Thanks for the reviews of previous chapters, hopefully this one fairs well in people eyes, too busy at the moment for a more detailed or entertaining pre-note, but that is life when you've just packed up and moved to college. reviews are nice to come home to after classes! enjoy! ~F

Chapter Forty Six

Renewed Conflict

Darth Veneficus looked down at the planet Ruusan as his private shuttle, bearing the entirety of the Dark Council and their respective apprentices, started its final approach to the planet. What would be done here this day would shake the Force for every Jedi in the Galaxy to feel, and the very thought of the chaos that it would bring to the self-righteous order brought a grin to his face.

Silencing a small tremble that had started up again in his hand with a mouthful of Elixir of Life, the Eternal Emperor turned from the private chamber that he had aboard the shuttle, making his way back to the main compartment with Leon following like the obedient servant he now was, where the twelve Prophets of the Dark Side awaited him to prepare to disembark.

Summoning the Scepter of Ragnos, still crowned with the Chu-Gon Dar cube, the Emperor sat, waiting patiently for the pilot to announce that they had landed. "Your Majesty," Zhar said, suddenly appearing at the Emperor's side, "Might I be so bold as to ask what this ritual you spoke of will yet entail?"

"It is an ancient art of the Dark Side…" the Emperor responded cryptically, "one that I would have a difficult enough time showing you all what you must do to complete it without explaining it twelve times over. Patience my friend, you will learn of my plan in due time…"

The High Prophet of Korriban was dissatisfied with his answer, but nodded and backed away with a bow nonetheless.

"We have set down on Ruusan, you Majesty, you may disembark at your will," the overhead communications sounded from the cockpit of the shuttle.

Veneficus rose, beckoning with a hand for the assembled council to follow, and Leon preceded them, preparing the landing ramp to descend and standing well out of the way as a contingent of Arcanamach streamed down the ramp in front of Veneficus. Even more of the royal guards were present at the entrance of their destination, barring anyone aside from the Emperor himself and the twelve members of the Dark Council from entering. Many of the apprentices voiced their displeasure at being left behind at this checkpoint, but they were all quickly silenced by their masters, lest the Emperor find disfavor with them for their lack of respect.

The cave network that hid the Valley of the Jedi, also know to Veneficus alone as the location of the remnants of the powerful and deadly Thought Bomb, which Lord Bane had used to purge the Galaxy of the Brotherhood of Darkness, while eliminating many powerful leaders of Jedi Lord Hoth's army of Light.

The place was unchanged from the last time that the Emperor had visited, its high walls still radiating with golden energy. The scepter sparked and flashed in the presence of so much raw Force power deep within the monument in the very center, little more than a pile of curiously placed boulders that hid away the physical remnant of the Bomb, and even the other members of the Dark Council, who had never set foot upon this planet before, were inspired to awe and wonder at the magnificent power that surrounded them.

"From this place a powerful sign of destruction shall be spread across the Galaxy, and the Jedi will know true fear…" Veneficus said, before beginning his preparations.

Each of the twelve members of the Dark Council, the most powerful Dark Adepts in his Empire, were arranged in a wide circle around the shimmering pile of stones that covered the house of the spirits of hundreds of dead Sith and Jedi, while Veneficus took the head of the circle for himself. Thirteen, a powerful number in the magical world of his homeland, albeit not used for many rituals due to the powerful backlashes of magic that could easily occur.

That would not be the case here, with the scepter acting as a pseudo fourteenth member, albeit not a participant in the actual 'casting.'

Raising his arms, and instructing the others around the circle to mirror his motions, the Emperor started his chant, heavily using the ancient Sith language to empower his manipulation of the Dark Side of the Force, "Tegu tave jenga iv jena'tes pradzia!"

Through eyes attuned to see the manifestations of the Force, Veneficus witnessed the arcing beams of power start to drift of each of the outstretched arms around the circle, slowly appearing as lightning was conjured; the pure expression of their hatred. The electric arcs flowed through the stone coffin and into the crystal underneath, eliciting screams that only the most attuned to the Valley's power could hear, and Veneficus relished them.

He continued, sensing that each of the other members of the Dark Council had adjusted to the draw of power that had come upon them, "Sulig raganius ir nekesti zo ginklas sekleti buti fasonija."

Their combined power, merging with the crystal of the Valley, started to meld the Force energy together, causing it to surg upward, to where it would have struck the ceiling with impactful strength, if not for Veneficus levitating the Scepter of Ragnos there, over the rock pile where the energy leaked out in a bright gold coloration, only hued blue from the bolts of lightning flying into it from all sides.

