The Galactic Exodus Chronicles Part 2 :The Galactic Civil War

by Lord Exar Kun

Now with the rebels dealt a mighty blow, and the renegade Moffs about to strike, the galaxy finds itself moving closer and closer to full blown war! The Galactic Civil War is about to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting galaxy, and this is not the war you remember in the least. Follow Exar Kun, Darth Vader, Leia, the Emperor, and everyone else through this next chapter of the GEC.

46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

(Coruscant, Vader's Palace)

"Now the principles of Makashi are as follows: precision, elegance, grace, calm in the heat of battle, and very important to this is the ability to not fall into the trap of releasing your rage. I have long given up on trying to make you give in further to your darker emotions, as you seem quite content to not be conventional as a Sith, so perhaps your choice of Makashi being your primary form is adequate and well thought out." Vader circled around Leia who wore a light and tight fitting sparring uniform...in white because Force help Vader if he suggest anything but, and she had her hair tied into a one tight bun and a single saber hilt lazily and readily held in her right hand.

"Well I'm not a conventional girl...father. I am after all your daughter." She quipped back, and Vader cocked his helmeted and usually intimidating head toward his thirteen, near fourteen now, year old daughter and she had a lopsided smirk upon her features, and behind his mask he grinned, but didn't let her know that.

"How very unbecoming of the daughter of the second most powerful man in the galaxy." Leia rolled her brown eyes and didn't retort but Vader sensed she was in no way impressed with Vader's sense of power and prestige, especially not her among everyone in the galaxy!

"At the expense of forgoing any further quipping and witty play, let us return to trying to teach you a very impressive yet no less difficult to learn saber fighting form. I myself have met a master of Makashi long ago in battle and he was responsible for grievous wounds I sustained during the Clone Wars. In the end however he was defeated by me in battle one upon one. So, the lesson is that while Makashi is specifically for dueling another saber wielder but can adapt, never think you have the advantage due to precision and grace alone." She nodded and followed Vader as he paced around her, but she stayed still but followed him still over her shoulders. It was only her and he in the training room today...well they and her Noghri guards who watched but knew not to interfere. She let out a nervous and small breath. The only possible thing that Vader could use to tell that she was indeed nervous, and so much so that her stomach was in knots, to be training under Vader. The Jedi slayer himself, and she was also trying as hard as humanly possible of a Alderaanian princess to see past his crimes, and see him as her father, and it was getting easier, but still she could...sense the deaths upon him. The Force opened her up to some things that perhaps weren't so great too.

"I understand what I'm asking for father, and whatever you may think I can promise you that I am no push over. I want to learn a saber style and only this one, and you want to train me so here's your opening. I believe this is what many circles would call a 'win-win,' situation..father." Again Vader paused and looked toward her.

'Ever the politician in training.' Vader smiled again, and then turned to face his daughter fully from face to face. So to speak of course.

"Very well. Seeing that you are eager, and the will I you is clear, I shall end my futile attempts to turn you away from Makashi. It was but to test your resolve, nothing more. Now take your blade in hand as you did with Luke, and hold it to your side slightly extended in a diagonal position from your waist. It is also custom among Makashi practitioners to salute their opponent, no matter whom, as an act of respect, and as a not so subtle challenge." Vader activated his crimson saber and made sure it was a training one not his regular and showed her the salute in a vertical held manner before himself, and she nodded with narrow and confident eyes as she took her saber and followed his example.

"Adequate, but it is far more ergonomic to salute when using a curved saber hilt. Perhaps you will see that style more to your liking in time, but for now ignore that and let's get to actual form training." She nodded and lowered her saber back to her mid section and held it out to her side similar to how she had before, and Vader could see the ready stance he saw in Dooku long ago. 'Hmm, a natural. She chose well indeed.' He mused and held his saber in a very standard form one, or Shii-Cho form to allow her more simple deflections and eventual attacks and jabs. There was no need for him to overpower his daughter in two seconds and leave her bitterly annoyed now was there?

"I shall now open myself up to attacks from you. I am using the most basic of training forms, and I desire for you to attack as feels natural, and we shall rectify any stance and form issues you may, and not of you fault, to better fit into the Makashi formula. Now, on your own accord, attack me." Vader opened and held his saber before him with both hands on the hilt slightly angled. Leia in turn gripped her hilt tighter and let out a breath again before closing and opening her eyes again with more focus upon her fathers saber and not he...a grievous mistake. She jabbed forth with her one hand in a very fencing manner, and he parried, she circled her saber around and lightly tapped his saber and he carried her attack and came full circle knocking her saber back in retaliation. She maintained her fencing flurries and parries, with a decent quality of elegance about her but Vader watched her eyes while keeping track of her movements and saw she was distracted and transfixed even on his saber and not him. Tunnel vision to the worse degree. Vader watched her slider her right foot forward, left foot swung back and aside, and Vader brought his saber low slammed up and threw her off and back, before curving his hand to the side and leveled the tip of his saber at her neck. She looked confused and her brow furrowed as she looked at him and he bowed his head and pulled the saber away.

"A fine point of Makashi, is for one thing focus on elegant attack and total defense. Another is to not, and this is for all saber styles, look towards the saber for your next course of action. The saber deceives. The movements and actions, the micro-expressions even of your enemy are the giveaway. Your enemies actions deceive them. Focus on my form, on my movements of body not weapon. That will tell you more what is happening, or going to happen." Leia with renewed conviction in her chocolate brown eyes and a hardened face gave a curt nod and readied her saber once more to her side as she stared down her father.

"Now watch my movements and defend, parry aside, and take in my steps, my turns, and my motions, and especially watch for the fake ones. The greatest saber enemy will have a keen knowledge of illusion of movements and body to weaken the resolve and confidence of an enemy to predict motions."

"Got it. Okay, I'm ready father." She nodded and so too did Vader. He readied himself and steadied with one foot ahead of the other and saber before him, he slid forward, sideways slash, it was blocked. Slide the saber up and threw her back, and came back down to the left with a renewed slash, and she caught and parried it aside with swift ease. She spun around with saber kept at the angle in which Vader would have attacked, and she moved further back from him.

Vader was upon her utilizing a Djem So overpowering tactic. Saber thrown back over his head he crashed down upon her with widened eyes but she raised saber up and took the blow which bounced her saber back upon her, but she slid her saber up along it and ran her left shoulder into his armored body, and spun away and with one hand swiftly entered into a bout of amateur, but impressively amateur flurries that prodded quick and without real hope of puncture, jabs and stabs. He countered them back, and she pulled back and held saber back down at her side with a smile on her face full of pride and the Force bristled around her as her natural affinity kicked in, and her and the blade all but became one.

She took both hands and held it down low and at the ready in the manner in which one would commit quick upper slash movements and she ran at Vader at her own accord and whim and slashed at him, he blocked, and she carried herself and ducked under his saber and brought hers up so they formed another close X and were shoulder to shoulder and Vader carried along her saber and sidestepped and she followed and with quick fineness in her steps she lowered her saber once more, then swiftly slashed up once more and sent his saber up and away and sent a one handed fencing stab at his ribs, which he spun away from with a whirl of his cape, and his saber held before him at her again.

"You did well. I am indeed impressed that one with little saber practice before now has come up with a self thought out movement for a rib attack. Though it is amateur, you have promise in advancing your skills." She had a twinkle in her brown eyes and a curled lipped smile upon her face.

"Then why stop now father? Unless you're afraid a little girl can actually pass your defenses maybe?"
"Trust me Leia I fear no such thing. My skills are something you cannot hope to reach...not yet anyways. But yes come, no sense in ending your first lesson too soon. I shall dial up my attacks, and take on the form of Djem So more actively. It is the form if you recall that focuses on overwhelming strength and attack. It will strain Makashi very well and is one of the forms equals." Vader turned to his side and brought his saber overhead in a sideways fashion as well from where he stood and Leia readied her stance again with set eyes, and Vader spun around and slammed his saber to hers, and she caught it and parried it aside with a step back, and Vader flung back from his spin with a 'falling avalanche' maneuver with overhead slam down and she met it with a two handed grip and threw him off and spun aside and away. He countered with a hard side slash which she caught parried up and away and he slammed down she parried aside, and came back at him with elegant slashes that aimed both to his left and right flanks and he caught them easy and throwing his strength into his arms he threw her off, reminding himself of his duel with Dooku, and came at her.

