Tuesday evening once again, and we turn out attention to the tale of Lord Veneficus, Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire once more. What new secrets will be unveiled, what new surprises are had in store? Come! come inside and see the power of the Darkness... Relax, Read and especially Review!

Chapter Five

Assemble the Legions

Hermione stared down happily at the new order forms that had arrived from various parts of the Galaxy. While the vast amount of the Galaxy were either unaware or unable to use her inventions, there were a select few that only had to be handled once by a wizard-kind before being fully usably by anyone.

Such were the orders from the Republic as a whole, this or that device for some bigwig on Coruscant or something. Vaguely Hermione remembered that Theo had mentioned a desire to visit the capital planet of the Republic, but she was simply far too busy to consider leaving her lab for anything. Soon she'd take a vacation, once she could believe that her workers could be self sufficient without her.

More interesting were the vague ideas for inventions that Draco (She thought the change of his name was truly silly, and refused to call him that in her own mind, even if she respected his wishes to be referred to that in conversation,) had requested her to tinker with, as a friendly suggestion. The former Slytherin turned Senator for their world was always thinking of her in his day to day activities, and his suggestions were always the highlight of her day. It was a shame that he also lacked the time to visit, as Hermione did miss their stirring conversations over technical and magical theory.

But still, as she shuffled through the papers, Hermione's fingering tingled as she brushed the magic heavy datapad that was sent to her by Harry. Her quick witted friend was off on another of his adventures out in the wide Galaxy, but he wrote to her from time to time, but even better were the requests of wild and interesting designs to be picked up by his associates. The current one was a monuments challenge, and spun Hermione's mind in so many directions.

Harry wanted her to recreate time-turners. While she had several of the leading members of the Unspeakables on her teams, it was still going to be a challenge to collect ingredients that would effectively substitute for the magical components of the device. She had previously explained this to Harry, but he had insisted that he trusted her ability to see it through, and left it at that.

So here she was, hard at work testing the magical properties of various items from the nearby star systems, searching for things that would substitute for the old world items such as fairy dust, which was a primary ingredient toward traveling through time.

As she worked, Hermione felt an almost calming effect come over her, and her mind was able to wander to thoughts of the old days. The message from Harry drew her to Hogwarts. She wondered how some of her friends were, not that she had time to really contact any of them often. How many might have survived the terror of the post Voldemort war with the muggles. She knew a few of them were here on New Terra, but not all had accepted Harry's offer of sanctuary.

There was something nagging in the back of her mind at the thought, but she couldn't remember what it was when she tried to explore it. Shrugging to herself, she dismissed the whole line and continued to work. Genius wasn't going to work itself without her input.

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Yoda was more than pleased to meet his people again, albeit deeply saddened by the mass tragedy that was occurring to their world as a whole. Luna's amazement at their city was somewhat delightful, but it would have been more so if she'd seen it at its fully glory, when the cavern walls had gleamed with gems and precious metals. It was obvious that the dark wizards that had taken control had forced all the riches from the bank that they could, totally enslaving the goblin people.

Striking back at Hogwarts seemed the best first move for toppling the unlawful and evil regime of this ancient Ork that the Elder referred to. Luckily, there were still secrets of the Goblin Nation that had gone overlooked by the shortsighted Dark Wizards, such as the thought that the dragon at the bottom of the bank was trapped or wild. It was neither, its existence excused as merely for defending the most irritating of the wizarding family's vaults.

Once approached by the goblins in their worn battle armor, despite strangers, the dragon settled instantly instead of attacking. Lowering its massive head, the dragon waited, knowing that its long training was about to be called upon once more. The Elder, who was present to see off Yoda, Luna and the two dozen warriors on their mission, struck a nearby pillar with his walking stick, causing it to turn aside and reveal a hidden runic array.

Once stroked by a goblin finger, the rune flared to life, accompanied by a grinding sound from above as the ceiling arranged itself to make a channel to the open sky far above. The goblins mounted the dragon, spreading out across its ridged back while maintaining a space for both Luna and Yoda.

"I would wish you luck and magic's fortune against the evil that you will face," the Elder said as farewell, "but I am unsure if that would be appropriate for you any longer. You both seem very different from normal magical beings."

"Indeed we are," Luna answered, "we have learned much, and are Knights of the Jedi Order, swore to preserve peace and justice. We will stop this darkness if it kills us to do so."