Once the energy flooded into the Scepter, which absorbed it like a dry sponge, wild arcs of golden power started to fly from the surface of the metal rod, and the room grew steadily warmer as the artifact took in enormous amounts of power, refilling the reservoirs that for a long time had empowered the Star Forge to well over twice its normal output capacities.

But now, the scepter would serve a new purpose, and even more of the great power of the Valley would need to be stored for use, even if they staff was only capable of holding so much.

"Pro saud ir xela tave tsis valia vykti xuontai iv tave plejada." Veneficus continued. The Chu-Gon Dar cube flashed to life, working its mysterious power to make those things that are transitory permanent, and Veneficus watched as his might and direction carved ancient Sith lettering to engrave itself all along the metal surface of the scepter of Ragnos, increasing its capacity by magnitudes, and allowing it to leech even more strength out from the Valley, even as the dead ghosts of the place wailed in agony as their trapped spirits were snuffed out one by one to empower his weapon.

Even as the scepter neared its capacity, even after its modifications, Veneficus could sense that the Valley wasn't even drained of a third of its seemingly nigh unlimited power. This world would need to continue to be kept a secret, unknown to all save these here.

"Tave maras iv tave jidai sekleti tapti' sh'jatau savimi visa." The chant was reaching its close, and with the climax at this point, the lights from the channeled electricity flashed once and winked out completely, signaling a cut to the power that was being drawn from the living Darksiders, allowing the final droplets of Force energy to waft upward to the scepter, as it floated down to rest easily within the hand of the one prepared to wield it.

Soon enough the members of the Dark Council regained their voices following the powerful ritual, and naturally it was Zhar who spoke their questions first. "So, what have we now achieved, your Majesty?"

Veneficus hefted the newly remake scepter, glancing to the far back portion of the chamber, where his Arcanamach waited. "Bring forth the prisoners…" he commanded, rather than reply to his long ally. A demonstration would provide more direct answers than a longwinded explanation.

The Council members fell silent as a trio of captive Jedi was hastily brought to them, hands and feet bound and mouths gagged so that they had no opportunity to use the Force to escape. Approaching the first, Veneficus extended the scepter, pointing the horned top at the Jedi, even as he removed the cube from its place between the large decorative horns that adorned the rod of metal.

Lightning sparked from the scepters head, leaping out to strike the Jedi, but instead of burning or throwing the Force wielder back, it began to draw upon him, the beams of electricity latching onto vital points: each shoulder, each knee, the center of his chest, and the forehead. Power was washing through the Force, even as the Jedi crumpled to the ground and began to twitch madly, in worse pain than any amount of torture could hope to inflict.

Then, before them all, the scepter was jerked upward, and from the Jedi was torn a pale white energy, ripped from the very fabric of his being, hovering there like a pale imitation of the collapsed body.

The implications were clear, as the Dark Council watched their Emperor repeated the feat twice more, ripping the very souls from their Jedi captives, manifesting the potential strength of this weapon they had help create. Granted, Veneficus had merely shown them one potential aspect of the great tool, and he himself was not aware of all it was capable of now, but he had a fair idea of most things, and it would be the key to the destruction of the Jedi, and the breaking of their hold over the Galaxy.

Even as they departed the Valley of the Jedi, none of the High Prophets were able to deny that it had been a worthy amount of time spent to gather and serve their Emperor, just as he knew that it would be. All that awaited the day that the Jedi knew of their greatest weapon was for their armada to at last reach the innermost portions of the core, so that they could plunge the scepter straight into the heart of the Jedi Order, and wipe them from the Galaxy once and for all.

Leon bowed to him as they emerged to where their shuttles were located, and Veneficus smiled inwardly. Everything was proceeding exactly as his visions had dictated that they should.

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Lord Anguis was watching the steady hologram of the ever shrinking area still held by the Republic, when he felt a pounding tremor in the Force at the base of his skull, unlike anything he had sensed before. It was a horrible, sickly sensation that sent shivers down the Dark Adept's spine. Knowing intuitively that no Jedi would intentionally cause such a resonance in the Force, he could only presume that it had something to do with Veneficus himself.

Shuddered at the vile reek of the Dark aura blacker and more foul than anything he had before felt, which quickly flowed over the Galaxy before disappearing, Anguis pondered just what sort of abomination that the Sith Master was willing to unleash upon all the innocents of the Galaxy just to exact his revenge.

