Hey, everyone! How are you all doing on this cool night of Monday, October 24, 2022? I'm okay, as I plan to vote in the Midterm Elections of my state in two days, and I've been continuing to read an enlightening piece on a past election that everyone should read by a great and genuine journalist. If you'd like to know who, just send me a PM and I'll give you her name. Oh, and I have work tomorrow morning, so I'll have to go to bed in a couple hours and repeat the cycle tomorrow. But I hope to write this chapter in a week or so, and it'll be a big one. Anyway, I hope you all have a blessed night, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
(Friday, October 28, 2022, Addendum) Hey, everyone. I hope you're all doing well tonight. I'm fine, as I finished my latest current events book, voted two days ago, and had a good week in general. But I need to ask you all a few questions that have come to my attention by a good friend of mine. Do you believe that my stories have too many plots jumbled together in each chapter? If so, how would you suggest my untangling the gordian knot, so to speak, of the overall saga's plot. Also, do you believe my chapters are too long, as I know many authors who write WAY longer chapters, but I just want to be sure that I balance everything right? Sorry for springing these on you, but I just want to keep improving my writing, and I feel I should ask you, the readers, directly. I hope you all have a blessed night, and I hope to hear from you when it's convenient.
0015 Hours, Selona 7th, 59 ABY
Korriban, Within the Remnants of Dreshdae
Inside the Sith Academy Ruins
"Remind me again, why are we wading through the remains of one of the planet's countless ancient Sith structures when we could just storm a tomb entrance and fight our way to Krayt's citadel that way?" Vua irritably spoke. "We know he's prepared for us, so why waste time with a failed stealth attempt?"
"He's got a point. If we're being frank, we could've just blasted our way through the rubble and saved ourselves a few hours of waiting." Robonino impatiently added.
"Would you prefer to storm the castle with Force knows how many Sith are still stationed down here, Gorsat? Or risk causing the old temple to collapse on us and kill us all, Robo?" Kix rebuked the street fighter and bounty hunter while the Rude Awakening's crew worked to stand guard for the Jedi and Phasma while they moved the final bits of debris out of the way into the planet's catacombs. "At least this way, we have a chance of making it out alive and getting what we need. Now, stop complaining and help us keep an eye out for any enemies."
Having followed Phasma into the desolate and long-abandoned structures of Dreshdae, having been used and rebuilt four knowable times over four millennia from the aftermath of the Great Sith War to the present, the small army of the crew of the Rude Awakening and Dark Beauty, and a gunship of well-prepared Alliance of Light troops and Jedi Knights, immediately felt on edge over the subtle miasma of the Dark Side trying to penetrate and corrupt everyone's souls.
In all their wildest dreams, no one expected an ancient stone building that held three long defunct Sith academies to serve as a secret passageway into the Sith's underground fortress. But according to Phasma, the One Sith had been an especially creative batch in making the best out of their resources during their first few years of existence. She also divulged that Krayt's people had erected several artificial defenses to supplement the underground network's natural layers of protection, ranging from living sentinels to mechanical creations that were vastly superior to most militaries.
Fortunately for everyone on the side of light, she knew how to circumvent most of them and overpower or deactivate the few that were unavoidable.
Receiving a chime on their wrist gauntlets, K'Kruhk and Tyria had ordered them to meet everyone at the now-opened entrance and prepare to enter the planet's dark depths. Now, the real work on this gods-forsaken planet and system could at last begin, and everyone clung to the dim hope that they all made it out alive and with their friend.
0130 Hours
Copero System
Aboard the Deathless
Yiv could see the battle slowly starting to turn against his fleets and in the favor of his hated enemies, and knew it was time they made their withdrawal while he and his allies could still call this event a great victory. With more nearly two-thirds of the system's shipyards destroyed or rendered inoperable by suicidal droid bombers and having eight functional Chiss warships still in the Sith's custody despite the enemy's commandos and hacking efforts successfully prevented the theft of seventeen of their other heavy cruisers and Star Destroyers, Yiv would be content with this first round of humiliations for Vurawn and his cohorts.
Regrettably, thanks to the fleets of Alliance of Light and Supreme General Ba'Kif and their uncanny adaptability, agility, and creativity, the One Sith's forces had been kept in the system two hours over schedule and was starting to cost the Nikardun Dynasty and its allies dearly. And the price was steadily rising in manpower and resources since they were trapped in this enemy occupied system until they could clear the web of Vagaari Gravity Well projectors and jump to hyperspace.
With a sixth of the supreme commander's present forces rendered inoperable or destroyed, which included two of the Rakatan Gunships, three Nagai and Tof cruisers each, and twelve Nikardun ships of various sizes, they needed a desperate gambit to catch the enemy off guard and allow their escape. And he had a good idea on just what sacrifices he and his allies needed to make to protect the rest of their forces, a plan he was already implementing.
Losing two or three of their prized bounties would be a small price to pay to ensure the diverse force's escape from this engagement and clear out the artificial gravity wells blocking their break for freedom. They could always make better warships at their own shipyards or capture a few from the Chiss or their new allies, but they had to get out of here before all was lost for the Nikardun Dynasty's glorious rebirth.
