Many thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter, your words were inspiring and delightful. They were the majority for the last two weeks that I had to go on, for unknown reasons, and therefore would of a great value to me. without much else to mention, except to urge more comments and ideas in the form of reviews, here is the eagerly awaited next chapter! ~F
Chapter Forty Three
Treachery
Jedi Grand Master Coven was worried, even as she sensed the impending doom that came for them all on Coruscant. The tension and fear across the planet that came with the knowledge of the oncoming Sith armada was palpable, and it strove to coat the entire planet with the strength of the Dark Side.
Trying to maintain order within the Temple was far easier, as the heart of the building continued to pulsate with hope-bringing Light side auras, allowing peace and rationality to prosper, but even some of the Jedi had begun to show doubts.
But still, reminding them of what hope remained was the best she could do. Negotiations with the Green Jedi of Corellia had finally begun on a somewhat positive note, as they finally saw that the advent of the Sith would affect not only the main Temple, but them as well. Indeed, many fringe branches of the Jedi Order were returning, feeling the summons of the Light in their most desperate hour.
The New Terrans had thrown themselves once more into their work, and ships were appearing in orbit over the capital world on a nearly daily rate, ready for soldiers and Jedi warriors and commanders to take up their positions.
But with every fleet that was manned, two more were needed out on the front lines, which were already being steadily pushed back from the decimation of the vile reach of the Sith Emperor.
At the thought of that man of pure evil, Fae felt some sort of dark foreboding. It almost was as though the Force was warning her that she would have to fight the man once again, pitting the full power of the Light against the magnitude of the Dark once more, and regardless of the outcome, the Jenet Grandmaster knew that it would not be a battle she could survive.
No mortal was meant to hold a full concentration of the Force, Light or Dark. The power was far too great for any one being to possess, and it would destroy them from within. The Sith had proven that time and again with their degrading bodies and horrid visages, but in all ages past none had attempted what Fae was to do with the magnificence of the Light.
Would she simply burn up from within, or immediately be translated into the Force? It was a great unknown, but nonetheless a vastly needed defense against the powers that the Emperor alone boasted of his person.
Fae only hoped that the Order would move on in strength without her when the time came. Turning to where she remembered her communication devise to have been set, she switched it on, speaking directly to someone in the military communication department of the army of the Republic.
"This is Master Fae Coven, I wish to contact Knight Luna Lovegood, if you'd be so kind." She requested, knowing that there was no reason for her to be denied this. She had to speak with Luna, and recall her and Knight Yoda to make sure that the Order would not only survive, but flourish when she was gone. They were her legacy, and it was them both that she would happily place all her own hopes upon.
"Of course Master Jedi, transferring you immediately," the communications officer replied, patching her through without a question.
Soon another officer spoke, "This is the Vindication."
"Greetings Vindication, this is Jedi Grandmaster Coven, wishing to speak with your Jedi General, Luna Lovegood." Fae replied, following what limited protocol that the Jedi were expected to adhere to when regarding the military procedure.
"Ah, Master Coven, we shall summon her presently," the officer replied, her voice seeming to brighten significantly at being able to be of help to such a well known figure.
Within moments Luna voice sounded in the holoprojection, "Master, what can I do for you?" Luna asked, sounding weary but in good spirits.
"The Jedi Council wishes to temporarily recall both you and Jedi Knight Yoda to Coruscant from the front lines, as there is Jedi business that must be taken care of which takes precedence over the state of the war with the Empire." Fae said, fulfilling the original obligation that she had in making this call.
Luna seemed confused, possibly even mildly upset, but nonetheless her acceptance of the order was immediate.
As much as Fae wanted to speak with Luna right then and there about how she was feeling after all of this, the Grandmaster knew that it was neither the place nor the time for such things. Luna likely was there on the bridge with her officers and crew, and speaking in personal terms in front of those in service for the Republic with her was not wise. Better to wait for her return to make absolutely sure that she was still strong, in both inner peace and strength with the Light Side of the Force.
Luna sounded as though she wished to speak with Fae more openly as well, but for the same reasons she said nothing. "We look forward to the short reprieve from the front lines then, Grandmaster."
"As do we, in seeing you safely returned to us once more," Fae agreed, meaning every word of it. Centering herself to do so, she closed the communications. For a long moment the Grandmaster sat in the darkness of her lack of vision, unrelieved from her worries after speaking with her old Padawan.