It was quickly becoming far more than he had originally signed up for, all those years ago, and Anguis couldn't be happier that he had broken the bonds affixing him to Veneficus when he had, so that he was free to do everything in his power to stop this madness. If not for his own desires to rule the Galaxy himself, he would have even now considered coming clean with the Jedi so that they could pool together their knowledge to stop the oncoming madness, but that would interfere with his own plans just as much as with Veneficus'.

But at the rate that the Republic was losing ground, it seemed that he was destined to fail against the superior forces that the Sith Lord had brought to bear. There had to be some sort of strategy, some other source of reinforcements that they could seek out, or else some as-of-yet unknown weapon that could counter the machinations of the Sith and turn the entire war in their favor.

Anguis knew of at least one thing that might aid them, but it was fraught with peril and even if found, might prove to be their doom just as swiftly as Veneficus. Alas, Anguis would not dare seek it out himself, nor could he afford to be away from his station as the head of the Republic for long, or the bickering and back-biting of the Senate would deadlock the entire system and they would fall even quicker than they seemed to be already.

Still, there had to be some sort of ally that he could turn to, someone brave or foolish enough to seek the fall of the Sith by any means, even those that the Jedi would frown upon to even consider.

Just then, the Senate guards outside his office yelled in shock and surprise, before a piercing shriek that had at one time haunted young Draco Malfoy's nightmares cried out. "Avada Kedavera!"

The door hissed open, and even as Draco held his own wand out, shields and Dark Arts poised on his lips, he glared as his least favorite Aunt swaggered in, tapping her wand against a metal leg she now sported, even as she trotted toward him.

"Dear little Draco! Look how much you've grown… and almost the spitting image of your father, although with far better managed hair…" she cooed, despite both of the respective ages, adjusting her shredded robes with another cybernetic arm, which momentarily confused Anguis as how much she had been injured over the course of the war.

"Bellatrix…" he seethed, still having the presence of mind to stay on guard, his wand pointing right at her face, "How dare you come here… on the errand of the Sith no doubt, to assassinate me?" he demanded, his other hand secretly reaching for the secret console alarm that would initiate lockdown for the entire floor and summon every guard in the Rotunda to protect their Chancellor, in addition to summoning the Jedi to investigate the emergency. Against his insane Aunt, he would take all the help he could get, regardless of the source.

The next words from her mouth however, froze his hand over the switch. "So very much the opposite, dear nephew, I seek the means to kill that vile man." She said with all the bitterness that her voice could employ.

And with that, Bellatrix LeStrange put away her wand, and nimbly skipped to the nearest seat at his desk and sat down, smirking at him under her heavy eyelashes, silently begging him to continue to ask the most obvious questions.

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The arrival of Lord Berethon and the Green Jedi to the main Temple went with little in the way of fan fair, but still there was an air of great excitement throughout the halls of the sacred edifice, as everyone from the most wizened Master to the youngest initiate turned out in corridors and at windows to catch a sight of the esteemed visitors.

The Corellian Jedi seemed just as interested in the changes made to the Temple in the time that their two factions had been estranged, Fae stood before the entrance of the massive structure, along with the rest of the Jedi Council, ready to greet their visitors as they mounted the final set of stairs to the Temple plateau.

Director Granger, Masters Lovegood and Yoda, as well as Professor Snape and Trelawney were also in attendance. Lord Berethon seemed more interest in seeing the former of the group on non Jedi above all others, and immediately went to speak with her privately, while six of his vassals went to stand with the Mage-born genius.

It was a sobering concept, that the esteemed Jedi was still just that, a humble servant of the Republic even when there was a host of people, and fellow Jedi there to meet him. Finally, after settling whatever matter he had with the direction of Magi-Tech, the Jedi Lord turned and approached the rest of the Council.

"Greetings Jedi Lord Berethon, we are very glad to have such an honored visitor return to the Temple after so many years…" Master Antross said, and Fae bowed to the visitor along with the rest of the Council.

"Hmph… An interesting fashion for Jedi to act, prancing about like they have something to show," Lord Berethon said sternly, and Fae could sense the disapproval in his face and voice.

"Perhaps so, but we could hardly deny them the chance to meet fellow Jedi that live so far away, and have customs and values different from their own," Fae said, hoping to mull over the disagreement before it started.