0600 Hours
Bastion, Imperial Headquarters
Within the Interrogation Center
Reviewing the information on the latest interrogation on the Empire's top Natasi Daala-affiliated prisoners, Firmus Nantz- longtime admiral for the New Republic and Galactic Alliance before his near twenty-year imprisonment in carbonite by Darth Caedus and his successor as Chief of State- felt a rising tide of rage the grim leader rarely experienced. After twelve interrogations and cross-examinations, utilizing dozens of methods and monitoring the two agents' thought patterns and behaviors, nothing had come of such weak-willed plans that the Empire did not already know or had uncovered. And questioning their subordinates did not help, since they ostensibly knew nothing about Daala's fallback plans after her brutal destruction of the Red Twins System.
Clearly, it was long past time for the Empire and its allies to try harsher methods in breaking the wills of Gideon Hask and Stryker Melusar, and the brutal-minded admiral already had a few workable strategies in mind to convince the treasonous Imperials to give up their patron before anyone else suffered from her depraved wars.
Luckily for him, Head of State Fel and his cabinet agreed on such an assessment and were prepared to use every tool in their arsenal to convince them to capitulate, whether it was through combining the most powerful truth serums the Empire's doctors and utilizing the Jedi's unique and handy talents, or just straight-up torture at this point to uncover Daala's refuge and her contingency plans. Desperate measures, to be sure, but against a woman as depraved and vindictive as the rogue warlord, such options could not be dismissed so easily.
All he needed now was the Empire's best medics to provide him the concoctions and the Jedi to send over several of their members, and then the gruesome work could begin. But meanwhile, he ought to check up on the rest of his projects and the other members of the Grey Cadre. The newly revived advisory group that served the New Republic well long after the resurrected Darth Sidious tried to take back control of the galaxy was gaining new life again, but it would not just serve the Republic's successor state this time around.
To foster cooperation between the many powers out there, the organization would ally with similar groups, just like Club Bwua'tu, and accept veterans from all walks of life and every galactic power. It already reached out to several veterans of the Yuuzhan Vong War, ranging from Traest Kre'fey and Keyan Farlander, and the expanding group had many other candidates in mind, including a popular and experienced Grand Moff that was considering less drastic methods in preserving the Empire's well-being without the Jedi taking over the government and remaking it as a monarchy. And soon, the reborn Grey Cadre would reach out to a few great prospects in the Jedi Order. Best to leave no stone unturned against the supernatural threats rising from the galaxy's fringes.
0800 Hours
Horuset System, Korriba Scar Asteroid Belt
Aboard the Sadow Asteroid-Superstructure
Within the Main Hangar
Awaiting the ship that was supposedly going to deliver Tau, Darth Snoke, and SCAR Squadron 99 down to Korriban undetected, the Sith-made clone was marveled at seeing a Republic Sienar Systems Sith Infiltrator decloak right before the group as it finished landing.
Remembering from Edaan's memories about the only prototype of its kind existing as the Scimitar, being the personal vessel of Darth Maul before his death at Naboo over nine decades ago and its immediate recovery by Darth Sidious to eventually use during his reign of Galactic Emperor, Tau felt a shudder course through him at being in the presence such a powerful vessel with a dark and rich history. With its heavily customized engine and weapon systems, probe droid reserves, and a cloaking device powered by whatever scarce stygium crystals remained in circulation being in its original specifications, he only wondered what countless improvements the One Sith made to the vessel.
"This ship is rather impressive, is it not, Iteration?" A mechanical voice came up from behind Tau, nearly making the clone jump before recalling the voice of the long-serving Sith droid, 11-4D. Turning to see the faceless head of the four-armed medical droid, he almost grimaced before the droid prattled on, "The Scimitar has long served the Sith since the time of Darths Sidious and Maul, and it will continue to be a useful tool for many years until the time comes to discard it, or it meets its end in glorious battle."
Tau must have misheard things, because it seemed like he found a trace of forlornness in the droid's tone at the end. He never thought he would hear a droid with FourDee's record and emotionless personality feel genuine remorse over a ship. Or instead, was he fearing the Sith would one day throw him away if they believed he outlived his usefulness like they had so many other beings?
But regardless of whether his suspicions were true, it hardly mattered, since now he had a way off this station and could work to sabotage the Sith through yet another angle. Since he was forced to abandon his previous task of uncovering Sadow Station's location for the Jedi, he needed to figure out a few other ways to weaken them and helping the Alliance of Light penetrate Krayt's citadel and get out alive would be a good start.
All he had to do now was send a message to K'Kruhk and his allies down on the planet's surface. During one of his last conversations with Grand Master Katarn, the Jedi leader informed him that a small number of Alliance members knew of Tau's allegiances, and they would inform the rest of the strike team members when the time was most opportune. And it would be beneficial for Adari to know as well from her station in the Alliance fleets, so she could prepare herself for when the two inevitably met, and how things would be beyond awkward between the woman and the clone of her husband.
While the Jedi-allied Iteration would not have preferred Chelli and Jaing tell Adari right away, he could understand the compassionate reasoning behind such a move to give the grieving wife and expecting mother a sliver of hope in these dark times and would not complain.
Still, he hesitated to approach the ship and leave his brother behind in Sorzus's cruel and selfish care. She could try to conceal her emotions all she wanted, but Tau could see the signs of her fawning over Edaan, and he hardly wanted to be the one to tell Adari that Edaan might soon commit infidelity, even if he was not in his right mind now. But for the greater good, to give the Alliance a chance at succeeding in this system, he had to hold onto hope, and he would do just that. And he knew both Ahsoka and Butch would continue to go above and beyond in serving the galaxy and its denizens.