The communicator activated again, and the voice of Lord Berethon sounded in her room. "Master Coven, we've sensed a great movement in the Force. Something Dark and powerful is on the move in the southern reaches of the Inner Rim."
"That is the region where New Terra is located, if I am correct…" Master Coven stated, knowing what likely was going on. While the forces of the Republic were distracted with the massive onslaught pushing from Sith Space, the Emperor was moving to strike again at the factory world, having failed once in defeating it.
"The shipyard world must not fall, it is vital to the Republic's war effort," she stated, and the Jedi Lord grew somber.
"It is time," he said slowly, "For the Green Jedi to march to war once more in defense of something greater than just the protection of Corellia."
Grandmaster Coven knew that this was a singular event that would never reoccur in her lifetime. While individual Jedi of the Green sect had flocked to the war against the Empire, as a whole the subset of the Order had been so far removed from the needs of the greater Galaxy. For them to lay aside the patriotism of their home world solely and take up arms for the entire Galaxy, they must have perceived things to be as grim as they truly were.
"We are grateful, as always, for any and all assistance you are willing to lend us…" the Jenet started, but the Jedi Lord cut her off.
"Corellia is closer to this New Terra than your Coruscant. If the Sith are indeed planning to move on the world again it will be the Green Jedi, in all our forces, that will counter them. I sense impending doom for us all in this, but let it be known that despite our differences, we are Jedi, and we will fight and die as Jedi, defending those who are unable to do so themselves, and countering the power of the Dark Side at every turn. As the last living Jedi Lord, I will see this done."
The communication ended abruptly, and Fae was left alone with her thoughts once again.
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Veneficus dodged around yet another curse of instant death, unwilling to expend too much of his power in negating or redirecting the attack. He had already foreseen that he would need a great amount of energy to capture New Terra, and this complication of Bellatrix's betrayal could push him just to the point where he lacked strength to take on all the opposition he expected.
So he focused primarily on trading spells with the mad witch, slapping what curses he needed to deflect away from himself with the Elder Wand, while sending overpowered jets of light back at her in return. He feared not for the interior of his ship, as not only could it easily be repaired, but he had also layered wards and charms all around his private chambers to protect from all sorts of magical or Force-based accidents, as a precaution.
But it seemed that the most powerful of Voldemort's old supporters had done little else but practice her wand work in the midst of her service to him, and she could easily have been his equal in the magical and dark arts of their home world, had it not been for the added power of the Dark Side of the Force.
Soon enough he flung blasts of lightning between spells, hoping to overload the witch's shields and allow one of his attacks to slip through. If he hit her but once, the Eternal Emperor knew that this fight would be over.
But still she fought viciously, her spells crackling with the rage that undoubtedly could only stem from her finally becoming aware of how much the Sith had used her, pulling her away from her real master at his most desperate hour, and bending her will to serve those who ought to have been her enemies. It was a most entertaining sort of irony, and Veneficus couldn't stop himself from smirking at the witch's pitiful plight.
"You cannot stop what I hope to achieve, Bella," he purred, using the pet name of her late Lord, whose knowledge and remnants of magical power still lingered within his own body, "I am already far too powerful for your meager abilities, and your Lord is already gone, whatever remained blasted to ash when I tore your world asunder…"
"Then I will avenge him!" Bellatrix shrieked, overpowering her next dark cutting curse, the jagged tear in reality slamming into a powerful, if not hastily erected, shield of the Sith Lord. Veneficus felt his defenses actually slip slightly, and looking down, he noticed in mild curiosity that blood had splattered his robes from a rather moderate sized cut along his arm, the sleeve of his robe torn.
"First blood…" he commented lazily, "I've underestimated you Bella… but no more, I lack time for your petty games, as my real prize now awaits…"
And true enough, beyond her and outside the viewport, the warped view of Hyperspace fell away to the bastion of stars the filled the skylines around his self-made world, New Terra.
Rising to his full height, the Eternal Emperor healed the cut on his flesh, and mended the robe with a wave of his wand. Bellatrix seemed to realize that the level of resistance she had met earlier was mere toying, like a cat playing with its injured prey.