The Jedi Lord sighed, "Fair enough," he admitted, although he didn't seem remotely apologetic for his criticism. Fae could already feel the eyes of her fellow Jedi Council Members on her, silently asking if she was sure that this was the man that they wanted to join them on the High Council.

"Jedi Masters Luna Lovegood and Yoda," Master Antross said in introduction, "are here to give you an extended tour, and make sure that you and your vassals have everything that you desire to make your stay on Coruscant as comfortable as possible."

"I still remember my way around the Temple well enough to not need an escort," Berethon started again, but sobered quickly, "But the consideration on the part of my vassals is noted and appreciated."

"Enjoy your stay then, Lord Berethon, we'll speak at a later time, but for my moment I have a class with initiates that is about to begin, if you will excuse me," Fae stated, taking her leave to return back inside the Temple. Now was most assuredly not yet the time to speak regarding the possibility of the Jedi Lord joining the Council, so early in their visit and as abrasively as the man was making his presence known.

Naturally, the Jenet was more than trusting in the skills and diplomatic prowess of both her old Padawan and the young Master Yoda. Together they were extremely skilled on the field of battle, and somehow the Grandmaster felt that they would be just as reliably in this sort of setting.

The Jedi Lord may be stubborn, but Luna's pureness and Yoda's raw power in the Force would wear down the abrasive shield that the man was wearing to make sure that everyone was on edge with his appearance at the Temple.

For a time there was a continued peace throughout the Temple, as though things were as they were long before the reemergence of the Sith, and Fae fell into the flow of the Force as she cautiously instructed the young Jedi Initiates in the basics of lightsaber combat. The loss of her sight had not dulled her skills in the slightest, even if she had to rely far more on the Living Force than she normally would have, altering her personal style just a touch to allow the Force to carry her through the movements and katas that she was drilling into the young minds, distracted as they were with the news of the Green Jedi.

Sadly, such things didn't last for long with the shadows of war surrounding them. Fae Coven stopped in her instruction of the several younglings when a terrible scream sounded through the Force sometime midday, reverberating through the halls of the Temple in a near painful fashion. The inherent darkness of it meant that it could be no one but the Sith Emperor to cause such a thing.

Even the younglings could sense the chaotic mass of pain that resounded through the Force, and Fae knew that this was some sort of sign from the Emperor to them specifically; threatening them that their supposed doom was upon them at last.

Their only hope now lay with keeping the Sith from the Galactic Core, and Masters Luna and Yoda would soon be back on their way back to reinforce the front, with several new ships that Director Granger had just finished, as well as many more troopers and around a dozen Jedi Knights to aid them. Meanwhile, Yoda's Padawan had been sent on a secret mission to deliver more of the archive data to the swampy planet where Fae had secreted as much of their collected knowledge as possible.

Holding down the fort here was the most that Fae could do, with her lack of physical vision hindering her and the Force only aiding her as much as she needed, which was naturally less than she could possibly want to be able to be useful, but she did what she could. With aid from several of the other Jedi Knights and Masters, she was designing escape routes for them to take in the event that Coruscant was attacked, and the Temple fell.

Most did not like to contemplate such an event, but now Fae was able to push the issue, and they had to comply that such an event could happen, even if they chose to believe that it wouldn't. It never hurt to be prepared.

With the new wound that sounded through the Force, the Grandmaster of the Order was sure that many more would be willing to do their part to make sure that the Jedi survived, as there was little doubt that this was a mere disturbance from the destruction of something significant to the Jedi, as the Sith would have made sure of that early on. For the Emperor to wait until now for something this massive, it had to be some sort of weapon, or else a ritual that added to his already destructive might, such that the Emperor wanted to save it for the final conflict.

Well, Fae wasn't going to allow it to be the final anything, as she would die trying to save her Order, even if they lost their beloved temple here at the heart of the Republic. There were many places that the Jedi had to flee to, some that even the Sith wouldn't know to look in.

In the event that the Order was shattered, they would flee to these places, regroup and start again, able to effectively strike back against the Sith and work toward reestablishing peace, true lasting peace, throughout the Galaxy.

Even now, sensing the great atrocity that the Emperor sought to threaten them with, and the devastation that was sure to befall them if, and possibly when, the Sith attacked the heart of the Republic, she stood resolute. The Light would not fall, nor would they fail in their mission. It would only take longer.

Once the great cries of agony ended, she turned back to the frightened younglings, gently urging them to continue their training, fully equipped with the knowledge of what they now faced, and the darkness that they hoped to combat.