Yoda nodded, silent in his agreement as he gathered the Force around him like a cloak. They would need all their strength to fight against this madness, especially if the Darkness was indeed behind it all. The Elder seemed primarily confused at Luna declaration, but nevertheless nodded. The lead goblin gave a command, and the dragon roared obediently, launching itself into the air and ascending past the many levels of the underground bank.

It was still dark outside when the dragon exploded into the open sky, and the beast quickly oriented itself to the north, speeding off toward Scotland and Hogwarts at a rapid pace.

The journey took some several hours of flight, but soon enough their party landed on the outskirts of Hogsmeade; they dismounted the dragon and sent it back to the bank. The creature knew the way, and unlike most would believe it actually enjoyed the dark and gloom and smell of treasure around it.

The village was quite as the twenty-six of them passed stealthily through. Rather than improve and grow like what had been expected to happen in the prosperous era without the Dark Lord, rather the wizarding village was more deserted than before. Yoda had only visited the place once in his previous time on this world, and hadn't fully enjoyed the experience.

But his mind wasn't on that right now, they had to get to the school and find the root of this madness. The magical gates were unbarred, and posed no barrier to them. The grounds were frigid and silent, which gave Yoda the impression that it was sometime in or near to winter, but before the first snowfall.

The castle was quite, with no lights in the windows. Yoda hoped for a silent entry as long as Luna's memory of the castle endured. She led them now, Lightsaber hilt in hand, but unlit. Yoda removed the tool and weapon from his robe as well. The entrance hall was unlit and a chill permeated the air. Stretching out with his feelings, Yoda's eyes widened at the vast amount of Force sensitive beings in the castle, most untrained, but several with varying power in the Dark Side, which stirred as the probe.

"Luna…" Yoda began softly.

"I feel them," Luna replied, "Darksiders…"

At once, the aura of the Force swelled as the Dark Side awoke with a snap. Their foes were aware of them now, and were coming to investigate. "Hurry," Yoda ordered the goblin warriors, "split up you must, to gather as many children you can."

The goblin warrior acknowledged the command, and split into four groups of six, each taking various directions branching off the entrance hall. Meanwhile, Luna and Yoda removed their outer cloaks, knowing that the Dark Side wielders would stop at nothing to slay them, even to the point of ignoring the goblins in the process, so it worked to their advantage to act as diversion.

Soon enough, from all directions, four black robed figures appeared, igniting crimson sabers as they spotted the pair in the center of the Entrance Hall, "I don't know how you found this place, Je'daii…" said a tall figure at the top of the first staircase as the four Darksiders closed in around them, "but you will not leave it alive!"

Green and violet blade leap to life as the four black cloaked figures attacked. Yoda leapt high into the air, making up for his lack of size and reach by combining what he could with the acrobatic movements of Ataru.

Meanwhile, Luna had taken an opposite approach, dropping into the defensive barrier of Soresu, weathering and redirecting every blow that came at her. Yoda knew however that the defensive tactic was only temporary, as Luna was just as capable at Ataru as he, but Luna was testing her opponents, seeing what strengths and weaknesses the two she was fighting possessed.

Yoda on the other hand, wasn't about to give his pair of opponents any time to devise a strategy to defeat him. Leaping high Yoda flipped his entire body over the first attacker, trying to swipe at the figure's head, instead bouncing forcefully off the hastily raised block, rebounding off a nearby pillar and spinning in midair to attack the figure's shoulder.

The figure clearly hadn't expected such a quick follow-up attack from a small opponent, and yelled out as the emerald blade severed the man's sword arm. His fellow used the Force to draw the fallen weapon into his off hand, and brandished both weapons at the little green Jedi.

Quickly glancing at Luna before leaping into a typhoon of activity again, Yoda noticed that she had also dispatched one of the other two Darksiders, leaving them with one opponent each. The laughter from the figure at the top of the stairs echoed down as they fought.

Blades spun and clashed with frightening speed and deadly accuracy, colliding with sparks and flashes as the four combatants danced across the Entrance Hall. Yoda's aerial acrobatics kept him well ahead of his opponent, driving the duel wielding human back despite the advantage the pair of weapons ought to have brought.

It was clear that Yoda's opponent hadn't trained to be able to use multiple weapons at once, as Yoda was able to easily parry away each individual strike, searching for an opening to finish the duel as quickly as possible. A cry from behind told him that Luna had defeated her final foe, and in the process the cry of his final companion falling distracted the one fighting Yoda.

