Good afternoon, everyone! How are you all doing on this warm day of Thursday, October 14, 2021? I'm doing well, if a little stressed from my midterm reflection paper. I might have written a bit over the last couple of days, but there's still a long way to go before it's anywhere near complete. And in other news, while I'm waiting on Chapter 4 of my story to be revised, I figured I'd get started on Chapter 5 while I have a lull. I hope you all are ready for the conclusion of the Coruscant attacks, as that will most certainly surprise everyone. And I'll need to get some other storylines back on the board to keep them all in the limelight. I hope you all enjoy, and I pray that I can make something that most of you enjoy. May God be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
(Saturday, October 16, 2021, Addendum.) Hey, everyone! How are you all doing on this warm but cloudy afternoon? I'm doing fine, as I've written over 5.4k words in this chapter so far over three days. However, I'm a bit exhausted from exercising a bit. I also worked a bit on my paper yesterday, and I'll do a bit more later tonight. In the meantime, I am really enjoying the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, even if the show is taking a very dark turn. While I am concerned about several things in the show, I have faith that the darkness will give way to light at some point. Oh, and I plan to finish Star Wars: X-Wing: Rogue Squadron today. It's a real gem, and I have been enjoying every page of it. So, I'd best get to reading. I hope you all have a blessed day, and I hope you all enjoy what comes next. Oh, and in other news, I just found out something incredible. YOUNG JUSTICE: PHANTOMS HAS PREMIERED ON HBO MAX! If only I could watch it through the streaming service, but I can't since I don't have it, kriff it all! Well, I'll just have to wait until it comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray. Anyway, on with the story!
Batuu System, Asteroid Field
Aboard the Vigilance-class Yacht Quarren Eye
Voort saBinring, Imperial test subject and commanding officer of the Galactic Alliance's unofficial group of commandos codenamed Wraith Squadron, was starting to have a bad feeling about this operation. He had a hunch he should have retired from this line of work four years ago when Garik gave him the chance, because he was getting too old to take such risks and endanger his teammates.
Sure, the One Sith had a stronghold deep in this frontier world that was the base of operations for their anarchist Freedom's Riches cult, and they were blockading the planet with an entire fleet to protect their director of Sith Intelligence and her key assets. But if all went according to plan, that situation would soon change.
Thanks to General Haxim and his experimental baradium shipbusting missiles he secretly embedded on the Quarren Eye just before the ship withdrew from Falleen, the Alliance of Light had several options to get its people to the planet's Mandalorian-backed resistance.
Originally, they were planning to embed their few remaining explosives in an asteroid to launch at the planet, forcing the Sith to divert crucial forces to stop a meteor shower from bombarding several of their strongholds. That little would-be disaster, coupled with Clan Djarin and their planetary allies launching several surgical strikes on Freedom's Riches sites would have lowered the blockade's numbers enough for the Alliance to sneak through to reinforce their allies.
At least, that was their initial strategy. But when word got through about Coruscant being under attack by the Maladian assassins, and Chief of State Yimmon the target of this governmental beheading through the One Sith's dupes in the Senate, everyone agreed to a critical and immediate change in strategy.
Gone was the desire for a clever and well-timed diversion worthy of a spy holofilm. Instead, they were going to send a clear message to the Sith's minions by facing their enemy with their full might in a frontal assault, hopefully demoralizing many of them and sending a bit of chaos into their ranks.
And it would be a grand message to behold, since they had just enough ships, people, and weapons to break through to Batuu's surface and resupply the beleaguered freedom fighters. But the lynchpin in their strategy was the resistance's supposed mole in the Freedom's Riches hierarchy.
If the intelligence the turncoat gave them was genuine, they had the precise fleet coordinates for every enemy ship orbiting the planet, along with the most vulnerable sites in the cult's infrastructure.
The Alliance of Light had to use this opportunity wisely, because it would not be easy to get another such chance any time soon, especially if their new ally would come under scrutiny for these losses, never mind how this was their best, and likely only chance to begin their mission.
But no one in this unconventional force, whether they were a covert part of the Galactic Alliance, the maverick and freedom loving Smuggler's Alliance, the paramilitary and Jedi-backed Antarian Rangers, or the ancient and greedy Hutt cartels, could afford to turn back now. Every member of this coalition had to fight without any fear and hesitation if they were to save all that they loved from the oldest surviving enemies of freedom.
All that remained now was to await the enemy fleet begin its shift rotation when each ship's crew swapped shifts for the next twelve hours in the day. One of the few pieces of intelligence Clan Djarin could confirm without any scrutiny, just from knowing Dician's perfectionist nature. That would be when the Sith forces would be at their most vulnerable, and the Alliance would begin their attack.
Just another hour to go, and then all the Nine Corellian Hells would break loose above this otherwise tranquil world. Voort just hoped that this battle plan could survive the first ten minutes of enemy contact, or that Wraith Squadron's tendency to attract the worst odds for a mission failed this time. Then again, it would be the squadron's typical bad luck running true to form.
Ten Minutes Later
Red Twins System, Omen
Wyyrlok could hardly believe what was unfolding in front of him: two herds of Oswaft and Space Grazers, both spacefaring organisms grafted with extensive cybernetics, were indiscriminately decimating every fleet in the vicinity.
Through the long thought to be extinct Space Grazers simply ramming their way through the opposing fleets' ships or throwing ships aside through its tentacles, or the Oswaft's sonic screams destroying entire battle groups, matters were looking dire for both the Sith and Jedi-led forces.
And the worst part was that somehow, when Wyyrlok and the One Sith's beast masters tried to take control over each creature's minds, they were met with an endless void, as if there was no living consciousness left in the victims. He was sure that Skywalker and the Jedi's weak-willed methods were being met with similar results.
Whatever this previously unknown faction did to mechanize these already-formidable creatures, they were more than prepared to go up against Force Users. And the Chagrian just knew that they had a connection to Natasi Daala and her anti-Force obsession. This was too much of a coincidence to be anything otherwise.