Seeing the Scimitar's boarding ramp open, he was astonished to see the Sith's second highest-ranking Lord emerge. With the Sith tattoos embedded across his head, his Chagrian skull missing one of its horns from a previous injury, and the Dark Side radiating off the Sith Regent and Voice in levels not felt by Tau since the implanted memories of Edaan in the Sith Observatory, the human clone knew Darth Wyyrlok would not take any insults lightly, and wisely kept silent.
Fortunately, Snoke was looser with his tongue, and glibly commented, "My, I never thought I'd see you simply running a pickup run, Wyyrlok. How the mighty have fallen."
Momentarily glaring at the human Sith Lord, Wyyrlok did not rise to the bait and instead greeted Kreel and Tau, "Sergeant. Iteration. Lord Krayt and I look forward to seeing the both of you and your men in the field and see if Doctor Se's costly investments in all of you was worthwhile."
"We'll let our results do the talking for all of you in this matter, Sir." Kreel calmly answered before hoisting his duffle bag onto his shoulder, his squad following his lead while he suggested, "Shall we get going? Our targets aren't going to come to us, after all."
0545 Hours, Selona 8th, 59 ABY
Hyperspace, En Route to Ilum
Aboard the Ballista-class Cruiser Bright Reaper
"Our ETA to Ilum is approximately ten hours and fifteen minutes." The ship's captain alerted Julius. "But there may be a complication. We have not received the last scheduled transmission from Captain Arcus and her scout flotilla, and her last report was due four hours ago."
"Have we received any subspace messages from the Beniko?" Julius grimly answered, remembering the last priority report Dianne sent, informing the High Admiral how the Sith fleets were closing in on their search for her ships and was given the option to go under radio silence to narrow the risk of detection.
"Yes, Sir. An eyes-only message for you, Sir." The captain handed a datapad to Julius, who nodded before reading through its contents. Eyes narrowing in fury, Julius deleted the message before ordering the comms officer, "I need to borrow your station for a minute to send a priority message to our allied commands, Ensign."
Offhandedly, he wondered how the Alliance of Light and Chiss Ascendancy were reacting to the Sith's crippling attack on the Copero's Mitth Family shipyards and the pandemonium of its aftermath. Knowing from covert channels that Vurawn was "requested" to meet with the Chiss's supreme admiral on Naporarand explain the last battle's outcome, Julius only hoped the clone would not be offered as a political scapegoat to appease the hordes of glory-hungry politicians and family-obsessed houses undoubtably clamoring for his removal. With their mutual enemies only growing bolder, the Chiss would need the unorthodox methods and strategies that only a select few could pull off.
0800 Hours
Ilum System, Aboard the Mandator
"We've got them. The Adamant's bringing the lead corvette aboard now" The Mandator's captain triumphantly told Lecersen, who curtly nodded at the confirmation. After Alldor warned the ex-Moff of the enemy ships, the entire Sith-led armada force had put a great deal of effort into searching for the six supposed eavesdroppers, which was a costly endeavor while preparing for the enemy strike that was supposed to appear any day now.
Having spent the past thirty hours preparing to ambush the Aquilians, since High Sorcerer's advice claimed the enemy would flee if uncovered, and then using up another three to corner the six Zakuul-based scout ships before catching them all in tractor beams, everyone would relish seeing them meet an unceremonious end by their interrogators and eventual deaths. But no matter how the spies died, the entire fleet would be relieved when this impromptu hunt was over, and everyone could return their focus to prepare for the imminent battle against the Alliance of Light.
"Sir, we're receiving an unencrypted transmission from the corvette. The commanding officer, she wishes to speak with you to discuss terms of surrender." A comms officer warned Lecersen, who walked over to take the message.
"You've certainly got nerves of steel to make a bold request of me and my clients, especially after the mad chase you put my people through." Lecersen commented. "May I at least have the pleasure of knowing the name of the woman brave enough to make such demands of me?"
"Formalities. I never expected it from an Imperial with your record." The woman darkly chuckled. "But as a courtesy, know that my name is Dianne Arcus. I am a Paladin-Captain of the Aquilian Republic's Atrius Division, commanding officer of the Beniko, and I will not allow my crews to suffer at the hands of your masters' depravities."
This one had more spirit than Lecersen initially thought. He would enjoy making the Zakuulian suffer and learning a great deal of the Aquilian Republic's inner workings from the crews' interrogations and scouring of their six ships. But first, he had to make sure the prisoners were securely squared away before the enemy finally made their move.
"Give me your terms of surrender, and I will see what is acceptable." Lecersen ordered Dianne.
Quickly hearing her list off the short number of demands, the former Moff found himself impressed at the Aquilian's humility and simplicity in her terms.
Knowing she could not escape the perilous torture of interrogation, she asked for her people to be treated fairly as prisoners of war, thereby subjected to the galactic conventions of war. It made him respect her a little more at her bravery, even if he would not honor such requests, since his masters would want to know all that they could of Zakuul's military strength and potential weaknesses on all its facets. And even if it were possible, he would not honor such an agreement since he would not show weakness before his diminished armies and fleets.
"A reasonable list of demands, Captain." Lecersen commented, falsely promising, "I will speak to my masters on your behalf and present them your terms."
"Sir, I'm getting strange readings from the Beniko. And from the other five ships also." A sensor's officer alerted Lecersen before he paled in fear. "I think I know what they're planning. If this readout's right, they're going to self-destruct, and with their current yield, they'll take out each of their captors' ships in the process."