The wand vanished back into the sleeve holster that he carried for it, while a Saber replaced it in his main hand. The crimson blade of the Dark Lord of the Sith cast an almost appropriate glow for the room around him as it extended to its full length, casually spinning a slow arcs as he rotated the hilt in his hand.
"It's been fun Bellatrix, but the game stops here, I have no further use for warriors that won't obey their commands. And now you will die…" Veneficus said, before using the Force to hurtle himself across the room at her at a blinding pace.
The fact that Bellatrix reacted at all was a glowing spot on her prowess as a warrior, as she twisted, pulling her torso and wand arm out of the way as Veneficus swung for her midsection, but the Emperor was faster still. As he missed his initial target, he went for a secondary. The woman shrieked as he severed flesh and bone, the right foot and leg below the knee falling away as a smell of charred flesh saturated the air.
Like lightning, he swung again, taking an arm at the elbow, and finally stomping down on the opposite hand, crushing bones beneath his heavy boot. The wand rolled out of the broken fingers, and the Sith Lord turned away, his game finished. Let her starve to death on the floor of his chambers, her final end mattered very little to him.
The small prison of Force specters still waited, and he was in no mood to ask nicely for their power again.
"What are you thinking of, my apprentice…" Millennial asked warily, eyeing the almost feral aggression of his former pupil.
"If you will not aid me willingly, then I will simply take your strength and power by force!" Veneficus said, voice rising as he started an ancient Sith technique, one that bound ghosts of past Force users to his will, and bonded their energy and power with his own. He had foreseen that the Dark Side would wane slightly before the end of this war, and he would prevent it by bolstering himself over the strength that the light ever hoped to reach.
One by one he drew each spirit powerful Sith Lords to himself, and engaged them in spiritual combat, matching his will to win this war and establish the glorious Empire throughout the Galaxy with their dead wishes and the longing for things that they could never have again.
Still, their combined command over the Force was great in the form that Veneficus had summoned them into, and therefore they still were putting up quite the fight for control over their manifestation forms.
Even as the mental battle raged on so soon after a physical one, Veneficus was well aware that his fleet was drawing closer to the planet. With an monumental effort, the Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire poured an enormous amount of effort and Force energy into wresting command of the spirits into himself, and with a great rushing of air and their screams of hatred and bile they obeyed. One after another they flowed unwillingly into Veneficus, and he could feel their ancient power within the very fiber of his being, strengthening him well beyond the bounds of any ordinary mortal.
Granted, there were potential risks with this power, which he had already learned from old records of the Sith leader, Darth Nox, who had rediscovered and perfected the ancient technique. Speaking with the ancient Sith Lord had been most enlightening, and perhaps in time Veneficus would absorb that one, as well as many others, into himself. But for now he had only the time for the limited number he had summoned, as even now as he had foreseen, the resistance to the next capture of New Terra had arrived.
Turning once again to view the oncoming battle, Veneficus watched each spot of space as the ships he had foreseen hurtled out of Hyperspace, desperate to block him from achieving orbit of the planet. Veneficus quickly departed his chambers, leaving the soon-to-be corpse of his failed assassin, and made his way to the bridge, feeling almost carried by the inflated amount of Dark Side energy about him, knowing that he probably had furthered the influence that the font of energy within him was doing to his body.
Indeed, as he paused in a lift, and examined himself in the reflective doors of the mechanism, he noted that his eyes had started to lose what orange and red that they possessed, and were turned toward the sickening lamp-yellow of overwhelming Dark Side corruption. More Elixir of Life would be needed to sustain him; however there was time to wait until it was vital to partake yet again.
Chatter ceased when he set foot upon the bridge. Commander Jhetc approached and bowed deeply to him, "Your Majesty, the opposing fleet sports the colors and symbols of Corellia, and we believe them to be a faction of the Jedi Order from the ships we've seen in previous battles. None are as fully upgraded as those out of New Terra however, but I suspect that they have some tricks that they won't bother revealing to us until the last possible moment."
"Undoubtedly Commander," Veneficus responded, eyeing the large tactical hologram on the command deck where they stood, overlooking the console lined bridge, "I leave the command of the space battle to you, as I will be otherwise preoccupied with their Jedi forces myself, not to mention the securing of the station."
"As you command, your Majesty, we shall begin the assault at once." The Fleet Commander acknowledged, saluting and turning to face his officers, barking commands for full thrusters from the fleet and to launch fighters to engage.
