral's chair on the bridge. I held a hand out to the side of the chair as I looked at the Captain.

"Report." I said tiredly, a datapad quickly being pushed into my open hand by a nervous Ensign.

"I'm sorry, sir, I should have told you about this earlier." she said with a face of stone, as my eyes quickly scanned the datapad.

"THERE'S A DAMN SHIP COMING TOWARDS US!?"

"Y-yes, sir. We should have nothing to fear, however. It's an Imperial code signature."

"(Sigh) Sorry, Captain, it's just… first that Shadow Guard and now this? All in a single bloody day?"

"We didn't know about the Guard at the time, sir."

"I suppose that's true. When did this ship contact us?"

"During the initial outbreak of the Red Death, sir."

"Of course it was during my blasted period of isolation."

"Sir! The incoming ship should be coming out of Hyperspace any minute now!" a crewman called out, making me tense.

What happened next was a goddamn miracle. Out of Hyperspace, a ship that shouldn't have even been in the Voyages Into the Unknown Server appeared before us. In Star Wars continuity alone, it didn't show up until 10ABY. I stood up from my chair on weak knees as I slowly walked to the viewport. I blinked several times, rubbing my eyes at the impossibility of it. The next thing I knew, the deck was rushing up to meet my eyes. Everything turned dark after that.

Sickbay

I woke up surrounded by the other Players in the Officer's wing of the sickbay. BalancedFear and Ryuzaki were concerned, and I could tell Momonga was as well.

"You ok, man?" BalancedFear asked, his face becoming more relaxed.

"What happened?" I questioned, the last memory I had being fuzzy.

"You fainted on the bridge." Momonga said in a relieved tone.

"Did it have something to do with the ship out there or the silent guy in black armor?" Ryuzaki asked with a slight head tilt, BalancedFear perking up at the 'silent guy in black armor' portion.

"Both. The 'silent guy in black armor' is an Imperial Shadow Guard. He's an NPC, but it seems like he can't look into our heads. He couldn't even feel my presence in the Force."

"A Shadow Guard? Fuck."

"What's a Shadow Guard?"

"Judging from BalancedFear's tone, it's nothing good."

"They are a group of Force-sensitives handpicked from the Emperor's Royal Guard to act as a more elite force. They don't speak, ever. As to how bad they are, it's like having a less powerful and silent version of Darth Vader aboard."

"That, and they are solely trained in the Dark Side of the Force."

"So… he's a more evil version of you, Fear?"

"Something like that."

"Will he be a problem?"

"No, he told me that I had his loyalty due to being 'handpicked by the Emperor'. He spoke to me through his thoughts."

"So I guess this means they're not SILENT, they just don't talk."

"Makes sense to me. What about that ship out there? I know a little bit about the timeline, but I don't know all of it."

"Everyone on the bridge said you were shocked before you fell unconscious. A few said they thought you recognized it."

"That's because that ship out there has basically won every single war we could ever fight."

"Ok, how?"

"Yeah, please explain to those who don't know Star Wars Lore."

"Is it even more powerful than this ship?"

"For starters, that ship out there is called a 'World Devastator'. Their job was to target a world's material resources for the Empire's benefit. Its primary tactic was to land on the surface of a planet. There, its tractor beam projectors would literally tear the planet beneath it apart, thus making them 'planet killers'. Thus, they functioned similarly to the Star Forge, which also harvested materials from a nearby astronomical object. The deconstruction of the planet and its resources would then be used for both fuel and for its massive foundries which churned out starships, starfighters, droids, weapons, armor… need I say anything else?"

"You mean that ship is a fucking floating factory?"

"Holy shit."

"That means…"

"Yep, we can build an empire with that thing. I don't have all the details on it, yet, but I'm actually assuming that it isn't really a World Devastator. The real ones weren't invented until ten years after Episode IV in the timeline. That ship might be a prototype because it certainly isn't an Imperial Leviathan. Imperial Leviathans were basically just slightly bigger than a normal Imperial Star Destroyer. That thing out there is just slightly smaller than the Basilisk."

"My God…"

"With that much power…"

"We wouldn't need to fear the other nations on the New World."

"Yep."

We all began to laugh as we realized how much power we had at our fingertips.

Drug Production Village, New World

The "Switch" + 44 (44 Days Since the "Switch")

BalancedFear was crouched at the edge of the tree line near the fields. He had been tasked by EmpireForLife to help take over the "Eight Fingers" organization and had been given command of Squad 83 for the beginning stages of that plan. Their first target was to destroy the fields. Artery and Hacker were behind him, waiting for his orders.

With a gesture of his hand, the two commandos approached the guard tower closest to them. Hacker kept an eye out while Artery took care of the Eight Fingers guard. He then tossed the body out of the tower and climbed down. BalancedFear saw the same thing happen to the opposite guard tower, which was being taken care of by Explosive and Stalker. Once the two were taken care of, he used the Force to quickly crouch run over to the first field. He ignited one end of his double-bladed lightsaber and held it close to a nearby plant.

The plant caught flame quickly, the fire spreading to the other plants nearby. He stood up as he knew that the stealth portion of this mission was over. He waited for a response of any kind to his actions when he was confronted by two stumbling guards. They looked and felt… wrong, somehow. He ignited the other part of his blade and got into a fighting stance. He waited for them to draw their swords, but they never did. They simply kept walking towards him drunkenly. He was about to deactivate the saber when the two walked through the blade, bisecting them both. He was beyond confused at this point.

"This is Stalker, I've engaged an unknown force!" his wrist communicator yelled, causing him to use Force Speed to quickly come to the aid of the commando.

The commando was being attacked by what looked like a female ninja. She was wearing light-orange-colored clothing with darker sets of light armor over her chest, forearms, and legs. She was also wearing a scarf with red markings, and her hair was held up by a red ribbon. She was attacking the commando with a Kunai, the commando fighting back with his knuckle-blade. The other commandos appeared, Explosive rushing the girl just as an exact copy of her jumped out the grass and landed on his back.

"Get this crazy dala off me!" he cried, trying to shake her off.

Hacker raised his DC-17m only to have it knocked from his grip by a masked girl who appeared out of nowhere. BalancedFear then ignited the double-bladed lightsaber and leaped at the ninja attacking Stalker. The ninja, faced with this new threat, dodged backward as a large woman wearing red armor came at him with a damn Warhammer. He cut the thing in two with a slash of his blade. Artery lined up a shot on the other ninja and fired a stun blast, knocking her out and getting her off Explosive. Explosive was then about to start firing at the masked girl when the red armored woman tossed the bottom half of her Warhammer at his head. It connected and knocked the commando's aim off. Before the fighting could escalate any further, a voice called out.

"I am Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra of the Adventurer Group 'Blue Roses'! Who are you?" a new woman asked, sword raised at the group of Imperials.

BalancedFear couldn't believe his eyes. The new woman was one of the prettiest he had ever seen. He shook himself and then deactivated his lightsaber. He placed it on his belt as he removed his helmet.

"Go along with this!" BalancedFear mentally told the four commandos and said to Lakyus, "I am Sedyn Merrick of the Grand Army of the Republic. These men behind me are under my command. I believe we may have gotten off on the wrong foot?"

"'Grand Army of the Republic'? I've never heard of such a group." the woman replied, her sword lowering slightly.

"We've only just now gotten to this system. We're discovering new planets for the Galactic Republic. We were tasked with destroying this place because of observations that our leader made only a few days ago. These drugs are similar to ones that we have dealt with before."

"You're going to need to start over."

"Perhaps you need proof?"

"What kind of proof can you provide of your claims as to being a military force?"

"Artery, contact the Grand Admiral and tell him to send down an LAAT. We have guests." BalancedFear said as he turned to face the commando.

He nodded and quickly contacted the Admiral as the two sides stared each other down. It was certainly an interesting turn of events for such a simple mission.

Onboard LAAT Heading Towards the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The Troop Transport Bay was silent as the LAAT went into orbit. The two groups had gone to separate corners of the craft, each unsure of the intentions of the other. There was little the Imperials could do to assuage the uncertainty shown to them by the "Blue Roses" Adamantite Adventurer Group. They had deliberately lied to the group, claiming that they were members of the Grand Army of the Republic. It did stop any potential further conflict from breaking out immediately as BalancedFear was certain that the group would not understand the difference between them and the Baharuth Empire.

If he had introduced himself as an Imperial Inquisitor, it would have gotten ugly. While smart in their own way, these people wouldn't be able to make the leap that they weren't from the New World. They had no concept of space travel, after all. He made a judgment call to refer to the Imperials as members of the GAR in an attempt to gain a small semblance of trust. He then hoped that he could then explain away the fact that they were truly Imperials by explaining that there had been a change in the governmental structure at a later point. He realized this was setting him up for a massive headache down the line, but he decided to take Momonga's example for problems like this: he would let dealing with this problem be something his future self could deal with.

Sensing some unease within Lakyus, BalancedFear reached out through the Force to try and see into her mind and find out why she was uneasy. He discovered something he did not expect when he finally made the connection. Inside her was another personality that was much darker compared to the one he could see at the moment. He then realized that the presence hadn't originally come from her, but from her sword. Her eyes flicked to him as he removed his helmet and cleared his throat.

"Forgive my prying, but what is that weapon you wield?" he asked, holding his helmet under his arm.

"It is one of the Black Knight's four swords, Kilineiram." she said carefully, confused as to why he wanted to know.

"Your weapon gives off an aura of the Dark Side of the Force, Ms. Aindra. I am worried it may be having an unforeseen effect on you, as all weapons forged with Dark Side energy do."

"The 'Dark Side of the Force'?"

"Think of it as the embodiment of evil if not handled correctly. It is counteracted by the Light Side. I am a practitioner of both, using each for any given situation."

"That does not explain what the 'Force' is, though. Care to enlighten me?" she asked, lifting a hand to her chin.

BalancedFear exhaled as he held his helmet out in front of him. The "Blue Roses" watched the helmet, waiting for something to happen until his helmet started to levitate. Their eyes widened as it began to hover closer. It then spun slowly backward and into BalancedFear's grip. He then let it go, causing it to dip as he held onto it with one hand.

"That was the Force, Ms. Aindra. It is an energy field that I and a small number of others can use. It can be used to both heal and harm, create and destroy, but that is up to the user. Those of the Light Side would use it to create, heal, and teach. Users of the Dark Side are the antithesis to this. They use the Force to kill, destroy, and conquer. As I stated before, I use both, giving them the appropriate respect they deserve."

"I can handle Kilineiram."

"There's no doubt about that." the crimson-armored woman boasted, placing a hand on Lakyus's shoulder.

"Even so, be mindful. The Dark Side is very intoxicating. It corrupts the minds of others easily. Many of my kin have fallen to it over the years, and I would hate it if one of the best Adventurer groups of your world suffered the same fate because of it."

"We'll keep that in mind." the masked woman said in a deadpan tone.

Artery tapped him on the shoulder, an indication that they were getting close to the Basilisk. He nodded and placed his helmet back on his head. The commandos set their weapons to stun as BalancedFear turned back to the Adventurer group. He then explained that they would be met by a squad of Clones and that they shouldn't be alarmed. The group nodded and jumped when they felt the LAAT touch the hangar bay deck.

Chapter XI: The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The "Switch" + 44 (44 Days Since the "Switch")

Harlow waited patiently for the primitives to step off the LAAT. The commandos and Jedi got off first, with the Jedi trying to get the primitives to follow him. They weren't prepared to be met by Clones… or was it the fact that a good number of his men had their blasters aimed in their general direction? The Grand Admiral had said to be prepared for a possible hostile encounter with the group, seeing as how they ambushed the commandos during their assignment.

He ordered his men to stand down and apologized for their actions. He doubted the primitives would notice the insincerity in his words. They were much too busy being awestruck by the Basilisk. He couldn't blame them as Super-Star Destroyers were some of the most impressive ships in the Empire.

"Harlow?" the Grand Admiral's voice asked through his comms. He switched to a private channel to prevent the primitives from listening in.

"Go ahead, sir."

"You're to escort the New Worlders to the Mess Hall. I need to have a word with our Inquisitor, privately."

"How long do you want me to keep them 'entertained', sir?"

"I will inform you when I am ready for them."

"Understood, sir. Should I relieve them of their weapons?"

"Yes. This would be a good opportunity to study the materials used in the weapons. We will return them once we've concluded our business."

"Then you may need to send that Shadow Guard down here, sir. I'm getting a weird feeling about the leader's sword."

"I see. Very well, I'll have the Shadow Guard and a squad of Basilisk Guardsmen sent down to help with the disarming process. I'll inform the Inquisitor to tell their leader to surrender her weapon. I'm sure he'll figure a way to make that sound appealing."

"Of course, sir." Harlow said as the Grand Admiral cut the transmission.

He turned back around to face the primitives and began walking to the leader. Once in front of her, he studied her for a few moments. He could see a few things about her now that he was this close.

She was young compared to most other leaders of Adventurer groups on the New World. Then again, he himself was only twenty years old, give or take a year or two. She reminded him of a lot of green Imperial Officers, naïve to the ways of the galaxy. They tended to grow up fast when thrown into combat. The girl seemed to keep that naïveté, however.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, getting a little tense under his gaze.

"Sorry, it's just that… you're a lot younger than I'd thought you'd be." Harlow stated truthfully. He had fully expected her to be in her thirties at the earliest.

"I get that kind of remark a lot."

"I see. Anyway, I need you all to relinquish your weapons. Only Republic personnel are to be armed when aboard ship."

"Is it possible for me to keep my sword? I'm the only one who can handle it without losing mys…"

Her sentence stopped short as she stared at something over Harlow's shoulder. He turned his head to look behind him and saw that the Shadow Guard had just walked into the Hangar. The four guards directly behind the Shadow Guard looked normal. The one at the rear looked significantly different, however.

His armor seemed to be based on the sets the old Galactic Marines had worn but in white. He had a Phase II double-sided pauldron, similar to the ones worn by the 327th Star Corps, as well as a kama. His helmet was a mix of a standard Phase II Clone helmet and the Senate Guard helmet. This meant the visor took up a good portion of the helmet's faceplate. The helmet's visor did not go down to the bottom of said helmet as that was taken up by a gray boxy structure just below the middle of the helmet, above which was a small portion of faceplate armor. There was a yellow stripe going down the extra armor on the helmet's forehead. He was carrying a Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon while an electro-staff was attached to his back.

Harlow assumed this member of the squad was meant to deal with more dangerous threats, though he never saw any set of armor that even remotely resembled the one that Guard was wearing. He then remembered the Grand Admiral had mentioned that new equipment would start coming in as soon as the new ship was ready. He couldn't remember what the Grand Admiral had called it, though. He thought its name was either "Planet Harvester" or something. The thing reminded him of an Imperial Leviathan if it had more weapons and fewer hangar bays.

The Marshal Commander saluted once the group had come over, the Shadow Guard staring down at the Adventurer group leader. The Guard turned his head and nodded to him, letting him stand at ease. The Guard outstretched his left hand to the Adventurer leader as he stood his lightsaber pike up with his right. The Jedi, who was standing next to the girl, leaned over.

"This man should be able to wield Kilineiram for a short time. He is like me, a wielder of the Force. I promise all of your weapons will be returned to you after you have finished meeting with our leader." he explained to her, trying to get her to cooperate.

She reluctantly gave the cursed weapon to the Guard after deliberating with her fellow Adventurers for nearly ten minutes. The Guard took it as the other armed Adventurers handed their weapons over to the troopers. Harlow then escorted the Adventurers to the Mess Hall, letting the Jedi go to the Grand Admiral. He opened up a comm channel to the Grand Admiral as soon as the door closed behind him.

"The Jedi is on his way up to you now, sir."

"Thank you, Harlow. Have the Adventurers' weapons taken down to the Armory in the meantime. I'll be sending down a tech team, a scanning team, and a few of our science personnel to look over them. We may be able to recreate stronger versions for our men. It never hurts for everyone to have a weapon that can't run out of ammunition, after all."

"Yes, sir." Harlow replied, shutting the comm channel off.

He then motioned for two of his troopers to take the Shadow Guard and the other men to the Armory.

The Grand Admiral's Quarters

"Please, sit down." I said, motioning to the five chairs that had been brought out by one of the service droids.

The Adventurers sat as BalancedFear stood next to my desk with his helmet under his arm. He was offering them a humble smile, trying to play the part of the benevolent "Jedi Knight". I decided it would be better to play the part of the "veteran military leader" and kept my face impassive. I wanted to give off the impression that I had done something similar to what I was doing now before.

