Chapter 43
Authors Warning: This is the first chopped up wiki style chapter with lines breaking between wiki sections and narrative story parts. So please know there will be time skipping, and exposition dumps that are necessary for a war of this scale. ;)
(Coruscant, Vader's Palace)
"Continuing on from where we left off, we once more delve into the story of the new brave faces involved in our glorious war against the likes of the URM and scum like the Moff Alliance and all traitors." The slightly portly and graying man said as he faced the holocamera and transmitted full color picture, and had clarity of sound. Right now there was a group of four humans watching this on a large projector inside a very nicely snug and cozy lounge room within Vader's palace that only one knew of and had coerced the others into coming into.
"It's not everyday my fellow Imperial citizens, that we see a boy of only fifteen years go to war to save his Empire and beloved Emperor, but yet here we are. That boy is this young man showing up on screen now." The picture of Viathan came into shot with his eyes a deep crimson, his face set and hardened as he stared into some unseen distance, his clothes were marred, and singed, his hair cut short and matted with sweat but within those red eyes were great conviction, and as such everyone had to admit the propaganda ministry chose the very best photo of Viathan in the field they could. How they got it was a bit of a mystery though as Viathan didn't seem to notice his picture being taken.
"The boy confirmed as being called 'Field-Commander Viathan' penetrated a defensive ring created by famed Clone Wars general Coldor Morlin, who, as any historian could tell you, is renowned for his supposedly impassable and unbreakable defensive fortifications. Nothing but a token force of initially, initially only three troopers, and two Massassi warriors seen here to my right." The picture of a brutish and muscular Massassi standing over a field of battle similar to where Viathan seemed to be popped up and in its hands was a massive repeater that was lazily hung towards the soil.
"Followed by some reinforcements only numbering into the forties range of troops, this commander managed to breach the bunker wall, as we have simulated here, and then puncture a swatch through the defenses of general Morlin, and in the end destroy AA guns and allow for imperial air power to dominate the skies, and eventually, we've been told, he on his own took out the Headquarters of the Moff armies on Sefon and thus brought about the collapse of order and command in totality. I can only reiterate how much of a big deal this is to everyone by stating the facts that before lord Kun took the initiative to retake the Tapani sector from the traitorous Moffs, the Empire was pushed to Fondor. This ground commander Viathan has participated in the battles of both Tallaan and Sefon, and is also the ground commander who subjugated the rebel uprising on Alderaan a few days before this war began. All this news-presenter can say is; I salute you and your efforts commander Viathan, and by the glory of the Emperor and Empire may you bring many more victories and break the backs of all traitors and enemies to the Empire!" One final lingering picture came to screen of Viathan seemingly talking to two Massassi with their backs turned towards the camera with troopers escorting enemy troops with their helmets removed at blaster-point, Viathan had a hand on the shoulder of one Massassi and his left hand was waved out as if he was explaining something to the red being and around him was a littered and broken battlefield, and the news certainly did make the whole scene seem dire, yet hopeful with Viathan being focused upon.
"Wow, so that's your friend eh?" Luke asked turning to Leia who was looking toward the screen with great focus on Viathan's left hand as she noted its bulkiness and...bloodiness. "That's the apprentice to Kun alright. His hair is way shorter and his eyes are, redder than I remember, but that's him. He seems a bit different." Starkiller spoke up from his leaning position against a pillar to their right, as Shira sat off to the left on a single chair, while Luke and Leia shared a central seating couch facing the screen, as the news devolved into the conflict raging in the Outer-Rim between droid and Moff forces on Minntooine.
"Yeah...I can see that something's different with him. He looks more, angry than before." Leia added and not really understanding how she could say that she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know I only knew him for a month or so. But yeah he was...is my friend. I never thought I'd see him being used as poster boy of the war, but then again war has a certain way of turning soldiers and warriors into bigger celebrities than holo-drama actors."
"I can tell you one thing, I am impressed he punctured through Morlins ring defense. From what I could look up on him Coldor Morlin was a great defensive general. It was the basis for any and all future attacks and offensive actions he would take against the droids during the Clone Wars. The droids would just keep coming and keep getting destroyed, and once they did finally stop they would be surprised by a massive surge of attacks by Morlin. Who they thought was too afraid to attack based on his defensive ticks." Starkiller added, both Luke and Leia nodded along, though Luke was a bit more confused about war strategy, Leia knew a bit more than he did.
"His eyes, does the dark side do that? I've seen yellow before, but red? Is that possible Starkiller?" The boy nodded slowly. "Yeah it is. It's nothing too big, some think it has to do with how deeply into the dark side you're in. Some think its genetics, and others just think it switches between yellow and red at random."
"What do you think?" Luke asked, and Starkiller shrugged.
"I think it has to do with your level of deepness into the dark side. If that's indeed true, then I'd say Kun's apprentice is delving into some deep and dark power. It could explain how he was able to break the Moffs. If someone is that deep in darkness and has tunnel vision, he could be a beast in battle. The Force is the ultimate weapon against anyone and anything." Everyone nodded along and Shira snickered.
"What's the problem? If this 'Viathan' is that deep in darkness I'd say he's got the right idea! He should be tapping into some power if he can through sheer willpower alone break through a defensive ring with five men as support. I'd like to get in on that action! Lord Vader has tended to ease me into the Force, but this kid seems fully enveloped in darkness." Shira added with an obvious air of awe and excitement in her voice and green eyes. While Starkiller inclined his head in agreement and Luke shrugged along. Leia however was more musing on the matter. It was after all slightly her fault he was probably so angry. She knew her father was really the one who technically forgot about him back on Tatooine, but really, why didn't she remember? Was she really that enthralled with Luke, and her father that she forgot about others like Viathan? Then why was it she could remember Bail Organa? It was such a curios lapse of memory that it honestly boggled her mind. What made her friend suddenly so forgettable?!
'Oh, this is gonna bother me until I can talk to him again! I just know it.' She lamented, and ran a hand along her hair, which was tied back into an intricate two loops with a central bun in the back.
"You do know that he was also half responsible for my being able to get you from Kenobi and your aunt and uncle right Luke?" Starkiller asked in a probing manner and Luke furrowed his brow. "How?"
"Well, that crazy Jedi woman leader of the URM, Nelrain. She was there, and she was dueling both me and him at once. I think she was trying to get rid of me, and so she told me where you were being taken to by your aunt, uncle and senator Organa. She didn't fully understand that I would surpass her obvious low expectations of my abilities. I told Viathan to hold her back. He dueled her, I assume, and she must have beaten him...and hard if he didn't get up to join the shuttle fleet back up to the Exactor. She was back on the shuttle when I got you, so that's my reasoning. I'm fairly sure he returned to lord Kun on his own accord. A survivor if nothing else." Starkiller shrugged, with a small level of compliment in his voice. Leia looked down as she thought about the woman leader of the URM. She, from her pictures on the holonet, seemed like a hard woman. She was beautiful, dark long and wavy hair, with a darker complexion than Leia's by a long shot. She also seemed fully capable of fighting if she, a woman, was leading whole armies of droids and this new rebel movement. Not that Leia doubted a woman's ability to lead, not at all! This one however just seemed almost as dark in mindset as some of the Imperials Leia knew. She couldn't understand again how her...adoptive father could deal with someone who seemed honestly unstable. However, if she was holding off both Starkiller and Viathan, both of who she knew their abilities, and prowess, then she must have given run Viathan through the grinder in their one on one fight. She groaned and rubbed her forehead, for she realized he must have been left behind, beaten, and broken at the hands of this woman who must have beat him so hard she thought him perhaps dead! She couldn't imagine how it must feel to be in so much pain, and so psychologically shattered and for everyone who you thought allies and friends maybe to forget all about you and leave you, not even bothering to find and check your body, must have felt lower than Bantha poodoo on the importance scale you thought yourself on.