Lord Krayt would have to be alerted to this as soon as the fleet evacuated the system. And Dician and her agents would have to divert many of their precious resources towards researching this new threat, no matter how much the Sith Lady might grumble of this "glaring imperfection" in their strategy.
If it meant he would have to discipline the arrogant schutta through an Embrace of Pain, it would immediately be done. After all, if this force crippled Lord See-Chok's battle group before the remnants were able to retreat into hyperspace, then it was an enemy for every Sith. And they could not afford to be in the dark on this enemy, not with the onslaught on their long-term strategies.
This task simply had to be done, because if this unseen organization could send a small army of cyborg hyperspace-capable giants to create a diversion and rescue a potential asset, then what else were they capable of? No matter what, this presented yet another long list of mysteries that needed to be cracked, and they had to be solved before they became an even greater obstacle to their plans.
Aboard the Alchemy
Within the core of the eldest cyborg Oswaft, Cylo-IV observed the one-sided carnage unfolding between the three unique forces. His creations were performing marvelously, wreaking untold destruction on every enemy force while providing his followers all the time they needed to safely guide Daala's people through the nebulae protecting the Olpaka Hegemony.
Unfortunately, now that the admiral and her fragmented allies were safely on their way towards their new home, Cylo-IV had one last task to complete so he could tie up the mission's loose ends. He had to destroy this star system and prevent the Jedi and Sith from discovering his enclave, and that meant erasing all traces of this cybernetic fleet.
It was fortunate he had just the superweapon to eradicate this entire star system, courtesy of Admiral Daala and her old work supervising the long-destroyed Maw Installation.
Through his old Imperial connections and slicing into both Imperial and Galactic Alliance databases, he was able to recreate the feared resonance torpedoes that could destroy an entire star system through igniting a star to go supernova. Many of them were used by then-Sith possessed Jedi trainee Kyp Durron on his anti-Imperial rampage across the galaxy. The worst act of destruction he committed with them was destroying the Carida System, its elite Imperial Academy, and every inhabitant that was unable to escape the star system in the two-hour period that precluded its destruction.
While he had little desire to waste such a vital resource on a sparsely inhabited star system, the mission had to come first. There could be no evidence traced back to Olpaka, and that meant he had to remain behind and purge the enemy fleets until the system was obliterated, along with him, his pods of creatures, and the sad souls that resided on the Imperial-devastated world of Acherin.
Well, it had been fifteen years since he had to transfer his mind into another cloned body. It would be a refreshing experience to relive. And since he sent a command from his forward scouts to launch the torpedo at the system's sun, just about two hours remained before this task was complete.
A tedious task, to be sure, but at least he would be able to eliminate many of the Jedi and Sith's best leaders and allies, especially Luke Skywalker, Corran Horn, Sabine Wren, and Darth Wrrylok. It would be more than enough to throw the galaxy into greater upheaval for a while and give the Knights a perfect opportunity to embed many of their agents throughout every facet of galactic society. And, if the odds worked in their favor, then perhaps the Knights of Olpaka could begin their true mission in a few years, instead of within a century.
From such a rare opportunity would come the groundwork for the purges and subsequent stabilization unlike any the galaxy had ever seen. And Cylo had every intention to be a part of this historic era, no matter how many bodies he had to go through.
Of course, he allowed a small afterthought to travel to the interdictor generators his people were seeding through the only three routes leading out of the Red Twins System.
Yet another example of refined Imperial creativity, these artificial gravity wells would keep the opposing fleets from escaping as soon as they came fully online. It was only due to sheer luck that the fragmented Sith scout force escaped.
That could pose a problem for the Knights further down the line, but it was a problem he would help address when the time came. Right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
Only ten minutes remained before the interdictors would be fully online, and then he could enjoy the inevitable fireworks to come.
Five Minutes Later
Coruscant, Senate Building
Something was not right with this whole situation. The Maladian commander had received word that every squad member was perfectly positioned, and they were ready to begin Phase Three of their operation and eliminate the Galactic Alliance's elected leader. He and his personal escort, in disguise through their stolen GAS uniforms, were even ready to breach the building's inner defenses. Their diversionary force was even beginning to fall back, as part of their efforts
However, there were still many factors that were too out of place for the commander's liking. He had heard nothing from the teams sent to the Perre Needmo Newshour, and their mole in the chief of state's staff had reported that security was closing in on several of his teams across the entire building. She advised him to retreat before they were captured, and that set off countless warning bells with the assassin, since the elder Iktotchi was not supposed to have contacted him at all.
Could she have decided to sacrifice her entire family to ensure her longtime friend's survival? Or did she come clean to Chief Yimmon in a foolish effort to formulate a rescue mission? If so, then that could explain the missing patrols and Sorsa Tiin's surprise transmission. Whatever the case, the Alliance's Chief of Staff was far more cunning than he ever could have anticipated, and retribution would have to be enacted later by him or his fellow Maladians.
Perhaps, if he survived the mission, he could give the One Sith a bit of a bonus to atone to them for his failures in judgement.
Sadly, now was not the time to dwell on potential vengeance. He had a contract to complete, and he would see it done. Sending out a burst transmission to his followers, he instructed them to begin the beheading.
Within the Chief of State's Office
"Have you made contact with Perre's studio, or the forces inside?" Kajin asked Sorsa through his personal holocomm. Even as he had a terrible suspicion there were no survivors inside the besieged building, he had to be certain. If they, and the defenders assigned to protect them, were all dead, then they needed to be properly remembered for their noble principles and brave efforts to calm the sweeping fires of anarchy and treason.
After all, he was the one to put those poor souls in this danger to begin with, with the summit he hastily put together, so he owed them a proper eulogy for this barbaric massacre.
"I'm afraid we have to assume the worst this time around." Sorsa remorsefully shook her head. "About half a dozen Maladians broke into the building fifteen minutes ago but were pursued by two Jedi and several Noghri. The surviving Maladians have retreated, but we can't send anyone in the building until we can recall enough security droids to sweep the building. Sensors have detected traces of the necrotic virus Aorth-6 inside, so we've had to lock it down."