Gritting his teeth at how easily he fell into the captain's ploy and her outlandish dedication to absurd causes, Lecersen was prepared to order the destruction of each enemy ship and settle for their wreckage before he heard four distinct and distant explosions. Maintaining his rigid discipline, he stiffly ordered his comm officer, "Send out a warning to each ship and have them shoot down any vessel that doesn't emit the proper transponder codes, including the remaining Aquilian ships. We can't afford to take any more risks with this operation, and have all commands shoot to kill any unregistered ships that we encounter. Then have the fleets stay at full battle readiness until I give the order for otherwise."
Almost as an afterthought, he added, "And send out emergency crews to each Aquilian-bombed ship. We might as well try to save a few of our people and what material that we can before the Jedi arrive." There was no sense in letting good and loyal people go to waste without making the effort to use them to the best of their abilities, especially when facing such daunting odds as he was about to encounter.
"There's one more matter, sir." A comms officer reported. "It was close, but I was able to intercept a subspace message out of the system coming from the Beniko. But it's using a frequency I've never seen before, and our archives can't find a single record of it."
"See what you can do to decode it. Cross-reference every signal you can in our databases and present me with your findings in two hours." Lecersen ordered the officer, before a new idea came to him. "But first, you would do well to archive a copy of the original transmission for future analysis, and then send another one to Lady Irola immediately. I'm confident that she has people that can crack it if we cannot, and it's best to ensure such information and all avenues of attack are not lost due to carelessness."
1100 Hours
Korriban, Sith Catacombs
Sith Citadel, Main Barracks
Reviewing the data received from the recent battle, Tau was astounded at how poorly the Sith had performed for themselves against their many adversaries. Having lost the Neo Death Watch's leader and fleets from the initial attack and not anticipating the Alliance reinforcements in the Silentium and several of Edaan's allied worlds, all while keeping the bulk of their people safe from enemy reprisals, the Iteration wondered how Krayt ever made it this far in his bid for galactic domination.
But even knowing this, he realized the insurmountable danger the One Sith and their remaining plans still represented for the galaxy and could not afford to underestimate them. Having been ordered to hunt down the opposing squads penetrating the Sith's holy world alongside dozens of Krayt's best Sith, Tau was fortunate he thought ahead with his two friends on this desolate world and took steps to mitigate the danger the Alliance was in.
Sending Ahsoka and Butch to warn the team that entered through the Valley of Golg, while Tau alerted K'Kruhk through the Force of the impending hunt, he had done all he could for the moment in giving them a fighting chance at surviving this mission. Hopefully, he would be given more opportunities to sabotage the Sith's war effort before his cover was discarded or uncovered.
He only hoped he would not be dispatched to hunt down Vestara's team, since it was probable that Chelli was with her, and he was unwilling to be in the young Aphra's presence after killing her mother during hers' and Jaing's escape, never mind the danger of Chelli inadvertently blowing his cover if the Sith detected even a shred of sympathy or confusion from her. And, truth be told, he had a little soft spot for Vestara after all the time and effort Edaan spent in working to save and reunite her with Ben, and would hate to see such deeds ruined by his hand.
No matter what happened over the course of this mission, though, he would do his part to stop the Sith's rise and save his brother. He owed it to himself to figure out just who he was as a living being, and all those that were counting on him to help win this war.
1300 Hours
Ilum System Outskirts
Aboard the Cal Omas
"We've just entered the Ilum System, sir, and our sensors and long-range scouts are picking up a large amount of enemy traffic coming in and out from the target." An officer quickly informed Kral. "They've also detected signs of damage from four of the rogue Imperial destroyers, as if a ship self-destructed inside each vessel."
Closing his eyes for a moment, regretting not arriving in time to help Julius rescue his fellow Aquilian soldiers from captivity, Kral steeled himself for the coming carnage before gratefully nodding to the lieutenant.
Observing the data coming in from the tactical feed, Kral was grateful for the Chiss agreeing to share their information on Ilum and several previously unknown routes in and out of the star system, for those were the most likely routes any enemy reinforcements would take, which meant there was still time to blockade them and curtail any unpleasant surprises.
But the Sith's fleets were still a substantial force to be reckoned with, since well over fifty fully functional warships were guarding the planet, vindicating the information that Tau and the Aquilians provided on the One Sith and how they had invested a great deal of time and effort into this world's occupation and mining operations. Fortunately, the Sith's followers made one crucial mistake in this defense, for they underestimated the Alliance of Light's response and their preparations for their inevitable reprisals, but not before taking the chance to capture or eliminate a few key commanders in the One Sith's ranks and learning more of their ultimate plans.
0400 Hours, Selona 9th, 59 ABY
On the Planet Naporar
Inside the Expansionary Defense Fleet's Headquarters
"To put it mildly, Kivu'raw'nuru, the Syndicature and Defense Council are heavily divided over how to handle you and your allies after their effectiveness at protecting the Ascendancy after the disaster of the Thomoro Shipyards. If this is your idea of a 'victory', I fear to imagine what you consider a bitter and decisive defeat." Ja'fosk plainly informed Vurawn.
Having ordered the Empire of the Hand's supreme commander to report to Ja'fosk to provide additional details on the Nikardun's attack above Copero, the Supreme Admiral was aghast to comprehend just how devastating the assault was proving to be. With five of their prized warships now in the Sith's control, over two-thirds of the Thomoro Shipyards rendered all but inoperable for at least a full year, and morale among the Chiss's defense force at an all-time low, Ja'fosk knew the Sith would undoubtedly seize their advantage and attack the Ascendancy on many more fronts.