Veneficus had confidence enough that the man could win the day without too much intervention on his part, aside from dealing with what he sensed as the last of the Jedi Lords in the Galaxy. Those of Corellia were a stubborn bunch, but to suddenly side fully with the Republic meant that the threat he posed to them was finally great enough to bind even fierce political foes together as allies.
This was what he had intended, so that all his enemies would be flushed out into the open together, and systematically crushed. "This day will see the end of the Green Jedi, and their ways, leaving only those of the High Council left to fight and die in opposition against me…" Veneficus said to himself, striding to stand in from of the large observational viewport, watching the fighters start their attack runs, and the republic and strictly Corellian ships of their foes move into position to defend the station and planet.
It was clear that Hermione had made some modifications while still maintaining their quota of ships to produce, but that was at last about to end. She had had a good run for the Republic, producing ships for nearly the entirety of the war, and although not terribly long in the viewpoint of all wars that the Republic had fought, this was clearly the most bloody that they had experienced in centuries, and against a foe more powerful than anything they had seen.
He would enjoy crushing them, but in the end he would be left bored when there were no further enemies for him to defeat. Still, it was needed to finally push the Republic to its knees for when he arrived in orbit over their precious capital world.
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Hermione watched in unending rage and dawning horror as the largest ship she had ever seen appeared on the outskirts of New Terra. The Sith had returned to try again, and this time it was a vessel that had almost every offensive and defensive weapon possible to conceive upon it.
She had spent a great deal of time studying the information that the Republic had taken from the disabled Sith ship, pooling her knowledge with many engineers that the Republic had lent to her station to return it to peak efficiency, and they had made quite a number of discoveries, most of which infuriated Hermione to no end.
First and foremost, a great deal of the Sith technology was stolen right from her designs, copied directly from her plans and only barely modified to fit into the Sith scheme of ship design, but that didn't stop her from recognizing her own handiwork. Harry had much to answer for in stealing her good and honest plans and turning them to his war machine in order to dominate the entire Galaxy.
Still, that gave them a great deal of options. Everything they had, Hermione knew how to counter or unmake, so they had started tailoring weapons that could easily counter and destroy the components of the Sith vessels, loading as many as they could fit onto all new of the New Terran styled warships.
But this monster of a ship was all new to her, and while possibly based on the rough design that she had started so long ago, it was finely tuned and changed so drastically from her original that Hermione wasn't sure if it would react the same to her specially created weapons meant to knock out the Sith armada.
Vaguely she recalled the ship being identified in the archives of the other Sith cruiser: the Apex. Leave it to Harry to think up a name that put him above all others, and stroked the man's pride all the more, as a self-styled Emperor.
Still, it was a great threat to the safety of New Terra, and Hermione was about to give the order for them to make their last stand, when all around the planet, from the direction of the core worlds, fleets of ships appeared, bearing the marks of the Republic, and specifically the human planet of Corellia.
"Director, message from the new fleet," an officer declared, turning to her from his seat in their new forward command post in the station, Hermione having converted sections of it into a battle station and position where fighting could be easily coordinated. The surprise of the last attack was not going to be repeated if he had anything to say about it.
"Put them through," Hermione ordered, turning toward the receiver just as it flared to life, revealing a rather elderly human male, although not so wizened as to be unable to stand up tall and proud in his green robes. The lightsaber hanging at his waist was enough to declare who had once again come to the rescue of New Terra.
"Master Jedi," Hermione said with a bow of respect, "We thank you for your timely arrival."
"We lack time, therefore, for such unnecessary pleasantries, director," the man said, the pride evident in his voice, but not to the point where he sounded superior. "I am Jedi Lord Berethon of Corellia, and through the Force I sensed your world's distress. I'm afraid that the Sith Emperor himself has come for your world. We shall hold him off as best we can, but I urge you and your people to flee back toward the Core worlds. Your skills are too important for us to lose at this time."
Hermione was lost for words for a long moment. She had little desire to abandon her world, but it was clear that these Jedi weren't giving her the option of standing and fighting once again like she had last time.
"Mrs. Granger," Severus said from nearby, "I would listen to this Jedi. You've not experienced the power of the Emperor firsthand as I have. It is not pleasant, not easy to bear, and not a quick thing to be his prisoner. I would urge you to take all the ordinance you can and depart."
