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.

64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

(Belsmuth Sector, Outer-Rim Territories, Border With Mandalore Sector)

The grand armada, thousands upon thousands of Confederacy model warships now designated, some even painted with the insignia of the URM, had sprung out from hyperspace along the border of the Mandalorian sector. That had been some time ago, and awaiting them were several dozen more warships of Confederacy make, and even a few Mon-Calamari war cruisers. The grand armada rumbled silently through the great vacuum of the void, and neared the insignificant fleet.

A squadron of Rouge-class starfighters exited the main Lucrehulk command vessel from the smaller fleet and made for the temporary command ship of the armada. The hangar supporting recusant-class destroyer, Corvaii. Aboard it, the fighters landed and were greeted by dozens of B1 battle droids standing motionless and near lifeless. Exiting the starfighters came all of Maverick-squad, led by the field commander, Jodo Kast.

An especially odd droid, garbed in a long concealing cloak, painted black with piercing red lenses for photoreceptors, and a similar design to the magnaguard model greeted them, and classified itself as 'general' Egriege. With bony, purely metal hands, the droid swept its arm toward the door exiting the hangar, and the off-put squad-mates exited the hangar as the droids began refilling their fighters with fuel.

Egriege remained quiet the whole way toward the bridge, even when addressed directly by Kast. The droid would turn its head between the various squad members, and silently watched while keeping even and steady pace with the team. All the while hanging back and looming behind them, as if ready to run them through with a blade at a moments notice. Despite all of that, and the heightened tension it brought to everyone, they all made it quietly and easily to the bridge. Where Kellia Nelrain awaited them. Arms crossed, hood raised, and chest lightly moving with her breaths, she faced the viewport and looked out into the void. The mass fleet she had under her command slowly moving into her sights whilst 'floating' through the vacuum.

"Nelrain." Jodo greeted and stepped forward. She didn't respond. The various droids about the bridge went about their work in muted silence, only filling the room with the clank of their metal feet against the equally metal flooring and the whirs of the joints. All communication between them was sent via signals to one another, far more efficient than them talking unless to an organic commander.

"Uh...Nelrain?!" Jodo called, but still she didn't answer. Jodo growled and removed his mandalorian helmet, and made to step forward. Only to have Egriege stomp past him and up to her side. The droid general noted her eyelids were closed, and his mistress was deeply entranced in the 'Force,' as she called it. Egriege placed 'his' right metal hand onto her shoulder, and watched her deeply brown eyes spring open, and dart his way.

"Your guests, mistress." Egriege informed and fell into a kneel. Kellia glanced over shoulder, noted them, and nodded to Egriege whilst motioning him to rise and take up position behind her. Her blue robes swung around her figure, and she kept her arms crossed, and face mostly cool and lacking clear outward emotion.

"Kast. Good to see you in good health." She greeted. "Forgive the minor delay, I was deep in my own thoughts... Jedi stuff, and all that." She shrugged. Jodo nodded.

"Sure. Anyways, this here is my squad. You never had proper introductions I believe." Kellia nodded, and stepped forward, even if only slightly.

"May I introduce corporal Braden Zolk, we call him Boom-Boom." He motioned to the weequay. Boom-Boom grinned and bowed his head. "Howdy boss lady!" He greeted quite boldly. Kellia bowed her head and didn't seem offended. At least not outwardly. Jodo sure did sigh internally though.

"Lieutenant Terran Nekk, whom goes by Crash." The zabrak also bowed his head and saluted.

"Ma'am." Was all he respectfully said. Much to Jodo's relief.

"Next up are private Vila Zaran, also known as Shadow, and sergeant Slavodan Trayynorr. Who, much to everyone's relief, goes simply by Sly." The young human female, and the mirialan male also respectfully greeted her, and Kellia nodded their way in kind.

"The last two members here are lieutenant Dorian Jenkins, called Slicer by us, and private third class, Mikela Xen. Who we all know as Gearhead."

"Good to meet ya."

"Greetings." Both Slicer and Gearhead spoke respectively, and Kellia kept on with her bowing and silent greets to the whole team of seven members in total. A crew of mixed backgrounds and species no less. It surprised Kellia that suck a pack could be gathered from the dregs like Nar Shaddaa, where she knew at least some of them to be from.

"Well met, all of you." Kellia addressed, and folded her hands into a clasp behind her back, which threw her outer most cloak around her form. "I don't know if your commander has made all of you aware, but we are at the border of the Mandalore sector. Wherein, obviously lay the many worlds, thousands of systems in fact, of the Mandalorians. They are our target. They have been the ultimate goal of your months long campaign." She explained. The team all nodded, though she sensed questions gnawing at the forefront of their minds.

"The amassed armada shall be taking point under my direct command. And, that of general Egriege." She pointer her thumb over her shoulder toward the black and cloaked droid as his red lenses stared into all their faces. They all cast him wary glances, and one another one at that. The droid was, and remained wholly motionless, and unnerving.

"Excuse me, ma'am!" Boom-Boom raised his hand like a school-grader, and Jodo sighed, as Kellia nodded his way.

"Thanks. But uh, yeah I got a few questions. Like, well...why are we bothering with the Mando's again?" He asked in a gruff and hoarse voice, but with the inflection of an unknowing student, that made Jodo wish he could slap his face into his hand in embarrassment and laughter. His squad mates, however, shared the question themselves, and Kellia merely nodded at his question before answering.

"Many factors are part of why this effort must be undertaken. First things, let us all remember that it was via a Mandalorian, a shadow of their fading corpse of a civilization and culture, known as Jango Fett, that gave his template to the formation of the clone armies. The very same that brought about the rise of the empire, perhaps more than any one person or organization save for Palpatine himself." The team nodded, and mumbled their agreement.

"These 'men,' are really no more than organic droids. Walking and talking, even thinking droids. And, it is time that they received by someone, a measure of justice that no imperial nor any Moff would bring to them. If none else would do it then it is my obligation and by my own designs that I undertake the task. Even if alone." She declared, her eyes narrowing and hardening as her voice trembled with venom and hatred. It put some of the team like Gearhead, and Shadow on edge.

"Secondly, it is by no means a secret that the Mandalorians, have throughout time brought about murder, destruction, chaos, ruin, and genocide. And for what?! Their own selfish designs and endeavor to prove something. Not to themselves mind you and not even to some god of theirs. As that would at least make more sense, but no. Rather, they seek to maim, murder and kill not for a cause, but to impress one another! Save for the Sith, and those Jedi who brought death and pain to the galaxy, the Mandalorians were and are the greatest threat to the future peace and stability of not just their sector. But, the whole galaxy as it is!" Once more her voice trembled with utter rage and disgust. They obviously didn't know, but Jodo and his team could sense there was deeper hate within this woman than she let on. Still...she had a point.

"This war is not as simple as some may wish to make it out to be or believe themselves. Rather, this is a war of cleansing and renewal. It is time that the 'house,' was set in order, and if none else should undertake the effort I shall. And, therefore to keep true to what I'm saying it is only logical that all enemies that could eventually threaten our new order and post war peace should be preemptively destroyed, and, if need be, obliterated." Kellia began pacing, her eyes going back and forth from the Maverick squad and the metal floor beneath her as her thoughts danced and words came to her mind to speak to them all.

"Sith, Mandalorians, Hutts, Imperials, Moffs, gangsters, lords, emperors, generals, killers, saints, plebeians, royalty, aristocracy! It doesn't matter who they are what title they go by and what they choose to align themselves to! So long as they threaten the peace I, and you have fought months now to build and strengthen, they shall be, and must, be eliminated!" She seethed with a hardened glare to the floor, and the squad felt a chill roll through the room. Jodo kept himself the most relaxed. Even still, Nelrain was truly on the warpath today.

"It is for these reasons, the destruction of Cathar, and Althir. The burning of Serroco, and the deaths of all the Jedi through time against their mindless gangsters, mercenaries, and murderers. Time and again they allied themselves with the Sith, and time and again they lost, but still that did not stop the wretches!" She whirled herself to face the squad, who stood attentive, and slightly disturbed.

"It is now! Here and now that someone be made to impart upon the miserable fools some measure of justice that is decades, no, rather centuries in the making!" She finished. Her declaration clear, and confidence apparent to them all. She stopped her pacing and returned to fully facing the squad. She forced her features once more into cold coolness, and leveled her breathing as hatred filled her body and rattled her bones. The dark side hissed around her and visions of burning lands, and burning people shot across her minds eye.

"So," Slicer spoke. "We're preemptively bring the Mando's down a peg to make sure they don't ever try any of their peace destroying antics again?" Kellia nodded stiffly.

"Well, can't say they don't have it coming. I'm game." He finished and crossed his arms. His fellow squad mates all felt the same. Despite the often over-zealousness of their commander, Nelrain had many good points. And, really the mandalorians were in need of, and had gone far too long without, a good beating.

"Right, now that we're all clear on the point of the op, can we get down into the gritty details?" Jodo announced and stepped forward. Kellia nodded.

"There's been a slight change in the timetable for the operation, Kast." Jodo furrowed his brow and the rest of the team mumbled in confusion, and even in mild outrage.

"What do you mean?"

"Despite our size, and quite obvious superiority to the mandalorian naval and ground forces, I have opted to put the campaign on hold for a few weeks more." She turned and walked back toward the front of the ship and stood beside Egriege who remained unmoving and forward staring.

"What?! Then why are we here?!" Jodo burst. His thirst and ambitions bleeding through his voice as his tone grew angered and hoarse. All these months of killing and fighting for the ultimate goal of gaining the glory and power over the mandalorians. Now seemed thrown out before him!

"Calm yourself commander. I am not stopping the campaign. Nor am I pushing you and your squad out of the ultimate assault." Kellia calmed whilst raising a hand from her robes. "However, you know well enough that your fleet is puny compared to my own. Your task force has splintered into thousands of smaller groups in effort to take the endless number of systems you left in your wake. Despite our efforts we still have thousands of systems in enemy hands behind us and this line we've formed. Your dagger through Moff space, and Imperial remnants has given us a sliver to move troops, and ships through, but we should be wary and smart. So, I have ordered a fractions of this armada to break off, turn back and bring overwhelming firepower support to your fractured forces behind our front." She explained and took on a very militaristic stance and manner in her tone. It was such a switch from just moments before Kast almost felt whiplash from her mood swing.

"Once most, if not all the systems and their subsequent sectors are under full URM control, we will condense, consolidate, and unite for the ultimate and final attack." She smiled coolly, and with a twinkle of...some emotion Kast couldn't decipher in her brown eyes. "So Kast, be calm, and don't worry your head. The offensive will still occur, and it will be...glorious." She continued smiling, and Jodo cooled himself, crossed his arms and sighed.

"With that in mind, I thought I would send you all on a small reprieve. Down time, or a vacation, if you'd prefer to call it." She added. The team immediately perked up.

"Well! That does sound pretty karking sweet! Could use me some 'R and R,' back on Nar Shaddaa." Boom-Boom announced, grinning like an idiot, and stretching his arms behind his head.

"Can't say I couldn't use one either boss." Shadow, usually the stoic of them all, intoned with a glint of fatigue lingering in her eyes. The rest of the team mumbled or announced their own desires to get a much needed break. Jodo shrugged.

"Well we could all use one I suppose. I have put you all through some grueling battles and tasks, but hey we lived didn't we?" They nodded and grumbled.

"Then it would only do good to let them enjoy some downtime, before putting them into the most trying battles yet. Wouldn't you agree, Kast?" Nelrain asked with a cocked brow.

"Well of course I do. Was merely making a point is all." He replied. Much to the relief of his worn out squad.

"Then it's settled. All of you, starting now are off duty and are free to go where you wish. So long as you remember to return, if you desire, to the fleet here when the call is made. This sector of space has no patrols, no star systems and no mining facilities. Its a barren region. Making it optimal for staying and awaiting the moment to strike." Kellia raised her arms up. "In questions?" They looked between one another and no one said anything, some shook their heads as if speaking for the whole team.

"Excellent. Dismissed." She waved them off, and they all breathed sighs of relief, and began chatting one another up. Grinning, grasping, joking and chatting with one another as they took Nelrain's dismissal to heart and one by one left the bridge. Thus only Jodo remained of Maverick squad.

"Question, Kast?" Kellia asked as she turned her back to him and returned to looking out the front viewport. The thousands of ships of the great armada moving about the void seemingly at random.

"Not really questions, but just wanting to know. How far are we taking this thing? With the mandalorians I mean?"

"What do you mean?" She asked as her head moved slightly as if she meant to glance over her shoulder toward him but stopped herself.

"Well, I was thinking, what if we first gave the mando's a chance to negotiate? Say...we demand they hand over the clones living amongst them?" Kellia did turn to that. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes hardened.

"What?"

"What if," Jodo went on. "You asked for the clones right? They say yes, you get all the clones, the mandalorians fold, you make them seem feeble and weak to the whole galaxy, and we may as well parade the fleets through their sector. Or," he raised a finger to pause her protest. "They say no, and we justify our attack into the sector by them refusing to hand over war criminals, and morally justify our liquidation of the 'mandalorian question.' How bout' it?" Kellia opened her mouth, but then closed it. Her eyes darted away, and she seemed to take to pondering Kast's offer. She looked to Egriege who said and did nothing but look her back silently.

