Thanks to those who reviewed, Happy Thanksgiving! ~F
Chapter Twenty Five
Pursuit
Luna had waited the entire time for the fleet carrying Master Coven to return to Coruscant, but when she finally saw the shuttles appear over the skyline, she could immediately sense that something was gravely wrong.
Meeting the returning Jedi in the main hangar of the Temple, and seeing the battle worn and downright dejected faces, she was not comforted. "Where is Grandmaster Coven," she asked a passing Knight, and the young man turned to point at the lead shuttle, where the massive form of Master Obo Fequell was manipulating a stretcher carrying the aged Genet, who was lying comatose upon it.
"Shortly after escaping the battle, she fell unconscious and hasn't woken since. Some fear the worst..." The young man said, but Luna was already moving toward her old Master. Leon appeared at her side as they approached the Besalisk, who despite her size was moving with a considerably amount of gentleness, "How is she?" Luna asked, and the retired battlemaster shook her head.
"Hard to say, the healers saw she is physically completely healthy, but something overloaded her senses in the fight with the Sith Lord, and she cannot awaken. We can only do what we can to alleviate the physical burden and wait for her to return to us, I'm afraid." Master Fequall responded, quickly removing the body of their leader to the infirmary, while Luna milled aimlessly through the halls of the Temple, at a loss of what to do.
"Without Master Coven guidance, I do not know how we are to proceed regarding this approaching war." She said aloud to her Padawan, sharing her concerns and worries with the boy.
"We can only do as the Force directs, can't we Master?" he responded sagely.
She turned to seem a strange glinting light in the boy's mismatched eyes, and the Padawan smiled, "It's what the Grandmaster would want us to do, I believe."
She smiled slightly in return, "you are perfectly right, my young Padawan, we can only do what is needed for the Republic." she paused, before adding in a quieter voice, "I just wish we had some idea of where exactly to proceed."
"An idea for that, we may have just received…" the backwards speech pattern of Yoda called behind them, and both humans turned to see the small, green goblin smiling toothily up at them.
"A message we have received, that may hold answers to the mystery infiltrator of the Temple…" Yoda said gravely, before beckoning the pair of Jedi to a side room, where Yoda's own Padawan, as well as several members of the Jedi Council, including Master Antross, waited.
"Ah, Knight Lovegood, and Padawan Leon, good, I was hoping that Knight Yoda would find you quickly, as your combined expertise would be most useful in this matter…" the leader of the Jedi Council said, gesturing at the holoprojector in front of him, "rather than waste time describing it, I think it would be easier to just show you what we've received."
The Jedi Master activated the recording, and Luna watched what from what looked like some sort of recording droid or set observation point on some urbanized planet. The point of view was focused on one of the dwellings in particular, which had a female Gran sitting out front with a child in her arms, when a figure appeared, approaching the dwelling in a Jedi cloak.
The two began conversing, the shrouded figure gesturing at the child, before the mother set down her infant and gave the child a few simple toys to play with, which the babe began to float in the air, a genuine sign of an infant Force user. The cloaked supposed Jedi nodded in approval, before speaking again, but the recording devise was not near enough to pick up what was being said. Whatever it was however, the mother was not pleased, and scooped up her child moments later, starting to head inside while speaking very harshly.
But what caught the attention of everyone in the room was when the cloaked figure withdrew a genuine wooden wand and gestured with it at the mother, who froze, before going very slack and almost drunkenly handed the child over without a fight, before going inside in a daze.
The figure pocketed the wand after waving it over the babe, which put the little Gran to sleep instantly, and turned to leave, before noticing the recording devise and drawing a blaster like lightning to shoot, moments before the screen blacked out and faded away.
"So, someone is impersonating a Jedi to collect Force sensitive children." Luna said astutely, "that would be impossible unless they had the Kyber crystal and a Jedi Holocron that has been activated for that express purpose."
"You're assessment of the situation is correct, on all counts," Master Antross stated, "and we came to the same conclusion. However all attempts to contact Master Vubud Egi have failed, and there are none on the planet he had secreted himself upon who have seen him for some time. We can only presume that he has been killed. As for the Holocron…"
"Colin…" Luna breathed, understanding instantly. "So we have an idea where he might be and what he's up to at last. Stealing Force sensitives for the Empire, or some other faction entirely?"
