Chapter 7

(Imperial Stardestroyer Conquest, Maintaining low orbit above Bestine)

"Maintain current orbital level over the planet, captain. Be sure to maintain our constant and current levels of communication with Admiral Folt, and the rest of his fleet as well." Nox Vellam ordered, receiving an aye of confirmation from his ships captain. He stood over at the viewport of the Conquest with both eyes firmly planted on the celestial orb before him. 'Bestine. But a day ago you were but another world of the galaxy and of the Galactic Empire. No real troubles no real significance.' The Moff mused silently.

'Now you are the very heart, the center and needle point of war. Almost sad really.' Vellam thought as he could just make out several massive pillars of smoke rising into the planetoids' atmosphere below.

"Your Excellency," came an officers voice and caught the Moffs' attention. 'I must say I do rather like the new title myself.' Vellam thought with a slight smile forming across his face.

"Your Excellency, we have been informed by general Seddick, that all our forces are pushing forward on all fronts." Nox nodded with a sense of satisfaction filling him.

"Excellent, truly excellent, indeed." He responded looking to all his men with a sense of mild pride also filling him.

"However sir we have monitored all broadcasts; both incoming and outgoing as ordered, and have found something I think you should see." The officer continued on with a hint of trepidation in his voice as he said so.

Nox waved him off however. "Now, now I'm sure whatever you've seen is hardly worth getting all flustered over." He said dismissively. To which his officer pursed his lips worriedly.

"Actually, your Excellency I think it's quite worthy of being flustered over." The officer said in a fully serious voice. "It is a special transmission from the Emperors office himself, sir" The officers voice now but a mere whisper informed Vellam who quickly nodded his understanding and steeled himself.

"Ah I see. Please officer be so kind as to show me this message than." The officer nodded and led him over to the communications terminal and excused the comms officer who also knew of the intercepted message.

"Here we are sir. I must say it seems clear to me what this message means your Excellency." The officer added.

Vellam bent over the comms officers chair to read the text over himself. As his eyes skimmed over all the information, a shaking slowly crept up his spine, and a knot formed within his gut to his very core even. Brining a sense of nausea and slight wooziness to him. 'So this is it then?' Vellam asked himself, already knowing the answer, and knowing there really was no, and never would be, any ability to turn back now.

"Very well. If that's the way the Emperor wants to play the game. Then we shall play the game indeed." Vellam intoned with a louder voice and catching many of the bridges' attention.

"I have the pleasure of informing everyone here that war with the Empire is now assured!" All men looked to him with mixed reactions ranging from excitement, to shock and even slight terror ebbed onto their features.

"The Conquest has just intercepted as special communication from the Emperors office made for the troublesome resistance below on Bestine. It assures them of an incoming fleet numbering over a hundred vessels and larger than our own. Especially now that several have left us for repairs." Vellam continued on, as he began pacing the bridges length.

"Not only that, but the Emperor is sending the bane of all our existence's lord Vader himself!" Now all the men were thoroughly petrified.

"So, our clear and gracious offer of peace has been met with contempt and ill will. I say it is high time we put the Emperor and his hound in their rightfully deserved places! Let us send word to every one of our allies that war is upon us all, and let this day be remembered as the day the Moff Alliance began its victorious crusade against the dictatorship of Palpatine! Let the galaxy hear our cry of war, and call for change! Let us wage the greatest and most righteous of wars! To victory!" Nox declared loudly holding his arms out from his body in a sign of leadership and power. Every man there let loose cheered, as they felt nothing but anxiety and even fear well inside them, but the adrenaline pumping through them made them feel nearly euphoric in their new leaders words.

"Captain!" Nox called and said officer turned to him and bowed. "Yes, your Excellency?"

"Send out the prepared orders to all our designated allies. Then send out our little Holonet surprise on all channels and every transit wave. I want all to hear my voice this day." Vellam ordered as he made his way back to the viewport of the Conquest. He received his captains aye, and nodded to himself in acceptance of what he had done and was about to do.

'Now let us play the greatest game of my life, Palpatine.' With that thought Vellam went silent both towards others and himself. Further reflection and thought, would only serve to weaken his resolve and scare him further than he already was.

