Author's Note: The Computer Strikes Again! This time my new hard drive went (not the one with my documents thank God!) and my new 4 GB one is becoming too small as Windows is filling its entirety with its stupid updates. That means my computer will be down yet again when I have my new 30 GB installed. Man, if I had a dollar for every time my computer gave me grief I'd be as rich as Donald Trump. I'm trying to make heart of the situation, despite how frustrated I am over it. Anyway, since this chapter's so long, I split it in half to avoid none-posting for another few days. It's 10 pages in all but this is the first 5 pages. I hate having you guys wait so long for updates so I hope you don't mind. And as always, I'm interested in what you have to say about it.You may notice that my creation planet Labor has been renamed to 'Labore' to look more of the way it's pronounced, La-bore. But, I wonder if any of you can take a random guess as to who I based the sword-wielding mouse from Labore on. I'll just say that it's a character from a beloved book series that everyone's heard of. Be on the lookout for a famous line from that character in this.
Chapter 78 responses:
G-Anakin 13: Thank you.
Arsenal: Sorry you didn't like the last chapter that much. I hope this one makes up for it.
The Lure of the Dark Side: Chronicle 1-The Turning of an Era
Episode V: Revenge of the Sith
Chapter 34: The Rampage of the Sith Continues, Part 1
A day after the events of Naboo, the Emperor returned to Coruscant to oversee the destruction of the Jedi Temple and starting phase of construction on his Imperial Palace in its place. Production was also set to begin on the Death Star soon. However, the emperor decided to wait until after the birth of the twins before it officially started since both the empress and Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin were in charge of its secret operation. It was the emperor's wish for his daughter to rest the remaining months of her pregnancy, but this was a feeling that wasn't shared as she still had unfinished business to tend to on a certain outskirts Core/Colonies world called Labore.
That's where she and his other apprentices had headed after the annihilation of the Gungans. Several squadrons of stormtroopers remained behind to clean up the mess of corpses and clear out the ruin, ripping down what hadn't been destroyed already so the area would be nothing more than an open grassy plain again.
As promised, a prerecorded statement from the Queen was released to the Naboo press the morning after, explaining the attack on the Gungun City and the planet's military lock down. It was said that the late Boss Nass and ex-Junior Representative Binks had invited her to a festive gathering in their village following her exit from the previous night's coronation after party. Despite being tired, she agreed, only for it to turn into an attempted attack on her life, as of that of the emperor, her handmaidens, and husband. The Gungan species was now registered as dead, and if any stragglers still existed the Queen urged the Naboo people to shot on sight and alert the authorities later.
This same message was soon airing all across the Galaxy on the entire HoloNet, along with footage of the eradication that was taped by Imperial Intelligence agents under the orders of the emperor.
The reaction, as could be expected, was shock and horror. The Gungans were known galaxy-wide for their peaceful and kind nature, but no more. The Emperor warned his empire to be on the lookout for those who appeared to be loyalists in the light, but are secretly planning treachery in the dark.
"Do not become fooled by boar-wolves in shaak's clothing," he said in a statement succeeding his arrival to the capital. "Even the most gentlest of creatures can turn out to be the most vicious brutes."
The Victory II-class Star Destroyer, Iron Fist, was circling in orbit around a world just outside the limits of the Core region, yet also right beyond the Colonies. It was incredible how Labore sat smack dab in-between two regions, closer to neither the Core nor the Colonies. Some astronomers believed that there was a time when Labore was in one of them; most believing this to be the Colonies rather then the Core, while others thought it to be in the Core rather then the Colonies. But as there was no evidence to back either these accusations – it was merely the guesswork of scholars – and the world wasn't visited often, as the native inhabitants were known galaxy-wide as "strange" and "savage-like", no one really cared. In official Galaxy records it was listed the way it was; an outskirts world between the Core and Colonies. And until information proved otherwise, that was the way it was going to remain.
Iron Fist was one of the first of the new Victory II-class Star Destroyers from Rendili StarDrive based on the Core World of Rendili. Though lesser quantity of the Victory II were to be made then the Victory I model, it was coming to have significant influence on Imperial starship manufacturing.