"Either way, we cannot allow such things to continue," the Head of the Jedi Council stated solemnly, "We are sending you, Knight Lovegood, and your Padawan to stop this man, as you have particular expertise in the matters of his magic and how it functions. Recover the crystal and Holocron if you can, but your priority is the children, and returning them to their families, or to the Temple if, and only if, you cannot find their homes."
"Understood Master," Luna said, bowing respectfully. She was still gravely worried about Master Coven, but she could compartmentalize that emotion to a place to wait until she was ready to deal with the emotion properly. It was far easier to focus on the needs of others, such as those poor children and their families, rather than dwell on her own suffering.
"Here are the coordinates of the planet this recording was found on, as well as several possible leads for when you arrive," Master Antross stated, handing Luna a Datapad, before returning to where he had been standing, "May the Force be with you both in these trying times."
"May the Force be with you as well, Master," Both Luna and Leon replied, bowing as they took their leave to depart at once for their mission.
"It seems like we are being kept so busy that we hardly have time to rest when we return to the Temple…" Leon stated as they walked, but Luna could tell it was an observation and not a complaint. "A Jedi's work is rarely complete for long," she replied instead, smiling down at her Padawan as they exited the corridor into a lift that would take them down to the Hangar.
"Of course, Master," Leon replied, glancing up and smiling as well. Luna could tell that they were both thinking that same thing, 'I wouldn't have it any other way…'
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Gor-lak was not pleased.
The battle had been won, the cowards of the Republic fleeing soon after the Phoenix had been retaken, but the fight had done much damage to the ship, which was limping through space now, and many of the crew had been slain in the attack. Fortunately, the Imperial populace of Yavin were quick to rally around the victory in defending their planet, and both supplies and fresh soldiers were quickly sent up to them amid a fleet of shuttles, both military and civilian, and they were able to make the repairs they needed rather quickly, and turn back to the course that they had prepared to send off to before they had been attacked.
Junction was a fairly large world, with a dense populace, which would make a spectacular bloodbath if required, but Gor-lak was not so desirous to simply wade in and destroy after his epiphany on the ship. Would it truly be better to try and win over the people with charisma rather than by blood and death and fear?
There was truly only one way to find out, and where better than now at the beginning of their campaign.
As the ships aligned themselves in orbit of the planet, the ancient Ork called for one of the officers to open communications to the main government of the planet below, simultaneously removing the heavy Sith Mask that he wore, exposing the rather angular and sophisticated face of the human whose skin was now his own.
Sirius Black must have been a charmer in his own lifetime, as there was something of a change in the air that Gor-lak felt immediately when the personnel of the command deck saw the face he wore, almost a relaxation of some pent up fear from the terrifying image that the mask had produced, and the Ork was unsure what to make of the change, whether it would turn out better or worse for him later on.
A regal looking Duro was the one to answer the call, ornamented with wealthy looking clothing of a ministerial nature. "You cannot do this!" he demanded immediately upon seeing Gor-lak, "The Republic will know of this attack, I can assure you!"
"I find that hard to believe, as we are jamming all other communications from your system since we entered orbit." The Ork replied simply, glancing momentarily at his hands is a show of boredom. "Now then, if you are finished ranting… We represent the glorious Sith Emperor, Darth Veneficus the Eternal, and we demand the surrender of your system and all its resources to the might of the Neo-Sith Empire. Do this without resistance, and I promise that you and all your people will be spared."
The Duro was about to protest, but Gor-lak overruled him by continuing, "Furthermore, all those who oppose out occupation will be given free license, for a limited time, to depart the system bound toward the Republic. Afterward we will be blockading the system and setting up our Imperial government and garrison to protect our interests here."
"Now see here!" the Duro blustered, seeming all the more foolish as he flailed an arm wildly, like a child, "we will not be intimidated but such blatant threats!"
"Threats you say?" the Ork responded, grinning slightly, "No, no my good sir, these were terms and conditions for your surrender, if you want threats I will tell you what will befall your world if you refuse us… I will personally come down with my armies and lay waste to every city and settlement you control, carving great lines of ruin and desolation up to wherever you happen to be hiding. I will find you, specifically, and after a very public and slow execution, we will give your successor the same choice, and see what his answer will be…"
The communication abruptly cut off, and Gor-lak turned to the viewport in time to see ships lifting off all across the planet, some fleeing in various direction, while the main host of the pelted toward the various orbiting ships, "So by blood then…" the Cruel One stated, even as alarms flared to life across the ship.