He struck, throwing his saber like a boomerang, and it impaled the black robed figure in the chest. A grisly end, but unfortunately necessary for the pair of Jedi to face off against the final figure, which was clearly the greater threat.

"Oh, well done Je'daii," the figure taunted, "but in the end, worthless. There are tens of thousands more where those came from, and more being trained by the day. And here you will fall." The man removed his hood, revealing a face that made Luna gasp. Yoda strained his mind to remember where he had seen it before. It was some time before he left earth with Luna so long ago, a prisoner that had escaped from Azkaban prison. And then the memory returned; the figure was Sirius Black.

"How are you alive?" Luna asked, horrified. Yoda wondered how she had recognized the man so quickly, had the memories of their lives here haunted her throughout their training as Jedi.

"A combination of ancient magic and the sorcery of a Sith Lord, young fool." Black replied, smirking evilly. Yoda hefted his weapon as the man started casually down the stairs toward them, still unarmed but clearly vastly dangerous.

"But you lost your soul…" Luna persisted, "the dementors…"

"Of course…" Black affirmed, still smirking, "Sirius Black lost his soul, which created a glorious vacancy in this body for my use…"

"Wha…what?" Luna sputtered, but Yoda widened his eyes, realizing several things at once.

The being before them was no human, and as the figure raised his arms Yoda threw himself in front of Luna, saber deflecting the violet spell that launched itself from the human fingertips.

"Gor-lak the Cruel, you are," Yoda said confidently, keeping the saber in a defensive position in front of him and Luna, "and yet, a servant of the Sith also, you are…"

"You are indeed a quick one, little Goblin Je'daii…" Gor-lak replied, human face stretching in a strange and almost unnatural way. "What a pity you will not live long enough to do anything with that information." Gor-lak drew his fingers lazily through the air, causing green flames to blaze into existence and form into a sword of emerald fire. Seizing the hilt, Gor-lak brandished the weapon at them, and launched himself into an attack.

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Grand Master Coven had a very difficult time in hiding her satisfaction as Knight Dyz presented his findings from the attack on Lighthouse Station to the full council. At last, undeniable proof that the Sith, or Darksiders acting as the Sith at the least, were out there in the Galaxy.

"It seems that you were correct in your foresight of these days, Master Coven," Bith Council Member Aaro Cater admitted, nodding in the Jenet's direction. "We now have the evidence to motivate the Senate into aiding us in preparing for whatever these Darksiders, Sith sycophants or the real thing, seek."

"Presenting such evidence to the Senate may prove to be a challenging pursuit," commented Master Rekara. The Mon Calamari Jedi Master tented her hands as she waited for another to contribute, but Fae pressed the topic, "How do you think that, Master Rekara?"

"Simple," she replied, "the Senate has thought the Sith to be extinct for the last two centuries, as did we, even to the point that the Republic has demilitarized their army and navy heavily. Many systems will not want to consider the possibility of another war even remotely close to the ones previously. It'll take more than one Jedi's word and Force visions to convince the Senate that there is no other option but to act."

Master Isshaartu rumbled a question in Shyriiwook. "That is indeed true," Master Antross replied, "There is little we can do to gain additional proof. If only there was still something at the station's ruin for us to have physical proof of the attack."

"There may have been something overlooked and left behind on the planet Tund, as the Sith were descending on the planet as soon as they were finished with the station," Knight Dyz added, "but otherwise I have no other information to offer on that account."

"It's more than enough for us to proceed with at the time being," Master Trangrin replied, "We must send Jedi back to Tund and investigate as quickly as possible."

"Meanwhile," Fae spoke up, adding to the Falleen's words, "We reveal our suspicions to the Chancellor, and allow him to make the decision to bring it before the Senate or not."

"Mesa be agreein' with Master Coven," Master Hando said, "Wesa oughto being tellin' da Chancellor everyting wesa knows; and be trustin' the Republic be makin the righto decision."

The idea was put immediately to a vote of the Council, and passed eight to four. Fae elected herself to be present when the Chancellor was brought the terrible suspicion and reports. It was only fair, as she had known about all of this for years previously.

For his part, Enib'Kiju heard them out completely before responding, which was more than Fae had thought may happen. "What I don't understand," the Twi'lek asked when all was said, "is that the Jedi have long defended the position that the Sith were gone for good, why now, during our era of peace, would you bring them up again?"