"I have to say that this was not entirely surprising, by which I mean contact with the nations of your world. We were not expecting to have to meet them so soon though. I would also like to apologize for any untoward actions done by men. We've recently won a war in the greater galaxy, and tensions are still high. Everyone's worried about resistance to our goals from the defeated worlds."

"You're going to need to slow down, Mr…?" the leader asked once she had gotten herself comfortably seated.

"Grand Admiral Taver Slazin of the Republic Navy, ma'am. I believe you and your friends make up the Adventurer group 'Blue Roses' correct?"

"Yes, I am lady Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, the leader of our group."

"'Lady'?"

"I am of noble birth, hence the title."

"Ah, I see. The Republic itself does have similar titles, but they are mainly a formality. They do not have any real power outside of their home worlds. People like them sometimes become members of the Senate, which gives them a slight degree of power. I usually find them to be pompous fools who want to feel special."

"That's rather harsh, don't you think?" BalancedFear cut in, giving me a frown.

"You may have point, Master Jedi. I'll attempt to keep that particular opinion to myself."

"I must ask why you've come to our world, exactly? Surely there are better ones out there?"

"To put it simply, lady Aindra, we are on an expedition to chart the 'Unknown Regions' of our galaxy. We are but a fraction of the Republic Navy."

"So you came upon our world by chance?"

"No. Your world is the only one that seems to support life, thus far. Many of the worlds we've come across are simply devoid of life."

"Oh…"

"I'm sure there are planets similar to this one out there, they just need to be found."

"Of course."

We spent the next few hours talking about the New World and the Re-Estize Kingdom in particular. Lakyus wasn't too forthcoming on the inner workings of the kingdom, but she did mention that there were two factions vying for power within the courts: the Royalty and the Nobility. Their king was supposed to abdicate the throne long ago but he feared that whichever of his two sons took the throne would become a puppet for the Nobility. It was quite clear the Re-Estize Kingdom had devolved into a failed state. It was only a miracle that there wasn't an ongoing civil war between the two factions. This made it the perfect target once we were done with the Slane Theocracy.

In the long run, the Theocracy would be a thorn in our side. It needed to be dealt with swiftly and efficiently if there was any chance of taking over. With it out of the way, Baharuth and Re-Estize would fall easily, and then the rest of the world below. The process for taking over the world had already begun with the Imperial Outpost at Carne and the expedition to the Elves. Our new World Devastator, which I had learned was a prototype while visiting it before commandos and BalancedFear had gone on their mission, was already churning out equipment.

It was working on at least ten projects at this point. It had completed a few already and was waiting for newer projects to be given to it by either me or BalancedFear. He had given it plans just before he had left on a new type of droid. It was an odd droid, to be sure.

It seemed to be a mix between a BX Commando and a B1 battle droid. The head was humanoid in shape, while the body seemed to be a beefier version of a standard B1s'. The arms were similar to the BX Commando although they were thinner. The legs looked like they just came off a B1. The head had four red photoreceptors, two large and two small, which saw through two openings in the front of its rounded faceplate. It was colored grayish-white to fit with the Imperial aesthetic. They were meant to surpass the B1 and B2 models in combat, which meant that they had numerous combat protocols.

I had the World Devastator focused on armor and weapons for now. I did, however, keep a close eye on the development of one of the projects, as it was one of the ideas I had that I couldn't produce in the Armory safely. It was producing all that I had asked for at an alarming pace. There were now nearly a thousand each of the new E-11c's, Combat Flamethrowers, light E-Webs, SE-15a's, TL-60's, and a few more projects. It was even working on a pistol for me and BalancedFear.

My pistol resembled a mashup of an old Walther P38 and a Colt M1911A1. The bottom portion of the pistol was definitively the M1911A1, complete with grip safety and actual safety. The safety isn't actually a safety but the stun setting whereas the grip safety actually works. The top portion is the P38 with another safety that is not really a safety. In reality, it is a select-fire switch, allowing me to choose if I want to lay down suppressive fire or take my time and aim. The barrel of the pistol has a heat shield and there is no hammer on the pistol. The pistol is supposed to have the same power output as the SE-14c but in a more compact package. It has thirty shots in the power pack.

BalancedFear's pistol was a mashup of a Westar-35 and a .44 Automag. The bottom portion of the weapon was the Automag while the top was the Westar. It was meant to be a Star Wars version of a Desert Eagle. This meant that it fired at twice the power of a DL-44 with nine shots in the power pack. It would most likely hurt his wrist if he fired it more than nine times without reloading. With this in mind, he could use the Force to heal his wrist before he fired again, or use the Force the entire time he used the pistol.

"Thank you for your time, lady Aindra. It is certainly a relief that there is one nation on your world that is friendly to us. The Slane Theocracy has been giving us trouble ever since we stepped in to help Carne Village." I stated cheerfully as I stood up from my desk.

"I'm not surprised that you've had problems with the Theocracy. Their entire purpose seems to be the agenda of pushing their Gods on all of us and slaughtering anyone that isn't human, despite their innocence," she replied as Gagaran, the crimson-armored woman, nodded.

"I personally hate those bastards. They've given many races grief for many years, without the slightest remorse." she said bitterly and gave me an opening to shed my forces in yet another light.

"Yes, we dealt with their 'Sunlight Scripture' nearly a month ago. They were attacking Carne Village. Suffice it to say, myself and others were not exactly pleased. We killed them all and left a warning for any future attackers."

"Really? Is there anyone who can verify that information?" Evileye, the masked girl, asked suspiciously. I nodded at the now open door.

"Harlow can verify that. He was there with me, and General Stronoff could also provide the same information as well."

"We'll ask him once we go back to Princess Renner."

"Lady Aindra, before you leave, I have a proposition for you. I would like my men to join you and help in dealing with Eight Fingers. You see, the Galactic Republic has experience with this kind of underground criminal organization. Just ask the Hutt Clans… or what's left of them, if you ever get the chance."

"Who would you send with us?"

"The commandos you ambushed at the production village, Squad 83."

"I don't know…"

"Not to worry. Clones can forgive a misunderstanding."

"We'd still like to apologize for what happened."

"We would?" Tia and Tina, the ninjas, asked in unison with dubious tones.

"Yes, we would."

"Whatever you say, Evil Boss." Tia said, Tina nodding with her sister's words.

"You'll meet them in the hangar bay, lady Aindra."

"Of course, Grand Admiral. We'll inform Princess Renner of your proposed arrangement once we arrive in the palace."

"Very good. I'll drop your group off at the production village if you don't mind?"

"Not at all."

"I look forward to the cooperation between our two governments." I said as I stuck a hand out to her.

"Agreed." Lakyus replied, grasping my hand before leaving for the hangar Bay.

Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force, New World

The "Switch" + 49 (7 Weeks Since the "Switch")

The expedition had halted its progress to rest for the day. During this period of rest Zentha Ianwenys, Trent Byron, Meriel Erxidor, Sabacc, and Crane Deril were playing a game of Sabacc. Ben Setrin was watching the game since he had busted out earlier. Sabacc was winning, so far, with Meriel in second place. Plaz was resting against a nearby tree.

"Who's winning? CT-6204/885, one of the stranded Clones, asked Ben and made said Army Pilot jump.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Ben griped as the Clone started laughing.

"Sorry about that! I'm usually pretty quiet when I'm on foot."

"Uh-huh. To answer your earlier question, it's Sabacc. Either he's really damn good at the game… or he used a skifter."

"Which one's 'Sabacc'?"

"The Stormtrooper in white armor."

"Hm. You know, I don't think I ever properly introduced myself. I'm 'White'."

"Ben Setrin. I'm one of the AT-ST drivers, and the guy who's currently swearing loudly is my partner, Crane Deril."

"You mean you're one of the drivers of those bloody metal boxes?"

"Yeah. I'm assuming you were a biker, right?"

"How'd you know?"

"Your armor, it's a BARC Troopers', isn't it? My father met a few during the early days of the Empire's reign."

"Yeah. What did your father do?"

"He was a worker, actually."

"What happened to him?"

"He… died in an accident. A generator malfunctioned and killed him and a few others on Kamino."

"Kamino?"

"Yeah, the Empire has been pouring resources into the planet after the war ended. They're still producing Clones for the Stormtrooper Corps, even though it's made up of mostly enlisted humans by this point."

"I hope I'm not interrupting." a new voice cut in which caused the two, the group playing Sabacc, and Plaz to turn towards it.

It was the second-in-command of the expedition, Lieutenant-Colonel Ivo Sturgess. He was a younger man that got his position through what most believed to be nepotism. He also had something of a sadistic streak when it came to those under his command. He had no business being in command of any soldiers. There was a rumor going around that the Grand Admiral had sent the man along just to get him as far away from the Basilisk, secretly wishing the man would fail so badly that he could be executed for utter incompetence. Unbeknownst to the spreaders of the rumors, that was the Grand Admiral's exact intention.

Sturgess had been a gift from one of the Grand Admiral's Player friends: RebelHater201. RebelHater had created Sturgess as a caricature of the Imperial officers, most being idiotic hateful nepotists. RebelHater gave Sturgess to the Grand Admiral as a joke. RebelHater had said that Sturgess was unkillable as long as Voyages Into The Unknown was online. Seeing as how the server ended (maybe), the Grand Admiral believed it was the perfect time to rid himself of a thorn in his side. All Imperials present still saluted the man despite the fact they all believed him to be an idiot. The Elves, on the other hand, stayed seated and had looks of annoyance.

"Is there a reason that you two are still seated?" he asked faux-calmly as he came closer to the two.

"You haven't done anything to earn our respect yet. Once you do so, then we'll be happy to give it to you." Zentha replied matter of factly, only to be backhanded once she had finished.

"Watch your tone, freak. I am an officer in the Imperial Army and will not be spoken to in such a way."

Meriel was about to rise from her seat when Trent shot her a look. She growled in frustration but complied. Sturgess then turned towards her, a look of contempt on his face.

"You have something to say?"

"No… sir." Meriel bit out as the man smiled in satisfaction.

"Good. Now then, all of you are to follow me back to the Command Juggernaut. The Colonel has a mission for me and a squad of my choosing. Guess who I chose."

The group all chorused a "Yes, sir" and followed behind him. It was only a short walk to the lead HAVw A6 from the Sabacc game, and the group behind the idiot knew that he had been lazy. He quite clearly didn't notice the fact that they weren't actually a squad or he decided to make his own out of the first group he saw. A portable ladder had been set up to actually get inside both Juggernauts. Once they had gotten inside, they were escorted to the makeshift command center, which was just underneath the comms dish and scanner.

"Found your squad, Sturgess?" Kavlin asked as he gazed up at the man from the holo-table.

"Yes, Colonel." Sturgess replied as his academy training took over.

"Good. All of you listen close. We've detected a medium-sized village near here, about thirty klicks southwest of our position. I believe Captain Ianwenys knows this area well?"

"Yes, Colonel Kavlin. That village is an Eleven one that also has a good-sized population of Humans. The Humans are mostly refugees from the Slane Theocracy, either because they didn't believe in the Theocracy's Gods or were appalled by its policies toward anything that isn't Human. None of our people trusted them at first because they were from the Theocracy. Over time, that has changed, as they have proven that they should not be lumped together with the Theocracy's ilk." Zentha explained to the group after nodding an affirmative to the Colonel's question.

"Have any of your men come through here in the past?"

"Only me, sir. We used to go there to relax when we were younger." Meriel put in quickly before Zentha could respond.

"I see. Good thing Sturgess found you both, then. Troopers Plaz, Sabacc, and White? You'll be the backup alongside AT-ST Team 4. Private Byron will provide sniper support, should it be needed, while Sturgess is in command. Captain Ianwenys is his second. I don't need to remind everyone here that I do not want a repeat of the 'Ash Hound' incident. Once you get to the village, you are to contact the Chief and go about setting up a temporary Imperial Outpost while the Basilisk goes about sending us the materials to create an official one. Is everyone clear on the parameters?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they chorused and were about to leave when Kavlin stopped them.

"Sturgess, you are dismissed for now. I'll call you back in here once I'm done talking with your men."

"Inspiring them, Colonel? I wouldn't think they'd need it, but then again I don't really care. I'll await your command, sir." Sturgess replied before he left the room as Kavlin turned to the squad.

"Now that he's gone, understand this: this mission is a test for him. The Grand Admiral himself had it ordered so that we can determine that incompetent fool's usefulness. If he fails, then the Grand Admiral has stated that he is to be executed summarily. I'm counting on you to see it through as I have no doubt of his failure. Is that understood?"

"We'll get it done, sir." Plaz said for everyone as Kavlin dismissed them.

Outskirts of the Elven Village, New World

It had been nearly five hours since the squad left the I.E.E.F. for their assigned mission. Sturgess led from the front, feeling quite safe with the three Stormtroopers, the Army Scout sniper, the two Elves, and the AT-ST behind him. The village was now only a short walk ahead and Sturgess was pleased that their mission would soon be over. The other members of his squad were cautious, however, as there was no sign of life anywhere in front of them.

Zentha watched from her position atop the AT-ST with her Electro-Binoculars. She was standing between Ben and Crane, with Ben constantly chiding Crane to not worry about her and focus on the village. Trent was currently walking with the four Clones down below and alongside Meriel. He had become a fast friend to both her and Meriel over the past few weeks since they'd met. He shared many similarities with them, like being a hunter. He'd gone hunting with them when the Colonel had lifted his restriction on hunting a week ago and had shown his skill when taking down a deer.

It had been a clean shot through the back of its skull, made from at least a kilometer away. He was disappointed that both she and Meriel had managed to get two in the time he'd killed one but he wasn't entirely upset. He hadn't been hunting in a long time and was getting back into the mindset. He had to be shown how to dress the deer, but that could be excused. He'd never hunted a deer before as they were apparently not found on his homeworld.

Her line of thought was interrupted as the AT-ST lurched to a stop. She sighed in annoyance as she crouched in between the two AT-ST operators.

"Why have we stopped?" she asked as she handed the Electro-Binoculars back to Crane.

"Sturgess didn't want us scaring the locals, so he told us to wait here." Ben replied as he placed his head in his hand.

"What about the others?"

"They went with Sturgess. Your friend, Meriel, is below us if you want to invite her up?"

"I don't think there's really any more room."

"She can sit on top. It's not that hard, and I've done it a bunch of times. She'll have to get off if we need to move, though."

"Alright, I'll take you up on that offer."

Elven Village, New World

"Ni or'parguur ibic…" Plaz muttered as he kept his DC-15A rifle trained on the houses to their right.

"Whatever you said, I agree with you." Trent muttered back, doing the same as Plaz.

"We should have seen someone by now, right?" White asked as he kept the E-11c he'd been given on the houses to the group's left.

"Definitely. Villages like this have daily chores for the populace to accomplish." Sabacc stated emphatically, garnering an annoyed growl from Sturgess.

"Would you morons shut up already? I'm trying to think about how we should greet the villagers when we meet them."

The three Clones and Army Scout muttered an unsincere "Yes, sir" as they kept checking the houses to their sides for any signs of movement. They were not prepared, however, when a villager staggered out from an intersection about six meters away. The villager didn't look normal and was just staring at the ground while the five Imperials watched. Sturgess cleared his throat as a woman appeared from behind one of the buildings they had passed and motioned for the other Imperials to follow her. Seeking an excuse to get away from their idiotic charge, they started towards the woman as Sturgess began to speak.

"You there! I am Lieutenant-Colonel Ivo Sturgess of the Imperial Army. You will direct me to your village chief immediately, or be shot by the men behind me. Do you understand?"

The villager's body jerked as they lifted their head and turned it towards the man. Sturgess visibly recoiled at the sight of the villager, as the sight of the villager's face disgusted him. What he saw was sickly yellowish-gray skin, glowing red eyes, and blood caked around the villager's mouth. The villager's face contorted into a sickly grin before it screamed into the air. Once it finished screaming, it started coming towards Sturgess. It began at a stagger towards him and then started building speed.

He barely had time to aim his pistol at it and get a shot off before it crashed into him. He was stunned silent as the shot went wide and hit one of the houses' walls. With one quick motion, the villager reared its head back and opened its mouth unnaturally wide. It then sank its teeth into the side of Sturgess's neck and drank the blood that flowed out from the man's jugular. It then took another bite, this one on the man's cheek. Sturgess wasn't quite dead yet but was too weak to do anything to stop the crazed villager. His vision began to darken as other beings gathered around him. It was at that point that he began hearing a voice inside his head.