Another overhead slam and she, like Dooku before her met his attacks and they fell into attacks above their bodies and defensive counter-blows. She then, much to his surprise and pride, used the force to jump sideways and fully over his saber toward his left and sent a precise strike at his shoulder and nicked his shoulder pad, bit he quickly slammed her away and off. He paused and saw the area where she singed and laughed which sounded odd through his vocabulator on his mask.

"Impressive. Most impressive. You...I have underestimated you Leia. Taking the initiative with the Force as your ally is a step I presumed you needed to learn slowly, but obviously I am mistaken. In battle you would have weakened a lesser opponent with what would be a burn upon their shoulder."

"That's the key father. You underestimated me, so I knew if I came at you with a more motivation on my part you wouldn't expect it. Plus you are going easy on me. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten away with that at your true level right?"
"Indeed, but there will be lesser opponents you will fight in time, and they will be susceptible to Force aided attacks with your acrobatics. That is the realm of Ataru, but Makashi's precision makes it far more deadly. However, your standard saber hilt will hinder not aid you in your attacks. A weapon of more fineness will be needed on your part, and as such I have one to give you." Vader deactivated his saber and Leia followed and unthinkingly wiped a small sheen of sweat from her brow as Vader reached behind himself and pulled from his belt a curved saber hilt and her eyes lit at the sight of it! The curve spoke of fineness and elegance. A small spike upon it was below where one would hold it and she recalled that those were called saber guards. It had a fine handle of some black material likely to help the user hold it at grip with a gold activation button upon it and what looked to be another one for perhaps...dual phasing was it called? It was a glorious and elegant saber hilt indeed, and she took it in hand, and found the hold to fit perfectly and activated the crimson saber. It angled low and she brought it u to her face allowing the crimson glow to light her face and eyes as they sparkled with excitement.

"I see you like that hilt. It is a well designed and useful tool. It has a duel phase option and has quite the history to it's existence as well, but I feel it would be in better use in your hands. In time I feel you can modify it with ease to your liking as well and as you see fit."
"Who owned it before me? I can, sense them on the hilt." Vader was impressed she could, but chastised himself for continuously underestimating her affinity to the Force. She was no less powerful than Luke after all.

"It belonged to a fallen Jedi turned Sith lord, the man behind the Clone Wars...at least as told in history. It was the saber to Count Dooku of Serenno. He was a Makashi master, and you will surpass him and earn the right and more to use that weapon. Dooku was defeated and killed by me. I took that from him and have kept it ever since. It may help you to know that he was betrayed by Palpatine, the Emperor as well." Vader added after blatantly saying he killed the man and she seemed a bit more accepting of that fact when he spoke of his betrayal. She brought the crimson and humming beam of light up to her face again and looked thoughtful before deactivating it.

"I'll make this weapon my own father. I thank you for this gift." He inclined his head and she threw him the training saber and he caught and pocketed it while she clipped the curved hilt to her belt and moved side to side and smiled.

"How do I look?"
"It's a lightsaber hilt Leia. Hardly a fashion statement...But it does fit you." She grinned in reply and looked down at the weapon again.

"Oh I think the saber hilt looks absolutely suiting upon you milady princess! Really it does! Makashi is quite the form and nothing like a curved hilt aids in refining fineness and precision." Both turned to see, and much to their combined shock, Exar Kun standing in the entrance way with both Noghri staring him down and seeming tense.

"Kun? Why and how are you here?"
"You mean Coruscant, or your palace? Because I must say lord Vader your palace is far too easy to break into for a man who said that you could not be listened in upon by your master." The Sith mocked stepping in with Vader motioning to the Noghri to stand down and Leia looking up to him and then back to Exar.

"As to why I am upon the capitol, I have some business need taking care of, and a new problem has arisen concerning our plans, and I am under the old mans radar right now, but that could change soon if I don't get this show on the road so to speak." He clasped his hands behind his back and pushed his dark robes behind further and created a regal look and air about him.

"It would be best if you leave Leia. I and lord Kun have business needing attending to."
"I can he-"
"No! I will not concern you in every matter lest it is necessary. It lessens the target upon your head even if it is miniscule I shall do so." Leia seemed momentarily angry and her lips pursed as her eyes narrowed but she nodded once, and looked to Kun who smiled and bowed his head toward her.

"Send your apprentice my greetings lord Kun, and my apologies for the whole...Tatooine thing."

"Ah yes...that was quite the debacle. No worries milady, I shall pass on your sentiments as well. I sense he will be very grateful for your feelings and regards." He diplomatically retorted and she nodded and made for the entrance with her two Noghri eying Kun before leaving behind their charge and the door was closed by Vader with the Force.

"Now what is it that is so important that you could not have contacted me on the usual and may I add secure channels I myself encoded?"

"We have a problem with the old man. It would seem he has no plans in mind toward and concerning his own death. Ever heard of a world called Byss?" Vader sighed and quickly took his helmet off and wiped his own sweat from his brow and nodded as he wiped his darkened dirty blonde hair.

"Yes that world is so deep into the Deep Core that the Emperor would make that world his capitol and capitol of the whole galaxy if he had it his way. Called by some a paradise world, and so much so that many in the galaxy don't even think it's real. Despite many millions having seen, lived upon, or lived on the world at some point and time. I am however not privy to anything my master does upon that world. It is where any and everything he doesn't want me to see, hear, or know about is kept. Why?"

Exar took in a breath and made a 'hmm,' sound.

"Well secret world of a Sith Emperor. It would perhaps be easy to imagine he is keeping upon that world things that would and will hinder our ability to take the throne and galaxy from him. I would think you'd like to know I have a new agent allied to our cause, and she managed to get past all security measures above and on Byss with her ship."

"That is impossible. Byss is more protected than Coruscant!"

"Impossible or not she did it and mind you she is wholly trustworthy. A personal vendetta against the old man atop some evidence that she was there and I am sold on her legitimate claim. While planet-side she managed to enter the Emperors citadel. A massive spire with a bulbous peek at the top of the spire which can act as a palace if he wanted. Your idea that he may want to make that world his capitol has potential and evidence now." Vader sighed in kind again, and felt as though he was doing that a lot as he watched Kun go over the thoughts again in his own head.

"Then what is it that she saw that makes you so thoughtful on the matter Kun?"

"Very well enough detail talk. Inside the bowls of that citadel was beyond many alchemy science labs, and dark side users and beasts, she found a cloning lab. One that upon a bit more investigation be me and a certain friend at Imperial Intelligence, I have found and believe to be a lab meant to house and grow thousands of cloned bodies of brain dead Palpatine's." Vader's eyes betrayed him and widened some as he turned around and began to pace from Kun with a growl erupting from his throat. He paced for a few moments as Kun stood where he was and merely waited.

"I should have known he would commit to some endeavor like this! He never planned on giving me the karking throne! As soon as I died he would ind a new apprentice, a new slave! Force save me from this vile creature!" Vader howled and his voice echoed the room causing Kun to squint his eyes from the reverberations in his ears.

"Your anger aside lord Vader, we will need to ready ourselves to eliminating this lab, not today, tomorrow, this year or even the next, but when we strike him down that lab must go with him. My friend in Intelligence will help us out there, and gather as much information as she can, but I felt you needed to know in case you ever got the bright idea to kill him preemptively. He likely would be able to enter a new and younger body and come back swinging." Vader stopped pacing, turned to look at Kun and nodded once and understandingly.

"Very well Kun. That world...did your agent come across anything else while there?"

"A few things. Upon some further discussion my agent said she saw some construction taking place in orbit. It looked similar to a shipyard but had a more, well, a more 'gun' look to it. It wasn't even halfway done, but it was big and it looked quite mean." Vader's eyes once more narrowed.

"Another mechanical terror of the Tarkin Doctrine. That old fool doesn't ever understand restraint when it comes to creating these massive galactic scale weapons. The Force should be his ally, his end all be all weapon above all else! He claims to have power over all else and yet continues to create weapons that speak more to his ego and his lack of control, his insecurities than his power! Force, the Death Star Alone is costing the Empire too much, and he still continues on making more and more of these monster weapons! I will look deeper into this, and hopefully the fool Tarkin left a trail as to what he and his staff of cronies are building and developing above Byss."
"Best you do that." Kun added. "Wouldn't want my friend at Intelligence asking too many questions concerning Byss. It would undoubtedly raise too many questions and weary eyes." Vader nodded but then turned fully back toward Kun after he had a thought come over him.

"Who exactly has enough pull, and power at I.I, that you have access to such knowledge and information of Byss, Kun?" Exar huffed a laugh and his gray eyes twinkled in mischief.