Aorth-6. Kajin scowled. That infernal virus that was used by Imperial General Gentis in his well-intentioned, but failed coup against Darth Sidious a few months after he created the Galactic Empire. Once inhaled in its gaseous form, the virus liquefied the lungs and spread out to the rest of its victims' bodies to melt them from the inside out.
It killed every Imperial officer and Royal Guard inside the Imperial Palace, and it would have almost certainly eliminated the Galactic Emperor were it not for his immense connection to the Force, and his two most powerful cyborg servants in Darth Vader and then-Moff Trachta.
If the Sith and their minions had access to it, then there was nothing they could do for the corpses strewn throughout that studio. All they could do was honor their sacrifice and make sure it was not in vain.
At least, Kajin hoped he would be able to do so, if he survived the Sith-backed assassins that were hellbent on killing him. Otherwise, things would be quite precarious for the Galactic Alliance throughout this shadow war's duration.
And that would just not do, not for a patriotic leader like him.
Before he could further question Sorsa, the transmission swapped with Seff Hellin, the Jedi Master in charge of the detachment sent from Shedu Maad to protect him.
"Our enemies have played their full hand against us. We count at least forty of them, and a dozen are moving towards your position."
"I understand. Give them hell, Master Jedi." Kajin nodded before closing the transmission, praying he could live long enough to do more good for the galaxy, just like he dreamed of doing back when he was a little boy on Cerea in what felt like five lifetimes ago.
Falleen, Lajinda Spaceport
Aboard the Rude Awakening
"So, Akku, how exactly are we going to get to Port Nowhere from here?" Robonino nonchalantly asked the Anzati Mandalorian while the crew prepared the infiltrator for takeoff.
After watching the slaughter fest of a galactic broadcast transmitted from Coruscant, General Farlander had given their mission the green light. It seemed that the onetime Jedi-turned-military man was just as eager for retribution against the One Sith as everyone else in the Alliance of Light. And honestly, the Patrolian mercenary was looking forward to some payback as well. Maybe they'd all get lucky and nab a Sith or two to even the score a little.
"I hope we're not going to be taking this ship the whole way there, considering it'll and all our mugs will be plastered on every wanted poster in this world." Atai gravely reminded him.
"We're not." Akku answered. "You'll find out soon enough."
"What? They told you the mission, but everyone else is left in the dark. I just don't get these blasted military protocols." Robonino whined.
"Not quite." Akku smirked. "I've just done this sort of infiltration enough times to notice the signs."
Growing grave, he warned them, "I'd be more concerned about our residential Jedi and our high-profile defectors on their transport. Honestly, they're a thermal detonator waiting to go off."
"Don't underestimate this one, Cap, for all our sakes." Lona amusingly rebutted. "They're all a giant baradium warhead primed and ready to blow up in our faces and take out half the planet in one fell swoop."
"I still don't see why Kitai, I mean, Vestara, and Mirta Gev are being assigned to us right away." Shara worriedly asked. "Sure, they've had a change of heart and genuinely want to help, I don't doubt that. Saving Vestara is the reason that we came to help Edaan in the first place. But shouldn't they be vetted better first for any security risks, especially since the Sith already did a number on Vestara's memory? Or are we that desperate for people that we're taking such a monumental risk?"
"Careful, little sis." Lona cautioned with a rare smile gracing her lips. "Everyone here might wonder why we've done a sudden role-reversal here. Isn't that why Leia and K'Kruhk are with them, to keep them in line?"
"Don't even start with that one. After all the bad blood between the two groups, do you really expect them and Mirta's kids to get along just like that, even with Gorim, Vua, and Kix along as backup?" Shara despondently asked.
"At least Skywalker isn't there along with his ex-Sith cyar'ika. That would be even more awkward, especially since there's still so much sexual tension between the two of them." Lona actually chuckled at that train of thought, an even rarer occurrence for the gruff and cynical Mandalorian.
"Awful lewd jokes aside, I'm telling you, this is a recipe for a slaughter. And we can't afford any more of those right now." The younger Kiffar Mandalorian finished, shivering at the transmissions of Perre's crew and each of their horrific deaths by the Maladians back on Coruscant. Those grisly images were seared into her mind and were going to give her nightmares for a long time; that is, if they survived the next few days, let alone the next few months while the Alliance of Light liberated Falleen.
Desperate to get the mission back on track and maintain the crew's morale, Jarael, rising from her table where she was examining her weapons, warned everyone, "We'll be disembarking in ten minutes, so stow the chatter. Things will be dangerous enough out there as it is without your constant arguing, or Shara's undesired pessimism."
"Sorry." Shara and Robonino apologized at once, each mercenary sparing the other an awkward glance before checking their weapons one more time. With the odds high for an enemy encounter with this mission, maybe even a Sith ambush, it did not hurt to be overly prepared.
Aboard the Pursuer-class Enforcement Ship Dominance
"You have more gettse than I thought, Solo, coming aboard our ship." Mirta amusingly noted while doing a final systems-check on her transport. "Or maybe your old age is finally catching up with your mind if you're willing to help a war criminal like me."
"Perhaps it is." Leia gracefully allowed it with a bitter smile. "Or perhaps I'm seeing things in a better light than I had in a long time."
"If you're trying to bore me with your Jedi mystical osik, don't bother. I've had enough of those from the dozens of Ves's Sith conferences I had to take part in." Mirta bitterly warned, quickly adding,
"And don't bother trying to 'save' me either. When it came down to it, you couldn't even save your own son. You'd just be wasting your time. Besides, I don't need your kind of help."
"Then why did you agree to work for the Alliance?" Leia honestly asked, testing Mirta as a way of confirming her hunch. "You helped wage war on your own people, aided the One Sith in so many plots, and murdered countless people. What made you switch sides now?"
"I know my family did you more wrongs than we can ever hope to repay, and I know we can never be friends." Leia admitted. "But why would you work with us now, after all the bad blood between us?"
Wearily sighing, Mirta glanced at her, "You're not gonna stop until you get an answer, are you?"
"No. Typical Skywalker stubbornness." Leia smirked.