"But we need to fight; we cannot let him have our world so easily…" Hermione said desperately.
"And we will…" Severus countered gently, "we will give them hell for every inch toward the planet they take, but after a certain point, we must back off and live to fight again another day. Lord Berethon is right that your mind and skills are far too valuable to the Republic to be thrown away over some petty pride."
She wanted to argue, to find some logical reason that she had to stay and fight to her last with her people, but in the end she realized that all her pride and glory had done before now was supply the Empire with its weapons and ships, ripped directly from her mind, and if captured, that was exactly what she'd go back to doing.
That stubbornness, so fostered by Harry back in Hogwarts, was the darkness he had bred within her all those years ago, for some moment like now where it would betray her to a downfall that would favor him. And that angered Hermione all the more. "Fine, I agree… but I will fight until there are no other options left but to run."
"That is the best we can hope for, I believe." The Jedi Lord said, nodding his understanding, "You'd best prepare whatever weapons you have, as well as your escape shuttle, so that no time is wasted in the crucial moment. They come even now to take your world."
Hermione already knew what she wanted, and needed, to prepare. Several hasty messages sent through the orbital factory and all productions halted immediately. Power was diverted to the new shielding and weapons that had been secretly installed by those she trusted and Hermione took full command of the facility, ordering their waves of fighters that were completed, but awaiting cruisers to be loaded into, to launch with every pilot available.
"They may take this station at the end of the day," she said over the intercom to all her workers, "but we will make them pay for it in the blood of hundreds, if not tens of thousands of their soldiers in order to take it!"
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Severus was concerned. Not so much regarding the hot-headed Gryffindor-esk streak that Mrs. Granger was showing in her desire to fight the Sith Emperor head to head. She had promised to flee when the battle grew worrisome, and he was there to ensure that it happened when the time was right.
No, it was her husband that concerned the Potions Master. Since learning that the Dark Lord of the Sith was approaching their world, the man that was the second in command of New Terra's defenses had turned a rather bleak shade of gray, and trembled somewhat after having gone elsewhere to see to their defenses, had returned with a slight trembling in his arms and legs, as though death itself was trying to claim him.
It was a familiar result of a spell that Severus was marginally aware of. But the chaos of the impending attack was such that Severus was already far too occupied making sure that everything was going smoothly to pay too much attention to Mr. Granger-Nott as he approached his wife. Listening with half an ear for whatever potentially bad news that the man desired to convey, he was shocked when he heard the man whisper a spell in her ear.
Even as Granger feinted, shocking the surrounding assortment of soldiers and engineers and Nott tried to feed some lie to them about the stress of battle getting to her, Severus was on his feet, wand in the air and weaving a powerful spell, summoning the unconscious body from his grasp.
"I don't suppose that you'd care to explain your motives for knocking out your wife and trying to carry her away in the midst of a battle?" Severus said disdainfully, already suspecting the answer, even if Nott refused to supply it.
"I… I don't know what you…" the man stuttered, glancing between his wife and Severus' wand cautiously.
"No, no… don't bother denying it," Severus said boldly, his suspicions growing firmer as he tightened his grip on the wand in his hand. "You are a spy working for the Sith, aren't you."
The widened of the younger man's pupils was all the warning Severus needed to throw up a shield as Theodore snapped his wand out of his robe's sleeve and attacked, launching several quick spells meant to distract more than injure.
Even as the man went for his unconscious wife, Severus retaliated, a pair of light blasting hexes impacting the metal deck between Theodore and Hermione, making the former Slytherin jump back in surprise.
At that moment, several of the other engineers and soldiers charged the surprised wizard, one managing to disarm him with a quick charm, while two others physically tackled him to the ground. Theodore thrashed, desperately trying to break free, but physical strength was never his strong suit, and the other men held him fast even as Severus returned Hermione to consciousness.
"I… what happened?" she asked, groggily holding her head from where she had fallen when Severus knocked her free from Theodore.
"Apparently, you had a traitor in your midst from the very beginning," Severus said, gently helping the woman to her feet, where she turned to see her husband restrained and looking very frightened. Severus noted that the man was growing paler by the moment.
