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.

53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

(Orbit above Geonosis, Providence-Class Destroyer Hollow-Soul)

Arms crossed over her chest among the tan tunic beneath her darkened blue robes that clung to her body and hung down to the metallic flooring beneath her boots, Kellia looked out beyond the glass and viewport into the space above the unofficial capital of the URM, Geonosis. Sprawled across her vision dotting the space and void of the vacuum were dozens of ships. Though to say it was dozens was not the truth. Indeed thousands of ships were above the world below in orbit, the majority were however stationed and floating behind her ship out of view of her direct sight. The ones before her were currently being prepped, all droids aboard activated and mission parameters being assigned to the control units, within this, options for operational objective changes of course.

Droid surrounded her on the bridge of this ship, a one among many that now polluted the orbit of this one world. Doubly so as the patrol fleet for Geonosis could at times be mistaken for ships being made to join the grand fleet that she now had under her command. All these ships had been pulled from the pools of reserves made ready by the secret backings of the old CIS aligned worlds and peoples, and thus Kellia knew she was putting the whole URM movement under threat by taking this fleet to the heart of the cancer, to Coruscant, but it had to be done! It would be done, and she would succeed in activating the trillions, no; the quintillions of droids spread with no direction and no use throughout the galaxy and their ships. Thus bringing a great and mighty force double the size of the empire and Moff forces combined into her control. Into her direct control in fact!

Lucrehulks, Providence, Munificent, Sabaoth, and Recusant classes. All manner of CIS era ships were gathered in the greatest fleet Kellia had yet seen assembled before her ad made for her to command, and it was a glorious feeling. Was it power perhaps? Power that gave her this sudden rushing feeling like adrenaline and made her feel strong and bold enough o commit to what some, to what many saw as a suicide mission? Perhaps, but Kellia knew that this had to be done. Knew that this mission would bring about the assured success of her war, the URM's war, and the war against the old tyrant, the walking corpse upon the throne. "Palpatine." She whispered, though alone being the one sentient aboard this ships bridge she felt like not broadcasting his name to all the droids that went about their work silently and dutifully behind her.

The buzzing of her comm was the only thing that grabbed her muted attention, breaking her stare out toward her grand fleet. Snatching the little communication device up she was greeted by a familiar Corellian voice.

"Ah! There is the lady in charge of undertaking what is being called one of the most stupidly daring plans of this war so far!" Dase announced in an all too cheery voice filled with humored sarcasm, and once more, Kellia rolled her brown eyes. For once the yellow of the dark side did not blot them.

"Vorum." She tersely responded. "I hope you called for business. I'm not in the mood for social calls."

"When are ya?" Dase chuckled, and Kellia growled lowly, but just loud enough for Dase to hear.

"Not to worry though. I did indeed call with a bit of info that may interest you!" Dase announced and Kellia awaited silently for the actual report he spoke of which seemed to irk him when she didn't say anything. 'Perhaps he expected a retort.' She reasoned in her silence.

"Well...anyways it would appear as though the Moffs have begun to advance themselves into a new front against the Empire in the Mid-Rim." Kellia perked up at that and her eyes flashed with interest.

"A new Moff assault? In Imperial space of course?"

"Yep!" Dase responded enthused almost. "I had not thought those fools bold, or strong enough to launch a new attack anywhere. Let alone a new front you say? Where is this attack taking place Vorum?" The supreme commander persona within Kellia coming through in full as her speech became rigid and her thoughts became flashes of scenarios possibly undertaken by the Moffs in such a move.

"It looks like a whole karking sector. The Chommell sector in fact. The Emperors home planet is there ain't it? That Naboo world?" Kellia nodded, though Dase could not see her though their strictly audio call.

"Indeed it is. A bold move on their part and one that will surely give the Emperor a rise. They could be trying to drive pressure off of the Imperial push into the Tapani sector. Like with that failed Bogden feint, but this far more bold." Kellia mused.

"Whom authorized this? Do we know?" Dase was silent for a moment, and Kellia guessed him to be looking into whatever report he had with him.

"Yeah we don't know yet for certain, but we are guessing with an eighty percent chance of it being likely from the new Supreme commander they got working for them in the Moff Alliance. Ardus Kaine. He is just a pleasant guy ain't he? Astounding he didn't like Palpatine enough to stay with him since he's obviously ambitious."

"The problem with these men, Vorum, is not their ambition. It's their greed, and desire for more power for themselves and not for the glory of another man." Kellia spat disgustedly. "Kaine seems to be desperate to prove himself some sort of tactical genius. At the very least he is trying to impress those who placed him in his post as commander. The council of Moffs or whatever ridiculous name they've given themselves. He was also behind the Bogden mess that Vader utterly thrashed. Nonetheless," Kellia spoke once more with speedy words and terseness she seemed to gain the more she was a war leader. "..I want him watched. All reports compiled, and actions recorded."
"You think he could be a problem?" Vorum questioned, seeming a bit stunned at the notion.

"Possibly, but more so for the Empire. He seems to want to send a message to the Emperor as well. Probably thinking himself a suitable replacement. I want him tracked as best as we can. Despite the fact I think he's mostly the old mans problem, he may very well try his hand at doing something bold with us and our control zones."
"Will do boss lady." Dase replied cheerily as ever.

Kellia again rolled her eyes, and was about to give Dase a tongue lashing on his unofficial manner of speaking with her when approaching steps behind her caught her attention and she whipped around. Approaching her was the droid captain at the command of this ship. A simple looking B1 model, but with a captain yellow paint spread on certain parts of its chassis. It numbly and slightly clumsily saluted, as its metal body made it somewhat hard to do, but it was within their programming to do as such for superior officers.

"Hold on Vorum. She spoke into the comm. "Report captain!" She greeted stiffly, and the droid halted and dropped its salute.

"Ma'am, all ships are reporting readiness to make the jump to hyperspace. We are ready to lead as well, and all systems check green status. We await your command." The droid reported in its squeaky robotic voice, and Kellia felt adrenaline rush through her body, and anxiety bubble in the pit of her stomach but she mentally squashed it aside. The time had come to carry out her plans, and to mock, and slap the Emperor in the proverbial face.

"Thank you captain. Return to your post and await my go ahead for the jump." the droid silently saluted once more, and turned. Making back for the piloting seat, and leaving Kellia at the front of the ship before the viewport. A small grin beginning to form across her features as she took a look outward and noted some ships retreating from the vessels that were part of her fleet. They were more than likely the Geonosian techs from below retreating back to Geonosis below. Making their hasty retreat before the fleet inadvertently took them along for the ride.

Remembering she had Dase waiting she brought the comm back up to her mouth now dry from the sudden excitement rushing through her and affecting her physically it seemed.

"Vorum., the fleet is at readiness."

"Oh..." Dase simply replied, and Kellia guessed he was surprised at the quickness of that fact. It caused her grin to broaden. Specially as all the ships seemed to begin their movements to position themselves for the jump itself. Forcing all the ships to turn facing a one direction all at once.

"'Oh' indeed Vorum. Now you will inform the rest of the council outside of our little meeting as to our plans, and inform them that the majority vote was reached without their being at the meeting in question while I'm gone. Let them in on any details they may request or question about. Inform them that any options for stopping or postponing the mission are far gone at this point. Send word to all active units including Ackbar and Kast that the mission is under way. In Kasts case let him in on the attack and then tell him it's begun." Kellia went on expecting full well that Vorum soaked up every command without a hitch.

"Finally be sure to listen in on the HoloNet channels, anyone of them, for the broadcast signal. A garbled mess that will be easily recognized by the Geonosian techs on standby. The Net will only be accessible to any signal inputs they have for a time while the command center is in our control. I'll activate them all, but I will want you and the techs to recall them to Geonosis. All vessels are to be inspected at once, and all reinforcement requests are to be met immediately. All droid vessels and units incapable of returning to Geonosis will be ordered to attack all military units and bases that do not meet the CIS and new URM parameters I shall input through this broadcast."

"Understood Nelrain." Dase sounded a bit more serious for once, and she didn't fully get why, but thought it a nice change of pace for the Corellian herself.

"Today marks the beginning of the downfall of the Empire and all that it has spawned Dase. I shall send word by hypercomm of our return when we are clear of Coruscant and make our stop off in the Mid-Rim at the preset coordinates."

"Very well Kellia. Just be sure to get down and off that world in one piece ya hear? We still need a war leader over here. Not another damn martyr, or fool thinking they can kill the Emperor." His tone, and subtle implication that he thought she might deviate from the plan to pursue some vendetta rattled her. It made her realize that Vorum knew her all too well, and thus she huffed a laugh.

"Understood Vorum. You do your part, and I'll do mine. Nelrain out." She snapped off the comm without further being, or needing said. Though she oddly felt a sense of anxiety hit her harder as she ended her interaction with Vorum. The damn Corellian cared too much about her health for her liking. She allowed another laugh devoid of actual humor to escape her in more of a huff. She crossed her arms once again allowing the warming comfort of the tunic and cloak fabric to enclose around her. Closing her eyes and delving into the Force to seek out some measure of calmness found memories of the Clone Wars instead rearing their faces. Battlefields riddled with those treasonous clones, and broken droids whom now ironically served her and the greater good. Fellow Jedi dead and dying, burnt flesh, open wounds bleeding their guts out onto the fields from other wounds far more sickly to look at than any blaster shot. Friends masters, and allies all dying, killing and turning on her. Two men as well. Both of them the greatest monsters she'd ever known and both of them seeming at a one time to be her only salvation to a life of happiness after losing all that she cared for upon that hell hole called Jabiim. One of those foul men, those creatures happened to be that old decrepit thing that lead the heart of the galaxy. He who spawned Vader, the Moffs and this Imperial oppression that merely took new form but same formula with the Moffs.

The time had come at last to set things right and take this monster down. The second of the two would come soon thereafter no less.

"Captain!" She called whilst not turning around to face the captain. The droids clanking to a stand and likely to a salute was heard not seen, but it need not be for Kellia as she cocked her head enough to catch a sideways glance of the droid doing just that.

"Send the order to the fleet. We make for Coruscant. All necessary and predefined orders will be followed as such. Remind them all of that." The droid nodded its cone like head, and sat down upon the captains chair and began likely silently radioing all the orders and reminders, though Kellia did doubt that droids needed reminders. It made her feel better.

The ship rumbled as it moved into its position better to the front of the fleet and all the ships around them moved forward and their hyperdrives all primed. Then one ship, two ships, three, four, five ten, a hundred and more began blasting off into unseen streaks of light and Kellia allowed a wicked grin to cross her features once more. Soon enough the Hollow-Soul joined these ships and became a streak of light blasting off into the void of hyperspace. Not to appear until it loomed like a bastion of death over Coruscant, and brought fear and memories back to those that lived below. It would be soon now. Very soon.

(Stardestroyer, Magnificence, In Hyperspace)

Not far off from reaching Coruscant now, and Viathan had awoken some time ago now. He hadn't caught how long he was asleep yet. The torture of his nightmares were far too interesting apparently to rouse his body, still pulsing with pain, from his sleep. Images of a figure, tall and garbed in blackness like a shadow staring out over piles of bodies that reached as tall as the spires of Coruscant themselves. The fires of bodies burning and the smell of flesh, reminiscent of his battles on Neona and those that came before hit him in his dream, or at least he thought they did. 'Did one smell in dreams?'

The question had hit him when he had finally awoken. His body was in the same position he had collapsed onto his bed with. Lying on his stomach with arms sprawled out and neck craned to the left. He attempted to move but pain shot through him and he felt his breath thrust from him like being slammed in the gut by the mighty punch of a Massassi. The pain of electricity splintering through hi still resonated within and throughout his being. Finally he forced himself up at some point, his arms wobbling in pain as he did and his back refusing to move without the pain of stabbing needles prickling him. The pain that radiated through him had him worried for a moment at his ability to be operationally ready for anything his master requested of him, and thus he reluctantly made a trip to the med-bay. Hoping to see Dr. Wor, but sadly he had only his assistant Sieda Noorsh available to him.

That's where he found himself now. Sitting like a foolish child atop an examination bed. Legs hanging off the side, his head facing down, eyes averted from the blonde woman near to his person. His shirt removed and laying beside him, with the cloak portion of it hanging off the bed as well. She was looking over some damnable blood tests she forced him to take, and scans of his organs, and bones looking for anomalies of issues, and event he was forced to remove his metallic hand for, and that had severely irked him. He had since placed it back into its socket built into his arm.

"Well. Despite what seems to be major trauma still present on several regions of your body, namely your ribcage. You seem to be otherwise okay. I see no internal injuries from anything electrical. Your blood-work is fine. Actually your natural healing properties seem to be quick at work repairing everything that would otherwise take a bit longer for average humans to heal from. Cuts, scrapes and bruising I mean. Just as Dr. Wor said."

She sounded awed. Though Viathan thought she had seen this already with Wor, but perhaps he had not shown her his findings and she was merely taking him at his word before. He looked up at her. She was sitting across from him one leg crossed over the other, very professional looking, spectacles over her eyes, which seemed odd to him in these days of corrective surgeries. Her blonde hair tied back, and her serene features were curled in that awe he heard from her as her brilliant green eyes poured over the datapad containing his report. She was wearing a standard white garb, not dissimilar to an officers uniform, only white in color.

She flashed him a smile, and he found himself looking away from her at that. He didn't like looking her in the eyes. After all he was shirtless before someone clearly his elder. It was a situation he was not unused to...

"You seem to be doing fine on the inside. It's the outside I don't like commander Viathan. Your body is riddled with scars and bruises despite them being healed at faster rates, and you have electrical burns on several portion of your skin that just hours before now were clear, or at least devoid of electrical burns. Mind telling me how that happened, or that?" She pointed to several marks on his body where they were red and stung at the slightest touch. These had riddled Jade's body, but of course he took them upon himself with the Rakatan ritual. For his masters sake of course, but now he had a new reason to hate Jade. For forcing him to not only heal her, but take on her damnable wounds and go through this embarrassing ordeal.

"I will not divulge in what was being done at the time in particular Ms. Noorsh. As that is strictly for me and those involved to know. Needless to say though, I shall inform you it was training on my part." Viathan retorted in a terse and low voice that allowed his Coruscanti, much like Dr. Wor's to come through. He looked up to her and she was looking his body over from where she sat and that caused him to look away quickly again and curl his lips in disgust and hatred. For himself of course. As he felt shakes, those of fear course through him that he angrily suppressed mentally. 'Damn memories...'

"Well, whatever it may have been that got your body, which may I say was already healing and in bad enough shape, to take on electrical burns should stop commander. We don't need one of the stars of the Imperial armed forces to be bed ridden for the rest of the war now do we?" She asked sweetly, and as if she was trying to connect with him. She got up from her seat and walked over toward him, and once more for what felt like the one-millionth time began inspecting his back as he leaned over already as well. She placed her right hand on his shoulder and it felt cold and sent a shiver down his back. Both at its surprising coldness and unpleasantness for Viathan. She ran her left hand down his back and he found it greatly unwanted and ground his teeth in annoyance, and his stomach began to churn with nausea. Luckily enough she saw whatever she wanted to look for, and stepped away.

"Well.." she let out a content sigh. "You seem well enough. I can give you something for the pain, and aches, but beyond that I can tell you that you will heal well enough and sooner than most at that." She smiled and crossed her arms, quickly taking a mock stern look to her face, that once again annoyed Viathan. He after all thought she was but a few years his elder, not his damn mother.

"I however don't want you putting yourself into anymore dangerous situations. Not until you are better and forced back onto the battlefield commander." She was acting playful in her berating manner, but Viathan found himself incapable of reciprocating the sentiment, and snatched his shirt from beside him. Quickly and with a sense of urgency placing it back over his well muscled, and scarred body that he hated having exposed to anyone.

As he finally got the shirt back on and snapped the ends of the shirt into his belt to connect the garb to the rest of his clothing and thus not flap about, after all he had a cloak for that, he stood and cleared his throat nervously. Having now the will to look the woman in the eyes.

"I will be sure to take it easier upon my body, but as I have made clear I will do as I must, as you will milady." Viathan retorted his crimson eyes now staring her green ones back.

"I will need nothing for the pain. I can manage on my own I assure you."

"Good." She nodded and once again smiled. "I don't wanna see you in here again for a while commander." She placed a comforting hand on his right shoulder and gave it a...'friendly,' squeeze. To which he gently removed it. She showed no signs of minding of taking offense.

"I shall keep that in mind milady."
"Please call me Sieda, commander. No need to be overly formal with a Dr. in training." She cut him off and he cleared his throat again and rolled his neck in discomfort.

"Very well mil...I mean Sieda. I shall attempt to not incur any further injury in the near future, and I thank you for your time and dutiful examination of my...person." He found himself incapable of saying 'body,' for some reason.

"Not a problem commander." They began walking toward the door together. "If anything new pops up, or any new injury is incurred do not hesitate to come see myself or Dr. Wor, who I am sure will express his apologies for not being present to examine you himself."
"I'm sure." Viathan agreed, and reached the door. Turning to look her once again in the eyes. "Once again, you have my thanks." She nodded happily and expressed a smile, almost a grin at that. "Not a problem commander it was my pleasure." Viathan cocked a brow at the odd choice of words, but nodded once and took his leave after saying a good day. He couldn't remember the last time he found himself nearly breaking into a run to get away from a room.

He reached the hall outside the medical bay and there some feet down said hall he finally released a breath he had not realized he was holding and felt dry heave rise from his stomach that he released, and luckily did not vomit but coughed in a fit following the retches. He was leaning against a metallic wall aboard the ship in one of the corridors and was breathing heavily. His eyes closed and his body shaking as memories flooded into his mind, and he found rage, unbridled and instinctive shaking through him even further like terrible tremors. His self disgust and anger finally subsided where apathy replaced it and his eyes merely stared down at the base of the wall he leaned upon. Mutely he registered boot falls in the hall but didn't feel it necessary to look up.

"Apprentice?" The voice of his master rose him from his thoughts and he whipped up and looked at his master who stood in the hall arms crossed once again and eying him suspiciously.

"Master." Viathan bowed his head down. Exar waved his formalities off.

"Take a trip to the medical bay I see. Complications?" He asked but Viathan shook his head vehemently. Perhaps too much so, but Exar didn't seem to notice.

"I assure you nothing is wrong master. I...merely awoke from my sleep in some pain and wanted to insure it wasn't anything that would impede upon my abilities to serve you master." Exar closed his eyes, as one would when thoroughly annoyed with someone.

"I see apprentice. Your ritual did in fact then have some complications." Exar said, not asked. "Be these in your mind complications that are not as serious my apprentice matters little to me. They are complications nonetheless." Viathan nodded understandingly. Though he still thought it more important that he had proven himself before his master with being able to commit the ritual in the first place.

"Forgive me master. However, I think that my ritual was no less successful, and I have been medically cleared by madam Noorsh. I am combat effective!" He declared and puffed himself out, not comically so as a child would to show their strength, but more as a man who was obviously unfit would to prove their worth. For Exar it was a sight he did not particularly take pleasure from seeing. Save for his apprentice's will to continue on fighting he did not appreciate the fact he kept taking on far too much pain and throwing himself into situations that could affect him and his abilities not just in the next battle but for his whole life.

"Your battle effectiveness does not concern me at the moment Viathan. We are after all on our way to the heart of the Empire itself. Do me a favor and relax a bit." Viathan seemed confused at the statement, even a bit put off by such an idea as 'relaxing.' Exar saw that and decided with a sigh that perhaps he and the boy who had for a while now seemed to take the back end of his apprentices, should...talk.

"Come with me Viathan." Exar ordered and strode passed him and he looked on at his master once again with a confused face, but quickly shook it off and ran up to follow him and keep pace.