"Admiral, send all fighters into the battle with these wretches, and prepare our shuttles for launch, I have a promise to keep to our friend on the surface." He stated as he turned back toward the lift that would take him down from the bridge.
"As you command, my Lord," Admiral Uardono said, shouting orders at his staff as Gor-lak was cut off from view by the lift's doors.
It would be a refreshing turn of events to be fighting with an army again, on the ground of a new planet that he was to conquer. And all the more that he had the loyalty of his soldiers, instead of fear of punishment if they failed to carry out his commands.
Yes, a most interesting turn of events in the long life of the once Emperor of the planet Earth.
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Severus did not know what to make of the creatures that had rescued him from the life support pod that he had escaped upon. He had been led onto a much larger ship, and instructed to keep his own oxygen mask on at all times, as the air was a mixture of gasses that would kill the human if he were to breath them for more than a few moments.
Then there was the beings themselves, who primarily spoke among themselves in their own language, aside from their leader, and all of various shades of red and orange. Granted, living among the magical community, Severus had seen plenty of things that were far stranger, and therefore paid these creatures no mind regarding their anatomy, which they seemed to appreciate.
"So," the leader said, after their ship started back toward the heavily gas covered planet, "Are you going to give us any information regarding why you jettisoned from the passing freighter, where it was bound and where it had come from?"
"I wish that I could," Severus admitted, "but for all intents and purposes I was a slave up until I escapes aboard that pod, and I have no idea where I was being held, aside from it being a massive space station, and no idea where that ship was heading, only that it wasn't where I was being held prisoner."
"I see…" the leader said, growing silent, "Well, if there is nothing you can, or will, freely tell us, then we shall simply take you to the Baren Do Sages, and let them see whether we can trust your word or not. If so, then we will help you move on to wherever in the Galaxy you wish to go, and if not… well, we'll discuss that if the situation arises."
Severus did not like for one moment the prospects of those words, but he had the strongest feeling that drawing his wand or causing any sort of stir would be most unwise right this moment. Idly he wondered if Potter had had a trace placed upon him or his wand, and that any spell would allow the madman to locate him with ease. It would definitely be something to investigate when he had the time to do so.
The ship dived steeply through thick orange clouds that covered the entirety of the planet, and the leaders commented that Severus would have to make sure to keep his mask on him at all times, and take special care to replace it only when the filter for oxygen was starting to give out, as the planet was highly toxic to most species, including humans.
After they descended through the vision obscuring layer, they soared over a wide city, toward what looked like some sort of ziggurat that leapt skyward above many of the other buildings. The spaceport they landed in was nearby, and Severus felt like he was unable to remove his eyes from the building as they stepped down onto the planet's surface.
Regardless of the distinct feeling of being watched at all times, which was oppressive to say the least, Severus felt overjoyed at being away from the Sith's influence and off the evil coated station. He was led out of the spaceport, crammed with more of the strange creatures, that he learned were called Dorians, or Kel Dors by other races, and toward the massive structure that was mentioned to be something like a monastery or religious temple for the Dorians own brand of magic users.
As he was marched up the tall stairway to the entrance of the monastery, Severus could see guards of a sort hiding in the shadows or behind pillars, holding staves and watching the approaching group warily. Just what sort of people needed guards from their own kind; Severus wondered as they reached the high doors and encountered another Dorian. One of the strange tooth appendages from this one's face was broken, giving a more intimidating look, despite the small beady eyes that seemed to only take light in from the heavily obscured sun of their own world.
The other Dorians stood aside respectfully as this newcomer, wearing rather plain brown and rust colored robes approached from within the temple, bowing respectfully, "The sages have been expecting your arrival," the being said, addressing Severus himself, "Please, come inside."
Blinking in slight confusion, Severus followed without question, inwardly wondering how these beings could have known that he was coming before he had arrived… He did notice that none of the others attempted to follow then inside the temple, but he dared not to ask too many questions as they trooped through the dimly lit and winding corridors of the ziggurat, seeming to wind downward into the sublevels of the pyramid shaped edifice rather than ascend to the spire, which in and of itself was also strange.
When he had finally worked up the nerve to speak, Severus found himself overruled when the Dorian spoke first, "The Sages are Force sensitive, Professor Severus Snape, and they can reach through time and space to foresee events before they have a chance to happen. Your arrival was foretold, and the sages have questions to ask of you before they can assist you in finding your way in the Galaxy."