"kIlL… AnD… eAt!" the voice repeated over and over again as Sturgess finally succumbed.

Sturgess's body lay still for a short period as the bodies of the villagers started following the scent of the living that had left. His body twitched once, twice, and then it slowly sat up. His eyes went from pale white to glowing red within moments after his body shakily stood up and turned in the direction his compatriots in death had gone. His mouth opened, wide enough to tear the last remaining pieces of his bitten cheek away, and gave a scream that rattled the windows of the nearby homes. With that done, it began to run shakily after the living that had left him to his fate.

Outskirts of the Elven Village, New World

The scream that came from the village made the two Elves with the AT-ST cringe in pain due to its intensity. The crew of said AT-ST were spooked and began readying the AT-ST for combat. Just as they finished, they saw what looked like a group of soldiers wearing tattered remnants of uniforms come out from inside the house nearest to them, about 30 meters away. Crane didn't hesitate as he fired the chin-mounted cannons at the group. The group blew apart as the blast hit, throwing chunks of their bodies in all directions.

Only three of the original ten-member group were still somewhat intact. They screamed at the AT-ST and began charging towards it, or rather, at the dazed form of Meriel Erxidor. She had been knocked off the AT-ST when it had fired and hit the ground hard enough to see four of everything around her. Her blaster had fallen inside the AT-ST as she lost her grip on the weapon, looking for something to hold onto. She held her head as the men got close enough for her to make out the uniforms they were wearing. She stood up and got into a combat stance with the knife she had been given before she accompanied Zentha on the Imperials' expedition.

Before she could even blink, the three men were shot down by the emerging forms of White, Sabacc, Trent, and Plaz. They were being led by a woman wielding an Elven sword and a young boy. The men struggled to rise only for Zentha to blow their heads apart as she got a good shot on them. They all heard another scream from within the village which made the group coming towards them quicken their pace.

"What's going on?" Zentha asked as the group came closer.

"Captain Ianwenys, I need you to take these two and Erxidor back to the Expeditionary Force!" Sabacc yelled up to her as he checked the power pack on his DC-15S.

"What? Why?" Zentha asked before another scream echoed out from a deeper part of the village.

"We can't have these people here when the other villagers get here! They're just like the guys that came at Erxidor!" Plaz replied as Sabacc and White turned towards the village entrance while Trent crouched behind them.

"Tell Colonel Kavlin to send reinforcements up here as soon as you get back, you hear me?! Sabacc commanded as she climbed down from the AT-ST.

"I will! All of you stay alive until I get back, that's an order!" Zentha cried as she started sprinting back to Kavlin.

As soon as she had gotten out of hearing range, the first wave of villagers appeared at the entrance. The AT-ST's chin-mounted cannons fired once again but were only half as effective due to the sheer size of the group. Out of the 20 villagers coming towards them, only five were killed outright while others managed to continue forward. The troopers then began firing into the mass and cutting down a large chunk. The grenade launcher on the AT-ST finished off the rest as another larger wave made its way toward them. Leading them was the corpse of Lieutenant-Colonel Ivo Sturgess, who was swiftly put down by a shot from Plaz.

The group of the living repeated their previous successful attack on the group of undead until their weapons began to fail. The AT-ST's chin-mounted cannon had overheated, forcing the crew to use the weapons mounted to the sides. A short while later, Trent ran out of power packs for his DLT-20, closely followed by Plaz and Sabacc. Ben appeared from the top of the AT-ST and tossed both his rifle and Crane's down to the two Clones as Trent pulled his pistol from his boot holster.

"It's been nice knowing you, Plaz." Sabacc said as he shot down an undead soldier.

"Don't you dare give up, vod! Vi kelir gotal'ur bic adol ibic!" Plaz replied as he stomped on the head of an undead villager.

"You realize I have no idea what you said?"

"Never mind, just keep shooting!"

"Roger that!"

"Dammit, I'm out!" Trent called out as he tossed his gun at the oncoming wave of the dead.

"Here, catch!" White called as he tossed his E-11c to Trent and pulled out a DC-17S Blaster Pistol.

The AT-ST's cannons barked again and dispersing the group of undead. The dead didn't stop, however, as they redoubled their efforts in an attempt to overwhelm the Clones' and Scout's fire. Sabacc was then tackled by one as it got close enough to lunge at him. Sabacc used his forearm to stop the thing from biting into his neck. It bit down on the plasteel armor without thinking, breaking its teeth in the process. It growled and started clawing at him before a strange green mist enveloped its head in a vice.

Within moments, a band of women clad in weird red robes appeared and began helping the Imperials. A sword found itself lodged into the neck of the creature atop Sabacc. The thing's head fell to the side as the sword was quickly jerked upward through its spine, with a pale white hand quickly taking its place. Sabacc took the offered appendage and stood. He saw that the mass of undead had stopped dead in their tracks as they were all engulfed in the strange green mist. He heard strange muttering to his right and turned towards it. He saw another one of the robed women waving her hands that were completely encased in the mist towards the mass.

"Do not bother Ronsho, white-armored one." a deep feminine voice said and causing Sabacc to turn to it.

The voice belonged to one of the red-robed women. She was slightly older than him, being around twenty-five or twenty-six years of age. She was also around the same height as him, and her robes did nothing to hide her femininity (Author: Again, I am not gonna go into detail about that). Her hood was lowered, revealing silver hair that was brushed to the left side of her head. She had a gentle expression on her face as she came closer to him. She stopped when she was about fifteen centimeters away. She had two swords clamped to the small of her back while her arms rested just above them.

"Ronsho?" he asked as he tilted his head.

"My sister. She is the one keeping the Restless at bay."

"'The Restless'?"

"The creatures you were fighting."

"Ah. Uh… I'm CT-5033/1842."

"That is an odd name. My name is Jenra and I am a member of the Free Skies Tribe."

"Sorry, I've never seen a species like you and your friends on this world before. My given name is actually 'Sabacc'. The name I gave you before is my birth number."

"Your 'birth number'?"

"I'll explain it later. Thank you for helping us out of this bloody mess."

"Think nothing of it."

"Sister!" one of the robed women called and getting Jenra's attention.

Sabacc, not knowing exactly what to do, followed her over to the robed woman. She was looking down at the still body of Ivo Sturgess. His chest had blown out from Plaz's earlier shot while his legs had been mangled by a blast from the AT-ST. It groaned feebly as its eyes followed both Jenra and Sabacc over to its side. The robed woman stood up and bowed her head to Sabacc.

"It is an honor to be in your presence." she stated graciously.

"Uh… what?" he asked, becoming even more confused.

"Perhaps later, Gelzi?" Jenra put in before she could speak.

"Of course, Jenra." she said as she grabbed a bow from the ground and followed the group of robed women into the village.

"This one does not look like the others… do you know where he came from?" Jenra asked as she kneeled.

"Yeah, I know him. He's the idiot who I and my friends nearly died for before you showed up. His name is Ivo Sturgess. He was my commanding officer before these 'Restless' of yours got him. I'd say I'm sorry for him, but he was a terrible commander, and he would've gotten us killed if it weren't for the woman who saved us." Sabacc said with contempt as he stared down at the body.

The woman nodded before she drew one of her swords and stabbed it into Sturgess's left eye. Sabacc willed himself not to jerk as she let go of the handle.

"Tell me, who do you serve?"

"Well, that's kind of complicated at the moment."

"Do you serve the Sith?" she asked coldly as she reached for her remaining sword.

"No, I personally serve Grand Admiral Taver Slazin of the Galactic Empire. I don't know who 'the Sith' are." Sabacc asked as he tensed, ready to kill the woman if she tried to take a swing at him.

"This "Galactic Empire" you serve, is it a descendant of our captors?"

"What? No, the Galactic Empire was formed from the Galactic Republic after the Jedi tried to kill the Chancellor."

"... the Galactic Republic?"

"Yes, why?"

"The Savior said that his people would come for us one day, but we all believed it was a myth…"

"The 'Savior'?"

"The one who freed us from our Sith captors' clutches so long ago."

Chapter XII: The Plans In Motion

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The "Switch" + 49 (7 Weeks Days Since the "Switch")

"Who exactly are these robed female warriors?" I asked the small hologram of Colonel Marco Kavlin that stood at attention, arms behind his back in the middle of my desk.

"We're not entirely sure, sir. All we know is that they've been here for a very long time judging by their references to an even earlier period of the Old Republic. They also keep mentioning 'The Sith', although I have no idea what they are talking about." he replied as he brought out a datapad that he'd been holding and reading the report given by the survivors of the zombified village.

"Well shit, that complicates things. The Shadow Guard's gonna be hard to explain to them." I thought as I said aloud, "Perhaps it is some ancient reference. Either way, keep in contact with them. We cannot send an official envoy as we're currently working on other important operations. Lord Gown has recently found a village populated by what look like devolved versions of Trandoshans, and they would make a fine workforce. I imagine little to no issues in dealing with them. They are quite primitive."

"Shall I send an unofficial envoy to begin the process of incorporating them into Imperial service in the meantime, sir?"

"An unofficial envoy? Elaborate, please, Colonel."

"We send a contingent of the men who were at the village to go with the robed warriors, alongside an eight-man squadron of Stormtroopers and two squads of Imperial Army infantry of the same size. Perhaps one of the AT-RTs if you'll permit it."

"I don't think you'll need the AT-RT with the number of men already assigned, Colonel."

"I wish I could agree, sir, but the reason I wanted an AT-RT to go with them is the fact that it would give the warriors pause if they decide to attack our envoy. That is if we are indeed sending the envoy?"

"Oh, we most certainly will. I'm not one to let potential opportunities slip through my grasp. Actually, before you send the envoy, I believe we should have our Inquisitor accompany them. He would do better than an AT-RT in any case."

"Of course. Will you be… sending down the Shadow Guard as well, sir?"

"Possibly. Expect my answer in a few hours. If that is all, Colonel, you are dismissed." I finished as Kavlin cut the connection. I then leaned back in my chair and stared at the wall with my flag.

"Nightsisters… and ones that were slaves of the ancient Sith Empire as well.", I began to think, then stopped myself, "That doesn't make any sense. To my knowledge, the Nightsisters were founded centuries after the Old Republic era, according to the whole 'Mother Allaya' thing. So their ancestors couldn't have been slaves to the actual Sith Empire. Did a Sith Imperial ship get transported to this universe? If that is the case, then when? It couldn't have been in recent history, there would be evidence everywhere. Maybe it was a few centuries ago? Unless… BalancedFear mentioned that his NPCs said my ship had disappeared six months ago, but it's only been a month and a half since we arrived. Does that mean that there is no predetermined period the 'Switch' dropped us into? It was a damn roll of the dice? Christ, we could have been placed here at the same time as the Sith ship. Well, I guess I should be thankful for small favors. We're still going to have to look into any and all references to the Sith on the New World. I wouldn't be surprised if there were New Worlders with Force abilities running around."

I grabbed my datapad and began updating the log I started a week ago. It was mainly ideas and personal thoughts that I didn't want the other Players or my crew looking into. Once I was finished, I strode to the door, out of my room, and toward the lift. Once again, I was accompanied by two of the Basilisk Guard. I wasn't really paying attention to them as I walked out onto the bridge.

"Captain Cavos, a moment of your time?" I asked as the woman turned from her position at the viewport.

"Of course, Admiral." she replied as I headed into a room meant for conferences with the highest-ranking members of the ship's crew. She entered as soon as I sat down at the end of the table, standing until I let her have a seat.

"Captain, I just finished talking with Colonel Kavlin. He spoke to me about the warrior women the squad led by Lieutenant-Colonel Sturgess met. He wants to send an unofficial envoy to meet them and I have agreed to it. There is something that is troubling me, however. I need you to answer this question truthfully, Captain: Have you ever heard of the Nightsisters of Dathomir?"

"Y-yes, sir." she replied nervously.

"I thought you might have. I've read your file, Captain. Your great-grandmother was once one of them. That is before she was captured by slavers and sold to a smuggler on Felucia, your great-grandfather."

"That's… correct, sir."

"Did she, perhaps, pass down stories of Dathomir or the ways of the Nightsisters to your grandmother or grandfather?"

"Yes, sir. I never put much stock into the stories, however."

"That's not what I wanted from you. I want to know if any of those stories include or mention something called 'the Sith'?"

"No, I don't believe so, sir."

"Yet another mystery to solve. You see, the reason I'm asking you these questions is that the warriors our men met sound very similar to the Nightsisters. They say that they were enslaved by the Sith a long time ago. Judging by both the reports from the expedition and the story told by the sisters, they were rescued by what seems to be a Republic Trooper. Not a Clone, mind you, but an actual enlisted soldier of the Republic. That is not the issue right now, however. The issue is the Sith they mentioned. There is not much information from the Old Republic, but there are a few mentions about enemies of the Republic. One particular enemy was called the 'Sith Empire'. I'm not sure if they were the same Sith that enslaved the New World Sisters, but I digress. What I need from you concerning this matter is quite simple. I want you to have a scan performed of the planet. This scan needs to look for anything and everything that could not possibly be found on the planet naturally. An example of what to look for would be anything that would be from our home galaxy, such as Duranium. It's highly unlikely that any such things will be on the surface, so perform both a surface-level and a subsurface-level scan. Once that is completed, I want you to send me the coordinates of where they or it is located."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Hop to it, Captain."

Near the Great Lake, New World

The "Switch" + 52 (52 Days Since the "Switch")

Major Ivax Optir studied the map of the Great Lake region and made notes on a datapad set off to the side of the large wooden table the map was nailed to. He was looking for anything that would impede his force in this joint endeavor with the fifth Floor Guardian of Nazarick, Cocytus. He was nervous beyond belief since this was his first field command. He'd only recently graduated from the academy on Corulag when the "Switch" happened. While the Grand Admiral and General Jidak had full faith in his capabilities, he knew he was wholly unprepared for command. He was supposed to start out as a company commander for the Empire's sake!

Now, however, he'd been placed in overall command of an Imperial Armored Assault Force. One of the few bright sides of this situation was that the enemy he was facing was supposed to be so primitive that they didn't even have the concept of agriculture besides farming fish. The fish thing was also entirely new, as overheard by one of the Clone Scout teams that had been sent ahead of both his and Cocytus's force. He knew the primitives wouldn't be able to withstand an AT-AT without serious backup. He was limited to only two AT-ATs, however, with twelve AT-STs and two AT-TEs that were donated by the Inquisitor to act as security. The other thing that he didn't have to worry about was friendly fire. Cocytus himself had stated that it would be useless to try and avoid it as the walkers' weapons would blow the combatants apart. With this in mind, Ivax was given eighty Imperial Stormtroopers as well as a backup unit comprised of the first wave of Imperial soldiers from Carne Village. The wave only numbered one hundred men and women who were newer than even he was, which would mean that if they got called into action, things were going horribly wrong.

"Um… Beg your pardon, sir?" a timid female voice asked from behind him.

He turned around to see who it was, and was quite surprised. It was the commanding officer of the Carne Village unit, a younger plain-looking woman with brown hair and green eyes. Her hair had been shortened to both conform to Imperial military standards and also fit underneath her newly acquired Imperial Army helmet. The reason why she was in command of the Carne Village troops was that she grasped military concepts much faster than her colleagues, such as tactics and strategy. This was the first time either of them had met the other as her unit was a relatively recent arrival. Her men and she had only gotten here two days ago, while he was busy planning with Cocytus.

"Second-lieutenant Fitel Statsk?" he asked as he folded his arms behind his back.

"Yes, sir."

"Did you need something, Second-lieutenant?"

"I… uh… wanted to know what my role in the coming battle would be."

"Ah, I see. You and your troops will be loaded onto the AT-TEs until you are needed. Your introduction into the fray will hopefully be unnecessary. My plan after the battle is won is for you to occupy the Trandoshans' village. You are then supposed to maintain order until we can get a larger force out here and start the process of incorporating this entire region into Imperial hands. Er, a quarter of it, at least. You will be following the orders of Clone Captain CC-915-8246/139. He'll be the Stormtrooper with the orange pauldron."

"'Pauldron', sir?"

"(Sigh) The thing that sticks out over one of the shoulders. He'll be the only one with one on, as well as a pistol."

"Of course, sir. My apologies."

"It's not entirely your fault. You never saw one until about a month ago, so you can be forgiven for not knowing what they were called exactly."