'I really gotta apologize to him if I get the chance. If for nothing else my own sanity.' She reasoned out, and to her side Shira giggled catching her and Luke's attention while Starkiller watched some footage of the battle for Seswenna playing.
"You all contemplative on your boyfriend or something Leia?"
"He is not my boyfriend Brie!" Luke frowned as his sisters voice went from low to a high pitched wail of indignation and Shira grinned. "Oh sure, sorry. I forgot milady. You're a princess from Alderaan who wouldn't be caught dead gallivanting around with Imperials." Shira's voice dripped with sarcasm, as they were after all in the palace of Darth Vader.
"You are eleven right? I'm thirteen, in fact me Luke and Starkiller are all older than you! None of us should be thinking of such thoughts like...petty relationships! We're at war, and Viathan I will let you know is two years older than me! Besides he's a good friend who was very kind towards me, and I just feel awful that I didn't make sure he was at least taken back with us to Coruscant. He must be pretty angry with me." Shira waved her off.
"Yeah, yeah I hear you Leia. I was just joking no need to lose your head over it." Shira however winked towards Luke and the boy blushed furiously and snickered at Leia's expense who caught it and nudged him. "Ow!"
"I'll be a the best Nerf-herder in all the galaxy before I see you laugh at me about my relationships status Luke Skywalker! Or do you want me to go around telling the whole galaxy the son of Vader has a crush on-"
"Okay, okay! Sorry Leia." Luke declared, cutting her off and seemingly shrinking into the couch, with a triumphant smile forming on Leia's face. While Shira cocked a brow but quickly refocused on the holonet when a video of the battle of Tallaan cropped up. 'You got a big mouth Leia, and I don't have a crush on Shira!' Luke spoke over the mental bond he and his sister had been working at sine their father left and Leia found the connection very comforting at times, and so she smiled to herself.
'Then don't go around laughing at that which isn't funny, and you so do have a crush on her! You wouldn't let go of the poor girls hand when she showed up behind fathers cape!'
Luke visibly pursed his lips. 'I did too! Plus the minute you heard about this Viathan guy being on the holonet you all but demanded Starkiller for access to a holonet receiving terminal.'
'Oh just shut up Luke!' Leia yelled mentally and Luke stuck his tongue out at her, and she half smirked half frowned, if that was possible.
"Oh how mature Luke." He laughed and she did too in no time as the twins shared in their mutual humor at the other ones expense, with the two other kids being a bit left out but figuring it was a sibling thing, as the visions and signs of war played before them all. For without humor, war would consume them all surely?
(Tapani Sector, Above Sefon, Stardestroyer Valiant IV)
"I never asked to be some damn holo-drama celebrity master! I am a Sith apprentice in command of a military unit appropriated by yourself and the Emperor! I don't much like having my face plastered on the holonet like I'm going out of style!" Exar stared out his viewport within his shared quarters with Viathan with hands clasped behind his back and a smile plastered across his darker features as the world of Sefon spun before him ever so slightly.
"Oh Viathan...you truly have no insight as to why this is necessary do you?"
"I very much don't! Though if you'd like to tell me master I'm listening." Kun laughed and turned to face Viathan who was standing in his clean and fully repaired outfit, and had his arms crossed.
"Then let me enlighten you some my apprentice. In war, people need their celebrities. It is a matter of fact. Sentient beings love hearing about war hero's and their exploits in war. You being a member to this little domain of people is on my to do list and thanks to your, may I say excellent taking of Morlins position on Sefon, we are in a position to now not only receive the praise of the people of the Empire and even abroad, but also be on the fast track to receiving aid and reinforcements from Coruscant so as to not make them seem like hey are ignoring and not taking care of the commander who they've now made into a savior of the Empire! You have just assured me of any and all weapons and reinforcements I may need my apprentice!" Kun laughed, and Viathan sighed a great heave and nodded, not saying anything in reply.
"With you as a poster boy, and the skilled commander and warrior they claim you are being a truth, you will be the thing that gets me all I need, and on top of that I will receive my own little bouts of praise, until soon I am my own full fledged war hero. Following us will be the Vader's. For when we are all made hero's and the old man, the Emperor, is unwittingly made into a lazy old decrepit man on a throne, we will gain the unspoken, and spoken support of the masses, and win our rule and right to rule through the mob!" Exar laughed as the idea of the masses falling in love for he and his and Vader and his kind was so sweet and idea, he could nearly taste it!
"Tapani is all but ours now, take a look for yourself." Kun waved his hand toward the viewport and Viathan stared at him awkwardly for a moment before going forward and taking in the sight of fifty newly built and ready Imperial warships. Gladiator, Imperial, Victory, Tartan, Broadside, and Interdictor classes all prepped and ready to be put to his and his masters use. A 'gift' from the Emperor pulled from the Core Worlds reserve fleets, that were now mounting the border of the Expansion-Region getting ready for the mass push to come as soon as Tapani was re-secured. On top of his fleet and assurances that a stream of reinforcements were at his disposal and that Fondor would be positioned to send him new and repaired ships at his command, as Kuat is positioned to take commands from lord Vader in his own dealings. The real surge of the war and the coming bloodletting would make these early days seem like nothing. Viathan, Kun, and everyone else could feel it in the air. Turning back to his master he slouched his shoulders and relented on his masters reasoning for making his face a plastered imagine across the holonet.
"Very well master. I will play the poster boy. I will however never be the one to talk. I would rather be fed to a Nexu then talk to any of the obviously state-controlled holonet news stations."
"Hah!" Kun laughed. "Fair enough my apprentice. Now come, we have a lot of planning to do for the campaign! Plus I want to test out some of these new toys. The Tapani sector is quite large and Grand Admiral Grant has made contact with several of the nobility houses. However, they are proving far too afraid of Moff stationed forces to commit to realigning with the Galactic Empire. As such we need to make Morlin call up his reserves and quick to gain some support from local forces under the command of the noble houses."
Viathan nodded as he and his master approached a holo of the sector again, and Sefon was what they were centered on and Kun exited out to the whole sector.
"Our primary objective at this juncture will be to secure the Shapani Bypass section within the sector and secure the trading route. A fleet of forty-five from the repaired ship pool will be on patrol after we secure the route. To do this, Viathan, I will be sending two fleets out. Admiral Ulan, and Admiral Refflet will join their forces and they will assault and fully blockade Mrlsst. The Moff forces there Morlin has no doubt doubled and secured beyond even his normal defensive regimen. Imperial Intelligence, for what they're worth say at least three million enemy forces will be waiting on Mrlsst. Therefore blockade, and starving them out along with their in time increasingly volatile and rabid population will be what is best. That will require that we defend the space above Mrlsst to the best of our abilities for some time period." Viathan nodded when an image of Mrlsst appeared from the holo. Next to it a holographic list of details including the fact it had a nine-billion population size in total.
"The fleet would need a good composition master. I would recommend we utilize several of the Interdictor ships to dissuade Morlin from sending in more ships. Having Interdictor ships surrounding the planet will force Morlin to take them into account and his fleets would have no means of escape or retreat should they begin to lose the battle. They can come for attack, but never leave for retreat." Exar nodded and placed a hand to his chin and smiled.
"That's a wonderful idea. Now we will also need to take the other prizes of the Shapani Bypass. Both Lamuir four and seven must fall, and I'll assign that duty to admiral Kinti and his task force. While you and I manage our own tasks, that being for you, Aleron. Enemy naval forces will be little to none there, so I am sending you with a highly ground oriented task force to take down the Moff operations there. Tamber and Alisandor will fall next, to me. I will make for Tamber myself and manage Alisandor myself." Viathan nodded and Exar smirked as he ended the hologram.