"…I see…" Severus said, agitated that this being literally had known what he was going to say before he had formed the words, and without even the slightest hint of legilimency. "The Force is a more purified form of what you consider supernatural powers to be," the being which Severus recognized as a Baren Do Sage replied to the unexpressed thought, "We do not require to pierce into the mind of an individual to know what is in their heart, we can sense it in the living Force that surrounds the being naturally."
And so it went, the Sage explaining some of the basics of the Force, which in turn gave light to some of the maddening things that Severus had witnessed on the station with the downright evil beings that had held him prisoner.
Eventually they arrived at a large circular chamber at the very base of the temple, which was lit completed by a ring of braziers set before a long circle of low chairs, where sat over a dozen Dorian Sages, cross legged and seeming in a meditative posture.
The Sage escorting him gestured for Severus to walk to the center of the circle, before taking his own seat at the very end of the circle nearest the door, which gently shut of its own accord.
"Severus Snape…" one of the Sages said as the man took his position in the center of the circle.
"Professor of the art known as Potions…" another continued.
"From the School called Hogwarts of the planet earth, located out in the distance outreaches of the Galaxy…" a third added.
"Yes," Severus responded, not sure if it was meant as a conjoined statement or a question.
"We are the Sages of the Baren Do… the mystic order of the Dorian people that study the mysteries of the universe, wielding the power of the Force to aid us in guiding our people in peace and harmony." One said, from the head of the circle, facing opposite of the doorway and directly across from Severus.
"There is a great darkness that threatens everything we hold dear…" one to his left spoke, answered by another on Severus right, "A tidal wave of the Dark Side of the Force, threatening to eliminate all that is Light and good."
"While we, the Baren Do, do not traditionally affiliate with those of any other particular order of Force users, we know that this evil is targeting specifically the Order of the Jedi, housed in the bright center of the Galaxy known as Coruscant." The seeming leader said cryptically. All the talk from the various people, yet seemingly as one was starting to give Severus a headache, like listening to the Weasley twins for hours on end.
"I was told you wanted to ask questions of me?" he said, hoping to steer the conversation somewhere more productive.
"We have already asked the Force all that was needed to know of you, and we know that despite your internal struggles and old darkness, you are trustworthy to carry our message to the Jedi…" the leader said, far more directly.
"I see…" Severus said unsure. "And why should I agree to help you?"
"Because, those you seek are among the Jedi, and can help you most of all in combating the darkness. You do seek to stop the rise of the Sith Lord, yes?" another in the far side of the circle spoke up, and Severus had to crane his neck to see the figure.
"I…" Severus started, but then the smirking face of Potter appeared, red eyed and sinister from behind his hood and surrounded by insanely loyal guards that hearkened to his every whim. "Yes, I want to stop him before anything else can happen…"
"Then taking our message to Coruscant is your best option in reuniting with old companions and many new allies to help you." The leader responded. "But the choice is still yours, know that we have foreseen the outcomes of both options, and while it is not going to make or break the outcome of this looming war, know that your choice will cost or save many lives…"
Severus did not like the very Dumbledore-esk way that the Sages just manipulated him, but at the same time it seemed innocent enough, deliver a message in exchange for transportation. "I will do as you request," he said at last, and the Sages nodded as one, before the doors reopened and a small electronic device appeared, floating in front of Severus, "Then meet your escorts back in front of the temple, and you will be given supplies to last your journey to the capital world of the Republic. May the Force guide you on whatever path you inevitably choose..."
Severus paused for only a few moments, before nodding once in respect to the group as a whole, and turning to leave, finding himself with far more questions than the answers he had thought he had hoped to receive. The Sage that had led him down stood as Severus passed and led the way back to the main doors in silence, allowing Severus all the time he needed to think things over and decide that these mystics, all of them for that matter, were far too cryptic for his taste, and he would simple like to go back to his old room in Hogwarts and forget this nightmare forever.
But naturally that was not to be the case, and they arrived out front where the other Dorians had patiently waited for him. "The Sages have found him worthy of our trust and assistance," the Sage explained, "he is to return to the Spaceport and be placed on the fasted ship bound for Coruscant, with escort once they arrive that will take him to the Jedi Temple. He bears important information from the Sages for the leaders of the Jedi."
"As you wish…" the others replied, and the Sage gave Severus only a single glance before returning inside, the doors of the ziggurat closing behind him.