"Right, thank you, sir."

"Is there anything else, Second-lieutenant?"

"Yes, just one other thing. What do we do with any captured Lizardmen, sir?"

"I'm sorry, 'Lizardmen'?"

"I mean, 'Tran-doe-sh-ans', sir."

"Oh. That's fairly obvious isn't it?"

"Not really, sir."

"Until we occupy their village, they're just mouths that are taking resources away from our own men. Take no prisoners."

"Y-yes, sir…" she responded quietly as she left the room.

With the distraction gone, Ivax went back to the map. He still needed to formulate a real strategy. Right now it was all just ideas with no substance, like "take the village". They couldn't just destroy it as that would defeat the whole purpose of capturing it. This meant the walkers were out of the question, but he didn't think he could hold the village with only one hundred-eighty troops, even if a good chunk of them were Clones. He still had no idea how large the village's population was. He knew that if it had enough numbers, they could simply overwhelm his forces and become an even larger threat.

He sighed as he pulled out one of his few cigarras that was still dry in this place. Even though they were still a good distance away from the "Great Lake" as the locals called it, they were still basically in a swamp, which was quite humid. He quickly lit it before it was turned into a damp roll of Roshallo leaves. He thought it kind of funny that he now smoked as much as he did. Before this entire mess, he'd never even touched one of the things because he'd heard the things were seriously terrible for one's health. He'd probably offer a retort if that fact was reiterated to him at some later time. Something along the lines of how "My job as an Imperial Officer is even more dangerous" or "It helps with the stress".

He stepped back from the table before the tip of his cigarra fell from use. It wouldn't exactly be the most ideal situation if he burned down both his and Cocytus's main base. He imagined the floor guardian would kill him for that, and he wouldn't blame him for it. He'd do something similar if Cocytus did something just as stupid. He decided it would be better if he stepped outside to smoke and try to get his mind refreshed after nearly spending four hours on strategies for the upcoming "battle".

He stared out at the brightening sky as he took a drag from the cigarra. He then saw one of the New World's various flying insects flitting about the trees only to get snatched by a frog that was camouflaged against the bark of the nearest tree. It chewed lazily as Ivax watched, barely even caring that its cover was blown. He took another drag as it hopped off the tree and into the mud below. It stood still for only a few moments before it gave a ribbit and hopped away.

"What'cha lookin' at?" a young girl's voice asked, causing him to stiffen.

He wasn't spooked because the silence had been broken. It was the owner of the voice that scared him and just about most Imperial soldiers. Hell, it even creeped out some of the Clones. It belonged to one of the most hated members of the Pleiades in most Imperial opinions; it was Entoma's voice.

"Nothing that needs to concern you." he said in a faux nonchalant voice though he was hurling every curse he could think of at the creepy maid in his mind.

He couldn't put a finger on what singular reason as to why he hated the maid so much, but the Clones could. It was a very simple reason, after all: she reminded them too much of the Geonosians that had killed so many of their brothers-in-arms. Most Imperials knew that the face she had was only a mask that concealed her truly monstrous visage.

"Lord Cocytus has asked for your presence, Major." she said in her obviously fake voice.

"Duly noted. I'll be there shortly." he replied bitterly as he took another drag.

"I'm to take you to hi-"

"That will NOT be necessary. I know damn well where he is."

"As you wish, Major."

He listened as the little monster walked away. He visibly relaxed once she was gone and took one last drag from his cigarra before tossing it into the swamp. As he went to leave, he noticed a medium-sized spider crawling by his boot. He eyed the arachnid for only a moment before bringing his boot down on it. He heard a satisfying crunch as he twisted his foot on top of it slowly, back and forth. He smirked as its legs twitched before he went back inside the building and over to the side occupied by Cocytus's forces.

Meanwhile, in a Small Cave Two Kilometers (1.2 Miles) North of the Lizardmen Village, New World

CT-51099/42 unloaded the power pack from the A280 he'd taken from one of the various corpses on Haldis. Once he set it aside, he punched out both the takedown pin near the barrel and the one near the handgrip. He then took out the power capacitor and gave it a quick once-over. Satisfied that it was still clean, he set it on the rock to his left before grabbing a telescoping cleaning rod from the maintenance kit to his right. He extended the rod so that it could go down the entirety of the barrel before wrapping a clean cloth around it. He then slowly pushed the rod down the barrel to push the mud that was stuck inside out. He'd had the weapon under the muddy water for far too long last night and wanted to make sure that it would still function for the attack tomorrow.

He liked the A280 due to its armor-piercing capability and the fact that it was much more compact compared to the standard DC-15A rifle. The others, however, opted for either a DC-15S Blaster or a DP-23 Shotgun. They also needed to clean their weapons much more thoroughly compared to him since their blasters were more susceptible to these conditions. He had just finished cleaning the trigger group when his helmet began to beep. Normally he would have taken the call on his wrist gauntlet, but his brothers were trying to sleep after last night's info-gathering mission. They'd gotten up much earlier than they had needed to, but that was unavoidable. Mission times changed so very often with green officers like Ivax in charge. He set the rifle down with one hand while simultaneously placing his helmet back on his head.

"Go for Frog." he said through a private channel.

"Frog, this is Harlow. You and your squad have new orders." Harlow stated briefly.

"Go ahead, sir."

"The Grand Admiral wants your unit to stay away from the fighting. He wants to test Ivax's ability to adapt to new developments in a combat scenario. Once the battle is over, you will make yourself available for use, no matter if we've lost or won. Understood?"

"Question, sir. Does this mean we cease patrols?"

"Negative, though they will not need to be as long as they have been."

"Understood, sir. One final question then."

"Go ahead, Frog."

"There's one Trandoshan that I think might be trouble, sir. He's got a brand on his chest and is armed with a magical weapon, and seems to be the one who introduced fish farming. Do you think we should attempt to take him out or capture him?"

"I'll need to run it by the Grand Admiral. Do nothing about it, for now."

"Roger that, sir."

"Good, out." Harlow signed off which made Frog take his helmet off.

"Damn. We better get an answer about what to do soon, cause from last night, it looks like he'll be leaving the tribe. Maybe I'm paranoid, but something tells me that he's not leaving them to fend for themselves." Frog thought as he went back to cleaning his A280.

Ro-Lente Castle, Re-Estize, Re-Estize Kingdom, New World

Artery walked down the ostentatious hallway with very well hidden disdain, though that was mostly due to him having his helmet on. He hated places like this because they didn't give him many options if he was caught in a firefight. Everything about these places was "style over functionality", and the owners were usually annoying little spoiled adult children who had no business telling him that "those tables are made from Alderaanian Kriin-Wood and have been in my family for generations" when he was trying to save their lives. It also didn't help that most of the people he passed watched his every move. He could understand an occasional glance, but the fact that they either just stared or murmured something to their colleagues made him uneasy.

"Where the hell is the Princess's room? I've been walking for bloody ages." he thought in annoyance as he entered another long hallway lined with large windows.

It took him another ten minutes until he found it. Stalker was leaning against the wall beside it, his helmet on to block out the noise. It probably also meant he could ignore the maids that were staring at him from the doorway to the room next to him. Artery didn't like the look of them. He could recognize a plant when he saw it and the two maids he could see, a brunette and a blonde, weren't exactly hiding it well. They were giggling while making quiet comments about the "warrior in strange white and red armor". If they had been Imperial Agents, he doubted they would make it very long. The Grand Admiral would've had them both shot before they could even get out into the field.

"(Took you long enough, sir)." Stalker said as he nodded at him and got off the wall. It had been decided that while in the palace, the commandos were forbidden from speaking in Basic, but they were allowed to speak in a language only known to them.

"(Not my fault this damn place is so confusing)." he replied as Stalker opened the door for him.

The room they entered was as grand as it was ornate. Artery stepped further into the room to let Stalker come in and shut the door behind them, watching him do so. The other commando then proceeded to take up a position by the door. He made sure that the position was as relaxed as it could be so that it wouldn't look like he was waiting for someone to ambush them. He then jerked a thumb to the right side of the room which was lined with windows. Artery turned that way and saw three young women. Two were seated at a small table while the third stood in a corner to the table's left, arms folde.

"Are you guys usually this late to meetings?" the lone ninja girl in the room said with an annoyed tone.

"No. Besides, it's usually not us commandos meeting with heads of state." Artery replied matter-of-factly.

"Tina, be nice." an unarmored Lakyus admonished jokingly as she put a teacup to her lips.

"So you are an agent of the 'Galactic Republic'? A golden-haired young woman in a white dress asked.

Artery's eyes narrowed imperceptibly at the woman. He didn't know why, but he got the feeling that she was already putting up a front. His squad had dealt with enough people who put up a similar front like she was. He had to give one thing to her, though. It usually took a lot less time to notice for him or his brothers to notice when someone was playing their cards close to their chest.

"Yes, miss…?" he asked casually.

"I am Princess Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself." she replied serenely as she quickly stood up and curtseyed.

"Apologies, your highness. I am RC-4120, or 'Artery' if you prefer."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Artery. Could you please remove your helm? I like to see the faces of those I talk to."

"Of course, your highness."

As he broke the seal on his helmet, Stalker did the same. The two then removed their helmets with the sound of a pressure release. Artery tucked his helmet under his arm while Stalker set his down onto the table to his right. The Princess, Lakyus, and Tina looked from Artery to Stalker, and back to Artery. This was the first time any of these women had seen a Clone helmetless.

"Are you two twins?" the Princess asked curiously, seeing the quite obvious resemblance in the two Fett Clones.

"No, your highness, they are not twins. They are known as 'Clones'." Lakyus explained, to the Princess's puzzlement.

"What is a 'Clone'?"

"I actually do not know. That's just what their leader referred to them as."

"I can explain, ma'am." Artery cut in before either could ask.

"Thank you, Artery."

"A Clone, your highness, is a being with the exact same features right down to certain details. I have the same face, same voice, same memories, even the same scars as the template that I was created from."

"Created'? Don't you mean you were 'born'?"

"I was about to explain that. Clones, you see, can not be made naturally. My squad and I were grown in vats on a distant planet called Kamino. This is the case with most of the elite forces of the Republic. Since our creation, we have been trained to fight and die, if necessary, for the Republic and its supreme chancellor, Sheev Palpatine. We were also aged rapidly to get us on the frontlines as soon as possible. That little defect has been graciously fixed now due to the efforts of the Grand Admiral. It took a little work to get it fixed, but now myself and all Clones under his command will age normally."

"I still cannot fathom the idea that you and those others that I met aboard your ship do not have parents."

"Technically speaking, we do have a father."

"You do?"

"The original person we were copied from. His name was Jango Fett, and he was killed during the first battle of the Clone Wars by the Jedi Master Mace Windu. He was working for the enemy at the time."

"If he was your Republic's enemy, then why did he allow himself to be used to create you and the others like you?"

"That's actually really simple to explain, your highness. He allowed himself to be copied because he was paid to."

"I'm confused. Was he an adventurer?"

"No, your highness. In our galaxy, he was known as a 'Bounty Hunter'. Their jobs are to do jobs for a fee. This can range from gathering information to hunting a target or allowing themselves to be cloned. I've heard people say he was paid quite well for it. Over five million Republic credits, though I don't know what that amount would be in New World currency. We haven't gotten around to a conversion ratio yet."

"That is a very large sum indeed. Most nobles don't have that amount of money in our own currency."

"Not to interrupt the interesting conversation, but don't we have some stuff to talk about concerning the intel we grabbed?" Tina butted in before the conversation between commando, adventurer, and the Princess could continue.

"Of course, please forgive my curiosity."

"Tina!"

"Is she always like this?" Stalker asked as he rolled his eyes.

"You got something to say?"

"Yeah, actually. Can it with your blasted attitude."

"Why don't you make me?"

"Lock it down, Stalker." Artery stated firmly before a fight between the 'Blue Roses' ninja and his brother could break out.

"Roger, lead."

"That goes for you too, Tina. We don't need a repeat of what happened in the village here."

"Right, Evil Boss."

The brewing fight quelled before it could even begin Artery, the Princess, and Lakyus sat down at the table. Tina chose a spot that was both close and hide her presence in the room. Stalker went back to his own spot by the door, folding his arms as he leaned on the wall. Artery was handed a cup of tea to sip on as a report on the village raid and subsequent formation of joint operations from Lakyus began.

As Lakyus talked, Artery took a look outside the window. It seemed like it would be a beautiful day as the world grew brighter. There were no malevolent clouds that could mar the sky. He saw one of the New World's avian species hover near the flowers, its wings going so fast that he could only see a blur as they moved. He watched the bird fly up but stopped watching it when he recognized a familiar figure. He'd never met the man personally, however, the reports of the "Battle" of Carne Village included his picture. The reports also made mention of how the man had led his troops in a charge against the Slane Theocracy forces before they and he were teleported to where the villagers had been placed.

The man was Gazef Stronoff, the Chief Royal Warrior. The Grand Admiral had been trying to track him down ever since the conclusion of the battle. He'd meant to give Gazef a way to communicate with him. That was the official story. Unofficially, it was meant to give the Grand Admiral his very own ear in the Re-Estize court. The communicator would be tracked and turned on whenever Gazef was in the courtroom. As soon as the meeting was over, Artery knew he was going to report Gazef's location and ask for orders regarding him. It would most likely be a courier job, but this was definitely important.

Artery's focus was lost as soon as the door was opened. A young man in armor walked in, took one look at him, and pulled his sword. He lunged at Artery just as Stalker pulled his EC-17 from his boot and grabbed the boy. The boy began to thrash until Stalker drove the barrel of the blaster pistol into the side of the boy's head.

"Climb!" the Princess cried as a look of fear crossed her once smiling face.

"Stalker, please explain to… Climb… that we're not intruders. The Princess asked for us to be here." Artery ordered calmly as he locked eyes with the boy.

"What he said. Don't believe us? Ask your Princess and lady Aindra." Stalker said as he withdrew the blaster.

"Ngh… your highness?" the boy asked, looking to her.

The Princess nodded her head vigorously, causing Stalker to shove him off. He then stuck the blaster back into its holster and folded his arms yet again. The boy coughed once, twice, and righted himself.

"Sorry for being late, your highness." he said as he came to attention.

"That's fine, but apologize to our guests for your behavior." the Princess scolded lightly with a pout.

"No need for him to do that. I would've done worse." Artery stated with a shrug as he got up from his seat.

"I'm Climb, the Princess's bodyguard." the boy said, outstretching his hand.

"Name's Artery. That one over there is my brother, Stalker."

"Sir Stalker."

The tension was once again diffused as the meeting continued, with Climb meeting Tina and taking Artery's spot at the table. Once this was done, Lakyus pulled out a piece of parchment that Artery couldn't see very well.

"We found this in the village where they were producing 'Black Dust' before we ran into Artery and his men." Lakyus said as she held out the parchment for the Princess, "Know what it is?"

"I'm sorry, but no. I've never seen this kind of writing before." The Princess replied as Artery came closer.

Artery's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the parchment. He quickly snatched it away from the Princess and took a closer look.

"What are you-!" Climb tried to ask as Artery looked at him and put a finger to his lips.

The parchment was written in Aurebesh and was a list of locations for multiple areas under Eight Fingers control. He shook his head as he handed the parchment back with a quick apology.

"Sorry about that. You see, that parchment is written in the written language of my galaxy, Aurebesh. We didn't think there had been any contact from our galaxy on this world."

Lakyus, Tina, and the Princess gasped in surprise while Climb looked at him with confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Lady Aindra can explain it later, kid." Stalker said as he came up to the table.

"What did it say?" the Princess asked, hope coming into her tone, "Is it orders from their leadership?"

"Sadly, no. It's a list of locations that I'm assuming are under Eight Fingers' control. I think a good chunk is within the capitol itself."

"Are they 'Black Dust' production sites?" Lakyus asked with a similar tone to the Princess's earlier question.

"No, I don't think they would be," the Princess interjected, "it would be stupid to have something like that at a production site."

"She's right. Come to think of it, one of the Hutts did something similar. They left an unencrypted message about locations for their rival's bases of ops for the Republic to find. Once we got that intel, we focused on them and left that particular Hutt alone for a while." Stalker put in as he rubbed his chin.

"It's bait, then. Damn."

"Not exactly. Like I just said, we focused on the rival locations. What if the leader of 'Black Dust' production is dangling a line for us to target one of their colleagues?"

"That makes sense. They would need time to recoup their losses, so what better way to do that than use their colleagues?"