"I sense great things for us Viathan. In no time at all, a few years more at most maybe, and we end this war and take this galaxy, you and I."
"Yes my master." Viathan bowed, and both master and apprentice readied then to make even further war upon the Moffs within Tapani.
(Calamari Sector, Minntooine System)
"All forward attacking ships, this is admiral Ackbar, I am ordering a full broadside turn and firing bombardment on the enemy fleet! All fighter and bomber wings I want at the back and coming in as secondary waves after initial strike from all ships. Proceed with new orders immediately!" Ackbar swiveled in his seat aboard his personal MC80 Liberty class Mon-Calamari star cruiser and banked to look more fully out his frontal viewport with his Mon-Calamari crew running about to micromanage his ship as he did so for an entire fleet. The Moff alliance currently held Minntooine within his home sector and he needed them pushed out if the URM were to benefit from his sector at all, and the Mon-Calamari line of warships they could have up and running. The Moffs however had at least four dozen ships of various classifications, while he was working with all of fifteen. He had jumped in with twenty-two but circumstances being what they are he lost some along the way. His forces had landed a token army of twenty-thousand B1 battle droids with three-thousand B2's down on Minntooine itself, but the Moffs had a garrison numbering sixty-eight thousand and they were for once doing well in the field of battle.
"Admiral sir, we can't hold! All ships going broadside are being hit too hard by elevated Moff Stardestroyers, Imperial class!"
"All take evasive actions, bank up, and fire into the underbellies, all bombers lead in then and draw fire from level Imperial vessels, and attack all enemy turrets and gun emplacements on their Stardestroyers."
"Aye admiral Ackbar sir!" The good Mon-Calamari officer replied and sent out the orders as Ackbar steadied himself as his ship shook from enemy fire. His console sounded an alarm as a Moff set of four Tartan cruiser sped along side his ship and fired at maximum velocity and punctured several subsections of his ship.
"All starboard weapons concentrate fire on the Tartans now!"
"They can't sir all automated turrets are not responding! Technicians are booting up pilot control, but the main weapons computer is not responding we think it may have been damaged!" Almost as if the Force wanted to agree the ship shuttered and Ackbar could see a piece of the MC80 starboard wing break off.
"Seal the breaches! Don't allow too much air to escape into the vacuum!" Ackbar did not like to admit it when it happened, but these were one of those horrifyingly difficult situations in which he wasn't sure he would win or let alone live after this.
He sighed as he placed a fishy left hand to his temple, when two of the Tartans could be seen circling in front of his ship to pass port-side and he felt his body tense as he awaited the inevitable deadly attack.
Then a flash of brilliant light and the two Tartans blew before the ship and everyone averted their eyes or blocked the light, and Ackbar released a great sigh of relief when he saw them gone, from over the bridge a flurry of; no an armada of Vulture droids flew over head and toward the massive engagement.
"Admiral sir, we're being haled from a...new fleet behind us."
"A new fleet? Are they transmitting friendly codes?"
"Aye admiral sir they are. Supreme Commander Nelrians codes are coming through." Ackbar went wide eyed and he pulled up the information coming in on the new fleet and his eyes went wider than usual.
"Yes put her through at once." The officer did as told and within moments the smirking face of his Jedi SC came into screen with a Mandalorian...or at least someone wearing Mandalorian armor behind her looking to the side, no doubt out a viewport.
"Gial, it's good to see you still kicking and breathing! I'm sorry for my tardiness, but let's face it you weren't expecting me. I hope your sensor array still works, because otherwise you're not gonna believe what I've brought to this party." She smiled broader and Ackbar laughed.
"My sensors still work Kellia thank you, and we thank you for your support, some droid techs would be nice for added support. I can see you have two Lucrehulks with you!"
"Two Lucrehulks, fifteen Munificent, thirteen Providence, eighteen Recusant and three Dreadnaught class ships to be exact with many millions of my pretty droids. Oh! I almost forgot several thousand droid fighters and bombers are now at your disposal admiral. I have however retained full command of my Tri-fighters and Hyena-class bombers. They are going to play on Minntooine itself as we speak."
"Understood madam Nelrain. I could use your Munificent and Recusant classes at the front with the Providence classes at the secondary lines, and if I heard right those Lucrehulks have excellent firepower. Mind concentrating those quad-cannons on those elevated Stardestroyers? They've been causing us great pains throughout these last two days."
"Not a problem my friend, Nelrain out." Her image disappeared and Ackbar leaned back into his seat as he watched the new droid fleet pass over his MC80 and begin long range engagement against the Moffs and drew their attention from his fleet remnant.
Over the admirals ship flew a sudden and like a swarm of locusts, armada of droid Tri-fighters that blotted the vision of his ship as they raced toward Minntooine and bypassed the enemy and allied fleets with token attacks being carried out against them with allies providing support as they went. They screeched through the air as they punctured the atmosphere and in waves sections of the Tri-fighter fleet banked and took on dive bombing formations with the red eyes of these ships focusing in on targets preplanned by their new mistress some hours ago based on intelligence reports. They breached through layers of clouds when they were then exposed to the very few cities on the islands and then the screeching AA fire meeting them with the signs of ground battle ripping across the city.
The lead Tri-fighter made the order and in a dazzling display thousands, upon thousands of blue streaking missiles flew from the droid fighters down toward the enemy lines and cities and the planet erupted in what seemed like endless explosions as the missiles made their targets. Through the fire and burning soil, the dark clouds of explosives and burning Moff bodies and gun emplacements, the Tri's began firing their red bolts of cannon fire into the Moff strongholds and sites planet-side, and eruptions of further smoke and ash flew into the air as scorched soil flew out and forth in all directions. As they got too close to the ground they pulled her left and right up and down and avoided it in a synchronized swarming tactic truly meant for total destruction at the best of their abilities.
Following Hyena-class droid bomber squadrons came in escorted by Vulture wings and dropped massive tons of their explosive payloads across the world of Minntooine. It one single fell swoop by thousands upon thousands of fighters and bombers the Moff lost over thirty thousand troopers. A great massacre had taken place in which the droid armies of the URM fully showed the weakness of the Moffs. Yet there would be no mercy. The URM fleets above Minntooine utterly devastated the Moff fleet with only two ships escaping to fight another day. All Moff forces planet side were fully annihilated to the last soldier, and last officer.
"I do hope you don't have sensibilities when it comes to devastation against an enemy force." Kellia asked as she and Jodo looked over a droid mounted cam that looked over the devastation of Minntooine some hours later when all had calmed and before the screen were many charred and blown apart white-armored bodies, with some droids littering the fields.
"I don't have a problem blasting down what can blast me down in kind lady." Jodo retorted with a snort of seeming indignation, and Kellia laughed.
"Good. Very good. Because we're not here to play nice with the enemy. We're here to kill and survive and build what we desire and know to be better. To do anything less is mountable to doing nothing at all." She reasoned out as she passed by her B2 guards and looked over holographic reports streaming in over a large console screen, as Jodo continued to look over the battlefield. The only real movement being Vulture droids scanning the skies and below, with droideka units rolling across the small islands in search of Moff stragglers.
"Well I gotta say you know how to make an entrance. I think the Moffs are now more scared of you then they are that old man on Imperial Center." Kellia laughed but didn't offer anything else really as she continued to look over reports.
"You got guts I'll give ya that lady, and for an ex-Jedi you got little restraint against the Moffs and Imps, it's rather endearing actually."
