Thank you for the incredibly positive feedback that came with chapter 56, I sense that the excitement is building in you all as the final climax approaches ever closer. Just one more deep breath, as it were, and it will begin in earnest. So please, enjoy! ~F
Chapter Fifty Seven
Light and Shadow
Fury was most assuredly not pleased with what awaited them on Yabol Opa. Rather than a powerful Republic stronghold for them to conquer, the entire planet was covered with a sprawling University, from which denizens of the Republic went to receive higher educations. There wasn't even a military academy on the planet for them to at least take some measure of vengeance upon in the light of the war.
The only upside was the vast fleet of Lovegood's command that held orbit over the planet, guarding it like a mother hen over her chicks. And why shouldn't they, as all the upcoming young minds were there, being filled with the same rhetoric of the Republic year after year, which was an offence to everything that the Empire stood for.
Lord Diábolis wanted to capture the planet unharmed, holding the students against their will and replacing their professors with those who held the Empire in a better light. How else, he had said when they discussed their tactics for the planet, would they corrupt the minds of the future resistance fighters than by making sure that they knew all that the Empire would afford to them if they but submitted.
So that was why Fury was here, guarding their shuttles that were preparing to set down to the surface and capture the main administrative section of the city-school, and begin the long transfer of faculty to and from the planet, while Gor-lak and the Dread Seeker took control of orbit from the Republic and pushed them back even farther toward their precious capital.
The chatter of soldiers and the officers that were to take charge over their new students was annoying at best, and Fury flexed his mechanical hand to take his mind away from it, focusing on the rage and pain that the limb constantly caused him. It had never set correctly, and Fury was sure that that had been part of the intent, to give him a spur of pain every time he used it to remind him of that immense failure and his humiliating defeat at the hands of Zhar.
Fury knew that his old master was already training his fourth whelp, some female that had impressed him eventually, but Fury did not care past the point that Zhar was in the north, fighting alongside the Emperor to take the upper Hyperlane for the Empire.
He paused in his thoughts when the ship beneath him vibrated, signaling that they had entered combat with the Republic fleet, and the tremors in the Force grew fainter for a moment, before intensifying all around Fury.
How he longed to be part of the battle, rather than babysitting these helpless fools, but orders were orders, and he knew the price of failure all too well. He would remain, begrudgingly, and hope that there would be some measure of resistance for him to crush once they set foot planet side.
Soon enough, the green light for the shuttles was sent, and he climbed aboard the same vessel as the main section of troopers and their officers, checking their equipment as the ship went through its final launch sequences.
Fury was somewhat agitated that they were already being sent down while the space battle raged on, but it was not his right to question what they had been told, and once the shuttle lifted off and shot out of the capital ship it was too late to back out regardless. The tiny ports in the side of the ship granted a minor amount of visibility as they dived toward the atmosphere, through which the Marauder could see that indeed the forces of the Republic were still hanging on to their grip over the planet.
Somehow however, they were able to slip past in the confusion of the battle and enter the mass of private shuttles and air speeders navigating the planet below, many trying to reach the spaceports, while others strangely enough attempted to get vantage points where they could watch the space battle overhead unfold.
The administrative section of the city school was no less densely packed with students and faculty alike trying to gaze upward as two of the largest ships in the Galaxy battled over their world, even as the Imperial shuttle made its landing, mostly unnoticed. Several security crews were pushing through the gathered crowds, trying to not draw attention as they hurried toward the shuttle, and Fury could sense the dread in them through the Force.
The Administration knew exactly what was going on, and that the space battle was in part a diversion. But it was best to not permit them the advantage of making the first move, and Fury was sent here for some sort of reason, so he would do what he did best. Fight.
As soon as the landing ramp descended, Fury was the first one to move toward it, overtaking even the elite Imperial troopers that normally would be the first to disembark. The security force already had taken several defensible places, and were herding the civilians away from the shuttle, even as Fury walked down the ramp, his black cloak billowing with speed of his walking.
Flexing his mechanical arm even as it gripped one of his sabers, Fury tilted his head to gaze around at the mass of mostly unarmored guards. "Is this it?" he said aloud, unnerving many of them and causing the civilians to finally take note of the shuttle that had nonchalantly landed in their midst.
"Is this truly all you could bother to muster to stop us from landing on your planet?" Fury asked again, enjoying the fear that surged through the guards as they realized that they faced one of the elite Dark Adepts of the Empire, and stood no chance of survival.