"Was their underground brothel on the list?"

"I don't think so, no."

"Underground brothel? I thought those were done away with thanks to the Princess?"

"Abolishing slavery did a lot of good, but that one managed to evade us. We've just recently learned where it was, though. Princess, would it be alright for 'Blue Roses' to raid the place? If we turned up evidence, it could strike a powerful blow to the Nobles who are in bed with Eight Fingers."

"I don't want to create trouble for you, but it would be too much for Climb to handle on his own."

"Then forget it for now. What about the other locations?"

"You're right, they still don't know who's responsible for the village attack. There is a problem, though. They've got to know by now that the info was leaked by now."

"Can we borrow Stalker and Climb for a little while? We need them to tell Gagaran and the others that we're moving right away."

Chapter XIII: The First Contact With the Enemy

Re-Estize, Re-Estize Kingdom, New World

The "Switch" + 52 (52 Days Since the "Switch")

Major Werin Imore was seated at the table in the large guest room of the mansion that he, Sebas, Solution, and a number of other B.I.D. personnel used as a base of operations. He was reading the report forwarded to him from the leader of Squad 83 regarding their meeting with the princess of this kingdom, a "Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself". Another report from another member of the squad detailed their meeting with the rest of the "Blue Roses" team alongside Renner's personal bodyguard, a boy named "Climb". It also stated the aftermath of that meeting when the two found Sebas helping a young boy. The commando, IC-4121, then separated himself from the boy to meet at the rendezvous for pickup once the commandos were done with their mission in the city for the day.

Now that Werin thought about it, Sebas seemed to have developed a trend with that. First was that girl who had been thrown out in a bag, now the boy. He couldn't really complain about it as the girl was making herself useful around the mansion. She had seen some of the operations that were being conducted by him and his men, but she didn't ask any questions about any of it. He chalked it up to her previous… occupation.

"Poor girl. To be subjected to that kind of torture… makes my blood boil. When the time comes to finally get rid of Eight Fingers, I wanna find the bastards that made her do that. Let's see how they like being beaten and abused day in and out!" he thought bitterly as he remembered the first time he met her.

It was near evening when Sebas brought the girl in. When Werin saw her, he had thought Sebas had picked up a corpse. He was quite startled when he saw her hand twitch though.

"Welcome back, lord Sebas. How-," Solution started but changed her tone, "If I may ask, what the hell is that?"

"I found her." Sebas said simply.

"Where exactly did you find her? She looks like she's barely alive." Werin said as his face took on a concerned look.

"She was thrown out of a doorway in front of me, in a bag. I had my shadow demon open the bag, but nothing came out. I thought it was just refuse at first until she grabbed my pant leg as I was walking by."

"I see. I doubt you meant it as a gift, so what are you going to do with it?"

"She, slime. Call her an 'it' one more time-"

"Keep out of this, Imperial."

"Solution, I want you to tend to her wounds, at least until I can decide what to do with her."

"It may be better if one of my personnel handles her, Mr. Tian. I doubt that slime has the restraint to not try and do horrid things to the poor girl."

Sebas seemed to ponder that for just a moment before he came forward and handed the girl off to Werin. As he did so, Sebas noticed the glare that Solution was giving the Imperial. Werin nodded once and quickly left to find Staff Sergeant Hamily, their resident medic. Once he was three rooms away, he heard the two begin to argue.

"Hamily? Get in here, I've got a patient for you."

"Yes, sir." Hamily, a lanky younger man, said as he hustled into the room, "Who is that, sir?"

"A girl that Mr. Tian found while coming back. Tend to her as best you can, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir. I'll take her to the Med Room."

"Good. Let me know if her condition changes."

"Yes, sir."

Werin then left the two and searched for his second-in-command, Captain Maxim Yotun. The good captain could usually be found in the command center. This is where he directed the other B.I.D. agents while they were on missions in the city. Sure enough, he was there. He quickly stood at attention once Werin made himself known.

"Something I can do for you, Werin?" he asked, being informal due to the request Werin made to him when they first met.

"I need you to call two or three of the agents back here. Sebas just brought in a young girl, barely alive, and that blasted slime is not exactly happy about it. I'm worried it might try to harm the girl if it's left alone with her."

"I see… and if it tries anything?"

"Incapacitate it. I don't want Gown angry if we killed one of his precious subordinates."

"Of course, but what should we tell the Grand Admiral?"

"The truth. If we try and lie about anything, then we're both as good as dead."

"Werin, the Grand Admiral isn't Lord bloody Vader."

"I know, but I still don't think anything good will happen if we lie."

"Fair enough. I'll call back Drytitch and Wark. Once that's done, we'll contact the Grand Admiral."

"Sounds good. The girl's in the Med Room right now, so have them guard the entrance."

"Got it."

That had been nearly four days ago. There hadn't been any incidents between the slime and the girl but he was reluctant to call his orders back. He trusted the slime bitch like he trusted faulty intelligence. Personally, he wished the slime would just drop dead every time he saw her. Before he went down that rabbit hole, a message appeared on the front of his datapad, causing him to refocus back on it.

"Major Imore, after careful review of the information from the 'Black Dust' production site, you are to assemble all available agents and take control of location number six. It would serve well as a secondary base of operations for us."

"So we're finally getting a mission, eh? Wonderful." he muttered as he set the datapad down on the table and stood up.

As he opened the door, he nearly ran into their guest. She had been coming to check and see if he wanted anything. She instantly backed up against the wall with a look of fear in her eyes.

"Forgive me, sir Imore!" she nearly shouted, causing Werin to wince from their proximity.

"It's alright, Tuare. There is no need for you to apologize for something like this. It's entirely my fault." he replied soothingly.

"Of course, sir."

"Walk with me, I have an idea or two that I'd like a second opinion on."

"Would I really be the best choice for that, sir?"

"Actually, yes, since it pertains to the mansion. Just some additions and the like. By the way, you may call me Werin when no one else is around. I hate being formal."

Wetlands Region, Great Lake, New World

The "Switch" + 56 (8 Weeks Since the "Switch")

Optir's AT-AT

Ivax stared out of the cockpit of his lead AT-AT. They were currently making their way to the opposite side of the Wetlands to join up with Cocytus's forces. They had started out at dawn and had made good progress in getting to Cocytus. The other walkers had managed to keep up just fine, and the entire force would have reached their destination within an hour had they not needed to slow down. Earlier, one of the walkers nearly did but the disaster was averted at the very last minute. From that point on the walkers would need to move much more carefully. This meant that their schedule would be behind by a slight margin, but these things happen sometimes.

"Major, we're getting a hail from the Basilisk." the co-pilot said as he pointed back to the holoprojector.

"Put it through." he ordered as he came to attention.

"Major Ivax, I regret to report that the scout unit that was assigned to your task force has been reassigned." the comm operator said in a hesitant tone, most likely due to someone of high importance standing right behind him.

"On whose orders, Ensign?" he asked, knowing only a handful of men could change the Clones' standing orders.

"The Grand Admiral's, sir."

"Very well. Thank you for the update, out."

The transmission was cut while Ivax began mulling over that piece of information. He started to pace behind the two controlling his walker and causing the two to glance back at him. He didn't notice this due to the fact that the two were A: wearing their helmets with their faceplates toward the cockpit viewport, and B: he was deep in thought.

"This is most likely a test to see if I can adapt to the loss of units or something similar. It doesn't matter, I'll beat it and prove the General and the Grand Admiral made the right choice in making me Field Commander!" he thought as he stopped his pacing and turned back to the viewport.

Forty-five minutes later…

35th Nexu Legion AT-TE #735

AT-TE 735 managed, just barely, to avoid stepping into a sinkhole. CT-9784 frowned as he was jostled in his seat from the near catastrophe. He sighed and looked back to the command area from his station, where CT-02-0075 was maneuvering the tank and opened a comm channel.

"Oi Vox, mind the holes, eh?" he asked in a fake beg, to which Vox simply chuckled.

"I'll try. You've gotta remember though, these tanks might be called 'All-Terrain', but that's not really the case Ameer. They were meant for more stable ground than this!" Vox replied with feigned sympathy and earned a laugh from Ameer.

"How close are we to the rendezvous point again?" CT-10-0025 cut in, sounding very bored from his position on the main gun.

"It'll be another fifteen minutes, Okai. Worried that you'll miss all the action?" CT-9544 replied from behind Ameer.

"A little bit. I don't exactly trust our 'allies' to hold off until we arrive, Doss. Half of them seemed even more stupid than the droids."

"You noticed it, too?" CT-01-1002 asked from his station that controlled the rear guns.

"Who wouldn't, Tunn?"

"Fair enough."

"Excuse me, but is there a privy in here? My stomach feels a little funny." a female voice asked from the troop transport bay.

"No, but we have a waste bin?" Doss answered in an unsure tone, glancing over at Ameer who just shrugged.

"Um, where is it?"

"Should be near the back ramp, Second-lieutenant." Vox said as he scanned the ground.

"I see it. Thank you!"

The Clones inside the tank cringed slightly at hearing the poor girl. That stink would most likely take a while to clean out of the tank and would only distract them. The first chance they got, they were tossing that bin into the Wetlands...

Fifteen Minutes later…

Optir's AT-AT

"We're coming up on where Commander Cocytus's forces should be now, Major." the pilot stated as he halted the AT-AT.

"Let him know that we've arrived. We'll let our 'allies' attack first and intervene if they start having difficulty with those beasts." Ivax commanded as he pulled out his C-1 personal comlink.

"Right away, sir." the co-pilot said as Ivax left the cockpit and entered the bridge between it and the troop bay.

"Captain CC-915-8246/139, come in."

"Sir?" the Clone questioned from the other end.

"This might just be paranoia on my part but have your men armed and ready. I'm not willing to take any chances with those beasts out there. If they somehow manage to bypass Cocytus's force and reach our walkers, I want your men to take them out before they reach our AT-TE escort. Those are the most vulnerable to a ground assault."

"Alright, sir. I'll get the boys kitted up just in case."

"Good." Ivax said as he turned the comlink off and went back into the cockpit.

"Sir, Cocytus's forces are beginning to move forward. Do you still want us to stay back here for now?" the pilot asked as dark clouds began to form outside the viewport.

"Yes. My previous command hasn't changed, pilot."

"Of course, sir."

"And so it begins…" Ivax thought as the undead army below began rushing forward.

The First Battle for the Wetlands 30:7:16 GrS (April 2nd, 2138)

Lizardman Frontline

Qrugot Zizk met the incoming undead horde with his club raised and his clansmen by his side. The first skeleton he met was promptly smashed down with a shattered skull and sunk into the thick mud under the water. He swung his weapon from the left at another skeleton that charged him with a scythe. It collided with the skeleton's chest and blew the skeleton apart from the force. He barely managed to avoid the skeleton cavalry as it ran past him toward their outer flank.

"Stupid buggers!" he thought as he saw the hoofs of the undead horses break from the traps they had concealed earlier.

He got up from his spot on the ground just as the cavalry were getting pelted with rocks from the slingshots of their ranged warriors. He was spent back to the ground by an arrow that came from the undead side of the battle. Several of his clansmen fell from the multiple arrows that had pierced their bodies. Angered by this, he rushed back into the fray as more undead warriors charged forward again.

An undead wolf then leaped at him, knocking him down for the third time. He quickly clubbed the wolf in the face multiple times before pushing it off. He was on his feet quickly and smashing another skeleton to pieces as it went to skewer him with its arming sword. He saw an undead boar coming at him only to be grabbed by a swamp elemental. It was quickly torn in half and tossed aside.

In mere minutes, they had pushed the undead horde back. He started smiling as he knew victory was close at hand. Those thoughts, however, were dashed as an explosion took out a group of his clansmen beside him.

"What the hell was that!?" one clansman cried as a strange sound filled the air.

"There's something coming out of the forest!" another shouted as two bipedal metal boxes came stomping into view.

AT-ST Team #11

Evod Vokreh pulled the trigger on the chin-mounted blaster cannon again, sending another group of the pathetic Trandoshans flying. His pilot, a Serennian like himself named Zil Nour, giggled as he used one of the walker's feet to squish one of them.

"Dammit, Zil! You know we'll have to clean that, right?" he asked annoyed as he fired again at the Trandoshans.

"Hey, I want some of this action too. I'll clean the damn thing myself if it'll get you to keep shooting those Trando freaks down there." he snapped back as he moved the walker off the squished body.

"You don't have to worry about that, pal."

"Look, one of them is trying to run! Get 'im!"

"Rog'."

Evod fired the light E-Web at the runner, only to miss when he lost the runner in the crowd. A fireball went past their walker from behind and impacted a group of Trandos. As they watched another sail into the crowd, they noticed said crowd begin to run at them. Evod switched to the grenade launcher and fired into the mass, causing even more explosions. Bodies flew everywhere as the mass continued its charge.

"Spast, look out!"

"Wha-"

Their AT-ST was knocked aside by a massive four-legged reptilian beast with four snakeheads as it ran towards whatever had been throwing fireballs. Evod and Zil couldn't see much as their AT-ST hit the ground. That was the least of their worries, however, as their walker began sinking. Evod thought quickly and opened the hatch to get out. He grabbed both his and Zil's E-11 blasters before diving out into the mud. Zil took a second longer to jump out as he tossed something back into the rapidly disappearing walker.

"You good?" Evod asked as he scanned the area with one of the E-11s.

"Yeah, but we gotta move. I tossed a couple of therm dets in there!" Zil said as he grabbed Evod by the arm and started dragging him away from the walkers.

"Look, humans!" a Trandoshan cried before being promptly shot by Zil, who had taken his E-11 from Evod.

"Damn, we've been spotted!"

"Head for Team 9, after that we'll head back to the AT-TEs!"

"Got-Watch out!"

"Whoa! Blasted freak!" Evod jumped as he fired a shot at a Trandoshan that had snuck up behind him.

As the two began heading to where they last saw Team 9's AT-ST, they stopped when they saw that Team 9 was in a similar position to them. Their walker had been taken out by a big green Trandoshan with a more ferocious head than his counterparts. They saw it turn toward the lich that had been tossing fireballs at the ones in front of them. Team 9 managed to get out of their own AT-ST without being noticed. They were already making a dash toward Evod and his partner before they were all engulfed in freezing fog. The two downed AT-STs exploded soon afterward.

"Damn it, I can't see a thing! Zil, where are you?" Evod asked into the fog while raising his E-11 up.

"Huh?!" a Trando voice cried from the fog.

"Fierfek!" he spat as he blasted at where the voice came from. He was rewarded with a pained grunt from the creature.

"Evod, if you can hear me, keep heading towards the forest! I'll meet you at the AT-TEs!" Zil called out from a great distance away.

"Got it, I'll see you soon!" he replied as he started running in the direction that he thought the forest was.

As he kept going, he tripped over the body of a black-scaled Trando with a brand on his chest. As he went to get back up, he was picked up unceremoniously from behind.

"What do we have here, then?" the big Trandoshan look-alike asked with a feral grin as Evod squirmed in his grip.

"It's a human, but what's he doing all the way out here?" a female Trando voice asked as the black-scaled one groaned.

"What's this about a human?"

"I grabbed this little pissant after he tripped over you."

"Let go of me, you lizard freak!" Evod growled as he struggled more.

"Hm? What's this?" the female voice asked as a strange-looking Trandoshan picked up his E-11.

"Let me see that, Crusch." the black-scaled one asked as he held his hand out toward 'Crusch'.

"Sure, Zaryusu." Crusch replied as she handed 'Zaryusu' the E-11.

"So what is that?" the big green one asked as his grip tightened on the back of Evod's jumpsuit.

"I don't know, but-whoa!" Zaryusu exclaimed as he accidentally fired the rifle at the ground next to his feet.

"That was the noise I kept hearing while we were dealing with that damn lich. I guess it was this guy and a few of his friends, then." the green one said as his eyes narrowed at Evod.

"We're taking him back with us. He might be able to tell us about those metal boxes that attacked. Think you can carry him, Zenberu?" Zaryusu asked as he moved his finger away from the trigger guard.

"Not a problem."

Optir's AT-ST

"What in the name of the Empire just happened out there?! We've lost two of our AT-STs to a bunch of simple-minded tribal reptiles?! That is unacceptable!" Ivax raged at hearing the news of how soundly defeated Cocytus's force had been. The messenger of the news, Zil Nour, gulped as he waited for the Major to calm down enough to finish his report.

"What else do you have to report, Corporal?"