"Oh? Well when you have seen battles, and war time and time again, and blood soaked battlefields, burnt and scorched worlds, the stomp of droids, and cries of Clones, the fall of Jedi and Sith alike you become jaded. What is death but the end of a cycle of one life? It is an inevitability, and based on your choices and circumstance your death will come in a manner you put upon yourself. Step in my way and you will find yourself at an end far sooner then you would with me." She further reasoned with an unseen shimmer of yellow passing across her eyes that neither one could see, as the darkness whispered through the air and grappled at them.
"So, what do you say Commander Kast? Feel up to playing your part and earning for yourself and the galaxy glory, for your name and the greater cause?"
"Sure do, but under one condition, or two really, if I'm gonna be honest here." Kellia crossed her arms and turned to him.
"Name them, and we'll see what I have to say on the matter."
"Since you're gonna be trotting around the whole Outer-Rim blasting down Moff and Imp alike, I want in on all your action that you ca get me in on. I also want leeway to assemble a team that follow my orders, and are mine to command in full. I'll be responsible for them and any mistakes or hiccups they may cause. Other than that, give us some battles to make some names, bolster our skills push out the bad guys and we're good to go Nelrain." Kellia tossed her head up in thought but only took a moment to shrug her concession.
"No problems from me on the matter. Just keep them in line and don't force me to have to explain them to the Council unnecessarily. The last thing I need is some of those more politicians types breathing down the back of my neck based on actions by whoever it is you got in mind."
"Fair enough. I got a few guys in mind though already. They will be good for the jobs I'm guessing I'll be handling."
"Front line ops, and probable behind enemy lines operations to hamper enemy capabilities." Kellia added preemptively, and Jodo merely nodded.
"Good then. Gather your little team of friends, and rejoin the fleet. As soon as Minntooine is fully secured we make war on all none URM positions within the Calamari Sector, so follow the holonet. They love war more then their celebrity sexual misadventure scandals anyways." Kellia said disgustedly and Kast chuckled tersely, before silently making for the very massive docking bay of the Lucrehulk he and Kellia were aboard, renamed by Nelrain to the Sufferance. From there without further notice nor any need to make notice disembarked for the good old Smugglers Moon, Nar Shaddaa.
Kellia on the other hand returned to looking over a map of the Outer-Rim and took note with a smile that the Moffs were going wild over their channels at the sight of Lucrehulks and droid fleets en-mass attacking them in the Calamari, Arkanis, and Brema sectors. Not but a day later the loss of another three worlds for the Moffs was reported with many tens of thousands dead in the end. Droid losses were minimal at best, and Kellia could only laugh. For it would seem in the lull from the Clone Wars the Stormtroopers had truly gotten ineffective to the point droids, B1 series even, were taking them down without any real resistance. So for Kellia this galaxy was hers...or the URM's rather, for the taking.
(Stardestroyer Exactor, Above Tion)
"Lord Vader, I have been informed that beyond a full URM naval retreat our combined ground forces have punctured the AA guns and have successfully landed planet-side. No droid forces have yet been encountered, only local militia and some outdated armored elements." Vader turned to look at the human sized hologram of Vice-Admiral Thrawn who reported to him from aboard his own Stardestroyer, the Admonitor, and he reported with great tact that Vader wished more like Thrawn were within the navy. The Empire anti-alien officer 'humanocentrism' be damned, but it was his masters call not his.
"Very well Vice-Admiral. Tion will fall within two days, or it will be leveled. Either way, the Emperor has commanded this world to fall, and fall it will. However...let's not get too hasty to take the world I suppose." Vader said and for a moment Thrawn went a little wide eyed at such an idea coming from the Supreme Commander who has and would level whole worlds for less of a reason.
"Send in all TIE bomber wings we have. All of them. Take out the planetary shields so our ships have free capability to provide orbital bombardment. Then seek out all enemy heavy gun emplacements, and fire at will." Vader paused but turned to Thrawn as if he was having trouble deciding what to say next and Thrawn just stood with hands clasped and in silence as he waited his lord to command him.
"All enemy combatants who surrender themselves to us will be considered...prisoners of war, and given treatment as such." Thrawn silently couldn't believe this! Was this the same Vader that he knew of so well, and had heard stories of his brutality and contempt for officers who did not follow or carry out his commands to the letter?!
"Yes, of course lord Vader. I will relay that order to all ground commanders at once. The Tionese do not have a large militia so they will not last the night I project, and if the planet shield falls we will have open access to the whole planet. They may well, based on my calculations, see the fall of their shields as the end of their resistance. For, if you don't mind me saying so my lord, they would fear you would obliterate their world in totality."
"A fine assessment admiral." Vader simply said and Thrawn was pleased to hear his lord say this, it was a compliment after all wasn't it? "Heavy units, and armored battalions will secure all the main cities as soon as they enter the regions, or the world surrenders. No massacres are to take place, and we need not cause the world any unnecessary hardships. I think you would agree admiral, doing so would only strengthen rebel sentiments out here in the Outer-Rim if we were to be so brazen in our attacks correct?"
"Why...yes my lord. What would be perceived as unnecessary killing and Imperial genocide would turn only more against the Empire toward either the Moffs or URM. In order to truly win any civil war the government must win over the people."
"A very strong sentiment that I think is in dire need of employment. All courtesies and aid to the civilian populations after the planets fall will be given by my executive commandment. Is that understood admiral?"
"Yes lord Vader." Thrawn bowed and Vader nodded as he stared out his viewport with the holo of Thrawn beside him. Behind his mask Vader closed his eyes and went into the Force and sensed the deaths taking place below and all around, and to be honest he felt tired. He had been feeling tired of all the fighting and plotting for a few days now, but being all the kriff way out here in the Tion cluster only exacerbated his weariness. Vader didn't know anymore. Since getting his body back, thanks to Kun of course, and both his children...again sort of thanks to Kun, he had been less and less inclined to feel so...bitter at the galaxy. Lately, besides the Emperor, Vader had been struggling to get angry with every little thing anymore, and it started to get to him. The battles and wars unlike before where he could throw his whole being into conflict and into the eventual victory, now he found himself really just wanting to be back on Coruscant...with Luke and Leia, and how pathetic was that?!
'I'm a dark lord of the Sith! Second to the Emperor himself, and here I am whining to myself on my desires to be with two children. One of them I'm sure hates me on a level and the other seems to be aloof, but at least accepting and caring.' The dark lord relented staring out his viewport with ships flying by and forth. Re-crossing his arms he continued to silently stare and would for quite sometime, and his musings went silent as well. A form of utter silent contemplation where thoughts went from one to the next without a real connecting thought took place within his mind. Silence stayed with the unmoving and dark monolith man as his officers worked about with the constant hologram of Thrawn nearby adding his own thoughts and input, as their lord Vader just silently watched. For in time Tion fell. Many thousands would be dead from this fight as well, and there would be but one new world fought over and taken within several hours, with URM reprisal assured, and reinforcements called from the Core. It wasn't until Tion fell that lord Vader actually congratulated admiral Thrawn and his captain Piett, before leaving the bridge to speak with the Emperor. It was a surreal day for the men of Death Squadron as they all came to believe, and rightfully so, that their lord Vader was depressed, and for the life of them all they didn't understand nor really wanted to understand why, or even how that was done.
(General POV)
The second Imperial loyalist wave against the Moff positions within the Tapani sector, was met with a very stiff Moff naval opposition. Moff Ardus Kaine was transferred up from his Outer-Rim attacks and was put on co-command of the Tapani defenses with General Coldor Morlin as acting ground commander. The six planet assault by the Imperial forces under Kun went horrifyingly well for the Sith lord. Above Mrlsst the Imperial fleet numbering seventy-eight jumped in and met with Kaine's fleet codenamed Reaper Force the fleet numbering sixty-seven ships. In the ensuing carnage Kaine held the line for two straight days of intense naval engagement with lead admiral Refflet forced to call in another twelve ship fleet. A half day more it took but finally the united forces of admirals Ulan and Refflet destroyed eighty percent of Kaine's forces. Leaving only Kaine to escape in his one Imperial class Stardestroyer.