"Where are we headed master?" Exar kept walking as the teen looked to him from the side where he kept pace. He didn't look at him but he waved his hand up casually.

"Why I thought we'd spend a little quality master, apprentice time together. It has occurred to me that we have not had legitimate time to train and properly discuss matters of the Force and the nature of your apprenticeship since...well since Alderaan. That was quite some time ago indeed." The Sith lord mused and Viathan brightened up at the notion of spending some time with his master. Even as every step he took sent little pulses of pain radiating through his being.

"Yes master." Viathan replied simply enough and continued to follow his master. Noticing as well, that with every step further away from the med bay he felt better.

"Ah yes, but before we get into the our little session itself, I must ask. You said that madam Noorsh was the one that looked you over apprentice, correct?" Viathan nodded, and once more felt his stomach churn and skin crawl at the memories. Exar nodded in return, and hummed in interest, which easily caught Viathan's attention.

"Master?"
"It's nothing Viathan." Exar was quick to silence him, and left the teen once again, even more confused. Even as the dark lord seemed far more thoughtful about the fact that madam Noorsh was the one to inspect him. 'Perhaps he prefers I see Dr. Wor. I wouldn't mind it myself, but why would he?' Viathan was more confused than ever. His master had requested he say when he was inspected by either Wor or Noorsh, but he was still perplexed as to why. This whole thing only doubled that sense of confusion.

"Come. We have far more important things to discuss I think, than some doctors visit to our resident on-board medical staff, hmm?" Viathan took a moment to simply look at his master, not hiding his continued confusion, but Exar showed no signs of registering his apprentice's confusion, so Viathan merely nodded then.

"Excellent!" Exar responded. Thus proving to Viathan his master had indeed ignored his confusion. Which only increased that feeling. However, Viathan chose to let it go, and simply follow his master who seemed eager to actually spend some time with him. It had indeed been far too long since he and his master took some time to merely sit and talk, or discuss their philosophies and train in the manner one would expect between conventional Sith. Though Exar Kun was hardly a conventional Sith lord. In fact it occurred to Viathan that his master had not yet tortured, beat, or inflicted pain upon him. Whereas the Emperor had on multiple occasions, and subjected him to other indignities to make him stronger. It occurred to Viathan then as well, that he far more appreciated his master for his treatment of him. Of course he did! He didn't treat him like a kath hound in need or whipping every time it stepped out of line as one wanted to a precise point.

No. His master didn't need to beat and berate him. He was a strong presence, not unsightly either like the Emperor. Charismatic when he wanted to be, and terrifying to those he wanted to instill fear into. He could be subtle though it was not this Sith lord's favorite style. It gave Viathan something to strive to be similar to. Not exactly perhaps, but close to. His master would one day rule the whole galaxy, of this he had no doubt. Viathan allowed a smile to cross his face at that thought. For he would do anything and everything he could to see that dream come to fruition. Even if he were to die right after placing his master upon Palpatine's throne, eh would die happily and join the void of the Force peacefully.

"Here we are." Exar announced. Both of them having walked for a short time and reached a room Viathan had not seen before, which confused him. He had thought they would return to the same training room from hour prior. Exar keyed in the pass-code into the wall console and the door opened with a very subtle whooshing noise. The Sith lord motioned for Viathan to enter the room, which was illuminated by a few simple yet common white lights of a stardestroyer. To the back end of the room exactly opposite of the door was a very massive viewport that showed the swirls of hyperspace passing by the ship as it traveled seamlessly through the vortex. The inside of the room was simple but filled with odd things Viathan had not see his master have before. Though he knew what they were.

"Holocrons?" Viathan questioned as he noted that the pyramids lined the walls on shelves and were mingled among cubes as well which he knew well enough to be Jedi holocrons, and the younger Sith knew not how his master had come across a treasure trove of artifacts. The Sith entered the room after Viathan nodding to himself in appreciation of his growing collection and brought his arms to his hips as he inspected them again. A smile planted across his features as he did so.

"Yes apprentice, holocrons! Lots of them in fact. I can't lie and take credit for acquiring all these priceless pieces of knowledge on my own though. That honor falls upon madam Lyn. Perhaps you have heard of the Emperors secret vaults on...oh what was the name of that world? Ah! Yes Wayland. I think it was called." Viathan narrowed his eyes in confusion and shook his head, having never heard of that world. Or at least being unable to recall if he had.

Exar shrugged. "Ah, it doesn't matter anyways, but the Emperor must be seething if he knows yet that his vaults were raided from that planet. It's deep in Moff space so for all he knows the Moffs may have made a little raid on it and caused some damage to spite him. Arden is quite the gem for little jobs like that. When she's not forcing me to make her a front line commander of my forces that is. Damnable woman she is." Exar mentioned and Viathan did find it somewhat funny to hear his master talk about the at times abrasive woman, who seemed to be playing a power game with his master.

"I have used this room as my study, and personal meditation quarters since leaving Coruscant on our campaign in Tapani. It soothes me to be among such artifacts of power and knowledge. It allows me to center myself and bask in the Force." Exar once again motioned his hand forward toward a large mat upon the otherwise flat and hard metal floor.

"Come, join me in one of my meditations Viathan." The teen nodded once and stepped forward and onto the mat. Dropping down upon his knees facing the viewport before him spinning with hyperspace he awaited his master whom followed and sat down upon the mat rather than upon his knees like Viathan chose to do. Exar sighed and brushed his long dark cloak aside and placed his hands upon his knees as he sat cross-legged next to his young apprentice.

"Now, center yourself, and enter into your meditations. Show me how you do things whilst I am not around." At his beckoning Viathan did just that. Closing his crimson eyes and allowing darkness to shroud his sight. The veil of vision passing away allowed for hi to enter into the strange realm of the Force. The room faded away and only the pulsations of those within this ship, thousands of them, were heard as it were seen through the eyes of the Force. The very surface thoughts of captains and officers sounded off from all directions as the men went about their duties and work. The troopers one sided ideas and recounting of their battles and training were broadcast like a chorus of in synchronization choir singers. Men, officers, were thinking of the oddity of this war, and the hells of Neona and beyond. The fear that entered their hearts and minds at the idea of droids blistering their bodies and that of their families back home, wherever home may be. Others however thought of death. Killing and mutilating the treasonous Moff forces, once brothers in arms, but these men were fine examples of the Imperial academies training. They thirsted for battle and blood. It reminded him of others whose thoughts were also open to him. Those of the mighty Massassi warriors who were hunkered down, and resting in the depths of the ship. Some were awake and he guessed them to be discussing their battles and scars.

Viathan smiled at this. For he had been foolish enough and too tied up with his own worries to bother asking his master if the Massassi from Neona were accounted for. However, here and now within the Force he sensed the strong will of Zar'kai, and Grash. The two red beings mighty and monstrous who he had come to enjoy in company and battle alongside.

"The thoughts of those aboard the ship, they can be quite loud and oppressive when one does not shut them out." Exar spoke up beside him, and though Viathan was not sure if his master was looking at him he nodded agreeably.

"It's a vast assortment of mentalities. Those who seem as though they don't share any of the Imperial ideals of species superiority or will to dominate all life in the galaxy in the name of the Emperor, but seek to serve their Empire and work dutifully. Those are then placed against those ideas and mindsets of men who seek to kill, and ravage the galaxy and lay waste to all who would dare oppose the Emperor and their glorious Empire. The states of mind of the soldiers are even more narrow. Battle and repetition of training exercises and implanted thoughts likely by whatever cloning method they were made with. The recruited ones have more 'normal,' thought patters, but even then training regimens fill their minds and hatred for those we now fight across the galaxy." The dark lord expounded upon.

"You haven't any trouble reading and hearing their very surface thoughts, do you apprentice?"
"None master."

"Good." Exar indeed sounded pleased though seemed to not be shocked.

"Have you, in your studies at the feet of this Sith lord of yours, Darth Ruin, come to a philosophical stand, my apprentice?" Viathan had to admit the question seemed to come from out of nowhere, but sounded like a reasonable enough question. After all his master had allowed him to learn at the foot of the holocron of lord Ruin, which Viathan thought may have seemed like a mild slight against his master.

"I have discovered the differences between what makes knowledge a useless ideal, whilst wisdom is a far more important aspect of a beings life. Wisdom takes meaningless knowledge and turns it into a useful idea. Concepts become beliefs, and ideas once tested are proven or thrown away as useless. I have learned that wanton misuses of the dark side is a foolish thing. For the dark side corrupts, perhaps, but it can easily turn upon its master, and become something that drives one into madness seeking out the great mysteries of the dark side. Which are meant to be viewed as great things long since untamed and uncontrolled." Viathan kept his eyes closed as he delved into the Force deeper, and felt the power of his master beside him as he too joined him into the Force. It was a deeply interesting thing to sense his presence beside him. Mingled with his probes of those aboard the ship while Viathan left his thoughts open to his master, while Exar seemed to be doing similar but even still more guarded than Viathan, for reasons Viathan was sure were necessary.

"Ah, an interesting conclusion indeed my apprentice. It is true. The dark side is a pathway to power and mystery the light seems to deny one. The Jedi of old, my old master included seemed to have a notion that a Jedi or a person rather who strays too far outside their constricting orders and commandments would tread easily into darkness. Perhaps I even added into this sense of paranoia with my fall into darkness and those who came after." Exar mused and Viathan nodded mutely from where he sat.

"Do you, apprentice understand the difference in the light versus the dark side of the Force?" Viathan's brow furrowed at the question and he finally broke his meditation and looked to his master who sat with eyes closed and seemed to have not moved from where he had been since he first sat down.

"The light side constricts. It holds those who seek power back and its moral codes keep those with power held down by chains. As the Sith code states, 'the Force shall free me,' is that not true master?"

"In a manner perhaps." Exar replied and then opened his gray eyes and glanced to his apprentice. "It took me many years, and I had several thousand at that, to muse on what the major differences were, and to be honest the full idea I know hold within my mind did not formulate until recently." The dark lord idly used the Force to call to him several holocrons along the walls and began to just as idly spin them in a circle before him using purely the Force. Viathan watched the action idly as ell awaiting his master to speak again.

"The light side has been described by Sith before and since my first awakening as a Sith lord, as something that constricts. Something that holds back one's own potential, and seeks to stifle growth out of this notion that the Force is inherently good, and that the dark side is a corruption created by sentient beings who can feel the Force. Touch and perceive it within their minds. What do you think on that?" Viathan allowed the idea to fester within his mind for a moment before speaking.

"The notion that the dark side did not exist before beings of any kind became sentient is to suggest the universe and its properties are inherently 'good,' in a very generalized sense master. However, within the wilds of the galaxy animals and beasts hunt and kill one another for sustenance, yet such actions are not seen as evil, but rather as part of a natural order. Though I don't believe natural selection was or should be applied to sentient living and civilization." Exar nodded, and even seemed pleased by the reply.

"What is described as evil Viathan, is the idea of sentient greed, arrogance, ambition, blind ambition that is, and lust for objects or power both tangible and intangible. Evil is a perception by we who are sentient in those generalized fashions. So can evil have existed in the manner we perceive it as living and thinking creatures?"

"I would think not, I suppose master." Exar nodded as he continued to cause the holocrons to idly float about the air before him and Viathan.

"Perhaps, but to be honest this concept, this philosophizing over the nature and existence of evil is somewhat irrelevant. What is important is the notion that the light side of the Force demands that we as living creatures adhere to a very strict, very hardliner and very Jedi code." The Sith lord brought the holocrons to a halt in a line before the two of them and settled them down onto the floor.

"You see Viathan, what I have concluded is that the light side, despite whatever one may think is not what we Sith seek to distance ourselves. To be free from. It is instead the Jedi code, and their strictness. Their rigid nature that we seek to escape from. It is not the light the inherently seeks to deter and weaken us."
"I don't fully understand master." Viathan quickly interjected and Kun nodded, once again casting him a glance.

"A man who is 'good,' in the general sense, a person whose signature within the Force is bathed in the light and not the dark, can be a simple man. However if he is perhaps a man who has a family, has relations with a woman, who does not totally adhere to the Jedi code in the way the Jedi demand those of the light to do, does that make him some sort of evil creature in the Jedi sense? Yes, it completely does. Does it make him evil in the universal sense? Not at all. Do you see yet what the problem is, apprentice?" Viathan shrugged lopsidedly.

"The Jedi then as you say master are the true issue. Not the light itself?"

"The light is no more good than the dark side is evil in the grossly generic sense of the words. Evil and good are relative to perception, and what's even worse and harder to wrap one's head around is that relativity is relative to a persons relative perception on relativity." Viathan felt his head suddenly hurt but nodded nonetheless, but did catch a smirk cross his masters face.

"The dark side requires that someone take advantage of raw, and intense instinctive emotions. Are emotions then inherently evil as the Jedi believe? Perhaps, or maybe not. We as Sith tend to think of emotions as being something freeing. Passions and the rawness of it all. Yet we as Sith are the one's who take emotion and use it to rule to dominate and to destroy. I am not trying o moralize or consider what we as Sith have done throughout the ages is wrong per say, but I do wonder what exactly the point of it all is."

"Master? The point?" Viathan asked questioningly and Exar remained momentarily quiet.

"The nature of the Force is neither light nor dark Viathan. What makes you a Sith is your desire to be named as such. You could call yourself anything, any other word made up or already in a dictionary and it would hold the same weight as Sith does for those who desire to be called Sith and use the dark side of the Force. What makes the Jedi, Jedi is their code, what makes Sith, Sith is our code. We are creatures of habit, in need of a community, or rather a better description we need titles a sense of belonging even if it is to the ghosts of those who have fallen before us and after us." Exar waved his right hand before himself and the holocrons, the Sith ones, sprung to life, and several figures came before them. They did not speak and they did not move but remained motionless. Viathan did not know how his master did this, or if these holocrons needed to be activated in some way.

"These are several lords who came before and after me, though I know their names their records, what they accomplished still eludes me in many ways. This one here this fool is known as Naga Sadow. Not much more need be spoken on him I'm sure." The oddly armored man looked odd to Viathan. He had always imagined the Sith lord who had begun the Great Hyperspace War to be a being of great stature, but this being looked a bit sullen, weak and tired.

"Your thoughts are easy to read apprentice." Exar spoke, and Viathan cast him a look. "This is after the war, when he created his holocron apparently upon the moon of Yavin IV in his exile where he bred and mutilated, ritualized upon and warped the Massassi into what they are today." Viathan nodded and looked at the elder man once more as his eyes went to the next being.

"A man, or at least what I think to be a man is called according to the Emperor's records, Darth Nihilus. Called the 'lord of hunger,' by these same records he speaks in a dialect that once more eludes me. An interesting one he is. Came after my time, but he seems based on his records to be quite the powerful lord." Viathan had heard of him, but had not seen the masked figure before him before. He looked tall, massive even just based on hos he appeared through the holocrons representation of his person. The emotionless mask was something Viathan had noted, but then again many if not most Sith lords had masks for their persons. Something that perhaps helped them strip away at their old selves. It made Viathan wonder if he should one day soon adopt such a style. He after all hated looking at himself already.

"We then have a one holocron I am not to thrilled with. This man is described as a one Darth Bane."

"Darth Bane?!" Viathan sounded shocked and in awe, Exar nodding simply in reply.

"I know this Bane here was responsible for the Sith we have today in these days. He came long after my time. I activated this blasted holocron once before, and I did not have a very pleasant conversation with our dear lord Bane, and I shall not be having another anytime soon that is for sure. What I can appreciate is is power, or at least the stated power his records describe."

"According to the Emperor, he was the greatest, or at least one of the greatest Sith to have existed. My old master however tends to see himself as being the epitome of the Sith both in power and culture." Exar snorted and gave a sarcastic laugh before moving on to the last figure.

"Finally we have here the final lord in my little display before I tell you why we are looking at these figures. This one is called Darth Andeddu. I haven't the slightest idea whom he is, but he is rather...intriguing to speak with. Let's leave it at that. I suppose though you're wondering why I showed you these lords when we were in conversation already." Viathan nodded.

"These are men whom achieved their power and strength by committing all manner of actions that made them feared and hated. It gave them a power base and it had their enemies running. They hid and schemed, they struggled and fought for every moment in their life. They hated the light and the Jedi and praised, bathed in and harbored themselves within the darkness, within the dark side. They are forgotten to history save for we Sith who will forever hold them above most other historical figures. The point of it all is this. They were feared, hated and powerful yes, but they all achieved what? They were powerful while they lived no doubt and I shall not take that away from them. In Bane's case he created a Sith dynasty that rules now, but Sidious, Palpatine, the Emperor whatever you want to call him is openly degrading the Rule of Two, and as such I feel no need to myself adhere to this edict and Sith order." Exar flipped his hand and all the figures faded again.

"We are seeking to create a new golden age of the Sith Viathan. I will do what I must and what I can to see it done. If that means working with lord Vader then I shall work with lord Vader willingly. Come what may when the Emperor is gone and one of us must rule at the top. I shall fight on any battlefield, and take a galaxy rotted from within with poison, and bleed from it the poison. If I must be the first Sith lord to have a calmer manner to him, an easier face, and be what some Sith of old and of the future consider too 'nice,' too 'good,' then so be it. I do not do as I have for them. I do it for my vision and for my dream a Galactic Empire, a Galactic Sith Empire! The nature of evil means nothing to me as does the nature and notion of good, of light."

The dark lord looked to his apprentice and Viathan ate up every spoken word as he looked upon his master intently.

"I am a Sith by choice, for I seek to free this galaxy from the oppressiveness of failed systems and bygone orders before, and sweep away the manner of old and replace it with a new order, my order, one that I feel can and shall do good for the whole of the galaxy and not just for the Sith. The Sith shall rule over this galaxy, but we shall not ruin like the Jedi of old think we would have. We will make it stronger, greater, and we will make the people desire, and want a Sith upon a galactic throne. My throne! Am I a power hungry demagogue? In a broad sense I am, but I seek to instill upon all a vision they merely cannot yet see. For when they do and this galaxy is finally bled of its poison and freed of its corruption by the power of the Sith and my golden age is ushered in then we shall at last show the Jedi, the Sith and all those who came before that it can be done. The rule of the Sith can be a thing for the better, and it shall be I who does this. With you and Jade and anyone else who seeks to be apart of this new order, and new galaxy." Viathan nodded dumbly at this impassioned speech by his master as his gray eyes stared off toward Viathan but the teen knew he was looking passed him and seeing his vision. If his master could see this vision and it alone gave him the broad grin now upon his face and this sense of awe then Viathan felt a sense of desire course through him, for he too felt vigor at the notion. This dream, his masters dream. Now his dream as well.

"I thus cannot have you run around with your life and so easily be willing to cast it into the void for my sake, Viathan. I need apprentice's and acolytes, servants, and soldiers living and breathing to fight with me for this dream, for this vision. I do not ask you to die for my vision, but to live and help me build it! For I shall share this new galaxy with all, and but seek to rule it. I am the molder of this sculpture, the painter and artist of this piece. I need tools, and without them what am I? A one man, left with nothing but the dream, to stare off into the stars and hope that something falls into my lap. I don't quite like that idea Viathan." he smiled and seemed to shake himself from his vision and looked Viathan in his crimson eyes.

"Trust me I could very easily be another Sith lord and treat you like expendable meat but what does that make me? Another Sith lord, no different than the rest. I treat you fairer because I know that we can act far greater in tandem as allies and master to apprentice rather than as rivals seeking to kill one another, and always having to look over our shoulders. You have no further need to throw your life into situations where you can easily die apprentice. Your suicidal tendencies serve no purpose other than to trouble me and yes, even worry me if you will be useful later on. You are my first and thus prime apprentice, one day you will stand at my side when we rule an Empire that makes all those before and after pale by comparison. My Sith order, the Brotherhood of the Sith shall be reborn and it shall be as it is named, a Brotherhood. All past notions of what makes you a Sith be damned. We can kill we can torture, we can do all evils, but we can do good. We don't need arbitrary names and titles to tell us what we can or cannot do. The stars are ours Viathan. We need but fight for them!" Viathan had not seen his master as this before. He found himself incapable of looking away he could not let a single word of his impassioned speech pass him by.

