Chapter 6

(Coruscant, Imperial palace)

The summons had come suddenly, and caught Kun in a mild bit of surprise if he were to be fully honest. A transmission had suddenly blared in on his rooms com-station, and he answered what was unexpectedly nothing more than a transmission of nothing but text. It was from Palpatines office and demanded his presence at once, and to arrive at selected coordinates provided in the message.

Said coordinates, directed him to a room that Kun had never been to before but it was actually several levels closer and thus higher up towards the throne room than his high level quarters were. Exar had never been there before, but was more than sure with himself that he knew what the room was. 'A war room.'

Kun thought as he made quick and assured strides along the winding corridors and halls of the Imperial palace. He had ascended to the correct level of the palace as dictated to him earlier, and was now nearing his ultimate destination. Along the way; and the closer he got, Exar suddenly found himself passing dozens of Imperial staff workers, and militarily uniformed Imperials with Stormtrooper and Imperial red clothed guards lining and patrolling the halls, either hurriedly moving from room to room, and from hall to hall. Or standing and mingling amongst one another speaking in hushed tones of uncertainty and obvious fear laced upon their collective faces.

The dark lord passed admirals having heated debates with captains, and officers ranking from corporal to general having stiff conversations on a variety of things. But the dark lord could sense one thing assuredly. Hardly any of them knew what was going on to force the general call from the Emperor and the Executive office of the Empire, and they were all scared to the point of physical trembling.

He finally arrived before a normal looking grey sliding door surrounded by red guards on either side. He merely approached and they stiffened in respect before allowing him to pass though without delay. Obviously their master had dictated thus to them, and Kun found himself in a room loud with mingling voices and bumbling men. The room was lined with massive and eye-catching computer consoles, and monitor displays of various fleets, armies, and populace centers in their views. In the center of the room was a massive circular grey table with a massive amounts of bolted to the floor, swiveling, and similarly colored grey chairs awaiting people to sit in them. Planted in the center of that table; the obvious projection device, normal of a war planning and assessment room.

With a hidden but wide grin upon his face, 'Ah the day is upon us! The hour is here, and I feel just great! What a way to start an evening!' With that he moved forward, further into the room.

The target of his ultimate intentions lay directly before him. The old decrepit man sit lazily in the central and largest back chair of the massive 'round' table, both his bony hands sliding nonchalantly along the arm rests of the chair. A snarl firmly planted upon his fleshy features as the dark side bristled around him in cold, venomous contemplation and rising rage. Were the man even worth a modicum of respect to Kun, he may have respected this dark power radiating off of him, but found himself unable to come to terms with this disgusting man before him.

"Greetings your highness. May I ask what this little, uh, gathering is about?" Kun asked.

"Well, Lord Kun," he slowly intoned his fellow Sith's name. "It would seem that a recent development on the world known as Bestine, or Bestine IV has caused much confusion and apparently fear amongst the ranks of the men under me." Sidious allowed his glowing yellow eyes to slowly trace the room. "Worthless, leaching bunch of worms that they all are." He added after scrutinizing them for a moment longer.

"I called you here Kun so that you may perhaps once again prove your ability and worth to me and the Galactic Empire." The Emperor revealed and sat up in his chair placing his now folded and intertwined hands on the round table. "Now all of you!" He bellowed, catching everyone's attention easily and turning the room deadly quiet. "I want everyone of rank and of importance to take your seats now. We have much to…discuss." The cloaked man declared and soon many men of proper rank and dress were taking seats along the length of the very wide and long dull grey table.

"Director Isard, report at once on all relevant and important data, and do NOT hold the smallest of details back from me this time!" Sidious demanded the red suit wearing, and obviously scared man, as Kun, himself, took his own seat that was spaced quite a few well needed inches away from Palpatine.