The ensuing blockade saw immediate fear and terror sweep across Mrlsst. The local defensive garrisons of the world still on the Moffs side made ready for the inevitable invasion by the Imperial forces but nothing happened for a day, then two, then a third, and beyond that a week and more kept passing by. Soon however the Imperials began dropping in many hundreds of bombers descend from the heavens and began bombing Moff installations and AA gun emplacements, but more importantly storage and power facilities all across the world, as a doctrine of starving them out and blinding the populace of Mrlsst took full effect. In a matter of a few weeks more it was reported that civilian uprisings took place all across the world as the situation became truly dire. No food, and little clean water with what was available being taken by Moff forces pushed the civilian forces over the edge. Moff forces fired upon the civilians to protect themselves and one of two things then happened. One, the civilians gave up attacking the Moffs and turned on one another in scenes of horrendous cannibalism. Or they redoubled their efforts and charged into Moff positions in swarms with the Moffs falling to the sheer amount of enemy forces. It would remain like this until lord Kun finally gave the order to invade, and as it was now, that still seemed quite far away as weeks turned into inevitable months of despair upon Mrlsst.
The double pronged attack upon both Lamuir four and seven did not play out as Exar Kun planned at first. Admiral Kinti was given command of a Task Force devised of eighty-six ships of mixed vessels. The admiral had decided to split his force down the middle. Forty-three ships for both fleets with his own second in command, Captain turned Temporary admiral Looron Kiell, heading the fleet bound for Lamuir seven. The Moffs redoubled their defensive lines along the Shapani Bypass. Two sector sized fleets were divided into four and two sub-fleets sent to bot worlds. One sub-fleet to defend the world proper and the second to remain outside the system. Kinti and Kiell launched their attacks and after two days of battling it out with the Moffs the Moff fleets were in full disarray, until the sub-fleets jumped in from beyond the system. Admiral Kinti ordered Kiell to retreat from Lamuir seven to rejoin his forces above Lamuir four. As a united front the two battle hardened but severely damaged fleet held off a full Moff victory, but the Moff forces followed Kiell from Lamuir seven. Causing a massive in scale battle to take a further two days above Lamuir four.
Admiral Kinti was forced to call for reinforcements from lord Kun who rerouted another fleet from Fondor sized at thirty-seven ships. At the head of this fleet was four more Imperial-class Stardestroyers that finally aided in pushing the Moffs from Lamuir four. Lamuir seven would not be attacked again for some time. In time it would be Kun who would order a second seizure with a fully operational and repaired fleet at the head was Kinti once more, and in a few weeks time since the first battle of Lamuir seven, another would take place that would cost many thousands of lives. All the while the ground battles for both Lamuir four and seven would rage across the worlds. The Lamuir battles costing on total over a million and a half deaths.
The next battle of the Tapani campaign was Viathan's battle upon the world of Aleron. The initial Imperial naval task force of twenty ships, with a number of Gladiator-class ships, with one being taken by Viathan personally named the Domitor, arrived above Aleron with menial naval resistance. Ardus Kaine had not prioritized Aleron with the battles raging for Lamuir four, and seven along with Tamber and Alisandor taking up much of his focus. However against his recommendation general Morlin had sent another five divisions to reinforce the Moff garrison upon the world, bringing Moff numbers up from twenty-eight seventy-two thousand in totality. Viathan's fleet destroyed the three Victory-II class ships above the world with ease, and he, a fifteen year old teen, commanded an entire army to land on the world, and followed shortly after with his ever loyal and battle ready Massassi warriors Grash and Zar by his side.
The Imperial forces under Viathan numbered beyond the Moffs, into the eighty-two thousand realm, and were better supplied, and better equipped, however, Morlin had learned of Viathan's arrival upon Aleron and personally set up the defenses and in the deserts and canyon regions of the world, the Moffs set up strongholds that would take literal weeks to break even with bombing raids being unopposed upon the world. Ultimately it was the canyon regions that gave Viathan and his men a slog through hell. The Moffs had set up a funneling position within several canyon systems, where Imperial loyalist troopers would need to march through the narrow passages. Both entrance ways into the canyon would force the loyalists to come at the Moffs from easily defendable positions, with Moff forces setting up vast anti-infantry networks of turrets and heavy repeater positions that mowed down thirteen-thousand Stormtroopers alone.
Viathan however personally led many frontal wave attacks into the positions, utilizing pincer attacks from both sides and the upper canyon walls to mount sharpshooters and artillery units the brought down the face of the inner canyon walls in massive rock slides to crush enemy forces and their positions. The Moffs managed to hold for a long time however before they began to fall apart. Viathan began using mass amount of walkers in his attacks. Three AT-AT walkers from one entrance with repulsor tanks as light armor support and fast deployed trooper platoons mounted on MAAT gunships. The other side would see possibly ten to fifteen AT-ST walkers supported by slow moving platoons of Stormtroopers moving alongside the walkers with TIE maulers and Imperial Century tanks. Viathan finally broke the Moff stronghold two weeks later after the initial landings upon Aleron with Viathan once more in the spotlight for breaking a Morlin made defensive position. He didn't seem to enjoy the attention all too much, as evidenced by his refusal to ever look the propaganda ministries holocameras dead on and always seemed to look elsewhere but the cameras. Whether they were being manned or were automated, didn't matter. They only sought to make him more uncomfortable. The more embarrassing of moments for the propaganda ministry was perhaps the time they chanced trying to on-the-spot-interview the young Sith-
"Commander Viathan! We're with the Imperial Ministry of Information's new War department, and I was sent to ask you a few questions about your recent battles, and victories!" The armored but obviously not a clone man asked approaching the darkly clothed boy who stood, staring blankly back at the man with a very bored and narrowed stare. Causing the man to clear his throat and move about uneasily. As his holocamera hovered next to him and watched the commander.
"Uh...okay, how about this, what do you think of the Empire and the situation we find ourselves in with two new enemies on our very doorsteps to the Core Regions?"
"The Empire is the one bastion of order and security in the Galaxy. I will fight and die for its continued security and prosperity. I may be young, but I am more than willing to go to war as the Emperor wills... Is that satisfactory for you?"
"Uh...yeah, yeah that's good. Thank you commander." The man said and Viathan turned on a heel and made for the still burning pile of Moff buildings as his two Massassi friends stared at the man with wicked toothy grins, and he couldn't tell if they were laughing at him or if they always looked that way. Leaving the commander to sigh as Viathan was his task for the next several months, and by this first meeting it was gonna be a long assignment.
Viathan would however be forced to hold Aleron for another three weeks in total when a Moff counterattack took place, and forced Viathan's fleet to retreat after the loss of seven ships, not including the Domitor however. The Moff strike forces launched a massive ground counter-invasion force numbering well into the ninety-thousands range, and commanded by a Moff personally named, Qinue Hule, or Moff Hule. It would be a grueling battle in which Viathan would receive but another scar where an enemy AT-ST would fire a sharp successive blast near him that sent him flying back through the air and slamming into a pile of blown metal shrapnel. A nasty jagged piece ended up puncturing through his left rib cage and snapping a rib. Despite this however, the boy would use his immense pain to show off his growing power in the Force and used a surge of Force power to unleash a Force blast that sent the walker flying several feet back and land into a pile of Moff troopers, crushing them all. The war correspondent following Viathan would capture many wonderful shots of artillery barrages that deafened nearby troops go flying into both sides from canyon sides, with Moff bombers raining down hell upon the Loyalist positions. A week into the second battle of Aleron with the Imperials on the defensive, the correspondent was with Viathan's front line battalion who were hunkered in a man made ditch that the troopers were lying in and firing from just over the dirt mound into a line of advancing Moff troopers as the mid afternoon heat of the world bore down upon them all.