"You are my apprentice, and you are my ally, a partner in the grand design. Not an arbitrary pawn to be thrown into the void. The best pawns have their uses in battle, and every soldier in our army had his use. You happen to have a use far greater than many of them." He smiled, and Viathan found himself smiling back. It was rare to him, and took him a moment to realize he was, but when he did he found it to be a reaction he could not control. Nor did he want to.

"We shall show the Sith the way onto our new path. We shall guide the galaxy down its new course, and if we must scheme and act in ways and commit actions some would find unpleasant and 'evil,' then I hold no scruple over it. We are Sith of our order, not Bane's, not Naga Sadow's, not Nihilus' or the Emperors, our own! Will you not aid me in building it?"
"Yes, of course master." Viathan vehemently responded. His eyes bright with his masters charisma and enthusiasm. The Sith lord smiled and bowed his head.

"Then we are in agreement. Your streak of reckless acts that could cause you to potentially die are done? I don't mean battles of course. Those are necessary in war, but throwing yourself away in blind ways and actions to either impress me or prove your worth, that ends today?" Viathan looked away but then sighed and looked his master quickly back in the eyes and nodded.

"Yes my master." The dark lord, for whatever that term may have meant to him, placed his right hand upon Viathan's shoulder and clasped it in a very unusual for him, but brotherly manner. More fatherly for Viathan, but he appreciated it no less, and no matter how his master meant for it to be taken.

"Then I think our futures look very bright, my apprentice. All that stands in our way is a war, two enemy factions, an Emperor and his mass of cronies, but other than that. I think it's simple really." Viathan cocked a brow at the statement but still nodded anyways. Figuring his master was in jest.

"Now we have but a short while before we reach Coruscant, and have to meet with the Emperor. Likely we will be forced to partake in some political pleasantries, and I suspect it will grate our nerves and our mental defenses." Viathan nodded and felt his smile turn to an agreeing smirk.

"So, how about we brush up on that Niman form of yours? From what I have seen it is rather...sloppy, but nothing that cannot be corrected." The dark lord watched his charge brighten immensely at the idea of some combat training even despite the aches and pain the teen was more than likely feeling still radiate throughout his body. Viathan quickly nodded and rose to an enthused stand. Exar followed and used the Force to easily and quickly place his holocrons back onto their shelves and assigned places.

The two left the room and made to the training room, where for the next few hours they trained. Master taught apprentice in the style of Niman, and Viathan knew then that this style was to become his primary as it was for his master. The whole session turned into some of the best hours of his life up until this point for Viathan. As all good things however, it came to an end, and after they both parted ways and freshened themselves up they were informed they had arrived over the Imperial capital. Coruscant.

(Mrlsst, Tapani Sector, Mennaa City)

Word had been sent to her that her oh so gracious master had gone to Coruscant on some official business of the old man, and left her here on this rock hell with orders to see to the coming invasion. Kira found it funny really. Here she found herself a girl of thirteen years, armed with a lightsaber, curved one to her taste. Sporting nothing but her black clothes, and robes, and given order to stir the rabble here planet side and give the Moffs hell. All the while waiting for the karking orders to go through for the blockade force above to land them damn invading task force! It's been over two weeks, longer than that even, and Kira hadn't so much as gotten a 'good job,' from her new lord and master.

"How rude. Dreadful really." She said to herself as she found herself once more looking over the once proud capital city of Mrlsst, Mennaa. Its buildings burnt husks, with smoke plumes rising in the distance across the whole of the city. Stinking corpse stacks were here and there set up by the Moff security forces still capable of operating. She hadn't the faintest idea how these fools were getting food or water, as the plumbing had been out of bloody commission for weeks now, and food stocks for the whiny civilians had since dried up. She should know she had to listen to their constant karking whining and begs for food. Whenever she came to these rabbles to 'help,' them fight the Moffs for food, she had to hear of the travesties and horrendous conditions, and she couldn't tell them how much she really did not give a one damn.

Of course as things would have it each one of those groups she had since worked with were now gone, dead, and scattered by the Moff troops on the planet, and that was fine by her. The world needed to be cleared of both its desire and appetite for a fight for when their true masters, the Empire came, and the Moffs needed softening up for when the invasion force landed. Grand Admiral Grant had been given the order to go when ready and she would help them out. It should be fun of course. Seeing Moff boys burn and die.

Her blue eyes shone over the city before her. So full of fools and people that meant nothing in the grand scheme of this war, but she had to deal with this one world for so long and looked to watching it finally fall under Imperial boot, aided by her directly. Her cloak floating freely in the wind, her arms crossed, and her hood over her head, as she watched the Moffs beyond, and within this ruined city set up positions, they likely knew of the coming attack.

"Come on boys set them guns up! Rally the troops arms the men, and bunker down for the slog. I'll fumigate your rodent holes myself!" Kira giggled to herself and felt a shiver rush through her body at the images of war playing out in her mind. The visceral carnage to be played out and the ripping of bone and flesh the burning of bodies and the victory to come when she made this world cry bloody tears and presented to lord Kun a victory that made that whelps Viathan's actions on Neona look like child's play.

The skies were clear, little bit of cloud cover, but the star shone on down upon this idealistic little hell hole. Kira took in deep breaths of the fresh air and enjoyed the sweet smell of rot and burning metal. Just awaiting the call, and the go ahead to have a good old time, and finally get off this karking rock! She had others to kill more planets to break and more little mommies to make cry and more kiddies to scar. Thus with a rush of adrenalin and pull of the dark side as it encapsulated her body and whispered of death and war, her comlink rang. A maniacal grin shone across her face and her eyes burned into the yellow of the Sith and the dark side.

Snatching the little device up and bringing it to her mouth she activated it.

"Yeeeeeeesssss?" She sweetly greeted and elongated the word as a little girl would when playing with their parents persona home comlink, and she heard the person on the other end clear their throat. Nervousness or awkwardness likely filling them.

"Um, yes this is Grand Admiral Grant. Lord Kun has given me express orders to contact this frequency and report when the assault is to begin. This is the field agent he spoke of correct?"

"Oh admiral, you dear sweet man! I am so happy you called me!" Kira giggled and rolled her eyes though she kept on grinning. "What if I wasn't the karking field agent? Would you ask some random person who picked up this comm if they were an Imperial agent? I mean come on! I know it doesn't matter since the invasion is pretty much a known thing down here, which great job keeping it secret boys, but a little more tact on your end would be appreciated by me, and I'm sure all Imperial agents everywhere." Silence was all that followed and Kira awaited a response.

"Uh...well yes ma'am. We will, or rather I will attempt to better the manner in which I ask for agent identification. As for the intelligence leak. We can only assume they tapped into our transmissions, and heard of the invasion coming soon."
"You don't say Grant? Golly gee I was wondering why the big bad men down here were setting up big anti-aircraft canons all over the karking city! Why I thought they were gonna throw an impromptu fireworks show with AA guns!" Kira shouted in anger dipped with the sweetness of a girl, and she could see far in the distance some troopers look around at the sound of her voice and once more she disgustedly rolled her eyes.

"Now do me a favor Grand Admiral, and stop chatting with me. I'm thoroughly bored of this conversation. Are you gonna land? When, where, how, and what's the immediate goals?" Kira once again met silence from a man who was likely looking dumbly at fellow officer on board his stardestroyer, and formulating a decent response to this abrasive girl.

"We will be landing the force in Mennaa city alone, and spread to the other cities and settlements once the capital is secured ma'am." Grant opened with, as his voice sounded rather pitiful. She smirked and giggled at the fact he was a bit scared. 'Aw how cute!' She thought with another sadistic laugh upon her lips.

"We'll be sending the first wave down in ten minutes. Landing zones have been chosen as half being set down outside the city t surround it and push all enemy forces further toward the center. The second half will be landed in the city about twenty kilometers from the center. Both as distraction for the enemy and to draw them inwards. We think they will want to wipe out any enemy forces inside the city and thus will recall reinforcements from the city borders and lighten the load for our forces pushing in and overall cause chaos for their command. The landing ships are to mostly be MAAT's and other landing shuttles. Bomber support and close air support from an assortment of air units will be utilized. We re still detecting their planetary shield so no orbital bombardments can be commenced. Ma'am." he finished and Kira shrugged.

"I guess that plan will have to do Grant. Tell your blaster waving adrenaline junkies that if they see a girl, an alien girl waving a red, hear that, RED, lightsaber around and killing Moff troops; don't fire on her. Cause if they do, I'll kill them and come remove your head personally and make it a trophy on my wall. Got me?"

"Implicitly ma'am." Grant responded. Sounding horrified and filled with audacity at the manner he was being addressed in by a girl. An alien no less. Kira giggled, openly into the comm this time at that.

"Very good Admiral. You may commence your operations when ready. I suppose I'll help you boys out by getting this place a little riled up and softened for ya! Couple of roasted AA cannons coming up! Oh and word of warning, they still have...mmmm about three AT-AT's but lots of tanks. Talking about saber, century, TIE mauler, and lots of UT-AT's crawling around the city streets. Anti-tank units, walkers, and tanks of our own are recommended."

"Understood ma'am. We shall be landing shortly."

"Happy landings!" Kira ended the call and shook her head. "Bunch of adrenaline fueled military idiots." She mumbled to herself, as she threw back her hood, and unclasped her curved saber hilt from her belt and brought it close to her chest and readied herself within the Force and mentally for what was about to come. The Force sung! It spoke of fire and coming death! It whispered and promised darkness to spread across the planet and it sent shivers through her once again.

A sudden giggle shuddered through her, and at last she dropped off the building she stood upon and fell to the streets below laden and filled with garbage and debris. She landed on both feet crouched and dead in its center with ruin all around her, but ahead of her a platoon of troopers who seemingly heard her.

"Hey!" One shouted at her, and pointed causing the troops to look toward her and she grinned a wicked, and toothy white grin. Her body still crouched she flicked on her crimson saber, and the beam came o life in the common snap and hiss of a saber. She felt dread and fear shoot through the fools ahead, but sensed them about to fire, as the Force warned her. With but a thought deviously rushing through her mind, several boulder sized piece of debris rose into the air without even a wave of her hand and the troopers stared in awe, once again forgetting to fire upon this little alien intruder.

"Bye-bye." She whispered and she dipped her head down and with a thought the debris flew forward and the trooper suddenly realized the danger.

"Move!" The one called and the troopers dodged and jumped aside, as the debris slammed into their machinery, their AA cannon, and suddenly a rocking explosion reverberated the area. She then rushed forward the Force as her ally every step became a leap and bound forward until she was before the men. She turned left and a man lay before he on the ground and she slammed her saber down, and ripped the beam through the mans flesh. His right shoulder and arm was removed and a shriek filled the air as he cried in utter pain.

Kira turned and her left hand extended, sent two troopers flying feet into the air and back slamming with back breaking speeds into the buildings. More troopers jumped back up from their fallen positions and fired their blasters upon her. She easily dodged and blocked with her saber and sent bolts flying away, before she tossed her saber spinning at a one trooper, whilst grappling another by his neck and snapping it with a closing of her hand, and then she sent a lightning blast at another and he flew back in horrendous seizes of his body.

The saber slammed into the troopers chest in his central mass and he fell back with a thud, and she recalled the weapon and she twirled around with her skirt following her as did her cloak as she basked in this immediate carnage, and giggled in glee. With adrenaline sent rushing through her she broke into a run and ran up a street adjacent to her. She sensed life ahead, and twirled her saber hilt in hand and flipped it around, the curved nature of the hilt making the beam point very high upward as it was held behind her. She rounded a curve and there were about ten troopers readying another cannon, and they didn't see her. She was but a blur of speed and power and she rushed them.

A kick into one, and a sharp turn and another kick into the helmeted head of a second, and she spun her body full around bringing her saber in an arch and split open the chests of three troopers. Bringing the weapon down and impaling the first trooper dropped, and she grasped the second kicked man and crushed his bones, the cracks sending a rush through her as she sent his broken body in a throw into several more of his alive comrades.

"Fire!" A one still living fool called.

"Oh please." She giggled and blocked a flurry of red bolts and they flew back into two more troops who fell back with thuds as the other ducked and ran. She dashed forward and the one who dared to call out to fire her was standing and fired rapidly and fearfully at her. She dodged and twirled in the air to his side and slammed the saber round up into his back and brought him into the air fully by her won strength and pulled the saber out letting the corpse fall. Two idiots remained and she lifted the cannon into the air and threw it spinning into one and crushed the man, and then carried it to the second man who broke into a run. Screaming and attempting to serpentine out of the way of the cannon as it slammed behind him trying to crush him.

Then Kira grinned again and flicked her fingers outward. The cannon flew forward and slammed into the man and carried him rolling and slamming and crushing down an entire street before he and the cannon slammed into a ruined city and the wall came crashing down atop his broken and mangled body.

The alien hybrid took a moment to appreciate her work as silence reigned around her once again for a time. Though she could sense the approach of many new lives above her. Snorting at their fast coming, she turned, her clothing whipping around with her as she did, and she cocked her head upwards toward the skies. Dropping down passed clouds and seeming like small black dots in one's vision dozens, turning into hundreds of ships descended upon Mrlsst and Mennaa city. The Force ignited as did Moff AA cannons across the city as massive bolts flew upwards with cracks into the air. They flurried about and spread after a time of flying upwards. Some met their mark and ships ignited and explosive displays falling, careening and spinning down to the world. Into the city and beyond. Explosions following in their wake. Most dodged and dived out of the way barrel-rolled and moved out of the way of the endless barrages.

She folded her arms across her chest as she stood idly watching the aerial display, her saber missing singing her flesh only by a few inches. As waves of TIE's both fighters and bombers came flying down, diving directly toward the ground. The bombers careened downward before jerking upwards and flying in formation over the city and the Moff positions and released their massive payloads. The successive explosions following in their wake as they flew like heralding demons of death over the city and explosions rocked all around Kira. The wind and energy they threw into the air throwing her cloak into the air and whipping her flesh as pebbles and debris pieces flew passed her. Some small ones striking her but causing no damage.

Closing her eyes and basking in the Force once more. She felt all the lives being snuffed out around her and the pain, fear, hatred that surrounded their deaths. The screams that will forever echo across the planet's surface, and the darkness that shroud the world forever gave her such great exhilaration, that she could smell. it. She felt the burn of heated air fill her nostrils and burn her lungs with the raw sensation of death and fire around her! She released an exhale that sounded more like a contented sigh. She threw her arms out and embraced the death and roar of the dark side across this city. Kira felt totally free in this moment.

She broke into a run and didn't know where she headed, but allowed the dark side to guide her. It would take her quickly to the next Moff site. Troopers running about and managing a massive cannon as it spun around in place and fired upward int the air. The men were gathered and they felt of fear as it ebbed off their bodies, off their souls in waves only a Force blind fool could not sense. She ran upon them, like a wild beast. Eyes glowing and filled with animal instinct for death and blood. She howled and fell upon them. Crimson saber slashing cutting, spinning and removing limbs and heads. Tearing into man and machine with little effort on her part. Using the Force she could make whole platoons fall over in terrible sickness filling them with poisons only the Force could create and suddenly form into a living beings body. The terrible beast that was Kira Offee was unleashed at last upon the whole of Mennaa. The falling armies of the Galactic Empire from the sky above signaled the end of the Moff reign there and the collapse of one of the Freeworlds main worlds. The Tapani sector would feel the reverberations of the loss of this world for months to come.

At the end of the battle, where the city lay in utter ruin, and the world burned under stomping boot and walker, tank, the Empire as a whole; stood a lone figure like a scene from one's nightmare. Alone and hateful in her body language her eyes portraying the darkened heart that beat within. A blackened cloak with mud and dirt marring it mingled with blood blew into the wind. Terrible yellow eyes looked out over the city as cries filled the air and the last shots of this battle would occur. They portrayed only two things for anyone who could have seen them, though none did. They showed both apathy and nothingness. For long ago all empathy had been drained from Kira. The battle did one thing for her. It gave her experience. It made Offee for a moment in time feel alive, and ironically it was among the dead.

Nonetheless as she boarded a shuttle and came aboard a stardestroyer, she secluded herself away from the everyone. Awaiting her next move and her next appointment by her master. Her mission was complete, and her tasks carried out with brutal precision. Mrlsst was the Empire's once again, and the Mrlssi, and those who lived upon this ruined world, whom now undertook the long process of reconstruction, would never forget the battle, the war and the terrible alien girl who would haunt many of them for years, or even decades to come.

(Deep Core, Imperial II Class Stardestroyer Justification, Beshqek System)

"According to what she's told me captain, her ship was attacked by pirates."

"Well have you bothered looking to see if any reports from the Colonies have come in on any pirating actions where she says it took place? Or merely taking this woman's story at face value officer?!" Captain Vardesh found himself growing highly irritable with his officer. Not but three hours ago he was enjoying another utterly boring day here in the Deep Core security zone, watching the stars zoom by and before him as he stood aboard his ships bridge, and his men went about their jobs in silence and efficiency. All of that ruined the minute they detected a hyperspace reentry.

"Captain, I did in fact request any information regarding pirate activity, but the Colonies security logs are a mess. With the war being just a region away from them and in the case of Tapani within their region, they have been re-appropriated to information gathering on enemy fleet movements. Pirate activity they say is likely, but they haven't the time nor the resources to look into every case at this time." Vardesh sighed and rubbed his neck. Readjusting his officers cap, he motioned for his officer, a younger man by the name of Xitti to follow him down a corridor.

"What about her ship? Any logs aboard it?"

"Yes captain. Logs show a hyperspace blind jump from the Colonies region near Bassadro." Vardesh gave Xitti a sideways glance that showed his suspicious nature.

"Bassadro, is that world not but a few light years from the Tapani sector? What is a cargo vessel, a civilian one at that, doing so close to the war?" Xitti dipped his head, a sign he had an explanation no doubt, much to Vardesh's annoyance.

"The logs show that they were joining the fleet of merchant vessels headed to Bassadro to collect resources meant for transfer to Fondor. Lord Exar Kun is in need of new ships and half his usable ones are in need of repairs based on what I could gather. Bassadro being so close, the Empire's war ministry has decided to return the world to mineral exploitation." Xitti seemed proud of himself and his presentation. Vardesh stopped walking and turned to Xitti once again. His face stoney and hard as his hands were clasped behind his back.

"This is wonderful deduction work Xitti. However, as far as I am concerned it is no more than conjecture with very small bits of supporting evidence. Has the lone survivor said anything regarding her story? Both leading up to the jump and the jump itself? What of the other bodies?" Vardesh questioned, and Xitti became downcast at his superiors continued disbelief.

"The woman, she says her name is Orinda Lara, says as much. I looked into the story only after she told it to me. I admit captain it is a bit convenient, but if she's telling the truth then the conveniences merely became logical facts. As for the bodies, we found ten humans, all of them sporting civilian clothing. Lady Lara, says that those were her fellow crew members. As for the others, they are all alien scum. A mix of several races, but all of them known for their deviant associations with crime." Vardesh nodded, and they returned to walking down the corridor.

"What sort of intelligence do we have on them?"

"There were two Trandoshans. Both of them are wanted criminals from the Inner-Rim. They are slavers, and have been attacking refugee vessels and taking humans to the Outer-Rim for at least a decade. We had not yet since been able to catch them. The ring leaders I suspect them to be, captain." Vardesh nodded once again, but tersely.