"Because I want more than death and war for my kids and little sister, and I'm sick of letting old wounds control my fate like most of my people." Mirta earnestly answered. "I'm going to answer for everything I did, you don't have to doubt that. But I'll do it on my terms."
"Like Vestara, I suppose." Leia acknowledged.
Sighing, Mirta reluctantly admitted, "Exactly. We both did countless terrible things, but we both had people that still unconditionally loved us. It was enough to help knock a lot of sense into us, and we owe them for their faith."
"What Palpatine Jr. did to Ves, it was kriffed up, don't get me wrong. She should've made the choice wholly of her own free will over some Jedi sorcery. But what he did, it was for the best of reasons. He did more for her than any of you Skywalkers ever did, and he… he's got more heart than I thought. He'd make a good Mando if you Jedi didn't have your hooks deep inside him."
"And I want my kids to know their buir and the rest of their family, something I can't do with the rest of the dar'manda serving the Sith and harming my people. I'll fight this war for them, and then I'll settle down for a while."
"I still hate your family, but for the sake of this war, our loved ones, and my old friendship with your daughter, I'll make you a one-time offer." Mirta shook her head before continuing, "When this war is done and we all go our separate ways, we both try to stay out of each other's way. I'll stay off your vaunted galactic radar and stick to jobs that'll clean the muck out of the galactic sewers, and you leave me and my family alone."
"A generous and sensible offer. You've become quite the negotiator since we last cordially spoke." Leia acknowledged, before she warned Mirta, "Unfortunately, it's not me you need to convince. It's my husband."
"You mean the man who had enough of a grudge to carve up my knee after he nearly lost his life and a granddaughter because of Ves?" Mirta scoffed. "Typical Jedi and their impossible odds. I knew you wouldn't let this work."
"I never said it would be easy, Commander Gev." Leia chided her, allowing some of her firm resolve from her years as a galactic leader to enter her voice. "Besides, I thought a warrior of your caliber would enjoy a challenge such as this."
"Try looking at it like this: if you could make friends with my daughter, who is equally as stubborn as both her parents combined, even for a few short months, then you can do this small task. Just treat it as another military campaign and take it one step at a time."
"If you want to make this alliance work and help build strong relations with our peoples, then we're all going to have to take risks." Leia reminded the Mandalorian.
Grumbling under her breath, Mirta muttered, "You want me to earn his trust? Fine. Just don't expect me to suck up to that old smuggler."
Laughing a little, Leia agreed, "Let's leave the sycophantic measures to our enemies' lackeys."
"Deal." Mirta allowed a minute smile to cross her face for a moment before she concernedly asked, "What about Ves? Are you going to call off your vendetta with her once you see she genuinely wants to redeem herself?"
"I'll wait and see before I commit to anything. I owe it to my father and son to try and help her." Leia answered.
"Good enough, for now." Mirta satisfyingly answered, while silently wondering how her children and Vestara were dealing with the old and grizzled Jedi Master stationed in the main hold. K'Kruhk seemed amicable enough, but she knew better than to take a Jedi at face-value.
Still, none of the ship's built-in alarms were going off, and no weapons were active, so that was a good sign.
Within the Falleen Throne Capital City
Just Outside the Royal Palace
Aboard the CEC Consular-class Cruiser Dark Beauty
"You risked exposing two of my vital storehouses in an effort to capture a couple of your traitors and their Jedi handlers?!" Redhan Axlan, reigning monarch of the planet, heatedly shouted towards both Malleus and Phasma. "Have you gone mad?! Do you understand the risk we face if the Resistance and their patrons uncover proof of their existence?!"
Perhaps, if you had better ruled over your subjects and been less interested in filling your own coffers, your son might not have rebelled and this civil war might never have come to pass. Phasma bitterly lamented, much of her previous respect for the corrupt monarch fading fast.
Interrupting her storm of rage, Malleus respectfully interceded with the puppet king, "I can assure you, your highness, they will not succeed. Lady Phasma and I have taken the necessary measures to capture the Jedi and protect your interests. They will not get anywhere near your treasures."
"In fact, the two of us, along with our best agents, shall be heading there immediately to complete our trap. We shall keep them from exposing your planetary extortion ring." Malleus promised.
"That's all well and good on flimsi, but we need more than promises if we are to survive." Redhan wearily shook his head, and reminded the two Sith Lords, "After all of your recent string of failures and the enemy force that has risen against us, we need a new strategy if we're going to come out on top in this war."
"I know of several companies of mercenaries in the city of Port Nowhere that are receptive to your cause. They will bolster your efforts to capture the enemy teams."
You'll need more than a few dozen hired guns if you and your followers hope to survive, let alone remain free over the next few months. Phasma quietly reflected, even if she was disgusted with the Falleen ruler and his desperation to maintain his hold on power. Suddenly, his wayward son's efforts to destroy the monarchy and replace it with a democratic form of government made sense to the human woman.
Normally, she would not have felt such rage towards the king, but her thoughts could not help but drift elsewhere. With the One Sith's agents and their schemes on Coruscant exposed, and their brutal massacre broadcast across the entire galaxy, many of their supporters could very well abandon them in droves out of fear of suffering a similar fate. They might even run to the Alliance of Light if it meant their protection, further undermining the Dread Lord's Grand Design.
She knew that the time was coming for a final confrontation between this generation of the forces of Light and Dark, and everyone was going to have to pick a side. And she was quickly seeing how she chose the wrong side, even if it was for noble reasons in preventing another catastrophe like the one that ruined her homeworld.
But the One Sith, in their campaign to spread misery and chaos unchecked in their bid for galactic domination, had proven to be just as amoral and power-hungry as the corporation that destroyed Parnassos. And Phasma had no intention of being a part of that anymore or ignoring her instincts and strong sense of honor and justice.
Perhaps, it was time to see what she could do for the Light Side. If they were all as selfless and intelligent as Edaan Palpatine and all the Jedi she had confronted, then it might be possible for her to work with them, if they could believe her change of heart. They certainly could not be much worse than the fanatics that permeated every level of the One Sith's ranks.