Without the efforts of the Supreme General and the many unique factions that comprised the Alliance of Light, there would likely have been nothing left to salvage from this dire situation, and the coalition had a new trove of information from the captured ships and prisoners to use against the Sith.
"To be fair, Supreme Admiral, I called our battle against the Sith's proxies a pyrrhic victory." Vurawn stoically clarified. "And according to the information my people have managed to sift from the databases of the captured ships, we now have a trail we can follow to locate the Rakata's refuge and the Sith's secret shipyards."
"That's all well and good for our long-term strategy, but it doesn't offset the losses we suffered over the last two days."
"No, it does not." Vurawn solemnly agreed. "But now I know how to rebuild the Ascendancy's morale and allow us to go on the offensive for now." Pulling out a questis from his pocket, he handed Ja'fosk his personal datapad before continuing, "We also managed to uncover about one hundred bases and outposts that the Sith are utilizing across the Chaos from the captured Nikardun and Rakata ships."
Red eyes gleaning in understanding, Ja'fosk continued the train of thought, "You wish us to strike at them all and help gain a greater picture of the enemy's ultimate strategy and infrastructure."
"Not alone, for our people need to learn how to work alongside the greater galaxy's forces as equals while learning how to fight against this dark network of the Sith's servants." Vurawn elaborated. "The Empire of the Hand and most of the known galaxy knows how to adapt and work alongside foreign powers, but the Ascendancy still has stubborn and powerful isolationist holdouts in every aspect of its society and accepts change rather slowly."
"You're fortunate the rest of the Ascendancy didn't hear that last remark, or that it's not me you need to convince about the merits of your plan." Ja'fosk bitterly noted. "I know the Copero situation was beyond your control, and that you'll work hard to prevent another catastrophe of its like from occurring again."
Rising from his chair, Ja'fosk gravely continued, "But once you have fully devised a working strategy to deal with the Sith and their thralls, I will advise you to focus your efforts into learning all you can of the Sorcerers of Rhand and their enslaved worlds and share all you uncover with the Alliance of Light leadership. The Rhandites have become a far more dangerous enemy, and are far more ancient, than you may remember from your progenitor and fellow clones' implanted memories."
0800 Hours
Ilum System
Aboard the Chiss Heavy Cruiser Steadfast
Observing the brief stalemate and vast wreckage between the two opposing armadas, Chaf Parck, longtime admiral in the Empire of the Hand and friend to those who valued order and prosperity among the Unknown Regions, found himself humbled at the lengths the main galaxy would go to in stopping the agents of chaos, and now understood why his father respected the main factions and their boundless potential for war.
Alongside their new allies in the Aquilian Republic, the Jedi and their great alliance had hit the Sith's numerous fleets with such speed and ferocity that immediately knocked half a dozen capital ships out of the fight and allowed all the factions to send commando teams to capture the last batch of cargo ships carrying adegan crystals before taking them away from the battlefield and towards safer havens. The Aquilians especially took swift retribution against Lecersen's forces, shredding three of its damaged capital ships from earlier acts of self-sacrifice. While these were small victories against an insurmountably larger foe, they carried a satisfying retribution for the loss of Paladin-Captain Arcus and her crews for their brave act of self-destruction to prevent capture by the enemy.
Quickly pushing back Lecersen and his remaining allies to Ilum's orbit in five quick hours before they were capable of regrouping, the enemy assaulted the Alliance with a three-pronged assault of their in-system forces and the new arrivals of Sith and Rhandites. Thankfully, they had two hours to regroup and prepare for these new arrivals, due to their scout ships deploying half of the Vagaari gravity projector ship-nets on loan from the Chiss Ascendancy and were able to force the remaining original Sith occupiers from Ilum's orbit, allowing them to establish a defensive position above the planet.
After the two hours passed, though, the true battle began in earnest, with the Sorcerers and Sith deploying swarms of fighters and utilizing arcane methods of the Force to wreak havoc across their foes' fleets, with such attacks including combusting several Alliance captains and creating small Force Storms to spontaneously appear and wound a ship or two all to spread terror across their coalition and undermine its ability to conduct the battle while suffering damage to more conventional attacks from the Sith force.
But even recognizing their increasing losses and damage to many of their still-functional ships, the coalition held its ground and were given a brief reprieve because of the Jedi and their decisive acts against the Rakata, Ebruchi, and Imperial fleets with their StealthX wings, coordinated surgical strikes with the Aquilians against the remaining forces, and a bit of mental manipulation of a few weak-minded captains and countering the Sorcerers' esoteric abilities with their own connections to the Force, they were able to cut the enemy's numbers down by about a tenth of its original strength.
And the Empire of the Hand, seeing the dire situation before them, refused to be outdone by outsiders, with its ships coming to bear against the One Sith's main fleet and further dividing the enemy's focus against another front. After about twelve hours of intense combat and seeing dozens of ships on both sides be torn apart, both fleets withdrew to lick their wounds and prepare for the final stage of this battle. When that moment came, the Empire of the Hand would be ready to show everyone why it was the best fighting force in all the galaxy.
1200 Hours
Dathomir Orbit
Aboard the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Megador
Standing aboard the bridge of the final Super Star Destroyer of the old Galactic Empire, now considered by many as the flagship of the Galactic Alliance since Grand Admiral Pellaeon served the democratic government during the Dark Nest Crisis and the Swarm War that erupted from its aftermath, Keyan Farlander felt a renewed sense of nostalgia and unease course through him as he stared out at the vast nebulas of space.