Designed for deep-space combat, these vessels traded fire power, shields, hull strength and carrying capability for speed and maneuverability. With this in mind, the designers fitted the ships with powerful Hoersch-Kessel Drive, Inc. engines, as well as adding ion cannons and enhanced tractor beam projectors for interdiction duty.
The most notable difference between the classes was that the banks of concussion missile tubes found on the Victory I were removed in favor of the unlimited number of shots provided by turbolasers.
In Labore's orbit, Iron Fist wasn't alone; at least ten other Star Destroyers, Venator-class, accompanied it. But what made this warship so special was that it was the destroyer in question that housed the empress and her Sith companions. The reason for her return to Labore was quite obvious: she wished to seek revenge for the one, and only, time she'd been on the planet, three years ago, at the start of the Clone Wars.
Growing tired of the repetitious routine of everyday at the Senate, she'd requested to be assigned to one of the many neutral worlds in the Galaxy to persuade them into joining the Republic. The exiled Jedi Yoda had accompanied her, as had the now-dead Jedi Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee after being picked up on a detour trip to Ilum. Attended by also Antellica and Naboo's former Head of Security, Captain Typho, loincloth wearing savages is what they were met by, and chaos ensured when the air-headed royal family refused to hear her pitch and began to attack her and the others. She promised herself that one day she would return and bring vengeance upon them. Today was the day.
Originally scheduled to go with just her husband and Antellica, Arica came at the last minute on the emperor's urgings. He seemed to enjoy making her and Baynetta spend time around each other no matter how much they disdained one another's presence. The prospect of another massacre is the only thing that truly made her interested in going.
Two single Gunship Bombers Advanced deployed from Iron Fist after the Star Destroyer's second circle of the planet. Similar to the LAAT/i (Low Altitude Assault Transport/infantry) in appearance, these bombers were the successors to the original Clone Wars-era Gunship bomber and Gunship Bomber Enhanced. Equipped with clocking shields, and also that of Mass-driver cannons, Composite-beam lasers, and air-to-air rockets, they easily entered Labore's atmosphere without detection. And silently landed about a mile away from the Royal Beach House in the shade of some exotic trees on the large beach.
Baynetta, on Bomber A, ordered only the crew of her Gunship to come with her into the planet; Vader, Veradisia, and Zenevieva meanwhile, on Bomber B, were ordered to stay put with their group until the order was made.
Venturing out of the trees to a certain extent, Baynetta stopped to take a moment and gaze about the beach and its surroundings once more. It was a little after 1400 – mid-day – and as such, the beach was fit to burst with large crowds of people and animals alike, all in, just as last time, bikinis and loincloths.
Nodding at the crowd and making a small forward hand gesture, a split second later, two missiles shot from Bomber A and crashed into the Beach House; bringing destruction to it for the most part.
The persons who had only been an instant before relaxing and chatting merrily among themselves were now screaming and going crazy in madness, running about in terror. Baynetta saw, to her delight, the five-member royal family fleeing the smoking remains of their home, utterly berserk and scared.
Again, with another small hand gesture, two more missiles were fired, destroying the rest of the Beach House and frightening everyone into even more chaos.
Motioning to her team of stormtroopers, Baynetta indicated for the charge, at the same time, cloaking their similar presences in the Force. She wanted to toy with the Laborians for a while before coming full-on-out with the attack. The troopers rushed out of the shade the exotic trees provided and onto the beach; firing, cloaked, at all in their path. Humans and animals of all sorts were shot to the ground dead within seconds.
Five minutes pasted; everyone who'd been on the beach was now dead. With that done Baynetta motioned for her troops to 'cease fire' and come back into the shade of the trees.
Continuing her gaze around the tree she was standing next to, it was to see the royal family still alive and well, if yet a bit shaken. They were currently hiding in a shrub of bushes not far from the smoking ruins of their once lovely home, being protected by the prehistoric looking cavemen she remembered from before, as well as the sunglass wearing-staff wielding bears, Thomas and Roan, and the sword wielding mouse.
