A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and here is the chapter where the next trial by fire takes place for me lol. Anyway this chapter will display Lelouch's armor I have designed, I went through five different designs before deciding on one, and the characters introduced in this chapter I was nervous writing about. So I hope I got them right.
Anyway I am aware of the new details on Revan and the Jedi Exile, but those chapters were written well over a year ago so they weren't probably updated. I just didn't feel like making the updates since it would froze me to rewrite the whole thing.
Chapter 3
Preparations for the Journey
(21 ABY/2019 A.T.B.)
A week later Lelouch and Dooku made their way back to the Empire of the Hand's main base on the planet of Nirauan within the Hand of Thrawn Fortress as the former prince was sitting inside his room creating a new lightsaber which was on the verge of completion. Once the crystals were installed the young man began assembling the weapon while taking care to make sure all of the parts would properly fit in their places.
One of the specials of this weapon was that its focusing crystals would be from the ancient lightsabers of Revan, one he had wielded as Dark Lord of the Sith while the other during his time as a redeemed Jedi.
After a few hours of work the weapon was completed with Lelouch igniting the blade to test the weapon as he moved it around admiring his handiwork and the peculiar purple shade of the plasma blade of his new weapon. The completed product was a nine-inch long dual-phase Lightsaber. Thanks to some influences by Dooku and perhaps as a result of his royal upbringing the weapon was cylinder-shaped, but elegant in design a reflection of his own tastes.
The weapon was constructed out of a black polished Mandalorian iron with the blade emitter and the stylish integrated blade emitter shroud including the blade emitter control studs was composed of aurodium and then finally the rest of the weapon had a refined and elegant electrum finish incorporating the Geass sigil into the back of the hilt near the end of the weapon.
A knock came at his door which prompted Lelouch to put away the weapon after deactivating the blade rose from his work desk to greet whoever wished to visit him. Upon opening the door the young eighteen year old was face to face with a sixteen year old boy with a scar above his right eyebrow going up his forehead along his scalp. He had a bit of white hair growing around the scar with short hair making look almost bald dressed in a uniform of the Empire of the Hand.
"Colonel Lelouch…sir." Jagged Fel said after snapping to attention saluting the young man who was two years his senior.
"At ease." Lelouch said gesturing to the young man after returning the salute. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Not exactly, however both my father, the Grand Admiral and Lord Dooku wish to see you at once."
"I understand I'll go see them right now."
Jagged lead the young Sith Lord in training to the command center of the Empire of the Hand building where Jag's father General Baron Soontir Fel, Count Dooku and Grand Admiral Thrawn were waiting for the young man having brought his newly finished lightsaber with him leaving it attached to his belt. Like Jag the young man was also wearing an officer's uniform worn by those apart of the Empire of the Hand with the rank of colonel on it.
"Thank you for coming colonel…" Thrawn began before turning to face the young man saluting him while Lelouch returned it out of respect for the Chiss.
"Not at all sir I came as soon as I heard my presence was requested."
"Now that you are here let us begin as I have been informed by your grandfather the holocron you recovered will not reveal its knowledge to you unless you partake of a journey to follow the same course Revan had taken in his finding of the Star Maps according to what Dooku had discovered when he convened with the holocron of Darth Traya upon learning that you had encountered her spirit within Revan's tomb." Thrawn explained while Lelouch nodded to the facts.
"To get to the point we are slightly concerned about sending you forth into the galaxy to follow this journey insisted by the holocron." The elder Fel remarked.
"If the Jedi and the New Republic were to learn of you it could lead to some complicating issues." Dooku added who shared the elder Fel's concerns.
"However I feel we should unlock the secrets of the holocron for the sake of your training for the sake of the plan." Thrawn said while he did share their concerns, but given the legend behind Revan and the possible knowledge his holocron offered was too tempting to pass up. "So our decision is this you will travel alone aboard a ship that we will provide you and your mission will be to seek out the locations you are directed to by the holocron and return once your journey is complete."
"Very well then I'll make preparations to leave."
