[Tomb of Freedon Nadd, Dxun]
Savage Opress
It's been a few days since I tamed Konrad and his pack of nighthunters, our mental bond has broken a few times but each time it happened I quickly reasserted control of him.
He is now being cared for by some beastmasters to ensure his health and to provide training. They have been heavily compensated for their secrecy, but once they are done helping me, I will kill them to make sure they say nothing.
After all my droids have been recording their practices in case I ever need to train more.
Things are mostly going well, news around the galaxy are that meetings are being called between the republic and the separatist, Lux Bonteri is the poster child of the group calling for peace, a tribute to his dead mother.
The kid is simply doing as I tell him to, drawing all my potential opposition to one side in a move that has the Darth Sidious mark of approval, a true pro gamer move.
I will have to keep a close eye on him, I wouldn't want the kid to get creative.
Assigning some BX commando droids as bodyguards will become a necessity.
In other news things are not going well for my favorite space wizards.
The Jedi were recently eviscerated on the galactic stage because of their controversial opinion about continuing the war, they made fools of themselves by trying to say that there are Sith in control of the of the CIS, which is of course true, but to the ignorant masses of the galaxy it just highlighted the dogma that rules over them.
Now people in the Republic are calling the Jedi the attack dogs of the Warhawk faction in the Senate, the chancellor is now publicly distancing himself from all but a few Jedi, among them the now controversial Anakin Skywalker.
The Hero without fear is now facing public outcry for the murder of Count Dooku and in a move I didn't see coming, he has broken the tacit order from the council of not speaking to the press.
He has accepted fault for the death of Dooku, he has stated that it was an accidental death however and that the death of Kaatunko was entirely the fault of the droids aboard the ship.
Some have accepted the explanation but as it is with any other public figure his detractors are calling his statement a bold-faced lie.
The Jedi have no real way to change public opinion on them on a larger scale and for the moment are weathering the storm thanks to the usual suspects, Bail Organa, Padme Amidala and Mon Mothma.
In the political spectrum everything is going perfectly and that worries me,
Sidious is making no move to keep the war going, this can only mean one thing.
He doesn't have any puppets of use in the Confederacy, and he will no doubt use this period of peace to reestablish control, which is the correct move, he will send spies, coerce senators, and kill whoever he deems an obstacle to his cause.
If I am to maintain control, I will need spies of my own and assurances from the council as well as some places or people to use as distractions.
Perhaps Mother Talzin can spare some of the sisters to help me as a force sensitive secret police.
My musings are interrupted by the clanking of feet.
"Commander, General Grievous has a report he is waiting for you"
"Finally"
As I walk to the place where the comm is, I can see the work that has been done to restore this place and make it a fully operational fortress.
The place has been thoroughly cleaned and modernized in at least a third of the structure with more work being done on my personal chambers and the battlements outside.
Some plans have been made to convert the lower floors into both a mine and a factory, but I'm still not sure if it would be wise to disturb the stone that supports the tomb.
I finally arrive at the room where the hologram of Grievous is waiting for me.
"We have a problem" the cyborg seemed to be in a worse mood than usual, something i thought impossible.
"Do tell, how come we have a problem? Our ships outnumber those of the republic in most sectors, our droids outnumber the clones more than a hundred to one and the Jedi have been recalled from most combat zones" i couldn't or more accurately wouldn't hide the derision in my voice.
"That last point is exactly the problem, their ineptitude was never a secret but now that they are gone, some systems have been presenting unexpected resistance" I felt his anger as he spoke, it must have bothered him that some no name commanders were defeating his forces.
"Which combat zone is presenting the most resistance?"
"The borders of Hutt space along Naboo, in the route that leads to Geonosis"
"Naboo, it always seems to attract trouble" seriously is that place just cursed.
"Has trench recuperated enough to lead an attack?" That spider creeped me the fuck out but as long as he served in my army i would tolarate him.
"He has taken a liking to his mechanical additions and is anxious to fight before the peace talks actually commence" surprisingly Grievous seems happy to work with another cyborg
"Give him command of the closest assets in our rebellious systems and tell him to impress us"
A moment of silence that is filled with the rasping breaths of my cyborg friend stretches for a minute while I think
"If you have nothing more to say I'm leaving"
"Don't be so hasty General, I was trying to think of a way to be tactful.
I've been in contact with the Techno Union, we have prepared a new body for you, more robust and armored but less mobile, more important than that is the fact that you will be unrecognizable by any non force sensitive.
You will undertake some missions behind enemy lines and conduct acts of sabotage and assassinations…Dooku's records indicate that you are very familiar with such tactics"
"What will I be hunting?" i can feel his anticipation, this man is a hunter at heart after all.
"Politicians, Business Moguls and Jedi"
"When am I supposed to start?"
"As soon as you are modified"
"This partnership is off to a great start" with those words our meeting ends and his holo disappears from my sight.
Having to rein in the many conflicting groups in the CIS is difficult but when things go your way it's very rewarding.
I leave the room and head to my other project.
I tread a path that has quickly become familiar, the way into the resting place of Freedon's remains.
Inside the room there are now several scanners and animal pens, droids move around as they collect data ranging from height, weight, strength, age and even fertility.
"234 have you discovered anything new?"
"B1-234 reports that we have discovered a way to take some liquid from the pools of darkness, before any time we tried it had explosive results, but B1- 234 had the thought of using cheaper materials that are still of high quality.