Cautiously rising from their crouched positions, they moved as one forward, looking about the area, obviously for the source of the attack. For a while nothing was spoken as the group continued on; the royals crouched together in a knot, flanked on the sides by Thomas and Roan, in the front by one caveman and the mouse, and in the rear by the other two cavemen.
Finally, after an eternity of silence and slow creeping, the caveman in the front growled, "It would appear we have invisible enemies on our hands."
The mouse, no taller then half a meter, cocked it's head and gave its ever-present sword a twirl. "I wonder if they shall become visible if you were to draw a sword through them?"
From out of what seemed no where, shrill cackling sounded all about the Laborean group, making them jump in alarm. The source of the scornful laughter was Baynetta, mainly to spook the Laboreans. And it was working. Even the sword-wielding mouse was scared, though he tried to brush it aside by acting tough.
"You! Invisible enemies!" it squeaked, while the others either shook in trepidation or kept looking around nervously. "Show yourselves!"
Another cackled sounded. "Why shalt I?"
The mouse began whipping his sword around dangerously. "You-you coward!" it shrieked. "Come out now! Or I'll-I'll-"
"You'll what?" the voice sneered. "Stutter at me?!" Another cackle followed this.
"Cowards! Perfidious Cowards!" the mouse shrieked. "If you had enough of a backbone you'd come out and meet us face to face. Not hide among the shadows like a pack of conniving wolves."
"Very well my idiotic mouse friend," the voice answered smoothly. "I shall show you than that we have backbones enough to face the likes of which we mean to destroy."
With a snap of Baynetta's fingers their presences were uncloaked, and she, her team of forces, and that of Bomber B's marched forward out of the shaded trees – Two hundred stormtroopers and four Sith. Plus, there were the other troops that had secretly arrived on the other side of the planet. Already the sound and sights of onslaught could be heard and seen in the nearby cities beyond the beach as Imperial forces continued to arrive by the minute. Walkers such as the AT-AA (All Terrain Anti-Aircraft), AT-AP (All Terrain Attack Pod), and AT-AT (All Terrain Armed Transport) could seen bringing destruction to the city streets. As were vehicles like the HAVw (Heavy Assault Vehicle/wheeled) A6 Juggernauts, the 2-M Saber-class repulsor tanks, and the TX-130T fighter tanks. And the swarms of stormtrooper support simply capitalized this. Labore had no planetary defense system; hence their independence. This was a conquest already won by the empire. Bombers A & B left to join the attack in the capital and wasted no time whatsoever in bombing city buildings and launching rockets at scurrying civilians.
The royals and their six protectors looked on in horror as treachery was brought to their peaceful land.
The Laboreans were so occupied with the assault in fact, that Baynetta led her troops to a halt several feet away from the group without notice. She smirked in satisfaction at the sight of them, dumbfounded with shock and fright so much that they literally jumped when she spoke.
"Kingy and Queen of Labore," Baynetta said in a ringing tone, "I won't bother introducing myself as we've already met."
The group quickly turned as one and bolted back to see the Sith Lady and her hundred some accomplices standing silently before them in a straight 10-person line.
"You!" Out of everyone, the Queen was the only one whom truly looked livid. While the others also appeared angry, they continued to harbor fear within them as well.
"Me," Baynetta replied simply.
The Queen's eyes narrowed and she sputtered, "You-you-", obviously trying to think of what to say until finally, "Leave my planet at once!"
Baynetta laughed. "Your planet? Labore belongs to the empire now as it's been conquered by our forces." She gestured to the continued barrage in the distance for emphasis.
"Empire? What empire?" the Laborean Prince, only son and youngest child of the Kingy and Queen wanted to know.
Though three years had passed, the boy still looked as barbaric as ever with his once spiky hair reaching long past his shoulders and even more bones acquired on his necklace.