"Trust us Chancellor," Master Antross said, who was leading the Council delegation in bringing this information to the Senate, "The Jedi Order wants nothing but to maintain the peace that was purchased in the blood of many soldiers and citizens of the Republic, as well as Jedi. But if what we've learned is true, and we hope to find more concrete proof soon, there would be a legitimate threat to that peace, and we must be prepared to face it and protect what respite from war we had."

The Chancellor seemed to deflate slightly into his chair, "I understand, Master Jedi, it's just hard to accept that all we worked for in eliminating the Sith in the war was for naught."

"None regret that fact more than we," Fae chimed in, offering a comforting presence to Enib'Kiju, who began nodding in understanding.

"Yes," he said after a few moments, "I'll call an emergency session of the Senate, and we will show these things to the representatives of the Republic, and make the decision whether to remilitarize the Republic or not, you have my word Master Jedi."

"Thank you Chancellor." Master Queesa Sen said with a bow. The Togruta led the way as the four Jedi Masters departed from the Chancellor's office. Fae sighed gently, it was far more than she expected. The vote was going to be in the hands of the Senate, but would the thousands of star systems seek to preserve the peace that they've held for two centuries, or would they be to content within it?

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Anguis had smirked to himself when he received the call for an emergency session of the Senate. It seemed that his master's plan was going smoothly. The Sith Elder could have told too much, but the Jedi that the Emperor had allowed to escape could reveal only enough to put the doubt into the mind of the Jedi, but without any solid proof, it would be rather difficult for them to convince the Senate of the same.

Now it was time for Anguis to play the part of a fresh and open minded Senator of a young system as Chancellor Enib'Kiju stood to address the assembly personally.

"Senators of the Galactic Republic, Representatives and aides, I thank you for attending this emergency session of the Senate. I would not call you here unless it was regarding a situation that could threaten the peace of out dear Republic."

It was flowery, easing the oncoming blow that Anguis knew was coming.

"Certain events have been brought to my attention through the Jedi Council, events that may threaten all semblances of peace and prosperity to our star systems. I implore you all to hear and listen to what will be told to you, and think of the safety of your worlds."

The Chancellor sat after gesturing to the far side, and Anguis raised his mental shields higher as a repulsorpod floated down with several members of the Jedi Council upon it. The human male that spoke was clearly the leader of the council, although of the four Anguis feared the rodent-like Jenet Master the most, as her Force aura was clearly the strongest.

The Jedi elaborated the news that Anguis was well aware of, regarding Veneficus' attack on Lighthouse station, the devastation of Tund, all the way to the assassination of the Sith Elder in their Temple and the arrival of the Jedi Knight bearing the information.

Such a sob story, but Anguis was unfazed, watching the scene unfold before him. Many Senators, especially those from worlds where the Jedi left a major impact were nodding vigorously, eager to vote in agreement with what the vaunted defenders of the Republic dictated, while those of a more independent mind thought the opposite.

When the Jedi Master finished his story there was a great deal of muttering and debate among the Senate, but Chancellor Enib'Kiju rose again to call the assembly to order. "Senators, we have a crisis upon our hands, which if ignored may destroy us all…"

"Where's the proof!" shouted someone from far above Anguis, and the clamor began, with Senators shouting and arguing among themselves, much as they were want to do anyway on any matter of relative importance, but this was well beyond that, as even the Chancellor could not return them to order until several minutes afterward.

"We shall have order!" Enib'Kiju shouted at last, his voice magnified to boom over the many Senators and Representatives. "I call for a vote, whether the Republic will remilitarize and seek out this threat, or do nothing."

The Senate dropped to silence immediately, the gravity of the situation the Chancellor was proposing settling in. the Republic had been demilitarized for two centuries, as part of the Ruusan reformations at the end of the last Sith war, to undo that again so soon was to proclaim war upon anything that threatened the Republic, and an end of their peace anyway.

It was indeed a delicious predicament, Anguis admitted. Either way, whether they knew it or not, peace was shattered from the Republic, but would they remove it themselves or have it stripped from them?

Naturally, as part of his role, Anguis voted to remilitarize, knowing that the Republic needed to weaken itself for the Sith to rise in power over the Galaxy, however he knew that the vote would not pass at this time. The fear that permeated the Rotunda was a delight to feel, but Anguis could not risk affecting it through the Force, not with four of the leading Jedi Council members in attendance.