Honestly, she was shocked at how quickly she had found herself opposing those that freed her from her prison of a ruined planet. Not a few months ago, she was a loyal Sith Apprentice, if notoriously stubborn for her clinging to her old-fashioned sense of honor and damaged humanity. Perhaps, as the Jedi stated, the Force and its unreadable will worked in mysterious ways.
But first, she had to figure out a way to convince her two co-conspirators to come back to the Jedi and their allies with her. It would not be easy, especially since they held a bitter grudge against the Jedi Order over their unjust expulsion.
And even worse, if she could not save her beloved brother and the remnant of Parnassos's population from this self-destructive path, it would break her already wounded heart. Keldo was dead set on becoming the embodiment of everything he once abhorred as a boy, and there was nothing Phasma could do to stop his dark descent. But if it meant stopping the corruption that was consuming the galaxy and regaining her honor, then it would be a price she would be more than willing to pay, even if it meant destroying her people's hopes of rebuilding their once-great civilization.
The only question that remained was how she could possibly prove to the Jedi that she was willing and able to help?
Perhaps taking a page from some of the absurd spy holofilms she watched while learning about the galaxy would serve her best right now, of course, without all the ridiculous theatrics usually included. After all, she learned much of patience and cunning from her time leading the Scrye clan on Parnassos, and far more throughout her time as Dician's apprentice. And what better way to test her retention of those skills than using them all against her teacher and the order that helped her to realize her true potential?
No matter what outcome ensured, these next few months, perhaps up to a couple years, if needed, would no doubt be the hardest of Phasma's life. But if it meant undoing some of the damage she caused the galaxy, she would not have that challenge any other way.
Shedu Maad, Jedi Temple
Aboard the Harpago-Class Attack Boat Heskel's Folly
Grace, Paladin Lieutenant of the Aquillian Republic and ally of the Jedi Order, had just made a significant breakthrough in her search for the One Sith's traitors that penetrated the Light Siders' support staff.
Thanks to her crew and their diligent work, they were able to isolate the sequence used by the spies to transmit information to their dark masters. Every spy was able to piggyback their pilfered data packets onto innocent holonet signals as a camouflage for their dark transmissions. In fact, during the ill-fated Perre Needmo Newshour atrocity of a broadcast, thirty such signals were sent out across the galaxy, ten of which she traced to the general area of the Outer Rim that included ancient Sith Space.
And so far, among the two thousand staffers that permeated the Jedi Temple, she found thirty guilty suspects in using this illegal practice. Each one had access to a piece of the Order's infrastructure, allowing the entire network complete access to the Jedi's entire inner workings.
And they had only examined fifteen hundred members of the Order's staff, so another five hundred remained. Either way, the hunt was not over yet, for there could be more spies in their ranks, and they all needed to be uncovered and rooted out before the Jedi made their move on the Kam Solusar Iteration and his puppet masters. If they could successfully capture the clone and break his programming, then they might be able to gain critical intelligence on their enemies' operations across the galaxy and help prepare the Alliance of Light for their inevitable siege of Korriban.
Speculations aside, Grand Master Katarn and their fellow conspirators needed to be made aware of this development right away. But any kind of comm signal was too risky to use right now, so that ruled out alerting the Chiss agents of this information, at least for the time being. That meant Grace and two of her crewmates from Zakuul would have to deliver the news to Kyle's little ring of investigators personally. She would have preferred to go alone, but if the Sith's agents tried to pull a fast on her while delivering the data, she wanted to be prepared for any scenario.
The young woman just hoped this discovery was not too late to be useful.
Coruscant, Senate Building
In his gut, the Maladian commander could feel this mission was nearing its end, and the odds were not looking good for his fellow assassins as the Senate Building was turned into a harsh battle zone.
He and his eight surviving squad mates had made quick work of the first four defensive layers of Chief of State Yimmon's guard, but there was still one final layer for them to break through. And his remaining teams had long since lost their advantage over the rallying defenders, with the seven living Jedi leading the defenders against their outnumbered adversaries.
Normally, he would have relished the ultimate challenge this contract provided. But an assignment of this magnitude demanded absolute focus and no recklessness. Any further mistakes would ruin all the prosperity he sought for his people in the Sith's Grand Design.
Unfortunately, since it was clear that the Galactic Alliance's chief of staff outplayed him, he knew he was leading his people right into a trap, one that would claim most, if not all, of their lives. But without eliminating their target, there was no way the Maladians could regain their reputation, wealth, and notoriety. And that was an outcome he had no desire to allow, no matter what sacrifices he had to make.
Coming up to the final layer, he witnessed at least forty-five defenders guarding the entrance to the Chief of State's office, with three Jedi, five YVH droids, and GAS and marines guarding the entrance.
A decently strong defense, but not an unbreakable one.
Contacting his teammates through their private frequency, he solemnly ordered, "You know what to do."
Seeing the YVH droids aim their railguns at the assailants, the nine assassins prepared to throw their ion grenades at the more immediate threat, when the commander heard a click from behind, and spared a minute glance to see how far he had been outplayed.
How and when did Yimmon install three rings of miniature automatic turrets inside the Senate Building, and how did Sauro and her little cabal not tell him about it?!
Did the chief of state personally bypass every judiciary committee to get them installed, or did he entrust the responsibility to a handful of his most-trusted senators and military leaders to have plausible deniability?
Just then, the hallway's main lights came on, and Kajin's calm and melancholic voice came through. "In my long years as a citizen of the galaxy, I've learned to keep both eyes open and see all possibilities. It helps a man of my position stay five steps ahead of all my enemies. And it helps that I trust my people to oversee the jobs that politicians like me aren't supposed to get involved in."
"Now, Commander, you and your twenty-three remaining people can surrender, or we can take you all down by force. I would strongly advise you to take the first option, because it'll work out better for all of us."
It was over, the commander bitterly admitted. The Maladians had been outplayed and outmaneuvered at every turn, and now they would never get back their power and acclaim. They would be discarded by the Sith and their few remaining contractors, then their people and impoverished world would be treated as a humiliating footnote of galactic history and as little more than a bedtime story and cautionary tale.