"My gunner and Team 9 never made it back to the AT-TEs, sir. I think… they might still be on the battlefield." Zil said nervously as he cringed.

"WHAT? Damn it, now we're going to have to get ourselves further involved! When this campaign is over Cocytus will answer for his stupidity."

Ivax quickly turned towards the holoprojector and contacted the rest of his task force. He ordered both of the AT-TEs to move forward along with four more AT-STs. They would attack the enemy and attempt to rescue the Imperials that were more than likely captured. He then ordered his own AT-AT to move forward behind them to provide covering fire. Once that was finished, he took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair.

"Sir? We're getting a hail on the holoprojector." his pilot said, turning to look back to Ivax.

"Who is it from?"

"C-Cocytus, sir."

"Put. Him. Through."

"(Gulp) Yes, sir."

Cocytus's form appeared on the holoprojector, his posture tense.

"Major Optir, I would like to ap-"

"Save it. You've cost us two AT-STs in only ten minutes. Not only that but your stunt has left three out of the four men in AT-ST Teams 9 and 11 in enemy hands. We only know about them because the second member of Team 11 managed to make it back to us. We'll discuss how to deal with your incompetence once I've finished dealing with the Trandoshans."

"Wait, you plan on attacking them?"

"Yes. I will not abandon my men."

"No, you are going to pull your forces back immediately."

"What?"

"As the overall Commander of our operation, I am ordering you to pull your forces back to our outpost."

"Kark your orders. Pilot, cut the transmission."

"Yes, sir." the pilot replied before Cocytus could protest.

"Have our forces moved into position yet?"

"Yes, sir. They're awaiting your orders."

"Good. Tell them to begin the attack while we get into position."

35th Nexu Legion AT-TE #735

Okai fired the main gun at the gathered Trandos as the AT-TE reached the edge of the forest. The round sailed towards the group but went high and impacted the embankment behind them. The celebrating group turned to face this new threat quickly and they scattered, as they had learned from going against the scout walkers earlier.

"Osik, they're spreading out. Not sure how much use I'll be on the main gun." he stated to his brothers in the tank, who were getting the other guns ready.

"Get in here, then. It won't do you any good to be a target out there, vod." Vox ordered as the other guns began firing.

Okai quickly got out of his seat and into the walker. Once he was in, he went to the back and grabbed one of the many DC-15S carbines they had stowed on the AT-TE. General Merrick had made it a rule to keep multiple personal blasters on his walkers for any dire situations. Chalk it up to a few bad battles during the Clone Wars. He grabbed his own and went back to stand between Ameer and Doss. They then felt the AT-TE jerk to a halt, throwing them to the deck.

"What the hell just happened?" Ameer asked as he saw double of everything.

"I don't know! Something grabbed us and now we're stuck in the mud. The guns that are closest to the ground are clogged with the stuff, and the Trandos have a clear path to my station. I'm coming back to you guys." Vox replied as the command station door slid open. He then shot some of the controls with his pistol before blasting the power controls to the main gun.

Once that was accomplished, he started heading to the crew section before he was jumped by a Trando that had broken through his viewport from behind. Okai quickly fired two shots, one blowing its head off and the other throwing the body back. Vox then sprinted for the trio of his brothers and sealed the door just in time. The three could hear banging coming from the door from multiple impacts.

"That was close. Ori'vor'e, vod." Vox said as Ameer pulled him to his feet.

"What's going on up here? I heard blaster fire." Statsk asked as she came up from the troop transport bay with her SE-14C held next to her face in two hands.

"Well, do you want the good news or the bad news?" Doss asked sourly as Okai went back to grab the other DC-15S's.

"What's the bad news?"

"We're dead in the water with a bunch of those damn Trandos right outside the door that leads to the command station."

"The good news?"

"We've got enough supplies to last us a few days before we'll have to try and fight our way out, and we still have comms."

"Should I start arming my men?"

"Not a bad plan. Have four of them sent up here to watch the door with Ameer and Doss, then have some others watch the hatch that leads from the outside into here near the main gun. Okai will show you where it is. We'll then work on a shift schedule until we're either rescued or have to break out on our own." Vox stated as he took the offered blaster carbine from Okai.

"Alright, I'll go tell my men, while you see if you can contact the others still out there."

"Roger, LT."

Statsk then went back down to the troop transport bay while Tunn appeared from his station.

"What are the chances that we'll make it out of this mess alive, Vox?" he asked as he removed his helmet and placed it on the console to his left.

"To be honest, I haven't got a damn clue about that. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, you get on the comms and let the Major and Monk know what's happened."

"Got it."

"What do you want me to do after I've shown the wets where the hatch is, vod?"

"Get some rest. You and I will be swapping out with Doss and Ameer."

"Roger that. When is our shift?"

"In two hours. Hopefully, we'll have won the battle by that time."

"We can only hope."

Optir's AT-AT

Ivax's mood had darkened even more after learning about AT-TE 735's situation. He then ordered the AT-STs to head to it and cover it for as long as they could. He also brought AT-TE 114 back as he moved his AT-AT forward. The two walkers would then be backed up by the rest of the AT-STs and the other AT-AT. This would only occur if the situation right now wouldn't slip further into chaos than it already had though. If it looked like the battle would start going even more poorly than it was, he would have no choice but to pull his own forces back. He knew that the AT-TEs still had many provisions, even though they had a full complement of soldiers in their troop bays.

"We can see the battlefield now, sir. I think we've got more problems." his co-pilot said as he pointed at the utter madness that was the battle in front of them.

In the few minutes since he'd relayed his orders, three of the AT-STs he'd sent out there had been taken down with the final one only barely holding back the tide of Trandos from overwhelming the stricken AT-TE. The crews of the three AT-STs that had been taken down had been forced to retreat to AT-TE 735, if they hadn't been killed by the horde, of course.

"Damn. Tell the others to stay where they are in case we need to retreat. I have a feeling this is only going to get worse. Once you're done, begin firing on their frontline." Ivax said bitterly as he tried to think of a way to salvage a victory from this impending defeat.

The AT-AT's MS-1 twin fire-linked heavy cannons fired, halting the horde for a short time. The horde quickly regained its composure, however, and a large chunk began heading towards the walker. The rest retained their focus on the downed walker and the still-standing final AT-ST. The AT-AT fired again with its heavy cannons as well as starting to fire its FF-4 medium repeating blasters at the closest lizards. As the AT-AT had been firing, Optir noticed something start to form in front of the embankment where the horde had come from.

"What the hell?" he thought as two large cones of what looked like earth formed. As he watched, he saw the two combine into one larger mass and start rushing towards them.

"Gunner, focus fire on that thing!"

"On it, sir!" the co-pilot replied as the pilot shifted the head of the AT-AT to face the cone-shaped mass.

He fired but the rounds missed as the cone simply opened a large hole in the center of its body where the AT-AT's head was pointed at. The mass then slammed into the walker, mud caking the viewport. It also splashed the two front legs of the walker as well as clogging the weapons systems with enough mud to most likely facilitate a deep clean.

"Why aren't you firing, gunner?"

"The guns are jammed, sir. I- wait, what's that?"

"What is what?"

"Jaev, do you see the sensors?" the co-pilot asked, breaching Imperial doctrine by saying the pilot's birth name, as he pointed to the text appearing on one of the screens between them.

"Wha- oh, hell. Sir, we've got a situation." the pilot said in alarm as he turned to Ivax.

"Oh, what now?!" Ivax cried out in exasperation.

"The freaks are crawling up our front legs, sir. If they manage to get up to one of the hatches on our sides, they'll get in here. Then it'll only be a matter of time before they get up here."

"Dammit it all! Captain, come in!"

"What, sir?" the Clone asked as he instantly knew something was very wrong.

"Get your men ready to repel boarders. The reptiles are coming up."

Troop Transport Bay, Optir's AT-AT

Captain CC-915-8246/139, or "Owl" to his men, stood next to a firing line of his fellow Clones. They had quickly organized into two ranks facing the rear of the troop transport bay. One row stood while the other kneeled with their DC-15A rifles as the rest of his men stood back in reserve. They were armed similarly to the firing line, with a few DC-15S carbines thrown in. He was carrying a DC-15S himself that was held at his hip.

"Alright, boys, we can't let any of the Trandoshans past this point. We just need to keep them back long enough for both AT-TE 114 and us to fall back. Wait for my command to fire into 'em, alright?" he stated as he brought his weapon up so that he could look down the sights.

"Sir, yes, sir!" his boys yelled at once as they tensed, ready and waiting for the boarding party.

"Come on in, you fierfeks. Come on in." he muttered to himself as he narrowed his eyes underneath his helmet.

When the first Trando's face came into view, he held his fire for a few seconds as he waited for more to appear. Their number increased in only a few seconds. He breathed in as he squeezed the trigger of his carbine.

"Blast them!" he shouted as he fired the first shot into the first one that had entered, mere inches from the barrel of his blaster.

The bay was bathed in blue flashes as the Clones opened up on their reptilian boarders. The number of boarders built back up quickly as they fired, getting to the point where they would start getting overwhelmed.

"Keep them back!" one of his brothers shouted as he blew the head off of one of the closest ones, painting his white armor red with gore and viscera.

"Beads, watch-Agh!" a Clone cried out as a sword found itself buried in his side. Before he died, he managed to kill the creature that had stuck him.

"Spast, they're starting to come in behind us!" another Clone cursed as he dodged a swing from a club and shot the user in the chest.

Other troopers weren't so lucky and their numbers had been cut by a third in almost an instant. The reserve Clones sprang into action and pushed the rear assault back just enough to have a little breathing room. Owl was then knocked off his feet, his carbine and helmet getting knocked away as he hit the deck. The one that had attacked him had his club shot out of his hand, causing him to attempt to kill Owl with his natural weaponry.

It fell on him with its jaw outstretched. Owl managed to raise his right gauntlet just in time for the creature to bite down on it. It cried out as it broke its teeth on the gauntlet as Owl grabbed his DC-17 pistol from his left hip holster. He quickly jammed the blaster into the Trando's mouth before firing. His shot not only killed the one that had tried to take a chunk out of him but went through two others due to the tight quarters they were in. He just stayed on the ground as it would be impossible to try and get up at this point.

By the twentieth creature he'd shot, their number had dwindled to the point that the rest dropped their weapons and surrendered. It was at this time that he stood up albeit with some slight difficulty. The floor was slick with mud, water, and blood from the lizards and just blood from the Clone brothers he'd lost. He was then quickly handed his helmet by one of his brothers as said brother stared at the five Trandoshans that had surrendered.

"What do you think we should do with 'em, Owl?" the Clone, CT-8816 asked as he focused back on his Captain.

"Tie them up and stick them next to the speeder bike racks. We'll figure out what to do with them after we get back." Owl said as he took a look around.

"We lost fifteen men, sir. I'll give the lizards one thing: they sure do have courage. They charged us even though we were armed with blasters."

"I'm inclined to agree with you Bolt. I know for a fact I wouldn't have done that, especially with just clubs and swords."

"I heard that. So, what are you going to do now?"

"Head up to the cockpit. See what the Major wants us to do."

"Really? You ain't gonna kill him for this?"

"I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but the Major actually did a pretty good job considering what happened today. He managed to keep our losses to just those of us in here and the few AT-STs that were knocked down. If he'd told the other walkers to get up here… I'll be honest, I'd shoot him myself. It would have been a damn waste since this whole campaign went sideways the minute when that floor guardian's force was decimated."

"Think the Admiral will see it that way?"

"I don't know. Maybe he will, maybe he won't." Owl said as he left Bolt and started towards the cockpit.

Aftermath of the First Battle for the Wetlands

Of the combined forces of the GTN and Imperial task force, only twenty-six point oh-five percent of the force survived. This percentage was all Imperial as the undead army stood no chance against the surprising prowess of the Trandoshan tribes of the Wetlands Region. The Imperial forces did lose a significant amount of equipment, including five All Terrain-Scout Transports. An All Terrain-Tactical Enforcer was also left stranded at the battlefield with the entire crew and troop complement still inside, along with the survivors of the second Imperial attack.

Allied Casualties: 618 (Including M.I.A.)

Lizard Casualties: 1,458 (Including M.I.A.)

Result: Allied Withdrawl. Battle will be resumed at later date.

Re-Estize Slums, Re-Estize Kingdom, New World

Operation: Urban Knight, 30:7:16 GrS (April 2nd, 2138)

The target building was in sight. The three four-man squads that were comprised of agents that had been sent to Re-Estize were able to approach undisturbed, as they had decided to execute the op when it was late at night. Their approach was also helped by the fact that they were all clad in black fatigues with light Field Armor and Scout Trooper helmets in the same color. They knew that a majority of the guards would have gone home as the day turned to night. They only needed to worry about the "samplers of goods" and the skeleton crew of guards that had taken over for the guards that had left.

"Alright, no screw-ups, got it? This is our first op and it's bad form to fail the first." Werin stated to the members of his squad, which included Maxim and two others that he hadn't had time to properly meet.

"Got it, Ghost-One." Maxim replied, using their squad's codename.

"Ghosts Three and Four, cover the alley while Ghost-Two and I open the door." Werin ordered the other men.

"Rog'." Ghost-Three said as he got into a high-ready stance with the modified E-11s they had been issued while Ghost-Four did the same on the other end of the alley.

The E-11s they had been given took some of the parts from the DC-19 and simply applied them to the E-11. This included the sound suppressor and the alternate firing mode which made the blaster bolt turn invisible. To incorporate these, the barrel had been modified so that these systems would be housed in a shroud that covered the barrel. A collapsible stock had been added as well that was highly reminiscent of an MP5A3 though none of them knew that. The scope had also been swapped out for a red dot sight with a swing-out magnifier. These also came with an added sling mount to easily be carried when there were no holsters available for them.

"Grab the door handle." Werin said to Maxim as he lined his E-11 'Stealth' Model at the hinges.

Maxim grabbed the handle of the wooden doorframe as Werin fired, then letting the door lower gently so as to not attract any attention. The door did make a slight noise and the pair waited for anyone to respond to it.

"What was that?" a gruff voice asked groggily as he sat up next to the door.

The man looked down at the fallen door and his eyes widened as he stood up. He didn't get far as Werin quickly shot out the man's neck. The man tried to scream, but it came out as a strangled gurgle. He then fell over as Ghost Squad entered the building. Werin tapped the side of his helmet.

"Wraith-One, come in, over." Werin spoke into the private comm channel that had been created before the op had begun.

"Go for Wraith-One, over." Drytich responded promptly, with a little bit of background noise.

"Wraith-One, what is your status, over?"

"Currently in the back rooms, near the slave quarters, over."

"What's that noise I'm hearing in the background, Wraith-One, over?"

"Just some poor murgalak who came in here with a girl. Wraith-Two is tending to her, over."

"Why, over?"

"Sir, it was a kid. She looks like she's fourteen, over."

"Blast it. Make sure she keeps quiet. Once you're done with her, deal with the rest of the 'clients' here, over."

"Anything else, over?"

"If you see anyone special, like say a Noble from the files we've gathered, capture them."

"Roger, that all?"

"Yes, over."

"Wilco all, out."

"Good. Phantom-One, come in."

"Go for Phantom-One, over." a female voice said.

The voice belonged to the third-in-command of the unit assigned to Re-Estize, Cirrus Lenticular. She was rather plain-looking, with the only thing of note about her being her prosthetic legs. She'd lost them due to a bombing committed by the Loyalist faction on her home planet of Jabiim. Angered by their actions, she quickly joined the Jabiimi Nationalists and sought out cell after cell of the Loyalists. Realizing that not only was her world plagued with rebels that would only harm more innocent people in the long run, but the entire galaxy was like this, she quickly joined the ranks of the Empire. She'd been assigned to the Basilisk only two years ago but had managed to climb to the rank of Captain.

The reason why she was third-in-command, however, was that Maxim had more experience when compared to her. Maxim joined the Army as soon as he was eligible, nearly four years previously. He'd climbed up the ranks quite literally as he was given a field promotion. That field promotion would soon become an actual promotion once his skills as a leader were discovered during the uprising on Rampa I. He'd arrived aboard the Basilisk with the Army contingent.

"Are you in position, over?" Werin asked as Ghost-Three finished the man who was still choking on his blood.

"Yes, Ghost-One. We've managed to take control of the storage room. So far there haven't been any hostiles, over."

"Good. Don't let any of the Eight Fingers personnel or the 'clients' leave though that way."

"Roger. We'll be waiting for both you and Wraith Squad, over."