Still, his influence was not needed. The vote failed spectacularly, sparking yet another argument throughout the Senate. Rather than wait for himself to be dismissed with the other Senators, Anguis simply left, walking through the outer halls with no one to impede him. Curiously, it seemed that the Jedi had taken a similar stance, and Anguis intercepted their group on the way to his personal shuttle.

"Master Jedi," he said respectfully, layering the role of Drakis Malfay around him tightly, "I'm sorry that the Senate was unwilling to back up your findings."

"Yes," the lead human Jedi replied, searching for their craft with his eyes, "Hopefully when we bring back more proof the Senate will change their minds about the threat that we face."

"I certainly hope for you to find it speedily…" Drakis added, earning a small smile from the Jenet Grand Master, "New Terra was so terribly close to the attack, and my people fear what a new war may bring to our fledgling world. After so many years of heartache and tragedy, to face a new war unprepared is something that we cannot tolerate."

The four Jedi Masters nodded, bidding their collective farewell as they took to their transport. Lord Anguis watched them depart, smirking inwardly at how well he was posing himself. It was a start, but more interactions over the opening of the war with the Jedi, and he may have their backing when he made his bid for the Chancellorship. It was all a matter of timing at this point, and playing off the Emperor's plans.

All that was left was to find a patsy to forward a vote of no confidence once the war truly began, which all rode on which system the Sith attacked first. Perhaps some discreet advice on his part through the right channels may give Anguis the foreknowledge he needed to be in the right place at the right time when it happened…

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Lord Fury stood proudly outside the ruins of the Valley of the Jedi as the Imperial Herald-class shuttles started descending from orbit. Above them were several of the newer Centurion Battlecruisers. Although they were clearly an older design, Fury had been well assured by his Imperial staff that these ships were heavily upgraded from their predecessors, and would become the backbone of the Neo-Sith Empire's navy.

Dominating the skyline over even these however, was the current command ship of the Emperor's vanguard, the Predator, a downright ancient Interdictor-class Command Ship that had received, rumor stated, so many upgrades as to put it ahead of ships of the current era. It was this ship that had singlehanded decimated the Republic watch post and obliterated the Light sided Sith traitors on the Tund system.

As the transport hissed open, revealing the usual precession of Arcanamach and other bodyguards of the Emperor, Fury sank to his knees in the presence of the true power behind the entire Empire. Lord Veneficus hadn't changed much in the twenty years since they left the man's home world for good, seeming to slow in his ageing and stop completely in his mid twenties; a true testament to his Force-granted immortality and power.

"My Lord," Fury stated reverently, "The way to the Valley of the Jedi is clear, and waiting for your approval."

"Yes, I know," Emperor Veneficus replied simply, his eyes not watching Lord Fury, but wandering across the ruins for a time, as though seeing straight through the stone and earth to the prize within. His slender hands fingered the long metallic staff in his hands, decorated in Sith runes and other ornaments. Lord Fury wondered what it was for, but there was little time for questions.

Without a word Veneficus started toward the ruin's opening, Fury and the Arcanamach in tow. Fury wondered how the Emperor knew exactly where to turn to get down to the chamber, as thought he had been there before, but he followed silently, attributing his foreknowledge to the Force.

The other Marauders were waiting for them there, bowing low for the Emperor as he entered the golden glow of the Valley's epicenter. "Glorious…" Veneficus breathed as he approached the molten glowing center, which radiated the power of the Dark Side.

For several long moments the Sith Emperor just stood there, backing as they all had in the raw power of the Valley. Finally, he spoke, "Leave me…" he ordered, and the Arcanamach guards obeyed immediately, but Fury and his Marauders hesitated.

"But, my Lord, I don't…" Fury began, but he was cut off by the sudden pulse and anger and hatred from the Emperor.

"You will understand when it is time for you to understand, now leave me!" he said again, sterner and more menacingly. They weren't foolish enough to push again, and departed, watching as the Arcanamach sealed the chamber behind them.

"What is the Emperor going to do with the power of the Valley?" one of the Marauders asked Lord Fury, who shook his head warily, eyeing the faceless guards. "I do not know, but it is not of our concern, our mission is complete, and we await our Master's instruction of how to proceed.

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Veneficus narrowed his eyes as Septin finally left him alone before the unmatched power of the Valley of the Jedi. The fool would never understand, as much as he tried, the sheer magnitude of the ritual that created this place, let alone have the mind to devise the limitless possibilities that could be used with that power.