Hermione seemed to take the news quite well, after angrily stomping toward Theodore and swatting him in the jaw as hard as she could, leaving a hefty cruise on the already pale man's face. "Professor Snape, I don't suppose that you happen to have Veritaserum, as some answers would be lovely right now…"
"As a matter of fact, I do…" Severus said, withdrawing the bottle of truth serum, still watching the restrained man as he began fighting all the more. Was it desperation to keep his secrets, or something else?
Stepping forward at Granger's nod, Severus seized the struggling man's jaw, and with a muttered spell forced it open. Normally, under the laws of their old world this would be highly illegal, but as it was an active warzone of a Republic military engagement, such rights were waved of those accused of treason…
Three drops was all that was needed, and the man clamped his mouth shut again the moment Severus lifted the spell restraining his ability to control it. "What is your name…" Severus started, to get a baseline for answers. It took several long moments, as Nott seemed to be fighting the potion with all his being, but Severus had not met anyone yet that could defeat the truth serum.
"Theodore Nott…" he said at last, which told the potions master quite a bit. The man had no love for his wife, or else he would have identified with her last name as he ought to have due to the terms of their marriage.
"What was your objective…" Severus pressed.
Sweat started to leap up on the younger man's forehead as he struggled in vain to fight the brew forcing him to blurt the truthful answer in response to any question. "Kidnap Hermione Granger, and deliver her safety off world." Nott said, before giving out a cry of pain as something within him burst. There was discoloration forming inside the man's torso, and Severus realized in an instant the missing piece of the puzzle.
Nott was under the Unbreakable Vow to not reveal anything about his true loyalties or his master's plan, and would die within a minute of breaking the vow. There was little time to spare. "You're dying already Nott, so listen carefully," Severus said quickly, "every answer you give puts us a step closer to avenging you and I assume it was Potter, or Veneficus that put you up to this. What is his plan?"
Wide, frightened eyes looked back at him, Nott was clearly in intense pain, but the potion in his system continued to work, wrenching free the answers they sought, even as it caused more damage to the already fatally wounded body. "She is to build him grand weapons to destroy the Jedi, and conquer the Galaxy, whole planet of New Terra built as her prison, now that she's been persuaded against him, he will wipe her mind and start again, destroying everything in his path to get at her…"
"Who else is working with him, are there any other spies?" Severus demanded, but he was too late already. Nott slumped back, blood starting to flow from his mouth, eyes and ears, the internal damage from breaking his vow multiple times over leaping up exponentially as it ripped his body apart.
"That's all we could've gotten from him," Severus said, standing and putting a bit of distance from the gruesome sight. "He was forced to obey I suspect, through his vow, to protect his own life over even yours. Whether Theodore actually loved you or not, I couldn't say… I'm sorry; there is nothing more I can do for him."
Hermione was very quiet, absently rubbing the wedding band on her finger. When she spoke again, the fire had slowly started to return already in her eyes. "Even if he hadn't, there were good times that I choose to remember, but Veneficus ripped that all away from me with his conniving evil and lust for power. I will not become his plaything again. Finish preparations on my shuttle, and fire everything we have at the Sith fleet. I want them to know that we are finished playing their game."
Men saluted and dashed away to carry out her orders, leaving Hermione and Severus with the fallen body of Theodore. "He must have been terrified for his life every single day…" Hermione said, growing despondent again, "He never had a chance really, to love me if he was so inclined." It seemed to Severus that she was trying to convince herself more than him, but he said nothing.
"Then let us avenge him, and fight for the Republic as long as we're able," Severus said after a long moment of silence, steering the woman away from her husband's body. Returning to the large observation viewport, that overlooked the entire oncoming fleet, Severus watched as a literal hailstorm of lasers and ordinance flew out from the station, setting the blackness of space alight with their passage.
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Veneficus sensed the moment that his Vow with Theodore Nott broke, and the man died a most painful death. "Apparently he was not as subtle as I had supposed," the Emperor mused. That, or perhaps more likely, he was prevented from succeeding in his final command to bring Granger to him aboard the Apex, possibly by the intervention of Snape or a Jedi, the Force only knew which at this point.
Still, the delay ought to have been enough for his fleet to get into position and block all access to and from the system, whereupon he could take back his researcher at his leisure. The only obstacle left for this was the Corellian ships, which had immediate taken a blockade pattern in front of New Terra, trying desperately to bar his path.
"Press onward," Veneficus instructed, "launch squadrons to tear those ships apart as we pass. Establishing control of orbit is crucial."