"As you will, your majesty." Armand slipped a data chip into the console port at his seat, and keyed in a pass code on his terminal. In a matter of a few seconds the image of a slightly older man, with short looking hair, and no real air of power about him even with his hands clasped behind his back, materialized into a holoimage before the gathered men. "This is Grand Moff Nox Vellam of the Bright Jewel Oversector. He is also referred to on occasion as a Governor-General, and has recently been up to rather interesting activities that Imperial Intelligence only now realizes the true gravity and implications of." Armand declared sheepishly before taking in a steadying breath after no words interrupted him.

"Nox Vellam has sent us this holo message not even two hours ago." Armand keyed something in to his console again and soon a holo recording began playing with Nox Vellam front and center with hands clasped behind him, and chin held high in defiance.

"I am Grand Moff Nox Vellam representing the Moff Alliance." He declared immediately and tersely. "Due to the deteriorating situation within the once glorious Galactic Empire as of late. With assassinations, counter-assassinations, and political maneuvering to remove the Moffs from the power rightfully owed to them, we Moffs of the Alliance hereby demand an immediate recall of the crudely declared, Power Limitations and State Security Act, at once!" He demanded with a sharp rise then fall in his voice.

"For long have we Moffs worked to ensure your total control over this mass mess of systems you call the galaxy, your majesty, and for too long have you abused our loyalty, and hard work with nothing but belittlement and death. For too long you have killed, assassinated, and tossed us aside for no other reason, but your own arrogance, vanity, and self serving pride on occasion." Kun clasped his hands together on the table trying to listen to this mans 'obviously,' prepared speech. All the while he was registering the growing rage of the Emperor next to him, and the snarls he involuntarily made from time to time.

"We see this final act of treachery of yours your highness, and we will not take it any longer! We will not be made to return to Coruscant," the man said Coruscant for a reason, and refused openly to call it Imperial Center. "So that we are to be beaten, ridiculed, and killed for no reason other than your paranoid delusions." Vellam paused as if he expected people to begin chatting here.

"However, we are willing to compromise in the name of the greater galactic picture, in the name of galactic peace." Kun raised his brow, but still said nothing. "If you were to reinstate our titles, ranks, pay grade, and powers, as well as heighten all Moff political statuses across the board then we would be more than willing to returning to living our peaceful lives as servants of the Empire, not he who sit upon the throne." Nox defiantly declared with chin still raised with great, but feigned pride. "As you may well know by now. I have personally lead but our first assault fleet to attack what is now an outlying system in your Empire called Bestine, or if you want to be technical, Bestine IV." He said arrogantly to the once mighty Galactic Emperor.

"Bestine; you will be indeed glad to know your majesty, is proving a hard nut to crack so to speak. I will destroy these defenders and one by one make my way deeper into the Inner Rim, the Colonies, the Core, and then the very Deep Core of the galaxy, and destroy you, milord Palpatine." He declared without a hint of fear in his stereotypically accented voice.

"I have already destroyed the 467th Defensive, and your next feints will be just as easily repelled as well. Refusal to meet the Moff Alliances' demands will result in your fall your majesty, and nothing; not your pet monster Vader, or your new upstart Kun can stop us. You have been given twenty-four hours to respond. War, or peace." The transmission cut, and all at the table made no moves and no sounds other than the rhythmic sounds of shallow, and low breathing. Kun did the same, but in his mind hidden away from the prying eyes of Palpatine he laughed in sheer joy. For Vellam played his part like a class A actor, and Vader would be most happy to know of his success.

"I demand to know how this Moff Alliance has gone unnoticed by Imperial Intelligence at once Isard!" The Emperor finally bellowed and slammed one of his bony fists into the table and shook it with an unnatural force for a man his age. All men; save for Kun, stiffened at once and Armand turned pale. He cleared his throat with a cough and adjusted himself.

"While I do take on my rightfully deserved share of responsibility in this most egregious of oversights. I must let it be known and recorded that I said it here that I firmly place much of the blame on the 'Imperial Security Bureau,' for their unwillingness to cooperate, and share information privy to our directives as has been their agenda to do since the insepti…"

"Absolutely outrageous! I refuse to sit here and listen to anymore of this drivel milord!" Cried Crueya Vandron, as he sat opposite of Armand, and to the direct left of Palpatine three seats away. "As the founder and Central Commander of the I.S.B, I will not allow you to defame me personally here in the presence of the Emperor himself!" He further cried coming to a stand and leaned himself angrily on the table as the age old rivalry of agencies came to a head.