She turned back toward the viewport and Kast could see her one arm raise and support the other as she brought her hand to her chin to ponder. Jodo smirked and silently congratulated himself, and smirked like a fool. Happier than an ack dog with a bone to chew on even!

"A moral pretense for our attack? That would do me some favors with the growing amount of bleeding hearts and pacifist zealots infecting our growing political circles." Kellia mused. Egriege silently looked to her and Kast. Jodo didn't now why, and it was odd. It seemed like the droid was 'thinking.'

"If they relent, than truly the mandalorians have been shown to be the cowards they truly are at heart." She smirked unknowingly to Kast. "If they do not," She turned back toward the mandalorian armor wearing man. "then we have legitimacy amongst those who support us. Or even those who are on the fence with us. The URM, 'those who bring old war criminals to justice.'" She smiled at the title, and nodded to herself.

"Very good. You may have more uses than I originally gave you credit for, Kast." the ex-mercenary scoffed.

"Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome." She easily replied, and took on a tone as if she believed the thanks given was legitimate.

"It shall be an interesting test, I think. To see what route the scum choose to take. Perhaps, if they play ball this armada can act as the barreling drum into the Mid-Rim and decimate Moff and hold out Imperial positions. If they do not," She shrugged. "Then they'll die." She smiled almost whimsically. Jodo cocked an eyebrow.

"You sure you're a Jedi?" Kellia was silent. Indeed she remained silent for an almost uncomfortable amount of time, before she simply smirked and snorted a laugh.

"We all play our parts, Kast. Whatever title allows you to play your part and let you sleep soundly at night, then by all means label yourself or others as such." Jodo furrowed his brow.

'The heck does that mean?' He wondered and crossed his arms.

"Now if you don't mind Jodo. I have plans to go over, and an armada to divvy out to your broken and scattered fleet to our rear." She waved him off. "Go and enjoy your break. Doing...whatever it is you mercenary types do for fun." Kast smacked his lips, and shrugged.

"You got it boss. When you need me, you know where to find me." He called and waved as he turned and followed his team out the bridge door. Leaving Kellia alone among the many soulless droids about the bridge.

"General."

"Yes mistress?" Egriege spoke at last as Kellia turned once more back to the viewport and closed her eyes. Letting herself begin meditating once again.

"I want you to undertake another task for me, whilst we prepare for the coming assault on the mandalore sector."

"As you command me, mistress." Egriege flicked his cloak as he bowed and curled his arms like a gentleman bowing to a lady. Like a sentient being.

"There are several worlds in the galaxy that contain possible future enemies, and natives that may need pacification." Kellia sighed as though the fact was saddening to her. "Thus we need to make sure we keep our enemies eyes placed elsewhere, and take advantage of the situations. I want you to travel to these worlds, with smaller task forces. Do what damage you can, but the goal is not necessarily conquest."

"A mass diversion, mistress?" Kellia smiled.

"Yes, but also an informative first feint for you Egriege. In time, these worlds will fall before you. If they do not now, in time they shall." She explained.

"You will attack, attempt to conquer, but more importantly draw attention by the Moffs and Imperials. If you cannot conquer, do what you can, gather Intel on their abilities and enemy response to your attacks. As with Kast and his team, I shall soon call you back to me as well. My dearest droid." Egriege bowed again.

"It would do me a great honor to crush your enemies underfoot, mistress." His metal hand curled into a fist. As his voice resonated with a sense of desire.

"Very good general. Take Fourzee with you and give him the same task as you have. Work in tandem with your droid brethren, and bring decimation to our enemies. Wherever they may lay."

"As you command mistress. What worlds do you command I bring low?" The robotic voice of the general sounded almost excited. His many behavioral packages and programming additions hastening the development of the droids own personality, and lust for death and destruction.

"Belderone, capitol of the Belderone sector is in our sights as it is. It is in the way of Kast's fractured armada. Dathomir, a planet full of...troublesome natives." Kellia snorted, but smirked as she thought of the world coming under full URM liquidation. "It may be best if you handle Dathomir personally. Cause as much destruction and death there as you can." Egriege bowed his head.

"Secure the worlds of Rhen Var and Ossus if possible which also lay behind us on the galactic map. Let's also send a little bit of fear into the hearts of our enemies. Both within the Moff and Imperial camps. A campaign is underway as we speak, in the Chommell sector. Send a task force, or whatever you may choose general, attack both sides, and if possible disturb Moff attacks and Imperial counterattacks." She smirked. "Let us decide who shall win the sector that houses the emperor's homeworld."

"Should I attack that planet mistress?" Kellia shrugged.

"If you see fit to. It really doesn't matter. Nonetheless, general, contact admiral Ackbar and inform him to release the fleet I sent his way to your command. He is fully aware it is yours to do as you see fit." Egriege bowed his head once more, and without further talk needed the droid general swept himself around and began stomping his way out of the bridge. Leaving Kellia to take in a great breath and fully return herself to her standing meditation into the Force.

(Byss)

"I'm warning you Sedriss something odd is about. I've sensed it for weeks now, and it's only gotten worse!" Xecr Nist, one of the many hundreds of dark side 'adepts,' in service to their emperor Palpatine declared as the two walked down an empty and echoing hallway. Sedriss sniffled casually, and clasped his hands behind his back and around his massive dark trench coat that he always wore.

"It's not that I don't believe you Nist, but really? What are the odds that, let me quote you, 'something,' is happening here on Byss of all places that troubles you? Is the downfall of all the empire here? Are there hidden tunnels under the citadel leading to an ancient Jedi city where they've bred an army to destroy us all and bring death to the emperor? I mean really? What troubles your mind Nist?" Sedriss chortled sarcastically. Nist growled under breath.

"Your condescension is unbecoming of one of your bloodline, Sedriss. Nonetheless, I know what the Force whispers to me, and it speaks of eyes watching from the dark corners, ears planted to the walls, and quiet footfalls along the floors. Something is here. It's watching, waiting, and calculating! And, I say something should be done! An investigation perhaps."

"Of who?!" Sedriss snapped. His sarcasm and seeming mirth of the subject quickly melting away as the two continued to walk.

"You want us to check every scientist, every technician, and droid?! Investigate the armed personnel wandering the halls?!" Sedriss seethed with every syllable. "Why can't we do that Nist? Please inform me whether or not you understand why that cannot be done?" Nist stomped to a stop and swung himself to face Sedriss who paused and faced Nist as well.

"Because everyone who could possibly work here was vetted by men personally chosen to do so by Emperor Palpatine himself. That or the staff is comprised of droids or creatures that cannot in any feasible way betray the trust and their allegiance to the Emperor." He tersely explained as if reciting from a manual. Sedriss smiled and nodded. He quickly returned to walking and left Nist momentarily standing alone, before he chased after Sedriss and retook his spot next to him.

"None of that disqualifies the possibility of betrayal by one of our circle! Nor does it mean some infiltrator, or device has not made its way into the citadel. Don't tell me that you are so assured of our defenses and blind to the mere possibility of infiltration that you won't even consider such a thing possible!" Sedriss sighed, and shook his head.

"Possible? Perhaps, but probable? Not in the slightest. Our security measures are suited enough for a world, mind you, that is inhabited by those placed squarely by the Emperor himself, or by slaves. No slave has seen the interior of the citadel unless they're assured a quick death shortly thereafter Xecr. I can entertain the possibility, but I will not allow myself to be taken into the rocky area of paranoia I think you find yourself in." Sedriss underhandedly insulted once more, and Nist scoffed.

"Think what you will Sedriss, but I can assure you of one thing. Should something happen within the citadel, be it a leak or some manner of loss of data or years of work it wont be my head that first gets removed from my shoulders. Rather, that will be your honor to hold." Sedriss again paused and slowly let his gaze fall onto Nist who paused only a few feet ahead of Sedriss.

"Is that a threat Nist?"

"No threat Sedriss, but a warning." The other adept intoned. "Do you think your arrogance and self assurance will go over well with the Emperor if something were to happen and he hears someone warned you of a possible leak? I am not the Emperor, but I would think that to be blind arrogance, and foolishness." Nist slithered with an oily intone, that forced Sedriss to take on a deeply concerned expression. The implications of Nist's words finally seeming to fall upon him in full. It was another quiet moment longer until Sedriss sneered and began angrily pacing once again.

"What do you want of me Nist, huh?! To search over the whole karking base, begin inquiries into the backgrounds of all staff again, and have droids check every nook, cranny, and corner of the citadel until you personally are satisfied?! What then? What do I tell the Emperor when we put all projects on hold for days maybe even weeks, because you had a worrisome bout of paranoia? He'll have my hide and yours, and if you think otherwise you're a fool!"

"And if I'm the one who's right?" Was all Nist countered and kept his voice level. They remained quiet. They never stopped walking the halls and weaving through and about them toward their ultimate destination. Nothing more, indeed, was said. Until they were before a set of great doors, that hulking sentinels guarded on either side. Sedriss paused, grabbed Nist's left shoulder and turned the man to face him.

"Should this amount to nothing, when the Emperor demands I come before him, any blame falls on you. Not me, you understand? You, and you alone." Nist hardened his glare but ultimately bowed his head. Sedriss lopsidedly sneered in irritation and opened the great set of doors. Where on the other side came before them the great and massive central security room of the entire citadel here upon Byss.

"Commander Tashjin!" An officer, an elder man in his late fifties, with a well groomed beard, cold green eyes, and age lines running along his face in all manner of directions turned and bowed to the approaching dark side elites.

"My lords." He greeted with a cool voice.

"Inform the entire citadel at once we are in lockdown." Sedriss commanded and pressed beyond the commander who looked only momentarily shocked. His younger officers shared the look but were far more overt. Tashjin followed after him.

"A lockdown sir? Are we breached or in threat of assault?" Sedriss scoffed and glared Nist's way as the other adept simply wandered his way over to a random security station.

"That would be far too reasonable anexplanation commander." He spat. "Instead we shall implement this lockdown under the notion it is a random security simulation to test ourselves against a 'real,' assault. Do not let word spread out to the rest of Byss, or beyond of the 'simulation.' I shall contact both Anaxes, and Coruscant and inform our local governor of our situation." Tashjin clicked his boots against the ground and bowed.

"Yes, my lord. As you command." The commander made off and in a matter of moments an alarm went off through the citadel the main viewports lining the security room began to shutter and the intercom began booming with the voice of a highly Coreward accented officer.

"Now hear this! All security units man your stations! Sweep teams, move through your designated posts. None security personnel make for your rooms and prepare for in-person checks and Ident clearances. This is not a drill! I repeat, the citadel is in lockdown. No unauthorized movements are to be allowed, unless strict consent is given. That is all!" The voice blared and ended as the alarm finally ceased and the flashing of the lockdown lights was all that remained.

Sedriss grumbled under his breath and cast another sideways glare Xecr's way before snatching up his comlink.

"Paranoid son of a Hutts whore." He seethed and began punching in the codes for the governor of Byss itself. Afterwords, Sedriss knew he had a most...unpleasant call to make to the Emperor thereafter.

---

The halls of the governors palace were buzzing with the sounds of chatter and pompous enjoyment. Wine, food, and gossip flowed freely as the nobles of the world, given rights to land and slaves by the Emperor by his favor. Governor of the world given the title and prestigious position, once again by the Emperor, was governor Daedrin Insroft. A man of forty-six standard years, graying hair from its original thick blackness. Brown eyes, and an athletic build he was the status symbol of a well pampered, well bred and raised imperial noble. Of course his family were noblemen before the rise of the Emperor and his Empire, but they had only become stronger after.

He was a pompous man. A man who had too many inclinations of his usefulness, and was prone to gossip more so than lead. It made him thus, the perfect candidate to govern Byss. It was always better to have a governor play politics, while the military actually governed.

Today was a special occasion for the nobles. The slaves and server droids worked together to bring them food and drink. The rich and powerful whether by sweat and toil or sheer nepotism chatted and chortled in their own successes and decadence within the governors palace. Only outshone in magnificence and prestige by the distant bulbous citadel of the Emperor. Today, was the sixth anniversary of the governors position being granted to Daedrin. All of the aristocrats had come to give him accolades, and take part in the gossip and talk of the distant war, and impending victory of the Empire against the treasonous Moffs and barbarous droids. Of course none of them had seen the reports, or battlefields, but nonetheless, victory was assured.

So it was that the 'party' as it were, was taking place. The governor was the center of attention, and his wife meandered about the nobles and aristocrats. Speaking to the rich and powerful. Only, the governor was seemingly nowhere to be found.

Though...he was in the palace.

"What family did you say you were from again?" Daedrin asked as he fixed the cuffs of his suit along his right wrist.

"Oh," She laughed. "Veed. I'm from house Veed. Nilma Veed." She went on. Daedrin lifted his chin in thought. His mind recalling the name.

"Veed...yes I've heard of the family. Quite prestigious back on Coruscant wasn't it?" She giggled from the other room.

"Oh it still is governor! Daddy sent me here to an estate the Emperor granted him a few years back for his loyalty to the Empire, after those dreadful rebels attacked. What a dreadful event that was." She casually commented, and Daedrin gave a breathy laugh.

"I'd imagine having an entire armada of droid ships dropping millions of those machine soldiers would be an ordeal indeed." Daedrin added and looked himself over in the mirror he stood before and brushed his hair back.