But then again, if they were going down for good, at least they could ensure they went out fighting to the end to complete the mission. He could do nothing less for his people and their ancestral homeworld.
"You've thought just about everything through, Chief of State Yimmon. You have the cunning and tenacity of a true warrior, along with the wisdom and charisma of a great leader. I almost regret being ordered to eliminate a man as brilliant and rare as you." The commander bitterly acknowledged, triggering the detonator for his final trump card.
Even he would not be fanatical enough to use enough of the deadly substance of zinethium to destroy half of Coruscant's surface. It would be bad for business and throw the galaxy into anarchy, the last thing the assassins and their ultimate masters wanted.
But just a few milligrams of it, refined to destroy everything in the diameter of a quarter of a kilometer, that would be perfect for devastating a place as secured and respected as the Senate Building. Of course, decimating the Galactic Alliance's leadership would not hurt either.
And since the explosives were triggered to go off in five short minutes, while the explosives were hidden in vials disguised as poison darts, no one would be any wiser until it was too late. All he had to do was conceal his true intent from the Jedi's vaunted senses, and the task would be complete.
Before he saw him and his men stunned into unconsciousness by the automated defenses, the commander gave a bittersweet smile, Checkmate, Jedi.
Red Twins System
Aboard the Chimaera
I think we're all getting too old for this. Luke despaired, seeing the giant spacefaring cyborgs that were slaughtering every fleet in their vicinity.
Seeing just over half the Sith fleet and almost two-fifths of the Jedi-led ships destroyed or too damaged to escape, the Jedi Master wearily advised Tors, "We can't sustain this operation, Remal. Order all commanders to escape while they still can."
"We can't." Tors defeatedly shook his head. "Our surviving scouts are reporting interdiction fields forming across the system throughout every route. And that's not the worst of it. We've picked up abnormal energy readings from the system's sun."
"What kind of readings?" Luke asked, even as he felt a pit of fear settle in his stomach.
"The Sun Crusher kind." The vice admiral answered, and even through his despair, he was trying to figure out who was responsible for this atrocity, and what their endgame was. Surely rescuing Daala was not worth destroying an entire star system and a planet full of scars from the Clone War and the immediate Imperial occupation that followed.
Turning to Luke, he added, "I'm afraid the news gets worse. Master Horn is stable in the infirmary, and two more of the assassin's droids were destroyed, but the assassin and the last two of his YVHs escaped in their ship."
"I don't suppose you and your Jedi have the strength to open another one of those wormholes, do you?" The fleet commander desperately asked.
Hearing Corran's condition did not lighten Luke's heart, not with the dire straits everyone was in. And he was not in the mood for rhetorical questions, not with the mass destruction and imminent act of genocide upon everyone.
"We'll need time to do that, and we can't do that with those menaces out there decimating our fleet." Luke sadly denied.
Unless either the Jedi or Sith could come up with a miracle right away, then all hope was lost for countless souls, and perhaps the entire galaxy. Whatever force that was willing to destroy an entire solar system would not stop here, not with the galaxy gearing up for war and ready to retaliate against anyone perceived as a threat.
Ten Minutes Later
In Hyperspace, En Route to Korriban
Aboard the Bishop
"My Lord. I suppose you want an answer for this debacle." Jenna professionally greeted Darth Krayt as she and her three free cohorts were summoned via hologram to answer for their failure of an assassination.
The unadulterated rage in Krayt's gaze mirrored the unparalleled fear that made her heart ready to explode from the stress. If looks could kill, he would have eviscerated the traitorous politician many times over by now.
"You realize of course that now the Jedi have all they need to eradicate my followers." Krayt stoically began. "Your 'master assassins' were supposed to decapitate the Galactic Alliance's leadership in one fell swoop and prevent the Jedi's intelligence from being disseminated to the Senate and populace."
"Instead, we have a complete catastrophe on our hands. The Maladians may have eliminated the Jedi-allied news studio and a few of their masters, but in the worst possible way. And even if Chief of State Yimmon and however many of his retinue were eliminated in the explosion that claimed half the Senate Building and two-thirds of the senators, the Alliance of Light will still be rallied against us."
"Now the galaxy will be filled with the resolve to destroy us and the Grand Design unless drastic measures are taken." Krayt took a deep breath, not to steady himself and replenish the oxygen he spent reminding his agents of their horrendous failures, but to remind them of the gravity of the situation they were in.
"I suppose what I have to ask you is this: How can you justify this utter incompetence of yours and your hired guns? What excuse can you give to try and save yours and your fellow traitors' wretched lives?" Krayt menacingly concluded.
"My lord, we could not have foreseen this outcome." U'Ta desperately protested. "The assassins… they miscalculated, but we cannot be held responsible for their partial failure! And we still have many resources and allies to call upon for your use! We can still serve you and- agh!" She quickly found herself being hoisted into the air by Krayt's telekinetic grip on her throat, clutching at her airway as she gasped for oxygen.
"I have no use for spineless sycophants, Divinian." Krayt disinterestedly reminded her. "I can just as easily take your assets for my own and leave you with nothing to survive your capture and prosecution. So, I will ask you one last time: what else can you offer the One Sith to make up for your gross errors in judgement?"
Neither Adrai nor Zalk't could figure out what could assuage the Dread Lord's wrath, but Jenna had one idea. One chance to regain enough of the Dread Lord's trust and continue to serve the Grand Design. And if it meant remaking herself into an entirely new individual, she would do it.
"I can offer you my eternal allegiance, Lord Krayt, as will the rest of us." Jenna wholeheartedly proposed. "We will fully dedicate ourselves to the One Sith and help you rebuild your power base in preparation for ruling the galaxy."
"You truly expect me to believe that, Jenna Sauro? After all the years you spent clawing your way to power and betraying the people and institutions you swore to serve and uphold? Do you take me for a fool?" Krayt pointedly asked.
"Actually, my Lord, I take you for a man who is desperate to put an end to the fighting, inefficiency, and cowardice that has plagued the galaxy since Emperor Palpatine's follies with the Death Stars and Jedi Galen Marek's Rebel Alliance, even if he went about doing it too hastily." Jenna boldly noted.