"Well that would be telling now wouldn't it?"

"Kun-"
"Alright lord Vader calm down I'll spill. I was at a very premature party of the Emperor's after the Dubrava incident, and I met the fair daughter of one Armand Isard, Ysanne, and boy she is one power hungry woman let me tell you." Exar laughed and Vader rolled his eyes with a grunt. "For Force sakes Kun! The daughter of Armand Isard is one of the most insane and psychopathic, and yes, power hungry Intelligence officers within the entire Empire, behind maybe just one other woman. Even still it's more of an equal match, but I digress. Ysanne is not to be truste-"
"Come now lord Vader. Surely if we tried to find every trustworthy person in the galaxy and the Empire to be our allies then we would have been caught long ago hmm? No what we need are those disloyal enough, but hungry enough for power still that they are willing and fully capable at what they do to aid us in our quest, our journey."

"I don't like her, but do as you will Kun. Keep her on a tight leash at least and we wont have an issue. The minute she steps out of line I will personally end her."

"Agreed." Kun laughed. "Now another question my lord Vader? When are you gonna let those little children of yours join in all the fun? Frankly my pool of agents, backers, supporters, popularity, and acolytes rise, and as does their fame, so will my power. We shouldn't be alienating one from another here my friend! You need to expose them some more, the old man needs to see you use your own apprentices and agents of war in this conflict and show you are not frightened by his reprisals anymore! Keep your apprentices and children cooped up in here and I tell you they will become targets of the old man on his capitol...well his for now anyways." The dark lord smiled and Vader watched him and listened as his eyes wandered with thought.

"We both are to ascend to heights above his head so that when we rise to fight him on that special occasion he'll look up to us as if we are gods, titans so high that he cannot even see into our eyes! Metaphorically of course." Kun laughed. "I'll be sure to support you, you know that, but I cannot imagine that your acolytes and apprentices will be safe upon Coruscant and even within your palace any longer. He is undoubtedly becoming more suspicious and will strike back soon."

"You have a point, even if it is but one." Vader retorted and Kun rolled his eyes as Vader contemplated silently again.

"I think your argument has merit. I am to make for the Inner Rim and push a Moff incursion back at Bogden. I think it is high time my apprentices come, and stay nearer to me for their own protection. In time they all will taste war as well. Until then they shall live and breath training."
"Great!" Kun clasped his hands together and bowed low. "Then I do believe all subjects I came here to discuss with you my friend are all said and done! Now as I make back for Tapani and throw myself back into war I do hope we can keep communication up lord Vader. Cooperation on all fronts will be key from here on out."
"Agreed." Vader nodded and put his helmet back upon his head, as Kun made for the exit and silently both Sith lords parted ways. Vader made for his apprentices to inform them of the new situation and Kun left the palace quickly and as discreetly as he had arrived and returned to the Sith Interceptor not but a few, possibly four hours had passed, and when he saw Arden Lyn standing on the loading ramp he growled.

"No karking way you did as I asked within this short a time!"

"Then you are too arrogant and foolish to concede I have talents you would only dream of milord." Arden nudged her head to the foot of the ramp and Kun found another sack full of objects and cocked a brow.

"All of this was within the temple? Is the Empire that incompetent that they couldn't find this junk themselves?"

"Don't know about incompetence, but they sure didn't look in the high and hard to reach places in some areas. I mean the old Sith storage room that was raided, but there were rooms in the higher levels not the towers, where whole rooms had been unexplored. Mind you I did cross some mindless zombies called stormtroopers by the Emperor. They were all dispatched, and I'm sure the Empire wont even notice or care about their losses Kun." Exar huffed another laugh as he opened the sack and looked within to see, and much to his personal delight a set of some holocrons.

"Ah, so you found some Jedi holocrons?! Wonderful, did you happen to see what was on them?"
"I looked at one but I didn't really want to waste time there. It belonged to some Jedi on the council, the last one before it was liquidated. I think he said his name was 'Mace Windu.' Said something along the lines of how 'this holocron will aid the next generation of Jedi to learn my form, my legacy, Vaapad. Or something like that." Exar huffed again but in an intrigued but confused manner.

"Vaapad huh? Never heard of it myself, but maybe this legacy of his will aid a far greater purpose. The Sith, and their glorious full return to power." Kun laughed a throaty laugh and pulled the sack of 'goodies,' up the ramp and motioned the woman to follow.

"Come on Lyn, I have further need of your particular talents. We have much work needing done." Arden rolled her eyes but followed him up the ramp.

"I'm going to build a new custom saber that fits me far better than this standard Bantha poodoo I've been dealing with for too long, and I'll need one of those holocrons to do that Kun."
"Sure, sure, whatever, just get the ship ready and we're out of here." Arden sneered and did as told however, and neither one of the two noticed a pair of green eyes watching them kneeled in the shadows of the landing bay. These green eyes belonged to a female form and that form scurried across the floor with silent steps and mounted the loading ramp and made her way into a closet with her heart not pounding and her presence in the Force being blinded to all else. She entered into a small bay inside the ship for speeder bikes and found herself a metal rack on the ceiling that acted as a pulley for speeder repair and climbed atop and made herself comfortable.

'Master, I have made it aboard Kun's ship. They are using a ship I've never seen before.' She said aloud into her own head and had her eyes darting around in paranoia.

'Stay with him, and do not make yourself known. I want to know what dear lord Kun is up to. You will not interfere until I say otherwise! Is that clear Jade?' The ed headed teen girl smiled and nodded to herself. 'Completely my master.' She would have to get comfortable for some time as the ride back to the Tapani sector would take some time. Much to her own personal displeasure.

(Tapani Sector, Gladiator-Class Stardestroyer Domitor, En-route to Tavya)

"Whoa!" Viathan pulled back as something flew nearly into and by his head as he walked along one of the long corridors to his personally commanded ship and he banked around to see that it was none other then the holo-cam droid ZT-R1. It zoomed in close on him and hovered before his face and beeped out what Viathan felt to be a 'good morning.'

"For Force sakes Zeetee! You nearly rammed into my head! For a camera droid you have got a bit too much free will in you I think." The droid quickly pinged back some beeps that again Viathan couldn't understand, droid binary not being something he was great at, but he felt and guessed it to be a rebuke.

"Commander, ZT!" Viathan turned to see Randull run up with his armor on but helmet under his arm as he ran up to Viathan and bowed with heavy breathing coming from him.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, but Zeetee sometimes seems to think it's okay for a cam-droid to go around socializing with people we're meant to follow and document. I think...well I think he likes you really." Viathan huffed and held a finger up toward Randull.

"I would contradict you on the ridiculous idea of droids forming attachments and personal dispositions towards people, but I've been around enough to know droids frankly are an oddity and I would even bet they will one day become fully sentient. So, is that it Zeetee? Do you like me?" Viathan turned and smiled as the cam droid let out a flurry of beeps that sounded happy to Viathan and so he for the first time in a while smiled at the droid and nodded.

"Very well then. Just be sure to get my good side." Viathan laughed and rolled his crimson eyes at his own horrid joke...honestly what good side did he have? Frankly Viathan thought, no, knew he was absolutely hideous.

"Marcs, I know you have a job to do, and you are older than me, but let me clearly restate my position. I am in command of an entire military detachment of the Imperial armed forces. I have accepted that I will be forced to carry you and Zeetee here along for the ride. I only want you both to know that I will allow you to film me on the battlefield but never when I am aboard my ship, you got that Zeetee? I override your programming and supersede your master in command, and you are to purge all recordings of me aboard my ships or on my free time unless I say otherwise every hour. Understand, both of you?" Randull bowed. "Of course commander. I am only here to film the war shots. The department is only interested in showing you and your skills off to the galaxy anyways." Randull smiled but oddly and a bit unsure on how far he could get comfortable with Viathan as he nodded happily and made to continue down the hall. Both followed with Zeetee floating over and around Viathan's head who looked to the droid with a smile from time to time as it whirred around and seemingly committed itself to small talk.

"I don't quite understand you Zeetee, I am not s good with my droid binary, but I gotta say I think I caught what you said about your poor master and that was quite unnecessary." Viathan smiled when Randull eyed his cam-droid which whirred frightened and moved ahead and 'behind' Viathan, and they stopped before a set of doors.

"I now have to attend to some minor chores nothing interesting, but I do have a task for you Zeetee, and you as well Mr. Marcs. One that if carried out well will be greatly compensated for with my own personal assurance that I will give you exclusive access to me and any desired interviews by the ministry and I'll give you whatever you want to a reasonable degree Marcs. How's that sound?" His eyes brightened and he smiled.