Viathan was kneeling just behind the dirt wall with binoculars up to his eyes as he looked to the oncoming troopers and his fellow troopers fired haphazardly into the Moff lines who were using rocks and blown out areas of dirt as defensive positions to slowly crawl up the line toward Viathan's position. The young commander, with a very obvious body cast around his waist for his ribs didn't flinch as artillery barrages and screaming, and dying men filled the air around him.
"What's your name?" Viathan asked with a voice of monotone to the correspondent laying next to him and trying to get his droid to film the Moff troops across the 'no mans land.' He cast an adrenaline and fear filled face up to the boy about nine years younger than he.
"Randull Marcs, commander." Viathan lowered his binoculars and inclined his head to the man in a greeting and almost kind manner.
"Forgive my rudeness but you may want to duck."
"What do you-" The man was suddenly thrown down by Viathan who also lowered his head down low as a Moff gunship made a flyby and a beam of green energy slammed into the dirty mound and sent burning soil flying into the loyalist lines, and Viathan cursed under his breath as he let go of Randull's upper body and the man looked around shakily as three troopers beside him were now severed in varying manners.
"Oh Force...they sliced them apart!" Randull cried as he huddled onto his squirming holocamera droid. Viathan sighed as he brushed off dirt and brought his binoculars back up and surveyed the advancing Moffs who took the attack as an emboldening moment and surged forward some feet.
"Indeed they did. All loyalist forces, open fire! Artillery barrage at two and a half kilometers due west of our position, open spray!" Viathan called loudly into his command comlink and all his men who dived from the attack jumped back into their lined positions and fired a massive red barrage of blaster bolts that hit the Moff forces dead on and had the enemy crying in their last moments as their bodies were flung back from rapid blaster fire. A sudden cry went through the air as loyalist mobile walker artillery slammed into the enemy line and shook Moff and Imperial alike and sent them all falling to the ground save for a few like Viathan who stayed relatively unmoving as he watched the barrage hit.
"Good hit indeed... All Imperial forces concentrate fire on the central advancing column! Weaken their lines and force a retreat!" He called further and Randull shakily sent the camera droid up and it took in images of Viathan giving orders and the men firing into the Moffs, before taking a shot or two but staying functional if a little singed here and there across its chassis.
It would be a staggering two further weeks of brutal Moff attacks on Viathan and his armies before a relief fleet led by Kun himself would come to relieve and save his apprentice as the Moffs were barring down on the Imperials. However with Kun came something Viathan did not expect and was silently seething with when it was made clear before him. For his master had found another apprentice to train, and her name? A one Kira Offee, and neither of them knew just how big a role she would play.
For Exar Kun did not begin his campaign upon Tamber and Alisandor with this girl, but he sure as kriff ended it with her at his side. Lord Kun began his part in the second phase operation with two of the most massive and fresh Core fleets at his disposal. Numbering three hundred ships in total, he divided them evenly like Kinti had, only he had a hundred and fifty ships for each sub fleet. Taking his fleet of a hundred and fifty ships to Tamber Kun was surprised to meet with a fleet of ships sent by Kaine numbering only thirty. They however had one advantage to Kuns numbers. The Moffs had within their fleet a set of Secutor-class Stardestroyers, and a number of massive Tector-class Stardestroyers on their side. Kun ordered however all his Interdictor-class ships to enable their gravity well generators and let not a one enemy ship attempt escape. The Moff admiral was not however...the brightest of men. He ordered his Tectors and Secutors into the front of his battle group and engaged Kuns surplus of Victory-II's and Victory frigates. The Victory frigates proved to be far more useful then Exar had imagined as they were able to meander their way in-between mass Moff ship movements and fire on both sides into their adjacent Moff enemy ships causing flyby damage that softened them up for Broadside cruiser and Tartan cruiser attack runs. Supported by heavy Imperial-I's and Imperial-II's from the main fleet Kuns ships destroyed all the heavy vessels like the Tector and Secutor classes, and then the main fleet moved into to directly engage the enemy soft targets at this point which included Imperial classes and Acclamators.
The world of Alisandor was no less oddly defended by Moff units sent by Ardus Kaine. A battle-group of seventy ships with seven Tector-class Stardestroyers. One of these ships being secretly commanded by Kaine himself, who had since Mrlsst taken to trying to fight these battles himself. The Imperial loyalist forces surrounded Kaine, but there was a flaw in their plan as Kaine punctured a hole through the encirclement. As the battle raged for two days of endless naval engagements and Ardus felt the breach large enough he called in a secondary Moff fleet of nothing but outdated but still effective Venator-class Stardestroyers who came out of hyperspace in an elevated position over both fleets and rained down turbolaser and missile attacks on the Imperial fleet and destroyed several key Imperial-II's in doing so. The battle was thus dragged out for a whole week longer, and casualties numbered into the tens of thousands in doing so with a small ship graveyard forming above Alisandor. The Moffs ended up throwing in waves of TIE bombers that so badly oppressed the Imperial loyalist ship lines that a general pull back to positions just outside the planetary orbital position that the Moffs reorganized and both fleets took an unspoken reprieve and stared one another down or two days. With Moff gravity well generators in effect the Imperials could not retreat in full but did call in a small task force from the Colonies with a large Tartan cruiser support unit of fifteen ships. These little ships when sent into the fray at maximum firepower could and did do a lot of damage by flying quick flybys on the Moff fleet with a surge of Imperial ships coming in and attacking as heavy support. However the stalemate above Alisandor persisted with both sides sending near endless streams of reinforcements to the system. Moff Ardus Kaine was adamant in his belief that if he held Alisandor that he could reform and hold the Imperials at the Shapani bypass, but Kun had plans for Alisandor, that would be dealt with once he was finished mopping up the resistance on Tamber.
Upon Tamber Kun unleashed a horde of Massassi warriors backed up by thirteen divisions of Stormtroopers and three company's of AT-ST walker units, and five whole repulsor tank divisions giving him a severe armored advantage over Moff armor and firepower. The Moffs were drowned out in a sea of heavy weaponry and were soon overrun by unrelenting Imperial advance on their lines, and utter devastation of their strongholds across the open fields of Tamber, and they were forced back into the forests of Tamber where they began an almost guerrilla style form of warfare. It was for this insolence and blatant beak of war decorum that Kun ordered a mass bombing campaign of the forests, and when that failed the region was leveled with turbolaser orbital bombardment. The death toll on Tamber was also noted as breaking a hundred thousand combined deaths, as the Tapani campaigns were proving to be the bloodiest so far in all the galaxy, with the war barely even started. Exar Kun's brutal and relentless advance into Moff holds in Tapani was a clear message that the Galactic Empire was not lacking in will and power, and that the Moffs were indeed far weaker in resolve and ability then they let on as they were reportedly losing on both the Tapani, and Outer-Rim fronts against the Empire and URM droid forces. Meanwhile the Empire was doing well, with lord Vader briefly stopping off on the galactic boundaries with the Expansion-Region and Inner-Rim, where literal hundreds of thousands of Imperial warships were forming on the border for an ambitious 'general advance' proposition the Emperor had taken up.
Palpatine believed that if the Moffs were squeezed on both sides by the URM and Empire, they would yield to pressure, and break, but the Moffs were not without their own plans. For notably the Moff council, headed by Nox Vellam, was beginning to negotiate with some of the lowest scum in the galaxy. The Hutts. Vellam was losing authority among the Moffs and was yielding to pressure by his fellow council members to open dialogue with the rabble of the galaxy to fight back against the Empire. As a result the Hutts and their gangster organizations, monetary assets, and slaving programs were being reviewed for any and all possible Moff utilization, however this was to take some time, with the Empire still being in the stronger position.