For a time that seemed to resolve their focus on the tasks at hand, but the door eventually hissed open, admitting a trio of figures, which Fae could sense were Lord Berethon himself and a pair of his vassals.

"Grandmaster, I apologize for the intrusion into the teaching of young minds, but there is a pressing matter regarding that blast of energy that I wish to discuss with you in private." He said, his voice significantly softer in the presence of the Younglings than it had been out with the Council on the front steps to the Temple.

"Of course, Lord Berethon, walk with me," Fae said, and the pair exited, leaving the two Green Jedi Knights to watch the now incredibly excited younglings, who were likely to begin pelting the two Corellians with questions until the two masters returned. Fae simply shrugged the thought away, let them have their fun for the moment, it was harmless.

For a time the two powerful Jedi walked in silence, bypassing other Knights and some Jedi Sentinels on their rounds as they walked through the peaceful corridors of the Temple. "Your former Padawan and her small friend were most accommodating to us as we made living arrangements for our visit. But still, I could sense her distraction from a hundred meters away. She is troubled greatly by something, and I feel in my bones that it is tied strongly to the Sith menace."

Fae nodded slowly, "Yes, she lost her Padawan to the clutches of the Sith, and has not be able to locate even a trace of him in the Galaxy. A terrible tragedy, as the boy shone as brightly as she does."

"And therefore a more priceless targets for the vile Sith Emperor who, in his darkness, I would venture to guess that he hates those most out of all us Jedi." Lord Berethon speculated, striking the idea directly upon the head.

"Indeed, the Emperor seems to have a personal vendetta against my former Padawan," Fae admitted, "something to do with their past, as they both were born on the same planet."

The normally gruff Corellian nodded somberly, before changing threads completely and asking other questions, "So I noticed that there are only eleven members of your High Council present at the Temple."

The silence that reigned after the question seemed to tell Berethon all he needed to know. "So, there is another reason you were so eager to admit me and the Green Jedi back to Coruscant." He said, but Fae was hopeful at the lack of any sort of accusation in his voice.

"We had planned to ask if you would fill the vacancy, as there are so few Jedi Lords left, and you are unofficially their leader, as it would help mend the rifts that have separated the Order for so long, especially in these exceedingly troubled times." Fae admitted, wondering where the hard, blunt man she had once spoken to had gone.

Could it be that fighting the Sith Emperor had humbled the proud Corellian, and made him more willing to see things from other points of view?

"I make no promises at this time, but I can see the good that such an appointment might accomplish, for the entire Order as a whole, and I will put much thought and meditation into this matter. In the meantime, I would recommend returning your two new Masters to their respective fleets on the front lines, as they seem to feel rather listless with the pressing need to back. Let us old beings stay at the Temple and mull over the details while the young ones go out and save the Galaxy."

Fae smiled, it was the best that they could have hoped for with the situation the way it was. Pulling out her comlink, the Grandmaster made the arrangements for both young Jedi Masters to do back to the front lines, where they truly were best served.

Turning back to the classroom where she had previously been teaching once that was complete, Fae had to suppress a small snicker at the sensation the Force was giving her in that direction. "We had best go rescue your vassals," she commented jokingly, "before the younglings drive them mad with their questions."

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Bellatrix had known that her nephew had at one time served the Sith Emperor, as a lackey or puppet at the head of their enemy, but through several chance communications she had intercepted as she traveled aimlessly through space, recovering from her failed assassination attempt on Veneficus, she had learned of his potential defection, in the form of renewed defenses from the Republic, as well as their winning several battles throughout the several fronts of the war.

That was not according to the plans of the Sith, and therefore it led to supposition that dear little Draco had embraced the heritage of his true lines of both Black and Malfoy, and was seeking his own power and glory over that of others, something that even his vaunted father would have been proud of.

So she had come up with a bold plan, ditching the Death Eater on a remote Outer Rim world that was unclaimed by the Empire, and stealing a unmarked freighter that would easily slip through to the heart of the Republic, and then stealth her way into the governmental sectors with the aid of enchantments and some Dark Arts.

The only cause for concern had been her nephew's personal guard, which seemed to have been able to see through her disguises, and had attacked, but were easily felled by her superior dueling skill. And now here she sat, before the greatest man in the Republic, her nephew Draco Malfoy.

