Chapter 51: Test of Death
Reviewers:
Oblivionknight7: Plenty of that in the next chapter when the main invasion begins.
Liljimmyurine: Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. We'll see. I see. I'm only doing five so far. And if the reviewers want more that's what's gonna happen. In A New Hope, Jan Dadonna says the Death Star is heavily shielded. Ground battle in the next chapter. I'm going to have an Emperor's Hand involved. I doubt the Empire has any blanks. They're incredibly rare even in the 40k universe. Yes, scary.
Silvanas: No it is not.
Vortex Inferno: All the Emperor did was eliminate their cores, not their essence itself. They will return. I'm not sure about that.
Grufbar: They probably will soon.
Lennox: Yes back to Kestrel. The Astronomican is still around. The psychic engines only made it able to reach across the entire galaxy. Good suggestion. Here's one of mine. How about instead of the Federation the Shadow Imperium meets the Terran Empire, under the rule of EMPEROR Picard? Hope you like this chapter.
Grayangle: They are leaning to use their powers and control them at the same time. Remember the Twins have a massive amount of experince. They know what they're doing.
With the imminent attack by the Imperium, the Empire had stepped up its preparations for war. The Eclipse had been completed. The Death Star would be ready within a week. Production of Tie Defenders had increased dramatically. With the announcement of the threat of a renewed offensive by the Imperium the people of the Empire were flocking to the Imperial cause. Recruiting had increased nearly fifty percent. The Emperor knew that when this new foe was crushed, the Empire would stand over a united galaxy. But first he knew he must prevent the vision he had witnessed from coming to pass. Significant portions of the Imperial fleet had gathered near the planets that possessed planetary shields. There were only a handful in the Empire. Each was now defended by hundreds, if now thousands of Imperial vessels. It would take a truly monumental assault to break through. If the Emperor had only known that one vessel would cause one of the greatest Imperial defeats of all time.
Imperial Admiral Zaarin oversaw the defense of the Kestrel system. He had been assigned to the command ship Razor's Edge, the newest of the super class Star Destroyers. His fleet consisted of three hundred and twenty seven Imperial mark 2 Star Destroyers, eighty Victory Star Destroyers and over a thousands Dreadnaughts, Carrack cruisers and Lancer frigates. It was the greatest gathering of Imperial might the Admiral had ever seen. He felt awed. This was the type of sight that made it clear to anyone that the Galactic Empire could never be defeated. As he watched flights of Tie Defenders, his creations, fly by the massive Star Destroyers, he could not help feeling like a proud father seeing his children growing up. He knew it would take a truly massive armada to even put a dent in his force. He looked forward to watching this Imperium of Mankind be ground under the boot of the Empire, and he would be at the front. As he dreamt of the glory that would soon be his, the Imperium's vengeance for its defeat at Imperial hands was hurtling towards Zaarin's armada.
The Final Judgment was only minutes away from the Kestrel system. The Emperor and the twins were on the ship's massive bridge, waiting for the moment of truth. The Final Judgment would be put through her baptism of fire. Only time would tell if she would come out alive.
"What can you sense?" The Emperor asked the Twins.
"They are extremely confident. They believe they can repel any attack we launch," Keren replied. She could sense the Imperials confidence and belief in their invincibility. They would soon be proved wrong.
Admiral Picard arrived on the bridge just before the Final Judgment reverted to real space.
"Ah, Admiral Picard," the Emperor greeted. "We have just come out of transwarp. Battle stations!" He ordered.
"Detecting Imperial vessels ahead Emperor," one of the officers repotted. "Reading approximately fifteen hundred ships. Fighters incoming." The Emperor smiled.
"Good, good. Lower shields. Bring the Temporal Core online."
"Are you mad?" Picard asked. "Without shields that armada can destroy even this mighty ship!" Keren turned and glared at Picard, who suddenly felt as if he was in a blizzard, he was so cold. He felt as if his life force was being held in the girl's hands and she could snuff it out with a mere thought. It lasted only a second though.