(Coruscant, Imperial palace, Moments Later)

Exar moved among the gathered members of the Imperial power structure with ever intrigued and observing eyes. Among the vast group was everybody he had met at the Emperors little get together. Only now they all weren't so cheery, and easygoing, not at all. Generals looked hard, and readied even aching for a war. Admirals seemed prideful and cheery on their own. Members of the Intelligence and internal defense departments seemed anxious, worried, and full of frustration.

The dark lord walked down another palace hall and noted that Stromtroopers were running almost without reason up and down the halls of the palace. He assumed it was due to heightened alerts being sent throughout all the Empire for the upcoming official recognition of a Moff rebellion and of the war declarations. Furthermore, he noted crimson clad royal guards positioned everywhere, where once they were never seen before, and the dark lord noticed the home fleet of Coruscant was more visible today than ever before that he could remember since his second coming.

'Now this is just great fun! A little while longer and my plans will finally enter into the most fun of my planned stages yet!' The Sith lord thought with a grin forming across his face. He was at this moment making for his room to send out official orders to Admiral Refflet of the 68th upon his return to Alderaan, and to his awaiting apprentice. Whom he couldn't wait to hone his skills through the brutalities and opportunities war offered to a Sith.

Exar continued on walking forward. His pace not that of someone in a hurry, and he really wasn't at all. He knew Vader had this Vellam on a good leash. 'So, why worry over such things when they are merely an extension of your own will personified?' he figured and went on forward.

"Lord Kun!" Yelled a breathy voice. The dark lord stooped dead in his tracks and turned to see an Imperial officer; garbed in the normal uniform, jogging towards him with a pained look upon his face.

"Yes, what is it officer?" Exar asked, crossing his arms over his chest in a look of mild annoyance and authority.

"Forgive me for bothering you, my lord, but the Emperor requests your presence immediately in conference room, four-four-six, just two floors up from here." The officer said between his harsh panting. Apparently he had run the second the Emperor ordered him to fetch Kun. Which amused the dark lord slightly.

"Already? The last meeting I had with the Emperor was less than two hours ago! Are you sure he has requested me now?" The officer nodded hurriedly in reply.

"Yes, at once milord! A new development has formed, and the Emperor specifically demanded you to meet with him. The Moffs have made their declarations before his majesty could convene congress in time for him to make his own." Exar nodded his understandings and force himself not to grin again in sight of the young officer before him.

"Very well, officer. I will make for there at once. Continue on with any further duties of yours." Kun ordered, and then turned on a heel and made for the nearest turbolift without waiting for a reply.

Quickly finding one, the Sith lord entered his desired palace floor and stood eagerly and in silence as it took only several moments for the lift to ascend and come to an ever so slight jerking stop.

The doors slid open and he made out of the lift quickly. Soon coming upon a collective of royal guardsmen, and regular troopers all clamoring around this one room entrance as they all had been pulled to watch over their lord and master.

They allowed him to pass without delay, and upon entering this different conference room than the one from before Exar was immediately greeted with the face of Vellam making a speech, and decided to; like the Emperor some feet away from him, stand and simply listen.

"…it is because of these recent actions that I; and many more of my fellow colleagues within the Moff office of power, have decided to hereby secede from the galactic Empire. Effective immediately the; now officially declared Moff Alliance, will no longer take orders form the Emperor of the Galactic Empire." Vellam declared and Kun could feel the force prickling around the Emperor in an intensity that Exar had to admit was impressive.

"Let all who hear my voice know that I offered peace to his majesty through private messages as to not drag the whole galaxy into needless debate and probable bloodshed, but I was refused and I will not be so easily cast aside. And neither will any other of us Moffs ever again!" Vellam declared with a raised fist.

Kun spotted and quickly approached Armand Isard. "How long has he been going on?" Exar asked and made the Intelligence officer slightly jump in surprise, but he was quick to mask it and regain his composure. "Vellam began broadcasting on a wideband Imperial overriding signal across the entire Holonet about ten minutes ago. He's been going on about how the murders, assassinations, and powers limitations acts are an affront to him and the usual argument." Armand whispered as Vellam went on in the background and Kun nodded his understanding.

"All galactic sectors that will be joining us will be listed in a text release to the Holonet in due time, and any attempts by the citizenry of these sectors, systems, and worlds to secede from us will be met with aggressive military actions. Either you are an Imperial aligned world and therefore our enemy henceforth, or attempting to break away in rebellion, and we are no rebel force or sympathizers. We will not allow barbarous, and rebellious forces to bring their scourge and chaos to our systems this I promise you all!"