"The rest?"
"A mix of scum with records, some didn't have any, but we can't hope to have records on every alien criminal in the galaxy. The scum are too prone to it anyhow captain." Vardesh rolled his eyes subtly and out of sight from his fellow officer. Alien's did tend to be the scum of the universe after all.

"Slavers?"

"Some were. Others are wanted for spice smuggling into the Core regions. Apparently they can't their illegal substances among their own kind in the outer bound regions of the galaxy. The or their filthy alien kind come from within the Core and they were delivering it home."
"Never underestimate the alien menace of the galaxy, Xitti." Vardesh replied with a matter-of-fact wave of his hand. "They could easily sell their own whore mothers for spice, or to a Hutt, but they would hold no scruples over infesting us Humans with their drugs. Disgusting..."
"Of course captain." Xitti agreed as they continued to walk, and turned into a turbolift. Making their way down a level toward the holding cells.

"What of the ship? Identification, credentials, manifest, crew logs?" Xitti nodded as both men stared forward with the turbolift quickly moving downward carrying them both.

"The identification does indeed show it's been in the service of the dead captain, for at least four years. It was bought from a private owner on Corellia five years ago, but it seems the captain was repairing and modifying it for heavier cargo transport. Manifest shows all crew have been working on the ship for at least two months."

"Two months only?" Xitti shrugged his head lopsidedly.

"The newest member of the crew was a Coruscant native who was killed by the pirates, or so it seems, considering there are blaster bolt wounds all across his body." Vardesh hummed out his interest in the fact the newest member was dead, but said nothing more on the subject.

"It would appear the last thing we need to do then is allow me to met with this woman in person." Vardesh announced, Xitti nodding in agreement, as they turned to silence. The turbolift stopped and they stepped off and in the corridor was several doorways. They made for one, and keyed into a wall console. Inside was a single trooper guardsman standing idly by the entrance. The trooper saluted, which the officers returned.

"Has the new arrival caused any problems trooper?"
"None sir. In fact she's been sitting in that same position since you left here earlier." the trooper explained and Xitti nodded, motioning Vardesh to follow him they moved two cells down. The ray shields were blue, and behind the door lay one such shield. Behind it was a blonde woman, her head hung low, and clothing ripped, torn and singed by blaster bolts in some places. Simple brown vest over a black shirt, and black leggings, with high boots, she looked like a smuggler, but the officers remembered civilian workers dressed as they wished, especially if the merchant was lenient on dress code. Vardesh eyed Xitti one last time and he dropped the ray shield, both men entered and mutely registered the trooper taking up guard position outside the cell.

She looked up from where she had been sitting. Her long, curly blonde hair fell around her face. Vardesh had to admit she was attractive. Looked young, probably twenties. Green eyes, but face matted with dirt, as was the rest of her.

"Greetings madam. I am Garet Vardesh. Captain of the Justification." He extended his right hand, and she gently took it in her smaller, and softer hand, shaking t very mutely and slowly whilst keeping eye contact with him.

"I understand your ship came under attack by pirates correct?" She shook her head, and swallowed.

"Ye...yes sir. They attacked me and my crew on our way to Bassadro." Her voice was hoarse, and dry sounding. Otherwise soft and pleasant.

"They used a tractor beam on us, pulled us closer to their ship, about a class bigger than ours, and some of them boarded. They probably expected us to just roll over, but Rin gave em hell!" She smiled though it waned as a far away look came over her, and sadness flashed in her eyes.

"Rin?"
"The dead captain, sir." Xitti explained and Vardesh nodded in understanding.

"Ms. Lara is it?" She nodded numbly. "Forgive all this questioning but I am supposed to ask them. After all it's quite the story you have. Pirates attack your cargo ship, headed for Bassadro. The pirates board, your captain orders a fight, a scuffle with blaster bolts breaks out. Somehow you survive alone. How then did your ship get free of the tractor beam, and being connected to the other ship?" She gave him a fearful look, probably because she had to explain her story to two Imperial officers looming over her.

"W...we have a single cannon on the ship. You can look for yourselves you have the blasted thing. It sucks, and can't blast another ship worth a damn, but when we got connected and they stormed on we fired at their ship, and we must have disconnected. It was my idea to make a jump right after, but we were getting shot to hell, so I did a blind jump, and so I got stuck here talking to you fin gents, and now getting the third degree." She angrily retorted and Vardesh nodded.

"You are receiving the 'third degree,' as you call it madam because there is a war going on. Spies could be and likely are everywhere. Precautions must be taken and questions asked upon everyone in these times. Not only that, but your blind jump seems to have taken you into the Deep Core itself. If you're a spacer of any caliber then you know the Deep Core is off limits to all. Save for those allowed by the Emperor himself." Her eyes bugged out and she looked horrified, all the color draining from her fair features at the knowledge.

"Oh...oh no you can't really think I came here with a ship full of dead people just to get into the karking Deep Core! That's a death sente..." She stopped herself as the men looked at one another, and she swallowed in fear once again.

"Ms. We aren't going to kill you. Not if your story checks out, which as of thus far we have been able to verify. We have to get all the facts straight and make sure we look into every detail possible of verification."

"Then please ask me anything, everything! You'll see I'm no karking liar!" She frantically replied, and Vardesh could see her shake lightly. The whole situation and succession of events no doubt rattling her nerves.

"Please calm yourself madam." Xitti asked with a raised hand. Vardesh nodded to himself while watching the woman, and turned around motioning for Xitti to do the same. Their backs were turned on the woman, but they didn't care whilst the trooper still watched them and faced the woman, who remained plastered to her seat. A cold metal thing as it was.

"What do you think captain?" Xitti asked in a hushed whisper. Vardesh sighed and his eyes danced around for a moment as he remained in his own thoughts some more. A final glance back at the woman who watched them both intently with eyes nearly tearing up with horror.

"I suppose her story checks out. I want you to run everything once more, but for now we'll keep her here in the detention center."
"What about getting her out of the security zone?" Xitti asked and Vardesh again sighed.

"Of course she can't just stay here. While we can't leave our post just to transport a one woman. We'll have to take her planet side." Xitti looked to his superior shocked.

"You mean Byss? We can't take an unauthorized civilian down to that world!"

"Oh please Xitti don't be so melodramatic." Vardesh reprimanded, with a wave of his hand.

"We'll take her down to the base, file her story and report that it checks out and get someone to transport her out of the Deep Core somewhere in the Core of her choosing." Xitti looked unsure but shrugged his acceptance.

"We of course cannot be made responsible for this situation. Explain to the commander of the base the story, and explain that we'll be requisitioning a shuttle for her transport, so as to not use a whole damn stardestroyer for it, to get her out of here. Like I said though, run the facts over as best you can a second time. A third even if something smells out of place. I'll contact the base ahead of you, but if you wouldn't mind Xitti you take care of it."

"Yes captain, of course." Vardesh nodded happily and both men turned back toward the woman.

"We have a few more things to look over, but other than that we believe your story ma'am. For now please remain here in the cell and await officer Xitti's return. Once he returns for you he will transfer you down to the planet for transport out of the Deep Core, after you give a full statement on the world of course." She nodded and seemed relieved.

"What world?"
"Byss."
"never heard of it." Vardesh chuckled lightly.

"You never would have, and never shall repeat it once you leave. Understand?" She looked at him wide eyed, and then nodded slowly in true understanding, and Vardesh nodded as well very much pleased.

"Good. Now Xitti you have your orders. Ma'am." The captain gave a curt nod toward the woman and Xitti bowed to her politely as they both left the cell, and closed the ray shield down behind them. The trooper followed after them leaving the woman to sit in the cell alone.

They quickly boarded the turbolift after the trooper secured the cell block door after them, and returned to his quiet and dull guard duty. Both officers remained momentarily quiet once back onto the turbolift rising back up a level.

"Take care of this mess Xitti and be sure to report back as soon as possible. Nothing interesting happens here in the Deep Core and this little detour has eaten any desires I may have had for adventure. Be sure you don't take too long when on Byss. That world can be quite distressing from what I hear." Xitti nodded, and the lifts doors opened, only this time the captain was the only one to step off, and Xitti remained on likely to head back to the docking bay and look the ship over once more. Vardesh was quick to return to the bridge and ironically found his ship passing near to Byss in its patrolling route. He looked upon it as his ship passed by, his men going about their duties silently behind him as he did. The planet was surrounded by ships, and a massive yard constructing force knew whatever it was. Vardesh didn't need nor did he want to know. He just wanted that woman, her ship and this mess of his ship as soon as humanly possible.

Vardesh nor anyone else within the Deep Core knew that something far more interesting than a wayward woman and her dead crew was about to befall them.

(Coruscant)

Aboard the shuttle were three figures. All of them dressed in an assortment of black outfits. Two of them shorted than the third, and both of those shorter figures on opposite sides of the taller figure. Of course Exar found it half amusing and half infuriating that the two present apprentice's of his could not stand one another so much that they distanced themselves as far away from one another even on a shuttle that barely fit them all into it. Of course Viathan was to his right. Standing in a mirror image to his master. Arms folded over his chest with his stance rigid and tall. Whilst to the Sith lords left stood young Jade. Since awakening from her little nap induced by sheer pain, that Viathan had taken from her, after dealing it himself, stood silently and seemingly indignant with Viathan. Her eyes were turned away toward the entrance of the shuttle ramp, while Viathan had his closed, seemingly in deep thought. The dark lord looked left and right then sighed loudly.

"The Force, be it light or dark must save me from the emotional and hormonal shortcomings of teenagers, and preteens. We are the three of us about to be among the Emperor and his dark shadowy followers. I expect full diligence from the both of you of course. The fall of your mental shields and one slip of the tongue and the Emperor will have my and your heads." Viathan looked to his master and nodded, while Jade didn't make any move, causing Exar to look at her, and raise his eyebrow in annoyance and expectation.

"Jade!"
"What?" She shot back. Exar shooting back at her narrowed eyes and clear annoyance at the attitude, to which she looked away quickly.

"A little more respect for your master should be given Jade. Your little fight with Viathan is over and done with, and like it or not he kept you away from over a week of pain radiating through your body. Of course Viathan didn't do it out of the 'kindness,' of his heart." Viathan huffed a single chuckle, receiving a sharp look from Mara.

"The both of you have missions while we are on Coruscant anyways. So, both of you will let bygones, be bygones, and take out your mutual aggression for one another through your work, and perhaps later through some more directional sparring. Under my supervision of course. Lest I find one if not both of you dead." The sigh upon his voice was clear, and both teens kept silent as he went on.

"Jade, as far as the Emperor should think is that you are either dead or captured. Considering you haven't been in direct mental contact with him he should believe this, and I must act as if nothing is different. You will thus have a mission that keeps you away from the Emperor, but not necessarily out of the political circles of Coruscant itself."
"Meaning?" Exar threw a hand up for her to wait for him to finish.

"You are an excellent practitioner of using the Force to mas your presence. It took me some time to realize you were watching me. However, the Emperor is no weakling incapable of sensing Force users near to him. That is where I and young Viathan come into play." The boy in question looked at his master and then at Mara before showing a clear eye roll. Mara sent one back though he could not see it, and all of this forced a groan from the Sith lord.

"We will by mere proximity throw the Emperor off his game in regards to his senses. I will do most of the work. Viathan, you will act as the political poster boy for now. He will enjoy flaunting you about for his image. Keep him interested and entertained if you must."
"Nothing different than what I'm used to." Viathan spat. Though Exar knew not at himself.

"Mara, you will monitor the political get together. There will be a cabal of men whom the Emperor will meet with, whom he will talk to among them. When you see them they will ignore and move away from everyone but the Emperor. When they meet with the Emperor he will seem distant from the rest of the crowd. When these men arrive he will send Viathan away, because these men are speaking of matters and looking into the possibility of treason and traitors. Even if the Emperor does not believe Viathan to be a traitor...yet, he will keep precautions. I want those men you see, women if they are, tracked. The very least you will make mental notes of whom these men are if you recognize them or at least what they wear, their manner. Anything you must for me to use later to track them myself."

"As you say, master." She sounded more annoyed than angry, but Exar had since gotten use to the girls attitude. Though it dd make his teeth grind at times. He nodded happily enough with her response while Viathan remained quiet, though once again Exar knew his first apprentice was soaking up everything.

"A final thing. When we depart the shuttle you remain on until I send you a nudge through the Force. We will probably have a welcoming party. They'll clear out and give you freedom of movement once we meet, greet and move on." Mara nodded and thus the plan was laid down. Silence came over the three once again. All of them knowing their parts to play and mentally preparing for it.

The shuttle in a few moments landed. The lurch of the transport signaling they had fallen upon one of the many landing pads on the Coruscant palace. Viathan shot his master a final glance showing his displeasure. Exar gave a nod of understanding, and gave a final glance to Mara signaling to be ready, and she merely entered herself into the Force using it to mask herself.

The ramp descended and the light of the Coruscant sky shone on in, causing Viathan to slightly recoil from the light hitting his eyes. Exar began the walk down the ramp. His cloak sliding across the ramp and onto the landing pad floor. Viathan followed. Himself seeming like a shorter version of Exar save for the obvious bodily differences. His saber at his side, as he opted to leave Ruin's saber back upon the Magnificence lest his 'master,' ask about and desire the artifact himself.

The two came down onto the landing pad. Viathan found the landings pads connecting bridge to be lined with troopers. All of them clad in white armor as usual while in their left hands were ceremonial long blaster rifles uncommon and non-standard of the average trooper clung to the ground. All of them sequentially saluted at once in. Exar smirked and huffed out a breath seemingly pleased while Viathan merely looked stunned...and confused, before both of them strode forward. A single non trooper stood before the long column of troopers. It was a man dressed in a red uniform, and both Sith recognized him.

"Director Isard. A pleasure to see you once again." Exar greeted and extended his hand, which the director took and reciprocated the shake fully, and with a strong clasp of hands.

"The pleasure is mutual, my lord Kun. The Emperor wished me to extend apologies on his inability to greet you back to Coruscant. It would seem a new battle caught his eyes and he is looking the reports over."

"Oh, and what battle may this be? Anything to do with the new development in the Mid-Rim?" Armand shook his head.

"No, in fact it has to do with your front my lord. Apparently Grand Admiral Grant has launched the invasion of Mrlsst as we speak. His majesty is pleased that the world has finally been attacked. He was worried the day would not come soon enough."

"Ah, yes of course." Exar chuckled. Noting that Viathan gave him a sharp look, obviously wondering why he had not been informed of the attack.

"Please, if you would both follow me, the Emperor desires a reception with the both of you following your return to the capital. Commander Viathan here is quite well known among the upper echelons now, and even in the lower ones. Many are eager to meet and speak with you. His majesty wants to prepare you for such an occasion he has planned in a few days time." Viathan felt his stomach once again churn at the thought of being the center of attention by so many high ranking officials but did not show his discomfort.

Exar nodded and Armand motioned his arm sweepingly toward the landing pad bridge where the dark lord began to walk, Viathan in his wake, and Isard soon followed. The trooper columns began to march away back inside the palace after they made their way halfway across the bridge. As they reached the entrance doors, the troopers flowing in with them, Exar sent a single nudge through the Force as planned to his second apprentice, and as the doors closed he was the lone figure to note a small silhouette jumping off the shuttles ramp as the entrance fully closed. A small smirk crossing his face Exar followed after Armand down one of the ornate and decorated halls of the palace, Viathan in tow.

"Tell me director. How are things?"

"What do you mean my lord?"

"The war, Coruscant, the Emperor. It doesn't matter really. I have been gone for quite some time, I am starved for some information regarding what's going on outside the Tapani sector." Exar explained Viathan walking behind the two men, his head hung low, submissively as he always was within the palace.

"The war goes on across the galaxy as any war does. We are on the attack in Tapani as you are more than aware of, but beyond that our build up along the border with the Expansion Region for the general strike we are on the defensive or out of the fight. The Moffs are feeling the brunt of the URM assaults in the Outer-Rim and Mid-Rim, but they are of course launching their own new attack their. Grand Admiral Zaarin is concentrating on building up his fleet and repairing those ships of his that are in need of it, with help by the Verpine. As a head up, as it were my lord, Zaarin will not be asked to launch a second front from within the Roche sector when you and the Emperor meet with the rest of the military leaders. That much I can inform you of ahead of the meeting."
"Much appreciated director." Exar thanked. As the three carried on down the hall, the Sith lord noting the troopers dispersed themselves in groups down several halls as they passed them by.

"I would like to personally commend you, young Viathan for your work in fighting the Moff threat so close to the Core of the galaxy. I think it a likelihood I won't have the time or ability to do so later."

"Th...well thank you director, sir." Viathan mumbled, but just loud enough for Armand, whom knew of the boy's social skills deficiency, to hear and nod.

"Tell me director, what of lord Vader? Has he returned to Coruscant as of yet?" The inquiry caused Isard to huff a laugh of his own as he walked ever forward with hands clasped behind his rigidly held pose.

"Lord Vader is late. Punctually so he probably assumes. The Emperor will not, and is not pleased in the slightest with the manner in which lord Vader has carried himself these past weeks. I suspect it has to do with stress. Perhaps being thrust into the role of fatherhood was not the best that could befall a man such as he. Given his obvious condition, and temperament." Exar chuckled, whilst Viathan silently furrowed his brow at the statement, but kept his thoughts to himself. It was the better choice among Imperials.

"Well lord Vader is a very stressed man! Certainly his majesty understands that a Sith lord, especially one as...moody as lord Vader cannot be asked to be the most reasonable and cordial of persons."
"Why of course not my lord Kun." Armand chuckled once again. A rarity even Viathan was astounded to hear. Armand Isard was renowned for being rather boring. If not a bit moody himself when it came to Imperial Intelligence.

"Ah, but enough of my rambling, my lord. Here we are." He motioned to a large set of doors. The door itself seemed to be plated in what looked to be but was likely a mockery of, gold. Crimson royal guards stood on either side of the door. Their staffs in their left hands, and held rigidly as was a customary thing for Imperials. The high corners of the door connected to the ceiling cascaded red drapes and gave the door an added sense of foreboding but grandeur that Viathan knew his old master to revel in.

Armand waved his hand, in a short but jerking manner, and the guards swiftly made to open the doors for their new arrivals. Exar sent a wave of reassurance to his apprentice through their mutual bond in the Force that they were working on since the whole incident between Jade and Viathan. The boy steadied his breath and his heart which was beating like the slamming automated construction arms of a droid factory.

A new wave of the star's light shining through blasted Viathan and Kun's eyes as the doors revealed a large hall. One meant for guests and for receiving many of them. A ball room if one would. It was even bigger than the last Exar had been forced to deal with upon his last visit to a 'party,' among the upper echelons of the Empire.

Within was a bustling haphazard array of men and women all clamoring about to prepare tables meant to rest plates of fine foods upon. Glasses were placed in lines with little divergence from one to the next in near perfection lest they test their lord, the Emperor. Chairs were moved into place, and men crawled on hands and knee to meticulously shine the tasteful marble floor beneath the boots of the Sith and assuredly fine and overly expensive shoes of the upper class. Others, women, by the way Viathan noted they were all of course human, were cleaning the seat of the Emperor heightened at least ten feet above the rest f the room on an elevated staircase with a single black throne stood. The thought of all that effort to cleaning that throne made Viathan roll his crimson eyes in contempt. The Emperor himself was to sit his backside upon it. Nothing in the galaxy could possibly match the foulness of such an experience...save perhaps for having a Hutt as a house guest.