The trek back to the Spaceport was far quicker, albeit in total silence, the Dorians guarding him now seeming to be more in awe that he had met with their mysterious Sages and be deemed worthy to assist them, or some other superstition. Aside from their version of magic, the Force they called it, Severus determined that there was truly nothing different between the Sages and the common Dorians, so there ought to have been little reason for them to be almost worshipped, but then again, he was thinking in terms of wizards and muggles, rather than another planet entirely with a far different history and culture.
It was strange to think he had been on this planet for less than a day, and already he was being sent off to somewhere else, but Severus honestly thought that might be for the best at this present circumstance, just in case when those from the mystery station discovered he was missing and went looking for him. In either case, he'd at least be glad to be rid of the horridly uncomfortable breathing mask, although he felt a bit guilty when he learned that those guards who had watched them approach the temple were to go with him on his ship, and were donning their own goggles and breath masks to keep the gasses that they breathed from mixing with oxygen rich air of the ship and the planet they were destined for, but they seemed far more comfortable with their masks than Severus with his.
It would still be a very long and strange voyage, and Severus had little to expect of what was to come.
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Colin ended up staying far longer at Hogwarts Academy of the Dark Side than he expected to, the nostalgia alone was something of a fond memory, as the architecture had not changed in the slightest, and the radiating darkness was only all the more inviting. But in the end, he did have a continuing mission to go and collect more Force sensitive children for the Emperor's training facilities to shape into suitable Dark Adepts for their war, and to be fair, the mood was ruined far too often whenever Governor Umbridge came calling for assistance or whatever else the fat toad wanted from the Emperor's apprentice.
If the Sith Lord wasn't genuinely intimidating to Colin, he might have felt a little sorry for the Devaronian for the madness he must have had to put up with daily due to that woman alone, but in the end Colin was more than happy to allow the Sith to deal with her and not engage her himself. Umbridge had spotted him only once, but thankfully brushed over him without so much as a comment, which Colin felt was due to the fact that he himself was human, and not a Force user, although the lightsaber on his belt attempted to disguise that fact.
Regardless, once he decided to power back on his ship and set course for the next system indicated by the combination crystal and Holocron, he was somewhat relieved to be on the move again and back in the fray of what he considered his work for the Empire. Although he still felt somewhat uneasy about something so simply as kidnapping young children, and would much rather be eliminating high priority targets, but one couldn't always have what one wanted.
Setting course for some Outer Rim system, Colin was able to sit back and let the adept AI of his ship plot the multitude of jumps that would be required to cross the length of the Galaxy undetected by the Republic, and briefly wondered whether the Jedi had even figured out his true mission yet. It may have been in part paranoia, or some mad form of desire for a chase, but Colin envisioned that the Jedi might even now be trying to figure out where he had gone and which child he was plotting to steal next.
As fun as it would be, as he started to check his equipment for any needed repairs, he doubted that he was so easily discovered, even though he left the Jedi's body to be devoured by the wild kath hounds of Dantooine, among other less savory beasts, but he could dream of some sort of challenge now couldn't he?
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Padawan Leon stood silently as his Master, Jedi Knight Luna Lovegood questioned the mother that they had witnessed be attacked and had her child stolen via the holorecording, striving to stretch out with his feelings and read the ebb and flow of the Force in the general area. It was difficult to say the least, not the actual act of it, as Leon was naturally gifted with sensing and manipulating the Force, but understanding what information he received.
The Force felt strained here, especially around the woman, like some outside hand and gone and clamped around her mind like a vice, blocking her senses of those events, as indicated by her having no recollection of the kidnapping, or that she even had a child. She lived alone now, her husband having died months previous in some sort of accident or another, but his master continued to speak gently with her, even as she waved her wooden wand back and forth in a figure eight pattern over the woman's head.
Leon knew that Luna had been taking long sessions of training with the three Professors from her home planet, to refine her talents in their magical arts, so very different and yet strikingly similar to the Force that it was boggling to his young mind that such powers existed. And yet the proof was there, when with a gasp the woman remembered, and the strange, foreign clutch over her mind shattered.
However, the ramification of releasing her mind was the memory of the crushing weight of sorrow at having her child stolen, so then the two Jedi had to spend several hours consoling the woman before they could get any information from her whatsoever.