"Well, daddy wanted me to be safe after that little affair with death." Daedrin again found himself laughing to himself. Her choice of words humoring him as he fixed the last layer of his formal suit.

"Well we're by no means unused to affairs now are we madam Veed?" Daedrin commented with a sly tone and laugh on his voice as he exited the fresher. Nilma still lay on the bed fully exposed. Her own beautiful blue dress lined in just the right places with black, and a low V-neck that exposed her breasts just enough to catch a cultured man's eye such as his own. Her flowing brown hair that curled oh so lovely, hung loosely and only slightly disheveled down her back. Her body, toned, and unblemished in all ways was fair and unquestionably desirable. It made Daedrin take a moment to pause and look lovingly over his latest conquest once again. Which elicited a giggle from the woman from where she lay resting against the bed frame.

"See something you like governor?" She teasingly asked.

"I think you know the answer madam." He laughed and shook himself from his gawking stare. She seemed to bare no shame as she stretched herself as she lay before him completely nude. It was mostly teasing of course. She kept a sideways glance with Daedrin the whole time she kept her slender and toned arms above her head, and let her chest heave outward in deep breaths.

"My you are a sight. It's a pity I have to attend this bore of a function. At least it was fun while it lasted." He sighed.

"But," He shrugged his head. "If I stay away much longer I swear my wife may send a search party to drag me out and speak to the local military commanders. Talk about all manner of meaningless things. Decor, wives and mistresses, or worse what their children are off doing with their parents money." He scoffed with an underlying laugh in his voice.

"Aww, you sound overburdened my dear governor." She teased and relaxed herself against the bed frame some more. Her green eyes all the while remaining very inviting and sultry.

Daedrin chuckled again, but the sound of his personal comlink ringing caught his otherwise distracted attention and he snatched the device up fully expecting his aid or wife to be on the other end. Instead the small visage of Sedriss showed itself. The ugly man stared darkly toward the governor who stood rigid and held his other hand out to preemptively silence his mistress of the night.

"Lord Sedriss. This is unexpected." Daedrin feigned niceties and a smile. "How may I help you today?"

"I haven't the time to play pleasantries tonight, governor. So dispense of them and listen." Daedrin nodded, though his eyes narrowed and glared to the hologram. Sedriss didn't care and maintained an ever present sneer on his blotched face.

"The citadel is undergoing a shall we say impromptu, security lockdown test and implementation. We shall be without outside contact for at most two weeks. If we are not heard within that time frame you are to contact Imperial military forces in orbit and they shall know what to do." Daedrin was momentarily taken aback, but quickly shook himself from the momentary stupor.

"Why, of course. But, may I inquire as to if anything is wrong that prompted this?" Sedriss grumbled.

"Let's just say paranoia and foolishness has prompted this test to be undertaken. Nonetheless it is better to be safe than sorry to protect the interests of the Emperor the Empire entire. I will not, and cannot say more, governor. That will have to suffice your curiosity." Daedrin nodded.

"Very well, lord Sedriss. I shall keep what you've said in mind and await your transmission within your time frame." Sedriss bowed slightly and said no more as the transmission ended, and the governor pocketed the comlink.

"Sounds important." Nilma commented. Daedrin glanced her way to found her flipped over onto her stomach lying down the bed with her chin propped in her hands as she looked his way. It gave the governor another sight to behold a moment before he shook himself and chuckled lightly.

"Oh, everything when it comes to those at the citadel sounds important. They think, and especially Sedriss, that ugly little crony, that I don't have any clue as to what happens behind that big ugly blotch in our skyline. They're mistaken." He laughed. "They all think I'm a brainless servant. Though I may play my part expertly, I am not without my knowledge. I am still governor after all." She laughed.

"Always nice to know the man with the real power." Daedrin chuckled again and absorbed the indulgence of her some what dim-witted comment.

"Alas madam, I must go and return to the function." He approached her and lifted her chin where he quickly planted a small, but wholly impersonal kiss upon her lips.

"I do hope to see you there. Hopefully with your cloths back on."

"Aww, where's the fun in that?!" She giggled and Daedrin shook his head, before he silently thereafter left the room. Leaving Nilma to flip onto her back in the bed and among the sheets and sigh out in relief.

"Force, aristocrats are never as good as they think they are." She sighed and pulled herself up from the bed. She was quick to head to the fresher and shower and clean herself up. Spending a few wholly disappointing moments with the governor in bed was well worth it though. The call from dear Sedriss from the citadel warning of them shutting down gave her an ego boost, and allowed her to hear the governor's self important ego come through.

"If a few moments of disappointment in the bedroom means getting anything I may need without the likelihood of dying, then kark it. Why not." She laughed as she looked herself over in the mirror after freshening up. It was only here and now before her freshening and reinvigorating shower, and feeling high on her own looks, and ability to sway the moronic aristocrats with but a sway of her hips, that she removed her expertly kept and placed wig from her head. She sighed in relief again, and Morgana smiled to herself.

"Damn I'm good." She giggled and then took her shower. The entire time reminding herself to tell Ysanne that she owed her. Big time.

(Two Weeks Later, Vensensor Sector, Sarrish System, Sarrish)

"Hold fire on all. Do not execute until I give the command. Am I copied?" Viathan whispered into his ear com as he lay prone on his stomach. He and several dozen officers with their blasters drawn lay prone on a small ridge that jutted out from the side of a gorge. It was midday and the star hung in the sky. Before Viathan near to the gorge entrance as it turned into a wide valley were pillars of smoke rising. Distant but prevalent blasters and booms reached their ears from afar. As the valley became full of columns of approaching Moff units. At least ten-thousand men were following up a mechanized column of walkers and tanks and were moving there way through and around the many natural craters of the planet.

This gorge was a vital and singular entryway into another much larger valley where Imperial command had been set down in the form of another IM-445 modular garrison. The mobile fortress had been dropped and picked back up from Epica and was now serving as forward command for Viathan's operations on planet. Lining the gorge along the top were dozens of sniper units and artillery batteries, both short and medium range. All of them were hidden with Imperial air power keeping any Moff aerial recon from discovering them. Within the gorge laying in wait was a wall of men hidden behind previously exploded and laid down as cover and as a ploy two AT-AT walkers.

In the distance, the rising smoke pillars were a sign to Viathan's forces that the previous Imperial general's forces had collapsed. He and everyone else under his command could only wonder just how totally his command had floundered and collapsed. The Sith acolyte, however, pushed such musings aside, and picked up his macrobinoculars. The Moff columns were nearing his point of 'ambush,' and he wanted it to be just right when he gave the order to fire. The other officers around him, including Hoy, were following suit and looking out as the Moffs neared. Blasters for them were drawn, his sabers still lay at his belt. The distant sounds of battle and the whipping winds were all there was to hear for a time.

"Sniper squads five, seven, and eight, the Moffs are nearing your positions. You will hold until they reach squad twelves clear line of sight. As discussed find your targets and remove those first. Then you may fire at will. Copy?" All squad commands replied with a loud and clear confirmation. Viathan sighed and switched comm channels as the stomping walkers of the enemy moved slowly toward the gorge entrance.

"Leia, you and Shira ready when I give the word?" Viathan asked. The girl and her red-headed fellow acolyte had proven themselves invaluable to Viathan in the last few weeks. They'd seen only two other worlds that were quick to fall in two days each, but in both situations Viathan had seen his initial forces granted down by military command by the Emperor, whittled away by stiff Moff resistance. Only through quick planning by himself, and his...brother, and Leia's forces along with the girl herself had the battles been quickly turned around and won for the Imperials.

"Me and Shira are good, Vale. Ready and waiting fro your go ahead." Viathan smiled lowly where he lay.

"Good. Though I shall forever contend with you that this little stunt of yours is firstly unnecessary. And secondly, stupid." He heard her smack her lips, and he could envision her rolling her eyes. Not for the first time either.

"Your opinions have been noted again, Vale. But trust me, I sense this is the best place for me and Shira. If and when you need us, you'll have us, and I win my bet with Shira to top it all off!"

"That damnable betting system dies today, milady." Viathan shot back and picked the binoculars up again to note the position of the approaching walkers. The 'bet,' between the girls was to see how many times Viathan had to be 'saved,' as they called it. Not he personally of course, but in the matters of the battles he commanded. So far Shira, Viathan had learned, was to gain a hundred credits it Leia and she needed to intervene three times on his behalf and by his request. Leia was giving him the benefit of the doubt and betting on him only needing to be aided twice. She was on the road to victory unless he made his third request here today. Then Shira got the bet. Viathan found the whole thing...droll.

"Commander, the enemy has reached seventy meters from the gorge entrance. Sniper squadron eleven have them in their sights."

"I don't want them firing until squadron twelve have them in clear sights. They must have sights on the officers and field commanders. I don't want this division having any field command to order them, understand?" The officer, a lieutenant-commander nodded and looked out over the column as it paused. Viathan took up his binoculars, and waited to see if what he suspected to be was indeed happening.

Viathan watched, only his breathing audible to him as he noted the division commander, a general by the looks of him, exit out from a forward leading repulsor-tank and pick up his own binoculars and peer out toward Viathan's position and the gorge.

"I have division forward commander in sights. Hoy, you have anyone with line on him?" Viathan commed over in a whisper.

"Squadron ten has a line on him sir." Hoy replied back. Viathan nodded silently to himself and felt his pulse quicken in anticipation.

"No one give them a reason to turn back or hold position. I want squad twelve to have targets in sight. So everyone remain silent, remain ready, remain waiting, and don't move one muscle." The officers around him nodded and remained quiet as the Moff division commander scanned the gorge. Viathan watched him look directly his way, and luckily move downward into the gorge entrance where the broken down and placed AT-AT's were. The general lowered his binoculars and Viathan could sense him grow slightly wary.

The older man pointed toward the gorge and a fellow officer looked toward the broken down AT-AT's. They began talking between one another, and the general only grew more suspicious. Viathan lowered his binoculars, his crimson eyes glared, and he cursed under his breath.

"Commander, they are priming to fire on the gorge!" Hoy commed and Viathan cursed again.

"It may be a test round to draw fire and blow our ambush! Do not return fire!" He could sense his men who heard all grow angered and resentful but he ignored it and watched as an SPMA raised its artillery barrel and fired two green rounds up into the sky. The first round slammed into the side of the gorge and hit no one. The second one flew over Viathan's position and hit the topside of the gorge behind him. His pulse quickened his nostrils became filled with charred soil.

"Anyone hit?"

"...Negative sir, all clear." Hoy replied after a few quiet seconds. Viathan breathed a sigh of relief as did his officers, artillerymen, and the many sniper units around.

"Hold it together everyone, and wait." Viathan commed to everyone and himself remained silent thereafter and waiting. The enemy general watched and seemed to be waiting for any sign of activity. When nothing came he nodded slowly and to himself, before Viathan watched him motion his arm out and toward the gorge. He disappeared back inside his tank and the Moff armies began moving forward once more, and Viathan smirked to himself.

"Squad twelve, when you have sights on targets, take fire immediately. All units follow after and then you are weapons free on all. Artillery, you have your marks, hold to them." Viathan commanded and drew himself up from his prone position and into a kneel. His officers followed suit, and the nearest sniper teams all fell into full readiness in their prone positions as the distant artillery activated and readied their barrels to open fire.

Viathan felt his hands twinge and shake in anticipation as the enemy forward tanks neared first followed by walkers and troop transports and finally by ground troops on the ground itself. He felt his adrenaline spike once again and the Force spark in what was to come. He waited and counted the moments as they ticked by silently. Until at last, the first shots rung out!

The snipers opened fire and Viathan could watch as ground commanders and officers flew back or slammed against walkers and tanks. They fell over dead, and the enemy troopers began screaming orders and running behind tanks and walkers as they armored units came to a halt. The forward tanks opened fire and shot into the gorge wall lines. Rock flew out and exploded as the rocks came tumbling down and Viathan could hear some of his men scream to one another over the cloud of death and destruction.

Viathan covered his eyes as smoke plumed and the rain of bolts began to fly back and forth from his lines into the enemies and the other way around. The officers stayed prone for the most part but Viathan caught some of them taking pot shots with their pistols into the enemy lines down below.

"We have full contact! The battle is underway! Someone tell me if we have contact in the gorge valley?!" Viathan commanded as he held one hand over his free ear and pressed his comm closer to his ear to hear over the explosions that rocked the gorge as the artillery above them exploded. A quad line of artillery pieces above Viathan along the gorge fired and pounded in his ears and Viathan instinctively ducked as the ground shook and trembled.

"Confirmed commander! We have contact! Enemy troopers advancing on the gorge entrance! I think they want to get out of artillery range!" The field commander in the gorge called back on the comm. Viathan nodded to himself and jogged over to Hoy. He jumped and dove away from incoming blaster fire as he danced around the legs protruding out from the pron snipers and officers firing into the valley. One tank round flew and exploded above him and sent rock flying around him. He threw both his arms from left to right and used the Force to send the rubble flying away from himself and his men. The teen finally landed next to Hoy, the man was armored in the officer gear, with a ridiculous rimmed combat helmet atop his head and firing down into the valley whilst relaying commands to the sniper teams on the opposite side of the gorge.