"You are not cleared to land on this world," the security chief said, still trying to show a face of bravado in the wake of his potential demise, "the Republic still has claim on this world."
"Oh it does, does it?" Fury questioned, still smirking as he slowly reached out with the Force, taking care to not alert the potentially trigger happy guards. A firefight that would result in many civilian casualties would not please Diábolis in the slightest, but a show of force would be sufficient to break the spirit of these weak minded fools.
"Perhaps you haven't heard of us quite well enough yet," Fury said, allowing his grip through the Force to wrap around the chief's neck, lifting him from the ground to the astonishment and fear of his subordinates, and the civilians all around, who either fled or were frozen in terror as the man was strangled to death. "We are the Sith Empire," Fury declared, even as his forces descended the ramp behind him, fully clad in body armor and assuredly outgunning the pathetic security that these fools thought would stop them, "we go where we please and take what we will… Your Republic cannot stop us, and we will crush them in due time."
With a sharp crack, the man died as his neck snapped, and Fury flung the body away, striding forward to the horror of the other guards, who broke ranks and fled back toward the main offices. A small demonstration, Fury felt, and not nearly enough to make his blood flow in the way he enjoyed, but better than nothing.
The elite troopers guarding the flanks and rear, Fury led their officers and other soon to be professors toward the administration structure, a wide channel opening for them as the civilians parted out of fear and respect for the power of the Dark Side, and the force of arms that they had brought with them.
Diábolis would be pleased that not a single student was harmed as they made their way to the building, even if a few were brave enough to call insults and were threatened by the soldiers as they passed, but no physical injuries were required to silence them.
Grandly entering the main admin building, Fury watched as many secretaries and office clerks dove behind doors and under their desks, afraid of what he would do if he spotted them. Not that it mattered, as he both knew that they were there and had no use for any of them. The only person they wished to meet with currently was the Warden of Yabol Opa, who was not only the leader of the planet, but also the effective head of the entire university.
So, bypassing several terrified workers and causing a small party of students to flee in terror as they approached, Fury led their contingent through the winding corridors and up to the main offices, where the various Deans and head of staff worked, and clearly were in the process of preparing to evacuate, from the mass of boxes and other items thrown haphazardly about.
"Secure the floor, no one leaves unless I say so," Fury ordered, and the troopers fanned out, standing guard in the doorways of rooms and all possible exits as Fury personally led the remaining officers and staff toward the wide double doors of the Warden.
The man was there, quaking in his boots as he held a small blaster in his hand, the barrel shaking horribly as he tried to point it at Fury, who only looked bemused that the man would think of attempting to harm the Marauder.
"We will not surrender to your Empire," the man attempted to declare, but the nervous shaking of his voice stole away all possibility of stern command and replaced it with humiliating defeat. Fury sighed, almost wishing to just eliminate the man altogether and replace him, but he had a specific job set before him, and would not dare to displease the Sith Apprentice by failing it through his own lack of care.
Therefore, he surged forward, moving faster than the old man had opportunity to react, and effortlessly knocked the weapon from his frail hands, knocking the Warden to the ground in the process. Calling upon the power of the Dark Side, Fury then took and crushed the weapon into a lump of scrap and left it there on the floor, already returning to his position just inside the doors as the rest of the officers and 'negotiators,' came to instruct the man on the changes that were about to befall his precious world.
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Lord Diábolis watched the ensuing space battle, where they were at a clear advantage over the Republic and slowly driving them from the system, with an air of annoyance. Fury's landing team had yet to report in on their mission regarding securing the world, and so long as that was the case, the Sith apprentice had to wait before pushing onward to enter the Core properly.
Lovegood's fleet was doing their best, not that it was nearly good enough to stop the Empire's advance at this moment, and they were more than wise to any of the tactics that had been previously shown in the last few battles to be caught unawares.
Lovegood seemed to be aware of this, and had thus far not attempted to make overuse of her command ship's considerable bulk or her proclivity to charging the enemy lines, attempting to smash as many of their ships as she could. Rather, they were slowly backing away, much as they had in the beginning of the war, establishing a powerful bulwark of defense and drawing the Imperial fleet further away from the system.
Diábolis however, refused to send the Dauntless after her in such manner, and kept it stubbornly in orbit over the planet, which had caused the Republic fleet to waft in and out of range, trying to goad them into leaving the planet and chasing after them.