"I have to say dear Draco, the name change was simply ingenious…" she commented, still seeing the man before her as the little baby she had pinched the cheeks of while he lay in his cradle in Malfoy Manor so very long ago. "Just different enough to provide doubt, yet similar enough that those who'd know would recognize you immediately."

Unfazed, her nephew set his wand atop the lush desk of the Chancellor, just within arm's reach if he desired to take it up again, "I have little time for pleasantries, Aunt, so get to the point. You wish to fight against the Emperor, and you are under the suspicion that I could be an ally to you in this cause…"

The small twitch at the corner of his mouth was all that she needed to see. Giggling, she leaned to one side, making it appear that she was perfectly at ease in his presence. "You are his enemy, I know it; because I know you dear Draco… you are your father's son."

Draco flinched as though struck, before returning a sneer so cold and different from his benign appearance of a wise uncle that Bellatrix was surprised into seriousness by the tone. "You know nothing about me or what I've done, Aunt." He took up his wand again, flicking it at the door and windows, and swishing it over them, laying the room with wards and concealing it from all manner of detection.

"I'll have you know that my parents died by my hand alone, through the manipulation of Veneficus," he spat. "Yes, I want him dead, but for many reasons, some far more deep and burning than whatever you may or may not think. I need not guess at why you want him dead, because I know for a fact."

It was Bellatrix's turn to flinch in horror as the boy-turned-man continued, "You solely want him dead for revenge of the weakling of a Dark Lord that was defeated not once, but twice by the same child, one that had grown in power and evil so foul that Voldemort was merely a speed bump on his path to power and greatness."

"How dare you…" she started, her voice rising, but Draco had only gotten started.

"I DARE!" he roared, leaping to his feet, wand sparking in his rage. "Voldemort is dead, he died long before you got a chance to save him; his power broken into so many pieces that Veneficus hardly had to do anything to finish him. Whatever obsession with him you have turned into your greatest weakness! A weakness that the Sith exploited, my dear Aunt, and if you continue down this path of revenge you will fall into their traps again and again. They know who you are, and what you desire. Therefore, you must abandon the straightforward path of which you seek, and find another means to strike at them."

He settled somewhat, returning to his seat, but not releasing the hold on his wand. Bellatrix commended the boy mentally for his wisdom, even as she still seethed at the slander of her lord.

"Veneficus has spent years scouring the Galaxy for every scrap of Sith knowledge, even the slimmest reference of the ancient Lords of darkness," he explained, pulled out some datapads and tapping quickly, transferring some information or another, "But there were places even he refused to go to my knowledge, whether through vision or whatnot else I do not know for certain."

He stopped when he found a set of coordinates, and looked up as they transferred to the other pad in his hand, "How many of these he ignored I do not know, but there is one that I am vastly aware of that he said needed to be left alone, never entered or disturbed, even to the point of posting guards around that place. There is none that I could send to figure out what was there, at least none that I could trust…"

The statement hung in the air like a cloud, and Bellatrix smiled, "So you're thinking on sending me to find whatever this is, and see if we can use it against the Emperor."

He nodded, passing over the datapad with the coordinates, "this is the location of the planet. But I warn you, this could very well mean your death, my Aunt."

"Death is all part of the job, sweet nephew," she said, rising from her seat graciously, and Bellatrix fondly remembered where she had seen some of the decorations of the man's office, "Ah, you modeled it somewhat after Lucius' old study…"

Draco said nothing, but Bellatrix knew it was the truth. "He would be proud of how much you accomplished. Furious of course that he didn't do it first, and that the Pureblood way of life has been all but lost, but proud nonetheless of your accomplishments…" she said seriously, before turning to depart.

"For what it's worth," Draco said as she reached the door to his office, stopping Bellatrix as it hissed open, "I hope that you find some measure of revenge out of this, even if I do not understand your devotion to the old ways or that man, but I wish you luck, my Aunt…"

She nodded slowly, knowing that they probably would never meet in this fashion again, or exchange true compliments or well wishes to each other for the rest of their lives, and departed, skirting around the guards she killed and exiting the government building, set for her stolen ship and the wide open reaches of space.

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Luna watched the starlines of Hyperspace sail past their ship as they speeded with all haste back to the front lines. She and Yoda now headed a fleet of five additional Republic cruisers, as well as their escort ships, all sent to reinforce their defenders. The two newest jedi masters, along with the other twelve fellow masters and knights that came with them from the temple to fight, had felt the shockwave of grief and pain through the Force as the crossed the core in Hyperspace.