Exar Kun was wandering the halls of his current flagship the Imperial-II class Stardestroyer designated the Cultivator, and was reviewing upon a datapad the most recent reports of the battle taking place below on Tamber. The dark lord could very well look out a scenic viewport and see the world burning in several regions as bombers laid waste to whole subsections of the world and his smaller vessels like the Victory class would enter the atmosphere and fire bombardments of turbolaser fire into the ground below and break the Moff positions. However, reports made Exar feel more in tune somehow with the men of the Empire. It helped him communicate with his often times finicky officer corps who thought him as bad as Vader, but they were beginning to...warm up to him at least. The troopers however, they were another story, a small smile of satisfaction crossed his features as he enjoyed the reports of mass Clone production loss from Kamino with the Emperor forced to double clone production everywhere else. The URM and that mad Jedi doing half his job for him and all. In time, with the loss and eventual liquidation of the Stormtrooper Corps entirely, Kun would have his opening to making the old man activate all the regular infantry units of the Empire. Far less zealously loyal troops, and far more likely to be bad at war then even the troopers, and thus leave the Emperor foolishly open to the proposition of activating new army elements. Perhaps army elements he proposed?
Laughing Exar zipped through some more info flashing by on his screen when he felt a presence, or rather felt a presence again through the Force...watching and shadowing him...again!
"I swear if Arden Lyn is kriffing with my head again I'll gut the witch." Exar declared...half jokingly and continued to wander the halls. Whoever was following him, and keeping to the shadows, and refusing to show themselves was really beginning to irritate him. Whomever was here to cause him annoyance was proving to be quite good at it, but like before he could sense frustration beginning to build. It was something he began to think hard on. What if this person was sent here to kill him? If so, there was a list of people that came to mind. However he didn't or couldn't be sure rather of who at this time. Though...if it was Vader, Kun swore he'd gut the man! Stopping to bow his head to a passing officer who returned the gesture, Kun waited until the man was fully gone, and placed the datapad down on a viewport pane, and turned with his black cloak flowing regally around his form, and he took out his saber and activated one blue side in a brilliant flash that set the whole corridor alight.
"Come forth wretch! You have been tailing me on my ship as I try to conduct war business, and I grow tired of your games. If you think yourself worthy, and able then come and give it your best shot!" Kun demanded with a broad grin passing over his features and the gray of his eyes sending a piercing gaze across the whole of the hall. Finally he saw it, a form stepped from a literal shadow upon the wall. A...young girl it would seem, and Exar cocked an amused brow. Why the girl was wearing a seemingly skin-tight black top, black and red long skirt, black combat boots. Along with what looked to be older and archaic Sith tattoos across her exposed stomach and seemed to go to her back as well, and finally around her left eye. She had the look of a Mirialan, with the give away traditional tattooing on her face making it obvious to him, but she was a lighter pale green skin pigment. Finally dull blue eyes that bore upon Kun as she approached, and for the life of him Kun went a little open mouthed in shock as this girl honestly looked to be about fourteen or thirteen and wearing such revealing an outfit even had him blushing...internally that is! Then it was that he noticed within her hand was a curved saber hilt, elegant and smooth in its design. While sheathed at her side was a very nasty looking sword...indeed if Kun's lore served him well and his knowledge on the ancient weapons of the Sith, he would say that was a Sith Tremor Sword. A fine beast of a weapon easily capable of matching a lightsaber in a duel.
"So, my would be assassin is a little girl eh? How sad then that I will have to end this little game no doubt prematurely for your master." Exar laughed and the girl merely cocked a lopsided smirk, and activated her crimson saber and gave him a dueling salute before falling into a notably Makashi stance.
"Oh...a learned little girl in the manner of dueling? What an odd assassin they have sent after me today!" Kun laughed and fell into his unique Niman stance. Bringing his saber out before him and pointed slightly downward at this girl, as she stood stiff and with her saber pointed fully down with its curve.
"Allow me then, to be the first to make a move!" Kun declared and sent in a few exploratory jabs at her exposed midsection, only for her to catch the saber and spin it aside, followed by a reprisal of twirling assaults on him, and forced Kun to take a few steps back as she spun, and hit, spun and hit, and spun, caught his saber, flung it away and slashed at his ankles forcing him to jump and slam his saber down on hers and close in on her, forcing her back with a surprised face and sneer forming across her young features causing her tattoos to curl into a sneer all their own.
"Come now little one...you didn't think it would be that easy did you? Now who sent you?" She snarled at him and spun around and backwards and took on a Soresu stance and Kun went wide eyed in appreciation. "I think I like you." Kun laughed as he spun his saber and rounded on her as she flung her saber out in Soresu ready form.
He flung his saber overhead and slammed down on her and she caught it and they fell into a flurry of saber smashes over head, but she was struggling with the height and he could see it. Another slam and spark of their sabers clashing, and Kun threw his weight into the attack and had her grinding her teeth, and she suddenly dropped and released the slam and slashed at his legs, but he slammed the saber down to meet and stop her and shoved up and sent her flying back in a roll, and into a stand. Exar laughed and ran at her and jumped into a downward arch attack on her and carried his momentum down as she flew back and he rounded fully around and slashed upwards and sent her saber flying back over her shoulder, and he slashed at her neck but she sent a sudden Force shove into Kun who staggered but was upon her again.
Twirling his saber in hand he hacked at her left and right over and over again but she met each attack with an expertise, if still budding knowledge of Soresu and its ability to hold off the aggressiveness of other saber styles. She caught his saber and spun it down into the hall floor and left a nasty gash in the metal and she flung herself through the air and back, before she spun her saber at her side, and Kun now grew irritated as she fell into a clear Ataru, but it seemed blended with Shii-Cho. She allowed a feral cry to escape her lungs and she charged at him with her saber hung back, and in a raw release of Ataru acrobatics and power through the Force she flung her boots into the wall to Kuns left and spun off it into him, and slammed down into him with a sudden burst of precise and hard attacks based on the Shii-Cho tenants, and Kun stepped back as he felt sweat trickle down his back and across his forehead as this little girl had him reeling! She threw herself into successive twirls into the air and spun her attacks into his saber and when she stopped she fell low and kicked him out from under and he fell onto his back with a huff and felt pain radiate his back and head, as she bore down on him with an elaborate and seemingly final downward slash at his exposed person.
"No, not today!" Exar seethed and the dark side went bolting through and from his body and the girl went wide eyed as he sent a massive dark blast into her and she slammed up into the metal roof and left a dent before falling to the floor with a slam and blood came pouring from her lip as she groaned out her pain. Exar threw his legs up and jumped up boots first and landed upright and activated his second saber side and flew into a flurry of intricate saber spins and charged at the girl as she rose up and went wide eyed and slammed into her from overhead with his saber. The sound of the saber beams twirling from his saber had her reeling and when he fell down upon her the two sabers endlessly slashed at her and sent her stumbling back one foot at a time. She staggered and lost her footing as he slammed down on her with each slam and every flurry attacking her sides and her head was only increased with the dark side of the Force and she could feel the raw power flowing from him into his attacks. He caught her saber with one of his blue sabers and threw back his right arm and sent a furious blow of Force energy into her and she flew back and snarled out a cry of anger, and he leaped through the air and slammed his left boot down on her right wrist and she howled a cry out in pain and anger as he could feel the rage coursing through her, and her eyes had yellow pigment flashing through them as she sneered up at this Dark lord, who deactivated one saber blade and brought the final to her neck, by mere inches.