A foolish ploy at best, and not one that the Sith Lord had any desire to take up as of yet. He turned as the communications relay flared to life, showing the form of Lord Fury standing upon the planet, likely within the administrative complex itself.
"Our mission is successful, my Lord," he said, "the Warden was broken to submission, and there were no casualties among the staff or students, aside from a few security guards…"
Diábolis nodded, that was acceptable. So long as they maintained control of the planet and its students, they could warp their minds toward a more pro-Empire way of thinking, or at the least hold them ransom for those in the Republic to fret and worry over.
"Very good, return as soon as you can, we will drive Lovegood back and prepare for the joint assault of the Core," the Devaronian said, shutting down the relay before the Marauder could reply.
"Commander I want their fleet scattered, but do not pursue them beyond the system, we wait for Emperor Veneficus' orders to press onward to the next system," he ordered, and the Dauntless at last moved away from the planet, soaring directly for the mass of Republic ships that were still harassing the outlying cruisers before withdrawing and attempting again.
They renewed their attempts to attack the fleet as the massive command ship lumbered closer, and Diábolis watched eagerly as their weapons systems powered to maximum, just moments before they entered range to fire upon the defenders of the Republic.
The primary weapon, nicknamed the Devastator cannon, was a recent addition to the super ship, as one of the lesser cruisers that bore it was significantly damaged and had to be reduced to scrap. Their tireless engineers had rigged it quite well to the modular portions of the underside of the Dauntless, and now it would see its vengeance on the fleet that originally destroyed it.
"Fire!" the commander declared to his officers, and the pallid green beam of destruction shot out, cutting a swath through several ships that weren't prepared for it. Unfortunately, Lovegood's senses as a Jedi were still finely tuned, and the Prismatic Barrier that the Republic ships possessed flared to life to intercept the Devastator beam, albeit from the faint red glow of the shield afterward, they had done significant damage to the Republic ship's energy supply for their defensive mechanism.
This was supported when the large ship started to withdraw at full speed, and Diábolis felt it a great pity that the cannon required so much energy, or else they could have fired again and ended the nuisance once and for all. None of the other ships bearing the weapon were able to pack as much firepower into the shots as Dauntless and they were out of range as it was, the Sith Lord withholding them for their usefulness in assaulting planets for when they struck at Brentaal.
Soon enough the remaining Republic ships had either fled or were destroyed by their smaller craft, and Diábolis could turn his mind to other matters.
Even as he sensed the shuttle returning Fury to his ship, Diábolis had to make his report to his master, and strode to his private meditation chamber within the hulking craft of the Dauntless.
Soon enough he was kneeling before the holographic display of the Dark Lord of the Sith, and even though many light years separated them, Diábolis could still sense the overwhelming power of the Dark Side that his Master held, although whether it was real or merely a memory he did not know.
"Yabol Opa is conquered, my Master," he stated.
"Good," Veneficus replied airily, even as he gazed down at the figure of his apprentice, "My fleet will soon deal with the final system in our way, and we shall at last make our glorious entrance into the Core worlds. Brentaal will be the staging ground of many battles I foresee, and the Republic will marshal nearly all of their forces to meet us. We will need to exact swift and decisive destruction among them, before setting down on the planet."
"I agree, my Master," Diábolis stated, who himself was not in a position to countermand the Emperor's decrees even if he so felt inclined to do so.
"And afterward," Veneficus continued, as though he didn't even hear his apprentice, "You will be sent ahead for a specific mission that you will be informed of when it becomes relevant. For now, focus on preparing your fleet for the battle to come, and I will contact you when the time comes to move upon the Core."
"Yes, Master," Diábolis replied.
"The end of the war draws ever closer, my Apprentice," Veneficus said coldly, "Just a bit more, and the Galaxy will be in my hands…"
The communication was closed shortly thereafter, leaving Diábolis alone with his thoughts. "Not for long though, my Master…" he said, as answer to the Emperor's declaration, "You may take control of the Galaxy for the Sith, but it will be my right to rule over it once you're work is completed."
However, knowing that the eyes of his master were directed upon his actions in preparation for their long awaited push into the Core worlds, Diábolis had little choice but to wait still, making his secret preparations in the midst of commanding his fleet to make repairs and call for resupply from the lines leading back to full Imperial space. Reinforcements were also summoned from those fleets that had remained behind at other systems along the way, to come now to the front lines and be ready for the glorious battle that they would soon be called upon to participate in.