The three men had since entered and Armand stood about, seemingly looking for someone to speak with. Exar took in the sight of women passing him by with foods, their smells sweetly entering into his nostrils and allowing the Sith a moment of respite at the pleasurable sensation. Viathan found the manner his master and frankly everyone else took pleasure in the mere smell of food very odd. It was no secret he was not 'allowed,' to eat foods as his master, and the Emperor did. Indeed all he had was his 'paste,' nutrients, vitamins, vital proteins, and other things Viathan hadn't a clue what they were or called kept him just beyond the madness of 'hunger.' Or at least what he assumed was hunger. It was but another fact of his life that he was relegated to such 'delicacies,' as the Emperor had called them. Still...he had to admit their were smells he had come across from the foods that lay upon the plates of those near to him at points in his life he was drawn to. Though he satiated himself by drinking many glasses of water.

"Ah! Here we are." Armand spoke happily, catching the dual attention of his Sith companions. Entering the room, like a looming darkness, his Force presence masked slightly and dulled here within a palace so contaminated with darkness it made one swoon with dizziness at times, came forth the old skeleton. The Emperor, Palpatine. On either side of him two more crimson guards. His blackened cloak, somehow appearing even darker than those upon Exar and Viathan draped across what appeared to be a hunched beast of a creature. Of course they both knew that the man was far more than he seemed. His face was a mask. Devoid of outward emotion as he spotted them and strode toward them. Viathan bowed his head and refused to look the man in the eye.

As I said master...no different than the usual.' The teen thought in self disgust. Exar bowed at the hip and plastered a smug smirk across his clearly more handsome features. His gray eyes matching the Emperor's endlessly glowing yellow.

"Ah, lord Kun! What an excellent sight it is to see one of my...allies can arrive when they are requested to." The old man opened with his boney hands quickly shooing his guards away as an after thought. Exar bowed his head a second time in feigned reverence.

"Well when the most powerful man, both politically and otherwise calls a lesser before him, especially fr such an occasion as a war meeting and a little relaxation to top it off, one does not easily deny such a man. Your majesty." Exar politically replied, still refusing to ever call him anything other than by his titles of political office. Something the old Sith took note of and frowned ever so subtly, but the flash of anger was cast aside for a feigned smile of his own.

"Young Viathan, as I remember you prefer to be called. How it is ever good to see you once again my boy. You've become quite the sensation for our war starved mass media." he cackled in glee, as Viathan dared a peek upwards at his old master, and felt himself grow shaky in the legs but hid it by kneeing to him. Exar stepping away seemingly to make room.

"It is always a pleasure my master to return to your side. I only ever and shall ever do as I do out in the galaxy in your name and honor. For your glory and your never ending power my most gracious master." The boy stroked the already Rancor sized ego of the old man and he grinned devilishly. His rotted teeth showing through as he did, and a sickeningly cold, and boney hand patted Viathan atop his head, among his shortened hair.

"I see you have since taken a new look upon yourself my boy. Tell me...what brought about such a change? I sense something different with you." He stated, his tone signaling any lie would be met with immediate punishment. Viathan used his master's rule book, and found truths..used to his advantage.

"I was beaten in a battle my master. The enemy caused me great pain. Droids were everywhere. It caused me to think about how my path was leading me in circles with the Force and the nature of the dark side. If I truly am to be in your service as a Sith of any kind my master, I must cast aside whom I once was. Both in my physical attributes, and within myself. I have doubled my training and have devoted my battles along the front to honing skills I have become opened to. Much due to the aid of lord Kun." The Emperor eyed Viathan for a few tense moments. The teen refusing to shake openly and announce his deceit and weakness. The glowing eyes were disturbing on any given occasion but today they were piercing the veil of flesh and digging through his mind looking for anything that could allow the Emperor to justify thrashing Viathan for a little sport before everyone. He held no scruples against doing such an action for the mere joy of it, but he at times rather enjoyed using justifications.

Darth Sidious, traversed the surface thoughts of his servant. The boy had images of war and battle staining his mind. Men falling, dying, begging, and exploding. The face of that Jedi woman he had fought against and lost crossing his mind. Her face full of anger and rage mirroring the boy's. Which brought forth a grin from Palpatine. The Massassi warriors were upon his mind, the great crimson beasts thrashing traitors and enemies of the Empire about the battlefield. Blood spraying and gargles howling from their treasonous throats. Finally before the minds eye of the Emperor came forth a vision of his father, Kalev Zalliste. The man of genius took disturbed delight in other more morally questionable practices, and they seemingly hung strongly in his sons mind. The creation of life so easily cast aside. Being nothing but scientific experimentation, fodder for the dark lords uses and needs. A sense of dread and fear loomed in the young mind, but what was most pleasing was it was shared. For both the scientific madmen Zalliste, but for he as well.

"Well, very good then my boy." He patted his shortened ebony hair some more before allowing the boney thing to return to his side. "You are a fine example of the Imperial war machine and its certain return to full glory. No matter how long it may take." The last statement spoken with a hint of wrath upon his deepened and almost inhuman voice. A very rare thing indeed to hear the Emperor's voice, all filters stripped from it. Only in anger and rage did he let such a thing through, but its affect upon those who heard it was the same. A hidden cringe, and uncontrollable recoil.

"You may rise boy." Viathan did as ordered and returned his look to the floor. The Emperor mutely acknowledging the new crimson color of his eyes before he looked to the ground. "I will speak with lord Kun alone for now. I shall call you back to me when I desire. Leave us." He ordered in his crackling voice. Viathan did not dare look to his true master for acknowledgment for that would be too suspicious to his ex-master, so he bowed low and stepped backward, and then turned on a heel making for the nearest terrace he could spot. The fresh air perhaps could soothe his nerves, so shaken by the presence of the monster he once knew as a god, as his Emperor, and as his only salvation. Now his curse.

Exar turned to idly watch his apprentice quickly retreat from the two dark lords. The Emperor turning toward the seat he was accustomed to sitting upon no matter where it be, his throne. Exar soon followed after him. Knowing full well the Emperor expected nothing less. The catering slaves went about their duty, making doubly sure to remain silent as the wind as the Emperor passed them by and ascended his throne, Kun following up several steps before taking a diplomatically sound stand upon a stair several layers below the dais that was this mans throne.

"I have become concerned at the pace in which your reconquest of the Tapani sector is taking, lord Kun." Sidious slithered every word from his maw as he sat upon the throne, a sickeningly contented sigh escaping his lips as he did.

"What do you mean, your majesty?"

"The Tapani sector is but one of hundreds throughout the galaxy. You may not have noticed, but I have. We are the minority in this war. Less sectors, less systems, and less men, seemingly so at the least." Exar nodded but more in an understanding manner than agreeing.

"We have more ships and weapons in reserve than the Moffs, if the intelligence reports I was given are correct do we not?" The Emperor nodded slowly. "The URM are a nothing of a threat your majesty. They are barely making any push into Moff space. I have always contended that the true enemy in this war is the Moff menace spread throughout the galaxy. These pack of neanderthal rebels from the Outer-Rim are fodder."

"No matter what you may think lord Kun," Palpatine interjected coolly. "any rebellion may swell into an uncontrollable beast festering like a cancer from within. I want these rebels rooted out, and destroyed!" A clasp of his boney left hand signified the weight of his demand, and Exar again found himself nodding.

"Their leader. This Kellia Nelrain. She is the head of this monster. The heart of the cancer. If she were to die. Then I believe the whole beast would collapse upon itself. If you so desire it, your majesty I could defer resources fro the Tapani siege to hunt her down?" He questioned but the Sith lord scoffed, as he petted his hands across the arms rests of his mighty black throne.

"She will not be so easily brought down, even by one such as you lord Kun. This woman is a festering sore I am content to let be for the time being, but I shall not allow you to think of such an enemy with little importance. The droid armies of the CIS she now controls are more than capable of ravaging the entire galaxy. Nonetheless, I feel as though lord Vader, may perhaps be more suited with dealing with these rebel scum, but I think we have strayed far enough from the original topic. Don't you lord Kun?" Exar smiled, but it waned quickly at the sound of the Emperor's condescension.

"Now, with the coming assault upon the Expansion-Region nearing, I will expect you to double your efforts to wipe out Moff forces within that sector. I understand that Mrlsst has only just now come under siege by your forces blockading it for several seeks now! What use of the navy is this that you waste manpower and resources merely letting a fleet linger over a single planet?"

"I intended to break the will of the people not only upon Mrlsst but within the whole sector, your majesty." Exar explained with a smirk. "The people would only have to see how the Moffs cannot begin to defend and protect them when they fail to save a world with no Imperial forces upon it and are attacked daily by local insurgent forces. Now that we descend upon them in full force, their forces battered and weak, they will be cleaved like butter by a lightsaber itself. It will show the weakness of Moff forces, and throw the morale of the troops within Tapani deeper into a gaping abyss than ever before. They shall never recover from such losses. I assure you, your majesty." Sidious took a moment to consider Kun's words. Leaning back into his throne as he did, and after a few moments he nodded seemingly pleased with the idea. He did after all have a weakness Kun loved to exploit. His penchant for inducing fear and savoring the anger, hatred, and chaos bred by it.

"Your ideas suffice. However, I will no less demand you utilize the resources given to you to your advantage! Upon your return to the Tapani sector you will crush the Moffs and this upstart, Morlin is his name I believe, and I will hear no more of delays. For soon I will begin to think them excuses."
"Of course, your majesty." Exar bowed at the hip allowing himself to sneer for a moment before rising back to a full stand.

"What of the situation in Chommell, your majesty?" Sidious waved him off.

"That matter shall be discussed among the entire war cabinet when everyone arrives."

"Will you be holding a party today, your majesty." Exar asked looking about the room. The Emperor cackled and shook his head in seeming glee.

"No, my friend. This is but practice for the servants." Exar gave a raised brow, a look of confusion toward the people shuffling plates of food and drink around, and it seemed a waste to allow such good smelling food to go to waste, but he nodded nonetheless.

"For tonight you and lord Vader will be guests of the palace. Both of you will stay here and in rooms I have made available to you both, and your charges. As for myself I shall remain here, and...oversee the work of my servants." The dark lord grinned a wicked grin. "I wouldn't want them to make any mistakes. They will soon be servicing the most prestigious of men and women of the Empire. One slip and I may have to take radical actions to remedy any issues." Exar found himself frowning, on the inside of course, as he feigned another smirk, deciding to amuse the Emperor in the idea he found his little odd power play amusing and...fun.

"Until then you may go, lord Kun and rest up for tomorrow. Young Viathan will have his room made available to him as well. For now though you shall leave him here with me."

"Of course, your majesty. He is after all your servant."

"Aren't they all, lord Kun?" He smirked and gave Exar a knowing look. A look that stunk of power play, and Exar openly feigned a smile back toward the old man. Their mutual facade of pleasantness melting away as Exar whipped around, his cloak in tow as he stomped down the stairs leading to the throne and straight out the room. Leaving the Emperor to grin broadly as he watched his servants fret about, their fear almost a smell tangible in the air; mingled with the fine foods and wines that cost more than their lives combined.

Fear though, it was the sweetest smell of them all.

(Stardestroyer Exactor, In Hyperspace)

"We shall be arriving upon Coruscant shortly. I have been forced by the Emperor to include you both in what are likely the most trivial of political festivities." Vader had come into their shared room, finding his twin children sitting idly about seeming bored, but well rested. Luke greeted him with a smile, despite his full gear, a newer and clean set of course, being upon his body, his face once more hidden behind his mask and helmet. Leia had even flashed him a whisper, or a ghost rather of a smile. He made sure to bow his head toward her, acknowledging her, and that one small flash of pleasure at his coming before her. It gave him an odd contented feeling he quickly quashed for now.

"My master, the Emperor will be expecting several things from you both, and I intend to deliver some of his demands."
"What?!" Leia cried in astounded horror, Vader quickly held a hand up for her to calm.

"Hear me before you release righteous outrage upon me, Leia." The girl closed her mouth and nodded, taking the seat once again she had just seconds ago jumped up from.

"The Emperor, will be expecting several things from both of you. One, obvious dislike for him. He will find it odd, and wholly implausible that both of you would like him, especially you Leia." She smirked proudly at the fact, and Luke watched her with a confused expression as she smiled.

"We will deliver him the authenticity then of your dislike for him. He will see it as a challenge and seek to turn the both of you against me. He thinks me still impaired and lame. Not realizing I have been restored." The Sith pointed toward his children.

"You will both make your discomfort clear around him. Leia, I expect you will have no problem showing your disgust?"

"No, none at all, father." She grinned broadly, seeming to enjoy not having to hide her feelings for the old dictator. Vader nodded, his mask hiding the smile upon his face for his daughter.

"Luke, I do not think you would so easily show your dislike for him. You will have to trust in me and your sister, that he is the most foul creature in all the galaxy. He will twist words, actions, and thoughts you will have around him." The blonde boy frowned, which quickly turned to a grimace.

"What do you want me to do then?"

"You will act normally. However, you would have a natural reaction to him along the lines of shyness, but shyness born of deep discomfort with him being close in proximity. He will goad you for information. Ask questions with seemingly little purpose or reason. Do as you would naturally my son. He will not harm you or your sister. He plans to groom you both to replace me one day." The twins shared a look, the Sith lord was finding to become a common action between the two. It bothered him to think they were in some way communicating with him unable to know what was being said. Short of him ripping into their minds of course.

"Are we just gonna deal with him forever, until you decide it's finally a good day to kill him?" Luke questioned, Vader finding the question one he had himself asked in times of loneliness and thought.

"He will be brought low once the galaxy backs both myself and lord Kun as public figures representative of them, and their well being. The Emperor will lose his support both within and outside of the political circles. Once the war is turned wholly in our favor, and the Emperor's power and prestige diminished to dust, then the stroke of the saber shall come."

"You plan on sharing the whole galaxy with Kun, father?" Leia, her pose that of disbelief, and sarcasm, as she folded her arms across her chest and eyed her father. Vader found her pose rather unnerving. Rather young for a girl; he thought at least, to cause someone to feel so little beneath their stare.

"I and lord Kun have an understanding, Leia. He and his charges shall do their part to win the galaxy over, and I and mine shall do ours."
"Yet we can't fight at all in any battles or help in any way?" Again Vader cursed her for having a comeback. He placed his arms in a similar crossed manner to his daughter in defiance to her defiance.

"You shall fight and bare the burdens of battle and war when I deem it best my daughter. That goes for you as well Luke." He pointedly declared. The boy throwing his hands up in a shrug.

"What I say?"
"Nothing. I am merely making my point clear. Now is it?"

"Very much." Leia returned, but Luke looked still a bit confused between the two.

"The Emperor will also be looking for tension between the three of us. I do not think that shall be an issue. However, you both should make a point of seeming distant and cool towards me, both physically and in speech. He will see this as a sign he can twist you both to his will and turn you against me. I do hope that you both realize by now joining with him is an impossibility. Not only will he easily replace you in time, but he will turn you into a shadow of what you are until one day you realize you cannot even recognize yourself." Vader warned and Leia cast upon her father a look he found distressing. It was one of confusion, but quickly turned to interest, then understanding, but worst of all, pity.

"Well I don't think we are..or at least I'm not, and am pretty sure Leia's not planning on joining the Emperor father. Why would we? So we can be made into slaves?" Vader chuckled, the sound as ever was odd coming through his mask.

"Slavery...yes that is indeed the one thing that awaits anyone who joins with that man. You would be wise to always remember that my son. Where I offer you a place at my side along with your sister, I do not even begin to fathom enslaving you as he would. Twist you and corrupt you into a distorted figure of the shadowy places of the galaxy." The manner in which her father spoke intrigued Leia. Never before did she ever think Darth Vader would be so introspective. Let alone before her. Then again this was her new life of being related to said dark lord, and having a twin brother who seemed far too naïve at ties for his own good. Though she did already love her twin. That thought gave her a ghost of a smile, before it quickly faded as she focused back upon her father...Darth Vader.

He noted that the room had grown silent following his musing, and Vader did not prefer awkward silences. Especially when two pairs of eyes stared upon him, and were of his children no less.

"A final word of warning. I know I have been lacking behind in training you both, but you will both need to be ever vigilant around my master. He will seek to prod and enter your minds. Violently if challenged, though he would not dare. Whether it fits into Kun's plans or not I shall destroy him before all of Coruscant should he attempt harm upon either one of you. Keep that in mind." Luke smiled broadly and warmly at that, Leia casting another small smile. She fully believed his words, and that was something that just seemed weird to her again. Though if she imagined the man beneath the mask saying it, it sounded very warm and...right suddenly.

"However, the point is this. You have both seen my face. This was not something I intended to happen so soon or suddenly, but sometimes things outside your control happens. I learned that fact long ago myself." He oddly informed the twins. "He will test your mind, and probe it for information surface thoughts are the easiest to sense. So, a very basic lesson on how to mask your thoughts shall now be given to you both."

"Awesome!" Luke declared and Leia grinned a giggle being elicited from her. Vader merely awaited them both to remain quiet. Though behind his mask he rolled his eyes, a smile upon his face as well.

"Emotions, raw and powerful ones can easily block the reading of ones mind fro a Force user who does not try to dig too deep. Anger, hatred, fear, rage, and an assortment of other emotions. Thoughts repetition of something to keep your mind busy and on other things besides that which the Emperor is seeking will go a long way to annoying him and force him to look for his entertainment elsewhere. He will not desire to cross too many boundaries with either of you yet. He want's the both of you to be made into his willing servants to one day kill me. So he will likely stick to making you believe I am a monster, and that you should both seek my demise." Vader paused. Thoughts, terrible ones went through him at the possibility of his master speaking on matters he had not yet spoken with his children about. Their mother and the manner of her death. The purge and what was committed in those early days of massacre and the creation of the New Order.

"He may decide to speak with you both concerning topics I have not spoken with either of you about. He will see it as the easiest way of turning you against me. However, he may not want to be so blatant yet."

"What 'topics,' do you mean?" Luke questioned, his head turning slightly as he did. Vader cringed beneath his mask.

"Namely your mother. That and what I have done in service of him to ensure the Empire remained secured and under his iron grip. He will twist any story into something that would and could easily paint me more a monster than I truly am." His self deprecating concession did little to either teen as they found the idea of the old fool exploiting their mother reprehensible. Surely nothing Vader, their father could have done is worse than using her death against not only Vader, but them and their emotions as well? Was there?

"Anything we should, maybe know about, father?" His daughter asked, her voice had a hint of distress upon it. No doubt ideas and imaginations were running wild within their heads.

"There were events that surrounded the rise of the Empire, and fall of the Republic and Jedi order that reflect a dark time for me. My mind was not in the right place in the slightest. Accusations were made and guilt assumed by me. My anger caused and brought about the greatest of my failures." The dark lord bowed his head and the twins could imagine he was averting eye contact behind that mask.

"I may have acted rashly, and foolishly, but my intention was never to kill, never to hurt, and I know...I know she did not die in the manner my master made me believe for thirteen years. He lied, they all lie! The galaxy is a conniving pit of liars and traitors!" His rage spiked, and the Force crackled with his power.

"Needless to say the old wretch should not and cannot be trusted! Had your mother fallen in the manner in which he made me believe then I would not be speaking to either one of you in this moment! You both were stolen from me, the act of Jedi snakes and their schemes to undermine and enslave me to their constricting ways, and code! Well where now is their code, their order, and their knights?! A memory, and one that fades ever faster from the memories of the populace of the galaxy." Both teens recoiled where they sat as the Force howled and darkness seemed to twirl about their father in unseen glee, wrapping him in a shroud full of rage and hatred. His hands were balled into gloved fists and shook even as he kept his arms crossed and attempted to hide them and their shaking.

"All either of you need to know here and now, is that you were both taken from me when I had not the chance to even know if either of you lived! Made to believe your mother died by the Jedi and the Emperor, I shall never believe another stinking thing that falls from his rotted mouth! The Jedi, what is left of them indeed?! A woman fashioning themselves into a savior who will deliver everyone into a galaxy of and by the droids! An old man somewhere out there, failed in his quest to keep you from me my son, and I would bet that there are others of their scum. Jedi far off hiding like insects in a condemned building! Insects hiding among the rodents and trash strewn about. I shall see their memory torn from every mind, and legacy burned out of existence." Vader shook in rage visibly now, and his children had to admit they shared a shiver of fear running along both their spines.