The Moff further declared. Kun knew for a fact that part was Vaders doing. 'Poor rebel fools.' Kun thought with a smirk, as he could imagine some rebels being hopeful that they might have had a chance with this Moff Alliance.

He turned to Isard again. "How did he bypass intelligence? Did no one detect the breach of the Holonet?" Armand sighed lowly.

"I.S.B, detected a breach in the Imperial Holonet general servers. The breach was found to not bear the usual rebel or hacker breach coding we had grown accustomed to, and it was soon revealed to be an old Imperial general override code that was only to be used under emergency circumstances akin to the Emperors death or assassination." Armand said with a look of disgust after mentioning I.S.B.

"It immediately shut down all non government transceivers, and forced the government controlled stations to take over all their transmission waves and thus their relays, and a general prerecorded transmission was sent out across the entire galaxy to all watching or using the Holonet for whatever purpose." Armand looked angrier than kun had ever seen before. "Thus Vellam has free reign over the Holonet until I.S.B can shut down the government transceivers or lock out the emergency override codes Vellam has."

Kun again nodded and internally was praising another.

'Ha ha! Pure genius lord Vader. Pure simple genius!' Exar declared as he knew this just had to be on the instruction of Vader. Not even he had thought of something like this.

"Until I have an official declaration of surrender upon my desk I will continue to push into the Inner Rim, and the Colonies. Further and further until the Emperor is neutralized and Coruscant freed of his rule!" Kun snapped back towards Vellam as he realized he missed some of his speech because of his questions with Isard.

"So I will no longer hide my intentions, no longer procrastinate with this heavily laced speech of big words. I hereby as Governor-General of the Moff Alliance declare war upon the now; not so Galactic, Galactic Empire!" Vellam loudly declared with his voice slightly growing hoarse at the end.

"Death to Palpatine, and death to the Empire!" Was the last he said before his message stopped and began to repeat. Showing to Kun that it was indeed prerecorded as Isard had said, and still under Vellams control.

"Mute this complete garbage at once!" The Emperor roared and an aid scurried to mute the recordings, but leave the face of Vellam talking silently on screen.

"I don't know who yet," Palpatine said pointing his boney finger back at the gathered men. "But rest assured that someone here will pay for allowing this Moff to not only form this pathetic rebellion against me, but allowing him to take command of the whole Holonet system!" Palpatine roared causing the whole room to shake in wake of his rage. Exar felt the dark side seething. While Exar sensed from everyone else utter terror at their lords rage, and smirked to himself. 'Don't make turning them too easy please your majesty.' He thought as he maintained his outward silence.

"I demand to know where lord Vader is at once!" An aid of his keyed into a nearby terminal.

"Mmm…my lord he is, uh, still in hyperspace. In um, route to, well here Imperial Center, milord." The babbling idiot finally spat out nearly wetting himself at his lords anger.

"Where is Admiral Teradoc than?" The dark lord demanded further as he glared daggers into nearly all present, as his anger this day would not be calmed. This day he was the mad beast the dark side made him.

"Approximately one hour left until his fleets arrival over Bestine your majesty." Isard commented catching a swift turning glare from the Emperor.

"It is obvious that Vellam intercepted the message sent to our forces on Bestine you fools!" everyone remained quiet. "Meaning Vellam will more than likely reinforce his own position or call for a general attack across the galaxy!" The Emperor looked over towards the Holonet terminal and was slightly eased by an Imperial "technical difficulties,' message being the only thing visible signaling I.S.B had wrested control of the Holonet from Vellam finally. However, the damage was already done.

"Contact all our armed forces everywhere, order a general attack against ALL known Moffs! Whether they surrender or not is irrelevant execute them all! Henceforth all Moffs are enemies of the New Order and the Empire!" Armand pulled out a data pad and immediately began transmitting new orders to Intelligence command as did Crueya to Imperial Security and maybe even COMPNOR, and all the generals and admirals present followed the examples in suit.

"Pestage!" The vizier bowed deeply at hearing his name called. Though he was near shaking as well himself. "Yes your almighty, highness?"