"My constituents and I may not have been to blame for the Maladians' failures, but we still hired the order of assassins. And that means the responsibility for the consequences lies just as much with us as with them."
"What are you doing?!" Zalk't horrifically growled at her.
Had the eldest human woman lost her mind?! It seemed as if Jenna was throwing away everything she had gathered over the decades; all the wealth and influence she accumulated, she was giving it all to the Sith.
It seemed that failure had deprived the Sauro heir of more than just her galactic legitimacy.
"Zalk't, we were just exposed as the most damaging traitors to the Galactic Alliance. I am only doing what is necessary to give us a final chance at redemption in our master's eyes. It's our only chance of staying ahead of our pursuers, especially since most of our ill-gotten assets are in the process being seized by the Alliance and the Jedi's precious coalition." Jenna calmly chided the Vratix fugitive.
"Your leader is correct, Zalk't." Krayt agreed. "This battle is lost, but the war is far from over."
"Unfortunately, I have no use for four incompetent politicians. Your spy network will be dismantled by the Alliance's covert assets, and no one will want anything to do with you once the full scope of your treachery is unveiled." Krayt fully clenched his hand, and U'Ta's and Zalk't's neck and thorax could quickly be heard snapping over the holotransmission, making Jenna wince from the execution of her longtime friends and co-conspirators.
"U'Ta Divinian was unwilling to take responsibility for her failures, while Zalk't was unable to adapt to the stark reality of the shifting battlefield." Krayt dismissively reminded the two surviving fugitives. "We will have no use for inflexible fools like them in this new landscape."
"Then, what are we to do, Lord Krayt?" Adrai fearfully asked, desperate to prove her use to the one group that could protect her from inevitable galactic retribution.
"In a new galaxy, the old ways have failed. We can either adapt to survive, or die with the past. The choice is each of ours to make." Krayt stoically advised both living Senators.
Korriban, Sith Catacombs
Within Darth Krayt's Citadel
"The crews of Zalk't and U'Ta's ships will be executed the moment they arrive at Korriban, and their assets will be absorbed into the One Sith's stores. I will have no loose ends with our contingency plans. While you travel here, I suggest you figure out a few creative ways to make yourselves useful to the One Sith."
Closing the transmission, Krayt turned to the young Chagrian Sith Apprentice and heir to the Wyyrlok name. "You disapprove of my executions."
"My lord- I" Sorzus tried to deny, but Krayt would not have it. He encouraged the young Sith,
"Speak plainly, Sorzus. There is no harm in asking questions."
"Very well. I feel it necessary to warn you that if we kill everyone who falls short of the Grand Design, then we will be critically short on allies soon." The young Sith Apprentice bluntly cautioned Krayt.
"You are correct." Krayt acknowledged, before reminding, "But do not forget, those that cannot learn from past failures and errors will need to be made an example of, lest we encourage further inflexibility and incompetence in our ranks."
"I agree, My Lord, but since Lord Wyrrlok entrusted his responsibilities to me, it would be prudent of me to offer you what necessary counsel I can provide." Sorzus countered, before hesitating, wanting to say more but not wishing to contradict the ruling Dark Lord.
"You worry for your father." Krayt knowingly said.
"Yes." Sorzus shamefully admitted. "If he were up against anyone other than Luke Skywalker and Natasi Daala, I would not be afraid for him. But they both have quite a knack for escaping impossible odds, and we committed many precious forces to dealing with them. If we lose them now, I hesitate to think what could come for the Grand Design."
Before Krayt could respond, the holographic image of Darth Haxar blazed to life. Angrily glaring at the demented Sith Lady, the Dread Lord reminded her, "I did not request your presence, Haxar."
"Begging your pardon, My Lord, but Lord See-Chok informed me that we have a critical situation in the Red Twins System." The woman who once called herself Sidirri quickly began, catching both Sith's full attention.
Wild Space, En Route to the Olpaka Hegemony
Aboard the Resurgent -class Destroyer SirTrilag
Natasi could hardly believe the technical marvel that was she and a quarter of her convoy were standing in. A hybrid version of the Venator and Imperial-class Star Destroyers, with the carrier capabilities of the Clone War-era and Jedi-dominated capital ship, the offensive power of the Imperial flagship, and a protected command bridge against any suicide runs, it was the pinnacle of warships.
And an even greater sight of vindication was the broadcast of Cylo-IV's massacre of both the Jedi and Sith fleets by his cyborg creations. Already, they had lost nearly half their combined forces, and even their unspoken ceasefire could not change the outcome, not with the Resonance Torpedo about to trigger a supernova in less than two hours.
With the great Luke Skywalker, Corran Horn, Darth Wyyrlok, and their pawns about to meet their end via one of the Maw Installation's old creations in less than two hours, it would send a message that the Force's time was almost up. Once the Jedi and Sith found themselves bereft of some of their greatest fighters, they would escalate their war and sow the seeds to leave themselves further disaffected from the everyday citizen.
A shame that this Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, named after a leader of the long-dead shadow organization that called itself the Star Cabal, was one of the design's first dozen prototypes, and that the time was still long off for a galactic crusade against the Force-led governments. She would have loved to personally decimate the two coalitions, but beggars could not be choosers.
She supposed Cylo's technological expertise and decades of spying on the galaxy had done wonders for advancements on all manner of Imperial-based technologies. And with all the data, materials, and manpower she brought with her to the Olpaka Hegemony, she knew the Grand Council's war plans would need an immense overhaul. Perhaps, after they infiltrated and undermined every level of the current regime, they could launch their waves of liberation on the begging populace.
Even so, she still did not like the cloned cyborg's antisocial and egocentric personality and extreme methods of cheating death. Digitizing one's mind was a far more pragmatic and enlightening way to achieve quasi-immortality, not to mention how she wanted nothing else to do with Darth Sidious and his accursed Force.