"Hoy, take charge of the sniper teams! I'm heading down to the ground level to command the frontal defense!"

"Copy, sir!" Hoy nodded and fired a burst round of blaster fire down into the valley. Viathan dove back away and swung around and made his way to the edge of the jutting position him and his men had made their command position. Snatching one of his lightsabers into his right hand, and activating the crimson beam, he dove down and used the Force to cushion what would otherwise be a deadly fall. His cloak whirled behind him as he landed with a grunt amongst a sea of blaster bolts flowing back and forth.

Viathan threw his saber around and struck several bolts that would have hit him otherwise and sent them into the sky. Viathan breathed a small sigh and turned left and bolted his way toward one of the downed AT-AT's. He jumped over a charred piece of metal and landed behind a squad of is troopers who were huddling and returning fire as swarms of Moff troopers broke ranks and made toward the Imperial lines.

"Commander! Have any Moff units broke behind the walkers?!" The stormtrooper swung his head left and right before shaking it.

"None that I'm aware sir! But there are hundreds of the traitorous bastards! Unless I get some artillery shells to rip em' apart they damn well will break and overrun our position!" He had an accent, somewhere from the Outer-Rim likely, one that reminded Viathan of several men he had met from the Outer-Rim with such accents. He shook the thought, however, and nodded.

"Leave that one to me commander! Try not to shoot at me eh?" The trooper nodded and Viathan sensed a bit of humor flow from the man as he waved to the trooper down the line to watch their fire. Viathan snatched his second saber up, activated it, and jumped back over the charred and twisted metal. A burst round of bolts came his way like a swarm of locusts. He swung both sabers outward and set them flying away. He ducked low and continued on running from his jump.

The Force carried his footfalls and he pounded heavily against the cratered out rocky soil beneath him forward. He ran amongst a sea of bolts and let the dark side fill him and guide his swings and dashes left or right away from incoming and outgoing fire. Indeed the Moff troopers were swarming forward. They were most of them crouched and moving forward at a steady but worried paced. Some were breaking in full and running toward the gorge entrance covered by the booms and fire of their allied tanks and artillery as AT-ST's marched forward and sprayed fire against the gorge wall and toward the downed AT-AT's as well.

Viathan pushed forward and himself remained covered by ceaseless barrages of fire coming from the gorge wall and his snipers. He only caught a glimpse in the corner of his eyes as some troopers were arming heavy repeaters to be mounted and to spray the Moff troopers as planned. The Sith acolyte pushed all thoughts though from his mind, and dove upwards at last. He twisted both saber hilts to stab downward and with a feral cry he fell down upon a Moff trooper who screamed and aimed up to him and unleashed a frenzied torrent of fire. They missed Viathan and he slammed downward. Both sabers pierced the trooper and Viathan carried himself atop the falling corpse now to the ground below. He fell and rolled away from the body carrying his sabers with him. He jumped up and slashed both right and carved into another trooper, and then left into a third.

Viathan dove away form incoming fire behind another Moff trooper. He took the brunt of his allies bolt fire and went limp dead. Viathan sent a powerful burst through the Force and sent the corpse flying into two of his still alive comrades. The acolyte dashed forward with unchecked speed and with sabers hung behind him. He slashed forward with both saber and cleaved one trooper in half before twirling himself up and down across another trooper and slamming his left saber back and into the chest of another enemy trooper with his back turned.

He swung around and blocked incoming enemy fire. His sabers danced before himself in dazzling display as he blocked a slew of bolts heading toward him. Five enemy troopers all closed in and fired on him, but Viathan moved toward them in kind. As he blocked another set heading toward him he flung his saber back in his right hand and threw it outward spinning toward the five. They froze and begun breaking and running as Viathan directed his blade flying through the air to slam into one trooper and impale him.

Unleashing the dark side with a pure blast of dark energy out his freed right hand toward two more he watched their armor bend and twist against their bodies, as their cries echoed out and they were then torn from the ground and tossed many meters away from him. He called his second saber to him and snatched the hilt before swing left and falling into a quickened dash. Hundreds of troopers were before him in pockets and were advancing and firing on his troopers taking cover behind the fallen walkers.

His crimson eyes became set and he carried himself with pounding legs to the ground below. He swung both sabers before himself in an X formation and fell upon two troopers. He slashed out and cleaved them both. He kept on running and slashed both sabers over himself right and cut down another three he came across as a moving blur of speed and power. He continued running and slashed both sabers across himself left and across two more troopers. He only cleaved one trooper arm off, and spun himself around right into a full slash and bisected the man in full before returning to his adrenaline pounding dash.

He again brought both sabers before himself in an X formation and then threw both sabers outward and spinning into and thru the air. They spun up and he mentally ordered them to break back downwards toward the enemy lines beyond. The crimson blades slashed and cut down into over a dozen men. Their cries and screams echoed the valley with the ceaseless bolt fire. He threw both arms out from his sides and sent torrents of bolts flying out. Both streams of brilliant blue energy crashed against more men and sent them hurling into the air and down against the ground or fellow soldiers.

He called both sabers back and jumped up away form a torrent of fire and snatched both hilts in his hands. He landed with a grunt turned right and sent another powerful blast of energy out his hilt holding hands that sent a squad of troopers falling back over one another. The ear-splitting sound of artillery fire exploded as a line of green energy flew over his head and slammed into the back lines of the Moff division and sent masses of fire and smoke billowing up as a tank flew up into the air and back down from the burst of power.

The men around him fell to the ground from the explosions and Viathan barely held his ground as the ground shook. Black smoke billowed outward and near to Viathan. He lowered his sabers and coughed lightly as the smell of burning metal entered his nostrils. He felt a sense of accomplishment and power flood through him and he let a small smirk worm onto his face. Until then he heard the eery and familiar sound of whirring metal and joints as the ground shook.

Coming from the smoke like a hidden beast from the darkness came two AT-ST's. The walkers aimed squarely toward Viathan.

"Oh..." They opened fire and their bolts slammed into the ground with furious and ground shaking might. Viathan bolted left and dodged, just barely, a slew of fire from the massive walkers. One kept aim on him and followed with its swiveling head and fired while the second advanced toward the gorge entryway and fired on the men behind the downed walkers.

Viathan cringed and jumped up and forward as the walker fired its secondary cannon and the massive bolt sent a shockwave through the region that threw Viathan off his jump and threw him to the ground into a slam that forced him into a painful series of rolls. He landed face down and groaned in pain. His sabers were still in hands and above his head luckily missing himself.

The Force cried out in warning and Viathan slammed his hands down to the ground and propelled himself back up into the air with a mighty Force push as the ground exploded upwards in a multitude of rubble and rock. He landed onto his back and felt the air forced from his lungs and wheezed out in more pain. With all his strength he forced himself up and whirled around into a run away from the fire coming from the persistent AT-ST as it kept itself homed in on him.

The second walker advanced on the gorge and Viathan dove toward it as it walked forward without noticing him. The artillery line along the top of the gorge fired in succession and slammed into the far Moff lines, and the Moff artillery lines fired in return. The successive blasts threw Viathan to the ground. The walkers kept on moving, the first firing on Viathan as he jumped up again and ran toward the second as it fired both its main and second cannons against the downed AT-AT's.

Viathan growled in fury and pain and with all his might with the Force aiding him he jumped up and with sabers pointed downwards in stabbing formation. He slammed them into the walkers head along its right face. The walker finally ceased moving and stopped in its tracks. It turned wildly right and tried to swing him off and fired randomly against the gorge wall. The first walker kept advancing but ceased firing.

With all his might with the Force Viathan slammed his booted feet onto the walker and used the Force to yank right and the head of the walker began shifting right along with him. Viathan cut along the face with both sabers until he threw himself off using a powerful push of the Force. He flung himself into the air, and timed seemed slowed as he centered himself into the Force. The second walker made to fire, and Viathan gathered a massive deal of energy into both arms down into his hands. With an explosion of power rippling from him a massive blast of dark energy slammed into the first walker and it flung forward against the second.

Viathan fell to the ground into a roll barely missing cutting himself on his own sabers and watched as the first walker fell into the sights of the second walker and exploded as the second walker fired into the first AT-ST. It fell forward and slammed into the second walker, and both of them fall over in a fiery and crashing explosion of smoke and debris as Viathan got to his feet and breathed a sigh of relief and victory.

The field was littered with corpses and destroyed walkers or tanks and the fire did not cease as the black smoke began to clear and the Moff lines became visible again. A successive blast of artillery screamed up from the Moff rear and green flashes of light exploded up into the skies. They came shooting downwards and slammed into the gorge wall. Viathan covered his face as the wind whipped around him and small pebbles slashed at his body and head.

"Commander! We've lost squads four and seven in that hit!" Hoy called over the blistering blasts of endless bolts flying to and from his position. Viathan turned back to the Moff positions as a line of 2M-Saber tanks pushed beyond fallen walkers and dead bodies and began firing rapidly into the fallen AT-AT and gorge wall and sending up a massive covering wave of fire. Several columns of whitely-armored troopers hung forward and semi-crouched their way behind the tanks as they advanced and fired.

Viathan cursed under his breath and grasped his sabers before jumping into a run toward the AT-AT. There his men fired wildly and bravely against the advancing column as it rained heavy cannon fire and missile attacks against their cover. The metal beast now was blackened and charred nearly to the point of being unrecognizable as the Moffs pounded it away piece by piece.

"I need an artillery strike in the valley now! Pull sniper teams back to higher elevation!" Viathan with heavy breaths, managed to order as he dove over the AT-AT and landed beside his men. A series of bolts flew and barely missed him and got his adrenaline pounding again. His troopers were yelling, barking, and calling orders down from end to end of the fallen AT-AT as they desperately held the Moffs from breaching the gorge entrance. A good line of dead troopers littered the site with scorch marks lining most, and with artillery strikes mutilating and ripping others apart.

Viathan picked himself up and threw himself forward against the walker and peered around the cover as the tanks advanced. A series of rapid shots rained down into the valley from up high as troopers with mounted turrets did their best to keep them at bay. The tanks didn't stop nor show any signs of being affected by them. The Moff troopers managed to take pot-shots now and again, but generally stuck to the tanks for mobile cover and advanced.

"Where's that artillery Hoy?"

"I know the targets sir, but they've advanced too far already! If we fire we'll hit behind the enemy and waste our energy!" Viathan felt his jaw clench, and let his fury build and gathered strength into himself before he smacked his left hand against the walker, and let a loud clang echo out.

"Leia, you copy?"

"Loud and clear. Sounds pretty bad down there!" She called in a normal tone. Viathan forced himself not to growl in frustration before speaking again.

"I've got a whole tank battalion advancing on my gorge barricade line, and troopers to boot! Artillery can't hit em' and sniper units have to be moved back."

"So...?" She let the word hang, and Viathan wanted very badly to hit something.

"I need your and Shira's backsides to get down here and fast!" He heard Shira shout in victory from where they were before Leia's comm cut out. He hated himself for a moment before the walker shook as the tanks loomed, and he was thrown back into the seriousness of the situation.

"We copy loud and clear, Vale. Striker's moving in now. Watch your left flanks and tell your artillery to hold off and close call targets!"

"Copy." Viathan replied and relayed to Hoy to move artillery strikes strictly out toward the back lines of the Moff division. The bulk of the army hung back and was still pounding the gorge walls and topsides from the back. They were more than enough targets for Hoy and the artillery.

"Hold ground men! Speeder bikes moving in on the left! Do not engage, they're friendlies." The troopers nodded and relayed the command as Viathan hoisted himself up and clasped one saber back onto his belt before thrusting himself on top of the walker. He blocked two bolts wildly shot his way back to its shooter, but hit a tank. He jumped off the AT-AT carcass and flew into a Force aided run forward. With free left hand he thrust out a massive bout of lightning that shot like a bolt from the sky into one tank and discharged off into a squad of troopers who all flew back against the ground in pain as their bodies shook. He threw himself up and slashed his saber downwards into the tank and immediately added strength into his arms artificially through the Force as he pulled on the saber and began opening a massive gash in the top of the tank.

The Force cried in warning, and Viathan swung off to his right off the top of the tank just as a cannon blast flew passed his head and slammed into a far gorge wall. The tank he had carved into then turned on him and aimed cannons down sights toward him.

"Kriff!" he threw himself left as it fired and the massive bolts pounded craters into the ground he had stood upon. He landed in a heap but threw himself up into a run as the tank followed and fired a set of burst rounds after him. Sending wave after wave of rock and debris flying and falling back down on top of him. Viathan stumbled forward and managed to angle himself into a roll that ended with him on one knee. He spun around as the tank turned on him to fire again.

A sneer spread across his features as he waited for it to shoot. It waited but a moment like an animal staring down its prey. It was an odd moment and sensation for him.

"Look sharp!" He heard in his ear and glanced just to his right. Within the gorge valley lay one sweeping entryway besides the Moff attack point. It led to a long gorge wall with a narrow pass following it for several dozen miles along the wall. It came down in a steep incline. Coming from that position with a whirr and loud screech, came a flood of speeders. They threw themselves over the incline and swept down into the valley. Dozens of them swarmed, and opened fire.