"Prepare for me a counter-speech at once! We will show the galaxy that I am ready and willing for this pathetic war just as much as Vellam is! And be sure to make it awe inspiring, at once!" Palpatine declared with venom spat with every word spoken.

"At once milord." Pestage responded feebly and made for the exit as quick as humanly possible. While Palpatine roared for everyone else to begin immediate preparations for an all out attack and for counter measures to be put into immediate effect.

"Kun, come here I need to speak with you…alone." The old man beckoned after many people already began filing out of the conference room with haste, and Kun had too, already turned to leave along with them. 'Damn it.' Exar thought in exclamation, before bowing his head and approaching…slowly.

The old man returned to sitting on one of the conference rooms conference tables' metallic seats with his two guards flanking him. A look of pain evident upon his face mixed with the furrowed look of rage. For even the almighty Palpatine had to concede to the fact his body was failing with every year he remained alive, and his unleashed fury taxed him greatly.

"Yes your highness?" Exar asked, essentially greeting the man after not talking to him in a long while, and the Emperor simply waved his pleasantries off.

"I have need of your services lord Kun." Exar raised an inquisitive brow.

"Indeed? May I ask what for exactly?" The Emperor studied him for a moment before answering.

"Yes…I want you to address the congress in my stead. I will announce the Empires counter-war declaration and maintain command of the armed forces from the palace until lord Vaders arrival." Kun was taken slightly aback.

"Why do you want me to do it your highness?"

"Because, Kun I have far more important things to deal with than those petty circles of rabble today! If they give you any trouble tell them I said that exactly!" He growled and Kun merely gave a curt nod of understanding. "Good, now answer all their petty questions as you see fit, and be sure to show to those snakes who is still in command here, and if by some chance senators from any of the sectors Vellam claims to be his, don't show. Find them; hunt them down, and kill them like rats!" The Emperor venomously ordered, and Exar smirked in return.

"Of course your majesty as you will." Exar said and then made for the exit, but before he left he heard the Emperor say, "Yes…as I will. Always as I will."

Exar smirked. 'Don't worry old man I'll take care of all this 'hard' work for you.' he mocked and made his way to the nearest turbolift. He had a call needing taken care of.

(Alderaan, Aldera Palace)

Viathan stood with a look of complete seriousness upon his face as his brow furrowed and his face scrunched in hatred towards what he had just watched. The Holonet screen before him was now blank save for a simple Imperial Text declaring the entire net, to be having technical difficulties. He had just watched Nox Vellam spout his war cry too, and felt sure that this had something to do with his master and lord Vader, but didn't want to really dwell on it any longer. 'Bad timing indeed.' He thought with a deep sigh escaping.

He had been training Leia for several days now, and the girl was becoming more and more powerful by every passing day. Heck, by the very hour even! At that thought he allowed a slight smile to cross his face as he felt a sense of mild pride wash over him, and remembered how much he enjoyed being around the girl. After she initially accepted his proposal to train her in the ways of lightsaber combat, and the force she and he had spent almost the rest of that first day beginning to delve into simple telekinetic moves. Levitating datapads, pushing and pulling a ball across the floor, even sensing an opponents intentions and moves in combat.

'She will make a powerful Sith one day. I only hope she doesn't change too much….' Viathan mentally slapped himself and groaned at his own musings. As he quickly tried to toss the thought aside and out of his mind. 'Don't hope for her! Don't pretend as if you care what happens to this…this mere one girl! She is not a friend. She is a tool, or at least will soon be! She will be molded into power itself and she will one day be a servant of the greater image, the greater design!' Viathan thought as a sudden realization dawned upon him in horror.

"Wait…I know that I'm supposed to be doing this for my master." He thought aloud as he stood alone in his masters quarters again. "I do not contradict myself on such a venomous scale…at least I haven't in a long while…not since." His eyes widened at the realization and immediately growled in anger.

'I had rid myself of you months ago!' Viathan snarled to himself internally.

'I told you long ago I would never leave you. I would always be here in the hidden and quiet places of your little mind. Beckoning you, influencing you and insuring you stay along the greater path as intended by the master. The oh so magnificent and wonderful master who ordained your life entire!' The voice cried out in quick reply as Viathan felt immediately ill and clutched his stomach in nausea.

'My new master rid me of you! You don't exist, you are but a symptom of a greater disease!' Viathan declared to the voice that he had been for so long free of.