"Yes, your Majesty," the officers replied, before hurrying with their tasks, and another stream of fighters were sent spewing forth from the underbelly of the Apex. Veneficus made sure that they sealed all access to the hangars of the ship afterward, as it wouldn't do for them to be boarded, as simple enough as it would be to rebuff any invaders it would still be energy wasted when they could just shut the openings until they needed them.
For the process to go all the faster, Veneficus sank into the throne-like chair that was reserved for him alone upon the observation section of the deck, overlooking the bridge proper and out the massive view screen to the raging battle before them. Even as he did so, the Force enveloped him, and the Emperor began his Battle Meditation.
Leaving all sense of himself for a time, the Lord of the Neo-Sith Empire became as one with all his followers here in the sector, from the lowliest engineer to the most esteemed officer, emboldening them to fight for their glorious Empire and the honor of serving their Emperor directly. At the same time, an overwhelming dread filled the ranks of his enemies, as they now faced the Dark Lord of the Sith on a scale of battle that few could contend with.
Although it seemed even this tactic was expected, if not completely thrown off, as well near a hundred Jedi aboard the various cruisers started to rebuff and fight back against the oppressive aura of Darth Veneficus.
They lacked the same unification power that the Jedi Grandmaster had possessed however, and were only able to mitigate the portion that was scrambling their forces into disarray, but damage had already been done when several Sith fighters screamed through the vacuum and dropped a powerful set of bombs onto the lead cruiser, disabling shields and causing structural damage to the hull.
Smirking at the mayhem, Veneficus pressed his advantage, subtly controlling his warriors like some mad puppeteer, striking the flanks of the Corellian fleet back and forth to make them waste precious ammunition on his fighter squadrons, all the while pressing the massive Apex closer and closer to the planet.
Soon, just a few more small pushes forward, and they would be able to fire on anything that escaped the station or the planet. Then New Terra would rightly be his once again.
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Back in the Meditation Chambers of the damned Sith Lord, Bellatrix moaned in agony. Her body may have been broken, with two missing limbs, but her fire was only burning all the brighter. Bellatrix had suffered many things in her lifetime, atrocities and pain beyond what most would consider natural, but this indeed was the most she had felt in any one time.
But she still persevered. Broken fingers clawed painfully at the floor, dragging her body along toward the fallen implement of her rescue. Clasping her shattered hand over the fallen wand, Bellatrix practically screamed the spell in her mind, feeling the horrendous snapping and cracking as the bones in her wand hand realigned themselves, and flesh sealed itself back over the appendage, whole and new, if not tingling painfully with the aftereffects of forceful realignment.
The severed stumps were lost to her however, as even though she had the willpower to make the attempt to reattach them via magic, there were limits to even her skill with a wand, and full scale medi-witch healing was not one of the things she had studied during her time in or after Hogwarts.
Luckily there were things she could do instead. Dragging herself to the door, she hammered the button to unseal and open the room, bypassing the smoldering embers of her fiendfyre, which had all but burned itself out without leaving more than scorch marks on the walls and floors. The Emperor had truly been more than prepared for her attempted assassination it seemed, and Bellatrix was still furious at her failure.
There was a medical wing nearby that if she could get to, the droids that worked there ought to still recognize her as a servant of the Emperor, and do something to help her. The only problem was firstly, getting there, and secondly, remaining unnoticed.
Bellatrix had no doubts that Veneficus would have her killed the moment he realized that she had survived their encounter, so she had to be quick, and return to her ship and escape. Where she went at the moment did not matter, only that it was far from the Sith and out somewhere she could wait for another opportunity to avenge her master on the destroyer that had taken more than just their future, but the entire world upon which they had all been born as well.
Dragging herself into the medical bay, Bellatrix was pleased to hear the startled, metallic voice of droids, and soon enough the cold arms were assisting her onto a raised bed as damage analyses were quickly run, and replacement limbs selected. Bellatrix used her remaining strength to make sure that she would awaken as soon as their emergency surgery was complete, so she would have as much time to escape as possible, regardless of whatever pain killer that the droids put inside of her.
Apparently, grafting metal or synthflesh onto the body was just as harrowing as losing the limbs to begin with, but she wouldn't know, slipping into blissful unconsciousness as soon as they began.