Having fought against the Galactic Empire for decades, the long-serving general of the Rebel Alliance and its three successor governments did not consider himself worthy of the mixed honor of leading one of the few star dreadnoughts in all of existence. That burden was only enhanced by remembering how he lost his old flagship of the Mon Adapyne when working to liberate Falleen from a Sith-backed monarchy and would be in command of the Galactic Alliance force dedicated to striking a crucial blow on the One Sith's plans. The Mon Calamari flagship had served him well for decades and recalling how he lost much of its crew weighed heavily on his soul.
Thankfully, though, he would not have the burden of leading the Alliance of Light's fleets against Korriban alone. Alongside the Confederation, Jedi, and Mandalorian forces, the Dorneans, having broken their long-standing neutrality after the rescue of their most respected general from Daala's captivity, would be providing a fleet to aid in breaking through Korriban's defenses when the time was best.
And the Dornean's own Etahn A'bhat, perhaps its greatest general and ally of the Rebellion and all the way to the Galactic Alliance before his carbonite impoundment by both Caedus and Daala, would be taking quite a proactive role in this campaign. He would be serving, at Keyan's own request, as an advisor to the GA general and liaison to the Dornean Expeditionary Fleet. Having such a long serving veteran and levelheaded leader would do well to balance out against Keyan's brasher tendencies and aggressive tactics, which weren't helped at all with Han Solo aboard and advising him to forgo the strategy and go after Krayt right away, even with his wife doing her best to counsel caution and patience.
But until that time came, he would do what he could to help the people of Dathomir rebuild from the Sith's brutal attack of last month. As the ostensible reason for being here, his ship was loaded with relief supplies and the means to help the Dathomirians and their Jedi allies to recover from Krayt's onslaught, and he intended to do what he could to help shield the innocent from any further death and destruction.
Perhaps he should journey down to the planet below and personally aid in the recovery efforts. It would do him and the fleet well to have their general set a good example for all the troops.
1500 Hours
Within Chiss Space
Aboard the Vigilance-class Yacht Quarren Eye
"So, you are the ones that General Antilles allowed entrance into the Ascendancy's sovereign borders." Ba'Kif suspiciously started off the unofficial meeting to the assembled Wraith Squadron. Having been told ahead of time by Wedge about the Supreme General learning of their presence and mission, the unlikely team of misfits would need to stick to their plan and avoid improvising if they hoped to remain and help track the Sith's remaining network of contacts inside the Ascendancy's borders.
"Under normal circumstances, I would not even entertain such a breach of trust and protocol and order you to leave immediately, especially considering your odd choice in teammates." Ba'Kif warned, glancing at Viull Gorsatt, the team's Yuuzhan Vong and biofabricator, before conceding, "But these are hardly ordinary times, and we all need to consider radical solutions if we hope to survive the coming months. I was told by your old friends, or father, in some cases," briefly glancing at Myri Antilles and Jesmin Tainer, "that you all are among the best in your fields."
"Which is why, in the spirit of good faith, I am prepared to make you an offer of compromise and cooperation." Ba'Kif surprised everyone before he continued, "I am well aware that there are still many Sith sympathizers embedded in the Ascendancy and our outlying territories, and as much as many of us wish to deny otherwise, we need outside assistance in uprooting these enemy networks."
"So, does that mean you're willing to share with us this information to corroborate what we can, or allow us to quietly follow up on leads your people would have difficulty otherwise working on?" Turman Durra, a Clawdite and the Wraiths' best member of impersonation and covert intrusion, carefully guessed, earning him a few glares for interrupting this pivotal meeting.
"Quite aptly and diplomatically put." Ba'Kif complimented the deduction. "You all have the skills and flexibility my people can't deny, and we can't afford to let the rest of the Ascendancy know of this now."
"Ah, that's fine by us. Our work isn't meant to be in the limelight anyway. The fewer people who know the truth, the fewer headaches we can give you all." Trey Corsair lightly commented.
"Then we're in agreement on all the major points, so I will have your handler ready for you by the end of tomorrow." Ba'Kif continued as if he wasn't interrupted. "If you all hope to work most effectively inside the Ascendancy, you will need someone that knows our territory, strata of power, and can navigate the political and military quandary we are right now, and I have just the man in mind for the job."
"Then we look forward to speaking with him at his convenience." Voort diplomatically nodded before the holosignal cut off.
1800 Hours
Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Within the Temple's Main Hangar
"A pleasure to meet you, Madam Director." Tionne politely greeted the Rogues' Gallery's leader of its intelligence division as her people debarked from the shuttles alongside the GAS's handpicked agents and investigators.
"Oh, please, 'Kirney' or 'Mrs. Donos is fine, Master Jedi. That title reminds me too much of Ysanne Isard's demented reign of the Empire, and I think no one wants to be reminded of her after she caused that kriffing Krytos Virus and the Bacta War that was required to topple her rule." The silver-haired woman wanly noted.
"You know your history." Tionne approvingly commented.
"I know the mistakes countless people made in serving terrible evils and would do much to keep them all from being repeated." Kirney guardedly clarified, a hidden pain beneath her eyes that Tionne recognized all too well from past complicity in similar crimes but kept quiet on her suspicions. Knowing how Wedge Antilles and Garik Loran vouched for this woman, she would give the director the benefit of the doubt.
That trust would be especially crucial since her and her people's help would undoubtedly be needed to help the GA and Jedi track Fyor Rodan and Kar'sk Fey'la's teams across the trillion-high population of Coruscant while uncovering the potential One Sith agents embedded among the Alliance's cleansing operation in this Jedi Order's former center of power.