"Father...please, calm down." Luke urged, taking a hesitant stand from where he sat upon a chair. The boy was bold, and sent out from himself every positive emotion he could muster toward his father, and the dark lord immediately sensed the action. The boy came to his side and placed a tentative hand upon his arm and looked into the mask pleadingly for him to calm. Vader looked into the blue orbs that were his sons eyes, and felt himself begin to calm, and thus he closed his own eyes, likely glowing yellow in his rage. The rage of memories long the source of his power only came to him doubly as strong now that he had his family with him. Stole from him were thirteen years, and as was thirteen years stolen from them.

'Just as Jedi are. Seeking to rip families asunder.' He thought with a renewed shudder of raw hate shooting through him.

Unexpectedly though, in a moment he had not expected, but had felt before, Vader sensed another sending calming and...good waves through the Force into him. He looked up and toward her. Leia sat her her seat, her brown eyes, her mothers, stared at him, and in them was a mixture. Sadness, confusion, and still was there that damnable pity. Knowing, however, that it was her gave Vader a new sense of calm. Both of his children sent him calming thoughts, feelings and waves of their seemingly natural calming ability. The rage soon faded, as the dark side retreated from him in this moment, and he allowed it to.

"We...we should be arriving at Coruscant soon. Remember do not believe in him. Do not let him twist you and me. You, we, cannot allow him to unravel what is being done to finally free the galaxy of his taint." Vader spoke, his rage subsided., and his demeanor returned to normal. Luke cast him an understanding and honest smile. He retreated from the hulking form of his father. The smile never leaving his face, as Leia remained where she was but had about her a sense of relief at his return to normal.

"We should make for the shuttle bay. We are late as it is, and we are to be expected." Vader for all his calmness did not acknowledge his ranting and outburst and thankfully for him neither of the twins seemed keen on forcing the topic upon him just yet.

"What about Shira? Is she any better?" Luke chanced the question that had been likely gnawing at his mind for the last day and a half. Vader nodded slowly.

"She has gotten better, her healing process is underway but the bolt did more damage than initially cataloged. Her body took quite the hit and she is being given pain relievers. She awoke at some point in great pain and began wildly flailing about. I would perhaps assume a nightmare coupled with the pain her body feels is causing her great distress. As such I have signed off on keeping her sedated until she is more healed." Luke did not seem satisfied, and to that Vader held a hand up to silence him preemptively.

"Before you ask anything further Luke. I am transferring her to the palace medical wing. The fact I have more than just you two as apprentices will have long since reached the Emperor's ears, and if not he is in a weaker position than I thought. The arrangements have been made and she shall be safely transported under guard to the medical wing in a separate shuttle behind ours." Luke averted his eyes, seemingly once again depressed at the facts presented, but he nodded his understanding nonetheless.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Leia asked finally rising to a stand and brushing her as ever white uniform, Vader had since complained of but given up doing as well. Simple shirt, and jeans on her part, all white whilst Luke seemed to indulge in black clothing. Sporting upon his own person a tight black, charcoal more so shirt, and jeans matching of course. Making the teens seem oddly contrasted against one another.

Vader shook himself from his musings, and motioned toward the door following Leia's question.

"Nothing it would seem. Come. A shuttle awaits us. As does the Emperor." It was more of a warning but the three of them made for the shuttle that awaited them. It would be but a short time later that they did indeed make a hyperspace reentry above Coruscant. Where the Emperor indeed awaited all four of Vader's apprentices.

Yet it was only two who were of great interest to him.

(Coruscant, Imperial Palace)

The cooling air of the terrace gave Viathan a small measure of relief. Though he could sense Exar's retreat as his 'master,' the Emperor remained near by. The evening skies of the capital world turned to an orange hue that shined brightly, brilliantly as well across the spires that lined the world in all directions around. The endless flying of air-cars, and air-speeders, a few shuttles and bigger ships here and there were a welcome sight to him. Viathan always, unlike a great many people, missed Coruscant when away. It was his home. The endless life that teemed across the world, and the light that never faded even at night with endless possibilities, endless experiences and even endless grief covered the world. It was where he was born. It was home.

As he stood upon the terrace leaning himself upon the rail of seemingly marble stone that lined in a half circles from wall to wall on either side of the doorway, Viathan sensed a great many people around the world. That was not unusual of course, but these people, this gathering was that of those who were strong in the dark side. Not perhaps the greatest power in the universe any of them, but certainly they all reeked of the taint of the dark side. Thy all felt oddly familiar too.

'Perhaps,' Viathan thought staring forward, 'perhaps I fought or trained with some of them.' He thought as the familiarity of these beings irked him in some way. They felt too familiar. There was one presence who was an enigma to him, it was cold, and void of thought. He could not sense nor read from afar the intention of this being.

Then as if a flash of lightning struck him in his very back, a back still pulsating with pain brought upon himself by himself, he knew whom this void was. He closed his eyes and hung his head, as it approached from behind.

"Greetings once again...father." Viathan intoned. Not bothering to do so as he did, and he sensed the man he knew to be, though loathed to be, his father. A slight and very unauthentic chuckle escaped passed the mans lips as the boy still did not look at him as he came to stand beside him at his right.

"You are quite the new star, my son. That is good. The more fame, and power you accumulate the better your and thus our position will be. Alas, where are my manners? It is good to see you are still in...relatively good health. As well as one on the front lines of war could be I sense." Viathan finally chanced a glance, turning his head to the right and finding Kalev to be standing alongside him. He too looked out over the cityscape of Coruscant wearing his white leather coat, and seemed to walk out of a cliched mad scientist holo-film. His blackened hair was free and held a slight sense of wildness but still looked well upon him. The slight natural pull forward it seemed to have reminded Viathan of his own hair for a moment.

His cold green eyes, though bright pools, orbs that Viathan could see being well received among women, too naïve to know what they were getting themselves into. They stared forward and they were unblinking for an unusual amount of time. They finally turned and they met with Viathan's red ones. The immediate shock upon them was a first for Viathan.

"You've done something with your eyes?"

"It is a natural, or perhaps unnatural side affect of being constantly in the dark side father. It is not the only aspect of my figure that suffers mild physical alterations." Kalev nodded, a single nod as it was, and Viathan held the impression he accepted the reply in full understanding.

"You certainly do seem to have suffered your share of injuries on the front. I can tell merely by looking at your posture that you are in pain right now. It is unwise to appear so weak before the Emperor. He will use it to his advantage." The man warned, and Viathan for a moment eyed him suspiciously for making such a legitimate, but seemingly out of place statement. 'Since when does a mad scientist care about the exploitations of the Emperor upon those under him? Especially you father.' He returned to looking over Coruscant and he did have to admit he felt slumped over more so than usual. The built up injuries and pain finally beginning to subside some, but ache everywhere.

"The wounds, scars, and aches are mine to bare father. They only serve to make me stronger in times of need. I'm no masochist and desire to be in pain endlessly but I do not ignore it or attempt to dull it when it's possible reserves of power have kept me alive in the past." He huffed a chuckle, seeming to find his son's rational odd but fitting.

"What of you father? We had little time to fully...'enjoy,' our mutual company last time I was here, and as you can see much has changed."

"Indeed. Your hair, eyes, posture, and fame. I must admit rarely does anyone manage to go through so many changes, no matter how small they may be, before I meet with them for what I consider to be more or less a second time, though it is more like fourth of firth." Viathan straightened himself and felt his back muscles shudder in pain and resistance to his movements, but he did not show it.

"However, to answer your question Valek, I have been quite busy. It's not everyday one such as myself can proudly declare in the face of the galaxy that I am in command of the newest and likely most successful eugenics program in all of history!" Not only did being called by his original name catch Viathan off guard and had him snapping himself toward his father, but the man's statement caught his attention as well.

"Your..project for the Emperor? It has been successful then?"

"Successful?!" He cried in glee, his face contorting to a smug grin that reminded Viathan of a hungry Nexu.

"Why my project as it were, is well ready for the first batch to be tested! Indeed I am told this batch as I call it is to be made a spectacle of for the Emperor. I admit when the idea was broached to me I wanted to decline, but as is his strong point, the Emperor persuaded me to follow along with the idea. It will be most gratifying for me to see my favored child win."

"Win?" Kalev chuckled, a deep one at that, his green eyes seeing something beyond where they stood, as if he was fantasizing about this 'victory.'

"Oh it is a test of course my son! The Emperor wants to test this batch of children in dueling matches. He thinks that one will prove victorious over the other, but I too have chosen my winning child. He will see my reasoning and my logic in the matter proven correct. The Emperor will thus have to give me more time to make more...perfect specimens." The way the word slithered out of his mouth made Viathan's skin crawl.

"Your idealism of perfection will end up killing too many children father. We will need them for the new order in no time at all. You are being far too rash, and far to obsessive over your belief in perfection." Keeping his voice level and cool, Viathan watched Kalev huff off his concerns.

"You my son, are perfection. At least from birth and that was the point may I remind you. Perfect symmetry perfect health, a good brain, my brain is in this head." He prodded his finger atop Viathan's head running along his hair, and caused a grimace to fall across his features.

"You are indeed the epitome of my perfection, and an extension of the perfection we Karthasians hold over all else, but that is for another day I suppose. No, you misunderstand I am not arbitrarily killing these children. Who might I add are basically worthless in any classical sense, no mothers or fathers to speak of, and chattel for the Emperor anyways. No, I am merely speaking of how he has rushed this first batch from me, and thus the product I am presenting is half finished! Quite the travesty I must say. Give me a few months, maybe a few years and an army of men...and women," He spat. "will be made and ready for war. The next group right behind it" Kalev once more held across his face a faraway smirk.

"You shall see one day the pure genius I had in these days my son. You will see Valek, that I have made you the superior being in this galaxy, and one day you shall sit upon a throne, I can promise you that." Viathan found his thoughts jumping to the three dark lords that he has come to see often if not know them personally, and found himself being the furthest thing from a superior being.

"Ah, but alas I must admit I came out here to bring you back in my son. The Emperor not only granted me a small meeting with you again. Something I have been desiring to do for a long while I might add. He also wanted me to come and bring you back in. He has something he wishes to speak with you about." Viathan felt his body go rigid with anxiety and his adrenaline pumped out in a great wave that had him fighting another shudder. He could only nod numbly toward his father as Kalev walked back into the palace through the doorway and left Viathan standing alone and in fear in a moment before he shoved it all away and steeled himself for what was to come. Whatever that was of course.

Inside he walked, his boots feeling heavier as did his shoulders as everything felt or seemed to slump in his depression and anxiety. His mind racing with thoughts of what his 'master,' had prepared for him. Tortures were nothing new, but Viathan did not really 'feel' like allowing himself to be ripped and mutilated this day. The thought of unintentionally giving away his true masters plans also had him near trembling with fear mingled with anxiety.

Back within the room the servants were vacating and the room suddenly seemed larger than ever. Especially as the Emperor sat upon his elevated throne and smirked that cocky and rotted grin he sported when he held a devious plan and couldn't wait to unleash it. The two crimson guards stood at the foot of the stairs leading up to the throne, but there were others within the room. Some Viathan could recall seeing in passing some of their names escaping his memory. Others he did not recognize. Kalev, his dear old dad strode toward the Emperor and climbed the stairs paying the guard no mind and came to stand directly beside the man who officiated his very creation. As the one who stood next to him saw it done and shared his genes with him, Viathan found the sight and thought disgusting as he thought more on it and his expression subtly soured.

Viathan glanced left and then right and took note of the array of men and women, all human, or at least looked human, and all of them giving him stray looks as well as if expecting something. The only thing this sought to do was double his anxiety, but he held it deep within. Hidden and wholly unseen. With thought put behind the action an expression of hardened eyes and rigid posture came over Viathan. Coming to the feet of the stairway he kneeled and allowed his head to fall in 'reverence,' for the dark lord and master of the Empire. He never allowed the scowl to leave his features, nor the stiffness of his form to fade.

"I understand you desired my presence once again, my lord and master?" Viathan questioned respectfully.

"Indeed I did. I have come to question several of lord Kun's choices of military tactics, and other things I have little patience to speak of with you, my boy." Viathan felt a sneer beg to be released at the way lord Kun was being spoken of but he shoved it down and away.

"As I did this I realized I have for a long time now left you in his care and training. Lord Kun has been so very busy I'm sure, but now I must see if his assurances have paid off. Has the Sith lord been teaching and training you well, if at all, my boy?" Viathan chanced his gaze back upward to allow his crimson eyes to look into the glowing yellow ones of Sidious directly.

"Yes master. Under Kun's direction and my own ambition to learn more to better serve you I have become more powerful."
"Have you now?" He cackled. "Then we shall allow the entertainment to commence!" he announced raising his hands into the air, and seemingly motioned for something to happen, Viathan did not know yet what it was, but the Force was sending him warnings. Impending and close.

Eying his sides, and instinctively rising to a stand out of sudden fear and paranoia he snatched up his saber hilt and held it close, but did not activate the crimson beam yet. He cast a glare upwards toward his father, and noticed the man only watched his son with deep pride, and what looked like..expectation? He whipped around and noted that the doors he and his master had come through some moments prior opened and behind it stood over fifteen cloaked figures. They looked like a scene from the dark temple upon Umbara, they all held saber hilts, all simple like his but even more bland and simple. Their signatures within the Force were filled with chaos, marred with the dark side and felt wild, raw and filled with uncontrolled rage. They were hooded, all of them. He could make out some of their faces. They all seemed like an assortment of teens he had never seen before, and in that moment Viathan knew who these fools were. These wretches tossed to this fight. He snapped back toward his father and sent him a glare he wanted to burn into the mans mind forever.

"I know now who you bet would win this battle. I shall be sure to not disappoint you, father." he seethed as his eyes seemed to glow brighter and hotter in crimson color with his rage building and anger bubbling.

"Good boy! Use that anger and be sure to show me those new skills of yours. Lest I see you have learned nothing, and have failed me once again." The Emperor goaded and Viathan felt his blood boil, as these abominations of his fathers science surround him. Their thoughts were loud and broadcast for any Force user to hear. They were like children, unable to fully comprehend what was going on, but their rage and power through the Force fueled by something Viathan could not understand, but was likely a creation of his father's made them all shake with rage, and with a form of seeming tunnel vision sought to kill him. Which forced Viathan to at last activate his crimson beam. Noting that he had not been back onto his home planet for even a full hour and was once again fighting to live into the next very hour Viathan hardened himself and let all empathy fall from his mind.

Falling into Niman, Viathan watched these monsters, single minded and full of wrath that could not be traced to a source, surround him with glowing eyes of the dark side. There were definitely seventeen of these things, and they all unleashed their sabers forth from their hilts. All of them cliched and red as his own saber. They all fell into a circle around him, once again the image of Nexu surrounding their prey came to mind, and Viathan allowed the pain that radiated through him to send further power into his body and he eased his mind. He had lived through battles, Umbara, fought a Jedi he knew was beyond these things by a great deal. Wounds, scars, and battle was what he was made for anyways. He might as well prove why that his creations sanction was worth it.

"One of two things shall happen." The Emperor announced to the crowd of fellow dark side filled people around them as Viathan kept his opening Niman stance ready as he was fully surrounded by mad looking, rage filled beasts. All of them having their sabers held ready in wild manner that proved to Viathan they went untrained.

"Either our dear commander in the front lines of battle, Viathan will fall by the sabers of these here young teens. Or he shall slay every last one, and prove either myself or Dr. Zalliste here correct in our stances. For if a small group of these children can defeat young Viathan, and may I just say these are children all of special stock, then a whole army of these slaves await the Empire." The Emperor gloated and the gathered people all shared hushed whispers and no doubt made little critiques of the Sith lords decree.

"If, however, Viathan proves he is the better, then I will concede to Dr. Zalliste more refined and longer, as well as better trained children shall instead be our course." Viathan now understood the stakes. Now he got why his father was betting upon him. Of course because he was for one thing his son and the man loved to feel as if he had personally made Viathan into what he is, but also because Kalev found these creations lacking, while the Emperor found them good enough already as warriors. As ever he was being used by the old man, and now by his oh so loving father.

It didn't matter, none of it did. If he died here and now Viathan would die and finally be free, or so he made it seem like within the dark depths of his mind. If he won, then he would further whatever karked up goals his father had, and shove into the face of the Emperor his worth as a Sith. For he knew he never would make his worth realized or appreciated as a living creature. Better to do so as a weapon then.

"Best not prove my theories about lord Kun correct my boy." The Emperor cackled. Viathan kept his gaze locked on the nearest eugenics abomination. Though it was a human, he looked to be Viathan's age. Hair all removed and eyes yellow as they all were.

"Begin!"

No sooner had the dark lord called out did all seventeen saber wielding teens rush Viathan. They were screaming like the wild beast Viathan knew them to be. Their thoughts wild, loud and full of pain and anger. He dove and rolled between two of them and out of his encirclement, and jumped back into the air. Spinning round left as he did he cleaved across the back of one boy who howled high into the air, but he did not fall. With a great burn across his flesh and simple black robes that boy turned and slashed at Viathan. No reason or coordination in his moves they were no less fast and aimed at his flanks in wild arch's. Down right and across his saber then up left again smashing their weapons together in grand sparks. The boy who was huffing and releasing air in deep and wild bouts slammed his saber down, and Viathan blocked in a horizontal degree across his figure.

Viathan kicked his right leg out and into the gut of the boy who reeled some. Throwing his left hand out a powerful wave ripped through the air and sent almost all of the teens flying back some ways. Save for the boy he fought and two others who nonetheless recoiled from the blast. Still using Niman he fell back onto it's intricacies, and allowed his masters teachings to go through his mind once again.

Makashi; he swung in precise slashes at the sides of his opponent who wildly blocked and attempted to thrash back at Viathan. Their blades meet in a clash, and Viathan sneers. Djem So, throwing the boy off and spinning a hard kick into his exposed right the teen flung in a circled and Viathan whipped around and slashed through him straight at the midsection. A gasp fell through the air, and the last thoughts from the fellow slave were received by Viathan. All it was, was a recognition of pain, and fear. It made Viathan shake in rage.

Two more ran at him, their sabers held over their heads and they tried to slash down upon him. Calling the fallen boy's saber hilt to him, Viathan fell into the dual wielding form Niman utilized. Both saber hilts held in Shien backwards form he threw his arms up and blocked both sabers and clashed against his two, and felt the strain of having two people fall upon him at once. He threw his whole body left and swung his two sabers across that of his most left opponent who fell with him by his carrying momentum. Viathan carried on that momentum and swung in a full circle and slammed both saber into and through the abomination. Another boy who shared similar traits to the last greeted him as his mind also loudly cried in pain and fear. It was like killing little children not yet able to speak. They had the minds of children, and the instincts of killers. It only further made Viathan loath Kalev, his father.

The second teen ran at him. A girl now that he could see and she had some hair which seemed odd for the males to have none but the females were allowed to keep some. Nonetheless she was raven haired and ferocious. She screamed like a wild banshee from a horror story. Her saber slammed in X formed slashes in front of his face and Viathan easily parried each one with either of his sabers. He caught her saber between his two and slid them down the beam of light and then forward. They crossed but did not hit her neck in an X formation. He pushed further, and put all his strength and energy from the Force into his arms, and soon her saber fell back closer to her face, and she grimaced as total fear set in, and tears began to well and fall from her eyes. He had no doubt she did not know what was going on, only that she had to do as she was made to, and now here stood a scary person about to hurt her. Viathan held no mercy or empathy in him, but pity? That was another concept entirely. Her saber connected with flesh and she pulled away from their clash and scream as her face was marred. Viathan jumped forward and dived down, both sabers in a stabbing manner and he ran her through. They fell to the ground, her to her face and dead, and Viathan rolled with the momentum and yanked the sabers from the girls body. He rose back up and turned. The rest of his mindless opponents stared at him with their sabers ready having already risen from his blast earlier.