"Lelouch I will say this only once…avoid drawing attention to yourself, but you are permitted to defend yourself if you have no other choice, but avoid drawing the attention of the Jedi and the New Republic." Thrawn warned sternly.
"I understand sir." Lelouch said saluting to the Chiss.
"Very well you are dismissed."
As Lelouch left to begin his preparations to leave the three leaders of the Empire of the Hand continued their own discussion. As Dooku exchanged glances with the Chiss leader whose life the Sith Lord had saved years earlier, but also worked to use his supposed death to allow the Grand Admiral to fake his demise since in a meeting the two had earlier they knew Emperor Palpatine was on the verge of returning.
Convinced by Dooku to agree to his plan clandestinely returned to the Unknown Regions working with the Sith Lord to quietly while secretly building up and amassing new troops and constructing new ships in secret in preparation for the anticipated invasion of alien beings from outside the galaxy along with the development and construction of the Empire of the Hand's own Knightmare Frames after seeing the possible military applications for them once redesigned and reserved engineered using their own technology.
The majority of the Empire of the Hand remained unaware of Thrawn's survival except for a select few until a few months after the incident involving the imposter incident with the Imperial Remnant.
Part of that plan would be the training and cultivation of a new leader to lead the Empire of the Hand into battle against the alien enemy a part that Lelouch had been selected for. Not only has the former prince being trained in the ways of the Force, but was taught intergalactic politics by Dooku and learned military tactics and strategies and other skills from Thrawn while Soontir Fel also took part in the training of the boy showing him how to pilot a fighter along with other skills he could contribute to Lelouch's training.
"That boy is headstrong and a bit arrogant I hope he'll keep a low profile." Fel said while Thrawn nodded in agreement.
"I trust my apprentice will succeed in his mission. He informed me he had managed to best a Force Phantom of Anakin Skywalker the same man who had bested even me during the last days of the Clone Wars. His skills have truly grown and the fruits of his labors are visible."
"Holding his own against the man who became Darth Vader couldn't have been an easy feat." Thrawn noted.
"The new generation must surpass the older generation such is the way of things." Fel commented.
"However, this means also…what Lelouch will confront enemies what have been forged by the chaos of this era…enemies that have strength on themselves…the Old Sith…they will not kneel and die, as Lelouch changes the Galaxy, and I'll be there to stop them…not again…the circle will be broken, and if sacrifices are required…I'll be there to do them." The Sith Lord replied before he added finally. "Lelouch shall succeed."
"I don't doubt he will Dooku, but I just only worry he'll draw attention to himself."
An hour later in his room Lelouch was packing essential supplies for his upcoming journey while at the insistence of Dooku he would be taking the holocron of Darth Traya with him to continue his studies as he traveled through the galaxy. Amidst his preparations a special package was dropped off for him a change of attire meant for the young man to help conceal his identity while he traveled the galaxy.
It was something of his own design after he beheld the remains of the robes and armor Revan had worn, but thousands of years had caused the robes to virtually disintegrate into nothing leaving a corroded breast plate. Unfortunately leaving the armor unusable, but never the less that didn't stop Lelouch from designing a replacement set of armor drawing inspiration from the remains of Revan's attire. Opening the chest the young man changed out of his uniform and began to don the completed suit that had been made according to his specifications.
Laid out on the bed before him were his new attire the young nineteen year old had created using some of the remains of Revan's ancient robes as material for the new armor salvaging what could be salvage, but even then there wasn't much that could be used. However the young man was already wearing the first half of the new armor which was a black ribbed, padded, multi-ply body glove that covered everything below his neck. This flexible, quilted suit was blast-dampening providing protection against fire and well-protected against explosions, piercing, and poisoning.
On his hands he wore elbow-length long black leather gloves made from a unique micronized iron that could deflect anything short of a lightsaber blow attached with plates of black Mandalorian armor on the forearms while an auto-seal on the gloves linked the body suit with the interior of the gloves creating an air-tight seal. On his feet the eighteen year old wore a pair of shiny matching black all-terrain combat boots which contained shin armor of Mandalorian iron that hinged on the sides of the foot of the boot to allow him to walk. As a precaution for surprise attacks the soles of his boots could magnetically adhere to bulkheads or metallically surfaces if Lelouch wished it either through gestures with his toes or through his mask.