Viathan took the moment and threw himself up onto the tank as it and the other tanks turned to open fire on the speeders as they swept through the valley and opened fire on advancing Moff troopers and cut them down as they passed. They were modified Imperial variants of the 74-Z imperial speeder bike. Their mounted cannons were replaced with heavier variants that could blast a hole in the gorge wall, and if swarming bring down a tank or walker.

The tanks opened fire and the speeders broke rank and swerved off from one another. Some hit and sent scout troopers flying from their burning mounts, or them along with their bikes exploded and began slamming into the rocky ground beneath them all. Viathan quickly turned his saber once more and slammed it down into the gash of the tank and began thrusting left and forming a square shaped whole. The tank began wildly turning left to right, and fired endless cannon bolts into the speeder swarm as they moved form one end of the open valley back and fired against the Moffs both near the AT-AT, and to the back of their rank at the valley entrance.

Viathan carved into the tank and threw himself around and angled the saber to cut down vertically opposite the initial carving. The tank broke into a wild turn as its fellow tank units advanced backwards into the valley firing against the speeders as they in turn swarmed them and sent sparks and burns flying across the saber-tanks. Viathan carved down, and didn't bother with the last cleave of his square cut, and rather took hold of the wound in the tank now three sided and with the Force began bending the metal upwards towards himself. With a great thrust of his hand upwards the metal began ripping off the tank and curled backwards like torn flimsy paper.

Immediately bolts flew upwards from within and Viathan dodged. He nonchalantly tore one frag grenade he kept on his person from his belt along his back and primed it before throwing it in. He smirked to himself before jumping off as the men inside began howling and yelling to one another to get the grenade or 'run.' However they intended to do that. But, the inside of the vehicle simply exploded and sparks flew out as the vehicle slumped and began moving forward with uncoordinated movements. Its driver likely dead and slumped on the controls, as Viathan felt all life leave the vehicle. It would soon slam into the gorge wall and remain unmoved.

Viathan smirked triumphantly and subtly to himself and turned back to the valley. As he did so he caught a speeder zoning in on him from his left. It came darting directly for him, but he sensed no danger and stood his ground holding his saber as it hummed in his hand. The speeder whirred through the air with a strange almost horn like noise before it skirted to its left and stopped and hovered before him. Atop it sat a female figure wearing familiar white clothing that tightly hugged her blossoming athletic figure. The only difference being a helmet atop her head, and a white cloth, a free hanging garment like a scarf hung around her mouth and nose and only let her brown eyes be seen. Viathan tipped his head in a semi-formal bow.

"Milady. It's good to have you and your speeders here to help." Leia laughed in a muffled voice, before she curled on index finger behind her cloth and pulled it down under her face.

"Glad to help. Doesn't look so good for them now." She nudged her head left and Viathan looked. The Moffs were even more scattered than before. Their valley troops and tanks were being hassled by experienced scout troopers of the 501st legion, and were slowly being cut down man by man and tank by tank. Those Moff troops to the rear not yet in the valley, were being pounded by heavy artillery bombardment from Viathan's corp atop the gorge.

So amongst the dead, burning, dying, and smoking ruins all about them Viathan sighed in relief, and let his saber deactivate as the Force calmed around him. Even here amongst the many dead and dying. Leia on the other hand kept her left hand firmly planted and clutching the left handle of the speeder. Humming in her right hand and hanging down, like a wild holo-image of some ancient lost painting hung her curved lightsaber. It was clearly ready and able to strike anyone down from where she sat atop her speeder, and Viathan was almost certain it had already done so.

"My apologies, milady in causing you to lose your bet. It would appear I need aid in battle more than I'm willing to admit." Leia glanced his way after scanning the battle, and rolled her eyes.

"Ah, it's no big deal. Shira gets a few measly credits. WE win a battle." She winked, and Viathan frowned lopsidedly.

"I think we would've won it nonetheless. Be your wager a victory either for yourself or Shira Brie." Leia smirked.

"Just don't tell her that!" She laughed, and Viathan rolled his crimson eyes as she did so.

"Commander Viathan!" he heard his comm scream for him in his ear and he held the comm unit.

"I copy Hoy. Good job on the artillery hits. We have them scattered and pinned in the valley. Shouldn't be long now until-"

"Apologies sir, but I have urgent news to report that isn't related to the battle at hand!" Hoy cut him off. It was a clear violation of command decorum. However, Hoy's tone did not prompt Viathan to chastise him. It sounded urgent indeed.

"Go on Hoy." Viathan prompted.

"Yes sir. Ground general Valdarian has made contact from the mobile garrison command base, sir! He reports they are under attack by unknown enemy forces and have taken heavy losses of defensive forces." Viathan felt his lips curl in open confusion and anger. He turned to Leia who gave him a quizzical look, but he said nothing.

"Does he know if they're at least Moff or not?"

"Armor is confirmed of Imperial design, but the troopers are not going down like normal troops!" Viathan felt his brow further deepen in confusion. "Commander, the enemy units are reportedly advancing on the general's position and the main coordination center of all operations in this sector of the planet! They're requesting immediate reinforcements!"

"Any word on inquisitor Zalliste's activities?"

"None, sir!" Hoy replied as the sounds of war still drowned him out from his perched position. Only added to now by the distressing news coming from the garrison base. Viathan growled under his breath and shook his head to himself.

"Copy Hoy. Relay that I'm on my way. Comm up to captain Uvol of the Firestar and have another division of troops dropped on top of the garrison now!"

"Copy, sir!" Hoy replied as Viathan cut the comm and turned back to Leia who eyed him with the same quizzical look.

"Trouble?"

"Indeed." Viathan growled further in frustration. "Moff troops have likely pierced our lines or infiltrated some units to our rear. They're assaulting the modular garrison and are nearing our coordination positions. If they manage to kill my whole command officer corp that could push back the whole campaign in this sector by at least three weeks! Not to mention it's my damn corp!" Viathan cursed as the Force wrapped itself around him as an unseen dark cloak of wrath and anger.

Leia nodded. "Sounds serious indeed. I'll finish up here, and when we're done I'll head my way to you and try to help out if I can."

"Much appreciated milady." Viathan bowed, and Leia rolled her eyes.

"Leia, for the love of the Force. Call me Leia!" Viathan sighed, but smiled ever so slightly with a nod.

"Of course...Leia." He bowed his head. "Command is now yours. Relay all orders through Hoy. He'll get the job done."

"Got it!" She nodded and placed the cloth back over her face and lowered her helmets protective eye goggles. She primed her speeder and with a loud piercing wail the bike spun in place and blasted forward. Just as three speeders fired in unison and sent one tank exploding along its left and crashing down into the rocky earth beneath it. The troopers huddled behind the fallen AT-AT finally broke over the walker and closed in on Moff troops now fighting blind in and just outside the valley.

Viathan felt his back tingle with rage, however, and jogged his way behind the fallen walker, and to a small depot with a few imperial troops on guard. Waiting for anyone who needed them were four lightweight speeders. Grabbing one and strapping himself onto it, he primed it and brought it online. He felt a small tingle of anxiety shoot through him, but he shoved it aside. He needed the speeder despite hating flying the things, and spun it left. A blast of power escaped from its engines and it exploded off. Behind the front and toward the imperial modular garrison base. Where blaster fire and explosions and death rocked the base.

(Nar Shaddaa)

"Okay no! No, for the love of all of Hutta, Taesa!" The twi'lek woman paused her movements even and her hands immediately went to her hips. Her face curled into a look of frustration and she huffed loudly.

"What now, Tol?! This is the tenth time you've cut me off in the middle of my routine!" Taesa hollered from her place on stage as the mingling and loud pinks, greens, reds, blues and all assorted colors of the club sparked, changed and danced about them. Her hands still rested on her slender, and curvy hips as she stared down her 'boss.'

"Tes, my love I can tell you because I care that your 'routine,'" he made air quotes "is not going to get the lust-drunk idiots who come in here throwing their credits at the stage!" He yelled as he took a swig of what was likely a very stiff drink from the bar.

"Look you gotta know how to get the eyes ogling the goods! Swing the hips, gyrate for the love of Hutta! Show them what you were born with my love, come on!" he swung his hands about madly after slamming his glass down onto the vacant table.

"You gotta move to the beat of the music...where in the Corellian-hells is the damn music?!" He finally yelled to the second floor window where the club DJ, an Ortolan that was portly even by their standards by the name of Bizz.

The blue hued alien, with his trunk hanging low from his face began yelling to Tol from the booth in his native tongue. Tol squatted and brought his hand to ear to try and listen better.

"What?! What do you mean the equipment ain't working?! I just got that karking thing fixed yesterday! Cost me ten-thousand credits!" Bizz began yelling back before Tol through his hands up.

"Alright, alright just tell me when you got it working. For the love of-" He cut himself off and took another healthy swig of his drink.

"Look, Tes, the club opens in a few hours, and I know, I get it. You're new, but honey you need to know how to get the credits flying from the pockets f the fine hopefully drunk and sexually repressed gentleman who grace my club! The 'Hutt-Hideaway,' has been renowned for serving its customers with a fine assortment of eye candy over the years I've owned the joint, ya'know."

Taesa huffed again and seemed to pout her lips. She was a rare beauty. A crimson skinned twi'lek with lusty bedroom eyes that shown blue in the right lighting. Slender figure, but not too slender for the gents' who liked a little more curve in their women, full lips on her face, and ample sized breasts! Tol had thought he found himself a new main course in his...'dance,' club. Problem was...she couldn't dance!

"Tol, I'm trying! I told you I'm not that good at dancing!" He swung one hand toward her like he was swatting a fly and groaned.

"There's nothing to it. You just gotta know what men want! Look we're not complicated creatures. Give us some eye-candy, move the hips, show the back, the front, bat your eyelashes. Maybe do that thing where you throw your arms over your head and twirl a bit. Get those guys who love the lekku going with a spin ya'know?" He brought a hand to cup his cheek as he thought about it.

"Yeah...yeah that could work. And, remember to puff your chest out. That outfit is made for that kinda flaunting." The 'outfit,' he spoke of, was little more than a plate of intricately designed plates over her breasts that curved like a wave of water down her toned stomach to her flimsy metal undergarment. Along her hips and running down her arms were near see-thru silks that really didn't obstruct anything.

"This thing is uncomfortable Tol!" She cried in protest and a huff. A laugh erupted from behind him, and he spun to see his interior club guard stifling himself. He was a Herglic. Huge muscle looking alien race. This one was named Fizzi, and didn't have too much going on upstairs, but a whole lot of power in his arms and legs. Good enough to scare wayward customers from drunk to sober real quick if need be. By no means was he dumb, but he was 'dumb-muscle.'

"Shut it Fiz! I don't need your poodoo either." The huge alien raised his hands in surrender and kept quiet as Tol turned back to Taesa.

"Tes, baby, I'm not asking you to sleep with anyone...unless you want extra, but hey only if!" He raised a finger to stifle what he saw to be immediate protest rising from her.

"All I ask is that you dance a dance that'll make the married men cry, and single guys spend a little extra on the girls in the back rooms. Ya'know? Can ya' do that for me?" She sighed audibly and folded her arms over her chest.

The club was mostly silent and empty. It hadn't opened for business yet, and Tol's guys were setting things up for the clientele and making security sweeps. He had all manner of the local types acting as muscle. Trandoshans, weequay, a few nikto, maybe one of two dumb houk that made Fizzi seem like a genius by comparison. It was an average day, and the more experienced girls were in the back getting ready to set the notion of the 'intelligent man,' back a few decades later tonight. Sadly his star attraction eloped a few nights back with a customer, and he needed a new centerpiece. Taesa was that centerpiece. Freshly freed slave straight from Ryloth too. Perhaps too green even.

"Dammit Tol! Just let me practice some, and stop interrupting me!" She finally announced and he threw his hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Just show me the goods, and I'll show you more money than you've seen in your life. All yours love!" He smiled and turned as she huffed and began flexing herself and readying for another round of dancing to the sound of nothingness.

Tol groaned and smacked his hands over his face and shook his head before retreating to the bar and plopping himself down on one of the stools. Behind the bar stood his waitress of three years. A tall drink of water herself, Reena was a mirialan beauty. A bit older than most guys found attractive, but she carried her age well. Dark green complexion, dark green eyes to match. Jet black ebony hair, and regal facial features. Not to mention a damn good body, but Tol didn't disrespect her by showing too much notice.

"How's the new girl?" She asked pointing her chin toward Taesa as she twirled and threw her lekku about herself some...before stumbling and growling to herself in anger.

"My kingdom for a girl with that kinda body, that can dance!" He whined and planted his face against the fine imported wood of the bar table.

"Ah, cheer up!" Reena patted his shoulder and began fixing him another drink. "She'll kill the crowd just by sauntering onto the stage! Make her sit back and let the other girls show her how's it done, and I'm betting she'll throw something together for everyone to enjoy." She huffed in laughter and handed Tol his drink. He raised his glass to her in silence with a woeful smile on his face before he downed his drink.

Tol himself, full name Tolvar Gedden, was a human male of the proud ripe age of twenty-three, and in charge of what most would say was too much for one as young as him. The Hutt-Hideaway, was nothing more than his main attraction. A place for some legal business...as legal as business could be on Nar Shaddaa, and some not so legal business. Again...Nar Shaddaa.