Even he himself had underestimated the unfettered power of over two hundred powerful Force users, all correlated together violently by the intense devastation of a Sith ritual: the thought bomb. A brilliant stroke of genius by the Sith Lord Darth Bane, the propagator of the Rule of Two had tricked his predecessors of a fallen and weakening system to use the powerful suicidal weapon in hopes of eliminating the Army of Light, but while they did destroy a sizeable faction of that group of Jedi, it resulted primarily in their own extinction.

Bane alone of their powerful Sith Lords survived, and here before Veneficus was the result. Gripping the scepter of Marka Ragnos in his hands, he prepared for the next phase of his plans. Unlimited power of the Force trapped here on Ruusan was useless to anyone, but with the Scepter Veneficus could take the power wherever he chose, unleashing it as a powerful weapon, magnifying his followers, or… or he could use it to generate Dark Side energy powerful enough to launch his Star Forge into an efficiency level well beyond two hundred percent, causing that many more ships, fighters, droids and weapons to be constructed. His war engine would double at minimum with this level of power, and there would be strength and to spare for decades, or whenever he tired of this little game of a war.

Wasting not a second more, Emperor Veneficus set to work, raising the powerful conduit of the Dark Side toward the font of unmatched power, and watching the rippling lights be torn away from the Valley and draw into the Scepter itself. Even through the heating metal of the Dark Side artifact, Veneficus could feel the raw hatred and pain of the hundreds of Force users that had died to create this fabulous place, and the entire area around him drew colder as its literal life force was drained away.

Soon, the metal was to the point of scalding Veneficus' flesh if he hadn't prepared with both insolating gloves and the Force, and yet there was still massive quantities of power remaining in the Valley, so much so that Veneficus realized disappointedly that he literally could not take all of it at one time. Nevertheless, the Scepter of Ragnos was more powerful now then it had ever been, even during the lifetime of the magnificent half-breed Emperor himself. Veneficus knew that this boost to his Empire would launch them into open war, and there was still energy for him to return to Ruusan and claim should the need arise.

Carefully maneuvering the Scepter to not accidentally strike anything, Veneficus departed, bypassing Septin and his baffled warriors, who no doubt felt the immense power from the Scepter, but not understanding how or where it had come from. Not trusting another soul with the Dark artifact, Veneficus returned it to his shuttle personally, stowing the Scepter in a magically enhanced durasteel crate, and then placing the entire item in suspended animation for extra precaution. It may do little, but so long as it survived the trip to the Star Forge, all would be well.

"You are to be well commended for this triumph," Veneficus said to the gathered Darksiders that had taken the planet, slaughtering the pathetic villagers who had offered minimal resistance do doubt, but stroking the dog's ego made it all the more willing to serve later.

"Thank you, my Lord," Septin said, pleased as could be.

"And now I sense that you all wish to join us at the front lines as our war with the Republic begins…" Veneficus added matter-of-factly, not truly stating anything out of the ordinary, but definitely catching all their interests.

"Once completed, and the war begun, I will send for each of you your own fleet to govern in the name of the Empire, as reward for your dedicated service. You will become the spear point of our great assaults on the worlds loyal to the Republic, and lead the charge against the Jedi Order." Veneficus decided at last, knowing that that promise alone would please even the least bloodthirsty among them. Fleets and ships were not going to be a problem in the near future anyway, and they were competent commanders at the least, so why not.

Turning from the group, the Emperor paused one moment more, "Lord Fury, you will come with me presently, and receive your fleet when we return to the central command of the Empire; the rest of you will fortify this place and protect the Valley of the Jedi against all incursions, until called for." Let the fools guard this backwater for a time, Veneficus thought as he and Septin departed into the shuttle. It would serve to weed out those who had patience yet to learn, and who would be nothing more than devastating cannon fodder for the front lines.

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Lord Fury felt nothing less than a surge of pride to be selected to become a commander in the Emperor's army, spearheading assaults with his own personal fleet. The handful of ships he had brought to Ruusan were to be left to guard the planet, and were all outdated anyway, so it was no great loss to him.

The opportunity to serve the Emperor personally on this matter was a greater prize that he had hoped for from this simple attack, and Fury was going to savor the moment as long as he could.

Still, there were several burning questions that he had, not that he expected to gain answers to them anytime soon. What was the rod-like artifact that the Emperor had brought, and why did it brim with Dark Side energy when he left the Valley? Even more so, what was the plan for it after they left the system?