"I will not allow you to dare call me or my institutions out for your own ministry's failings Isard! Clearly this was a matter for I.I to handle, and not the I.S.B, and had we actually came upon any credible information pertaining to Imperial security we would have informed you and your insignificant bureau! Not that it would matter, because Imperial Intelligence is as incompetent as it is flaccid!" He pounded the table beneath his fists as Armand mimicked Vandrons pose and bore stony eyes into him.

"Of course you would have Crueya, of course you would have." Armand mocked. Kun on the other hand used both of his hands folded together to hide a lopsided smirk upon his face.

"Or, the more likely story is that you did know of impending treachery from amongst the ranks of the Moff institution, and I don't know about any other of you men," Armand said waving his hand to all the other men gathered. "But I have a sneaking suspicion that you wanted this to happen purely to undermine and seize command of the Imperial intelligence Bureau!" He accused pointing a finger directly at Crueya who grew red hot in the face with rage.

"ENOUGH!" Palpatine bellowed, and again slammed his fist into his seats armrest sending a torrent of force energy through the whole room with a quake and knocked both arguing men back into their respective seats, and all the others sat stiffly back in fear. Kun merely shook his head. Silently approving the show of power by the old man.

"This petty, and pathetic arguing is not answering my questions! It is getting us nowhere nearer to understanding how such an organized resistance could be mounted against me! Against the Galactic Empire!" Sidious declared to the whole group of men. He turned to another man Exar noticed to be wearing a strange set of robes, and had an entire prosthetic eye from the 'looks' of things. Kun smiled in silence as he listened on.

"High Inquisitor, Tremayne." The Sith emperor acknowledged in a lower more prickly voice of annoyance. "As acting liaison between myself and the Inquisitorius what is the word from your branch of the Empire's Intelligence? Have you at least monitored any unusual activities as of late?"

The man too leaned both hands onto the table and bowed his head ever so slightly. Allowing Exar to notice he also had a prosthetic arm as well.

"We had believed we had stumbled onto a massive rebellion against you milord. However, those initial reports were for the gathering at Dubrava, and we only; of course, just recently discovered that this was yours, lord Vader's and lord Kun's doing." The inquisitor responded with no hint of anger or pride but sheer will to do his duty.

"Other than the reports all bureaus received," he said eyeing the two earlier fighting men . "of Moff assassinations and ordained executions reaching our offices I'm afraid we received nothing hinting at the mentioning of a Moff rebellion. Let alone a; what did he call it? Moff Alliance? This is no rebellion, milord. This is full blown secession!" Tremayne declared but with a soft, and of course deadly to the point voice.

The dark lord nodded his silent agreement and finally laid his eyes upon the ever quiet Sith lord to his right.. "What do you think of this situation, lord Kun?" Exar tilted his head to the side nonchalantly.

"These Moffs are questioning absolute authority absolutely." He said in a very; at least he hoped it was, profound manner, and to his own surprise many military officers nodded their silent agreements. Kun was eager to get the military support required of his mission, but stayed the course.

"If you were to back down to them. Which I don't think was ever your intention your highness, but say you did. Then you will be seen as nothing other than an old man with no power whatsoever left in him." Exar declared and Sidious just watched him with weary eyes. As other Imperials gasped at the blunt words from Exar.

"However, if you were to finally face a full blown war not seen since the; I believe it's called, Clone Wars, then the galaxy and the Empire, and most importantly the people will remember why YOU are Emperor and no one else!" Kun declared with a fist held to drive the point home.

Many military officers seemed to agree and were eager to begin preparations for full war. No more half way wars and petty rebels to squash! A real war to show the galaxy their worth, and the worth of their mighty lords and Emperor! A fact Exar knew, and already exploited.