Next the new Mandalorian Iron pauldrons and chest armor laid before him appeared to be one piece that protected his entire upper torso, which like the other plates of armor was outlined with gold, with a v-shaped collar near his neck possessing a white cravat hiding the Cortosis Weave neck brace he wore to protect him from beheadings. The Mandalorian Iron material was dark gray in color with several black vertical stripes. This design was based highly on the pauldron that Darth Vader had once wore, but it was made with slits between the vertical armor stripes to allow for greater mobility. Around the neck of the full-shoulder pauldron was a black and gold cloak with crimson spandex inside and an enormous black cape encircling the head made of the same resistance leather-like special micronized iron used in his leather gloves integrated with armorweave to provide some lightsaber resistance.
To complete his attire Lelouch had previous donned a black armorweave tabard under his chest armor lined with gold closed in the front, but below the belt he wore the tabard opened up to allow free movement of his legs almost reaching the ground stopping near the top of his boots. Helping to keep the tabard closed from the belt up was a black leather equipment belt which also carried a spare comlink for emergencies, a small tool kit, a holo-projector, a clip for his lightsaber, a grappling hook and wire, and spare rations including a small med-kit and lastly the control box for the environmental systems of body glove that was integrated with an advance sensitive temperature-regulation system, which could be controlled by a function box on his belt. The system is powerful enough to such that it would allow Lelouch to walk through harsh environments such as the surface of icy Hoth or the host deserts of Tatooine without any additional protection.
Then came the final piece of the armor was a custom made The black spiky indigo helmet was made from Mandalorian iron possessing a gold variation of the Geass sigil along the lower jaw with the interior of the mask possessing an advance HUD (heads-up-display), which could feature information on the surrounding environment as well as a three-hundred and sixty-degree field of vision and designed to give him limited defense against sonic weapons. Also for his Geass power in his left eye the side of the mask could slide open and allow Lelouch to use it while wearing the mask and it possessed a device that could electronically alter his voice slightly to help hide his identity. The HUD's data streams could be controlled by eye movements and blinking.
In addition to the sophisticated systems of the mask, it carried its own built-in advanced penetrating radar allowed his HUD to provide information on nearby rooms which further helped Lelouch making deadlier in conjunction with his already formidable force abilities. In conjunction the HUD was designed to compensate automatically for low or high light conditions. It possessed built audio devices that picked up on minute sounds and amplified them and could connect with the onboard computer of his Knightmare Frame, assuming the transmission wasn't blocked. The mask has the capability of sealing to compensate for pressure changes, and holding five to ten minutes of air, though damage may disable this feature.
Built into the mask was a built in macrobinocular viewplate, which could be magnified to allow Lelouch to see great distances, and was equipped with, among other things, an infrared scanner that could be magnified up to fifty times. The infrared scanner magnified light up to one hundred times or displayed heat gradations. Then as a safety feature the mask had its own environmental filter system could filter out poisons and contaminants as well as provide Lelouch with a two hour reserve air tank.
Thanks to the nature of his suit one the mask and the rest of the armor was sealed it could also be used to allow the former prince to survive in the open vacuum for a short time serving as an airtight space suit should an emergency situation call for it.
Examining himself the young man was pleased with the finish product having it made to suit his own personal style perfectly. Before trying on the helmet a knock was heard prompting Lelouch to open it and standing outside his door was a familiar fifteen year old ash-blonde haired girl wearing a white shirt with gray paints. Her ability to walk had been restored, but the problem of restoring her eye sight remained so Dooku had been teaching Nunnally the Force as well. However unlike her brother he only taught the girl in the Jedi arts while teaching her how to use Force Sight to compensate for her inability to regain her eye sight.
"Brother is it true are you going on some kind of trip?"
"Yes I am dear sister, but it's a journey its best that I go alone."
"But why must you go brother?"