"You really should keep up with the current times," she said with the roll of an eye. "The Galactic New Republic is no more. It was replaced by the New Order – the Galactic Empire. And I am it's empress."
"Well I'm Labore's queen," the queen announced. "And I say you can't conquer my world without my permission, which you don't have."
Another eye roll came from Baynetta at the queen's child like attitude. "No one needs anyone's permission to conquer anything. The world has been conquered and its inhabitants will be destroyed."
"You can't do that!" the oldest of two Laborean Princesses – the rainbow headed one – protested.
"Do not attempt to think you can tell anyone to do anything in your position," Baynetta said simply. "For soon you will be dead."
"Ha!" The Queen drew herself up to her full height, a non-impressive 1.17 meters, and walked up to Baynetta, hands on her hips. Her daughters followed suit. "Who says?"
The empress didn't give a second thought to the dimwitted question. "Enough nonsense." She turned to the trooper standing somewhat behind her to the left. "Commander Cody?"
He stepped forward. "Yes Empress."
"Proceed with the plan." Her voice was void of emotion. "Join the attack in the capital and kill everything."
"No!" cried the middle royal child and youngest Laborean Princess, but Baynetta ignored her.
"We," she gestured to herself and fellow Sith, "shall deal with these," she nodded at the group, "ourselves."
"As you wish your highness." Commander Cody gave a salute and marched off with his troops.
"Oh you shall, shall you?" the mouse shrilly shrieked in what was assumed to be rage. It was hard to tell because of his squeaky voice.
Baynetta looked down her nose at the little creature and crouched down in front of him. "Oh yes. I shall."
The mouse brandished his sword in her face. "We shall see."
Baynetta gave him what could be taken as a polite nod. "Yes. We shall."
Anticipating the face lash from the mouse's blade, Baynetta sent him flying through the air and into the nearby east ocean with a simple outward push of her palm. The three cavemen responded by admitting yells of fury and running forward to meet their enemy, chained spike balls swinging through the air above their heads. As one, the Sith backflipped out of the way, and landing side by side, activated their lightsabers. Several swift strokes later, the cavemen fell to the beach floor dead. What was left of the group – the royals and bears – gaped at the sight of their adversary's glowing blades.
"Ya Jedi!" Roan said and turned to his fellows. "Ya see! Ya see! This is what I was sayin'. These Jedi are dogs. Murdering dogs full of witchcraft."
Baynetta smirked. "We are no Jedi."
"What do you mean you're not Jedi?" the Laborean Prince asked. "I see your laser swords."
"Jedi are not the only beings to wield lightsabers young one," Baynetta said darkly. "You'll know that soon enough. Attack!"
In an expeditious manner, the Sith charged forward and the Laboreans began to run for their lives beyond their ruined Beach House. However, they were soon caught up to, and while the bears were easily sliced down, Baynetta had made it clear before arrival that the royals were to be given the most brutal and violent deaths possible. And as such, that is exactly what happened:
Using the Force to retrieve one of the fallen caveman's spiked balls, Veradisia utilized it to brake Kingy's skull with the impact of it crashing down upon his head.
Zenevieva somehow got into a hand-to-hand combat fight with the older Princess and kicked her to the ground hard. Reactivating her lightsaber, she stabbed it into the young woman's chest and then ripped out her heart. The Laborean heir collapsed to the ground dead within seconds.
Vader, first sliced off the younger Princess' arms before then stabbing into her stomach. The fluids inside spilled out a bit more disgustedly then may have been preferred but...
Following this, the only surviving Laborean heir – the Prince – ran to his dying sister's side and began to cry, holding her head in his hands. But once her life left her, consumed with ire, he threw himself at Vader with such force that they were both knocked to the ground.
Vader was surprised by the boy's boldness to say the least, and was about to throw him off when the prince gave him yet another surprise. With his unusually strong hands, the Laborean wrestled the lightsaber out of the Sith's hands and used it, if only for an instant, to cut alongside the mechanical prosthetic Vader had been using as a replacement right lower arm for the past three years.