And while she would have preferred to use a resonance torpedo to destroy all the Jedi and Sith's loci of power, at least they would be safe beyond the veil of the Olpaka Hegemony. But she still lamented the loss of innocent lives on Acherin. Aside from aiding a Jedi Knight escape Order Sixty-Six, they had no part in the Jedi-Sith wars and should have been given the chance to join the cause.
Unfortunately, until Natasi was on the Grand Council, she held no say over the Olpakans' war doctrine, and could not better refine their tactics.
Still, she wished she could have personally dealt with Emperor Palpatine's last descendant and his Jedi Order. Beneath Edaan's shell of Jedi virtue and honor laid a hypocritical hate-filled heart that completely resembled his Sith great-grandfather's. They were truly one and the same, no matter how much Edaan denied it and deceived the rest of the galaxy.
She still remembered how he pledged to bring her down when he discovered the desperate lengths she would go to in expunging the Force from everyone, and bringing Gilad Pellaeon's murderess to long-sought justice in one fell swoop. Deep down, it still sent shivers down his spine, and she would enjoy the day she would hear of his death in this five-thousand-year Jedi-triggered war.
Csilla, Cssplar
Within the Convocate Hall
"Order! We shall have order!" The Speaker of the Syndicature bellowed towards the quarreling eighty Syndics attending this emergency summit. And the Aristocras representing the Six Royal Families, Ba'Kif, and Supreme Admiral Ja'fosk were disgusted with the searing divisions this war was bringing out within the entire Chiss Ascendancy.
After the Alliance of Light fleet arrived in the Csilla System's outskirts, the Ascendancy was thrown into pandemonium, with its garrison quickly deploying to guard the capital world from the risk of attack. At least the arriving fleet held position in orbit of the outlying planet of Formac, even as it kept at full combat readiness in case of any incursions, forcing both fleets to stay on high alert, especially if the One Sith's raiders launched a surprise attack on the Chiss's capital world.
That particular crisis was quickly diffused over the last hour by the Aristocras, Ba'Kif, and Ja'fosk explaining what the outsiders were doing here. The Syndics kept in the dark were informed how the Alliance of Light was invited by the eight leaders in aiding the Chiss Defense Force in hunting down and eliminating the One Sith-backed raiders.
It calmed much of the Syndicature's fears but ignited many others and inflamed the pride of many representatives of the Forty Great Families at the prospect of asking for help to solve their problems. Tensions especially flared up once Aristocra Saganu's supporters brought up the deal the Jedi made with the Aristocracy about sharing custody of their outpost world of Odessan, along with serious consideration of having better relations with the galactic powers.
Such bold strategies would not sit well with the isolationist and traditionalist majority within the Chiss's governing body, especially with the Maladians' terrorist attack that had swept over the Galactic Alliance's capital world of Coruscant. The destruction of the Senate Building and apparent assassination of Chief of State Yimmon through a terrible explosion not only cost the GA their leader and most of its legislative body, but it also crippled their ability to defend itself and aid its allies.
Unfortunately, those issues were secondary to most of the Chiss, especially with the political war raging in the Syndicature.
If someone did not find a way to break the deadlock that paralyzed the oligarchical government, there would be no way to end this political schism that was threatening to erupt into complete indecisiveness over the course the Ascendancy would take to stop the One Sith and their allies. Or even worse, if enough pressure and manipulations were applied to the fracturing body, this infighting could even erupt into a full-scale civil war. Neither possibility was one the Chiss wanted to face, but their inflexibility and misplaced pride were limiting their options.
It was clear to the clever and bold few that desperate measures had to be undertaken right away, before this infighting and misplaced pride cost the Chiss all they were trying to protect.
That was why Ba'Kif and Sev'eere'nuruodo had quietly reached out to the Alliance of Light's fleet commanders, imploring them to attend this summit. And to their good fortune, they had the holographic forms of Kral, Jan, Mirax, Khedryn, Kyp, and Erika attending, each representing their faction in this coalition's armada.
Hopefully the six outsiders could help knock some sense into the traditionalists among their people by showing them how to ask for help, while showing the interventionalist minority a better way to operate than launching smear attacks on their rivals. Such unprofessionalism and a lack of refinement was unbecoming of any Chiss.
With the Galactic Alliance navy and Jedi representatives prepared to present their appeal to the Syndicature, the time for contemplation was over. Now the time had come for the Chiss to act.
And if the enemy proved to be too much for the Ascendancy's main batch of allies to handle, then there was always Ba'Kif' and Sev'eere'nuruodo's most trusted deep-cover agent and his own followers to call upon. Of course, that was the last resort, but perhaps it was time for Mitth'raw'nuruodo's final legacy to truly fulfill his designed purpose for the Chiss.
Well, I think this is a good place to end the chapter! What did you all think, as the bit with the Maladians was spontaneous, but it fit with the mention of zinethium in the last chapter? I wonder if Chief of State Yimmon really survived the explosion? What did Ba'Kif mean when he thought of his advance agent? And what about the Chiss, Falleen, and Red Twins storylines? How will they progress? I guess we'll find out soon enough, and with all the tension and suspense building, the galaxy will never be the same. I wonder how it'll all come together and tie into the Legacy comics? But no matter how it ends, I know it'll be magnificent for everyone who reads this. I just hope you can all stick around for the rest of the saga. Oh, and I revised the story so it first mentioned the Resurgent-class Destroyers here, as they would be better in the Knights of Olpaka's navy over the Galactic Empire's. If the latter held them, then it could be the start of an arms race between the major powers, and that would not be a good thing. Just a heads-up in case you were wondering.
So, how are you all doing on this cool day of Tuesday, October 19, 2021? I'm doing well, as I have been working hard on my school project and at work, and I'm almost done with my reflective essay. And I've begun to read The Nature of Middle-Earth, and it's decent so far. Oh, and I am excited for the next Boruto: Naruto Next Generation chapter tomorrow. And the next episode for the anime this Sunday is gonna be exciting. In other news, I'm going to take a break from writing chapters to work more on my first completed interlude chapter, as it'll take at least a few days to get this one revised. I hope you all have a blessed afternoon, and I hope you enjoy this chapter when it's published. Please, please, review. May the Force and the Lord be with us all, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