Nonetheless, he was pretty good looking himself. At least that's what a few of his dates have told him. Short naturally disheveled brown hair, pronounced cheek-bones and jaw that made him seem a few years older than he was. Deeply brown eyes that seemed more tired and sullen most days. He usually wore his normal attire. A fine formal suit of gray lined with yellow with matching leggings and dark boots. He had to be presentable of course.

He not only ran the Hutt-Hideaway, and owned it in a lively area of the Corellian-Sector on the moon of Hutta. But, he also ran all activities of the prestigious Hutt lord Botassa. Botassa the Honorable was his name. Honorable in very key respects, but otherwise he was a Hutt and a cartel lord of the Besadii clan. Botassa had zones of control all over Nar Shaddaa as well as holdings from Coruscant, to Axxila, and maybe a joint or two on Tatooine just to bother Jabba.

Here though, Tol was his chief lieutenant in the whole of the sector. A long time friend and ally at that. After Tol and his old gang proved themselves and got to Botassa years back that was, but Tol didn't dwell on such things. Most of the old gang was dead or missing. Probably dead too. Botassa paid well, but days were tense as of late.

Botassa was part of the Hutt mainstream clique forming that opposed direct involvement in the so called 'Galactic Civil War.' He and a good sum of other Hutts wanted to maintain neutrality and fight that crazy schutta in the south of Hutt space, Nelrain on their own terms. However, too many new bloods and advantageous minded old guard Hutts had gained a majority of the vote in the matter and threw the whole of Hutt space and the cartels into bed with the Moffs, and their breakaway alliance. It made tensions between the Hutt lords palpable, and it made upstarts like swoop gangs, or even Black Sun itching to seize the opportunities to exploit the Hutts in their weakened state.

So, Tol pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. He hadn't slept well the past few days, and was stressed out beyond the norm. He also had a club to manage and a slew of associates outside his club to keep operational. The drink was all the reprieve he got sometimes. He leaned forward again and rested his forehead into the tabletop and clutched his glass loosely with his right hand. Indeed he thought he passed out for a minute, until he heard the heavy stomps as Fiz came up alongside him.

"What is it Fiz?" He groggily asked and rubbed his eyes. He pushed his head up and groaned in weariness.

"Sorry boss." The large herglic apologized, his voice deep and resonating. "But dat' thing you set up wit' the guy from da' marketplace? Da' two he told ya' about arehere." Again, Tol had to remind himself, Fiz wasn't dumb. Just not as smart, and liked to purposefully mispronounce his words. At least, Tol began to think he did it on purpose after hearing him pronounce his words fine on other occasions.

Tol swiveled in his stool to his right and glanced between Fiz and the doorway. Two of his Trandoshan guards stood blocking the entrance of one nautolan man and a falleen male as well. Tol groaned and slugged down the last of his, what he thought to be whiskey, drink.

"Falleen. I hate falleen." Fiz nodded, and Tol picked himself up and took note that the falleen was better dressed in flowing robes and expensive attire compared to the nautolan. It was easy to tell the nautolan was the muscle in this situation.

Tol shook himself and plastered a semi-genuine smile onto his face and briskly made his way toward them with Fiz in tow, and motioned the trandoshans to let them pass. They stared down the trandoshans, and played the 'size-up,' game before fully passing and meeting Tol and Fiz halfway. His herglic, trumped his nautolan. The tentacle-headed alien couldn't take his big beady eyes off Fiz.

"Dormi Trusen!" Tol took the falleens' hand and shook it with a firm grip. The scaly nature of his hand the firm grip almost painful but Tol didn't let it show.

"I've heard a lot about you and who your represent. And, who may this be?" Tol eyed the nautolan who remained plastered to Fiz, as the herglic towered and overshadowed all three of the non-herglics. The falleens' beady eyes sized Tol and Fiz up before he glanced to the nautolan and shrugged in an uninterested manner.

"This is Gim, there's really no need to talk to him. He's simply here for my peace of mind."
"Gim." Tol repeated and nodded. His hand still in that of Dormi's. "Very good." He took in a breath and released Dormi's hand, and motioned sweepingly toward one table set up among many other standing free and not yet ready for patrons to sit around.

"Please gentleman." Tol offered and Dormi bowed and had Gim go stand beside the table as Fiz also took up position behind the seat Tol would take, as Gim took up position behind Dormi who sat graciously. The falleen folded his hands over his lap and folded one of his legs over the other and took a highly unusual and uncommon diplomatic and formal position opposite Tol.

"Before we begin," Tol spoke. "may I offer either of you gent's a drink? We've got any and everything! From the finest core world wine, to the dirtiest backroom grog you could stir in your fresher tub." Tol smirked. The falleen simply shook his head, and Gim followed suit. Though Gim seemed drawn between Fiz and Taesa still trialing and stumbling on the soundless stage.

"Ah well. Anyways," Tol folded his hands onto the top of the table, and leaned in. "what can I do for you fine gentlemen today? I know the brief overview of what this meet's about, but I'd like to hear it from the mouth of the messenger himself." Dormi scoffed and patted lazily at his robes.

"You say you know of who sent us? Would that happen to be because of a man named Rall?" Tol sighed. He had hoped he wouldn't bring the name up.

"I knew Rall. He was a good man. Fine drinker! Good conversationalist." Tol remembered fondly.

"I was sad to hear of his death. To answer your question, yes he told me about your employer. He and I had an understanding, and I let him know my position. Many points of which I'm bound to repeat to you today. He was to report back to your employer when he was...assassinated."

"On your territory, in your sector." Dormi cut in before Tol could go on. Tol narrowed his eyes and sensed the accusatory tone.

"How is it, Mr. Gedden, that a diplomat protected by the art of cartel decorum here on Nar Shaddaa ends up assassinated in your territory? Or should I say the territory of Botassa the dishonorable?" Dormi slithered with his accented and distinctly reptilian voice. His eyes narrowing in on Tol who cocked his head and sized up his opposite for a moment before speaking.

"Just because I work for Botassa the Hutt, does not mean I can command Botassa the Hutt to do as I see fit within territory that is ultimately under his domain." Tol kept his voice level and even maintained a smile on his pleasant features. Dormi smirked and chuckled darkly.

"Perhaps the question should rather be, why is it that Varuunga the Hutt sees it within his best interest to wage war upon a fellow Hutt who merely thinks differently than him? Especially seeing as he has forced all our hands and thrown us into a war we were not ready nor capable of fighting. Against a force far greater and powerful than any of us. Combined even our forces are but...specks of dirt in a very large muddy sea." Tol leaned forward even further and lowered his tone some more.

"What Botassa sees fit to do in what is obviously sparking further into a war is his business. I can't control him. I don't tell him what to do, and frankly despite my friendship with Rall his message was not all too pleasing to me or Botassa from your master." Dormi's eyes narrowed some more, before he rolled his shoulder and sniffled the air in what was an obvious attempt to express superiority, and disdain for Tol. He only smiled in return.

"Botassa is part of an old and misguided clique among the cartel leaders. If the cartel is to carry on we must adapt, and if possible become more powerful. Varuunga is a visionary. He exploits the Moffs position, and we have seen unprecedented freedoms in slave trading and spice dealing as well as manufacturing. Smuggling of Moff necessities, blasters, medical supplies, and less known hyperlane routes has provided immense dividends that triple not just Varuunga's profits, but those of all who ally with him." Dormi huffed again in clear superiority.

"Those who can't see that are blinded by tradition, an obtuse sense of morality or deny the cartel prosperity over petty squabbling. Botassa's dislike for Varuunga is quite well known to all. It is he who exacerbated the situation to where we find ourselves." He explained matter-of-factly.

"The way I see things, and of course we may disagree, but Varuunga is part of the fresh blood clique. Your master is young-blood. His type always think they can come into something that has a tried and true set or rules and structure, and they can change the status quo and make their mark for all time." Tol sat back and stretched his left arm over the table as he showed a measure of disrespect now for Dormi through his posture.

"In fact, the only reason Varuunga has the sway he does and has thrown the whole of Hutt space into war and into bed with the karking Moffs is because the majority of the kajidic clan leaders and cartel lords are blinded by the credits flowing into their accounts! Otherwise they'd see the madness in what's happening in the southern systems of Hutt space." Dormi huffed yet again.

"Perhaps if the whole of the Hutts sat united in their decisions and moved behind Varuunga we would see the URM pushed out of Hutt space." Tol groaned.

"Look I'm not bout' to make my bones in the art of warfare shooting at droids attacking some other Hutt lords' damn factory planet or asteroid field, or spice mine. I chose, we chose Botassa, and Botassa has been good to us! He don't deal in the slave trade. He's done with it, and don't pretend Varuunga ain't out to put himself up high on a pedestal above all other Hutt lords. Damn fool thinks he's the next coming of a Hutt emperor." Tol spat and sat back in his seat.

"We could argue this until the end of days-"
"I'm sure some of us could." Tol interjected with a pointed glare Dormi's way whilst he kept his smile. Dormi in turn cast his own glare back before picking up where he was cut off.

"However, that's not why I'm here. Rather, against my advise Varuunga has sent me to make you and your men a very generous offer." Dormi clasped his hands over the table and leaned forward. He seemed paranoid now more than ever.

"Varuunga is willing to double your pay and that of your men if you swear your allegiance over to him. Everything can remain as is, given some modifications in what exactly is done in these parts to maximize profits." Tol cocked an eyebrow.

"Like what exactly?" Dormi shrugged and looked to Taesa, then back to Tol.

"For instance you pay these gutter whores too much. We would have to halve their pay, and insist slave collars be placed on them to assure asset insurance. From what I hear you don't have such collars in place already?" Tol felt his lip twitch in anger, but kept it hidden.

"No, we don't. We operate on an idea of 'you scratch mine I scratch yours,' policy in these parts Dormi. Everyone does their work with a bit of freedom whether or not to do so, and hey if you do it, that's your business. But you gotta pay your dues, and in return we offer protection, pay, and even a place to lay low or rest if you need it. I got a good thing going here." Tol declared with his index finger slamming down into the table again and again to get his point across.

"How very democratic of you. A pity really. I think much more of a profit could be made in these parts with the right and far more firm-handed leadership. Not that based on a foolish and obtuse sense of morality that has little place here on Nar Shaddaa." Tol laughed dryly.

"Ya' see, it's that kind of thinking that has this moon, and every profitable place in the galaxy ripe for 'extra-legal,' business lacking in appeal and legitimization. You treat people like garbage you get garbage in return. You like making your profits by turning everyone in town against you until you're eventually pushed out? Again that's your business. I sure as kriff ain't gonna cry over bad business practices." Tol spat in a lowered tone as to not get the attention of his men and club workers idly moving about in duties or patrol.

"Don't, however, think you got the right then to come into my club, in my territory; lay accusations and blame for poodoo leagues out of my and your depth, and then have the gall to try and tell me how I should operate a sector of this stinking moon that sees profit margins in the tens of millions quarterly!" Tol finally leveled one clear and loud crack of his palm onto the tabletop that shook it and caught a few of his men and even Taesa before they awkwardly went back to their work.

Dormi eyed Tol and smirked a very reptilian like smirk. His eyes glowering and that familiar self-important air coming off him in waves.

"If that's the tone you wish to have in these talks Mr Gedden then I must say you are making things quite easy for Varuunga. If you want to throw the lives of your men down the drain to keep some measure of your silly principles then by all means, continue to pay up the chain of command to Botassa. He will be dealt with in no time at all." Dormi leaned in his seat and brought his hands together still in clasp to just below his chin.

"If you don't turn away from this silly policy of allegiance to Botassa, we will be forced to ruin your operations, dismantle your little empire, take all your, 'goods,'" He spoke with an air of threat towards Tol's working girls. "And lastly, eliminate you and your men from being bad business investments. You'd essentially make you and your men bad assets in need of liquidating at the nearest opportunity." Tol glanced to Fiz who met him and didn't nod or make any move. All Tol needed to see was his friends' eyes to see what he thought. Needless to say, Tol smiled and nodded a single nod.

"If that's the way YOU want to handle business then, as I have said like a broken holo, that's your business Dormi. Ya'know I was lead to believe you were a level-headed and cool businessman, but all I've gotten from you was disrespect in my place of business, threats to my girls, and operations, insults to me, my men, and Botassa the Hutt. All while you sit in my chair, under one of my roofs, and let that stinking air of superiority around you linger in the air like bad blue-milk left out in the open." Tol spat back with clear venom, his face only now showing contortions of disgust and disdain for the falleen before him. It was Dormi's turn to maintain a poodoo-eating smirk on his face.

"However, if I need to get across the idea in that thick ugly skull of yours that you should be real karking careful when crossing me, then I'll do what I must. Like make a call to the 'butcher' over in the 'red sector.'" Dormi's look turned to a sick one, and his features tightened into one of mild anxiety and well kept shock of fear that shot through him. Gim beside him snapped his full attention back to Tol and eyed Dormi worriedly.

"Uh, boss-" Dormi raised his left hand and silenced Gim before the scared nautolan could go on. Tol smirked in victory and leaned back in his seat again.

"Well, seems that even you aren't ignorant to the butchers' reputation. That I gotta say surprised me. Considering how disrespectful and ignorant you've shown yourself to be through this whole set of...'negotiations.'" Tol made air-quotes with his fingers again, and mocked the words as they slithered from his mouth.