Getting back to the matters at hand, Tionne offered, "Would you like a tour of our operations as of now, to see if everything is up to standards, or do you prefer to work independently?"
"I'll work with whatever you feel is best as long as we can do our jobs. This is your home, and I'm only a guest here." Kirney hesitated before adding, "Though, it might be best if the two of us work together, just so we can coordinate our findings and best manage our people and any troublemakers among them."
Wholeheartedly nodding, Tionne agreed, "That is most certainly an arrangement I can make."
1900 Hours
Korriban, Sith Catacombs
Deep Beneath the Valley of Golg
"You sure know how to show a guy a great time, Ves." Ben ruefully and softly teased his lover while they worked to keep watch over the makeshift camp. "Maybe after we finish here, I can take you to the swamps of Dagobah and show you where my dad trained under Master Yoda."
"Sure. I could use a break from all this desolation and enjoy a little peace and quiet." Vestara nonchalantly agreed, not able to keep a straight face at the weak humor. "Or maybe we can go to a place like Taris or Zygerria, a place where we can do plenty of good for the innocent and enjoy a good vacation after this war ends."
"Sounds like a date." Ben agreed, glad he got to spend a little alone time with Vestara, even if it was deep underneath a desolate world occupied by the Jedi's greatest and oldest enemies. Having traversed the caves and stealthily moved past many unnatural horrors guarding the deeper tombs over the last two days, barely getting more than five hours of sleep in between treks, everyone was hopeful to get a few more hours of rest before continuing their advance towards Krayt's citadel.
That is, if every member of their team stopped telling stories of their adventures across the galaxy and get a fair share of much-needed rest before the next day began.
Still, if all went according to plan, then they would rendezvous with Phasma, K'Kruhk, and their team and they would begin scouting out the citadel's defenses to prepare for the assault alongside their own ships. Thankfully, the communication network they had devised before arriving here was working and allowed all three teams to keep track of their progress, even if the signal was difficult to maintain at the best of times.
But according to Vestara, they still had at least another week before they could make it just outside the sanctum of evil, and they could not afford to be wrong about their estimations, especially when remembering how their supplies only lasted for another thirteen days, even when rationed down to the bare minimum. What they needed now was an inside edge in reaching the underground fortress before they were ambushed by any other dark beasts or their Sith masters.
Feeling two vibrant presences, each bathed in Light Side energy, swiftly approaching the couple set them on edge and warily pulled out their lightsabers but left them unlit for the moment. Not seeing anything before them, they were astonished to hear weak barking in the Sith language beneath their feet and saw a sight that neither could have foreseen: A Tuk'ata hound, barely a year old according to Vestara's keen eye, a foot long, and bore blue eyes, barking and running around the two almost as if it was a house pet.
Ben, completely baffled at what he was witnessing, awkwardly asked Vestara, "Friend of yours?"
"Afraid not. I'm just as confused as you here, Ben." Vestara numbly answered before a ball of Light Side power phased out of the pup and coalesced into the form of a Togruta woman garbed in Jedi battle armor.
"It's an honor to finally meet you both, Ben Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala Naberrie; and Vestara Khai, daughter of Gavar and Lakha Khai. My new friend has told me much about you, and we both knew you all would need assistance in traversing this planet's dangerous underbelly."
"What new friend? Who exactly are you?" Ben carefully answered back, confused if this apparition was a friend or foe. She might be radiating Light Side energy, but he remembered how his father told him of how Abeloth and highly skilled Sith could cloak their true natures from virtually anyone.
Mirthfully smiling, the ghost apologetically answered, "You're right, I'm sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself again. My name is Ahsoka Tano, Knight of the original Jedi Order, and trusted compatriot of Tau Palpatine, the one who is guiding you towards the Sith temple where your enemy still dwells and awoke me from my decades of being trapped here in my despair."
"Please, allow me to start from the beginning of this tale. It's quite a riveting and illuminating story of hope, liberation, and redemption." Gazing at Vestara for a moment, who, like Ben, was rendered speechless by her claims, she added, "Rather like yours, I believe, Miss Khai."
'Should we get the others?' Vestara anxiously asked Ben through their bond.
'Not yet. Let's see what comes of this and let everyone try to get some rest.' Ben calmly cautioned his girlfriend before gesturing for Ahsoka to begin her story.
1930 Hours
Horuset System, Deep Within the Ashes of Korr Debris Belt
Aboard the KDY Amphibious Interstellar Assault Transport/infantry Gunship Razor Crest
Scouring through the system's outermost debris belt, Din Djarin and his crew diligently analyzed every morsel of information streaming in from the Calrissian's latest inventions. Currently, they had picked up several burst transmissions being emitted across the system, and the dozens of scout ships were working admirably in pinpointing the exact coordinates of each point of origin. If they continued at their current pace, then it was only a matter of time before the Sith's secret network of strongholds fell. The Alliance already uncovered one such facility before, when their first in-system raid liberated hundreds of children from all over the galaxy, so it was at least theoretically possible Krayt's people had several other bases around his order's base of operations.
Having previously been assigned to aid the Alliance in its on-planet assault, Din originally bristled at the task of monitoring the tsunami of data from tens of thousands Tendrando Arms' probe droids and scout ships patrolling the system's outskirts. Normally, he was a man of action, and as a proactive Mandalorian and interventionalist clan leader, yearned for another chance to strike back against the Sith to avenge all the harm and destruction they spread across the galaxy since their vile religion's inception, no matter what isolationists or supremacists like Venku or Belok Rhal preached.