"Let us send forth a fleet to Bestine!" Kun declared coming to a halfway stand and leaning closely to the withered but potent dark lord. "Let's show these pathetic Moffs fools what a war against you will be like! Let this be the true dawning of the New Sith era! Claim your mantle as dark lord and ruler of all the galaxy, as well as all the force, and be done with these damnable ingrates in one fell swoop!" Exar loudly proclaimed as he know let his eyes fall upon all those present.

"Unleash all dark side adepts at your command! Stop pretending this "Rule of Two," applies to you anymore! Let us quash them and usher in the golden age of the galaxy entire!" Exar banged the table in excitement. As he watched and gauged the dark emperor before him. The hooded old man looked towards his assembled Admirals, and generals.

"What say the lot of you on this matter?" To that many looked at one another, and whispered amongst themselves.

"I approve this move your almighty lordship! As I'm sure all the Inquisitors shall!" Tremayne declared indeed with a voice of excitement, and bowed his head deeply in reverence.

"I second that notion on behave of all the officer Corps within the mighty Empire, milord!" Came the voice of Naval Admiralty Representative, Paccati Syn. The naval officers of all the Empire were being represented by this fool of a man as of this day, but his choice did have clout, and it would be much to the Emperors decision to know if his foolish, weakling followers were willing and committed.

"I would agree to anything that you will my lord, and you know Intelligence will do all commanded of us at a second…no matter the obstructions in our way." Armand declared all the while glaring down Crueya. "I.S.B and COMPNOR, will see to it that the Empire unleash upon Vellam and his moronic crew of Moffs a terror unseen in a decade!" Vandron then declared before casting Isard a smirk of pride and satisfaction.

Sate Pestage had been here all along but chose to be the quiet one, but now it was his turn to lay forth his opinion. "Yes your almighty highness! Let us unleash the full might of the Imperial Army, and Lord Vader! Lord Kun as well." He said nodding to the man in respect, Kun did the same. "It has for too long gone unused but to round-up common rabble. They itch and burn for true and glorious war!" Sate declared with a firm hand wave.

The dark lord moved his head from one end to the other of the table and looked every man over with a critical eye and scrutinized their very bodies then their thoughts and intentions. He chuckled inwardly, 'Such a burning desire for all out war. Even by those who saw the last.' He thought looking over at Armand, but knew he was hardly scarred by the Clone Wars in any way. He thought then of Nox Vellam. Of every traitorous Moff that had once sworn allegiance to him, and now swore to try to force him to do for them!? Even kill he after all he did for they!? 'I who gave you power! I who gave you office and the ability to do as you will so long it did not conflict with me! It was I who created this Empire, and I will not be told how to rule it! Not by Vellam, and certainly not by a damnable Moff of any kind!' The dark side almost screeched to the galaxy in praise. It almost relished and felt the exhilarating drum beat of war and death!

'So be it.' His nose turned to a crinkle as a snarl erupted from the elder dark lords nose and he gritted his teeth in dark anticipation.

"Prepare for war, all of you!" A cheer erupted thus forth hailing him once again as the great Emperor.

For war was thus this day, declared.

(Bestine System, Bestine)

Another volley of mass amounts of green energy loudly blasted forth from the twin mounted cannons of the Anti-Air turrets. In the distance anyone could make out dozens of similar cannons firing; seemingly blindly, towards the skies of Bestine above. Either hitting their targets and leaving a flaming TIE hurtling to the surface of Bestine, or simply exploding in midair hitting nothing at all.

Commander Wellik had been forced, along with the rest of his remaining officer force, leave the com control tower. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since this battle began, and the future was looking bleaker than ever before. Ground force were waning under the constant and relentless assault by Moff Vellams forces. The system, and sector naval forces were locked out of the system by Vellams own naval forces blockading the world and not allowing anyone to leave or enter without their expressed go ahead. The Imperial garrison on Bestine numbering ten-thousand had crumbled to but a single division of slightly less than five-thousand, battle able Stormtroopers and a further thirty-nine-thousand, drafted Bestine militia. 'Hardly the standard worthy of the Imperial moniker.' Camderan thought as he looked at a group of one of the militias teenaged platoons getting ready to move out from the temporary Imperial headquarters.