"It's something I feel that I must do to understand what I must do in the future. But don't worry I'll bring you back pictures and souvenirs."
Nunnally looked at her brother sternly…even without her natural eyesight something about her ability to perceive everything through the Force made even the former prince a little nervous.
"You better bring me back something nice."
"Don't worry; I'll bring you back something including photos of the planets I visit."
"I hope you do because I am sure Wynssa will love to see the pictures too."
"I am sure she'll appreciate them."
Nunnally hugged her brother tightly before leaving to allow him to finish his packing. Once he was done on his way he bumped into a certain green haired witch. C.C. intercepted the young man in the hallway heading for the main hanger where his transport meant to take him around the galaxy was waiting for him, but the immortal woman wasn't going to allow him to leave yet she offered her own farewell.
"Going on a trip I hear…I want pizza from whatever planets you go to."
"C.C. they don't have pizzas in the known galaxy."
"You speak blasphemy!" C.C. snapped.
"Trust me C.C. the fact no one in this base knew what Pizza was until you introduced them to it was proof enough."
"I'll have to be sure to change that."
A part of Lelouch wanted to Force Choke the woman while another part just wanted to start laughing.
"Oh I guess your girlfriend wants to have a few words with you." C.C. said mockingly walking away to leave Lelouch to have a conversation with another woman who had been approaching from behind. Dressed in a uniform similar to what Jag wore the young woman was about his age with a willowy frame and long mid-back length brown hair with all of it from the neck down tied into a braided ponytail she wore over her left shoulder while her green eyes locked with Lelouch's, but not after casting a glare at the green haired witch while feeling almost tempted to shoot the woman.
Although the girl inherited more from her father while taking on most of his personality and work ethic she had apparently inherited her mother's beauty as the girl was beginning to grow and mature into a beautiful woman. She saluted Lelouch before the former prince returned it and informed her politely.
"You can be at east Captain."
"Thank you sir…"
"Was there something I could help you with Captain Fel." Lelouch inquired to one of Jag's sisters, Cherith Fel.
"Sir I wish to inquire upon your temporary leave of absence?"
"It's to unlock the secrets of a valuable holocron we had found when I had revisited Earth upon learning a possible cache of relics useful to our cause were discovered."
"The vision you had…didn't have anything to do with it didn't it?"
"No not exactly, but it did help pin point the tomb's exact location."
The tension between them remain steady, but Lelouch on the other hand was only on guard for another outburst from the young woman who was upset with him due to an incident five months ago during a battle between one of the many enemies of the Empire of the Hand where Davin had been killed after foolhardily charging into the middle of the battle when they found that intelligence that had been gathered before hand was incorrect.
The first half of the conflict had gone badly, but it was only by Lelouch quick decision making and tactical cleverness that he was able to prevent an all out disaster. However during the conflict Cherith was intent on heading out to avenge her brother and her current state would have likely result in her death. Not wishing to have to report another Fel lost to his father and his best friend Jag Lelouch was able to intercept the young woman after ordering the soldiers in the hanger to delay her until his arrival which they had managed to do.
After a brief confrontation with her the young man realized he wouldn't be able to stop her so he was forced with one alternative.
The former prince used his Geass to issue a simple order…Live.
Upon taking her ship into combat the girl fled the battle and survived thanks to Lelouch's order preventing her demise, but due to the fact Lelouch didn't put any time constraints on it the order would now always activate whenever her life was in danger, she felt suicidal or she knew her death was inevitable to force her to survive by any means.
This act of course left some animosity between them while her family was for the most part grateful since no one especially her mother had no wish to lose any more children.
"I hear you are leaving for the known Galaxy for a time." Cherith said coldly.
"Yes its part of a mission I'll be undertaking I am not sure when I'll return, but I will return I can assure you."
"We'll be expecting you then."
"I see…"
Lelouch said before moving on leaving the young woman in the hallway as he made his way to the hanger where a specially, but heavily modified YT-1250 freighter stood for Lelouch's personal use with the ship's second cargo hold was converted to Lelouch's personal living quarters while its weapons and internal systems had undergone a complete major overhaul refitting the ship with military-grade power generators, shielding, propulsion, and weaponry. But since it was meant to be flown by a single pilot most of the freighter's other systems were upgraded extensively to that such that the vessel was enabled to operate automatically, so with the ship fully automated it would make it easier for a single pilot to handle.