He could almost sense a laugh in his very mind.

'Ah yes, the new master of yours. Did I not pound the message into your head day in and day out?! Did I not make you beg and plead for forgiveness for walking the very ground he did?! Did I not do enough to break and mold you into the stronger of peoples?!' The voice berated him and snarled. All the while Viathan clutched his head in pain. 'AH! It hurts…it hurts so much!' He internally yelled in pain. It felt like a knife was trying to crawl through his very brain and a vice gripped his head all at once.

'Of course it hurts! You have broken yourself by surrendering to your weakness! You forsook one master that was too hard,' It said mockingly. 'Just so that you could take on the easier of masters! So you could surrender to your weakness you are pathetic!' It cried and Viathan collapsed to his knees as his mind felt as if it was being ripped in two.

Viathan just barely made out the sound of the comm terminal blaring in the room, but all it did was cause his head to pound further.

"Leave me alone damn you!" He screamed into thin air, and continued to clutch his head in pain. The dark side prickled about him, and anger laced with pain was fueling his power. In this moment the voice suddenly vanished and Viathan tentatively, and shakily rose to a stand with his vision slightly blurred.

Quickly making for the comm until he keyed in his acceptance of the call and soon was greeted by the full body image of his master, Exar Kun.

"There you are apprentice. I've been looking for you for at least ten minutes now!" The elder Sith lord said. Viathan bowed in turn. "Forgive me master I was….indisposed for a moment." He said all the while his head continued pounding in rhythm.

Kun however, simply waved him off. "No matter." The dark lord said smiling. "We are entering into a new faze in history apprentice. With the Moff treachery fully realized all Imperial forces must be mobilized at once." Exar intoned with a smirk as he expected his apprentice to know what he was talking about, and luckily Viathan was happy he did indeed know. "As such, I have left a message with the fleet above Alderaan to relay my instructions for them to Admiral Refflet upon his immediate return to Alderaanian orbit." Viathan resigned himself to simply nodding his understanding as his master went on with his orders and speeches. As he felt no ability nor any will to engage in full; or heck, partial conversation with his master at all.

"As such, when Refflet returns, I want you to prepare for your immediate recall to Coruscant. Leave the appropriate garrison behind to maintain control of the Alderaanian population, and recall all other nonessential Imperial forces planet side as well. They will be returning for redeployment themselves." Kun ordered and Viathan continued to nod.

"You will soon taste a true war my apprentice. Good practice for the future I have planned for you I think." Exar smirked. "Now do you understand all of what I've just ordered of you, Viathan?" The apprentice in question nodded again and feebly said, "Yes, my master."

"Very good than. Now, do tell me what has become of our dear princess of Alderaan?" Kun asked as an afterthought. To which Viathan finally fund the strength to smile.

"She has accepted tutelage under me master. You should have felt her power! It was glorious!" Viathan declared happily. To which Kun grinned and nodded approvingly.

"Excellent indeed apprentice. Then you should be indeed happy that I am ordering you to bring her with you to Coruscant." Viathan perked up immediately.

"Really master?" He caught himself and cleared his throat. "I...I mean yes of course my master, I will inform her at once."

"Be sure that you do Viathan." He responded tersely.

"Now, I will be delivering a speech before the Imperial congress shortly after the official declarations have been made against Vellam by our friend the Emperor." Viathan tensed at his old masters mentioning.

"I will not be in contact with you until your arrival at the palace in at the least a days time, at the most several days." Kun crossed his arms in a moment of thought as if he was going over in his mind if he said all he had wanted to say.

"Ah yes, if the princess gives you any trouble about coming to Coruscant; express to her that her father wishes to see her again, and if anything force her. She will understand in time." Kun said and Viathan bowed. "Of course master. Though I don't think her fathers words mean much to her at the moment."

Exar gave a chuckle. "Indeed? Well no matter than, do whatever you can to try and accommodate our dear princess in her travels then. Beyond that I have nothing else to demand of you apprentice. I will see you in a while." Viathan bowed again. "As you wish, my master." Kun gave a mock salute and his image vanished from sight.