Finally however, they received what little information about the mystery person who had come for her child that she knew, little though there was. As they left for their ship, Luna had fallen silent, which for her was somewhat unusual, but Leon knew that she was deep in thought and would include him when she had organized what was important to know from the information that they had recovered.
"It more assuredly was Colin…" she began after they had taken off from the planet and were waiting in orbit for their next destination. "The description matches no one else that I recall from that time, and his smaller stature hints at that fact."
"But where would he have gone next, and how will we find him?" Leon asked.
"If we suppose that he indeed has the Kyber Crystal, as well as an activated Holocron, then it could very well be anywhere in the Galaxy, and only the Force can guide us to finding him before he steals another child."
Luna beckoned to Leon as she sat upon the metallic floor of the ship, and he obeyed, stretching out with his senses in the Force, but not really knowing exactly what was expected of him to be able to locate this wizard that was hunting Force Sensitive children. However, even as he did so, he felt Luna touch his consciousness and guide him through the channels of the Force, seeking out around the looming Darkness of the Sith and the war that raged around them for the more subtle and fleeting shadows that moved among the great cloud of the Emperor, like small parasites leeching off a great predator.
Whether they were meditating for minutes or hours, Leon wasn't sure, but eventually they felt a small, nearly insignificant amount of Force energy, neutral or slightly dark, moving with great purpose from world to world, causing suffering and pain as it went, too small to be one of the ravaging fleets of the Empire, but too great to be unrelated to the movements of the Dark Side.
"There…" Luna said aloud, "that must be him, heading toward the northern Outer Rim worlds. Now that we've found him, tracking him will be far easier. Set course for a world nearby where we can monitor where he goes next, then we can catch him in the attempt to steal another child, and bring him back to the Temple.
"Yes, Master," Leon said, ending his mediation and leaving Luna to input the coordinates of a nearby world into the navigation computer.
Hopefully they were correct in presuming that this was indeed the same person, although Leon had no reason to disbelieve his master, but it still felt rather farfetched that they had so easily found their quarry from across the Galaxy. Nevertheless, they may at the least stop some other suffering even if it turned out to not be this Colin whom they were pursuing.
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Hermione stood proudly on the orbital shipyards over New Terra, watching with the rest of her massive team as the first fleet of augmented Republic ships finally left dock, fully stocking with soldiers and lead by a Jedi Master and his Padawan, bound for the capital world for assignment to take the fight to the Sith Empire at last. Now that the first fleet had be finished, the following would increase in speed exponentially, as the engineers developed new charms and spells that would manufacture the components and combine them appropriately with far more efficiency.
Still it was a day of celebration of their work finally yielding fruit that the Republic Senate could see for themselves. For her own part, Hermione felt there were a great many things that could have been improved, had they had the time to do so, but with the war encroaching on all sides of the Galactic Core, they needed ships that could stand up to the superior firepower of the Sith Empire as quickly as possible.
She did make sure to tell the Jedi General in charge of the first fleet, that if they managed to recover any Sith Technology, that Hermione wanted nothing more than to be able to study it for the opportunity to see about reverse engineering any of their systems to improve their own.
Whether something like that would be possible, she did not know, but she was greatly worried about the sudden up swell in combat technology, especially shielding and firepower, seemingly similar to exactly what she had thought about doing for the Republic warships, and had done, but still. Currently she was concerned that their new fleet would only be on par with the current Sith vessels, and knew that the true arms race had begun, with the Republic at a huge disadvantage.
If she was to prevent them being on the back foot for this war when it came to technology, she had to ramp up their research and development at the same time that their manufacturing stepped up to produce more ships, making sure that new concepts and ideas were created and addressed as quickly as possible, to try and race ahead of the Sith's war machine and beat them to the next piece of vital war technology.
A daunting task to say the least; but still a imperative battlefield that Hermione was more than willing to fight upon for the Republic. Her brilliant mind was their main weapon here, and she would do whatever was necessary to produce the armaments that would bring victory for the Republic across hundreds of thousands of systems. Bringing honor to New Terra had suddenly become a secondary objective to her, in the light of the devastation that the Sith Empire could wreak on the many worlds that she had monitored after their violent conquests.
It sickened her, how overly cruel and callous to the native innocents of the Galaxy that the Empire was being, and she wouldn't stand for it any more than she had to. So she threw herself into her work even more strongly that she had previously, pushing her team until this moment, where they had launched their first fleet well ahead of schedule, and already had at least a half dozen more well past the midway point in construction.