"We should be there soon, out." Werin replied as he cut the transmission and turned to the rest of his unit.

He gestured for them to fan out and clear the rooms nearby. They took all the doors that were shut first, with him going to the one that was near the end of the hall. He opened the door slightly while turning on his Nightvision as the room was pitch black. He waited to hear any signs of life from within and was rewarded with none. He shut the door, as he heard what sounded like an air puff come from the room ten steps away.

Maxim came out of that room with the barrel of his blaster coated in blood. He most likely had the barrel touching the man's head when he'd fired. He quickly fished out a cloth and got to cleaning as another air puff went off in the room across from Werin. Ghost-Four exited that room quickly as the smell of smoke filled the air.

"Ghost-Four, why do I smell smoke?" Werin asked as Ghost-Three left his room.

"I used the hostile's pillow to muffle his scream. He woke up just as I was about to fire and I didn't want to alert the place to our presence, yet." he replied as he shrugged.

"Did you-"

"Yes, I stamped the fire out."

"Good. We're going to continue on like we are. You all know the plan if we get discovered."

"Yes, sir." the three men replied as Werin turned onto the new hall.

Kyle Drytich quickly covered the mouth of the guard outside the room of a "client". He then pulled his knife and plunged it into the man's chest several times. He let the body fall as he heard the girl inside scream in pain. He pulled out a SE-14C "Stealth" Model, which was a SE-14C that had a scaled-down sound suppressor and no scope. He opened the door slowly and saw an ugly bastard having his way with a young woman. He crept up behind the man before tapping the man's head with the barrel of his pistol.

The man turned, annoyance on his face at first, before he realized there was a weapon pointed at his nose.

"Scream and you'll be dead before help arrives." Drytich stated in a monotone as he secretly set the weapon to stun.

"W-who-" the man tried to ask before being hit with the butt of Drytich's pistol.

"I'm asking the questions. What's your name?"

"R-Rafferty Bloom."

"Of House Bloom?"

"Y-yes."

"I was hoping for your brother. Oh well." Drytich sighed as he stunned the corrupt Noble.

He dragged the man off the bed and went over to the girl. She was bruised severely and barely conscious. He then radioed Staff Sergeant Hamily before moving onto the room opposite this one. As he opened the door, he was met by a "client" as he was leaving his own room. The two stared at each other for only moments before Drytich switched his pistol back to kill and shot the man in the chest. The man was laid out flat on his back as Drytich practically dove into that room. Once inside, he dragged the corpse of the man in and dropped him next to the bed. He looked at the bed to see if there was anyone. There was a person, but it was too late to save them.

He could already see the young boy's bloodshot eyes and crushed throat from where he stood. Drytich went over and shut the boy's eyes before blasting the man's body again. When he left this room, no one greeted him from the room he had just come out of.

"What the hell happened here, Wraith-One?" Hamily asked as he stared dumbfounded at his squad leader.

"'Client' was coming out of here just as I finished up in there. The patient in there is a woman in either her late twenties or early thirties. Don't do anything to the stunned guy. He's a Noble from the Bloom Household." Drytich replied as he pointed to Bloom's room.

"Got it. If he wakes up?"

"Stun him again, though on a higher setting. Maybe a four or five if he's up."

"'Four or five'? That's high enough to knock out a bantha!"

"Well if he's up after stunning him on setting one, let me know how long he stays knocked out on four or five, eh?"

"Fine. If he dies, though, I'm blaming it on you."

"He won't, but alright." Drytich said in an 'I'm an expert' tone before he left to continue clearing the 'client' rooms.

As he neared the eighth room in his sweep, he heard gurgles from an older man coming from inside. He carefully opened the door before stepping in something wet. He looked down and saw the blood pooling at the end of the bed. One of the slaves was busily stabbing the 'client' of the room over and over with a sharpened piece of metal she'd taken from the bed frame. She looked up at him with wild eyes before narrowing them and rising to attack. She managed to get to the end of the bed only to be stunned as she jumped at him.

Her firm chest smacked into his faceplate as he was knocked over by her. She was definitely not one of the weaker slaves. He pushed her off of him and noticed that she was definitely more fit compared to some of the slaves he'd seen in the previous few rooms. It was obvious she had just become a slave. He then saw the ears and everything snapped into place.

She looked similar to Gown's elves, Aura and Mare, making her a Dark Elf if his memory served him correctly. What he didn't understand was how she ended up a slave for Eight Fingers. He shook his head before carrying her into another one of the rooms he cleared. He set her down and left the room. He carved a note in the door for his fellow Imperials before he set about completing his objective.

"There is a Dark Elf behind this door. Be careful when opening, she may be acting irrationally. That means no entering without a squadmate, Hamily."

He stopped at the last door and heard the sounds of multiple men raping a single girl. Knowing this was the final door in the "clients' only" rooms, he kicked the door down and shot two of the three men that had been having their way. The third man quickly removed himself from the girl's mouth as he raised his hands in the air. Drytich didn't care and shot the man's equipment off. The man screamed as his member and sack changed into a gaping hole that shot out blood before being shot twice in the head. Drytich might be what some consider to be cruel in a lot of cases, but even he wasn't enough of a monster to let a man suffer through that kind of pain.

Cirrus leaned against the side of a large crate. Her fair-skinned face was visible as her faceplate was up due to the helmet becoming stuffy. Usually, the helmet was temperature regulated, but that was when it was paired with its armor. It was a stand-alone feature in the uniform she was currently wearing. She closed her eyes to take a small nap, seeing as she didn't get much sleep. It was an annoying little problem for her. Whenever something big that included her was going to happen, she couldn't really sleep.

Phantoms Two and Three were busy conversing about their homeworld of Nar Shadda. The two were brothers who'd been orphaned by gang violence. They'd only joined up with Empire because it was the only way they could get off that particular mudball. She didn't know why they hadn't cut and run yet, though. Maybe they figured it was easier to work with the Empire than try and deal with the constant dangers of the New World. They'd all read the after-action reports from Carne. They didn't want to find out what else could be out there that could kill them in the blink of an eye.

Phantom-Four was inspecting his rifle. He was on loan from the Armory and had been the supplier for the mission in terms of weaponry. This was apparently the first field test for the weapons and from it, they'd be able to find any quirks that they didn't find in the Armory very quickly. He frowned as he tried to adjust the alternate fire setting unit in the blaster. He'd opened the hatch that allowed easy access to it but found that the system was easily compromised by the dust floating around here. The sound suppressor was working just fine, though. He sighed as he pulled a small screwdriver out of a kit that he'd set to his side. He started getting the unit out when they all heard a noise.

Cirrus shut her faceplate and trained her weapon on the front of the crate. Phantoms Two and Three did the same while Phantom-Four pulled his pistol out. They waited patiently as the front of the crate fell forward. A group of six men came walking out with a few slaves in tow. They paused once they saw the group aiming blasters at them.

"Who the fuck are you?" the leader asked as his hand strayed towards the hatchet at his side.

"Nobody important. Drop your weapons." Phantom-Two said as he gestured with his rifle at the man's hatchet.

"Why?" another man asked as he tensed up.

"Just some friendly advice." Phantom-Three replied as he shot the ground in front of the leader.

The group of Eight Fingers personnel jumped back at seeing the explosive power of a blaster bolt at their feet. They quickly dropped their weapons as Cirrus approached.

"You six, come over here. Phantoms Two and Three, bind them. Phantom-Four, cover them."

"Roger that. Hands behind your heads, all of ya." Phantom-Two said as he approached with a set of binders.

The men were quickly taken into custody as the slaves were freed. As soon as Cirrus was finished with the slaves, Ghost Squadron appeared from the crate. Major Imore scanned the room and nodded in satisfaction. He motioned for Captain Yotun to guard the exit to the building as he approached Cirrus.

"Good work. We'd been following them for a little bit. Wraith-Squadron got a few of the Nobles on our list, so these guys might be a bonus. Any intel we can get out of them regarding Eight Fingers will certainly help with the info we'll be getting from the Nobles. All the inner workings of the kingdom… can you imagine?" he explained as he lifted his faceplate.

"Yes, sir. It'll certainly help when we're finally done with this charade of working with these idiots." she replied with a smirk as she lifted her own faceplate.

"What do you think we should do with the slaves? I'm considering either letting them go or taking them with us."

"Honestly, sir? I'd say it'd be better if we took them with us. They might prove useful, especially in the intelligence department. Think of all the things they've probably heard the Nobles and other 'clients' who went here."

"A valid argument, one made by Ghost-Two. I'm inclined to agree with you both. I did want your opinions on the matter, though. It ensures there will not be any issues between us down the line. You did well tonight, Captain Lenticular."

"Thank you, sir." Cirrus replied as Wraith Squadron finally appeared.

"What took you, Wraith-One?" Major Imore asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We were taking care of the guards, sir. Didn't want any loose ends." Drytich replied with a shrug.

"Very well. Do you have the Nobles?"

"Yes, sir. They're stunned but alive. I've been having the others and some of the stronger slaves carrying them. Now that we're here, I figured we could have members of Ghost and Phantom Squadron take over for the slaves? They've been through a lot, sir."

"Right. Phantoms Two and Three and Ghosts Three and Four, take over with carrying the trash."

"Yes, sir." the four men replied as they quickly took the place of the slaves.

The rest of the time in the target building was spent getting the slaves used to the idea of working for the Empire. Once that was accomplished, the entire group left the building and headed back to the mansion. They arrived at the mansion as dawn began to break over the city. When they entered, they were met by Solution in her Pleiades uniform. She wasn't exactly pleased.

"Lord Ainz and the Grand Admiral are here. They do not want to be kept waiting, Major."

Werin dismissed the group as he narrowed his eyes underneath his helmet at the Slime. He stood next to the door as they waited for Sebas to arrive. As he waited, he opened a private channel to the Grand Admiral.

"What's this all about, sir?"

"Solution is worried that you and Sebas are acting out of turn. I completely understand why Sebas took the girl in, and so does lord Gown. We simply wish to test Sebas's loyalty in this matter. Once that is done, we will discuss how to punish Solution for wasting our collective time. I'm sure you have your own ideas about that, Major?" the Grand Admiral explained as Werin smirked at the question.

"I do indeed, sir. I do indeed."

Aftermath of Operation: Urban Knight

The operation was executed at 2200 hours, 30:7:16 GrS, under the command of Major Werin Imore of the Basilisk Intelligence Division. The capture of many notable Nobles of the Re-Estize Kingdom and members of the Eight Fingers organization was achieved during the operation. Both the Nobles and the members of Eight Fingers are being questioned, with no orders regarding what is to be done with them as of time of writing. The operation also led to the rescue of several slaves and the acquisition of a Dark Elf. She is currently being held in a detention center due to hostility with Imperial Agents. She is to be treated as a potential ally and not as a prisoner while in our custody. She is to be fed daily and has been given clothes, along with being given daily hot showers in Carne Village. Many former Eight Fingers slaves are currently residing in the village while others remain at the B.I.D. Outpost within Re-Estize. Potential for recruitment into Imperial service is likely. The target building for the operation is currently being reconfigured for Imperial use.

Addendum I:

Orders regarding the Nobles and Eight Fingers Personnel

Once we have finished with the Nobles, kill them and then stage their deaths to look like accidents within the city. The Eight Fingers members will be conscripted into our New World black ops unit, under the command of Lieutenant Clementine. Any members unwilling to cooperate are to be infected by the "Red Death" Plague as Lieutenant Clementine was. If they are still unwilling, leave them to their fate.

-Grand Admiral Taver Slazin

Addendum II:

Regarding the Dark Elf rescued from Eight Fingers

Dark Elf has become more cooperative upon learning about the current agreement between Elf Captain Zentha Ianwenys and the Grand Admiral. She says her name is Orist Kelro, and that she was a former member of the King's Honor Guard. She struck out on her own when she realized the bastard had left the kingdom to die. She was captured by slavers near the Baharuth Empire's border with the Slane Theocracy and then sold to Eight Fingers two weeks previously. She knew Captain Ianwenys via reputation within the Elf Kingdom. Captain Ianwenys is apparently one of the best soldiers within the Elven Armed Forces. Stroke of luck on our part, I guess.

-General Cyrus Jidak

Addendum III:

Integration of Eight Fingers Personnel

Only one member of the group of Eight Fingers guards was truly uncooperative. He refused to work for us because (quote) I don't work for no one who don't got money! (unquote) (Side note: How did anyone understand this fuckhead? -Clementine), even after being infected. He was swiftly tossed into a newly constructed cell meant for anyone infected with the "Red Death" Plague. The cell was also made soundproof so we could all go about our business. He died this morning. The rest of the Eight Fingers members have integrated perfectly, with only three of them not being given the "Red Death" Plague. They are (quote) willing to work for the side that's gonna win in the long run. What's the point in fighting it? (unquote) (Side note: May need to keep a close eye on these three for possible promotion. Names are Uhmud Neima, Gath Softruun, and Vuu Barsk. -General Cyrus Jidak). They will be ready for field missions within two weeks.

-General Cyrus Jidak

Chapter XIV: The Two Apprentices

Free Skies Village, Imperial Envoy (Unofficial), New World

The "Switch" + 56 (8 Weeks Since the "Switch")

It had been three days since the Grand Admiral had dropped the Inquisitor and the Shadow Guard off at their location. Three days since the I.E.E.F. had left to continue on its mission. Three days that Sabacc had spent in this strange place.

The village they were staying at was odd. It was in the middle of a clearing, with the trees surrounding it thick enough that one could not see through to the other side. The only way they had gotten in had been a strange green mist that weaved through the path the robed warrior women, he believed they were called "Nightsisters", took to get inside. The Imperial Envoy then set up a beacon for the Basilisk to track. This would allow it to send down men and material when needed, such as the Grand Admiral's Basilisk Guard Commander and the Inquisitor.

Sabacc still couldn't believe that; An Emperor's Shadow Guard, on the New World, had been made the overall commanding officer of the Basilisk Guard. Granted, the Shadow Guards were supposed to be even more loyal to the Empire than a standard Stormtrooper. It still surprised him, as by all accounts, that the decision was made as soon as the Grand Admiral reappeared on the bridge. There had to be a reason for it; maybe it was supposed to be a deterrent against the Inquisitor? The Shadow Guards were possibly more powerful, after all.

He wished the Admiral hadn't sent the Shadow Guard down. The Nightsisters nearly killed them all on the spot because of him. Sabacc didn't know what caused them to behave like that, but he thought it might have connected to what Jenra said when they first met. He didn't know the exact connection between the two, but he knew it was there.

The Lambda-Class shuttle landed in the middle of the village to the murmurs of the surrounding Nightsisters. The sound of boots-on-metal could be heard as the shuttle's ramp lowered itself, steam billowing downwards as six members of the Basilisk Guard marched down. The six stood off to the sides as the craft's final two passengers walked out: the Inquisitor and the Shadow Guard. The shuttle left just as quick as it had appeared, with the Inquisitor following its trajectory back into the sky. The Shadow Guard took a few more steps forward before being surrounded by several Nightsisters wielding either blades or bows with arrows nocked.

"This one reeks of the Sith!" one of them cried, gesturing at the guard with her blade.

As soon as that sentence was finished, the members of the Imperial Elven Expeditionary Force that had been sent as an envoy to the village were in various life or death situations. Sabacc himself felt the shard edge of Jenra's sword held to his Adam's apple.

"You said you were not part of the Sith Empire, and here we find a Sith among your ranks." she threatened as her blade was pushed a little closer.

"Let's not be too hasty, Jenra!" Sabacc gasped as Jenra growled.

"Perhaps I could explain?" the Inquisitor chimed in, hands held out in front of him in a placating gesture.

"Who are you?" Gelzi, a member of the group surrounding the Shadow Guard, barked the question at the Mandolorian Inquisitor.

"My name is Sedyn Merrick, and I am a member of the Imperial Inquisitorius branch. I know of what you refer to though you are mistaken in this case. That man is not a member of the Sith, but an Emperor's Shadow Guard. The Sith were destroyed thousands of years ago by the Jedi. The Shadow Guards are taught in the ways of the Dark Side to better defend the Emperor and those closest to him from those who would use the Force. I assure you all that we have not deceived you, we truly are not aligned with the Sith!"

The Nightsisters then backed off as they felt the truthfulness of his words (though unbeknownst to all, he was uncomfortably lying through his teeth). They apologized for doubting the Imperials' sincerity. Sabacc and the other members of the I.E.E.F. waved them off by stating that it wasn't the first time that a misunderstanding like that had happened. When the Nightsisters attempted to press for details, they were met with silence.