Although, probably not in the means that they expected, Diábolis thought ruefully. He fully intended to send the weakest and the more rebellious of his captains and admirals ahead of the rest, so that they would crash upon the defenses that the Republic created and be destroyed, opening the way for the Sith Apprentice and his loyal forces to clean up the mess without completely risking their own ships and lives with the potential ambushes or other traps that Lovegood was sure to utilize in her attempt to eliminate one of the two massive forces bearing down on the planet.
It was more than apparent to Diábolis that the Jedi Master would choose to focus her efforts to destroying the Apex over the Dauntless and therefore would attempt to harass or delay the fleet that the Devaronian commanded so that she had all the time she could manage to inflict damage to the Emperor's vanguard.
More to her folly if it be so, Diábolis reasoned, as he was somewhat aware of what his Master had in store for the Jedi, and the apprentice that he had spent meticulous time grooming into the perfect servant for their cause.
Lovegood would die, and the way to Coruscant would be open to them. Without their glorious commander, the Republic would flounder, and the Jedi would prove ineffective to the powerful weapon that Veneficus had mentioned once casually that he possessed. Whether the device was being reserved for the battle ahead, or some other time specifically, Diábolis did not know, nor was he aware of the properties or even the shape of this weapon, but it did make him somewhat nervous to know that his master had secrets even from him in such a fashion.
His bid for dominance in the Master-Apprentice relationship that the Sith possessed grow only more difficult with everything that he learned that his Master was withholding from him, forcing Diábolis to develop his own skills to counter what his Master would have by the time the Apprentice was ready to make his move.
Nevertheless, Diábolis would do everything necessary to enact his coup when the time was right. Veneficus had foreseen and told the Devaronian that his destiny was bright and full of great power, and regardless if it was a true vision or something that the man had made up to make Diábolis serve him, the Sith Apprentice would prove them to be true, when he overthrew his Master and became Emperor of the Galaxy himself.
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Luna could tell that the men who served her in the Republic defense fleet were frightened. Despite all their efforts, the Sith advance had not been stopped, aside from a small time during the battles of Castell and Vurdon Ka, but now as they arranged themselves over the planet Brentaal, doubt of their ability to win was creeping into their hearts.
Luna could not blame them of their fear, it had been a grueling and terrible war so far, with them sorely outgunned and with technology only getting them on par with the Empire during the latter half, when it was seemingly too late for it to make the difference.
But they had to hold the line here, either in space or on the planet itself, there was little other choice. The Empire must not enter the Core, or all would be lost.
She therefore had done everything she could think of to prepare for this battle, ship and troop arrangements constantly shifting as more and more private fighters and every spare fleet that the Republic could throw together joining them in droves.
Many were going to be sorely unable to defend themselves from the weapons of the Empire, but they didn't care, and ignore her suggestions of pulling back and letting the Republic warships fight the battle for them. Whether it was a lack of trust in the Republic after so many defeats, or the patriotism of making their stand before the enemy, Luna did not care. In her heart, she would take any and all that would willingly fight and die to protect their way of life, their families and their homes.
They were of the Light, and they would oppose the Darkness whatever the end may be. Republic soldier, pirate, mercenary and Jedi alike were here arrayed for what seemed to be brewing the bloodiest battle of the war, because Luna knew that there was nowhere to retreat to from here. This was the last stand, and they would have victory, or they would be destroyed, and the Republic would wither and fall.
Certainly there were smaller fleets still guarding the other planets of the Republic, specifically Coruscant, but if they failed here there would not be ships enough to give battle of any meaning to the Empire, and they would lose.
As luck would have had it, or inspiration granted by the Force to individuals, Chancellor Malfay had seen fit to previous rebuild the old Republic outpost that had long served to defend the world of Brentaal, and it was from that point that Luna sought to centralize all of their defenses, both from space and on the ground of the planet itself.
The scars of war were still strongly seen on the planet's surface, after the end of the Sith wars previously, which had battled over this strategic planet until the Army of the Light was formed under the Jedi Lord Hoth so long ago, and the world was still in the process of recovery.