Viathan immediately felt nausea return to him however and tried to shake it off, only to hear that grating voice again. 'You do realize that your master will fail in whatever he seeks to do against our glorious lord?' It mocked him with a laugh. 'Perhaps if you spill your guts to the master he may forgive you yet, and maybe even reward you for your faithfulness towards him. He can be gracious.' It offered and Viathan physically shook his head in rising anger.

"I will not betray my new master. This master will soon take the old mans place and then I shall be recognized for my worth! I wont be a piece of dirt for another to step on with impunity! I will be known as something worth keeping around! I will be a Sith lord!" Viathan seethed through gritted teeth loudly to no one, but his own psychotic inner voice, and quickly enveloped himself in the power of the dark side. Allowing it to fill and empower him, and to wrap and enfold him as a shield, a blanket even of dark power.

"Now be gone from my mind you foul manifestation of my weakness!" He growled and attempted to subdue the voice with the force only for it to mock him once more.

'I may be silenced for a time, but I will be here waiting for you, my friend. I am always here. Always will be.' With that Viathans head stopped pounding almost instantaneously and he felt the voice fade away into nothingness again. Allowing him to exhale a breath that felt more like a ton of bricks rather than air.

Looking towards the door to the quarters he sighed and decided it was better to find and inform the princess now rather than waiting. 'The sooner the better.' He thought and strode out the room, and went to work looking for his "friend."

(Bestine System)

The battle for Bestine was becoming more and more of an annoyance and Vellam was growing more visibly annoyed by the minute because of it. His secondary support, fleet had arrived in the system twenty-minutes ago commanded by an Admiral named, Deedric, and was now in defensive positioning around the entire system in preparation for any counterattack, the one Vellam knew was going to come at any moment now.

After he had broadcasted his speech across the galaxy he got immediate responses from many of his fellow Moffs and allies. Reports of anti Moff actions across the Mid Rim and Expansion Region were already coming in with several mass riots on worlds such as Ord Mantell, Juvex, Umbara, and Cyrillia. The local Moff forces were reporting back containment efforts being engaged and mass counter attacks being initiated. Apparently patriotic sensibilities for the Empire were still riding high for the Imperial attack at Dubrava, and Vellam had not taken into account the probability that populations under the control of the Moffs he now commanded may not want what their regional Moffs wanted.

'Oh just grand! To start this bloody war off I have to kill the people I claim command over! Kriffing rebel scum the lot of them!' Vellam thought with seething disgust. Even the first assault at Bestine was taking hours and hours, and yes he knew it was a whole planet but he had devoted so many forces to this attack that the longer it dragged the more useful these troops could have been elsewhere.

"Your Excellency! We have Imperial warships entering the system! They are not transmitting our codes!" his comms officer called out and caused every man present to turn their head in varying degrees of shock.

"Understood officer. Contact Admiral Deedric and put him on screen." Vellam ordered and received the confirming aye from the officer who keyed in the appropriate codes.

"Admiral Deedric, this is Vellam." He greeted to the man who just now materialize on screen. "Imperial warships have entered the system. At coordinates that you should be receiving now." Vellam declared and looked to his comms officer who nodded and began transmitting.

"Yes sir, we are receiving the coordinates now. Shall we make for immediate intercept course?"

Nox gave a single curt nod. "Indeed Admiral. Take immediate command of your fleet and mine as well under Admiral Folt. I must break away and return to Ord Mantell at once to maintain the Alliances' integrity." Nox said with a wave of his hand. "I do hope you understand that admiral." Deedric gave a slight nod himself.

"Of course sir. You are; after all, our new leader." Nox got the feeling Deedric didn't fully believe him, or at the least thought him a coward. Yet Vellam didn't give a damn what he thought to be honest.

"Excellent. Let your strikes be swift and destructive, admiral! Bring down this Imperial fleet and then we make for the inner Rim!" Nox declared and Deedric nodded.

"Very good your Excellency. At once, Admiral Deedric out." Vellam nodded to himself, before turning to the Conquests captain.

"Make for Ord Mantell at once. Leave this damnable battle for others to carry out." His captain bowed slightly.

"Very good sir."

To which Vellam turned quiet again. 'At least I wont be the one dying today.' He mused as the ship gave a lurch and jumped into the swirling stream of hyperspace. Leaving the two forces to enter into an important and decisive battle of this; as of yet, early war.

Here is another chapter people. Next chapter I will go into the battle scene. After all this is my war to describe. :D