Palpatine's face contorted to a sneer at the show of skill. Three of his new soldiers were already dead! Not only that but Viathan was displaying saber skills he had not taught him. The Niman style being one the Emperor did not find too much use for himself. Even more he used a Force blast that was brimming with the dark side and electrified the air when it burst forth through the room. Even more insulting and embarrassing was the prideful smirk laden across Kalev's face beside him. The Sith lord got the distinct feeling the Dr. enjoyed watching his son rip into these little freaks of science he had created.

Once more the last fourteen all ran at him. Both male and female, their screams and sabers filling the air. Returning his sabers into the normal holding position Viathan fell into Makashi stance once again through Niman. They were upon him. Hacking, slashing and wildly cleaving. He parried turned, spun away and ducked from the assault upon his person. They were relentless and overpowering in this massive group of their, and finally Viathan jumped square across the room to get away from them for a moment's rest.

Once more he switched up his style and turned to Ataru through his Niman this time. This time as the pie of enemies turned around to face him, they were faced by his figure rushing and running upon them. Throwing the saber from the fallen boy into the crowd, he threw himself up into the air and threw his body into a spin that cleaved down into a boy and slashed across his chest. He threw himself to the ground and rolled stabbing his saber outward and through another enemy's leg. Turning he swung up and slashed the first boys back giving both sides of his body gashing burns.

The other saber spun and slammed into the head of another girl and she collapsed dead. Viathan jumped up and kicked a a boot into the head of a third enemy. Quickly spinning and stabbing own the neck of a fourth enemy, and pulling down the body, rolling and spinning back and stabbing down through the one whose leg he had crippled before. The boy with the gashes hacked down on his prone figure. Viathan ducked and dived backwards from the assault. Yanking his hand outward he called up into the air three sabers, and the three weapons floated above the boy. Viathan growled and pulled his hand and thus the sabers down, all three of them impaled the boy, putting him out of his misery.

'Four more down.' He reminded himself even as he rose back to a full stand once again among the dead and burned and found the last ten glaring at him with no less fury within their eyes. The sound of clapping caught his attention for a moment, and he found the gathered crowd cheering him on, and taking pleasure in his killing of these mindless abominations of his fathers creation. It brought forth a sneer across his face that fueled his anger, and he felt a surge of power pound through his body. Both hands flew out and ahead of him and again another blast, this one a true dark side blast erupted from him and three further enemies flew back at such great speeds they slammed audibly into the metal wall behind them, and in a flash Viathan felt one of them perish through the Force.

Two more ran at him from the front and a third ran around them coming at his left side. Fury filled him and utilizing everything he knew of saber combat and of Niman, he ran at the first two. He slashed right, the opponent blocked, he hard slashed left and that opponent blocked, and again right then left, before he repeated and fell across the lefts saber again. This time he threw his left arm around over his right shoulder and brought it swinging back out left and the meta of his left hand slammed across the face of the teen and threw him reeling back just as the third came in and Viathan caught an overhead slash by him and threw the girl away. Spinning he slashed at the saber of the second boy who was forced to turn from an attacking to a defensive posture.

Turning his hand sideways almost awkwardly and forcing the saber to face right even as he held it in his right hand, Viathan had enough physical strength to hold the abomination in a clash. Moving his fake hand in just the right manner, the hidden claws came forth and extended above his metallic fingers. He swung forward and under their clash and felt his monstrous protrusions pierce through the second boys flesh and he gasped in horror and pain as he looked Viathan in the eyes, but Viathan yanked his hand from the stab wounds and quickly flung himself aside. The first boy had run up at his back but when Viathan moved the boy ran his ally through and he fell limp now with clawed and saber wounds.

The first boy who now looked his fallen comrade at his own hands did not see Viathan rush forward like a blur and only numbly registered the crimson saber going through his chest through the heart. And that's seven left.' Viathan pulled the saber from the chest of the now dead abomination, and spun around and defended against the strike of the girl from before. She was sneering, snarling even as she unleashed fury upon him. Fast and furious jabs, and stabs at him saw Viathan fall backwards as she relentlessly hack down and slashed down upon him in massive overhead arching strikes downward. Viathan sidestepped and she slashed down hitting the ground beneath them. Viathan slashed down with a liquid movement down, and her hands were removed. She screamed in true and all consuming pain. Her shrieks reverberating the room, and possibly even the halls beyond. Taking no time to second guess himself, Viathan slashed right and removed her head from her shoulders. Finally ending the ear piercing scream, and her life.

His breaths were becoming more heavy as the adrenaline cooled down, and his aching muscles returned in force. Pulsating and radiating pain through his body and leaving him feeling stiff and tired. He turned to face the last six of his enemies, and it dawned upon him he had just killed, murdered, and mutilated eleven people.

He sent every pulse of pain into the Force feeding into the dark side as his last six opponents lined themselves together. The fear and anger radiating off them only seemed to double now as they walked among their dead comrades. Though if they had any concept of friendship or kinship was beyond Viathan. One of those whom still lived and felt like a beacon of rage was the one boy he had slashed both across the chest and back. He still stood and Viathan felt his rage feeding his own power.

'This one. He is the strongest of them all. I'm sure of it.' Eying the still cloaked figure whom stood panting in and out his breaths like a wild animal all the more, Viathan glanced over his support. The other five were two females, and three more males. They were a variety of disheveled and tired looking people all gathered alongside each other for the final fight against Viathan. He narrowed his eyes and fell into a notable base defensive posture. Saber held before him and angled to be slightly above and over the shoulder facing back.

The one he had already mutilated, with burn scars lining his flesh deactivated his saber and stood silent and unmoving. Viathan waited for him and his friends to make the first move. Yet, in a flash the mutilated one threw his hands forward and bursting forth from them was a mighty blast of energy through the Force and Viathan was thrown back with great force. He slammed backwards against what he discovered to be the foot of the stairs leading to the Emperor's throne. His breath was forced from his lungs and a silent grimace of pain crossed his face as he felt his limbs become numb at the pain sent through and up his back.

Shakily he pulled his head up and found the five other abominations charging at him. Their sabers in haphazard arrays of readiness to strike down upon his fallen figure. Sucking in a breath even as it felt like his lungs would not accept the air. Viathan pushed himself up into a sitting position and calling on everything he knew he turned all his pain into power with the dark side. His eyes were ablaze, and his grimace turned to a snarl, his mouth curled into a disgusted and spite filled expression. A malice crossing over it as his body was filled with the rawness of the dark side, and it's 'unnatural' power. Placing one knee under his body forcing himself to rise to a complete stand, he felt a surge of energy pulse through him and he threw his right hand out and erupting forth came a bout of brilliant blue lightning and it went crackling and snapping into the bodies of two oncoming fools. The other three running stopped at the sight, and Viathan was sure to use their halt of fear to his advantage. The two caught by his lightning writhed and howled in pain as the room lit with a blue hue from his attack fueled by rage.

Their presence fading in the Force as death and the void took them Viathan ceased his attack and rose back to is full height as his back throbbed. Calling his saber and that of a fallen Sith to his hands, he faced down the three other fools who had run after him. They still broadcast their fear and hatred, and Viathan felt deep down that perhaps he should feel sorry for these fools as he slaughtered them and their allies, but he felt little empathy in this moment.

Bringing both sabers before him in an X and eying the fools who readied themselves before him as their seeming leader, the mutilated one stood back and did nothing, Viathan charged. A howl escaped him as he ran upon them, and threw himself into the air. Crashing down both sabers upon the three as he fell back down. Two dodged and one stood his ground and blocked his strike. The weight of his attack forcing the boy to recoil and nearly fall back at the force of the blow. Viathan felt his two saber slide down and off his opponents saber and hit the floor. A split second of thought was all it took as he realized his opening and thrust both sabers up where the abomination was exposed. He bypassed his saber and pierced him twice. One saber went through his chest and out his back, the second through his pelvis and out the other end. A groan escaped him, and he slumped toward Viathan as he quickly threw him off.

One of the two remaining slashed at his back, but he turned with a wide arching slash around and up sending the opposing attacker spinning with barely being able to block the sweeping blow with his own saber. The second, the girl ran at his right and Viathan blocked her saber, as the boy threw himself back and over his shoulder slashed down at Viathan who blocked his attack as well. They stayed locked in that position for a moment, before Viathan yanked his whole body left carrying his sabers across those of his opponents and then off. Flipping to his left and away from these two and landing on his feet, Viathan took both sabers and tossed them spinning at the two who blocked them as they flung through the air making a whirring noise through the air and collided with their sabers. Viathan used their distraction and with his blood covered left hand he broke through the mental barriers, weak as they were, of the male, and clasped his hand around his throat from afar. He dropped his saber as Viathan sent his second one at the girl who blocked both sabers slashing at her in mid-air. The boy gasped and struggled, clawing at his own flesh attempting to remove the unseen and intangible hand around his throat as it closed and constricted. Tears escaped his eyes as he gagged in the air, and finally Viathan slammed his meta hand into a fist and an audible snapping of his neck could be heard. He threw the body back and it nearly hit some of the astounded onlookers, but they dodged and instead the corpse slammed into the wall with a final horrendous snapping noise filling the air.

His concentration had been split, but now he looked upon the girl as she faced down two saber spinning around her and slashing at her at random. She threw her hands out wildly attempting to Force push them away for something but Viathan wouldn't let her. Calling a third saber to him from among the corpse pile he stalked toward her. A notable limp now in his right leg as he forced the pain away. It was nothing but fuel.

The two sabers spun around her rapidly and she feebly threw her saber up to block but his sabers danced around her head and slashed their tips along her saber. She shut her eyes and averted looking at the endlessly spinning beam of light forming an endless circle around her. They stopped and suddenly pulled away from her quickly, before she could respond, before her stood Viathan and he thrust his saber up into her chest impaling and killing her. His face stone and cool as he felt her life force fade into the void.

He let her corpse fall to the ground and his two spinning sabers came around him, as he held them in the air, and utilized all the raw power he now held in the Force in this moment. He turned in a very predatory manner and his eyes fell upon his final opponent. The one whose body he had already left mutilated with burned flesh on both his front and back. He was still cloaked and he felt sickeningly hateful of Viathan, and full of more fear than the others. Viathan did not fear. He destroyed, and thus he knew this one to be no different.

He cast his father a final glare, and then softened his features to stare upon the face of the Emperor. His expression did not fail to yet convey his hatred hear in this moment, and all Sidious did was smirk back at his little slave.

"Continue, my boy, and prove to me your continued worth." He slithered the words once more from his rotted mouth, and Viathan could do nothing, say nothing, but merely nod. The boy cloaked before him activated a single blade. Crimson as the rest, but then like Viathan he called a fallen saber to him from the fallen corpse of one of the girls, and held both sabers ready. Spinning them to show off his skills he fell into a noticeably Jar'kai stance. Viathan lifted his left hand into the air and called forth his own saber back to him, allowing the third to drop to the floor once more unused. He fell into the Niman dual saber form variant. He noted this one seemed a bit better in skills than the other. Bing able to utilize the rudimentary skills and power of the Force and knowing the stance of Jar'kai proved that much to him. His thoughts were also more calm if not fully collected as a normal person, but his rage was just as powerful as all the others had been.

The cloaked figure awaited and did not move. Viathan figured he was to thus make the first move. Among the stench of corpses and death he stalked forward. The boy remained still and held both crimson sabers at the ready. One held over his head and the other before himself. His two sabers ready as well he inched ever closer, coming but a few feet before his opponent who remained still. Viathan held one saber back in Shien form and the other in a normal hand grip facing across his person.

Then the boy finally stuck! Both sabers slammed down over his right shoulder down connecting against both of Viathan's sabers as he parried, and took a step back. The boy the did the same only over his left shoulder and again Viathan blocked taking a step back. The boy then swung both at Viathan's left and he used his two to block. Then the boy carried his momentum in a full circle attacking from Viathan's left again, but Viathan parried. The boy stopped his swing and then threw his weight into the same attack from the right. This time Viathan caught the boy with his two sabers clashing against one of his each. They locked 'blades' and both sets of arms visibly shook in the clash of four crimson sabers. Viathan stared into the yellow of his opponent and barely could make out his face as the boy was more hunched over trying to force Viathan back and away from him. Using a method he had learned long ago Viathan called upon the Force and threw it into his weight as he fell upon the boy as he had with Starkiller all those weeks ago. He threw his sabers off only to slam them down upon the boy again and with triple the force in his blow and his enemy buckled at the knee but pushed back against Viathan.

Viathan again threw his sabers off, and this time set a wave of Force energy into the boy and he blocked the attack with his sabers held up in an X formation but he was thrust back along the heels of his boots nonetheless. Viathan ran upon him then and twirled himself through the air at the abomination and spun both sabers vertically as he was turned horizontally in the air. Making several rotations and causing the sounds of clashing sabers and sparks to ring through the air. Viathan ended and brought his sabers down in a vertical arch one last time. They fell upon the floor burning into it, and the abomination struck down at him, but Viathan jumped back and away. He landed upon a knee but quickly forced himself back onto two feet.

His fathers abomination ran upon him, and Viathan blocked with an X formation of his own. The slam of his sabers against his opponent sent another clashing of sparks to the ground beneath their boots. Viathan threw him off and tossed his left saber into the air holding it in place with the Force and with his metallic hand, his clawed protrusions long since recoiled, and he thrust an unexpected fist up into the gut of his enemy. The boy hissed and recoiled as gasps and a cough escaped him, and Viathan grasped his saber once more and flew into a set of endless flurries the boy barely blocked against.

Stabs and slashes were aimed at the abominations left and then its right and it blocked with both sabers for each side. Clashing and stopping Viathan's relentless assault, but Viathan then tore away and spun to attack the other side, which the abomination barely blocked against the new attack.

Viathan clashed at the right flank of the abomination, and this time sent a Force enhanced kick into his already beaten abdomen and the boy recoiled and lost his balance falling to the floor. His sabers deactivated for a moment but he rolled over and coughed at the trauma of being hit doubly as hard the same place Viathan had before punched his purely metal fist into. Thus Viathan approached and held ready his sabers for a killing blow seeing this coughing fit that run through the air as an admission of his victory.

Bringing both sabers up to strike down, Viathan went wide eyed as the Force warned him, and the boy turned, his cough gone and sent his own blue bout of lightning at Viathan, but he was not to be beaten by these bolts again! He blocked them with his saber and repulsed against the surge of electric power that sparked and charged the air around them. He pushed forward as the abomination maintained his kneeled lightning attack. He pushed down and forward and the lightning soon was only moving a few inches from fingertips to sabers, and then Viathan got close enough. Sending a pulse through the Force down his sabers and at the boy he flew back and literally onto his back and his head slammed the floor beneath as he skid across the floor into the opposite wall.

Viathan felt his adrenaline pound at the rush of the moment, but as he looked at his enemy he realized his cloak had since then now fallen. The boy was not unconscious but seemed dizzy as he failed to push himself up twice. Viathan's saber holding hands, his whole arms fell and went limp at his sides, the beams still very much active and humming. His mouth slightly fell ajar, and his breath was caught in his throat. His eyes filled with awe, and hatred. His mind assaulted by what was before him. For on the ground, beaten and bloody was himself. It was Valek Zalliste.

His father had cloned him.

"How could you do this?!" Viathan howled spinning upon where the throne was to find his father standing there next to the old man who looked at Kalev. Seemingly enjoying the scuffle breaking out. Kalev lost all trace of enjoyment on his face and straightened himself.

"It had to be done my son. This was the best way to prove that even the best specimen used to make a quick soldier with flash memories and a little maddening powers I the Force could not outdo the original. My perfect specimen." He gloated openly and Viathan felt his body shake in rage. In disgust and his stomach twisted into a knot. His face no doubt contorted to a sneer unlike anything before and his blood boiled! This was why the dark side seemed so raw and familiar to him! He was sensing but himself in a new and more insane karking body!

The boy shook himself and Viathan turned back upon...himself. This abomination as he had seen him and his allies as looked him in the eyes, and he found an expression his own. Full of hate and full of fear. Full of desire and ambition to survive his ordeal and desire to attain the adoration of another. The sickening desire to make that man, that rotting walking corpse of Palpatine to love him, he could sense it! Very near smell it in the air even. He crushed his sabers in his hands. The artificial one causing the metal of the random saber he held to moan and bend under his grip. The boy rose and held one of his sabers still active and ready to fight, and he said not a word. Though Viathan cared none at all to hear any foul thing leave this abominations mouth. His mouth!

"I shall do what should have been done for me at my birth. I shall spare you this pitiful thing called life, and you will thank me in the end! There can be only one of me, and you are not going to take all that I have done to get where I am from me!" Viathan howled in rage and with pure rage and red covering his sight he threw his left hand back and without the Force threw his saber at his clone, and the bent hilt went flying at the boy who blocked and sent the saber flying off to the side.

Only then to find Viathan directly upon him. A roar erupted from Viathan as he fell into a Niman, Djem So utilization. Every muscle, every ounce and every bit of his body and power was thrown into his assault. Saber fell down like an avalanche and the clone barely held his ground. A set of wild furies aimed at the clones sides saw the liquid spins and turns and clashes of red against red fly from Viathan as his clone barely kept up.

Viathan could sense it, he could damn well see the fear on his cloned self's face. It was a fear that he knew all to well, and knew realized. The fear of failure. He sensed the boys body shake, his mind race and fear rip through him. He sensed the boy well up with emotion and felt as tears began to form in his eyes. He felt that they because of who they were and what they were shared their thoughts. He knew what he did and Viathan feared this clone knew as he.

'He must die. He will die! I shall kill you. It is not everyday I shall have the chance to kill myself I suppose.' The sadistic voice in his head laughed and he relentlessly pounded his sabers upon the boy to now end as the abomination, as his mirror image only grew weaker, and weaker by the second.

There was nothing more Viathan wanted in this moment then to kill this abomination. To kill the mirror image of himself.

---

The shuttle had landed upon a palace landing pad and some pleasantries were carried out in his honor. Something Darth Vader loathed above most was the damnable sense of pleasantries the Empire had at times. Waiting to greet him as he and his twins, as well as Starkiller, freshen and rested after Bogden of course, was director Isard himself. The man whom had an oddly white patch of hair atop his head, as did his daughter greeted Vader with great respect and reverence. Isard noted and greeted the children, but held enough insight to know to not push beyond his boundaries, and left them alone after that. Though Vader could sense the man was surprised by the sight of them. Likely because they looked exactly like normal children. It gave Vader a broad smirk under his mask.

The twins were mostly silent as they entered the palace. Luke however was in awe. His bright blue eyes, dashed from left to right to above to below. The very carpets he walked upon made Vader's own palace seem like a joke in comparison. The viewports and windows all lined with the finest curtains raised high and opened allowing light in. The walls lined with all manner of art pieces from across the galaxy deemed culturally acceptable. Vader had another smile upon his face at the sight. His son held within him a sense of galactic awe he remember himself having at that age.

Leia on the other hand was far more tame. Though she passed glances and looks here and there. It was telling for Vader that even she was impressed by the halls they traveled down, led by Isard. They were not even within a notable fraction, nor traveled a significant portion of this level of the palace. The entirety of the palace was so massive one could get lost for days. Leia, however mostly kept her cool collected manner, and calmness while traveling with her father and brother, and Starkiller.