Using glass with almost no impurities has allowed us to harness the liquid, then B1-234 used said liquid as a stimulant on non-native animals and on native animals.
Non-native animals that received large doses had spontaneous mutations that ultimately resulted in the death of the subject, micro doses on non-native animals yielded no noticeable results but a controlled exposure in a larger amount yielded more controllable mutations in the exposed areas.
Native animals that Commander Savage helped capture seem to get more aggressive the longer they are exposed to the liquid, but no mutations occur, however B1-234 is happy to report that when a specimen was exposed to the pool it started to mutate.
Soon data will emerge of the optimal time to expose a specimen and the one designated as Konrad will be improved once it is found"
"Excellent work 234"
Being surrounded by droids all the time is not so bad, they are the perfect work force and ask for nothing.
Interestingly enough most of them seem to really like having Konrad around and it weirds me out, but I've decided to ignore it since nothing bad has happened…yet.
"Commander, Commander it's an emergency"
A droid comes running into the room.
"What could possibly be an emergency right now?"
"B1-626 has contacted us saying that the witches wish to speak with you"
Shit that is an emergency
Without saying another word, I take off running, making Mother Talzin displeased with me is very dangerous to my health.
In no time at all I'm back in the communication room where I can already see the image of my mother.
"Mother this is a surprise, how may I help you?" so I can be rid of you
"You will come to Dathomir as soon as you can" now that sounded like an order
"I'm very busy here but if it's an emergen-"
"It is an emergency Savage, your brother is not well and he needs your assistance"
"I thought you could heal his mind on your own and I even had the droids give him appropriate prosthetics, what do you even need me for?"
I can see as her face debates between answering me and just ordering me around in the end she decides to explain herself
"He needs to make a bond with you through the force so his mind can find a way back from the dark place it has fled to"
Aaa, so having Savage did help Maul, he was like a crutch as he learned to think straight again. That explains the erratic behavior that he had when he first awoke in the original timeline and how eventually he became the methodical killer and strategist again.
"Are there any side effects?"
"None, well you would have a closer bond and develop a bond not unlike the one you had with Feral"
hmm, having Maul as an ally outweighs any discomfort i would feel from replacing Feral besides if he dies before me i could get another power up as it has happened before.
"I will leave immediately for Dathomir Mother, in no time Maul will be sane once more"
She cuts the communicator as soon as I finish talking, it's somewhat jarring to see how much she cares for Maul after she let Ventress kill Feral.
In the end it doesn't matter as long as she doesn't attack me.
Beep
"Prepare my ship and send word to start operation New Dawn and operation Damocles"
The Damocles plan was pivotal for the consolidation of the outer rim and the best part is that even if someone where to intercept the orders they would have no fucking idea what it was since the Damocles legend is from earth.
"Roger, Roger"
As the droids prepare my ship for takeoff, I decide to get some reading material from my chambers.
In the database of the Tomb the droids found several Sith rituals with various uses, the ones I'm more interested in right now are those that change the very landscape itself.
Some techniques have also been left behind as they were somewhat common in that era, like Sith lightning and breath control, the latter one may prove even more useful than the former in this day and age.
As I travel to Dathomir I will make sure to practice what I can and read about the rituals. Thankfully there is hardly any need to translate it as the instructions were left behind in Basic.
As a precaution I will make sure to practice the rituals on a smaller scale in case anything goes wrong.
[Quarren headquarters, Mon Cala]
Riff Tamson
Many people are fooled by the Confederacy without even knowing about it, just because the face of the armed forces are droids they think that no sentient of flesh and blood is part of the army.
But all throughout the outer rim spies and saboteurs answer the call of duty in an effort to liberate their people from the tyranny of the core worlds that have long exploited their people.
And so here I am, with a new master in the mysterious Savage Opress but that changes my position little and now I've received authorization to start the liberation of Mon Cala.
"Nossor Ri has the king accepted our invitation?" my tone projects civility and the calm of a ruler.
"I'm afraid that with the recent events happening in the galaxy he has little time for us" the squid is simply useless, but i was prepared for this too.
"And yet you still follow him"
"He has been a great king and a good friend"
"A great king you say? Then why are Quarren second class citizens in their own world?
Don't tell me that you can't see how the Mon Calamari treat your brethren, have you not heard how they are discriminated against while they try to trade or how they are not permitted to live in the Mon Calamari capital city"
The fool remains quiet for a long while, truly the Quarren couldn't have chosen a more pathetic representative if they tried.
"What should I do Tamson?" there is desperation in his voice, ah victory
"You should start by gathering your people into a cohesive force" my innocent tone hides the true purpose of my words.
"We will not start a civil war!"
"I'm not talking about war merely a demonstration, a protest against the unfair treatment you receive, if the king is as good as you say he will address your grievances and I will leave" if things truly happened like that, it would be the worst case scenario.
"And…and if he isn't?" doubts have started to fester on his mind now he only needs a little push
"Then I will help you in whatever way I can to correct the injustice in your world"
"Will…will there be military aid?" yes, he's mine now
"If it's required, but we are so close to peace now, some concessions will have to made if such a thing were to happen"
"Then I will begin gathering my people"
"This is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship my friend, perhaps the next being to have the crown of Mon Cala won't be a Mon Calamari"
Yes, the next being to have the crown will be me.