"Sounds great! What's the job?"

"There's a new player working for my superior lord Kun, and she is Mirialan in appearance. Her name is Kira Offee, and she's not aboard the Domitor right now, but she'll be back or at the least I'll be forced around her soon. When we are collectively, I want you Zeetee to 'discreetly,' watch and record what she does from time to time and report back to me. Never leave any recordings, never file a report and never mention her until lord Kun says otherwise Randull. However there are politics at play here Marcs that I would never expect you to understand nor want you involved in but they can get...messy. She could possibly be a danger and she's not to be trifled with. Gather some recordings on her and provide me some Intel from that and I can give you anything the ministry wants from you on me. Got it?"

"Got it, and we can do that! Me and Zeetee got hired here for spying on the I.S.B building on Imperial Center and only after we got head-shots of every Imperial ISB tough and top guy you can think of lounging around doing nothing." Viathan cocked a brow when Randull laughed and noted that the commander wasn't and stifled his laugh only for Viathan to cock a lopsided smirk.

"Very good Marcs. No need to make our working relationship unnecessarily difficult right?"
"Yes commander Viathan sir, of course. Come Zeetee let's get to filming the piloting crew and leave the good commander to his work." He bowed and turned with Zeetee hanging around and beeping a set of quick and 'cheery,' beeps before leaving with Viathan following the droid and shaking his head from the spunk it had. It reminded him of that R2 unit back with the Alderaanian princess. Shaking memories aside he used the Force to open the door beside him and entered, while quickly closing it behind him, and found himself in his new quarters. Quite spacious with the usual gray and sterile décor about it, but with a nice set of blackened fabrics to add to the appeal of the room. Black ebony sheets, and drapes along a set of panes that allowed one to see out into space, with black lining along the bottoms and tops of the walls in the room.

"Nice place." Viathan commented and nodded to himself as he moved further in and looked around his room for his belongings that were transferred over by Massassi guard and assured to be there in one piece and secure. He found a small case, one could call it a suitcase, and he opened it to see his tattered but cleaned old garb, and his special datapad from Lehon along with his prized holocron, the holocron of lord Ruin. There was a moment when he honestly thought that witch Offee would try to find and steal it but she wasn't yet too bold for that...yet of course.

Taking the holocron in his hand and holding it up to allow the deep red glow within to spring forth ever so slightly at his touch and illuminate his face and add to his already very crimson eyes. He placed it down on the floor of the room along a walking path for entry from and to the in room kitchen connected directly to a lounge area and fell to his knees with his legs tucked under him. He would speak to his philosophical Sith master once again for he knew now what it meant when his lord spoke of their being no purpose solely one's own will. This war was teaching him all the answers to lord Ruins questions, and for that alone he could appreciate the thrill of battle.

Breathing in deep and slowly releasing said breath he entered into the Force and surrendered himself fully to the dark side and allowed is to bristle around him. Extending his presence and power he touched the holocron with but the Force and allowed the glow to once more grow bright before the projection of Ruin the gatekeeper sprouted forth with his usual dead and serious stare upon him and his darkened clothing and hood clothing him and the oddly still intimidating Umbaran form came fully to form save for his feet which never seemed to form even when in full body projection.

"Welcome back once again young Sithling." Viathan bowed his head.

"I am Viathan my lord, I would like it if you would refer to me as such."

"Indeed? Very well you Viathan, not yet a lord worthy to the Darth title but I sense a desire to attain that right yes?" Viathan nodded but had confusion in his gaze.

"You sense, lord Ruin?" The dark lords figure huffed a laugh and smirked coldly. "The holocrons and the dark side is quite a mysterious and powerful energy is it not young Viathan? No need to continue speaking on the trivial matters of my abilities as a holocron shadow of Darth Ruin. I am he in all but flesh, and I feel you have learned the wisdom to my own words correct?" Viathan bowed his head and kept his face calm.

"Yes lord Ruin. Your last wisdom I feel I now have a better grasp of, and am ready to end my learning of your creed and form my own philosophy on the Force, the Sith and of myself."
"Then speak to me of your wisdom and the point of view you have formed." Viathan nodded and closed his eyes and drew on all the images of battle from Tallaan and Aleron. "There is no purpose, solely will. I feel I now understand what that means in regards to the world view of a galaxy that has no purpose. I have no purpose because the galaxy is random, and one must chose their own destiny. Be they a slave or a master, they will choose to live content or in rebellion of such a life. There is no greater purpose for me as there is none for you or my master, but what we do in our lives how we pursue our own 'will,' is how purpose of the mind is created. Greater and set lines of purpose do not exist even where the Force is concerned. The Force does not create a set path you must and therefore will follow as a purpose, it is you who will fulfill your own will and achieve a purpose likely only once you are dead and when second rate historians speak of you and their pretentious understandings of what your purpose was, and thus that will be your purpose and you. A memory of your own creation of your own will. My will, and thus there is nothing, only me." Ruin smirked and his dulled ethereal eyes seemed to light up even then.

"Good. You have come to terms with my creed within the confines of your own mind and your own understanding. Yes, purpose is a design of sentient beings not the Force, and thus you make your own purpose through your will alone and no one else. You must decide and on a conscious level we all do. Master, slave, apprentice, lord, serf. We all make a purpose for our bodies and minds whether such a purpose is agreeable is another matter entirely. You have finished my test of the mind Viathan. You have surpassed those cult fools back upon my ancient home, and for that you will be the first of what I hope to be many to finally be worthy of what powers, and teachings what wisdom's I have to give back to the realm of the living and not keep among the secrets and whispers of the dead." Viathan bowed his head low, near to the metal floor beneath him and returned back up as Ruin clasped his hands together before his mighty form, and smiled with his crimson eyes betraying his calm exterior and showing an excitement and desire the boy had rarely felt save for perhaps when he was learning from his master or just come to understand one of Ruin's creed lines.

"Then let it be that I teach you one ancient Sith art. For the Sith claim rage and anger, hatred and lust are the keys to victory. Let me tell you it is a fallacy. The Jedi are however far too serene and betray themselves into whimsical inaction even when it most necessary. A Sith must learn to be calm, and balanced in his approach to a logical problem even when in an illogical situation logic can be your saving grace." Ruin lectured and Viathan nodded at intervals as the lords words made sense to him. Morlin more or less taught him a similar doctrine for war and military theory.

"There was once a follower of mine, his name was Ephan Mill. He was a treasonous, contemptuous, and loud figure. Once he was a Jedi, and he followed me in my break with the order which had fallen into complacency and lacked any care really, for in my eyes the order had become something the Jedi of old would have seen as needing purging. That however is besides the point and hardly worth mentioning. Back with Mill however, the man was a fool, and lusted after food, drink and especially women, so much so that I swore he infected half the Outer-Rim with his disgusting touch. He saw and viewed my break with the Jedi and resurrection of the Sith as a force to be reckoned with as an opportunity to gorge himself on every and any desire he and the Jedi denied to him. He had no fineness about him no reason and sound mind to think and build from and no calm. He was an animal a beast and a lustful filled fool who could not see the end coming from a mile away as it stared him in the face as a Krayt dragon would and he was blind to it all." Viathan listened on and found the man, or the vision of the man forming in his mind to indeed be contemptuous. "What happened to this man lord Ruin?"
"What indeed. Mill was so gorged and fulfilled in his lusts, a palace on Korriban with at least a hundred and fifty concubines of all races and backgrounds, credits numbering into the hundreds of millions and a fleet fully under his command, he had it all, but he always wanted more, he craved more, and no calm was about him and so he made a power lay for my position and my power. He desired the throne of the New Sith Empire. With no fineness and no calmness to him he thought he could play the game of court and politics and so began sending out feelers for backers to a possible coup attempt upon me. So desperate he was, that the first person to respond back was greeted by him with glee and joy, that he didn't even bother to research and realize that he was speaking to another of his comrades who had followed me from the order who was undoubtedly loyal to me and my new vision. He was drawn back onto the world of Ambria, and there I met and spoke with him as all those who he foolishly thought would aid him in a coup watched on, and I did not feel a need to torture and maim, though it would have been good sport. I killed him, ended his life and liquidated everything he owned and gave all things that Mill owned to his comrades and contemporaries. I was calm, I waited months all the while knowing there was one of my own out there trying to kill me and low and behold it was a man I gave a sector fleet to, and a palace and everything he wanted. I dealt with his abhorrent behavior and in time nearly paid a price for it. Let it be a double lesson for you Viathan. Patience is indeed a great virtue. As is calm in the heat of battle or with knowledge that an enemy lurks nearby. Do not jump to conclusions and always survey your surroundings. A Sith must be patient and calm and not a fool who jumps head first into everything as the lust fulfilling and untamed beasts of the olden Sith would have you believe. The Sith deserve a better class of Sith! A better class of purpose of its own and a better future. The ways of old were tried and they failed, even mine. It is far beyond the time when something new must be tried." Viathan nodded in full agreement.