Starkiller on the other hand was far more under control. The Sith apprentice was on edge. Visibly so. Isard had not even greeted him, but Vader caught a subtle look from the elder director of recognition. He had looked to Vader, seemingly worried at the dark lord having the boy with him, but he kept his silence once again. Starkiller would pass glaring looks and paranoid stares down halls they passed and doors they walked by. The boy while collected was no less worried. It was actually quite welcome to Vader in a way. To have another at his side he knew to be adequately trained and just as paranoid as he whilst they remained in the heart of the beast itself. The very center of the Emperor and the symbol of his mighty and unstoppable power here on Coruscant.

However, as the four of them traveled down the halls of the palace something felt off, and they all could sense it as Isard led them down the halls no doubt to where the Emperor currently was. Vader dreaded bringing his children before the old man, but knew it was to happen at some point, and there was no better time to do it than now while he was with them. What he sensed was odd though. The Force was bristling in the dark side. Power fluctuated and the sense of death was potent. Something his master was doing, some twisted experiment or game was going on, and Vader loathed to see what it was this time. A slew of equally disturbing events and games Vader had to endure went through his mind for a moment. Twisted mutilations, tortures, and mockery. Sometimes the whole host of the Empire's political circles had to sit through ghastly shows of death and raw battles to survive. There was little else the Emperor so thoroughly enjoyed than watching living beings struggle for survival.

"Director Isard. Tell me, what is the Emperor doing at this moment?" Vader intoned as the director walked a few paces ahead of he and his apprentices, his hands clasped behind his back and his thoughts upon matters of intelligence and war. His surface thoughts at the least.

"Oh, well he is watching over the reception hall as it is prepared, my lord Vader. Lord Kun arrived not but an hour ago perhaps and as far as I can remember the room was going through a test preparation. His majesty wished to sit in himself and overlook their progress, speed and efficiency. Tomorrow is the actual date of the reception of course, but it never hurts to assure that the serving crew are working optimally beforehand."

"Indeed." Vader replied coolly.

"Kun is here already?" Leia spoke, and caught both Vader and Isard off guard. The director glancing toward her over his shoulder seemingly even more shocked than Vader.

"Why...yes milady. Lord Kun and the Magnificence arrived as I said, about an hour or so ago. I believe only he and his second in command arrived. Commander Viathan." Vader watched and noted that his daughter looked slightly more...excited. He was as ever aware they were 'friends,' but he didn't like it one bit. Seeing as one day Vader knew he and Kun would come to the point where one would overpower the other, to have his daughter be connected to a member of Kun's clique was no better than her being friends with an Imperial spy for the Emperor!

"Director. A shuttle following ours will be landing here at the palace in moments. Upon it I have notified the medical wing, is a wounded member of my ship. She is of valued importance to me, and the war. You will help see to it that she is properly taken care of and secured in the medical wing, or there shall be consequences." Isard seemingly stiffened at that, but the man was known for hiding his feelings. Nonetheless he nodded curtly in response to Vader as they arrived upon a door. Behind it, distinct sounds were coming through. The clashing and sparking of sabers.

"What kind of 'servicing,' will these servants be committing director?" Vader asked his voice full of sarcasm if his mask could portray it. He strode passed the director toward the door, and spread his senses out into the room before him. Starkiller joined his masters side, and eyed Isard warily. The man sent Starkiller a cool glance but then looked forward again and stiffened his stance.

"What's going on?" Luke asked still hanging back with Leia who also looked to her father seeming as intrigued but confused as Luke. Vader stretched out his senses and was met by the all consuming darkness that was the Emperor. Near to him were dozens of other beings all of them filled with darkness like his master. What was more intriguing, but distressing for Vader was the distinct sense of death that loomed beyond him as well. The clashing f sabers was evident and the hushed grunts, and steps of boots was clearer to Vader the nearer he stood to the doors.

Vader was close to turning around and leaving this place, even to having his children taken back to his own palace not far from here, but then like a cold whisper he felt the presence of his master in his mind. The dark lord beckoned to Vader to come before him, and beneath his mask he sneered and felt anger rush through him.

"Come. We have nothing to worry about." Vader ordered with a quick glance toward his three charges who all followed him on his word as he used the Force to easily open the door before him and swiftly entered with the three in tow. The director seemingly leaving to attend to whatever duties awaited him.

They, the four of them entered, and upon doing so Vader paused at the sight. Quickly holding his arms out to block the others from moving forward without him. Along the floor lay before him a sight of death. Small piles of dead here, and body parts spread elsewhere. There were male and females, and they were all at least teenagers. Sights of death and even more gruesome ones than this were not new to Vader, but he did not expect this of all things to be behind the door. He didn't want his children to see it, but it was far too late.

Turning to look at them, Luke and Leia shared a similar wide eyed and agape mouth look at the sight. Starkiller was glancing the room over the dead and burn marks of sabers. Vader found the room to be full of people. He knew whom these little worms were. Inquisitors, dark Jedi, dark side adepts, and prophets of the dark side under that diminutive little Hutt spawn Kadann. All of them called for this orgy of death and battle. Vader found it despicable. Death was not new, and he was not below such wanton death when it called for it, but to make it a show was ridiculous to him.

Looking for the perpetrator of these killings he found two beings. One of them...well actually both of them he recognized. It was Kun's apprentice. Both were! They were both the same exact person. Their presence in the Force seemed different from one another, but they looked the same, minus minor differences. What was telling, however, was the robotic hand the one boy had as he crashed his crimson saber down onto the other. His eyes were a gleaming and burning red and his rage pulsed through the Force as he bore down upon his opponent. His form was full of anger, and rage. Every blow a slamming tidal wave of muscle and brute strength. Vader had seen him fight before, but did not expect to see such a display of raw hatred to burst from a boy he found to be more submissive but useful rather than angry and brutal. His opponent, whatever it may be, was barely holding its ground. His saber being thrown left right, up and down against the slams Kun's apprentice used against him. The two clear burn scars across his chest and back were telling that this battle was a thing of struggle and brutality. No doubt his master loved it.

"Lord Vader! Come join us!" He glanced right and saw his master call for him upon his throne up a set of stairs. Next to him was a Kalev Zalliste. Vader knew of this foul creature of a man, and would have very much preferred to throw him off the nearest balcony, but his master would never allow for it. He was an unreadable worm of a man in service to the Emperor seemingly for the pleasure of none morality included scientific experimentation. Though Vader was not one to judge, he still found this man deeply unpleasant. Vader shuffled his twins to the right as they moved along the edge of the room. The two fighting in the center did not take notice as if lost in this trance of fighting one another. Starkiller followed his master behind, but Leia was slow. She was watching the brutal display rather transfixed in manner.

The apprentice, Viathan, threw a hard under shoulder backhanded slam across the cheek of the other boy who went spinning and fell to the floor facing up. He brought his saber to his chest and blocked as Viathan slammed his saber down and they crossed beams. The sparks and clash sent a small burst of light through the room, and the crowd seemed to be enjoying the show. Luke was interested as well he watched with a mix of shock and intrigue as these two fought in a brutal almost animal like rawness he had yet to experience. So far Shira and Starkiller were very subtle and, for lack of a better term, 'nice,' in their methodology of teaching him to fight. His father was more patient and informative as well.

These two fought like wild beasts, and for a moment Luke registered and imagined how the others strewn about the room must have felt and acted before and as they died. Making his stomach even sicker as the smell of death and burnt flesh filled his nostrils. He watched the boy on the ground kick out and hit the left knee of the one standing and brutally slashing down in hard and wild slams. The kicked one stumbled, and the one on the ground jumped up onto his feet. Spinning with his saber spun around acrobatically he carried the momentum and swung at the other who blocked and pushed back. Both of them pushing against one another as the Force crackled with the intensity of their hatred and power.

Leia watched as her friend, the one she had for a long time now desired to formally apologize to and just speak with again fought like some crazed rabid animal against what looked like a double, a clone even of himself. She knew who Viathan was. He was the one brutally throwing his metal hand around as a second weapon. He had in his crazed eyes rage, and hatred for this doppelganger. The Force echoed the pain and fear that radiated off the dead strewn about the room. Their eyes glazed and opened as faces of terror and fear endlessly remained across their expressions. It was quite clear to her, but perhaps not to others, they had all been brought down by her friend. It made her feel horrified and sick.

The doppelganger held within his eyes; which were yellow, unlike Viathan's which were crimson, fear and similar rage. She could sense more than see it, but it was visceral and clear to her. As they neared the foot of the stairs of the Emperor's throne and she focused on him for a moment she could sense the deep and pervasive darkness radiating off him in sickening waves, and she didn't need any help pretending to be sickened with this man. It was quite noticeable and clear how disgusted with him she was. He cast her and her brother who she neared to instinctively for his protection, a rotten smile filled with intent. What kind of intent was hidden from her.

"Lord Vader. It is wonderful to see you have finally arrived."

"My lateness could not be helped my master. The Bogden situation had to be cleared before I arrived." Vader countered and kneeled, but did not bow his head. Instead he kept his masks eyes level with those of his glaring master, who contradicted this glare with an endless grin.

"Oh? Well then it will be riveting later to look in the reports on the conduct of the battle and how you beat back the Moffs. Such reports are already available I presume?"

"They indeed should be." Vader shot back quickly but kept his voice on level.

"Very good. Now please, join me in watching. We shall see who wins this fight." he gleefully ordered and Vader rose, and quickly turned around to face the combat and watch. Crossing his arms he felt the subtle probing of his mind begin. Throwing up walls to the deepest and darkest corners of his mind he remained silent, but not stupid, to the fact his master toyed around with his memories, thoughts and his mind all around.

The boys fought with continued raw brutality. Viathan slashed down over his shoulder and cleaved into the flooring below. The other boy dived to the side. He landed on his knee and slashed at his left at Viathan's legs, but he jumped to the side, swinging saber up and around aimed at the head of the abomination. He blocked and rose to a shaky stand as Viathan felt his opponents strength leave from him but his anger and continued pain gave him only more strength and more desire to kill this thing!

He pulled from their clash and hissed as he fell back onto him. Saber struck right then left then slashed at the abdomen. The abomination blocked and jumped back from the attacks. He slashed right at Viathan but he caught the attack and held his weapon at the side turning his whole body to do so. He and his clone stared at one another. Viathan in a glancing manner as he was looking to him from his side. The clone held his stare and said nothing, as did Viathan. The more he looked at him though, Viathan felt his body begin to shake with a terrible rage, he didn't know why but he wanted to ruin this thing, seem him brought low and destroyed. He wanted him gone and mutilated before him! A rotted away nothing!

His whole body was visibly shaking and with a crazed wide eyed glare Viathan howled and threw his opponent's saber away forcing the clone to be shoved to his left. Viathan turned and brought his right leg kicking into the left of the clone. The footing was lost beneath him and the clone fell to the left with a grunt and his head slammed at the temple, into the floor. A sickening thud reverberated and Viathan brought his boot down onto his the wrist of the hand that held his saber.

The clone finally cried in pain as his hand release his saber and Viathan called it into his own metal hand and kicked the boy squarely in the face with the same boot that had fallen to his wrist and the boy recoiled while on the ground rolling away in pain. He stopped and got to his hands and knees, but Viathan ran upon him and kicked again into his stomach and the boy grunted and cried before falling over again and coughed. He shakily again tried to get up and again Viathan kicked him to the ground.

Upon the throne Sidious cackled in pure enjoyment, and Kalev smiled with beaming pride, as the onlookers watched on taking great enjoyment in the display. Vader held the sight with ambivalence, but found the rage coming of the boys interesting if nothing else. Luke didn't like what he was watching, and found it almost disturbing. Especially as the one being kicked seeming coughed up blood after another savage kick by the one standing and wielding two sabers.

Viathan kicked once more feeling sweat bead across his face as the savage battle finally seemed to be coming to an end. His muscles all felt withered at last and his body pulsed with rage fueled adrenaline and pain. He slammed his booted foot down onto the back of the abomination right on the burned gash and the boy seethed openly. He hear numbly his Emperor laugh in glee, and someone was clapping he didn't know who but perhaps the Emperor or his father. His eyes felt heavy and he wanted to collapse but knew he had to but finish this abomination off. This image of himself weak, defeated and tears unshed in its eyes. All he had to do was put it down like an animal. Like he knew one day he would be.

Bringing his saber up and over his head ready to slash down and kill him he finally registered another set of signatures in the Force he had not yet previously noted. Some were familiar to him, and nagging at the back of his mind lie a tingling itch he could not force away he turned his head.

Breathing heavily and tired both in mind and body he found them. Lord Vader, Starkiller, and a blonde haired boy he did not recognize but sensed a familiarity with nonetheless. However, he easily recognized the last figure. The young princess, Leia, two years younger than he to be exact looked at him in horror, and he met her gaze. It had been quite a while since their last encounter. Yet still Viathan felt oddly scrutinized by her.

He felt rage pound through him once more. He was left upon that desert hell by these people! He did what he could for them and held off that damn Jedi witch as Starkiller went off and likely received nothing but favor with his lord, and what did Viathan receive?

'Nothing! Why should I care of you opinion, or that of your father!' Viathan spat to himself within. He felt his head hurt, and mind spin. Arguing with himself, within his own karking mind reminded him of the voice that would never leave him alone. That gnawing madness of his own that only silence when fully embraced like upon the sands of burning Tatooine. He watched Leia some more, and her eyes he could make out from afar showed disgust, but some other emotion. He could feel her presence and he hated it! The princess of Alderaan always held a manner about her that forced him to moralize! In battle for survival in the order of the Sith there was only struggle and struggling was not kind. It was brutal and efficient.

Bringing his saber higher over his head and back he readied to slash down. His hand shook and the ever gnawing notion of being watched of being shamed. The pathetic groans and whines released from his doppelganger hit his ears, and suddenly he felt his adrenaline fade and the shroud of dark intention fell from his mind. Lowering his saber, and shutting both down he turned on his lord and Emperor and father. A hateful glare upon his face.

"I've done two things. Beaten your shabbily made creation father, and refused to end him myself. Want him dead? Do it yourself, for I have nothing I need to prove anymore. As you can see around this room. My share of killing was great and my skill enough. No matter what I shall not kill another this night." He prompted his father into a challenge and the Emperor made a sideways glance of the man and his smirk was evident at the obvious show of Viathan's defiance. The old man cackled some, and Viathan felt a weight leave his mind as the Emperor took enjoyment of hid defiance rather than outrage.

Kalev watched his son, and his green eyes bore into his crimson, and took note how utterly unafraid and unaffected his son was by him. Valek challenged him, and Kalev knew he would not win.

"Very well, Valek. The battle is indeed won, and I think it was worthy enough to prove my first batch was not the best. Yes, my lord?" The Emperor sarcastically sighed, and feigned a sense of defeat.

"I do suppose these slaves were of no use to me. Their worth has been disproved in my eyes." He waved his right hand outward.

"Dispose of this last one." Kalev produced a small device and pressed in a set of keys. Viathan furrowed his brow in confusion and turned toward his defeated clone, and noted that it looked at him one last time with fear and hatred, as its thoughts turned to those of battles and scenes of Viathan's own and passed through him and back to Viathan. Things of deviant assault, disgusting tortures and the mutilation and pain he underwent to become what he was. Mental and physical torture, the shaping of himself into the killer and slave that he was. Now a willing slave. The clone shed its tears, and Viathan did not know if they were for he, or itself.

Then the clone coughed, and clutched his throat and Viathan stepped back at the display. Retching and unable to breath the thing collapsed fully to the floor and began to seizure. Viathan only watched with stunned eyes as the body shook violently upon the ground. Pain ripped through the Force and Viathan recoiled and stepped further back feeling as though he himself would fall over from the pain, but he steadied and watched. Until at last the boy froze stiffly upon the ground, arching his back off the ground, and with a final gasp escaping him collapsed dead. Eyes turning to their normal color of brown, like his, and becoming glazed, and forever looking into the void.

"That ends that." Kalev chuckled and Viathan turned toward him disgustedly. Kalev smiled to his son.

"You didn't think I did not place within all these bastardized creations a little insurance did you my son?" You needn't worry about yourself of course." Kalev laughed, still showing pride in his son, who so obviously showed disgust for him, and it only made Viathan hate him more. Yet, he was too drained to adequately express it in words. Thus he fell to his knee and bowed to the Emperor, and held both his and the clones saber hilts in hand deactivated as they were.

"May I humbly have your permission to excuse myself, your majesty?" he asked not looking up at the Emperor, who cackled, and waved him off.

"You have it, my boy. You have indeed gotten better under lord Kun. You would be wise to keep up the work as this war progresses."

"Yes, master." Viathan rose and felt heavy throughout his body. He turned for the door, but gave Leia a final glance. She returned it, and showed both horror, and something he rather hated, pity. His crimson eyes returned his own sense of apathy, and weariness and he left. His boot falls heavy and a limp in his legs now clear to all.

"Now that was a show if ever there was one." The Emperor cackled with glee, and Kalev smirked at pride. Both the abominations and Valek were his creations, so no matter who lost he won.

"You will do good to make the next batch of these slaves more useful doctor. Now that you have my blessing to do things your way."

"Of course your majesty. I assure you once I'm done with them, they will be the greatest fighters you'll have." Kalev assured passing a glance over those gathered who could hear them, and they all displayed disbelieving looks and indignation. He threw back toward them all a smirk. He was not to be touched. He was fated to survive. He was unstoppable, and he knew it.

"Now if you excuse me, my lord. I think I will go see if my son requires any medical attention." Sidious waved him off and nodded. Kalev quickly made for the same exit his son had and went about trying to track him down, as the hall was already cleared of him. Thus the Emperor allowed his menacing and quite yellow eyes to fall upon Vader and his charges. All three of them.

Waving away all the onlookers who quickly noted the action and made to vacate, Palpatine smiled.

"So, lord Vader. Let me meet your apprentices." Vader under his mask sneered. As the worst part of this whole charade came under way.

---

Authors Note: Holy mother of text! This is the LONGEST chapter I have ever written and once again I had to chop off the end of it! So if you guys are sad to not see the Emperor meet with the twins DON'T WORRY that's in the very next chapter! As will the conclusions of many other things will be in the next chapter. To anyone wondering what the heck the Byss thing has to do with anything...well you'll have to wait and see. ;) Hopefully you guys don't mind this massive wall of a chapter, and I also would like to remind you all that this story is going to be looooooooooong. :D As ever please point out or excuse any and all likely grammar issues, as I write these, once again as a reminder, late at night and when the inspiration hits me. Reviews would be appreciated and welcome.

PS: I have said it before but I feel I am compelled to say my peace once again. Disney can go to hell! I will never EVER watch their bastard Star Wars movies or acknowledge their bastard Star wars creations. I will react to them as they have treated fans of the current canon with apathy and disregard. Star Wars Legends as the current/old canon is now called, is MY canon. These are the characters and events that I care about, these are the wars and battles, and developments, the back stories I have invested personally into. I am not giving it up and will never accept the comic-booking of the Star Wars franchise where multiple universes can be created at discretion. I don't expect nor demand anyone else to feel as I do but this will let anyone know I will never include anything from these disney made abominations, nor ever regard them in ANY of my stories. If and when the movie comes out and people want or expect me to stop writing or change the universe around to fit that filth I will promptly tell them to go away and leave me in peace.

If disney can make fanficiton and call it 'canon,' then so can I too write whatever I want in this story. Only at least my story respects the sources that many authors, game creators, and so on have created and gone through the trouble of looking at established canon to fit their stories into and around. After all they basically came out and said 'everything outside the movies that haven't been proven to have happened, didn't happen' or something unreasonably overcomplicated like that. So, as Star Wars stands I see everything that is currently Star Wars minus the new cartoon of course...ugh, as canon and the 6 movies that I give a damn about. So that is my peace and if you read this thank you but if you didn't well I'll likely repeat this or even post this in my profile. So yeah, Star Wars Legends for life baby! :D