"Never say anything like that again," Keren said, ice in her voice.
"Besides Admiral, their weapons cannot harm us. We recently made contact with a race known as the Krenim in the Delta Quadrant. From them we gained a device known as a Temporal Core. It moves this ship out of normal space time, making us impervious to any weapon. You will see. Observe the Imperials," the Emperor said. The Tie fighters opened fire. Their weapons impacted the hull, but all that resulted was a series of dull bangs.
"Admiral, a single enemy vessel has exited into normal space. It's massive, nearly three hundred kilometers long." an officer told Admiral Zaarin.
"Only one? What could they be trying to accomplish. Even a ship of that size cannot destroy our entire fleet."
"Admiral Zaarin, our fighters have engaged the enemy ship. They report it is unshielded but their weapons are having no effect," Zaarin's executive officer reported.
"What is the reaction form the enemy?"
"Their ship has yet to return fire. They are continuing on a direct course for the planet. What are your orders Admiral?"
"Order the fleet to form up. That big bastard out there must be covered in some sort of super armor. But nothing can withstand the combined firepower of our entire fleet."
"Yes sir. Fleet forming up."
The Final Judgment waded through a sea of Ties on a slow but steady course for the target world. The Imperial fleet was lumbering into range. Soon tens of thousands of Turbolasers, Ion Cannons, Concussion missiles and Proton Torpedoes were smashing into the Emperor's flagship. Space seemed to be made up of nothing but weapons; such was the density of fire.
"Status?" He demanded.
"Temporal core holding. No damage to the hull." Picard was completely stunned, It appeared as though the Final Judgment was wading through a sea of weapons fire but nothing was happening except a small shake every now and then.
"Can you feel it Picard?" The Emperor asked. "Their fear is beginning to fester. They are throwing everything they have at us yet they are doing nothing. Soon they will see the folly of resisting the Imperium. Time to target?"
"We will be in firing range in seven minutes," a Custodes replied.
"When we are in range hold fire until my signal." The twins sat on the Emperor's knees.
"They're becoming confused," Sharon said.
"They don't know what they can do to harm us," Keren said a moment later. Picard was standing by the main view port. He was shaken at what had happened with Keren. In the instant he had looked into her eyes he had seen a happy young girl, but with a darkness within her that frightened him terribly.
"Admiral, our weapons are having no effect on the enemy at all," Zaarin's XO reported. "They are still continuing on their course for the planet. They will enter range of the planetary defense grid in one minute."
"Then let us see how their armor defends against planetary grade weapons. Continue firing with everything we have," Zaarin ordered, watching the enemy super-ship glide right through the Imperial fleet. They would soon taste the full fury of Imperial vengeance he thought.
"Emperor, detecting massive energy surges from the planet," a Custodes officer reported. "Likely planetary batteries powering up. Orbital platforms firing also."
"We're outside normal space time; impervious to their weapons. Let them fire to their hearts content. It will make no difference," the Emperor replied.
The dozens of planetary Turbolasers and Ion cannons of Kestrel opened fire on the Final Judgment. Blasts of energy powerful enough to obliterate a Star Destroyer splashed over the massive Imperium ship's hull, causing slight ripples across the hull but no damage.
The bridge of the Final Judgment shook as the Imperials best weapons sought to bring them down.
"Two percent loss of power in the Temporal Core. Ninety-eight percent until the critical limit. Main weapon now in range."
"Begin charging emitters. Can you feel it now Picard? Their best weapons are doing nothing. They are beginning to despair. Let us see what happens when they see our true power."
"Admiral, the enemy ship is showing a two percent power fluctuation but no other damage," Zaarin's XO reported.
"This is not possible," Zaarin breathed. "Not even the Death Star could withstand this powerful an attack shield less." He could feel fear coiling in his stomach. The enemy had taken everything they had and still kept coming, as if the barrages of gigaton level energy were a refreshing spring rain.