But thanks to his wife and Bardan Jusik's wise counsel, he was convinced of the wisdom of this endeavor, since the long-resigned Jedi Knight sensed many faint traces of suffering across the system, ones that were barely detected by even the most powerful of the Jedi present in this system. That implied the Sith were performing far more abominable experiments within their many concealed facilities, just like the one holding Edaan Palpatine somewhere in the Korriba Scar Asteroid Belt, if Grand Master Katarn's agent could be fully trusted. Still, it was all they had to go on, so that only meant the clan leader would have to always keep his eyes open.
Questionable intelligence sources aside, Din's instincts and Bardan's well-honed senses told him that the enemy was here, and he would follow both until the Alliance mapped out the enemy's entire network of structures, liberated as many prisoners as possible that they could save and eliminated the Sith's wardens. He owed those children at least that much after how the Mandalorians under Spar and Fenn Shysa, back when he was a young boy, saved him from the horrors of the Clone Wars and taught him a path of honor and loyalty that proved to be unbreakable in the many crucibles of war over throughout his decades of living.
2000 Hours
Within the Sith Citadel
Inside Darth Krayt's Private Meditation Chambers
"How are the final preparations going on your end?" Krayt requested of Sorzus, who ordered this communication with the Sith leader through the Force to relay all essential information to him.
'We're well ahead of schedule, honored Dread Lord.' The Sith Lady emphatically answered. 'Every station is reporting substantial progress in augmenting your army, and our newest general will be ready to join the fight by the end of the month.'
Pausing, Sorzus carefully added, 'But there may be a few rather, difficult impediments towards our final phase of the evacuation. Our sensors have picked up over three hundred signatures roaming the debris field across this region of this asteroid belt, and our other space stations report similar results. That leaves approximately ten thousand small nuisances that are transmitting data to the Alliance command ships, along with a few dozen scout ships and gunships scouring both the Korriba Scar Asteroid belt and Ashes of Korr Debris Belt.'
'Reconnaissance vessels and probe droids.' Krayt blithely surmised, now realizing there was an alternate motive for the Alliance of Light's brazen attack, and lamented falling for it so easily, especially since he sent Wyyrlok to Sadow Station to pick up their assets. If they were half as smart as he feared, that meant the enemy could track his regent's trail if they figured out the ship's trace residue. 'Maintain complete comm silence on all frequencies and accelerate your work as much as possible. We may have to leave even sooner than we originally anticipated, and we cannot afford to have any stone left unturned in our great work.'
'I hear and will obey, my Lord.' Sorzus wholeheartedly responded before she closed the mental link with the aging human Sith to continue her essential work, while Krayt quickly commanded all his overseers to follow Sorzus's lead until given orders to do otherwise.
Then, rising from his meditative position, Krayt knew it was time to join the hunt on the Alliance's on-planet teams. He needed to take the pressure off his allies and followers and give them more time to complete the final preparations for their mass evacuation.
The only question that remained was which front he should decide to enter first, as all three of them were essential to the next few weeks and the completion of the Grand Design.
On one hand, the Sith's underground fortress needed to be protected until everything was ready, which meant capturing or destroying the teams on their way down. With Vestara Khai, Phasma, and the Aphra girl working to lead the infiltrators safely through the catacombs, it would make much sense to deal with them first.
Then again, with Jaina Solo Fel, Ferren Barr, and their small army wreaking havoc across the surface outposts, it was a distraction no one could afford to let fester any longer. They had already destroyed three outposts and called down surgical strikes to enact severe damage to another five, and Krayt knew just how dangerous one of the most cunning and intellectually gifted disciples he ever recruited and trained, and the first – and only - Sword of the Jedi, could both be when they were on their own. But if they were put together like they are now, they represented an exponentially greater threat to the Grand Design and needed to be disposed of immediately before the danger only grew for his followers.
Lastly, there was the Alliance's hunt for the network of Sith outposts and stations across the system, which, if prematurely discovered, would compromise everything Krayt had planned for the war in the Unknown Regions. If he were to personally intervene, much of the pressure could be taken off Korriban and allow Wyyrlok the opportunity to redeem himself for his previous failure with the Aphra women.
Well, whatever course of action he decided, it needed to be made right away, since the One Sith depended on him for proper and decisive leadership while the enemy was virtually right on their doorstep. And the founder of this latest Sith order had a terrible suspicion the enemy was closer and far more dangerous to his cause than he initially believed if the whispers of insight the Force granted him were genuine.
Well, I'd say this is a satisfactory place to end the chapter. And it only took me about a week to write, but it was shorter than the last few. An unexpected turn of events, but I won't complain. I just hope all I've done so far works for all of you, and you have plenty of constructive feedback to provide later. And, on a more embarrassing note, I forgot to include Din Djarin and his clan in the Alliance of Light's Korriban Infiltration mission, so I had to adapt and find another way to put him in the system. Shameful of me, I know, for I should be keeping track of my story and all its aspects. But honestly, I think this makes more sense in the long run, and I just hope you all agree.
So, how are you all doing on this cool day of Sunday, October 30, 2022? I'm doing well, as I have started reading a great collection of works by St. Augustine of Hippo. It's HUGE, but it'll hopefully provide lots of great insight on Christian living and how to deal with the madness gripping the world. And my work hours will be reduced a little for the next couple weeks, but I'll make do until they pick up again. Well, I'd best get this chapter ready for publishing tomorrow or the day after. I hope you all have a blessed night, stay safe in these mad times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!