Camderan had somehow been forced into a position of command among the imperial forces on Bestine after his rendezvous with general Ferroun and his advance force several hours earlier. Ferroun was now in the heat of battle in Barlata city. All the while Camderan was receiving a constant stream of reports from ground forces and advance scouts that both Gasha and Jahnae cities had been turned into slag from orbital bombardment runs, and that Vellams forces had no doubt destroyed the menial oceanic shipyards of the world several hours ago as well.

"Damn it all!" Camderan slammed his hand on the holographic battlefield table before him. He caught the attention of many fellow officers who were stunned by their commanding officer's loss of demeanor and control, but none could really blame him for it either. Wellik did not care in turn as well. The situation was deteriorating and he was in command of forces and power he had never known before or even ever wanted!

"Status report on general Ferrous's current position now!" He demanded and the officer he yelled to went to running his fingers along a computer terminal with great and sudden speed.

"Last report sent in two hours ago, was that Moff Vellams ground forces were advancing on Barlata city capital square." The officer breathily reported. "Furthermore, he reported that he had authorized a 'tactical' retreat and is falling back towards the outlying suburbs of the city." The officer finished looking ever more paler as he went along.

Welliks lips turned into a thin line out of frustration as he hung his head and shook it in utter defeat gripping his mind. 'Where are my reinforcements?! Where is lord Vader?! Doesn't the Emperor know what's happening in his own Empire?!' He angrily demanded to himself. Surely the Emperor knew what was happening yet the idea that no one could penetrate the Moffs forces into the system baffled and scared Wellik to no end!

"Someone contact colonel Otik now! I want a report from sector 1-1-D at 'Seelden' on the double!" Camderan demanded, wanting to know if Moff troopers were penetrating any further into Seelden island as of yet.

"No report in since the last commander Wellik, sir! Contact has been lost for three hours time now." The officer reported and looked just as gloomy as everyone else gathered.

"Report coming in from General Ferrous, commander sir! He wishes to speak with you at once." Officer Roland from the tower declared to which Camderan nodded and stood straight up attempting to at least look composed for the general. "Put him on screen three Roland."

The screen then blink to life and the face of the general materialized. A younger man of his mid twenties. General Ferrous was hardly looked the part of an Imperial general, but the bald, green eyed man was indeed a general of the Empire. He also looked completely drained when Wellik laid eyes on his face.

"You wished to speak with me, sir?" Camderan began. Ferrous sneered, but Camderan figured it had to do with a random explosion just behind the general rather than himself.

"Indeed I did commander Wellik. Barlata is crumbling before our very eyes! I got at least four AT-AT's advancing on my current position and I have no air support, no orbital support, and sure as krffing hell don't have any armored or regular infantry support, or heck any reinforcements!" The general declared as he held a hand up to his right ear trying to block out massive chaotic noise heard in the background.

"I understand you completely sir. So what exactly would you have me do?" Wellik asked as more dread crept up his spine. The general smirked and simply let out a huff in resignation.

"I don't know really commander." The general admitted much to Welliks shock and confusion. IN fact so much so that he did not respond to the general and merely glanced around himself nervously.

The general sighed deeply, "I suppose I could do with a platoon movements update from sectors T through V, commander." Camderan gave a terse nod and looked over a live up-to-date data streaming terminal in front of him.

"Of course sir," He said still looking downwards. "Troop movements have halted in sector T, due to a massive Stormtrooper encirclement of three militia platoons under command of colonel Dreitz. He is requesting immediate aid to breakout, sir."

"Irrelevant." The general quickly retorted. "Any officer that can get encircled like that deserves his fate. Cut all transmissions from his command, and leave him to his end. Continue on commander." Wellik swallowed hard mentally taking note not to do something to anger the general for the time being.