The Emperor was not a trusting man, and Fury doubted he'd ever learn the truth to these questions, but as the shuttle docked in the Predator's main hangar, he felt those concerns slip away as he took in the massive reworking of the Interdictor cruiser. It seemed that anywhere he looked, Earthen and Sith runes were carved into the very bulkheads and durasteel panels, glowing with a light all their own.

So that was the secret then… the Emperor was powering his ships with the magic of his home world, Fury was impressed. He had seen only small glimpses of the seemingly Force-based art while he served the previous Dark Lord, Millennial, on the remote world in the Unknown Regions, but he hadn't understood the full scope of just what it was capable of.

Veneficus did not stay with Lord Fury as the Predator launched into Hyperspace with the rest of the Emperor's fleet, but left him immediately to see to the securing of his artifact for the journey to… who knew where. Lord Fury was uncertain about a lot of the goings on of his Master, but he was trusting enough of Veneficus to know that the Sith Lord wasn't about to throw away a useful servant, especially one that rendered so great a deed.

So he wandered the corridors of the ship, inspecting the handiwork of the runic arrays as armored Sith soldiers and other naval officers hurried around him, hard at work at their duties in keeping the Emperor's personal Flagship running smoothly. He was about to dip into the engineering and inspect how the thrusters had been changed with the runes, when a monotone voice signaled that they would be exiting Hyperspace soon, and landing parties were to be arranged. Fury presumed that included himself, so he slowly made his way back to the hangar that held the shuttle he had arrived upon with Lord Veneficus, only to find the Emperor there waiting for him.

"I trust that what you found to distract yourself proved most interesting…" Veneficus said slowly, knowingly. Fury bowed, "It did, my Lord. Your vessel is a marvel of modern construction."

The Emperor did not reply to that, but turned as the starlines of Hyperspace slowed and reverted to their normal pinpricks of lights. The sight that dominated the immediate space however caused Fury to forget all about their sudden arrival.

Hundreds of ships, all Capital class, hung in space, all seemingly waiting for orders. "Magnificent, aren't they?" Veneficus crooned at Fury's side. "You will take a small selection for your own, and assist in the opening attack to launch our war with the Republic." The man held out a small datapad, which Fury could tell held rosters of the many different ships, and whatever differences their specifications held.

Scrolling through the list several times, Fury knew that to keep the Emperor waiting was not wise, so he quickly chose a half dozen ships, an Interdictor named Manticore, two Derriphan-class Battleships named Horntail and Thestral, and finally three of the smaller Centurion Battlecrusiers, Hydra, Rancor, and Nexu.

"They shall serve you well, Lord Fury," Veneficus said, gesturing to the shuttle. "This will take you to your command ship, and you make take all the time you need to familiarize yourself with the crew, and prepare for your first attack." Presenting another datapad, Veneficus smirked as Fury eagerly took the devise, scanning his new orders.

The only disappointment was the wait before he was to act, several weeks at the earliest, but it gave him more than enough time to ready his crew to his personal style of combat, and how he expected them to obey him. Not that Fury expected there to be any major issues. Anyone in the Sith Navy ought to expect by now that to disrespect a Force Adept was to court death and disaster.

The shuttle ride was quick, and soon enough Fury was on board the Manticore, being saluted by soldiers and officers alike as he made his way to the bridge. He was pleased to note than the same runic arrays he saw on the Emperor's vessel were present here as well, meaning that this ship was top of the line in the Empire's fleet.

The lead officer bowed slightly as he approached the observation portion of the bridge. "My Lord, Admiral Careth Odjek at your service," he said.

Eyeing the human critically, Fury nodded in small approval. The man had steel in his Force Aura, for a non-sensitive. He would do well, for the time being. "We have several new drills to run, Admiral," Fury stated flatly, handing a personal datapad to the man that held some of his self created maneuvers and tactics, "then we have a mission in a few weeks time to complete."

"They will be started within the hour, my Lord." The Admiral responded with a sharp salute, before turning to an aide to relay the Marauder's orders.

Soon the entire ship was hopping as each and every soldier, officer, and engineer went about the different methods of Lord Fury's aggressive maneuvers, and he sensed in the Force that the other five ships were obeying as well. 'The Republic had better beware,' he mused silently to himself as the small fleet prepared to jump to lightspeed to a location closer to their target of a few weeks time. 'The Neo-Sith Empire was about to crash onto their little podium and topple their vaunted peace for all time.'