Luna could sense much more intuitively the familiarity of the disturbance to those that she had long since stopped feeling as her Padawan was tortured, and she hoped through the Force that this meant that his torment had ended, and not that he was dead. The Emperor would pay for this madness, Luna swore it, for Leon's sake, and the sake of all those whom he had killed or displaced for his vaunted desires of power and control.

Last they had heard, the system of Vurdon Ka had fallen, even while many of the citizens had still been trapped upon the surface. The Empire had started speeding up their attacks, in order to prevent their evacuations from taking place, and Luna hoped their additional reinforcements would make the difference.

Now that their foes were at the edge of the Colonies, things were starting to become dire. The Senate was starting to hope to sue for peace between the Republic and the Empire, which was madness, even so said by the Chancellor himself. So Luna and her forces made their way to the Castell system, hoping to cut off and divert the spearhead once again.

She knew that there were two other fronts where the Sith were pushing, further up the Galactic map at Bogden, and again to the south they had already pierced the Colonies at Commenor. So many ships had already been diverted from this front to aid those other sides of the war that the Republic supply lines were feeling the strain, and with every world lost there were less and less to go around.

The ship they were traveling in shuddered once as they started to slow back to normal space, just in time it seemed as the system was already under attack, and the defenders were already starting to fall back, even though they seemed to be following the strategy that Luna had left them with, of grouping together under the protection of the prismatic barriers and picking off one ship at a time.

The Sith commanders had adapted far faster than Luna had anticipated, and were driving their smaller cruisers forward in small groups, which not only started pushing the space between the two fleets, making it harder for the defenders to maintain their positions, but they also function to defend each other from the lances that the Republic ships had previous decimated Sith cruisers with.

Luckily, the new ships that Luna had brought with her had some extra surprises, as Hermione was working overtime to create every mad idea that came into her mind to utterly destroy those that had taken her planet away from her.

"Fire the rail cannons…" Luna ordered, and turned to watch the massive canister-shaped ammunition streak across the battlefield from their position, right toward a knot of Sith ships, who were completely unaware of the danger that the highly volatile missiles carried.

Hermione might have been slightly out of her mind, but Fiendfyre was set in stasis within each canister, which could burn in a vacuum she had discovered, and would engulf an entire ship at a frightening rate if left unchecked.

Being fired from the rail guns gave the payload an added advantage of seeming relatively harmless, as it traveled far slower than most energy weapons, and therefore was often ignored. Such was the case in this moment, as the first canister struck the center ship of the leading knot of attackers, exploding with a plume of flames that in the deadness of space seemed unnaturally silent.

The deadly cursed fire leaped outward, eager to feast upon the metal hulls of the Sith ships, and due to the tightly packed nature of their formation, it found its way onto each of the smaller escorts, setting them ablaze as well.

Shields only held for so long under the draining effect of the magic-fueled fire, and the barrage from the main contingent of defenders sealed the fate of the initial rush from the Sith.

"Shields at maximum as we move into position behind the remaining defenders," Luna declared, before nodding at the communications officer, who opened a channel to those who had remained to defend this system, "hold your ground; the Republic has sent reinforcements to aid you!"

She could only imagine what the reaction was among those who they had effectively saved, as the newly outfitted Vindication and Terran's Fury tore like ravaging beasts into the fray, all batteries firing at the Sith Armada, which had mercifully only had its second wave of ships appear thus far.

"And now, we fight as one!" Luna declared, "We need to buy the system more time, so we must charge in. Attack!"

And, regardless of the open channels shouting their dismay at the suicidal orders, Luna's ship lurched forward under full thrusters, barreling across the no man's void toward the nearest enemy capital ship, followed by its escort like a flock of angry birds.

"Collision in thirty seconds commander," one officer reported, even as the others began to brace themselves for impact. This was a new tactic that they had developed, hoping to catch the Sith off guard and delay them even further. That it aided in Luna's near vengeful state over their Empire was only an added bonus.

"We need more speed, fire light homing missile's behind us for extra thrust, and at ten seconds activate the prismatic barrier," she commanded.

Their shields had taken many powerful hits as they charged, but Luna had expected such a thing, the Sith trying to slow to stop this unexpected counter assault, even as their missiles launched, pushing them forward just a touch more, even as the missiles danced around to the back of the Sith fleet and struck ships that were not expecting to yet be fired upon.