Luna frowned at the thought that the Sith were so like a relentless infection, striking when one was still weak and healing from the last wound. Still, like it or not, this chief world that sat between the two major hyperspace routes was the prime target of the Empire, and therefore the most important location for them to defend.
But they were not without aid. Many Jedi had been sent from the Temple to help her, along with everything that Hermione could scrape together and make space worthy. Luna had also had special communication with Grandmaster Coven and Lord Berethon that the Jedi Lord Teepo, and his contingent of Jedi Knights were on their way to aid the Republic that they still loved, even if they still disagreed with centralized Jedi politics and refused to return to the Temple even though a Lord sat upon the High Council.
She was grateful for whatever help was sent, and arranged her forces accordingly, making sure that every soldier was placed where their skills would be used to the uttermost.
A holocommunication interrupted her thoughts, as she stood in the Republic fortress upon the planet, having departed the Hope's Radiance, just for the time being to make sure that their ground forces were completely taken care of. A Jedi Knight appeared before her, one she was not familiar with.
"Master Lovegood," the Jedi said with a short bow, "Uviury Exen has fallen, the Emperor pushed through our forces and destroyed much of the planet, and our fleets in the process… they are coming."
"Understood," Luna replied, "Have what forces remain fall back to Brentaal and join with us while we make our stand."
"Yes, Master," the Jedi replied, bowing again and ending the call. Luna looked at the screen that showed the fleet overhead, wondering if there had possibly been something more that they could have done to prevent the Sith from getting this far in their invasion. But eventually she had to chide herself. There had been nothing they could have done to foresee such a sudden onslaught of darkness, and they were currently invested as much as they could be in the war.
If only they had succeeded in eliminated the Emperor before, when Master Coven had led an attack personally to attempt to kill the man. Knowing that she too would have to attempt the same maneuver, in order to likely end the battle and the war before the Sith moved onto the Core, Luna was heavy of heart. It was likely that she would encounter her old Padawan on the Emperor's vessel, and may even be forced to confront and fight him.
Luna did not know if they possessed the strength to kill the one she had grown to care for over such a short time. The Master-Padawan bond was all but severed between them, but every now and then there was a twinge in the Force that reminded her that he yet lived, albeit dark and twisted now that she knew what her senses were telling her after seeing the young man proclaim the intents of the Emperor for the Galaxy to hear.
It that hadn't been a personal challenge from the Emperor top her directly, Luna did not know what one was. The fact that the man had been hunting her for the majority of their lives was still burned permanently into her mind, and the fact that he was using Leon as bait was not unknown to her.
But the need for her to make this desperate mission into the heart of the beast's den was more pressing than her fears of fighting those she cared deeply for. Taking a deep, centering breath and drawing upon the power of the Force to keep her calm, Luna sent out the signal that all needed to go onto high alert, and prepare for battle at a moment's notice, or their enemy was on their way.
They would fight, and she need not have the Force to know that many would die in this terrible battle, but she could not see the end thereof, as the future was shrouded from her by the black mist the enveloped the Emperor.
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Veneficus watched as the Apex slowly passed the gravitational pull of the planet Uviury Exen, the planet blackened and charred from the heavy devastation that he had order upon it. He had been unwilling to waste anymore time before attacking their gateway to the core, and the tiny Jedi fleet was a high value target to destroy than conquering the planet, so he had simply pinned the Republic fleet between them and the planet, and opened fire with all weapons, crushing the fleet and crippling the planet in the process.
The devastation would serve as a reminder to all that he was not to be challenged, along with the thousands of other worlds he had taken or destroyed in this war. But for now he had to pull his mind elsewhere, looking forward to the great battle that approached as his armada prepared for the Hyperspace jump to Brentaal.
Naturally, Veneficus presumed that Lovegood had been informed of their quick skirmish on this world, and that they were approaching their position even now, so the element of surprise was not even considered by him. This would be a battle of attrition, nothing more, and as far as numbers were concerned, between his armada and Diábolis', the Empire held the advantage well and above three to one in ships, according to the most recent count of Lovegood's forces.
Of course she would have received more strength in the meantime, but the Emperor was not concerned. There were not soldier enough that the Republic could possibly gather that could stand against his invasion forces.
"All is in readiness for the attack, your Majesty," Commander Jhetc stated, approaching the throne that sat within the command bridge of the Apex, bowing low before his lord in respect.