Theodore grasped her hand gentle from his spot beside her, "I'm proud of you," he whispered in her ear tenderly, making Hermione blush.
"Our work has only just started…" she responded, looking up at him. They were close to the same height already, but her husband had always had a few inches on her due to being such a thin weed while young.
"I know," he replied, smiling at her, "but for just this one moment, let celebrate our first victory over this task, just for an evening."
And as much as Hermione wanted to say that she needed to get her new ideas out before the next work day, she couldn't deny the longing in her loving husband's eye. He had waited so very long and patiently for her after all, so what was one evening.
"Alright…" she replied, allowing herself to be led back to their shuttle that would take them back to Granger Manor.
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Diábolis was surprised when his personal comlink started to chime, stating that it had a message for him. For such a long time he was used to having people, namely Umbridge, come to him in person he had almost forgotten that he had the long range communication devise.
Pulling it out and activating it immediately, he bowed with respect as the Sith Emperor appeared in its depths, haunting red orange eyes burning into him. "Lord Diábolis, the time for you to depart the world of the wizards has come," the Sith Emperor said sternly.
"As you command, my Master," Diábolis replied immediately, "where shall I be sent to fight in your name?"
"You will return to Dromund Kaas, for I sense that the Supreme Prophet will have need of your skills and abilities in due time. Things are in motion on schedule, and there will be a need for swift and decisive judgment for those who would attempt to aid the Jedi and undermine our Order."
"Yes, my Master." Diábolis said, even as the Sith Master closed the communication. Returning to the Sith Capitol was rather bittersweet. While he was more than glad to be leaving this wasted world, Dromund Kaas held little in the way of challenge for him. Nevertheless, not only had his Master commanded it, but implied strongly that he had foreseen events that would require the blades of Diábolis' weapon, in dealing swift death to the enemies of the Empire.
The only person he bothered to even tell of his departure was Headmaster Dziqis, the Pureblood Sith having gained the Devaronian's respect as an effective leader and powerful figure in the Force. He did request that the red skinned being send him a message after the first attempt Umbridge tried to contact him again after he left, it would be amusing to know how much of a childish tantrum she threw when she learned that her favorite enforcer had been called away by the Emperor.
Afterward, he had taken to his infiltrator with all haste, skillfully lifting off and sailing out of orbit of the world, plotting the long course to Dromund Kaas that would bypass all the Republic Core worlds. Prior to the Empire's unveiling, the journey would have been much swifter, the Sith having plotting various courses through the unknown regions to and from this world before Diábolis had been inducted into the Order of the Sith Lords, but with the Republic now aware of their existence, it was not safe to use those paths that led through or near the inner rim and core worlds, extending the journey by several weeks as he flew around the outer rim worlds, which would not pay any attention to ships passing through for any reason.
Diábolis therefore relaxed into the font of the Dark Side that was his to command, relishing in the sweet taste of the burning trust that his master placed with him. The devaronian was well aware that there had been many others that Veneficus had considered for his apprentice, but only through following the very will of the Dark Side had Diábolis been located and chosen. It was much as the human had described. Not so much the heir of a single man, even a Sith Lord, but heir of the legacy of the Dark Side, and that came with a certain standard that not even a Lord of the Sith could hope to replicate without guidance.
Diábolis knew that he would not disappoint his master; else he would die in the attempt. He would grow powerful in the Force, become the right hand of his master as was his place, and eventually dethrone the Emperor when the time was right and ascend to his own dominance over the Galaxy, with an empire and legacy already in place for him, courtesy of Veneficus.
It was the longest type of game, and required the brooding patience that only a true follower of the Dark Side could manage, which as why the Devaronian looked with such disdain upon those Dark Adepts, like Fury, that let their emotions control them, and because wild beasts of destruction and carnage, losing control of that which made them truly powerful.
Although, from what rumors were saying recently, Lord Fury had grown much of late, and was thinking with far more strategy and grace than previously. Perhaps that meant there was hope even for the likes of a Marauder of the Dark Side to become truly strong as well as wise.
Diábolis hoped that would be the case. He had no use for ignorant animals in the ranks of his Empire. There was to be a strict order and control within the ranks of the Dark Side, which otherwise would be fraught with betrayal and self ruin, the same self destruction that Bane had seen and eliminated almost two hundred years ago when he first established the Rule of Two. Diábolis had studied these laws for years, and agreed completely. There would be only two Sith, ever…