"Sector U is being steadily pushed back from 'Delcor,' city, and lieutenant colonel Welint is reporting casualties on his end to be seventy-two percent. While enemy forces are incurring little loss on their side." Ferrous huffed out loudly.

"I cant believe this madness!" He cried loudly. "We are Imperials for the Emperors sake! How and why are we loosing so terribly to this renegade Moff?!" He demanded of nothing and nobody.

Wellik would have answered but officer Roland suddenly spoke up.

"Commander Wellik sir! Priority transmission has just been intercepted from Imperial Center!" The officer near breathlessly cried out catching the attention of every man present among the HQ, staff present. Even general Ferrous looked on in stunned silence at nothing really, as he too heard the officer himself despite the mass of fire and explosions on his end.

"Well don't just stand there you fool! What does it say?!" Wellik demanded as his heart practically skipped a beat and his adrenaline began pounding in anticipation.

Roland began reading over the text communication and soon began spouting off the words.

"Executive Imperial command from the office of the Emperor." Those words alone silenced any who still dared to make a noise in the room. "Under orders of the Galactic Emperor; his majesty Emperor Palpatine, all Imperial forces on Bestine are to hold position and maintain opposition till the very last man standing falls. Pullback towards central Imperial command is acceptable at this time." Wellik was already shocked at the allowance of a retreat being expressed in an executive directive from the Emperors office no less. However he had little time to mull the information over as Roland continued on.

"Imperial forces outnumbering Moff Alliance forces are en-route to Bestine and will arrive under the command of Admiral Treuten Teradoc; whom has been allotted command of one hundred-seventy-three naval vessels." Wellik could feel a cascade of relief fall over him, but knew the situation was still dire, and he noted that general Ferrous seemed practically giddy at the news. However Wellik furrowed his brow when the communication mentioned a, "Moff Alliance."

'I thought this was just one mans last ditch attempt at holding onto power of any kind. But, a whole alliance of disgruntled ex-Moffs? This goes further than I would have ever dreamed, or ever would have wanted.' The young officer thought as a sneaking feeling gnawed at the back of his mind.

"Initial relief from Admiral Teradoc will suffice Bestine commands immediate needs, until the arrival of Supreme Commander, Lord Vader in approximately, nine hours time as of this transmission." Roland took in another breath. While Wellik and every man present; including general Ferrous, paled at the mentioning of the infamous SC, of the Empire.

"Hold strong and steady Bestine Imperials. Admiral Teradoc will arrive in two hours time as of this transmission. All hail the Emperor!" Was what it ended with in dramatic fashion.

Roland now finished chanced his sight over towards his fellow colleagues and saw them with the same pale expression planted onto their faces as he had on his. Everyone was thinking it, and no one wanted to say it really. But, the revelation of a supposed Moff Alliance left little room for interpretation.

"Gentlemen the Empire is at war. As such we are now all at war as well." Camderan spoke to the crowd of his men and soldiers while Ferrous listened in as well. Stifling a sigh he placed both hands behind his back and lifted his head high in all Imperial propriety expected of him.

"Let us hold firm as demanded of us, and await our aid from his most gracious majesty the Emperor, and deliver to the Empire a grand initial victory against these rebelling scum known as the Moffs!" Camderan declared suddenly and proudly raising a tightly clenched fist into the air, and a cheer erupted from all his men in return. Ferrous then quickly said his goodbyes, and made for his own announcements to his men. All the while the battle for Bestine raged on and needing tending to.

For soon every Imperial officer would be doing the same for their men, and for their worlds. For the fires of war were about to be fanned from what was but a spark, into an all consuming blazing inferno of destruction, and all needed to be ready for it's coming everywhere in the galaxy abroad.

Okay so when it comes to Bestine, some cities and places are made up but I hope that was kinda expected for after all many Star Wars planets have very little descriptions or places already set in cannon. So i hope you all enjoy and review. Thanks again for reading!