Sabacc was currently standing guard at the tent that had been set up for the Shadow Guard alongside White. He held his rifle across his chest, the weapon set to stun. He watched the area surrounding him closely. Directly across from him was a hut that he knew housed two Nightsisters that were extremely close. Gelzi had told him that they had nearly been taken by slavers when they attacked the village.

It had happened nearly a decade ago when the Free Skies tribe was more open with the outside world. The slavers found the village and seeing an easy target to pick up slaves, attacked. That night, the slavers charged into the tribe. The raid on the Nightsisters had been extremely viscous, and many Nightsisters were caught off guard. A large number of the tribe's population had been slain. After a successful counter-attack, the slavers were defeated. Out of the four hundred slavers that had attacked, only ninety-five survived. Many were now being used as slaves themselves by the Nightsisters. The Nightsisters were whittled down to one hundred fifty from their original three hundred strong population.

Some of those slavers were used as breeding stock since the Nightsisters didn't have any males in their ranks, and they needed to replenish their numbers after that night. Others were used for more menial tasks such as tending to the wolves the sisters were raising. The ones he'd seen when they were escorted back to the I.E.E.F. were much larger than the ones here, about the size of a workhorse. When he asked about them, he was told that they were enhanced by the sisters' magic.

He saw two of the enslaved slavers walk by, carrying a litter with a dead doe inside. It had been killed by an arrow to the heart. If he remembered correctly, the Nightsisters told them that the elves were much better with the bow, as the sisters trained more in using their magic rather than their physical weapons, save a select few.

Once the two slavers were gone, a group of children that had been periodically staring at him from afar reappeared. They had hidden whenever he looked over at them but he knew they were there. They didn't exactly hide very well, seeing as he could see the arm of one of them hugging the wall tightly.

"Those kids still there?" White's voice asked as the two Stormtroopers kept their gazes forward.

"Yeah, they are. Wish I knew what they found so interesting about us…." Sabacc replied in a bored tone.

"Take your pick: we look like their so-called 'Savior', they've never seen Clones before, etc."

"Fair enough. How much longer do you think we'll be here? The negotiations for integrating this lot into the Empire can't be that hard."

"You've seen these people, Sabacc. I don't think they really see the advantage of joining us."

"How can they not? They'd have protection, access to the latest medicines, and that's only the stuff I can think of right off the top of my head."

"Look around. They've been doing fine without all of that for a long time, so they don't really see the point."

"How 'fine', though? You heard what Gelzi said about those slavers."

"Yeah, but they did defeat them in the end."

"True."

The two troopers lapsed into silence as they saw the two Nightsisters from the hut exit and start heading toward them. As the pair came closer, Sabacc was about to stop them when he noticed their eyes. They were glazed over. He stepped in front of them just before they would reach the door to the tent.

"You can't go in there." Sabacc stated firmly as the two turned their heads to him.

One of them left, heading off into the village, while the other just stared at Sabacc. Her eyes slowly changed from the glazed-over look to an unsettling blood red while her face contorted into a look of unbridled rage. With a roar, she used the Force and tossed Sabacc at the children who were hiding. The Nightsisters, slaves, and surrounding Imperials were shocked silent until the furious Nightsister turned towards them.

The sisters sprang into action as White started bringing his blaster up. He was tossed into two of them while the crazed sister sent a torrent of red Force Lightning into a small group coming from her left. They convulsed and fell as she ducked from a stun blast shot at her by one of the Army troopers patrolling. He screamed in agony as his standard Stormtrooper armor was crushed around him.

She then turned her attention to the slaves that were staring at her dumbfounded. She used the Force to crush some into piles of bloody goo, throw others into the surrounding forest at terminal velocity, and electrocute others. The remaining slaves quickly snapped out of their trance and ran deeper into the village. She let them go and turned to face another incoming Nightsister.

The children that Sabacc had landed in front of ran when he landed. He had just gotten up when he heard the scream of the Nightsister that had just tried to attack the mad sister. Flicking the setting of his DC-15S to kill, he fired a burst at her. One of the shots hit her in the arm and caused her to drop a tree that she'd grabbed with the Force. She crushed the wall he was hiding behind, sending splitters into his visor, before pushing the wall on top of him and sending him into unconsciousness.

Another group of sisters came into view with their swords unsheathed and pointed at the mad sister. The sister reached her hand out and made something start breaking branches as it came closer. With a sudden crash, the summoned object appeared and flew into her outstretched hand. It was a silver and black cylinder with various knobs, switches, and a large red button. She quickly pushed the button, and a red blade sparked to life with a snap-hiss! She then held the lightsaber out to her side with the blade pointed at the ground.

"What? How did you-" one of the group had begun to ask before her hand was sliced off by a now flying lightsaber.

Two of the group charged at her while another rushed to the wounded girl's side. The saber quickly came back to the mad sister's hand to quickly block the combined strike of the two that charged her. She sent them back with a push of her blade, amplifying it with a powerful Force Push. The two crashed through two huts before hitting a group of incoming Imperials.

The Imperials who hadn't been taken down quickly raised their blasters and started firing. She reflected most of the shots back into those who fired them, killing only three of them. The last two of the group lost their weapons as she used the Force to yank them out of their hands. She then used the Force to snap their necks, causing their helmets to spin one hundred eighty degrees.

As she did this, the Shadow Guard appeared from the tent and activated his pike. She turned toward him and raised her blade. Her blade hit the pike's, causing a flurry of sparks. The Shadow Guard quickly countered and caused the woman to become unbalanced. He then blocked the red lighting with his own purple lighting, the two bolts of lightning pushing against each other. He won the match quickly and used the Force to send the woman skyward. He let her fall back to the ground, readying his pike to deliver a final blow, but not before calling the lightsaber she held to his open palm.

He thrust the blade forward, but stopped at the last second and held the blade mere inches away from her neck. She was breathing heavily, her face no longer held a look of fury. She still looked angry, and her eyes were still blood-red, but she now seemed calmed due to her defeat by the Shadow Guard. The guard lifted his blade slightly and allowed her to rise to a kneeling position. Once the Nightsister was kneeling, she uttered a single sentence.

"I am Ihsaj Chokris, and I wish to become your apprentice."

Meanwhile…

"I've told them a lot about the Empire. Now all I have to do is get them sold on the idea of being Imperial… this is gonna suck." BalancedFear thought as he went inside the Clan Mother's hut with Plaz and Lasko.

The inside of the hut was lit only by the small fire in the center of the room. Sitting cross-legged behind the fire was the Clan Mother with two Nightsisters standing behind her. BalancedFear was still surprised that she was very young to be considered an elder as he sat down. She looked on calmly as she watched him remove his helmet. As he did, his two troopers took up positions opposite the two Nightsisters.

These Nightsisters did not look the same as the others he'd seen around the village. Their robes also had orange and white highlights, and they wore a mask that looked similar to the Republic Trooper's visor. The major differences between the mask and the helmet were easy to spot, even at a distance. The mask was made of the bark found on the trees surrounding the village, was colored red where the orange should have been and was completely flat even though it looked like it had some depth. The visor itself was also empty, so most of the two sister's faces could be seen.

When he first met the Clan Mother, she called them: Nightsister Elites. These were some of the best warriors in the Free Skies tribe and were comparable to the Emperor's Royal Guard. Their numbers were very small, with only twenty members in all.

"Greetings, Clan Mother Vekre. I hope you had time to consider what I told you last night?" BalancedFear asked as he set his helmet to the side.

"Again, please call me Thelnizzas, Inquisitor Merrick. You do not need to refer to our titles." Thelnizzas said with a slight grin as she lowered her hood.

"Apologies, Thelnizzas. The Empire makes constant use of titles and I've grown used to it."

"I do not mind. I've considered what you said, and I am inclined to believe that the Empire is one of the best ways for my people to be protected, but it is so stifling. I know this due to how strict it is… but I worry that the strict doctrine of your Empire will suppress our culture."

"I can understand that. I myself am from a culture that is also highly free-spirited, and those concerns did become quite prevalent. However, I can guarantee that the Empire has not suppressed the ways of my culture."

"Your culture… you called it 'Mandalorian', correct? Tell me its ways."

"The Mando'ade revolves around battle. A core belief is the Resol'nare, or the 'Six Actions'. It goes like this; one: wear the armor, what I am wearing; two: speak Mando'a, which you've heard my men and I speak; three: defend yourself and your family, I consider my men my family; four: raise your children as Mandalorians, and seeing as I've no children, I taught my men to be Mandalorians; five: contribute to the clan's welfare, which would be my entire division and the Empire as a whole; and finally six: rally to Mand'alor's cause when called upon. I could be considered Mand'alor to my men, but I work with the Grand Admiral. I believe he's better suited to lead as a whole."

"It sounds very demanding of its followers."

"It is, at first, but it becomes easier."

"I see. We-"

She never got to finish her sentence as BalancedFear suddenly stood. He yanked his helmet on as the sound of blaster fire filled the air outside. As he went to go out, a young Nightsister with ice-blue eyes entered. She looked into his helmeted face for only a moment before pulling him outside and dragging him towards the ongoing battle.

He called his single-bladed lightsaber to his hand just before they came upon the scene.

"Fierfek…" he muttered as he surveyed the surroundings.

It had been a very one-sided battle. All around him were debris and the bodies of both Imperials and Nightsisters. Some of the bodies were horribly mangled, and he could clearly see a pile that looked like it had once been one of Basilisk's Imperial Army troopers. The ground underneath the pile was covered in blood.

He forced himself to look around and noticed that one of the two troopers that he'd seen guarding the Shadow Guard's tent was aiming his carbine at said tent. That was when he saw the Nightsister holding a deactivated lightsaber in her outstretched palms while kneeling in front of the Shadow Guard.

"Trooper, lower your weapon." BalancedFear commanded firmly, causing the trooper to whip his head toward BalancedFear.

"Sir, she's a damn monster. Look at what she's done already!" the trooper called back, not lowering his weapon for a second.

"I know, but let me deal with it. There have been enough casualties already."

"I-"

"That is an ORDER, trooper."

"Yes, sir." the trooper said, acquiescing by lowering his weapon to his hip, though he still kept it pointed in the Nightsister's general direction.

"Ihsaj, why did you do this?" the Nightsister that had dragged him here asked quietly.

"That one and the other dared to keep me from my master." 'Ihsaj' stated simply as she rose to her feet.

"Still, what you have done… you know you will be exiled for this!"

"I don't care, Ujhain. Nothing else matters as long as I am at my master's side."

"What exactly is going on?" BalancedFear asked, somehow still calm. He guessed it was a passive ability, but he couldn't think of what it was at the moment.

"It is the prophecy, Inquisitor Merrick." Thelnizzas's voice spoke, causing him to turn.

"Prophecy?"

"Yes. Shortly before the Savior liberated us our original Clan Mother, Sulsuaz Govru, was blessed by a vision of prophecy before being slain by the Sith Lord who had us enslaved." Thelnizzas started to explain as she appeared from behind one of the buildings with green mist surrounding her.

"Sulsuaz Govru? I swear I've heard that name before…" BalancedFear thought as Ujhain continued.

"'One day, many years from now, our descendants will be visited by a group of beings not of this world. Two will be chosen to serve this group as warriors of Light and Dark soon after. They will be forever marked with eyes the color of Ice and Blood. When they are chosen, it will be the beginning of a new age for our tribe. The tribe will rise to rule alongside this group. We will spread across the universe with their help. On that day, we will become the conquerors and finally be rid of the title of conquered!'"

"And you believe the prophecy has begun? What makes you so sure?"

"Look into the eyes of Ujhain Chokris. Do they not look like Ice? What of Ihsaj Chokris? Do hers not look like Blood?"

"I grant that their eyes do look that way, but surely this has happened before?"

"Never. The eyes of our sisters come in many shades, but those two colors never appeared before now. As a matter of fact, Ishaj's and Ujhain's eyes were a gold color when they were born."

BalancedFear couldn't argue with her words. If the eyes of the two Nightsisters had changed, then it was impossible to deny that the prophecy was true to some extent. He wasn't sure how EmpireForLife would react upon learning of it, though. He looked down into Ujhain's eyes and saw that she believed the prophecy was upon them. Sighing internally, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I see now that the prophecy is indeed real. This means that you will be my student, but not only in the Light. I will also teach you in the ways of the Mando'ade, but only if you wish for it." he told Ujhain carefully.

"I do, my master. I wish to learn everything there is to know from you." Ujhain replied piously as she backed up and kneeled.

"Please do not call me 'master'. You are my student, so you will refer to me as 'teacher'."

"Yes, teacher."

Onboard the Imperial Super-Star Destroyer, Basilisk

The report about the Nightsister's prophecy was very overwhelming. Not only was our arrival foreseen, but apparently the original Clan Mother had been a Player. Sulsuaz Govru was the name of the in-game avatar of Nesterova Vasilievna, a prominent member of the Star Wars server. She had been one of the founding members of the server and a good friend of mine. She was found unresponsive in her home in Moscow two years after the server's creation. I'd actually met her a few times during events that dealt with uprisings on Dathomir. I never managed to catch her, which would have stopped the events, but I did make her retreat after having killed a good chunk of her Nightsister tribe.

This was back when I was level thirty-nine and had only recently been made a Commandant. During the uprisings, I was always aboard the Star Destroyers sent to quell them. The only time I met Nesterova was when she took over an Imperial base and used the holo-projector to proclaim Dathomir's sovereignty from the Empire. It only happened once, because it was decided to completely remove all Imperial bases on the world after that little fiasco. From then on, the world would instead have a Star Destroyer to act as the Imperial base. Hard to conquer a base that you can't even get to, after all.

The last time we met was on the anniversary of the server's creation. It was an in-game day of neutrality, meaning there would be no fighting between Imperial, Rebel, or any other factions. It was just a day to hang out. I'd figured "What the hell?" and went to Dathomir. She was throwing a party, and a lot of Imperial and Pirate faction players were on the world just chatting or playing minigames. Her Nightsisters were set to mingle with the Imperial and Pirate NPCs while she interacted with the other players.

When I finally arrived on the world, she welcomed me with this:

"So I finally get to meet the podonok who keeps beating me in person!"

That got a laugh out of me, and I decided to reply with this:

"And I get to meet the biggest pain in my ass on this world. Do you know how much trouble you caused me when you took over our base?"

This was all done in good humor, of course. It was just a video game… or at least that was what I thought at the time. Now, I'm not too sure. It was a sad day when we heard about her being unresponsive. That week became an unofficial server closure day. We all logged off when we heard the news. When we logged back on, I went to Dathomir to check on her NPCs. I never found them.

To find out now that they'd all been sent here, over eight centuries ago and subjected to a life of servitude under the Sith Empire, had made me kind of depressed. It also amazed me because of the fact that her tribe also still existed. She saved her NPCs and they managed to survive for all this time in that forest.

I realized then that it was doubly important for me to get them on my side. Not only was it strategic, but I wanted to make sure they would be well taken care of. It was the least I could do for her, after all. She helped through some of the toughest times.

"Sir?" the speaker on my desk asked, grabbing my attention.

"Yes?" I asked back as I dried the moistness that had appeared in my eyes.

"We are ready to begin sending materials down to the Free Skies tribe. Do you want us to retrieve the Inquisitor and the Shadow Guard while we're down there?"

"Yes. I imagine they'll want to begin in a more controlled setting. Have the secondary hangar cleared to act as a makeshift training facility for our Shadow Guard, as I'm sure Inquisitor Merrick has his own training facilities, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir. The deck crew will begin as soon as we depart."

"Very good. You may head down, now."

"Roger, out." the speaker said as I shut it off.

After that conversation was finished I turned to look at the spot where I knew my personal armory was. Standing up, I went inside and took a look at the set of Republic Trooper armor. It had belonged to a human woman, and I figured it would be a good gift to give to the Nightsisters.

"Grand Admiral? Lord Gown wishes to speak with you." the desk speaker said into the silence.

"Put him through my private comm channel."

"I need you to come down. Solution believes Sebas has betrayed me, and I think it would be best for you to come too. I want to test Sebas, and once I'm done with that, I'll need you present to discuss certain plans I want to set into motion." Momonga said quickly.

"I'll be right down."

The speaker shut itself down as I sighed to myself. Gifts would have to wait, it seemed. For now, it was time to play the part of Imperial Grand Admiral.