Besides its advance set of military-grade shields it included additional shields for extra protection and enhanced weapons along with a few hidden weapons such as concussion missiles and light turbolasers including given additional hull armor to bolster its defenses. For his mission the freighter was also given a new experimental cloaking system built into the ship to help the former prince move about the galaxy quietly and unseen.
To protect his privacy the ship held a pair of concealed anti-personnel repeating blaster cannon hidden at each boarding ramp including hidden security measures inside the ship to deal with intruders such as gas release systems, electrified floors and concealed anti-personal blaster guns and anti-droid measures as well too.
Waiting for him was his grandfather Dooku.
"All of your preparations are ready my grandson, go forth now…" The Sith Lord spoke as he placed his hands on the young man's shoulders. "Go and seek out your destiny. I have the upmost confidence in you."
"I will return with the secrets of Revan's holocron unlocked." Lelouch declared proudly as he boarded the freighter followed by a droid that helped load up the last of his belongings he was taking with him for the trip. After boarding the freighter the young man sat in the pilot's seat before he activated the engines and its navigation system. The freighter lifted off leaving the hanger taking for the sky leaving the planet's atmosphere within minutes before disappearing into hyperspace.
Dooku watched from the exit of the hanger after the ship vanished from view wondering exactly when his grandchild would return.
Meanwhile somewhere on the barren and dry world of the ancient Sith world known to have been the birthplace of the Sith Order in the ancient past, but wandering one of the ancient and abandoned tombs within the Valley of the Dark Lords a lone figure was trekking through one of the tombs not really exploring them, but using the dark side energies of the planet to mask herself from anyone attempting to locate her.
However something caused her to stop in her tracks as she felt something tingle up her spine.
"What was that?" She spoke thinking out loud.
"A ripple through the force…something…is happening?" A second voice spoke, but the words came from a red ghost like specter appearing besides the young woman dressed in dark blue traveler's cloak.
"You are right something is happening." A spoke a new voice as the two saw the materializing Force Ghost of Darth Traya. "Someone very special is about to make his presence known in the galaxy."
Around the same time in a hidden corner of the Deep Core within the bowels of a hidden meditation chamber a young blonde haired youth dressed in silvery robes sat quietly in deep meditation, but was soon brought out of it when he too felt a ripple through the Force. At that same moment on a world near the Outer Rim…specifically on the jungle moon of Yavin 4 inside the confines of one of the ancient temples having been converted to a new academy.
A short blonde haired man dressed in black was also in deep meditation when the sudden ripple through the Force brought him out of it. Soon he was joined by another…a fellow Jedi who too had felt the ripple through the Force.
"Master Skywalker did you sense it?" A female Jedi inquired dressed in simple robes with long flowing silver hair.
"I did Tionne." Luke Skywalker spoke as he stood to regard his student and one of the new instructors at the academy.
"What is it…a disturbance?"
"No it didn't feel like a disturbance…more of a message resonating through the Force itself."
"The rest of the students are experiencing similar sensations in the Force."
"I see…but this sensation feels more like an announcement through the Force?"
"Announcement?"
"He has come…that's all I feel." Luke explained while the two Jedi tried to make sense of the ripple they along with any potent Force Sensitive had just felt.
A/N: On a minor note I am not aware of any pizza like foods in the galaxy, but if it turns out there was then I simply wasn't aware of it.
Lelouch is off and god knows what kind of trouble he'll cause along the way, but Nunnally's own adventure will begin next chapter as she heads home for some unfinished family business. However Lelouch won't be alone in his journey as an old creation of Revan's will be joining him.
*Author begins laughing evilly*
"Boastful Statement: Exterminating Meat Bags for Four Thousand wonderful years and intending to exterminate many more."
Needless to say who will be joining Lelouch…may the Force help us all.