"What is it then my lord Ruin that you would have me learn to help me down this road?" The dark lord bowed his head apparently realizing he went on a momentary tantrum even as nothing but a holocron gatekeeper.

"Atop of this lesson of cal I offer you the dark side opposite to Force rage, and it is what I like to call 'Force Detachment.' It is a technique I learned as a Jedi and transferred to my darker self. Allow the calm, and not rage of battle to fill you, and rise within you to cam everything and you will find yourself lapsing into a state of unnatural slowing of time. In this cool and collected state you will find yourself easily able to react to an enemy. You are no faster but you are easily able to see an enemies movements and counter them. think What you must do is think, and bask into your rage, all memories that fill you with anger, and hate, and then, level yourself. The feeling of forcing anger down your spine, allow that to take hold of you and then like a Jedi take in a great breath, and find a center and imagine all that anger as a one singularity within a darkened and empty realm. Focus on it and burst it! Open your eyes into your realm of battle and plan, unleash counter and attack and you will then leave your state of slowed time into normal time and break down enemy upon enemy. This is most effective in battle situations, and I recommend you do not use it too much against another Force capable enemy as they will see no lapse. It I all within your mind but your mind is relative. Use the power of the Force to its full glory and you will succeed on the field of battle."

"I will learn this ability lord Ruin and return to you when I have and used it in the field of battle for war engulfs the galaxy once more." The dark lord smirked and nodded before fading away and left Viathan on the floor kneeling to think over the guidelines the lord set down to use this new power of his.

For Viathan would need it when in the next forty minutes the Domitor and its adjacent naval forces entered into normal space above Tavya and engaged a Moff fleet of small but capable proportions, and Viathan ordered his ground forces to land anyways, along with himself while the battle was given command over to his ship captain until he returned.

(General POV)

For the battle of Tavya would last four days of brutal fighting between Moff and Imperial forces. Viathan commanding over eighty-thousand forces in total as a small detachment. Word of the attacks at both Nista and Cesya by his allies had the Moffs reeling from the inundation of Imperial attacks, and the general push was forcing the Moffs back further and further each and every time as well. On Tavya the Moffs were commanded by a general named Casheen. He was apparently a rising star among Morlin's staff of lieutenant and major generals. Viathan would show his old mentor the folly of thinking this man was anything like he or Morlin himself. Viathan had under his command a fresh entire legion of Massassi warriors who he gave command to Zar'kai with Grash acting as Zar's second among the Massassi which added to Zar'kai's obvious prospect of becoming the next Massassi warlord in line under Mattizz. The legion of the ancient regime numbered four thousand by Kun's special orders and they were secondary lined troops as Viathan led the frontal assault of Stormtroopers who were cut down by another Morlin styled defensive line along an open plains area where they nested a trench command line in front of a river bank and kept their command forces and bunker behind the river to allow for frontal forces to take the bulk of the damage and funnel flanking loyalist forces to the river crossings or risk shuttling in. Viathan opted for a frontal attack and to use the river crossing the trench line controlled that led to the command structures along the other end of the river bank.

He ordered two platoons to attack full front and take the brunt of the reprisals while he positioned two divisions along a hill to his side of the river bank that had a poor angle on the trench line but enough for hi to level endless blaster streams and ward them off from their freedom of counterattack, and ordered artillery emplacements to launch as much hell onto the enemy lines as possible. The trench lines were hit hard for the first two days which was as long as it took for the space battle to end with imperial victory and only four ship losses and fifteen damaged. All bomber squadrons descended onto the world and leveled the trench lines and Viathan joined with his Massassi forces and attacked the command bunker head on himself. Applying the new form of 'Force Detachment.'

(Battle of Tavya, Day Three)

Viathan held his saber next to him with his hood down and behind him stood an army of spear wielding and in line Massassi warriors with Zar and Grash on either side of him and they looked over the battlefield. Dead white armor clad troopers were everywhere with blast potholes as well and scorch marks. Thousands of Moffs were dead as were loyalists but undoubtedly the Moffs lost this battle. TIS bombers circled the skies overhead as the world fell into loyalist hands again and the command lines were just beyond the river bank as night drew near and the enemy forces in the forward bunkers flooded across the river to defend their last positions and Viathan had a sole conviction! His conviction and obsession was to enter the bunker and kill general Casheen. It was time to instill a bit of controlled terror into the enemy force as well.

"Commander Hoy!" An officer clad in battle armor ran toward Viathan as Zeetee hovered next to them, and Viathan let the little droid be as Randull was watching the Moffs with some binoculars in a prone position along the hill. "Order your forces and that corps there to fire on the Moff far line and cover the Massassi advance. I'll be in the mess too and this charge will show the Moffs that we have extreme muscle on our side, and general Casheen will transmit the sight to Morlin who needs to be demoralized and see what conditions his men are suffering to be beaten, understand?"
"Fully commander Viathan sir." Viathan nodded happily.

"Good. Get your men into position and when they charge," Viathan nudged his head over his shoulder back toward the restless Massassi hordes, "and make sure when we cross the riverbank you cease forward firing and attack only the furthest back. If I can show and prove one of your men committed friendly fire it will be your hide commander."
"Of course commander Viathan, sir." Hoy bowed his head, and Viathan took into account quickly that Hoy was obviously of Kuati heritage, and had a very proud and rigid demeanor to him, and though Viathan didn't mean to be insensitive he noted Hoy had 'slanted eyes' that many but not all Kuati had. He also carried a bit of facial hair all around his mouth essentially making him a goatee participant. He indeed looked like a man you wouldn't want to fight against, and Hoy was competent.

Shaking himself from his observations and returning to stand ahead of Zar and Grash he activated his saber and brought the crimson beam up high into the air and all Massassi howled as they noted the war call. They threw their spears up high with Zar and Grash joining Viathan and raised their ceremonial ancient Massassi swords high into the air as the evening stars light cast a glare from them, and a great cry went from the whole four-thousand strong army of red beasts of war and both Moff and Imperial alike turned to see what it was and shivered at the cool and frightening sight. Viathan cast his crimson eyes upon the enemy hold across the river and threw his saber down.

"Attack." He said very coolly and low to Zar who cried in Massassi the attack call and the beasts ran from the hill over and down toward the river, and Viathan leaped into action and ahead of the lot. Saber activated and the Force fueling him he launched himself once more up and over the enemy abandoned front trench and then the adjoining river onto the enemy side. He landed and closed his eyes, delving into the Force and allowing himself to imagine all his hatred and anger in but a one single point and taking hold of it, and then allowing the calming nature of the Force that Jedi practiced to enter him, he opened his eyes and found himself and everything around him slowly moving. However his mind was just as sharp, and fast. A trench before him lined with troopers being fired on in a wave of his troopers fire, they were lining their shots or ducking, but those who could were readying to shoot on him ad his Massassi, who hadn't yet reached his position from across the river. The bunker was behind the secondary trench of enemy troopers with the forward facing wall having an opening for Moff troops to fire into the open field.

In his state of mind Viathan could see the enemy troops inside the bunker lining their own shots as the Massassi charged. Coming up with a plan as was intended he lowered his saber below his left arm and allowed time to resume normally for him. Suddenly with a burst of speed that would look unnatural to the enemy and precision, Viathan threw his saber into and at the bunker and took up Ruin's saber and threw that into the trench line and jumped away from a bout of fire aimed at him. The first saber entered into and went through one after the other of the enemy forces and came flying back out and Viathan directed it to go in the opposite direction of Ruin's saber which had run through the trench line and impaled, gone through, and decapitated trooper after enemy trooper and they fell, and those who risked coming back up were hit by his saber coming fro the other direction. Ruin's saber flew back to him, and he jumped and caught it at the hilt perfectly and found himself landing in the trench with his other saber flying into his open hands. He twirled around to his right and cut down two troopers spun a kick around and knocked anther down and impaled his downed figure as bodies lined the trench, and the crimson Massassi flooded in spears first and the whole first wave fell into impaling troopers left and right of Viathan who smirked and spun his saber in a back grip and nonchalantly blocked and sent a bolt flying back at an unseen trooper as his Massassi roared and slaughtered. A few were gunned down and others were his directly in the chest with bolts and shook it off and used the pain against the troopers who began to collapse as a force under the weight of the Massassi onslaught.