Fingering one of the controls built into the armrest of his throne, Veneficus called up a connection directly to the bridge of the Dauntless, and his apprentice appeared on the miniature hologram. "What is thy bidding, my Master?" the Devaronian asked.
Turning between the pair of people awaiting his orders, Veneficus spoke, "The time has come at last to rip the beating heart out of the Republic, sent forth all our ships to Brentaal, we shall catch them within the two prongs of our fleets and decimate the planet, its defenders, and the Republic last desperate chance at survival."
"Yes Master," responded Diábolis while Jhetc salute, with a prompt, "As you wish, your Majesty."
The pair of commanders departed, the communication to his apprentice cutting off and the Commander of the Apex moving to bark his orders to the rest of the crew. The greatest battle of the entire war was about to begin, and from his vantage point the Emperor of the Sith would watch the republic crumble and rot before he finally allow it to die.
He knew that this move would send ripples through the Force, it was unavoidable when he was the cause of so much destruction and so powerful in the Dark Side, but there would be little that his enemies could do to stop him.
The pinpoints of stars blurred around them to streaking lines as the massive ship accelerated forward, blasting its way through to Hyperspace, and their destiny.
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Aboard the newly repaired and enhanced Dread Seeker, Gor-lak the Cruel smiled as the order rang out to the Armada of Darth Diábolis, that all ships were to move out to Brentaal, for the battle of their lifetimes.
He had been given his returning command of the fleet, as forerunner for the Dauntless, but express not part of the lead ships, filled with those that the Sith Apprentice felt were less than loyal to the Empire and wanted to be the first to smash against the defenses that the Republic had thrown together. Afterward, Gor-lak would lead their forces in managing the remains of the inevitable trap, and clearing the way for the super ship and its vanguard, so that they could create a titanic pincer between the Dauntless and the Apex.
Personally, Gor-lak hoped to see the massive Republic vessel besieged by the two super weapons of the Sith Empire, and watch as it burned at long last, ending the threat that the devastating weapon posed for their invasion of the Core.
The prelude of ships jumped into Hyperpace, one after another in quick succession as they were given the green light by the commander of the Armada, and Gor-lak was more than ready when their ship surged forward, speeding to the greatest battle that would take place in many of the crew's lifetime.
Fingering the Sith battle helmet that he held in his hands, the Master of Cruelty marveled at the intense devotion that the soldiers once more expressed toward their Sith masters, even knowing that many would give their lives and scarcely be honored for it, they went forward regardless, not out of fear, but loyalty, heightened to even greater lengths by the overwhelming aura of their masters.
It was breathtaking to behold, that in simple motions the Emperor, even while not present or actively engaging with his troops, inspired them to action and emboldened their resolve. Gor-lak would sorely wish to learn that power, and how to conjure it with his magic rather than pretend that he could wield the power of the Force like these enemies of the Jedi could.
It would take a few hours yet for them to reach their destination, and the ancient Ork spirit would not trouble his men while they were already hard at work, so he departed for a time, wandering the corridors and simply listening to the muttered words of excitement that ran through the ship. His command seemed to be the talk of the entire ship, that they were given such a great honor not once, but three times in the course of the push from Sith Space to the Republic Core.
They praised Gor-lak and his work, which was a new sensation to feel for the ancient Emperor, who had led through fear and pain for many hundreds of years before his death. It was a lesson that he had taken dear to his mind, although the brain that housed it was of a lesser slave-race, and Gor-lak would serve to his second death.
He was tempted to try some of his darker rituals, and see about preserving his life yet again in the case of his demise, just to be able to wait and see what befell the power of the Sith Emperor in the end, as it promised to be a long and powerful dynasty once the man succeeded in his goals.
Resolving himself to the task, once there was opportunity and time, Gor-lak smirked to himself. Many wished to be the fly on the wall, unnoticed and observing as events passed them by regarding this or that, but in the case of the rule of the Sith Empire, Gor-lak the Master of Cruelty would in fact live such a thing, enduring through the ages to witness everything great and small that the Lords of the Sith accomplished during their reign.
Now of course that meant that he had to take special care to survive the coming battles, and whether the Sith Lords meant for him to be able to do so was another matter altogether. Hey clearly valued his skill, his prowess in battle and his leadership of their servants, so there was a lessened likelihood of betrayal from that far above.
However, any others around or beneath him could easily gain into their minds to destroy him, much as the slaves which had risen up so many eons ago destroyed his Empire, unless Gor-lak made some sort of move that endeared them forever to his cause.