"Concede loss...little girl." Kun intoned with a smirk of domination crossing his features and she allowed her head to fall to the metal floor below her dark hair falling around her as she stared up to the lord, and suddenly her sneer transformed into a clear smirk, and broad smile.
"I concede master of the dark side. Lord Exar Kun. Forgive my attempt on your life, but I was ordered to do so, and frankly I wasn't going to allow the opportunity to pass me by."
"Indeed? How very opportunistic of you. Who sent you?" Exar demanded and allowed his blue saber to near her throat and she smiled at the sight with a broad and pleasant smile crossing her face in a sickeningly sweet manner.
"Why, the lord of us all! The Emperor. He ordered me to try and kill you, and if I succeeded I would know power and position beyond my comprehension, but I knew he was only sending me to test your power. He knew I would fail, and so did I." She declared in a low but humor filled voice as smooth as silk, and Exar cocked a brow.
"So willing to cast your life aside? I see the Emperor surrounds himself with more life sacrificing underlings than originally thought on my part." She giggled and nodded from her still downed position.
"He likes us that way. The more suicidal the better. I'm sorry I haven't yet introduced my humble self to you...my lord Kun." Exar humphed and frowned down at her but left it open for her to speak.
"I see...no standing greet between those who respect power and the dark side of the Force?"
"Not when those who I share commonality with try to kill me and sour my mood some." Kira bowed her head, from her lying down state, and her face took on a very subtle one of controlled emotion.
"I am Kira, Kira Offee. I am daughter to a Mirialan and Miraluka. I can see both the living and the dead...the corporeal and non-corporeal. Those of flesh and bone and those made of nothing but energy. Two fallen Jedi are my parents, and both are now dead. One by the other, and the other by myself, for the will and approval of the Emperor, his majesty Darth Sidious, Emperor Palpatine lord of us all, yadda, yadda." She finally waved off at the end dismissively with her voice and stared sweetly up to Kun who laughed a bit and finally stepped off her wrist and called her curved hilt to his hand, and showed it to her as a sign of her powerlessness before him, and he kicked her sword away and she frowned but sat up and rubbed her wrists.
"I feel as though you are trying to proposition me milady." Exar laughed and kneeled to one leg before her and smiled into her face as his Sith forehead symbol stared her in the face and she seemed oddly interested in it before she smirked to the Sith lords face.
"You are intuitive as you are powerful my lord. Indeed, I was meant to die here today at your hands, but the Force has smiled kindly upon me, and I propose that we waste not, this opportunity!"
"I'm listening." Kun declared and a twinkle flashed through her blue eyes.
"I am a capable warrior, and a budding master of the dark side and its arts. I seek, and have always sought to get close enough to kill the old fool who calls himself Emperor, and now I see that the Force has finally opened up a doorway for me my lord. You! Take me as your apprentice, make me a Sith acolyte, and use me as an instrument to your will master, and allow me to one day run Palpatine through with my blade! I offer you my power, my life, and my knowledge!" Exar cocked an amused brow as his day has gone from fine and normal, to hard and sweaty, to interesting and...fruitful perhaps?
"Hmm, I suppose the enemy of my enemy is my friend, however how could I know if you are secretly spying for the old man? After all he knows I seek to one day be rid of him and make this galaxy mine."
"No Sith can be sure of their allies and their intent. Nor can they ever be secure in their knowledge of alliance, but power is power, and I see, and trust me I see a lot," she giggled, "I see you my lord one day taking and making this galaxy yours. Allow me to aid you in this vision, and quest and allow me some measure of power, and I will serve you with all my ability. I will do whatever it is you ask of me to prove myself." She prostrated herself before him and Kun found himself admiring the sentiment from a girl who reminded him of his other apprentice in some ways, but in others not so much.
"Very well Kira Offee, we'll give you a test run. Like a new speeder-bike you want to be sure is reliable." Exar laughed and gestured for her to rise and so did he as he shook off the pain from his fall earlier. He also handed her saber back to her and she grabbed it with much enthusiasm and called her Tremor sword to her again and placed both weapons upon her belt.
"Now, you spoke of knowledge. I like knowledge and especially the powerful and or ancient kind." Kira smiled broadly and bowed in a very Coruscanti manner full of grace.
"I have with me...on my ship a very lovely load of holocrons and parchments that my father, and the Emperor gifted to me...I brought them along because I may have seen a scenario similar to this taking place my lord." She laughed and Exar humphed once more but nodded, and remembered how Viathan also had ancient knowledge upon him, and Lyn was to be gathering and returning to him soon with the spoils of the Emperors vaults across the galaxy.
"You seem to be prepared for all manner of scenarios young one."
"Oh but I am, lord Kun! That's what makes me so dangerous, and a worthy ally, and you proved yourself a worthy opponent worthy of teaching me." Exar laughed a deep and loud, booming laugh at the notion and grinned.
"I may have a place in my growing House for a new recruit. Very well Offee. We'll keep you on ice for now. I'll even set up my would be assassin in a nice comfortable room aboard this fine Stardestroyer. I'm sure in time I can think of something more worthy of your skills to prove yourself of use to me." Kira bowed her head low.
"Yes...my master. I will do as you please."
"Oh, and do get your things from your ship, as I'm afraid I will have to order it jettisoned into space and blown apart just to make sure there are no surprises aboard." Exar laughed and she went wide eyed but again bowed and when Kun cocked his brows she jumped and began racing for her ship, and Kun laughed.
"Nothing like a good old fashioned threat to get those you want moving, on the move." Exar intoned and laughed, picked up his datapad and once more began reading the reports of the battle below on Tamber, and in the galaxy proper. For now he finally had another apprentice, and couldn't help but smirk at the notion that he was catching up to Vader and his lead in acolytes.
The war did not rest, nor was it devoted to the one front in Tapani either. For there was a new power rising in the Outer-Rim. A marching and pounding of metal boots upon the soil of countless worlds was once more making itself known and its power was not to be underestimated. For the United Rebellion Movement was spreading like a metallic plague across the Arkanis, Calamari, and Brema sectors, with pocket invasions being reported in the neighboring Dominus, Shadola, Savareen, and Grumani sectors. The droids were pushing the Moffs back on every front, and the wayward ex-Imperials have no strategy to stop the flood of droids being reactivated and returned to killing the white armored enemies of the past. At the head was and is a mad ex-Jedi named Kellia Nelrain, and she showed not a lick of mercy in her war against the Empire and the Moffs. Even the small Imperial fleet sent by lord Vader to strike at Dac on the Emperors orders was decimated and thousands killed with only some Mon-Calamari life lost and droids being destroyed, as Dac continues to pump Mon-Cal warships and CIS designed vessels. As Kellia brought about victory upon victory with Jodo Kast, her new second in command by her side and his new team who will be unleashed soon, the closer she nears to the goal of reaching the Mid-Rim, and then the Expansion-Region, and the Core regions, and sooner than that she will be upon the Mandalorian sector and unleash upon these fools true rage and true might, and true power.
All in time of course, but that time is fast approaching.
Authors Note: Longest chapter again, but what can I say you'll all be seeing more chapters like this with wiki style dumps. Be aware that everything said is mildly important in the wiki sections and you may be confused if you don't read them. More wiki stuff will be in the chapters from here on out so keep on the lookout but more in depth stuff will always be included in the story, unless I have but one BIG exposition dump or something, but that will be rare. So with that said please feel free to ask questions or leave reviews, and please remember to either excuse or point out any and all grammatical errors, and enjoy the story! :D
Oh, and NO your eyes do not deceive you Kira's last name IS Offee, and you will know why in due time, and all praise for this character should go to the very helpful reader/friend/fellow writer, TheGunmaster. ;)