"You can't all him! He ain't ever been political!" Gim broke and stuttered out frantically. Dormi threw his hand up gain to silence him.

"Please, Gim."

"No way am I dealing with the butcher boss!" Dormi growled and gave the nautolan a stern look to finally shut him up.

"And we wont have to. Now shut your mouth and let me do the talking." He waited for Gim to nod, and when he did he bowed his head in an annoyed thanks, and returned his attention back to Tol.

"Despite my colleagues outburst he is correct." He clasped his fingers together and leaned himself on the table top again. "The butcher is not a man any of the warring parties wish to trifle with. That being said he's made clearly known to any and all clients that he doesn't choose sides, he only chooses credit amounts. Your threat falls flat in the end, Mr Gedden." Tol raised his finger and leaned in his seat with a stifled laugh on his voice.

"True, all of that is very true. But, what you don't understand is the key information in that I and the butcher, as you may or may not know go back years. We both ended up on this slum-hole of a moon and rose from the dregs of swoop gangs and pickpocketing. Through the years of toil and sweat and hardships that endlessly came our way we made it through. We lost friends and colleagues along the way, but eventually we got to Botassa, and he helped make us what we are as we helped shape what he is." Tol's smirk widened.

"You don't think, that if I called him and told him I got two smart-mouthed, disrespectful, threatening sleemos in my club he wouldn't come and help me out? Not even just that! If I call him and tell him Varuunga the Hutt is threatening to gut me and my man, and the girls here who've done nothing to gain you or his ire, you in all your woefully bloated sense of intelligence don't think that he would come and help me out to the fullest of his abilities?" Gim next to Dormi cleared his throat and shuffled uncomfortable as his large blackened eyes looked nervously to Dormi and then to Tol.

The falleen pursed his lips and his eyes darted down and Tol watched them glance about without rhyme or reason as he undoubtedly went over his options in his head. Tol glanced over-shoulder to Fiz. The herglic had a smug smirk along his massive features and Tol smiled back before turning back to face Dormi.

"You don't have to worry so much though." Tol assured and motioned his hand to placate the falleen who glared his way. "You and your friend are free to leave anytime now in peace. My club sadly only services welcomed clientele." Tol rose to a stand, and flattened his ruffled suit.

"I'm not gonna give the butcher a call. See unlike some two-bit gangsters on this moon I ain't about to shy away from you or Varuunga, and I ain't about to turn on Botassa. A Hutt that's got more spine and heart than half the damn Hutts in the whole of Hutt space, and even those petty gangsters spread all around the karking Outer-Rim. So I'll take your damn declaration of war, cause' that's what this is no matter what poodoo you wanna try and pass this off as! But, I'm gonna exploit every card I got in my hand." Dormi's eyes narrowed further.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for instance, I won't call the butcher, for two days." Dormi's brow furrowed confusedly. "I'm not gonna call him in two days, because I and you and Varuunga are gonna lay off each other for two days. We're all gonna go home today and tomorrow and we're all gonna be at peace for two whole days. I don't give a damn if you get ready to kill me, and you won't give a damn if I get ready to kill you. Ya' understand?"

"You're forcing us for two whole days to not instigate? What kind of backwards idea is this?!" Tol threw his hands up almost comically.

"It's the best one I got! You and I don't bother each other for two days! Ya' hear me, two!" Tol declared with his tone rising only a tad bit higher than normal. "For two days we can both go do our own things and get ready to kill, maim, blow up, or whatever else, each other and when them two days are up and over then all hell can break loose in the Corellian-sector. You break this deal before then and I can damn well promise you I'll call the butcher." Tol leaned into the table. "And I'll have your, and all your little friends heads severed and bunched together in a fruit basket for all the city to see hung from the highest spire-top."

"You and I both no damn well this is but a ploy to buy yourself time when you are obviously lacking." Dormi spat back. Tol simply smiled a kindly but laden with smug, smile along his features.

"Oh you are right on the money actually! That's the beauty of taking advantage of a trump card. Like I said, I ain't gonna run from a fight, so I ain't. All this is, is relaxing for a day or two before we try gutting each other. Is it copping out a little? Eh, maybe. Don't mean I ain't about to exploit this advantage I got on you and Varuunga." Dormi and Tol glared at one another for a few seconds long and Fiz rounded up behind Tol to give an added sense of anxiety into the falleen.

"Very well." Dormi nodded and rose to a stand. He too patted out his robes as he stood. "I shall convey your terms to our master Varuunga. I am sure he will concede to your momentary respite from what is to come. It will not save you though."

"It don't need to." Tol extended his hand, and oddly enough to both their guards Dormi took it and both men shook hands respectfully as they both made towards the exit.

"It has been most...intriguing speaking with you, Mr. Gedden." Dormi spun around and intoned as Gim made hurriedly for the exit.

"Likewise Dormi. Do give Varuunga my regards." The falleen bowed his head, but his reptilian eyes maintained a lock with Tol as he finished and swiftly turned himself around and made out the exit of the club. Gim started frantically, but quietly talking to Dormi who didn't seem to notice as the two left without delay.

Tol spun back around and threw his hand to his forehead and sighed deeply. He mutely took note of his men and workers eying him from afar as he did so. He ignored them and found the bar stool nearest to the entrance and plopped himself into it while still rubbing his own forehead. Fiz came over and stood silent for a minute and let Tol get his bearings.

"So...what happened?" Tol lowered his hand down his face slowly before turning to glance at Fiz. A confounded look about him and a brow cocked upwards.

"What do you mean, 'what happened!?'" Fiz shrugged.

"I mean what happened? I was there, I heard most of what was being talked bout' but I ain't really follow what was decided on. If anything was I mean." Tol smirked and shook his head. A light laughter erupting from him that let the grimness of the meeting slightly fade.

"Sometimes it takes a while to remember why I keep you around Fiz, but then you come and remind me." Tol chuckled some more, and Fiz joined him, though more lightly.

"Well, my friend. What happened was the nicest possible declaration of war we could've gotten to our faces." Tol rose to a stand and stretched himself. "That's what happened." He sighed, and Fiz looked only a tad bit worried.

"So we gonna have anybody come in on us here?"

"No we shouldn't. I got us a two day heads up to when the poodoo really hits the fan. Until then we get all the boys prepared around the sector. This is still my territory for the love of Hutta!" Fiz nodded as Tol began pacing forward and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Call all the enforcers and dealers. I want em' to be fully diligent and pack a blaster each. Get our fronts some more protection from the lower sectors. I don't think they'd strike down there first. Get all girls who have a place outside the club to return here. They'll have to live in the lower quarters for the time being if they wanna be protected from Varuunga's louts. And get me on the comm down to Hutta. I need to talk to Botassa ASAP, got me?"

"Gotcha boss." Fiz nodded and made off with his comlink in hand. Tol kept on moving and ignored the club workers and his men as they continued to patrol or get the club ready for tonight's patrons.

"Wanna drag us all into open war with a bunch of crazed damn imperials and droids! Don't even think about the consequences of your side losing. Getting into bed with the Moffs! For the love of all that is holy that's like mud marrying slime!" Tol seethed under his breath as he continued to move about in pace and worry. His thoughts jumping form one extreme to the next and all the possible scenarios. He felt his head pound and adrenaline race. He brought his right hand to his forehead and stopped where he stood to breath and try to relax.

Movement to his right caught his attention and he glanced that way. He found Taesa dancing on the stage, looking a bit tired and frustrated. Her brow furrowed in concentration and her lekku and silken cloths whirling about her figure. Tol smirked and chuckled, before he brought his hands together and clapped quite profusely. She came to a sudden stop and looked his way. She was semi-panting for breath and Tol neared the stage.

"Was...that better?" She asked in between a breath, a hopeful and bright smile appearing on her lethan red face. Tol smiled approvingly and nodded.

"Yes Taesa that was much better my lovely. Now go backstage and rest up some! Otherwise you'll pass out when the guests arrive girl!" She laughed excitedly and with accomplishment and thanked Tol immensely as she bounded off backstage.

Leaving Tol to sigh again, and cross his arms as the notion dawned on him. Just how this supposed 'Galactic Civil War,' was now spilling into the criminal underworld. For them all on Nar Shaddaa, the war had just started in full. This one, a Hutt civil war.

(Quelii Sector, Dathomir System, Dathomir)

Above the blue and green world that from afar seemed peaceful and content lay a field. Not one of rock and ice like a field of asteroids. This field was a still burning and flashing field of broken, smashed, cracked, burning metal. They were the remains of the Moff Dathomirian-Security Force. A fleet held over from the Imperial age upon the order of the Emperor himself to prevent those on planet from leaving. It was in ruin and all those aboard her ships dead and joined to the rest of the flying debris. Both massive pieces of their ships' hulls, to hydrospanners and wires floating about freely.

The charred remains of both metal and flesh floated in orbit over Dathomir, over the days, even hours pieces large enough to make the fall would decay their orbits into the world, and burn like a shooting star into the planet. They would crash and explode against both forest and water. Falling to the world more and more death and destruction even if rarely.

For what destroyed this fleet and brought death to tens-of-thousands of Moff troops and officers was a powerful URM attack force. A fleet of fifty warships, many of them capitol-class and battleship classes took part in destroying the defense force made of but a skeleton fleet of no more than fifteen ships. Many of them cruisers and corvettes. General Egriege then let the majority of the fleet leave and reengage Moff forces in full retreat and disarray behind commander Kast's general front along the Mandalore sector border. Keeping for himself but five ships. One command vessel, the lucrehulk-class battleship Voidbringer, two providence-class battleships, and two recusant-class destroyer's.

As the fleet of the Moffs lay battered broken, and dying with its men doing the same, the last of the URM warships under Egriege's command directed patrolling fighter wings and bombers or interceptors to hunt down and destroy all satellites and the small orbital station in its entirety as it had already received obvious and devastating damage. The world was ripe then for the landing forces to descend from up high to the soil below, and take the world captive. Egriege ordered the packed lucrehulk to be emptied of its troops. A full four-hundred and fifty-thousand B1 battle droids supported by fifty-thousand B2 battle droids, six-thousand plus AAT's, along with multiple STAP's troop transports for the droids, two commando squads of BX droids, six B3 ultra's, multiple hundreds of droideka's, crab and spider droids of multiple variants, along with all other compliment forms one would imagine a full droid invasion force would launch.

Several dozen transports fell onto the world after three squadrons of hyena-class droid bombers streaked through the skies of Dathomir and carpet-bombed old imperial built and Moff run military installations and penal centers where most occupants made their escape hurriedly thereafter. The Moff garrison was ill equipped to handle the full blown invasion by the URM, and the meager twenty-thousand strong garrison force was cut down to fourteen-thousand by the end of the extensive bombing campaigns while droid forces landed in clearings in the wooded terrain of Dathomir. All troublesome, or possibly troublesome wildlife was liquidated in the surrounding forests.

It was to be two days before the droid armies were to march out and attack the Moff forces in their decimated facilities and holdouts. That was five days ago.

---

The smoldering ruins of the imperial designed base lay before them. General Egriege, with his endlessly and unblinking glowing red photoreceptors stood with two magnaguards to his back. All three of them draped in cloth. Egriege with his torn remnants of a dead inquisitor to mark his prestige over the death of over a dozen of them thus far, and the magnaguards still wearing cloaks with the designs of the crest of general Grievous.

Behind the general moved a massive stretched line of droid forces. The fifty-second corps under his direct command. A unit Egriege had commanded several times and had seen immense success. Even though they were droids, the commander units all being OOM-series, had been allowed to forgo memory wipes, and thus all had begun acquiring personalities, but also experience and memories of tactics that had succeeded in the past.

The corps was in a massive column heading beyond the Moff base. Tanks moving in twos and with battalions of droids, mostly B1's, moving between those tank lines. MMT's and other droid transports with open tops and droids active and blaster drawn for quick deployment among them as well. The corps was breaking up soon into three four divisions each of fifteen thousand droids with armored units and transports following in kind with aerial support following and monitoring them in kind. They all had the same objective, but different targets.

Egriege turned and his heavy metal foot stomped onto and slightly dented a dead Moff troopers armor before he stepped off, and his second leg kicked the body over onto its other side without care. His magnaguards followed and also carelessly stepped on the weak and pathetic deceased organic. He watched then his corps move and carry on from the sight of great death, and into an open field. Rarely were there many of these on this untamed and wild world.

They had moved out from the forests after cutting down and burning their ways out or simply using their tanks to topple trees maybe even bombing a line out of the forests. Of course countless beasts and foliage died, but that was of no concern to any among these droids. Their objective was the death of the sentient organics. But most important as detailed by his mistress were those whom called themselves, 'nightsisters.' Indeed Egriege knew they were some of them, Force wielding women native to this world and considered barbaric possible thorn in the side of his mistress's coming order to the galaxy.

Egriege held no scruples, he didn't know what even that word meant to a droid. The definition alone, but nothing else. He only knew he would...'enjoy,' as the definition of the word was concerned, killing all of them. For his mistress had also stipulated that the last vestiges of one clan of nightsisters must be annihilated from existence. Even above the others if this mission was to eventually fail. Those of them who enslaved and kept company with zabraks on the world. For there were barely a hundred of this such clan remaining after decimation by general grievous before him during the Clone Wars. It made Egriege almost feel more emotions that amounted to something akin to excitement. To know he would finish what that great cyborg had started more than a decade prior!