Viathan peeked up into the sky as Zeetee flew overhead and examined the battle with bolts flying all around him and he shook his head at the droids boldness as the little droid recorded what was to be a bloody but welcomed scoop on the front lines of the war, and the carnage that the loyalists were unleashing. That and the war ministry and his 'master,' the Emperor was likely personally seeing if Viathan was getting better under Exar's teachings. "Here's your show old man." Viathan fell into a Niman stance that his master taught him and leaped out of the trench and sent immediately a hail of enemy fire back into the bunker where more Moff troops lined and fired on him. They met their marks or forced troopers to duck into safety. He landed and ran with the Force and with his saber hung behind him before jumping atop the bunker and above the line of sight of his enemies who looked out for him and were confused when they didn't see him. Pulling out a specialized thermal detonator that would stick to a surface and threw it down below onto the bunker shooting port just below the men who didn't catch it, and the detonator blew apart and open the bunker sending the man along the shooting port flying back with some of them taking bits of concrete and metal bars with them and through them. It was a bloody sight to say the least. He jumped down and turned in air and threw himself inside the bunker and slashed his blade in a sweeping manner through a trooper, sun around and took off another troopers legs, and flung saber over his shoulder blocking blaster fire, and swept hard right and slashed into a trooper, and swept around sent a team of three flying back, and spun to the other side and took of two further heads. Flinging free left hand back he sent a bout of lightning into the fallen team of three and felt their life forces fade.

Viathan spun his saber back around and brought it back up to his head height with both hands gripping his hilt angled up and slightly in toward his own head with his dominant foot ahead of his other as he oriented himself into a full Niman stance. He realized that the bunker was built into the planet's soil. He was on an upper deck designed for Moff troopers to climb sets of staircases to the port and provide covering fire, and he moved toward a blown piece of railing and looked over with crimson saber illuminating him and saw an entire operations center sunk deeper into the soil of Tavya. The troopers below turned on hm, and in a flash Viathan entered once more into his detached state and watched as the troopers now in a slowed motion aimed and readied to fire on him. He studied the room and came up with another idea, and exited his state of mind with a smirk. He again tossed his saber down into the crowd and pulled Ruin's saber up and using Niman fell into a Juyo stance of saber form and jumped down atop a trooper and took him in half. Throwing the saber he impaled a trooper, using the Force he grabbed Ruin's saber back jumped over blaster fire ran into a group of troopers wildly weaved a pulse pounding set of slashes through them all, and spun around catching his saber coming back to him as the dark side of the Force pounded through him.

Sabers up in an X formation he ran at another group of troopers shooting at him over the piles of their shredded friends, and he blocked every bolt, before swinging a saber back and keeping one at shoulder height in diagonal lined position and ran on a group and swung one saber through and at them, then swung his back leveled one up and into more as they screamed and howled in their death cries.

Spinning he tossed a saber vertically into a one trooper in a far off corner and impaled him momentarily into the wall, calling the saber back he swung both sabers and his body around and blocked a bolt and sent it into a trooper along a set of stairs into the back of the bunker and he fell from a wound in the helmet and head. He returned Ruin's saber to his belt and fell back into a Niman position with saber down at a low angle with both hands gripping the saber this time. Viathan had been training hard as of late to match his master in Niman, which was a form that could make one a master of all or a competent wielder of a saber, and for Viathan his obsession was to be a master of the blade and the form.

A set of steel doors lay before him at the back of the bunker, and he sensed more behind it and likely aiming their blasters down at the door in preparation. Viathan didn't need to or want to rush however, and jumped back up toward the blown out hole in the bunker and watched his Massassi closing in on the bunker and some even striking their spears down into fallen troopers with wild and dark side fueled abandon. There were swarms of them still coming and e smiled, as he noted that Zar and Grash were rounding up onto his position.

A set of beeps caught his ears and he turned right to see Zeetee staring back at him with its large camera lens, and Viathan cocked a brow playfully and smirked.

"Hey Zeetee. Getting good pictures?" The droid beeped a set of happy beeps and caused Viathan to chuckle. "Good, I'm glad for you Zeetee, but keep back if you're gonna follow me back into the bunker. Things in close quarters are heavy and I wouldn't want to pick your remains off the floor." The droid beeped worriedly and spun through the air but stuck near obviously wanting to follow him in anyways. Zar and Grash, breathing ragged, sweat glistening across the muscled and crimson bodies, blood staining their swords, and their yellow eyes beaming came u to him, along with about fifteen very eager looking and deeply breathing and growling Massassi warriors who all had sweat and desire upon them all. Viathan quickly ran his metallic hand through his sweat soaked ebony hair and pointed his still active saber into the bunker.

"Inside is our target, general of local enemy forces Casheen. He's held up behind a metal door and I sense good sport inside. Any of you able and willing to follow stick to me, and when that door in the far back opens I want full animosity unleashed! Leave not a one inside alive except for Casheen, who will be my target so it shouldn't be too hard to see who I speak of." The Massassi all growled their understanding and Zar gave them all a hardened look that a pack leader would give to his fellow pack members and they all seemed to be even more understanding then.

"Good, alright in we go." Viathan was still technically within the bunker and so merely speedily jumped back over and down off the rail for the shooting platform and Zeetee followed the Massassi in as they piled in after their dark side commander with crimson eyes. Viathan landed before the doors as the smell of burnt flesh and rot filled the room with scorched metal and the stench of blaster fire. Viathan motioned for Grash to take a squad of Massassi left and Zar to follow right, and Zeetee came to his shoulder and beeped causing Viathan to smile toward the little droid, who was much to his mild annoyance growing on him, and he he quickly motioned for Zeetee to climb higher and record them fro up high where blaster fire would likely be minimal.

He stretched his left hand out and the metallic and gruesome claws over each finger protruded out from their sockets as he felt he may need them, and he then brought the hand out before him and with the Force took hold of the door. He began to close his left hand into a fist slowly as if he could feel the door within his hands and the metal began to whine and buckle on the hinges, and Viathan motioned his Massassi allies to get ready as they grew more restless. With a pull of his hand the door came flying off in two pieces and Viathan had to duck from his own moves, and the Massassi piled in with roars of great desire and passion as the troopers beyond the door opened fire and hit two or three Massassi, one going down for good, and the other two using the pain for nothing but fuel and they ran at and into their trooper enemies. Spears pierced through armor, flesh and bone and sent men careening back as they were still impaled and they cried in utter horrendous pain as other Massassi like Zar ran in ran his blade through a trooper got hit with a bolt in his right shoulder pulled his sword from the trooper and ran at the shooter kicking aside a fallen over table and slashing upwards left to right and leaving a nasty gash exposed for all to see and killing the trooper but not before pain engulfed him.

Behind the Massassi Viathan flew in with saber in hand. He went for the center as his forces took the sides. He landed a hard right kick dead center into a trooper and fell onto him, and took his head off, and spun right back p took off a head, hard right in a carried circle and he ran through a further four troopers who fell in dismembered arrays of death and screeching pain through garbled vocabulators on their damnable and poor excuses for armor pieces that all Stormtroopers wore. He threw his left hand to the right and sent a wave of telekinetic energy into a set of three troopers hanging near the wall and they slammed back hard and likely made unconscious, and Viathan swiftly three his left hand back toward the left and slapped another trooper away and swung his saber into and at the trooper killing him, and docked from a bolt burst spun low and swung upwards cutting another in half, going hard right with a strike he killed the last two in front of him. The Massassi battled the remainder of the troopers as Viathan looked before himself and found only a table used for real time strategy, but he sensed the one being hiding behind and under it. He jumped on top of the table and kneeled down and banged on the top of the table itself.