Valor seemed to be a thing that these beings respected greatly, and with the situation that seemed to arise around them in this war, becoming a hero in their minds would have to suffice for the short term.
Granted, there was more risk in this, as he would have to make sure that he not only survived the coming battle, but drew specific attention to his actions and still came forth victorious. Gor-lak was sure he himself was up to the task, but his soldiers may be daunted by the undertaking he had in mind.
In the end, he would make the attempt, those who survived it would relish the glory that such an act would earn them, as well as the rich reward of the victorious Emperor that he would likely bestow upon them, or so they would imagine.
Gor-lak removed himself from aimlessly wandering the ship, heading for the private room where he allow his body to rest, and turned all his thought and imagining onto how they would accomplish his design.
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Yoda was mightily concerned at the seeming nihilism that Luna was showing regarding the coming battle on and around Brentaal. It almost seemed as though his close friend and fellow Jedi Master was certain that she would not return from this battle, and was therefore preparing to throw her all into making sure that they could achieve victory without her.
Yoda wasn't the only one that had noticed either, just the first. Many of the upper commanders and admirals of various ships, Republic and not, could tell that she was withdrawing herself to some sort of last, desperate action, and were muttering among themselves what this meant for the entire defense of the system.
For Yoda personally, it reeked of something much more dangerous. The shadow of the Dark Side was slowly creeping over his friend, not in any way turning her, but warping her judgment, focusing her mind that there was only one course of action remaining, and he just knew what she was thinking of attempting.
"Go, you should not," he said to her when they had a private moment without the various other officers and commanders of the fleet.
"What?" Luna replied, turning from the console she had been pondering over, running various scenarios for what their formations and strategies of defense would need to be in what few hours they had remaining.
"To fight this Emperor Veneficus, strong enough, you are not…" Yoda said, pinning her with a piercing stare.
"We have no choice," Luna responded, "There will be no stopping their war if we cannot kill the man that they fight for. Veneficus… no, I refuse to call him by that title any longer. Harry Potter must be stopped at all costs, before he destroys everything in his madness and dark plans for the Galaxy."
"Luna…" Yoda started, but the other Jedi overrode him.
"It's not enough that he destroyed out planet, ruined all that we held dear, but now he has to inflict his chaos and devastation upon all the rest of the Galaxy. No, I cannot turn aside from what must come to pass now. I will be facing him, alone if need be, and we will end what started this insanity once and for all." She said, and Yoda perceived that the darkness within her grew slightly.
There was no stopping her, and if he attempted to do so she would only grow more distant from him in return. "Then help you, I will…" he said at last, wondering if this was what was meant to be, both of them going out in a blaze of foolish glory attempting to kill the Sith Emperor.
"No," Luna said, surprising Yoda with the stoic devotion of his friend to reason. "No, you must stay and lead the fleets. I will go alone. There is none that could possibly help me fight the Emperor, who wouldn't be killed in the process. If I am to succeed in distracting him from empowering his forces, it must be me only."
Yoda was not pleased with this, but sensing the resoluteness of the fellow Jedi Master, he finally accepted that it would be as the Force willed it. "So be it… lead the fleet, I will, while the Emperor's eyes, you distract."
"I am very glad to have met you so long ago, my dear friend," Luna said, turning strangely from morose thoughts to the sentimental. It was so jarringly different from her usual reserved manner since fully joining the Jedi Order that Yoda almost looked up to try and find the small blonde girl that had been whisked aboard his father's secret ship in Gringotts all those years ago.
But she was gone, replaced by this woman who had seen so much of darkness in her short life, far shorter than Yoda's century of existence, and yet she had also done far more than he. Even as she turned to depart for her shuttle, to prepare herself for the confrontation that Yoda heavily suspected would claim her life, the young Goblin, by his people's standards, watched as the greatest Jedi he had ever known went to her doom, leaving him the command of the fleets over Brentaal, and the defense of the system.
Turning to look at her plans and speculations, he knew that she had done everything in her power to make sure they had the best defenses possible. Scrolling through chart after chart of possible routes the Sith may take, Yoda's eyes flickered on one that seemed to stand out. Opening the map, he watched in amazement as a flawless scene of the fleet escaping from the battle to Hyperspace appeared, playing on a loop. "Thought of everything, you have," he said, smiling.