Indeed as the other three divisions would be making for different clans of these witches, and those clans of different ideals and titles than 'nightsisters,' his first target would be those witches, and their zabrak slaves. They would all die, to him!

---

As the hours ticked by, and day slowly began to night. The distant fires burning and smoke rising seen to but a few of the clans of the witches of Dathomir, some remained clueless as to what was about to befall their people. Among them was this dying clan of nightsisters. Their red attire, and subjugated zabrak brothers going about their daily duties and lives. Some learning and training themselves further in the ways of the Force and of the dark side, could only sense death ravaging their world. Death was common on a world so covered with ravenous beasts and Moff troops who were the same as as they were before being Moff. Merely a different title, all of them vying for power. None suspected something other had fallen over their planet. Even with the ships zooming overhead. The Moffs did this often for patrols and intelligence gathering on those covens hidden or out of their immediate reaches.

So when the cracks of the distant trees began and the pounding of the trunks against the ground finally began to echo and reverberate to the small village the women rose and roused from what they were doing and turned toward the approaching sounds. As the Force began to whine out furiously in warning and sent chills of fear through them.

---

The daylight was fading, but Egriege didn't need it. Indeed this camp was so small, and its people already near depopulating and fading into obscurity and death that he did not even bring the whole of his division with him. Only a fraction, and his elite. Along with two AAT's to guide for them a path.

Egriege jumped off of the first AAT as its two fellow tanks took up position on either side of it. He stepped forward as a line of trees remained before him with the village just beyond. He could scan and make out a line of people forming to listen and look for whatever was making the sounds emitting from the tanks and what was bringing a portion of the forest down.

Behind the droid general came up his magnaguards and were followed by ten BX commandos, and three B3 ultra battle droids. The general cocked his head to the side and gazed outward for a few silent moments toward the village. His cloak whipped through a breeze and the droids behind him idly shuffled and cocked their own heads among one another. All waiting for his command.

Egriege lifted his right arm, and with a snap of his metallic droid index finger forward he spoke.

"Eradicate all sentient organics. Burn the village to the ground. Leave not one home, hut, or organic standing." The droids all acknowledged none-verbally, and the commandos rushed forward and slammed their metal backs against the trees still standing. The titan B3's marched and stomped across twigs and leafs and their lower secondary arms rose to ready and fire their burst rounds of blaster bolts. The AAT's moved their main cannon barrels and aimed down sights. Egriege raised his right hand higher and raised it as a fist facing the tanks. He knew he didn't need to make such movements, all communication was wireless between he and his forces, but it gave him a measure of enjoyment his droid mind was unable to fully quantify or understand. With his fist raised Egriege threw his arm outward again toward the village and his finger unfurled forward.

The three AAT's fired at once and the yellow blasts of cannon fire slammed into the huts ad homes of the nightsisters. Three of them blew away and the material used to make them flew about thru the air. They called out and yelled to one another, some screamed in fear, and Egriege assumed these warrior women were not the ones screaming but more likely their children. They too would die.

The BX commandos, in kneels swung and rolled around the tree lines. They aimed down sights and fired burst rounds of three blaster bolts into the village. Two women were shot down immediately and fell over with burns across their bodies. The B3's broke from the shadows and their small secondary arm set unleashed upon the village with wild abandon.

Egriege waled out easily from the darkness himself and into the open area of the village. The night was steadily approaching, but what light remained glittered down upon the droid general and his droid forces. It then puzzled Egriege to see several women run forward and calling to one another. Within their hands lay bows with glowing bowstrings. The general again cocked his head and watched. Three BX commandos charged forward and fell to their knees. They fired toward them again, and one of the women screamed as she was torn int by bolts and fell to the ground.

The other women pulled on the bowstrings and between their fingers appeared an arrow of energy. They let them free like an ancient beyond ancient warrior would, or some barbarian on a distant world, and the arrow sung out forward. They fell into the ground and flew over the BX commandos who rolled to the sides or dove under the arrows being shot their way. One managed to strike a B3 in the chest but the droid behemoth only shuttered lightly before picking back up and extending his main arms outward.

With a dual burst of pulsing energy a bout of both flame and heated plasma flew forward. The fire struck one woman and she was set alight. She screamed and dropped her bow and flung her arms about trying to put the flames out across her body. She fell to the ground in curdling screams.

The rest of the BX commandos ran amok, their speed great and shots precise as they tore into the women. The young ones and elder ones were being shuffled back into the forest beyond. The commandos fired their way as the warriors with their bows or even with swords likely imbued with the dark side attacked the droid commandos and the B3's.

The ultra's fired burst rounds and the women fell in droves. Their bodies began to pile near to the outside of the main village, and the commandos slowly advanced on the village. The AAT's fired in succession once again and slammed into the forest wall beyond the village and those trying to escape fell backwards from the blast's force and the children screamed in terror.

Egriege finally moved his cloak aside and peeled off one of his sabers. He activated its red beam and flew forward with incredible speed. One women ran from around a burning hut, Egriege spotted her and dove low before ramming his left shoulder into the woman. She flew back with a grunt and seethed as she hit the ground. Egriege slashed his saber across from left to right and watched in pleasure as her head immediately rolled from her shoulders.

His sensors blared and he threw himself into a backwards flip away from the arrow buzzing toward him. He landed with a powerful quake of his heavy body in a low crouched posture. He turned left and raised his left hand extended forward facing the woman. Within his metallic palm lay a single circular bulb. Within it glowed a small light that grew hot and brighter. It was a matter of seconds until it blared, and a pulse of unseen power exploded outward.

Dirt, grass, hut debris, and dead bodies directly before his hand flew outward. The woman lowered her bow and her eyes widened in horror and fear. She flew back and slammed into a burning hut into its fires. Her screams rang out as more debris fell onto her body. Egriege curled her hand back in. The droid would have smiled if it were possible. His artificial Force attack worked just swimmingly.

It was a simple thing from then on. The AAT's fired into the distance and set the forest alight beyond and blocked off the wretched beings from escape. The BX commandos expertly weathered the weakly storm set against them by the witches and shot them into oblivion. The B3's followed after, setting hut and bodies alight, allowing screams and horror to fill the air along with the stagnant smell of burning flesh and rot. Egriege marched among them and mostly took pleasure in watching the witches feebly seek to fight back, or run. Only taking part to run thru a witch as she broke and run, slash down and cut into the neck of an already dying witch, and to then use his artificial powers to blast a child running away from her mothers' dead body and thrust her into a burning tree to become part of the kindling. The echos of screams filling the air.

The smoldering woods, and the huts joining the smoke and flames filled what had become the night sky. The AAT's moved into the clearing and remained still as the BX commandos moved among the bodies and made sure all fallen and still corpses were indeed dead. Egriege stood atop one of the AAT's and overlooked the decimated ruins of this one witch clan and took great artificial joy in the scene. The B3 ultra's stood around him and waited for his orders. As the head BX commando, commander approached.

"All organics of the village are dead. All accounted for. Fly-overs and scans for lifeforms are underway general. If anyone remains we will find and execute them." Egriege nodded, though he need not have.

"Relay orders to the secondary task forces. Find the slave camp of zabrak organics. Execute them all, and leave not a one remaining." Egriege paused as the commander bowed its cone head. The general turned fully to the commander.

"Bring to me the heads of every slain zabrak, and of those that lay dead here. Those whom cannot be taken, such as those corpses ruined by fire, leave them, but bring all others to me. I will make an homage to the witches of this backwater world with the dead flesh of their kindred." The BX commander cocked its cone head to the side, and didn't seem to understand. However, in a second more it bowed its head and made no further statements before Egriege noted the commandos removing their blades and falling upon the bodies.

The general intended to indeed pay homage to the rest of the clans of organics on this world. He would amass for them a collection of their heads. He would carry them on his person as trophies and mark for the witches and their male slaves, a show of what their 'glory' amounted to in the end.

The thought made something within his chassis glow. As Dathomir began to burn.

(Vensensor Sector, Sarrish System, Sarrish)

The speeder howled as the machine came to a sudden stop. Viathan jerked it left suddenly and all speed and forward momentum was taken from the vehicle. His blood red eyes began fixed on the modular base before him. He had seen it from afar, but the clarity of what he was watching only struck him in full as he came fully before it.

The otherwise massive base was smoldering in several sectors behind its fortress walls. The defensive line of AT-AT's around the base had been hit and were all smoking in ruins with hundreds of Imperial bodes around the base and walkers. The central spire was fully on fire and fire freely burned out of the broken viewports lining the pinnacle level of the tower. The defensive auto-turrets that were massive enough to destroy whole walkers were in various displays of destruction, with only one or two still operational but have nothing left to fire on, or perhaps had no one manning them.

Only the random shots of blasters and explosions as well as screaming in the distance let the Sith acolyte know that life was still within the garrison.

"General Valdarian, this is commander Viathan, do you copy?" Viathan asked pressing his ear-comm further within his ear to try and block out the various near and distant sounds of conflict. He heard nothing in reply. He cursed and sighed as he thought of another he might try to contact.

"Death follows you everywhere child. It is quite enjoyably morbid to partake in such sights." Viathan growled under breath again, as the voice of the phantom entered his mind for the first time this day. He shook his head and slammed his eyes shot trying to will the spirit's voice away.

"Darssus, this is Viathan. Are you within the garrison?" Viathan bit the proverbial bullet and called out through his comm for his, up until recently, estranged brother.

"Ah! Brother it is always pleasant to hear your voice!" His voice merrily greeted in reply, and Viathan rolled his eyes. "As per your question, I am indeed within the garrison. We seem to have been struck quickly and decisively by new Moff units! Truly I am astounded by the action, and must commend whatever commanding officer ordered this daring, even if inevitably failed, mission." He snickered with an air of accented superiority about himself and his voice.

Viathan scanned his surroundings again and looked for whatever signs of 'new units,' Darssus was speaking of, but found none.

"I see nothing of new units. Care to elaborate, or do you want me to hold my breath?"

"Oh you shouldn't tempt me dearest brother of mine." He chortled, and Viathan groaned and chastised his own choice of words.

"Your confusion is understandable. The Moffs have among their arsenal so it now seems, a variety of droid units. These droids look like your run-of-the-mill stormtroopers in various colors and markings, but they are through and through made of metal, gears, and programming. It's almost insulting to me really, that they thought these machine-men could kill one such as I, or you dearest brother, but it was daring nonetheless." Viathan heard blasts through his comm and assumed his brother was fighting some of these supposed droids.

"Where is general Valdarian? I've tried raising him, but have heard nothing in reply." A small pause greeted him, before Darssus responded with a small satisfied breath released from him. Making a vision of the inquisitor standing over a dead foe with a contented smile, enter Viathan's head.

"Ah yes, the poor general was sadly huddled up among the other officers in the central command spire. Sad really that so many of them perished." Viathan growled out in anger at the thought of his command structure being gutted. "Needn't you worry dear brother! A great many of the staff made their way into the secure lower rooms as the attack came underway. Indeed, I am the one doing all the work in saving their miserable skins from certain death. Though these droids are certainly minor, if not persistent, irritants."

"Where did they enter from? I see the main entryway still intact along the east wall." Viathan replied.

"Right. Yes, if you move toward the southern wall you shall see a quite massive hole blown in the side of the garrison. That is where the enemy force has entered. I can sense fighting and death all around the base. So, I think it's safe to say there remains a few hundred at least of these droids wandering around and engaging our forces. What plan of action will you take brother?" Viathan made to answer before the shadows of ships caught his eyes.

He turned up and noted the imperial escort TIE fighters and interceptors passover with bombers circling like vultures, as shuttles and transports began landing near to his position. Out of those ships came dozens upon dozens into hundreds of stormtroopers. All of them ready and noting their commander.

"Commander Viathan, your reinforcements sir. We're at your command." An officer's voice spoke aloud and stiffly over his comm into his ears.

"My plan, Darssus, is to retake the garrison, and wipe out all traces of Moff filth from my base! That is my plan."

"Ah, very good! I like it brother." Darssus replied merrily as ever, and Viathan cut the comm channel and finally stepped off his speeder. He powered down the vehicle and took up a saber in right hand and activated the brilliant beam of red light. He dove on forward toward the nearest trooper division unloading onto the rocky and cratered soil of Sarrish. He would take these and all other troopers with him toward the blast hole in the side of the modular garrison. Where he would lead them into and to retake the base.

It would be some time before Viathan came across the first Moff droid, but when he did he and the rest of the troopers beheld them for what they were. Droids built in the image of stormtroopers, and painted pitch black. Several designs and variations of them lay scattered about. Heavy repeaters, blaster rifles, thermal detonators, and built in ray shields. A tangled internal mess of wiring and programming protected by thick metal plates.

They were the Dark Troopers. And they had been unleashed.

---

Authors Note: As normal guys please forgive or point out any and all grammatical errors found in this chapter. I KNOW, guys that a few people and their arcs were not mentioned, but they will be more focused in the next chapter. Some of this chapter was pretty hard to get out, but it was getting long and carrying it on would I think severely drag it out beyond patience provided this isn't a mega-battle chapter like Coruscant.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy and review! OuO