"Come on out general Casheen, it's over. Be a man and meet with your better." Viathan coolly called over blaster fire and Massassi roars of pleasure and pain and victory as more and more of the last troopers were hacked and slashed and impaled. A set of black gloved hands came over the side of the table from underneath and a mans head slowly peered over and his brown eyes leveled with Viathan's crimson, and the boy cocked his head to the side quizzically as the man looked ridiculous. The man ran his hand through his brown hair and he cleared his throat, as he fumbled below and pulled his officers cap from the floor and shakily placed it back on his head before rising to full height before Viathan who remained crouched and almost animal looking with his blackened cloak falling around his person and giving him a sinister look. The Massassi were finishing up and making sure the fallen troopers were dead by impaling them and allowed the stabbing crunch to be heard by Casheen who felt like vomiting and looked green in the face.

"General Casheen I presume. I am specialized field commander of the imperial loyalist forces, Viathan. You armies here on Tavya are defeated, and you are now in my custody. I will spare your life, if you contact general Morlin here and now right before me. No, I don't care about where he is, I want to talk to hm though, and see the folly of his failing campaign." Casheen cleared his throat again and attempted to look proper and clasped his hands behind his back.

"I expect to be treated with the utmost propriety expected of a prisoner of war manager commander, and I will do as asked, but please, no more executions in front of me by those...things." Casheen nudged toward the Massassi and Viathan turned his head over his shoulder and the Massassi still had a trooper or two to impale and stopped when Viathan merely looked to them.

"There, now contact Coldor Morlin." Casheen nodded numbly and went over to a side computer console and keyed in some numbers and the walled display soon showed Morlin who was in front of a massive nerve center of officers working probably on Procopia. The older man's eyes slightly widened but then he calmed himself and sent a disappointed glare at Casheen.

"Ah Valek, I had been wondering when we would next speak. You look good, how is the war treating you?"
"Your new little pupil is not exactly the war prodigy I think you hoped he would be my old friend." Viathan retorted with cool eyes, and Morlin again cast a glare toward Casheen who averted his eyes to the floor, as Massassi in the background hauled the last three alive troopers toward a wall and slammed them against it with four of the creatures eying them down and keeping them immobile with fear alone.

"Yes Casheen was a good pupil but his inability to defeat you proves he was perhaps not yet fully ready to wage war. That is my failing. I expect he will be taken prisoner?"
"Indeed."
"Good. Then why have you contacted me?" Morlin asked with a furrowed brow.

"To let you see what you have described as a rising star among your staff collapse into nothingness. The Empire is on your doorstep on three more worlds my old mentor. The Moffs are also being choked by madam Nelrain of the URM in the Outer-Rim. Your cause is at an end and you have yet to see it. You bet on the wrong side indeed Morlin, and this day only proves that the Moffs since day one on Bestine IV have not been capable of winning a one kriffing battle on or above a world. The incompetence that plagued the galaxy ad Empire before this war will be at an end with the loss of all your Moff officers and leaders. Casheen here is but one of many the Empire will be happy to lose." Viathan mocked and Morlin nodded slowly with his upper lip curling into a frown.

"Perhaps my old student. Until then I suppose every day and night of your waking life will be devoted to hardship and war. Both of us will have a long protracted war ahead of us Valek, and I feel as though by the end, whichever one of us that lives will be broken in so many ways that by the end we will be the last casualty of this war."
"How very prophetic of you, Morlin. Until that end comes, we shall continue to pay this game. Until next we speak then as well, this conversation is done." Viathan sent a bolt of lightning into the machine and fried it. Casheen swallowed a lump in his throat hard, and Viathan eyed him before calling Zar over and Zeetee followed and got a nice annoying close up of the generals face in his moment of defeat.

"Take the general, by escort, safely and securely to commander Hoy. He is our and the Empires prisoner now." Zar bowed low and did as ordered. For in the next day, Tavya would once more be Imperial, and the next two days so would Nista, and another day, Cesya. As Tapani fell one by one.

(General POV)

In the Roche sector of the Mid-Rim was fully under Moff occupation save for the Roche asteroids where the Verpine resided. It was now fully controlled and occupied by Grand Admiral Zaarin and his task force numbering over three hundred ships at the time and growing. Zaarin was provided a large sheet of designs and ideas presented by the development teams that came from Coruscant. Some of the fighter units that Zaarin ordered to be developed and tested were two gems first. The TIE Phantoms, and the TIE Defenders. Zaarin also sent a recommendation sheet to the Emperor declaring the TIE fighter units in mass production and use by the Imperial navy to be obsolete and ineffective in fighting against their own kind and the droid fighter and bomber units which still had advantages over the imperial classified and made ships. Zaarin recommended that the TIE Interceptors be re-classified as the standard fighter unit. With the TIE bombers being kept in production and use. The Emperor responded with nothing, and ignored Zaarin who took the silence for what it was. As the Defenders and Phantoms were put to development and the recommendation ignored, Zaarin ordered and carried out a three system seizure, with two targets being actual and one being diversionary. The Fradian and Jeyell systems were worlds that contained and headquartered an ore world and a manufacturing world that would add to the Verpine operations to building and repairing and designing ships. While the Pothor system was chosen as the diversion for the Moffs. The Verpine had their own fleet but it was hampered and attacked by the Moffs when they were committing their forces to solidifying their dominion over the Outer and Mid rims of the galaxy as well as the Expansion Region but to a lesser extent. The Verpine began working more actively with Zaarin who was promoting Imperial-Verpine relations and cooperation hard in order to ensure there was no bad blood and attempts by the alien species to undermine the ship developments and repairs. Their fleet was an oddity of ship designs that the bugs built and designed on whims of fascination and desire to see if designs and ideas would work in practice and thus there were hundreds of miscellaneous ships with just as many confusing operations and abilities about them as well. They offered and were accepted to take their fleet to Pothor and draw out a larger Moff response where they would hold off and gather the Moffs to them with a toke of Zaarin's forces coming along to sweeten the lure of the fleet to the Moffs who would undoubtedly draw off defensive forces to engage the fleet and gain for the Moffs a victory especially since many were demoralized from the failures in the Outer-Rim and the Tapani Campaign.

The offensive was launched with over two-hundred Verpine manned and controlled allied ships with another fifty of Zaarin's forces going along to Pothor. The Moff defensive forces there in the system launched a counterattack and defense but had only fourteen ships present and called for immediate and massive assistance as it was known that Zaarin had a massive fleet and the reports were a mess and most thought Zaarin was committing a brute force invasion with the bulk of his entire fleet. A Moff fleet of its own hundred and eighty forces arrived and repelled the Verpine central offensive but it was planned, as a day and a half into the engagement, Zaarin himself arrived with another hundred forty ships of primed and readied warships. The Moffs then flooded all they had at Pothor as Zaarin's two task forces of thirty ships made for the other systems. Within a day both systems fell and their token forces of ten or so ships went with them and the Moffs attempted to scramble back reinforcements but the Interdictors in the Imperial fleet prevented any and all retreats. The Moffs in the end lost over a hundred ships total, and the rest unconditionally surrendered to which Zaarin accepted and seized all imperial classified and made ships from the Moffs and the Verpine went to work repairing and securing them for eventual use by Zaarin, adding nearly eighty more ships to his armada. In the end Pothor became a third conquest rather than a diversion, and the Moffs counterattacked on all three systems. Zaarin split his and the Verpine ships and sent what he thought necessary to defend the worlds he conquered as vast portions of the Mid-Rim through the Roche sector became his and the Empire's. The Moff counterattack was not immediately repelled and a long protracted campaign lasting months began at Jeyell. Three hundred thousand Moff troops were landed and the Moff fleet warded off the Imperial defenders until Zaarin's backup arrived and began the second battle for Jeyell. The Imperials landed their own five hundred thousand forces atop the stationed fifty thousand from the first battle. The battle would last for months and by the end of it all the Moffs lost all troopers and the Imperials and Stormtroopers corps suffered two-hundred-eighty thousand casualties of their own. Zaarin would be commended for his taking and holding of three more system in the Mid rim by the Emperor but none of is ideas were still taken with any credence. That was until he met a Sith lord that was willing and capable of listening and backing him and his position. However, that was another matter that had yet to happen, for while the second battle of Jeyell took place the galaxy was still at war in other far reaching places as well.