The Final Judgment had reached orbit of Kestrel.
"Emperor, we are in firing position. Main cannon standing by."
"Wait three minutes, then fire."
Three minutes went by, with the firepower directed at the Final Judgment intensifying even more as every Imperial weapon in the system targeted the Imperium's flagship.
"Emperor, Temporal Core at ninety percent."
"That is sufficient. Fire the Chronoton Cannon," the Emperor ordered.
"Revealing the iris." Outside, the Imperials watched as the front armor plates of the enemy ship split, revealing some sort of emitter. Gradually it began glowing a pale blue-white.
"All ship focus your attacks of that weapon," Zaarin ordered. The ocean of Imperial fire became a tornado of force focused on the enemy vessel's nose. The weapon responded by glowing brighter. It now looked like a massive flood light, illuminating the surface of Kestrel like a new son. "They must be planning to breach the shield with that. Instruct the ground forces to prepare."
On the surface of Kestrel thousands of Imperial troops, walkers and vehicles prepared for enemy landings, but they would never even see the faces of their enemies. For in space the Emperor gave the word.
"Fire," he said, and a lance of light, so bright as to be colorless, lanced out from the Final Judgment's nose, striking the planet with the force of a meteorite. It passed straight through the shield as if it didn't exist, striking the ground and generating an expanding wave of energy. Anything its path was just gone, erased. The Krenim version of the Chronoton Cannon had erased its targets from past, present and future, but research by Eldar scientists had created a weapon that merely erased its targets from the present and future. That way they victims would still be remembered as having existed.
When the energy wave reached full power the planet itself began experiencing massive volcanic eruptions as the energy from the beam reached the planet's core and collected there, building and building until, with a surge of raw power the core exploded in a massive shock wave that blew the entire crust of the planet into space. Within minutes all that remained of Kestrel was an asteroid field. Debris from the explosion destroyed dozens of Imperial ships. Its task done, the Final Judgment moved to exit the system. None of the Imperial ships tried to stop it. They were gripped by a combination of awe and terror. That ship had just endured an hour long bombardment by fifteen hundred Imperial warships and a planetary defense system and looked none the worse for wear.
"Sir, the enemy ship has sent out a transmission. Somehow they've jacked into the Holonet and are transmitting the message and video footage throughout the Empire."
"Jam them!" Zaarin demanded.
"We can't." Then the message played over the Imperial fleet's comm. lines.
"This is the Emperor of the Imperium of mankind. What you are seeing is a playback of the total and complete annialation of one of your best defended planets by a single warship of our empire. I now give each and every Imperial citizen a choice. If you join with us you will be accepted into our empire and become a part of the greatest stellar empire in existence. For those of you who foolishly choose to remain with your Emperor who could do nothing to stop us, you will be hunted down and slaughtered without mercy. We promise you peace, protection and security. Everything your current Empire cannot provide. For if we can annialate a world as well defended as this one like we have, what chance do you think you have when our true force becomes apparent. We do not want to destroy you, but if you resist us you will be shown to mercy. I ask you now, join with us and help usher in the golden age of mankind. That is all."
As the message teached every planet in the Glactic Empire, Palpatine knew that the Empire was heading for a very dark place. Already riots were breaking out on hundreds planets, most on the edges of Imperial space. He would have to bring about an Imerial victory soon. As soon as the Death star was completed he would give the people that victory. He would track the Imperium forces to their base and destroy them. When the Imerium was gone he would have the entire galaxy in the palm of his hand.
"Soon, very soon, the galaxy will be, mine," he said to his ever preasent and silent royal guards as he immersed himself in the Dark Side, searching for the path to victory. He would find it, no matter what it took. He would lead the Empire to ultimate victory no matter the cost.
How was that? In the next chapter the Imerium will attempt to conquer an Imerial system. Feel free to send me suggestions on which planet you'd like. Also a Sith will battle against the Twins and their students. Stay tuned for First Ground, and don't forget to review. See ya soon!
ENTILZA