It was a small amount of kinetic force that the missiles added, but this maneuver was all about appearances, charging their enemy head on like a maddened boar, tusks bared and grunting angrily to chase them away. The ship they had targeted started to drift out of the way, but they had started moving to avoid far too late.

"Prismatic barrier activating!" the officer cried, "brace for impact!" Luna reached out with the force to root herself in place, even as the ship's powerful force field made contact with the enemy vessel. The shudder sent shockwaves through both ships, but with their prismatic barrier several meters off of the hull itself, rather than layered directly upon it like the shields, they sustained no damaged from the collision.

The Sith ship, on the other hand, reeled from the mighty impact, being knocked backwards into several more of its own ships, breaches in the hull blossoming from every point of contact.

"Thrusters, full reverse, keep up the barrier to guard our escape, Vindication fleet, open fire!" Luna ordered, and they started to withdraw, the escort ships all around their cruiser unleashing a hailstorm of projectiles at the Sith Armada, their now exposed ship taking several heavy hits, and fire blossoming along its damaged hull.

For good measure, Luna ordered another canister of Fiendfyre launched into the midst of the fleet, and it detonated spectacularly in the path of those smaller ships that attempted to pursue them back to the Republic lines, the flames eating away their shields and rendering them exposed.

Once they were far enough away, Luna smirked, "Lower barrier and fire the arc lances."

The multitude of golden beams shot from the front of the Vindication, slamming into the burning hulls of the smaller craft, cutting through them with all the force of a Lightsaber, rupturing the cores and causing the Sith vessels to detonate, leaving nothing but flaming wreckage in their place.

From the rear of the Sith lines, the massive command ship appeared, seeming to bring a halt to any concept of a Republic victory with it. "How many still remain on the planet?" Luna requested, hoping that the number was low enough to permit them to fall back once again, and continue making the Sith pay for every empty system they stole.

"Almost forty percent of the population remains planetside, General." The officer in charge of the sensors reported, and the new Jedi Master grimaced. That was far too many to allow the planet to fall into the Sith Empire's hands.

"Fall back to the far side of the planet, and launch all shuttle craft, we need to evacuate those citizens of the Republic." she ordered, knowing that this particular battle had just grown worse than anything thus far. While true, Hermione had prepared them many ground weapons and vehicle designs to use if and when the war started to resume fighting on the ground; it was not a situation that Luna wished to be trapped in, with the possibility of losing their method of escape.

But the people of the Republic were far more important than their own lives, and for them Luna would risk all that she was. With the Force to guide her, perhaps she could learn a bit of Leon from a prisoner that they might capture.

So, naturally she was among the teams that boarded the first shuttle to go down and prepare fortifications around the spaceports that the citizens had flocked to for safety and evacuation.

Touching down in the main city-like industrial base, which really was just the largest spaceport for the Commerce Guild, Luna immediately set to finding whoever was in charge of the refugees. The Guild had large investments in the planet and was graciously allowing their resources to be used in evacuating the native Gossam people, who were staunch allies of both the Guild and the Republic.

Finding the leader of the reptile people, Luna spoke quickly, learning that many of the natives wanted to take up arms and fight the Sith Empire rather than submit or flee, and the Jedi Master couldn't reason them out of it.

Quickly, she realized that it was a futile effort, and began to set up her troops at the various defensible locations, deploying various items that Hermione had created for just such a scenario. If the Sith hated their starships in any fashion, they would absolutely detest these ground weapons even more.

Without the factor of zero gravity, the mad genius of New Terra had been able to make an extreme effort to maximize damage to an enemy that her Magi-Tech could bring to the battlefield.

Seeing that the Republic would fight alongside them, the more resistant minded of the Gossam were rallied, and those officials of the Commerce Guild, who were themselves preparing the flee, lent full use of their spider droids, which were normally for peacekeeping, but quickly activated and set for full military use. It was only slightly frightening to learn that the Guild's security droids had such features as standard practice, but Luna was not about to question an ally on the field of battle, even as the Sith Armada started sending down shuttles and their fighter escorts.

Let the might of darkness rise = Tegu tave jenga iv jena'tes pradzia

From sorcery and hatred a weapon shall be made = Sulig raganius ir nekesti zo ginklas sekleti buti fasonija

Through fire and pain the sith will take command of the galaxy = Pro saud ir xela tave tsis valia vykti xuontai iv tave plejada

The bane of the jedi shall come upon them all = Tave maras iv tave jidai sekleti tapti' sh'jatau savimi visa