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For instance the Pakuuni Sector in the Outer-Rim was falling system by system by the dozens as the URM took hold and pushed into the Nilgaard Sector under the command of Commander Kast and Maverick squad. After the URM swept through the local 'Overic Griplink.' trade route and took the worlds of Ton-Falk, and Florn was secured by the battle droids the fleet under Kast entered the Nilgaard sector unopposed even as battle still raged in the Pakuuni sector. The first world in the Nilgaard sector to come under URM attack was the icy world of Toola along the same trade route. Like during the Clone Wars, the world allied with the URM and rose up against the Moff garrison. The local species, the Whiphids for the most part stayed neutral, but did go along with their world in its choice of alliance. Jodo, and Maverick squad carried up the main fleet to the world of Quermia. The Quermian species joined with the URM unconditionally in retaliation of the Empire's continued neglect of their people and species for merely being alien. With the world under URM rule came the URM entering onto the Perlemian trade route one of the most important in all the galaxy. This was followed up by a quick droid seizure of Makem Te along the trade route, and thus Kast ordered Nilgaard to be rapidly expanded into, before he made for Sertar sector, ad Spadja afterwords. Dalos IV, the Dalos system entire the Emmer system and Emmer, Minntaa and the Minntaa system, the Karkaris system and world, were all taken in four weeks total and by the second when Emmer fell Kast was off into the Sertar sector.

However the sector capitol the world called, 'Reaper's World,' in the oddly named Reaper's World system came under assault by the URM fleet numbering fifty warships. Both the local Herglic and Defels species supported the URM but the local Human population sided with the Moffs and civil disorder broke out as Moff local forces attempted to keep the civilian contained, as the Moffs sent a hundred ships in total to defend Reaper's World, and decimate the URM fleet forcing Jodo and Maverick squad with a new fleet from Sullust, and Sluis Van forming their backbone to return to the Nilgaard sector and launch a second offensive at Reaper's World. The battle above the world would last two weeks entirely as Moff forces kept sending more reinforcements day after day and funneling damaged and weak ships out of combat for fresh ones. The battle below saw droid forces join with the Herglic and Defels in a war against Moff forces and Human loyalists and Humanocentrists.

The worlds cities and urban zones were decimated and the droids swept through with Kast and his squad leading the way. The battle on the planet lasted just as long and then some. Human casualty rate were massive in scale compared to all other forms, and Kast found himself forced to rally behind Kellia's kill orders for Moff troopers who sided in full behind the human populations and would not relent against the URM or surrender. There were over ten-billion humans and only a billion other sentient beings, but with the droids at their side numbering eventually eight-hundred-million the numbers began to amount to nothing with vastly superior tactics and ruthlessness. House to house fighting was rampant as was simply blowing away homes in effort to silence opposition, and soon the dreaded droids sent shivers of fear up the spines of the humans, especially those who could remember the Clone Wars. By then end of what became a month and a half long campaign in which Kellia ordered Kast to return to conquering Sertar immediately, the world was a corpse pile of six-billion-thirty-million on all sides combined, which added to the massive kill counts racking in the Outer-Rim that seemed unstoppable as the world was made into vast work camps for the Human population managed by fellow humans by order of Supreme Commander Nelrain back in the Arkanis sector.

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Within the Arkanis sector Kellia took her fleets and easily conquered the worlds of Obana, Cranan, and 'Melnea's World.' The moon of Kemal Station fell easily, and the proceeding worlds of New Ator, and Vor Deo fell within a day of one another as did Gedi the following day. With Issor rising up in rebellion and calling for URM military aid and intervention. The Moffs attempted to subdue the natives but the URM arrived in a matter of hours and under Nelrain's command they massacred every Moff trooper and non-native to Issor in a matter of hours proceeding while the fleet moved on with quick and tenacious ferocity to Najiba, as the other fleets attack both Khubeaie and Vactooine. Both worlds of which had mining and ore capabilities to bolster the ever growing Geonosis shipyard and droid building operations within Arkanis. The Moff forces began to ally with a more odd of faction. The Hutt cartels and crime empires. The Moffs began to grow desperate as they began falling and failing on all fronts and losing ground fast. The Hutts meanwhile did not appreciate the manner in which Kellia Nelrain did not negotiate or deal with them at all.

However Nelrain herself led many of the ground campaigns and ens of thousands of droids were being made hourly on the production worlds within Arkanis and beyond. Where she lost fifty-thousand, they lost seventy, and when she got eighty-thousand back from Geonosis they got ten from emergency reserves and depleted them near immediately. The URM carried out such a strict no-prisoners policy that the Emperor back on Coruscant was impressed with the ruthlessness and would laugh at times at reports on the ferocity in which the droids operated under the woman he rather wished was still dead, though he appreciated her form.

Both worlds fell in a matter of days and Tarnoonga and Cirus II fell to the URM and the galactic eastern borders of Arkanis were secured as they fell onto and converged on Heffrin to link up with Kellia and the main force at Vasch. All these worlds, and Huldamun fell as the fleet came to its main prize. Arkanis the world itself, sector capital. A world still loyal to the Galactic Empire, and the first 'real,' sport and battle against the Empire and the URM. It also opened up the Corellian Run trade route to the URM and allow them to commit themselves to any coreward attacks aimed at the Empire itself in its heart.

Upon Arkanis Kellia unleashed thirteen million battle droids most of them were B1's but consisted of all manner of droids as per the usual of the URM. In mass quantity Spider-droids and Crab-droid were also used, and the 'tank droids,' otherwise known as the Snail-droids. As well as AAT tanks units, with a five hundred thousand auxiliary Geonosian and at least a million haphazard organic soldier units atop the droids. The URM came in with five Lucrehulks and a hundred Providence, fifty Recusants, and eighty Munificent class ships. The Galactic Empire had but two Stardestroyers, and ten Victory-I's guarding the world which had thus far missed any and all Moff attacks. The ships were utterly annihilated. The the URM headed by Kellia herself landed on the world in full force against an enemy that had a vast planetary military population atop of local forces under the command of the Imperially back Arkanis Regency.

(Day one of the battle of Arkanis)

Kellia jumped off her transport as did her hundred B1 battle droids who ran off the transport shooting as did all their fellow droid units as ships and bombers flooded the sky from the URM as AA fire burst into the skies from the Imperial side. She activated her cerulean blue bade and allowed the Force to guide her, as she allowed her brown, and yellow blotched eyes to fall across the city she had landed in. The major spires and skyscrapers were a flame and burning or falling down and apart. She watched as a Snail droid tank came rolling out of a nearby transport.

"All droid units are ordered to fire on all military units, which include any civilians who take up arms! Destroy all military command posts and centers, and do not leave any survivors!" Kellia commanded into her own comlink, before she looked around for her appropriate forces.

Ahead of her some she found another transport landing droideka, and B2 units in platoon sizes, with five platoons of B1's coming out another transport and she could commandeer any armored units she would need along the way. She used the Force to jump toward and in front of the droids as enemy forces lined the upper levels of the city spires and fired random bolts into the slow moving droid armies who fired back at them with Crab-droids climbing and scaling the walls to kill the higher level enemies with Spider droids concentrating on emergency erected barricades used by the Imps.

"All droid forces before me right now, you are t my immediate command! Our priority target is the Arkanis Regency palace. The Imps will see their backed royalty hung from the tallest sire by the end of this battle!" Kellia commanded and the droids fell in line, and Kellia led them onto the main road toward the palace which was the heaviest under fire. Tens of thousands of Imperial troopers under the command of a general by the name of Rintu, fired endless streams of red bolts onto the road whether there were enemy troops present or not.

"All AAT's fire on those buildings, and all droideka units will take the frontal assault followed by B2 battle droids. All B1's will blow through the attacks and march on that palace!" Kellia commanded and the droids followed without thought or question. The droideka's were kept mostly safe by the sudden bursts of the AAT's which fired into and blew chunks f buildings full of enemy combatants away. The B2's kept firing on the upper levels with greater accuracy and some B2's had cannon attachments and fired up as well and turned the tide and had enemy forces ducking for cover in no time, as Kellia called in Hyena bombing runs and Tri-fighter close air support firing missions. For Kellia wanted nothing less than to march to the steps of the palace and pull from their peaceful resting places the royals of Arkanis supported by the Emperor, and hang them literally from the tallest spire. However things were not as simple. For halfway through the main road, the Imperials unleashed their AT-At and AT-ST walker units supported by 2m-Saber tanks. They dragged out the battle for far longer than Kellia wanted and by day three of the fighting she ordered her second fleet to attack and take the last two enemy Arkanis worlds also on the Corellian Run. The worlds of Sirpar and Gorno. As the battle for Arkanis became an awesome sight of explosions and death in an Outer-Rim already inundated with such worlds, which made its fame something awe inspiring indeed.

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Authors Note: Not much to say this time other than I hope you guys like the chapter, not beating my old score yet for most wordy chapter yet sadly but oh well. ;) As always please excuse or point out any and all grammatical errors, and enjoy the chapter.