Roaring at the pain and in rage, the young Sith savagely threw the boy off him and proceeded to Force choke him so strongly his neck snapped in two. Though satisfied, Vader fell onto his back and winced in pain as he studied his sliced in half prosthetic. It wasn't his real arm of course; it never had been. But it'd grown to be apart of him so much over the years that it might have well been his original flesh arm.
Down on the beach floor, Zenevieva was by his side in seconds; Veradisia soon followed. But Baynetta was somewhat oblivious to it all, as she was frying the Queen with Force lightning so powerful that after one grew tired of watching their victim wither and scream in agony, as Baynetta was, they than shriveled up to nothing but dust.
Turning after a murder well done, Baynetta saw Arica crouched next to Anakin, running her fingers through his hair and shaking him, as a way, Baynetta guessed, to make him talk.
"Anakin, are you all right?" The girl's voice was concerned. "We have to get this looked at."
She made a reach for his arm, but he pulled it away. "Arica, it's nothing."
"Let me see it."
"Arica-"
"Please, I may be able to help you."
"Arica!"
"What?"
Anakin just smiled and kissed her lightly on the brow. "I'm fine Arica. It can be looked at later, which means you can calm down now."
Arica appeared insulted. "Who's not calm?"
But at his risen brow, she sighed and began to look slightly embarrassed at the ground. "I'm sorry. I was just worried, that's all."
"How touching," Baynetta jeered, causing Arica to quickly whip around and look at her. "But I'm afraid that's my job Grievous."
Arica's eyes blazed with the utmost contempt possible before she got up and stalked off angrily with her sister trailing after.
Hatred, Rage and Fury. Those are the emotions Arica was feeling as she stalked along the beach away from the wicked 'empress'.
"Arica, wait!"
She sighed. Antellica was obviously following her.
Although things had been patched up between the two, Arica was still a bit distant with her twin. They would never get back the relationship they'd once shared; the years had torn them apart.
"Antellica, please go away," she said, her voice weary.
"No. I will not go away." Antellica grabbed her sister's arm, turning Arica around to face her. The look Arica gave her was a mixture of a glare and irritation, yet at the same time it was expressionless; Antellica ignored it.
"Arica please," she begged. "Let me help you."
Arica blinked in confusion. "Help me?" she asked. "Help me do what?"
"You keep shutting everyone out Arica," she said. "You keep shutting me out." Arica pretended to ignore the hurt behind this pronouncement. "Please, let's just go back to the way things once were with us being the bestest of friends."
Arica gave her the emotionless reply of, "I enjoy being alone," before yanking her arm from Antellica's grip and making off again. But Antellica continued to follow her.
"Arica, please."
"Just leave me alone Antellica."
"But-"
Swinging around so rapidly that Antellica nearly ran into her, Arica rose a single digit in her twin's face to silence her and continued down the beach, alone
Antellica watched her go, but did not follow. She simply crossed her arms and looked sadly out after her.
After Arica stalked off, Baynetta was about to offer some words of comfort to her husband when suddenly the sense of an approaching Laborean urged her to look towards the east ocean. She saw that it was the sword wielding mouse trudging his way through the water, gradually making his way to the shore. His eyes flashed when he discovered Baynetta's gaze and after coughing up several mouthfuls of water, ran out of the ocean at her with his sword raised.
"You will die evil witch sorceress! And your evil sidekicks will soon follow!"
The Sith Lady was actually amused. "Blah, you can try tiny mouse."
"I will not try," he proclaimed getting closer still, "I will do!"
Baynetta crouched onto the ground and opened her arms as in a gesture of a hug. "By all means."
The mouse gave a war yell and threw himself at her, knocking her onto her back. Baynetta used the Force to throw away its sword and began to straggle him, all the while he bit out curses, and attempted to bite at her gripping hands. Desisting of this after a moment, but still holding the mouse in her firm grip, she called its sword back to her. Before slicing the mouse in half with it, she sneered, "You know only fools die upon their own swords."
To Be Continued in Part 2 of Chapter 34, which I will upload as soon as possible.